Preparing for "In Pale Mountain's Shadow" for 5 PCs, adjustment help needed!

[Darksol the Painbringer]

SPOILERS FOR "IN PALE MOUNTAIN'S SHADOW," PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED OR ARE GOING TO PLAY THIS PART OF THE ADVENTURE!!!

So I've been tasked with GMing this part of the Doomsday Dawn playtest, and one of the biggest hurdles I have is with adjusting this part to account for 5 players. Yes, I know the game assumes 4, and I should houserule/change as little as possible for raw playtest data, but I kind of throw that out the window with a 5th, so the next best thing would be to get fair adjustments (maybe a developer can chime in?) so that the playtest data isn't as skewed. I don't really need to change the DCs of the traps or anything, but some help/feedback with what I can do to adjust encounters would be appreciated.

The party in question is composed of a Druid, a Barbarian, a Wizard, a Cleric, and a Paladin (which, after a cursory reading, would make this quite a fitting combat group). They only have access to all common items (plus availability from whatever Ancestry feats or class features give them) and their 300 gold. I will allow them to donate up to half their gold to an ally if they wanted to buy something expensive (which means they still have 150 gold to buy stuff with); if there are any "broken" things that can be bought with up to 750 gold pieces that is common, please let me know so I can tell them it's simply not available (and mostly so it doesn't ruin the playtest data results).

With that being said, let's get into the nitty-gritty.

Encounter 1:

The Hyenas. I'm probably going to add one or two more hyenas to account for the additional PC. They are only level 1 creatures, and the 5 level 4 PCs will have even numbers to face, making it a more "level" encounter. Alternatively, I could make it be Two Hyaenadons, but I don't want to make it too difficult; it's only the first encounter, after all.

Encounter 2:

The Ankhrava. Should I make it be 2 Ankhravas (the pit should be more than big enough to hold them), or could I just give it an extra +1 to everything or some more HP to make it more durable/formidable? The fear with 2 Ankhravas is that I don't want to ruin the PC's gear too much, though I can alter that with their combat tactics as needed.

Encounter 3:

The Lesser Gnoll Encampment. I could probably just add another Elite Gnoll Warrior to the repertoire. I'm hesitant on instead making a 2nd Scorpion, because I know Poison effects are a very nasty lot, and much like the Ankheg, adding an additional source of a potential condition is very difficult.

Encounter 4:

The Manticore. It already looks tough as it is. I don't think I need to change this any more than I have to. (If my PCs are smart, they might just avoid this encounter, but I won't try to edge them one way or the other unless they have PC knowledge about it, so that I can see if my players are smart or capable enough of avoiding the monster, or if they won't care and just want to kill stuff.)

Encounter 5:

Zakfah's Troop. This is perhaps the most interesting encounter yet, mostly due that, if the players defeat the previous encounter, they might just avoid this one entirely, and could even perhaps enlist their help in clearing the tomb (in exchange for shares of the loot, of course; after all, they are interested in riches and supplies) if they want to go down that route. For combat purposes, I'll simply add another Gnoll Warrior. I'll certainly award hero points if they either bypass them through the Manticore ordeal, and/or if they "befriend" them into the tomb.

Encounter 6 & 7:

The Elementals. I might just boost the Minor Elementals up to Lesser Elementals; this keeps the aspects the same, and adjusts the encounter in a way that I'm most comfortable with (helps with OCD and all that)! Unless I wanted to add weaker creatures (which doesn't seem viable with the encounter theme) or simply add bonuses/HP (which could honestly be accomplished by adding levels), I'm not seeing it happen here.

Encounter 8:

The mummies. Considering they are only 2nd level, I considered adding 2 more, but between all of the saving throws, and how, to this day, Mummy Rot is still extremely powerful (and can't really be countered at this level!), I'm hesitant on really adding anything, unless it fits the overall theme, so I guess just give them some added HP?

Encounter 9:

The Night Heralds. While having a 5th level "PC" aided by 3 other "PC" characters seems suitable enough of a challenge to the PCs, I might want to have an additional "PC" character customized separately from what's here so that I can both have a bit more "creative freedom" with the encounter, but also to counteract that they could have both Zakfah and the Janni here to help fight them (the former is doubtful, but the Janni is quite likely). Strangely, these are either "opposite" or "countering" character concepts (except the Rogue), so I was wanting maybe a Monk character who believes that the path of the Night Heralds/Dark Tapestry was the true way to enlightenment, and that other ways are destined for failure? Heck, he might even be an Armored Monk (taking Fighter Dedication), just to try out the concept.

If enough interest is in this to see it develop, I may just post a sample build (which can also be good for online translations of the PF2 statblocks. On top of that, with the creative freedom of being a GM, the stats can be whatever I want/need them to be!

What does everyone think of these adjustments? Too much here? Too little there? Are there any parts that I probably just shouldn't touch? Are there any parts that might require other adjustments (such as additional hazards)? Any suggestions on what to do/build for Encounter 9?

[Castilliano]

My thoughts:
I think some of your adjustments err a little high, which doesn't matter much except re: the data gathered. I'd recommend looking at the encounter adjustment recommendations in the Bestiary re: how many XP to add to the encounter. Then choose whether and how much to bend the rules based on that.

E1: More Hyenas better, especially w/ Pack Attack, but maybe roll several initiatives since these creatures naturally focus fire.
E2. Elite template on Ankhrav. Maybe widen quicksand to hit two PCs?
E3. Yes, another elite gnoll. Or several regular gnolls if you think there will be an extended ranged portion in combat.
E4. Elite template. Paladin & Cleric should be able to keep the party alive, even if it drains their resources so they have to rest.
E5. The battle is too clogged on that trail to really add too many, so maybe add elite template or a warrior from the camp.
I can't see handing out hero points as it's a minor success to avoid combat, and if gaining an ally (which really doesn't fit IMO, and throws the future combats out of whack) that would be its own reward.
E6 & E7: Adding the elite template to the weaker elementals balances better. If you do use a second big elemental because you like battles a bit harder, make sure they don't focus fire. Crits happen.
E8. Their version of mummy rot is hardly a factor, and this is a fairly easy encounter, so add two if you like flanking or elite template to all four. Maybe even have new ones come in waves off the walls once others get killed. (I think adding just one is the default though.)
E9. Another 3rd level hits the balance, but if you want a big brouhaha, then go for it. Only one PC needs to survive, right? But then you'll be skewing the playtest data too, so make sure the players know that before they fill out their surveys!
Not sure how Mabar, the last magic items (if IDed), & unused gems (again if IDed) are supposed to factor in this last battle because each has potentially large ramifications!

Hope that helped!

[Darksol the Painbringer]

1. I'll probably have three separate initiatives, one for the Hyaenadon, and one for each of the two Hyenas in combat.

2. Elite template makes sense; I didn't know what it did, so I had to look it up. This helps!

3. This might be something I have to adjust on the fly, but I can just reference the other creature entries to compensate as needed.

4. Fair enough, I just don't want it to be so strong it TPKs the party. They will have faced 3 encounters prior to this, and possibly burned too many resources. I understand they can rest prior to this combat, but I don't want to randomly throw in a super-strong enemy at the end and decimate the party. (This basically happened at the end of The Lost Star, and I'd rather not have a repeat of this unless that's just how the playtest is.)

5. I'd only add one standard warrior, though making them elite can give the same amount of raw challenge without making it more congested, so I might just do that instead.

6/7. It just seems strange to me that the elementals aren't identical in power for some reason, but maybe if an Elite Minor is comparible to a Lesser I can skate by it.

8. Interesting. When I think "Mummy," I think "No curing = Death," similar to PF1, and I don't think the party has access to those options just yet. But I guess they heavily nerfed it to not be bad. I'll probably just make them Elite, since based on the entry it will be hardpressing to fit more than 4 in there.

9. It does, but adding another 3rd level when there is another 4th level PC (plus an NPC) doesn't seem to upset the balance too much. I probably won't make them have anything too valuable for items and such so that the value of the PCs aren't inflated at the end of the adventure, and Monk seems to fit that the best (plus works as an interesting analogue to the Party's Barbarian). I don't know if the gems will be ID'd or not, or if Mabar will be an effective contribution based on his tactics (and if the PCs will give him a weapon to fight with), but I can simply subtract the NPC when the time comes based on the results of the rest of the adventure.

Also, as a dumb question, will the PCs ever level up in this adventure? Between 9 different encounters, it seems like they would level-up at least part-way through...

[Castilliano]

Darksol the Painbringer wrote:

1. I'll probably have three separate initiatives, one for the Hyaenadon, and one for each of the two Hyenas in combat.

2. Elite template makes sense; I didn't know what it did, so I had to look it up. This helps!

3. This might be something I have to adjust on the fly, but I can just reference the other creature entries to compensate as needed.

4. Fair enough, I just don't want it to be so strong it TPKs the party. They will have faced 3 encounters prior to this, and possibly burned too many resources. I understand they can rest prior to this combat, but I don't want to randomly throw in a super-strong enemy at the end and decimate the party. (This basically happened at the end of The Lost Star, and I'd rather not have a repeat of this unless that's just how the playtest is.)

5. I'd only add one standard warrior, though making them elite can give the same amount of raw challenge without making it more congested, so I might just do that instead.

6/7. It just seems strange to me that the elementals aren't identical in power for some reason, but maybe if an Elite Minor is comparible to a Lesser I can skate by it.

8. Interesting. When I think "Mummy," I think "No curing = Death," similar to PF1, and I don't think the party has access to those options just yet. But I guess they heavily nerfed it to not be bad. I'll probably just make them Elite, since based on the entry it will be hardpressing to fit more than 4 in there.

9. It does, but adding another 3rd level when there is another 4th level PC (plus an NPC) doesn't seem to upset the balance too much. I probably won't make them have anything too valuable for items and such so that the value of the PCs aren't inflated at the end of the adventure, and Monk seems to fit that the best (plus works as an interesting analogue to the Party's Barbarian). I don't know if the gems will be ID'd or not, or if Mabar will be an effective contribution based on his tactics (and if the PCs will give him a weapon to fight with), but I can simply subtract the NPC...

Even though the manticore & Night Heralds were tough, my group had the hardest time w/ the elementals. And that's w/ the environment playing only a minor role. (They used a gem vs. the Night Heralds which helped quite a bit.)

You're right though about if they face an elite manticore while drained.
Maybe two manticores w/ the weak template? In PF1 that'd be the same level of threat, but w/ less explosive damage, so easier to mitigate. Not sure about PF2.

The mummy curse is "nerfed" because it's on a level 2 creature.
Old school mummies, now level 6, have a tenacious, damaging curse as do the pharaohs.

The adventure feels like 2 PFS scenarios or about 2/3 a level, but that's using PF1 thinking. Really, the party doesn't level up because it's a playtest, but you can see what a set of treasure for what would soon be a level 5 group looks like.
Or not, as I think that scimitar is OP (& breaks the Resonance rules), but then again scimitars are underpowered so there's that, and it's the payoff at the end of a long slog w/ very little treasure. Good memorabilia. Also to compensate, the reward money seems really high too. Not sure if the treasure was meant to serve as a model though, or just give some good equipment for those who finished fast enough to ID it to use against the Night Heralds. Hmm...

Cheers