Pathfinder Cards: "Social Combat" [RPG]

 I've used the Social Combat deck in a couple of key encounters in my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign.  The idea with "social combat" is that it turns persuading someone (an NPC, a crowd, whatever) into a skills challenge the whole party can participate in instead of just having the party "face" making a single Diplomacy (or Bluff or Intimidate or whatever) check.  The GM creates a grid of the cards and, in a sort of mini-game similar to the Chase rules, the PCs need to succeed on one of two options on a card in order to move on to the next one.  There's some strategy involved in deciding which of the checks to attempt and which card to move to, with the goal of getting to the opposite corner to win before a certain number of failed checks mean a loss.  For example, one card is "Higher Power" and allows the PCs to proceed with either a DC 15 Diplomacy check or a DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check, and presumably the GM would expect the player to role-play something in relation to their deity.  Many cards have a traditional social skill and one that's a bit more unusual (like Appraise, Perception, or Linguistics) so that a wide variety of characters can still help the team.

The deck comes with clear instructions and a couple of alternative rules.  I've actually used a homemade variation when the PCs aren't just trying to persuade a passive audience but are instead competing with another NPC who is trying to persuade that same audience (like in a courtroom)--the competing NPC is on the same grid, and whoever gets to the end first wins the argument!  It's important for the GM to remember that they don't have to lay down the cards completely at random from the whole deck, but can instead prune the deck down to just the cards that make sense in the particular social situation the PCs are facing.  

It may sound a bit artificial, but my players and I have really enjoyed the results when we've used the deck.  It makes what would otherwise be a single d20 roll into a memorable, special event where the stakes seem higher and the thrill of victory sweeter because it was achieved with real teamwork.  I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy the deck as much as I have, and I'll definitely bring it out again for important social challenges.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 4 [RPG]

 [15 Gozran, 4708 A.R. continued]

Knowing it is dangerous to be outside at night, Tharl, Goldcape, Yraelzin, and The Reckoner (who soon surreptiously changes to his Ralph Blackfeather identity) seek and receive shelter at the Temple of Sarenrae.  The combination hospital/place of worship is crowded with refugees from the violence in the streets.  After Tharl is called away on a mission for the church, a junior priestess of the faith, a fast-talking ratfolk named Wiquita, explains to the others that the paladin may be detained for several hours.  As they get ready to bunk down among dozens of others on cots and pallets hastily assembled for the purpose, Ralph jots down notes from Gaedren Lamm’s ledger and Goldcape sees if she can use her Harrow card to contact The Harrower—but nothing seems to happen.

[16 Gozran 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, with Tharl still away on duty for the church, the rest of the group discuss whether they should return the brooch to Queen Ileosa.  Goldcape suggests returning it anonymously because she believes some of the worst rumours about Korvosa’s new ruler, but Ralph says that would make them look very suspicious if their anonymity is pierced—and, it would mean abandoning any possibility of getting a reward.  The three decide to see if they can get advice from Grau Soldado, the Watch Captain they assisted the day prior.  It’s a warm, sunny spring day as the three Korvosans head out into the streets and witness the effects of the previous night’s rioting—windows smashed, carts overturned, and impromptu barriers and bonfires set.  The streets closest to Castle Korvosa seem the most “normal” (though heavily patrolled), but the situation worsens further away.

Still, the three reach Citadel Volshyanek, headquarters of the Korvosan Guard, without difficulty.  Overlooking the Jeggare River, the impressive citadel seems to sport only a skeleton contingent of soldiers, with most dispatched across the city.  Unfortunately, Grau Soldado has been assigned to Old Korvosa (one of the worst parts of the city), so the group have to deal with the sergeant on duty.  Ralph handles most of the negotiating, turning over Lamm’s ledger and the dagger allegedly belonging to the “Key-Lock Killer” in exchange for a hefty reward and a promise to keep the group informed (through Grau) if there are developments in the resulting investigations. 

The Harrowed Heroes decide to take the risk of returning the queen’s brooch personally.  But before they can cross back from Midland to the Heights, danger strikes!  The seemingly ever-present aerial battles between Korvosa’s population of imp devils (periodically summoned by students of the Acadamae) and house drakes (who have found the Shingles a favourable breeding ground) come too close for comfort.  A pack of the imps break off and dive toward the civilians in the streets below, looking to cause mayhem.  With poisonous stingers and unnaturally-thick demonic skin, the tiny devils almost overwhelm the group until a pair of house drakes swoop down to assist.  Ralph eventually manages to send one of the imps reeling with his heavy warhammer, while Yraelzin’s enchantment magic sends two others fleeing in sudden terror.  Still, the Priest of Razmir is left quite sluggish from the imps’ poison, with Ralph and Goldcape suffering similar (though less severe) symptoms.

But far scarier than the small devils literally summoned from Hell itself are the mere humans who only style themselves after Hell’s legions: Hellknights!  A rhythmic thumping can be heard as they march down the street in perfect formation, scattering everyone in their path in a show of implacable force.  Horns blowing from Castle Korvosa signal that martial law has been imposed on the city, and if Queen Ileosa has called in the Hellknights to enforce it, she means business!

Goldcape wonders if it’s still safe to proceed, but Ralph and Yraelzin reply that the streets have never been safer (as long as they have a good explanation for being outdoors and get indoors before the sunset curfew).  And indeed, although the streets are thick with tension, the trio reach Castle Korvosa without further incident.  The centrepiece of the city, the castle looms over every other building in sight with its base a cyclopean four-sided sandstone pyramid called the Grand Mastaba and a high-walled citadel built on top of the pyramid to support multiple towers projecting into the sky.  Suffice it to say, no one would ever mistake the black-marble of Castle Korvosa for any structure in the city!

Mention of the brooch and a willingness to leave their weapons behind is enough to get the trio through the layers of guards armed with swords and crossbows and into a private meeting with a stern-looking woman dressed in magnificient full-plate armor—the Queen’s personal handmaiden and bodyguard, Sabina Merrin.  Sabina appraises the group as sufficiently trustworthy and leads them through the castle to the third floor where, turning a corner ahead of them, she announces their names with a loud, clear voice.  Yraelzin, Goldcape, and Ralph Blackfeather find themselves in the castle’s throne room before Queen Ileosa herself! Veiled in black mourning dress and with a silver coffer on her lap, the city’s young but admittedly beautiful queen sits upon the legendary Crimson Throne—the only scrap of furniture in the entire chamber.

After Sabina takes the brooch and hands it over to the queen with a flourish, Queen Ileosa addresses the trio—all three of whom are wise enough to kneel in the presence of royalty.  She begins speaking.

 “This brooch was stolen from me some time ago—I had not expected to see it again, truth be told.  And yet, here on my darkest day, you come before me with kindness.  The return of this brooch is much more than an honourable deed.  It is inspiration.  It is hope.”

 “I love Korvosa, as my husband did before me.  His death has shocked the city as it has me, but I will not see his legacy destroyed in death, and I shall not see my city torn apart.  All Korvosa stands at the precipice of a disaster wrought by her citizens—these riots cannot continue.  You have already done my heart a great service in returning this precious heirloom to me on this dark day, and you shall be rewarded.  Yet perhaps you can serve your city more.”

“The Korvosan Guard is stretched thin, and it could certainly use the aid of heroes such as you.  If you so choose, I shall have Sabina see to it that you have an escort of guards when you leave here—they can see to your safe journey to Citadel Volshyenek.  I shall send word ahead of you to Field Marshal Cressida Kroft to let her know you are on the way.  Now, I need to retire to my chambers—my grief has drained me.  Again, I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, and I hope your days of serving the crown are only just beginning.”

With a swish of her gowns, the Queen rises and retires.  Her handmaiden remains behind and hands the group the coffer, and promises an escort to Citadel Volshyenek if the trio would like to accept Her Majesty’s offer.  The three are understandably surprised by the opportunity to formally assist the Korvosan Guard in maintaining order in the city, and plead for time to think it over.  Ralph asks if the offer extends to Tharl, Paladin of Sarenrae, who assisted in retrieving the brooch.  Sabina nods, and says the offer will remain open and Field Marshal Kroft will be notified it is pending.

When they make it outside the nerve-wracking castle, the trio stop on the street to discuss what they’ve just gone through.  Goldcape says the queen is acting suspiciously because she didn’t sound particularly pleased to get her brooch back, and seemed to be in quite a hurry to depart.  But Ralph replies that Ileosa’s husband did just die, and queens have many royal duties to attend to.  Yraelzin adds that those who rule are obviously divinely-mandated to do so, and that thus their authority should remain unquestioned.

The early-afternoon streets are quiet when the trio return to the Temple of Sarenrae, hoping to find Tharl and fill him in on the day’s events and discuss whether or not to accept the queen’s offer.  A peek inside the coffer testifies, if nothing else, to her wealth: it’s filled with twelve gold bars stamped with the Royal Seal of Korvosa!

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

GM's Commentary

The player who ran Tharl didn't come to this session, and, as it turned out, never came again.  From the e-mails I got, we all expected him to come back, but slowly it became obvious that it just wasn't going to happen.  That ended up meaning that for a long stretch of the campaign (until the middle of Chapter Three), there'd be just two players, something that had me very worried as I've never gamed with so few.  It caused me a lot of stress early on that the campaign was going to fall apart.  But the players who ran The Reckoner and Goldcape were just so enthusiastic about the game that it filled me with confidence and after a while I just embraced having a small group.

Those imps were pretty tough!  Stuff like DR or fast healing can be a real problem for low-level parties.

The Hellknights were fun to role-play and proved pretty intimidating to the PCs for a long time.

I'm not 100% happy with how I did the encounter with the Queen.  I ran it exactly as it was scripted in the AP, and that meant it was . . . scripted!  The PCs don't get to really interact with her at all, and it might have been a lost opportunity.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-04: "Future's Fall" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I ran Future's Fall via play-by-post at subtier 7-8, using the four-player adjustment.  It's really a whopper of a scenario, with a densely-written text full of skill checks, conditional events, lots of things to track, and a big, complicated encounter (which is really cinematic!).  It continues and develops a long-running SFS storyline.  I really liked the scenario, but it tested me to the limits when it came to preparation and keeping everything in order.  I wouldn't recommend it for the inexperienced.

SPOILERS!

The scenario starts on Salvation's End, the mysterious artificial moon that has been the subject of Starfinder exploration since the campaign's very first scenario.  In a cool and completely sensible idea, the Society has decided to open a new lodge there from which to launch missions.  Kunoris Vex, a drow, makes his first appearance as a new Venture-Captain.  Vex explains to the PCs that some encrypted Pact Worlds and Veskarium signals have been detected in one of Salvation's Ends myriad vaults, and that he wants an experienced team to investigate.  In a nice twist (that makes perfect sense given technology), Vex will stay on comms during the whole mission in case the agents need advice (and mechanically, he can help with certain skill checks, and is also a good GM tool in case the PCs need some help getting back on track).

Once the PCs get into the vault, they'll see it's a simulation of Akiton--but not necessarily the one they're familiar with.  This is an Akiton that has undergone decades of terraforming for atmospheric regeneration.  Another oddity will strike them quickly, when they're almost immediately attacked by predators native only to a distant world in the Vast!  These "Arquand drychens" are interesting and reasonably-tough foes.

The group will soon come to a nearby settlement named Buyer's Remorse (excellent map!).  Buyer's Remorse is an old mining town that was once used to extract thasteron, a pre-Drift travel starship fuel.  But in the vault simulation, Buyer's Remorse is in full operation and occupied by a Veskarium garrison!  In this part of the scenario, PCs are expected to visit various locations in Buyer's Remorse and talk to NPCs to figure out what's going on.  Mechanically, this occurs throughout a couple of phases where each PC can make one skill check in order to gather "Data Points"; but they want to avoid standing out too much and earning "Suspicion Points."  PCs can stick together or, for much more efficient coverage, split up to cover more ground quickly (one of many rebukes in gaming I've found to the "never split the party" mantra).  One challenge though is that some of the locations have a *lot* of content and other locations have very little, and sometimes what it takes to earn Data Points is fairly non-intuitive.  There are some fun little anomalies, like Vesk warriors wearing costumes from a children's safari show, or a VR headset that flashes "Exciting Experience" over and over.  In a fun twist, one of the locations holds a "Starfinder" who actually is a Starfinder--an agent lost on a previous mission in Salvation's End, and now with completely different memories.

What all the information collection will reveal is that this vault simulates a future where the Pact Worlds has collapsed due to an event called the Data Plague, which completely wiped out all hi-tech devices in the system.  But because the plague was isolated to the system, other forces--like the Veskarium--stayed at full military power and moved in to take over.  In this simulation, after the Veskarium took over the system, they outlawed any other race from using Drift travel--thus, the resumption of thasteron mining.  But in the past few weeks, mysterious invaders have been attacking Buyer's Remorse, proclaiming themselves agents of the "Vault Lord."  Obviously, the simulation wasn't designed for this!  The important thing to remember about the vaults in Salvation's End is that they may involve simulated environments, but that the people involved are very, very real--even if they've been kidnapped from who-knows-where and brainwashed.  The PCs need to figure out how to help the inhabitants of Buyer's Remorse.  It's a great plot, and I appreciate the richness of detail the writer put into the scenario (even if it can be a little overwhelming at times).

In the middle of a meeting with the local Veskarium military governor of Buyer's Remorse (in which the PCs may or may not be successful in convincing her she's in a simulation and needs to evacuate), the army of the Vault Lord attacks in force.  This is a complicated battle, as there's a lot going on.  Attackers arrive in different waves, the PCs are expected to continue gathering Data Points (weird!), fixed events can happen in certain rounds depending on what happened in previous rounds, and more.  There's some really exciting things that can happen, like siege tanks appearing, buildings exploding, and more. The PCs can even call in artillery strikes, which is awesome!  I had to make a round-by-round list and populate it with the various things to remember, as the scenario has stuff happening all the way up to Round 15 (wherein the town collapses and everyone who hasn't evacuated dies instantly!).  Running this all through play-by-post was a big undertaking, but fortunately my players were great and stuck with it.

And then, when the big battle is over and the players probably think they're pretty much done, there's a whole additional encounter waiting for them.  They need to escort civilians across a wasteland to the vault's exit as the landscape is being gradually swallowed by incinerators!  Again, a pretty cool and cinematic example of encounter design.

Assuming the PCs live to tell the tale, it's clear this Vault Lord is going to be a major problem for further exploration of Salvation's End.  I for one am really looking forward to experiencing what happens next.

My overall thoughts on Future's Fall is that it's a great scenario, but one that needs to be run by an experienced GM and in a setting that doesn't have strict time constraints.  It could easily have been modified to be a two-part scenario.  Still, it's definitely memorable and worth playing.

Starfinder: Skittermander Pin [RPG]

 This little enamel pin comes in blue, red, green, or purple.  Colors aren't my thing, but I own either the first one or the fourth one.  Anyway, like all pins for Paizo products published by Campaign Coins, this is a sturdy pin with a strong clasp.  It comes in a little baggie with a card that says "Greetings, Nufriend.  Skittermanders are here to help!  Show your love for the six-armed aliens from the Starfinder Roleplaying Game with this deluxe enamel pin by Campaign Coins."

Pathfinder Comics, Volume 7: "Spiral of Bones" [RPG] [COMICS]

 

NO SPOILERS

As of this writing, Spiral of Bones contains the last Pathfinder comics to be published.  Fortunately, the series ends on a high note, with a really fun, funny, occasionally moving, and useful (to GMs) story.  This review is formally of the “Paizo Exclusive” hardcover edition, which is exactly the same as the regular collected edition except for the cover art.  The hardcover collects all five issues of Spiral of Bones and includes back matter like lore entries, variant covers, and a removable poster map.  I’ll go through the back matter in this “No Spoilers” section, and then move on to the stories in the “Spoilers!” section below.

The first part of the back matter is a set of 12 issue covers.  I don’t find any of them as fun as some of the spoof covers in previous collections, but the one chosen as the cover to the Paizo Exclusive hardcover isn’t the best of the lot by far.  As an aside, there’s one with Valeros and Imrijka that’s pretty naughty!

Most of the back matter is taken up with a series of four-page-long entries on something from Pathfinder lore, such as a location, a race, a type of monster, etc.  Each entry contains a concise but interesting and informative summary about the topic, a half-page encounter map and vaguely suggested adversaries (still much worse than the true, fleshed-out encounters from previous series), and some sort of new gameplay element like magic items, an archetype, etc.  Here are the entries in order:

·         Kaer Maga: This entry covers the history, districts, and factions of the City of Strangers (my personal choice for the most original location in all of Golarion).  The map is of Augur’s Row, where prophetic trolls read the future in their own entrails . . .

·         The Boneyard: This entry has a great little explanation of how the afterlife works in Golarion, and then talks a bit about priests of Pharasma.  The map is of a Waiting Hall in the Boneyard.

·         Caulborn: These are creepy thought-eaters living under Kaer Maga, but they have a complex culture and are not necessarily evil.  Three new “Psychovore” style feats are introduced for monks (but, frankly, they’re not that useful).  The map is of an underground fungus garden.

·         Forlorn Elves: Good description of elves who have chosen to live among the short-lived races, suffering the consequences of seeing friends die over and over.  Two new archetypes are presented: the “elegist” (for skalds) is a sort of spiritualist that gets a phantom instead of rage.  I like it.  The other is the “sorrowblade” for maguses, but it has pretty minor effects.  The map is of a subterranean stone bridge crossing a chasm in the Halfling Path up to Kaer Maga.

·         The Soul Trade: Really interesting!  Also includes four new magic items made from fragments of soul gems, each themed to a different Horseman of the Apocalypse.  The apollyon clasp is really good.  However, the map of a Soul Market looks exactly like *any* mundane market.

The hardcover also includes a removable poster map.  It’s worth noting that it’s a pretty small poster (equivalent to two pages of the book).  On one side is artwork of Merisiel and Kyra fighting some kind of demon (a bit odd since Kyra isn’t in the book), while the other side is a neat vertical representation of the layers of caverns under Kaer Maga.

 

SPOILERS!

 

Issue # 1 starts off with a bang, with Valeros fighting one of the troll augurs of Kaer Maga over a prophecy that didn’t happen as promised.  But the fight is broken up by the sudden appearance of Imrijka (the Iconic Inquisitor), who turns out to be an old friend (and lover) of Valeros!  She accompanies Valeros back to a local inn along with Seoni and Merisiel (Kyra is off on a pilgrimage, apparently).  Meanwhile, Ezren and Harsk are doing some research nearby and one thing leads to another and they find themselves trapped in a catacomb under the city.  Fortunately, those topside get a magical distress call from Ezren and head down after them.  But along the way, Valeros spots a mysterious black orb, touches it, and . . . dies!

Issue # 2 starts with a flashback to Valeros’ life as a child, and is revealing about why he grew up as the man he is today.  In the Boneyard (the realm of the dead, where all souls go to be judged by Pharasma or her agents), Valeros finds himself in the hands of a night hag who plans to sell him at a soul market.  But a psychopomp (a birdlike agent of Pharasma) rescues him.  But in a twist, everyone in the Boneyard thinks that Valeros is an ancient warlord named Zeladar the Animator, and it looks like Valeros is going to receive a final destination that he doesn’t deserve!  It’s really funny.

Issue # 3 starts with Valeros being judged by a yamaraj(?) called Yindaal.  Back on Golarion, the other adventurers are dealing with a “Valeros” whose body is inhabited by the soul of Zeladar; they figure it out *just* as the real Valeros makes it back to his body.  It’s a comedy of errors, of course, but handled well.  There are also some poignant moments with Merisiel knowing her time with her companions is a lifetime to them but fleeting to her.

Issue # 4 has Valeros and Zeladar sharing a body as the group continue the search for Harsk and Ezren.  The issue has some exciting battles against caulborn

In Issue # 5, Harsk and Ezren are rescued, and Valeros figures out how to defeat Zeladar by getting really drunk (he’s more used to holding to liquor than the warlord).  The book ends with a tender moment between Imrijka and Valeros that’s really sweet.

The dialogue in these issues is genuinely great, causing me to laugh out loud multiple times.  I really love how a random bunch of pre-generated gaming characters have been brought together into the comics and formed into a real group that you care about.  This particular run is also great for anyone who wants to get a better feel for Kaer Maga or the Boneyard. 

When I started reading the Pathfinder comics, I wasn’t very impressed—poor artwork and mediocre stories.  But things have really improved since then, and I’m going to miss reading stories about Varisia’s best.  I hope, somehow, we get some more stories in the future.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 3 [RPG]

 

[14 Gozran, 4708 A.R. continued]

Although the group is stunned by the city’s sudden slide into chaos, The Reckoner remains concerned that vital evidence may remain within the Old Fishery.  But after returning to the scene, a thorough search turns up nothing that sheds further light on Gaedren Lamm’s terrible crimes.  Battered and bruised, the foursome make their way cautiously down the street to the nearby house/shop at 3 Lancet Street where they first met The Harrower.  But once inside, the place looks completely different!  It looks like it has been abandoned for months, with a thick layer of dust on everything and the only signs of life the footsteps they left there just hours previously.  Yet a note waits for them on the table where The Harrower performed her divinations: 

You have done what I could not, and have brought Gaedren Lamm the justice he so richly deserved.  The fates led me true in choosing you.  I expect you have found my Harrow deck, and I owe it to you in gratitude.  You should each keep the card you chose during my reading.  It will allow me to communicate with you.  You may use this place as a safehouse, for safety is in short supply in a city that now teeters on the edge of anarchy.  We shall meet again when the time is right.

The Harrower

Given the violence and rioting outside, the Harrowed Heroes decide the safest course of action would be to spend the night.  Yraelzin, who quickly claimed the only bed in the house, reluctantly agrees to take his turn at a watch throughout the night.

[15 Gozran, 4708 A.R.: Taxfest]

The overnight chaos seems to have subsided when the four strangers-turned-allies venture out in the morning.  It looks like both those celebrating the death of the “Stirge King” and those angered at the ascension of the “Harlot Queen” are sleeping off their night’s revelry and rioting, respectively.  Still, it’s an inauspicious preface to Taxfest, the yearly holiday usually marked by feasts and festivals organised by the Church of Abadar (God of Order, Civilization, and Commerce) to ease the pain of the 15^th of Gozran also being the day for citizens to pay their taxes.  A lone Abadarian priest meets with little luck as he makes his way down the street, but almost meets with violence when he tries to levy a small exaction from the four avengers!  Tharl reluctantly pays on behalf of the group, and in return they receive a “temporary accommodation license” giving them the legal right to occupy the fortune-telling shop for one year.  When asked what’s happening in the city, the tax collector sighs and shakes his head with concern, noting that the Korvosan Guard is sorely pressed and stretched thin trying to maintain order—especially with some of its forces dispatched to secure the city-state’s distant holdings against an expected invasion from the north.

While Yraelzin pontificates at length about various matters, Ralph Blackfeather (The Reckoner’s alter ego) and Goldscape sneak away to nearby Eodred’s Walk to sell many of the treasures they recovered from Lamm’s strongbox.  Along the way, Ralph has to draw his rapier to scare away an aggressive street preacher who accosts Goldcape while proclaiming that the city is doomed.  A fixture in Midland, Eodred’s Walk consists of fourteen permanent shops forming a semicircle adjacent to the temporary stalls of the Gold Market.  On this day, mercenaries hired by the merchants keep a close eye to deter looting.  Goldcape introduces Ralph to her friend Jope Chantsmo, proprietor of Trapper’s Hole—the city’s best archery store.  Other notable merchants they meet include the (very nervous) owner of Slicing Dicers (a weapons’ store), a wizard who (for a fee) identifies some of the pair’s enchanted items, and the pair of brothers who run Gemshare Jewellers.  After appraising various items, the pair of jewellers deliver some shocking news.  First, the strange key-shaped blade (bearing the inscription “For an inspiration of a father”) looks just like one reportedly used by the so-called “Key-Lock Killer”—a notorious serial killer who slaughtered dozens of victims between 4690 and 4697 before his spree of violence suddenly (and mysteriously) stopped.  Second, the bejewelled brooch with the broken clasp belongs to Queen Ileosa herself!  The brothers explain it was brought to them by one of her servants for repair, but their shop was burglarised and the brooch stolen.  They reluctantly admit it could be worth upwards of 2,000 golden sails if a buyer could be found, but emphatically urge Goldcape and Ralph to return it to the Queen for a reward (and to avoid suspicion of criminal activity).

Meanwhile, Yraelzin and Tharl are still talking outside when they’re approached by an obviously inebriated man wearing the uniform of a Watch Captain of the Korvosan Guard.  His uniform reeks of stale sweat and ale, and he insists that Tharl is his “old friend Neffi from Sandpoint.”  Unwilling to take no for an answer, the man identifies himself as Grau Soldado and insists on buying the pair drinks at the nearest tavern—the dive named Bailer’s Retreat.  The pair reluctantly agree, and are treated to a disjointed story involving a love triangle gone awry involving Grau, his fencing instructor Vencarlo Orisini, and a fellow pupil named Sabina Merrin.  Grau breaks down into tears while recounting the tale, and, deranged from intoxication, tries to lay the blame on “Neffi”—Tharl!  Grau gets shakily to his feet in the tavern and draws a beautiful longsword made from the rare metal mithral.  He challenges Tharl to a duel, but the half-orc steadfastly remains calm despite repeated provocations and refuses to engage.  Eventually, Grau lets himself be led away back to the group’s temporary safehouse to sleep off the effects of several nights’ binge-drinking.

When Ralph Blackfeather and Goldcape return in the early afternoon, information is exchanged about each pair’s eventful morning.  The group decide to wait until Grau wakes up—a wait that stretches into the late afternoon.  Finally, the guardsman stumbles to his feet—sober, but hungover and dreadfully embarrassed by the way he’s acted.  He thanks Tharl profusely for helping him, and promises to return the favour any way he can.  Grau is also introduced to Goldcape and (back in masked form) The Reckoner.  The group tell him how they stopped Gaedren Lamm and his gang, and Grau expresses his personal approval for getting the criminal off the streets—while formally reminding them that vigilante justice has no place in Korvosa.  They ask him about the Key-Lock Killer, and Grau says he doesn’t know that much about it since the murders stopped a decade ago, but that he can look into it.  They also reveal that they found a coded ledger, and Grau says if it does end up containing any proof of Gaedren’s crimes, they should bring it to him at Citadel Volshyanek—there’d doubtless be a reward.  Before Grau leaves to get cleaned up before going back on duty, Goldcape gives the man her address, and Tharl says he can be found at the Temple of Sarenrae.

With only a couple of hours of daylight remaining, the group decide to take the brooch to Castle Korvosa to return it to the Queen—not only could there be a substantial reward, but Ralph suspects that if it’s not returned soon, the jewellers who identified it may turn them in!  But getting to the castle proves harder than expected.  The streets around it are clogged with protestors, rioters, and even mobs bent on taking out their frustrations on the city’s aristocratic upper class.  Ralph intimidates one such group of laborers armed with shovels and chair-legs from continuing to chase a young, beardless nobleman—thus saving the man’s hide, and perhaps even his life.  Overcome with gratitude, the panicked victim—a member of the idle aristocracy named Amin Jalento—gifts the group with jewellery and even invites them into his townhouse for a cup of wine.  Amin’s residence in the Cliffside section of the Heights district is very close to the Temple of Sarenrae, so after escorting the nobleman home, the group decide to spend the night in the temple and approach the castle again in the morning—when, hopefully, it’ll be safer.  It appears that many have sought refuge within the temple’s white marble walls, and Tharl is pleased to see that some of the orphans he helped to free from Lamm’s clutches have found safety there.

That night, rumors fly throughout the city: King Eodred succumbed to a mystical disease so powerful that even the clerics of the city’s three main faiths couldn’t cure it; King Eodred was murdered in bed by one of his many paramours; the city’s seneschal was killed by a mob in the streets soon after the rioting began; and more.  But in the midst of such confusion, a blow is struck for the truth: Goldcape manages to decipher Gaedren Lamm’s ledger, and even a brief perusal shows it contains evidence of dozens—maybe hundreds—of unsolved crimes!  And, best of all, proof positive of the reprehensible man’s role in framing Ralph Blackfeather for the murder of his own father!

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

GM's Commentary

I liked the idea of turning The Harrower's fortune-telling shop into a central safe-house for the PCs.  Every gang needs a hideout!

In this and many subsequent sessions, the shops at Eodred's Walk would be frequented.  I'm glad I had the Guide to Korvosa and did some custom prep work to help make it come alive.  It was great that the PCs visited the jeweler, as it made it very organic to fit in the important plot development about learning that the brooch was the queen's.

Grau ended up becoming a pretty important NPC in the campaign, but I can't say the same for Amin Jalento.  It's always interesting to see how different campaigns can grow in very different ways.

Starfinder: "Dead Suns, Chapter 4: The Ruined Clouds" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

Let’s talk about Chapter 4 of Dead Suns, The Ruined Clouds.  I played through this chapter mostly with my axe-wielding Salvation’s End dwarf soldier Kazmuk until he died partway through and I switched to my S.R.O. mechanic for the rest of the campaign.   I think this chapter features some solid world-building, but it continues the heavy rail-roading so problematic in previous chapters—every group must go through the plot in almost the exact same way as every other group does, or the whole AP falls apart.  Anyway, the rest of this non-spoilerly section of the review will talk about the covers and back-matter.

The cover art is pretty cool, with an imposing, original-looking alien in the foreground and some kind of crazy battle scene in the background.  The inside front cover and inside back cover provide the stats, description, and interior layout of a new Tier 6 starship design, a Klokworx Prism.  The ship is a mysterious scout ship of Azlanti Star Empire design and features some cool quantum torpedos.  It has a *huge* interior for a crew complement of just two, continuing the Starfinder trend of not really understanding dimensions for believable vessels in relation to size and intended function.

Back matter includes a one-page “Codex of Worlds” entry on Nejeor VI, a gas giant somewhere in The Vast that features ancient floating cities that have largely fallen into ruin.  It’s a classic SF concept, and one can imagine groups getting a lot of mileage out of jumping to different cities and exploring. 

The short entry on Nejeor VI is complemented by an eight-page entry on Istamak, a particular floating city on Nejeor VI.  Istamak was once a metropolis colony of the highly-advanced alien empire of the kishalee, but the city fell into decline as the empire did.  Now, less than 10,000 descendants of the empire dwell in Istamak, knowing their great past only through legend and myth.  With no understanding of their ancestors’ technology, the current inhabitants (called kish) have resorted to hunting and gathering to survive.  Again, a classic SF concept, but everything is fleshed out nicely with an interesting backstory—though perhaps it all comes across as too earth-like (with old amusement parks, stadiums, restaurants, etc.)  The entry provides an overview of the city’s history, current society, conflicts, and notable locations.  There’s also a couple of pages on kish weapons and armor (all archaic, but still potentially deadly!) and some new magic items.  It’s a bit weird to see listings for prices (and levels) for apparently ancient alien technology in a place so far removed from any store, but I guess it’s a necessity for the game.

Another entry in the back matter is on The Drift, and it’s extremely useful.  It talks in greater detail than the Core Rulebook about how locations pulled into The Drift maintain their native properties, why ships that enter The Drift at the same time and from the same place can have vastly different journeys, why planets can’t simply secure Drift vectors from attack, and much more.  I like the little mention of The Moored, activists who refuse to use The Drift because of the consequences of it eating up bits and pieces of various planes every time a ship enters it (I can envision a good story set around them).  The entry includes a great list of notable locations in The Drift, which is a real boon for GMs looking to spice up a long journey with what could be a random encounter or a full-fledged side trek.  The entry also spends a few pages on Alluvion, home of the tri-part god Triune.  It sounds really cool, and I’d love to see an adventure that takes the PCs to it.

Seven new monsters are introduced in the Alien Archives section.  First up is “acrochors”, which are essentially just constrictor snakes.  I honestly don’t see why they were introduced, even if they have a little flavour tied to Nejeor VI.  However, “atrocites” are much cooler—they’re agents of the Devourer and often assist cultists in carrying out special missions.  I really like the connection to the entry on the Cult of the Devourer in the back matter of Chapter Two, and they have a creepy look and some cool abilities.  The third monster we get are “eohis”—basically, wolves.  Meh.  “Kish” are written up as a playable race, and the bonus feat at level 1 could make them attractive to players.  I really like idea of “living holograms”, a sort of tech-ghost tethered to their projectors.  One can imagine a lot of story possibilities here.  “Rebuilt” fill a good role as creepy, mindless monsters that aren’t undead, and the included template allows them to be easily customised for any setting.  Last up are “writher swarms”, which is a plant swarm that just isn’t very interesting.  So overall, we get a few good ones and a few not-so-good ones.

Now, on to the adventure.

SPOILERS!

A background section summarises a lot in a nice, concise package.  The stellar degenerator was created by an ancient alien race called the Sivvs who were at war with another ancient alien race called the Kishalee.  Kishalee commandos captured the stellar degenerator and the Sivvs were defeated.  Realising just how destructive the stellar degenerator was, the Kishalee decided to hide it away in a secure demiplane, the location of which was a closely-guarded secret in a military-industrial complex called The Foundry on a planet called Nejeor VI.  Millennia pass, the Kishalee empire degrades and breaks apart, and the inheritors of Nejeor VI (the kish) know little about their ancestors or how they commanded technology.  Just days or weeks prior to the PCs starting Chapter 4, the Cult of the Devourer comes to Nejeor VI, rough up the kish, break into the Foundry, and abscond with the location of the stellar degenerator.  The PCs won’t have any hope of following the Cult unless they too can obtain the location.  In Dead Suns, the PCs are always one step behind!

Part 1 (“Aeons in the Drift”) starts with the PCs in the Drift, on their way to Nejeor VI.  It seems like every chapter of Dead Suns must have a starship combat, so the PCs are assaulted by a Klokworx Prism (from the inside front cover).  Like every starship combat to date, there aren’t actually any consequences if the PCs lose.  In addition, the writer goes to *extraordinary* length to ensure that the PCs get no information or technology from the Azlanti ship—it’s not exactly rail-roading, but it’s another heavy-handed way to limiting the PCs.

Part 2 (“The Forgotten City of Istamak”) makes use of the planet and city from the back matter.  Another Starfinder trope is a huge location with only one safe place to land—here, it’s an old starship landing pad covered with lichen being gathered by the native kish.  There’s no choice but to fight the kish here, which is probably something of a bummer for any first contact specialists among the PCs.  But soon after, through some rather forced circumstances, the PCs can befriend a priest of Taylavet named Herald Tzayl and establish peaceful contact.  Herald Tazayl reveals that the Cult of the Devourer was in Istamak recently and desecrated sacred places.  After the Cult left, a schism developed among the kish, with one sect remaining optimistic and another barricading themselves in the “Temple Found” (the Foundry) to exclude all comers.   

Through a plot contrivance I can’t quite follow, the PCs need to visit two locations (the “House of Renewal”, full of gene therapy devices that have gone awry, and the “Maze of Ghosts”, an ancient museum with a living hologram of the mayor!) to get both halves of a message that, when combined, leads the group to an ancient computer security company (“Securitech”) that can provide the passcode to gain entry to the Foundry.  The bit with Securitech is pretty cool, as jumping from floating chunk to floating chunk with the prospect of falling to one’s death in a gas giant below is exciting, and the collapse of the building due to a writher swarm infestation is pretty cinematic.  It’s all still a transparently contrived way to get the PCs to visit each location, and there’s not much in the way of accommodation provided for groups that want to do things differently.

Part 3 (“The Temple Found”) has the PCs breaking into the Foundry.  They’ll have to overcome the renegade kish leader (a solarian), scavenger slimes, elementals (where my dwarf bit the dirt), and more to find datapads revealing the full history of the stellar degenerator and the coordinates where the entrance to the demiplane that holds it can be accessed.  The chapter ends with the PCs once again setting off to a new destination in space, in the hopes of catching the Cult of the Devourer before it’s too late.

Creating a believable alien civilisation is no enviable task, and I thought the writer did a solid job with the kish.  With the material in the back matter, there’s plenty that an enterprising GM could do if they were willing to let out the strict “Go to A, then B, then C” nature of the plot a little.  Still, I really prefer a less linear adventure design in favour of one that sets out several problems, suggests some different ways PCs might address them, and empowers the GM to adjudicate accordingly.  The Ruined Clouds will get the PCs where they need to go, but they probably won’t feel like they’re in control of their fate along the way.

Starfinder: "Armory" [RPG]

 

In some respects, Armory is Starfinder's version of Pathfinder's Ultimate Equipment: a book filled to the brim with weapons, armors, adventuring gear, and magical items.  However, unlike Ultimate Equipment, Armory isn't a compilation of equipment that has appeared in other books--it's mostly all new material and also includes some new class options.  It's the sort of book that certain types of gamers will absolutely love (spending hours poring over the detailed entries for how to best outfit their PC) and others will find a relatively boring reference book to be pulled out occasionally.  I should also note at the beginning that it's only 159 pages, continuing the Starfinder trend of comparatively short but expensive books compared to the first edition of Pathfinder.

The book starts with a two-page overview that's essentially a series of very general, sentence-long descriptions of each section of the book.  It can be safely skipped without missing out on anything.

Formally, the entire book contains only two chapters: "Equipment" and "Class Options".  But each of these chapters is broken down into several sections--the "Equipment" chapter, for example, has fifteen sections and is 137 pages long.  A book like this isn't exactly a joy to read cover to cover--much of it is table after table of gear, with occasional two-page spreads of artwork and brief descriptions.  I have to give credit to the writers of the equipment descriptions--I don't know how often people actually read the fluff (compared to just evaluating stats), but some of it is pretty interesting!  As an aside, I find Starfinder's economy hilarious at times--you can buy something like seven armed helicopters for the price of one set of spiked knuckles that do 6d10 damage.  Anyway, here are some very brief comments on each section.

CHAPTER 1: EQUIPMENT

* WEAPONS:  The section introduces dozens of new weapon special properties, such as "free hands", "guided", and "subtle".  There are also some new critical hit effects, including some really powerful ones like "suffocate."  I'm glad the disintegrator line of weapons from Dead Suns made it in.  The section also includes some basic "legacy" type weapons like greataxes, lances, and mauls.  I've never taken the time to use them, but there are some new special manufacturer modifications that can be added in to any weapon.  In sum, there's something like 50 pages just on new weapons, which gives you a sense of how much gear is crammed into the book.

* WEAPON ACCESSORIES:  These are things like scopes, collapsing stocks, flash suppressors, etc.  I don't like how bayonet brackets make every pistol-wielding character able to take AoOs, and I've also encountered problems in games due to bipods and scopes/sights serving as very cheap and easy ways to negate cover.

* WEAPON FUSIONS: There a lot of clever, useful ones here.  I particularly like "advancing", "conserving" (a life-saver for one of my PCs), and "guarded".

* SPECIAL MATERIALS: These provide pretty minor changes--I probably wouldn't bother.

* ARMOR: I like the description and artwork in this section.  There are a lot fewer types of new armor then new weapons, but there's also a lot fewer variables to work with.  I've used the new "mining jack" on a dwarf PC and "regimental dress" on a Steward PC.  As an aside, I've never really noticed before that around level 8 or so, the difference between light and heavy armors of the same price isn't very significant.

* POWERED ARMOR: This section has a special new rule that makes all powered armors upgradeable to any level (if you have the credits to pay for the alterations).  It also introduces several new suits of powered armor, and there are some cool concepts here, though I've never tried any of them.

* ARMOR UPGRADES: There's over 70 new armor upgrades here, and although there are definitely some "meh" ones, there's bound to be some good ones too.  I particularly like the auto-CPR unit, the auto-injector, and the computer interface ones.

* AUGMENTATIONS: Be the Bionic (Wo)Man!  Some good choices here, including regenerative blood and synchronous heart.  My favourite might be the optical laser just because I love the image (even though it doesn't really do much damage).

* TECHNOLOGICAL ITEMS: A ton of stuff here, and something for everyone.  Dermal staplers, grenade scramblers (!), and a lot of useful drones.  Tool kits are overpowered, giving really big bonuses to some skills for a very cheap price.  It's also weird that every single thing you can buy here gives some sort of mechanical bonus, even goofy things like board games.

* MAGIC ITEMS: There's a good selection of some classic and some new ones here.  Consumables are still way over-priced for what they do.  A couple of items, like the containment tesseract and the trafodi paradox, would make for good plot devices.  

* HYBRID ITEMS: These are techno-magical items.  The captive star amulet is useful, and I like the creator capsule.  Mischievous folks will have lots of fun with wonder grenades.

* PERSONAL ITEMS: If you want to buy an umbrella, some perfume, or a sleeping bag, this is the place.  Aerosol spray is a really cheap way to find invisible foes!

* DRUGS: My drug-addicted solarian would like to note that drugs are still way-overpriced for what they do.  It costs 23,500 credits for just one dose of an excitant to gain immunity to sleep effects for four hours! That's more than it costs to own outright a Level 8 Armored Transport vehicle.

* OTHER PURCHASES: This catch-all section actually has some really important information.  There are rules for buying medical treatment and for hiring NPCs to serve crew roles on starships (great for small gaming groups).  I like the little capsule descriptions of the different cuisines of the Core Rulebook races.

* VEHICLES: I've never really done anything with vehicles in Starfinder, but if you have 3,750,000 credits to buy a Level 20 Ultimatum Hover Carrier, this would be the place.

CHAPTER 2: CLASS OPTIONS

This section is 16 pages long and contains two pages dedicated to each of the Core classes.  A two-page intro contains a new archetype, "Augmented", which is a Verces-themed option for characters who are heavily into artificial personal upgrades.  It's passable.

* ENVOY: They receive some new improvisations and expertise talents, and overall there are some good additions to the game.

* MECHANIC: Some new tricks; "Tech Tinkerer" adds a lot of versatility to a character. Many of the options also help with starship combat.  For drone fans, there are four new mods.

*  MYSTIC: There's a new mystic connection, "Geneturge", which is all about DNA.  Two new spells support the connection.  Kinda fun, and I like the idea of having a self-help guru Mystic.

* OPERATIVE: I'm firmly of the opinion that operatives should be stripped of options rather than getting more.  Anyway, this section contains several new exploits, with Trap Spotter extraordinarily useful (providing an automatic chance to detect traps just by getting close to one).  There's a new operative specialization, "Gadgeteer", that's fine (and fun when combined with the "utility belt" exploit).

* SOLARIAN: Several new stellar revelations and a couple of new zenith revelations.  Solarians who use stellar armor get a couple of nice choices.  I love the quantum entrapment zenith revelation--send a foe out of reality for a few rounds!

* SOLDIER: Several new gear boosts accompany a new fighting style called "Shock & Awe".  It's kinda silly, but fun to imagine.

* TECHNOMANCER: Four new magic hacks and three new spells.  The "enchanted fusion" magic hack could be useful in helping to exploit particular enemy vulnerabilities.

And that's the end of the book.  To be honest, if I wasn't a collector/subscriber, I probably wouldn't buy this book--all of the gear and class options will appear on Archives of Nethys anyway, and there's no major campaign setting details or other flavour that can be found only in the PDF or physical copy.  Starfinder Society players, however, will no doubt find it handy to have so many additional options.

Curse of the Crimson Thrones Recap # 2 [RPG]

 [14 Gozran, 4708 AR continued]

The battle at the Old Fishery continues!  Yargin Balko tries desperately to flee, but The Reckoner grabs him by the back of the collar and yanks him into the center of the fishery’s main floor.  There, the four intruders tie him up and question him about how to reach Gaedren Lamm.  At first, Yargin tries a variety of lies, but as each deception is exploded by the group (accompanied with more and more severe threats by The Reckoner and Tharl), the amateur alchemist finally admits the truth: there’s a secret door in the hold of the rotting ship moored outside the fishery.  That secret door leads to planking that takes one underneath the pier and into Lamm’s hideout.  Yargin is forced to lead the way outside and around the side of the building along a rickety boardwalk to the ancient sailing ship.  He points out the door to the cabin but refuses to go in, stating that there are spiders inside.  Goldcape verifies the truth of the statement, but that doesn’t save Yargin from danger—Tharl opens the door and throws him in first!  The drain spider sinks its venomous fangs into Yargin, providing the perfect opening for The Reckoner to smash it against the wall with a single swing of his warhammer.

But Yargin’s ordeal isn’t over yet!  Despite his protests that the hold below is infested by a whole nest of spiders, the intruders push him down the stairs and into harm’s way again!  He gets to his feet at the bottom of the stairs and sees four of the spiders quickly crawling towards him on strands of sagging webbing.  The Reckoner makes a quick plan with his allies to wait at the top of the stairs to tackle the spiders when they emerge, and Yargin instinctively provides the perfect lure.  He dashes back up the stairs and tries to make a break for it, but The Reckoner kills him with a single blow to the back of the head!  The drain spiders are quickly dispatched, with the only hiccup being Yraelzin accidentally shooting himself in the foot.

The hold of the ship is dark and dank, with barrels and crates of rotten goods scattered about.  Initially the group is apprehensive that without Yargin, they won’t be able to find the secret door he spoke of.  But Tharl takes a quick look around and spots it instantly.  When the secret door is pushed open, it leads onto a wooden walkway from the sodden ship into a narrow space under the fishery and just above the foamy river water below.  The walkway terminates at a small door that’s just two and a half-feet square.  Goldcape squeezes through and finds herself in the same hidden area she first reached by swimming underneath the entire structure.  The alligator, Gobbleguts, is there, and, with ironic justice, is chewing on the remains of Gaedren Lamm!  Goldcape instinctively uses magic to temporarily calm the alligator.  The Reckoner, however, is eager to search Lamm’s secret hideout and when he learns that the calming enchantment won’t last very long, he persuades Goldcape that they should try to subdue the alligator.  But such a task is easier said than done—despite catching Gobbleguts with a surprise attack, The Reckoner is nearly torn apart by a vicious rejoinder!  Fortunately, Goldcape manages to knock the beast unconscious with a blow on its snout.  She promises to come back every so often to feed it.

Meanwhile, Tharl and Yraelzin have been watching from the small doorway—with the former finding it too difficult to squeeze inside and the latter not particularly concerned one way or the other.  After extracting an apology from the paladin for mocking The Living God, Yraelzin enters the room and magically heals enough of The Reckoner’s wounds that the vigilante is able to regain consciousness (but with a serious risk of the wounds reopening if he undertakes any strenuous activities).  Amidst piles of worthless junk, the foursome discover a footlocker full of riches: jewellery, beautiful statuettes, even a gold ingot that weighs two pounds!  But four objects stand out as having particular significance.  The first is a dagger with a  strange blade shaped like a key that bears the inscription “For an inspiration of a father.” The second is a ledger written in coded Varisian—what secrets was Gaedren Lamm trying to keep?  The third is a hatbox containing a blood-soaked veil wrapped around the most incredible harrow deck the group has ever seen: the images on each card are hand-painted, their frames are made from silver so they sparkle and flash, and the images on the faces are so vibrant they almost seem to move.  The Reckoner surmises this could be The Harrower’s personal deck. Fourth, and finally, even an untrained eye can discern that the most valuable item in the footlocker is a bejewelled brooch with a broken clasp.  The gold brooch depicts a house drake and an imp coiled around each other, with the drake’s eye an amethyst and the imp’s eye an emerald.

 Gaedren is dead, his legacy of evil hasn’t been completely redressed.  When the avengers return to the main floor of the fishery, they find that the orphans there are still terrified.  One of them whispers that one of Gaedren’s meanest henchmen is still nearby!  The child says that in the next room, “Hookshanks” bunks with several other orphans but often disguises himself as one of them.  With The Reckoner unfit for action, Tharl leads the charge, bursting open the door to an upper workroom.  Several orphans are indeed present, but the half-orc notices one of the lads has sideburns and is hiding a wicked-looking kukri behind his back.  The wretched gnome threatens to feed the children to Gobbleguts unless they attack Tharl, but Tharl’s affiliation with Sarenrae are enough to earn their trust.  Hookshanks lands a few cuts on his taller opponent but is knocked unconscious without too much difficulty.

Although every member of Gaedren’s gang of criminals has been dealt with, what should be done with the children of the streets he kidnapped and exploited?  Tharl promises them that Korvosa’s temple of Sarenrae will help.  The Reckoner gives each of the over two-dozen children a gold coin and a password, hoping to enlist a network of messengers and informants that can pass through the streets unnoticed.  One of the older lads, a boy named Kester, seems especially brave and keen to assist.  Yraelzin also passes out some coins, but with a very different message: he tells the lads that worship of the Living God will bring them out of poverty and into prosperity!  Many of the children giggle when Goldcape is around and ask to pet her fur.  Having been freed from Gaedren’s cruel slavery, the children formerly known as “Lamm’s Lambs” gradually disperse into the night to seek better lives elsewhere.

 

After the children are gone, the four adults limp out into the street, planning to report to The Harrower on their success.  But they emerge into a city gone mad.  Orange flames flicker from buildings scattered around the city, while the frantic clang of alarm bells mix with the cacophony of angry shouts and some terrified screams.  Explosions, surely of arcane origin, light up the sky.  A wing of Sable Company hippogriff riders swoop overhead, angling toward Castle Korvosa at a breakneck pace, with one of the mounts raining blood down on the street before crashing headlong into a statue!  Amidst the chaos, the voice of a town crier can be heard:  “The King is dead!  Long live the Queen!”

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GM's Commentary

Finding the blood-soaked veil and the one-of-a-kind Harrow deck should be a major clue to the PCs about the Harrower, but they never really pondered the items' significance after this session.

In this session and the previous one, The Reckoner takes some hard hits and goes unconscious.  But this will *not* be the start of a pattern, as pretty soon The Reckoner becomes a juggernaut!

Like a lot of GMs and reviewers, I think the "anarchy in the streets" happens too quickly--after all, the PCs can't have been inside the building for very long.  It's very cinematic though!

GameMaster Spell Templates: Miniatures Skirmish Package [RPG]

 I've used the Miniatures Skirmish Package for a few years now.  It's essentially a plastic folder containing five things:

1. A 10' radius area of effect template;

2. A 20' radius area of effect template;

3. A 30' straight cone area of effect template;

4. A 30' diagonal cone area of effect template;

5. A line of sight indicator.

The area of effect templates are thick steel wire and perfect for the job--they won't bend or break, they accurately represent Pathfinder's way of doing area of effects, and you can set them right on a flip-mat without having to remove any miniatures.  I've used the 20' radius one several times (mainly for the classic fireball) because I can never remember how to do it.

The line of sight indicator is one of those retractable string things that some people use for their keys.  It's kind of a goofy idea, but it does actually work well (I find it most useful for trying to figure out distance when doing three-dimensional aerial or underwater combat.

From one perspective, these are essentially amateur products and $ 30 is a lot of money for the set.  On the other hand, these are solutions to common gaming problems and certainly better than I can do on my own.  So I think of them as worth the investment.