Pathfinder Legends--Rise of the Runelords # 2: The Skinsaw Murders

NO SPOILERS

The second chapter of the audio adaptation of the Rise of the Runelords adventure path contains the same strengths and weaknesses as the first chapter.  On the downside, it's rather short for how much it costs (just over an hour, and then 10 minutes of inexplicable music) and the battle scenes are hard to follow because there's no narration.  It's not an "audio book," it's more of an "audio play" and there are some things that are very hard to describe without a narrator.  On the upside, I enjoyed the voice acting (there's some genuinely funny moments through good delivery) and I thought the script was really well done; although some parts of the adventure path were cut, the changes were done elegantly and everything flowed together nicely.  The music and sound effects were appropriately creepy when necessary, and several scenes were exciting even if hard to picture.  I think I would sum this one up as I did the first chapter: worth getting if you are a hardcore Rise of the Runelords fan, or if you can find them cheap (like as the free sample on an audiobook streaming service).

SPOILERS

In the written adventure path, The Skinsaw Murders is a fantastic and memorable piece of RPG writing.  The PCs have to solve a series of grisly murders, brave a truly haunted house, do battle with the grotesque and downright scary murderer, then travel to the metropolis of Magnimar to do battle with a whole cult of serial killers before a final battle against the cult's master atop a crumbling clock tower.  The audio adaptation cleverly intertwines the early parts of the written adventure, by having Merisiel investigate the rumors of "walking scarecrows" terrorizing the countryside while Valeros, Harsk, and Ezren investigate the grisly murder at the saw mill.  Merisiel is the target of the Skinsaw Man's obsession in this version, and she gets kidnapped and taken to the Misgivings.  Much of what the written version has in store for the characters in Foxglove Mansion is omitted (including most of the haunts, the stuff with Iesha, etc.), but the big confrontation with Aldern Foxglove/The Skinsaw Man/The Hurter is fantastically done.  The split personalities are each given a distinct voice, and new listeners will be surprised at the revelation that all three are part of the same person.

The audio version skips most of the heroes time in Magnimar, which is disappointing because I would have liked to see its take on characters like Mayor Grobaras, the cool monuments, the Irespan, etc.  Instead, the audio version jumps directly to the Shadow Clock (placing Justice Ironbriar there) and the confrontation with Xaliasa.  There's very little description of the clocktower or the dangerous ascent the heroes would have to face, and there's no Scarecrow (flesh golem) at all.  It's okay, but not nearly as cool as it is in the written version.  The audio version does end with a nice lead-in to chapter three, however.

All in all, it's good--there just needs to be more of it.  It's like reading the Cliff Notes version of a great novel--you get the gist, but it's not entirely satisfying.

Starfinder Flip-Mat: Basic Terrain [RPG]

One of the flip-mats that launched with Starfinder is the blandly-titled Basic Terrain.  One of Paizo's normal (as opposed to "Bigger . . .") size flip-mats, Basic Terrain has two very different sides.

One side shows a red, Mars-like landscape of rock and sand.  I really like the look of it, even though (in one sense) it's pretty plain.  The dunes and mesas offer the possibility of having different elevations for different parts of the map which is a nice addition that some Starfinder Society scenarios have already taken advantage of.  On the other hand, I don't know if "red desert" is such a ubiquitous scene for space fantasy that it needs to be one-half of a "basic terrain" flip-mat.  I guess we'll have to see how many Mars-like planets turn out to be in the game.

In theory, the other side should be far more useful.  It shows modern metallic deck plating complete with rust or grease stains.  It's easy to turn this one into any corridor on Absalom Station, any engine room on a starship, any landing pad planet-side, etc.  I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.  However, there are two things about it that annoy me.  The first is that the splotches of rust/grease are dark enough that they're distracting and make it hard to use lighter-colored markers.  Plainer may have been better here. The second is that, unlike all of my other flip-mats, the creases on this side are very pronounced and often "catch" my markers, leading to some re-drawing.

Basic Terrain has the usual advantages of Paizo flip-mats: you can draw on them with pretty much any marker, they fold up nicely, the grid-lines easy to discern, etc.  It would be nice if they could change, just slightly, the size of either the squares or the mats so that the edges have full squares instead of truncated ones.  Anyway, I'd rate this one as about average.  Useful, but I'm guessing better stuff will come.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 34 [RPG]

[13 Neth 4707 continued]

With a plan to reunite at Artemis’ house at midday, the adventurers find different ways to occupy themselves in the morning.

Kang crafts a new batch of drow poison and then walks to Naos District with a particular destination in mind: a mediocre-looking wine shop named Boria’s.  Inside the store, stocked with a mundane selection of wines and decorated with a silver statuette of Cayden Cailean, Kang is subtly warned by the shop’s proprietor, an old acquaintance, that the two are being scried.  In a conversation ostensibly about samples of rare wines, Kang makes a very lucrative sale of the drow poison.  After leaving the shop, Kang is walking down the street when he sees something he never expected: himself!  A figure who looks exactly like Kang is walking on the other side of the crowded street near an open air cantina where the waiters dress like vagrants to the delight of visiting aristocrats.  The real Kang follows the duplicate Kang, but the latter realizes he’s being tailed and tries to make a run for it.  Kang chases his doppelganger into an alleyway and then gets jumped, as his double grows claws!  The fake Kang repeats, with minor alterations, everything that the real Kang says until the real Kang blows him to smithereens with a cascade of bombs!  The strange altercation has not gone unnoticed, however, and some good samaritans try to detain Kang until the City Watch can arrive, but the nimble tiefling manages to get away and disappear into another neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Artemis walks to Underbridge District, commonly known by locals as the Shadow due to the area literally receiving only a few hours of sunlight a day.  Amidst the enormous pilings of the Irespan that looms above, the Shadow is home to seedy dives, flophouses, and “streets” that are nothing more than muddy, trash-strewn gaps between dilapidated buildings that look like they could collapse at any time.  Artemis makes his way carefully into an abandoned building, the floor of which has collapsed to reveal basements below.  There, he reunites with a band of kobolds he befriended years previously as a teenager when they recognized his mixed human/draconic ancestry.  The kobolds say there have been encroachments on their territory by gangs of humans and mysterious kidnappers from below.  When Artemis asks if they know anything about the recent murders on the streets of Magnimar, he’s told of two different sightings of mysterious flying creatures in the Shadow occasionally plucking someone from the streets and disappearing into the darkness.  Although interesting, the information isn’t quite was Artemis was looking for and he bids the tribe farewell.

"Axetongue" Droeab, Master of Ceremonies

For their part, Bey, Briza, and Arnald go together to Alabaster District to see the city’s most popular public venue:  Serpent’s Run, the largest arena in Varisia.  Capable of seating over 5,000 people, the hippodrome is well-named from the huge carving of a snake winding around its upper rim.  As they walk down Champion’s Walk, Briza sees the newest statue is that of her friend (and current arena champion) “Bonecrusher” Harkam.  She excitedly points this out to her companions, and the three head into the arena and pay for middle-rank seats to watch a massive mock naval battle.  Arnald is keen to enter one of the events frequently open to adventurers such as fighting monsters, other adventuring parties, or even the arena champion, and the promise of gold or magic items by the arena’s Master of Ceremonies certainly makes the proposition attractive.  However, Bey talks Arnald into waiting until after the night’s planned raid on the Seven’s Sawmill so they don’t draw undue attention to themselves.

At midday, the adventurers reunite at Artemis’ house.  Somewhat bedraggled from the battle against his double, Kang explains that everyone should be on the lookout for potential impostors.  The adventurers decide on a code word to identify themselves, just in case.  Various plans are discussed for how to approach the sojourn to the Seven’s Sawmill, but eventually the group settles on simply pretending they’re friends of Aldern Foxglove and seeing what happens.  After realizing just how evil the mask worn by Aldern in his guise as the Skinsaw Man is, the adventurers take it to Father Fendus at Deadeye Lodge and he destroys it after offering the group a bounty for it. The rest of the afternoon is spent buying and selling various goods in Magnimar's markets.

 When darkness falls, the adventurers walk to Kyver’s Isle and again stake out the Seven’s Sawmill.  Seeing nothing unusual, they approach and knock on the door.  A mill worker answers the door but looks confused when the adventurers mention a meeting, but he says they can ask the manager in his office upstairs.  The worker leads the group up several flights of stairs to the fourth floor.  Artemis can tell that there’s something not quite right about the man’s behaviour, and both he and Kang hear the creaking of the stairs below them.  When the adventurers are led into a workshop with a thick layer of sawdust, a trap is sprung!  Over a dozen masked cultists armed with war razors and hand crossbows emerge from the shadows, but the adventurers (either through luck or tactical acumen) are in the perfect defensive formation and are ready for battle. 

The Skinsaw Cult

Lacking both the element of surprise and the ability to surround and overwhelm their prey, the cultists are on the verge of being routed despite their numerical advantage.  Arnald and Bey keep the attackers from the front at bay, while Briza single-handedly holds the rear from four assassins trying to sneak up after her!  In the middle, Artemis and Kang put their devastating ranged attacks to good use.  But the cultists have one last trick up their sleeves.  From the veil of invisibility, a figure suddenly appears wearing a mask made from a single long strip of pliant human skin stitched into a widening spiral by black thread.  The mask glows, and suddenly Arnald is unable to tell friend from foe!  The axe-man begin wreaking havoc in his own ranks, cutting Kang deeply before the alchemist escapes, and laying into Briza when she tries to talk him down.  Artemis’ arrows inflict deadly wounds on the spellcaster, creating an opening for Bey to charge and decapitate him with her bardiche.  After several seconds of mayhem, Arnald comes to his senses to see the battle is won, with all of the cultists either dead or dying (save one, who wisely surrendered). 

After a stunning victory over the Skinsaw Cult, have the masterminds behind the Sihedron murders finally been brought to justice?

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

Director's Commentary (28 January 2018)

I've probably mentioned before that one of the few optional rules sub-systems I've used for this campaign is the Contacts system from Ultimate Campaign.  This session is a good example of the pros and cons.  What I like about the system is that it gives each PC one NPC they already have a connection with in a place they're likely to vist, and sets up the potential for some excellent role-playing opportunities.  Kang's encounter with the poison-seller Boria was really fun, and probably wouldn't have turned out nearly as well if Boria hadn't already been developed as Kang's Contact.  On the other hand, prepping a Contact can be a lot of work, and sometimes players don't use them at all--I expected Briza to use (or even recruit for the raid on the cult) her contact "Bonecrusher" Harkam,  and thus prepped a full stat-block.  Instead, the players went in a different direction and he never set foot "on-screen."

The battle of Kang vs. Kang was a fun little random encounter that occurred when the result was "doppelganger."  The Magnimar sourcebook was excellent on having different degrees of dangerousness for different neighbourhoods.

Artemis' encounter with the kobolds stemmed from his backstory.

The battle against the Skinsaw Cult at the sawmill was written to be a series of encounters against small groups of foes.  However, because of the forged note, the Cult knew to prep a trap.  This wouldn't be the last time that the PCs ended up doing things the hard way and fighting every available enemy simultaneously!  However, it often inexplicably works in their favour, as the result here showed.

Next Recap

Pathfinder Tales: "Hell or High Water" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

One of the things that Paizo does a nice job with in its Pathfinder Tales fiction is tell stories with characters and settings very different than generic fantasy.  Hell or High Water, a four-part series of free web fiction (available here) is a good example.  Set in the jungles and swamps of the Mwangi Expanse, the story involves characters very different than traditional adventurers.  It's a dark and sometimes gruesome story with great atmosphere and some exciting action scenes.  Definitely one to read if you want a break from the norm.

SPOILERS

Hell or High Water has two main characters: a tribal warrior of the Imjaka Mwangi named Ameyanda and a lizardman named Seyusth.  Because Ameyanda owes Seyusth a life debt, she reluctantly accompanies him into the foreboding Sodden Lands in search of another lizardman who has been kidnapped by a cult named the White Leech.  There are some really cool moments in the story, like Seyusth turning into a giant crocodile, or an about-to-be-captured Ameyanda embedding a giant crocodile tooth in her flesh so she could later pull it out to sever her bonds (she's a resourceful hero)!  It's a very grisly story in bits (the cult is all about flesh-eating, undead, etc.), but I wasn't turned off.  The artwork accompanying the story is better than most.  I think the only thing that brought the story down for me was that I was a bit confused about the plot (especially Seyusth's relationship with his cousin Issick and the whole backstory there), but that could be because I read each part spaced out by a couple of days.  Anyway, on the whole this is a solid story, high recommended for fans of the Mwangi Expanse or lizardmen.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-04: "Cries From the Drift" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran this recently at Tier 1-2, and tend to think of Cries From the Drift as a fairly average Starfinder Society scenario in terms of quality.  There's an interesting backstory to the plot, but the players may or may not find out about it (depending on their PCs' actions).  Classic dungeon-crawling (in space!) dominates the scenario, with very little opportunity for role-playing. The starship combat has an original premise, although, like most starship combats so far, it wasn't particularly challenging for the PCs in the session I ran.  This is all sounding more negative than it should!  I had fun with Cries From the Drift and it's a worthwhile addition to the season even if it doesn't reach the top rank.

SPOILERS

If past Starfinder Society scenarios have drawn inspiration from Firefly ("Fugitive on the Red Planet") and Star Trek ("Yesteryear's Truth"), Cries From the Drift is clearly inspired by Alien.  It's a horror movie in space, complete with chest-bursting extraterrestrial.

The scenario starts, as they all do (unfortunately, in my opinion), with a briefing on Absalom Station.  Fan-favourite Zigvigix does the duty this time, and he does have a fun personality to role-play as the GM.  (Players who have gone through the Commencement may be in for a little bonus reference to Strawberry Machine Cake.)  Anyway, Zigvigix explains that a salvage ship has come across a distress beacon sent by an Idaran ship named Struggle's Scholar.  This is exciting news, as the ship (thought to be lost) was returning from the Exo-Guardian's original headquarters, Sangoro's Bulwark.  After the Scoured Stars incident, the location to Sangoro's Bulwark was lost (its coordinates were top secret), but now there's a chance that recovering data from the Struggle's Scholar will provide a clue as to the whereabouts of the hidden base.  It's a solid hook that should get players interested in seeing what happens next.

The PCs get a choice of two different ships to take to the distress beacon, and I like how the choice matters for more than just starship combat (the scenario explicitly provides additional information if the weaker ship is chosen because it has better sensors).  There's an interlude during Drift travel where the GM is supposed to introduce another team of Starfinder Society agents as a seed for a future scenario, but I thought it was awkwardly presented.  Anyway, the requisite starship combat takes place once the PCs' ship arrives at the location of the distress beacon.  A vesk salvager claims the rights to take the Idaran vessel.  In a nice twist, however, the captain of the vesk ship offers to resolve the stand-off through an honourable duel with rules that make sense (no targeting the other ship's life support, no firing at the rear arc, etc.).  Having a set of "rules" to follow (and sometimes take advantage of), plus the presence of combustible asteroids, gives this starship combat some clever features that makes it memorable.  I still have issues with the underlying starship combat system and how long it takes to resolve, but I liked the creativity that's demonstrated here.

Whether they win or lose the "duel," the PCs ship will get a chance to explore the Idaran vessel.  Yes, it's railroading, but it's organized play and I can't blame the developers too much.  There are some real consequences to losing the duel, as the situation on board the derelict vessel changes (for the worse) since the vesk get there first.  Getting this alternative possibility ready required some additional prep time as the GM, but I'm glad it was accounted for and integrated into the story.

The rest of the scenario takes place on the Idaran vessel.  To make a long story short, the vessel faced several tragedies that led to the death of all aboard: first, it entered an "etheric storm" that killed one of the crew members who reanimated as a "driftdead", an incorporeal, ravenous killer.  Then, as the storm knocked the ship out of the Drift, chunks of the Ethereal Plane were pulled with it, including extraplanar marauders: xill!  The PCs have to deal with both the driftdead and the xill in order to recover the data they need from the ship's bridge.  The tricky thing with writing a dungeon-crawl is that if you set it up so each room has to be entered in order, it really feels like it's on rails.  But, if you don't, the PCs might accidentally hit the big "climactic" battle first, which leaves the rest of the scenario feeling like mop-up duty (see PFS' "Mists of the Mwangi" for an example of this dilemma).  Joe Pasini, the writer of Cries From the Drift, chose a middle ground.  Some of the chambers on board the starship can be entered in any order, but the most important ones require something from another room in order to enter (batteries to power defunct doors and a key card, respectively).  It's not a bad idea.  But, players being players, some groups will figure out ways to get through the "sealed" doors earlier then intended (in my case, for example, a Level 2 PC made a DC 30 Computers check to bypass the locked chamber of the driftdead without ever finding the key card). 

As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of excellent detail provided to make the tragedy of this ship come alive: blood trails, body parts, recorded farewells, etc.  The map of the ship is really well done both in design and labelling, even if it was hard to draw out for miniatures (it's larger than a normal flip-map).  Putting together what happened could be a very sad but
satisfying aspect of the scenario for some groups (mine was more of the "let's kill the bad guys and get out of here" mentality, but that's okay too).  As for the two major battles, the driftdead can be extremely challenging because most PCs will have limited ability to harm an incorporeal creature and they may or may not realize that the force batons they (hopefully) found earlier are a major help.  The xill is the most fun at the beginning of the encounter if it can get the drop on a PC and implant its eggs into them, but otherwise will fall pretty quickly due to the well-known inherent action economy problem of 1 boss vs. 4/5/6 PCs.

The premise of characters being sent to explore a ship drifting in space is such a pervasive one in science-fiction that it had to come to Starfinder sooner or later.  The writer clearly worked hard to develop an atmosphere of growing dread and lurking threat, which I appreciate.  How much of that mood carries through to the gaming table is going to vary widely by group and setting, but if it can be achieved it's worthwhile.  The scenario also adds some very interesting lore to the history of the Exo-Guardian faction, and I'm sure these story threads will be picked up later on.  Overall, this is a solid (if unspectacular) scenario and another excellent example of the range of stories that Starfinder can tell.

Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck [RPG]

I've used the Critical Hit Deck in several hundred sessions of D&D 3.5/Pathfinder, and it's one of those little things that adds a lot to the game.  Simply put, the deck is a lot of fun and makes a mundane crit into something memorable.  With the deck, a critical hit doesn't just do extra damage anymore: it might make the opponent blind, start to bleed, fall down, or any of about two hundred other things!  Each card in the 52-card deck has four critical hit effects on it, categorized by damage type (Blugeoning, Piercing, Slashing, or "Magic" for spells delivered with attack rolls).  A fun bludgeoning effect might be "To Your Thinky Bits" which does double-damage and 1 Int bleed, while a magic effect might be "Vampiric Magic" that heals the caster the same amount of damage that the attacking spell delivers the target!  I've found the effects to be well-balanced and reasonable within the mechanics of Pathfinder, and there aren't any effects that are permanent that don't allow for a saving throw.  The deck also comes with two double-sided cards with instructions and optional rules that change how often players and the GM draw cards.  If it sounds at all appealing, it's worth trying out for a couple of sessions--I'm pretty sure you'll be glad you did.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 33 [RPG]

[12 Neth 4707 continued]

Artemis returns to the others and reports the gist of his conversation with Captain Fank.  The adventurers decide to continue their investigation into the mysterious “Brothers of the Seven” by staking out a lumber mill owned by the organization on Kyver’s Islet.  The island, at the mouth of the Yondakabari River connected to the rest of the city by bridges, contains several lumber mills, and the Seven’s Sawmill outwardly appears to be no different than the others.  After a couple of hours in the cold pretending to fish, the adventurers decide to forge a message purportedly from Aldern Foxglove asking for the normal Oathday drop-off of funds to be moved up to tomorrow at midnight.  As they warm up in a tavern in Keystone District called the Burnt Nightcap, Kang does his best on the forgery and the group has a messenger boy deliver it to the mill.

In the early evening, the adventurers are just finishing a meal at the tavern when a pair of City Watch constables arrive and summon Staff Sergeant Lahs and his “irregulars” to meet with Captain Fank in Beacon’s Point.  When the adventurers’ arrive, they see that Fank and several members of the Watch have taken up positions near sewer grates in what is perhaps the city’s poorest neighbourhood, Rag’s End.  Fank tells Artemis he’s received orders stating that the persons responsible for the “Star Murders” are holing up in the sewers and that Artemis and his irregulars are specifically instructed to apprehend them.  Fank acknowledges it’s an unusual situation and that he has no independent way to verify the lead, but that “orders are orders.”  After Kang tries and fails to extract some payment from Fank, the adventurers follow through with the request.

Shriezyx, monsterous aberrations created as weapons in ancient Thassilon.

The pitch black sewer tunnels are lit by Arnald’s and Briza’s everburning torches, and the Shoanti warrior takes point as the adventurers trudge through tunnels slippery with muck.  After some minutes of walking punctuated only by the occasional splashes of rats, a junction can be seen up ahead.  Briza stops suddenly, having almost walked right into a thick, glistening spiral of webbing stretched across the corridor.  The decision is made to burn the webbing, and instants later, strange shrieking and scuttling sounds can be heard nearby.  Arnald pulls Briza back and raises his greataxe high as a quartet of oversized spiders with beady eyes and maws dripping green venom appear!  “Shriezyx!” shouts Kang, remembering his visit to the Eyes of the Hawk monument the previous day.  In the fighting and confusion, Bey finds herself at the front of the formation and draws upon her visions of the apocalypse to burst into flames!  The creatures are shaken but overcome their fears to wrap her up in envenomed webbing.  Arnald starts to put into effect a plan involving soaking his zebra-skin rug with wine, but before he can implement it Kang hurls a bomb that devastates the creatures and Artemis finishes the job with his arrows.  Bey, having been poisoned and suffering from a head wound in the battle, manages to recover thanks to her divinely-inspired magicks.

The adventurers discuss whether to proceed further, as the presence of Shriezyx combined with the strange way the mission has fallen into their hands leads them speculate they could be on a wild goose chase or even walking into a trap.  Kang offers to scout ahead after he quaffs an alchemical extract to turn invisible.  After some twists and turns, he hears splashing and sees a woman in a black bodysuit running down a tunnel.  She climbs a ladder and tries to lift off the grate cover, but is startled by a member of the City Watch maintaining the promised cordon of the area.  She jumps back down and runs away, disappearing into the darkness.  Kang returns to the others, and the adventurers decide the sighting is worth investigating.  As they pass by otherwise unremarkable tunnels, Bey suddenly stops and points to one side—she’s noticed that part of the fungus-covered wall is actually a fabric flap!  The adventurers are quick to investigate and find a large chamber cut out of the bedrock.  Inside are what appear to be two members of the City Watch sifting through a pile of garbage “looking for leads,” but the canny adventurers don’t fall for the trick for a single instant: they know they’re dealing with faceless stalkers!  Instead of being caught off-guard, the adventurers strike first, with Kang’s powerful explosives disintegrating the aberrations.

Thinking the combat over, the adventurers begin exploring for clues or treasure, little realizing that the stalkers’ leader was lurking, invisibly, the whole time!  She suddenly appears, extending her arms almost 15 feet to touch Kang with a spell that turns him from a genius to someone of but average intelligence.  “I’ve been expecting you!” the creature shouts.  Briza draws her greatsword and charges, but the sorcerer lashes out another limb and trips her!  Fortunately, even an explosives expert of average intelligence is still a formidable foe, and once again Kang’s bombs finish the fight.  The unconscious stalker is slain by Artemis.  A search of the caverns reveals thousands of gold pieces’ worth of stolen goods, which everyone except Kang votes to turn over to the authorities.  After leaving the sewers and reporting to Fank that it was a false lead, Artemis returns home for the night and the others get rooms at the Burnt Nightcap.

[13 Neth 4707]

In the morning, Bey closely questions the messenger boy about the previous night’s task, and he reports having dropped off the message successfully with laborers at the Seven’s Sawmill.  When the adventurers reunite after breakfast, Briza asks about hiring back-up for the planned midnight raid, but Arnald scoffs at the notion that they might need help.  The adventurers decide to set about on various errands in the morning with the intention to reunite at Artemis’ house at midday.

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

Director's Commentary (Jan. 14, 2018)

The PCs are entering the last third of Chapter Two in this session, but there was still time for a little twist.  To further represent the fact that Justice Ironbriar was in a position of authority and knew the Skinsaw Cult was being hunted by the adventurers, I had him arrange an ambush in the sewers under Magnimar.  The sewer trap comes from the "Ugothol Ambush" encounter in Volume 3 of the Pathfinder comic hardcover, while the shriezyx and the mysterious woman (a gang member or assassin, if I recall) were both random encounters.  The battles against the ugothols weren't much of a challenge against the canny PCs, as this was a period in the campaign when they were taking on all comers and winning handily.  Still, I liked how naturally it integrated in, story-wise speaking.  Next session, cultists galore!

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 32 [RPG]

[11 Neth 4707 continued]

Artemis reports in at the Arvensoar, an enormous tower that looms over Magnimar and serves as home both to the city’s military garrison and the City Watch.  Captain Gibble Fank, Artemis’ immediate superior, is surprised to see him, as he sent orders via courier to Sandpoint just yesterday to recall him!  Artemis reports his progress in investigating the murders in Sandpoint: how the immediate culprit (Aldern Foxglove) was killed while resisting arrest, and how clues point to the involvement of co-conspirators here in the city.  Fank shuts the door to his office and tells Artemis surprising news: murder victims marked with seven-pointed stars on their chests have also been discovered several times in recent months in Magnimar, but the authorities are keeping any connection to the murders from the public in order to prevent a panic!  Fank explains that there’s enormous pressure from “above” (the Council of Ushers, Lord-Mayor Grobaras Haldemeer, and the Justice Council) for the City Watch to put a stop to the murders.  To that end, he authorizes Artemis to retrieve the sealed crime scene files from the records room and to make use of his “irregulars” (allies from Sandpoint) in continuing the investigation.  But, when Artemis requests the files from a clerk in the record room, it turns out that the records are missing!

The Eyes of the Hawk is one of many magical monuments in Magnimar.

Meanwhile, Artemis’ “irregulars,” having just visited Founder’s Honor, are unsure what to do next or how to find him.  Bey suggests trusting in fate, picking a direction randomly, and seeing where they end up.  The others go along with her and eventually find themselves in Dockway District at the foot of a monument depicting twin wizards destroying monstrous spider-like aberrations.  Bey’s interest in all things Thassilonian allows her to explain that, almost a century ago, the pilings of the massive bridge known as the Irespan were quarried for stone—but doing so revealed ancient chambers inside the pilings, and from out of them hundreds and hundreds of creatures called Shriezyx poured forth and nearly overwhelmed the city until an adventuring party known as the Eyes of the Hawk stemmed the tide and saved the city!  Kang studies the intricate carvings on the monument for several minutes and realizes they provide clues on how to fight such creatures and their ilk.

The newcomers to Magnimar decide to ask a passer-by how to get to the City Watch’s headquarters, but Bey’s off-putting manner is taken the wrong way and the surly sailor tells a bald-faced lie: he sends them all the way to the summit of the massive cliffs looming over the city, into Alabaster District.  The scruffy-looking adventurers are clearly not welcome in Magnimar’s most exclusive and wealthy neighbourhood, and are turned away by private security guards who, when asked, point out the Arvensoar down below.  After another long walk, the weary adventurers are told by one of Artemis’ Watch friends where he lives.

For his part, Artemis checks in at Deadeye Lodge, the city’s temple to Erastil, and learns from Father Orgell Fendus that Artemis' wife (a priestess of Erastil) is at home, as she’s a little under the weather.  Artemis’ subsequent reunion with Miryana Lahs is a joyful one, especially since she wasn’t expecting him back so soon.  Artemis explains that he’s back in Magnimar investigating a series of murders that hold links to both the city and Sandpoint, and that he’s been accompanied by a handful of locals who have been assisting him.  Miryana says they’ll have to host “Artie’s” “friends” for dinner, and says that little of interest has happened since he’s been away, apart from news that Artemis’ cousin Fillias has gotten himself into legal trouble in Turtleback Ferry and will be serving a stint at a nearby fortress in lieu of a jail sentence.

When the others arrive at the Lahs home, they make quite an impression, but not necessarily a good one!  Kang simply strides in and makes himself at home, Bey talks incessantly about the apocalypse, and Arnald is silent as a stone as he clips his toenails at the dinner table!  Only Briza, despite her Shoanti background, seems able to observe the common courtesies.  Artemis is clearly embarrassed by his allies’ behaviour, but Miryana takes it all in stride and welcomes everyone in.  “Any friend of Artie is a friend of mine,” she says.  After dinner, the adventurers talk about the next steps in their investigation.  Artemis tells them about the files being missing, and Bey speculates that if a cult is behind the murders, they may have agents in the Watch.  Artemis says that he’ll see what he can dig up about Aldern Foxglove in the morning.  He directs the others to a nearby inn named The Green Lobster.  The common room smells as awful as the inn’s name would imply and the food is disgusting, but the prices are quite reasonable and the adventurers settle in for the night.

[12 Neth 4707]

A chilly morning greets the adventurers, and they make a special stop to buy warmer winter clothing before beginning the day’s tasks.  From the letter found in the caverns under Foxglove Manor, the adventurers know the rough location of Aldern Foxglove’s townhouse, and Artemis uses land records to narrow it down further.  When they arrive at the address in the “new money” Naos District, they notice that the windows and back door have been boarded over.  Although the place looks like it could be abandoned, a knock on the front door leads to a startling sight: Aldern Foxglove and his wife, Iesha, look to be alive and well!  The couple ask the adventurers to come in as Artemis explains that they’ve come to investigate some macabre happenings in Sandpoint.  Iesha prepares tea in the kitchen as Aldern leads the visitors to a dining room.  He disclaims having any knowledge of the unusual events the adventurers have encountered, but as the questioning persists, Iesha enters with a kettle of boiling water and suddenly hurls it right at Arnald!  Luckily, the sellsword manages to duck in time.  “Aldern” and “Iesha” suddenly transform into hairless, leathery bipeds with featureless, grotesque heads!  Artemis, having fought them before shortly after his arrival in Sandpoint, knows they’re so-called “faceless stalkers”.  One of the creatures lashes out and cuffs him in the head, but Briza adroitly leaps onto the table and cleaves the other with her greatsword.  Kang expertly shoots the other one with a crossbow bolt (drawing upon the insight he gained from his study of the Eyes of the Hawk) and Arnald easily finishes it off.  Although taken by surprise, the adventurers make short work of their attackers and are mostly unharmed.

Nualia returns!

The adventurers discuss what to do next and decide to search the rest of the rooms on the first floor, until they hear an angry shout from above: “My patience grows thin!  Face me if you dare!”  Briza challenges the speaker to come face them instead, and the adventurers take up battle positions as they hear footsteps charging down the stairs.  The figure comes around a corner, and Arnald recognizes the person responsible for killing Felix and Nedrin: the silver-haired devotee of Lamashtu named Nualia!  The mastermind behind the goblin attack on Sandpoint just months prior has grown even more demonic in appearance and growls a profane curse as she charges Briza—but this time, fate has decreed a far different outcome to the battle.  Nualia’s wild swing, which Briza ducks, knocks her off balance and she hits the ground hard!  Before she can get to her feet again, Briza, Arnald, and Bey launch their attacks simultaneously.  With Nualia’s death, the culprit behind the Swallowtail Festival raids is finally brought to justice.

The victorious combatants take the time to carefully search the remainder of the townhouse, and Kang’s careful attention to detail is rewarded when he notices a small keyhole on an upstairs fireplace mantle.  Artemis manages to pick the lock, and a secret panel slides open to reveal a safe.  Inside are hundreds of platinum pieces, but perhaps more valuable are two documents.  The first is a ledger, the close inspection of which reveals several suspicious payments over the past months labelled as “Iesha’s Trip to Absalom,” each indicating that Aldern was paying someone or something named “B-7” over 200 gold pieces a week, with payment delivered every Oathday at midnight to a place called The Seven’s Sawmill.  The second document is the deed to Foxglove Manor, written in 4624 A.R., intriguingly indicating that Vorel Foxglove financed construction of the mansion with loans from the “Brothers of the Seven” on the condition that the building and its grounds would transfer to the Brothers of the Seven after a period of 100 years.

Discussion turns to whether the authorities should be notified about what just happened and the discovery of the documents.  Bey asks if Artemis could delay informing his superiors since the Brothers of the Seven could have influence with them; she cites the missing crime scene records as evidence that the City Watch may not be secure.  Artemis says he’ll discuss the matter with someone he knows he can trust, his immediate superior, and give a recommendation that the results of the investigation to this point be a closely held secret.  Unfortunately, when Artemis later raises the suggestion with Captain Fank (while the latter is on an inspection in the Lowcleft District) Fank says it’s too risky: if either he or Artemis are suspected of some sort of cover-up, it could mean their jobs, if not worse.  He says he has no choice but to pass the results up the chain of command.

Deed to Foxglove Manor

After some early stumbles, the adventurers are making steady progress in their investigation into Aldern Foxglove and his connection with a mysterious organization in Magnimar.  But are they moving fast enough to stop more killings?  And what if Bey’s fears that the City Watch has been compromised proves true?

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

Director's Commentary

In a world without cell phones, it's a bad idea for a group of adventurers to split up in the city without making plans for where and when they'll meet up again!  Fortunately, after some juggling, it all worked out okay in the end.

The reference to Artemis' cousin, Fillias, having been sent to Turtleback Ferry killed two birds with one stone: Fillias was Artemis' Contact (we used the Contact rules from Ultimate Campaign) and planted a seed for a storyline that would develop in Chapter Three of the AP.  Speaking of Artemis, I was really happy with how the role-playing for his wife, Miryana, went; it's stressful to run an NPC that is so integral to a character's background but the RP rapport seemed immediately natural.

We all had great fun with the disgusting, spoiled seafood restaurant/inn called the Green Lobster.  I was proud of myself for making the concept up on the spot after using the Gamemastery Guide's random tavern name generator.

After Nualia's victory at the end of Chapter One of the AP, I thought her reappearance at the Foxglove Townhouse would be an exciting surprise.  But even though I bumped her levels, she went down like a chump and it was almost humorously anticlimactic.  The best laid plans of GMs . . .

Starfinder Flip-Mat: Basic Starfield [RPG]

One of the things that players and GMs who are familiar with Pathfinder but new to Starfinder have to prepared for is that starship combat uses hex-based movement rather than square-based movement.  That means you need new tactical grids!  There are a lot of other RPGs and miniatures games that use hex mats, but in lieu of buying one of those, you can pick up the un-excitingly named Basic Starfield.

I've used this flip-mat for a handful of starship combats now, and there's some things to like about it.  First, it's big (27x39 inches, or the same size as Pathfinder's series of "Bigger . . ." flip-mats).  Second, like all Paizo flip-mats, it's a durable product: you can fold and unfold it a bazillion times and don't have to worry about it ripping.  Third, (at least in theory), you can use pretty much any marker on it: wet, dry, or even permanent.  This reduces the stress of realizing you've screwed up your flip-mat forever by grabbing the wrong marker.  However, as some posts in the product page note, the background is so dark that it's really hard to draw on it and have the drawing be visible (unless you had one of those weird white markers).  When I've run Starfinder Society scenarios that have obstacles like asteroids, I've had to use blu-tack and pop can tabs because drawing stuff in just isn't practical.

One side of the map is what the packaging refers to as "a starlit void in deep space", and that's pretty fair: it's basically a dark black background speckled with tiny white dots to represent stars.  In a sense, it's bland, but space . .  . is mostly empty, so I can't really blame the designer too much. The other side is pretty much the same but for patches of "the brilliant radiance of a nebula."  The nebula is too vague and ill-defined to really serve as any sort of "terrain feature" for starship combat, and the patches are so few that it's easy to forget they're there.  If I had my druthers, the flip-side would have something more interesting--some asteroid fields, a moon, the curvature on one end of a planet, etc.

Overall, for basic starship combat, the Basic Starfield is bland but serviceable.  If you already have a hex grid from some other source, your starship combats will not be noticeably improved by this flip-mat; but if you don't have a substitute, this product is better than nothing.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection" [RPG]

MINOR SPOILERS for Rise of the Runelords

If you don't know, "pawns" are double-sided images of monsters or NPCs printed on cardstock, designed to stand vertically with a plastic base that's the same size as the creature (so a Large-size monster with sit on a 2x2 base and its pawn will be bigger than a Small-size creature, for example).  Pawns aren't as good as true three-dimensional miniatures, but they're a lot cheaper and are still better than simple flat tokens.

The Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection contains around a hundred and fifty pawns with sizes ranging from Small all the way up to the Huge.  The artwork for creatures and NPCs unique to the adventure path comes from the Anniversary Edition hardcover collection, and it's fantastic.  The set also includes several pawns for creatures that appear in the AP but aren't unique to it, and the artwork for these pawns comes from the creature's Bestiary entry.  Each pawn is numbered and labeled, and there's a list on the back, which makes sorting pretty easy (I use ziplock bags).  The set *doesn't* come with bases, which is an important point for someone who doesn't have any other Paizo pawn sets.

The physical quality of the pawns is high.  I'm writing this review at the halfway point of the AP, so I've used the set in about 50 sessions so far--all of the pawns are still in good shape, with no tears, bent corners, etc.  They fit well with standard Paizo bases and are quite colorful.

Perhaps the most important thing to ask is how well simplify GM prep: in other words, are the pawns that are included of the right type and number to handle encounters in the AP?  I'm at exactly the halfway point of the AP, so I think I have a pretty good sense of how much coverage there is, and my verdict would be: it's very hit or miss.  The set is great on including pawns for "bosses" unique to the AP and some NPCs--as a rough guide, if there's a full colour illustration of the monster/NPC in the book, there's probably a pawn included in the set.  For more normal encounters, however, the set is unpredictable and the choices made of what (and how many) to include of different creatures doesn't follow a consistent pattern.  For example, the set comes with 8 rat swarms which is plenty for any encounter listed in the book, but doesn't come with any shadows and only 1 yeth hound which complicates planning for those encounters in Thistletop; it includes 4 ogre pawns, which sounds great, but there's an encounter in the Kreeg Clanhold with ten ogres simultaneously.  Etc.  I'm not complaining so much as trying to make it clear that owning this collection (even along with the Bestiary pawn box) doesn't mean that every pawn needed for the game will be at your fingertips: you're still going to have to make homemade tokens or cobble together substitutes for many encounters.  In addition, the collection doesn't include any creatures that appear on the AP's random encounter tables (unless those creatures also appear in planned encounters).

In the end, I can give a partial endorsement to the collection.  It contains enough to make it worthwhile, but not so much to make it a must-have.

Pathfinder Society Faction Pin: Silver Crusade [RPG]

Like the other faction pins for Pathfinder Society, the Silver Crusade one allows a player of that faction to get a small bonus to a single skill check in a session.  The pin comes stuck on a little cardboard card that contains a short description of the ethos of the Silver Crusade faction on the back.  It's a handy little reminder about what the faction's core purpose is.  The pin itself looks solid, made of strong metal and with a quality backer that should keep it from falling out of a shirt.  The design of the symbol is a bit of an odd one in how reminiscent it is of a cross or ankh, neither symbol of which makes much sense in a fictional world like Golarion (and the former symbol's link to "crusade" puts it a bit too on the nose!).  Still, I don't blame the manufacturer--they did a good job.

RealmsToowoomba Recap # 68 [RPG]

[15 Flamerule 1372]

As Markus, Dolcetto, and McBronzebottom leave Silverymoon, they notice several open-aired horse-drawn carriages full of families heading west, and hear excited talk amongst the children about "Whizzbanger" and how they can't wait to see it.  Dolcetto magickally conjures three spectral steeds that whisk the adventurers quickly west towards the Evermoors.  Several miles later, skirting the Silverwood, the adventurers see a small hamlet in the distance.  There seems to be a festival atmosphere in the village, and on the far side several tents and market stalls have been erected.  A large banner hung between two streets proclaims "The Whizzbanger Festival."  Curious, Markus slows his mount long enough to ask a passerby what's happening.  He's told that Wistof's Den is hosting the annual celebration mounted by Wizard Wistofson, and that there's games, riddles, treats, and more for children and grown-ups alike.  Plus, Wizard Wistofson himself runs special contests for visitors.  Markus is quite excited about the opportunity to have some fun, and Dolcetto quickly relents and agrees to find an inn so they can stay for the day.

Some time later, the trio of adventurers reunite and join a long queue that leads to a large, imposing house at one end of the village.  People are laughing and smiling as they come out, often covered in feathers or soaking wet!  When they reach the head of the line, the adventurers are greeted by Wizard Wistofson himself, a short man with a long white beard, a twinkle in his eyes, and a pointed hat covered in stars.  He welcomes the adventurers and points to a large board covered with the cryptic names of games they can participate in.  Markus decides to try one called "Poise and Noise."  He's led to a large room and tasked to race another contestant around certain points while each balances a heavy tome on their head.  Occasionally, a large horn blasts, and if a racer drops the book, he or she has to return to a designated checkpoint.  The woman he's competing with wears heavy armor and has a crossbow looped to her belt, but she has terrible balance and keeps dropping the book!  Markus wins the race easily, and receives a shiny ticket with a silver star on it, which Wistof says he can turn in later for a prize.

McBronzebottom decides to try a game called "Um Yumm Yumm," which turns out to be an eating contest--a perfect competition for a dwarf!  His competitor is a rather stuck-up knight of some description who vomits first and therefore loses after eating just six sausage pies; McBronzebottom keeps going after her victory and chows down eight in total before getting sick.  She too receives a prize ticket.

When her turn comes, Dolcetto tries "Ask Me a Question" and ends up in a riddle-answering contest against a  half-elf named Denisio.  The first contestant to fail three times loses.  Dolcetto, a loremaster, is quite confident as Denisio seems rather nervous, but each contestant succeeds in answering several riddles.  Unfortunately, Dolcetto stumbles one too many times and loses.  She receives a yellow token, which can be exchanged for a consolation prize.

The three adventurers claim their prizes: Markus wins an arcane scroll with a few spells, McBronzebottom wins a brand-new wand capable of casting the spell Web, and Dolcetto gets a purse containing 50 gp.  Wistoff tells the trio they've also earned a chance to participate in a special final event.  In this game, twenty-six small treasure chests are arranged in rows, each bearing a number from 1 to 26.  Dolcetto is told to take a chest but not to open it.  Then, on a board, 26 values are displayed, ranging from a single copper piece all the way up to 50,000 gp!  Dolcetto is told that each of the chests contains one of the listed values.  Each round of the game, she's told she can select any chest but her own to be opened to see what is inside.  After doing so each round, an extradimensional entity enlisted by Wistoff makes Dolcetto an offer to try to persuade her to take the offer rather than open her own chest.  Dolcetto proceeds quite systematically, and initially her luck runs well as several of the smaller values are found early, leaving a good chance she may have 30,000 or even 50,000 gp in her chest.  The entity offers her as much as 7,500 gp to walk away, but the loremaster is convinced her chest must be worth more and she sees the game through to the very end, refusing all offers.  When the time comes to open her chest, however, she finds only 5 silver pieces inside!

The villagers watching offer sympathy to Dolcetto, and the adventurers return to the local inn.  Markus gets into some shenanigans with McBronzebottom's wand, and the dwarf quickly decides to hand it to Dolcetto for safekeeping.

[16 Flamerule 1372]

The village is subdued the next morning, as everyone recovers from the frivolity of the festival.  Dolcetto tries to persuade Markus to read a text on strategy, but the swordsman is not inclined to do so.  When more spectral mounts have been conjured, the adventurers leave Wistof's Den and continue west.  After several miles, they reach the outer edges of the Evermoors.  They see that Silverymoon's army has erected some semi-permanent fortifications in the area to defend against incursions of undead.  A battle-cleric of Lathander tells the adventurers that some intelligence is directing the activities of the undead in the Evermoors, and that the eastern portions are nigh-impassable.  He says that only occasional small bands of undead have leaked out of the moors to date, and so Silverymoon's military has been largely redeployed to deal with a new challenge to the north of the city.  He claims that every adventuring company that has entered the Evermoors has failed to return, bar one member who returned half-crazed but intent on returning to wreak vengeance for his slain fellows.  Upon learning that this adventurer is a cleric, Markus lobbies Dolcetto to bring the man along.  However, Dolcetto says they cannot be slowed down because their success depends on the speedy spectral mounts.  The trio cross the fortifications and continue west, reaching the Evermoors proper late in the morning.

Meanwhile, that same day but to the north in the village of High Hold, the adventurers intent on reaching Nesme (Mellia, Cain, Fargrim, and Ralkin) have been confronted by more members of the Syndicate.  This band of the criminal organisation is led by what Cain and Mellia recognize as a cleric of Beshaba.  The cleric, Tyrone, strides up to where the adventurers are sitting and says "So, you're the lot wot done me boys in last night!"  Mellia says they're just passing through and plan to leave in the evening, but Tyrone demands compensation for the loss of his men.  Mellia asks him what proof he has that she and the others are responsible for their deaths.  When Tyrone responds with a gendered curse, Mellia suddenly hurls a ball of fire at him!  Before the off-balance cleric can respond, Ralkin sinks an arrow into his stomach and Mellia blasts him again.  The cleric is incinerated in a flash, along with one of his companions.  Barnabas shouts at the remaining member of the Syndicate to do something before the crazy adventurers burn down his inn.  The thug, Tucker, is torn about whether to fight or flee.  He decides to take up the group's offer to drag the body of his leader away.

After the split-second battle, Mellia grows woozy and faints.  Cain catches her and carries her up to her room after diagnosing her with emotional exhaustion.  When she's rested a little and recovered, the four adventurers quickly decide that it's time to leave.  They debate where to go.  Mellia suggests Startop Mountain to discuss strategy, but Ralkin expresses concern about orcs.  Mellia responds that it's too dangerous to head directly for Nesme without a plan.  Finally, Fargrim mentions the idea of Longsaddle, recollecting fondly about a cozy inn and the joy of watching frog-fights.  Their way forward is decided, and Mellia grasps their hands and teleports them there, barely managing to sculpt the weave sufficiently.

The adventurers find themselves standing in front of the Gilded Horsehoe, the inn that has obviously been converted from an old barn.  Fargrim strides inside and proclaims that "the heroes have returned!"  Trappy Snulgers shouts "huzzah" and places a frothy brew on the bar, as nearby ranchers look up to see what all the fuss is about.  They mock "the birdman" when Ralkin walks in, but quickly grow quiet as the heavily-armoured and intense Cain appears.  After a mysterious conversation, Mellia goes to bed early.  Before they know it, sunset has fallen on another day.

Next Recap

Pathfinder Critical Fumble Deck [RPG]

If you're one of those gamers vehemently opposed to the entire notion of critical fumbles, this post is not for you.  I've used critical fumble rules throughout the vast majority of my (multiple decades--jeepers!) of gaming and I think they're a blast: they give combat encounters a boost in excitement, unpredictability, last-second salvation (if a monster fumbles), and a much-needed shattering of hubris (if a PC fumbles).  In past years and with past systems, I've used a wide-variety of charts and tables (sometimes homebrewed) to determine the effects of critical fumbles, but for the last several years playing D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder, I've relied on the Pathfinder Critical Fumble Deck.

The strength of this deck is the sheer number of possibilities it offers.  Each of the 52 fumble cards in the deck contains four different effects arranged in the categories of Melee, Ranged, Natural, and Magic.  That's a couple of hundred possibilities, meaning there's far more than the usual "you drop your weapon" sort of thing.  The effects are well thought-out mechanically to fit into the 3.5/Pathfinder systems.  For example, fumbling with a natural bite attack might turn up the "That tastes awful!  You are nauseated for 1d6 rounds" card, while the "Not my pony!" effect for a ranged attack fumble means your shot hits the nearest allied animal!  My favourite category is the one for magic attacks, as the designers had license to do some really crazy and creative things (after all . . . it's magic!).  The only pity is that magical attacks (spells that require attack rolls, etc.) don't come up all that often in most of the games I've played in.

The deck comes with two additional double-sided cards.  The first card is the rules card, which provides three different basic methods for determining how often a critical fumble occurs (my groups use the simple "natural 1" method, because critical fumbles are always fun!) and discusses how to determine saving throws if an effect allows one.  The other card provides some optional rules to increase or decrease the frequency of fumbles, and then introduces a new magical weapon ability ("Sure Grip" which almost eliminates fumbles on a weapon so enchanted) and a new spell ("Fumble", which causes every miss to become a critical fumble threat!).  The designers were smart to explain the different ways the deck could be used so that each group can customize things to their liking.

 As someone who has suffered my share of critical fumbles over the years (as both a player and a GM), the Pathfinder Critical Fumble Deck is something I can recommend highly.

What I Read (2017)

BOOK LOG 2017

Jan. 1, 2017: Freezer Burn by Joe R. Lansdale.  "Fast-paced bizarre comic horror tale of a robber on the run who joins up with a freak show.  Great fun, and more than it seems."

Jan. 2, 2017:  The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson.  "YA novel about two boys who find themselves trapped in a mysterious game.  Has a nice, scary feel to it."

Jan. 4, 2017: Chronicle of the Righteous by Amber E. Scott.  "Pathfinder book about good demigods. A lot of cool, interesting ideas to work with."

Jan. 12, 2017: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling). "Mystery novel involving a murdered supermodel.  Really like the two protagonists and will read sequel.  Not sure about psychology of murderer."

Jan. 15, 2017:  Irrisen, Land of Eternal Winter by Mike Shel.  "Pathfinder book about a land cursed by Baba Yaga to suffer eternal cold.  Good presence of adventure hooks."

Jan. 21, 2017:  Justice League vs. Bizarro League.  "Chapter book adaptation of the animated movie. Both my son and I thought it was fun."

Jan. 26, 2017: Inner Sea Magic by Jason Nelson, et al.  "Pathfinder book covering magic academies, alternate spellcasting disciplines, and more.  Well done."

Jan. 29, 2017: Winter Witch by Elaine Cunningham.  "Pathfinder novel featuring a wizard from Korvosa travelling to the frozen lands of Irrisen.  Really enjoyable, with an interesting ending."

Jan. 31, 2017: The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong.  "Although published in 2000, as timely as ever in understanding the causes and mindset of fundamentalists."

Feb. 3, 2017:  The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Fortune Telling by Michael Johnstone.  "Hmmmm..."

Feb. 8, 2017: Spiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America by Robert Fuller. "Well-researched but quite readable.  Especially good on showing how this is not a new phenomenon in American history, just different in magnitude."

Feb. 10, 2017: City of Strangers by James L. Sutter.  "Flat-out the best Pathfinder campaign setting book I've read yet.  Kaer Maga is the place to be!"

Feb. 14, 2017: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.  "End of the trilogy.  Satisfying, but not spectacular.  Still, I really admire what Pullman has achieved."

Feb. 17, 2017: Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual But Not Religious by Linda A. Mercadante.  "Really useful book based on over 100 interviews with SBNRs."

Feb. 28, 2017: Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott.  "Hackers in the near future.  On the right track, but needs better plotting and a harder edge."

March 2, 2017: Pathfinder Core Rulebook by Various.  "A huge book with everything needed for hundreds of hours of adventure."

March 2, 2017: Undead Revisited by Todd Stewart, et al.  "Surprisingly bland.  I finished it with little additional insight."

March 8, 2017:  Beyond the Gods & Back: Religion's Demise and Rise and Why It Matters by Reginald W. Bibby.  "Readable, interesting look at demographic trends."

March 11, 2017:  Plague of Shadows by Howard Andrew Jones.  "Pathfinder book about elven woman on quest for an ancient artifact to save an old friend.  Much better than expected."

March 21, 2017: The Worldwound by James Jacobs, et al.  "Pathfinder sourcebook on demon-infested area.  Really well-done!"

March 22, 2017: Miss Peregrine et les Enfants Particuliers by Ransom Riggs.  "Original story about a unique collection of children."

March 28, 2017: Silver Age Sentinels by Stephen Kenson, et al.  "Really high-quality core rulebook of super hero RPG with well thought-out setting and theme."

April 5, 2017: Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George.  "Man, that ending!  Can't wait to read the next one!"

April 18, 2017: Monster Codex by Various.  "Additional options to make 20 classic types of monsters more diverse and surprising.  Really well done, and made me interested in some that I had always thought boring."

April 18, 2017: Exodus Code by John and Carole Barrowman. "Dumb Torchwood book, with a blank page after each of 73(!) chapters."

April 20, 2017: The Worldwound Gambit by Robin D. Laws.  "Really good story of con artists on a heist in a demon infested land.  Interesting and unpredictable."

April 25, 2017: Classic Horrors Revisited by James Jacobs, et al.  "Ten classic horror monsters are elaborated upon for Pathfinder.  A well-written book."

May 12, 2017: Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris.  "Sookie's continuing adventures.  Decent, but unremarkable."

May 15, 2017: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.  "Second time I've read this, and it's still as fantastic."

May 24, 2017: Master of Devils by Dave Gross.  "Jeggare and Radovan novel set in the Asian-themed land of Tian Xia.  New setting makes for a really different story, but it's good."

May 30, 2017: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  "Ignatius J. Reilly is one-of-a-kind in fiction. Hilarious and unforgettable book.  I first read this book about fifteen years ago, and shouldn't wait so long between readings."

June 16, 2017:  The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  "Interesting theme but ultimately unsuccessful and trite ending."

June 22, 2017: Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve.  Second book about mobile cities.  Good."

June 27, 2017: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.  "Memoir and commentary on the white working class of Appalachia.  Resonates."

July 3, 2017: Death's Heretic by James L. Sutter.  "Fantastic Pathfinder book featuring different planes, a unique protagonist, great action scenes, and rich setting lore."

July 5, 2017: Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh.  "Kids book that 11 year olds would find hilarious."

July 15, 2017: The Bone Sparrow by  Zana Fraillon. "Story about young boy whose entire life has been spent in Aussie refugee detention center.  Moving."

July 18, 2017: Advanced Player's Guide by Jason Buhlman.  "Major expansion to character options: classes, spells, feats, etc.  Has stood the test of time well."

July 27, 2017:  Distant Worlds by James L. Sutter.  "Sourcebook for taking PCs from Golarion on adventures to other planets.  Good!"

July 27, 2017: Space 1889.  "RPG designed for Victorian-style exploration of the solar system.  Am going to give it a try..."

August 1, 2017: Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.  "Definitely an experience!"

August 8, 2017: Song of the Serpent by Hugh Matthews.  "Worst of the Pathfinder novels I've read so far.  Generic fantasy."

August 14, 2017: Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters by Ailsa Wild.  "Kids book with really well done blended family dynamic."

August 16, 2017: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris.  "Final book in the series, as Sookie survives a convoluted revenge plan."

August 21, 2017: Les Mechants by Aaron Blabey.  "Kids book about bad guy animals who decide to become good guys.  Reasonably fun."

September 4, 2017: Osirion, Legacy of Pharaohs by Various.  "Excellent sourcebook for Pathfinder's version of Egypt."

Sep. 5, 2017: Shield of Lies by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.  "Second in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy.  Fantastic."

Sep. 2017 Do You Know About Animals? by Derek Harvey. "Encyclopaedia that I read to my son over a period of months from front to back.  Really good."

Sep. 21, 2017:  City of the Fallen Sky by Tim Pratt.  "Best Pathfinder novel.  So good!"

Oct. 9, 2017: Princes of Darkness by Wes Schneider.  "Pathfinder book on Hell and devilkind. Extraordinary quality."

Oct. 17, 2017: Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong.  "Mystery novel set in 1990 China.  Great insight into a fascinating world."

Oct. 19, 2017: Pathfinder RPG Bestiary by Jason Buhlman.  "Well designed and impeccably written monster book."

Oct. 30, 2017: Nausea/The Wall and Other Stories by Jean-Paul Sartre.  "Literary explorations of existentialism.  Effective, but not a natural novelist like Camus."

Nov. 12, 2017: Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George.  "Long Lynley/Havers novel set in Italy and England.  Bit too happy an ending considering everything."

Nov. 2017: Into the Darklands by James Jacobs and Greg Vaughn.  "Great sourcebook."

Nov. 20, 2017: The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll.  "Good counter-hacker, poor writer."

Nov. 23, 2017: Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum.  "Interesting context on Salem that sheds light on how such a strange and tragic event could happen."

Nov. 25, 2017: The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card.  "Magical mash-up of varying tones."

Nov. 29, 2017: Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick.  "Epic fantasy novel that's just not as good as its length would require."

Nov. 30, 2017: Dance of the Damned by Alan Bligh.  "Pitch-perfect Arkham Horror novel--need to get sequels!"

December 2, 2017: The Great Derangement by Matt Taibbi.  "Written in 2007, but surprisingly prescient about the sickness in American politics."

December 3, 2017: My So-Called Life Goes On by Catherine Clark.  "Continues the series and gets it right!"

December 9, 2017: Paradise Lost by John Milton.  "Norton edition.  Beauty in verse, even if subject is largely bland."

December 9, 2017: The Moth by various.  "Collection of 50 true stories.  Really good."

December 10, 2017: Remainder by Tom McCarthy.  "Really weird, really good."

December 21, 2017: Hard Times by Charles Dickens.  "Lesser novel.  Some really good essays in the Norton edition."

December 23, 2017: One Would Think the Deep by Claire Zorn.  "Award-winning YA novel about bereavement and surfing.  Good."

December 24, 2017: Nightglass by Liane Merciel.  "Pathfinder book set in shadow-devoted land of Nidal.  Imaginative, original novel in a cool setting."

December 26, 2017: Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve.  "Third in the Mortal Engines series.  Full of cinematic action set-pieces and surprising twists."

December 28, 2017: The Gnostics: The First Christian Heretics by Sean Martin.  "Readable and interesting introduction to a fascinating aspect of religious history."

December 29, 2017: The Marvel Encyclopaedia.  "Capsule entries but pretty thorough."