A deadly curse known as the Feast of Dust spreads rapidly through the Meraz Desert, driving its victims mad with hunger and a burning desire to flee into the sands. To find the source of this strange affliction, the heroes must investigate the plagued city of Dimayen, challenging fearsome gnoll tribes, nihilistic daemons, and the walking dead to discover the secret of a long-forgotten evil—a powerful daemon harbinger called the Jackal Prince of Famine. Despite the efforts of an ancient secret society, this twisted, unholy monstrosity walks the world again, threatening to spread his apocalyptic curse across all of Golarion! To stop the demigod's return, the heroes must uncover his three vile siblings, now bound within malevolent artifacts, and use their combined powers to stop the Jackal Prince before the entire world feels his corrupting touch.
Written by fan-favorite author Nicolas Logue, Feast of Dust is a deluxe adventure for 11th-level characters, and includes 64 action-packed pages of deadly battles, enticing social encounters, and new monstrous foes, plus a gorgeous double-sided poster map featuring an overview of the desert city of Dimayen and a miniatures-scale battlemap!
Players can expect to reach 14th level upon completion of this adventure—if they can survive its daemonic horrors!
I enjoyed the "Feast of Dust Module." It is divided into three main chapters, to be played in sequence, and I found the first two chapters stronger than the last, as they had the most interesting characters for PCs to interact with. The last chapter of the adventure had interesting encounter locations, but the Big Fight with the Jackal Prince is not in the most dramatic/dynamic location and his minions feel underdeveloped. Since the Jackal Prince's minions are mostly evil outsiders, it's likely traditional Good PCs are going to hack-n-slash their way through rather than negotiate - as was suggested for one encounter with a daemon who wants to exchange an artifact for a secret password. There is also one map that has a staircase but no indication of where it leads (the other maps are better-marked).
Overall the adventure is solid, if a bit less dynamic in the last chapter. I really liked the gazeteer to Dimayen in the back and all of the new monsters in the monster appendix, and there were nice details on the artifacts that the PCs can use, which bumped my rating from 3 stars to 4.
And I predict a Campaign Setting sourcebook for Qadira in the same general time frame, to follow suit with the other regional Player Companions which have now been updated to CS format (Osirion, the upcoming Andoran one, and probably one on Cheliax for the Hell's Rebel AP). So all that we would be missing from the original five country books would be Taldor.
Congratulations Nick and welcome back to the land of modules. I look forward to demented giggling when reading this. I hope it gets PFS sanctioning. :D
The general consensus on the boards is that level 11 is when Pathfinder gets into the "math breaks down" part of the game. You know, the part where people complain about the gameplay slowing down because of all the countless modifiers and variables, where full casters start to show their true power, and no matter how many hit points everyone has they always seem to get one or two shotted?
Here's hoping Paizo is writing this as a legit high-level experience, not a cakewalk filled with breezy encounters and an anticlimactic boss battle.
I'll be keeping my eyes on this one, especially if it gets sanctioned for PFS.
I'm not experienced with high-level play, as my highest PFS character is just one game into 11th level, and he's a ranger (so not very complicated to play at all). But I'd love more options as he gets close to the end for scenarios.
And I don't know about high-level math, but I talked to one of our local GM's who has been running the high-level modules for our local group, and she's getting burned out due to the slower gameplay and lack of challenge for the PC's. Here's hoping this one provides everyone a more positive experience!
I'm so pleased this is coming out soon! James Jacobs very kindly let me go crazy on this one, and a-crazy-I-did-go!
Can't wait to see the magic Owen and the whole crew work to make it even more demented and delicious for you all!
Thanks everyone for the shout-outs too! I've missed making modules happen, and I've missed these lovely boards, and their many delightful denizens. Paizo and her fans are some of the finest creatures to grace this earth with their dice-prints!
I'd thought Carrion was off the menu after Carrion Crown, which of course went through Carrion Hill, and most likely had its fair share of Carrion Golems;-p
I'm still waiting for the breakfast cereal Crunchy Carrion (now with 50% more eyeballs!) as well as Carrion Grrrls, the doll line :-p
Don't believe anyone has p[ointed this out yet but the description says it is for 11th level characters while the module cover says for 12th level characters.
Which is it?
I would go by the cover and assume for 12th level characters and a silly person wrote the wrong level in the description. I demand to know the culprit! ;)
Hmmm. I was going to cancel my module subscription but I will have to hold on for this one. A great author so that makes me happy. Although I thought we agreed not to use the work "Carrion" anymore?
Huh - I see the Vulture King (Rasvocel?) as being an infernal duke. Did he switch to daemon-kind?
Interesting.
Could be - Paizo does switch stuff up on us sometimes.
I'd guess that it's more likely the fact that Paizo tends to reuse relatively simple naming conventions (winter witch archtype, winter witch prc ; skald language, skald class ; the Storm King in Wrath of the Righteous , the Storm Tyrant in Giantslayer ; etc.) and it's probably a relatively unknown daemonic deacon or harbinger like Mneoc, but serving Trelmarixian.
I'm wondering what the delay is on this title. I know Paizo doesn't have to share with us what the holdup is, but it would be nice to know at least what area of the publication is causing the delay.
Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
This is frustrating. The GM of my weekly game had been planning on working this into our campaign. We are currently in Qadira and 10th level, so it would be perfect. But we've now been holding back for a few months, and we aren't waiting any longer. I believe he's canceling his pre-order.
The old modules were much better and on time too. I would seriously consider a return to the smaller format maybe with the inclusion of a poster or a battle map product that supports the adventure.
With the exclusion of "The Dragon´s Demand" and to a certain extend "Plunder & Peril" none of the 64 page modules were really good.
The 32 pages modules on the other hand are mostly good with only very few exceptions.
I think it takes too much time for someone new to the industry to finish 64 pages.
The old modules were much better and on time too. I would seriously consider a return to the smaller format maybe with the inclusion of a poster or a battle map product that supports the adventure.
...
I think it takes too much time for someone new to the industry to finish 64 pages.
I agree. Even an experienced writer, as Mr. Logue is, seems to be having trouble with this format (though I have no evidence that the problem with the module is at all on his end... it could be an editing problem or art troubles or something else entirely).
Were editors pulled from the modules line to work on other projects?
Considering that it is one of the least selling Paizo lines, I can imagine it's a prime candidate for being "cannibalized" in order to ensure that big hitters such as Occult Adventures or Bestiary are free of problems that plagued the Advanced Class Guide.
I'm wondering if Paizo will abandon the Modules line and leave it up to 3PPs to fill in this "middle length adventure" niche in the gaming market, or if they will just direct everyone to the shorter Pathfinder Society adventures, which aren't really my first choice.
I'm wondering if Paizo will abandon the Modules line and leave it up to 3PPs to fill in this "middle length adventure" niche in the gaming market, or if they will just direct everyone to the shorter Pathfinder Society adventures, which aren't really my first choice.
I dunno...from a business standpoint the modules are a pretty good way of testing the waters for products that may be considered risky, or catering to demands of folks that want a certain type of adventure for which there is no room on the schedule to do anytime soon.