Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign

256 Pages·2013·22.59 MB·English

by  Paizo Inc.

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CREDITS
Lead Designer: Jason Bulmahn
Designers: Stephen Radney-MacFarland and Sean K Reynolds
Authors: Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Ryan Costello, Adam Daigle, Matt Goetz, Tim Hitchcock, James Jacobs,
Ryan Macklin, Colin McComb, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds,
F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Steven Townshend
Cover Artist: Wayne Reynolds
Interior Artists: Eric Belisle, Sam Burley, Jorge Fares, Grafit, Miguel Regodón Harkness, Jon Hodgson, Tim Kings-Lynne, Jim Nelson,
Emiliano Petrozzi, Roberto Pitturru, Dmitry Prosvirnin, Maichol Quinto, Jason Rainville, Lydia Schuchmann, Bryan Sola, Kevin Yan,
and Ryan Yee
Creative Director: James Jacobs
Editor-in-Chief: F. Wesley Schneider
Senior Editor: James L. Sutter
Development: Logan Bonner, Ryan Macklin, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Sean K Reynolds
Editing: Judy Bauer, Logan Bonner, Christopher Carey, Ryan Macklin, and Patrick Renie
Editorial Assistance: Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and Mark Moreland
Senior Art Director: Sarah E. Robinson
Art Director: Andrew Vallas
Graphic Designer: Sonja Morris
Production Specialist: Crystal Frasier
Publisher: Erik Mona
Paizo CEO: Lisa Stevens
Chief Operations Officer: Jeffrey Alvarez
Director of Sales: Pierce Watters
Marketing Director: Jenny Bendel
Finance Manager: Christopher Self
Staff Accountant: Kunji Sedo
Chief Technical Officer: Vic Wertz
Senior Software Developer: Gary Teter
Campaign Coordinator: Mike Brock
Project Manager: Jessica Price
Customer Service Team: Cosmo Eisele, Erik Keith, and Sara Marie Teter
Warehouse Team: Will Chase, Michael Kenway, Heather Payne, Matt Renton, Jeff Strand, and Kevin Underwood
Website Team: Ross Byers, Liz Courts, Lissa Guillet, and Chris Lambertz
Special Thanks: Ryan Dancey, Clark Peterson, and the proud participants of the Open Gaming Movement.
This game is dedicated to Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Based on the original roleplaying game rules designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and inspired by the third edition of the game
designed by Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
This game would not be possible without the passion and dedication of the thousands of gamers who helped playtest and develop it.
Thank you for all of your time and effort.
Paizo Publishing, LLC
7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
Redmond, WA 98052-0577
paizo.com
This product makes use of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. These rules can be found online as part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document at
paizo.com/prd. This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the
world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game.
Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content:
All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that
have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)
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defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in
any form without written permission.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Campaign is published by Paizo Publishing, LLC under the Open Game License version 1.0a © 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Paizo, Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, GameMastery, and Pathfinder Society are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder
Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder
Player Companion, and Pathfinder Tales are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. © 2013 Paizo Publishing, LLC.
First printing May 2013.
Printed in China.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4 CHAPTER 4: KINGDOMS AND WAR 196
Introduction 198
CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER BACKGROUND 6 Kingdom Building 198
Introduction 8 Kingdom Terminology 198
How to Create a Background 8 Founding a Kingdom 200
Early Life 9 Leadership Roles 200
Adolescence 12 Build Points 204
Adulthood 13 Kingdom Turn Sequence 205
Background Generator 16 Edicts 208
Traits 51 Losing Hexes 209
Drawbacks 64 Terrain Improvements 210
Story Feats 66 Settlements and Districts 211
Founding a Settlement 212
CHAPTER 2: DOWNTIME 74 Buildings 213
Introduction 76 Events 220
Downtime Activities 84 Building Icons 224
Managers 88 District Grid 226
Rooms and Teams 90 Kingdom Sheet 227
Buildings and Organizations 107 Optional Kingdom Rules 228
Downtime Events 114 Mass Combat 234
Downtime Tracking Sheet 130 Army Statistics 234
Battle Phases 236
CHAPTER 3: CAMPAIGN SYSTEMS 132 Attacking and Taking Damage 236
Introduction 134 Battlefield Conditions 237
Alignment 134 Army Tactics 237
Bargaining 138 Strategy Track 239
Companions 140 Rout 239
Contacts 148 Victory, Rout, or Defeat 239
Exploration 154 Recovery 239
Honor 160 Commanders 239
Investment 164 Army Resources 241
Lineage 166 Special Abilities 242
Magic Item Creation 170 Player Characters in Battles 245
Relationships 176 Optional Mass Combat Rules 246
Reputation and Fame 180 Sample Armies 247
Retirement 186 Army Sheet 251
Retraining 188
Taxation 192 INDEX 252
Young Characters 194 OGL 254
Introduction
Whether you’re writing up a vast and colorful character a character’s background, from her birth through her
background or playing out a moment in between fighting childhood and adolescence, her adoption of the class she
monsters, a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign now has levels in, and the struggles she endured even before
truly comes alive as you explore your characters and the she achieved her first character level. Along with advice
ways they affect the world around them. This book offers on fleshing out characters, this chapter provides tables
players and GMs myriad ways to spice up and even alter to roll on if you want to randomly generate a background
the course of a campaign, from little moments in a town for a character; you can instead pick and choose from the
earning money and retraining your skills to ruling over possibilities on these tables if you already have an idea
kingdoms and waging glorious battles. For those looking for where that character came from. The choices made for
for ways to be more personally impressive in combat or at each stage of a character’s life, her parents, and the events
magic, see Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat and Pathfinder surrounding her upbringing grant access to character
RPG Ultimate Magic. options listed later in the chapter.
After that, you’ll find character traits, originally
NAVIGATING THIS BOOK introduced in the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide.
This book is organized in much the same way as the All of the traits from the Advanced Player’s Guide are
Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, with each chapter containing included here (with some updates), as well as many new
rules grouped together by theme for ease of reference. ones. Following that, you’ll read about drawbacks—the
Presented below are a brief overview of each chapter and opposite of traits, each one detailing a character flaw
a taste of the new material you can expect to find therein. or weakness (which, if taken, also grants access to an
Additionally, the table of contents on the previous page additional trait). Finally, this section introduces story
and the index located at the back of this book should assist feats: special feats that act a bit like personal quests. Upon
you in locating specific topics quickly and easily. taking a story feat, characters gain a bonus or ability
Chapter 1—Character Background: This chapter brings that improves when they achieve a certain condition or
to the table new, detailed methods for coming up with complete a certain goal.
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Chapter 2—Downtime: This chapter deals with the the ground up, a vassalage of a larger empire, or even a
time players spend in towns between adventures. Three realm won through bravery and valor—where the people of
overall components combine to create a comprehensive the land ask the leaders to stay and rule.
experience during this downtime: activities characters The scale of playing out ruling and shepherding a
can do to help them get a little ahead for the next kingdom is far greater than of adventuring or even the
adventure or in general, ways to invest in a settlement by downtime system from Chapter 2. A turn for kingdoms
creating buildings and organizations, and random events covers a month of time in the campaign, during which
that can happen in the settlement where the PCs are. the characters build settlements, expand their territory,
The activities characters can undertake in a settlement tax the populace, declare holidays, and more. But fear not!
require a day or more to accomplish—perfect for the The PCs still have plenty of time each month to go out
times between sessions when players can work with their adventuring—their lands need only 7 days of their time,
GMs. These activities include crafting items, earning and surely everyone benefits when they use the rest of that
money, gathering information, researching spells or lore, time to clear monsters from surrounding lands and tackle
scheming for an upcoming adventure, and more. vile threats within the kingdom.
Some other activities involve building rooms and Along with time, the costs and resources of a kingdom go
drafting together teams of people to form buildings and far beyond mere thousands of gold pieces. This chapter uses
organizations. These buildings and organizations can build points as currency—a general form of capital used to
be businesses that generate income, items for characters’ fund a nation’s maintenance and growth. In the early stages
personal use, or even quest goals created by the GM. It of building a kingdom, players can certainly convert their
takes more than gold and a few hours of work to create PCs’ hard-fought gold into build points, but every ruler
these, however—through labor, material goods, influence should have creating a self-sufficient kingdom as a goal.
over the local populate, and magical assets, PCs can make a Kingdoms are rarely calm places. Many types of events
lasting mark on a city and on their personal story. could happen each month—some beneficial, some
As players create buildings and organizations, random dangerous. Raising a nation is unpredictable business at the
events can happen to them. Some are beneficial: a boost best of times, and every month you’ll see what sort of event
in productivity, a famous visitor, or an unexpected takes place. From boom towns and feuds, to celebrities and
windfall. Some are detrimental: criminal activity, a fire, inquisitions, to scholarly discoveries and public scandals,
or mutiny. And even if you aren’t playing with buildings anything can happen in a kingdom. As with Chapter 2,
and organizations, GMs can still use these events to add these events also provide fodder for campaigns that don’t
color to a town, making it more than just a forgetable deal with ruling a nation—GMs can use them to color the
place where nothing happens except for the party selling PCs’ travels or to create intriguing adventure hooks.
its latest plunder. This book ends with the Mass Combat system, where you
Chapter 3—Campaign Systems: This chapter provides play out vast, sweeping battles between dwarven armies,
an array of options to enhance your campaign. If you’ve halfling scouting parties, elven cavalry, undead hordes,
been looking for things to add to your game like rules and whatever epic scenes you dream up. These rules cover
for sandbox-style exploration, gradual alignment raising and maintaining armies of various sizes and
shifts, complex relationships, fame and codes of honor, special abilities, as well as army commanders that make
retraining characters, and so on, look no further. Each of their forces more formidable.
these 15 optional systems adds a new dimension to your War is a larger proposition than the skirmishing you’re
campaign—whether you just use one, grab a few, or even used to for a dungeon, with turns taking from several
get crazy and add them all in. These optional systems minutes to even an hour. In that time, the players handle
modify different parts of the game, changing the way you the tactics for their army (or armies, if they’re fighting a
handle character creation, time spent in settlements, the grand war with multiple units), watch arrows and spells
results of characters’ actions, lengthy travel, and so on. fly in ranged assaults, and feel steel clash against steel in
Naturally, these are the sort of options you can introduce glorious melee battle.
and leave behind as your campaign requires. Battles can be won not only by destroying enemy forces,
Chapter 4—Kingdoms and War: This chapter covers but also by routing them—causing so much devastation
two vast concepts, building a kingdom and warring with and fear that they have no choice by to flee. But even then,
armies. The first section, Kingdom Building, takes the the story of that battle is not over. Victorious commanders
kingdom rules and ideas from Pathfinder Adventure Path #32: grow in prowess and ability with each battle won. Losing
Rivers Run Red to a whole new level. Here, PCs become the commanders may be captured and ransomed or killed.
rulers of a kingdom—kings and queens, clergy, generals, And surviving armies, victorious or not, must deal with
diplomats, marshals, spymasters, and so on. These rules the losses they’ve suffered by healing and rebuilding.
have got you covered whether a kingdom consists of a mere These rules integrate with the kingdom-building
hamlet and surrounding farms, or a vast nation of many rules summarized above, though you don’t need to run a
cities and sprawling lands. A kingdom could be built from kingdom in order to play through a mass combat.
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1
ts quite clear, your lordship.”
I
Ezren nodded at the gigantic
tree, etched in counter-relief upon the
ancient marble. “This records all the
notables of your family, going back a
dozen generations.”
The royal advisor lifted his torch, the
light barely illuminating the highest
branches. “Your right is undeniable
my lord!”
“Well...” The wizard frowned.
“Queens, kings, heroes, tyrants—the
line is quite strong. There’s even a—
ahem—divine connection”
“What!?” His majesty spun. “My
family is descended from the gods?”
“Not... per se.” Ezren grimaced,
continuing cautiously. “Do you know
of any members of your family born
with horns?”
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Introduction
mechanical disadvantage, but also (more importantly)
serve as a roleplaying tool for making interesting choices.
A character background details the significant events, After all, nobody’s perfect!
people, and life experiences that make up the origin
story of a character prior to his or her role in the saga of a Brainstorming Your Background
campaign. Some characters are born under extraordinary Before you start working on your background, roll
circumstances, heralded by prophecy and omen; others your ability scores and select your race and class. With
live completely ordinary lives until some dramatic event this basic information determined, you can focus on
casts them onto the dangerous roads traveled by heroes creating a backstory consistent with those key elements,
and monsters. A character’s background forms the basis brainstorming the details of your background in a way that
for complex motivations and emotional vulnerabilities, makes sense with your race, class, and attributes.
and these past experiences guide the way the character The following sections of this chapter examine
responds to circumstances in his or her present life. As your life leading up to the beginning of the campaign,
the child of a goddess and a mortal, do you view ordinary starting from your birth, proceeding through the
creatures as inferior beings? Having grown up in abject formative experiences of childhood and adolescence, and
poverty, how do you react when someone steals from you? ending with the development of your worldview in early
If a militant theocracy burned your siblings as heretics, adulthood. Each section poses a number of questions to
how do you respond to clerics of other religions? When consider. You don’t need to know the answers to all of these
playing a new character, the details in your background questions, and some things you might prefer to discover
give you a quick handle on your past, making it easier to as the game proceeds. However, you may find it easier to
slip into the character’s skin and embrace this mind-set step into your character’s head if you spend some time
in play. As the campaign proceeds, your early adventures contemplating these questions, simply because you’ll
gradually become part of that background—a seamless have more information to draw from. These questions are
chain of events that make up your life and contribute to prompts to focus your imagination toward certain points
your constantly changing and evolving persona. in your life in order to create strong roleplaying and story
hooks for you, your group, and your GM.
HOW TO CREATE A BACKGROUND
There are several ways you can approach character Creating a Unique Character Concept
background using Ultimate Campaign. One approach is an Sometimes, creating a character that feels original and
organic method—brainstorming character details, guided stands out from others of the same class and race can seem
by the questions in the following sections of this chapter. like a challenge. It’s easy to fall into playing the stereotype
Alternatively, you might use the background generator, of a race or class—the ale-swilling dwarven fighter with
starting on page 16 to compile your history randomly. the battleaxe, the quick and wise elven ranger roaming
You can also use the charts and tables in the background the woodlands with a longbow, the sneaky and childlike
generator as a springboard for your imagination, halfling rogue, and so on. While there’s nothing wrong
deliberately selecting background elements that inspire with these, and they can be a lot of fun—after all, there’s a
you or fit the direction you wish to explore. reason they became cultural archetypes in the first place—
For published Pathfinder Adventure Paths, you often sometimes you want to try something new. Presented here
have the option of selecting campaign traits that tie your are some techniques you can use to help you break away
character thematically into a specific storyline relevant to from stereotypes.
that Adventure Path. Check with your GM to see if she can Originality: If you strive too hard to be original, you’ll
point you to official campaign traits or other traits that likely be disappointed when you discover that someone
may help link your character to the campaign or adventure else has already implemented your idea in a book, film,
she’s running. Such traits provide a good foundation upon game, or other kind of media. Yet, while original ideas are
which you can add details from this book, either by rolling hard to come by, every person you meet is unique, shaped
randomly or by manually selecting background details by his or her individual experiences. Rather than strive for
that mesh well with your campaign’s themes. an original concept, try focusing on the experiences that
No matter how you go about developing your character’s define your character’s life and give him his personality
background, the next step is to quantify that background and point of view. Specific experiences will help move you
in terms of game mechanics. Select two traits (or three traits away from the stereotypical and cliche.
and a drawback) that capture the background you imagined. The Third Idea: When you’re brainstorming ideas, it
Traits and drawbacks begin on page 51. These traits sometimes helps to reject the first and second ideas that
provide small bonuses that reflect skills and knowledge leap to mind, and instead consider the third, fourth, and
gained from your life experiences. The drawback, if you fifth ideas you come up with. This way, you’re challenging
choose to take one, represents an emotional vulnerability yourself to explore wider, more interesting possibilities
or character flaw that should not only provide a slight full of unexplored story potential. The easy ideas that
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CHAPTER 1
CHARACTER BACKGROUND
spring to mind first probably do so because you’ve seen number of questions to think (or write) about. As you go
them before. through them, you might find a question doesn’t apply
Opposites: When you’re stuck on an characteristic that you. That’s an opportunity to instead think about why it
strikes you as boring, plain, or stereotypical, decide that the doesn’t apply, and what that means about your relationship
opposite is instead true of yourself. For instance, if you’re to the rest of the world. Likewise, if you find you have a
playing the aforementioned dwarven fighter, perhaps one short answer to a question, especially “yes” or “no,” that’s
of the following holds: an opportunity to dig deeper into why that’s the case.
• You have taken a vow against drinking, can’t hold your Above all, don’t let creating a background become a
liquor, or act in a peculiar, eccentric way when drunk. burden for you. The goal is to help you play a character,
• You can’t grow a beard. not to paralyze you with decisions you don’t want to make
• You favor a weapon that is not a hammer, axe, crossbow, right now.
or other typical dwarven weapon.
• You live in a forest or on an island rather than in the EARLY LIFE
hills and mountains favored by most dwarves. Experiences in childhood have a monumental impact on
• You are a pacifist who loathes violence. the person you become later in life. Family, social class,
• You deeply pity or love orcs and goblins. region, family trade or profession, religion, culture, and
Any one of these character quirks can prove ripe for major events that occur during your life have a formative
character development and story hooks in the campaign. influence on your character development and the worldview
Steal Shamelessly: Sometimes when starting a new that you adopt as an adult. As you think about your early
character, you just need a good template or foundation life, consider the following questions and imagine your
from which to build. Characters from literature, comics, roots in a time long before you gained the knack for the
history, real life, or television and film can provide that character class you have chosen—after all, almost nobody
foundation in an instant. The key is to alter various aspects starts life with their future profession already laid out
of the model character until you have changed enough to for them. This information will influence your choice of
have an altogether different concept. skills, traits, story feats, and penalties, and help to ground
How would Count Dracula be different as an elven you in the campaign world.
wizard? What about as a halfling cleric? Are you obsessed
with feasting on blood, or are you simply ancient, creepy, Circumstances of Birth
solitary, and mysterious? Though not all characters are born under unusual
What about reinterpreting Julius Caesar as a human circumstances, many cultures have myths of momentous
rogue or a gnome illusionist? Is this human rogue one of events corresponding with the birth of heroes or
three mobsters scheming to eliminate the competition villains. Sometimes these are natural phenomena, such
and rule a city the way Caesar eliminated his competitors as comets, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, eclipses,
to rule Rome? Has your gnome illusionist received a or shooting stars. In other instances they are social,
prophetic message predicting his own death, as Caesar did political, or religious events such as the crowning of a
from the soothsayer? king or the martyrdom of a prophet. Without precise,
Building on the foundations of established characters or convenient calendars in every home, years and eras tend
people gives you a framework, at which point you just need to be remembered for the notable events that transpired
to give yourself different circumstances in order to inspire within their term, and a character whose birth falls
a new idea, one that will grow on its own as you continue to close to a major event may always be associated with that
play. The initial inspiration or model you choose helps you event in the eyes of kin and peers.
come to grips with your character quickly without feeling Were there any special or magical circumstances that
like you have to reinvent the wheel. occurred around your birth? Were you born with a special
Another way to accomplish this is to combine notable birthmark, or prophesied in ancient texts? Was your birth
traits of two disparate characters from media or history. cursed or blessed by a supernatural being? Imagine the
For instance, how would you play a character with Sherlock day or year you were born—your parents likely remember
Holmes’ skill at deduction and Hamlet’s indecision? it and have described it to you. In what season were you
Achilles’ battle prowess paired with Nikola Tesla’s born? Was there a natural phenomenon, such as a great
inventive mind? Merlin’s magic with Marie Curie’s search storm or snowfall, an earthquake, or an eclipse? Was it
for scientific truth? Joan of Arc’s faithful conviction and unseasonably warm or mild? Perhaps there was a special
Napoleon’s overwhelming ambition? event that happened on the day or year of your birth—for
example, maybe the local lord held a grand festival, or
USING THIS SECTION someone of great fame or significance passed away. Anyone
The rest of this section dives deep into your background, in your community who remembers your birth remembers
starting from birth and early childhood through it for what else occurred in this time. This doesn’t need
adolescence and into early adulthood. Each bit has a to be a world-shaking event, but it should say something
99