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Pathfinder / Pathfinder Society / Season 1: Year of the Open Road

Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-01: The Absalom Initiation

3.00/5 (based on 20 ratings)
Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-01: The Absalom Initiation

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A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1–4 (Subtiers 1–2 and 3–4).

A new era is beginning for the Pathfinder Society, with new recruits and new factions all excited to build connections and embark on grand adventures. The PCs are among these recruits invited to attend a welcoming party where they can meet both the old guard as well as the up-and-coming leaders. But the party's not all talk; the PCs learn of four exciting escapades in Absalom, through which they can kick off their adventuring careers!

This adventure's individual missions include numerous variations that make each play-through exciting and different.

Written by Lyz Liddell.

Scenario Tags: Repeatable

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Society Scenario Subscription.

Product Availability

Fulfilled immediately.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZOPFS0101E

See Also:

<< Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-22—Passing the Torch, Part 1: Who Wears the Mask
Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-00: Origin of the Open Road >>
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Average product rating:

3.00/5 (based on 20 ratings)

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Okay

3/5 —

The replayable elements to this mostly add complication to the GM side rather than actually changing the plot in a meaningful way for the players.

Difficulty of the Ritual encounter varies immensely on if you use the normal disable rules or a note hidden in the forums that it should only take 1 action.

I do really like the haunted house section at least.

Solid, but maybe too much for beginners

3/5 —

In the first part you felt too many new names and it was difficult for me to keep track of things, to create sensible role-playing games and to represent all the NPCs differently. I think when you're saddle-stuck in the Pathfinder story, it's a lot easier.

What I really liked is that it is quite possible, has several options, to tackle the individual missions in some cases without a fight.

The boons are definitely worthwhile and encouraged to play again. Here, too, the different developments that are possible are quite sufficient. But I don't think I will run it again as GM.

OK as a scenario but less exciting to replay

2/5 —

My least favorite replayable module. The replay value is relatively low, even with the random elements. Some nice roleplaying opportunities with PFS high society but way too many names for new players. The first part feels extremely forced. Also, the adventure runs very long with the ball part and the four missions.

Spoiler:

I found it silly to have the players work for getting assignments in the first place. And given that the module states they get the missions even if they fail to gain the VCs full attention, I just give the players the four random assignments at the beginning of the game, all of them referring to the VC being able to give some additional help at the ball. This saves a bit of time and is also more logical in my opinion.

Flotsam Graveyard: it should be somewhat clearer to the PCs that the creature can actually be pacified (given that this is one of the possible achievements for the secondary objective). Yet, some of the random behavior trait wills make this virtually impossible. Also, most missions for this area don't even include the creature so the players will likely assume it's just a hostile construct guarding the smuggler ship, and kill it.

Museum: the skills needed to disable the ritual are very limited. If the players aren't good at those, and are not aware that they need to protect the assistants, this might become a bloodbath.

Westgate: This might turn into two battles. They won't be really long, and will probably not present a meaningful obstacle, but it will be time-consuming.

Haunted House: this is my favorite one :) Also, an optional battle. Poor zombies never seem to come out to play in my games, the other missions take way too long.

It's also not quite clear how much time the players have to complete the missions. I assumed at least 1 hour, so that refocusing and healing is available. Or could they even re-prepare?

2/5 —

I probably would have given this more stars when I first played it in 2019. Having played most of Season 1, it's pretty clear this isn't even one of the better repeatables.

There are too many proper names for an introduction to Pathfinder. While most players are rolling over from First Edition and know many of the characters, it's just unnecessarily burdensome to learn about the Faction leaders' personalities when new players won't even know what factions are. As the 1-01, a lot of people are going to look to this as their first PFS scenario, and it's just not appropriate.

Individually, the quests are fine. As a matter of fact, I think the easiest revision is to run it as a bundle of 4 quests, like PFS1 #10-16.

Enjoyable, but a little long

3/5 —

I GM'd this twice recently, and I and my players did enjoy both runs. However, I found that it did run on a little long as there is just so much to do. With a roleplay encounter at the beginning and 4 total encounters with random elements.

As for the random elements and encounters, I would say that the comparable 1e scenario, "the Confirmation" was superior to this offering.

Spoiler:
: In both runs, the players loved the haunted house and spent most time there. I had a ball as a GM for that one.

The Flotsam graveyard was enjoyed by all, though I think we could have done without the "rage" option. It was more fun to pacify the fleshforge than be forced to fight it.

The Ritual was a nail-biter encounter. It posed a significant challenge to the party and dropped quite a few of them. (1 group failed to save Tavvar, the other saved her but that was due to a lucky roll)

The statue street was just ok. I like the complex hazard mechanic, but it was just my least favourite encounter in the scenario.

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The Exchange
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Any map info yet?
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Seconded on maps.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

Hmm. Maybe it's only custom maps.
The Exchange

It would still be nice to know that!
Paizo Employee Organized Play Lead Developer
11 people marked this as a favorite.

Maps for The Absalom Initiation:

This adventure uses the following:
  • Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Haunted House
  • Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Museum
  • Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Ship
  • Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Village Square

    There are not any custom maps.

    • The Exchange

    Thank you John!
    Grand Lodge

    Thanks!

    "YESS! I don't have to buy maps!!" *fistpump*

    *eyeballs other GenCon scenarios, discovers a lot of commonality, fistpumps again!

    Is this meant for 2.0?
    Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
    midknightblu wrote:
    Is this meant for 2.0?

    Yes. You can tell that from the reset on the season number (going from 10- to 1-).

    Is this a four hour adventure? And is it intended to be replayable with four different branches players can go on?

    Is this released yet?
    Silver Crusade

    11 more hours.
    Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

    Iunno if it's intentional but it appears that you can buy it now. (I did, and the download worked!)
    The Concordance
    1 person marked this as a favorite.
    Akvo wrote:
    Iunno if it's intentional but it appears that you can buy it now. (I did, and the download worked!)

    Which is interesting, as my subscription for it, or any of the PFS2 modules, has yet to fulfill.

    1 person marked this as a favorite.
    Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

    Can anyone link to the rules for 2E society? I always wanted to play run/play it in 1E. And can anyone answer if I can run society at home or does it need to be at a flgs for it to count as society play?
    Silver Crusade

    I don't believe the 2e Guide is out yet. And I'm pretty sure you can play PFS at home (there's not a real way to check where you're playing unless it's at conventions).

    I have six subscriptions and received all of my rulebooks and AP volumes this morning but didn't get these new PFS scenarios that were released. I thought that having six subscriptions meant you got the PFS and SFS scenarios free?
    Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
    Phaedre wrote:
    I have six subscriptions and received all of my rulebooks and AP volumes this morning but didn't get these new PFS scenarios that were released. I thought that having six subscriptions meant you got the PFS and SFS scenarios free?

    I have enough for free PFS scenarios and have that checked on my subscription page. I also do not have these yet.

    Any idea when they'll drop?

    Thanks!
    1 person marked this as a favorite.

    Here, Sara Marie said:

    Sara Marie wrote:
    We are having trouble with order creation for org play Scenario subs. Actively being worked on. Unclear of a timeframe

    Joana wrote:

    Here, Sara Marie said:

    Sara Marie wrote:
    We are having trouble with order creation for org play Scenario subs. Actively being worked on. Unclear of a timeframe

    Thanks! I figured it was something like that. I'm sure they'll work it out then, I just wasn't sure if I misunderstood how it was supposed to work since it's a new thing.

    This is good to know.

    I should have these as part of my subscription, and order history says I bought them. But they're not in my downloads.

    Customer service isn't answering...does anyone know if they're working on this bug?
    Silver Crusade
    1 person marked this as a favorite.
    Joana wrote:

    Here, Sara Marie said:

    Sara Marie wrote:
    We are having trouble with order creation for org play Scenario subs. Actively being worked on. Unclear of a timeframe

    Three posts up.

    Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

    I received an email about these last night, so it seems they are making progress at least.
    Silver Crusade

    I got an email on Wednesday saying that there were "ordered" since I have the requisite number of subscriptions, but still cannot find them in my downloads.
    Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

    If you check your "My Accounts" or "Order History" page, you should see something about one or more pending orders. A pending order for PFS means that they have authorized giving you the PDFs but haven't actually given them to you yet.

    Are the goblins still working on this or did they leave for the weekend?

    I don’t want to hammer the My Downloads page with F5 spamming if they’re off for some Well deserved R’n R :)
    2 people marked this as a favorite.

    The Goblins may not be working on it, but we Gremlins are!

    Hope that alleviates any consternation! ;)
    2 people marked this as a favorite.
    Master Pugwampi wrote:

    The Goblins may not be working on it, but we Gremlins are!

    Hope that alleviates any consternation! ;)

    Its been a couple weeks, my head is ready to go back in the gears

    Grand Lodge
    4 people marked this as a favorite.

    Just received my downloads from my subscription for this and the other Gencon PFS scenarios, and I just want to say, I love love LOVE that full page art for everything we meet is included in the appendix. PLEASE keep doing this. I cannot click like enough on this particular change to scenarios.

    Me too. Got the second email each for both PFS and SFS scenarios, and they were in my downloads.
    Grand Lodge Contributor
    1 person marked this as a favorite.

    I got my Starfinder scenarios but still waiting these.

    Got them this morning.
    Silver Crusade
    David knott 242 wrote:

    If you check your "My Accounts" or "Order History" page, you should see something about one or more pending orders. A pending order for PFS means that they have authorized giving you the PDFs but haven't actually given them to you yet.

    Where did you get that profile pic?

    Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
    Amaron Blackthorn wrote:
    David knott 242 wrote:

    If you check your "My Accounts" or "Order History" page, you should see something about one or more pending orders. A pending order for PFS means that they have authorized giving you the PDFs but haven't actually given them to you yet.

    Where did you get that profile pic?

    It is the better looking of the two male merfolk. I ended up stuck with it when I could no longer find the lashunta that I was previously using.

    Anyone played this yet? Is it a good introduction to new players to ttrpgs?
    Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

    I can't find the XP reward. Can I get a page #? I assume it's 4, but...
    Scarab Sages

    Has anyone started a GM Discussion page for PFS2?
    The Exchange
    Ginasteri wrote:

    Has anyone started a GM Discussion page for PFS2?

    I played this at Gen Con. My GM wrote down 8 XP. I'm not sure that's right.

    Radiant Oath

    Hi there.

    Can it be played with PF2ed?

    Thanks in advance
    Silver Crusade

    Yes it is intended to be played with the Second Edition ruleset ^w^
    Radiant Oath
    1 person marked this as a favorite.
    Rysky wrote:
    Yes it is intended to be played with the Second Edition ruleset ^w^

    Thanks a lot.

    Silver Crusade

    Np :3

    Spoilers:

    I ran this on Sunday in a non-sanctioned home game.
    This was my first time running PF2 and all my players first time playing the edition as well. Some of them first time playing Pathfinder although everyone had TTRPG experience.

    I have to say it was a bit challenging and a lot of parts I had to wing because I didn't understand how they made sense.

    Now, I admit I still haven't finished reading all the CRB and my grasp on the edition is still very loose. But there were situations I was like... wait, what?

    Like, the Haunt in the Mansion. Does the player not get a save for that? It says Stealth 20... so OK, they hear some scratching under the floorboards... OK? Then hands come out and do 4d6 damage regardless? I'm confused.

    There was a lot of parts where you would use checks like Society, Thievery or Athletics to impress the Venture Captains or to dissuade the Crow leaders. But it was very hard for me to make sense of it in a RP standpoint or for my players to figure out what options they ahd other than flat out saying "You can try and use Athletics to get rid of this guy"
    Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
    Unikatze wrote:

    Spoilers:

    Like, the Haunt in the Mansion.

    Regarding the haunt ...:

    The trigger for the haunt's reaction is "A creature passes through area C2 for the second time in 24 hours." So when the creatures pass through the room the first time, the GM makes secret Perception checks vs. DC 20 (in tier 1-2). If anyone senses the hazard, they can then try the Religion check to disable it. If no one hears it, or they hear it but don't disable it, then it triggers when the creature enters the room a second time.

    What I did wrong with this was that I assumed it triggered each time a creature enters the room a second time (only once per turn, since it is a reaction). I thought the "reset" was what happened when the trap got disabled. Reading the p. 521 directions, I think the trap should only have been able to react once, and then is dormant until midnight when it resets.

    OK, so my main mistake there was having them heard it and not telling them they could try a religion check to disable.

    Question - my group is in the middle of Tyrant's Grasp but we want to play a little PF2 on the side. One of the players is going to GM the PF2. I've managed to keep my group in the dark about the AP.. so far, but I need to know - are there TG spoilers in the text.

    I ask because it's located in Absalom.

    It kinda sucks that brand new scenarios uses maps that aren't available or if found only at extortion prices ($50-70 for a single flip-mat). Been looking around and it doesn't seem possible to get all 4 maps unless you buy the pdf and have them printed.
    Silver Crusade
    Wolftame wrote:
    It kinda sucks that brand new scenarios uses maps that aren't available or if found only at extortion prices ($50-70 for a single flip-mat). Been looking around and it doesn't seem possible to get all 4 maps unless you buy the pdf and have them printed.

    Uh, all but 1 of the maps have copies for sale here on Paizo.

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