Building a Balanced Party for the Extinction Curse Adventure Path in Pathfinder 2e

Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse is a tabletop role-playing game adventure path. It is the twelfth of the Pathfinder Adventure Path series and was released in 2020. This adventure path consists of six volumes, with each volume containing several adventures that are interconnected and form a larger campaign. The Extinction Curse adventure path is set in the fantasy world of Golarion, specifically in a region called the Isle of Kortos. The players take on the roles of circus performers who find themselves wrapped up in a quest to save the world from an ancient evil that threatens to destroy all life. The adventure begins with the players joining a traveling circus known as the Circus of Wayward Wonders.

The adventure begins with the players joining a traveling circus known as the Circus of Wayward Wonders. As they journey across the Isle of Kortos, they encounter a series of challenges and adversities that test their skills and abilities. Along the way, they unravel a mystery surrounding a celestial phenomenon known as the Starstone.

PF2 Extinction Curse (1 Viewer)

With the caveat that my existing games get precedence if I realize my plate is overfull.

Come one, come all! Humble performers become leaders of the Circus of Wayward Wonders when tragedy strikes. But as these heroes lead their motley band of performers and roustabouts around the Isle of Kortos, they uncover a sinister plot to exterminate life from the Starstone Isle. The dead god Aroden may be gone, but his legacy lives on, as do his old enemies who would destroy the wonders he raised from the sea. Spectacle meets savagery as the heroes strive to stop the Extinction Curse!

The PCs are capable people who are able to step up and do a little adventuring if push comes to shove (and OoC, I hope you all expect it to), but at the moment they're not expecting that. They're preparing for the inaugural performance of the Circus of Wayward Wonders. Their circus was founded by refugees, of a sort, from the Celestial Menagerie. The latter, more established circus is run by a rather not-nice catfolk by the name of Mistress Dusklight. A number of her former employees struck out on their own to create their own circus, free of her abuse, cruelty, and generally intolerable working conditions.

Character Creation:
There's additional background information (and some Backgrounds) in the Player's Guide, if you'd like to look. PCs don't have to be performers, but they should be associated with the Circus of Wayward Wonders in some way. You don't have to, but you can if you wish, have an existing connection to the Celestial Menagerie as well.
1st-level characters, standard creation rules. Any ancestry or heritage is allowed except Shoonie (because they're introduced in this Adventure Path, not because I hate dogs).
The adventure does also assume the PCs will be willing to help out.
If a character is a performer, they'll need a Signature Trick! I'll post some more of the circus rules in a bit, but the extremely short version is that you'll need to describe your trick and choose an associated skill or saving throw. Saving throws allow for a higher bonus early on, but there is a drawback in that a saving throw trick indicates that there's a risk of injury. A circus performance is made up of a total of seven such tricks, but the Circus of Wayward Wonders has plenty of NPC performers available to take up some of the slots.

Circus Rules:
Each circus performance has four acts with a total of seven signature tricks: The opener with one trick, the build-up with two, the big number with one, and the finale with three.
Performing a trick works a little bit like a turn in combat, although it of course tends to represent a longer period of time. A performer gets three actions, and must use at least one to perform a Trick Check. You can attempt up to three Trick Checks, but you take a Multiple Trick Penalty that functions like the Multiple Attack Penalty. You can also Costar to aid another performer's trick or Send in the Clowns.
PC tricks grow with level, as it's assumed you're tweaking it over time to make it more impressive. This means the DC scales, but so do the benefits.
You don't have to read the next section if you don't want to, but you should know that there's mild synergy between fire-based tricks and Intimidation, water-based tricks and Athletics, and animal-based tricks and Nature.
More complete Signature Trick rules:

At first level, your trick has one trick check and one trait.
At fourth level, you gain a second trick check.
At eighth level, you gain a second trait.
At 12th level, you gain a third trait.
At 16th level, you gain a third trick check.
At 20th level, you gain a fourth trait.

You gain access to trick traits by learning them from NPC performers. You can thus gain access to more by recruiting new performers to teach them to you. Each of these traits has a benefit.
Agile is so named because it works like the weapon trait and not necessarily because it involved agility (although it certainly can). It reduces the penalty for making a second trick check to -4 and the penalty for a third trick check to -8.
Animal tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Nature trick checks.
Fire tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Intimidation trick checks.
Water tricks grant a +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics trick checks.

The Injury trait is different. It doesn't count against your limit and is granted automatically to any Signature Trick that has a saving throw as an option. Any performer who critically fails a check for an Injury trick must make a DC 15 flat check or be injured. Given that there's plenty of time for first aid there's no HP damage involved, but an injured character can't perform for the rest of the show. At the beginning of the next show, the injured character must repeat the DC15 flat check. On a failure, whether due to a lingering effect of their injury or concerns about being hurt again, that character can not perform in that show either.
The Team trait is also a bit different. For NPCs it describes tricks that involve more than one person. Tricks also gain the Team trait automatically if another PC Co-Stars.

Trick check results:
Critical Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick’s level; this Excitement is added to the circus’s total Excitement for the show. You also generate Anticipation equal to half the trick’s level (rounded up); this Anticipation is added to the circus’s total Anticipation for the show.
Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick’s level; this Excitement is added to the circus’s total Excitement for the show.
Failure No effect.
Critical Failure The circus’s Excitement value decreases by a value equal to half the trick’s level (rounded up).

Co-Starring is a reaction that can be done by a PC when another willing performer in the same act is about to attempt a trick check. You make the same type of check at the same DC to Aid them.

Stormraven

Mystical Atheist

I'm going with Bard. Thus, Performer in some way.

Stormraven

Mystical Atheist

Ystrane
Female mostly human but elfin eyes. Bard 1 Core Rulebook 386, 386
CN, Medium, Human, Humanoid
Perception +5
Languages Common, Elven
Skills Acrobatics +6 (Whenever you roll a success using the Balance action, you get a critical success instead.), Athletics +4, Circus Lore +3, Crafting +3, Deception +7, Diplomacy +7, Occultism +3, Performance +7, Society +3, Thievery +6
Str 12 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1), Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 18 (+4)
Other Items explorer’s clothing, shortsword, backpack, basic crafter's book, bedroll, fine clothing, flint and steel, handheld musical instrument, leatherworking tools, mug, repair kit, waterskin, writing set, purse (3 gp; 9 sp; 8 cp)
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AC 16; Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +5
HP 17 Focus Points 1 Hero Points 1; Resistances cold 1
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Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] shortsword +6 (versatile Slsh, agile, finesse), Damage 1d6+1 Pier
Occult Bard Spells DC 17, attack +7; 1st (2 slots) mage armor, magic missile, unseen servant Cantrips (1st) daze, light, prestidigitation, shield, telekinetic projectile
Focus Spells 1 Focus Point, DC 17; 1st Counter Performance, Inspire Courage (At Will)
Feats Natural Skill, Steady Balance, Versatile Performance
Other Abilities component substitution, composition spells, irrisen, muses, occult spellcasting, polymath, spell repertoire, wintertouched human

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Bira

Infant Great One

Currently reading the player's guide, but I think I'm going with a Goblin Fighter with the Rigger background, though he'd also work as the "strongman" ("See Rakanishu, the strongest goblin in the world!"). I imagine his act includes deadlifting a platform with one or more other PCs standing on top.

Andrensath

Social Justice Valkyrie

Hullena Pidul
Human aasimar swashbuckler 1 Advanced Player's Guide, 83
CG, Medium, Aasimar, Human, Humanoid
Perception +5; low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven, Halfling
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +0 (+1 to Escape), Deception +6, Diplomacy +6, Intimidation +6, Performance +6, Society +4, Stealth +7, Theater Lore +4, Thievery +7
Str 10 (+0), Dex 18 (+4), Con 12 (+1), Int 12 (+1), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 16 (+3)
Other Items leather, leather, hand crossbow (20 bolts), main-gauche, rapier, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, belt pouch, chalks (10), fine clothing, flint and steel, rations (1 week)s (2), rope (foot)s (50), soap, torchs (5), waterskin, purse (18 sp)
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AC 18; Fort +4; Ref +9; Will +5
HP 19 Hero Points 1
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Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] main-gauche +7 (disarm, versatile Slsh, agile, finesse, parry), Damage 1d4 Pier
Melee [1] rapier +7 (disarm, deadly (1d8), finesse), Damage 1d6 Pier
Ranged [1] hand crossbow +7 (range increment 60 feet, reload 1), Damage 1d6 Pier
Battledancer To you, a fight is a kind of performance art, and you command your foes’ attention with mesmerizing motions. You are trained in Performance and gain the Fascinating Performance skill feat (Core Rulebook 261). You gain panache during an encounter when the result of your Performance check to Perform exceeds the Will DC of an observing foe, even if the foe isn’t fascinated.
Confident Finisher [1] (finisher, swashbuckler) You gain an elegant finishing attack you can make when you have panache. The finisher trait is described on page 87. You gain the Confident Finisher action.
Confident Finisher
You make an incredibly graceful attack, piercing your foe’s defenses. Make a Strike with a weapon or unarmed attack that would apply your precise strike damage, with the following failure effect.
Failure You deal half your precise strike damage to the target. This damage type is that of the weapon or unarmed attack you used for the Strike.
Panache You care as much about the way you accomplish something as whether you actually accomplish it in the first place. When you perform an action with particular bravado, you can leverage this moment of verve to perform spectacular, deadly maneuvers. This state of flair is called panache, and you are either in a state of panache or you are not.
You gain panache by successfully performing the skill check associated with specific actions that have a bit of flair, including Tumble Through (Core Rulebook 240) and additional actions determined by your swashbuckler’s style (see below). At the GM’s discretion, after succeeding at a check to perform a particularly daring action, such as swinging on a chandelier or sliding down a drapery, you also gain panache if your result is high enough (typically the very hard DC for your level, but the GM can choose a different threshold).
While you have panache, you gain a +5-foot status bonus to your Speeds and gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Tumble Through or to take any actions that give you panache due to your style. The precise strike class feature (page 85) also causes you to deal extra precision damage while you have panache. Powerful finisher actions, including Confident Finisher (page 85), can be used only while you have panache and cause you to lose your panache.
Normally, you gain and use panache only in combat encounters; when an encounter ends, you lose panache.
Precise Strike You strike with flair. When you have panache and you Strike with an agile or finesse melee weapon or agile or finesse unarmed attack, you deal 2 additional precision damage. If the strike is part of a finisher, the additional damage is 2d6 precision damage instead.
As your swashbuckler level increases, so does your additional damage for precise strike. Increase the amount of additional damage on a Strike and the number of additional dice on a finisher by one at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Feats Fascinating Performance, Fascinating Performance, Focused Fascination, Musetouched

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Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.

Bira

Infant Great One

I don't have Hero Lab, but I copied Stormraven's post and changed the fields .

Rakanishu
Green, swole, and generally gobliny. Named after an ancient hero of his people. Fighter 1, Rigger background.
CG, Small, Goblin (Unbreakable), Humanoid
Perception +4; Darkvision.
Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +7, Circus Lore +3, Intimidation +4, Performance +4, Stealth +6.
Str 18 (+4), Dex 16 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 8 (-1), Cha 12 (+1)
Weapons and Armor: bastard sword, shortbow and 20 arrows.
Other Items adventurer's pack, grappling hook, sheath, purse (21 sp, 9 cp).
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AC 20; Fort +7; Ref +8; Will +2
HP 22 Hero Points 1; Resistances: halve fall distance to figure damage.
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Speed 25 feet
Melee [1] bastard sword +9 (two-hand d12), Damage 1d8+4 S (1d12+4 S two-handed)
Melee [1] unarmed strike +9 (agile, finesse, nonlethal, unarmed); Damage 1d4+4 B
Ranged [1] shortbow +8 (deadly d10); Damage 1d6 P
Feats Goblin Scuttle, Combat Climber, Snagging Attack.
Other Abilities attack of opportunity, shield block.

Books

This phenomenon is linked to the awakening of a powerful ancient alien race known as the veiled masters. As the adventure progresses, the players must confront the veiled masters and prevent them from carrying out their plan to unleash chaos and destruction upon the world. They explore ancient ruins, battle powerful monsters, and interact with various factions and NPCs who may either aid or hinder their quest. The Extinction Curse adventure path introduces new rules, monsters, and character options specifically tailored for the campaign. It also features a unique blend of role-playing, puzzle-solving, and combat encounters to provide a well-rounded gaming experience. The story itself is filled with twists and turns, keeping the players engaged and immersed in the narrative. Overall, Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse is a thrilling adventure path that offers a rich and immersive gaming experience. It combines fantasy elements with a dash of mystery and suspense, making it an exciting choice for tabletop role-playing game enthusiasts. Whether you are a seasoned Pathfinder player or new to the game, this adventure path promises hours of adventure and excitement..

Reviews for "Diving into the Intriguing Backstories of the NPCs in Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse"

1. Jane - 2 stars - I was really excited to play Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse, but I found it to be quite disappointing. The storyline felt flat and predictable, and there were very few moments that stood out as truly exciting or interesting. The mechanics of the game also felt clunky and confusing, making it difficult to fully engage with the gameplay. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and wished I had chosen a different game to invest my time in.

2. Mark - 1 star - I have been a fan of Pathfinder for a long time, but Extinction Curse was a major letdown. The campaign felt disjointed and lacked a coherent narrative. It felt more like a mishmash of random encounters than a well-crafted story. Additionally, the character development in this edition was lacking, and I didn't feel attached to any of the characters or their motivations. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with Extinction Curse and would not recommend it to other Pathfinder fans.

3. Sarah - 2 stars - As an avid fan of Pathfinder, I was excited to dive into Extinction Curse. However, I found the pacing of the game to be incredibly slow, and it took a long time for the main plot to get going. The lack of clear guidance and objectives made it difficult to stay engaged, and I often found myself feeling lost and unsure of what to do next. The combat system also felt convoluted and overly complex, making it a chore to navigate through battles. Overall, I was disappointed with Extinction Curse and felt it fell short of my expectations.

Exploring the Exciting Side Quests in Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse