Pathfinder Society Scenario #13: The Prince of Augustana (OGL) PDF (based on
12
reviews)
Paizo Publishing, LLC
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A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2 and 4–5).
When an old beggar shows up filthy and injured on the doorstep of the Augustana Pathfinder Lodge in Andoran and demands to be recognized as Andoran's one true Emperor, Venture-Captain Wallace is inclined to chase him off. But when the old beggar reveals a wayfinder and tells a tale of demons and portals to another world beneath the streets of Augustana, Wallace summons you from Absalom to investigate. Will you make it through sewers, swarms, and sanctuaries to uncover the truth or will the dangers of the Augustana underworld consume you forever?
Written by Craig Shackleton
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 3.5 edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game.
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I GMed this adventure for my home PFS group the other month. Sewer adventures always get shafted (no pun intended) and are often boring and derivative. I did not feel this module fit that generalization. While being a fairly standard sewer crawl with a little fun roleplay stuck in the middle and a great backstory, it's different enough to be worth playing.
There are a couple problems though with the module. It does suffer from being a module that doesn't translate well from season zero. With that in mind it's very unfortunate I have to give this module three stars (it is EASILY a four star adventure that suffers from season-zeroitis). It also suffers from having an immensely interesting backstory, but little opportunity to fill in the players with what's going on while trying to work within the time limit of scenario adventures.
Several encounters no longer function as written due to mechanical changes, which in turn removes any and all challenge from the fights. It takes a creative GM who's willing to do the translation of the spirit of the module (not the word of the rules for converting) for this to work well. I think it's far better than a lot of other 1-5 adventures, but as more top-notch stuff comes out, modules like this unfortunately get overshadowed.
This mission suffers from the same problem that plagues all confined-space missions. When you have a full 6 man table 5 foot corridors simply do. not. work. Mobility can really bog down in certain areas.
That said, the adventure is salvageable if your GM runs this with comedy in mind, as there's plenty to be had. A good GM can turn this 2 star module into a 3 or 4 star module easily, but you've really got to play up the hilarity that COULD happen.
I bashed on "Eye of the Crocodile King" for being a sewer level. This scenario is another sewer level.
But it's one done right. The fights are easy, but fun, there is at least a bit of good ol' roleplaying among the rollplaying and at least some of the faction missions are not your average run-of-the-mill grab-stuff.
Not great, but we had a fun time with this one.
There are two things to see in Andoran; the small heads of the Andoren, and the sewers of Augustana.
This is the latter. Despite the railroadish feeling of the scenario, multiple interesting NPCs and encounters make this an enjoyable scenario. The mission isn't to get the fabled MacGuffin, which is a nice change of pace.
What does make me frown are the maps. The last encounter with the map is just horrible, but fortunately you could easily just make it all better with a few more lines with a pencil. As if anyone would complain.
This is the 12th module I have run in society play, and this has been my least favorite. Most I would give 4 or 5 stars. In this module, there are a couple of encounters that slow the game down to a 4e pace. I ran this one at Lev. 4-5, so others may have had better experiences at the lower tier.
The characters are half the fun in this adventure. Making it easy to want to play on. The scenes are in complex and dynamic allowing for some fun happenings. Don't worry too much about the underworld consuming you. It will help you appreciate the light more when you reach topside.
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Man, I really, really want to rank this higher . . .
Players had a blast in this one when it came to the roleplaying aspects, and the story was great, the mission made sense . . . but the challenge was way too easy, at least in Tier one with a group that was mixed between 1st and 2nd level.
Seriously, its a really good adventure, if you aren't quite as worried about if the PCs feel like they were in danger very often.