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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9764192" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/zicpomI.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 671px" />This chapter begins in one of two ways, but one thing that happens regardless of outcome is the massacre of Kunaten Keep's inhabitants by the Anubians. The PCs are intended to reach 5th level at the end of this chapter.The PCs receive the benefits of a Long Rest at the beginning of this chapter, even if they were captured. PCs who managed to escape will awaken at the banks of a river, with a number of crocodiles equal to PCs in the party that immediately menace them. Kunaten Keep is 2 days away, and it is the intended area for the PCs to visit. While the river has an ample supply of water, such a resource is scarce in the Great Wasteland and can only be found at Oases.Captured PCs will be crucified to crosses outside Kunaten Keep, along with any surviving NPC allies. Each character is restrained and incapacitated, and will be left there for 3 days. A sidebar suggests having them buried up to their necks in sand if one or more players would object to crucifixion out-of-game for religious reasons.If the PCs are unable to escape on their own, Malicia will be picking over the ruins of the Keep to drink the blood of the dead. Knowing that the party is made up of capable sorts, she offers to free and feed them with foraged food and drink, provided that they share what they saw within the Great Pyramid, provide any information they have on the resurrected Anubians, and what happened to the Emerald Hourglass. PCs who have at least 3 points on the Path of Erudition will result in Malicia being more forthcoming, where she admits that she knows the PCs have been having strange dreams. She will suggest that they continue following the voice's instructions so as to better uncover the mysterious figure's motivations and identity. Malicia will then tell the party the location of her lair before departing, should they need to meet her in the future.Kunaten Keep is in ruins, with hundreds of Anubians camped in and around it, with soldiers outside traveling in groups of 3 to 5. PCs can scavenge for loot via Stealth checks, mostly consisting of mundane equipment. There is a +1 Rod of the Pact Keeper as a unique treasure which can cast Shatter twice, but is broken and must be repaired first. There's also small springs of water near the Keep, and the PCs can find the hill giant's pet camel from the prior chapter. If they know the camel's name (Squirp) and/or aided her caretaker against the bullying children, they can automatically succeed the Animal Handling check to calm her down. The Keep itself isn't detailed on account that the adventure notes that the opposition will be overwhelming, and that PCs should be cautioned by the DM of such risks.The only other survivor is Rumbold Tomekeeper, who was taken prisoner due to his limited fluency in Anubian and who Lord Ammu is using to learn about the current events and kingdoms in the world at large. Rumbold, as well as important equipment taken from captured PCs per DM discretion, is part of a traveling patrol of gnolls doing a supply run outside the Keep. If the party fails to save Rumbold, he will be eventually executed. If Rumbold is rescued, he can tell the PCs that the Skylark managed to escape before the gnolls could reach it, but archers punctured the balloon which caused it to crashland somewhere in the desert. He can also tell the party that the gnolls may look undead, but are technically alive.A Journey Onto Death details the journey from Kunaten Keep back to Al'Kirat. While the PCs might decide to go elsewhere, there are precious few places they can go to in their current state: the east is even more inhospitable wasteland full of xenophobic centaur tribes, the north is dominated by a mountain range filled with vicious dragons, and to the south the border of O'grila is a war zone. This section outlines a variety of skill challenges and random encounters playing up desperate survival. The former details hunting and foraging, with the outcome of Nature or Survival checks determining the quality of the food. Poor quality food grants sustenance but imposes the Poisoned condition, and several encounters are with animals who can fight back.The survival-based mechanics can be surprisingly detailed in places.  There's even write-ups for kindling and what common Player's Handbook equipment contains flammable materials. There's even a Nature check for extracting water from quicksand, and how long it takes to get enough for one creature to drink: 4 hours!As for the random encounters, they individually aren't meant to be tough fights, veering more towards roleplay and easier fights to play up the slow attrition of resources. Around half of them are mundane dangers such as hyenas trailing the party or sandstorms that can blow away tents and put out fires. But two particularly deadly encounters include a single roaming mummy who can afflict characters with mummy rot (a sidebar talks about how dangerous this encounter can be and to remind PCs that death is inevitable if they cannot cure it), and a manticore who attempts to shake down the PCs for metal items.* While this is technically extortion, the manticore is willing to scout for the PCs or help them hunt for food if given enough metal and a Charisma skill check is passed.*Manticores in Mr. Rhexx's homebrew setting eat metal, just like rust monsters.Thoughts: Journey Onto Death has a surprising amount of detail for exploration aspects that would be highly situational in most campaigns. However, I feel that it can result in some false advertising for the eventual Supply system later on, as such methods aren't the default for the adventure path as a whole. It does feel more appropriate for PCs who end up effectively stranded and don't have enough Supplies and pack animals in the middle of the Wasteland, which may be the intent. I like how the chapter has some relative openness to what would ordinarily be made into a railroad in other published campaigns. For instance, the beginning is different depending on whether the PCs escaped or were captured, and in the case of both results ends up with a surprising "split the party" beginning which can honestly be quite risky.While I can understand why Kunaten Keep isn't detailed, I can still see some canny PCs trying to find out what's going on inside. The book notes that divination magic cannot work on the Keep at this time (Vizier Rashid confirms this later on via communication with the Skylark survivors), but there are still other ways PCs might try to gather information or sneak things out of there. Like a warlock using an imp familiar to scout the place out as a rather low-risk method.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jK3EbIK.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 579px" />Fall of the Skylark takes place three days after the party's departure from Kunaten Keep, and as such it doesn't have a specific place on the map. The airship crashed among the sand dunes, which helped soften the blow but the vehicle is still broken and in no condition to travel.  A magical item known as a Power Stone normally serves as the means to power the airship, but can also ward away the foul influence of the Will of the Sands and thus the surrounding area counts as an Oasis. The survivors of the Skylark include the ship captain and talented sorcerer Alacrity, Zaluna Al'Zara, various soldiers and bodyguards, and noncombatant laborers. Alacrity has been in daily contact with Vizier Rashid via Sending spells, but Al'Kirat cannot provide any support besides some scouts who have their hands full combing the Wastes for their location. And Rashid doesn't want to teleport there, due to fear of the Will of the Sands sabotaging his spells.The crashed Skylark serves as a temporary reprieve for PCs, supplying them with food and rest while Zaluna can cast minor healing magic. However, the Anubians are searching the area for the airship and its survivors, and have hired some manticores to help scout them out. The Skylark will be fixed in two days by the time the PCs arrive, but its process can be sped up by recharging the Power Stone. This can be done via 300 gold pieces' worth of Heka amber, or the funeral wrappings of a mummy. In the latter case, PCs can hunt for such an undead via a skill challenge, and whose ultimate result determines the difficulty of the encounter. The best result is 4 mummies, with normal and bad results causing weaker undead to join the fight in successive rounds.Before the Skylark is ready to sail, the PCs will be given another dream by Prophecy, who warns them that a warband of Anubians is approaching the airship and will be there in 4 hours. She will show them visions of the PCs helping fend off the gnolls, and them later traveling with Zaluna through the nearby mountains. Prophecy will tell the party to convince the survivors to stay instead of departing immediately, and that once the gnolls are fended off, for the party to come see her within the nearby mountain range. If the Skylark departs immediately before the Anubians arrive, it can make the trip back to Al'Kirat but will suffer irreversible damage and be unusable for the rest of the campaign. The survivors wish to get flying as soon as possible, so the PCs must convince them to stay and fight. If this is done, the Skylark will be further repaired and thus not break down after its trip, but puts them at risk of a gnoll siege. Zaluna is willing to accompany the PCs should they ask her to, but will be adamant about letting the Skylark's crew depart immediately. She will still accompany  the PCs if they convince the crew to stay and fight, although she will be resentful of them for doing this.As for why Prophecy wants the PCs and Skylark survivors to stay and risk their necks…well, it's just to test the party's loyalty and nothing more, to see if they are willing to follow her orders no matter how counterintuitive and dangerous they might be. Following her orders grants 2 points of Devotion; 2 points of Benevolcne by defying her orders by getting the Skylark into the air ASAP, but choosing to stay behind and find Prophecy on their own; or 2 points of Erudition if they choose to leave on the Skylark, go immediately to Malicia's lair, or any other such deviation.Should the PCs convince the crew to defend the Skylark in order to make further repairs, this combat plays out in successive waves against multiple Anubians: 23 in total plus 1 manticore. The PCs are aided by NPC allies, ballistae siege weapons, makeshift barricades, and an emergency stash of potions. Alacrity uses the stats of a Mage NPC from the Monster Manual but with some magic items, Squeak uses Knight stats and has the Lucky feat (and who in spite of his combat experience and gear is actually a coward and will flee at the earliest opportunity), while the nameless allied NPCs use unique minimalist stat blocks. For such characters, they do have individual hit points and Armor Class, but don't roll initiative, take actions, and make ability checks with no modifiers. But at the end of every round they deal automatic damage to a small AoE of enemies. They are split into Fighters (melee combatants who deal damage to adjacent foes), Archers (deal damage to foes within 80 feet and line of sight), and Sorcerers (as archers, but higher range and damage and their damage type is fire). The Anubians individually have just a few platinum pieces as loot, but the stronger ones have more valuable treasure such as Heka amber and a Mage of Disruption.One thing I should note is that Anubian warriors in this adventure path make use of 6 different stat blocks, with 3 of those being generic types of Soldier, Spellcaster, and Elite. Each of those types has 3-4 further special subdivisions such as Ironclad (heavy spiked armor and shield) or Enchanter (specializes in debuff mind-affecting spells) which provide minor modifications to equipment, known spells, and even a special ability or two. This cuts down on space and makes it easier to reuse stat blocks while keeping them feeling sufficiently different in tactics.Thoughts: Given that Prophecy shows the party two visions that will be mutually exclusive in practice , Zaluna's apparent ultimatum thus throws the predictions a potential curveball. It also imposes a dilemma upon the PCs; most heroic and "discretion over valor" groups would ideally want to get the Skylark up and running to ensure the survivors leave immediately, but the curiosity as to their dream-based benefactor (and possibly Malicia's advice should they be on the Path of Erudition) can make some convincing points to try otherwise. I do feel that the "workable airship" can help sway players more towards the latter choice, given its readily-apparent utility.I do like the minimalist stat blocks for the nameless Kirati allies, and also the specialty subdivisions for generic Anubian opponents. These two together can help streamline an otherwise complicated siege.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/2kQiCUk.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="width: 619px" />Meeting a Sphinx is the final part of this adventure, where the PCs venture through the Southspire Mountains to finally meet their mysterious dream-visitor. Prophecy's lair is the Temple of Time, an otherwise abandoned but expansive and magnificent building carved into the mountain's stony foundations. It is home to an orrery that can be used by the Sphinx to peer into the past by transforming the surrounding Temple into an appropriate time and place. She can use the Temple to travel the world, although this last power is mentioned as being "beyond the scope of this adventure."The PCs and Zaluna don't need to know where to look, for Souk is expecting them and will be watching them from afar. He will lead the party to the Temple, telling any questioners to save their inquiries for the eventual meeting. Prophecy herself appears to the party in her natural gynosphinx form, and will tell the PCs that Lord Ammu plans to besiege the City of Al'Kirat. In 30 days his army will begin the march west, and 30 days after that will reach the city. She further explains that although the future can be changed, being too open with all of the consequences risks swaying people one way or another. This in turn can spawn even more possibilities and effectively render her blind to the outcomes. If the PCs ask what her angle is or her true nature, the most she will say is that she was an Aru once, and that they are both aligned in wanting to stop Lord Ammu and the rise of the Anubian Empire. If the PCs have the Onyxian Jar and it still contains the soul of Lord Ammu's child, Prophecy will ask for it, feigning sympathy for the infant as she presents a special phylactery to transfer its soul out the Jar and thus let the PCs make use of the Jar to absorb other souls without endangering the infant's. This is not an explicit order, for she will otherwise leave it up to the party whether to entrust the Divine Child's soul to her or not.Prophecy will then test the characters once more, with a two-part game of riddles. The first part is she presents a riddle to solve, and the second for the party to present her a riddle that she is able to solve. PCs cannot answer individually, and must present an answer/riddle as a group.The answer to this riddle is that the sixth brother is playing chess with the second brother, for chess is always played with 2 players.The second part of the test is actually a trick: the wording of the challenge is that Prophecy "must be able to solve" it, meaning that if they actually stump her or she gives the wrong answer, the PCs will fail the test. Prophecy will thus choose an incorrect answer on purpose, and if she knows the right answer she'll give a "technically correct" response. In order for the PCs to win, they must declare that her answer is correct, no matter what she says.The PC's decisions for the fate of the Divine Child's soul, along with how they resolved each of the two parts in the mutual game of riddles, grants them points in one of the 3 Paths. This is the final time these points are used in the campaign, and the results are totaled to see which Path of Fate they are set on for the rest of the adventure. In the event of the tie, the DM chooses based on what Prophecy in-character believes the party leans more towards. Each Path determines which of the 3 NPC allies is fated to help them, along with unlocking unique quests.If the PCs are on the Path of Devotion, Prophecy will grant them a blessing of fate which is the same as the "+1d10 to a D20 roll once per long rest" ability from defeating Aku'Tal. If the PCs already have it, they can now use it twice per long rest. Prophecy will also be the most helpful on this Path in dispensing advice and warnings: they can contact her in their dreams once per night to ask one question as a group about a goal, event, or action within the next 7 days. She will also tell them the location of the Divine Relics to give them some immediate adventure hooks, too. Lastly, the sphinx grants them full use of her Temple's astrolabe. The two unique Quests are given by Prophecy: the first is to slay the black dragon Malicia. The second only occurs during the Siege of Al'Kirat, where she grants the PCs the use of the Golden Spear (Souk will voluntarily unattune to it), which she intends to be used to shatter the Ankh of Life and absorb all of Lord Ammu's divine essence into it.If the PCs are on the Path of Benevolence, Prophecy will still share with them the location of the Divine Relics. She also will share with them the method to restore the Divine Child back to life as well as how to weaken Lord Ammu: the body, the soul, and the divine essence must be collected, and any Aru can use their godly power to bring the child back to life. Prophecy and Souk will do their best to keep the PCs in the dark as to the location of the divine essence (it's in Souk's Golden Spear), and will only reveal it once it's time. The soul is in the Onyxian Jar or the River of Souls in the Duaat, while the body is held by Asmara and thus within Kunaten Keep, unless the PCs decide to carry it with them for whatever reason. In which case they very well might have the ability to resurrect the Divine Child right then and there. If Prophecy suspects that the PCs will turn against her when finding out her role in infanticide, she will not perform the rite herself, instead directing them to Anamnesis (another Aru in this adventure path) to revive the Divine Child.The second method, of weakening Lord Ammu, is the Rite of the Solar Throne, which will transfer the Ankh of Life's power to another legitimate heir to Pharaohdom, in this case the Divine Child. This will remove Ammu's invincibility and let him be truly slain. Prophecy will not reveal how to learn the Rite until the "time is right," which is when the PCs reach 7th level. At  this point, she will reveal to them the location of the Roaming Treasury of Sekhmet, a dungeon crawl later in this book which is basically <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3bkQB6-j0E" target="_blank">the Cave of Wonders from Disney's Aladdin.</a>However, Prophecy will be less trusting of PCs on the Path of Benevolence, and will not let them return to the Temple of Time until they have everything necessary to revive the Divine Child (or direct them to the other Aru as above), for she suspects that they may turn against her should they learn the truth. As compensation, the party's more valiant nature will endear them to various allied NPCs of Al'Kirat, particularly Zaluna Al'Zara and the Sultana.If the PCs are on the Path of Erudition, then Prophecy will say that they failed her test and thus aren't the fated heroes she expected. She will banish them from the Temple with a warning to never return. She will not reveal to them the location of the Divine Relics, instead forcing the party to rely on their own talents and the aid of Malicia to uncover their locations. Prophecy will also send them nightmares to try and sway the party from allying with Malicia.As for Malicia, she will see the PCs as allies and be more willing to partner with them throughout the adventure. The two Quests for this Path are both given by the black dragon: to help her find a lamp bearing an imprisoned genie in the Roaming Treasury (also given at 7th level), and to use two Wish spells: the first to unattune Lord Ammu from the Ankh of Life after his death, and the second to eliminate the corruption plaguing him.Thoughts: The initial riddles are clever, particularly the second test, given that most media portrayals of sphinxes have them exclusively as the challenger and the protagonists as the challenged. This echoes of Bilbo and Gollum's dueling riddles scene in the Hobbit, and I wonder if the author was drawing upon this for inspiration.I also like the unique benefits and Quests for each of the three Paths, along with how each can potentially end the campaign in a different way. Devotion is much more mystical in a classic folkloric way, of heroes directed and chosen more by cosmic forces. Benevolence feels the most classically heroic in the vein of modern RPGs, where the PCs are motivated more by saving the day and helping others, where their benefits are less mystical and instead more social in the form of personal connections. Erudition is a bit of a wild card, and while said path is thus the most flexible, having the party's primary ally be an evil-aligned black dragon may cause some players to resist accepting her aid.Chapter 5 ends in three sections. The first is the Search for the Divine Relics, a brief write-up of the 11 unique magic items bearing the power of the Aru and where they can be found. Their full abilities are provided in an Appendix in the back of this book. The second section is Slaying the Sphinx, an optional post-campaign boss battle for PCs who wish to kill Prophecy, which is only recommended at 11th level. In addition to Prophecy being a very strong opponent all her own, she may have the aid of Souk, and also has four bound genies (one of each type) and will use one wish from each of them (maximum of 3) to buff herself in combat and debuff the party. Defeating Prophecy kills her for real, as her divine energy merges with the PCs and grants them +2 to an ability score of choice provided that said score is not their highest or lowest. The third section, Closing the Chapter, details the potential fates of the NPCs who appeared in this chapter, whether or not the Skylark can ever be repaired (it will be skyworthy on the 45th day if it can, and PCs can use it for their own purposes if on the Path of Benevolence), and likely hooks for pointing the PCs in a particular direction post-chapter now that the adventure path is entering full sandbox mode.Thoughts So Far: I went into detail on my thoughts on this chapter by their respective sections, but overall I think that it has some potential albeit with some potential curveballs. These curveballs are namely how Journey Unto Death's potential false advertising for how the future Supplies sub-system works; acknowledging that PCs may be able to find ways into Kunaten Keep proper despite their weakened status; and how Malicia as an NPC ally can be a harder sell when compared to the other two Paths. I do like how the adventure path doesn't fall apart if the PCs end up circumventing things. For example, getting the Skylark to leave early can outright avoid the Anubian siege, while PCs who have both the Divine Child's corpse and soul at this point in the campaign can resurrect them early, but they'll still need to find the other Divine Relics and level up before they can personally face Lord Ammu.Join us next time as we open up the sandbox aspect of Sands of Doom in Chapter 6: Exploring the Wasteland!</blockquote>

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