
Ron Lundeen Developer |
This is a spoiler-filled resource thread for the second volume of the Abomination Vaults AP, Hands of the Devil by Vanessa Hoskins.
The GM Reference thread for the first volume, Ruins of Gauntlight, is here.
The GM Reference thread for the third and final volume, Eyes of Empty Death, is here.

Dr A Gon |

Belcorra was defeated by the Roseguard. Players get the Roseguard's signature artifacts, and they're all low level items. How did Belcorra lose?
Anyway if I were to replace these with levelling Relics, that could level with the PCs and attain the required level of power to challenge Belcorra, would there be a problem with book 3? Should I emphasise or ban certain powers when creating these?

Virellius |

Belcorra was defeated by the Roseguard. Players get the Roseguard's signature artifacts, and they're all low level items. How did Belcorra lose?
Anyway if I were to replace these with levelling Relics, that could level with the PCs and attain the required level of power to challenge Belcorra, would there be a problem with book 3? Should I emphasise or ban certain powers when creating these?
I already decided to use relics before I found out the items were statted out, Otari's Lockpick kit aside, so I made a few changes. The dagger he left in the minotaur skeleton became his 'relic' for our rogue, and I'll be adjusting some of the others. However, our overly-inquisitive investigator may find the copy of The Whispering Reeds to also be calling to him...

Ron Lundeen Developer |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Anyway if I were to replace these with levelling Relics, that could level with the PCs and attain the required level of power to challenge Belcorra, would there be a problem with book 3? Should I emphasise or ban certain powers when creating these?
No, I think that would be kind of neat. I think you should emphasize the themes of each member of the Roseguard that are present in the items, and you can't really go wrong.

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On the interactive map of the prison level, there's no way to disable the dotted lines indicating the crawlspace from the hidden entrance in D17 to D21. Characters shouldn't be able to see this from the D17 side as they would have to pass through the illusory floor in that cell.
Yup. I fixed it with copy+paste and the spot healing brush/ patch tool in Photoshop.
You can do a pretty good repair with GIMP and copy/paste, albeit without the sophisticated in context tools that Photohsop provides.

Bardo_RS |

I noticed a couple of times that its lists treasure as Alchemist Tools (expanded) (C25 for example) but I can't seem to find the item. There is an Alchemist Lab (expanded), so I planned on using that, but if there are expanded alchemist tools, where can I find them?
Same thing here. I take the expanded Alchemist Lab to use.
Alchemist tools in Nethys.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?Category=6&Subcategory=10
But dont make sense at all.

Ron Lundeen Developer |
I noticed a couple of times that its lists treasure as Alchemist Tools (expanded) (C25 for example) but I can't seem to find the item. There is an Alchemist Lab (expanded), so I planned on using that, but if there are expanded alchemist tools, where can I find them?
Ah! You must have the updated version of the Core Rulebook. This was an item in the first printing, but doesn't exist any longer. It was worth 55 gp, if you want to replace it with something of similar value.

vagrant-poet |

I honestly don't know what this is a reference to, I haven't noticed any story beats that go missing between books 1 and 2.
Although, truth be told I only ever have that issue if a new adventure book has weak connective tissue to the previous adventure. And Abomination Vaults couldn't be more interconnected.
Maybe there's a story seed that the GM expected more detail on, but was supposed to just be a seed. Lot's of adventures have seeds like that, and their good avenues creativity on purpose,is my understanding.

Dartraks |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Someone in this module really hates rogues. Lots of creatures with All Around Vision preventing flanking or immunity to precision damage. Hopefully won't be as noticeable the deeper the players get.
I ended up house ruling that ghost touch runes allow precision damage on ghosts at least, it doesn't solve all the problems but with a swashbuckler and a precision ranger they were getting totally destroyed by ghosts, and ghost touch allowed precision damage on ghosts in PF1E, not sure why that was changed. Not like a swashbuckler or rogue does more damage than a fighter who optimizes for damage anyway, and fighters get 100% of their damage on ghosts back with the rune.

Djinn71 |

Deriven Firelion wrote:Someone in this module really hates rogues. Lots of creatures with All Around Vision preventing flanking or immunity to precision damage. Hopefully won't be as noticeable the deeper the players get.I ended up house ruling that ghost touch runes allow precision damage on ghosts at least, it doesn't solve all the problems but with a swashbuckler and a precision ranger they were getting totally destroyed by ghosts, and ghost touch allowed precision damage on ghosts in PF1E, not sure why that was changed. Not like a swashbuckler or rogue does more damage than a fighter who optimizes for damage anyway, and fighters get 100% of their damage on ghosts back with the rune.
I did exactly the same thing. I have a four person party with a Swashbuckler, a Precision Ranger, and a Rogue (and an Oracle, whose Greatsword + Magic Weapon is the only reason they survived against Incorporeal before they got Ghost Touch runes).
The All Around Vision isn't so bad because the Swash has Tumble Behind and the Rogue has Scout's Charge and they're both using Rapiers so the crit effect comes up regularly.
Volluk Azrinae absolutely stomped them before they came back (after fleeing) loaded to the gills with AoE and 1 rounded him.

vdubxray |
Hey, I have been reading through the book and the devil Urevian who wants Carman Rajani's soul says that he has committed murder in his past. But reading about Carman in the toolbox section of the book, there is nothing about him murdering anyone. Is the devil just saying it to make it easier for the players to take the deal, or did I miss something about Carman somewhere in the book?

Deriven Firelion |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

Hey, I have been reading through the book and the devil Urevian who wants Carman Rajani's soul says that he has committed murder in his past. But reading about Carman in the toolbox section of the book, there is nothing about him murdering anyone. Is the devil just saying it to make it easier for the players to take the deal, or did I miss something about Carman somewhere in the book?
I don't think they explicitly state it, but could be part of his many crimes. Or it could be a lie.

andreww |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hey, I have been reading through the book and the devil Urevian who wants Carman Rajani's soul says that he has committed murder in his past. But reading about Carman in the toolbox section of the book, there is nothing about him murdering anyone. Is the devil just saying it to make it easier for the players to take the deal, or did I miss something about Carman somewhere in the book?
My group didnt want to take the deal and so tried to fight him. Unfortunately he split the party with Wall of Force and their fighter was trapped with him and bleeding to death with a very unpleasant infernal wound. The ended up having to make a deal or lose their fighter which none of them were happy about but that's devils for you.

Deriven Firelion |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |

vdubxray wrote:Hey, I have been reading through the book and the devil Urevian who wants Carman Rajani's soul says that he has committed murder in his past. But reading about Carman in the toolbox section of the book, there is nothing about him murdering anyone. Is the devil just saying it to make it easier for the players to take the deal, or did I miss something about Carman somewhere in the book?My group didnt want to take the deal and so tried to fight him. Unfortunately he split the party with Wall of Force and their fighter was trapped with him and bleeding to death with a very unpleasant infernal wound. The ended up having to make a deal or lose their fighter which none of them were happy about but that's devils for you.
Nice job. You forced the players to learn the lesson that you don't always win and get to do the right thing.

goodkinghadrian |
6 people marked this as a favorite. |

I know it's a pretty standard convention, but I wish the map numbering did not revert to A with the start of this book. I doubt many people will run book 2 or book 3 on its own, and it would make more sense to have the map numbered sequentially since it's all one big dungeon. So maps A through K instead of A-B-C-D-A-B-C-D-A-B-C.

Ron Lundeen Developer |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I know it's a pretty standard convention, but I wish the map numbering did not revert to A with the start of this book. I doubt many people will run book 2 or book 3 on its own, and it would make more sense to have the map numbered sequentially since it's all one big dungeon. So maps A through K instead of A-B-C-D-A-B-C-D-A-B-C.
I don't disagree. I'd further say that this book should have chapters 5, 6, and 7, rather than 1, 2, and 3.

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I'm confused about the actions taken by the seugathi researcher in C8.
A seugathi researcher observes the destrachan in the testing grounds and takes notes on a writing slate. Upon noticing the intruders, the seugathi
becomes eager to see how the destrachan performs in combat; they retreat as soon as possible to the east end of the gallery to turn the wall ethereal. Once the wall is no longer solid stone, the destrachan’s echolocation allows it to recognize the heroes’ presence and join in combat as the seugathi directs, together presenting a severe-threat encounter for 6th-level characters.
I'm not sure what wall is turning ethereal and where the researcher is supposed to be moving from and to. Does he start in the area by the table with the stairs to B21? Does he start by where C8 is labeled on the map?

Kasoh |
The corner of the Arena with the mimics and hoppers over the Hydra pit was a great encounter. I got to have the mimics shove the party barbarian down the shaft, awaken the Hydras only to escape back up into the mimic fight. A minute or two later, they enter the 'Why do we have that lever' room and the hoppers shove the barbarian down again, even closer to the Hydras. So the party fighter jumps down after the Barbarian while the ranger and oracle take potshots from the floor above, while the Barbarian is without their weapon and wounded 3 next to two hydras.
And no one knows how to kill them.
Most fun I've had with PF2 yet. The way the mimics and Hydras abilities force the party actually engage with their unique abilities and the way the rooms were designed to encourage people being shoved down pits came together in a really fun way.

Zapp |
I'm confused about the actions taken by the seugathi researcher in C8.
A seugathi researcher observes the destrachan in the testing grounds and takes notes on a writing slate. Upon noticing the intruders, the seugathi
becomes eager to see how the destrachan performs in combat; they retreat as soon as possible to the east end of the gallery to turn the wall ethereal. Once the wall is no longer solid stone, the destrachan’s echolocation allows it to recognize the heroes’ presence and join in combat as the seugathi directs, together presenting a severe-threat encounter for 6th-level characters.I'm not sure what wall is turning ethereal and where the researcher is supposed to be moving from and to. Does he start in the area by the table with the stairs to B21? Does he start by where C8 is labeled on the map?
The transparent wall separating C8 from C9. Yes, the entire thing - C8 runs all the way from the area close to C5 all the way down to the door into C23.
Yes, I interpreted it as the researcher starting by that table.
It runs all the way up and then east to reach the east wall just south of the secret door leading into C3 (right next to C5). That wall is described in the text (though not on the map) as having the control glyphs for the transparent wall.

Zapp |
The transparent walls written in Book 2 area C4, C5, C8 and C9 are really walls or more parapet. Is possible to go for C4 low-level to up-level?
I m confuse.
Not exactly sure what you're asking - perhaps it's a language barrier thing?
The transparent walls are really walls, yes. There are also transparent walls on the upper level ("Level 5: the Arena"), though much smaller:
- from B19 out to B10
- from the corridors leading to B20 into the B22/B23 rooms as well as into B25
Yes it should be possible to go from C4 back up to B12 and B13 on the upper level ("Level 5: the Arena").
At least you can go from B12 and B13 down into the water of C4. (And also down from B2 & B4 into C2 & C6). Whether it is actually possible to climb/fly back up again is for you to decide, maybe the trap doors cannot be opened from the underside?

considerably |

Yes, I interpreted it as the researcher starting by that table.
It runs all the way up and then east to reach the east wall just south of the secret door leading into C3 (right next to C5). That wall is described in the text (though not on the map) as having the control glyphs for the transparent wall.
This was my interpretation as well, though I am not really sure how it's supposed to work in practice since the pathway is too narrow for the large sized Seugathi Researcher. Maybe this is my own misunderstanding of the rules, but I am not sure how a large sized creature is supposed to move through an area smaller than they are. There is an exploration Squeeze action, but that's not really applicable in a combat situation as described.
I am probably going to give the Seugathi a wand of shrink; it makes sense with their Magic Item Mastery ability. The fact that they'll have to spend 2 actions activating it gives the players an opportunity to stop the seugathi before it reaches the controls to release the destrachan.

narchy |

Qaballa |
Why does Jafaki have a wand of magic missiles heightened to 2nd-level? As well all know Magic Missile is a 1st level spell and it requires heightening by 2 levels to get the next iteration, so 3rd to get 2 missiles per action. As far as I can tell it shouldn't do anything more than a 1st level wand apart from be more expensive.
Maybe as a 5th level item it could be a wand of manifold missiles (1st).
What's the intention here, any ideas anyone?

willfromamerica |

Why does Jafaki have a wand of magic missiles heightened to 2nd-level? As well all know Magic Missile is a 1st level spell and it requires heightening by 2 levels to get the next iteration, so 3rd to get 2 missiles per action. As far as I can tell it shouldn't do anything more than a 1st level wand apart from be more expensive.
Maybe as a 5th level item it could be a wand of manifold missiles (1st).
What's the intention here, any ideas anyone?
I personally switched it to a 3rd-level Wand of Magic Missiles since I had the same thought, and it wasn’t too powerful of an item to hand my players.

Qaballa |
I personally switched it to a 3rd-level Wand of Magic Missiles since I had the same thought, and it wasn’t too powerful of an item to hand my players.
That was my first thought but no one in the group can use it so selling a lvl 7 wand would net more cash for them. Ended up changing it to Sound Burst, so the divine caster could use it.
But that doesn't alter the inquiry.
Judg3 Na5h |
Why does Jafaki have a wand of magic missiles heightened to 2nd-level? As well all know Magic Missile is a 1st level spell and it requires heightening by 2 levels to get the next iteration, so 3rd to get 2 missiles per action. As far as I can tell it shouldn't do anything more than a 1st level wand apart from be more expensive.
Maybe as a 5th level item it could be a wand of manifold missiles (1st).
What's the intention here, any ideas anyone?
It would affect counterspell / counteract checks. Not great I agree but does do 'something'.