Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-05 "Mists of Mwangi"

NO SPOILERS

I ran Mists of Mwangi at Subtier 4-5, using the revised Pathfinder RPG version.  This is a fairly simple, but atmospheric scenario that has a lot of offer, including (depending on what happens) an awesome twist that could lead to a really memorable night of gaming.  However, the scenario is structured in such a way that it could also be over in about an hour!  I definitely think players should experience it, but with the understanding that it could be more jarring or abrupt than more standard scenarios.  This review is based on what *should* happen in the scenario, but it’s also inevitably coloured by my particular experience.

SPOILERS

A decade after release, these Season Zero scenarios are interesting artifacts of a time when Pathfinder organized play was in its earliest stages and still figuring itself out.  Many of the scenarios, in retrospect, look underwritten and uneven in terms of difficulty, but there’s also a display of creativity and willingness to think outside the rules that has perhaps been lost in more homogenized later scenarios.

Mists of Mwangi, and writer Nicholas Logue, are to thank for the introduction of what’s become an iconic staple of Pathfinder Society: the Blakros Museum in Absalom.  The scenario starts in media res (as I wish more would), with the PCs standing outside the front gates of the museum on the night of the full moon as silver-gray mist pours forth from its wide-open front doors.  The “briefing” is something the PCs experience as a memory of being sent to the museum by Adril Hestram to investigate a strange curse that has befallen it. Adril hopes that if the Society can set things right, the museum’s curator (Nigel Aldain) will decide to work with the Society instead of against it.

As soon as the PCs walk into the front door (and into the mist), the big twist happens.  PCs who fail a save against the mist’s effects degenerate into an “ape-like proto creature, little more than a brutish animal.”  Basically, they become a damn dirty ape!  In the forums, a lot of people report having tremendous fun role-playing the shift, though in mine, the affected players handled it rather subtly and it was more forgettable than fantastic.  Still, in the right group it could be one of those things that the players never forget.

The background behind the mist and the curse generally is that a Pathfinder who recently returned with artifacts from the Mwangi Expanse decided to give first dibs on his discovery to Nigel Aldain. Neither man realized that some of the artifacts were Tik-Taan, spirit-infested, malevolent idols.  The mist has had the effect of turning almost all of the museum’s staff into violent, apelike brutes, while also animating undead and causing other problems throughout the museum.  In order to destroy the curse, the PCs need to destroy the Tik-Taan, though they won’t realize the source of the problem until they explore the museum.

This is the place where things can go wrong.  The problem was flagged in the forums so I was aware it could happen, but I didn’t think it actually *would*.  The way the museum is mapped (close but annoyingly different than the “Museum” flip-mat, by the way), PCs can simply head straight down the main corridor to the north exhibit hall and trigger the “final” encounter first!  In the briefing, Adril Hestram does suggest the PCs check out the offices first, but players are forgetful (or just stubborn), and this advice is easily disregarded.  The big battle, intended as the scenario’s climax, is really good, as the PCs are up against a massive gorilla (drawn to the museum by the curse) while the tiny Tik-Taan idols hide at the edges of the room and cast spells to hinder the PCs.  Meanwhile, Nigel Aldain is strapped to a sacrificial altar!  It’s a really fun, exciting battle.  The only problem I had when running the battle (apart from a whiny player) is that the rules about the Tik-Taan’s ability to hide are ambiguous and contradictory, and don’t take into account later developments like spell manifestations.

If the PCs win this battle and destroy the idol, the curse is lifted.  The mists dissipate and everyone affected by them returns to normal.  The scenario isn’t 100% clear on whether some of the other encounters in the museum still remain or not (for example, there are vargouilles in one exhibit hall and a giant crocodile in the bathroom!), but at least some of the other encounters (involving affected staff) are instantly “cleared.”  Depending on how the GM interprets things, there could be some anti-climactic mop-up duty but, in essence, winning this battle wins the scenario.  This is what happened when I ran it, and although the battle was a long and difficult one for the PCs, the entire session took maybe an hour and a half.

To be fair, the possibility of this happening doesn’t mean it always, or even mostly, happens.  Many groups will investigate the side rooms first and have a variety of good encounters (and chances to gather clues about what’s going on) before getting to the final battle.  But it’s definitely a possibility that GMs need to be aware of.  In one respect, it’s hard to criticize a scenario for avoiding the railroading that so many other scenarios suffer from.  But on the other hand, I’m now more sympathetic to why writers often need to railroad in the first place!

Overall, running Mists of Mwangi is a gamble.  You might have awesome, unforgettable role-playing as the PCs turn into monkeys and investigate a cursed museum, or you might have a really short session as the PCs head straight into the “final” encounter, kill the bad guys, and go home.  It’s a high-risk, high-reward crapshoot!