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Pathfinder Adventure: Malevolence

4.30/5 (based on 12 ratings)
Pathfinder Adventure: Malevolence
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The house has stood abandoned on its lonely hilltop, brooding quietly over the ruins of a once thriving town for decades. No one has lived within its walls since the night a terrific storm flooded the coastal town below—and since a tragedy struck down the noble family that once dwelt within—but now, the mansion has attracted the attention of a curious group of adventurers. What is the truth behind the tragic past that empowers the evil that grips the mansion today, and what might happen to the world of Golarion if the sinister influences that grow within these haunted walls are allowed to build beyond the breaking point?

Malevolence is a horror-themed adventure for 3rd-level characters written by James Jacobs featuring sinister new monsters, mysterious magical items and spells to discover, and a fully-detailed haunted house for players to explore, exorcise, and endure. With an immersive method of researching the history and truths of the mansion's macabre secrets through visions, dreams, and good-old fashioned ghost-hunting and investigation, Malevolence is ready to test the limits of any heroic party's bravery!

This adventure can be used with the Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Malevolence.

ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-315-7

"Malevolence" is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (812 kb PDF).

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Pathfinder Nexus on Demiplane
SoundSet on Syrinscape
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Adventure Subscription.

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PZO9559

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Average product rating:

4.30/5 (based on 12 ratings)

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I think this might be the Harrowing of 2nd edition

5/5 —

Every edition of an RPG has the solid adventures, the awful adventures, the forgettable adventures, and the adventures which get talked about even decades later.

Malevolence is dense, it's complex, it's incredibly challenging, but the story is so beautifully done that I'll be coming back to this one for years to come.

If you like mysteries, then this one of the best. The mystery is actually solvable. There are ways to give your players clues, and reveal more things to investigate without feeling contrived.

I wish I could give this a 6th star

Poorly Designed

2/5 —

Almost nothing but over-levelled encounters, in a scenario set up to ensure the characters can't hit the expected level for those encounters, making every fight stupidly difficult. As a player, this adventure was nothing but frustration. We quit less than halfway through.

A shame that the potential story is hidden behind ridiuclously-tough fights. Might be ok to play if you use a group a level or two over the recomended.

Lots of potential, depending on your group

5/5 —

I'm currently running this for the second time. The first time we got about 1/4 of the way through the adventure before life got in the way. This time we are about 1/2 way through. The adventure is very well written and flows together very well. The attention to detail is amazing and frankly, we are having a lot of fun. I'm amazed by how much value my players are getting from one adventure. The one caveat I have for this module is that this isn't a great module for beginners. It really rewards people who dig deep and those who embrace the research aspect of the adventure. Additionally, this is a horror atmosphere. In horror movies, people run. If your party does not understand "strategic withdrawal" as a tactic, this may not be the adventure for them. I have had 4 encounters where the party decided to withdraw and come back later. If your players can think like that, this will be a great time. If your players aren't of that ilk... well... they get to make lots of new characters to try out.

A largely unfun slog

2/5 —

I wrote a large, detailed review, but PAIZO ate it, so here is the condensed version.

Almost every room has a single high level monster, which just wrecks you, and you can’t just go sleep it off because the game punishes you for that too.

There is one monster that isn’t the final boss that would have TPKed our party of veteran players who knew what we were doing because it was grossly under leveled (was more powerful than its level indicated).

Almost ever room has a haunt, which stops being scary and just becomes tedious after a while.

Story and plot line are fantastic and the only thing that save it. If only the encounters had been redesigned and the game had give you sufficient loot, I would have rated it 5 stars. As it is, the author seems to have confused ‘hard slog’ for ‘scary.’

Best Adventure Ever

5/5 —

I did write an in-depth review, but when I hit save changes I got a "You've backtracked too far error" and lost it all.

So I'll just sum up: great atmosphere and great research mechanics. The fights are pretty tough, but it's usually fine to retreat if you need to. Best adventure I've ever played.

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Paizo Employee Webstore Coordinator
5 people marked this as a favorite.

Announced for March! Product image and description are not final and may be subject to change.
Silver Crusade
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hell yeah.
Liberty's Edge

My body is ready.

Yessssss
2 people marked this as a favorite.

I wonder where on Golarion
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sweet! James is one of my favorite adventure writers. You have my full attention now.
Horizon Hunters
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I am screaming inside my heart.
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Lanathar wrote:
I wonder where on Golarion

Southwestern border of Ravounel.

Grand Lodge
Pathfinder Adventure, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook Subscriber

Huzzah!

This looks so good. I'm assuming it's another 3 chapter module?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

Oh man! This is going to be good.
Dark Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Well this somehow strikes me as good title and summary for movie :O
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Woohoo looks awesome
Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Birthday present!
Paizo Employee Creative Director
13 people marked this as a favorite.
Sporkedup wrote:
This looks so good. I'm assuming it's another 3 chapter module?

I'm still working on it, but it's currently got four chapters. It's still aimed at being 64 pages long though.

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path Subscriber

I am excite. :D
Sovereign Court

Awesome!
Dark Archive

Very excited about this, and I love that it's a low-lovel adventure; there are never too many of those! :)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Any chance of the Necronomicon making a cameo and starting some Evil Dead like trouble in this adventure or a future product?
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Hopefully for Golarion, it won't rear its head for a while - it features heavily in a little adventure path called Strange Aeons...
6 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Haunted house, sweet setting! Gives me an idea to run a Shoony Investigator named Scooby.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Might actually pick this one up, I love location based adventures
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Mmm spooky times!
Paizo Employee Webstore Coordinator
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Update: This product has been moved to an April release, along with the corresponding Flip-Mat.

Very nice!
Grand Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Katina Davis wrote:
Update: This product has been moved to an April release, along with the corresponding Flip-Mat.

Just realized it was pushed to April. Will be a nice birthday present for me!

Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
Elfteiroh wrote:
Just realized it was pushed to April. Will be a nice birthday present for me!

Heh. I've been robbed! See my post of Jul 21, 2020 upthread.

Paizo Employee Marketing & Media Manager
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Ed Reppert wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:
Just realized it was pushed to April. Will be a nice birthday present for me!
Heh. I've been robbed! See my post of Jul 21, 2020 upthread.

I think you get short fiction based on Malevolence for your birthday instead. We've that for March.

Grand Archive
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Ed Reppert wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:
Just realized it was pushed to April. Will be a nice birthday present for me!
Heh. I've been robbed! See my post of Jul 21, 2020 upthread.

Aaaw! :( I had forgotten you had posted that when I made mine. I wouldn’t have gloated had I remembered. :X

(I’ll be honest though, that we got confirmation of a new short fiction for it sounds very nice, I always love these fictions.)
Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Short fiction is acceptable. :-)
Paizo Employee Creative Director
4 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Sporkedup wrote:
This looks so good. I'm assuming it's another 3 chapter module?
I'm still working on it, but it's currently got four chapters. It's still aimed at being 64 pages long though.

UPDATE: It's 3 chapters long. (I combined what was initially chapters 2 and 3 into chapter 2.)

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

This is gonna be the first adventure I bbuy for PF2e, definitely looking forward to the 'immersive research' oriented materials, I love exploration and environmental storytelling.
James Jacobs wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Sporkedup wrote:
This looks so good. I'm assuming it's another 3 chapter module?
I'm still working on it, but it's currently got four chapters. It's still aimed at being 64 pages long though.
UPDATE: It's 3 chapters long. (I combined what was initially chapters 2 and 3 into chapter 2.)

I see this is designed for level 3 PC's, what level do they end the module at?

Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
andreww wrote:
I see this is designed for level 3 PC's, what level do they end the module at?

I'm guessing five or six.

f-word yeah! Paizo, you are the best!

Awesome cover!
1 person marked this as a favorite.

oh wow yeah that new cover art is fantastic, props to the artist
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O
Paizo Employee Creative Director
1 person marked this as a favorite.
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

Spoiler:
...vampiric mist.
Paizo Employee Starfinder Senior Developer
7 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

** spoiler omitted **

Oh gosh, those *wrecked* us in this game.

This is a delightful adventure. We just happened to spend a lot of it screaming as a result of both the creepy fun and our B-horror-movie degree of reckless exploration.
Developer
3 people marked this as a favorite.
John Compton wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

** spoiler omitted **

Oh gosh, those *wrecked* us in this game.

This is a delightful adventure. We just happened to spend a lot of it screaming as a result of both the creepy fun and our B-horror-movie degree of reckless exploration.

I still think we should have split up. I mean, split up *more*.

Paizo Employee Creative Director
5 people marked this as a favorite.
John Compton wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

** spoiler omitted **

Oh gosh, those *wrecked* us in this game.

This is a delightful adventure. We just happened to spend a lot of it screaming as a result of both the creepy fun and our B-horror-movie degree of reckless exploration.

I'd be lying if I said that the mayhem those things caused you all didn't factor in to my decision for what to put in the art brief for the cover...

Ron Lundeen wrote:
John Compton wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

** spoiler omitted **

Oh gosh, those *wrecked* us in this game.

This is a delightful adventure. We just happened to spend a lot of it screaming as a result of both the creepy fun and our B-horror-movie degree of reckless exploration.

I still think we should have split up. I mean, split up *more*.

"We should split up. We can be spread over more ground that way."

Paizo Employee Starfinder Senior Developer
5 people marked this as a favorite.
Ron Lundeen wrote:
John Compton wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
CorvusMask wrote:
Is that one of those undeads with jars whose name I forgot? :O

It's a...

** spoiler omitted **

Oh gosh, those *wrecked* us in this game.

This is a delightful adventure. We just happened to spend a lot of it screaming as a result of both the creepy fun and our B-horror-movie degree of reckless exploration.

I still think we should have split up. I mean, split up *more*.

Me: "Okay, there's a lot of this place to explore, so let's proceed methodically."

Ron: "I found four doors!"

Me: "Okay, good, let's start over here and—"

Ron opens all four doors at once.

Ron: "What? Couldn't hear you over all these creaky hinges!"

Four Encounters of Creatures and Haunts Triggered Simultaneously: "SKREEEEEE!"
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Ron, if you do that again, I will kill you.
Scarab Sages

Excited to run this one
2 people marked this as a favorite.
John Compton wrote:

...

Ron opens all four doors at once.
...

Is that an ancestry feat? ;D

Scarab Sages
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
chris manning wrote:
Excited to run this one

Me too.

I am especially interested in the research aspects mentioned in the description.
Visions, dreams, and investigating. It sounds like fun!!
4 people marked this as a favorite.

Foxglove Manor 2.0.
Count me in!

Ruyan.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Katina Davis wrote:
Announced for March! Product image and description are not final and may be subject to change.

I love these short APs, especially with different character levels. Keep them coming Paizo!

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