Key Plot Points in History of Ashes

[Ackbladder]

I'm running CotCT (converted to PF2e) and my group just finished Book 2. Looking ahead, I don't feel a History of Ashes will be a good fit for my group makeup, and I'm not really looking forward to running it myself (not really criticizing it as a chapter, just not the vibe I'm looking for).

I'm trying to make a list of key plot points that are furthered or introduced or resolved in History of Ashes before I look at modifying or replacing it, and so far I have the following:
1) some more Red Mantis involvement, intro of Cinnabar
2) Longacre building (Maiden and Mantis - will probably keep this)
3) exposition on pages 254-255 of Anniversary Edition
4) Song of Spirits and Infused Weapons&Armor/Soul buffs

I also seem to remember Sial showing up sometime in Book 4, but this may be from the original AP, and so far it seems he and Laori are just hanging out and plotting in Kaer Maga.

Anything that I'm missing? I'm thinking of replacing this with Night of the Frozen Shadows (converted to PF2e and up-leveled) which I've always liked but never had a chance to run.

Any advice appreciated - just want to make sure I'm not missing any major plot beats that would leave gaps or holes later.

[AwesomenessDog]

You meet Sial in the Thrall of the Acropolis dungeon (not that you are keeping it) in the original but not the remaster, though honestly you can probably just have Laori if your party isn't/wouldn't be trying to convert her and skip the "friend/foe" subplot.

The party still has to travel to Scarwall so they will still be going through Shoanti lands, my suggestion would be then to cut out the entire "becoming Sklar Quah" plot and just have Thousand Bones lead the spiritual séance at the end of the book when they arrive to him. It lets you keep all the importance of Shonati, still learn their history and the history of the Midnight's Teeth, still keep Thousand Bones as an important figure for peace between Shoanti and Korvosa, and allows the Mantis raid against the camp (maybe just reskin the chieftain as Krojun, or they kidnap Thousand Bones so they have to go back to the Longacre Building to save him and finish the séance), and it keeps the Son of Spirits etc. mostly as is.

I might also add in the Academy of Secrets module as a good cover for "why the PCs are back in town" and to give them political immunity when the Queen has likely made them outlaws. Ofc, it also helps them cover the full number of levels you would otherwise need without too much rapid level up (and I always enjoy adding Lorthact in as a quiet antagonist to Korvosa as a whole).

I haven't done Night of the Frozen Shadow, so I don't know how long it is, but if you have some travel encounters, plus the camp raid, plus say NotFS, that can be a level; Academy of Secrets can cover another level; and then the Deaths Head Vault is the third and final level for this module to keep you on track.

[Ackbladder]

AwesomenessDog wrote:

I haven't done Night of the Frozen Shadow, so I don't know how long it is, but if you have some travel encounters, plus the camp raid, plus say NotFS, that can be a level; Academy of Secrets can cover another level; and then the Deaths Head Vault is the third and final level for this module to keep you on track.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Night of Frozen Shadows is a full 1/6 chapter of Jade Regent, so lots of material for 3-4 levels of advancement, especially if I keep Deaths Head Vault.

I'll probably still buy a PDF of Academy of Secrets since it sounds like a good adventure (and useful background info). I'm debating stretching the levels out a bit further to give the players a chance to experience 19-20 instead of stopping at level 17, since I hear that PF2 stays playable to the end, and it might be cool to actually get to use some L10 spells and capstone powers etc.

Also, does anyone remember where Mandravius' companions or group was described? I remember reading about who got what body parts somewhere, but I can't find it so either I'm reading around it or perhaps it was in the epilogue from the original volumes and I will need to dig my paper copies out of storage.

Thanks!

[AwesomenessDog]

I actually stretch most of the AP's to cover the full 20 levels (even in 1e), so aside from having to stretch book 5&6's monsters to be higher CRs to match the party, it should be easily doable, especially if you're already remaking everything for 2e anyway.

Mandravious is first described by Neolandus after rescuing him and heading north, but more detail is given by the Sun Shaman once the party earns the right to know by being Sklar-Quah. In your case, since you are probably just having Thousand Bones give the info, it should be him then who also knows and gives the info, and since he's more diplomatic and wanting to make peace, it makes sense for him to skip the big insider requirements. (It also makes some sense that he knows this info as the Skoan-Quah broke away from the Sklar-Quah because of differences in their hatred or willingness to make peace with Korvosa; you can maybe even add this fact to his retelling of the story.) I believe the remaster book mentions all the artifacts and who got what at the end (I know they retconned the Sklar-Quah shaman to be female in the remaster.)

Also also, a separate piece of advice, since you're about to start book 3, in the original, there were a lot of undertones and hints about both Kroft and Endrin having crushes on each other but never really acting on it. The remaster wrote those out, especially in Kroft's reaction to Endrin's death at the beginning of book 3. It's a nice arc to follow, especially when you in theory can rescue him and bring him back to the rebellion in the remaster because they added the Deathshead Vault. Maybe the party realizes and pushes them together and they can become King and Queen at the end, or maybe the party is as oblivious as they are to each other's feelings.