[PF1] Perils of the Ashenwood

[Palanan]

The Ashenwood—a broad mantle of dense forest draped across jumbled terrain, extending far into the west when seen from the pass of Kirin Nalag in the heights of the Ülgurül Hills.

Once it was far greater, in earlier ages when the kingdoms of men and dwarves had not yet risen, when fey and fell things held sway over vast shadowed reaches of the ancient wood. In this age of the world it is diminished—yet there are still hidden vales cloaked in forgotten tatters of night, dark-shrouded dells where unseen nightmares spin their snares, slow-winding streams leading to unknown deeps from which none return.

Through the Ashenwood your path now leads. You are not alone; yet you and your companions do not travel in numbers enough to be free of apprehension—much less the constant unease of being watched, of feral eyes studying your bearing and gait, assessing your soft spots and your weaknesses.

As you travel in the chill heavy air beneath the shadowed canopy, stray whispers reach your ears, hints of phantoms glimpsed just beyond the edge of sight. When you camp at night, bright eyes are kindled in the darkness, yet vanish when you approach.

A long road still lies ahead—yet with each day a thin, nameless dread grows stronger within you, and you cannot help but wonder if you will ever see bright fields and the open sky again.

Spoiler: Big 16

Show

1. What game system are you running?

Pathfinder 1E.

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be? What is the setting for the game?

Homebrew setting, going for a mix of traditional high fantasy, local intrigue and gritty wilderness survival.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?

Ideally 3-4 players with 1-2 alternates.

4. What's the gaming medium?

Play-by-post, right here in the Playground.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?

PCs will start at 1st level.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?

PCs will roll starting gold per their class description.

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?

No homebrew classes or other homebrew material.

All classes from the CRB and APG are allowed, with the exception of cavalier and summoner. Other allowed classes include hunter, investigator, magus, mesmerist, psychic, slayer, and swashbuckler.

No gunpowder or psionics. No 3PP and no homebrew.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?

All Core races are allowed, with the exception of gnomes, which don’t exist in this setting.

From the Featured races of the ARG, aasimars, changelings, fetchlings, ifrits, oreads, ratfolk and sylphs are allowed, though rare and unusual in the setting. Hobgoblins are possible but would be viewed with alarm and suspicion by many.

From the Uncommon races, samsarans, vanaras and vishkanyas are allowed, though the latter two would be considered quite unusual for the specific region of the campaign. If there are other races from first-party Pathfinder sources that you’re interested in, let me know and I’ll take a look.

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?

20-point buy for ability scores. Full hit points at first level.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?

First and foremost, no evil characters. Also, no characters working at cross-purposes to the group simply for the thrill of it.

Beyond that, PCs may draw from the full spectrum of nonevil alignments.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?

Multi-classing is allowed, subject to DM approval, once we get to that point.

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?

Players will roll for all the usual rolls (attacks, saves, CL checks, etc.) using the Playground dice roller.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.

TBD, check this space for updates.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how long? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?

I'd like to see at least a couple solid paragraphs with as much of your character’s history and personality you feel is important. You’re welcome to write more if the inspiration occurs.

Your characters will have been traveling together for a while prior to the start of the adventure, but feel free to work up whatever backstory suits your concept and we can go from there.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?

There will be a mix of exploration, combat and wilderness survival, a strong element of intrigue and local politics, and perhaps a dash of dungeoneering, with opportunities for RP throughout.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?

Material is allowed from the CRB, APG, Advanced Race Guide, the Ultimates (Magic/Combat/Intrigue/Wilderness) and Occult Adventures. Other official Pathfinder sources should be okay, but check with me first.

No psionics, no gunpowder, no 3PP.