Alkenstar, City of Smog, is a bastion of civilization in the magic-warped region known as the Mana Wastes. Its ingenious citizens survive in the treacherous Spellscar Desert with the help of canny inventions like guns and clockwork automatons, but now their construct protectors have begun to run amok within the city. It falls to the PCs to venture beyond the city walls to find the source of their strange behavior. Will they uncover the mastermind behind the plot and put an end to this madness, or will they instead fall victim to the primal magic and savage tribes of Mana Wastes mutants that beleaguer the city?
Wardens of the Reborn Forge is a deluxe super-adventure for 12th-level characters, and includes 64 action-packed pages of adventure filled with mechanical machinations, new monsters, a beautiful double-sided and full-color poster map of Alkenstar, and an important miniatures-scale battleground!
Players can expect to reach 15th level by the time they complete this epic adventure—if they manage to survive the machinations of the clockwork constructions of the reborn forge!
By Patrick Renie.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-555-6
Pathfinder Modules are 64-page, high-quality, full-color, adventures using the Open Game License to work with both the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the standard 3.5 fantasy RPG rules set. This Pathfinder Module includes new monsters, treasure, a double-sided poster map, and a fully detailed bonus location that can be used as part of the adventure or in any other game!
Wardens of the Reborn Forge is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle Sheet and additional rules for running this module are a free download (398 KB zip/PDF).
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
If you want an indication of how the module was written, look no further than the included pull-out map on the print edition. Rather than include any area with machinery, it's a generic flip of a fortress wall, an interior stream, and what amounts to a run-off structure.
The module takes place in 3 areas over 4 acts - two of these are generic mines, with 1 sq = 10 ft scaling and constant squiggles. When the mines aren't completely generic, they're kind of fun. There's some nice RP with a few mutants, a couple likable NPCs, an absolutely hilarious encounter that is shoehorned in, and little else. Could have happened anywhere.
Act 3 has a primal magic event system with a few claw-out-my-eyes moments, including the need to create elementals that have 4+ templates to reach the likely CRs necessarily for the mana storm. I didn't realize that elementals pretty much stop progressing at CR 11. There are use-activated items of CL 17 and characters who could reasonably be casting at CL 19, meaning custom generation of elementals, up to and including adding templates to Gozreh's herald just to fit a poorly thought out table. It is my hope that the Bard Creature + Fighter Creature + Giant + Advanced Elder Earth Elemental I had to generate (CR 17) comes out and starts attacking with dance moves. Note that Act 3 is not part of the sanctioned content for PFS, unless running the Seeker Arc rules.
Act 4 happens in a place that is befitting of the Mana Wastes - a huge factory...just large enough to fall off the edges of a single map. Assuming the final BBEG can act, it can be wonderfully evocative and interesting. This is unlikely, however, based on a number of factors, not least of which is his abysmal initiative modifier. This is the most setting-appropriate section of the adventure, but also the most likely to be derailed, assuming that players did Act 3.
It's a grand romp, otherwise, but it really didn't feel very specific to the Mana Wastes.
Of the many pathfinder adventures I have read, this is one that I keep thinking about. The mana storms and dangerous wasteland mutants form a unique and threatening environment that will loom over the characters, while the adventure itself contains fun elements like mine carts, and one of my favorite monsters monsters from H.P. Lovecraft: the gug. What do you call 3 or more gugs? Not a gaggle, but a guggle.
This was incredibly fun. The monsters had us in a constant sense of what and why in the dungeon. Stepping back into my GM shoes for a minute, I thought the monster builds were incredibly creative and subverted what the players expected to be playing against.
I had a lot of fun. It might not be what we expected but I think that ended up being why we had so much fun. It was a bit of a combat slog, but that I think was in the scope of our expectations.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens Subscriber
Wasn't this due in August?
I mean I understand a couple of months delay, due to Gencon, (which don't you totally promise ever year to fix next year, and then fail to?) but four months????? What else but a total re-write could cause this?
Seriously what the hell happened with this?
In case you think I'm trolling, I kept my sub going for this :(
Purity of Violence, I'm pretty sure this book wasn't due out originally till November or October, and thus it only got pushed back one or two months. It's probably just due to shipping delays, not anything with the writing. I'm not from Paizo, so this is all just speculation, but I wouldn't worry about it.
As an aside, I just noticed how AP's and modules are grouped together now. Neat!
The book was originally scheduled for August. Then it got pushed back to september, then november, and now december. It is disheartening to see so many products, especially the Module line keep getting delayed. I was under the impression, from interviews at paizocon, that there was now someone in charge of the module line specifically. Is this not the case, or is said person swamped doing other things. Very sad to see this keep getting delayed. I suspect the same to happen with the next module as well.
To be fair pretty much all the november products got delayed so for that month it's not like this one was singled out. As for the other months I suspect it is a kockon affect from the change in format (Dragons demand was late as well if I recall.)
Maybe the delay is in regard to making sure the PFS chronicle sheets are available when this goes live? Con season likely backed up everything, as well.
Out of curiosity, is it known whether or not this module will be entirely in "dead magic zone"? High levels with low magic will be... interesting to say the least.
Out of curiosity, is it known whether or not this module will be entirely in "dead magic zone"? High levels with low magic will be... interesting to say the least.
Only some of the Mana Wastes is magic dead. The rest has the Wild Magic type of traits, where random things can happen.
Does anyone know if the Paper Miniature set for this module will be coming out simultaneously with this release? I'll be picking this up and prepping it to play for a group when we're not able to do Wrath of the Righteous.
Does anyone know if the Paper Miniature set for this module will be coming out simultaneously with this release? I'll be picking this up and prepping it to play for a group when we're not able to do Wrath of the Righteous.
Does anyone know if the Paper Miniature set for this module will be coming out simultaneously with this release? I'll be picking this up and prepping it to play for a group when we're not able to do Wrath of the Righteous.
It's certainly the adventure we've published in which the most guns appear (well, except maybe Rasputin Must Die!). If there were ever an adventure where having a whole party of gun-toting PCs would fit, I guess this would be it, but the adventure also deals quite a bit with alchemy, Mana Wastes mutants, and primal magic, so if you had a party that was too gun-centric, you'd risk skewing the thrust of the adventure away from these elements that are also very iconically Alkenstar/Mana Wastes. I'd suggest taking a look at it once it's out to see where you'd like to draw the line, but the adventure would certainly fit thematically for such a party.
How well will it incorporate a more 'traditional' party that have developed from early levels and move into this module? Will they be out of their depth unless they're gun-toting steampunkers (is that even a word?) or is it balanced for the more standard approaches too?
How well will it incorporate a more 'traditional' party that have developed from early levels and move into this module? Will they be out of their depth unless they're gun-toting steampunkers (is that even a word?) or is it balanced for the more standard approaches too?
I really don't know anything (obviously since it's not out yet), but I think it just might be the other way around. I once saw someone try a whole part of 'gun-toting steampunkers.'
They annihilated anything at short range. But when things were at long range or if they couldn't stop them from getting into melee, they had massive troubles. Plus they had little scouting or social skills. Essentially no crowd control or condition removal magic. And they couldn't fight anything worse than a possum quietly.
How well will it incorporate a more 'traditional' party that have developed from early levels and move into this module? Will they be out of their depth unless they're gun-toting steampunkers (is that even a word?) or is it balanced for the more standard approaches too?
A "traditional" party of PCs will also do just fine in this adventure. Less gun-oriented characters will likely just be selling a bit more of the sweet treasure they find rather than reloading it and using it for themselves. ;)
The book was originally scheduled for August. Then it got pushed back to september, then november, and now december. It is disheartening to see so many products, especially the Module line keep getting delayed. I was under the impression, from interviews at paizocon, that there was now someone in charge of the module line specifically. Is this not the case, or is said person swamped doing other things. Very sad to see this keep getting delayed. I suspect the same to happen with the next module as well.
Dragon's Demand was delayed so part of this product's delay is just ripple effect. Also, there were some pretty big cons there in the middle that blew away the publication dates of pretty much every product line Paizo has. Also, every November product got delayed so you can safely assume that it's not something specific with this adventure.
.... Also, there were some pretty big cons there in the middle that blew away the publication dates of pretty much every product line Paizo has. ...
I keep seeing this used an excuse. The Con schedule is known way in advance and major events such as this should obviously be figured into the schedule if it has any effect on the schedule. If it was not figured into the schedule that is a problem and makes this even more of a poor excuse and less of a valid reason.
The module being late, really doesn't much effect me and I'm not that upset by it. I just don't like seeing non-reasons used to excuse mistakes.
However, several people that I know are quite frustrated.
I was hoping this was going to make it to my doorstep in time for my Pathfinder session today. The group is finally getting to Alkenstar and I'm going to have to handwave a map of the city with that beautiful landscape portrait from the blog as a substitute.
Here's to hoping Wardens ships for non-subscribers soon!
guess this one is too long to eventually get opened up for PFS play ?
or has this just been released?
love alkenstar, mixed love/hate for gunslingers.
looking forward to this mainly for the alkenstar flavor, since I've had two characters hailing from there, be nice to paint their backstory a bit clearer now.
guess this one is too long to eventually get opened up for PFS play ?
or has this just been released?
love alkenstar, mixed love/hate for gunslingers.
looking forward to this mainly for the alkenstar flavor, since I've had two characters hailing from there, be nice to paint their backstory a bit clearer now.
Subscriber copies have started shipping, yes. The street date for the module is Dec 26.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the entire module will be PFS elgilible, that will make it in demand in the PFS world. If chopped up and only pieces are eligible I will probably never buy nor play it.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the entire module will be PFS elgilible, that will make it in demand in the PFS world. If chopped up and only pieces are eligible I will probably never buy nor play it.
I would think it would be like Dragon's Demand where you can play in "campaign mode" or piecemeal like an AP. You still get chronicle sheets for both. It would really help fill in the much needed level 12+ material if so.
Hopefully Paizo can give us confirmation that it will be sanctioned and if it will function like Dragon's Demand did.
The issue with Dragons Demand is PFS players I know don't want to play pieces of it, nor do they want to play it in campaign mode so it simply doesn't get played anywhere in the PFS public that I have seen in the entire Bay Area. I know players who would play it if the whole thing was sanctioned in PFS mode.