Pathfinder Adventure Path #109: In Search of Sanity (Strange Aeons 1 of 6) (PFRPG)

I could swear I've seen the Lowls image before. Has it been used in some preview blog article somewhere, or is it recycled art from somewhere?

As Rysky said, he appears in Rule of Fear. He also appears on the cover of the 4th installment of this AP so that might be where you've most recently seen him.

It's not the latter because it's the *exact* image from book 1 that I've seen before. If it's pre-existing art from Rule of Fear (which I don't have), is it maybe in avatars? Does someone prolific use it as an avatar?

JMD31 used it but he hasn't been on in a long while :(

The illustration of Lowls on page 6 of the adventure is new, but I used his portrait in Rule of Fear as an art reference to make him recognizable.

Now that I look at the image again...yeah, I must be thinking of the Rule of Fear image instead, because I recall him touching his glasses.

Now that I look at the image again...yeah, I must be thinking of the Rule of Fear image instead, because I recall him touching his glasses.

Gendo!

Mr. Nice Flumph, PLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEEE tell me there's artwork of Lowls steepling his fingers somewhere in this AP.

Please pretty please?

Hey Adam, is there a chance of getting a "Player View" interactive map of Briarstone Asylum?

Mr. Nice Flumph, PLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEEE tell me there's artwork of Lowls steepling his fingers somewhere in this AP.

Please pretty please?

As far as I can recall there is not.

Also, I don't get your Gendo references, and I'm kinda happy that I don't. I hate when stuff we do here gets compared to other properties.

Hey Adam, is there a chance of getting a "Player View" interactive map of Briarstone Asylum?

I haven't played with the interactive maps before, but I think that they have an untagged setting. Someone else might be of more help with this question.

Zaister wrote:

I think this book marks the first time a Pathfinder product contains an advertisement for a product that is neither a Paizo product nor a licensed Pathfinder product.

Which product is that?

As James already indicated. there's a full page ad for the new Call of Cthulhu edition. This is of course entirely fitting.

Samy wrote:

Hey Adam, is there a chance of getting a "Player View" interactive map of Briarstone Asylum?

I haven't played with the interactive maps before, but I think that they have an untagged setting. Someone else might be of more help with this question.

Usually the interactive maps have two or three buttons. At least two, one to toggle off the map tags (A1, A2 and so on) and a second one to toggle the five foot grid. Sometimes, if there are secret doors/secret rooms, there is a third button called "Player View" that hides those from the map.

Rysky wrote:

Mr. Nice Flumph, PLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEEE tell me there's artwork of Lowls steepling his fingers somewhere in this AP.

Please pretty please?

As far as I can recall there is not.

Also, I don't get your Gendo references, and I'm kinda happy that I don't. I hate when stuff we do here gets compared to other properties.

Sorry.

I think this book marks the first time a Pathfinder product contains an advertisement for a product that is neither a Paizo product nor a licensed Pathfinder product.

Technically not. There's a pathfinder society scenario that has that ad.

Adam Daigle wrote:

Samy wrote:

Hey Adam, is there a chance of getting a "Player View" interactive map of Briarstone Asylum?

I haven't played with the interactive maps before, but I think that they have an untagged setting. Someone else might be of more help with this question.

Usually the interactive maps have two or three buttons. At least two, one to toggle off the map tags (A1, A2 and so on) and a second one to toggle the five foot grid. Sometimes, if there are secret doors/secret rooms, there is a third button called "Player View" that hides those from the map.

Well, in that case since we do interactive maps for all of our other Adventure Paths, I assume that we're doing them for this one. That's not part of my normal responsibilities, so it's not something that I can comment on reliably nor do I know when those are available.

The illustration of Lowls on page 6 of the adventure is new, but I used his portrait in Rule of Fear as an art reference to make him recognizable.

You will know him by his poofiness. That is a very poofy man.

Generic,

No you'll know him by the self-righteous smug SOB smile he has.

Generic,

No you'll know him by the self-righteous smug SOB smile he has.

Lowls never smiles. Ever. He is the poster child of resting b@$%h face - not unlike a certain creator of the Cthulhu Mythos himself, in fact. HPL wasn't half as poofy, though.

Mmm. Still like to rub his face in the dirt. There's just something about him I REALLY don't like.

Axial wrote:

Awww, man. I wish Atlach-Nacha had art...because spiders are scary.

Speaking of which, for those who have the PDF: What information is revealed/explained about Atlach-Nacha? Besides "It's Spider-Cthulhu!".

Have patience.

It may just be that the ones we chose not to give art in that article, since we could only illustrate 10 of the 20, are ones that either had art in previous books (aka Bestiary 4) or may have art in an upcoming volume. Note that we didn't illustrate Ithaqua in the article, because he's illustrated in the bestiary. There are 5 more great old ones to come.

So we are probably looking at

After reading through the adventure, I have to say, with all the little details and hidden information, this is one of the most terrifying adventures I've read in a long time!

Definitely needs to be played with the lights dimmed, and at night!

I'm still relatively new to Pathfinder (played through Council of Thieves, in the process of playing Carrion Crown and Legacy of Fire, and DM'd a standalone module as prep for this) but I'm still fairly confident in saying that this is definitely the coolest opening sequence I've seen so far.

Well it's in my top 5 for sure, Captain B-Toad.

B-Toad should be a rapper name.

James Jacobs wrote:

Axial wrote:

Awww, man. I wish Atlach-Nacha had art...because spiders are scary.

Speaking of which, for those who have the PDF: What information is revealed/explained about Atlach-Nacha? Besides "It's Spider-Cthulhu!".

Have patience.

It may just be that the ones we chose not to give art in that article, since we could only illustrate 10 of the 20, are ones that either had art in previous books (aka Bestiary 4) or may have art in an upcoming volume. Note that we didn't illustrate Ithaqua in the article, because he's illustrated in the bestiary. There are 5 more great old ones to come.

So we are probably looking at

** spoiler omitted **

Close but not 100% exact.

So...

For those that have the PDF, what exactly do the PCs see upon waking up in the asylum?

Each other.

So...

For those that have the PDF, what exactly do the PCs see upon waking up in the asylum?

After reading through the adventure, I have to say, with all the little details and hidden information, this is one of the most terrifying adventures I've read in a long time!

Definitely needs to be played with the lights dimmed, and at night!

Nice. Thanks, Nezzmith!

FallenDabus wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Axial wrote:

Awww, man. I wish Atlach-Nacha had art...because spiders are scary.

Speaking of which, for those who have the PDF: What information is revealed/explained about Atlach-Nacha? Besides "It's Spider-Cthulhu!".

Have patience.

It may just be that the ones we chose not to give art in that article, since we could only illustrate 10 of the 20, are ones that either had art in previous books (aka Bestiary 4) or may have art in an upcoming volume. Note that we didn't illustrate Ithaqua in the article, because he's illustrated in the bestiary. There are 5 more great old ones to come.

So we are probably looking at

** spoiler omitted **

Close but not 100% exact.

Interesting. I shall wait semi-patiently to see who it ends up being. Very cool that you are doing this. I'm writing plothooks for Ithaqua in Planescape as we speak. I love the ways that you can just use him as a plot device if you want. Sure the trend will continue!

So we are probably looking at

** spoiler omitted **

Well let's see. We know for a fact that Xhamen-Dor will be featured, most likely in the fifth adventure. That leaves us with four of the following:

Mhar and Orgesh are both Paizo originals which I'd say that makes it more likely they will be statted up. Then again, Mhar hasn't technically been "born" yet, so perhaps not it. I would rule out Ghatanothoa b/c of its similarity to Cthulhu, and guess only Chaugnar Faugn or Rhan-Tegoth will get a full treatment. Again, because of similarity. So my guess for the next five Great Old Ones:

Chaugnar Faugn, Orgesh, Xhamen-Dor, Mordiggian, and Atlach-Nacha. Shot in the dark there.

I don't know...with the deal with Chaosium deal they might hold up statting up the "Paizo originals", other than Xhamen-Dor.

Rhan-Tegoth and Chaugnar Faugn get artwork which suggests they might not get selected?

I don't know...with the deal with Chaosium deal they might hold up statting up the "Paizo originals", other than Xhamen-Dor.

Rhan-Tegoth and Chaugnar Faugn get artwork which suggests they might not get selected?

I can see your point with the Chaosium deal.

But regarding illustrations, consider: Hastur is illustrated for a second time instead of Ghatanothoa. Also, Xhamen-Dor instead of Tsathoggua, when again - we know Xhamen-Dor is going to be statted and receive a second mugshot. Thus, I would say that the gods who receive an illustration in the Elder Mythos article is not a factor in which will be statted up in the next few volumes.

*Also, whoops: I forgot to include Yig in my previous post of possible candidates. I could see him being statted, as the outlier of the Elder Mythos. Which is to say, the only one who could even kind of be considered benevolent.

Am I the only subscriber who occasionally checks their "My Downloads" page, just in case the good people at Customer Service forgot to send my email telling me my stuff has shipped and is now available for download?

No. :-)

MMCJawa wrote:

I don't know...with the deal with Chaosium deal they might hold up statting up the "Paizo originals", other than Xhamen-Dor.

Rhan-Tegoth and Chaugnar Faugn get artwork which suggests they might not get selected?

I can see your point with the Chaosium deal.

But regarding illustrations, consider: Hastur is illustrated for a second time instead of Ghatanothoa. Also, Xhamen-Dor instead of Tsathoggua, when again - we know Xhamen-Dor is going to be statted and receive a second mugshot. Thus, I would say that the gods who receive an illustration in the Elder Mythos article is not a factor in which will be statted up in the next few volumes.

*Also, whoops: I forgot to include Yig in my previous post of possible candidates. I could see him being statted, as the outlier of the Elder Mythos. Which is to say, the only one who could even kind of be considered benevolent.

Well I will guess we will find out when we find out :)

Although Ithaqua was one of the Chaosium mythos entities I was personally most hoping for, so glad that got in.

In the one file per chapter version of the PDF, do the page numbers of the adventure section just cut out on page 26 for anyone else?

Win 10 with Acrobat reader if that matters.

Yes, the page numbers cut out for the rest of that chapter/file and resume with the next chapter around page 56.

Oddly enough, the exact same problem can be found in the single file version. Evidently the single file version is simply a merging of the files in the one file per chapter version.

How necessary is Horror Adventures to running this AP?

If it's not necessary, how useful would it be?

How necessary is Horror Adventures to running this AP?

Not sure since I haven't read the adventure...

If it's not necessary, how useful would it be?

I'd imagine VERY useful since it has Sanity rules, fear rules and *gasp* horrific creatures! :D

MORDIGGIAN (the Charnel God by Clark Ashton Smith)is in the next book (part 2)!

How necessary is Horror Adventures to running this AP?

If it's not necessary, how useful would it be?

Not necessary. The sanity rules aren't used, and you'd be adjusting fear levels yourself if you wanted to use the new fear system. (Extra subsystems would just be clutter in my group, but others might want some more mechanics representing the impact on their characters.) Not as useful as Occult Adventures, but it has a lot of fitting archetypes.

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

No, an Abberation of the creature group known as the Great Old Ones.

Nick O'Connell wrote:

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

No, an Abberation of the creature group known as the Great Old Ones.

Yeah but isn't that creature just an avatar of Hastur?

All I know is Hastur isn't something you screw with.

Also thank you Quid for clarifying that this doesn't use sanity rules.

(Though I might if I run this!) :)

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Nick O'Connell wrote:

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

No, an Abberation of the creature group known as the Great Old Ones.

Yeah but isn't that creature just an avatar of Hastur?

Some scholars believe that the creature known as Hastur, the King in Yellow, is just the physical manifestation of an Outer God.

The rules say it's a CR 29 Abberation.

Nick O'Connell wrote:

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Nick O'Connell wrote:

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

No, an Abberation of the creature group known as the Great Old Ones.

Yeah but isn't that creature just an avatar of Hastur?

Some scholars believe that the creature known as Hastur, the King in Yellow, is just the physical manifestation of an Outer God.

The rules say it's a CR 29 Abberation.

Alright thanks

Nick O'Connell wrote:

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Nick O'Connell wrote:

So hastur is really an outer God, not a great old one?

No, an Abberation of the creature group known as the Great Old Ones.

Yeah but isn't that creature just an avatar of Hastur?

Some scholars believe that the creature known as Hastur, the King in Yellow, is just the physical manifestation of an Outer God.

The rules say it's a CR 29 Abberation.

In fact, as it will become clear after reading all six parts of Strange Aeons...

what is the red destiny?

what is the red destiny?