A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 7th to 11th level characters (Tiers: 7-8 and 10-11).
In the rural Menador Mountains of southern Nidal, the PCs find themselves in a fog-enshrouded mining town facing a terrible fate. Silver Tarn, on the banks of which the settlement of Stom's Claim stands, has grown a mind of its own. Reaching out with strange abominations of the deep to siphon the souls of the stubborn populace, the lake hopes to release a powerful fiend bound centuries earlier by Arodenite clerics. If the PCs can't stop the Silver Tarn Entity, Stom's Claim and much of western Avistan may soon fall to a fate beyond comprehension.
Written by Crystal Frasier
This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Product Availability
Fulfilled immediately.
Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at
store@paizo.com.
I (finally!) ran this last night at low tier, after a few failed earlier attempts.
Party Setup:
Alchemist 8 (bomber, infusions)
Arcanist 7 (controller)
Zen Archer Inquisitor 8 (archer)
Wind Shaman 8 (no-one really knows what role)
First of all, a warning: The current standard for scenario's is 6 players. This was clearly written for 4, as was the standard in season 2. I very highly recommend running this for 4 players max. Otherwise the hinges of the scenario will burst on all sides.
Premise, 4: The blurb is on the gloomy, creepy side and conveys the horror aspect of the scenario very well.
Combat, 5: All of the combats are interesting (take note of the warning above). At some of the abilities, the players were going "What the...?", for more hilarity.
Also, the tactics make sense. I noticed no holding back from the side of the opponents: Players are to give it all they've got to succeed, without the encounters being over the top. This is (imo) still the case even with the more advanced classes and gear we've seen since ACG, Ultimate Equipment and Occult Adventures.
I personally loved all the encounters as they are written, the final encounter being the crowning point. I found the way this creature type was used in the encounter, is a very interesting break from the traditional way they are used... And it's nasty! Although I foresee a few situations in the high tier where other tactics are used to approach the location that will totally break the tactics.
Background/Roleplaying, 5: The background of the scenario is y'olde Lovecraftian horror, very well executed. There are no real flaws in the story.
As mentioned in earlier reviews, most of the roleplaying is focussed in one scene. But that scene is excellent! The various stages people can be in in a desperate situation are very well portrayed and the players at my table were only too eager to jump into that, resulting in lots of amusement. A later scene has a high roleplay potential as well, provided players take the hint that a combat against a fairly nasty creature can be avoided.
Mechanics, 5: You know there is a railroad, but the railroad is logical. There is no reason not to follow it. The next location the party has to visit has a severe story-wise pull that makes much sense. It's hard to do it better than this.
Used spells, required skill checks, etc. make sense.
In the tavern scene, there is a clear precursor to many of the later Influence mechanics used, in a way that is simple to explain and simple to execute. And it makes sense: People are scared for their lives. Intricate diplomacy will not work. The basic aspect of every interaction is exactly right.
General, 5: After 6 years, to me this scenario retains a solid 5 star rating. Due to map sizes and the mechanics of the final encounter, the best experience is to be had with 4 players (avoid 5 or 6 players at all cost!), this really ensures the best experience. With 5 or 6 players, expect clutter and a skewered action economy (especially in the final battle). Also, play up at your own risk... ;)
I really liked this adventure, it has a bit of everything: great atmosphere, need for roleplay and a tough combat that is not as straightforward as it might be. The plot and background are obvious from the start, while the solution to the issue at hand is not obvious.
I think the scenario could be improved by staggering the roleplay more through the scenario, instead of clumping it all in one act. However that is a minor nitpick and does not prevent me from giving it the full reward of 5 stars.
Crystal, this is why I'm a fan of you. After having run the not-so-great Sky Key Solution special, this was a return to form. A simple story, nothing too complicated, but great atmosphere and roleplay.
The atmosphere was amazing, suddenly we're in the middle of a Shadow over Innsmouth-like scenario, with good scene setting and an interesting story hook. You get to interact with several groups of people, and I'm amazed at the level of attention and detail each group got, especially for season 2. To me, most of the scenarios in that season were either really great or just kinda disappointing, but this definitely fell into the first group. Especially for an earlier scenario, where roleplay wasn't fleshed out as much, I feel, this had some solid systems. Interesting characters combined with actual motivation makes for a good roleplay experience.
Combats were also great. Enemies pack quite a punch and have cool things to do in combat, though I would've preferred a slightly bigger map for the first encounter; our biggest hurdle there was lack of room to maneuver. Still, though, enemies fell quite fast, though that might have been due to good party composition, but I felt properly challenged, especially in the final encounter.
Crystal, go back to your roots. Keep things simple and you produce great work. You excel at creating weird, atmospheric adventures, keep on doing that.
