SF Book 3: Worst of All Possible Worlds

Hey folks!

It's been a minute since I worked on Stolen Fate, as real life has gotten in the way. Me any my partner are playing this campaign one-on-one in a continuation from Abomination Vaults, and we're not really planning sessions so much as playing whenever we both have the energy.

We just finished Chapter 1 of Book 3 - a fairly chill search for all the remaining cards (bar one) - and now it's time to prep the rest of the book!

I was going to keep this relatively contained, but it being me, I ended up prepping the rest of Book 3 in one go. Sorry it's a little sprawling, hopefully it's helpful!

Here there be spoilers. You have been warned!

Chapter 1

I just want to quickly name that I didn't make many changes to Chapter 1, but you might want to! Mainly, I made the party figure out the logistics of getting places, which led to some fun travel montages, a journey on the airship from Howl of the Wild, and a lot of cool uses of high powered spells. I think my main actual changes were cleaning up some of the framing of specific encounters, but this was definitely a chapter I prepped right before running so I don't have notes.

Foreshadowing

There are two major elements that - both to me and to several folks online, from the looks of it - feel like they're coming out of nowhere: the betrayal (at the end of Chapter 1), and the backstory (who the heck is Raven?). I also have a few thoughts on incorporating helpful NPCs more consistently.

The Betrayal

Again, spoilers. At the end of Chapter 1, the PCs have recovered all the cards bar one - The Betrayal. The big bad of Book 3, Raven Nicoletta, uses this card along with the Destiny Case built to hold the Deck of Destiny to recall all the cards to her! Unfortunately, there's no way for the PCs to really suspect this might be coming.

There was a moment where my partner was like "wait, we're missing two cards, but there's only one left on the map?" but this didn't end up amounting to much. She would've had to look at the full list of the Harrow Deck and cross reference which chards she found to realize that The Betrayal was the missing card, which she obviously didn't care enough to do.

How can we make this feel more earned? There are two details we need to make sure the PCs know.

1. The Destiny Case exists, and has some nebulous power over the deck. This can come from basically anywhere - Hajeck, Sonnorae, or even somewhere within the Harrow Court itself! I honestly recommend setting this up as early as book 1.
2. Raven is watching the PCs. At first, this comes in the form of Scrying magic (DC 40). Every so often (at least in Book 3 Chapter 1, though you could start this sooner), just have the PCs make a Will save with no visible effect. If any of the PCs manage to crit, they even get a glimpse of Raven's face! If the PCs start taking precautions against scrying, then Raven starts sending Daemons to spy on them - maybe an Astradaemon, who occasionally risks exposure to devour the souls of creatures the PCs have killed.

You're also welcome to make things even more explicit, for example having Hajeck say something along the lines of "This is all too easy," or "I wonder why the Unmatched aren't racing us anymore," or even have her lead them through a catalogue of which cards remain.

We don't want to make things too obvious, but we do want the PCs to feel a sense of growing dread that their adversaries are just kinda, hanging out. They should feel that something is going to happen...

Raven's Backstory

While the name "the unmatched" does come up as early as the end of book 1, there's very little foreshadowing of what that means, and basically no way for the PCs to figure it out. In particular, while the Prince of Wolves starts getting aggro shortly after the Unmatched discover the PCs involvement, Raven is noticeably absent for a while.

In order for her not to come quite as much out of nowhere, we want to scatter details about her, as well as about the history of the Deck of Destiny, throughout the first two books. You can kind of place these wherever, but the library at the end of Book 1 and the Prince of Wolves' sanctuary in book 2 are great places. Make sure to reward PC research as well! Details that you might want to include:

• The leader of the Unmatched is Raven Nicoletta, a powerful sorcerer.
• She was born to a minor noble family in Magnimar, but left to explore her heritage (the Campostari clan, renowned Harrowers).
• If the PCs speak to that clan (which still exists in eastern Varisia), they will describe Raven as haughty and tinged by darkness. She came to them to learn their secrets, eager to use them to make her life better and easier, and left angry at their refusal (such power is not to be used for such things).
• She spent much of her life studying the Harrow, including study of Sonnorae and her Harrowed Realm. (If the PCs seem interested in learning from Sonnorae, she might refer to Raven as a sycophant or copycat or something, not realizing that she's involved in all this).
• She was a student of Zellara Esmeranda, said to have helped heroes take down the tyrant of Korvosa after her death, as an advising spirit.
• The Deck of Destiny was originally created by a powerful trio of Norns called the Harrowing Three.
• The deck was scattered when the Unmatched tried to take it from them.

Recurring NPCs

A lot of APs have a problem where NPCs drop in to give plot hooks and then just, evaporate. To a degree this is understandable, as AP writers work on each volume simultaneously, and it's hard to coordinate that sort of thing across writers. In a campaign with as little core continuity to lack onto, however, we need NPCs to feel more consistent. I recommend the following:

• Make the Harrow Court come alive! This is something I didn't do a great job of, and something that's really challenging given the description of its inhabitants as basically magical automatons. You might even want to change the rules a bit to help the PCs grasp onto certain characters within it.
• Keep Hajeck around. As written, she just kind of gives the PCs a warning and then hangs out for a while. However, she knows a lot! She can be a great source of advice, information on the Harrow, or social interaction.
• Introduce Zellara sooner. I had her help the PCs in the fight at the end of chapter 1, since they were in danger of being overwhelmed. However, I'd actually recommend foreshadowing her sooner! Not just by giving the PCs her name as Raven's teacher sooner, but also by having her try and fail to manifest, flickering in and out of existence for a few seconds and saying ominous things like "... want... help... betrayal... beware" (as most of her words are cut off). This way, it will feel less like she's coming out of nowhere.

I also think it'd be great to bring back other NPCs from earlier books, but I'm honestly struggling as to how. Look for opportunities in your game to bring back NPCs who the PCs really bonded with!

Hanging Onto Cards

The way that letting the PCs hang onto their cards at the end of Chapter 1 is handled feels really off to me. First of all, it feels a little too convenient that they get to keep all 5 cards, along with all the benefits of the Harrow Court. It feels like the designers want the narrative aesthetic of taking away the cards, but are afraid to actually have anything bad happen to the players. I get this impulse! However, I think I am leaning towards using foreshadowing to minimize that sting, and allow for slightly bigger consequences.

First off, the PCs should only get to hang onto one card (at first). They can choose whichever card they want (invested or not), but tell them that they should choose the card that their character feels most connected to or that represents them the best. This way, they still feel that connection to the deck, but also meaningfully lose something (at least temporarily).

Secondly, they don't have weird flimsy copies of the card(s) they have invested. Instead, they feel an innate connection to it, passively gaining its benefits, and - just like normally happens with the completed Deck of Destiny (page 71) - the card only appears when they use its active ability, and only momentarily in a spectral form.

Finally, they can earn the rest of a full hand in advance of their confrontation with Raven. As its creators, the Harrowing Three can help the PCs recover the connection to 2 additional cards each if the PCs do well in their negotiations. Whether they do or not, as long as the PCs escape with Zellara, she can help them recover their connection to 2 more. This way, the PCs must feel the sting of not having the cards for Chapter 2, but can recover some or all of that power by the start of Chapter 3 (either 3 cards with just Zellara, or 5 with the Norns as well), depending on how well they do.

Raven's Paranoia

There's a throwaway line at the end of chapter 1 - "Raven quickly learns she cannot Enter the Harrow Court, a minor inconvenience that bothers her more and more as the adventure continues." As often happens in Paizo APs, I don't see any mechanism in the module for making that apparent!

In Chapter 2, Raven continues to spy on the PCs - something that should strike them as odd if they catch on, given that she's theoretically already won! I think I'm going to say that she cannot scry on Svarýr due to the Norns wardings, so she'll have to send a Daemon to go and report back. Maybe even several, so that catching one isn't the end and others can report back. They obviously won't be able to enter unless invited inside, but cautious PCs might notice a Daemon watching the gate as they leave. These Daemon's know, if captured, about Raven's plan and her growing paranoia.

Then, in Chapter 3, the Betrayal gets more obvious, complaining about the paranoid questions Raven has been asking. I actually think it could be fun to allow the PCs to potentially win the Betrayal over - after all, it wants to betray the current owner of the deck, which has switched to Raven!

Chapter 2: Svarýr - The Tree of Answers

Svarýr is depicted as a mystical place, halfway between the First World and this one. Fey creatures of all sorts cavort through its branches and boughs, it is cloaked in powerful illusions and enchantments, and it works on a sort of sympathetic magic that guides people to what they need. Unfortunately, as often happens with Paizo modules, this kinda just becomes a series of linear encounters (even if there is a broader goal of collecting the "keys").

Jismur's Tale

Because I'm a theatre girl at heart, we're turning Jismur's instructions into a sonnet!

Hail fated heroes, listen well to me,

my masters yearn to help you meet your call.

Yet first, to prove your actions are not free,

complete their tasks and find them in their hall.

Behold the tree of answers! Seek within

three items sharp to sever golden seals.

To seize the blade of stone, first you must win

it from the ancient troll that ever heals.

Tear the claws of truth from limb and life,

retire the guide who tends to the tree's soul.

The shears of gold are won only through strife;

destroy the souls of our most worshipful.

Prove for us that fate retains its sway

and slaughter all who'd stop you on your way.

The Nornhounds will attack shortly after delivering the poem. The words seem to linger in the PCs minds after being spoken (give them the text directly to study if they wish).

If the PCs ally with Bolti, he will be very skeptical of all this - "who are these hags to tell you what to do?" - and will ask 3 questions about it, but is also fine with just slaughtering people if that's what the PCs want to do. In addition, any PCs who are Experts in Occultism will be reminded that this is the Age of Lost Omens, and prophecy in theory no longer holds any sway.

Other NPCs that they meet will be able to confirm the following info if the PCs get them talking.

• The Norns foresaw a path paved with blood towards their inevitable meeting with the PCs, and therefore instructed their servants to kill or be killed. (More specifically, that each encounter would end in Death).
• It is unclear if the blood is the PCs or the Norn's servants or both, and it is unclear whether the PCs need to be alive for this meeting or not.
• The Tripartite Seal must be broken in order to progress.
• Three items (the stone dagger, claws of the speaker, and golden shield) are fated to cut each thread of this seall.
• The Norns believe that choice is an illusion, that everything is pre-ordained, that the Age of Lost Omens is simply our failure to correctly interpret the future.
• More importantly, the world is better for it - "free will leads to chaos." If there's a change that the Omens are Lost because Fate is Broken, then it must be fixed.
• Whether her servants agree depends on how sycophantic they are! The Nornhounds agree 100%. Most Soldiers think it's probably true, and use it to comfort themselves as they throw down their lives needlessly. Gegnir doesn't much care, and just enjoys the act of reading and interpreting the future. The Speaker is uncertain, but loyal. The Keeper doesn't think it's her place to have opinions on such things.

Peaceful Options

There's a bit in the discussion with the Norns where if the PCs found alternate options, they get a leg up on proving the Norns wrong! I tried to make the poem gross enough, and harp on the PCs lack of freedom enough, to hopefully make them rebel against that and find alternate routes - that does us little good if we can't think of what those might be!

First off, none of the creatures will attack on sight. They will all ask some sort of question, even if it's just "are you the people we're supposed to fight?" in order to give the PCs a chance to speak). Then, once the PCs speak with the Norns, instead of gaining 3 Argument Points for things diverging, they gain 1 AP for each of the following groups they do not kill (the Soldiers, Gegnir, the Speaker, the Ghosts, and the Keeper). The PCs can earn these by stealing the items, tricking or befriending the relevant creature, or even non-lethally knocking out their foes, as long as no one (other than the Nornhounds) dies. They can also earn AP for not getting the requisite item (and should earn XP as if they'd defeated that encounter), but to a maximum of 5 AP total.

Svarýr Soldiers can potentially be convinced to talk before fighting, and then to not fight at all! They will start by asking to confirm that the PCs are their targets, and stating that the Norns foretold a glorious battle against the intruder (but not who would win).  Particularly good arguments use their Will as the DC, arguments that are more of a stretch increase the DC by +2 or +5. Each time the PCs convince a patrol to flee, the DC to convince future patrols increases by +2. Each time they defeat one in combat, the DC decreases by 2. You might decide to introduce more Patrols, unless the PCs are killing each one and you don't want to slow down the pacing. I recommend 3, for mythic vibes. The PCs get 150 XP for bypassing patrols, regardless of how many and what methods they use. 

Gegnir's Dagger can definitely be stolen if they sneak up on him, since he's so absorbed in his reading. In addition, I think his multiple heads bicker and argue - in this case, one of them thinks it'd be more fun to play a game of fortune telling with the PCs, and several are unsure! Each PC can make one check to try to win over a head (crits win 2, crit fails push one away). If they win over half Gegnir's heads, he will agree to engage them in a battle of fortune telling. Impressing him requires either impressive divination magic (DC 35 spellcasting check for high rank spells, or 40 for Low Rank ones),or a clever lie (DC 45 Deception check). Impressing him here has him let the PCs off with a laugh, though the Soldiers bristle at this disobedience and rush off to join the Speaker in the next fight.

Note: Gegnir is the troll that Bolti had hunted - if he is with the party, it will be difficult to win over Gegnir without angering him! Appeals to Greater Vengeance are only DC 40, other attempts to calm him are DC 44, though a particularly good argument might not require a check as per usual. If the troll mentions that Trygve is dead, the PCs must make a DC 45/49 check to get him to stick around and not immediately go find Trygve's grave.

The Speakers Claws are a tough one because they are attached to a creature. This means the PCs must either take her as a captive (she will not go quietly, unless she is knocked out), or they must convince her to help them. The latter is quite difficult - it will be a Negotiation. If it is successful, 

• Starting stats: Interest 1, Patience 3, Base DC 43
• Motivations: Wants to protect Svarýr above all else. Hates harming living creatures. (If the PCs don't hit on these themselves but are like "what do you want from us?" she will offer these, and agreeing requires likely a Diplomacy, Nature, or Religion check to show sincerity).
• Pitfalls: She loves the Harrowed Three, and dislikes framing that casts them as villains.
• Offers: At Interest 2 or 6, she might offer insight into other encounters the PCs haven't faced yet. She will also give a warning that the Norns want to prove to the PCs that free will is a lie, but that she is not so certain that they are correct.
• Requests: At Interest 3, she will ask that the PCs swear to keep the Keeper alive, otherwise she will not aid them. (Otherwise, she will still try to stabilize the Keeper post combat instead).

The Golden Shears are guarded by spirits - they can be put to rest! (Anyone who is a Master in Religion should instantly recognize this.) This requires 3 successful DC 40 checks per Troop (likely Religion to exorcise, but reward creativity; likely 2 actions per attempt in combat). A critical failure means that Troop cannot be put to rest in this way. A critical success counts as 2 successes. PCs who pass themselves off as fellow worshippers of the Norns might even be able to do this out of combat, though each failure will require some other check to cover up what they're trying to do / what their intentions are. The Nornhounds will mostly follow the spirits lead, but will Attack if one of them is successfully put to rest, realizing what's happening (the other Troop will wait 3 rounds to join the fight).

Note: I think the book is wrong about there being Nornhounds present. That would make it a Severe fight, rather than Moderate. It's up to you if you want to include them or not, but if your party is worried about Attrition, I probably wouldn't. If there aren't Nornhounds present, if one Troop is exorcised, the other will then attack immediately rather than waiting.

The Keeper wants to fight the PCs. She is upset with her current post, and eager to finally get to play her roll (and prove her prowess). She could be pretty easily convinced to do a Melee Skill Challenge Duel in stead of a battle to the death, but if she wins she would still need to be fought normally for the PCs to get by (and her stats are good haha). If the Speaker is helping or captured, it will be much harder to avoid a proper fight, though the PCs can certainly avoid killing the Keeper (or the Speaker can try to Stabilize her after the fight).

Debating the Harrowing Three

This chapter contains a core question, one that the PCs can argue against the keeps of fate themselves, one that Luis Loza has clearly given a ton of thought to: are we truly free to forge our own destinies?

As written, if I'm reading this correctly, the PCs can choose not to argue about fate, and just skip to chapter 3. If they do argue, however, they must earn at least 6 AP or the Norns will decide to attack them immediately. I think this is done to create some consequence for failure, but it doesn't make much sense to me that the Norns would just, attack the PCs. Who else are they gonna send? All their servants are dead! (Unless the PCs spared many of them, in which case they likely also earned at least 6 AP).

Instead, here are my thoughts on what these thresholds should represent:

• 10+ Points. The Norns are shocked by how compelling the PCs arguments are, and will reconsider their position! Benefit. As 9-6 points, plus the Norns will permit the PCs to do whatever they see fit with the deck once they recover it, whether they want to use it, destroy it, or safeguard it.
• 9-6 Points. The norns are impressed by the PCs arguments, but not completely convinced. They would allow the PCs to use or the deck, but not hide or destroy it. Benefit. As 5 or Fewer, and the Norns will help strengthen the PCs connection to the Deck, allowing each of them to pick 2 cards to Invest in the same manner detailed in "Hanging Onto Cards" (whether they'd previously invested them or not).
• 5 or Fewer Points. The Norns are not convinced. They give each other a knowing look, and silently agree that the PCs must give them the deck upon acquiring it, or they will take it. (DC 40 Sense Motive to clock this silent agreement, Crit to understand what they are agreeing on.) Benefit. They will release Zellara, knowing that the PCs need her to recover the deck.

The exception to the above is if the PCs are belligerent in their disagreement, or make clear that they intend to destroy the deck no matter what the Norns say. In this case, a 9-6 Point result counts as a result of 5 or Fewer Points, and a result of 5 or Fewer means that the Norns will attack as written.

Overall, though, I really like the structure of this - the PCs can make as many Arguments as they like (like a Negotiation, but the Norn's are have infinite Patience), but each Argument must be unique.

Chapter 3: Reclaiming Fate

I'm gonna hold off on this one, largely because this post has been done for weeks but we haven't had time to play - no need to artificially delay posting! TBD on whether I will make a new post about Chapter 3 or just add that info here, it probably depends on how many changes I make!

Either way, it's been a fun AP so far, excited to bring it home :)