Pathfinder Adventure Path #145: Hellknight Hill (Age of Ashes 1 of 6)

CorvusMask wrote:

Not really sure this is right place for expressing that I did like settlement statblocks outside few strange things like Port Peril apparently not having any tengu population?

Were Tengu a thing yet?

Nah, they were a thing. Tengu have been around for surprisingly long in PF

Rysky wrote:

CorvusMask wrote:

Not really sure this is right place for expressing that I did like settlement statblocks outside few strange things like Port Peril apparently not having any tengu population?

Were Tengu a thing yet?

Nah, they were a thing. Tengu have been around for surprisingly long in PF

Hmm, maybe they were all Rogues and so they couldn't find any?

Sigh. Does that mean those settlement stat blocks published under First Edition will be obsolete and thus cannot be used?

All of the flavor information, like populations and city alignments and government and all that, are still accurate.

Aenigma wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

1) We'll get to settlement stat blocks eventually but as of the time of workng on this adventure we hadn't figured out how to do them in 2nd edition. Later volumes will have some settlement stat block experiments, but until the Game Mastery Guide is done we won't have a final look for them.

Wait, what? I thought we already have complete rules regarding settlement stat blocks. I thing the rules presented in GameMastery Guide seem decent and perfect enough to be used in Second Edition without further change.

I pushed for their inclusion or something like it in the core rules but there wasn't room. I believe that something like it should be coming in the upcoming book, as I mentioned above... but we'll see.

But the more folks who let us know and let the design team know and let the publisher know you want these stat blocks in the game for cities, the better the chance will be that they'll come back.

Settlement stat blocks are a must-have. They don't have to follow PF1's settlement stat blocks 100% if improvements can be made but a return to the days of 'winging it' would be a huge loss.

I loved the concept behind the different skill modifiers (to Diplomacy, Bluff, etc.) in theory, but I almost never remembered to apply them. And I think Linda or someone said on one of Mark Seifter's Twitch streams that in PFS at least the DCs given in the text already included the relative difficulty of making a check in the given settlement, so if you applied it anyway you'd be throwing the numbers off. So I'm not really sure how useful they were in play. Maybe in designing your own adventures or challenges in various Golarion places.

Yeah, I never bothered applying the traits to various skill checks or any other special modifiers. I mostly used the settlement stat blocks for the demographic information and what items/services can be bought.

For 2e, it would be nice if it listed highest spellcasting services available by magic tradition.

Will this be sanctioned for PFS?

We're still numbering APs, but the number only shows up in the last three digits of the "PZO" product code and on the spine.

Oh, come on and have a little faith in yourselves that you'll make it to AP #1000.

^Yeah, you need 1128 more AP chapters to make it to the point at which Baba Yaga is due again to put the next queen on the throne in Irrisen . . . .

And they only have a little over 70 years to come up with an excuse to reset the adventuring path numbering. Maybe when certain key people retire? At some point in the next few decades, all of the people who founded Paizo will be gone from the company and not in any shape to return. I don't think that their successors will be able to resist the temptation to introduce world shaking changes for more than a decade or two.

The format of the Adventure Path is still being developed but by the end of Age of Ashes the new look will be pretty close to what we're going with. (Same thing happened when we launched the whole thing back with Rise of the Runelords... ).

Hi James I really liked the layout here. I like the idea of the Adventure Toolbox as a flexible and relatively self-contained section full of material to help run the adventures.

I also really, really like it when the inside covers include important maps from the adventure. They’re much easier to locate there.

If it’s still up in the air, could I ask you to consider including the authors alongside the individual monsters and other such backmatter pieces? I always find it interesting to learn which staffmember or freelancer wrote which bit (granted the developers and editors all have their say too).

Although I’ve only skim read it so far, this strikes me as a really great intro to second edition. I am so excited to watch this storyline play out! It’s been crying out for an AP ever since the key NPC was first introduced to us.

Thanks!

On my first, brief read through this is looking like a fantastic first instalment of an AP. I think they’ve done a terrific job of fleshing out a backstory and an intriguing setting to play in, whilst also providing a few interesting dungeons to play around in and what’s shaping up to be a home base my players will care about.

I think this would work well for both hack-and-slash groups as well as more theatrical, roleplaying/story-focussed tables.

Great book one, Amanda. :)

If it’s still up in the air, could I ask you to consider including the authors alongside the individual monsters and other such backmatter pieces? I always find it interesting to learn which staffmember or freelancer wrote which bit (granted the developers and editors all have their say too).

Glad you're enjoying the AP!

Attributing author credits to specific backmatter items opens a can of worms. If we did it in an Adventure Path... we'd probably have to do it in Adventures as well. And at that point, we'd have to do it for the rulebooks, to be honest. And rules are generally SO heavilly developed and adjusted that the developer often has as much of their work in there as the author (in some cases, it's ALL developer), and managing that extra layer of complication for every monster, feat, spell, item, etc. not only sounds like setting editor traps, but would end up in the long run likely having us have to cut content just to fit all those extra author bylines in there.

So... yeah, Unlikely for us to do this for things of this nature... but my hope is that going forward, more and more often the author of the adventure will also write all the toolbox content as well, since they're supposed to support each other. We're kinda moving away from 1st edition's days of "the backmatter of the Adventure Path is only thematically tied to the adventure" ...

Cheers. That makes sense (and it's generally not hard to find out who wrote a specific monster anyhow).

Thanks for the answer. From what I've seen so far, really like the tweaks to the AP line you've made.

Just got my 2E stuff--LOVE THIS BOOK! Love the new layout, love the toolkit, love the adventure, the NPCs...etc makes me so excited to see what is coming next! Well done Paizo!

I love the new "Adventure Toolbox" section at the end of this adventure and Fall of Plaguestone.

Among other things, this section gives us Mengkare's backstory and alignment. I won't say anything more here,

I love the new "Adventure Toolbox" section at the end of this adventure and Fall of Plaguestone.

*OMITTED*

The section I omitted should have a spoiler tag! I know they can find out that stuff elsewhere, but players just browsing the initial adventure may not want a surprise like that out.

Mengkare is already specifically mentioned here, so I am not sure what I am spoiling.

Not a fan that all goblins in this volume carefully kept their mouths closed, so as not to show their giant teeth, I guess so as to "cutify" them. ^^

Mengkare is already specifically mentioned here, so I am not sure what I am spoiling.

He was only mentioned in speculation posts in this thread. No confirmation. Thus my heads up.

The picture in the book they look a bit like shirren with a spider theme, but they're shape shifters so they can change between a hybrid, spider or human (so as to not freak out the squares) form.

They sound like aranea to me. Are they different, or is "anadi" just the new ancestry name for aranea in 2e?

captain yesterday wrote:

The picture in the book they look a bit like shirren with a spider theme, but they're shape shifters so they can change between a hybrid, spider or human (so as to not freak out the squares) form.

They sound like aranea to me. Are they different, or is "anadi" just the new ancestry name for aranea in 2e?

Nope, they’re two different creatures (And Anadi were introduced in 1e in Faiths of Golarion).

They’re closer to Kitsune/Rougarou than Aranea.

The original use of spider-people was to use aranea, but as time went on, the concept of building our own race in that role, the anadi, is more attractive. They do share some basic "dna" (both being spider creatues that can change shape into humanoids) but they're different enough that, in theory, both could be active in the same world. We'll be just using anadi in print from now on, mostly.

The original use of spider-people was to use aranea, but as time went on, the concept of building our own race in that role, the anadi, is more attractive. They do share some basic "dna" (both being spider creatues that can change shape into humanoids) but they're different enough that, in theory, both could be active in the same world. We'll be just using anadi in print from now on, mostly.

I’ll be delighted to see more Anadi :3

I’ll be delighted to see more Anadi :3

Especially if they all look as friendly as the one in this backmatter!

Rysky wrote:

I’ll be delighted to see more Anadi :3

Especially if they all look as friendly as the one in this backmatter!

Ye! They good spooders.

*sings* Spooder people, spooder people. Friend neighborhood spooder people.

I love the new "Adventure Toolbox" section at the end of this adventure and Fall of Plaguestone.

Among other things, this section gives us Mengkare's backstory and alignment. I won't say anything more here, but it is nice to know more about this dragon well before the party encounters him.

Were the other named dragons also mentioned?

David knott 242 wrote:

I love the new "Adventure Toolbox" section at the end of this adventure and Fall of Plaguestone.

Among other things, this section gives us Mengkare's backstory and alignment. I won't say anything more here, but it is nice to know more about this dragon well before the party encounters him.

Were the other named dragons also mentioned?

I have no idea. I mostly skimmed the module. The different parts of the Adventure Toolbox had their own titles, which is how I caught Mengkare's story.

James Jacobs wrote:

The original use of spider-people was to use aranea, but as time went on, the concept of building our own race in that role, the anadi, is more attractive. They do share some basic "dna" (both being spider creatues that can change shape into humanoids) but they're different enough that, in theory, both could be active in the same world. We'll be just using anadi in print from now on, mostly.

I’ll be delighted to see more Anadi :3

Me too; I'm very fond of aranea and actually used one as a major villain in my 1E playtest campaign 10 years ago. She didn't survive the first clash with PCs, but a certain leveled-up alchemist from Whispering Cairn stiched her up and er, then used her lower body and her (dead) tiefling husband's upper body to create a unique fleshcrafted drider-ish alchemical abomination. Hmmm... that *does* sound a bit disturbed, doesn't it? :/

Anyway, it's (hopefully!) only three more days for me to finally get my grubby dwarven hands on those beautiful, beautiful 2E books! (EDIT: Including this adventure, naturally! ;))

Had to share my 2 coppers as well!

Absolutely loved the first part of the PF2E adventure path.

I very much want to run this for a group of my friends, that are frankly struggling with PF1e ... as it seems 2e will be an easier introductory game to teach/learn to new or newer players.

So much about this adventure path to love.

Well done everyone!

I came here just to ask for playable Anandi soon please. I... wuv them.

I came here just to ask for playable Anandi soon please. I... wuv them.

Same.

Once upon a time we were going to include an anadi ancestry in this volume, but we had to make some tough decisions on that type of content since the design team was being hammered with getting the Core Rules and Bestiary and much, much more done on time for Gen Con. So I pulled the stop lever on that early on... the words for an anadi ancestry aren't written yet, and I was looking to see how folks reacted to their presence in this adventure first before going forward. Initial reactions seem strong, but we'll wait and see how the rest of the world likes them. I hope they do... I've been wanting to get the anadi in print since I first hinted at them in the Inner Sea World Guide a decade or so ago!

Love the the idea of the Anadi

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation. Looking forward to using them in this path!

I would like anadi too and I hope there will be a charau-ka ancestry someday.

Once upon a time we were going to include an anadi ancestry in this volume, but we had to make some tough decisions on that type of content since the design team was being hammered with getting the Core Rules and Bestiary and much, much more done on time for Gen Con. So I pulled the stop lever on that early on... the words for an anadi ancestry aren't written yet, and I was looking to see how folks reacted to their presence in this adventure first before going forward. Initial reactions seem strong, but we'll wait and see how the rest of the world likes them. I hope they do... I've been wanting to get the anadi in print since I first hinted at them in the Inner Sea World Guide a decade or so ago!

Aww, but yay!

Love the the idea of the Anadi

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation. Looking forward to using them in this path!

???

Once upon a time we were going to include an anadi ancestry in this volume, but we had to make some tough decisions on that type of content since the design team was being hammered with getting the Core Rules and Bestiary and much, much more done on time for Gen Con. So I pulled the stop lever on that early on... the words for an anadi ancestry aren't written yet, and I was looking to see how folks reacted to their presence in this adventure first before going forward. Initial reactions seem strong, but we'll wait and see how the rest of the world likes them. I hope they do... I've been wanting to get the anadi in print since I first hinted at them in the Inner Sea World Guide a decade or so ago!

Yes, please!

And, thank you!

Yoshua wrote:

Love the the idea of the Anadi

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation. Looking forward to using them in this path!

???

Never hear of a Werespider? ;D

I thought I'd get some love for my "Spooder people" theme song...

I thought I'd get some love for my "Spooder people" theme song...

I smiled

Minis needed for "Hellknight Hill":

Crap, only counted of of the (GS) new monsters... will need to go back and buy another mini.... that one wasnt a 3$ mini either. thanks for the double check

Rysky wrote:

Yoshua wrote:

Love the the idea of the Anadi

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation. Looking forward to using them in this path!

???

Never hear of a Werespider? ;D

Yeah, I'm just not sure where the "half-thought out" complaint came from, Werespiders have been a thing before Pathfinder, and we've had a couple of spider humanoids, like the Aranea and Jorogumo.

Yoshua wrote:

Rysky wrote:

Yoshua wrote:

Love the the idea of the Anadi

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation. Looking forward to using them in this path!

???

Never hear of a Werespider? ;D

Yeah, I'm just not sure where the "half-thought out" complaint came from, Werespiders have been a thing before Pathfinder, and we've had a couple of spider humanoids, like the Aranea and Jorogumo.

Half Thought Out complaint goes to a curse instead of a magical being. A full thought out Anadi will beat out what I could have come up with on my own if I went with lycanthropy.

Think you may be reading a bit way too much into my comment there.

As for what we have and havent had? I've tipped my toes into Pathfinder but this will be the first time I am going all in and running my own games. Previous experience is mostly based on Society and the Adventure Card Game, and not very much of Society.

Think you may be reading a bit way too much into my comment there.

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation.

How was that not supposed to be an insult?

Yoshua wrote:

Think you may be reading a bit way too much into my comment there.

Quote:

So much better than a half thought out lycanthropy situation.

How was that not supposed to be an insult?

Wow. That is a compliment.

You have way too much time on your hands.

Read what I write, feel free to not intentionally misinterpret when someone (me this time) have already explained to you the answer you are looking for.

For example, you asked how that isnt an insult? Well, I literally just explained it in the post above yours.

Half Thought Out complaint goes to a curse instead of a magical being. A full thought out Anadi will beat out what I could have come up with on my own if I went with lycanthropy...

Rising something up by putting something else down isn't a compliment, especially when they're both form the same place.

Read again. Them good. Me alone bad.