Estri's page

The outline in Trail of the Hunted lists the level range for Vault of the Onyx Citadel as 16-17. Does anyone know if the PCs play at 17 or do they simply reach level 17 at the end of the book?

I ran this AP for a table of six. That made things easier for the players but worked out well. There aren't any particularly strange mechanics, though the cold weather rules come up a lot in the first book. I think it would be relatively easy for a first-time Pathfinder GM.

Definitely look over the treads for each of the books when you prepare. I found a lot of the advice there really helpful.

My party ran all the way through the AP but they were trouncing stuff by the end of Book 4. We ended up running the whole of Book 6 in two days--one for all of the elemental themed dungeons (them being themed did make it easier for the players to prepare, but they were prepping for fire/heat anyway).

I also had a crypt-breaker alchemist who could see all of the traps. They ended up disabling all of them before any traps went off. I haven't been able to come up with anything to deal with that.

I didn't use the hexploration mechanic. Instead my party just encountered the people from book 3 as they traveled through the desert on their way to the next book. It worked very well, aside from my group trying to antagonize the naga.

I fleshed out each of the adventuring groups that appear in the first book. My players really liked some of them and they ended up sticking around and being critical allies for shenanigans my players pulled well into book four.

My group used the first inn as their initial base and then took over a building in book two that they used for the rest of the AP. Although you travel through the wilderness in the later books, there are break points that can be used to return to Wati. My group had friends and connections they wanted to check in on--and to continually ensure that the city remained safe/stable.

My group ended up talking through most of the battle with the Scorched Hand. I gave them a chance to meet various members while socializing in the evenings and they already wanted to be able to pull Kehlru and the others away from Velriana when it became clear what was happening. They were ultimately successful.

Thank you so much for putting all of this together! I'm getting ready to run Council of Thieves right now and I suspect I'll be using the work you've done very frequently.

My group cleared most of the libraries in about two days. (Wizard and alchemist who both focused on knowledge skills and split up.) While that does muck with a bit of the time line in book three, in the end, it wasn't a big deal and they just moved on to the other sections of the book faster.

I ended up skipping them completely. I had a character with massive perception (and frequently scent) and it didn't seem like it added that much to the story.

A melee-centric encounter sounds like a better idea.

Everyone in my party was able to make the DC 23 Fort save, though I believe someone did use a reroll to make that happen. After that, she went down very quickly to a smiting paladin.

The one who got adopted by Zorka had been looking for someone to be her mother throughout the entire game. So once they got the hut, she spent time interacting with Zorka, helping her out, and bringing her treats. She started calling Zorka "Mom" and Zorka accepted. So her boon was for Zorka to her real mother essentially.

I like the one who stayed with Anastasia's thinking too. She's the only witch in the new world--she's going to change the course of Earth history.

My party of six stayed faithful to dear Grandmother until the end.

Two members of my party became riders (one the Black right away, one the White after 100 years of service to his people), one decided to stay in Russia with Anastasia to take it over, one was adopted by Zorka, one get a mini-version of the hut, and the final became a Venture Captain of the Pathfinder Society. She passed her boon onto the Decemverate. (Which is rather terrifying when you think about it.)

They also finagled getting Nadya's daughter returned to life.

I second the "Villains by Necessity" recommendation. It's a great book.

I regret that I don't have a witch in my game. I've got a horizon walker and a shaman, both of whom are working out very well. But there are easter eggs that make much more sense for witches and I'm regretting that I don't have one in my game.

I've been using the guidelines that come in the front of every book and that's been working well for me.

Thank you both very much! That's very helpful.

I've been running Mummy's Mask for a table of five very experienced players on a 15-point buy. They are about to start Part 3 of Secrets of the Sphinx and they are just having a very easy time of it. No deaths, the crypt-breaker alchemist has found all of the traps, very few failed saves. Their ACs are high enough that enemies have a hard time hitting them and the enemies have low enough AC that they are very easy for the party to hit. No one has even gone unconscious yet. I don't necessarily want to kill any of the characters, but I would like to feel like I am at least challenging my players.

I usually run in PFS, so I have never tried altering combats before. Has anyone else run into the same problem? Does anyone have any advice for how I can (fairly) increase the challenge for my players?

Thank you!

One of my players has flirted with the idea of joining the Esoteric Order of the Palantine Eye (from Occult Mysteries). It hasn't happened yet, but it might give you something else to investigate.

I've used Desert, Marketplace, Village Square, and a few artistic street scene maps when I've needed them. I like the idea of using the b-side of Battlefield and I'll probably adopt that for next time.