Pathfinder Module: The Harrowing (PFRPG)

Just DLed it, hopefully will have time to read it later today.

Hm, I may need to find a way to integrate this into either my Kingmaker or Serpent's Skull campaign. Probably most likely Kingmaker.

I see that it starts at 9th level....could someone tell me how many levels the players are expected to gain at the end of this module? Is it the normal "2 levels"?

Thanks

If the players complete all the encounters in the adventure, some of which aren't mandatory to progress the story, they should reach 10th level before the adventure's conclusion.

I see that it starts at 9th level....could someone tell me how many levels the players are expected to gain at the end of this module? Is it the normal "2 levels"?

Are there that many that actually go 2 levels? Most of the ones I've run seem to be about 1 levels worth, maybe slightly less.

I see that it starts at 9th level....could someone tell me how many levels the players are expected to gain at the end of this module? Is it the normal "2 levels"?

Thanks

I don't believe there IS a "normal 2 levels' for modules. For Adventure Path installments, we generally assume the PCs will gain 2 to 3 levels (depending on the installment, sometimes more in early adventures) because they're on a schedule—they have to reach a minimum level in order to start the next in the series.

For modules, though, we generally don't assume what comes next. As such, they give out as much XP as they give out—sometimes that'll be enough to gain 2 levels, sometimes that won't be enough to gain any levels. It varies.

That said, as Mark pointed out, this one should end up with the PCs reaching 10th level. There's a LOT of stuff to do in "The Harrowing."

So, would it be possible to insert this into the middle of a adventure path, say like Carrion Crown? I ask cause I am planning on running Carrion Crown soon, but this looks like it might be a fun sidepath (and in fact just sold me a Modules subscription) in the middle although being an approx. 2-3 level gain might cause issues... anyone have experience with inserting side adventures into Adventure Paths?

I guess worst case/best case, my PCs will get some extra time with their level 20 abilities in the last Adventure path, though I am still curious on others experiences.

It's here! REJOICE!

So, would it be possible to insert this into the middle of a adventure path, say like Carrion Crown? I ask cause I am planning on running Carrion Crown soon, but this looks like it might be a fun sidepath (and in fact just sold me a Modules subscription) in the middle although being an approx. 2-3 level gain might cause issues... anyone have experience with inserting side adventures into Adventure Paths?

I guess worst case/best case, my PCs will get some extra time with their level 20 abilities in the last Adventure path, though I am still curious on others experiences.

There aren't enough encounters in this adventure to take level-appropriate PCs up more than 1 level. Even that could result in you needing to alter everything after the insertion point in the primary campaign to challenge the PCs, who will then be a level or two ahead at different points from then on.

This module is extremely easy to add into anything, as it takes place completely outside the real world and thus doesn't rely on existing continuity; all you need to do is get the deck into the PCs' hands to get them diverted to this adventure, but you should consider how gaining an additional level (and not playing through the part of the AP when they should be levels 9 and 10) will impact that larger campaign.

In the end, it'll level out more and more as you get higher level, as the difference in XP between 9th and 10th is just a fraction of what the PC will need to go from 15th to 16th. That said, the APs aren't intended to go to 20th, so your PCs aren't likely to get more time at that level than they would otherwise, as the AP itself, even with this extra content added on, won't push them beyond 17th or so.

AbsolutGrndZer0 wrote:

So, would it be possible to insert this into the middle of a adventure path, say like Carrion Crown? I ask cause I am planning on running Carrion Crown soon, but this looks like it might be a fun sidepath (and in fact just sold me a Modules subscription) in the middle although being an approx. 2-3 level gain might cause issues... anyone have experience with inserting side adventures into Adventure Paths?

I guess worst case/best case, my PCs will get some extra time with their level 20 abilities in the last Adventure path, though I am still curious on others experiences.

There aren't enough encounters in this adventure to take level-appropriate PCs up more than 1 level. Even that could result in you needing to alter everything after the insertion point in the primary campaign to challenge the PCs, who will then be a level or two ahead at different points from then on.

This module is extremely easy to add into anything, as it takes place completely outside the real world and thus doesn't rely on existing continuity; all you need to do is get the deck into the PCs' hands to get them diverted to this adventure, but you should consider how gaining an additional level (and not playing through the part of the AP when they should be levels 9 and 10) will impact that larger campaign.

In the end, it'll level out more and more as you get higher level, as the difference in XP between 9th and 10th is just a fraction of what the PC will need to go from 15th to 16th. That said, the APs aren't intended to go to 20th, so your PCs aren't likely to get more time at that level than they would otherwise, as the AP itself, even with this extra content added on, won't push them beyond 17th or so.

Cool, so yeah if they get a level on this module, then I can just do the old "advanced simple template" thing to all the Carrion Crown stuff until they even out to the adventure's level again. :)

Is it the intent for this adventure to be Pathfinder Society compatible? If so, does anyone know when the chronicle sheet will be out?

thanks!

Is it the intent for this adventure to be Pathfinder Society compatible? If so, does anyone know when the chronicle sheet will be out?

thanks!

Hi, Pat! The chronicle sheet is already out. You can find it on our Additional Resources page. :)

The chronicle sheet is out but you cannot select this as an adventure for a PFS event. FYI please update the PFS gm event screen to include this one, looking forward to running it.

The chronicle sheet is out but you cannot select this as an adventure for a PFS event. FYI please update the PFS gm event screen to include this one, looking forward to running it.

It is, you need to edit your event and select the Module as event you have run before it shows in the drop down window for the session you are going to report. This is the case for all session you run in an event since the changes where made a think a week ago.

This un-clutters the drop down to now only include ones you want it to.

Cool, so yeah if they get a level on this module, then I can just do the old "advanced simple template" thing to all the Carrion Crown stuff until they even out to the adventure's level again. :)

Mark neglected to add that the adventure can easily be worked into any existing campaign. You start out looking for a missing NPC, and while the Harrowing says it's a minor Taldan noble, you could replace him with almost any important NPC you want. Or you can use it as the secret hiding place for your campaign McGuffin. Or it also works as a trap for the campaign villain to use, fully expecting the magical realm to destroy the PCs for her.

Does anyone have questions for the Raksasha conspirator encounter? I am somewhat at a loss for appropriate lines for the dapper fellow's five.

Does anyone have questions for the Raksasha conspirator encounter? I am somewhat at a loss for appropriate lines for the dapper fellow's five.

I found this one a little confusing too. I left it entirely up to the players with some ground rules (which they clarified in advance)

Gozuja wrote:

Does anyone have questions for the Raksasha conspirator encounter? I am somewhat at a loss for appropriate lines for the dapper fellow's five.

I found this one a little confusing too. I left it entirely up to the players with some ground rules (which they clarified in advance)

** spoiler omitted **

Hey, sorry to threadback but, Abciximab, I'm putting together a Pathfinder Ulimate Combat even at Jetpack the end of August and I'm looking for a couple of GMs to assist me. If you're interested, shoot me an e-mail @

I did flip through the Harrowing at the FLGS, looked pretty fun.

Hey, sorry to threadback but, Abciximab, I'm putting together a Pathfinder Ulimate Combat even at Jetpack the end of August and I'm looking for a couple of GMs to assist me. If you're interested, shoot me an e-mail @

** spoiler omitted **

I did flip through the Harrowing at the FLGS, looked pretty fun.

I'll drop you a line when I get home this evening.

It's a very cool adventure. I like that it has great solutions to encounters that don't always involve combat. My group used skill and smarts to get throught the entire 1st part with only one brief combat encounter. The harrow cards add a bit of a twist as well. While having the deck is not required, the illustrations on the cards make using them a lot easier.

I'm going to start running this for my group tonight. You know what would make this module even more awesome? Paper Minis. Even though I'll be finished with the module before they could ever be produced, I would still buy a set. Too many cool and interesting characters inside.

I was going to post my conversion notes for running this as a higher level (~20) game. But I'm lazy so I'm using the wing-it method. Double all damage, +20 to AC, To-hit, Saves, Skills, etc, and let NPCs cast 9th level spells. Tada! Converted.

I'm going to start running this for my group tonight. You know what would make this module even more awesome? Paper Minis. Even though I'll be finished with the module before they could ever be produced, I would still buy a set. Too many cool and interesting characters inside.

...Noted. :D

deinol wrote:

I'm going to start running this for my group tonight. You know what would make this module even more awesome? Paper Minis. Even though I'll be finished with the module before they could ever be produced, I would still buy a set. Too many cool and interesting characters inside.

...Noted. :D

If Crystal Frasier still has time to do Paper Minis that would be doubleplusgood. ;)

Maybe I missed something, but does the adventure explain to the PCs that cards can be used to aid them? Or is this just something that the GM tells the players?

Maybe I missed something, but does the adventure explain to the PCs that cards can be used to aid them? Or is this just something that the GM tells the players?

I think our assumption is that GMs will wait to introduce the benefit concept until one of the PCs makes the connection between the deck and their surroundings, but if you think introducing it to them when they arrive would suit your group better, do that!

I want more modules like this one.

This is a great adventure, seriously imaginative! I'm about to run this for my girls' group and I know they will want to have a real shot at the...

Anyone have any theories on how this may work? Can Crystal post the infamous cut text regarding this encounter? Thanks!

This is a great adventure, seriously imaginative! I'm about to run this for my girls' group and I know they will want to have a real shot at the...

** spoiler omitted **

Anyone have any theories on how this may work? Can Crystal post the infamous cut text regarding this encounter? Thanks!

Check out this thread here for more info. :)

Check out this thread here for more info. :)

That was just what I was looking for, thanks Liz!

deinol wrote:

I'm going to start running this for my group tonight. You know what would make this module even more awesome? Paper Minis. Even though I'll be finished with the module before they could ever be produced, I would still buy a set. Too many cool and interesting characters inside.

...Noted. :D

Oooh, this would be so awesome! I'm hoping to run this module for my local Pathfinder Society gamers, and having appropriate Paper Minis would be fantastic!

Detailed review and interview with Crystal in our latest release.

Chronicles Pathfinder Podcast - Episode 016

Hm, I may need to find a way to integrate this into either my Kingmaker or Serpent's Skull campaign. Probably most likely Kingmaker.

Hey Zaister that's what I'm currently doing, running it for my Kingmaker group as a side-quest sort of adventure.

I do have a question and would appreciate any clarification. Regarding the use of the Harrow Deck (which one of my players has deduced would be helpful) I notice that he will "randomly" sift through the deck to find the "just so card" for an encounter. Is that how it is intended? That sort of seems like... cheating/peeking to me. I'm wondering if it shouldn't be something like this, player/character "holding" the deck shuffles the deck and draws a card (not looking through the deck face up for the right card). Or perhaps deck is shuffled, the other players get to pick one card (not look at it) and when an encounter starts, present their card on their turn. (If it's the "right" card, they earn the benefits, if it's not... no benefits, but no penalties either). I guess why I think this way is in the module it does say about playing the correct card, and also the missing out on the story elements or effects when the wrong card is played.

As an aside... I wish I had thought of looking here earlier... the "test" questions for Bernaditi were great... very inspired. (My players have already encountered him). They have encountered Brambleson in the Briar and are on their way to the next encounter. (I WANT a Brambleson mini by the way). :)

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

Just giving this a "bump". Will be GM-ing this coming Sunday, so any advice/assistant would be appreciated.

~Dean

A series of miniatures based on this module would be awesome.

Any chance for a sequel to this adventure?

I actually do have some thoughts and notes for a followup, but I'm not sure it would ever see publication because it wouldn't stand alone very well.

The basic plot is the Rabbit Prince slips out along with the PCs, full of wanderlust as he is. The down side is, he's a walking, talking, bragging hole in reality; Everywhere he goes, bad things leak out of the dimension of dreams. And the longer he's out, the bigger the hole.

The PCs need to clean up the mess he leaves and find the Prince, and somehow force him back into the land of dreams.

To make matters worse, now that he's out in the real world, adventuring and bragging, more people remember his fable and are talking about him, which makes the little bastard much, much more powerful.

Any chance for a sequel to this adventure?

Murder's Mark (coming this summer) is 'something' of a prequel.

Its not a true prequel, in that it doesn't deal with the events of the Harrowing in any direct way, but it does build on some excellent material Crystal wrote concerning the Umbra Circus. That could be subject to change, because it wasn't mentioned in the product description. Also, Murder's Mark is 1st level, so there's quite a jump between adventures which somewhat precludes a lot of connection. Nevertheless there are some tie-ins.

I was delighted and honored to play with some of the really great stuff Crystal wrote concerning the Circus.

I didn't know they were throwing in my Umbra Circus material there! Awesome!

I was really sad when that got cut from The Harrowing.

Yep, the location Appendix from the Harrowing that was cut for space is being printed in Murder's Mark, and the Umbra Circus is the very show to come to town around which the murders in that adventure revolve. If people like that adventure, I could see us doing a series of Umbra Carnival stories playing on its ability to move from nation to nation and cover a variety of adventuring levels.

I didn't know they were throwing in my Umbra Circus material there! Awesome!

I was really sad when that got cut from The Harrowing.

Wow! I'm floored that you didn't know! Oh yes, I took the Umbra Circus lock-stock-and-barrel and thoroughly used it. I did my best to change it as little as possible, which really affected the end result.

Heck, all this time I've been wondering if you'd like, love, or hate it.

I best shut up now, lest we get in trouble with Mark!

If people like that adventure, I could see us doing a series of Umbra Carnival stories playing on its ability to move from nation to nation and cover a variety of adventuring levels.

Indeed! That is my hope as well! It's a wonderful concept, so I do hope people enjoy it.

I could easily set another module or two in the Circus. That ringmaster is a shifty one, always looking for an angle...

In running the Harrowing I see a potential quirk, couldn't players utilize Biyo Venna to locate the Striding Fortress? He is after all Zassrion's chef, and I presume will be heading back to the Fortress. Provided the players save him from the Tengu clowns.

Venna doesn't actually know how to find the Striding Fortress, actually. There were some additional notes that were cut for space, but as The Survivor, Biyo only really understands how to get riled up about the tragedy he sees, escape to find help, and then get beaten up by other storykin. He does this every few months, gets killed, and eventually is reborn at the Manmolds whenever Marzalee gets around to it. He's never found his way back to the Fortress in all his years of existence, because he was never written that way. He was only ever a supporting character in the old fables who went off to find help, so he doesn't need to know the way back, and couldn't if he wanted to, not that he would ever understand why he'd go back.

Long story short: Biyo doesn't know how to return to the fortress because the entire concept of doing so is alien to his existence.

If you prefer not to run the storykin being quite so meta and esoteric, then he simply can't find his way back because the fortress moves constantly.

Thanks for the clarification. I had a hunch this would be the best way to approach that avenue should it arise.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm still wondering what is the best way to introduce the PCs to the backstory so they know they have to collect the jewles and fix Sonnorae's scarf to escape the card plane?

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm still wondering what is the best way to introduce the PCs to the backstory so they know they have to collect the jewles and fix Sonnorae's scarf to escape the card plane?

I am also wondering this as I will be running this in the next month or so... any guides/advice out there?

The module assumes that after they rescue him, the PCs will ask Biyo Venna where they are and how they got there. Biyo's role in the universe is specifically to find a hero (or a team of heroes) to tell his tale of woe to. They have, after all, just been ejected from a gypsy wagon in a cloud of cards and been dropped into a twisty, curvy, fake-looking world and been jumped by a gang of crows dressed as clowns; questions should abound and Biyo is the first friendly face they encounter.

As for how to share that info: Have fun. Biyo is overly dramatic and hero-worshipping; he thinks the PCs are the protagonists and that they will save the day. He'll grovel, refer to them by mighty titles, and occassionally try to cram pointless exposition into the conversation.

If the PCs opt to not talk to Biyo, then they'll probably spend some time confused. Any of the conspirators will know about Sonnorae and her tokens (they created them, after all) and would be willing to explain (their version) of what happened with the PCs if made friendly. They all know that Zassrion ultimately controls the Harrowed Realm as well, that the Patchwork Lord likes to drag mortal into the dimension for nefarious experiments, and that the dragon is obsessed with escape. All the Conspirators also know that their tokens tug in the vague direction of Zassrion's mobile fortress, and suspect that more tokens equals more accurate directions

Besides Biyo and the Conspirators, few of the storykin are aware enough to understand the world. Mourning Choir knows the history of the Realm and will share it if asked, but she doesn't know much about recent events (such as Zassrion's escape plot). Marzalee's midwife, Molly, shares some of the Queen Mother's conspirator-inspired awareness thanks to their marriage, and could make a good secret ally quietly guiding the party from the shadows (Molly isn't happy with the realm's balance of power, and doesn't share her mate's single-minded artistic bent). And while he doesn't understand much about the PC's or the Realm's larger place in the cosmology, Algon the Ever-Seeking might opt to take on the PCs as "squires" upon meeting them (if he can be made friendly or helpful), and only betray them once they learn the basics of the realm.

You could also leave things more mysterious and just drop hints and clues and rely on the players to investigate and make knowledge checks whenever they find clues or encounter a new twist on the world. Knowledge (the planes) could reveal that the PCs have become trapped in an pocket dimension, and some magical experimentation would reveal that there's no conventional exit. Knowledge (history) or (nobility) could give some context to the name Sonnorae the first time they discover it scrawled on a doorway or gate or book cover. Knowledge (engineering) or (nature) may reveal that the world is a sort of construct; like an oversized, elaborate stage or puppet theater that is probably control from some center location. With Knowledge (arcana) they might deduce that invisible threads of magic crisscross the Realm, probably connecting various "anchors" (the tokens), and collecting those anchors in one place might reduce the clutter and make it easier to follow those invisible threads to more anchors.

Worst case scenario, you can have the PCs stumble across the peddler Everready Jacob, and add Sonnorae's personal journal to his stock (a bargain at only 50gp!), spelling out the Harrowed Realm's history and even more recent developments (curiously, the handwriting changes sharply at a certain point, becoming scratchy and erratic, starting with an entry describing her murder).

Thanks, Crystal, that helps a lot!

Yup, thanks a bunch!

Thirded. Thank you very much.