Pathfinder Module: "Crypt of the Everflame" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

I ran Crypt of the Everflame for a group of Pathfinder Society characters via play-by-post.  The adventure ended in a TPK, the details of which would be spoilish.  But suffice it to say, the encounters in this module are numerous and some of them are quite deadly.  It's odd because the module is set up as an introductory experience (there are plenty of sidebars to help the GM with basic rules, the maps are flip-mats, and the adventure is stylised as the PCs' first).  Crypt of the Everflame was Paizo's first module to use the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules, and it's fair to say they may not have realised how difficult it could be.  In terms of story, it's a bit mediocre, essentially devolving into a standard dungeon crawl.  I don't want to make it sound like it's terrible, but I will say I don't understand the nostalgia many fans have for it.

I'll also note the artwork is far from the high-quality standard that Paizo would later set, though some individual pieces are pretty good.

SPOILERS!

Crypt of the Everflame is set in Nirmathas and begins in a small village called Kassen.  Kassen's history is important to the adventure, as its eponymous founder's crypt is the main adventure site.  The premise is that the PCs are residents of Kassen who have been mentored by local NPCs to take part in an important annual ritual called the "Quest of the Everflame"--a journey to the tomb of the town's founder to light a lantern which symbolises the town's survival through another winter.  An appendix at the back of the module provides a map and brief gazetteer of the town, and longer descriptions of several NPCs who could serve as mentors.  There's nothing wrong with Kassen, but frankly it's a run-of-the-mill fantasy village with little that distinguishes it from the thousands of others in D&D's history. 

The adventure itself is divided into three parts.

Part 1 involves the journey to the crypt.  The PCs encounter some illusory orcs conjured by the town wizard (the villagers traditionally provide minor traps and challenges during the Quest of the Everflame to make it more memorable for those who take part), spend their first night out in the wilderness (driving away some wolves in the process), and navigate a treacherous descent to the opening of the tomb.  I think if the GM and players really got into the idea that this is the PCs "coming of age" and going on their first adventure out of the village, that helps add some flavour and role-playing opportunities to this section of the module.  I also like that the module plays it straight with things like rations, finding campsites, etc.

Part 2 covers the upper level of the crypt.  What neither the PCs nor the villagers back in Kassen realise is that this will be no ordinary Quest of the Everflame.  Bandits recently looted the tombs of Kassen and his rival (Asar), which resulted in Kassen arising as a (friendly) ghost and Asar as a skeletal champion!  Undead are now all over the crypt, and most of the villagers sent in advance to plan the tricks, traps, and puzzles have been slaughtered.  There are twelve chambers on the upper level, and threats include things that a Level 1 party should be able to handle (skeletons, pit traps) along with things that could easily prove lethal to one or more party members if a roll or two goes poorly (like a CR 3 shadow and a CR 3 golem).  There's also what turns out to be an incredibly nasty trap called the Pillar of 1,000 Arrows--it was responsible for the TPK in my game (the author of the module may have overlooked the fact that enough nonlethal damage can become very lethal under PFRPG rules).  Not everything is dire on this level, as the PCs can discover a room with supplies customised just for them and meet a villager named Roldare who (if calmed down and made friendly) can describe what's been happening. Roldare explains that his sister has been taken below by an undead fiend, and her rescue is the extra incentive some PCs might need to keep going.

Part 3 covers the lower level of the crypt, and although I prepped for it, I haven't actually run it.  Here the PCs need to deal with giant frogs, bat swarms, more skeletons, and then the skeletal champion Asar himself (a CR 4 challenge!).  I suppose a really clever, cautious party of PCs could defeat the foes and survive the module, but I really think the number and severity of encounters is a bit unfair, especially for an introductory module.  There are some clues in the lower level that could lead the PCs into a sequel module, Masks of the Living God, which I haven't read or played yet.

Overall, I'd suggest PFS GMs set an expectation that the PCs will be Level 2 before running this module, and other GMs run some background adventures to get the group up to Level 2 before using this.  Starting a campaign with Crypt of the Everflame looks to be a harrowing experience unless there are a lot of PCs or the players are very experienced.  As the story is pretty unremarkable, there are a lot of better adventures out there for starting a campaign.