tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65914649702211282132024-02-28T18:44:55.597-05:00Jhaeman's DetritusA Blog About Random Stuff from My Cranium: Torchwood, Buffy, Comics, Role-Playing Games, and More . . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-31219553970705521252024-02-27T00:47:00.003-05:002024-02-27T00:47:58.366-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 66 [RPG]<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">[Wealday, 29
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the
supernatural gloom caused by the uncanny black tower that looms over them, The
Reckoner and Goldcape talk about what to do next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner’s sapient armor, <i>Plate</i>,
says they have to intervene to save Korvosa from living in permanent
shadow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape is more reluctant, but
is persuaded that the danger to the city warrants the tower being investigated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She earns the concession that they’ll enter
in the morning so everyone will be at full strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oddly enough, during the conversation, Anorak
has been completely silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the
invisibility he cast on himself during the vescavor swarm attack finally wears
off a dozen minutes later, the others see his eyes are vacant!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could his mind or soul have been drained away
when, as “owner” of the box, he destroyed it by placing it in the <i>bag of
holding</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The others drag Anorak to
safety and then, at <i>Plate’s</i> suggestion, heap piles of rubble in front of
the tower’s lone door to make sure nothing else emerges.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But as the improvised
barricade is being assembled, it seems the presence of a massive black tower
suddenly arising in Trail’s End hasn’t gone unnoticed by those across the
river!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four Gray Maidens, mounted on
hippogriffs, are streaking tower the tower from Castle Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eager for a fight, The Reckoner uses an array
of wands to prepare himself, while Goldcape conjures an ettin out of pure
magical energy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the Gray Maidens
get close enough, Goldcape starts summoning bolts of lightning, knocking one of
the riders and her mounts into a spiral they can’t recover from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other Gray Maidens circle the tower once
and then fly back toward the city at top-speed, obviously having been briefed
that a direct confrontation with the Harrowed Heroes is sure to end in utter
defeat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once the Maidens
have fled the scene, Goldcape buries the slain hippogriff while The Reckoner
recovers its rider’s weapons and armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the few remaining Varisians in Trail’s End, a farrier named
Giorgio, gathers the courage to emerge from hiding to ask what’s going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape speaks with him and shares what she
knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the two agree that Queen
Ileosa may see the tower as a challenge to her reign and that its mere presence
poses a threat to Trail’s End, Giorgio agrees with Goldcape’s advice that the
remaining residents of the little community should leave for their own
safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giorgio says his people know the
ways of the road and will be gone at first light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape gives Giorgio a letter to show to
Jasan Aldern in Harse if they need a temporary place to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In full knowledge
that, come morning, she and The Reckoner will enter the tower and perhaps never
come back, Goldcape leaves a note for Anorak explaining what happened and flies
quickly on Rocky to drop off Blackjack’s costume at the safehouse (along with
instructions to Sergeant Clenkins to forward the trunk to Vencarlo Orisini if
she never returns for it).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[Oathday, 30
Erastus 4708 A.R.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the morning, as
The Reckoner and Goldcape are getting ready for the ominous task ahead,
Goldcape receives a mental message from Yraelzin: “I’m with the Brotherhood of
Bone at the skull-topped tower on the shores of the crater lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laori is endlessly entertaining!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape tells The Reckoner the Brotherhood
of Bone are a small sect of the faith of Zon-Kuthon (the god of pain and
shadows) opposed to Kazavon, and must be the allies The Harrower told her about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She adds that one of them will betray the
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But The Reckoner is more
interested in the present than the future, and only nods as he goes to
investigate the only entrance to the black stone spire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tall door is located in an odd-shaped
recess and emblazoned with a bas-relief of people having their skin and muscle
torn out of their bodies by unknown forces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Reckoner’s keen eyes discern faintly glowing magical runes around
the edges of the door—a magical trap!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
neither of the pair are trained in trap removal, they try a variety of things
to discharge it harmlessly, but none work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, Goldcape hits on the clever idea of conjuring the magical
simulacram of a mite—a small, three-foot-tall, blue-faced fey, and instructing
it to touch the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the mite does
so, an incredibly powerful surge of foul necromantic energy completely drains
the life from the creature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
runes no longer glow, indicating the trap is in abeyance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI_wKKWGypABea2YOIWlrO9mzK_ZRE4GC-nJsq7bBPp1MWoZolLFWXO2eStr6WCUbYnaihuzKXLeA-iHajN2tF6TRATdt_70_i81Jqyfb2gadjjrbmFmGjnYBe4TsSyKxBO-D63xQXRdyfRrsv0DVle_i1uRqgRmjVfCfJ2Y4StN1RdtWqefsyfsxIR0/s930/nightshade,%20nightwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="930" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI_wKKWGypABea2YOIWlrO9mzK_ZRE4GC-nJsq7bBPp1MWoZolLFWXO2eStr6WCUbYnaihuzKXLeA-iHajN2tF6TRATdt_70_i81Jqyfb2gadjjrbmFmGjnYBe4TsSyKxBO-D63xQXRdyfRrsv0DVle_i1uRqgRmjVfCfJ2Y4StN1RdtWqefsyfsxIR0/s320/nightshade,%20nightwing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Reckoner pushes the heavy stone door inwards to reveal a vaguely
diamond-shaped room with ceilings almost thirty feet high. The dark stone walls seem to absorb light, as
do two triangular pools filled with what looks like roiling ink. In the center of the room stands a waist-high
pedestal that has a round platform mounted on it; the platform has a sharp,
needle-like projection pointing to one of four arcane symbols along the
edges. Before The Reckoner can venture
far to explore, an enormous, bat-like creature shaped from utter darkness
descends from the ceiling to attack!
With one bite, The Reckoner feels the chill of the grave and notices
some of his defensive magics vanish. But
his heavily-enchanted silver battle-maul leaves deep sizzling wounds on the
creature as it rages in the guttural Infernal tongue, “Trapped! Return
Home! Mortimont!” In seconds, the creature lies dead at The
Reckoner’s feet.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSeVyl3S5q_1jf9sYSHtcQY2-JM50XPQS4j7YmXAl8P3ObwNP1QcuZFxQenrXjzEvDX4_LUHNWGo04OSrZz-2v_MuvrC-cSi3ireGZQ2xub2CSbxVU3L5EnFH_n9T8ZpGmdR8ND_-N189yo4u8w9DYhwJVAQ3lmtGJw831iMtqzRyGrE_w9YUk3wzpRw/s1000/banshee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSeVyl3S5q_1jf9sYSHtcQY2-JM50XPQS4j7YmXAl8P3ObwNP1QcuZFxQenrXjzEvDX4_LUHNWGo04OSrZz-2v_MuvrC-cSi3ireGZQ2xub2CSbxVU3L5EnFH_n9T8ZpGmdR8ND_-N189yo4u8w9DYhwJVAQ3lmtGJw831iMtqzRyGrE_w9YUk3wzpRw/s320/banshee.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When it’s safe,
Goldcape joins The Reckoner in the interior of the tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She can discern the pools of liquid and the
pedestal mechanism are magical, but not how they function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The four symbols, however, are apparently
planar sigils—one for the Material Plane (where the platform is pointing), one
for the Ethereal Plane, one for the Abyss, and one for the Plane of
Shadow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Empty squares indicate that
perhaps other sigils could be added.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Reckoner surmises that this entire tower could travel between planes!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">One door stands closed across the oddly-shaped chamber. Goldcape stays back some distance as The
Reckoner carefully opens it to reveal a small chamber filled with obsidian
chests etched with words in exotic tongues.
At first glance, the room seems safe, but seconds later a ghostly
presence emerges from the very walls of the tower, its face and clenched
fingers delivering a silent message of utter rage. Then, the silence is broken by an unearthly
wail of heartbreaking tragedy. The
Reckoner claps his forearms to his ears, staggering from the overwhelming assault
to his senses, but he remains standing.
Fortunately, the potentially-fatal sound has ebbed by the time it
reaches Goldcape and Rocky. But The
Reckoner’s reliable battle-maul proves far less effective against this new
threat. The banshee plunges a ghostly
hand into his chest to squeeze his heart!
He collapses, dead, until Goldcape uses her most powerful magic to get
his heart beating again! And with a cry,
she sends Rocky to swoop in and help The Reckoner battle the insubstantial
menace. With an enchanted talon, Rocky
adds to the damage The Reckoner has already inflicted and tears away the last
wisps of semi-corporeal substance that formed the undead being. It slowly dissipates.<br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I would be dead
without you! That was a close-run thing!” says The Reckoner in gratitude to
Goldcape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He uses a wand to heal his
wounds further, and then the two investigate the obsidian chests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the two of them, they can only
discern the words on one of the chests—written in Infernal, it says
“Blasphemous”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner decides to
open one of the other chests, and finds a morningstar, a longbow, and a
longsword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the other three chests
are opened, they reveal similar contents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Goldcape can discern that all the weapons are magical, and that one of
the chests contains a <i>holy </i>weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Concerned that the others could be evil or cursed, Goldcape conjures
another mite to place them all in a canvas bag for safekeeping.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Tower of
Passage has been explored, with near fatal results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now a new question arises: what should be
done with it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>---------------------<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>GM Commentary</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I think I may have adapted some of the layout and foes in the tower from one of the optional side quest adventures for <i>Curse of the Crimson Throne</i> presented in the Pathfinder comics. I added all the material about the plane-shifting ability of the tower.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Anorak's player was absent this session, which is why the character was incapacitated. (I always try to come up with semi-plausible reasons a PC can't participate)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">It was a good thing they detected (and cleverly discharged with a summoned creature) the trap on the door; it was a CL13 <i>harm</i> spell, and 130 hit points of damage could ruin someone's day!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The first foe in the tower was a nightwing nightshade, while the second was a banshee. Both are pretty nasty foes, especially given the PCs' levels and number. Goldcape used <i>heroic recovery</i> to keep The Reckoner from becoming "dead dead"! The rewards in the chest were pretty sweet, and I think the <i>holy</i> weapons were used until the very end of the campaign.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-80229048821240832882024-02-25T22:40:00.002-05:002024-02-25T22:41:05.835-05:00Starfinder Module: "Skitter Warp" [RPG]<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYV8pMgO_RUhe_gzp3BvCDyVvJo7pB820a6bBKcgnk8r8OwMyCgWpGC5rm3-rPe4ed8ebtanOge5_7JFM5q2EgcwX8X6oNsHlxygnO4JVTzlX6HCsFKU0hh-2I6WSyEtIVQd2craGiJx3CCW9fGMRAIVHhjtAPgcuAjfrIFjojwOXNrb-9quCk8GddEw/s233/skitter%20warp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYV8pMgO_RUhe_gzp3BvCDyVvJo7pB820a6bBKcgnk8r8OwMyCgWpGC5rm3-rPe4ed8ebtanOge5_7JFM5q2EgcwX8X6oNsHlxygnO4JVTzlX6HCsFKU0hh-2I6WSyEtIVQd2craGiJx3CCW9fGMRAIVHhjtAPgcuAjfrIFjojwOXNrb-9quCk8GddEw/s1600/skitter%20warp.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div> NO SPOILERS<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Skitter Warp</i></b> was Paizo’s Free RPG Day 2022
release for Starfinder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It continues
featuring the skittermander crew of the salvage vessel <i>Clutch</i>, with
pre-gen PCs at Level 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran it live
tabletop for my son’s birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
adventure features some excellent artwork, the return of some familiar settings
and NPCs from previous Free RPG Day offerings, and solid writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s actually a lot packed in it, which
means (depending on how much role-playing occurs) a group might be harried to
complete it in a normal 4-5 hour slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you liked the previous adventures in the serious, you’ll like <b><i>Skitter
Warp</i></b> too.<br /><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">SPOILERS!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In some ways, <b><i>Skitter Warp</i></b> is a sequel to <i>Skitter
Crash</i>, as it’s also set on the osharu planet of Varkulon 4 and features a
return of the Helix Lyceum and NPCs like Ponatia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, it’s also a tie-in to the
“Drift Crisis” event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an interesting
twist, one of the normal group of Skittermanders—Nako—isn’t a playable PC, and
is instead replaced by his namesake Nakonechkin (their vesk boss).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we’ll see, the reason for the swap is a
fun one that might be a good surprise to the players.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Part 1 (“Into the Danger Zone”) starts with a little
freeform role-playing, as each PC is aboard the <i>Clutch</i> and gets a chance
to describe the fun little memento they picked up from Varkulon 4 during their
latest salvage job (Nako is still planetside helping to gather the last of
it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then it’s right into the
action, as the Drift Crash strikes, hurtling the planet and the orbiting <i>Clutch</i>
into a strange miasma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Drift Crash
threatens to become a literal starship crash, and the PCs have to make some
skill checks to keep their ship aloft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If they fail too many of the checks, their ship will have reduced
shields for another threat posed by the miasma: a type of ghost ship called a
derelict shade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a cool foe for a
starship combat, but again Paizo doesn’t have the courage of its convictions
and even if the good guys lose, all it means is the PCs take some damage to
stamina points (which they can promptly regain with a 10-minute rest and the
trivial expenditure of a resolve point).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having played Starfinder since its beginning, I really do think one of
its weaknesses is a demonstrated reluctance to let genuinely bad things happen
to PCs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, after the battle, the
PCs get a transmission from Headmaster Kiodea at the Helix Lyceum request an urgent
visit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Part 2 (“Golden Siege”) has the <i>Clutch</i> descending to
the surface of Varkulon 4 and its crew realising that the effect of the strange
cosmic storm has been radical!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Planar
energy has surged randomly throughout, changing the landscape, building, and
even inhabitants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area around the
Helix Lyceum was struck by good-aligned planar energy, and its residents have
become quasi-angelic beings!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
those in some of the surrounding areas were struck by infernal or umbral energy
and altered accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon landing,
the PCs have to fight off an “infernal nilothera” (a good call back to <i>Skitter
Crash</i> where they fought a normal one) before meeting with Headteacher
Kiodea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explains that the
city-university has received a threatening transmission, and plays it for the
group: on screen is Ponatia, but his head now bears curled ram’s horns and his
face is twisted with rage as he vows “vengeance” on the Lyceum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hundreds of wrath-filled foes soon surround
it, and the PCs are tasked with three missions to aid in its defence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can do the missions in any order, with
the one they choose to do last altered to be a little bit harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One mission involves escorting civilians to
safety past some corrupted umbral-infused osharus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked how stealth (instead of combat) was a
legitimate option for success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
mission, fortifying the Lyceum’s defenses, is purely skills based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A third mission is a straight-up fight
against some undead (bone trooper) osharus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once the missions are over, Headteacher Kiodea say he may have a true
solution to the problem: he’s identified the precise source of the planar
contamination, and if the PCs douse it with a mystical cleansing oil, the
corruption should abate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Part 3 (“Spring of Evil”) has the PCs travelling to the
source of the contamination (the Acavo River), fighting a warmonger devil and
(hopefully) avoiding a sinkhole trap before the big climax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only must they face “Evil Ponatia” (a
fiendish mystic) their friend Nako is present as well—but she’s full of hate
and immediately attacks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the
artwork they gave for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Smart PCs
will have one of the group who’s trained in Mysticism immediately attempt the
ritual to reverse the corruption, because otherwise they’ll have a knock-down
fight on their hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the
corruption is reversed, Nako and Ponatia return to normal, and the crew of the <i>Clutch</i>
can head off to another adventure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Playing these Free RPG Day adventures on my son’s birthdays
over the years has been a happy and memorable experience, and I should thank
Paizo and the author (Jason Keeley) for the opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Second Edition Starfinder in the works,
I’m not sure whether or not the crew of the <i>Clutch</i> will return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they’ve got a lot of adventuring left
in them, so I hope so!<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-30227217930537778382024-02-14T19:35:00.001-05:002024-02-14T19:35:52.658-05:00Starfinder Bounty # 6: "Songbird Rescue" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc_FGy03g9JLCm_Kn88PpsZ-ZdzLSJUb0bgGJkP6uAIrbNIl3uM1NHdkAvwZo5ZsNBMZQL_Opu3RfgzVuNpfHITm7OQVujjvgC2f2-rSvA-l1blHKFIq3hiHBgABU551deUvZpfb8IbTdZVP8yW85XDVbbbWarhsKIXN-AW4Tbfd_yTErwN9zXbDBBhk/s256/songbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="197" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc_FGy03g9JLCm_Kn88PpsZ-ZdzLSJUb0bgGJkP6uAIrbNIl3uM1NHdkAvwZo5ZsNBMZQL_Opu3RfgzVuNpfHITm7OQVujjvgC2f2-rSvA-l1blHKFIq3hiHBgABU551deUvZpfb8IbTdZVP8yW85XDVbbbWarhsKIXN-AW4Tbfd_yTErwN9zXbDBBhk/s1600/songbird.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Songbird Rescue</i></b> is the first of the Starfinder
Bounties (short, 60-90 minute adventures) that I’ve been able to play in
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really like the premise for
the story, and there’s strong artwork and clever use of one of the
flip-mats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s actually a fair
amount packed into the Bounty, including combat, traps, lots of opportunities
for skills, and some role-playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given
all this, and that it’s designed for Level 1 PCs, it would make an excellent adventure
to introduce new players to Starfinder.<br /><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">SPOILERS!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of dead or
forgotten gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing to think
that there could be a time when a god has thousands or even millions of
followers, but that over time, cultural shifts, and new religions, worship in
that god could dwindle to the point where few if anyone remembers them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s not unrealistic, as plenty of
examples can be found in the real world (there’s a memorable H.R. Mencken quote
about it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that leads into why I
find the premise behind <b><i>Songbird Rescue</i></b> really interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bulk of the adventure is set on Yashu-Indiri,
an airless moon around Bretheda, that is littered with shrines to dead and
forgotten deities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An android named
Sharaphine is part of an order of mystics that maintain some of the shrines
when she suffers a terrible accident when one collapses on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After spending three days digging herself
out, she finds herself emerging at the base of a shrine to Zyphus, the god of
accidental death, disasters, and tragedy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Epiphany strikes, and Sharaphine finds a new patron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immediately, she engineers “accidents” to
kill the others in her order and then hatches an even crazier plan: she
assembles a device (a “calamitter”) to foul the navigational landing systems of
ships approaching Yashu-Indiri to create “accidental” crashes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a pretty cool backstory to the
adventure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Bounty starts with the PCs aboard Songbird Station (a
performance venue/school/temple to Shelyn) in the Diaspora.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, they’re hired by a kobold cleric of
Shelyn named Kivi to set out on a rescue mission to Yashu-Indiri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that a Shelynite named Nairon
Shalorrh piloted her shuttle on her usual bimonthly visit to the moon, sent out
a transmission when she was approaching it, and then hasn’t been heard from
since!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PCs are given a
rainbow-coloured vessel named <i>Vivacity</i> and promised a couple of hundreds
of credits each when they return.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sharaphine’s “calamitter” wreaks havoc on the <i>Vivacity</i>’s
nav systems as it approaches Yashu-Indiri, forcing a crash landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This takes the form of a multi-round skill
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good GM can make this
pretty exciting, even if the worst consequences (failing every round of the
challenge) is only a couple of dice of damage and the fatigued condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Then again, at Level 1, that could be a big
impact).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After surviving the crash, the PCs find their way to Kivi’s
nearby shuttle—a scene perfectly presented by the <i>Crashed Starship</i> flip-mat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here they encounter Sharaphine and her posse
of anacite wingbots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The artwork for
Sharaphine is excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
(presumably) defeating her, the PCs can begin excavating the shuttle, and that’s
where they may meet the most dangerous thing in the Bounty: an electrical trap
that could do 3d6 damage—it’s not likely to actually kill any PCs (Resolve
Points in Starfinder make that practically impossible), but it could certainly
knock one out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The missing cleric, Kivi,
is badly hurt but still alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PCs
need to tread carefully here, as skill check mishaps here could very well kill
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is where there’s a chance for
some role-playing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Having hopefully rescued Kivi, the PCs need to locate the “calamitter”
and disable it before repairing their ship and setting off back to Songbird Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This only takes a couple of skill checks
(that can be repeated without failure), so shouldn’t be too hard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can’t think of anything to complain about with <b><i>Songbird
Rescue</i></b>—so that must mean it’s pretty good!<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-37787005868204941112024-02-12T19:14:00.000-05:002024-02-12T19:14:31.981-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 65 [RPG]<p> <span style="font-family: inherit;">[Wealday, 29
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For Ralph
Blackfeather and Anorak, dawn brings not just a new day but the sound of
screams! Changing quickly into his guise
as The Reckoner, Ralph has <i>Plate </i>make
him invisible as he investigates. A
woman on the street is obviously the source of the screams, but she’s unable to
do anything but point in the direction of the house across the street from The
Reckoner’s safehouse. Inside, a body has
been torn to shreds, blood is everywhere, and the place has been thoroughly
ransacked. Anorak follows The Reckoner
inside, and they realise they’re looking at the work of xills! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both come to the
immediate conclusion that the xills must still be after the mysterious box
given to Anorak by the unnerving “baker” Mortimont. The Reckoner wonders aloud how the xill could
have tracked the box, as his safehouse has robust protections against
divination spells. He says keeping it in
the safehouse is too dangerous, even if the xill can only sense its approximate
location, and that they should get rid of it by taking it somewhere with <i>windwalk</i>. Anorak’s mind turns in a more devious
direction, as he suggests putting it somewhere they wouldn’t mind the xill
attacking—like Castle Korvosa! But The
Reckoner says that could make things worse if Ileosa got her hands on it. The two discuss why a passage to the Ethereal
Plane could be so valuable (if that is indeed what the box contains), but
neither knows enough about the Ethereal Plane to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once back outside,
the two see that neighbours have come out from nearby buildings—seemingly
wanting to help, but scared now that there’s little in the way of law
enforcement in Korvosa. The Reckoner
offers his condolences and some money to help the woman who found the body, and
Anorak tries to gently ask her some questions, but she’s in too much shock to
be of any help.</span></span><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two return to the safehouse, where Anorak begins memorising spells
for the day ahead and The Reckoner doffs his guise to become Ralph Blackfeather
once again. Ralph walks to the Burnt
Honey Inn, just down the street, and, over breakfast, tells Goldcape what just
happened. She says they have to get rid
of the box, and suggests putting it in a bag of holding and filling the bag up
with rocks until it explodes. As they’re
talking, the magical silver raven she sent to Harse recently returns with a
message: “Our shared friend thought it safer for me not to know where he was
going. But he promised to be ready when the time comes.” Goldcape is not satisfied with the answer—she
wants to know where Vencarlo is. She
asks Ralph if he could arrange a meeting with Kroft to find out, but Ralph
explains about the Black Ship and how difficult it is to reach. Goldcape tries to send Kroft a note using the
silver raven, but the raven soon returns, having been unable to deliver the
message.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anorak soon
arrives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three spend the morning
trying to find a map of the Hold of Belkzen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, they try Bookmaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
squeakily-voiced proprietor, Costa Serimus, explains that he doesn’t have a
map, but he does have a rare scholarly work on the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape is allowed to look at the index, and
sees there’s even an entry for Scarwall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The problem is that the book is quite costly—almost a thousand gold
pieces!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape and Anorak argue about
whether the dwarf should contribute to buying the book (since the vanara didn’t
contribute to purchasing the magical contract to bind their dandasuka spy),
until Goldcape has had enough and buys the book herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still without a map of the area, the trio
reluctantly walk south to Eodred’s Walk and enter Basha’s, a small map shop
whose proprietor Ralph believes is selling fraudulent “treasure maps.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he raises this suspicion with Basha, the
cranky old man is (or feigns to be) outraged, and refuses to sell anything to
the group until Ralph promises not to spread the “scurrilous rumor” any
further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basha claims to have a map of
the Hold of Belkzen (“made by a Pathfinder!”), and, although Ralph is dubious
of its provenance, the group ends up buying it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As they’re in the
shop, Goldcape receives a sudden mental message from Yraelzin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How close are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of orcs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Made deal with Kuthites—we’re ready to go in when you arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re an interesting bunch!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape sends as long a response as the spell
allows: “Leaving soon, bringing maps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where are you? We <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">windwalk</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where meet? What Kuthites? Anorak don’t want
deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrive soon.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trio discuss their travel plans, and
settle on leaving tomorrow from Trail’s End and starting with a teleport to
Janderhoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Complications ensue
regarding the power of Anorak’s magic to take only a limited number of
creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Rocky, Anorak’s new
familiar, and The Reckoner’s horse are factored in, the spell simply won’t
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The solution seems to be to ferry
everyone to Janderhoff (and beyond) by Anorak casting the spell multiple times,
which will leave him dangerously low on his most powerful types of magic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The trio split up
and spend the afternoon making their final preparations for departure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner returns to Old Korvosa, finds
Xoza, explains that he’ll be gone for several weeks, and tells the spy to spend
some time investigating Trifaccia, some time on learning Glorio’s plans and
weaknesses, and, if time allows, more about the Commander of the Gray
Maidens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape makes arrangements
with Sergeant Clenkins to continue training the members of her resistance cell;
Clenkins promises the troops will be ready when called upon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak visits The Reckoner’s safehouse,
collects the mysterious box and The Reckoner’s horse, and magically travels to
Trail’s End.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon, Goldcape and The
Reckoner are there as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
largely-Varisian village is now nearly empty, with most of the residents having
departed for more promising destinations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s late afternoon when Anorak explains to the others that he thinks
the best way to keep the box from being detected by the xill is to place it
within a magical <i>bag of holding</i>. Acknowledging it could be dangerous (since
the box itself could contain an extradimensional pocket), he says he could do
it himself, out of range of the others or any civilians. The snag is that Anorak doesn’t want to use
his <i>own </i>magical bag, deeming it too
valuable. Instead, he wants to use
Goldcape’s magical bag which is less-powerfully enchanted and cheaper to
replace if something goes wrong.
Goldcape initially refuses, but Anorak promises that if the box destroys
the bag, he’ll lend her his own magical bag and pay for the full cost of
replacing her original one. Goldcape
eventually, and reluctantly, goes along with the plan, and removes everything
from her magical bag. Anorak then
removes everything he’s wearing (except his armor), chains himself to a stout
tree, has the others move to a safe distance, and places the mysterious box in
Goldcape’s magical bag.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-csvD8WxiH7zQCUhaG3q1Zjy5BIOK8kK1NzzKKZWmIFJyhg3948NY2awhFB1gLoimCQRsk1JY8jXRvsiXexdyQn4zrCeDInh_UkD6JLF3qUJZrK68Zv6Y_bK9nFI5Q_cGYM7QUAIx4Qne0wxc3BTPlnd2WVULk4fHt3l1H0QUeQqC__NiQkvlm9bc0VY/s633/vescavor%20swarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="499" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-csvD8WxiH7zQCUhaG3q1Zjy5BIOK8kK1NzzKKZWmIFJyhg3948NY2awhFB1gLoimCQRsk1JY8jXRvsiXexdyQn4zrCeDInh_UkD6JLF3qUJZrK68Zv6Y_bK9nFI5Q_cGYM7QUAIx4Qne0wxc3BTPlnd2WVULk4fHt3l1H0QUeQqC__NiQkvlm9bc0VY/s320/vescavor%20swarm.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The results are immediate, and cataclysmic. The bag and the box seem to implode, and in
their place stands a massive tower of purest black marble! The tower somehow casts an uncanny shadow a
full mile’s radius around it. But of
more immediate danger are the hordes of gibbering, toothy insects that pour
forth, straight for Anorak! They swarm
all over the dwarf, somehow chewing holes even in his mithral armor, before Goldcape
recognises what they are and how to stop them.
The vanara calls upon her mastery of nature magic to send several
freezing spears of ice at the creatures, freezing them in their tracks. Apart from his damaged armor, Anorak is
largely unharmed. Goldcape raises a
curious question after recognising the insects as daemonic swarms from the
Abyss—what would creatures from such a place be doing in a tower said to be
linked to the Ethereal Plane?<br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answers may lie
past the heavy stone door located in an odd-shaped recess in the exterior of
the tower. But at what further cost will
those answers come?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--------------------------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GM Commentary</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a lot of fun with Basha and his map shop. There's only a line or two in the <i>Guide to Korvosa</i> about him, but I took the reference to treasure maps and really hammed up the premise that he sold dubious and outright-forged work. He was a memorable NPC, and makes some return appearances during Chapter Six.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I've often mentioned, the story continues even if the PCs dawdle. Having Yraelzin make an off-screen deal with the Brotherhood of Bone is part of this idea, and we'll soon see the group's reaction when they finally arrive in Scarwall.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That journey was fated to take longer because the PCs had a panoply of mounts, animal companions, and familiars with them. I always enforce the limits of magic carefully, as it helps players see that the larger their ranks become, the more complications can ensue. (In other words, getting a new familiar or a guard dog might seem cool, but if it means the group can't <i>teleport</i> or <i>wind walk</i> somewhere, the trade-offs become apparent)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Long before the campaign started, I had entertained my son with the tale of the players in <i>Rise of the Runelords</i> stuffing a <i>bag of holding</i> full of thousands and thousands of silver coins (from a dragon's hoard) until they exceeded its weight limitation and it exploded, swallowing up a good deal of the party's stored treasure! Thus, he was very aware of the dangers of magical bags and very reluctant to let Anorak use Goldcape's bag for his experiment. As was unfortunately too often the case, the adults in the group automatically thought their ideas were better than the kid's, and was often the case, they were wrong. Opening the box normally would have conjured the tower (which provided a passage to the Ethereal Plane, which is why the xill were set on having it) and then closing the box would have vanished the tower. But placing the extradimensionally-linked box into the <i>bag of holding</i> resulted in the destruction of both the box and the bag, with the tower now permanently fixed in Trail's End! To this day, if players in any of my campaigns go to Korvosa, they'll see the mile-wide supernatural shadow cast by a strange black tower just outside the city . . .</span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-69279251773310490852024-02-07T20:08:00.001-05:002024-02-07T20:08:09.808-05:00Starfinder One-Shot # 3: "System Takedown"<p> NO SPOILERS</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mXFVm4cgYkNQQUkKZFpflG4s_iYeQ_rEaL2IudigoeclxmxioJ7QNv7TepsoADPcBp8HUdRC78FOzvaaIp2mdtCMf8uotWaND5bcNjqWDj238wh1zZ2EgfjdlGixjbIvT_5CCMyFIxyMFf01-Gd0vmHnied60tW_KdCUSyR1axn8dWahfNjEnNnorI4/s255/system%20takedown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="197" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mXFVm4cgYkNQQUkKZFpflG4s_iYeQ_rEaL2IudigoeclxmxioJ7QNv7TepsoADPcBp8HUdRC78FOzvaaIp2mdtCMf8uotWaND5bcNjqWDj238wh1zZ2EgfjdlGixjbIvT_5CCMyFIxyMFf01-Gd0vmHnied60tW_KdCUSyR1axn8dWahfNjEnNnorI4/s1600/system%20takedown.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><b><i>System Takedown </i></b>is the third of the “Starfinder
One-Shot” series of short adventures designed to be ran in a single
session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although sanctioned for
Starfinder Society play, the one-shots come with pre-gen characters and the
story doesn’t involve the Starfinder Society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ran <b><i>System Takedown</i></b> live for my kid’s birthday and
thought it was a solid adventure with a couple of really fun elements. The Level
5 pre-gens have nice artwork and connections to the other party members to draw
upon for role-playing, though I do find the earlier style of Iconic character
sheets (with brief descriptions of how their class abilities, feats, and
equipment work) much more useful in actual gameplay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think the listed playtime of 3-4 hours
is probably optimistic, though of course, every group is different.<br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">SPOILERS!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>System Takedown</i></b> is set on the pahtra homeworld
of Pulonis, known to the occupying Veskarium empire as Vesk-6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PCs take on the role of rebels on a
mission to bring down a corrupt and particularly brutal Veskarium regional
consul named Shethris Nazriar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
they’ve obtained evidence of his numerous crimes, the rebels know that anything
they put on the planetary infosphere will be quickly scrubbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, the only way to get it out is to
infiltrate a military communications facility in a remote jungle and use its
emergency planetary broadcast system to send it directly to everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, it’s a bit of a combination
of Han Solo’s mission on Endor to capture the remote shield generator facility in
<i>Return of the Jedi </i>and the crew’s mission to broadcast the Alliance’s
crimes in <i>Serenity</i> (Can’t Stop the Signal!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a fun twist, the entire mission is being
live-streamed by the resistance and the GM is given scripted comments from the
stream’s “audience” to share at particular points in the story; the PCs get
minor bonuses if they follow the (randomly determined) suggestions of the
audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t do a great job with
it, and it might be an idea that actually works better over a virtual tabletop
or play-by-post, but I really liked the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The adventure starts with the PCs approaching the outpost
through the jungle and having to figure out a way to get inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The approach is guarded by roving patrols of
Vesk guards and automated defence turrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A patient group can study the defences and learn the overlapping routes
of the guards and area of coverage of the defence turrets, and sneak through
the gaps to reach the entrance door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or,
they can do what my players did, and just attack!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, once at the door, there’s a
challenging hack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another nice
addition, the PCs on the ground are supported by a remote communications/computer
specialist who can aid with advice or even hacking (though it takes
longer).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, it’s a detailed and well
put together encounter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The interior of the base consists of seven rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s the usual fight against robot guards (first
“Incapacitator Robots” and later the much more common observer-class security
robots), a trap (spinning force blades), a non-hostile NPC for a bit of
role-playing, and an (optional based on time) fight against a shadow
mastiff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main encounter has a good
premise: in the communications room, the PCs face an entire system shutdown and
have to quickly achieve a certain number of Computers checks in a set timeframe
while simultaneously battling the robots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m a big fan of time-sensitive encounters that combine combat and
non-combat challenges and force the party to make strategic (and sometimes
hard) decisions on where to focus their efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another fun addition, Consul Nazriar has
learned of the group’s intrusion and sends them mocking messages throughout
their time in the facility (though the messages get more and more panicked as
the PCs make progress).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The climax is great and foreshadowed well through the “livestream
chat”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having realised his career is
over, Consul Nazriar steals a freaking mech and tromps down to the base to
confront the PCs as they emerge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
Huge-sized mech is a memorable boss fight, and Nazriar is given enough of a
personality that there’s plenty to work with in terms of threatening
banter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite its threatening appearance,
the mech actually isn’t that tough, but it does have some cinematic abilities
like firing volleys of missiles or grabbing creatures and hurling them into the
air.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The epilogue is written well: the rebels still have a long
way to go, but have improved things in one area of the planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m also happy the PCs got to <i>be</i>
rebels, after some of those Starfinder Society adventures where the PCs are expected
to take the Veskarium’s side!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, I
thought <b><i>System Takedown</i></b> was a well-written adventure and would provide
a good experience to new and experience players alike.<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-2513137687715794802024-02-06T19:34:00.000-05:002024-02-06T19:34:15.579-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 64 [RPG]<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Moonday, 27
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This summer has
proven to be a rainy, windy one in Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ralph and Goldcape brave the elements to talk to Xoza, their dandasuka
spy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Xoza says he asked around about
Trifaccia, as requested, and heard there was a (probably staged) altercation in
the Shingles the night before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
little gnome-like rakshasa says working as a double agent is a lot more fun
than watching Anorak craft all day, and that he wishes “that dwarf” would do
something really exciting like open the mysterious box!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralph asks Xoza how he’s been getting across
to the main part of the city from Endrin’s Isle since the only bridge is
blockaded, a question that’s answered by the dandasuka transforming into a
gillman (and then back) with a snap of his fingers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Xoza is sent to see if he can find out
anything else about Trifaccia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goldcape and Ralph
decide to visit Hedge Wizardry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralph,
as The Reckoner, uses his usual trick of having <i>Plate</i> turn them invisible and then quickly
scaling the barrier on the lone bridge out of Old Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape, however, first tries flying Rocky
on a long circuitous route to come into the city from the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sees the massive statue of Queen Ileosa
built on Jeggare Isle, and notices that, perhaps oddly, it’s facing about 285
degrees to the northwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sight of a
few Gray Maidens guarding the southern gate and walls of Korvosa lead the
vanara to believe that it’d be too risky to come into the city from that
direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She makes the long circuitous
trip back to Trail’s End, leaves Rocky with one of the ever-dwindling Varisians
there, and then swims across the Jeggare, using her nature magic to draw upon
the mystical aspect of the frog!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
Goldcape and (a disguised) Ralph finally meet up, several hours have passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape purchases several magical scrolls
from Phaeton that will allow her to turn Rocky into a handheld statue and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Goldcape’s suggestion, the two then hurry
to the University of Korvosa in the hopes of doing some research, but find,
with it operating under summer hours, the Jeggare Library has already closed
for the day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Trying to make the
most of their remaining time in the city as they wait for Anorak to finish his
days-long magical ritual, the pair decide to see if they can talk with Grau
Soldado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ascending to the Shingles, they
find a community celebrating its freedom—no Gray Maiden patrol has dared set
foot in the sprawling rooftop shantytown for days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner discreetly asks if anyone knows
the whereabouts of the “Burned Man”, and ends up talking to the aptly named
“Skeevy Jay.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skeevy Jay, knowing The
Reckoner’s reputation for keeping his promises (and utter fearlessness when it
comes to fighting the Gray Maidens guarding the bridges and gates around the
city), asks the vigilante if he could arrange safe passage out of Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skeevy Jay is frank that he and his pals
(“Hal Five-Coins” and “Mr. Forget-Me-Not”) have been stealing from nobles and
are on the run from the Cerulean Society for “unauthorised theft.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner replies that he’ll think about
it, but first he wants to meet with the Burned Man.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the sun sets,
Grau makes an appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
completely-changed man from the drunken sad-sack he was when they first met
him, Grau’s grim, battle-scarred demeanour has earned him a place as leader of
the resistance in the Shingles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He talks
with Goldcape and The Reckoner about Trifaccia, acknowledging that the new
vigilante is likely a fake working for the Queen—but that his deceptions have
been effective in stirring up discontent against the rebels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked to throw his support behind Kroft,
Grau is dismissive, saying the former leader of the Korvosan Guard is too
cautious and careful—people are dying in the streets!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He compliments his visitors on their raids on
High Bridge and North Bridge, saying that striking fear in the Queen’s minions
is one sure way to get them to loosen their grip on the city, just like he did
in the Shingles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grau asks again for the
Harrowed Heroes to throw their support behind him instead of Kroft, saying “Who
do you want at your side? Someone who gets the job done, or someone who looks
pretty in a skirt?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Realising that it’s
unlikely they’ll persuade Grau to join up with Kroft anytime soon, the two
steer the conversation to how dangerous Glorio Arkona is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After explaining that Glorio is really a
rakshasa, The Reckoner manages to convince Grau not to ally himself with the
aristocrat, despite whatever semblance of order he’s managed to bring to Old
Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Grau leaves, Goldcape
asks him where he got the burn scars that cover part of his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explains that in the last battle for
control of the Shingles, the Queen’s new “seneschal” teleported in, and the
bloatmage unleashed some terrible fire magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was fortunate, Grau explains, that after he was blasted off a
catwalk, he was found and hidden in the Temple of Sarenrae to recover.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Reckoner finds
Skeevy Jay and his friends, and they negotiate a price for safe passage out of
the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hal Five-Coins hints that he’d
happily throw in with “Goldcape’s Gang” over in Old Korvosa, but the vanara
flatly refuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thieves are told to
wait nearby, and The Reckoner returns to his safehouse to talk a plan over with
Anorak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dwarf says he could simply
teleport them out of the city, but they’d have to wait until tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prospect of a magical escape from the
city sounds ideal to the thieves, and they quickly agree.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Toilday, 28
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the morning,
Anorak tries to teleport the thieves to Kaer Maga, but they end up in the
workshop of a very-surprised cobbler in Janderhoff!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, no harm was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A second casting works as intended, as the
group appear in Kaer Maga in the dimly-lit, cluttered shop of esoterica run by
a vampire!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The undead proprietor doesn’t
blink as the group’s sudden arrival, and remembers Anorak perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the thieves slip away into the City of
Strangers, Anorak politely refuses an untoward proposition from the vampire and
teleports back to Korvosa in order to get back to work on his mysterious
magical ritual.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile,
Goldcape and Ralph Blackfeather spend the morning in the Jeggare Library,
finding it largely empty of students and patrons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The librarian looks extremely nervous when
Goldcape asks if the library has any blueprints of Castle Korvosa, and explains
that they were all removed some months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Ralph has a hunch she’s keeping something back, and he and Goldcape
look through the stacks just in case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There, in a collection of books on local Korvosan history, Goldcape finds
a dusty tome containing sketches of the castle’s layout!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tries to copy the sketches onto a sheet
of papyrus, but the results are nearly incomprehensible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralph suggests either stealing or hiding the
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape utters a simple spell
that reveals abjuration magic on the windows and doors of the library, leading
her to suspect that an attempt to steal a book could set off some sort of
alarm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two agree to hide the book on
an out-of-the-way shelf (“Fungi of the Mwangi Expanse”) so they can look at it
again later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they leave the library,
the idea of seeing if Bookmaker’s would have maps for sale comes to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The proprietor does indeed have some hidden
away, but only for a dear cost: 900 gold pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unable to come up with the money on the spot,
Goldcape and Ralph offer 200 gold pieces as a deposit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On a lunchtime break from his lengthy
ritual, Anorak heads down to Eodred’s Walk and sees one of the shops is a
smouldering ruin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He soon learns the
location was Trapper’s Hole, bowyer and fletcher Jope Chantsmo’s shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jope is sitting behind the wreckage, staring
despondently, his livelihood destroyed in the space of minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak is able to glean that the shop burned
sometime in the middle of the night, and was surely arson—probably from the
scattered rioting that has erupted now that the Gray Maidens have lost
day-to-day control over the city’s streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anorak tries to console Jope and offers help, but the man only mumbles
about it being time to start over elsewhere as he starts trudging toward High
Bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak finds Phaeton Skoda and
they commiserate over the tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
long after, Goldcape hears what happened and also tries to comfort Jope.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over supper in the Burnt Honey Inn, Goldcape, Ralph, and Anorak are surprised
when a small creature flies through the window and lands on Anorak’s
shoulder! Looking like a cross between a
bird and a reptile, the leathery-winged creature has needle-like teeth and a
long tail ending in a diamond-shaped vane.
Anorak’s magical ritual was to gain a familiar! But unlike <i>Plate </i>(The Reckoner’s excitable sapient armor), only Anorak can
hear what his familiar is saying. The
dwarf magus names his new friend Eldritch, and quickly learns that the little
creature has a foul mouth and homicidal tendencies! Goldcape is outraged that <i>this </i>was what the group spent days
waiting for when thousands of lives are suffering every day under Ileosa’s
reign! Everyone commits to leaving for
Scarwall the very next day.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQaxaMVbRyptX_Hn76o4EbwryTld_3qX5ktxqQg2B9ineDG3hglYK_EBKMzWYRcba0AEcvs3r1ADCzQDWKmWF5g3lA-YDyIr2FMq309_02-GOqgL6uZ-CchYUbEYA-OMDKCLXIZAcepQK65kBzVPq0rBV6tAtg_uuOEocVyKA00RHNkzVRHYsfkKzkzw/s312/Eldritch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="312" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQaxaMVbRyptX_Hn76o4EbwryTld_3qX5ktxqQg2B9ineDG3hglYK_EBKMzWYRcba0AEcvs3r1ADCzQDWKmWF5g3lA-YDyIr2FMq309_02-GOqgL6uZ-CchYUbEYA-OMDKCLXIZAcepQK65kBzVPq0rBV6tAtg_uuOEocVyKA00RHNkzVRHYsfkKzkzw/s1600/Eldritch.jpg" width="312" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That night, The Reckoner
and Blackjack (Goldcape) carry out a plan to appear together in the
Shingles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their goals are twofold:
first, to try and lure Trifaccia into attacking; second, to provide plausible
evidence to House Arkona that The Reckoner is trying to persuade Blackjack into
supporting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trifaccia never shows up,
but the residents of the Shingles are enthusiastic to see two of the city’s
greatest heroes teaming up.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">[Wealday, 29
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">In the early
morning hours, just before dawn, Ralph and Anorak awaken to screaming outside
The Reckoner’s safehouse!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">If Cressida Kroft
is correct, Ileosa’s recent reclusiveness is a sign she is planning something
big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But days have now passed since the
Harrowed Heroes originally planned to depart for Scarwall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has the delay allowed for better preparation
for the mission, or simply brought the people of Korvosa closer and closer to
utter ruin?<o:p></o:p></p>------------------------------------------</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GM Commentary</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The building of the giant Ileosa statue is foreshadowing for some really fun stuff in Chapter Six.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was happy with Grau's evolution, and how he presented a plausible alternative to Field Marshall Kroft (he could be Wolverine to her Cyclops!). The role-playing also revealed more about the Queen's new bloatmage seneschal, Togomor. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Goldcape's player was (I think justifiably) outraged that so much time had been spent (in terms of sessions and in-game days when the city is suffering) just for Anorak to get a familiar. The delay had major consequences, and I don't remember the familiar being particularly valuable. I did have some fun role-playing Eldritch and his desire to murder the other PCs.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-73170910340578056922024-01-24T23:34:00.001-05:002024-01-24T23:34:11.177-05:00Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Book of the Damned, Volume 3: Horsemen of the Apocalypse" [RPG]<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC8JyHMy10sSkb-TV8Fs5BMjUsAGGpzLgdayY7Ls-crCa03mB53Ve8MkDZqE9jO2zuj01HJmE2IXIrMoiYSx51LE5S9KVMUtC6g1gKp-tonRFjpzLHouQLzWqn3gSkj9ebts0uIidceheYZG45LlxMd8IUShfqMb83j0-LJnKRYa-307GGDsUe0q40GE/s233/PZO9239_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC8JyHMy10sSkb-TV8Fs5BMjUsAGGpzLgdayY7Ls-crCa03mB53Ve8MkDZqE9jO2zuj01HJmE2IXIrMoiYSx51LE5S9KVMUtC6g1gKp-tonRFjpzLHouQLzWqn3gSkj9ebts0uIidceheYZG45LlxMd8IUShfqMb83j0-LJnKRYa-307GGDsUe0q40GE/s1600/PZO9239_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>Todd Stewart has a well-deserved reputation as a gaming guru
when it comes to material on other planes, and his work on <b><i>Book of the
Damned, Vol 3: Horsemen of the Apocalypse</i></b> can only burnish that
reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing in this 64-page
softcover book is stellar and it makes a fitting capstone to the trilogy of
books that previously covered devils (Hell) and demons (the Abyss).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this volume, daemons (residents of
Abaddon) are the focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pathfinder’s
concept of daemons was new to me when I started playing Pathfinder a decade
ago, but I’ve slowly gotten to appreciate them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whereas devils are lawful and enjoy tempting mortals through linguistic
tricks and chicanery, and demons are classic chaotic evil “rip everything
apart!”, daemons form the souls of sinful mortals and desire to consume souls
in return—their purpose is literally to extinguish all life in the
universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Led by the Four Horsemen—War,
Famine, Pestilence, and Death—they fill an interesting niche in the Pathfinder
cosmos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still don’t have my head
around them completely, but this book certainly helps.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The cover, depicting Charon (the Horseman of Death) is
excellent and sets up the flavour of the book perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inside front cover gives a stylish
summary of the four Horsemen, while the inside back cover lists the deities,
demigods, and other powerful entities that reside in Abaddon (for each, it
includes their areas of concern, clerical domains, and favored weapon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need a cult devoted to maggots,
accidental deaths, or sewers, this is the place to come!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The art design of the book fits the theme
really well, though some of the art of particular daemons could be better.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The book starts with two pages on the “The First Daemons”
and concisely explains what sets daemons apart from devils and demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daemons seek the utter oblivion of all mortal
souls, and they consume those souls entirely!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re not after order and hierarchy (like devils) or chaos and pain
(like demons), they just want to feed and extinguish life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way, they could be the most fearsome
of all!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Chapter One (14 pages) provides a well-written overview of
Abaddon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It includes a sort of
gazetteer, with locations that beg for dark campaigns to visit like The
Menagerie, the ghastly Mere of Broken Angels, and the Oblivion Compass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chapter has two pages on each of the Four
Horsemen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing here is evocative
puts the reader in the daemonic mood instantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s a dozen great ideas on every page—but this book is definitely
not for kids!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Chapter Two (10 pages) has a good discussion of daemons in
general, frequently contrasting them with devils and demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a paragraph or so on each of the
particular types, with clear distinctions in their roles and methods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also coverage of “daemonic
harbingers” (elite, named daemons that have their own following).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Chapter Three (16 pages) has information of more direct
relevance for GMs and players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It talks
about daemon cults form but how daemon worshippers are fundamentally deluded,
because daemons never offer anything in return!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The discussion of the soul trade is very valuable (night hags have been
part of more than one adventure I’ve seen) and it even lists going rates
depending on the type of soul!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new
prestige class (Souldrinker) is introduced; it’s pretty cool, building off a
spellcaster chassis with energy drain powers to spend “soul points” to activate
special abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s then some
flavourful information on summoning daemons (easy to call but hard to
contain!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several new spells are
introduced, some of them filling needed mechanical niches when it comes to
transferring souls into soul gems, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, there are some new magic items—cool, useful, and *very* evil!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Chapter Four (20 pages) is a great bestiary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple of pages on miscellaneous
denizens of Abaddon (like divs and night hags), it goes on to feature two-page
spreads on new daemons:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>erodaemons (pose
as family or lovers to cause heartbreak), lacridaemons (their sobs lure
travellers into getting lost), obisidaemons (gargantuan genocide monsters),
phasmadaemons (fear killers), sangudaemons (blood-drainers), suspiridaemons
(suck oxygen out of the area), temerdaemons (personify accidental death), and
venedaemons (death by magic).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s
some great story hooks just from the concept of these daemons alone.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Overall, <b><i>Horsemen of the Apocaplyse</i></b> is an
excellent book, and I really can’t think of a single bad thing to say about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have any inclination to use
daemons in a game, it is worth seeking out.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-207314844063688182024-01-22T20:50:00.001-05:002024-01-22T20:50:41.213-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 63 [RPG]<p> <span style="font-family: inherit;">[Sunday, 26
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Old Korvosa,
The Reckoner and Goldcape cautiously approach Anorak’s workshop, where the
majordomo of House Arkona waits outside patiently. But much to their relief, he hasn’t come with
news that their spy in House Arkona has already been discovered, but instead
with an offer! He wants them to deliver
Blackjack—either his body, or his public proclamation that he supports House
Arkona. The majordomo adds that his
master is prepared to pay handsomely for the former, and even more handsomely
for the latter. In response to a query
from The Reckoner, the majordomo explains that Blackjack’s recent return has
riled anti-aristocratic sentiment in Old Korvosa, and that the support of the
city’s legendary “hero of the masses” would go a long way to cementing House
Arkona’s efforts to restore order to the city.
The Reckoner and Goldcape confer, and then say they’ll need time to
think about it and will return with an answer in 24 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After the
majordomo and his carriage depart, The Reckoner signals to his dandasuka spy,
Xoza, who was waiting on the rooftop of the workshop. Goldcape meets Xoza for the first time and
expresses scepticism that recruiting a double-agent was a good idea. The Reckoner asks Xoza what he’s learned so
far about Glorio Arkona and his plans for the city, but the spy reveals little
that the Harrowed Heroes don’t already know.
He says he needs more time, but The Reckoner has another task in mind
for him: hunting down the mysterious new masked vigilante, Trifaccia. Xoza’s sarcasm about the wisdom of the idea
obviously brings himself delight, and he promises to see what he can do and return
tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Afterwards, The
Reckoner and Goldcape discuss who they should support in leading the city after
Ileosa is deposed. They both agree that
it can’t be Glorio Arkona, and with Grau Soldado often rash and unpredictable, the
safest bet would be Cressida Kroft. The
Reckoner says they need to ensure that Grau ends up supporting Kroft, rather
than the two becoming rivals. The two
discuss whether they should pretend to accept Glorio’s offer by faking
Blackjack’s death, but that also seems risky.
The Reckoner suggests they simply say they tried to persuade Blackjack
to support Glorio but failed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two return to
Goldcape’s resistance cell safehouse and talk to Anorak. The dwarf wants to take the strange box the
xill have been hunting to The Reckoner’s safehouse where it will be mystically
shielded from divination magic. The
three come up with a plan for Anorak to teleport across the river while
Goldcape and The Reckoner drop Rocky off at Trail’s End and then disguise
themselves before walking across the bridge, with everyone to meet at the Burnt
Honey Inn. Anorak makes his journey with
no difficulty. When Goldcape leaves
Rocky with some friendly Varisians in Trail’s End, she notices several wagons
being loaded—it seems that (given all of the city’s unrest) most of the
travelling folk have decided to move on to greener pastures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After disguising
themselves as unremarkable Chelish residents of Korvosa, Goldcape and Ralph
Blackfeather stroll past a large patrol of Gray Maidens guarding North Bridge. But then, the unthinkable happens: Goldcape’s
tail slips free from its binding right in front of the patrol! Happy to have an excuse to bash more Gray
Maidens, The Reckoner calls on <i>Plate </i>for
magical flight and swoops back and forth over the bridge, crushing skulls left
and right. Goldcape climbs up the side
of a guardhouse and uses her nature magic to conjure swathes of nettles with
sharp thorns to weaken the foes. At first,
it seems like this battle will be another easy victory like the previous day’s
battle at High Bridge. But as the rank-and-file
Gray Maidens fight as hard as ever on the bridge, completely unaware of what is
to come, their officers quickly retreat until they’re no longer standing on
it. Then, one of them lights a long fuse
that snakes through the fracas of battle until it reaches some strategically
placed barrels. It’s a trap! A massive explosion of alchemist’s fire and
Tien firework powder rock the bridge, blasting a huge hole in the center and
sending flaming rubble high into the sky!
The Reckoner, flying over the bridge, is almost blasted out of the air
and loses a valuable magical cloak.
Goldcape faces even more danger, as she’s blasted into the turbulent
waters below. Fortunately, the vanara is
a strong-enough swimmer that she’s able to reach shore safely.</span></span><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Nearby residents
pour out of their homes at the sound of the explosion. An angry mob quickly gathers, blaming The
Reckoner and the Gray Maidens alike for the destruction. The Reckoner manages to mollify the mob
somewhat by explaining that it was the Gray Maidens and not he who destroyed
the bridge, but widespread discontent remains.
When, after changing into Ralph Blackfeather, he and Goldcape reach the
Burnt Honey Inn, they discover the battle at the bridge is all anyone is
talking about. Accusations and blame
flow freely, as do shouts favouring Glorio Arkona for bringing order to Old
Korvosa and for Blackjack having allegedly returned. Potter Minehan has a warm drink for the
battered, bruised, and soaking wet Goldcape.
Anorak is there, somewhat inebriated, and uses magic to dry her
off. The two are led upstairs by Ralph
so they can talk in his room about what happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;">Later, as darkness
falls, Goldcape waits at the inn while Ralph leads a blind-folded Anorak to his
secret safehouse. Anorak hides the
mysterious box in the rafters and then passes out, quite intoxicated. Ralph returns to the inn and tells Goldcape
that she can watch from a distance as he meets with Kroft, but that his
instructions were clear to come alone.
The two head down to the docks and there, near midnight, The Reckoner
steps onto the indicated pier as Goldcape watches from a hiding place atop a
nearby warehouse. Soon, the sounds of
gently sloshing water can be heard, and a small, weathered rowboat emerges from
the darkness. The only inhabitant is a
hooded figure who motions for The Reckoner to board. The Reckoner does so and asks several questions
before realising the figure is not only blind, but his lips have been sewn shut! The silent boatman rows out into the middle
of the river. The Reckoner feels a
moment of disorientation and notices that, somehow, a dense fog has arisen all
around them, blocking the sights and sounds of the city completely. Ahead, what is surely a derelict hulk floats
on the river, its black, rotting wood looking as if it would crumble from the
merest touch.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTzWBmcvlaNL4NGyZw7pog4XUjd0hgDYBZ1re9kL2HXrXC43mdzieLkBLVX4aq8_zAxCEHKx-FuZKlHC9JM6Q2usCRJFOykbne1Ei5t0299myjtEvqtx1lP9ueaxVSQ1FF4_-u7NyCLaXLtdwzmY8pSSgrgIePM6odFE2wlWhY6M-MSg3Rus99e3K-RU/s830/Black%20Ship.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="830" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTzWBmcvlaNL4NGyZw7pog4XUjd0hgDYBZ1re9kL2HXrXC43mdzieLkBLVX4aq8_zAxCEHKx-FuZKlHC9JM6Q2usCRJFOykbne1Ei5t0299myjtEvqtx1lP9ueaxVSQ1FF4_-u7NyCLaXLtdwzmY8pSSgrgIePM6odFE2wlWhY6M-MSg3Rus99e3K-RU/s320/Black%20Ship.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Beckoned aboard by
another mutilated figure, The Reckoner is led to a hatch leading below
decks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, in a corridor filled with
grotesque stalls offering to sell everything from zombie slaves to poisons and
illicit narcotics to a living unicorn, the vigilante realises where he is: the
Black Ship!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A legendary underground
market for the illegal, unsavoury, and just plain immoral, the Black Ship has
always eluded Korvosa’s authorities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Reckoner is led to a cabin amidships, and as he approaches the door, he can
hear the voice of Cressida Kroft shouting in anger at someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once in the room, he sees the target of
Kroft’s wroth: Boule, Grandmaster of the Cerulean Society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her diatribe, Kroft rails at Boule for having
had to spend almost two weeks in a hiding space that was supposed to be just one
night, but Boule is unapologetic, explaining that his other plans to hide her
had fallen through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bishop Keppira
d’Bear is present, and welcomes The Reckoner, while Boule immediately
admonishes him for failing to attack Deathhead Vault on time despite being
given nearly perfect intelligence on how to breach it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner growls back that no mention was
made of the “guard dog” with the poisonous breath, and the two start to argue
before Bishop d’Bear plays peacemaker by gently persuading Boule that she and
he should leave Kroft and The Reckoner to speak alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">After the two
depart, Kroft provides an update on the situation in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She says the collection of blood from
residents, ostensibly to help prepare antidotes against future plagues like blood
veil, has concluded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gray Maidens’
hold on the city is clearly slipping, and reports are that most have been
redeployed to Castle Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most
ominously, Kroft says, is that Ileosa hasn’t been seen in public since the
unveiling of her statue on Jeggare Isle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kroft says that whatever Ileosa is doing or preparing surely bodes a disaster
for the city that looms nearer with each passing day that she’s still in
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kroft asks if The Reckoner and
his allies discovered anything valuable in Deathhead Vault, and hears that
Marcus Endrin may still be alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kroft
says his release would certainly have helped the resistance, but more importantly,
they’ll need to bring Neolandus Kalepopolis back to the city when the time
comes. As the lawful seneschal of Castle Korvosa, his presence will add
legitimacy to a movement that could otherwise be labelled seditious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kroft says she’s heard word from Vencarlo
Orisini that he and Neolandus have had to flee Harse because agents of the
Queen have been asking questions in the town.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The two discuss
the situation in the city, and fears that if the Gray Maidens are retreating
back to Castle Korvosa, there will be no other forces to keep order in the
city: the Korvosan Guard and Sable Company have been disbanded, the Hellknights
returned to Citadel Vraid months ago, and so far House Arkona is only
exercising influence over Old Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Reckoner tells her that Glorio Arkona is a rakshasa, and wants to
rule Korvosa after Ileosa is dethroned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He adds that Grau may be positioning himself to lead the city as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kroft says the last thing she
wants is a civil war in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
clear that just being in the Black Ship and hearing what transactions take
place (with even worse occurring in the ship’s hold) is having a draining
effect on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she explains it’s
still the safest place for her and d’Bear for now, as it’s impossible to find
the place without being led to it by its ghastly mutilated “crew.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before departing, The Reckoner promises that
he and his allies are almost ready to depart in search of the key to stripping
Ileosa of her newfound magical invulnerability.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Once back on the
docks, The Reckoner shares what he learned from Kroft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape sends a magical silver raven to
Jasan Adriel in Harse with a message asking for information about where
Vencarlo went.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">[Moonday, 27
Erastus 4708 A.R.]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Everyone assembles
at the Burnt Honey Inn the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ralph fills Anorak in on the Black Ship and how uncomfortable Kroft must
be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three discuss the
majordomo’s offer, with Anorak (not realising Goldcape is Blackjack) wondering
why they don’t just kill the vigilante considering how much gold is being
offered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Ralph replies that having
Blackjack on their side could be important considering his legendary status in
the city.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Ralph leads Anorak
back to his safehouse so the dwarf can continue working on the ritual that has
delayed their departure for Scarwall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then, he and Goldcape visit Eodred’s Walk and see that looters have been
at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, Hedge Wizardry
remains untouched—perhaps due to its magical protections, or perhaps just plain
luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape whispers that if they
don’t hurry, they could have a new Old Korvosa on their hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After making some purchases, Ralph transforms
into The Reckoner and heads across the city to keep his appointment with the
majordomo of House Arkona, informing the man that he’ll try to speak with
Blackjack but can’t make any promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later that day, Anorak casts a spell to take him and Goldcape back to
Old Korvosa as well.<o:p></o:p></p>-------------------------------------</span></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GM Commentary</span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I forgot about the little subplot of House Arkona being interested in enlisting Blackjack's support (or at least ending his anti-aristocratic symbolism). I don't think I did a lot more with it, probably because the group soon leaves the city for Chapter Five's main journey north.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought having most of the Varisians leaving Trail's End made sense. They're a generally nomadic people, after all, and the city is in such dire straits that moving on would seem like a pretty attractive option. (I also try to keep a dynamic gaming setting--just like real life, things don't always stay the same, and the PCs aren't the only ones who change)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the description, I'm guess Goldcape got a natural 1 on that Disguise check when crossing the bridge. There are a few skills that I roll on behalf of the players behind the GM screen so they don't know how successful they are. The bridge battle was pretty exciting, especially with the explosive trap! I had figured that by this point, the Gray Maidens knew they were outclassed by the Harrowed Heroes and were willing to take some pretty elaborate efforts to kill them. The Reckoner rolled a natural 1 on his saving throw, which as per the Core Rulebook, means an item takes damage as well.</span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Black Ship is something of my own creation. I imagine it's an extradimensional place that can be accessed through the harbors of many major cities, but the means of access can change. I've had it exist near Riddleport in <i>Second Darkness, </i>the AP I'm running now. There's lots more I could say, but I have to be careful of certain readers! It has a pretty dark, creepy vibe.</span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I liked the interaction with Boule. I didn't get to do a lot with him in this campaign, but not every campaign can make full use of every NPC.</span></div><div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think the PCs are starting to see how their continual delay is harming the city (Anorak was making a magical item of some kind, I think). As I discussed in a recent post, outside of official Downtime, the "clock" keeps moving and consequences can rack up quickly if PCs delay too much.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-71580931197929634452024-01-08T21:28:00.002-05:002024-01-08T21:28:23.805-05:00Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-27: "Our Lady of Silver" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Yu44TQeSU7h0fHSUhR2FQbyOa_bOjZtCtcxqAt9NRHnXdDCF7VUzdt5SIqozgiWAPz6Ybojz4xw5KF7xuJrTiVm3GkaYhonS9UpGLB1RWKBf8FKRD_jwvsKgp8VrXiLOYAKZYCAzqXRhIFlxnTCbxD847DtXIIMR-WcuBV8ION_Jjrm0BgupFx0zFmE/s256/our%20lady%20of%20silver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="197" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Yu44TQeSU7h0fHSUhR2FQbyOa_bOjZtCtcxqAt9NRHnXdDCF7VUzdt5SIqozgiWAPz6Ybojz4xw5KF7xuJrTiVm3GkaYhonS9UpGLB1RWKBf8FKRD_jwvsKgp8VrXiLOYAKZYCAzqXRhIFlxnTCbxD847DtXIIMR-WcuBV8ION_Jjrm0BgupFx0zFmE/s1600/our%20lady%20of%20silver.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>I ran <b><i>Our Lady of Silver </i></b>at subtier 5-6 via
play-by-post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the nice things
about it, compared to most Season Zero/Season One scenarios, is that it has a
lot of role-playing opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are pretty free-form, and there are a lot of NPCs that a good GM could really
make come alive if time and circumstances permit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The combat encounters were fine (and pretty
easy for modern PCs).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rank the
overall story and use of setting lore a little above average, and I appreciated
the connection to an earlier scenario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s one twist that may appear a bit forced and that some players may
bristle at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall though, I’d rank
this one as definitely playable.<br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">SPOILERS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Our Lady of Silver</i></b> takes place in Katheer, the
massive city that serves as the capital of Qadira.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a briefing from the (hardly ever seen
in PFS again) Venture-Captain Osretia Cassomiran, the PCs are sent to a wedding
feast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The leader of the important
merchant family House of Silver (Bashir al-Mudaris) is overseeing the marriage
of his daughter (Lujine, the Lady of Silver) to a foreign scholar and
Pathfinder, Farendir Faireven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
apparently quite a coup for the young man, and for the Society as well because
al-Mudaris plans to donate several valuable relics to burnish his new
son-in-law’s reputation with the organisation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The PCs, then, are representatives of the Society at the wedding and
simultaneously guards to make sure the relics are safely delivered afterward to
Katheer’s Pathfinder Society Lodge afterward.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The scenario encourages role-playing at the wedding feast,
and introduces multiple NPCs to facilitate this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the NPCs, Al’Jahar abu-Targos, is the
nephew of the deceased Venture-Captain Targos Min-Katheer and is grateful to
the society for the return of his uncle’s remains in # 0-3, <i>Murder on the
Silken Caravan</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love little
connections like that, and the nephew returns again later in the scenario to
provide a potentially valuable service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apart from perhaps faction missions, the role-playing here doesn’t have
a set goal and is mostly free-form—so some groups and GMs may really get into
it, and others not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I love RP,
though I find it hard sometimes to figure out how much time to spend on it when
it comes to play-by-post)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course, the wedding feast doesn’t go off without a
hitch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, a rejected suitor of
Lujine, a merchant-sorcerer named Raamiz Ibn-Chadli, has hatched a revenge plan
to discredit the Pathfinder Society and, by extension, Farendir Faireven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He arranges for dervishes from the Fraternity
of the Unforgiving Flame to sneak into the wedding and let wild animals loose
(lions and elephants) to cause a distraction while they steal the gifts meant
for the Society!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the little
sidebar that was included of dramatic events that can happen during the ensuing
chaos.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I guess it’s a fait accompli that the gifts are stolen,
because the premise of the rest of the adventure is that the PCs are trying to
recover them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(though it would work just
as well if their mission was to track down who was behind the attempted
heist)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lead will take the PCs to the
Hall of Purifying Flame, the decrepit headquarters of the Fraternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The combats here are really easy, though I
actually managed to land a flaming oil trap which was fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A search of the premise uncovers Ibn-Chadli’s
role in the scheme, which naturally causes the PCs to seek him out at his
villa.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The scenario provides a fair amount of text on the villa,
but there are no maps or encounters there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, the PCs need to find their way out back to where there are
slave huts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, disguised in heavy
robes, is Qutirh the Prudent: Ibn-Chadli’s vizier and actually an Erinyes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For an encounter where the monster’s tactics
include teleportation and ranged attacks, the map here is *really* small (just
one tile from a map pack).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interrogation
of Ibn-Chadli’s slaves or papers in his library will point to the
merchant-sorcerer’s interest in the tomb of High Priest Ubaidah, and since
that’s their only lead, that’s where they’ll likely head.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, there’s a sudden turn of events when a company of
three dozen mounted warriors along with several sorcerers appear to arrest the
PCs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve been accused of murder,
theft, and grave robbing, and are to be taken into custody to defend themselves
in the Satrap’s court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a bit heavy-handed
and sort of comes out of nowhere, and it doesn’t really lead to anything
interesting as success in the ensuing role-playing opportunity is
automatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(in later seasons, writers
would get better with using skill challenges to represent situations like
this)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, it’s a bit of an
interlude that throws off the pace of the adventure without adding much to it,
apart from perhaps foreshadowing the idea that the PCs are being framed for
crimes they didn’t commit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The final encounter is at High Priest Ubaidah’s tomb outside
Katheer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ibn-Chadli has used magic to
disguise a couple of ogres as Pathfinders to help him with the grave
robbing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did have fun having large-sized
duplicates of a couple of the PCs’ tokens in the ensuring battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ibn-Chadli went down like a punk, as one
might expect when a sorcerer is forced into melee range in confined
quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Capturing or killing him
clears the PCs of any lingering suspicion, and the return of the gifts allows
the marriage festivities to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All’s well that ends well!<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-54694036689734099082024-01-02T20:17:00.001-05:002024-01-02T20:17:21.416-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 62 [RPG]<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Sunday, 26 Erastus 4708
A.R.]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamu9bu5p0MRBfRYoabC8WAhhFx1dTCG0ul2D5EgvCKwOqfG19YQOpTcGcDrYOwE2j6uAFjEBIgiJqyjRsUEI-_ydCJhAe9NCzuOZfpTTius5iw-wFmkau0wpIbrGcgMWN3a2QI3nkJOxPoUPqrevu8OcPeCJ6sClCBm3da2LG6dD4u4E1UB9FeBNFFEk/s870/Anorak%20pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="870" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamu9bu5p0MRBfRYoabC8WAhhFx1dTCG0ul2D5EgvCKwOqfG19YQOpTcGcDrYOwE2j6uAFjEBIgiJqyjRsUEI-_ydCJhAe9NCzuOZfpTTius5iw-wFmkau0wpIbrGcgMWN3a2QI3nkJOxPoUPqrevu8OcPeCJ6sClCBm3da2LG6dD4u4E1UB9FeBNFFEk/s320/Anorak%20pic.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">In the dead hours between midnight and dawn, three monstrous xill
suddenly solidify in Goldcape’s resistance safehouse. One appears on the first floor, with two more
on the second floor. Fortunately, the
vanara insists on maintenance of a constant watch on both floors of the
building, and cries of alarm ring forth quickly. Goldcape, awake herself on the first floor,
instantly sends Rocky into battle against the insectile intruder. The watchman on guard there, a former member
of the Emperor of Old Korvosa’s band of thugs, hurls handaxes into the
fray. Anorak wakes to the sound of
combat, sees a pair of the relentless xill fighting a lone guard, and quickly
realises his own vulnerability—his mithral fullplate is neatly stacked next to
his cot! Hearing more combat on the
floor above, the dwarf rushes for the stairs only to run into another xill
trying to descend. The two scuffle in
the narrow stairway as the rest of Goldcape’s band get to their feet and grab
whatever weapons are closest. The former
Korvosan Guard, still called “Sergeant” Clenkins by everyone, fells one of the
intruders while Rocky, a floor below, dispatches a second. Anorak finds himself bleeding from multiple
wounds and has had enough: “I don’t like being woken up!” he shouts as a
tremendous burst of electricity springs forth from his hands and blasts the
third xill into submission.<br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>In the aftermath
of the battle, it’s clear that Goldcape’s band acquitted themselves well
despite the surprise attack. They kept
the xill from reaching their obvious goal—“The Box of Passage” said one in the
Infernal tongue—and only one of the troops was seriously wounded. Fortunately, Goldcape’s magic was strong
enough to pull his spirit back from the brink of the Boneyard. Once the unconscious xill are bound securely,
Goldcape tells Anorak that he owes her for bringing trouble to her
doorstep. Anorak acknowledges the
point. With magic, they heal one of the
xill’s wounds just enough to bring it around so they can try to question
it. Immediately, it begins to fade away
towards the Ethereal Plane, but Clenkins reacts quickly enough and knocks out
the xill before it can escape and perhaps return with reinforcements. The group try again with a second xill, and
it only issues threats in guttural Common (“I will kill you and make more xill!”)
before also trying to escape before Rocky’s beak tears out its throat. Clenkins suggests bringing in a “specialist”
in interrogation—someone they know who is an expert at intimidating his foes
for information: The Reckoner. Goldcape
agrees. At first she plans to send a
magical silver raven with the message, but then realises she still doesn’t know
where The Reckoner’s new safehouse is.
She’s forced to resort to the pre-arranged signal of leaving an old
mattress on the wall outside and hoping he’ll spot it.<br /><br />Over in North
Point, Ralph Blackfeather wakes to what promises to be another hot day. He decides it’s time to have a frank talk
with <i>Plate </i>about their mission,
because the sentient armor has recently been acting beyond its role. Ralph explains carefully why they need to go
to Scarwall and can’t just attack Queen Ileosa immediately, how the information
he’s sharing needs to remain top secret, and how <i>Plate</i> is a trusted officer in the rebel army but needs to act on
his wearer’s command, not impetuously on his own. <i>Plate </i>is
fully persuaded, and promises to merit Ralph’s trust.<br /><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Later that morning,
Ralph has a quick conversation with Majenko to confirm that there’s been no
sign of the mysterious new vigilante, Trifaccia. As The Reckoner, he turns himself invisible
and assesses the situation on the bridge to Old Korvosa. During his surveillance, he suddenly hears a
voice in his mind—that of Bishop Keppira d’Bear: “Message received loud and
clear. Come to Slip 17 at midnight,
alone. Kroft is waiting. Don’t judge our allies.” The Reckoner decides to check in with his own
allies, and makes his move, leaping invisibly over the fortification the Gray
Maidens built to secure the bridge. Once
in the slowly-improving slums of Old Korvosa, well-patrolled by the forces of
House Arkona, The Reckoner spots the old mattress outside of Goldcape’s base
and knows he’s needed. Inside, Goldcape
explains what happened overnight. Anorak
says the box they’re after has powerful conjuration and summoning magic inside
of it, but that they still don’t really know what it does, why Mortimont was so
insistent that it not be opened, and why the xill are hunting it so
persistently.</span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">It’s fortunate that two xill remain alive, because the first one utterly
resists The Reckoner’s questions. The
second, however, is more persuadable, though making sense of its alien
viewpoint isn’t easy. It seems that the
“Box of Passage” provides access to where the xill come from (the Ethereal
Plane) and that they were sent on a clear mission: “Take Box, Destroy Box, Kill
Mortimont!” When asked who Mortimont is,
the prisoner can explain only that “Mortimont is the Maker”. Believing that the xill must operate on some
sort of hive mind like the insects they resemble, The Reckoner decides that
killing them would be the same as stamping on a bug. After the interrogation, the group discuss
what they should do with the information, but they don’t reach any firm
conclusions.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8IgU1x0TlYdmPNch3jcoHR6Z8IBpKNLHhrGoqQEdBfAKEplwEiEB-FB6PVhDGlJbL8tXHuADwUYHCBuNLdp3CGD32sxrBFBUvkCUnZMYWVzTVC52_Vc5m-vfIsxhEQX70k0rVviDja3k_7-n-lHiM-2ZQ7tUGeXnspMU-LunYeV89pq7-XQmvsetv3E/s358/Mortimont's%20Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8IgU1x0TlYdmPNch3jcoHR6Z8IBpKNLHhrGoqQEdBfAKEplwEiEB-FB6PVhDGlJbL8tXHuADwUYHCBuNLdp3CGD32sxrBFBUvkCUnZMYWVzTVC52_Vc5m-vfIsxhEQX70k0rVviDja3k_7-n-lHiM-2ZQ7tUGeXnspMU-LunYeV89pq7-XQmvsetv3E/s320/Mortimont's%20Box.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>With <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate</i>’s<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>insistence that Anorak hurry up with his ritual so that they can
get on with the job of saving Korvosa, the dwarf promises to spend the day on
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first, per Goldcape’s request,
he carves a stylized “B” on the front door to show allegiance to Blackjack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate </i>notes
that having Blackjack’s support for the rebellion would go a long way toward
rallying the people of the city, since he’s Korvosa’s greatest hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner shares with the others that
he’ll be meeting with Kroft that night but that she must have some “dodgy”
allies given d’Bear’s warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate </i>comes to The Reckoner’s defense
when Goldcape teases that perhaps it’s The Reckoner who’s dodgy.<br /><o:p><br /></o:p>Later that
morning, Goldcape leads The Reckoner down a secret trapdoor and into the sewers
underneath Old Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, she
reveals a monumental secret: Goldcape <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>the
new Blackjack!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having been chosen by the
previous Blackjack to continue his legacy, Goldcape now bears the full costume
of the legendary vigilante—including, perhaps most importantly, a magical
amulet that keeps diviners from learning her location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner is impressed, even if he
suspected it given recent events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Goldcape explains she’s revealing it to him because she could learn from
him on how to successfully maintain a costumed identity, and if anyone suspects
she’s really Blackjack, The Reckoner could aid in a deception to throw people
off the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner agrees it’s
a good strategy, and thanks Goldcape for trusting him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape asks if she should reveal her secret
to Anorak, and The Reckoner says it’s an important decision she should make
after careful thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vanara says
she’ll ponder it overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the two
ascend the ladder back up to the trapdoor, Goldcape hears a welcome voice in
her head—from Yraelzin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I made it!”
says the voice. “Are you coming? Since you guys are late, I’ve opened
negotiations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s complicated.”<br /><o:p><br /></o:p>Upstairs, Anorak
expresses concern that yet more xill may come seeking the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner says if they moved it to his
safehouse, the xill wouldn’t be able to find it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak agrees that it’s a good idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dwarf gets back to his ritual, and The
Reckoner asks Goldcape if she would like to meet their spy in House Arkona, the
dandasuka named Xoza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet when the two
walk over to Anorak’s workshop, the first creature they spot isn’t Xoza—it’s
the majordomo of House Arkona, waiting patiently outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has their spy been detected already?<br />---------------------------------------<br /><b>GM Commentary</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>I thought the xill attack on Goldcape's safehouse was a fun encounter. It was a good opportunity to put Goldcape's efforts at recruiting a rebel cell to use, and a late night attack keeps everyone on their toes! (and reminds folks why the Endurance feat's ability to sleep in armor is worthwhile) I hadn't expected the interrogation of the xill, but it was a smart way for the PCs to learn more about why they wanted the box.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Plate </i>got a lot of attention in this session. I think The Reckoner's player was worried I was going to use the intelligent armor to undermine him, when really I was just trying to give it a bit of personality because one of my pet peeves is familiars/companions/sentient items that exist purely for mechanical purposes and are otherwise forgotten about.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just a touch of Yraelzin in this one, but he's always fun to roleplay and I like how the word cap on <i>sending</i> leads to intriguingly ambiguous messages.</span></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-18186829240311443822024-01-01T19:31:00.000-05:002024-01-01T19:31:18.343-05:00What I Read (2023)<p> 62 books this year. Not my best. In my defense, those <i>Gormenghast </i>books were long and dense!</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">5 January 2023: <i>Phobos </i>by Ty Drago. “Classic-style SF mystery on a Martian moon. Solid story!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">13 January 2023: <i>A Military History of Australia</i> by Jeffrey Grey. « Ok. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">19 January 2023: <i>The Charming Man</i> by CK McDonnell. « Second Stranger Times book. Not bad. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">22 January 2023: <i>Angel: Redemption</i> by Mel Odom. “Pretty good Angel book, with villain decently hidden.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">12 February 2023: <i>Herodotus: The Histories</i> ed. Walter Blanco and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. « Norton edition of ‘Father of History’ account of Greek-Persian war. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 February 2023: <i>The Hemsworth Effect</i> by James Weir. « Not nearly as funny or cutting as I expected. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">4 March 2023: <i>The Shadow Within</i> by Jeanne Cavelos. « B5 novel, focussed on Anne Sheridan’s fate. Excellent. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">11 March 2023: <i>The Kite Runner</i> by Khaled Hosseini. « Memorable tale of Afghanistan. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">13 March 2023:<i> Feersum Endjinn </i>by Iain M. Banks. « Hard work but interesting. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 March 2023: <i>The Flight of the Eisenstein</i> by James Swallow. « Horus Heresy book. Good. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">8 April 2023: <i>Four Past Midnight</i> by Stephen King. « I still really like the Langoliers, but the others seem kinda cheesy now. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">13 April 2023: <i>We Run Tomorrow</i> by Nat Amoore. « Fantastic! A fun story of friendship that made me tear up. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">22 April 2023: <i>Dragon Skin</i> by Karen Foxlee. « Beautiful book—made me tear up. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">24 April 2023: <i>Australian Peacekeeping </i>edited by David Horner, Peter Londey, and Jean Bou. « Edited collection. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">30 April 2023: <i>Liar’s Island </i>by Tim Pratt. « Roderick and Hrym tale set in Jalmeray. Funny. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">1 May 2023: <i>The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel</i> by Nicki Greenberg. « Well-researched kid’s mystery on 1920s ocean liner. Sweet ending. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">7 May 2023: <i>Beautiful World Where are You? </i>by Sally Rooney. “All of it was great except the banal ‘have a baby and live happily ever after’ ending.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">15 May 2023: <i>The Bravest Word</i> by Kate Foster. « YA novel about childhood depression. A bit cheesy maybe, but well-intentioned. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">18 May 2023: <i>Religion and Change in Australia</i> by Adam Possamai and David Tittensor. “Sociological account, introductory and quite readable.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">18 May 2023: <i>Horsemen of the Apocalypse</i> by Todd Stewart. “Excellent overview of daemons in Pathfinder.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">30 May 2023:<i> Lucy by the Sea</i> by Elizabeth Strout. “Well-drawn protagonist, but story doesn’t really go anywhere.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">10 June 2023:<i> Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief </i>by Katrina Nannestad. “Story of a young boy adopted by a Russian army unit during WWII. Very sweet, and doesn’t whitewash the horrors of war.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">10 June 2023: <i>Pathfinder Unchained</i> by Various. “Interesting options, well-done book.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">20 June 2023: <i>The Gifts That Bind Us</i> by Caroline O’Donoghue. « Second in trilogy. Really great writing. I never know where it’s going. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">1 July 2023: <i>Crows Nest</i> by Nikki Mottram. « Murder mystery set around Toowoomba. Pretty good, and the first in a series. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">3 July 2023: <i>Sleepwalk</i> by Dan Chaon. “Really good, hard to describe novel.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">15 July 2023: <i>The Dictionary of Lost Words </i>by Pip Williams. “Excellent historical novel about women and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">20 July 2023: <i>To the Lighthouse</i> by Virginia Woolf. “Boring.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">21 July 2023: <i>Keeper of the Lost Cities</i> by Shannon Messenger. “Very much a Harry Potter bandwagon; second half is better.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">21 July 2023: <i>Wolf Girl 9 </i>by Anh Do. “Okay.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">21 July 2023: <i>Detective’s Guide to New York City</i> by Nicki Greenberg. “Main characters and setting are really fun!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">3 August 2023: <i>City of Buried Ghosts </i>by Chris Lloyd. “Better than the first one.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">8 August 2023: <i>Born Survivor</i> by Bear Grylls. “Lots of info!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">17 August 2023: <i>Good Girl, Bad Blood</i> by Holly Jackson. “Excellent second book about podcasting mystery solver.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 August 2023: <i>Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City</i> by Kirsten Miller. “Fun and original!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 August 2023: <i>The Gormenghast Novels </i>by Mervyn Peake. “Unforgettable setting.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">10 September 2023: <i>Happy Head</i> by Josh Silver. “YA dystopian—really good.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">12 September 2023: <i>A Principled Framework for the Autonomy of Religious Communities </i>by Alex Deagon. “Initially appealing, but ultimately disappointing.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">16 September 2023:<i> De Luxe</i> by Lenny Bartulin. « Super fun pulp style mystery with crackling dialogue. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">25 September 2023: <i>The Détectives’s Guide to Paris</i> by Nicki Greenberg. “Third book. Great!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">28 September 2023: <i>Mud, Sweat, and Tears </i>by Bear Grylls. “Determined guy!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">29 September 2023: <i>The Praise of Folly and Other Writings </i>by Erasmus. “Norton Critical Edition. I learned a lot.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">2 October 2023: <i>Harriet Hound</i> by Kate Foster. “Kids book. Inane.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">11 October 2023: <i>Natural Law: An Introduction and Re-examination</i> by Howard P Kainz. “Useful if gets a bit ridiculous in the last chapter.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">11 October 2023: <i>Midnighters Book 2</i> by Scott Westerfield. “New layers add to depth—great!”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">16 October 2023:<i> Love Will Tear Us Apart</i> by CK McDonald. « Third Stranger Times book. Nice arc for characters. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">18 October 2023: <i>A Killing Fire</i> by Faye Snowden. « Murder mystery featuring cop who is daughter of a serial killer. Pretty good. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">24 October 2023: <i>Natural Law and Natural Rights </i>by John Finnis. « Tries to establish natural law without a theistic base. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">30 October 2023: <i>The Bodyline Fix: How Women Saved Cricket</i> by Marion Stell. « Well—written. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">4 November 2023: <i>She is a Haunting </i>by Trang Thanh Tran. « A haunted house story set in Vietnam with a bi protagonist. Amazing; should win awards for the first-time author. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">9 November 2023:<i> Rachel’s Holiday</i> by Marian Keyes. « First half is hilarious. Second half is too earnest. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">9 November 2023: <i>The Problem of Natural Law</i> by Douglas Kries. “Very clear and useful account.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">17 November 2023: <i>Wyrd Sisters</i> by Terry Pratchett. « Pretty fun take on Hamlet and Macbeth. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">2 December 2023: <i>Melt With You </i>by Jennifer Dugan. « Very sweet, if a little too repetitive. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">4 December 2023: <i>The Bone Code </i>by Kathy Reichs. « Temperance Brennan novel. Not bad, actually. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">4 December 2023: <i>Natural Law and the Nature of Law</i> by Jonathan Crowe. « Tries to establish a socially evolving form of natural law. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">6 December 2023: <i>As Good as Dead</i> by Holly Jackson. « Fantastic conclusion to trilogy! An author to watch. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">10 December 2023: <i>Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer</i> by Amy Doak. “Pretty good YA mystery novel.”</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">24 December 2023: <i>Girl in Pieces </i>by Kathleen Glasgow. « Novel about a cutter. Good. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 December 2023: <i>Unbound</i> by Jim C. Hines. « Third in book magic series. Very imaginative. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">26 December 2023:<i> The Peppermint Cookie Murder</i> by Trixie Silvertale. « Santa’s daughter leaves the North Pole and solves a mystery. I was very sceptical at first, but it ended up being really fun! »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">31 December 2023: <i>Watermelon</i> by Marian Keyes. « Great first half but overlong/overwrought second half. »</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-66364293504294818772023-12-21T19:48:00.001-05:002023-12-21T19:48:25.829-05:00Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-05: "Call of the Copper Gate" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkF4GmVnnLRh0_YC1PGFIEh0DoJqs2U3KBJP3claorgp1ZR8jhS3Wii71p0FgQWb2EWkDXYgDqH8PZP4c8iDgtXGWNHw3HxdjSaYso-Eo6vVV5xNVnGunEt78cZ2LDcXMQbOnhEq2k6uuoaK0UXRUsrtaablBpBQuh3sW172dZ3FA6BY4i22micBlRpY/s233/PZOPSS0905E_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkF4GmVnnLRh0_YC1PGFIEh0DoJqs2U3KBJP3claorgp1ZR8jhS3Wii71p0FgQWb2EWkDXYgDqH8PZP4c8iDgtXGWNHw3HxdjSaYso-Eo6vVV5xNVnGunEt78cZ2LDcXMQbOnhEq2k6uuoaK0UXRUsrtaablBpBQuh3sW172dZ3FA6BY4i22micBlRpY/s1600/PZOPSS0905E_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I played <i style="font-weight: bold;">Call of the Copper Gate</i> with my vigilante (shh!) character, The Shining Knight (a.k.a., Siegfried). I have to admit, I didn't have a lot of fun, but I think that was mostly because the GM frankly wasn't very good. In reading the scenario for the purposes of this review, it looks like a really solid adventure that makes great use of previous PFS scenarios and continues a long-running subplot. For PFS lore aficionados, this is a must-play scenario. For others, it has a good mix of combat and role-playing, and features some creatures and concepts from later in the bestiaries that may be unfamiliar.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p><br /></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Call of the Copper Gate</i> is another adventure involving the long-running saga of the Blakros Museum. Before it was a museum, it was the estate of a powerful wizard and astrologer named Ralzeros the Overwatched. Ralzeros became obsessed with the endless expanses between the stars and the unfathomable creatures thought to live there (the Dark Tapestry) and created an extradimensional observatory to watch them. He reinforced the door to this observatory with a mystically warded copper gate linked to three magic beacons to alert him to danger. In past scenarios (going as far back as Season Zero), the Society has become wrapped up in the dangers presented by the legacy of Ralzeros the Overwatched and its effect on Imrizade Blakros as well as the museum's current curator, Nigel Aldain. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Call of the Copper Gate</i> involves these key elements and a servant of an Outer God!</p><p><br /></p><p>The initial "briefing" is a fun and fast start, as the PCs are in the Grand Lodge when alarms sound and Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin and Paracountess Zarta Dralneen rush around the corner, agitated and arguing. One of the vaults below the Grand Lodge is suddenly being overrun with magical plant matter presumably being spewed from one of the arcane devices stored there. Zarta persuades a reluctant Valsin to let the Dark Archive handle the emergency, and she enlists the nearest Pathfinders she sees (the PCs) to follow her into the vault. There's no time for questions, no time for Knowledge checks, and no time to prep--it's straight into danger! It's a great change of pace from the way scenarios normally start.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vault is filled with fungal strands that are hard to move through and coated with toxins harmful to living creatures because they aren't native to this world--they're from the foreboding planet Aucturn! And more, an "Aucturn Shard Golem" (a variant junk golem) is in the chamber as well, protecting the device responsible for bringing it and the fungus into the vault: a magical beacon (one of the three Ralzeros created to protect the copper gate to his extradimensional observatory). The Shining Knight rushed in to smash the beacon to pieces and would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for <strike>meddling kids</strike> a GM mistakenly thinking the scenario didn't allow it. In a nice story addition, Zarta takes part in the battle (though if she has to do everything, the PCs get fewer rewards, which makes sense). </p><p><br /></p><p>Zarta recognises the beacon as something the Society purchased recently from the Arcanamirium (the largest school of magic in the Inner Sea) and says it was one of three. She suggests that if this one has malfunctioned, the other two could as well, and sends the PCs off to find them and place them in special warding containers. At the Arcanamirium, the PCs face the most fearsome foe of all: bureaucracy! I really like it, as dealing with a large institution can be enormously challenging. The PCs eventually find their way to journeyman wizard Maren Fuln (from # 3-07) conversing with a denizen of Aucturn named Nggith-Tsa. This part is handled really well. There's a lot of information to be gained from Nggith-Tsa before an (inevitable battle), and the scenario is detailed about how conversational strands affect the fight to come. I'm not explaining it well, but suffice it to say, a well-prepared GM will find themselves well-supported by the scenario here. Like Zarta, Fuln will also participate in the battle.</p><p><br /></p><p>With two beacons secured, the PCs learn that the third is in the Blakros Museum. Once the PCs arrive, curator Nigel Aldain reports that intruders broke into the basement and have taken Imrizade Blakros prisoner. Nigel joins the PCs in the assault (I like how he tells them he's learned to start preparing combat spells every day given all the previous problems at the museum) where they learn the culprits are cerebric fungi and a psychic worshipper of Nyalathotep (with bad art) named Fylzilka. (I liked that the longer it takes the PCs to bash down the door to the basement, the longer Fylzilka gets to buff--trade-offs like that make for a game where actions matter). The beacon is spewing Aucturn's poisonous atmosphere into the room, so the rare PC who has prepared <i>gust of wind</i> will feel very clever! Imrizade is unconscious from wounds, but if healed, will also participate in the battle. It's nice to see key NPCs be more than just plot- and RP-fodder and instead feel like active participants.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the third beacon in safe hands, the present danger is over--though the lure of the mysterious copper door remains (perhaps for a future adventure?). Zarta asks the PCs to do additional research and write a report on the beacons for her, which is a neat way of allowing them to make a Knowledge (arcana) check for their Day Job if they wish. In the end, I thought <i style="font-weight: bold;">Call of the Copper Gate</i> was an excellent continuation of the Pathfinder Society's involvement with the Blakros Museum. Someday, it might be a fun idea to run these scenarios in order as part of a mini campaign.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-46181865724222872402023-12-08T21:29:00.001-05:002023-12-08T21:29:09.860-05:00Armageddon 2001 # 1-2 (DC Comics, 1991) [COMICS]<p> <b><i>Armageddon 2001</i></b> is a famous DC Comics
crossover not because of its merits (good or bad) but because of the how the
company handled it. As most fans of the
era will know, the whole premise of the 1991 series was that a hero named Waverider
travelled back in time from 2001 to the then-present to warn super heroes
(sequentially, in each book, of course) that one of their number would become a
despotic tyrant named Monarch in a decade’s time. The crossover lasted almost six months in
real time, launched and concluded with a 64-page special. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M3OeQC46O77Aey1SrtD_Rki-gGjy-gzLnTZt_S6sXxeqQzySrLEnTmZyXlQx6YH0BmyS5K-6lubr_row2jXLyvWC0mU12YMe4FIeiI8wsdaRCRilq9h9aua97m-3OiYs1DNaWtLK5qJ53sTvlzMxjy3H4w-frQdZTdi_GjhqFsJ3zAX5-wJkclAWMxo/s279/Issue%20%23%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M3OeQC46O77Aey1SrtD_Rki-gGjy-gzLnTZt_S6sXxeqQzySrLEnTmZyXlQx6YH0BmyS5K-6lubr_row2jXLyvWC0mU12YMe4FIeiI8wsdaRCRilq9h9aua97m-3OiYs1DNaWtLK5qJ53sTvlzMxjy3H4w-frQdZTdi_GjhqFsJ3zAX5-wJkclAWMxo/s1600/Issue%20%23%201.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>The driving force of the entire crossover is the attempt to
figure out <i>who</i> becomes Monarch and stop them before it’s too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What made the crossover notorious is that,
due to some clues in early issues, readers put together a pretty solid theory that
made the fan press: it was Captain Atom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When DC saw the theory and, knowing it was absolutely correct, they
panicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking that if everyone knew
who done it in a whodunnit the crossover would flop, they changed, mid-stream,
who it was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of Captain Atom (a
character with truly astounding cosmic-level powers that one could imagine
defeating most of earth’s heroes) it became Hawk (a third-tier character who
was one half of a duo and could mostly just jump around and punch low-level
threats).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, it was a
desperate attempt to “salvage” the crossover, and resulted in clues and
character motivations that no longer really made sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The general takeaway, which I think is right, is that it’s <i>okay</i>
if clever fans put the pieces together to figure out where a story is going—they
can still have a great deal of fun along the way along with the satisfaction of
seeing themselves proved correct at the end, whereas no one will really be
satisfied by a resolution that seems to come out of nowhere because it was a
last-minute, knee-jerk switch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing a
true whodunnit-type mystery is hard, and it’s better that it’s a little too
easy to identify the culprit than that the reader feels they’ve been treated
unfairly all along.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This post
covers the two specials that bookended the crossover.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Issue # 1</b> has a great cover, with the tagline: “Ten years
from now the world will survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
heroes won’t.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a child, Matthew Ryder
was saved from an earthquake by a super hero, but he never knew which one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the year 2001, an unknown super hero
betrayed all the others and killed them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, in 2030, Matthew Ryder lives in a world ruled by the fascist
Monarch, and even Ryder’s own daughter is a member of the authoritarian
government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learning that time-travel
has just been discovered, Ryder sneaks into the facility and (through some
trickery) manages to get sent back in time, though the process transforms him
into Waverider (because he’s riding the waves of time!) with the super power of
being able to touch someone and see their future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a classic, compelling story and an
excellent start to the crossover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also gives a natural reason why Waverider needs to visit each character’s book,
because by touching them he can see whether or not they’re the one who becomes
Monarch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The artwork isn’t stellar, but
reading this 30 years later, I really enjoyed the story.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhueFGBW2fOyzss1ExV6DWO8EY3fQTK-MWDJv9il5C6tySa5KUCt4hP3zwTw9hJiDsRjgPoNij_q3NyZdHPm9j54BfcB_SM4KlIvYdBh1NO5SaIT_FLoETJn1es8OYJNLqA3HRkt5r62zDhIysxAO-hjN76VhanykSZE13ETOEZUx_P9Q_vH16C3sQAqw/s279/Issue%20%23%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhueFGBW2fOyzss1ExV6DWO8EY3fQTK-MWDJv9il5C6tySa5KUCt4hP3zwTw9hJiDsRjgPoNij_q3NyZdHPm9j54BfcB_SM4KlIvYdBh1NO5SaIT_FLoETJn1es8OYJNLqA3HRkt5r62zDhIysxAO-hjN76VhanykSZE13ETOEZUx_P9Q_vH16C3sQAqw/s1600/Issue%20%23%202.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Issue # 2</b> has “At last! The shocking identity of
Monarch revealed!” on the cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems that Captain Atom’s future is to see his children and grandchildren
murdered by street gangs, their bodies sent by the “police” to the town dump in
a world that has slid into anarchy and degradation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enraged and perhaps a little insane with grief,
he destroys entire city blocks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder
if this was the core of DC’s original plan, because it’s easy to see just a
step further that future Captain Atom decides he has to intervene to set the
world on the right course, and thus becomes Monarch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But instead, back in the present, Monarch
arrives from the future and abducts Hawk and Dove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monarch kills Dove to force Hawk to become
him in a completely unpersuasive story twist (that is, I can see why Hawk would
hate Monarch, but why would Hawk then decide to take over the world?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, Monarch lures all the world’s heroes
into a huge battle where he plans to detonate a neutron bomb to kill them, but
Captain Atom absorbs the blast and is sent way back in time to the era of the
dinosaurs! (a story told in some subsequent limited series).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only nice bit is that it’s revealed the
hero who pulled a young Matthew Ryder out of the rubble was . . .
Waverider!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice.<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-73256141198262372562023-11-28T20:40:00.001-05:002023-11-28T20:40:18.793-05:00Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-11: 'The Third Riddle' [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDB7z65XSikryzlBl72_x8p1-m1ByEVvZARoFIfLqYQNgRhZG1haa0pJTFU5KT6DlsuzOEJ3mblH1lOBOzo0uodsFi5oa7dc346MQS6shcAeWedrMJEs5-QDerYA-9xLlXbtdLJlJO8kTHx4s6tbp4S0CjCZvATjFZ2wGZRp_9QF92Cbq-P_XLJXjHYQ/s233/PZOPSS011E_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDB7z65XSikryzlBl72_x8p1-m1ByEVvZARoFIfLqYQNgRhZG1haa0pJTFU5KT6DlsuzOEJ3mblH1lOBOzo0uodsFi5oa7dc346MQS6shcAeWedrMJEs5-QDerYA-9xLlXbtdLJlJO8kTHx4s6tbp4S0CjCZvATjFZ2wGZRp_9QF92Cbq-P_XLJXjHYQ/s1600/PZOPSS011E_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Third Riddle </i>was one of the first dozen scenarios published for Pathfinder Society, and was one of the handful of "Season 0" scenarios unceremoniously retired later on. The reason this one was retired isn't a mystery: it's bloody hard! I played through it with a new character (a summoner named Jakeric with an "uplifted" bear eidolon named Grizzlebin) and a couple of others, and we were lucky to survive the very first encounter. We had to abandon the mission soon thereafter, when it became clear that proceeding any further would be suicidal. A modern group of six optimised Pathfinder PCs would probably be okay, but why the writer thought four 3.5-era PCs would be able to handle this mission is beyond me. The scenario does establish some interesting historical Osirion lore that is reflected in later setting materials, but is otherwise a very old school style mission that doesn't have a lot to recommend it today.<br /><p></p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p>There's a fairly elaborate (and interesting) backstory to <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Third Riddle. </i>It seems that thousands of years ago, a wizard-priest named Mektep-Han discovered the last of three known locations of the dread riddles of the insane god of magic Nethys. Solving these riddles would apparently unbind the universe, so Mektep-Han wisely had the locations hidden away. He even had his soul bound to the third location, the Ravenous Sphinx, to guard it for all eternity. Yet recently, a scholarly Pathfinder named Colm Safan uncovered the Ravenous Sphinx. The poor sod was immediately killed by a trap in the structure's entryway, but news of his discovery reached the Pathfinder Lodge in Sothis. This is where the PCs come in, with a mission to find out what happened to the missing Safan.</p><p>The briefing is told in the odd flashback style used in many Season 0 scenarios, with Act 1 starting in media res as the PCs are in a caravan on their way to the Ravenous Sphinx. They're promptly attacked by *eight* Aspis Consortium warriors. Our Level 1 PCs were pretty clearly outmatched, and at that level a few bad die rolls can become catastrophic. I liked the *idea* of the encounter (a mobile run-n-gun chase with mounted warriors attacking a fleeing wagon caravan), but despite a neat table of random events, the actual execution was problematic.</p><p>The exterior of the sphinx doesn't get much in terms of description, so reaching it may feel somewhat anti-climactic. It's essentially just a housing for a puzzle-ridden dozen crawl. The layout and room descriptions are given separately from the actual puzzles/encounters in the rooms, which can make for a lot of confusing back-and-forth for an unprepared GM (there was a similar problem with <i>King Xeros of Old Azlant</i>). </p><p>The entryway to the Ravenous Sphinx is a corridor in which the body of Colm Safan is clearly visible (he was obviously a much better scholar than tomb-raider!). The body is impaled on the blade of a scythe trap, and removing the body resets the trap: it's a +8 attack that does *5d8* damage (x3 crit) at Level 1! That's an automatic PC kill right there. More, the corridor has two more (though less lethal) traps beyond that one. When I played, we managed to detect the traps but then realised we had no way to disable or safely bypass them, which admittedly was a limitation on our group, and not the scenario's fault. Anyway, we decided that, since our mission was to find out what happened to Safan and we had done that, we'd take his body back to Sothis and call it a win. Hopefully, the Pathfinder Lodge could send out some professional dungeon-delvers to explore the tomb!</p><p>It was certainly wise of us not to proceed any further. The rest of the sphinx consists of three large puzzle chambers branching off from a central point. The central point contains the spirit of Mektap-Han, but he's not dangerous and there are some good role-playing opportunities there to learn more about the backstory to the scenario. As for the puzzle chambers, one features several zombies and a shadow, one features a real giant scorpion mixed with two illusory ones (a clever trick), and the third has a large viper snake. Each chamber has an additional hazard relating to the puzzle (like being burned up in one or drowned in another). </p><p>One can definitely see the vestiges of classic, 1980s-style dungeon design in <b><i>The Third Riddle</i></b>, and although there's certainly nothing wrong with it, I wouldn't recommend it for Level 1 PCs--they just don't have the necessary margin of error or resources to have a fair chance of success. Perhaps playing it at high subtier with Level 4 or 5 PCs would be a much better experience. Anyway, I'm still glad I got a chance to play. The Ravenous Sphinx may sit unexplored, but at last Colm Safan's next of kin knows what happened to him . . .</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-74922041967348420072023-11-26T19:03:00.001-05:002023-11-26T19:03:27.872-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 61 [RPG]<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Starday, 25
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s barely an
hour after midnight when, having narrowly escaped a nightime attack by strange
extradimensional predators known as xill, Anorak races into the slums of Old
Korvosa.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Panting with exertion, he finds
an alley to hide in and waits to see if there are any sounds of pursuit.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hearing none, he cautiously returns to his
workshop to find his assailants have gone but that the place is in
shambles.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After ensuring that the dandasuka
is still bound tightly in a chest, the dwarf takes the box that Mortimont gave
him and heads for the safety of Goldcape’s new resistance base.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goldcape opens the door with a rapier
levelled at Anorak’s throat, but Anorak’s fresh wounds lend proof to his words
that he was just attacked by “monstrosities from another plane”.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goldcape lets him enter, and wakes up
Mishimia, the self-proclaimed “Acolyte of Razmir” to help tend to Anorak’s
wounds.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goldcape’s magic seems to do all
of the real healing work, however.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
reluctantly agrees to let the dwarf stay the night, little realising that in
the morning, he’ll ask to stay for the next four days!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Across town, Ralph
Blackfeather slips out of his own safehouse in North Point.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">He signals for Majenko, the house drake who
swore service for a year, and asks him to look out for the city’s mysterious
new vigilante, Trifaccia.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Afterwards,
Ralph visits The Bookmaker and learns that Costa has completed his task as
promised: the magical contract is ready for signing.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon after, Ralph changes into The Reckoner
in a secluded alleyway, uses a wand to turn himself invisible, and heads
towards the single bridge still spanning the channel that separates Old Korvosa
from the rest of the city.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Reckoner
spots the moving blurs that indicate imp devils are about, and as he’s unsure
whether they can also see invisible creatures, he asks </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Plate</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to teleport him across.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Plate</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> reiterates his views
that instead of all this dithering, they should just go attack the Queen, but
he does as The Reckoner asks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Reckoner heads
over to Anorak’s workshop, picks the lock to get inside when no one answers,
and seems unconcerned by the destruction and heavy sprays of blood
throughout.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">He shows the dandasuka, who
gives its name as “Xoza”, the contract and the two negotiate a price of ten
gold pieces a month for the shameless creature to spy on its former
master.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Xoza rushes to the palace to
report to Glorio Arkona’s majordomo that nothing of interest happened the
previous night, and then returns to tell The Reckoner that there was a big
battle in the workshop but that the dwarf ran away surprisingly fast on his
little stumpy legs.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Xoza agrees to keep
learning what he can about Glorio’s plans for The Reckoner and his allies.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Later, on the way to Goldcape’s resistance base, the masked vigilante
notices at least a couple of the houses in the area have stylised “B”s written
in tar on their doors. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although one old
woman slams a door in his face, another resident explains that it means
“Blackjack is back, and I’m on his side!”</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When The Reckoner arrives at Goldcape’s new residence, she explains what
apparently happened at Anorak’s workshop overnight.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">He asks for her help in gathering clues about
Trifaccia.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">While they’re talking, Anorak
is in an adjacent room performing some sort of intense magical ritual and is
reluctant to be interrupted, but acknowledges the news about Xoza signing the
contract—something they now share with Goldcape.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ8qWtm1Dly8GMMlukf01z9wFR7_rUmR5LM4K2otkM6O-208tZnC2xTDVV1t6va51x70TWzpsLUSh-ObJtddmrwQAxd9Qhesw8LtOy6KgtJ7x69ZBHu3UlOcu7q_B3rCq_757ooW2gFoyEAKzEhTlhsqiUmqkFKP4i1UcB1PAdlcO-h4RBbq89lia5bg/s225/coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ8qWtm1Dly8GMMlukf01z9wFR7_rUmR5LM4K2otkM6O-208tZnC2xTDVV1t6va51x70TWzpsLUSh-ObJtddmrwQAxd9Qhesw8LtOy6KgtJ7x69ZBHu3UlOcu7q_B3rCq_757ooW2gFoyEAKzEhTlhsqiUmqkFKP4i1UcB1PAdlcO-h4RBbq89lia5bg/s1600/coin.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leaving Anorak to
his ritual, Goldcape and The Reckoner talk about the best way to get across to
the main section of the city.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">They
decide to fly on Rocky’s back to Trail’s End, where the predominantly Varisian
population has been friendly towards them since they provided assistance in the
blood veil crisis.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There, the two leave
Rocky in good hands and disguise themselves as ordinary Korvosans before
crossing the bridge into the city without incident.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goldcape stops at the Bank of Abadar to
obtain one of the newly minted coins and shows it to Ralph, explaining that
they now know exactly what the Queen’s crown looks like.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Plate </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">is
excited to see it, and proposes a dazzling array of ideas involving smashing,
swiping, sundering, or otherwise getting it off of Ileosa’s head so they can
win a fair fight against her and depose her and then make The Reckoner King of
Korvosa!</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ralph appreciates the
enthusiasm, but has to tamp down </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Plate</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">’s
confidence in their abilities for now.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two warriors split up briefly, as Goldcape makes some purchases at
Hedge Wizardry and Ralph tries but fails to find anything new on
Trifaccia.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It seems like the new
vigilante has appeared for a few days, and gossip on the street hasn’t added
anything credible since then.<br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the two reunite, Ralph proposes a bold plan. He tells Goldcape that they need to do
something visible to assure Kroft they weren’t captured and turned during the
raid on Deathhead Vault. Ralph suggests
a frontal attack to wipe out the entire Gray Maiden contingent guarding one of
the bridges into the city would surely suffice.
Goldcape agrees and sneaks out of the city with Ralph to fetch
Rocky. Ralph pulls on the fearsome
raiment of The Reckoner while Goldcape checks Rocky’s barding for the upcoming
battle. Turning them all invisible with
a wand, the three get into position on the Trail’s End side of North Bridge and
then attack! The Reckoner’s sudden
appearance from nowhere terrifies hardened Gray Maidens and innocent bystanders
alike, while Goldcape uses ice magic on her foes. The Reckoner has a brief argument with <i>Plate </i>over whether the sapient armor
should cast strength-enhancing magic, but the fight goes so well and so quickly
that in the end, it doesn’t matter.
Eight Gray Maidens are slain within thirty seconds, and none of the
victors are even scratched! One of the
Gray Maidens did manage to ring an alarm bell for reinforcements, so Goldcape
and The Reckoner decide to split up and get back into hiding.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in disguise,
Ralph makes his way to the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma—the largest building in
the Gray District.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intent on speaking
with Bishop d’Bear, he turns himself invisible and tries to sneak in the
fortress-like structure, only to be covered in sparkling glitter at the
entryway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retreating quickly, Ralph
hires a messenger to deliver a scroll that’s to be personally delivered to the
Bishop: “I believe I’ve demonstrated my loyalty, it would be good if you and
our associates get back in contact.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Goldcape
returns on Rocky to the safehouse, she tells Anorak what just happened on the
bridge.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The dwarf is irked that he
missed out on the excitement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Sunday, 26
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shortly after
three bells in the morning, the warm night air in Goldcape’s base is disturbed
by a faint shimmering.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Appearing out of
thin air over the course of a few seconds, what can only be described as
monsters with insect-like mandibles and four arms ending in claws take shape.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The xill have returned for the box, and the gods
have mercy on anyone who stands in their way!</span></p>------------</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GM Commentary</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was glad Goldcape went to the bank to get one of the new coins, as it was a great chance to show off the actual Korvosan coin that Paizo had minted. They make great souvenirs from the campaign.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">With everything going on, I often forgot to role-play The Reckoner's intelligent armor, <i>Plate</i>,<i> </i>but in this session at least, I remembered and had a lot of fun with it.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">At this stage in the campaign, the PCs are tough enough that even a couple of them can devastate several ordinary Gray Maidens without suffering a scratch.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-32572434315459537252023-11-14T20:29:00.003-05:002023-11-14T20:29:53.403-05:00Pathfinder Tales: "Liar's Island" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ttw8unNx3MrH2jhWj5BiPQ0NgXmjsvrWKxFIVVhFTS1YwKYPszhqfFMh1CtjqqIsAPpnmD757-aulZ4RRdnSQjKtDt1wOPsLc27mnbRUQFBL20XYX20NfNSx7o_-FnxEuzGsxu_ZyZhKNpTPECRwLkGShqCB7Z4bQlTUnHuzzk1b6MfDy2dyLIsK0_M/s272/PZO8528_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="180" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ttw8unNx3MrH2jhWj5BiPQ0NgXmjsvrWKxFIVVhFTS1YwKYPszhqfFMh1CtjqqIsAPpnmD757-aulZ4RRdnSQjKtDt1wOPsLc27mnbRUQFBL20XYX20NfNSx7o_-FnxEuzGsxu_ZyZhKNpTPECRwLkGShqCB7Z4bQlTUnHuzzk1b6MfDy2dyLIsK0_M/s1600/PZO8528_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>Wow, there's a lot happening in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Liar's Island</i>! It's a fast-paced, action-packed, and often downright hilarious novel that I highly recommend. The con man with a heart of gold Rodrick is back, along with his intelligent ice sword Hrym, and this time they'll be leaving the mainland behind for an adventure in rarely-seen Jalmeray! I'm a Tim Pratt fanboy, and this novel represents him at his best. It's full of careful attention to Golarion setting lore without becoming dense, has a knack for fun without becoming silly, and somehow makes you really *care* about a talking magical sword. It's one of my favourite Pathinder Tales novels, so go read it! (though I give you permission to read the prior novel with Rodrick and Hrym--<i>Liar's Blade--</i>first.)<br /><p></p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p>Rodrick and Hrym are up to their thieving ways in Absalom when they're interrupted by, of all things, a djinn with an invitation: come to exotic Jalmeray and meet the thakur (king)! It's an invitation that's not easy to refuse, but the journey to Jalmeray is interrupted when their ship is interdicted by a vessel from the rival country of Nex. There's some downright hilarious banter and we start seeing signs that Hrym isn't quite "himself"--the reader will realise that Hrym is being unknowingly affected by a demonic taint received at the end of the previous novel that causes him to act out violently when he's "asleep." In Jalmeray, Rodrick and Hrym meet the thakur's advisor, Nagesh, who turns out to want the pair to help assassinate someone! Rodrick and Hrym decide to rob the palace and make a run for it instead, only to get swept up in a jungle treasure hunt for the fabled Scepter of the Arclords and a close encounter with the murderous Knife in the Dark cult. It's really funny, really exciting, and the ending promises to take the characters in a new direction. It's a book I want to reread while looking forward to <i>Liar's Bargain.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-80414310214380923202023-11-13T20:10:00.002-05:002023-11-13T20:10:43.526-05:00Pathfinder Module: "Guardians of Dragonfall" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVACOIVCxQ26wHRBACkFXANw4O4cEsiI5dyK7Iuy9P9BAtfsWU5Wu1mkHDIbxyxc3P-LwyEZAWbQlGCw-OJ849-Kp4MgzALVpK1Ek7WQloFPPt36gkJF-NwAK0FxRaDPJVj9jeCjWbrJcrNbxdXmT_Xqlwi9A5Ajqyr2KqGl1-q-1CZAX9T1z8g1GspU/s233/guardians.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVACOIVCxQ26wHRBACkFXANw4O4cEsiI5dyK7Iuy9P9BAtfsWU5Wu1mkHDIbxyxc3P-LwyEZAWbQlGCw-OJ849-Kp4MgzALVpK1Ek7WQloFPPt36gkJF-NwAK0FxRaDPJVj9jeCjWbrJcrNbxdXmT_Xqlwi9A5Ajqyr2KqGl1-q-1CZAX9T1z8g1GspU/s1600/guardians.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Guardians of Dragonfall</i> is a really interesting, memorable, and lore-heavy module that deserves better recognition. I ran it in my "Roots of Golarion" campaign of 3.5-era Pathfinder material and found it was a rich and densely-packed adventure. It's certainly not one to try and run on the fly, but instead rewards careful GM preparation (and some patience for 3D map visualisation). For reasons that are inexplicable to me, the setting material in the module has been labelled "non-canon" (an issue I'll take up in the section below). Despite that, I think this is an adventure well worth revisiting.<br /><p></p><p>I'll get to the adventure itself in a moment, but first I'll briefly cover general design and back matter. This is a 32-page, full-colour module. The cover is great (undead dragons should be scary!), and the interior artwork is solid. The cartography is excellent, though they're trying to convey some challenging 3D relationships which isn't easy for Pathfinder tactical combat to encompass. I love the "Designer Notes" sidebars in these early modules, and still can't fathom why they were done away with in later products. Backmatter consists of five short appendices: "Dragonfall and Draconic Belief" (a brief summary of lore covered extensively in the adventure), "New Feats" (two new feats only for true dragons, with "slow exhalation" being a particularly nasty combination of bite and breath attack), "New Magic Items" (featuring a major artifact called a <i>bellwether brooch</i> and a CL15 wondrous item called a <i>hand of the theurge--</i>it fires wands for you!), "New Monsters" (includes cool raw magic elementals called arcanatons and flying snakelike constructs called tongues of rebuke and wings of protection), and "New Spell" (featuring <i>apparent master</i> which is essentially a charm spell for constructs). Level 11 Iconics (Valeros, Seoni, Merisiel, and Kyra) round out the collection.</p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p>Apart from a brief opening, almost the entirety of the module takes place in the eponymous Dragonfall. Dragonfall is the fabled graveyard of the dragons, a remote mountain in the highest range of peaks in Golarion, and the place that dragons who are reaching the end of their normal lifespan fly to in order to be entombed with their ancestors. To dragonkind, it is the most sacred place in existence, and outsiders are never welcomed. The module provides extensive background and detail on Dragonfall and the history of dragons in general, and I imagine some readers will eat it up with a spoon! I might be one of those readers who isn't particularly fussed about dragons, but even I can admire the effort and thought that went into constructing an original and unique contribution to the campaign setting like this. It was also integrated into the first deep treatment of dragons in Golarion (in Pathfinder AP # 4). It's excellent, well-written material, and thus I'm baffled that Paizo declared it non-canon as if it were a passing throwaway reference in a product as opposed to a deeply thought-out and integrated aspect of the setting. I guess that's my mini-rant, and I'll let dragon aficionados hash it out from there.</p><p>The adventure is premised on the idea that a tiefling sorcerer named Tornulis (amusingly christened "Tortilla Chip" by my son) learned of the existence of Dragonfall and, with the help of a pair of renegade dragons (a mother-undead son duo) breached the mountain's defenses and has taken over its magical guardian constructs. Tornulis' motivations are admittedly pretty cheesy--she literally wants to rule the world! (The artwork for her is also unfortunately top-heavy) The GM may want to adjust her motivation and perhaps even add some backstory to better fit the plot.</p><p>Part 1, "The Herbalist's Home", gets the ball rolling. The way the PCs get involved isn't necessarily great as an adventure hook--they receive a letter delivered by a young boy named Curthew from a herbalist named Aroon who wishes to hire them. When the PCs show up at Aroon's residence, another (very long!) letter reveals that he is actually a gold dragon named Auronorex! The letter indicates Auronorex learned of the intrusion at Dragonfall and has gone to investigate, but, fearing the worst, he is willing to do the unthinkable and invite a band of mortals he trusts to follow in his footsteps, promising them great treasures if they succeed. Hidden in his basement is a magic teleportation circle that will take everyone to an outlying area of Dragonfall called the Bone Field. It's a hook that is premised on the notion that Auronorex has been watching the PCs and entrusts them with a mission of the utmost sacred responsibility which, frankly, doesn't seem realistic for most tables of "kill-the-bad-guys&take-their-stuff" adventurers. Ideally, a GM who is able to plan ahead could have the PCs interact with Aroon earlier and thus provide retroactive justification for his trust in them. (When I ran it, I came up with the idea that Curthew was Aroon's nephew, and the boy had no idea he was actually a dragon too! Perhaps <i>also</i> cheesy and implausible, but it made for a fun NPC to accompany the group on the adventure) </p><p>Part 2, "The Bone Field", has the PCs arriving in a vast field of draconic skeletons--the bones of those dragons who were deemed unworthy to enter the sacred mountain. Not every dragon gets to enter the crypts, as they must first present the Dragonfall Seneschal with an offering worthy of their power. Normally the construct guardians quickly destroy any undead who arise in the Bone Field, but as Tornulis has seized on the guardians for her own ends, the PCs will have to fight some young adult red skeletons and potentially other undead. (I like the random encounter table with entries like "avalanche [of bones]" and "bone storm", though the PCs probably won't linger in the Bone Field long enough for the GM to roll very often on it) Assuming they head toward the mountain in the center of the Bone Field, the PCs will encounter the ghostly spirit of Auronorex, and probably have their first (and potentially only) major role-playing opportunity in the module. It's revealed that each type of dragon has its own entrance to the sacred mountain, and Auronorex suggests the group try the portal to the Emerald Shrine as the closest. They need to fight their way through some "half-dragon satyr" barbarians called the Winterhorns who (through some contrivances) have taken up residence near the entrance.</p><p>Part 3, "Shearphorus," is the middle sequence of the adventure and the longest. Shearphorus is the name of the tower of rock that contains the crypts in Dragonfall. The PCs most likely enter inside the mountain through a magic portal to the Emerald Shrine, arriving on the other side in total darkness to plunge into a roiling and corrosive lake of bone shards! Called the Maelstrom, this led to one of the most exciting (to me!) or scary (to the PCs!) sequence in the adventure, as some of the PCs were still fighting the Winterhorns on one side of the portal while those on the other side were fighting for their lives against some particularly nasty environmental hazards. PCs who can't fly or climb well are in big trouble if they don't escape the acid pool quickly. Further travel through the Emerald Shrine involves encounters with mohrgs, Winterhorn zombies, and an undead green dragon named Lephrelourge who enjoys participating in ritual magic that will not be convenient for the safety of intruders!</p><p>A long spiral passageway leads up from the Emerald Shrine into the hollow span of Shearphorus above. Here, the PCs will have multiple encounters with Dragonfall's construct guardians: tongues of rebuke and wings of protection. They do different types of elemental damage and explode when destroyed. It's a great opportunity for me to pull out the flying rules, much to the consternation of my son. Tornulis' half-fiend ogre wizard apprentice, Trauzek, is also encountered here. Last up is Tornulis herself. A level 11 wizard with the <i>disintegrate </i>spell should never be taken for granted, but with just 40 hp (D&D 3.5 rules), she probably won't put up much of a fight. After capturing her, my PCs made an incredible Bluff check to persuade her they were divine emissaries and she should assist them!</p><p>Part 4, "The Gauntlet of Challenge-Cry" has the PCs traversing a series of chambers meant to test the worthiness of dragons who seek to be interred in Dragonfall. They're doing this, despite having killed or captured Tornulis, because they need to recover the <i>bellwether brooch</i>, the artifact that controls Dragonfall's construct guardians. Tornulis had given it to her green dragon ally Culpangia (mother of Lephrelourge) for safekeeping. It's a lot of names, but it all fits together, I think. Obstacles here include a great wyrm bronze dragon suffering from delirium (diplomatic and compassionate PCs may be able to avoid a fight), more constructs, and the raw magic elementals (arcanatons) that I think are a clever addition to the game and should appear more. Assuming the PCs can defeat Culpangia, they'll be able to retrieve the <i>Bellwether Brooch</i> and set things right in Dragonfall, and bear witness to the spirit of Auronorex becoming the new location's new seneschal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Guardians of Dragonfall</i> certainly isn't perfect--there are some character motivations and plot points that could have used a second pass--but as an adventure, it's solid and makes use of a great location. I think I'll integrate Dragonfall into <i>my</i> Golarion, no matter what Paizo says!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-16219301346214650932023-11-12T20:39:00.000-05:002023-11-12T20:39:01.901-05:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 60 [RPG]<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> [Fireday, 24
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a hot
summer’s day in Korvosa when the Harrowed Heroes, having spent several days
apart to tend to their own affairs, reunite to continue planning their voyage
to Castle Scarwall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meeting takes
place at an abandoned building in Old Korvosa repurposed by Goldcape to house
her own resistance cell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some
confusion and banter over code words and security, the three get down to
business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape shares some
information about The Harrower’s final words and that Yraelzin is leaving the
Cinderlands after helping to repulse the giant army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner shares his discovery that Marcus
Endrin is still alive and kept in a secret cell in Deathhead Vault, and adds
his suspicions that the new “hero” Trifaccia is really an agent of the Queen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also informs them that Kroft and her band
of rebels are safe and are awaiting reassurances before revealing the location
of their new headquarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak says
he hasn’t learned much, as he’s been busy upgrading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate</i> to make The Reckoner more mobile on the battlefield; the only
side-effect of the process is that the intelligent suit of armor seems to be
growing confident and outspoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate </i>is ready,
Anorak says he wants to spend at least four more days in Korvosa to prepare
himself for the journey, and the others agree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The three agree on a signal for future meetings, with Anorak to hang an
old towel outside his workshop and Goldcape to put an old mattress against the
wall outside if either wish to talk.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As The Reckoner and Anorak are leaving Goldcape’s new quarters, the two
discuss how Glorio let slip that a spy was watching the dwarf’s workshop. The Reckoner explains it’s probably one of
the strange gnomelike creatures that he and Goldcape once scuffled with, as
they seem to lurk all over as hidden agents for House Arkona. Talk slides into how such a spy could be
detected or captured, and suddenly a plan is hatched. Deciding there’s no time like the present,
the two make their way to Anorak’s workshop.
The dwarf returns to work normally, while The Reckoner (invisible) hides
in an alleyway watching. Soon, he spots
the spy crouching on the workshop’s roof, barely visible in the shadows of the
chimney—the creature must be watching Anorak through a chink in the roof
tiles! Anorak later leaves and finds The
Reckoner in the alleyway. With the help
of a memory-enhancing spell, he recognises the “gnome” as a type of rakshasa
called a dandasuka. The spell alerts the
dandasuka to the presence of hidden watchers, but before it can flee, Anorak
uses a short-range teleportation spell to take him and The Reckoner to the
roof. There, with one mighty swipe of
his hammer, The Reckoner knocks the creature unconscious. Fortunately, the fight was so fast that no
one appeared to notice, even in broad daylight.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdU3T1ZCZHfVTfAk3oMJigm0TlnDUlbnPGoep0Dm2RlTpsA5IJwmIgWNAPXfk1xZK4OU3XhBOpF6jk33Pf72bEKeTn2EZDxMRHh9vIneTS5bZpKK9M_2hKyEaOQZvFCKNyLL65kouC7Uv06LMZBWznvmUC83TY1YvxmEJeriMtnycyutsWT82lOLl3L8/s252/rakshasa,%20dandasuka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="200" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdU3T1ZCZHfVTfAk3oMJigm0TlnDUlbnPGoep0Dm2RlTpsA5IJwmIgWNAPXfk1xZK4OU3XhBOpF6jk33Pf72bEKeTn2EZDxMRHh9vIneTS5bZpKK9M_2hKyEaOQZvFCKNyLL65kouC7Uv06LMZBWznvmUC83TY1YvxmEJeriMtnycyutsWT82lOLl3L8/s1600/rakshasa,%20dandasuka.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">After the pair
haul the unconscious dandasuka into the workshop and bind him securely, The
Reckoner uses a wand to heal it back to consciousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The creature seems surprisingly unconcerned
by its dire predicament—perhaps even happy to have some excitement, and readily
admits it was spying on Anorak and reports to Glorio Arkona’s majordomo every morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gleefully insults its captors for what it
sees as a ham-fisted attempt at interrogation, and cheerfully volunteers to
become a double agent for them, while noting that it could just as easily become
a triple agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps flummoxed by the
creature’s attitude, The Reckoner and Anorak decide to gag it and lock it in a
chest until they can decide what to do with it.<br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Since he’s already
in the workshop, The Reckoner decides to put on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sapient armor is
so enthused about his new abilities he shows off by lifting his wearer into the
air without being asked—much to the vigilante’s consternation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner and Anorak discuss what to do
with their captive, and eventually hit upon the idea of ensuring its loyalty
through a contract—but no ordinary contract, a magical contract that coerces
signatories to observe its terms!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Disguising himself as an ordinary day labourer, Ralph Blackfeather
leaves the workshop with a plan to buy the contract at Hedge Wizardry, but then
remembers there’s only one land crossing left between Old Korvosa and the rest
of the city—and it’s guarded by the Gray Maidens!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, Anorak is able to teleport him
just across the river so he can make the rest of the journey on foot.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">At Hedge Wizardry,
Phaeton is dismayed when Ralph discloses who he really is underneath the
disguise—which means the storekeeper will have to list him as the purchaser for
anything he buys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralph decides to go
ahead, and scrapes together almost seven thousand gold pieces—nearly the last
of his funds—to buy the magical contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A tip from Phaeton directs Ralph to a bookstore in Midland where the
proprietor, Costa Serimus, has the legal skills to write out the terms that
Ralph wants it to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s going to be
quite an elaborate document, as Ralph and Anorak spent a long time thinking of
loopholes the dandasuka might try to exploit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One issues that Costa points out is that the contract will only be
binding if entered into voluntarily (not through force or duress), and so Ralph
should think of what he will offer in the way of consideration (value).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nominal sum of 1 gold piece per month is
decided, and Costa says he’ll have it ready the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Ralph is leaving, he notices a handbill posted
by Costa offering a reward to anyone who can cleanse his store of a ghostly
presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked, Costa explains
that whenever he’s alone in the building, spooky things start to happen—he
hears noises, feels chills, and find things have moved from where he left
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ralph says he might look into it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">His journey back
to Old Korvosa is initially stymied by the Gray Maiden’s barricade of the
bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first plan to rely on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate</i>’s ability to fly fails (after its
resounding battle cry of “For the good of Korvosa!”) because the armor has
already exhausted its magic for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fortunately, the resourceful vigilante combines invisibility and amazing
physical prowess to scale the barricade without being noticed by the
guards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief stop at Anorak’s
workshop to share the news about the contract being drafted, The Reckoner goes
to inform Goldcape of what they’ve been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once there, the two hear from Clenkins that House Arkona guards arrested
several people nearby just minutes ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Goldcape and The Reckoner are alarmed to hear the news (fearing Glorio
may be emulating Ileosa’s authoritarianism) and decide to investigate under the
cover of invisibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a pleasant
surprise is awaiting them: the guards have only arrested a band of street
robbers unlicensed by the Cerulean Society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And more to the point, the criminals were bound and waiting for the
guards after Blackjack foiled their brazen daylight attack on residents of Old
Korvosa!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The return of Korvosa’s
foremost hero is sure to improve morale in the neighbourhood.</p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After easily foiling an attempted theft by a strange spider-like
humanoid creature called an ettercap, the Harrowed Heroes teleport across the
river to investigate whether the city’s largest bookstore is haunted. They perform a careful search using means
mundane and magical, but fail to turn up signs of any spectral
infestation. Remembering that Costa said
the haunting only occurs when he’s alone in the building, Ralph offers to spend
the night alone in the bookstore, but Costa reluctantly declines—there are just
too many valuable tomes in the store, and he just met Ralph hours ago. Ralph is understanding and returns to his
safehouse in Northpoint, while Anorak teleports Goldcape home and then returns
to his workshop.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Starday, 25
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8q210t-nSVkVjRng12WqL3zOYgg2-3Dx5UyA6XY4Eee0NDw1PRHSUbtV_rzyyQ2b57V6svHP455fzuMehxNSqShhMattooY8tT7Nr1ZA2JVYhFVgk3mK3e_Ol3coxY4CgEEi-MayjMzL3YayloSTRRCHtkJpg8o70i29dgwripozsFGH7gWXJEPawgM/s900/xill.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8q210t-nSVkVjRng12WqL3zOYgg2-3Dx5UyA6XY4Eee0NDw1PRHSUbtV_rzyyQ2b57V6svHP455fzuMehxNSqShhMattooY8tT7Nr1ZA2JVYhFVgk3mK3e_Ol3coxY4CgEEi-MayjMzL3YayloSTRRCHtkJpg8o70i29dgwripozsFGH7gWXJEPawgM/s320/xill.png" width="242" /></a></div>It’s just one bell
past midnight when Anorak wakes from a sound sleep with tremendous
pain—something is trying to tear out his throat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his life flashes before his eyes, a sudden
burst of strength allows him to push the attacker away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the situation somehow becomes even worse,
as the dwarf realizes there’s not just one attacker, but three, and they’re not
remotely human!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flame-red mixtures of
insect and reptiles, the attackers have four arms and mandibles dripping with
what must surely be poison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Anorak
throws off the bedclothes, turns himself invisible with a mystic intonation and
scrambles to his feet, one of the intruders breaks open the chest where the
dandasuka is held, but snaps it shut and kicks it away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sound of breaking furniture in an
adjacent room reveals another has found what it has been seeking: the box left
by Mortimont!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite being invisible,
the dwarf’s attacker has a rough idea of where his prey must be and continues
clawing and biting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nearly succumbing
from his wounds, Anorak makes the desperate decision to grab the box, throw
open the door, and race out into the night towards the one source of aid
nearby—Goldcape’s resistance cell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he
runs—not knowing whether the creatures are following—he feels a peculiar sense
of ownership over the box and the knowledge that it would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">let </i>him open it . . .<br /><p></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-------------------</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GM Commentary</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was the first session of Chapter Five, and some of the players used their 3d6 days of Downtime to gather some very handy bits of information that they shared to each other in the first scene. During Downtime, I guarantee to players that there will be no combat interruptions and all ticking clocks in the background will be paused, but I also tell them if they want to continue Downtime activities after the 3d6 days is up, everything is fair game. Anorak's player wanted to keep crafting, but it's hard to craft when xill are after the box you were supposed to ditch!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The idea of capturing one of Glorio's spies and turning him into a double-agent took me completely by surprise but became a pretty important subplot! The Reckoner invested not only a substantial amount of money in that contract, but a lot of time trying to avoid any legalistic loopholes. I tried to make the effort worthwhile in terms of the information received. I had to improv the dandasuka's personality on the spot and came up with this crazy/creepy/enthusiastic vibe that really hit a chord with the players; he was voted the best NPC in the game when the campaign finished!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The stuff about the bookstore being haunted was my attempt to implement a reference from the <i>Guide to Korvosa</i>, but it didn't really pan out well. I didn't have anything prepped. Sometimes improv goes great, and sometimes it falls flat!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-29852324081935396842023-10-31T23:07:00.001-04:002023-10-31T23:07:33.131-04:00Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Bandit Outpost" [RPG]<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCcnUsxuv04ZZFwzVzDD1yEf0daCx_qG5i0nHz3UyBEG5J2XmhIlkkjmmPJG2qAPNHRJQMoAJGF_RMd3tfOGR2Ev9NLL9i0p76gSSYppLwIqmiph_2graDYdd4jBENnKa_b-LmUuuxFhf4QMrvG8mG4OIKZAec8OeM9huUUFNMsNnonZXTjjlXRd-B0Q/s223/PZO31029_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="180" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCcnUsxuv04ZZFwzVzDD1yEf0daCx_qG5i0nHz3UyBEG5J2XmhIlkkjmmPJG2qAPNHRJQMoAJGF_RMd3tfOGR2Ev9NLL9i0p76gSSYppLwIqmiph_2graDYdd4jBENnKa_b-LmUuuxFhf4QMrvG8mG4OIKZAec8OeM9huUUFNMsNnonZXTjjlXRd-B0Q/s1600/PZO31029_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>I've had the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bandit Outpost</i> flip-mat for a while now and never used it, but the advantage of having a big collection is that, sometimes, you happen to have exactly what you need when you need it! I needed something that could serve as the walled Aspis Consortium compound, and <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bandit Outpost</i> fit the description perfectly. It has a good array of features, such as buildings and their interiors, stables, an inner parapet and ladders to reach it, etc. It's the sort of thing that would fit the bill anytime the PCs are out in the wilderness and you need a bad-guy hideout, or, as the packaging says, something that could also serve as the PCs' own headquarters. The only downside is that, as with a lot of the early flip-mat releases, the other side is just plain grassland with a bit of a clearing in the middle of it. I've come to find these blank sides more useful than I would have thought, but it's still not the best use of space.<br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-3820855055219555382023-10-31T00:07:00.001-04:002023-10-31T00:07:20.236-04:00Pathfinder Society Scenario # 4-S: "Ruins of Bonekeep, Level One: The Silent Grave" [RPG]<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjDTMpLUFNgZDvygZSJzMMzhz7DkMuInjlHd4tTzKFTxf07JL1N2GEiYpRCjw65QeIUS-ChaWEud5Bc_D3BMnaqQl0NoPuSkyGnvGIx-j0vzcKlAQnyPT5dRPvKHKA1YxWijKUcpPu6JtfCThpRe4v4lRqwiC6zKr9oYEJu6zAdM2b_NiUmlnwvflkI4/s233/PZOPSS0400-3E_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjDTMpLUFNgZDvygZSJzMMzhz7DkMuInjlHd4tTzKFTxf07JL1N2GEiYpRCjw65QeIUS-ChaWEud5Bc_D3BMnaqQl0NoPuSkyGnvGIx-j0vzcKlAQnyPT5dRPvKHKA1YxWijKUcpPu6JtfCThpRe4v4lRqwiC6zKr9oYEJu6zAdM2b_NiUmlnwvflkI4/s1600/PZOPSS0400-3E_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>NO SPOILERS<br /><br />I imagine anyone who's played Pathfinder Society for a while will have heard of the legendary <i>Bonekeep</i> scenarios: a series designed to test the most experienced character optimisers around! Famously lethal (but with higher-than-normal rewards), these scenarios are not for your average, run-of-the-mill PCs. It was thus with a great deal of trepidation (but with plenty of Prestige Points for a <i>raise dead</i>) that I entered my completely-randomly-generated-multiclass character Jilla into a play-by-post game of <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Silent Grave</i>, the first of the <i>Bonekeep</i> scenarios. It was very exciting to play with a real sense of fear (usually absent from most scenarios), though I think the scenario wasn't as hard as rumour has it or the GM was taking it easy on us (or perhaps both) because we all made it out in one piece. I'd certainly like to play the next one with a no-holds-barred vibe and see what happens!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">SPOILERS!<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The in-game premise behind the scenario is pretty simple: a crumbling white-stoned siege castle outside of Absalom named Bonekeep is ripe for exploration, and Pathfinders are the ones to do it. Two hundred years ago, Bonekeep was the fortress of a necromancer named Volzaras who planned to open a portal to the Negative Energy Plane under the siege castle, command an army of undead, and take over City at the Center of the World (Absalom). Of course, Volzaras' plan went awry; he was destroyed and his keep was razed. Various expeditions in the years since never turned up anything of interest in the ruins of Bonekeep, until two Pathfinders recently discovered a secret staircase to its lower levels. One was decapitated by a trap, and the other ran for help. The PCs are assigned by Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin to explore the place. Out of game, the PCs can only explore the first level of the dungeon, as other scenarios in the series are for deeper levels. This first level was home to the laboratories of Volzaras' apprentice, and have since been taken over by a ratfolk alchemist named Korsan. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The scenario is pure dungeon-crawl, with no NPCs, skill challenges, wilderness travel, etc. It's classic, old school, check-every-square-for-traps gaming that can feel very nostalgic to those of us who played in the era of graph-paper maps. The scenario definitely has some appropriately ruthless features: multiple creatures like caryatid columns and grey oozes that can destroy equipment (this happened early in the game I played and really limited one of the PCs who until then had the modern luxury of never needing to carry a backup weapon), combats that can get out of hand quickly with poor tactics or bad luck on the dice (an alchemist that buffs for five rounds can be scary), and some great traps (I love one trap that is armed only by the PCs adding their weight to a pedestal to disarm a more obvious trap). Disease seems to be a special theme of this particular scenario, as there are multiple ways to catch one and the scenario even includes a special GM handout to keep track of who has one and their progression! (and there's a negative boon associated with disease as well) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Pathfinder experience it reminds me of the most of is <i>Thornkeep</i>, which came out after this, but that was also pure (and sometimes pretty tough) dungeon crawling. There must be some rules for running the adventure that are outside the scenario itself, as there's some references to time limits in the text (and for PBP, we were limited to a route of about half the rooms, chosen by the GM)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I certainly had fun with <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Silent Grave</i>. I wouldn't want hard old-school dungeon crawls to be the <i>only</i> type of Pathfinder adventure, but as a change of pace, it was great and escaping the first level came with a sense of accomplishment.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-4632720659903793572023-10-29T22:30:00.001-04:002023-10-29T22:30:18.965-04:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 59 [RPG]<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">[15 Erastus 4708
to 23 Erastus 4708]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After weeks of
exhaustive trudging through the Cinderlands and a narrow escape from Deathhead
Vault, the Harrowed Heroes decide to spend several days in Korvosa to rest and
plan the next steps of their quest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
raid on Deathhead Vault has clearly broken the back of the Red Mantis
assassins, as rumor holds they were effectively wiped out and are unlikely to
return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, several mid-ranking
officers in the Gray Maidens were slain, and the effects are clear: patrols are
less frequent and more cautious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
adequate troops to enforce it, Ileosa has “graciously” lifted martial law from Korvosa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unrest and violence remain—along with the
knowledge that the cruel queen could tighten her fist at any time—but for now
the city is better off than it has been since just before the arrival of blood
veil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Across the city,
various factions are also planning their next moves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the Church of Asmodeus and the Church of
Abadar officially endorsing Ileosa, the “neutral” faiths of Sarenrae and
Pharasma are coming under increasing pressure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Old Korvosa, House Arkona continues to take advantage of the
power-vacuum on Endrin’s Isle by exerting more influence over local
affairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city’s only thieves’ guild,
the Cerulean Society, seems to be laying low for the moment—always an ominous
sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merchant shipping has resumed,
though at a slower pace, as chaos is bad for business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cressida Kroft arranges for word to be sent
to The Reckoner that the surface raid on the Longacre Building was easily
repulsed, but that she and the others successfully escaped and have set up in a
different location than before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumors
run rampant that a new vigilante named Trifaccia has appeared in the city—an
expert swordsman wearing a gold mask and red robe, he allegedly saves ordinary
law-abiding Korvosans from the depredations of violent rebels trying to extort
money from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course, events
continue to churn outside the city, with Yraelzin sending a magical message to
Goldcape that the giant siege on Urglin has been broken, and that he’ll be
heading east after a dream vision from The Harrower.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the days after
their return, The Reckoner commissions Anorak to further enchant <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plate</i> (his sapient suit of armor) and
gathers information on Trifaccia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Goldcape collects an assortment of rumors and researches at the
University of Korvosa to learn about Belkzen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anorak puts in hour after hour in his workshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even during these days of preparation, portentous
events still occur.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX9oo8Po9KpsDjK8A4S9papvrLyA8WrfDhSGg64Mea2L7-rDYdN7MVJRu9F2lk2XYjp2L0kATVZTs6kITo2-SbQt-Z8Ehogxz3S5HmQplckib6nR9vr1_TTNbx1gW8ZgBg9UUL0fsnpX5FPqJiiMJz1Wb27c-uWvrvgT3XBc989beseBnekrWtNG47rU/s446/Adriel,%20Jasan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX9oo8Po9KpsDjK8A4S9papvrLyA8WrfDhSGg64Mea2L7-rDYdN7MVJRu9F2lk2XYjp2L0kATVZTs6kITo2-SbQt-Z8Ehogxz3S5HmQplckib6nR9vr1_TTNbx1gW8ZgBg9UUL0fsnpX5FPqJiiMJz1Wb27c-uWvrvgT3XBc989beseBnekrWtNG47rU/s320/Adriel,%20Jasan.png" width="241" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Goldcape rides Nipper out of Korvosa and to the nearby village of
Harse. There, she easily finds Blackbird
Ranch, the place Vencarlo Orisini asked her to come after finishing her time in
the Cinderlands. Goldcape is greeted by
a friendly rancher (and former adventuring companion of Vencarlo) named Jasan
Adriel. Jasan invites Goldcape to dinner
with his wife and children, and they have a fun meal as Goldcape tells stories
and answers a lot of questions from the kids.
They’re especially interested in Nipper, and amazed that Goldcape can
speak to a horse! After dinner, Jasan
leads Goldcape to an outbuilding on the ranch, asks for help pushing a bay of
hale to the side, and opens a trapdoor underneath it. After climbing down the exposed ladder,
Goldcape finds herself in a fully-furnished underground apartment! Vencarlo and Neolandus Kalepopolis (Castle
Korvosa’s presumed-dead seneschal) are there, and happy to receive a
visitor. Goldcape confirms that in the
Cinderlands, she and her allies found information that will lead them to a way
to render Ileosa vulnerable to attack.
Vencarlo sends Neolandus to talk with Jasan on the surface, and leads
Goldcape over to a small black trunk. He
smiles at Goldcape, and says she probably knows what he’s about to reveal. Flipping the latches on the trunk, he reveals
the distinctive costume and equipment of Blackjack! Vencarlo says he’s past his prime and needs
to keep Neolandus safe, but that Korvosa still needs a hero who will live up to
the ideals of Blackjack: justice, mercy, and the rights of the common folk. “Korvosa needs you, Goldcape, and Korvosa
needs Blackjack. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Will you be take
on the mantle of the city’s greatest hero?”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goldcape happily accepts.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She
gets confirmation of something else she suspected—that Vencarlo had hoped that
one of his former fencing students, Grau Soldado or Sabina Merrin, would be
suited to the role, but after the three had a falling out, it was clear neither
could be Blackjack.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before leaving,
Goldcape shares some tragic news with Vencarlo.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">His former partner (romantically and in crimefighting), The Harrower, is
dead.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Vencarlo looks stricken and tries
not to weep, as Goldcape puts a consoling hand on his shoulder.<br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Having spent hours
enchanting The Reckoner’s sapient armor with new capabilities, Anorak is just
finishing up a long, sweaty day when he hears a gentle tap on the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He opens it to reveal Mortimont, the
unsettling baker from across the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mortimont explains that he’s brought cupcakes, and urges Anorak to try
one, but the dwarf remains cautious and declines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does let Mortimont in to talk though, and
the baker says that unfortunately, he’ll be leaving Korvosa soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks Anorak to dispose of the mysterious
box he had paid him to watch over, suggesting “the heart of a volcano” or “the
depths of the ocean” as suitable places for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several times, Mortimont reminds Anorak not to open the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anorak receives the news that the box has
been abandoned by Mortimont in good spirits, muttering as the baker departs
that he’s certainly going to open the box.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Having returned to his original safe-house in North Point, Ralph
Blackfeather is working hard to prepare for the impending journey to
Scarwall.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Given that his lair is meant
to be well-hidden, he’s surprised to hear a sharp rap at a back exit.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Instead of answering directly, Ralph quickly
changes into The Reckoner and sneaks out another exit to see what’s waiting for
him.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">There, wearing a deep-hooded cloak
and signs of burn scarring, is Grau Soldado!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Having been brought to the safe-house months ago by Goldcape during the
initial riots, Grau must have remembered its location.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Reckoner calls out to him cautiously, and
Grau says it would be safer to speak inside, out of prying eyes and ears.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When both men are in, The Reckoner says he
heard Grau was severely injured.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grau
nods, stating that a battle against Ileosa’s new “seneschal”—a powerful
wizard—left him with severe burns.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fortunately, the Temple of Sarenrae took him in and hid him away,
healing him with their magic.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grau gets
to the point quickly: he wants The Reckoner’s band to join his resistance.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He says Cressida Kroft has her heart in the
right place, but is too cautious and lacks the edge to get the job done.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When The Reckoner raises the recent raid on
the Longacre Building, Grau concedes it was an example of smart planning.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But, he says, that’s the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">only</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> operation her resistance group has conducted since martial law
was imposed.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In contrast, Grau says his
fighters’ constant hit-and-run attacks have forced the Gray Maidens completely
out of the Shingles, effectively freeing a sizable portion of the city’s
population from Ileosa’s grip.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Reckoner is impressed, but explains that for now, it’s a moot point about which
resistance group has the better prospects, so long as Ileosa is
invulnerable—but that may soon change.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grau is intrigued, and says when it does, there’s another reason why the
Harrowed Heroes should throw their support behind him; he has a person on the
inside of Castle Korvosa.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The two
warriors agree to go their separate ways for now, but establish a system of
communication involving squares of red cloth should they need to meet again.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the slums of
Old Korvosa, one of the projects Goldcape has expended days of effort (and a
lot of gold) to accomplish is to set up her own resistance cell in an abandoned
building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outfitted with defensive
traps, cots and bedrolls, and a small armory, the hidden base seems safe from the
Queen’s forces as long as it remains in the still-quarantined part of
the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drawing upon thugs formerly
loyal to the “Emperor of Old Korvosa”, regular citizens out of work since they
can’t cross the blockaded bridge to the rest of the city, soldiers left to
their own devices after the abolition of the Sable Company and the Korvosan
Guard, and even a former acolyte of Yraelzin’s “Temple of Razmir,” Goldcape has
assembled a potentially formidable force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her greatest bit of luck was finding Sergeant Clenkins, the aged
Korvosan Guardsman formerly responsible for watching the gate of Citadel Volshyenek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clenkins promises to train the disparate
members of the cell so they can work well together once Goldcape gives them
their first mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape says
she’ll be leaving for a couple of weeks and that it would be too dangerous to
do any raids for now, but when she returns, she’ll have a target for them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiYc8dk4oIr3r7U9hsCEMgZo3dvoxpuXKtKZe7kWYyjduCaZkHZczP9QLsiuw14L0W7l0tz7jsN104wYMTa3sEkWCHdAc3sPu_ndFbesNbmN3nvpUWyeLTqSXaDJ8ifwdOeaMOBG6zolTEyYdrQjUUWQ5XfddMecEoWlps2ptIgHfffAKQFOf0T9Si5I/s663/Arkona,%20Glorio.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiYc8dk4oIr3r7U9hsCEMgZo3dvoxpuXKtKZe7kWYyjduCaZkHZczP9QLsiuw14L0W7l0tz7jsN104wYMTa3sEkWCHdAc3sPu_ndFbesNbmN3nvpUWyeLTqSXaDJ8ifwdOeaMOBG6zolTEyYdrQjUUWQ5XfddMecEoWlps2ptIgHfffAKQFOf0T9Si5I/s320/Arkona,%20Glorio.png" width="224" /></a></div>One day, enjoying lunch in his workshop, Anorak hears the sounds of
horse hooves, carriage wheels, and marching soldiers out front. He opens the door cautiously to see that
Glorio Arkona, patriarch of House Arkona, has come by with “an exciting
proposition”! The dwarf lets Glorio in
but refuses him a seat, putting himself in the power position. Glorio beats around the bush for a bit,
explaining that “a little bird—or an invisible spy” told him Anorak was working
on some truly “crafty crafting”. The
aristocrat looks meaningfully at <i>Plate</i>,
strapped down to the worktable. Glorio
says that “quality is what House Arkona stands for”, and that he wants Anorak
to come to work for him as Chief Armorer.
Anorak is frank that he doesn’t trust Glorio, but Glorio tries to
reassure him that all of the danger and manipulation the dwarf experienced was
due to his sister, who has surely fled the city. Glorio goes on to say that instead of the
unpredictability and constant danger of adventuring, Anorak would receive a
steady, stable, and very lucrative experience working in an exquisite workspace
in Arkona Palace itself. Anorak seems
mildly tempted, but still turns down the offer, saying it wouldn’t be exciting
enough. Glorio makes a final pitch,
subtly hinting that with someone as unpredictable as Ileosa as Queen, having
friends like House Arkona could be very fruitful indeed. Anorak says that will only matter if Ileosa
can be defeated, and right now she has world-breaking magic, is quite evil, and
could live for centuries. Glorio sighs
in resignation, remarking that if Anorak thinks he would survive such a direct
confrontation, his father told him never to do business with those who have a
loose grasp on reality.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another startling
event during this period begins when Ralph Blackfeather makes one of his many
visits to Hedge Wizardry to purchase enchanted items for the group. Phaeton Skoda, the cluttered store’s
proprietor, pulls Ralph in, locks the door, and puts a “closed” sign on display
in the window. Looking nervous, Phaeton
begins by staying something dreadful has happened. Before he can continue, Ralph hurries to
reassure him that he was responsible for the recent attempted break-in at the
back door and was sorry for any damages caused.
Phaeton’s eyes widen, as he had no idea about that. He mutters something about how it was lucky
“the guardian” hadn’t been awakened, but continues to explain that something
far more serious has taken place: an inquisitor of the Church of Abadar visited
just a couple of days ago and seized Phaeton’s accounts books. But the inquisitor wasn’t after records of
last year’s transactions (taxes on which Phaeton assures Ralph were fully
paid), but of the last few months! In
other words, Phaeton thinks there’s a high-level investigation into who has
been buying expensive or powerful magical items in the city. Ralph remains calm, and says he’ll likely be
leaving the city for some time. He
promises to work out a way to make future purchases anonymously so that Phaeton
can record the buyer or seller as “unknown” in good faith and without violating
any laws.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The days of
downtime pass by quickly, but soon the time will come again when the Harrowed
Heroes need to assemble for the next step of their epic quest. The stakes are clear: either Queen Ileosa
survives, or Korvosa does.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">----------------------------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>GM Commentary</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In this campaign, I offered the players 3d6 days of "downtime" between each chapter: a time where they could retrain, craft, research new spells, earn coin, etc. with a guarantee that the downtime wouldn't count against any ticking clocks in the background or be interrupted by sudden attack. I used a slightly modified version of the Downtime rules from <i>Ultimate Campaign</i> (I think) for this, and it worked out pretty well as the rules state how much different activities cost and how long they take.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Most of the downtime stuff was handled between sessions, but I promised my players they'd each get one or two role-playing scenes set during downtime. That's what this session consisted of. I knew the PCs would be off for Scarwall soon (and there for the entirety of Chapter Five), so I foreshadowed as much as I reasonably could about Chapter Six: the vigilante Trifaccia, the new seneschal (the bloodmage Togomor), Grau's "man on the inside" of Castle Korvosa (Sabina!), and more. I also tried to advance the three factions (Kroft's, Grau's, and Glorio's) plotline by showing what each has to offer and, hopefully, making the choice of which to support not be an obvious one for the group.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Two key moments during this session were Goldcape being selected as the new Blackjack (a rooftop-running, rapier-wielding chaotic good character fit the bill perfectly!) and Anorak being left with the mysterious box and advised to dispose of it (in a volcano or the ocean depths, no less!). I loved the Blackjack element of <i>Curse of the Crimson Throne</i>, and it makes for a really memorable part of the campaign--and I know Goldcape's player loved it too. As for the mysterious box, we'll soon see that Anorak was unable to resist temptation, and the startling consequences that has on the rest of the campaign.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-24894116115470771102023-10-22T21:25:00.002-04:002023-10-22T21:26:58.812-04:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 58 [RPG]<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />[Toilday, 14
Erastus 4708 A.R.]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />A tremendous
victory has been won, but the Battle of Deathhead Vault isn’t over yet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As The Reckoner and Anorak search the bodies
of the fallen Gray Maidens, the sound of reinforcements trying to break down the
locked doors to the chamber echoes throughout the Vault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reckoner says he wants to free the other
prisoners in the facility, but The Harrower says cryptically that her power is
waning and she has much to tell them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She says she can’t stay much longer, and when she leaves, she’ll never
see them again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But The Reckoner is
adamant that there’s more to do in the Vault and, using keys found on Kordaitra
Destaid, the Gray Maidens’ second-in-command, he unlocks the door to a series
of back rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one of them, he spots
a secret door that opens to reveal a hidden closet full of potions, wands,
scrolls, and more—a veritable treasure trove of supplies kept by the Gray
Maidens in case of emergency!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
suddenly the outer doors to the main chamber burst in, and Gray Maidens begin
to spill in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Harrower shouts her
farewell, saying she’ll try to find Goldcape to listen to her final Harrowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She disappears in a swirling chain of cards.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63Ykt93Ro2-9i73DfB1_P-VyivIyZxlmjctAFaLIwv1LYfGYdMArLFFvJpMSMmyR1uM_nrXT608RcnoAVhmG7LzNkci4wGaYOYXN1caLAeS5OjOf5N3d8wLSU1XqHxPw9EcJDnsylax2HGUfdTYb-GFdyIvYdLYqbxBcGVttX6ymVVlMOvzVWRx0e9wU/s221/Zellara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="204" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63Ykt93Ro2-9i73DfB1_P-VyivIyZxlmjctAFaLIwv1LYfGYdMArLFFvJpMSMmyR1uM_nrXT608RcnoAVhmG7LzNkci4wGaYOYXN1caLAeS5OjOf5N3d8wLSU1XqHxPw9EcJDnsylax2HGUfdTYb-GFdyIvYdLYqbxBcGVttX6ymVVlMOvzVWRx0e9wU/s1600/Zellara.jpg" width="204" /></a></div></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The Reckoner and
Anorak conceal themselves in the closet, shutting the secret door behind
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can hear the heavy footsteps
of Gray Maidens searching the back rooms thoroughly for the intruders and
decide to begin sweeping everything in the closet into The Reckoner’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">handy haversack</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one of the items must have also been
enchanted as an extra-dimensional repository, as The Reckoner’s bag—and
everything in it—implodes! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trapped in
the closet as dozens of Gray Maidens, led by a superior with an elvish accent,
search for them, The Reckoner and Anorak decide it’s time to escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking the remaining valuables in the
emergency stash, they use teleportation magic to vanish, reappearing safely
elsewhere.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">Meanwhile, The Harrower—frantic and dishevelled and somehow . . . less <i>real—</i>appears suddenly in Old Lady
Cloggins’ kitchen! The house’s owner is
understandably quite startled, but quickly regains her composure, promising to
make Goldcape and her guest some tea while they talk. The Harrower pulls Goldcape into a back room,
pulls the blinds, pushes a table to the center of the room, and spreads cards
on it. She performs a final Harrowing,
pouring out her insight into what the future holds. When she finishes, her body glows and becomes
mist-like as she’s slowly drawn to a realm that perhaps mankind was never meant
to witness. “I’ve held on for as long as
I could,” she says. “But I can’t resist
the pull any longer. I have to say
goodbye. Remember what you’ve
learned. It may just be enough to see
you and the others through.” With a sad
smile, The Harrower’s spirit moves on toward its final resting place.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>Goldcape emerges
into the kitchen to find Old Lady Cloggins feeding Rocky some scones in the
backyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldcape explains she has to
leave for a while, but promises to return soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She flies on Rocky’s back to Old Korvosa, fortunate that the Gray Maiden
aerial scouts still haven’t returned from patrolling the skies above the statue
unveiling to the west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once near The
Reckoner’s hidden safehouse, Goldcape calls out and tries to get his attention,
enraging the security-conscious vigilante.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The two argue, and Goldcape ends up flying away in a huff.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />As another chapter
in the epic tale of Queen Ileosa’s reign closes, the Harrowed Heroes have won a
resounding victory against her forces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But will constant internal fighting tear the group apart just short of
their goal?<br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">-------------------------------<br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>GM Commentary</b></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">A correction to my commentary from last session. One of the players reminded me that the reason I had the Harrower appear was as a fill-in for Goldcape's player being absent. As I said in that post, the memory gets fuzzy the further away we get from the campaign!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>When The Reckoner got going after blood and treasure, it was hard to get him to stop! Thus, The Harrower's final message (meant to be a solemn and sad turning point for the campaign) was delivered only to Goldcape with the other players in another room.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We see here another exploded magic container, and believe it or not, despite warnings, this isn't the only time it happens in the campaign!</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />In the real world, personality conflicts between Goldcape's player and The Reckoner's player made Chapter Four a bit rocky, but things really come to a head here in a way that affects Chapter Five. Soon, Goldcape's player decides to take a break from running a PC and instead becomes a temporary Assistant GM, helping me run combats and keep track of things.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-64599739254049097652023-10-19T21:01:00.001-04:002023-10-19T21:01:05.743-04:00Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-28: "Lyrics of Extinction" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhkwsc3-NjSAVZK-N6t1ND6BFUqNWMemKfFpCgbCGZCedgO4wwZwtoOE5SWQF4RQN7DuxBx7SWluZNCjAine_jU-F_spaxIwdKKvUUXxh-xw5hI360fOJzx1YKChHZD21dOA25HxUH0PCaLH8_6o7nXyqEDwgfq_E5PbEVhgxPzrSZ6L48OvoNhnYZyk/s233/PZOPSS0028E_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhkwsc3-NjSAVZK-N6t1ND6BFUqNWMemKfFpCgbCGZCedgO4wwZwtoOE5SWQF4RQN7DuxBx7SWluZNCjAine_jU-F_spaxIwdKKvUUXxh-xw5hI360fOJzx1YKChHZD21dOA25HxUH0PCaLH8_6o7nXyqEDwgfq_E5PbEVhgxPzrSZ6L48OvoNhnYZyk/s1600/PZOPSS0028E_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of Extinction</i> is the final scenario in Season Zero of Pathfinder Society, the season where they wanted to test out an organised play system using D&D 3.5 rules prior to the official launch of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. I got to play it via play-by-post at high subtier (10-11) with my half-orc Paladin of Sarenrae, Trokkus. The adventure has a cool backstory and the ominous briefing raises expectations of a potentially deadly mission, but unfortunately the rest of the scenario is a let-down and mostly a pretty forgettable dungeon-crawl that wastes a great premise. It's okay, but not a particularly good capstone to the inaugural season.<br /><p></p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p>About a century ago, there was a small but prosperous city in the Mwagni Expanse named Dokeran. However, the city's shaman, a man named Tyruwat, fell into the worship of Zon-Kuthon and was ousted by the community. Vowing vengeance, he called out to Zon-Kuthon and his prayers were rewarded with the divine inspiration to write the lyrics to accompany a music box that together form an artifact called the <i>Song of Extinction</i>. When played, the <i>Song of Extinction </i>destroyed the entire city of Dokeran! Tyruwat gained an extended lifespan from his monstrous act, and still dwells in the ruins of Dokeran today, dreaming of conquest.</p><p>The PCs come into the picture when they're briefed by a Pathfinder named Tuukna in the city of Kibwe. It seems that some treasure hunters were found dead after exploring the ruins of Dokeran, and that others who have ventured close to the area have reported hearing an eerie song. The PCs are assigned to make contact with a witch doctor who will serve as a guide, explore the ruins, and see if they can retrieve the fabled <i>Song of Extinction</i>. It's a pretty strong backstory and briefing, and made us PCs paranoid about <i>wail of the banshee </i>style sonic death effects! With <i>silence</i> spells and earplugs at the ready, we set off into the jungle.</p><p>Despite a great opportunity, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of Extinction</i> doesn't make any use of its setting--there's no chance of getting lost, no need to deal with the heat, and very little interaction with the locals. Before the PCs meet their guide, they have to fight off an ambush from a pack of howlers led by a "wild elf" (one of a group enslaved by Tyruwat). The map is big and well-drawn.</p><p>The witch doctor guide, Nangi, escorts the PCs to Dokeran by canoe. He's pretty much the only NPC to interact with, so hopefully the GM tries to give him some character. Interestingly, and casually slipped in by the scenario, Nangi participated in the betrayal of Dokeran a century ago and also gained an extended lifespan from the <i>Song of Extinction</i>! (though he now regrets his action) For some reason, the scenario provides full stats and tactics for Nangi and his giant crocodile animal companion, though I can't imagine why even mercenary-type PCs would attack him.</p><p>Some good writing could have been done to set an atmospheric mood for exploring the tragic remnants of a city destroyed in mere moments, with the risk of the song being heard again always at the forefront of the explorers' minds. Unfortunately, the ruins of Dokeran get two lines of very bland flavor text and then it's into a crumbling temple (aka, dungeon) for the rest of the scenario. Definitely a lost opportunity.</p><p>The pyramid ("The Grand Temple of Dokeran") features encounters with some trapped spirits (ghosts with barbarian levels), giant stag beetles, an old-fashioned spear trap, and a trio of enslaved wild elves. None of the threats are particularly dangerous or creative. The battle against Tyruwat (a Level 14 bard at high subtier) is similarly disappointing, as he'll die quickly and there's never any actual risk of hearing the <i>Song of Extinction</i>. The PCs simply gather up the music box and presumably take it back with them. In short, there's a lot of build-up for what ends up as a real dud of a scenario.</p><p>The Pathfinder who delivered the mission briefing, Tuukna, has never reappeared as far as I know. The <i>Song of Extinction</i> was written up in <i>Artifacts & Legends</i>. As a true artifact that can destroy structures in a 10-mile radius, it's not something to mess with! I really hope the Pathfinder Society keeps it in the Grand Lodge's version of <i>Warehouse 13</i>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-16492128543241892642023-10-17T23:21:00.002-04:002023-10-17T23:21:33.393-04:00Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-13: "Storm of the End Times" [RPG]<p>NO SPOILERS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMdXe-HOb7lg8M5I7XsH5n7I_MuQfUI-2JJi2hIryynshZI03lqirqfhGtCQdwISMxMH9gojePL4AnF-iZdNBDbsB_3ygZ3Iad6CWOdWB7nTblbn0wVuUHJJ-eCDSDh66XWxpaUhjSx_tLkFi_P-nhPHdjkpP-qP1MX30N8zPEGLilyeCt0o1FErKjgs/s233/PZOSFS0213E_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="180" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMdXe-HOb7lg8M5I7XsH5n7I_MuQfUI-2JJi2hIryynshZI03lqirqfhGtCQdwISMxMH9gojePL4AnF-iZdNBDbsB_3ygZ3Iad6CWOdWB7nTblbn0wVuUHJJ-eCDSDh66XWxpaUhjSx_tLkFi_P-nhPHdjkpP-qP1MX30N8zPEGLilyeCt0o1FErKjgs/s1600/PZOSFS0213E_180.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>I ran <i style="font-weight: bold;">Storm of the End Times</i> with a live tabletop group (crazy, I know!) at low subtier. It has an original story and some interesting gameplay elements, with a focus on skills and role-playing over combat. It's not related to the season metaplot so could be good for a standalone game, though I'd suggest more experienced players and GM (there's a lot to prep and track) would be ideal. Overall, I'd slot it in the "average verging on above average" category. <br /><p></p><p>SPOILERS!</p><p>The backstory to <i style="font-weight: bold;">Storm of the End Times</i> connects all the way back to <i>Starfinder Society Quest: Into the Unknown</i>, a scenario that was in the first batch ever released for Starfinder Society! In that adventure, the PCs salvaged the logs from a derelict exploration ship and learned of a stormy oceanic world named Wealdriad far out in the Vast. Now, a few years later and with the Scoured Stars behind it, the SFS has the time and resources to send a team out to Wealdriad to investigate what unmanned probes have discovered is a once-in-a-lifetime atmospheric event: an aurora tied to strange basalt columns that thrust out from a particular location on the watery world. The SFS has invited several other groups to attend and take their own astronomical readings as well, but what it doesn't know is that cultists of Groetus have decided to crash the party and blow up the basalt columns! (I think maybe the scenario should have used cultists of The Devourer instead, but why quibble?).</p><p>When the PCs' starship exits the Drift, they immediately receive a distress call from the halfling captain of a Church of Ibran explorer vessel called the <i>Whispered Wish</i>. Captain Jinnra explains that her vessel's astronomical recording equipment started malfunctioning as soon as the ship entered orbit, and she's worried they're going to miss out on the big show. She asks the PCs to help investigate. If they say yes, they have an encounter with some ferrofluid oozes (apparently the recording equipment was stabilized with a "ferrofluid suspension") and receive some thank-you gifts, but it also means they miss out on the best available spot on the planet to watch the aurora. If they say no, they get that spot but will receive no cooperation from the Ibrans in the events that occur later. It's a reasonable array of consequences (though I imagine most groups will assume they have to help).</p><p>The bulk of the adventure takes place planetside among the basalt columns. In an inexplicable coincidence, the PCs and all the other groups (except for one) that have come to see the aurora have emerged from the 5d6 days of Drift travel with less than 12 hours to spare. The groups need to scramble to get their recording equipment set up on one of the columns, but the columns have various topographical and other features that make some more desirable than other. In-game, this scramble is represented by the PCs needing to explore the sites and negotiate with the other groups for a certain number of Recordings, Favors, and Findings. Recordings are from the PCs' own observation equipment and those of the other groups, Favors are essentially goodwill from the other groups, and Findings are interesting discoveries the PCs make from exploring the columns (such as links to Morlamaws and a Great Old One named Ghatanothoa!).</p><p>It's a lot for the GM to keep on top of, but fortunately the scenario does provide a secret timeline sheet and a separate tracking sheet. The various groups are mostly described succinctly and with just enough information (a named NPC leader with a line about their personality) to enable some role-playing, but a good GM will add some improv. An exception to that is for one group that arrived on Wealdriad days ago and set up shop at the best location: a group of "shatoris" (a race I'm not familiar with from <i>Alien Archive 3</i>) from the Aeon Empire. The scenario provides a great deal of setting lore about shatoris, and they do sound like an interesting species to continue developing.</p><p>There's a possible (and rather forgettable) fight between the PCs and some leaping fish ("sailpikes"), but the only mandatory combat in the scenario is the big end sequence when the PCs learn that Groetans have arrived on planet and are attaching explosives to the columns. This fight is pretty cinematic in that it features the PCs on a hovercraft versus the cultists on hovertrikes as all parties skim just above the stormy waves (one could imagine the beautifully-atmospheric Jango Fett/Obi-Wan battle in <i>Attack of the Clones</i>). As the GM, I wasn't able to pull off as much excitement as I would've liked (vehicles are challenging!), but I think it was still pretty fun and everyone seemed satisfied at the end.</p><p>In sum, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Storm of the End Times</i> turned out to be a well-written, well-designed, and solid gaming experience. But hey, next time you see a Groetan on the street corner proclaiming "The End is Nigh", toss them a credit! If the world doesn't end, it means they've had a bad day.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6591464970221128213.post-54157327127372961892023-10-15T21:16:00.003-04:002023-10-15T21:16:18.585-04:00Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 57 [RPG]<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">[Toilday, 14
Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">The Harrowed Heroes are in trouble!
Their raid on Deathhead Vault to strike a blow for the resistance has
come up against the self-described Mother of Thorns, a terrifying creature with
magicks so potent she’s mentally dominated The Reckoner and forced Goldcape and
Rocky to flee the complex entirely. With
only Anorak left to carry on the fight, the situation seems dire indeed. But help comes from the most unexpected
direction: above! A thin, hand-sized
card wafts down from the ceiling—and then another, and another, until suddenly
there are hundreds of cards swirling around the room. And from the vortex, a woman wearing the
brightly-coloured skirts, scarves, and gauzy veil of a Varisian fortune-teller
steps out: it’s the Harrower! “I had a
premonition you needed a hand,” she says to Anorak. The Mother of Thorns shouts for The Reckoner
to attack the newcomer, but with an immense act of will, he breaks free of her
control! As The Harrower hurls cards
that turn into unerring bolts of magic to weaken the fiend, The Reckoner draws
an earthbreaker crackling with freezing magic and starts swinging. In seconds, yet another fearsome foe is laid
low by his awesome onslaught.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>Although the
immediate battle is won, The Harrower says there’s no time to rest—the fighting
here has surely been heard and reinforcements will be on the way. Intriguingly, she adds that in her last
Harrowing, she intuited that someone is hiding or hidden in Deathhead Vault,
and if they can be found, it will do much to aid the city. Despite her advice, the other two spend
several precious seconds searching for treasure and identifying magic items
worn by the Mother of Thorns. An
adjacent room is revealed to be a filing office.<br /> <br />The Reckoner leads
the way back to the corridor and smashes down a door to reveal a long hallway
with cells on one side, each containing a badly beaten and nearly unconscious
“recruit” for the Gray Maidens. Unable
to pick the locks, The Reckoner resorts to smashing down more doors with his
hammer—a process that frees the recruits but surely carries yet more proof that
intruders are present. Magical wands
heal the tortured women’s physical wounds but can’t do anything for their
emotional trauma. The Harrower
volunteers to lead the small group to safety, promising to return as soon as
she can. Meanwhile, The Reckoner scouts
to where the corridor turns north and sees an even longer hallway, with several
more cells on one side and two pairs of double-doors on the other. <br /> <br />Using a wand to
turn himself invisible, he tries to pick the lock on the first set of
double-doors, but can’t manage it and has to break it down. On the other side, he sees a sort of
“reception” room for Deathhead Vault—doors lead off it, but more importantly, a
staircase leads up to the Longacre Building where dozens of Gray Maidens must
be stationed, especially since Kroft’s surface raid must have already ended
some time ago. The guards here are ready
for a fight, but The Reckoner’s sudden appearance after being invisible is
enough to terrify a pair of them. Anorak
follows, but even working together, they can’t silence the guards fast enough
to keep the shouts from alerting nearby reinforcements:. More Gray Maidens begin pouring down the
stairs, while one knocks on the northern door and shouts “Commander Destaid,
they’re here!” The fighting continues, with Gray Maiden after Gray Maiden
falling. “Don’t get overconfident,”
shouts The Harrower, arriving like last time in a swirling vortex of cards. “There’s a legion up there!” The Reckoner shouts that they need to get to
the commander, so Anorak uses his dwindling magical reserves to blindly
teleport himself and The Reckoner to the north, while The Harrower stays behind
and conjures illusions to distract the reinforcements.<br /> <br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Anorak and The Reckoner
find themselves in a large torture chamber that has been outfitted with all
manner of pain-inducing implements.
Three hapless and obviously-tormented prisoners are in cages, while a
full contingent of five Gray Maidens stand in the center of the room. Behind a barred portion of the room secured
with a strong iron gate, an imposing woman wearing a bright-red dress and a
Gray Maiden </span></span>commander stand ready. Anorak
recognises the imposing woman as Zenobia Zenderholm, a well-respected senior
arbiter who went missing months ago. The Gray Maiden next
to her speaks: “I am Kordaitra Destaid, Second-in-Command of the Gray
Maidens. In the name of the Queen, stand
down. Your execution will be swift and
merciful.” No one really expects a
surrender, and no one is surprised as the battle starts. The Reckoner skilfully evades the
rank-and-file Gray Maidens to reach the iron bars. As he starts to wail away at the gate,
Kordaitra directs her soldiers to surround Anorak. The dwarf is alarmed as, one by one, his illusory
duplicates are destroyed, and he decides to use an even more powerful illusion
to disappear from sight completely! For
her part, Zenobia Zenderholm reveals herself as a cleric of the Pallid
Princess. A deathly glow surrounds her
hand, a glow whose merest touch would kill The Reckoner—but even this is
impossible! With an array of magical
protections drawn from his mastery of wands, The Reckoner manages to avoid
Zenobia’s touch, batter down the gate, and slay the two leaders. The Harrower appears just as the last
defenders in the room are dispatched.<br /><br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Despite a delayed
start, the Harrowed Heroes have pushed deep into the subterranean bastion of
the Gray Maidens and won a tremendous victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will they play it safe and retreat, or tempt fate and press on?<br />--------------------------------------<br /><b>GM Commentary</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVV5BY1gt0yI_Am0z1ZrLPVNuSgqLpnTi6PpO8id8iK8LtnS8K4xRo8kjiJr7G7wv9vJ9uMca_oqs3muRYvwP8IcoUQmUhRnWbPli7Hu9sXcCHqIr_-_yOYZ0Rq46_SUoSraS96TRQRuaCb7psJf3THhtO4hcIlvNUpe5kExdYWXpLhl8hwT_RRi67iM/s289/Destaid,%20Kordaitra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="248" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVV5BY1gt0yI_Am0z1ZrLPVNuSgqLpnTi6PpO8id8iK8LtnS8K4xRo8kjiJr7G7wv9vJ9uMca_oqs3muRYvwP8IcoUQmUhRnWbPli7Hu9sXcCHqIr_-_yOYZ0Rq46_SUoSraS96TRQRuaCb7psJf3THhtO4hcIlvNUpe5kExdYWXpLhl8hwT_RRi67iM/s1600/Destaid,%20Kordaitra.jpg" width="248" /></a></div></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>The appearance of The Harrower at the beginning of this session looks like a total <i>deus ex machina</i>, but it's really a stylish way I chose to portray one of the players cashing in their one-time sort of "get out of jail free card" boon I gave them (it might have been as a Christmas gift; I don't quite remember, the perils of writing these commentaries a couple of years later!). Because I had established that The Harrower and Blackjack were occasional crimefighting companions in the past, I wanted to show The Harrower here in her full street-level super hero glory as she swirled around, flung Harrow cards (that had the effect of <i>magic missiles</i>), and disoriented foes with her spinning scarves and such. It played well in my head at least, and I was happy at how I portrayed her. At this point, the players still don't know that she's dead and that her spirit is using its dwindling time on the Material Plane to aid them.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The Harrower's reference to someone hiding or hidden whose rescue would do much to aid the city was a hint about Sable Company Commander Marcus Endrin being held captive in a secret cell. Unfortunately, the PCs didn't find him and (if I recall correctly) it was later established that he died.<br />As the timing of the underground raid and the surface raid ended up not being coordinated, I had the surface levels swarming with Grey Maidens; I used the Troop rules to represent this. I think we see more of this next session, but the fact that Troops do automatic damage to creatures around them was very vexing to The Reckoner's player, who was used to relying on super-high AC and multiple buffs to fight most creatures with impunity.</span></div>
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