Race

Races for this campaign are partially restricted, and may be selected from the lists of races that are Either Foreign or Native, Foreign Only, or Native Only. While anyone may play as a race that is listed as Either Foreign or Native or Native Only, the races listed as Foreign Only may only be played one time (by any player) during the campaign. More races will be added to the Native Only list as they are unlocked throughout the campaign.

Additionally, players must choose if they are a foreigner (including colonists born in Sargava), or a Mwangi native. Along with narrowing down race options, this choice affects how you perceive (and are perceived by) certain groups. If you choose to play as a native race that normally starts with common as a language known, you start with polyglot instead. If you choose play a race that does not start speaking common, your character must learn common or polyglot prior to joining the party.

Finally, alternate racial traits represent a unique heritage. Up to one alternate racial trait may be chosen, but no more than one. Races marked with a (*) have a note regarding their abilities.

Race Options are as follows:
• Either Foreign or Native: Catfolk, Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Human, Kobold(*), Lizardfolk, Oread, Skinwalker (any), Tiefling, and Undine. If you chose to play as a human, please also choose your ethnicity (or tribe if you're a native).
• Foreign Only: Aasimar, Changeling, Dhampir, Gnome, Halfling, Half-Orc, Ifrit, Locathah, Ratfolk, Strix, Suli, Sylph, and Tengu.
• Native Only: Grippli(*)

Archetypes

Archetypes provide a way to tailor a chosen class to better fit the desired playstyle. Archetypes that focus on exploration and overland travel, facilitate item acquisitions, specializing in combating animals and magical beats, or increase skill versatility will be particularly useful throughout most of the campaign. Also, any archetypes dealing with or improving Animal Companions, Juju, Totems, or Spiritualism will find they are particularly thematic.

While the players guide does not make suggestions regarding potential archetypes, some suggestions towards tailoring your character towards this campaign include:
• Arcanist: Magaambyan Initiate
• Barbarian: (any) Totem Warrior, Jungle Ranger, Mad Dog, Scarred Rager, Wildborn
• Bard: Archeologist, Cultivator, Thundercaller
• Bloodrager: Ancestral Harbinger
• Brawler: Battle Dancer, Strong-Sided Boxer, Wild Child
• Cavalier: Saurian Champion
• Cleric: Evangelist, Shoanti Shaman
• Druid: (any) Animal Shaman, Saurian ShamanDinosaur Druid, Drovier, Leshy Warden, Toxicologist
  • Animal Companion Archetypes: Totem Guide, Apex Predator
• Fighter: Skirmisher, Tribal Fighter
• Gunslinger: Black Powder Vaulter
• Hunter: Totem-Bonded
• Inquisitor: Ravener Hunter
• Investigator: Cartographer, Natural Philosopher
• Magus: Magic Warrior
• Medium: Uda Wendo
• Occultist: Occult Historian
• Paladin: Holy Guide, Hunting Paladin, Wilderness Warden
• Psychic: Magaambyan Telepath
• Ranger: Guide, Wilderness Explorer
  • Favored Enemies: Aberration, Humanoid (beastfolk), Magical Beast, Primal
  • Favored Terrains: Forest, Mountains, Underground, Water
• Rogue: Bekyar Kidnapper, Sly Saboteur
• Shifter: Adaptive Shifter
• Skald: Totem Channeler, Totemic Skald, War Painter, Augur, Bekyar Demon Dancer, Hunt Caller
• Spiritualist: Totem Spiritualist,
• Summoner: Leshy Caller
• Swashbuckler: Wildstrider
• Vigilante: Agathiel, Avenging Beast
• Vampire Hunter: Shadow Hunter, Tomb Hunter

Alignment

Every character must have an alignment, showing their outlook on ethics and morality respectively. Each character must be either Lawful, Chaotic or Neutral ethically and either Good, Evil, or Neutral morally. If you have a hard time understanding these alignments, please consult your GM.

The Lost Colony of Sargava (the central location for this campaign) is Neutral Good, so characters who are Neutral Good or their immediate neighbors, (any) Good and True Neutral, are the most common alignments and characters of these alignments will be most at home throughout this campaign. Lawful Neutral and Chaotic Neutral characters in particular should be cautious not to get on the sour-side of certain NPCs, potentially locking the party into certain story paths which may not lead to the desired ending. Lawful Evil and True Evil (neutral evil) is only permitted in this campaign if your character has a method of disguising it. Chaotic Evil is prohibited.

The motivations of the player characters by the adventures beginning may be varied, but they should generally be seeking adventure and treasure, not necessarily to make themselves rich - they may of course be altruistic - but the sense of wonder in discovery should be part of their personality.

Campaign Trait

Every player gets two traits during character creation. Players may take a drawback trait to get up to one extra trait (total of three). One of these traits must be used to select a campaign trait, which ties the character into the area and serves throughout the campaign. No player may have more than one campaign trait, but unlike many other campaigns, there is no limit to how many players select any one particular campaign trait.

Campaign traits are detailed in the player's guide and further expanded upon in the explorers tab, so they will not be detailed here. Each campaign trait requires the player to pick an associated totem. This totem must match the totem of any totemic-archetypes the player may have or later take.

Jungle Fighter and Two-World Magic are both traits that were designed with this campaign in mind and are highly recommended. Other thematic traits include: Citizen of Eleder, Citizen of Kalabuto, Faithful Arodenite, Hill Fighter, Jungle Guide (Sargava), River Fighter, Sargavan Guard, Spirit Talker, and any of the racial traits of the Mwangi people.

Drawbacks: The Nervous, Unlearned, and Warded against Nature drawbacks are banned. Arcane Malignancy must be rolled. The Hedonistic drawback's gold value is increased to 10gp/HD. Characters with Information Overload must attempt all Knowledge checks (even untrained).

Religious Views

Gods know no borders, and the natural barriers and vast distances of the Expanse has shaped its religions as much as its people, creating a thousand variants comprised of familiar deities, region faiths, and practices both spiritual and occult. Some of the first colonists in Sagave were missionaries from the Inner sea, who found their greatest successes convincing the native population that their form of worship was to the same deities under different names, with many of the inner sea faiths have culturally blended with ancient local beliefs. Yet the gods are also very real, and the prevalence of the supernatural is proof of the divine and its influence. As such, while the form of everyone's beliefs and worship may differ, and no one is required to choose a patron deity or pantheon, it is highly recommended.

Regarding faiths of the Inner Sea, Aroden is still the state patron of Sargava, which has generally become synonymous with the worship of Iomedae (sometimes known locally as "The Warrior Chief") since his disappearance. Other commonly observed Inner Sea faiths include Abadar ("The Wealthy Father"), Shelyn ("The Beautiful Lady"), and both Gozreh and Desna as one deity known as Shimye-Magalla who exclusively reflects the female aspect of Gozreh and has been worshipped by the Mwangi "since the wind began to blow, the rain began to fall, and the people began to dream." The Green Faith has many adherents in the jungles of the expanse, as nature worship is both widespread and non-specific. Also, with all the monsters that fill the Expanse, the fearful worship of Lamastu is widespread, even if it goes by different names, as all Mwangi fears the "Mother of Monsters." While many other Inner Sea faiths are found throughout the expanse, most prominently the worship of Erastil and Pharasma, these faiths lack any major centers of worship or missionary work.

Mwangi faiths that have not merged with colonial ones include the worship of Angazhan, Balumbdar, Chohar, Grandmother Spider, Kalekot, Lubaiko, Luhar, Mazludeh, Tlehar, Uvuko, and Walkena. Ancestor worship, Shamanism, Totemism, and Juju practices are prevalent throughout the Expanse - often existing alongside other belief systems. Despite being dead since before Earthfall, there are also many depictions of Ydersius throughout the ruins found in the jungles of the Expanse, and while clearly a monster and an enemy to all mankind, it does have its adherents. Similarly, there are many depictions of Ancient Azlanti and Shori faiths, though most of these have either been adapted in the turnings of millennia or simply been lost to time. Finally, the local Dwarven and Elven religions still worship much the same deities as those in the inner sea, having both longer lifespans and less separation than the humans have had, though there are still many subtle distinctions and local cultural alterations of those faiths compared to their inner-sea counterparts.

There are countless other faiths practiced both publicly and privately by both native Mwangi peoples and explorers from all across the inner sea, and as such, there are plenty of reasons to choose to worship a faith that is not listed here, but it will likely not have strong representation through this campaign, and thereby may not be the best choice if you are seeking

Feats

Every player gets one feat at first level, and every odd numbered level thereafter. They may also get bonus feats from their classes, race, or archetypes.

PC's are recommended to dedicate themselves to one or more combat feat trees. Much of the campaign will also take place within ruins or the jungle, so feats that enable easier movement in difficult terrain, crafting of items, protecting campsites, setting traps, or general survival feats would all be useful. The party will also have an easier time if at least one member of the party focuses on knowledge and social abilities respectively. Ranged attacks will frequently run into targets with cover, and will need to invest heavily in their preferred combat style.

This campaign uses the Elephant in the Room feat system, which primarily eliminates feat taxes by merging certain feats while making other essentially free (most notably power attack). For more information on feat changes and merges, please refer to the table rules section or consult your GM.

Any unlocked feats that are free to all characters will appear here in the future.

Skills

This campaign has an Exploration - Survival theme and likewise has a great deal of emphasis on identifying and surviving threats or otherwise mitigating them, as well as on both social and physical challenges that cannot be simply overcome with combat. Time will also be plentiful, but precious, in this campaign, with a calendar counting every day since the Jenivere first set sail to the end of the campaign, and many challenges are easier if encountered - and overcome - sooner.

Perception is always useful, and the classic adventuring standbys of Disable Device, Spellcraft, Stealth, and Survival will all have moments to shine. Players will also be confronted with physical challenges which require all individuals to use Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, and Swim skills. There will also be social challenges that are made much easier with the use of social skills, particularly Diplomacy, but Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive will also prove essential in certain instances. Players will also find a diversity of Knowledge skills useful, particularly Dungeoneering and Nature, as well as Arcana, Geography, History, Local, Religion, and Planes. While no skill is ever useless, players may want to ensure that at least one person in the party has these skills covered before investing too heavily in other pursuits.

Finally, this campaign will utilize the Background Skills system from pathfinder unchained, which grants everyone 2 skill points that they can only spend in background skills at each level regardless of intelligence, though regular points may be spent in background skills as well. Everyone must spend at least 1 background point in a craft, perform, or profession skill of their to represent how they made money before becoming an adventurer. For more information on background skills, read pathfinder unchained skill systems, or consult your GM.

Equipment

Equipment is an important part of every character. Each player has a certain amount of starting gold, determined by their class, with which to buy items. For this particular campaign, all players must choose average starting wealth.

Players may buy anything they'd like that they can afford, though they cannot spend more than half of their starting wealth on any one item. Characters joining the game after level 1 will join with 70% of the wealth-by-level, to account for items already collected by the party.

Notice! The colony of Sargava maintains its protection payments to the Hurricane King and funding for city services primarily with brutal tariffs on imports, leading to both increased prices on items and on widespread smuggling. Generally speaking, prices in Sargava are 10-25% higher than elsewhere across the inner sea, without improving the sale price of those items. This makes acquiring items generally more expensive, unless it is either smuggled (for its own premium) or locally sourced. Characters created locally after level 1 will need to pay these higher prices for their starting equipment.

As this is an Exploration - Survival campaign, equipment that you find will occasionally be cursed, damaged or difficult to sell, opportunities to buy/sell will be frequently limited (along with merchant inventory), and prices on items may vary widely depending on where and how it was acquired. Conversely, however, there will be ample time to rest and craft, and clever (and lucky) players may take advantage of price fluctuations to transport trade goods and valuables from places where their value is low to places where they are worth much more - provided they're willing and able to take on such risks. Classes that rely on ready access to items (like ammunition or spell components) or specific magic items (like wands) will have a harder time in this campaign, but characters with abilities that make crafting or acquiring such things easier (such as methods of foraging, black market connections, or craft magical arms and armor) will have a much easier time, especially at lower levels. At a minimum, it would be wise for at least one person in the party to know how to find (and cook) food, how to heal, and how to repair equipment.