Adventure Overview-KoT

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Adventure Overview

Kings of Tyranny is divided into three parts. It is a milestone-based campaign with cues for when to allow your players to level up. The following summary offers you the broad strokes of each plot point. Full details about each of these plot arcs are provided in subsequent chapters.

MAGIC HEROES AND CREATURES The lack of magic in pre-Tear Ancerra dramatically impacts some classes and talents. The Cleric, Mage, and Witch classes from the Core Rulebook are unplayable in this setting. You may play a Zealot, but you do not gain Divine Power. Furthermore, you may not learn the Student of the Arcane, Disciple of the Divine, Initiate of the Occult, or Warden of the Primal talents, even if you would normally learn them through a class talent. If you play an Oracle, for example, you must choose Adept of the Psionic instead of Warden of the Primal. The Fiendblood lineage is incompatible with this setting as Inferno has no consistent contact with Ancerra. Similarly, Golems are not created until after the Tear, with the exception of Psionic Golems. Undead exist in very rare circumstances, but cannot be created via any form of harnessable resurrection magic; instead, they seem to just be anomalies of nature. You may not select any options from any lineage that would give you access to magic, unless it is Psionic or Primal. Creatures that use Arcane, Divine, and Occult magic cannot be found on Ancerra during this time period. Creatures that use Primal or Psionic magic are unaffected.

Part One: A Tyrant’s Roar

The adventure begins when a quiet little village in the northern stretch of Gilgalon is brutally attacked by the Brazodiran Godking Assurgazzar’s dinosaur infantry. In a cruel and chaotic world, heroes are not born; they are forged. They rise to the occasion through a combination of grit, skill, and dumb luck. The suggested beginning of this campaign reflects this philosophy as each player will play through several level 1 characters before one of their heroes finally survives the campaign’s first encounter.

The survivors of the attack must travel to the capital of Gilgalon and warn the Godking what happened. The Godking responds with great fury and immediately begins preparing for war. His advisors may need a little more convincing, but it is not terribly difficult to bring everyone to agreement on what must now be done.

Part Two: The First Alliance

Blessed by the Godking, the heroes must next approach neighboring nations and make diplomatic requests, assembling the first international wartime alliance. They will need to travel to the leaders of Lachonhet, Kozia, Unjaarn, and Nausa, and their success or failure to convince each leader to rally behind the Godking of Gilgalon will determine how difficult the coming war with the Godking of Brazodir will be.

Each diplomatic mission to these neighboring kingdoms will involve battling threats like fearsome dinosaurs, bandit groups, and mythological beasts. Convincing the leaders of these nations to support Gilgalon will necessitate doing favors or side quests for the leaders, or offering good trade deals with Gilgalon in exchange for their military support. This is some of the first international wartime diplomacy to take place in written history, so the leaders of these kingdoms may make requests or demands that seem nonsensical or disjointed to the players.

Part Three: The Dinosaur Wars

Having assembled an international force to oppose Godking Assurgazzar and the might of the Brazodiran army, Gilgalon and its allies declare war on Brazodir. The heroes serve as generals and as an elite strike force, defending key locations or helping to conquer enemy strongholds.

This campaign does not end the Dinosaur Wars, nor does it result in Assurgazzar’s defeat. One of his chief generals will serve as the main villain of this campaign, and the heroes will have a chance to defeat him. The events of this campaign also force Godking Assurazzar to withdraw from Gilgalon’s territory.

Eventually, the campaign module Gods of Tyranny will be released, which serves as a sequel to this campaign and takes adventurers from levels 16 to 30.

MC Notepad

As the MC, it is always important to take notes during or after each session so that you can remind yourself of events that have transpired. You might implement these tips and tools while taking notes about your sessions of Kings of Tyranny.

Magic Items

This campaign has a higher concentration of magical items than most, allowing the heroes a slight edge against the numerous dangers of this world. Be sure to keep track of which heroes have magical items and what those items can do. Note that some items regain their magic over time. Keeping track of how many charges an item has at a given time is important to keep the game balanced.

Goodwill

Goodwill is not as significant in this campaign as it is in many others. The heroes’ reputations undoubtedly will grow, whether as celebrated heroes or notorious ones. Whether loved or hated, the heroes’ influence will be roughly the same. If you want to streamline your notetaking, just track a hero’s “Fame.” When they might gain or lose any amount of Goodwill, instead increase their Fame by 1. Fame is functionally the same as a positive score in Goodwill, so when heroes reach 15-20 Fame, they are recognized as international champions.

If you would like for international relations to become more of a focus in your campaign, you may choose to track Goodwill using a more complicated system than the one proposed here.

Session Zero

When running this campaign, you may either skip ahead and begin with Chapter 2, or you can start at the beginning in Chapter 1. Chapter 1 contains a brutal, bloody encounter that will likely kill several heroes per player. During Session Zero, you will need to inform your players of this so that they can be mentally prepared and so that they can each come with several characters (six characters per player is recommended). If players do not want to come up with this many characters on their own, encourage them to use the Legends of MythCraft (excluding those whose magical abilities would violate the First Supereon restrictions). Players can also roll on one or more of the tables below to generate character ideas complete with unique mechanical builds.

Random Lineage

2d8	Lineage
2	Bhrunai
3	Trollkin
4	Satyr
5	Dwellvur
6	Hondu
7	Halfling
8	Elf
9	Human
10	Dwarf
11	Kleppin
12	Kettek
13	Dragonfolk
14	Kosavran
15	Urkou
16	Elemental

Random BOP

2d12	BOP
2	Urchin
3	Thief (Criminal background)
4	Charlatan (Entrepreneur background)
5	Entertainer (Entrepreneur background)
6	Thug (Criminal background)
7	Augur (True Believer background)
8	Trader (Entrepreneur background)
9	Nomad (Outlander background)
10	Pioneer (Outlander background)
11	Sailor (Outlander background)
12	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)
13-14	Forager (Outlander background)
15	Shepherd (Outlander background)
16	Soldier (Born Warrior background)
17	Chef (Entrepreneur background)
18	Guard (Born Warrior background)
19	Clergy (True Believer background)
20	Knight (Noble Title background)
21	Godking (Noble Title background)
22	Honorable (Noble Title background)
23	Physician (True Believer background)
24	Knave (Roll 2 more times, rerolling rolls of 2 or 24. Ignore the background of these rolls. The professions are your Knave selections.)

Random Class Build

Note that because these are level 1 characters and you cannot take a class talent until level 2, the last column of this table suggests your class based on the talent assigned to you at level 1.

1d12	Talent	Suggested Class
1	Impale (CRB p. 290)	Berzerker
2	Rend (CRB p. 291)	Berzerker
3	Lucky Placement (CRB P. 293)	Oracle
4	Hardy (CRB p. 292)	Pugilist
5	Primal Aspect (CRB p. 295)	Ranger
6	Weapon Expertise (CRB p. 292)	Ranger
7	Sneak (CRB p. 302)	Rogue
8	Lean-To (CRB p. 300)	Tinkerer
9	Scavenger (CRB p. 301)	Troubadour
10	Shield Training (CRB p. 294)	Warrior
11	Family Heirloom (CRB p. 295)	Zealot
12	Adept of the Psionic (CRB p. 278)	Any

Random Complete Character Build

If you want to make a unique character well-suited to this campaign in the fastest, least customizable way possible, roll on the table below to learn your lineage, BOP, starting talent, and attribute distribution.

Rolling on this table will still require you to make a decision regarding your lineage’s starting features and will require you to distribute your Skill Points as you see fit.

Note that regardless of the methods you used to create your character, you may choose to modify your hero as you see fit. If you roll a completely random character and are happy with the concept but wish that you were a dwarf instead of a human, feel free to make that change. Just remember that there is no guarantee that this particular hero will survive the first day.

1d100	Lineage	BOP	Talent	Suggested Class	STR, DEX, END; AWR, INT, CHA; LUCK, COR
1	Bhrunai	Urchin	Lucky Placement	Oracle	-1, 2, 0; 0, 1, -1; 2, 2
2	Trollkin	Thief (Criminal background)	Basic Dual Wield	Berzerker	2, 2, 1; 1, 0, -1; 0, 0
3	Satyr	Urchin	Duelist	Pugilist	0, 2, 0; 1, 0, 2; 0, 0
4	Dwellvur	Charlatan (Entrepreneur background)	Ain’t No Grave	Troubadour	1, -1, 0; 0, 1, 2; 2, 0
5	Hondu	Urchin	Lurker	Rogue	0, 2, -1; 1, 0, 1; 0, 2
6	Halfling	Entertainer (Entrepreneur background)	Family Heirloom	Tinkerer	0, 2, -1; 0, 2, 0; 0, 2
7	Elf	Urchin	Animal Whisperer	Ranger	0, 2, 0; 2, -1, 0; 0, 2
8	Human	Thug (Criminal background)	Heavy Armor Trainee	Warrior	2, 0, 1; 2, 0, 1; 0, 0
9	Dwarf	Urchin	Animal Companion	Zealot	2, -1, 2; 1, 0, 1; 0, 0
10	Kleppin	Augur (True Believer background)	Primal Aspect	Oracle	0, 2, -2; 0, 2, 1; 2, 0
11	Kettek	Trader (Entrepreneur background)	Leatherworker	Rogue	-1, 2, -1; 1, 2, 1; 1, 0
12	Dragonfolk	Nomad (Outlander background)	Brewer	Pugilist	2, 1, 2; 1, 0, -1; 0, 0
13	Kosavran	Pioneer (Outlander background)	Primal Aspect	Ranger	2, -1, 1; 2, 0, 1; 0, 0
14	Urkou	Sailor (Outlander background)	Menace	Berzerker	2, 1, 1; -1, -1, 1; 0, 2
15	Elemental	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)	Barrel Roll	Tinkerer	-1, 2, 1; 0, 2, 1; 0, 0
16	Bhrunai	Forager (Outlander background)	Light Armor Trainee	Troubadour	-2, 2, 0; 2, 1, 2; 0, 0
17	Trollkin	Shepherd (Outlander background)	Shield Training	Warrior	2, 0, 2; 1, 0, 0; 0, 0
18	Satyr	Soldier (Born Warrior background)	Adept of the Psionic	Zealot	0, 1, 0; 2, 0, 1; 1, 0
19	Dwellvur	Chef (Entrepreneur background)	Basic Dual Wield	Berzerker	2, 0, 2; 1, 0, -2; 0, 2
20	Hondu	Trader (Outlander background)	Navigator	Oracle	2, -1, 0; 0, 0, 2; 2, 0
21	Halfling	Guard (Born Warrior background)	Perceptive	Rogue	-2, 2, -1; 2, 1, 2; 1, 0
22	Elf	Clergy (True Believer background)	Medic	Ranger	1, 2, 0; 1, 1, 0; 0, 0
23	Human	Knight (Noble Title background)	Brawler	Pugilist	2, 1, 2; 0, 0, 1; 0, 0
24	Dwarf	Godking (Noble Title background)	Go for the Knees	Pugilist	2, 0, 1; -1, -1, 2; 0, 2
25	Kleppin	Honorable (Noble Title background)	Lunge	Troubadour	-1, 2, 0; 0, 2, 2; 0, 0
26	Kettek	Physician (True Believer background)	Charmer	Zealot	0, 1, 0; 0, 2, 2; 0, 0
27	Dragonfolk	Thief (Criminal background)	Lucky	Oracle	0, 2, 0; 1, 1, 0; 1, 0
28	Kosavran	Charlatan (Entrepreneur background)	Tracker	Rogue	2, -1, 1; 0, 1, 2; 0, 0
29	Urkou	Entertainer (Entrepreneur background)	Brawler	Warrior	2, -2, 0; 1, 0, 2; 0, 2
30	Elemental	Thug (Criminal background)	By Feel, Not Measure	Pugilist	0, 2, 2; 1, 0, -1; 1, 0
31	Bhrunai	Augur (True Believer background)	Double Time	Ranger	-1, 2, 0; 2, 0, -1; 1, 2
32	Trollkin	Trader (Entrepreneur background)	Mason	Troubadour	2, 0, 0; 0, 1, 2; 0, 0
33	Satyr	Nomad (Outlander background)	Weaver	Tinkerer	0, 1, 0; 1, 2, 0; 1, 0
34	Dwellvur	Pioneer (Outlander background)	Rend	Berzerker	2, 1, 1; 0, -1, -1; 1, 2
35	Hondu	Sailor (Outlander background)	Navigator	Warrior	2, 1, 0; 2, 0, 0; 0, 0
36	Halfling	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)	Animal Whisperer	Zealot	0, 2, 0; 1, 0, 2; 0, 0
37	Elf	Forager (Outlander background)	Lean-To	Berzerker	2, 2, 0; 2, -1, -2; 0, 2
38	Human	Shepherd (Outlander background)	Distance Runner	Oracle	1, 0, 2; 2, -1, -1; 2, 0
39	Dwarf	Soldier (Born Warrior background)	Family Heirloom	Tinkerer	2, 0, 1; -2, 2, 0; 2, 0
40	Kleppin	Chef (Entrepreneur background)	Giant Slayer	Ranger	-1, 2, 1; 2, 0, 0; 1, 0
41	Kettek	Trader (Outlander background)	Practice Makes Perfect	Rogue	0, 2, 0; 1, 1, 1; 0, 0
42	Dragonfolk	Guard (Born Warrior background)	Shield Training	Tinkerer	2, 0, 0; 2, 0, 0; 1, 0
43	Kosavran	Clergy (True Believer background)	Musician	Troubadour	1, 0, 1; 1, 0, 2; 0, 0
44	Urkou	Knight (Noble Title background)	Powerlifter	Warrior	2, 1, 1; 2, -1, 0; 0, 0
45	Elemental	Godking (Noble Title background)	Barrel Roll	Zealot	2, -1, 0; 1, 0, 2; 1, 0
46	Bhrunai	Honorable (Noble Title background)	Adept of the Psionic	Rogue	0, 1, 0; 1, 1, 2; 0, 0
47	Trollkin	Physician (True Believer background)	Lucky Placement	Oracle	2, -1, 0; 0, 1, 1; 2, 0
48	Satyr	Thief (Criminal background)	Dextrous	Ranger	-1, 2, 0; 2, 1, 0; 1, 0
49	Dwellvur	Charlatan (Entrepreneur background)	Family Heirloom	Tinkerer	-1, 0, 2; 0, 2, 0; 0, 2
50	Hondu	Entertainer (Entrepreneur background)	Impale	Berzerker	2, 0, 0; 0, -1, 1; 1, 2
51	Halfling	Thug (Criminal background)	Menace	Pugilist	2, -1, 0; 1, 0, 1; 0, 2
52	Elf	Augur (True Believer background)	Adept of the Psionic	Troubadour	-1, 2, 0; 0, 2, 2; 0, 0
53	Human	Trader (Entrepreneur background)	Impale	Zealot	2, 0, 0; 1, 1, 1; 0, 0
54	Dwarf	Nomad (Outlander background)	Aware	Warrior	2, 1, 0; 2, -1, -1; 0, 2
55	Kleppin	Pioneer (Outlander background)	Giant slayer	Berzerker	-2, 2, 2; 2, -1, -1; 1, 2
56	Kettek	Sailor (Outlander background)	Basic Dual Wield	Oracle	-1, 2, 0; 2, -1, -1; 2, 2
57	Dragonfolk	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)	Duelist	Rogue	1, 2, 1; 0, 1, 0; 0, 0
58	Kosavran	Forager (Outlander background)	Rend	Ranger	2, -1, 1; 2, 1, 0; 0, 0
59	Urkou	Shepherd (Outlander background)	Bull Rush	Pugilist	2, 1, 2; 2, -1, -1; 0, 0
60	Elemental	Soldier (Born Warrior background)	Family Heirloom	Tinkerer	2, 1, 0; -1, 2, 0; 1, 0
61	Bhrunai	Chef (Entrepreneur background)	Chef	Troubadour	0, 2, -1; 0, 1, 2; 1, 0
62	Trollkin	Trader (Outlander background)	Potter	Warrior	2, 1, 2; 2, -2, -2; 0, 2
63	Satyr	Thief (Criminal background)	Impulse	Zealot	-1, 2, 0; 2, 0, 2; 0, 0
64	Dwellvur	Charlatan (Entrepreneur background)	Adept of the Psionic	Oracle	-1, -1, 0; 1, 1, 1; 2, 2
65	Hondu	Entertainer (Entrepreneur background)	Basic Dual Wield	Berzerker	0, 2, 2; 1, 0, 0; 0, 0
66	Halfling	Thug (Criminal background)	Evasive	Rogue	-2, 2, -1; 1, 1, 2; 0, 2
67	Elf	Augur (True Believer background)	Charismatic	Pugilist	0, 2, 0; 0, 0, 1; 0, 2
68	Human	Trader (Entrepreneur background)	Forager	Ranger	2, 1, 1; 2, 0, 0; 0, 0
69	Dwarf	Nomad (Outlander background)	Weapon Expertise	Tinkerer	2, 0, 1; 0, 2, -1; 1, 0
70	Kleppin	Pioneer (Outlander background)	Charismatic	Troubadour	0, 2, -1; 1, 0, 2; 1, 0
71	Kettek	Sailor (Outlander background)	Impulse	Warrior	1, 2, 0; 2, 0, -1; 1, 0
72	Dragonfolk	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)	Strong	Zealot	2, 0, 0; 1, -1, 2; 1, 0
73	Kosavran	Forager (Outlander background)	Hardy	Berzerker	2, 0, 2; 1, -1, 1; 0, 0
74	Urkou	Shepherd (Outlander background)	Forager	Oracle	1, 0, 2; 1, -1, 0; 2, 0
75	Elemental	Soldier (Born Warrior background)	Hardy	Pugilist	2, 0, 0; 0, 0, 0; 1, 2
76	Bhrunai	Chef (Entrepreneur background)	Sneak	Ranger	0, 2, 2; 2, 0, -1; 0, 0
77	Trollkin	Trader (Outlander background)	Jeweler	Rogue	0, 2, 1; 1, 2, -1; 0, 0
78	Satyr	Guard (Born Warrior background)	Entertainer	Tinkerer	0, 2, 0; 0, 2, 1; 0, 0
79	Dwellvur	Clergy (True Believer background)	Adept of the Psionic	Troubadour	1, 0, 1; 0, 1, 2; 0, 0
80	Hondu	Knight (Noble Title background)	Rend	Warrior	2, 0, 1; 1, 0, 1; 0, 0
81	Halfling	Godking (Noble Title background)	Adept of the Psionic	Zealot	1, 0, 2; 2, -1, 1; 0, 0
82	Elf	Augur (True Believer background)	Basic Dual Wield	Berzerker	-1, 2, 0; 2, -2, 1; 1, 2
83	Human	Trader (Entrepreneur background)	Whittler	Oracle	2, 0, 1; -1, 1, 1; 2, 0
84	Dwarf	Pioneer (Outlander background)	Hardy	Pugilist	2, 0, 1; 1, 0, 1; 0, 0
85	Kleppin	Sailor (Outlander background)	Family Heirloom	Ranger	-1, 2, 0; 2, 1, -1; 2, 0
86	Kettek	Stable Sweep (Born Warrior background)	Evasive	Rogue	-1, 2, -1; 2, 0, 1; 0, 2
87	Dragonfolk	Forager (Outlander background)	Smith	Tinkerer	0, 2, 0; 1, 2, 0; 0, 0
88	Kosavran	Shepherd (Outlander background)	Adept of the Psionic	Troubadour	-1, -1, 2; 1, 2, 2; 0, 0
89	Urkou	Soldier (Born Warrior background)	Rend	Warrior	2, -1, 2; 2, 0, 0; 0, 0
90	Elemental	Chef (Entrepreneur background)	By Feel, not Measure	Zealot	0, 2, 1; 2, 0, 0; 0, 0
91	Human	Trader (Outlander background)	Geographer	Berzerker	2, 1, 1; 1, -1, 0; 0, 2
92	Elf	Guard (Born Warrior background)	Survivalist	Pugilist	2, 0, 0; 2, -1, 1; 1, 0
93	Dwarf	Clergy (True Believer background)	Fortuitous	Oracle	2, -1, 1; -1, 2, 1; 1, 0
94	Halfling	Knight (Noble Title background)	Tough	Ranger	0, 2, 2; 2, -2, 1; 0, 0
95	Kleppin	Godking (Noble Title background)	A Little Bit of Soul	Rogue	0, 2, 1; -1, -1, 2; 2, 0
96	Hondu	Knave (Roll on the BOP specific table)	Jack of All Trades	Tinkerer	-1, 1, 0; 1, 2, 2; 0, 0
97	Kettek	Honorable (Noble Title background)	Leader	Troubadour	0, 2, 0; -1, 1, 2; 1, 0
98	Dwellvur	Knave (Roll on the BOP specific table)	Second Skin (medium armor)	Warrior	2, -1, 2; 1, 0, 1; 0, 0
99	Kosavran	Physician (True Believer background)	Weapon Expertise (one-handed melee)	Zealot	0, 2, 1; 1, 1, 0; 0, 0
100	Dragonfolk	Knave (Roll on the BOP specific table)	Tough	Berzerker	2, -1, 2; 0, -1, -1; 2, 2