A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1–5.
Beneath the Grand Lodge of Absalom lie the vaults, a series of storerooms and libraries that contain much of the Society’s findings from the past centuries. Cataloguing the sundry relics and texts takes time, and finds requiring closer study find their way to an extensive vault called the Overflow Archives. Soon after a pair of initiates sneaks into the archive and steals a few items on a dare, the complex inexplicably springs a leak. It is up to the PCs to investigate this strange phenomenon and put a stop to it before thousands of priceless documents are ruined forever.
Content in “The Overflow Archives” also contributes directly to the ongoing storyline of the Dark Archive faction.
Written by Scott Sharplin.
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This scenario consolidates my opinion that season 6 is the best season so far. It´s also so awesome i´m spontaniously writing my first review^^
I ran it on Tier 1-2 with 5 players (barbarian, 2 rangers, 1 warpriest and 1 druid). The lack of skills and arcane magic made some parts a bit more difficult for them, but the scenario mechanics helped a lot. Really thought through and also encouraging good ideas!
The roleplay and fun factor is amazing, the author provided view but very useful descriptions on the NPC´s.
Interesting and top environment effects!
A very good balance between roleplaying and social encounters on the one hand or combat encounters on the other hand, what also at least partly lies in the hand of the players and is up to group playstyle and group composition.
Looking forward to run this again and more scenarios like this!
I played this scenario recently and really enjoyed it.
I like a lot of the little details, like the map of the lower level. The 'final boss' was a different sort of opponent, although challenging in their own right.
There is what I consider one glaring error.
Spoiler:
Kitsune states human for both their Change Shape and Realistic Likeness racial abilities in the Advanced Race Guide.
The plot of this is a bit of a one off, that is a fun offshoot to play.
There's an amusing story line with interesting characters.
Great for GM's who like to act out characters, which is why I give it good rating.
Combat was a bit easy for the group I was with, but could vary for other groups. Not likely to actually kill you though, so it's a good design for a level 1-5 game.
Some scenarios stand out based on their premise alone. The Overflow Archives is one of them, at least to me. Delving into an archive to save whatever lies within is a nice twist on the whole ‘go into a dungeon and retrieve item X’. I liked the prospect of having to fix an issue in order to save knowledge. And yet the premise, as fun as it may be, still fails to live up to the true nature of this scenario.
Without a doubt this is the most creative and original scenario I’ve played thus far. It’s not a typical sandbox scenario that I typically enjoy the most, but it’s the story and the NPC characters that really make this a memorable scenario. If you have a GM that is good at portraying quirky characters, you’re bound to have a good time. Every NPC differs from the rest in character, but is funny in its own way.
It is however important to point out that even though this scenario is at times silly and hilarious, it’s definitely no walk in the park either. There are plenty of ways a character can die and there is a chance of a TPK as well if the dice aren’t in your favour. It’s also a scenario where your surroundings are important and where every opponent brings something utterly unique to the table. Silliness can indeed be painful and at times may be a little too much to handle.
Should you now be scared and in need of avoiding this scenario as a result? No, you shouldn’t be at all. Amazing is the best word to describe the plot, the characters and the overall level of entertainment. I highly, highly recommend this scenario. It’s too much fun to ignore; just be sure to bring your swimming gear.
This scenario is very well written from many angles of measurement and the editing is great. Lower level characters usually lack important resources for dealing with the complex challenges presented in this adventure, but this has been considered and dealt with. While I still recommend playing at high tier, you shouldn't be dissuaded from playing at low tier.
Is this the season 6 Library of the Lion / The Disappeared style scenario?
It's not quite the same style, but there are some thematic similarities. Scott's adventure has both opportunities for skillful characters to feel good as well as moments where someone with 18 Strength and a two-handed weapon will chuckle.
FYI: The description of A1 refers to a particular terrain found on page 426 of the Core book, but it's actually on page 427. Probably not a big deal for those that own a hard copy of the CRB, but I had to scroll up and down a bit in the PDF to find it. Anyhow, so far I'm loving reading it, and look forward to roleplaying the various folks in the opening scene.
Don't blame Sean; he was working off my maps. This was my first PFS assignment, and I must've got over-exuberant with the final design. I'll show more restraint next time!
But the layout of the Understacks is nearly symmetrical, so you should be able to draw half the map on a flip-mat, and then rotate when the time is right. I hope that helps!
What's more, the 31st square is just the upper wingtip of the butterfly. I suspect it won't be much of an issue if you clip the end off area B2, which doesn't have a combat encounter.
I am very happy that this is the scenario I was scheduled to run 3 times at PaizoCon. All three tables (and the two times I've participated in this scenario locally) have been great fun!
This scenario's handouts were a nightmare to translate (=
I didn´t translate the handout, only read it out loud in german several times on purpose, since the riddle seems very easy to solve to me even for people not familiar with english.
Since the scroll is supposed to be in a different language not everyone can read...
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