A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 3-6.
On an island off the coast of Jalmeray, the Pathfinders are called to action! The Society's friends at the Monastery of Unbreaking Waves are faced with a horde of sea devils seeking to level their recently rebuilt temple beneath the waves and claim it for themselves. The Pathfinders arrive just as the invasion reaches a crescendo and must fight for their lives in pitched underwater combat if they hope to protect themselves and their allies!
Written by: Dustin Knight
Scenario tags: Repeatable
[Scenario Maps spoiler - click to reveal]
The following maps used in this scenario are also available for purchase here on paizo.com:
I really like this scenario. It has a lot of cool moments that make you excited to have played it. There's a nice mix of combats and a bit of roleplay, and cool setpiece moments that make use of the environment you're in. Might even be five stars for me.
One downside is that I honestly find the repeatable aspect a bit lacking. There's a little bit of variety, but if you've played this twice, you've literally seen everything. That doesn't scream "repeatable" to me.
A thing I really liked though is the fact that underwater combat is less of a headache than in PF1. The Society even provides some basic means to mitigate most of the downsides of it, so that's a feel-good moment.
I haven't GMed so I don't know how this is repeatable, but it works well as a scenario. GMs should be well-prepared for adjudicating underwater rules, but underwater makes for some interesting combats and allows more water-themed characters to shine.
I like the mystery part, with characters noticing something affecting the actions of another character.
This adventure presents an interesting story that brings underwater environments to life in a way that doesn't make the environment a binary barrier. Good combat, some social investigating, vibrant NPCs, and even some neat scenario unique mechanics.
I did take one star off because the scenario feels very *on rails*. PCs are moved (smoothly, I will admit) from one scene to the next, with very little opportunity or inspiration to interact with the story outside of what they're prompted to do.
I do want to close with reiterating that this scenario does present a vivid, lively underwater world. The ambience is 5 star!
I had fun playing this at Subtier 3-4 and now I'm GMing it at Subtier 5-6.
It was very tough when I played it, and I'm concerned it was because of anomalies in the stat blocks, especially when higher-level creatures were downgraded to lower-level ones.
Could Dustin, James, or Linda (or another appropriate Paizo developer or editor) please review these questions?:
Temporary hit points:
Should all sea devils have their temporary HP from Blood Frenzy standardized at (level x 2) +3? This is the case for the scouts, impalers, and Baron Utomo at both subtiers. But a weak scout, which is supposed to be a creature 1, gets 7 temporary HP just like the full-strength scouts, rather than 5. The saboteur at Subtier 5-6 (creature 5) gets 15 temporary HP rather than 13, and the saboteur at Subtier 3-4 (creature 3) also gets 15 temporary HP rather than 9.
Sneak attack damage:
Should the Subtier 3-4 saboteur have only 1d6 sneak attack? The saboteur at Subtier 5-6 (creature 5) deals 2d6 sneak attack damage. The saboteur at Subtier 3-4 is supposed to be a creature 3, but also has 2d6 sneak attack. A rogue PC wouldn't get the second die of sneak attack until 5th level.
The only real complaint for this adventure is that some of the stat blocks don't have the speed of some of the monsters. The maps also don't specify where a few monsters start.
I played this once with a pregen for the Guns and Gears playtest. There is enough variety in the encounters to keep it interesting every time.
After finishing C2:Ward Failure, the scenario says the players receive a +1 striking scalpel.. I can't find any stats for a scalpel anywhere. Is this just a dagger?
After finishing C2:Ward Failure, the scenario says the players receive a +1 striking scalpel.. I can't find any stats for a scalpel anywhere. Is this just a dagger?
Basically. Same stats as a dagger but versatile P instead of S and no Thrown trait. I've always considered it a reflavored dagger, and I have a cahracter in PFS who has a scalpel which is a reflavored dagger.
