Pathfinder Module: Masks of the Living God (PFRPG) (based on
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Paizo Publishing, LLC
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An adventure for 3rd-level Pathfinder Roleplaying Game characters.
Cult of Personality
Razmir the Living God used his power to conquer an entire country; now he and his mask-wearing priests enforce peace and generosity—though some say their tools are intimidation and fear. His worshipers preach charity and self-worth, blaming rival faiths for crafting lies about the glories of the Living God. Now the cult has come to the city of Tamran, feeding the poor and promising happiness to those who serve Razmir. Yet ugly rumors persist of bribery, extortion, and strange disappearances associated with the new temple. Are these stories just gossip and lies spread by rival faiths? Or is the church of the Living God more than it seems?
Masks of the Living God is a adventure for 3rd-level characters, written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and compatible with the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest RPG. This city-based adventure involves infiltrating a fortified temple and exposing the evil deeds of its cultists.
This adventure is set in the wooded land of Nirmathas in the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, but can easily be adapted for any game world. It can be used as a sequel to Crypt of the Everflame or as a stand-alone adventure, and is a prequel to the adventure City of Golden Death.
Written by Jason Bulmahn
Pathfinder Modules are 32-page, high-quality, full-color, adventures using the Open Game License to work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the standard 3.5 fantasy RPG rules set. This Pathfinder Module includes four pre-made characters so players can jump right into the action, and full-color maps to enhance play.
ISBN 13: 978-1-60125-207-4
Masks of the Living God is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle Sheet and additional rules for running this module are a free download (217 KB zip/PDF).
This module is a great follow up to the Crypt of the Everflame. The module is tricky to run for a novice GM in that creative players can approach the challenge in several ways so some GMs will need to adapt the plot a bit but enough hints are given to make it easy enough for an experienced GM.
A great deal of potential but too much railroading!
My group enjoyed playing Crypt of the Everflame a great deal and I was looking forward to running Masks of the Living God next. I was especially excited by the premise of infiltrating a masked cult and all of the possibilities that it presented. However, after reading the adventure, I realized that I would not be able to run this adventure without either a high level of railroading or a great deal of time spent reworking it.
Spoiler:
As a follow up to Crypt of the Everflame, this adventure has the players infiltrate the headquarters of a cult of Razmir that has recently become more prominent in the capital city of Nirmathas.
Some of the good points about this adventure are that it presents some interesting opportunities for roleplaying and strategy (if the priests all wear masks, the players may try to impersonate some of its members) and that the temple itself can be an interesting place to explore/infiltrate.
However, for the adventure to work as written, the plot requires that the players be poisoned and captured by the cult, stripped of all their belongings and then inducted into the cult. Otherwise you end up missing aobut half of the adventure and it turns into a standard dungeon crawl.
I was also disappointed with the first part of the adventure which consists of little more than a random encounter table and features a single encounter with pirates that has no bearing on the rest of the adventure.
Finally, other minor things such as a number of typos throughout the text and uninspiring/bad artwork for the NPCs and villains make this a somewhat unsatisfying module, which is definitely not up to Pathfinder's usually high standards.
A very interesting module with different ways to reach the end and beat-down the evil cultists. Each player's decision can radically change the mood of the story. Players can follow the daily routine of the Temple or be more courageous and stealthy explore the area, disturb the razmir-way-of-life and bring the chaos in the quiet rooms...
Nice NPCs (the boss was very tricky and killed one of my players), good events with different options, fun traps, not linear...
A very strong follow-up to Crypt of the Everflame. I always appreciate adventure modules which are something other than a tired old combatfest, and this one delivers.
The default assumption here is infiltration of a mysterious cult, but enough info is given to also fuel direct-assault and sneaky spy approaches. The cult headquarters is nicely mapped out, as are the key NPC personalities.
Excellent module if you want to give your players some freeform fun with social-fu and sneaking around, instead of just "kill&loot".
As suggested in the product description, this is an infiltration mission. Sneak into the evil cult, find out what its aims are (especially if you are playing the series) and destroy it from the inside out.
This adventure is the middle part of a 3 part series, which includes notes on how to play it as a solo, which I intend to do and appreciated. It includes the customary new monster and a brief note on the church of Razmir. Despite being an adventure centering around an evil cult, this one is a PG rating. Take it or leave it, but I can't help but wonder what Logue or Pett would've done with this one...
The adventure is not original, but it is well written and enjoyable. I recommend it for lazy DMs and new players, as it has few complicated encounters and requires little DM prep. The locals are also not exotic, but are logical. As a nice side, the author includes how to play paladins and clerics who need to change face but might not want to change faith. Problems can be solved in various ways, including diplomacy over swords. For players who want to roleplay, this adventure offers an excellent stage. It would also be highly adaptable to several different settings.
In conclusion, this adventure is basic and straightforward, enjoyable for both DMs and players. It's just nothing I couldn't've come up with myself, hence the average rating.
This is an compelling narrative housed in an effective and elegant design. The investigation of the Cult of the Living God engages players through the use of their skills and plays like a crime drama. The final series of encounters were greatly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed by my players. Excellent and commendable work.
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