This may be the 'free' version but you get a lot for... well, nothing. It's a good way to take a look at the quality work Raging Swan Press does before shelling out your hard-earned cash for one of their adventures.

We start off with some humerous remarks from the publisher (who is also co-author) and the standard Raging Swan Press masterclass in the anatomy of an adventure (which is so good I'd say grab this even if you are not in search of an advenure right now, it will help you organise your own better!), then we move on to the adventure background. There's this strange sunken rock offshore, you see, and nobody's quite sure if it's natural or was constructed... and the background explains, for the GM's eyes, what actually is going on there and why it's so much of a threat right now.

Then it is explained that as the adventure involves exploring this sunken pyramid, as it's known, you can drop it pretty much into any suitable coastal area in your own campaign world - you can use a town there instead of White Moon Cove. However, with it being an underwater adventure, you'd better ensure that the characters have access to some means of breathing underwater, indeed, that they can swim! There's also an appendix on Underwater Combat that ought to come in handy. There are several plot hooks to get the party involved, or you can run an introductory encounter that takes place in White Moon Cove (or whatever settlement you are using in its place)... and there are even a couple of suggestions aimed at the more mercenary types who want to know what's in it for them if they undertake this dangerous exploration.

Next there is a timeline for the adventure, a neat device that gives the feel of events moving on irrespective of what the party is doing, and some quite extensive notes on sahuagin, some of whom will be encountered along the way. We then move on to White Moon Cove and there's sufficient detail for you to run that settlement... indeed all those little touches like completely unrelated rumours that serve to bring it to life. And a sketch map, so nobody need get lost.

Then the adventure begins, with the introductory encounter Night Raid. It's a bit of stirring action in its own right, as well as leading in to the adventure proper. To start with, of course, the party has to get to the sunken pyramid, which requires a sea-going boat. If they don't have one, arrangements are in place to have one turn up at a convenient moment (complete with a reason for the captain to cooperate). Once there, they need to swim down to it, some 30ft - a respectable SCUBA dive in the modern world, so you see the need for fantasy equivalents in the shape of spells or magic items. There's a neat cross-section of the pyramid to give you a feel for it, and the notes required to explore the uppermost level... if you want more than that, go buy the full version of this adventure!

As ever, a well-presented and resourced adventure. The one error I've spotted is that 'grizzly' is normally a term reserved for bears, when speaking of fates they are usually 'grisly'... but overall this is a good taste of what Raging Swan Press can do, so get it and have a look. Likely you'll be back for more...

I am discovering the sheer awesome that is Raging Swan Press lately, and this module is the icing on the cake. My review here is solely on the free version, but I am already dropping hints into my PF campaign to test player interest on the module. If they seem interested I will be buying the full edition which was just released. In all honesty, I'll be buying to regardless. I have been longing for a well done underwater adventure for some time, and this really fits the bill perfectly. If you are at all curious about The Sunken Pyramid, download the freebie and read it with attention to detail. You will not be disappointed.

The Sunken Pyramid is an 88 -page underwater adventure/sourcebook for 7th level characters. In general I judge an adventure on two factors, a satisfying feeling after reading (akin to having a good meal) and the joy of the details in playing it. While I didn’t have time for the latter the former left me full indeed, read on.

Within these 88 pages is a detailed primer on running the adventure (including some great advice prepping for an adventure of this type), a mini source-section on the sahuagin race, a detailed gazetteer of the coastal town of White Moon Cove, and the adventure itself comprising of an underwater mountain of sorts with mysterious origins. As with all Raging Swan adventure material this one is built to make it as easy to run as possible for the GM, from the clear layout and detailed complete monster stat blocks, to helpful hints all throughout including random sights, monsters and discoveries. Because it’s an underwater adventure mainly, there’s a super 2-page section any GM running this type of adventure should have – every underwater rule collected in one place (from drowning to underwater combat, casting, depth dangers, etc.)

I appreciated the sahuagin write-up because part of the adventure is dealing with the absolute evil of these beings. We are treated to a primer on their society, religion, outlook on life and a nice note regarding their language. This goes a long way in portraying them in battle.

The home base of this adventure is White Moon Cove, a small seaside town with good folk. This is also a backdrop piece by Raging Swan but is included in this PDF in its entirety. A very complete and detailed description of the town is provided (with map). There are lots of named and personalized inhabitants and their motivations and role, and the current rumors and goings-on. The fact that the writers took the time to make it feel like a living place will go a long way in garnering sympathy from the characters, especially when a number of townsfolk are captured in a daring raid by sahuagin! They’re not the only ones with concern either; a merchant ship’s captain comes into port with news some of her crew were also taken! A number of possibilities to getting the PC’s out to the adventure location are provided (including the ship that is in port), and then it’s diving time! At first I was a little concerned the PCs would feel whatever they do they can’t prevent folks being taken, which is pretty much the case, but careful working by a GM will have a few taken into the sea as the characters wake up to the sounds of attack.

The adventure itself is the meat of the book and provides both a great glimpse into a sahuagin fortification and living space. After a little investigation reveals the entrance at the near top, they make their way down through four levels inside encountering more dangerous things as they go. Clearly labeled cave maps provided and each encounter has full stats (meaning everything the GM could want to know regarding the inhabitant or combatant). If this is your first Raging Swan adventure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all the details provided in each section, magic items aren’t just detailed, but all auras, knowledge DC’s and the like are given. Tactics for each area are sound if not basic, and sidebars help a GM run a section when a general alarm goes up. By the time the PCs get toward their goal of rescuing the prisoners (of which there are many), they uncover the full nature of the insidious plot and why captives were taken alive in the first place.

I did notice the same CR2 sahuagin stat block show up a lot early on, meaning some repeated combat rooms I’m likely to edit out when I run it. The layout of the caves does lead one to believe the party may wind up fighting a running battle with multiple rooms at once if they are very loud and chaotic to their approach. Luckily, there is occasional advice to determine what a foe will and won’t do with an alarm. Many of the creatures are already engaged in their own activities the PCs can take advantage of – it’s described very much as a living place, not just a static locale. There are also allies within that can aid the party, and a divided, tense political situation between some of their foes the PCs can take advantage of, and yet still I think this adventure is extremely challenging thanks to the nature of underwater adventuring. The story climaxes against a terrible foe that has become the focal point of this sahaugin tribe’s religion: a huge devilish shark that is much more than an ‘eating machine’, it speaks and has its own devious plots to weave.

The book ends with a nice section of new rules including monsters (including the aforementioned big bad) and magic items (including a sentient trident!). There are even six complete 7th level pre-generated characters provided!

Conclusion: I have to admit I went in a little skeptical, as underwater adventures have had a difficult time impressing me. This was soon allayed as I read sections that answered all my nagging questions: How do the sahuagin transport air breathers to their caves? What effects do I need to be aware of when running the adventure? What makes this more than a hack fest? All these are answered and dealt with. White Moon Cove is a great town that’s sure be a spot the characters can revisit again and again. The adventure is a little combat heavy early on but eventually boils down to a design involving moral choices, demanding tactics and smart play. The best part is it feels complete. Grab the core rulebook and play, this adventure has everything you need to run it successfully. Very well done. I was provided a full version copy for review, but I will easily find a way to insert this in my Razor Coast campaign.

Sunken Pyramid Review Raging Swan Press

by Matthew Paluch

Let's start with the basics – while I do not know the specific background's of those involved, this product smacks of professional Printing experience. It is beautifully laid out and organized, not just focusing on art and frilly logos to impress.

The document is expertly divided into Chapters, and even has Appendices you will actually use, not skip! The table of Contents is thorough and specific, not just a few cursory entries to fulfill minimum requirements. In a nutshell, this Product is built from the ground up to be used on the fly at an actual game – the author's clearly know what it is like to GM and have to find information on the fly!

It also has something I had not seen before, but proved invaluable in a few key moments – right at the front of the book is a single page, summarizing, in order of difficulty, the CR of every encounter. It took me a moment to wonder when I'd need this, but it was indeed useful!

Another novel concept – a concise, two-page Glossary, before the main body. I had never seen a Glossary anywhere except at the end (where everyone ignores it), and I also didn't think it was a necessary feature, until I read over it. It was indeed a valuable tool, and goes back to the point I made earlier – this product was written by battle-hardened veterans, who understand that the flow of a game is vital. Information is placed right where you need it, when you need it. Without listing off all the items, let me just say the listings are actually more of the 'HMM' type situational stuff that might arise, as well as issues that clearly arose during play testing and required them to take a break to bust out books, ruining the flow. They learned from experience and now it's at your fingertips, right in the heart of the meat of the book, not stuck at the end as an after-thought (similar to their expert use of actually valuable Appendices).

While this Product advertises itself as a 7th Level adventure, I think they are selling it short. I would definitely build an entire campaign around this product. Trying to avoid spoilers, they went into great detail about the Ecology of the current residents – Sociology, Ecology, even Religion and common names! Before I even got to the rooms and descriptions, I was rooting for the monsters haha! There is plenty of material here to build a campaign. The major monsters are all given names and some background material, not just 'Orc Lieutenant' for example. PCs going through this will realize this is a personal war they are waging against an enemy's home with a name and a face, and stories to tell.

In addition, the locale has a back story that pre-dates the current residents. Much could be made of those folks returning to reclaim their Pyramid, possibly as a follow up if the PCs clear it and somehow activate a beacon to its ancient masters, or perhaps even a three-way battle for it, with the players having to use diplomacy or risk their enemies cooperating! There is a ton of room for a clever GM to tying this product to a whole additional level than a simple 'Level 7 module'.

The environment – under water – and the carefully laid out rules for adventuring within it had me tense and nervous from the start. Dark water, no use of torches, having to breath and live and rest underwater... dark, black, water, reeking of evil... The author's do not overlook the dramatic value of their environment and play it to the hilt. Your Players should be nervous before they take their first step inside!

Much appreciated as a GM, and once again showing the clear experience at Gming of the writers, a wide variety of adventure hooks are provided to get the ball rolling. There is no 'You are all broke in a tavern and see a help wanted poster that you are forced to accept.' like many hackneyed products. I found myself liking more than one and having a debate about how to even start this. Excellent.

THANK GOD! This module earned major points for this next feature – a Timeline. Events will transpire, mostly without the PCs knowledge, according to a chart and timeline. If they choose to waste two weeks traveling to a nearby town to rest or pick up items.... the Pyramid is not idle and time-bubbled whilst they dally. As a GM myself I feel this is essential to PC immersion; players must know their actions, or lack of action, has a direct effect on the campaign. A dungeon is not just a series of rooms on graph paper with a number in the middle of it, waiting for them to kick open a door. This feature, well executed, was a major contributor to my classifying this as a campaign over a module.

Each encounter has a simple yet creative set of scaling the difficulty up or down slightly based on party power. Refreshingly, it sometimes isn't just removing or adding one more guard. Often bells, whistles, or more intelligent suggestions are made instead of a mindless addition or removal. Very cool.

Now comes the source of frustration for so many Gms around the world – the tactics sections for each encounter. I am happy to report that this product nails it – smart, yet flexible, you will not be asking "Who on Earth wrote this?!? These tactics make no sense.” , as so often happens when less experienced folk try to write scenarios.

I almost skipped over the pre-gen characters at the end, but I am glad I did not – they are fun to read and very interesting! More importantly, playable. Another nice bonus on an already well-rounded product.

I recommend this product as highly as I can. Build a full campaign around it... maybe starting when players are lvl 5 or so and exploring the detailed local area, then having solid community ties by the time they are ready to enter the Pyramid. Then throw in the original owners of the Pyramid at the end, and flip the tables – now the Players are on the defensive!

Or just run it as a solid, detailed, spooky Sunken Pyramid, written by clearly experienced Gms who have gone to great lengths to make your play experience as enjoyable as possible. This has my highest recommendation.

Matthew Paluch gedanken@egdeoftheworld.us

The following review was originally posted at Roleplayers Chronicle and can be read in its entirety at http://roleplayerschronicle.com/?p=36631.

This review is in regards to the full version, as received through a preview.

Locals and ship’s crews alike report signs of increased sahuagin activity in the waters around the Sunken Pyramid. Is the recent rash of disappearances and abductions, which have plagued the area, connected in any way? Can these abductions be stopped before even more people are taken? Can those already abducted be found and rescued? And what of the strange and often conflicting rumors which whisper of something far more terrible lurking far beneath the Sunken Pyramid?

Reviewers Note: I have done my best to keep spoilers down to a minimum. But if you plan on playing this adventure, please do not read this review to prevent the terrible curse known as “meta-gaming”.

OVERALL

I have always been a huge fan of Raging Swan Press. This publication is no exception! Although I have a few minor complaints, this is definitely a great buy for those who are looking for a light way to get into life on the high seas, without getting into a heavier campaign like Razor Coast, or Skulls and Shackles.

RATINGS

Publication Quality: 9 out of 10 Presentation of Layout: The presentation of the adventure is definitely of high quality! Layout is nice and clean and everything is readable. But I am still not a big fan of Raging Swan doing everything in black and white. Especially since this is designed to be what they call a “mini-campaign”, which means you are going to be spending a lot of time looking at this art and layout. There’s nothing that really catches your eye out of the gate. This is not to knock the adventure, but players like all the extra swirls of color and style used.

Ease of Mobility: The file is easy to navigate and read through. 1st Generation Kindle Fire users may have a little trouble downloading due to it not being able to direct download. But 2nd Generations should be fine. Apple products should not have a major problem as they are good with bigger files. The bookmarks are nice, and great if you plan on running it through your computer.

Maps: I love Raging Swan’s maps. I hate them in black and white. It makes the map so dull and boring in comparison. These are good maps, but there is nothing wrong with doing at least your maps in art in color. Other than that, the maps are simple and easy to use, and they are still very detailed for black and white, and are versatile to be used in any campaign as well as the mini-campaign provided.

Storyline: 10 out of 10 Plot Development and Pacing of Story: The adventure is very straight-forward, with a twist. So the thing I like about this publication is that there are plenty of options to allow you and your players to either run linear from cover to cover, or you freeform and only jump to the parts you wish to utilize. It’s a nice change of pace, but at the same time, it’s not the size of a full Adventure Path which allows GMs the option to drop in items as needed. Also because it is a mini-campaign, the pace in which you wish to take it is totally up to you and your group. There is plenty here for it to be a nice long 2-year campaign, or if you are waiting for the release of another adventure path to come out, you can get things done easily in 3-6 months. (Your actual time invested may vary)

Desire to Play: 10 out of 10 NPC Interactions: There is not as much NPC interactions written into the story line, which allows for a GM who may want to add those in as desired. The ones that are available are very well fleshed and thought out, which I like. There are also pre-generated characters, which can easily become NPCs in certain sections of the adventure.

Encounters and Rewards: There are a good number of new items and encounters that definitely make any work worthwhile. One of the things I have always loved about Raging Swan and their adventures is that there is an appendix talking about additional rules that are in Pathfinder, but are broken down further to allow additional clarification on situations. You see this a lot in their Dungeon Dressings and other supplemental material, but in this publication they made an additional appendix for rules concerning many issues that you will see in the adventure. (Spoiler: Primarily Water, Vehicle and Underwater rules.)

Overall: 10 out of 10 For Players: Players are in for a treat over the high seas! There is definitely enough action and activities to make the adventure something you are sure to remember!

For GMs: If you have been looking for a way into water adventures, that may not be on the same epic level as Razor Coast or Skulls and Shackles, fear not! This is the choice for you! It leaves tons of options to grow as you see fit and at the same time allows you to expand into something more awesome.

I want to present my rating system within the 5 star structure that is given here. I believe that it is impossible for any product to be perfect, so 5 stars is not perfection. I also believe that even the worst piece of drek has something that can be taken from it and used. So I'm glad no 0 score can exist. So here is my scaling system:

With that out of the way on to the review. The Sunken Pyramid is an adventure module designed for the Pathfinder RPG. It is set for 7th level characters and is an aquatic dungeon. I have seen a lot of underwater dungeons lately, so it will be interesting to see what Creighton Broadhurst and Marc Radle bring to the table.

SPOILER ALERT Please be aware that I will be making reference to parts of the plot and opponents within this review. If you are planning to play in this adventure, you should read no further or just read my final thoughts. You have been warned.

Right before the forward we get a quick summary of the monsters used in the adventure. It is sorted by CR and gives alignment plus a few other small details such as race and class level (if any) plus the page where they can be found. I like this feature: when running an adventure, I often have to flip through various pages to find the stats I'm looking for. Having a directory with names and basic info makes this task much easier.

Next is a section on how to read the stat blocks for the monsters. I assume this is standard for Raging Swan Press, but having never read through an adventure from them before now I can't say for certain. I can see this being of use to a beginner, but for me this is a loss of a page. The format is pretty similar to Paizo's standard, and that is fairly straight forward. For new GMs this could be useful as the stat blocks can be a bit ponderous in length.

The next page if far more interesting to me. It is a section on how to use the module. It gives a breakdown of their encounter format, reading trap blocks, and identifying treasure. This is a great reference, and now paints the previous page in a new light: a general reference for running any adventure with simple rules and guides all in the same place. I like that. So in the first pages we get a reference guide that is easily found that will help you right in the middle of play. That shows very good organization and thinking about how the adventure will be run and what the GM will need to do it. If this is standard for Raging Swan, they are already ahead of the game compared to other publishers.

Now we get an adventure overview. The Sunken Pyramid is an ancient underwater structure now inhabited by a vicious tribe of sahuagin. They are planning on sacrificing a large number of people to a monstrous aberrant devil shark living below the pyramid in a religious ceremony three days after the adventure begins. I like the three day limit; it forces the adventure to move along and will punish the PCs with some nasty consequences if they dally about. Sahuagin are a good choice. Not since the old days of Saltmarsh have the sea devils gotten much support, though lately with the various pirate and nautical campaigns coming out they seem to have been finally getting their due. A warning is provided to make sure the GM supplies the water breathing apparatus the party will need for this adventure and how to get it in without seeming to obvious.

Before we get into the actual adventure, we get alternate beginnings for GMs to tailor the entry point to suit his players and his campaign. A great point that is often overlooked by game designers is making an adventure usable in many different styles. Excellent suggestions here.

Next we get a two-page ecology-style article on the sahuagin. This is very well written with many interesting bits on sahuagin society and religion. This can help creative GMs add flavour to the encounters with the sea devils.

We also get the fishing village of White Moon Cove detailed out, including rumours, interesting NPCs, and events that can happen while the PCs are in town. I could play two or three whole sessions just on what is in this section alone! It has been set up to feel like a real village where things are happening off-stage. Some of the rumours have absolutely nothing to do with the adventure but with the local brothel. The map is old-school black and white but very nice and clear.

We have a timeline of the adventure, so now we have a setting plus an event schedule. As with the material just within the fishing village, we are given enough information that the PCs can choose to do just about anything other than leave and it will have an effect of what happens and what they encounter. If the party waits it can change the state they find the sahuagin in, but at a terrible cost. And the party won't know any of that before it happens. If they take too long, they can get new allies. But the death toll at that point would be heinous. I like that the PCs' actions and inaction can have tangible results.

Now that we get into the adventure itself. The whole is divided into five parts: An introductory battle in White Moon Cove leading through an event chain to get the party to the dungeon, three dungeon levels, and a sub-level. The entire pyramid is laid out in classic multi-level dungeon style that is entirely underwater. The events section lays out how to make sure the party has the underwater gear necessary for this adventure and covers a lot of eventualities and player choices.

Throughout the module we get scalable encounters. Every encounter comes with instructions to increase or decrease the EL of the encounter by 1. This means the characters can become seventh during the adventure, before the adventure begins, or after it is done and the challenges will still be balanced. The suggestions are simple and most are easy to do on the fly. This makes it very easy to introduce the adventure when it would fit the campaign organically and not when the numbers demand it. This increase the usability and modularity of the whole. Well done.

The second level of the pyramid has a table of Dungeon Dressing suggestions that add points of interest to the dungeon. I really like this as it gives a GM readymade tools to accent the adventure and mood. I'm a little saddened that these are only included for the middle layer, but I suppose the table can be used in other sections where appropriate. The three main levels contain some fairly straight up fights, but the tactics provided make the foes much more canny than a simple kick-in-the door-style game. If you want to play kick-in-the door, you can. You want to play with intelligent foes, you can do that to, and all with the scalable EL system. This section also has many different notes about sahuagin culture that both affect game play and introduce neat interest points for those who are curious. There are even individuals that the party can gain as allies; one is a sahuagin who is in disagreement with the rest of his band! Thus players who like to try and talk can be rewarded as well. I like that there has been such care towards a wide range of playing styles.

That said, the encounters are fairly simple matters. There is little variation or great ingenuity in the combat design. That is ok; not every adventure has to be played out as chess matches between the GM and his players over fiendishly wicked hazards and traps. And the monsters do respond to the party's actions, moving into different areas to help fight off the adventurer's attack. But one or two more encounters that relied on more than just the individual capabilities of the combatants would have been better. The first attack had elements of this driven by the plot with the sahuagin capturing victims as they fought. In the dungeon I would have liked to have seen a few truly unique encounters beyond defend the young or BBEG fighting hard. The end encounter has potential depending on how it is run, so there is that. A creative GM can add these elements easily enough, but they could have been there from the start.

The final sub-level is where the big final battle takes place against an evil, huge, aberrant shark-monster. There are also the prisoners, and how many there are left and how many survive depends entirely upon the capabilities and decisions the players have made so far. This encounter is also somewhat scalable, but with a few differences to account for the complex stat blocks involved. The aftermath has a great deal of role-playing potential with the rescued NPCs and their back stories. Finally we have some suggestions for lasting repercussions to the adventure, including a free download supplement encounter with sahuagin out for revenge. This makes the adventure truly a part of the campaign, and not just a throw away one-shot.

To wrap this up we are given three appendices. The first covers the new monsters and magic items presented in the module. The second is a nice two-page piece summarizing the rules for drowning, underwater movement, and combat. It is good to have them all in one place, and the module suggests printing these out for the players as guides. The third appendix has six pre-generated player characters for using this module outside of a campaign, with character images drawn from Larry Elmore's work.

Final Thoughts: One of these days, I'll get something from Raging Swan that doesn't get a four or five star rating from me. That is not today, however. This is a really good adventure with great supplemental material and overall design, easily placed into an ongoing campaign or acting as a standalone one-shot. The versatility of the encounters, the support for many different styles of play, and the depth of character on the many different NPCs is remarkable. The support material makes this a supplement worth having by any GM intending to use the sahuagin as opponents. If there is a flaw it is in the straight forward nature of most of the encounters. More diversity would have put this adventure over the top into classic territory. I am still rating it very high, somewhere between four and five stars. I'll round up because the supplement material is of such great use. The Sunken Pyramid is a truly fun and entertaining adventure with a lot of substance. Five out of Five Stars.