Pathfinder Adventure Path #46: Wake of the Watcher (Carrion Crown 4 of 6) (PFRPG)

I don't understand how poeple can be reading this already. i'm an adventure path subscriber and this hasn't show up in my downloads page yet.

weird.

EDIT - never mind. i'm an idiot.

The picture on pg 37 just warms my gray ghoul heart.

He's like "oh hello miss, I wanted to ask you you a question"
and she's like "yeah, what do you wa..."

*downloads module*
[reads PDF file]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
*twitch*
*gibber*

[goes insane]

wow! great stuff! I just skimmed it and...wow! i'll give it a good solid read once i'm home later tonight.

The picture on pg 37 just warms my gray ghoul heart.

He's like "oh hello miss, I wanted to ask you you a question"
and she's like "yeah, what do you wa..."** spoiler omitted **

I like to call that picture "KaBloom!"

I just finished reading this last night and I love it. It's an excellent homage to Lovecraft, and also doesn't step too much on the toes of "From Shore to Sea."

I have two small quibbles though: the picture of Illmarsh's mayor, specifically the necktie. Also, were I to run this, I'd definitely skip the part with the

** spoiler omitted **

It's really more of a

Kthulhu wrote:

Hell, Lovecraft himself drew a quick sketch that showed the world that his artistic talents were almost entirely literary. :P

Excellent point.

Here's a link to that sketch.

Wot's this?? A sketch of Great Cthulhu taking a cyclopean dump?! =:-o

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

And I always have such high hopes for the discussion threads about things I write...

;-)

It will be a while before I'll be able to run this with my Kingmaker/Slumbering Tsar/++ mashup being far from finished, but I'll definitely be borrowing some mythos stuff for the Yog-Sothoth worshipers in my current group.

James Jacobs wrote:

Sketchpad wrote:

Soooo ... any chance we'll see something in a Nightgaunt-ish form? ;)

Chances of seeing the nightgaunt statted up in this volume's bestiary are 100% (although sans any connection to Nodens).

Always loved those guys, going back to the Grenadier CoC Creatures set.

I know you deleted this post (since I can't find it) regarding the Nightgaunt.

So it got cut from the Wake bestiary, is there any chance we will see them in Bestiary 3 or later on in the AP (something I doubt)?

So how many creatures are in the beastairy?

Great work Greg! I browsed through the PDF and look forward to getting the hardcopy to read through!

And I always have such high hopes for the discussion threads about things I write...

;-)

incidentally, my players are going to be very, very afraid of this adventure path.

Auxmaulous wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Sketchpad wrote:

Soooo ... any chance we'll see something in a Nightgaunt-ish form? ;)

Chances of seeing the nightgaunt statted up in this volume's bestiary are 100% (although sans any connection to Nodens).

Always loved those guys, going back to the Grenadier CoC Creatures set.

I know you deleted this post (since I can't find it) regarding the Nightgaunt.

So it got cut from the Wake bestiary, is there any chance we will see them in Bestiary 3 or later on in the AP (something I doubt)?

The nightgaunt AND the flying polyp got cut, much to my sadness and chagrin.

I'm hoping we'll be able to get them IN print in a Jade Regent installment.

I am so using every single creature in this bestiary.

You see, the reference material says Cthulhu is sleeping under an ocean on a far-away planet. I beg to differ :-)

Then again, it's all a matter of time ...

I LOVE the bestiary and the information over the Old Cults! I have a zero experience with H.P. Lovecraft's writings and Mythos, but after reading I would love to pick up a book and give it a try!!!

The picture on pg 37 just warms my gray ghoul heart.

He's like "oh hello miss, I wanted to ask you you a question"
and she's like "yeah, what do you wa..."** spoiler omitted **

I was just logging on to post about the fabulous artwork on Page 37. OMG. This will mess my players up like you all just couldn't begin to understand. It's liable to end our campaign altogether. THANK YOU. LOL

Annoying copy-editing related note:

And to those who scoff and consider the Lovecraftian mythos the fictitious rantings of some mad scrivener, I had to make three attempts to write this post, the first two ending in an internet-disconnect...

I LOVE the bestiary and the information over the Old Cults! I have a zero experience with H.P. Lovecraft's writings and Mythos, but after reading I would love to pick up a book and give it a try!!!

I think that perhaps one of the best deals going for Lovecraft books at the moment is H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction, one of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Series.

About the only think I could request is that they put out a companion volume that collects his juvenalia, and his 'revisions', both primary and secondary. And maybe a third volume for his collected poetry.

The nightgaunt AND the flying polyp got cut, much to my sadness and chagrin.

I'm hoping we'll be able to get them IN print in a Jade Regent installment.

You mean you weren't able to manipulate the Euclidean geometry of the Adventure Path to fit them in?? :-<

I'm glad that you included the Elder Things, though! And the thought that they battled with the aboleth -- and lost -- is a kewl one.

If the polyps do make it into a future installment, is there any chance of the Great Race of Yith as well??

(BTW, am I the only one who thinks that "Pollip" would be a good gnome name??)

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

I think that perhaps one of the best deals going for Lovecraft books at the moment is H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction, one of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Series.

It's riddled with typos, but otherwise is an eldritch bargain for what they're asking for it!

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

BTW, isn't there a reference in The Revised Inner Sea Guide to "sentient colo(u)rs" or "radiances" prowling the Mana Wastes and/or the wastelands of Nex??

Dunno about you, but that immediately put me in mind of The Colour out of Space!

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

Kthulhu wrote:

I think that perhaps one of the best deals going for Lovecraft books at the moment is H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction, one of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Series.

It's riddled with typos, but otherwise is an eldritch bargain for what they're asking for it!

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

I know the original printing had a lot of typos, but from what I've read this leatherbound edition eliminated most of them.

And why is it that I always seem to be in the last batch of subscribers to get the PDF download added to my account?

I know the original printing had a lot of typos, but from what I've read this leatherbound edition eliminated most of them.

I was not aware of this development -- kewl!

And why is it that I always seem to be in the last batch of subscribers to get the PDF download added to my account?

The stars weren't right . . . ? ;-)

If it's any consolation, mine didn't show up until after 10:00 pm last night!

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

Wouldn't hurt half as much if this wasn't the Paizo product that I've had the most anticipation for since the moment I became aware it was coming.

Wouldn't hurt half as much if this wasn't the Paizo product that I've had the most anticipation for since the moment I became aware it was coming.

I know the feeling, and can sympathise completely! :-/

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

P.S.: If it's any other consolation, last night I finally got a confirmation email from Borders.com saying that my copy of Ultimate Magic was en route!

James Jacobs wrote:

The nightgaunt AND the flying polyp got cut, much to my sadness and chagrin.

I'm hoping we'll be able to get them IN print in a Jade Regent installment.

I'm glad that you included the Elder Things, though! And the thought that they battled with the aboleth -- and lost -- is a kewl one.

If the polyps do make it into a future installment, is there any chance of the Great Race of Yith as well??

Including the Great Race of Yith in Golarion would be really cool...seems they would fit pretty well into Sarusan and it´s "out of time"-theme!

Wanda V'orcus wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

The nightgaunt AND the flying polyp got cut, much to my sadness and chagrin.

I'm hoping we'll be able to get them IN print in a Jade Regent installment.

I'm glad that you included the Elder Things, though! And the thought that they battled with the aboleth -- and lost -- is a kewl one.

If the polyps do make it into a future installment, is there any chance of the Great Race of Yith as well??

Including the Great Race of Yith in Golarion would be really cool...seems they would fit pretty well into Sarusan and it´s "out of time"-theme!

The great race of Yith, unfortunately, doesn't make much sense to include in a Golarion product like an Adventure Path. Unlike the creatures in this volume's bestiary, the the Yithians themselves aren't fro outer space or from another dimension—they're natives of Earth. While the great race itself which inhabited the Yithian bodies ARE from elsewhere, I'm not all that interested in presenting stats for these monsters outside of their most iconic and famous body shapes.

A non-Golarion product, though, like a Bestiary or something like that would be a great place for them someday.

The great race of Yith, unfortunately, doesn't make much sense to include in a Golarion product like an Adventure Path. Unlike the creatures in this volume's bestiary, the the Yithians themselves aren't fro outer space or from another dimension—they're natives of Earth. While the great race itself which inhabited the Yithian bodies ARE from elsewhere, I'm not all that interested in presenting stats for these monsters outside of their most iconic and famous body shapes.

A non-Golarion product, though, like a Bestiary or something like that would be a great place for them someday.

Your point is taken, sir.

However, I would add that the Pnakotic Manuscripts, which show up on Golarion in Carrion Hill, originated in the enormous library of the Great Race, located in the lost city of Pnakotus in what is now the Great Sandy Desert of Australia.

So how it did get from there to Carrion Hill, praytell?? ;-)

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

However, I would add that the Pnakotic Manuscripts, which show up on Golarion in Carrion Hill, originated in the enormous library of the Great Race, located in the lost city of Pnakotus in what is now the Great Sandy Desert of Australia.

So how it did get from there to Carrion Hill, praytell?? ;-)

Elf Gate, duh.

The great race of Yith, unfortunately, doesn't make much sense to include in a Golarion product like an Adventure Path. Unlike the creatures in this volume's bestiary, the the Yithians themselves aren't fro outer space or from another dimension—they're natives of Earth. While the great race itself which inhabited the Yithian bodies ARE from elsewhere, I'm not all that interested in presenting stats for these monsters outside of their most iconic and famous body shapes.

I think the best thing for the Great Race would be to present stats for the cone race of Earth's past, the hive-minded beetle race of Earth's future, and give a variant on possession rules for them.

Elf Gate, duh.

Is that the same thing as a hole in the plot?? ;-)

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

I've only begun reading this, but wow, the Adventure Background is making my head hurt. That's... a lot of stuff. I'll be interested to see how Greg presents it all to the PCs over the course of the module!

Also, it is just me, or is the ecology of the Scum presented in this module totally different than how the Scum are presented in Shore to Sea? Should we write them off as different "breeds" of Scum? Because their central shtick works very differently in each.

Your point is taken, sir.

However, I would add that the Pnakotic Manuscripts, which show up on Golarion in Carrion Hill, originated in the enormous library of the Great Race, located in the lost city of Pnakotus in what is now the Great Sandy Desert of Australia.

So how it did get from there to Carrion Hill, praytell?? ;-)

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

Magic books and eldritch tomes have a very strong tendency to enter the collections of strange and powerful spellcasters. No matter where they're written, they can be brought all over the place. The copy of the Pnakotic Manuscripts that shows up in Carrion Hill likely got there after some powerful spellcaster brought it there.

I'm okay with this kind of "bleed over" mostly because a single book CAN be transported, but an entire race is a lot harder to justify or explain shifting from one place to another. Especially since, in the case of the great race, there's a LOT of material that talks about them being native to Earth, while any information about the Pnakotic Manuscripts is pretty obscure.

I've only begun reading this, but wow, the Adventure Background is making my head hurt. That's... a lot of stuff. I'll be interested to see how Greg presents it all to the PCs over the course of the module!

Also, it is just me, or is the ecology of the Scum presented in this module totally different than how the Scum are presented in Shore to Sea? Should we write them off as different "breeds" of Scum? Because their central shtick works very differently in each.

There's plenty of reasons why the skum in this adventure and the skum in Shore to Sea are different—they're in different parts of the world, for one thing, and have different types of roles in the way they interact with their neighbors. The skum of the Darklands have even more different traits.

But yeah... just as humans who live in Varisia have differences from those living in Qadira, or just as goblins who live in the Shackles are different from those who live in Isger, regional differences do exist among skum.

I've only begun reading this, but wow, the Adventure Background is making my head hurt. That's... a lot of stuff.

+1...i am on my third read in trying to make sense of it all...it's a bit convoluted. Love the Old Ones section.

Downloaded the PDF. Very good. Can't wait for my copy to get here.

Now, how do I work the cthlulu monsters into the Concil of Theives game I am running.

They are about to go into Delvhaven. Maybe there was another reason followers of Asmodous sealed it. hehe.

Erik Freund wrote:

I've only begun reading this, but wow, the Adventure Background is making my head hurt. That's... a lot of stuff.

+1...i am on my third read in trying to make sense of it all...it's a bit convoluted. Love the Old Ones section.

So here's a few keys things to keep in mind to help keep it all straight, which all comes together as the plot develops...

Downloaded the PDF. Very good. Can't wait for my copy to get here.

Now, how do I work the cthlulu monsters into the Concil of Theives game I am running.

They are about to go into Delvhaven. Maybe there was another reason followers of Asmodous sealed it. hehe.

Through the Council of Thieves Easter egg hidden in Wake of the Watcher, of course. :-)

Through the Council of Thieves Easter egg hidden in Wake of the Watcher, of course. :-)

Hmm, I missed that one. I'll have to go back throught the adventure... any chance I could get a hint?

Greg A. Vaughan wrote:

Through the Council of Thieves Easter egg hidden in Wake of the Watcher, of course. :-)

Hmm, I missed that one. I'll have to go back throught the adventure... any chance I could get a hint?

He sailed south where his prior experience served him well.

Ah. I won't ruin it, but, dang. And I had hoped he went on to do good.

Kthulhu wrote:

Wouldn't hurt half as much if this wasn't the Paizo product that I've had the most anticipation for since the moment I became aware it was coming.

I know the feeling, and can sympathise completely! :-/

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

P.S.: If it's any other consolation, last night I finally got a confirmation email from Borders.com saying that my copy of Ultimate Magic was en route!

You lucky stiff! I'm still waiting (grrr....)

And this will also be one of my most-looked-forward to Pathfinder books in a long time. Yay for more Cthulhu Mythos in Golarion.

You lucky stiff! I'm still waiting (grrr....)

Well, it's not supposed to show up until next week sometime (I chose the free shipping option, which gives new meaning to "snail mail"!), so until it actually arrives in my doorstep, I ain't exactly trumpeting, if you catch my drift...

Also, the last Pathfinder rulebook that I ordered through borders.com (the revised Inner Sea Guide arrived well-packaged, but the book itself was badly damaged -- the spine was cracked and torn between the front hardcover/endpaper and the first bound pages of the book!

How somebody in their shipping department didn't notice this is beyond me.

Needless to say, I immediately returned it to my local Borders for store credit (which is how refunds from online purchases are handled)...

Hopefully I have better luck with Ultimate Magic!

Cheers, JohnH / Wanda

Ah. I won't ruin it, but, dang. And I had hoped he went on to do good.

Rough childhood, I guess. :-)

Do monsters from the Adventure Paths usually end up in the Bestiaries?

More specifically, will the monsters in this adventure be in Bestiary 3 eventually?

Do monsters from the Adventure Paths usually end up in the Bestiaries?

More specifically, will the monsters in this adventure be in Bestiary 3 eventually?

Some do, some do not. A few may make an appearance in Bestiary 3, but I really doubt that all of them will.

Do monsters from the Adventure Paths usually end up in the Bestiaries?

More specifically, will the monsters in this adventure be in Bestiary 3 eventually?

The ones we think are cool enough do, yes.

Some of the monsters we end up not being that fond of and they don't go on to get into a Bestiary.

Others, while cool, are too world-specific to be included in a world-neutral product like a Bestiary.

There will be a not-insignificant number of Pathfinder bestiary monsters in Bestiary 3.

Noticed that a few monsters are product identity (because they were loans from Chaosium, I think). Still... was this a one off like in Second Darkness or do you guys think Chaosium would give permission to 3rd party people as well?

Noticed that a few monsters are product identity (because they were loans from Chaosium, I think). Still... was this a one off like in Second Darkness or do you guys think Chaosium would give permission to 3rd party people as well?

Is the optional San system likely to leave characters drooling and gibbering in the corners?

Noticed that a few monsters are product identity (because they were loans from Chaosium, I think). Still... was this a one off like in Second Darkness or do you guys think Chaosium would give permission to 3rd party people as well?

They're pretty open and friendly, but you'd need both Chaosium's permission AND Paizo's permission to use one of those monsters in print. Paizo's pretty friendly too, though, as it works out.

Of course, whatever you use in your home game doesn't care about open content vs. closed content vs. product identity.

Finally had the chance to give it a thorough read, and as others have said, this adventure is Lovecraft-astic! Love the Mythos creatures. Love love love the convoluted plot. This, it seems, is why my players are trying so hard to get themselves killed in Harrowstone. :-)