A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 12–15.
The elite Pathfinders have unraveled secrets within secrets, all of which point to a mastermind poised to strike from the Chelish military port of Ostenso. Sending agents so deep into enemy territory risks brutal reprisal, yet it cannot compare to the evils that will arise if the Society does not intervene. There is no recourse but to strike at the very heart of the Aspis Consortium itself, and the PCs shall wield the blade!
Serpent is a great mix of combat, roleplay, and strategy.
Like the other parts, the leadership aspect of Serpent played a huge role in this scenario and we got to interact more directly with the NPCs, which was great. Maybe it was my GM, but there was humor in the outcomes.
The storyline and NPCs we met were also beyond expectations. Most of the scenario was a sandbox.
There were great choices to make, interesting negotiations with various NPCs. And the entire thing was epic.
The decisions you make affect future seasons to come. You couldn’t really ask for anything more from a high-level scenario.
”Detailed Rating”:
Length: Medium (4 hours).
Experience: Player at subtier 12-13 with 4 great PCs. Normal mode.
Sweet Spot: TBD.
Entertainment: This is why we play RPGs. (10/10)
Story: Loved it. (10/10)
Roleplay: Nicely woven into the scenario so that even combat fans won’t notice. (10/10)
Combat/Challenges: Challenging but not overly so. And interesting as well. (9/10)
Maps: Perfect. (10/10)
Boons: Fantastic, balanced, and well deserved boons. (10/10)
Uniqueness: Loved every aspect of this scenario, especially the end. (10/10)
GM Preparation: Only the best of the best GMs should run this.
Overall: One of the best high-level scenarios and a completely satisfying end to an incredible story arc. Can we have more? (10/10).
Serpents Fall is excellent in the sense that players are able to tie a nice little bow on a number of problems that have plagued them for the past few seasons. Revenge is sweet, and many PCs (and NPCs) enjoy some degree of retribution by the finale. The roleplay encounters are great -- pretty much every combat (potential or otherwise) is prefaced by one -- so it's quite easy to get lost in the moment and behind on schedule. Considering how lackluster the encounters and investigation are, it's time well spent.
Serpents Fall suffers from a similar problem as Part 2: very forgettable encounters. Players are more likely to remember the interactions pre-combat than they are any real threat of death.
Spoiler:
This entire scenario was solved with judicious castings of fireball and a little brute strength... every... single... encounter.
There are two potential final encounters, and "the second one" is, I feel, a very dissatisfying conclusion to what has been a solid trilogy for seeker players.
Beyond encounters, the investigation segments feel tacked on and the "awareness" mechanic...
Awareness:
So... the party starts with 3 awareness points, there's no way to reduce your awareness points, there are mechanics that effect combat if your party has less than 3 awareness points, roleplaying is penalized by adding awareness points, and you run the risk of losing a prestige point for going over 4 awareness points...
I still recommend doing the entire trilogy, especially for the closure it will offer a number of PCs. I definitely rank it someplace behind Part 1 and well ahead of Part 2.
So far I have only run this at high tier. I will be running it again at low tier in the next few weeks and hope to play it at some point too.
Overall I was very happy with this scenario. It has a good mix of roleplay opportunities and some challenging combats. I would be extremely cautious about playing this in hard mode, played to the utmost of its options that is highly likely to lead to a lot of PC deaths.
I found Mr Khayn fairly underwhelming, he lacks the defences to be much of a threat but his partner is quite terrifying for many parties. Alexayn presents a credible challenge and both Sulijji and the alternate ending are both suitably challenging.
One warning, this can easily run very long. My game took about 6.5 hours to complete and they didn't fight Alexayn. I did run the optional although it didn't take very long. My group only faced 1 obstacle but decided to root around HQ for more loot.
If I have a complaint it is that Aspis HQ isn't really well described. I would have liked to see quite a bit more about the place given it is effectively their version of Skyreach. I also expected t to be a bit more "epic" inside.
Finally this is not one to run cold. Much of the opposition is class levelled NPC's who are fairly complex to run. You will need notes, lots of notes. Also, pay really careful attention to their gear, especially Suliji's.
This is definitely my favourite of the 3 scenarios. I love the final boons available, I love the choices that have to be made, and I love how it's actually pretty open-ended in the way it worked. I really have almost no criticisms of this scenario - it's just excellent. It's sufficiently challenging if you do it smartly, if you are murder-hobo-y in your approach, you make it that much harder. I love it!
Slight spoiler:
The decision with Alexayn at the start is an interesting one I feel, and then again with decision with Suliji is tricky. I had two Paladins in my group, which made them harder again. The combat against Mr. Kahyn is painful for a lot of PCs - sundering isn't used commonly by enemies, and if you're running Hard mode those Wishes are just crazy powerful.
My only issue with this one is that the VC missions you can send people on seem ... odd. The only option is to send your underlings on what is basically a suicidal mission into the Aspis headquarters - if they went in the front door, they'd be facing a CR 15+ encounter straight away, realistically. My PCs obviously had issues with this, and wanted to get the local authorities to intervene - warn them that a killer was on the loose inside the building. I'd like some other options than 'suicide mission into the building or nothing', personally.
Almost a perfect scenario to me, however - excellent, truly.
So, Cheliax and the Aspis Consortium are in league together. I should have known, filthy devil worshipers.
Don't associate rogue disturbed loner elements of the Imperial Military with the government and the country as a whole. A relevant diplomatic note highlighting her Imperial Majestrix's absolute and complete lack of acknowledgement of these incidents will be dispatched shortly.
Additionally, please refrain from issuing such blanket statements in the future. It might damage the reputation of whatever organisation or nation that would have the preposterous audacity to claim any sort of association or responsibility for your baseless remarks.
Don't associate rogue disturbed loner elements of the Imperial Military with the government and the country as a whole.
Oh don't worry. I associate far worse things with Cheliax than just the Aspis Consortium.
Quote:
A relevant diplomatic note highlighting her Imperial Majestrix's absolute and complete lack of acknowledgement of these incidents will be dispatched shortly.
Which shall be burned upon arrival and the Imp who carried it vanquished.
Quote:
Additionally, please refrain from issuing such blanket statements in the future.
Sorry but the followers of Cayden do what we want to promote good and freedom whenever we want.
Quote:
It might damage the reputation of whatever organisation or nation that would have the preposterous audacity to claim any sort of association or responsibility for your baseless remarks.
So I played this today and I have to say it was the second best of the lot.
I have to say that
Spoiler:
The mummy lord swashbuckler was awesome, my N wizard had no problem dealing with a mummy lord, especially since I had already made a deal with a lich psychic in an earlier scenario.
spoiler:
Two headed froghemoth ??? Really? Disintegrate quickened haste and strategic retreat (no really, it was a retreat, I wasn't running away, not at all.....
spoiler:
WTF?? A sword just dispelled my wall of force? A freaking sword ??????
