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As always, drops here on the forums first:
Name: The Dead God's Deliverance
Launch Marathon: Already happened
End Marathon: August 2026
Party: The Aroden 5. All longswords, all humans, all green and gold, all day.
The Deliverance: Order of the Amber Die members are largely of the belief that the reason The Dead God's Hand took seven years to release was that inside its pages, the Last Azlanti shall return. We're fully aware of what has been said previously about this possibility. Still, we believe.
What's New: This project was super secret and is well underway. Expect teaser drops in advance of the product release. Very soon.
What's Also New: We had to put this one together on short notice, and it completely bumped our plans to launch The Phoenix Fatality until at least January 2027.
What's Fun: We dialed up as much green and gold as we could get to impress Aroden upon his return, then realized we were sitting inside it the whole time. You've always seen our backdrops, but did you know our studio was actually green? Get ready to see where we've shot blog photos and knocked out Adventure Paths for the past thirteen years. No backdrops for this run.
Guests: True story, the first time Order of the Amber Die was ever featured, was back in 1997. Author Peter Woodworth published one of our themed adventuring parties in Star Wars Adventure Journal #13. Pete is playing as a live-NPC in this project, more details to come!
We'll do what we can to dance around our NDA, and ask Erik Mona extra nice to let us tell you more! Fire off your questions and we'll see what we can answer.
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What do you mean "return"?
He's been here the whole time...just not as a god.
Go talk to the hermit on that little island (The Hermitage) off the southwest tip of Mediogalti Island. He'll give you the 411 on your favorite last Azlanti!
Ah yes, return does indeed have many meanings. Return from a location? Return from the dead? Return to take his rightful place?
The players each have their own take on this, represented by the character they chose to play. We'll introduce the party in the first blog, a couple weeks from now.
Before we started the adventure, certain players in the group were convinced that it would be something we might come across inside the adventure -- perhaps proof of life? A year or time that he will rise again? A method of doing so? It will be fun to see what we discover!
Off to try and talk to the hermit again...
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Thanks! Our second marathon launches tomorrow morning, it's getting really difficult to contain our excitement! Keep an eye on the Paizo Blog next week.
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Are these sessions (I assume they're gaming sessions) going to be on YouTube?
If so, starting when?
You got it, they are serious gaming sessions, complete with data we track and notes we keep to provide feedback for authors and developers. Our primary job is to play material, so we rarely even stop to edit any video we do have, since that would take significant time away from our main role (play /report). We'll occasionally drop some clips from our sessions on our YouTube, and if we get some time off between projects we might throw something together like this video from the end of The Abomination Arsenal. For raw video that we dump after our sessions (including an inside look at OAD marathons) our Patreon is the place to go.
As for drop dates, this project was played entirely in secret, so anything we drop before product release has to go through Paizo -- but you'll get your first view of things this week on the Paizo blog!
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Thank you for sharing Adam! It looks amazing and I cannot wait to see and hear more!
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Thank you for sharing Adam! It looks amazing and I cannot wait to see and hear more!
Elorebaen, thank you, and thanks for your support all these years, I speak for the team here too!
This project is one that is very personal for us, since we know so many of the authors and developers that were the original players in this adventure. As time would have it, we had to wait a while for its release; but when we got the go-ahead to run it, we then had to scramble and put together several sessions and a team that could play a lot of hours on short notice. It's all part of the excitement of doing what we do in the industry!
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Just stopping by to say that the art for the characters looks absolutely fantastic, I'm totally in love. Very Darkest Dungeon, but they have a kind of Elric or Red Sonja look as well. Erik seriously did an amazing job.
Erik here. Thank you glad you like’em!
These were a blast to create. Pulled out some old Xerox scanning tricks to get the grungy look we wanted.| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I am so looking forward to this! :-)
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Just stopping by to say that the art for the characters looks absolutely fantastic, I'm totally in love. Very Darkest Dungeon, but they have a kind of Elric or Red Sonja look as well. Erik seriously did an amazing job.
Totally agree! Darkest Dungeon hits close to home here, just finished my first Grand Slam run in DD2. Not kidding though, we got these portraits from Erik and went straight to have them printed at top quality right away. What was really cool was that every player was given different versions of their character: grungy (as seen in the blog), more grungy (as seen on the placards), REALLY grungy (as seen on the GM screen), and a whole other level of grunge (yet to be featured). Members of the team even have their portraits on their phones as wallpaper!
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One question: will we be privy to the party's character sheets at some point? I seem to remember the last OAD adventure I followed I had to try to work out the sheets by watching what folks did. That's hard. :-)
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One question: will we be privy to the party's character sheets at some point? I seem to remember the last OAD adventure I followed I had to try to work out the sheets by watching what folks did. That's hard. :-)
Ed, awesome to have you along for another ride, I always appreciate your attention to detail! Before any of the players begin posting character info, I would remind them that they are under strict NDA, as we are playing through this project earlier than anything we've done in twelve years for Paizo. Giantslayer in 2015 was maybe two or three months ahead of release at best, and I seem to remember the Playtest being pretty far out, but nothing compared to Dead God's Hand. We can definitely release info though, especially since the last part of this playthrough will drop after the release of the adventure.
Let me see what I can get for you...
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Betty the Barbarian! Like my pin? I'm Player Captain again because these OAD teams need a nurse to remind them to act right.
Double Slice, Spirit Damage. That's me at the top! Two hands holding two swords, when I'm not having to reach down and pick up Dorianth's banner cause it gets disarmed or taken away.
My new boyfriend is a fallen prince, sort of like my last boyfriend when I played Tess Rajani.
I like to kick things I shouldn't, cause I have a lot of rage about my god's murder. And he was murdered. Shout out to ya'll who agree!
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One question: will we be privy to the party's character sheets at some point? I seem to remember the last OAD adventure I followed I had to try to work out the sheets by watching what folks did. That's hard. :-)Ed, awesome to have you along for another ride, I always appreciate your attention to detail! Before any of the players begin posting character info, I would remind them that they are under strict NDA, as we are playing through this project earlier than anything we've done in twelve years for Paizo. Giantslayer in 2015 was maybe two or three months ahead of release at best, and I seem to remember the Playtest being pretty far out, but nothing compared to Dead God's Hand. We can definitely release info though, especially since the last part of this playthrough will drop after the release of the adventure.
Let me see what I can get for you...
Literally just deleted my character post.
This Commander is one of the strongest for potential that I have seen. Temp HP every round going to way too many people. Got to have that Aroden Lore too.
The banner has been taken once, and thrown into the seas of hell once. No more about that!
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And here I thought Aroden was truly very Very DEAD. If he returns to Golarion it will be a colossal shakeup for the AGES! Kingdoms, continents, and even other Gods would probably be all affected!
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Just stopping by to say that the art for the characters looks absolutely fantastic, I'm totally in love. Very Darkest Dungeon, but they have a kind of Elric or Red Sonja look as well. Erik seriously did an amazing job.
I HEARD RED SONJA! DID SOMEBODY MENTION RED SONJA?
Gods I would LOVE to see the return of the Sword-Devil archetype!
And here I thought Aroden was truly very Very DEAD. If he returns to Golarion it will be a colossal shakeup for the AGES! Kingdoms, continents, and even other Gods would probably be all affected!
True, friend. The players on this roster are the ones who believe the most. Colossal is the right word though. Is this a good time for a shakeup?
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True, friend. The players on this roster are the ones who believe the most. Colossal is the right word though. Is this a good time for a shakeup?
When Gorum died it rained blood and pieces of the God of War all over the Multiverse and caused war to break out EVERYWHERE!
Also we've been given prophecies of just what horrific events would occur if any other deities perished.
So I can only IMAGINE what would occur is a God came back to LIFE!
Specially with the Hellfire Crisis either still raging or having ended with massive changes to Avistan's map.
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True, friend. The players on this roster are the ones who believe the most. Colossal is the right word though. Is this a good time for a shakeup?When Gorum died it rained blood and pieces of the God of War all over the Multiverse and caused war to break out EVERYWHERE!
Also we've been given prophecies of just what horrific events would occur if any other deities perished.
So I can only IMAGINE what would occur is a God came back to LIFE!
Specially with the Hellfire Crisis either still raging or having ended with massive changes to Avistan's map.
The god, Aroden, is dead.
The being that became the god is not.
He's just a man again, living on the island known as The Hermitage.
Not much world-shaking going on there, I'm afraid.
I say leave him alone and move on.
The god, Aroden, is dead.The being that became the god is not.
He's just a man again, living on the island known as The Hermitage.
Not much world-shaking going on there, I'm afraid.
I say leave him alone and move on.
Where/when did we learn this?
Creative Director
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Where/when did we learn this?
The god, Aroden, is dead.The being that became the god is not.
He's just a man again, living on the island known as The Hermitage.
Not much world-shaking going on there, I'm afraid.
I say leave him alone and move on.
I'm curious about this too! :-P
I'm 97% sure that I wrote the entry for Mediogalti Island in the 1st Edition Inner Sea World Guide, and I deliberately left the nature of that hermit vague, but never in my headcanon was he meant to be associated with Aroden. It's certainly possible that in the 15 or so years since I wrote that entry that other books have taken the Hermitage in different directions, though. I certainly do not have a fully encyclopedic grasp of Golarion's lore these days, having shifted over to the adventure side of things several years ago...
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Where/when did we learn this?
The god, Aroden, is dead.The being that became the god is not.
He's just a man again, living on the island known as The Hermitage.
Not much world-shaking going on there, I'm afraid.
I say leave him alone and move on.
I'm curious about this too! :-P
I'm 97% sure that I wrote the entry for Mediogalti Island in the 1st Edition Inner Sea World Guide, and I deliberately left the nature of that hermit vague, but never in my headcanon was he meant to be associated with Aroden. It's certainly possible that in the 15 or so years since I wrote that entry that other books have taken the Hermitage in different directions, though. I certainly do not have a fully encyclopedic grasp of Golarion's lore these days, having shifted over to the adventure side of things several years ago...
I think it's strange that the Hermit mysteriously washes up on that little island right after the Eye of Abendego (which is pretty close by) forms which, by the way, happens shortly after Aroden the god "dies."
James, I've espoused my theory about Aroden's "death" before on these forums and you have dutifully responded that Aroden is dead.
Even though it is my theory and not yours, I still say Pharasma has been quiet about Aroden's "death" because Aroden the god and she worked out a deal. After Aroden's many screw-ups (not finishing off Tar-Baphon on the Isle of Terror, failing to finish off Deskari at the Lake of Mists, making off with those aeon orbs from the vault of Vask in order to make Kortos island inhabitable but dooming the Xulgaths, destroying the Kumaru tree and the Veins of Creation in Xopatil, etc.), he decided he was not a very good god and didn't want to be one anymore lest he screw something else up.
The deal they worked out was in return for allowing Pharasma to take his divinity away, Pharasma had to keep the secret about making Aroden a man again and returning him to Golarion (via the Eye of Abendego).
To make sure that the secret was kept, Pharasma, when she sent Aroden through the Eye, also took his ability to speak so HE would not give their secret away.
I say that saying the god Aroden is dead is accurate.
But no one at Paizo, as far as I can tell, has ever said Aroden the man is also dead.
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Aroden the man and Aroden the god are, as far as I understand things, the same thing. They're both dead. The death of Aroden in all his forms (god, man, and everything in between) is a core foundation of the setting's enduring mystery and not something we're eager to or interested in explaining. The adventure "The Dead God's Hand" gives a LOT of context and historical information about Aroden, yes, but it is not the adventure where you learn how he died.
Aroden's death is one of the things that happened at the onset of the Age of Lost Omens, along with the Eye of Abendego forming, prophecy breaking, the collapse of Lung Wa, and worldwide storms. We've never revealed which of these events was the triggering event, or even if there WAS a triggering event. The hermit showing up at the Hermitage is just one more of those events that happened that year, and unlike Aroden's death, it's something that we might potentially explore in the future (in the same way we finally explored more about the Eye of Abendego's formation recently in the Godsrain novel).
All that said, it's rad hearing theories and seeing folks explore the what-ifs. I just felt like the tone here, perhaps as a result of being part of the messageboards here, needed a little expectation management about Aroden is all.
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Aroden the man and Aroden the god are, as far as I understand things, the same thing. They're both dead.
Curious way to put it, but thanks for your take.
I'm sure both I and the members of the Order of the Amber Die will keep a close watch for any signs regarding the not-so-last Azlanti!
:-P
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Aroden the man and Aroden the god are, as far as I understand things, the same thing. They're both dead.Curious way to put it, but thanks for your take.
I'm sure both I and the members of the Order of the Amber Die will keep a close watch for any signs regarding the not-so-last Azlanti!
:-P
"As far as I understand things" is a result of me not being the only one who gets to decide what gets printed about Golarion. The setting is not one where one person has all the say as to what's in or out. It's much bigger than that. There are PLENTY of things we've published for the game (and Starfinder, for that matter) I haven't read and/or wasn't involved in because there's more content than one person can control. Or SHOULD control, since it's a game for more than just one person.
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I've told the players to stay away, I will speak alone for the next couple of months on this thread. I have only tried to act as a mouthpiece for what the players believe, which can be tricky when they can see the thread at any time.
The group will be back after we finish the playthrough and the blogs have dropped. Remember that we are an actual group, so while as GM I might know certain things, I don't stop the players from believing what they will, especially when it is fueling their enthusiasm. They have waited seven years for this adventure, and it's been a joy to watch them create a themed party in anticipation of events they hope might take place. While it might be necessary to curb your expectations, I just can't curb theirs. We have been inundated with messages and positive feedback on social media about The Aroden 5, making it one of the most popular parties we've had over the years -- in large part due to the players' hopes of what might happen in this adventure. As you will read in a couple of weeks, things have already occurred in our playthrough that have exceeded certain players' dreams of what they might discover (or what could occur) regarding Aroden. There is A LOT to be excited about inside the pages of The Dead God's Hand.
I'll leave off with what our blog said: "to be clear, we have no idea what will happen regarding Aroden in this adventure."
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I've been hyped for this adventure since it was going to be concurrent with the Absalom book, glad to finally be able to play in a few short weeks. Starting to get my terrain and scenery together - would love to know if y'all are able to answer these:
1) Is it safe to assume 80%+ of the adventure takes place in the tunnels, sewers, chambers, and warrens beneath the streets of the city?
2) If there are any notable excursions above the pavement, which district(s) are visited more than briefly?
3) If the date comes up (for background event knowledge etc), is the adventure set in or adjacent to 4720 AR or 4726 AR?
Appreciate anything you can share!
Spoilering the answers here...
2) It does not go to Absalom's city streets above.
3) If I recall correctly, it's set in 4726, but also it's pretty self-contained and can be adjusted as needed.
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I've been hyped for this adventure since it was going to be concurrent with the Absalom book, glad to finally be able to play in a few short weeks. Starting to get my terrain and scenery together - would love to know if y'all are able to answer these:
1) Is it safe to assume 80%+ of the adventure takes place in the tunnels, sewers, chambers, and warrens beneath the streets of the city?
2) If there are any notable excursions above the pavement, which district(s) are visited more than briefly?
3) If the date comes up (for background event knowledge etc), is the adventure set in or adjacent to 4720 AR or 4726 AR?
Appreciate anything you can share!
In the next couple of days our first playthrough report will drop and you will get a glimpse of some of the adventure! I've found the Absalom, City of Lost Omens book very useful during prep and play, which is why we included that closeup of the cover in our introduction blog.