Pathfinder #11 Curse Of The Crimson Throne: Skeletons Of Scarwall (Pathfinder: Curse of the Crimson Throne) [Paperback]

Greg A. Vaughan (Author), Wayne Reynolds (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pathfinder: Curse of the Crimson Throne | Publication Date: August 12, 2008

The heroes have learned the identity of the evil that plagues Korvosa - the vile remnants of an evil dragon who once ruled much of Belkzen as a sadistic warlord. In order to defeat him again and save both Korvosa and the queen, the PCs must journey deep into the orc-held lands of Belkzen and brave the haunted reaches of Castle Scarwall, once the dragon's seat of power. Somewhere deep inside waits the holy weapon Serithtial, the sword responsible for his defeat hundreds of years ago. Only on its edge can the dragon be driven from the world! This installment of Pathfinder also features a gazetteer of the brutal lands known as the Hold of Belkzen, a presentation on Zon-Kuthon (god of darkness and pain), and several new monsters native to Belkzen and the haunted depths of Castle Scarwall.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Paizo Publishing, LLC. (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601250991
• ISBN-13: 978-1601250995
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After wrangling hundreds of products; writing dozens of books, articles, and monsters; and somehow surviving 6 years of designing characters, worlds, and games, Managing Editor Wes Schneider has his fingers in nearly every pie at Paizo. A native Marylander, Wes moved to Seattle in 2003 and tries to split his occasional free time between roleplaying, classic video games, and horror movies. His writing, reading, and gaming all - somewhat obviously - trend toward the macabre. Some of Wes's most recent works appear in Book of the Damned Volume 1: Princes of Darkness, Classic Horrors Revisited, and about every other volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Balanced Introductory Adventure for the D&D 3.5/Pathfinder Player, November 12, 2009

By 

CB - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathfinder #7 Curse Of The Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy (Pathfinder Curse of the Crimson Throne) (Paperback)

I'm impressed by Paizo's Pathfinder - they've really found a large audience (those intrepid gamers who just won't let D&D 3.5 die) and supply them well with innovative products and gaming modules that aim to please - and, by and large, succeed at this aim. Pathfinder 7: Curse of the Crimson Throne Part 1 provides a well-balanced adventure for low-level players.

Here is the very basic plot: In the city of Korvosa the PCs, called together my a mysterious woman, band together to put a cruel Dickensian criminal out of business. Shortly thereafter, however, Korvosa's king dies and all of the city is thrown into chaso. The PCs, enlisted by the city guard, begin to go on missions (everything from battles at a sinister butcher shop to dealing with a wily crimelord) for the good of their city, but there is treachery afoot...

The Good: This adventure will take PCs from 1st to 3rd level, and give them a good run for their money. There are ample mysteries to solve, a nice number of roleplaying encounters, good battles, and a well-thought-out dungeon crawl - overall, this adventure has a little bit of everything. Also, the production values of this book are fantastic, easily up to the usual Paizo Pathfinder standard: glossy pages, nice full-color art, easy-to-read stat blocks, and an intuitively laid-out adventure format. There is also a bonus besitary, an article on Varisian culture, and 4 pre-made PCs included, if your players want to get started right away. There is also an article on Harrowing, a vital part of this adventure, about which more later.

The Bad: Not much, actually. DMs should be aware that you will need the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: The Pathfinder Bestiary (in addition, of course, to the Pathfinder Core Rulebook), although, in a pinch, a 3.5 Monster Manual and PHB/DMG will work. I would have preferred to have all of the creatures in this adventure statted out for me to reduce the number of books I'll need to have open running this, but oh well. One pet peeve - there are a number of typos in this book (misspelled words, nonsensical sentences, etc.) but nothing too major. Also, I found some of the encounters a little overly complicated (especially the on-ship battle in Old Korvosa), but a good DM can probably ease up on this.

Now to Harrowing: Harrow is the Pathfinder version of Tarot Cards and Harrow readings in Curse of the Crimson Throne occur throughout all parts of the adventure path. Harrow readings activate a Pathfinder rules mechanic similar to Action Points in Eberron, and so are fairly important. This adventure has an article about how to do Harrow readings if you don't have a Harrow Divination Deck (Pathfinder Chronicles) (you can do them with a deck of regular playing cards or even dice); you may want to get the actual Harrow Deck itself, as its kind of fun and kooky and will add nice flavor to the adventure. DMs with extra cash may also want to get the Curse of the Crimson Throne-flavored Gamemastery Item Cards: Curse of the Crimson Throne, which contains items drawn according to this adventure's iconography (but without any stats, etc. - they're essentially generic equipment cards).

I rate this adventure pretty highly, and I can't wait to run it for my group.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great urban adventure!, October 17, 2009

By 

Jym (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathfinder #7 Curse Of The Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy (Pathfinder Curse of the Crimson Throne) (Paperback)

Edge of Anarchy is a great adventure. It's for 1st level characters, and it provides a compelling and believable way to connect the new heroes. Basically, they've each been wronged by a local criminal, and his latest victim calls them together to seek justice. This adventure introduces the heroes to the city of Korvosa, which is the venue for the extended "adventure path" series called Curse of the Crimson Throne, which is very good overall. Great art and presentation throughout. Plus, this adventure introduces Harrow card readings, which are kinda like Tarot card readings, which give the heroes a little boost and are cool flavor-wise. The adventure is not terribly linear, and offers the GM and players a lot of opportunity to explore the city. If you really want to get into this adventure and the adventure path, Pathfinder's "Guide to Korvosa" is very helpful, but not necessary.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 1st level campaign, June 19, 2011

By 

bopeep (Augusta, GA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pathfinder #7 Curse Of The Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy (Pathfinder Curse of the Crimson Throne) (Paperback)

We are about 4 hours into this campaign. I love it so far. We are playing it with a DM playing the NPC as well. I love this campaign and can't wait to get into it more thoroughly. Lots of intrigue, murder, and really interesting twists and turns.