PFS2 7-01: Intro to the Year of Battle’s Spark—Enough is Enough

[logsig]

Summarizing discussion about the scenario from the Major Cons planning server (for Gen Con).

The following answers were provided by Shay Snow, Paizo Organized Play developer.

Q: For the “In a Pickle” complex hazard, does the hazard use one action each time it creates a new flame? Is the hazard considered defeated if its number of actions has been reduced to 0?
A: Yes and yes.

[andreww]

It is unfortunate that one of the treasure bundles is linked to an optional choice the GM may not pick.

[Beltin Amorus]

I noticed that Bartolo Posandi in 3-4 items says he has a +1 striking silver longsword yet the damage listed is 1d12+8, I would assume it is meant to be 2d8+4.

[andreww]

I ran this tonight, one issue cropped up. What is the DC of the darkness the hazard casts. I assumed it was basic rank 2 for counteracting and ended up using a level based DC but it would be useful to know.

[GM Bret]

I must be missing something.

What is the use of the Guide Civilians activity and the Civilians boost?

I don’t see any place where the PCs enter combat while guiding civilians to safety.

[The.Vortex]

GM Bret wrote:

I must be missing something.

What is the use of the Guide Civilians activity and the Civilians boost?

I don’t see any place where the PCs enter combat while guiding civilians to safety.

The Posandi Bros. (and Sister) would like a word with you and all the people trailing behind you!

[GM Bret]

Alright, that helps a little bit. It seems I am not following where the adventure assumes the path will go.

Is it assumed the PCs are bringing all the civilians back at the same time? That seems a bit stupid as at that point assuming no one brought a Summoner or Celebrity all the characters have to take the Guide Civilains exploration activity.

I would want to bring them back to safety after the second location and might have done it after the first location just to control how many party members had their exploration activities taken over.

I really wish the author had spent some word count on how these events were supposed to be sequenced. As it is, I am still not confident how the pieces are assumed to be sequenced.

[The.Vortex]

My interpretation is that you take all the civilians with you until that part finishes. The adventure seems to assume that you only return to VC Brackett at the very end of the scenario, and after Event 2 there is a line that states that you can now leave the civilians behind, which to me says that you have to herd them until that point.
And yes, if everything goes to plan, every PC has to use the guide civilians exploration action at the end.

[Matt Duval]

RE: Bartolo's damage. NPCs follow a set of guidelines for their stats that doesn't necessarily reflect their equipment. It's mainly there so the PCs get silver weapons for later and to reflect the "we're allies but don't trust you" attitude of diabolists.

I believe the darkness DC is 17 at low tier and 20 at high tier per the disable section.

My understanding is it's assumed that you collect all the civilians and then bring them back together. The PCs have limited time before the battle starts and can't afford to keep heading back to Monument Circle.

The sequence is intended to be that you go to the three civilian locations selected, then receive word the Pickled Ear is in danger and go help Roxie, then escort the civilians back through the town, fight the Posandis, then go to the citadel.

I saw some comments that people were struggling with the Pickled Ear hazard and was trying to think of anything that might help. It may be worth reminding PCs struggling with the hazard that the goal is for Roxie to be ok. I'm not saying that's intended behavior or anything, only that the building is less important than their or Roxie's lives if they can get everyone out. Also the description of the hellfire's "personality" is that it likes toying with its victims, so doing less optimal things like cutting off retreat when the PCs are advancing or putting fires around a PC to scare them is in flavor. It's at least my understanding that when the tavern partially collapses after five rounds it ends the encounter, so the PCs can't be stuck doing it indefinitely.

Also I saw someone using starburst for the fires at GenCon and adopted that and that really inspires people to put the flames out :)

[The.Vortex]

Matt Duval wrote:

I saw some comments that people were struggling with the Pickled Ear hazard and was trying to think of anything that might help. It may be worth reminding PCs struggling with the hazard that the goal is for Roxie to be ok. I'm not saying that's intended behavior or anything, only that the building is less important than their or Roxie's lives if they can get everyone out. Also the description of the hellfire's "personality" is that it likes toying with its victims, so doing less optimal things like cutting off retreat when the PCs are advancing or putting fires around a PC to scare them is in flavor. It's at least my understanding that when the tavern partially collapses after five rounds it ends the encounter, so the PCs can't be stuck doing it indefinitely.

Yes, it will end eventually. But if you have 6 characters trying for 5 rounds (well, more like four rounds, since they have to get close to the hazard in the first round), it is still up to 24 rolls against the same couple of skills. That can take a long time and become quite tedious quickly.

Matt Duval wrote:

Also I saw someone using starburst for the fires at GenCon and adopted that and that really inspires people to put the flames out :)

I used purple flame images when DMing this online. It made the people want to put those out, too - it is just: The adventure provides exactly ONE way to do so: Magic with the light or water trait. Not many characters have access to that!

Another thing about this hazard: Why is nature not among the skills you can use to disrupt its magic? Those are still flames (as evidenced by the water trait to douse them), so primal magic should work fine.

[Matt Duval]

Yea I'm not trying to present it to say any frustration is invalid only to help GMs who are detecting frustration for creative ways to mitigate it. I want people to have fun!

Thematically my intent with nature not working was that these are otherworldly black flames from hell that aren't natural fire.

But when I'm running it I want to reward creative and heroic effort so if the PCs do something that makes sense to put out the fires I have the numbers from the hazard to guide me and let them try. i would encourage any GM to use their judgment in that respect. The stat block only says what will definitely work and I think isn't the entirety of what might work.

[GM Bret]

If equipment is being given out, shouldn’t it be listed under rewards? When I am preparing a scenario, I do a search of Rewards in order to find all the equipment given out. I don’t normally dig into the items that NPCs are carrying. I did find the two healing potions you slipped into the start of the scenario, but hadn’t thought about the silver weapons people were carrying.

Is there some flip map somewhere that the CITADEL ALTAEREIN VAULTS comes from? It looks like it is a piece of a larger map, but I don’t recognize the map.

[Matt Duval]

GM Bret wrote:

If equipment is being given out, shouldn’t it be listed under rewards? When I am preparing a scenario, I do a search of Rewards in order to find all the equipment given out. I don’t normally dig into the items that NPCs are carrying. I did find the two healing potions you slipped into the start of the scenario, but hadn’t thought about the silver weapons people were carrying.

Is there some flip map somewhere that the CITADEL ALTAEREIN VAULTS comes from? It looks like it is a piece of a larger map, but I don’t recognize the map.

I don't think NPC equipment is usually listed again in the rewards section. At least that hasn't been my experience. NPCs often are carrying a random healing potion or useful magic equipment or consumables, so I definitely make a personal practice to check what they have.

The map for the citadel is from the Age of Ashes adventure path and is not from a flip-mat. The citadel first appeared in that AP, so when the PCs go there it's the same place the players may have seen if they previously played the AP.

[GM Bret]

Guess I will need to widen my searches when preparing equipment lists.

[Pirate Rob]

Bonus Bestiary, with all the missing statblocks.

[Pirate Rob]

For the Infiltration...

The Complication, should everybody roll? Everybody leading a group? One PC?

[GM Bret]

I don’t know what is intended but I had everyone roll. They lost two of the six groups they had in a party of six.

Since there is the possibility of getting the goblins after that and you only need groups equal to half the party size (2-3) it seems to work out.

[Pirate Rob]

I waffled and went easy and only made 1 roll, was going to make 2 others roll at 9 but my party got out with 8 points after a crit on the first success if I could do it again I think I'd make everyone guiding roll.

[The Dire GM]

It wasn't written into the scenario, but the base rules for Complications suggest that they are singular events handled by a single roll and are not individual challenges. It's up to the GM whether or not that's handled by a single PC or whether or not the party can aid that PC.

Rob allowing a single person to handle it fits in-line with how those rules are written (albeit confusingly), and is how our local GMs are doing it as well.

[Pirate Rob]

The Dire GM wrote:

It wasn't written into the scenario, but the base rules for Complications suggest that they are singular events handled by a single roll and are not individual challenges. It's up to the GM whether or not that's handled by a single PC or whether or not the party can aid that PC.

Rob allowing a single person to handle it fits in-line with how those rules are written (albeit confusingly), and is how our local GMs are doing it as well.

Thanks, Infiltration is certainly a subsystem I'm not familiar with all the details of.

[GM Bret]

The Dire GM wrote:

It wasn't written into the scenario, but the base rules for Complications suggest that they are singular events handled by a single roll and are not individual challenges. It's up to the GM whether or not that's handled by a single PC or whether or not the party can aid that PC.

Rob allowing a single person to handle it fits in-line with how those rules are written (albeit confusingly), and is how our local GMs are doing it as well.

I will reread the infiltration system and consider this before I run it again.

My experience was that people had no problems getting the people to come with them and this was the main way someone might fail to get enough groups.

On the other hand, it isn’t a great feeling as GM or for the table to reduce the number of civilians saved. I definitely glossed over that point.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Prepping this for later this month; I'm a bit shocked to find an adventure throwing were-creatures up against 1st level characters.

Anyone who fails a save is permanently cursed. Which means that they are "dead" unless they pay for a 4th Rank cleanse affliction at 40 gp / 20 AcP.

Am I mistaken here?

[logsig]

Darrell Impey UK wrote:

Prepping this for later this month; I'm a bit shocked to find an adventure throwing were-creatures up against 1st level characters.

Anyone who fails a save is permanently cursed. Which means that they are "dead" unless they pay for a 4th Rank cleanse affliction at 40 gp / 20 AcP.

Am I mistaken here?

You are not mistaken. However, this is easily avoided altogether by simply not using that particular attack.

[Darrell Impey UK]

logsig wrote:

You are not mistaken. However, this is easily avoided altogether by simply not using that particular attack.

Oh I intend to.

But why would this be put into an "Intro" adventure in the first place?

And I'm sure that there are GMs out there who will do it either without thinking or with malice.

[GM Bret]

A better way would be to just not use the Jaws attack as that is the only one which transmits the curse.

The sword does the same average damage and you could flavor it as the wererat not wanting to share their power (the curse) with others.