Pathfinder Adventure Path #56: Raiders of the Fever Sea (Skull & Shackles 2 of 6) (PFRPG)

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Pathfinder Adventure Path #56: Raiders of the Fever Sea (Skull & Shackles 2 of 6) (PFRPG)
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Chapter 2: "Raiders of the Fever Sea"
by Greg A. Vaughan

Bound for adventure upon the pirate vessel they’ve taken as their own, the heroes face a sea of dangers as they chart a course to become true Free Captains of the Shackles. But life as a pirate doesn’t prove any easier now that they’re in command, as deadly sea monsters, the corpses of drowned scallywags, and raiders from the deep rise to oppose them. When a most unusual map falls into the adventurers’ hands, they have the chance to change their fate in a single daring raid. Is it the heroes’ destiny to be the next victims of the merciless waves, or will fortune smile upon them and spur their rise as the newest and most infamous pirates of the Shackles?

This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path includes:

  • “Raiders of the Fever Sea,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 4th-level characters, by Greg A. Vaughan.
  • A gazetteer of Golarion’s many oceans and seas, and an exploration of the various aquatic races that inhabit them, by Adam Daigle, with Patrick Renie, F. Wesley Schneider, and James L. Sutter.
  • A journey to Butcher’s Rock and deadly cyclopean prophecies in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Robin D. Laws.
  • Six new monsters, by Jesse Benner, Mark Moreland, Steven D. Russell, and Greg A. Vaughan.

Each monthly full-color softcover Pathfinder Adventure Path volume contains an in-depth adventure scenario, stats for several new monsters, and support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes use the Open Game License and work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the world’s oldest fantasy RPG.

ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-409-2

Raiders of the Fever Sea is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (479 KB zip/PDF).

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

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
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.

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4.30/5 (based on 8 ratings)

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Has some high points, but can me monotonous.

4/5

This volume wasn't as strong as the first volume for me. It's starts out great with the party getting a chance to disguise their ship and rename it. With a bit of monotony in the middle and a big epic treasure hunt at the end.

So some things that are a bit odd. The squib location is experiencing a drought, but there have been at least two big storms very close to the location just within a month of them getting there. So just a little quibble continuity wise.

The rules for ship to ship chases and boarding actions has the potential to be very slow and monotonous. Especially when your group is starting out. Your group will expect your crew to take part in ship boarding actions. If you don't find a way to do them with the PCs being the center of the action going after the captain and officers, they'll be long drawn out affairs. If you do go the route of having all the crews fighting each other, it'll make for some outstanding fights with players saving crew and crew saving players. It'll really make your players grow to value the crew.

One of the encounters requires your PCs to sail up a river to then get into the situation as they come back down the river. It's a bit of a stretch, especially if you have a cleric or other caster who can create water. It's unfortunate that it's a stretch get the player's into the situation as it really is a good opportunity to break the monotony.

Breaking the rock isn't all that exciting. They get a base out of it though.

The ghostship is probably my favorite part of the volume. They had to fight the ship multiple times. It's one of the things my players bring up all the time when talking about their exploits.

If your group hasn't specialized in operating in the water, the end of the volume will be a real slog and your group will struggle. Just taking a couple ranks in swim isn't enough to be effective in the water. It requires some serious effort, either through gear or abilities to really fight in it without hindering you. That's if they survive the encounter going into the underwater dungeon.

By the end of the book they should have made big names of themselves, fought off ghostships, hunted down legendary treasures, gotten a base, and are on their way to getting involved in Shackles politics.


Sandbox = DM Work

4/5

The feedback I've read here is fair. The beginning is excellent, the middle is monotonous, and the dungeon crawl at the end is an OK capstone to the adventure. Fortunately as a DM, I read these reviews and tweak the modules accordingly...which is probably why you are reading this, too.

To make it fun, you have to break up the monotony of the sandbox. I created a few of my own ships with their own captains. I added a few twists here and there: a Nidalese military vessel, an Aspis Consortium vendetta, and a trip to Mediogalti Island, to name a few things to make the adventure stand out. It worked, but it required a bit of work on the part of the DM. It also helped to generate some random crew members and give them random personality traits, too...the players were really into making their ship and crew memorable, not just a bunch of lackluster followers.

Something I didn't anticipate, though, is that the power level of the encounters at the end are a bit unbalanced. If run as written, the canopy creeper would have easily been a TPK, the group after group of sahuagin would not have budged even a dent in party resources, and the final encounter would have been a pushover. It's almost a clone of the dungeon in the first module.

If I had it to do over, I would have added a few gimmicks to the bland groups of sahuagin, and also made sure to check and recheck the powers of the boss monsters.


Lots of sandbox, little plot

3/5

I'm reviewing this from the point of view of a party that likes a campaign to be a living story more so than a hack and slash fest.

The problem with this installment is the fact that it fails to advance the plot in any meaningful way. Yes, there's lots of freedom in where your newly minted pirates can go and what they can do, but in the end it all means very little.

After raiding a couple of ships and a couple of villages, the pirates quickly find out that a pirate's life is pretty monotonous. You pull up to a boat, you hop over, slaughter the crew, and move on. Sell plunder and ships at port, boast about your accomplishments. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam. There are several plot-based events which are great, definitely the high point of this installment.

Overall, my players were mostly bored with it. There is really only one NPC that they get to interact with extensively in the book, which is generally the most fun part of the game for us. I'm sure this is great for a party that loves to sail around and slaughter innocents by the dozen, but if you're looking for a story-driven creative outlet, this isn't it.


Ring Side Report-Pathfinder Adventure Path Skull and Shackles- Raider of the Fev

5/5

Originally posted on www.throatpunchgames.com

TL;DR- Best part of the adventure path 5/5

Plot-Spoilers ahead!- The pirates now have a ship and begin to be pirates. The player have a chance to grab an island for territory, make some alliances and explore an sunken dungeon. At the end of the adventure, the players will move from small time pirates to Full Free Captains of the Shackles.

GM Impressions-THIS IS THE ADVENTURE TO MAINLINE PIRATES! We’re past the level 1 problem of the first adventure. Now the players get to go be real pirates, and ITS AWESOME! I had a blast. The players had a blast. IF YOU WANT TO PLAY ANY OF THIS ADVENTURE PATH, THIS ADVENTURE IS THE ONE!

Good-You’re FINALY pirates in Pathfinder. You have a ship, and you set sail. The PCs can go ANYWHERE!

Bad-This is an improve heavy adventure. The PCs just go after ships. The book has some basic ships and a basic village they can attack. You as a GM have to make it entertaining. Its not hard, but you have to put in a little bit of leg work to make this fun. Also, get ready for underwater aquatic combat. If your PCs hate rules heavy combat, they will not enjoy that part.

Final Thoughts-Best part of the adventure path. YOU ARE PIRATES! No random skill checks. No real control on your PCs. Just GO! Be pirates! As a GM, read ahead, know your rules, and be ready to make stuff up on the fly! 5/5


Learning the Ropes of Piracy! Raiders of the Fever Sea

5/5

This was probably the section where we had the most fun; just being pirates, scanning the horizon, looking for a ship to take. An awesomely well written adventure (Greg A. Vaughan, what else would it be?)it's the high point of the Skull & Shackles. Read my full review here: Raiders of the Fever Sea


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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Announced! Cover image is a mockup.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

First Pett, then Vaughan. My vote for "most deadly AP" goes to S&S!

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Finding buried treasure is always cool.


Nice, a chance to become pirates and a gazetteer for the deadly denizens of the deep.

Shadow Lodge

are there going to be alignment restrictions for this ap?...i am having trouble imagining anyone of good alignment electing to escape enslavement then choosing to become a pirate of their own free will...

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
nohar wrote:
are there going to be alignment restrictions for this ap?...i am having trouble imagining anyone of good alignment electing to escape enslavement then choosing to become a pirate of their own free will...

I don't think there is going to be restrictions but as you said might be hard for good characters. Plus Paizo has already said they are recommending Paladins won't work. This sounds like it will be the first AP where evil characters might work real well and good characters less well.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

nohar wrote:
are there going to be alignment restrictions for this ap?...i am having trouble imagining anyone of good alignment electing to escape enslavement then choosing to become a pirate of their own free will...

No alignment restrictions. The Player's Guide will talk about how one might play a good character in this AP.

Paladins are likely to be the only "casualty" of it all.


Alright, this and my subscription schedule are teasing me that I might actually get two chapters of AP goodness all at once, in March. Is this true, or just a cruel prank?

Also, we're really rocking the gods throughout this AP. Besmara (thank you SO much, my cleric in Savage Tide worships her), Torag and Norgoober? Quite a divine lineup.

I am having difficulty deciding what I'm most excited for, this or the interplanetary stuff. You guys really have a strong lineup this year.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Kain Darkwind wrote:
Alright, this and my subscription schedule are teasing me that I might actually get two chapters of AP goodness all at once, in March. Is this true, or just a cruel prank?

It's true that the release planned for December slipped to January, which means there will be a double-up month when we get back on schedule. The website data currently paints an optimistic picture of that happening in March, and we'll do our best to make it happen sooner rather than later, but I suspect that in reality, the double month will probably once again be August.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC

Vic Wertz wrote:
Kain Darkwind wrote:
Alright, this and my subscription schedule are teasing me that I might actually get two chapters of AP goodness all at once, in March. Is this true, or just a cruel prank?
It's true that the release planned for December slipped to January, which means there will be a double-up month when we get back on schedule. The website data currently paints an optimistic picture of that happening in March, and we'll do our best to make it happen sooner rather than later, but I suspect that in reality, the double month will probably once again be August.

But isn't it July that's usually a double month, with either August or September (I can't recall which) being a "no adventure path" month?

I'm not complaining, my wallet is ready to commit hari-kari, I'm just wondering if you're saying that the "late" adventure path will be caught up during the usual double month in the summer.


gbonehead wrote:


But isn't it July that's usually a double month, with either August or September (I can't recall which) being a "no adventure path" month?

I'm not complaining, my wallet is ready to commit hari-kari, I'm just wondering if you're saying that the "late" adventure path will be caught up during the usual double month in the summer.

August ended up being the double month last year, when we got part 6 of Carrion Crown and part 1 of Jade Regent in the same shipment. The confusion might be that the August shipment actually started shipping during the end of July due to GenCon's very early August date.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC

No confusion, I was just too lazy to be precise :) If I recall properly, pretty much every year there's been one double (or even triple) adventure path shipment, and one month where there's none.


Final cover image and product description now up!

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

Very cool.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Yeah! Fanservice!

We need a Wallpaper of this (still unnamed) Hottie!


I wonder how many "X"s we can find on that "treasure map";)


Only one support article... does that mean the exploration of Golarion's seas will be double-sized?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Generic Villain wrote:
Only one support article... does that mean the exploration of Golarion's seas will be double-sized?

That's exactly what that means. :-)

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Lord Fyre wrote:
We need a Wallpaper of this (still unnamed) Hottie!

You know... at the risk of making someone angry and blogging what a creep I am...

I completely agree!

Keep this artist!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

So, no Torag?

I thought we wouldn't be free of the diety articles until SStar...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

The ocean article got too big (and is, arguably, too important to this, a very nautical themed AP)... we'll be doing an article about Torag at a later point in this AP if all goes according to plan.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

James Jacobs wrote:
The ocean article got too big (and is, arguably, too important to this, a very nautical themed AP)... we'll be doing an article about Torag at a later point in this AP if all goes according to plan.

No pressure. The 2x sized Crown of the World back in JR#3 was a great move. I'm sure a similar mentality is driving this one.

If Torag ends up getting bumped all the way to SStar, where there might be an actual run-in with a dwarven town, that's totally cool. (There's a bunch of dwarves working the gasmines in Riddleport, ja?)

I just can't imagine how Torag fits into S&S without some weird shoehorning.


Erik Freund wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
The ocean article got too big (and is, arguably, too important to this, a very nautical themed AP)... we'll be doing an article about Torag at a later point in this AP if all goes according to plan.

No pressure. The 2x sized Crown of the World back in JR#3 was a great move. I'm sure a similar mentality is driving this one.

If Torag ends up getting bumped all the way to SStar, where there might be an actual run-in with a dwarven town, that's totally cool. (There's a bunch of dwarves working the gasmines in Riddleport, ja?)

I just can't imagine how Torag fits into S&S without some weird shoehorning.

I believe the Hurricane King has a ship fully loaded with firearms from the gunworks of Alkenstar. Or, more precisely, the gunworks that are a result of the dwarves in the region making guns. So, that could be a means of bringing in Torag.


James Jacobs wrote:
The ocean article got too big (and is, arguably, too important to this, a very nautical themed AP)... we'll be doing an article about Torag at a later point in this AP if all goes according to plan.

You'll be ruining my OCD by not having a deity article in AP-instalment #2 :)

Seriously though, a double-length ocean article sounds great!


I have no problem with getting a double length article if it sounds interesting...and it does:)


Loving the cover art on this one, very exotic looking.

Dark Archive

Should we expect emails this coming week or the following week?


According to the "My subscriptions" page, they should be sending emails out on May 11th.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Olwen wrote:
According to the "My subscriptions" page, they should be sending emails out on May 11th.

Actually, it was the 10th. Or at least I got mine on the 10th, so the book should start shipping to subscribers on Monday.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I got my email that says it is due to ship next week tonight.


This may sound off topic but it is most definitely not.

More Cowbell!

Liberty's Edge

Yup, I received my email on the 10th. They've already deducted the money from my account! AHHHHHHH YEAH!

EDIT: Looking at the top of the page, it says I purchased it yesterday.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
HangarFlying wrote:

Yup, I received my email on the 10th. They've already deducted the money from my account! AHHHHHHH YEAH!

EDIT: Looking at the top of the page, it says I purchased it yesterday.

Yeah it shows that once they put a hold on your money. Mine says I bought it Thursday. That is because once they put a hold on the money it is to late to change the order I believe. Hopefully Monday we will see them going out so we can get access to the PDF's.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

the chick on the cover is hot!

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

1 person marked this as a favorite.
MerrikCale wrote:
the chick on the cover is hot!

And needs to be a Wallpaper!


Is her character portrait available without the rest of the cover?
Paizo seems to be really good about releasing their bad-@$$ character art, but I cannot seem to find this one anywhere!


Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber

Take.Money.Give.PDF.


Dr. Johnny Fever wrote:
Take.Money.Give.PDF.

Do we have a ballpark guess when the PDF might be available? And seconded on the poster idea. :)


Aaron Scott 139 wrote:
Dr. Johnny Fever wrote:
Take.Money.Give.PDF.
Do we have a ballpark guess when the PDF might be available? And seconded on the poster idea. :)

The PDF will be available for purchase to non-subscribers on May 23. Subscribers should be gaining access to the PDF sometime this week.


Chris Lambertz wrote:
Aaron Scott 139 wrote:
Dr. Johnny Fever wrote:
Take.Money.Give.PDF.
Do we have a ballpark guess when the PDF might be available? And seconded on the poster idea. :)
The PDF will be available for purchase to non-subscribers on May 23. Subscribers should be gaining access to the PDF sometime this week.

Sweeeeet! Now if I send you one dollar in the mail can we make that happen sooner rather then later? At the very least that will get you a candy bar.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Aaron Scott 139 wrote:
Chris Lambertz wrote:
Aaron Scott 139 wrote:
Dr. Johnny Fever wrote:
Take.Money.Give.PDF.
Do we have a ballpark guess when the PDF might be available? And seconded on the poster idea. :)
The PDF will be available for purchase to non-subscribers on May 23. Subscribers should be gaining access to the PDF sometime this week.
Sweeeeet! Now if I send you one dollar in the mail can we make that happen sooner rather then later? At the very least that will get you a candy bar.

Try a box of very high end chocolate.

Contributor

I am so loving the first in this AP... Don't know if I can wait for the 23rd to roll around to get my PDF copy of this one. I love the treasure map tat, but I'm wondering where it leads... ahem...


Is the similarity of Lady Smythee and B. Jenet from King of Fighters intentional? Because I found myself laughing pretty hard when I saw her picture.

EDIT: Even their backstories are similar. This has to be intentional.

Sovereign Court Contributor

Just finished skimming through the pdf.

So, when are we going to get the instructions for building our own ship, re the introduction? I'm really obsessing about finding a good model. The only 1/60ish (28 mm) scale ship out there that's not an arm and a pegleg is the Revell Pirate ship, but's kind of cartoonish.

The paper model from Worldworks (the Maiden) is best I've found that's affordable, but it looks like a small nightmare to put together, and costly to print out.

Liberty's Edge

I cannot wait for the pdf! I haven't been this excited to read an adventure path since Kingmaker!

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Jeff Erwin wrote:
The paper model from Worldworks (the Maiden) is best I've found that's affordable, but it looks like a small nightmare to put together, and costly to print out.

That's the one Rob uses in our office game. Whatever it cost, both in money and time, was well worth it from a player's perspective. The model does wonders in increasing the immersion in the environment and helping with tactical situations involving the masts and various decks.

Sovereign Court Contributor

Mark Moreland wrote:
Jeff Erwin wrote:
The paper model from Worldworks (the Maiden) is best I've found that's affordable, but it looks like a small nightmare to put together, and costly to print out.
That's the one Rob uses in our office game. Whatever it cost, both in money and time, was well worth it from a player's perspective. The model does wonders in increasing the immersion in the environment and helping with tactical situations involving the masts and various decks.

I'm considering picking it up. That's a good review...


Wait a sec, do you have the PDF for part 2?


Aaron Scott 139 wrote:
Wait a sec, do you have the PDF for part 2?

Subscribers, as part of their subscription, get access to the PDF when their subscription shipment goes out. This occurs prior to the street date indicated in the product above.

Frog God Games

Ice Titan wrote:

Is the similarity of Lady Smythee and B. Jenet from King of Fighters intentional? Because I found myself laughing pretty hard when I saw her picture.

EDIT: Even their backstories are similar. This has to be intentional.

I can't speak for the art, but I wasn't familiar with B. Jenet, so any backstory similarity is coincidental.

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