Author: kcunning

http://therealkatie.net/

Exploring Abomination Vaults: A Dungeon Crawler Experience

On September 15th, 2024, my group finally finished the epic dungeon-crawling Adventure Path known as Abomination Vaults. When I first heard that Paizo was putting out a mega-dungeon, I was stoked. While I haven’t been able to do many, I’ve always been enamored with the idea of a campaign focused on one dungeon, where things get more dangerous the deeper you go. Having a modern one where I didn’t have to convert the whole thing was doubly exciting.

The deets on us

The sessions were held once a month, for about three hours each. This may seem like a short amount of time to many, but this was an extremely focused group bent on getting to the bottom of the vaults. I don’t think we had a single session that we spent on fluff.

Even so, it wasn’t a short campaign. We ran from April 2021 to September 2024, with only a few skipped months due to holidays and scheduling issues. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math, I think AV is more dense than your average Paizo AP. One book is usually six four-hour sessions for my groups, and by my calculations, AV took us a quarter longer than your average AP. This math feels right, because AV is super dense. Every inch of the ten 40×70 grid maps is filled with something to fight, figure out, or talk to. There are encounters you can skip, but most players won’t want to leave potential enemies at their backs.

We had a shifting cast of characters since this was a campaign where we worked on a quorum rather than insisting everyone was there. The crew:

  • Kobold Thaumaturge
  • Strix Swashbuckler
  • Cave Elf Fighter (Bows)
  • Kobold Alchemist (Mutagenist, but threw lots of bombs)
  • Tengu Sorcerer
  • Dhampir Oracle

The oracle had to drop due to Real Life Cool Shit, so we swapped in the Iconic Kyra to follow the group around and keep them on their feet.

We used Automatic Bonus Progression, but no other variant rules since the AP didn’t recommend them. Yes, Virginia, you can play without Free Archetype.

Overall takeaways

This is an awesome AP. I squealed when they announced it, then worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. It really did, though. Hell, it even exceeded them, since it’s easy to have a dungeon crawler that starts to, well, crawl. The pace kept moving along at a nice clip, and there was always something to find just around the corner. Every floor is themed, so you don’t have to stress out too badly if a PC is less effective for a while. Things will swap around, I promise you, and it will give players a chance to dig into what else they could be doing to help their fellow party members.

One interesting thing as a GM was that much of the game was spent with me sitting back while the players planned. For me, this was a nice break from APs where there’s more roleplaying from me to get the story moving forward. Not that I mind running NPCs (I enjoy it!), but man, it was kind of nice to give them a map of what they’d explored, then sip my tea as they talked about where they wanted to go next, and how they should prep.

This is also one of the few APs that I could see running again since so much of the story comes out based on where the players go, and what they pick up along the way.

The elephant in the room: Difficulty

On Reddit, this is often considered a super deadly AP, with groups racking up body counts before they’ve found the first set of stairs. Meanwhile, our group had zero deaths. There were a few close calls, but that’s expected in PF2.

That’s not me saying that these other players were just clueless! We had a few advantages that many AV groups don’t have:

  • Experience. Over half the players were experienced with PF2, and all of us were experienced with TTRPGs of a similar ilk.
  • Old farts. When I say ‘experienced’, I don’t mean five years. Some of us are in our fourth decade of gaming. This means many of us came from an era when dungeon crawls were common. We already understood the metarules behind them, like pulling back when you need to, exploring carefully, and being prepared to run.
  • For some games, we had a larger crew. This alone can help balance for a creature that the group isn’t quite built for.
  • The NPC healer came in clutch. Sometimes, I just had her waiting by the stairs to heal after battles, but that was enough to keep the group out of the danger zone.
  • Shorter sessions meant no one got mentally exhausted, which can be the biggest killer in games.

GM suggestions

Prep in advance. In many APs, you can make an educated guess as to where your players could go in the next session. After all, there’s only so many encounters they can run into based on their current location. This is not the case with Abomination Vaults. Once a group is on a floor, nearly every room will be a possibility. So, if your players are close to going to the next floor, make sure you have it ready to go. And this isn’t just the creatures: Keep an eye out for interactions between encounters. Sometimes, running into a friendly NPC first can negate another room, or finding a switch or a clue can make another encounter less (or more) difficult.

Rest! Emphasize to your players that they’re the ones who control when they rest, and that there’s no gun to their head to push forward. They can fall back to town or a safe hidey-hole and rest as often as they like. While my players tended to only rest at the end of a session, there were a few times that they had one rough fight, noped out, and rested while they made a plan. They also chose to rest a few times when key daily resources were depleted rather than push forward with just cantrips and big sticks.

This goes for players, too. Being tired will kill you in this AP, so if players are starting to flag, it might be time to go back to town and have some fun, non-lethal interactions there.

Player map. I gave my players a map of where they had been at the start of each session, which gave them a chance to plan on their own. You can do this by hand, or you can do what I did on Roll20 if that’s your VTT.

  1. At the start of the game, make sure Explorer mode is on.
  2. Make sure your vision is attached to your players’ tokens.
  3. Put their flag on the floor you want to make a map of.
  4. Log in as a player.
  5. Take a screenshot.
  6. In the image editing software of your choice, fiddle with exposure until all of the areas are more clearly defined.

It’s a bit of work, but it’s better than dealing with an endless Q&A about where they’ve been and it gives them something to mark up if need be.

Stairs are not an invitation, not a summons. Another important thing to drill into your players: Just because they found the stairs to go down doesn’t mean they have to go down. Depending on which direction the players go, they could find the stairs down just a few rooms in. Going down immediately means they skip much of the content, and that they’ll likely be under-leveled for what they’re about to face. So, remind them that they likely don’t want to leave hostile forces at their back, and try to get them to hold off going down until they’ve cleared at least 80% of a floor.

Leash your murderhobos. The Vaults are full of things that want to kill the players, but they also are host to a number of friendly NPCs and factions. If murder is what they want to do, okay, but some of the fights that this could kick off are extreme or just very boring. Also, they’ll need information going forward if they really want to get the full story of what’s going on in the Vaults.

Lock all doors. If your players are the kind to wander and open every door willy-nilly, consider locking all doors until they come to them. The encounters are dense on these maps, with many starting the second the players stumble into them. You can also feel free to let them fuck around and find out! You do you, boo.

Otari fun! Don’t ignore the town! My group did less lingering there due to the nature of our time slot, but if you have more time to play with, make sure to play up the town plots. There’s a ton of cool characters and hooks to dig into that can help bring the town to life.

By the books…

Book one

Favorite bits: Augreal, the bookworm ghoul, and Tangletop, the grumpy sprite. The group immediately adopted both of them. They made a point to bring Augreal bodice rippers every time they did another dive, and hired Tangletop to keep their rooms in order. They also slowly grew more fond of Magiloy the Bartender. Amusingly, outside of a few required conversations, they ignored the main NPC with the most backstory and hooks.

Roughest bits: The vampiric mist was a bit of a struggle, though they got through it. There was also a drake that thoroughly stomped their butts. This was the fight that drilled home that, yes, sometimes they were going to have to run and come back later. Not only did they run, but they didn’t come back to deal with it for a few levels.

Book two

Favorite bits: Oh my god, the punk band. Paizo put a legit punk band in their mega-dungeon, and I had so much fun with them. I even had their set playing throughout that dungeon in the background. The players ended up getting them gigs in Otari, much to the distress of some of the locals. I also loved the fact that they could see the shanrigol behemoth well before they had to interact with it, leaving them with a growing sense of dread.

Roughest bits: To be honest, the behemoth wasn’t the toughest fight because they were able to prepare for it. The hardest part of this book was dealing with the seugathi, who had a habit of attacking from areas the PCs couldn’t reach (or sometimes see!). By the end of this book, they were practically foaming with hate any time they ran into one.

Book three

Favorite bits: This book was full of social interactions, but my favorite was the drow encampment because one of the players was playing an agoraphobic cave elf. The whole campaign, his character was grumpy about being forced to walk back to town all the time and hang out with a bunch of ‘upsiders.’ They met the drow, and he was suddenly Mr. Social, macking on all the ladies and playing made-up card games with the off-duty guards.

Roughest bits: This book featured the most instances of running and coming up with a plan. There was a huge spider, a huge mole rat, a terrible bird, and some creatures hidden in caves in the wall. Thankfully, this was also the book that had the most comfortable places to retreat, which was important since they refused to activate even one teleportation ring.

Final thoughts

I absolutely loved running Abomination Vaults. It lived up to my highest expectations, and even as the GM, I was excited to see how each session would turn out. Even if you aren’t interested in running an AP, this one is worth grabbing so you can strip it for parts. Each dungeon can be run on its own as a standalone adventure and could easily hold plot points for your homebrew campaign. It’s one of the few APs that I could see running again in the future, if a new group was interested. Once the maps are set up, there’s remarkably little for me to do but wait for players to choose a direction.

Reading RPG books without wanting to die

I’ll open this with admitting something: I was never someone who read RPG books front to back. Though I rarely shied away from a challenge, I assumed that I’d pick up what I needed as I went. If I was going to build a character, I’d look at that section. If I was GMing, I’d glance over a few potentially pertinent areas, download some cheat sheets, and look up stuff as I went. To be honest, this had worked fairly well for twenty years and across multiple systems.

What changed was one of my players who was audacious enough to have a birthday, and wanted to play in a system I’d never run before. This left me with a tighter timeline than normal, and only one shot to really get it right. Therefore… I had to actually read the book. Even though it was a crunch, I ended up enjoying the process, and found myself looking at my bookshelf filled with TTRPG books and wondering if I should start tackling them properly.

A year and thirteen books later, I’ve come down to some tricks that help me read TTRPG books at a somewhat reasonable rate. It’s not fast, but it gets the job done!

Goals

I don’t read RPG books like I would read, say, a textbook for a class. I know that I can always look things up later, and I have no problem telling my players that I’m going to pause to look up a rule. My goal is to know that a rule exists. I don’t need to know exactly how flanking or soft cover works the first time I run a game, but I should know that both are absolutely a thing. I don’t need to memorize pages of spells, but I should know the general mechanics behind casting.

I also stop reading when I can feel my attention drifting. Outside of the birthday game, I’m not under a time crunch, so it’s best if I close the book for the day and come back to it when I have the cycles to take in what I’m reading. My goal is not “finishing the book in record time” but “finishing the book with enough knowledge to run a session.”

Tools

Kindle Scribe. As I’ve stated before, the Kindle Scribe was a game-changer for me when it came to reading RPG books out there. There are other large-format readers out there, of course, but I don’t have hands-on experience with them.

Books I actually bound!

Paper and highlighters. If I can’t use the Scribe for some reason, then I consider printing the book out and using highlighters. This isn’t a complete waste for me, because I’ll often bind the book into a format that can sit on a shelf.

Flags and highlighter tape. If all I have is a physical copy of the book, I’ll fall back on flags, transparent sticky notes, and highlighter tape. No, I can’t just read the book, okay?

Method

Note: This is the method that works for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s what works for the time and attention levels I have.

I skip stuff. I totally skip anything that I’m likely to go into depth on later.

  • Feats: If I’m GMing, these are rarely something I have to consider. If I’m playing, I’ll look at the ones that apply to the character I’m building in the moment.
  • Spell lists: As a GM, I’ll use spells, but I can hold off reading them until I’m planning for a session.
  • Stat blocks: I do read bestiaries, but mostly for the flavor. I skip stat blocks until I’m going to actually use a creature.
  • Equipment lists: Again, these are rarely something that I need to know about until I’m actively planning for a game or running a character.

There’s a few benefits to skipping all of these for me. First, it makes the books go by a lot faster. In crunchy systems, tables of gear and spells can take up a significant amount of the page count. Second, it gives me something that I can look forward to discovering later! I love leveling up and combing through spell lists to find cool options I’d never seen before. If I already know all the options, it can start to feel a bit boring.

I dive deep elsewhere. Of course, I pay close attention to the general rules, but some sections, I’ll really hone my focus, even breaking out stickies or a notepad if need be.

Combat is a big one to read carefully for me, since what players do in the first combat can often end up set in amber. I’m not shy about correcting rules we read wrong, but human behavior is weird. It can take a while to get them out of the habit of thinking they can totally do X each turn.

I also like looking carefully over subsystems, but for a different reason: They don’t come up that often if you don’t know about them! That sounds obvious, but seriously, it’s easy to put together combat and social encounters and then try to cobble more complex situations with a couple of random DCs. The designers put together something much cooler, though! Use it!

Also, I tend to read the GM-centric sections a few times. It’s tempting to skip them if you’re experienced GM, but for the love of all that’s good, please don’t. Every system has a different way of balancing itself, and it’s important to buy into that before the first die is rolled.

So, in short:

  • Skip anything that’s just a long list (feats, spells, equipment)
  • Read the general rules (So, how feats work, how spells work, how to buy equipment, etc)
  • Read combat carefully so you don’t screw it up out of the gate
  • Read the GM sections carefully so you understand the game philosophy

Imma repeat that caveat

This is the system that works for me. I’m more than happy to skip certain sections, but if reading them brings you joy, you do you. If you’re not planning on ever GMing, you can totally skip the GMing sections! If you prefer to learn combat by watching a bunch of videos, have at it. I’m only putting what I do out there because I get asked from time to time, and I got tired of writing out the same reply over and over.

Gatewalkers Book 2 Chapter 3 GM Insights

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 beginning 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.

Chapter Three recap

You know, it feels like we were just here. When I say this book moves fast, I mean it! Heck, as I’m writing this, the players are a good chunk of the way through chapter 4.

The majority of this chapter takes place in the Medevian city of Egede. Once bolstered by an unending crusade, this town has fallen on hard times without the influx of money and patrons on their way to take on the World Wound. The party had to contend with a paranoid population that had fallen sway to the ‘Committee for Moral Rectitude.’

To the surprise of anyone who’s seen the questionable moral choices of an adventuring party, the group quickly proves themselves to be beyond reproach. Unsurprisingly, this required the judicious application of violence, but if we’re being fair, the other side started it. Now able to rest in peace, the party got a letter from Dr. Ritalson (remember him?) congratulating them on their progress, commenting on their new companion, and paying the party for their efforts thus far.

With their newfound reputation and money, they manage to get a caravan to Kenabras, the only lead they have at the moment when it comes to Sakuachi’s mission. They don’t get far before they’re distracted by a falling star, which their seer interprets as a sign. Breaking off from the caravan, they make their way across the healing wasteland to find a strange insect burrow. Inside, they fight terrible beetles and the crusader they either obeyed or controlled. After rescuing some reclaimers, they finally get a clue as to where they should be going: Domora!

Okay, seriously, if you’re a player in my stream, DO NOT KEEP READING. Don, James, Jorge, Daton, Ricardo, CLOSE THIS TAB.

GM thoughts

I keep saying it, but seriously, this book moves fast. If you’re a GM who only prepares what they think they’ll need for the next session, push yourself a little harder. Players who follow the plot and don’t wander off for side adventures will quickly churn through the available content.

Another warning: The plot heavily depends on following Sakuachi’s lead. If they’re fighting that, you need to find another way to get them to that falling star. Heck, put it on the way to Sarkoris rather than 200 miles off course, and maybe have a few caravaners kidnapped. That way, they can’t avoid it, and the party will get their lead for their next destination.

Finally, Ghost Sakuachi is still doing great, plot-wise. Nothing has required her being physical, and she’s still able to deliver plot points as needed. The only hiccup is the players trying to use her to scout, which I haven’t allowed so far due to how strategic my players are. However, if your party is a bit more chaotic, she could help players think ahead.

Looking forward

The investigation in Domora is already underway. I really love that this AP has included actual investigations, which fits well with my group and the themes of the adventure. They’re also a decent blueprint on how to do investigations that aren’t just a series of die rolls. Leads lead somewhere that the players have to check out and interact with, which allows everyone to participate.

Looking towards the next book, I expect that one to go quickly as well, save for crossing the ice. I’m most looking forward to them finally getting back to Ustalav and putting all the pieces together.

Embarking on a new Starfinder RPG Adventure: Against the Aeon Throne

After eyeballing the Starfinder RPG for a good many years, I’ve decided to pull together a game! The stars (HA!) are aligning on several fronts. One monthly game is ending. I’ve managed to collect most of the books through Humble Bundle. I’ve been slowly tackling reading them. Also, with Starfinder 2e coming out, we want play something in space, but the official system won’t be out until 2025. And even when it comes out, it’ll be a while before the core books are all released. So Starfinder 1e it is!

Note: This post is spoiler free, so my players can feel free to read it. This won't hold true for anything else in the series.

Choosing an AP

Starfinder has so many good options when it comes to Adventure Paths. All of the themes sound amazing, from the incredibly creepy to freaking Pacific Rim. I couldn’t find one that my players wouldn’t want to play in. I decided that, if all options were great, I should probably optimize for saving on money and effort. Only one AP fit the bill: Against the Aeon Throne. I already own the PDFs, and the AP is offered as a module by Roll20. It’s also low-level, which works for a group still getting a handle on the rules.

Also, reading over the reviews from more experienced players, it looks like it’ll be a good introduction to the Starfinder universe. None of my players have played much Starfinder, and I’m fairly certain none of them have cracked the book past being able to make their character. (Love y’all, but you know it’s true). This will allow me to drip feed lore to them rather than hitting them with a firehose.

Prep so far

I’ve read through book one using my usual laborious highlighting method. I’ve also read through a few other Starfinder books, including the CRB. It helps that the Starfinder books are written in an accessible and fun voice, so they read a lot faster than some drier RPG books might.

I’ve also gone through Roll20’s module for the first book. Tip to others: Even if your VTT has a module for your AP, make sure to go over the lighting and creatures. For me, this module was created before a few new features were deployed, so I had to add them in. Also, modules tend to only include maps from the AP, so I needed to go dredge up a few more.

Finally, I’ve been listening to Androids & Aliens from The Glass Cannon Network to get a feel for how combat flows. I know to take any Actual Play with a grain of salt (including a group that is learning the system as they go), but so far, it seems to be a decent representation of how the game works. Also, it’s a fun group and a super creepy AP (they’re running Dead Suns, which was on the short list).

Recruiting

If there’s any place where I’m going to get screamed at, it’s here, but hear me out.

Most of my monthly games are run on a shared Discord server, where we’ve taken to gathering so we can optimize boosts. There’s around two dozen of us on there, playing a wide range of games and systems. When I knew I’d be starting a new game, I put out the call… and ended up with a VERY full roster. Right now, I have eight interested players, which is high even for my ‘over-recruit and sort it out later‘ self. I know, I know, I should be grateful that this is the problem I have, but still, I know it’ll pose some interesting complications when it comes to things like ship combat and modifying encounters.

My theory is that once the game starts, some people will have to drop, some will show up for some sessions, and I’ll have a core who will be at every game. Until we hit homeostasis, I guess I’ll have a more chaotic crew than normal. At least there’s a ship where I can stow them?

Concerns

My biggest concern, of course, is that we’re kicking off a new system. Even with a group of experienced players, this can cause growing pains. Heck, I’d say there’s a few more issues when it’s a seasoned group. Rules are confused with other systems, and there’s the temptation to say “I know how X works, I’ve been doing this for decades!” I’ll probably set a table rule that, until we have a handle on the rules, we really do need to look up EVERYTHING as we go. It will slow down play, but I’ve found the rules you look up at the table stick better than the ones you say you’ll look up later (and never do).

Space combat also has me concerned. I haven’t quite got my head wrapped around it, and the APs don’t let you avoid it. For now, we’re using the base rules rather than the ruleset in Starfinder Enhanced, but that might change at some point.

It’s also a game with quite a few players in a system I’m not 100% confident in, so I’ll have to get used to adjusting combats. Here’s to hoping their CR system works as it should! I’ve become spoiled by the numbers ‘just working’ in Pathfinder 2e, but I have enough experience with tweaking Pathfinder 1e combats to carry me through. Hopefully.

Thoughts?

If any more experienced Starfinder players have thoughts or suggestions, I’m all ears, since we’re still collecting resources and learning.

Gatewalkers Book 2 Chapter 2 GM Insights: Smooth Sailing

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 beginning 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!

The second chapter of Book 2 opens with the players looking out over a great frozen lake with no way to get across. True, they have a raft, but that’s certain to be eaten by the storm-tossed waves before they get too far. Their only option is to scour a ship graveyard and hope something is still seaworthy enough to get them to civilization.

Making their way through wrecks that could barely suffice as kindling, they find a ship that looks amazingly whole. They board her, only to be attacked by the machinery itself. Happily, the captain appears and calms the ship down. Unfortunately, he’s a ghost, though less mad than those on other ships. He agrees that if the crew can get his ship free of the magical ice surrounding it, he’ll sail them to wherever they want. They just have to make nice with a naiad queen.

So, once again, solving everyone else’s problems other than their own, they make their way to her temple, and after clearing out some of the denizens, they convince her to share the ritual that will remove the ice. After some stomach-clenching rolls, the group succeeds and is able to sail into the lake and towards Egede.

Of course, it can’t be all smooth sailing. Along the way they encounter psychedelic bubbles that, at best, force those who inhale them to have hallucinations. At worst, they drive people mad, and they encounter a whole ship of people who apparently took in a deep breath. The party received a worrying glimpse into their lost memories before being set upon by the specter of Osoyo.

They survived, finally coming to the costal town of Egede, where they bid their captain farewell as he finally takes his ship and his crew to the great beyond.

GM Stuff

Okay, seriously, if you’re a player in my stream, DO NOT KEEP READING. Don, James, Jorge, Daton, Ricardo, CLOSE THIS TAB.

This chapter, in spite of having a lot in it, went by fast. Seriously, I almost forgot to write this blog post. As of this writing, the party is almost done with chapter 3! So if you’re a GM who only preps one chapter ahead, maybe reach a bit further for this book.

Encounter-wise, everything was fairly straightforward. None of the fights left the crew anywhere near a TPK, and none of the encounters left them confused. In fact, the hardest thing they ran into was the ritual. It took a few goes, but finally, they succeeded. If your players ranks are low and you don’t want the ritual to just be NPCs rolling dice, consider having the naiad queen handwave it. After all, if the ice isn’t lifted, they’re not going anywhere!

Finally, ghost Sakuachi is still working out fine! Thought I will say that the players are desperate to make her a statted NPC, I play up that she’s barely holding on to the material plane at this point in time. There are spots in the AP where her team could have stepped win with skills, but this group is fairly well-balanced, so can handle pretty much anything that comes their way.

Looking forward

While I’m enjoying book 2, I’m really looking forward to everything coming together in book 3. The mystery, finally talking to their patron, and the trek across the icy planes: It’s going to be so good.

Pathfinder 2e Adventure Paths: My GM and Player Recommendations

Every few weeks, someone on r/Pathfinder2e asks for thoughts on what AP their group should run. In the spirit of “I’m tired of writing out my response every time”, I figured I’d make a blog post about it instead.

Yes, I mostly blog to save myself time later.

What I’m including

I’m including every AP that I’ve at least experienced part of, either as a GM or a player. I also include how I ran it (since I sometimes like to switch things up and run APs in a non-conventional way).

I’m not including Adventures, even though I’ve experienced a few. Maybe a blog post for another day!

The Adventure Paths

Agents of Edgewatch

Role: GM
Game type: West Marches
Status: Mostly completed

I ran Agents of Edgewatch as part of a West Marches game, which worked shockingly well. I had to move the main elements of Book 1 to our town, but they were fairly easy to transplant. For later books, I added teleportation circles to the town that were only active for those working their way through the adventure. This did require removing some bits, but no one missed them.

I enjoyed running it so very much, and it’s one of the rare APs that I find myself wanting to run again. It’s full of so many fun set-pieces, and being set in Absolom could give players a chance to really branch out during the adventure. If your players do like to wander, grab a copy of Pathfinder Lost Omens: Absalom, City of Lost Omens. It’s filled with lots of hooks and little details that can bring the campaign to life.

That said, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: The first part of the book has you working as guards who make their money by getting it off of the people they’re guarding. I highly recommend just paying them to keep the peace, rather than taking the property of the people they’re policing.

If you want a high-level review of the cool encounters, check out my blog post about stripping AoE for parts.

Abomination Vaults

Role: GM
Type: Standard
Status: In progress Done!

This is hands down one of the best APs I’ve ever run. I’m going to put a huge caveat on that statement, though: I love dungeon crawls, and so do the rest of my players. There’s something very satisfying to me, clearing levels one by one, plunging deeper into unknown depths. Not every player is into this sort of set-up, though. Players really, truly need to understand that they won’t be leaving Otari, and that the thing they will be dealing with for ten levels is the dungeon. The dungeon does switch up themes as you go, but you’re not going to some exotic new locale or running into a town of completely new NPCs.

That said, you are fairly close to Absolom so a lenient GM could work in some sidequests there. My players never bothered, opting instead to order what they wanted through a weekly caravan. Like, I said, we like dungeons.

From the GM side, you should either grab the modules already on your favorite VTT or settle in for a lot of prepping. Because players can go any direction, you can’t just prep the ‘next few’ areas. Once they’re near a floor, you should have it ready to go. On the flip side, this AP does allow you to be more passive as a GM. Most of the time, I was sitting back while the players discussed where they wanted to go next. I didn’t have to run complex social encounters or dinner parties, and most NPC interactions were limited to just one NPC. It’s a pretty chill experience until it’s killing time!

Some warnings:

  • Quarters are tight, so limit bodies. This means discouraging too many minions. It can work, but if everyone has a wolf, someone is going to be sitting in the hall in some encounters.
  • Emphasize that the players should not go down until they’ve cleared most of the floor. They will get their butts handed to them.
  • Rest is important! If the party is low on resources or sitting on a nasty disease or curse, they should go get that fixed before moving forward.

I wrote more about Abomination Vaults in its own post!

Fists of the Ruby Phoenix

Role: Player
Type: Standard
Status: Complete

This is one we streamed over on D20Saves with a group of experienced players. It was an absolute blast, and delivered on what it promised: A bunch of heroes entering a fighting tournament and accidentally saving the world. There’s a fair mix of social and combat as well as some traditional combats, so you can’t afford to create a group of one-trick ponies.

This is a high-level AP, so it’s not one I would throw at new players. You really should know what you’re doing with your characters and running complex encounters.

Strength of Thousands

Role: GM, then player
Type: West Marches, then stream
Status: Started, abandoned, started again!

This AP didn’t work quite as well in a West Marches game, so it was abandoned fairly early. I did read the first part, though, and it’s left me aching to either run or play in this one for legit years. How can you resist a Magic School AP? Also, book one had one of the best collections of NPCs I’ve seen in an AP ever.

Thankfully, one of the GMs over on D20Saves has agreed to run it for us, so I’m getting another crack at it!

Quest for the Frozen Flame

Role: GM
Type: Speed run
Status: In progress Done!

I’ve been blogging about this AP book by book, so you can check out my previous posts here. In short, it’s a great AP for players who are down for a wilderness campaign that focuses on surviving, exploring, and building a following. I want to be clear, though: When Paizo said it was a wilderness campaign, they meant it.

Some suggestions:

  • Have a spreadsheet ready to keep track of renown and followers gained. You don’t want to have to backtrack and figure it out because suddenly it matters at the end of a book.
  • Dear lord, use ABP. The loot is sparse.
  • Make sure players know they can take downtime to craft items they might need. They will not have access to cities. In fact, the players in my game are in book three and just heading to their first major encampment.

Gatewalkers

Role: GM
Type: Standard
Status: In progress Done!

This is another game that’s being streamed on D20Saves. We’re currently in Book 2, and it’s been a wild ride. Book one especially has a lot of hard lefts that no one in the party predicted. This is a great AP for people who happily follow plot hooks, but may be a struggle for a party who resists going with the flow. Also, some of the fights are deceptively hard. If your party is too squishy, you’ll run into trouble quickly.

I have a series of GM posts about prepping and running this AP if you want a more in-depth review.

Stolen Fates

Role: Player
Type: Standard
Status: In progress

And other D20Saves stream! We’ve only just begun, but so far, it’s been an intriguingly weird adventure. Amusingly enough, we’ve had more gates in book one than we had in all of Gatewalkers. In fact, I feel like this would pair well with Gatewalkers as a follow-on adventure to get the players to level 20.

And that’s it!

I’ll update this post as I finish / start new APs. For now, this is the complete list as of July 2024! Rankings are highly subjective, if I were giving out awards:

  • Favorite overall: Abomination Vaults
  • Most likely to run more than once: Fists of the Ruby Pheonix
  • Most modded: Gatewalkers
  • Most niche: Quest for the Frozen Flame

Caves of Chaos for PF2: The Creatures!

Way long ago, I wrote a blog post about revamping an adventure that was older than most of the players on our server: Caves of Chaos, from Keep on the Borderlands. One thing that post was missing was a specific breakout of what exactly I shoved in the caves. I figured I could get to that later, since I didn’t feel like deciphering my notes at the time. Well, a scant four years later, I’m finally getting around to that.

Look, I’m consistent. I’m not fast.

Background

This isn’t a republishing of the Keep on the Borderlands. You’ll still need to acquire the original book (available on DriveThruRPG or the Internet Archive) to see how the various caves interact, since some of them can repopulate others, some have allied with others, and some are at war. Also, it’s an interesting dive into RPG history!

I didn’t include any adjustments for the Keep part of the Keep on the Borderlands. That’s the part I feel can most easily be replaced by something campaign-specific (maybe you already have a keep you know about!) or adjusted for the flavor of your table. Heck, maybe the players don’t even want a keep, and are fine with roughing it in the nearby woods.

Each cave has been given a level, and each room in the cave has been given an encounter level. Encounters were built assuming a standard 4-person party. Keep in mind, though, that while caves get harder as they go further in, nothing is stopping the players from rushing to the other end of the valley and taking on the hardest caves first. If this is how your players roll… make sure they have back-up characters at camp.

Because of the cave system layout, players should be encouraged to scout caves to figure out what might be in there. Presumably, there’s detritus outside of the cave mouths that give a clue as to what might be inside. I include these for each cave, but it’s basically a hard-level DC for a Recall Knowledge to identify the specific creatures, or an at-level DC for Survival to identify the family.

Caves

Cave A: Hidden Kobold Lair

Information:

  • Level 1 cave
  • Find: DC 15 Perception
  • Scout: DC 15 Survival – Creatures from the Kobold family. Maybe a dozen?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 17 Society – A clutch of kobolds reside here, preying on caravans as they pass.
  • In the hallway leading in, there’s a Hidden Pit trap.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
1Low3 Kobold Warriors
2Trivial1 Rat Swarm
3NoneDoor is locked with a poor lock. DC 15 to open
4Moderate2 Kobold Scouts
5Severe1 Kobold Mage
3 kobold Warriors
6Moderate5 Kobold Warriors

Cave B: Hidden Orc Lair

Information:

  • Level 2 cave
  • Find: DC 13 Perception
  • Scout: DC 16 Survival – Medium sized creatures, probably of the Orc family. Maybe a half-dozen?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 18 Society – Orcs are near here. Not quite enough to be a warband, but still, a sizable number.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
7Trivial2 Orc Brutes
8Moderate2 Orc Warriors
9None
10NoneYes
11NoneYesLocked (simple): DC 20
12Severe1 Elite Orc Warchief
2 Orc Warriors		YesSecret door: DC 18 Perception

Cave C: The Other Orc Lair

Information:

  • Level 2 cave
  • Scout: DC 16 Survival – Medium sized creatures, probably of the Orc family. Maybe a dozen?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 18 Society – Orcs are near here. The makings of a small warband.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
13NoneYesSecret door: DC 18 Percep
14Moderate2 Orc Brutes
2 Orc Warriors
15Low2 Orc Brutes
16Severe1 Elite Orc Warchief
2 Orc Warriors
1 Orc Brute		Yes

Cave D: Goblin Horde

Information:

  • Level 1 cave
  • Scout: DC 15 Survival – Creatures from the Goblin family. Maybe a dozen?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 17 Society – At least a dozen goblins have holed up here.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
17Trivial2 Goblin WarriorsYes
18Trivial2 Goblin WarriorsYesA goblin can spend actions to get the Ogre in Room 22 to join them. This will turn the encounter from Trivial to Severe.
Secret door: DC 15 to notice
19Moderate1 Goblin Warrior
1 Goblin Commando
1 Goblin Pyro		Yes
20Severe1 Goblin War Chanter
1 Goblin Pyro
1 Goblin Commando		Yes
21Moderate4 Goblin WarriorsSecret door. DC 20 to notice (Level 1, very hard)

Hobgoblins in room 29 may come in, but not during combat.

Cave E: Ogre Cave

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: A large creature lives near here. Probably an ogre?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Society: An Ogre Warrior lives in this cave.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
22Trivial1 Ogre WarriorYes

Cave F: Hobgoblin Tribe

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: Hobgoblins live near here. Maybe two dozen?
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Society: A large tribe of hobgoblins have set up here. There are signs that they have taken prisoners recently.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
23Moderate1 Hobgoblin Archer
2 Hobgoblin Soldiers		Yes
24Low3 Hobgoblin SoldiersThere is a reward back in town for rescuing the prisoners.
25Low2 Elite Hobgoblin SolidersYes
26Moderate2 Hobgoblin ArchersYes
27Moderate2 Elite Hobgoblin SolidersYes
28Trivial1 Hobgoblin SoliderYes
29Moderate1 Elite Hobgoblin Archer
2 Weak Hobgoblin Soliders
30Severe1 Hobgoblin General
2 Weak Hobgoblin Soldiers		Yes
31Moderate6 Weak Hobgoblin SolidersYes

Cave G: Clutch of owlbears

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: There’s signs of owlbear scat. The air is weirdly moist. It doesn’t look like a large number of them live here.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Nature: This cave hosts a clutch of owlbears.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
32Low1 OwlbearTreasure
33ModerateGrey Ooze
2 Ooze Mephits		Treasure
34Severe2 Owlbears

Cave H: Bugbear Alley

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: A tribe of creatures from the bugbear family have set up here. Less than a dozen.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Society: A tribe of bugbears have set up here to prey on caravans.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
35Low2 Weak Bugbear Thugs
36Severe1 Elite Bugbear Tormenter
1 Bugbear thug		Yes
37NoneYes
38Moderate2 Weak Bugbear Thugs
39Moderate2 Bugbear Thugs
40None
41None

Cave I: The Maze

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: You see signs of creatures going in, but not coming out.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Nature: This cave is wild, and likely houses wildlife…
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Society: …and something that likes twisty passages.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
42Low6 Bloodseekers
43Moderate2 Weak Stag Beetles
44Low3 Hunting Spiders
45Severe2 MinotaursYes

Cave J: Gnoll Cult

  • Level 3 cave
  • Scout: DC 18 Survival: A large number of bipedal creatures have set up here. Probably gnolls, around a dozen.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 20 Society: There are markings around this cave. Gnolls live here, likely cultists.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
46Low2 Gnoll Hunters
47Moderate2 Gnoll Hunters
1 Gnoll Cultist
48NoneYesLocked with an Average Lock (DC 25)
49Moderate2 Gnoll Cultists
1 Weak Gnoll Hunter
50Severe1 Gnoll Sergent
1 Gnoll Cultist
2 Weak Gnoll Hunters		Yes

Cave K: Death Cult

  • Level 4 cave
  • Scout: DC 19 Survival: A number of humans reside here. So may no longer be alive… About two dozen.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 21 Society: Lots of humans come and go from this location. A dropped locket hints at recent captives being taken inside.
  • Recall Knowledge: DC 21 Religion: The way some of these creatures move points towards there being undead in the cave.
RoomLevelCreature(s)Treasure?Notes
51None
52Moderate2 Skeletal Champions
53Moderate4 Zombie Brutes
54Low2 Corrupted Priests
55NoneGravehall trap, in the hallway leading out. Trigger upon messing with the shrine or removing items.
56Moderate3 Grioth Cultists
57Severe1 Zombie Lord
2 Shambler Troops
1 Dirge Piper
58LowHaunt: Entombed Spirit
59Severe2 Weak Priests of Kabriri
60None
61Moderate1 Elite Necromancer
62Moderate1 Wraith
63Moderate2 Elite Gelatinous Cubes
64Moderate1 Annis HagThe hag is disguised as one of the prisoners. She’s 50/50 on killing the heroes who just rescued her, since she could be their next target.

Final thoughts

Treasure. I don’t lay out specific treasure that can be found. The GM can sprinkle whatever the group needs most. If there’s a town nearby, they’ll want gold, but if they’re opting for more of a wilderness setting, then they’ll need gear. Also, it’s possible to strip the caves of treasure completely and have bounties set on each cleared cave.

Not everyone is ready to rumble. Keep an eye on the room descriptions. Guards, of course, are always ready to fight, but if they’re lounging around eating lunch and playing cards, NPCs need time to be alerted, grab their weapons, and get to the fight. This is very important when it comes to caves where the encounters are right on top of each other.

The Caves are fluid. I found most players cleared caves in one go, but if they fall back, keep in mind that the various groups have allied with each other. If you leave someone alive, they’ll combine with their allies, which changes the balance going forward.

I hope some of you try this out! It’s a really fun module to break out, especially since so much of the story comes from how the players react to the caves. It’s also an interesting piece of history that stands up surprisingly well to the test of time.

Quest for the Frozen Flame AP: Book 2 Summary and GM Experience

A while ago, I posted about running Quest for the Frozen Flame, a Pathfinder 2e Adventure path. This past month, we finished book 2! In the interest of making the blog posts I wish existed, I wanted to do a rundown of the book from the GM perspective.

Warning! Past this point, there be unfettered spoilers for the Frozen Flame AP, including some for book 3. If you’re a player who hasn’t finished the AP yet, close this tab!

Book 2 Summary

Overall summary from Paizo:

In the brutal tundra of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, only the hardiest folk have what it takes to withstand unsparing weather, track down big game, and fight back hostile followings. The Broken Tusk following has survived another winter, but a new year just began, and signs of danger foretell a year unlike any before.

This book opens with the tribe navigating a set of caves. The path behind them is blocked after the closing events of book one, so the only way forward is through them. The group is tasked with clearing a path to the exit for the tribe, which contains many vulnerable members who can’t fight or navigate traps.

No Paizo AP is complete without a dungeon, and I’m pleased to report that these caves were quite a bit of fun to navigate. They had a mix of fights, terrain, traps, and even social interactions that made them feel more alive than Diablo-style ‘kill all the things to proceed.’

The group eventually gets the tribe through, finding themselves in a valley that’s been ‘lost’ to Golarion for some time, and is being ruled over by a white dragon who wields the Primordial Flame. If you like hexploration, you will love this chapter. The goal here is to build your tribe’s number along with your reputation so that you have the manpower you’ll need to take back your tribe’s stolen artifact.

Finally, the players come to the glacial palace that houses the mad white dragon. A town at the foot of the palace, though, holds people badly in need of liberation. Depending on how much word has spread of your deeds, they may or may not help you with the final assault.

How’d it go?

The players seemed to enjoy this book quite a bit. They really got into the idea that they had to recruit new tribe members as well as spread their reputation throughout the land. Also, being a team of completionists, they were more than happy to clear a pretty sizable hex map. They also seemed to appreciate the mix of social and combat encounters, since we absolutely have some PCs who are more geared towards being faces than fighters.

Speed run update!

With this AP, I wanted to try an experiment with leveling. Rather than leveling up with XP or by milestones, when starting a new book, the players were asked to level for the max level for that book. So, for this book, they were level 7 throughout.

As predicted, this made the first half of the book fly by, with the end of the book feeling like it was an appropriate challenge. What was interesting here was that the book didn’t seem to take less time (at least, by the numbers), but I think the trade-off for this book was different. Rather than moving faster, the players were extremely thorough, tackling every last hook they ran into. If we were running this at a ‘standard’ speed, I could see it taking way longer than a normal Paizo book. That, or players would be more picky about what they explore. In theory, there is a time limit for them to escape the valley, but this didn’t come into play with them being higher level. Had they been a more appropriate level, I think they would have felt the crunch.

I still think this method works well for this particular AP, if you’re limited on time but don’t want to pull encounters.

My thoughts

I absolutely loved the hexploration for this book. If you’re planning some hexploration in your game, pick up this book and check out how they did it. Lots of the hexes connect to each other, plot-wise, and there’s a great mix of encounters, from curiosities to social to combats. The fact that there was a solid reason to explore was the cherry on top of the sundae.

Now, don’t get me wrong: The caves and the liberation of Lubya were awesome too, but the hexploration was really where the players got to lean into being Big Damn Heroes and forging their way. It’ll be the thing I probably think about when I think back on this book in the future.

My recommendations

Spreadsheet. Holy crap, you need something to track the reputation and following. Encounters will sometimes give rep, followers, or both, and it’s painful to go back and figure out how much the players have gained over the last few sessions. Make a spreadsheet and update it diligently.

Calendar. I didn’t need this, but if you’re running this at a normal pace, you need to keep track of days! I’d recommend adding it to the hex map, since that’s where most days will advance.

Show their progress. On the splash screen, I gave players an abstracted way of tracking their reputation. Fair warning, though: The needle won’t move much until they’re past the midway point of the hex map. I reminded them that they simply hadn’t encountered enough people to get the rumor mill started.

Screenshot of a splash page. There are two scraps of paper with notes on them. First scrap: Broken Tusk Reputation: The Sutaki will follow the Broken Tusk to the ends of Golarion! Second scrap: Followers gained: 122

Don’t rush! The players will know what direction their goal is in pretty early on, and will pinpoint the exact hex not long after. Encourage them to take their time and build up their reputation and following! That’s where all of the story is, and if they show up known with a small following, it could be painful.

Next book!

Not going to lie: I’ll miss the hexploration. There’s some, but it’s not nearly as robust as what Lost Mammoth Valley has. I still think the book will be fun, though, with lots of chances for the group to act like Big Damn Heroes of their now huge tribe.

Hillcross looks like it’ll need some careful management, but it’s been a while since I read the book. Time to go refresh myself, I guess.

The thing I’m most excited about? One last encounter with Pakano. Seriously, I’ve run a lot of Pathfinder, and I’ve never had players hate someone so thoroughly.

Kindle Scribe: A Game Changer for Reading TTRPG Books

I spent a good part of last year dithering over whether I wanted to buy a Kindle Scribe or not, mostly for reading TTRPG books. I searched for anyone who had used theirs in the same way, but came up empty. Finally, an upcoming trip and a sale tipped the scales, and I bought one. So, in the interest of being the change you want to see in the world, I’m going to write the post I wish I had been able to find.

Why the Scribe?

Why did I hone in on the Scribe versus any other option?

My Kindle with Starfinder Pact Worlds, minimized, loaded, showing highlighting and zoom

Large format. The larger screen works super well for PDFs and image-rich documents. You can technically read PDFs on the smaller Kindles, but it really doesn’t work well for heavily formatted documents.

Highlighting and notes. With RPG books, I have to highlight as I go. Even if I never go back and reference it in that format, it keeps me focused. Otherwise, I tend to space out, thinking about a rule or bit of lore I just read and how I could use it.

Paper-like surface. I read a few books on my iPad, but I found I really didn’t like reading on the glossy, bright surface. I got through the books, but after a few, I decided it wasn’t my bag. I also tried printing out a few PDFs, and while this worked a lot better for me, my tree hugger soul screamed at all of the wasted paper. I ended up binding the books so it wasn’t a complete loss, but I’d really love to not get glue everywhere again.

No distractions. I do read PDFs on my computer regularly, but I’ll be the first to admit that I can get distracted when the whole world is one alt-tab away. This is fine with prepping APs, but for bigger books, I’d prefer to stay focused.

Weight. It’s so light! Like, stupidly light, even with the nice cover! And it’s still small enough to fit in one of my bigger purses with ease. I recently went on a cruise, and I barely noticed it in my bag. My paperbacks weighed more!

Zoom. You know what you can’t do with paper? Zoom in. As my eyes age, this is becoming more and more important for taking in information quickly. It’s easy to waste too many cycles squinting.

Backlight. Light is also important for aging eyes. Sometimes, finding a lamp is inconvenient.

Downsides

As always, it’s not all kittens and sunshine.

PDF size. You have to minimize RPG PDFs if you want them work on the Scribe. Technically, they’re not over the limit as is, but the Scribe will start to choke. You can do this for free on various websites (Adobe, I love PDF, Small PDF), but it’s still annoying to have an extra step.

Sideloading. If you want your PDF on your Scribe, you might have to use an Amazon service. Technically, you can sideload, but I’ve had better luck using the Email to Kindle service. It’s free, but it still makes me slightly nervous, since it’s possible for services to get shut down.

Amazon ecosystem. The elephant in the room: You’re feeding the Amazon beast. For some people, this is a deal breaker, even if you never buy one of their ebooks.

Cost. It’s cheaper than other options, but it’s not cheap, especially if you’re getting it for just one purpose. And you’ll want to get a cover as well for protection and pen storage, and they can get spendy.

Greyscale only. It’s crisp, but it’s still grey. There’s rumors of a color Kindle coming, but friends, I have been reading those rumors for a good decade now. Don’t hold your breath.

Notes. This is a weird one… You can generally takes notes on the Kindle, but if you’re working on a personal PDF, this function is greyed out. So while you can write on the page, you can’t use the sticky notes feature.

Final thoughts

I love my Scribe, and don’t regret it, even if it was an expensive purchase. It revolutionized how many RPG books I could get through, since I was no longer squinting at tiny print or limiting my reading to when I had decent light and a comfortable reading position. I’m on my sixth RPG book of 2024, which is more than I’d read several years COMBINED. Also, I can highlight, which I’m loathe to do with a $60 physical book.

FYI: You know that warning people put on their blogs about affiliate links and possible kickbacks? I’m not a part of that program because I’m not cool enough.

Gatewalkers: Book 2 Chapter 1 done!

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 beginning 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!

Book Two opens with a bang. Unlike other Paizo books, there’s no gap between books. One moment, they’re on Castrovel, escaping from an interplanetary battle, and the next, they’re in a strange observatory with a rattled seer asking for help from whatever is currently beating down the door.

The gang has found themselves at Skywatch, though not quite on Golarion. Somehow, they’re on the Ethereal Plan, the plane that lies between all other planes. It’s not completely hopeless, however, as there’s a gate right outside of town that will probably get them back to the Material Plane. They just need to collect the seer’s party from various points around the ghostly Skywatch.

The gang is more than up for the challenge as they navigate non-Euclidian streets and beat up everything from bandits to dragons to find all of the stray party members. Everyone gathered, they make their way to the gate, activate it, and find themselves back in the Material Plane…

And all of their new companions dead. The party members they had spent a week saving vanish, with only the Seer, Sakuachi, just barely able to hold onto her form as a ghost. Horrified, they realize that a dark presence had reached out to Skywatch and yanked all who were there through to the Ethereal plane, leaving their bodies behind to freeze to death.

The party agrees to take on Sakuachi’s quest, realizing that they share a common enemy.

GM Stuff

Okay, seriously, if you’re a player in my stream, DO NOT KEEP READING. Don, James, Jorge, Daton, Ricardo, CLOSE THIS TAB.

Ethereal Plane

In my last post, I mentioned that I planned on switching book one to be in the Ethereal Plane rather than ‘weird, but still on the Material Plane’ Skywatch. This worked seamlessly with the overall feel for the AP, and even made the issue of navigating Skywatch more intuitive. It also focused the players’ energy on getting out, rather than pointing towards an exit but saying they couldn’t go there yet. They knew they probably needed Sakuachi’s crew, being all mystic, and they knew that they wouldn’t leave until all of their people were accounted for.

Killing off Skywatch

The bigger change I made in this chapter was killing off all of Skywatch. I had a few reasons for doing this:

  • Adding what’s essentially a second party to the team was too many moving parts for me
  • I wanted the PCs to take personal ownership of the quest, since that’s what moves the plot along at several points
  • It ups the stakes for the group from “let’s poke at mysteries” to “oh crap, this thing is a danger.”
  • I was worried about another Hubert situation, where they’d take an NPC’s sheet and turn them into an absolute monster in combat.

The players took the reveal in stride and happily took on Sakuachi’s quest, with her trailing behind them as a ghost. Of course, they still made the case that she could have a sheet, but I shot that down. I still expect them to break the plot with her, but it shouldn’t be quite as bad. Also, looking forward, I think she works best as a spirit. Her companions don’t serve a purpose, and for the most part, she’s chilling in the background. Might as well make her see-through!

The rough timeline I gave the PCs once they were back on the Material plane:

  • Everyone was at Skywatch in the Material Plane for their own reasons. Matz for treasure, bandits for banditry, Sakuachi for her quest.
  • All at once, everyone was pulled into the Etheral Plane, leaving their bodies behind.
  • Bodies froze to death over time, since fires went out eventually.
  • Whatever did this left tendrils of Blackfrost behind.
  • It’s implied heavily that this Osoyo jerk may be responsible.

Important to know

I’ve finished reading Book Three, and there’s a detail I skimmed over that I wish I had hit harder. The PCs will run across the former denizens of Skywatch later, but in prepping book two, I hadn’t realized that they were still around. So, if the players investigate, leave hints that the whole town left some months ago, heading north.

Also, if you plan on killing everyone off like I did, make sure Matz gives those last details to the PCs before they leave! Otherwise, they won’t know where their next plot hooks are.

Looking forward

After looking at how the rest of the plot pans out, turning Sakuachi into a ghost works pretty darn well. Most of her mission can be easily transferred to the PCs, or maintained with her being a ghostly presence.

I’m super duper looking forward to some of the set pieces, such as the mansion mystery. Hell, I’m even looking forward to the trek across the ice! Some people have complained about it, but if you’ve ever read Lovecraftian works, you know they love dumping the doomed protagonists into a desolate landscape where the only way is forward.