A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 7–11.
An active cell of the cult of Lissala—ancient goddess of runes and obedience—has been discovered in the Varisian town of Palin's Cove. Seeking a chance to learn about this long-lost faith not from millennia-old relics but from its current practice, a team of Pathfinders travels to the industrial seaside settlement to uncover the secret coven and infiltrate its services in the guise of prospective converts. Will the Pathfinders discover the knowledge they seek, or will the evil cult subvert them with its vile and seductive faith?
Written by Sam Zeitlin.
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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Played this at the higher tier with four three players and an NPC bard.
The scenario starts as a nice role play story with a whole town to explore although we solved that element a lot quicker than expected due to sheer luck.
The last section of the scenario was just a little too tough for us as we didn't have a very balanced party and we suffered badly due to will saves. There are also role play elements that may cause issues with certain characters so that is worth considering.
I died during the first combat of this adventure (admittedly playing up). Two more of our six-man party died at the end and the rest fled to avoid a TPK. The combats here can be brutal for those unprepared or reckless.
And yet I'm still giving this 5 stars.
Cultist's Kiss is a spectacular scenario, with a whole town to roleplay through and an investigation broad yet interesting enough that it was two hours before an initiative check was rolled. The story set up here is top notch, with a plot and set of cult mysteries that hold up remarkably well.
As mentionned, the fights can be HARD, but they didn't feel unfair. A few startegic blunders on our part led to some casualties but the enemies are interesting and create some great tactical challenges.
This adventure can and likely will definitely run long (we were at 4 1/2 hours when it became clear we wouldn't survivie if we kept pushing forward) but if you have the time and are looking for a fun challenge then this is a spectacular choice.
Good investigative scenario kicking off a great series
I really enjoyed this adventure. It follows in the grand tradition of investigative scenarios in PFS. Unfortunately, it's not quite as well done as, say, City of Strangers - the writers tried to cram in far too many NPCs. Still, with a bit of creativity, it can be a great adventure. The cult scenes are phenomenal, and it starts the amazing Lissalan Arc.
My group had a wonderful time with the sand-box investigation part of the scenario. The story line was atmospheric, with classic horror themes. There were interesting opportunities for role-play with moral quandaries. I liked that the scenario provided in-character information about what we would be facing, and left it up to us to properly prepare.
The combats, as I would expect from the Lissala arc, were tense and deadly. I felt that I needed every single swift, move, and standard action to keep myself and my party alive. There's a flavorful and powerful boon (that my character has absolutely no regrets about refusing).
The scenario ran long, over 5.5 hours, since we spent a lot of time on the role-play, and the combat could not be rushed.
To address FlorianF's concerns, I played this on my paladin, and was very worried that I might end up ruining a mission to infiltrate an evil cult. However,
Spoiler:
at least as my GM ran it, you don't actually need to accept the brand or proclaim your devotion to Lissala in order to enter the sanctuary under the Foundry. I (truthfully) replied that I wasn't there to join their religion, but that I was sworn to protect 'him' (the player pretending to be Alvis) and the rest of the party, so I would follow them where ever they went. Since I was playing a bodyguard, and protecting my party members with my life IS a part of my paladin code,
it worked out just fine.
I understand why this one is a local favorite - it has everything I want from a night of gaming!
Shattered Star GMs really need to check out this scenario. I'm not sure if it's an easy plug-in with the second half of that AP still coming, but there's a lot to mine here.
Minor gripe, but the Base Value of Palin's Cove should be 1,400 gp, not 1,430. According to the Gamemastery Guide, when multiple settlement qualities and disadvantages affect the base value or purchase limit, you don't add them one at a time, but rather add the total percentage increased or decreased among all qualities and disadvantages before calculating. For this stat block, the author increased 1,000 gp base by 30% (Prosperous) to get 1,300, THEN increased that number by another 10% (strategic location) to get 1,430. Instead he should have just determined 40% increase of 1,000, or 1,400.
