How I Got to Destroy Avistan

Saturday, January 25, 2014


Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Actually, I didn't destroy it. Your PCs did. Blame them.

While planning out the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, we realized that the usual "Continuing the Campaign" article wasn't going to work. After all, by the time the Adventure Path concludes the PCs should be 20th level and have 10 mythic tiers, so there's not much to continue (mechanically at least), which led us to title this one "Beyond the Campaign." While I did include a few ideas for what to do after the PCs save the day, my favorite part is that I got to explore what happens if the PCs fail. In the final volume of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path readers will find the map you see here and an accompanying explanation of what happens in varying nations after the Worldwound expands. Tune in to Pathfinder Adventure Path #78: City of Locusts to see how this mythic failure could play out if the PCs don't manage to defeat their foes.

Adam Daigle
Developer

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10 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

searches desperately for the "Like!"-button but finds none; so settles for an evil laughter

MUHAHAHAA!


4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

O.O OH S#!T!

6 months for the north......one year for the rest of the world!

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

That would be interesting running a campaign with the demons over running things, and trying to survive.


12 people marked this as a favorite.

Worldwound swallows Whispering Tyrant's prison... film at 11.


8 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

actually, how would Tar-Barphon react to a swarm of demons knocking at his doors?

Contributor

3 people marked this as a favorite.

O_O


4 people marked this as a favorite.

I gotta say, the campaign that happens after the PCs fail sounds like a ton of fun. Having to bring the nations of Avistan together to oppose the growing threat and save the world, that sounds like a great idea!
-Matt


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Numeria huh? Two words:

Demonic Annihilators.

>:D


6 people marked this as a favorite.

Pincer movement with Treerazer attacking from the south!

Ruyan.

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.

Erm...

So... Plane Shift?


2 people marked this as a favorite.
zergtitan wrote:
actually, how would Tar-Barphon react to a swarm of demons knocking at his doors?

Ooh O.O chain reaction effect.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

Betcha this would get Baba Yaga involved once it moves closer to Irrisen.

Actually makes letting Karzug win look attractive since he would know how to handle this.


Unless the events of Reign of Winter occur, and she has left Golarion for good....


12 people marked this as a favorite.

Someone should just set up a "Destroy all Monsters" scenario and sick Mogaru and the rest of the Kaiju on the Worldwound...


That is an awesome way to start a campaign!

Shadow Lodge

9 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Every game group now purposely fails, just so this scenario happens. "Screw the world! Give us sweet, sweet APOCALYPSE"


7 people marked this as a favorite.

After 3 months...

Vampiric Demons with LAZORS!

Dark Archive

6 people marked this as a favorite.

This is my favorite type of blog post and makes me buy stuff


3 people marked this as a favorite.

... Riding Zombie Mammoths!


3 people marked this as a favorite.

Summon the Oliphant!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Odd that Vigil and Iadara both fall before softer targets like Galt and the Mammoth Lords. I'm guessing that the elves just all gate out and abandon Golarion to its fate (again), and the demons throw everything at Vigil because it's the most likely place to mount a counterattack.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Oh please.
This map is a LIE.
Mighty Razmir would never permit the Worldworld to encroach on His demesne!
Our Lord would send those demons packin' before you can say "participation mystique!"


5 people marked this as a favorite.

And the Razmirans lose all faith in their "god" as the demons overwhelm their nation. Suck on it, faker!


18 people marked this as a favorite.

"And thus was formed the last great alliance of devils and men, as the grand armies of Cheliax marched to drive back the Dark Lord and free Golarion from eternal darkness..."


2 people marked this as a favorite.

If a sequel were ever to be published...I would insta-buy it.

Dark Archive

16 people marked this as a favorite.

Paizo, please make a what-if module...

please....


4 people marked this as a favorite.

Gorilla King all up there beating demons to banana mash.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

The ruins of pathfinder alternate world is getting crowded.


Actually that expansion isn't that overwhelming. The first is 2 weeks in. The second? 4 weeks in. Then the third is 13-14 weeks in... and finally 26 weeks in. So if you look instead at the third and fourth parts of the map, it shows a steady growth of the Worldwound. And suggests that there hasn't been any real ability to stop it.

Then again, the Demons able to teleport ANYWHERE in the world at will? Well, no doubt you'll have massive attacks on capital cities to wipe out the leaders who could mobilize a resistance. My little bit about an alliance of Devils and Men in Cheliax would probably not pan out because the nobility of Cheliax would be targeted quickly and ruthlessly to make sure such an alliance didn't happen.

Shadow Lodge

15 people marked this as a favorite.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

Wow, it overruns the river kingdoms inside 6 months. Would that not make a truly awesome follow up to the Kingmaker AP. A new band of heroes destined to fight the futile war against the encroaching demons to defend you own kingdom. Starts with sandbox border protection and preventing the arise of the cult of Deskari. Could even be a mythic AP follow up.


Is this the Iron Gods AP? Barbarians vs. Superscience vs. Demons?


15 people marked this as a favorite.

No, but we'll need to gather up all the Adamantium to create giant pilot-driven golems to fight the demons. And a crack team of these giant golems will take a Numerian Star Drive into the heart of the Worldwound to detonate it....


Wasn't there a thread about "What if the heroes fail" for the other APs?

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm going to use this map as a means of putting time pressure on my party. I'll use it as how far do the demonic forces spread and how much destruction is wreaked by the rampaging demon hordes while the party does other things. Reports will constantly trickle in to Drezen about the falls of certain cities and great battles.

Paizo Employee Developer

6 people marked this as a favorite.

MUAHH-HA-Ha!

I'm certainly happy to see folks excited about this. It was a ton of fun to work on. I only wish I had more space to get into deeper detail.

Sczarni

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Yeah...I just don't see ol' Tar Baphon going down that easy. The map ought to have a little bitty empty circle around Gallowspire as the demons judiciously decide to save him for later.


With Tar Baphon not being able to really affect the world around him, its probably not too hard for the Demons to systematically take over territory after territory. The real threats in Ustalav are the ancient supernatural menaces like Awakened Demi-Liches, Winterwights, and Great Wyrm Umbral Dragons, not Tar Baphon himself since he can't escape his prison. He can't get to the demons but neither can they get to him, leaving his minions. Most of these servants don't gather in one spot unless they're being directed by a higher purpose (like the events at the end of Carrion Crown). On their own, most of these could probably be isolated and destroyed... though I would pay money to see the fight between Geir the Awakened Demi-Lich and the dozens of Balors it takes to kill him. More still, these supernatural menaces lurk in the dark corners and are not paramount to the nation's defense; they wouldn't mobilize at the behest of Ustalav's rulers to defend the land. Most of them would fend for themselves, with the exception of the Vampires, who are somewhat organized. (I'd still give the advantage to the demons in that contest. There's demons that are immune to Energy Drain and death effects.)


Tangent101 wrote:


Then again, the Demons able to teleport ANYWHERE in the world at will? Well, no doubt you'll have massive attacks on capital cities to wipe out the leaders who could mobilize a resistance. My little bit about an alliance of Devils and Men in Cheliax would probably not pan out because the nobility of Cheliax would be targeted quickly and ruthlessly to make sure such an alliance didn't happen.

While the nobles might take a bit to respond, I wouldn't put it past the devils to have contingency plans for this stuff. Cheliax with outsider support would probably be the only real inner sea power to be able to throw down. It seems they are invested in Cheliax. And while the demons may not give a damn about Rovagug's prison, I don't think Asmodeus would want it in the hands of the abyss...especially since it allows increased meddling from Qlippoth who would probably work to free him.

a few high level devil bodyguards would probably do a pretty good job of protecting House Thrune and her backers.

Nidal would also make a pretty damn horrifying enemy as well for the worldwound, and Zon Kuthon could probably throw his kytons into the mix as well. As a diety he has personally intervened in saving the country before (well saving the ancestors of the current citizenry.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I would support a module that assumed the players failed and explored additional possibilities.

Also, Wayne Reynolds does maps now? :)

Paizo Employee Developer

2 people marked this as a favorite.
SirUrza wrote:

I would support a module that assumed the players failed and explored additional possibilities.

Also, Wayne Reynolds does maps now? :)

Ha! I didn't notice that. That's probably some weird techrelic from another blog. The map is the handiwork of Andrew Vallas modifying Rob Lazzeretti's original.


I note the Worldwound's expanse ends right at Tanglebriar in Kyonin. I wonder how Treerazer would get involved.


There should be a rather significant empty zone around Mhar Mazif(sp) showing that not even demons want to kick that hornet's nest.

Grand Lodge

I'm seriously considering running a few long sessions to see how long the kingdom we built in Kingmaker would survive the demonic invasion (I didn't run in that one, but my PC was the king, so I don't know if I'd side line him, or recruit someone to play him or what...). A few games packed with armies clashing, desperate quests, dealing with refugees, negotiating with the few remaining political powers in the Inner Sea, and demon's constantly at the border. Epic to say the least. Perhaps give our PC's a chance to become Mythic even! I'm going to be making notes about this all day tomorrow at work...

Shadow Lodge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Adam Daigle wrote:

MUAHH-HA-Ha!

I'm certainly happy to see folks excited about this. It was a ton of fun to work on. I only wish I had more space to get into deeper detail.

Would you, Oh Flumph-y One, be able (or want) to expand on your ideas in this thread?


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Filby Pott wrote:
I note the Worldwound's expanse ends right at Tanglebriar in Kyonin. I wonder how Treerazer would get involved.

I'd hate to be the elves in Kyonin; fighting a two front war. I think the suggestion that they hightail it back to Sovyrian.

Treerazer, on the other hand- I imagine would be trying to figure out how he could utilize the growing Worldwound to return to the Abyss and resume his ascension- perhaps even to take on Cyth-V'sug.

Paizo Employee Developer

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Lazaro wrote:
Adam Daigle wrote:

MUAHH-HA-Ha!

I'm certainly happy to see folks excited about this. It was a ton of fun to work on. I only wish I had more space to get into deeper detail.

Would you, Oh Flumph-y One, be able (or want) to expand on your ideas in this thread?

I'll wait on that until folks actually have the book in their hands, and can see what's presented.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Second me on a "What if...?" Module

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I think this map fails to take into account that the PC's kingdom from Kingmaker is right in the path of the demonic hordes. Knowing my players there will be a long green spot where the Kingdom of Kyshahn stands. They are far too clever.

I'm glad that if the PCs die, in my Avistan I'll have at least 12 brave high level heroes who can pick up the torch.

Dark Archive

Yeah this was my favorite part of the book and the write up on what each of the nations would do theoretically is well thought out and logical.


The map for me its not really realistic. A lot of things can block the invade. Elves from Kyonin, In ustalav the Lich. In river Kingdom, we have the kingdom from kingmaker (if its not a fail, this kingdom is really powerfull), The cheliax and his devil ally (devil never accept that invade... Asmodeus has a plan...) All runelords..., In brevoy, Choral never accepts to lose... Aashaq same thing... Heroes from Ustalav (They block the return of the Whispering Tyran)

And more and more and more ... it s interesting but not enough for me

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