Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-18: Lodge of the Living God

3.00/5 (based on 25 ratings)

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

An unexpected alliance begins! The masked priest Narsen invites the Pathfinders to the city of Xer in Razmiran, a closed nation dedicated to Razmir, the Living God. Normally insular and isolated, access to Razmiran represents a unique opportunity for the Pathfinder Society. Narsen has even sweetened the pot by offering to fund the repair of an old keep to serve as the Society's new lodge. As the first Pathfinders arrive to oversee repairs on the lodge-to-be, will this mark the historic first moment in an unlikely partnership, or will it trigger a disaster of unmitigated proporitions?

Written by: Alex Greenshields

Scenario tags: Faction (Envoy's Alliance)

[Scenario Maps spoiler - click to reveal]

The following maps used in this scenario are also available for purchase here on paizo.com:

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

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3.00/5 (based on 25 ratings)

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An Interesting, But Overpacked, Scenario

3/5

I GMed this for a high-level table.

First, I want to start off by observing that Alex Greenshields and Michael Sayre certainly outdid themselves in creating an interesting and novel scenario. Set in the nation of Razmiran, the Pathfinder are tasked with establishing a new lodge at the invitation of an enigmatic member of the theocratic leadership of the country, and with recruiting allies to the Society from within the country itself. The story lends itself well to a sense of cloak-and-daggers, sussing out who amongst the villagers of Prophet's Rest is trustworthy, and who isn't. The slow burn of repairing the keep crescendos into an exciting third act that really lets the players reap the benefits of their careful work beforehand.

Where the scenario fails, however, is its obtuse, cumbersome keep repair system. While the rules were rather detailed, and deliciously nuanced, I found myself struggling to keep the group on track to finish in our four hour time slot. In the end, we ran an hour over, and even then I had to curtail a lot of roleplaying to get there.

This scenario definitely feels like it fits well into an adventure path, or another product where players can take their time and really get to know the cast of characters they are working with. Instead, I had to present summaries of information I would have rather revealed organically.

I am always happy to see new mechanics and new ideas in Society. I think it's important to keep things varied, so we don't just have to play or run linear dungeon crawl after linear dungeon crawl. However, I think this scenario was published before it's ready, and that the developers really need to reexamine its running time, or provide better tools for keeping it closer to the four-to-five hour time slot PFS2 scenarios are supposed to occupy.

Another problem I had with the scenario is its reward schemata. The scenario utilizes a design philosophy I dislike, which I refer to as "luck-gating," where you only receive treasure if you get lucky on a die roll. To me, there is no risk to these checks, so losing out on the treasure feels more like simply bad luck rather than some sort of calculated gamble. Furthermore, a significant amount of treasure is tied to an obscure sentence at the end of the scenario, and one that campaign management has not, as of the time of publishing this, deigned to clarify. Depending on clarifications I might restore a star to the scenario, but as it stands the overloaded nature of the scenario, combined with its rather unfavorable reward scheme, make it middle-of-the-road at best.

If you are looking for a different kind of adventure and don't mind running long or (potentially) missing out on a lot of gold, Lodge of the Living God is for you. If you're looking for a one-off story in your home campaign, definitely give this one a look. As for me, I think I'll hold off running it again for Society until we get some clarification on how that treasure works--lest my players revolt.


Great scenario, but needs a well-prepared GM

5/5

From a scenario point of view, this is fantastic. Great premise, cool NPCs, a skill challenge that feels like it means something, some expected and some unexpected combats. Played low tier with 6 and had a great time! The village made me nostalgic for the village of Hommlet, with named NPCs with motivations rather than just a DC.

I can see how a GM who was winging this could fall behind, and the skill challenge could drag. We had a very well-prepared GM, who had flow charts for the skill challenge that I think was key to making it run properly. Having a visual aid to keep the players engaged and informed was crucial for that scene to work. (Great job, Judah!)

I was a bit surprised time-wise that there were [#] combat encounters at the end, but it was the right level of challenge and really felt genuine in terms of what was happening. Those extra consumables you get from Pathfinder training came in very handy.

Overall, I enjoyed this immensely. Probably my favorite season 1 scenario I've played so far.


I have the same opinion than Andreww.

2/5

It is too long. We were 5. I was a level 4 with 3 level 1 and 1 level 2

The starting section was great! And than there the skill challenge. Too long!

6 hours.

and than the end.

It is sad there a lot of potential, but it feel it they tries to create a module with a scenario.

As for the answer of Scott Young. Having a very well-prepared Gm (and a community behind it) and to create visual aid mean there a problem with the scenario by himself. In fact, you need the skill challenge into a boardgame for that to make sense. Which is in my opinion, a fault. A scenario shouldn't need to do extra work.

A good point is that assurance is useful even at level one.


One of the Best I've ever played

5/5

I played this tonight with a pretty varied group. 2 fighters (of which I was one), 1 rogue, 1 monk, 1 champion, and 1 divine sorceror. We played in the high tier. I was the only person with expert crafting and boy did we need it. I saw somebody posted a negative review because it took 6 hours to complete. I think the biggest problem people will experience is not lack of GM preparation, although that will happen, but group apathy. Too many people turn their brains off when it is not their turn to roll dice. This scenario requires people to focus, pay attention to the mechanics, and think about what they want to do, and how best to use the skills each PC brings to the group. In my opinion, that's awesome and deserves a 5-star rating. I would recommend playing with a smaller group if possible. Again, if people run into problems, it is most likely because they are either not paying attention or because they don't want to give into the system. I think you minimize that chance by playing with a smaller group.


Great scenario with a few caveats

5/5

This is a great scenario, and I really loved it. I enjoyed GMing it, and my players had a blast. This is one that I would be happy to throw into a home game with only minimal changes, for which it gets that coveted five star rank.

That being said, I have two major caveats:

1. I would only recommend this to experienced GMs. Not only is there a lot of prep involved, but the game can also seriously drag if your execution is not on point.

Very mild mechanical spoilers for prospective GMs:
There is a particularly mechanically tricky and skill-intensive section that takes up the middle third of the scenario as PCs work toward a set goal. It looks great on paper, but anyone who has run this sort of adventure before probably knows how difficult this can be to execute.

Not helping matters is that the PDF provides only a sub-par way to track this section. I recommend reading the GM forums for more info, and PFS prep for additional resources to help run the game.

2. The time commitment is greater than a typical scenario. In theory, this scenario is manageable in 4 hours (we finished in 4:15). Realistically, most GMs can expect this to take around 5 hours, which is the current consensus on the forums. There is a LOT of content (and I'm not complaining). In a home game, I would split this up into two 3-4 hour sessions to allow extra time for role play and character development. Society GMs - well, good luck.


21 to 25 of 26 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | next > last >>
Paizo Employee Webstore Coordinator

10 people marked this as a favorite.

ALL HAIL THE LIVING GOD!

Er, I mean... Announced for April! Image and description may change before release date.

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Coming up with the backstory of who you pissed off to get assigned to deal with this f@#!ery is going to be hilarious.

Paizo Employee Organized Play Developer

9 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:

Coming up with the backstory of who you pissed off to get assigned to deal with this f*~#ery is going to be hilarious.

At one point in time, I suggested the cover could just be Venture-Captain Holgarin Smine staring directly at the viewer with smoldering disapproval. We did not go that route, but I know in my heart that Smine's gonna have that look on his face every time his "neighbor venture-captain" comes up in conversation.

Grand Archive

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Ooooh!!! O_O
I'm... VERY curious...
I'm also VERY happy to have a PFS sub! :P

Grand Archive

1 person marked this as a favorite.

So, let me get this straight. We are *choosing* to enter Razimir?

:-)

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

We got volunteered.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Your character agreed on mission the moment player agreed to play the scenario ;D

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I’d need a bribe then.

Sovereign Court

12 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I feel like the part that no one is talking about is that this is written by Alex Greenshields.

You know, right?

Red Harvest?

A Case of Missing Persons?

THE DALSINE AFFAIR?

Nothing good is coming of this scenario.

That being said, I am so excited to run/play this. I _love_ Alex's scenarios.

Advocates

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps Subscriber
Iammars wrote:

I feel like the part that no one is talking about is that this is written by Alex Greenshields.

You know, right?

Red Harvest?

A Case of Missing Persons?

THE DALSINE AFFAIR?

Nothing good is coming of this scenario.

That being said, I am so excited to run/play this. I _love_ Alex's scenarios.

........Oh dang. One of those scenarios was the only TPK I ever had. And it WASN'T Dalsine Affair (surprisingly, we survived that one...). I'm very excited.

Scarab Sages

Rysky, isn't it ALWAYS Valsin?

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Razmir? Mending fences?

(X) DOUBT

Paizo Employee

8 people marked this as a favorite.
TOZ wrote:

Razmir? Mending fences?

(X) DOUBT

I mean, if I were an evil god with my own country and a lot of bad press because of my "inhumane" government practices and "doubtful divinity", I'd definitely want to establish a good relationship with the only organization printing an internationally distributed news journal. And I'd encourage my priests to enlist and take every job that seems like it even might get me a front page article with a title like "Razmiri Priest Saves Orphans From Abuse" or "Razmiri Pathfinders Rally to Save River Kingdom from Sedition". Especially if I also had one of my non-Pathfinder priests inciting said sedition, so that no matter what happens, I'm on the winning side.

Just as like, a couple examples.

Silver Crusade

Aaaand the Society is allowing it >_<

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Memo: the Society isn't a Good organisation.

Silver Crusade

Gorbacz wrote:
Memo: the Society isn't a Good organisation.

But it has factions that are.

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Rysky wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
Memo: the Society isn't a Good organisation.
But it has factions that are.

They hopefully won't stand in the way of two prospering businesses leveraging core overlapping competencies to maximize profit and ROI!

Silver Crusade

3 people marked this as a favorite.

*steeples fingers*

I foresee a lot of infamy accrual comming up.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Rysky wrote:

*steeples fingers*

I foresee a lot of infamy accrual comming up.

C'mon. We all know that when Razmir gets richer, his divine wealth trickles down to every happy well-behaved citizen of Razmiran.

Of course, there are some not-well-behaved citizens who fail to see that happen but ... that's on them.

Silver Crusade

Yeah you couldn’t pay me to play a Razmiran.


What if I would tell you that the thing I offer you is

*shanks the knife under Rysky's ribs*

the chance to see your loved ones again? That's my offer on the table, all I want in return is all your money. Feelings are priceless, eh?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ALL HAIL RAZMIR HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

... a pitiful d4 is what you offered me.

I had no hopes or expectations for this wretched place and was still let down.

Paizo Employee Organized Play Developer

7 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:

... a pitiful d4 is what you offered me.

I had no hopes or expectations for this wretched place and was still let down.

I laughed really hard at that. Thank you, Rysky!

I think an important element to keep in mind for the social dynamics of Razmiran and the Pathfinder Society is that we, as outside observers, have a lot of information people in-world don't. Razmir's priests (and probably not the lowest ranking ones), well-educated Starstone scholars, and probably a few old and powerful beings know that Razmir isn't really a god, but they're probably the only ones. And even for people who do know or suspect, not actually being a god isn't necessarily a big deal. There are entire cultures who worship things like eidolons or the power of undeath because they find those forces more reliable than "real" gods. The guy who levels the cities of non-believers and keeps the dragons from eating everyone probably feels a lot more divine than the one who doesn't.

There also hasn't really been a living god other than Razmir flouncing about Golarion since Aroden activated the wrong divine aeon stone and blew a hole through his noggin (according to a gnome I met once). That means that getting agents inside Razmiran or convincing a Razmiri priest recruited into the Society to spill any beans at all about "the truth behind the iron-masked curtain" would be the scoop of the century and exactly the kind of thing the Society would be willing to take some risks for.

So maybe look at this like, I don't know, Rocky IV where the Pathfinder Society is training in Russia and both sides are pretty sure they're enemies but the chance for a new understanding, mutual respect, peace, or even just payback is enough to keep both parties at the table until the bell rings and someone has to be the winner.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

It’s an interesting position, having run/read all of the Society content that gives you a perspective outside of a Golarion native. Kind of like you have many scrying portals open to all of the events, watching but unable to change more than minor details.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

^w^

And *nods* Even if he was a god mine and my character's reactions wouldn't change much. There's lot of Evil gods in Golarion, do you let them all tell you what to do?

... so about those Infamy rules?

Paizo Employee Organized Play Developer

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:

^w^

And *nods* Even if he was a god mine and my character's reactions wouldn't change much. There's lot of Evil gods in Golarion, do you let them all tell you what to do?

... so about those Infamy rules?

Follow up with me after you play this one :)

Silver Crusade

Michael Sayre wrote:
Rysky wrote:

^w^

And *nods* Even if he was a god mine and my character's reactions wouldn't change much. There's lot of Evil gods in Golarion, do you let them all tell you what to do?

... so about those Infamy rules?

Follow up with me after you play this one :)

Okies!

Grand Lodge Premier Event Coordinator

Sounds like a perfect time to start a Razmiran priest as my next character. Thanks!

Advocates

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps Subscriber

:o That cover art!!!

Silver Crusade

I expect a higher than normal chance of explosions ^^

Grand Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Is anyone able to download this yet? It got charged to my subscription and I have not been able to download the PDF yet. Am I too early for it yet?


4 people marked this as a favorite.
Iammars wrote:

I feel like the part that no one is talking about is that this is written by Alex Greenshields.

You know, right?

Red Harvest?

A Case of Missing Persons?

THE DALSINE AFFAIR?

Nothing good is coming of this scenario.

That being said, I am so excited to run/play this. I _love_ Alex's scenarios.

Thanks so much :) Always nice to get positive feedback, especially during these trying times.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

What the...

Silver Crusade

So, I don't know where to post this, but I am GM'ing this scenario next week, and one of the monsters is listed as AC 1. Anyone know if there is a correction somewhere?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

It may have been brought up in the GM discussion thread.

Shadow Lodge

The Challenge Point chart at the back also has an error in it, listing the same information twice when there should be a subtier difference in there somewhere.

Grand Lodge

Errata: The statblocks for the Skeletal Giant and the Elite Skeletal Giant seem to be identical. (p. 27)

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