Serpent's Skull - Player's Guide.pdf

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By Mark Moreland

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argava is a land on the verge, simultaneously pushing

on the edge of the map of the Inner Sea and facing an

uncertain political future. The nigh impassable jungles

of the Mwangi Expanse and the permanent hurricane

known as the Eye of Abendego isolate Sargava from the rest

of Garund, and its closest neighbors are only nominally

nations themselves. The former Chelish colony also stands

at the threshold of a new future free from colonial rule,

making all things possible. Yet the citizens of Sargava were

not the first to attempt to carve civilization out of the wild

region—since the dawn of history, humanity has strived

to form great kingdoms amid the dangers of the Mwangi

Expanse. Crumbled ruins are all that remain of these

vanished empires, and even their names have been forgotten

by history. Some scholars even whisper that lost ruins of the

ancient Azlanti empire may be found in the unexplored

jungles, but these crackpot theories are dismissed by more

reputable sages. But whatever their origins, these ruins may

provide incredible wealth and power to those who rediscover

them. This dangerous land and the wilderness beyond serve

as the setting of the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path.

This guide seeks to aid players preparing to take part

in the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path, to arm them with

spoiler-free details and rules elements useful in the

forthcoming challenges, and to help create backgrounds

that easily mesh with the campaign. Along with advice for

players of every race and character class in the

Pathfinder

Roleplaying Game—including

those in the newly released

Advanced Player’s Guide—details

on Sargava, the country

in closest proximity to the campaign’s events, and of the

Jenivere,

the ship conveying the PCs to adventure, should

help ground players in the circumstances and events of

this new Adventure Path. Those looking for even more

details and options for exotic adventures should take a

look at

Pathfinder Player’s Companion: Sargava.

Financially weakened by the Free Captains’ high

demands and cut off from many of their former trade

partners to the north, Sargava faces an even larger threat

from within. The native Mwangi people, inspired by the

teachings of a mysterious, undead child-god in the nearby

city-state of Mzali, move ever closer to open rebellion to

free themselves from colonial rule. While Cheliax no longer

has an official stake in Sargava’s government, the colonial

Sargavan minority maintains control of the vastly larger

native population. But the natives know that they have the

resources of the entire Mwangi Expanse at their backs, and

that Grand Custodian Baron Utilinus’s government is in a

poor position to quell a rebellion.

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argava

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Founded over 500 years ago by Prince Haliad I as part of

Cheliax’s expansionist Everwar, Sargava stood as the jewel of

the empire for centuries. But when Aroden died, the empire

was thrown into chaos, and Sargava’s ruler backed the wrong

house in the Chelish Civil War. House Thrune took control

of Cheliax and sent a f lotilla of warships to retake the colony

that had supported their enemy in the bloody conf lict.

Grand Custodian Baron Grallus anticipated the onslaught,

however, and made a fateful alliance with the Free Captains

of the Shackles. Swooping out of Desperation Bay to pounce

on the unsuspecting Chelish Navy, the pirates’ superior

f leet swiftly ended the threat to their southern neighbor,

and extracted a mighty price from Sargava for their efforts.

To this day, vast portions of Sargava’s wealth f low into the

Free Captains’ coffers for past assistance and assurance of

continued naval protection.

Your band of characters begins the Serpent’s Skull

Adventure Path as passengers on a cargo ship called the

Jenivere,

headed south to Sargava. The voyage promises

not only to bring your characters together as you face

adversity, but also to set you on a path into the very heart

of one of Golarion’s most feared regions in search of

wealth, fame, and ancient secrets. PCs in the Serpent’s

Skull Adventure Path are not limited to origins in Sargava

itself. In fact, characters in this campaign may be from

just about anywhere. Countless motivations draw the

daring, curious, and downright foolhardy to Sargava with

the hope of attaining personal fame and fortune, and your

PCs likely boast a variety of backgrounds and decidedly

different reasons for traveling to Sargava’s capital city.

The

Serpent’s Skull Player’s Guide

is intended to provide

characters with a reason to be on the

Jenivere,

whether they

are from a distant part of the Inner Sea journeying to a new

land or natives of Sargava returning home. The following

suggestions provide basic information on potential PC

origins, but focus on motivations to bring characters of all

races and classes to Sargava. Use this guide as a starting

point to give your PCs a reason to be aboard the fateful

voyage that launches the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path.

The following pages outline qualities of typical members

of all seven core races, all 11 core classes, and the six classes

found in the

Advanced Player’s Guide.

Characters of all

alignments, religions, and homelands can play a vital role

in this campaign, and the following suggestions should

serve to spark a concept or background for your PC. You’ll

also find several new traits specific to the Serpent’s Skull

Adventure Path to better customize your characters and

link them to the campaign’s setting and plot.

aCeS

While Sargava is primarily a human land—its population

consisting of mainly Mwangi natives and Chelaxian-

descended colonials—members of all races have reason

to travel aboard the

Jenivere,

seeking fame, fortune, or

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in some cases, anonymity and escape. All of Golarion’s

core races exist in Sargava and members of any could be

natives returning home from journeys abroad. Likewise,

members of all races have numerous motivations to travel

to the region from distant homelands throughout the

Inner Sea and Golarion at large. Regardless of your PC’s

race, the passage south will set him on a straight course

for adventure.

warveS

Although dwarves are not typically found at sea, even

the least nautical among them must travel via ship to

distant lands for trade or diplomatic reasons; whether

they’re coming from Janderhoff in Varisia, the Five Kings

Mountains, or the parched dunes of Osirion, the

Jenivere

provides the perfect opportunity for ambitious dwarves

to reach Sargava. Many hope to capture some of the

wealth of the notorious Deeptreasure Mining Company,

who retrieve tons of gems and precious metals from

beneath the Bandu Hills, bringing inordinate riches

to those involved in the operation, and most dwarves

traveling to or from Sargava have some connection to this

lucrative enterprise. Less entrepreneurial dwarves share

a racial aff inity for stone with their mining brethren,

and might travel to Sargava with plans to explore the

many ancient ruins that pepper the wilderness of the

Mwangi Expanse.

While many of the background hooks described

below involve seafaring and nautical adventuring,

the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path takes place

on land, amid treacherous jungles, ruined cities,

and vast underground vaults. Players who create

PCs optimized for adventures at sea will be

disappointed; use these suggestions to get PCs on

the

Jenivere,

but don’t expect them to stay there. If

you want to play a “fish-out-of-water” character,

thrown into adventures where his sea legs won’t

help him, consider making your PC a member of the

Jenivere’s

crew, but keep in mind that aquatic animal

companions or skills such as Profession (sailor) won’t

benefit him for most of the Adventure Path.

Land ho!

lveS

Elves as a race are relatively insular, preferring their own

company to mixed settlements, though they may be found

in small numbers in nearly every community throughout

Golarion. Those elves raised apart from their own kind—

known collectively as the Forlorn—are prone to travel

and exploration and are likely to have secret and personal

reasons for a nautical journey to Sargava. Elves’ long

lifespans provide them a unique perspective on history,

and they often have a strong interest in all things ancient;

elves from any part of Golarion might find the mysteries

of the Mwangi Expanse inspiration enough to leave

their homeland. Elves native to Sargava and the Mwangi

Expanse are generally members of the widespread Ekujae

people, which consists of numerous clans and tribes of

wild elves, who are considered primitive by their kin in

Kyonin and other “civilized” lands. Frequently captured

and sold into slavery, Ekujae live throughout the Inner Sea

and once freed from bondage, generally return to their

native Garund.

better way to inject interest into a gnome’s life than

the exploration of ancient ruins and immersion in the

varied cultures of the Mwangi Expanse’s dense jungles?

Wondrous foreign ports and eccentric seafarers may

lead some gnomes to a life of destinationless nautical

travel—including passage on the

Jenivere.

Particularly

adventurous gnomes might even serve as a member of the

ship’s crew, trusting that passengers will provide enough

variety to keep them young and colorful through their

careers at sea. Rumors of ancient Mwangi ruins housing

a spriggan community draw gnomes curious about their

wild brethren to Sargava, and have led to a number of deep

jungle expeditions; none of these have greatly unraveled

the mystery.

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Golarion’s wily gnomes are ever at risk of the dreaded

Bleaching and constantly f ight against its deadly effects

by engaging in new and exciting experiences. What

Half-elves often find sedentary lives unfulfilling and are

generally overcome by wanderlust in late adolescence or

early adulthood. Whether searching for an absent parent

whose disappearance caused them trouble in their youth

or seeking to fulfill the auspicious destiny of their human

or elven ancestry, travel to distant corners of the world and

immersion in unfamiliar cultures inspire many half-elves’

wanderings. Those journeying to Sargava may be exiled

offspring of an embarrassing tryst amid the Inner Sea’s

nobility or might plan to search the Mwangi jungles for

an Ekujae relative. Half-elves who have suffered especially

heinous prejudice against their mixed heritage might

dedicate themselves to the Sargavan natives’ cause against

the oppression of their former Chelish rulers. Regardless

of their reasons, half-elves are no strangers to adventure,

and the lost colony of Sargava provides endless promise to

anyone seeking danger and excitement.

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Additional Reading for Players

Sargava gained its independence from Cheliax in 4643

ar, many of these slaves were freed either by decree or

circumstance. These freed slaves began their own lives in

Sargava’s bustling capital of Eleder, often working on the

harbor’s extensive docks and shipyards. Escaped half ling

slaves from current-day Cheliax and countless other lands

may travel to Sargava in the hope of starting a new life in

a land where both half lings and native humans alike live

under the recent memory of subservience and embrace

a potential future of liberty. Half lings’ hardiness, easy-

going natures, small size, and nimbleness make them

ideal sailors, and the crew of the

Jenivere

may contain one

or more of the small seamen.

Players interested in further immersing themselves in

the world of Golarion and adding campaign specific

details that might aid them over the course of the

Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path, might investigate

the following Pathfinder Player’s Guides.

Adventurer’s Armory:

Filled with new and

exotic equipment and options for all manner of

weapon users, players seeking to better or more

appropriately arm themselves for their adventures

should look herein.

Cheliax:

Although not the setting of this

campaign, players might board the

Jenevire

in any

one of several Chelish ports. Players interested in

making their characters natives of one of these

cities can find plenty of details and new character

options within.

Sargava:

With the PCs’s destination being this

country’s capital, players might want to familiarize

themselves with this region and the variety of exotic

options it presents.

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Outcasts in most of the civilized lands of the Inner Sea,

half-orcs often travel to the ends of the map to escape

persecution, prejudice, and their shameful origins.

Indigenous orc tribes are rare in Garund, so most half-

orcs in Sargava are travelers from other lands. Those

half-orcs native to Sargava are usually descended from

such foreign half-orc colonists, though many claim

native Mwangi parents. Among the demon-worshiping

Bekyar common south of Desperation Bay in particular,

human mothers see giving birth to a half-orc child as

a blessing from Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters.

These bestial children are raised to be mighty warlords

and slavers, but it is not uncommon for half-orcs bred

in such a way to reject their parents’ expectations and

leave their homeland to forge their own identities free

from demonic inf luence. A half-orc of this origin may

be on the

Jenivere

returning home to right past wrongs

or teach a better way to her people.

Sargava is an undeniably human land. Since time

immemorial, Mwangi tribesmen have lived in the region.

Bonuwat seafarers are the most likely to have traveled

to the greater reaches of the world and are thus most

easily placed aboard vessels like the

Jenivere.

The second

most prominent sub-ethnicity among Sargava’s Mwangi

natives are the ubiquitous Zenj, who exist in nearly every

village or city from the Barrier Wall Mountains to the

Screaming Jungle. The demon-worshiping Bekyar live

almost solely in and south of Sargava, but they comprise

only a small minority of the region’s overall Mwangi

population. Other than indigenous Mwangi inhabitants,

the most frequently encountered humans in Sargava are

colonials whose ancestors may have lived in the region

since 4138 ar, many of whom consider themselves as

native to the land as the Mwangi. The draw of the Mwangi

Expanse’s countless treasures and myriad mysteries

bring members of all ethnicities to Eleder, however, and

all human cultures might have reason to travel there

aboard ships like the

Jenivere.

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alflingS

As in most human lands, half lings often call the

metropolitan cities and remote settlements of Sargava

home, living quietly in the shadows of the region’s human

population. A large number of half ling slaves were

brought to the savage land when their Chelish masters

colonized the region and have remained ever since. When

While Sargava and the Mwangi Expanse play host to some

classes more easily than others, members of all types have

reason to journey to the region on the

Jenivere.

Be they

natives to the land returning home from travels abroad

or foreigners venturing into uncharted territory for the

first time, characters of any class can play an important

role in the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path. The following

suggestions should provide context for both native and

foreign PCs of all classes, but members of each may find

additional reasons to travel to Sargava based on their

particular origins.

lCHemiStS

Often self-involved and aloof, alchemists are generally

more concerned with their inventive extracts and

newest formulae than with the world around them. That

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said, some alchemists belong to a local guild or arcane

school—many of which exist in most major cities in the

Inner Sea region. These organizations frequently send

their members and apprentices to distant lands to collect

rare reagents or explore unknown regional techniques.

Sargava, isolated as it is from most of the Inner Sea by

the Eye of Abendego, is the perfect destination for such

an academic. Alchemists are sometimes misunderstood

by society at large, and seen as strange, dangerous, even

mad—often not completely inaccurate assessments—and

might travel aboard the

Jenivere

seeking a fresh start in far-

off Sargava. Native Sargavans may have traveled to distant

lands to gather allies for an expedition into the Mwangi

Expanse in search of ancient alchemical formulae among

the region’s countless lost tribes.

Recommendations:

Traversing the wilderness

and exploring dangerous ancient ruins play a major

role in the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path, so skills

like Disable Device, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge

(nature), Spellcraft, Survival, and Use Magic Device

will see signif icant use. Additionally, characters will

f ind themselves far from civilization for much of the

campaign and having such versitile crafters in the party

could prove helpful.

arBarianS

Wild and reckless barbarians seem a natural fit for the

untamed reaches of the Mwangi Expanse, and many

warriors native to the region are more berserkers

than trained fighters. Even races generally considered

cultured—such as elves—have barbaric tribes in the

Mwangi Expanse and Sargava. Sargava’s position on the

edge of civilization attracts many brawlers who find life

in other lands difficult, and dockside taverns and brothels

teem with unruly warriors from as far away as the Lands

of the Linnorm Kings, the Realm of the Mammoth Lords,

and Varisia; countless vessels bring such travellers to

Eleder’s harbor on a daily basis and the

Jenivere

could

easily be among them.

Recommendations:

Wilderness exploration plays a

major role in the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path, so

skills like Acrobatics, Climb, Handle Animal, Perception,

Survival, and Swim will be used quite often. The talents

of an accomplished combatant, especially one capable of

sensing traps and with experience in the wilds, also won’t

go untested.

the lawless and unscrupulous ports of Bloodcove or the

Shackles more trouble than they’re worth. The ongoing

struggle between Sargava’s colonials and Mwangi natives

has raised the demand for political agents, and bards

increasingly serve both causes as diplomats, mediators,

spies, and inspirational orators. Native bards often

specialize in the tribal chants and rhythmic drum-

calling of the Mwangi people, in whose oral traditions

they feature prominently. The thrumming beat of their

ancestral drums resonates through the dense foliage and

expansive savannas of the nation, maintaining an air of

mystery about the drummers that still unsettles visitors

to this day.

Recommendations:

Diplomatic interactions between

native tribes, nations, and other factions play a

signif icant role in the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path.

Skills like Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense

Motive should be helpful quite often. All Knowledge

skills will be useful at points during the campaign,

but those having to do with the wilderness, esoteric

religions, and the history and elusive secrets of the

Mwangi Expanse will be most useful (typically arcana,

geography, history, local, nature, and religion). Not a

few of the region’s inhabitants, such as giant vermin

or enormous carnivorous plants, are immune to mind-

affecting magic. The versatile bard makes sure to

have options available to deal with such threats when

exploring the Mwangi Expanse.

avalierS

arDS

Ever collecting lost lore and captivating tales of high

adventure, bards are frequently drawn to the ancient

lands of the Mwangi Expanse. Eleder, with its impressive

docks and shipyards, makes an ideal destination for

traveling bards from across Golarion, who often f ind

Many cavaliers find Sargava a nation much in need of their

talents. Battlefield marshals increasingly travel to Eleder

aspiring to manage troops against the growing native

unrest in Kalabuto or to secure Sargava’s border with

Mzali. Native Mwangi cavaliers may have traveled to other

parts of the Inner Sea to receive training by their order and

are now returning to their homeland to put their skills

into practice. Cavaliers in the region typically ride horses,

though the farther east one travels, the more likely one is

to encounter strange jungle animals employed as mounts.

Depending on the cavalier’s chosen order, he might be

sent or volunteer to travel to Sargava to represent any

established ruler, noble, or religion.

Recommendations:

Cavaliers of all orders will f ind

themselves useful in the campaign. The mandates of the

order of the cockatrice and order of the dragon especially

suit the upcoming adventures’ themes with their

desires for fortune and glory, whether for themselves

or companions. The close quarters of the jungle and

dungeon exploration can make employing a mount

challenging at times, so cavaliers might want to either

devise creative tactics to utilize their steeds or focus on

other aspects of their class.

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Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Serpent's Skull - 01 - Souls for Smuggler's Shiv.pdf (24962 KB)
Serpent's Skull - 02 - Racing to Ruin.pdf (24887 KB)
Serpent's Skull - 03 - City of Seven Spear.pdf (18941 KB)
Serpent's Skull - 04 - Vaults of Madness.pdf (14912 KB)
Serpent's Skull - 05 - The Thousand Fangs Below.pdf (16768 KB)

Serpent's Skull - Player's Guide.pdf

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