Pathfinder Module W3: Flight of the Red Raven (OGL) (based on
3
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Paizo Publishing, LLC
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A wilderness adventure for 4th-level characters.
The Vernal Key has been stolen from the town of Azurestone and the notorious Red Raven is the culprit. With a terrible winter setting in, the small community faces a gruesome fate without its protection. To recover the Key, the heroes must face off against brazen outlaws, freezing weather, and dangerous predators, but the trail leads to even greater peril. For the Red Raven's path heads straight into the Jarl's Prison, a maze of ice and snow from which there is no escape!
Written by David Schwartz, the winner of the GameMastery Module Open Call contest—the best among over 150 applicants.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-101-5
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.
This is a delightfully different module. Nothing excites me more than the heavy-use of the environment not only as a setting but as an obstacle for the players. This adventure exceeds the typical plunder-the-dungeon set up and goes with a new twist of having to track down your enemy through untamed lands. My group and I rather enjoyed this adventure. It is solid, it is fun, it is very easy to run and read up on if you are in a tight fix for a time or need an adventure as soon as possible, and is even topped off with a cool ice fortress.
The only thing missing is Dan Akroyd and John Candy.
I will start by saying that this is a wonderful module. action packed, cinematic, memorable... but several issues forced me to reduce a star.
first and most noticeable is the PC - triggered events that takes place too often. the PC's just happen to be around at critical moments, and my players will never accept such a thing.
the second issue is that the writer's talent isn't really showing. the module is not fun to read, and I did not feel as immersed in the experience as I usually do.
still, this one is defiantly up to Paizo's standards.
Just to declare it upfront, I was one of the contestants up to the second round. Resultingly, I had been highly interested in this module to see what came up. However my hopes of nitpicking were quickly shattered.
This a solid adventure to the great outdoors. A wonderful chase through the wilderness complete with traps and ambushes and memorable critters.
The setting is well drawn. The town while somewhat standard wilderness outpost is given colour by the Harvest Festival and the NPCs. But the wild is where this adventure really shines. Kudos for a wilderness adventure that actually feels like one and not just a walk through the forest. River crossings, icy gorges, glaciers, avalanches and lots of tracking. Rangers, druids should have a field day.
Additionally, Schwartz's Red Raven is sure to be a memorable character/adversary(?) in any campaign.
If you're looking to give your party a good hike Raven should fit the bill nicely. Kudos to Mr. Schwartz for an impressive outing.
