Here We Come A’Slithering!

I am ready to start running this online as right after Gen Con Online is over with. I enjoyed using Roll20's premade Fall of Plaguestone model and am confident their Slithering module will be just as good. I am also hoping Syrinscape has the audio module ready for it as well.

If these are going to be R20 ready, then there may be a purchase pending here...

If these are going to be R20 ready, then there may be a purchase pending here...

I'll double check with Roll20 to make sure they're aware of these and have them included with the adventure when it goes on sale there.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

If these are going to be R20 ready, then there may be a purchase pending here...

I'll double check with Roll20 to make sure they're aware of these and have them included with the adventure when it goes on sale there.

This is exciting, the time spent prepping online, and the quality definitely make it worth it for longer adventures

The final wording on devise stratagem is neat, it requires her to know the target is the subject of a lead she's pursuing to do it as a free action, which puts the onus on her to have that information, rather than the GM to bring it up to her if it just happens to be.

Elegant solution.

Absolutely in love with this bunch. It's fun to see locals from the Mwangi Expanse/southern Garund get some love for once, instead of the gross colonial mess so much of the material was in 1e.

Oraka is really, really cool. I'd love to see more of her.

"Why yes, now that you mention it, we did take this opportunity to give you a sneak peek at not only four new ancestries set to come out in the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide at the end of the month--"

But lizardfolk are in the Lost Omens Character Guide. So not sure what that detail implies? I'm guessing whoever the oracle was originally was supposed to be another APG ancestry, but they changed it at the last second.

OK. I LOVE the fact the Investigator is an orc. That's one of the rare pictures of an orc that is not "brutish". Love it.

Kobolds have dragon breath weapons as an ancestry feat and it just has a 1d4 round cooldown?

That's really nice.

Looking forward to finding out how Kibwe manages to be a trade city that is in the middle of a jungle and not on any rivers. The map of its position in the Expanse was pretty hilarious.

"Why yes, now that you mention it, we did take this opportunity to give you a sneak peek at not only four new ancestries set to come out in the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide at the end of the month--"

But lizardfolk are in the Lost Omens Character Guide. So not sure what that detail implies? I'm guessing whoever the oracle was originally was supposed to be another APG ancestry, but they changed it at the last second.

No, it was just a brain fart when I was writing the blog. I guess we could have done a different ancestry as the fourth one, but lizardfolk are so thematically appropriate to the Mwangi Expanse that we didn't. So you get previews of four classes and three new ancestries.

Not a fan of the none human rule for this one especially since modules come out so infrequently.

No no no, not Zathri. Zathri. Completely different.

Not a fan of the none human rule for this one especially since modules come out so infrequently.

I mean, you can just ignore it. It's not computer code.

I think Oraka has one boost too many to her stats. :X

No humans? That sucks...

I see a land on your feet ability for the Catfolk! Guessing it means you don't fall prone when you fall, wondering if all Catfolk get it.

After 455336 products where you could play any ancestry, you can have one that's centered around a "no humans" gimmick.

Or just make up a reason your special snowflake humans are immune.

It's about a curse that effects humans...as a GM if you really want to make a human I'd allow it, but I hope you rolled up a bunch of them! having player's die of the curse could be dramatically fun and interesting for the adventure, but might get old after a while...

Does the Slithering explain what happened to the Oozemorph, back in PF1? Just "people are accidentally taking the archetype and not leveling up in it"?

Glad to see a non-humans only adventure. I just wish we had rules for the Anadi already.

Does the Slithering explain what happened to the Oozemorph, back in PF1? Just "people are accidentally taking the archetype and not leveling up in it"?

Glad to see a non-humans only adventure. I just wish we had rules for the Anadi already.

Funny you should mention the Oozemorph- supposedly, it's made its redebut as an archetype in this adventure.

I'm not really a fan of the non-human thing, cause I would probably run a lvl 5 adventure to a party of PCs with a couple of quests behind. If it were lvl 1 adventure I wouldn't have this complain though, it's interesting a non-human focused one which is not tied to only a particular ancestry (like the we be goblins module).

I hope there is the possibility to change that premise (just in case) without it feeling too forced.

I think it's about time that Paizo ditched the humanocentric AP mentality. I mean, it's not like they're insisting everyone play the *same Ancestry* or anything.

I look at 'not being human' on this akin to 'not being a hobgoblin in Ironfang Invasion' or 'not being a paladin in Hell's Vengeance'.

..or, in other words, what's the big deal?

The "non human" thing is one of the strengths of the stand-alone adventure format. It lets us try things out, experiment with storylines in ways we'd be timid or simply couldn't do for something like a full Adventure Path that takes up an entire half-year.

As we get out of the editorial "rain-shadow" of launching two 1,000 page projects kind of back to back (first 2nd edition, then Kingmaker) and rebalance our in-house resources, the module line has taken some hits to its schedule, yes, but looking forward it's getting back ON that schedule. So hopefully, by this time next year, we'll be in a place where we're doing 3 to 4 standalone adventures a year—some of which will be pretty traditional in their stories and some of which will be experimental in one way or another.

That said... one SUPER easy way that comes to mind for letting PCs be humans in this adventure is "your PCs are some of the few who are immune to the Slithering, and as a result it HAS to be your party that tackles this problem."

And of course, gnomes and halflings and elves and dwarves aren't human either, so they'll work fine too... we just wanted to show off some of the newer ancestries and this adventure was a perfect chance to do so.

I think it's about time that Paizo ditched the humanocentric AP mentality. I mean, it's not like they're insisting everyone play the *same Ancestry* or anything.

I look at 'not being human' on this akin to 'not being a hobgoblin in Ironfang Invasion' or 'not being a paladin in Hell's Vengeance'.

..or, in other words, what's the big deal?

Because min-maxers wanna play as Versatile Humans with the Natural Ambition feat so they can optimize their builds and get to where they wanna be as soon as possible.

Without that, they'd need to only play Ancient Elves, and then they'd lose out on a level 1 general feat! Might as well just throw the whole game away, if it's gonna be like that. /s

As we get out of the editorial "rain-shadow" of launching two 1,000 page projects kind of back to back (first 2nd edition, then Kingmaker) and rebalance our in-house resources, the module line has taken some hits to its schedule, yes, but looking forward it's getting back ON that schedule. So hopefully, by this time next year, we'll be in a place where we're doing 3 to 4 standalone adventures a year—some of which will be pretty traditional in their stories and some of which will be experimental in one way or another..

Just gonna say the module lines scheduling has been having problems long before 2e pathfinder came out Also personally I find the none human thing would have worked better for an ap, a 1st lvl module or as the free rpg day module.

James Jacobs wrote:

As we get out of the editorial "rain-shadow" of launching two 1,000 page projects kind of back to back (first 2nd edition, then Kingmaker) and rebalance our in-house resources, the module line has taken some hits to its schedule, yes, but looking forward it's getting back ON that schedule. So hopefully, by this time next year, we'll be in a place where we're doing 3 to 4 standalone adventures a year—some of which will be pretty traditional in their stories and some of which will be experimental in one way or another..

Just gonna say the module lines scheduling has been having problems long before 2e pathfinder came out Also personally I find the none human thing would have worked better for an ap, a 1st lvl module or as the free rpg day module.

Just gonna say that I suspect you'd be hard-pressed to find someone on this planet who's more distraught and bothered by the module line's problems with scheduling than me.

Is there a problem with the image links or something? I'm getting hypertext links, but I'm not seeing images for the characters being presented.

2 of them error here for me, but all show up in the pdf.

Edit: Fixed Now.

I LOVE how Melvok's aeon stone just has dead leaves attached to it. It's a nice touch. And Hovv is adorable!

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

James Jacobs wrote:

As we get out of the editorial "rain-shadow" of launching two 1,000 page projects kind of back to back (first 2nd edition, then Kingmaker) and rebalance our in-house resources, the module line has taken some hits to its schedule, yes, but looking forward it's getting back ON that schedule. So hopefully, by this time next year, we'll be in a place where we're doing 3 to 4 standalone adventures a year—some of which will be pretty traditional in their stories and some of which will be experimental in one way or another..

Just gonna say the module lines scheduling has been having problems long before 2e pathfinder came out Also personally I find the none human thing would have worked better for an ap, a 1st lvl module or as the free rpg day module.

I have to disagree there with you.

I don't think AP works: They are too long, and forcing something as big as Ancestery choices is rough. Especially something like Human. Its one thing to bar an 'uncommon' ancestry (Like in Ironfang Invasion, you probably shouldn't play a Hobgoblin). A schtick like that isn't something that could sustain for 6 books, and it'd be a stretch for a 3-parter.

Free RPG Day -- It's been done before, its basically what Paizo has been doing since We Be Goblins started

1st Level Module -> This has more to do with the level of threats that they wanted to present in this book as well. There is something to be said for a niche adventure starting at a higher level, allowing for a bit more breadth in the story you can tell.

To Wei Ji, I think it comes down to relatability. Some people like to play characters they can easily relate to, and being the Human ancestry is a way to accomplish that. It isn't all Min-Maxer's either. My Dad plays a variety of Humans, and he is far from a Min-Maxer, and its just how he likes to play (Although his current Dwarf Wizard a lot of fun!)
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Beyond that though, once we're done with CotCT (about half-way through Book 5) and a short break for me, I plan on running my players through a start of [Plaguestone/Troubles in Otari/Dead God's Vault(right title?)] and then into The Slithering.

I'm thinking what I'm going to do is at the end of whatever my first Module is, an event is going to happen that grants everybody an extra Ancestry feat that may be used on a Heritage. With the rider, that if they're humans it needs to be a versatile heritage, likely due to something they were exposed to previously awakened something...

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

The adventure mentions this in regards to also affecting half-elves and half-orcs—it's pretty much left to the GM to decide.

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

The adventure mentions this in regards to also affecting half-elves and half-orcs—it's pretty much left to the GM to decide.

This'll make it harder to disguise yourself as a kitsune...

I might want to wait until after the Ancestry Guide to play this particular adventure, which fits fine because our group is still finishing up Extinction Curse and Age of Ashes!

James Jacobs wrote:

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

The adventure mentions this in regards to also affecting half-elves and half-orcs—it's pretty much left to the GM to decide.

This'll make it harder to disguise yourself as a kitsune...

I might want to wait until after the Ancestry Guide to play this particular adventure, which fits fine because our group is still finishing up Extinction Curse and Age of Ashes!

Have you tried not playing a Kitsu.... wait, silly question :P <3

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

The adventure mentions this in regards to also affecting half-elves and half-orcs—it's pretty much left to the GM to decide.

This'll make it harder to disguise yourself as a kitsune...

I might want to wait until after the Ancestry Guide to play this particular adventure, which fits fine because our group is still finishing up Extinction Curse and Age of Ashes!

Have you tried not playing a Kitsu.... wait, silly question :P <3

Pick Tiefling. Pick Oni heritage (little h). Descend from Nogitsune.

Is there a problem with the image links or something? I'm getting hypertext links, but I'm not seeing images for the characters being presented.

I've been having issues with images not loading for a while now.

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

Does the curse affect humans with heritages like Tiefling and Half-Elf?

The adventure mentions this in regards to also affecting half-elves and half-orcs—it's pretty much left to the GM to decide.

This'll make it harder to disguise yourself as a kitsune...

I might want to wait until after the Ancestry Guide to play this particular adventure, which fits fine because our group is still finishing up Extinction Curse and Age of Ashes!

Have you tried not playing a Kitsu.... wait, silly question :P <3

Let the record state, counting Pathfinder only: 6 Kitsune, 5 Human, 3 Tiefling, 2 Catfolk, 1 Leshy, 1 Ifrit, 1 Half-Elf, 1 Elf, 1 Tengu, 1 Sylph, 1 Gnome, 1 Vishkanya, 1 Kobold, 1 Merfolk, 1 Khepri, and 1 Pixie.

Pick Tiefling. Pick Oni heritage (little h). Descend from Nogitsune.

You know very well that's going to be my first PC once Ancestry Guide hits.

How large is this adventure? Is it multiple level spanning? My group was going to do a lvl 4 short homebrew after the APG drops, but I'm sure level 5 will be fine if this is the right size.

How large is this adventure? Is it multiple level spanning? My group was going to do a lvl 4 short homebrew after the APG drops, but I'm sure level 5 will be fine if this is the right size.

According to discussions on the product page: "It has 3 chapters, each with 1 level of play. So you'll end at 8th level."

I've dug a little into each character to see if I could suss out some tidbits about the peculiarities of the final version of each class. Feel free to weigh in with your own observations!

- I believe these are our first official stat blocks for PCs. Interesting to see where Heritage, Background, Subclass, the various feat categories and the class abilities appear.
- Witches can prepare 4 standard cantrips and 1 hex cantrip (which measures up with the 5 standard cantrips all the other casters get).
- Investigators apparently get a bonus class feat by the time they reach 5th level (perhaps as part of their Methodology choice?).
- Investigators get a skill feat every level, like rogues. I haven't done a complete breakdown, but I think they get a skill increase every level as well.
- The Divine Aegis oracle feat not only gives a slight bonus to magical saves, but seems to give a sizable Physical Resistance (4 at fifth level).
- The oracle listed has learned 8 standard cantrips instead of the normal 5. The numbers for the other spell levels are consistent with most other casters (2 L3, 3 L2, 3 L1 at level 5), and none of the feats seem to contribute to that number, so I have to assume it's either a general class feature or related to its Mystery (cosmos).
- It looks like the Swashbuckler's Style gives you a finisher, and might also give you a reaction (Opportune Riposte) -- although it could be a general class ability or from a class feat (Antagonize).

Malk_Content wrote:

How large is this adventure? Is it multiple level spanning? My group was going to do a lvl 4 short homebrew after the APG drops, but I'm sure level 5 will be fine if this is the right size.

According to discussions on the product page: "It has 3 chapters, each with 1 level of play. So you'll end at 8th level."

Thank you,for some reason I had trouble with product page so was looking for answers within the blog. Not good for my next game but maybe for the one after then! Still biding our time for Kingmaker 2e to come out so doing a fair bit if filler.

The "non human" thing is one of the strengths of the stand-alone adventure format. It lets us try things out, experiment with storylines in ways we'd be timid or simply couldn't do for something like a full Adventure Path that takes up an entire half-year.

As we get out of the editorial "rain-shadow" of launching two 1,000 page projects kind of back to back (first 2nd edition, then Kingmaker) and rebalance our in-house resources, the module line has taken some hits to its schedule, yes, but looking forward it's getting back ON that schedule. So hopefully, by this time next year, we'll be in a place where we're doing 3 to 4 standalone adventures a year—some of which will be pretty traditional in their stories and some of which will be experimental in one way or another.

That said... one SUPER easy way that comes to mind for letting PCs be humans in this adventure is "your PCs are some of the few who are immune to the Slithering, and as a result it HAS to be your party that tackles this problem."

And of course, gnomes and halflings and elves and dwarves aren't human either, so they'll work fine too... we just wanted to show off some of the newer ancestries and this adventure was a perfect chance to do so.

I have to say that I realized I love it if new shtick of module line is to provide shorter themed adventures that paizo isn't sure would be purely able to carry whole campaign. Such as aquatic races only underwater only module, non human module, adventures on other planets... I just woke up so too tired to imagine more but yeah.

(Like don't get me wrong, I did like 1e modules a lot, but they WERE for most part just regular or basic adventures even if locations were sometimes really exotic, such as Mana Wastes or Moon :D)

Man, this module would be trippy to play with my oozefolk ancestry.

I've dug a little into each character to see if I could suss out some tidbits about the peculiarities of the final version of each class. Feel free to weigh in with your own observations!

- I believe these are our first official stat blocks for PCs. Interesting to see where Heritage, Background, Subclass, the various feat categories and the class abilities appear.

PFS Pregens have been out since day 1

Just chiming in with the stuff I know off-hand from what subscribers have said.

- Investigators apparently get a bonus class feat by the time they reach 5th level (perhaps as part of their Methodology choice?).

Yep! Empiricism grants That's Odd.

- Investigators get a skill feat every level, like rogues. I haven't done a complete breakdown, but I think they get a skill increase every level as well.

Yep!

- The Divine Aegis oracle feat not only gives a slight bonus to magical saves, but seems to give a sizable Physical Resistance (4 at fifth level).

Nope! That's actually coming from the Cosmos mystery.

I dunno what's up with cantrip counts on Witch and Oracle. I know Oracle gets one bonus cantrip known, but I'm guessing that both pregens are a little bit off.

I do hope we get this sanctioned for PFS like with Plaguestone.

having player's die of the curse could be dramatically fun and interesting for the adventure, but might get old after a while...

If your players die during your games you're doing something horribly wrong.