AP Gore levels?


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion


Heya!

I've started entertaining the idea of running a play-by-post for my friends who are completely new to Pathfinder (tho not new to rpgs in general). I'm considering to just jump into the deep, start an adventure path, and see where we end up. However, there's something I'm slightly worried about.

My players in general have pretty iron stomachs and such, but I like to err on the side of caution. For the PbP I've been considering Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne. Then I remembered how the Hook Mountain Massacre book of RotRL is known to have like high amounts of gore and brutal scenes, courtesy of the ogres.

Which got me to thinking, how does the rest of Rise and the other paths of the series fare in that department? Aside from the last book of Hell's Rebels, I don't truly know any other extremely gory situations in APs. So I was wondering how gory people rank the different APs, and what specific segments come to mind.

Grand Lodge

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Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

With regard to the gorier parts of some APs, you play that stuff up or down depending on your group comfort level. No one will criticize you for accommodating your group's taste. Well, you shouldn't be criticized at any rate.

-Skeld


Yes, of course, absolutely. I just got curious as to what specific scenes/books/anything hold a Reputation, so to say.


Ralphrius wrote:
how does the rest of Rise ...

Full disclosure, but Skeld above is my group's GM, but from my recollection the rest of Rise had nothing on the Hook Mountain Ogres, and Mammy in particular. So, I don't know what Skeld may have been downplaying, but I would imagine little. Now, the Iron Cages of Lust (?) in Runeforge has a lot of other issues that may be sensitive to a group, and I do like how Skeld completely downplayed that for us. Jorimandus' domain in Runeforge can be pretty gross as well, but still nothing like the ogres.

As for other APs, I am running Legacy of Fire, and have read through Serpent's Skull, Second Darkness, and Ruins of Azlant, and I can't think of any gory scenes that stood out in those APs.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

There's some intense stuff in the later books of Hell's Rebels, including some rather gory murder scenes.


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I think there was a lot of grim stuff in Carrion Crown, but after a while diminishing returns and desensitization kicked in. "So, the entire floor is covered in a heap of corpses... does that make it difficult terrain?"

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Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
justaworm wrote:
Ralphrius wrote:
how does the rest of Rise ...

Full disclosure, but Skeld above is my group's GM, but from my recollection the rest of Rise had nothing on the Hook Mountain Ogres, and Mammy in particular. So, I don't know what Skeld may have been downplaying, but I would imagine little. Now, the Iron Cages of Lust (?) in Runeforge has a lot of other issues that may be sensitive to a group, and I do like how Skeld completely downplayed that for us. Jorimandus' domain in Runeforge can be pretty gross as well, but still nothing like the ogres.

As for other APs, I am running Legacy of Fire, and have read through Serpent's Skull, Second Darkness, and Ruins of Azlant, and I can't think of any gory scenes that stood out in those APs.

I really wanted the ogres' unrestrained brutality to stick with the heroes, so I made sure to play that up.

And, you're correct, I played down some of the kinky sex stuff in the Iron Cages because in-game sex and sexual situations are, to me, kind of waste of time an energy. I'm here for adventure, not a 15 year old's fantasy sex romp through Golarion, or a detailed analysis of succubus' sex toys.

-Skeld


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Reign of Winter has some questionably gory bits in the second book, specifically in the Clock Tower. Again it involves ogres, but also a witch, her animated oven, and quite a few kids....


Carnival of Tears is another poster child for gore. (Module though, not an AP. i DID drop it into my Kingmaker game however,)

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Does it count as gore if dungeon is biological decaying alien spaceship with gross body functions like gas and macrobacteria?


I have to admit I read "Al Gore levels" in the thread title..

that said, every AP is gory if you think about it. I mean, your hacking and slaying monsters and villains left and and right. If there's no blood and gore, then you're not hacking and slaying.

however, most groups probably ignore THAT gore


Giantslayer has some increasingly disturbing depictions of giants. If I remember correctly, the 3rd or 4th module has a review in which the reviewer basically says, "Some of the artwork is making me feel pukey, please stop."

Having said that, I played through it and didn't feel like I was getting gore forced at me. The GM made it clear that the giants were pretty terrible and were enslaving/eating people, but not a lot of gorey descriptions. Oh! Wait! I think I may remember one area being described as a "blood river of human body parts." I think it was in a giant's keep. But that was about the only disgusting thing I recall.

Also, yes, Carnival of Tears is a bit vomit-inducing. Here's an interesting tidbit: the guy responsible for the gross parts of Carnival of Tears is, I believe, the same guy responsible for the gross parts of Rise of the Runelords.


Strange Aeons can get pretty f#@!ed up.


It can be assumed most APs have at least one gore scene.


Skinsaw Murders has plenty of macabre scenes.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Hells Vengeance can begin to get a bit disturbing even from the latter sections of book 1, however, seeing as it is specifically designed as an evil campaign in Cheliax, it can sort of be given a pass.

There are also several bits of CotCT that I reckon could be played up or played down, such as:

Spoiler:
the final room of the temple of Urgathoa, with all it's lovely humours, the level of scarification on any of the successfully initiated grey maidens, or even Kazavons resurrection at the end, depending on how amenable your players are to a body being built back up from bone, muscle by muscle and sinew by sinew. My personal take on that last bit before it gets disrupted is similar to dragon resurection by Alduin in Skyrim.

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