Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-14: The Tomb Between Worlds

The interesting flavor of this scenario seems to be being overshadowed in these reviews by the concerns about the boss fight, which is definitely different. I loved the very effective use of the flip-mat with textual descriptions that match up to the map graphics. Players who enjoy Egyptian-esque horror tropes are the perfect audience for this. The planar shifting concept was very well done and added a lot to the atmosphere, rewarding the players who caught on that they would have to "clear both versions of the dungeon". Realistically, players are going to try to do all of one plane and then the other, as opposed to jumping around randomly in between them, though.

I ran this once before the rebalancing changes (online) and once after (in-person). The first run had 2 low-tier characters playing high tier and they definitely did not have the most worry-free adventure. This first run went longer than I would like, but the party were very cautious, took care of each other and came out of it intact. In the second run, all 6 characters were high tier. The rebalancing change sadly didn't even have an impact because the PCs all miraculously managed to save (easily) and entirely avoided the effect. There was a certain amount of shock at the damage output of the enemy nonetheless; this party was, shall we say, not accustomed to being challenged in that way, and perhaps the recent run of relatively cozy scenarios had lulled the players into a sense of security. While that fight was later rightly described as harrowing, it was far from hopeless and at no time did I ever seriously have to worry about the survival of the party. This time it ran only slightly longer than a typical scenario.

With the wrong party composition (e.g., if there was a lack of effective healing) things could certainly work out badly, of course.

This scenario is a wonderful fit for players who like flavor, enjoy challenging combat and are able to effectively work together.

Note for GMs - The 2 pathfinder agents representing the factions are described in the Pathfinder Society Guide hardback and they both have art there.

I gm'ed this in high-tier after the recent adjustment to one of the encounters. The combat remained challenging though. The players seemed engaged in the storyline and excited to find out more about the missing Pharaoh and the Osirionologists. One criticism or note that I have is that this scenario can be pretty lengthy to run. I was running it in person at a tabletop cafe, and I was scrambling to get the scenario done within 5 hours so we didn't get kicked out at closing time. Partly though, that's because with 6 players, and the corresponding enemy adjustments, combat can turn into a pretty lengthy affair. That being said, I thought some cool breadcrumbs were laid for future explorations. Hopefully, we get some art for the two new Pathfinder agents that were introduced.

Played in high tier at 24cp.

I'm not sure why but this scenario has a lot issues with its encounters. It throws level 8-9 enemies at the party on a regular basis (for a party of level 7s). Still, we managed to pull through the first half.

And then we get to the final encounter. The boss rolls high initiative, moves closer, and... the entire party is paralyzed for many turns on a regular fail with no save to get out whatsoever. The mooks and the boss move in, use their area attacks and finish off survivors. Fun. Zero foreshadowing about this ability either.

It's hard to care about metaplot when your character is dead.

And I don't even want to mention traps with ridiculous DCs that our master in thievery couldn't disable. Don't have a master thief in a random party? Oh well, have more high DC saves and nasty status effects.

The entire scenario feels like it belongs in an AP, not in a random party pfs play. At least in AP the GM could change things around. In pfs, you better have those resurrection AcP saved.

Great atmosphere, fantastic characters.

Many brutal encounters that can be overcome with the right party, fun and flavorful.

Previously the final encounter was extremely brutal but this has been updated, adjusting review due to this.

I've played almost every scenario and have not encountered anything as brutal.

In low tier this effect is greatly reduced so I would give the scenario 4 stars for low tier play and 2 stars for high tier play. Its never fun to be completely out of combat for multiple rounds due to effects you are more than likely to fail saves against.

At this point, my favourite Season 3 scenario. I have run it five times (31, 27, 27, 25 and 22 CPs), including once after the difficulty adjustments.
A very strong story line, essential for the metaplot.
Very well build in my opinion, with a fantastic idea and smart construction of the story around it.
A bit more on the combat side than roleplay, maybe.
Most importantly, it gives the GM the possibility to create a great atmosphere appropriate for what the PCs are going to face.
Interesting set of bad guys too.
And some pretty challenging encounters. One of them is really challenging and can really overwhelm a party if they don't prove careful or well equipped. Even after the adjustments, it remains a very challenging encounter, but it slightly less frustrating for players.
All in all, I love it.