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So Much New Material!

Monday, July 25, 2016

Gen Con is in less than two weeks, and Paizo always pulls out the stops with new publications to wow the crowds in Indianapolis. This year we're bringing a big pile of exciting titles, including Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Horror Adventures, Pathfinder Player Companion: Legacy of Dragons, and of course the much-anticipated Pathfinder Society Pawn Collection. You'll see even more at the end of August, with Pathfinder Player Companion: Haunted Heroes Handbook, as well as Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Planes of Power, which serves as a key sourcebook for the upcoming Season of the Stolen Storm!


Illustrations by Hannah Boving

But why stop there? Gen Con's traditionally the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild's opportunity to release a few extra adventures. This year, thanks to the July release date being so close to the convention itself, it's almost as though they were one and the same—at least that's how it's felt around here! As a result, we have 11 exciting adventures we're featuring at the convention. Let's take a look!

Nearly six years ago, the Pathfinder Society traveled to a promising archaeological site known as Azlant Ridge outside Bloodcove at the edge of the Mwangi Expanse. Ever since then, I've heard players ask what became of that site and if the Society had uncovered more of its mysteries. At long last, we've returned, guided by contributor and veteran Pathfinder Society author Ron Lundeen, taking your Tier 3-7 characters deeper into the Terwa Uplands in Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-27: Beyond Azlant Ridge! This was also our opportunity to depict the unflappable Juliet Dias, the expedition's manager shown below.

Something's rotten in the state of Thuvia, and although the Pathfinder Society has uncovered a vile plot and helped thwart it, the mastermind is still on the loose. Thankfully, a key member of the plot has reconsidered her loyalties and has reached out to the Society for help, as she has learned that the villains intend to cast the Thuvian city-states into civil war in a bid for personal power. Political intervention isn't the Society's standard practice, but if a band of elite agents can thwart this conspiracy, avert disaster, and also eliminate the ringleader of the Korholm Agenda, it's worth entering hostile territory. Luis Loza brings Season 8 to a climatic, Tier 7-11 close in Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-28: Ageless Ambitions in Aspenthar, domain of the ambitious Prince Zinlo (pictured below)!

In April we began a grand undertaking with Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-20: All for Immortality, Part 1: First Taste of Eternity: the reintroduction of dedicated, high-level content in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild. So far the feedback we've received has been really encouraging—certainly making us consider more Tier 12-15 content in the future—and working on the series (including some ludicrous hard mode options) has been a lot of fun. Of course, high-level content benefits from high-level settings, and what better place is there for a Pathfinder to go than the heart of the Aspis Consortium. I've left the fate of the Consortium is in your hands in Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-29: All for Immortality, Part 3: Serpents Fall!

And because I'm a glutton for punishment, I took on a second adventure during this busy time: an exciting sequel to last season's Pathfinder Society Special #6-98: Serpents Rise that sends a motley band of 8th-level Aspis agents and misfit hirelings deep into Nidal to infiltrate a threat to the Consortium's authority. We debuted Pathfinder Society Special #7-98: Serpents' Ire at PaizoCon 2016, and it's undergone some polishing since then to trim its run-time, making it a great fit for Gen Con this year.

The pregenerated character adventure model has proven an exciting way to tell stories happening outside the Grand Lodge—especially when showing what's in store for the campaign's next season. Developer Linda Zayas-Palmer has also worked behind the scenes on many of our best scenarios and the Campaign Clarifications document, and this time the stars aligned for her to apply her narrative mastery and author the spectacular Pathfinder Society Special #7-99: Through Maelstrom Rift. An organization known as the Concordance of Elements has sensed a dangerous anomaly on the Plane of Air, and the ruling council (including one of its representatives pictured below) has dispatched an eclectic team representing the united elemental forces to avert the looming disaster and discover its cause. If the idea of playing a proud genie, a miniature dragon, or an elemental serpent made of living lava strikes your fancy, don't miss this great adventure for 6th-level pregenerated characters.

Phew! Time to catch my breath for a moment.


Illustrations by Sebastian Rodriguez and Dion Harris

In Season 4 of the campaign, the Society spent a lot of time in Varisia. We've taken an extended break in the years since, but with the imminent release of the updated Pathfinder Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne, the prospect of visiting Korvosa again was just too good to pass up. You may recall that the Society has a good friend, Zeeva Foxglove, who runs the nearby Green Market, and she's contacted Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch with a desperate plea for assistance. Scott Sharplin spins us an engaging urban adventure with mysteries, plots, and just a hint of pseudodragons in the Tier 1-5 Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-01: Portent's Peril.

One of the greatest strengths of Pathfinder Society scenarios as a medium is that they allow us to explore such a wide variety of places in the course of a year. I'm always looking for more ways to feature Tian Xia, and we planted a pretty significant plot hook near the end of Season 6 in the hope of traveling to the sorcerer kingdom of Dtang Ma. An unlikely ally (the friendly disembodied head pictured below) has pointed the Society to an abandoned temple that still contains historical records dating back a millennium or more. The PCs tread on sacred ground, though, and they must watch their step if they are to scale a mountain, study this lost site, and save a lost soul. Contributor Mikko Kallio shows off his story-telling talents in Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-02: Ward Asunder, a Tier 3-7 adventure.

Two years ago, hundreds of Pathfinders gathered in the halls of the sky citadel Jormurdun to reclaim it for study. The Society turned control of it over to the dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains shortly thereafter, and they have industriously worked to restore their ancestral home. The duergar of the nearby Darklands are none to thrilled about this development, and in a recent attack, they captured a host of dwarves, put them in chains, and began driving them south toward a future of slavery or sacrifice. Jormurdun has asked the Society to intercept the duergar before they escape, but taking on such a large force won't be easy. Mike Kimmel takes the PCs deep underground to gather allies and launch a daring rescue in Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-03: Captives of Toil, which has special opportunities for members of the Liberty's Edge faction.

Wait, you want more? Sure, I've got three more gems for you.

We're debuting a new set of six 1st-level quests by Eleanor Ferron, and Jenny Jarzabski, and Landon Winkler. In Honor's Echo, the PCs assist a disenfranchised Taldan nobleman, the descendant of the heroic Honaria Alcasti whom the empire used as a scapegoat centuries ago. In order to restore the family's name, he and the PCs search Taldor, Andoran, and Qadira for evidence of Honaria's good deeds and make a case before one of Taldor's most influential figures. Like past quest series, Honor's Echo is for 1st-level pregenerated characters, but we are decoupling past quest series (i.e. The Silverhex Chronicles and Phantom Phenomena) from the pregenerated character requirement.

Gen Con is also the debut of Pathfinder Academy, an extension of previous years' Kids Track program. This year we're adding a five-quest series dubbed Transitions that teach players key lessons—attacks of opportunity, splash weapons, combat maneuvers, conditions, and more—as they graduate from the Beginner Box to the full Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. After each short lesson is an adventure that highlights those rules and follows the story of the heroes tracking down villainous Aspis agents who have stolen holy relics from Magnimar. By the end, the players are ready to participate in some Pathfinder Society adventures. In fact, we've dedicated several tables to kid-friendly games—some even run by young GMs! Seth Brummond, Andrew Hoskins, Bob Jonquet, Nathan King, Lucas Servideo, and Michael VonHasseln contributed a combination of adventures, lessons, and wisdom to make this project a reality.

Finally, there's the big interactive event: Pathfinder Society Special #8-00: The Cosmic Captive by Matt Duval! The asteroid known as Aucturn's Tear flies through the solar system every 56 years, but strangely it has begun glowing brightly in the night sky while opening portals to another realm as it passes by planets. Hmmm... the more I talk about the story, though, the more I spoil the adventure. Let's boil it down to a few key points. First, we're exploring new design territory for interactive adventures, combining both traditional aspects of the interactive experience with a host of new ways to affect other tables. Second, it's loaded with elemental goodness—and not just the “I'm immune to critical hits” elementals, but also fun elemental themes and locations. Third, it's the first interactive adventure to combine the Roleplaying Guild and Adventure Card Guild into one giant event. Finally, it's a stellar debut to an incredible new season: The Season of the Stolen Storm!

We'll see you at the Best Four Days in Gaming!

John Compton
Pathfinder Society Lead Developer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Conventions Dion Harris Pathfinder Society Pathfinder Society Academy Sebastian Rodriguez
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Grand Lodge 4/5
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Huzzah!
Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota
4 people marked this as a favorite.

Looking forward to all those new scenarios!

Hmm

PS THANK YOU for decoupling the old quests! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You've made me so happy!
1/5 5/5
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Oh!

This is going to be great!

Thank you for decoupling the old Quest chains!
Liberty's Edge 4/5 *

John, does this mean that Silverhex and Phantom Phenomena are now essentially additional evergreen scenarios that players can repeat on 1st level characters?

If so, do they also get the "one time at 2nd level" clause that the evergreens get?
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Yay and removing the requirement of Pregens in the older Quests!
Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Washington—Spokane

Awesomeness always abounds from GenCon and I am glad this year is no different. Question on the change to the older quests: Is this effective immediately or after GenCon with the release of the new quest series? Thanks.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

Great job! Would love to see the new kidstrack scenarios.
Dark Archive 5/5
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Tony Lindman wrote:

John, does this mean that Silverhex and Phantom Phenomena are now essentially additional evergreen scenarios that players can repeat on 1st level characters?

If so, do they also get the "one time at 2nd level" clause that the evergreens get?

This is only a guess, but I'm assuming no. Silverhex and Phantom Pheonomena will most likely be similar to Master of the Fallen Fortress, except worth 2 prestige instead of 1, and only run at first level...

4/5 *

Wow, what a list of stuff! Thanks, folks, for all of this!
Grand Lodge 2/5 *
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Can we assume then the the 'Guide and the Faction Cards are coming next Monday (August 1st) then?
4/5 5/5 ***
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I'm happy to hear that the older Quests are opening up. Huzzah.
Dark Archive

Any chance of seeing those kid friendly adventure here at some point? I for one know I could use them.
Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***
Tony Lindman wrote:

John, does this mean that Silverhex and Phantom Phenomena are now essentially additional evergreen scenarios that players can repeat on 1st level characters?

If so, do they also get the "one time at 2nd level" clause that the evergreens get?

Only Tier 1-2 Chronicles may be credited towards 2nd level characters.

Tier 1 Chronicles (In Service to Lore, Master of the Fallen Fortress, and both of the aforementioned Quests) may only be credited towards 1st level characters.
2/5

Any word on how Pathfinder Academy will be available outside of GenCon? I'm sure my local FLGS would love to schedule something like this, and we recently had a couple new players join that really would have benefited from structured instruction of this sort before joining regular games.
Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Any chance of seeing those kid friendly adventure here at some point? I for one know I could use them.

If you are referring to the Kid's Track adventures, the first two sets of quests are available as free downloads

Basic
Advanced

The third series called "Transitions" will be debuting at Gen Con and are not yet available.
Dark Archive 4/5 5/55/5 ****

For those of us that are 4/5 star GMs that have received Serpent's Ire, can we run it prior to GenCon or should we wait until after like last year with Serpent's Rise?
Paizo Employee 4/5 Pathfinder Society Lead Developer
DrParty06 wrote:
For those of us that are 4/5 star GMs that have received Serpent's Ire, can we run it prior to GenCon or should we wait until after like last year with Serpent's Rise?

Please wait until after Gen Con.

1 person marked this as a favorite.

If you are referring to the Kid's Track adventures, the first two sets of quests are available as free downloads
Basic
Advanced

The third series called "Transitions" will be debuting at Gen Con and are not yet available.

I wouldn't call the "Terrors" bash Kid friendly... in my experience.

Dark Archive 4/5
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!
Dark Archive 4/5 5/55/5 ****
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!

At the very least, I'd imagine you can play it for Core Campaign credit, which though it may not benefit a character for you, it would get you access to this full story.

Pathfinder Academy sounds brilliant! Bravo!
Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!

While it is true many tables did not finish at PaizoCon, saying "most didn't even make it halfway through" is quite the exaggeration.

Dark Archive 4/5
Bob Jonquet wrote:
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!
While it is true many tables did not finish at PaizoCon, saying "most didn't even make it halfway through" is quite the exaggeration.

Then let me rephrase: Most of the people I talked to who played this at PaizoCon did not make it halfway through. Maybe I just talked to the wrong half, but the majority of those I had conversations with were kicked out either before getting halfway through, or getting to the halfway point. From my point of view and gathered evidence, my statement is true.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon?

While this would obviously need to be an answer from John or someone else higher up, we were allowed to reGM Legacy of the Stonelords for credit after PaizoCon 2014 because of all the changes to the scenario.

I would hope Serpents Ire could be given the same treatment ^_^
Scarab Sages 4/5

So much great new content coming. Looking forward to it!

And I'll echo the thanks for decoupling the older quests from the pregen requirement.
Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Netherlands

Ooooooooooh so many awesome things!
Liberty's Edge 4/5

where's the new sanctioned adventure paths and modules?
Shadow Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****
Mike McKeown wrote:
where's the new sanctioned adventure paths and modules?

Patience, grasshopper :)

After "Con Season" is when those usually get worked on the most.
5/5 5/5

Thanks to all for your hard work in getting so much material ready leading up to GenCon! Having been involved in convention organizing in the past, I can only imagine that this was like juggling flaming cats.
4/5 5/55/55/55/5

Another thanks for the decoupling!
4/5 5/5 ***
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

In looking over the Quests, is Fane of Fangs also uncoupled from the pre-gen requirement as it's not a 1st level Quest?
Dark Archive 5/5 5/5
Nefreet wrote:
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon?

While this would obviously need to be an answer from John or someone else higher up, we were allowed to reGM Legacy of the Stonelords for credit after PaizoCon 2014 because of all the changes to the scenario.

I would hope Serpents Ire could be given the same treatment ^_^

Stonelords was unique in that the PaizoCon version was incomplete when compared to the GenCon version; the entire last act was new for GenCon.

I do not believe Serpent's Ire will have the same amount of revision to qualify for a second gm credit.
Dark Archive 4/5 5/5
5 people marked this as a favorite.

This largely confirms that I need less of a life so I can spend more time gaming.
Liberty's Edge 5/5
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Starfinder Superscriber
Alanya wrote:
Bob Jonquet wrote:
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!
While it is true many tables did not finish at PaizoCon, saying "most didn't even make it halfway through" is quite the exaggeration.
Then let me rephrase: Most of the people I talked to who played this at PaizoCon did not make it halfway through. Maybe I just talked to the wrong half, but the majority of those I had conversations with were kicked out either before getting halfway through, or getting to the halfway point. From my point of view and gathered evidence, my statement is true.

I GMed this at PaizoCon.

I think that when Bob called out the "OK, guys, really, you gotta finish up!" announcement, more than half of the tables were still going.

My table finished after that. I remember that I was walking towards the HQ table to turn in my reporting sheet when I heard Bob make the "That's it, gotta stop right now and get out" announcement. There were quite a number of tables still going, but well more than half of them were empty at that point. So I feel pretty confident saying that well more than half the tables finished, but also that there were a nontrivial number that didn't.
5/5 5/55/5

Also, for 7-98 at paizocon-the first time call was at 5 hours, scenarios are surposed to fit into 4 hour time slots. My gm skipped 2 full encounters and had to call the final fight after 3 rounds. When first time was called at midnight none of the 13 tables next to mine were finished. It looked like some were on the final encounter, not sure how many called it early to get out of the room.
Dark Archive
Bob Jonquet wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Any chance of seeing those kid friendly adventure here at some point? I for one know I could use them.

If you are referring to the Kid's Track adventures, the first two sets of quests are available as free downloads

Basic
Advanced

The third series called "Transitions" will be debuting at Gen Con and are not yet available. [/QU

Awesome thanks for the heads up I didn't realize that. Downloading as we speak!
Dark Archive 5/5 5/5
rknop wrote:
Alanya wrote:
Bob Jonquet wrote:
Alanya wrote:
Is the new version of Serpent's Ire going to be replayable for those of us who missed out on most of the story at PaizoCon? I know the majority of the tables were unable to finish, and most of those didn't even make it halfway through. We were having fun up until they kicked us out of the room, and it would be nice to be able to experience the whole thing!
While it is true many tables did not finish at PaizoCon, saying "most didn't even make it halfway through" is quite the exaggeration.
Then let me rephrase: Most of the people I talked to who played this at PaizoCon did not make it halfway through. Maybe I just talked to the wrong half, but the majority of those I had conversations with were kicked out either before getting halfway through, or getting to the halfway point. From my point of view and gathered evidence, my statement is true.

I GMed this at PaizoCon.

I think that when Bob called out the "OK, guys, really, you gotta finish up!" announcement, more than half of the tables were still going.

My table finished after that. I remember that I was walking towards the HQ table to turn in my reporting sheet when I heard Bob make the "That's it, gotta stop right now and get out" announcement. There were quite a number of tables still going, but well more than half of them were empty at that point. So I feel pretty confident saying that well more than half the tables finished, but also that there were a nontrivial number that didn't.

We left the hall about 11:30pm. We wanted to beat the rush for seats in the lobby before they kicked us all out. Took us another two hours to finish.

Grand Lodge 3/5

Is it possible to let us know what race/type the pre-generated characters will be for Pathfinder Society Special #7-99: Through Maelstrom Rift?

I would like to at least have correct minis for the table!
Grand Lodge 4/5
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Hopefully the GMs will be able to provide approximate representations. I know that a couple of them will be difficult to properly represent however. Not sure spoiling the surprise is a good idea however.
4/5

I agree, it would be better to be surprised.

As I think through the prioritization of my prep, I think representing the PCs is actually going to be more work than the monsters.
Liberty's Edge 5/5
Starfinder Superscriber

I think the Pathfinder Society Pawn set has pawns for all of the PCs. I printed out custom pawns myself at PaizoCon for the six pregens.
Liberty's Edge 5/5
Starfinder Superscriber
Quote:
We left the hall about 11:30pm. We wanted to beat the rush for seats in the lobby before they kicked us all out. Took us another two hours to finish.

Yeah, I saw 2 or 3 tables still going in the lobby as I left.

4/5

The Pathfinder Society Pawn set most definitely does not have pawns for the 7-99 pregens.
Liberty's Edge 5/5
Starfinder Superscriber

Sad.
Grand Lodge 4/5
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Possibly because the bestiary sets already have some of them...
Paizo Employee 4/5 Pathfinder Society Lead Developer
1 person marked this as a favorite.

More importantly, we needed to finalize the Pathfinder Society Pawns list several months before #7–98 and #7–99 were written (even outlined, I believe).
Liberty's Edge 5/5
Starfinder Superscriber

Yeah, some of them are in previous sets -- mostly NPC Codex, I think. (Same with Serpent's Rise.)

By the way: pretty soon we'll have enough new faces for Pathfinder Society Face Cards Volume 2! A pity that Face Cards aren't a thing any more.... I really like my PFS Face Cards.
The Concordance 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****
rknop wrote:

Yeah, some of them are in previous sets -- mostly NPC Codex, I think. (Same with Serpent's Rise.)

By the way: pretty soon we'll have enough new faces for Pathfinder Society Face Cards Volume 2! A pity that Face Cards aren't a thing any more.... I really like my PFS Face Cards.

I concur fully.

I wish I could find where my PFS Face Cards got off too... and kinda wish those were made available as a digital package too for those of us prone to losing things...
3/5 5/5
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hi John, could I just confirm that the decoupling of The Silverhex Chronicles from the pregenerated character requirement is effective immediately? I'm mustering for a game tomorrow, and just want to make 100% sure I'm good to go.
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