Curse of the Crimson Throne - Sanctioned for Adventure Card Society Play
Story Intro:
When the empire of Cheliax expanded north into Varisia, the Chelaxians found a Shoanti tribe living around an immense pyramid on the shores of a deep bay—a perfect site for a city. Much bloodshed eventually left the Shoanti defeated, driven back to the harsh Cinderlands. Yet as the new city of Korvosa flourished, few bothered to ask why the Shoanti had dwelt here. For the past 300 years, the Shoanti have spoken only in whispers of the troubles the Chelaxians will face for their outrages.
Today, Korvosa’s reigning king, Eodred Arabasti II, is feared by all the right people. To date, however, he has produced no heir to the throne, the latest in a line of rulers affected by this facet of the so-called curse of the Crimson Throne. When he finally wed late in life, his bride was barely a third of his age. Queen Ileosa was a woman of breathtaking beauty matched only by her desire for the life of luxury the queenship afforded. But with the seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis guarding Castle Korvosa’s interests, the citizenry believes it has little to worry about.
It is wrong, of course. Like any city, Korvosa has its share of undesirables. Cutpurses, thugs, thieves, burglars, assassins, and lowlifes of every sort can be found in waterfront slums, creeping in the sewers, or hiding in the tangled rooftops known as the Shingles. The Korvosan Guard does what it can to keep the city’s criminals from causing too much harm, but the crooks will always outnumber the lawgivers.
One such undesirable is Gaedren Lamm, a despicable wretch who missed his chance at being somebody big in Korvosa’s murky underworld. The decrepit thief abducts orphans and forces them to support his parasitic lifestyle with petty crime. Many Korvosans have had their lives complicated by this foul old man. Yet no matter what he does, he always avoids answering for his crimes. But Gaedren Lamm’s luck is about to change; he has run afoul of some hard-driven people.
Specifically, he has run afoul of you.
Each of you has been drawn here by some offense caused by Lamm. Perhaps a family member was caught in his orphanage and fed to his pet alligator. Perhaps a lover expired due to an overdose of his dream spider–derived drug called “shiver.” Perhaps his fishery goons sunk your trawler off the coast of Veldraine. Whatever it was, it motivates you like no other rage you’ve felt in your days.
Finally, you have a lead on his whereabouts. A Varisian fortune-teller named Zellara Esmeranda has summoned you to her home in Korvosa’s Midland district. She claims to know where Lamm is... and how to defeat him. She promises to read the harrow deck to set the fates on your side.
By King Eodred’s good name, you will make your bones here in Korvosa. Into the city you go, with the wind of vengeance at your back.
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New Rules:
The Harrow:
The 54 cards of the Harrow Deck are represented as blessings in this set (Curse of the Crimson Throne). Each has the Harrow trait and a Suit trait that corresponds to a specific skill;
Hammers (Strength)
Keys (Dexterity)
Shields (Constitution)
Books (Intelligence)
Stars (Wisdom)
Crowns (Charisma)
Some suit traits have names that sound like other traits, but they are not those traits (e.g., Suit: Books is a different trait than the Book trait).
Each adventure in Curse has a different harrow suit; see During this Adventure for each. Perform a harrowing at the start of each scenario. Each character draws a random Harrow blessing of that adventure's harrow suit (I will draw these for you); this is that character's harrow for that scenario. After drawing your starting hand, add your harrow to it. At the end of the scenario, return the harrow to the vault; it does not count against your deck list or as a card to be added to the upgrade pool. When choosing deck upgrades, treat acquired Harrow blessings that match the adventure’s Harrow suit as being level #.
Each adventure has effects that happen when you play your harrow and when you attempt non-combat checks that match the adventure's harrow suit.
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Loot:
Many scenarios include a loot reward in the form “Loot: [card type] [card name].” Note it on your Chronicle sheet. When setting up any scenario in that adventure path, any 1 character may replace a card of the listed type from their deck with the named card from the game box. That card gains the Loot trait. At the end of the scenario, return the Loot card to the game box and return the card it replaced to the character’s deck.
Available loot:
Zellara's Harrow Deck:
Item
Traits: Gambling Harrow Loot Magic Mental Tool
To Acquire: Wisdom Perception 10
Reload to examine the top 3 cards of any character's deck and return them in any order. Banish to examine the top 3 cards of any location and return them in any order. DURING RECOVERY Discard this card; you may succeed at a Perception 12 check to recharge it instead, adding 1d4 if the hour is Harrow.
Ausio Carowyn:
Ally
Traits: Human Loot
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 7 OR Banish A Weapon 0
On a local check to acquire, bury to add 2d12. Discard to explore. This exploration, if you are at an Urban location, when you encounter a card, you may evade it and explore again.
Ruan Mirukova (Claimed by Brielle):
CotCT Ally 3
Traits: Human Loot
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 12
On a local check, recharge to add 1d4 and the Magic trait. If the character succeeds, they may heal a card. Discard to explore; you may first heal a card.
Salvator Scream (Claimed by Quinn):
CotCT Ally 4
Traits: Human Loot
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 10 OR Knowledge 9
On a local Knowledge or Perception check, recharge to add 1d8. Discard to draw the top card of the hourglass. If it is not a blessing, shuffle it into the hourglass.
Lyrune-quah Moon Maiden (Claimed by Raheli):
CotCT Ally 5
Traits: Barbarian Human Loot Respect
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 11 OR Summon And Defeat A Monster 0
Display. While displayed: * On all combat and Fortitude checks, add 1d6. * At the end of the turn, recharge. Discard to examine the top card of your location, then you may explore. This exploration, on all combat and Fortitude checks, add 3.
Returning Totem Spear:
Weapon 4
Traits: 2-Handed Magic Melee Ranged Respect Spear
To Acquire: Strength Melee 12 OR Dexterity Ranged Survival 14
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength, Dexterity, Melee, Ranged, or Survival + 1d8+2 and the Piercing or Slashing trait. If proficient, on a local combat check or your Acrobatics check, reload to add 1d8. After playing this weapon, you may not play an Offhand boon this encounter.
Shoanti Barbarian Hide:
Armor 4
Traits: Light Armor Respect
To Acquire: ConstitutionFortitudeSurvival 12
Display. While displayed: * When you suffer Cold or Combat damage, you may recharge to reduce it by 2. * On your combat, Constitution, or Fortitude check, after the roll, you may recharge to add your Survival.
Red War Paint (Claimed by Raheli):
Item 4
Traits: Liquid Paint
To Acquire: Melee Fortitude 7
Display. While displayed: * When you suffer Electricity or Fire damage, reduce it by 3. * When your hand has no cards or when you play another Paint card, bury this card; if you have the Melee skill, discard it instead.
Lyrune-quah Truthspeaker:
Ally 4
Traits: Human Oracle
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy Divine 12 OR Recharge A Respect Boon 0
On a local Wisdom or Divine check, recharge to add 1d6; after the check, heal 2 cards. Discard to explore, or to move then explore. You may not use this power during an encounter.
Thundering Earthbreaker (Claimed by Koren):
Weapon 4
Traits: 2-Handed Bludgeoning Hammer Magic Melee Respect
To Acquire: Strength Melee 15
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength or Melee + 1d12+2; if proficient, against a monster, you may additionally reload to ignore its after acting powers. On a local check against a Lock or Obstacle barrier, reload to add 1d12. After playing this weapon, you may not play an Offhand boon this encounter.
Totem Klar:
Armor 4
Traits: Magic Offhand Piercing Respect Shield
To Acquire: Constitution Fortitude Melee Survival 11
When you suffer Combat damage, freely reveal to reduce it by 2. If proficient, on your Melee combat or Survival check, freely recharge to add 1d6+1 and the Magic and Piercing traits. After playing this armor, you may not play a 2-Handed boon this encounter.
Blue War Paint (Claimed by Raheli):
Item 4
Traits: Liquid Paint
To Acquire: Melee Fortitude 4
Display. While displayed: * When you defeat a monster, after the encounter, you may discard a card to move. * When you fail a combat check or play another Paint card, bury this card; if you have the Melee skill, discard it instead.
Sklar-quah Thundercaller:
Ally 4
Traits: Human Skald
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 11 OR Summon And Defeat A Barrier 0
Display. While displayed: * On all Strength and Acrobatics checks, add 1d6. * At the end of the turn, recharge. Discard to examine the top card of your location, then you may explore. This exploration, on all Strength and Acrobatics checks, add 3.
Limning Starknife (available to Brielle):
Weapon 4
Traits: Finesse Knife Magic Melee Piercing Ranged Respect
To Acquire: Strength Dexterity Acrobatics Melee Ranged 13
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength, Dexterity, Acrobatics, Melee, or Ranged + 1d4+2. On a local combat check, freely recharge to add 1d4+1. You may use this power even if you have previously revealed this card on this check. After playing this weapon on a check, powers that reroll dice may be ignored.
Moon Maiden Armor (available to and claimed by Brielle):
Armor 4
Traits: Light Armor Respect
To Acquire: Constitution Fortitude Survival 12
Display. While displayed: * When you suffer Cold or Combat damage, you may draw this card to reduce it by 2. * On your combat, Dexterity, or Acrobatics check, you may recharge to add your Wisdom die. If proficient, you may do this after the roll.
Silver War Paint (available to Brielle):
Item 4
Traits: Liquid Paint
To Acquire: Melee Fortitude 5
Display. While displayed: * When you suffer Combat damage, reduce it by 1. * When you would discard cards as Combat damage, you may recharge them instead. * When your hand has no cards or when you play another Paint card, bury this card; if you have the Melee skill, discard it instead.
Skoan-quah Boneslayer (available to Brielle):
Ally 4
Traits: Human Ranger
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 11 OR Summon And Defeat The Danger
Display. While displayed: * On all Dexterity and Survival checks, add 1d6. * At the end of the turn, recharge. Discard to examine the top card of your location, then you may explore. This exploration, on all Dexterity and Survival checks, add 3.
Sadomasochism:
Spell 6
Traits: Arcane Divine Loot Magic
To Acquire: Intelligence Wisdom Arcane Divine 16
Display. While displayed: * On local characters' checks to defeat monsters and Skirmish barriers, after the roll, they may add up to 4 d4s. After the check, they suffer an amount of Mental damage that cannot be reduced equal to the number of d4s they added. * At the end of the turn, banish. DURING RECOVERY If proficient, discard this card; you may succeed at an Arcane or Divine 17 check to recharge it instead.
Staff of Greater Necromancy (Claimed by Enora):
Item 6
Traits: Arcane Attack Divine Loot Magic Staff
To Acquire: Arcane Divine 12
For your combat check or your check to defeat a Skirmish barrier, reveal this card and discard a spell to use Arcane or Divine + 2d12; you may additionally add 1d12 and the Poison trait. This counts as playing a spell. If proficient, at the end of your turn, bury to heal 1d4+1 allies.
Kazavon's Shield (Claimed by Koren):
Armor 6
Traits: Loot Magic Offhand Shield
To Acquire: Constitution Divine Fortitude 12
When you suffer Acid, Combat, or Fire damage, freely reveal to reduce it by 2. If proficient, on a local check against a Dragon or Incorporeal bane, reveal to add 1d6 and the Magic trait. If proficient, on your Melee combat check, freely recharge to reroll a die. After playing this armor, you may not play a 2-Handed boon this encounter.
Serithtial (Claimed by Brielle):
Weapon 6
Traits: 2-Handed Finesse Loot Magic Melee Slashing Sword
To Acquire: Strength Acrobatics Melee 19
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength, Acrobatics, or Melee + 1d12+4; against a story bane, add another 2d6. If proficient, you may remove the 2-Handed trait. After playing this weapon, if it has the 2-Handed trait, you may not play an Offhand boon this encounter. When rebuilding, you may treat this weapon as an ally.
Ashbringer (Claimed by Koren):
Weapon 6
Traits: 2-Handed Loot Magic Melee Scythe Slashing
To Acquire: Strength Melee 18
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength or Melee + 1d10+3; against a story bane, add another 1d8. After the roll, count each die showing a 1 as 3 or, if proficient, as 6, then discard the top card of your deck. If you fail this check against a non-villain monster, you may reload the monster into its location.
Shocking Sawtooth Saber (Claimed by Quinn):
Weapon
Traits: Electricity Finesse Magic Melee Red Mantis Slashing Sword
To Acquire: Strength Acrobatics Melee 16
For your combat check, reveal to use Strength, Acrobatics, or Melee + 2d8; you may remove 1d8 and the Electricity trait. If this is not the first combat check to defeat the bane this encounter, add another 1d8. If proficient, you may additionally discard to add another 1d8+6.
Venster Arabasti:
Ally
Traits: Ghost Undead
To Acquire: Charisma Diplomacy 14 OR Banish A Harrow Card 0
Recharge to examine the top 3 cards of the hourglass, then you may reload any number of them into the hourglass and recharge the rest into the hourglass. If the hour is a Harrow blessing, discard to draw it.
Ring of Splendid Security (Claimed by Quinn):
Item 7
Traits: Accessory Loot
To Acquire: Banish A Boon 0
When you suffer non-Combat damage, freely reveal to roll 1d4; on a result other than 1, reduce the damage by 5. On your check against a bane, freely reload to add 7.
Blackjack loots.
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Supporters:
Supporters are a new type of support card representing helpful citizens of Korvosa and its environs; unlike allies or cohorts, they will not adventure with you. The base is a special location used in many scenarios; it represents a safe place where characters can seek help from supporters.
You start the Adventure Path with no supporters. If you are required to uncheck a supporter, it no longer counts as rallied. When the party rallies or unchecks a supporter, each player does so on their own list. (When there is a choice, each character makes their own choice.)
When a scenario lists the Base, set it out with the other locations as usual. When you build the locations, shuffle all supporters rallied by at least one character into the Base; do not add story banes to it. The Base can never have cards other than supporters in it. Characters may start at the Base, and can move to and from it normally. The Base cannot be closed while it has cards in it, and it does not count as a location when counting locations, shuffling cards into locations, or determining if villains can escape to it. If all other locations are closed, or the Base has neither cards in it nor characters at it, the Base closes automatically. (A simplified version of these rules appears on the Bast as a reminder, these are the complete rules.)
Each character may only play supporters they have rallied. You may play supporters from your hand only while you are at the Base. Once displayed next to your character, you may use their powers regardless of your location. If you move from the base, shuffle any supporters in you hand into the Base. At the end of each scenario, return all supporters to the Vault.
Each supporter has a feat similar to a character's power feat. If a reward gives the party a supporter feat, check a box on a rallied supporter to gain access to that power. If the feat specified a supporter, check it off on that supporter. When the party gains a supporter feat, each character does so on their own list. (When there is a choice, each character makes their own choice.) Each character may only use supporter feats they have gained.
Rallied supporters: Note that after completing Curse adventure 6, you've all gained all remaining feats on rallied supporters.
Cressida Kroft (Rallied by: All. Feat: Enora):
CotCT Supporter 0
Traits: Human Soldier
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to draw a new weapon or armor.
[ ] You may bury to draw a new Attack spell or Healing spell.
It breaks my heart to see Korvosa tear itself apart. Heroes of your caliber are exactly what we need now.
Amin Jalento (Rallied by: All minus Koren. Feat: Quinn, Brielle, Enora, Raheli, Koren) :
CotCT Supporter 1
Traits: Aristocrat Human
Display. While displayed:
On any check to acquire, you may bury to add 1d6.
[] You may bury to draw 2 new items, then banish 1 of them.
Vencarlo Orisini (Rallied by: All minus Raheli. Feat: Raheli, Brielle):
CotCT Supporter 1
Traits: Expert Human
Display. While displayed:
On any combat check, after the roll, you may bury to add 1d6.
[] On any combat check, you may bury to reroll.
Thousand Bones (Rallied by: All minus Quinn. Feat: Koren, Raheli, Enora):
CotCT Supporter 1
Traits: Human Shaman
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to heal a character 1d4+1 cards.
[] You may bury and spend 1 hero point to let a dead character return from death; they heal 10 cards from their bury pile and reset.
CotCT Supporter 1
Traits: Bard Human
Display. While displayed:
On any non-combat check, you may bury to add 1d4+#.
[] You may bury to heal a character a card and/or remove a scourge from them.
Ishani Dhatri (Rallied by: All. Feat: Koren, Brielle, Quinn, Enora):
CotCT Supporter 2
Traits: Cleric Human
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to heal each local character a card.
You may bury to remove a scourge from each local character.
[ ] You may bury to draw a new blessing.
Keppira D'bear (Rallied by All. Feat: Koren, Quinn):
CotCT Supporter 2
Traits: Cleric Human
Display. While displayed:
On all checks against Undead banes, add 1d4.
[ ] You may bury and spend 1 hero point to heal each character 1d4+1 cards and/or remove a scourge from them.
Laori Vaus (Rallied by Quinn. Feat: Quinn):
Supporter
Traits: Cleric Elf
Display. While displayed:
After you discard cards as damage, you may draw a card.
[ ] When you would fail your combat check, you may bury to add 1d8.
Neolandus Kalepopolis (Rallied by All. Feat: Brielle, Raheli):
Supporter
Traits: Aristocrat Human
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to draw a new ally that lists Diplomacy in its check to acquire.
[ ] On your check against a story bane, you may bury an ally to add 1d6.
Truthspeaker Akram (Rallied by All. Feat: Brielle):
Supporter
Traits: Human Skald
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to examine all cards in a location, then shuffle the location.
[ ] On any non-combat check or any check on which you played a Respect card, you may bury to reroll.
Krojun Eats-what-he-kills (Rallied by Quinn, Brielle, Enora, Raheli. Feat: None):
Supporter
Traits: Barbarian Human
Display. While displayed:
On any Strength check or any check against a monster, you may bury to add 1d10.
[ ] When you defeat a monster, you may bury to heal 1d4+2 cards, then draw 2 cards.
Shadowcount Sial (Rallied by Koren, Brielle, and Raheli. Feat: None):
Supporter
Traits: Human Summoner
Display. While displayed:
When a character encounters a summoned bane, you may bury to let that character evade it.
[ ] On your checks against Outsider banes, add 1d4.
Grandmaster Boule (Rallied by: All):
Supporter
Traits: Human Rogue
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to examine the top card of a location; if it is a boon, draw it.
[ ] On your check to acquire, you may bury a card to add 1d10.
Marcus Endrin (Rallied by: All):
Supporter
Traits: Human Ranger
Display. While displayed:
You may bury to move any number of characters.
[ ] On any combat check at a non-Underground location, you may bury to add 2d8. What happens to me is of no concern. Ileosa must pay for what she has done to Korvosa.
Sabina Merrin (Rallied by: All):
Supporter
Traits: Fighter Human
Display. While displayed:
On your checks against Gray Maiden cards, add 1d4.
[ ] When a character suffers damage, you may bury to reduce it to 0.
