A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 7–11.
Among the earliest Pathfinders was the Gojan the Sharp, famed for his studies of the technology-strewn wasteland of Numeria before he disappeared forever into the infamous Silver Mount. The Pathfinder Society has uncovered a forgotten cache of Gojan’s Numerian journals identifying sites unknown even to the local barbarian chieftains. The time is right to unearth a pristine piece of alien technology! However, Pathfinders should remember that for every untouched marvel that remains, an unblinking sentry may lie in wait.
This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild 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.
After having both run and played this game, I can say it's honestly pretty amazing. Meets expectations of a technology mod with robots and *very* cool tech items on the cert, without boring the players and GM with 6 robot combats.
Has probably the second coolest NPC I've seen to date (behind Valais) who lets PCs with no tech skills still complete the mod and leads to some really awesome RP opportunities. And if there does happen to be a technologist on the table, both the technologist and the NPC are still very useful in ensuring the scenario is 100%ed.
Uses haunts really well, ensuring almost any PC has at least a chance of shutting them down, with amazingly cool descriptions of what they actually do and effects that mimic what's going on really well.
The final fight is super cool, with skill checks to goad the BBEG into making themselves vulnerable before a really climactic fight against an awesome villain. Has been a real threat to PCs both playing and running the mod, without threatening a TPK.
Perfect flavour, perfect delivery on promise, perfect difficulty level. Please make Isabelle write more scenarios, I'm itching to see more of her work (for those curious, #1 is Rats of Round Mountain Pt1).
Wardens is a mix of combat and investigation, and a few skill challenges.
Wardens has an exceptional story with a great theme and environment. Fun NPC. I believe that the scenario is so strong, even a GM who can’t roleplay can’t mess it up too badly. It’s worth noting that I hate tech and still thought this scenario was great.
There was a fun decision to make at the end.
The only criticism of the scenario is that the combats were a little too weak, but it didn’t matter. Also, we skipped some encounters, didn't roleplay as much as we could, and it still went long.
”Detailed Rating”:
Length: Long (4.5 hours). Fairly sure the optional was skipped.
Experience: Player with 6 good PCs at subtier 10-11.
Sweet Spot: TBD.
Entertainment: I had fun learning the story and mystery behind this scenario. (8/10)
Story: Unique and fun story, awesome NPC, fun environment. (9/10)
Roleplay: Will completely depend on the GM, but it’s there. (7/10)
Combat/Challenges: I thought the combats were a little weak and some of the monster choices could have been better. (7/10)
Maps: Great. (9/10)
Boons: Players who like tech or powerful boons will like them, I thought they were too much. (1/10)
Uniqueness: Just the NPC alone makes it unique. (9/10)
GM Preparation: TBD.
Overall: An NPC worth knowing and a story worth learning. (9/10).
When I played this scenario yesterday we had a group of 4 lv 9 and one lv 10 so we played at the lowest possible high tier. (with adjustment) We had a very fun experience while interacting with the NPCs in the camp and the ones in the dungeon. The exploration of the weird stuff we found was also very satisfying BUT the mechanical part of this adventure seems completely underwhelming. ALL encounters were far too weak and we got even the “harder” version of the boss.
Spoiler:
The technological aspects were integrated perfectly but the enjoyment of the scenario was massively reduced due to the overuse of one of the worst mechanics in the Game: Haunts. Nearly all encounters would have profited from higher CRed Monsters and the haunts did not scale at all. In my opinion, advanced CR4 creatures have nothing to do in subtier 10-11 and the boss could have vastly benefitted from some minions or a higher ceiling in the room to use his advantages.
I played this at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has lots of different things in it for many different character types set in a great location with some excellent GM opportunities.
It would have been 5 star but for the slight bait and switch element too it. Overall I highly recommend this one and am looking forward to running it.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Congratulations Isabelle! Sadly not looking forward to more tech scenarios. Hopefully not a trend for the 7-11's this season. Looking forward to trying your next one! Be sure to Write a Review when you play/run this everyone!
Congratulations Isabelle! Sadly not looking forward to more tech scenarios. Hopefully not a trend for the 7-11's this season. Looking forward to trying your next one! Be sure to Write a Review when you play/run this everyone!
I would sooooo love to see at least 3 tech scenarios a year. May be in the 3-7 and 7-11 teirs. It would be even better if they were a connected story, like a little story arc with three parts.
We at Paizo strongly recommend against applying ketchup to your PDFs, though we recognize the specs of some digital devices may vary and be better equipped to accommodate condiments than others.
This is still on track for release today. However, there is a slight technical hurdle with the subscription that is causing it to display as available for tomorrow. Do not panic, this is temporary, and it will be available for purchase this afternoon.
Thanks John for that list. it will save me prep time. Still waiting to it to appear in my downloads but at least I know what to go dig out and pick up for maps
How easy would this be to slip into Iron Gods as a side quest?
This could make an interesting side quest before or after The Choking Tower. It might also fit with some of Valley of the Brain Collectors, and with some powering up of encounters, it could even play into some of the Kellid elements in Palace of Fallen Stars.
How easy would this be to slip into Iron Gods as a side quest?
This could make an interesting side quest before or after The Choking Tower. It might also fit with some of Valley of the Brain Collectors, and with some powering up of encounters, it could even play into some of the Kellid elements in Palace of Fallen Stars.
Adding aspects of "recruit the Ghost Wolves to fight the Technic League" might be a good way to tie it in. ^_^
Vaguely spoilerish stuff:
There are some aspects that might be redundant to Iron Gods, although I'm sure the individual I'm thinking of wouldn't mind - it might even be a good way to drip-feed certain story elements (concerning Unity and the Divinity) to the players.
Good to see some occasional stuff with tech! I wouldn't want all tech all the time, but I'd hate for people who took the Technologist feat to feel cheated :)
As a follow-up to the earlier question, I'm posting some thoughts about this scenario's interactions with Iron Gods here, just in case people want to try integrating it with that AP. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Wardens of Sulfur Gulch and Iron Gods:
Isirah obviously has some echoes of Casandalee; while the two are different in many ways, adding Isirah to the campaign might steal some of Casandalee's thunder. Consider carefully before adding this scenario to Iron Gods.
I received the following questions; I'm sharing the answers here for others to consider for their campaigns.
Quote:
Unlikely, but would Isirah have any idea who/what Casandalee is?
Not in the slightest. Casandalee lived and died long after the spaceship crash. Isirah would know what androids were, though, in the same way a Golarion native would know what halflings were.
Quote:
How would the two characters interact?
Isirah would be eager to learn more about the android AI, especially since Casandalee was a spellcaster in life (and Isirah was deeply fascinated by the idea of magic). In addition, Casandalee's travels across Golarion would be of great interest to the exploration-obsessed starfarer.
For her part, Casandalee's reactions are hard to gauge. I'd have her be wary at first - for all she knows, this other AI is just a disguised agent of Unity. Beyond that, just see how things develop.
Quote:
What might Isirah know about the larger plot of Iron Gods?
Very little. In my personal headcanon, the Aerotech Synthesis Compound wasn't part of Divinity at all - it was one of the smaller ships that accompanied Divinity. (Reference the inside front cover of The Divinity Drive.) She would know of Unity, but only in its mundane form as the central AI of Divinity - she wouldn't know about its madness or its rise to godhood. Likewise, she would know nothing of Numeria, the Technic League, or anything else of Golarion. She might know a little about the various Dominion creatures in Book 4, but that information is mostly lost to her as a result of Imperfect Transference.
If anyone has further questions about integrating the two, PMs are open; alternatively, starting a thread in the Iron Gods subforum (and PMing me a link) might be wise. ^_^