Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-16: "What the Helms Hide" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

What the Helms Hide is a collection of four quests with a strong through-line and common theme.  Together, they tell an important story about the Pathfinder Society.  I took advantage of the quest format and played two of them with my rogue (Siegfried) and the other two with my fighter (The Shining Knight).  Although I think the shared premise and backstory is great, the actual execution comes across as amateurish.  I think this story was far too important to be handled in a freelancer-written quest pack, and should have been a traditional module designed for high-tier characters.  This is an important adventure for lore purposes, but not really a particularly fun one to play.

SPOILERS

When it comes to the fictional history of the Pathfinder Society, What the Helms Hide is perhaps the single most important PFS scenario ever released.  Tying in smartly to the classic The Wounded Wisp, it picks up on the idea that an early member of the organisation, a gnome named Eylysia, suspected that some of the first members of the Decemvirates had reprehensible records of deceit and betrayal.  She set about trying to prove this, but barely managed to escape alive after confronting them--and was subsequently framed as having been involved in an "assassination" plot.  In the four quests that follow, the PCs are charged by Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shane to follow some enigmatic clues that Eylysia left behind, in order to determine whether history has judged her unfairly or not.

The first quest, "Collection," has the PCs visiting the Jeggare Museum in Korvosa.  There's a bizarre encounter where a swarm of "shrew flies" suddenly burst through a skylight and try to eat every plant-based object in an exhibit room.  The actual encounter was actually pretty fun, as the PCs need to grab and protect the artifacts on display while simultaneously trying to deal with the swarm.  It just seemed sort of random in appearance, which is the type of problem that could be dealt with through some early foreshadowing or exposition.  There's a similarly weird situation with a spirit that has merged with a washboard (okay . . .) and starts ransacking another exhibit room--but it can be calmed with some skill checks.  It all leads to an awkwardly written research phase that eventually results in the PCs discovering that a Pathfinder (and future member of the Decemvirate) named Helven Leroung ingratiated himself with the Shoanti but then betrayed them at the worst possible time in order to enrich himself and boost his career.  The quest sheds some fascinating light on the Chelish colonisation of the area, and thus on early Korvosan history.  But as an adventure, it's mediocre at best.

The second quest, "Autumn", takes place in the Arthfell Forest in Andoran.  The backstory here is somewhat convoluted, but boils down to an evil Pathfinder (and future member of the Decemvirate) named Zaul Blystone hoarding real relics for himself while sending fake duplicates to the Society.  Blystone hid one of his treasures, Autumn's Cowl, in the Arthfell and tricked a huldra into guarding it.  Very little of this backstory comes through in gameplay, which essentially consists in asking a druid nicely for permission to enter the area, fighting some jack-o'-lanterns (I do like their explosion special ability), and then persuading the huldra into turning over the cowl.  I guess the quest makes good use of the Forest Starter Set Flip-Tiles, but apart from that it falls flat.

Next up is "Dust," which takes place in Dwarven territory near Highhelm.  At a cavern where the dwarves worshipped Droskar, a famed Pathfinder (and future member of the Decemvirate) named Veldrid Goldborough murdered the lot of them and stole most of their treasures for herself.  Essentially, this is a brief dungeon excursion consisting of one trivial haunt (which has poor flavour and little in the way of game effects) and a battle against some goblins.  I love the goblin song in the quest and that the goblins are portrayed in their traditional manner (PF1 forever!).  There's a bit of role-playing at the beginning of the quest with some dwarf scouts.  I'd classify this one as fine but forgettable, and probably the best of the lot.

Last is "Witness," a quest I had a major issue with.  The PCs are expected to perform a (poorly explained) ritual in order to display Eylysias's fateful confrontation with the three perfidious members of the Decemvirate featured in the previous quests.  But instead of just witnessing the event, the PCs somehow . . . I don't know . . . inhabit .  . . the bodies of Eylysias' allies in the battle.  All of this took place four centuries ago, and it's not actual time-travel, so it's all rather pointless.  When I played it, I also wasn't satisfied that there was much in the way of evidence that Eylysias was the "good guy" and that the Decemvirate members were the "bad guys", so I didn't participate.  I couldn't see what the in-game point of the battle was, regardless, even though I understand the writer was trying to make the event more interesting by making it interactive instead of just expository in nature.  The overall conclusion is also unsatisfying, as Kreighton Shaine and two members of the Decemvirate essentially give the PCs a "well-done" pat on the back with no particular insight into what, if anything, will change about the methods used to select the Society's governing authority.

A gamer really interested and invested in the early history and lore surrounding the Pathfinder Society would enjoy reading What the Helms Hide--it adds a lot, and what it adds makes for an interesting and exciting story.  But the quests themselves do a poor job implementing this promising premise, and there are a lot of plot holes that just don't add up.  I would recommend this one for hard-core fans only.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 8-16: "House of Harmonious Wisdom" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

House of Harmonious Wisdom is a series of five quests that take the PCs to various sites in Tian Xia, an Asian-inspired part of the Golarion campaign setting.  This was one of the first PFS scenarios I ever played (at PaizoCon 2017 with my "caveman shaman" Gurkagh) and I had a blast.  Reading through it now for the purposes of this review, I can see some plot holes, but I'm still impressed by it and would like to find time to run it myself for another group.  It's a fun, fresh adventure and just has a good feel to it.

SPOILERS

The backstory to House of Harmonious Wisdom makes good use of the setting's history.  After an empire known as Imperial Lung Wa fell and fractured into several Successor States, one of them (Shokuro) had a peasants' revolt and declared independence.  Now, several decades later, Shokuro retains stability but would fare even better in its relations with the other Successor States if it could prove a better link to Imperial Lung Wa.  Recently, word has reached one of the original Shokuro rebels, a woman named Mai Chun, that a ruin dating to the age of the empire has been found in the dense forest near her village of Ashima.  With locals afraid to approach due to reports of a bear, Mai Chun has contacted a friend for help--Venture Captain Amara Li of the Pathfinder Society.

The first quest, "Fragments," starts with the PCs arriving in Ashima and meeting with Mai Chun.  I really enjoy the personality and style of speech given to the NPC (although the picture makes her look a lot younger than described).  After explaining the situation, she asks the PCs to explore the ruins in the hope of finding anything useful to Shokuro's cause.  The ruins are represented by the Noble Estate flip-mat, but only three of its many rooms containing anything of interest.  The PCs first have to defeat a bear (a poor panda bear in low subtier!) possessed by the spirit of the last owner of the estate.  There's then one trap before the big discovery: a map that hints at the location of the legendary Summer Palace, a crucial location from Imperial Lung Wa lost to history.  This first quest is pretty slight, and probably won't even take the full hour for PCs to complete it.  I also think there should have been more background or description on the spirit--Pathfinder players have been trained to think that spirits are either malevolent ghosts or trapped souls, and that either way something special needs to be done to set them free.

The second quest, "Inkstains," starts with the PCs in Xiwu, the capital of Lingshen, at a calligraphy academy named the School of Affinities.  They've been sent here by Mai Chun to "retrieve" (steal back!) a map dating back to the days of Imperial Lung Wa that could help further narrow the location of the Summer Palace.  The school makes surprisingly good use of the Village Square flip-mat as the PCs receive a tour from a student named Jianghong.  This quest has all the makings of a classic heist (assuming the PCs sneak in at night, steal the map, and then escape before getting caught).  But there are two complications.  First, the map on public display is only a copy of the original--which is stored in a more secure place.  Second, as the PCs are in the middle of their heist, they catch another burglar (Jianghong) in the act--and he's got the map!  A very simplified chase scene follows.  I love the idea of planning a heist (it's not something PCs get to do very often), but I didn't like the interruption from the other burglar.  It seemed far-too-coincidental that he would strike exactly the same night as the PCs and be after the same thing, and there's no real explanation given.  The bit about there being an original version and a copy was also confusing when I played through it, because our PCs had no reason to think that there would be any advantage in having one over the other--after all, the maps here are supposed to be copied by experts.

The third quest, "Constellation," has the PCs meeting with a bureaucrat named Yue Xin in the city of Changdo in the nation of Po Li.  Yue Xin knows the location of a ruined communications station dating to Imperial Lung Wa, and says there may be crucial clues to the location of the Summer Palace inside.  Yue Xin is an interesting character, as he speaks in faux-meaningful allusions and metaphors to make himself seem wiser than he is.  At the ruins, the PCs will discover several sets of fireworks of different colours.  If they figure out a bit of a riddle (which is one of those things that can be really simple or really hard, depending on the group), they'll know to shoot off a blue and a yellow firework simultaneously to create "words written in green" in the sky--and the words are another clue to the location of the Summer Palace.  Setting off the magical fireworks also unleashes some small fire elementals that the PCs have to battle.  This didn't make a lot of sense to me, and seemed like a battle shoehorned in just for the sake of a battle.

The fourth quest, "Teahouse," is my favourite and one of my best PFS experiences.  The PCs are sent by Mai Chun to the city of Lanming in the Successor State of Quain.  There, they need to obtain a family heirloom passed down over centuries to a woman named Jiang Fei.  But Jiang Fei will only let the PCs look at it if they help her with a problem.  She's trying to start a new martial arts school with her "Jade Ogre" fighting style, but hasn't had any luck finding students.  She wants to put the PCs through a crash-course and have them intentionally start a fight with the arrogant, bullying students of the Scorpion School so that everyone in town will see the value of her style.  After the training, every PC gets access to four special combat maneuvers.  They then travel to the local teahouse, where they need to devise a way to insult the students of the Scorpion School enough to provoke a fight but without being crass about it (the example the scenario gives--sending over a pot of extremely weak tea--is fantastic).  The resulting battle is just hilarious fun.  Most of the furniture in the tearoom is breakable, and the PCs are encouraged to show off their new "Jade Ogre Style" moves because "winning" the battle isn't the only goal.  When I played it, I finally got to put my PC's speciality in improvised combat to full use.  Though I think I made the GM mad by using some WWF-style bodyslams--Gurkagh's not the type to take instructions well :)

The last quest, "Prophecy," sees the Pathfinders reach the Summer Palace.  Inside, they find the final prophecies written by the last emperor of Imperial Lung Wa--and the spirit of Song Rui, the last princess of the empire!  Song Rui is friendly and even offers to travel with the PCs to help Mai Chun interpret the prophecies.  This was all pretty easy and anti-climactic.  But as the group travel the mountain path away from the Summer Palace, they have one last obstacle: the main NPCs from the three previous quests are waiting for them.  All three (Jianghong from the calligraphy school, Yue Xin the bureaucrat, and Jiang Fei the martial arts instructor) have separately followed the PCs and want the prophecies for the glories of their own nations.  If the PCs give the prophecies to one of the NPCs, the other two NPCs attack that NPC (and the PCs).  If the PCs refuse to give it to any of them, then all the NPCs join forces to attack the PCs!  It's a really interesting, unpredictable encounter that could certainly play out in a lot of different ways.  In addition, one of things the GM will have tracked from the previous quests is whether the PCs made a positive impression on each NPC; if so, that NPC will choose a different set of tactics.  After the battle, there's a brief but satisfactory epilogue with Mai Chun.

Tian Xia is a large, diverse region and it was clever to set each of the quests in a different one of the Successor States.  A GM who puts a bit of work in can bring the different nations to life in an interesting way.  Each of the quests was written by a different author, which is sometimes a problem, but here everything ties together well.  Although some of the plotting stretches credulity on occasion, there's a good mix of different encounters and some really good NPCs.  One of the boons on the Chronicle sheet (the Sun Shogun Talismans) has saved Gurkagh's life on multiple occasions, so I'm glad I played this one early in his career!

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 89 [RPG]

[25 Calistril 4708 continued]

In their hurry to teleport away from the white dragon they awakened slumbering within Rimeskull, something has clearly gone wrong for the adventurers!  The inn they’ve appeared next to isn’t the Rusty Dragon, but an establishment called “Greediness is Godliness.”  Instead of early morning on a cold winter’s day, it’s twilight on a warm summer’s day.  And although the town poses a passing resemblance to Sandpoint, what explains the massive stone fortress where the modest garrison once stood, the tower glowing with arcane fire at the site of Old Light, and the giants trundling about casually?  The situation becomes even more uncanny when Gorvi, Sandpoint’s janitor, emerges from the tavern wearing a uniform with a badge naming him an “Enforcer Captain.”  The half-orc demands to see the adventurers’ “identity papers,” and when they demur, he starts leading them in the direction of the massive fortress, stating that “District Commander Scarnetti” will enjoy having a word with them.  Just as the massive steel gates of the fortress begin to open, Ava decides it’s time for another quick exit, and she teleports everyone away again!

The effect is wrenching on both the adventurers’ minds and their bodies.  Instead of suddenly reappearing elsewhere, the journey has a sickening, twisting duration—and when they appear outside the Black Shield tavern in Magnimar, Jinkatsyu’s leg is severed!  He passes out from the pain and sudden loss of blood, but the others recover quickly enough to save him (and his leg) by rushing him to a nearby temple of Abadar where the magical rites to reattach the severed limb can be performed.  The kitsune will have a terrible scar around his thigh, but he’ll live. 

With the immediate crisis dealt with, the adventurers imbibe a much needed drink at the Black Shield and  speculate about what they just experienced—Erik says it may have been an illusion, while Kang suspects another plane of existence!  A very professionally-dressed group of “troubleshooters” sits at a nearby table in matching uniforms, leading Ava to opine that maybe the Heroes of Varisia should become more disciplined and organised.  Kang persuades her to wait on such a discussion until Yuzo rejoins the group, which reminds the cleric to send the warrior a magical message saying they’ll be returning to Sandpoint upon the morrow to pick him up.  The reply, however, indicates that Yuzo is mysteriously “indisposed” for the time being.

The adventurers decide to make the most of their time in Magnimar by researching the best way to deal with white dragons.  Ava and Jinkatsyu ask around the neighbourhood to see if there are any adventurers (retired or otherwise) who have had personal experience, but end up having most of their time wasted by a nice, harmless, and quite delusional old lady who tells them a crazy tale about dragons bursting out of privies.  Kang and Erik, however, have much better luck.  The Founder’s Archive in the Capital District specialises in research on magic, and the two are able to find several tomes detailing the magical abilities and weaknesses of white dragons.  When the four adventurers reunite, they discuss tactics but don’t settle on anything definite.

[26 Calistril 4708]

In the morning, the adventurers descend from their rooms on the second floor of the Black Shield to see that the proprietor is under arrest and all of the tavern’s stock is being loaded into crates.  It seems that years of buying smuggled-in casks of ale to avoid paying tariffs finally caught up to the owner.  But it matters little to the adventurers, as they have bigger fish to fry: a dragon! 

Arkrhyst had lived in Rimeskull for centuries, 

and was a legendary foe to the area's Shoanti tribes.

With a shout of “For Varisia!”, the heroes teleport directly back to the dragon’s cave and begin their assault.  They find that the wily creature has frozen its hoard into a thick block of ice and is hiding down one of the side tunnels leading off of the main cavern, but in instants the battle is joined in full.  The adventurers’ first wave of attacks wound the dragon severely, but it has tricks up its sleeve.  It uses magic to disappear down a corridor and then re-emerges surrounded by a moving blizzard that it can see through but that the adventurers cannot!  This time the dragon has the advantage, and it uses its surprise to full effect, catching Kang before the tiefling can escape and nearly killing him with a flurry of vicious attacks!  Only Kang’s mutagenic healing abilities allows him to barely survive.  Erik finds himself the next target of the badly-hurt dragon’s wrath and, unable to escape, the angel-blooded gunslinger decides to go out in a blaze of glory—but his pistol misfires and he gets bitten almost in half!  Somehow Ava is able to save him from dying.  Assuming its point has been made, the dragon is content to let the adventurers teleport away like before—but when they don’t, it continues the assault and finally engages Jinkatsyu in hand-to-hand combat.  The swashbuckling kitsune somehow parries every bite and claw, expertly riposting with his enchanted rapier until the dragon keels over in its death throes.

Through force, fortune, and fate, the way to Runeforge now stands clear . . .

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

Director's Commentary

The little side-trek into an alternative (future?) version of Sandpoint was intended to dramatize for the PCs what could happen if they failed to stop Karzoug.  I think it was an interesting idea, but probably not as successful as I hoped.

The battle against the dragon was very exciting!  

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-10: "Blood at Dralkar Manor" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Because it has been retired from official PFS play, I ran Blood at Dralkar Manor at subtier 3-4 as part of my "Roots of Golarion" campaign that incorporates 3.5-era Pathfinder adventures.  Long story short: I can see why this one was retired.  It's lethal!  It has an interesting approach and I like how it doesn't railroad, but I just don't see most groups getting through it without multiple casualties or a TPK.  It delivered one of my player's first ever PC death, and in retrospect it just wasn't a fair encounter.  I'm glad Paizo learned from mistakes like this one.

SPOILERS

Blood at Dralkar Manor starts with the PCs standing outside the eponymous building, remembering the instructions given to them by Venture-Captain Savarre back in Absalom.  Savarre is about ready to retire, and he intends to purchase Dralkar Manor in Andoran with his life's savings.  However, Dralkar Manor has been abandoned for years and rumors persist that it's haunted.  So Savarre has sent the PCs to see if the rumors are true and, if so, to make the place safe for him to reside in.  It's the only PFS scenario I can think of where the PCs are essentially doing a personal errand for a Venture-Captain, and to me it comes across like trying to have the office receptionist pick up your dry cleaning!

Dralkar Manor does have elements of a classic haunted house.  There's an interesting and well-written tragic backstory involving dark secrets, and the place is very dangerous.  But the scenario smartly layers onto this a storyline involving an evil cult using the abandoned house as a site for murderous experiments.  As the PCs investigate the house, they have to fend off its inherent threats and the cultists at the same time.  It makes for an interesting dynamic.

I'll start with the cult.  There are three main named members, with the possibility of some additional unnamed thugs depending on subtier.  As correspondence the PCs may find inside the house will reveal, the three cultists are involved in a love triangle.  The subordinate male is an illusionist and hides in the house, using minor glamers to make the place seem more haunted.  I thought this was a good touch--the house doesn't have "ghosts" per se, but it helps to explain why the locals think it does.  The sole female member of the cult is a rogue who hides (quite well--DC 40 to spot!) in the exterior gardens, and stalks the PCs with the intent to sneak attack if the illusions don't scare them away.  The leader of the group, a wizard, is off to kidnap the sheriff of the local town (Alvis) that ousted them.  As more correspondence will reveal, he'll return at dawn.  This potentially gives the PCs the opportunity to set up an ambush for him.  I always like it when scenarios reverse things and give the PCs more agency in how encounters begin.

The unfortunate thing with this cult is that, although we learn some of their interpersonal dynamics, the scenario gives us absolutely no information about what this cult is, what it's called, what its goals are, etc.  It's as generic a cult as it gets!  I'll also mention now, although the PCs probably won't encounter him until the end of the session, that the wizard is Level 6 and this doesn't change regardless of subtier!  (Some of his spell selection is limited at low subtier, but he's still potentially an extremely dangerous foe).  A final annoying bit about the cult is that everything about them is in a separate section of the scenario from all of the room descriptions--the GM needs to prepare carefully to incorporate the cultists' appearances as intended.  Additional confusion can arise because the  illusionist hides in the burned/collapsed remnants of the second floor, and there's also a trapdoor on the second floor leading into one of the first-floor rooms--but the scenario provides no map of the second floor.  The fact that the upper story of the mansion is a burned ruin also makes me wonder why the Venture-Captain wants to buy the place in the first instance.  He really should have demanded an inspection first.

The house itself only has two encounters, but both are very nasty.  First, one of the rooms contains anywhere from 2 to 5 vargouilles (depending on subtier).  Vargouilles are low CR creatures, but their paralysing shrieks can completely disable a party with some bad dice rolls.  Add onto this that they can then infect victims with a disease that turns them into vargouilles makes them far more dangerous than their CR might indicate.  Second, the house's kitchen contains one or more assassin vines.  Again, a normal assassin vine is far more lethal than its CR would indicate, but this scenario exacerbates the problem by placing a special advanced assassin vine (with 108 hit points!) at subtier 3-4.  That's what easily killed one of the PCs when I ran the encounter.  I'm all for not coddling players, showing them that not every battle should be fought, etc., but the way the scenario sets things up is essentially--open the door, there's a deadly foe with 30' reach, it grapples you, and constricts you until you die.  I have to imagine either there was no play-testing of the scenario before it was published, or the writers (oddly, there are three of them) played super min-maxed PCs.

Sometimes when I run these retired scenarios, I think that just by changing one or two little things, Paizo could have salvaged a perfectly good adventure.  But Blood at Dralkar Manor would take a lot of work to redeem.  Although I like that there's a chance for the PCs to turn the tables on the cult, I just don't think this one is realistically playable in its current form.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-35: "Rasheen's Riches" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Rasheen's Riches isn't going to knock your socks off or win any awards for originality, but it's a solid scenario nonetheless.  It's more of an exploration and combat scenario, with little opportunity for role-playing.  The plot is fairly straightforward, but it has an interesting premise and potentially starts a new minor storyline.  I'd place it in the "average, but definitely playable" category.

SPOILERS

Rasheen's Riches has a fun premise that I imagine will be used to fuel multiple scenarios over future seasons.  The Starfinder Society has come across a map that purports to show the first stop on legendary explorer and relic-hunter Jelev Rasheen's last expedition (from which she never returned).  It'd be more elegant if such a "legendary" figure from the setting's past had been mentioned before this scenario, but still, I can't argue with the classic pulp plot of following in the footsteps of a missing explorer.

The scenario begins with a briefing from Radaszam of the Acquisitives Faction that takes place in a Starfinder museum.  I think it's the first time we've seen this location in Starfinder Society, and it could make a really good backdrop for briefings.  I wish more had been done with it here.  Anyway, Radaszam tells the PCs about finding the map in the Society's archives and how it could lead to a beacon in the Arat System (a largely unexplored part of the Vast).  Apparently, Rasheen left one of these beacons, numbered in sequential order, in each system she explored as a sort of "trail of bread crumbs" and a way to store data of her findings for subsequent retrieval.  The PCs are expected to travel to the Arat System and recover the beacon, and perhaps even discover the fate of Rasheen.

At one point during the weeks-long travel through the Drift, the PC's vessel comes into contact with a salvage vessel examining the wreckage of another ship.  The salvage vessel is crewed by an insect-like type of fey called bulabar (a creature from Pathfinder I'm not familiar with), and reports that the wreckage is of a civilian liner destroyed by armed starships.  With some skill checks, the PCs can learn that the destroyed ship is of Izalguun manufacture and that the attackers were jinsuls!  All of this is here purely to provide some backdrop flavour for the ongoing season-long story arc, but I think scenario writers need to be careful about how they do stuff like this--it can be tantalizing enough to get players thinking this is something they should investigate immediately (after all, Rasheen has been missing for hundreds of years--she's not going anywhere!).

When the PCs reach the Arat System, scans don't pick up a beacon, but they do detect the wreckage of a starship on Aratrosim, the nearby moon of a gas giant.  Aratrosim is a dangerous place because of extensive "cryovolcanic" activity, and apparently the only safe place to land is several miles away from where the wreckage is detected.  This is becoming an annoying trope in Starfinder Society scenarios: dubious rationales for the PCs' ship to have to land someone other than where they're going so there can be overland travel and encounters (especially with all the means that PCs have at their disposal to bypass unconvincing explanations, such descent thrusters, feather fall spells, etc.).  Anyway, there are some randomly-determined environmental hazards during the PCs' cross-country journey, but only a couple are more than trivial impairments.  Everyone having such reliable and long-lasting environmental protections automatically built into their armor makes it really hard for Starfinder to do wilderness survival hazards well.

The middle part of the scenario consists of exploring the wrecked starship.  By recovering log entries and finding other clues, the PCs will learn that the ship belonged to the Golden League (a criminal organisation) that came in search of Rasheen about five years ago in the hopes of finding her rumoured stash of incredible treasures.  But the ship was ambushed by another starship and had to crash land, though the pilot was able to bring it in near the beacon.  The crew survived and hatched a plan to adjust the beacon to send an emergency distress signal, but before they could complete the job the crew of the attacking starship arrived to finish the job--and that ship belonged to the Corpse Fleet (renegade Eoxian undead)!  Apparently, the Arat System contains a secret Corpse Fleet base.  The PCs won't get this story all at once--instead, they'll have to put the pieces together and make some reasonable inferences.  The Corpse Fleet also left some traps behind in case anyone arrived to investigate the wreckage: undead in the form of a marooned one and a ghost.  I'm not sure if exploring a mysterious wrecked starship to discover clues about what happened while fending off spooky undead counts as "classic" or "cliched" SF storytelling at this point, but on the whole I thought this part of the scenario was reasonably well-written and interesting.

The PCs will have learned that Rasheen's beacon is only about a 20 minute walk from the starship.  There aren't any more environmental dangers to contend with on the way, but there is an attack from some native predatory fauna called glaciomonitors.  I like their ability to fight effectively in the fog they generate, though I thought the artwork for them was a bit cheesy.  Activating the beacon is easy, though the data it contains is encrypted and has to be transmitted to the PCs' ship in a process that will apparently take most of a day to complete.

I guess the scenario assumes the PCs return to their vessel and wait in orbit around Aratrosim for the data download to complete, because that's when they're attacked by a Corpse Fleet vessel.  This is a very standard one-on-one starship combat with no special features, and is pretty forgettable apart from some interesting role-playing interaction with the opposing ship's captain.  After presumably blasting the Corpse Fleet ship to smithereens, the Starfinders are able to return home without further incident.  Upon their return, Radaszam says he believes the Golden League may have information about the next set of Rasheen's coordinates, hinting at a possible plot point for a future scenario.

I wouldn't say Rasheen's Riches broke new ground in any way, but it was an overall solid adventure.  I liked the background premise of finding Rasheen (or her legendary treasure), and the scenario ticks the basic Starfinder categories of exploration, regular combat, and starship combat.  Some more opportunities for role-playing would have been nice, and the encounter designs were fairly basic.  Still, I'm curious to see what's next in this storyline.

"Pathfinder Society Played Here" Poster [RPG]

I ordered one of these for my gaming room, and Paizo sent me an extra, which was nice--my son now has one up in his room as well.  These are large, movie-sized posters.  The artwork isn't my favourite--it's pretty generic and pedestrian compared to Wayne Reynolds' work on Pathfinder.  I also don't think it shows off the range of character types, or provides much in the way of information about what "Pathfinder Society" is about.  For people familiar with PFS, it works fine--but newbies probably don't really know what to make of it.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-32: "Acts of Association" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran Acts of Association as a Subtier 1-2 play-by-post game a few months ago, and it was a blast.  The scenario is perfect for new players because it's fun, engaging, has a variety of tasks, and isn't rules- or lore-heavy.  The fact that it's a repeatable with extensive randomised elements makes it a great scenario for a GM to have in their back pocket at conventions or other situations when they might need to run something on short notice.  It's also a relatively quick scenario.  I think it's a good model on how to do an enjoyable repeatable.

SPOILERS

The adventure begins with a briefing provided by Chiskisk, a member of the Starfinder Society's Forum who was first introduced in the Dead Suns adventure path.  Chiskisk explains that a dignitary from a civilization beyond the Pact Worlds has been invited to Absalom Station and is close to signing an agreement with the Starfinder Society to allow increased contact and exploration of their territory.  But the dignitary has requested a tour of Absalom Station, so the PCs are tasked with providing an escort and basically making sure that the dignitary has a positive experience.

The GM's duty before the session begins is to determine who this dignitary is, what they're like, and what they want to do.  Acts of Association includes an excellent variety of options, complete with artwork, backgrounds (adding some nice lore to the setting), and cultural taboos for several different possible dignitaries.  The GM can choose one of them, roll randomly, or even combine individual features of different dignitaries into a unique composite.  It's an elegant aid to repeatability, as having a different dignitary ensures a very different role-playing experience.  Further, the goal of the scenario is to keep the dignitary happy, and this is measured by an "outlook" tracker that can rise or fall depending on the particular dignitary's preferences--this means that something the PCs do that one dignitary will love may completely turn off another.  I rolled completely randomly and ended up with DV8 (a sentient robot) who had the characteristics of impulsiveness (it would make snap decisions on what it wanted to see) and a fear of being left alone (if the PCs got beyond 30 feet of it, its outlook level would be lowered).  I had fun role-playing it as almost Dalek-like in speech pattern.

When the PCs meet the dignitary that has been selected for them, they'll get a chance to make an early good or bad impression that sets the initial outlook level.  They'll also get a chance, through some skill checks, to learn about that dignitary's preferences and dislikes.  Once the dignitary tells the PCs what they want to see on the tour, the main part of the scenario begins: a series of encounters at four different locations within the station.  This is the other aspect of the scenario that aids in repeatability, because the scenario includes seven different possibilities.  A player who plays Acts of Association more than once is likely to get a least one or two encounters that are different than they experienced the first time around.  Here are the possibilities:

1. Perfexion:  The PCs have to escort the dignitary to dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants on Absalom Station.  Even getting a table isn't easy, and the dignitary will suffer an allergic reaction during the meal.  It's a fun idea and can actually lead to a combat (from bouncers or an angry chef), though it can also boil down to a couple of successful skill checks and be over with quickly.  Ideally, groups will use the "fancy restaurant" opportunity for some good role-playing.

2.  Pet Hunting: The dignitary insists that it wants a pet--a squox (squirrel-raccoon type of animal) from Jatembe Park.  Taking squox from the park isn't illegal, per se, but the groundskeepers do everything they can (non-violently) to interfere.  It's an interesting type of encounter because once the squox appear, they start to disappear after a random number of rounds so the PCs have to run all over the place.  It also makes heavy use of a skill (Survival) that doesn't get a lot of play in Starfinder, and I liked that.  (I could see some players/characters objecting to the idea that a wild animal swiped from a public park should be gifted as a pet to a foreigner with no experience in taking care of such creatures--this might not be the best encounter for a Xenowarden-themed PC!)

3. Club Hopping: The dignitary wants to experience a nightclub on the station, but spills a drink on a local tough-guy who wants to punch them out.  This can be a "one skill check and it's over" encounter (as it was when I ran it), or turn into a small combat encounter.  Probably one of my least favourites, because it's pretty cliché and there just isn't a lot happening.

4. Glitchy Pleasure Cruise:  The dignitary wants to see Absalom Station from the outside, but has chartered a ship full of glitch gremlins.  I didn't run this one.  It looks pretty easy, but okay.

5.  Souvenir Shopping: After taking the dignitary shopping, the PCs get loaded down with several bulk-worth of packages.  The fun mechanic here is that when a local gang attacks, they're not out to defeat the PCs--instead, they're trying to scoop up packages and make a run for it.  It made for a very different type of encounter, because it wasn't the PCs' ultimate combat skills being tested but instead their tactical ability to protect a bunch of movable items.  And a shopping center-focused ysoki thieving ring named the Mall Rats? I'm on board!

6. Theatorium: The dignitary wants to give an impromptu performance at a local theatre, and the PCs have to try to influence the audience to provide a favourable reception.  This one requires the GM to think on their feet as to what type of performance the selected dignitary would try to give.  It also has a frankly weird list of skills the PCs can use to try to influence the audience (like Physical Science and Sleight of Hand).  An interesting idea, though perhaps not executed perfectly.

7. In Transit: This is an optional encounter that the GM can insert if there's extra time to the session.  The group gets caught in the middle of a battle between rival space goblin gangs.  It's a low-threat bit of silly fun, and a nice option to have if the PCs have managed to deal with most of the other encounters peacefully.

With the exception of Souvenir Shopping and In Transit, the encounters can be handled without violence if the PCs have some skill in Diplomacy or Intimidate.  When I ran it, one of the PCs was an envoy focussed on Diplomacy, and easily killed most of the DCs.

I did find it helpful when GMing to add a bit of "connecting tissue" between the encounters I randomly rolled--for example, when DV8 left a restaurant encounter near Jatembe Park, that's where he saw a squox and determined he wanted one (thus initiating the pet collection encounter), and after getting one, insisted on immediately buying pet supplies (and initiating the shopping encounter).  The squox then got away and ran into the nightclub to start the Club Hopping encounter.

Acts of Association isn't a difficult scenario.  When I ran it, the dignitary's Outlook Level never got below the maximum at any point.  It's possible that groups who don't pay attention to the dignitary's taboos or who handle every encounter ham-fistedly could have worse luck.  I noticed when GMing that there is a potential issue in how the Outlook Level is adjusted because the order in which positive and negative changes are applied could be very significant.

Although a couple of the encounters could use a little tweaking, on the whole I was impressed by this one.  It makes a perfect introductory scenario, and one of the few I'd be perfectly happy to play even after having GM'd.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 88 [RPG]

[23 Calistril 4708 continued]

When Erik goes to collect Veznutt Parooh and Brodert Quink for a dinner out at the Rusty Dragon, he can tell that the two oldsters are pleased about having hatched some sort of secret plan.  It all comes out when the adventurers find a surprise party waiting for them, with several of the townsfolk of Sandpoint ready to give testimonials about how they’ve been helped by the group and their predecessors in the months since the Swallowtail Festival.  Having heard that the adventurers will be departing on a trip to the far north, the town’s residents use the opportunity to express their gratitude and wish the adventurers well on the next stage of their quest.  The night passes quickly in feasting and general merriment.

[24 Calistril 4708]

In the morning, as the adventurers prepare for their departure to Runeforge in hopes of finding powerful weapons against the coming of the Runelords, they realize that Yuzo is nowhere to be found.  As he was last seen in the company of Sister Celia at the Rusty Dragon the night prior, the others decide they can come back for him when he’s ready to depart.  Ava’s teleportation spell to the the area works flawlessly thanks to the descriptions gleaned from the Scribbler’s riddle and Veznutt’s interpretation of it.  They arrive on the western slopes of Rimeskull Mountain, the peak of which rises thousands of feet into the chilly air.  The ground is rugged and mountainous between the mountain and the shores of Lake Stormunder further to the west, but in between the two the land levels off to create a circular hill.  Amongst the rocks and tenacious shrubs that poke through the scattered clumps of snow on the hilltop are seven stone heads, each ten feet tall, their faces angled inward at each other.  Each statue seems perfectly preserved and each is distinct from the others, but the adventurers aren’t able to determine exactly who or what they were supposed to represent.  Yet another ancient face leers at them as well: about two hundred feet above ground level, on the side of Rimeskull, the carving of a gaping mouth forms a cave entrance reachable by a stairway of stone.

For how many millennia have 

these guardians stood waiting?

The Heroes of Varisia decide to seek Runeforge inside the cave, noting that a sihedron has been etched above its entrance.  The steps are slippery in places, but prove no major obstacle to ascent.  However, once they reach the landing in front of the cave’s entrance, the adventurers are startled by two massive creatures of dirt and stone that somehow glide out of the rock!  The behemoth earth elementals are almost forty feet tall, and a single blow from one’s mighty fist is enough to knock Jinkatsyu off the landing to plummet into the snow at the base of the mountain!  Erik opens fire and gets knocked off the cliff as well, but the wings that form part of his angel-touched heritage allow him to avoid falling.  The battle is a hard fought one, but Kang’s bombs prove incredibly effective, and Ava’s skilled channelling of divine healing magicks keeps anyone from perishing.  Down below, Jinkatsyu is even able to get to his feet, badly hurt but still alive.  He grumbles that the experience was just like when he fell from Hook Mountain several weeks prior!

The intrepid explorers continue through the cave entrance to see a long tunnel gradually descending hundreds of feet into the mountain.  Past another pair of statues, the tunnel becomes quite icy and slippery.  Jinkatsyu loses his footing and almost suffers another terrible fall, but Kang sprouts his dragonfly wings quickly and manages to catch up to the kitsune and halt his slide.  The others find a nearly invisible ledge above the floor of the tunnel that seems safer to walk on, and the group’s progress continues.  Eventually the slope ends at the edge of a gaping chasm of darkness, with huge icicles hanging from the ceiling and coils of mist rising up from below.  The hidden ledge winds around the side of the chasm like a ramp.  The adventurers continue their descent into the darkness until suddenly they hear the sound of a massive bulk shifting amidst the clinking of metal.  A terrible voice booms up from below: “Who dares intrude upon my domain?”  Erik drops a coin imbued with magical light into the chasm, and the source of the voice becomes clear: a massive white dragon resting atop his hoard!  Before anyone can react, Ava activates her teleportation magic to whisk everyone back to Sandpoint.

But in her panic, something goes wrong with the spell.  The adventurers arrive in front of a tavern, but it’s not the Rusty Dragon—and if the town is Sandpoint, it’s like no Sandpoint they’ve ever seen before . . .

------------------------------------------
Director's Commentary

The bit at the beginning with the "bon voyage" party was because I wanted the PCs to know how grateful the townsfolk in Sandpoint were.  It was possible, even likely, that the PCs wouldn't come back to Sandpoint after this point, so I wanted to make the most of it.

Yuzo's player missed the session.  It was around this point, if I remember correctly, that she started missing a lot of sessions.  And then she dropped out completely, with absolutely no notice!  Real life happens and players come and go, but I do find it annoying when players can't even send a note.

The arrival at an unfamiliar place was caused by Ava rolling extremely poorly with the teleport spell.  It happened right at the end of the session, giving me a week to think of exactly how I wanted to portray it.

Next Recap

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-15: "Tapestry's Trial" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Tapestry's Trial at low subtier using the four-player adjustment.  Based on that, and reading the scenario afterwards, I think it's one of the very best of the season.  The setting detail is fantastic, the story is smart and original, there's several opportunities for great role-playing, and the author anticipated that different groups would handle issues in different ways and therefore set up ways to accommodate them.  There's not a ton of combat, so if your group is only about the hacking n' slashing, this one might not be the best.  But for most groups, I highly recommend this one.  It also provides a great continuation of a long-running PFS story arc that has spanned several seasons.

SPOILERS

This is a meaty scenario.  Following a lead from a previous scenario, the PCs are tasked with tracking down an incredibly powerful sorcerer named Hao Jin (creator of the eponymous tapestry and demiplane that hosts several communities pulled from Golarion).  The Hao Jin Tapestry has been a major component of PFS storytelling for years, and in this scenario we finally learn Hao Jin's origins and motivations!  The bulk of the scenario is set on Axis, the plane of law, and the scenario does a great job making that meaningful and flavourful (getting into fights or doing chaotic acts is a good way to get a PC detained for the length of the scenario, for example).  The PCs discover something quite significant: a way to potentially rescue some of the communities within the unravelling demiplane.  And in the end, they get to influence the fate of Hao Jin herself.

The "briefing" is very different than the norm.  The PCs start with a letter (handout) from Sorrina Westyr of the Pathfinder Society that details their mission: travelling to Axis, finding Hao Jin, and learning if there's anything that can be done to save the inhabitants of the tapestry demiplane before it unravels completely.  The scenario proper starts with the PCs arriving at the main temple of Abadar in Absalom, where a head priest uses a scroll to plane shift the group to Axis.  Given how much content is in the scenario, it was a wise move to keep the briefing short.

The PCs arrive, quite logically, in a guesthouse for priests of Abadar.  Some good role-playing (and skill checks) persuade the host that the group is on legitimate business.  After some investigation, the PCs are told that Hao Jin arrived in Axis over 300 years ago, received a formal reprimand from the authorities in Axis (for her meddling in planar stability), and was effectively given a type of "house arrest" in the Empty Court--the former domain of Aroden!  (intriguingly, even the gods apparently don't know how he died)  Travelling to the Empty Court isn't difficult, and there the PCs will meet  Eleven-Sun-Truth, an inevitable arbiter who sort of serves as Hao Jin's probation officer/case manager/legal advocate.  Eleven-Sun-Truth is a fun NPC to interact with, and he explains a lot about the background of Hao Jin's stay on Axis.

But as Eleven-Sun-Truth leads them to the sorcerer, the PCs have their first opportunity to discover something strange--they're being scryed!  Unbeknownst to them, they're not the only ones interested in locating Hao Jin's whereabouts.  The night hag Aslynn (a thorn in the Pathfinder Society's side for some time) has sent one of her agents, 322, to find her as well.  322 is a really cool character that's hard to describe--she's sort of an experiment tormented by a unknown past and vexed feelings about her life as an operative for nefarious forces like Aslynn and the Aspis Consortium.  322's attempts to find Hao Jin is weaved through the scenario in a very smartly-plotted way.

The meeting with the legendary Hao Jin herself is handled in a perhaps understated way (though the artwork for her is great!).  Hao Jin is a very matter-of-fact person.  She's concerned when she learns from the PCs about the deteriorating state of the tapestry demiplane she constructed.  She says that as part of her sentence on Axis, the authorities removed memories from her that would be vital to assembling a magical ritual to stave off the tapestry's total collapse (the removal was Axis' way of ensuring that she also didn't have the means to create another demiplane).  These memories, stored in physical crystals called "engrams", were then deposited in a library on Axis.  However, the library is open to the public and some were checked out and never returned!  The middle section of the scenario then consists of the PCs tracking down the engrams.  They can do this in any order.

One of the engrams is actually inside (and affecting the personality) of a robot-like kolyarut inevitable known as the Maker.  The PCs find the Maker at a temple/tavern to Chaldira Zuzaristan (a gnome goddess of luck and mischief).  I like how the scenario gives the PCs several feasible options on how to get the engram back: some difficult skill checks to persuade The Maker to return it voluntarily, the possibility of dislodging and stealing the engram, or a combat that's risky because it may draw the attention of the inevitables that patrol Axis looking for chaos.

A second engram is currently being "read" by a heresy devil in one of the libraries on Axis.  The caretaker of the library explains that the heresy devil has long-overstayed his welcome (and legal permission to be there), and doesn't mind if the PCs take it back--as long as they don't damage the library.  This is the one unavoidable combat encounter in the scenario.  I like how the librarian was serious about not damaging the books--if the PCs use area of effect spells during the battle, they suffer some later drawbacks.  It's nice to see indoor encounter "terrain" be more than just background colour on a grid.  I should note, however, that the map chosen for this encounter (and for the one above, if it comes to combat) is *very* small for 4-6 PCs--some additional surroundings would be good to have on a map in case a battle spills out of such a small area.

A third engram was once held by a monk of Irori, but is now in the hands of 322.  She lures the PCs to a part of Axis where violence is quite difficult because it's under magical calming effects.  She offers the Pathfinders a trade: if they briefly travel with her to Skyreach (part of the Grand Lodge) and get her inside, she'll give them the engram they need and bring them back to Axis.  A lot of scenarios would have this just be empty talk and make a battle inevitable (pardon the pun), but this scenario is serious about the possibility and provides for what happens if the PCs agree.  Other options to get the engram exist, such as persuading 322 to hand them over or fighting her for them.  The scenario does a really good job with making 322 a potentially sympathetic figure who can either be redeemed or destroyed.

For each of the engrams, when a PC first touches it, they get a sort of "flashback memory" to Hao Jin's early life.  Through this device, the group learns about Hao Jin's origin.  It's a compelling little story, told well.  She gained a thirst to protect knowledge from destruction after accidentally burning down her own family's home and library (and effectively bankrupting them by the cost for a resurrection after she was killed in the fire!).  However, a stunning detail is included in the engrams: the demiplane Hao Jin created steals a bit of the soul of every inhabitant when they die, and uses that power to perpetuate itself!  Hao Jin's moral blameworthiness thus becomes complex and could create some excellent role-playing.

Once the PCs have all three engrams, the final third of the scenario consists (potentially) in Hao Jin's trial (the case having been reopened given everything that has gone on).  The PCs don't have to participate in the trial (my group didn't, because we couldn't agree on whether she should be punished or vindicated), and if they participate they can argue either on behalf of or against Hao Jin--the scenario provides for both possibilities.  I really love the inclusion of options like this--too many scenario writers try to railroad groups into one preferred outcome.

The trial itself is done very well.  I've seen lots of "social influence" encounters in PFS/SFS scenarios, and this is one of the very best.  Each of the three judges has a well-portrayed personality, the arguments and points of law discussed are interesting and compelling, the DC modifiers for different skill uses and role-playing are sound, the result could legitimately go in different ways, and the effects (on Hao Jin) are meaningful.  This isn't one of those encounters that the PCs are automatically assumed to "win" (with whatever that means in this context).  The upshot, however, is that whatever the outcome of the trial, by recovering the engrams the PCs have enabled Hao Jin to conduct the ritual--which she gets permission from the authorities to do at a later date.  This thus sets up what is presumably the next scenario in this storyline.

As far as I'm concerned, Tapestry's Trial is an exemplar of high-quality, professional scenario writing, and PFS at its best.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Giant Lairs" [RPG]

I haven't used Giant Lairs much, but it did come in handy during a certain portion of Rise of the Runelords.  One side of the map is the interior of a giant keep, complete with massive chairs (2x2), beds (3x2), and tables (8x2)!  In Pathfinder terms, it's sized appropriately for Large-size creatures (ogres, hill giants, etc.) but would still be too small for Huge and bigger creatures.  Still, it appropriately puts things in perspective for PCs who dare intrude.  The layout is done well, with a massive meeting hall, a common sleeping room, a king or queen's quarters, etc.  I'm less impressed with the other side, which depicts what I guess is an outdoors camp in the wilderness and a cave leading into a hillside where goods are stored.  The exterior part of the camp is pretty much just boulders and trees like in a dozen other flip-mats, and there's not much particularly "giant" in the cave portion.  The sheer size of giants come alive when we see "normal" things (furniture, doorways, etc.) sized for them, so I would much rather have had another building interior--lots of variations and possibilities could easily be imagined.

One good side and one meh side leads to a "shrug" evaluation--if you plan on having a lot of giants as enemies in a campaign, this could be useful (but it's not essential).

Starfinder Society # 1-34: "Heart of the Foe" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I think Heart of the Foe is a useful lesson to scenario writers in why temptation needs to sometimes be resisted.  It contains several scenes that, in the abstract, could be pretty cool and memorable--but then it delivers them in a ham-handed, illogical manner.  The connecting tissue between encounters, along with things like pacing and delivery, are just as important as the encounters themselves in setting up an adventure that seems tense and exciting rather than ridiculously forced.  There are some bits of the scenario I like, but on the whole I can't really recommend it except for players who are deeply invested in the season meta-story.

SPOILERS

Heart of the Foe starts with a briefing that's a little different than the norm: both Jadnura and Luwazi Elsebo are there.  It's a good nod to their contested leadership of the Starfinder Society, and I like how different portions of the briefing are delivered by them.  A good opportunity for some GM role-playing.  But that's style.  The substance of the briefing is also pretty exciting.  By mind-melding (or whatever) with the Tears (artifacts from previous scenarios), Jadnura has learned a set of coordinates in space that seem to be the home planet of the jinsuls!  Jadnura and Luwazi plan to jointly lead a mission to this planet (Rax) to search for clues about the jinsuls' culture and technology in order to better prepare for future conflicts which seem inevitable.  The PCs will compose one of three different scout teams on the mission.  Scenarios that are clearly part of the main overarching storyline are good at making a mission seem special and important.

The several weeks of travel through the Drift it takes to get to Rax are hand-waved.  Once in orbit, each of the scout teams is assigned a shuttle and ordered to investigate the same prominent site of interest: the ruins of a city, a warm spot in an otherwise frozen wasteland.  But getting there proves difficult!  As the PCs' shuttle descends through the atmosphere, it's struck by an unnatural bolt of lightning that completely knocks out power to the ship.  There's a classic crash landing scenario, which I think would have been more exciting if the scenario had milked it a bit more (instead of "one skill check and you hit the ground").

The PCs crash several miles from the ruined city and need to trek there on foot.  The PCs can see the skyline of the city, so it should be pretty much a straight-line walk, but (for an unexplained reason) some successful Survival checks can get the group there twice as fast through the frozen wasteland.  This caused much consternation in my group, as my PC started walking and then the others started walking, but because of the differential Survival checks, they arrived a couple of hours ahead of him--this then led to him missing out on large chunks of the scenario (which I found amusing even if the rest of the group didn't--we don't always get along!)  There's also some environmental hazards (cold temperatures and a cumbersome "ashen snow clinging to your helmet" risk) and hourly not-so-random lightning strikes that are directed by a scrying sensor.  During the 4 to 8 hour walk, the PCs constantly (depending on skill checks) come across an anthropologist's wet dream of discoveries--twelve different significant finds, each of which reveal something meaningful about jinsul culture.  On the one hand, these reveal crucial and interesting backstory to the jinsul and develop them a bit beyond "giant evil bug monster" status.  We learn in detail about their god Kadrical, the god's divine herald Dhurus, and how and why the jinsul recently abandoned Rax for a new homeworld.  But on the other hand, I found the delivery of all this interesting information incredibly clunky.  It slowed the scenario down to a crawl as the GM effectively has to read a page and a half of text.  It's a classic example of why info-dumps need to be carefully handled when writing scenarios.

At some point during their walk, the PCs will realise that Rax isn't quite as abandoned as it might have seemed at first.  A group of jinsuls, along with their animal bodyguards (jeskraals) will likely encounter the PCs for a battle above a frozen pond.  We had a mormalaw in the party, which led to a cool scene of the walrus-like PC breaking through the ice at one end of the pond in order to emerge on the far side for a cinematic surprise attack.  Little moments like that are part of why gaming can be so fun.

Further evidence that the jinsul haven't abandoned the place entirely comes when the PCs approach the ruined city and realise it is a) on fire and b) echoing with keening wails.  In other words, the jinsul have apparently decided to destroy the city (a sign of their devotion to returning to the Scoured Stars) while conducting "debased blood rituals" throughout the streets.  My PC wasn't with the group for what happened next, which is good because it would have really annoyed me.  Apparently, the PCs, after realising that this city is full of jinsul, are expected to just walk right in.  And then, apparently, they're not supposed to hear a large vehicle ("powered by a dirty petrol engine") literally sneak up behind them for a surprise attack.  And then, apparently, when a (literal!) horde of jinsuls emerge, the PCs are expected to make a run for it instead of hiding or surrendering--despite the fact that jinsuls will naturally be faster than all but the fastest PCs.  In other words, it's an incredibly contrived and poorly managed excuse to use the chase mechanics from the Core Rulebook.  And the worst part of it is, it doesn't actually matter whether the PCs succeed in escaping or not.  If they do succeed, they meet a super-cliché "sympathetic rebel jinsul" who gives them shelter; if they don't succeed and get captured, this very same figure automatically rescues them.  I hate scenarios that are afraid to set real consequences for the very forces it has put into play.

The PCs will then be contacted by Luwazi Elsebo (the communication jamming has been miraculously penetrated) and told that one of the other Starfinder scout teams has been captured and will be sacrificed at an altar in the ruined city unless the PCs get there in time to rescue them.  This leads to an admittedly-interesting big finale, as the PCs take on a towering beast of living smoke called a "kohkleim demon."  Its ability to summon clouds of smoke makes it hard to pinpoint and fight, and the resulting battle was tense and exciting.  The epilogue is brief but fine.  For some reason, the scene where my PC chastises the ship's sensor operator for missing the fact that the city was *full* of life signs isn't included.

There's obviously a lot about Heart of the Foe that irritates me.  It sets up some good beats that, in isolation, sound really cool--a starship crash, a desperate escape from a horde--but bungles their execution by poor plotting that almost insults the intelligence of the players.  It does provide some interesting backstory on the jinsul and advances the meta-plot, but that's really the only reason I could recommend someone play it.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-14: "Debt to the Quah" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I got to play through Debt to the Quah with the four-player adjustment.  Although the description may make it sound like a standard dungeon delve adventure, it has a deeper theme that the right players will really appreciate.  It also features a good mix of role-playing, combat, and skill use.   Definitely one worth checking out.

SPOILERS

There's a really interesting and original premise to Debt to the Quah.  A year ago, a Pathfinder named Lumketul "discovered" what he thought was an ancient Thassilonian vault and looted the place, later publishing his "findings" in a volume of the Pathfinder Chronicles.  The Society needs to institute some peer review practices, because it turns out Lumketul was completely wrong--the place wasn't Thassilonian but instead a Shoanti burial vault!  When word of what happened spread, the Shoanti entrusted with taking care of the remote site were understandably angry.  Now, as Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin explains in a briefing, the PCs need to apologise for Lumketul's actions (the bungler himself having disappeared--a curious mystery that I don't think ever gets resolved) on behalf of the Society and, hopefully, repair the damage with a scavenger's stone (a magical item which can repair broken objects).  I love the premise because usually the PCs are cast as the tomb raiders and graverobbers, but here they're more in the role of responsible archaeologists looking to preserve history and maintain good relations with the traditional custodians of the land.  Obviously, there are echoes of real-world controversies here, and I like how the scenario handles the theme without coming across as didactic or saccharine.

After the briefing, the PCs are teleported to the famous Storval Stairs in Varisia for a meeting with an assembled council of Shoanti leaders.  If you've played a lot of PFS and SFS, you can probably guess what happens next.  The PCs need to win over a certain number of individual councillors to gain acceptance of the Shoanti's apology and permission to travel to the damaged sepulchre and repair it.  I find that the enjoyability of these influence challenges really depends on the GM--some are really able to bring the NPCs to life for some memorable role-playing, while to others they're just names and requests for skill checks.  The scenario does everything it can to assist the GM, with full descriptions of each council member, along with role-playing suggestions.  The NPCs are interesting and diverse.  I like how one of the council members simply can't be swayed (and later tries to undermine the PCs with the others), and that there's a lot of little bonuses, penalties, and complications depending on how the PCs role-play (though sometimes things that affect interaction with every NPC are buried in the description of a particular one, which makes good GM prep necessary).  I think my only main issue with these influence encounters in general is that the writers try too hard to make it so every PC can be involved, and thus provide for all sorts of physical and knowledge-based checks to persuade NPCs, while the traditional influence skills (Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidate) often get comparatively very high DCs!  That means that a "face" character doesn't get a chance to shine in exactly the type of encounter they should.

Anyway, after the council meeting, the PCs head to the sepulchre.  This happens whether they were a rousing success or a pitiful failure, and there's no in-game consequences either way--which is poor writing, in my opinion.  I know there are penalties reflected on the Chronicles, but it's really frustrating as a player during the session to feel like your group's actions don't really have any consequences on what happens.

The remainder of the scenario takes place in the Shoanti burial vault and uses the classic Dungeon flip-mat to good effect.  A real strength of the scenario is that this isn't a generic dungeon experience of the "one monster and treasure in each room" type.  There are some monsters, of course (and very cool ones at the exit, as seen on the cover!), along with some flavourful haunts that help tell more about Shoanti culture.  But the core task in each room is to figure what needs to be repaired or restored, and how to go about it.  It's a sort of "reverse dungeon crawl" that provides the positive experience of restoring cultural artefacts to their proper place instead of looting them.  Along the way, the scenario provides some good opportunities to use rarely-invoked skills like Appraise, Craft, and Sleight of Hand.

Debt to the Quah is one of those scenarios that's deeper than it may appear at first glance.  Having played it and then read it for the purposes of this review, I'm pretty impressed and definitely recommend it--especially if you have PCs that have more to offer than just hacking and slashing.

Pathfinder Module: "Crown of the Kobold King" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Man, that cover art really catches the eye!  Crown of the Kobold King was the first adventure (apart from a Free RPG Day offering) in Paizo's GameMastery line of modules.  Designed for Level 2 PCs, it involves wilderness and dungeon exploration centred around the town of Falcon's Hollow and the ominous forest known as Darkmoon Vale.  I ran this last year as part of my "Roots of Golarion" campaign and I can't say it was a huge hit.  There are a *lot* of encounters in close succession, and because the plot is on something of a timer, it was far more than an average party of Level 2 PCs should be expected to handle (even for Pathfinder RPG PCs, which tend to be tougher than the D&D 3.5 PCs the module was written for).  That being said, the module is engaging and well-written, and this is far from an average dungeon crawl.  It introduces several interesting NPCs and sets up what could be a memorable "Falcon's Hollow" mini-campaign (using other modules in the line set there).  I just think it should be run for higher level PCs.

SPOILERS

In many modules, the "Adventure Background" section is kind of dull, but it's surprisingly entertaining in Crown of the Kobold King.  A tribe of kobolds living under an abandoned dwarven monastery (a place once devoted to the dark god of toil, Droskar) has met with a streak of bad luck recently.  The tribe's shaman has determined that a sacrifice of human children will turn things around, so the tribe promptly kidnapped five adolescents from nearby Falcon's Hollow.

This is where the PCs come in, as Part One of the module is set in Falcon's Hollow.  The reasons the PCs are in the town and how they hear about the missing kids is left fairly undetermined, which is fine for experienced GMs but perhaps not the best direction for new GMs.  But in any event, after finding out some information about the kids and what direction they headed, the adventure leaves Falcon's Hollow behind.  This is primarily a traditional "trek through the wilderness to get to the dungeon" type of adventure, and there's not a lot of town-based role-playing.  That being said, I don't want to give the impression that this module was lazily written.  The town itself is well-detailed with a gazetteer in an appendix, and all of the missing kids receive pictures, backgrounds, and personalities.  A lot of groundwork is laid here that can be developed in either future modules or homemade adventures.

In Part Two, the PCs follow the trail of the missing kids to the ruins of a burned-down orphanage several miles out of town (the kids went there to camp on a dare, which is where they were abducted by the kobolds).  This orphanage has a dark and grisly history, and the PCs will be able to learn about some of it through exploration (the spiders streaming out of a corpse is a classic horror moment!).  The group will encounter what seems like a young girl who survived the fire, but turns out to be a werewolf who attacks the group when they're engaged with other foes--a very nasty surprise for do-gooder Level 2 PCs!  Anyway, the PCs will pick up the trail of the missing kids and realise it leads into Darkmoon Vale proper.  There's an interesting mix of random encounters in the forest, and not all of them are combat-based.

Part Three has the PCs reaching Droskar's Crucible (the long-abandoned dwarven monastery) and exploring its first subterranean level.  This is a high-quality, professionally-written dungeon that has a dynamic environment (it's not just a series of monsters hanging out in rooms for the PCs to kill) and a well-developed backstory (about the fall of the monastery, as well as previous adventurers who tried to explore it).  I've seen plenty of mediocre dungeon-based modules where I felt I could do the same thing just as well with a couple of hours' writing, but that's not the case with Crown of the Kobold King.  There was clearly a lot of time and effort put into the place to make it a cohesive, interesting environment.  I should note that this dungeon is *big*.  Level 1 alone has nineteen rooms, with threats ranging from the expected kobolds to a gelatinous cube to multiple traps to various types of undead.  The PCs will encounter (scattered about the level) most of the missing children here as the kids are in the midst of an escape attempt but got split up.  The urgency of the PCs' mission (rescue the kids before they become living sacrifices!) is one of the reasons the difficulty of the module is probably higher than it should be.  It's not the situation where most groups will feel comfortable resting for a night to get back hit points and spells.  In addition, the sheer number of encounters and the Challenge Rating of some of those encounters (CR 4 and CR 5 encounters aren't uncommon) makes me think the intended difficulty is just too high for an average group.  GMs should also prepare carefully, as there's a lot of moving parts to manage.  It's very well-written though!

Part Four has the PCs' exploring the second subterranean level to rescue the last missing kid.  They'll have to confront the kobold king himself, and rescue that kid seconds before he's about to be sacrificed by the tribe's shaman!  It's a very exciting conclusion as written (my group didn't get so far, as they had to make an ignominious panicked retreat long before after encountering a dozen or more kobold warriors in a single chamber).  And again, it's an adventure not for the faint-hearted (there's a classic Indiana Jones-style heart-removal scene) or the weak (the king is CR6!).

Assuming the PCs are successful and return with the kids to Falcon's Hollow, a brief conclusion wraps things up tidily.  The PCs will probably be quite wealthy, as the module includes four custom magical items each priced in the 10,000 to 15,000 gp range.  I have to make special note of a "Campaign Seed" sidebar that talks about the future of these kids--man, is it bleak!  (I'm not complaining, just . . . ironically amused, I guess)

I've already mentioned the brief gazetteer of Falcon's Hollow in the first appendix.  The town reminds me of an Old West frontier town in a lot of respects.  A second appendix details two new monsters that appear in the adventure: a "forge spurned" and a "slurk."  The former is an undead blacksmith sworn to Droskar who adds souls to the chains that wrap around its body and is very cool; the latter is an underground giant fanged toad and is forgettable.

I've harped on the difficulty of the module a lot--I don't see a Level 2 group being successful unless they're particularly min-maxed, a very large group (perhaps bolstered by animal companions, etc.) or have a *lot* of consumable instant healing resources.  But this is a problem easily solvable by instead waiting until the group is Level 3 or even 4 before running it.  It's also an adventure that involves some heavy dungeon exploration, which isn't going to be to every player's taste.  But with those caveats, Crown of the Kobold King is an excellent module.  It has an engaging plot, a setting with depth, and some very memorable encounters.  I definitely recommend running it--just give a little thought to when and for whom.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 87 [RPG]

[14 Calistril 4708 continued]

After their successful visit with Veznutt Parooh (who helped them discover the location of Runeforge), the adventurers return to the Rusty Dragon.  They talk about the next step in their preparations, and agree to go to Magnimar for supplies and bring Brodert Quink home from the Therassic Library just in case anything goes wrong in the next stage of their quest.

[15 Calistril 4708]

Yuzo volunteers to stay behind in Sandpoint while the others teleport to Magnimar.  The foursome arrive in front of the Black Shield and spend the day buying and selling a variety of equipment.  Kang decides it’s time to sell the Sihedron-shaped medallion he had worn for months, and finds a shrine dedicated to Arqueros where the keeper is willing to pay Kang to part with the amulet so it can be destroyed.  Other artifacts dedicated to Lamashtu are sold for destruction as well.

Selling this amulet turned out to 

be more trouble than it was worth!

After the long, wearisome day of trudging through the snowy streets, the adventurers decide to stay in Magnimar for the night and return to Sandpoint in the morning.  Unfortunately, they didn’t recognise a surprise twist of fate: the shrine-keeper that purchased the Sihedron medallion and other items dedicated to dark causes has alerted the authorities, convinced that the fiend-touched Kang is actually in league with the source of those very items!  In the middle of the night, the adventurers are awakened by a team of Arvensoar-trained battle mages who roust them from their rooms at the Black Shield and arrest them.  Initially, Erik refuses, shouting his loathing for chains of all stripes, but several magic missiles persuade him to submit.  As the adventurers are led away in manacles, the proprietor of the Black Shield spits in their general direction.

[16 Calistril 4708]

Detained separately and questioned intensively about their activities, the four adventurers must rely on their own wits and personal charm to convince the authorities that they pose no threat.  Jinkatsyu references his time in Sandpoint and role in helping stop the stone giant takeover of Varisia to leverage his freedom, but Kang’s bluster, Ava’s sobbing, and Erik’s stoic silence keep them in detention for another night.

[17 Calistril 4708]

Jinkatsyu uses his freedom wisely, lobbying for Ava’s release.  Eventually, the guards take pity on the grippli and deem her no threat, and she’s set free as well.  No longer welcome at the Black Shield, the two take up rooms at an inn in Dockway District called the Nag’s Gull.  Ava sends a magical communication to Yuzo to let him know why they haven’t returned to Sandpoint, and he’s understandably concerned.

[18 Calistril 4708]

Kang and Erik spend yet another day in detention.  Kang starts to make friends with his fellow inmates, while Erik still refuses to speak.

[19 Calistril 4708]

Ava teleports to Sandpoint to collect Yuzo and bring him to Magnimar.  Unfortunately, he associates the city with a dark time in his past and, despite his best efforts, is barely able to control his rising panic.  Later that day, Ava receives a visit from a greasy man with a wart on his nose who implies that he’s a “fellow worshipper of the Mother of Monsters.”  Ava is horrified that is word is spreading that the adventurers are in league with evil cults!

[20 Calistril 4708]

Kang sees daylight for the first time in almost a week, having talked his way out by cleverly passing along some juicy information gleaned from a jailhouse snitch.

[21 Calistril 4708]

The adventurers continue pressing for Erik’s freedom, but to no avail.

[22 Calistril 4708]

Kang’s birthday starts with his announcing it to everyone in the inn’s common room.  He celebrates the occasion by imbibing a single alcoholic beverage.

[23 Calistril 4708]

Despite the horrors they've seen, the Plateau of Leng 

would surpass the adventurers' wildest imaginations.

Unable to pierce the man’s silence, the authorities finally give up and reluctantly let Erik free.  He promptly turns around and tries to press legal charges for wrongful imprisonment, but his efforts are not taken seriously.  When Erik rejoins the others, all but Jinkatsyu hastily teleport to Jorgenfist, concerned that Brodert Quink is probably out of food by this point.  In the Therassic Library, they find him lying face down on the ground, seemingly comatose!  Fortunately, Ava is able to magically awaken Brodert, who seems none the worse for wear.  Kang examines the book in the old man’s outstretched hands and sees it’s titled Whispers from Leng: A Guide to the Beyond.  The book implies that the legendary mountain Mhar Massif (said to be the site of Xin-Shalast, capital city of the Empire of Greed) was rumored to serve as a bridge to a strange realm beyond Golarion known as Leng—a place riven from nightmares!    Ava teleports the group to Sandpoint and see Brodert safely to his house.  Meanwhile, back in Magnimar, Jinkatsyu explains what happened to the proprietor of the Black Shield and persuades him to give the group another chance.  Later that day, Ava collects him and the group is reunited in Sandpoint.

The afternoon goes by quickly with the Heroes of Varisia performing various errands and then getting ready for an evening meal planned with Brodert Quink and Veznutt Parooh to thank them for all of their assistance.

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

Director's Commentary

I didn't realise it at the time this session was played, but the picture I showed the players of the Sihedron medallion was a real product for sale.  In the campaign's final session (about 30 recaps from now!), I gave one to each of the two players who had been in it since the very first session.

The bit with the PCs arrested and jailed was complete improv on my part.  I think I wanted to see how well they could talk (instead of fight) their way out of trouble.  I didn't expect it to take up most of the session, but it ended up being really fun. I have to give props to Kang's player, as he drew on all sorts of prison movie clichés to describe the character's life (week) behind bars.

When the group goes to collect Veznutt Parooh, we get the first reference to Leng, which is a fairly important subplot in Chapter Six.  I feel like I did some good work with this element of the endgame at first, but then sorta dropped the ball (too much juggling!) at the end.  A bit of a shame given my love for Call of Cthulhu.