As we sail into September, it’s time to take a look at one other installment of Ghostfire Gaming’s Pirates of the Aetherial Expanse marketing campaign, Episode 3, The Lost Constellation. We’re midway by this marketing campaign with the publication of this journey. Because I’m a imply moist blanket, I’ll be persevering with to take a look at how adaptable this journey is if you happen to select to run it with out the brand new guidelines for crusing ships.
Pirates of the Aetherial Expanse Episode 3: The Lost Constellation
Written by: Sarah Madsen, Jess Ross, Jen Vaughn
Head of Fables: James J. Haeck, Joe Raso
Story Design: James J. Haeck
Art Directors: Marius Bota, Zoë Robinson
Pirates of the Aetherial Expanse Writers: H.H Carlan, Anne Gregersen, James J. Haeck, Gabe Hicks, Alison Huang, Anthony Joyce, Kat Kruger, Sadie Lowry, Sarah Madsen, Sam Mannell, Joe Raso, Jess Ross, Jen Vaughn
Managing Editor: James J. Haeck
Editors: Michele Carter, Matt Click, Ashley Lawson, Joe Raso
Graphic Design: Martin Hughes, Scott Fraser
Cover Design: Christine Fozler
End Page Design: Abby Zweifel
Interior Illustrators: Kristian Agerkvist, Ridell Apellanes, Carol Azevedo, Luke Beaber, George Bennett, Bethany Berg, Allie Briggs, Josiah Cameron, Stephanie Cost, Kent Davis, Nikki Dawes, Alex Drummond, Christine Foltzer, Tony Foti, Quintin Gleim, Doruk Golcu, Ashley Hankins, Matt Hubel, Andrei Iacob, Maggie Ivy, Josh Ketchen, Diana Khomutina, Kate Laird, Tatii Lange, Carson Lowmiller, Damien Mammoliti, Jake Murray, Brian Patterson, Karina Pavlova, Pixoloid Studios, Mihai Radu, Caio Santos, Elisa Serio, Janna Sophia, Katariina Sofia, Kai Stevens, Kelly Toki, Philipp Urlich, Brian Valenzuela, Jacob Walker, Sam White, Abby Zweifel
Cartographers: Luke Beaber, Damien Mammoliti, Brian Patterson
VTT Asset Design: Joshua Orchard
On Deck
This entry into the Fables line is 90 pages lengthy. This features a title web page, a credit web page, a desk of contents, two pages of handouts, 4 pages of video games generally performed by the sailors of the area, the 4 web page pronunciation information to the right nouns within the marketing campaign, a full web page OGL assertion, and a web page of endpapers.
The paintings, format, and formatting of this line continues to be very properly completed. The chapter transitions have a two web page unfold of paintings with sidebars to introduce the chapter, with numerous half and quarter web page paintings to show NPCs and creatures that seem within the journey. There are additionally deck plans for varied ships, maps of various islands, and varied places the place the PCs would possibly go to.
There can also be an included file with all the character and creature paintings was VTT pleasant tokens to be used on-line.
Deck plans
The journey is split into the next sections:
- Welcome to Fables
- Chapter 1: What Remains
- Chapter 2: Feathers within the Sea
- Chapter 3: Following the Stars
- Chapter 4: Enemies and Allies
- Appendix A: New Monsters
- Appendix B: New Items
- Appendix D: New Games
- Appendix E: Pronunciation Guide
The Welcome to Fables part is, like different volumes, largely the identical from quantity to quantity, broadly sketching the marketing campaign, outlining every journey, after which dedicating the ultimate of the six introductory pages to outlining the present journey. This features a information to the milestones the place the PCs ought to degree up. The new monster’s appendix additionally repeats a number of the materials utilized in earlier adventures, in addition to new stat blocks for this quantity.
The Adventure
This time round, the adventurers are assumed to have their ship in good order, and to be recovering from their earlier adventures in a public location the place they’re out there for rent. A member of the Sistren of the Isles receives discover {that a} fellow member of the Sistren and lover Beliene has died, and he or she receives a observe telling her the place she will retrieve the physique, however she desires to go now.
The message is definitely coded, attempting to inform Nadia, the PCs employer, that her lover remains to be alive. This is the start of some potential double-crosses and intrigues on this journey. Beliene faked her dying as a result of she was a double agent, and doesn’t need Nadia to seek out her. Her group, the Nth Degree, is infiltrating organizations within the area with spies whereas implementing their plans, meant to bolster the nation of Karelagne, one of many nautical powers that after colonized the area, though they don’t have official help.
There are a couple of branching factors within the journey. For instance, the PCs might find yourself drugged and within the brig of Beliene’s ship, or they may be too cautious for this to occur. The PCs run throughout one other double agent, investigating the Nth Degree, who sends the observe to assist thwart Beliene’s plan.
The Nth Degree is performing experiments on Astral Emergents, individuals born within the Aetherial Expanse as an offshoot of the goals that naturally manifest within the Astral Plane. In addition to those experiments, they’re additionally in search of a misplaced artifact hidden by Captain Aloysius Dumas. Throughout the journey, the PCs could acquire entry to journal pages from the captain that trace at how one can recuperate his treasure.
PCs could find yourself chasing down Beliene for Nadia, or they might find yourself recruiting Nadia to journey with them to resolve Terrol’s (the Ayrissian spy working in opposition to the Nth Degree), which leads again to Beliene. Unlike the earlier two adventures, this isn’t a “hub and spokes” journey a lot as a linear journey that may department out to some aspect quests which will assist resolve the primary quest.
The PCs can discover a wrecked ship the place a passage medallion is situated, which can enable them to bypass the wards outdoors the Nth Degree’s fortress. They may also discover the merchandise that the Nth Degree is in search of, the Blinking Wheel, which grants a ship teleportation capacity. The PCs must courageous a merrow guarded wreck for one, and discover an island that fades away and returns frequently for the Blinking Wheel. There is a timing mechanic that determines what section the island is in and the way a lot the inhabitants can talk that I loved on this part of the journey.
The PCs may collect some allies of their assault on the Nth Degree’s island fortress, however certainly one of these potential allies introduces one other potential double-cross. The journey provides the group the choice to cope with the ships guarding the island by assuming the allies problem these ships whereas the PCs make landfall, or utilizing the ship fight guidelines launched within the marketing campaign.
Inside the fortress, they discover the Nth Degree torturing Astral Emergents with experiments that trigger them to develop magical crystals for resale. At the climax of the journey, in the event that they picked the “wrong” ally to carry with them, the double-cross occurs, making the struggle tougher. In the top, the PCs, underneath the absolute best set of circumstances, could find yourself with a brand new island fortress, a ship’s wheel that lets them teleport, and most significantly, a ship cat (a sapient magical cat that may act a spy, however which additionally has a random mishap desk related to it, which I really like). There is one thing actually amusing about seeing a ship’s cat labeled as a “tiny monstrosity,” as a result of I’m fairly certain I’ve heard cats known as that earlier than.
To Ship or to not Ship?
While this journey has a number of locations the place it mentions the repute guidelines and what can add to the various kinds of repute, a possible ship battle, and a reference to the navigation guidelines, for probably the most half it isn’t closely participating with the non-compulsory guidelines launched for the marketing campaign. This one could be a simple journey to run if you happen to solely needed to play issues straight out of the DMG, or use the ship guidelines from Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
Final Thoughts
I’m actually having fun with this marketing campaign and the adventures introduced to date. There have been a couple of moments the place I felt the DM could have to patch issues in the event that they don’t go precisely how the journey assumes, however not many, and this journey has fewer than the earlier adventures. I just like the vary of NPCs and organizations to which the PCs are launched.
The trickiest a part of this journey includes the double crosses. You don’t need your PCs to distrust each NPC on a meta-level, even when their PCs are paranoid privateers. I believe will probably be vital to make it possible for the NPCs that aren’t spies with ulterior motives to be tremendous above board when coping with the PCs, and you might wish to reduce the possibly double-crossing ally from the later part of the journey if the gamers react negatively to the primary two plot factors that revolve round spies and subterfuge. That stated, it’s positively a component of pirate fiction, so if dealt with properly, it’s an excellent use of style trope.
Future Wishes
Because of the journey summaries initially of the e-book, I do know that we’re shifting in the direction of the PCs recruiting different pirate crews to oppose one of many two colonizing powers of the area, and allying with the opposite to make it possible for the extra aggressive nation doesn’t solidify its maintain on the area.
I believe this may work effective as a climax, I additionally assume that with the robust streak of freedom and anti-tyrannical bent that NPCs have proven to date, it could be tougher to get them on board with allying with one of many two colonizing nations, even for the higher good. I’m questioning if there’s a strategy to play them off in opposition to each other and not using a full allegiance.
Because the repute system consists of an “evil” repute, varied sections embrace notes on what the PCs might do so as to acquire factors in that repute, and actually, it’s not doing a lot to persuade me to undertake the system. For instance, a method you possibly can acquire factors in the direction of an evil repute is to homicide everybody that lives on the disappearing island, which causes it to cease disappearing. I’m simply going to say that if my gamers had been entertaining that as an possibility, we’d be having a content material dialogue proper then and there, and I in all probability wouldn’t be operating that sport if it was vital for them to have that possibility out there to them.
I just like the worst of my evil pirate choices to be alongside the traces of Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean. WWBD?
