Pathfinder Adventure Path #139: The Dead Roads (Tyrant's Grasp 1 of 6)

I like the start of this adventure. I like the end of this adventure.
The middle (visiting the three waystations) is all kinds of meh.
Anyone got any ideas for a more interesting way to run the journey along the Dead Roads? I like the idea of cryptstone weapons, so I'm thinking of maybe adding a quarry of sorts.

I like the adventure, though find the tooth fair portion a bit out-of-place. I have one lore concern:

I like the adventure, though find the tooth fair portion a bit out-of-place. I have one lore concern:

** spoiler omitted **

? I'd be surprised if they were taking Arazni's agency away considering she IS still evil aligned ._.

I like the adventure, though find the tooth fair portion a bit out-of-place. I have one lore concern:

** spoiler omitted **

You'll get a lot more detail about Arazni's situation as this adventure path unfolds.

At what level will the AP end ?

Level 17, it seems from the summary.

At what level will the AP end ?

Probably 18th.

Ah, good. The summary at the end of the first module said level 17, but I'm happy if the players can reach (and still play a bit at) 18th level.

I really like the NPCs I've glanced at so far! They're practically overflowing in character. I love being given scripted lines, they make running the character so much easier. Will absolutely be giving the AP a run when we finish the last book of Hell's Rebels!

Hi, all! This is now available for purchase from Fantasy Grounds or on Steam. Sync your account first to get it a discount equivalent to the PDF Price ($17.99)
The Tyrant's Grasp AP 1: The Dead Roads
Publisher: Paizo Inc.
System: Pathfinder RPG and D&D 3.5/ OGL
Type: Adventure
Get it on Steam

Hello everyone! This is Mikhail Rekun, I wrote the Half-Dead article at the back. I just want to say a very big thank you to Ron for giving me the chance to write about this -- various creepy dead things are absolutely in my wheelhouse.

Some miscellaneous comments on things in the article not immediately obvious: (For the record, this is me in my civilian hat, and is in no way, shape, or form official).

1) The Dhampir's Blasphemous Chalice is inspired by Brian Lumley's Necroscope series, with its alien vampires.

2) The Suit of Inverted Jade is based on a real-world thing, the jade burial suits of Han Dynasty China. I had the privilege of seeing one at the National Museum of Beijing roughly at the same time as Ron first messaging me about this article, so it was meant to be (you can find more on them here).

3) The weapons from the Vanth's Scythe feat are meant to match the weapons of the psychopomps -- scythe for vanths, quarterstaves for shoki, whips for the morrigna, and bows for olethros.

4) The Shabti feats are all named after actual Egyptian titles, with the exception of First General. But the others are all real things.

Finally, as a tiny bit of trivia, Kharmione Nyx, the hustler from the article introduction, is a character in a Planescape game I have run. You can see what she looks like here.

That's all! Hope everyone liked the article.

Finally, as a tiny bit of trivia, Kharmione Nyx, the hustler from the article introduction, is a character in a Planescape game I have run. You can see what she looks like here.

Thanks Mikhail! I loved that quote, thought it was hilarious.

The "Tools of the Graveyard" article at the back of this AP instalment includes the Reaper mystery for Oracles. However, the mystery does not list its final revelation (the Oracle 20 capstone ability).

Any chance of getting that information, please?

(I was also surprised not to find a defence-focused revelation in the Reaper mystery, but there might be precedent for that among the other Oracle mysteries published by Paizo.)

GRIM HELM p. 64

price 48,000 gp but cost 2,400 gp?

guessing price of 4,800 gp

I second this question, but with less surety about the answer, which seems like it should be in between these extreme values.

chopswil wrote:

GRIM HELM p. 64

price 48,000 gp but cost 2,400 gp?

guessing price of 4,800 gp

I second this question, but with less surety about the answer, which seems like it should be in between these extreme values.

The cost should be 24,000 gp. The price of 48,000 gp is correct.

The "Tools of the Graveyard" article at the back of this AP instalment includes the Reaper mystery for Oracles. However, the mystery does not list its final revelation (the Oracle 20 capstone ability).

Any chance of getting that information, please?

(I was also surprised not to find a defence-focused revelation in the Reaper mystery, but there might be precedent for that among the other Oracle mysteries published by Paizo.)

Yes, thank you! I was planning on asking this question myself.

First, no spoilers please! I don't want any details.

From what you have read of the first book, how well are the social situations set up? My concern it that it could end up being too much like Carrion Crown.
I understand CC was going for a creepy unfriendly vibe. However, we came to hate almost every NPC so much that we were seriously in-character considering just letting the bad guys win. We were just going to help the few decent people escape and leave. The only way we could complete the AP was to seriously meta-game and choose to keep playing just because we players wanted to do so. There was no in-game reason to help almost anyone encountered. I don't want to slog through another one of those.

From what you have read of the first book, how well are the social situations set up?

Given that (almost) every book of an AP is written by a different person, it's difficult to judge the whole AP before every book is out. Might be a good idea to wait some more time.

If your group wants to focus on social situations, War for the Crown might be a good choice.

First, no spoilers please! I don't want any details.

From what you have read of the first book, how well are the social situations set up? My concern it that it could end up being too much like Carrion Crown.
I understand CC was going for a creepy unfriendly vibe. However, we came to hate almost every NPC so much that we were seriously in-character considering just letting the bad guys win. We were just going to help the few decent people escape and leave. The only way we could complete the AP was to seriously meta-game and choose to keep playing just because we players wanted to do so. There was no in-game reason to help almost anyone encountered. I don't want to slog through another one of those.

I ran Carrion Crown. Not many social similarities at all. CC was investigation-focused. In The Dead Roads, there's one major (but short) social section where you have to inform a town about something, the rest is minor NPC interactions to get information or help/get help from somebody en route to your goal. Usual stuff. The later books don't seem very investigation-heavy either. But social stuff always depends on the GM.

K. Thx folks, we might give it a go.

any word on when we might see a pawn set for this ap?

Usually when it’s over. They need all the art first :3

Usually when it’s over. They need all the art first :3

Yes, but it's coming! I've had to immerse myself in the lore of our Pawns line, learning about die sizes and figure frequency and such. There's some great art coming in these that we weren't quite able to squeeze into the AP volumes themselves.

Rysky wrote:

Usually when it’s over. They need all the art first :3

Yes, but it's coming! I've had to immerse myself in the lore of our Pawns line, learning about die sizes and figure frequency and such. There's some great art coming in these that we weren't quite able to squeeze into the AP volumes themselves.

Ooo!!!

Having very much liked Starfinder AP#7 from Ron Lundeen, i am very excited to see the opening of a Pathfinder AP written by him.

Was there ever a book one by Ron (i only remember later books being from him) or is this the first?

I read it like the plot of Coco.

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Having very much liked Starfinder AP#7 from Ron Lundeen, i am very excited to see the opening of a Pathfinder AP written by him.

Was there ever a book one by Ron (i only remember later books being from him) or is this the first?

I read it like the plot of Coco.

You watched a VERY different Coco than I did. :-)

The "Tools of the Graveyard" article at the back of this AP instalment includes the Reaper mystery for Oracles. However, the mystery does not list its final revelation (the Oracle 20 capstone ability).

Any chance of getting that information, please?

(I was also surprised not to find a defence-focused revelation in the Reaper mystery, but there might be precedent for that among the other Oracle mysteries published by Paizo.)

Ron answered my question on the GM discussion thread for this particular AP instalment. People can find it near the bottom of the second page.

Attempting some link-fu ...

Here is the link.

For those avoiding spoilers on the GM threads, Ron said:
Final Revelation: Upon 20th level, you are a true reaper of death and no soul can escape your sight. You automatically confirm critical hits and creatures automatically fail Fortitude saves against your coup de grace attempts. In addition, you can notice, locate, and distinguish between living and undead creatures within 60 feet, just as if you had the blindsense ability. This sense does not allow you to detect objects, but it does allow you to notice living things that are not creatures.

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Having very much liked Starfinder AP#7 from Ron Lundeen, i am very excited to see the opening of a Pathfinder AP written by him.

Was there ever a book one by Ron (i only remember later books being from him) or is this the first?

I read it like the plot of Coco.

While i have only watched trailers for Coco, the tone of this AP volume feels 100% the same to me as those trailers.

ErichWilliam wrote:

Marco Massoudi wrote:

Having very much liked Starfinder AP#7 from Ron Lundeen, i am very excited to see the opening of a Pathfinder AP written by him.

Was there ever a book one by Ron (i only remember later books being from him) or is this the first?

I read it like the plot of Coco.

While i have only watched trailers for Coco, the tone of this AP volume feels 100% the same to me as those trailers.

That's because both Coco and this AP draw their inspiration from the Mexican Día de Muertos, the amalgam Christian-Aztec tradition. Grinning skulls and the like.

Can anyone give me an overview of the new creatures in this one? Are they worthwhile, or just kinda meh?

I really enjoy new monsters, so that's a major factor for me in deciding whether to buy the AP.

Can anyone give me an overview of the new creatures in this one? Are they worthwhile, or just kinda meh?

I really enjoy new monsters, so that's a major factor for me in deciding whether to buy the AP.

Superb, thanks very much. I'm instantly seeing ways to adapt several of those to my current campaign, so this title is next on my purchase list.

I almost feel bad to say it, but I didn't like this adventure at all. There are gaping holes in the adventure and campaign backgrounds, and while Ron does his best with what he's been given, I just don't feel the theme; it most definitely does not come across as survival horror. IMO it contains more tragicomical elements than horror elements.

What really ticks me off is that the first two volumes of this AP use railroading in such a forceful way that if I ever ran this, my players would likely spontaneously rise up during the session and form a human train. If you ask me, a more proper name for this module would be "The Dead Railroads". :/

(I'll try to post soon a more detailed list of "grievances" I have with this AP)

I'm rather disappointed with the first two books myself, but we'll see where they go with it.

Considering the AP has four development leads I'm not surprised it's inconsistent.

RobertTHEPerylous wrote:

Any chance that this might be PFS sanctioned from the beginning? Or at least close to the beginning? A lot of my local players are PFS snobs (they will only play if there's a PFS chronicle sheet associated with it).

I'd love to play this one, but I may have to run it just to experience it.

We have a lot of good momentum going on sanctioning adventures, having just released an Adventure Path and module sanctioning document within the past couple weeks. We have our short-term sights set on Return of the Runelords and Cradle of Night right now, and Tyrant’s Grasp should be pretty quick to follow. Even so, I’d not expect that last one for at least a month (sanctioning projects fit in between our regularly scheduled scenario production).

Hello hello, just stopped in to check about the timeline for this to be PFS sanctioned. I certainly hope it gets sanctioned soon.

Hi all, looking for thoughts on this. The Reaper mystery for Oracles in this AP seems to have a waaaayyyyyy overpowered ability.

Return to Dust (Su): You call upon the inexorable ravages of time and entropy to damage an object or undead creature within 30 feet, dealing 1d6 points of damage per 2 oracle levels you have, ignoring hardness and damage reduction. If used against an undead creature or an object in another creature's possession, the undead creature or the creature possessing the object can attempt a Reflex saving throw to halve the damage. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Clerics holy symbol would have 2-3 HP at most, wizards staff same deal. This would let a 4th level Oracle snatch away a high level clerics main method of attack or seriously disrupt a wizard. Imagine have just bought a Staff of Power and some punk 4th level Oracle essentially disintegrates it - or is there something I'm not taking into account here?

Thankyou in advance for your thoughts.

If you're fighting a cleric, all getting rid of a holy symbol does, is takes away their ability to channel. They can still smash you and cast spells. At least until the next day. Also, depending on the deity, holy symbols are nothing to get. Especially wooden ones. You can craft those easy enough. Also, a magic staff has some hp. About 5x what you're thinking. It'd take a few hits, on average. But let's put this in context.

Return to Dust is an ability that damage to an object or undead. Ignoring the undead aspect, so does sunder. A 1st level human fighter with a 14 Strength and a greatsword can do just as much as a 4th level oracle, but without the Reflex save for half. Granted, the fighter doesn't ignore hardness.

But more importantly, if you destroy an item that's worth over 230k, pretty sure the party will be very angry with you. That's a lot of gold down the drain.

So, no, it's not a way overpowered ability. If it also did this damage to constructs, absolutely. But it is good for locks and breaking into places. Take the job of the rogue.

Actually, a funny build would actually be an oracle with the reaper mystery and wrecker curse.

If you're fighting a cleric, all getting rid of a holy symbol does, is takes away their ability to channel. They can still smash you and cast spells. At least until the next day.

Depends on the cleric's prepared spells. If they have Divine Focus components, they can't cast them.

A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance. The divine focus for a cleric or a paladin is a holy symbol appropriate to the character's faith. The divine focus for a druid or a ranger is a sprig of holly, or some other sacred plant.

kevin_video wrote:

If you're fighting a cleric, all getting rid of a holy symbol does, is takes away their ability to channel. They can still smash you and cast spells. At least until the next day.

Depends on the cleric's prepared spells. If they have Divine Focus components, they can't cast them.

Divine Focus (DF) wrote:

A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance. The divine focus for a cleric or a paladin is a holy symbol appropriate to the character's faith. The divine focus for a druid or a ranger is a sprig of holly, or some other sacred plant.

True, but weapons, armor, and shields can be enhanced to be holy symbols, and there’s not that many divine focus spells. They’d be screwed if that was the case. Especially those that use heavy shields. There’s also the birthmark trait that lets you bypass that. There’s work arounds.

I will say though, I kind of miss 3.5’s 0-level spell, summon holy symbol.

Not that many, but the ones that have it are pretty staple spells. (Bless, Divine Favor, Protection From X) And NPC clerics tend to not have those work arounds available. At least Shield of Faith is still clear.

Not that many, but the ones that have it are pretty staple spells. (Bless, Divine Favor, Protection From X) And NPC clerics tend to not have those work arounds available. At least Shield of Faith is still clear.

True, but they tend to have channel smite to make up for it. Can't hit everyone with a negative energy channel? Guess it's one-on-one time.

A year later, but I’ll add that Birthmark is a fantastic trait that mocks the reaper’s ability to destroy holy symbols.

How’s the sanctioning for this AP (and other 1E APs) coming along. I’m seeing blog updates for 2E and SF ones, but nothing on these ones.