This scenario sets the bar for high level play. Not society play. Any high level game.
I've always thought of high level play as three balancing acts going on at once. First the story must keep up with exponential growth in the powers the PCs possess. Then something new needs added to make each encounter unexpected -- in lower tiers it is swarms and oozes, then DR, SR, immunities and so on -- just something to keep the players from feeling that they have it all figured out. But the hardest aspect, the last thing that a great GM weighs out in planning a scenario is how to create a rewarding feeling after a real struggle or even a defeat.
This scenario more than exceeds the DCs of these checks. It has features that surprise and enhance the powers the PCs arrive with without overshadowing their characters. It makes each fight feel like victory is always just out of reach.
The premise ties in several major and minor plots from previous seasons but also follows nicely from the end of Betrayal in the Bones. It is by no means a snipe hunt or picking up a McGuffin. The table I ran had players engaged in the role play before the introduction even finished.
On the minutiae, the appendix is very helpful to speed up prepping, please continue printing these. The level, table size, and difficulty adjustments are very precise and crucial to prepare. If at all possible, know these in advance in order to internalize them. Also, follow the tactics as written. CR is wibblier and wobblier the higher it goes and careless reading as a GM would easily result in disappointed players.
The first combat is reminiscent of a fight with an alien race that rhymes with Yerg. I used 9mm pipe cleaners to represent the legs of the creature that couldn't fit on the map, but even without that the visual of fighting such a creature is inspiring. A statblock was not provided for this creature, so I recommend creating one for the Eternal Hive just to make an easier reference in combat. Tactics for un-burrowing creatures are fantastic, be sure to follow them!
I used a handout for the bonuses for the second combat since the time between arriving in the area and combat beginning is very short. Note that the Epic DR is most useful for natural attack creatures since it allows them to bypass part of the Curators own Epic DR. I've always felt that this rule was buried too far, but it must not be neglected here. Describing how the enemy is being damaged each round also helps the party decide on strategies. Our party retreated (a true feat for them!) in order to buff without which they would have been stopped dead in their tracks.
The last fight frustrated the players more than anything as the go-to demon binding spells failed due to the followers. When this was realized, their opinion of the followers got ugly fast. I based the choice of melee tactics for the enemies on a desire to tear the PCs limb from limb, which helped it feel like the glabrezus were not pulling punches when they were not spamming spells from across the map.
The bonus effect in this last combat does not have the clearest rules, but reading closely, it seems to be a party benefit that occurs at the start of each round with everyone rolling at once and one effect following the results.
Players, make your GMs run this scenario. GMs, make your players enter the abyss.
