Pathfinder Adventure Path #121: The Lost Outpost (Ruins of Azlant 1 of 6) (PFRPG)

Thanks for the lost colony adventure.

What did you use as inspiration when you were writing it. :-)

Oh... Lost. Roanoke as a historical event. Early American colonies like Jamestown and Piymouth Rock. Plus some collected data we had on Azlant, which will deepen with later chapters.

One goal was to provide a good look at Azlant. Perhaps the primary goal, and the Aboleth I suppose were inevitable. Wouldn't make sense to not involve them. Later authors will really get into the Azlanti lore, as my job is to set the stage. We had a lot of talks privately about what Azlant was like. This was a very exciting project for the freelancers involved, and I think we were grateful that the senior folks in charge of content gave Adam (and by extension us) a long leash. There are tons more lore left waiting for future AP's, but you'll get a generous dollop of new insights.

Now, truly, I must beg off further comments. If it says NDA, just say 'No way!'

I have skipped on the last few AP. This one will bring me back by premise alone.

I am lot´s more excited for this AP than for "Ironfang Invasion" (excluding the chapter about the Dwarven Sky Citadel by Thurston Hillman ;-))!

I am not sure if I will be getting the Ironfang Invasion but I will be getting this one.

Hmm. I can see the party already...
- Linguistics-focused Investigator, possibly without extracts.
- Demolition Alchemist with medium armor proficiency.
- Dwarf Terrakineticist with a terrible Charisma.
- Friendly Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon Alchemist, or possibly a healing-focused Unchained Rogue.
- Brawler with maxed out Knowledge(Engineering).
- NPC: Elderly Diviner Wizard or Psychic, with a focus on telepathy.
- NPC: Elderly party cook with no ranks in Profession(Cook).

Hmm. I can see the party already...

- Linguistics-focused Investigator, possibly without extracts.
- Demolition Alchemist with medium armor proficiency.
- Dwarf Terrakineticist with a terrible Charisma.
- Friendly Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon Alchemist, or possibly a healing-focused Unchained Rogue.
- Brawler with maxed out Knowledge(Engineering).
- NPC: Elderly Diviner Wizard or Psychic, with a focus on telepathy.
- NPC: Elderly party cook with no ranks in Profession(Cook).

Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaase let us fight a giant mecha lobster.

I'm confused why some people are apparently surprised about aboleths being in an AP connected with Azlant, given the fact the aboleths have been connected with Azlant from the start.

Not surprised, so much as I am disappointed. PFS scenarios have done a fairly good job of exploring the Darklands without involving Drow. There was brief hope that this adventure might opt for a less tedious villain.

Very nice! I am very much looking forward to this!

I wanna play a Caligni in this. Seems appropriate with the Azlant focus.

I'm hoping the cover colour stays the same. I really like that.

Roanoak was also the inspiration for some of the other AP volumes, if I recall. This one reminds me of the first chapter of Serpent's Skull, which was IMHO, one of the best opening volumes.

By the 6th book in most APs, you're supposed to be 15th level and possibly making it to 16th or maybe 17th level by the AP's end. Wrath of the Righteous was an exception as you are supposed to make it to 20th level before the end of the 6th book.

What level should we reach by the end of this AP? 16th-17th like most APs or 20th?

Getting sick and tired of playing characters who never reach their full potentials in APs.

Even if aboleth are not classified as mythos creatures, they were more then likely inspired by such things back when they were original created.

In fact, a LOT more of the game was inspired by Lovecraft than most folks think. Mind flayers and aboleths are certainly obvious ways that Lovecraft inspired D&D, but the Necronomicon helped to make the concept of wizards with spellbooks a thing. The way ghouls and ghasts exist in the game, particularly as closely related creatures, is directly out of Lovecraft. The presence of a monster-filled underground realm like the Darklands or D&D's underdark owes a lot to Lovecraft's writings, particularly the underworld of the Dreamlands (Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath) or the underground realm below North America (The Mound). Fish people (be they sahuagin or kuo-toa or skum or whatever) are pretty much blatant nods to Lovecraft's deep ones. Other elements, large and small, exist as well.

So when you look at it that way, every D&D and every Pathfinder adventure is in part inspired by Lovecraft! :-P

True! And yet, it is entirely possible to overdose on hideous eldritch horrors from the squamous deeps whose unknowable alienness twists the souls of weak-willed mortals to gibbering madness on sight.

I don't mind that stuff in moderation, but it's pretty easy to overplay it. So I hope this has other things in it too. Underwater vehicles a la Verne! Expanded cultures for merfolk, gill-men, and aquatic elves! New aquatic fey! A liberal sprinkling of gloriously beautiful underwater ruins to balance out the unnerving cyclopean ones! All that stuff. Go easy on the tentacular aberrations, please.

True! And yet, it is entirely possible to overdose on hideous eldritch horrors from the squamous deeps whose unknowable alienness twists the souls of weak-willed mortals to gibbering madness on sight.

I don't mind that stuff in moderation, but it's pretty easy to overplay it. So I hope this has other things in it too. Underwater vehicles a la Verne! Expanded cultures for merfolk, gill-men, and aquatic elves! New aquatic fey! A liberal sprinkling of gloriously beautiful underwater ruins to balance out the unnerving cyclopean ones! All that stuff. Go easy on the tentacular aberrations, please.

It's certainly easy to overdose on any theme in an RPG, which is why we do our best to vary things in our Adventure Paths so they don't get repetitive. Which brings us back full circle to Adam's point—this AP does have aboleths in it, but it is not a Lovecraftian AP.

I like Aboleths. Don't know why always have. They're why I'm looking forward to this, and hope to get to play it

What level should we reach by the end of this AP? 16th-17th like most APs or 20th?

Getting sick and tired of playing characters who never reach their full potentials in APs.

I'm not finished developing the Adventure Path, but my figures and intention point to it ending at or around 17th level, like nearly all of our other Adventure Paths.

Arkat wrote:

What level should we reach by the end of this AP? 16th-17th like most APs or 20th?

Getting sick and tired of playing characters who never reach their full potentials in APs.

I'm not finished developing the Adventure Path, but my figures and intention point to it ending at or around 17th level, like nearly all of our other Adventure Paths.

From a players perspective, i would like to play a character from level 1 all the way through level 20 and even beyond.

From a Gamemasters perspective, i am happy to end campaigns at level 11-15, as it gets incredibly work-intensive to manage spells from level 11 up.
To me, Pathfinder stops functioning well-oiled at these levels and breaks down completly somewhere down the line.

Because of this, i am totally okay with this AP ending at level 17, where PCs get access to 9th level spellcasting, i´d even like it better if it would end at level 15 (like Jade Regent) from a GM standpoint, but realize that for the players it has to be at least level 17.

I also applaud the decision to cap Starfinder spells at level 6.

For me personally, the Aboleth have nothing to do with Lovecraft (besides having too many eyes and tentacles) and as i understand it, they are supposed to be enemies of the Mythos (at least on Golarion nowadays) as they see themselves above everything, even gods.

They are probably somehow behind the death of Aroden or at least involved somehow, as he was the "leader" of their top opponents, the Azlanti.

I´m very much looking forward to this Ap in combination with the info about underwater settlements to be given in
Aquatic Adventures. :-)

Hmm. I can see the party already...

- Linguistics-focused Investigator, possibly without extracts.
- Demolition Alchemist with medium armor proficiency.
- Dwarf Terrakineticist with a terrible Charisma.
- Friendly Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon Alchemist, or possibly a healing-focused Unchained Rogue.
- Brawler with maxed out Knowledge(Engineering).
- NPC: Elderly Diviner Wizard or Psychic, with a focus on telepathy.
- NPC: Elderly party cook with no ranks in Profession(Cook).

Is this a reference I'm not getting?

QuidEst wrote:

Hmm. I can see the party already...

- Linguistics-focused Investigator, possibly without extracts.
- Demolition Alchemist with medium armor proficiency.
- Dwarf Terrakineticist with a terrible Charisma.
- Friendly Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon Alchemist, or possibly a healing-focused Unchained Rogue.
- Brawler with maxed out Knowledge(Engineering).
- NPC: Elderly Diviner Wizard or Psychic, with a focus on telepathy.
- NPC: Elderly party cook with no ranks in Profession(Cook).

Is this a reference I'm not getting?

Great movie.

Zaister wrote:

QuidEst wrote:

Hmm. I can see the party already...

- Linguistics-focused Investigator, possibly without extracts.
- Demolition Alchemist with medium armor proficiency.
- Dwarf Terrakineticist with a terrible Charisma.
- Friendly Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon Alchemist, or possibly a healing-focused Unchained Rogue.
- Brawler with maxed out Knowledge(Engineering).
- NPC: Elderly Diviner Wizard or Psychic, with a focus on telepathy.
- NPC: Elderly party cook with no ranks in Profession(Cook).

Is this a reference I'm not getting?

Great movie.

*Smacks forehead*. Of course. Yes, great movie.

Arkat wrote:

What level should we reach by the end of this AP? 16th-17th like most APs or 20th?

Getting sick and tired of playing characters who never reach their full potentials in APs.

I'm not finished developing the Adventure Path, but my figures and intention point to it ending at or around 17th level, like nearly all of our other Adventure Paths.

Very disappointed with this decision.

To my thinking, Paizo created Pathfinder with leveling possible all the way to 20. Therefore, I'd expect Paizo to support leveling to 20 in at least a good portion (maybe half?) of their Adventure Paths. I'd also expect them to put out some modules in the 18-20 range, too, but they really haven't done that (except maybe one module?) either.

It's almost as if Paizo doesn't care very much about that aspect (high levels) of their game.

-_-

DnD created leveling all the way to 20, Pathfinder just kept that progression.

And it's not a matter of doesn't care as it is of enough intersest. Would people be interested in high level stuff? Oh yes, I'm sure. But the call for high level stuff is dwarfed by the call for stuff at earlier levels simply because a lot of games don't get that high.

As for the APs, the only thats been able to go to 20 was Wrath, and that was because of Mythic making for higher CRs making for more EXP. Wordcount is also a consideration.

High level adventures don't sell and Paizo isn't a charity. That's why APs cap off at level 17 or below.

High level adventures don't sell and Paizo isn't a charity. That's why APs cap off at level 17 or below.

How would you know whether they sell or not?

Paizo, from what I can see, has only made ONE high level module - The Witchwar Legacy. If it didn't sell (I bought it), maybe it wasn't that good.

Giving up on high level play because one module "didn't sell" doesn't make any sense.

-_-

DnD

As for the APs, the only thats been able to go to 20 was Wrath, and that was because of Mythic making for higher CRs making for more EXP. Wordcount is also a consideration.

Yes, and one of my groups is playing through Wrath of the Righteous right now and we're enjoying the heck out of it.

Speaking of Mythic, since the Wrath AP gives options for not using the Mythic rules, why couldn't ALL APs be written with the Mythic rules in mind but also give options for not using them like Wrath did?

The more support for their products (like the Mythic rules) could only encourage sales of other products like the Mythic rules.

Seems like a win/win to me.

Gorbacz wrote:

High level adventures don't sell and Paizo isn't a charity. That's why APs cap off at level 17 or below.

How would you know whether they sell or not?

Paizo, from what I can see, has only made ONE high level module - The Witchwar Legacy. If it didn't sell (I bought it), maybe it wasn't that good.

Giving up on high level play because one module "didn't sell" doesn't make any sense.

The Moonscar is high level as well.

And it's not a matter of not selling, it's a matter of not selling as much as the lower level modules, which they are sold out of for the most part. Not so for the higher level ones.

Rysky wrote:

-_-

DnD

As for the APs, the only thats been able to go to 20 was Wrath, and that was because of Mythic making for higher CRs making for more EXP. Wordcount is also a consideration.

Yes, and one of my groups is playing through Wrath of the Righteous right now and we're enjoying the heck out of it.

Speaking of Mythic, since the Wrath AP gives options for not using the Mythic rules, why couldn't ALL APs be written with the Mythic rules in mind but also give options for not using them like Wrath did?

The more support for their products (like the Mythic rules) could only encourage sales of other products like the Mythic rules.

Seems like a win/win to me.

Creating alternate modes for the APs would eat up wordcount like crazy.

Requiring additional rules outside the Core Rulebook in order to run stuff would turn more people off from that AP rather than encouraging.

Gorbacz wrote:

High level adventures don't sell and Paizo isn't a charity. That's why APs cap off at level 17 or below.

How would you know whether they sell or not?

Paizo, from what I can see, has only made ONE high level module - The Witchwar Legacy. If it didn't sell (I bought it), maybe it wasn't that good.

Giving up on high level play because one module "didn't sell" doesn't make any sense.

How do I know? Because I read this forum since 9 years and saw repeated comments from Paizo that high-level adventures sell considerably worse than lower level ones. The fact that they put out so few high level modules is just because of that, and the reason they did not put out more is because that ones they did proved that the trends didn't change.

Witchwar Legacy is a great adventure by a fantastic writer, so it's hard to ascribe that to quality when lower level adventures with considerably worse reviews sell much better. Heck, it has grand total of 2 reviews, while the 1st level Godsmouth Heresy which came out around the same time has 19.

Remember, they have several years of experience in publishing Dungeon and 3.5 era APs. There was just one epic-level adventure in the entire Paizo run of Dragon and apparently it sold bad enough to never warrant a second one.

Same goes for Adventure Path - the further instalment, the worse it sells, because campaigns tend to fall apart before the final episode.

It's also an issue of space. The 6-part adventure module, which works very well for Paizo, only allows space for leveling to about 17. There's a whole thread about it, with input from James Jacobs about the logic.

It's also an issue of space. The 6-part adventure module, which works very well for Paizo, only allows space for leveling to about 17. There's a whole thread about it, with input from James Jacobs about the logic.

Thank you. As I was reading the posts above, I had it in mind to try to find some of the dozens of posts James and others have made regarding the APs-not-ending-at-20th-level issue that pops up from time to time. (I really need to start saving some of these posts to a List so they're at the ready.)

And APs do include the continuing the campaign section in the final installment. Not that I've purchased a huge number of APs but from what I've seen these entries are thought out quite well. And really if you are playing a party up to level 20 you probably should be designing your own encounters at that point given the huge potential variation in power.

I am not a fan of underwater adventures, but I really like the setting of #1 of this AP. And I am curious what high level versions of aboleths you will throw at the players...

Woo-hoo!!! Aboleths for the win. I can't get enough of them. Darkness without Form is still one of my favorite supplements.

*Smacks forehead*. Of course. Yes, great movie.

Damnit, don't *do* that! What movie? :-)

I'm very excited about this!

Zaister wrote:

*Smacks forehead*. Of course. Yes, great movie.

Damnit, don't *do* that! What movie? :-)

Atlantis, the Lost Empire (it was in the link)

Ed Reppert wrote:

Zaister wrote:

*Smacks forehead*. Of course. Yes, great movie.

Damnit, don't *do* that! What movie? :-)

Atlantis, the Lost Empire (it was in the link)

Ah, didn't see the link. Or the movie. :-)

Rysky wrote:

Ed Reppert wrote:

Zaister wrote:

*Smacks forehead*. Of course. Yes, great movie.

Damnit, don't *do* that! What movie? :-)

Atlantis, the Lost Empire (it was in the link)

Ah, didn't see the link. Or the movie. :-)

You should, is good.

Having your character creation session start with watching it together might not be a bad idea, like watching The Mummy (1999) before Mummy's Mask.

Oooo, yeah!

Of all the Adventure Paths to play as a Pureblooded Azlanti, I'm thinking this might be the closest one.

There already is an adventure path, where, given the right circumstances, you can actually play as a pureblooded Azlanti. Well, not from the start, but OK... :)

Well, so this is the 10-year-anniversary issue of the Adventure Path (not counting the three back in Dungeon). Wow. Quite a story or ten (or twenty) out there. And I´m feeling very old now...
Somehow, the theme of "player characters stumbling upon the remains of a ancient civilization" sounds familiar, like I read this about 10 years ago. ;-) But then, this is a tried and true story background in RPGs (and elsewhere). I hope I find the time to read this one.

Am i the only one who thinks this could also be the "Kingmaker 2" or even secretly the "Colonization of Arcadia" AP?

After all it is more logical to colonize a continent and not an island.
It would also fall on the 10th Anniversary of Pathfinder, as Stebehil wrote above.

But this is probably just wishful thinking with "Aquatic Adventures" and "Blood of the Sea" coming up.

On the other hand, august has no "Campaign Setting" installment and september COULD have a 96 page one... ;-)

Spire grey elves in this/

Am i the only one who thinks this could also be the "Kingmaker 2" or even secretly the "Colonization of Arcadia" AP?

After all it is more logical to colonize a continent and not an island.
It would also fall on the 10th Anniversary of Pathfinder, as Stebehil wrote above.

Doubtful, as the Paizo staff have repeatedly stated that they're not particularly interested in telling a colonization of Arcadia story.

Not sure its any more logical to colonize a continent than an island, in any event. There are many reasons to do both (or either), notably if said island is in a strategic location such as a shipping lane or other waypoint between two destinations. And if it's the size you're thinking of, bear in mind that there are many large islands (such as Iceland or Madagascar, in the RW.) Given that this AP is called "Ruins of Azlant," though, it is presumably one of the many islands that make up the shattered chain of Old Azlant.

This Adventure Path doesn't have any settlement building elements hard coded into it, but individual groups could certainly use that aspect of Ultimate Campaign in parts of this.

Dragon78 wrote:

Even if aboleth are not classified as mythos creatures, they were more then likely inspired by such things back when they were original created.

In fact, a LOT more of the game was inspired by Lovecraft than most folks think. Mind flayers and aboleths are certainly obvious ways that Lovecraft inspired D&D, but the Necronomicon helped to make the concept of wizards with spellbooks a thing. The way ghouls and ghasts exist in the game, particularly as closely related creatures, is directly out of Lovecraft. The presence of a monster-filled underground realm like the Darklands or D&D's underdark owes a lot to Lovecraft's writings, particularly the underworld of the Dreamlands (Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath) or the underground realm below North America (The Mound). Fish people (be they sahuagin or kuo-toa or skum or whatever) are pretty much blatant nods to Lovecraft's deep ones. Other elements, large and small, exist as well.

So when you look at it that way, every D&D and every Pathfinder adventure is in part inspired by Lovecraft! :-P

Also, if I may chime in, it's worth noting that a number of Great Old Ones and Outer Gods appeared in the first printing of the first edition D&D "Deities and Demigods" book, though they were removed on later printings when TSR found out someone still owned the rights at that time. (My roommate bought a second-hand copy at a local gaming store, quite the find!)

I may just have to find a GM that's willing to let me play an Aboleth in this one. Even if I can't find a GM that awesome, I'll have to find someone willing to play this set. After all, Three eyed fish are a great thing to ally with, if you are strong enough (and chaotic enough), to get them to join you. I wanted to have a secret Aboleth benefactor when running Hell's Rebels, but everyone else just saw sewer-dwelling fish-people and started swinging swords.Not to mention, I also really want to explore some watery ruins, where I can finally have a good reason to be a Deep One Hybrid