Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-15: "The Infernal Gallery" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I got to play The Infernal Gallery via play-by-post at subtier 3-4 using the Iconic witchwarper, Zemir.  It's one of those scenarios that, in the right GM hands, could really be something memorable (in a spooky vein that we don't see in Starfinder very often).  The plot has a basic premise, but it's executed really well and with plenty of flavour to engage with.  Little details are handled nicely.  I didn't think much of it while playing it, but on reading it for the purposes of this review I can see it has real potential.

SPOILERS!

One of the virtues of Starfinder's concept of the Drift is the natural story engine of having chunks of the multiverse torn free with each use.  In The Infernal Gallery, it's a chunk of Stygia, the fifth layer of Hell!  More specifically, it's an art gallery named the Palace of Delusion, owned by the "nightmare collector" Duke Crocell.  With his precious building now floating somewhere in the Drift, Duke Crocell has hired a team of mercenaries named the Devil's Talon to secure it.  What he doesn't know, however, is that a salvage ship named the Clutter Collector (a ship appearing in some previous scenarios) has already been there, and that its crew looted a painting before starting to succumb to hallucinations and fleeing back to Absalom Station.  The painting was sold to the (recurring NPC) pawn broker Julzakama before making its way to the Starfinder Society.  And that's where the PCs come into the picture.

After a briefing by the walking snooze-fest Venture-Captain Arvin, the Starfinders make their way to the Downlow district to speak with Julzakama.  The scenario does a great job making Julzakama really pop with the perfect mix of bluster and humor.  There's a lot of really funny little bits here, like him trying to extort more money from the PCs (when's he's already been paid for his cooperation by Arvin), giving people mildly offensive nicknames, giving PCs he's met before in previous scenarios a discount on energy drinks, or praising that nice Datch lady on the holo-vids.  Julzakama explains that the painting (of a Veskarium war hero named Major Sifkali, done by a famous verthani artist named Aelon Vimariss) was found by the Clutter Collector on a piece of floating Drift real estate that the crew dubbed the Drift Bog.  The Drift Bog, of course, is where the PCs need to go next.  It's a solid set-up to the adventure.  (oddly, there really isn't any special significance to the subject matter of the portrait or information on why an infernal duke of all people would want to collect it)

When the PCs arrive at the Drift Bog, they're confronted by the Devil's Talons starship, Malice.  There can be some role-playing to start out with, as the ship's captain wants to know if the Starfinders have reinforcements on the way, but a battle is inevitable.  I tend to zone out during Starfinder starship combat, and I don't remember anything about it.  There are some Drift hazards to complicate things, and interestingly the PCs take a point of Infamy if they destroy the Malice rather than just disable it (an unusual feature of starship combats).

The Drift Bog is, as the name indicates, a chunk of floating swamp--with a structure visible in the distance.  I really like how the scenario rewards PCs who do the sorts of sensible things space explorers should do, like take Tricorder-style environmental and biological samples (testing the water, insect-life, air, etc.).  This wasn't explicitly asked for by Arvin, but doing so provides some small mechanical bonuses and contributes to the secondary success conditions.  Starfinder's decision to make environmental protections available to everyone all the time takes away some of the fun of exploring a naturally hazardous environment, unfortunately.  While travelling through the swamp, PCs will find the dead bodies of several Devil's Talons mercenaries, fight an encounter against leech-like parasites called "slithermaws", and potentially rescue a trapped soul that has been bound in Hell for eons.  It's all done well and flavourfully, though it has my pet peeve of allowing Perception to substitute for Survival which only continues to elevate Perception into the uber-skill.

The Palace of Delusions itself constitutes only a few chambers, but they're full of traps, loads of objets d'art (Arvin apparently wants it all!), and a memorably weird encounter against a collection of various creepy animated toys.  One of the chambers contains a poor bird from Elysium who has been caged and begs for rescue.  In a clever twist, the bird is actually an imp who wants to hitchhike a ride back to the Material Plane--there's a fair chance the PCs won't notice until it's too late and accrue a negative boon because of it.   Once the PCs have thoroughly looted the place, they can return to Absalom Station without further incident.

There are a lot of little creepy things suggested by the scenario (delusions, phantom touches, etc.) to help build the right amount of creepy tension, but it's really up to the GM to make it work.  All in all, it's a solid scenario.

Pathfinder: "Goblin Gamer Pouch" [RPG]

I didn't even know this thing existed until I saw one in a store seven years after it was released.  It's a soft fuzzy goblin head that, frankly, looks like a headhunter had a field day.  The goblin's expression always makes me smile--I don't know why.  There's a sturdy metal clip to attach it to a backpack or belt loop, and a zippered compartment in the bottom just large enough to hole one set of dice.  It's a fun addition to my collection, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 40 [RPG]

[Toilday, 16 Sarenith 4708 A.R.]

Near their campsite a few miles outside of Harse, The Reckoner proceeds to butcher the downed hippogriff for meat.  When he finishes, he learns from Yraelzin that Goldcape has flown back to Korvosa to obtain a magical scroll to bring the creature back to life.  After Anorak sets up some caltrops to deter attack, the three rest for the night.

Meanwhile, Goldcape manages to cover a handful of miles before Rocky (already tired from a full’s day flight) shows signs of exhaustion and they’re forced to camp.  Several hours later, the pair are fortunate to be awakened by a snapping branch as a lumbering ogre tries to sneak up on them!  The burly man-eater hurls a javelin before charging in swinging a massive tree branch, but Rocky springs up to defend Goldcape!  The ogre swings its makeshift club so hard that the weapon splinters when it hits the ground instead of flesh, and seconds later, Rocky’s talons and Goldcape’s rapier fell the brute.  The two put some miles between themselves and the unconscious ogre before setting up camp again.

[Wealday, 17 Sarenith 4708 A.R.]

The next day, over breakfast, Anorak, Yraelzin, and Ralph spot another pair of hippogriffs flying overhead.  This time, however, there’s no pursuit.  The trio head through the outlying ranches and farms around Harse and into the village itself—a collection of just a few dozen buildings located on a strip of land where the Sarwin River empties into the Falcon River.  But these visitors aren’t interested in a ferry crossing.  Instead, Ralph is delighted to have the opportunity to sell the armor, swords, and helmets of the Red Mantis assassins who attacked him at the Stalwart Shield—indeed, the Harse merchant somehow thinks they’re the distinctive outfits of Andoren slave-liberators!  Anorak spends a couple of hours asking around about local rumors, and hears that the roads in this area of Varisia have been plagued by highwaymen, goblins, and other bandits since Korvosan forces have largely stopped patrolling.  The dwarf also hears that a Varisian caravan passed through not too long ago.

Dozens of miles to the southeast, Goldcape continues the ride back to Korvosa.  Thanks to Yraelzin’s sending of the previous day, Ishani Dhatri (an acolyte of the Bank of Abadar) is waiting a few miles outside of the city with an old vellum parchment containing the magic necessary to bring the deceased back to life.  Like every good Abadarian, Ishani charges full price for the scroll, but expresses his sympathy for what happened.  Flying much faster with one rider instead of four, Rocky and Goldcape are able to make it back to the campsite near Harse in a single (long) day!

When the others return to the camp, the reunion between Goldcape and Ralph is not a warm one, as they sharply disagree about whether the hippogriff should have been killed.  In any event, Goldcape walks with Yraelzin out to where the carcass of the creature lies.  Yraelzin nearly botches his reading of the scroll, but just manages to complete the procedure and, like a miracle, the hippogriff is suddenly alive and well again!  It licks Goldcape’s palm and then flies off into the darkening skies.

[Oathday, 18 Sarenith 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, the Harrowed Heroes decide to start for Janderhoff.  They’ve only covered about half of the distance before they see a collection of wagons with brightly-colored canvas tops arranged to form an “H” resting some distance from the road.  Flying closer, they see dozens of children rush out to wave at them, while their parents (dressed in the distinctive Varisian style of loose, colourful clothing with a penchant for head- and neck-scarves) wait patiently nearby.  Somehow, it seems like the group have been expected!  The mystery is resolved when The Harrower emerges from one of the wagons, bearing a welcoming smile.  She gently chides the group for taking longer to arrive then her cards foretold.  But instead of leading the group to a lengthy private Harrowing, she instead ascends to a makeshift stage and tells a story to everyone present.  During the story, the children crowd around the front to hear every word, but even their parents are rapt with attention.

The Harrower’s tale seems part legend, part history, and part prophecy.  She tells how, uncountable generations past, all the peoples of Varisia were a nomadic group, full of love for song, dance, and the simple beauty of nature.  But then a foreigner came.  A god-king from a distant land, who brought with him legions and established an empire.  The god-emperor was not a wicked man, but the seven wizard-kings he appointed to rule the seven domains of his empire were.  These wizard-kings strayed from the virtues of rightful rule and fell into the power granted by sin magic.  They overthrew the god-emperor and carved up his empire, each ruling one part with absolute authority.  They brought forth foul monsters from other worlds, subdued the land’s titans and formed them into an army, warped the flesh of others in wicked experiments, and enslaved the peaceful peoples of Varisia.  Some of the humans became a servant caste, while others were formed into a warrior caste.  But the downfall of these wizard-kings came not from their endless squabbling and battles—it came from the heavens!  A burning star crashed into the world somewhere far away, and brought with it an Age of Darkness.  The wizard-kings’ magic was mighty, and they foresaw the destruction—each found a means to escape, hide, and sleep until the land would again be ripe for the taking.

Thousands of years passed, and those of the servant-caste who survived returned to the old ways and began to wander.  Those of the warrior-caste formed tribes and pursued honor and strength.  More foreigners came, less advanced and powerful than the empire-builders, but still filled with violence and greed.  They built cities on the coasts, and set about trying to tame the wilderness.  But not many moons past, The Harrower says, one of the wizard-kings awakened!  Rebuilding his domain’s capital in the mountains far to the north, he has set about gathering armies of giants and sending them on a march to conquest.  Once, it seemed like a band of heroes might defeat him—but they failed.  Once, it seemed like the united peoples of Varisia might withstand his might—but now the Mad Queen of Korvosa has withdrawn from the alliance.  Only if she is deposed, and all stand together, will the wizard-king of the north be contained.

The conclusion of The Harrower’s tale is a somber one, but, with a broad smile and a look at the newcomers, she reminds the audience that there is still hope.  The audience looks relieved and members disperse to begin preparations for an evening feast.  Meanwhile, she invites the Harrowed Heroes into her tall wagon, the cozy interior of which has been outfitted with a small table, chairs, and a deck of cards.  As he takes a seat, Anorak asks if the Queen of Korvosa is linked to the wizard-kings of old.  The Harrower says the question is an insightful one, but the answers falls outside of her ken.  She does suspect that those assembled will encounter the remnants of their empire, Thassilon, during the journey that lays ahead. 

In lieu of a full Harrow reading, she instead asks each member of the group to draw a single card.  Goldcape draws The Bear, which The Harrower explains represents strength—not only physical strength, but the strength of one’s principles, and the need to remain firm when others try to devalue them.  She says she foresees a battle against a beast so large that it blocks out the sun; and that Goldcape should allow it to swallow her whole.  Anorak draws The Cyclone, a card The Harrower says represents the enormous power the dwarf has recently gathered.  She warns him, however, that such power can be enormously destructive to both himself and those he calls friends.  She foresees a battle against a foe that cannot be defeated.  The Reckoner draws The Paladin, a card that represents resoluteness and a refusal to back down.  She says this determination will see him through many struggles, but he must be careful to not let determination stray into a foolish stubbornness.  She also foresees he will meet another, equally strong and determined, who may not be an ally--but need not be an enemy.  Yraelzin’s draw is the most curious of all: The Forge, misaligned.  The Harrower ruminates on the card before pronouncing that it normally represents the strength of unity—something the Harrowed Heroes desperately need—but that, misaligned for Yraelzin, it means he needs to become more independent against the demands and dictates of others.  She predicts he will have a pivotal role to play in a battle against another order in which individuality is ruthlessly suppressed. When the readings are finished, she encourages the group to enjoy the festivities outside before continuing on.  She says her farewells, mysteriously noting that her next reading for the group will be her last.

Outside the wagon, the Varisians are doing what they do best: enjoying the simple things of life, like music, dance, storytelling, friendship, and food.  The Reckoner’s scary visage is lightened by flower garlands being thrown over his neck, while Goldcape is a natural dancer but continues the potentially dangerous habit of drinking to excess.  Yraelzin’s disposition is hard to know given his expressionless mask, but he seems more subdued than normal—perhaps pondering The Harrower’s words?  Anorak finds himself challenged to a friendly knife-throwing contest, but uses magic to win easily.  The Reckoner, as The Harrower read in the cards, remains steadfast in his mission and uses the party as an opportunity to ask members of the caravan about the road ahead.  He learns that Thousand Bones belongs to the Skoan-Quah (the Clan of the Skull), the Shoanti tribe entrusted with protecting the burial grounds and spiritual journeys of the fallen.  But Thousand Bones is not the leader of the tribe—instead, a woman named Ash Dancer is the most revered shaman, while the tribe’s chief is named One-Life.  He learns that the Skoan-Quah’s ancestral home is the Kallow Mounds, about fifty miles east of Kaer Maga, a collection of cairns dating back to time immemorial.  A question about Kaer Maga leads to shudders, and warnings to stay away from the City of Strangers—for there, trolls read auguries in their own entrails, the dead walk without reproach, and people rarely see the sky.

[Fireday, 19 Sarenith 4708 A.R.]

The next day, the group reach Janderhoff.  Strong winds from the Mindspin Mountains buffet Rocky as he glides down toward the city-fortress nestled in foothills at the base of the forbidding range.  Protected by a massive iron curtain wall and steeples of beaten copper, Janderhoff is a primarily subterranean city.  The Harrowed Heroes have no trouble gaining access, and soon find themselves in the city’s myriad markets, forges, and manufactories—Janderhoff bristles with trade!  Dodging ore carts coming into the city and finished goods coming out is just one of the challenges of navigating the low-ceilings and labyrinthine tunnels.  

The Reckoner is pleased to discover some magical items he couldn’t find in the diminished markets of Korvosa, and Goldcape takes the opportunity to sell a mithral rapier while Anorak makes some more small coin gambling.  But as they’re enjoying what Janderhoff has to offer, they’re spotted by a middle-aged female dwarf working a forge clad in full armor despite the enormous heat.  She quenches an axe blade in a trough of water and sets it aside to cool before coming over to them.  She seems friendly enough—almost mothering--as she makes conversation with them and then, suddenly, invites them to her dwelling to share a home-cooked meal!  Although initially suspicious of the stranger’s sudden hospitality, she seems earnest enough and they agree.  Once back in her snug home enjoying spiced mushroom stew, the dwarf, who gives her name as Kaptra Dorethain, admits her invitation wasn’t made purely out of generosity.  She could tell they’re more than mere travellers or merchants by their mannerisms (and the amount of weaponry they carry!).  She explains that she would like to hire the group to find her husband, Jorst, who vanished while prospecting in the Mindspin Mountains almost a decade ago.  She offers a thousand gold pieces up front and another ten thousand if they bring him home or find proof of his death.  She acknowledges, however, that she’s hired adventuring bands in the past, and none have been successful.

The Reckoner politely excuses himself from the table and steps outside to talk with the others.  He and Anorak are intrigued by the offer, with the latter adding that ten years isn’t the same to a dwarf as it is to a human—Jorst may very well still be alive.  Goldcape, however, says the group needs to focus on the urgent mission they’ve undertaken: to find a means to defeat Queen Ileosa and help the people of Korvosa.  The Reckoner’s enchanted armor, Plate, also speaks up in favour of staying on course and avoiding distractions.  The Reckoner, however, says the reward could help fund better equipment and the lessons learned in surviving the Mindspin Mountains could make the group stronger for what comes ahead.  The group is unable to reach a consensus, and return to finish their meal with Kaptra, promising they’ll get back to her on it later.

That night, The Reckoner and Anorak find rooms in a cramped inn and hear that Kaptra is well-respected in the community.  Goldcape and Yraelzin take rooms in another inn.  With an intriguing offer to ponder, but more dissension within, everyone settles in for a night’s rest.

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

GM Commentary

This was primarily a travel session, but a lot happened in terms of exposition and role-playing.

The ogre that fought Goldcape and Rocky was a random encounter, and its club breaking was due to a critical fumble card.  They do help make things interesting!  Similarly, the Harse merchant believing he was buying the gear of Eagle Knights (when it was really Red Mantis gear) was because he rolled a nat 1 on either an Appraise or a Sense Motive check.  The Reckoner's player was very pleased he could unload the stuff that no one in Korvosa wanted to buy.  I know some players find it frustrating to deal with complications like that, but I really think it helps establish the setting's verisimilitude.  

Everyone online always rants about "never split the party", but I'm personally perfectly happy when it happens.  Indeed, sometimes it helps the group accomplish much more than they could together.  I just try to make sure I switch back and forth between players quickly.

The Harrower's appearance in this session was a big one, and the whole sequence with the caravan was homebrewed.  I always tried to come up with a different and surprising way for her to appear.  In this session, she relates the history of pre-Thassilon Varisia, the coming of the Runelords, Earthfall, the events of Rise of the Runelords, and the stakes for the whole region if Ileosa is not deposed.  I was pretty proud of myself for writing all of that exposition in a pretty concise fashion.  Hopefully it helped to tie some things together for the players.  I did the Harrow readings differently in this session.  I experimented with lots of different ways to do them, from a full "by the book" reading to a single card reading to something in between.  Here, I was able to use the cards to foreshadow Cindermaw and Krojun, among other things.  I added the bit about her next reading being her last to add to the drama and the sense that things were starting to come to a head--I never want the players to think that the world stays in stasis while they're out adventuring.

My depiction of the Varisians drew a lot of inspiration from the Tuatha'an of the Wheel of Time.

I had done some prep just in case the group visited Janderhoff, since doing so isn't covered in the AP itself.  I was pretty happy with my portrayal of the city.  The bit with Kaptra Dorethain comes from Dwarves of Golarion, as she's an NPC who lives in Janderhoff and hires adventuring groups to search for her missing husband.  It may sound funny, but doing the research and finding bits of fitting lore to incorporate are one of my favourite things--it makes having so many resources feel worthwhile, and that I'm putting all the pieces together.  Kaptra's offer was a complete side-quest (though I didn't tell them that), and I would have had to homebrew it if they went for it.  I like dangling side quests occasionally to test the PCs' resolve to stay focused on their main mission, while also giving them the opportunity to earn extra XP and treasure (since, inevitably, they won't hit every single encounter in the AP itself).

Starfinder Bounty # 2: "Test Flight" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 

Test Flight is the second instalment of the Starfinder “Bounty” series of short adventures meant to be playable in just an hour to an hour-and-and-half.  I got to play it via play-by-post with my favourite new PC, a journalist character.  It will appeal to fans of starship drama (though not necessarily starship combat) and has a fun NPC.  It’s definitely suitable to finish in a short time window.  The sort-of “for all ages” story, such as there is, doesn’t really fit my tastes, but it’s fine.

 

SPOILERS!

 

In Test Flight, a shirren starship manufacturer named United Interfaith Engineering (nicely incorporated from the Starship Operations Manual) has developed a new Grimshaw design meant to be robust but affordable for adventurers and explorers.  The PCs are hired by one of the company’s project managers to conduct a test flight from Absalom Station to a small moon orbiting Liavara.  The project manager, a shirren named J’scib, has awesome artwork (love the suitcoat and bowtie!) and the description of his office is great fun.  I’d happily see more of him.  There’s also a fun little bit when J’scib is leading the PCs to the hangar where he asks one PC for the names of their parents or first pet, and if they answer, he mocks them for lacking the common sense not to give away valuable clues to hackers.  I appreciate the humour early in the adventure.

 

The Grimshaw basically looks like a house fly, and is unlike any Starfinder ship I’ve ever seen before.  Once in space, the PCs’ main goal is to test out its various systems.  This is done by each PC making two skill checks, but they get to choose whether to make easy (low DC) checks or hard (high DC) checks.  The harder the checks, the more “Data Points” they’ll accumulate, but each PC only gets to make two checks in total.  I liked the risk-reward mechanic here.  The checks themselves are pretty pedestrian, but a good GM might be able to add some flavour to make things more interesting.

 

The encounter in the Bounty is with a pair of adolescent voraijas (essentially, space whales).  The adventure gives PCs the option to engage in starship combat with them, or to use skill checks to lure them back to their home.  Regardless of what happens, a Xenowarden ship shows up after 4 rounds to solve the problem, which is one of those “no matter what, everything’s going to be fine and you can’t really fail” plot elements I always hate in RPGs.  Decisions without consequences are poor story design.

 

Once the PCs arrive at Liavra, they’re paid off and receive an extra reward if they’ve accumulated enough Data Points (with, oddly enough, big bonuses to Data Points if they peacefully drove off the Liavra and deductions if they killed them).  And that’s that!

 

In my very first review of a Starfinder adventure almost six years ago now, I complained about its “Space Disney” feel.  I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that that’s mostly what Starfinder is, and this Bounty definitely fits into that mould.

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Darklands Revisited" [RPG]

 I’m not saying I’m preparing to run a major new campaign that will feature a descent below Golarion’s surface, but if I were, I’d find Darkland’s Revisited very useful.  This book, a 64-page full-color softcover in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line, features a series of entries on ten different monsters that one is likely to encounter there.  Each of the six-page-long entries starts with a bit of in-game flavour text from Pathfinder Society explorer Koriah Azmeren before discussing the monster’s ecology, society, campaign role, treasure, and Golarion-specific themes.  Each entry also features a full-page stat block and artwork for a single named NPC of that race.  I particularly like the little sidebars like “Five Facts about . . .”  The monsters covered in the book are drow, duergar, gugs, intellect devourers, morlocks, munavri, neothelid, troglodytes, urdefhans, and vegepygmies.

The strong cover art is reproduced as the inside back cover sans text.  The inside front cover has a quick one-sentence summary of each of the ten monsters.  There’s also a two-page-long introduction that does pretty much the same thing but while talking more about their mythic or literary inspirations, though it also includes a paragraph on each of the three distinct layers of the Darklands (I’d suggest getting Into the Darklands for substantive overviews of them).  I’d label the interior art fairly weak.

Okay, on to the monsters!

 

·       *  The drow entry is solid.  It’s hard to see much if any difference between drow on Golarion and drow in the Forgotten Realms.  I liked the suggestions for the role they could play in different campaigns, and there’s a sidebar (and alternate racial trait) on half-drow.  The custom NPC is a mysterious drow slave-trader named The Surface Caller.  A multiclass sorcerer/swashbuckler, she could be a good hook if the PCs are trying to rescue a slave (or get captured and sold themselves).

·     

*     * I really learned a lot from the entry on duergar.  The entry emphasises their slaving culture, and makes a persuasive connection between their racial abilities and ancestral devotion to Droskar.  The Pathfinder novel Forge of Ashes is good on this topic as well, and features some of the locations discussed in this entry, like The Long Walk.  The custom NPC is a duergar warpriest named Almara Kazaar; she’s fine but doesn’t really stand out as particularly interesting.

*

·      *  Despite their amazingly scary appearance, gugs are a monster type I’ve hardly ever used and never really thought of as more than mindless killers.  The entry is really interesting, though little of it could really be discoverable or impactful on PCs encountering them.  The custom NPC is Uchurah, a gug cult leader with a couple of barbarian levels.  He’d be good as a boss figure if the GM wanted to introduce gugs.

·      * Intellect devourers fill some of the void left by the inability of Paizo to use illithids.  They’re creepy as heck, as they crawl through your mouth while you’re asleep and eat your brain!  The entry showcases an interesting extraterrestial origin for them and the original premise that they take over humanoid bodies so that they can experience emotions that are otherwise foreign to them.  A pirate captain for a custom intellect devourer NPC is a crazy idea, but it works—and that’s one pirate ship I wouldn’t want to encounter on the high seas.

·       * For morlocks, I think it’d be really interesting to play up the theme of them being the devolved remnants of destroyed civilizations.  There’s some real pathos there.  They also don’t need to necessarily be hostile, though if the GM is looking for real hordes of enemies, morlocks can come out in the hundreds and hundreds.  The custom NPC is Eudranis, a cleric of Lamashtu, and he’d work well as a boss figure.

·       * I have to confess I’ve never heard of munavris before.  They’re unique as a generally good-aligned Darklands race.  An island-dwelling culture in the Sightless Sea, munavris could be a welcome refuge for PCs lost deep underground.  They’re really interesting, and I’d certainly like to learn more about them.  The custom NPC is a psychic swashbuckler named Captain Ignisco.

·       * Neothelids make for good villainous masterminds in a campaign, deviously moving pawns around in tangled plots that the PCs have to unravel.  Gigantic worms, they spawn other creatures called seugathi that travel to the surface on bizarre, sometimes inexplicable missions—which can be great adventure hooks to lure PCs into the Darklands to discover what’s going on.  The custom NPC is Thath-Malal, a young neothelid under Tian Xia.

·        * Troglodytes stink!  The entry has good detail on them, and it’s interesting that they can be bargained with for safe passage or even hired as bodyguards in the Darklands.  Although found in all three layers of the Darklands, they apparently only have one real city (far below the Mierani forest).  The custom NPC operates on the surface, however, and has 7 levels of the hunter class.

·       * I personally think urdefhans are by far the creepiest monster in the book.  Bred from the depravity of daemonic minds, they seek out other species to end their lives in as painful a manner as possible.  The custom NPC leads a rare cult that raids surface cities.

·       * Vegepygmies (plants with humanoid-like shells) are kind of goofy in my opinion, but they do constitute useful low-danger threats for PCs venturing into the uppermost layer of the Darklands.  I think the real danger is russet mold, and the entry has a nice sidebar on its variations.  I appreciated the little reference to The Tangle in Xin-Shalast—that was something I could have integrated into a certain AP.  The custom NPC is actually a new monster variant called a “Thorny”—a type of vegepygmy hound.   

       

         And that’s the book.  Overall, it’s certainly fit for purpose for readers interested in learning more about the dangers of the deep dark.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 39 [RPG]

[Moonday, 15 Sarenith 4708 A.R. continued]

As they organise their packs for a planned departure to the Cinderlands the following morning, Goldcape proposes waking up before dawn so she has time to visit Longtail’s grave first.  In addition, Anorak wishes to do some final shopping.  Ralph replies that it’s dangerous to linger in Korvosa any longer than necessary, since it’s clear that both Red Mantis and Gray Maidens are looking for them.  For his part, Yraelzin offers no opinion, though he does test out his pack and staggers under the weight.
 
[Toilday, 16 Sarenith 4708 A.R.]
 
It’s an overcast morning as Ralph, dressed as The Reckoner, climbs to the roof of his safehouse and speaks to Majenko.  The house drake does as requested, and makes the flight over Eodred’s Walk, returning with news that Gray Maidens are still keeping the area under surveillance.  The group discuss what to do, and decide that it should be safe for Anorak to enter the markets alone since he’s only been involved with one battle against them, and it ended almost immediately in a ball of fire!  Using Rocky for transportation, they drop him off a few streets away and he finds that Phaeton Skoda at Hedge Wizardry has a good selection of spells for copying.  Meanwhile, the others fly over to the Temple of Pharasma.  There, Goldcape arranges for Longtail’s name to be added to the Temple’s records and for a headstone to be built.  She’s then led to the numbered plaque denoting the grave of what is no longer an unnamed vanara, and leaves flowers.
 
Once everyone is back together, the Harrowed Heroes set off, leaving a troubled city behind in the hopes that a solution can be found elsewhere.  Flying on the back of a juvenile roc is far from comfortable, as the wind is biting and the constant need to hold onto straps to avoid a deadly fall is stressful.  But, it’s definitely faster than walking! Mile after mile passes by as Rocky flies over the Korovosan hinterlands—farms, ranches, and open country.  Goldcape suggest following the road from Korvosa to Harse to ease navigation—a good plan in theory, but then she accidentally ends up following a side track for several miles!

Just as she and The Reckoner realise the mistake, they spot a curious sight below: a wagon half-on and half-off the track, its horses dead, and no passengers to be seen.  The Reckoner shouts for Rocky to circle the scene, and even from a height of fifty feet, the masked vigilante notices multiple pairs of feet poking out from under the wagon.  He motions to Goldcape that they should land and investigate.  The experienced adventurers are ready for anything as they land several yards away and dismount.  They can tell immediately that it’s not corpses laying under the wagon—or rather, it is corpses—animated ones of the type that can only be undead!  From the wicked nails, dangling tongues, and hairless flesh, the undead are immediately recognised as ghouls.  Goldcape quickly nocks an arrow to her new magical bow and lets fly, destroying one immediately.  Yraelzin continues a long-running argument about who is the better marksman, as he wounds another with his underwater crossbow.  But the priest of Razmir makes a mistake by getting close enough that another ghoul can leap out and bite him in the shoulder!  Fortunately, The Reckoner is there to smash the monster into fragments of bone and flesh, and Yraelzin suffers no further injury.  A search of the wagon turns up the household goods—furniture, clothing, dried food—of a family that, most likely, was probably fleeing Korvosa’s plague and took a fatal wrong turn.

Once back in the air, Goldcape has Rocky backtrack until the turn-off to the main road is found.  More miles pass by until Rocky begins to flag and the decision is made to camp for the night.  Despite the wrong turn, the group have reached the outlying ranches and farms of Harse in just one day!  But then events take a shocking turn.  As they’re sitting down to dinner, a trio of hippogriffs appear in the sky, heading west.  Concerned they could carry Gray Maidens or other agents of the Queen, Goldcape and The Reckoner race over to Rocky and give chase.  Once the roc takes to the air, two things become immediately clear: the hippogriffs are much faster than Rocky, and they bear no riders at all.  

Nonetheless, The Reckoner suspect they might be carrying a message about them to Harse, and nocks an arrow.  Goldcape is aghast at the thought of killing such an innocent, majestic creature, and tries to spoil The Reckoner’s aim by having Rocky veer suddenly.  But The Reckoner’s arrows fly true, and he manages to bring down one of the hippogriffs as the other two speed away. 
 
Goldcape is angry and appalled, and has Rocky land near the campsite.  The Reckoner trudges the several hundred feet away to where the hippogriff crashed, and searches its body for a scroll case or hidden capsule—but there isn’t one.  Meanwhile, Goldcape persuades Yraelzin to give her a pouch full of coins and then hops back onto Rocky and takes to the air—southeast, toward Korvosa!  Yraelzin explains that Goldcape intends to buy a magical scroll to bring the hippogriff back to life.
 
As the sun begins to set on the Harrowed Heroes first day of travel, internal dissension is having an effect.  Can the Harrowed Heroes find the cooperation necessary to succeed, or will Queen Ileosa’s reign continue unchallenged?

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GM's Commentary

This was a travel session that started well and ended badly.

The wrong turn wasn't really a big deal, but I do enforce the "Getting Lost" rules from the Core Rulebook because they provide some additional value to the Survival skill (and occasionally, how long it takes to get someplace matters).

The wagon with the ghouls was actually just a random encounter, though the players at the time were worried it was remains of the Soldado family (who had fled Trail's End for Magnimar).  That'd be pretty dark even for me!

The hippogriffs were also a random encounter.  I rolled on the table, it told me hippogriffs, and I couldn't think of any particular encounter set-up for them, so I had just had a few of them flying high up in the sky in a randomly-rolled direction.  I assumed the players would just shrug and keep going on their way, but in gaming, you just never know what can happen!  The Reckoner's player suspected them of delivering messages on behalf of the Queen, and attacked and killed one!  This led to a heated real-life argument between The Reckoner's player and Goldcape's player that forced me to call the session to an early end.  Unfortunately, it would be a harbinger of inter-group difficulties that would recur frequently throughout Chapter Four.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 38 [RPG]

[Sunday, 14 Sarenith 4708 A.R. continued]
 
With the corpse of an accuser devil on their hands and no clue who or what it was working for, the Harrowed Heroes decide to get rid of the evidence.  Mounted on Rocky, Goldcape dumps it in the river.
 
[Moonday, 15 Sarenith 4708 A.R. continued]
 
In the morning, members of the group begin a final day of preparations before a planned departure to the Cinderlands the following day.  The Reckoner tells Majenko that he’ll be leaving Korvosa temporarily, and Majenko replies with valuable intelligence: the Gray Maidens have started training on the disbanded Sable Company’s hippogriffs.  In time, the skies above the city may no longer be safe. 
 
For now, however, Rocky provides the group with an unmatched aerial advantage.  They put this advantage to good use, scouting the shops of Eodred’s Walk and the nearby Gold Market from the air.  They spot several Gray Maidens lying in wait on rooftops, their full plate armor gleaming in the sunlight.  Goldcape has Rocky set down on a distant rooftop to avoid the ambush.  She uses a magical ring to disguise herself, lends her magical hat to Anorak so he can disguise himself, and Ralph Blackfeather makes himself look like a common day-laborer.  Yraelzin, however, would rather remain completely out of sight and decides to stay with Rocky on the rooftop while the others split up to go about their errands.

Goldcape makes a quick stop at Old Lady Cloggins’ house to retrieve some gold coins stored there and then makes her way back to Eodred’s Square.  There, she buys a magical robe covered in patches, each of which can be removed and turned into a real object! In addition, Goldcape finds a magical scroll that will allow her to turn Rocky into a hand-sized stone miniature and back again.  The vanara then decides she would be less conspicuous in the city if she weren’t always travelling by roc, so she flies Rocky across to East Shore to the city’s horse market.  She asks if there are any horses for sale that have been on the market for a long time, and is told of Nipper, a fast stallion that has the unfortunate tendency to bite anyone who gets too close.  But upon examining the horse (and speaking with it through magic!), Goldcape realises part of the reason for its foul disposition is a cracked hoof and an infected wound on its leg.  Once she applies some healing ointment and has the hoof re-shod, Nipper no longer seems so unfriendly—at least to her.  Goldcape sends Rocky to fly back to Yraelzin on his own and leads Nipper across High Bridge.  There’s a tense moment where it looks like the detachment of Gray Maidens on the bridge might recognise her, but they let her through.

At the same time, Anorak purchases several new magical scrolls and material components from Hedge Wizardry, nearly exhausting his funds.  Ralph enters as well and (after revealing to Phaeton who he is) learns the man’s cousin is doing well.  As Anorak continues shopping, Ralph does a favour for Goldcape and looks into the circumstances of her boyfriend’s death a year previously.  Goldcape knows only that Longtail, a professional acrobat, was seen being murdered in an alley behind Kendall Amphitheater by men working for Gaedren Lamm.  Ralph starts at a tavern called Bard’s End which is right across the street from the playhouse.  Posing as a collector of ghost and horror stories, Ralph chats with the bartender and an old regular and learns that Longtail was murdered by Lamm’s enforcers because he refused to help them steal the performing company’s take after a show.  Longtail’s body, it turns out, was picked up by a city street-sweeper’s cart and thought to be an animal carcass.  Ralph follows the trail all the way to the Gray District, where he learns that the body of an unidentified vanara was buried in a numbered pauper’s grave at about the same time that Longtail went missing.  In lieu of a donation, the mirthless Pharasmin who helped Ralph find the grave asks him to reflect on how best to spend the dwindling number of days ahead of him.

Having spent the better part of the afternoon on the task, Ralph realises his new armor should finally be ready at the Stalwart Shield in Northpoint.  He changes into his alter ego as The Reckoner just before entering.  Only one of the three brothers who run the shop (a man in his mid-forties named Kriskin) is present, and he confirms that the armor is ready and is in the back.  But he seems strangely nervous.  Just before disappearing into the backroom to get the armor, he motions The Reckoner towards the front door with his eyes.  The Reckoner takes the hint and starts making for the exit.  But before he’s completely out of the door, four figures emerge from the rear of the armorer: Red Mantis assassins!  Immediately, all four begin a strangely entrancing series of gestures and movements meant to lull their prey into a completely befuddled state before slitting his throat.  But The Reckoner is as strong mentally as he is physically, and resists the assassins’ hypnotic power.  Three then rush him, while a fourth races out the back door to come around from the front and cut off The Reckoner’s retreat.  Despite the fact that he’s outnumbered, taken by surprise, and wearing a temporary, ill-fitting suit of armor, the assassins are no match for him!  One by one, they fall to his enchanted earthbreaker.

After the battle, Kriskin steps out warily and apologises profusely, explaining that he had no choice—his brothers were tied up in back, and the assassins said they’d kill him if he didn’t take part in the ambush.  The Reckoner absolves him of any shame, and eagerly collects his new armor: a heavily-enchanted masterwork that has been given sapience and a devotion to protect Korvosa!  Given the nickname “Plate”, The Reckoner’s intelligent armor is fully supportive of his master’s endeavours but seems a bit of a know-it-all. 

After meeting at Old Lady Cloggins’ house, where everyone is treated to tea and biscuits, the Harrowed Heroes make their goodbyes and return to The Reckoner’s safe-house in Old Korvosa (with Nipper having been left in Old Lady Cloggins’ care).  During the journey there on Rocky’s back, they see some hippogriffs lift off from the parapets of Castle Korvosa, but the Gray Maiden riders are unskilled and rapidly left behind.  Once back in the safe-house, Ralph tells Goldcape what he’s learned about Longtail, and they agree that when they get back from the Cinderlands, they can arrange for a proper headstone.  Ralph also explains to Plate that, in order to defend Korvosa, they need to leave the city.

Having completed their preparations for the journey, there’s no longer anything standing in the way of the Harrowed Heroes departure from Korvosa.  But even if they succeed on their mission in the Cinderlands, what will the city be like when they return?

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GM Commentary

From one perspective this is a classic "shopping session", as the PCs get everything ready for their departure to the Cinderlands.  As the GM, I could secretly enjoy the fact that they all assumed it would be a quick "go there, talk to this guy, come back" errand--they had no idea they'd spend weeks (both in game and in real life) journeying through the Cinderlands on a quest that would take the entirety of Chapter Four to complete.

The stuff with Nipper was a bit of improv fun.  I think I rolled on a random table somewhere to figure out the horse's quirks (a biter) and then took it from there.

This session sees the first use of carry companion scrolls by Goldcape, which proved very useful when having a roc around would be too ostentatious or would cause a spell like teleportation to exceed the number of creatures in the party.

We also get the first appearance of Plate, a suit of intelligent armor.  In future campaigns, I don't think I'd allow PCs to craft or purchase intelligent items--they're surprisingly cheap, distort the action economy of the game, and force me to role-play yet another NPC.  I do like Plate's personality (at least when I remember to portray it, which unfortunately isn't as often as I should!).

It was very sweet of The Reckoner to use his skills to investigate the death of Goldcape's boyfriend (the backstory event that tied into Goldcape's campaign trait).  I don't know what prompted The Reckoner to do it, but it provided some nice closure even if I had to think fast to flesh out some of the details.

Pathfinder: "Plot Twist Cards: Flashbacks" [RPG]

Pathfinder's deck of Plot Twist Cards: Flashbacks add a potentially interesting aspect to gameplay.  The concept is that at the beginning of the campaign and every time a PC levels up, their player gets one of these cards.  Each card has artwork, a title theme, four examples of that theme, and then an effect in mechanical game terms.  For example, under artwork of a scary spider, the "Phobia" card lists "An ally refuses to follow", "Fear overrides judgment", "They say this place is haunted", and "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!".  The mechanical effect is that a shaken target becomes frightened and a frightened target becomes panicked.  The idea is that the cards allow players to suggest an in-game event or development in the spirit of the card's theme to provide a little wrinkle in the storytelling--for example, with the "Phobia" card, perhaps a knight's squire refuses to budge when directed to follow him into a darkened forest.  In the alternative, players can use the fixed mechanical effect in an encounter to gain an advantage.  

The way the Flashbacks deck varies from standard Plot Twist Cards deck is that the player making the suggestion (or using the bonus) has to justify what they want to happen in terms of the character's past--such as the squire having barely escaped that same forest after a terrifying ordeal with a werewolf.  That justification then becomes a permanent part of the character's backstory, and something the player and GM can use to develop the character further and give them even more personality.  Importantly, the effects of the cards are always up to the GM's discretion, and they can alter player suggestions to better fit the adventure.

I really like the idea of the cards.  However, I used the deck in a couple of chapters of Curse of the Crimson Throne and had disappointing results--I don't think the players really understood the concept, and they tended to forget they had the cards altogether.  Still, I might try again in a future campaign after giving a better explanation of why they could be fun and better flesh out PCs and NPCs alike.