Starfinder Flip-Mat: "Crashed Starship" [RPG]

Man, this ship crashed hard! The Crashed Starship flip-mat for Starfinder features the exterior of a starship that didn't just crash, a big chunk broke off and the rest is buried in the ground almost up to its thrusters.  The crash site design is great, with plenty of debris, some nice artistic rendering of the strained metal exterior, and the giant pile of dirt that's been kicked up.  The other side is the interior of the crashed ship, full of buckled walls, smashed equipment, and torn circuitry.  I like that there's an intriguing little underground tunnel leading away from the ship--did survivors tunnel out, or did something burrow in?  I got to play in an encounter recently on the mat, and it worked well.  A fun idea, well-executed.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 48 [RPG]

[Toilday, 30 Sarenith 4708 A.R. continued]

After finding the bodies of several slain Moon Maidens and hearing Ahalak’s prediction that the Cinderlander will strike at dawn, the Harrowed Heroes decide to continue travelling through the evening, determined to keep the Boneslayers safe.  With just days until the full moon, the seemingly-barren landscape of the Cinderlands is illuminated to reveal a hidden world of nocturnal activity: redback rattlesnakes, scrub rats, mottled lizards, and more.  Amidst the dry, straggly weeds that grow in patches here and there, short bushes with crimson leaves and more of the bottle-shaped “flask trees” dot the landscape.  And in every direction, strange rock formations, ridges, and deep canyons make travel a difficult, time-consuming affair even with the aid of experienced guides.  After covering almost ten miles, the visitors from the south decide to camp just after midnight, anxious about what the morning will bring.

[Wealday, 1 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

Before even the first rays of the sun are visible over the horizon, every member of the group is on their feet, fully-dressed, and ready for battle.  The Reckoner uses multiple wands and his allies use their innate magical powers to cast a dizzying array of abjurations.  But when dawn finally does come, minute after minute passes with no sign of the Cinderlander.  Goldcape uses her nature magic to speak with a snake, and the reptile confirms it hasn’t seen another “two-legged” in the immediate area.  Ahalak looks simultaneously abashed and relieved that his ominous prediction proved wrong.

Deciding to wait out the day’s heat and catch up on some much-needed rest, the Korvosans ask Hargiv to lead them to a place where they can find some shade.  The experienced survivalist finds a nearby rock formation that offers just what the group is looking for.  But just after mid-day, when the sun is at its hottest, rest is interrupted by the appearance of six-legged, bug-like monsters the size of oxen burrowing out of the ground!  One of the monsters bites Goldcape, and its greenish ichor sizzles in the wound like acid!  Anorak tries to leap to her defense, but slips and falls face-first in the dirt.  Two of the Boneslayers get involved in the fight and crush the monster with their earthbreakers before Anorak gathers himself and stuns another with a magical spray of color.  On the far side of the rock formation, The Reckoner easily holds his own against two more of the creatures.  The battle is over almost as quickly as it started, with only minor injuries from what the Boneslayers call “ankhegs.”

Once the sun begins to set and the harsh landscape of the Cinderlands begins to cool somewhat, the group set off again.  The Reckoner asks Hargev about trying to track the Cinderlander, but the Shoanti offers a rueful laugh—none can track the Cinderlander, for is he not a vengeful spirit that glides over the land?  Goldcape flies off with Rocky to look around and returns a little after midnight at about the same time the travellers reach their destination: the House of the Moon!  The silver stone shrine stands atop a low promontory in the foothills.  Although the surrounding rock has been smoothed by ages of wind, the shrine itself somehow remains unweathered, and its entire surface shimmers in the moonlight.  Two side towers attach to the central spire which rises to a height of at least a hundred feet before being capped by a glowing silvery sphere.  Even from a distance, the House of the Moon is a spectacle to behold amidst the stark desolation of the Cinderlands.

 

But before the visitors can approach, their path is blocked by a group of six Moon Maidens emerging from the shadows of nearby rock formations.  The leader, a woman named Tekrakai, demands to know why tshamek would dare approach a site sacred to the Lyrune-Quah.  When told that the visitors are seeking a Truthspeaker, Tekrakai confirms that Truthspeaker Akram is expected at the House of the Moon along with many of her tribe in just a few short days, when the moon is full—but that dangers from within and without may make that impossible.  She explains that a deadly, territorial beast has claimed the shrine as its lair, and that several Moon Maidens have died trying to drive it off.  And perhaps even worse, the Cinderlander has been in the area, hunting those making the yearly pilgrimage to the shrine.

Anorak earns Tekrakai’s trust by recounting the discovery of the bodies of her slain kin and turning over the trophies they wore.  The Reckoner offers his help in slaying the beast in the shrine, explaining that he and his allies are powerful warriors—something the Boneslayers confirm before formally turning their wards over to the Lyrune-Quah.  Tekrakai offers puzzlement as to why all the foreigners but one (Yraelzin) wears the mask of an insect, and The Reckoner explains they are also battle trophies earned by slaying cunning assassins.  Tekrakai is clearly in no position to turn down such sorely-needed assistance, and agrees to a combined assault—one that will begin immediately!

 

Through magical means, The Reckoner turns completely invisible and approaches ahead of the others, planning to launch a surprise attack.  The entrance to the House of the Moon, a thirty-foot-tall archway, is framed by carvings of the long peacock-like tail feathers of an immense star monarch butterfly.  Through it, The Reckoner sees a large gathering hall decorated with religious symbols and imagery, including a massive starknife made of white stone measuring twenty feet from tip to tip!  Resting in the back of the hall is a massive red beast with a stooped-over back, six beady eyes, and tiny wings.  But The Reckoner’s plan of a sneak attack go awry when the head of his war-maul accidentally bangs on the doorframe, alerting the beast to the presence of danger!  The beast rears up and unleashes a terrifying roar that seems to shake the very foundations of the shrine.  Anorak responds instantly, conjuring a huge fireball in the chamber that burns the beast and blackens the white-stone starknife.  The Reckoner rushes in and the Moon Maidens soon follow, surrounding the beast.  Goldcape conjures ice spears that somehow thrust out from the solid stone floor, impaling the beast and flipping it over onto its back!  The stunned beast gets to its feet and tries to bite The Reckoner to stave off more devastating hammer blows, but the clever warrior has prepared by using a wand to conjure illusory duplicates.  When Goldcape calls forth yet more magical ice spears, the beast is slain.  “We are invincible!” shouts Yraelzin, exulting in a victory that was almost bloodless on the attackers’ side.

Tekrakai and her band are overjoyed that the House of the Moon can be readied for the coming assembly, and quickly forgive an apologetic Anorak for the scorching of the chamber.  Talk turns to how to stop the Cinderlander.  Tekrakai says her people are nomadic and could come from any direction, so it’s not feasible to provide escorts to all of them.  Yraelzin continues his newfound penchant for relying on the Harrow, and has Goldcape draw a card; when the vanara draws The Fiend, pictured as a giant devouring worm, Yraelzin interprets it to mean that if the group seek out Cindermaw, they’ll encounter the Cinderlander as well.  But The Reckoner is dismissive of Yraelzin’s skill at Harrowing, and asks Tekrakai if she has any ideas.  She speculates that if a Moon Maiden travelled alone, posing as a messenger, that could lure the Cinderlander out of hiding and perhaps into an ambush—but such an idea would be extremely dangerous.  Goldcape says it sounds too dangerous, and the group should just wait for Akram or go find Cindermaw.

 

Although flush with a victory that will surely improve their standing in the eyes of the Shoanti, the Harrowed Heroes continue to have difficult choices to make.

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

GM Commentary

I did a much better job in these recaps describing the unique flora and fauna of the Cinderlands than I did in sessions.  I always find it difficult in-session to remember to describe vegetation and wildlife, or to do so in a way that makes it interesting instead of something that's just met with a shrug.  It's a good reminder that all GMs, no matter how long they've been running games, have strengths and weaknesses.

I don't remember exactly why the Cinderlander didn't strike, but my guess is he observed the *extensive* magical preparations the group went through and decided to bide his time for a better opportunity.  He's not stupid, after all, and fighting a fully-buffed group of alert adventurers would have been a losing proposition.

The Reckoner rolled a natural 1 on his Stealth check trying to sneak into the House of the Moon, which led to some great drama.  Occasions like this are why I keep natural 1s as automatic failures for skill checks as a house rule--they make things interesting!  (The Reckoner's player responded by investing in special abilities so he could Take 10 with particular skills even during combat, which I think is a fair trade-off)

The Red Reaver was defeated handily.  At this point, the group was clearly more than a match even for the toughest opponents in the Cinderlands, and really only struggled when it came to surviving the climate!

Starfinder: "Spell Cards" [RPG]

I'm not usually a fan of player-oriented card decks (like item cards) because I find them cumbersome to use and usually incomplete.  Thus, I only got the Starfinder Spell Cards box because I subscribe to the entire line.  However, playing through the Liberation of Locus-1 recently, I pulled out the box as an experiment and was pleasantly surprised.  Characters in Starfinder have a lot fewer spells to worry about than their Pathfinder equivalents, and it was easy for me and another player to quickly assemble a full spell deck.  From there, flipping through our personal decks was much faster than looking up the spells in the Core Rulebook (something I'm pretty good at!).  

Every spell in the Core Rulebook is in the deck, with longer spells getting the double-sided treatment and shorter cards having the same graphic on the back.  The cards are numbered alphabetically and contain all the information that is in the book, so they can be a complete substitute.  The only complaints I can make sort of come with the territory: if multiple players have the same spell, you'd need multiple box sets; for spells outside the Core Rulebook, you'd need to have the supplementary deck; and if the box gets tipped over, it can be a pain to get a bazillion cards back in order (something that happened to us just the other night).  Overall though, I'm happy with the product and will likely keep using it.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-14: "Down the Verdant Path" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Down the Verdant Path at high subtier with my completely-randomly-generated multiclass gnome Jilla.  I had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being the perfect scenario for her.  It's a cleverly-written, memorable scenario that really makes the most of a part of the Golarion setting we don't often get to interact with.  I'd certainly recommend it.

SPOILERS!

Down the Verdant Path has a pretty cool backstory, though I have to admit I don't think I got any of it during actual gameplay (it's likely it was there and I just wasn't paying attention).  The gist is that decades ago, a flamboyant First World gnome sorcerer named Azure was punished by one of the Eldest for trying to steal some of the plane's treasures.  The punishment took the form of draining Azure of color and exiling him to Golarion, where he would presumably die from the Bleaching.  However, Azure didn't give up, and instead quested to find a way back to the First World and finally (recently) discovered a portal from the Verduran Forest in northern Andoran.  Azure can feel the palette bag (containing the colors stripped from him) just on the other side of the portal, but knows it's guarded by members of the Wild Hunt--a band of legendary fey hunters.  So Azure has decided to wait, hoping that with a little luck a band of adventurers would come by and be willing to assist.  And as a fey, Azure's luck is pretty good!

The PCs get involved when the Pathfinder Society hears reports of strange weather patterns coming from that area of the forest.  Venture-Captain Brackett sends them via boat to the town of Bellis to meet a local (retired) agent, a gnome herbalist named Falbin.  When they arrive, the PCs find Falbin arguing with a stately woman (secretly a janni) named Jamila.  Both Falbin and Jamila are NPCs who appeared in previous PFS scenarios; I remember Jamila way back from # 0-3, Murder on the Silken Caravan!  (and there are some good additional bits for PCs who have the relevant Chronicle sheets)  Anyway, Falbin and Jamila plan to accompany the PCs to the site of the bizarre weather disturbances.  On the way, the two speculate about what's causing it.  Falbin thinks it's a problematic group of local druids, while Jamila thinks it's a planar rift.  The fun part is that the PCs can wager on which theory they think is most likely (betting gold pieces against minor magical consumables), and gather clues (through skill checks) to support their side.  It's a novel idea and good for some early role-playing.

Just two miles south of Bellis, the weather and landscape suddenly turn freezing cold and studded with junglelike growth.  Soon after entering the unnatural area, the group encounters a father-and-son pair of giant intelligent frogs.  This was a really fun encounter, as (assuming someone like Jamila casts speak with animals) the frogs have hilarious banter as the father tries to persuade the son that humans are a "healthy snack option".  It's really cute, and the sort of slightly skewed theme of the First World in the scenario starts to become really apparent.

After another mile's travel through increasingly tropical conditions, the group arrive at an abandoned elven settlement called Deepstead.  There, they meet the completely hue-less Azure and learn (through some really well-written dialogue) about what's going on.  Jamila and Falbin plan to start working on a ritual to close the portal, while the PCs are tasked with entering and trying to bring back Azure's palette bag.  To enter the portal, a PC has to give up something meaningful to them--my PC sacrificed her rolling pin.  Once in the portal, a skill we don't see come up often in Pathfinder Society games becomes important: Swim!  The PCs are instantly immersed in freezing water on the shores of a wintry forest, and the longer it takes them to get out of it, the more nonlethal damage they'll be taking (and the longer it'll take them to join the encounter that's about to start).  

As the PCs get to shore, they'll be peppered with arrows from the first member of the Wild Hunt, a vanara ranger sitting on a tree branch about ten feet off the ground.  This encounter was a good one, as traditional melee combat wasn't an option and I don't think any of us PCs had much in the way of ranged attacks.

The area of the First World the PCs find themselves in is called Whirlwood, and it features incredibly rapidly-changing seasons: from round to round!  The seasons have different effects in combat, and were another memorable way of making it clear that the PCs were far from the Inner Sea.  Soon the group will find an area of the Whirlwood called Heartgrove, where they can see a dozen or more bindle bags hanging high up on tree branches.  One of them must be Azure's palette bag, but which?  To make things harder, there's a nasty plant monster guarding the trees (that, at high subtier, release some hallucinogenic spores that really messed up our group).  And then to make things worse, the other four members of the Wild Hunt arrive!  It's all fun and games until it's a near TPK, and this encounter nearly got there.  And in an ironic twist, anyone trying to run away from the Heartgrove simply enters it from another direction: it's a fey realm, after all!  (there's a trick to getting out that the PCs might learn during the encounter)  The good news is that the members of the Wild Hunt argue and bicker amongst themselves, and there's a fair chance they'll spend time fighting each other as well as the PCs.  I imagine that with the changing seasons and multiple NPCs, this is a challenging encounter for the GM to run.

Assuming they survive the battle, the PCs can retrieve Azure's palette bag and return to the frozen lake to take the portal back to Golarion.  They'll find their sacrificed item comes back to them, but with a randomly-rolled twist; for example, Jilla's rolling pin now cries like a baby when left alone!  The epilogue features a meeting with Ashasar, leader of the new Concordance faction, who tries to recruit the PCs (as does Jamila).  

I thought Down the Verdant Path was a blast.  It definitely had a fey-themed flavour, which I imagine is a hard writing challenge.  The encounters were maybe a touch more difficult than I would like, but I guess by Season 9 most PCs were pretty pumped-up combat wise.  I definitely have some fun memories of the game, and Jilla's crying rolling pin won't ever let me forget it . . .