Hail, Pathfinders!
The Abomination Vaults Adventure Path was the perfect choice for our first Pathfinder ARPG. Its sprawling mega dungeon, memorable bosses, and tightly packed encounters are tailor-made for action combat and exploration.
We sat down with Creative Director Wyatt Gray (WG) and Art Director Jonathan Dufresne (JD) to discuss why the team chose Abomination Vaults, how its narrative and design support fast-paced gameplay, and what it was like bringing this legendary Pathfinder adventure to life.
Adventure Path Selection
Q: What initially drew the team to Abomination Vaults?
WG: Paizo allowed us to choose any Adventure Path. We explored a wide range, then narrowed it down to “mega-dungeons.” With Paizo’s guidance, we shortlisted five standout options in their history.
Q: Were other Adventure Paths considered? Why choose this one?
WG: We considered Emerald Spire, Thornkeep, the Dwarven Citadel, Zolurket, the Hollow Mountain, the Pyramid of Kamaria and the Red Redoubt. Abomination Vaults felt like the best fit: it’s modern (PF2E), still recent, and offered a compelling variety of environments and enemies for players to explore.
Story & Setting Fit
Q: How does the Abomination Vaults narrative fit hack-and-slash gameplay?
WG: Having a single clear arch-villain at the bottom of the dungeon created a straightforward plot for our game, which is needed to keep the action moving forward. The array of cool bosses and the relatively linear layout of the dungeon all facilitate the kind of straightforward experience we wanted to offer.
Q: Which elements within the dungeon’s design suit fast-paced combat and exploration?
WG: The dungeons of the original adventure path are too small to support the fast-paced nature of our game, a player would clear them floors in a minutes compared to the hours needed to fully explore a level in the TTRPG format. But key areas and ideas from floors can be adapted to be both more straightforward and expansive.
The monsters translate well; we start by examining their abilities and attributes before adjusting them to offer a strong combat experience in the action format.
Bosses often need a few special moves to be appropriately epic and dynamic for an action game. Pathfinder combat can be relatively static, whereas we wanted to ensure that a boss could easily and consistently threaten all four heroes from anywhere on the battlefield. Expanding the boss’s move roster is almost always necessary to make that happen.
Character & Encounter Variety
Q: How do enemies and bosses provide diverse combat?
WG: Many of the monsters and bosses of Pathfinder already have unique elements to their design which we lean into. We explore their lore, societal roles, and think about the combat roles we need, to reach final designs.
Q: How does the Adventure Path support ARPG-style progression?
WG: The adventure path does not dictate the player progression or abilities beyond suggesting what level players should be at each level of the dungeon. We often discuss whether an XP or milestone system makes more sense for our progression. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.
We look at the equipment used in the adventure path as a starting point then add our own. The loot of the adventure path doesn’t always fit the mechanics of our game, so we’ve adjusted it to better reflect items that are valuable and usable to the four heroes. Armor, weapons, magical accessories, and resources that they can utilize to power up, are spread around the dungeon.
Dungeon & Environment Design
Q: How does the structure suit level design?
JD: The Abomination Vaults structure has minor impact on the procedural or handcrafted level pipeline, especially on the technical side. What it does offer is great inspiration and a chance to showcase our artists’ ability to create striking moments and visuals. The challenge is finding the balance between procedural generation and handcrafted design. We don’t want levels to feel repetitive, and the only way to push them to a truly polished state is by layering in a strong pass of handcrafted elements on top.
Q: How do you use environmental storytelling?
WG: Environmental elements help us control the pace of the players. A dark hallway, poisonous fog, balance beam, quick puzzle, or destructible obstacle can be used to slow the players down, giving the heroes more time to chat or take in their surroundings before getting to the next encounter or plot point.
These same environmental elements can be used to create interest in an otherwise less exciting part of the level, like hiding a treasure chest or adding something to hold the players’ attention while they navigate down a long corridor.
Challenges & Opportunities
Q: What challenges have the team faced so far in adapting Abomination Vaults to a hack-and-slash game?
WG: Adapting enemies and bosses to an action format can be challenging, as they often need some rework to feel properly exciting and threatening for a co-op action game.
The narrative and floor layouts also needed to be “linearized” from its more open-ended design in the books, where DMs are expected to adapt to the player’s manifold choices. We need to know what the players will do, where they will be, the order they will do things, to prevent the game’s scope from exploding.
Developer Insights / Personal Reflections
Q: What excited you most about translating the original adventure path into your game?
WG: The opportunity to brings these biomes to life, and the unique challenge of envisioning the hybridization of Pathfinder and action, have both been very exciting opportunities.
JD: I also see a lot of excitement anytime we start working on a boss! From the concept phase all the way to in-game implementation, it’s always a blast. It’s really cool to see the team jump in with ability ideas the moment they get a look at the boss design from the book. And it’s even cooler to watch it come to life in-game only to completely destroy us in testing, haha!
Bringing It All Together
Translating Abomination Vaults into an action-packed, re-playable ARPG has been a journey of adaptation and creativity. By expanding dungeons, reimagining encounters, and leveraging environmental storytelling, we’ve created a living, breathing world that honors the spirit of the Adventure Path.
Sharpen your blades and ready your spells...the Abomination Vaults await. We can’t wait for you to explore its depths and experience this legendary adventure in an entirely new way when the game launches. Stay up to date on game news by joining the official Discord and following us on social media.
~ The Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults Team
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