Pathfinder Adventure Path #19: "Howl of the Carrion King" (Legacy of Fire 1 of 6) (OGL)

3.80/5 (based on 16 ratings)
Pathfinder Adventure Path #19:
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Chapter 1: "Howl of the Carrion King"
by Erik Mona

Hear the cry of war!

In the exotic nation of Katapesh, a land of fortune and wonders, heroes are those with the courage to command their destinies. Such wisdom leads a daring band to the abandoned village of Kelmarane with the hopes of reestablishing the once prosperous community. But buzzards still feast upon the secluded settlement’s corpse: a savage tribe of gnolls and their bestial allies hold the town in the name of a merciless master known only as the Carrion King. Can the PCs retake the village from its feral conquerors, or is Kelmarane but the first bastion of civilization to fall before the hordes of the mysterious warlord?

    This volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path begins the Legacy of Fire, and includes:
  • “Howl of the Carrion King,” an adventure for 1st-level characters, by Erik Mona
  • An investigation into the savage gnoll tribes of the Brazen Peaks, their brutal culture, and their merciless members, by Eric Haddock
  • Ruins once sacred to the god of magic have become the lair of a living curse in “The Refuge of Nethys,” a Set Piece adventure by James MacKenzie
  • The adventures of druid Channa Ti begin in “Dark Tapestry,” a new chronicle in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by New York Times bestselling author Elaine Cunningham
  • Five new monsters by Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, and F. Wesley Schneider

For characters of 1st to 5th level.

Pathfinder Adventure Path is Paizo Publishing's monthly 96-page, perfect-bound, full-color softcover book printed on high-quality paper. It contains an in-depth Adventure Path scenario, stats for about a half-dozen new monsters, and several support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Because Pathfinder uses the Open Game License, it is 100% compatible with the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game.

ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-159-6

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscription.

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This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZO9019


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Average product rating:

3.80/5 (based on 16 ratings)

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Worst adventure ever.

1/5

So starting at first level you have essentially no opportunity to get gear that isn't written in.

Significant gear that isn't in the module includes small armor of any kind or Full Plate.

Then if you play the side adventure in the haunted monastery you get to fight the most stupidly under CRed lychantrhope I've ever seen. Never mind that you haven't been able to get any silvered weapons.


Paizo at the top of their game

5/5

With a main adventure written to engage both GM and players, with interesting situations, colourful villains and other NPCs, and detailed locations, Howl of the Carrion King is written by a man (Erik Mona) who has mastered his craft; and a superb support article by Eric Haddock on the Brazen Peak gnoll tribes and a 'Set Piece' adventure by James MacKenzie (Sir Wulf of the Paizo messageboards) combine with a bestiary and fiction by Elaine Cunningham that show Paizo confident and at the top of their game. Even the end-covers are filled with interest featuring short fables from the setting.
Whether you intend to run the Legacy of Fire path, or are just looking for something for a group of low-level PCs, I would strongly recommend this product.


Excellent Arabian Adventure!

5/5

Our group just finished Howl of the Carrion King and it is now one of my very favorite adventures! From the opening act that thrusts the players together in cooperative fashion, to the mystery surrounding the town, and the incredible end acts - this adventure is a clear winner. The players loved it. It offered awesome opportunities to develop cool characters and Roleplay them. There are plenty of challenging encounters as well. I really liked that this adventure does not have the same feel to it that most typical fantasy adventures do. The arabian setting is done quite well and they add in some specialty items and creatures to complete the feel. I recommend you give this one a try!




Everything a low-level adventure should be

4/5

Erik Mona has achieved a rare thing: creation of a low-level adventure (1st-4th) that has a clear, well-conceived theme and fast pacing between episodes, but nonetheless remains wonderfully open-ended and has space enough to grow. There are creepy investigations, daring rescues, infiltration of humanoid-infested ruins, shaky alliances, mythic beasts, and solid bang-up fights.

This is one that you could run three times with three different groups, and it would be a totally different adventure each time. Likewise, it segues seamlessly into the rest of the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, but one could just as easily skip episodes 2-6 and instead use this as the start and basis of an entirely separate campaign. Either way, it's hard to imagine NOT wanting to start playing it right away!


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Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Lisa Stevens wrote:
Gray wrote:
Are we still on schedule to see this next week?

Yes. Barring any unforseen circumstances, we should start shipping this next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Lisa

Great! We have only just now decided we want to play this right now! :)

The Exchange

I just subscribed to this adventure path! Check out my shiny new Subscriber tag! :)

The Exchange

Zeugma wrote:
I just subscribed to this adventure path! Check out my shiny new Subscriber tag! :)

Woohoo! Congrats!


Woot cant wait, has to come all the way to Western Australia, mmm wonder how long it will take to get here?


Lisa Stevens wrote:
Gray wrote:
Are we still on schedule to see this next week?

Yes. Barring any unforseen circumstances, we should start shipping this next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Lisa

If we are set to "ship with Pathfinder", what will be shipping with #19 and what with #20?

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Dark Psion wrote:
If we are set to "ship with Pathfinder", what will be shipping with #19 and what with #20?

Next week:

Pathfinder #19—Legacy of Fire Chapter 1: "Howl of the Carrion King"
Pathfinder Companion: Legacy of Fire Player's Guide
Pathfinder Chronicles: Dragons Revisited

Two weeks later:
Pathfinder #20—Legacy of Fire Chapter 2: "House of the Beast"
Pathfinder Module E2: Blood of Dragonscar
Right now, we're uncertain about Pathfinder Chronicles: Dark Markets—A Guide to Katapesh. We hope it's in this shipment, but we haven't got confirmation yet.

Planet Stories: The Sword of Rhiannon is coming from a different printer, but we expect to have it by the time the second lot arrives.


Lisa Stevens wrote:
Gray wrote:
Are we still on schedule to see this next week?

Yes. Barring any unforseen circumstances, we should start shipping this next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Lisa

Thank you, Lisa.

{crosses fingers}


Vic Wertz wrote:
Dark Psion wrote:
If we are set to "ship with Pathfinder", what will be shipping with #19 and what with #20?

Next week:

Pathfinder #19—Legacy of Fire Chapter 1: "Howl of the Carrion King"
Pathfinder Companion: Legacy of Fire Player's Guide
Pathfinder Chronicles: Dragons Revisited

Two weeks later:
Pathfinder #20—Legacy of Fire Chapter 2: "House of the Beast"
Pathfinder Module E2: Blood of Dragonscar
Right now, we're uncertain about Pathfinder Chronicles: Dark Markets—A Guide to Katapesh. We hope it's in this shipment, but we haven't got confirmation yet.

Planet Stories: The Sword of Rhiannon is coming from a different printer, but we expect to have it by the time the second lot arrives.

I didn't see it mentioned in the ad copy for PF #19, but I'd heard rumors that the god write-up (like Cayden Cailean and Calistria in the Second Darkness AP) was going to focus on Sarenrae (since she's big in the desert, being a sun goddess <G>). Is this still true? ::hope, hope:: I've got a PC cleric of mine and an NPC cleric whose inquiring minds wanna know... ;->

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lady Bluehawk wrote:


I didn't see it mentioned in the ad copy for PF #19, but I'd heard rumors that the god write-up (like Cayden Cailean and Calistria in the Second Darkness AP) was going to focus on Sarenrae (since she's big in the desert, being a sun goddess <G>). Is this still true? ::hope, hope:: I've got a PC cleric of mine and an NPC cleric whose inquiring minds wanna know... ;->

Sarenrae is not detailed in PF #19.

She gets her article in PF #20.


Brent wrote:
We should be getting the full preview for this AP in Pathfinder Volume 12 coming out for subscribers in the next week or so. I am really interested to hear what the "end goal" of this AP is. We've stopped the return of a mad Arch Wizard, we've saved a city from the chosen blue dragon warlord of Zon-Kuthon, and we will be stopping the drow from pulling a star down from the sky to destroy the world. What nefarious enemy will we face now. I can't wait to find out.

Um, dude, I can; our group is still playing the first three APs...

Spoiler:

Now, with titles like "Rise of the Rune Lords" and "Second Darkness," we might be able to figure out the end goals (preventing a Rune Lord [or all of them] from rising again, stopping a repeat of what caused the First Darkness), but I had no clue about the CotCT end goal until you mentioned it.

Spoiler alert next time, please? >:-/


James Jacobs wrote:
Lady Bluehawk wrote:


I didn't see it mentioned in the ad copy for PF #19, but I'd heard rumors that the god write-up (like Cayden Cailean and Calistria in the Second Darkness AP) was going to focus on Sarenrae (since she's big in the desert, being a sun goddess <G>). Is this still true? ::hope, hope:: I've got a PC cleric of mine and an NPC cleric whose inquiring minds wanna know... ;->

Sarenrae is not detailed in PF #19.

She gets her article in PF #20.

Aigh! And they both ship out in March? There's not much left of it...and the ad copy says April... :-/


PF#19 should ship this coming week.
PF#20 should ship two weeks after PF#19.

providing delivery estimates hold true


Rauol_Duke wrote:

PF#19 should ship this coming week.

PF#20 should ship two weeks after PF#19.

providing delivery estimates hold true

Crossing fingers! :D

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Rauol_Duke wrote:

PF#19 should ship this coming week.

PF#20 should ship two weeks after PF#19.

providing delivery estimates hold true

At this point, it's pretty much a certainty.


Vic Wertz wrote:
Rauol_Duke wrote:

PF#19 should ship this coming week.

PF#20 should ship two weeks after PF#19.

providing delivery estimates hold true

At this point, it's pretty much a certainty.

That's the best news I've heard all day, Vic.


Can't wait to get my copy. This, and the terrain from WWG is what led me to obtaining a subscription!

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

I am downloading mine as I write this!!!!!

Liberty's Edge

Mr Baron wrote:

I am downloading mine as I write this!!!!!

Me too! Woohoo!!!!

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

I am very excited to hear what people think of the adventure in this one.

Liberty's Edge

Oh wow, I can download it now. Cool!

Looking forward to reading it Erik, I really loved Whispering Cairn.


Woohoo indeed! I am downloading it now and checking the toner in my printer!

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Cry "Haddock" and release the gnolls of war!

Dark Archive

I can some up my thoughts in one word.

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooootttt

I was telling my friends that for the next campaign I was only going to chose Legacy of fire if it was something exceptional and going from the first adventure it is. Congratulations Eric you have outdone yourself.

The Exchange

I haven't read too much so far apart from the intro and the campaign outline (I'm just beginning to read through the adventure) but let me say one thing first: Jesper Ejsing's cover is awesome. As is the Layout of PF #19 (and the other artwork as far as I've seen so far) which made me fell in love with this issue before I had read a single word. Kudos to all the artists involved (and especially to Sarah).

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

The layout and the artwork is excellent, and it is perhaps the best looking pathfinder to date.

Liberty's Edge

I'm very exciteed about this. Erik Mona has long been one of my favorite creators -- ever since he was editor of the Oerth Journal.


Excellent adventure - great layout and detail, has nice balance, packs of nasty bastard gnolls and best of all... Perytons :)

Great job Erik - you made me a happy halfbreed indeed

Liberty's Edge

Yeah! Time to go stand outside by the mailbox for the next 3-7 days and wait;fortune has shined upon me as the weather has turned.


Erik Mona wrote:

I am very excited to hear what people think of the adventure in this one.

I'm looking forward to the gnoll information in particular.


BEST LOOKING PRODUCT TO DATE?

OK, it's probably gotten out that I'm a sucker when it comes to eye candy, or, as we academic types like to say, "visually motivated"--it's a part of what attracted me to Paizo's products in the first place. And it's true that I certainly don't own everything Paizo's put out there (though I've looked at more than I can afford right now.) All that said, "Howl of the Carrion King" is the best looking product I've seen from this company*...and right now, I'm not sure what I'd put up next to it. Really, really nicely done. Bravo on art and design. Just, hurray!
I've only had time to flip through the pdf a couple of times, and read E.C.'s Pf Journal, but I am impressed and so looking forward to getting the paper in my hands. Go Paizo!

*Is there a story behind this?

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
All that said, "Howl of the Carrion King" is the best looking product I've seen from this company*...and right now, I'm not sure what I'd put up next to it. Really, really nicely done. Bravo on art and design. Just, hurray!

I have to agree. This raises the bar so high that I wonder if you'll be able to match it when this AP ends. The built-in visual style of the Persian/Arabian Nights stories this is based on is captured so well, I don't know if other story types will have the same success. Anyway, it looks great and I'm glad we're going to get five more where this came from (at least I hope). The only art issue I have with it are the line drawings in the Pathfinder's Journal. I much prefer the sketched drawings we saw in the first novella. But again, that fits more with the region and art of the book as a whole so I can see why it was done.

Mad props, Sarah and the rest of the art team. I know you're working your butts of now getting the RPG products and such done, but your work doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.


Amazing! Erik, you should really write more adventures in Pathfinder..I'm thinking at least one per AP?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

All that said, "Howl of the Carrion King" is the best looking product I've seen from this company*

*Is there a story behind this?

Only that Sarah's super-awesome at making stuff look cool. :-)

Liberty's Edge

Lucky you!
How is it some people can download it and not me?
Sad little me... :(


James Jacobs wrote:
Only that Sarah's super-awesome at making stuff look cool. :-)

OK.

Then, in a just world, Sarah would now get:
Spoiler:

*People who have canceled AP subscriptions will travel to Washington, stand outside the building weeping, ripping their clothing, and stuffing their cash through any opening in the building, pleading to be taken back.
*A big fat raise, to be paid in gold bullion
*Stock options
*A professionally decorated office with a window in the new building; the corner one between Vic's and Mona's. (On the Mona side, an air filter to keep the 'eau de White Castle' from wafting in.)
*A thread full of marriage proposals, full of bribes, threats of suicide, etc. Many of these will obviously be from members of Middle Eastern royal families and from gamers.
*When Sarah walks into the local art supply store, the Italian guy who owns it comes out from behind the counter and says, "Sarah, take-ah what evah you like-ah!"
*All future mail and orders sent to her office will be delivered on a silver tray topped by a silk pillow, by a uniformed bearer.

Silver Crusade

Erik Mona wrote:

I am very excited to hear what people think of the adventure in this one.

I have to say, I'm really liking it.

Spoiler:

The rewards that I get to give out to the players for various things are going to be a lot of fun. I think they are really going to get a kick out of this whole adventure, despite some of the obvious frustrations which will be more funny than dangerous in many cases. ^_^ Can't wait. I'm about halfway through the AP and it's incredibly intriguing.

Also, as others have said, the visual design is AMAZING!


No worries on this one Erik, two thumbs up from here in Milton Keynes,UK.

Those with long memories may recall that during Second Darkness, I had concerns about each adventure path being weaker than its predecessor and was beginning to have serious doubts about my subscription
(especially when you bear in mind the changes in $:£ exchange rate has increased the cost of an issue to UK subscribers by about 60-70%)

Looks like this reverses the trend , and my subscription is safe for another complete path or two at least :-)

Definitely better than the opening to Second Darkness, and a very promising start to the path. Entertaining, some nice (mildly unexpected) twists and artwork excellent (as always) .

I need to read this again to be sure, but my initial impression that this is one of the best PFs for at least a year which (given the decent-to-high quality of PF in general) is pretty strong praise.

Further reading may either temper or improve that assessment of course.
Regardless, a quality issue from Paizo.

(My only mild concern is from the overview of the whole path, I'm not sure the overall arc will appeal when it gets to the last few parts of the Path, but obviously too early to tell for sure)

p.s. I take back what I said about the colour of the cover. I still prefer the orange but the yellow is also fine.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Louis-Philippe Desroches wrote:

Lucky you!

How is it some people can download it and not me?
Sad little me... :(

You have your subscriptions set to hold for monthly shipment, and Pathfinder 20 will ship before the end of the month. If you'd like to change that, let customer service know... but be aware that separate shipments means separate shipping charges.

Liberty's Edge

I have also set for "monthly shipment"! So, with luck, I will get a shipment containing 6 pieces of Paizo-awesomeness... Man, can't wait to get that package, or at least, be able to download the stuff!


My copy just arrived today. I've got a terrible head cold at the moment, so this is going to help me pass the time while I soak in a hot, steamy tub in an attempt to clear my sinuses...glerg. *snort*

The Exchange

So no new campaign guide with this new A/P?


Weaponbreaker wrote:
So no new campaign guide with this new A/P?

Should be a freebie download PDF.


I didn't get one shipped with the adventure, though I do appear to have access to the PDF online.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Weaponbreaker wrote:
So no new campaign guide with this new A/P?

Pathfinder Companion: Legacy of Fire is available for purchase separately.


Dryder wrote:
I have also set for "monthly shipment"! So, with luck, I will get a shipment containing 6 pieces of Paizo-awesomeness... Man, can't wait to get that package, or at least, be able to download the stuff!

Man, I'm still waiting, too.

The Exchange

Erik Mona wrote:
I am very excited to hear what people think of the adventure in this one.

I'm writing (quite probably together with Windjammer) a review for a german board and I'm absolutely planning to translate it for these boards, too. As I'm known for rather long reviews this can take a while.

But so far I'm impressed by the way information is presented at the start of the adventure and I guess I'll have some words to say about "The Whispering Cairn" vs. "Howl of the Carrion King" as well as about some of the so-called "advantages" of 4E with regards to your adventure (Skill Challenge(s) in chapter 1 and dynamic encounters in chapter 2). No worries, I don't intend to continue the edition wars, but in my opinion you're showing us two great examples of how to integrate those themes in a 3.5 adventure. As I said, so far I'm absolutely impressed (and man, I had sky-high expectations after WC).

I can only guess that the fans of 4E will have a lot of fun converting this adventure and if you don't mind I'd like to ask if this was something you had in mind when designing HotCK.


The cover alone is enough to make me want this book (except for the left forefinger of our lady in front - that thing is broken!) but then to find out that Erik wrote it...SOLD!

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

WormysQueue wrote:


I can only guess that the fans of 4E will have a lot of fun converting this adventure and if you don't mind I'd like to ask if this was something you had in mind when designing HotCK.

Interesting. No, not at all, actually.

I do hope that 4e players find it worthy of conversion. A lot of the fights (particularly the raid on the pugwampi lair in the Old Monastery) have a tactical complexity that would most likely play to 4e's strengths.

I'd love to hear people's experiences with this.

The Exchange

Vic Wertz wrote:
Weaponbreaker wrote:
So no new campaign guide with this new A/P?
Pathfinder Companion: Legacy of Fire is available for purchase separately.

Thanks Vic, I had missed this announcement.

This is just one of the reasons I love Paizo. Customer service mas rapido. So far I am sad I don't get to read this one as we are starting it soon I am not running it.

Dark Archive

The Painted Oryx wrote:
Amazing! Erik, you should really write more adventures in Pathfinder..I'm thinking at least one per AP?

I have to say that Erik's 'Whispering Cain' is my favorite adventure ever published in Dungeon -- it's fun for the DM, and fun for the players, and has an amazing, detailed plot that's also inspirational to read! And to top it all, it has very good maps and hand-outs (which is very important for me as a DM).

I'm really waiting to pick this up at my FLGS -- they don't stock Paizo products, so I have to tell them to order them. At the same time, I'm trying to get them to change their mind...

Anyway, please, Erik, write more adventurers for us, okay? :)

(Maybe we could get Lisa to add an extra clause to Erik's contract? One mandatory adventure per month, or so?)

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