A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 3–7.
As an act of retribution, an enemy of the society begins hiring river pirates to waylay Pathfinder boats bound for the crusader nation of Mendev. Unless the Pathfinders can track down the party responsible and put an end to their piracy, the raids may spell the doom of the society’s ambitions to the north.
Content in "You Have What You Hold" also contributes directly to the ongoing storyline of the Sczarni faction.
Written by Sean McGowan.
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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I really love scenarios with an 'epic' feel to the finale. This is one of them.
While this is a fairly combat-oriented scenario and the mission is pretty standard for a militarized Pathfinder Society (esp. in Season 5), there were a few good RP opportunities at various points. All in all this is a pretty good time. Would definitely recommend.
I have played this scenario (Aug 2014), and I have GMed it twice (Nov 2013 and Feb 2014). It's a lot more fun to play than to GM. It's certainly not much of a challenge to the party in terms of combat. It's a good scenario for a group of wandering muderhobos. :-)
Since I had run this some months before I played it, I had (thankfully) forgotten some of the details. Even so, I purposefully played my Nagaji Paladin with an Int of 5 so that I could "play dumb" and have fun with it.
My favorite part of GMing this scenario: A particularly clever party was able to finish the final encounter in very short order with a bit of magic and a poor saving throw from an NPC.
My favorite part of playing this scenario: My giant chameleon mount (yes, I have that boon from a convention) got to use his tongue's touch attack to pull a bad guy towards the ceiling and hang him there like a piñata while the others knocked him unconscious. (Sigh. I love this game!)
But, I don't love the scenario. The fun I had was because I got to play with really good groups. The plot is a bit wonky and way too predictable. From the start, all three parties that I played with were able to easily anticipate the final encounter. It wasn't a surprise, and there was no tension getting there.
Also, now that there's no Sczarni faction anymore, that part of the scenario felt a little hollow.
Stars based on GMing the scenario: **
Stars based on playing the scenario: ***
Your mileage may vary. This one was not one of my favorites, but it's not bad.
I had a blast playing this adventure due mostly due to who I was playing with. Having a team of monks with addy brass knuckles bust into the shack in the woods reverse zombie style was pretty awesome.
The scenario kinda forces you along as you dsicover bad things are happening, and it leads you to a battle arena.
There are some fun role play opportunities as you go through this and some fun battle scenes. Overall it is an aabove average adventure.
While leading off well with an interesting boat encounter, the scenario seems to fall apart after that, with a mishmash plot and hokey mechanics that made the finale excruciating to play through.
Smooth and innovative, a great example of season 5
I ran You Have What You Hold subtier 3-4 for a group of six players (Inquisitor 3, Ninja 3, Oracle 3, Fighter/Cavalier 2/1, Druid 3, Witch 7). Both the ninja and the witch were Sczarni faction members. Right off the top, You Have What You Hold promises a new spin on an old trope, sets and delivers on expectations, and allows player agency in almost every act. Multiple times, the degree of success of the PCs in one act directly impacts the following act, and at no point does complete failure (outside of a TPK in combat) halt the adventure or lead to a forced work-around. The faction mission is well-integrated, clear, and intriguing.
Getting Started
Spoiler:
Set in the River Kingdoms, specifically Tymon (which I pronounced Tie-mon to avoid the group breaking into Hakuna Matata), a city build on gladiatorial politics. The PCs have to masquerade as sailors, but instead of the usual ship-managing skill check scene we’ve gotten in past ship-borne scenarios, the PCs are specifically told to prove they are incompetent seamen and women.
I believe this is the first time we meet Venture-Captain Holgarin Smine, a dwarf undercover as a smith in a city that is unwelcoming to Pathfinders. He is described as speaking in “broken sentences reminiscent of the staccato clanging of the adjacent forge,” an excellent bit of characterization that makes this VC stand out all the more. The both text is a bit verbose and could have been shorter, and I felt like my players had to wait longer than usual to say their piece.
A. Dockside Deception
Spoiler:
Brilliant in its simplicity, the PCs are allowed complete freedom to plan and execute a ruse to get out the word that the new sailors in town are cut rate. If you’re a GM that enjoys to improv and roleplay, you will have a field day here, as will players who love a good hair-brained scheme. For players that don’t like roleplaying so much, or feel pressured when off the tracks, they can simply declare a desire to Bluff or Diplomacy and be done with it one roll later. Five players in my group really indulged in the freedom this scene allowed, and it was probably the most fun we had the entire session.
I particularly like the If/Then mechanic. Even if every PC fails their check, the adventure moves on and runs as written. However, every single success is rewarded by making the next encounter slightly easier, and three successes or four or more successes further modify the encounter in the PCs’ favoured. I am in love with this mechanic and think it should be the default resolution for skill-based encounters.
Part A ends with an introduction of Demeliah Sorhenson, another interesting NPC whose motivation makes sense. She is neither a burden on the players or GM. There is room for further roleplaying as well as some light skill rolling to add texture to the river scene.
B. Bait on the Sellen
Spoiler:
First combat of the scenario. My group had three successes in Part A, so they weren’t attacked at range. This encounter uses the environment well, although my group had a lot of problems managing the tight space because of animal companions. I liked the dynamic of many mooks and one primary threat, although it would have been better if this wasn’t the norm for all three of the scenarios’ encounters. The PCs interrogated the survivors, and it was nice having that tactic considered by the scenario.
C. Bessie's Bayou
Spoiler:
The occupants of this pirate hideout are spread out amongst four different locations, and respond differently based on how the PCs approach, and when the PCs get noticed. It’s a lot for a GM to handle and I recommend extra prep with a cheat sheet with each villain’s starting location, Perception modifier, and tactics.
My group dressed as their pirate prisoners and used the torch signal, which got them past the initial inspection, but their sizes, numbers, and all their pets meant the dock guards saw through the ruse on closer inspection. I liked watching this encounter unfold, although I get snappy with any player who tries to communicate with other players when their PCs are far away and trying to be stealthy.
This was the second encounter which featured a bunch of mooks and one big threat, but the situation made this encounter play out differently than the last one. That, and an unfortunate Will save meant the big threat dropped to a colour spray upon arrival.
Return to Tymon
Spoiler:
A few of my players seemed to think the scenario was done, having completed their objective and found the faction mission materials. They were pleasantly surprised to find out they would immediately follow up on the clues they discovered by way of gladiatorial combat.
The Sczarni players did not bring up the mysterious notes to Helkit when they issued the challenge, missing the chance to finish their mission the easy way.
D. The Arena of Aroden
Spoiler:
As prepared as I was, this was the part of the scenario I was afraid of. There was so much going on: another encounter with mooks and a big threat, a character built around two archetypes (one of which I fortunately have a lot of experience with) with abilities that aren’t supposed to stack but the scenario says this NPC is an exception to that rule, performance combat, and hazards that I know the location of, but the NPCs I’m controlling don’t. Fortunately, the players took full advantage of the in-game days their PCs had to prepare, allowing me to review my notes while they shopped for buffing options. We skipped the optional encounter because the session was running long.
The other reason I was worried about this encounter was the CR. CR 7 at sub-tier 3-4 means this could be anywhere from Epic to off-the-charts. Fortunately we had the level 7 witch to bump up the APL. Double fortunately, the witch’s player understood that she was the scenario’s difference-maker but could also dominate. She played in a way to let everyone have fun, acting as healer, targeting only the big threat with a lightning bolt that could have hit and killed all the mooks as well to make sure the PCs who couldn’t handle the big threat could had someone to target, etc. I should mention, this was the third encounter that featured a bunch of mooks and one big threat. Since we skipped the optional encounter, that means that this scenario was three-for-three this formula. It isn’t the worst formula, just strange.
Between all the time to buff up and the high level witch, this was a difficult but ultimately manageable encounter. A few PCs were knocked out but resuscitated by the witch. A few PCs fell in the hazards, and the party spent a good amount of energy searching for their locations. The PCs enjoyed watching both sides accumulate +1s and -1s, but unfortunately neither side accumulated enough to gain a performance combat bonus. In the end, this encounter was fun, but it didn’t seem like the extras amounted to much.
Conclusion
Spoiler:
The party accomplished all of their goals, including the faction mission. Only one of the two Scarnzi players understood the significance of who is orchestrating the plot to assassinate Guaril Karela. Neither cared much for the Sczarni faction boon or the scenario’s boon, unfortunately, but hopefully a future scenario will allow them to make use of both.
Overall a fist-pumping good time. I recommend to any GM who likes roleplaying and can handle complicated crunch, or vice versa, and highly recommend to any Sczarni player invested in the season 5 faction mission.
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