I can verify. The fighter who got hit by the trap is mathematically about as good as a rogue at finding traps, being an Expert in Perception. He rolled a 31 on his check to find the hazard, but a 32 was required.
Pathfinder 2E Another Deadly Session, and It's Getting Old
My plan would to be to just handwave the level and give them appropriate gear as well. At this point, with all the group's discussion about encounter balance, strategy, etc, we're well past immersion and verisimilitude.
According to the guidelines for hazard creation, a 32 is beyond an extreme DC for a level 8 hazard. It’s also implied (but not stated) that extremely well-hidden hazards should be less dangerous than overt ones of a similar level. This trap is definitely feeling a lot like the byproduct of not having finalized rules during its development because it’s just too nasty for its level. Not that that negates the other points made here. Just ouch.
I have not gotten the Gamemastery Guide, so I didn't even really know it's a thing. Honestly it looks like a ton of work, especially trying to redo all the math in a long AP that we're also playing on a VTT, where I would need to alter all the monsters' stats. Plus the automated math of the character builder app and character sheets on Roll20 would need to be changed. Considering half of my players are already confused causal players, this is a lot to ask them.
To be fair, the hazard in the module is 10th level. It's not so much that the hazard is extreme, just that it's place in this adventure is a tad unfair.
We started playing the Age of Ashes AP when it was the only one available. We had to transition to a VTT (Roll20) during the pandemic, and since we've added players that live a bit further away and the prospect of another player moving across the country, it's likely we'll continue to play online regardless. Age of Ashes still hasn't been put into Roll20, meaning I'm scanning in maps from PDFs, creating tons of customized monsters and NPCs - all of which takes hours of work in prep.
So believe me when I say, it would be easier for me to pick another AP that is available on Roll20 or to just create my own adventures using the stock bestiary critters. We discussed this after the last session, that another AP might have better balance if written closer to the release of the actual PF2 ruleset. Sure, I've occasionally added encounters strictly following the game's guidance; those ended up pretty difficult, nowhere near the level we've seen in Age of Ashes.
However, the players really want to complete this AP. They have liked the story and the ability to claim a stronghold. I think more importantly, they don't want to quit from the challenge of it. They don't want to abandon it after feeling beaten.
So believe me when I say, it would be easier for me to pick another AP that is available on Roll20 or to just create my own adventures using the stock bestiary critters. We discussed this after the last session, that another AP might have better balance if written closer to the release of the actual PF2 ruleset. Sure, I've occasionally added encounters strictly following the game's guidance; those ended up pretty difficult, nowhere near the level we've seen in Age of Ashes.
However, the players really want to complete this AP. They have liked the story and the ability to claim a stronghold. I think more importantly, they don't want to quit from the challenge of it. They don't want to abandon it after feeling beaten.
That’s fair. We also use roll20, but we use the campaign theater in Hero Lab Online to manage characters and run encounters. It has a checkbox I check that handles all the math for us. I wasn’t sure if Pathbuilder had the same.
Oh, I thought it was level 8. My mistake. I still think the trap is too nasty as designed, but that’s slightly less egregious.
Looking at table 2-13 in the GMG, the suggested DCs are way past the benchmarks for other DCs for creatures. I get they want to make sure hazards can do a thing, but a hazard that is almost impossible or that instagibs a character isn’t very fun. You’re rewarding being lucky more than anything else.
Pathbuilder might, but I don't think the option is on Roll20, where all the math outside of character creation takes place. It automatically adds levels to everything (unless there's a setting I haven't seen yet).
Since you’re already doing a ton of work and don’t want to add making further adjustments on top of that, CapnZapp’s suggestion of starting them one level higher seems like the easiest one to implement.
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