City of the Fallen Sky [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

What a great book!  I've read several novels in the Pathfinder Tales line, and City of the Fallen Sky is the best of the lot so far.  I'm a big fan of Tim Pratt from his Marla Mason urban noir fantasy series, but I wasn't sure whether he would "get" Golarion and a more traditional fantasy setting.  He does, absolutely.  There's a real verve to Pratt's writing, an exciting energy that keeps the pages turning as the story builds.  His characters avoid being of the cliche "stock" type, there's plot twists when you least expect them, and a surprising (and appreciated) amount of world-lore that helps develop the setting further.

SPOILERS

The protagonist of City of the Fallen Sky is an alchemist named Alaeron.  Alaeron lives in Almas (in Andoran), having recently returned from a dangerous escapade in Numeria where he discovered several strange devices from the ancient crashed starship known as Silver Mount.  Alaeron is well-rounded, three-dimensional character: fascinated by mysteries and technology, but with just enough common sense to keep him ahead of the threats he has to face in order to delve deeper into the secrets he hopes to uncover.  In trying to help out a woman Jaya, Alaeron angers a local crimelord and both he and Jaya are sent under the watchful eye of a murderous street thug named Skiver to travel to the ruins of Kho (in western Osirion), an ancient crashed "sky city" from the legendary empire of Shory.

The adventure takes the three from Andoran to Absalom and from Absalom through various parts of Osirion.  There are also well-integrated flashbacks of Alaeron's time in Numeria.  The description of these places is fantastic, and I'll refer back to this book for an "eye-level" view the next time I run games that visit these locations.

The three main characters are all well-drawn, with Skiver being particularly memorable.  Yes, he's a murderer, but he has this strange, alluring charisma which makes it hard for the reader not to somehow cheer for him anyway.  And he's gay, and I always appreciate it when authors recognize that not everyone, even in a fantasy setting, is heterosexual.  The major villains of the piece are also really good, with a Numerian bounty hunter named Kormak reminding one of the Terminator in his utter determination (and indestructibility), while a crazed Shory noble is hilarious and creepy at the same time.  The book is very faithful to the game, so Alaeron (the alchemist) uses things like bombs, mutagens, and extracts just like a character from that class would in the RPG.

If the book drags for just a touch in the middle, it makes up for it with a fantastic final quarter.  The ending is cinematic and exciting, and would make the basis for a great movie.  Even the epilogue has a couple of nice twists, and sets things up for another book perfectly.  If you can only read one Pathfinder Tales book, I'd suggest picking this one.

Faiths of Purity [RPG]

Faiths of Purity is a well-conceived entry in the Pathfinder Player Companion line, with a stated premise to showcase the "good" gods to adventurers and laypeople of all stripes, not just clerics and paladins.  I really like the idea, as religion can and should be part of a campaign setting that affects far more than just a couple of PC classes.  Starting off with what you have to admit is a pretty awesome cover (repeated as the inside back cover), the inside front cover summarizes (including portfolios, alignment, domains, favored weapons, centers of worship, and nationality) the seven good-aligned "core" faiths in the Pathfinder setting:  Desna, Iomedae, Shelyn, Cayden Cailean, Erastil, Sarenrae, and Torag.

After a brief introduction that summarizes the theme well, the bulk of the bulk is devoted to two-page entries on each of these seven faiths.  Each entry is divided into a one-paragraph summary of the god and then one to two paragraph long sections titled "Adventurers" (what adventurers who worship the god tend to be like), "Classes" (how different classes do or do not tend to fit in with the faith), "Goals" (what a worshipper of the god wants), "Identifiers" (clothing, symbols, or other markers commonly associated with the faith), "Devotion" (how lay worshippers act and demonstrate their allegiance), "Other Faiths" (how worshippers see and are seen by those of other faiths), "Taboos" (what worshippers *won't* do); "Traits" (two different Religion traits, most of which are bland and unimpressive), and finally, "The Church" (the longest section, with an overview of holy sites, church rules, holy texts, symbols, etc.).

The important thing to remember about these entries is that they explain things from the view of what everyday worshippers (and most PCs) would know.  These entries are not "high-level" church theory or geopolitical roles, but are instead insights into how worshippers behave and see the world.  They're thus perfect for players wanting to run a worshipper of one of these gods, and far more useful than material in most other books or on a Wiki.  I'd strongly suggest passing this book around during character creation if someone is interested in the "good" gods of Golarion.  Before moving on, I should also call out the artwork, which is really good!

The next section of the book is "Minor Deities" (4 pages).  This is a bit of a hodgepodge section, with "lesser gods of goodness" like Apsu the Waybringer, Kurgess the Strong Man, and Milani the Everbloom receiving a few paragraphs of description and one trait each.  Next, there are a few paragraphs (and a trait) devoted to each of the racial pantheons: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, and Halfling.  These sections were odd, in that it's not just the good deities from each of these pantheons that are covered (thus confusing the theme of the book), and there's far too little space to do each pantheon justice.  The traits for gnomes and halflings aren't bad though.  Last, there's just over a page on the Empyreal Lords (sort of demigods), with about a paragraph each on Andoletta, Ragathiel, Arshea, Korada, Valani, and Sinashakti.  There's a single "catch-all" trait for worshippers of any Empyreal Lord.  Again, there's just not enough room to make the coverage of these faiths satisfactory, and I wonder if it would have been better to save it for a separate book later on.

"Organizations" (2 pages) provides an introduction to organized groups that are outside of a faith's official clergy.  Coverage includes the Banner of the Stag (Erastil), Deepdelvers (Torag), Glory of the Risen Rose (Shelyn), The Halo of Blades (Sarenrae), Knights of Ozem (Iomedae), Starstone Brewers (Cayden Cailean), and The Whispered Song (Desna).  Two of the organizations really stuck out to me as fantastic.  First, the Glory of the Risen Rose is all about spreading beauty and artwork, and one can imagine so many original adventures that could stem from it.  Second, the Starstone Brewers are all about helping the orphans that are inevitably left near battlefields, the sites of natural disasters, etc.  Entire campaigns could be themed around either of these two organizations, and offer something very different to the norm.

"Combat: Righteous Warfare" (2 pages) introduces one or two new feats for each of the major faiths covered in the book.  I have to commend the writers for coming up with feats that are tied, flavour-wise to the corresponding faith.  Substance-wise, the feats are hit or miss, with some potentially really useful (Desna's Butterfly's Sting or Erastil's Bullseye Shot, for example) and others so underwhelming as to be forgettable (Torag's Stone Read and Undermining Exploit).  There is a drawing of a classic "bikini armor" woman on page 26 that is regrettable.

I really liked "Faith: Paladin Codes" (2 pages), which offers customized Paladin codes for several faiths that supplement what's in the Core Rulebook.  These new codes really help to distinguish Paladins from one another, and are well-tailored to emphasize the particular themes of different deities.  Erastil's code contains several elements relating to community and tradition, for example, while Shelyn's code incorporates concepts of beauty and love.

"Magic: Spells of the Faithful" (2 pages) introduces at least one new divine spell for worshippers of each of the major faiths in the book.  Overall, I found them flavourful but rather weak in a mechanical sense.  They're also all very low-level spells, an area in which clerics, paladins, and druids aren't exactly hurting for choices.

Finally, there's "Social: Religious Holidays" (2 pages).  This is the sort of thing that's really important for adding depth to a campaign setting, even if most players will overlook it (because the odds of a day "in game" falling on one of these holidays is slim).

Overall, this book is exactly what a Player Companion should be.  It provides a clear, readable, and interesting introduction to an important element of the campaign setting, it gives useful advice on how to portray and interact with that element, and it introduces some "crunch" options that aren't unbalancing.  Apart from the "too fast to be good" problem in relation to racial pantheons and Empyreal Lords, Faiths of Purity is a winner.

SFS # 1-01 "The Commencement" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Commencement is the first "regular" scenario released for the launch of the Starfinder Society organized play program.  As a replayable "evergreen", it's designed to have some randomly-determined elements so each play-through is at least a little bit different.  Its premise is that the PCs are the first batch of trainees to graduate since the Scoured Stars incident left the Society in ruin.  As part of their commencement, new graduates are expected to meet with the heads of the various factions that make up the Society.  Thus, the theme of the scenario is factions, and players should leave the session with a better idea of what the different factions are all about.  Structurally, the scenario is made-up of our four missions that the PCs can tackle in any order.  Although starship combat is absent, there's otherwise a lot of variety in the tasks--with an emphasis on role-playing.  I ran this for five Level 1 PCs (3 Iconics and 2 originals).

  Overall, I'd have to rate the scenario as average.  It does serve to introduce players to the concept of the Starfinder Society, its factions, and its home (Absalom Station).  But although a couple of the missions have memorable aspects, it falls a little flat as a whole.  These Starfinder Society scenarios are the best way Paizo currently has to showcase the "feel" of the universe it's creating, and unfortunately that "feel" comes across as rather generic and (surprisingly) silly at times.  As family-friendly, relatively straightforward entertainment, The Commencement is fine; anyone looking for edgy, thought-provoking, or original adventure elements will probably be disappointed.

SPOILERS

The Commencement starts with the PCs being summoned to the office of Guidance, "the Starfinder Society's compiled intelligence of Starfinder personalities."  From the very get-go, we have a really cool concept--an artificial composite of Starfinders!--that is let down in the execution.  There's no details provided about Guidance, such as what it sounds like, how Starfinders are selected for inclusion (is it when they die, or can the living be included?), how it resolves arguments amongst its personalities, etc.  Because of the lack of detail, a great idea comes across rather flat.  Anyway, Guidance congratulates the PCs on graduating and tells them the next stage of their membership in the Society is to meet with the heads of the Society's four factions.  Each faction head will have a task for them to complete--in the past, this was mostly ceremonial, but given how short-handed the Society is, these tasks are now anything but.  When the PCs are done, they're to report back to Guidance.  I thought this was a solid explanation for why the PCs should meet the various faction heads, and a good way for them to learn more about them.  The one thing that struck me as curious is that only four factions are represented: the Acquisitives, the Exo-Guardians, the Dataphiles, and the Wayfinders.  This leaves the Second Seekers faction out, and Guidance makes no mention as to why.  Since this mission is intended to teach players about the factions for organized play, it's an odd omission.  Anyway, the PCs are told they can meet with the faction heads in any order.  This is fine from a replayability standpoint, but it does create some odd timeline discrepancies because some of the missions themselves are time-sensitive once started.  My players figured this out, and they had to suspend some disbelief because of it.

Mission # 1 is for the Acquisitives faction, and it's a Phantom Menace style pod race!  Technically it's called a "junk race", but the idea is exactly the same.  The premise is that a young Starfinder Society mechanic named Laboni bragged publicly that she could beat the reigning champion (a Ysoki named Ratrod), and Ratrod has told her to put up or shut up.  The challenge is all over the infosphere, and the Society will face major embarrassment if Laboni doesn't do well.  The problem is that Laboni is only an average mechanic and not skilled at all with racing, so the PCs are dispatched to help her out.  I really like the pre-race part of the mission, as the PCs are given several options around trying to improve Laboni's vehicle, finding out the strengths and weaknesses of the other racers, trying to make allies or psych them out through trash-talking, etc.  PCs with a wide variety of skill sets are useful, and the advantages are all cumulative (but quite important) for the race to come.  The competitors are all given distinct personalities and racing styles, which adds a lot to the fun.  For the race itself, one PC pilots Laboni's racer via remote control, while the others operate its guns (shooting at other vehicles is okay by the rules of the race).  The rules for the race were very well balanced and made for a tight, exciting finish (my PCs finished third).  It's not easy to create a quality rules sub-system, but the author of the scenario really hit it out of the park here and it's something I could see being reused in the future.  I only have two qualms.  First, the GM is rolling a *lot* of dice during the race (Pilot and Gunnery checks for each of the several NPC racers), while some of the players end up just watching because there's not enough for them to do with Laboni's vehicle.  Next time around, a mechanism that put each of the PCs in control of their own junk racer would go over better.  Second, the scenario doesn't make it clear enough to the players that the goal isn't just to beat Ratrod, but to win the entire race.  If they (understandably) focus on the former, they have a good chance of missing out on the latter and losing the mission through a mistaken impression of its victory conditions.

Mission # 2 is for the Dataphiles faction.  The faction's leader, an android named Historia-7, has discovered that a hacker has stolen (annoyingly unspecified) information from an (annoying unspecified) corporation, and that the PCs should find the hacker and bring them and the data in before the corporation gets there.  The mission's premise puts the PCs into shady territory immediately, and one of my players, running a Lawful Good character, understandably balked.  This is another part of the scenario where more explanation is needed about a) why that information is so important; b) why the Stewards can't be called in protect that person; c) why/whether/how corporations really have complete autonomy to carry out vigilante justice on Absalom Station, etc.  It all goes to how this new world "operates", and the scenario just hand waves it.  Anyway, the PCs discover that the hacker is actually an old woman with a degenerative brain condition which makes it so she doesn't even remember doing the hacking!  It's a reasonably clever twist.  The next part is a bit harder: the old lady insists on going on the run, and the PCs are supposed to come to the idea of faking her death and setting her up with a new identity.  The scenario then assumes they'll let the old lady go off on her own and meet the PCs later so they can arrive just in time to stop an ambush from corporate thugs.  For my players at least, that was definitely not their first inclination--they wanted to take the old woman directly back Historia-7, as instructed.  A good GM can bend things to make it (mostly) work, but it would have been better if this part of the scenario was play-tested more so there was a "What if the PCs . . ." sidebar.

Mission # 3 is for the Exo-Guardians, and their leader, a surprisingly perky Shirren named Zigvigix.  Zigvigix has two things he wants the PCs to do: 1) oust a dangerous alien predator from a warehouse that will be the new HQ of the faction; and 2) stand in line to buy a hard copy of a limited release musical album named "Star Sugar Heartlove!!" performed by a group called Strawberry Machine Cake (Zigvigix wants the album as a gift for Historia-7 to cheer her up).  The first task is classic adventurer stuff, and the predator is pretty cool (with randomized abilities).  I especially liked the map of the warehouse.  The second task is amazingly popular in the forums, though I thought it was all too silly.  I may be entering grumpy middle-age, but again, I like my fiction more Nine Inch Nails than Aqua.

The final mission is for the Wayfinders, and has the PCs investigating strange power outages aboard the faction's massive vessel, The Master of Stars.  There's a subplot involving a couple of kids who have sneaked away from their daycare, and their "pet", an alien who is unintentionally causing trouble by eating bits of the ship.  The PCs can capture the alien with a few successful skill rolls, and apparently they can keep trying without penalty so there's very little tension in the mission.  The only way they can fail is by killing it.  I like the moral of the mission (Wayfinders are all about finding strange, new life, after all), but again it was all a bit saccharine for my tastes.

As a replayable scenario, I think The Commencement is not in the league of The Confirmation.  Although the missions can be done in any order and there are a few minor spots where the GM can randomly determine things, there aren't entirely randomly-determined encounters or story beats.  As an introduction to the concept of factions, I think it's okay.  The goals of each faction are reflected well in the tasks that the PCs are asked to perform, and the faction heads are definitely unique--although in surprisingly upbeat moods given the whole "Scoured Stars" backdrop to the season.  All in all, I would say it's an okay, though certainly not spectacular, debut.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 27 [RPG]

[7 Neth 4707 continued]

Inside the ominous confines of Foxglove Manor, the adventurers pause to let a disturbing revelation sink in: with the sun setting and thousands of skeletal ravens outside, they may have to spend the night in the house!  Artemis is especially concerned and even raises the idea of mounting the horses and making a run for it.  Bey and Briza, however, are more inclined to risk staying.  The discussion continues for some time, but an even more pressing concern exists: what to do about Arnald, now securely bound, who remains convinced he is Kasandra Foxglove!  After raising and discarding various plans, the adventurers finally settle on trusting in a particular incantation revealed to Bey during her last mystery-trance: a spell to hide the group from undead.  The plan is for Bey to mystically shield the adventurers from the gaze of the undead ravens so that she and Arnald can step outside to see if fulfilling the object of “Kasandra’s” desire ends the spiritual possession.  The group decides, however, that the experiment shouldn’t be made at the front door but at the other entrance noticed on their approach to The Misgivings.

Briza shoulders open a door to a hallway and notices a pile of dead flies in a dusty corner.  As she watches, some of them twitch and then their wings start to move, and they lazily wind their way into the air!  The group is worried enough that Kang decides to deal with the problem in a startling way: he takes a small vial from his belt, shakes it, and hurls it into the hallway.  Suddenly a large blast of green flame shakes the house!  The flies are disintegrated, but the horses, still tethered nearby in the entrance hall, begin to buck and kick.  Fortunately, no one is hurt and the horses are eventually calmed down.

Creepy piano in The Misgivings

A door on the opposite side of the hallway leads to an oak-panelled chamber that, once upon a time, must have been a beautiful oak-panelled parlour for entertaining guests.  But the warped floorboards, mold-covered panelling, and long-dormant grand piano in the corner testify to how difficult it would be to restore Foxglove Manor to its former glories.  The explorers feel a brief, gut-wrenching sensation of impending apocalypse as Bey draws upon her mysterious powers to shield them from the animate dead, and they put their plan into motion.  It works perfectly: the creatures outside see the outer door being opened, but are unable to detect the presence of Arnald and Bey.  Arnald immediately comes to his senses, and, once back safely inside, is set free of his restraints.

With at least that problem solved, the adventurers hurry to continue their explorations before night truly falls.  They continue down the hallway and, behind Briza’s strong shoulder, burst into a simple washroom.  Strange, furtive scratching sounds can be heard coming from an ancient metal washtub in the room, but no one is anxious to see what’s causing it.  The adventurers shut the door and agree to head for the basement since “Kasandra”, while seemingly possessing Arnald, was worried about her husband Vorel’s activities there.  As they cross the entrance hall and check on the mounts, the subject of past encounters with horrific sights arises.  Without hesitation, Kang shares that he once turned someone inside out.  From the looks the others give him, they’re not sure whether or not he’s joking.  The fact that he continually refers to Briza as his “assistant” lends support to the notion that he’s certainly an unusual addition to the group.  For his part, Artemis talks about once seeing someone trapped in a burning building, and how the memory continues to haunt him to this day.

Rats!  Why'd it have to be rats?

The stairs to the basement lead to a large kitchen dominated by a massive oaken table, its surface covered with mold and rat droppings.  An oversized fireplace, cupboards, and shelves line the walls, but Briza notices wide cracks in one wall near the floor.  The adventurers discuss what could have caused the cracks and soon hear the swelling sound of squeaking getting louder and louder.  Suddenly, from out of the cracks, hundreds of oily, diseased looking rats pour out!  Kang reacts instantly, however, tossing another explosive vial that decimates most of the swarm!  Artemis cleans up the few survivors with his archery skills.  Although the air is pungent with the sickening smell of smouldering rat corpses, no one was hurt in the sudden eruption of violence.

The explorations continue.  A room adjacent to the kitchen turns out to be servants’ quarters, while another doorway leads to a long hallway that winds around to stop at a strong, locked iron door.  Artemis tries out a skeleton key he’d brought along for obstacles like this, and finds that it fits the lock perfectly!  The door had barred access to what, in the eyes of anyone with a smattering of training in the area, was obviously once the personal workshop of a devotee of arcane spellcraft.  A row of soggy books sits on one end of a long workbench, while, on the other end, are three iron birdcages each containing a dead, diseased-looking rat.  Two stained-glass windows on one curved wall testify that the house was cleverly built to take advantage of being built on the edge of a cliff.  One of the windows depicts a thin man with gaunt features drinking a foul-looking brew of green fluid, while the other shows the same man but in an advanced state of decay, as if dead for weeks, but also, somehow, simultaneously alive and exuberant in triumph.

Artemis examines the books and can tell they’re all on the forbidden art of necromancy.  Arnald enters and scoops up one of the birdcages.  Out of the corner of their eyes, Artemis and Briza notice that the figures in the glass seem to almost be moving and sneering at them.  Artemis fires an arrow, shattering one of the windows.  Briza runs for the hallway, but suddenly receives an overwhelming urge to examine the books on the workbench and rushes back into the room.  She then freezes in place as visions pour through her mind.  She experiences Vorel Foxglove’s quest to become immortal by existing beyond death in the blasphemous form of a lich.  She witnesses him researching for years before finding a way; hiding his own soul away in a seven-sided box; and finally consuming a final concoction before double over in agony as his body begins to rot away.  But then she experiences his burning rage that he’s been stopped before the ritual could be fully completed!  And then she’s no longer Vorel, but someone who thought she loved him, filled with shame that someone she’s committed herself to could do something so unthinkable to himself.  Briza starts to race out of the room, fully convinced she has to find her child and get out of the house before her husband can stop her!

The others rush out of the room and shut the door behind them, aware that the flapping of thousands of wings means the ghastly ravens have taken flight and are headed towards the broken window.  Kang steps in front of Briza on the staircase to the main floor, intending to try to calm her down, but she thinks he’s Vorel Foxglove and lashes out with her greatsword!  Kang staggers out of her way, bleeding.  Someone shouts to stop Briza before she can hurt herself, so Artemis tries to trip her but fails and narrowly avoids losing his head from the return strike.  Briza is by far the fastest member of the group, and she takes the stairs two at a time until she reaches the main floor, and then she races up to the second floor.  She rounds a corner and chops down the door to a mold-infested bedroom none of the adventurers have been in before. 

For a brief moment, Briza is herself again—she realizes there is no child here, and that she’s been under the effect of some kind of delusion.  But then she hears a child’s voice, quivering with fear, asking her “What’s on your face, mommy?”  Briza can feel her face erupt in a tangled mass of tumours and boils and can’t help but claw at herself.  When the others arrive, they see only the damage that Briza is doing by literally clawing the skin off her own face!  Kang instantly sets to work formulating an alchemical extract to partially repair the damage, while Arnald tries to pin Briza’s arms but is violently repulsed.  Bey and Artemis try to reason with her, and Artemis seems to be getting through, when another sudden fit of hysteria leads to Briza collapsing entirely.  Her face is in utter, disfiguring shambles and her hands are covered in her own blood and bits of flesh.  Kang pours his special concoction down Briza’s throat, and she stirs.  Between his and Bey’s spellcasting, much of the damage Briza has done to herself is repaired and she realizes just how strange she’d been acting.

Just a scant few hours within the walls of Foxglove Manor has brought terror and madness to the would-be saviours of Sandpoint.  Although yet another crisis is over, night has truly fallen.  Will the evils within The Misgivings become even stronger in the darkness?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Another great session inside the very-haunted Foxglove Manor.  I think the bit with the clouds of dead flies reanimating was something I added just for background effect, but seeing them blown up with an alchemist's bomb was fun.  The use of hide from undead in order to get Arnald outside safely was quite clever, and worked perfectly.

The big sequence to end the session, with Briza getting possessed, racing (and fighting) past her allies to run upstairs, and then clawing her face off because it was "covered with mold" was fantastic.  I couldn't have scripted it better, and I think it added to the memorable ghastliness of Foxglove Manor.  Once again, the idea of "haunts" as a game concept were a great way to impart backstory without slowing the session to a crawl of exposition.

XSE (Marvel) (Ltd. 1996) [COMICS]

Ah, the mid-1990s.  My high school years, when I stepped away from comics for a hiatus and didn't come back until college.  Think of how many convoluted story lines, ridiculously large guns, and skintight suits with pockets everywhere that I missed!  But although I wasn't present for that glorious era in comics, I can revisit it now to see what I missed.

XSE was a four-issue limited series written by John Ostrander that rode the long (and still enduring) popularity of all things X-Men related.  The initials stand for "Xavier's Security Enforcers", which is a group of mutants in a future timeline that help keep the peace in the post-Sentinel world where mutants and humans largely get along.  The series stars Bishop, a mutant capable of absorbing and unleashing energy, and his dead sister Shard who is now a hologram.  Hey, comics!

Issue # 1 starts things off immediately with an appropriately confusing sequence.  Bishop is in the "present-day" Danger Room showing holo-Shard holograms from the future of an evil mutant named Virago fighting XSE.  We then have a sequence of what are best described as "future flashbacks" that provide some backstory to Bishop's and Shard's lives in the future.  It's all a very disjointed and poorly plotted framing story that makes a lot more sense now than it did when I was reading it.  The artwork is classic 1990s terrible, with even the coloring inconsistent.  I really hope something like XSE wasn't someone's first exposure to comics, as that person would have no clue what these strangely distorted, vaguely human-like figures were talking about.

Issue # 2 starts with another "future flashback" to when young Bishop and Shard were cadets at the XSE and attacked by mutant vampires called Emplates.  Shard's mutant powers are triggered and Bishop rallies the other kids until help arrives.  The incident leads to Bishop becoming the youngest XSE officer in (future) history.  We then get a new scene: Bishop's first meeting with other XSE officers, Malcolm and Randall, whom he apparently led into battle where they died.  It's starting to make *slightly* more sense, but it's not more enjoyable.

In Issue # 3, present-day Bishop and holo-Shard watch a hologram of them capturing a dangerous mutant named Mountjoy, and how it led to Shard's promotion.  In the future timeline, she uses the opportunity to develop a hologram-based prototype field agent, but the technology fails and she and Bishop argue about it.  We then have another future flashback to Shard dating someone named Fitzroy.  Again, it's all very disjointed--maybe it's filling in continuity gaps that hardcore X-Men fans would appreciate?  You have to commit to the X-Men like a Talmudic scholar during the late 80s and 90s in order to figure out what's going on, so it's possible.  Anyway, the issue ends with the big explanation of how Shard dies: Fitzroy was evil and betrayed her to the vampiric Emplates.

In Issue # 4, future-flashback Bishop confronts his now dead and now evil sister who has been turned by the Emplates.  He's forced to destroy her, but rushes the body to the lab so he can use the hologram technology she created to replicate her.  The issue then rushes through a bunch of stuff I have no idea about (something about Gambit in the future being "The Witness", and someone called Shackle?).  The mini-series ends with Bishop deciding that Shard should stay with X-Factor instead of joining him on the X-Men.

Wasn't that enlightening for all concerned?

The Buffy Comic Project: "A Stake to the Heart, Act 2" [COMICS]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 61
(Dark Horse, Volume 1, 1998-2003)


Creators:  Fabian Nicieza (story); Cliff Richards (pencils); Brian Horton (paints); Will Conrad (inks); Michelle Madsen (colors); Clem Robins (letters)

Setting:  Between Movie & Season 1

T.V./Movie Character Appearances:  Buffy, Angel, Whistler, Joyce, Dawn, Hank Summers, Lilah Morgan, Giles, Principal Flutie, Cordelia, Harmony, Jesse,

Major Original Characters:  Nil.

Summary:  In the aftermath of her parents' split, Dawn tries to cope with feeling that she's blame.  Angel tells Whistler they have to do something to contain the rest of the "malignancy demons", and Whistler says he'll figure something out: which turns out to be making a deal with Lilah Morgan from Wolfram & Hart!  Meanwhile, Giles pulls some strings to land the librarian position at Sunnydale High, Cordelia and Harmony make fun of Jesse for shoplifting (he can't afford a birthday present for his mother), and Buffy overcomes feelings of guilt for not being able to save everyone which leads to the malignancy demon of guilt dissolving into a pool of goo.

Review

The summary doesn't do this issue justice.  It packs a punch--to the gut.  Anyone who's been through a divorce will sympathise with the emotional turbulence in this issue.  I think this is one of the best of the series, and this story arc as a whole is a great way to end the run.  The issue is also chock full of small but effective moments with supporting characters.  It's really good stuff.

Notes

* There's a female vampire who uses Darla's shtick from the opening moments of the very first Buffy episode.  I'm tempted to think it is her, but it's just not clear.

*  I like the clever tie-in with Whistler being the one to set Wolfram & Hart on the path to noticing Angelus.

Next Issue

Vehicles (Pathfinder Map Pack) [RPG]

Vehicles is a very different map pack than the norm.  Instead of tiles that fit together to create a landscape suitable for an encounter, the 18 sheets in this pack are designed to be cut apart and placed on top of other flip-mats or map packs.  Everything from beasts of burden to boats to various carts are included.

Two of the sheets are full of mounts: common mounts like horses and ponies, quite unusual mounts like rhinos and giant geckos, and even a full pack of sled dogs.  Four full sheets are of different chariots, so I guess you'd be all set if you need a classic Ben Hur scene.  One sheet has a couple of sleds for the aforementioned sled dogs, another is a couple of hang gliders (!), and three are devoted to a top down view of what the back describes as a "steam giant" (a gearwork construct of some kind?--it's hard to tell with a top-down interior view).  Of
much more mundane origin (but surely more common use) are a rowboat and then two sheets that can be taped together to make a keelboat/river barge.  Last, and best, are three sheets each containing two different types of wagons, carts, and carriages.

It feels really weird cutting up a product like this, but the results look a lot nicer than I could draw or find on the Internet.  Importantly, they're sized appropriately for a 5" grid so character minis match up.  Things like the carts and mounts are perfect for PCs, but they also serve well as added background colour to urban or road encounters.  As a GM, I used the keelboat for several consecutive sessions when the PCs were making a long river voyage and it was great.

If I had complaints, it's that this was one of the map packs that was released before the line started appearing in boxed-form, so once the pieces are cut out, they're harder to store.  A second criticism is that too many sheets are devoted to weird or off-beat things like the "steam giant", hang gliders, etc.

On the whole though, I was surprised by how useful this product was--it's definitely something I've gotten a lot of use out of in the few months I've owned it, and it's made my encounters clearer and more "professional" looking.  I'd grab one before it goes out of print!

The Ghosts of Broken Blades [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Credit has to be given to Monte Cook, writer of The Ghosts of Broken Blades (a four-part series of free web fiction available here), for coming up with an original concept for a protagonist: Roubris Chour wanders old battl
efields and talks to spirits (somehow) trapped in the weapons that have killed them, promising to set them free if they reward him with information about where gold or other valuables are hidden.  But although the main character has a really interesting schtick, the story as a whole is only average and a few elements don't seem to really fit Golarion.

SPOILERS

Roubris finds a surprisingly self-aware trapped spirit named Serth that promises him great wealth (hidden in an ancient temple near the Worldwound) if Roubris will set him free.  Although Roubris suspects a trap, the promise of riches is enough to convince him to check it out, and he travels there with his friend Karatha, a cleric of Iomedae.  The temple is devoted to the demon lord Deskari, and there's a weird bit where opening the door to its treasure room also opens a portal to the demonic plane where Serth's body resides--Roubris has to choose between the treasure and stopping Serth from regaining his previous power.  It's all a bit contrived and clunky, and didn't work for me.  I think a harder, darker ending would have fit the whole concept better.  Roubris could be an interesting character (a fundamentally greedy character who helps trapped spirits) but this story didn't make the most of the idea.

Pathfinder Society # 0-03: "Murder on the Silken Caravan" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Murder on the Silken Caravan was one of the very first batch of scenarios released for Pathfinder Society.  Although the title may evoke Agatha Christie's classic "Murder on the Orient Express", and there is a murder in this scenario, this is definitely not a "whodunnit" in the sense of expecting PCs to gather clues to figure out who the culprit is.  Instead, it's a very straightforward series of encounters in which the culprit reveals themself quite dramatically.  By their very nature, Pathfinder Society scenarios tend to be somewhat "railroady", but Murder on the Silken Caravan is worse than most.  Encounter design is solid (though one is more dangerous than probably justifiable), but I'd primarily recommend this for players/GMs with a real interest in Qadira and desert-themed adventuring.

SPOILERS

The basic idea of the scenario is that a famous Pathfinder Venture-Captain named Targos has died, and the PCs are asked to escort the body across Qadira from the caravan city of Lopul to the major city of Katheer.  Drama happens along the way of course, ranging from classic bandit attacks to diseased cultists to a (quite difficult!) battle against harpies at an ancient shrine.  One of the members of the caravan turns up with a dagger in his back after a sandstorm, but there's no way to interview suspects or canvass the area for clues: the murderer is simply revealed at the beginning of the last encounter.  If there had been a real mystery for the PCs to solve, this would be a much more interesting scenario.  In any event, the scenario is divided into five acts (four of them with combat encounters).

In Act One, the PCs arrive in the caravan city of Lopul to collect Targos' body.  They find a crowd of mourners around his home, and "local priests" ostensibly "preparing the body for transport."  In fact, they're disguised cultists of Lamashtu planning to seize the body and desecrate it!  The PCs should penetrate the ruse and engage in battle.  As an added twists, the cultists are suffering from leprosy!  This put some fear into some of my players, and I quite liked it.  The entire scenario depends on the PCs recovering Targos' body, so even if the PCs fail to penetrate the ruse (and mine almost didn't!), the scenario is very forgiving about allowing them another chance later.  One minor snag is that the players will understandably think this cult of Lamashtu is a major player in the scenario, and may try to interrogate prisoners.  Very little info is provided on exactly what the cult planned, where their base is, why they hate Targos, etc.  I had to do some fast-thinking when my players took this route.

In Act Two, the PCs meet the only caravan in the city that will be travelling the route they need to go.  The caravan mistress is a woman named Jamila, while other NPCs include an aged Taldan knight named Gaspar Du Mer, his Qadiran business partner Mahmoud, a water trader from Osirion named Hokama, and Hokama's slave boy, Atmar.  I'd strongly suggest that the GM find images roughly fitting the descriptions and taping the pictures to note cards with the NPCs' names--players will find such an aid extremely useful.  Anyway, the task facing the PCs in this Act is to persuade Jamila to allow them to come with her in the caravan.  The Diplomacy DCs to persuade Jamila are fairly high for low-level PCs, and there's a good chance they'll make the DCs even higher by failing a check by more than 5.  But the PCs *have* to join the caravan for the rest of the scenario to proceed as intended (there's very vague guidance on what to do if they fail, as my group did, so again I had to do some quick thinking).  The GM knows, although the PCs don't, that Jamila was secretly Targos' lover and that they arranged his death in order to lure out the parties responsible for raiding caravans along the Silken Way.  All of the suspects are part of this caravan, and Jamila expects Pathfinders to show up with Targos' body.

In Act Three, the PCs are with the caravan when a huge sandstorm separates them from most of the other travellers.  Goblin and hobgoblin bandits pounce.  The sheer number of enemies (13 in Tier 1-2) makes this a reasonably challenging encounter and definitely gives every PC something to do.  (GMs should note that although D&D 3.5 hobgoblins and Pathfinder RPG hobgoblins are same CR, the latter have a *lot* more hit points.)  There's nothing fancy with the encounter, but that's okay.  I do like how this Act and a couple of the later ones make some use of the environmental (heat) rules, since characters who take stuff like Endurance or put ranks in Survival will see a benefit.  As the PCs continue travelling, they come across a body (Mahmoud) in the sand, with a dagger stuck in his back!

I have mixed feelings about Act Four.  The premise is really cool: the PCs stumble upon an ancient shrine to Irori that takes the form of a huge figure carved into the side of a cliff, with its eyes serving as caves for a nest of harpies.  The harpies lure the PCs (and the couple of NPCs still with them) to start climbing the cliff, and then swoop down to carry off the NPCs.  The problem is that the DC to resist the song is quite high, and there's a fair chance that all or almost all of the PCs will fail and become entranced.  In my group, only one PC succeeded on the save.  The tactics of the harpies are a little bit confusing, but it's clear that they'll attack if (non-entranced) PCs start climbing the cliff toward their nest.  Low-level PCs fighting while climbing against creatures with Flyby Attack is another recipe for disaster.  One PC and the two NPCs were killed in the group I was running this for, and there are a lot of reports of TPKs in the forums.  Adventuring is supposed to be dangerous, but this encounter is probably unfair (at least at the lower tier).

Act Five has the PCs catching up to the rest of the caravan just as the criminal mastermind and murderer Gaspar Du Mer reveals himself.  Jamila, who is apparently a half-Janni(!), summons a genie to battle Gaspar's bandits, but the PCs have to take care of Gaspar and his bodyguards themselves.  Gaspar's a straightforward fighter and a challenge in head-to-head combat.  After he's defeated, Jamila explains what's been going on and the rest of the voyage to Katheer passes without incident.

There's a lot of little things to criticize about Murder on  the Silken Caravan, including: 1) The geography of the Silken Caravan doesn't fit with existing maps of Qadira; 2) the timeline is quite fuzzy, making it hard to decide how many days/nights should pass for different portions of the trip; 3) the Janni/Genie stuff comes from out of nowhere and doesn't add anything; 4) the Chronicle sheet for Tier 1-2 provides an almost laughably-specific special item (a map of the Zho Mountains that provides a minor bonus to Survival and Tracking checks when in that area) and nothing else besides credits.  More substantial issues include the aforementioned lack of contingency-planning (some "What if?" sidebars would have been fantastic) and the overall railroading in a scenario that, at first glance of the title, might have players thinking they've signed up for a mystery-themed adventure.

Overall, I'd suggest that this one should be pretty far down on the list of scenarios to run.  It's playable and has a couple of interesting elements, but it also contains numerous shortcomings.

Osirion, Legacy of Pharaohs [RPG]

Osirion is Pathfinder's stylized version of Egypt, a nation of endless deserts, market bazaars, treasure (and trap)-filled tombs, and half-hidden pyramids built by generations of now-mummified pharaohs.  It's a classic locale for adventuring, and a good example of how the official campaign setting of Golarion was intentionally designed to have something for everyone.  Osirion, Legacy of Pharaohs is a 64-page source book in the Campaign Setting line.  Overall, I think it's an impressive effort that does a great job providing the back-drop for endless adventures in the Indiana Jones vein.

Have to love the cover, with the Iconic Oracle (Alahazra) battling the guardian of some ancient tomb.  The same image is in the inside back-cover, while the inside front cover is a map of Osirion.  Sometimes when we get maps of fantasy nations, only a few cities and the basic geography is presented--but that's not the case here, as there are *dozens* of pyramids, ruins, monuments, and other adventure sites noted.  The only way it could be improved is if there were also a player-friendly (spoiler-free) version of the same map.

The book starts with a six-page introduction, and the guiding theme of Osirion is clear: the place has a history!  A long time-line of notable events takes up half the section.  Fortunately, the history of Osirion is really interesting and adds enough detail to allow for a more "authentic" experience for PCs with an interest in archaeology and history--different sites to explore are tied to different eras or pharaonic dynasties, and this can give clues to what might be found there.

The rest of the first 2/3 of the book consists of six-page summaries of six different areas of Osirion.  Each area is covered with an overview, a gazetteer of notable locations found within it, and a stat-block and half-page map of a major settlement located there.  I'll spare a few lines for each, but first I'll note that the artwork interspersed throughout is excellent and evocative: just compare it to what was in the early Campaign Setting books and see how far Paizo has come.  In addition, the writers integrated a wealth of material from previous Paizo products, including such things as adventure paths, the Lost Kingdoms book, and even Pathfinder Society scenarios.  I really appreciate the continuity and attention to detail.  Anyway, the six regions covered are:

* The Brazen Frontier:  Pretty much your generic ruin-filled desert full of somewhat-bland gnolls and plenty of places to explore.  I liked the sidebar on the Pahmet Dwarves (one doesn't think about dwarves in the desert!).  The map and stat block is for the small city of Ipeq, a hub of commerce built on the banks of a river.

* The Footprints of Rovagug:  Forbidding volcanic badlands.  There's a lot of good adventuring to be had here, including Aspis Corporation-controlled mines and a red dragon. The map and stat block are for Tar Kuata, a monastery of Irori.

* The Osirion Desert:  Vast and desolate, a classic desert in the popular sense.  Eto, a small city, is featured and depicted as the perfect staging area for explorers and treasure-hunters.

* The Scorpion Coast: Somewhat generic, with ruins and danger everywhere.  One of the things that sets it apart, however, is that clans of various elementals vie for control over the area.  The featured city, El-Shelad, is really interesting with lots for a GM to work with in terms of political undercurrents and intrigue.

* Sothis: The capital of Osirion.  It's hard to cover a metropolis well in just six-pages (other cities, like Magnimar, have had entire sourcebooks devoted to them), but  I thought the writers did a great job packing in a lot detail.  My favorite part was learning about the Risen Guard, an elite group of soldiers who have proven their loyalty by allowing themselves to be put to death and then raised.

* The Sphinx Basin: Like the Nile in Egypt, Osirion features a major river called the Sphinx, around which most commerce and civilization has concentrated.  This is where you want to be to tell stories of riverboat murders, crocodile attacks, and so forth.  The section has a really good discussion of the contested balance of power between the cities in the area.  The port city of Totra is featured, but I loved the paragraphs on the cursed city of Djefet and something called the "Prison Barge of Ap-Tula" (a 3,000 year-old floating fortress built to contain the worst dangers in Osirion).

The next section is "Plots and Perils" (8 pages).  The section starts with rules for two natural hazards found in the deserts of Osirion:  khamsin storms (terrible sand storms) and mirages.  I always like things like this that challenge PCs in a non-combat way and help them to see the value in skills like Survival or feats like Endurance.  One of only two PC options in the book is presented here, in the form of a spell called "Reveal Mirage".  The rest of the section consists of several paragraphs each on the following "adventure sites":  Fort Fang (gnoll slavers base), Gralgor-Ot (ruins filled with undead, but more interesting than I've made it sound), Lamashtu's Flower (secret Lamashtan temple), the Lost Mines of Siwat (very inventive underground "lost village" where the humans have evolved for generations not realizing there's a world above them), Mephit Spring (demons and fire elementals abound), Oszoxon Spire (home to a missing tribe of scorpionfolk), the Pyramid of An-Hepsu Xi (classic lich pharaoh tomb), the Pyramid of Doom (ghost-inhabited tomb that needs a better name), and the Tomb of Statues (home to a mummified medusa!).  The sites are given good, enticing descriptions, but do note that there would still be a lot of work necessary by a GM to build encounters and stat blocks if PCs actually want to adventure there.  This section is a campaign tool-box, not a pre-written adventure.

Last up is a healthy, 12-page bestiary.  Random encounter tables are provided for each region of Osirion, and they've avoided the common mistake of setting a ridiculous range of CRs.  In fact, looking at the tables provides a natural blueprint for when a GM should send PCs to different areas--the "Footprints of Rovagug", for example, range from CR 4 to CR 7, while the Osirion Desert ranges from CR 8 to CR 11.  As for new creatures, the section starts with several new animals: hetkoshu crocodiles, jackals, ostriches (including rules for ostrich animal companions), and asp snakes.  Animals aren't usually exciting additions, but they help make for a well-rounded world.  New monsters include Sphinx Colossi (the first creature I've seen with mythic levels in a regular product), Living Mirages (a great concept for an ooze!), Pharaonic Guardians, and Uraeuses (the creepiest LG beast you'll ever see!).  What I actually find even more valuable are "generic" NPC stat blocks written for "Desert Hermit", "Osirionologist", "Risen Guard" (which references a Pathfinder Tales story I remember reading, Christopher Carey's Dune Runner), and "River Cleric" (a worshipper of Wadjet)--I'm far more likely to need NPC stat blocks on the fly than I am new monsters, and they take a while to custom-build.

The bottom line with a Campaign Setting book is how useful it is in gameplay.  I haven't run any adventures set in Osirion, but if I did, this book would be the first place I'd turn.  That makes it a success as far as I'm concerned.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 26 [RPG]

[7 Neth 4707 continued]

The Varisians instantly jump to their feet and draw weapons as they hear shouts of “Help, they’re crazy” coming from within the wagon.  Seeing the commotion, the adventurers jump to their feet as well.  Inside the wagon, Bey tries to calm things down by telling Arnald to put down his axe because he’s scaring the old woman.  Artemis is the first to arrive on the scene and shouts at Arnald to stand down.  The unpredictable sellsword pretends to fall off the table and strike his head.  His attempt to feign unconsciousness fools no one but Bey, but it does serve to keep violence from erupting.  Bey and Artemis drag Arnald to their waiting horses, and the adventurers set off west, leaving the Varisians behind them looking angry and disgusted at their behaviour.

The Misgivings

The path west along the northern banks of the Foxglove River grows increasingly overgrown with brambles.  A chill wind begins to whistle as the path slowly rises and winds around rocky promontories and cliff faces.  With one last sharp turn of the path, the adventurers’ destination comes into view all of sudden: Foxglove Manor looms at the western edge of a narrow outcropping overlooking the cold sea below.  The house is clearly in a state of decay as the roof sags in many places, mold and mildew cake the crumbling walls, and vines of diseased-looking grey wisteria clamber over its crooked gables.  The path leading to the manor splits off and heads about ten feet south to an outbuilding that now exists solely as a collection of sooty, scorched foundation stones.  Just to the side of the ruins is a wide stone well, also partially collapsed.  A small flock of ravens sitting on the stones fly off as the adventurers approach; Kang gets a good look at them, and realizes from their unnatural grace and scent of death that they’re no ordinary birds.  The adventurers scout the ruins, and Artemis drops stones into the well to determine it’s at least 75 feet deep, and maybe as much as 125.  Bey notices scuff marks in the ground near the well, and Artemis is able to confirm that bipedal humanoids have walked around the area in recent days.  Fearing that something might be able to claw its way out of the well, Bey persuades Arnald to chop down some of the withered, diseased trees nearby to block the top of the well.

Knowing that the source of the ghouls that plague Sandpoint may lay inside Foxglove Manor, the adventurers gather their courage and approach.  They decide to enter through the most obvious route, the front door.  It takes Artemis several minutes to unlock it, but at last the door slowly opens with a creak.  The interior is dark and gloomy, as little of the waning sun’s rays penetrate the grimy curtains covering all of the windows.  With the help of torches, the explorers realize they’re in an aged and decaying entrance hall covered in mold.  The walls are decorated with rotting taxidermied trophies of various successful hunts, but the feature which dominates the room is a massive, twelve-foot long preserved manticore corpse!  Artemis catches a momentary whiff of burning hair and flesh, but the others smell only the damp.  The group’s mounts are brought inside for safekeeping, and Artemis contrives a makeshift alarm system that should ring loudly if the front door is opened again.

The adventurers advance further into the entrance hall, noticing a staircase to the south and several closed doors swelled stuck from the moisture.  A ratty throw rug partially obscures a foul spiral of dark-coloured mold in one part of the room; to most it is a random stain, but to Kang and Artemis it seems reminiscent of a spiralling staircase descending downwards, with each step littered with human skulls.  The adventurers continue on into a large dining room dominated by a dusty mahogany table.  One wall is covered in windows that should provide a breathtaking view of the Lost Coast, but instead the windows are made from stained glass and each of the five depict a monstrous creature pouring from a strange, seven-sided box.  Kang’s ability to see perfectly even in the dimmest of light offers him the clearest view of the design, and he realizes that the images have something to do with the foul art of necromancy.

The adventurers decide to head back towards the front door in order to ascend the staircase, but, when they do, Artemis suddenly cries out in alarm and ducks!  No one else sees anything unusual, but to him the taxidermied manticore burst into flame and its tail lashed out at him.  Whether a real phenomenon or just his imagination, everything seems to return to normal.  But, to be on the safe side, Artemis persuades Briza to chop off the manticore’s tail with her greatsword.

Aldern Foxglove in happier times.

The intrepid explorers continue to the second floor of the house.  Arnald chops down a stuck door creating an enormous amount of noise in the process, much to the dismay of the others.  He finds another, smaller staircase heading back down to the main floor but swears he heard footsteps going down it.  Everyone returns to the main floor, and Arnald breaks down another of the stuck doors to reveal a library.  There are two chairs in front of a stone fireplace, but one of the chairs is on its side and splashed with blood.  A red and gold scarf is draped over the side of the fallen chair.  A broken stone bookend is nearby, and, when examined, turns out to be covered in blood, clots of hair, and bits of bone.  Kang, Artemis, and Arnald notice that the scarf seems to be gently writhing, but when Kang goes up to investigate, he jumps back clutching his throat and strangling himself!  He collapses and nearly dies before Artemis is able to wrench the tiefling’s hands away and Bey casts healing magic.  Kang can’t explain his strange behaviour, other than to say that for a moment he believed he was a young Varisian woman being strangled to death with the scarf by an enraged nobleman.  From Kang’s description, Bey recognizes the nobleman as Aldern Foxglove, the visitor from Magnimar she and her now-deceased allies saved months ago at the Swallowtail Festival.  This house clearly holds dangers the likes of which the adventurers have never encountered before.

Carrionstorms!

Arnald chops down yet another door and the adventurers see a lounge on the other side, its couches coated with dust and its windows caked with grime.  From the doorway, Artemis and Kang hear a strange sound that might just be a trick of the wind outside, but could be someone whispering a name: “Lorey.”  Artemis knows a bit of lore about Foxglove Manor and remembers that Lorey was the name of the daughter of the house’s original builders, Vorel and Kasandra Foxglove.  Kang shouts for everyone to watch out, but Arnald is unable to heed the warning in time.  He’s suddenly overcome with the delusion that he is, in fact, Kasandra Foxglove and that he has to save his daughter from a terrible threat by getting her out of the house as soon as possible!  He rushes towards Bey and swoops her off her feet and tries to run for the front door.  Bey is willing to let the delusion play out, but the others intervene.  Briza jumps on Arnald’s back and manages to skilfully pin him in a wrestling hold, and Artemis kicks the sellsword repeatedly in the face in the hopes of knocking him unconscious without killing him.  The subdued Arnald is bound in manacles, but he continues to persist in his delusion.  Finally, the decision is made to see if it will end by taking him outside.  Yet, when Artemis opens the front door, a horrifying sight awaits him:  thousands upon thousands of undead ravens take to the air and fly towards the door!  Fortunately, the trained guardsman reacts quickly and slams the door before they can enter the house.  The pounding of the ghastly creatures sounds like hail hitting a tin roof and continues for several minutes.

Just what have these would-be protectors of Sandpoint gotten themselves into, and will they ever manage to leave the horrors of The Misgivings?

-------------------------------------------------

Director's Commentary (September 10, 2017)

Arnald's bizarre action at the end of the last session was followed by an equally bizarre action at the beginning of this session: pretending to faint (and rolling really badly on a Bluff check).  

The PCs reach Foxglove Manor ("The Misgivings") this session and begin one of the best (in my opinion) sections of Chapter II of the adventure path.  Foxglove Manor is a classic haunted house, but the one that it's been translated into an RPG is fantastic.  The most important innovation is the introduction of "haunts", which are a little bit like mind-affecting traps.  Each haunt comes with a story-based hallucination and they're cleverly designed to affect only certain PCs based on those PCs' personality characteristics.  They're a little bit hard to explain, but they're a really effective way to deliver the backstory of the house in a personal, engaging way that's far better than the traditional "find a diary" method.

Using carrionstorms was another great idea by author Richard Pett.  They don't threaten the PCs on the way into the house, but if the PCs try to leave they swoop mercilessly which adds to the "we're trapped" feeling often necessary for horror.  Bey's player has a real-life phobia of birds, so I had to reassure her this element was scripted.  The PCs were certainly terrified of them.

Pathfinder Comics Volume 2: "Of Tooth and Claw"

NO SPOILERS

Of Tooth and Claw is the second hardcover collection of Pathfinder comics featuring the Iconic heroes (issues # 7-12 plus the "Pathfinder Special 2013" one-shot).  The focus is still on Sandpoint and its environs, but the adventurers have something far more than mere goblins to deal with this time around.  Let's just say the name of the collection is apt!  As standalone comics, I would again rate the dialogue and plotting as average, though increased familiarity with the characters have allowed them to better show their distinctive personalities.  The action scenes are exciting and (mostly) easy to follow.  The artwork is still rough in spots (with three different artists credited), though I think on the whole it's improved (better, lighter colouring helps dramatically).  As with the previous volume, however, it's the extras that really make the comic shine.  In addition to the alternative covers (some hilarious, some just plain cool), Pathfinder Creative Director James Jacob has written brief but informative articles and stat blocks for various threats in the Sandpoint hinterlands.  It's an invaluable resource for anyone running games set in the area, including Rise of the Runelords or its sequels.  Overall, don't come into this expecting to necessarily be blown away by the story and art, but do feel confident you're getting a solid package of material that is better than the sum of its parts.

SPOILERS

The overall plot of Of Tooth and Claw is that a priest of the evil goddess Lamashtu (demon mother of monsters) named Thelsikar has vowed revenge on the heroes for the disruption of the cult's plans  in Volume 1.  Thelsikar is divinely inspired to create a powerful mind-altering potion which he feeds to a young black dragon named Black Fang, causing it to become enraged, bestial, and hungry for hero-flesh!  The heroes triumph, of course, and end up leaving Sandpoint behind for greener pastures.

Issue # 7 starts off with a fun duel between Valeros and Merisiel, showcasing their very different (but equally effective) fighting styles.  The heroes easily fight off an ambush by ten "bandits", demonstrating how far they've come as a group (in game terms, it's cleared they've leveled up a couple of times since Issue # 1!).  What the heroes don't know, however, is that the bandits were really ten cultists of Lamashtu sent by the cult's leader, Thelsikar, for vengeance.  And although the ambush has failed, Thelsikar is secretly working on a way to strike back.

Issue # 8 sees the adventurers following the tracks and traces of a dragon that's been killing local livestock.  The trail leads to an ancient, abandoned temple that's full of skeletons.  Kyra gets to shine in a full-page "moment of awesome" where she channels energy to destroy all of the attackers.  Further exploration leads the heroes to what they're looking for: a dragon named Black Fang.  Negotiations and threats fail, as they must, and we're left with a classic cliffhanger: dragon fight!

An exciting battle against the dragon (which ends in a cave-in draw) is the ostensible highlight of Issue # 9, but for me the best part is Kyra and Merisiel falling for each other!  One of the great things about Paizo is that it's never shied away from depicting queer characters, and the way it's handled here is really good and very sweet.  There's a nice twist in the issue as well, as we learn Thelsikar's "civilian identity" is as a member of the Sandpoint town council!  When he hears about Black Fang, his ultimate revenge plan crystallizes.

Issue # 10 has Thelsikar, in his councilman guise, tricking the heroes with a mission to visit an abandoned military prison (Raven's Watch) to oust some bandits that have taken up resident there.  I bag on the artwork in these comics a lot, but there are some very pretty "moonlit" scenes as the adventurers approach.  Little moments here and there are great, such as Valeros realizing Kyra and Merisiel are now a couple.  "Uh . . . are you two . . .?  Well, alright then . . . "  The mission is a trap, of course, and the heroes plummet into a pit trap with a dire rat attack serving as a cliffhanger.  It's a fun, exciting issue.

Classic dungeon-crawling (in a sometimes literal sense) occupies the bulk of Issue # 11, with all the tropes (traps, animated statues, etc.).  There's a really nice moment where we see why Seoni is the leader and tactician of the group.  Later the heroes make their way to Thelsikar's lair, and he explains his thirst for revenge and how he's used a potion to enlarge and enrage Black Fang.

Issue # 12 demands a big battle, and we get it.  It's exciting and satisfying, with Ezren and Seoni each getting their due.  Having dispatched Thelsikar and Black Fang, and upset over their shabby treatment by Sandpoint's leaders, the group sets off for Magnimar.

Magnimar is the setting for Volume III, but we get an early look at the city in the included Special 2013.  The focus is on Kyra and Merisiel as they have a night out on the town.  There's some important backstory development for Merisiel as one of her old thieving partners is out for payback.  I enjoyed the cool rooftop battle.  Be warned: the first page artwork makes Kyra look awful, but fortunately it gets better from that point on.

On to the extras!  We get a series of two-page entries on various features and threats in and around Sandpoint along with a two-page stat block of a particular villain or NPC:

* "Trouble on the Road" covers various highwaymen and bandits along the Lost Coast Road.  There's also a stat block for Miior Duvanti, an important bandit leader who has some very clever tactics.

* "Dragons of the Sandpoint Hinterlands" plausibly explains that dragons are rarely thought about in connection to the Lost Coast area because the ones that live there are too smart to hunt near their lairs!  Three dragons are discussed (Black Fang, Scarhorn, and Tiruvinn), with Scarhorn (an old black dragon) receiving a stat block.

* "The Rusty Dragon" is something I really wish I had when running the first chapter of Rise of the Runelords.  It provides a really nice description of the inn, along with details on its lodging, prices, etc.  Ameiko Kaijitsu is the featured NPC, and I really appreciate how the entry avoids any spoilers for players.

* "Magic of the Cult of Lamashtu" introduces four new spells.  My favorite is something called Teratoid Caress, which causes monstrous deformities in victims.  Two stat blocks are provided: "Lamashtan Crusader" (a CR 5 gnoll cleric/rogue) and "Priestess of Lamashtu" (a CR 6 tiefling cleric).

* "Dungeons of the Lost Coast" provides paragraph-long descriptions of Bleaklow Warrens, The Pit, Raven's Watch, and Wisher's Well.  There's a ton of great hooks in these pages and they help to fill in the details for any campaign set in the area.  The stat block is for a new monster called a Trailgaunt, an undead creature that is gruesome but fun,

* "Instruments of Madness" introduces three new magic items for worshippers of Lamashtu: a bonespur dagger, a jackal's blade, and a mortuary mask.  Thelsikar himself gets a full write up as a Level 7 cleric.

* "Gangs of Magnimar" finishes things up, with brief entries on everything from the Cult of Norgorber to Shoanti gangs.  Readers should note there's a potentially major spoiler for Chapter II of Rise of the Runelords on page 212.  I really like the "Norgorber Cultist" who is statted up, as his specialty isn't murder or violence but destroying people's reputations!  A perfect foil for an intrigue-heavy game.

So unlike Volume 1, no encounters are presented in the back matter here.  Some will find that disappointing, but the information provided is really well-done and quite useful.  I'm not going to complain.

My overall position on this book is simple: if you're a pure-comics fan, you can do better; but if you're a comics and a Pathfinder fan, then this is a good purchase.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 25 [RPG]

[6 Neth 4707 continued]

Father Zantus is the spiritual leader of Sandpoint.

Having returned from the hinterlands with the body of their fallen friend, the adventurers head straight to the Sandpoint Cathedral.  The brand new building of glass and stone has been turned into a makeshift hospital for the wounded and diseased victims of the ghoul menace that is spreading through the southern farmlands.  Father Zantus and his acolytes look tired and haggard, and when he’s asked about restoring Ome to life, he says it simply can’t be done.  He says he just managed to replace the scroll destroyed the last time he tried to help the adventurers, and he has to save the new one for a true emergency.  Artemis mentions he’s been feeling ill since fighting the ghouls, and Father Zantus confirms he’s in the early stages of ghoul fever.  The cleric of Desna tells the group that the Cathedral has expended its supply of magicks to remove disease at present, but that he sent one of his acolytes, Sister Erica, to Habe’s Sanatorium a couple of days prior when Sheriff Hemlock informed him that Dr. Habe was dead and that someone was needed to look after the patients still detained there.  Sister Erica was given two such scrolls in case any of the patients contracted the disease, and she took with her a friend interested in herbalism and alchemy.  He asks the adventurers if they’d be willing to check on Sister Erica, given the events of the past days and the isolated location of the sanatorium, and says that if she still has one of the scrolls left, they’d be welcome to it.  They agree to head to the sanatorium once their other business in Sandpoint is concluded.

The adventurers discuss what to do with Ome’s body.  Bey suggests the group strip the corpse of all possessions and divide the items amongst the survivors, withholding a small amount to donate to Kaye Tessarani for the rebuilding of the Pixie’s Kitten.  The others agree and Ome’s body is taken to the morgue below the Sandpoint Garrison.  All of the stone slabs are occupied by covered bodies, so the group find a dusty, out-of-the-way corner to go about their task.  Item by item, Ome’s wordly goods are divided among the adventurers.  Afterwards, (leaving the body where it lay), the group sell some of Ome’s possessions that nobody wanted.  A portion of the resulting wealth is delivered to the Rusty Dragon and entrusted with Ameiko to make sure Kaye gets it.  After Artemis prepares some correspondence to be sent to Magnimar, the adventurers requisition mounts from the garrison and leave Sandpoint at midday.

A ghoul wererat?

The mounted travellers make quick time and are unmolested on their journey.  Barely an hour’s ride brings them to the Saintly Haven of Respite, better known as Habe’s Sanatorium.  The squat, stone building is built into the lee of a limestone escarpment known as Ashen Rise.  From the outside, the building looks secure: boards have been nailed over the ground-floor windows, and the front door is still shut.  However, Artemis’ keen eyesight picks out a startling detail: in a shadowy alcove, a bestial creature is clinging to the wall and trying to wrench free one of the boards covering a window!  Artemis drops from his horse with startling speed, nocks an arrow, sends it hurtling towards the creature, and strikes true.  But the arrow shatters, leaving the creature completely unharmed!  Artemis shares what he’s seen with his allies, and although they still can’t make the figure out, they begin to move toward the building.

Sister Erica

Two figures inside the building know what is trying to break its way in, and they know they have only themselves to blame.  Sister Erica, an elderly halfling worshipper of Erastil, and Kang, a haughty, strange-looking plane-touched man with a prehensile tail, arrived at Habe’s Sanatorium just two days previously.  At first, all had gone well: Sister Erica checked on the two elderly patients still detained in the facility, as well as the wererat Pidget Tergelson.  But later that night, it became clear that something had followed their scents through the farmlands and to the sanatorium:  ghouls!  Knowing there was no chance of fighting them off, Sister Erica and Kang had hatched a desperate plan: they set Pidget free to fight the ghouls, promising him they’d find a cure for his lycanthropy.  The plan worked brilliantly at first: Pidget tore the ghouls apart and was barely scratched by their teeth and claws.  He disappeared into the darkness and in the days since, the sanatorium has been safe.  Until now!  Pidget Torgelson had contracted ghoul fever in his first fight, and now he is more than a man, and more even than a wererat: he’s become a hideous and unthinkable ghoul lycanthrope!  And for his first meal, he’s decided to feast upon those who set him free.   Kang quickly hands Sister Erica a concoction and tells her to make a run for it after drinking it, for it will turn her invisible and hide her from the beast.  The two of them head for the side-door.

The screech of nails being pulled from wood indicates that Pidget has yanked free the last obstacle barring his path into the interior of the building.  Briza fires an arrow at the dangerous creature, but it too shatters.  Even Bey’s new bardiche can’t penetrate the abomination’s skin!  But just seconds before the creature can climb through the window, Arnald emerges from the treeline on his warhorse and buries his massive red axe into Pidget’s back.  The blade bites deep into the creature’s spine, killing it instantly.

Realizing that Pidget has been dealt with, Sister Erica and Kang meet their rescuers outside.  Kang is suspicious at first and threatens to blow the newcomers up with a bomb if they don’t explain themselves, but Sister Erica recognizes Artemis’ tabard and knows he’s a member of the Sandpoint Watch.  Bey explains that they’ve come at the behest of Father Zantus to check on them.  The decision is made that everyone, including the two elderly patients inside, should head directly for Sandpoint.  But first, the matter of Artemis’ ghoul fever must be dealt with.  Sister Erica confirms she still has two remove disease scrolls.  As Bey is the more skilled spellcaster, she performs the rites.  Her attempt with the first scroll fails to cure the tenacious disease, but her second try is successful.  Putrescence drains from Artemis’ pores as the rotting disease leaves his body.

Kang the Magnificent!

The journey north is uneventful, though the farm trails and Lost Coast Road seem deserted.  The adventurers decide to leave Sister Erica and her two patients at the shack where Ome used to live, as several refugees from the damaged Pixie’s Kitten can look after them.  Briza chats with her fellow bouncers and has to deliver the bad news of Ome’s death.  She hears in turn that Sandpoint remains dangerous as well: another murder victim, the town butcher, has been discovered.  Bey asks the group if they should investigate, but Artemis says they need to focus on the source of the problems: Foxglove Manor.  Briza asks Kang if he’d like to go with them.  The tiefling is intrigued by the prospect of learning how to synthesize the paralytic powers of ghouls, and, designating Briza as his “assistant”, he agrees.  The adventurers, five strong once again, head back to Habe’s Sanatorium and reach it in the late afternoon.  They spend the remaining daylight fortifying it against attack, and they even bring their mounts inside for safekeeping.

[7 Neth 4707]

Most of the night passes uneventfully, but in the early morning hours, the distressed whinnying of a horse can be heard outside in the distance.  Arnald decides to investigate and goes outside.  In the dwindling darkness, he can make out a horse laying on its side about a 150’ away being swarmed over by humanoid shapes.  Arnald starts thumping loudly on the doorframe to wake his friends, but his action also alerts the creatures to his presence and they start rushing towards the building!  Artemis and Briza react quickly and rush to the doorway to fire their bows.  One of the shapes falls and lays motionless, but the other two reach the circle of light cast by Arnald’s everburning torch: ghouls!  Artemis lets fly another arrow and fells a second one, while Arnald takes the fight to the last remaining ghoul and lops off its head with a single swing of his axe!  With the excitement all over, a few members of the group venture out to check on the dead horse and conclude it must have been a plow-horse from a nearby farm.

Everyone manages to get a couple of more hours of sleep.  Bey has a strange dream about a ferocious lion with a barbed tail, and, when she shares this dream with her allies, Kang says that she’s been dreaming about a manticore.  Over breakfast, the others share with Kang what they know about Foxglove Manor.  The day’s journey begins well, as they reach the Foxglove River with no impediments.  Following the overgrown trail west along its northern banks, the group notice the brightly-painted carriage characteristic of Varisian nomads stationed near an ancient shrine to Desna.  Bey is intrigued and rides over to the group to introduce herself.  Upon hearing that there is a Harrower amongst them, she excitedly pays for a reading and convinces all of her allies, except for Kang, to do the same.  Inside the back of the carriage, Bey receives a reading performed by an elderly-looking woman.  Bey can tell that the woman has no real skill at divination, but the adventurer remains enthusiastic.  After Briza has her turn, Arnald enters.  He too receives a fairly generic reading, but for some baffling reason he reacts violently: he jumps on the table and raises his greataxe at the woman!  With uncanny speed, a dagger appears in her hand as she calls out for help.

One adventurer has been laid to rest, but another has taken her place as the journey towards Foxglove Manor shows only intermittent progress.  What will the outcome be of Arnald’s bizarre actions in the Varisian campsite?

---------------------------------------------

Director's Commentary (September 3, 2017)

Since Ome died last session, this session sees the PCs return her body to Sandpoint.  They followed the classic adventurers' habit of stripping the corpse of all of its possessions, something which I've always found mildly distasteful (not to mention it slows the session down as everyone has to decide what to take, and then the remnant has to be valued and sold).  And in a fitting twist, they were so busy splitting the loot they forgot they left the body sitting in a dark and dusty corner of the morgue!

It's always fun to have an exciting entrance for a new character, so I came up with the story of Pidget being released from the Sanatorium to fight off ghouls and then being turned himself.  Fortunately, I had Classic Horrors Revisited which contained a ghoul lycanthrope template fitting exactly this situation!  

Ome's player introduced his new PC, Kang the Magnificent, a tiefling alchemist.  Kang is role-played extremely well as an egotistical self-proclaimed genius.  He's also proven to be a beast in the adventure path, as throwing bombs against Touch AC means he practically never misses and often damages multiple opponents each round.  Rise of the Runelords was written before the Advanced Player's Guide, and occasionally it shows.

The stuff with the fortune-tellers was a slightly-adjusted set-up for the encounter "Sczarni Wagon" from Volume 3 of the Pathfinder hardcover comic.  I wasn't actually expecting any combat at all, as the PCs would essentially be conned out of a trivial amount of money for false predictions.  I don't think anyone at the table, including Arnald's player, had any explanation for why the character suddenly decided to jump up on the table and threaten the woman with his greatsword.  Truly, one of the bizarre moments in gaming history!  Arnald was known for doing somewhat random things, but this one really took the cake.