Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Escaping the Grave

As a player, I rather liked this scenario. It did a good job of balancing investigation, skill checks, and combat. I can see how the final fight may have been challenging for some groups, but I didn't think it was particularly lethal, either. The reason I'm rating this 4 stars instead of 5 is because some parts did seem a little too drawn out. I'm looking forward to GMing this for others.

I have not GM'd this scenario yet, but I have played it and read it in preparation to GM it. When I played it, we had three level 1 characters (storm druid, paladin, illusioist wizard) and two level 2 characters (a liberator, and myself playing an angelic sorcerer). We played with the 6 player adjustment because of our challenge points.

I very much enjoyed the scenario, because even though it was very difficult at times (like in the final combat, which was partially due to some player mistakes), the challenge was welcome. I enjoyed the narrative of finding fallen pathfinders and cultural relics, the things left unknown, the mix of exploration and encounter modes, and the look into a new part of the setting.

The only reason why I can't rate this 5 stars is because, after reading it, the wording surrounding treasure bundles is inconsistent and unintuitive, and I could easily see a less-versed GM struggling with that lack of clarity.

I played this with a fairly decently balanced table of four level 2’s and two level 1’s. At this point in time I have not GMed this or read it. However I do plan on running it in the future.

I’m a bit surprised at the other reviews. However, let me state that I enjoy challenging combats in my scenarios. The final fight certainly is a challenge that actually requires teamwork and party tactics to overcome. Given the newness of the system, I think that some people are being overcome by it.

I will say, there is a lack of actual RP opportunities in this scenario, unlike 1-01 and 1-02, so if that is your main driving force for an enjoyable game, perhaps this scenario isn’t best suited for you. (This is where the scenario loses a star from me.)

While the plot might not be the most engaging thing, the general mission parameters aren’t contrived or force fed. In our case there were a lot of jokes about being the 5PP Body Recovery team for all these dead PFS1 characters.

And yes, it is a bit “gamey” in parts – but all of the skill challenges in PFS1 and (not surprisingly PFS2) are like that. The scenarios are designed to give everyone the same general challenge, despite their level of play. In the high-tier of each scenario the monsters are always more powerful, the traps are always harder to overcome, and the NPCs are always just a little harder to persuade. IF that turns you off from PFS2, and this scenario in general – then in my opinion you’ve probably been turning a blind eye to this exact same thing for the past 10 seasons of PFS1 content. (Just my 2 copper.)

Have ran and played this now, and it was quite fun both times. The 10 minute items were very contrived sometimes, when I ran it I went to extra effort to describe why these tasks took a lot of time... but both when I played this and when I GM'd it by the end of the game the players were making jokes about how everything takes 10 minutes.

When I played and when I GM'd the players engaged with the story, and the handouts worked well... often the players had cracked the solution before they even found them all, and felt smart as the clues came in, but a few things caught them off-guard in a good way

I think to get the most out of this the GM has to do a bit of work to improve the reasons things take 10 minutes & rephrase some of the challenges. The 10 minutes feels gamey by the end no matter how you do it, so if you do it poorly it feels even worse. Some activities that took more or less than 10 minutes would've spiced it up a bit I think, even if just a few things took 5 minutes or 20 minutes just to give some variety so that the 10 minutes didn't feel so contrived. This is what lost it 1 star for me. For GM's make sure to consider how you'll word some things like:

This scenario is utterly atrocious. One of my players said that the only PFS scenario he has EVER disliked more was the troop one from PFS1 (5-24, Assault on the Wound).

I am writing this from the position of a GM GMing a table of seven level 1 PCs.

So, what is wrong
1) The setup - The pathfinder Society is reeling, trying to recover, so they send Pathfinders out to get a whole bunch of basically worthless historical crap so people can preserve their heritage? Recovering bodies is a better rationale, admittedly, but even that seems like a waste of resources if your're trying to stress how overloaded the PCs are.

2) The majority of the scenario is a basically pointless exercise where the PCs are just rolling dice at often absurd DCs. I mean, it takes 10 minutes to make a heal check to figure out that a body is a 1/2 ling or a gnome? And the DC for that goes up with level for absolutely no in world reason. A FEW of the skill DCs are static (not affected by level) but the vast majority are affected by level "just because". So much for all the promises that PF2 would use static DCs when appropriate. As of 3 scenarios, basically a lie.

3) I don't think the scaling is right. So, DCs go up by 3 from low tier to high tier while the PCs go up by 2 levels. Ignoring rogues, the difference between L1 and L3 is that ONE skill goes from trained to Expert, getting ONE at +4. The rest go up by 2. So, its basically harder at high tier than at low tier to recognize that the body is a 1/2ling

4) The PCs have a huge dilemna. Stay together or split the party. Both options are punished since combat DOES occur while they're searching for relics/clues.

5) There are just TOO many rolls. I was pushing the party REALLY hard but at 20 odd "turns" it just breaks down into rolling dice. As a GM I was frustrated and bored out of my skull for most of it

6) Railroading - So, there is a place where a critical failure leads to false information. As written, this then automatically leads to the players losing 30 minutes. No player choice, they just lose 30 minutes. And how the heck do the PCs make it to the first combat encounter without meeting zombies on the way in?

7) The final combat is absolutely brutal. I knew that going in so "coincidentally" I made sure that everybody had a Hero Point going in. I softballed a little (concentrating on the Animal Companion). Even so, it was close to a TPK. 3 CR2's and some zugs against a group of level 1 PCs is just brutal.

8) The whole "Get to the village" thing seemed VERY artificial as I explained the character options.

Some of this was just VERY bad scenario writing. But some of it seems to be PF2 and the way it works. The DCs just seem that little bit too high, the overemphasis on skills, the deadliness that is PF2 poisons, the deadliness that PF2 combat can be.

I'm still reserving judgement but this scenario went a fair way to convinced me that PF2 isn't for me.