Paizo puts out these free PDF’s for many of their adventure paths and here’s the one for Iron Gods. They are chock full of art, ideas and a map or two. I used one like it and its accompanying Kingmaker adventure path as the inspiration, foundation and jumping off point our Traditions of the Swordlords Burning Wheel campaign.

This is about an adventure path called the Iron Gods, with lots of androids, lasers and other bits of science fantasy folks have salvaged from a spaceship that crashed in Numeria hundreds of years ago, offering lots of sci-fi artifacts and of course, the much sought after skymetal.

Torch is a small town in Numeria with a flame atop a hill that allowed its smiths to smelt and work skymetal. Through that industry, the town was able to scratch out a living in the shadow of the greedy Technic League, a confederation of merciless sorcerers who profit off of all artifact salvage.

Torch’s hilltop flame went out.

* BAM *

There’s the Situation.

The town’s flame went out. The town’s wizard has gone missing and the Technic League will be coming before too long to collect taxes.

Add in science-fantasy craziness to taste and there you go. I’d make Brigh, the Goddess of Clockwork, an actual Clockwork Goddess. Yeah, the Technic Wizards made their own Goddess.

To Disregard

There is a bit about not allowing players to play members of the Technic League. I’d let it. Shit, I’d love it.

You say the organization is a bureaucracy of sadists and bullies? The structure of the organization is probably set up to allow the wizards’ bullying and safeguard their position of power. That sounds like a great conflict to put the players in the middle of. Maybe the players are even bullies and are a little sadistic from having been brought up in the midst of this mess but then I’d encourage the players to make beliefs about where their lines are, about what they care about, not allowing them to be entirely evil.

How far will you go for your comrades in the league?

If you want more inspiration and give Paizo some money, you can pick up the Iron Gods Adventure Path or Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars.

Who would you play and what would their beliefs be?

And of course questions, comments and thoughts are welcome in the comments. I made up 4 characters and will find a way to attach the PDF’s of the sheets here when I can.

NOTE: This was also a post in the BW G+ community.

Burned Up Player Characters

 

Artifact Finder Character Sheet

• Write a belief about your place in Torch and what you want to do for the community or your relationship with the Technic League’s greed and avarice.
• Write a belief about what you want to accomplish or find in the Felldales or keeping your naive comrades safe in the Felldales.
• Write a belief about someone or something you avoid in Torch but have to confront or settle before leaving for the Felldales again.

Iron Gods Wizards Apprentice Character Sheet

• Write a belief about a strength of character you want to show in memory of your lost master wizard.
• Write a belief about your place in Torch and what you want to do for the community or your relationship with the Technic League’s greed and avarice.
• Write a belief about your gang or some heist or job you have brewing with them.

Skymetal Smith Character Sheet

• Write a belief about your place in Torch and what you want to do for the community or your relationship with the Technic League’s greed and avarice.
• Write a belief about something you want to craft out of materials only to be found in the Felldales.
• Write a belief about taking on an apprentice.

Technic League Wizard Character Sheet  (Choose Spells)

• Write a belief about the pressures the Technic League is putting on you.
• Write a belief about something you want to find in the Felldales.
• Write a belief about teaching someone a skill you have that you know would make an important change in their life.

Check out this design and more in the Science Fiction Collection…