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Ruins of Azlant #1
Pathfinder Adventure Path #121: The Lost Outpost
Trouble in Paradise
The Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path begins with the adventurers standing on the deck of a ship ready to make landfall at their new home. However, dread settles in as they notice that the colony is empty and abandoned. Tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of the prior group of colonists, the adventurers go ashore and explore the deserted settlement. Uncovering strange evidence leads the adventurers across the island, where they encounter two survivors who can give them clues as to the fate of the rest of the first wave of settlers. Can the adventurers survive long enough to discover what truly befell the fledgling colony?
This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path launches the Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path and includes:
- "The Lost Outpost," a Pathfinder adventure for 1st-level characters, by Jim Groves.
- A detailed look at some of the other colonists who make up the colony of Talmandor's Bounty and the roles they play in the campaign, by Jim Groves.
- A deep dive into the bizarre and alien ecology of the alghollthus—the family of creatures that includes the devious aboleths, by Greg A. Vaughan.
- A bestiary of new monsters found in the shattered continent, by Jim Groves, Isabelle Lee, and Luis Loza.
Cover art by Setiawan Lie
The Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path begins with the adventurers standing on the deck of a ship ready to make landfall at their new home. However, dread settles in as they notice that the colony is empty and abandoned. Tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of the prior group of colonists, the adventurers go ashore and explore the deserted settlement. Uncovering strange evidence leads the adventurers across the island, where they encounter two survivors who can give them clues as to the fate of the rest of the first wave of settlers. Can the adventurers survive long enough to discover what truly befell the fledgling colony?
This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path launches the Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path and includes:
- "The Lost Outpost," a Pathfinder adventure for 1st-level characters, by Jim Groves.
- A detailed look at some of the other colonists who make up the colony of Talmandor's Bounty and the roles they play in the campaign, by Jim Groves.
- A deep dive into the bizarre and alien ecology of the alghollthus—the family of creatures that includes the devious aboleths, by Greg A. Vaughan.
- A bestiary of new monsters found in the shattered continent, by Jim Groves, Isabelle Lee, and Luis Loza.
Cover art by Setiawan Lie
- GenresRole Playing Games
92 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 14, 2023
The core plot is fairly interesting with the characters traveling with a group of settlers finally arriving at their intended location only to learn that their predecessors are gone without an obvious trace. Learning what happened while also protecting the other settlers and exploring the surrounding wilderness (and its ancient history) make an interesting adventure. The cause of the disappearance itself is not particularly original, but it does not have to be to make a good adventure.
What creates a decent amount of work though is that a series of singular encounters in my experience work badly in a tRPG (never mind the fact that some are with creatures that feel very out of place such as a deep sea parasite on land) and the connection between these encounters and the last section is entirely missing and completely up to the gamemaster to fill in. I am also not too happy with the final map. It being barebone is one thing, but they don't take into account that in D&D (and their related TRPGs) characters need some space to manoeuvre or else run the risk for boring static fights. All things I could easily solve for my group, but which I prefer to avoid when using a store bought adventure instead of designing my own.
Note that it is a very combat heavy adventure which is fine for my group who had fun enough with the little bit of diplomacy I added and what I was looking for, but it might not be for more social interaction orientated groups.
All in all, a fun and solid set up and interesting (although not ground breaking) plot, but some of its actual setup (mostly after the start and the final part) leave something to be desired.
(To be clear: I am running the adventure for a non Pathfinder game, so I cannot judge the adventure for its difficulty for its intended level.)
What creates a decent amount of work though is that a series of singular encounters in my experience work badly in a tRPG (never mind the fact that some are with creatures that feel very out of place such as a deep sea parasite on land) and the connection between these encounters and the last section is entirely missing and completely up to the gamemaster to fill in. I am also not too happy with the final map. It being barebone is one thing, but they don't take into account that in D&D (and their related TRPGs) characters need some space to manoeuvre or else run the risk for boring static fights. All things I could easily solve for my group, but which I prefer to avoid when using a store bought adventure instead of designing my own.
Note that it is a very combat heavy adventure which is fine for my group who had fun enough with the little bit of diplomacy I added and what I was looking for, but it might not be for more social interaction orientated groups.
All in all, a fun and solid set up and interesting (although not ground breaking) plot, but some of its actual setup (mostly after the start and the final part) leave something to be desired.
(To be clear: I am running the adventure for a non Pathfinder game, so I cannot judge the adventure for its difficulty for its intended level.)
April 8, 2020
I am having a ton of fun being the GM for this adventure path.
December 10, 2025
Ruins of Azlant was released around the time that Paizo stopped taking risks with writing, meant to create a "safe space" where no uncomfortable emotions are present. As well, the format for the APs had recently shifted, with the Pathfinder's Journal being dropped, and a plain white background being used for pages. Both are negatives in my book. Always using the same background contributes to all adventures always feeling the same.
All of this results in an exceptionally milquetoast module. What should be an expedition to a vanished colony, full of mystery, foreboding, intrigue, and drama is instead hollow, written in an extraordinarily bland manner.
First, the pros:
- Although the cover art is pedestrian, most of the interior art is excellent. However, far too much of the art centers on characters, some of whom don't even matter, instead of illustrations of the settlement, island, terrain features, or any of the amazing Azlanti architecture/buildings.
- The encounter with the Speaker of the Dais is flavorful and intriguing. I wish more of the module were like this.
- Generally, things pick up in Part 3 (the last 3rd of the module), when more of ancient Azlant comes into play. This exploration is flavorful, intriguing, and fun!
- Greg A. Vaughan's Ecology of the Alghollthu is absolutely fantastic.
Now, for the copious cons:
- Maps, from a usually great cartographer, are subpar.
- Encounters are boring for the most part, with pedestrian opponents faced and banal quests undertaken (quicksand, killing boars, fetching reagents, calming bickering colonists, etc.)
- The quicksand encounter is notably poor, as it punishes clever PCs. The encounter notes that if the PCs skirt the areas with quicksand, the GM should just relocate the apparently quantum quicksand to wherever the PCs are. Just...terrible.
- Gender activism is on full display in this module, with nearly every "leader" being female, cover art only depicting females, and with multiple same sex relationships/love interests being explicitly highlighted. It's clear Paizo has an agenda beyond simply telling a story, wanting to "normalize" and "include" what they perceive to be marginal communities, and thus cement their Social Justice Warrior status. It only results in ruining the verisimilitude. If I wanted modern sensibilities and politics I can simply go online or turn on the news. I play fantasy games to get away from that, not indulge in it. (-1 star)
- In part 3, we meet yet another female goddess of battle, in defiance of all logic and rationality. Yes, I get it. Paizo is (as usual), attempting to subvert stereotypes. But, there's a reason 99% of societies have used male soldiers to battle - they're far better suited to it physically. This hints at a greater problem with Paizo - they disrespect masculinity and seem to revere non-conformity to masculinity. And thus, we get nearly every female crafted to "play against type", subvert stereotypes, and change the thinking of their, apparently, neanderthal readers who can't think for themselves. This is completely ineffectual, for in order for stereotype subversion to be effective, you need stereotypes to exist, and people to harbor biases. This apparently does not occur in Golarion, where every community seems to be either an exemplar of gender equality or a matriarchy. Without a foundation of stereotypes, you can't play against type and subvert them. What you're left with is a world without a sense of mooring or verisimilitude, just a shadowy reflection of some modern, ultra-liberal idea of utopia. (-1 star)
- After a nice buildup to a climax in Part 3, the final confrontation is a big letdown.
- Finally, I was disappointed to see party "diplomacy" devolve to lying in order to placate a frightened colonist scholar. Somehow, this is considered both lawful and good. I think that tells you a lot about Paizo. It's about the "feelz". As long as you can make someone feel happy, even if you lie to do so, you've won!
And so here we are, with a mostly monotonous adventure full of safe spaces and signalled "virtue".
Enjoy! :)
All of this results in an exceptionally milquetoast module. What should be an expedition to a vanished colony, full of mystery, foreboding, intrigue, and drama is instead hollow, written in an extraordinarily bland manner.
First, the pros:
- Although the cover art is pedestrian, most of the interior art is excellent. However, far too much of the art centers on characters, some of whom don't even matter, instead of illustrations of the settlement, island, terrain features, or any of the amazing Azlanti architecture/buildings.
- The encounter with the Speaker of the Dais is flavorful and intriguing. I wish more of the module were like this.
- Generally, things pick up in Part 3 (the last 3rd of the module), when more of ancient Azlant comes into play. This exploration is flavorful, intriguing, and fun!
- Greg A. Vaughan's Ecology of the Alghollthu is absolutely fantastic.
Now, for the copious cons:
- Maps, from a usually great cartographer, are subpar.
- Encounters are boring for the most part, with pedestrian opponents faced and banal quests undertaken (quicksand, killing boars, fetching reagents, calming bickering colonists, etc.)
- The quicksand encounter is notably poor, as it punishes clever PCs. The encounter notes that if the PCs skirt the areas with quicksand, the GM should just relocate the apparently quantum quicksand to wherever the PCs are. Just...terrible.
- Gender activism is on full display in this module, with nearly every "leader" being female, cover art only depicting females, and with multiple same sex relationships/love interests being explicitly highlighted. It's clear Paizo has an agenda beyond simply telling a story, wanting to "normalize" and "include" what they perceive to be marginal communities, and thus cement their Social Justice Warrior status. It only results in ruining the verisimilitude. If I wanted modern sensibilities and politics I can simply go online or turn on the news. I play fantasy games to get away from that, not indulge in it. (-1 star)
- In part 3, we meet yet another female goddess of battle, in defiance of all logic and rationality. Yes, I get it. Paizo is (as usual), attempting to subvert stereotypes. But, there's a reason 99% of societies have used male soldiers to battle - they're far better suited to it physically. This hints at a greater problem with Paizo - they disrespect masculinity and seem to revere non-conformity to masculinity. And thus, we get nearly every female crafted to "play against type", subvert stereotypes, and change the thinking of their, apparently, neanderthal readers who can't think for themselves. This is completely ineffectual, for in order for stereotype subversion to be effective, you need stereotypes to exist, and people to harbor biases. This apparently does not occur in Golarion, where every community seems to be either an exemplar of gender equality or a matriarchy. Without a foundation of stereotypes, you can't play against type and subvert them. What you're left with is a world without a sense of mooring or verisimilitude, just a shadowy reflection of some modern, ultra-liberal idea of utopia. (-1 star)
- After a nice buildup to a climax in Part 3, the final confrontation is a big letdown.
- Finally, I was disappointed to see party "diplomacy" devolve to lying in order to placate a frightened colonist scholar. Somehow, this is considered both lawful and good. I think that tells you a lot about Paizo. It's about the "feelz". As long as you can make someone feel happy, even if you lie to do so, you've won!
And so here we are, with a mostly monotonous adventure full of safe spaces and signalled "virtue".
Enjoy! :)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews