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(Anyone playing Rise of the Runelords, and is below level 7, should not read further)

One of my players shelled out $50 for Rise of the Runelords. I really like the writing, but I'm not sure the Paizo guys have really thought it all through.

We're starting on what is supposed to be for 7th level characters (everyone's 7th level, but I'm playing a bit magic-poor, so nobody has more than a +1 weapon, except maybe one guy...). All the DC checks are 15 to 25, but my not exactly min-maxed players are in the +20 or more range (especially perception).

Anyway, the module has players find an ogre out hunting...it's a CR 7 encounter, but the poor thing doesn't last a round. They trail it back to the ogre "farmhouse". The general theme is "Hills Have Eyes, With Ogres". It's good writing, though, I like the themes.

There's another lone ogre encounter before the farmhouse. Again, it's CR 7, but again, the thing doesn't last a single round before being obliterated.

Amazingly enough, my Dwarven Forge collection lets me do the map in the module quite faithfully.

Players come from the bottom of the map, the front porch...yes, a front porch, complete with ogre-sized rickety rocking chair, and numerous bone and skull decorations (I used white play-doh for the skulls, which are liberally spread around the place).

The porch is trapped, but the DCs are so low there's no a level 7 character is going to fail a perception check. The front room has a nice couch (upholstered with human skin, modeled with two sideways pillars); it's trapped, but seriously, DC 15 isn't going to fool anyone.

The orange disk is for the unused fireplace; the brown is a bearskin rug. The green stuff in the corner is the latrine; for some reason, the writers forgot to give the place an outhouse or something, but the ogres make do (HAH!) here.

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The ogre kitchen...all sorts of yucky stuff here (the pics don't do justice to the skulls, tho), but no combat. The doors lead to stairs down, and to the dining room.

Dining room door is trapped...DC20 to spot, though.

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Off the dining room is the play room, complete with animal carcasses to play with. There are two ogre-kin here; they're splattered against the wall in the first round.

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The last three rooms of the ogre house (each room, incidentally, is described as foul-smelling but in different ways).

On the right is the bedroom of the ogre the heroes found out hunting; he'll be here if he somehow, against all hyperincredible odds, survives the encounter with the players.

In the middle is a storage room. The only interesting thing here are the bones of baby female ogres (modeled with the orc skeletons). Mama Ogre don't like competition (all the ogres here are sons of the Mama Ogre).

Mama Ogre is the last room. She's grotesquely obese (I don't exactly have such a figure, but I do the best I can), and can't hardly get out of bed. She's also a spellcaster.

Note: every single spellcaster in the entire Runelords book has Mage Armor, because the spell is stupid-nutso good (the mage in the party has the best AC...), and, of course, Mage Armor is always up.

All Mama ogre's offensive spells are touch spells...this is problematic when you can only move 5' (that's her movement), and being oversized makes movement tough in general. She's attended by 3, 12hp zombies.

In the first round, she's blasted for most of her hp, and has no way of hurting the players because she can't move. At least Paizo gave her Dimension Door. Luckily, the players don't rush her, because she shouts out for her sons to come help (none will come). She flees, of course.

Overall, I like the writing and theme of the adventure, but I don't think Paizo really understands what even a basic level 7 character is capable of. I'm going to have to add some things to the other adventures in this path, because even my bloodthirsty players will lose interest fighting things that can't possibly be a challenge.

Any reason all these living spaces are trapped. Always sort of annoyed me when things used day in day out were trapped. Doesn't make sense to me?

Otherwise I think most Module writers underestimate the power a group can wield.  I have always had to beef things up some. Even if it is just maxing out HP so they might get a chance to act before they die.

Just my thoughts

One of the ogres (on a different level of the house) is a trapmaster, so lots of traps. I'm OK with that, on occasion, but the spot DCs on all the traps are low as heck. I mean DC 15? Seriously? it's kinda tough to make a character at lvl 7 with any sort of focus on Perception that isn't going to be close to +14.

Part of what's messed up in PF is the easy magic item creation. Once one item is good, everyone gets that. So, all the players with ranged attacks get the gloves of the falcon (extra crit, extra to hit, bonus to perception). Soon, all will have rings of sustenance (full recovery in 2 hours), and quite a few other items are just cloned out.

It's not so magical when you can pick up a six-pack at any local store...