Pathfinder Module: "Master of the Fallen Fortress" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

Master of the Fallen Fortress was Paizo’s “Free RPG Day” entry for 2010, and was released to showcase the new classes from the Advanced Player’s Guide.  It’s a short module intended to be completed in one session.  The adventure itself is only about ten pages, though there’s a lot packed into that space.  The inside front cover is a map, the inside back cover is a PFS Chronicle (I like seeing it embedded), and six pages are devoted to Level 1 pre-gens.  It’s a bit hard to find a print copy these days, but it is still available for free download on Paizo’s website.

I ran Master of the Fallen Fortress via play-by-post for six PFS characters.  I thought it made for a solid introductory Pathfinder adventure.  It has a well-balanced set of encounters and led to one of the most exciting endings to a scenario I’ve ever GM’d.  There’s not a lot of setting lore, role-playing, or story-telling in the adventure, but it has a solid concept and it’s easy to play and run.  There’s a reason why this one is a classic in the Pathfinder stable of first-level adventures.

SPOILERS

The backstory to the adventure is pretty slight, even for a one-shot.  The Cairnlands are an area around Absalom (the largest city in Golarion) littered with thousands of wrecked siege castles from centuries of failed attempts to capture the city by various forgotten warlords.  One of those siege castles has been magically sealed since the death of its master, but a minor earthquake has caused part of it to collapse.  A tribe of troglodytes have moved in, and a Pathfinder Society explorer named Balenar Forsend decided to (foolishly) investigate on his own.  But Balenar never returned, and many adventuring groups in Absalom are organising to explore the so-called “Fallen Fortress.”

This is where the PCs come in, of course.  This is intended to be the first adventure for a new group, and the module presents three viable adventure hooks to get things started.  Importantly for PFS play, the adventurers are not PFS agents—instead, the idea is that the adventurers will be inducted into the Society afterwards (as detailed in the very short epilogue).

The entirety of the adventure takes place at the fortress.  There’s an encounter with a group of wild dogs just outside, and then the PCs will need to do some climbing to get inside the partially collapsed eastern wing.  The tower has five floors, with all but the top floor having four chambers.  The encounters inside are fairly traditional: a giant spider, a shocker lizard, a (burning) skeleton, a giant frog, a javelin trap, and, of course, the troglodytes.  Writing it, I realise these are an almost random assortment of foes, and there’s only a brief explanation of why each is there.  There’s also only one non-hostile NPC—the missing Pathfinder Balenar.  He is a bard and can be useful if rescued, but the module doesn’t give him artwork or a personality description.  This is definitely not an adventure with a deep story or connection to setting lore that can be teased out by patient PCs, and I imagine it was written quickly.

Still, the climactic encounter is really exciting.  The leader of the troglodytes, a druid named Tasskar, occupies the top level accompanied by his albino cave crocodile.  Because the eastern portion of the floor can’t take much weight, there’s a very good chance that some of the PCs (and probably Tasskar) will fall all the way to the ground!  6d6 damage is a *lot* for first-level PCs.  When I ran Master of the Fallen Fortress, the collapse and fall took one PC deep into negatives and instantly reduced Tasskar to just a few hit points.  There was a race to save the PC’s life while also trying to fend off one very angry troglodyte intent on fighting to the death.  Good stuff!

I should note that although this is an introductory adventure and isn’t complicated from the PCs’ perspective, it would be good for the GM to do a little prep before running it.  Figuring out the relationship between the different levels of the tower and applying some of the template adjustments to the monsters beforehand will make for a smoother experience.

One really shouldn’t complain about a free product, and Master of the Fallen Fortress is a solid, professionally written- and designed- adventure.  Although not the best introductory adventure available, it promises a few hours of fun for all concerned.

Starfinder: "Alien Archive 2 Pawn Box" [RPG]

 

The Alien Archive 2 Pawn Box is a hefty collection of over 300 thick, double-sided, full-colour cardboard pawns that fit into plastic bases (the box includes 35 bases, with coverage for all the sizes of pawns in the box).  As the artwork is taken directly from Alien Archive 2, it's almost uniformly excellent.  The box includes a good array of huge-sized creatures, and also has about a dozen starship pawns.  Although I haven't done close comparison, I'm pretty sure that pretty much everything in the book has a pawn representing it in this collection.  Of particular use to many GMs will be bone troopers and ghouls (useful for Dead Suns), while players will appreciate having pawns to play an uplifted bear, pahtra, or tiefling.  Reviewing pawn boxes isn't easy as you pretty much get exactly as advertised, but I have no complaints about the collection and have used the set many times.  The only minor complaint I have about all Paizo pawn collections is that they're difficult to organise once punched out, but various gamers have homebrewed their own solutions to that issue.

"Starfinder Dice Set (Limited Edition, Black & White)" [RPG]

 The special black & white limited edition of the Starfinder Dice Set is exactly what it sounds like.  The dice are exactly the same as the normal set (the Pact Worlds symbol as the highest number, vaguely tech-like borders), but instead of blue numbers on a black background, they have white numbers on a black background.  This makes for a little bet less of a "sci-fi" feel, but they are *very* easy to read.  The packaging is also exactly the same apart from a "Limited Edition" sticker on the front.  Really, it's purely a matter of aesthetics which is better.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-20: "Countdown to Round Mountain" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I ran Countdown to Round Mountain at high subtier using the four-player adjustment.  It's one of the more complicated scenarios to run, with a lot to keep track of, so I'd suggest it's best for experienced GMs.  It's a skills-heavy scenario, but the encounters can be surprisingly difficult.  The setting is
interesting and there's a nice pay off for a long-running story arc.  This is a meaty scenario--one worth taking one's time with.

SPOILERS

Countdown to Round Mountain is one of the final scenarios in the long-running Hao Jin Tapestry story arc (and ties in to # 3-20 and # 3-22).  Round Mountain was a ysoki (ratfolk) occupied cavern deep in the Darklands under Tian Xia that was magically teleported by Hao Jin into the magical tapestry demiplane.  As part of the Season Ten story arc, the Pathfinder Society has located Hao Jin and arranged for locations in the fraying demiplane to be returned to Golarion.  But in the hundreds of years since Round Mountain was removed, ratfolk have turned the now-empty space it occupied into a new settlement (and major trading route) named Zhotan.  The Pathfinder Society only has a couple of weeks to document everything it can about the culture of Zhotan and persuade the inhabitants to evacuate before Round Mountain returns and destroys everything built in its place.  The PCs are part of a major expedition to Zhotan led by Venture-Captain Amara Li, but members of the Exchange faction will find plenty of profitable trading opportunities as well.

The core gameplay mechanic in the scenario is the accumulation of Exploration Points.  The PCs accomplish this by travelling to various parts of Zhotan--the settlement itself, its outlying mushroom farms, a subterranean lake, its garrison, etc--and observing and documenting local customs.  Each successful skill check (a PC can make one per day) results in an Exploration Point.  This sounds simple enough, but I found as a GM it was really hard to run in an organic way.  Most players aren't anthropologists or biologists, and they're not naturally going to think "I should collect shellfish for later study" or "I'm going to watch ratfolk mushroom farmers to see how they conduct local agriculture."  The alternative to letting the group flail is for the GM to just tell the players what checks are available in each location, but that can turn the whole thing into a dice-rolling exercise.  Although there's an entire settlement of ysokis the PCs are ostensibly interacting with, I think there's really only one named NPC (the governor).  Finally, it's very rare in Pathfinder Society for several days to pass in-session, but this scenario is built to last a couple of weeks--many groups start getting antsy and wondering where the drama is if encounters don't pop up quickly.  So while I like the idea, I don't think the whole thing works so well in practice.

There are some combat encounters in the scenario, and they have interesting and unusual foes.  A construct army comprised of the haunted clockworks of Pan Majang has been besieging Zhotan for some weeks, and the PCs are likely to find themselves fighting some clockwork hounds, soldiers, or mages.  There's also a surprise ambush by undead when PCs are exploring the subterranean lake area.  At high subtier, this is a "gashadokuro", a rare monster that has a nasty starvation aura and a "corpse consumption" special ability.  It killed one of the PCs in the game I ran.  The encounters could be even worse if the PCs split up to tackle skill checks in different locations, which might otherwise be a perfectly rational way to accomplish as much as possible before time runs out.  When the PCs convince the leadership of Zhotan to order an evacuation, there's another chance to battle the haunted clockwork army, but this is formally optional and I think my players decided it was too risky.  

I do have to give the scenario credit for an impressive integration of setting lore (involving a region and backstory that's off the Inner Sea beaten track) and Pathfinder Society background.  One definitely gets the sense that Zhotan is a "real" place, and in a way it's unfortunate that so much work went into a location that is effectively erased at the end of the scenario with the return of Round Mountain.  Come to think of it, Countdown to Round Mountain reminds me a lot of Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-04: Future's Fall.

Overall, I think this is a strong, solid scenario.  It's one to run when there's no real-life time-crunch, and where the GM has plenty of time to prepare notes on various skill checks (and how to present them), make a timeline of what happens on certain days, and perhaps to even invent a couple of NPCs to help flesh out different areas.  In other words, this not one I'd run with little prep in a four-hour convention slot. With those caveats, this should be a reasonably good experience.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-03: "The Withering World" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I played through The Withering World at low sub-tier using the four-player adjustment.  I had a new PC, Speaker for the Dead, whose personality I hadn't quite figure out yet and that may have affected my enjoyment of the adventure.  Reading through it for the purposes of this review, I think the overall premise of these linked quests is a great use of a classic science-fiction trope.  However, the story
doesn't hang together especially well, and many of the individual quests are pretty average.  It's definitely a playable adventure, but not as good as it could have been.

SPOILERS

The Withering World takes place on a pre-first contact planet in the Vast called Enereth-7.  After a survey vessel discovered the planet was somehow stable and habitable despite being precariously poised between a sun and a black hole, the Starfinder Society purchased exploration rights and has put together a task fleet of ships.  Unbeknownst to the SFS, however, a cell of the Cult of the Devourer named the Reddened Eye also intercepted the information, and has already arrived on Enereth-7 with a plot to send the planet into the black hole!  They plan to accomplish this by corrupting or destroying magical menhirs installed by the goddess Yraesa for the protection of the local quorlu residents.  I have to admit it's a pretty cool backstory, and almost too good of one to be used up in a single SFS scenario!  One of my regrets when playing was that I had a character of much higher tier who had a special fascination for black holes.  I should also mention that players of the Dead Suns AP might enjoy the Cult of the Devourer connection.  Anyway, the PCs here are part of the task force, which is directed by Venture-Captain Arvin.

* "Contact":  The first quest has the PCs charged with deciphering signals coming from a particular area on Enereth-7.  There are several potential skills involved, but really none of it matters because if the PCs fail, V-C Arvin steps in and does it with no real consequences.  I hate stuff like that.  Anyway, the broadcasts will lead the PCs to land near a settlement named Hulwen's Posit, from which a quorlu named Cantor Alvreein has been broadcasting signals for help.  Alvreein greets the PCs when they land and takes the group back to the settlement.  However, they're intercepted by one of the leaders of the Reddened Eye, a drow mystic named Raval, and two quorlus she has turned to the side of the Cult of the Devourer.  Before or after the ensuring battle, the PCs will learn about what the cult is trying to accomplish: sending Enereth-7 into the black hole!  I thought this first quest was decent, though it's a bit confusing that the cult has been on Enereth-7 long enough to already start making local converts fanatical enough to want to destroy their own planet.

* "Marker": In this one, the PCs are sent to investigate a menhir in the jungle that has been corrupted to see if they can understand what's going on.  This quest makes excellent use of the Jungle World flip-mat, and sets up a good situation where success can involve a race to decontaminate the menhir (with skill checks) before its corrupted guardians kill the PCs.  Tough, but solid.

* "Ingredient": This one is pretty cheesy.  Arvin's intel teams have located the jungle camp storehouse where the Reddened Eye keeps the ingredients for their ritual goo they use to deface the menhirs.  One might suggest blasting the #%&@ out of the camp from low orbit.  But instead, the PCs are sent to the jungle to collect a very specific assortment of natural substances to secretly swap with the ritual ingredients, so that the contamination attempts fail.  Most of this involves skill challenges to find the various ingredients, though there is a forgettable battle against jungle predators.  The cultists are away from the camp, so actually swapping the ingredients is done off-screen.  There's a lot about this one that just seems dumb to me.

* "Messenger":  This is the mandatory starship combat quest.  The Reddened Eye has realised they better get reinforcements, so they plan to send their only starship, the Jagged Maw, to get help.  But Venture-Captain Arvin hastily assembles the PCs to intercept them.  I still don't really understand interstellar communications in Starfinder--do ships have to physically carry messages with them?  In any event, there are a couple of nice touches that make this combat more interesting.  First, there's a skittermander engineer named Ayoka aboard the Devourer ship.  In addition to having the cutest picture ever, Ayoka can be persuaded to help the PCs.  Second, gravitational waves from the black hole affect the ships and may move their positions randomly each round.  Once again, however, there are no story consequences if the PCs somehow fail to stop the ship; Venture-Captain Arvin magically has another ship lined up that can do the job.

* "Ritual": This is the final quest.  For some reason, now PCs are given the opportunity for knowledge checks for generic background on the cult, which really should have happened as part of the first or second quest.  Anyway, the PCs are sent into an underground cavern to stop the Reddened Eye from completing a major ritual.  The cultists intend to summon a powerful harbinger of the Devourer called an anacite, but screw it up and instead manage only a CR 2 or CR 4 demon called a concavion.  The PCs should just take the unforced error and head home, but likely they'll fight the thing--which is actually really nasty given its CR (it has several immunities and resistances).  It's a weird ending, and the summoning idea doesn't seem to really fit with the "destroy the menhirs" plan.  On the other hand, I guess one could argue that the Cult of the Devourer isn't exactly a beacon of rationality.

Overall, I really like the basic premise of the adventure.  A planet teetering at the edge of a black hole is a science-fiction staple, and the Cult of the Devourer makes a perfect antagonist in the story.  The actual quests end up fairly pedestrian, however, mostly lacking the creativity and verve to really make the plot shine.  In addition, the individual quests don't neatly fit together and there are some gaps in logic that harm the verisimilitude of the story.  I think this is a scenario that, in the right hands, could be great, but ends up only average. 

Pathfinder Player Companion: "Monster Hunter's Handbook" [RPG]

Pretty much every PC is going to fight against "monsters" at some point in their career. The Monster Hunter's Handbook, in a two-page introduction explains how "monsters" is a pretty broad term, and that for the purposes of the book, it's being applied to "creatures of primal dread and devastation such as black puddings, froghemoths, purple worms, wyverns, or even the terrifying Tarrasque."  More
specifically, the book will mostly focus on creature type like aberrations, animals, fey, magical beasts, oozes, and outsiders (not constructs, humanoids, plants, or vermin).   The introduction includes four brief backgrounds for monster hunter characters (Challenger, Scholar, Stalker, and Survivor) and an associated trait for each one.  The traits are all useful and very well done--the one for the Scholar, for example, gives you an extra piece of information when you identify creatures of some types, while the one for the Stalker gives a PC a limited type of the scent special ability against a particular creature type.

The front cover is great--remohraz are nasty--and the image is reproduced as the inside back cover (sans text).  The inside front cover has capsule descriptions of monster-hunting organizations in Golarion: the Duskwardens, Fort Longjaw, the Knights of Ozem, the Pathfinder Society, the Order of the Pike, and the Mendevian Crusaders.  There are references to other books with more information on each of these, and it's a good way to help players better integrate their characters into the campaign setting.

The body of the book is a series of two-page-long sections on a variety of topics.  The interior artwork is fantastic.

* "Hunting Monsters" contains general tips and suggestions for tracking and finding creatures of different types in Pathfinder, with good suggestions of spells, abilities, and archetypes from other books that make the task easier.  I always appreciate little "cheat sheets" like this that gather information on a particular topic in one place, because there's just *so much* material for Pathfinder out there.  The section also has four new feats designed for hunters, rangers, and slayers--they look ok.

* "Aberrations" contains some general tips for fighting them, and also suggests feats and special abilities for builds focussed on hunting them.  It goes through common aberrations by name (like chokers and will-o'-wisps) and why they're dangerous.  The section introduces two new archetypes: the Abolisher (for Inquisitors) and the Green Scourge (for Druids).  They look okay.  There are two new feats, one of which (Resisting Grappler) looks great--it gives you an attack of opportunity if you're the subject of a grapple attempt by a creature with the grab special ability (and so many monsters have that!).

* "Animals" also has general tips, and then introduces a a trio of "Bull-Catcher" style feats.  I found them pretty unimpressive.  There are a couple of other feats and rogue talents of all things.  My favorite new feat in this section is Pacify Animal, which allows a character to use their wild empathy against a hostile animal (which is usually when it would be most useful).

*"Fey" talks about the creatures' special defences and trickiness before introducing two new archetypes: Defender of the True World (for Druids) and Luring Piper (for Bards).  The Luring Piper is a "Pied Piper" concept and does look to be pretty effective against fey.

* "Magical Beasts" contains tips, but less useful ones since magical beasts are such a diverse collection of creatures with little in common. The section has a new Cavalier archetype called Disciple of the Pike and a new order called Order of the Hero.  I really like the archetype as it gives a pikeman alternative to the traditional mounted Cavalier.  The new order is solid as well.

*"Monstrous Humanoids" contains the usual tips and seven new feats.  A couple of the feats involve disguising yourself as a monster, something we all made fun of a player for doing years ago.  Mea culpa!

* "Oozes" has a hilarious picture of the Iconic Alchemist trying to stuff one in a jar.  Speaking of Alchemists, there's a new Oozemaster archetype that sounds kind of fun (though it gives up a lot).  There are also new Alchemist Discoveries, one of which (Splitting Mutagen) could be pretty powerful!

* "Outsiders" focuses on creatures apart from the usual devils and demons.  There's a new Paladin archetype ("Banishing Warden") and a few new feats.  One of the feats, Anatomical Savant, is potentially cool--it gives you a chance to land critical hits against creatures that are normally immune to them!

* "Other Monsters" has general tips for fighting things like constructs, dragons, plants, undead, and vermin.  This is the only four-page-long section in the book, and contains several new feats that are really good.  I particularly like Creature Focus which essentially gives you the Ranger's Favored Enemy feature.

* "Trophies" contains feats for collecting monster parts and using them to craft magic items.  It actually turned out to be fairly interesting.  The section also introduces a new archetype, Psychodermist (for Occultists) that builds on the trophy idea.  It has a pretty good feel, and I could imagine trying it out sometime.

* "Monster-Hunting Gear" has a collection of very minor (but cheap) items, most of which provide small bonuses to skill checks in very specific situations.  Still, there are a couple of interesting ones.

* "Magic Items" introduces several new ones.  I like the detecting dart (hit someone with it and you can track them for 24 hours) and the nest revealer (locates creatures of a specific type within 10 miles).

* "Monster-Hunting Spells" is the last section.  Lots of good ones here! 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the Monster Hunter's Handbook.  There's a ton of clever, useful, and balanced new spells, class features, and magic items.  The tips on fighting monsters of different types would be useful to a relatively new Pathfinder player, and here's a lot here that helps even experienced players build their PCs to specialise in fighting monsters of particular types.

Paizo Golem Pride Pin [RPG]

This rainbow-colored pin of the Paizo Golem (the company's mascot) is great.  And best of all, $ 5 from each pin sold goes to a nonprofit for LGBTQIA+ gamers.  One of the very best things about Paizo is that
they embrace diversity and inclusion, and this is reflected throughout their entire product line.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 115 [RPG]

 [6 Gozran 4708]

Having camped at the edge of a massive hippodrome that has fallen into ruin and been overtaken by vegetation, the Heroes of Varisia awake to realize that the plant life has somehow moved towards them!  Vines dripping some sort of acid wrap around Erik and Morgiana, causing intense burns.  Ava manages to get Erik free through spellcraft, while Jinkatsyu cuts Morgiana free.  Kang realises the vegetation is some sort of living jungle that can’t be killed, only evaded.  The adventurers retreat in the face of the slow-moving doom.

Later that day, in a new camp set up nearby, Erik realises the group is being watched—by an invisible stone giant!  When challenged, the giant becomes visible and says his name is Gyukak.  He says the presence of the adventurers has become known to the authorities in Xin-Shalast, but that he wants to help them.  Gyukak is candid that is motives are self-interested in nature: he is the leader of a rebel contingent of giants who want to escape the domination of those in charge.  He wants the adventurers to create a distraction by attacking a target of great significance so that, in the chaos, he and his small band will be able to slip away.  Gyukak suggests three possibilities: 1) an assassination attempt on Khalib, a powerful wizard who is Karzoug’s apprentice and the go-between his master and the rune giants who run the fortress named Shahlaria; 2) an attack on Ghlorfaex, a blue dragon who occupies a building near the fortress and who is known as an ally to the occupiers; 3) or a flat attempt to climb the golden stairs that lead to the Pinnacle of Avarice, Karzoug’s mountain-top palace.  The adventurers are rightly sceptical and suspect a trap, so Gyukak tries to sweeten the offer, promising them knowledge about the “weakness they do not know they have on Mhar Massif” in exchange.  Rather than make any promises at the moment, the adventurers decide to consider the proposal and tell Gyukak to return the next day.

[7 Gozran 4708]

Over breakfast, the adventurers discuss Gyukak’s approach.  Ava remains suspicious of the stone giant, and wonders aloud how he found them—she says perhaps it is Gyukak who has been doing all of the scrying of the party over recent weeks!  Erik, on the other hand, wants to trust him, saying that followers of Milani the Everbloom are tasked with freeing people from slavery.  Jinkatsyu is keen to take on the dragon Ghlorfaex, while Kang suggests the direct approach: scaling the mountain and taking the fight to Karzoug!  But the others worry that Ghlorfaex, Khalib, and others could attack during the ascent when the adventurers would be at their most vulnerable. 

A decision still hasn’t been reached when Gyukak returns, and the stone giant is pressed with many more questions.  He explains that the fortress of Shahlaria is ruled by the largest and most powerful of giant-kind—those bearing the rune of Karzoug himelf!  These “rune giants” can magically compel other giants into their service, and they’ve used their powers to force the leaders of various giant tribes throughout the Kodar Mountains into rallying to Karzoug’s banner.  Khalib, Karzoug’s apprentice, delivers messages from his master to the rune giants in Shahlaria.  Gyukak says Khalib usually comes and goes in a way no one can discern, but that he’ll definitely be at the highest tower of Shahlaria at twilight tomorrow to greet the impending arrival of a ship that flies through the skies!  He says the strange black vessel appears out of a bright hole in the sky, but doesn’t know who sails it or what cargo it contains.  He explains to the adventurers where Shahlaria, Ghlorfaex’s lair, and the golden stairs are in relation to their current campsite. 

After hearing all of this, the group reach a consensus to form an alliance with Gyukak.  They tell him they’ll create a distraction and just need to decide which one.  Upon their oath, he proffers the information they desperately need about their unknown weakness.  He explains that the higher reaches of Mhar Massif, the mountain that looms over Xin-Shalast and contains Karzoug’s citadel, is protected by a magical dome of some kind.  Any who pass into the dome without bearing one of Karzoug’s tokens—usually a ring—suffer terrible pains and soon die.  With that foreboding message, he says he’ll return at dawn each day until the adventurers have formulated a plan of attack to create the distraction he and his giants need to escape.

Once Gyukak is gone, the adventurers discuss what to do, though the frequent scrying they’ve suffered makes them justifiably paranoid that they could be playing right into the hands of their foes!  Nonetheless, a plan is necessary.  Jinkatsyu suggests killing Khalib and commandeering the flying ship and taking it directly to Karzoug’s citadel, but admits he has no idea how to sail such a vessel.  Erik suggests tackling each step in order: first Khalib, then the dragon, and then the steps.  His views seem to sway the others, and they agree to scout Shahlaria after lunch.  Noticeably, Morgiana doesn’t eat—the hobgoblin has remembered that today is Currentseve, a holiday for those who worship Gozreh, and fasting is a way to lend spiritual energy to others.  When asked, she explains some of her beliefs.  As they’re finishing the meal, someone observes that Morgiv and the skulks haven’t been around recently—Ava suggests that perhaps they’ve returned to the underground tunnels they’re most comfortable in.

The party crosses the city.  Although it’s broad daylight, the shadows cast by the colossal architecture all around them makes it easy to stay out of sight.  Following Gyukak’s directions, they soon reach the ponderous fortress he called Shahlaria.  Situated on a low rise overlooking the northern edge of a neighbourhood, the fortress features incredibly thick walls, wide towers, and gates that must be more than sixty feet tall.  Several types of giants pass in and out of the gate, but the one that catches the adventurers’ attention as they watch from hiding is simply the largest and most imposing giant they have ever seen: a forty-foot tall behemoth with skin that is black and pitted like roughly cast iron, but etched with glowing red runes.  “A rune giant,” Kang whispers.  Jinkatsyu whispers back “I saw one of them—well, a corpse of one—at Hook Mountain!”  The adventurers watch the rune giant stop in front of the gate and begin yelling at a band of stone giants who seem to almost cower at his words.  Suddenly, however, with no warning at all, Jinkatsyu jumps out of hiding and inexplicably shouts at the top of his lungs “There are the cursed giants! Attack!”

Jinkatsyu looks horrified and taken aback by his words, but it’s too late!  The rune giant furrows its brow and begins literally walking on the air, quite quickly, in the party’s direction.  Instinctively, the heroes run for it, but Morgiana is a step slower than the others.  Using its powers of magical compulsion, the rune giant says simply “You.  Sit.  Stay.”  and Morgiana does!  Ava sees what has happened and heroically turns around.  She somehow manages to dispel the incredibly-powerful compulsion with her own spell, giving Morgiana the chance to escape.  “Curious.” says the giant, impassively.

The adventurers run back to the ruined hippodrome at top speed.  Kang punches a wall and glares at Jinkatsyu.  “Dammit Jinks, what in Hell is wrong with you!”  The kitsune looks confused and abashed, and suggests maybe he should be gagged—he can’t understand why he’s been saying strange things he can barely remember.  Kang observes that, so far at least, the lack of control is only for brief periods, but that if someone—including Karzoug—is in Jinkatsyu’s head, their every move could be known in advance.  Ava notes that Jinkatsyu does seem very susceptible to outside mental control, citing the

curse of the wendigo that nearly brought him to murder and cannibalism.  Various theories of who is taking over Jinkatsyu’s body, and how, are floated.  Some suspicion falls on the strange Sihedron-marked rings that Jinkatsyu and Erik wear, but the observation is made that Erik hasn’t been affected.

With no answer to the dilemma forthcoming, the adventurers return to discussing the possibilities of attacking Karzoug’s apprentice and, possibly, an airship!

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

Director's Commentary

Gyukak is one of the very few non-hostile NPCs in Xin-Shalast.  His appearance worked really well I thought in giving the group some essential background on what was going on (such as the rune giants and especially the occluding field) and where to focus their energies (gaining the rings necessary to survive the occluding field).  The PCs never discovered Gyukak wasn't actually a stone giant, and most of his "giant rebellion" occurred off-screen anyway.

A potential assassination attempt against Khalib wasn't written into the AP, and I don't remember exactly why I included it as a possibility.  I think I wanted to establish the link between Karzoug's palace at the top of the mountain and what was happening in the city below, and also Khalib a few moments in the spotlight since otherwise he'd be just another battle in the palace.  It would also be good, I thought, to give the PCs some experience in fighting a high level wizard.

For Shahlaria, I just had to rely on the AP's very sketchy description and the PC's imagination, as there was no feasible way for me create a massive giant-sized fortress from whole cloth and then get it down on grid paper.  

The idea of Karzoug temporarily possessing a party member to distract or endanger them is written into the AP, though of course I had to pick particularly inopportune moments.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Slum Quarter" [RPG]

 I've used the Slum Quarter flip-mat several times while running Curse of the Crimson Throne, especially for any scenes set in Old Korvosa.  Each side of the flip-mat depicts a collection of small homes from a top-down view, with interiors available for all but a few at the edges of the map.  The interiors are fairly detailed, and you can make out beds, tables, trunks, etc.  The difference between the two sides is that one is set near a gated city wall, while the other is bisected by a river.  Although the flip-mat is certainly

useful, when I look at it I don't see a lot that jumps out as being particularly "slumlike" compared to any generic pseudo-medieval fantasy city.  All the buildings have nice straight intact walls, there aren't piles of garbage or open sewers in the streets, the interiors look reasonably well-appointed, and so forth.  More abandoned buildings, more crude shacks and hovels, more chaos, etc., would better fit the flip-mat's theme.

What I Read (2020)

I read 83 books in 2020, which may be a personal best.  I think a big part of it was competing in a reading challenge, which was really fun and also led me to read a lot of books I otherwise wouldn't have (there were dozens of categories, ranging from "Orange Cover" to "2020 tv adaptation" to "Author with a hyphenated name" and more).

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January 1, 2020: Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. “Memoirs of a criminal profile.”

January 2, 2020: The Lost Chronicles by Mark Cotta Vaz. “Published after season 1. Ok for a companion.”

January 14, 2020: Batman: A Visual History by Matthew K. Manning. “Month by month survey of Batman from 1939 to 2015! Epic.”

January 18, 2020: The Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King. “Fantasy novel—YA in tone, but not bad.”

January 20, 2020: Lords of Chaos by James Jacobs. “Pathfinder sourcebook about demons. Really well-written.”

January 28, 2020: The Summoned by Cameron Dokey. “Angel book about cult using coins to mark sacrifices. Starts good but then gets lame.”

January 28, 2020: The Dagger of Trust by Chris Willrich. “An all-bard Pathfinder novel focused on threats to peace between Andoran and Taldor. A bit slack in places, but really good overall.”

February 3, 2020: Blood Engines by T.A. Pratt. “Reread first Marla Mason book. So good!”

February 19, 2020: The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King. “Page-turner, as Roland finds (reluctant) allies.”

February 25, 2020: Inner Sea Intrigue by David N. Ross. “High-quality options for intrigue PCs.”

February 29, 2020: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. “Relationship self-help book that is actually pretty good despite the preachiness at the end.”

March 2, 2020: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. “Beautiful full-colour illustrated edition, a joy to read to my kid.”

March 8, 2020: Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer. “Hilarious and with surprising heart. Fantastic.”

March 9, 2020: La Bibliotheque des Ames by Ransom Riggs. “Third book in the Peculiar Children series. Not bad, but overlong.”

March 23, 2020: Ultimate Intrigue by Various. “Excellent Pathfinder sourcebook for running urban and intrigue adventures.”

March 28, 2020: Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. “Fantastic SF novel full of twists and turns! Have to get the sequel.”

March 28, 2020: Skinwalkers by Wendy W. Wagner. “Pathfinder novel set in the Ironbound Archipelago. Really tense, dark, and exciting.”

March 28, 2020: Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi. “Japanese-themed modern fantasy with kami spirits battling over Tokyo. Not great.”

March 29, 2020: Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs by Michael Gerard Bauer. “Such a funny, sweet book.”

March 31, 2020: The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson. “Eloquent and moving.”

April 5, 2020: The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. “Second Culture novel. Really good, though Culture is too perfect.”

April 6, 2020: The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. “Excellent small-town coming of age story that avoids cliche.”

April 7, 2020: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. “Repetitive aphorisms of Stoic philosophy.”

April 9, 2020: The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. “First Discworld novel. Not as consistently funny as later ones, but still good.”

April 10, 2020: Poison Sleep by T.A. Pratt. “Second Marla Mason book. Fantastic urban fantasy.”

April 14, 2020: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. “Second Mistborn book. Fantastic page-turner.”

April 19, 2020: Misery by Stephen King. “Instant classic.”

April 24, 2020: Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel by Michael Gerard Bauer. “A very sweet conclusion to the trilogy.”

April 26, 2020: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. “Not nearly as good as its reputation.”

April 27, 2020: The Great Beyond by Todd Stewart. “Well-written overview with some cool ideas.”

April 29, 2020: The Book Ninja by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus. “Insipid, offensive, and just plain badly written.”

May 7, 2020: Alien Archive 2 by Various. “Starfinder monster book. Okay.”

May 10, 2020: Crossfire by Nancy Kress. “Solid SF novel about human colony caught up in alien war.”

May 12, 2020: The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. “Nightvale novel. Pretty good.”

May 20, 2020: The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost. “Intriguing at times.”

May 25, 2020: Crucible by Nancy Kress. “Sequel to Crossfire. Solid.”

May 26, 2020: Misfit Monsters Redeemed by Colin McComb et al. “Nice try, but most of these monsters still deserve the ridicule they’re known for.”

June 5, 2020: The Redemption Engine by James Sutter. “How good was that!”

June 21, 2020: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. “Account of the lives of the five victims of Jack the Ripper, putting the focus on them instead of him. Well-done.”

June 30, 2020: The Unofficial Spider-Man Trivia Challenge by Alan Kistler. “I only got 343 out of a possible 826. Sad!”

July 2, 2020: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. “The movie is better.”

July 3, 2020: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. “Fantastic cyber-punk detective novel. Read with rum!”

July 5, 2020: Fabulous by Lucy-Hughes Hallett. “Weird title and cover for what’s actually a really interesting modern retelling of several classical myths.”

July 11, 2020: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. “Beautiful cover to a fantastic book.”

July 13, 2020. Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland. “Such an amazing debut novel!”

July 19, 2020. A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland. “Good sophomore effort.”

July 27, 2020. Battle of the Dawn: The Complete Hok the Mighty by Manly Wade Wellman. “Pulp caveman stories, but actually entertaining.”

July 28, 2020. Evelina by Frances Burney. “An eighteenth century precursor to Jane Austen.”

July 29, 2020. The Political Theory of Montesquieu by Melvin Richter. “Extracts and commentary.”

July 30, 2020. Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks. “Wow, what a reveal!”

August 1, 2020. Of Honour and Iron by Ian St. Martin. “Warhammer 40K book. Ok.”

August 2, 2020. Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. “Satisfying sequel/conclusion.”

August 8, 2020. Rival Guide by Brandon Hodges, et al. “Useful NPC adventuring bands.”

August 16, 2020. The Chalice of Death by Robert Silverberg. “Three classic 1950s SF novels. Fun!”

August 21, 2020. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. “Grandfather of African novels.”

August 23, 2020. The Sun-Down Motel by Simone St. James. “Ghosts and serial killers. Not bad.”

August 26, 2020. You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce. “Debut novel, reasonably creepy.”

August 30, 2020. The Dead Father’s Club by Matt Haig. “Really good retelling but with twists on Hamlet.”

August 31, 2020. Girl: A Novel by Edna O’Brien. “Fictional account of Boko Haram girl. Good.”

September 11, 2020: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward. “Novel set during Hurricane Katrina. Good.”

September 15, 2020: High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby. “Just a really good novel.”

September 19, 2020: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett. “Really funny bits.”

September 27, 2020: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. “Amateur sleuths in a retirement home. Really fun.”

September 27, 2020: Taking Down Evelyn Tait by Poppy Nwosu. “Heartwarmng YA book.”

October 1, 2020: Paris est une fete by Ernest Hemingway. “Recollections of life writing in Paris in 1920s.”

October 4, 2020: Life, Love, Books by Mark Manson. “Life advice, I guess.”

October 9, 2020: Pathfinder Bestiary 2 by Various. “Lots of classics plus some cool additions.”

October 13, 2020: The Crusader Road by Michael A. Stackpole. “Pathfinder book about the founding of a new town near Thornkeep. Different but good.”

October 30, 2020: Aquatic Adventures by Amber Scott and Mark Seifter. “Indispensable rules.”

November 3, 2020: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. “Beautiful novel, close to my heart, and fully worthy of that Pulitzer.”

November 6, 2020: The Marvel Museum by Ned Hartley. “A really nice review.”

November 18, 2020: Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn. “Solid continuation of the series.”

December 15, 2020: Starfinder: Armory by various. “Whole lotta stuff.”

December 18, 2020: The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett. “Maybe a bit slow in places, but ends on the best cliffhanger ever.”

December 19, 2020: Political Writings of Leibniz by Patrick Riley (ed.). “Shows he was interested in more than just calculus and goofy monads.”

December 25, 2020: The Great Influenza by John M. Barry. “Fascinating history of the 1918-1920 pandemic, with parallels to our own.”

December 25, 2020: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. “Really funny and clever book.”

December 27, 2020: Return of the Archwizards by Troy Denning. “Forgotten Realms trilogy with ancient Netherese floating city and monsters galore. Not bad.”

December 27, 2020: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. “Portland kid of Persian descent visits relatives in Iran. Sweet and moving.”

December 29, 2020: A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway. “Main character is a bit of a Mary Sue, but okay.”

December 31, 2020: Making Friends with Alice Dyson by Poppy Nwosu. “Not great, but author’s next book is.”

December 31, 2020: Matilda by Roald Dahl. “Very funny.”

December 31, 2020: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. “That was some fish!”