Pathfinder Society Scenario # 1-04 (Scenario # 32): "Drow of the Darklands Pyramid" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played this via play-by-post at high subtier (10-11) with my “caveman shaman”, Gurkagh.  Drow of the Darklands Pyramid is almost 100% dungeon crawl, but it’s a really inventive and well-described dungeon!  The adventure certainly has some challenging combats.  Since the title gives it away, it’s not a spoiler to say drow are the main threat in the adventure.  They’re handled well and some named foes are fleshed out with personal details (though the players aren’t likely to learn many of them).  The background story leading up to the dungeon-crawl doesn’t hold together great.    Overall, I’d place this one in the same category as a lot of Season 0/Season 1 PFS scenarios: fast, straightforward, and combat-heavy.  Good if you want to try out a new build or tactic, not so good if you’re interested in role-playing, story beats, or investigation.

SPOILERS!

Drow of the Darklands Pyramids takes place in Osirion.  The Pathfinder Society has been excavating a pyramid dubbed the “Tilted Pyramid” because it leans to one side.  However, every single artifact they’ve uncovered from the pyramid has been stolen by hooded caravan raiders who strike at night.  The Society has decided to call in a team of specialists (the PCs) to find out who’s robbing the caravans.  By the time the PCs arrive, a trail has been discovered leading from the last caravan attack to a deep cave suspected of connecting to the Darklands.  That’s where the adventure starts, with the PCs essentially at the front door of the dungeon.

But what a dungeon!  Following the trail leads to a vast cavern containing the suspected twin of the Titled Pyramid: the so-called “Stalactite Pyramid”, so-named because it hangs upside down!  There’s some backstory about the Stalactite Pyramid perhaps having magic allowing the Tilted Pyramid to fly, but none of it is really relevant to the adventure and I don’t think the PCs will learn of it.  (though there are a lot of hints in the scenario that it may come up again in a future scenario).

Anyway, what’s been going on is that, in addition to raiding the PFS caravans laden with artifacts from the Tilted Pyramid, a drow expedition (led by a cleric of Abraxus named Jevana) has just blasted open the “tip” of the Stalactite Pyramid and entered to loot it.  The PCs need to follow them in, which might seem to be a challenge since it’s so high up along the cavern, but a magical effect gives everyone the ability to fly.  So in essence, the adventure consists of flying and fighting upwards through an ancient upside-down pyramid against foes quite skilled in unorthodox combat.  It’s a pretty original concept, and the writer has taken great pains to establish the features of each encounter: light levels, hardness of doors and objects, enemy tactics, etc.  A GM who pays careful attention to these things (and the rules for flying) will be rewarded with combats that are much harder than when PCs get to fight in usual (optimal) conditions.  Extra attention will need to be devoted to maps and room descriptions, as 3D encounters are always a little clunky.  Patience and preparation are key.

I don’t think there’s much value in me going into more depth about the encounters other than to say that, in addition to the drow, foes include driders, quasits, a duergar slave (the only potential role-playing opportunity in the session), and at higher tiers, some demons like hezrous and babaus.  I’d encourage GMs to use the faction missions—they’re interesting and will spice things up a bit as some require secrecy from the other party members.  The Chronicle doesn’t have any boons, and the Conclusion is pretty straightforward.  I don’t know if the connection between the Tilted and Stalactite Pyramids is followed-up on in later scenarios or not.  Story-wise, I was a little surprised no attention seemed to be given to how drow in Golarion are commonly thought to be a myth and that their existence is a deep and dark secret that elves try to suppress.  In Drow of the Darklands, drow are just another type of enemy to fight.