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Pathfinder Adventure Path #81: Shifting Sands (Mummy’s Mask 3 of 6) (PFRPG)

3.70/5 (based on 9 ratings)
Pathfinder Adventure Path #81: Shifting Sands (Mummy’s Mask 3 of 6) (PFRPG)
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Chapter 3: "Shifting Sands"
By Richard Pett

To learn more about the ancient Pharaoh Hakotep I and the secretive cult that wants to revive him, the heroes travel to the city of Tephu to explore the vast archives in its Great Library. This is no small task, as they must contend with those who wish such knowledge to remain forgotten. With the clues they discover, the heroes venture deep into Osirion’s uncharted deserts in search of the tomb of Hakotep’s master pyramid-builder. There they face not only dangerous denizens of the desert, but the cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh—cultists who will stop at nothing to ensure their god-king remains undisturbed.

This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path continues the Mummy’s Mask Adventure Path and includes:

  • “Shifting Sands,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 7th-level characters, by Richard Pett.
  • A gazetteer of the city of Tephu, the City of the Reed People, by Richard Pett.
  • A study of the rituals of mummification, by Russ Taylor.
  • Ancient secrets and deadly kidnappers in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Amber E. Scott.
  • Five new monsters, by Benjamin Bruck, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Michael McCarthy, and Patrick Renie.

Each monthly full-color softcover Pathfinder Adventure Path volume contains an in-depth adventure scenario, stats for several new monsters, and support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes use the Open Game License and work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the world’s oldest fantasy RPG.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-590-7

Shifting Sands is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (595 KB zip/PDF).

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscription.

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3.70/5 (based on 9 ratings)

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Librarians Take Note

4/5 —

This book gave me exactly what my character inspired by Evey from The Mummy was looking for: a chance to read the f#$+ out of some books and figure out what's going on. The urban parts of this adventure are delightful and were one of the highlights of this AP for me.

The book loses a star for me for the rather forgettable bits after you get out of the city. Hex exploration felt a bit too mechanical and easily dealt with by having one character with a good (not even optimized) survival, and the battles at the end didn't leave a strong impression.

3/5 —

GM review.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the two previous. I think the problem is that it uses certain mechanics (researching the libraries and the desert hex map) which just felt unnecessary. I'd have much rather the scenario just got on with it.

Otherwise it wasn't a bad chapter in the AP although I felt it did lack something that the first and second books did. At least we really start to get into the meat of the campaign and we all felt that it was beginning to get somewhere.

Uneven

3/5 —

Ever the innovator, Richard Pett gives us an adventure centered around the PCs doing research in old libraries, a concept which fits perfectly within the Ancient Egyptian theme. So let's see how Shifting Sands measures up.

Likes
1) As I mentioned above, the idea of an adventure focusing on scouring libraries trying to find clues about an ancient mystery fits really well into this adventure path. I like the Research Rules that are presented here and think that they are a clever way to resolve things in a way that avoids giving the players a massive information dump. Unfortunately, I do have concerns that the overall design of this adventure will detract from the excitement of the Research Rules. (see below)

2) This is the first Mummy's Mask adventure that deals directly with the main storyline of the AP and this elevates the adventure in my view.

3) The main NPC introduced in this adventure, "Her Excellency Muminofrah of Sothis" is a very memorable character and I imagine some great roleplaying moments are going to come out of the PCs trying to get into her good books. The reason that the players need to be nice to Muminofrah is that she represents the only legal option available to the PCs to gain access to the ancient libraries of Tephu.

4) I was also intrigued by Udjebet, a medusa who is encountered in one of the libraries. She is obsessed by rings, magical or otherwise, and is looking for an artifact called the Uraeus Ring. Things could become interesting if the PCs don't just treat this as a combat encounter.

5) We also get a chase scene reminiscent of Ben-Hur and Indiana Jones when the PCs are ambushed by enemies during a chariot race.

6) The player handout called "Excerpt from the Scrolls of Inquiry" is very well done and really sets the tone. Unfortunately, it also points the players in a direction that the adventure is not ready to explore. (see below)

7) My favorite part of the adventure has to do with finding the entrance to a hidden library. Without giving too much away, let me just say that the Tower of Ra's Glory presents the players with an interesting problem which cannot simply be resolved by rolling dice but forces them to think creatively. Personally, I find puzzles that are designed to challenge players and not characters more rewarding and I would like to see more of them in future adventures.

Dislikes
1) The transition between part 2 and 3 assumes that the PCs tell a specific NPC that they have acquired the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh and that they should travel to Tephu to do research. Though not terrible, I think this is a weak hook. For instance, what happens if the players decide to keep it a secret that they have the mask?

2) NPCs: The adventure only has one NPC (Muminofrah) that the PCs can interact with in a meaningful way, and while she is a great NPC, the adventure overuses her. I suspect that most groups will grow tired of her before the end of part 1 due to her incessant need to be appeased. Her ending is also somewhat unsatisfactory as she is just whisked away on her barge. What if the PCs suspect that something is wrong and take it upon themselves to rescue her? It also isn't clear whether or not she is meant to play a greater role at some later point in the campaign.

The adventure introduces another important NPC who can provide access to the libraries but interactions with her are likely to be extremely frustrating to the players as the adventure states that all non-magical attempts to convince with her automatically fail. Her only role in this adventure seems to be to block the PCs progress. In a different adventure that might not be such a big deal, but when the only other NPC that the PCs can interact with is a pampered prima donna the potential is there for things to quickly go sour.

3) As I mentioned above, I like the new Research Rules. However, a big problem that I see with the adventure is that whether the party handles the research well or poorly makes little difference to the outcome of the adventure. There is no race against time or against rivals to make the players want to do their research more quickly. There is no irrevocable cost for doing poorly on a research roll except that it takes longer and the PCs might have to appease Muminofrah for more time. The risk then is for the Research Rules to become a mere formality or a dice-rolling chore rather than a subsystem where success and failure are truly meaningful.

4) The "Excerpt from the Scrolls of Inquiry" which is obtained in the second of three libraries that the PC will visit in Tephu mentions the exact location where the Heart of Hakotep was hidden in the city of Sothis. This is a problem because the adventure provides no guidance at all for what to do if the PCs decide to go searching for this artifact. The adventure assumes that the PCs will put this vital piece of information on the back-burner and keep looking for further clues in Tephu. It is hard to imagine that a group of PCs would not be tempted to immediately go looking for the Heart of Hakotep given that they already have the Mask of Hakotep.

5) I found the encounters for the Hex Crawl in part two to be the least interesting of the adventure because of their lack of connectedness to the overall plot and to each other. Also, the sole encounter map in part two (the hive) was sort of bland.

6) Although most of part 3, the Tomb of Chisisek, is ok, I didn't like the final encounters of the adventure which involve the PCs fighting two different types of golems in back-to-back rooms.

Other Comments
I meant to touch on these things in my earlier reviews:
-I love the new fiction format that provides more adventure content and maps.
-Kudos to the team who designed the inside covers for this adventure path as they are very nicely done. The front inside covers usually provide a short narrative and piece of artwork relevant to the adventure in question while the back inside covers is an ongoing narrative in 6 parts about how an ancient pharaoh's tomb would have been built.

Overall Impression

Because it deals more closely with the main storyline of the AP, I enjoyed reading Shifting Sands more than the first two parts of Mummy's Mask. As I mentioned, the theme appeals to me and some of the encounters make very strong set pieces. However, the adventure does suffer from having too few NPCs to interact with in the first part and from unconnected sandbox encounters in part 2. While there are quite a few ideas that I could see myself using in another campaign, I would not run the adventure from start to finish so I give it three stars.

Osirian Gold

5/5 —

This is an interesting and well-written adventure. Even though there is a linearity to the plot, it allows for a lot of player decision and choice. In fact, one of the sections is a kingmaker-style hex exploration. Original, small dungeons with cool enemies, and a huge potential for role-playing make this one a winner. In my opinion, one of the best works from Richard Pett.

This is to me the quintessential RPG adventure: light dungeons with interesting combats, lots of role-playing, investigations and plenty of decision-making and choices. You can't ask any more than this. Outstanding, Richard.

Overall, a fun adventure with lots of player choices in an interesting locale. The only negative I can see is the same as kingmaker. The exploration part can be tedious for some groups that need to be led a bit more clearly. In this case, there is a clear objective - To find the tomb - so this is less of an issue but it could be a tad repetitive.

My rating: 5 stars. I loved the setting, the role-playing, the story and the possibilities that this adventure has to offer. Good job.

Read my whole review here

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Webstore Gninja Minion

Announced!

Huzzah! Master Pett returns!
Contributor

...now this one, this one has something BAD in it..bad in an old and new way:)

Now, cupcake, back to your darkness.

MMMM'NNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR
Richard Pett wrote:
Now, cupcake, back to your darkness.

Yessss, Masssster.

*slurgles away*
Contributor
MissingNo wrote:
MMMM'NNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR

Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!:)

Richard Pett is writing this one? o.o Oh how am I looking forward to it then!

..looking forward to DMing it, at least. I don't possess the courage to be a player during one of Pett's adventures. Not after seeing what he did with The Wormwood Mutiny and The Sixfold Trial. :P
Richard Pett wrote:
MissingNo wrote:
MMMM'NNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR
Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!:)

ololollrooooooooooltmnooooooooooaaaaaarrrriistyooooooooooooooo

How did I miss this volume being announced.

I hope there are some zombie types lurching around crying 'hak ooo teeeeeep' that can be infiltrated by cunningly saying the same thing ;)
Liberty's Edge

Hey, is it correct that this is on the product schedule on the same month as part 2? Are they planning to release two volumes in the same month?
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Samy wrote:
Hey, is it correct that this is on the product schedule on the same month as part 2? Are they planning to release two volumes in the same month?

Probably not. what you will see is each of the APs being released every month, but I am hoping that they can double up on a month to fix their release schedule back. What will probably happen is that they will release the first volume of Iron Gods in the same month as the last volume of this series.

Webstore Gninja Minion

Product image and description updated.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

That may be the best picture of a sphinx that I have ever seen!

It would be one of my favorite pictures of a sphinx.

So from the fact that this and #80 both got updated today, I think there's actually a pretty good chance that, yeah, they both are coming out at the end of April ... which, combined with all the other stuff coming out that month, is going to make that an interesting month in all sorts of ways ...
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I'll add to the chorus - Loving this cover!

The behir/construct looks like a fun beastie. :3
Liberty's Edge

How about that. There is a purpose to the Sphinx Riddler trait. :D
Paizo Employee Developer
1 person marked this as a favorite.

It's almost like we plan these things. ;)
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Adam Daigle wrote:
It's almost like we plan these things. ;)

Nah, that can't be it. There must be some other force at work here.

;)

I hope that sphinx has oracle levels.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

ORACLE OF THE SPHINX!

Sphinx oracle mystery;) or a sand oracle mystery.
Dark Archive
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
Sphinx oracle mystery;) or a sand oracle mystery.

Sphinx bloodline, or Riddle mystery, or Sandshaper / Khamsin bloodline / elemental specialist, or 'pyramid-power' specialist that draws upon sacred geometry and ley lines and architectural design to create long-lasting magics (or taps such structures to power their own spells), all would be very thematic and cool concepts to see explored in the back articles of this AP.

Theurges dedicted to Abadar would be ideal for magical traditions related to the construction of monuments and similar sorts of architectural 'geomancy,' but Nethys and even Pharasma could get in on the matter (with Pharasman graveyards built according to occult principles meant to prevent the spirits of those within from rising as undead, etc.).
Samy wrote:
How about that. There is a purpose to the Sphinx Riddler trait. :D

Where is that trait ???

Liberty's Edge

People of the Sands, towards the end with the other Mummy's Mask campaign traits.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Love the final cover!
Lantern Lodge Customer Service Dire Care Bear Manager

Gary and Christopher are doing some repair work in the code that generates shipping labels. There may be a few customers that see shipping notices this afternoon as they do final testing to make sure things work. If you see a shipping email, your packages won't leave until Monday at the very earliest.

Because 99.9% of subscribers will not start to see shipping notices until next week, I would ask that anyone who does, be considerate and discreet about the contents/spoilers from the books if you choose to look at your PDFs (for subscribers who get free PDFs when their book ships), until next week when the bulk of subscriptions will be shipped.

cheers!
sara marie
Feros wrote:
Adam Daigle wrote:
It's almost like we plan these things. ;)

Nah, that can't be it. There must be some other force at work here.

;)

Cosmo?

Sara Marie wrote:

Gary and Christopher are doing some repair work in the code that generates shipping labels. There may be a few customers that see shipping notices this afternoon as they do final testing to make sure things work. If you see a shipping email, your packages won't leave until Monday at the very earliest.

Because 99.9% of subscribers will not start to see shipping notices until next week, I would ask that anyone who does, be considerate and discreet about the contents/spoilers from the books if you choose to look at your PDFs (for subscribers who get free PDFs when their book ships), until next week when the bulk of subscriptions will be shipped.

cheers!
sara marie

Thanks for the update/warning/etc...

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

when subscribers *Officially* get this can I ask what a locust cuirass and swarmbow are in a spoiler?
zergtitan wrote:
when subscribers *Officially* get this can I ask what a locust cuirass and swarmbow are in a spoiler?

Those sound like things Deskari would be way into.

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

Yay for the sphinx.
Dark Archive

I'm interested in seeing the swarmbow.
Dark Archive

So anyone got a hold of this yet?
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Axial wrote:
zergtitan wrote:
when subscribers *Officially* get this can I ask what a locust cuirass and swarmbow are in a spoiler?
Those sound like things Deskari would be way into.

It's true.

Dark Archive
zergtitan wrote:
when subscribers *Officially* get this can I ask what a locust cuirass and swarmbow are in a spoiler?

The Swarmbow is a +2 composite shortbow that requires a +5 STR mod to draw. It can summon a wasp swarm once per day on hit.

The Locust Cuirass is the more interesting one. It's a +2 Lamellar cuirass that is light and allows a max Dex of +6. It lets the wearer take 10 on Acrobatics to jump and as an immediate action once per day can summon a locust swarm as a feather fall effect that also allows a horizontal glide during the descent.

Other things of note:

* From my initial look, I'm liking the new research system. It gives libraries defined statblocks for characters to 'fight' with research checks, offers XP for successful research, parcels out information over time allowing partial progress to be made, and is able to succinctly represent how much information is in a library and how complex that info is. It also doesn't override the usefulness of collecting/using libraries because the stat block includes what bonus owning/using the library provides and what checks it provides it to. Overall kudos on this one.

* Several variant mummies. Some are collected from other earlier sources; others I think are new; also some new mummy-curse diseases (at least one of which sounds familiar, but at least one of which I'm pretty sure is new and is basically delusional parasaitosis as a curse). There's some mummy feats (though only one outright requires being a mummy). There's also a spell for creating variant mummies through a dead-animating ritual.

* New monsters:

Desert Vermin-
Giant Assassin Bug (CR 3)
Giant Ground Wasp (CR 4)
Giant Walking Stick (CR 5)

Mummified Animals-
Mummified Baboon (CR 1/2)
Mummified Crocodile (CR 2)
Mummified Elephant (CR 9)
Mummified Hippopotamus (CR 6)
Mummified Animal Template (CR +0-2)

Serpopard (CR 7) - The stretchy-neck leopard pictures are hilarious

Shalkeska (CR 8)

Thriae Dancer (CR 6) - I'm pleased and surprised to see a new Thriae type

* There's some new hex-types for the hex-map exploration/kingdom system (though no kingdom stuff in this): Rocky Plains, Hills, Badlands, Sand Flats, and Dunes.

* Regarding mechanical subsystems:

Spoilers for this adventure:
I think using the chase scene mechanics for the chariot race was a good secondary use for them that avoided re-inventing the wheel when it wasn't required.

* Regarding monster/encounter selection in this adventure:

Spoilers for this adventure:
It's good to see the Thriae present in something, even if it's not a huge part of the adventure.

* For those individuals looking for a diverse selection of romance options in the Pathfinder APs:

Spoilers for this adventure:
There's an overweight romance-option in this adventure.

* I think someone was looking for high-level clerics in Osirion at some point recently:

Spoilers for the city article:
Tephu has a 14th level priest of Maat and a 17th(!) level priestess of Thoth.
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Assassin bug? Niiiice.

Curious as to what the shalkeska is?
Lord Gadigan wrote:
* From my initial look, I'm liking the new research system. It gives libraries defined statblocks for characters to 'fight' with research checks, offers XP for successful research, parcels out information over time allowing partial progress to be made, and is able to succinctly represent how much information is in a library and how complex that info is. It also doesn't override the usefulness of collecting/using libraries because the stat block includes what bonus owning/using the library provides and what checks it provides it to. Overall kudos on this one.

Agreed. It does look like a fun way to include research in a game.

Dark Archive
DeciusNero wrote:
Curious as to what the shalkeska is?

They're magical beasts with the earth subtype. They look close to being aberrations. They've got six legs with really-long claws on the ends that they walk/burrow with, a lizard-like body structure, three solid-brownish-red eyes, a large mouth with teeth around the edge, nostrils, and cactus-spine-like quill groups in a couple ridges down the back.

They can derive nutrition from the ground itself but prefer to ambush prey from a burrowed position. They've got an ability that lets them rush-out from a burrowed position when they detect something with tremorsense to bite it as a single-action that also creates a pit where they rushed out. They tend to lair around rivers, oases, or farmland.
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Sounds interesting, thanks Lord Gadigan!
Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
Lord Gadigan wrote:
Serpopard (CR 7) - The stretchy-neck leopard pictures are hilarious--

--ly awesome.

Of course, I'm a bit biased. :)
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

What other items are presented in the appendix?
Dark Archive
Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:
--ly awesome.

Oh, absolutely, haha.

Zerg Titan wrote:
What other items are presented in the appendix?

Spoiler:
Bottle of Shifting Sand - Splash weapon that alters sandy areas, creates difficult terrain, obscures tracks, penalizes acrobatics, reflex save for entangled and then prone; can give a creature concealment through whirling sand instead

Effigy of Anubis - Speak per dead 1/week if placed on a corpse, with the effigy speaking (though the corpse still needs to be reasonably intact). Single use of temporary resurrection for someone who has been dead less than 48 hours.

Rod of the Uraeus - Acts as a +1 light mace, +2 resistance to Reflex, +5 competence to sense motive, shoots a line of poison twice per day (reflex to avoid) that blinds and paralyses and requires a Fort save to recover from. Only works for lawful characters.

Scarab of Mummy Defense - +4 to saves vs Fear, Lets the wearer detect mummies within 60 feet if they concentrate to check, Absorbs 12 curse or disease effects

Sun Falcon Pectoral - Calls down 5 sunbeams in one period of 5 rounds at a rate of one per round while outside in sunlight, they hit vertical columns for 3d6 untyped damage and blindness (Reflex for half and no blindness). Underground or if it's dark, it can generate daylight for two hours a day.
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

That image of the giant assassin bug is glorious. Also, liking the mummy article; the mention of the Maid of Anactoria, and mummy-related feats (some usable for PC's).
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Also, the Whispering Way and Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh seem to have colluded with one another to see who can have the best 'cyanide pill' for their members....

I noticed that Mummy's Mask books 3 through 6 are on another online store with different cover art. Is there any difference in content, and what's the reasoning behind the different covers? The store has books 1 and 2 with the same art that Paizo has.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I love the research rules in this book so much. I think I'm going to try using them in my Rise of the Runelords game (in the Jorgenfist library, to begin with). If that works, I might add more libraries for research later in the game, since there's a fair amount of hidden knowledge to acquire in that AP.

I also love:

Spoilers for Shifting Sands:
The methods suggested for locating the final wing of the library. The idea of building a scale model of the tower and adding it to the model of the city is cliche in all the right ways. Gives the adventure a fantastic Indiana Jones vibe.

Before this adventure, I had happily categorized this AP as "fun to read, but I probably won't run it", which is my favorite category of AP, since it wouldn't compete for time with all the others I want to run. Now that I've read this one, though, I keep looking at my shelf wondering what I can cut/delay in order to run this....

Curse you, Pett!
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Cuuniyevo wrote:
I noticed that Mummy's Mask books 3 through 6 are on another online store with different cover art. Is there any difference in content, and what's the reasoning behind the different covers? The store has books 1 and 2 with the same art that Paizo has.

If I had to guess, I'd say the other store probably still has the placeholder cover art displayed online. The books should be identical, though. I don't think Paizo prints multiple covers for their adventures.

Scarab Sages
Lord Gadigan wrote:
* For those individuals looking for a diverse selection of romance options in the Pathfinder APs:

So yeah... I'm totally restatting Muminofrah as a N Cleric of Urgathoa, who venerates the hedonistic aspects of the deity.

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