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According the description of the extraplanar subtype (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/creatureTypes.html#_extraplana r-subtype) in the bestiary, creatures on transitive planes like the ethereal plans are not extraplanar.
Wouldn't this mean dismissal wouldn't work on them in the ethereal plane?
Edit: never mind, I didn't see Kestler's spoiler.
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Man-o-man did I have a fun time running this one. My table consisted of a mainly 8 or 9 level characters. A conjuring wizard, a tetori monk, a paladin, a summoner, and a 5 gunslinger/rogue. So we played tier 8-9.
Started off pretty routinely. They entered the market and spoke with Zeeva. The gunslinger had actually ran Golden Serpent in a slot previously. They preceded to get missions out of the way and wait for the Aspis. Combat started with Narris starting combat by dropping the monk in a pit. After a few rounds they defeated the sorcerer and got the mooks to retreat. After a round of actions they noticed the chanting, and the fruit veggies stands start to shake. The party decided to just back up and get Zeeva to safety since they had absolutely no idea what was going on. They party ended up bringing the shambling mounds out into the street, they didn't want to destroy the market. After alot of summons and a flying invisible monk making the shambling mounds and the quickwood where made into chopped salad. It was quite amusing watching the monk grapple and pin the tree. My table loved the idea the eating avocados gave you fire resistance. The loved they idea that eating grapes made you rage (then there were a whole lot of joke about the grapes of wrath).
After finding out about the altar and placing the broken klar blades on it they travelled back to the market and started doing just that with earth elemental summons doing all of the grunt work. I skipped the optional encounter, because we did get started late and it would not have even challenged the party. The party was then sent to the ethereal plane and I proceeded to explain the surroundings and made sure to mention that you could see through Galdron. Combat started with Galdron putting a wall of fire around the entire party except the wizard. After lots of summons, an eidolan swap with its summoner, things started to get heated (lol) when the invisible flying monk and paladin were flanking Galdron. After about 4 rounds into combat and constant reminders that you could see through Galdron and a knowledge check has yet to be rolled to identify that he is incoporeal, they were absolutely shocked and horrified when they found out that the monk couldn't grapple him and then even more horrified when the paladins smite evil fizzled. After rounds and rounds of magic missiles and the monk and paly slowly doing damage they were able to stop him.
Highlight of the game: Also probably the funniest thing the entire con was the pretty bada$$ monk trying to grapple the ghost. It was a look a pure shock and OMG what are we gonna do now. Then it donned on them that is why I kept saying you could see through him.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4
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Duly noted, but just to add some perspective, we never gave Zeeva a stat block worthy of a PC, because she's not a PC. She's not an adventurer.
I never wanted to make her, or her sister, defenseless victims—but they are individuals to whom the agents have been assigned to help. If she has a combat worthy stat block, then the players would (rightly) have some expectation of her joining in combat. That ran contrary to the mission and is something Mark and I wanted to avoid.
I think its fine to play her as written.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Played this last weekend on low tier. We had a party that only barely didn't qualify for high tier, so of course we had a relatively easy time.
Interesting point was when I used my folio reroll on Diplomacy with the Shoanti informant to turn a 2 into a 19. Getting the warning about Galdran coming at us with fire meant that we all had Fire Resistance 20 up at the final fight. I felt so very vindicated in spending my reroll on Diplomacy instead of saving it for a crucial saving throw.
Also interesting was the Aspis fight: our wizard Dim-Doored Zeva out of the fight, and the summmoner got a Satyr to Suggest everyone leave the place. So when the haunt triggered there was nobody (neither Aspis nor us) in the market. My inquisitor was one of the few people not failing against the Suggestion and standing just outside the door; she was just looking over her shoulder and going "whaa... guys...?"
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Post season-4 context question with respect to secondary success conditions:
Is it even possible for Zeeva to suffer any damage after the first combat encounter? The haunt is specifically called out as ignoring her and she's not sucked into the ethereal plane for the BBEG fight. The Pathfinders are told to bend over backwards to protect her and the 2ndary success condition reflects this... but is it really even plausible to fail this given the only time she even CAN take damage the opposition doesn't have damaging aoe attacks with which to catch her in splashes and their motivation would preclude such indiscrimimate mayhem regardless.
I guess I'm asking "what, is that too easy? Or is that a story manipulation meant to keep the players from taking her with on their adventures?" It seems kind of an oversight, as she's supposed to want to be all adventurer-y and naiively put herself in situations requiring professional supervision. The GM, if playing her "correctly", will be forcing the players to decide how to handle her desire to go join the PCs on whatever their plan is (the scenario presumes going and talking to the Shoanti shaman). The players don't know there's no combat encounter there, but they should expect the possibility of one in bringing a Chelish noblewoman out into a community of separatist Shoanti.
I would suppose that if this situation arises in play, I'd have Zeeva belatedly realize what a terrible idea it was for her to go out there just to preclude some sort of extra social/potentally-combat encounter that's not written into the script. Plus she gets to be back "off-stage" somewhere doinf her witchy divination that serves as insurance against the PCs botching the social encounter with the Shoanti.