A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 12th level characters (Tier: 12).
The mysteries of the Woodsedge Lodge continue as you and your fellow Pathfinders are sent to devil-tainted Cheliax and the steamy jungles of the Mwangi Expanse to find two missing venture-captains.
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 Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
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I recently had the honor of running one of the retirement arc scenarios and although this was an incredibly clever and creative scenario, I did not enjoy it. This is a tragic tale of two successful Decemvirate members who ultimately meet an untimely end at the hands of Evil. I really wavered regarding how best to rate something I did not like because I still did feel as though this was an incredible scenario as far as quality and would definitely jump at another opportunity to run/play it. Another element I favored on this scenario was that this particular scenario was more "mature" than most which I appreciate since the average age of my players are mid-thirties.
Spoiler:
This scenario exemplified the differences between lawful and chaotic evil and how the leaders of these doctrines would chose to interact with and lead humanity. For lawful evil, they used the traditional "deal with a Devil": Xerazcis had a contractual agreement with Rysuss Soth to make him help defeat Eddington Keel. For chaotic evil, they used Chorax's cult which committed all sorts of unnatural acts to achieve the disturbing transformation of Kyalla.
DM complexity - moderate
I consider myself an experienced DM in 3.0, 3.5 and PFS and probably spent about 4 hours preparing this scenario. Due to the complexity involved in some of the combats, I ended up taking almost 6 hours to run this adventure. Looking back, I could imagine reducing the time of this scenario by perhaps an hour but would probably recommend that a DM allocate 5 hours for it.
Player complexity - high
I ran this scenario for 5 fairly experienced players and they struggled with several elements of the combats. Although my players were familiar with their characters, they were not accustomed to the strategies and tactics of high level mobs. Unfortunately, this is just a consequence of PFS rules - characters level too slowly at lower levels and too quickly at higher levels.
Spoiler:
As most scenarios, the prepared-ness of a DM contributes significantly to the difficulty of a combat. Although there are some minor skirmishes in this scenario, I only considered there to be two major combats: against the lawful evil Devils and the chaotic evil Lich. Both combats discourage traditional melee combatants which forces the PCs to be sufficiently sophisticated to deal with fighting through less conventional means.
As advice to other DMs, keep in mind the Devils are aware of the PCs presence and are able to prepare for their arrival. As Leaders of Hell, most Devils would be accustomed to leading their denizens into strategic combat which requires a balance of deception, patience, fear and terrain mastery. For the combat with the Lich, this was primarily a spellcaster challenge - groups without a strong caster/dispeller would likely fail. Once the Lich's defenses are dispelled, he is easy mop up work for players.
Part II of the Level 12 Arc takes the momentum of Part I and ramps it up, never losing any bit of steam.
The combat encounters are awesome and terribly challenging, especially when you take into account the different backgrounds players hail from - they only add to increase the challenges you face. I really enjoy how both Parts I and II really make use of making the terrain a part of the encounter - especially when you hit the Mwangi Jungle. Closing my eyes and visualizing how the first fight goes in the Jungle is pretty awesome.
Lastly, thank Sarenrae for the iconic BBEG at the very end. He was a beast of epic proportions, to say the least. I'd hate to run into that monster just patrolling around the Mwangi. In fact, it's a good reason to never go there again! LOL (watch a high level module allow you to take your retired PC back there, UGH)
It was an absolute pleasure to play and was a truly memorable role playing experience that I will not forget.
I got to play this module at a local convention in early December 2010. I had a great time and it is a very satisfying sequel to the Eyes of Ten series.
As I stressed in my review of Part 1, it is best if your GM is well prepared since there are complex battles and intricate plot points.
As I have heard conflicting reports of how much exp you are supposed to get from this and I fully understand the impact of the Word of Brock. I’d like to know how much exp you are supposed to have by the end of the Eyes of the Ten, as well as what each chronicle is worth throughout.
