Pathfinder Module: "From Shore to Sea" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played through From Shore to Sea with my "caveman shaman" Gurkagh, and had a great time.  It's a really atmospheric adventure with a strong story and lots of room for exploration and adventure in an open-ended way.  Although the beginning is a little rough, on the whole the writing is really strong.  However, the monsters in the module are also really strong!  Probably a bit too strong (combined with other factors) for an average group of sixth level characters to successfully complete it.  I'd definitely recommend groups play through the module, but maybe not until they're a level or two higher than what's stated on the cover.

SPOILERS

From Shore to Sea takes place in two locations in the Hellmouth Gulf, which is a remote and rarely-visited area off the coast of Cheliax.  The first location is the village of Blackcove, where the PCs quickly get the sense that something strange is going on, and the second location (where the bulk of the gameplay is set) is a small island off the coast called Nal-Kashel.  The gist of the adventure is the PCs exploring Nal-Kashel and piecing together clues to realise that an aboleth (trapped underground since the days of Old Azlant) has been mind-controlling villagers from Blackcove to help it escape!  The adventure background is pretty complicated (and perhaps over-complicated for a 32-page module), involving Nal-Kashel (an ancient Azlanti observatory and university); the villagers of Blackcove who, for generations, have been birthing gillmen; a strange curse on the island; off-shore colonies of skum; an alchemist named Gerlach who tried and failed to solve the mystery of Nal-Kashel; and the aforementioned aboleth with the fitting name of Mohlomog.  I won't go into all of the backstory here, though bits and pieces will come out later in the review.

Part One ("The Shores of Hellmouth Gulf") starts off with the PCs walking along the coast of the Hellmouth Gulf.  Absolutely no mention whatsoever is given for why the PCs might be doing this, so a GM is going to have to make up a reason from scratch.  I like it when modules give at least a small sidebar listing possibilities, because if the initial adventure hook doesn't sink in, it can be hard for the GM to get things on track.  The adventure hook for this module is pretty weak, I think.  The PCs hear a scream in the distance and see a man in an old rowboat fighting off an attack by giant crabs.  If a rescue is made in time, the man will explain that his wife is from the village of Blackcove up ahead.  The couple followed a local tradition and went to spend the night on an island (Nal-Kashel), but she was abducted by strange sea creatures and the man barely escaped.  He asks the PCs to travel to Blackcove and the island to see if they can rescue her, and says there's lot of ancient golden artifacts in the area.  The reason it's a weak adventure hook is that Blackcove is five hours out of the way down a rarely-used road, the husband is too scared to accompany the PCs (instead, he flees back to his own village, which isn't a trait likely to make PCs feel sympathetic towards him), and no provision is made for what the GM should do if the man is killed or rendered unconscious during the battle against the crabs.  Fortunately, despite a poor start, the rest of the module gets better.

When the PCs reach Blackcove, they see a village that looks almost entirely abandoned.  The village has a great, creepy vibe, and the module uses the most of little vignettes, weather effects, and description to help get a table in the right mood.  This is a gray, misty, lugubrious place like something out of Lovecraft's Kingsport.  Eventually, the PCs will encounter one of the few remaining villagers, and the group is (quite organically) steered toward visiting the lighthouse, where an assembly is taking place.  PCs can start to gather some information about what's going on here (with a nicely written and detailed section on what different Diplomacy check results will reveal) and probably learn that a local man named Gerlach visited Nal-Kashel some weeks ago but never returned.  There are fears that he must have "stirred something up," and, ever since, more and villagers have been disappearing.  Many of the villagers are revealed to have fish-like traits (and are mechanically Gillmen), though this is a generations-long phenomena and not something directly tied to the current adventure.

A very cool and cinematic encounter takes place in the lighthouse.  The waters of the bay begin surging and flooding lower levels, while a massive (off-screen) sea creature begins probing the higher levels with gigantic tentacles to batter and snatch villagers!  The PCs have to try to simultaneously keep people from panicking while fending off the tentacles.  The battle is handled in an abstract way (a grid isn't supposed to be used, and there's not a floor map of the lighthouse), and when I played through it there were parts that were somewhat cumbersome because so many PC abilities assume precise areas or distances that just weren't available.  The encounter goes on until a certain number of tentacles have been destroyed or a certain number of villagers have been taken, and I don't think our group got the positive result!  The PCs, as professional adventurers, are naturally asked to travel to Nal-Kashel and rescue the (presumably kidnapped) villagers.  Some financial incentives are offered, and a local man is willing to ferry the group over in his boat.  In a really nice twist, once the journey is underway, the man transforms rapidly into a skum (a croaking evil fish-man) and attempts to rock the boat and pitch the PCs into the sea!  This is an encounter that could be pretty lethal for PCs who haven't taken the necessary precautions; though, if they're in a module called "From Shore to Sea" and don't have any ranks in Swim, I don't feel *too* bad for them.

Part Two ("The Ruined Island of Nal-Kashel") involves exploration of the island. One of the common criticism of RPG adventures is rail-roading, but one of the real strengths of From Shore to Sea is that it's very open-ended. There are several locations that be visited in any order, and they're really cool, fitting the theme of an ancient Azlanti scientific outpost quite well.  There's an old archives, an observatory, some mysterious towers, an astronomical center, and more.  Most of the locations hold encounters and, when combined with the random encounters listed on a chart, the PCs are likely to have a pretty tough time just surviving.  There are chuuls, rust monsters, a giant octopus, some particularly nasty (recurring) traps, and more.  A particularly difficult location is the observatory which turns out to be crucial for the PCs to understand and solve the mystery of the island but it pulses with constant damaging effects.  At one of the locations, the PCs will find the missing villagers--but they've obviously been mind-controlled and forced to dig out a tunnel from the sea into the interior of the island.  There's no realistic way to rescue them, as an unlimited number of skum intervene (in waves every few rounds) if the PCs try.

Adding to the difficulty is that when the PCs step foot on the island, they will, sooner or later, be affected by a mysterious curse that starts to gradually give them fish-like traits!  At first the changes are innocuous or even mildly beneficial, but the problem continues to get worse the longer the PCs spend on the island--and this isn't a place that can be handled in a quick SWAT-team style sweep.

Another issue was what ended up leading the group I played with to decide to leave the island with the task unfinished: this is definitely an adventure for smart PCs with lots of skill in Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana).  The complex backstory makes it hard to tell which of the various problems are just part of the island's magic and what parts are related to Gerlach's visit, and the problems of the taint and the (tough!) random encounters make too much lingering and back-and-forth between locations (to experiment with different ideas) a dicey prospect.  Depending on party composition, the necessary skills and problem solving abilities just might not be available, and, unfortunately, I don't think there's really a way around it here.  I didn't mind too much, as I think different characters with different skillsets should get a chance to shine in different adventures.  We just happened to have the wrong group of characters, and couldn't figure out how to move forward.

Part Three ("The Natatorium of Mohl'omog") details the subterranean caverns beneath the island.  Here, the PCs will encounter Gerlach (a sorcerer who has been dominated by Mohl'omog), multiple traps and ambushes, and, finally, the aboleth itself.  My group never made it this far, so I can only evaluate the section from reading it, but I'd be honestly surprised if a group of normal sixth-level PCs survive it.  There are multiple CR 5-9 encounters in short order, and one bad saving throw vs. the aboleth's domination ability can result in PCs fighting each other.

It's ironic, from an internal story perspective, that things probably work out fine (at least in the short- to medium- term) if the PCs never visit the island.  Once the mind-controlled villagers dig the aboleth free, it swims away to carry on centuries-long evil machinations and schemes, and likely leaves Blackcove alone.  I'm not saying aboleths on the loose are a good thing, but Mohl'omog has been out of currency for a while, and it's not like he's the only aboleth in the big blue sea.  I suppose that's neither here nor there, however.

We can't move on without recognising that awesome cover--definitely poster worthy!  The inside front cover is a map of the island of Nal-Kashel,while the inside back cover is a map of the observatory.  The maps are done in an interesting and unusual style that I don't really know how to describe.  For the sake of completeness, I'll mention that there's a page containing capsule stats for four level 6 Iconics; Paizo stopped doing this in the module line after a while, but I think there is something to be said for being able to get a game up-and-running quickly even if not everyone has original characters (though, I'm sceptical the foursome would be tough enough to survive the island).

Overall, I love the feel of From Shore to Sea.  The setting is memorable and atmospheric, the exploration of the island reveals rich and interesting aspects of Azlanti lore, there's a wide variety of encounters (diplomatic, combat, and problem-solving), and the plot is interesting.  I do think it's pitched a couple of levels too low, and I would recommend characters around level 8 that (hopefully) have a diverse range of knowledge skills.

PaizoCon 2014 Pint Glass [RPG]

Of my collection of Paizo barware (yes, I'm that guy), my least favorite is the PaizoCon 2014 Pint Glass.  It came in green or black, and I only ordered one color because I'm a thrifty sort of collector.  The green image just doesn't stand out well against the glass, and you really have to look closely to figure out what it is.  Even then, it just looks like some kind of weird robot, which doesn't really call to mind anything particular about Pathfinder (and this was years before Starfinder).  According to the product page, it's an "emerald automaton" from the Emerald Spire Superdungeon.  Well, some day, I'll run or play through that and be very proud of this glass.  Until then, I'm going to ponder my first-world problems while drinking from *other* pint glasses!

(I do appreciate that it's dishwasher safe, because I'm *way* too lazy to wash anything by hand . . .)

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-29: "Honourbound Emissaries" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

There's a lot to like in Honourbound Emissaries.  There's plenty of cinematic action scenes, interesting NPCs, and storyline development.  It is a very straight-forward scenario without much in the way of player agency, and there are some clunky spots with skill checks.  Still, I ran the scenario at subtier 7-8 using the four-player adjustment, and had a good time overall.


SPOILERS

During the briefing, the PCs may only slightly outnumber the NPCs.  Luwazi Elsebo is there on behalf of the Starfinder Society, but she's accompanied by the deliciously enigmatic Iteration-177 and another returning NPC (from # 1-04), Captain Yuluzak of the Vesk salvage vessel Honorbound.  It seems that the Honorbound recently came across a destroyed vessel of unknown make.  After returning to Absalom Station with some of the salvage, it was purchased and put up for sale by the pawnbroker Julzakama.  Iteration-177 heard of the sale and realized the item was unique to a federation of races in the Vast called the Kreiholm Freehold that used to occupy part of the Scoured Stars system!  The PCs are tasked with returning to the wreckage on board the Honorbound and seeing if they can find clues to where the Kreiholm Freehold exists today.

During the resulting Drift travel, the PCs are expected to bond with the crew of the Honourbound.  Each crew member is given a particular interest that the PCs can appeal to with the right skill checks.  Each success leads to the crew member giving the group some valuable technology (often worth thousands of credits!), which is a particularly clunky way to work in the justification for certain items appearing on the Chronicle sheet at the end.  I really wish organised play would find a way to dispense with the need for these loot dumps, as they just get in the way of the story and are rarely meaningful in play.

Once at the wreckage, finding the coordinates that the ship departed from isn't difficult. The story really heats up once the Honorbound drops out of the Drift and into the middle of a warzone!  The Kreiholm Federation is being invaded by a jinsul armada.  Before any decisions on what to do can be made, the Honourbound receives a distress call that's repeated in Vesk!  It seems that, planetside, a hospital is under attack by jinsul ground forces and the staff and patients inside are trapped.  Captain Yuluzak makes the executive decision to help out and lands his ship planetside.  The PCs are expected to rush into the hospital, rescue the civilians, and get back out before the entire facility is overrun by jinsul.  The Hospital flip-mat is put to great use here.  The PCs will end up engaging jinsul shock troops before they can evacuate the civilians.  The civilians' main spokesperson is a doctor named Yuuqa, and she's just one of three entirely new alien species within the facility: winged, batlike humanoids called Nelentu; amphibious creatures with cilia-based mobility called Syngnathrix; and gaseous, intelligent oozes who rely on encounter suits for communication called Thyrs.  It's a lot for the GM to describe in what's supposed to be a high-pressure situation, and it would have been nice if each species received its own illustration (following the picture being worth a thousand words principle).  There's an interesting moral choice for the PCs to make here between recovering surgical technology that exceeds even Pact Worlds standard versus hurrying to rescue the trapped civilians.  I'm sure most groups will choose the second option, but it's nice to see a plausible alternative (with credible consequences for either choice).

After lifting off from the planet with the refugees from the hospital, there's an opportunity for role-playing with the NPCs.  The PCs can learn more about the Kreiholm Freehold and its various sapient species.  Oddly, the scenario allows both Culture and Diplomacy checks here, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me--Culture represents knowledge already learned, so Diplomacy would seem to be the better option.  I find too many scenarios allow too many skill checks to be used as equivalences, which devalues the (already problematic) skill system in Starfinder.

The final third of the adventure is pretty damned exciting and cinematic.  The Honorbound receives a distress signal from a Kreiholm command ship named Kreiholm's Hope.  The ship is being actively boarded by jinsuls, but carries an important passenger: the thyr council member Speaks Forgotten Words.  The PCs have to board the command ship while the Honourbound engages the jinsul ships, rescue Speaks Forgotten Words, and get to an evacuation point for pick-up when the Honourbound returns.  The jinsul boarding party (mystics) aren't too tough, and there's a little fun to be had with glitching gravity generators.  The artwork for Speaks Forgotten Words is cool.  The real fun picks up when the PCs escort the ship's surviving crew out of a breach and onto the outer hull of the ship.  The PCs have to fight off wave after wave of jinsuls emerging from the interior until a sufficient number of rounds pass for the Honourbound to arrive.  Even after this happens, there's still the drama of getting the allied NPCs over to the friendly ship while under heavy fire.  PCs with a penchant for heavy weapons will enjoy the anti-personnel starship gun turrets they can use to even the score.  The map could be explained a bit more clearly and Zero-G combat is clunky, but (for the most part) it all feels very fast-paced and heroic in a Star Wars Jedi rescue vein.

The scenario ends with Speaks Forgotten Words extending an invitation for the Starfinder Society to meet with the Kreiholm Federation's governing council.  I'm sure some important plot developments will come from that.

I thought Honourbound Emissaries was a really good scenario.  Like too many SFS scenarios, it's very much on rails; if the PCs don't think of or do the right thing, Captain Yuluzak always steps in to advance the story.  It also needs some work in terms of skill checks to make choices more meaningful.  However, it introduces some really interesting NPCs, offers some interesting directions for future storylines, and has a really cool third act.  If blasting alien after alien to keep a foreign dignitary alive while trying to somehow cling to the hull of a starship during a massive space battle doesn't get your science-fantasy blood pumping, I don't know what will!

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 72 [RPG]

[4 Calistril 4708 continued]

As the smoke clears from the furious fighting, Salma suddenly cocks her head as if listening to an unseen voice.  She announces that she has to leave on urgent business, but will return soon—and then teleports away!

But the surprises don’t stop there: a low rumble of words can be heard to the north—the stone giant’s equivalent of a whisper!  “I don’t have much time,” says the voice.  “But know that if you are here to slay Mokmurian, I am your ally.  Come with me to a place where we can speak in peace, for I would aid you in your quarrel here—without my assistance you might find only your graves below Jorgenfist.”  A brazier is ignited, and the adventurers can see that the speaker is an older female stone giant wearing heavy bearskins over her shoulders. 

Conna is the first ally the adventurers have

 found in Jorgenfist . . . if she can be trusted!

Although wary of a trap, they agree to follow her to a cave whose walls are painted with images of giants, mammoths, elk, deer, wyverns, and more.  A simple oil lantern illuminates a small altar, and a modest offering of antlers, hooves, and patches of fur have been piled in front of it.  “My name is Conna,” says the stone giant, the last remaining elder of the Kavarvatti tribe.  After having been cast out, Mokmurian returned to the tribe full of dark power.  He defeated the tribe’s other elder, Vandarrec and had his body blasphemously sacrificed here in this shrine to the Plateau People’s ancestral spirits.”  Conna goes on to explain that she’s been tending the shrine since Mokmurian’s rise to power, praying for the intervention of outsiders strong enough to defeat Mokmurian and keep him from leading the assembled tribes into a disastrous war against the city dwellers. After the adventurers pledge themselves to stopping Mokmurian before the invasion is launched (something that will happen in a matter of weeks, if not days), Conna says she asks only one thing in return for help—that as many of her kin be spared as possible.  She goes on to explain that Mokmurian spends almost all of his time in the library level below and that there are two different approaches that lead there, an eastern route that is heavily guarded and a southern one that is less so.  But, she says, a powerful knight was recently captured on the surface and has been taken to the “Sihedron Room” for branding and sacrifice!  Conna says that if the adventurers hurry, they might be able to add another ally to their side.

Before they leave, Conna mentions one final thing: she fears that Mokmurian has fallen under the influence of a powerful evil spirit—one of the legendary Ancient Lords who enslaved her people millennia ago.  She says she’s heard Mokmurian whisper the name of this spirit when he thought he was alone: “Karzoug.”  Kang remembers hearing this name before—as the figure responsible for binding the pit fiend to thousands of years of service inside Skull’s Crossing!

Lokansir, one of the legendary jotunblooded 

giants, was truly an imposing figure.

The adventurers decide their first priority should be to seeing if they can rescue the captured knight.  They follow a long, relatively straight corridor until they reach a massive set of stone doors carved with an immense seven-pointed star.  When they push the doors open, before them is a large rectangular chamber.  The floor is loose soil, into which seven fifteen-foot-tall tree trunks have been driven into the ground like immense stakes.  And manacled to one of them is one of the celestial-blooded: an aasimar!  Unfurling his dragonfly wings, Kang flies over to the aasimar, completely unprepared for what happens next: a truly gigantic hill giant covered in runic tattoos somehow emerges directly from the ground and swats Kang like a fly, using a warclub that’s larger than the victim!  Suffering cracked ribs, Kang manages to weave an evasive pattern and escape.  Undeterred, Jinkatsyu charges in and stabs the giant in the hand, forcing him to drop his club.  An amazing display of swordplay follows, as the dashing kitsune fills the hapless giant with so many bloody holes that it collapses with an echoing boom!

The unchained aasimar introduces himself as Whistin, Paladin of Ragathiel.  He says he worships the empyreal lord of chivalry, duty, and vengeance, and was captured in an attempt to destroy the growing evil within Jorgenfist because he was a firsthand witness to the destruction of his home—Turtleback Ferry--in the recent flood!  Kang quickly changes the subject, and explains that he and the others are here to stop Mokmurian.  Whistin is keen to join the crusade, and together the group moves back down the corridor.

Before long, they hear voices coming from the southeast, speaking a harsh tongue that Kang explains is Draconic.  “Sulaminga, I hunger!  When shall we have fresh meat?” asks one of the voices.  Ava panicks and says they should move quickly back to the deathweb cave to rest and recover.  The group makes it back there without further incident.  They rest for a little while before Kang announces he’s perfected a new recipe for his explosives.  The adventurers decide to press further on this day and clear more of the way to Mokmurian.  Instead of taking the “safer” southern path, they decide it would be better to secure the eastern approach so that nothing sneaks up on them from behind when they descend to the library.  The group returns to a spot near where they heard the conversation in Draconic.  The disgusting parasitic tumor on Kang’s back begins to move and wriggle erratically until it suddenly emerges from the back of his shirt and splits into two!  Kang gives one half strict instructions to go scout out the cave ahead, reassuring his allies that it’s perfectly expendable.  When the crawling, sluglike thing returns, it whispers in Kang’s ears: “Dragons, my lord, dragons!”

The surprised young dragons, charmed and enslaved

 to serve Mokmurian, were no match for the adventurers.

The adventurers decide to charge in and take the dragons by surprise—and the plan works perfectly!  Kang’s bomb knocks one of the dragons off its feet in perfect synchronicity with Jinkatsyu’s charge.  Whistin readies a polearm and flies in with a battlecry to attack the other.  One of the stunned dragons manages to breathe a gout of flame, but the experienced adventurers have no trouble taking down both dragons quickly.  However, there was one unforeseen flaw in the adventurers’ plan: the attack has given the inhabitants of the chamber directly adjacent to the dragons’ lair time to prepare their defences.

Jinkatsyu advances and sees a chamber filled with incense smoke, the walls of which are painted with angular symbols of a three-eyed, jackal-like visage.  The swashbuckler has stumbled into an unholy
shrine to Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, and the shrine’s two priestesses cackle with malevolent joy to see new playthings.  Each of the priestesses is a lamia, and their magical defences prove strong as Jinkatsyu’s and later Whistin’s attacks often go awry due to illusory duplicates.  The two lamias quickly get on either side of Jinkatsyu and take turns touching him with an ungloved hand, each touch sapping him of his willpower.  In seconds, he collapses to the ground!  Kang shouts for Ava to get ready for a retreat and hurls another bomb, but the adventurers can’t get to Jinkatsyu before it’s too late.  With a euphoric evocation of Lamashtu’s name, one of the lamias decapitates him!  Ava’s command of trans-dimensional magics allows her to move in and teleport herself, Whistin, and Jinkatsyu’s body back to the deathweb cave.  Kang, for his part, flies away invisibly on dragonfly wings and manages to outrun and outwit the chasing lamias.

Inheritors of an ancient curse, lamias go out 

of their way to bring hardship 

to holy places and worshippers

In the cave, Ava sobs as she calls down the spiritual might of Sinashakti for the magical energies needed to bring Jinkatsyu back to life.  It works.  But for the first time since their arrival in Jorgenfist, the adventurers have truly met their match.  Will they be able to overcome the cunning and magical power of the Lamashtu priestesses?

----------------------------------------------------
Director's Commentary (September 22, 2019)

Salma's player had to miss this session, hence the abrupt, mysterious exit at the beginng

I think Conna was good to help fill in some of the backstory, and there's not many NPCs to role-play with in this chapter.  I do wish her situation had been a bit more complex, because the conversation boiled down to "I want you to help me."  "Okay."  "Cool, bye."

Whistin was the new PC for the player who previous ran Nerissa.  As you will soon see, Whistin was not long for this world.

I thought Kang using his familiar (with a duplication spell) to scout was really cool and very smart.  It was one of the very few times the PCs actually scouted ahead (physically or magically).  It worked well, and I'm surprised there wasn't more of it throughout the campaign.

Man, these lamias!  They're treated as just another monster in the AP and not given much backstory or attention, but they were tough for this group of adventurers!  It's funny how a little thing like mirror image can stifle the best swordsman, and how they were able to use their own touch attacks to kill a PC (a bit of poetic justice, as eventually we'll have almost every PC doing touch attacks for the "I Win" button in a campaign full of creatures with natural armor).

Blue Devil # 11-20 (DC Comics, 1984) [COMICS]

Recently (okay, six months ago!) I reviewed Blue Devil # 1-10.  Now, I'll cover issues # 11-20.

Issue # 11 is a classic "it was all a dream!" issue.  Cassidy is sick and keeps ruining the scenes of the film he's working on.  The studio sends an auditor to figure out why there are delays and cost-overruns.  It what turns out to be a hallucination, Cassidy (as Blue Devil) battles all sorts of crazy stuff.  It's certainly not an important issue, but I guess passes the time okay.  It's kind of fun to see ads for things like Crisis on Infinite Earths.  I think I've heard of that!

Issue # 12 is a genuinely enjoyable read and laugh-out-loud funny.  It's the premiere of the Blue Devil move and Cassidy and his fellow actors and crew members are excited, by Shockwave decides it's time for a return bout!  Nebiros intervenes as well, and Etrigan the Demon appears near the end.  Cassidy has a real personality in the issue, and it makes the issue work really well.

I really like the cover of Issue  # 13.  "Tinseltown cringes at the feet of a starstruck demon!"  The demon in question isn't Etrigan (though he does appear in the issue), it's the Blue Devil--because Nebiros has taken control!  Nebiros/Blue Devil wreaks havoc in Hollywood.  Green Lantern John Stewart arrives, but Nebiros speeds up time to drain his power ring!  Norm calls the JLA and speaks to Vibe of all people (a sign of the times . . .) and requests Zatanna.  Yes!  Cassidy gets control of his body back, but Nebiros still controls his trident.  They finally manage to drive the demonic energies out by using . . . water.  It's an all-action issue, but fun.  A house ad reports that Blue Devil won # 7 in Amazing Heroes' "Best 10 Books of 1984" contest.  Not too shabby!

The cover of Issue # 14 reports "The Sensational Character Find of 1985!  Kid Devil!"  It's a goofy concept, but somehow one with legs, as Kid Devil (Marla's nephew, Gopher, who has made his own super-suit in imitation of his idol) has a surprising amount of staying power and later appears in DC Comics titles like the Teen Titans.  The issue itself is kind of dumb.  Gopher's folks' plane gets hijacked, and B.D. and K.D. have to do a mid-air rescue.  But evil movie producer Jock Verner's chauffer, Van, has been buffed into not-so-super-villainy and dons the moniker "Verner's Vanquisher" for a cliffhanger ending.

Issue # 15 reveals that Verner's Vanquisher has made quite the media splash as an apparent super hero.  But when a robotic King Kong attraction goes haywire and starts putting the public in real danger, Blue Devil and the Vanquisher race to see who can stop it.  The two end up fighting, and the Vanquisher kidnaps Marla as his love interest!  Kid Devil makes another appearance, and his parents figure out his identity.

In Issue # 16, the Vanquisher (whose powers are all in the suit, it turns out) takes Marla to his "secret hideout" (his apartment).  Marla calls Cassidy for help, and there's some fighting before everything gets sorted out and the Vanquisher realises that Marla doesn't like . . . like like him.  Cassidy realizes he's becoming a super-hero whether he likes it or not, Kid Devil gets permission from his folks to do some super-heroing under the supervision of the three professors of "hypernormal conflict studies", and Smitty & Rojek (Shockwave's goofball henchmen who for some reason had their own subplot) get apprehended.  Some of the best parts of the issue are the preview of the MASK comic (those toys were cool!) and a faux academic journal article by the professors.

Issue # 17 is a Crisis cross-over issue.  B.D. is at the beach when a goofy supervillain named "The Fisherman" attacks.  The bad guy's sarcastic henchmen presage the type of humor the JLI will embrace in a couple of years.  There's not much to this one; in the last panel, Green Lantern arrives and says he needs B.D.'s help.


We're in outer space for Issue # 18.  Some stuff must have happened in Crisis # 8, as we start here with Blue Devil hanging out with the Omega Men.  The issue is titled "The Last Parallel World Story" (I wish!), and involves "our" Cassidy and an alternate-university Dan Cassidy having to work together to  . . . I don't know . . . keep the universe intact or something.  It's all a bit weird.  Which, I guess works for this series.

Issue # 19 is a bit of an odd duck, containing three Kid Devil short stories (with Cassidy making only a cameo appearance at the end).  The first short is surprisingly good, as the Trickster makes a return appearance--tricking (and proving) that Captain Cold hasn't actually reformed as promised.  In the second short, K.D.'s costume gets stolen by another kid.  The third short is a cute Kid Devil/Robin team-up (as pen pals) versus a Scottish jewel thief named "Red-Eye".  I'm not a Kid Devil fan, particularly, but I didn't mind the issue as a change-up.

Issue # 20 starts out a fun story-thread that recurs in several subsequent issues.  The House of Weirdness (featuring legendary horror story hosts Cain and Abel) appear as B.D.'s weirdness magnet is working overtime.  I'm fond of Cain and Abel from Sandman, and it's really fun to see them here.  The story itself isn't great (involving an undead musician who wants to steal Sharon's soul), but the issue as a whole is solid.

Next time around, we'll be able to finish the rest of the series!

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-00: "The Hao Jin Cataclysm" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Hao Jin Cataclysm is the big kick-off to the tenth and final season of PF1 organised play.  I played through it with my mid-level half-orc paladin at PaizoCon AP in 2018, and then later purchased the scenario for this review.  As a multi-table special, it's fair to expect some big plot developments and lots of fireworks.  I think for the most part The Hao Jin Cataclysm delivers.  It does a great job incorporating elements from older PFS scenarios (as far back as Season Three) and continues the epic tale of the Hao Jin tapestry.  The weaknesses it has are weaknesses common to specials: a frantic pace, an emphasis on combat and skill checks over role-playing, and the likelihood that only some of the overall story will get filtered down to each table and player.  I've only played a few multi-table specials, and I thought this one was about average.

SPOILERS

The Hao Jin Cataclysm is an imposing package to read through, weighing in at a whopping 88 pages!  But actually, only 37 pages of that is the adventure, and then there's 40 pages of bestiary followed by a dozen or so pages of handouts and checklists.  The adventure is divided into three parts, with Part One consisting of the mustering and briefing, Part Two consisting of a series of short vignettes and encounters, and Part Three as the big finale.  The elements that players will probably have encountered in other multi-table specials, such as an intermission, boons for a certain number of successes, and the aid token mechanism (something I've always found too complicated to really work well) are all here as well.

Part One (15 minutes) starts with mustering and a sort of pre-briefing by Master of Spells Sorrina Westyr.  She gives the PCs (who have assembled in the Grand Lodge) a brief history of the Hao Jin Tapestry and an explanation of the problem: it's coming apart at the seams!  While waiting for other players to get seated at the table, there's a nice array of things that PCs who are ready can do, such as assessing the damage to the tapestry, checking supplies, interrogating members of the Aspis Consortium, and more.  Each of these actions is intended to take just a couple of minutes of role-playing and a skill check, but the results can provide some pretty useful boons for either the PC or the whole table.  It's a good way for tables that fire early to have some fun before the main event, even though, in my experience, it's hard to incorporate the skill checks organically and rare for the players to remember the special bonuses they've earned.

The main briefing is delivered by Aram Zey.  Zey says the entire tapestry demiplane will collapse in just two days.  Tears in the tapestry seem to be centered around six sites of past Pathfinder Society activities, and there are incursions from the astral plane and spontaneously spawning undead wreaking further havoc.  Thus, the Pathfinders' first task is to secure and stabilize these six sites so that special (off-screen) groups can repair the damage.

Part Two (140 minutes) is where the PCs complete as many of these six missions as they can in the time they have available.  Players are given a handout with a brief summary of each mission, and the tables can choose which ones to tackle in which order.  If the PCs restore order at a location, a success is reported to the Overseer, and after a certain number of successes, that mission is closed to other tables (and everyone earns a boon).  Once they've entered the tapestry, the PCs can't return to Absalom without sitting out the rest of Part Two.  However, I don't think the encounters are so difficult that the pace is really worrisome for most groups (and there's built-in healing and, later, resurrection in the scenario).

In Mission # 1, the PCs need to help the Muckmouth lizardfolk tribe.  The Muckmouths are facing a dried-up water supply and constant attacks from undead, so the PCs need to explore an ancient Serpentfolk ruin to set things right.  This requires dispatching a mixed group of undead (with the precise composition depending on sub-tier) and then by-passing three magical wards using skill checks.  The Muckmouths were the subject of a Season 3 scenario, and there's a really nice reward here for PCs who took part in that adventure.

In Mission # 2, the PCs visit Round Mountain.  The location isn't described very well in the scenario, but apparently it's a wobbly or constantly-spinning sort of artificial mountain that contains a tribe of ratfolk (also from scenarios in Season 3).  During an encounter with various creatures from the Darklands (like darkmantles or ropers), there's a risk of falling prone due to the spinning--though there are also a host of skill checks to stop the spinning.  I thought it was all rather vaguely described.

In Mission # 3, the PCs visit the location from yet another Season 3 scenario: the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.  The leader of the temple has had his mind invaded by evil spirits caused by the tapestry's unravelling.  The PCs can enter the leader's mind through a ritual and set things right by overcoming (through skill checks) six different nightmarish obstacles.  This mission looks pretty easy, but is there is a chance that, if the PCs fail to overcome the obstacles, the evil spirits manifest as actual demons.

In Mission # 4, the PCs return to Slave Mountain (from a Season 6 scenario) and fight duergar who are sending the souls of sacrifices to the evil night hag Aslynn.  Unlike the other missions, a fun twist here is that PCs who played through the previous scenario don't get a special advantage; instead, they're remembered by the duergar and become special targets!

In Mission # 5, the PCs interact with three groups encountered in a Season 6 scenario that featured the Aspis Consortium invading the tapestry.  The three groups--warriors of Lung Wa, owl-headed syrinxes from Arcadia, and wyvarans--are all sceptical of the PCs.  At least two of the three groups have to be won over to the Pathfinder side.  A wide variety of skill checks can be used, but many seem especially forced (something only really good GMs can fix).  There's also a seemingly random battle against some bugbears.

In Mission # 6, the PCs need to help some kappas (turtle-backed humanoids) who have been deprived of water through the unintentional actions of a sovereign dragon.  The PCs can negotiate with the dragon or fight it, and I appreciate the reminder in the text to encourage the players to role-play rather than just rolling dice for Diplomacy.

I can only speak to my own experience, but I only vaguely remember these encounters.  There's a ton happening in a relatively short period of time, and tables of strangers are understandably focussed on quickly figuring out the problem and (usually) killing it.  I wish there was a way to get better role-playing and character interaction in the multi-table specials, but I'm not sure if there is.  Anyway, for  groups who complete the missions quickly or just want to spend some extra time at a location, there are additional encounters provided against ghouls, boggards, and magical beasts.  These are essentially random encounters, but winning one does count as a success.

Part Three (100-120 minutes) starts with all of the Pathfinders back in the Grand Lodge, thinking they've been successful in stabilizing the Hao Jin Tapestry.  Alas, just as Aram Zey is thanking everyone for their efforts, a massive tear appears in the tapestry (partially the doing of the night hag Alynn)!  Undead and invaders from the astral plane invade the demiplane, so the PCs must once more sally forth unto the breach!  Tables can choose weather to focus on undead or the "astral invaders" (a weird way to describe what are groups of either giants, pirates, or drow).  Each encounter that's won is a success reported to the overseer, and once enough successes are reached, the big finale starts.  I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly what's happening here (despite having played through it and read it), but apparently residual magic from the tapestry in its death throes conjures huge phoenixes.  The PCs need to destroy these phoenixes, with each success resulting in a phoenix feather.  The feathers can be used to either resurrect any party members who have died or to repair one rent in the tapestry.  Once enough of the tapestry has been fixed, the tapestry is (semi?) permanently repaired.  The conclusion has Aram Zey merging with the tapestry as a sort of special guardian, and I think that's a plot point that plays out throughout the rest of Season Ten.

I imagine The Hao Jin Cataclysm would be a very rewarding scenario for players who started PFS several years ago and remember the multiple scenarios it has callbacks to.  Similarly, the plotline of the tapestry has been going on for several years now.  As a relatively recent newcomer to PFS, neither meant a lot to me personally, but I still recognise the value in storytelling progression and continuity.  As for the encounters, I found them pretty run-of-the-mill and uninspired; but that's doubtless the side-effect of having to prepare something for several different sub-tiers.  Overall, I feel that this multi-table special was fine, even if it wasn't particularly  . . . special.

Pathfinder Adventure Path # 5: "Sins of the Saviors" (Rise of the Runelords) [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Sins of the Saviors is Chapter 5 of Rise of the Runelords.  From the forums, it's probably the least-liked chapter in the adventure path because there's a lot of dungeon-crawling and not that many opportunities for role-playing.  In addition, some GMs and players perceive that they've gone through a lot of effort for relatively little gain.  The good news is that the chapter can easily be shortened or swapped out for something else (as long as the party's experience points and wealth doesn't suffer too much).  I've been GMing the Anniversary Edition with my players, and didn't find the chapter the repetitive slog that others had.  But, I can see where the complaints are coming from.

I'll start with the non-spoilery back matter first.

"Magic of Thassilon: Lost Arcana of the Runelords" is an eight-page overview of the schools of Thassilonian sin magic.  Each entry contains a brief description (full of important setting lore) on the relevant Runelord, and then introduces a new custom spell and a magic rune (capable of being tattooed on people with an included feat).  The new spells and runes are pretty good for the most part, though one (blood money) has proven extremely problematic over the past decade.  As a spell learned as a special reward through the defeat of a Runelord, it might be okay--but included in online databases as just another option for players in any campaign to pick, it leads to some major unbalanced gameplay.  As an aside, there's a great drawing of Runelord Alaznist on page 59.  The section also contains an entry on a certain type of weapon, but that heads into adventure spoiler territory so I won't comment further.

"Lamashtu, The Mother of Monsters" receives a ten-page entry.  The entry is very detailed and very interesting, going through the evil goddess's backstory, church, temples, clergy (including some great NPCs), relationships with other religions, two new clerical spells, a new druid variant class (a 3.5 concept similar to an archetype), and more.  Lamashtu is a really *dark* deity when you think about it, and this entry was early in the days of Paizo before they became more PG-13 in orientation.  The excellent artwork continues in this entry.  It probably would have been good to have the entry appear earlier in the adventure path when encounters with Lamashtans were a major theme of Chapter 1, for example, but it's still really good and should be read today for anyone interested in Lamashtu (despite some of it being incorporated in later books).

"Belly of the Beast" is the next instalment in the story of intrepid Pathfinder Eando Kline.  It's a fantastic entry, as Eando tracks down an old adventuring companion to help break into the headquarters of the Red Mantis assassins guild in Korvosa!  There's great flavour on the city (I need to re-read it before running Curse of the Crimson Throne someday) and it's a very exciting tale.

Last up is the bestiary, which contains six new monsters.  Ercinees are basically giant magical birds--they're a bit like rocs or thunderbirds, and I don't see a lot of use for them.  Marsh giants don't have impressive stats, but the description of their religion is really interesting (and I'll always remember one cutting down poor Briza!).  Witchfires are a sort of flaming, incorporeal undead.  The sidebar on "The First Witchfire" is a nice little tale.  Shemhazian demons are pretty much the archetypal demon, but, at CR 14, they pack a punch.  The Night Monarch is the herald of Desna, and it would be a nice treat to use in a campaign featuring a high level cleric of the deity.  Yethazmari, on the other hand, is the herald of Lamashtu and the sire of yeth hounds!  There's a little sidebar on how to treat heralds in general.  Apart from Ercinees and maybe Shemhazian demons, the bestiary has some worthwhile content.

Overall, it's a great issue for back matter.  There's real quality and depth in the entries.

Now, on to the adventure!

SPOILERS

The foreword by Wes Schneider says that the concept with Sins of the Saviors was a dungeon themed around the seven sins of Thassilon.  Schneider reports being impressed by adventure author Steve Greer's incorporation of dynamic politics within the dungeon.

The dungeon that forms the core of Chapter Five is called Runeforge, and a background section explains how it was formed in a timeless demiplane during the age of Thassilon to serve as a shared, neutral laboratory for the Runelords.  Each wing of Runeforge was devoted to one of the sin magics.  Over the subsequent ten millenia, the denizens of each wing had to figure out how to move forward with no word from their respective masters, and many succumbed to war between the factions or madness.  As we'll see, the core of the adventure in this chapter is the PCs discovering the location of Runeforge, figuring out how to get inside, and surviving long enough to have special runeforged weapons constructed in order to eventually do battle against Karzoug.

Part One assumes the PCs are back in Sandpoint (or are summoned there through magical communication) when a sinkhole suddenly forms in the middle of town.  After strange sounds are heard within and town guards exploring the hole never return, the PCs are asked to investigate.  The sinkhole was actually caused by the surge of magical power released when Mokmurian was destroyed (at the end of Chapter Four), because the catacombs under Sandpoint contain one of the magical devices through which Karzoug is collecting power from those marked with his sign.  But what Karzoug doesn't know is that Lamashtu has seen the timing auspicious to resurrect one of her most loyal agents from ancient Thassilon: a man named Xaliasa, who served as a sort of triple agent (ostensibly loyal to Alaznist, secretly reporting to Karzoug, but even more secretly serving Lamashtu!).  Xaliasa was obsessed with finding a way to escape the Runelords should his deception ever be discovered, so he figured out the location of Runeforge and planned to bolt there as a safehouse if needed--only, he died in the same cataclysm that destroyed the rest of Thassilon.  Now, however, resurrected and fairly insane, Xaliasa (soon to be known as the Scribbler) has begun scribbling mad rhymes and cryptic messages all over the walls of the underground shrine to Lamashtu in which he died.  There's a lot of backstory there, much of it convoluted, and the PCs probably won't figure most of it out.

What they will need to do is enter the ancient shrine, survive various traps and denizens, corner the Scribbler, and decrypt the hidden messages on the walls to figure out the location of Runeforge (and the reason they'll want to go there--to create weapons capable of defeating Karzoug).  The shrine encounters are fairly complex for the GM to run, as there's various traps and alarms and the Scribbler is a hit-and-run adversary who hounds the PCs throughout.  He's actually not very tough if the PCs can keep him from escaping, but he can be a fun character to role-play (the voice actor in the audio version did a great job, and might serve as inspiration).  The most memorable aspect of the shrine for my group was a trap carrying a magical suggestion that made PCs paranoid of each other.  PCs always pack so much firepower that they're each other's most dangerous enemies!  As for the hidden rhymes on the walls, it's kind of nice to see an adventure making the most out of Linguistics and even Perform (Poetry).

Part Two is about the PCs figuring out how to get into Runeforge.  They'll know (hopefully) from Part One that the entrance is located far, far to the north.  The adventure leaves it up to the GM to deal with anything during the journey there (my group just teleported).  The scene on the cover of the issue depicts what (probably) happens next: the PCs find a group of seven stone heads in a circle, and as they're fussing with each one to get a key, a white dragon named Arkrhyst silently glides in and attacks!  (I like in the cover artwork how Merisiel seems to be slinking away with a "I think I left the oven on").  For complicated reasons, my group ended up vanquishing Arkrhyst in his lair, which made the encounter much more manageable.

Part Three details the central hub of Runeforge (off of which all of the other wings branch).  There are two key bits here.  First, the central runeforge pool is used to create the special weapons once the group has obtained the necessary ingredients from some of the other wings.  Second, being in Runeforge amplifies the PCs' innate tendencies towards particular types of sin.  GMs are supposed to be tracking this since Chapter 1, and PCs who are aligned to particular types of sin receive mechanical bonuses and penalties depending on what wing they're in.  I *really* like the concept of personalizing consequences for PCs depending on their past actions, but I don't think it really came off successfully in play--the bonuses and penalties were just too subtle.  I tried a variant approach (combining the mechanical with changes in personality) and that worked a little better.

Anyway, essentially the rest of the chapter takes place in Runeforge.  The PCs can enter each wing in any order, and don't have to go into each and every one.  Indeed, once they figure out the ingredients they need to make a weapon against Karzoug, there's only a few necessary wings.  In retrospect, I wish I would have made more of the rivalries between different factions in the different wings and tried to draw the PCs more into the complicated political and adversarial relationships.  Some hints in the adventure on how to do this would have been appreciated.  One interesting difference between the original version of this chapter and how it appears in the Anniversary Edition is that, in the former, each PC has to make a saving throw in order to traverse a hallway to reach another wing--which means, in practice, groups are likely to get split up and face the first encounter in each wing without being at full strength!

Parts Four through Ten detail each of the wings of Runeforge.  I won't spend a lot of time summarizing them here, and will instead just note a few particular things.  First, there's a nasty magical disjunction trap in the Abjurant Halls that will require a lot of preparation by the GM (since PCs carry around so much magical gear, and each item receives an individual saving throw, it could take ages to calculate the bonus for each and go through it all at the table).  The percentage chance of each particular item being permanently destroyed is small, but chances are at least some stuff will be gone.  I know some players hate this, but I always figure one of the challenges of the game is dealing with the theft/sundering/disjunction of precious items.  Second, the story of Vraxeris in the Shimmering Veils of Pride is fantastic.  High-quality writing like this is what sets Paizo APs apart from the adventures of most other companies.  This area also has mirrors of opposition which can force a PC to fight themselves--talk about rocket tag!  Third, the Festering Maze of Sloth is expanded substantially in the Anniversary Edition.  Fourth, the Iron Cages of Lust is one of those things that requires a GM to really know their players or do some "content warning" in advance.  I thought it was really good, but it could easily have gotten to an uncomfortable level at the table.  There's a ton of backstory on Thassilon and the Runelords written into these sections of the adventure so they make interesting reading even if the GM decides to use a substitute adventure.

Part Eleven is where the PCs assemble in the central hub and make their runeforged weapons.  In a great surprise, Karzoug knows what is happening and animates a massive statute of himself to intervene!  It was a really exciting encounter, and the only thing that topped it in the chapter was the PCs' desperate bid to escape Runeforge (which required them to dash through the Halls of Wrath chased by some terribly dangerous foes).  The chapter concludes with presumed escape from Runeforge, setting up the final journey next chapter.

As I said at the beginning, Chapter Five has a lot of dungeon-hacking and few opportunities (especially after the beginning) for role-playing.  This will suit some groups well and annoy others, so the GM should free to alter things.  In one respect, coming to Runeforge is a *lot* of work just to get some special magic weapons that (although certainly useful) are not strictly necessary for success in Chapter Six.  One might consider Chapter Five filler in order to get PCs the experience points and miscellaneous treasure they need to get ready for Chapter Six.  But if it is filler, it's well-written filler!

Pathfinder Tales: "The Irregulars" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Irregulars is a free, four-part series of Pathfinder web fiction available here.  The story's about a group of Andoren slave-liberators undertaking a mission in nearby Molthune.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much about the story that really caught me--it was very by-the-book, with forgettable characters and plot.  One can't complain about free, but I'd put this one pretty low on the reading list.

SPOILERS

The story starts with the heroes ambushing a slave caravan headed toward a camp in Molthune.  After getting some of the camp's defenders to sortie out looking for them, the Andorens then launch their plan to sneak in and set the slaves free.  There are a lot of new characters to take in during Part 1.  The action scenes are fine, but a bit confusing in places.  Probably the story's biggest fault is that there just isn't much tension--things largely go as planned, and that doesn't make for a nail-biting read.  There's nothing particularly wrong with The Irregulars--it's just that with so much other Pathfinder material to read, there's no point in making this a priority.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 71 [RPG]

[4 Calistril 4708 continued]

Nerissa's mysterious past shall remain forever obscured.

After Kang finishes his experiment, he joins the others for a discussion of who is to blame for Nerissa’s death.  There’s no consensus.  Salma says she’s thought carefully about what she said earlier, and would in fact like to be raised from the dead should she perish in battle.  Ava is overjoyed about the turn of events, and says that if she herself ever dies, she hopes the others will carry on their mission to stop Mokmurian.  Kang adds that he’s written a will which he carries on his person at all times.  With Jinkatsyu in agreement, the group resolve that they can’t let the tragedy of Nerissa’s death dissuade them from taking the battle to the stone giant leader.

The group move back through the mazelike tunnels, having encountered no danger at all there since the original attack by redcaps.  Due to Jinkatsyu’s inability to see in the dark, the group is forced to travel with a source of light.  A stone giant sentry posted in the chamber previously occupied by the kobold Enga Keckvia has no difficulty seeing the group’s approach, and stands at the ready, slapping his greatclub in his palm.  Jinkatsyu gives a battlecry and charges forward!  Despite being knocked off-stride by the club connecting with his hip, he closes within rapier reach and lets loose a flurry of strikes.  Combined with Kang’s explosives, the giant is no match for the adventurers and soon falls.

Galenmir was a skilled 

military strategist.

The adventurers see tunnels leading out of the chamber to the north and to the east, and decide to head north.  They pass by what is obviously the “inside” of a secret door, and when they push through, they find themselves in the personal quarters of the giants’ second-in-command: the famous general Galenmir!  Galenmir and Jinkatsyu exchange blows as the stone giant bellows for his “Pit Guardians.”  Jinkatsyu jumps off a piece of furniture to stab the giant in the eye, but the half-blinded warrior retains the wherewithal to slam the kitsune to the ground!  Ava is grazed by Galenmir’s fist as she darts in, but she succeeds in magically teleporting herself and the unconscious Jinkatsyu out of the chamber just as Kang realizes three more stone giants are coming from the north.  The alchemist hurls an explosive at the giant general and then calls for a retreat.  The adventurers see Galenmir drink a potion before his body becomes almost cloudlike.  Salma evokes another fiery blast before everyone retreats to the entrance to the small tunnels.

Ava calls upon his most powerful magicks to rapidly heal Jinkatsyu, and then the adventurers decide to make a stand against the onrushing giants.  As the “Pit Guardians” start to succumb, the adventurers decide to counter-attack and Jinkatsyu rushes forward.  Just as the battle in front of them is won, however, more giants and and a handful of ogres join in the fray from the rear!  The battle becomes a true free-for-all, but the very size of Jorgenfist’s defenders means they get in each other’s way squeeze together in a manner that makes them easy pickings for Salma and Kang’s explosive attacks.  The adventurers fight their way back to the small tunnels and temporarily block it with melded stone before attacking again, with Salma’s cascade of magical fire jumping from enemy to enemy decimating the defenders.  In the end, only single ogre lives long enough to flee the scene.

Somehow, after all the furious fighting and ebb and flow of the battlefield, the invaders have triumphed over almost a dozen foes!  Only the most fickle of fates could bring tragedy from a single kobold and glorious victory from a horde of giants.  As the smoke clears from explosion after explosion, the adventurers have truly cleared a path into the heart of Jorgenfist.  Will they be able to take advantage of their victory, or can the defenders yet rally?

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Director's Commentary (9 September 2019)

This was pretty much an all-combat session.  The PCs chose their trademark strategy when assaulting fixed fortifications: start a loud fight, battle wave after wave of defenders, partially kind of but not really retreat, and end up triumphing.  Some would call it crazy and suicidal, but somehow it works for them!

Next Recap

Pathfinder Society Introductory Scenario: "First Steps, Part II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The title’s a mouthful, but First Steps, Part II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep delivers a solid Pathfinder Society adventure.  As with Part I, the goal here is to introduce gamers to Pathfinder and to the Pathfinder Society’s faction leaders in particular.  The scenario’s opening sequence is much better than the generic briefing we often get, and the bulk of the gameplay has a few creative twists on classic gameplay.  It’s not a mind-blowing scenario, but it is a solid experience and worth playing to continue the theme started in Part I (though, please note, Part II has been officially retired).

SPOILERS

First Steps, Part II starts off in an interesting way, with the PCs receiving an invitation to attend a holiday festival in Absalom.  The invitation, sent by Venture-Captain Amara Li (of the then-existing Lantern Lodge), is for the Snapdragon Festival, a traditional Gokan holiday featuring fireworks, plum wire, and elaborate dress.  Goka is part of Golarion’s little-used Asian/eastern setting, and the Lantern Lodge was themed around the so-called Dragon Empires.  The PCs thus have a chance to put on their finest, mingle with some guests (the GM should do a bit of improvisation here), and learn a bit about another culture before they’re discreetly invited aside for a private meeting with Amara Li.  She explains that one of her ancestors gave the gift of a ceremonial jade katana to a warlord that had laid siege to Absalom centuries ago; like all invaders before and after him, this warlord failed.  Amara Li suspects the jade katana still lies somewhere within the rubble of the warlord’s siege castle outside the city, and asks the PCs to retrieve it for her.  She also makes it clear, however, that this is a personal favour to her and not an official mission for the Pathfinder Society.  What she doesn’t explain to the PCs is that this ceremonial katana hides important trade agreements between her family and Qadira noble houses, and she desperately needs money to cover the enormous cost of establishing the Lantern Lodge in Absalom!

Later during the party, the PCs are pulled aside by (separately) two other representatives of PFS factions.  The bombastic Colson Madris (of the Andoren/Liberty’s Edge) faction says he’s heard the PCs are venturing into the Cairnlands (the area around Absalom where dozens of ancient siege castles still exist, crumbling into ruin).  Madris warns the group about undead, and I guess serves as a bit of introduction to Andoran and the Eagle Knights, but he comes across as a prat and I think does a disservice to the faction.  Soon after that encounter, the PCs are pulled aside by Trade Prince Aaqir al’Hakam, representing the Society’s Qadira faction (he later is a founding member of the Exchange faction).  al’Hakam also suspects ancient trade agreements can be found within the warlord’s ruined siege tower, and wants the PCs to bring it to him (instead of Amara Li).  I like seeing the PCs get involved in intra-faction intrigue early on in their careers, and I wish more scenarios would make good use of the story possibilities presented by the faction concept.  The festival was a great way to start the scenario, though it could perhaps have been fleshed out a bit more to help the GM with some flavour and role-playing.

The PCs have no difficulty travelling to the crumbling siege tower.  Just outside the entrance, they’re accosted by a ghoul who still retains some memories of her former life—she was once a Pathfinder!  The incident is set up so the PCs can handle this encounter diplomatically or through combat, and I thought it was presented well.  The interior of the keep is essentially a dungeon crawl, which I might complain about but these First Steps scenarios are designed to introduce players to the game and there’s no arguing that room-by-room exploration of dungeons isn't a core part of many adventures.  In addition, the writer did a good job of making the siege tower more than just a random collection of unconnected encounters.  There’s a lot of details connecting the rooms and dangers within to the adventure’s backstory, and some creative touches like giving the PCs a chance to control a (small) earth elemental.  A potentially devastating encounter is versus one or more blindheims, creatures that have a gaze attack that blind a PC for an hour on a failed save; with a little bad luck here, the entire party could be effectively crippled for a while.

The “boss” encounter in the dungeon involves a kobold tribe that has been tricked by a skulk (humanoids creatures skilled in deception and disguise) into thinking that a fire-breathing statue is giving them instructions.  The scenario does a good job of setting up multiple ways this situation can be addressed, so it doesn’t have to be a pure hack n’ slash situation.  I did find the in-text instructions for the GM on how to run the skulk clashed some with some of the given During Combat and Morale conditions given in the stat block, and it would be very possible for the skulk to escape the dungeon entirely (taking the jade katana with him!).  Assuming the PCs recover the katana, they may or may not discover the trade agreements within.  If they do, they’ll have a choice on who to present them to when they return to Absalom, thus gaining more favour with the Lantern Lodge or the Qadira faction.  There are no long-term implications of this decision (and the scenario is retired anyway), but it’s a good role-playing choice nonetheless.

Overall, I appreciate First Steps, Part 2 more now than I did on a first quick read-through.  It does what an introductory scenario needs to do, and even though I wish there was a bit more flavour here and there (and more time interacting with the faction leaders), there’s a good mix of combat, role-playing, and setting lore.  It’s a satisfying way to spend a few hours.