Earth, Fire, and Shoanti

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

In the final months of the Year of the Stolen Storm, the Pathfinder Society has secured all but one piece of what it needs to destroy an artifact and unleash a powerful force of good. As we gear up for this finale, the organized play team is gearing up for Gen Con—all three Pathfinder Society scenarios, three Starfinder Society scenarios, a Pathfinder Society multi-table interactive special, a Starfinder Society pregenerated character special, five new Starfinder Society quests, a huge portion of the Adventure Card Guild's new season, and several dozen new boons for distribution at conventions over the course of the year. Of course we have precious few weeks to go before those start arriving in Gen Con GMs' downloads, and there are several exciting scenarios coming out this week.

Season 8 has had its share of metaplot adventures, and it's nice to take a break every now and then to get back to the basics—and by basics I mean Varisia, goblins, and Shoanti. I think Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-22: Wrath of the Fleshwarped Queen ended up being Brian Duckwitz's dream Tier 1-5 scenario, and he met our outline with open arms and added his own flair. Brace yourselves for ancient magic, goblinoid ambitions, and a suite of new goblins songs that are all rather charming. We've included art by Alim Kaliberda of one of the starring goblins who just can't stop grinning, and I think you'll find the expression quite infectious during this adventure.

From the development team's perspective, this scenario also presented a few special opportunities. First, it's been an excellent opportunity to revisit western Varisia and explore consequences of the Society's earlier adventures in the region. After all, word has circulated for several years about what the Pathfinder accomplished in Korvosa, Magnimar, and beyond during Seasons 3 and 4. Second, when we first started sanctioning Pathfinder Player Companion: Paths of Prestige, Linda and I wanted to include several prestige classes as unlockable content grounded in the campaign setting by upcoming stories. Wrath of the Fleshwarped Queen is the first of these. Don't worry about playing it with the "right" character; the boon that accompanies this adventure opens up the character option for all of a player's PCs.

Meanwhile, the Society's busily engaged in its namesake task: finding paths. The final piece of its artifact-destroying puzzle is not an object so much as a place, and in Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-23: Graves of Crystalmaw Pass the PCs are responsible for plotting a course through dangerous terrain on the Plane of Earth and tracking down a long-lost contact believed to reside in the region (you might enjoy experiencing Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-13: Captive in Crystal first, though the adventure stands well on its own). Kalervo Oikarinen's done some great things with this Tier 3-7 scenario, including the depth he's brought to the native outsiders who live, work, and survive in the elemental planes. We've also been delighted to explore how matters like art and divine representation can manifest among non-anthropomorphic species, and this adventure delivers many such curiosities along with its engaging story.

Illustrations by Alim Kaliberda

An Update for Gen Con GMs: Scenario development is on-track to deliver scenarios to you at least two weeks before Gen Con, with Starfinder Society adventures landing in your downloads approximately three weeks before the convention. Starfinder Society GMs at Gen Con can expect to receive a copy of the rules in mid-July.

At last check, we could still use a few more GMs at Gen Con 2017. If you're interested in volunteering to GM one or more games at the convention, please complete this questionnaire to let us know of your interest and availability.

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer