Looking for a good module to start a campaign from


Adventures


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Alright, here's the deal. I got started on a fall to darkness style campaign as a pbp game and told some of my local gamers about it. They're now wanting me to run one for them and I'm trying to find a way to start it without having to right too much to start with, particularly with gencon coming up before we start. I had the idea that a module would be a good starting point and that I could then continue with them having fallen, or nearly fallen, for the rest of their diabolic lives.

So the pertinent info for my criteria:

1.) Level 4 or less starting (preferably 3 or 4)

2.) Set in an area where opportunities to easily continue the game exist afterwards (looking to make it more political and moralistically grey so areas of the world that encourage that are a plus).

3.) Party size is 4-6 (probably only 4)

I've looked through the list of modules but none stand out to me.


You might be interested in running Fangwood Keep. It's a low level module set on the border of Nirmathas and Molthune. Nirmathas is just east of Varisia and all of the great settings contained there such as Magnimar and Kaer Maga.

Located beneath Nirmathas is the largest drow city of Zirnakaynin, so the potential to explore something deep and dangerous is there. There is a political thread to Fangwood Keep in that there is an ongoing border dispute between MOlthune and Nirmathas, making for roleplay opportunities depending on where your PC's allegiances lay.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

I'd seen that one and thought it looked like a good starting point for me, I think I may well see about ordering it soon. Thank you.

Liberty's Edge

I used Crown of the Kobold King and Revenge of the Kobold King to begin a custom adventure once. The end leaves it pretty easy to fit a larger power in (especially leaning toward ties to necromancy or the undead). Crown of the Kobold King begins at 2, and Revenge ends at ~6 if I remember right. You could either continue on at 6 or give some outside game time to bump up to 7 and begin a much larger scope story.


I did the same as Nipin at the outset of my homebrew campaign set in the River Kingdoms (moving the location of those two modules). I really like both of them.

There's also a trio of modules starting in Nirmathas that might be good for you: Crypt of the Everflame, Masks of the Living God, and City of Golden Death. I ran Crypt and own City, but never bought or played/ran Masks. Good luck!


I would also suggest looking at some of the larger modules - Thornkeep in particular is one of my favorite Paizo products and you can very easily expand out from the town and area and have the PC's dip into/out of the dungeon as they level (the dungeon has levels that from a challenging level 1 or 2 to level 8 and there are plenty of hooks, undetailed areas and potential reoccurring characters and villains (and some definitely grey areas to explore with no clear right or wrong choices). Overall among my favorite scenarios to run from Paizo and for a campaign (not PFS play) there is a lot you can explore around the dungeon as well as in the dungeon that is beyond the scope of playing it in PFS (old artifacts to reactivate etc).

I like running dungeon crawls especially with unusual terrain and monsters so Thornkeep really appeals - but if that isn't what you or your players want I understand.

Silver Crusade

Nipin wrote:
I used Crown of the Kobold King and Revenge of the Kobold King to begin a custom adventure once. The end leaves it pretty easy to fit a larger power in (especially leaning toward ties to necromancy or the undead). Crown of the Kobold King begins at 2, and Revenge ends at ~6 if I remember right. You could either continue on at 6 or give some outside game time to bump up to 7 and begin a much larger scope story.

I agree, did the same thing and it worked perfectly.

I added some of my own homebrew story to this location/adventure and from that I built my own campaign.

It helps because you start getting used to handling NPC and so on, and for 3-4 adventurers it is easy at first and gets tricky by the end.

Liberty's Edge

The Dragon's Demand is a nice campaign kickoff. It's pretty classic in its tropes at first but deviates into some unique stuff. It's placed in Taldor so you have a fair amount of opportunity for adventure afterward. The town of Belhaim is a great base of operations for an adventuring party and when I ran it my party ended up with a manor house of their own. It piles on a bit more magic than most but not dramatically so and if you find is a concern it is easy enough to balance out over a few levels.

Liberty's Edge

I started with The Dragon's Demand Also. I Am working on a Homebrew Follow up Based on the History told in it..The PCs have been made Knights of Taldor and Dragon Slayers of Nazilli. They have been given the lands around the Ruins of Nazilli to Cler and restore.

I have the Keep Ruins mapped out.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Wow, a number of posts since I last looked in this thread. Thanks for the additional suggestions. I might actually start the game soon and figured it wouldn't hurt looking to see if there were more posts in this thread, sure enough there were.


I used hangmans noose as the springboard for an urban politics campaign. After excotcisng the infamoua haunt, the pcs became celebreties

Scarab Sages

Adventure A Week's Death and Taxes might work really well. It's 4th level and set up to work as either a drop-in or a starting point for a campaign. It involves the PCs being drafted into being tax collectors for a very interesting and well developed city, which would then give a good base to flesh out in future adventures.

The adventure itself is well written, has a number of avenues to pursue, and options for both diplomacy and combat throughout.

Silver Crusade

Godsmouth Heresy starts at level 1 and includes lots of plot hooks for a GM to build on. Plus, Kaer Maga!

Scarab Sages

Eliandra Giltessan wrote:
Godsmouth Heresy starts at level 1 and includes lots of plot hooks for a GM to build on. Plus, Kaer Maga!

Godsmouth is definitely a good one, but the OP wanted something around level three or four, which it wouldn't work too well for.


Master of the Fallen Fortress. The PCs start at level 1 and go to the ruin. You set it... anywhere and change some details as needed.

1. Set it in the midst of a great forest: The ruin is propped up by wild growth; pick one villain in the ruin that then has a greater lair in the woods; said villain is actually a pawn of the BBEG in a town you create.

2. Set it inside a city: the ruin is perched in a district quarantined due to calamity (flood, earthquake, disease); create an environmental rule for the PCs venturing there due to the calamity for extra challenge; choose a mundane or minor item in the ruin that's needed in advancing the goals of either a helpful NPC or the BBEG.

As for continuing the game after the module, just pick up a detail the PCs seem interested in and exploit it. In Master of the Fallen Fortress, without any changes, there's a lot of a certain underground monster in the above ground ruin. Extend the campaign by creating an underground space for more of them. Now craft a BBEG that might harness the unique qualities of such creatures to their own ends.


Duiker wrote:
Eliandra Giltessan wrote:
Godsmouth Heresy starts at level 1 and includes lots of plot hooks for a GM to build on. Plus, Kaer Maga!
Godsmouth is definitely a good one, but the OP wanted something around level three or four, which it wouldn't work too well for.

If he's up for adapting it's a great place to start in a really cool City that is very well fleshed out. He could also move right into City of Stranger I/II (PFS Modules).

There's tons to do in Kaer Maga.

Actually, one of my biggest issues with Godsmouth Heresy is that Kaer Maga doesn't "feel" like a level 1 city. The average street thug could take you down easy, and everyone's got nasty friends - gangs are everywhere. It's a dangerous, tough place to survive. But if that's what his group is up for that's a good module.

I started a campaign on Master of the Fallen Fortress as Mark suggested. Great module, and free, also easily adaptable. Unfortunately I don't actually have alot of experience with level 4 modules - usually by then I'm off and running.

Good luck!

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