Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Warehouse" [RPG]

I've used the Warehouse flip-mat a couple of times now in Pathfinder Society adventures, and I'm very happy with it.  It's generic enough to be used in multiple adventures while having enough detail to be realistic.  One side has a warehouse with a holding yard out front and a maze-like interior formed from stakes of crates.  It'd be a good HQ for a thieves' guild, for example.  The other side shows a warehouse along the docks.  I like the loft in the middle building here, as forcing the PCs to charge higher ground with only one access point can be a fun challenge at low levels (especially when javelins are raining down on them as they try to deploy grappling hooks!).  Like all Paizo flip-mats, this one allows for wet and dry erase.  It's an excellent, functional flip-mat that GMs will get plenty of use out of.

Pathfinder Player Companion: "Advanced Class Origins" [RPG]

Advanced Class Origins is a 32-page, full-color book devoted to the “hybrid classes” introduced in the Advanced Class Guide.  A major goal is to integrate these setting-neutral classes into Golarion while simultaneously providing some flavourful additional options.  You can judge the cover art yourself (pretty cool in my opinion!).  The inside front-cover is a map of the Inner Sea with little icons depicting where hybrid class characters might originate from.  Not a great use of space, as the textual descriptions inside the book are clearer and more specific.  The inside back-cover lists all of the archetypes available to hybrid class characters from either the Advanced Class Guide or this book, and which regions (if any) those archetypes are tied to.  Again, not especially useful since all it does it provide pointers to the relevant section in the ACG and in this book—it’s not like it’s compiling information scattered across a dozen books.

The opening pages of the book are a “For Your Character” section (summarising what’s in the book for each of the hybrid classes, an index (which is kinda silly in a 32-page book), a two-page section that offers a one-paragraph summary of where in Golarion the different hybrid classes might be found (unnecessary since the material will be repeated later in the book).  We’re not off to a good start, four pages in.  There is a useful sidebar summarising which prestige classes from the Core Rulebook or Paths of Prestige that hybrid class PCs might qualify for.

The body of the book essentially consists of a two-page entry for each of the hybrid classes, followed by two-page sections on new feats, magic items, and spells. I’ll move relatively quick through the class entries, embracing the joy of bullet points.  I should preface this section of the review by saying that I haven’t played most of these classes except Shaman (though I’ve GM’d for Bloodragers, Swashbucklers, and Warpriests), so my ability to evaluate new mechanics are necessarily limited.  The class entries generally introduce one or two new archetypes and a couple of (generally super-weak) traits.  The best part of each entry is the discussion of how the classes can be tied into the setting.

·         Arcanist: The discussion of arcanists in Golarion is really interesting, showing how the vast majority of people don’t know (or care) about the different between arcanists and wizards.  The idea that two of the Arclords of Nex (millenni ago) were arcanists is intriguing.  There’s a new archetype introduced here, Twilight Sage, that’s designed for necromantically-oriented arcanists from Geb.  One of the archetype’s abilities, Twilight Transfer, is very cool—you bring a creature back to life by draining the life of another!  The section contains some new arcane exploits, as well as two regional traits (“pathetic”, according to my notes).

·         Bloodrager: There’s an interesting bit about how bloodragers from the Hold of Belkzen most commonly have the undead bloodline, with links to a figure from Curse of the Crimson Throne.  The section has two new bloodlines, Black Blood  (which looks powerful) and Kyton (which has a very flavourful but mechanically weak ability called Unnerving Gaze). 

·         Brawler: The entry for brawlers links them heavily to gladiatorial combat in the Inner Sea.  There are two new archetypes, Ulfen Beast-Wrestler and Winding Path Renegade, but the latter is incoherent in its flavour.  Of the two new combat traits, Absalom Bouncer is almost laughably weak (a +1 damage bonus with unarmed strikes to do non-lethal damage), while another called Failed Aspirant is okay (1/day you can do a combat maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity).

·         Hunter:  I still don’t really get the concept of a Hunter as distinct from a Ranger, but I guess that’s a problem with the class and not this book.  However, the book doesn’t help, as the archetypes it introduces are bland and forgettable. 

·         Investigator: There’s a new archetype called Lepidstadt Inspector that has a good concept, even if it’s mechanically inferior to the basic class.  There’s also a few new investigator talents.

·         Shaman: Introduces the Mammoth spirit, which I have to give some love since my “caveman shaman” Gurkagh is from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and sometimes invokes it.

·         Skald: The Bekyar Demon Dancer archetype is pretty rad (if you don’t mind some demon-worshippers in the party), and there’s also a Belkzen War Drummer (they use the drum-beating clubs to break heads!) and a Dragon Skald.

·         Slayer: The entry does a good job giving some examples of how Slayers fit into the setting.  I like the niche the Pureblade archetype fills—they focus on slaying aberrations that arise due to the strange alien technology in Numeria.  There’s also a Sczarni Executioner archetype and two new Slayer talents.

·         Swashbuckler: I’m not a fan of the class, but the Shackles Corsair archetype has some fun abilities while the Whirling Dervish archetype fits in well with Sarenrae’s focus on redemption.  I like the cinematic possibilities of the Lion’s Audacity trait—your PC yells “Charge!” and all of your allies get a bonus to attack and damage if they charge with you.

·         Warpriest: Two archetypes. Liberty’s Blade for PCs from Andoran and Mantis Zealot for worshippers of Achaekek, that, according to my incredibly descriptive notes, “aren’t very good.”  I hope no one reviews this review!  Also, a couple of new blessings for the Scalykind and Void domains.

The two pages of feats are an odd mix of the super minor (a feat that lets bards get a +1 to attack and damage for 1 round if they identify a creature) to the super good (a feat that allows Dex to damage for rapier-wielders).  I’m guessing that if we could somehow run the numbers, Know Weakness isn’t as popular among players as Fencing Grace.  Some better editorial control would have been good here.

The two pages of new magic items have a good mix of flavourful items.  I like how well everything is tied into Golarion setting lore, even if in practice most players don’t pay attention to those bits.

There are nine new spells in the magic entry, though, surprisingly, only a couple of specifically-restricted to the hybrid spellcasting classes.  One spell, Arcane Disruption, could be a game-changer during certain encounters if it lands—if the target fails a save, they have to make Concentration checks every time they cast a spell.

That’s the book!  On the whole, I think the “fluff” or “flavour” is really good. I have a better sense of how the hybrid classes “fit” into Golarion after reading it, and I imagine a lot of players could craft better backstories if they use it.  The mechanical options aren’t as balanced as they should be, though admittedly it’s a hard goal to achieve in a game as large and sprawling as Pathfinder.  In the end, if you like the hybrid classes and play them regularly, this is a good purchase.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-31: "Treading History's Folly" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran Treading History's Folly at high sub-tier using the four-player adjustment.  The scenario is a key part of the Scoured Stars meta-plot that drives Season 1, and thus shouldn't be missed by players who are interested in that storyline.  As a standalone scenario, however, it's only average.

SPOILERS

There's a lot I like about Treading History's Folly, but one of the things that really irks me is the briefing.  The PCs are recruited for a secret meeting with Jadnura (the newly-returned-former-and-maybe-current First Seeker) and explicitly told not to mention anything to Luwazi Elsebo or any of the faction heads.  I don't know why the scenario would expect the PCs to blithely go along with this, as many will have a lot more loyalty and established bonds with Luwazi than with newcomer Jadnura.  In addition, the reasons given for the secrecy are vague and unconvincing.  The frustrating thing is that there's nothing the PCs can do but give in, as there's no discussion about what happens if they refuse to join the untrustworthy kasatha who led the entire Society into utter disaster just a couple of years ago.

Anyway, Jadnura tells the PCs that he wants them to revisit the place where he first found the artefact called the Tear that allowed entrance to the Scoured Stars system.  He says that by retracing his steps, the PCs may discover what mistakes he made that led to the catastrophe.  It's a mission that amounts to little more than "go, poke around, and see if there's anything interesting there; it'll only take a couple of months' of your time".  I actually kind of like Jadnura, but this scenario makes me wonder why he was ever the First Seeker to begin with!

The PCs need to take a starship to Kukanou-2b, a moon orbiting a gas giant deep in the Vast.  What the PCs don't know yet is that this moon is the adopted homeworld of the mentrasi, a race that was one of the eight (along with the izalguuns and others) that fled the Scoured Stars (from Bastiar-2, for those of you who played the first Special).  Unfortunately, Kukanou-2b was seismically unstable, and the entire race was wiped out from devastating earthquakes and volcanic explosions.  That's a lesson, folks: do a deep geological scan of a planet before resettling there!  When the PCs arrive on Kukanou-2b, they have no difficulty finding the underground tunnel and campsite that Jadnura used during his visit here years ago.  Intriguingly, they also find a set of footprints that are very recent--who else is here?

The first encounter is an underground battle against "haunted elementals," which are essentially earth elementals possessed by the souls of mentrasi who are bound to the area.  The backstory to this scenario is really interesting.  Long ago, as the seismic disruptions continued to grow in strength, one of the underground mentrasi cities, a place called Xaharee, sought to use magic to bind themselves to the moon in order to live out the apocalypse.  Unfortunately, as these things tend to do, the magic didn't bind their bodies--only their souls.  Now Xaharee is a cursed city, haunted by the spirits of the mentrasi who lived there.  It's these mentrasi spirits that animate the earth elementals.  The battle isn't a difficult one, but it is interesting to see monsters with both undead and elemental immunities.

One of my favourite little things about Treading History's Folly is that as the PCs continue through the tunnels, any PC with the "Abysshead Download" boon from # 1-06: A Night in Nightarch has all of their electrical devices suddenly trigger to play loud death rock music.  The sounds then cause a cave-in!  I've been waiting for that fun boon to come into play for a long, long time, and I thought it was used well here.  I wish more Chronicle sheets had those little "landmines just waiting to be stepped on" boons.

As the PCs approach a secret door leading to the underground city of Xaharee, one of the remaining spirits tries to bond with a PC to see why they've come.  This isn't a hostile act, and if the PCs go along with it, they'll find a very useful source of information (and language translation).  The city itself is visually . . . underwhelming.  With the caveat that only the "downtown district" is still intact, the flip-mat used to represent it (Village Square) just doesn't have the right feel at all.  Similarly, the description of buildings given in the text does not match their visual representations on the flip-mat.  We can certainly expect players to use their imaginations, but in this instance I think a custom map would have been preferable.

Exploration of the ruins of Xaharee reveal a library and a museum.  Both, but especially the latter, are essentially exposition-dumps.  The lore itself is really interesting and integral to the Season 1 meta-plot, detailing how the races of the Scoured Stars system worshipped a god called Kadrical, but how the so-called "Sleeping God" sought to protect his worshippers by erecting the golden shield around the entire system.  We also learn, for the first time, about a jinsul herald (for lack of a better term) of Kadrical named Dhurus, who turned to evil and tyranny.  When the golden shield briefly lowered, the mentrasi and the other races fled the system to escape Dhurus.  There's a lot here that is critical to understanding later elements of the Season 1 plotline (including the capstone special).  Unfortunately, the extensive lore is dropped on PCs through exhibit after exhibit in the museum, and I think it's just too much at one time.  I'm all for backstory and setting lore, but as the GM I felt it really bogged down the adventure.

Two things liven up the exploration of Xaharee.  First, there are the usual security robots that get activated.  I've decided that security robots and vesk mercenaries are for Starfinder what ghouls and street gang toughs are for Pathfinder.  Second, and much more interesting, is that the PCs receive a distress call--from Iteration-177!  They find the incapacitated android nearby, though it won't explain what happened to it or, beyond generalities, why it has come to the moon.  Iteration-177 explains why the mentrasi spirits are trapped in Xaharee, and asks the PCs to set them free by destroying the magical obelisk in the town square.

The big finale for the scenario requires the PC to conduct a ritual to disrupt and destroy the obelisk while fighting off the mentrasi spirits and haunted earth elementals that it summons to defend itself.  I remember it was a solid encounter, as the PCs had to constantly choose whether to go after the obelisk or the creatures it was summoning.  Assuming the PCs succeed, the trapped mentrasi spirits go off to their just rewards, Iteration-177 mysteriously disappears, and the PCs can report back to Jadnura the discovery that there's a deity sleeping within the Scoured Stars (and that the jinsul are being led by one of its heralds!).

I think I would sum up Treading History's Folly by saying it's one of the scenarios that's really important to play to get a full picture of the Scoured Stars storyline.  That doesn't mean it's fantastic on its own, but it reveals a lot of backstory that gets developed in subsequent scenarios.  The problems with the briefing, the choice of flip-mat, and the heavy lore-dumps are things that mar its overall quality, however.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 76 [RPG]

[7 Calistril 4708 continued]

Having penetrated to the very depths of Jorgenfist and into a structure clearly dating to the days of ancient Thassilon, the adventurers cautiously explore their surroundings.  It’s clear that even the powerful preservative magicks imbued in the stonework have started to fail, as many passageways are choked with rubble.  Oddly enough, the places where the walls meet the floors and ceilings have been smoothed away and rounded, leaving not a single corner or hard angle visible.

With Yuzo taking the lead, the adventurers move into a room almost nauseating in its flickering dimensions!  To Yuzo and Jinkatsyu, it looks like the room is starting to grow, but the others realize the truth: they’re being shrunk!  From out of the shadows an obese hill giant whose body is covered with scars in the shape of Thassilonian runes charges forth with unnatural speed, his overdeveloped muscles bulging against his seemingly too-tight skin!  Once again, Kang and Salma’s fireworks save the day.  When the smoke clears, Salma remembers reading in a crumbling manuscript about creatures called Runeslaves—giants fleshwarped by Thassilonian magic into powerful but short-lived servants.

Natives of the Elemental Plane of Fire, 

forgefiends are attracted to metal and gemstones.

Jinkatsyu and Kang start looking at a pair of stone doors to the southern part of the chamber when another threat suddenly manifests.  A massive iron-skinned fiend whose short arms and razor sharp claws seem friendly compared to the massive, fire-filled maw that splits its belly in two!  It seems to glide right out of the stonework, but Kang’s special concussive bomb knocks it on its back, and Jinkatsyu and Yuzo are able to destroy it before it can even get to its feet.

Thick, acrid smoke pours forth from an immense, twelve-foot tall cauldron in the next chamber that causes Jinkatsyu and Yuzo to double over, retching.  A hulking brute with a skull-like face and glowing blue runes carved into its forehead stands sentry.  Salma identifies it as a stone golem, and knows that her magic can’t affect it.  But nothing stops Kang’s bombs, and although Yuzo is battered by the golem’s attacks, it soon crumbles under the force of repeated concussive blasts.  Using Yuzo’s magic decanter, Kang douses the flames under the cauldron and puts an end to the smoke.  Yuzo is in favour of a strategic retreat, but Kang’s confidence persuades the group that they should continue forth.

Those slain in battle by the Headless Lord 

rise minutes later as zombies!

Following the worked stone passageway to the east, the adventurers come across a chamber containing a dozen preserved bodies of ogres, trolls, and hill giants, all wearing suits of armor and staged as if rallying for war.  As the group starts to pass between them, five of the corpses suddenly animate and attack, led by a headless zombie lord!  Yuzo and Jinkatsyu are affected by its uncanny presence and flee in mortal terror, but Salma manifests arcing chains of fire to devastate the lesser undead, while Ava’s column of holy fire and Kang’s bombs finish off the leader just as it’s trying to summon more zombies to battle.  Salma remembers hearing a tale of such headless zombies: that their maker can carry the head around with them and “see” what the body sees!  Have the adventurers been spied on by Mokmurian during the battle?

After tracking down Yuzo and Jinkatsyu (who fled into darkness), the adventurers continue on.  They’ve taken the best Mokmurian has to offer and have barely broken a sweat!

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

Director's Commentary

This was one of those sessions that was just combat after combat, as all the rooms leading up to Mokmurian contained a different threat.  The AP did a good job detailing each of them and making them interesting and unique, but the PCs just completely wrecked their foes.  Often I'd spend 45 minutes in prep getting the encounter for one of these villains ready, only to have them go down like chumps after a round or two at the table!  Some of them, like the forgefiend, I would like to see or use in other campaigns.

Next Recap

Pathfinder Comics: "Worldscape, Volume 1"

NO SPOILERS

This hardcover collection includes Pathfinder: Worldscape Issues 1-6 (a complete story) along with almost 50 pages of back matter such as variant covers, character profiles, some new game mechanics (like archetypes), and a fold-out poster map.  The comics are real winners--the story is great, the characterisation of the Iconics is spot-on, the new guest characters are interesting, and the artwork is of a higher standard than many of the earlier Pathfinder comics.  The back matter, however, is far more of a mixed bag, with the encounters particularly lacking.  Still, on the whole, I'd definitely recommend this one.

SPOILERS

Alright, let's get into it!

* Issue 1: Our core four Iconics (Merisiel, Kyra, Seoni, and Valeros--sorry Ezren!) have finally tracked down the veiled master Thulgroon (from past volumes), but he somehow shifts the entire party somewhere . . . else!  The four are separated, and this issue tells what happened to Valeros.  In a delightfully/awfully graphic combat, he deals with some brigands before an awesome four-armed ape bursts out of the trees and starts a bone-breaking bearhug.  Who, of all creatures in the world, comes to Valeros' rescue?  Freaking Xanesha (from RotRL) is who!  You know I love me some continuity.  But Xanesha hasn't saved Valeros out of the kindness of her serpentine heart.  Instead, she takes him as a slave-gladiator to fight for the entertainment of the evil Empress Camilla in a city called Shareen.  And who is Valeros' first opponent?  Freaking Red Sonja is who!  Valeros is holding his own until he notices that Merisiel seems to be part of Empress Camilla's entourage--and that's when Red Sonja stabs him through the chest!  It's a corker of a first issue, that's for sure.

* Issue 2: This one starts with Seoni awakening in the jungle.  There's an exciting solo battle against a jungle lion, and then a great introduction to Fantomah, a jungle goddess that surely has the death domain.  Fantomah explains that Seoni is in a place called the Worldscape, an artificially-created demi-plane that draws in legendary heroes and villains from three planets: Golarion, Earth, and Barsoom.  Whoever possesses both a certain sceptre and crown will be able to rule the Worldscape, and Fantomah and her allies (Thun'da, a classic jungle hero, and Tars Tarkas, a Green Martian) want Seoni's help in recovering them.  One snag is that Ruthazek, the Gorilla King of the Mwangi Expanse, is also in the Worldscape--and he's on the evil side!  Again, a very strong issue.

* Issue 3: Kyra's the star of this issue, and it's a great presentation of her point of view.  Kyra finds herself in the city of Shareen, and after being betrayed by someone she was trying to help (Mordred!), she finds a real ally in John Carter, Warlord of Mars.  His introduction is awesome and hilarious.  It turns out that John Carter is a co-leader (along with Red Sonja) of the resistance against Empress Camilla, and the issue ties in nicely to Valeros' storyline from issue # 1.  The Iconics are starting to come together, and the plot will be moving quickly soon.  I'm glad we got a chance to see these characters on their own, however.  It's a good testament to the groundwork of previous volumes that each of these Iconics has a real personality and distinctive voice.

* Issue 4: Merisiel is the last Iconic who needs to be featured, and this issue reveals that this isn't the character's first trip to the Worldscape!  When Merisiel led a band of thieves (and long before she met the other Iconics), she was transported there, had a love affair with a cool sky pirate named Phondari (another pulp character, I assume), and ended up working for Queen Camilla and stealing for her the sceptre before returning to Golarion. It's a nice twist and provides some good insight into Merisiel's character.  At the end of the issue, the Merisiel from the "present" appears back in the Worldscape and she's asked by Queen Camilla to steal the crown from "the king".  It's a nice surprise who that turns out to be. Completely unrelated, there's a fun little line about legendary Pathfinder Durvin Gest having been in the Worldscape as well at one time.

* Issue 5: Valeros, Seoni, and Kyra join the resistance, and the revolution starts.  There's a ton of action in this issue, but still room for some nice character development.  Merisiel however, seems allied with Queen Camilla.  Has she abandoned recent loyalties for older ones?

* Issue 6: "The king" is Tarzan!  The heroes rush to protect his jungle camp as Ruthazek sends armies of gorillas after the crown.  The good guys win, of course, (with Merisiel's help) and there's another cool appearance by Fantomah and a nice send-off for Tarzan.  The Iconics are returned to Golarion seconds after they left, with no memory of what happened and with Thulgroon having escaped again.  But Fantomah promises Merisiel that she'll remember and return to the Worldscape when the time is right.

It's a really satisfying, well-told story.  The artwork, as mentioned, is excellent.  I don't have a lot of natural affection for the pulp characters featured here, but their inclusion in the stories worked out well.  It's not always easy to mash-up genres and characters, but here it all flowed nicely.

Now, on to the back matter.  Here's what's included:

* Variant Covers (20 pages): Every issue was originally released with a few different variant covers, and they're all reproduced here.  There are fewer spoof covers in this volume compared to some previous ones, as most of the artwork focuses on the pulp characters.  It's cool to see Tom Mandrake's interpretation of some of the Pathfinder Iconics.

* Encounters (6 half pages): Although previous volumes gave one or two pages each to encounters, here each encounter is presented in just half a page with a grid-map that's too small to use in actual gameplay (minis won't fit) and a paragraph that gives some suggested set-up and potential enemies.  I'm not as much of a fan of this new style of presenting encounters, as they don't really save GMs any time.  These are really more like very general encounter ideas than a ready-to-go package.

* Character Profiles (circa 12 pages):  The following pulp characters get full stat blocks and backgrounds: Red Sonja, John Carter, Thun'da, Tars Tarkas, and Tarzan.  I personally thought Thun'da's background was interesting (a classic lost valley hero), while Tars Tarkas' background was too long and Tarzan's was pretty bland.  Milage will vary here, but I don't imagine too many campaigns actually integrating these characters.

* Crunch (circle 10 pages): Several new mechanics options are presented here, some of which could be quite handy if your have a flexible GM: 1) A new ranger archetype called the Sword-Devil (a very powerful spell-less ranger); 2) A new race, Green Martians (overpowered for most games); 3) A new fighter archetype called the Warlord (a very niche archetype for unarmoured warriors skilled with weapons from the planet Barsoom); 4) Another new ranger archetype, the Jungle Lord (no armor, *lots* of animal companions, looks good)

* A fold-out removable poster:  One side is a scene of the pulp and Pathfinder heroes drawn by Reilly Brown; it's okay, but nothing remarkable.  The other side is an encounter grid titled the "Ruins of Kho."  It looks really cool (I wonder if it's from one of the real flip-mats?), but again the gridlines create squares too small to use for actual minis.  Unless you want every combatant represented by something no larger than a thumb-tack, this just doesn't work.  Frustrating.

In sum, we have six strong issues but some problems with the back matter.  Pathfinder: Worldscape isn't a perfect collection, but I do think it's worth buying and reading.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-07: "Salvation of the Sages" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I started playing Salvation of the Sages with my half-orc Paladin of Sarenrae.  I say "started" because I had to leave before the first encounter due to a plot point discussed in the spoilers below.  Suffice it to say, there's something that makes this scenario very hard for paladins and certain other character concepts to play within alignment and other restrictions.  Putting that to one side, however, the scenario looks really interesting, has an epic conclusion, and nicely resolves some long-standing storylines within PFS.  I guess I'd recommend it for those PCs with more  . . . flexible . . . conceptions of morality.

SPOILERS

Salvation of the Sages starts with a briefing in the city of Merab in Osirion.  Venture-Captain Diya Akan and one of the jewelled sages, Tahonikepsu, explain the situation.  The sage jewels used by the leaders of the faction have, since their inception, been contaminated with a fragment of the soul of an evil necromancer named Aryana Tahari.  Although at present the contamination manifests as easily-resisted evil thoughts and urgings, the influence of Tahari's soul seems to be growing.  The jewelled sages have decided to come together as a group and try to remove the contamination before it becomes too powerful and leads the order into evil.  To do this, they need to perform a ritual at the heart of Tahari's stronghold when she was among the living: a village named Resa that has now fallen into ruins.  There's a lot of additional information and backstory that stems from previous scenarios (none of which I've played), so I'm just summarising the gist of the plot here.

My involvement as a player in the scenario unfortunately ended with the next scene.  The members of the order assemble, and the GM asks for Knowledge (religion) checks.  It turns out that one of the jewelled sages is a freaking lich, and, yep, detects as evil!  In a group with multiple paladins, that brought the adventure to a sudden lurch.  I will say some excellent role-playing eventuated all around, but the bottom line was that there was no way my character could ally himself with a lich--so I had to walk!  I'm of two minds about the issue.  On the one hand, I think it was short-sighted and exclusionary.  On the other hand, it was a good moral dilemma and no one said life as a paladin would be easy.  I do find it ironic now that there's no consideration of this problem whatsoever in the scenario, but there is extensive discussion of how PCs may react to another problematic member of the sages--Grandmaster Torch.  Anyway, the rest of this review is based purely on reading the scenario.

The first encounter of the scenario is triggered when the group move toward the ruins of Resa.  By bringing the sage jewels back in proximity to Tahari's source of strength, the group enable the evil necromancer's spirit to activate a deadly ward.  In a very cool and well-described moment, a basalt monolith erupts from the rumbling earth, sandstorms begin assaulting the area, and masses of undead creatures arise to attack.  In mechanical terms, the monolith gives off periodic waves of negative energy and needs to be disabled through skill checks, while the horde of undead use the troop rules from Bestiary 6 to good effect.  A really nice touch is that the undead can air walk by climbing along the surfaces of buildings that collapsed millennia ago, but so can PCs who have strong connections to undead (like dhampirs or sorcerers with the undead bloodline).  One of the jewelled sages directly assists the PCs in the combat, while the others are helping off-grid cinematically.  It looks like a really good encounter to start things off, though it is also the last combat the PCs will face until the last part of the scenario.

The middle part of Salvation of the Sages is general exploration of Tahari's underground vault containing her research laboratories.  There aren't any encounters here, but there are a couple of traps (with a decontamination trap that inflicts a maximized fireball on players particularly nasty).  There's a ton of background information on Tahari, the diseases she created, potential cures, and much more.  It's definitely fitting that there's so much information to process in a mission that spotlights the Scarab Sages.  Players who like to put the pieces together and assemble a narrative will be happy with what they have to work with.  In a way, it's like a dungeon crawl but with important lore in every room instead of monsters.  Some character concepts won't have much to do in this section of the scenario, but authors can't always cater to everyone and I think that's okay.  The hack n' slashers certainly have their fair share of scenarios.

The big capstone to the scenario is probably the most complex encounter I've ever seen in PFS.  The PCs take part in a ritual to draw the evil of Tahari out of the sage jewels and into a coherent form so it can be banished or destroyed.  There's a *lot* going on here: multiple skill checks for the rituals; four different sets of enemies with complex stat blocks who arrive, contingent on events, at staggered times; multiple ongoing hazards and magical effects that have to be resolved each round; an elaborate presentation of a mindscape mechanism (PCs can journey into a sage jewel to try to expel Tahari); and handling the jewelled sages themselves, who can either help the PCs (if freed from Tahari's influence) or turn against the PCs (if possessed too directly by Tahari's evil).  At this point in the game's (and organized play's) lifecycle, I have no qualms about complex encounters--though I think if any scenario should be gated behind 4 or 5 star GM access, it might be this one!  GMs need to prep for this encounter thoroughly and probably have a round-by-round flow chart or something similar ready.  I haven't played or run the encounter, so I can't evaluate how well it works in practice but it does sound pretty epic.

I really appreciate how the scenario's epilogue accounts for a wide variety of possibilities in what happens during the ritual.  Resolution is provided for if the ritual works or fails, of course, but there's also specific discussion of each of the sages and what happens to them if their own sage jewel was destroyed.  As I often say in these reviews, too many scenarios end too abruptly, but that's not the case here.

My concluding thoughts are that, although it's certainly a bottom-heavy scenario and the issue with the lich is significant, I have to imagine Salvation of the Sages was a satisfying resolution to those players invested in the saga of the sage jewels.  It makes me wish I had been playing since the beginning of PFS so it could have full impact on me.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 7-99: "Through Maelstrom Rift" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Through Maelstrom Rift is definitely different than your average PFS scenario.  It can only be run by four- or five- star GMs, so you don't see it offered everyday.  It also uses special pre-gens that are very different than your run of the mill races and classes!  The backstory to the plot is a bit opaque and confusing, though the adventure itself has some interesting encounters and role-playing opportunities.  It's an odd scenario, but a memorable one, and worth signing up for should you see it offered.

SPOILERS

Through Maelstrom Rift takes place entirely on the elemental Plane of Air!  The adventure revolves around a tower that has become the focus of chaotic planar eddies from a breach of the dimensional walls with another plane, the Maelstrom.  The breach and resulting eddies are causing major disruptions in that area of the Plane of Air, and the PCs are tasked with investigating and solving the problem.  There's a fairly involved backstory behind the crisis that involves lingering magic from the ancient imprisonment of Ranginori (an elemental lord), an artefact called the Untouchable Opal, a "naunet protean" called the Rift Spinner, a group called the Concordance of Elements, and more.  We're clearly not in Golarion anymore!  There's a lot of setting lore here that was brand new to me as a player (and subsequent reader) of the scenario because I haven't done much with the game's planar cosmology, but, fortunately, grasping the nuances aren't crucial to understanding the general thrust of the scenario.  I will say in the scenario's favour that at least some of this semi-convoluted backstory has some player-facing content so it's not a GM-only thing.

The pre-generated PCs are a fascinating collection of custom-made adventurers tailored to the plot.  Each is given a full backstory and motivation, and there are several points in the scenario where particular named PCs are given special opportunities or role-playing interactions.  The pre-gens are mechanically a really fun lot as well, ranging from a kineticist water mephit to a pyrausta bard and much more in between.  I signed up late to the scenario and was assigned a janni (genie) aristocrat named Jamila, and I can't tell you how nerdishly happy I was to realize that this was the same character from PFS # 0-3, Murder on the Silken Caravan (and her backstory references the events of that scenario)!  I'm a sucker for surprising continuity.  My favourite of the pre-gens is "Octaris", who is actually someone impersonating the intended recipient of the mission invitation and has to use various means to disguise the fact that they have a different set of powers.

The scenario starts with a briefing in Armun Kelisk, a metropolis on the Plane of Air.  A member of the Concordance of Balance (a group dedicated to building peace and relationship between the elements of air, water, fire, and earth) named Ashasar delivers the briefing.  He assigns the PCs to charter an airship, travel to the site of the planar eddies, investigate, and, if possible, set the matter right before returning home.  The briefing itself is fairly standard apart from a quirky bit with an air elemental chef serving "bubble halo pie" and other foods.  There are knowledge checks to acquaint players with the basics of the Plane of Air, though I still found it hard to get a sense of what the place was like.  I guess some things are best learned through experience.

As the PCs journey from the briefing to the docks, the GM is given a handful of little vignette encounters to help provide some flavour to the city.  I really like things like this.  They don't take long and there's nothing on the line, but they give players a chance to role-play and enjoy feeling like different settings are more than just different names.

Finding an airship captain willing to take the PCs to the site of the disturbance is a role-playing and skills encounter.  The good side of this encounter is that the various NPCs captains are well-described, have very distinct personalities and ships, and the choice impacts the plot later on.  The downside is that the skill checks are pretty easy and no guidance is given to how many PCs can attempt them, whether re-tries are possible, whether a character can try another skill if they've failed on an early attempt, etc.  Setting the boundaries are crucial to make a skills challenge like this workable (and not trivially easy).

After a few days in the air, whatever airship captain the PCs chose tells them that the ship has gotten as close as it safely can.  The captain provides the PCs with a smaller vessel (I guess the aerial equivalent of a rowboat) so they can approach the eddies without risking the entire airship.  This is where the fun really starts, as, after a day or two of travel, a sudden incredibly violent wind completely smashes the PCs' ship and throws everyone overboard!  Important cargo (like rations, charts, and a special magical gift provided by the captain) fly off in various directions.  The PCs, for their part, are also flung randomly into the sky and get their first taste of the joys of the subjective gravity of the Plane of Air.  Some of the PCs have natural or magical flight and will be fine, but others have to decide what's "down" and "fall" towards it in order to move, but unless they roll well on Wisdom checks, they're likely to drastically overshoot.  All of this occurs with the added complication of a group of "comozant wyrds" (air elementals) taking an interest in the debris.  It's an encounter like nothing else I've ever played in PFS, as the PCs have to reorient themselves, recover whatever cargo they deem is most important, and either negotiate or fight the wyrds, all while falling through the air!  It's very cool and original.

After dealing with that problem, the group can make their way to the source of the problem.  The Tower of Contemplation contains several rooms that can be investigated for insight on the cause of the planar eddies.  There's a weird elemental (instead of undead) haunt that has to be neutralized before exploration is safe, as it deals constant damage and will otherwise weaken PCs substantially before the scenario's big conclusion.

In order to set things right, the PCs need to enter a portal to the Maelstrom.  They'll end up on a cool island floating in the chaos (beautifully represented with the Extradimensional Spaces Map Pack).  There's a backstory link to Runelord Azlanist and ancient Thassilon here, which (as much a fan as I am) might just be over-egging the pudding.  But anyway, the PCs need to defeat Rift Spinner (the naunet protean) and either fight or free a pack of elemental wysps that are also present.  Each round, the Maelstrom's influence produces a rippling "warpwave" that has very negative effects (usually) on a randomly-chosen PC.  I enjoy complications like this in encounters.  Once the opponents are defeated, closing the rift still needs to be done--and it's not easy or automatic, as failing skill checks causes more warpwaves and four failed skill checks result in the rift becoming permanently stuck open.  I appreciate real consequences for failure.

Unlike many scenarios, there's a nice conclusion here.  Ashasar wants a full debriefing from the PCs, and specifically calls upon any PCs who are being quiet.  It's another little thing I like, as players can't just lurk and hide from the role-playing.

All in all, there's a lot to like about Through Maelstrom Rift.  It has some interesting encounters, solid writing, great pre-gens, and a very different setting to the norm.  It'll hold special meaning to fans of planar adventures or the PFS storyline about elemental shenanigans.  It's definitely worth playing for a chance at something different.