Pathfinder: Dawn of the Frogs, Part One  ## Metadata - Author: [[It Could Happen Here]] - Full Title: Pathfinder: Dawn of the Frogs, Part One - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/e7678a37-ac6a-4e38-8fea-c5f850e65276 ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Creator Introduces The Adventure** - Jason Buhlman introduced himself as the Pathfinder lead designer and revealed he wrote the adventure Dawn of the Frogs. - The players assembled as quirky characters and set out to investigate missing villagers near a swamp mill. Transcript: Margaret Killjoy Have so many books on my table because we're playing a role-playing game. This week we are doing something new and we're going to be doing it for more than just this week because I don't know if you all have ever played a role-playing game but it lasts longer than An hour. I'm your host Margaret Killjoy, but I'm not actually the game master of this game because the game master is none other than Jason Buhlman, who's the lead designer of one of the best things To happen to tabletop role-playing, Pathfinder. If you're not familiar with Pathfinder, Pathfinder is like ****, but it's not **** because instead I like it better than we're going to be playing fantasy characters running through A world full of, I think, frogs because the game is called Dawn of Frogs. That's right. I don't know if there's an exclamation mark because I don't have the book because I'm not the one running it. But I like to believe there's an exclamation mark after each and every word. Hazel Acacia Oh, there's definitely jazz hands. Margaret Killjoy Oh, yeah. Can we call them frog hands? Yes, we sure can. Webbed fingies. I have a frog hat. Why am I not wearing a frog hat? Why are you wearing the frog hat? You are wearing chain mail. Well, it's on my character sheet. This is what I've been trying to explain to everyone the whole time when they're asking why I'm wearing chain mail. It's on my character sheet. I have chainmail. So this isn't book club. We're going to call it the cool kids table or cool kids at the table. This is not actually agreed upon. I just threw this into the script. But without further ado, I would like to introduce Jason, Hazel, Io and Robert, who are our players and game masters. Only one of them is the game master. Jason Buhlman Well, I guess that's my cue then. Hi there, everybody. I'm Jason Buhlman. I'm the director of games at Paizo. And boy, a long time ago, I wrote a little game called Pathfinder. These days, I'm the team lead for Pathfinder second edition and all of our board games and card games and stuff. So yeah, and I'm excited here today to be running Dawn of the Frogs. It's a new adventure that I wrote, actually. ([Time 0:03:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/28fde908-2503-453c-a5dc-f3d0e7146b1c)) - **Atmosphere Frames The Mission** - The Dunmire setting blends eerie swamp atmosphere with quaint Bog Bottom community life. - A ruined mill becomes the investigation focal point linking missing villagers and lurking dangers. Transcript: Jason Buhlman Dawn of the Frogs. And without further ado, I think I'm going to just get us going. The Dunmire is a gloomy and foreboding swamp. Yet beauty can be found within. In some spots, the sun's light rarely reaches the water through the foliage above, while in others, brightly colored swamp flowers and insects seem almost to sparkle. The town of Bog Bottom isn't a big place, but it's one the locals have called home for generations. Yet now that some of the townsfolk have gone missing near an old mill deep in the swamp, someone needs to find out what happened to them. Spoilers, that someone is you. The journey to the crumbling landmark takes several hours, and while arduous, uneventful. Many predators lurk in the swamp, but there has been no sign of their presence. So far. Far off, frogs chirp and croak, and flies buzz dreamily. The crumbling wooden mill stands amid the mist, half sunken into the swamp. The front door has been rotted away, but the entrance is mostly blocked by thick vines. Someone could possibly squeeze through these vines, or perhaps try and cut them loose. Perhaps a clue to the villager's fate lies within. ([Time 0:07:20](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b15a2765-b84e-4931-add2-a5915c7075e2)) - **Characters And Their Flavors** - Margaret introduces Spite: a young, candle-helmed chainmail-wearing fighter with a morning star and revolutionary bent. - The group includes Squash the shoonie, Sister Merdragona 'Merdy' the soup nun, and Trant the bomb-making ex-powder worker. Transcript: Jason Buhlman Maybe tell us a little bit about what you look like and kind of what you're kitted out with. Margaret Killjoy What do we see when we look upon you? Spite, why don't we start with you? Well, Spite is my name. It's my given name. I've been named much like everyone else where I grew up. We get named after the virtues, you know? I probably talk about my sister Malice a lot. I really look up to her. Spite is probably all of 19 or 20 years old. She's not 100% certain, and the crush doesn't keep really exact dates. She's wearing chain mail. She has a helmet with a candle stuck to the top, you know, so that she can see where she's going. I don't know why everyone thinks that's so strange. And she does a lot of things that she doesn't realize people realize are strange. All of her outfit is completely black and red, just like normal outfits should be. And she's wearing chain mail. She has a morning star that she almost always has out because it's practically a fidget spinner. There's a couple javelins strapped to her pack. And that's spite. She's human. Yeah, she's pretty sure. She doesn't actually know her birth parents are. That kind of stuff is a bourgeois, like keeping track of actual birth parents. Does not fly, where spite is from. Squash, why don't you go next? Ayo Now imagine a dog. Not so fast. This dog stands like a man does, but with thumbs the whole thing. He's a shoonie, which are nasty little dog men. He's a sturdy trunk of a boy, three feet tall and shaped like a friend. He has a canine face, but if you like smush down the snoot until the sinuses were kind of a dead end where the air would go in and spin around the brain and shoot right back out. Fans of phrenology listening may describe his skull shape as fucked up. He has piercing green eyes positioned somewhere between predator and prey, often facing the same direction. Friendly face is positively littered with jowls and folds and tufts of unruly bad boy cowlicks that were you to see it in our ([Time 0:09:36](https://share.snipd.com/snip/60db0c22-4a63-4fb2-b250-2a0ff9bc7cb7)) - **Check For Tracks First** - Jason asks for a survival check to examine tracks before entering the mill. - Always check for environmental clues (survival/perception) before committing to a risky entry. Transcript: Jason Buhlman Any of us any good at that? I got plus three. Hazel Acacia I'm decent at that. I've got plus four. Alright. Jason Buhlman Go ahead and give me a survival skill check then. First roll of the game. Hazel Acacia That is a ten on the dice, so a total of fourteen. Jason Buhlman Looking around, you can tell that there are definitely some tracks in the muck, but it's a little hard for you to make out whether or not there are humanoid tracks or perhaps animal tracks. The ground here is just so soft that the recent rains and mists have kind of worn it into just kind of a morass. It's clear that there's been some traffic, though. ([Time 0:20:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9e6c3086-0d47-4193-bbc6-55fe05c86a1a)) - **First Combat: Beetles In The Muck** - Inside the mill, three dog-sized swamp beetles erupt from muck, triggering the group's first combat. - Players make initiative rolls, cast Bless, and attempt creative solutions like bombs and alchemist fire. Transcript: Jason Buhlman So you all managed to squeeze inside. The floor inside the old mill has rotted away and the massive millstone has sunken halfway into the muck. A sagging staircase nearby leads up to the floor above. Suddenly, the mud stirs as a trio of dog-sized swamp beetles erupt up from the filth. Oh, neat. Oh, brother. All right, everybody. We are about to go into our first combat. Margaret Killjoy It's too late to already have my shield and warning star out yeah i'm afraid it is so it goes Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Speaker 7 Wash away your worries with Anabay. Anabay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget-friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no-risk experience with pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabric. Experience cloud-like comfort with high-resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity, and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Shop washablesofas.com for early Black Friday savings, up to 60% off site-wide, backed by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love send it back for a full refund no return shipping or restocking fees every penny back upgrade now at washablesofas.com offers are subject to change Margaret Killjoy And certain restrictions may apply i turned off news altogether i hate to say, but I don't trust much of anything. Jason Buhlman It's the rage bait. Margaret Killjoy It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts. Maybe we can calm down a little. Speaker 7 NBC News brings you clear reporting. Jason Buhlman Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News, reporting for America. ([Time 0:25:40](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d84a868d-78c1-43a4-acf3-5392de05f51f)) - **Buff Allies Early** - Hazel's cleric casts Bless to give allies +1 to attack rolls, showing party support value. - Use buff spells early to increase team effectiveness in small, dangerous encounters. Transcript: Jason Buhlman Love a boon. Sure. All right. We'll leave it like that. Trant, what do you got? I got a 17. 17. And Spite, what did you get? Margaret Killjoy Rolled a 15 for a total of 19. Jason Buhlman Well, you all beat the initiative of my poor, poor beetles, who did very poorly. All right, everybody. Here we are in the first round of combat. So we've got three beetles that have come burrowing up out of the muck. It looks like crawling up out of this swamp goo has really slowed them down, giving you all quite the edge. At the top of the order, Squash, you get to go first. Ayo Squash, trying to pull his pants up after trying to make what was sure to be a beautiful bomb. One hand shoots from the hip his big sword that's also a gun, his gun sword. Shoots whichever beetle's closest. Jason Buhlman So you're going to draw your weapon, and you're going to fire. So that's two of your actions. Yeah, bang! Looking at where you're at, it looks like you're going to be firing at that first beetle over there on the left. It's kind of crawling up around the millstone between the millstone and the ruined stairs. So go ahead and give me an attack roll. Ayo It's not what I want it to be. So I rolled a six plus seven for a total of 13. Jason Buhlman The bullet from your pistol goes gliding right past the beetle, just barely missing it, impacting the muck right behind it. Now, I believe you're going to have to reload that pistol so you cannot fire it again for your third action, but you could reload. I'm reloading. Ayo This guy's going to fucking get it next time. Jason Buhlman All right. So you take a shot with your pistol. It comes up a hair short, and then you take a moment to reload. That is the end of Squash's turn. Next up, Murdy. We've got beetles all around you. They are uninjured. Their mandibles are clicking menacingly. What do you do? Hazel Acacia They seem nasty. So I am going to raise my shield and I'm going to cast Bless, which as a spell counts for two actions. And it's going to give myself and my allies a plus one status bonus to all attack rolls, as long as you stay within 15 feet of me. Jason Buhlman All right. So that is currently everybody, because you just clustered in after crawling through the vine. So everybody has that bonus on attack rolls. And after calling down the blessings of Aristil to the group, that is the end of Mertie's turn. ([Time 0:31:03](https://share.snipd.com/snip/121dab53-ab4b-4962-9c1f-198fd88f1932)) - **Bomber Turns The Tide** - Trant (the bomber) scored a natural 20, immolating a beetle with alchemist's fire and then followed with another thrown bomb. - His explosive playstyle shaped the combat and forced tactical positioning by allies. Transcript: Jason Buhlman All right. Robert Save me, Trant. Don't worry, boss. I got this. Fire in the hole. And then I'm going to throw an alchemist fire at the nearest beetle right in front of Spite. Jason Buhlman Now, I do happen to know that you are a bomber. And being a bomber means that you do have the option of having the splash damage from your bomb only hit the beetle. Because when you throw a bomb, it causes splash damage, so it damages the area around it. But you don't have to use that ability. The question I have for you is whether or not you are. Yeah. Yeah, it's the boss. All right. Unless I miss. Robert Unless there's a mistake. Yeah. Oh, I rolled a natural 20. Jason Buhlman Well, that's definitely going to work. Robert Can we switch dice? Jason Buhlman The beetle, who was entirely missed by the previous attack, is kind of just looking around and kind of disoriented. And you, from just right over Spite's shoulder, toss this alchemist's fire directly into its little beetle face. So go ahead and roll damage for the alchemist's fire. Just roll one. It snatches it out of the air with its mouth reflexively. As if trying to play fetch. Seven. Seven points of damage, which is entirely doubled, plus the splash damage. You immolate this beetle. The alchemist's fire lands on the beetle, shattering across its carapace and cooking it thoroughly. In one moment, the beetle has been destroyed. That'll teach you to be an animal I just met. Margaret Killjoy Oh, we are in its house. I hadn't thought of the moral complications of this before. Oh, gosh. Robert Foss, if your god wanted that beetle alive, I wouldn't have hit it so hard. Jason Buhlman That's a good point. So that was only your first action because you have quick bomber. Uh-huh. So you do still have two more actions. ([Time 0:35:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b1ba21c4-7ced-460e-a738-281bb6ad7ea1)) - **Combat Leads To Bigger Mystery** - After killing beetles, players overhear guttural croaking above, hinting at non-human occupants upstairs. - Combat resolved into a moral quip: players justify the beetles' deaths as saving trapped frogs upstairs. Transcript: Jason Buhlman The acid, the moment it's exposed to air, it apparently neutralizes pretty quick. It's just that initial exposure that burns for a moment. But yeah, the three beetles have now been defeated. The last of the beetles lies dead on the floor, leaving this area open for exploration. Although the ground floor of the old mill is now quiet and still, somewhere above, on another floor, two creatures are having a conversation. The only way up appears to be a rickety staircase that sags off the nearby wall, looking like it might collapse at any moment. So now that combat's done and you're inside the mill, you can, there's a lot of things you could do, You could take a look around, see if there is anything to be discovered down here on the Ground floor of the mill. You could perhaps listen in on these voices and see what there is to hear. You could take a look at the stairs. You could even start trying to climb the stairs. But there doesn't seem to be any active threats down here on the ground floor. I'm going to prep another couple of alchemist fires from my quick stashes while we're searching around. Robert You're going to get your versatile miles back because you're down at least one of those. Yeah, I'm down one and yeah, another. Well, two more actually, so yeah. Hazel Acacia Does anybody care to be healed for a single healing point? Robert Oh, I'm okay. It just stings a little. I kind of like it. Ayo Can I listen in to what the conversation is, or is it just two things? Jason Buhlman You can attempt to give me a perception check. Ayo I'm going to do this also. All right. Hazel Acacia I would also like to try to listen. Ayo That's a 10 plus 5 for a total of 15. All right. Hazel Acacia I have 8 plus 7, which is also 15. Margaret Killjoy I have a 19 plus 4 for a total of 23. Jason Buhlman So, Murdy, Squash, the two of you kind of listen in, but between your kind of squelching in the muck below and just the general sounds of the swamp, you don't make out much. But, Spite, your hearing is just a hair cleaner. And although you can't make out what is being said, you can make out what sounds to be like a low, rumbling, kind of guttural sound. ([Time 0:50:10](https://share.snipd.com/snip/955f7557-abe3-4de3-9edf-400faa60158f)) - **Use Gear And Teamwork On Hazardous Stairs** - Hazel offers to rig the stairs with her climber's kit to make ascent safer and tosses a rope to help others. - Use kits and teamwork to mitigate environmental hazards instead of risky solo moves. Transcript: Jason Buhlman You take a look at the stairs and you notice that one section in particular looks kind of dangerous. The rest of it, it looks safe and you can just climb it. I mean, it's stairs. You don't have to make a check to go up a set of stairs. But there is one part of it that looks, kind of rotten and rickety, and you're going to wager folks could either jump over that, or they could just kind of risk going across it quickly. Now, I'll say this. You have a climbers kit, you said? Hazel Acacia I sure do, Jason. Jason Buhlman So if you wanted to break out some of the pieces of your climbers kit and make me, let's say, an athletics check to kind of scale through the area and put in some pitons. I'll give everyone that comes behind you a bonus. Hazel Acacia Jason, could I talk you into letting me do a crafting check instead? Jason Buhlman No. Damn good try, Murdy. I'm actually going to go and start whittling out some new stairs. That's not a crafting check. I'm going to need you to make an athletics check. Hazel Acacia I disagree, but all right. Ayo Yeah, get him. Get him. Hazel Acacia I'm going to think really hard about my time in the equivalent of Boy Scouts, but for a rastle. But I'm going to cast Guidance, which gives me a plus one. Good idea. Which, because I don't have any acrobatics at all as a clerk um we're rolling my nice die listeners that was a six on the die i have rolled a seven i'm looking and trying so hard not to get Jason Buhlman Distracted because i'm like i could do that better but no i'm busy so you're trying to make your way up these stairs play some pitons but you end up standing on one of them that's pretty Hazel Acacia Rotten and broken and it starts to give way can you give me a reflex saving throw i'm gonna i'm still thinking back about boy scouts or the aristotle yeah i'm taking plus one on this too That was a 14 plus three plus one is 18. Jason Buhlman Well, you didn't need to think about your days back in the Boy Scouts at all because you made it. So you managed to kind of skip across. You haven't really helped anybody, but you have made it across yourself. You did kind of stumble across and make your way over. Now that you're there, you could at least toss a rope back so that anybody trying to make their way across would have at least a little guidance. ([Time 0:56:12](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ec1fd829-fa04-45e2-9dc6-70464d776a9d)) - **Failed Jumps, Rope Rescue** - Trant repeatedly fails jumps and falls through rotten stairs, taking damage, while Spite and Squash vault across successfully. - The group improvises with ropes and pulleys to haul Trant up, showcasing in-party problem solving. Transcript: Jason Buhlman And then I jump across, roll a 10 for a total of 17. So you easily are able to clear the distance and make your way to the other side. Trant, that leaves only you. I'm a little sad we're not going to get to see the explosion behind you. I'm assuming you've got at least a handful of, like, doves inside your jacket to release at the same time that you jump. I got a total of seven with my athletics. Not great. All right. So, Trant attempts to jump across, but instead misses the jump entirely and falls through the stairs into the muck below. Take four points of damage. Okay. I grab spite by the lapels. Margaret Killjoy Why'd you talk about using the bombs? A single tear rolls down my cheek as I see my friend hurt. Hazel Acacia I set the bindle down and start stirring the soup, making sure it's still going. Very important key thing about perpetual stew is it does need to be kept at an even 165. I think that's true in real life too. It's definitely true about magic soup. Margaret Killjoy I'm going to jump back over and go down and lay on hands. Well, I'm assuming Trent can get up and make his way back. Robert Can I? Yeah. I will attempt to do that. Jason Buhlman Okay. So if you didn't want to jump down, you can wait and see if Trant can make it across. Oh, no, my character would absolutely jump back down. Margaret Killjoy In that case, give me another athletics check. If my friends are jumping off a cliff, Spite is jumping off a cliff for a total of a 13. Jason Buhlman Well, you join Trant faster than you had hoped. As you fall through the stairs as well and also take four points of damage. Margaret Killjoy Alright. This doesn't seem to be going well. Well, now we can go back up together. Hazel Acacia Murdy always looks tired, but Murdy has never looked more tired than this moment. I'm furiously stirring the soup. Jason Buhlman I can't wait for the other two of you to join them down there making the same mistake. I'm just excited for it. ([Time 1:00:39](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d025d299-c52e-4124-bb26-5de9d6a2fc47))