Chapter 1: "The Worldwound Incursion"
by Amber E. Scott
For more than a hundred years, the demon-infested Worldwound has warred against humanity, its Abyssal armies clashing with crusaders, barbarians, mercenaries, and heroes along the border of lost Sarkoris. But when one of the magical wardstones that helps hedge the demons into their savage realm is sabotaged, the crusader city of Kenabres is attacked and devastated by the demonic hordes. Can a small band of heroes destined for mythic greatness survive long enough to hold back the forces of chaos and evil until help arrives, or will they become the latest in a long line of victims slaughtered by Deskari, the demon lord of the Locust Host?
“The Worldwound Incursion,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 1st-level characters, by Amber E. Scott.
A gazetteer of the crusader city of Kenabres on the border of the Worldwound, by Amber E. Scott.
The search for an infamous demon hunter in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Robin D. Laws.
A complete outline of the Wrath of the Righteous campaign.
Four new monsters by James Jacobs, Jason Nelson, David Schwartz, and Jerome Virnich.
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: 978-1-60125-553-2
"The Worldwound Incursion" 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 (1.6 MB PDF).
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
My group and I finished this book yesterday after playing nine sessions roughly averaging 3 ½ hours a pop. We play online with 6 players.
Story: The story is great. Starts off with the big bad guys making a powerful statement. This gives the GM a chance to play up that the demons are no joke and over the course of the book, the descriptions emphasize just how rotten they can be. The writers rarely miss a chance to speak to their taste in graffiti, vandalism of statues and desecration of monuments. The story really falls into two parts, the first one isolates the PCs from the larger events but that works great to force them to build as a team, the later part of the story opens up the scene to allow the players to explore the destruction and claim some victories. I liked how that worked out
Role-Play: This was also really well integrated into the story. The book has some NPCs thrust upon the PCs right off the bat. They are all well flushed out and easy to adapt and challenge the PCs to interact and help them find their voices with these brand new characters. Later on there are more interesting NPCs presented to the PCs each of them also well flushed out with clear goals and easy personalities to interpret. Also, the story has a number of decision points that should challenge members of the party to consider their own motivations and cooperate and negotiate upon those ideas.
Combat Encounters: These were mostly good. I had to modify a little bit here and there given the size of my group and emphasis upon them to build powerful characters. My intention being to run this without mythic rules means I will frequently be forced to modify encounters so this did not bother me. If it were a standard 4 person party, I think a good amount of the encounters would be challenging.
Extras: The maps of the underground could have been a bit more interesting. As it is they look pretty generic. The maps of the city however are very compelling visually. Give you a really good sense of the damage that was done. Additionally the introduction to Kenabres allows you to set up some stuff before the events of the AP kick off, so if you feel like you need to invest your players into the city more, there is ample material to do so. The monsters at the back are also good. Mostly they flush out the ranks of the demons giving multiple options across all CRs.
Overall: Great start to the AP. I’ve noticed some complaints of this being too railroady, but I don’t think so. In fact there is a large portion of the second half of the AP which asks the PCs to explore the ruins of Kenabres. A GM could easily add or subtract encounters into this portion as he wants. So the characters have room to develop, the plot sets the stakes really high and invests the PCs into the books to come.
The World Wound Incursion starts off with an epic event that forever changes the city of Kenabres. PCs won’t need any extra incentive to become heroes in this adventure; before they even know what’s happening they’ll be thrown head first into a dangerous cavern where they must rely on each other and newfound NPC allies to survive.
The NPCs are all very complex and interesting people. They have their own unique personalities, motivations and secrets. They also share interconnected histories that won’t become revealed until the player characters take time to get to know them. The friendships the players build with these NPCs can affect the rest of the adventure path. Having these NPCs be important helps players invest in their well-being and makes things very interesting.
Players will have the chance to help their city, fight evil outsiders, form alliances with noble defenders, and face off against a powerful Oracle and an ancient wardstone with thousands of lives on the line. The stakes are amazingly high for the first chapter of any adventure path, and the rewards for success are equally high; the PCs will get their first taste of mythic power.
Mythic levels will give players high-level abilities they’ve never been able to experience before. Characters become astounding heroes of legend who can go on to battle powerful enemies and accomplish great deeds. This is seriously fun.
I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed this adventure. There are wonderful NPCs, thrilling battles, interesting settings and huge rewards. The artwork is also very high quality and there is a nice chunk of information about the city of Kenabres at the end of the book.
I've long been a fan of the concept of demonic invasions into the mortal realm, and the many opportunities such a concept adds to the gaming table. War, horror, desperation, heroism, and more. As such, it was with great glee that I saw the announcement of the Wrath of the Righteous adventure path (or The Demonblight Crusade as it was called before creative director James Jacobs asked the community to help figure out a more fitting name). I was excited. Demons. The Worldwound. The Mendevian Crusades. All three aspects of the Pathfinder campaign setting that I enjoy immensely.
Since the release of Wrath of the Righteous, I've been fortunate to join an amazing group of gamers in their adventures in Mendev and the Worldwound, and our band of heroes are currently near the end of the adventure path's second book - Sword of Valor. How, then, did the first book - The Worldwound Incursion - fare at our virtual gaming table? Well, let's find out.
Before I dive into the actual review, a wee spoiler warning might be in order. This review mentions specific names of characters and locations featured in the adventure. If you want to avoid possible spoilers, head on down to the CONCLUSION section for my final words on the book.
Also, this review is written from the perspective of a player. I haven't read the adventure or the book's backmatter, so I can't comment on specific stat blocks or other mechanical aspects of the adventure.
FLUFF
The adventure starts off with a description an assault on the fortress city of Kenabres by a horde of demons, in the aftermath of which our heroes found themselves under the city, saved by a dying dragon. Normally I'd consider such a start a letdown, because it didn't give us an option to interact with the invasion, but it was well written and gave me a sense of dread and wonder. The scope of the demonic invasion was well conveyed. There are plenty of ways for GMs to alter the opening parts of the adventure, but that wasn't really necessary, I felt.
The adventure itself started beneath the city, and it was in many ways a traditional dungeoncrawl in the sense that we moved through the underground tunnels as we tried to find a way back to the surface. The trek through the underground was sprinkled with interesting encounters, and the NPCs that had been placed in the opening scene by author Amber E. Scott added color to the experience. They were interesting and had differing motivations and demeanors. I particularly enjoyed our encounters with the mongrelmen that lived beneath Kenabres, and the lore surrounding them was rich.
After their first real interaction with the demonic forces via a battle against a servant of Baphomet, our heroes reached the surface, and this part of the adventure was my favorite part. Our GM did a great job describing the destruction and horror that was Kenabres, and as our heroes tried to find any surviving Mendevian crusaders, they encountered demonic vandals, madness-stricken crusaders, desperate survivors, and more. Having linked up with survivors in the inn named Defender's Heart, our heroes struck back against the Baphomite infiltrators in an assault on their safe houses, aided by clues found in the underground. As mentioned, this part was really well done. The horrror and devastation was vividly painted by our GM and the encounters fit with the general mood of the story. They made sense.
The final part of the adventure was basically an assault on the demonic stronghold in the fortress city, a place called the Gray Garrison. It too was well done, I think, and the demons' desecration of the place was detailed in a manner that made me want to bash in the head of every single demon and mortal demon-worshiper we found. The encounters were somewhat challenging, but not excessively so. A couple of encounters brought one or two characters down to negative hit points. The most rewarding segment of this final part of the adventure, however, was the destruction of the city's wardstone. It was the event that added the mythic subsystem to the game, granting our characters their first mythic tier. The adventure's ending was as epic as its beginning, as the heroes received visions of times past as well as potential future enemies.
CRUNCH
As I mentioned earlier, I played through this adventure as a player, and as such I don't have any insight into the mechanical aspects of the adventure. However, I *can* comment on the general level of the challenges that were thrown at our characters. The encounters were varied in their deadliness, and, with the exception of one encounter in the underground, I felt that the real challenge started when our heroes reached the Gray Garrison. It was here that some of the encounters sent a few characters into negative hit points. It wasn't really my impression that the encounters in the adventure were designed to be challenging for our heroes as much as they were there to add depth to the story, and I liked that. They all made sense in the context of the story and the atmosphere, and they *were* taxing for our heroes.
CONCLUSION
I am very pleased with Wrath of the Righteous #1: The Worldwound Incursion. It is an extremely atmospheric and story-heavy adventure that manages to convey the horror of a demonic invasion without becoming excessive in its graphic depictions of its main themes. The encounters were all there to immerse us in the story, the NPCs were interesting, and the encounters adequately challenging. I played an Ustalavic tiefling inquisitor of Iomedae, and I got my money's worth, so to speak, with a character that was a part of both worlds - the demonic and the holy. I highly recommend Wrath of the Righteous #1: The Worldwound Incursion, and I count it among my best memories as a gamer.
This book is one of the funnest 1-6 adventures that Paizo has put out there. Amber Scott is a fantastic writer who created some fun encounters that actually fit with the pacing and the story. The path opens with a bang AND ends with one too. Even if you don't play any of the other Worldwound adventures, play this one - you won't regret it.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
"Level range" as in which span the adventure occurs, normally 1st through 4th level. But, checking other APs, you guys are actually right, as in that normally only the starting level is mentioned in the product blurb. I guess I am used to seeing the second module immediately and knowing until which level the first module went. So, sorry, for the confusion.
Ah, but you see, we have mythic levels complicating what the level range might be. Has the Mythic Adventures book been sent to the printer yet? If not, there could still be some final revisions to the rule content, which could influence the final level range of the first volume of the adventure path.
Level ranges are going to be harder to predict until each chapter is received and actually developed. Here's why: mythic tiers allow parties to fight tougher bosses. Tougher bosses equal more experience points, which in turn mean faster level gains.
You might find each chapter is slightly off traditional level ranges, leaning towards being higher. In fact I am certain of it. They're probably playing it safe, so no one calls them on it later.
Thank you, everyone! Yes this is my first AP and while I'm no stranger to long, complex projects, an AP installment was certainly a dragon of a different color. The Paizo team gave me a tremendous amount of support and guidance, as always, and I think this series is going to be amazing. Can't wait to see it in print!!
I won't lie, the idea that this is the first real outing for the Mythic rules makes me want to own this for no other reason than having something to eyeball for recources.
My girlfriend and I are completely psyched for this campaign. It sounds legen-wait for it cause its going to be massive, and mythic in proportion because of a massive holy war versus the Abyss-DARY!
I've called running this one for the podcast group, so I'm really looking forward to it! Hopefully, I will have our Age of Worms: Re-Rolled campaign done by about the time this AP is fully released, so it's with much anticipation that I am awaiting this one.
Yes, but doing so will require a fair amount of work on the GM's part, I suspect. The advice on how to "un-mythic" it will probably consist of a sidebar's worth of advice in each volume. That may change as I get into the development... but this adventure path is very much one of the main reasons why we're doing Mythic Adventures in the first place, not the other way around.
I'm assuming that the mythic adventures won't overun the standard AP. ARe we likely to look at 1 of each per year or will mythic paths be a little more scarce than this?
James Jacobs posted that they will wait for feedback on Mythic and the Mythic AP before deciding to do it again.
Because the APs are planned far in advance, the next two after Wrath of the Righteous cannot be mythic.
Woah, now that is a way to start a campaign with a bang. And the next modules will probably be even more epic. Or should I say, mythic?
I see no level range has been given in the summary. Innnnteresting.
Starts at level 1.
We're still solidifying how level progression and the addition of mythic content works out, but my GUESS is that by the end of this one, the PCs will be 6th level and mythic tier 1.
Yes, but doing so will require a fair amount of work on the GM's part, I suspect. The advice on how to "un-mythic" it will probably consist of a sidebar's worth of advice in each volume. That may change as I get into the development... but this adventure path is very much one of the main reasons why we're doing Mythic Adventures in the first place, not the other way around.
I'm assuming that the mythic adventures won't overun the standard AP. ARe we likely to look at 1 of each per year or will mythic paths be a little more scarce than this?
At this point, both Adventure Paths for 2014 are locked in, and neither one of them are Mythic adventure paths. They MIGHT have a mythic monster here and there, but that's no different than us picking up content from any of our core books to use as appropriate in an Adventure Path.
If the Mythic Rules end up being REALLY popular and if folks love Wrath of the Righteous's mythic elements, the earliest we'll really know that is close to the start of 2014 anyway, at which point the earliest we could get another mythic adventure path up and running would be sometime in 2015.
In the long run, in other words, they may become more common, depending mostly on their popularity, but for the short term, Wrath of the Righteous is it for mythic adventures through 2014 at the minimum.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
magnuskn wrote:
Woah, now that is a way to start a campaign with a bang. And the next modules will probably be even more epic. Or should I say, mythic?
I see no level range has been given in the summary. Innnnteresting.
Starts at level 1.
We're still solidifying how level progression and the addition of mythic content works out, but my GUESS is that by the end of this one, the PCs will be 6th level and mythic tier 1.
We're still solidifying how level progression and the addition of mythic content works out, but my GUESS is that by the end of this one, the PCs will be 6th level and mythic tier 1.
Zowie, that's a going to be a lot of rules real quick. I thought the Mythic rules implementation were an admission that the 3.5-style "Epic" rules were too much numbers. I was looking forward to mythic-style feel-and-play without having to deal with the headaches of high level. Usually, I can get to book 4 of an AP until the game slogs. Now it looks like this one will cap out much sooner for me. :-(
Would it be feasible to play as a Cleric of Asmodeus or prestige into a Hellknight in this campaign? Given the history of the conflict between Hell and the Abyss (the Blood War isn't really a part of the Pathfinder setting, but the Devils and Demons are still described as not getting along very well), it would make sense for a Chelaxian/Devil-worshipping character to have a vested interest in slaughtering demons.
Would it be feasible to play as a Cleric of Asmodeus or prestige into a Hellknight in this campaign? Given the history of the conflict between Hell and the Abyss (the Blood War isn't really a part of the Pathfinder setting, but the Devils and Demons are still described as not getting along very well), it would make sense for a Chelaxian/Devil-worshipping character to have a vested interest in slaughtering demons.
I suppose.
There's not a lot of Hellknight action in the region at all, but there might be a few. And while there are some worshipers of Asmodeus fighting against the Worldwound demons, those who are closely associated with Cheliax actually kind of don't mind the fact that the demons are diverting attention from the "good guys" away from Cheliax...
Would it be feasible to play as a Cleric of Asmodeus or prestige into a Hellknight in this campaign? Given the history of the conflict between Hell and the Abyss (the Blood War isn't really a part of the Pathfinder setting, but the Devils and Demons are still described as not getting along very well), it would make sense for a Chelaxian/Devil-worshipping character to have a vested interest in slaughtering demons.
I suppose.
There's not a lot of Hellknight action in the region at all, but there might be a few. And while there are some worshipers of Asmodeus fighting against the Worldwound demons, those who are closely associated with Cheliax actually kind of don't mind the fact that the demons are diverting attention from the "good guys" away from Cheliax...
In the long term, though, isn't getting rid of the Worldwound in Asmodeus's best interests? What happens to Rovagug's prison if the Abyss "eats" Golarion?
Woah, now that is a way to start a campaign with a bang. And the next modules will probably be even more epic. Or should I say, mythic?
I see no level range has been given in the summary. Innnnteresting.
That's not unusual for these mockup descriptions. They normally only have a (provisional) starting level on them, updated once they've gone to the printers.
Correct, they normally always have a provisional starting level on them. Which was left out completely for this module. So I find that interesting.
This isn't the final description, we won;t get that till this issue is written and/or when the final cover is revealed.
Would it be feasible to play as a Cleric of Asmodeus or prestige into a Hellknight in this campaign? Given the history of the conflict between Hell and the Abyss (the Blood War isn't really a part of the Pathfinder setting, but the Devils and Demons are still described as not getting along very well), it would make sense for a Chelaxian/Devil-worshipping character to have a vested interest in slaughtering demons.
I suppose.
There's not a lot of Hellknight action in the region at all, but there might be a few. And while there are some worshipers of Asmodeus fighting against the Worldwound demons, those who are closely associated with Cheliax actually kind of don't mind the fact that the demons are diverting attention from the "good guys" away from Cheliax...
James, I just don't get that last bit about "good guys". Don't buy into that Taldorian or Andoran propaganda; we are the good guys!
Anyway, I'm really excited about this... a Worldwound AP at last! YES! Perhaps Numeria will be next? :)
Would it be feasible to play as a Cleric of Asmodeus or prestige into a Hellknight in this campaign? Given the history of the conflict between Hell and the Abyss (the Blood War isn't really a part of the Pathfinder setting, but the Devils and Demons are still described as not getting along very well), it would make sense for a Chelaxian/Devil-worshipping character to have a vested interest in slaughtering demons.
I suppose.
There's not a lot of Hellknight action in the region at all, but there might be a few. And while there are some worshipers of Asmodeus fighting against the Worldwound demons, those who are closely associated with Cheliax actually kind of don't mind the fact that the demons are diverting attention from the "good guys" away from Cheliax...
But if the defense of the Worldwound were to fail, then Cheliax (along with the rest of Golarion) would be overrun by hordes of demons. Queen Abrogail wouldn't be very happy about that.
Eh, I just think it would be kind of cool to have a devil-follower as a "Token Evil Teammate" in a campaign that's about fighting demons.
In the long term, though, isn't getting rid of the Worldwound in Asmodeus's best interests? What happens to Rovagug's prison if the Abyss "eats" Golarion?
Who are we to second-guess what Asmodeus's best interests are?
And Rovagug's prison is more complex than "just the core of the world."
And if the Worldwound "wins," it doesn't necessarily "eat" Golarion anyway.
Anyway, questions that'll need to wait until January 2014 for answers in the Wrath of the Righteous Continuing the Campaign article.
We're still solidifying how level progression and the addition of mythic content works out, but my GUESS is that by the end of this one, the PCs will be 6th level and mythic tier 1.
What does that mean? Can someone translate please!
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
We don't have many demonic minis in the PF line (3 by my count), can we expect one of the major upcoming minis sets to be supporting Wrath of Righteous? :D :D
We don't have many demonic minis in the PF line (3 by my count), can we expect one of the major upcoming minis sets to be supporting Wrath of Righteous? :D :D
We'll be doing more minis of demons now and then, but the ordeal of doing the Shattered Star set at the same time we were writing and developing that Adventure Path (even though the minis just came out recently... we started working on them before we even assigned the first adventure to an author) was harrowing and frustrating. We're unlikely to try that again anytime soon, so there isn't going to be a Wrath of the Righteous minis set coming out anytime soon.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Man, going to level 20 ( which I assume this AP will do ) will make deciding between Reign of Winter and this AP quite difficult for my players. On one hand, two of them want to play paired witchhunter Inquisitors ( based more than just a bit on the Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunters movie ), but on the other hand, they have been asking for a full 20 level campaign since I started running Paizo APs. Oh, well, their decision.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
magnuskn wrote:
Man, going to level 20 ( which I assume this AP will do ) will make deciding between Reign of Winter and this AP quite difficult for my players. On one hand, two of them want to play paired witchhunter Inquisitors ( based more than just a bit on the Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunters movie ), but on the other hand, they have been asking for a full 20 level campaign since I started running Paizo APs. Oh, well, their decision.
Reign of winter will be a better choice due to the fact they will have a lot more use of their abilities then in wraith of the righteous. Winter has alot more witches them Wraith does.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
I should probably clarify that I didn't necessarily mean the Witchhunter Inquisitor archetype, but rather that their character focus will be on hunting witches. ^^
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
magnuskn wrote:
I should probably clarify that I didn't necessarily mean the Witchhunter Inquisitor archetype, but rather that their character focus will be on hunting witches. ^^
I see, then it an probably work in both campaigns but you will find a lack of witches in the wraith campaign where in winter, you will face a witch right in the first adventure and have a witch as the BBEG.