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After eight months of play and thirteen sessions of 4/5 hours, I have decided to put my “Mummy’s Mask” campaign on hold. About ten sessions were devoted to “The Half-Dead City” per se, after which the players ended up more or less deciding on what road the campaign was going to take (more on that later).

So it’s time for me to reflect and write a few observations on the campaign, which I’ve adjusted to my style of play and my player’s needs A LOT. Some things worked, others… really didn’t. I hope it’s useful to any GM who wants to start the campaign.

“Mummy’s Mask” was not my original choice for this group. This was the first campaign I had ever tried to manage, so I originally tried to pitch the more accessible “Rise of the Runelords” to the group. One of the players, however, had already played it. So I put “Mummy’s Mask” on the table because I’ve always been an Egyptology nerd. Historical knowledge was a big help for inspiration during the campaign, as details made my descriptions more “lived in”. The people who wrote the Adventure Path really know their stuff in terms of folklore and archeology, and there’s a lot of subtle Easter Eggs for people interested in that.

Session 0:

One thing I enjoyed about the campaign is that the political situation of Wati is relatively easy to understand for people who do not know much about Golarion:

• King forces clergy to lets archeologists explore ancient tombs because it’s a lucrative business venture which might better the country,
  
• Clergy is reluctant because disturbing the dead can quickly lead to magical hazards.

It’s a “separation of church and state”-type conflict with good and bad people on either side, and interesting motivations. Xenophobia and religious taboos can also come into the mix. Despite the proud dungeon-crawling of “The Half-Dead City”, adding a layer of politics and ethics is surprisingly easy. Everyone in Wati has an opinion on what the PCs are currently doing. Some parties will try to enable the adventuring groups, others to block their opportunities.

As observed by many players, the campaign hook (exploring mysterious tombs) is pretty opportunistic, which makes the first book pretty adaptable to evil-aligned parties: as long as they play by the rules imposed by the Pharasmean church for the exploration of the necropolis, they can get away with selfish motivations and actions.

During session 0 I made sure to mention that to the players: all they needed to do as far as character profiles went was to create a character who wanted to explore these tombs with a group. They could be interested in this venture for profit, pursuit of knowledge, crusade against undead, etc.

Although the players enjoyed the versatility, this ended up causing problems which I did not anticipate. One of the players had asked me for a little bit more time to decide on an alignment. Given that the three other members of the group had chosen Lawful Neutral or Chaotic Good so far, I foolishly assumed that he was thinking of something along those lines. Much later in the campaign, a situation came up in game where I had no choice but to make him officially decide on an alignment, at which point he declared that his character was “Chaotic Evil”. This created a conflict for three reasons:

• Nothing in the character biography he had submitted me (or his actions so far) even suggested his character was evil or destined to become evil,
  
• His alignment completely clashed with the other members of the group,
  
• The group had already gone into heated arguments with the Church of Pharasma, situations which would made the priests cast copious amounts of “Detect Alignment”, and there was no way they would have let a chaotic evil character off the hook so easily.

Therefore I chose to put my foot down and forced him to choose another alignment (he settled on True Neutral). The player (understandably) did not enjoy that. So yeah, although the campaign is adaptable to evil alignments, I should have made SURE that all members of the group made a collective agreement on what the moral trajectory of the group was going to be.

Another thing to anticipate is whether the players wants to play Osirians or foreigners. There’s an incentive to play a citizen of Wati as the GM may be compelled to give advantages to the native characters: contacts already established with NPCs in the city, a place to live instead of staying at the inn, etc. Some GMs might find that too generous and force the Osirian characters to hail from another city instead.

The group formed during my Session 0 included:

• Kufu, dwarven male pahmet true neutral fighter (hammer),
  
• Zyra, elven female chaotic good rogue (unchained),
  
• Heka, human male lawful neutral sorcerer (draconic lineage),
  
• Quinray, half-elf male chaotic good ranger (underground/undead).

Side note: “Kufu” is the real-life pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid and “Heka” means “magic” in ancient Egyptian. Give your players to some Egyptian-sounding name generator if you can, it can really add to the flavor.

Only Quinray’s player had experience with Pathfinder so I encouraged the others to play “simple” classes. However, no one wanted to play a cleric (which, considering the number of undead creatures in this campaign, is regrettable). The need for a wand of “Cure Light Wounds” was pretty much blatant and Quinray’s player decided to take the “Rich parents” traits to pay for it.

As always the campaign traits are pretty great and the players took their time to carefully choose one. It’s also a good opportunity to add in a few details about the world and give them an idea of what they’ll have to deal with during the campaign.

Kufu and Heka are both Wati residents so I let them choose a place to stay, provided they were not the owners of the place. Lodging was free but foreign characters had to sleep at an inn. So after some discussion it was decided that Kufu lived at his parents’ house and Heka in his master’s alchemical laboratory. At the group’s request, I elected that Heka’s master could help the group identifying items. This translated into a +2 spellcraft check when they specifically tried to identify the item with him present in the laboratory. All in all it didn’t end up upsetting the game balance too much.

To be continued…

Read in a very strict way, faith magic doesn't qualify. It gives you a level 2 divine spell, granted. However, mystic theurge demands "2nd-level divine spells" - spells, plural.

The following is beyond the rule question, hence in spoiler tags:

** spoiler omitted **

Oh, but haven't you heard? See it for yourself:

Source : http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pxt5&page=2?Qualifying-for-PrCs-using-spel llike-abilities#70

The design team does not consider a prerequisite or requirement of "ability to cast 1st-level arcane spells" to literally mean "ability to cast at least two or more 1st-level arcane spells."

Being able to cast one spell of that type and level meets the prerequisite or requirement (if the prerequisite or requirement was intended to mean "two or more," it would say that, or use language like "at least two").

So yeah, being able to cast only 1 2nd-level divine spell would not disqualify a wizard from embracing a carreer as a Mystic Theurge.

I understand it may not "feel" right, but either way you attempt to limit the requirements it forces out other classes that would normally be able to take mystic theruge as soon as they gain access to 2nd level spells. Classes no one would bat an eye at otherwise.

Good point.

I understand that the Mystic Theurge prestige class was more or less built with the intention of forcing players to sacrifice 3 levels in a class, but using "faith magic" as a workaround requires sacrifices too. Let's compare these two builds:

TRADITIONAL BUILD:
3 levels of wizard and 3 levels of cleric
10 levels of mystic theurge
4 levels of wizard or cleric
Pros :
* Gets cleric/wizard low-level abilities at levels where they're still somewhat useful
Cons :
* Three levels behind in both casting classes starting from level 4
* At level 20, can cast either a) 1 8th-level spell both in arcane and divine, b) 1 9th-level spell in one and 1 7th-level in the other

FAITH MAGIC BUILD:
7 levels of wizard, "faith magic" feat taken at level 7
1 level of cleric
10 levels of mystic theurge
2 more levels of cleric or 2 more levels of wizard
Pros :
* Only one level behind in terms of arcane spellcasting starting from level 8
* At level 20, can cast either a) 3 9th-level arcane spells and 1 6th-level divine spell or b) 1 9th-level arcane spell and 2 7th-level divine spells
Cons :
* Gets cleric low-level abilities at a level where they're really starting to suck
* Requires a feat tax, or rather an arcane discovery tax ("faith magic")

I don't think the Faith magic build is overpowered, or even underpowered for that matter. It just plays differently depending on what you're looking for. Different requirements, different possibilities. Divine spellcasting is less useful but still interesting enough in terms of strategy.

I've been talking about "Cure Moderate Wounds" from the very beginning, but, er... thanks.

But are you sure "Faith Magic" consumes the spell slot utterly and permanently? When you first prepare your spells for the day, you can prepare this spell once, using a spell slot 1 level higher than the spell’s actual level. From the way it was worded, I assumed it just meant you COULD prepare this spell for the day if you wanted to. Otherwise the spell slot can be used to cast a spell of its appropriate spell level normally. There's nothing written here about "losing" a spell slot.

Preparing a spell in a higher level slot does not change its level. So this would not allow you to qualify for early entry into Mystic Theurge.

There are a couple of precedents to this. First is a spell altered by a metamagic feat is still considered its original level. Second is when a caster lacks the Stat requirement to cast higher level spells so uses those slots to memorize spells they can cast. While faith magic does not explicitly state this, it is an established rule so does not need to be restated.

I'm... not sure I get it? To me the issue is more whether the divine spell qualifies as a straight-up divine casting ability rather than its spell level.

Defintion of "Faith Magic" arcane discovery:
Select one spell granted by a domain belonging to the god you worship. This spell must be at least 2 levels lower than the highest-level wizard spell you can cast. When you first prepare your spells for the day, you can prepare this spell once, using a spell slot 1 level higher than the spell’s actual level. This is cast as a divine spell.

A 7th level wizard can only cast 1 Level-4 arcane spell, but she gets 1 bonus spell slot if she has 18+ INT. So Faith Magic allows her to "sacrifice" these two spell slots and memorize a Level-2 divine spell (e.g. "Cure Moderate Wounds"). Ability to cast at least 1 Level-2 spell in both the arcane and divine spell lists qualifies her to become a Mystic Theurge.

I'm not sure the restrictions of spells affected by metamagic apply there... Metamagic and arcane discoveries are different things. And given that "Faith Magic" outright describes the level of the new divine spell (that is "level of the 2 sacrificed spells" minus 2), it seems to add up.

I do remember that bonus spells obtained through a specialized school were nerfed. Basically a metamagic-modified spell can only be cast with a bonus-specialized-school spell slot if that spell slot is one level higher. For example a metamagic-modified "magic missile" must be cast with a level-2 bonus-specialized-school spell slot. But what does that have to do with "Faith Magic"?

If the original level is that of the domain spell chosen, then the 7th-levelwizard qualifies as being able to cast a 2nd-level divine spell. But if the original level is that of the sacrificed arcane spells, then it's possible to enter into Mystic Theurge even earlier: get a wizard with INT 18+ to Level 3, take the arcane discovery "Faith Magic: Cure Light Wounds" and sacrifice 2 Level-2 spell slots to cast "Cure Light Wounds" as a 2nd-level divine spell.

God I'm confused.

But was there ever an official clarification about whether "Faith Magic" could be taken to qualify for entry into the Mystic Theurge prestige class? It would typically go somewhat like this:

Level 1 : Wizard 1
Level 2 : Wizard 2
Level 3 : Wizard 3
Level 4 : Wizard 4
Level 5 : Wizard 5
Level 6 : Wizard 6
Level 7 : Wizard 7, arcane discovery (Faith Magic: "Cure Moderate Wounds")
Level 8 : Wizard 7, Cleric 1
Level 9 : Wizard 7, Cleric 1, Mystic Theurge 1

So you would have a divine caster level to progress into AND the ability to cast a 2nd-level divine spell. Or a domain spell? It's not clear. Some official statement ("yes"/"no") on the matter would be nice. They've ruled out spell-like abilities for early entry but "Faith Magic" is not a spell-like ability. Some arcane discoveries are spell-like abilities, yes, but not "Faith Magic". Something about its formulation weirdly seems designed to allow this kind of shenanigans. Now that the 2nd edition is coming out we'll probably never know...

Sardenapale - If you don't mind me asking, what did you do about Senenmerek? Was he deleted too as he was undead?

My players haven't reached the crypts of the Temple of the Erudite Eye yet, so I'm still workshopping it. I could just make him an intelligent construct designed to look like the Serenmerek who died centuries ago. His role could given to the Graven Guardian of Nethys.

Another idea I like is that Serenmerek is technically still alive and put himself in a biological stasis through self-mummification and forced sleep. A creepier version of Sleeping Beauty, ew.

One thing I disliked in the Temple of the Erudite Eye as written is the alarming number of Undead there are in it... If I were a priest of Nethys tasked with keeping a dangerous artifact which tends to create Undead, I'd make sure that its prison was as secure as possible.

The PCs who enter the temple can make Knowledge checks to discover that all the frescos are imbued with powerful protections against necromancy. So much that the Grand Mausoleum of Pharasma looks downright tame in comparison. The masons even went so far as to carve formulas on the bas-reliefs, then put a layer of plaster and paint with different spells over it.

I deleted all undead encounters within the temple and re-designed accordingly:

• The jackals in area D1 are now mechanical constructs. They act as the temple's guard dogs. Knowledge checks (Religion) reveal that this is a weird choice as jackals are typically honored as protectors of tombs, not temples.
  
• There are no huecuvas in area D4. The accolytes (and several Wati citizens who had taken refuge in the temple) committed ritual suicide with cups of poison. Their intention was to die with their mind clear rather than succomb to the Plague of Madness and devour each other. The PCs can find a great number of skeletons there, most of them huddled together on the benches as they slowly drifted off to sleep. The skeletons all have crude magical amulets around their neck. Spellcraft checks reveal that these are traditional Osiriani amulets which make corpses more resistant to necromancy spells. Embalmers will pay a fine price for them as they prevent corpses from being raised as skeletons and such. Researches in the temple's library reveal that this was not a one-off event: accolytes were extensively trained in this craft and instructed to wear the amulets at all time inside the temple.
  
• No zombies in area D6, but a lone doppelganger who had gotten separated from his mind-hive has made the temple his home. He met Nebta-Khufre as he tried to enter the crypt and managed to steal his appearance, but the necromancer overpowered him. Nebta-Khufre made not to decision not to kill the creature, hoping to dissect it at a more appropriate time. When the PCs arrive in the Temple, the doppelganger is bound and gagged, and still has Nebta-Khufre's appearance. He's emprisoned in one of the rooms of area D6 and it takes a perception checks for the PCs to hear its muffled cries. Should the PCs free the fake Nebta-Khufre, it will cry tears of joy and make up an unlikely story of how "he" got there. At the earliest opportunity, the doppelganger takes on one of the PCs' appearance and escapes to the city. Shenanigans ensue. This is an opportunity for the GM to show off "Nebta-Khufre" before his appearance in Book 2.
  

Essentially I've remodeled the Temple as Egyptian Hogwarts: there are enchantments everywhere (the priests of Nethys get bored easily) and anything could be a construct. It's like Beauty and the Beast's castle except everything wants to kill you. The exploration of the Temple is stuck between the House of Pentheru (undead galore) and Book 2 (undead overkill) so I wanted something different for my players.

Other changes I've made, just for fun:

• It is possible to disable the deadly trap in area D10 with a numerical code. Searching through the High Priest's stuff in area D8 reveals an old ostracon with a reminder to change the code every week at Sunday. Intelligent PCs can make knowledge checks (Religion) to determine that this has something to do with mass. The High Priest chose the code according to whatever verse from the "Book of Magic" (Nethys' sacred text) which his accolytes were worshipping on Sunday. A visit in area D4 shows that the students were studying verse 10:45:06 ("Those who cannot live in peace must die in peace") at their last mass, during the week the Plague of Madness overtook the city. The chapel's "Book of Magic" is still open at the page devoted to verse 10:45:06.
  
• The PCs can find strange metallic balls near the skeletons of the accolytes in area D4. They have a strange aura of invocation magic. If open, each emits a glowing red light and summons a mephit. These mephits used to be the accolytes' familiars who banished them so they would not have to see them die. The summoned mephits are quite upset when they see their dead masters and originally believe that the PCs slaughtered them. In retaliation, they will attempt to steal the PCs' weapons and throw them in an entirely different part of the necropolis. Closing the metallic balls un-summons the mephits. This strange invocation method will not doubt draw the eye of many collectioners, but the mephits will not warm up to a new master easily.
  
• Following the details inscribed on the walls of Area D3, the PCs can easily baptize themselves in the Faith of Nethys. All they need to do is to fill up the basin with some water (spells help, though transvasing the water from the fountain with buckets in D2a also works). Baptized PCs are instantly recognized as such by the Graven Guardian in area D13, who will let them pass.
  

My players bonded with the Scorched Hand very early on and got a lot of intel from them. One of the players was romancing Idorïi (who blurted out her "special deal" with Velriana one night she had too much to drink at the Whispering Stone), the other was romancing Velriana. Other suggestions for roleplaying include :

• Velriana has a stalker (Nebta-Khufre, as will later be revealed). He pursues her with his affection (and horridly-versified poems) though she's well aware that he only wants to extract information about the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye from her. Discouraging this stalker is the surest way to win Velriana's trust.

• If one of the PCs speaks a language that members of the Scorched Hand do not, Velriana may request their help in translating some inscriptions they found on bracelets and belt buckles in the skeletons of the necropolis. This is her cue to speak of her obsession with the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. Sho chose this topic as her doctorate thesis and spent her entire personal fortune financing this expedition to Wati, assuming that the church of Pharasma would just give her access to the Sanctum as her group includes a priest of Nethys. Sebti's decision to leave the assignation of archeological sites to "fate" has essentially endangered Velriana's entire academic career.

• Idorïi has started an on-again/off-again relationship with Falto of the Cryptfinders. She breaks it up immediately after their first night, which left her feeling very awkward and confused. PCs who bribe other members of the Scorched Hand for gossip may find out that Falto turned out to be a kitsune trickster. This is her most terrible, shameful secret and she will readily accept to ditch the Scorched Hand in exchange for the PCs' silence.

• Azaz is a casual consumer of mumia and may propose some to the PCs at the Tooth & Hookah if he likes them. He buys his supply at the perfumers' shop (Threshed Souls Fragrances). This can get the PCs in big trouble with the church of Pharasma if word gets out. If relationships between the rest of her group turn sour, Velriana may out Azaz and the PCs to Sebti for his connections with "necromancers". Her hope is to get into Sebti's good graces and get the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye assigned to her. PCs who get thrown in jail for mumia consumption will have to talk their way out of this through Diplomacy checks. Otherwise Sebti confiscates some of the treasures they found in the necropolis.

So naturally Khelru reached out to my PCs for a contract : in case one of the groups got assigned the Temple of the Erudite Eye in the lottery, the other group would join them in their exploration and get an equal share of the booty. To Khelru this is no-brainer (as this doubles his chance to access the temple) but Velriana is dead-set against it. So one of my players got greedy and revealed to Khelru and Azaz that Velriana had paid Idorïi extras to protect her in priority. This caused a rift in the Scorched Hand with Khelru/Azaz on one side and Idorïi/Velriana on the other. In the end, my four players chose Khelru/Azaz to go with them so now they have a 4/2 share instead of a 4/4. I swear, my PCs are good-aligned people but sometimes they are such manipulative little bastards...

So now I had to adapt the skirmish in the ruins to account for Khelru and Azaz joining my PCs. I decided that Velriana had paid the Sand Scorpions to attack the PC. Part of her plan was to frame the church of Pharasma for the assassination of Khelru as a way to turn the churches of Nethys and Pharasma against each other. Black-kiss uses Velriana's Scorching Ray wand during the ambush, which was part of her payment.

I drew out a table for the "Skirmish in the ruins" encounter in the necropolis. It lists different enemies and allies depending on the Scorched Hand's attitude towards the PCs. If the PCs manage to make allies of the entire Scorched Hand, cultists of Nebta-Khufre will attack the joined groups instead, in an effort to buy their master time as he explores the Sanctum. Another possibility is retaliation by rogues of the Silver Chain. The Silver Chain used to rob tombs in the necropolis and its opening to archeologists is a violation of their "territory". Neither the PCs nor the Scorched Hand are aware of who these assassins are, and may have to investigate.

My players have just finished the House of Pentheru. Added a lot of roleplay-focused encounters in Wati so far; overall Book 1 of the AP tends not to place a lot of "hooks" to get to know the NPCs, at least in my opinion.

So far the biggest changes I made have been in the House of Pentheru itself. Basically I took out the "love haunt" event to fusion it with the Plague of Madness storyline.

• Imanish was the doru responsible for spreading the Plague of Madness throughout Wati. He used the House of Pentheru as the epicenter of the pandemy, taking care to infect only the servants at first. The nobility of Wati dismissed the early cases as consequences of poor hygiene amongst the rabble, while Imanish slowly incubated the Plague in the upper echelons. To make matters worse, Pentheru the Younger, who was then the Haty-a of Wati, suddenly died of a heart attack. This lack of leadership meant that the evacuation of Wati and the confinement of the infected never occured, as the nobles were immersed in political squabbling regarding his replacement. Eventually the citizens who didn't live were all eaten alive, and the remaining infected devoured themselves. The PCs can figure this out in area B17, where a haunt reveals Pentheru the Younger's funerary feast as nobles share gossip amongst themselves. The nobles eventually morph into the beheaded as reality sets in and attack the players.
  
• Every time the players leave to rest in Wati, Imanish casts new illusions inside the House. The second time the players enter, they are shocked to see the furniture and decoration intact, as it was before the Plague. The third and final time they entere, the romms is covered in snow and frost (which the Osiriani PCs have probably never seen before). Imanish also makes sure to write messages on the walls and doors, such as "welcome to your new house" or "we hope you stay forever", usually with the blood of unfortunate animals who have wandered into the garden. Hesh-Sharu is also in on the joke and may leave "housewarming gifts" for the PCs (actually cursed items designed to attract the players based on their interests). Hesh-Sharu wishes them a happy birthday, not understanding that birthdays do not actually refer to the day you become an undead yourself.
  
• The ghost of Ariseti haunts the first floor. She is not hostile but makes little sense as she constantly runs from invisible attackers, reliving her final moments for all of eternity. Imanish sees Ariseti as his priceless pet. He is only toying with the PCs; though he keeps unleashing new undead at them, he will not confront them directly and remains shrouded in invisibility, content to torture the ghost of Ariseti forever. If the PCs free Ariseti from the mortal coil, Imanish manifests himself and attacks them, hoping to claim a new "pet" for his trouble.
  
• The ghost of Pentheru the Younger appears before the PCs right after the Ubashki fight. He forbids them to enter his funerary chamber, threatening to attack them. If the PCs relent, he warns them that the "Master of the House" is only toying with them and that he remains invisible unless "the ritual is completed". However completing the "ritual" is impossible as the "circles were dismissed". Overall Pentheru can only express himself in obtuse religious metaphors. The PCs can make Knowledge checks or ask help from the priests of Wati to better understand his ramblings.
  
• Numerous haunts occur throughout the House, all of which reveal memories of Ariseti's past. In area B12, Ariseti and her fiance have a nasty argument about their bethrothal. He urges her to leave Wati as soon as possible to escape the epidemy, which Ariseti believes is an excuse to take her maidenhood sooner. Her father is currently being mummified and announcing a marriage during the time of grieving would be in poor taste. In area B20, her fiancé exits her room in a violent rage, lamenting the loss of one of Ariseti's possession. When he demands that the servants should be interrogated, Ariseti complains about his lack of manners. His anger suddenly turns to fury as he begins to devour Ariseti's flesh. Ariseti's screams draw out the house's guards who begin to pierce the fiancé with their spears.
  
• After her fiance's death, Ariseti kept his wedding ring in her bedroom's cupboard (B21) as a keepsake. Her stolen wedding ring is hidden in the secret stash of of the guards' quarters (B6). The rings emit a potent magical aura. PCs who use them as monocles can see through any illusion Imanish cast.
  
• Should the PCs bring the rings to the ghost of Pentheru, he will beg them to "take his heart under the protection of the Three". He authorizes the PCs to loot the weapons his mummy holds in its arms (a magical flail and hammer with bonuses against undead). His heart is embalmed and preserved in a jar next to his mummy.
  
• To exorcize Ariseti, the PCs must clean the altar to the three gods in B16 and put Pentheru the Younger's heart as well as the two wedding rings upon it. The three ghosts appear and Pentheru the Younger performs a quick marriage ceremony, effectively authorizing Ariseti to follow her husband and "depart" her family's house. He then asks whoever opposes the marriage to speak now and forever hold their peace, after which the ghosts disappear and Imanish attacks the PCs, using his magic to lock the house's doors. He can also, under certain conditions, summon skeletons and prompt a PC to experience the Plague of Madness and try to devour an ally.
  
• If the PCs defeat Imanish, the house starts to crumble and they have three rounds to escape the collapsing roof. Once outside, a powerful blast of white light blinds the PCs for a few seconds, after which the environment changes significantly, revealing a ruin covered in vines, where palm trees have managed to sprout and groups of jackals scatter. The two wedding rings, if they are retrieved, now give the PCs a bonus to Fortitude saves against illnesses.
  

I made clear to my players that the mystery regarding the House of Pentheru was 100% optional and that they would move on to the next site whenever they felt bored. But that only made them want to investigate the house more and they were totally invested in it. Freeing Ariseti causes the Pharasman church to look more favorably on the PCs, who may receive special favors later on such as discounts on magical healing.