Pathfinder Society Scenario # 2-23: "Shadow's Last Stand, Part I: At Shadow's Door" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played At Shadow's Door via play-by-post with my chaotic, randomly-generated PC, Jilla!.  I'm a little bit of two minds about the scenario.  The background plot has some big holes in it.  But, the actual writing and premise of the scenario is interesting, and some of the encounters are more than meets the eye.  I think I'm going to give it a tick of approval, even if I wish the Season 2 metaplot (which this is a part of) had been held for later years in PFS1, when writers were able to better make use of deeper and more sophisticated storylines.

SPOILERS!

If you know anything about the early seasons of PFS1, the title of this scenario alone is probably a giveaway that it will involve the Shadow Lodge.  I really love the idea of the Shadow Lodge--a "group within the group" that wants wants to move it out of the control of the Decemvirate and improve the treatment of field agents and then . . . well, that last bit seems to vary dramatically between different members of the Shadow Lodge.  I think maybe around Year 8 or 9, this would have been a fantastic storyline to explore the morality of the Pathfinder Society and the effects it has had on various places in Golarion.  Here, unfortunately, it all becomes too black and white, with the Shadow Lodge portrayed as obvious villains and the PCs having to stop them.

Anyway, At Shadow's Door takes place in Almas (capital of Andoran) and involves a plot by a member of the Shadow Lodge named Spider who has a big plan involving the capture of the PFS lodge (including Venture-Captain Brackett) in the city so she can "weaken" the Society and then . . . something.  I couldn't really grasp what the Spider thought would happen next to help her achieve her ulterior motives (which isn't the destruction of the Society per se). The Spider has allied with a hobgoblin general Hagla to pull off the capture of the Almas lodge, but unbeknownst to her, Hagla has a plan of her own: the hobgoblin plans to ring the building's bells (it's an old cathedral to Aroden) to signal an invasion of the city!  I'm similarly not persuaded that a hobgoblin army could sneak into  Almas, poised to attack, without folks noticing.  But all my plot nit-picking aside, it does make for big stakes, which can be a nice change of pace from the usual goal of "retrieve this magical item that you'll never hear about again".

The briefing is held aboard the Hornet's Nest in Almas' harbor.  The rarely-seen Venture-Captain Hamshanks explains that, during a big gala at the Lodge, kidnappers dressed as servants attacked from the inside.  Some are dead and some have been held hostage, and the only individual to escape and bring word of what happened is Fillian, a young apprentice of the Lodge's resident wizard/librarian Wystorn Telfyr.  The dialogue for Fillian is really funny (a nice touch for briefings, which can often be fairly dry), and he explains that the only way to sneak into the cathedral is the same way he snuck out: through the belfry!  Having recently prepped # 2-16, The Flesh Collector, which starts in the Almas lodge and features Brackett and Telfyr, I really enjoyed the continuity displayed in this scenario (down to Telfyr's interest in homunculi).  The scenario here provides an excellent and thorough description of the cathedral, something an enterprising GM could use in the future for adventures whether formally PFS or not.

Trying to get into the building from the top down is a fun twist, and my favourite part is a context-dependent trap that makes perfect sense.  After hearing Fillian's escape from the belfry, the hostage-takers have rigged the cathedral's bells with a tripwire.  In the (very likely) event the PCs set off the trap, the bells ring loud and long for everyone in the whole building to hear and prepare for intruders.  For each of the bad guys, tactics are provided for whether they're on alert or not.  Alas, when I played, the GM gave all the PCs automatic Perception checks to notice the trap (as if we all had the coveted Trapspotting ability!), rendering the clever idea essentially moot.

The first combat encounter takes place under the cathedral's main dome and is against some air elementals.  They can make good use of fly-by attack and whirlwind abilities in such a large space, and so may be harder than they first appear.  There's some very interesting lore about Aroden on the walls of the dome for those (like me) who love to see such things.

Next up is a battle against an animated stained glass window!  Also much tougher than one might think, as we struggled to get past its hardness and immunity to magic.

There's then an optional (time dependent) encounter with Wystorn Telfyr's homunculi.  This can be handled diplomatically as well as through combat means, which is a good option to see once in a while.

An ambush by a couple of hobgoblin rogues follows, but I imagine pretty much any group of PFS PCs should be able to handle them with little difficulty.

And then it's on to the chapel for the big finish.  If the PCs did set off the bell trap, this is a pretty confronting scene as the hobgoblin general Hagla has Brackett and Telfyr strung up on a makeshift gallows and threatens to hang them unless allowed to escape unharmed!  She's serious too, which could very well lead to an encounter of trying to defeat her while simultaneously keeping NPCs from strangling in the nooses.

As the scenario wraps up, the PCs will learn the true identity of The Spider and be in a good position to tackle Part II.

Thinking it through, apart from some plot holes which probably won't be noticed by players, the scenario has some creative twists and should provide an exciting session of adventuring.  I'm looking forward to trying out the sequel.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 4-15: "The Cyphermage Dilemma" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

 

The Cypermage Dilemma is one of the very, very few Pathfinder adventures I’ve ever run (most of) twice.  It first came to my attention when I was preparing to run the Second Darkness adventure path, which starts in Riddleport (home of the Cyphermages).  Then, since I already had so much of the scenario ready for that, I went ahead and ran it in proper Pathfinder Society via play-by-post.  After re-reading it for the purpose of this review, my conclusion is that, although it has a couple of memorable NPCs, the story and timelines don’t hold together very well.  It’s certainly playable and reasonably fun as long as no one thinks too hard about the plot.

 

SPOILERS!

 

The story background is a little convoluted, but I’ll try to summarise it concisely.  In the port city of Riddleport, one of the city’s eight major crimelords is a wizard named Elias Tammerhawk.  Tammerhawk is the leader of the Order of the Cyphers, a group of arcanists devoted to studying the mysterious monument called the Cyphergate.  As progress in understanding the Cyphergate has been very slow, Tammerhawk has started to recruit scholars from far and wide to assist.  However, a Vudrani vishkanya pirate by the name of Alejia Netrav has been trying to bolster her support in Riddleport by undermining support for the existing crimelords—particularly, Tammerhawk.  In order to discredit him as a competent leader, Alejia has used her skills at piracy (and disguise) to raid ships and kidnap scholars bound for the city on Tammerhawk’s invitation.  The fate of the scholars and who’s behind it is known to Tammerhawk when the scenario begins, but (and this doesn’t really hold together as an explanation), he thinks dealing with Alejia himself would be “admitting his vulnerability in the eyes of rival crime lords.”  One would think dealing with a threat quickly and severely himself would only raise his esteem with the other crimelords, but I digress.  Tammerhawk instead calls in help from Sheila Heidmarch, the Pathfinder Society’s Venture-Captain in Magnimar.  She’s willing to help out both to cement an alliance with Tammerhawk and because one of the scholars currently bound to Riddleport (from Minkai) is a former Pathfinder named Hirako Gurukaza.  Heidmarch enlists the PCs to travel to Riddleport, find Alejia, and stop her before Gurukaza and any other scholars are kidnapped.

 

Just from that description, there’s a lot about the plot that just doesn’t make sense.  I’ve mentioned already that if the # 2 crimelord in Riddleport can’t deal with an upstart without calling in outsiders, he’s got larger problems.  Tammerhawk is actually a diviner of all things, and since he already knows Alejia is behind the kidnappings, you’d think he’d be able to magically deduce her whereabouts (she takes no precautions along these lines).  Nor do we get any explanation as to why Alejia thinks kidnapping a few scholars will substantially undermine Tammerhawk’s position, or how she knows specifically what ship they’ll be travelling on.  When the scenario starts, Heidmarch tells the PCs that Gurukaza will be arriving in Riddleport in “a few days” and urges them to stop an abduction attempt at sea, but Magnimar and Riddleport are far more than a few days away from each other (weeks apart, in fact)!  (I have to imagine the writer never used the scale on the map of the Inner Sea) Wouldn’t a far more sensible plan be to have a scholar from Magnimar serve as bait, hide the PCs aboard the vessel, and then trap Alejia when she attacks?  There are more discrepancies and timeline problems along these lines, but I think I’ve made my point.  Poor plotting creates problems, and I do remember running this and having trouble understanding where the different NPCs were supposed to be because of the strained timelines.

 

Anyway, after the briefing and a handwaved sea voyage to Riddleport, the PCs find themselves in the docks.  Witnesses will point out a suspicious warehouse.  I personally imagine that Riddleport, a true hive of scum, villainy, and smuggling, must be chock full of “suspicious warehouses”, but again I’m quibbling.  Inside, several of Alejia’s crew have a kidnapped scholar (an Andoren theologian).  The battle uses the classic Warehouse flip-mat, and one bit I do like is that the pirates try to tip crates over on the PCs.

 

After leaving the warehouse, the PCs are then accosted (due to a mix-up) by two half-orc thugs and their dog working for another crimelord, Boss Croat.  I have no issue with the encounter in principle, though I would think even Boss Croat’s boys aren’t dim enough to use saps and sling when outnumbered against a full party of 4-6 heavily armed PCs.  It’ll be a slaughter.

 

From the warehouse, the PCs will have a lead to a ship anchored in the harbor called the Lionfish.  The PCs can pay someone to row them out there, and they may be able to sneak aboard (failing that, they’ll have to fight their way aboard).  I always like a good ship boarding scene, but the best part of this scenario is a grippli alchemist/pirate named Mumbuckle.  Through completely organic means, he eventually became a fixture in my Second Darkness campaign and I hold a special affection for him.

 

Clues aboard the captured ship indicate that Alejia has already struck the ship that had Gurukaza on it, and that she’s hiding out on a small island called Viper Cove.  The PCs need to sail (or hire someone to do so) the Lionfish out to Viper Cove.  Here, they confront Alejia, some more of her crew, and some rabid dogs.  There’s a nice bit here where Alejia holds a blade to Gurukaza’s throat and demands she be allowed to leave or she’ll kill him, and she actually will do a coup de grace if the PCs refuse!  Some groups never take hostage situations seriously, so I’m glad the scenario does.  She’s also visually a pretty cool bad guy.

 

And that’s pretty much it.  My likes are the villains (Mumbuckle and Alejia), a couple of new details about Riddleport (e.g., “harbor gut”), and some fun pirate action.  My dislikes are the bad plotting.  In practice though, most players probably won’t notice, as the scenario proceeds directly from encounter to encounter with little need for thought.  So, make of that what you will.

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter Six: "Crown of Fangs" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 

Here we are at the conclusion to what’s widely acclaimed as one of the best fantasy RPG campaigns ever written: Curse of the Crimson Throne: Crown of Fangs!  As discussed in my reviews of previous chapters (and my campaign journal), I ran CotCT as a live tabletop campaign using the PFRPG hardcover version.  This review is on the general adventure as depicted in the monthly version along with the backmatter that issue includes.  Overall, I found the final instalment a worthy conclusion to everything that had gone before.  I might have liked a bit more politics and a bit less fighting, but some things are in the DNA of D&D, and there’s plenty of material in the setting to help a GM to customise things to taste.

 

Let’s start with the cover: Seltiyel, originally the Iconic for the Eldritch Knight prestige class and later for the Magus.  You can’t go wrong with Wayne Reynolds, and the image really pops—the scene of a Gray Maiden riding on a dragon in the background doesn’t hurt!  The inside front cover is the usual “Korvosan Hierarchy” chart, though it’s always interesting to see the increasing number of skulls indicating those who have died.  The inside back cover is “Enemies of Korvosa”.  This has some spoilers on it, so is best kept to the GM.

 

James Jacobs’ foreword mentions that Tito Leati, the adventure author, turned in a much fuller-than-expected map of Castle Korvosa, but that the location shouldn’t be treated like a room-by-room dungeon crawl.  Instead, the GM should try to get the PCs on to the important bits.  More importantly, it includes a handful of paragraphs on the final fate of the AP’s many minor NPCs (like Amin Jalento, the Soldados, etc.).  Finally, it has a couple of paragraphs on the next AP, Second Darkness.

 

The first major piece of back matter is “Relics of Kazavon” (6 pages), providing a write-up of each of the seven surviving pieces as a major artifact.  The tales of how each was hidden is really interesting and evocative, and there’s a ton of adventure hooks here if a GM wishes to pursue them.

 

Next is a “Harrow Deck of Many Things” (6 pages), which includes a two-page spread of the cards suitable for photocopying.  A harrow deck of many things has a lot more cards than a traditional deck of many things, but each card is given a rules explanation to go along with its effect (certainly saving a lot of debate!).  I unfortunately missed my chance to use this in the game.

 

The “Pathfinder’s Journal” fiction instalment (6 pages) continues Eando Kline’s adventure to follow the directions of a mysterious wayfinder.  This time he’s in Urglin, and the writing here makes an excellent source for anyone who wants to set an adventure in the Orcish city.  There are some really funny lines but some real heartache too.  I’m keen to have these in a collected edition someday.

 

The “Bestiary” (10 pages) contains a wandering monsters table for the area where the last part of the adventure is set and then proceeds to introduce four new monsters (each with two-page spreads).  Akaruzugs are very flavourful constructs powered with soul energy from a crucified corpse (ghastly but cool!); Belier Devils are leech-like but super intelligent devils capable of possessing the bodies of others); Contract Devils are Hell’s lawyers and have become important in many Pathfinder stories; Mobogos are giant frog-monsters worshipped by boggards.

 

Last, there are two pages presenting Level 14 versions of the Iconics.

 

SPOILERS!

 

Let’s get to the beginning of the end!  The adventure starts with a half-page “Adventure Background” and “Adventure Synopsis” that sets the scene.  Korvosa is still a city under the oppression of Queen Ileosa’s army, with the resistance hidden in the Gray Distract.  Unbeknownst to all, her quest for eternal youth and immortality (through a bloody cool ritual linked to the Runelord Sorshen) has taken her out of Castle Korvosa and to an ancient Thassilonian structure called the Sunken Queen far to the west of the city.  Ileosa left behind a simulacrum in the throne room which, so far, has tricked even her own allies to thinking she’s still in the city.  It’s a clever plan because, as we’ll see, once the resistance (aided by the PCs) gets into a position to launch an assault on Castle Korvosa, they end up trying to depose a tyrant who has already abandoned her throne!

 

Part One (“Return to Korvosa”) has the PCs contacted by Vencarlo Orisini through dream magic and asked to return to the city so the resistance can move on the queen.  There’s a brief section here on what’s happening in Korvosa (the construction of huge statues, collection of blood samples, etc.) that’s useful context for later events.  The PCs will need to use Disguise or Stealth to move about without being constantly attacked by Gray Maiden patrols, though at this point, the PCs are tough enough to shrug them off.  (I think when I ran this part of the adventure, I had to use the Troop rules to provide even a smidge of opposition)  Anyway, Cressida Kroft hands the PCs a list of eight concerns she wants addressed before the rebellion can reveal the lawful seneschal (Neolandus) is still alive and make a move on Castle Korvosa.  The main scripted bits are confronting a new “masked hero of the people” named Trifaccia who has been turning Korvosans against the rebellion (a great use of an evil vigilante with a high-powered twist) and learning that Ileosa’s secret consort, the Gray Maiden Commander Sabina Merrin has learned the truth about her liege and is ready to turn against her—but first she has to deal with a black dragon that remains loyal!  It’s an excellent character arc for Sabina, and some exciting scenes (I had them occur off-screen involving rebel leaders because my PCs spent so much time in Scarwall, but I imagine they would have worked well)

 

Part Two (“Assault on Castle Korvosa”) is beautifully misleading because the players may think they’re about to have the big final battle of the whole campaign, and thus use their very best one-time-only items and buffs, only to discover they’ve been duped!  Although the castle is laid out in incredible detail (down to the servants’ rooms and dirt pipes, with plenty of information non-adventure related), I think the foreword is correct that it’s best to treat the assault on Castle Korvosa as an opportunity for the PCs to plan a surgical strike to get into the throne room as quickly as possible.  With the group having just come off of the truly massive Castle Scarwall, they probably don’t need another ponderous dungeon crawl to glean every scrap of treasure and XP possible.  Highlights include the final fate of Ishani Dhatri (bound to an akaruzug; poor guy!), the bloodmage Togomor (he and a demon have clever, nasty tactics!), trying to survive a belier devil named Sermignatto (1d4 Con drain is no joke), a Red Mantis leader named Mistress Kayltanya (3 pages is probably too much though for battle fodder), the ghost of the king’s brother Venster, the possible creation of a Harrow Deck of Many Things (described above), and more.  I love that the adventure creates a handout for the infernal contract between Ileosa and Hell.  In short, for an intentional misdirection, this part of the adventure is really well-written and full of interesting content. And of course, the moment when players realise the “Queen Ileosa” they’ve just defeated (a mite too easily!) isn’t the real thing is one to remember.

 

Part Three (“The Sunken Queen”) is the real climax.  The setting is evocative and well-described (an ancient Thassilonian temple tipping precariously into the mud of the Mushfens).  Ileosa’s minions (dread wraiths and  some CR 8 clones) aren’t nearly as deadly in this original version as they are in the PFRPG hardcover version, and I’m curious if many groups found the final battle (against what’s effectively a villainous bard) pretty manageable, especially if they had Serithtial.  Only if PCs have the misfortune to lack the skills or magic to stop the ritual and the blue dragon Kazavon is resurrected will they *really* be in trouble—that guy is over the top at CR 25!  A half-page makes some suggestions on how to conclude the campaign and what happens if Ileosa wins (as regrettably happened in my game), and then there are two more pages on potential ways to continue the campaign (I tend to think future storylines may be anti-climactic, but if everyone’s having fun and wants to continue, it’s nice to have options).

 

And I guess that’s it for Curse of the Crimson Throne.  Even though I primarily used the hardcover version, I was glad to have these original monthly issues to help me flesh out some bits and see some different ways of handling things.  I’ve only run two (and a half) Pathfinder adventure paths so far, but I have no reason to disagree with the consensus that this is the best written of them all.  May the people of Korvosa enjoy their hard-won freedom, and tyrants like Ileosa everywhere face a reckoning.  Sic temper tyrannis!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 84 [RPG]

[Starday, 8 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

The shrine to Zon-Kuthon emanates an almost palpable gloom as the Harrowed Heroes decide to investigate the treasures on the altar.  Fortunately, Lorien stirs and seems to be in his right mind as he wonders why he’s been manacled and is floating on a translucent magical disk.  Once freed, he asks few questions and is quickly ready to help in the exploration.  The consensus seems to be that something dreadful will happen if the enchanted objects on the altar (a string of prayer beads and a spiked chain) are disturbed, so Lorien takes the clever precaution of summoning a bralani from a realm far beyond his own to perform the task.  But once the extraplanar visitor lifts the two treasures, the gem-encrusted skull on the altar suddenly rises into the air!  The ashes and bone fragments on the altar begin to swirl in an unearthly vortex as the skull’s jaws move up and down in a ghastly simulacrum of speech: “Who dares disturb the eternal resting place of Bishop Zev Ravenka?”

Anorak instantly realises that the skull is a demilich: the final eldritch remains of a destroyed lich!  “If we run, it won’t pursue!” shouts Anorak, but The Reckoner shouts back that it could be one of the four spirit anchors.  Eldritch flees immediately, as does Yraelzin when he realises something disturbing: none of his spells work against the demilich!  The others rush closer to attack, but Anorak finds his dwarven waraxe and spells completely ineffective, Lorien can’t reach the levitating foe, the bralani’s arrows crumple into dust upon impact, and The Reckoner finds his very lifeforce sucked out of him again and again!  The situation looks so dire that Anorak turns invisible and shouts to retreat, leading The Reckoner to call him a coward!  With Plate allowing him to fly, The Reckoner continues the fight, but the supernatural darkness and his ever-increasing weakness cannot be surmounted!  With a final morbid chuckle, the demilich seizes full control of The Reckoner’s soul and readies to rip it out of his body—but the final blessing of The Harrower turns away instant death.  Instead, The Reckoner falls and hits the ground hard, losing his weapon in the process.  Anorak swoops down to grab The Reckoner’s hammer while Lorien picks up the defeated leader and rushes him to safety.

 

In the corridor outside the shrine, the dismayed heroes at least have the consolation that Anorak’s knowledge proved accurate: the demilich has not followed, and it was surely badly damaged during the fighting.  But the group’s prospects seem dismal, with The Reckoner permanently weakened and Lorien unable to perform the necessary ritual to heal him without weeks of preparation and thousands of gold pieces worth of diamond dust.  But persistence is a virtue the Harrowed Heroes have in spades, and they decide on the spur of the moment to try again!  Flinging the doors to the shrine open, Lorien calls forth the holy power contained in the prayer beads to smite the demilich.  The abomination survives the attack, but is unable to retaliate before The Reckoner flies in and deals it an awesome blow that shatters the skull completely!  With the demilich’s destruction, an echoing cry of agony can be heard throughout the castle and a severe tremor shakes the building, raining dust and fist-sized chunks of stone down from the ceiling.

 

To the victors go the spoils, and the Harrowed Heroes reap a valuable array of rubies, silverware, and spell scrolls from the shrine and adjacent chapels.  Confident they’ve cleared the ground floor of the donjon, Anorak suggests breaking a hole in the outer wall so the group could rest outside.  The Reckoner, however, reminds the dwarf that there was something in the water there—not to mention, the possibility of more gargoyle attacks.  The group talk about the ancient song they learned from the Sun Shaman in the Cinderlands, and decide to see if the castle’s War Tower is the one with the “infernal soul” at the top.  Anorak expresses concern that the reference to a “stone cage crumbling” could mean the entire castle will fall down around their ears when they break the curse!

 

A second spirit anchor has been destroyed in a remarkable testament to courage and perseverance.  But at what cost?  With The Reckoner permanently weakened and the last vestige of The Harrower’s blessing extinguished from his soul, will he be able to survive the rest of what Castle Scarwall has to offer?  And, if Anorak is right about the castle collapsing on them, could ultimate victory mean instant death?

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

GM Commentary

The demilich was the toughest foe the PCs encountered in all of Scarwall.  With virtual immunity to magic, incredibly high DR, flight, and life-draining attacks, it was certainly a force to be reckoned with.  Speaking of, The Reckoner only managed to survive because upon entering Scarwall for the first time, each PC got a gift from The Harrower (either one automatic success on a save vs a death effect or a ghost touch weapon).  Still, the negative levels would be a drag for a long time.

I'm not sure exactly why they decided to rush right back in for a second go, but the incredibly risky gamble actually paid off.  Sometimes, once in a great while, bravery overcomes probability.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 5-99: "Battle for the Bulwark" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 

Battle for the Bulwark is the Season Five multi-table interactive Special for Starfinder Society.  I can’t imagine it’s spoilery to say it since it’s right there in the name: the Special is all about the attempt to reclaim the Bulwark!  Sangoro’s Bulwark is a plot point featured in multiple SFS scenarios dating back to Season Two: a remote headquarters, fortress, and armory of the Exo-Guardians faction, it became mysteriously cut-off from all outside communication sometime after the Scoured Stars incident.  When scouts went to investigate, they found it surrounded by an impenetrable force bubble of pure darkness.  But now, it’s time to solve the mystery of just what happened to the Bulwark!

 

I got to play this via play-by-post.  I definitely recommend it, even if there’s one story element that I think falls a bit a flat.  The Special as a whole is really impressively done, and is a worthy capstone to the long-running Bulwark story arc.

 

SPOILERS!

 

I have to admit to feeling underwhelmed that the answer to the big mystery of “What happened to the Bulwark” is an invasion of pretty generic monsters I’ve never heard of before. The Bulwark was captured by an army of grioths led by a sadistic general named Itharris.  Grioths are winged bad guys with the usual expansionist motives common to many fantasy alien races and I just can’t think of a single memorable thing about them.  Putting that to one side, there is an interesting angle with the grioths having spent their time in control of the Bulwark constructing something called the Voidglass Spire, a towering structure that channels psychic power for nefarious purposes.  The scenario puts the concept of the Spire (and “voidglass” in general) to good effect in various plot points.  And more, the scenario provides an interesting pre-SFS history of the structure they would discover and call the Bulwark: it’s on the planet Mazdrun, homeworld of an ancient, incredibly powerful, twelve-limbed species with deep knowledge of planar travel known as the Founders that eventually became extinct, their souls united into a single magical being named the Merged One.  I can get behind big science-fiction concepts!

 

The Introduction to the scenario starts with the PCs aboard a fleet travelling toward Mazdrun and receiving a briefing by Ixthia the Unbreakable.  Unlike many past Specials, there are no “mustering activities” here as tables get organised—just introductions to get some role-playing off the ground.  That’s probably fine, in my opinion—Specials tend to be so packed with material anyway, the little skill checks and bonuses of mustering activities aren’t really needed.

 

In Part 1 (“Recon”), each table gets to choose one of four different missions to take on (and can move on to another mission if they finish the first one quickly).  First, there’s “Establish Comms”, which has the PCs needing to set up signal boosters on Mazdrun’s surface in between storms that wreak havoc.  It’s essentially a skill challenge, and like all skill challenges, it works well if the GM can add enough flavour to keep it from becoming just a dice-rolling exercise.  The mission results in the PCs discovering a source of darkness underground and a signal from surviving Starfinders inside the Bulwark!  Second, there’s “Downed Vessel”, in which the PCs are tasked with investigating the wreckage of Wisdom’s Grasp, a Starfinder ship that intended to rendezvous with the Bulwark just before contact was cut-off with the outside.  I love the backstory element that the ship was downed by intentionally intercepting a grioth laser beam meant to destroy Struggle’s Scholar, tying in perfectly to that classic scenario.  Anyway, the PCs will trigger a lot of haunt-related traps as they explore the wreckage, and success will allow them to realise that grioths were responsible for its destruction.  Third, there’s “The Arsenal”, in which, as the name implies, the PCs get to return to The Arsenal (as they first did in an earlier scenario) to scout it as a potential staging area for the invasion of the Bulwark.  An angel named Vigil-X has to be persuaded to allow it in what’s essentially a three-round influence-based skill check.  Fourth and finally, there’s “Subterranean Tunnels”, which features the PCs exploring lava tunnels to see if there’s an underground entrance to The Bulwark that can bypass the darkness shield.  After dealing with some radioactive ice, monsters called craggolks, and potentially discovering some relics of the Founders, the PCs will learn that the only potential entrance is blocked.

 

After the con as a whole gets enough successes from Recon missions, it’s time for Event # 1: Generator Assault!  Here, the PCs participate in a mission to destroy the darkness generators that shroud the Bulwark.  They get instructions and explosives from a great NPC ysoki named Betsy Blast(!) and have to fight through some grioth opposition plus a mass confusion beam to get the job done.

 

Part 2 (“Breaching the Bulwark”) starts with the PCs getting a choice of two “Bulwark Missions” to force entry into the fortress.  One option is “Forward Observation”, in which the PCs act as forward observers for an artillery barrage.  It’s a skill challenge, which is fine, but I don’t like that this one (and many of the ones in the Special) are of the “players can use any skill, describing how it contributes towards their goal”—players just look at whatever skill has the highest modifier and then come up with some random crap, whereas I’d actually like to see some rarely-taken skills get some value).  Pet peeve over.  The other option is “Underground Entry” which has the PCs fighting through a grioth crossfire to reach a voidglass mine.

 

I can’t fault the writers for not giving the players choice and the scenario replayability, because there’s then a choice of six(!) different missions:  1) Spire Inspection has the PCs investigating a deadly beam of black energy by collecting voidglass samples from three different sites (another skill challenge; here they learn that voidglass is psychically charged); 2) Survivors is my favourite of the bunch, as it’s a really original challenge: three Starfinders have been rescued from the Bulwark, but each claims the other two are double-agents mind-whammied by the grioths!  How to know who can be trusted?  The only shame is that it’s resolved through skill checks instead of actual role-playing and deduction; 3) Prison Break has the PCs rescuing prisoners by defeating grioths and construct guardians before a bomb goes off in five rounds; 4) Foul Laboratory has the PCs intervening to stop grioth robots from destroying a grioth laboratory (and the valuable information contained within); 5) Founders Vault has the PCs trying to access a vault that the grioths never figured out how to open—there are six tumblers that can be solved through trial and error, but a PC takes damage for every wrong guess; 6) The Cursed Blade has the PCs needing to break through a barricade and discover what’s on the other side—it turns out to be a sword haunted by the spirit of a Starfinder Society archaeologist studying the Founders—tons of great lore here!

 

Part 3 (“Assault on the Spire”) has everyone starting with the same “Spire Mission” called “Anvil and Hammer”: the premise is that the Starfinders need to fight their way across a bridge between the Bulwark and the top opening of the Voidglass Spire, but it’s actually all done narratively through a skills challenge rather than actual tactical combat.  There’s then a choice of three Spire Missions: 1) Elemental Nexus involves the PCs attuning themselves to some elemental obelisks left by the Founders (and gaining some perks in the process); 2) Assault on the Seer has the PCs trying to stop a grioth named Eclipse Seer Remthaize from completing a ritual—it has some cool art; 4) Spire Control Center requires the PCs to bypass a trap to shut down a “psychic transducer” (the key weapon device in the Spire; as an aside, I’ve seen something similar in Chapter 5 of Dawn of Flame).

 

Part 4 (“Bulwark’s Heart”) has the big climax as the Starfinders descend into the core of the Bulwark for a battle against Lt Ulgaran (low subtier) or General Itharris herself (high subtier).  As I mentioned above, they’re the pretty standard “bloodthirsty conquer-all-lessers” type.  During the battle, the Merged One awakens and starts climbing the Voidglass Spire like freakin’ King Kong on the Empire State Building!  I’m not sure it works, but I have to admit it helped with the idea of a big dramatic ending.

 

If a table finishes earlier than the others, they can then go on to a couple of short wrap-up skill check missions to blast energy cannons at grioths or evacuate the wounded.

 

And that’s Battle for the Bulwark!  It’s very professional package and one in which it’s clear the writers and designers spent a lot of time on.  There’s several handouts and checklists to help the players and GM keep track of everything, a clever use of repurposed flip-mats, some neat artwork (a shame the picture of the Bulwark isn’t more prominent), and some strong concepts for missions.  The writing also integrated and put a lot of Starfinder Society scenario lore together. It is a bit pricey, but considering all the material a GM gets, it’s definitely worth the cost.  And although I found grioths a “meh”, as a whole it’s a really impressive Special that I imagine most players will really enjoy.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Lost City" [RPG]

I got a chance to pull out the Lost City flip-mat today for the first time, choosing it to represent a small part of an ancient elven city.  I chose the side with overgrown stone walls and a stepped dome-like structure, and it worked perfectly--really captured the feel of what I was looking for.  The other side has structures that are more intact and made of wood, and would be great for a pitched outdoor battle where you want the PCs and enemies to move from structure to structure to try to outflank one another.  As usual with Paizo flip-mats, the amount of detail is excellent.  Given how many scenarios and adventures involve exploration of ancient ruins and lost cities, I think this is a solid buy.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 83 [RPG]

[Starday, 8 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

 

Hundreds of miles away from Scarwall, in the independent city of Ilsurian, the summit of leaders from across Varisia is about to conclude.  The delegates have assembled to sign a mutual defence pact containing the terms negotiated over recent days.  But Goldcape, suspicious that the document could be an infernal magical contract like that The Reckoner and Anorak had their spy in Old Korvosa sign, decides to first check if its magical.  The document isn’t magical, but she is surprised to learn that something under the table radiates a powerful aura.  She crouches down to see what it is and realises there’s an arcane pentagram drawn in dried blood on the underside of the table!  Overlord Cromarcky of Riddleport follows suit but, untutored in magic, thinks it’s some kind of magical charming sigil to make the delegates more pliable.  He draws his sword and starts shouting about treachery.  The delegates start to argue amongst themselves as the pentagram glows brighter and brighter before the table suddenly splits down the middle to reveal a seven-foot-tall monster bristling with barbs from the tip of its lashing tail to the serrated features of its fang-filled visage.  Goldcape was right about Infernal powers at work—just not in the way she anticipated!

The delegates react in a myriad of ways: some cower in fear, too terrified to move; others, like Lord-Mayor Grobaras of Magnimar and Overlord Cromarcky, run away from the table for the (closed) doors; and two, Goldcape and Sheriff Feldane of Ilsurian, stand to fight!  Drawing a longsword that radiates the holy power of Heaven itself, Goldcape slashes at the monster while whistling for Rocky to join the fray.  Goldcape’s enchanted blade cuts easily through the Hell-toughened skill of the beast, but Rocky finds many of his attacks blunted—and ends with a mouth full of barbs for his effort!  But Sheriff Feldane fares the worst of the lot, as the barbed devil cuts her down in seconds.  Again, Goldcape steps in, calling Feldane’s spirit to stay in her body and knitting her wounds back together through magic.  The vanara conjures a cyclops to do battle with the devil, but the imposing monster is so terrified it, too, flees in fear!  As he pounds on the door for help, Lord-Mayor Grobaras pulls a curious-looking pan flute from his pocket and blows on it—rats begin to pour forth from cracks in the walls to swarm over the devil.  Simultaneously, Overlord Cromarcky makes a brave (but futile) show of attacking the devil with a crossbow while keeping a safe distance away.  Finally, the doors burst open with Ilsurian guards who start pulling the delegates to safety just as Goldcape manages to dispatch the devil with another sizzling strike from her holy blade.

The summit has been saved with no casualties among the delegates, but a puzzling fact remains: who drew the summoning pentagram, and will they strike again?

 

Meanwhile, back in the damp and gloomy fastness named Castle Scarwall, the rest of the Harrowed Heroes continue their search for a way to break the curse that somehow fuels Queen Ileosa’s newfound invulnerability.  As Yraelzin, Anorak, and The Reckoner discuss how to proceed, all three are startled to see that Lorien has walked up to the statue of Zon-Kuthon and embraced it!  His holy symbol of Cayden Cailean begins to scorch before the others pull him away, realising he must be entranced again.  When the battle-priest continues trying to embrace the statue, the others decide they have no choice but to bind him with chains and manacles.  Eldritch offers his unwelcome opinion that they should just throw Lorien down the stairs.  The Reckoner asks Yraelzin to drag Lorien around as they explore, but he refuses, citing the half-orc’s weight and his own burdensome possessions.  With a sigh, The Reckoner agrees to do it himself, though before long Anorak conjures a floating disk of magical force to carry Lorien.

 

The decision is made to explore what lies beyond the (already open) secret door behind the statue.  The Reckoner’s grasp of architecture leaves him confident that the group has passed beyond the donjon and into the star-shaped tower.  Here, they find multiple prison cells with adamantine manacles embedded in the walls, a staircase to a small chamber on what must be the roof (where the nonfunctional phase door should lead), and another staircase below.  The group decide to backtrack out of the Star Tower and search the rest of the donjon.  Unfortunately, there’s little of interest: a row of small chambers that probably served as monastic cells, a crumbling common room, and what looks to be a larder full of glass jars of murky liquid on shelves.  But as everyone turns to leave, The Reckoner is suddenly struck with an overwhelming desire to unscrew the lid of one of the jars and pull out the human kidney pickled within.  Just as he’s about to take a bite, the compulsion suddenly fades, and he throws the mess away in disgust.

 

Returning to the Star Tower, the group decide to see where the staircase below leads.  The walls and floor of the chamber they reach have a strange organic texture, appearing almost like black mummified flesh streaked with glistening swaths of ancient blood.  Four pillars carved to look like coils of entwined arteries and spinal cords support the ceiling, with nails and surgical tools embedded in these pillars at key and painful-looking positions.  But perhaps most notable is the ten-foot-diameter open shaft in the middle of the chamber, entirely filled with thick bluish mist!  Anorak drops multiple pebbles into the shaft and never hears them hit bottom.  He speculates that the mist is a sort of magical loop, traversable only by those with clear and focussed minds—perhaps a sort of prison of eternally falling!  The Reckoner, however, seems very intrigued and speculates it could instead be a portal to someplace else.  He seems poised to enter, but Anorak persuades him to leave it for another time—there’s still a lot of the castle to investigate, after all.

 

After climbing back up the stairs and returning to the donjon, the group descend another staircase.  Here, a long corridor leads to a massive set of doors.  On the other side, a vast chamber is floored in gray slate and supported by thick pillars of obsidian.  Torches mounted on the pillars burn, yet their flames are strangely dim, barely lighting the cathedral-like space.  White pinpoints of light seem to dance in the eye sockets of each skull that decorates the pillars and thick black curtains hang from the chamber’s walls.  To the northwest, a tall statue of a skull-headed man dressed in dark robes stands behind a black marble altar, on which lies heaped mounds of ashes, bits of bone, and a single skull, its teeth and eye sockets set with glittering gemstones.  Jagged, barbed chains dangle from the statue’s eye sockets.  As Anorak’s enchanted eyes detect magical auras under the mounds of ash, Yraelzin whispers an ominous observation: “We have entered a shrine to the Midnight Lord . . .”

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

GM Commentary

We got another entry this session in the subplot with Goldcape attending a summit of Varisian leaders in Ilsurian to try to form an alliance against Runelord Karzoug's armies.  It was a funny stroke of pure luck that they detected the summoning circle early (with Cromarcky rolling a natural 1 to mis-identify it).  The resulting battle was pretty exciting, as each of the NPCs had their actual stats and equipment (from other sources) and most were either under-leveled or not at all designed for combat.  The players running them had to be pretty inventive sometimes.  Still, the result of the summit ends up being pretty important, as it leads to a massive "Battle of Magnimar" which would play out in my "Roots of Golarion" campaign and also had implications for my subsequent AP, Second Darkness.

Back in the main plotline, Lorien's player was absent again, so as usual I had to come up with a good explanation. This one put a bit of a burden on the other PCs, but nobody ever said adventuring would be easy!  

I don't remember off-hand where the shaft of bluish mist went to.  I think it might have descended down to the underground caverns where the gugs lived and Serithtial was originally to be found on an island in an underground lake.  I do remember the PCs never backtracked or got there, anyway.

Pathfinder Cards: "Chase Cards" [RPG]

I was fortunate to stumble upon the old Chase Cards deck at a gaming store for just $ 10!  I bought it immediately, as I've always enjoyed chases as a type of skills challenge that rewards PCs with a broad array of skills that don't always get much attention in regular gameplay.  I gave the Chase Cards a try during a recent chase in Second Darkness, as the PCs tried to catch a quasit familiar before it could escape and warn its mistress that the PCs were on her trail.

The deck consists of two double-sided rules cards that fitt pretty closely (if I remember correctly) to the rules for Chases given the GameMastery Guide.  I've run enough chases now that I usually adjust the rules a little to make them simpler and to provide less incentive for the PCs to simply blast their foe out of the sky from a distance.  The rest of the 48 cards in the deck are three sets of 16 cards each for chases in different environments: Urban, Forest, and Dungeon.  It's important for the GM to add some narrative heft to the cards, because they naturally won't fit exactly into the scene the players and GM might envision--for example, I hadn't expected the dense forest I set my chase in to have a sheer cliff that needed to be navigated, and couldn't easily explain why a flying creature (like a quasit) would struggle to traverse that obstacle.  But as long as everyone's willing to get in the spirit of the mini-game, it works fine.  And the cards are certainly easier and faster than making homemade ones.

All in all, if you like the concept of Chases in Pathfinder, this deck should make you happy.

What I Read (2024)

 61 books this time around.

13 January 2024: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith.  « Strike and Robin are great together! »

14 January 2024: Woken Furies by Richard Morgan. “Strong third novel.”

14 January 2024: A Promised Land by Barack Obama.  “Autobiography of first two years of presidency. Good. »

16 January 2024: The Magnificent Nine.  “Second Firefly book.  Okay but predictable.”

17 January 2024: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfield.  “Conclusion of the excellent Midnighters trilogy.  Great concept with a lot of thought put into it.”

25 January 2024: Neuromancer by William Gibson.  « Deserves classic label. »

28 January 2024: The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass.  « Sweet kids’ book. »

7 February 2024: One Day We’re All Going to Die by Elise Esthet Hearst.  “Great cover, middling story.”

12 February 2024: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.  “Man that first section is a hard slog!  But worth it.”

4 March 2024: Kill Joy by Holly Jackson. « Prequel to Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy.  Good! »

9 April 2024: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.  « Second Strike novel, set in literary world.  Excellent. »

21 April 2024: Dracula and Other Horror Classics by Bram Stoker.  « Hardcover collection of Dracula, two other Stoker novels, and short stories. »

21 April 2024: Gardens of the Moon by Stephen Erickson.  « First Malazan book.  Pretty good, but I’m not hooked. »

25 April 2024: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman.  « Very sad subplot, but well-written. »

28 April 2024: The Skull Throne.  « Fourth book—things are really heating up! »

9 May 2024: Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad.  “Excellent middle school book about WW2 program.”

12 May 2024: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. “Original and great!”

19 May 2024: The Things That Will Not Stand by Michael Gerard Bauer.  “Funny and very sweet.”

1 June 2024:  The Ravening Deep by Tim Pratt.  « Arkham book. Okay. »

3 June 2024: The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffatt by Kate Temple.  « Fun, original, clever kids’ book. »

8 June 2024: The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat by Charlie Archbold.  « Pretty good kids’ mystery book. »

9 June 2024: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith.  « Third Strike novel: a real page-turner! »

10 June 2024: Evie and Rhino by Neridah McMullin. « Beautifully written. »

22 June 2024: The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands by Stephen King.  “The first one of these I really enjoyed.”

22 June 2024: The Book of Wondrous Possibilities by Deborah Abela.  “Sweet kids’ book.”

25 June 2024: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.  « Interesting family tale. »

21 July 2024: Fulgrim by Graham McNeill.  “Horus Heresy.  Parallel stories means overall plot moves slowly.”

24 July 2024: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan.  “Book 1 of Rangers Apprentice. Great!”

31 July 2024: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan.  “Book 2—exciting action scenes!”

1 August 2024.  Lethal White by Robert Galbraith.  “Great characters but plot overly complex.”

5 August 2024: Killarney by Nikki Mottram.  “Better than the first one, though anachronisms are annoying.”

6 August 2024: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan.  “Third Ranger book.  Good.”

11 Aug 2024: Lazarus Rising by John Howard.  “Autobiography.  Boring and rarely insightful.”

24 August 2024: On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver.  “Too much of a hodgepodge, but interesting nonetheless.”

25 August 2024: Needful Things by Stephen King.  “Overlong, but core premise is great.”

28 August 2024: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson.  “Classic, and some short horror stories too.”

31 August 2024: Alien Archive 3 by Various.  “Starfinder collection.”

4 September 2024: Losing the Plot by Annaleise Byrd. “Ok kids book.”

4 September 2024: Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd. “Fantastic kids novel dealing with serious themes.”

5 September 2024: Running with Ivan by Suzanne Leal. “Strong writing.”

5 September 2024: Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams. “Very funny and cool YA novel.”

12 September 2024: Religious Liberty in a Polarised Age by Thomas C Berg: “Well-written but hopelessly naïve in the age of MAGA.”

14 September 2024: Andoran, Birthplace of Freedom by Tim Hitchcock and Jason Nelson. « Strong sourcebook. »

15 September 2024: The Space Between Here and Now by Sarah Suk.  « Sensory Time Warp Syndrome—what a fantastic YA book—the best one I’ve read all year! »

15 September 2024: Relight My Fire by CK McDonnell.  “Fourth Stranger Times book.  Always entertaining!”

24 September 2024: Excession by Iain M Banks.  “Clearest and best, as the Culture finally meets its match!”

25 September 2024: The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland.  “Great book—should be a tv series!”

25 September 2024: Beyond the Pool of Stars by Howard Andrew Jones.  “Pathfinder novel about salvager in Sargava—fantastic!”

11 October 2024: Ghost of the Neon God by T.R. Napper. “Cyberpunk novella set in near-future Australia.  Good!”

5 November 2024: All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk.  « Account by fan who has read every Marvel comic. Interesting and accessible. »

16 November 2024: Choose the Man You Want to Be! by Mark D F Byrne.  “Glad my buddy got to write this.”

20 November 2024: Bleeding Kansas by Sarah Paretsky.  “Family drama.  Uneven.”

24 November 2024: Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith.  “Wow, genuinely one of my most enjoyable reading experiences ever.”

27 November 2024: Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar.  « Novel written in style of true crime; good. »

30 November 2024: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.  « Amazing first novel!  This author is one to watch. »

2 December 2024: The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston.  « Interesting story of major archaeological discovery in Honduras. »

10 December 2024: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. “Well-written and researched, but borders on the hagiographical.”

12 December 2024: Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane.  “Good characters and satisfying development.”

17 December 2024: Viewpoints Critical by L.E. Modesitt Jr. “Short story collection.  Ok, but not great.”

27 December 2024: A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand.  “Dialogue is a little clunky, but overall a solid mystery in the classic whodunit vein.”

28 December 2024: Relational Hermeneutics edited by Paul Fairfield and Saulius Geniusas. “Hard-slogging!”