The Role of Media in the Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch hunts and other similar witch hunts throughout history have been dark periods that reflect the fear and hysteria of society. The Salem witch trials took place in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. During this time, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, resulting in the execution of 20 individuals. The trials began when a group of young girls claimed they were being bewitched by certain members of the community. This accusation sparked an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, leading to widespread accusations and paranoia. People were accused based on rumors, hearsay, and supernatural occurrences, often lacking any substantial evidence.

People were accused based on rumors, hearsay, and supernatural occurrences, often lacking any substantial evidence. The hysteria surrounding the trials led to the establishment of a special court to deal with witchcraft cases. Accused individuals were put on trial, and if found guilty, they faced public hangings.

PF2 Extinction Curse (1 Viewer)

With the caveat that my existing games get precedence if I realize my plate is overfull.

Come one, come all! Humble performers become leaders of the Circus of Wayward Wonders when tragedy strikes. But as these heroes lead their motley band of performers and roustabouts around the Isle of Kortos, they uncover a sinister plot to exterminate life from the Starstone Isle. The dead god Aroden may be gone, but his legacy lives on, as do his old enemies who would destroy the wonders he raised from the sea. Spectacle meets savagery as the heroes strive to stop the Extinction Curse!

The PCs are capable people who are able to step up and do a little adventuring if push comes to shove (and OoC, I hope you all expect it to), but at the moment they're not expecting that. They're preparing for the inaugural performance of the Circus of Wayward Wonders. Their circus was founded by refugees, of a sort, from the Celestial Menagerie. The latter, more established circus is run by a rather not-nice catfolk by the name of Mistress Dusklight. A number of her former employees struck out on their own to create their own circus, free of her abuse, cruelty, and generally intolerable working conditions.

Character Creation:
There's additional background information (and some Backgrounds) in the Player's Guide, if you'd like to look. PCs don't have to be performers, but they should be associated with the Circus of Wayward Wonders in some way. You don't have to, but you can if you wish, have an existing connection to the Celestial Menagerie as well.
1st-level characters, standard creation rules. Any ancestry or heritage is allowed except Shoonie (because they're introduced in this Adventure Path, not because I hate dogs).
The adventure does also assume the PCs will be willing to help out.
If a character is a performer, they'll need a Signature Trick! I'll post some more of the circus rules in a bit, but the extremely short version is that you'll need to describe your trick and choose an associated skill or saving throw. Saving throws allow for a higher bonus early on, but there is a drawback in that a saving throw trick indicates that there's a risk of injury. A circus performance is made up of a total of seven such tricks, but the Circus of Wayward Wonders has plenty of NPC performers available to take up some of the slots.

Circus Rules:
Each circus performance has four acts with a total of seven signature tricks: The opener with one trick, the build-up with two, the big number with one, and the finale with three.
Performing a trick works a little bit like a turn in combat, although it of course tends to represent a longer period of time. A performer gets three actions, and must use at least one to perform a Trick Check. You can attempt up to three Trick Checks, but you take a Multiple Trick Penalty that functions like the Multiple Attack Penalty. You can also Costar to aid another performer's trick or Send in the Clowns.
PC tricks grow with level, as it's assumed you're tweaking it over time to make it more impressive. This means the DC scales, but so do the benefits.
You don't have to read the next section if you don't want to, but you should know that there's mild synergy between fire-based tricks and Intimidation, water-based tricks and Athletics, and animal-based tricks and Nature.
More complete Signature Trick rules:

At first level, your trick has one trick check and one trait.
At fourth level, you gain a second trick check.
At eighth level, you gain a second trait.
At 12th level, you gain a third trait.
At 16th level, you gain a third trick check.
At 20th level, you gain a fourth trait.

You gain access to trick traits by learning them from NPC performers. You can thus gain access to more by recruiting new performers to teach them to you. Each of these traits has a benefit.
Agile is so named because it works like the weapon trait and not necessarily because it involved agility (although it certainly can). It reduces the penalty for making a second trick check to -4 and the penalty for a third trick check to -8.
Animal tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Nature trick checks.
Fire tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Intimidation trick checks.
Water tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics trick checks.

The Injury trait is different. It doesn't count against your limit and is granted automatically to any Signature Trick that has a saving throw as an option. Any performer who critically fails a check for an Injury trick must make a DC 15 flat check or be injured. Given that there's plenty of time for first aid there's no HP damage involved, but an injured character can't perform for the rest of the show. At the beginning of the next show, the injured character must repeat the DC15 flat check. On a failure, whether due to a lingering effect of their injury or concerns about being hurt again, that character can not perform in that show either.
The Team trait is also a bit different. For NPCs it describes tricks that involve more than one person. Tricks also gain the Team trait automatically if another PC Co-Stars.

Trick check results:
Critical Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick’s level; this Excitement is added to the circus’s total Excitement for the show. You also generate Anticipation equal to half the trick’s level (rounded up); this Anticipation is added to the circus’s total Anticipation for the show.
Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick’s level; this Excitement is added to the circus’s total Excitement for the show.
Failure No effect.
Critical Failure The circus’s Excitement value decreases by a value equal to half the trick’s level (rounded up).

Co-Starring is a reaction that can be done by a PC when another willing performer in the same act is about to attempt a trick check. You make the same type of check at the same DC to Aid them.

Stormraven

Mystical Atheist

I'm going with Bard. Thus, Performer in some way.

Stormraven

Mystical Atheist

Ystrane
Female mostly human but elfin eyes. Bard 1 Core Rulebook 386, 386
CN, Medium, Human, Humanoid
Perception +5
Languages Common, Elven
Skills Acrobatics +6 (Whenever you roll a success using the Balance action, you get a critical success instead.), Athletics +4, Circus Lore +3, Crafting +3, Deception +7, Diplomacy +7, Occultism +3, Performance +7, Society +3, Thievery +6
Str 12 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 18 (+4)
Other Items explorer’s clothing, shortsword, backpack, basic crafter's book, bedroll, fine clothing, flint and steel, handheld musical instrument, leatherworking tools, mug, repair kit, waterskin, writing set, purse (3 gp; 9 sp; 8 cp)
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AC 16; Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +5
HP 17 Focus Points 1 Hero Points 1; Resistances cold 1
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Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] shortsword +6 (versatile Slsh, agile, finesse), Damage 1d6+1 Pier
Occult Bard Spells DC 17, attack +7; 1st (2 slots) mage armor, magic missile, unseen servant Cantrips (1st) daze, light, prestidigitation, shield, telekinetic projectile
Focus Spells 1 Focus Point, DC 17; 1st Counter Performance, Inspire Courage (At Will)
Feats Natural Skill, Steady Balance, Versatile Performance
Other Abilities component substitution, composition spells, irrisen, muses, occult spellcasting, polymath, spell repertoire, wintertouched human

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.

Bira

Infant Great One

Currently reading the player's guide, but I think I'm going with a Goblin Fighter with the Rigger background, though he'd also work as the "strongman" ("See Rakanishu, the strongest goblin in the world!"). I imagine his act includes deadlifting a platform with one or more other PCs standing on top.

Andrensath

Social Justice Valkyrie

Hullena Pidul
Human aasimar swashbuckler 1 Advanced Player's Guide, 83
CG, Medium, Aasimar, Human, Humanoid
Perception +5; low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven, Halfling
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +0 (+1 to Escape), Deception +6, Diplomacy +6, Intimidation +6, Performance +6, Society +4, Stealth +7, Theater Lore +4, Thievery +7
Str 10 (+0), Dex 18 (+4), Con 12 (+1), Int 12 (+1), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 16 (+3)
Other Items leather, leather, hand crossbow (20 bolts), main-gauche, rapier, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, belt pouch, chalks (10), fine clothing, flint and steel, rations (1 week)s (2), rope (foot)s (50), soap, torchs (5), waterskin, purse (18 sp)
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AC 18; Fort +4; Ref +9; Will +5
HP 19 Hero Points 1
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Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] main-gauche +7 (disarm, versatile Slsh, agile, finesse, parry), Damage 1d4 Pier
Melee [1] rapier +7 (disarm, deadly (1d8), finesse), Damage 1d6 Pier
Ranged [1] hand crossbow +7 (range increment 60 feet, reload 1), Damage 1d6 Pier
Battledancer To you, a fight is a kind of performance art, and you command your foes’ attention with mesmerizing motions. You are trained in Performance and gain the Fascinating Performance skill feat (Core Rulebook 261). You gain panache during an encounter when the result of your Performance check to Perform exceeds the Will DC of an observing foe, even if the foe isn’t fascinated.
Confident Finisher [1] (finisher, swashbuckler) You gain an elegant finishing attack you can make when you have panache. The finisher trait is described on page 87. You gain the Confident Finisher action.
Confident Finisher
You make an incredibly graceful attack, piercing your foe’s defenses. Make a Strike with a weapon or unarmed attack that would apply your precise strike damage, with the following failure effect.
Failure You deal half your precise strike damage to the target. This damage type is that of the weapon or unarmed attack you used for the Strike.
Panache You care as much about the way you accomplish something as whether you actually accomplish it in the first place. When you perform an action with particular bravado, you can leverage this moment of verve to perform spectacular, deadly maneuvers. This state of flair is called panache, and you are either in a state of panache or you are not.
You gain panache by successfully performing the skill check associated with specific actions that have a bit of flair, including Tumble Through (Core Rulebook 240) and additional actions determined by your swashbuckler’s style (see below). At the GM’s discretion, after succeeding at a check to perform a particularly daring action, such as swinging on a chandelier or sliding down a drapery, you also gain panache if your result is high enough (typically the very hard DC for your level, but the GM can choose a different threshold).
While you have panache, you gain a +5-foot status bonus to your Speeds and gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Tumble Through or to take any actions that give you panache due to your style. The precise strike class feature (page 85) also causes you to deal extra precision damage while you have panache. Powerful finisher actions, including Confident Finisher (page 85), can be used only while you have panache and cause you to lose your panache.
Normally, you gain and use panache only in combat encounters; when an encounter ends, you lose panache.
Precise Strike You strike with flair. When you have panache and you Strike with an agile or finesse melee weapon or agile or finesse unarmed attack, you deal 2 additional precision damage. If the strike is part of a finisher, the additional damage is 2d6 precision damage instead.
As your swashbuckler level increases, so does your additional damage for precise strike. Increase the amount of additional damage on a Strike and the number of additional dice on a finisher by one at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Feats Fascinating Performance, Fascinating Performance, Focused Fascination, Musetouched

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.

Bira

Infant Great One

I don't have Hero Lab, but I copied Stormraven's post and changed the fields .

Rakanishu
Green, swole, and generally gobliny. Named after an ancient hero of his people. Fighter 1, Rigger background.
CG, Small, Goblin (Unbreakable), Humanoid
Perception +4; Darkvision.
Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +7, Circus Lore +3, Intimidation +4, Performance +4, Stealth +6.
Str 18 (+4), Dex 16 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 8 (-1), Cha 12 (+1)
Weapons and Armor: bastard sword, shortbow and 20 arrows.
Other Items adventurer's pack, grappling hook, sheath, purse (21 sp, 9 cp).
--------------------
AC 20; Fort +7; Ref +8; Will +2
HP 22 Hero Points 1; Resistances: halve fall distance to figure damage.
--------------------
Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] bastard sword +9 (two-hand d12), Damage 1d8+4 S (1d12+4 S two-handed)
Melee [1] unarmed strike +9 (agile, finesse, nonlethal, unarmed); Damage 1d4+4 B
Ranged [1] shortbow +8 (deadly d10); Damage 1d6 P
Feats Goblin Scuttle, Combat Climber, Snagging Attack.
Other Abilities attack of opportunity, shield block.

Books

In the execution process, accused witches were often hanged by the neck until they were dead, leaving a community shattered and devastated. The Salem witch hunts showcase the dangers of unchecked fear and the power of mass hysteria. It is a stark reminder of how easily society can be swayed by rumors and accusations, leading to disastrous consequences for innocent individuals. The trials also shed light on the longstanding issue of scapegoating marginalized individuals or those who were considered different. Sadly, the Salem witch trials are not an isolated incident in history. Throughout different periods, various societies experienced similar witch hunts. For example, the European witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries resulted in tens of thousands of accused individuals being put on trial and executed. These witch hunts were fueled by religious tensions, economic instability, and social anxieties. Women, in particular, were often targeted due to their marginalized status in society. The hunts served as a way for people to explain and control their fears and anxieties. These historical events serve as cautionary tales, reminding us of the importance of critical thinking, empathy, and fairness in society. They highlight the need for justice systems that prioritize evidence and due process over fear-based accusations. In conclusion, the Salem witch hunts and other witch hunts throughout history were dark periods characterized by fear, paranoia, and mass hysteria. They reflect the dangers of unchecked fear and the power of rumors and accusations. These events serve as important reminders of the need for justice and empathy in society..

Reviews for "The Salem Witch Hunts: Lessons in Social Psychology"

1. John - 2 stars

I was really disappointed with "The Salem and Other Witch Hunts". The writing style was dry and lacked any depth or emotion. I found myself struggling to maintain interest throughout the text. Additionally, the content felt repetitive, and I didn't feel like I was learning anything new or gaining any new insights into the topic. Overall, I would not recommend this read to anyone looking for a captivating and informative exploration of witch hunts.

2. Emily - 1 star

"The Salem and Other Witch Hunts" was a complete waste of my time. The article provided a surface-level overview of the topic without delving into any meaningful analysis or discussion. The lack of depth made it difficult to connect with the material or understand the context and impact of the witch hunts. Furthermore, the writing style was dry and unengaging, making it a chore to get through. I would urge others to look elsewhere for a more thorough exploration of this historical event.

3. David - 2 stars

I did not enjoy "The Salem and Other Witch Hunts" as much as I had hoped. The article failed to fully capture the fear and hysteria surrounding these events. It lacked the dramatic tension and intensity that one would expect from a topic as intriguing as witch hunts. The writing felt detached and clinical, leaving me disconnected from the stories and characters. Overall, I found this piece to be a missed opportunity to truly engage readers in this dark chapter of history.

4. Sarah - 3 stars

While "The Salem and Other Witch Hunts" provided some interesting information, I couldn't help but feel that it was a bit shallow. The article briefly touched on the reasons behind the witch hunts and the impact they had on communities, but it lacked in-depth analysis or exploration. I was left wanting more context and depth to truly understand the historical significance of these events. The writing style was also somewhat dry and could have benefited from a more engaging approach. Overall, it was an okay read, but I wouldn't consider it a must-read for those interested in the topic.

The Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials in Popular Culture