Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-20: The Rakshasa's Court

Ran this yesterday. I had read the reviews and wish I had skipped it. Agree with all of the flaws pointed out in the other reviews, so I won't reiterate them.

I heavily modified the adventure based on the warnings in the reviews and I think it came out playable. I'm a completionist but this one would have been well worth skipping in retrospect. Setting aside all the other problems with setup and execution, basic errors like incorrect treasure tables and missing Secondary Objectives shows that Paizo didn't care about this product, and I wish I hadn't rewarded them with my money.

Reading the reviews, I’ve been dreading running this one. I finally ran it Monday and it mostly lived down to the reviews.

The first problem is clearly the mansion map, which others have covered in their comments. I needed to block off doors and areas to keep players from potentially going right to the boss fight, which I don’t believe is intended as an option.

Second problem is that we have another adventure that is just not going to fit into a 4-5 hour time slot for most people. There’s potential here for 4 mid- to high-level combats plus puzzles and plot. We ran 5.5 hours before we had to call it.

Third, it just didn’t seem scaled right. The boss fight (low-tier, 17 CP) was lethal. If this was a video game and the players had multiple takes at it, they might have had great satisfaction in winning, but with one pass, it was ugly.

Fourth, this is the continuation of a plot that’s been running for over a year through multiple scenarios. A high-level recap would have been beneficial.

On the good side, I’m finding the plot interesting and appreciate the development of an ongoing significant villain. There were some interesting ideas and moments of flavor in here too.

Clearly, from reviews, this is a deeply flawed scenario but still a key one for an ongoing plot. I wish Paizo officially recognized and addressed the problems through errata or forum comments rather than letting this thing fester out there.

The scene where they whisk you away to a room where you have to solve the worst puzzle I've ever seen in a published adventure made me want to write a bad review. The final boss made me wish Paizo would take action to remove this adventure from their catalogue entirely.

I'm serious. Paizo should stop selling this adventure immediately, and no longer endorse it as a legitimate Pathfinder Society scenario.

I played this scenario recently despite all the negative reviews I had read beforehand — and honestly, I wish I hadn’t ignored them. Let me explain why (Spoilers Ahead).

The premise is shaky from the very start. You're sent on a mission to steal from a woman who hasn’t actually committed any proven crime, beyond a vague accusation of attempted theft and conspiracy. No real context, no moral clarity — just "go rob this person." For a Pathfinder Society mission, which is supposed to hold its agents to ethical standards, this immediately felt off.

The adventure begins with what seems like a good idea: a choice between two paths — one combat-focused, one skill-based. However, the skill path features a hazard that makes four area attacks per round. That’s extremely dangerous if players roll poorly on initiative or if the encounter drags on.

Once inside the mansion, you expect to find creatures who are supposedly trying to remain unnoticed or on watch... but they’re either partying or sleeping openly. Worse still, when you try to interact with them, they're immediately hostile. There’s no room for negotiation, diplomacy, or creative solutions — just forced combat. Another missed opportunity for interesting roleplay.

The design of the map adds to the confusion. There's only one real way forward in terms of advancing the plot, but other paths are left open without any clear restriction, which feels misleading. On top of that, the map itself doesn’t match the written descriptions, making it frustrating to navigate or run.

Once you murder the party guys and explore the next room, a teleport trap sprungs. This drops players into a tight room with four statues. The floor itself becomes a hazard that attacks you every time you touch it — but what if you fly? At levels 7–10, that’s a completely reasonable approach, and it essentially skips the entire encounter. On the other hand, if you don’t skip it, one of the statues can blind you indefinitely — the adventure literally forgets to include a duration.

Another room that’s described with potential ends up boiling down to robbing or attacking sleeping people — again, not exactly in line with the Society’s moral compass. There's even a dreamlike room full of illusionary smoke that could have made for a great sensory exploration or roleplay scene. Instead, it just hands out status penalties — minor if you leave quickly, but devastating if you stay longer. Of course the adventure requires players to spend time there searching for clues on, almost guaranteeing that they leave with Drained 4, a brutal condition.

Speaking of clues — in the mansion's library, there's a locked cabinet that requires a check far too high for the party level. What’s inside? Not evidence — just the owner’s personal belongings. So once again, you're encouraged to steal for no real reason. And if you decide not to rob her? You get fewer Treasure Bundles at the end.

As a final cherry on top, many of the enemies are weak to Holy damage... but they don’t have the Unholy trait, which goes against how post-remaster rules are supposed to work. It feels like the author either didn’t keep up with current rules, or blatantly ignored them.

This scenario had potential — a morally gray mission, an eerie dreamlike mansion, strange magical creatures — but it squanders all of it. There’s no room for player agency, no reward for creative thinking or ethical behavior, and multiple design decisions that feel rushed or outright broken.

Play this only if you’re a completionist, or if you want to see just how bad a Pathfinder Society scenario can get.