Pathfinder Society Scenario #1: Silent Tide (OGL) PDF

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A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5).

When strange reports of misty undead spread through Absalom, you and your fellow Pathfinders are dispatched to the half-drowned district of Puddles. Notoriously rough, the drooling addicts, flesh panderers, and quick-handed knifers of Puddles are the least of your worries. The night's tide brings with it an ancient armada of some long-forgotten war and you are the only thing between their mist-shrouded ghost fleet and Absalom's utter oblivion.

Written by Michael Kortes

This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game.

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4.10/5 (based on 55 ratings)

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3/5


A lot of prep, but some memorable encounters!

4/5

NON-SPOILERS

A couple of nights ago, I had the chance to direct my first Pathfinder Society scenario. I just picked the very first one listed for "Season 0", which was named Silent Tide, and ran it for Level 1 Iconics. The adventure takes place in the island metropolis Absalom, and involves the PCs on an adventure to save the city from disaster. It has some very creative set-piece encounters and a fairly interesting backstory, even if doesn't all hang together perfectly. The story does ensure that a good pace is kept and the momentum will surely keep any players from getting bored. As a GM, there were some confusing elements to prepare, but on the whole I was satisfied.

SPOILERS

Premise: Eight-hundred years ago, a Taldoran invasion fleet lay anchored off the coast ready to invade Absalom in an operation code-named "Silent Tide." The fleet was waiting for a group of infiltrators and saboteurs known as Black Echelon to weaken the city's defenses and then transmit a special code using coloured lanterns. But the Black Echelon operatives were discovered, their plans foiled, and the invasion fleet taken by surprise and sunk. What no one in Absalom knew at the time, however, is that everyone involved in the planned attack had sworn an oath lost to time: a Binding Word, that ensured that neither time nor death would keep them from carrying out their goal. Now, a military historian named Yargos has uncovered an ancient codebook from the Silent Tide operation and, on a lark, sent off the signals to begin the operation. This triggered Black Echelon to rise from the dead as skeletal abominations to begin to carry out their ancient plans. Yargos realized his mistake, but before he could transmit the abort code to stop the plan, the codebook was stolen by a would-be crimelord named Nessian who plans to use it to blackmail the city's leaders.

Encounter # 1: The PCs are sent by a Pathfinder Venture-Captain to get the codebook from Yargos so that the Society can add it to its historical archives. There's a *long* text block to read to the players to begin the scenario, which is quite old-fashioned and could test the patience of some. On the positive side, once the text block is done, the PCs are right at an encounter. The PCs find out that Yargos and three of his friends (all shackled together) have been kidnapped by crimelord Nessian's henchmen (the War Hounders) AND are about to be pushed over the edge of a cliff to drown into the waters below! This was a great encounter to start the scenario, as it adds an exciting element to an otherwise unremarkable battle against thugs: the PCs have to rescued the prisoners (dangling from the edge of the cliff) before they fall in and drown. This requires some urgent action and may result in some major risk-taking (and the GM should prep the drowning/swimming rules). Unlike all of the other encounters, there was no map for this encounter, but it was simple enough to improvise so I don't find fault with that. A potential flaw in the encounter, which some people have noted in the forums, is that there is absolutely no contingency sidebar for the GM if Yargos actually dies. This didn't happen when I ran it, and it's probably not really likely (it would take 20 rounds for Yargos to die after falling in the water), but if it does a GM would have to think quickly or the entire scenario would be derailed. Perhaps a bigger issue is that Yargos, once rescued, is supposed to explain to the PCs everything in the backstory and then tell the PCs that to find Nessian they should visit an information broker named Grandmaster Torch. But if the PCs capture and interrogate one of the War Hounders (using Intimidate, Charm Person, etc.), it would make sense for the prisoner to tell the PCs exactly where Nessian's base is, which would mean the PCs would skip the information broker encounter. This happened in my game--it wasn't a huge issue, but should be noted.

Encounter # 2: On the way to Grandmaster Torch, the PCs notice signal lights flashing and Yargos realizes that's a code for Black Echelon to try to poison Absalom's granary. This encounter sees the PCs fighting several Black Echelon operatives inside the granary, and there's a couple of good elements here. First, the granary is given some interesting terrain features: grain is spilled in random spots which makes movement more difficult than just charging straight ahead, and there are hatches in the ceiling which can (if the right check is made) dump grain on a creature to cause damage and immobilize them. Second, the Black Echelon operatives themselves are far more interesting and flavourful than simple skeletons: they have the ability to summon a fog-like cloud around them, and every square adjacent to one is affected by total silence. These features made what would have been a bland encounter against undead into something that kept my experienced players off-balance and alert. I also liked that one of the Faction missions was to recover a vial of the poison, which could create some good role-playing opportunities.

Encounter # 3: The third encounter is the one where the PCs are to visit the information broker. Grandmaster Torch is willing to divulge Nessian's whereabouts if the PCs can open three out of the five treasure chests he hasn't been able to crack. Although the PCs in my session skipped this encounter, I really liked the idea of it as it gave the scenario the classic element of puzzles and riddles to engage the less-combat focussed players. Requiring only 3 of the 5 to be solved meant that getting stuck on a single one wouldn't ruin everyone's fun. Someone like Grandmaster Torch would also make a good recurring NPC for games set in Absalom.

Encounter # 4: On the way to Nessian's hideout, the PCs see, yet again, signal lights that are recognized by Yargos. Yargos explains that these lights mean that Black Echelon is about to attack the Metro-Church (a long-standing cathedral of Abadar) and try to interrupt the morning Oathday song. The sudden stoppage to the song, which has been played every Oathday morning for centuries, is the final signal for the invasion fleet to attack. This is the most memorable encounter of the scenario, as inside the Metro-Church is a *massive* organ: each key is as big as a human being laying down, and the way that music is played is to jump from key to key. The Black Echelon operatives have killed most of the dancing priest-musicians, and have used their Silence auras to keep any sound from emanating from the organ's pipes. I will admit that the whole premise of the organ struck me as a bit silly, but it led to an encounter I can safely say your players haven't had before! The encounter tests not just the PCs combat ability, but also their jumping and performance skills. This encounter does take some extra prep by the GM and some extra explanation for the players on what's going on.

Encounter # 5: The finale for the scenario sees the PCs approaching Nessian's hideout, "The Pyramid of the Dog." The concept of this structure is that three old siege towers have collapsed inwards to rest on a fourth, upright siege tower. A map of the encounter is provided, but it still took me a while to try to figure out how it was supposed to translate into three-dimensional space when it comes to climbing, cover, etc. An artist's rendering would have been extremely helpful here. Anyway, apart from the odd structure, this is a fairly run-of-the-mill encounter against Nessian, some of his henchmen, and a very mean dog. In his tower, the PCs find the codebook so that Yargos can send the abort code and stop Silent Tide.

So there are some problems with the scenario from a GM's perspective: it's a harder scenario to just plop down and run because some of the encounters are hard to conceptualize without a lot of planning. In addition, there are places where the backstory doesn't really hold together well (discussed in the forums); however, the momentum of the scenario is such that I imagine very few players will notice and question any inconsistencies. GMs new to the Season Zero scenarios should note that these are written for D&D 3.5, which means some minor adjustments need to be made ahead of time for NPCs in terms of CMB, CMD, and some skill names.

Overall, however, there's an interesting-enough story, some quite memorable encounters and enemies, and a strong mix of combat, role-play and puzzle-solving to make this a good (even though not great) adventure.


Solid scenario, even after all these years

4/5

It’s often said that the season 0 and 1 scenarios don’t age well. While it’s true that most notably the opponents are underwhelming, I still am amazed by how certain combats remain refreshing and dare I say innovative compared to newer seasons. This scenario is no different.

The plot isn’t all that amazing and the way the encounters follow eachother up leaves something to be desired, but the fights are all outstanding. In the first encounter the partymembers are forced between fighting, or helping NPCs from drowning. Both tasks have to be done, but who is going to do what? It’s a dynamic that remains refreshing even though we’re currently in season 8.

Then there are two fights with location-specific effects, both differing from one another. They’re simple, but effective. I particularly liked the one in a church of Abadar. After all, who doesn’t want to fight on a gigantic church organ, inadvertently playing it at the same time? Let’s be honest: that’s a unique fighting experience.

Besides those fights, there’s also a fair bit of puzzling to be done. There are 5 different puzzles, all of which require different skillsets to open. Everyone can participate and be successful. They also don’t take up a lot of time, so it’s a nice showcase that things don’t have to be overly complicated in order to be enjoyable.

While the foes didn’t age well and the story isn’t great, this scenario is still an utter joy to play. Interesting puzzles and environmental effects not only make it stand out, but ensure that it’s still refreshing to play. It’s simple, yet effective and even though it was released almost a decade ago, I would still highly recommend it.


Great introduction to PFS

4/5

Although it has been released for 8 years(maybe), still a WOW factor.

Combines well with story, roleplays, and skills, and an interesting meeting with Grandmaster Torch. You won't get bored at any time.

As many season 0 modules, combat is the downside, fine in tier 1-2(but too many weak mobs), doesn't scale well with high tier.


4/5


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The Exchange

So when do the modules become available for purchase for home game participation in the Pathfinder Society?

Liberty's Edge

Also, I am trying to download my Pathfinder card but can't. Is there something wrong with the link?


Mark Gedak 27 wrote:

So when do the modules become available for purchase for home game participation in the Pathfinder Society?

My understanding is immediately after GenCon, Monday the 18th.

The Exchange

Damn, what I'm I supposed to do for this weekend's and next weekend's game then. Sigh...

Scarab Sages

Mark Gedak 27 wrote:

Damn, what I'm I supposed to do for this weekend's and next weekend's game then. Sigh...

Suck it up Qadiran dog.

Oh yeah! Faction smack talk! Gotta love it!


fray wrote:

Suck it up Qadiran dog.

Oh yeah! Faction smack talk! Gotta love it!

Perhaps, if you Osirions bathed more often, your demeanor would be more pleasant no? At least then, your stench could be more easily tolerated, if not your attitude...

Verdant Wheel

Relvik wrote:
Perhaps, if you Osirions bathed more often, your demeanor would be more pleasant no? At least then, your stench could be more easily tolerated, if not your attitude...

Lowly peasants should´t bark against the scions of eternity...

Dark Archive

Quiet, you... or I'll whip both into submission.

Or maybe I'll do that anyway. It's just to show my superior skills... and for the laughs. Mine, obviously.

Scarab Sages

Just so you know this is my own personal collection of pieces of several of our great wise and powerful ancestors. It's too bad that your nose is not capable of noticing greatness.

Also to further your education... I do not bathe, I rinse with precision.

Dark Archive

Greetings... HERETICS. Come to our BARBECUE.

Scarab Sages

Radavel wrote:
Greetings... HERETICS. Come to our BARBECUE.

My people knew the true nature of eternity when your people were still scraping the moss of the rocks of their caves.

Dark Archive

Can't wait for this!

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Look at all the petty lordlings squabbling amongst themselves while the people wait for their chance to cast off their shackles. Patience, brothers. Our time is coming.

The Exchange

fray wrote:

Suck it up Qadiran dog.

Oh yeah! Faction smack talk! Gotta love it!

Sorry, did you say something? I normally speak with former slaves.

Sovereign Court

1-2 or 4-5?

Is there no love for 3rd level?

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Pete Apple wrote:

1-2 or 4-5?

Is there no love for 3rd level?

Player's of 3rd level can run the scenario at either the lower of higher tier.


I'm having the same issue...boo ;(


Are we allowed to run these using the Beta Rules (after monday)- or do we have to use 3.5?

Sczarni

Pholtus wrote:
Are we allowed to run these using the Beta Rules (after monday)- or do we have to use 3.5?

if you are counting them for pathfinder society, then you need to use 3.5 until Gen Con 2009 when the final release of the pathfinder ruleset comes out.

Dark Archive

Will these be PDF only or will there be a print edition. Based on the price point I'm leaning towards the former option.

Sovereign Court

This was a great adventure and even though we had to rush through, the Scenario played like clock work with the final battle ending in a rather interesting way...Good old Ray of Enfeablement on a Critical Hit for 9 Str. May have not been done right for the rules, but like I said we were rushing to make the time block and the DM was cool about the critical hit. Thanks a lot for you great DMing Sir Wolf, Gen Con 2008 Indy

Sczarni

David Fryer wrote:
Will these be PDF only or will there be a print edition. Based on the price point I'm leaning towards the former option.

all pathfinder society scenarios will be PDF only

Dark Archive

Lilith wrote:
Mark Gedak 27 wrote:

So when do the modules become available for purchase for home game participation in the Pathfinder Society?

My understanding is immediately after GenCon, Monday the 18th.

F5 - F5 - F5 - F5

The Exchange

golem101 wrote:
F5 - F5 - F5 - F5

F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5

Dark Archive

Mark Gedak 27 wrote:
golem101 wrote:
F5 - F5 - F5 - F5
F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5

F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5 - F5

Scarab Sages

uh...If the release time of the Beta is any indication, these won't be up for another hour and 13 minutes. so there's not a point in pressing F5 repeatedly.
...
F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 ...

edit: well...proven wrong i see.

Dark Archive

...not to mention F2...

Dark Archive

Bought, downloaded and printed. BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!

Sovereign Court

How many pages are these (thinking about printing pdfs)?


GeraintElberion wrote:
How many pages are these (thinking about printing pdfs)?

15-17 pages. Three of the pages are cover, title page and scenario chronicle

Grand Lodge

I had a lot of fun taking my Puddles-originating PFS character thru this at GenCon. Well written, with some good tense moments, as well as having opportunities for some good cinematic combat.

Mr Kortes, this was almost worthy of a Shackleton!

Lantern Lodge

I've downloaded Scenarios #1 through #4 with a view to running Pathfinder Society sessions at my local game store. So far, I've scanned through Scenario #1 pdf, though I haven't read in any detail, primarily because I haven't printed them to paper yet.

The first thing that jumped out at me, is that several of the encounters have stats only for Tier 4-5 adversaries. Are some Tier 1-2 challenges missing in this adventure?

Sovereign Court

DarkWhite wrote:

I've downloaded Scenarios #1 through #4 with a view to running Pathfinder Society sessions at my local game store. So far, I've scanned through Scenario #1 pdf, though I haven't read in any detail, primarily because I haven't printed them to paper yet.

The first thing that jumped out at me, is that several of the encounters have stats only for Tier 4-5 adversaries. Are some Tier 1-2 challenges missing in this adventure?

It might be because sometimes the Tier 1-2 stats are put down without a tier reference and then the Tier 4-5 stuff is put afterward in brackets (ie. bottom right of page 6, bottom left of page 10, top left of page 11) Also at one point the Tier 1-2 encounter is shown and then beneath it says; "Tier 4-5 Give..." (middle left of page 13).

So Tier 1-2 is presented as the default, with tier 4-5 added on.

Lantern Lodge

Okay, that was it. Also, the full stats were in the appendix. It was the big bold "Tier 4-5 CR 1" headings without a corresponding Tier 1-2 heading that confused me. After printing and reading it, it made more sense. Sorry for the distraction.


Help me out? I run games for middle schoolers at a school, are the pathfinder society modules PG enough, that we could enter in organized play, and search the world of Golarion without too much anger from parents?

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

gnomewizard wrote:
Help me out? I run games for middle schoolers at a school, are the pathfinder society modules PG enough, that we could enter in organized play, and search the world of Golarion without too much anger from parents?

I can't imagine that exploring Golarion would result in much anger from parents in any case. As it stands, the player's guide should be adequate as long as each player has access to the PHB. Anyone wishing to play a cleric will need deity/domain information from one of the other Pathfinder sourcebooks, though. You might be able to reproduce this separately as a handout, if no one wants to or is able to get the free AP player's guides, the Gazetteer or the Campaign Setting.

Sczarni

gnomewizard wrote:
Help me out? I run games for middle schoolers at a school, are the pathfinder society modules PG enough, that we could enter in organized play, and search the world of Golarion without too much anger from parents?

To add to what Yoda said, the PFS modules are made to be run at conventions, where it isn't all that unusual to have an 8 year old playing right along next to a parent. Where the adventure paths might be PG-13 (or R if Louge has his way with them) the PFS are more PG (think fast and the furious vs speed racer movies - both have battles and violence with cars, but the tone is friendlier in speed racer.)

Josh said he is going to try to keep the younger audience of convention-goers in mind when looking at the module writeup, to keep it young-friendly


Thank you so much the both of you, I think i am going to have them sign-up for Pathfinder Society, ANd really have some fun logging our adventures through Galorian. Thanks again.

Liberty's Edge

gnomewizard wrote:
Thank you so much the both of you, I think i am going to have them sign-up for Pathfinder Society, ANd really have some fun logging our adventures through Galorian. Thanks again.

I played #1-#3 at Gen Con, and didn't find anything I wouldn't want my 14-year-old daughter exposed to.

-George

Dark Archive

I played through this mod at DragonCon and enjoyed it a lot.

One question:

Spoiler:
Where do you find the specific oath that the undead swore to become undead (the Chelaxian prestige goal)? I assumed it would be in the code book, but no dice there.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

PulpCruciFiction wrote:

I played through this mod at DragonCon and enjoyed it a lot.

One question:

** spoiler omitted **

Spoiler:
It's not detailed anywhere. It might be the seed of an ongoing plot thread for this season, though, so keep your eyes peeled. For now, just assume it's something eeeeevil.

Spoiler:
So, if it isn't in the scenario does that mean that the faction goal is unattainable?

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Spoiler:
I believe that attaining the head of one of the undead meets the requirement. If I recall, without rereading the faction objective, it mentions something about diviners using that to determine the nature of the oath.

Dark Archive

yoda8myhead wrote:
** spoiler omitted **

Spoiler:
Really? I didn't get the prestige point, and I did manage to grab a skull along the way.
Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Mike did a fantastic job on this. I'm headhunting him to write an adventure for Sinister Adventures actually. I'd love to get him on an Indulgence PDF adventure. I think he's one of the most innovative adventure designers working right now.

What do ye say Mike, will you write for me? I have a doosie in mind for you to tackle.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

PulpCruciFiction wrote:
** spoiler omitted **

I think, then, that you experienced GM error. You might want to either email them and ask how they interpreted the faction objective, or contact Josh about tracking that prestige.

Liberty's Edge

1 question, i just adquiered it recentlyand was checking the Main Villian has a 'Variant class'

there is a sourcebook where this came?


Montalve wrote:

1 question, i just adquiered it recentlyand was checking the Main Villian has a 'Variant class'

there is a sourcebook where this came?

It's an unnamed variant in the SRD. But if I recall correctly, it was 'originally enjoyed' in Unearthed Arcana.

It's a very combat oriented variant; few skills and feats, but top BAB with sneak attack progression. It can be deadly, in my experience, when used in pairs to maximize flanking.

Liberty's Edge

thanks!

was thinking the same
one of my players liked it when i mentioned it
i was undecided if suing it or not
still haven't sued the adventure so there is still time for that

Sovereign Court

Played this @ Anonycon 08 and it was awesome! As this was my first Mod @ my first con consider this a rave review.

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