A series of grisly murders are associated with the PCs' names, and they must act to find the real killer and clear themselves.

I don't think I've ever been so excited about a module while reading it: this one is complex, moody, coherent, and downright fascinating. I couldn't wait to run it.

In play we found the relentless horror (following close on _Burnt Offerings_ which was also fairly horrific in play) to be too much for the PCs, but this will obviously vary from group to group. I would have liked to see the backstory of the haunted house connect more tightly to the proposed solution. But the first half, ending in the haunted house, was still a terrific, scary experience.

The second half was a little weaker because the writeup of Magnimar is sparse, and the city locations are not used richly (only a few set piece locations). The promised political intrigue in Magnimar is left purely up to the GM. The final encounter was also dangerously hard for PCs of this level. Still, a colorful and memorable scenario, paling mainly in comparison with the first half.

Supplemental materials include a useful writeup of the cult of Desna, a bestiary, and a sketchy writeup of the city of Magnimar. I was disappointed in the latter, especially compared to the excellent Sandpoint writeup. It was mainly a high-level overview with little in the way of adventure hooks or specific locations. (Anyone using this module should be sure to download the corrected map of Magnimar; the one in the module is mangled.)

Despite my criticisms, I think this is one of the strongest modules I have ever seen. Its emotional punch is so strong that it may well have to be adapted to meet the needs of specific groups, but the raw material is all there, and it's dynamite material.

This chapter was pure genius, especially the haunted house section. My players were creeped out early - beginning on the way to the farmlands after the farmer had talked about walking scarecrows. The true test is not how it reads but how it plays and this Chapter played flawlessly.

My players would not leave the house once they had gone out and met a recreation of the birds. They felt trapped in the house with no escape. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

Thanks so much for a wonderful adventure and AP.

Rise of the Runelords takes a turn for the grim with this installment. The back cover text starts with "They even ate the dogs!" which fits the tone of the adventure perfectly. Things start out in a fairly conventional manner, but end up in a best haunted house since the original Ravenloft, complete with clever new mechanics good enough to insert into the DMG (just be sure you download the update).

The section on Magnimar is awesome. Pretty map, flavorful description, just enough detail to run with as a DM without feeling boxed-in. Some map key issues should be resolved by downloading the new map on the paizo site...too bad the printed map has errors, but they jumped right on fixing it.

Pathfinder Journal's font and presentation problems disappear in this installment, as the format changes up a bit. After the Pathfinder organization overview in issue one, we shift gears into a "in-character" journal as recorded by one of the Pathfinders themselves, which was a great choice for immersion in the world. Really a useful tool for describing things as the players would see them.

The only downside I see to this issue is the mistakes that crept in and had to be fixed later on the website. However, this situaiton is understandable given the timetable they were facing. If this were Pathfinder 12 instead of 2, I'd be more concerned.

Once again, Pathfinder delivers. Recommended. (*****)

The adventure in itself is outstanding. Creepy, entertaining, well balanced between investigations, fights and exploration... that's all good.

There is one minor flaw: the very pretty Magnimar map with keys and locations that do not match, as well as problems of orientation (one text mentions a migration of an NPC south, and the map shows the district thus created in the West of the river).

There's also a small question of thematic: I really appreciated the description of Desna and her cult. This is a great job, really. I would have appreciated something more fitting the creepy/horror genre of the adventure though. Lamashtu, or Ghaur (or Ghauth? Spelling may be off - it's described as some sort of horrific mosquito half-god of bloodsuckers and sickenesses) would have been a better fit. Something more relevant to the rest of the volume.

These are both minor issues to me, but it's enough for me to award 4 instead of 5 stars for this volume. Got to start getting tough on the marking for further improvements, here! :)

Here in the second installment of the Rise of the Runelords campaign, we get the same mix as in the first: a splendid adventure along with background articles rounding out the campaign setting, new monsters and more. The Introduction talks not only about the talents of the adventure's author but how they are ideally suited to the darker turn that the campaign plotline is taking. For a vicious serial killer is loose in Sandpoint, and this adventure involves unravelling the complex background to his crimes as well as finding out who the murderer is - someone encountered during Burnt Offerings, the last person you'd think of as a brutal murderer.

The adventure begins as a classic murder mystery, with a gruesome murder which the characters - as known heroes around Sandpoint - are asked to investigate on behalf of the authorities. Like any good murder investigation, there are plenty of clues, and a good few red herrings as well. The clue chain is well-constructed and the characters ought to be able to find their way along it without feeling that they are being led by the nose. Several people the characters will encounter have been driven mad by what they have seen - a fine opportunity for the DM to enjoy a spot of ranting and raving, plenty of scope to bring the horror of the situation to life by demonstrating the effect it has had on the minds of those who have seen more than they ought.

If this isn't enough, following the clues will eventually lead the characters to investigate a haunted manor house. It's full of spectacular hauntings and things guaranteed to make everyone twitchy... a beautiful example of a sometimes cliched 'place to visit' within role-playing. A skillful system of 'hauntings' can bring both fear and real danger to the characters as they explore.

I gave 5 stars to the 1st episode, this one is better!

Read the full review at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/

Richard has gone and impressed me again. A great investigative story with thrilling and suspenseful elements that kept me reading it until I was finished. I can't wait to run Pathfinder....I really can't wait to pit players against the likes of the Skinsaw Man. The tie-ins between the adventures is an element I always try to have in my games too, so I really appreciate Paizo adding that into the AP.

The Skinsaw Murders advances the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path with natural, clever transitions in the encounters.

The Haunted House in this adventure is the best that I've ever seen and introduces a tool Hauntings that gives the whole production a cinematic feel. (Reminds me of John Cusack's problems in 1408.)

And the Villains are Evil and very Scary! An excellent Pathfinder opening by Richard Pett.

Plus the rest of the book has excellent features, and the overall production value remains very high!

I really like this adventure.

Halloween is nearing and the adventure mood fits nicely to this time.

Apart from the plot line which is very likely to captivate my fellow players, Richard Pett provides tips and additional information:

How to extend the plot line, read hering in order to lead your PCs astray, how to foreshadow future events and how to build upon part 1 of the adventure path while at the same time ensuring that this part can be played on its own, too.

I might be biased, but I see this adventure appealing especially well to my group's "adventure component favourites": A bit of mystery, deep history looming just "beyond the next bend", plenty of challenging encounters, and especially the opportunities for PCs to be tempted by each one's "favourite" weakness (nice step to make the seven sins meaningful for the PCs, too).

This adventure shows that you can create nice challenges for players without access to MM II - V, just by using OGL critters/ templates. As for its predecessor, you just need the core rules and this adventure in order to start playing in a nicely detailled campaign world.

Very nicely done, and I am looking forward to the rest of this AP.

Not only is the beautiful Seoni on the cover, a plus for any fanboy, but The Skinsaw Murders is another great adventure. The art is greatly improved in this issue. If you liked the Pathfinder Journals you're in for a treat with this one. The info on Desna is just what we needed and hopefully we'll get more on the other gods soon.

I can't wait to see next issue.

Well seeing as how I couldn't wait for my print version, I just finished my first read through of The Skinsaw Murders pdf. While it's good I have to say that I like Burnt Offerings better so far. (That may change once I start running Skinsaw.) Overall it's a great product it just doesn't strike a cord with me. The one thing I will say turned me off a bit is how the Magnimar part plays out. The first part has this big buildup (which it should) but after that climax the rest seems hurried.

In the end maybe it just reads that way but for now that feeling of oh just hurry up just throws me off.

Still a good product and I have yet to see a reason to end my subscription. (Which even though paizo did great work with Dragon and Dungeon, I still thought I would end up doing.) So great job guys, keep it up.