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Pathfinder Adventure Path #189: Dreamers of the Nameless Spires (Gatewalkers 3 of 3)

3.50/5 (based on 4 ratings)
Pathfinder Adventure Path #189: Dreamers of the Nameless Spires (Gatewalkers 3 of 3)

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A dream is never just a dream!

The gatewalkers’ quest for answers reaches its exciting conclusion when they return to the spooky town of Lepidstadt for a reunion with their cryptic employer, the eminent researcher Dr. Ritalson. The occasion turns sour, however, when the characters discover that matters at home have been far from quiet. The final leg of the party's quest to unravel their memory gaps and fulfill Sakuachi's destiny takes them to the Crown of the World, where ice-rimed temples, dream-devouring monsters, and ancient alien evils await.

Dreamers of the Nameless Spires is a Pathfinder adventure for four 8th-level characters. This adventure concludes the Gatewalkers Adventure Path, a three-part monthly campaign in which a team of paranormal investigators unravel the mystery behind a mass amnesic episode which left them with lost memories and strange powers. This adventure also includes an article about the mysterious elven goddess of twilight, Findeladlara; new rules options perfect for paranormalist adventurers; and strange new creatures to befriend or bedevil your players.

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.

Written by: James Jacobs

ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-504-5

The Gatewalkers Adventure Path is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle Sheets are available as a free download (1 MB PDF).

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

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3.50/5 (based on 4 ratings)

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5/5 —

Really great potential, but dragged down by issues from Book 2

3/5 —

[On the campaign, from my review of The Seventh Arch] As advertised, I was expecting Gatewalkers to focus a lot more strongly on paranormal adventures, investigating mysteries, and related horror themes, similar to Dark Archive. However, disappointingly, that feels like its really only a third of the adventure path, where most of it is spent on an adventure that feels like it hops around randomly. While the locales can be interesting and varied, the AP as a whole didn't deliver as much as I'd hoped. So as I've run it (at the time of writing, I've run the first book), I've had to make a lot of modifications, integrating new plot lines and content from other books like Dark Archive.

On Dreamers of the Nameless Spires: I'm torn on this book. It has really high high points, but has some lows and continues with some of the problematic story elements from Book 2. Chapter 1 is my favorite chapter in the whole AP, and I'm very excited to run it when my players get there.

SPOILERS: Chapter 1 is the best chapter in the AP by a significant margin. First, unlike the other books, there's a strong use of the investigation mechanics to uncover more about the main plot mystery, with good pacing of clues and contingencies for pacing out the investigation content to players. This part feels like what the AP billed itself as - a investigation to uncover a paranormal mystery. Its more signifcant because its happening in the lair of one of the major villans of the AP, and the twist is something players slowly uncover on their own, rather than being lore-dumped or having it dropped in their laps. Additionally, the whole dungeon section is very appropriately on-theme with the horror and paranormal vibe of the campaign, with some truly grotesque and spooky monsters. Love it! Really great work here. My only improvement would be the actual fight against Ritalson feeling really... mundane? I'd love to have seen more dreamscape shenanigans like in the Dark Archive adventures.

Chapter 2 starts feeling like a bit of another meaningless diversion, but the reveal about the party's past actions here along with the horrifying part blackfrost elf saves the first part of this chapter. The second part of this chapter is, honestly, a skippable slog of a trek across the ice. I'm also confused about this section, because since the party retrieves the yurt, there's absolutely 0 tension or weight around preparing for this massive expedition? The yurt just handles all their needs... unless I'm missing something.

The remaining parts of this book are unfortunately focused on Sakuachi/Snowy Owl, and while the encounters with the Dreamscrapers, Elder Thing Researchers, and Ogmunzorius are very cool and aren't just straight up combat-slogs, a lot of the end of this chapter is wrapped up in a plotline continued from Book 2 that I think cheapens a lot of the impact of the mystery, investigation, and player's actions ("it was fate that we beat Osoyo!" ...yawn). The choice to keep the powers or sacrifice them is cool, although I wish had a little more impact on the whole end sequence. This is the finale of the AP, I feel like you have more room to go big or go home here, or leave the party and world with big consequences.

Overall, I kind of wish that this was a 1-2 book AP with chapters 1-2 of The Seventh Arch and chapters 1-1.5 of Dreamers intact.

1/5 —



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Paizo Employee Sales & eCommerce Assistant
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Announced for March! Product image and description are not final and may be subject to change.
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I never expected follow-through on that detail about psychic Erutaki visiting ruins in the north, that's awesome!

Ruwido and the Crown of the World both pretty handily derail my theory that this is meant to be a tour of the Broken Lands, which is super exciting. I'm curious if this one sticks the landing! It sounds super neat.

Findledlara is always great. Here's hoping for some Ilverani goodness?
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

James Jacobs is writing this? It's going to be creepy. I can't wait!
Silver Crusade
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ooo
Dark Archive
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Well nobody expected North to mean "north pole" huh :D Nice to have finally return to crown of the world, while hungry storm from jade regent has issues as adventure the lore about crown of the world was fascinating and something that benefits from expansion and more adventure content
Paizo Employee Creative Director
12 people marked this as a favorite.

From the office of expectation management... Ruwido ended up not being a part of this adventure path. It didn't make sense for how the storyline developed, especially considering how the village was presented in Dave Gross's novel, Prince of Wolves (where the village was unnamed until it was given a name by Wes in Ruins of Fear). Instead, It's the town of Lepidstadt that plays a role here.

This one is also very much not a tour of the Broken Lands (although there's a bit of that in the previous adventure, never fear!).

Still... I'm doing my best to try to stick the landing on this one!

In the meantime, I'll see about getting the name change to Lepidstadt in the above text.
Silver Crusade
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Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I have so many characters that I've made with ties to Lepidstadt so this makes me very happy.
Liberty's Edge
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Well, anything by James, James, and Keeley is a must to play!
3 people marked this as a favorite.

James writing a spooky, alien-filled AP volume is great!

It does make it profoundly unlikely that Iron Gods 2 is anywhere on the horizon, though.
Paizo Employee Creative Director
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keftiu wrote:

James writing a spooky, alien-filled AP volume is great!

It does make it profoundly unlikely that Iron Gods 2 is anywhere on the horizon, though.

Me writing a spooky alien AP volume has no impact on how soon Iron Gods 2 or ANYTHING Numeria related might or might not get done, so don't worry about that.

2 people marked this as a favorite.

I already was super keen on running this - now knowing there's a stopover in one of my favorite cities in Golarion, I just have to run it!

(I was also happy with Ruwido, to be fair. Love Ustalav.)
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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'm very curious as to how the article will portray Findeladlara. Her alignment is set as CG, but the lore to date absolutely does not support that. She is very concerned with preserving elven culture, and she favours innovation over the creation of something new. That should put her as Neutral rather than Chaotic. She is also kinda racist, refusing non-elven followers (and the other elven gods explicitly disagree with her on this). That should put her as Neutral instead of Good, at best. It wouldn't be the first time that previously established lore has been invalidated, so I guess we will see.
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Evan Tarlton wrote:
I'm very curious as to how the article will portray Findeladlara. Her alignment is set as CG, but the lore to date absolutely does not support that. She is very concerned with preserving elven culture, and she favours innovation over the creation of something new. That should put her as Neutral rather than Chaotic. She is also kinda racist, refusing non-elven followers (and the other elven gods explicitly disagree with her on this). That should put her as Neutral instead of Good, at best. It wouldn't be the first time that previously established lore has been invalidated, so I guess we will see.

It's an interesting paradox - she spurns non-elven followers, but her cult among the Ilverani are focused on helping non-elves. Very curious to see how they handle her, not least because my own Elf Psychic is likely to wind up a devotee of hers.

Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

I'm gonna have to go read Dave Gross's books again. :-)
Paizo Employee Senior Developer
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Anorak wrote:
Well, anything by James, James, and Keeley is a must to play!

I'm excited to be in the company of two such esteemed Jameses!

Dark Archive
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I guess from the other page's picture for this book, saumen kar aren't down to last member like in monsters of myth anymore :D That or we go to place where they are still alive hmm
Paizo Employee Creative Director
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CorvusMask wrote:
I guess from the other page's picture for this book, saumen kar aren't down to last member like in monsters of myth anymore :D That or we go to place where they are still alive hmm

Not all is as it appears in that illustration.

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

Well, Sarkonis in #2 and Crown of the World here convinced me to reup my subscription for this path. Hopefully shipping doesn't kill me XD
Acquisitives
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Darnit, why does this look so good? My players are gonna wanna do BLOOD LORDS, but I'm gonna have to really make hard call here.

I am really curious to know what Sakuachi's destiny is...
Liberty's Edge
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Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Does this AP have any callbacks to Strange Aeons?

Nice cover
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Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Hasn't shipped yet, but got my confirmation. So hopefully SOON (tm)
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Waiting for someone to spoil what's in the adventure toolbox!
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The cover art appears to be a teensy thumbnail.
Grand Archive
9 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
GGSigmar wrote:
Waiting for someone to spoil what's in the adventure toolbox!

Adventure toolbox:

Paranormal Items (50/50 rare/uncommon):
AETHER MARBLE, TELEKINETIC CONVERTERS, PSYCHIC COLORS ELIXIR, VAT-GROWN BRAIN
1 new curse/disease (uncommon)
Boreal magic items (3 uncommon, 1 rare):
ICE FORGE, OIL OF CORPSE RESTORATION, RIME JAR, STAR OF CYNOSURE
Sinister items (unique):
MINDSPONGE
New Archetype: Twilight Speaker, uncommon, feats from lvl 2 to 10
Creatures:
2 new story related undead (Rare)
CROWNBOUND CONSTELLATION (uncommon)
DREAMSCRAPER (uncommon)
ELDER THING (rare), ELDER THING RESEARCHER (rare)
MINDMOPPET (uncommon)
YAIAFINETI (uncommon)

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Elfteiroh wrote:
GGSigmar wrote:
Waiting for someone to spoil what's in the adventure toolbox!
** spoiler omitted **

Can you tell more about the Star of Cynosure?

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There’s a pretty big Lore discrepancy in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires and I’m posting here in the hopes that James Jacobs can clear it up;

:
According to the entry on Ainamuuren in Monsters of Myth, when Aqakaru sacrificed herself to seal Osoyo underground, the Saumen Kar had their language wiped from existence, bar a single phrase: Saumen Kar, meaning ‘Bound in Ice’ and what they then went on to call themselves.

However, in Book 3 of Gatewalkers the PCs travel to the settlement that was built on top of Osoyo’s prison /before/ Earthfall and before Aqakaru’s sacrifice, yet there is no evidence of the language and in fact the players are able to decipher murals and scrolls in the library; suggesting it is written in a language they have the capacity to understand and Winter’s Favoured continue to be referred to as the Saumen Kar, with not even a hint given about their true name or origin, even from Ruun who remembers Aqakaru.

The backmatter article on Ainamuuren goes so far as to say ‘But the Castrovelian elves underestimated the people known as saumen kar.’ describing an event before Earthfall, when they were not known as that, and had no reason to be, for they were not bound at this point.

Also, the Elder Things are said to address the players in Common, but what is considered Common at the North Pole?

So was the tale of their language being lost simply a fable or is there some kind of ‘Rosetta Stone’ that wasn’t affected that would enable the player characters to translate the scrolls and murals in the library? One of my players is playing a Linguist who’s particular interest is the preservation of languages at risk of dying out, so this is going to be a very important plot point at my table and I’m a little stumped.
Paizo Employee Creative Director
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Catalayne wrote:

There’s a pretty big Lore discrepancy in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires and I’m posting here in the hopes that James Jacobs can clear it up;

** spoiler omitted **

To answer those questions...

Spoiler:
For the context of the adventure, the information in the adventure itself is correct, since that information speaks directly to the GM whereas the information in Monsters of Myth presents some more in-world lore with potentially unreliable narrators.

If you prefer the Monsters of Myth lore, feel free to adjust the adventure as you see fit, but for the story I wanted to tell in the adventure, I made those adjustments. If you want to include a bit of Rosetta Stone lore to let the PCs translate things at the library to lean into the interests of the Linguist PC, that's a great reason to make a deeper dive into that potential element.

The Elder Things address the PCs in Taldane, which is the assumption for Common in this Adventure Path. The point is that the Elder Things speak a language the PCs can understand, and they're super smart too, so if you want them to address the PCs in a different language that's fine... but if they can't communicate with them the encounter will very likely turn into a combat, which is (to me) less interesting.
James Jacobs wrote:
Catalayne wrote:

There’s a pretty big Lore discrepancy in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires and I’m posting here in the hopes that James Jacobs can clear it up;

** spoiler omitted **

To answer those questions...

** spoiler omitted **

Thank you so much for a swift response! I think I might use Ruun as a sort of translator.

Grand Archive
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Prince Setehrael wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:
GGSigmar wrote:
Waiting for someone to spoil what's in the adventure toolbox!
** spoiler omitted **
Can you tell more about the Star of Cynosure?

Spoiler:

Lvl 10 talisman shaped like a star made out of a whale's bone. Popular with desnan, as they think it protect their dreams.
Trigger: before you roll for a will save vs a mental enchantment spell, if you are master in Will
Effect: + 2 status to saves for [Enchantment][Mental] magic for the next 1 minute. And the triggering save gets fail and crit fail upgraded one step.

Paizo Employee Creative Director
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Catalayne wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Catalayne wrote:

There’s a pretty big Lore discrepancy in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires and I’m posting here in the hopes that James Jacobs can clear it up;

** spoiler omitted **

To answer those questions...

** spoiler omitted **

Thank you so much for a swift response! I think I might use Ruun as a sort of translator.

That's an interesting idea, but be wary of taking agency out of the PCs' hands. Consider giving the PCs a way to have first crack at translating, and if they fail their checks to succeed, let Ruun step in to help out, perhaps?

2 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Catalayne wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Catalayne wrote:

There’s a pretty big Lore discrepancy in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires and I’m posting here in the hopes that James Jacobs can clear it up;

** spoiler omitted **

To answer those questions...

** spoiler omitted **

Thank you so much for a swift response! I think I might use Ruun as a sort of translator.
That's an interesting idea, but be wary of taking agency out of the PCs' hands. Consider giving the PCs a way to have first crack at translating, and if they fail their checks to succeed, let Ruun step in to help out, perhaps?

I think what I'm wary of is

:
cheapening or hand-waving the impact of Aqakaru's sacrifice. The Saumen Kar lore is something I'm very attached to and their language being wiped from existence is a very core part of that lore. For PCs to simply be able to understand a language that was wiped from existence by a God with checks isn't something I could justify narratively; especially as being so far North and separated from other societies would most likely make it a language isolate; so there would be no similar languages to compare it with.

I'll brainstorm some ideas of giving the players agency without clashing with the lore, and again I really do appreciate you responding and for writing this adventure, I'm stressing over this because it's a brilliant story and I want to do it justice and that's thanks to you and the other writers on the AP.
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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

So is there stats for The Blackfrost Whale?
Paizo Employee Creative Director
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Prince Setehrael wrote:
So is there stats for The Blackfrost Whale?

Nope.

Spoiler:
The adventure's resolution does not involve a direct combat against Osoyo. He's a level 27 foe, so at this point, the game's rules don't support generating his stats.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Prince Setehrael wrote:
So is there stats for The Blackfrost Whale?

Nope.

** spoiler omitted **

OH SNAP!!!

I knew was powerful but not that powerful.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook Subscriber

Typo on page 14: "in the chair ia an activity" -> "in the chair is an activity"
Grand Lodge
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Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, LO Special Edition, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition, Starfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

When does the Foundry VTT Module drop for this adventure?
Silver Crusade
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Tomorrow, around 11 AM Pacific if I remember correctly
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