Over on D20Saves, I’m running Gatewalkers, one of the latest APs from Paizo! From the official website:
After they walked through that glowing gateway, nothing was ever the same. A band of characters become paranormal investigators to determine the cause of a global amnesic episode. Their quest takes them to lands near, far, and outside this reality altogether. Along the way, the characters meet fellow “gatewalkers,” defeat alien monsters, and explore strange realms touched by the Missing Moment. And when it comes time to learn the grim truth of what happened to them on that fated summer night, what then?
Warning: The first part of this blog will cover what happened in the stream, so there are spoilers for the end of Book Two. Part two will include my thoughts as a GM, so there are major spoilers for the AP overall.Check out the playlist here if you want to watch the previous episodes.
Recap
In this chapter, the PCs finally made it back to Ustalav! In the town of Lepidstadt, they made a beeline to Dr. Ritalson’s manor, only to find that they had just missed him. Not to worry, though! The staff invited them to relax for a few days and recuperate from their journey, and perhaps even talk to some of their fellow Gatewalkers who had arrived just before them.
Of course, the gang decided to do some breaking and entering instead.
To be fair, it was clear that something was off in the mansion, which lead to them finding a basement filled with horrors. They realize that Ritalson had not only been spying on various Gatewalkers in their dreams, but also killing them and using their memories to increase his own knowledge and access to power.
They ran off to confront him before he could return, knowing that he is no longer their biggest problem. Ritalson had been working for someone… Osoyo.
Jorge, Don, Ricardo, James, and Daton: I love you all, but you need to LEAVE this post now! Spoilers ahead!GM thoughts
Honestly, the biggest danger in this chapter is the players themselves. If they’re not suspicious of Ritalson by now (and good lord, they should be), and they take the week to chill out, they could very well end up with their brains in a jar. Hey, at least there’s a new party upstairs they could take over…? But seriously, if your players haven’t twigged to the good doctor being kinda sus, drop some hints in their lap to get them looking around.
The ‘dungeon’ of the chapter was also quite good, and perfect for ripping out and adding to your own campaign. It’s rife with places where you can add in your own plots, and if you’ve needed a place to get some infodumps out of the way, there’s a place to find heap of journals and research. You would just need to update two rooms to fit your campaign, unless your main baddy is also a big psychic whale.
Speaking of looking around, I loved the investigation in this chapter. There are so many clues to find if the players are keen to dig for them. My players aren’t even done yet! Some of the clues are housed in books that they managed to take with them, so they’ll be doing a lot of reading on the road.
Looking forward
We have the big trek over the ice! I think I’ll be pre-rolling most of the encounters to streamline my planning and dead air on the stream. Also, I want to make sure they have the encounters that will hit home the hardest, so… maybe those dice are going to be a bit loaded.
Katie Plays Games 