Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 17 [RPG]

 [14 Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]

Having fought their way through a wererat pack and other dangerous denizens of Korvosa’s sewer system, the Harrowed Heroes finally find an exit.  But they jump from the frying pan and into the fryer, as a group of wererat-hunting locals have staked out the sewer grate and launch an ambush!  The Reckoner dodges a hurled net and shouts for them to stand down while holding his battle-maul threateningly.  Goldcape emerges and persuades the aggressors that they’ve made a mistake.  She even gets them to release a very real wererat they had previous caught.  The wererat, Eries, explains that she had come to the surface to find help because Girrigz was planning a war in response to all the recent murders of rats and wererats due to suspicion they were spreading blood veil.  She’s grateful for the rescue and returns to safety underground.

After their exhausting day, the members of the group split up.  The Reckoner changes back to Ralph Blackfeather and visits the shops at Eodred’s Walk.  While chatting with Phaeton Skoda, Ralph learns the man flunked out of Theumanexus College—a worrisome sign for a proprietor of a magic shop.  Yraelzin makes it back to his “Temple of Razmir” in Old Korvosa and promptly lays down to rest, as he’s battered and beaten from the time in the sewers.  Goldcape goes to the house of Rodolfo and Wynda Giotorri, the friends of Old Lady Cloggins who have provided them shelter since the arson made their own homes temporarily uninhabitable.  Wynda is pacing back and forth, as Rodolfo is late for supper, something she says never happens.  When more time passes and she speculates that maybe he’s had to stay in the toy shop he runs because the streets are too dangerous due to rioting and the plague, Goldcape kindly offers to take some food over there to check on him.

Goldcape first stops at the Burnt Honey Inn to find Ralph.  As she waits, she chats with Potter Minehan.  The mild-mannered innkeeper is glad to hear that there won’t be any further thefts from his storeroom.  He expresses confidence that this plague that has affected his business will soon be over, as the Queen’s Physicians are very good at their jobs and are setting up a new hospital to help the victims.  When Ralph arrives, Goldcape shares what she knows about Rodolfo not coming home; the mention that Rodolfo had been complaining in recent days about a terrible smell near his shop seems ominous to Ralph, and he agrees to join Goldcape.  When they cross one of the many bridges to Old Korvosa, they see the neighbourhood is in even worse shape than usual: garbage isn’t being collected, fires have reduced some tenements to smouldering cinders, and some homeless persons have died from the plague and been left to rot on the streets!  The pair, along with Rocky (who has been growing steadily), stop to collect Yraelzin.  The priest complains stridently at being awakened, but pride makes him refuse the offer of being left behind.  He grumbles that a “disreputable street preacher” outside a nearby tavern has been “stealing” his “flock” with tales of a miracle cure for blood veil.

When the group reaches Giotorri’s Toys, a peak through the front window shows nothing amiss inside.  Although Rodolfo clearly isn’t a talented toymaker, there’s no sign of him or a disturbance, and the front door is locked.  The terrible stench from an alley adjacent to the shop is almost overwhelming though.  Goldcape climbs with monkey-like skill up the front of the building and across the roof to peer into the alley from above, but completely fails to realise she’s not alone up there!  Fanged teeth, pale skin, clawed hands, and red eyes mark the figures who ambush her as vampires!  Fortunately, the vampires are newly-spawned and awkward in their movements, and they push and shove each other to get at their prey, giving Goldcape a chance to escape and call Rocky for help.

The Reckoner tries to climb up but finds the brick walls too difficult, so he advances into the alley itself—only to stumble upon a gruesome sight.  Heaped against a bent wooden wall rises a pile of more than three dozen plague victims, their faces blistered and flushed, eyes open and staring.  Obviously, one of the plague cart drivers has been saving himself a trip to the Gray District by unloading his collections here!  More vampires, who must have been using the corpses to help disguise the bodies of their own victims, emerge from the darkness.  But although he’s hampered by fighting only in the moon’s dim light, The Reckoner once again puts his silver-tempered battle maul to good use!  One after another, the freshly-made vampires are crushed and assume a mist-like form to escape. 

Although Goldcape is badly hurt in the fighting, the group chase the fleeing bloodsuckers into a workshop that exits onto the alleyway.  There, they find Rodolfo—the victim of repeated feeding--unconscious but still alive.  A rickety trap door is opened to reveal a crawlspace under the workshop containing six coffins!  One by one, the helpless vampires are staked and destroyed.  Interestingly, coins found hidden in the coffin soil are all Ustalavic in origin.

As they carry Rodolfo home, the group speculate where the vampires came from, and who their master is.  Ralph says the various tragedies taking place in Korvosa could be connected in a web of conspiracy.  Goldcape says the city is cursed!  Yraelzin just wants a good night’s rest.  The Harrowed Heroes make plans to meet up the next day at sunset, because they have a masquerade to attend!

GM's Commentary

The passing reference to Rocky "getting big" denotes that he's now Large-sized at this point.  Alas, animal companions never get any bigger than that, but after the campaign's over we can imagine Rocky growing into a full-sized Gargantuan roc.

This session was a nicely self-contained story.  I really like how the AP provides several of these that can be run in any order and easily customised by the GM.  Coming across the vampire on the rooftop was a twist the AP probably didn't expect.  The Reckoner did well, as good rolls kept the miss chance from dim light from becoming a problem.

Pathfinder (GameMastery) Compleat Encounters: "Grove of the Mad Druid" [RPG]

SPOILERS!

Grove of the Mad Druid is another product in Paizo's short-lived "Compleat Encounters" line.  Combining a short adventure, gridded encounter tiles, and metal miniatures, the line was an interesting and innovative idea that ultimately didn't succeed.  I ran Grove of the Mad Druid as part of a homebrew "Roots of Golarion" ("The Magic Mirror") campaign, and for whatever reason, I liked it better than some of the others in the series I've played.  As the name indicates, the adventure involves a druid (named Gaskar) whose devotion to the natural concept of rot has started causing problems in the area.  There's not really much of an adventure hook (the PCs can either just stumble into his grove or be "hired by someone" to investigate).  The encounter involves Gaskar himself, his condor animal companion, a "carrion golem" he's constructed, several traps, and a cool new spell called spiritual menhir (it allows a caster to hide while casting spells that emanate from a mobile menhir).  Unlike some of the flip-cards of other products in the line, I found the ones with this set intuitive and actually pretty neat--the hollow tree and the collapsed compost heap were fun to reveal.  The artwork of the carrion golem is awesome (I love the equivalent of "roadkill" integrated into its body) and the drawing of the menhir is fine (a bit generic, but that's understandable), though the art for Gasker needs work.  The set I have didn't include the miniatures (either by design or because I purchased it second-hand), but from photos, the pattern from the artwork continues (carrion golem and menhir are cool, druid not so much).

Anyway, this is a "Compleat Encounter" that does live up to its name.  It'd be easy for a GM to spice up a long overland trek through the forest with gradual but ominously increasing signs of decay that lead to the mad druid's grove.  I've now played all but one of the products in the line, and Grove of the Mad Druid may be the best.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 16 [RPG]

 

[14 Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]

Having stumbled onto the trail of thieves operating from the sewers below the city, the Harrowed Heroes find themselves in the middle of subterranean wererat den!  Although the pack’s outer guards have been subdued, sounds indicate more are on the way.  The Reckoner and Goldcape take up defensive positions alongside one tunnel, only to be blindsided by a veritable swarm of rats that squeeze through a crack in another wall!  Yraelzin hurls a flask of alchemist’s fire to slow the squeaking horde, and The Reckoner manages to disperse the rest with mighty blows from his war maul.  Wererat reinforcements also fall to the mighty weapon, its silvered head sizzling on impact.  Goldcape expresses frustration that she and Rocky’s attacks can’t seem to hurt the monsters.

The group advance to another chamber full of oversized rats’ nests.  When several dog-sized dire rats pour through from the north, with another from a small tunnel to the east, The Reckoner orders Yraelzin to take care of the lone one.  But the priest of Razmir is in for a surprise when that dire rat’s body begins to somehow shift and expand with a sickening crunch of bone and flesh, to reveal the leader of the wererat pack!  The burly wererat shouts about a war for revenge on the surface world for what they’ve done to his kin.  Yraelzin is stabbed and bitten by the foe, but manages to retreat as Goldcape and Rocky rush to his aid.  Once the dire rats to the north are dispatched, The Reckoner arrives as well, forcing the angry foe to shift back to rat form and escape through a crack in the wall.  But they give chase through another tunnel, and The Reckoner is able to put him down for good.  A search of the chambers reveals a stockpile of supplies and a small armory of weapons—it sounds like the wererats’ shouts about a planned war wasn’t just rhetoric!  But what drove them to such desperate measures?

Heavily wounded in the fighting, Goldcape suggests the group backtrack the way they came and exit the sewers as quickly as possible.  But The Reckoner presses for an exploration of the sewer tunnels around the wererats’ den.  They come across a sewer beast trapped between two gates, and despite its protests, attack it with a volley of arrows.  The aberration is easily defeated, though Goldcape shows mercy and uses magic to keep it from dying.

The group continue on through the tunnels and are nearing an exit when they turn a corner and find themselves only a few dozen feet away from an equally-surprised cytillipede.  The ten-foot-long segmented creature with a chitinous body and venomous mandibles looks like a giant centipede, but displays an unusual ability: it begins to glow brightly to stun its prey.  Goldcape jumps on Rocky’s back and charges forward with her new rapier, only to be bitten by the cytillipede!  Goldcape is badly hurt and near death, but Yraelzin rushes forward and saves her life.  With Goldcape out of the fight, Rocky flying around frantically to defend her master, and Yraelzin almost out of spells, the situation looks dire indeed!  But although he bleeds from multiple wounds, The Reckoner perseveres and finally succeeds in breaking through to a vital part in the cytillipede’s anatomy and killing it.

They’ve been victorious in every battle, but the sewers and its denizens are clearly draining the strength of Goldcape, Yraelzin, and The Reckoner.  Can they escape before their endurance gives out?

GM's Commentary

A short recap here, because sessions that are mostly combat don't take nearly as long to recount as ones with lots of role-playing.  We definitely start to see the dynamic of Goldcape urging caution while The Reckoner tends to want to push on further.  The battle against the cytillipede was a random encounter--sometimes those are cakewalks, but this one sure wasn't!

Pathfinder Pawns: "Bestiary 2 Box" [RPG]

 As the name indicates, this box comes with pawns for the monsters appearing in Bestiary 2.  The Bestiary 2 Box is made up of 246 different creatures, though there are multiples of many of them (there are three ice trolls and two fetchlings, for example; I haven't figured out any rhyme or reason why there are multiples of some rather than others).  Creatures ranging from size Small to Huge are included, which means you're left to your own devices for Gargantuan or larger creatures.  As with all Paizo pawns, these are double-sided, full-colour, thick cardboard pawns and can stand up to a fair amount of wear and tear. Bases are included. I've been using this box for years and haven't had any problems with it.  Keeping the pawns organised does require some custom solutions.

In terms of overall usefulness to a GM, I would start with the collection for Bestiary 1 because that box has the most common (classic) monsters a GM is likely to need.  Still, this box includes a few must-have creatures as well, including banshees, blink dogs, and hippogriffs.  GMs running Rise of the Runelords will get good value for their money, with several creatures in this set also appearing in that AP.  

Overall, it's a solid (if not quite indispensable) set.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-07: "Four for the First" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

Four for the First is an important Starfinder Society scenario because it really embodies the "living campaign" premise of organised play.  In the scenario, PCs are exposed to four candidates for the role of First Seeker (leader) of the in-game Starfinder Society.  Each of the candidates was a real player's PC who reached the highest Reputation tier with the Luwazi Elsebo faction, and I think that's pretty cool!  When the scenario was released, players could vote online about which of the four candidates they thought best suited to the role.

Unfortunately for me, my local SFS group fell apart at the very beginning of Season Two, so although I was still able to play online, I quickly feel behind of current events and had to avoid spoilers.  By the time I played Four for the First via play-by-post, the winning candidate had long been announced.  Anyway, as a playing experience, I'd say the scenario is honestly a bit mediocre, and well-below the quality of the exciting adventures I've seen the author craft in past publications.

SPOILERS!

I like the original way the "briefing" for this scenario is staged.  Luwazi Elsebo pretends to happen by the PCs as they're returning from another mission and invites them to play a game of harcolo (a Castrovellian sport) in the rec room with her.  While she's playing, she explains that she's hoping to get some insight into what rank-and-file Starfinders think of the different candidates for the First Seeker position since she plans to step down from the role.  She provides brief descriptions of the four candidates and asks the PCs to visit with each one and then let her know what they think.  It's a fun alternative to the standard "mission briefing room" exposition.

The rest of the scenario is essentially four Quest-style missions each done at the behest of one of the candidates.  These can be done in any order.

First, there's Calder Soren, a mormalaw who joined the Starfinder Society right after the events of a previous mission that saw contact with his homeworld of Arniselle.  Soren's candidacy rests on a promise to return the Society to its former glory by reestablishing lodges in Near Space and the Vast.  His penchant for respecting queues and playing weird guitars makes him into a sort of likable dork.  He sends the PCs on a mission to oust squatters from an abandoned lodge on the planet Kalcijet 5.  The first thing that jumps out at me is . . . why?  The lodge is well and truly abandoned, and there are no immediate plans to put it back into service, so why are Starfinders going to go in and kill a bunch of squatters?  Anyway, the squatters are a type of gremlins called hobkins, and the resulting encounter is pretty straightforward.

Next up is a candidate named Avor Stelek, "Swordsman! Scientist! Healer! Dancer!"  He comes across as bit of a showman Mary Sue, and his mission doesn't make a ton of sense either. It involves a Starfinder named Pave-5 who signed a long-term contract with Zo! to have everything he does filmed, and this has caused so many headaches that Pave-5 no longer gets assigned to missions.  Avor wants the PCs to figure out a way to get Pave-5 out of the contract.  The answer is apparently that Zo!'s production manager for the filming crew (a ghast named Wazasha Kevir) finds the job of watching Pave-5 mope around incredibly boring, and would also like production to end.  But instead of doing something logical like convincing her boss that she's not getting any good material and it's costing too much to keep filming 24/7, Wazesha has a plan to release a bunch of dangerous creatures (electrovores) so that Pave-5 will have to fight them.  Then, Wazasha will take the exciting footage to Zo! and . . . somehow that will be enough to get Pave-5 out of his contract?  Honestly, I don't get the plan here, as staging something exciting could only make Zo! double-down on enforcing the contract and continuing to film Pave-5 long into the future.  Anyway, the PCs have to fight the electrovores because Pave-5 is a loser, and somehow that solves the problem.

Third on our list is Tara Nova, a professional vidcaster (YouTuber) who uses propaganda on behalf of the Starfinder Society.  She seems disingenuous but canny.  Her mission is another bizarre one that my character, at least, found morally objectionable.  After a battle out in the Vast some time ago resulted in both a jinsul ship and a Starfinder ship being destroyed, some surviving jinsuls have occupied the wreckage of the Starfinder ship.  The mission is to go on a "cleanup mission" to kill the "scum of the galaxy" apparently just for the sake of pride (there's nothing of value and no Starfinders left alive).  So if you stop and think about this, Tara Nova wants the PCs to travel for weeks into the Vast and place themselves in mortal danger by engaging jinsuls harmlessly occupying a shipwreck in hand-to-hand combat.  It's a bit like shooting the survivors of a sunken ship who are clinging to buoys to stay afloat.  Not only are sapient creatures being killed "just because," but it's also ridiculous to think that some blasting of the wreckage from space wouldn't be far easier and less dangerous for the Starfinders asked to carry out the mission.  *Sigh*  Anyway, there's a trap and a few jinsuls.

Last up is Ehu Hadif, the eventual winner and the one I would have voted for. Ehu is a kasatha solarian who is interested in  history and would like a dedicated, long-term mission on the library world of Athaeum to help uncover the mysteries and secrets that the Starfinder Society has long been dedicated to solving.  Although perhaps humorless, he comes across a serious, thoughtful, cautious individual with the Society's best interests at heart which is why I liked him the best.  He sends the PCs on a mission to Athaeum to follow-up on a tangling clue from a recent previous mission there (in # 1-11): the Society had once sent a mission to Athaeum that it has no records of!  I tend to think this is too good of a plot hook to "waste" in the brief encounter (against some weird book-vermin called gishvits), but it does result in another tantalising lead: the Pact World once had colonies out in the Vast that went missing, and this fact was mysteriously never acknowledged by the Pact.  It could be the start of an interesting storyline.

Once the PCs finished their missions for each of the candidates, they can return to Luwazi and tell her their thoughts.

Overall, although I really liked the premise of the scenario, three of the four actual missions just weren't thought out well.  I honestly thought this was another "have four junior freelancers cobble together a scenario" type of thing, until I saw Thurston Hillman was the sole writer.  I've loved a lot of Thurston's work in the past, so I just have to assume this may have been a rushed writing job done in the midst of various other duties.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 15 [RPG]

 

[13 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

The Giotorri residence—owned by toymaker Rudolpho and his wife Wynda—is at capacity with both Old Lady Cloggins and Goldcape staying over.  But Goldcape isn’t going anywhere, as she wakes up in the morning feeling incredibly sick.  When a mirror reveals angry red sores on her body, Goldcape realises she’s come down with the dreaded blood veil!  Fortunately, having taught Rocky to deliver messages in recent weeks, she’s able to send him to Ralph with a note.  Ralph sends back a valuable vial of antiplague and a promise to visit soon.  Goldcape drinks it and a vial of Lavender’s Luxurious Liniment graciously donated by Wynda (though she expresses concern she’s running low on her supply of the miracle cure).  Meanwhile, Ralph makes multiple trips across town to locate one of the few remaining magical cures available—he plans to hold it in reserve in case Goldcape doesn’t recover soon.  When he visits Goldcape, he chastises her for not cutting off Jolistina’s escape route, which he says necessitated his killing the villain.  But Goldcape is in no mood for being reprimanded, and shouts “use a sap next time!”

Potter Minehan

Later that day, with Goldcape stuck in quarantine and Yraelzin refusing to come, Ralph decides he’ll take up a solo stakeout of the sewer entrance where Jolistina was first spotted.  He plans to disguise himself as a roof repairer and asks Potter Minehan, proprietor of the Burnt Honey Inn, for the loan of a ladder and other equipment.  But Potter says much of the equipment from his storage room has been stolen, and he’s heard other homes and business have been similarly burglarized.  Ralph offers to head into the basement to look around, and when he pulls aside a pile of crates, he sees a small hole has been smashed into the wall and leads into the sewers!  Ralph tells Potter about how the thieves got in, and the innkeeper promises to board up the hole immediately.  Ralph completes his disguise and goes on his stakeout, but, unfortunately, there’s no sign of Rolth Lamm or anyone else.  When it starts to rain, Ralph gives up for the day and returns to his room at the inn—though he has to fight off a pair of feral dogs on the way.

[14 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, Ralph heads towards where Goldcape is staying in order to check up on her.  The winds are howling through the mostly-deserted streets when he sees a curious assemblage: a pair of Grey Maidens escorting four figures buttoned up from head to toe and wearing masks with strange, bird-like beaks!  One of the Grey Maidens points at Ralph and motions him over with gestures that brook no argument.  One of the beak-faced figures hands Ralph a scroll and then the Grey Maiden pushes Ralph away so the group can continue their walk.  They appear to be knocking on doors and nailing other copies of the scroll to doorjambs and wooden posts along the street.  The wind almost tears Ralph’s copy out of his hands before he manages to read it:

When Ralph arrives at the Giotorri residence, Goldcape seems to be doing much better!  Whether it was the “miracle cure” from Lavender’s, the antiplague sent from Ralph, or just her natural constitution fighting off the disease, only a few small red splotches remain on Goldcape’s fur.  Ralph shares the proclamation with Goldcape.  The two also talk about the basements of shops and residences being broken into, and the pair decide to collect Yraelzin to investigate.  Along the way, they drive off a trio of reprehensible thugs who tried to take advantage of the high winds to capture a house drake as a personal pet.  Goldcape helps the broken-winged drake up to a secure perch, and the drake, Portibilis, is grateful.

After the rout, Goldcape and Ralph continue into Old Korvosa, passing by a cart full of the bodies of deceased plague victims heading south—presumably toward the Gray District.  At the makeshift shrine to Razmir, they manage to assuage Yraelzin’s hurt feelings about being left out of the capture of Jolistina.  They verify that the old warehouse doesn’t have a basement, and then the entire group return to the Burnt Honey Inn.  After pulling away the boards that Potter hurriedly used to cover the hole, the group enter the sewers in the hopes of finding some clue as to the thieves’ identity or whereabouts.  Goldcape proves herself the hero of the hour by harnessing the power of the wolf to give herself a keen sense of smell; although the reek of the sewer is almost overwhelming, she’s still somehow able to discern a strange undercurrent of a man’s scent mixed with that of a rat.  It’s not much, but it’s not enough of a trail to follow.  The party enters the city’s sewer system, sticking as much as possible to the narrow walkways on the side to avoid the channel of semi-solid muck that flows down the center of each tunnel.  A subterranean predator known as a cave fisher is felled at long range by Goldcape’s excellent marksmanship.

Goldcape continues to follow the strange scent she originally picked up in the cellar of the Burnt Honey Inn.  The trail leads hundreds of feet through winding tunnels, and sometimes diverts to other basements that have been broken into.  But the main trail is easy enough for Goldcape to follow, and eventually she realises they’ve walked underground all the way to the Midland District.  At one point, through the disgustingly visible haze of noxious sewer reek, the flow of unmentionable slop through the sewer’s filth-slick channel unexpectedly forks.  Most of the muck continues on its expected path, but a small stream of ooze diverts off through a wide cleft in a mouldy masonry wall.  Motioning for Yraelzin and Rocky to stay behind, Goldcape and The Reckoner creep silently toward the hole to peer inside.  They see something quite surprising: a pair of rat-like humanoids accompanied by three rats the size of small dogs!  The cave is full of fat, black mushrooms and disgusting fungus growing around a thick pool of slime, but it’s clear the subterranean chamber has been occupied for some time, as there are piles of mouldering hay, filthy furs, and piles of garbage inside.

Knowing they’ve gotten the jump on the thieves, Goldcape silently nocks her bow, takes careful aim, and lets loose an arrow.  It flies true and hits one of the rat-men right in the chest, only for the metal arrowhead to crumple without penetrating at all!  The Reckoner leaps into the chamber to protect his ally, inadvertently causing a strange fungal growth known as a shrieker to start emitting a high-pitched sound.  The giant rats and the rat-men charge into battle to repel the intruders, but the rats are quickly killed and The Reckoner’s alchemically-silvered battle maul rips through the rat-men.  But setting off the shrieker has alerted others nearby, and it’s clear that reinforcements are just about to arrive!

A passing mention of storage room thefts by Potter Minehan has led the Harrowed Heroes into the city’s sewers—but given the deadly plague raging on the streets above, they could be all the safer for it!

GM's Commentary

The Giotorris were a combination of my invention (since Old Lady Cloggins needed a safe place to stay, I created a friend named Wynda) and planting the seed for a later adventure hook (involving Mr Giotorri, a toy maker).

Similarly, the stuff with Potter Minehan having tools stolen from his basement was an on-the-spot improv to set up the wererats encounter.  I like trying to naturally incorporate these adventure hooks so it all comes across organically--even if sometimes they get overlooked (like the stuff with the con-woman selling "miracle cures" for blood veil).

Goldcape and Rocky's ability to track through smell really came in handy, as they rolled a natural 20 to overcome some hefty sewer-based penalties.

There were a lot of little random encounters in this session--the stuff with the drake, the wild dogs, the cave fisher, etc.  Sometimes the dice make these rare, and sometimes they seem to happen in big bunches.

Pathfinder Society Playtest Scenario # 4: "The Frozen Oath" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Frozen Oath was the fourth and final Pathfinder Society playtest scenario designed to test how the upcoming second edition would work in an organised play setting.  It's designed for Level 10 characters, and since there were no pre-gens of that level (unfortunate, in my view), players would have to take the time to make high-level PCs for this single adventure.  My guess is relatively few groups actually played this.  Anyway, I adopted it for use in PF1, so this review will focus more on story elements than rules implementation.  My overall take is that it's a well-written scenario that makes great use of established setting lore for an underdeveloped area of Golarion, and then adds to it in an interesting way with a solid plot.    I also want to call out the excellent artwork--for a free playtest scenario, Paizo didn't skimp on the art budget!

As the playtest period is over, of course, this scenario is now useful primarily for its lore. Gamers interested in the Jade Regent adventure path may find it especially interesting. However, I think it'd be easily adapted to first or second edition and then transformed into a "just for fun" one-shot or integrated into a homebrew campaign.

SPOILERS!

There's an elaborate backstory for The Frozen Oath, but it's an interesting one that the PCs can at least partially engage with.  Three thousand years ago, the legendary explorer Aganhei mapped a route from Tian Xia to the Inner Sea region across the frozen Crown of the World. One of the dangers Aganhei and his companions had to deal with were the violent and territorial frost giants of Urjuk.  After a successful but taxing battle, Aganhei's band needed to rest and recuperate, but they knew more frost giants would soon attack.  One of Aganhei's retinue, a follower of Desna named Shiansobo, came up with a brash ruse: he persuaded the frost giants that disturbing the sleep of any great victor would bring a terrible curse on those who did the awakening.  Shiansobo must have been a high-level bard, because the frost giants bought it.  They even built a temple on the site to house the spirit of their slumbering god, and fiction became reality when a real awakening curse settled on the site!

Where the PCs come in, as Venture-Captain Torrsen (one of my favorites!) explain, is that the Pathfinder Society recently sent an experimental team of Frostfur goblins to Urjuk to look around the site, and one of them managed to survive and return with some intriguing artifacts that make the place worth a real investigation.  I think we should pause here to ask what in the universe would make anyone think goblins would make for satisfactory archaeologists; and this scenario proves the point, as the goblins apparently broke off chunks of the building with engraved writing to bring back.  Anyway, the PCs are tasked with travelling to the site and are outfitted with supplies for a long trip on foot (two weeks there, two weeks back).  The group is given a "map" made by the surviving goblin (Ogthup) which is filled with incomprehensible drawings and symbols, and there's a potentially fun scene if the PCs ask the goblin what it all means.

The rigors of travelling hundreds of miles in the north are mostly hand-waved away.  During the journey, the PCs will encounter two sites noted on Ogthup's map: a roc's nest and a pit containing an elder air elemental.  The latter site contains some valuable stone tiles taken from the temple that will later prove useful for performing a ritual to partially insulate them from the effects of the awakening curse.  (I do like the critical fumble results for poor skill checks in the playtest--some of them are really fun and could lead to some interesting player choices!)

The rest of the adventure takes place at Dvalinheim, the ancient temple built by the frost giants.  Although the PCs will be expecting it to be guarded by the frost giants (based on Ogthup's recounting of being chased away by them), what they don't know is that a white dragon named Avaxvennar has recently taken up residence in the temple, tricking many of the giants into believing he is an avatar of their god (so that they bring him treasure).  It's perhaps a bit cheesy as a plot device, but overall the temple stuff is solid: battles with frost giants, winter wolves, an optional encounter (depending on time) with a stone golem, and then dealing with the dragon itself.  There are a couple of occasions when the awakening curse could cause problems for the PCs, but honestly they'd probably be just fine whether or not they have and perform the protective ritual.

There is an irony in the premise of The Frozen Oath: other PFS scenarios have made a real effort to show the Society are serious, sensitive scholars.  Here, the Society is slaughtering sapient locals who have resided in a sacred site for three thousand years so they can loot it.  It would have been better (and fun!) to play members of the Aspis Consortium since that's the way they would've handled this mission.  As an alternative, a better Pathfinder Society mission would have been to establish diplomatic relations with the giants to gain access to the site or sneak in and document it without anyone being the wiser, and then perhaps in the course of that learn about the dragon's deception and decide the moral question about what to do about the moral quandary of interfering with local religious concerns.  That's all hindsight, of course, but the writers do need to think more deeply about how the Society is supposed to operate because we get very mixed messages across different scenarios.

Northstar # 1-4 (Ltd. 1994) (Marvel) [COMICS]

From one perspective, Northstar is a third-rank Marvel superhero: although he's appeared in hundreds of issues of the team books Alpha Flight and X-Men over the years, he's never held down a solo book apart from this four-issue limited series, hasn't made any movie appearances, and one would be hard-pressed to find much in the way of merch relating to the character.  Even his powers (super-speed) aren't remarkable.  But from another perspective, Northstar is a landmark in the history of the mainstream comic book industry (very . . . slowly) representing Queer lives.  Northstar coming out as gay in 1992's Alpha Flight # 106 was a big deal at the time (I remember it), as he was the first Marvel character to do so.  People who could read between the lines would've figured out the character was gay years previously, but the announcement still caused a backlash.  It's worth remembering the time-frame here (the early 1990s) where the AIDS crisis, gays in the military, and the "Defense of Marriage" were often front-page news.  From the perspective of thirty years later, there are some obvious aspects of Northstar that lead to eye-rolling, if not outright cringing--but still, progress moves in fits and starts, and this was a start.

Issue # 1 is SO nineties it hurts my eyeballs to look at the splash-page where a new, villainous team called "Weapon: P.R.I.M.E." is introduced (if you've ever heard of Tigerstryke, Killspree, Double Trouble, and Yeti, you're a more devoted comics' fan than me).  Weapon: P.R.I.M.E. is hired by Canada's Department K to bring Northstar into custody.  Northstar, however, is partying in Ibiza and being hounded by paparazzi.  He's framed for the murder of a reporter, barely escapes Weapon: P.R.I.M.E. by fleeing to Paris, and realises he's being set up by Arcade.  The issue is actually not bad, once one builds up tolerance to the early 1990s artwork and naming conventions.  Also, I really like the cover--it makes clever use of the character's white and black costume.

In Issue # 2, Northstar is still in Paris when he realises his own friend Mariel is missing.  There's some genuinely exciting action scenes as he rescues her in the metro after fighting off Arcade and his robot mimes(!).  I really like Jean-Paul Beaubier's personality, in that he's intentionally unlikable (prickly, sometimes selfish, etc.), which are not common personality traits for super heroes and so add some originality to the character.

Issue #3 has Northstar rejoining (?) a circus in Russia, but he's beaten badly by Arcade's mind-controlled performers.  He overcomes them, but then (*sigh*) Weapon: P.R.I.M.E. shows up and Northstar barely escapes to New Orleans.  Some of Northstar's backstory is filled in, though I don't 100% follow it.

Issue # 4 explains what's been going on.  A wealthy old man and noted homophobe named Carl Kerridge has arranged for both Arcade and Weapon: P.R.I.M.E. to wear Northstar down to the point where he could be killed.  Fortunately, as foreshadowed in a previous issue, Guardian arrives to help out and the good guys win.

Despite the 90s trappings, there is a real story and character arc for Northstar here, so I'm going to consider the limited series a success.  If you're a fan of Northstar, it's worth digging up.

Pathfinder Module: "Crypt of the Everflame" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I ran Crypt of the Everflame for a group of Pathfinder Society characters via play-by-post.  The adventure ended in a TPK, the details of which would be spoilish.  But suffice it to say, the encounters in this module are numerous and some of them are quite deadly.  It's odd because the module is set up as an introductory experience (there are plenty of sidebars to help the GM with basic rules, the maps are flip-mats, and the adventure is stylised as the PCs' first).  Crypt of the Everflame was Paizo's first module to use the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules, and it's fair to say they may not have realised how difficult it could be.  In terms of story, it's a bit mediocre, essentially devolving into a standard dungeon crawl.  I don't want to make it sound like it's terrible, but I will say I don't understand the nostalgia many fans have for it.

I'll also note the artwork is far from the high-quality standard that Paizo would later set, though some individual pieces are pretty good.

SPOILERS!

Crypt of the Everflame is set in Nirmathas and begins in a small village called Kassen.  Kassen's history is important to the adventure, as its eponymous founder's crypt is the main adventure site.  The premise is that the PCs are residents of Kassen who have been mentored by local NPCs to take part in an important annual ritual called the "Quest of the Everflame"--a journey to the tomb of the town's founder to light a lantern which symbolises the town's survival through another winter.  An appendix at the back of the module provides a map and brief gazetteer of the town, and longer descriptions of several NPCs who could serve as mentors.  There's nothing wrong with Kassen, but frankly it's a run-of-the-mill fantasy village with little that distinguishes it from the thousands of others in D&D's history. 

The adventure itself is divided into three parts.

Part 1 involves the journey to the crypt.  The PCs encounter some illusory orcs conjured by the town wizard (the villagers traditionally provide minor traps and challenges during the Quest of the Everflame to make it more memorable for those who take part), spend their first night out in the wilderness (driving away some wolves in the process), and navigate a treacherous descent to the opening of the tomb.  I think if the GM and players really got into the idea that this is the PCs "coming of age" and going on their first adventure out of the village, that helps add some flavour and role-playing opportunities to this section of the module.  I also like that the module plays it straight with things like rations, finding campsites, etc.

Part 2 covers the upper level of the crypt.  What neither the PCs nor the villagers back in Kassen realise is that this will be no ordinary Quest of the Everflame.  Bandits recently looted the tombs of Kassen and his rival (Asar), which resulted in Kassen arising as a (friendly) ghost and Asar as a skeletal champion!  Undead are now all over the crypt, and most of the villagers sent in advance to plan the tricks, traps, and puzzles have been slaughtered.  There are twelve chambers on the upper level, and threats include things that a Level 1 party should be able to handle (skeletons, pit traps) along with things that could easily prove lethal to one or more party members if a roll or two goes poorly (like a CR 3 shadow and a CR 3 golem).  There's also what turns out to be an incredibly nasty trap called the Pillar of 1,000 Arrows--it was responsible for the TPK in my game (the author of the module may have overlooked the fact that enough nonlethal damage can become very lethal under PFRPG rules).  Not everything is dire on this level, as the PCs can discover a room with supplies customised just for them and meet a villager named Roldare who (if calmed down and made friendly) can describe what's been happening. Roldare explains that his sister has been taken below by an undead fiend, and her rescue is the extra incentive some PCs might need to keep going.

Part 3 covers the lower level of the crypt, and although I prepped for it, I haven't actually run it.  Here the PCs need to deal with giant frogs, bat swarms, more skeletons, and then the skeletal champion Asar himself (a CR 4 challenge!).  I suppose a really clever, cautious party of PCs could defeat the foes and survive the module, but I really think the number and severity of encounters is a bit unfair, especially for an introductory module.  There are some clues in the lower level that could lead the PCs into a sequel module, Masks of the Living God, which I haven't read or played yet.

Overall, I'd suggest PFS GMs set an expectation that the PCs will be Level 2 before running this module, and other GMs run some background adventures to get the group up to Level 2 before using this.  Starting a campaign with Crypt of the Everflame looks to be a harrowing experience unless there are a lot of PCs or the players are very experienced.  As the story is pretty unremarkable, there are a lot of better adventures out there for starting a campaign.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 14 [RPG]

[12 Desnus 4708 A.R., continued]

After receiving fervid thanks for their visit from Tayce Soldado (and a promise to return the favour someday from Grau), the group leaves Trail’s End in the company of Ishani Dhatri.  Ralph has offered to assist the young acolyte in convincing his superiors to take reports of the plague more seriously and to allow for the provision of free healing—even though that violates the core tenets of the Abadarian faith.  But as the group reach the white marble walls of the Bank of Abadar, they realise the issue has clearly come to the church’s attention in the form of a small mob!  Although much of Korvosa is still unaware of the disease, dozens of citizens pock-marked with red sores have climbed the steep stairs leading up to the temple’s great bronze doors and are trying to press their way in while clamouring for healing.  And when they catch sight of Ishani’s and Yraelzin’s clerical garb, the two men are almost trampled when the crowd rushes over to them, begging and pleading for aid.  Ralph manages to help carry Ishani to safety while Goldcape is forced to tear Yraelzin from several grasping hands.  The two priests are battered and dishevelled, but together they reach the safety of the temple.

The main hall of the temple is clearly given over to the business of banking, with a few small shrines and counselling chambers in alcoves along the side.  Ishani leads the group to one of these alcoves and asks them to wait while he gets changed and petitions for a meeting with the Archbanker.  When he returns about a half hour later, he says he managed to secure a brief meeting for the group.  As Ishani leads them through the temple’s luxurious hallways, he says apparently some of his fellow priests have come down with the disease, and that it has been nick-named “blood veil” on account of its visible symptoms.  Reports indicate that it’s spreading quickly, and that the city’s other temples have been mobbed as well—especially the Temple of Sarenrae, since it serves as a public hospital as well as a place of devotion.

The group are shown into the offices of Archbanker Darb Tuttle, but meet with a frosty reception.  He scoffs at Ralph’s suggestion that the origins of the plague could be the ship that was sunk in the river, and says that Bank policy when it comes to healing is not open for discussion—especially with outsiders.  But in what seems more of a bid to get the group out of his office more than anything, he says he’ll requisition some magical potions that allow one to temporarily breathe water so they can go investigate.  A request by the group to allow Ishani to accompany them is flatly denied, as Archbanker Tuttle says all hands are needed to combat the plague.  After the group leave Tuttle’s offices, Ishani thanks the others for their help, and says he’ll try to keep in touch.  It’s clear the young Vudrani man wishes he could do more to help those afflicted by blood veil even if they can’t afford to pay.

Ralph decides to see if the Temple of Sarenrae can be of more assistance.  Forced to use a rope and grappling hook to climb up into a back window because of the mob out front, he manages to speak to an earnest priest.  The priest says the faith is doing everything it can to help, but even with all its preparations for a plague, they weren’t prepared for something that seems to spread so quickly.  He says if Ralph’s team can find anything on the origin of the disease—where it came from, how it spreads, and so forth—the temple will find that information valuable in trying to concoct a cure.  After meeting Yraelzin outside (forced to hide in an alley to avoid another scene), the two walk towards the shops at Eodred’s Walk to meet up with Goldcape.  Along the way, the pair notice several people clubbing rats in the streets and hanging up their corpses in front of their houses—apparently, gossip on the street is that the disease is spread by rat bites and displaying the bodies serves as a “warning” for other rats to stay away!

Inside the archery shop named Trapper’s Hole, Goldcape’s friend Jope Chantsmo has a different theory—his is that as long as you bathe regularly, you can’t get sick.  When Goldcape explains that she’s planning an underwater mission, Jope says he’s never heard of a magical enchantment that allows a bow to fire underwater.  And when Ralph and Yraelzin arrive and he spots the latter’s underwater crossbow, he kicks the priest out—everyone knows there’s nothing Jope hates more than crossbows!  With the sun beginning to set, the group agree that Goldcape should try to hurry to an alchemist to buy some anti-plagues so they’ll be prepared for the underwater mission to look at the wreck of the sunken ship—in case there is something there that spreads the disease.  Goldcape flies on Rocky’s back and makes it just in time, only to learn that old Ledbetter has already sold out of anti-plagues.  He says he and his assistants will be making some more in the evening, and customers can try again in the morning.

That night, Ralph (in his disguise as a drunk rambler) and Goldcape (flying overhead) return to West Dock in the hopes of spotting some sign of Rolth Lamm or his accomplices.  They notice that an old warehouse in the run-down area is being renovated into the “Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.”  But it’s in an alleyway behind that building that fortune smiles on them—they catch a glimpse of a woman with long blonde hair slipping into an open sewer grate!  As the figure matches the description of Rolth’s sometime partner in crime Jolistina, Ralph finds a good hiding spot to don his Reckoner guise, and together he and Goldcape wrench the sewer grate open again and enter the sewers.  Goldcape’s magic lights their way, and they manage to follow the sound of footsteps splashing through the muck down one branch of the tunnels.

But although they try to follow silently, their approach does not go undetected.  “Naughty, naughty boys and girl!” calls out a voice mockingly.  A long game of cat-and-mouse follows, as Jolistina relies on invisibility potions, smoke bombs, and similar tricks to try to confuse her pursuers while teasing them constantly.  But Goldcape and Rocky take on the aspect of the wolf, and are able to pinpoint Jolistina’s exact position every time!  The Reckoner’s hammer and Rocky’s sharp claws wear down the harlequin-clad criminal as she makes multiple attempts to flee, but each time her escape is blocked through good teamwork.  Finally, she tries to scurry through a narrow sewer pipe but The Reckoner catches up to her and brings his hammer down hard on her legs!  The punishment is too much for the half-elf to take, and she dies instantly from the blow.  Goldcape is annoyed with The Reckoner for disposing of another potentially valuable source of information, but he says she was too dangerous to take any chances with.

A search of the small alcove that Jolistina had been using as a hide-out uncovers some valuables, and an invitation to a party at Carowyn Manor in just a few days’ time.  The Reckoner expresses hope that with the body, perhaps Madame Carrington could tell them something about where Jolistina had been recently, but Goldcape says they’ll get arrested if they’re caught with a body on the streets of Korvosa!  For now, The Reckoner hides the body in a sewer pipe and he and Goldcape go their separate ways.  Ralph returns to the Burnt Honey Inn for a well-deserved night’s sleep, while Goldcape is treated to a warm bath and hot tea at the residence of Wynda Giotorri, Old Lady Cloggins’ best friend.  Wynda says there’s no need to worry about “blood veil” anymore—her favourite perfumery has just invented a miracle cure called “Lavender’s Luxuriant Linament”!

Isolated, unnoticed cases in the past few days have suddenly erupted into a full-fledged plague.  Will the Harrowed Heroes manage to help contain it, or will they fall victim to it themselves?

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

GM's Commentary

I liked the scenes of the desperate crowd swarming visible priests, including Yraelzin.  Rescuing them made for some exciting moments that couldn't just devolve into standard combat encounters.

I had to improv the bits with the Bank of Abadar and the Temple of Sarenrae.  This AP does a better job than many published campaigns in explaining why those in power can't just step up and solve every problem, but that doesn't stop PCs from trying.

Lots of seeds for future events are planted here--the rats, Carowyn Manor, the Hospice of the Blessed Manor, Lavender's ointment, etc.

In the published AP, Jolistina isn't encountered in the way that took place in this session.  The PCs were diligent in searching for her and (if I remember right) rolled a natural 20 on that search for her, so I went with it.  I try to reward players for exercising agency rather than just waiting for stuff to happen.  Capturing her in the sewers probably wouldn't have been possible without Goldcape's "Animal Focus" class ability which allowed her and Rocky to use Scent; often these utility powers are overshadowed in gameplay discussions by stuff with pure combat applications, but they can really make a difference.  It's too bad The Reckoner doesn't use his hammer more judiciously sometime--capturing a source like Jolistina could have given them some valuable info early.

Pathfinder Player Companion: "Legacy of the First World" [RPG]

Legacy of the First World is a 32-page, full-colour entry in Pathfinder's Player Companion line of softcover books.  As the title indicates, it covers the First World, which in the official campaign setting of Golarion, refers to a sort of "first draft" of reality from which the fey originate.  I've never really gotten much into the fey during my years playing Pathfinder, but there's some intriguing stuff in this book and I could imagine trying to work more into my games.  As with too-many books in this line, Legacy of the First World is essentially a collection of several (15) two-page sections assigned to several (10) different freelancers, with the predictable result that there's some wide disparities in writing quality, consistency between sections, and understanding of what's makes for useful gameplay mechanics.  In other words, there's certainly some good material in this book, but it has to be sifted out of plenty of dross. The interior artwork is pretty solid, and I like the bold and vibrant use of color.  You can judge the cover art for yourself--it looks pretty cool to me (it's reproduced without text as the inside back cover).

As for those two-page sections, they're a real hodgepodge of new spells, archetypes, magic items, character options, and more.  There's no way I can cover everything, but I'll try to hit the high- (and low-) lights quickly.

* "Introduction": Along with a bit of background about the First World and a Rules Index, this section discusses specific regions of Golarion that have been particularly influenced by fey, like Darkmoon Wood in Andoran.  Each of the region descriptions is accompanied by a new regional trait, and they're all really good--useful and flavourful.  I thought the Witchmarket was a fantastic concept (a travelling fey merchant caravan that buys and sells particularly unusual commodities like the buyer's middle name or the ability to see dogs!).  I'll surely work it in somewhere.

* "Fey Origins": This section adds new fey-themed alternate racial traits for all of the Core races. Some of them are pretty powerful, like a constant detect magic for elves.  There are also a few new story feats (a concept originated in Ultimate Campaign), but frankly what you get for accomplishing the goals is rarely worth it.

* "Legacy of Gnomes": Here we get an alternative racial trait allowing gnomes to play as a Bleachling, and two related feats (pretty mild in effect).  There's a new alchemist archetype called the First World Innovator, which looks interesting: fewer bombs, but more variations on what they do.  There's also some new alchemist discoveries and alchemical items.

* "Legacy of Gathlains": These humanoid plant-flesh creatures receive several new alternate racial traits (good and balanced), favored class options, and some new feats (hydroponic adaptation is good, but the rest aren't).  

* "Touched by the First World": A new "fey-touched" creature template is added here, but the best parts are a new "Pranked" curse for oracles and a "Whimsy" oracle mystery--both are great!  There's a new archetype for bards (First World Minstrel), but it's pretty forgettable.

* "Fey-Scarred": The theme here is how to fight evil fey, and the section introduces several new alternate racial traits.  There's also a really good new hunter archetype ("Feykiller") and some new spells.

* "Scions of the Traitor": This section is for worshippers of Count Ranalc, an interesting member of The Eldest (powerful fey figures).  It contains a new slayer archetype called "Ankou's Shadow" which is potentially super-powerful (but with little flavour) and a new rogue archetype called "Shadow Scion" (looks solid).

* "Grown of the Feasting Flower": The Green Mother (another of The Eldest) is the theme of this section.  There's a new shaman archetype called "Gasping Vine", but I found it mostly duplicative of existing options.  A new witch archetype called "Seducer" isn't bad.  There are also several new hexes and spells--thirsting entanglement could be good.

* "Beneath the Towering Twins": A weird member of The Eldest called Imbrex is the premise for a new summoner archetype called the "Twinned Summoner" and . . . I don't get it.  There are also some additional evolutions and new teamwork feats, with "conduit casting" a standout.

* "Illuminated by the Lantern King": This section contains what's probably my favorite archetype in the book, the "Fey Prankster" for bards.  I could see a lot of creative fun to be had with this one.  The section also has a new bloodrager bloodline called "shapechanger" and a separate sorcerer bloodline with the same name but different effects.

* "Servant of the Melancholy Lord": I really like the feel of the Lost Prince, the member of the The Eldest around which this section is themed.  There's a new oracle archetype called "Hermit" which doesn't really fit well, but I like the oracle curse "Reclusive."  A new psychic discipline, "Sorrow", is okay, but the 13th level ability doesn't really fit the theme.  An interesting new feat type for characters who usually adventure solo is introduced, which is a smart idea--there are a lot of play styles out there, and one GM and one PC is a quite-common one.

* "Born of the Three": Magdh the Three is The Eldest here, and the section contains a well-designed new monk archetype called "Nornkith."  There are also several interesting new spells and items.

* "Devotee of the Hooded": Followers of Ng the Hooded may be interested in a new cavalier archetype called "Hooded Knight" (frankly, it's not that good), but a new cavalier order called "Order of the Blossom" is an attractive, interesting option.

* "Child of the Water Lord": Followers of a serpentine beast named Ragadahn could choose a new barbarian archeype called "Deepwater Rager", which is useful on land and water and comes with an awesome ability called "Spiraling Charge".  There's also an okay new skald archetype called "Serpent Herald" and some new rage powers and bardic masterpieces.

* "Timekeeper of the Many": Last up is a wizard archetype called "Chronomancer".  I was really excited to read this and it does turn out to be kinda good, but it needs some more gonzo (yet somehow not unbalancing) stuff to really be memorable.  The section has some new time-themed spells, of which, temporal divergence could be fun.

And that's the book. Like I said, a real mix of stuff.  It'd be worth a buy if you plan on having a fey-themed character or you're a GM planning on running a campaign that involves the fey.  Otherwise, it's not a must-have.

Starfinder Adventure Path: "Dead Suns, Chapter Five: The Thirteenth Gate" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

I played through Chapter 5 of Dead Suns with AZ102011, my Sentient Robotic Organism (Azlanti assassin robot) PC.  This character (meant initially as a short-term bridging PC) was barely verbal, and in retrospect a very poor choice for a role-playing game.  On the other hand, the AP had by this time made it clear that it was a 100% railroad, so there wasn’t a lot to have substantive conversations about.  I had mentally checked-out of the campaign by this point and don’t really remember much of Chapter 5, but on reading it for the purposes of this review, I’m not particularly impressed with it.  I understand Dead Suns was the first Starfinder AP and the writers were still figuring out the system and setting, but Paizo is very experienced with adventure design and this AP just keeps falling flat at every stage.  Anyway, we’ll start with the non-spoilerly back matter here and then move onto the adventure itself in the corresponding section below.

The back matter consists of four sections.

·         “Relics of the Kishalee” (4 pages): This section talks about the nature of kishalee technology, which is really interesting because it depended on manipulating demiplanar energies.  This allowed the tech to become highly advanced (despite long pre-dating the Drift), but also dangerously unpredictable or simply inoperative when used in any place other than the Material Plane.  The section introduces the game mechanic concept of relics, which are effectively unique (non-magical) items from an ancient culture that can’t be bought on the open market but have to be found (and can be sold for 100% of their value).  It’s one of the few ways to really have discovering new items be exciting for players, because relics aren’t just something listed in a book they can buy in-game at the local gear shop.  Kishalee dimensional comm units, disruption fusions, and more are pretty cool.

·         “Alien Worlds and Cultures” (12 pages): This a long but interesting section that essentially functions as a sort of preview of what a book on the Vast would contain.  It contains five two-page-long entries on various far-flung planets and introduces a new bit of tech related to each one.  None of these planets have anything to do with the AP, so they’re perfect for homebrew GMs who want to have the PCs pick a star in the sky and see what’s around it.  The planets are well-described and I’d be happy to see stories involving each of them.  We get Arshalin (a poison cloud marsh world embedded with mile-high shards of metal from an orbital disaster), Elytrio (from the classic SFS scenario Yesteryear’s Truth, a planet and culture perfect for exploring big ideas), Primoria (a planet where invertebrates have evolved as the dominant species), Sepres VI (great sci-fi concept of a planet whose entire remaining population lives in orbit after a bioweapon made it unlivable for just that species), and Silselrik (a planet with constant gravitational fluxes and sapient oozes).  There’s a lot of good stuff here, and it’s worth reading even if one has no interest in the adventure.

·         “Alien Archives” (8 pages): This section contains one-page entries on seven new creatures.  Five of the seven relate to the planets described in the previous section and have stats to make them playable PC races.  So we get Ilthisarian (weird serpentlike humanoids with additional snakes jutting from their shoulders, native to Arshalin), Ghibrani (beetle-like humanoids native to Elytrio), Scyphozoan (jellyfish-like creatures from Primoria), Seprevoi (four-legged but medium-sized creatures from Sepres VI), and Selamids (oozelike creatures with no fun ooze traits from Silselrik).  The new species are well-designed, but it’s clear the designers went to great lengths to prevent any type of power creep by making them more advantageous than existing Core Rulebook races.   There are also two new monsters, jubsnuths (twin-mouthed predators) and oblivion shades (bland, higher-CR shadows).

·         “Codex of Worlds” (1 page): This issue’s entry is Urrakar.  It’s a dark, cold, distant world notable only for the presence of “black emeralds” that some mining companies are after.  Bland and forgettable, especially compared to the planets introduced above.

It’s not really a section per se, but I’ll mention here that the inside front and inside back covers detail a new ship called the Modified Atech Bulwak.  It’s a Tier 7 ship that is unremarkable.

Now, onto the adventure.

SPOILERS!

The backstory to “The Thirteenth Gate” is fairly convoluted.  After the kishalee stole the Stellar Degenerator from the sivvs (poor inventory control, sivvs!) and later used it against an unnamed foe in a later war, they decided it was too powerful of a weapon to ever risk using again.  Instead of destroying it though, they constructed a pocket demiplane and wrangled a dozen stars(!) and a dozen moons(!) to lock and monitor the demiplane.  (talk about an infrastructure budget!)  There’s then some stuff about two scientists deciding to upload their consciousnesses to monitor things if kishalee civilisation ever faltered, and the two resulting AIs becoming rivals after one was corrupted and turned evil.  The “good” AI had to lock up the “bad” AI and millennia passed.  The bad news for the galaxy today is that the Cult of the Devourer has been one step ahead of the PCs the whole time and has arrived at the Gate of the Twelve Suns, helped the “bad” AI break free, and just need to find one circuit board to open the way to the demiplane and get the Stellar Degenerator.

In Part 1, the PCs have to travel through the Drift to reach the Vast where the Gate of the Twelve Suns is located.  Illogically (but perfectly keeping in tune with the AP so far), the amount of time the PCs spend gearing up and travelling make absolutely no difference to later events, despite the premise that the Cult is on the brink of finding an ultimate superweapon.  During the Drift travel, the PCs encounter Quillius, an “anhamut inevitable” who has been driven mad by a previous encounter with the Cult of the Devourer (the Drift must be smaller than I thought!).  Quillius is super tough but I guess there’s some role-playing possibilities with him.  Once the PCs arrive at the Gate of the Twelve Suns, there’s the chapter’s requisite starship combat against a Cult of the Devourer ship captained by the Jangly Man—I like him.  Oddly, there’s a forced reason why the PCs need to board his ship, something that almost everything else in Starfinder makes impossible or cumbersome.

In Part 2, the PCs set their ship down on the controller moon for one of the suns.  Here they enter a complex, battle some monsters and cultists, make a ton of Computers checks, and meet the AIs.  I’ve mentioned the railroading in this AP—everything must proceed in an exact order for the plot to work—but I’ve rarely seen a sidebar like the one on page 25 that instructs the GM on how to keep the PCs from leaving the rails!  The whole sequence in Part 2 is pretty forgettable, apart from the potentially mind-boggling twist that the “good” AI has decided that the PCs should open the demiplane so that they can destroy the Stellar Degenerator before anyone else can get to it.  That’s a pretty controversial call, but the PCs have to go along with it for the AP to continue.

In Part 3, the PCs have to chase the Cult of the Devourer to one of the other controller moons where they went to get the control board necessary to open the demiplane. One of the cultists there, a dwarf named Deldreg the Butcher, is great.  A three-part AP where everyone plays Cultists could be fun.  Anyway, the PCs fight a bunch of cultists and their leader, an android named Null-9, to get the control board.  When you think about it, in this entire AP, the PCs could have not been involved the whole time and everything up to this point would have played out exactly the same (and as we’ll see next chapter, stopping the Cult of the Devourer simply makes room for an even bigger threat out to get the Stellar Degenerator).  Anyway, the PCs presumably get the control board and follow the script to open the gate to the demiplane, cuing the cliffhanger that concludes the chapter.

Overall, the adventure has a nice touch here or a cool NPC there, but the story just gives the PCs absolutely no agency and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to boot.  But at least the back matter has some cool stuff!