Pathfinder Adventure Path #79: The Half-Dead City (Mummy’s Mask 1 of 6) (PFRPG)

Nice things about the adventure

That's pretty cool! That's a great idea!

We should watch the spoilers though! I might flag your post for that reason but not because I don't appreciate the comment. In fact, this might be a good comment for the GM-Only thread in the Mummy's Mask sub-forum, where people prepping the adventure can see it. I can also share some commentary about that specific subject.

Post edited! No worries!

Uhm demanding more demons after a whole demon ap is insane! If I see ANY demon from bestiary 1 during this ap i wont buy any more parts :-p

I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed then.

Is anyone else tempted to change to the slow experience track and add some more dungeons, so the PCs have an opportunity to really dig into Wati, and maybe befriend/be-enemy/befrenemy some of the other adventuring parties?

I mean as written: ** spoiler omitted **

I like this idea. You should drop it over in the GM reference thread.

Gancanagh wrote:

Uhm demanding more demons after a whole demon ap is insane! If I see ANY demon from bestiary 1 during this ap i wont buy any more parts :-p

I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed then.

But there are so many creatures from 4 bestiaries to choose from... and demons had their glory now...

The only one I would not find strange is the Vrock demon as it is a vulture, while I rather see all other monsters from any bestiary.

donato wrote:

Nice things about the adventure

That's pretty cool! That's a great idea!

We should watch the spoilers though! I might flag your post for that reason but not because I don't appreciate the comment. In fact, this might be a good comment for the GM-Only thread in the Mummy's Mask sub-forum, where people prepping the adventure can see it. I can also share some commentary about that specific subject.

Is this really supposed to be a spoiler free area?

I mean, this thread is meant for people to discuss their impressions of the adventure and the product page is also where people post reviews of the product. Pretty hard to do that without having spoilers.

Laric, that's why we have spoiler tags! To make that possible! :D

If you click the "Show" button next to "How to Format your Text" when you create your post, it will show you how.

Here's an example:

They even work in the review section (which this is not), though I concede the point that spoilers might be reasonably expected there.

No worries! Donato is cool with me! So are you!

Jim Groves wrote:

donato wrote:

Nice things about the adventure

That's pretty cool! That's a great idea!

We should watch the spoilers though! I might flag your post for that reason but not because I don't appreciate the comment. In fact, this might be a good comment for the GM-Only thread in the Mummy's Mask sub-forum, where people prepping the adventure can see it. I can also share some commentary about that specific subject.

Is this really supposed to be a spoiler free area?

I mean, this thread is meant for people to discuss their impressions of the adventure and the product page is also where people post reviews of the product. Pretty hard to do that without having spoilers.

In genral, I think people do a splendid job of discussing products without spoilers. Though there comes a time where you need to get into the material and I think its good form to use spoiler tags. Regardless of thread or subforum.

Laric, that's why we have spoiler tags! To make that possible! :D

If you click the "Show" button next to "How to Format your Text" when you create your post, it will show you how.

Here's an example:

** spoiler omitted **

They even work in the review section (which this is not), though I concede the point that spoilers might be reasonably expected there.

No worries! Donato is cool with me! So are you!

I know about spoiler tags.

My point is that if someone is reading the discussion thread of the product description, I think they should expect that they might see spoilers.

The product description itself contains spoilers which are not behind spoiler tags.

Mikaze wrote:

Abyssal Lord wrote:

This AP better have some nice demons...like Aldinach and her cult....

I think Aldinach has been confirmed to not show up. I was hoping to see her too, but then again this is coming right after Wrath of the Righteous. :)

Good bit of divs showing up though. Good to see them getting some love again!

Divs....meh!

Honestly I think some of the other outsider races are a bit redundant...like the DIVS, asuras and kytons...

But I can see plenty o' undead and constructs showing up....

No demons in #2, but I did...

Yeah, I'll be honest, I'm weary of demons. Especially after Wrath of the Righteous. While good, I'd like to see a break from our denizens from the Abyss, at least for a couple of month. But I'm sure there will be some demonic sprinkling here and there.

Myself, I'm hoping for a daemon or two, as one of the ancient Pharaohs toyed around with one of War's top servants.

Since there are some traits and feats that let PC´s handle difficult terrain in sand a lot better, will there be anything the like for mounts, since having improved unarmed strike and dragon style on a mount is kind of ridiculous?

@Hayato Ken: Have you looked at Animal Archive? Don't recall the immediate specifics, but I know there are a number of Animal-only feats in there, some of which are specifically geared toward increasing the animal's mobility/flexibility.

My group is super excited to start playing through this as Pathfinderized versions of the cast of the "Mummy" movies.

Brendan Fraser - gunslinger
his wife - oracle
her brother - archaeologist bard
Benny - rogue with linguistics maxed
that magi guy - a magus

Upon first impression and reading on the previews of the other 5 parts that are coming afterward... I can say is this:

The Mummy's Mask sounds like it is going to be B-O-R-I-N-G....as bone dull as the desert....

Why can it be more like Gary Gygax's Necropolis...plenty o' demons in that one.

My group is super excited to start playing through this as Pathfinderized versions of the cast of the "Mummy" movies.

Brendan Fraser - gunslinger
his wife - oracle
her brother - archaeologist bard
Benny - rogue with linguistics maxed
that magi guy - a magus

Will the AP featured an Anck-Su-Namun-like villainess?

Got my copy yesterday. I hadn't looked through the pdf at all while waiting, because I usually do that at work (:o) and it's just been really busy there.

In any case, I had actually considered suspending my subscription for this AP, just because old school dungeon crawl seemed a little boring (especially once we were told no Dominion/Aucturn Clock in it), and while Shattered Star had some interesting things going on, it was a bit too middle of the road to interest me much in the end.

Having finally read through the first part, though, I'm glad I stayed on board. Sure, it's a dungeon crawl- something like you might find in old school 1E perhaps. But it's done so well. Unlike those old modules, this has a really solid plot and structure, some interesting roleplay opportunities (including the potential to change the dynamics of the final encounter; if it even turns out to be the final encounter), and some real thought process put into monster placement, tactics, and a timeline for the events taking place in the final of the three dungeons. There's even some nice analysis of the ramifications of the Pharaoh's unprecedented (and somewhat sacriligeous) opening of the tombs of Osirion for public consumption (and if we don't see how that finally plays out during the course of this AP, I hope we do at some point. Vengeance of Pharasma has a nice ring to it.)

Additionally, it's clearly laying the groundwork for what's to come, in a way that isn't intrusive, but will lend itself to one of those "Aha!" moments for PCs potentially.

Really looking forward to what comes next.

You know, with the aforementioned sacrilegious royal decree being in place, it could be a reason why Book 2 (Empty Graves) becomes 'NEED PCs' material. Spoilered musings below:

Hopefully Book 2 will give more about the political issues surrounding the lottery.

I believe I found the Rosetta Stone, Tablet of Languages Lost.

Sure, it's a dungeon crawl- something like you might find in old school 1E perhaps. But it's done so well. Unlike those old modules, this has a really solid plot and structure,

Well, old 1E dungeon crawls do not railroad players...which is often a huge problem with adventures that have plot and structure (ANY Planescape module would suffice).

I believe I found the Rosetta Stone, Tablet of Languages Lost.

Gah....

Well, old 1E dungeon crawls do not railroad players...which is often a huge problem with adventures that have plot and structure (ANY Planescape module would suffice).

Half-Dead City doesn't come across very railroady to me. I mean, sure, if you look deep enough, anything with a plot is going to be a railroad. HDC does a very good and logical job of explaining why things are presented in the manner they are, and does it in a realistic and fitting way for the adventure and the location (Osirion).

I have to agree with Abyssal Lord that this adventure does not feel like a 1E dungeon crawl to me.

The first two dungeon-crawls actually feel more like a series of linked Pathfinder Society Scenarios than the start of an adventure path. As it stands, the PCs actions in the first two dungeon-craws have little to no impact on the rest of the adventure.

It would also have been nice to have the potential for rival adventuring parties to be encountered in the first two dungeon-crawls because there is currently little chance to do any roleplaying during the first two dungeon crawls given that the enemies almost exclusively consist of vermin, constructs or undead.

Although the third dungeon-crawl is more interesting, I feel disappointed by this adventure and feel that this is a missed opportunity. I would have much preferred that the three dungeon crawls be combined into one and had the PCs make multiple forays into it. I was hoping for something along the lines of The Whispering Cairn by Erik Mona.

mikeawmids wrote:

I feel like I'm sailing into the wind with this observation, but I was a little disappointed with this adventure.

Well Mike, I'm sorry to hear that. I would like to offer some of my perspective on why I think the adventure is structured the way it is. Perhaps after you sit with it a little while, maybe you'll feel differently. If not, I totally respect where you're coming from. I would also like to share this with anyone who may be debating on whether to get this or not.

I am not going to post what *I* think are spoilers.. but everyone has a slightly different opinion on what constitutes a spoiler, so I'm going to play it safe. Most people won't consider what I'm about to say as a spoiler...

** spoiler omitted **...

Your description of the intent behind how this is laid out make me want to run this even more. I was thinking it would be nice to run a more "sandboxy" campaign, and I think starting things this way sets up that atmosphere nicely!

Not to be mean, but "Sandboxy" is not the word I would use to describe this adventure.

Just posted a review.

It would also have been nice to have the potential for rival adventuring parties to be encountered in the first two dungeon-crawls because there is currently little chance to do any roleplaying during the first two dungeon crawls given that the enemies almost exclusively consist of vermin, constructs or undead.

That's where the Wati article comes into play for me. It's practically the other half of the adventure. I definitely wouldn't run straight through the adventure as a GM< but try to weave it back and forth with events in Wati, before and during the adventure itself.

That also offers plenty of opportunities for the rival party to be met in scenarios ranging from friendly to hostile.

Will the AP featured an Anck-Su-Namun-like villainess?

Heh heh heh.

That's where the Wati article comes into play for me. It's practically the other half of the adventure. I definitely wouldn't run straight through the adventure as a GM< but try to weave it back and forth with events in Wati, before and during the adventure itself.

Yeah, I actually really appreciated the way the adventure was structured to give natural times to hook in the Wati and rival adventuring content.

It's basically three separate mini-adventures with one home base, which gives you time to pace the RP and action so your players don't get overwhelmed with one or the other. And a few scenes explicitly to bring in the church and various rivals.

I'll end up doing the legwork of RPing, but that'd be the case even if they gave me an entire book of nothing but roleplaying information. I think they hit a good balance in this case, although I can see people wanting more direction.

Cheers!
Landon

I just came home from work and found my copy on my doorstep. I'm going to pour some wine and read it tonight :)

Update: I may have to wait 'til later to read it; my cat has decided that she likes your book more than I do, Jim :)

Pritty kitty.

The first thing I did when I got mine was to jump into the NPC section.

I loooved this description so much: (spoilered, just in case)

Now that I've read that I can go back and read the rest of the adventure. :)

I'll admit that after getting the first book I'm not really wowed by this adventure path so far, and to be somewhat brutal, even though it's not what I would consider bad it's one of the most meh starts to an AP in years if not the worst one yet.

I think part of it is that there doesn't seem to be much of a cohesive plot linking everything in the first book as much as it's almost random dungeon crawls thrown together. I'm not the type of person that minds dungeon crawls every so often, they definitely have their uses and can be a good part of an adventure, but they have to form a whole that goes to something greater, especially in something like a modern day Paizo Adventure Path.

As it is it's almost like the Pharasman clergy send you on practical fetch quest around the necropolis. Now I can see this happening on the first site the party goes to for a justification to get things started with the whole thing. Things just take too long to happen and when they do the first book of the AP is over. It feels like it hardly advances the plot at all.

This is not to say that I didn't like the sites that are visited. The concept of the necropolis is a good one. I even thought the second site visited was interesting and the best one, and would have been great as something by itself. As has been done before in other products it shows one of the strengths of haunts besides their primary purposes, and that is as a great mechanism for revealing past events and learning about a site not only in an interactive, emotional and interesting way, but sometimes as the only possible way a character could learn about past events. Still it's not something that meshed well with the overall story of this AP.

I also like the concept of a rival groups, but like other things stated that also took way too long to develop in this AP.

Maybe once things get going this AP will pick up. The outline for it seem alright, and it still seems to have promise from my view.

Something else I would have been interested in is alternative rewards for getting treasure, maintaining wealth by level, and things to do in the sites for groups that don't want to be virtual government authorized tomb robbers for their own profit. That's even more so with a site like Wati's necropolis.

Update: I may have to wait 'til later to read it; my cat has decided that she likes your book more than I do, Jim :)

This is an obviously intelligent and sophisticated feline. :)

Update: I may have to wait 'til later to read it; my cat has decided that she likes your book more than I do, Jim :)

She senses the presence of Bastet and wishes to aid the heroes against mummy's.

Tirisfal wrote:

Update: I may have to wait 'til later to read it; my cat has decided that she likes your book more than I do, Jim :)

This is an obviously intelligent and sophisticated feline. :)

She must be if she chooses to spend all of her time with me ;)

Ok...
BRAVO! This is one of the best starts of any Adventure Path i've seen!

Very cool artwork, very cool monsters (sandman/Agash) chosen for artwork!

ALL the new monsters in the bestiary are AWESOME! Really amazing!

Really nothing negative this time! Again Bravo! Hope to see this continued!

Well, I'm sure I speak for all of us when we say we're glad you like the monsters!

Ok...

BRAVO! This is one of the best starts of any Adventure Path i've seen!

Very cool artwork, very cool monsters (sandman/Agash) chosen for artwork!

ALL the new monsters in the bestiary are AWESOME! Really amazing!

Really nothing negative this time! Again Bravo! Hope to see this continued!

I'm very pleased. I say this with absolutely no sarcasm, I know you have very high standards and pleases me no end that we were able to make you happy. I hope you enjoy it! :)

I finally have this, and I am pleased. Thanks for the effort. That said, this is kind of a spoiler question, and I don't know how to indicate such, so beware

Use the spoiler tags—[spoiler ][/spoiler ], no spaces in the tag names.

Uh....let me try that.

Next question regarding random encounters..

That would depend on the GM and how the player's deal with them. Some of the listed groups sound more immediately hostile than others.

Anyone else have any issues with the booklet coming apart? I have only had it a week and the pages are already coming apart. Very frustrating.

I love the return of the Pathfinder's Journal! It has been missed!

Anyone else have any issues with the booklet coming apart? I have only had it a week and the pages are already coming apart. Very frustrating.

Yup

Can I ask a question or two as a new GM to pathfinder?

1. Which books, in your opinion, are essential for running this campaign? (Feel free to include core books to this)

2. When is the release date for the second installment?

Any advice, experienced players of AP, is always welcomed. (Feel free to PM me rather than take up the good people's time on here with my noob questions :-))

Thanking you in advance.

G.

1) This one (and books 2-6). The other 2 Osirion books released with it are very non-essential, and as a GM running this, I don't own them. D20PFSRD.com gives most of the OGL mechanical stuff from the Player Companion lines, so if your players want more, they can go there. The Campaign Setting book for Osirion, while a very good read (I've read it twice at FLGS), isn't needed at all to run the AP; infact, the areas covered in the AP receive much less attention because they are detailed in the AP.

Non-essential books that would be nice to have at hand: Inner Sea World Guide, the new Osirion CS book, and any whatever mechanics books your players bring to the table.

2) You can see all six chapters HERE on their store page, including expected street dates (on its individual page). Empty Graves (book 2) is slated for Apr 30.