A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 3–7.
Agents of the Pathfinder Society have discovered the location of a back door into their private demiplane that puts the entire realm at risk of plunder and exploitation at the hands of the Aspis Consortium. Rather than close the access point into their adventuring paradise, however, the Decemvirate sends a crack team of Pathfinders to secure the gate for future Society use... at any cost.
Written by Larry Wilhelm.
This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
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Above anything else, I have to say this scenario is full of flavor. The mere mention that you're about to visit a sphinx which coincidentally is also a temple to a demonic lord, is enough to set the stage successfully. I was lucky enough to bring my summoner with me, a character who loves riddles, planes and obscure deities. That I was playing out of tier actually didn't bother me and is probably what helped us survive the entire ordeal.
This scenario does a great job at combining scenery with languages, symbols, deities and planes, while at the same time being nothing more than a long but challenging dungeoncrawl. There are a couple of instances for roleplaying with NPC's, but they really aren't the major focal point of this adventure. That said, those few moments can indeed be very fun and memorable. I really do hope to see Teenoch again, though I reckon he/she/it prefers to stay hidden from a certain paladin that was accompanying us.
A word of caution is in order as the fights are indeed nasty. Even on lower tier the first couple of fights hurt, yet it does not compare to the final fight. That one can easily get a character killed, which sadly also happened to us last night. The occultist took a couple of arrows too many and got turned into a lifeless pincushion. I can see why entire parties have been butchered here.
I do have to say that it felt like the real boss in the low tier is not the BBEG, but rather his henchman. Ok, a Fireball can potentially hurt, but it pales in comparison to the damage output of that archer. That is probably the biggest complaint I have about this scenario: the final fight is fun and challenging, but the actual boss doesn't feel like being the boss. I assume this is completely different at high tier though, as is the case with most casters. It didn't stop me from having fun though, and I do recommend this scenario for prepared parties out there.
I really, really like this scenario, even though it has its flaws. The location is rich in flavour, but you hardly get to know anything about it, other than scene setting. Teenoch is a great character to RP with if your party is so inclined, but otherwise it's a dungeon crawl. Fights are interesting but bland; we're entering a demonic temple, why do we only fight humans and one guardian, rather than actual demons with interesting powers? The final encounter is great because of the use of party composition and chokeholds, but did the lower floor really need to be that big? I'm all for having some room to maneuver, but now we just spent multiple turns getting face-to-face with the enemy while they cast some buffs.
Minor quibble: the first encounter gives you the option to fight outside, but doesn't really give an idea of how the patrols work. I appreciate the map for some visual aid, but the encounter is much more interesting if it's inside, where the enemies are in prime position for an ambush and have the advantage of terrain.
In conclusion: Great fun scenario and I need to see more of Teenoch. Wish the story was a bit more involved and the enemy variety a bit more interesting.
Seemed to drag on a lot. I read up on it a bit online before running it, and honestly I kind of expected more. It wasn't terrible, and I don't think anyone really disliked it, but it was pretty clear by the time we got to the second map that they just wanted to push through and get to the end, and all in all ran about 6+ hours.
I'm scheduled to run this Saturday at our local store, so I would like to snag this as soon as they go for sale. I have never bought a scenario on launch day before, so is there a specific time in the day that scenarios go up at the store I can look for? Thanks!
I wasn't able to get in on this table at Paizocon but I'm thinking about running it. A friend of mine who was able to play absolutely raves about it, saying it was the best PFS game he has ever played period. That's a lot to live up to. Is there any advice anyone has that could help me make this a memorable experience?
I wasn't able to get in on this table at Paizocon but I'm thinking about running it. A friend of mine who was able to play absolutely raves about it, saying it was the best PFS game he has ever played period. That's a lot to live up to. Is there any advice anyone has that could help me make this a memorable experience?
Spoiler:
Make sure you understand the gate mechanism.
Have the final map carefully predrawn/printed.
Make sure you understand all the terrain and lighting effects for the final battle (eg dim light and difficult terrain where appropriate).
Have minis or paper minis for the horde.
Brush up on your energy damage and objects rules - and jumping rules.
If you haven't played a god wizard before, then practice, and read/know casting times, durations.
Not knowing how to get word to the author, I'd just like to comment and say as a new player, this was a fun scenario. However, and I am not saying this is bad, but... Stargate much? Thanks.
I enjoyed playing this, and am looking forward to running it tomorrow.
A heads-up for prospective GMs: there is a mistake in the stat block for the BBEG at the low subtier.
BBEG:
Aglorn Desimere, (only a 5th-level sorcerer at subtier 3-4), is incorrectly show as having Dimensional Steps. This is a class ability he only gets at 8th level.
According to the scenario's author the appropriate correction is to remove this ability from the low subtier stat block (and, therefore, from the listed tactics)
