The Extinction Curse Adventure Path begins! The Circus of Wayward Wonders has just arrived in the remote town of Abberton, and the player characters are the stars of the show! When the ringmaster turns up dead, the fate of the traveling circus and its entertainers hangs in the balance, and the heroes must scramble to put on a successful show and find the killer—all at the same time! Investigations only lead to more questions, and the heroes find themselves center stage in a dangerous, prehistoric plot that threatens not just Abberton, but every inhabitant of the Starstone Isles!
"The Show Must Go On" is a Pathfinder Second Edition adventure for four 1st-level characters. This adventure begins the Extinction Curse Adventure Path, a six-part, monthly campaign in which the heroes lead a traveling circus as they unravel a plot to eradicate all life from the Starstone Isles at the heart of the Inner Sea. The adventure also includes advice on how to run a traveling circus, new circus-themed rules, and a menagerie of monsters both wondrous and wicked.
Each monthly full-color softcover Pathfinder Adventure Path volume contains an in-depth adventure scenario, stats for several new monsters, and support articles meant to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes use the Open Game License and work with both the Pathfinder RPG and the world’s oldest fantasy RPG.
The Extinction Curse Adventure Path is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (972 kb PDF).
Note: The Life in the Circus article in this volume references a feat from the Extinction Curse Player's Guide. That feat isn't in the player's guide, but can be found here.
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
I think the beginning is relatively difficult, what is required of the player characters at level 1 on the first evening... And in my opinion the motivation of the traveling circus is somehow disturbed, which is why they now want to help the city with its problems. I'd be more interested if the city wanted to blame the traveling circus for recent events and the circus wanted to clear their reputation.
Fortunately, my group was professional enough not to question the motivation.
Once you get into the topic, you feel more and more comfortable. While exploring the city is still questionably difficult in some situations for level 1 characters, you don't have to go through everything in one breath.
The dungeons in the second and third parts of the Adventure Path are solid, but now they don't throw the cart over so badly that you're completely thrilled. But the finale was okay and the reward makes you want more.
The first circus show was nice to do something different and has a great role-playing aspect to it. However, the rules at level 1 are quite frustrating. You're basically penalized for rolling a critical hit because that only makes it harder to achieve a perfect show, and it's very hard to catch up at level 1. However, I think that the rules become more tactically interesting as the player characters level up. The option of expanding his circus and recruiting more artists also sounds very exciting for the future. And walking in the footsteps of the dead god Aroden also sounds very tempting to me.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars, simply because the AP itself didn't have any notable wow moments, we had a hard time continuing to play at level 1 and the first circus show was great from the role-playing game, but frustrated by the rules . BUT, after much deliberation by the group, we continue anyway. Just to see how the circus develops (the circus element was the main reason for the decision to buy) and maybe the campaign will pick up speed now.
you play yourself in Escadar
Good Starting Adventure-- Once You Get Past the First Part
This is a good low-level module for PF2e. It's quite self-contained, as you're a circus troupe that is investigating a murder, and finds more than they bargained for. The stories are good, the setting is pretty fun, and it ramps up in a believable way to the climax.
I do have a couple of quibbles. The first is that it's pretty generic sometimes. It's a fun module, but there's a certain "coolness" factor that it's missing that some other modules have.
Second, yikes, some of those level 1 encounters. The first part can be extremely difficult, so GMs, don't be afraid to pull some punches.
Outside of that, this is a fun-- but kind of generic-- start to a fun-- but kind of generic-- AP.
It sounds like something dire happened to the isle of Kortos (... it probably has something to do with the end of Tyrant's Grasp, now that I think of it).
IN any case, first in Council of Thieves, PCs got to be actors. Now they get to run a circus. Maybe next edition, they'll get to run an entire brothel! ;)
IN any case, first in Council of Thieves, PCs got to be actors. Now they get to run a circus. Maybe next edition, they'll get to run an entire brothel! ;)
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Thomas Seitz wrote:
IN any case, first in Council of Thieves, PCs got to be actors. Now they get to run a circus. Maybe next edition, they'll get to run an entire brothel! ;)
IN any case, first in Council of Thieves, PCs got to be actors. Now they get to run a circus. Maybe next edition, they'll get to run an entire brothel! ;)
IN any case, first in Council of Thieves, PCs got to be actors. Now they get to run a circus. Maybe next edition, they'll get to run an entire brothel! ;)
Actually, I'd want to be a barbarian and lift many things. Or that act where you spit alcohol over a torch. Maybe I'd claim I came from Sarusan and had to throw dinosaurs at other dinosaurs to survive!
. I think that bard is one of those classes that could do it and not be left wanting. An all fighter party for example would be hard as would most classes... Of course I am thinking in 1st edition terms.
. I think that bard is one of those classes that could do it and not be left wanting. An all fighter party for example would be hard as would most classes... Of course I am thinking in 1st edition terms.
You can do all Fighters just fine. One can Multiclass as a Cleric, one Multiclass as Wizard, one MC as Rogue and one all fighter. There, perfectly viable all Fighter party
Finally the players can make clowns of themselves! ;-)
Too late, the writers of Tyrants Grasp already made clowns of the players.
Anyway the AP.
The oddest thing about this AP is I find myself not at all gripped by the spoilers for the three books advertised so far. Normally something jumps out and I think
"yay that will be cool"
even if later it turns out to be not what I was hoping.
I'm going to let you guys get this one when it comes out and I'll be interested to see what you make of it before I get it myself.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
NotBothered wrote:
The oddest thing about this AP is I find myself not at all gripped by the spoilers for the three books advertised so far.
On the flip side, my players have insisted that I not run Age of Ashes, so that they can jump into the AP where they get to run a circus as soon as it is released.
On the flip side, my players have insisted that I not run Age of Ashes, so that they can jump into the AP where they get to run a circus as soon as it is released.
Interesting, you'll have to let me know how it goes and whether it lives up to their expectations.
I have pre-ordered the "Age of Ashes" AP, but i am going to wait for the updated description with this one, whereas i am going to order "Agents of Edgewatch" asap.
Traveling the backwater settlements of the Starstone Isles excited me not at all, neither does being Circus performers beyond one adventure, sorry.
I had my players do the play in Council of Thieves, I think Paizo should make this a musical, with karaoke backing tracks included in the PDF, and sheete music available.....
My group is very excited for this! We're going to be running Age of Ashes for a bit to learn the system, but we'll be hopping over to this as soon as it's available.
Agreed. The title text/logo can be a little perfunctory and forgettable, but this one is great, tells a lot about the adventure and is incredibly eye-catching. The graphic designs/art team really outdid themselves on this.
Agreed. The title text/logo can be a little perfunctory and forgettable, but this one is great, tells a lot about the adventure and is incredibly eye-catching. The graphic designs/art team really outdid themselves on this.
I agree on all your points. That title logo and the cover illustration are fantastic, making this probably (IMO) the best AP cover ever! :)
More importantly, will it include NPCs speaking the lines:
"When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Witzmacher?"
"Have you ever danced with a dergoloth in pale moonlight?"
"How about a magic trick? I'll make this glaive ... disappear *TAADAA*"
Hopefully they don't forget to offer a continuous stream of new recruits - more and more exotic circus performer NPCs for the PCs to interact with as the whole circus levels up :)
