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Name of PC: Zogar
Class/Level: Orc Dragon Instinct Barbarian w/ Champion Free Archetype (Level 3)
Adventure: Edge of Anarchy, Eel's End
Catalyst: Devargo Barvasi + Web Lurker + Orc Ferocity
Story: This is a 2e conversion for the adventure path using proficiency without level. This used the Free Archetype and granted Toughness as a free feat from character creation.

The party had managed to bribe Devargo into giving him the information they sought. However, the animal-loving herbalist witch could not let Majenko stay enslaved. The party didn't have the additional funds to secure Majenko's release, so the witch boldly used a scroll of knock to free the house drake. This...escalated matters.

Devargo started the combat by pulling the lever under the Ratfolk Toxicologist's feet. He failed to grab an edge and fell. He managed to get out of the Web Lurker's den with a crossbow and some rope. 2 dream spiders and a hunting spider followed him up. The applicants were relatively easily dispatched or sent packing, and I opted not to have the guards on deck investigate.

Zogar traded heavy blows with Devargo (reskinned Copper Hand Rogue) nearly killing him, but not before Devargo popped his insurance invisibility potion and fled below decks. Spiders killed and applicants dealt with, this could have been the end of it. But Zogar jumped down the trap door to kill the Web lurker that was making noise, and then presumably loot whatever was belowdecks.

The Web lurker brought him down with a crit. An investigating Devargo tried to finish him off (after the witch cast soothe to bring Zogar back up) but missed. The magus and witch finished Devargo off with paired phased bolts. The Web Lurker fled out of hold, because the toxicologist had set the webs alight with a dropped torch. Zogar pursued, and hit the Web Lurker hard, but not enough to kill it. It retaliated with a bite, he used Orc Ferocity to stay up, then it hit him with a claw and dropped him again. Then it dropped the flanking Magus. Then the witch dropped down the trapdoor and the toxicologist moved down the stairwell. I was now worried about a TPK.

The Web Lurker hit Zogar while he was dying (bringing him to dying 4, but he had diehard) and then moved away to flee. The toxicologist stalled it with minor damage, while the witch healed Zogar with an elixir then started on the Magus. Zogar rushed after the Web Lurker with no more than 6 hp to his name. He missed with his attack. The Web Lurker hit him with a bite, bringing him to 0. Zogar used Orc Ferocity to stay up at 1 hp and wounded 4. Then failed his save on the venom. Instantly wounded 5, he died.

The toxicologist fled up the stairs with Web Lurker in tow, the newly revived Magus followed and finished it off with Force Fang.

Gm here,

I'm running AoA for a three player party. So far, they've picked up Alak and are in A21 (having already completed the events of A22) and about to level up. The bard has gone to dying 2 previously, but they have been handling it well so far. Alak is a great damage dealer, but I foresee him leaving the party after the events of C8 (as written), unless the party convinces him to stay otherwise. My concern is D3. Any advice for tempering this encounter for a bard, druid/tank, and a ranger w/ animal companion? I'm tempted to place one scroll each of Searing Light and Haste to give them a fighting chance. I've read other posts about this encounter and am trying to take the lessons to heart, but I am worried the loss of 3 actions/round and an additional target will result in multiple deaths.

My options as I currently see them:

1. Give weak adjustments to encounter in D3.

2. Ensure all players have +1 striking weapons and extra scrolls as mentioned above.

3. Have the party at level 5 when they enter D3.

Your thoughts and advice are much needed.

Book 1 Spoilers Below:

GM here, I've been struggling with prepping the encounters with the Cinders (boggards and charau-kas). Any pointers on how to make the boggards croak seem terrifying or on the tactics for how to make them seem like some semblance of a threat?

Party make up is a Wild Druid, Bard focusing on nonlethal and mental magics, a Ranger with Animal Companion and Alak. All are new to pathfinder with two being new to rpg's in general.

This being a dark dungeon, I want the to endorse a sense of caution and danger about these encounters. Undead are easy enough to make interesting, the kolbolds magics shift things up, (the party's first encounter with hostile casters), and oozes are right of the family bestiary and easy to trick new players into grabbing a magical sword floating in the air. But these boggards...idk what to do with them.

GM here running a campaign with undead and a Bard carrying a whip and a sap. If a zombie is struck with a whip or a skeleton with a sap, and these attacks reduce it to zero through nonlethal means, is the creature destroyed or does it continue to act as if at 1 hp until it takes a point of lethal damage?