Order of the Amber Die: Beyond the Veiled Past

Congratulations on a successful completion of the AP and kudos to all who participated! In addition, congrats to Julian and Rob on officially joining the Order. This was a fascinating project to watch and I'm glad to see the successful conclusion!

'twas an epic end and so thankful to have been part of it! <3 <3 <3

Amazing photos once again. Well done!

Congratulations on a successful completion of the AP and kudos to all who participated! In addition, congrats to Julian and Rob on officially joining the Order. This was a fascinating project to watch and I'm glad to see the successful conclusion!

This was one of the most epic campaigns I have ever been a part of. Sad to see it go, in some ways. I think I’ll even miss wearing that fish mask for 12 hours a day!

Amazing photos once again. Well done!

Thank you! I will miss shooting this AP, the blue maps and coral backdrops were awesome to work with. At times I felt like it was hard to take a bad picture against those.

This Vrock wishes he was a diving bird to participate in such an enormous undertaking. I'm gonna go check it all the videos you have of this again. Congratulations on your final 1st edition AP. Can't wait to see what the Order takes on next!

--Vrock the boat

I'm so happy to see this finale! It was a great journey reading about y'all's experience, as well as talking with Adam throughout it all. Also, thank you for the shout out. It's been a true pleasure working with you on all of these blogs for three(!) Adventure Paths.

I can't wait to see what y'all come up with next!

This Vrock wishes he was a diving bird to participate in such an enormous undertaking. I'm gonna go check it all the videos you have of this again. Congratulations on your final 1st edition AP. Can't wait to see what the Order takes on next!

--Vrock the boat

Thanks! It's crazy to think this began on an actual beach and ended up with that "Final Morning" video you probably saw. I've come to equally value the out-of-game journey that a group of friends goes through when trying to pull off six volumes of an AP. As for what we take on next...I'm allowed to say this: It's PF 2.0, and it's soon!

That's not nearly enough of a teaser, is it?

EPIC!! Thank you so much for sharing! Always a joy to see the results of your efforts.

I'm so happy to see this finale! It was a great journey reading about y'all's experience, as well as talking with Adam throughout it all. Also, thank you for the shout out. It's been a true pleasure working with you on all of these blogs for three(!) Adventure Paths.

I can't wait to see what y'all come up with next!

Azlant was an amazing, intense wave to ride! As Player Captain, managing the stat blocks and underwater 3D combat rules, especially at high levels, was among the crunchiest-of-crunch I’ve ever experienced in the Order. Not to mention a Playtest right in the middle of it all with a new party to run (and report on) every two weeks. Once we made it as far as we did in Azlant, the pressure to win the final battle (and not end up like Giantslayer) with only one shot at it was immense!

I gotta say, at one point, when Valeros, Kyra, and Koloshkora were all out of the fight, spinning in circles in the maze spells Ochymua banished them to, and there were 2 aboleths and a Ghost still alive and unloading on us—it looked pretty grim!

Everyone played their position though, no one gave up, and in the end, it was one of the most incredible final battles (and victories) I have ever been a part of. Long live the Order!

EPIC!! Thank you so much for sharing! Always a joy to see the results of your efforts.

Thanks for following along and supporting us, it means a lot to know that there are people enjoying what we are creating, it really does make it worth it! This adventure path was such a diverse experience to play through; by the end, our stories as player characters were eclipsed by the greater story we had built in our downtime, and it was such an unexpected treat. Kyra stayed the most active of all characters between each volume, even converting three other characters to Sarenrae over the course of the campaign! I always love playing support characters and pushing forward the team, so to be able to fulfill that role in a much larger meta-sense was very fulfilling. It’s been a real pleasure to share this years-long experience with all of you!

Speaking for myself, this is the hardest project to let go of, and that includes every Pathfinder project since 2014. Each undertaking has its own story in our real lives, and its own spin inside the game as well.

The Emerald Spire Project tested how many days we could play consecutively toward a goal.

The Giantslayer Endeavor tested how many marathons we could sustain in half a year's time.

The Strange Aeons Experiment tested our ability to adapt to an entirely new genre for us.

The Pathfinder Playtest tested our skill in crunching a new system at the fastest pace imaginable.

The Azlant Odyssey tested our ability to hold a long campaign together despite the real-life events that challenged it. Two babies were born, two new members were inducted, and we tossed an eight-blog playtest into the middle of this AP. In terms of session hours, Azlant was the lengthiest campaign we've ever played, and a lot of that had to do with the amount of activities available to characters during downtime. Yet we found a way to come together again and again, to stand in awe as we opened the chambers of lost Azlant to gaze upon sites unseen for thousands of years.

Now a little something for the Order, you guys know I do this at the end of every path...

Marathon 1: Never forget that hike down the beach that we took as a group out to the end of Long Beach Island, with the lights of Atlantic City in the distance.

Marathon 2: I'd like to take a moment and thank Urgent Care, for providing medical treatment to three OAD members during this marathon. Oh yeah, there was that hospital trip in there too. The Order is more important than any one of us, so we played through.

Marathon 3: We already have a name for this one, and that evil USB chose it: File not found. It's too painful to elaborate on. Safe to say we won't forget it--yet there's nothing there.

Marathon 4: Hands-down one of the top three marathons in OAD history. In thirty-three years of tabletop, none of us had ever spent so much time underwater. Always remember that night we partied with merfolk in July, with fireworks going off a few blocks away.

Marathon 5: The most frantic of the six marathons. 15-hour sessions and then building the Trident at night while you guys slept. Eight hours of sleep in three days? No problem. It was worth it to descend another tower which deserved as much respect as Nightfang Spire.

Marathon 6: The loudest midnight build (mid-marathon) we've ever done--we don't have to worry about Savannah forgetting it! And that final day, riding the waves to victory from 6am until past 2am. Longest sessions in the industry, baby.

A huge thank you to the players who gave took days off and traveled long distances to make the The Azlant Odyssey possible. These players also spent their time in-between marathons compiling data and helping to create the setups that can be seen in these blogs. Also, a warm thank you to the other Order members who found ways to contribute despite the distance between us.

Lastly, to the Amber Die itself: We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Ever since those four 20s in '87, you've still got it, and you're the greatest die a GM could ask for.

Speaking for myself, this is the hardest project to let go of, and that includes every Pathfinder project since 2014. Each undertaking has its own story in our real lives, and its own spin inside the game as well.

The Emerald Spire Project tested how many days we could play consecutively toward a goal.

The Giantslayer Endeavor tested how many marathons we could sustain in half a year's time.

The Strange Aeons Experiment tested our ability to adapt to an entirely new genre for us.

The Pathfinder Playtest tested our skill in crunching a new system at the fastest pace imaginable.

The Azlant Odyssey tested our ability to hold a long campaign together despite the real-life events that challenged it. Two babies were born, two new members were inducted, and we tossed an eight-blog playtest into the middle of this AP. In terms of session hours, Azlant was the lengthiest campaign we've ever played, and a lot of that had to do with the amount of activities available to characters during downtime. Yet we found a way to come together again and again, to stand in awe as we opened the chambers of lost Azlant to gaze upon sites unseen for thousands of years.

Now a little something for the Order, you guys know I do this at the end of every path...

Marathon 1: Never forget that hike down the beach that we took as a group out to the end of Long Beach Island, with the lights of Atlantic City in the distance.

Marathon 2: I'd like to take a moment and thank Urgent Care, for providing medical treatment to three OAD members during this marathon. Oh yeah, there was that hospital trip in there too. The Order is more important than any one of us, so we played through.

Marathon 3: We already have a name for this one, and that evil USB chose it: File not found. It's too painful to elaborate on. Safe to say we won't forget it--yet there's nothing there.

Marathon 4: Hands-down one of the top three marathons in OAD history. In thirty-three...

I always love your synapsis posts and this one was better than ever with a look back on all on the projects. Thank you for all of the hard work and effort and for sharing your amazing games!

Where do you get that Lusaka miniature from? I need me one of those three headed sharks

Where do you get that Lusaka miniature from? I need me one of those three headed sharks

Gorgeous, right? It's even better up close. The lusca is a custom piece created by one of our partners (Black Bard Studios, listed above).

The lusca was separated into several pieces and carefully placed inside luggage, then flown from Oregon to GenCon 2019. Once there, the lusca was assembled in a hotel room and painted over the course of the convention. The final step was to drive it from Indianapolis to New Jersey, while being held the entire time in the capable hands of a good friend of the Order. :)

It survived the trip, and made it all the way to the Paizo blog!

Black Bard of the eponymous studio here! The lusca is actually a custom peice remixed from the demon shark of the eminently talented Evan Carothers of EC3D., made specifically for the Order of the Amber Die with Evan's permission.

Thats right! Only one exists! It's an endangered species!

One thing I really care about when it comes to terrain and minis is that they be accurate to scale. So when the bestiary says a lusca is 80 feet long, I say "Ok, one 16 inch long mini coming up!"

A huge thanks to Adam and the Order for showcasing my work! If anyone is interested in adopting a lusca for themselves or needs any other sort of terrain/minis 3d printed, please check out my (still a work in progress) site and contact me!

Ah, the lusca. Some great memories there. Morgan, you built it (and a heck of a job you did!); Adam, you controlled it; but I had perhaps the toughest job of all as Player Captain--making sure we could defeat it!

Such an awesome, epic battle. Swimming across a lake to get to the magical beast, it was lighting us up (mostly Valeros actually, haha) with chain lightning every round. Koloshkora, a Locathah ranger (guide archetype) had an incredible swim speed. Valeros, an aquanaut, was pretty good too--for a human. The rest of the party was hopelessly far behind. I knew I had to take the fight directly to the beast. This is where the fun started.

Swimming as far as I could each round, I got within closing distance (which was further away than you might imagine). Mostly likely, I beat the sea monster in initiative (but it wouldn't actually matter in this case): thank you boots of friendly terrain for bumping me up to +8 in the water, as well as a very good dexterity modifier, ensured Koloshkora almost always won initiative in the water (didn't even have, or need, improved initiative). And this is where my favorite guide ability, inspired moment, came into play.

Time to declare the Lusca my ranger's focus (another guide ability, hello +6 to attack and damage), and invoke inspired moment in all its glory. An extra move action you say? Why, thank you. I'll use that (along with the extra +10 feet to my movement, just in case) to close the distance to the lusca, and swim right up to its ugly (sorry Morgan) 3-headed face. Now, time to teach this beast a lesson for blasting my friends with lightning! I am a guide after all, it is my job to look after my companions.

Full power attack (+12 damage), 3 attacks, full BAB, two handed weapon (a magical underwater greatsword). That's with a +6 to hit and damage due to ranger's focus, and another +4 to hit due to inspired moment. I know I hit at least 2 out of 3 times, and one was a critical (automatically confirmed, thanks again, to inspired moment).

Next comes the moment of truth: withstanding a full attack from a lusca. How does 3 bites and 8 tentacles sound to you? Koloshkora always had a very good AC, but here is where the real kicker from inspired moment comes in: a +4 to your AC too! Miss after miss as Kolshkora withstood the barrage. By now, Valeros was able to swim up and deliver a nice blow with power attack himself.

Next round. Kolshkora up again, with all those same bonuses still. Attack, attack, attack. One dead lusca fish, served raw and bloody. Who wants some shark...er...octopus?

Koloshkora--an eager, inquisitive guide (a shokokoba, a culture seeker) from the small coastal tribe called Okoloro--the Lusca-Slayer!

Speaking for myself, this is the hardest project to let go of, and that includes every Pathfinder project since 2014. Each undertaking has its own story in our real lives, and its own spin inside the game as well.

The Emerald Spire Project tested how many days we could play consecutively toward a goal.

The Giantslayer Endeavor tested how many marathons we could sustain in half a year's time.

The Strange Aeons Experiment tested our ability to adapt to an entirely new genre for us.

The Pathfinder Playtest tested our skill in crunching a new system at the fastest pace imaginable.

The Azlant Odyssey tested our ability to hold a long campaign together despite the real-life events that challenged it. Two babies were born, two new members were inducted, and we tossed an eight-blog playtest into the middle of this AP. In terms of session hours, Azlant was the lengthiest campaign we've ever played, and a lot of that had to do with the amount of activities available to characters during downtime. Yet we found a way to come together again and again, to stand in awe as we opened the chambers of lost Azlant to gaze upon sites unseen for thousands of years.

Now a little something for the Order, you guys know I do this at the end of every path...

Marathon 1: Never forget that hike down the beach that we took as a group out to the end of Long Beach Island, with the lights of Atlantic City in the distance.

Marathon 2: I'd like to take a moment and thank Urgent Care, for providing medical treatment to three OAD members during this marathon. Oh yeah, there was that hospital trip in there too. The Order is more important than any one of us, so we played through.

Marathon 3: We already have a name for this one, and that evil USB chose it: File not found. It's too painful to elaborate on. Safe to say we won't forget it--yet there's nothing there.

Marathon 4: Hands-down one of the top three marathons in OAD history. In thirty-three...

This has been such a fun campaign to follow! From the first marathon on the beach, it was clear it was going to be one to remember, and I looked forward to seeing how you all would tackle it. I'm amazed at how smoothly marathon 2 now that we know there was a hospital visit in there! Glad to see all OAD members made it through safely.

Adam Smith wrote:

Speaking for myself, this is the hardest project to let go of, and that includes every Pathfinder project since 2014. Each undertaking has its own story in our real lives, and its own spin inside the game as well.

The Emerald Spire Project tested how many days we could play consecutively toward a goal.

The Giantslayer Endeavor tested how many marathons we could sustain in half a year's time.

The Strange Aeons Experiment tested our ability to adapt to an entirely new genre for us.

The Pathfinder Playtest tested our skill in crunching a new system at the fastest pace imaginable.

The Azlant Odyssey tested our ability to hold a long campaign together despite the real-life events that challenged it. Two babies were born, two new members were inducted, and we tossed an eight-blog playtest into the middle of this AP. In terms of session hours, Azlant was the lengthiest campaign we've ever played, and a lot of that had to do with the amount of activities available to characters during downtime. Yet we found a way to come together again and again, to stand in awe as we opened the chambers of lost Azlant to gaze upon sites unseen for thousands of years.

Now a little something for the Order, you guys know I do this at the end of every path...

Marathon 1: Never forget that hike down the beach that we took as a group out to the end of Long Beach Island, with the lights of Atlantic City in the distance.

Marathon 2: I'd like to take a moment and thank Urgent Care, for providing medical treatment to three OAD members during this marathon. Oh yeah, there was that hospital trip in there too. The Order is more important than any one of us, so we played through.

Marathon 3: We already have a name for this one, and that evil USB chose it: File not found. It's too painful to elaborate on. Safe to say we won't forget it--yet there's nothing there.

Marathon 4: Hands-down one of the top three marathons in

...

Thank you, glad you could come along for the ride!

I was wondering if marathon 2 might get a mention after that farewell. Alright, here goes:

So we had about seven people present for that one, and it was a cold weekend in January. We had exactly four days to play the adventure, and a standard Pathfinder Adventure Path volume has somewhere around 30 to 40 encounters. Considering the amount of extra role-playing we had done in part one, we needed to keep a strong pace but we had the right amount of time allotted. On Wednesday night, one of our guys showed up and was definitely battling something he had picked up the week before from an injury. By Thursday morning, the whole team had rolled in and we were ready to start at 6am. A couple of members were also struggling with something that we thought was a standard cold, but if you pile three days of straight play and little sleep onto it all--hello group membership to Urgent Care! Three of us managed to dodge it, so I guess we teachers can thank our students for the boosted immune system and circumstance bonus to Fort saves. Still, this wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened across decades of marathons now, and we played on. Major credit goes to the author here (Robert Brookes) because the adventure was complex enough to hold our attention on the game the entire time. We plan these marathons months in advance and a lot of us travel pretty long distances to make them happen; we approach them like any sports team that can't postpone the playoffs because of a few injuries, and it's that dedication to the group that has kept our story going all these years.