Pathfinder Society Scenario # 3-S: "Blood Under Absalom" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

I got a chance to play in Blood Under Absalom, the multi-table interactive special from Season Three, many years after it was first offered.  It was really interesting to compare the incredibly dense and complex Specials in SFS and the last few years of PFS1 with one of the earlier Specials that has far more straightforward content.  For example, there are no mustering activities, no aid tokens, no House-wide conditions, etc.  (Blood Under Absalom is a 50 page document, compared to the 107 pages of the Season Ten Special!)  I think there are real advantages to the more streamlined approach, even if it doesn’t do as good a job as preserving the illusion that each group in the room is having its own unique adventure.  This is a pretty combat-heavy Special, with only one real opportunity for role-playing.  The story, although straightforward, is an important one that ties into not only to the “Year of the Ruby Phoenix” season plot but also PFS content as late as Season Ten (essentially, this scenario is where the whole Hao Jin Tapestry storyline begins).  I enjoyed playing in it, and it was cool to see how the lore all tied together.

SPOILERS!

The name can be a little misleading—although the scenario does take place entirely in Absalom, it’s not some kind of dungeon-crawl.  Instead, the Decemvirate assembles all nearby agents of the Pathfinder Society to announce that entrance trials for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament are going to be held in the city.  The Tournament is held only once a decade, and the winner is allowed to choose something from the personal collection of the legendary sorcerer Hao Jin.  (This scenario just tells how the PFS gets entrants into the Tournament—there’s a whole season’s worth of stories about the Tournament itself.)  But of course, the PFS isn’t the only organisation interested in Hao Jin’s collection—those snakes the Aspis Consortium want it too!

After the briefing, there are six Acts and an Interlude in between, each of which contains at least one and possibly multiple encounters.  Just from reading it, my guess is that’s too ambitious for the hurly-burly of an interactive Special and I’d be surprised if most groups were able to accomplish everything they wanted.  I don’t know for sure though because I played it via play-by-post, which of course doesn’t have the same time restrictions.

Act 1 takes place in a crowded waterfront tavern as the emissary of the Tournament throws a hundred rubies into the air and explains that, on the morrow, those in possession of one will progress to the next stage of the trials.  This naturally sets off a huge brawl as everyone scrambles to get one.  It’s a fun premise for an encounter.  A GM’s job is hard though because for each subtier, there’s a random encounter table, so instead of preparing one batch of enemies, a GM has to prepare several. 

Act 2 sees the would-be entrants in an arena, simply trying to survive as waves of foes from Tian Xia (onis, tengu, ogre mages, etc.) are unleashed until time is called.  Again, random encounter tables mean more GM prep.

Act 3 has the PCs traversing an underground sewer system hoping to be the first to find and return with a vase.  Agents of the Aspis Consortium will spring an ambush. 

Tables are then given 15 minutes for an Interlude scene that involves a drunken ronin involved in a misunderstanding at a tavern that could lead to violence.  PCs who move quickly could resolve the situation peacefully and gain an ally, but if they don’t, the ronin instead joins the Aspis Consortium and will be encountered later as an enemy.  This is essentially a little role-playing and one-skill-check exercise, but it’s probably good to have a break from the heavy combat of the previous acts.

Act 4 is fun.  It’s a classic “assassins attack as the PCs are sleeping in an inn” scenario, something which we rarely see in PFS.  I like how GMs are instructed to handle the whole lead up nonchalantly, because if you ever ask players about watches and sleeping arrangements, they instantly know something is up.  The assassins are Qadiran poisoners hired by the Aspis Consortium.  I remember having a lot of fun with my trickster gnome detecting the ambush early and singing opera loudly to wake up the other PCs.

Act 5 has a really creative premise, and is probably the most memorable part of the scenario to me.  The PCs have to take part in stage combat at an opera house, with each assuming the role of a different character from the Lung Wa operatic tradition.  So there are characters like the Monkey King, the Wizened Crone, the Cruel Bandit, and Chou (clowns).  Each role has different (nonlethal) weaponry and restrictions on whether spells can be cast.  My GM did a great job of making the encounter all about impressing the Tournament emissary with acting out the assigned role instead of simply winning the “fight”.

Act 6 starts with an interesting exercise.  The PCs only have to ring a gong to advance to the next stage of the entrance trials.  Of course, the gong is guarded by an oni and can’t be rung too softly or too forcefully.  Clever groups might devise some interesting strategies.  The final task is to “simply” touch the robes of the emissary.  But wave after wave of elementals stand between the PCs and emissary, as do several trained monks.  One of my favourite little bits of the adventure is that the individual PC who is the first to succeed in getting to the emissary is recognised by the event overseer in front of all the assembled tables, and shortly thereafter the first table to complete another task as a group is similarly recognised.  It’s a neat thing I’ve never seen done in a Special before.  I know the Pathfinder Society is all about cooperation, but a little inter-table competition can be fun too.

Overall, I really liked Blood Under Absalom.  I can see its limitations—it doesn’t have a great storyline, there are limited opportunities for role-playing, and the time-constraints look pretty rough.  But to me, it just had a fun feel to it, and I think too often the multi-table Specials overcomplicate things.