Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber. Pathfinder Society GM. 855 posts (1,591 including aliases). 46 reviews. 1 list. No wishlists. 11 Pathfinder Society characters. 1 alias.
I want to preface my critique by saying that I had high expectations for this scenario because it is The Exclusive and the previous exclusive was so exceptional. This one does not pass muster. I arranged four tables before it was even released and I feel like the players have been cheated.
OK, the first thing that I noticed about this scenario is how it leads the PCs by the nose, especially in the introduction. The background is implausible, to put it simply. So the villain Alejia Netrav wants to be the next Overlord of Riddleport, and she’s attacking ships on the open sea under the protection of Riddleport... Elias Tammerhawk knows who she is, but he doesn’t know what ship she sails under. How about the one that is always absent from Riddleport harbor when an incoming ship is attacked? It’s comical that no one knows the name of her ship and she wants to become an infamous crimelord. That Elias Tammerhawk can’t handle his own business when an upstart challenges him is also comical. As I said, I think the whole beginning is implausible. I have dropped the VC intro text and give the players bare bones information. Before they are teleported to Riddleport (What’s this Magnimar foolishness? Time is the fire in which we burn! Haven’t we learned anything from the Pale Pox pandemic?) they are told that divinations have revealed the source of the threat is from Riddleport and the agent is Vudran. That eliminates suspicions of undersea raiders, and gives the PCs a clue where to start looking. Instead of railroad tracks taking the PCs to the warehouse, they enter a sandbox and get to interact with the inhabitants of Riddleport. Oddly, both groups I have run so far have started their investigation at The House of Silken Veils. It’s been around 90 minutes into the roleplaying game before the PCs arrive at the first encounter.
The warehouse is a good encounter in that the players get to be creative with getting inside. It reminds me of PFS#4 The Frozen Fingers of Midnight with all the hijinks that go on. After the door is opened the dice start rolling and the fight ends very quickly. The Lionfish Grunts don’t last long like most humanoids with low will saves. Both Faction missions are ‘gimmes’ since the PCs can return to the warehouse at any point and take 20 to search the entire place. The Grand Lodge only has to pay an expert a small fee to make a Linguistics check. I realize that it is hard to write 10 different Faction missions but it would be far more entertaining to add more roleplay situations rather than writing more ‘Where’s Waldo’ tasks.
The half-orc(s) working for Boss Croat encounter could have been removed in favor of a monster encounter in the harbor or elsewhere. One GM pointed out that it would have been similar to PFS#2The Hydra’s Fang Incident which is fair, but I’m so tired of fighting humanoids. A reefclaw, a devilfish or a bunyip would have been much more entertaining. Why couldn’t Alejia have co-opted a local merrow or a sandman at Viper Cove? I’m crying over spilled milk, but there could have been a cool challenge instead of just another thug encounter.
Getting out to the Lionfish in the harbor requires two DC 10 strength checks. Or what? Where are the consequences? This ‘challenge’ only led to ‘Take 10’ jokes.
The grippli alchemist was interesting. I thought his best bet was to climb up the mast since he’s got a climb speed, but he hasn’t made it past two rounds yet. The ship is too confined for him to fight without taking AoOs out the wazoo. One group waited until nightfall when it was assumed that the crew would be asleep. The rogue went aboard and one-shotted the watchman, then the party took on the grippli before he could leave his cabin. So many scenarios expect the situation to remain static and all the bad guys’ advantages depend on them having time to buff up. This is another weakness of human(oid) opponents. The PCs know where they sleep and when they have to rest.
At the low tier Alejia apparently sailed the two masted Topaz Titan to Viper Cove by herself. Players expected a well-guarded hideout and instead they found Alejia holed up in a cave with a prisoner that had no value to her. How does she know who the PCs are when they show up at Viper Cove? Yet she holds Hirako Gurukaza as a hostage against the PCs’ cooperation. As far as she knows, the PCs could be agents from Overlord Cromarky come to snuff her for attacking ships under his protection. What would mercenaries care for Hirako’s life? All her tactics as written allow is for the PCs to get into a better position to flank and kill her. Is she really going to spend a full round using a coup-de-grace action against Hirako when she knows the PCs are trying to kill her? In real life those hostage moments are dramatic because there is an emotional link between the rescuers and the hostage. In the game the players feel no such empathy and Hirako is just another disposable NPC. Maybe the Lantern Lodge cares… Anyway, all Alejia’s tactics do is deny her the opportunity to surprise the PCs and give her one less round to use her magus abilities.
I would have been happy to see an actual cyphermage (alternate class) in the adventure. The title was deceptive like Keep of the Huscarl King where we never actually got to go into the keep. I know, grumble, grumble.
In defense of the scenario no player has yet complained it was a let-down. Those are my sentiments. Little can be done at this point to salvage the scenario, so I’m interested in hearing other GM’s takes on the adventure and your players’ impressions.
BTW, do I sound bitter? I wonder if I come across as harsh… I figure the 4/5-stars and VOs are assumed to be reading this, and the general membership are spared my bile.
Does anyone remember the Dungeon magazine adventure "The Siege of Kratys Freehold"? This scenario reminds me a lot of it, and if Defenders of Nesting Swallow is as fun as The Siege of Kratys Freehold then this scenario should earn some high reviews.
I have only started to read through it, but already I am frustrated with the first encounter. The tengu have mounts and are designed for mounted combat, but the map they are squeezed onto does not tactically provide for ride-by attacks. The pogs on the map are medium sized but the horses should be size large. The PCs have a surprise round to move up and bottleneck the road. The Woodlands flipmat just does not work with the encounter as written. I think the result will be the tengu will fight in place and use their warhorses to make full attacks, inflicting more damage than the author intends, especially to 1st level PCs. Having a more open map would enable the tengu to survive longer--which potentially works in the favor of the PCs. I'll have a better feel for this scenario after running it twice at Winter War.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
In encounter #3 Border Crossing, for Tier 4-5, the number of border guards appearing is not indicated. At Tier 1-2 there are 3, but at Tier 4-5 despite being referred to in the plural there does not appear to be more than one.
Also, in the same encounter, suppose the PCs have a handy haversack (or similar magic) and they conceal the artifact within it. Would it be fair to have Sun Cheyeng use detect magic + Spellcraft at the high tier so he might recognize this tactic? He would know the artifact would have a powerful aura and detect magic would speed up his searching a lot.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
www.bashcon.com
BASHCON needs a PFS coordinator. There has been PFS organized there 3 years running so there is a player base already built. In 2011 we ran 25 tables over six slots. This is an excellent local gaming convention held at the University of Toledo Student Union. Will a coordinator please adopt this convention and keep the games going?
If you can help, you may contact me for advice or if you are ambitious then contact coordinator@bashcon.com.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
Recently I played Tide of Twilight and some of the PCs succumbed to the Bestial curse. Rather then the GM simply saying "You now have the following template" I thought it would be more enjoyable to give affected players a handout with their Bestial template on it, as well as a description of the changes they were going through. Then it would be left up to them to describe their appearance and actions to the rest of the group. After I started writing my thoughts down I also decided that it would be more fun to have some abilities related to the animal variant they were given. Take a look at the following and tell me if you think this would liven things up.
Ape
“Coarse black hair has grown in thick patches covering your arms, torso and legs. Your remaining exposed skin darkens and takes on a leathery texture.”
Special Ability: Brachiation (Ex) You gain a +5 to Acrobatics checks as long as you begin or end your movement in a tree. You also gain a Climb speed of 20’.
Quirk: Whenever idle you have a compulsion to seek out the highest-Charisma member of your party and groom them.
Badger
“Your hair turns white down the center of your scalp. Your nose grows longer and your sense of smell has sharpened. Your fingernails have blackened and tapered to form sharp claws.”
Special Ability: You gain Scent (Ex) and a Burrow speed of 10’.
Quirk: You have a compulsion to tear apart rotting logs to look for tasty insects to consume. You are also irritable and don’t appreciate being touched.
Bear
“Coarse brown hair has grown all over your body, and your belly sags with a substantial layer of fat that hadn’t been there before. You feel pangs of hunger and crave something sweet to eat.”
Special Ability: Grab (Ex) whenever you hit with a claw attack.
Quirk: You have a compulsion to find a bee hive and plunder its sweet honeycomb, unless an equally satisfying meal comes along first.
I'm still working on the rest but I'd like to flesh out the boar, crocodile, dog, lion, raccoon, skunk, snake, wolf and wolverine.
The handout would have the Bestial template stats on the front and on the back would be the details about the animal they were becoming.
Your own contributions are welcome here. Just be aware that using these ideas in official PFS games is not allowed, just like adjusting the difficulty of encounters ;)
What is U-Con?
The U-Con Gaming Convention is a gathering of gamers and companies from all over. You can meet new people and participate in many different events. We have events that are sure to pique the interest of the most avid gamer, as well as those new to the hobby. We offer a wide variety of role-playing events, as well as many board and war games. We also offer Live Action RPG's and collectable card game tournaments and events. We are one of the largest gaming conventions in Michigan.
Aside from gaming, we have an exhibitors hall filled with a wide variety of exhibitors selling everything from swords to dice, shirts to games, and a number of other unique and interesting items. And what convention is complete without an auction? Of course we have one!
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
store blog wrote:
In Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained, this scenario for 12th level characters will call upon all of the nerve, resources, and skills that your Society characters have earned over their careers. Your mission—infiltrate the heart of the Pathfinder Society Grand Lodge of Absalom, and save a member of the Decemvirate from an assassin's blade! No easy task, as their sanctum, Skyreach, is well-known to have guardians a-plenty and enough traps to make an experienced burglar's hair turn white.
I hope that building security has been improved since Season 0!
Stay of Execution (Retired):
The Decemvirate, the masked leaders of the Pathfinder Society, possesses great artifacts of wonder and power. Recently their collection became one less when a skilled rogue named Hadge, looking to build a reputation, tried to break into the vaults of the Grand Lodge by slipping in through a carelessly unlocked window. He found a sleeping scholar at a desk, gripping a shiny object in his resting hands. Rather than go through with the original plan, the opportunist Hadge grabbed the object instead and escaped back into Absalom proper. The object was a powerful divination focus, used by scholars of the Decemvirate to communicate with one another.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
A lot of you are excited about GenCon and the loads of Pathfinder Society action that will be running there. BUT GenCon is still over 92 days away—what feels like an eternity for many. Want to bleed off some of that GM energy and get your game fine-tuned for August? Come to Columbus and help us close out Season 2 with authority! Only 49 days and counting until the 2011 Origins Game Fair.
Want to save $65 on a convention badge? Volunteer to GM four slots of PFS and entry to the convention is free. No room reservation for the weekend? Volunteer to GM eight slots of PFS and receive free lodging at a local hotel. Already have a room? Receive a voucher instead.
PFS events this year are being organized by the veteran staff of The Gathering.
How to sign up:
To volunteer as a GM, please send an email to origins2011@paradigmconcepts.com; include in this email the following information.
• Full name
• The listed adventure code for the adventures you wish to GM; and the timeslots during which you would like to GM.
• Rewards package you would like (None; Badge; Badge + Hotel; Badge + Voucher)
Thursday Morning
PFS 2-13 Murder on the Throaty Mermaid (Tiers 1-5)
PFS 0-05 Mists of Mwangi (Tiers 1-5)
PFS 2-23 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 1 (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 1/2)
Thursday Afternoon
We Be Goblins! (Promotional, module pre-gens only)
PFS 2-24 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 2 (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 1-07 Voice in the Void (Tiers 1-7)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 2/2)
Thursday Evening
We Be Goblins! (Promotional, module pre-gens only)
PFS 2-11 Penumbral Accords (Tier 1-5)
PFS 2-EX Midnight Mauler (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-25 You Only Die Twice (Tiers 5-9)
Friday Morning
The Godsmouth Heresy (Tier 1-2, Slot 1/2)
PFS 2-15 Shades of Ice, Part 1 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-EX Midnight Mauler (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-06 The Heresy of Man, Part 1 (Tiers 5-9)
PFS 2-25 You Only Die Twice (Tiers 5-9)
PFS 2-18 Forbidden Furnace (Tiers 7-11)
Friday Afternoon
The Godsmouth Heresy (Tier 1-2, Slot 2/2)
PFS 2-17 Shades of Ice, Part 2 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-23 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 1 (Tiers 1-7, 2 tables)
PFS 2-07 The Heresy of Man, Part 2 (Tiers 5-9)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 1/2)
PFS 2-20 Wrath of Accursed (Tiers 7-11)
Friday Evening
PFS 2-19 Shades of Ice, Part 3 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-24 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 2 (Tiers 1-7, 2 tables)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-09 The Heresy of Man, Part 3 (Tiers 5-9)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 2/2)
PFS 2-26 The Mantis's Prey (Tiers 7-9)
Saturday Morning
The Godsmouth Heresy (Tier 1-2, Slot 1/2)
PFS 2-15 Shades of Ice, Part 1 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-23 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 1 (Tiers 1-7, 2 tables)
PFS 2-06 The Heresy of Man, Part 1 (Tiers 5-9)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 1/2)
PFS 2-18 The Forbidden Furnace of Forgotten Kor (Tiers 7-11)
Tomb of the Iron Medusa (Tier 14, Slot 1/3)
Saturday Afternoon
The Godsmouth Heresy (Tier 1-2, Slot 2/2)
PFS 2-15 Shades of Ice, Part 1 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-24 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 2 (Tiers 1-7, 2 tables)
PFS 2-07 The Heresy of Man, Part 2 (Tiers 5-9)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Tier 7-9, Slot 2/2)
PFS 2-20 Wrath of Accursed (Tiers 7-11)
Tomb of the Iron Medusa (Tier 14, Slot 1/3)
Saturday Evening
We Be Goblins! (Promotional, module pre-gens only, 2 tables)
PFS 2-17 Shades of Ice, Part 2 (Tiers 1-5, 2 tables)
PFS 2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-09 The Heresy of Man, Part 3 (Tiers 5-9)
PFS 2-25 You Only Die Twice (Tiers 5-9)
PFS 2-18 The Flesh Collector (Tiers 7-11)
Tomb of the Iron Medusa (Tier 14, Slot 1/3)
Sunday Morning
We Be Goblins! (Promotional, module pre-gens only)
PFS 2-EX The Midnight Mauler (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-23 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 1 (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 2-24 Shadow's Last Stand, Part 2 (Tiers 1-7)
PFS 1-28 The Jester's Fraud (Tiers 5-9)
PFS 2-03 The Rebel's Ransom (Tiers 5-9)
Situation: Player with low-intelligence barbarian dips into druid for animal companion. Party finds themselves in a sewer, wants to cross to ledge on other side without danger of getting filth fever. Druid orders size medium companion into 5' of sewage to act as a bridge for the party.
Action: Took animal companion away. Essentially broke the Nature's Bond with the creature and had it leave the druid. Druid follows and tries to apologize, fails three wild empathy checks. Opinions? Too harsh? Didn't go far enough?
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
If you are interested in playing Pathfinder Society in Michigan, please join our PFS local Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information. There are many public events happening all over the Detroit metro area. If you have any questions about these events or if you want us to bring a PFS event to your neighborhood, please feel free to contact me (pfs.rc.detroit@gmail.com). Not all of the events appear promptly on the Event Locator so here’s what’s going on this Spring:
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Warriors 3 in Wayne hosts a PFS scenario every Wednesday night at 7pm. Don (warriors3mi@gmail.com) coordinates this event.
Warriors 3 Comics & Games
35613 West Michigan Avenue
Wayne, MI 48184
734-895-9069
RIW Hobbies in Livonia hosts 3 events a month. They also sell all Paizo product at 20% off during the monthly gameday on Sunday
The Sunday gameday has two slots (10am & 2:30pm) and is coordinated by Dennis Wheelock (uncleden) via the Yahoo! Group. It runs once a month and walk-ins are welcome.
Every-other Tuesday night we have a game at 7pm, sign-up via the Yahoo! Group.
RIW Hobbies
29116 Five Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48154
(734) 261-7233
Our House Games in Monroe hosts a monthly PFS event on Saturdays.
Our House Games
19 W. First Street
Monroe, MI 48161
(734) 242-4263
BC Comix in Fenton has a game every-other Thursday night at 7pm, sign-up via the Yahoo! Group.
BC Comix
17125 Silver Parkway
Fenton, MI 48430
(810) 208-7100
The Capital Area Role-Players organize all sorts of RPGs in the Lansing area. Currently they have a 2-slot monthly PFS event going on at Evolution Games on Sundays. Seating is limited so you will need to contact the coordinator Jae Walker via the CARP website if you want to join up.
Evolution Games
6323 W Saginaw Hwy
Lansing, MI 48917
(517) 323-8600
We have another bi-weekly event at Mr. B’s Bar & Grill in Rochester on Wednesday nights at 7PM. There’s a meeting room in the back of the restaurant that can accommodate three full tables of players. Pathfinder Society in a bar, who could ask for anything more? Sign-up via the Yahoo! Group.
Mr. B's Food & Spirits
423 Main Street
Rochester, MI 48307
We just started a PFS event in Lapeer at the National Guard Armory. We play every Monday night at 6:30pm. Seating is limited, so you will need to sign-up via the Yahoo! Group and allow me time to break in another GM.
The Bernhard Center
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Marmalade Dog is organized by the Western Michigan Gamer's Guild each year. It features role-playing games, collectable card games, board games, miniature wargames and a variety of other events.
The doors open at 2:30pm on Friday and things wrap up at 7:00pm on Sunday. Convention entry fee is TBD.
If you are interested in volunteering to GM, please contact me pfs.rc.detroit@gmail.com. In the past individual GMs have submitted the scenarios they intend to run direct to the con organizer. I would like to coordinate things this year for greater uniformity. Last year there were about 10-15 tables of Pathfinder Society events. I think we can increase this, but I will need some additional volunteers.
Presently I will be running Parts I & II of the Shades of Ice series and also the Exclusive Midnight Mauler will be available on Saturday and Sunday.
Oh, and the guest of honor this year is Jolly R. Blackburn of "The Knights of the Dinner Table" fame.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
February 18-20, 2011
University of Toledo
Student Union
2801 West Bancroft St
Toledo, OH 43606
Looking for a good time? Join more than 900 gaming fans for a weekend packed with video games, miniatures, pen and paper role-playing, and more!
This will be the third year Pathfinder Society has supported BASHCon. The local organizers are still working out the schedule but there should be an excellent spread of events in store.
The BASHCon website is open for pre-registration and event submission. Check back soon for updates.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
So I was ordering shirts for some of my local players and I noticed that the larger sizes for many of the Factions are out-of-stock. I inquired about this and got this reply from Vic.
My take is that it would be unwise to reprint the faction shirts as they are. It has taken two years to sell through what we have (and that's great: we covered costs and made a little profit), but it's safe to say that right now, we've already served most of the demand for these designs. Even with Pathfinder Society growing as it is, I'm confident that a reprint of similar size would take much longer than two years to sell through, as very few owners of the current design would potentially buy the reprint. And printing shirts that will mostly sit around in the warehouse for a few years is just not a great use of the Pathfinder Society budget.
If we decide to do more faction shirts, I'd much rather offer new designs so that owners of the current shirts will consider buying them as well.
So just FYI, you might want to grab some while they last because there's no telling when they'll be available again. In a few years when PFS is five times the size it was at GenCon 2010 you might be wearing a collector's item.
Doug Miles(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber)
I apologize if this question has been answered lately elsewhere, but are there any plans on restocking the Faction shirts. I have an impression they're a sore topic at Paizo, what with their slow sales and all. But most of the larger sizes have sold out and you're down to (gasp) Larges only for Andoran. So will there be another production run ordered in the future or are we buying from what's in stock while they last? Thanks!!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON 2PM - 6PM
Pathfinder Society Introductory Scenario "Master of the Fallen Fortress"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #1 "Silent Tide"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #16 "To Scale the Dragon"
FRIDAY EVENING 7PM - 11PM
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2 "The Hydra's Fang Incident""
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5 "Mists of Mwangi"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #31 "Sniper in the Deep"
SATURDAY MORNING 9AM - 1PM
Pathfinder Society Scenario #8 "Slave Pits of Absalom"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #35 "Voice in the Void"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-06 "The Heresy of Man, Part I: The First Heresy"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #38 "No Plunder, No Pay"
SATURDAY AFTERNOON 2PM - 6PM
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-01 "Before the Dawn, Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3 "Murder on the Silken Caravan"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-07 "The Heresy of Man, Part II: Where the Dark Things Sleep"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-04 "Shadows Fall on Absalom"
SATURDAY EVENING 7PM - 11PM
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-02 "Before the Dawn, Part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #4 "Frozen Fingers of Midnight"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-09 "The Heresy of Man, Part III: Beneath Forgotten Sands"
Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-08 "The Sarkorian Prophesy"
Is there a Chronicle included with the module to start a brand new PFS character?
Crypt of the Everflame has not been adapted for use with Pathfinder Society. Master of the Fallen Fortress is the only in-print adventure that currently may be used as a legal intro to Pathfinder Society.
HammerCon II, Southern Ontario's largest game convention for gamers by gamers, is November 6, 2010 at the Plaza Hamilton in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. If you came to the convention last year, thank you for making it a fantastic day of roleplaying, board games, miniature gaming, LARPing, collectible card games and more.
Crown Plaza Hotel
150 King St E
Hamilton, ON L8N, Canada
Registration opens at 8am
The Full Pass (15 years+) is $20 at the door or $15 if pre-registered before September 30th.
The Child Pass (10-14 years) is $10 and available at the door only.
Pathfinder Society Events at HammerCon:
Master of the Fallen Fortress, 9am-12:30pm
Before the Dawn, Part One: The Bloodcove Disguise 1pm-5pm
Before the Dawn, Part Two: Rescue at Azlant Ridge 7pm-11pm
Scenarios Offered:
Pathfinder Module: Master of the Fallen Fortress
#2-01: Before the Dawn—Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise
#2-02: Before the Dawn—Part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge
#2-03: The Rebel's Ransom
#2-04: Shadows Fall on Absalom
#2-06: The Heresy of Man—Part I: The First Heresy
#2-07: The Heresy of Man—Part II: Where the Dark Things Sleep
#29: The Devil We Know—Part I: Shipyard Rats
#30: The Devil We Know—Part II: Cassomir's Locker
#38: No Plunder, No Pay
#40: Hall of Drunken Heroes
#41: The Devil We Know—Part III: Crypt of Fools
#43: The Pallid Plague
#45: Delirium's Tangle
#47: The Darkest Vengeance
#48: The Devil We Know—Part IV: Rules of the Swift
#49: Among the Dead
#50: Fortune's Blight
#51: The City of Strangers—Part I: The Shadow Gambit
#52: The City of Strangers—Part II: The Twofold Demise
#55: The Infernal Vault
#56: The Jester's Fraud
Hoo-ray! I was afraid that Season One was going to be left unfinished. The first ten Season Two scenarios were announced a couple of weeks ago but #55 and #56 were still MIA. Here's to a strong finish!
Michigan’s Premier 2-Day Gaming Convention
Friday & Saturday August 13th and 14th.
All ages are invited to MichiCon 2010!
Attendees will enjoy the challenge and fun of board games, card games, miniature war games, role-playing games, train games, and more!
Doors open at 1PM Friday and 8AM Saturday. MichiCon 2010 features door prizes, a raffle, and a huge prize selection for winning players.
Saturday Afternoon
PFS#51 The City of Strangers, Part 1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
PFS#57 Before the Dawn, Part 1: The Bloodcover Disguise (Tier 1-7)
Saturday Evening
PFS#52 The City of Strangers, Part 2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
PFS#58 Before the Dawn, Part 2: Rescue at Azlant Ridge (Tier 1-7)
Event details
When Fri, Aug 13, 2010 evening
Sat, Aug 14, 2010 morning, afternoon, evening
Oakland University Campus
Oakland Center Building
2200 N. Squirrel Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
I've got this one under my belt now at both the low and the high tiers. I have some observations I would like to make.
The players seem to be incredulous when they are told the Commerce League doesn't know where the Shadow Lodge operates out of (and the non-native PCs are supposed to be able to find this out). What annoys me is the goblin shaman in Part 1 is carrying a potion with the symbol of the Temple in Part 2 etched on it. If the GM mentions this to the players, there's a chance the players will gather info/knowledge (local) for this symbol. Seeing that the symbol is right on the front of the friggin' building in Part 2, I couldn't deny a good skill check this information. I haven't shared the spoiler info with the players because of this. I just let them dink around town until they trigger the ambush in the Downmarket.
The double (quadruple) agent Krazel is another problem. Some of the factions are instructed to be discrete in their search for Krazel, and others are not. What has happened both times I've run this is all the factions realize Krazel is an agent and is involved with other factions. His effectiveness as a spy/informant is nullified at that point in my opinion. Most of the missions' success doesn't lay with preserving Krazel's cover, so the players don't really care but it is an inconsistancy that bothers me.
As far as finding Krazel, and who he even is, it is left up to the GM to fill in. There's no satisfaction for a player when a GM just says "Make a die roll" and then "You succeed on your mission". I try to jazz it up some more. You can find a lot of inspiration in the City of Strangers sourcebook. I suggest that the PCs locate Krazel's home, where they are informed he is not there. He can be located here:
The White Lady: This brothel specializes in those
risqué desires not even Hospice can fulfill, most notably
involving its cadre of undead courtesans. For an extra
fee, Madame Krou (LN female human expert 4) will even
remove her controlling amulets, allowing her patrons
the dangerous thrill of restraining their enraged and
predatory conquests by force. While even most of Ankar-
Te’s residents blanch at some of the sounds coming from
the brothel’s upper stories, regulars enthusiastically
point out that “there are some things you just can’t do
with a live ’un.”
That should make an impression on the players. Have Krazel come down to the parlor to meet with the PCs, covered in scratch and bite marks but looking infinitely pleased with himself.
The rules are a little fuzzy when I read them re: this topic. My question is can a blind spellcaster place an area of effect spell in a location where they have a line of effect, but no line of sight? I'd prefer discussing quotes from the RAW if you have something to add. Thanks!!
In the Bestiary, Dark Creepers and Dark Stalkers speak a language called "Dark Folk". This language does not show up in the Core Rules. Is this an oversight or deliberate? Are the Creeper/Stalkers the only creatures who enjoy an exclusive language?
Hey Josh, when you work on the next version of the Guide can you include access to the new spell in the Hirelings Guide? My Calistrian bard would like to stop causing her 'manager' to push her down the stairs...
I would love to cast this on someone in revenge and have them spellcraft it for the first time!
New Spell: Barren Fields
School Transmutation Level bard 0, cleric 0, sorcerer/wizard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, M
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 30 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
Barren fields, also known as doxy’s blesing, renders a
creature sterile and incapable of conceiving a child for the
spell’s duration. It does not prevent the transmission of
diseases and has no effect on existing pregnancies.
If anyone is arriving at Origins early, we are going to be available for some gaming on Wednesday afternoon and evening. If you are interested please post here. We can plan on at least two slots available. I am traveling to Columbus Wednesday morning. I can run any scenario available.
How about a 2PM slot for early arrivals and an 7PM slot for later folks? Twilight Knight made the suggestion so I will leave it to him to pick the scenarios.
I am curious if anyone coming to Origins has intentions to play the Tier 12 scenarios being offered there. PFS#46 and #54, parts 1 and 2 of the Eyes of the Ten series, are both on the convention schedule. I am leaving those slots unassigned to a GM because I anticipate that there's little chance that players, after reaching 12th level, would all travel to Origins to play the Tier 12 specials which take 8-10 hours to complete.
I have already read through #46 and will be ready to run it if my assumption is incorrect. Provided that it is not delayed, I will do my best to run #54 for any interested parties. However, I think my Origins GMs will be better utilized running series such as City of Strangers or Echoes of the Everwar than holding them in reserve for the Tier 12 Specials that may never have any players sign up.
Am I wrong in my assumption? Is anyone coming to Origins with the intention to play the Tier 12s we're offering? Are your friends coming as well? I want to be prepared for you, but my time will be at a premium since I'm hitting PaizoCon right before Origins and I need to be prepared to run everything running at Origins as soon as it is released.
I ran a slot zero of this scenario last weekend at tier 3-4 for some of the GMs who volunteer at our local gameday. These are experienced players, but were not into running min-maxed PCs. Party composition was:
Human 4th level Bard
Human 3rd level Cleric
Human 2nd level Cavalier/1st level Ex-Paladin
Half Orc 1st level Summoner/1st level Wizard
Human 2nd level Sorcerer
They were on the light side of tier 3-4, but there wasn’t any question about what tier they’d be playing. I want to start off by saying that I am not complaining about the difficulty or suggesting any changes be made. The scenario ended with a TPK and their bodies were unrecoverable.
As a GM I am notorious for telling players that “You guys can handle this scenario” and “None of these fights get close to challenging” and believing it. This is followed by a bloodbath. I am going to try and stop making predictions about scenario outcomes.
For the benefit of GMs running this scenario, and for the therapeutic value of writing about it, I would like to explain how it all went down. If you haven’t played this scenario yet, please do not click on the spoiler tab. In fact, unless you have been through the entire “The Devil We Know” series, do not read any further. Major spoilers ahead:
Spoiler:
I thought there would be no way that the players would buy any of Nefti’s story. In fact, I was bent out of shape about this scenario when I first read through it because of the absence of Nefti & Kafar’s stat blocks. I was sure that the players would see through Nefti, beat the snot out of him, make him take them to Kafar, thrash Kafar, then put them both through some public humiliation before the execution. Instead Nefti was never questioned and ran away when the players became annoyed with his lame boxed text.
The PCs never broke a sweat in Act One, soundly defeating the druids while taking scratches in return. Act Two was a different matter. At tier 1-2 the PCs would have faced two small earth elementals. The large earth elemental was a lot for them to chew on. The GM’s dice were hot and the players’ dice were fickle. After a drawn out fight where everyone felt like a yo-yo, the elemental was put down. One yo-yo didn’t come back up however. Sadly it would not be the cavalier’s first death in the scenario. The PCs also used up most of their daily spells and all of the cleric’s healing channels in this Act.
I said I would not complain about the difficulty of the scenario. I do have some complaints about the arrangement of this series. I am annoyed that there wasn’t a notation about the Crazed Painter’s attitude towards the PCs on the Chronicle from the Crypt of Fools (Part 3) since he appears in this scenario again and how the PCs dealt with him in Part 3 has an impact on Part 4. The GM is supposed to ask the players if they had been friendly toward the Painter in Part 3. Many players won’t even remember. Also, I am disappointed that there isn’t any kind of reward at the end for PCs who have played through the entire series with the same PC. In fact, the whole thing with Kafar and Nefti stealing the Bell of Obedience after the Society deliberately instructed the PCs not to remove it rankles the most.
The PCs scraped up their meager loot and ran back to the local temple of Iomadae (which was getting overwhelmed by injured and dying guardsmen). They barely had enough money to get the cavalier raised without selling off gear. A player did ask about resting but I believed that would end the scenario since everything was happening on a tight timeline. They had plenty of healing between them from wands of cure light wounds, but those are only good for healing between fights.
They continued to explore the prison and met with the painter, missing the only clue (the mural) they had that the bell was going to be stolen by Kafar & Nefti. I thought the trap door into the prison from the sewers was silly but I could ignore it. I still wonder how the derro were ever able to control a rust monster, a ghast and an earth elemental. These sorts of details might have made it into the scenario if there was a higher page count limit. Again, after the complaint about inserting the player handouts into the text portions of the PDF in Part 3, we again have to print off 3 additional pages to cut apart in Part 4. Grrr.
The last Act was the PCs’ undoing. Part of it was their hapless dice, part of it was the GM’s dice were hot, and part of it was the GM was using his monsters intelligently. If I had it to do again, I would have rolled separate initiatives for the three wounded derro at tier 3-4. I am in the habit of splitting up the opponents by stat block, but not individually. The PCs came into the grotto without attempting any stealth, so there was no surprise round. The derro won init with their +6 modifier and stacked 3 sound bursts on the clustered PCs. No one made all three saves. The sorcerer and the summoner’s eilodon went down after 14hp of damage. Although they were eventually stabilized they never got back into the fight. The derro took advantage of the stunned PCs by seeking cover and hiding. It went from bad to worse for the PCs. When they entered the grotto chamber the derro dropped darkness spells on them and began a sneak-attack party. Although each of the derro took a few hits, none of them were dropped. In the darkness the cavalier’s respectable AC was nerfed and the GM’s hot dice would not relent. All it would have taken was a decent roll or two and the outcome would have been different, but the derro held all the advantages and the PCs were cut down. I ruled the characters were not recoverable because the derro stole their gear, sacrificed their souls to Groetus and left the bodies to become ghouls.
How can I go about collecting planar forks in PFS? Is it just assumed I can pick them up anywhere because they are a spell component, or do I need special access? Do they come in full sets and I can just use whichever one I desire? Or am I only able to buy a fork attuned to Golarion?
Hey gang, I am going to be coordinating events at Origins this year on behalf of Mr. Frost. There’s going to be a huge spread of scenarios available at the convention this year. If you can’t find a scenario that you want to play amongst the spread we’re offering, then each slot there are two PFS “Classic” tables where players can pick up any available scenario not already on the schedule. If you still can’t find anything you can play, then you probably should be GMing for us ;-) Speaking of that, I am going to need a whole bunch of GM volunteers!
On average we’ve got 6 tables per slot scheduled. There will be two PFS Classic tables available per slot. I will be tending to the HQ desk so I am asking for seven volunteer GMs per slot. Any level of commitment will be appreciated. If you are interested in GMing please e-mail me off-list. You can reach me at dmiles [at] starems [dot] com. Let me know how many slots you are interested in volunteering for and if you have any preferences—keeping in mind the more flexible you are the easier my job is :)
Origins generously offers the following benefits for GM volunteers:
GM four slots and your convention badge is free (a $60 value).
GM seven slots and you have a choice of a free hotel room for up to four nights (shared with three other volunteers) or you can accept $60 in vouchers.
You may read more about the GM Benefits here.
I will also have some Paizo swag to give away to sweeten the deal.
The deadline to receive GM benefits is May 1st, but I will need to know if you intend to volunteer ahead of that since I will need to get you confirmed with the Origins staff.
Traditionally Origins uses the Con Support website for pre-registration, GM sign-up, ticket sales, etc. However, I haven’t seen anything up on that website yet so just consider this an early call for GMs, with details to follow as they become available.
-Doug Miles
Thursday, 8AM:
#36: Echoes of the Everwar, P1: The Prisoner of Skull Hill (Tier 7-11)
#47: The Darkest Vengeance (Tier 1-5)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Thursday, 1PM
#46: Eyes of the Ten, P1: Requiem for the Red Raven (Tier 12)
#50: Fortune's Blight (Tier 5-9)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Thursday, 7PM
#49: Among the Dead (Tier 1-7)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Friday, 8AM
#40: Hall of Drunken Heroes (Tiers 7-11)
#42: Echoes of the Everwar, P2: The Watcher of Ages (Tiers 1-7)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tiers 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tiers 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Friday, 1PM
#49: Among the Dead (Tier 1-7)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
#54: Eyes of the Ten, P2: The Maze of the Open Road (Tier 12)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Friday, 7PM
#47: The Darkest Vengeance (Tier 1-5)
#50: Fortune's Blight (Tier 5-9)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Saturday, 8AM
#44: Echoes of the Everwar, P3: Terror at Whistledown (Tier 7-11)
#46: Eyes of the Ten, P1: Requiem for the Red Raven (Tier 12)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Saturday, 1PM
#50: Fortune's Blight (Tier 5-9)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Saturday, 7PM
#38: No Plunder, No Pay (Tier 7-11)
#49: Among the Dead (Tier 1-7)
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
Sunday, 8AM
#51: The City of Strangers, P1: The Shadow Gambit (Tier 1-7)
#52: The City of Strangers, P2: The Twofold Demise (Tier 1-7)
#53: Echoes of the Everwar, P4: The Faithless Dead (Tier 7-11)
#54: Eyes of the Ten, P2: The Maze of the Open Road (Tier 12)
Pathfinder Society Organized Play Classic (All Tiers)
In Act Four the scenario text states that "Several lacedons swim to the surface from the wreck below and start climbing the ship’s hull on the first round. It takes two successful DC 10 Climb checks for the lacedons to reach the deck." However, no lacedons are mentioned in the combat section of the encounter, only the ghosts. How many lacedons are supposed to be in each tier?
So I played this one on Thursday. I didn’t enjoy myself BUT it wasn’t because of the scenario. I look forward to running this scenario at our gameday next weekend and I wanted to get a discussion going about it before I have to run it. If you have not played this scenario and plan on doing so, please read no further! I’m not going to bother with a spoiler tag since I put the warning in all caps in the title.
I’ll break it down encounter by encounter. First, who’s this Brackett guy? I know he’s a venture captain but all we have on him is what type of nose he has. Is he a native Andoran? Do they speak with an accent in Andoran? Does he have an affinity for fey? I’m just curious how he’s intended to be played.
It’s over 500 miles from Almas to Falcon’s Hollow. If the plague has already broken out, it will take the players 2-3 weeks to get to Falcon’s Hollow to try and stop it. Each day after the first a victim drops 1d2 Con and the save gets harder to make. I’m just sayin’ the problem may work itself out before the PCs get there. The scenario doesn’t say anything about the disease only affecting humanoids.
I think what confused me most during the scenario was the timeline. When the PCs arrive at the cutyard in Act One the overseer is already dead of the plague. Supposedly the lumberjacks had gone out hunting fey, stumbled across the plague fields in Act Two and contracted the disease. They return to the cutyard and infect their co-workers and overseer. The ex-druids send their zombies after the lumberjacks and the players arrive in the midst of the attack. So the overseer went from healthy to dead in one day, unless the druids waited around for at least five days before deciding to send their zombies against the cutyard operating one hour away from their location.
The low tier fight was OK, we handled it with ease and really freaked when the thing literally popped when we killed it. We had wanted to play the mid tier but our GM persuaded us it wasn’t safe. The only thing I saw that was worrisome was the damage the large wolves could do in tier 3-4 was very dangerous for a 1st level PC. I liked the cutyard map but when I made my map last night I spread stuff out so it didn’t look so organized. I eliminated the charge lane for the players by curving the trail through the stumps, and I placed a large pile of logs next to the trail. I like to mess with the players who metagame. A logging camp should have some logs around, right? The pile of logs looks just like a trap so the players who metagame a lot will spread out and avoid the area around the logs because they believe it’s going to be sprung if they go near it.
Our whole party had no one with any ranks in heal, and no cleric to boot. We knew the lumberjacks were sick, but I felt the best thing we could do was contain the plague to that location by killing all the lumberjacks and burning their bodies. No one liked my plan. Stoopid paladins.
The plague fields in Act Two was a very frustrating encounter. Most of us were already exposed at that point so we didn’t think anything about charging right across the flowers and beating the snot out of the ex-druids. I think the whole table was annoyed by the demeanor of the ex-druids who didn’t seem to care about anything. They came off as listless and apathetic about dying. They weren’t fanatical or defiant. They came off like ahedonistic goth kids and their refusal to beg for mercy as we took out our frustrations on them only made things worse. This was not a failure of the scenario, however. It just was aggravating since it shouldn’t even be listed as a combat. The ex-druids provide no challenge and simply dying where they stand doesn’t add to the story at all. They should just stand in the fields smiling cruelly and wait for the PCs to come to them. You want to tie me up and take me to Falcon’s Hollow to turn me over to the authorities? Sure! [make a Fort save] It also seemed like they should have been dying already if they were diseased, right?
Act Three I really liked. This would be called a Skill Challenge in 4E. It was a great example of how players can have fun while not trying to kill something. My only concern is what to do when the players lay down a die because all their characters are tweaked for combat and they have no skills that can be applied to finding a cure. I think it is just deserts and I plan on strictly enforcing the rules. If the players can’t assist Laurel to find a cure then they need to buy some fleet horses for the ride back to Almas else find a friendly druid fast. I do admire the high Fort save that was set for the tiers. Disease should not be something that is easily dismissed.
Act Four was a cakewalk, with the cultists again just serving as punching bags for frustrated players. I felt like we should have taken them to an armory and bought them some better gear before fighting them. The optional encounter in Act Five was skipped since we were playing on a weeknight and no one was in the mood.
Act Five lasted one round. Our wizard ran up and dropped the cleric with a scorching ray, then the others were hit with an entangle and it was all over. I think the GM needs to put figures or counters out on the map to represent the non-combatant cultists. Otherwise it is too easy to run up and put a hurtin’ on the BBEG right off the bat. A crowd of diseased partiers serve as cover and speed bumps.
I think the main question I want to raise on this thread is what should happen if the players fail to assist Laurel in crafting a cure? What recourse do the players have once they realize they’re dying and will never make two consecutive saves? Where are the druids who might help, and what is their attitude toward the PCs (Diplomacy DC)? How many days travel is it to a town with a 5th level divine caster? How far to Oregent or Carpendon? I expect if the players are unable to find a cure, at least one of them is going to die from Con damage. Like I said to Mark, it sucks to die of a disease but it should be within the realm of possibility.
I ran a slot zero of this scenario last night at the low tier. The table did not have much knowledge or linguistic skill, but they were all experienced players and compensated well. Begin
Spoiler:
The fire elementals went down easy. I always call the first combat the “warm-up fight” and I wonder if Mr. Roberts was making a pun here. Including the holy arrows was a nice touch, useful but not overpowering. The players fell completely for the Secret Spine encounter. I made them pre-roll 4 fortitude saves (for the heat), 4 perceptions (for the peepholes) and 4 sense motives (for the distractions). Done properly the PCs will not likely be in the Citadel long enough to suffer environmental effects but I dropped it on them once when they entered the Sacred Sauna.
Back to the Secret Spine. Some of the players at the table were ‘spontaneous’ and liked to trigger multiple encounters. They started opening up doors and triggering attacks from Gali. His tactics were excellent as far as the PCs wasting their resources chasing his phantoms. Pre-rolling the perceptions and sense motives makes it harder for the players to meta-game but puts more work on the GM. Once they figured out the illusions one player found a peep hole and started to attack the wall. That was not foreseen. I made up some hardness and HP figure out of my head, but afterward I looked it up and figured the walls were superior masonry (PRPG pg 411), hardness 8 and 90 HP per 10x10 section. So how many inches thick are the interior walls of the Citadel? I don’t really need a ruling, but I dislike feeling arbitrary.
They frightened Gali out of his panic room. He managed to get a color spray off that dropped two PCs but they grappled him and it was all over. They questioned him, beat him unconscious and hog-tied him for later.
The next encounter was interesting. It does not say in the scenario where the gaav is before the fight begins. Is it inside of the covered bridge? Outside? Underneath? The PCs used a bench from the entry hall to bridge the hole in the floor. I let the two best fighters cross over then the gaav flew in through the gap and attacked the PCs on the other side. If I would have thought about it, the gaav should have kicked the bench out of the gap as his action… It wasn’t very tough, but it put up more of a fight than the elementals. The noxious breath is hardly worth using since it can only affect one target. I do like the superior grappler ability. What do you other GMs think about having the gaav grapple then try to drop a PC through the hole in the floor? I’d give the PC a reflex save to grab the edge, but they’d drop whatever they had in their hands. Is this a fair tactic?
The encounter with the dwarvern weaponsmith Vulcus turned from role-playing to combat when he was approached by a Qadiran PC who asked him why he was making weapons for the cult. I had the dwarf sass the PC, which resulted in a swift beat-down. The problem was the Taldor PC wanted the dwarf alive, and the Qadiran PC might have killed the dwarf if he was strictly role-playing his character. We all understood organized play, but the Taldor PC came very close to acting against the Qadiran to save her Faction point. I don’t have a big problem with this being part of the scenario, I just want the GMs who read this to consider what their intervention will be at their table.
The Pilgrim Passage was very cool. I love the Chelaxian mission that involves deliberately hurting themselves. That gave me a lot of satisfaction as a GM. After the 1st level Chelaxian cleric sandblasted his face and had 4 HP left, he healed himself. I didn’t think this was in the spirit of the ritual, so I made him do it again, LOL, before he prostrated himself before another deity then went to 0 HP by sticking his hand in a profane blowtorch. Seriously, there should be an atonement required if a cleric or paladin goes through with this, even though it is outrageously funny to watch the player perform. I think a Will save would be better than a diplomacy or intimidate check to resist Moloch’s influence. The fire resistance granted is a very nice touch though. It doesn’t help much at the low tier but it certainly will at the high.
The fight against Hafshi was anti-climactic. Her minions really don’t make much of an obstacle and it’s not long before she’s backed into a corner and failing her concentration checks to cast defensively. Her build with the combat expertise and the improved trip really does not make her a challenging opponent. She’d be better off with combat casting and heavy armor proficiency. And a playmate. She died in round two.
Overall I think this was a fine scenario and I am looking to doing a better job of running it the next time around. The rooms are full of interesting stuff and there’s lots of dots for the players to connect that keep them engaged with the story instead of playing with their dice waiting to roll the next initiative. Steven Robert is a really good contributor and I’m looking forward to seeing more of his work.
I'm hiking down to the Buckeye State to run PFS events at BASHCON again this year. I would welcome any help from local GMs or attendees, even for a slot or two. I'm happy to share my hotel room at no cost with anyone who will commit to run at least three slots. If I don't need you, I'll cut you loose.
The convention is held in the student union at the University of Toledo (2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, OH 43606). It is a comfortable venue with great attendance each year.
I've scheduled six slots of PFS scenarios:
Friday 7PM PFS#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1
Saturday 9AM PFS#38 No Plunder, No Pay
Saturday 2PM PFS#39 Citadel of Flame
Saturday 7PM PFS#40 Hall of Drunken Heroes
Sunday 10AM PFS#36 Echoes of the Everwar, Part 1
Sunday 3PM PFS#37 The Beggar's Pearl
For the higher level scenarios I am making 8th level pre-gens for any walk-up players to use for no PFS credit, but at least they'll get to experience the Pathfinder RPG rules.
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