Pathfinder Module: "Doom Comes to Dustpawn" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I ran Doom Comes to Dustpawn via play-by-post for six Pathfinder Society players.  One thing I can say off the bat is that the module really would work better with just 4 (as designed), because my PCs had little real difficulty with any of the encounters.  But putting that to one side, the module has a great, original feel to it and is certainly a different adventure than the norm.  The interior artwork (and cartography) is quite strong, and there's a solid amount of role-playing (especially at the beginning) to off-set the later combat/exploration sections.  It also has a nice, epic-feeling conclusion.  Although I wish I could go back in time and run it for a group that would be challenged more by the encounters, I think this is a great module and definitely worth experiencing.

SPOILERS

The adventure has a great backstory, some of which the PCs will be able to learn: over a century ago, a cabal of elven sorcerer-astronomers from the nation of Lirgen set out in a magical ship to explore the stars.  Some years after they left, Lirgen itself was destroyed by the perpetual hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego.  But the ship, Lirgen's Glory, kept going until it encountered the mysterious creature that had been beckoning to it: the Emissary from Beyond, a vespergaunt agent of the Dominion of the Black.  The Emissary partially succeeded in enslaving the minds of the ship's crew and convinced them to lead it back to Golarion, where it plans to prepare the planet for its masters.  This is the "doom" that's now on it's way to Dustpawn--a small mining town in the foothills of eastern Isger.  The module includes a handsome map of the town and two-page description in an appendix (not enough to flesh it out as much as I would like, but enough for a GM to get by over the course of a module). 

The PCs enter the picture when they hear about (or are hired to investigate) rumors that a mysterious meteorite crashed in the hills south of Dustpawn.  No one has found the meteorite yet, but ever since it crashed, livestock and hunters in the region have disappeared and the townsfolks have started acting strangely.  The PCs' primary contact is Dalviss Crenn, a former adventurer who now runs an inn called The Mineshaft.  The module does a good job describing Crenn's personality and the layout of the Mineshaft, which will likely serve as the PCs' base of operation over the course of the adventure.  Dalviss explains that one of his own staff members--a cook named Leeara--has gone missing while looking for the meteorite, and that he suspects it may be more than a simple hunk of rock.  Additional intrigue is provided by the fact that four mysterious strangers are now staying at the Mineshaft, claiming to be prospectors but acting rather suspiciously.

One of the major strengths of the module is that it's open-ended on how the PCs pursue their investigation.  If they look into Leeara's disappearance by searching her room, they'll find clues that lead them into a cave in a nearby swamp she used to stay in while foraging for cooking ingredients.  Only, Leeara has been transformed into a feral catlike person!  If they instead start off by investigating the suspicious strangers, they might learn they're local cultists of the Dominion of the Black who have been poisoning/cursing the town's water supply with "dream crystal toxin" to pave the way for the Emissary's arrival.  Not only that, several more cultists (and their leader) are hiding out in a nearby mine.  A third option is for the PCs to just start looking for the crash site of the "meteorite"--there are some clues that can narrow down its location, but things like divination or flyovers (the PCs are ninth level, after all) can help them spot it.  But the crash site isn't from a meteorite--it's from Lirgen's Glory, broken in half from the impact!  Inside, the PCs will encounter more animalistic "id mutants" (transformed by the Emissary's magic) and learn that they're dealing with a ship that has travelled among the stars!  I especially liked the portrayal of Gelviel Zorriah, the ship's captain, who is (insanely) convinced that the PCs are his crew members and therefore orders the group to carry out various "surveys" of the "new world" the ship has landed on.

By exploring Lirgen's Glory, the PCs will learn that the Emissary's arrival is imminent.  Here, they're presenting with an interesting choice.  The Emissary is psychically connected to a minor artifact aboard the ship called the Orrery of Distant Worlds.  The orrery is a quite powerful magic item (each of its planetary spheres can be detached to cast a different spell), but destroying the orrery will significantly weaken the Emissary before it arrives.  The group I ran the module for was divided on how to proceed, which is the mark of a good dilemma.

When the PCs get back to Dustpawn, some very cinematic scenes show how the town is suffering from the madness brought by the Emissary drawing closer and closer.  Some of the NPCs transform into id mutant monsters that have to be stopped (hopefully without killing them--another good challenge).  As for The Emissary itself, it's a little underwhelming in appearance (vespergaunts are medium-sized creatures that don't look that different than an ooze) and there's no map provided for the big final battle.  I ended up using the Town Square flip-mat, which worked fine.  Again, the PCs I ran it for handled the creature with little difficulty, but I imagine it could be a more interesting fight with a different group.

Overall, I really liked Doom Comes to Dustpawn.  It's a bit of 1950s science-fiction tropes integrated smartly into Pathfinder fantasy.  It's also a different type of SF than the type presented in the Iron Gods adventure path (no robots or laser guns here!).  If you get a chance to try it out, I'd recommend it.