Legacy of the Lost Pharaohs! (Legacy is Egyptian for "Messy Death") THE PACT STONE PYRAMID

The Pact Stone Pyramid by Michael Kortes.

This is a review of an adventure module for Dungeons and Dragons, edition 3.5.  As always, there is no such thing as a spoiler for a DM.  For the players, just scroll to the bottom of the review, and mark it "Very Helpful."  Thank you.

I hate Wizards of the Coast for selling out the Geek fan base with fourth edition D&D but fortunately, Piazo Publishing (and Green Ronin, and Mongoose Publishing) has been taking up the slack.

This is a Module in their Pathfinder world, but can be easily adapted to any campaign setting.

I can only imagine the scene; Michael Kortes has wrapped up a campaign, and basking in the glow of his players adulation, rewards himself with a night in front of the tube.

Whether rented from Blockbuster, or just on that night, The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser aired, and the creative juices were sparked, and this module was born.

Entombed with the Pharaohs is Gamemastery Module for Sixth Level characters, set in the World of Pathfinders Osirion, the land of shifting sands, scorching sun, and mummification.

It is followed up with The Pact Stone Pyramid, a module for eighth level characters.  One can only assume he followed up with The Mummy Returns, or maybe The Scorpion King.  Whatever the case, these scenarios have a strong "Egyptian" flavor, and a pulp fiction view of Archaeology.  Yeah!

This module can be run alone, but for maximum fun, they should have just finished Entombed with the Pharaohs.  There, the heroes met, far too up close and personally, the Four Pharaohs, the quartet of Kings who banded together to create a single dynasty.  Never the trusting type, they eventually bound themselves to each other using "The Pact Stone" which meant betrayal was tantamount to suicide.  Of course, when one of them fell ill, it spelled their collective doom.

The quartet held powerful magics; the most potent of which was The Last Theorem, an artifact that is not the book, but the Concept contained within it.  This adventure uses a clever repetition of 11 and 56, numbers that are connected.  Eleven is prime, 56 abundant, and in fact, the eleventh abundant number.  (An abundant number is one where all the factors of the number, excluding itself, add up to a number larger than itself.)  The characters might catch this (mine sure would) and might even start finding patterns that do not exist.  (Once again, mine are prone to this kind of behavior.)

First the characters must locate the funerary mask of the Pharaohs, which will in turn open the demiplane containing the Pact Stone Pyramid.  Once access is gained, it is a torturous dungeon crawl through ingenious traps that will challenge your player's brains, desperately trying to keep their characters alive.  The Pharaohs Coin is particularly nasty.


As always, Piazo has given us a unique challenging adventure.
This review, like the desiccated remains of past kings, is Lean-N-Mean.  It is 500 words, exactly.

In fond Memory of Gary Gygax, Father of Dungeons and Dragons.
27 July, 1938 -4 March, 2008
"You enriched my life."

The Pathfinder Series, or Dungeons and Dragons Edition 3.75

Core Rule Book
Bestiary
Bestiary II
Advanced Player's Guide
Game Mastery Guide



Cheliax: Empire of Devils: A Pathfinder Companion
Guide to Darkmoon Vale  A Pathfinder Companion.
Dragons Revisited: A Pathfinder Companion.
Faction Guide: A Pathfinder Companion
NPC Guide: A Pathfinder Companion
Dungeon Denizens Revisited: A Pathfinder Companion
A Guide To Korvosa: A Pathfinder Companion
Into the Darklands: A Pathfinder Companion
Cities of Golarion: A Pathfinder Companion

Adventure Paths!

Second Darkness
Shadow in the Sky
Children of the Void
The Armageddon Echo
Endless Night
A Memory of Darkness
Descent Into Midnight

Please look at these Piazo Modules:

Realm of the Fellnight Queen
Hangman's Noose
Carnival of Tears
The Pact Stone Pyramid
Entombed with the Pharaohs
Treasure of Chimera Cove
Tower of the Last Baron
The Crucible of Chaos
The Demon Within
Hungry are the Dead
River of Darkness
Seven Swords of Sin
Gallery of Evil

Check out each installment of these Introductory Modules from Wizards of the Coast for Third Edition.

The Sunless Citadel
The Forge of Fury
The Speaker in Dreams
The Standing Stone.
The Heart of Nightfang Spire
Lord of the Iron Fortress

Fourth Edition:
Keep on the Shadowfell
Players Handbook
Dungeon Masters Guide
Monster Manual

Recommended: