Savage Tide
The Savage Tide was the final Adventure Path that Paizo published for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, and in many ways it laid the framework for their own use of the gaming style in the future Pathfinder model. It first debuted in Dungeon Magazine #139 (October 2006), and ran until the final print issue of Dungeon, #150 (September 2007). It ran concurrently with a series of articles in Dragon Magazine called "Savage Tidings", which fleshed out various elements of the setting proper.
Plot Summary edit
The party travels to the Isle of Dread, and discover a plan by Demogorgon to unleash a literal plague of malevolence-inducing madness on the multiverse, leading to a climatic showdown in the Abyss. It's a campaign that runs from 1st level to 20th level.
The story nominally takes place in the Greyhawk campaign setting, but is designed to be easily adapted to any of the other Dungeons & Dragons settings such as Forgotten Realms or Eberron. Much of the action is staged on the Isle of Dread, and Dungeon editor Erik Mona stated that, partially because of this, the campaign would contain a number of Mystara references, including specific monsters which had not previously appeared in the then-current edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
The campaign begins in the city of Sasserine and nearby environs, where the party discovers the first clues about an impending disaster called the Savage Tide. The action then moves to the Isle of Dread for the middle portion of the series, and the party must deal with the dangers of the island and unearth more information about the Savage Tide. After a short stop in the depraved pirate city of Scuttlecove, the final third of the campaign takes place in the Abyss, where the party must find a way to stop the Savage Tide and confront its architect.
The Savage Tide Adventure Path consists of the following installments:
| Chapter | Title | Authors | Illustrators | Levels | Issue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "There Is No Honor" | James Jacobs | Ben Wootten; Dan Scott (cover); Robert Lazzaretti (cartography for entire series) | 1–3 | 139 | October 2006 |
| In this opening adventure, the characters are drawn into a murderous family feud. Undead pirates and a powerful thieves guild feature heavily. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Bullywug Gambit" | Nicolas Logue | Warren Mahy, B. Wootten | 3–5 | 140 | November 2006 |
| Hired to find a missing brother, the characters discover a secret hideout and witness the effects of the Savage Tide. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Sea Wyvern's Wake" | Richard Pett | W. Mahy, B. Wootten | 5–7 | 141 | December 2006 |
| The characters begin their journey to the Isle of Dread; the lost city of Tamoachan and a monstrous sargasso are featured highlights. | ||||||
| 4 | "Here There Be Monsters" | Jason Bulmahn | W. Mahy, B. Wootten | 7–8 | 142 | January 2007 |
| Shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread, the characters travel south along the coast to the colony of Farshore. | ||||||
| 5 | "Tides of Dread" | Stephen S. Greer, Gary Holian | W. Mahy, B. Wootten | 9–10 | 143 | February 2007 |
| Warned of an imminent attack by a pirate fleet, the characters seek to fortify the colony of Farshore. | ||||||
| 6 | "The Lightless Depths" | F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter | W. Mahy, B. Wootten | 11–12 | 144 | March 2007 |
| On a quest underground to seek the source of mysterious pearls, the characters discover a horrifying city of slumbering aboleths. | ||||||
| 7 | "City of Broken Idols" | Tito Leati | W. Mahy, B. Wootten | 13–15 | 145 | April 2007 |
| Still seeking clues to the mysterious pearls, the characters travel to the taboo central plateau of the Isle of Dread, to confront the terrible creatures that live there. | ||||||
| 8 | "Serpents of Scuttlecove" | James Jacobs, Richard Pett | W. Mahy, B. Wootten; Tomás Giorello (cover) | 15–17 | 146 | May 2007 |
| The characters once again board the Sea Wyvern, this time to sail for Scuttlecove – a hideous city of pirates, slavers, cannibals, and worse – in search of clues to the final Savage Tide and the rescue of their patron. | ||||||
| 9 | "Into the Maw" | Robert J. Schwalb | W. Mahy, B. Wootten; Mark Sasso (cover) | 17–18 | 147 | June 2007 |
| The party sails into the Abyss itself, seeking to infiltrate a demonic prison fortress and turn its fiendish factions against each other. | ||||||
| 10 | "Wells of Darkness" | Eric L. Boyd | W. Mahy, B. Wootten; Andrew Hou (cover) | 18–19 | 148 | July 2007 |
| To learn the secret of stopping the Savage Tide, the party must free Shami-Amourae, succubus-goddess and former consort of Demogorgon, from the Wells of Darkness, deep in the Abyss. | ||||||
| 11 | "Enemies of My Enemy" | Wolfgang Baur | W. Mahy, B. Wootten; James Ryman (cover) | 19–20 | 149 | August 2007 |
| Our heroes travel to Hades, Arborea, and the depths of the Abyss in order to recruit allies against Demogorgon from the eladrin court, demons, and even other demon lords. | ||||||
| 12 | "Prince of Demons" | Greg A. Vaughn | W. Mahy, B. Wootten; Wayne Reynolds (cover) | 20 | 150 | September 2007 |
| In the final chapter of the Savage Tide Adventure Path, an army of demons and eladrin stands ready to mount an assault on Demogorgon's Abyssal realm of Gaping Maw. The party must take advantage of this distraction and prevent Demogorgon from activating the Savage Tide and driving a world insane. | ||||||
Savage Tidings edit
The first issue of Savage Tidings appeared in Dragon Magazine #348, and ran until the magazine's final print issue, #359. Whilst not part of the series, Dragon #336's article on the Demonomicon of Iggwilv also comes in handy.