The mysterious cult of the Peacock Spirit has risen in force, and the time is right to strike a decisive blow against the worshipers of this long-forgotten god. According to ancient texts, the cult of the Peacock Spirit was first brought to this world by none other than Runelord Xanderghul himself, and with his return, it only grows more dangerous. Nestled high in a remote valley in the daunting Kodar Mountains, the cult's stronghold is known as the Temple of the Peacock Spirit. The heroes must journey to this legendary site and confront one of Thassilon's most dangerous threats.
This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path continues the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path and includes:
"Temple of the Peacock Spirit," a Pathfinder adventure for 11th-level characters, by Jason Keeley.
An examination of the asuras, a race of vengeful fiends born from the mistakes of the gods themselves, by John Compton.
A presentation of several powerful occult rituals created by the runelords of Thassilon, by James Jacobs and Luis Loza.
A bestiary of monsters, including two new and powerful asuras, the lumbering guardians of nature known as basavans, the serpentine monstrosities known as bollas, and the enigmatic and deadly time dimensional, by Dan Cascone, John Compton, Nathan King, and Luis Loza.
ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-091-0
The Return of the Runelords Adventure Path is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (1.5 MB PDF).
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
The main points were made in Oranil's previous commentary. The adventure is rather nice but linear with several possible choices in the approach between roleplay and combat.
I really liked the first part and the wink about the rise of the runelords.
If I had to change something, it would be to leave the surprise on the end boss and not reveal his presence right away, but it would require changing the objective of the start. It would be a big surprise for the players.
Spoiler:
Edit : The hardcore fans of the thassilon lore may be disappointed with what happens to Xanderghul. He is considered the most powerful magician of golarion and what is more, a minor god...
In my opinion, this is the best adventure written for this particular adventure path up to this point. When I was beginning to write this, I was trying to think back to the beginning of the book, as I had to read this over a long holiday, and I couldn’t remember what was presented; which is never good, having something be forgettable. All it took was a few flips back through, and a few images, and I remembered how strong, and engaging the opening section was for this adventure. Now, like in the last adventure, it was a place players had been too before, but it brought with it something new, and very different than what we had seen before, making the encounters far more interesting. When players finally move on to the new locations, each is presented in a way that feels organic; the Npcs have goals beyond xp for the heroes, and many of them can be approached, and dealt with without the need for combat. Sure, you’re typical group of adventures will try to roll through everything, but as with the previous adventures, the challenge is also present here, and, if this is even possible, more difficult than before. Not only in the combat, but in traps, hidden treasures, caster checks, and knowledges. What I find even more impressive is that, with little work on the GM’s part, this could easily be run as a stand-alone adventure; if you wanted. My only real complaint is that there is little to no mention of how the NPCs react to the players if certain events had happened (such as a PC carrying the sword of Pride, or one of them looking exactly like Sorshen.) These are very minor things, but still are somewhat noticeable. Overall, excellent adventure, and I cannot wait to see where we go from here.
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Answers:
** spoiler omitted **
Wouldn't his full stat block not make for a nice blog post, if you already have it lying around? :)
I second this request maybe a blog that presents things that did not make it to the books and were left on the cutting room floor.
Also, the opener for the asura article is simply wonderful ...
I'm glad that you enjoyed it. This article was a tough one to research, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'd be interested in hearing your and others' impressions of and questions about the article.
I like how they're presented, mellow in a lot of aspects as far as fiends go, and how they're against all gods, not just the Good ones, so the potential for team-ups with non-Evils is highly salivating.
There's some maps in this adventure that don't appear to have grids in my physical copy (the multiple maps on page 15). They show up in the PDF version but it doesn't look like they printed. Are other people experiencing that with the print copy too?
There's some maps in this adventure that don't appear to have grids in my physical copy (the multiple maps on page 15). They show up in the PDF version but it doesn't look like they printed. Are other people experiencing that with the print copy too?
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Answers:
** spoiler omitted **
Wouldn't his full stat block not make for a nice blog post, if you already have it lying around? :)
I second this request maybe a blog that presents things that did not make it to the books and were left on the cutting room floor.
I third this request! Even if they aren't introduced proper in the canon Golarion, it'd be nice to see them fleshed out as a sort of "deleted scene(s)" in a blog post for those that have been waiting many years for the return of the Runelords.
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Answers:
** spoiler omitted **
Wouldn't his full stat block not make for a nice blog post, if you already have it lying around? :)
I second this request maybe a blog that presents things that did not make it to the books and were left on the cutting room floor.
I third this request! Even if they aren't introduced proper in the canon Golarion, it'd be nice to see them fleshed out as a sort of "deleted scene(s)" in a blog post for those that have been waiting many years for the return of the Runelords.
Oooh, that would be cool. I lurk more than anything else, but I'll fourth this!
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Answers:
** spoiler omitted **
Wouldn't his full stat block not make for a nice blog post, if you already have it lying around? :)
I second this request maybe a blog that presents things that did not make it to the books and were left on the cutting room floor.
I third this request! Even if they aren't introduced proper in the canon Golarion, it'd be nice to see them fleshed out as a sort of "deleted scene(s)" in a blog post for those that have been waiting many years for the return of the Runelords.
Oooh, that would be cool. I lurk more than anything else, but I'll fourth this!
I fifth this, my players have been gunning for a fully fleshed out Xanderghul ever since Rise. A fully powered Xanderghul would be a nice Christmas present to present my plyers with.
What are the inside cover articles for this book? There's surely one about the sword, and another abouter the weapon of power, but what about the last two?
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Does anyone know if they plan on listing stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their full power? Maybe in the continuing the campaign section in the last adventure path.
Answers:
** spoiler omitted **
Wouldn't his full stat block not make for a nice blog post, if you already have it lying around? :)
I second this request maybe a blog that presents things that did not make it to the books and were left on the cutting room floor.
I third this request! Even if they aren't introduced proper in the canon Golarion, it'd be nice to see them fleshed out as a sort of "deleted scene(s)" in a blog post for those that have been waiting many years for the return of the Runelords.
Oooh, that would be cool. I lurk more than anything else, but I'll fourth this!
I FIFTH THIS REQUEST! I really hope James and the others decide to give us full stats for Sorshen, Zutha, and Xanderghul at their prime or at the very least Sorshen. If not at the end of the adventure than at the very least in the Blog! :D
