To Greyhawk or Not To Greyhawk?

Every few years, I look at the current state of the table-top roleplaying culture and I wonder where I should be running my games. Not whose house to gather at, not which room to take over and strew books around in, but what setting to use?

Let's face facts: I don't have the same amount of time to devote to writing material to use for game. Work is more and more invasive on my time, real life takes its toll. So, how do I spend my time prepping for the sessions I run? So far, it's been about taking established Greyhawk material and translating it to Pathfinder rules. That, or creating whole-cloth the stuff that I need for my specific game. Greyhawk is awesome, and there are no more books being released there.

Golarion, on the other hand, has new material being released from both professional and amateur sources. (This is, of course, the default setting for the Pathfinder RPG. And more than just quantity, the quality of the Golarion releases is quite high. Personally, I haven't seen the kind of layers and detail that are being wrought for Golarion since 80's-era Glorantha. Detailed local shrines which actually have effects on the characters who attend them, personalities and politics in every corner of the world, well-balanced NPCs who genuinely need the player-characters as either their foils or their allies.

Also, have I mentioned that this is already in the system my players prefer to use?

Greyhawk was my first setting. I'm profoundly affectionate for it. However, I might need to swap over to a different setting for the games I'm running in my limited time. Yup. I'm thinking it might be time to set Greyhawk aside for a little while (at least until I get done with my writing for it).

Opinions? Confessions?

Let me know!

[Pathfinder] Sirrian's Tome of Changes

Sirrian Lightchaser’s Tome of Changes

Description- The Tome of Changes is a square, approximately three hand-spans on a side. Polished darkwood covers bind together one hundred and twenty pages of thin, strong paper. The covers of the Tome lay flat against its pages, with a strong set of metallic cords penetrating the darkwood and pages in a regular pattern creating the hinge which opens the book. Both the cording and the paper of the pages are unique, with each owner of the Tome researching their potential origin without success.

The Tome of Changes is unusual in that it appears to have started out as a working field-notebook, then evolved into a more serious record of Sirrian's development as a mage. Reflecting this, there are three distinct sections to the book. Each section is detailed below.

[WWIR] DnD3e / Pathfinder - Dark Prophecy

What Would I Run? - Forgotten Realms
I've re-read some excellent 3.0 / 3.5 material recently; namely, the Shining South source book for the Forgotten Realms setting. There's something about the nation of Halruaa and the mages who run it. The nation is nicely meshed into the metaphysics of the setting, including their fervent Mystran and Azuthian Churches. Given my habits as a GM, I want to include a cult or coven to Shar as well... I love using cults - just ask any of my players. And I wanted to give the characters something different to chew on for this game.

So, add all these habits and drives up and what do you get? What would I run using 3.x Forgotten Realms?

Short answer: The PCs would be members of the cult of Shar hidden among the Halruaan nobility. The coven is busy, working toward the fulfillment of The Prophecy. For more details, check it out after the break...

[Pathfinder] New Poison - Pliancy

The Ebon Six enjoy a broad range of resources; including their own mad alchemist. Rhi is creative, brilliant, and exceptionally cruel. Raised in the nobility of the Yeomanry, Rhi's reputation was shattered when his cannibalistic appetites were revealed.

PLIANCY
Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 22
Onset 1 minute; Frequency 1/minute for 3 minutes
Effect +1 point of Pliancy (see below); Cure 2 consecutive saves negates 1 point of Pliancy

For each point of Pliancy the character accumulates, the subject suffers a -1 to their saves on mind-affecting Enchantments (charm, compulsion), and Illusions (figment, glamer, pattern, phantasm). If the specifics of the Enchantment or Illusion does not expose the subject to immediate, noticeable danger the penalty is increased to -2 per point of Pliancy.

Rhi's Insanity
Born the sixth son of a low-caste Suel family, Rhi's fantastic mind became his family's hope for advancement in the hierarchical society of the Yeomanry. Trained extensively at the expense of his siblings, Rhi became an accomplished wizard and a creative alchemist. His fascination with drinking the blood of commoners was only discovered when one of his victims managed to escape from confinement while Rhi was entertaining leaders of state.

Pliancy is one of the concoctions Rhi distills to help woo potential victims; Ursht has discovered that the colorless, odorless fluid dramatically helps his meddling with the Yeomanry's nobles. In exchange for regular additions to his collection of commoners, Rhi keeps the Ebon Six supplied with enough Pliancy to host parties where the drinks and foods are powerfully tainted.

[Pathfinder] Vidiin - After the Scourge (level 1)

Background
Vidiin was just another gnome raised within the Percept Orphanage of the King's Kaer. Early on, his rebellious tendencies were aimed at simple attention-getting ploys. They became more and more elaborate as he grew up and his tastes changed. His first robbery provided all the children of Percept with new shoes. Unfortunately, it also got him on the wrong side of the Kaer's Thieves' Guild. To protect himself and provide the rush of recognition he's deeply addicted to, he has created a pseudonym; The Unseen Poet. The Poet's heists always involve difficult to trace goods, a robbery in silence, and a verse left at the crime scene.

[Pathfinder] New Weapon Enchantment - Ruin

Ruin: When a ruin weapon does any damage to an opponent of its keyed type, the target must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 17. If the victim fails the save, he is Stunned for a number of rounds equal to the wielder's Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 round) as crippling pain wracks his body. Against the designated type of enemy, the weapon's enhancement bonus is +1 better than its actual bonus as well as doing an additional 1d6 damage.

[Pathfinder] Ursht - 2nd Level

History

The Ebon Six have been busy. Guided by visions from his sire, Ursht has helped them secure positions within the political landscape of the Yeomanry. After careful vetting of candidates to find those of weak will and corruptable mein, Ursht would be brought in (cloaked and masked) to mesmerize by leading special séances to speak with the ancestors of the attendees. These rituals were devised to give victims visions of political success, and the cult more information about what motivates their targets.

[Pathfinder] Ursht - New Character

A vile demon-worshiping cult has wormed its way into the noble Houses of the Yeomanry of the Flanaess. What began as a fashionable séance-enacting occult society evolved into The Ebon Six, a coven which venerates Graz'zt and holds ties to the warlord Iuz. To cement the cult's power and prove their faith to the Dark Prince, the cabal's leader Heneras gave Graz'zt his eldest unmarried daughter. Surulla disappeared in a flash during the ritual but was found several days later walking back towards the capital, babblingly insane.

[Pathfinder] New Weapon Enchantment - Wrack

Wrack: When a wrack weapon inflicts any damage against the specified type of foe, the target must make a Fortitude save DC 15. If the victim fails the save, he is Staggered for 1d3 rounds as waves of pain course through him. Against the designated enemy type, the weapon's enhancement bonus is +1 better than its actual bonus.

[Pathfinder] New Poison - Splinter

There are times when you just want to slow someone down, or get another chance to make your Stealth roll and hide from them. In this instance, Splinter is ideal.