Giantslayer Marathon: Part 6!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

The folks over at Order of the Amber Die just got me the report from their final marathon session as they tackle the sixth Giantslayer adventure—Pathfinder Adventure Path #96: Shadow of the Storm Tyrant! If you haven’t read the previous reports check here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. Now I’ll turn this blog over to the Order of the Amber Die and let you hear how it all went down, but beware—spoilers abound!

Order of the Amber Die is back with the sixth update on our ambitious endeavor to complete the Giantslayer Adventure Path in just 6 months!

We had made it to the finals—the Super Bowl of Giantslayer—and we all felt it. We fully expected a hard adventure, and author Tito Leati delivered. Emotions soared when we began preparation for the final marathon of this 6-month gaming odyssey of our lives. We did what we could to look for some icing on the endeavor when it came to immersing ourselves in the Storm Tyrant's cloud castle. To start, we tapped into smell this time by using some Adventure Scents entitled "Flying Airship." We also couldn't resist breaking out two fog machines for the long climb through the clouds. To go further, one of our members constructed a unique lamp that simulated some of the bizarre lighting we encountered in the castle. Lastly, we even received some mid-marathon support from one of our fans in the form of an Edible Arrangements!

Highlights From our Experience With "Shadow of the Storm Tyrant"

• Boarding the castle almost didn't happen: the party was left dangling from massive chains as the ground kept getting further and further away—and then the guardians launched their attack.
• An epic feel was captured perfectly in this adventure, as we squared off against more colossal and gargantuan foes than any other module we have played.
• We worked our way through chamber after chamber of the biggest cloud castle we could ever have hoped for. A 15-foot scale? Thank you Paizo!

How it Ended

Despite our best efforts, our clash with Volstus the Storm Tyrant went downhill fast. We employed a haste spell and rushed him, only to watch the giant leap onto the back of his gargantuan red dragon and take to the air. We attempted to engage, but the tyrant/dragon combination was too overwhelming, and two rounds later we were beating a retreat into an adjoining tower. It was decided that we would regroup by running down the stairs into the levels below. Eventually we ran into Liniratis, the naga companion of Volstus, who helped convince our party of where our true allegiance lay. When it was over, Crowe and Quinn were dead, Zadim and Oloch were in service to the Storm Tyrant, and Jagrin Grath remained hidden inside Ironcloud Keep. Only Thoon the doppleganger escaped. TPK? Pretty much.

Character Deaths

• After a timely wall of force by the naga sorcerer, Crowe found himself facing this wicked foe alone. The Shoanti chased her around the chamber, only to watch the serpent disappear into one of many wicker baskets and reappear in another. While the bloodrager turned his focus to destroying the baskets, the naga proceeded to rain down 6 maximized fireballs in a row.
• Zadim stared deep into the naga's eyes. Yes, it was all so clear to him now: his slayer talents were best used for the giants, not against them. He turned to face Quinn the investigator, who had been his companion. Quinn the untrustworthy. Quinn the enemy. With six swift attacks from the slayer's kukris—including 3 critical hits—Zadim put the traitor down.

Best Quote From Marathon 6

Mike (playing Quinn): "This is what I was born to do." (about to disarm the most enormous bomb we had ever seen)

The Giantslayer Adventure Path by the Numbers

• Giants slain: 133
• Total marathon hours: 464 hours, 5 minutes
• Actual session hours played: 292 hours, 15 minutes
• GM prep hours: inestimable
• Real-life months passed: 6
• Days passed on Golarion: 233
• Character deaths: 16
• Most amount of damage in a single round: 316 (Zadim)
• Most amount of damage in a single hit: 194 (Crowe)
• Highest DC reached on a skill check: 60 (Quinn)
• Attacks of opportunity prevented with Escape Route teamwork feat: 182
• Uses of Swing About teamwork feat: 25
• Group-consensus on most valuable skill in Giantslayer: Craft (Alchemy)
• Approximate mg of caffeine consumed from Monster per marathon: c. 4,500
• Approximate mg of caffeine consumed from Starbucks per marathon: unknown

Final Thoughts

Certain problems plagued our team throughout the early parts of the AP, and those same things came back to defeat us in the finale. Still, we reached the end and accomplished our goal of playing through an entire adventure path in the shortest amount of time ever recorded—yet another world record! We also clocked the largest number of documented session hours of Pathfinder (played and GMed) within a 6-month period. It is our hope that the work we leave here will have contributed something new and lasting to the RPG community, and that others will follow in our footsteps in the days to come.

The footsteps of giants.

More Content

Read through the entirety of The Giantslayer Endeavor, and for more pictures, campaigns, and other content check out: Order of the Amber Die Facebook and Order of the Amber Die Instagram.

Painting for miniatures provided by Blue Table Painting.

The crew is going to take a break from marathons for a bit and then return with a new project. Hopefully I’ll get to bring all of you the reports from the next endeavor. I’ll keep you posted.

Adam Daigle
Developer