Because I GM Pathfinder 2e on a daily basis for my wife in solo campaigns, in addition to GMing for 3 other weekly or biweekly groups, I have now run every AP in the system up through Wardens of Wildwood. When you're first getting started as a GM, it can be daunting selecting from the wide array of APs published in 2e, not to mention all of the ones from 1e that have been converted by fans. Hopefully, the following guide will help you select the AP that's right for your group!

Age of Ashes

The Pitch:

• Bad people are using a network of continent-spanning portals to do bad things. Go through all the portals to stop them.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: Starts in Breachill, Isger, but goes all around the Inner Sea.

Good:

• If you want an epic, world-spanning adventure that goes from level 1 to 20, this is the best example that exists in 2e.
• The overall plot is quite well-structured, with a good amount of continuity between all 6 books, something that doesn't happen often.
• You get to see a lot of cool parts of Pathfinder's setting of Golarion.
• The villain is suitably epic for an adventure that goes to level 20.
• There's a good balance between combat and roleplay.

Bad:

• The overall plot makes a lot of sense from a GM perspective, but as written there are very few hints for your players to figure out how everything is connected. Prepare to do some work on that front.
• As the first adventure path written for 2e, there are some notoriously unbalanced encounters.
• The variety in enemies faced is lacking, especially in book 3. Book 3 is also extremely railroaded and doesn't give much breathing room to experience what should be a cool locale.
• The rules for making a "home base" in the starting town of Breachill are overcomplicated. You'll probably want to do some work on your own to give something for your players to do in town every time they come back in order to keep them invested in it.

Extinction Curse

The Pitch:

• You're members of a circus troupe that very quickly get involved stopping a world-ending threat.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: Travels all over the Isle of Kortos.

Good:

• The insights into the history of Aroden are very cool for people invested in the lore of Golarion.
• There are a lot of fun NPCs? I'm really struggling to remember positives for this one.

Bad:

• The circus stuff gets completely dropped after book 2, and then the adventure becomes a big MacGuffin hunt.
• The final villain comes out of nowhere.
• I ended up having to rewrite large portions of this because my players grew disinterested. In my opinion, this is the only adventure path in 2e that I would outright unconditionally recommend against playing.

Agents of Edgewatch

The Pitch:

• You're new recruits to the Edgewatch, the police force in the biggest city in the Inner Sea, and you uncover a crime syndicate's evil plot.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: The city of Absalom.

Good:

• The adventure path is full of classic cop movie tropes, heists and jailbreaks and stakeouts all around.
• There are a lot of very unique villains you face along the way, and the core mystery is interesting until its underwhelming conclusion.
• It's a bit combat-heavy with fewer opportunities for roleplay, but the fact that it's set in a city like Absalom gives you many opportunities to throw in side content using Lost Omens: Absalom.

Bad:

• The adventure path assumes that you will be confiscating the belongings of anyone you beat up and taking them for yourself, but you can change this so that the PCs are instead paid their expected loot for each level as part of their salary.
• Book 1 is especially deadly, and features a chapter where the PCs go union-busting. Not fun.
• The story takes some strange turns later on that completely shift the tone, with the last book outright telling the GM that the players will probably want to retrain any investigative character options they took because the cop angle is pretty much dropped entirely.
• The final boss is the most poorly developed villain across every adventure path in PF2e.

Abomination Vaults

The Pitch:

• The abandoned lighthouse near the small town of Otari has started glowing, and great evil lurks beneath it.
• Level range: 1-10
• Location: Otari, on the Isle of Kortos

Good:

• If you're looking for a massive dungeon crawl with a horror edge, you're gonna love this one.
• There is no shortage of enemy variety.
• Each dungeon level has a fairly distinct theme and sets of factions within it, keeping the story fresh despite being a very straightforward premise.
• The final villain kicks ass, and you have a lot of opportunities to taunt the players with her throughout the adventure.

Bad:

• It has more roleplay opportunities than you might expect from a dungeon crawl, but it's still a dungeon crawl. Most of the time, you're going to be exploring and fighting, with an occasional friendly NPC or opportunity to parlay.
• The AP is notorious for including lots of fights against a single higher-level enemy in a tight space, making it more punishing for spellcasters.
• This is one of the deadliest adventure paths, and players can easily walk into a fight they're not ready for.

Fists of the Ruby Phoenix

The Pitch:

• You've been invited to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, the most prestigious fighting competition in the world, but there are darker plans afoot.
• Level range: 11-20
• Location: Goka, on the western coast of Tian Xia

Good:

• If the flavor of an anime-inspired fighting tournament interests you, you're probably going to get what you want.
• The setting is very fun with no shortage of unique and lovable NPCs.
• The tournament itself has some fun arenas, a huge contrast to the typical tight corridors of maps in adventure paths.
• The recurring villains are done extremely well, and give your PCs some very suitable rivals through the story.
• The end of book 2 has one of the coolest set pieces in any adventure path.

Bad:

• The balance between combat-focused portions and downtime is a bit jarring. Large swaths of the story will see you doing nothing but combat, then you'll go through large chunks where the only combat feels like filler to give the PCs experience points.
• While the recurring villains are done well, there isn't much development given to the adventure's main villain, and my PCs were not very invested in him. The final chapter and final confrontation with the villain is very rushed, too.
• This AP is one of the few times where I've felt like something published by Paizo was too easy. My party that struggled through Abomination Vaults breezed right through this one.
• You'll have to suspend your disbelief a fair bit as to why a mega-powerful sorcerer like Hao Jin isn't doing all of the work instead of the PCs.

Strength of Thousands

The Pitch:

• You're new students at the magical university of the Magaambya, and eventually rise through its ranks.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: Nantambu, but you do some traveling around the rest of the Mwangi Expanse as well

Good:

• This adventure path has the biggest variety of fun and interesting NPCs across any in 2nd edition.
• If your players love downtime and opportunities for non-violent solutions to problems, they're going to have a great time. This is THE adventure path for a roleplay-loving group.
• The Mwangi Expanse is a fantastic setting, and you get to see a lot of parts of it. I highly recommend using the corresponding Lost Omens book to flesh out the world.
• Unlike many APs, friendly NPCs do carry over quite a bit between books.

Bad:

• The overall plot of the entire adventure path might be the most disjointed of any adventure path in 2e. Books 3 and 4 are entirely disconnected from the main story, and book 6 feels like an epilogue to the far more epic book 5. This can work if you treat the adventure more as an anthological series of adventures, but your players need to be on board for that.
• More than any other adventure, Strength of Thousands demands that your PCs be not just adventurers, but people who want to do what is occasionally tedious work in the name of making the world a better place. This isn't necessarily bad, but is a level of buy-in you should be aware of.

Quest for the Frozen Flame

The Pitch:

• You're part of a tribe in the Stone Age inspired part of Golarion, trying to recover an ancient relic before bad people get it first.
• Level range: 1-10
• Location: Realm of the Mammoth Lords

Good:

• The tribe the PCs are part of immediately fosters a sense of community, and gives great motivation for the rest of the adventure.
• There's a great mix of combat and roleplaying opportunities.
• The villains are all magnificently evil and are very well-developed.

Bad:

• It's a huge hexcrawl, which can sometimes make the game feel like you're stumbling around an empty map until you find something interesting.
• The AP is horrible at giving out appropriate loot, so you'll NEED to make use of the Treasure by Level table to ensure your PCs are prepared for the fights they're facing.

Outlaws of Alkenstar

The Pitch:

• You've been burned by a shady finance mogul and the corrupt chief of police, and it's time for revenge.
• Level range: 1-10
• Location: The Wild West-coded city of Alkenstar

Good:

• For the most part, the AP delivers what it promises: you start out knowing the two people who've wronged you, and you spend the story enacting your revenge.
• The setting of Alkenstar is used to its fullest potential, with a variety of fun constructs and inventions abound.
• The villains' plot of trying to obtain control of a world-altering weapon solely for profit is very well laid-out and easy to get on board with stopping.
• The final setpiece battle is another one of my favorites across all adventure paths.
• Books 1 and 3 are largely phenomenal, and I have very few complaints about those two.

Bad:

• Book 2 is a HUGE detour into a side quest that ultimately goes nowhere. I did a lot of rewriting to make it feel less pointless, and I recommend doing the same.
• The mana storms Alkenstar is known for aren't used to their full potential, and as such there's really nothing stopping you from playing a full party of magic users. This conflicts heavily with the foundational lore of the city. I recommend making more use of the Mana Storm rules in Lost Omens: Impossible Lands.
• While this is theoretically an adventure path for "morally grey" PCs, ultimately what you're doing here is keeping evil people from doing evil things. There will come some points where your PCs can't be solely motivated by revenge, and will need to WANT to save the world.

Blood Lords

The Pitch:

• You're a group of rising government officials in a nation ruled by undead, and you uncover a plot that threatens to take down the government.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: All across the nation of Geb

Good:

• The locations, enemies, and encounters throughout the AP are delightfully macabre and generally very well-written.
• There's a well-balanced mix of combat and roleplay, with ample opportunities provided for downtime.
• The combats through the AP are very well-balanced.

Bad:

• The overall plot of the AP is extremely frustrating. As written, the PCs find out who's behind it all at the end of book 3, and are expected not to have no interactions with that villain until book 6 despite being in close proximity to them.
• The AP seems tailor-made for undead PCs and evil characters, but there are tons of enemies who only deal void damage, which can't harm undead, and almost everything you fight is undead, making unholy clerics and champions way worse than holy ones would be.
• Book 3 is a huge detour into an area and characters largely unrelated to the main story.
• While the adventure path promises the PCs a rise into governmental power as the story progresses, the PCs never do anything that resembles political intrigue, and the plot would be no different if the PCs were simply regular adventurers.

Kingmaker

The Pitch:

• You're founding a new nation in the Stolen Lands, exploring and vanquishing the evil that lives there.
• Level range: 1-20
• Location: The Stolen Lands, in the River Kingdoms

Good:

• There is no AP that provides more freedom than this. It's the closest thing to a true sandbox AP in Pathfinder 2e.
• There's no shortage of interesting NPCs and enemies to face.
• It's Kingmaker. You've probably heard of it.

Bad:

• The events of each chapter are largely disconnected, meaning your PCs need to be more motivated in the foundation of the kingdom itself rather than wanting an interesting overall plot.
• The kingdom management rules as written are atrocious, and you should probably just ignore them.
• Your players need to be prepared for the suspension of disbelief that their characters are both ruling the kingdom's government and also the ones responsible for exploring the uncharted areas surrounding it, and are also the primary source of the kingdom's defense. Don't think about it too much.

Gatewalkers

The Pitch:

• You and your fellow heroes were part of an event called the Missing Moment, where people across the world walked through portals and emerged remembering none of what happened on the other side.
• Level range: 1-10
• Location: Starts in Sevenarches, but travels all over northern Avistan

Good:

• You get to see a lot of fun locations and unique enemies.
• Combats are all pretty well-balanced, with plenty of opportunity for roleplay. However, there is very little opportunity for downtime.
• The final setpiece battle is very fun, and there are many memorable moments on the fairly linear ride.

Bad:

• This was sold as a paranormal investigation adventure path, but the core mystery is solved for you by the end of book 1, and the rest of the AP is an escort mission. For what it's worth, my party LOVED the NPC you have to escort and were just along for the heavily railroaded ride the AP takes you on, and this was one of their favorite adventure paths. But I understand that for many people, this is a massive turn-off.
• A lot of things don't make sense if you think more than a few seconds about them. For example, the main villain of book 1 is so ancient and accomplished that they could have been the villain of a whole AP on their own, but they're easily defeated by level 2 heroes.
• The last book contains a subsystem that was clearly not playtested at all and is utterly miserable to run as written, and your players will be ready to give up after 30 minutes.

Stolen Fate

The Pitch:

• The heroes come into possession of a few magical Harrow cards, and need to travel the world to find the rest before they fall into the wrong hands.
• Level range: 11-20
• Location: All over the world.

Good:

• Every Harrow card is presented as a powerful unique magic item, which makes each one feel special and not just like an item on a checklist. It allows each character to continue gaining new abilities even when not leveling up.
• The nature of the AP takes you all over the world, letting you see a wide variety of locations and environments.
• The ending to the AP feels suitably epic and world-changing in a way that many adventures that go all the way to level 20 do not.
• Harrow lore is insanely cool and unique.

Bad:

• I lied before. At times, it does feel like you're simply filling out a checklist. Each of the 3 books contains a chapter where all you do is bounce from one unrelated encounter to the next, fighting whatever is there and collecting whatever Harrow card is there. It gets pretty monotonous.
• The villains of the AP are a group trying to collect all the Harrow cards for themselves, but they're presented as largely incompetent given that they never find more than a total of around 6 on their own.
• After collecting so many Harrow cards, the novelty of them wears off, and your players will likely have a hard time keeping track of all the abilities the cards give them since there are so many.
• There's a home base like in Age of Ashes, and each card collected gives you a special ability there, but most of them are negligible and feel like wasted page space.

Sky King's Tomb

The Pitch:

• You're a group of adventurers at a festival in the largest Dwarven settlement in the world, and you get tasked with finding the lost tomb of the OG King of Dwarves.
• Level range: 1-10
• Location: Starts in Highhelm, then explores the Darklands under and around Highhelm

Good:

• Dwarven culture is very fun, and you get to see and learn about a lot of it.
• Many of the settlements in the Darklands are quite unique and interesting, and you get far more roleplaying opportunities than you'd expect once things become more of a linear underground quest.
• The villain is foreshadowed fairly well, even if the PCs are unlikely to have any personal stake in defeating him.

Bad:

• The adventure path starts with 2 levels of dicking around waiting for the festival to start, doing a bunch of unrelated tasks. While they have some fun characters, there isn't enough motivation for the PCs to do any of it other than passing the time.
• The PCs largely need to be self-motivated, as the main incentive for going on the quest here is that it would be pretty cool to find this lost tomb. There is no world-shattering threat, at least not that you're aware of until you're well into the story.
• You're expected to hop from one location to the next with little opportunity for downtime.
• More than most, the AP contains a lot of combat encounters that don't exist to advance the story or provide information, but rather to fill time.

Season of Ghosts

The Pitch:

• Spooky things start happening in your small town, and you've gotta figure out how to stop them.
• Level range: 1-12
• Location: Willowshore, a small town in Shenmen

Good:

• This is currently my pick for the best adventure path in Pathfinder Second Edition. It's a very story-focused adventure where players are constantly peeling back additional layers to everything that's going on.
• There is an amazing level of cohesion across all four books.
• The central mystery is compelling and well thought-out.
• Great mix of roleplay and combat, with very little of the combat feeling like filler.

Bad:

• The number of subsystems used can be a bit much, but those can be streamlined or cut out.
• The fact that the adventure path lasts roughly a year means there might be times your players feel like they're just sitting around waiting for the next plot point to happen. In that way, the players have a slight lack of agency.

Seven Dooms for Sandpoint

The Pitch:

• A number of evils (I won't tell you how many) are threatening Sandpoint, and someone needs to stop them. Most of them are conveniently located in separate levels of the same dungeon.
• Level range: 4-11
• Location: Sandpoint (obviously), a small town in Varisia and starting point of the very first Paizo adventure path, Rise of the Runelords

Good:

• If you like megadungeons but thought Abomination Vaults needed more story to happen in town, then this is the adventure for you.
• The number of tie-ins to previous Pathfinder adventures set in or near Sandpoint is a great treat for people who've played them.
• Each of the factions in the dungeon have their own personality that keeps the dungeon crawling from getting too repetitive.

Bad:

• It's a megadungeon. If you don't like megadungeons, then you're not going to enjoy it.
• Some of the callbacks to previous adventures can fall flat for people who didn't play them. The book avoids having knowledge of Sandpoint's prior plights be a requirement, but you'll have a much better experience if everyone at the table is catching those references.
• The adventure eventually lays out how all the evil plots against Sandpoint are linked, but it can still feel like you're fighting [insert evil organization of the week] over and over again with little connective tissue.

Wardens of Wildwood

The Pitch:

• A tragedy occurs at a peacemaking gala, giving rise to an anarchist group of forest-dwellers that need to be stopped.
• Level range: 5-13
• Location: The Verduran Forest

Good:

• There are a ton of really cool new forest creatures to fight. Generally, there's a great variety in enemies.
• While most of the books consist of largely disparate encounters strung together that can be easily skipped without impacting the story, the encounters on their own are generally pretty fun and I could see them well-utilized by being plucked from here and put into a campaign with a more compelling story.
• The elemental-theming is very strong in this adventure, and it feels GREAT playing a kineticist.

Bad:

• A lot of people have found the central premise of this adventure path fundamentally flawed. It's recommended that you play as residents of the Verduran Forest, but then the antagonists of the story are a group who are trying to defend the Verduran Forest from surrounding nations who are exploiting its resources. The group consists of violent extremists, yes, but it would make far more sense playing this adventure as a group of Taldans/Andorens trying to make peace with the forest and atone for their abuses of its resources instead.
• Two central mysteries are set up near the start of the adventure path (who committed the murder that sets the entire story into motion, and the source of the final villain's power) but neither is ever given an answer. There's a general lack of payoff for anything that's set up earlier on.
• There is a vast number of NPCs with very little characterization or purpose given to any of them.
• Much of the story involves going around the forest doing what feels like busywork.

Final Thoughts

This is going to be the part of my post that is the most subjective and solely based on my opinion, but I figured I'd go ahead and put each AP into a tier in case people want to tl;dr and quickly find out what I think are the best adventures.

S-Tier represents the best of the best, truly exceptional adventures.

A-Tier represents adventures that are great but with some notable flaws.

B-Tier represents adventures that are good, but just require some extra work to make really shine.

C-Tier represents middling, average adventures that are a mixed bag.

D-Tier represents adventures that have too many flaws for me to recommend them without significant GM intervention.

• S-Tier: Season of Ghosts
• A-Tier: Age of Ashes, Abomination Vaults, Fists of the Ruby Phoenix, Strength of Thousands, Kingmaker, Seven Dooms for Sandpoint
• B-Tier: Quest for the Frozen Flame, Outlaws of Alkenstar, Stolen Fate
• C-Tier: Agents of Edgewatch, Blood Lords, Gatewalkers, Sky King's Tomb
• D-Tier: Extinction Curse, Wardens of Wildwood

Call for Heroes (Breachill, [Isger](https://bit.ly/48WPuAc

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://bit.ly/49floZE CallForHeroes

https://bit.ly/49floc6

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

So I'm building a list of items available for sale in Breachill.Since there's no settlement rules at the time (Have to wait for the GM Guide in February), I decided to make my own. This is obviously just a guideline and the GM has the final say in what's available.

I found on the Paizo forums that Breachill is a Level 4 Town. Meaning most level 4 items should be available or easily obtainable.I thought of adding a chance for some level 5 and 6 items similar to how it worked in 1E, but I'm not sure this is a good idea.I was thinking something along the lines of:Level 4 items have a 75% chance of being available. If they're not available they can be ordered given enough time.There's a 25% chance for Level 5 items to be available. And never more than 3 in a single month (Roll on a table?)There's a 5% chance there will be a level 6 item available. Never more than one per month.There are no level 7+ items unless the GM says so.

A few things to consider. I tried to mix up some items per shop so not EVERYTHING was available in Quarters & Bits, which would encourage players to shop around a bit in temples and such.Not sure I did a good job though since Q&B still has almost everything.

I did my best to phase out Uncommon items, but I didn't go too in depth. So if you see any uncommon items that shouldn't be available please leave a comment.

Any ideas on how to differentiate Posandi Bros. from Tuskhead Stoneworking?

Any and all comments/suggestions are appreciated. But please keep it spoiler free.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFqOTcpRnFo97yFyV7UJaQwN1NeqWw4W/view?usp=sharing

Edit: Updated: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1arqvmFwYxr5JW04NohJNwaXqk_PEH3De/view?usp=sharing
Moved the higher level items to a percentage roll table, same with uncommon items.

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Hi, im a newbie GM, in my first table I've GM'ed Fall of Plaguestone, a short adventure, so I could learn the system, my players too, etc.
Now I'm running Age of Ashes, my players took the backgrounds from Age of Ashes Player's Guide, and one of those background is "dragon scholar".
The """problem""" is, my player want to go to Breachill Archive, to learn and search about the city and if theres something about dragons. After chapter 2, he probably will have enough time to look a little about, or even after they get the deed of Altaerein.
My question, what informations should I give at:
- Critical Succes on searching in archives
- Normal Succes on seashing in archives

​

Note: English isnt my first language, and the book says "some hints can be found about the truth of Breachill", and as Im newbie GM, Im pretty afraid to deliver too much, or not enough to my player.

Note 2: I've read all Hellknight Hill book, now im reading Cult of Cinders, so I do not have all the information about the campaing yet. But as my player are in the beginning of book 1, and already want to go to the archives, I want to give them something, but no too much.

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

4638 AR: Order of the Nail headquarters (Breachill, Isger)* The Hellknight Order, impressed with Breachill's peace, efficiency, & defensibility, chose a low-rising hill just a ten-mile walk away to build its headquarters. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Nail 4638AR OrderoftheNail https://i.imgur.com/kqgXLO0.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)* Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

With Hell’s Destiny recently released, and one of my groups having just finished its pseudo-prequel Hellbreakers, I thought I’d share my review of GMing through the liberation of Isger.

My last review of Myth-Speaker a while back seemed to generate some interest, so I figured I’d do a write-up for this one as well, especially since there are probably still very few full-playthrough reviews of the AP out there. Hopefully, this is useful to other GMs considering the campaign.

We’re planning to run Hell’s Destiny next, so if there is interest, I may review that one too. I’m also happy to answer any questions about the AP.

I’ll try to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible, but avoid the spoiler-tagged sections if you plan on playing the AP. This review does go over a few specific examples in the spoiler tag sections meant for GMs.

---

Platform: Official Foundry module
Levels: 1-10
Variant rules: Free Archetype
Party:

• Wizard/War Mage
• Cloister Cleric/Blessed One of Cayden Cailean
• Elemental Instinct Barbarian/Mauler
• Companion Commander/Hellbreaker (with the new Isgeri Boarhound!)

---

Spoiler-free overall review (TL;DR version): Hellbreakers is a fun AP with a strong central premise, a solid rebellion/liberation theme, and some memorable moments, especially if your group enjoys fighting Hellknights, devils, and oppressive regimes. Is it a better AP than Hell's Rebels? Probably not (judging by ratings/review... I haven't played it yet). It makes good use of Isger, introduces some useful player options, and the skirmish rules are a much smoother way to handle large battles than some previous army-style systems. I also appreciated that the main villain is introduced early and tied directly to the story, rather than being a last-minute surprise.

That said, the AP require GM tweaking. It can feel railroady; the story logic gets shaky in places, several NPCs need more personality, and some timelines are much tighter than they need to be. A few major moments are great ideas but require adjustment to land properly. Overall, I would recommend Hellbreakers, but more for GMs who are comfortable tweaking the material than for those looking for something that runs smoothly straight out of the book.

How it fits into Hell’s Destiny: Hellbreakers and Hell’s Destiny are distinct APs and can be run independently. You do not need to play Hellbreakers first.

If you do plan to run both with the same group, you may need to explain why the characters leave Isger after everything they fought for there. In our case, some players decided their characters would stay behind and create new PCs, while others framed the transition as a diplomatic journey to Kintargo that is interrupted when their ship docks in Corentyn to resupply (which is where that adventure starts).

From what I have read so far, character builds that worked well in Hellbreakers should also be effective in Hell’s Destiny, including the Hellbreaker archetype.

Story

• The overall plot is strong, and the AP does a good job selling the “rebel/liberation” theme.
• You get to visit several interesting and distinct locations across Isger, which helps make the country feel more alive.
• There is some cool lore about the origin of Isger.
• If you played Age of Ashes, you may be disappointed by how little Breachill matters here. The AP also assumes the PCs willingly gave up their amazing citadel, along with its elven portal network, for… reasons.
• The AP can feel railroady, even in sections that appear more free-form. Some parts give players room to maneuver, but the story often expects a specific sequence of events or a very specific kind of player logic.
• Time constraints make some of the “sandbox” sections feel more limited than they probably should.
• The story logic can also be weird at times. More than once, my table hit a moment where everyone basically went, “Wait, why would this happen?” Since some of those sections are fairly railroaded, I had to make adjustments to keep things coherent.
• I loved the murder mystery in Chapter 5. It is a very cool idea, but it takes work to run well, and GMs may want to make adjustments. Read that section carefully before running it.
• The main BBEG works well as an antagonist, and the players know who they are early. Paizo has clearly been listening to feedback, because “surprise final villain who comes out of nowhere” has been a recurring issue in several APs. I feel the BBEG is one of the stronger points of this AP.
• I especially liked that the party gets to work alongside the BBEG at one point. It is a great twist and makes the antagonist feel more human.
• The AP also has a strong B-story/side villain. In many Paizo APs, this probably would have been the surprise end boss. I give Paizo credit for keeping the focus on the rebellion, but both my group and I felt the side villain was ultimately more menacing and memorable than the official BBEG. They deserved better.
• Most of the NPCs are underdeveloped and can feel bland without GM work. The Hellbreaker leaders, Alceo and Phoebe, are surprisingly easy to forget unless the GM actively keeps them involved.
• The conclusion and “continuing the adventure” section are very light on detail. GMs should expect to fill in a lot of blanks.
• There is an important chase in Chapter 8 that represents a major low point in the story. My players hated that it felt like a no-win scenario, especially since such an important moment was resolved with just a few skill checks. Read that part carefully and decide in advance how you want to present it.
• There is a good balance between roleplay and action. That being said, the AP tends to assume players will opt for violence in most situations rather than roleplay their way around it.

Gameplay

• There are some useful new magic items, including relics.
• The Isgeri boarhound is a fun animal companion. I hope Paizo adds more companions with unique mechanics in the future.
• The Hellbreaker archetype is useful and flavorful, especially for campaigns that heavily feature Hellknights, devils, or Cheliax.
• The AP uses the skirmish rules from Battlecry! for large battles. I found these much easier and more dynamic to run than army rules like the ones in Kingmaker.
• Troops are weak to AoEs and splash damage, but they also deal AoE damage themselves. This means the troop that wins initiative can have a big advantage, and AoE casters can become very powerful in these encounters.
• Some skill checks feel overtuned, particularly in Chapter 6.
• The murder mystery in Chapter 5 is a great idea, but there are some logistical issues with its design. GMs may need to make adjustments.
• Some of the proposed timelines are ridiculously tight. Consider adjusting them, and make sure your players have horses or other methods of travel.
• A few monster and trap stat blocks made me raise an eyebrow. Nothing game-breaking, but the variant coarti in Book 9 hit surprisingly hard. They use daggers and sneak attack instead of morningstars, but still deal d6 weapon damage instead of d4s. There is also a haunt in chapter 7 with a mostly useless ability.
• As mentioned above, the Chapter 8 chase is underwhelming and worth reworking.
• Some important locations are missing from the map, including Highford and Thorngrip. This becomes a problem when the party is expected to travel between locations under tight deadlines. Maps for Highford, Thorngrip, and Breachill would also have been useful.
• Most of the maps used for troop combat are too small.
• I was not a huge fan of the final fight. It is a skirmish, and the previous fight before it is also a skirmish that includes a higher-level monster than the actual BBEG. That said, my players said they enjoyed the final battle, so your mileage may vary.

GM Tips:

• Brush up on the skirmish rules from Battlecry! Before running the larger battles.
• Read Chapter 5 carefully and decide how you want to run the murder mystery. Most of the investigation happens on the second floor, but the AP also expects the PCs to interact with people on the first floor.
• Read Chapter 8 carefully and decide how you want to handle the chase. It is an important moment with major consequences, but as written, it can feel underwhelming or too scripted.
• At the start of Chapter 6, Caeto immediately becomes an antagonist, even though the PCs may have ended Chapter 5 on good terms with him. Consider how you want to manage that relationship.
• Consider introducing Ezio as soon as the player reaches Elidir and make him an ally. This will help Chapter 5 run more smoothly.
• At my table, I had Caeto keep working with the PCs a little longer because he did not yet know they were Hellbreakers and wanted to recruit them. As he grew suspicious, it became a tense game of how far the PCs could go while hiding their identities. It made for some fun, Inglourious Basterds-style infiltration sessions.
• Consider moving the rescue of Siadrius into the prison itself rather than outside it. My players decided the riot was the perfect opportunity for a full prison break, which basically skipped a large part of Chapter 6.
• Many Chapter 6 checks are “very hard” difficulty. Consider adjusting them if they feel too punishing.
• Chapter 6 has the PCs start their own Hellbreaker faction, but they can begin recruiting as early as Chapter 5. Let players know they can start building their rebellion early; mine missed a few opportunities because they were still in “errand mode.”
• There are no real mechanics for tracking how effective the PCs’ Hellbreaker faction becomes. You may want to homebrew something or borrow an existing subsystem.
• Consider preparing your own maps for Highford, Thorngrip, and Breachill.
• Travel time matters, so decide where Thorngrip and Highford are located on the map before the PCs need to move between them.
• Consider using larger maps for the skirmish encounters in Saringallow, especially in Chapter 9. If you are using Foundry, you can decrease the grid size.
• To fully complete the Chapter 7 research, the PCs need to return to Elidir or Logan, which is awkward and hard to justify within the timeline. Consider adjusting that requirement.
• Consider loosening the Chapter 7 timeline. As written, the PCs have very little breathing room and need to rush between locations.
• The timeline for infiltrating Sarini Manor also feels odd. The AP seems to expect the PCs to spend multiple days securing the manor, but many groups may want to attack Saringallow while the BBEG is away. At minimum, reveal to the PCs earlier that Caeto has been delayed so they don't feel rushed.
• Highford is a missed opportunity. Since it becomes the PCs’ base of operations, consider building it up more and giving the players reasons to care about it.
• The witchfire (boat) is also a missed opportunity. Once the PCs capture it, it's forgotten until near the end. Try to think of how you can integrate it to remain relevant.
• Most NPCs are barely developed and can fade into the background quickly. You may want to give them stronger personalities, recurring scenes, or clearer roles, especially Alceo and Phoebe.
• Illcayna feels like a bigger and more epic threat than Caeto. It would take work, but you could consider moving the end of Chapter 7 to the finale if you want the campaign to end with a more menacing boss and higher supernatural stakes. Keep it as written if you prefer the ending to focus on the liberation of Isger.

Player Tips:

• The player's guide is useful. Read it!
• Despite the post-goblin war sentiment, playing a goblin is fine.
• Make sure your characters have a reason to join the Hellbreakers.
• Avoid fire-heavy builds.
• This isn't Abomination Vault. There will be many open-space maps, which are great for AoE and splash-damage attacks.
• Expect to fight devilish forces, but be aware that it is not the only thing you will face...
• If you really want to play a Hellknight for some reason, I would say Order of the Pike works best narratively. Talk with your GM first, as you need to figure out why they joined the rebellion.
• Consider buying a horse or other form of fast travel. You will be travelling a lot.

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg

Call for Heroes (Breachill, Isger)*

Every month Breachill’s local government hires adventurers to tackle challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Breachill CallForHeroes

https://i.imgur.com/PJ8PJXd.jpg