An Inn at the End of the World
Plot points/Scenes
Overnight the skies over Gradus ripple with prismatic light, a deep rumble shakes our players back into awareness. They find themselves in a familiar feeling inn that is uncommonly comfortable. Each player Character will find themselves sitting at a two-seated table that they are sharing with the Inn Keep, Yeros Yarnspinner. When they examine themselves they notice they are made out of carved wood. The Innkeep will ask each player various questions about their background and what they want to be in the future. As the characters chat with the Innkeep flesh begins to replace their wooden frame. Mechanically the exchange is intended to be an in-game character-building exercise. After the character sheets are complete, two Wooden Mannequins start attacking patrons in the tavern.
Structure
Exposition
The Sun dipped below the horizon about two hours ago, you're laying on your back staring up at the stars. you feel a wave of overpressure as the skies ripple with prismatic Light. The night's darkness gives way to the warm glow of firelight. You notice you are now sitting at the bar of an uncommonly comfortable tavern. The bar is being tended by a kindly-looking Gnomish gentleman; the other patrons appear to be featureless wooden mannequins drinking ales, playing cards, and sharing stories. on the western wall, you can see a feminine face emotionless but vigilant. The Barkeep leans forward and asks "what would you like to Drink?"Yeros Yarnspinner
Yeros Yarnspinner
What kind of Adventurer are you going to be?Yeros will probe into the adventurers to determine their character concept. this will allow the GM and the rest of the party to help each other to realize their concepts. As the characters chat with the Innkeep flesh begins to replace their wooden frame. Yeros asks who the adventurer's people are (Ancestry and Heritage). Based on the ancestries of the adventuring party, Yeros will share information on that ancestry's status on Gradus. As the adventurers identify their ancestry they take on the physical traits of that ancestry. Yarnspinner follows this discussion up with, "what have you been doing before this?". Yeros is asking what the character's mechanical background is. Pathfinder Backgrounds are both a narrative and a mechanical choice. These represent aspects of the character's backstory that are represented by ability boosts and skill proficiencies mechanically. As the Characters identify and describe their background subtle features begin to form
What are you going to do now?The Adventurers are going to Identify what adventure class they are going to fill in their next chapter of life. Yarnspinner may help them align their class selection with the concept they discussed earlier. After selecting a class, the player's are asked "what do you bring to the team, what sets you apart ?". The characters select their skills and starting feats.
Conflict
After all of the Adventurers, skills and feats have been identified, Yeros snaps his fingers. The wooden floor shifts under the adventures seats drawing them together at one table.
Do you guys know each other?The players then decide if the characters knew each other before this moment. Encourage the players to work out what their common ground will be. If not for this unusual tavern, how would have their paths crossed? After this encounter, the adventurers will return to their evening repose that was interrupted by the Skyquake this will inform how the party bands back together for the campaign.
What is this band going to do?At this point, the party will discuss campaign goals. Are they going to be a band of thieves or rectors of an arcane academy? Do they want to pool their resources to build a fortress vault to hold their loot or will they commission a mighty galleon to terrorize the seas in? all this will help shape where the party will do their adventures in.
Rising Action
After coming to a consensus on their goals, Yeros places 15 gold pieces in front of each character.
How will you equip yourself for your journey?The characters will now "Purchase" their starting Equipment. As they select items the appropriate cost in gp disappears from their stack of coins.
Climax
Mechanically the exchange is intended to be an in-game character-building exercise. After the character sheets are complete, two Wooden Mannequins start attacking patrons in the tavern.
Show spoiler
Yeros asks "could you kindly take care of this?"
Wooden Mannequin - Construct 0
NEUTRALMEDIUMCONSTRUCTMINDLESS
 | |
| Perception | +6 ; Darkvision |
| Skills | Athletics +9 , |
STR +3 , DEX -3 , CON +4 , INT -5 , WIS +0 , CHA -5 | |
| AC | 17 (13 when broken) |
| Saving Throws | Fort 10, Ref 3, Will 4 |
| HP | 20 - Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious - Resistances Hardness 5 |
| Speed | 20ft |
| Melee | Unarmed +9 +5 +1 (agile, free-hand, magical), Damage Bludgeoning |
| Special Abilities | Construct Armor Like normal objects, an animated armor has Hardness. This Hardness reduces any damage it takes by an amount equal to the Hardness. Once an animated armor is reduced to less than half its Hit Points, or immediately upon being damaged by a critical hit, its construct armor breaks and its Armor Class is reduced to 13. |
| Rituals | Most animated objects encountered by adventurers are permanently animated creatures, either created by rituals or given life by infusions of positive energy. Restless spirits, certain ghosts, and other haunting undead influences can also give rise to animated objects, although in cases like the poltergeist, what appears to be an animated object may merely be an evil force using its magic to hurl furnishings about as weapons. |
| Granted a semblance of life through the use of rituals or other strange magic, animated objects take many forms and serve a variety of uses. A few examples of typical animated objects are listed below. Many of these creatures serve as guardians, surprising unsuspecting adventurers when they suddenly attack. Others serve as idle distractions for the exceptionally rich, simple servants created to handle odd jobs, and the like. | |
Resolution
With the rabble-rousers neutralized, the tavern and it's denizens blurs to white light. The characters each awake in their own locations. They are surrounded by the gear they purchased, and they can't quite remember if all of it was there when they went to sleep the night before.
Components
Hooks
The party is brought to the encounter at the Happy Void in their sleep; maybe they were created here. This is designed to be your party's first encounter and the opening scene for a group's first campaign in the Sundered Cosmos' Omniverse.
One of the goals for this Session Zero is to collect Hooks from the party. Use Yarnspinner to find out what motivates the characters and mine their backstories all the juicy hooks you're going to use for the rest of the campaign.
Stakes
After Yeros has spoken to each of the prospective adventurers (their character sheets are finished) encourage the players to form a consensus as to what the group goals should be.
The Party is in no real danger from the Wooden Mannequins Yeros can revive any fallen party members and the combat is intended to let the players try out their new character sheets and learn the ropes of combat before they enter the game world.
Moral Quandaries
While discussing what they want out of the campaign, the party will be solidifying their alignment and informing you what kind of adventures you need to prepare for the next several sessions.
The GM would take note of how the party wants to develop; do they want to hack and slash or play high intrigue? A Session zero can tell you if the party wants to play face or heel or anywhere in-between.
Relations
Plot type
RPG Adventure Module (Zero Session)
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