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GameMastery Module J1: Entombed with the Pharaohs (OGL)

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GameMastery Module J1: Entombed with the Pharaohs (OGL)
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A journey adventure for 6th-level characters.

Now that the ruined pyramid tombs of the ancient emperor-gods of Osirion are finally open to exploration, the race is on to plumb their depths and rescue their priceless treasures.

Entombed with the Pharaohs is a desert adventure written by Michael Kortes that pits players against rival adventurers bent on getting to the treasure first as well as the vicious monsters and lethal traps set to stop them from their plunder. Ancient secrets and wealth beyond imagination await you in the pharaohs' tombs—will you be the first to find them?

The adventure includes information on the city of Sothis and the ancient tomb that lies nearby, as well as details on rival adventurers bent on getting to the treasure first.

GameMastery Modules are 32-page, high-quality, full-color, OGL-compatible adventures for use with the world's most popular fantasy RPG. All GameMastery Modules include four pre-made characters so players can jump right into the action, and full-color maps to enhance play.

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Pulpy Tomb Robbing at Its Best!

4/5 —

NO SPOILERS

Entombed with the Pharaohs is a 32-page entry in the D&D 3.5-era line of Paizo modules. Set in the Egypt-analogue country of Osirion, the module involves some classic tomb-raiding in the pulp Indiana Jones’ vein (not the more culturally sensitive, quasi-archaeological approach taken in some more recent Paizo adventures). But there’s a depth and richness to the story and setting here that really turns this into a memorable adventure, not a forgettable dungeon-crawl. There are plenty of surprises and dynamic elements to keep players on their toes, and plenty of opportunity for quality role-playing. I ran this several months ago, and although I do think it’s a higher difficulty than may be fair for an average Level 6 group, I really enjoyed it.

SPOILERS!:

For an adventure hook, the module assumes the PCs are either members of the Pathfinder Society or are hired by them to explore a pyramid that has recently been unearthed in Osirion. But this is no ordinary pyramid—it’s reputed to be the tomb of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension, a legendary group of powerful, magically-inclined rulers who bound themselves together in both life and death for eternity.

Part 1 is “Hidden Secrets of the Malhitu Bazaar.” The module proper starts with the PCs attending an antiquities auction to meet their secret Pathfinder contact, a woman known only as the Mithral Scarab (great artwork). She’ll signal the PCs at some point during the auction, but the auction isn’t just background. There are several Osirion relics up for sale, many of which hold some clues or value for the adventure to come. The module details several other potential bidders for each item, and this segment could be an interesting role-playing (and financial strategy) opportunity for the PCs. Crucially, also in attendance at the auction are the members of Her Majesty’s Expeditionary, a Chelaxian-backed group of mercenary tomb robbers who are also planning a venture to the pyramids of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension. This group becomes a major rival to the PCs at various stages throughout the module and add some dynamic tension. Indeed, one member tries to infiltrate the PCs in the guise of a freelance translator—a move that worked perfectly on my group.

After the auction, the Mithral Scarab takes the PCs to the only living person to have previously visited the pyramid tomb of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension. In a well-done scene, the man, Raegos, explains that he keeps himself perpetually blindfolded to avoid succumbing to a terrible curse. Inside the pyramid, he says, are four mystical runes—anyone who sees all four transforms into a terrible, mindless monster, which is what happened to one of his fellow explorers. Raegos saw three of the runes, and lives in terror of someday seeing the fourth. He explains that the pyramid normally exists on another plane, but can be summoned back through the use of a special mask—though the whereabouts of this item are unknown. The rest of this part involves the PCs making Gather Information checks or using other means to try to figure out where the mask is currently located.

Part 2 is “Pursuit of the Mask”, and it really has two distinct segments. The first segment involves stealing the Mask of the Four Pharoahs from its current owner, an antiquities collector named the Crook Bearer. But if the PCs aren’t diligent with their sources, they may think the mask is actually at a museum called the Exhibitory—but that one’s a fake! The module provides layouts and content for both places—PCs could try a lazy smash-and-grab or plan a full heist (and stealth isn’t a bad idea if they don’t want the entire city guard after them). It’s handled really well, and I imagine a lot of groups could get quite creative with their planning. I especially liked that Her Majesty’s Expeditionary is also after the mask, and the module plays fair-and-square with their own chances of figuring out which location has the real mask and then details their heist plan. It’s perfectly possible for the PCs to be too late and for their rivals to get the mask first—which means the PCs are the ones trailing behind in the second segment, which is the trip to the Valley of the Pyramids. A regional map and a couple of encounters are provided here (one against Chelish legionnaires and one against a hieracosphinx), and there’s also some risk from sand-slides. It’s only a two-day trip from Sothis to the valley, so just enough time to give the PCs a little flavour of desert travel before the real adventure begins.

Part 3 is “Into the Tomb”, and it constitutes the bulk of the adventure as the PCs enter the pyramid in search of lore and treasure. Although, yes, this is technically a dungeon-crawl, you can really see the difference a skilled writer can breathe into the template. Each room in the pyramid has a rich connection to the backstory lore and there are tons of little details that flesh things out further for those players who are really paying attention. An overall theme of this part of the adventure is what was foreshadowed by Raegos back in Part 1: the Curse of the Encircled Runes. There are four of these runes hidden in various places within the pyramid, and a PC who happens to see all four risks transforming instantly into an undead abomination! The runes are hidden in some really clever and surprising places, and some players will curse (pun intended) the fact they gave their characters such high Perception scores. When I ran it, fear of the curse was a constant source of apprehension for the group, and it worked perfectly.

Apart from the lore and the curse, there are some stand-out encounters, such as a gloriously gross swarm of embalmed organs. My favourite encounter is a little hard to explain, but it involves a sort of Strength challenge over several rounds with the PCs needing to effectively out-muscle a golem or find themselves crushed to death between the ceiling and a rising floor. It was really satisfying for my group when it was the golem who got slowly crushed instead, and a much more memorable victory than a traditional combat.

On the other hand, it’s also fair to say that there are some encounters that just aren’t fair for an average group of four level 6 PCs. In particular, there’s a battle against a CR 9 undead dragon with an AC of 28 and six attacks a round! When I ran it, this encounter killed half of the PCs and the others were forced to flee the pyramid entirely, leading to a downbeat ending to what was otherwise a really fun experience. It’s a pretty tough foe for what’s essentially a treasure-less side room, not even a boss encounter.

Her Majesty’s Expeditionary remains a wild card during the whole thing, and the module details when and where that group will be at different points in the PCs’ exploration. The rival group could easily continue as antagonists (fighting or trying to steal from the PCs’), but, could potentially team up with the PCs in a short-lived joint venture. There are a lot of possibilities there, and I like how the module keeps things flexible.

If the PCs manage to defeat all four of the pharaohs, the curse is broken and they’ll be able to escape the pyramid with some quality loot and intriguing clues. My favourite bit is about the Aucturn Enigma, which ties into the Dominion of the Black and a sort of “Doomsday Clock” in the temple. I think some of this connects to another module, “The Pact Stone Pyramid”, and I know the storyline gets resolved in the Pathfinder Playtest adventure.

The last eight pages of the module are devoted to three appendices and some level 6 pre-gen Iconics.

Appendix 1 introduces five new magic items. I like the (perhaps poorly named) “Tomb Guard”, which is a magic ankh affixed to a weapon; if the weapon’s wielder falls dead or unconscious, the ankh magically animates the weapon and defends the owner. There’s another magic item, a “Wracking Rod” which is good in concept (a torture device that heals the victim to keep them conscious as it simultaneously inflicts pain) but the actual mechanics of it could be improved.

Appendix 2 has artwork, backgrounds, and full stat blocks for the five members of Her Majestrix’s Expeditionary, the rival group of tomb robbers I spoke of above. They’re a well-developed and interesting group of NPCs, and it’s clear the writer spent some time on them to make them a plausible rival group, not just single-battle fodder. One of the members wields a “wand rifle”, a cool idea that would take just a bit too long to explain.

Appendix 3 is the bestiary, but there’s only one new monster: the Osirion Mummy. This template doesn’t carry the mummy rot disease/curse of the traditional mummy, but does have a cool “Dust Stroke” ability that turns opponent’s bodies to dust if it kills them. It’s perhaps not the most original idea for a monster, but the artwork is cool.

Overall, Entombed with the Pharaohs is a stand-out module. It has a great backstory, cool NPCs, a fun heist element, original encounters, and some great ominous connections to future adventures. It might be a touch too difficult for many groups—though, come to think of it, exploring the resting place of the legendary Four Pharaohs of Ascension should be pretty deadly!

Michael Kortes is a Module Writing God

5/5 —

I've said it on the Message Boards, and it's time to turn it into a review - Michael Kortes is perhaps one of the best module writers Paizo has on retainer.

Entombed With the Pharaohs was a well written, fun, and challenging adventure that really balanced character interaction with old-fashioned dungeon delving. The beginning of this module is sheer brilliance - a well done auction that really sets the stage for what's happening. From there characters are whisked away to some thievery and/or negotiations before being thrust in a race with another competing team to the same goal. It is this competing team that really sets the module. Their interactions with the party, whether spying on them or trying to kill them, really makes the module memorable.

Frankly I'm a little surprised I like it as much as I do, Egypt adventures don't normally do it for me. The way the mummies were treated, and the opportunity for the group to really develop a grudge against another group make for a great time though, and I'd suggest it to anybody.

To be fair, the conversion from 3.5 wasn't entirely kind - the opposing team isn't nearly as strong as it could be, but with a little effort, this module has all the dazzle needed to make for a great five-or-six sessions of gaming.

Tomb raiding was never this much fun!

5/5 —

A lot is jammed into only 32 pages.

The game starts in a surprising and original way. I won't go into spoilers, but I will I don't recall any other adventure starting this way... ever. And it works very well.

There is more than just the Pyramid to explore, and in the process make some fun enemies. This adventure is really nicely balanced between social, traps and puzzles, and combat.

The occupants are more than just "mummies."

Lots of surprises, leads, adventure seeds, area development.

If you own Sandstorm, you can really develop this adventure even more and make this a 10 Star adventure. I expect that if this product had had 62 pages available it would have been the finest of all Egyptian-style adventures ever.

Really.

Michael Kortes...You are a God!

5/5 —

This was the first GameMastery/Pathfinder adventure I bought (some time back now) and I was nothing short of impressed by the content and depth of the adventure. Having a particular soft spot for Rival Adventuring Parties, this was a great pick for me.
What I wasn't prepared for was how well the module would run, far better than I had anticipated, and I had anticipated a great deal.

Play test review

5/5 —

a truly great adventure. ran it to my players and they loved it. mostly, the story was good becuse they enjoeyd the interaction with the rival team. during the advanture they have sabbotaged and tackled each other's plans again and again, and they even kiddnept members of the PC's team (and the PC's captured one of them and tried to trade back). the greats parts where when the two teams had to cooperate in order to survive extreme situations and tough encounters. Without Julistar and his hierlings though, the advanture isn't that good. I think it is important to make sure PC's don't just confront them at the very begining, by letting them know that Julistar works for a powerfull evil mistress, and that killing him won't be wise. that should be enogh, really.

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When will this be available as a PDF?
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
Eremite wrote:
When will this be available as a PDF?

After the retail release date, which is next Wednesday.

How're the scaling notes on this one? This sounds like it would slot in nicely with my current campaign, but the players will be like 8th-9th level by the time the adventure docket is open.
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
Psion wrote:
How're the scaling notes on this one? This sounds like it would slot in nicely with my current campaign, but the players will be like 8th-9th level by the time the adventure docket is open.

We don't include level scaling notes on the GameMastery Modules line.

Stupid question time: What's the "J" for?

Patrick
Lantern Lodge
bullonir wrote:

Stupid question time: What's the "J" for?

Patrick

Journey

bullonir wrote:

Stupid question time: What's the "J" for?

Patrick

It stands for "Journey". A bit tenuous in my opinion but I guess the PCs go on a journey to get to Osirion in the first place, then go on another one to get to the pyramid! It's a great adventure though.

Just finished reading it and I would like to cast a vote for more development in Osirion.
Dark Archive
Kruelaid wrote:
Just finished reading it and I would like to cast a vote for more development in Osirion.

I'll second that.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16
Psion wrote:
How're the scaling notes on this one? This sounds like it would slot in nicely with my current campaign, but the players will be like 8th-9th level by the time the adventure docket is open.

The module doesn't include scaling notes, but an experienced DM should have little trouble adjusting the encounters to suit a ninth level party. There are a few comments in the text that suggest appropriate ways to "beef up" some of the encounters, and some foes can be advanced without undermining the credibility of the encounters.

My suggestions:

Spoiler:
Replace the sphinx with a pair of advanced sphinxes and boost each NPC in the rival group by two levels, with a squad of minions to bolster them.

Downstairs, the cerulean pet could grow a bit more impressive, while the hot mama of Osirion undeath gains two or three levels. Advancing her guardian to huge makes balancing the trap even more difficult for the party.

Lastly, the numerical fellow advances to huge, making him that much harder to avoid.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'd pay good money for more modules set in Osirion.
Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
Radavel wrote:
Kruelaid wrote:
Just finished reading it and I would like to cast a vote for more development in Osirion.
I'll second that.

And I'll third that.

Osirion has a lot of potential for quasi-egyptian/Al-Qadim style fun.

I hope to see Pathfinder stray into Osirion at some point, but until then, more GM modules are appreciated.
Dark Archive Contributor
richgreen01 wrote:
It stands for "Journey". A bit tenuous in my opinion but I guess the PCs go on a journey to get to Osirion in the first place, then go on another one to get to the pyramid! It's a great adventure though.

Yeah, the Journey line is more about the destination than the actual journey, but we can't call it the Destination line because D is for Dungeon.

Spoiler:

And, as always, C is for Cookie. That's good enough for me.

Hmmm. Wasn't there a H.P. Lovecraft/Houdini collaboration story called 'Imprisoned with the Pharaohs'?

(Hints of further squamous things, of which the Hounds of Tindalos captured by the stone-giants in Runelords were just the advance scouts, reaching their tentacles through the dimensions into G(olarion)-space....(?))
Dark Archive Contributor
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Hmmm. Wasn't there a H.P. Lovecraft/Houdini collaboration story called 'Imprisoned with the Pharaohs'?

Yes. That was Erik's inspiration for the name. :) And maybe the concept. I don't know about that for sure, though.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

Yes. I intentionally named the adventure "Entombed with the Pharaohs" as an homage to that story.
Dark Archive
bullonir wrote:

Stupid question time: What's the "J" for?

Patrick

"Journey"

Oh great powers that be,

If you come from Osirion are you an Osirian?

KA
bullonir wrote:

Stupid question time: What's the "J" for?

Patrick

Stupid answer time: "Jehovah".

Kruelaid wrote:

Oh great powers that be,

If you come from Osirion are you an Osirian?

KA

That was the official answer on a thread somewhere that I can't currently find.

I join with my good friend Kruelaid in calling for more exploration of this region!
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
Watcher wrote:
I join with my good friend Kruelaid in calling for more exploration of this region!

I think that's likely to happen...

Silver Crusade

Could somebody please tell me the class/level(s) of the pre-gen characters? Thanks.
Paizo Employee Director of Narrative
James D wrote:
Could somebody please tell me the class/level(s) of the pre-gen characters? Thanks.

They are level six and the iconics are a fighter, sorcerer, rogue and cleric.

Dark Archive
Daigle wrote:
James D wrote:
Could somebody please tell me the class/level(s) of the pre-gen characters? Thanks.
They are level six and the iconics are a fighter, sorcerer, rogue and cleric.

And, amusingly, the Fighter is by far the brains of the party.

As well as possibly being a lucky, lucky man.
Silver Crusade

Thanks for the quick reply Daigle!!!
Silver Crusade

Well I finally got around to picking up J1. Only had a chance to flip through it, but looks good so far. I must say, as the first Paizo module I've purchased, I am quite impressed by the quality of the printed product itself.
What kind of run time can I expect? Can I run this in 2 four hour sessions, 1 eight hour session?
Vic Wertz wrote:
Psion wrote:
How're the scaling notes on this one? This sounds like it would slot in nicely with my current campaign, but the players will be like 8th-9th level by the time the adventure docket is open.
We don't include level scaling notes on the GameMastery Modules line.

Is that a company policy? Why is that?

Wurm wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:
Psion wrote:
How're the scaling notes on this one? This sounds like it would slot in nicely with my current campaign, but the players will be like 8th-9th level by the time the adventure docket is open.
We don't include level scaling notes on the GameMastery Modules line.
Is that a company policy? Why is that?

Space considerations, I would guess. They'd rather not cut form the adventure to put in a sidebar that basically will say the same thing in every adventure. Plus it's usually pretty easy to do... take a few class levels away from the BBEG's for lower level parties, add a few hit dice for higher level parties, etc.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

That's it, basically.

For anyone who would like a GM and players view on how much fun this adventure can be, even when run nearly straight from the text, see here


Our J1 Campaign Journal

For the purpose of putting this module through the ringer I somehow managed to recruit some very visible names from the boards as the players...

Lilith, playing Amyrta Stonefist, Dwarven Monk

Eyebite, playing Obasi the Hex-Tongue, Human Sorcerer [Infernal]

Pygon, playing Allerund Lastri, Elven Ranger [Archery]

Daigle, playing Olen Marroguin, Rogue/Cleric of Cayden Cailean

All characters are made following the character creation guidelines outlined in the thread. I hope some of you pop by and check it out. Post comments, questions or suggestions. A specific shout out to Turin the Mad and Charles Evans to come and join us in robbing those tombs of all they've got!

We just managed to "finish" the module, which was felt by the group to be a little too hard, although one has to say that circumstance did cause much of this.

Here are some of the things that happened, which were "unscripted":

Spoiler:

a) The group were caught by the guards breaking into the Reliquary in broad daylight and had to be bailed out by the Pathfinder Society
b) The group mistrusted Lonicera, but not enough not to take her with them, but enough to not take her advice
c) The group were too scared to read any of the writings in the pyramid
d) The group scraped through in the battle against the dragon, but, perhaps rather bullishly challenged the rival party, before they had had a chance to heal up and were wiped.
e) I ruled that they were left in the pyramid to die and without the means to escape (other than through the telescope) by the rival party
f) They managed to beat the weighing trap and its Pharaoh, but then were wiped again by the vampire Pharaoh, barely escaping with anyone with any HP
g) They healed up and tried again and lost again - basically they were entering through the secret passage and there was no room to attack the vampire more than 2 at a time.
h) I ruled the second time that the vampire Pharaoh's victim would rise as a vampire spawn and one by one members of the party turned into vampires (I know not in the rules) but the group came within 5hp of killing it.

So, the party ended up vampires in the service of the vampire "Numbers" Pharaoh.

We played this one on-line and it was perhaps a little complex for this situation. L liked the module, but would reconsider again whether a similar type of module was suitable for on-line play (through Fantasy Grounds). I also felt that the group played the module quite well, but they were punished for only very minor transgressions. They were a "low power" group, which did not assist too.


I hope they enjoyed it anyway!

Spoiler:
Vampire Pharaoh of Numbers? An obvious change from the Belker from the module? Why the change? I will admit that I was considering doing something a bit different for that encounter than a simple belker...but a vampire had never entered my mind. It doesn't seem to have the right flavor for Osirion.

A new addition...since I am running this adventure via PFRPG rules...the surviving NPCs are getting updated writeups.

Hrokan and Xaven were captured and are currently languishing in a tavern's wine cellar. (At the Overlander's Emporium)

Scepter was fireballed to near death and then thrown into an Antlion's sinkhole where he became kibble.

Julistar and Daile (an NPC added by me to the group) are still at large with some (?) mercenaries still.

Without further ado...

Paracount Julistar!

Spoiler:

Paracount/Demi-Cardinal Julistar
Male Human Aristocrat 1/Cloistered Cleric of Asmodeus (variant) 6
LE Medium humanoid
Init +1 ; Senses Perception +9.
Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 dex)
hp 57 (38 rolled, 1d8+1+6d6+6 +6 Human +6 Favored Class)
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +13
Defensive Abilities
offence
Spd 30 ft.
Melee +4 melee Rod of Reverence (1d6/x2)
Ranged -----
Special Attacks Touch of Evil (Sicken, 1r/3r)

Domain Powers Touch of Evil, Protection from Good 3/day, Align Weapon 1/day, Lore Keeper, Comprehend Languages 3/day, Detect Thoughts, Copy Cat (6 rounds), Disguise Self 3/day, Invisibility 1/day.

Spells Prepared (Caster Level 6th, +3 melee touch, +4 ranged touch)

3rd - 3: Dispel Magic, Suppress Glyph, Axiomatic Rain (2d6/r, 6r, 20ft cyl).

2nd - 4: Infernal Wound (by weapon, 6r, 2pt bleed, no save), Cure Moderate Wounds, Silence (WDC 16), Inflict Moderate Wounds (2d8+6, WDC 16 half)

1st - 4: Shield of Faith (+3), Cure Light Wounds, Divine Favor (+2), Bless.

Orisons - 4, at will: Message, Read Magic, Stablize, Mending.

Domains Evil, Knowledge, Trickery

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 14, App 16
Base Atk +3; CMB +3
Feats Iron Will (Human Bonus), Skill Focus: Knowledge - History (1st), Scribe Scroll (3rd), Persuasive (5th), Combat Expertise (7th).
Weapon Groups Basic Weapons, Maces and Clubs.
Skills Appraise*+11 , Bluff*+12 , Diplomacy*+10 , Disguise*+6 , Heal*+5 , Intimidate*+9 , Knowledge: Arcana*+7 , Knowledge: Dungeoneering*+7 , Knowledge: Engineering*+7 , Knowledge: Geography*+8 , Knowledge: History*+ 18, Knowledge: Local (Inner Sea)*+7 , Knowledge: Nature*+7 , Knowledge: Nobility*+11 , Knowledge: Planar*+8 , Knowledge: Religion*+11 , Linguistics*+5 , Perception*+9 , Perform: Oratory*+7 , Ride*+7 , Sense Motive*+12 , Spellcraft*+10 , Swim*+4 .
Languages Common (Taldane) R/W/S, Osiriani R/W/S, Infernal R/W/S, Speak Draconic.
SQ Channel Energy 5/day (3d6 Neg, WDC 15), Orisons, Lore (as Bardic Knowledge), Favored Class: Cleric.
Combat Gear Lesser Grimoire of Thrune: a bound collection of scrolls within a red leather cover embossed in gold with the symbol of Asmodeus, it contains the following scrolls: Command, Comprehend Languages, Death Knell, Detect Secret Doors (2), Detect Undead, Hide from Undead (2), Protection from Evil and Sanctuary, Scroll of Stone Shape, Scroll of Divination, Wand of Cure Light Wounds (34 charges).
Other Gear +2 Leather Armor, Periapt of Wisdom +2 (large Black Pearl on black gold chain)[i], [i] Jade Mantis, Wracking Rod, Steel Devil-Headed Key, Small Steel Coffer (Devil Motif) containing the Aucturn Lexicon Notes, Steel Rod of Reverence (mwk Quarterstaff with a dark emerald continual flame cast upon it).

Note that I changed some spell selections and such...gotta be prepared for things a bit different when you go into a Pyramid.

^_^

Next NPC going up...

Daile Talenthias (a conversion of an old character of mine)

Spoiler:

Daile Talenthias
Female Elf Ranger 5/Order of the Bow Initiate 2
LN Medium humanoid
Init +5 ; Senses Perception +11, Keen Senses (+2 Sight/Sound), Low-Light Vision.
Defense
AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +5 dex)
hp 73 (56 Rolled, 5d10+5+2d8+2 +5 Elf +5 Favored Class)
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +4
Immune Sleep Resist +2 vs. Enchantments

Defensive Abilities
offence
Spd 40 ft.
Melee +9/+4 melee Mwk Shortspear (1d6+1/x3)
Ranged +14/+9 Ranged +1 Seeking Composite [+1]Greatbow (1d10+2/x3)
+12/+12/+7 Rapid Shot
First shot does x2 damage with Multishot
+1d8 Ranged Precision if applicable
Special Attacks Favored Enemy: Human +4, Favored Enemy: Magical Beasts +2, Ranged Precision +1d8 (30 foot range), Ignore Miss Chances with Bow (Seeking),
Spells Prepared
1st - 2: Scent, Sniper's Shot.

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 12, App 19
Base Atk +7; CMB +8
Feats Point Blank Shot (1st), Precise Shot (Combat Style, 2nd), Rapid Shot (3rd), Endurance (Bonus, 3rd), Weapon Focus: Bows (5th), Manyshot (7th).
Weapon Groups Basic Weapons, Bows, Light Blades, Exotic Bows, Spears and Lances.
Skills Acrobatics +15, Bluff +5, Climb*+7, Craft: Bowyer*+11, Diplomacy +2, Handle Animal*+6, Heal*+9, Intimidate*+6, Knowledge: Dungeoneering*+7, Knowledge: Geography*+7, Knowledge: Nature*+8, Knowledge: Religion*+7, Perception*+11, Ride*+8, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft*+7, Stealth*+14, Survival*+2, Swim*+6
*Denotes Class Skills.
Languages Common (Taldane) R/W/S, Elven R/W/S, Speak Osiriani, Speak Orcish, Speak Qadiran.
SQ Keen Senses, Elven Immunities, Weapon Familiarity, Favored Class: Ranger, Track, Wild Empathy +6, Close Combat Shot (no AoO in melee with bow), Favored Terrain: Plains, Hunter's Bond (share FE bonus).
Combat Gear 3 Potions of Cure Light Wounds, 2 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds.
Other Gear +2 Chain Shirt, Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2, Boots of Striding and Springing, Bag of Endless Caltrops, Quiver (20 arrows), adventuring gear (rope, grapple, etc), 50pp.

Lonicera next...

Btw...one of the reasons I am posting this in this thread and not in my Campaign Journal thread is so that anyone else running J1 should feel free to use these updated versions if they'd like. They are all made using PFRPG rules, the same as on my Campaign Journal page. Thanks.

Note that these characters are updated to reflect this being during the later part of the adventure.

Anyone else notice that Ankana has rope trick listed as a first level spell in her spell list? Not earth shattering but... OOops

I haven't been updating NPCs to PRPG. I figure if Pathfinder RPG is truly being sold as backwards compatible you shouldn't have to rewrite NPCs. Obviously this makes the module a touch easier but on the other hand the monsters haven't been updated to Pathfinder either so it's going to be easier regardless.

I agree with what you are saying Dennis, I chose to update these NPCs because I ran the adventure a little different to meet the needs of my character party. I didn't update any of the other Npcs and they did just fine in the encounters. I am updating these characters to present a more concrete challenge for my characters for the endgame.
Liberty's Edge
Dennis da Ogre wrote:

Anyone else notice that Ankana has rope trick listed as a first level spell in her spell list? Not earth shattering but... OOops

I haven't been updating NPCs to PRPG. I figure if Pathfinder RPG is truly being sold as backwards compatible you shouldn't have to rewrite NPCs. Obviously this makes the module a touch easier but on the other hand the monsters haven't been updated to Pathfinder either so it's going to be easier regardless.

The trick is to use a module intended for characters one level higher. That seems to balance out a bit better.

Yasha0006 wrote:
I agree with what you are saying Dennis, I chose to update these NPCs because I ran the adventure a little different to meet the needs of my character party. I didn't update any of the other Npcs and they did just fine in the encounters. I am updating these characters to present a more concrete challenge for my characters for the endgame.

I'm not suggesting one way or the other is better. I guess what I am saying is I'm lazier than you :) My players haven't been around as much as many have so having the module be a little easier is good.

I could use some help with areas 7-8.

First, Area 7.

Spoiler:
If you look at the symbol which makes up the room, how tall are each of the half moon wall? portions of the symbol (inside the outer circle of the room)? The room is supposed to be 50 feet tall. Are the walls that high. I would think not if you could fly and have the DC 10 spot check to notice that it is one of the symbols...

Also, how tall is the central platform? I guessed it was just higher than the coins, but I'm not sure.


Thanks, I run this encounter tomorrow!!!

Sean
Sean Riley wrote:

I could use some help with areas 7-8.

First, Area 7. ** spoiler omitted **
Thanks, I run this encounter tomorrow!!!

Sean

Well, I made the half-moon walls surounding the center dias 5' above the coins, same as I figured the door levels and dias were. Made for an interesting terrain feature.

Spoiler:
Three characters immediately realized (after fair warning that their comments would be held against them) that the room was one of the runes....

I had the expeditionary move down the shaft from the upper levels while the constest with the dragon began. Since we are running this as a one-shot, I used the pregens, plus Harsk (awesome character). The dragon waged unholy war on the group, with Seoni the socerer blasting with multiple Scorching Rays. Since I leveled the characters at the base of the pyramid, this allowed Seoni two rays!! Regardless, I was able to breathe three times, and brought down 6 characters in the encounter, one who bled to death (Merisiel), as well as the Expeditionary members Hrosk (spelling?), and Scepter; both turned to ash!!! I used the timing to join the groups, the Paracount gaining advantage (and all treasure from the center) buy using a scroll of Raise Dead (Asmodeous), on Merisiel. Afterwards, the player running Harsk, who constantly runs his dwarven mouth (like a good dwarf!) started to complain about the arrangement... When Julistar told the other memebers to call of their "dog" Harsk had enough and opened fire on the two remaining Expeditionary members... which was the perfect time to reveal that Neferet was NOT on their side.

Anyhow, great adventure.

Sean

This one sounds like I just have to get it. I love the old dungeon-delve when it's well done, and I love pulp archaeology, and this sounds like both of those things.
Scarab Sages
Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

Being I have been running adventure paths since Burnt Offerings first made it's debut I had not have a chance to run many of the modules Paizo has done. But two days ago an old gaming friend came into town and we decided to have a one-off gaming day and I ran Entombed with the Pharaohs.

It was a lot of fun and they players loved it. We did it in a day. I hope to run the sequel one day for the survivors (which is only three out of five).

Thanks again Paizo
Grand Lodge

Serious gravedig (apologies) but I was watching an old internet comedy video and realized this was being played by some of the characters about 9 minutes in. Here's a link in case anyone is interested: http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/399/commodoreHUSTLE-03-Critical
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
Feldheim_C wrote:
Serious gravedig (apologies) but I was watching an old internet comedy video and realized this was being played by some of the characters about 9 minutes in. Here's a link in case anyone is interested: http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/399/commodoreHUSTLE-03-Critical

Cool! I had no idea.

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