Publisher: Paizo Inc
Authors: James Jacobs with Aoife Ester and Linda Zayas-Palmer
Artists: Rodrigo Gonzalez Toledo, Mylene Bertrand, Robert Lazzaretti, and Gunship Revolution (Mico Dimagiba, Patsy Lascano, Adelijah Ocampo, Hinchel Or, Rafael Cal- Ortiz, Marcus Reyno, Jen Santos, and Brian Valeza)
Year: 2025
Genre: Second chapter of the three part Spore War Pathfinder adventure path
Pages: 94 pages
MSRP: $29.99 for the softcover or grab the PDF for $19.99.
The party must travel behind enemy lines to prevent Treerazer’s forces from completing a deadly weapon in The Secret of Deathstalk Tower, the second chapter in the Spore War Adventure Path.
On its surface, The Secret of Deathstalk Tower is a much more traditionally action-oriented adventure. The party is set on the trail of an elven hero and discover the sinister plot of a dangerous adversary whom they must defeat. Exploration is big. Combat is big. Diplomacy is far less of a feature than in the previous chapter.
That surface, however, hides a far more intricate narrative design, one that embeds crucial choices all along the way. Deathstalk Tower balances making the party feel consequential –essential to the war effort, even– with demonstrating that they are not the sole actors in the conflict. A party may benefit from the generosity of a supply drop, but taking advantage of resources deprives another theatre of war where they may be more urgently needed. Every mission is an opportunity not only to fight for good, but to actively erode evil, whether in open combat, by spreading disinformation, or sabotage.
The war interludes are an especially effective piece of design. While a successful party may be able to direct resources to resolved every emergency, many tables will be forced to make difficult decisions and weather the consequences. While there are clear good and bad outcomes, the impact of some decisions will certainly feel weightier than others, leading to the potential for compelling and deeply engaging roleplay as parties attempt to weigh out what they believe they can afford to lose. The twist comes in the promise that the ultimate outcome may also depend on how many Triumph Points remain at the end; even for GMs, the full impact won’t be fully felt until the Adventure Path’s finale.
Its these elements that help give The Secret of Deathstalk Tower narrative teeth and help encourage players to pay attention and buy in. They also serve as a natural disincentive for disruptive behavior as parties have good reason to stay on task and collaborate, as well as constructive outlets for troublemaking.
From a story perspective, the sum of these decisions is a world that players are shown – as opposed to being simply told– that the world is far bigger than what they experience of it. It’s a richer experience that elevates the game’s storytelling that, by extension, helps to sell the story’s stakes as more than just a narrative contrivance. The challenge for GMs, then, is to manage thoughtful gameplay without letting the table slip into analysis paralysis.
The Secret of Deathstalk Tower offers not only an exciting series of challenges that cater to a variety of playstyles, but the opportunity for players to wrestle with tough choices that come with authentic consequences. While it’s difficult to fully evaluate the strength of these choices until the final chapter, the payoff teased by the events in Deathstalk could be truly epic.
