A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1–5.
When the Worldwound opened, tearing apart Sarkoris with a flood of demons, thousands of Sarkorian refugees sought shelter in nearby lands. Those who found no solace with their neighbors traveled far to the east, into the wilds of Iobaria. Among these was the Farheaven clan, which settled in the forests and faded into obscurity over the past century. Now that the Mendevian Crusades have fought back the demons and reclaimed a large amount of territory, the Pathfinder Society's begun the difficult task of studying the Sarkorian ruins to piece back together their shattered traditions and recover lost heirlooms.
Unfortunately, the Farheaven clan's old stronghold holds secret that archaeology struggles to decipher. To understand this culture, the PCs travel to Iobaria in search of the Farheavens and the oral histories they've passed down for generations. What they find, though, are a devastated people, an abandoned village, and a murderous god. Can the PCs save this clan and preserve its history?
This is one of the shortest scenarios I’ve played. It will take a maximum of 2-3 hours, it could take less.
Far is only "OK". The mission wasn’t quite compelling (why are the Sarkorian ruins so important? And why is second hand information from someone who was only a baby at the time relevant?), and the story was only... OK (and the GM was a good storyteller).
For some groups, the final encounter could be unbeatable.
Detailed Rating:
Length: Very short (2 hours).
Experience: Player with 7 below average PCs at subtier 4-5.
Sweet Spot: TBD.
Entertainment: A very short, straightforward, and uneventful scenario. Something most players will forget in 2 months. (4/10)
Story: Short and not sweet. The scenario didn't explain why the forest was corrupted. It didn't make sense why our <redacted> could purge it. (4/10)
Roleplay: Some but there was only so much to say. (6/10)
Combat/Challenges: The 1st two encounters are very easy. The last encounter is either super easy or impossible. For us it was easy, but my level 3 carried the party, which shouldn't happen at 4-5. (4/10)
Maps: All map packs or flip maps. (7/10)
Boons: Creative boons based on PC decisions. (8/10)
Uniqueness: Very basic exploration story, hunt and destroy. (4/10)
GM Preparation: Should be short.
Overall: A very short and average exploration scenario (4/10).
Solid story, but can be completed in (less than) three hours
I’ve always been a fan of scenarios that allow for multiple outcomes and that also have the option to avoid certain combats based on interaction. This scenario is one of them. However, it’s also a showcase why writers have to be careful. In our case we skipped all but one encounter and finished the scenario in a mere two-and-a-half hours. Due to personal reasons, I didn’t mind this time, but had it been a different day I honestly would have been disappointed. It felt like something was missing, even though we did everything there’s to do in this scenario and did so without rushing through it.
That’s not to say that the scenario itself was bad or boring. I honestly will disagree with anyone who will say that. The whole concept behind the scenario is nice and the execution works well. The different outcomes make sense and really reflect the choices the party makes. Mechanically there’s nothing wrong with it. It just feels too short if you’re not of the murderhobo-variety.
Speaking of murderhobo’s: the last encounter is a tricky one to rate. The idea behind is, again, really nice. The issue is that some character are far more able to contribute than others. While it’s a lesson to always have some particular items with you, I did notice that a few players at my table were annoyed they couldn’t do anything meaningful and, for the record, they were just your standard characters. Considering this might also be the only combat in the scenario, I can see a whole lot more people being equally frustrates, especially if they're mostly build for combat.
As such, I’d say there’s a lack of balance. Depending on your choices you can really blast through this scenario too quickly, leaving you unsatisfied. If you decide to fight everything, you might find yourself annoyed by the outcome. And if you can’t meaningfully participate in the last (and possibly only) fight, which also happens to be the final encounter, you’ll be frustrated and disappointed. I find it hard to recommend it and I wouldn’t run it unless I know my players are those few who will really enjoy it.
I did enjoy this, and our GM threw his all into role-playing the various NPCs. Even so, it was a very quick game, and a less-prepared or unlucky group could easily have TPK'd on the final encounter.
First of all, this is a good scenario. Everything works well, I have no complaints about that. Statblocks that are well laid out, information where you think you'd find it, and so on. So if I sound grumpy in the following paragraph, keep in mind that I generally think well of this scenario.
Now the bad stuff. This is the first time PFS goes to Iobaria, and I wish it had been fleshed out more, or given more importance. Now it just felt like any other place. A second complaint is that it runs short (3 hours, with plenty of banter, with 4 players). That isn't necessarily a complaint, but I'd hoped I could fill an evening with it. My players were also kinda surprised by it, they expected a little more. It just felt like something was missing, somehow.
Aside from that, I liked the scenario. It doesn't do something radically different or innovative, but not every scenario needs to do that. It's a solid, quick romp with no real flaws to pick, aside from the location feeling underused.
As a GM, are the boons mutually exclusive? Normally, if you GM an adventure, you can cross off negative boons and keep positive boons (if I recall correctly), but while this scenario has three boons that are narratively speaking "worse" or "better," they aren't necessarily bad boons. Do I as a GM pick one boon and cross off the rest, or do I somehow apply for all of the boons simultaneously? I'm inclined to go for the first option (choose one you like, cross off the rest), but I'm asking just in case.
