Back in January, I went through a number of games I need to try in 2024. I’m nearly complete on that list. With 5th Conspiracy, I went through a whole season and it took me a while to parse all that I’d learned and done. Heck, nearly 70 pages of notes during the game will do that. (Yes, I’m that kind of player.) Also, I figured what better time to premiere my experience and the glorious details of this game than right before the next season starts and you get your opportunity to try it at PAX Unplugged next month! So get ready to look past the obvious and mundane, to the world of the Oratum and their 5th Conspiracy!  This was the game that my dear friend Kae said I had to try at PAX Unplugged last year, and I’m so glad I did. 

I asked Kae why she’d come to me directly and so in her words: “It managed to blend urban fantasy in a setting with combat that didn’t feel like a slog while offering character options of so many different mythologies and monsters varieties that it felt like anything was an option. I left wanting to play 5th Conspiracy again. I literally did the next day of the con.”  PAXU 2023 would prove that opportunity! “Stephen had created his own system with outside mechanics which broke down and solved so many issues we’d experienced in other games we played together over the years. I  knew it would appeal to Rob as a player who loves WoD which heavily influenced 5th Conspiracy. It was worth his time to invest in [insert wink emoji here] with the added bonus that I wanted to play what I knew would be a great game system with a great roleplayer and friend.” Gotta love Kae, and thank you Kae for helping bring me into this world and meet Stephen!

Truthfully Stephen, that is Stephen Koontz the creator of AED Publishing (also on bsky), does an amazing job breaking down the what of this game. The man’s been gaming his whole life, worked for Roll 20 (a developer after my own heart), and took his experience to not only make a creative modern (usually urban) fantasy/gothic/scifi game but also weave in the tools to help it, you, your gaming group be successful. How’d he do that? Calm down, I’ll get there! First, I have to go a bit deeper into the Premise. While I thankfully have an early version of the full 5th Conspiracy rule book – yes, be jealous it’s over 200 pages of awesome – I can’t just share it with you! However, I can tell you that this game is very much that mix of fantasy, gothic, and scifi like I mentioned. It all comes down to what kind of character you and your friends (the actors) are playing, let alone the story you are telling with your Director (the GM). I won’t say Storyteller, because, well I’ll get to that later too.

Tell Me Why

In my professional life, where I work as a consultant, we try to strive for the Why of a company we’re working for, and the why of a project. That helps us help you (the client) prioritize as well as get us all marching to the same vision together, especially if the Why is a problem you’re trying to solve. Making it easier to use the checkout of a site is a very different why than launching a new site design to excite customers. Of course, you might want to do both! But this isn’t about my work, so why then are you telling me this Rob you might be asking? It’s because the Why of 5th Conspiracy is important. It’s tools for establishing a gaming group, a game with a story you wish to tell, and even the fundamentals of its mechanics are all part of Stephen’s desire to answer the problems of keeping a gaming group together, to be able to tell diverse stories (even differing season to season), and allow for a gaming system that allows us all to be authors of the story while still putting some fun anxiety into the dice rolling. Yes, yes, I swear I’ll get to mechanics too. It’s worth calling out that characters come first, then stories, then mechanics. You can even see that in the frame up to how Stephen and his team are putting the book together as seen below.

The Basics

First, know that 5th Conspiracy is a juxtaposition of the human and the supernatural. You might be a witch or wizard. You might be a vampire or a werewolf. You could be an angel, a devil, or some other divine entity. Maybe you’re of the Fae, and that doesn’t mean you have to be a trickster in the woods! Perhaps you’re the spirit of the forest or a city block. Perhaps you’re an alien, traveled here in the pursuit of science and the Earth’s important future. You might be the personification of a legend or myth like Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed. Or perhaps you’re descended from the Gods of one culture or another or a mix! As I said, it’s a mix! There’s a fair amount of politics as these groups have organized into houses and a certain power structure, with names you’ve likely heard (Lucifer, Merlin) leading the way. All want to keep influence, all like a certain amount of veneration from mortality (not just the Gods). What does it mean to exist in this modern world? How do you influence it, gain from it? Do you forgo your humanity or try to help it? As you gain power and influence it gets harder and harder to not only blend, but to stay close to what once was considered human for you. You can see below a part of the book (still in development) where we get a fictional character’s perspective on what the Oratum are.

Premise & Planning

You can utilize 5th Conspiracy in many ways, emphasizing the political, or the action, or a mystery. To help you and your friends focus on what kind of tale you wish to tell, and to help the group come together with joint understanding to prevent game fracturing… You know, like one person didn’t realize the game would be months long or they can only make it every other Saturday? Or one person wanted more action and another’s here for romance and politics? Stephen created the Premise Document, available in the 5th Conspiracy Resources. So I can’t tell you this game is just one thing, because it’s not. And it’s not just based on what the Director wants. Oh no, well the Director might have ideas about this game and its mechanics really challenges you to help write the story with your fellow players. You aren’t just reacting to a story that’s crafted without the characters in mind. And it’s not the Director’s job to write out a full plot weaving the characters’ needs together. It’s a group effort, a blend of the two, because it’s collaborative because while 5th Conspiracy is at heart a character driven game, it’s also player driven. Oh that doesn’t make it easy, no, but it is more rewarding and the Premise Document helps you get there. Decide on the genre (more action or intrigue, or something else). Think about the themes that inspire everyone. Are you trying to find your family or seeking self-discovery? Maybe it’s revenge. Maybe it’s a treasure hunt. Spirit helps remind you of some parts of fiction, tv, etc. that you’re trying to capture here. Is it Monty Python or Game of Thrones, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, Dresden Files or True Blood? And of course, choose a Setting. Usually it’s going to be a big city but hey, if it’s just small town in the midwest that’s okay too!

Of course the Premise Document details more like the expected schedule, some Hooks to tie into the pilot, and the important Safety Mechanics. You should be reviewing all these in part in discussion ahead of session 0 with input from the Director and players, and then formally at the session. It’s good to review and certainly possible to reject aspects so the group can come together into a new plan. Take a look above for how Stephen goes into that process. Really, take a look at the Premise Document (open it!) and you will realize how valuable and useful it can be for any game, not just 5th Conspiracy. Like I said, Stephen’s created not just a fun, great game but tools to help you in all your roleplaying.

Hooks & Needs

I mentioned the Hooks above on the Premise Document. This is where the Director has taken their inspiration for the game and hopefully a pre-session 0 alignment on genre, themes, spirit and the characters being considered to come up with the events that set up the story of the season. This is important to help the characters know how they might fall into, get caught up in, or seek out the main plot items. Indeed, a character could be the genesis of one. But this is important because the most important part of character creation – besides having a rough idea of your central concept or Tulpa – is knowing your characters needs. What makes them tick? What is driving them forward? What do they want, or truly need? And they should reflect some of the Hooks if not have a Need tied to one of the Hooks. You can have situational needs too, but they’re not what’s at the root (thus Deep) of the character. In the first season, my angel knew they valued knowledge and I had envisioned this “Lost Angel of the Oratum” concept. Our central hook was around a missing character named Mercedes so I had created a Deep need of finding a place for my character, a true place of being or home. Their situational need tied to the hook, having heard about Mercedes and wanting to help find her because she was part of one of the mage families, the Salucci.

Ya Got Winning Attributes

That gave me my central concept and ties to the game. From there, I could build up my angel boy, my strangely insightful, off-putting to fellow teenagers Ardent. I had to choose his 4 Attributes: Fitness, Coordination, Keen, and Personality. They have sub-attributes or Traits too. Brawn and Tough for Fitness. Dexterity and Agility for Coordination. Aware and Smarts for Keen, and Charm and Will for Personality. Those traits probably help you reason out the intention of the four, but what I like is how they flow into mechanics. Any time you try to do something that requires a little effort or is contested, you’ll need to roll one of those traits, the die of the parent attribute and with the benefits of the trait number. I figured my Ardent was a bit of a student athlete so while all abilities started at d4, I’d raise Fitness and Keen to d6s. I got one more raise and rather than make any a d8, or increase Coordination, I figured he was strong of Will and thus had to increase Personality. I also would get to put a 1 in some of those sub-attributes. What’s that do? Well whatever that value is – it can raise later on as you advanced – if that number or lower is rolled, you roll again. Thus, I could ensure I didn’t get a 1 when rolling with Will, which obviously had to get a 1 in it. Same for Smarts as he was a dedicated student and another for Aware as he was more people watcher than extrovert. I so wanted one in tough, but it wasn’t time and I was out of points. Decisions have to be made. So here’s what my scores looked like:

Who You Are Matters

But it’s not just those attributes, it’s also how you see yourself and others see you. You start with an identity at a d4, which is pretty novice, while a d8 is professionally trained or known and the limit of most humans. You can certainly get higher, however. We got 6 identity step increases. Thus I decided to start with three based on the concept I’d already started forming: Student Athlete, Respected Volunteer, and Lost Angel of the Oratum. I also decided to go pretty standard across the three and give each 2 steps, so each would be a d6. That would mean I’d have to be sure to justify these as part of my Milestone breakdown. Those Milestones are basically the advancement of the character, and the average young adult and character should have 3 Milestones to start with. Each milestone brought 2 of those identity step increases. Stephen has a great chart and level up detail, so I won’t go hard into it but it helps you tie advances to story. Thus after this step I had the following identities:

Oh and look at that Dramatic Action button there… You see, we played with Roll20. Remember I said Stephen was a dev for them? Well he created an API to tie in with the character sheet, i.e. he programmed the heck out of it to work just how like Roll20 makes other game systems work. Snazzy right? Yeah, literally the way to play this virtually is already ready for you! You hit that Dramatic Action button after you’ve determined your approach, that is the Attribute and Identity you’ll roll with to determine your result. Stephen’s gone beyond that and in dramatic scenes of real conflict, there’s a timer. Get your approach in fast, with a quick snippet of what you’re doing story-wise, and don’t delay! It really helps you feel the action, like using the Jenga tower in a Dread game. I love it. You might note too there’s text under my identities as they can shift as you increase them. Ardent went from a Courageous Volunteer who saved people from a burning building (which is where some magic first kicked in, protecting him) and soon became a Respected Volunteer working around his home city. Here’s hoping in Season 2, Ardent will be a little less of a Lost Angel, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Additionally there are Identity Focuses, like special perks tied to your character’s identities that you get to work out with your Director. Ardent was thought to be a wizard at first, capable of manipulating elemental energies, and so I wanted a wizardly Patron for him. The Director (that is Stephen) was like, well what about Merlin? Won’t that be a hoot when he shows up! Uhm, yes! It really was a surprise for the other players too. I also thought that he should be well Connected due to his volunteer work, which makes it easier to call in help through those channels. The Patron on the other hand is more the ‘shows up when it really matters but isn’t around all the time’ type. His influence was felt in my background and he showed up once during the game in a perfect way. Well, he appeared again, but it wasn’t him after all but a tricksy rogue AI/robot bent on world domination. Ardent was trying to stop it so it made sense.

It’s More Arts Than Science

But let’s get to the fun powers stuff! These are your Arts and you will have access to 3 domains of Arts. Those domains (shown below) are Beauty, Freedom, Primal, Prosperity, Security, Spiritual, Victory, and Wisdom. You gain access to one through your Faction, which is the overall grouping of a few Families. The next you gain is from your Family. Each of the different families and faction gain access to these Arts, but usually with a different focus on the subset of abilities.  However it’s worth noting it’s not restricted.

Ardent is part of the Host Faction because he’s a Khafra, a being tied to knowledge. It took a lot for me to decide between Ange (classic guardian angel) and the Khafra, but at the root I knew Ardent would be about bringing knowledge, especially magical knowledge, and enlightenment to people. Considering not a lot of human beings use and believe in magic, it makes sense he’s been lost right? So the Host gain access to Beauty and the Khafra to Wisdom. You then choose a third, and Spiritual seemed right due to the magical aptitude I wanted Ardent to have on his own and training he’d have gotten from some wizard tower before they realized he wasn’t a mage at all! Your two granted domains also have some abilities that might work easier or better for you. Each Art has up to 5 levels and various options to choose within those levels. The first Beauty art I chose for Ardent was Thoughts and Prayers, which does indeed work better for the Host. Ardent can hear the prayers of humans across several blocks, and those that pray to him by name can be heard from any distance. It’s a real easy way to send a message when a cell phone isn’t going to work! Ardent also took the ritual magic of the first level of Spiritual, some of that wizardry training, and Flip a Coin, the first from Wisdom. Flip a Coin would represent that strangely insightful, oracular like ability he’d always had as a young kid, knowing things by surprise or guessing at outcomes.  Below there’s another excerpt focusing on the Werewolves and you can see a bit of their domain Art: Primal.

Let’s Roll Dice!

To get that next level of mechanics, let’s talk roll results. Again, first you start with your approach and then agree on what attribute and identity that makes sense to roll. Rolling uncontested? The Director has a target number in mind and if one die meets or beats, you succeed. Both do? That’s success with a dramatic beat and you get to ask for something a bit more. There can be dramatic consequences too for failure, but that’s part of the fun of the story and you get to narrate why the failure. It doesn’t have to be ‘oh I’m just bad at stealthing at this one moment.’ Maybe someone comes around the corner, the light flickers, a rat hits a piece of trash, etc. Rather than the typical d20/D&D occasional bad roll reflects on you, it’s more the circumstances of the game. A real dramatic failure might mean introducing more risk like another guard coming down the hall to suddenly spot you! You can choose to succeed with consequence when your roll fails, but roll snake eyes and it’s a dramatic failure no matter what! Figure out the results, then tell how it all plays out. Narration is always the last aspect to be detailed.

Your Arts can usually be used most of the time without consequence, but some uses of them could tax or Deplete you, especially used in combat. All Oratum are powered by an amount of veneration or worship energy for their legend, the fear of them, etc. That helps counter that depletion and that’s checked again their Balance. The greater your Arts access (i.e. the max level you have) the higher your balance. Over time your Depletion die goes from d4 to d20. When you roll higher than your Balance, you become Taxed and can eventually become Depleted. Roll under or equal to your balance? Well then the die amount for your depletion check goes up. Eventually, even the strongest Oratum can tire the power they pull through their tulpa. I liked seeing this in action because it gives power/ability to your character, but over time with certain uses it can be used up and give reason for the character to seek new veneration from human folk.

There’s some other mechanics, like using Story Points (think hero points) to get a reroll in an action scene or introduce something into the scene to help you like an ally arriving or revealing a tool that could aid in the effort. You might also get advantage, or +1 to a roll, but get in a spot in an action scene and you’ll have disadvantage, -1 to any non-defensive action. Good idea to try and get out of that spot so you can get rid of that -1. There’s other conditions like wounded, helpless, dying, but I’ll leave those to you to discover more about when you play. Instead, let’s look a bit deeper at the story and my own experience shall we?

But Why A 5th Conspiracy?

First, we’ve talked a lot about 5th Conspiracy the game. But what exactly is this 5th Conspiracy in-character? Well there are 4 conspiracies, which are the four courts of Oratum that make up the Metikos government. There are the Kylem, the Lucifera, the Tuatha De, and the Pragmatiste. Each faction belongs to one of these allied conspiracies, but don’t expect all to be friends. There’s still political challenges for power and all the various ranks and titles and squabbles around such. Dragons for example are found within Pragmatiste. Gods within the Kylem. Angels are within the Lucifera. Fae are part of the Tuatha De. However it goes a lot farther than that and you’ll find almost any myth or creature you might want to play have their place including Vampires in the Pragmatiste, magic users in Kylem, aliens in Lucifera, and more! But the 5th Conspiracy? This is a legend, a myth, said to be a group of Oratum or perhaps something different that will destroy the Metikos. There are the Titans who are almost abstracts of forces or elements of nature given form, and seemed basically focused on destroying the Oratum. It goes well beyond the Titans of Greek mythology. Could they be tied to the 5th Conspiracy? Maybe, I don’t know. This is purely Rob conjecture. Like I said, there’s much you could play and it’s possible a 5th Conspiracy could form out of renegade faction members! Take a look at the full Factions list preview below.

Ardent’s Story

Most games, you’re not going to start high up in any faction, let alone be known to a broader Conspiracy. Maybe some folks in your city know you and that’s probably it. Now certainly you and your group could choose to start with more milestone, farther along in your Arts and possibly in political clout if you want to get into higher intrigue and contention stories with the rest of the Metikos or just Oratum in your city. However, you can have plenty of interesting tales early on without being far along. That was certainly the case for Ardent, who actually arrived relatively fresh to San Diego while the other characters had some seasons under their belt. I as a player was also a fresh add but Ardent had had visions of terrible things happening in San Diego, and so he came to help.

Ardent eventually met the two other main characters playing in this season through their pursuit of the missing Mercedes, the odd behavior of the leader of the city, and the revelation that more and more Oratum were going missing. Eventually we found out that even the head of the Tuatha De, Marie Rattlestilt (seen below), was missing but only because she was in hiding. She’d orchestrated a many-centuries long plan of having a series of daughters, and one son, to help facilitate a possible saving play to stop a monkey’s paw like artifact that was influencing and taking control of some people, including the leader of the city Syrus Regis. Meanwhile, Ardent’s trying to figure out where his knowledge and magical influence comes from that led the Wizards thinking he was one and to eventually acknowledge it was like he had some sort of damaged angelic host. Had he or his parents, that he never knew, done something terrible like a binding? No. Instead we found out the lost, heavily damaged Raziel (Galitsur), the Angel of Mysteries and Secrets and so-called “Keeper of All Magic” was tied to Ardent. Raziel was healing because of how he’d sacrificed himself in the distant past, at the destruction of Atlantis to save all others. Ardent was helping Raziel heal and continue his mission while Raziel helped Ardent. Great, but that healing would mean nothing if this deranged, sentient magical artifact and twisted AI that was controlling robots to murder people (kidnap even) continued on. Truly, all would die. We did stop both, and the deranged AI didn’t make it easy, but 2 of the 3 characters died including Ardent. Yep, he saved all he said he would and yet again gave himself (like Raziel had) to protect everyone. When I actually play a really good guy, I really go for it. However, do not fret, not all hope is lost, as our new season (which will have started by the time this comes out) will see us traveling the realms of the dead including Hades and Heaven to help get back to the waking, living world.

Stephen’s a master storyteller certainly, and a wonderful Director in encouraging us to shape our scenes. It was certainly a new situation for me to tap my DM/GM/Storyteller hat but in a player-way rather than guiding my character’s journey along the larger plot. Ardent had some real challenges between his stats/capability and his newness to the city, but he did help. In fact, I found I felt Ardent needed a singular scene of real triumph, which is where he went up against the deranged AI as he saved not only just Mercedes, but two other NPCs that the AI was using for their Oratum power as sort of a super-supernatural battery. Funny enough, Ardent was the battery there at the end to fuel a reality-changing, wish machine of a sort to conquer the foul influence of the monkey’s paw and those too far gone to be saved, like Syrus. Oh did I mention Syrus was also Kae’s character’s dad? The other main character was a sister, a goddess of the moon and magic, and capable of moving between time/space to not only set up Syrus in the right battle (and save numerous powerful people of the city from dying stupidly) but also using that reality-changing, wish machine. Marie (their mother) had set it up well. Yup. A glorious series of final battle and emotional scenes.

I also really value the mechanics and even the Arts use in non-combat scenes. D&D and Pathfinder are pretty combat focused, but utility spells and the right skill rolls help. Like FATE, utilizing failures to tell the story is woven into 5th Conspiracy so it’s not just a fail or pass. And you’ve got serious World of Darkness feels with monsters, politics, but it’s so much more than that. It’s certainly a climb to influence and possibly leave the human world behind, but that depends on the story you tell as well. There’s incredible opportunity for you with this ruleset. You could easily be the powerful people in a small town, or start higher milestone (and thus more power/influence) though I’d recommend saving that for after you’ve played a campaign or at least a couple seasons of one. I highly recommend investing in 5th Conspiracy and this amazing game. In fact…

Play 5th Conspiracy at PAX Unplugged!

Are you excited to try now? Good. You should be. Here’s how you can play 5th Conspiracy at PAX Unplugged. Go to Games On Demand, which usually has a large area set off in the RPG part of the hall. If you’re not familiar with Games On Demand, you don’t preselect tickets but stand in line and it’s first come, first serve for the time slot that’s starting. So if you want a specific game, get in line. Join their discord or go by and ask for some guidance. They will help you. Heck, I will help you if you ping me!

You could also meet the fabulous Brian Liberge who ran that Monsterhearts game I was so joyously part of. But most importantly even if you don’t get into the game you want, there’s a lot of others happening and you are guaranteed to have a great time with this amazing group of volunteers! Stephen will be there running 5th Conspiracy at the following times:

• Friday 12/6
  • 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (EST)
  • 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (EST)
• Saturday 12/7
  • So no times set right now, but Stephen seemed open to the possibility…
  • UPDATE RPG Designer Meet & Greet
    • 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (EST)
• Sunday 12/8
  • 2 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. (EST)

And of course, you’ll probably see me at Games On Demand as well! I’ll have more hype for PAX Unplugged coming in two weeks, my article releasing right ahead of the convention. Safe travels, happy gaming, and much love to all in this great community! So very thankful for my Know Direction and gaming family!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – 5th Conspiracy book, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, art by Mike Luard

1. Premise excerpt, 5th Conspiracy, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz
2. 5th Conspiracy full cover banner, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, art by Mike Luard
3. Guide to the Mysteries, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly
4. On the Nature of Oratum, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly
5. Premise Rejection, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly; “Cinna the Sphynx”, art by Ethan Kelso
6. Domains, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly
7. Wolfe Family, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly
8. Witch, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, art by Mikael Lavandier
9. Factions, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, layout by Jen McClearly
10. Marie Rattlestilt, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz, art by Mike Luard
11. Games On Demand logo, Games on Demand
12. Suits banner, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz

You were already on a heroic journey, but now the story is truly mythic. It’s time for more War of Immortals, and was I ever excited to see what Mythic could be for Pathfinder2E. First, a shout out to the amazing authors, developers, artists, editors, and team on this book as it’s filled with amazing mechanics, great art, and so much great lore. James Case, Liane Merciel, and Michael Sayre all had Author credits with Michael also being Design Lead. What’s more, the amazing Avi Kool has Editing Lead credit. But of course, there are so many more adding their voice to this book so check out that credit page and you can also Meet the Authors on the Paizo blog!

I truly appreciate the Myths and Legends chapter doesn’t go right into mechanics. After so many new mechanics for our new classes, ancestries, archetypes, I think it’s quite helpful to reset with a bit of a breakdown of what the chapter entails. It’s very informative and literally provides information on what you might find, as well as the Narrative intent to be told with mythic stories (and characters) as well as the Tone that these adventures will take. The challenges are harder, the impact greater, and the implications of every decision can not only impact your destiny but that of everyone else and the entire world, even the universe. Some will feel a great responsibility to use this power wisely (we know that lesson) but there will be those abusing that power to their own selfish ends as well as various monstrous challenges of truly mythic proportions. I appreciate the Tone leverages metaphor as reality – words cutting like a knife and truly drawing blood – as well as real folktales and stories. I hadn’t heard of “The Soldier and Death” from Russia but now I have. I love those great stories of being a simple person, giving away food to a beggar or helping an old person in the woods, becoming a true start to great heroics because it shows that person was good, willing to sacrifice or help. In this case it was a soldier giving away his last biscuit to a beggar and getting something grand (well, mythic actually) in return.

Yes, there’s a quick reference then to the mechanics we’ll see later on. But first, we focus on what a GM – and even players – should understand about Telling a Mythic Story. It’s not just the GM writing the story after all, all players are helping write that tale! At first there is the Calling, which may happen at any level, helping you transition from the standard adventurer to the mythic. It might even be you were born with power, but it activates at a challenging time (attack on your town?) or heck even puberty (X-Men mutant style!). Over time you’ll face numerous Trials, and there’s great guidance here for you GMs, before reaching the Final Approach to the ultimate challenge. That Final Approach is perhaps getting through a monstrous horde or army, breaking into a castle/tower/dungeon, and then confronting the big enemy in the Ordeal. Again, great detail here for players to help frame up their goals and GMs to craft around it so do check it out. Finally, there’s the detail on Immortality, which is supported by 20th level mechanics. This is when the heroes become one with the universe, Gods, achieve the ultimate goal (a la closing the Worldwound), or move on to battles amongst the planes. This is that destiny that mythic legends are marching toward, and once again, there’s great guidance here like considering an in-game plot that interests you for your character and you can help achieve a great ending for your character with the GM. We all want the collaborative story we’re telling together to be truly memorable after all!

Okay, So the Mythic Rules Are

How that literally plays out? Well, the Mythic Rules gets into the real details. First, forget your Hero Points. You don’t have them anymore. You have Mythic Points, and you start every session with 3. Don’t use them that session? Well you lose them and start with 3 anew next time. So, use them. What do you use them for? Well you can spend one to reroll a saving throw, skill check, attack, etc. at a proficiency bonus of 10 + your level. Yep, you’re even better than Legendary. In fact, use it on a skill you don’t have Expert or up in, and you get to count as having such like if you need Thievery of Expert or Master to open a lock. But it’s more than that, because various abilities, usually acquired through feats, will also require these Mythics Points. But don’t fear, through Mythic Deeds you can get more over the course of a session, or the adventures in general. Usually these deeds are more tied to hazard, puzzles, and other noncombat scenarios, likely tied to the Calling of your mythic hero. Mythic monsters can have them too, but it’s more an associated challenge than simply fighting the monster. I’ll mention a few later when we get to those monsters! Specifically however, if you defeat a mythic opponent the one whose attack killed them gets 2 points and the rest of the party gets 1. I’m intrigued to see this difference set as that certainly hasn’t been the general rule around XP and treasure. You might also achieve something or make a truly epic sacrifice and the GM can rule giving you mythics points, but in general it’s by completing a deed for 3 points to each member in the party or doing something in line with your Calling, which nets you 1 point.

Have You Heard the Mythic Call?

But what are Mythic Callings? This is your purpose, well your character’s anyway. Maybe it was granted by your deity, maybe it’s what inspires you, maybe it’s born from that initial mythic deed where your power came to you. But you have one, and only one. Each grants you some native abilities, like a way to spend Mythic Points as well as Edicts and Anathema to follow. Following your edicts grants you a mythic point, but violating your anathema makes you lose all you currently have. This book gives us 11 Callings, but I can see more in the future, especially in any Mythic adventures they release. As an example, we get the Demagogue’s Calling. You speak from the soul and can use a mythic point when you Coerce or Make an Impression. The first time each day you critically succeed to Coerce someone who isn’t an ally, Create a Diversion with words, or Make an Impression on someone indifferent or worse, you regain a Mythic Point. Sure seems like someone who could cut you with words, right? Well their Edicts are to tell stories who haven’t heard them, and use words before weapons to resolve conflicts. Indeed, it is Anathema to interrupt someone telling a story or to use violence without trying to defuse the situation diplomatically first. It’s sure to create some challenge for parties, but almost every Anathema could. Like don’t like to hide knowledge or refuse a request to hunt a dangerous animal. The Thief’s Calling has an anathema about leaving treasure unattended! Be careful in Pharasman tombs, Thief! She’ll have words for you when you die.

You get some additional abilities to help prevent death though. Each mythic hero does get a new free-action ability called Rewrite Fate. It allows you to reroll a skill check or saving throw where you don’t like the result. You spend the mythic point and get to use that bonus of 10 + your level. It’s also a lot harder to kill a mythic hero. When you would die (i.e. dying 4 for most), you instead become doomed 1 and stabilize at 0 hero point. Get to doomed 4 and you’re truly gone. But the doomed value goes away as normal, decreasing a point when you get a full night’s rest. Even mythic heroes need their sleep, unless they trance, or they’re androids, or… Well, they still rest. You get it.

They Look Like Big, Good, Strong Feats, Don’t They?

Mythic Feats start at level 2 and go through level 10. You gain one at each even level and then at 12th level you consider your Path to Immortality, which is basically a Mythic Archetype. But first, let’s consider these low-level feats. Some require a specific Calling, like Hands that Unweave Disaster requires you to follow that thief’s calling. With this 2nd level feat, you can spend a mythic point to Grab an Edge with that mythic proficiency. So that’s 2nd level, your bonus would be 12 + ability score + any bonuses and that d20 roll. You can also do so when Disabling a Device as well. Rewrite Fate let’s you do the reroll for any skill check or saving throw result, so not exactly a bonus on the Acrobats to Grab an Edge, but it would help with the Disabling Device if it required Expert or higher. Maybe let’s consider the 6th level reaction Correct The Story. Didn’t like that your enemy got a critical attack or saving throw result? Well let’s spend a Mythic Point and have them reroll. They just get better, as you might expect. 10th level has 7 options to choose from as printed. Mythic Casting let’s you spend a Mythic Point as a single action. Then the next Cast a Spell action you take, your spell attack roll or DC uses your Mythic Proficiency instead of its normal proficiency. Mythic Strike is similar but for a weapon or unarmed Strike. Eyes That See Eternity is a single action and you get truesight for a minute as well as making all Perception checks with that mythic proficiency. At 10th level, your mythic proficiency is 20 (10 + 10), and of course you’re still adding your ability scores, bonuses, and making that d20 roll.

I love that Mythic is not an “all the time” truly powered up template, but more something you can activate. However, that still will make various challenges, hazards, and combats easier. So how do you design around such? Well, again, the developers have some guidance for us GMs. The Mythic Encounters section is broken down from 1st to 5th level, 6th through 10th, and then 12th to 20th with a special note about the “highest levels,” which I take to mean 17th and up. I’v heard many hoped for levels beyond 20, like they did for Pathfinder1E. Even my brother mentioned it, but at least for now there aren’t mechanics for that. Instead we focus on building beyond the core structure we have. All three sections have a focus first on general activities, noncombat challenges, typical skills and impacts of their mythic abilities. Encounters are detailed for each with varying levels of how much you should use trivial, severe, and extreme encounters. As you can imagine by high levels, you’re not even really going to use low and can do more severe encounters in a row. The important part is ensuring there’s some measure of getting Mythic Points back along the way. No Mythic Points, no mythic abilities get used. Also bare in mind if you’re running a long session, you’ll want to restore those Mythic Points at least once because the assumption is a 4 or so hour game. There’s a nice sidebar in this section for GMs about Unlocking New Paths, and really allowing mythic characters to impact the larger world and story. Be prepared for shocking events, common people to be wowed or terrified, and of course true changes to your narrative world. You’ll want to keep track in case you play more games in that same world, perhaps with another campaign not so mythic but nonetheless the heroes are inspired by the mythic characters of the last campaign.

Walk, Walk, Walk the Path.  Walk the Path to Immorality.

As I noted above, Mythic doesn’t stop at 10th level but typical mythic feats due. Instead you choose the road you’ll walk from the Paths to Immortality. These are basically your mythic archetypes. Each presents a destiny that your mythic character will walk with feats along the way, with a final 20th-level capstone feat. We’re presented with 9 Paths:

• The Apocalypse Rider – do you dare to ride with the great daemons of war, Death, Famine, and Pestilence?
• The Archfiend – will you become a Lord of Hell, demon or devil?
• The Ascended Celestial – or are you a sanctified soul who will aid the Upper Planes?
• The Beast Lord – maybe dwelling amongst the natural world, close to your companion is the right future?
• The Broken Chain – perhaps you will overthrow tyranny and promote greater freedom, proving a hero of the people?
• The Eternal Legend – are your martial skills beyond peer, and your legend will live on in tales forever?
• The Godling – forget the Hells, the Upper Planes, are you ready to find your place amongst Golarion’s shaken pantheons?
• The Prophesied Monarch – or is more about the Kingdom you make here on Golarion?
• and finally the Wildspell – if you are one with magic, then it can be one with you!

Each is presented with four pages of details, first starting with some background aspects of what that Path represents and what actions they may take in the world. A number of examples of that Path are also given, not with stats but with story elements, of how they are or maybe could become a mythic character following that destiny. Each then has their 12th level Dedication feat and multiple feat options for 14th, 16th, 18th level, and two options for 20th. As an example the Broken Chain 12th level dedication allows you to use a mythic point to Escape or Force Open. You also get a single-action Ultimatum of Liberation that has an unlimited duration, though you can only have one active at a time. You proclaim an ultimatum against a single creature. All others who hear it, including any who hear it later on, are empowered for a day. They get a +2 status bonus to Will saving throws by oppressing enemies’ effects, or +3 if they’re within 30’ of you. The creature you gave the ultimatum to or any of its allies must make a Will save if they come within 30’ of become frightened. Of course, that target can truthfully agree to permanently end their oppression to end the feature. By 20th level you can take an Ideaform rather than be killed, where you’re invisible and incorporeal with only 1 hit point, but you’re immune to all damage and you can’t be instantly killed or destroyed. Within an hour you have to find a willing follower to merge with and then rebuild your character to a degree with a merging of class choices and their ancestry. Feels like Angels in Supernatural to me! The other 20th level feat let’s you spend a mythic point with 3 actions once a month. You alter reality to get a success on a Wish ritual, either undoing the effects of a past action or set of actions that occurred in the last week that led to whatever undesirable outcome. It notes there will be serious consequences that will come back to haunt your PC, basically giving the GM a set up to make you wonder if it’s worth your meddling with reality. Maybe Aeons will come for you, or the Norn, or a Deity of Fate, or a bunch of other heroes who know were impacted by this. This is just one path and yet there are many more with difficult decisions to be made. Truly mythic can change your world, your universe. Imagine a whole party of them! I’ll note that the Godling is the only Rare path while the others are Uncommon. Not everyone can become a God after all but Razmir is trying…

Items and Spells Are Going Mythic Too!

The Mythic Vault is filled with items of rare power. The very first given is the Mythic Armor Potency Rune at level 20. It’s a +4 item bonus to AC and gives you a reaction to spend a Mythic Point when an enemy critically hits you. If they’re mythic, it’s a normal success. If they’re not, it’s a failure. That sure feels godly to me! There’s a spear called Shadowpiercer that Nidal is not happy about, a true artifact not of brilliance and joy, but grim resolve. Those horselords are tired of the Umbral Court’s crap. I’m sure there’s a witch out there that would love to help any, especially from the Atteran Ranches… Don’t get it? It’s okay. This is a reference to Ateran my witch from Three Ring Adventure over at Roll for Combat / Battlezoo. One day we’ll finish… maybe… I hope. There’s also Mythic Spells like the level 10 Garden of the Green Man’s Growth. It’s 3 actions and you summon a Green Man to help you, one of those Arrive and Depart effect spells. How’s 10d8 bludgeoning damage from sudden growth and then 12d6 slashing damage from dangerous vines? It may be green at first, but those plants will be soaking up blood by the end of it. Damn. And of course, there’s the simple Rainbow’s End. A 2-action 1st level spell where you call down a rainbow from the heavens. Yes, first level my friends. It does simple spirit damage to those in the 10’ burst where the rainbow comes down, but meanwhile your allies adjacent to you can Interact with you to be teleported into that area. You can sustain it for a minute, so maybe don’t sustain it too long if your friends traveled the heavenly bridge to attack your enemies? Oh and of course, Summon Oliphaunt of Jandelay, another 10th level arrive and depart. But let me tell you, that monster is available to fight too!

Get Mythic Power, Fight Mythic Monsters

Now I want to go into all the monsters, but I don’t want to spoil the fun they can have for your games. There’s some templates to make Ambushers, Brutes, Casters, and Strikers into mythic dangers. The Mythic Gogiteth presented (see above) is pretty terrifying, giving an example of an Ambusher as is the Mythic Caster example, a Mythic Lich. But after some good Mythic Monster examples using the templates – and I’m sure we’ll see more in future adventures – we get the big Mythic Monsters, destined to be great adversaries for your heroes. There are seven given, including that Oliphaunt! Each has a bit of narrative, background information, origin details, how to use them in your campaign across various levels, great artwork, stats to support the creature, and mythic deeds to tie to handling the monster. You might even find some additional items or rituals too. One example for the Oliphaunt is finding the Archive of Dissonant Frequencies and doing some truly mythic research in this ancient astrological orrery. There’s another about besting a muse – not Oliphaunt related mind you – that might actually be problematic if it’s your Bard’s muse! Let’s hope a witch’s patron doesn’t get involved in one of these. …Uk’otoa…Uk’otoa… (Critical Role reference for my Critters). I love the warped godling mythic threat they’ve put in here, but I truly won’t go into detail about it and leave that for the GMs!

Or you can invest now in War of the Immortals and check it out yourself. This is another book that’s chock full of amazing and useful rules, not just the mythic but the character options I discussed last time. I haven’t even touched on the lore – well maybe a little – and I’ve chosen to leave out doing so until it’s relevant elsewhere, like maybe with Divine Mysteries later this month! Really though I don’t want to spoil the fun you and your teams can have with the amazing creativity brought together here. Let me know about the mythic characters and games you’re making in the meantime! Now I just need to decide if I’ll bring any of this to our Kingmaker game, hm…

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – War of Immortals cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. What Is Mythic excerpt, War of Immortals, Paizo
2. What Is Mythic banner, War of Immortals, Paizo
3. Mythic Samo, War of Immortals, Paizo
4. Mythic Nahoa, War of Immortals, Paizo
5. Mythic Gogiteth, War of Immortals, Paizo
6. Myths and Legends full page, War of Immortals, Paizo

That art is breathtaking and terrifying. The War of Immortals is upon us. Next Wednesday you can feast your eyes upon this beauty, and maybe like me also catch the last two episodes of Agatha All Along… I got my PDF ahead due to my subscription, which is totally worth it if you want the book, though also I’ve been enjoying the hype online and from my friends. Also the Curtain’s Call adventure path has been leading up to the event as well. Some truly epic (wait, mythic!) events are unfolding. I’ll go deep into the book next time, heavily into the lore and possibly a separate one around Mythic itself, but I had to start calling out my excitement for new options here!

The Animist

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the Animist. The cleric I play in my brother’s game is very spirit focused. When I created him, there wasn’t anything quite right for Pathfinder2E to be used. He’s certainly developed into more of a priestly figure (and his deity is the city he’s in) but he still often calls on spirits and I’ve used spirits in the nature of his spellcasting, literally calling on the help and power of the spirits of those who’ve passed but were dedicated to the city somehow. My fun gnome is the voice of the city! Yes, I definitely considered an ancestors approach with the Oracle. Anyway, the Animist is all about being the go between between the living world, the mortal, and the spiritual. They speak to the dead, to the fey, to the spirits of nature… They’re a Wisdom-based divine caster and they’ve some depth of versatility whether you want to play close to a particular kind of spirits or tap into the metaphysical in a broader sense. The feature set really enables this.

When building an Animist you choose between one of our practices: Liturgist, Medium, Seer, and Shaman. I do love that we continue to see inspiration from Pathfinder1E now in somehow more unified, but also broader (for building characters) options. The Liturgist uses song and dance to connect with spirits. The Medium channels spirits but bonds with one in particular. The Seer focus on undead and haunts, the lingering spirits of the deceased. And the Shaman has learned how to focus power into giving the ephemeral a bit of the physical world, allowing them to affect our mundane existence to some degree. Of course there’s the Apparitions you’ll bind or channel, drawn from the following:

• the Crafter in the Vault found in lost forges and dark dungeons who like to create but get easily jealous too
• the Custodian of Groves and Gardens who steward the gentle green places
• the Echo of Lost Moments representing old magic and lost memories
• the Impostor in Hidden Places that are secret keepers from the farthest depths where mortals rarely go
• the Lurker in Devouring Dark tied to the drowned depths
• the Monarch of Fey Courts of natural and lively fey spirits tied to the First World
• the Reveler in Lost Gelee that are tricksters and pranksters who will not like it if you don’t laugh at their oft-times dangerous antics
• the Stalker in Darkened Boughs that are spirits of ancient woods
• the Steward of Stone and Fire drawn from hot springs, volcanoes, and canyons
• the Vanguard of Roaring Waters flitting through the rivers between mountains and breaking where they meet the sea
• And finally the Witness to Ancient Battles, soldier never returned home or who never found satisfaction from their fight

That’s quite a few to choose from and normally you choose 2 as you prepare for the day with one being primary, but you can change them when you Refocus. Your primary spirit grants you a vessel focus spell but you get the bonus lore skills and spellcasting from both. The Medium does get to make 2 of them primary however. You’ll have to review all your options to see if what the others get compares quite with getting 2 primary, and thus 2 focus spells. I’m glad they call out you get a number of focus points equal to the number of focus spells you have due to your binding (max 3). While lore skills are always tied to intelligence, which I sometimes take into consideration with players, I do love that you get 2 for each spirit. You can call on spirits of the areas you plan to explore (dungeons, old magic lab, battlefield) or individuals you might meet (fey, undead) to really help you that day. And again, you can change them when you refocus. I love the ramifications for roleplaying.

The Exemplar

Meanwhile, an Exemplar has felt the spark of divine energy as the rains of the dying Corum came down. Maybe ya got hit by it, maybe you found a pool of enchanted water, who knows. Heck, you can say it’s a power that has developed within you outside of the Godsrain if you wish. That’s up to you! Either way, that power now thrums within you and that which you wield. Maybe you’re going to choose Strength or maybe you’ll choose Dexterity, but either way you’re likely to be a hero or an immortal foe… They’ve noted this class is Rare and powerful, with impacts to any game they are in. I’m quite excited to see how it shakes out in a game, but that’s true for nearly everything in this glorious book.

The key feature is investing your divine spark into an ikon, which is usually an item but can be something upon your body. You start with 3 and you’re bound to have a hard time deciding. There’s 21 examples offered from armbands that sparkle and gleam that captivates those who see it to a dark, shadowed sheath that allows you to pull any one-handed thrown weapon from it, born of shadowstuff. There’s an 8th level Additional Ikon that lets you acquire a fourth. You can shift what you’re investing as well as you acquire more through a 1 action Shift Immanence ability, or for free when rolling initiative. Each has their Immanence ability, i.e. while invested with that divine power, but you can leverage that spark to do a Spark Transcendance ability. That power then goes to a different ikon you have, and you can only do the Transcendance ability once a round. It’s limited sort of like doing witch hex cantrips once a round, and thus it’s good to have a collection of ikons you know you want to cycle through. For example, the Fetching Bangles allow you to choose an enemy within 20’ to make a Will save against your class DC or it’s pulled into a square adjacent to you. The Shadow Sheath on the other hand let’s you attack a creature you just missed with a Strike with another shadowy blade and the target is automatically off guard to you.

It’s not just the power you’re investing in your form or those items, however. It’s also the legend that develops around you, granted through Epithets, like extension titles. “The Brave” or “The Radiant” for example. Your first one is granted at 3rd level, noted as your story starting unfold as you literally make a name for yourself. The Brave are trained in Athletics and you get to Stride half your Speed any time you Spark Transcendance. It has to be in a straight line, but it’s a free action, also can’t do it to the same enemy more than once in 10 minutes. Meanwhile the Radiant is trained in Diplomacy and your Spark Transcendance inspires an ally of your choice within 30’, restoring hit points equal to 2 + double your level. They too are immune for 10 minutes, so it’s really once per encounter. At 7th and 15th levels you choose additional lines to add to your Epithet, always gaining more Spark Transcendance additional abilities.

Mutliclass Archetypes

We get the multiclass archetype details for both and I appreciate the perspective given to each, which grants insight into what is felt about these classes and how to utilize them to further develop your characters. I think many are doing the Free Archetype rule – my groups do – and so the new multiclass options and archetypes (oh we’ll get to those in a moment) always draw attention. The developers/writers mention the animist is a good way to find a spiritual connection for any character, like having your ancestor help you such as I’m imagining is the case of the cool dwarf fighter art above. It’s an easy way to pick up some cool Lore (skills) and some interesting divine abilities.

The multiclass exemplar on the other hand has a fairly sizable list of considerations for various classes as this archetype gives a chance for anyone to get a touch of divine power, a spark. I imagine a whole campaign of heroes who get this archetype as part of the Free Archetype rule. You do only gain one ikon, but it’s useful for anyone looking for a particularly powerful weapon. At level 12, you can take a feat to gain another. It’s noted Bards might want to go down this path with fancy show-combat. Rogue’s might like Shadow Sheath and become epic, deadly tricksters. And of course any spellcaster might like to partner an icon’s attack with a powerful spell. Truly dangerous Magus unlocked? Let me know what you end up designing!

The New Nephilim

It’s been covered elsewhere, but we get 4 new Nephilim heritages. Reminder Nephilim is the term for all our planar scions like tieflings and aasimars and now the Aeonbound too. They are tied to the City of Axis and that expectation of system and even body perfection. They’re great at healing and can Treat Wounds without a healer’s toolkit. The Battleblooded (see above) are descended from einherjars, those chosen by valkyries and other mighty warriors. They gain Intimidation training and gain Intimidating Glare for free. The Faultspawn are born of the asura and gain a reaction to use when rolling a saving throw against a spell or other magic that gives a +1 circumstance bonus or +2 if it’s divine and from a worshiper of a deity you have a grudge with. Finally there’s the Proteankin, the Ganzi, born of the chaos of the bubbling Maelstrom. You get resistance equal to half your level tied to a damage type that randomly shifts each day. There’s also a small +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against anything that would give you the controlled condition.

Class Archetypes

Now as for the archetypes, and by archetypes I mean Class Archetypes, we get 5. There’s the Avenger (rogue), the Bloodrager (barbarian), the Seneschal (witch), the Vindicator (ranger), and the Warrior of Legend (fighter). I’ve been eager to see the Avenger, as our classic Slayer of 1E returns. How nice to see you Zadim! I did adore that class, even if the character I had for it died far too early. What did I follow it up with? Oh an inquisitor and voila, here’s the Vindicator. Welcome back Imrijka! The Bloodrager is also a return from 1E, but the iconic is new. I’ve been prepping some various character concepts and the Avengers and Vindicator give great options for religious groups. These class archetypes start with varied changes at first level, but at 2nd level have to take a specific dedication. The Avenger has a deity they follow and are trained in intimidation, religion, stealth, and the deity’s divine skill as well as 3 plus your intelligence modifier skills. So effectively, you lose 2 as normal rogue has stealth, the racket skill, plus 7 + int more. However you get to use the deity’s favored weapon to deal sneak attack and get the weapon’s critical specialization when you critical with it! There’s also medium armor proficiency, but imagine the rogues we’ll see sneak attacking now with scythes and other weapons. The 10th level Shadow of Death feat allows you to instantly kill a target that has the doomed condition once they hit 0 hit points. The 6th level Zealous Inevitability lets you place that upon a target. That target when so killed can’t be returned to life or turned undead.

Vindicator on the other hand is a modified ranger as I noted earlier. They are trained in Religion, not nature, and they gain their deity’s sanctification as well as training in the favored weapon. Well if its damage die is less than a d6, you get the Deadly Simplicity feat. You also learn warden spells as divine spells! These vindicators are hunting down hidden dangers like undead and supernatural evils. Of note, the developers call out that evil religions typically refer to their vindicators as inquisitors, typically seeking out heretics. The edge they get – Vindication Edge – gives you a status bonus of +1 to your spell attack rolls against your hunted prey and they get a -1 status penalty to their saving throws against your divine spells. The Vindicator’s Mark you get, a focus power, targets AC and deals spirit damage and also outlines the target. Also makes them take more damage from your weapon attacks. It’s a perfect set up for a divine hunter!

I’m so excited to continue Investing In the War of Immortals. There’s so much more to get to, so you hold on tight. Like I said, more on Mythic and then also lore, probably two separate articles as there’s so much good stuff here. Then we’ll look ahead to PAX Unplugged with a feature on the 5th Conspiracy game I played and you should definitely check out there. Hope you enjoy your Halloween. I’m so excited for Agatha All Along and loving this witchy season! And of course, let me know what you’re building as you get your hands on the goodness of this book! 

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – War of Immortals cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. back cover text, War of Immortals, Paizo
2. Legendary Heroes opening chapter full page, War of Immortals, Paizo
3. Embodiment of the Balance feat banner, War of Immortals, Paizo, art by Oleksii Chernik
4. Seer, Animist, War of Immortals, Paizo
5. Celestial Archer, Exemplar, War of Immortals, Paizo
6. Fighter Animist, War of Immortals, Paizo
7. Battleblooded, War of Immortals, Paizo
8. Avenger, War of Immortals, Paizo
9. Vindicator, War of Immortals, Paizo

The Setup

In this chase the character is being pursued by a pack of trollhounds, twelve of them in fact in order to encourage the character to flee rather than combat them. Trollhounds are rather ferocious and they’ve powerful regeneration, which can be overcome by fire or acid, but again 12 of them is a dangerous encounter for any one character. In the case of Kingmaker, the character will be encountering this pack while venturing into the Stolen Lands, presumably while venturing alone in the untamed wilderness near or not far from one of the many rivers. There’s plenty of rolling hills, dense forests, and other treacherous terrain you can leverage in a chase.

• Environment: rolling hills, dense forests, rocky hills, cliffs, rivers, underbrush, possible dangerous fauna
• Timing: variable, as appropriate for need of encounter but dusk or night can create added challenges
• Creatures: 12 trollhounds

The Chase

Each round with the character should feature an appropriate obstacle. Don’t be afraid to change it up slightly, move around your planned pattern, or reward clever thinking! Each of these obstacles will require a skill check or saving throw, though a player may have an idea that you should adjudicate. Start with a standard DC for that character’s level but vary for things that make sense to be easier or harder. You’ll note standard-1 or standard+1 for example. That doesn’t mean by 1 specifically, but to lower or decrease by the standard DC for that level in the chart. I recommend lowering the DC when it’s a particularly clever approach, well roleplayed, etc. Here each obstacle requires only 1 Chase point to overcome, as it’s a single character. You may require more to draw out the obstacle or because the character is trending behind. Any time the character has less Chase points than the number of previously completed obstacles, the Trollhounds catch up and might do some damage or create a new obstacle for the character!

Obstacles

1. Overgrown Thickets
   • Description: You charge through a patch of dense thorn bushes and tangled vines. The trollhounds are slower to tear through but can easily break the brush with their size.
   • Obstacle Type: Acrobatics or Survival (DC standard), perhaps lower if a magic item would help
   • Failure: You become entangled, taking 1d6 piercing damage and must spend the next round freeing yourself, losing ground.
   • Success: You nimbly avoid the thorns and gain extra distance.
2. Rocky Slope
   • Description: A steep hill looms ahead, covered with loose rocks. Tumbling boulders and uneven ground threaten to trip anyone attempting to climb.
   • Obstacle Type: Reflex (DC standard) or Athletics (DC standard+1) or Acrobatics (DC standard+2)
   • Failure: You stumble and fall, sliding back down. Take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and lose significant ground.
   • Success: You scramble up the slope, leaving some of the trollhounds behind as they struggle with the terrain.
3. Wild River Crossing
   • Description: A rushing river blocks the way forward. The water is fast and deep, and there’s no time to find a bridge. The trollhounds hesitate to swim, buying precious time if you can get across.
   • Obstacle Type: Athletics (Swim) (DC standard) or Nature (DC standard+1) to find a safer ford.
   • Failure: You’re swept away by the current and take 1d8 bludgeoning damage from rocks. You lose ground, and the trollhounds close in.
   • Success: You swim across quickly or find a shallow crossing, gaining distance.

1. Fallen Log Trap
   • Description: A thick fallen log lies across the path. You could leap over it or take the time to run around. It’s precarious, but could act as a momentary barrier.
   • Obstacle Type: Acrobatics (DC standard) to leap over, or Perception (DC standard+1) to notice a weak point and break it behind you.
   • Failure: You fail to clear the log and stumble, taking 1d6 damage and losing momentum.
   • Success: You either leap cleanly over or break the log to slow down the hounds behind you.
2. Old Ruins
   • Description: An old, crumbling stone ruin rises from the forest, a relic of a bygone age for the Stolen Lands. You could climb up the wall and try to lose the hounds inside, or dash through the narrow passages to try and confuse them.
   • GM Note: If possible weave in a bit of history related to the ancient Kellids or the Taldane pilgrimage that venture north to this area. 
   • Obstacle Type: Stealth (DC standard) to lose them in the ruins, or Athletics (Climb) (DC standard+2) to ascend quickly.
   • Failure: You make too much noise or slip during your climb. The trollhounds close in!
   • Success: You either evade the trollhounds by sneaking or make it to higher ground, where they cannot follow as easily.
3. Dangerous Wildlife
   • Description: A territorial owlbear or other dangerous creature is startled as you pass through its territory. It growls at both you and the trollhounds, ready to attack the nearest creature.
   • GM Note: This is a great way to introduce an actual encounter or have the character join with the rest of the party to fight that creature. You may ultimately do as Success below notes and let the monsters fight one another, perhaps as the heroes get into an area the creature was guarding/protecting.
   • Obstacle Type: Nature (DC standard) to pacify or redirect the beast’s aggression, or Intimidation (DC standard +2) to stand your ground and scare it off.
   • Failure: You provoke the creature’s wrath! It attacks you or the trollhounds.
   • Success: You manage to redirect the creature’s attention onto the trollhounds or leave it behind, gaining ground.

I’ve come in to edit the article after the chase since this article is coming out after use. As is normal, things change, so I quickly adapted due to timing. One player has returned to our group after years away and I wanted a fun intro for him. Originally I thought he’d run into the owlbear first and the other heroes would join in and fight together. Instead, the heroes got there first the previous session and the player had to be late. Thus, I had them move quickly through a few challenges, including a new challenge to use Perception or Survival to follow some tracks near the riverbed, giving the PC a good idea of the group they might stumble upon. Practice those improv skills, but have something to help support your mechanics and you’ll feel empowered at game every time!

Hope this helps you craft up your own Chase though those Chase Rules have many great examples. Remember those DCs should reflect close to the character’s standard DCs by level but feel free to put some easier ones in for a longer chase. The GM Core has many great subsystems, updated for the Remaster, and you can find them on the Archives of Nethys too. Chases are a great way to invest a bit of anxious excitement into your game!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Chase rules image, Chapter 4: Subsystems in GM Core, Paizo

1. Rooftop chase scene, Creative Commons Attribution, Gengar1991
2. Character fleeing with gold, Chapter 4: Subsystems in GM Core, Paizo

I love the opening to the Character Options. There’s remarkable differences in the cultures of the peoples of our world, and that’s true in Golarion as well. Events unfolded differently, terrain and animals were different, even the stars above might look different leading to different tales. But we all gather as a family. We celebrate holidays with friends and family alike. We honor birthdays. We build homes, honor our dead, and more. So yes, we may marvel at the differences, the wonders we see when visiting a new place, but we have to remember our similarities as much as we must respect our differences, and the peoples and their cultures. I feel behooved to directly embed a sidebar actually.

I’m by no means a world traveler. I’ve sadly yet to get to Europe or Asia, despite having friends and coworkers on both continents. I need to. But you don’t need to visit a place or know some of its people to respect them. We’re all human in the end, though that’s not true on Golarion. And yet, they make it work. Most of the world knows there are bigger problems than the differences of their cultures or appearance. Oh sure, the bad guys still exist who would turn you against one another for power and profit – just like we do – but ultimately the common person understands the respect that should be given to others. An open mind, an open home. I hope we can have more of that, and if exploring games like Pathfinder helps others see that, then even better. I do love a good sidebar in these books…

Also before I begin, I should apologize. I meant for this article to be out while I was away on some very much needed vacation, but I got asked last minute to attend a work conference the moment I returned and so things got a little crazy. Of course, there’s no way I could skip out on detailing the rest of this amazing tome. Oh yes, I’m very excited for Godsrain and what’s coming next, but there’s a lot to celebrate and explore for our characters, PCs and NPCs alike. I think we’ve all seen the increasingly exciting featuring of other cultures, non-white peoples, and I don’t want it to stop, so we have to keep cheering for them as we learn and see them featured.

A number of archetypes and feats are included as we get into various character options. The Five-Breath Vanguard is for those who learn some of the elemental stances, focusing on the flow from one form to another. You learn to Cycle Elemental Stance as a single action, allowing you to Stride or Step and yet enter a new form. I love the practicality but also the visual I imagine, which feels very much in line with martial arts experts. The Strategist Marshal meanwhile expands the Marshal archetype. I had mentioned the marshal’s aura wouldn’t expand in my original breakdown of Player Core 2, but now with Strategist Stance it can go up to 20’ with a critical success. I worry few will want to give up two actions for Form Up!, where your allies then get to use a reaction to get into a particular formation of line, wedge, or cluster, but it could be suddenly helpful before an attack or to allow buff spells.

The new Spirit Warrior archetype channel spiritual energy through a blend of weapon and martial form. The dedication feat calls out that you’ve trained to the point of perfect harmony between spirit and body and that results in a single action ability called Overwhelming Combination. You get two Strikes against a target, one unarmed and one weapon strike. This allows you to combine damage for resistances and weaknesses. From there we get additional feats to represent oaths and other combo attacks. I love the oath to defend others from kaiju. That’s level 4 and grants you some bonus damage to larger creatures and a +2 circumstance bonus to saving throws and DCs against kaiju. At level 10, you can take Transcendent Deflection. It’s a reaction that you can use once every 10 minutes, and it’s triggered by you or an ally taking damage from an attack. Bad news, you deflect with a one-handed weapon that becomes broken. Good news, no one takes damage! Love the cinematic imagery of that.

Speaking of cinematic, the Starlit Sentinel is giving sailor scout / magical girl transformation and I am here for it! A friend of mine is moving back to town and is thrilled to be joining into our Kingmaker game. He was very tempted to use this archetype because it’s just so much fun in representation but in cultural terms, this represents an individual chosen by one of the constellations of the Tian Xia zodiac. You get a small item to be your transformation seal and when activated your outfit changes, after your transformation sequence of course. Your weapon also get a bonus to damage and you can fire starlight bolts as well! What’s really interesting is that the bolts get the benefit of your weapon runes, counting as arcane and force. At 8th level you can take Majestic Proclamation, announcing your name and causing your constellation to shine brilliantly around you. There are a couple focus spells you can get with a 4th level Special Sentinel Technique feat. You choose one, but can take the feat again for another. One does healing, but the other is an attack that varies depending on the constellation you choose. By 14th level you can gain a fly speed whenever you’re transformed. There’s a lot of opportunity with this one… Vigilante Starlight Sentinel maybe?

We get a couple pages detailing the Dance and Art styles of Tian Xia, including sword and fan dancing. I’ve long wanted to make a Bard Fan Dancer, and now you can with the Fan Dancer archetype! It increases your Performance skill making you an expert at level 2 (when you take the dedication), then again at 7th and 15th. As part of your Feint actions, you can Stride 10 feet before or after. Keep on dancing! At 8th level you create a Pushing Wind. You and allies within 30’ gain a 5’ circumstance bonus (not status!) to land speed as long as you are holding your fan. Meanwhile your enemies within 10’ treat the area as difficult terrain. It can get quite easy for you to gang up, distract, and overwhelm your foes with this archetype. At 14th level there’s a couple feat choices to choose from, and Peony’s Flourish is one that takes 3 actions. You get to Stride twice and then make a performance check against the enemies Will DC. If you succeed they are stunned 1 and dazzled for a round. But critical success is stunned 3 and dazzled for as long as they are stunned! A fan dancer is truly a terrifying foe for warriors in melee, who typically have low Will DCs! If I don’t make a PC Fan Dancer soon, then I’ll have to make an enemy NPC one!

Maybe it’s all the cooking in Kingmaker, but the Cooking section got me very excited too. Every culture has traditions in food, especially gatherings around doing so. The Wandering Chef archetype builds upon this with a training in crafting, the Quick Alchemy feature to create alchemical food, and even some versatile vials. Later feats let you prepare more versatile vials, but the 14th level Cosmic Cocktail interested me. You create a drink that inspires the starry universe and gives you truesight. If you need to make a counteract check, you get to use Crafting or Cooking Lore! Beyond these feats, there are some cooking rituals symbolizing many traditions of gathering like the Bonding Meal to unify and connect those with the place of your meal’s origin, likely something the chef learned from a family member or some event in your past, like serving in a war. We get additional Alchemical items too like ingredients and foods, though there’s references to still using the Treasure Vault as well. I’d like Cloud Buns please, and I love that they give you a fly speed for a short time!

The Medicinal studies of Tian Xia are discussed next, calling out the herbalism of Pei Zing and The Five Elements. The base concept is that all aspects of life are tied to at least one element, of which there are five as wood is counted amongst them rather than the western/hermetic philosophy of four, though that gets into the concept of ether and well that’s for another time. Anyway, we get an informative table tying seasons, tastes, dragons, emotions, even organs to the various elements. It’s also suggested what elements might be used to treat excess or deficiencies of an element. These are useful starting with the 1st level feat Prepare Elemental Medicine. Ultimately the treatment the medic provides leads to a +1 (or +2 for a critical success) circumstance bonus to saves against the affliction after the medic has treated the patient in accordance to the associations table. This has been taken further by other cultures like Chu Ye developing acupuncture, which has a related 1st level feat. A 14th level feat let’s you meditate as an action and then until the start of your next turn, if you hit a creature with an unarmed Strike, or an adjacent creature harms you, they make a save or become frightened. It’s called Meditate On This! And I love the concept of considering your anger, resentment and channeling it into your qi to the point of weaponing it. It flows into the target and scares them!

The Tian Innovation section focuses on inventors and their creations like the Oil Fire feat. It’s a single action for an armor innovation that lets you possibly ignite your grabbed target with persistent fire damage. Meanwhile the 12th level Celestial Cacophony is a weapon innovation that takes 3 actions. You have a small chamber in your weapon that can launch black powder, fireworks, etc. It causes fire and sonic damage in a cone and improves every two levels. The unstable function? It becomes a 30’ cone and does d8s instead of d4s for damage. Some brilliant inventors creating elemental weapons over there! I want to see them create something with the Arcadian beast guns. They could make a truly wondrous star gun that’s for sure.

I’ll encourage you to do some research into the classical fantasy literature of Wuxia. It’s the next section, classifying various mechanics that mix martial arts and often a romanticized or operatic story involving a hero of wandering/vigilante/chivalrous nature depending on the interpretation. First, we get a variant of the Magus called the Qinggong Magi. I remember when in first edition all of a sudden Monks were spitting out spells as my brother adopted the variant for his monk. This is a more inspired, practical example as the Qinggong Magus blends martial arts and their spellcasting. The first type is the Aloof Firmament blending lightness of the body with philosophies between morality and immortality. They get to fly with their Conflux spell Sky Laughs at Waves. But the Unfurling Brocade uses fabric to attack, wielding it with deadly precision. Both of these have clear inspirations to Wuxia movies, the one most recognized by western cultures being Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It came out 24 years ago, can you believe that? Also, remember to honor the spirit of these tales and their lessons, as well as their importance in Chinese culture. Like I said, do some research.

Meanwhile, the Cultivator turns their ki toward refinement of the self through occult means, all while seeking immortality. This archetype invites planar energies into themselves, all while meditating and reflecting on their spiritual self. The dedication feat requires training in Occultism and automatically makes you an expert. You also get adapt self (linking to the legacy version until we get the updated form in Divine Mysteries) as a focus spell and it counts as a qi spell, allowing you to take things that require the use of qi. The higher level feats require you to become holy or unholy as you align yourself with those sanctifications. At 16th level you’re either becoming an undead creature (if unholy) or a living creature (if holy), though both are immortal. Thus, undead creatures could become alive again following this path. That feat is called The Immortal Attains The Summit. I love the story implications of this, though I’m not sure ceasing aging and the rituals for control weather and plant growth (even using Occultism instead of Nature) is quite enough for a 16th level feat. Well, I guess it only reads as you being sensed/detected as undead/living so it’s not like you get undead resistances and the like. I’m hoping there’s some benefit I’m not understanding mechanically, but it could have incredible story implications for some spirit, undead, dhampir who’ve been on the path to enlightenment.

Leaving Wuxia behind, Familiar Sage is an expansion of the Familiar Master. They know that these familiars are spirits that represent aspects of life or other concepts. They develop their bond even more so, finding magic in that connection. The dedication feat (4th level) grants you the Enhanced Familiar feat and what’s most important is you can take it even if you haven’t taken 3 Familiar Master feats yet! You learn through later feats to channel various spiritual powers like the ability to control elemental air with the 6th level Tempest Cloud’s Speed, allowing you to move with a 10’ status bonus and Stride without triggering reactions. By 16th level, it’s channeling elemental fire with Phoenix’s Flight. You can now transform into a Phoenix, merging with your familiar and gaining a 3-action Blazing Conflagration spell that does 16d6 damage to all creatures within a 10’ burst while granting you temporary hit points. I appreciate it improves automatically at 18th and 20th level too.

The Martial Arts section details numerous feats that embody the various monastic traditions within Tian Xia. We get some great lore and in-world detail about various philosophies and studies around martial arts, ever useful for developing backstories and progression details for characters. I appreciate the Kaiju Stance 8th level feat. You have to have encountered a kaiju in the past and be unarmored, but it makes you Large and gives you the ability to make shattering earth attacks, while only shattering earth attacks. Ignoring difficult terrain is great too! The 20th level Wake of Devastation requires Kaiju Stance and makes your shattering earth attacks have the razing trait. Never fear a door again! You create difficult terrain around your strikes and can immobilize your targets with critical hits. The Martial Artist archetype of course has some further detail here, noting additional feats they can take from the section as well as a couple new feats including the 8th level Adamantine Body. Gotta level resistance to attack as a reaction!

The Companions and Familiars section gives us creatures appropriate for the area like Durian Crabs and Tikar Urchinpads. I love the Lantern Wisps, with hand-made lanterns embodying a spirit to float with you. The Shikigami are paper familiars who gain an ability to flatten, allowing them to easily squeeze even under doors! Plus they’re easy to replace should it be damaged, allowing you to rebind the spirit at daily prep. Yes, they take 6 familiar abilities to get but they can play dead and count as constructs. What I love is the visual of them. I’d want to have a number of them at the ready, and a crafter could fashion all sorts of spells in that style since you can describe your spellcasting however you wish. A number of new pieces of equipment, including magical items are then detailed in Tian Equipment. I can’t give all the details of course but I do love the Wand of Purification that lets you cast cleanse affliction, clear mind or sound body as necessary at the related level. Expensive? Yes, but the versatility is important considering the counteract level. Additionally consider period and culturally appropriate weapons for the domain of your character. Yes, the katana is printed but let’s not all race out to have a katana please. Consider the temple sword, sai, tonfa, wakizachi, the bladed scarf, katar, and of course the fighting fan!

I hope you’ve already Invested In the Tian Xia Character Guide, but if not, I can’t imagine you won’t want to make use of it’s ancestries and character options either for a Tian Xia focused campaign or one inspired by such. There’s many ways to bring those characters to other campaigns but remember to consider the cultural implications and do the research of what you’re drawing from creatively. Another shout out to the artist, designers, and developers who’ve brought another cultural touchstone book to us: James Case, Eleanor Ferron, Joshua Birdsong, Logan Bonner, Michael Sayre, Jason Keely, Luis Loza, Landon Winkler, Ianara Natividad, Avi Kool, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Vira Linevych, Sammy Khalid, and more! Thank you!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Character Options chapter art, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo

1. Character Options excerpt, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
2. Adaptation Is Universal, Character Options opening sidebar, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
3. Spirit Warrior, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
4. Starlit Sentinel, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo, art by Vira Linevych
5. Fan Dancer, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo, art by Vira Linevych
6. Cloud Buns, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
7. Acupuncturist, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
8. Unfurling Brocade, Wuxia, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
9. Familiar Sage, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
10. Cyclone’s Path, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
11. Paper Familiars, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo

It’s difficult to believe it’s already that near-end of summer when it was just the first bud of spring as the award-winning Tian Xia World Guide came out and dove into its mechanics and lore. Yes, award-winning, in case you missed my last article where I talked of news from Gen Con including Paizo winning the gold ENnie for the World Guide! Player Core won a silver, and let me tell you that Player Core 2 is, in my opinion, silver if not gold as well. Yes, of course I’m biased, but like I love this stuff and look forward to a glorious retirement one day of gaming. Yeah, you heard me! Y’all we gotta get in retirement communities and run some epic games. But back to Tian Xia, because it’s time to make some characters! The Tian Xia Character Guide is now available! In this article, we’ll start with all the ancestry goodies and the next will focus on class and archetypes!

Well before we get to ancestries, we’ve got new Backgrounds as is typical for a setting area. Runaway Noble is giving Marle from Chrono Trigger, but I love the Gossip to make that older Auntie character. Of course there’s some rare ones that really get me intrigued like the Banished Celestial!? Yes I want a special ability called Enlightenment in Adversity that’s if you critically fail your skill you get with the background, next time you get to roll twice and take the higher, a la advantage. But really it’s the idea of what you’re playing that’s so cool and you can choose ANY skill for that skill you get, plus one Lore. Fated Rival is perfect for that classic anime feel. It can set up a great bit of story for your GM to use, so I immediately love it. I adore when players give us tasty bits of story to play with and expand. Kaiju Stalker is as it sounds and I like that your extra benefit is being better at recalling knowledge using Kaiju Lore, which you are trained in. The Zodiac Bound background is one very much tied to the power of that manifestation, and you get to choose which it is, which impacts the special ability you get from ignition at will with the Underworld Dragon sign to the clear mind spell once per week if born under the Dog. These follow the Dragon Empires Zodiac, perfect for a character that wishes to focus on the fortune telling or oracular work in Tian Xia.

After some lovely details on the magic, the spirit world, the elemental cycle, and the Zodiac followed by the peoples of Tian Xia, we move to the People themselves. And wow, there’s so much great stuff here. I love how we get the cultural influences upon many different ancestries. The World Guide already provided that, but there’s even more crunchy mechanics now to back that up. First, we learn more about the humans, the elves, the Amurruns (Catfolk), and more. Who are the Jorogumo? The prevalence of the Oni and Nagas in Tian Xia is covered. Really these are lore details to help you flesh out your character, but then we get into the real crunch. First, like I said, these are specific heritages and for characters of these ancestries with a Tian Xia origin. So please remember to honor and celebrate that!

A Dokkaebi Goblin in an onggi pot

The Dokkaebi Goblins are those of the Hwangott we’ve covered before with their beautiful earthenware pots called onggi that many collect. There’s even a sidebar about it, and y’all know I love a sidebar. The actual heritage option gives you the figment cantrip at will, as well as a bonus versus illusions. Some higher level feats give you the ability to use darkness and ventriloquism; that’s Whispers in the Night. There’s a 17th level feat that builds about the 5th level Glorious Gamtu, basically the first celebrating the mystical power that is a hat. You can even give it to another creature to wear and it has a 2 action ability to do invisibility. The 17th level version let’s you do a 6th-rank invisibility. Yet also you can take the hat off to appear and put back on to disappear from view; the invisibility duration continues even when the hat is taken off. I find this adorable and hope it’s draw from some story of these adorable people. Following that we get an exciting new versatile heritage, the Hungerseed. These oni-descended folks have horns and can even gain an Oni Form. They’re certainly major combatants with intimidating third eye or melee-related abilities. The Kijimuna gnomes are a gnome heritage and their people are closely tied to trees and water, perfect for those living along riverways or forested coastal, tropical areas. There’s just something about speaking with plants that’s fun for me, and their 13th level Arboreal Conversationalist lets you do just that twice per day.

The Heavenscribe Kobold of Tian Xia

We get two Tian Xia heritages for Kobolds: Heavenscribe and Mightyfall. Do you want to be tied to the power of the celestial imperial dragons? Heavenscribe is for you, letting you speak Draconic and be better at diplomacy (well technically you can’t critically fail Making an Impression or asking for a Request). Mightyfall on the other hand have more hit points and have a different ability attribute array option, getting a bonus to Strength and Charisma, and a flaw to Intelligence if so desired. Their 13th level Kaiju’s Footfalls allows you to enlarge yourself twice a day and possibly knock creatures down when you Jump or Leap near them. The Leshy of Tian also have two heritages: the Chrysanthemum and the Peachchild. The former look like human children but with a crown of chrysanthemums growing from their head. Not sure where that comes from, but assuming there’s a story there. I tried a google search but couldn’t find the history. The peachchild are semi-human in appearance but their peachy flush to their skin and leaves growing from their body. While the chrysanthemum children can create antidotes from their flowers, the peachchildren are good with household animals and livestock, being able to use diplomacy toward them. There’s a Childlike Plant 1st level feat either can take to become trained in Deception and they don’t need a disguise kit to Impersonate humans. You even get a +4 bonus to do so. Be careful of that though, when you never grow older there’s bound to be rumors that spread about your ancestry. Continuing the trend, the Lizardfolk get the Bakuwa and the Makari heritages. The Bakuwa are covered in bony plates, getting some item bonus to AC (+4 in fact) while the Makaara have some divine magic in their blood. Any spells or magical abilities you get from ancestry feats become divine and you get to cast divine lance or forbidding ward. Not bad at all! 

The Dijiang are so cute

Now breaking the trend comes the Sprite with four (yes four) heritages: Dijiang, Gandharva, Kanchil, and the Leungli. Are you an adorable short furry creature with six legs and four wings that has no face, mouth, eyes… But they still eat and talk just fine! You’re tied to chaos and when you roll a failure on an emotion saving throw, you get a success instead! The Gandharva are tied to music and dancing, godly ones, and you are something of equine bird and humanoid nature. They too get their powers from the divine and are trained in Performance! The Kanchil are a combo of mouse deer and hooves but you’re persuasive and clever with training in Deception and a bonus to Lie. Finally the Leungli are something else. I found (simple google search to wikipedia mind you) that there’s a tale about a friendship between a young woman and a magical goldfish who would help her. These sprites have a swim speed and are amphibious with the head of a goldfish and scales of stark and brilliant colors. Seems like they’d be great for an explorative game near the sea or underwater campaign! The Tsukumogami Poppets really excited me though. These are tools brought to life and I love the idea of a kitchen witch enchanting one or an old grandfather who carefully and lovingly worked a garden bringing life to a spade from their care. They’re great at aiding you, increasing the bonus to +2 or +3 with the Helpful Poppet feat. The Kitsune get a new heritage called the Palace Echoes Kitsune, known for influencing royalty and possibly even taking the throne! I love how their feats can improve their shape shifting. The Nagaji Shimmertongue heritage have a magicsense out 30’ and gain some feats to choose from including a Hypnotic Gaze, a 9th level evolution to the Hypnotic Lure. Once per day you can now affect all creature in a 30’ cone instead of just one creature. I’d definitely take that!

But the Oracular Samsaran are even cuter!

Moving to new Ancestries, we first get Samsaran, which are new to 2E and Core!. Their heritages focus primarily on their past lives like the Oracular who focused on insight into the spiritual world or the Healers who wandered and traveled, frequently dealing with dangerous encounters and thus developing careful medical techniques. The Oracular get a cantrip of any tradition while the Healers are trained in Medicine. There’s also the Mountaineer, the Sanctuary, and the Wilderness Samsarans. I love the 5th level Thousand-Year Grudge reaction where you succeed at a demoralize check. One of the creatures you demoralized becomes sickened instead of frightened as you focus your frustration and despair at them. 

In the dark of the New Moon Sarangay

The Sarangay are not minotaur, but are bovine in nature. Their First Ancestor is Father Moon and they seek to protect nature with heritages focused on phases of the moon. Those heritages are their clans and thus tell the story of their people. The New Moon Sarangay are sometimes referred to as dwarf like for example as they are known for hiding, hunting in the darkness of the new moon. I love the shadowy New Moon Sarangay art. They start with 10 hit points instead of 8 and are great at using Athletics to Shove, getting a +2 circumstance bonus. Perhaps a great shadow sorcerer build with their bonus to Charisma? Each also bears a head gem, which houses their soul that they exchange with their partner when they fall in love! Thus there are feats that benefit them as well like the 1st level Awakened Jewel that lets you choose an occult cantrip to cast at will. One of the coolest feat names I’ve ever seen is Smoke Through Bamboo. This 5th level feat lets you navigate forests and thick brush wish ease. You can step 10 feet instead of five. This lets you Step into and within difficult terrain. I love it!

So Even-Tempered

The Tanuki are adorable shapeshifters who look like raccoons or dog-like ones anyway. I’d say I’d love to make an inventor / gunslinger one but I’m afraid Disney would come for me. Their heritages are tied to the virtue that sings in their heart including Ascetic, Even-Tempered (seen above), Courageous, Steadfast, and Virtuous. But it’s really a playful combo of this for example the Courageous Tanuki can gain the fleeing condition and stride when they are frightened and the Virtuous carry alcohol with them, while also having a poison resistance. You can’t be incapacitated by conventional alcohol either, so you know that Tanuki is extremely Virtuous. They’d never drink to excess… And while yes, we’re pretty focused on mechanics here, another sidebar caught my attention. The Fox-Racoon Wars! Yes, you read that right, the kitsune and tanuki are apparently infamous for feuding with one another. I’m imagining frenemies as it notes these aren’t violent, but maybe catty. They mock one another’s shapeshifting as the tanuki find kitsune snobbish, while the kitsune in turn think tanuki crude. Where’s the comic for this?

The bad ass Shadow of the Smith

The Wayangs are another 1E ancestry we haven’t seen yet for 2E. Each of the 5 heritages is tied to how your shadow behaves and what it does from dancing to hiding secrets to all but you, though there’s also the Shadow of the Wanderer. Those Wayang have a shadow that charges ahead and your character’s speed is 5 feet better. Shadow of the Smith has some gorgeous art as seen above and the ability to plunge your weapon into your shadow, and then strike with it to dazzle your foe! All wayangs have a tie to the Netherworld and darker places and you can see that in feats like Shadowplay, a one-action 5th level feat. If you used a melee Strike that damaged your opponent with your last action, you detach from your shadow, it tumbles through their space with a +2 bonus, and then flanks with you for your last attack. Great opening round on an enemy! By 17th level you can take Dissolution’s Sovereignty and convince an enemy’s shadow to fight with you. You use duplicate foe effectively, though it gets 15 extra hit points if the target was in darkness.

Transcend the Azimuth

Love them but I was more interested in the Yaksha, which have their origins in Hindu beliefs. They are nature spirits, and indeed they have the Spirit trait! Each heritage is tied to a particular vow, adding a particular edict to each character. Apparently new anathema are possible too but I didn’t see that with those provided. Deny the Firstborn Pursuit where you must confront cruel fey or there’s also the Respite of a Thousand Roofs where you must help the impoverished. Their feats tend toward the spiritual or primal at least like the 1st level Meticulous Restorer where you waste nothing in fixing crafts, gaining Quick Repair that can’t critically fail. Or maybe Stem the Tide at 5th level makes more sense, granting the primal protector tree spell that improves over your character’s career. I love fey in games, but these are far more guardian-like in their behavior since they seem more calm, even-tempered and not prone to First World politics. I’m sure to play one when I can. The 17th level Transcend the Azimuth (seen above) allows you to use cosmic form once per day as your shadow lengthens into a mandala of the primal energies of the universe. Even better, you can sustain the spell to switch between sun and moon battle forms!

Finally we get the new Yaoguai, and that Born of Animal image above made me think of Inuyasha at first. But no, that’s one of the heritages where you were an animal until the sun’s power enlightened you. The Yaoguai were all animals, plants, or other mundane objects until something blessed them with sapience. You might be Born of a Celestial, escaped the higher realms or were punished into a mortal shell. You get to make your ancestry powers divine rather than occult or anything else from heritages. Maybe you were part of nature like a facet of rain or wind. If you were an object, maybe the sun or moon graced you with power. And of course, you might’ve been a plant, a beautiful flower or a weed. You aren’t a spirit like the Yaksha, nor a Leshy, or a Poppet, but a creature awakened and growing. I think it’s important to focus on the “If you want to play…” final paragraph of these ancestries to help guide you. In this case, it’s about transcendence and change. There’s an archetype about that, but we’ll save that for next time. Instead, before we close I wanted to call out the 5th level Signature Weapon feat that can improve at 13th level with another feat. You name your weapon, granting you its critical specialization effect. You can also spend an action to summon it to you if it’s unattended within one mile. By 13th level, it also becomes treated like dawnsilver, duskwood, and peachwood for overcoming resistances to help you fight undead and foul spirits.

You might have noticed I saved talking of the authors and designers out. Well I wanted to put it here at the end. I’ve had the amazing pleasure of meeting James Case, the Design Lead, in person and I so love what he’s done with this book, working with Joshua Birdsong, Logan Bonner, and Michael Sayre. Editing in here to add that the Development Lead is Eleanor Ferron with Jason Keely, Luis Loza, and Landon Winkler as supporting developers. A big thanks to Editing Lead Ianara Natividad with a number of supporting editors, including my fellow Valiant player Avi Kool! There’s a plethora of authors and other contributors, so do look to social media as they share their contributions. Next time, actually while I’m away on vacation, Part 2 will come out all about the Character Options in this magnificent book! Please be sure to celebrate Labor Day safely as the summer nears its end, perhaps with a bit of Pathfinder eh? Do invest in the Tian Xia Character Guide and share with us what you’re creating! Be well and much love!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Tian Xia Character Guide cover, Paizo, art by Ekaterina Gordeeva

1. Introduction excerpt, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
2. Introduction banner, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
3. Magic and the Spirit World banner, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
4. Onggi, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
5. Heavenscribe, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
6. Dijiang, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
7. Oracular Samsaran, Character Guide, Paizo
8. New Moon Sarangay, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
9. Even-Tempered Tanuki, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
10. Shadow of the Smith, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
11. Transcend the Azimuth, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo
12. Born of Animal, Tian Xia Character Guide, Paizo

In A Palace!

And since, like I said, I didn’t get to Gen Con, I wanted to make sure to review all that did happen (primarily from a Paizo perspective) and all we did learn about so I can be ready for the months ahead. Also, I’m definitely going to PAX Unplugged in Philly so it’ll also be a bit of prep for that! But really the hype started before Gen Con actually with the news about Pathfinder (or Starfinder) in a Palace. This first time is in the Philly area and I’m quite tempted. I’m wondering if any Order of the Amber Die folks (many are in that area) would join too. For ~$1K you get your hotel room (Holiday Inn & Suites), food, drinks, snacks, adult beverages, and the gaming over a weekend. There’s the museum, an estate house, and a cathedral that all look quite lovely. Check out that Bryn Athyn Historic District youtube vid below. For a little more you can arrive early/stay a night extra for an extended week getaway. I’m quite tempted and talking to my friends about it. Could be a nice getaway, and I do love Philly! You get to choose your adventure to play and of note, Prey for Death (by the lovely Vanessa Hoskins) is a choice!!! I’m sure more from War of the Immortals will find its way to the list. I’ll let you know if I end up going and maybe I can meet some readers!

Starfinder 2E

Gen Con brought many announcements. First and foremost, I’ll start with the Starfinder2E playtest launch! I even had someone inquire to me specifically about my investing in of such; shout out to Descriptivist! You can get the playtest rulebook online, for a free PDF I might add! I’ve already started messing around with character creation in Herolab as they have a free 2nd Edition playtest running for free or paid accounts. It’s pretty great. I use it for Pathfinder2E a lot. I’m excited to dig into 2E for Starfinder and all it’s capable of. I recently had a friend saying he wanted to do a Star Wars campaign and I pointed him the way of Starfinder. He’s pretty psyched. There’s also an adventure for the playtest already available (though not free) called A Cosmic Birthday. It’s written by Jenny Jarzabski who is a co-lead for SF2E has been contributing to adventures and sourcebooks for some time, notably my favorite of Extinction Curse, the 2nd part titled Legacy of the Lost God. I’m hoping to find out what No Quest for the Wicked has in mind. They did a sneak peek of SF2E before and you should watch them for an exciting chance in the near future as their current Starfinder season wraps… By the by have you seen the cover art for Starfinder GM Core?

Tian Xia Character Guide & ENnies

Of course, and I’m very excited to release my article for such is the Tian Xia Character Guide! It’s available 8/28, so a couple weeks out by the time you’re reading this! We’re getting remaster info in there for Samsarans and Wayangs, but also the Tanuki, the Sarangay, the Yaksha, and the Yaoguai. I love that the developers and writers got to bring their cultures forward in this book, and others, so do remember to be respectful and do some research on the origins. There will be lots more ancestry details for Tian Xia characters of various heritages as well. You might have heard actually that the World Guide won the Gold ENnie for best setting while Player Core picked up silver for best rules! Congrats Paizo and to all those involved! 

Adventures Ahead

Erik Mona and team also unveiled the Pathfinder adventures to come. The Claws of the Tyrant adventure will be a hardcover in three parts, starting low level, taking you through mid level, and then finally high level. They’re stand alone adventures though, so could be for different groups. Could be useful at a con… Maybe we’ll get lucky and see something of it at PAX U? Probably not, but I can dream. It’s supposed to come out early 2025. Then, from the adventure path perspective, is the Spore War. The first will come out in December, following all related to the War of the Immortals events this summer/fall and then the Triumph of the Tusk adventure path. Spore War is all about Kyonin and the war with the vile Treerazer, a dangerous demon lord that’s long terrorized the elves. It’s not clear if you’ll have to go into Tanglebriar – the foul swamp home of Treerazer – but I wouldn’t be surprised. 

Finally, and I have little info on this path, but Shades of Blood will come spring of 2025 all about some surviving Azlanti vampires who want to block out the sun. Interesting that image for the Starfinder GM Core featuring a ruthless looking azlanti… There’ll be a setting book called Rival Academies as well, featuring various schools across Golarion in “a World’s Fair-style festival of magic, science, and invention” to quote the official press release. I first saw it announced by Wargamer but it will include the Academy of the Reclamation, Cobyslarni, Kitharodian Academy, the Monastery of Unbreaking Waves, the University of Lepidstadt, and of course the Magaambya. Presumably each school will be an actual school for the Wizard class. Also, importantly, the Runelord archetype will be introduced in this setting book. I know many – myself included – are intrigued by how that archetype will work after the wizard changes. It too will come in the spring! There’s still a ton of excitement to come for this year of course. War of the Immortals as noted, kicking off with part 3 of Curtain Call. I’ll also be reading Godsrain when it comes out! It’ll all tie in with Divine Mysteries, which Luis discussed during the keynote that is also on youtube for you to view. I love that it’s a psychopomp – apparently named Yuvali if my spelling is correct – that’s lending an in-character voice as they write of the changing divinities. I love this technique much like they’ve done for in-character voice perspectives for other books. I so want more detail on Arazni, so I’m very excited.

Love These Folks

Some quick shout outs first to Stephen Koontz, who ran some 5th Conspiracy at Gen Con. I’m working on a pretty detailed article to discuss his game (our game) as our season ended. I hope he’s back at PAX U because you need to play! Also there was another Himbo game by Jay Foster and crew. Omega Jones, whose brand is now known as QR0WN, posted this amazing picture of the Himbros (as they called themselves) together as seen below. The moment I can find the recorded game on Youtube or twitch I will share! They played Tales of the Valiant and included a great cast of individuals. It sure looks like Jesse can take a lot of pinkies to the mouth. Sandeep sure jumped in to the fun too. It’s fun to see all the different individuals meeting one another as I saw No Cast run into Jesse and Johnny Stanton too. Love all the cool people doing things together. Oh yes, Gehenna Gaming also was there, featuring Eldritch Automata, which No Quest for the Wicked is also playing in promotion. See? Awesome people all coming together. That’s what Gen Con is all about!

If you went to Gen Con, tag me on your social posts! I want to see, or by all means start a chat via my posts for this article. I hope you’re investing in some fun gaming this summer, and if you’ve started playtesting Starfinder 2E let me know! And get that Covid booster!

https://twitter.com/QR0WNTV/status/1819711375997821050

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Gen Con 2024 program book cover, Gen Con, art by Elaine Ho

1. Starfinder GM Core cover, Starfinder GM Core, Paizo
2. ENnies award image, Paizo
3. Rival Academies promo image, Paizo

Meanwhile, since I’m finally up for some air after a busy couple months, I’m going to get into what’s got me so hyped for Player Core 2. Apologies for no articles for a bit. First my team worked with the Wizards of the Coast team to get their new marketplace live, then I was in Chicago for a big Salesforce convention where we got to talk WotC and our project, and then in July we launched the new Hasbro Pulse site. It’s been such a pleasure working with the e-commerce and IT folks on both sides, and I’m really proud of the work my team and their teams have done. And yes, they know I play Pathfinder primarily but all can appreciate good gaming! So I was thrilled that just after the Hasbro launch I got to start digging into Player Core 2 and now, here we are: August 1st and it’s time to share! Let’s go! 

Partly not to spoil surprises I might find in the book, but also because of the busy-ness this year I hadn’t gone looking for much detail of what I’d see updated/changed/added. It’s a lovely collection of rules for a core book, with those good changes and additions, as well as art! Like Player Core 1, the cover is from the amazingly talented Wayne Reynolds. I wasn’t quite sure what Fumbus is riding – it’s not a drake as it has front appendage arms and not just wings – but later discovered it’s a conspirator dragon. In fact, it’s Seoni shapechanged as such! A brilliant and beautiful piece. Considering Alchemist and Sorcerer are both covered in Player Core 2, it’s quite fitting. Of course so is the swashbuckler and Jirelle is being carried by Seoni. Art will always inspire so I thank all the artists appearing herein, let alone the Introduction calls out why you might be excited: More Of Everything!

Ancestries and Backgrounds gives us Catfolk, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Ratfolk, Tengu, and the renamed Kholo (former gnolls) as well as the Tripkee (former grippli). There’s a Kholo monk in our Kingmaker game so I’m sure he’ll be excited to dig through the changes. Who doesn’t appreciate 2 pages of feats! He’ll be pleased to see the Kholo Lore update, i.e. getting Additional Lore in Kholo Lore like the other ancestry lore feats now grant. Tripkees I’m glad to see because of the references like in Howl of the Wild. Terrifying Croak is a new 1st level feat for them, allowing them to Demoralize without a shared language. And there’s a new 17th level feat called Unbound Leaper. You can jump 30 feet in the air, or 35 feet up if you have Fantastic Leaps, a level 5 feat available to them. Thrilled to get more versatile heritages too like Dhampir and Duskwalker for Core. However, there’s something I’ve heard from plenty of D&D folks and that they wanted to see a way to play their Dragonborn style characters, and you certainly can now!

Dragonblood! Considering the prevalence of those divine protector dragons over in Tian Xia, I was hoping for a way to do Dragonblooded! I like how based on the lineage you choose that can determine the Exemplar you might have for later feats or for sorcerer if you go Draconic bloodline! As a heritage you can really make up a draconic descended individual, half dragon and maybe go Dragon Disciple as an archetype. I haven’t heard of that being released for Remaster yet, however. You want a natural attack? There’s a feat for that like claws, jaws, or a tail. You want a breath weapon? Also a feat for that? Want resistance to energy damage? Feat. Draconic Sight lets you get low-light vision, or darkvision if you already had low-light. Scaly Hide gives you an item bonus to AC. And of course there’s Dragon Lore, which makes you trained in Diplomacy, Intimidation, and you get Additional Lore for Dragon Lore. All these options, level 1, how could you go wrong? You’ll be begging your GM for Ancestry Paragon as an optional rule! By the time you can take 17th level feats you can take the Form of the Dragon and cast dragon form as an 8th-rank innate spell once per day or Lingering Breath which creates difficult terrain for 1 minute and causes 2d6 persistent damage for any creature who fails their saving throws. Icy spikes of doom sounds fun!

Going through the Classes in chapter 2 there’s a bit of excitement for everyone. I’ve a friend named Kyle playing an Alchemist in one game, and he was thrilled to hear that the Bomber now gets intelligence modifier damage to splash at 5th level rather than needing a feat. Of course, everyone gets those Versatile Vials which you can replenish by 2 every 10 minutes of exploration, no matter what you’re doing. Never run out of those vials! And they get better over your character career, up to 4d6 damage at 18th level. There’s an item bonus to attacking with them too, +3 at 18th level. Of course, based upon your research field (and feats) they might do more. Bombers can change their energy damage instead of doing acid. Chirurgeons can heal with them! Mutagenists turn them into elixirs and help them suppress mutagenic drawbacks. And the toxicologists? They become poisons you get to add to your weapons. Great opportunity, expanded versatility, and really some much needed oomph to the alchemist. He also has an Investigator and they got updates to pursue a lead and devise a stratagem. Pursue a lead now isn’t so much about the clue you found, but whatever evidence you’re tracking which could be due to a recall knowledge or sense motive check! Meanwhile devise a stratagem could be used for skills, though that means you aren’t attacking your target. That’s great for skill encounters! Also, it’s a free action when you’re using it on a target you know will help answer a question for an investigation you currently have! That’s tremendous for the heroes’ action economy, which I know my buddy was always challenged with in combat.

The Barbarians can now use a free action to fly into their rage as initiative is rolled. Champions of course aren’t restricted by alignment, but there are some options that are specifically holy (Grandeur, Redemption) and unholy (Desecration, Inquiry). That leaves Justice, Liberation, and Obedience for those of any predilection. I’ve a friend (also Rob) building up a Champion and was looking at Liberator so that’ll still work for a holy option. It’ll be excited to see that play out. That kholo monk I mentioned won’t see much in the way of change; I’ve read that critical specialization is something they get now for free, which is good. That brings it to alignment with other martials. 

Oracle, Sorcerer, and Swashbuckler meanwhile all got some interesting additions. Oracle’s curse now just gets bad as it goes up, but you can refocus to bring it down to nothing. Thing is you’ll take feats and use focus powers that are so good, it’s worth the curse getting bad for a bit. Meanwhile the Sorcerer is now more powerful with Sorcerous Potency! Your spells that do damage or healing do more equal to the spell’s rank, only once to an individual creature but it can apply to multiple creatures! This is wonderful and a sorcerer in my brother’s game will very much appreciate this, especially when healing as he already had taken the Dangerous Sorcery feat. Moreover, some feats give additional Blood Magic options like Propelling Sorcery at 2nd level that lets you Step as a free action or move a target 5 feet. You actually can take a 1st level feat now called Blood Rising. As a reaction you can trigger a blood magic effect when you are targeted by a spell of the same tradition of your bloodline. You truly resonate with that magical power. It could be very beneficial if the blood magic effect boosts your AC or saving throw against whatever’s triggering it. The 14th level Reflect Harm let’s you flip the damage back on the person who hit you for example! And finally, the Swashbuckler now gets panache from actions that show Bravado. It’s a new trait and your actions will get it based upon the Swashbuckler’s Style you choose, but also the GM could just say hey you know what, that’s bad ass so you get panache too! Numerous feats can grant you panache or leverage it as well, like Charmed Life the reaction that gives you a bonus to a saving throw. Succeed with panache! Switcheroo is a new feat at level 10, but it requires you already have panache. Basically you can swap places with an enemy target as a reaction when you are targeted by a ranged attack, and the enemy becomes the target of it! I love the hilarity and usefulness of this.

There’s numerous Archetypes listed and I’ve been reading through. I went immediately to Assassin first as I was planning one up. I don’t know how I feel about the changes to Mark for Death. It used to give weapons backstabber and deadly and now it gives you sneak attack, but if you already have sneak attack it just increases it by 1 point of precision damage or 2 at level 6. There’s no more Sneak Attacker feat because of such, leaving you with only “additional feat” options at 6th level like Poison Weapon. However, you no longer need to have Alchemical Crafting and be trained in Crafting to take the Assassin Dedication. It’s not bad for a single action feat, and it’s nice to be able to be an assassin without poison making, but there’s certainly an impact to damage. However, late, the Assassinate feat at 12th level no longer has the incapacitation trait. The target can still survive if it critically fails the save if their level is higher than yours, but at least now if they are higher level and fail, it doesn’t get treated as a success. I also took a look at Beastmaster, because my brother is doing that archetype in our Kingmaker game. The real news is the 6th level free action Swift Guardian, allowing you to switch out what animal ally you have with you. A very nice move from your travel or search-based companion while in exploration mode to your fighting ally when you roll for initiative! Additionally, look at Blessed One for a similar reason. There’s far less additional feats, but that might be because the Champion doesn’t have class feats for what those feats were. Hoping we’ll see more in a future book and I won’t restrict or undo something from legacy one of my players would want to take. However, other GMs might, so definitely check with them!

I don’t have much to say for Celebrity, but I love the Shensen art as seen above! I’m always a fan of Shensen and now with the start of the Curtain Call adventure path, back in Kintargo, I’m happy to see her even more! Marshal is my friend Mike’s archetype in my brother’s game, and a notable change is the aura is always 15 feet. Dread Marshal Stance can’t increase it; there’s no Critical Success detail. I can appreciate having a standard size from now on, though it seems odd to have a critical failure option but no chance for a greater success. Medic is important to a number of people, and I don’t think it changed, but if it did please let me know. Ritualist doesn’t seem very different, but I noted that the Speedy Rituals benefits are not rolled into Efficient Rituals in that at 14th level, you can cast rituals that require days in hours instead! Also the Enterprising Ritualist 14th level is a new replacement. You can replace expensive components with your acumen, making spells like resurrect far cheaper! A great addition! Finally, also in the spirit of Kintargo again, Vigilante is included in Player Core 2. That same friend, Kyle, has Vigilante as the free archetype for his Investigator. A lot of changes came for his characters out of this book. Right at the end of the dedication feat there’s now a way to spend 1 week of downtime to create a new social identity if you lose the benefits from your identity being found out. Vigilante gets two pages so there’s plenty to read through, but otherwise all feats are updated appropriately to remove alignment and with proper traits.

First Feat I checked was Bon Mot as my Cleric uses it, but it didn’t change. Next up was Risky Surgery and no change there as well! Robust Health is 3rd level and General that many will take. It grants a circumstance bonus to Hit Points regained equal to your level when someone Treats your Wounds or uses Battle Medicine. Also, you’re only immune to Battle Medicine for an hour instead of 1 day. An extremely valuable feat! I thought Supertaster was new, but no. You can lick or taste something to help your Recall Knowledge; that was not something I realized you could actually do. I let No Quest for the Wicked know after Dain kept talking about such at the Starfinder game at PAX U. Definitely look for them at Gen Con! 

There’s plenty of Spells brought up to Remaster standards. The one to really discuss is a new cantrip called Live Wire. It’s arcane and primal, doing electricity damage as well as slashing damage. If you critically hit the target’s AC, you also do persistent electricity damage. Great for one target, though Electric Arc is still great for two targets. Apparently that there’s still some damage on the fail, even though it’s a targeted attack roll is really driving the players who learned of it to discussion. It’s only the electricity damage of 1d4 (per rank of spell) but still, that’s better than other attack roll based cantrips! There’s also numerous items in Treasure Trove, particularly alchemical with more oils, potions, talismans too. Snares has quite a few pages, more into the crafting of alchemist and investigator I think. You’ll find some worn and held magic items as well. Nothing has jumped out at me as new and amazing, but that might be because there’s so much presented. I do always check Staves and Staff of the Tempest is new. It’s very primal, weather, storms so perfect for some kinds of oracles, sorcerers, clerics, or druids!

There’s really a lot of what you already love here, updated under the ORC. Definitely take time and invest in Player Core 2! I’ll also encourage you to check out some other great coverage of Player Core 2 like from Nonat or BadLuckGamer. I’ll also encourage you to find B. Dave Walters, Christian Navarro, Jesse Jerdak and more playing the Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. Also Jasmine Bhullar, Johnny Stanton, Jay Foster, and more for SINK (see below)! That is to say check them out because I wish I could! Have a great Gen Con or enjoy all the joy of Player Core 2!

Missed our show at SDCC?
Lucky for you we’re running it back with an amazing new cast this Friday at @Gen_Con!
9pm EST in ICC 500 on the Main Stage.
Tickets can be purchased at https://t.co/SDKhCmOji9 and stream will be available at https://t.co/zH1011GXTS pic.twitter.com/JddHKqnHny

— Johnny Stanton is SINK!ing about GenCon (@johnnystantoniv) July 29, 2024

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Player Core 2 cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. Introduction banner, Player Core 2, Paizo
2. Arcane Dragonblood, Player Core 2, Paizo
3. Analyst Investigator, Player Core 2, Paizo
4. Shensen from Celebrity, Player Core 2, Paizo
5. Consult the Spirits feat banner, Player Core 2, Paizo

Maybe I’ve come to truly enjoy the Iruxi from the interaction of the tribe in the Kingmaker Adventure Path that the heroes of our game have incorporated into the Kingdom without any violence, only understanding and diplomacy, but seeing Baranthet’s opening to Howl of the Wild immediately endeared me to the tale woven around the new sourcebook. I love that they’ve included numerous in-character written pieces by Baranthet, or at least from him and/or his crew. I did say in my last article about Howl of the Wild we’d weave through any lore pieces! There’s more in-character pieces than just chapter sections, woven into them and presented as sidebars that inform while giving a nice frame of reference whether you’re a GM or a player. Let’s see what we can learn from the crew of the Zoetrope!

The Zoetrope’s Quest

What is the Zoetrope? Well that first chapter is entitled The Zoetrope and its Crew for a reason. It’s the airship the team will use in their explorations and seeking. What are they seeking? The Wardens of the Wild. The foreword I quote above goes on to discuss the what and why of this quest. Basically, Baranthet’s grandmother told him the tale of the four colossal beasts that were stewards of the four biomes of Golarion: land, sea, sky, and all that is underground. Eventually the time would come for these Wardens to pass their mantles in a ceremony called the Migration, where all would come together with numerous animals and other creatures. Baranthet never quite acted on it, only briefly attending school, before taking up a quiet job back at home. But now that brief university stint and a professor that believes in Baranthet’s work has arranged for an expedition and the funds necessary to find the Migration. Off they go, with beautiful artistic detail of the airship amidst Barantet’s recounting of first coming aboard and exploring it. Such information would really be useful for describing such for any players, especially if a 3d model or flip map is made.

The Crew

That each further member of the crew is of an ancestry detailed in this book is perfectly done. Even the Iruxi will have Remaster rules provided in the forthcoming Player Core 2. But we get a page for each crewmember, and they’re almost like iconic NPCs. I hope they’re listed in the NPC Core Codex that was announced during PaizoCon. Charileia is a minotaur, an eager traveler, and the scribe. I wonder how much of the written detail we see from Baranthet is actually touched up or recorded by her in theory. Grefu the cook is an Athmaru and it occurs to me reading again through his write up that they are written as if the expedition had already happened, or at least his is. And it seems Grefu is a writer of sorts too since he has his own cookbook. Dr. Pom is indeed a medical doctor and an Awakened Animal who loves tea! 

Lythea is the navigator and also a Mermaid. She was swept up in a storm, found refuge on a ship called the Horizon Seeker, and has been working as a navigator ever since. I do love that she has a supramarine chair in order to get around and stay hydrated. Their scout is Telero, a centaur, and he’s got Cayden Cailean energy but maybe that’s just the youthful exuberance and an eagerness to prove his capabilities. I think we’ve all been there. The final member of the crew is Ten, or Whose Antenna is Askew (they/them). They’re the mechanic and a member of the Surki ancestry. While normally a people found underground, Ten has been exploring the surface ever since they found something of distinct magical variety and taste that was a cookie, though why it was heavy with enchantment energies is a good question. I appreciate the introduction of them as while they aren’t really featured for about 40 pages after that intro, they set the tone and create insight along the way, showing the purpose of this tome. Exploration and learning!

Ancestry Lore

Before we go on to that next section, I wanted to call out a few sidebars in the ancestry entries. Each has a bit on adventures of that ancestry, which I think is great to give either some typical tales of inspiration for players or something to play against type. There’s suggested classes. I am tempted by a centaur Druid (Greenspeaker) or witch! The Athamaru teach us about their metamorphosis to grow larger. In Awakened Animal it’s recommended to have NPCs be surprised – sure, they’re rare – but have them adjust and recover so it’s not too burdensome. We also learn of Outsea, which I hadn’t heard of whatsoever. This is a magically maintained lake of saltwater in the River Kingdoms. There’s merfolk but also other aquatic species like naga and azarketi. We also learn of an exiled minotaur prince living in Absalom, at least that’s what he’s referred to after saving the primarch there. Very valuable insights and info. I”ll be sure to bring Outsea up for our Kingmaker game.

Mechanics Reflecting Lore

Every chapter – like Techniques and Tricks – has Baranthet reflecting on their adventure as well as some section areas – like Warden Spells & Ranger Options. Be sure to read them all. It’s actually in that section we see our first Zoetrope character sidebar. Baranthet talks on the nature of the word warden as I mentioned in my last article. I like the theory that the abilities of these Wardens – the beasts – influenced the magical abilities that rangers use now. While nothing particularly noteworthy to the Age of Lost Omens is mentioned on page 64’s Zoophonic Bards, it’s a lovely tale of the crew escaping violence with a creature due to an Orc with such musical talents calming the dangers. I really, really want to see that battle Disney princess…

I mentioned the Thlipit Contestant (seen above) also in my last article, but I felt it worth mentioning again from a lore perspective. We get almost a half page detailing how the martial art started as that wager between bored tripkees and then details of the fluid movements used in the whip-like dance and fighting style. There’s mention of the tripkee migration to Vidrian and so there’s many in that Mwangi nation who’ve been exposed to such. Here we see mention again of Iruxi, who have picked it up though they’ve added to the tradition as they don’t have a tongue or tail. Baranthet even has a sidebar mentioning he had a lasher league in his youth!

Dangerous Equipment

Once into the equipment you have to consider where companions are coming from, like the Sotalashu I mentioned last time. That of all the companions has the clearest impact on the lore of the world. However, I’d love to know where Kangaroos are common! Professor Baranthet’s notes at the start of Grafts reveals it was venturing for an island in the Arcadian ocean where they spotted people with the medical ingenuity of grafting. Shark fins, gills, luminescent skin, and even flying squirrel membrane, which is only level 3 at the start so reasonable for an early adventurer. Considering the invention of some Arcadians, I’m not too surprised. With Beast Armor and Armaments there’s a note about beast guns not using normal ammunition as well as Baranthet’s sidebar on ethically sourced horns and other natural resources on page 103. I found the idea of killing a Nightmare dangerous enough, but then using its bones to make the Nightmare’s Lament pistol is pretty badass. I agree with Baranthet – who’s going to care about that harvesting. There’s definitely a delicate balance to over-resourcing and should be considered with any of the nature-based adventures. While I didn’t note any lore finds amongst the alchemical or adventuring gear, there’s still a lot to unpack there! Or pack there! Ha, I’m sorry! I had to.

A Menagerie of Creatures

Once we get into the Golarion’s Menagerie. i.e. bestiary, we start to see that sidebar used for the Zoetrope’s crew to speak on various creatures. On page 125 is the Almiraj and Telero has a lovely in-character and here you get that humor as he jokes the Baranthet would chide him from being too close to a cliff, eating toxic berries, etc. You might not think it related to the Almiraj but he jokes about the “Professor” stopping in his tracks for seeing a hare. Well, it wasn’t. It was the Almiraj! The opening line even refers to it as a yellow hare, and I can see why (see below). The very next creature – the Apothecary Bee – impresses Ten with its brewing ability, but it’s also a hilarious bit of commentary. Why use punctuation indeed! I mean, I will, for our readers, and hopefully Ten will learn to do so. This just continues with each creature. Dr. Pom wisely advises using some poisons to the benefit of the injured like basilisk venom to petrify someone to isolate while they are moved. The Chimera gets a lengthy write-up by Baranthet and we get not only an understanding of their partnership and child development, but also their social structure: they form prides! Happy Pride by the way! I do love the mechanics provided for different heads we might find on Chimera including a snake, a wolf, a dragon, a cave worm… They can get pretty dangerous! As Baranthet discussed with Dr. Pom, it’s even possible one of the heads might be undead! Meanwhile we learn more about the Okaiyo Ocean in the Decapod Dinghy, a gargantuan beast that like massive crabs that people ride. Lythea even recounts riding one as a young girl. 

A number of dinosaurs are included including the terrifying Thruneosaurus Rex, a level 17 creature. Guess who’s responsible for that? If you guessed Cheliax, you guessed right! Sounds like a Diabolic Jurassic Park went wrong, cause now the creatures are loose in the Whisperwood. Good luck all! There’s gorgons, hydras, gold-eating marps, seals, sharks, and gem-eating cave squirrels. Basically, the wildlife will eat your treasure or eat you, possibly with multiple heads so double good luck all. I also appreciate the variant unicorn especially the undead pale horse. Gee, who’d kill a unicorn… Certainly no one in Kingmaker… A number of werecreatures appear, with a couple of pages by Baranthet describing their forms, the impact of silver, etc. But let’s leave off with the beautiful Virtuosic Lyrebird, that got Lythea’s attention too. They’re beautiful (see below) and they cast spells through song. Lythea explains how a secondary trill to their song replaces any somatic casting. It sure looks like it’d sound exquisite. I challenge ever GM to perform as one when encountered. We don’t get any special detail of where they might be found but do learn a small group of apprentice mages created the first lyrebirds as part of their graduating thesis. They were supposed to be familiars, but the apprentices improved the lyrebirds skills too well and soon they were teleporting away or vaporizing classrooms. I’m sure there will be some in the Stolen Lands because I want there to be!

After all those chance encounters, the tales told, the information gleaned from exploration, the Zoetrope’s journey was nearing end but thankfully (spoilers) but they found the Wardens of the Wild and we get a lovely short story in the Dark Night on page 198 that rolls right into the beautiful art below. Each is a unique, gargantuan, level 22 beast tied to one or more elements. We don’t get a specific location for where the MIgration is meeting but we learn the site must have ties to each element and be accessed by sea, sky, and underground. This easily allows for numerous possible quest ideas. Maybe your heroes are academic seeking them out. Maybe that choice location is close to where your heroes will be. Maybe devious forces are seeking out the Wardens to stop the Migration from happening, or one vile individual wants the mantle(s) for themself. You could go with a corrupted environment, a blight, etc. quest line and have your heroes needing to battle the mighty creatures. It does make me wonder if some of the forthcoming War of the Immortals storylines will include these Wardens seeking to protect or find chosen guardians to help. Clearly they aren’t part of the Kingmaker adventure path, but I’m very eager to weave them in. There’s so many other great details and ties in this book that I’ve just got to!

The Journey’s Conclusion is a nice literary in-character piece from Baranthet’s perspective. Where the Foreword ends with a reference to him as a naturalist, by the end here at the Epilogue, he is referenced as an adventurer. That’s because he’s no mere Professor now, and like any good group of adventurers is eager to go out and explore, learn more. I encourage you to invest in Howl of the Wild and join the Zoetrope’s crew on their adventure of discovery and learning! Visit your local library but get out and see the world, as I’m sure Baranthet would encourage!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Howl of the Wild cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. My Quest for the Wardens foreword excerpt, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
2. A Journey’s Conclusion closing banner or “Light writer plate of crew upon returning from their journey, from official Zoetrope expedition logs”, Howl of the Wild, Paizo, art by Ivan Koritarev
3. Ghost Bull Minotaur, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
4. Thlipit Contestant, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
5. Almiraj, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
6. Virtuosic Lyrebird, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
7. Wardens of the wild double page banner, Howl of the Wild, Paizo

A wild adventure indeed as Howl of the Wild is now available!  I was actually in Chicago for a big Salesforce conference with work last month, and each night once back at my hotel room I was reading through as I couldn’t not invest in this brand new book from James Case and team!  James kindly introduces us to the authors in this Paizo blog article.  I’ve been so excited for this book for a number of reasons, which I’ll get to.  Heck, even my players are like “when is it out?” for the wild implications for Kingmaker and my brother, playing an Ancient Elven Druid.  I absolutely adore the framing of this book like others before it utilizing an In Character voice, namely that of Baranthet Zamendi, an Iruxi naturalist.  You can learn more about him and his crew aboard the Zoetrope here on the Paizo blog.  They’ve some fun details and there’s a ton of lore to dig through too, but that’ll be next time.  First, let’s break down this amazing book that is going to make for a howling good time!

That first section is about the Zoetrope and its Crew, starting with Baranthet, but it eventually moves to cover a number of new Ancestries, all of which are at least uncommon with two being rare.  Starting with the uncommon, the Athamaru are fish-like and get a swim speed right out the gate.  They’re primarily found in Xidao in Tian Xia.  Xidao’s that underwater kingdom west of Minkai I mentioned in my first article on the Tian Xia World Guide.  Love that now we have rules to do a full on PC with them.  And they’re not the only underwater ancestry we get with Merfolk.  Shout out to Mikhail Rekun for the detail presented and learn more about Mikhail in this Presenting with John Godek!  It’s not easy for them to move around on land, but they can spend time out of water provided they return to aquatic regions every 24 hours.  There’s a feat to get them walking around with a 15’ move speed, but there’s other options too, which I’ll mention in Equipment!  Centaurs are a great addition, another helpful one for our Kingmaker campaign especially should someone lose a character.  Minotaur’s an ancestry I’ve always wanted to see and if I ever run a sequel to my favorite Dragonlance all Wizards of High Sorcery game, then I’ll need it.  Surki is the first of the new rare ancestries.  They are an insectoid humanoid base that reminds me of the Mondoshawan aliens (those big metal guys who had the key, Lilu, etc.) in Fifth Element.  They’re from the Darklands and they’re magiphages, drawing magic from the world around them.  They use it to project effects in various ways.  I love how the magical energy they most consumed in youth is the tradition their feats manifest as, giving them a bit of versatile flavor.  

But I’ve saved the best for last friends, it’s the second rare ancestry but one I bet we’ll see a lot of:  Awakened Animal.  Now we finally know what happened to all those animals Druids have gone around awakening!  Of course, it might have been the work of Fae or an enchanted spring that awakened your mind.  They get or rather retain an ability to converse with animals of their kind, using Diplomacy to interact with them.  The heritages are a perfect approach:  do you climb, fly, run, or swim?  The flying ones however have it a bit tough with a need to take a 1st level ancestry feat to actually have a fly speed rather than a simple ability to float.  The idea is that what was an automatic, intrinsic action now takes focus and concentration.  The never take falling distance of any kind is a pretty sweet benefit, and they do have to balance it somehow.  Also by level 9 you can have full flight of 25’ with a feat.  There’s so many entertaining and exciting awakened animal ideas, like what I have to assume is a bear turned investigator pictured below.

I meant to note that we start with some Special Rules to help with some of the non-standard aspects of the ancestries we typically play.  Need to play a PC of large size like a minotaur?  No problem, but make sure you understand how to squeeze in spaces.  Want to be a tiny little creature, like say a mouse?  Well now there’s rules for that equipment.  You’re maybe big enough someone can ride you like a centaur.  They do suggest that if a player really wants to play an aquatic PC in a predominantly terrestrial campaign, you either provide equipment to support or maybe some free feats with possible complications for story purposes.  I like the idea of the merfolk having feet unless it’s a full moon.  I suppose taking away their voice has been done before.  Flying details are much about balance like we discussed above.  Perhaps you want to allow only 15’ flight at first but that can trivialize some encounters or let flying PCs outshine others.  It seems wise to find a balance of additional ancestry feats for everyone, or maybe use the Ancestry Paragon optional rule.  Starting with two ancestry feats and picking up more along the span of the game could help find the right balance you want to maintain in a group.  I appreciate the foresight to have a short discussion of these considerations because it well supports players seeking options beyond the core.

The next section covers a wild array of Techniques and Tricks.  There are a number of feats for barbarians with the animal instinct or untamed order druids called Untamed Morphs.  There’s a number of reactive feats like Creature Comforts at level 4 that lets you reduce your frightened condition by 1 because you’ve spent so long amongst wild animals.  Or the level 16 Too Much To Swallow that lets you change shape as you are subject to some effect that you could Escape from (like being swallowed) and if you change into a shape too large to be subjected to that effect, you automatically escape!  There’s also new animal instinct options to choose from like Bat, Crab, Scorpion, and the Tyrannosaurus!  The Spider gets a Web attack that doesn’t do damage, but is a 15’ ranged attack that slow creatures.  Could be a great debuff.  Animal Form spell has a final paragraph too about new forms like Crab, Crocodile, Orca, and an adorable Seal.

We then move onto Warden Spells and other Ranger Options.  A few feats and focus spells.  The Natural Conduit is a good 4th level feat allowing the ranger to use their companion as the origin of their spell.  I want my wolf to heal my allies.  There’s a really great sidebar here about the “Wardens” of Nature, which greatly pertains to the Wardens of the Wild mentioned later, but I must resist until next article.  But yes, isn’t it interesting how often we use protective titles like Wardens, Guardians, Protectors…  One of the Warden focus spells is the threat of that power, 3rd level, called Threatening Mimicry.  I appreciate it only affects non-allied creatures within 10’ to frighten them with the perception of the warden’s growth in strength/size, and natural features like claws or poison.

Witches of the Wild get a few pages, starting with some new patrons like the Devourer of Decay.  It and the other patrons are unsurprisingly primal list patrons.  I love the kholo art (see above) decaying the meat, though I think we all know it could’ve well been a creature getting the Scrounger’s Glee hex cantrip cast on it.  That cantrip frightens your target, but also can heal an ally that critically succeeds at a strike against it.  Meanwhile your familiar causes sickened 1 to a creature nearby with less than half its hit points.  Definitely the key is focus fire with this patron!  The Ripple in the Deep’s familiar ability lets you summon a small sudden wave to push a creature 5’.  That could be useful for battlefield control.  Meanwhile the Whisper of Wings lets the familiar fly 15’ when you cast a sustain a hex.  New greater lessons exist for decay, flock, and shark.  Flock gets you Sheltering Wings allowing your familiar to move up to 30’ along with an ally that moves within 15’ of you.  The familiar goes along on their back and they get some cover from the brief wings that grew.  Great way to get your familiar into battle along with your front line!  A few low level feats are given too like Scatter Swarm, allowing you to damage any swarm that threatens your familiar.  It’s only level 2, but won’t come up too often.  Still the fact you can do it at will is pretty cool.  There’s also Portents of the Haruspex, which is a divine who reads the future through the entrails of animals.  This feat lets you do so just by reading a creature’s wounds.  And Wild Witch’s Armaments expands your Witch’s Armaments to do more damage with a second nail Strike, sicken with a critical hit of your jaws, or shoot your hair like quills at a range of 15’.  Those witches are wild indeed!

Bards get a new muse in the Zoophonic Bards section.  Yep, the Zoophonia Muse is focused on the sounds of the wild and natural world:  birdsong, wolf howls, and more.  The granted spell is Summon Animal, and makes for a perfect Disney Princess build, with the Zoophonic Communication as your muse feat.  It allows you to Request from animals with Performance like you shared a language, but you don’t get any ability to actually understand their responses.  So hopefully the animal goes right into performing the request, because a fair amount of perception is at play. You do also get to use Performance to command an animal instead of Nature.  Certainly your Performance will be better long term, but it’s not a huge benefit.  I’m a bit more interested in the 8th level Songbird’s Call that grants you a composition focus spell.  In a 15’ emanation, you call forth a wicked storm of songbirds to attack all in the area.  I read this and immediately thought of Snow White’s songbird attack from Shrek 3, sadly the worst of the Shrek’s bur it’s always going to be hard to beat Shrek 2, which is clearly the best.  Don’t agree?  At me on social media and let’s talk!  I do want to give Musical Summons, a 3 action 14th level feat, a mention.  I love the idea that you can cast summon animal and use a one-action composition spell.  With the right build you can get some powerful summons out while maintaining some compositions.  It really is Snow White calling her army!

Still under Techniques and Tricks, but next we get a number of Archetypes.  Eight of them to be precise and I’m particularly excited about one of them.  Beastmaster gets updated for Pathfinder2E and my brother has already retrained his Druid into picking up this archetype.  Of note, however, the main dedication feat and details are going to be in Player Core 2 so these are additional feats and options.  I love Pack Movement, an 8th level 2 action feat, that lets both you and your companion Stride and if you both come within reach of the same creature, you can make a melee Strike against it.  By 20th level, you can take Pack Takedown.  You and your two active companions get to each make a melee Strike against a target that all of you are threatening.  It counts as off-guard and provided more than one attack hits, you count the damage of all strikes in totality before applying resistance and weakness.  It may be 20th level, but it’s definitely the epitome of pack fighting!  The Clawdancer meanwhile is a cultural tradition of the catfolk of southern Tian Xia with nimble movements, most feats representing a single action or reaction.  By level 16 you can do a Storm of Claws with three actions.  You get to Strike three times, multiple attack penalty increasing as normal, but each time you hit get to Step.  It’s more dance fighting than whirling dervish and I love it.

Ostilli Host is very interesting, an archetype reserve for Surki though maybe a GM could be convinced to open it up for special circumstances.  It’s a graft, which I’ll get to more later, but it’s also a symbiote.  It’s not quite the Trill of Star Trek, but a plant animal hybrid that helps repair a node where the Surki is damaged while also granting other capable abilities.  The dedication feat alone lets you start to absorb magic with one action, increasing your AC and saving throws against the next magical attack, cantrip or spell that targets you.  It’s +1 at first, but +2 at 12th level.  However, you also get the one action Spit Ambient Magic to fire off a magical dart that does 1d6 damage, getting better at 6th level and then every 4 levels.  It’s a really cool archetype with many interesting feats.  If I was planning a Surki I’d be prone to take it, playing off a bit of a  magical Venom feel.  Many of the feats increase your ability to absorb magic or use that magic dart like the 10th level Spell Swallow.  Swarmkeeper is also quite appealing as you keeps a whole swarm, hive, or nest of insects to attack your enemies.  It lives within your body but when you have it Swarm Forth (for 2 actions) it is a bit like a minion, more that you sustain your focused communication with it for an action each turn.  But it can bite and sting for 1d4 damage, getting better over levels.  And that’s just the dedication feat.  At 12th level it can be made of death cicadas from the Mana Wastes that do terrifying mental damage.  Indeed the targets end up frightened too.  Oh and the swarm can fly too, so good luck pretty much everybody.

Next, we get the Thlipit Contestant.  This archetype also has strong cultural history as the martial art started as a wager between a group of bored Tripkees (formerly called Grippli) that I think we’re getting the Remaster update for in Tian Xia Character Guide.  Basically this martial art focuses on the prehensile nature of your tongue or tail.  The dedication feat makes it a weapon that does 1d4 bludgeoning with grapple and reach, even counting in the flail group.  Subsequent feats increase its ability or your use of it.  I like the reaction feat at 6th level called Snap Falling Fruit that allows you to help intercept projectiles from ranged attacks, offering +2 circumstance to AC for the target, possibly knocking it completely out of the air.  After watching X-Men 97 (watch it!), this made me think of Nightcrawler.  The Wild Mimic – yes I’m skipping one to do last! – is about being a feral fighter, learning from the deadly beasts of the wild.  This archetype makes me think of Blanka from Street Fighter including the 6th level Electrogenesis feat.  If you’ve seen a creature do electricity damage with an unarmed Strike you learn to generate a bit yourself due to your connection to primal magic.  It’s all observe and mimic, adapt sort of skills.  This could be a great archetype for a monk or ranger, or a combo.  Then there’s the Winged Warrior, an archetype you must have permanent wings to take.  They do point out this could be from a graft, and not just from an ancestry.  It starts by just letting you Leap farther and increase any fly Speed granting feats by 5’.  But there’s more such as Gusting Spell, letting you fly 10’ any time you cast a spell with the air or electricity trait as a single action.  You’re flying at sonic speeds by level 16 with the two action, once an hour, Sonic Strafe!  Fly twice and any adjacent creature takes 10d6 sonic damage!

But my fine friends and folks, it’s the four pages of the Werecreature archetype that I was drooling for, like a wereboar hungry for dinner!  Or maybe you’re a werebat, or werebear, or werecrocodile, or weremoose, or wererat, or wereshark, or weretiger, or of course… a werewolf!  You might have been born with it, or maybe it was Maybeline’s bite when you got into a scuffle at the bar.  Whether natural or afflicted, there are archetype feats through 16 to build the werecreature of your desire.  A nice sidebar gives you the speed, attack, damage, traits, and special abilities of your weretype.  Werebats can do some within the round flight (make sure you land or you’ll fall) and weresharks get to go amphibious in their hybrid shape.  Their animal shape has no land speed but they’ve the aquatic trait and a Swim speed of 35’ to go deep diving!  After we got feats for the undead archetypes, I’ve been itching for werecreature.  You can easily play your Ustalav-based campaign now!  Special shout out for that 8th level You Don’t Smell Right feat.  A scent ability to get a secret Perception check and notice transformed or impersonating creatures is a very useful, on point ability.  At level 16?  Well you’re a Force of Nature, gaining fast healing 5 when in hybrid or animal shape.  But watch out!  Silver is still very much a danger!

A few new Spells are included in general, mostly primal but a few are arcane, divine, or occult.  Do you want Camel Spit or maybe the Claws of the Otter?  Those claws even do cold damage.  Foraging Friends (above) is a level 1, allowing you to call forth a handful of small animals to help you collect food.  PRimal Chorus is level 3 and lets you howl out to the animals and beasts within 1 mile, alerting you to how many there are.  It’s a bit like a Commune with Nature in that you can send out some simple commands, but also get a bonus to initiative should you interact with any of the creatures who react to your call.  With the level 7 Summon a Stampede you call forth panicking beasts with a spell that has an Arrive and a Depart effect.  It arrives to frighten and departs with severe bludgeoning damage and destroying difficult terrain.  I love those kinds of spells.

We then move to the new section of Supply Runs: On the Importance of Proper Gear.  There’s an incredible amount of items presented, but first we start with new Animal Companions!  My brother had been eager to get some cool companion options and there are many!  There’s a flying squirrel who has a Death From Above single action double Strike attack.  Maybe you want a Giraffe?  An Elk is fitting for the forested wilds.  They suggest using it for a moose as well.  But what really caught my brother’s attention was the Shotalashu, which has existed previously even in the Alien Archive.  They’re the lizard-like telepathic creatures from Castrovel.  My brother plays an Ancient Elf from the Mordent Spire, eager to see their people changed, and this opportunity from “the elves back home” was something he couldn’t pass up.  They aren’t even Advanced Companions, which are included as well:  Giant Eel, Giant Frog, Giant Wasp, Griffon, Hippocampus, Hippogriff, Orca, Umbrella Mushroom, and then two more that got me so excited.  First there’s the Riding Tarantula.  My heart jumped for my Ev’etaewayr from Valiant.  Even the art included his riding spider due to the Wild West of Arcadia style Luis brought to the game.  Then, there’s the Roc.  A huge animal companion that is level 16.  It gets a two action Snatch, allowing it to Strike with a talon and then Grab.  If that Grab works, it gets to Fly up to half its speed, carrying that target away.  With 60’ fly speed, that could get increasingly dangerous for many creatures!  My brother has always wanted a cool flying companion too, but for now he’s let his second animal companion be a giant hawk that’s medium size while he rides that Sotalashu.  Friggin’ druids!

As we get into the more equipment side of things, we start with Grafts.  I had a PC – a red robed mage if you’re familiar with Dragonlance – who was focused upon summoning and grafts.  Earl did amazing with that character, inventing very cool spells as well.  Now you too can make Grafts with the Graft Technician level 3 feat!  You can get formulas for them or devise your own.  I have to imagine they’re popular in places like Nex but maybe parts of Arcadia too from the fictional text that starts the section.  Compound eyes?  Sure, level 4!  Gills?  Why that’s just level 8 and only 950 gp!  Full on wings?  Well those will cost you at 15,000 gp as a level 17 item.  There’s all manner of grafts available and I look forward to seeing what some creative characters do with them.  There’s numerous Beast Armor and Armaments as well, using parts of creatures for their equipment, which we’ve long seen for the Beast Guns from Arcadia.  I have to say, a lot of this also makes me think of Delicious in Dungeon, an excellent anime I’ve been watching.  Yes, they primarily eat monsters but they utilize all parts of the monster too.  It may just be the idea of seeing a Hodag used for leather armor (Hodag Leather) or the branches of a scythe tree turned into a Bloodgorger Scythe.  Might I mention both are in Kingmaker?  Interesting, and useful!  Oh and the Trollhound Pick has trollhound tusks in it!  There’s a really pricey Leydroth Spellbreaker level 17 available for 15,000gp.  It’s a +3 greater striking blunderbuss and can dispel once per day with a 30’ cone blast.  The Alchemical Items include animal pheromones to influence an animal’s attitude.  There’s a DC to resist depending how greater your pheromones are.  The Hive Mother Bottle excites me though, level 8, in that it has a shrunken corpse of an ankhrav hive mother within!  Open the bottle and she comes out to play!  A few mutagents and poisons round it out with the Tatzylwyrm’s Grasp catching my attention.  Again, Tatzylwyrms are featured in Kingmaker.  Thank you to whoever did this on purpose; I guess it does make sense considering the wild nature of Kingmaker.

The Adventuring Gear includes a number of new items.  The Animal Blind caught my attention as it’s the typical collection of poles, cloth, and covering to help hide you from an animal when hunting.  Or maybe from any creature when you’re hunting them.  A friend is playing a gunslinger in my brother’s game and he’s always setting up his deployable cover.  Perhaps the most important is the Supramarine Chair, “a wheeled, water-filled bath or tank” intended originally for merfolk.  It’s a wheelchair for aquatic folks.  THere’s also the heavier duty Land-delver’s chair that acts as a traveler’s chair.  I’m glad they created this as something that would’ve evolved on its own, though I expect most merfolk still prefer not to go up on land if they can avoid it.  The Big Game Siege Weapons are mostly mid to high level items meant for some large or larger dangerous beasts.  A couple low level items are given like the Teekdoon, which is like a portable catapult, and the Trapdoor Actuator which seems more like a trap as it’s a trapdoor that is placed on a wall and launches some sort of iron rod.  It does require 2 crew to run it, so it can’t be a standalone trap but I guess useful for protecting a high-cliffed location.  Finally, a number of new Spell Catalysts are added.  The highest level is the Kushtaka Relic at level 13.  I had to look up what a kushtaka is as this relic comes from a human who transformed into one.  These are useful for attacking possessing spirits with spirit blast, either helping the possessed do better on their next save or possibly – if they critically fail their Fortitude save – immediately banished from the body of the possessed.  I know some people scoff at consumables, especially the 525 gp for a level 13 catalyst like this, but they can add incredible valuable single-use effects to spells.  I might pick up a bunch of Alicorn Hair.  It’s level 1, 4 gp and allows you to target an additional creature with stabilize.  That can be incredibly valuable for just a few gold.

What an exciting assortment of ancestries, class features, archetypes, and more!  This wild ride is truly an exploration of what can be found out there.  I’m very excited for next time, where I’ll dig through the various fictional pieces and lore woven into this extremely enjoyable (and useful) book.  I’ll also go through the Golarion’s Menagerie as a number of creatures are presented at the end of the book, including the powerful Wardens of the Wild!  Until then, I suggest you pick up and invest in Howl of the Wild!  And of course Happy Pride!  No matter whom you are, you are enough and there’s no one set way for your life.  Be you, be good to others, and be happy!  Pride started as a riot by BIPOC individuals, so I also encourage you to remember we are not alone and many other groups deserve support and camaraderie.  Remember the intersectionality of our identities.  We are all connected, and the more we remember that, the better I truly believe this world can be.

Wild, right?

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Howl of the Wild cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. Back cover excerpt, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
2. Sailfish Merfolk, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
3. Devourer of Decay Kholo Witch, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
4. Witches of the Wild, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
5. Zoophonic Muse, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
6. Swarmkeeper, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
7. Foraging Friends spell, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
8. Grafts banner, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
9. Supramarine Chair, Howl of the Wild, Paizo
10. Awakened Animal (an Investigator Bear?), Howl of the Wild, Paizo

I love the sidebars Paizo authors and developers work now into every book, especially every Lost Omens tome. The first sidebar of the book is entitled Sharing Our Stories. It’s the quote above. And as I hopefully respectfully called out in my previous article, the Tian Xia World Guide is thankfully a book of numerous contributors sharing their cultures with us. There’s a lot to learn about Tian Xia in this book and, because of the inspirations, our own planet as well. I wish people had the same respect and eagerness to learn and explore. I try to as well, and that goes for the Lost Omens lore here in this guide with great opportunity for adventure and gaming. I couldn’t do just one article on Tian Xia after all!

The Age of Dragons section in History came after the warring of celestial and qlippoth, the Age of Monsters. Here dragons were charged by the goddess Shizuru with a sacred duty. If yaoguai were allowed to continue rampaging and their wars draw on, Tian Xia would be a desolate wasteland. I learned yaoguai is a Chinese term for evil, strange, alien monsters. We might associate demon to it, but for the dragons and Shizuru it was the extraplanar beings bring ruin to the world. Thus the dragons were to prepare the continent for the coming of the lands’ people: humanity. They’d arrive in 10,000 years and the dragons would guard them for 10,000 more. So the dragons took this on, gaining the collaboration of those active celestials to stop yaoguai lords and sealing away the stronger ones. Humanity eventually did come and it’s noted that first they came from Azlant – which we’re familiar with – but first they came from Sarusan. I wasn’t aware Tian Xia’s population was said to have primarily traveled to it.

I know very little of Sarusan but that’s most players and GMs I think. It’s the smallest continent south of Tian Xia. I do know of it as the place where those who visit find their memory of it wiped, missing, or taken. The Pathfinder wiki mentions a scattering of details like a land bridge (mentioned in the same Age of Dragons section) that once existed between Sarusan and Tian Xia. The Gods allegedly destroyed an empire there called Taumata but this section clarifies it was lost due to the rising waters of Earthfall. Was it serpentfolk as apparently there were obelisks of that nature visible to those who could remember seeing them there? While Paizo’s great for setting up mysteries for GMs to establish the why (like Aroden’s death/disappearance), I wonder if Sarusan will always stay the partial mystery. Unfortunately the descendants of Sarusan and Azlant who became the people of Tian Xia didn’t get quite the full protection and support of the dragons. Some meddled too deeply and others took outright rulership of empires. The land was changing quickly as these powerful dragons perished, becoming mountains, volcanoes, huge swaths of forest, or even precious metals like gold or fast moving waterways. Thus humanity was isolated, struggling.

Starting right at the beginning of the Religion chapter and appearing through the book, we get lovely sidebars with Pronunciation guides. First it’s to nearly pronounce the deities’ names phonetically and at least have those that hear appreciate you’re trying. I appreciate that from a general reader’s standpoint who can’t speak any Asia-Pacific languages. My friend recently visiting can speak Japanese quite well, but he noted it’s far from perfect and he’s been living in Japan for over a decade, speaking it every day. It was truly grand to hear him translating words and lovely to see him have to pause to think of the English word for something. Japanese was now the first thing he went to. He was so thrilled to visit Japan and I’m thrilled he has a wonderful life and family there! But yes, what it reminded me of as I went through the book, is that perfection isn’t required but respecting and trying (take the time to learn) is. Later in the book, we get pronunciation guides for major cities, groups, and prominent individuals. Thank you to all those who took the time to put that together for us.

Also in the Religion chapter, I was fascinated to learn more about the Celestial Court. The section starts noting technically anyone can become a deity or immortal. There’s many ways from alchemy to amassing power to reaching spiritual enlightenment. In this case Shizuru formed this initial organization of divine powers to help bring some order to the chaos, partially to help bring order to the mortal world. Depending on how you reached enlightenment, you likely were granted tasks based on your ascension. The write-up notes it as a meritocracy though it’s noted some rebel and also your activities are tracked. Go too far, act without wisdom in revealing your power, cause destruction and you’ll get the ire of the others. I think that’s fair as even a sliver of divine power could be too much for the common individual working day to day. There’s ample examples of why this could go badly, and I think it also speaks to why major heroes can’t get involved in everything. Why are the former PCs from Sandpoint not swooping in to help even though they’ve got Mythic abilities? Well it would draw unnecessary attention, create religions unintentionally, etc. So it’s the same for the Celestial Court. However, I do find the idea that this court takes highly detailed notes, resulting in a grand record of society, history, politics, science… magic? Is it recorded what happened to Aroden, hm? I sense a great opportunity for an adventure where one might have to get access to or protect these records. There’s also a favor and promise exchange that could lead to hijinx or trouble. There’s one page here on the Celestial Court but it’s all lore and it’s a very valuable read. 

I’ll also mention that many of the deities listed have reference to the forthcoming Divine Mysteries and some to Player Core 2. Domains like change, duty, glyph, plague, repose and spells like animal vision, blanket of stars, feast of ashes, and penumbral shroud. I noticed as I read through each god and the Lady of the North Star further caught my attention. Her name is lost to time and apparently Pharasma’s faithful help scrub her name from history. I guess they are allies because she takes pity on those who are suffering incurable curses and other ailments. Her areas of concern include immortality and I wonder if she was actually mortal long ago. She at least visited as a mortal – stories say – but maybe it’s when she was mortal? She has a nine-part secret, hidden, mysterious ritual that allows one to gain immortality. I’m not sure I’d like that form of immortality though as it requires you to dwell in darkness beyond the stars to the North where it’s so cold even the “wheels of time” are frozen. If Zon-Kuthon taught me anything, it’s not to go venturing beyond the stars. This whole secret goddess with a path to immortality in 9 stages sure reeks of an adventure path to me!

I mentioned Chue Ye, a land dominated by dangerous Oni, in my last article. Obviously it’s more than just a dangerous place. I found the cultural section particularly interesting. It starts with a discussion of the Oni and that they measure their own self-worth through their own accomplishment, caring little for the gods’s opinions who punished them “for failures beyond their control.” You might have heard/read that Oni are no longer considered Fiends after the Remaster. They’re still giant humanoids, yes, but fiends they are not. They are former kami, nature spirits that suffered some great trauma. So many Oni, especially in Chue Ye, are not only spirits in a state of perpetual trauma but also feel abandoned and punished. At least in Chue Ye they’fe started to develop a new social structure and thus decided on rulership over destruction, murder, or “wanton slaughter.” There’s some opportunity there I think, and I love the new positioning. Meanwhile the Human section speaks to the invention of acupuncture in Chue Ye and the study of qi, both originating in this country. While humans are generally suffering and have little, their studies went with those who fled Chue Ye but also were granted to Samsarans so the knowledge would not be lost. That section – Kitsune and Samsarans – speaks to the preservation of culture through the past life knowledge. Meanwhile some Kitsune have begun worshiping Fumeiyoshi – god of envy – and gain the ability to take an Oni form if they slay an Oni who displeased the god. More corruptive and damaging spiritual evidence is clearly visible here. Some kitsune use the ability to help rebel groups but others are fully becoming Oni. Makes me interested in exploring this region even more. I love the diversity this adds to those ancestries, really showing the cultural and societal changes for Oni and Kitsune alike.

I’d heard that Goka was inspired by Hong Kong and reading through, I can see why. It’s perhaps bigger than Absalom, founded by an Abadarite named Xhai Xen Ciao. I also learned from the Paizo Blog article featuring the authors, which went live the day of my last article, that it was Tan Shao Han who wrote the area of Songbai as well as this section. Definitely check out this bsky thread on things they noted, changed from 1E, etc! Goka’s a huge bustling port with many different forms of commerce. Trade might be one of them with ships sailing in and out for/from every continent but there’s fishing, farming, skyscrapers of business, construction, urban growth and renewal, gambling casino, and of course entertainment. You might find a storyteller or singer on the street corner, or perhaps you’re going to an all-male band – boy band inspired clearly – termed beautiful garden. They sing and dance and there’s some groups with fame all across the world. There’s a smaller, more intimate form called goyao, which appears to translate to “go want” (thanks Google, maybe) but also possibly adventurer. Want dinner and a show? Well Gokoa is also known for casual dining and street-side shops. Go to a coffee shop known as kopi-tiams, finding snacks from across Golarion or grab a larger meal and sit street-side with the hustling and bustling mixture of locals and visitors. I’ll note however that apparently sparkle tea (bubble and boba tea) is the rage with jellied fruit, chewy tapioca parts, etc. Of course recent events in Goka include the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix adventure path and the ramifications of Hao Jin’s tournament. Hao Jin is still present and active – unless that’s different from your playthrough – though feeling a little down by the looks of it. I want to meet and learn more of this “sharp-witted, self-assured” comb-spirit named Bao Ting. Yep, a comb spirit that is Hao Jin’s oldest friend.

Meanwhile, things in Lingshen are wild. It’s a nation with a mighty military history, which grew after the former Lung Wa empire fell. But things have been changing, albeit not for great reasons. There’s a state of detente, which I did not know what that even meant. Apparently detente means the eating of hostility or strained relations, usually in context of politics or between different countries. It’s noted because Lingshen continues to heavily train and develop its military, but why? The former King Shixin is dead and his 11 remaining children aren’t so much ruling together, but fighting one another, which the former King had encouraged to encourage strength in them. Well that’s not going to do well for the country as they create friction for their people and no single leader can truly step up. Meanwhile and this may be a spoiler if you’re a player, but… the King had a whole plan to get his mind transferred to a construct using Sun Orchid Elixir. He also set up an impossible task to lift a keystone from a pedestal to prove one was the rightful leader of Lingshen. Well, impossible for any mortal, but a magical construct? Sure! It’s giving automaton vibes though there’s a note the process maybe has corrupted the King’s mental state… And that’s all from the first page, everyone! We get details on all the kids, including the young ones either a struggle to protect or being manipulated by others. I suspect we’ll learn more about Li Mingxian, a scientist whose work has been turned into military innovations so they undermine and work with other nations like Goka and Songbai. This nation’s really in trouble.

If I had to choose anywhere to send characters, it’d be the Forest of Spirits. This area is north of Minkai (considered part of that nation), both feared and honored, filled with mystery kami, those nature spirits. While many consider it haunted and there’s no traditional settlements within, there’s still much life and magic alive in the dense woods. Technically there’s a traveling road with a few small villages along the southwestern coast, abutting the forest. People know better than to threaten nature and anger the spirits; they’ve made agreements with the kami as such. The important part is – like with anyone or anything – to treat it with respect. There’s even an old temple to a fallen samurai who learned this the hard way. Still people will come to learn and explore like some traveling spiritualist, but also those seeking gain. Locals aren’t amused but some are enjoying the new interest financially anyway. Maybe there’s a secret village or two, but I won’t give those away! I’d just want to marvel at the majesty of it all. The art alone (see below) is wonderous. Traveling along the Spirit Road on that southern border you can meet spirits of the things discarded along it or into the forest, an old tradition from past generations resulting in many abandoned items. Further in, maybe I could catch some of the spirits dancing and join in. Maybe I’d witness a bit of divine power to Desna or Sun Wukong. Remember to respect the moths by the way… Insects are part of nature after all! Too far north and you might enter Chinmoku where the restless dead wander. There’s apparently an area on the Aokori Gulf where five massive skulls mark a sacred spot where you can request aid and others celebrate the changing of seasons, even as whatever spirits guard that area watch the sea. A great location to send adventurers seeking special help in their quest!

I really wanted to go into Shenmen, but with the recent Season of Ghosts adventure path, I won’t give anything away except well… it’s based there! The only warning I’ll give is a content warning for spiders! There’s so much more to the Tian Xia World Guide to learn and explore than I can put into words. Thankfully all the authors have done so, with inspiring images by the artists to help. You most certainly should invest in the lore and every detail of this book. What’s your favorite detail? What’s been happening in Tian Xia for a long time that you’re just now learning? What real-world aspect has been brought to life in Golarion that you recognize? Let me know as you learn about Tian Xia!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Tian Xia World Guide cover, Paizo, art by Ekaterina Gordeeva

1. Sharing Our Stories sidebar, Introduction, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
2. Alley Basher image, Goka, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo, art by by Sandra Posada
3. Test of Fate, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo, art by Maichol Quinto
4. Chu Ye banner, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
5. Empress Nai Yan Fei, Goka, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo, art by Vira Linevych
6. Hao Jin, Tales of Lost Omen: Rebirth blog, Paizo, art by Vladislav Orlowski
7. Huang Shixin, pretty bad father from Lingshen, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
8. Forest of Spirits banner, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo

Tian Xia can’t be summed up in a single book; no land can.”¹

It’s the truth. Despite the 299 pages (before glossary) of the Tian Xia World Guide, the newest Lost Omens release from Paizo, there’s still clearly so much to this continent of Golarion. Much like the Mwangi Expanse (June 2021), Impossible Lands (November 2022), and High Helm (June 2023), this release shows rather than tells that there’s far more than could ever be summed up in one book. Yes, we learn of the countries, the geographies, the actual lands of Tian Xia, but it’s the history of these peoples and their cultures that are brought to light in vibrant ways. With thanks in mind, I do wish I could cover this entire book, every section but I can’t while doing it justice anyway. Next article will do some deeper lore dive, so let’s take a review of all that’s been created and shared with us.

I’ll note too, we want to remember to be respectful. I’m just a cis white guy over here enjoying the amazing creativity and storytelling (as well as the fab art), and I say that because Tian Xia was made to celebrate cultures and communities I’m not a part of. There’s a learning aspect as we honor what’s being shared with us. Many of these creators are bringing their history, their culture, their traditions to us. Thus, it’s important before we play with that bounty brought to us in this book (or any of the cultural tomes of Lost Omens) that we take a moment to do some research into real-world inspirations. I truly do love and am thankful for the way this is done with Paizo books. For me, I’ve long seen myself in media, fantasy, literature, on TV… Again, white dude. But the moment I started to see gay men and LGBTQIA+ friend groups, especially of diversity (and again, not just white gay dudes), I felt encouraged and excited. Surely, others must feel this way and I hope the Lost Omens line continues to do that for others.

Amazing Authors & Artists

That’s why I’m thrilled to see those involved in the book right there on the Table of Contents contributors sidebar! Michael Sayre and James Case are the designers, with James at the lead. Luis Loza, Landon Winkle, and Eleanor Ferron are the developers with Eleanor at the lead. And take a look at that author list and the artists! Please take some time to go learn of these individuals. I started with the first name. Eren Ahn (they/them) is Korean-American who (and I love how they phrased this) “loves to use science fiction, fantasy, and horror to poorly mask their thoughts on various social issues, including but not limited to colonialism, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial injustice.”² How can you not be excited to see what they’ve shared with us through the bountiful playground of Golarion? I hope I can learn what they wrote; maybe they’ll see this and let me know. Because of twitter (yeah I’m still on there while the gaming community remains) I’ve caught a few as they were shared by James or Luis. Jeremy Blun – who we’ve had on the podcast before – wrote the nation of Linvarre and more, like turning Desna into Mothra (see tweet) but let’s touch on that later! I don’t know when I first learned of Banana Chan (she/they/he) – Kids on Bikes maybe? – but I grinned seeing them listed. Also on twitter, I found Connie Chang (they/he/she) wrote Quain. The dance martial arts mix really got my attention and so did this PbtA-inspire game they’re working on called Godkiller! Thrilled to see Dana Ebert (she/her) doing more. You may recall me gushing over Material Changes in the Grand Bazaar. Viditya Voleti (he/him) has a number of games up on itch.io; I want to play Apprentice Quest about freshmen wizards at college. Our own John Godek III is in there too. I might have to do another article just on what all these fab people are doing as there’s so many fine authors; I encourage you to invest some time in learning about them too! EDIT: Check out today’s Paizo blog post to hear from some of the authors!

On the art side, Ekaterina Gordeeva has returned for the cover like they’ve done for many of the Lost Omens books. There’s many fine artists for the interior. But did you see this? Gunship Revolution. Specifically Mico Dimagiba, Patsy Lascano, Adelijah Ocampo, Luisa Odulio, Hinchel Or, and Brian Valeza are noted as part of this group. Check out their site; they’ve basically worked with most big names I could think of. Previously I haven’t seen individual attributions for Gunship, so I’m glad that’s done here even if it’s not for the specific art. Eventually I know we can go searching and usually find who did what from artstation and the like; I understand individual attribution of authors and artists would be a ton of work. Certainly as a whole, the art in the Tian Xia World Guide is beautiful and inspiring. I’m so thankful for the continent map too! Do let me know if you are or know who the artist is for any images featured here please!

Learning About Tian Xia

Starting with the Introduction I love this Five Tips for Tian Xia section! It dispels some classic tropes like Celestials aren’t always good. Alignment’s gone y’all and holy doesn’t mean good (have you seen Hazbin Hotel?). Appearances can deceiving should be something we all understand but the call out of shapeshifters like kitsune and the goblin dokkaebi might be tricking you. Spirits are real, vibrant, and able to called by some. There’s a whole philosophy about them Ill note later. Dragons aren’t monsters but people, individuals that have been guardians and rulers. Diplomacy not hostility folks! And last, the dead are never truly gone. They’re with us in my opinion and in Tian Xia too. Your ancestors may have been judged by Pharasma, but they didn’t go on to their final reward. Reincarnation is real. This is another philosophy we’ll see later.

The History section is of course full of lore! The Age of Monsters saw kaiju running over the land while the extremely tall Valashai took over the so-named now jungle area of southern Tian Xia. Qlippoth and celestials warred but eventually came the dragons, literally the Age of Dragons, setting up the society we’d see going forward. Earthfall is known as the Age of Ashes (not to be confused with the so-named adventure path) as sea levels rose, greatly changing the continent. Entire empires fell, draconic or humanoid alike. More recent events go on to be detailed with a full sidebar across the seven pages of historical information. The events of the Jade Regent and Ruby Phoenix Tournament are noted, along with their ramifications. Even Ironfang Legion is detailed as Oprak creates diplomatic relations on the continent. I highly encourage any GM to read carefully through the history in order to know better this region and to understand the journeys of its cultures before running any Tian Xia based game. It’s useful information for any PC with an origin there as well, of course.

Tian Xia calls out that dragons are people, rulers and guardians, and there’s an entire Age of their influence. Thus, it’s no surprise there’s an Imperial Dragons chapter introducing us to the role various types of dragons play and some major names. I’m a little shocked that Valashinaz isn’t called out as an Underworld dragon considering their vault, but maybe that’s just because I want more Purepurin. There is a Pathfinder Society scenario for such called Equal Exchanges – Necessary Introductions for that though! I admit being particularly fascinated with the Forest Dragons, maybe because I’m compelled toward visiting forests, but I like that they are natural guardians who are losing ground and may threaten Tian Xia settlements for the sake of nature. Arindham (above) looks rather threatening, but awesome! Luong Phung the sea dragon sounded so cool that I hoped for art of them. How thrilled was I to see such included in the Xidao and Oceans chapter. This book really gives and gives!

A chapter on Factions tells of various groups active throughout Tian Xia. Love that we get our pirate group the Ante, much like the Shackles. The admiral is a ghost who only appears in a storm, which I find interesting considering the storm off the Shackles used to prove one’s mettle. I guess pirates and storms go well together, or is there some sort of blessing on the Admiral by Gozreh? Curse? I’m also very interested in the Way of the Kirin. Here’s a group that was THE good folks of righteous ijndividuals challenging corruption and unified along many avenues. Now it’s in disarray with varied, occasional squadrons and far less organized. Seems a great opportunity for a PC Champion or someone who had a teacher following the Kirin’s ways. Granted the Veils are also interesting with their hoarding of magic, technology, artifacts, and secrets. They think them too dangerous, but are they? The vaults are in Valashmai and we know that area is ancient in its development thanks to the History section. Some great adventures could be had in that jungle, especially defending a vault or needing something from one desperately! If you’re like “wow there’s so much in this book” then yes, you’re right. We’ve only discussed the first 20 pages!

To Temple & School

Religion starts with a general treatise (one page) of the religious tendancies of all those who dwell in Tian Xia. There’s holidays, a pronunciation guide, and also a reference to the recently announced Pathfinder Lost Omens Divine Mysteries! Apparently Hei Feng, Irori, and a few others will have more details there. I’m excited by that cover and the announcement that Arazni will be in the primary pantheon group. It’s about time. Anyway, back to Tian Xia, there’s some mention too of typical shrines and temples but overall how the people of Tian Xia are very much “polytheistic, but also syncretic and pragmatic.” Syncretic’s a new word for me, meaning characterized or brought about by a combination of different beliefs or practices. There’s a great depth of diversity in Tian Xia, made clear by the numerous deities listed. First, the authors take us through the Creation Myths of the continent starting with one featuring a giant dragon egg made of chaos floating out in the universe. One deity I was excited to see is Daikitsu, Lady of Foxes (above), a good-natured if mercurial being with special veneration in Tian Xia’s pantheon due to her fostering agriculture and craftsmanship, important to a civilized society. “To Daikitsu, a beautiful world is one that flourishes.” I love how broad that is. Not the individual. Not the empire. The world. I’m glad kitsune take inspiration from her; perhaps there’s hope for others yet. Shizuru and Tsukiyo I only learned about recently. The former is the god of the sun while the latter is the god of the moon, who was returned from death by his lover Shizuru. Of course there’s family squabbles even in the deities and it was Tsukiyo’s brother Fumeiyoshi, lord of envy, who killed his younger brother perhaps out of jealousy, perhaps because of Tsukiyo selfishly hoarding Shizuru’s light. If you get a chance to ask them, let me know. There’s many more to speak of but I had to call out that Jeremy Blun (author) did indeed get to make Giant Mothra Desna (below). In Tian Xia, Desna is often associated with the silks harvested from silk-producing moths by temple monks, weaving the silk into garments. Hence she is often depicted as a giant moth! An amazingly cool bit of lore to add for her, thanks Jeremy!

I really was intrigued seeing the Philosophies chapter and love its addition. It follows Religion but it’s not about religion. This section details a number of “ancient schools of thought” that have survived the ages with various peoples across Tian Xia. They’re a mix of beliefs, how to approach the world, and an understanding of how the world works in general. It’s not an organized system, so even certain schools of thought can vary between countries or even individuals. I think this is a great add because some players try to express how their characters feel/interact with the world without it being a religious item. As an example the Teachings of the River is also called Sangpotshi and believes in a mingling of souls in death, flowing along the River of Souls until they are reborn but over time those souls can grow and eventually have reached a point of no longer needing to go through a mortal existence to grow. Meanwhile the Way Spirits focuses on all things having a spiritual representation; they can become sentient and develop their own minds. That seems to mesh well with an Animist’s point of view. I like that it’s a focus on honoring all spirits, giving them respect with a point of nature being a primary representation and how many spirits awaken. I love that philosophy!

A short two pages follows, a chapter titled Tests of Virtue. These are rituals of song, poem, and I think dance as well since Power of the Beasts includes an Athletics check. These are tests of virtue and will that grants benefits to the individual. That Power of the Beasts ritual (level 2) can grant you the Titan Wrestler feat after defeating an enemy two or more sizes larger than you, only one size if you critically succeed at the ritual but then it’s three enemies instead of one. But be warned, the moment you use weapons the benefits end. Perfection of Essence caught my attention (level 10) as it grants immortality or at least, you don’t age anymore. Similar to the Power of the Beasts, is the level 6 ritual called the Unseeing Blade Master (see above). Can you guess what that can grant you? Yep, the Blind-Fight feat. Of course you have to do the ritual, which requires Master Perception and then defeating 20 enemies with your sword, or one enemy that uses a sword if you critically succeed. Roll high my friends!

Many Lands to Visit

What follows are over 200 pages of Tian Xia regional information, covering numerous countries, forests, mountains, the oceans, and more like the Darklands. There’s also more than 20 pages of new Bestiary entries before the Glossary, and yet you still can’t sum all of Tian Xia up in one book. However, I will spotlight a few countries. Chue Ye is the land of the Oni, even if most of the population is human. Acupuncture began here, leading to a growth of culture favoring education, medicine, and kind-hearted individuals. Unfortunately corrupt nature spirits came from the Forest of Spirits to the north, imitated the humanoids living there, took advantage of the kindness, and took over the place. There’s the ruthless Shogan Tsuneni ruling over it and the dazzlingly beautiful (that art below) Inma fighting the Underworld dragon Zhulong, resulting in geographic and monstrous unrest! I feel for those people, but thankfully they’ve got the Mizu Ki Hikari resistance. Hopefully the five leaders can work together and secure that alliance with Zhulong. Sure sounds like an adventure path to me! Quick edit shout out to author Grady Wang of The Gallant Goblin (see tweet) who wrote this section. Thank you for the exciting nation and inspiration!

I did mention the Darklands and I have to mention it considering the connections to both Oprak and the elves traveling through it to Jinin. There’s the area called the Clicking Caverns, sitting on the border of nations Xa Hoi and Nagajor, and occasionally clockwork machinery comes shooting out on occasion. That might not be so bad but they’re haunted by the spirits of whatever civilization once lifted in the moving metropolis below called Pan Majang. Could the Jistka Imperium have gone that deep? Or maybe it’s Azlanti that went into the Darklands? Meanwhile General Azaersi of Oprak is using his Onyx Key artifact to connect his people to those of Kaoling for an alliance. Well turns out beneath there was the hobgoblin nation of Rahk Lo who are far friendlier with all humanoids. They’re focused on survival, so collaboration and diplomacy are far more important than warfare. There’s even non-hobgoblin citizens in Rahk Lo, so it’s likely a great place for adventurers to find camaraderie and help fight the foul denizens of the Darklands!

Then there’s beautiful Hwanggot, the Kingdom of Flowers! Its people favor diplomacy and peace and while briefly part of Lung Wa’s tyranny, they’re now celebrating their independence again. What really grasped my attention are the adorable Dokkaebi (above), magical goblins who live there. They have “raucous celebrations” usually around harvest time. They create beautiful earthen pots called onggi, and people like to use them for fermenting food but also treat them as antiques, passing them down through family members. There’s an elder named Chanhee who is well known for her pottery but also for forging legendary blades that can banish spirit and fight fiends! Need your hero to go on a magical sword quest? Time to send them to Hwanggot, partake in a celebration, and impress Chanhee perhaps by rescuing some Dokkaebi from greedy merchants or thieves!

I mentioned Jinin, the forest homeland of elves who traveled through the Darklands after fleeing Earthfall. Here magic and mystery are preserved, as are a number of plants unseen since before Earthfall as they’re gardens are preserved by the elves who fled from Avistan’s surface, traveled through the darkness following the oracle Jininsiel, and emerged in Tian Xia. They followed a vein of dawnsilver and have since woven it into the stonework, their temples, their monuments, and interlaced with the flora they preserve. Elves may be a rare sight in Tian Xia, but their trade of dawnsilver i snot, funding much of the nation. Half-elves are common on the outskirts, and relatively treated like an equal though also like a human. Some of the depth of music and artistry these elves are known for is not shared as much as it could be. There’s a massive Silver Tree that is the center of their capital, Ayajinbo, and is a holy place, though not related to any particular deity. However, it’s worth noting the roots of the tree lead deep into the Darklands as it’s what led the elves to the location in the first place. Thus it must be heavily guarded and usually is. I can imagine an important diplomatic affair and elegant dance party that is interrupted by an attack!

Minkai is a large peninsula nation of relative peace and prosperity, but undergoing a fair amount of civil change since Empress Amatatsu Ameiko took over. Here we see the ramifications of the Jade Regent path as Ameiko has been on the throne for 10 years! Her desire to reduce samurai favorability and prestige, as well as make all who sought positions of power prove their qualifications through exams, postings of experience, haven’t made her incredibly favorable with the nobility. Indeed, some fled to other countries and now watch for weakness. But this badass bard is an Empress of the people, traveling amongst provinces and checking on her nation with a direct approach. She also has her kitsune allies close by including Miyaro who aided her in reclaiming the throne and her daughter Hisae who is the emissary monitoring internal and external threats to the nation, throne, the people. They’re looking for new candidates to help guide the nation including an investigator who specializes in supernatural occurrences and a kobold sorcerer that knows much of the land’s history, told through oral tradition. Having these popular leaders working together is wise, as those angry families who’ve left could prove a new issue for the Empress!

Finally I’ll bring up Xidao and the Oceans of Tian Xia, though there’s an Oceans chapter right after this one. Xidao is an alliance of over 50 city-states, aquatic ones! They’ve always venerated sea dragons like Luong Phung (see below) but what brought them together was the horde of monsters awakened by Earthfall and an undead army that grew as time passed. I love that the A Year In Xidao section breaks it up by the seasons including the Season of Storms (late summer into autumn), Season of Change (late autumn to spring), and the tranquil Season of Tranquility. There’s a big Festival of Arts, hosted by the Shelyn clergy. While the craftsmanship and performance contests are interesting, there’s also a big diplomatic meeting during that festival called the Convocation of the Grand Council. That also sounds like a perfect event to use in your adventures, or put square in an adventure path. Xidao is the nation of waters west of Minkai, so it’d be easy to tie some things together there!

Explore Tian Xia

I could go on and on because this book is a delight. Maybe you can’t sum any land up in one book, but wow do they try! I heavily encourage you to invest in the Tian Xia World Guide! Also, the news broke for the War of Immortals and the various tie-in products from the Godsrain event. Were you following the Godsrain Prophecies? I have to say, I did not think it would be Gorum that’s due to die, but the ramifications of having no deity holding the portfolio for war seems both a good thing at a meta level but also an exciting one for all those chasing to scoop up some of that power, especially in the wake of the Godsrain. I can’t wait to learn more, and next article will dig into some juicy lore bits from Tian Xia. I love these Lost Omens regional books.

And thus, in closing, I have to ask: Arcadia? Luis? Please?

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Tian Xia World Guide cover, Paizo, art by Ekaterina Gordeeva

1. Introduction excerpt, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
2. Xa Hoi chapter banner, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo, art by Luis Salas Lastra
3. who am I? excerpt, Eren Ahn website
4. Arindham, The Imperial Dragons chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
5. Daikitsu, Religion chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
6. Desna the Mothra, Religion chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
7. Inma, Chu Ye chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
8. Dokkaebi, Hwanggot chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo
9. Minkai chapter banner, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo, art by Sammy Khalid
10. Luong Phung, Xidao and the Oceans of Tian Xia chapter, Tian Xia World Guide, Paizo

Seven of them, in fact! Seven Dooms for Sandpoint is the latest adventure path from Paizo, bringing us back to those friendly yet dangerous streets we first traveled back in the very first adventure path Rise of the Runelords. In Burnt Offerings – nearly 17 years ago – James Jacobs introduced us to Sandpoint, to Thassilon, to runewells, to Lamashtu, and to the disastrous dangers that continued to befall this quaint town. Well, James is bringing us back because there’s new trouble in store for Mayor Kendra Deverin, Priest of Desna Abstalar Zantus, Brodert Quink, and of course those that gather at the Rusty Dragon. I thought I’d revisit Sandpoint as I reflect on this new adventure, but know there’s not any spoilers that aren’t obvious. As it turns out, there’s a malevolence manipulating events and bringing the tragedies down upon Sandpoint. Now it’s time for new heroes to step in and – hopefully – stop all seven of these dooms all while facing the politics and intrigue of the town that first cemented our love for Golarion and Pathfinder.

I mean it wouldn’t be much of a game if there weren’t dangers, right? We as Storytellers (GMs and Players alike!) want danger, conflict, intrigue in order to make the game fun. But you know, I didn’t realize how troubled Sandpoint was until I read through all that James had collected for the history (mmm Lore) and did a review myself. It’s been a rough time of it for Sandpoint and it’s about to get worse. Case in point note the sign art from the player’s guide above versus that of the path below, found in the first section. The Overview runs through the plot (the dooms!) at high level but again that Lore comes with a glossary and a wonderful timeline from Age of Creation to now. There’s mention of a 1E sourcebook I wasn’t aware of named Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Sandpoint, Light of the Lost Coast. Very useful if you’re a GM but possibly mild spoilers for players so best to only pick up if you’re running it. 

The origin of Sandpoint even starts tragically as the Scarnettis chose violence, leading to the Varisian Compact. I of course appreciate the call outs to previous paths like Nualia’s activities in 4707 that preceded the defeat of Karzoug by Rise’s adventurers. 4711 references Ameiko’s birthright from the Jade Regent path. A year later was Shattered Star and then eventually Return of the Runelords sees the rise of New Thassilon in 4718. Rise of the Runelords beckoned back to “The Late Unpleasantness.” That was the series of murders that happened 5 years before Rise and is tied into the events of Burnt Offerings along with Nualia’s activities. All of it comes up again in Seven Dooms, honoring all these published works with great respect and providing wonderful continuity for your players.

You know I love a good sidebar and the player’s guide and the main path both suggest the possibility of having the player characters be the children of the original Rise heroes. Wisely the player’s notes pose the question of where are those high-level characters and to discuss it over with the GM. Here’s a few ideas to help:

• Not Quite Retired – After their adventures in Rise of the Runelords, the heroes decided to retire. They settled down in Sandpoint to raise their families in peace, wanting their children to have a normal upbringing away from the dangers of adventure. However, as time went on, the world would not forget the heroes and requests would come for assistance. They might have been asked to join a prestigious organization, protect a kingdom like New Thassilon, or undertake a quest of global importance. Their duties take them far away, possibly to another realm, leaving their children behind to carry on their legacy or possibly to keep them there in safety, secrecy.
• Conflict of Interest – The heroes found themselves at odds with the direction Sandpoint was taking. Whether it was due to political disagreements, conflicting values, or changes they couldn’t abide, they chose to distance themselves from the town. This might have been a gradual process, starting with disagreements over policies and eventually leading to a complete withdrawal from the town’s affairs. 
• Dangerous Presence – Perhaps it’s possible they’re drawing too many dangers to the city. They feared that their presence would bring harm to those they cared about, including their own children. They left Sandpoint to protect their loved ones, knowing that their absence was the best way to keep them safe.
• Seeking Answers – New mysteries arose from their adventures including the ramifications of Return of the Runelords, prompting the heroes to embark on a new quest for knowledge or power. They left Sandpoint to explore ancient ruins, consult wise sages, or seek out artifacts that could help them uncover the truth behind their previous exploits. Their children remained in Sandpoint, unaware of the secret quests their parents were undertaking. It’s possible they’re even helping Sorshen with New Thassilon as I suggested above!
• Mysterious Disappearance – The heroes vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving no trace behind. Rumors circulated in Sandpoint about what might have happened to them, from being abducted by extraplanar beings to being trapped in a cursed artifact. Their children grew up without knowing the fate of their parents, always wondering and hoping for their return. In a similar vein, the PC could be the secret child and not know their parentage.

The Player’s Guide otherwise gives the typical recommendations on ancestries, classes, archetypes, faiths, languages, skills, and gear. However there are new Backgrounds to use, which I always appreciate. They really help capture lore and ties to a path, often reminding me of the Pathfinder1E trait system. You can be a child of the Sandpoint Cathedral, possibly even a foster of Zantus. That background gives you reputation with the Cathedral, as this path does use the Reputation system to track between influence on various groups. Curious Apprentice has you working for the blacksmiths, a general store, or other trade. You get reputation with the Mercantile League. Both reduce your reputation with the Scarnetti Consortium. Eager Scofflaw makes you a ne’er-do-well of the town with some underworld contacts the Bunyip Club while decreasing your rep with the Town Watch. Lost Coast Local has you from a local family or at least nearby with reputation increases for the Townsfolk, and again the Scarnetti aren’t going to like you. There’s also MIlitia Member, Newcomer, and Runelord Scholar which I’d of course choose. Finally there’s the Scarnetti-Connected so you aren’t from the family but you are connected to them. That might give you a clue as to some of the problems you’ll deal with during the path…

Back to the path there’s a truly amazing, updated Sandpoint gazetteer. The player’s guide has it but not to the extent of the path. Every group is mentioned including the Runewatchers who are interested in learning and trading lore of ancient Thassilon. You get information on earning income, support benefits, and of course a brand new map with details on each location. The Adventure Toolbox has numerous new magical items, some of quite high level despite this path getting characters to a max of 14th level. And there’s something lore-based, something that is extremely exciting to me, hinted at in the past that I so want to talk about but I don’t want to even remotely spoil it. With some more official information I eagerly look forward to bringing these details into my Kingmaker game, as I’m running that as if the other paths have happened. I hope James and Adam Daigle (developer on this with James) are really proud – but not too proud – of the glorious work they’ve done here.

There’s so much more out there to learn about Golarion in the Age of Lost Omens. I highly recommend you invest in this new adventure if you’ve done any of the Sandpoint-based adventures, especially Rise of the Runelords. Even if you don’t intend to run the exact adventure path, it’s filled with useful characters, updated Sandpoint information, stat blocks/crunch, and of course lore that is truly valuable to have for the Age of Lost Omens. If you’re reading through it, hit me up because I need to discuss! Here’s that beautiful Sandpoint art shot to enjoy in parting.

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Seven Dooms for Sandpoint cover, Paizo

1. Sandpoint sign, Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Player’s Guide, Paizo
2. Sandpoint sign, Seven Dooms for Sandpoint, Paizo
3. The Sandpoint Devil, Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Player’s Guide, Paizo
4. Sandpoint Gazetteer, Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Player’s Guide, Paizo

In the ever-evolving world of Pathfinder 2E, I am thrilled to have in hand Paizo’s latest release:  Pathfinder Monster Core.  By the time of this article, you can too peruse its pages and let the creatures therein captivate you with the latest treasure from the illustrious Remaster line.  This tome promises not just an expansion of the creatures that players can encounter but also introduces a slew of improvements and adjustments that refine the Pathfinder2E experience.  There’s brand new art and brand new Lost Omens lore too!  So, grab your dice, and let’s delve into what makes the Monster Core a critical update for adventurers and GMs alike!

More Accessible!

From the moment you crack open the Monster Core, it’s evident that Paizo has taken feedback to heart, implementing style guide changes that catch the eye even on the Introduction page. The immediate standout is right there at the top with the introduction banner sporting a fresh look that sets the tone for the pages to follow.  They’ve brought that Remaster feel here, but it’s more and more evident of stylistic changes that set the tone going forward. Gone is the papyrus-like beige that once served as the background, replaced now by a crisp white canvas that breathes a sense of clarity into every page.  Navigating the book has been made more intuitive, with the table of contents on the right now boasting easier-to-read callouts, ensuring you can quickly find the creature or section you need without the fuss. Another example is the “Reading Creature Statistics” headline, which has undergone a transformation, featuring a different font that eschews the all-caps of its predecessor for a more accessible reading experience.  Accessibility and inclusivity have clearly been prioritized, as seen with the addition of Content Warnings sections. This thoughtful inclusion warns of creatures tied to specific subjects that might be sensitive for some players, covering topics like alcohol/drugs, body horror, gore, and torture. It’s a considerate touch that allows game masters and players to tailor their adventures, ensuring everyone at the table feels comfortable and engaged.

More Monsters!

In terms of content, the Monster Core is hefty, coming in at 357 pages for the creatures, beating out the Pathfinder2E Bestiary of 341.  Total with other monstrous detail and organizational tables Core has 372 pages before backmatter, slightly outpacing the original Pathfinder Bestiary. But it’s not just about quantity; the quality and diversity of creatures have seen a significant enhancement. Among the notable changes are the alterations to dragons, a topic of much discussion across social media and prefaced in various forms over the last few months. Paizo has revisited these majestic creatures, tweaking them in ways that promise to impact gameplay and storytelling by focusing on the lore of them.  Interacting with each is bound to feel quite different from the steadfast Adamantine Dragon who are a form of primal, skymetal dragon focused on their purpose.  Meanwhile the Omen Dragon (above) is one of the occult with mirror-like membranes to their wings that offer a glimpse into the future.  Considering those visions could be shared with anyone – Omen dragons don’t care – there’s a lot of story opportunity!

Of course, Monster Core doesn’t shy away from evolution, as the Remaster line is certainly about leaving the OGL behind and embracing the ORC.  They’ve replaced the golem family in general with various other constructs.  Now the clay golem has become the clay effigy.  They’ve bid farewell to the adamantine golem, replaced with the formidable Aolaz.  I love that there’s a nice lore sidebar about how the Aolaz are from the Jitska Imperium. Gone is the blanket immunity to magic too with a few options the best choice to use.  There’s still hefty resistance to physical and spells, but like in the case of the Clay Effigy that telekinetic strike that couldn’t work before will work (albeit the physical resistance 10) or you should focus on spells of cold, earth, and water to ignore the spells resistance of 10.  The Aolaz?  No resistance to spells but more immunities to things like sonic, spirit, and more.

The crimson worm has transformed into the magma worm, reflecting a shift towards more thematic and visually compelling creatures.  Perhaps the most exciting aspect for new GMs while surprising long-time fans is the inclusion of creatures not found in the original Bestiary. The Norn from Bestiary 2, the Scarecrow from Bestiary 2, the Serpentfolk from Bestiary 2, and the Tooth Fairy from Bestiary 3 (just to name a few) have all found their way into the Monster Core. For those craving something old but new again, there’s the Pipefox (pictured at top) though it was listed as a familiar option in Grand Bazaar.  Meanwhile the Bogwid (above) makes its debut in Pathfinder 2E, adding an extra layer of danger to your swampy adventures.  The whole ravenous young that launch themselves at a target to feed is disturbing and awesome.  Sorry players!

More Updates!

The dev team at Paizo has also made numerous stat adjustments to the creatures within the Monster Core, ensuring that the balance and challenge of encounters remain engaging for players of all levels. These tweaks are a testament to Paizo’s commitment to refining their game, responding to community feedback, and enhancing the Pathfinder 2E experience.  I assume various errata have been woven in.  For example the giant scorpion’s AC has been fixed in a minor but meaningful way.  Obviously languages have been updated and damage types changed to void, vitality, etc.  The Creature 10 Rakshasa, now the Raja-Krodha, has more than a few fixes to its stats.  I also noted that the Creature 5 Dandasuka isn’t in Monster Core, instead it’s the Creature 1 Raktavarna.  Guess we’ll see the Dandasuka updated in Monster Core 2? Which reminds me I wanted to call out the vampire mastermind art changed from a masc, deranged looking vampire to a femme, beautifully gowned vampire.  I’m imagining that’s to accentuate the social manipulator aspect but there’s new art woven all throughout the book, some of it from various books already published.  It’s also possible because Vampire Mastermind became Rare instead of Uncommon.  A number of rarities shifted for creatures too.

More News!

Also in exciting news, the tabletop community has shown its support for creativity and Luck of the Harbor with the new game Warrenguard funding at over 400%! It’s a vibrant reminder of the passion and enthusiasm that players and creators alike bring to the tabletop world. I’ve gotten to playtest it a few times, and eagerly backed it. I can’t wait to see what kind of rider archetype we get from Jay Dragon as well as the additional art and lore!

The Monster Core is a wonderful update.  It’s a gateway to new adventures, teeming with creatures that challenge, terrify, and enchant. Paizo’s dedication to improving accessibility, along with their commitment to expanding and refining the game’s content, is clearly on display in this latest offering. Whether you’re a seasoned game master or a curious newcomer, the Monster Core promises to be an indispensable addition for you to invest in for your Pathfinder 2E collection.

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Monster Core cover, Paizo

1. Backmatter excerpt, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo
2. Pipefox, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo
3. Omen Dragon, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo
4. Bogwid, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo
5. Vampire Mastermind, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo
6. Back cover, Pathfinder Monster Core, Paizo

“What now?” – Amiri, loudly

“Well it seems Geb has some new Blood Lords…”

First and foremost, a huge congratulations to Luck of the Harbor’s Natalie Pudim and her team for the quick funding of Warrenguard! They met their goal of $5K in only 7 hours and now they’re well beyond even the original stretch goals. Again, like all my articles and investing ins, I’m not getting paid for promotion or anything. This is truly a fun game I’ve very much enjoyed playtesting, let alone I love the found family dragon-riding focus of Warrenguard. I’m sure you will too!

I love the lore of the Age of Lost Omens, and love reflecting the larger world of Golarion. I appreciate how released paths assume certain resolutions to previous paths, especially as we’ve gotten into 2E. As Kingmaker goes on, I want to bring references to other paths, especially where it has an impact on the PCs and where they are from. This takes it out of its normal chronology but you may want to reference at least the paths that originally came out before it. I’m assuming most paths have come before it, changing the political arena and recent events (i.e. the Whispering Tyrant is free!) or will occur during it. There’s great adventure to be had, but all these events shaping Golarion inspires me and my players.

In the past I broke down where Adventure Paths took place, but now I thought I’d share how other Adventure Paths could have influenced your game or come up at some point with a focus on how to incorporate it if you played it. Most players seem to love hearing how their PCs are still shaping the world. Maybe the heroes of that path visit, want to explore, offer diplomacy, or those NPCs who were tied to them do the same! While I haven’t played all these paths, I’ve done some reading up or have heard of others doing so. Here’s some ideas you can use with primary consideration toward Kingmaker as that’s the path I’m running right now. You can have Linzi share news, add items to your Rumor chart rolls, or have the NPC leaders supporting your PCs bring the events up. And of course, perhaps some heroes of these paths simply show up as powerful people are want to do. If I craft any custom events for Kingdom turns, I’ll be sure to share!

Players you should probably avoid, and of course there are spoilers references ahead.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I hope these snippets and ideas can be of help to you as you consider ramifications of these paths for your Kingmaker or other Golarion-based games. I heavily encourage you to invest in the larger lore and story of the Age of Lost Omens! If you come up with any, or have written in any details for your campaigns based on previous paths, please share with me as I’d love to hear what you’ve crafted. And soon, we shall ready for the wide-reaching implications of the War of Immortals materials and the outcome of The Godrains Prophecies. Set your clocks to learn more on April 16th!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Kingmaker Adventure Path Special Edition section image with title added, Paizo

1. Pathfinder Adventure Paths logo, Paizo
2. GM Screen for Beadle & Grimm’s Absalom: City of Lost Omens Gold Edition, Paizo 
3. The Godsrain Prophecies logo, Paizo Blog, Paizo 

Who doesn’t love dragons? They bring my fantasy-loving heart joy. And who doesn’t love McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern? The chance to play one in a game is thrilling. Well with Warrenguard…

“You are a Dragonrider. You feel the cold wind rush through your hair as you and your dragon fight the bonds of gravity. Your dragon lifts off from the lofty warrens high above the rest of the world where you make your home.”¹

Cozy Hold Room: Can you find the puppy?

It sure looks homey, and magical, and filled with dragons and joy! Warrenguard is the latest game taking flight from Luck of the Harbor and the profoundly creative, modest yet brilliant Natalie Pudim. Warrenguard was my hype-building news ahead of PAX Unplugged and then one of my “must plays” of 2024. Well I got to play a one-shot, am soon to finish a two-shot, and I’ll do another one shot just before backerkit launch! And to be clear, like all the things I write about, there’s no paid promotion here. I’ll be eagerly backing this game the moment the funding goes live on Saturdary, February 24th. Do keep reading, but I’m gonna say right now: I highly encourage you to invest in Warrenguard!

So you probably already picked up on the fact that you’re a dragon rider, have a dragon, and live in a warren above the rest of the people. That’s all true! You grew up in some town or city (a hold), were eventually chosen (or won?) the right to train as a dragon rider when you came of age. You trained, met the dragon that would telepathically bond with you, and then got assigned to a new hold to protect it while living in that airborn warren with a group of other dragonriders. That’s the Warrenguard, the team of riders and dragons. The warrens mystically float above, likely connected to the hold by a massive chain. What’s the hold like? What about the warren itself? You determine all that with your cast of players at set up. But first…

Riders are you ready?

You’ve got to build your Rider! There are 5 archetypes to choose from. The Old-Timer has spent years as a dragonrider, has seen ups and downs of the job, and perhaps has a bit to prove to the new generation. You’ve got the brand new Fresh Face, who just finished their training at the Caldera (where riders learn) and is so excited for the new friends and adventures ahead! The Ace is the hot-shot, the popular one who’s become known for their success and skill. The Caretaker (image below) keeps the Warrenguard together, clean, and well-fed. They’re the heart of the Warren but maybe they need help too once in a while. Finally, there’s the Outsider. Think jaded, angry, brooding, but probably also hot, haunted, and dangerous. Maybe the reputation is deserved, but maybe it’s not! Each rider type at character creation has name suggestions (but you can make your own) as well as some attributes and traits to choose from. 

The Caretaker: taking care of you lot is a full time job!

There’s some phrases to choose from as well, catered to the type. Like the Ace has to choose something they’ve moved past – like an embarrassing nickname – while the Old-Timer has that one thing this life has never let them have. Natalie provides many examples to help you choose and build quickly. I was quite impressed by how only 5 to 10 minutes gives everyone enough time to frame up their character and make them feel already real. You finish up by asking someone a question of your choosing while the GM tells you whom else you’ll have to ask a stock question of. I do so love the spicy complexities that are added by these questions. As an example the Outsider has question of “How do I scare you?” Now someone might have a great idea for something truly terrifying, or maybe it’s a reminder of a lost fellow rider, or perhaps the answer is that they don’t. Lots of opportunity for collaborative story building, and some really fun characters!

So Many Dragons

But they’re dragonriders Rob! I know, I hear you. Natalie heard you. You don’t want just the rider, you want the dragon! There are 12 dragon types, indicated by color: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, White, and Black. They’ve got your stats for combat – which I’ll get to later – but they’ve got flavorful actions and information as well. Like the White dragons won’t violate their moral code while the Orange dragons are small and sneaky. The Yellow are the fastest in the sky while the Pink are playful, enjoying the fun between protecting their hold. Now I’m not sure if it’s in the rules but I think it is: dragons are determined randomly by drawing lots or rolling a d12. I loved this. Maybe you’ll get a dragon that is very synonymous with your rider’s personality, but maybe you won’t. An Outsider with a Black dragon is reserved, self-centered, tricksy but that same Outsider with a Pink dragon? Well that’s a different story. Does the dragon try to encourage the Outsider to let loose and have fun or maybe the dragon is more a reflection of what the character would be, had that terrible tragic event in the past not happened… If you’ve got a dragon, then it’s time to name them and choose their pronouns just as you did your rider. The GM will typically play those dragons, but you’ll certainly guide the interaction.

The troublesome Orange dragon

After you’ve met all the Riders and Dragons, Warrenguard has some questions about your warren and your hold to answer like who is the commander, some details about your Warrenguard (ooo uniforms!), aspects of your warren like does it have a training field or a sitting room, and of course who is the keeper of the facilities. It’s interesting to see the Caretaker and the keeper (an NPC) interact. Designing a Hold is quite fun from what makes it defensible (ancient wall, raging rivers) to how does the Hold support feeding the dragons (fishing? insects?). Your Hold will have some aspects too like fields or mazes of canals, a style of governance, and of course a name. The one-shot I played first with Natalie had a hold called Prism with Game of Thrones style houses based on various jewels. It all felt a mix of Netflix’s She-Ra and How to Train Your Dragon. We had a Hold between raging rivers and there was lots of mist, so most people never saw the terrors our Warrenguard fought. Well, until they did see them.

And that’s it! You’ve got a Hold, a Warren, some NPCs, a bunch of Riders and Dragons all sharing the skies. Again, I was amazed at how quickly a world comes into frame as your group suggests aspects, names, and builds the environment around your PCs and their dragons. I could roleplay all day long, but there are some rules besides character creation. First and foremost: use safety tools like lines and veils. Don’t be afraid to ask for a pause and ask for a change either. And by ask I mean, state you would like that change and the group should support such. It’s not about proving or stating why you need a change, just that you do. I’ll always encourage safety tools because in a collaborative, fantastic game like this there can be elements people don’t want to see included from firearms to spiders to falling great heights. It’s also important to remember the spectrum of characters that should be represented and Natalie has encouraged such with Warrenguard. If you want to play up the glistening abs cis straight dude, go for it. But if you want to be disabled? Trans? Fat? Non-white? Go for it, just do it with respect and be open with your table about your vision.

The Gold dragon: leader of the Warrenguard

Rules to Tell Your Story

For playing purposes there’s two sets of rules at play inspired by the Belonging Outside Belonging system created by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum. Basically, when in the character driven moments you’ll be working to drive the story or perhaps make change/take action on the world around you. You’ll need Strong Moves to do so, which take a token. How do you get tokens? By choosing to do Weak Moves, which also allow the GM to use GM Moves to influence the story. Every Rider has options listed for both as well as Regular Moves they can do any time. For example, the Fresh Face can get overwhelmed or take action that leaves everyone vulnerable to gain a token. But for a token, they can learn a new skill or win someone over with their positivity. Regular moves tend to exemplify the character type and so the Fresh Face gets to pet their dragon, miss home, or get excited at just about anything. I loved that the Outsider has a Regular Move of “show up unexpectedly.” Use it to come on screen/appear in a scene to get involved and take either a Strong or Weak Move. I definitely enjoyed leveraging it just to make quick remarks like when in a TV shows someone’s walking past an open door with laundry and hears something just at the right time to throw a quick line out. Considering the Outsider gets a token when they scoff at tradition or others, it’s a great opportunity! There’s other ways to use those tokens too, and we’ll get there!

Oh yes, there’s dice!

Additionally the Fate Core and Fate Accelerated rule systems from Evil Hat are leveraged. Predominantly you’re utilizing the dragon’s stats in battle. They have careful, clever, flashy, forceful, quick, and sneaky. Based upon the approach you state, you’ll roll your fate dice and add the result to the relevant attribute. You might carefully line up a shot, draw the attention with a flashy maneuver, or sneak behind the enemy for example. While you can try to attack or defend, predominantly you want to set up advantages through aspects on the scene or the enemy that you can tag with tokens for a +2 bonus to your roll. Be careful, enemies can set up aspects too. Dragons start with a few aspects already depending on their type like keenest senses for the Blue or the tracking, glowing orbs of the Purple’s breath weapon. Typically the GM is setting a number for you to achieve to create advantages, but with an attack or defend it’s a comparative total.

See it’s important for a Rider to build up those tokens so they can help guide their Dragon to make the best attacks possible! Get attacked for 5 and yet roll 3 for a defend total? Well you’ll take 2 stress out of the 3 your dragon has but you can also take consequences to mitigate part of that damage. You do that with a negative aspect, but be careful because now the GM might leverage them when attacking you next time! Building aspects lets you set the scene and really bring a style, and story, to the combat that’s not purely numbers driven while the attack/defend actions make for quick action resolution and damage tracking. I was impressed to see both game systems woven together for some really entertaining play!

NEXT MONDAY! We are doing a Q&A Livestream at https://t.co/pwipKba7Gt Featuring me, Art Director @abzkelly, Artist @Anonymous_Gob and John from @DiceDungeons who is manufacturing our dice

Have questions? Feel free to ask below!

Want to be a dragonrider? https://t.co/ypJVJwD4ww pic.twitter.com/sSgZYawetH

— Luck of the Harbor (@luckoftheharbor) February 14, 2024

I can’t speak yet to the GM side of the house, other than unlike the traditional Belonging Outside Belonging games, you’ll need one. I’ve gotten a peak at the rules and one of the GM moves is having a dragon get involved in what’s happening, even just to comment like maybe a curt comment from a Red when you do something foolish. I look forward to running a game or two, and hoping I can do so at PAX Unplugged next year if Games On Demand will have me. Of course, if Natalie is running Warreguard at any convention, do try and get in that game. You will not be disappointed!!! I also want to shout out Abbey Kelly, Art Director for Warrenguard. They were great to play with in that one-shot and they’ve been incredibly helpful with getting materials together for this article. You can actually met her, Natalie, AnonymousGob the dragon artist, and the specialty dice maker John at a live Q&A on Monday the 19th at 8 p.m. EST as seen above!

I encourage you to do so, to check out the game, and if you can invest in the backerkit because you and your family, your friends will love this game! I’ll leave you with a bit more art that Abbey shared with me by way of AnonymousGob’s amazing sketches. Can you pick out any of the other dragon colors? What’s your guess? The first mentions gold dragon and I can totally see that in that top head shot with the dragon looking up with the final image above.  A couple in that first one look pretty angry, so maybe Red too, not that Gold can’t get angry? But I guess that’s true for the bottom left in the second, which is giving me Jurassic Park spitting dinosaur flashbacks. Oh! Finally, if you’re looking to see some Warrenguard in action, check out the videos at TotalPartyKiss with the amazing Natalie GMing!

See you on February 24th for the backerkit launch!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Warrenguard book, Luck of the Harbor

1. Quote from Warrenguard backerkit, Luck of the Harbor
2. Cozy Hold Room, Luck of the Harbor, art by Shan Bennion AKA anonbeadraws
3. Caretaker, Luck of the Harborb, art by AnonymousGob
4. Orange Dragon, Luck of the Harbor, art by AnonymousGob
5. Gold Dragon, Luck of the Harbor, art by AnonymousGob
6. Custom Fate dice for Warrenguard, Luck of the Harbor, crafted by Dice Dungeons
7. Sketches of dragons, Luck of the Harbor, art by AnonymousGob

I said last time I wanted to play some Masks, and indeed I have. The sweet creative wonder that is Dan from Order of the Amber Die – who introduced me at my first PAX – was kind enough to say he’d do a two-shot of Masks for a group of us. Well, that two-shot became a three-shot so we could get in all we wanted. We really had a good time, and a big part of that is the characterization as they are the stars, the young superheroes. From the creation process to the forming relationships between characters, this is really a game about exploring growth. Thankfully Dan gave us plenty of challenges to grow against!

Young Superheroes

I touched upon the premise last week, but in short: you’re young superheroes, possibly high school age or possibly young adults. You might be a former villain or more of an antihero. Think of Teen Titans or Young Justice for other media reflective of Masks. Together, you’ve formed a team to help protect your city, which is probably the Magpie created Halcyon City though of course you could make up your own. Each character is trying to figure out who they are, and who they will be. The influence of your team and the rest of the city, primarily the adults, helps shape that image of us as we shift between perceptions and grow. You might have young villains to contend with at school and in the field. Perhaps figuring out who is who in your school is a primary goal for your team. However, there’s everyone else in the city to contend with: adult heroes, adult villains, and of course the general public. The heroes might be mentors or possibly disappointed with your behavior. Young heroes make mistakes of course. Villains might be trying to convince you of their way of thinking unless you’re taking them down just as fast as the adult. The general public may love or hate you, but ultimately you’re here to help save them. You grow through action and interaction, but also by failing and learning. Literally that gives you experience or more precisely potential, but I’ll get into mechanics next!

Part Apocalypse, Part Monsterhearts

Ultimately Masks is a tabletop roleplaying game with cited uses of Apocalypse World and Monsterhearts. There are basic moves taken directly from Urban Shadows, a game they also publish. You’ll have a Skin, a la a class, that represents what kind of hero you are like the tough Bull type or the Doomed, very Raven of Teen Titans in feel. The Legacy is a good one that a friend played in our game; it’s someone who’s descended from a powerful heroic lineage that’s probably very active and well known. You choose various looks, and some are suggested, but those are tied to your storytelling and character rather than mechanics. You also choose your abilities, which again are for the character and not specifically the moves you get to do with them. You could be a Legacy with super strength but maybe instead it’s divine armor and magic weapons! It’s your Labels that’ll you use to do your moves and use abilities: Danger, Freak, Savior, Superior, and Mundane. There’s a spectrum of -2 to +3 and over the course of your game session(s), they will shift! Why? 

Labels are a reflection of how others see you and how you view yourself. That’s where the Influence of others comes in. Influence can help anyone use moves against you, and adults have it pretty easy, but you can take influence away as you challenge societal norms, expectations, or just terrible adults. Your fellow teammates will have Influence on you or vice versa, and building influence means more about shifting perceptions as you try to find who you are. If they’ve already got influence on you, getting more influence means they are starting to impact just how Dangerous or Mundane you might feel. It’s a shifting mechanic to play up that discovery and growth. Considering all moves are based on these Labels, you probably don’t want negatives and so that will frame up how you behave. Fail a move and you get Potential. Those moves include the basics of engaging a threat directly (with Danger) or using special moves reserved for your hero skin. On the flip side, you’ll gain Conditions that impact your use of moves: Afraid, Angry, Guilty, Hopeless, Insecure. If you’re Angry for example, you’ll get a -2 to engage a threat. Check all five and you’re knocked out. You do have the chance for some Team help though, with a mechanic that your friends can give you +1, take from a Team pool, but be careful to use it up and then need it later. You’ll likely add to it each session so it’s not a one and done, thankfully.

Really all these chosen mechanics are to encourage that group storytelling. How do you see your character, how do they see themselves, and how are others influencing that? You’re telling the story of your character growth with more focus than I’ve seen from other TTRPGs. Everything is framed to handling conflicts – not always violent – and the impact to self and team. Adult influence will heavily impact that as well, but every Skin has two Team Moves specifically about how you’re sharing with them, learning about yourself, etc. The Harbinger – someone from the future – gets to confess about differences in the team from what they heard/knew from the future, which adds to that Team pool and then you pose a question if you depict a future they’d want. Say yes, and you get potential, say no and you get a condition. Roleplay then continues to ensue! Masks takes that storytelling a step forward to think of framing scenes as if it were a comic. Dan liked to say they struggled with the visualization aspect of that, but I felt they were excellent about it, not only as they set up scenes but encouraged us to visualize in such a way too. What do you see in the drawn panel? Maybe half a face and a tear or just a single fist with a POW! At one point Dan said it was a whole page image of the city bridge where we were arriving. It really helped put me in that superhero mood!

My Warlock

The character I created was the Scion. That is, my character was the child of a major, true villain. While not all knew, those who do can’t help but think of your parent. They likely don’t trust you, seeing only your parent’s villainy when they look at you. And while you’re out to prove yourself as different, there’s no denying some of that darkness is in you or at least what drove your parent to villainy… Mickey was the child of the vile Spellbinder, who may have started on the right side for championing rights but eventually went so far no one could agree with his actions, including Mickey’s mother. Thankfully Mickey took after both parents, hearing the spirits and drawing on cosmic energies to produce sorcery. Thus I chose the name of Warlock for my hero. All my labels started at 0, save for a 1 in Danger and Savior. Knowing I wanted to Unleash My Powers sometimes, I increased Freak up one. I talk to spirits and seem a little weird, so Freak made sense anyway!

Choosing Moves was difficult, but Dan asked us to start with one extra to make us a bit more developed for this two-shot. I chose a few that I thought would be fun with a limited run. White Lies let’s me comfort people by telling them lies they want to hear, letting me use Savior instead of Mundane and possibly get more influence over them. “No, no, sometimes buildings just get destroyed… Not your fault,” for example. They Don’t Deserve Forgiveness lets you tell a villain they aren’t redeemable. You have to get two conditions, but they lose influence on you and then when you directly engage them, you get to choose an extra option for what happens to them like taking something from or frightening them. Finally I chose Changed Sides so I could pretend to be on someone’s side to get away with something, maybe get into a place I wasn’t supposed to, or learn a weakness or a flaw. What I thought was exciting/fun/spicy was that if you failed your roll, of course you got Potential, but also a cool story thing happened: “On a miss, someone else watching comes to the worst possible conclusions and acts on it.” I love when moves in games like this have story elements you can act upon/respond to!

The Chaperoned Heroes

Our game also included a Bull (that strong, tough type), a Beacon (think well-trained fighter like Hawkeye or sweet no power type), a Legacy (with granddaddy issues), and a Nova, which is sort of the super-extra powered Jean Grey Phoenix type. We called ourselves the Chaperoned Heroes based on our typical need for guidance by the Legacy’s mother. That’s partially due to an accidental destruction of city hall when stopping a previous problem. Well they built a new one, and some angry journalist mocked us but we still went along with other heroes and civilians to see the new hall open. Of course that’s when darkness enveloped the area and someone named the Scavenger climbed up onto stage. We sprang into action though I had Warlock look for the real thread with Assess the Situation, a Superior based roll. I succeeded enough to notice 4 creepy casters on roofs of buildings casting some spell. We took all out but one; using fear, they’d momentarily caused Warlock to pause before they got away. We even stopped a fire from burning up a school! 

But the Mayor’s wife? Oh she wasn’t impressed, and went quick to mocking me after we’d just celebrated saving the day with minimal destruction of property. Why? Well Warlock’s father, the supervillain, had killed her first husband so she didn’t exactly love my character. What I did love – at least OOC – was how quickly other characters sprang to his defense either saying something, or in the Nova’s case losing their temper to throw something at her. The Legacy tried to stop it, failed, and seemed like he’d done it. Granddaddy wasn’t happy and of course, Legacy went off to brood. We’d all used some team moves to celebrate success or share with one another, but it was quickly looking like the Legacy wasn’t growing apart from us, almost embarrassed by us. He went up to that bridge I mentioned while the rest of us reconvened to rest at Warlock’s home. There was flirting between the Nova and the Bull, while the Beacon – who our friend Brian named Treefrog and I absolutely adored the premise – hung out with my Warlock. Treefrog had an adorable pet named Mr. Hop who could help with various moves. 

It didn’t take long to find the Legacy and the spellcaster who got away: both were at the bridge.  Now they were out for maximum damage including destroying the bridge and killing whomever; they were pissed. We nearly lost Treefrog who got thrown off the bridge and Thunder who got knocked down. Warlock got psychically attacked by the physically beaten spellcaster. But thankfully between the Legacy – who took the brunt of 5 shadow tentacles at once! – and Thunder – who used their special Moment of Truth – all survived. The Moment of Truth is a special move that each skin can get where you get full narrative control to do something pretty badass, though there’s implications in each like for the Scion it suggests you do something no hero would do but no villain could even understand. Riding that line I guess! Once you use it, you lose it, though there’s a way to get it again through further growth.

Superhero Landing

We got to end our oops-three-shot of Masks with some sweet musings save for the Legacy still feeling a bit estranged. We left for the ice cream we’d wanted to get before the bridge attack and some heinous flavors were suggested. I said something like pistachio and calamari. Terrifying, right? All in all, I really enjoyed the scenes we put together. We got just enough interaction and intra-conflict for some growth and exploring influence/label shifting. We felt the villainous attacks, the unhappy and supportive adults, and the full impact of problematic public and authority figures. I’d be really interested to see a longer term campaign where the need to work in moves to try them out would be a bit more natural. I think you could tell some amazing character and group stories with these rules. I highly suggest you invest in Masks if you love shows like I mentioned cause it’s easy to put together that Young Justice feel! There’s so many options for characters and with a great GM, you can really explore many topics though as always utilize those safety tools!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Masks: A New Generation cover, Magpie Games

1. Quote from back cover, Masks: A New Generation, Magpie Games
2. The Doomed unleashing their powers, Masks: A New Generation, Magpie Games
3. Scion hero, Masks Unbound playbooks, Magpie Games
4. Group shot for Chain Reactions section, Masks: A New Generation, Magpie Games
5. Nova hero, Masks: A New Generation, Magpie Games

I certainly can’t even fathom how much I owe to the play of imagination, to gaming. If I go back far enough it was playing superheroes outside with other kids in the neighborhood. Someone had to be the bad guy, and that was me. Even then I was GMing and didn’t realize it. That was a game. Soon it was HeroQuest, D&D, and all the enjoyable board, video, and tabletop games since. Don’t forget writing or other arts like drawing; the imagination is at play then. After all the times friends could get together, countless fond memories together, or the security of something (anything) to do while sequestered at home during COVID, I owe a lot to gaming.

And I’ll refer to two conversations here because there’s only so much time for games. Sure, there’s sleep, work, exercise and other needs, but really there’s only so much time. A campaign can take years. How many video games do we purchase hoping to find time to play? I haven’t even finished my first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3! I know! Back in 2018, Adam of Order of the Amber Die was chatting with me ‘round the fire one night after a long day of gaming. He called out just how many years, how many games we can get through. It’s why the Order’s marathons are so valuable for getting through content, but also building memories. Then as the new year began, our Ryan said to me that perhaps putting together an article of games I wanted to play would be interesting. Honestly, it’s not only interesting but a great idea for me to help plan! So here’s all the games I’m hoping to play (at least try a one shot of) this year! If you know of a one shot I could get in on, let me know! I’m certainly going to be reaching out and searching.

Eldritch Automata is a game currently being kickstarted right now! From my friends at Gehenna Gaming, Nick and Ian have assembled a number of fine writers (including Rue Dickey, Michelle Y. Kim, and more) to produce this part-action, part-horror TTRPG. There are post-apocalyptic and psychological elements as drama builds around your character, a pilot struggling to survive in this world. I want to see some of these angelic horrors called Seraphs while moving my badass Automata to fight for my piece of freedom in this land! Also, since post-apocalyptic survival tends toward the isolationist or independent character, I’m really interested to see interaction with other PCs. Nick notes that “your relationships will ripple through the world around” and I want to see how. Rivalry can be good after all; it’s not just friendship and romance every time. It’s healthy competition like Legolas and Gimli or Fox and Falco. Count how many abominations you can destroy out there in the torn lands!

Warrenguard is coming to backerkit in February. Like Eldritch Automata, I mentioned this in my PAX Unplugged 2023 recap because it was some sweet, sweet gaming news to come out of the convention. I’m not sure on the ruleset exactly, but I know it’s a low roll and primarily roleplay game mixing up Belonging outside Belonging and Fate Accelerated. I’m just excited to have my dragonrider and dragon! That combo seems perfect for some roleplaying scenes, and getting tokens by leaning into some dramatic elements, then using them to propel the story or combat forward. I loved the Dragonriders of Pern books, so that’s right up my alley, but knowing Natalie of Luck of the Harbor, it’ll be able to be much more and truly whatever we make of it! UPDATE: my playtest one-shot is secured! So excited!

Continuing the trend of awesome games I learned about at PAX, 5th Conspiracy is the game framework we all need and the rules/story of the modern gothic we all want! I frequently have set my World of Darkness games building toward something more cross-venue. I want vampires, werewolves, gods, angel, and the like but there’s also aliens, dragons, bigfoot and more. They mix together with intrigue, drama, mystery and less about PVP though I suspect some might still occur… Stephen and 5th Conspiracy gives you all of that, plus that framework I mentioned to get the group unified under premise, plan, schedule, and more. I pretty much begged to get some game time in beyond the one-shot I played at PAX and my dark prayers to the negaverse have been answered. You can expect a full article on this glorious game!

Masks is a game from Magpie that I’ve dabbled in. Young superhero gaming makes my Marvel X-Men fan heart sing. Dan from Order of the Amber Die introduced me at my first PAX – trend much, clearly – and I wanted more. Back in June I played a one-shot and decided I needed more. It was with a skin/class from an expanded set of options that allowed me to bring a sort of haunted, brooding Scion of a villain hero to life. Antihero maybe but only because others might feel a way. I like that the game is about growing through action, but also by learning and experiencing with others. There’s moves to soothe and support, to jump in and help, but also find yourself and you can be rewarded accordingly with XP. Thankfully one of my friend groups is down with an extended series of the game and of course, sweet Dan is running it for us!

The long delay on fulfillment aside, I want to play some Urban Shadows 2E, also by Magpie. The quickstart came out and allegedly we’ll hear this month on when the full PDF will be sent out. For many playing – and I know a group of friends who started such over a year ago – that PDF is enough. It too is a modern gothic game of vampires, werewolves, hunters, and more utilizing the Powered by the Apocalypse ruleset. I played the first edition way back in 2020 as part of Gen Con Online, the first year of the pandemic and it was a welcome escape. There seemed a real element of power corrupting, influencing one another (which Masks has too), and the bargains side of intrigue. I’m eager to see more of that, and it also inspires me to find how to weave that into playing 5th Conspiracy. Honestly I really just want to see some of the other skins they’re making and see what a season of this game can really evoke from a group.

In the same conversation where Ryan gave me the idea of this article, I was asking about an Essence20 game! Honestly, it’s way past due and I’ve been meaning to try and find a way to play some of these Renegade Games. Really I’m a fan of the classic 80’s shows they’re based upon like the licensed Hasbro titles like GI Joe and Transformers. You could be a grizzled commando or an autobot with badass style. I mentioned wanting a Thundercats Essence20 game; please help me manifest it! I feel like if Critical Role played some Essence20 they could make a Thundercats game happen. Matt Merce did Lion-O’s voice in the show back like a decade ago. I’m interested to see how the dice allocation and use of even d2’s works for skill assignment. Everyone loves collecting dice so it’s nice to have more reason to use them.

That brings me to the Critical Role owned Darrington Press. Candela Obscura is out, their short form horror game in an alt Victorian, slight steampunk, Cthulhu-esque campaign world. I’ve enjoyed the short series they’ve had, and a short campaign of 3 or 4 episodes seems perfect for a trial. I won’t be surprised if we start to see more games running over time as this year proceeds into 2025. That’s especially true as their “long form” game Daggerheart premieres. I’ve signed up to help run trials / playtests and was accepted in! As soon as I can I’ll be gathering folks to try it out. Considering Critical Role is made up of these actors, the games always have a story focus with vibrant, character-driven touchpoints. I’ve seen screenshots (see below) with 6 ability scores like Agility, Strength, Precision, Intuition, Presence, and Knowledge. There’s hit points, ancestries (not races), stress and hope. The quick character sheets they showed off at Gen Con had info for leveling for the first few levels like increasing traits and stresses, adding more armor slots, and more.

Finally, I love Pathfinder2E and I want to try Starfinder2E! It shouldn’t be too hard considering the playtest rules are available to download and play with. It’d probably be difficult to take away from our current Kingmaker game for a bit of playtesting, so hopefully I can find a one or two shot with some folks. Maybe No Quest for the Wicked might want to do something alt-group and I’ll at least see such! I want to get that crew into some games; they were even asking about other games to try. But back to Starfinder, the thing that interests me greatly is with it and Pathfinder on the same base system for 2E you can bring rules in from the other. That includes classes! So getting more experience with Starfinder2E will be fun, and also inform my usage for Pathfinder. Heaven knows if I have a PC die and not want to return, the player will be asking so best to get ahead of that!

If you’re investing in any of these games already, let me know, especially if you don’t mind a drop in or are going to do a one shot or small series. I’m really excited to try more games this year all while running Kingmaker 2E. I think I’m an optimistic person, but I’ve high hopes for 2024 and hope you do too. Happy New Year and much love to all!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – a collage of book covers, owners as noted below

1. IMAGINATION, archanN, Creative Commons Attribution
2. Eldritch Automata book, Gehenna Gaming
3. Warrenguard book, Luck of the Harbor
4. 5th Conspiracy book, AED Publishing, Stephen Koontz
5. Masks book, Magpie Games
6. Urban Shadows 2E, Magpie Games
7. Transformers Essence20 book, Renegade Games
8. Candela Obscura book promo image, Darrington Press
9. Daggerheart promo character sheet from Gen Con, Gwenhwyfar
10. Starfinder2E playtest banner, Paizo

PAX Unplugged has come and gone. It was an amazing convention, and I hope you can join me there next year. There’s a number of games coming to crowdfunding next year I’ll be sure to remind everyone of. I’m also waiting on a playtest document for 5th Conspiracy so I can run that for some folks. In the meantime, I’m excited for some upcoming holiday relaxation with friends and family. Thankfully we’re also going to get some Pathfinder in! As I ready for our next Kingmaker session, I thought I’d highlight some parts of the new Remaster GM Core!

An Introduction

GM Core starts off at about the original Core’s chapter 10, which was titled Game Mastering. The introduction’s very first subsection is “The Game Master” so that feels appropriate too. It’s basically what you’re signing up for with a reminder you don’t have to have mastery over the rules, nor should you be the absolute voice at the table. Pathfinder is indeed collaborative, as any good game and table should be. A lovely sidebar reminds the first rule is that the game is yours. Do with it what you will. Change rules. Change the world. I like the reminder that there’s no right or wrong way to GM, just have fun together and it’s important the GM has fun too! I always feel bad when Stephen over at Roll for Combat doesn’t get to leverage some cool monster or enemy ability. Imagine reading and planning for weeks (maybe months) and then boom, fight’s over in one round and you got no chance to use that cool ability. You can weave it in somewhere, but it’s not fun if the characters always trounce the enemy or more importantly they make it seem adversarial out of the game. It’s not players versus GM, it’s players and GM alike making a story with challenges and celebrations.

Running the Game

And of course to help guide the comfort, communication, and consent in that game we get now a more prominently placed safety tools sidebar right in Chapter 1: Running the Game. It was in the original core book but nestled within chapter 10. I like splitting out GM details for treasure, monster creation, etc. but even more so that chapter 1 is about the base of what’s acceptable or not (Pathfinder Baseline), those safety tools, handling objectionable content, and the impacts to real life. Bleed from characters happens and so the Social Spillover section is a good one to review. This chapter is honestly a good one to review as a whole table in your Session 0. Always have your Session 0! Get everyone on the same page about tools, themes, etc. I’ll point over to that premise document from 5th Conspiracy that I mentioned last time; it’s useful for any game! We get a review of choosing campaigns, adventure paths, Pathfinder Society, building your own adventures, and of course making characters that again should be part of Session 0.

I’m also doing some due diligence for myself and our Kingmaker game around pacing, enjoyment of the process, etc. We had a great discussion last time on hesitancy in-character and other impacts to the overall speed of the game. I want to encourage roleplaying (we’re a very RP based group) but cool combats and getting through the story is important too. One thing asked of me was handling some of the exploration challenges with more or less better expediency. While I tried to highlight some of the challenges with swimming across a deep lake the first time, once they managed to find a way to handle it I tried to speed through it faster the next and barely do so the future times. I think that’s helping. However, reminding myself of some key follow through as GM would help too. The section on Special Considerations helps there with “Yes, But…” or as those sale-trained would tell you, it’s “Yes, And…” lessons. You can try anything, but/and here’s what you have to roll or here’s what happens. It’s once we get to Running Encounters that I saw some sidebars I hadn’t seen before entitled GM Priorities. And I think they’re good ones to keep in mind.

For example, when running encounters GM’s should keep in mind the following:

• Create a fun experience for all including yourself
• Answer questions quickly and decisively when possible
• Build anticipation for what’s next
• Emphasize thrilling action and setting a rapid pace
• Remind players it’s their turn or on deck
• Show the immediate consequences of their actions

I leverage Herolab for characters and initiative, and we all encourage one another to describe our actions. I don’t go into too much detail for enemies, unless it’s some special move or ability. Critical hits should always get a bit more flair too.

When running exploration mode:

• Make it fun, but keep it a smooth experience
• Utilize vivid sensory detail to explain the area (what do you smell, hear, see…)
• Shift time to emphasize tension and uncertainty
• Speed past the uneventful
• Get players to add details; ask for their reactions (I’ve noted some GMs ask what characters are thinking about at times)
• Offer small-scale mysteries to build intrigue and get investigation into what you want them to look into
• Rolls will happen. Find ways to keep things moving or utilize failure to add interest. (Failing doesn’t usually mean game over. Just more opportunity)
• Plan transitions into encounters.

The highlight of sensory detail is wise. I’ve been trying to do that more in games where I’m primarily utilizing a path. I used to write very detailed descriptions – and I still do sometimes – but in growing to trust my improv of such, I’ve also been less purposeful in doing so. There’s also a subsection on Investigations and roleplaying, like encouraging players to talk through their thought processes and see how they get to certain conclusions. It can be their inner monologue, and that’s okay. Maybe some things are secret IC but not OOC. Many Powered by the Apocalypse games encourage that open exchange OOC so characters and/or the GM can find ways to bring things up. I do want to be careful of time with Kingmaker too. I’m usually talking in an hour or multiple hour segments, painting what’s happening, but certain areas are getting repetitive now. I also want to flow/transition into encounters better when running into things, especially as the players don’t always fight everything they find. Indeed, I’ve been pleased that the players have chosen an “all are welcome” community and no creature is just evil because of what it is. Helps that alignment is gone too.

Finally, when running downtime, a GM should consider:

• Just because it’s not fighting a villain or exploring an ancient ruin, doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting or important to the story. (it helps that Kingmaker has a lot of NPCs and kingdom related activities to help encourage such)
• Demonstrate changes to the settings based on the PCs’ achievements (some are obvious in Kingmaker, but others need to be improvised and/or decided upon)
• Emphasize PC planning and “the fruit it bears” (i.e. what did their planning get them/the community)
• Avoid bogging the game down, even with a lot of time passing. Minimize how many rolls are needed (which our player helping handle Kingdom turns really helped with last time)
• Bring back compelling NPCs or plot thread (which I very much enjoy doing)
• Interject events and scenes that may be interesting and help the world grow/feel alive (again Kingmaker has good ideas here, but I’m adding more)
• Finally it’s noted to switch to encounter/exploration mode as necessary. I want to plan that better as I noted above.

Building Games

A lot of very useful, important advice and that’s only through the first 45 pages! And there’s way more than I’m highlighting here. Honestly, it’s a separate book for GMs but it’s well worth everyone reading through Chapter 1 in my opinion. Chapter 2 turns to building your game like will you run an adventure or build your own, how do you incorporate player goals, make interesting recurring villains, or determine themes that fit with your group. Beyond that is actually creating adventures and encounters. I quickly appreciated the updated environment/climate detail like on page 95 with a temperature effects table. All will be useful for the various exploration of the Stolen Lands in Kingmaker. High level encounters tend to really leverage the environment, and I do always appreciate seeing how talented GMs like Matt Mercer weave that into their custom games. 

There’s a new section on Dynamic Encounters and building in elements that will be helpful. Examples include hazards enemies may be aware of but not always like pipes that spew fire/acid/scalding water or maybe certain traps. Evolving Battlefields isn’t something I’d often considered like floating platforms on a river, teleporting between locations/rooms, or even a third party stumbling in on the event. Examples are given of a rampaging monster (owlbear!) or a restless spirit, but certainly there’s none of those in Kingmaker… The more obvious examples reminded me of big villain fights like stopping a cult from a ritual that was empowering/protecting the leader. Other ways to make your encounters dynamic include combining or splitting out what you had planned encounter wise, offering a time pressure like due to a collapse or the rise of some great evil, weaving in another objective or two like saving prisoners. There’s more to cover like Opponent Synergy, Misdirection, and setting up a good Recurring Villain but you’ll have to read that over for yourself! A nice sidebar on Social Encounter examples is worth mentioning, so it’s not all combat. My group is very good handling social encounters – and they love their diplomacy – but I can tell a few are itchy for more combat.

The Age of Lost Omens

Chapter 3 details our Age of Lost Omens including timeline/history, the lands, the people, the cultures, and of course religion. The Eye of Dread got a nice update what with the Whispering Tyrant’s domain from the Isle of Terror and that influence upon neighboring lands like Ustalav, Oprak, and of course Lastwall. A beautiful shot of the Mwangi (see below) is given with detail of the long-existing civilizations present there. There’s an excellent summary of adventure opportunities from pirates in Bloodcove or Sargava, to the Gorilla Kings in Usaro. I do want more information on the Kholo, the gnolls of the Mwangi. One of my players in Kingmaker is utilizing the ancestry and that Mwangi origin, which really sets up a tonal difference from the gnolls of other regions. Thankfully the Kholo are mentioned explicitly as such in the ancestries area, with an adorable bust photo much like the others. There’s no mention of the word Gnoll in fact, which may be an OGL to ORC differentiation! I’m all for the Kholo and their focus on storytelling and ancestral knowledge! Jumping to the last section of the chapter, we get that featured detail on the Planes we saw in Rage of Elements, fully updated so a GM doesn’t require that book to understand the Inner and Outer Sphere or what the Void is. Interesting how the main deities of The Universe are Gozreh and the Dominion of the Black, i.e. those divinities and gods that exist between the stars within the Dark Tapestry. Zon-Kuthon has met them; it didn’t go well.

All the Subsystems

Chapter 4 is all the lovely Subsystems you can use, from Pathfinder Society’s commonly used Victory Points to my love of Influence and Hexploration, which is very much utilized and grown upon for Kingmaker. Oh I should mention also that Foundry’s Kingmaker package is now complete! I love it, and hope to see the hexploration features they put in made generally available. The artwork is also stunning. Anyway, back to Subsystems. These are all from the Gamemastery Guide though why I’ve never seen/read through the Infiltration system is beyond me. This is the system and guidance for when your players want to get their characters into a place or group without combat. Think Assassin’s Creed unless you go hard at fighting everyone like some people… The Awareness Points systems help you determine the enemies awareness with complications and events happening as you grow in points. At 20, the infiltration fails and probably there’s some major combat to be had or perhaps arrest, even social bargaining! There’s some places this could come in handy in Kingmaker, depending what the players choose to do so I’m glad to have reviewed this.

Treasure!

Finally, Chapter 5 is all things treasure starting on page 219. Players don’t care about treasure though so you can ignore all of it. The real reward is helping people and the friendships we make along the way. I mean, that’s true, but who doesn’t enjoy some treasure. We get all the quintessential details for treasure like crafting and investing. One particular note I saw is that now you only need the formula for uncommon or rarer items. I guess if you’ve the right feat, it’s presumed you can make the common? And while we haven’t gotten the updated Alchemist yet, we do have a whole slew of alchemical equipment before digging into the various materials available in Pathfinder. Well, most anyway. Orichalcum is listed but Noqual is not, and for various reasons that’s important to my overall Pathfinder series of campaigns. It’s part of Grand Bazaar so maybe we’ll see all that updated in a future book.

Many magical item names have been changed but there’s many fine additions too, even if they appear similar to something from say other games… Frozen Lava are captured bits of elemental light, fire, and lava from a volcanic eruption that explode like fireballs. Apex magic items – those 17th level powerful items many players will dream of – got updated names to be free of the OGL. They along with Talismans and Staves saw changes to incorporate errata, as this was the definitive right time to do so. Frozen Lava has a held, reusable version called Eternal Eruption where the Frozen Lava reforms within 2d4 hours. We’ve got a few artifacts listed as well including Iomedae’s updated sword Serithtial. Relics got updated gifts, which I’m sure will please my brother who is leveraging them for his game. It doesn’t appear any are brand new but correct me if I’m wrong. And before the close out the chapter, there are treasure tables for each level including cost and page to view. These aren’t rollable tables but if you need them to be then you easily could work your way down. 

It’s been over a month, but I’m still reading through Player and GM Core. I’ll spend days reading through to find all variations and additions. I’ll certainly do more reading over my upcoming vacation. But I hope you’re investing in some gaming over the holidays too, especially new games and of course Pathfinder2E! I’m excited to get another Kingmaker session in before the New Year.

Want to try Dropout.tv?

I also want to do something different as part of my last article for the year, and with it being the holidays… I want to give a special shout out to Dropout.tv (2024’s preview video below) and its programming, which has brought me a lot of joy over the last year. Their shows like Dungeons and Drag Queens, Dirty Laundry (my fav), Game Changer, Um Actually, the new Very Important People, and the adorable Burrow’s End have been magical and hilarious. You can get a year of it right now for 20% off at 47.99. But I’ll tell you what. If you’re not sure you want to commit to such, because I love y’all and want you to get the love and laughter from it that I have, I will buy you a 1 month subscription if you message me your email address so I can send you that gift. Maybe the first 100 people, if even that many read this and want it? That way you can check it out over the holidays, binge some great shows, and then make the decision to invest in it long term. You can email me here or a DM on instagram. Reminder to give me your email address as it’s required for their gift subscription form. Thank you all for sharing 2023 with me and bringing all that you do to this community!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Yule! Happy New Year!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder GM Core cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. Introduction excerpt, Introduction, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo
2. Introduction banner, Introduction, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo
3. Exploration Activities banner, Chapter 1: Running the Game, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo
4. Armageddon Orb, Chapter 2: Building Games, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo
5. Mwangi Expanse banner, Chapter 3: Age of Lost Omens, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo
6. Victory Points banner, Chapter 4: Subsystems, Pathfinder GM Core, Paizo

Every PAX Unplugged goes by way too fast. I make sure to arrive Thursday and before I know it, it’s Sunday and the convention center staff are reminding you it’s nearly 6 p.m. so it’s time to go. I didn’t even go by the Reading Terminal for shopping or a meal. There was just too much to do and see, let alone people to find time with. While I try to let PAX Unplugged be more relaxed and social, there’s still new games that need playing, actual plays that need seeing, and new friends to be made! Much as Ms. Tyler above says, there’s something tremendously powerful about celebrating the diversity and cultures who all share that love of gaming. Also, a quick reminder that I’m directing to non-twitter, non-X (whatever it’s called now) social accounts, typically bluesky or instagram. It’s hard to get away from the great gaming community on twitter, but the sooner we all unify elsewhere the better!

Warrenguard

Before the con had even started Luck of the Harbor released a sneak peak and link to the forthcoming crowdfunding for their new game Warrenguard. Created by the brilliant Natalie Pudim – who also created Sapphic Space Pirates – Warrenguard is a game of dragonriders in a fantastic world of floating islands and magic. How do you survive in such a dangerous world? What comforts can you muster with your found family? The ruleset comparison is to that of Wanderhome or the Fate Accelerated system by Evil Hat. I love that you have 5 archetypes to choose from but then 12 different dragon species, giving you unique combinations of traits and abilities. I’m really excited for it! I did also get to try out a new Snake skin in the now annual Mega Monsterhearts 2 game. Natalie made it with inspiration from Taylor Swift’s constant reinvention of herself but with themes around personality disorders or living in the wake of others’ perceptions of you. I had a tremendously good time with the skin and you can get it now from Luck of the Harbor’s site!

Eldritch Automata

Warrenguard isn’t the only hot game coming soon to your shelves. Our friends at Gehenna Gaming announced Eldritch Automata! This is going to be an action horror TTRPG with psychological elements and your own mecha! The kickstarter page notes inspiration from Evangelion, Pacific Rim, and the Cosmic Horror genre! The creator is Nick Francia, a lovely and creative gentleman who is extremely excited to share this with everyone. The kickstarter launches January 2nd! I’d also been tipped off to a kickstarter for a game that was identified as part of the PAX Rising Showcase for PAX Unplugged 2023.

Apistocracy

Apistocracy comes from the mind and artistry of Heather Dixon. If you like Bridgerton or socialite status and intrigue, then this game is for you. There’s numerous ways to win your influence as you navigate balls and events in order to be named the season’s favorite. Of course, do right by and don’t embarrass your host as they’re the ones putting you forward to the rest of court and high society. I was especially tempted to have my character head to the Tea Room and gossip, but you might go to the Ballroom to show off and gain influence or perhaps you need a safer, stable place to do so at Home. There’s many ways to win, and I should mention a great visual system guide live on the site. You can go there to sign up for news, a chance to playtest, and more as well! Join soon lest you become another forgotten face!

Eyes on the Prize

It wasn’t on purpose but I went exploring more social status and court shenanigans. A friend and I decided to find a game together at the Games on Demand area. Aren’t sure what you want to play? Looking for someone who likes to run Indie Games? Couldn’t get into the game you wanted? Head on over to Games on Demand! My friend Brian mentioned there was a “marriage game” that looked promising and so sit down we did. Another two strangers joined us as 4 could play the game, each couple with their Eyes on the Prize. In this game from Ira Prince, you and another are troublemakers trying to get some ultimate goal through a false marriage. Maybe you both know and agree, maybe you don’t. You create your characters together OOC and possibly, if 4 are playing, at slight odds. We chose a fae court setting, much in the way of a Court of Fey and Flowers from Dimension20. This way we immediately put aside the social issues of Victorian Era in the real world. Also, we wanted magic! Neither couple were a couple in real life, but we had a tremendously good time navigating boisterous exes spilling the details about money, business overtures that distracted us, or courtly dances to prove our affection. You track attraction points for how much you actually come to like one another, plot points for how close you get to your goal, and suspicion points for the public’s ability to recognize this whole thing is a sham! Well as it so happened both couples fell for one another in a fun, sweet series of events. Pick it up on itch.io for just $7 and you’ve got yourself an easy game for 2 to 4 players!

Order of the Amber Die / Roll for Combat

There’s another new game I want to get to, but first let’s talk those live people connections and actual plays for Pathfinder, Starfinder, and D&D! I started my con off right with gatherings of friends from playing Monsterhearts 2 oh so long ago during the stay-at-home times of 2020. The night culminated with getting to see Adam Smith – the magnificent map artist and GM – of Order of the Amber Die as well as the busy Battlezoo badass Stephen Glicker of Roll for Combat. The night was alive with lights as the Christmas Village at city hall was our backdrop. I could chat with these two forever, especially on upcoming projects and news in the gaming space. Make sure to watch Roll for Combat’s youtube channel for all the news updates and of course the Paizo blog for Order updates to the Abomination Arsenal playthrough! 

Starfinder

Friday’s actual play was the Starfinder Scenario: Gifts Ungiven! Our GM was Jenny Jarzabski and she led a crew of Pathfinders through the trash to find who was pulling pranks at the society gathering. The cast included Andrew River as Obozaya, Matthew Ekberg as Altronus, Noordin Ali Kadir a.k.a WerewolfFeels as Raia, and two gents from the No Quest for the Wicked Starfinder podcast: Dain Miller as Zemir and Niall Spain as Navasi. I got to see Noordin just before the actual play at the We Were Already Here seminar stressing the problems with colonialism and the need to change how we handle exploration – not conquering – games, avoiding topics like slavery and similar religious doctrines. It was great to see him step from a very serious topic to a jovial Starfinder game, where he often had to be a voice of serious direction with the sweet technomancer Raia. I’ll tell ya I kept running into Dain and Niall throughout the rest of the weekend. Dain’s witchwarper had a penchant for licking things to identify them, which the culprits of the pranks in the scenario didn’t quite a chance to exploit. I really appreciate how the scenario ended but I won’t spoil it for you should you wish to watch on PAX 3’s twitch. Definitely check out the cast’s socials and the No Quest for the Wicked podcast.

Pathfinder

On Saturday it was time for Pathfinder! The amazing Rue Dickey served as the GM of our iconics moving through the Winter Queen’s Dollhouse, that is the former Queen of Irrisen’s dollhouse. Thing is – it’s enchanted. Thing is – as becomes quickly clear – it’s a prison and Queen Anastasia had no idea. Thankfully we’ve a few Pathfinders to help! Alex Speidel played Merisiel, Erin Roberts played Lini, our own Jessica Redekop played Feiya, and of course Valeros played by Creative Director Luis Loza! They got turned into poppets, had to meet a whole house of characters, and got into a bit of a scrape all while ensuring a cake didn’t get smooshed. Of course, the way you play it may be different, but those images were so adorable. The Starfinder actual play’s images were extremely cute too. You almost feel bad rolling initiative or at least bringing a weapon down. It was great to see Remaster rules coming out, all benefit to the ORC and those who worked toward these changes. Thank you for that! But even more so, everyone leaned into their characters, made for a hilarious good time, and even rats were spared by Erin’s careful diplomacy. Check it out on PAX 3’s twitch. I hope they do more at PAX Unplugged next year.

Oops More Himbos

Which brings me to the only 5E live play I saw, that run by Jay Foster a.k.a. Swole Initiative with the return of Oops More Himbos! All genders were represented and to much hilarity I might add. The hype opening was a great addition to as we were serenaded with Taylor Swift music by Anya Combs and her partner (EDIT: not husband!) who’s named Matt (according to a post by Johnny Stanton) as shown below. They were excellent, got the crowd excited, and it really set the tone especially once we learned Johnny Stanton’s character was a football himbo named Kelcer with a lady that he was totally, truly dating name Taylora… We also had the fairy DILF himbo “2 days from retirement” from Kyle Shire of Critical Role and Queen by Midnight. He and Danny Quach – of Digital Thiccness – sure enjoyed a few clever gay metaphors/jokes. Danny and Banana Chan’s characters were dating, not siblings, even though they looked EXACTLY alike and used the same character sheet. I think we’ve all met those gym-bos who are in a relationship and seemingly are the same person. Finally, the group was rounded out with the half-orc barbarian, booty-shaking, kill-ya-if-ya-lose but biased toward friends character Beryl played by the always entertaining Jasmine Bhullar. I couldn’t even keep track of how many gnomes she killed, but it was a lot. They replicated quickly, or 87 years passed. It’s hard to say. Of course, my favorite line was in response to Jay’s question of how Beryl defeats toxic masculinity: “Here’s what’s important, I don’t do it alone.” Yes this was comedic and satirical, but all the players did well in a bit of social commentary and fighting these dangerous behaviors from their enemies. Might I just recommend that before entering a contest where Beryl is nearby, you become her friend first lest you lose the bar contest. You can check out Oops All Himbos also on PAX 3’s twitch. 

5th Conspiracy

I close my reminiscing of PAX Unplugged with a game I’m very, very eager to play again. My friend Kae convinced me to join her in a 4-hour one shot of 5th Conspiracy. You need to play as well. I got to meet the creator and Director (not GM, avoiding Master, which I loved) Stephen Koontz as well as their friend and operational , also Director Michael Parra. 5th Conspiracy is a game of urban fantasy, in modern times with vampires, witches, werewolves, gods, and more. I got to play a fae in a game we chose. You see, not only did Stephen seek to understand the kind of game we wanted to focus upon (action, mystery, thriller, intrigue, etc.) but he also wove such querying into the very game. Years ago now I praised Gehenna Gaming for their safety tools document, and now I’m thrilled to point to 5th Conspiracy’s premise document, which you can find on their site’s resources. Oh and here’s the cover of their book!

We players agreed on a mystery/intrigue game – and Stephen had a basic plot ready for such – but more so he sought to get buy into other facets of the game. We all can agree a True Blood urban fantasy is different from a Buffy the Vampire slayer urban fantasy. Stephen encouraged us to agree on 2 or 3 inspirations to serve as the Spirit of the game. We chose Harry Potter with depth of magic, Game of Thrones for intrigue, and Knives Out/Glass Onion for the element of mystery. As you can see on the Premise Document that’s just one item to note. We also discussed the hook’s inciting incident of the story: that the leader of the city (a child of Hades) called a gala. You’ll see that Commitment is listed and of course Safety Tools as well. These are all items to cover in a session 0, to set up a game all players are bought into and agree on the commitment. The why? Prevent how most games fall apart. Stephen wisely uses an example of a player unaware a game is every week for 20 weeks and then on session 3 when they find out, they quit. Or what about the classic d20 D&D player who wants to be a powerful hero and then dies in the thriller/horror game during session 1? Best to get everyone on the same page so either the story is prepared with the players in mind or that player recognizes that the game isn’t for them. In the same vein, understanding the character’s motivations, history, goals lets the Director weave the narrative around the character rather than having 0 plot planned or plot completely independent of character depth. We did go over Safety Tools and story elements before digging in, leading to a really unified set of player goals rather than characters having to agree on goals/get along.

Again, I won’t spoil the plot as you should really try to get involved in a test game. I’ll note I got to chat up an heir to the throne, parley with a fae leader, do some spiritualism to talk to the recently departed, and put my character in the ill graces of the city’s leadership by choosing the middle ground. But you know, Ash is an opportunist and a fixer and fae! What more advantageous a position to be then to be riding that shadowy middle ground? Ash was a pleasure to play, and I do love the idea of leveraging an Attribute and an Identity when rolling for success. Of course, Stephen also had us roll before we learned if we failed. Why? So we could describe the failure. Rather than simply being bad at what we should be good to do, we could merely add an element that caused the failure. Our Director’s example when explaining this plan was simple: if a talented assassin wanted to sneak by two people and rolled a failure, does that suddenly mean they’re a poor assassin? No, maybe someone else suddenly came into the hall or a lightbulb burst drawing attention. Sometimes it’s bad luck that’s not something you could plan for. Failure can really add to the story after all. I suggest you go explore AED Publishing’s site and utilize the premise document for any game you run. You can also find both Stephen and Michael on their Discord.

New Friends, Thanks!

Come Sunday night hang time with friends, it was serendipity to spend a beer and conversation with both Stephen and Michael from 5th Conspiracy and Dain and Niall from No Quest for the Wicked. Was interesting to hear Dain (as GM) won a CRIT Award this year for best villain (see below) and see all four speak to the complications of unifying player expectations for game as well as the variations of games between d20 systems and other systems that may be better for storytelling, like say 5th Conspiracy. That’s the kind of interaction that keeps me Investing In PAX Unplugged! Great people, great games, and great fun! I hope you find some excitement in the cool games I tried or the actual plays I got to see. Thanks to all I saw for such a terrific weekend! Much love to ya!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – PAX Unplugged 2023 Program Guide cover, PAX, art by Gabe

1. Aisha Tyler on gaming culture, Vox
2. Warrenguard promotional image, Luck of the Harbor
3. Eldritch Automata promotional image, Gehenna Gaming
4. Apistocracy game logo image, Heather Dixon
5. Eyes on the Prize main image, game by Ira Prince
6. Oops More Himbos promo image, Jay Foster / Swole Initiative
7. 5th Conspiracy – book cover, AED Publishing, art by MikeLuard
8. Crit Awards Best Villain 2023, CRIT Awards

As I dove into Player Core last time I started with the Witch because I knew to really immerse myself I needed a starting point besides the regular read cover to cover. It was a fun first run in to just go see all the updates for my favorite witch Ateran. Of course we picked up on some other items like being able to repeat Refocusing to get all those focus points back. Those cool things you get to do? Well now you get to do them more often! And of course, now everything OGL is removed and based on thel ORC, so the future for RPGs based on such rules (and of course the business health of companies using it) is free and strong! Definitely check out the Polygon article on the topic if you haven’t already. However, there’s still more to see changed in Player and GM Core so of course I have to hype them up!

Lost Omens Intro

We get a wonderful Introduction now, digging in the basics of an RPG, character creation, and leveling just like the original core rulebook but now we get some of that rich Golarion and Lost Omens lore that I love. First, I’ll call out that Alignment is gone. Donezo. Vanished. Now we have Edicts and Anathema! What does your personal philosophy encourage you to do or a code that you choose to follow? That’s the Edict. Anathema is what you’d never do, what’s contrary to your code or philosophy. They encourage looking at your religion or class to see if there’s guidelines to consider or to add. I love this for story development. Even more for that wonderful story-based development is the entire section on the Inner Sea, Age of Lost Omens history, various regions, and of course some great sidebars about the setting and how you might tweak it for your table. Then the Religion section goes through the deities, referencing anathema, areas of import, and a bit of history. I really appreciate that as anyone new to the game gets this bit of inspiration, a bit of the world and hopefully – maybe – a character concept long before they’re choosing to be an elven wizard of a leshy druid or an orc fighter. I always encourage having a two or three word concept before you build a character, and this background will help players be able to do that. That inspiration is important!

Ancestries

While I’ll admit I’m a little surprised we didn’t see the attribute flaws removed, there’s plenty to love with the Ancestry changes. I’m a big fan of the Gnome Obsession feat change. Now instead of being focused on a lore you picked up from a background – which isn’t always the case – you get the Additional Lore and Assurance feats for a lore you get to choose! You can even change it with a day of downtime. I think this is great to let a gnome’s flighty nature and absolutely love of something be reflected within the ruleset. Similarly the Dwarven Lore feat changed to give you Additional Lore in Dwarf Lore instead of simply training it. And look Elven Lore changed the same way! I do like a consistent pattern that rewards investment in a lore feat where you should be excelling!

Another exciting change is that the Leshy is now a core ancestry! Yes their lore feat changed like the others. I’m really glad that players new to the game will pick up Player Core and find the Leshy smiling back at them. Wait til they learn you could play a Shoony or Catfolk! Of course the Versatile Heritages have really change it up, especially the Nephilim, our former Aasimar and Tieflings. I do like the Unlimited Possibilities subsection early on, however, noting anything is possible and just because you don’t have the Ancestry feats for such, doesn’t mean you can’t have fey heritage and maybe pick that up through the Sorcerer class or from a patron/muse. It’s really all about crafting the story you want, meanwhile the rules are here to help guide some combat/skill challenge balance. The Changeling gives us a hint of hag changes as we see sweet hag noted as being the parent of a callow and a cuckoo hag being the part of a dream may, i.e. green hag and night hag are terms of the past! But yes, those Nephilim are one versatile heritage, allowing you to pick up a touch of hell, the abyss, or some celestial plane. It’s now easier to be born of both actually with this design. The 17th level Divine Declaration is the ultimate expression of this, letting you cast Divine Decree as you see fit, holy or unholy!

Classes

Besides the Witch, many classes have seen some very positive change. We’ll get more with Player Core 2 in the summer next year. Quick paging through I immediately saw the Divine Font changed so that it’s no longer based on Charisma. You get 4 additional spells for heal or harm, then 5 at 5th level, and then 6 at 15th level. Now you can be an incredibly rude, unfriendly, but still great at healing cleric! Or you know, cruel and good at harm, as you will. There’s even 2nd level feat to have a versatile font and you can choose harm and heal as you wish, provided your deity is cool with that of course. I’m also glad Communal Healing changed so that you can choose someone other than yourself to heal! Turn Undead is now Panic the Dead (see below) and it looks glorious. Big change to Druids of course is the aforementioned change to anathema: metal armor and shields are a-okay. And that makes sense considering we now have a plane of metal. Toph would be pleased. I do want to see some killer Druid/Kineticist builds with metal now. A number of feats changed their name to move away from the OGL – like Anthropomorphic Shape – and we got that updated 12th level Primal Focus to refocus and gain all our focus points back at once. However we got some new ones like Primal Howl, allowing your familiar/companion to let out a howl that does sonic damage and frightens. There’s also Garland Spell at 12th level to create difficult terrain and hazardous terrain in range of the plant spell you cast. It does damage but yet you and your companion are immune to it. 

Every time I look at the Rogue I’m reminded I’ve only ever NPCed rogues. All those feats and skills makes them so enticing, especially with their different rackets. Ruffian specifically got the ability to do sneak attack with advanced weapons, but they did put in some protective information restricting the use of sneak attack if the simple weapon has a damage die greater than d8 or advanced greater than d6. I.e. if it’s really big or blows up a lot at once, ya probably can’t be too precise with it. Eldritch Tricksters isn’t noted but I’m wondering if we’ll see it in Player Core 2 as we’ll get Sorcerer updated in that book. Meanwhile the Wizard changed quite a bit, to the point I really need to build some witches and wizards and compare. I love the school concept rather than specialty, and you get some good options with those schools as every school list has good spell options to choose from with those extra spells and now there’s no need to worry about not casting certain ones. There’s still that Unified Magical Theory school though if you want to generalize your studies, getting an extra 1st level class feat, drain bonded item once for each rank (not level now!) of spells you can cast. Of course there’s the couple school spells (focus powers) too: hand of the apprentice doesn’t have to be taken as a separate feat now! The other is interdisciplinary incantation. It’s actually a bit of blue magic, letting you react and cast a spell that someone else cast provided you have spells of the same rank so not as useful fighting stronger spellcaster.

Recall Knowledge

Skills are of course reprinted but the major update I saw was for Recall Knowledge. It’s all about a conversation with your GM in relation to the question you ask. There’s many wonderful examples in the sidebars about what you might use related to specific knowledge like religion for obscure myths or crafting for unusual materials. However the other sample questions side is even more helpful for skill challenges. It’s not just creatures and places, but looking over magic and how long it will last or knowing the vices of an individual. As now stated in Recall Knowledge the player will collaborate with the GM and may even decide not to Recall Knowledge if they don’t like the options they have for such a check. I want to encourage players to then wait and see what that player’s character says in-character before asking for a related roll. It’s a really good opportunity for some player character interaction if one PC has a good idea, realizes they don’t like their options to figure it out, but then can raise it up in-character for another to figure out. This can really build a skill challenge up to create interesting situations outside of combat. I also love that it encourages the GM to share options OOC and then let the story resume IC rather than leaving the players to guess at what they might want to roll or how to see what they know in-character.

Read The Errata

In my last article I did call out a bit of errata around the spellcasting archetype feats referencing spellcasting tradition. Well the official errata has fixed that! It goes a bit farther too. There’s information to help you with items from the old Core, the Advanced Player’s Guide, the Dark Archive, and Secrets of Magic. Want to play a Chapmion or Magus right now with the Remaster rules until the official updated class comes out? Well, you can! Read up in the FAQ to learn more than just some spell name changes. Arcane Cascade was updated and that’s important considering no more spell schools. Alignment’s gone so Champion and so many spells need help. If you read through the errata you’ll see that quickly. You’ll find a swath of updates for the Psychic, especially as various cantrip changes will affect their conscious mind choices, especially the Oscillating Wave. Now you gain frostbite and ignition as ray of frost and produce flame went away. Also as the spellcasting modifier add to damage went away, many of the unique psychic cantrips got damage adjustments you’ll find noted.

All Can Fly

I covered some spells in my previous article, and I’m very excited for void warp. However, I did want to call out a spell related to the typical magus build that is 100% gone. Shout out to my buddy Greer for informing me of this. It’s shocking grasp. It’s been replaced with Thunderstrike, which has a reflex save instead of being a spell attack roll. It’s not just a Magus either that typically takes it, but many wizards too. Avatar got updated with many deities listed. Figment – the former Ghost Sound – now can create a visual element. Fireball, on the other hand, remains unchanged and I do so love the image they presented for such (seen below). Fly used to be on every tradition’s list except divine, but now it’s there as well! That’s a lot of F spells, so let’s jump down a bit to all the summon spells. Summon Animal, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Entity (that’s aberration), Fey, Fiend, Giant, Instrument, Monitor, Plant or Fungus, or Undead. That’s a lot of summon options though the’re spread across the various traditions. All refer to the Summon trait detailed sidebar which specifies the creature level which mirrors what we expect of the originals: -1 at 1st level up to 15th at 10th level.

More Wounds

An important rules update that I missed originally but again, thanks to Greer, I see now. The Recovery check has been modified so that when you fail or critically fail, your wounded value increases. This means you could fail a few times, or already have the wounded condition, and it will gradually increase. You still gain or increase the wounded condition when you lose the dying condition. Someone using treat wounds or healing you up to full is going to become even more important if you stop dying but now you’re wounded 3. One failure or a critical hit and you’re dead dead. Wounded 4? Drop below 0 hit points and you’re already dead-dead. Bare that in mind, especially you healers out there. Stabilize or a quick heal/soothe will not be enough. Use that out of combat time to treat those wounds!

I hope you’re investing in the Remaster Core books! I’m looking forward to the next article and expanding on the isolated GM material in GM Core. Unrelated, I wanted to point you to the massive video Nonat put out on the kineticist. That’s a lot of hard work to prep, then film, then edit, so go give it a watch and share some thanks for all that research. I always take this time of year to share my thanks for this community and it’s no different now.

Thank You

Thanks to my Know Direction family for giving me space to share my hype! Thanks to Roll for Combat for driving tough conversations and letting me play my favorite witch ever! Thanks to Order of the Amber Die for incredible maps and amazing insights into modules. Thanks to Paizo for their work this year, especially those artists, writers, editors who help make it all possible and share their creative brilliance with us. I can’t wait for PAX Unplugged and to see so many of you! Give me a shout if you see me!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Player Core cover, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. The Age of Lost Omens excerpt, Chapter 1: Introduction, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
2. Character Creation banner image, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
3. Leshy, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
4. Nephilim, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
5. Panic the Dead feat, Cleric, Chapter 3: Classes, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
6. Hero Points banner image, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
7. Fireball spell, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo

Oh you think Halloween’s just over and so now I’m going to forget all about that spinner of fates, that dealer of deals, that creepy crafter, the bad-cast witch? Oh no, the season of the witch just started. On November 15th, Pathfinder Player Core becomes available and it’s got that sweet, sweet remaster Witch ready to enchant, hex, and delight! Well, actually I’ve been lucky enough to have the book for a couple weeks and I am loving the changes. You’ve no doubt seen some lovely things to come from NoNat and Stephen & Mark over at Roll For Combat. I’m eager to break down all that I love from Core, but I really had to give the witch my love and focus. And I thought to myself how best could I do so other than by updating my lovely witch Ateran for Roll for Combat’s Three Ring Adventure!  And well, can’t help but dig into some other updates too!

But first let’s look at the changes from a general lens! It’s important to note that Witch wasn’t included in the core rulebook. We didn’t see the witch until a year later with the Advanced Player’s Guide. However, it’s now part of the core class offerings with this Player Core 1 release. Player Core 2 will contain the rest of the classes like Champion and Alchemist. Anyway, we’re still getting 6 hit points per level, still using a key attribute of intelligence. We’re still trained in perception, fortitude, and reflex while an expert of mental will. We still get training in 3 + intelligence skills and one determined by our patron. We get training in simple weapons, unarmed attacks, unarmored defense but as discussed on the Paizo blog spellcasting has changed. Now we start trained in spell attack modifier and spell DC, as well as the witch class DC. It’s really in the spellcasting, where you use your familiar as a conduit to your patron, where things have changed.

Your Patron, Your Familiar

Ateran’s original patron was that of Curse, granting them the occult spell list, training in occultism, the powerful Evil Eye, and the spell ray of enfeeblement. As I think about it, I don’t know that Ateran ever cast it. The related patron for Remaster is that of Resentment. In hindsight I’m not quite sure that fits the patron’s identity that was eventually revealed – and I won’t spoil it in case you’re watching – but it does mention that a patron of Resentment “is likely far from the upper echelons of its kind” so perhaps it is fitting. Ateran would still gain the occult spell list, training in Occultism, and the evil eye hex while the spell gained is enfeeble, the changed spell name for ray of enfeeblement. However, now when you choose your patron your familiar also gains an ability. This is in addition to the extra familiar ability you gain at first level in the APG, along with more abilities at 6th, 121th, and 18th level. Apparently a familiar of Resentment is one of ongoing misery, seeming hostile to others. That fits Csillagos well. Now whenever Ateran casts or sustains a hex, Csillagos will be able to curse a creature within 15 feet, prolonging the duration of any negative conditions affecting that creature by 1 round!

Perhaps it’s the right time to note that familiars have changed for the better, an extension of the new Pet feat. There’s a more diverse selection of abilities available, including options to change the familiar’s creature trait. You’re only limited to one but you can choose construct, dragon, elemental, fungus, or plant. You can also choose abilities from that new 1st level general Pet feat like amphibious, darkvision, flier, scent… A few of them are familiar to 2E originally but Remaster is really growing the options and customization while maintaining balance. That Pet feat basically let’s anyone pick up a tiny animal with the minion trait. I’m interested to see if specific familiar types are replaced altogether because now you can really build up the pet, or familiar, you want just like crafting up your character.

Hexes For Good, Or Ill

Hexes have seen changes as well. You start with either Patron’s Puppet or Phase Familiar. Patron’s Puppet is a free action, a literal unspoken Command as you please for your patron to take over your familiar and take its two actions however they see fit. As a GM, I want my players to do this! You can also take Phase Familiar, a reaction to shift your familiar into a ghostly state and protect them from harm. I’d like both for Csillagos. Looking at Evil Eye, that hex cantrip has improved in my opinion. It’s still a 1 action, single target curse that has a 30 foot range and can be sustained for a minute. However now instead of inflicting frightened, it inflicts sickened. It’s nice that it’s no longer a fear effect or have the mental trait, let alone it’ll stack with those demoralizing to cause frightened. It penalizes in the same way to all checks and DCs, but a nice extra detail is the target won’t be able to ingest anything like elixir or potions. At best they’ll stay sickened 1 while you sustain the spell, even if they try to use an action to wretch and get rid of the condition. Also, there’s no more text about someone becoming immune for 1 minute. This is in line with the blog post where it mentioned quality of life changes for the witch. So very thankful for that! Life boost is still one action and still grants a creature fast healing of the same amount, but the formatting now fits the formatting of other spells with the heightened effect (fast healing increases by 2) clearly called out. Ateran uses this in almost all combat encounters, so I’m glad to see it will stay a staple. Then there’s Malicious Shadow (see below), which still does the same 1d10 plus spellcasting modifier damage as it’s not a cantrip. It did gain the Concentrate and Manipulate traits, thus it will be a bit more difficult to use in a tough situation like being grappled. There’s a clear call out about contributing to your multiple attack penalty now, so really if anything this was a good opportunity to do some errata updating.

Feats Of Wonder

Looking to feats you might choose, Ateran has Cauldron though has used it less as potions became easier to find or afford. Well now during your daily preparations Ateran will be able to creation one free temporary oil or potion each day using any formula you know! I love the image of the witch brewing up the day’s concoction. And if you’re a master in spell DC you get to create two, and three at legendary! This is a truly valuable change to the Cauldron feat. Not a feat that Ateran has, but maybe now would want, is the 1st level Witch’s Armaments. Eldritch Nails that deal 1d6 slashing! Iron Teeth that does 1d8 piercing! Or maybe you having living hair that you can grow from your head, beard, mustache to trip, disarm, or do 1d4 bludgeoning! Living Hair was level 2 before and Eldritch Nails level 4, so these options are available far sooner. Also, you can take the Armaments multiple times. Collect them all! The 6th level Witch’s Charge didn’t change, but there is now a 4th level opposite called Sympathetic Strike, allowing you to create a connection with a target you Strike using your Witch’s Armaments. They get a circumstance penalty against your hex saves, setting up a great combination of attacks. Double, Double at level 10 doubles how many items you can make with Cauldron, up to 6 at legendary. However, Ateran will still want Witch’s Communion to protect all their friends as part of Witch’s Charge. Casting touch range spells at 30’ without an extra action is incredibly useful for buffs like Heroism! I absolutely adore they’ve created Coven Spell for level 12, allowing you to use a reaction to empower their spell. The Witch definitely needed things like this to build atop that coven, communal casting idea. Oops All Witches sounds like a fun game to me! Just try to balance that around taking Witch’s Broom at level 12 so you can fly upon it whenever you want. Finally I’ll call out Patron’s Claim, an 18th level feat that Ateran isn’t ready for, but will want. Once per hour you can use two actions to call upon your patron’s power. Ghostly limbs reach out from your familiar’s mouth and attack for 10d10 spirit damage, possibly inflicting drain and getting you a Focus point back! You patron snacks on the victim’s life energy and you gain more power. Equivalent exchange I’d say!

Making Magic

Spellcasting where it’s at and aside from hexes, Ateran loves the occult. Telekinetic Projectile is their cantrip of choice. I can usually chant it on screen and everyone knows what I’m casting. Well as discussed, we won’t be adding spellcasting modifiers to damage anymore and I can see that immediately with this spell. But that doesn’t mean it is staying at 1d6, nope! Telekinetic Projectile will now do 2d6 base instead of the 1d6 + attribute modifier. While it could be less damage sometimes, it’ll average out expectantly and could actually do more damage on occasion. I’m all for standardization to keep things moving smoothly, quickly at the table. Daze changed similarly starting at 1d6 damage instead of spellcasting modifier damage. Grim tendrils? The same except for the previously announced void instead of negative damage. Speaking of void, there’s a new cantrip I think many will want to use: Void Warp. 30 feet of range, targeting a living creature, and doing 2d4 void damage and can enfeeble 1. Haste? Same. Feeblemind? The same, but well Never Mind. Not spells Ateran normally casts but Magic Fang and Magic Weapon are now Runic Body and Runice Weapon, and they have 6th and 9th level heightened versions so instead of +1 striking, they jump to +2 greater or +3 major striking! Also Runic Body affects all of the creature’s unarmed attacks, not just one. Upgrade!

Benefits For All!

I think an overall large change for every class is that now you can Refocus as much as you want to regain up to your pools maximum in focus points without high level feats allowing you to gain more than one point. This is great for when you use more focus powers in a combat, though it does mean you’ll spend more time refocusing, possibly up to 30 minutes. Yet even that has a 12th level feat option in so far as that with one Refocus activity you refill your focus pool. For witches, that feat is Hex Focus, which used to allow you to regain 2. For Bards, it’s Inspirational Focus, Cleric’s get Domain Focus, and so on. There’s also the multiclass benefit of training in spell attacks and spell DCs. You might see – as I did – the call out to improvements by magical tradition in the Spellcasting Archetypes section, but I have it on very good authority that this is in error and will be errarated. Probably wise of me to also call the known change to all spells in that spellschool will no longer be used as a trait, except for Illusion as that has rules implications like Summoned or Polymorph. I really dig the Subtle trait – found on spells like Charm and Invisibility – which are noted as being able to being cast “without incantations” and don’t have obvious manifestations. Far more useful for those tricksy characters! There’s also the Spellshape trait though I only noted that on two Bard compositions, basically allowing you to modify a spell you cast afterward. Wizards have many feats that can do this, but a good example of a Witch feat is that Coven Spell reaction I mentioned above. I love the trait to rules methodology, though I’ll admit I’m biased in loving an object-oriented standardized rules system as I’ve a programming background. Still, as I noted above, unifying abilities, feats, spells to work the same way under a standard architecture just makes the good faster to play, and easier for all to enjoy while still presenting many options.

There’s a ton more options to dig through too! I’ll be investing time in the Remaster for quite a while. I’m pleased we’re getting things under the ORC (referenced on page 463!) and using this time of change to update the rules based on all we’ve learned in the last four years. Let me know what you’re most excited about as you read through the Player Core! The hardest part of the next few weeks is whether to next discuss more Player or get into that GM Core! Happy gaming! Oh and if you’re going to PAX Unplugged, be sure to let me know! I’ll be there with utter excitement.

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Witch main image with added title, Paizo, art by Wayne Reynolds

1. Witch description, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
2. Witch feats banner, Witch Feats, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
3. Winged cat image, Familiars, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
4. Malicious Shadow, Witch Hex Spells, Pathfinder Player Core, Paizo
5. Feiya the iconic witch and her familiar Daji, Pathfinder Player Core, art by Wayne Reynolds

I love Halloween. Spooky movies are always first on my mind. I watch Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, Nightmare Before Christmas, and really constantly just keep 31 Days of Halloween on TV. I decorate my home, and read up on things like witches and hags. Last year I didn’t do nearly enough of it, though I did create a serious amount of goodies for a Halloween party as you can see in the instagram post from last year. Really it got me thinking of how to celebrate in Pathfinder, and I recalled the small Allbirth event I brought into our last game. It was more focused on figuring out if the hobgoblin who’d come into town was actually a barghest in disguise, but the festivities were still useful and fun as a backdrop. I’d like to do more in general for holidays, but Halloween always has a special place in my heart. I’ll want to do it right for our Kingmaker game, so I wanted to prep ahead of time and when better to be reading up on it but now. But where to get more information on Allbirth?

Well have you grabbed a copy of the Travel Guide? It’s one of my favorite books from last year with so much creativity contained within, especially on cuisine, couture, and culture! I mention it briefly but there’s an entire section on the holiday of Allbirth. While it was a Lamashtu day of sacrifice that I won’t go into further, we learn that it’s become more to many. Apparently what started with half-orc and goblin youth in Katapesh is spreading across the continent as a holiday of joyful day of tempting tricks, treats, libations, dancing, and of course masquerade. Sounds like Halloween doesn’t it? Well wouldn’t you know, Allbirth is celebrated on the 30th of Lamashan, the 10th month of the calendar. While it’s partially serious, there’s still frivolity as many who consider Lamashtu an ancestor, a mother of monsters. Soon we’ll see alignment disappear and while anyone who has played Rise of the Runelords knows there are those who would do wicked things in Lamashtu’s name, maybe the goddess is changing as views of her peoples change. Nocticula found redemption and maybe other divinities will too, even if one is set to meet an untimely end here soon.

I love that the scene they decided to include shows the party happening at a ruin out in the forest. What a party to be had, or well maybe a horror movie. Still as I mentioned there’s all sort of fun to be had at an Allbirth celebration. Performers play various instruments to fill the night with music. There’s poets reading and plays being performed while fine foods are eaten, especially those hearty and savory stews. Of course there’s sweets and drinks that are syrupy or candied. Apparently the desserts are usually saved for last, to be grabbed as you run out after a typical combat. The combat is sort of an honorary one of Lamashtu and Pazuzu, who were once together until Pazuzu betrayed the mother of monsters. Who fights? Well there’s much dancing to the music, but there’s a competition called the Dance of Beasts. An individual will change one person in a couple, and whoever isn’t chosen gets to choose which of the two they will continue dancing with. Eventually you’ll want to escape the dance floor with your chosen partner. Meanwhile there’s various masks and other decorations, typical sculptures of monsters and demons. Decorations can flow in that vein but also entrails and blood might be on hand for fortune telling rituals. The guide notes these rites are sacred, respected and often performed by an orc or half-orc ritualist. To give those seeking information or those partners eager for privacy off the dance floor sometimes curtains are made of vines and sprigs of box elders. A ruin could be quite the scene for such a party! But ultimately before the desserts can come out, the best dancer and best sculptor are chosen for that Abyssal Heartbreak fight.

The Travel Guide continues with a fashion example, basically a combination of the fashionable and a Halloween costume. I like the particular note that “[t]hough Allbirth began as a holiday for the descendants of Lamashtu, many other ancestries are frequently invited to Allbirth parties (usually wearing costumes that draw from their own culture’s legends).” That is to say, don’t dress up as a goblin because those are real in this world. Technically demons and devils are too, but to most people in the world of Golarion they’re still otherworldly spirits they might never meet. It’s very different if you come dressed up as another mortal culture from your world. Some designers will even loan out their outfits and clothing makers might hold some in reserve so everyone gets to look amazing. This reminds me of pre-colonial and renaissance times where it was common to see nobility hosting parties for their neighborhoods, vassals, etc. and they’d supply food, drink, and costumes. It was good to share the bounty as it were, especially in the face of otherworldly dangers.

Wearing attire like armor or weapons is okay, especially if they’ve seen true combat as that can be eye-catching. There’s also masks meant to hide your true person, often-times a jackal because of Lamashtu so other masks are considered fancier and cool. Notice how this mask has horns? It’s apparently a mask of Vavakia. Vavakia horns are a reminder of the punishment that awaits those who would enslave others, as those mortals are transformed into vavakia. Thus the attire can even be a statement piece. Firebrand Allbirth celebration sounds really interesting… There’s also a highlight on the bottom of the dress/robe as having Belkzen Imagery. There’s some national, personal pride here and Allbirth can be a bit of celebration of history, family legends, and developmental stories that won’t face fear or judgment like one might see with other peoples. Basically what it comes down to is a celebratory expression for these often prejudiced people who have made the holiday their own. I find that incredibly inspirational. Hopefully humans who get invited to such a celebration learn the history and cultural significance. 

However, that is just an example from Katapesh. I’d love to see such in other areas, and I hope to do so in my own game although in Kingmaker right now it’s early summer. We’ll get there eventually. Considering the players have chosen to make their kingdom one of openness and acceptance, any may find a home there. Heck, one PC is a gnoll and the other is a hobgoblin. And while Nok-Nok (NPC I won’t spoil here) may be listening to their heroics, who wouldn’t like to celebrate a bit of Allbirth in their own way? It all seems quite fitting of the quote I started the article with. Should you wish to bring an eventful adventure to your Pathfinder game, I fashioned up a few scenarios tailored for an Allbirth party with classic Halloween flavor:

Curse of the Haunted Masquerade

The city of Magnimar has quickly become famous for its extravagant Allbirth masquerade ball. However, this year, the attendees are turning into their costume characters, and the curse is spreading. The partygoers need the help of intrepid adventurers to uncover the curse’s source, hidden deep within the haunted Harrowvale Manor. Along the way, they’ll confront spectral masks, sentient costumes, and haunted mirrors. Can the party guests break the curse before they become permanent residents of this eerie masquerade?

The Ghost Ship Regatta

During the Allbirth festivities in the coastal town of Sandpoint, a ghostly regatta suddenly emerges from the mists, crewed by vengeful apparitions. The adventurers must board spectral vessels and engage in a thrilling race across the haunted waters to determine the fate of the town’s Allbirth celebrations. As they navigate through treacherous spectral storms and contend with ghostly competitors, they’ll need to discover the truth behind the cursed regatta before Sandpoint becomes the ghost ship’s permanent destination.

The Pumpkin King’s Revenge

In the village of Roderic’s Grove, the annual tradition of carving enchanted pumpkins has gone terribly wrong. The pumpkins have grown monstrous and hostile, and a wicked being known as the Pumpkin King has risen from the fields, vowing vengeance on the villagers. The adventurers are tasked with delving into the pumpkin-infested labyrinth beneath the village to confront the Pumpkin King, break the curse, and save Allbirth for Roderic’s Grove.

The Phantom Carnival

The mysterious Carnival of Shadows only appears on Allbirth, and it’s known for its otherworldly wonders. This year, however, the carnival has vanished, and the surrounding town of Restov is now trapped in a never-ending Allbirth night. The adventurers must enter the realm of the Carnival of Shadows, where they’ll encounter bizarre creatures, face twisted games and puzzles, and ultimately discover the carnival’s secret and its connection to the perpetual Allbirth night.

The Cursed Costume Contest

The town of Oregent is renowned for its grand Allbirth costume contest, where the winner receives a legendary prize. However, this year’s contest has attracted a cursed artifact, turning the contestants into their costumes, each with unique, dangerous abilities. The adventurers must infiltrate the contest as participants and use their newfound powers to solve riddles, navigate enchanted obstacle courses, and defeat other cursed contestants. Can they uncover the artifact’s location and save the contestants before Allbirth ends, sealing their fates?

I hope you have some amazing Halloween plans! While I’ve a party to go this weekend – and I’m bringing the cookies shown below – the actual day of Halloween will likely be a night in with treats and reading up on some early release material that may be relevant to Pathfinder… Oh, here’s the cookie recipe! Make some and share at an Allbirth adventure as you invest in with your group!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Carved Pumpkins, Reaping What We Sow cover, Paizo, art by Marko Horvatin

1. Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular 2014, Roger Williams Zoo, photo taken by me
2. Halloween 2022 treats, photo taken by me
3. Allbirth, full spread images, Travel Guide, Paizo
4. Allbirth Fashion, Travel Guide, Paizo
5. Season Witch (autumn), Ultimate Wilderness, Paizo, art by Alexandre Chaudret
6. Reese’s Cookies, photo taken by me

The Stolen Lands have long been the domain of bandits and monsters, but no longer! Your party has been granted a charter to explore these wilds, defeat its dangers, and build a brand new nation. Yet not everyone will welcome you as new neighbors, and powerful supernatural forces have their own plans for the region. Can you defeat your kingdom’s enemies and become one of the greatest new nations in the world?”¹

It’s been nearly a year since my Kingmaker Planning started. My game is now underway and I’ve thoroughly enjoying my players exploring the Stolen Lands. Indeed, they now rule their own growing kingdom. I’ve made some low level additions and taken inspiration from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for both expanded foraging and cooking rules as well as creating a fiend inspired by Ganondorf (though I made it before getting to the boss fight so no spoilers there). I also provided some updated Pathfinder2E build rules for a few NPCs, but I suggest you save that link for your GM. It’s been an incredible journey thus far, but I’m quite excited for some additional content and tools…

FoundryVTT has released their Kingmaker module in partnership with Paizo! I’ve been eager to get it since they announced it last year. I didn’t want to wait for its release – and my group does play in person – but I knew it would come with useful features for the entire table, for me as the GM, and for the players too. It’s been released as a two-parter with the second part coming later, which is a-ok with me especially as I’d rather not wait for it all to be done. I’m excited to start using it now! Why, you ask? Well let me tell you! And for the record, this isn’t paid content. I’m just thrilled and thought you might want to know why in case you’re thinking of running Kingmaker too!

Digital Conveniences

Clearly there’s the obvious digital convenience of Foundry. It doesn’t matter where you are, people can join in. I was close to picking it up for general use back during lockdown. And honestly, that’s partly why I want it now. If we have to be separated due to sickness, bad weather, travel… I’ll have Foundry to keep our game going. I’ve been slowly picking up bits and pieces as I downloaded it and then got to play some using it through PaizoCon because the amazing Vanessa ran her game for us through it. That’s the game where we got to explore Iomedae’s group challenging the Whispering Tyrant’s forces. I also got to meet Harry Bigle (check out his patreon) as he played the classic heroine with style. I got to enjoy a bit of a short term campaign he was running, learn more about Foundry, and meet his amazing team last summer. He’s crafting some great homebrew content so check out that patreon link. And thanks to Vanessa and Harry for teaching me so much.

Foundry offers features like dynamic maps that reflect the seasons or animations for wind, fog, and other weather effects. The dynamic lighting is beautiful for visual effects but also to reflect a character’s vision-based abilities. The digital character sheets can be modified pretty easily with features imported in, and I’m hoping some community tools for Herolab make it even easier. The automation for attacks, saves, and various effects is a huge time saver. For a GM we have all that plus PDF imports, hidden elements, fog of war on maps, various journal entries, scenes set up to emerse your players in the world, and encounters set up for combat! I also find the rollable tables useful and of course, the digital dice. Player aids like journal entries you can share out or let the players make is vastly important. Let them see the details or document their own. I’ve a very roleplaying, story-focused bunch so this is key! 

Kingmaker Specific Features

Then we get to the features Kingmaker has added! Foundry hired Damien Mammoliti (who has done a lot of Paizo art over the years) to create a new map of the Stolen Lands. It’s absolutely lovely, but then the dev team and I’m sure a DXP (digital experience) team went to work. You see – and this isn’t really spoilers – Kingmaker can be very much a sandbox of hexploration searching. There’s an incredible amount of things to be found, people to meet, challenges to face, and adversaries to fight! There’s plenty of events and numerous plots afoot, as well as some overarching stories that impact much of the adventure. So that map of the Stolen Lands is there for you to explore. The team at Foundry created a hexploration system with fog of war, ways to note the hexes were reconnoitered or mapped, and linked to relevant journal entries. You can modify the map icons, move them, and add more entries to the journal and tag them. I’m loving the hex controls and I know my players will too. We’ve been updating a paper map, using some google docs, and while helpful a unified UI to do so will be vastly superior. And yes, that’s even though we’ll be playing in person. I’m lucky and thankful for that. I mean I won’t need the starting scene again, but take a peak at just how breathtaking below! Yes, minor spoilers, but this is where you start so not really!

There’s also the Kingdom rules. Why explore and take over a land if you aren’t going to start your own Kingdom? Or collection of Freeholds? The KIngdrom rules can be found on Nethys, and they’re provided in detail in both the path book for me as the GM and the player’s guide for player use. It is a learning experience to get started, but I’m already seeing the rewarding aspects of changing the lands, choosing NPCs to help the PCs lead, and the overall story implications. We’re using a google doc to help us but it’s still a lot of flipping through pages. Well, Foundry expanded the Party features (where the players characters are grouped in the app) so that the party can start their kingdom and track their Kingdom Character Sheet. All the skills of the kingdom are listed with details, but more important are the Kingdom Activities with filter tags to make it easier to look up and act. I know this will be a boon for all of us, easy to reference and integrated where we’ll do a lot of our other bookkeeping.

There’s also the Kingmaker music provided. Various sounds and sound effects have been combined to create numerous lists. I did start to recognize a few sounds and checked the listing page again. Sure enough, Owlcat Games, who produced the Kingmaker game, has shared audio with Foundry! There’s expanded art, tokens, configured scenes and maps, and more. While I still very much want to do some creative drawing, utilize flip maps, and build up some epic Dwarvenforge sets it’ll be very useful to have maps at the ready since it is an exploration path and the players could go anywhere. Also, there’s some maps later on in the path that are very large. I’d spend far too many days drawing them and they wouldn’t have the beauty that I know Foundry can add. I also want to focus on adding content like all the Gremlin Brothers content I’ve mentioned a couple times. Maybe I’ll share that out once I package it up? It’s pretty easy to do, because…

Community Support

Foundry has truly wide and powerful community support. Again, I’ll mention Harry as he showed me a number of useful things. You do host it on your own system/computer/local server when you’re the GM. However, you don’t have to. Harry showed me that you are able to get your Foundry server hosted through the Forge, a cloud hosting solution, so I don’t need to run Foundry on my own PC. This lets me log into and run my server from anywhere, so I can be working on it on my PC, laptop, or when traveling with relative ease. All the community modules and packages can be loaded into it too. He also clued me in to some great Foundry community extensions to use like Pf2e Workbench, Dorado UI or Pathfinder UI, Pf2e tooltips, and Dice so Nice! Highly recommend them! Roll for Combat has a number of packages that I know Stephen and team have produced for all things Battlezoo. You can now purchase the World of Battlezoo Indigo Isles for Foundry actually! Kobold DM has been creating some great maps and they’ve got a great youtube channel too. Of note, take a look at their 8 essential modules for Pathfinder 2E. You’ve also got Foundry on Reddit and Discord! Heck, even the Pathfinder2E module is community based and contributed to by volunteers. With my development background, I have to tell you that a development system that opens its door to a faithful community is a great way to drive growth, build loyalty, and keep innovation strong! Of course Foundry releases their own videos to go over features (like what’s new this year and in v11) but there’s plenty more where that came from.

If you’re ready to invest in Kingmaker on Foundry Virtual Tabletop, please note it’s currently discounted by $20. If you already own the PDFs for the game, it’s $50 instead of $70. Again, it’s being released in two parts so if you go looking for end game content it’ll be in part 2. They’ve noted all will be released by end of year. I’m really excited to see additional content come into it, let alone see what the community produces for it. I know if nothing else it’ll help me tremendously with map management and help the players with the maps/location tracking as well as the kingdom needs. I hope you found this info useful whether playing Kingmaker or wanting to use Foundry for another game!

Check out Foundry’s release trailer for Kingmaker below!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Beyond the Campaign banner, Kingmaker Adventure Path, Pathfinder2E, added title text, Paizo

1. Kingmaker Foundry Virtual Tabletop logo, Foundry
2. Back cover excerpt, Kingmaker Adventure Path, Pathfinder2E, Paizo
3. Hex Editing Features, Foundry
4. Starting Scene screenshot, Foundry and Paizo
5. Build a Kingdom and Rule with Pride, Foundry

I’ve had hags on my mind for Kingmaker. I can’t say exactly why, as it might be spoilers for those new to it, but it might come up. Hopefully that’s not shocking or spoilery considering it’s a wilderness campaign with fey and other creatures. Granted, hags aren’t always fey but we’ll talk about that later. Also shout out to Foundry for the Kingmaker announcement as it launched yesterday, September 27th! But it’s not just for Kingmaker, I tend to weave hags and witchy folk into all my games. They’ve been a staple of myth and folklore for centuries, appearing in various cultures and stories as malevolent, supernatural beings with a penchant for causing harm and chaos. They’re usually enigmatic, often grotesque, and they’re found in nearly every fantasy role-playing game. I thought for my own understanding as well as Kingmaker use I’d delve a bit deeper for an intriguing comparison between the folklore and the gaming. It also felt right as Spooky Season is here!

In Media / Literature

Now I don’t simply think of hags as old, ugly women with foul plots. Honestly, it all comes off as a bit sexist: stories created to demean wise women, possibly those of power. That’s why classic fairy tales tend to paint witches as old and ugly. Were they hags? Probably not, but we are taking a look at the stories and then gaming use of such. So, well I tend to think of them collectively. I think of the Wyrd Sisters from Macbeth (and the Gargoyles cartoon). The Norn from norse myth (and God of War). And I’ve long been fascinated by the Witches of Dathomir too. That’s a Star Wars reference that I won’t go into any further. For reasons… 5E makes their hags fey, though there are many types. Night Hags are fiends however. That’s true in Pathfinder as well, although otherwise hags are forms of humanoids. I did so love the hags running things in Eberron’s Droaam. They were wise, enterprising, and I featured them in a game I ran, manipulating fate in the way that helped the heroes but suited their needs as well. I’m a fan of the witchy sisterhood three of the characters have formed in Campaign 3 of Critical Role. It might be a druid, a sorceress, and a warlock but it works well. Matt’s even let them combine their powers for a coven-like feel. I have to assume the idea of power through sisterhood is what got them in that line of thought, though Laudna’s spooky undead vibes probably helped as she’s a very witchy warlock but more on that later.

Origins and Influences

But where do all these inspirations come from? Where’d Shakespeare pluck his ideas? Which cultures and religions influenced these future tales and uses? Witches are common in European folklore, and hags are often synonymous there. It’s all curses, spells, rituals, and everything we’ve seen from classic fairy tales and made less dark for Disney. Most know of Baba Yaga – who also appears in Golarion – as an Eastern European or Russian hag-like woman of dangerous power who lives in a hut on chicken legs. Still, sometimes she’s helpful, exchanging wisdom for some bargain. That feels very fey to me. Western and Northern Europe has a lot of similar tales with witches and old, ugly women living in secluded places. Again, sexist because apparently old men living in the woods are hermits but heaven forbid a woman in the wilds learns the best herbs to treat your ailments. If we look at Greek Mythology then perhaps the Graeae are an example and perhaps the inspiration for the Wyrd Sisters of Shakespearean writing? They were three sisters that shared an eye, lending to tales of the fates and well, Disney’s Hercules. It seems so many of these tales have the hags/witches hating humans, and so I wonder how much it’s malevolence versus the constant stream of guys showing up wanting answers and free magical artifacts.

I learned about Boo Hags that are witches that sold their souls for power and are similar to vampires. Apparently they are found in the Gullah culture, which I didn’t know about until doing some internet research. The Gullah are an African American ethnic group from the southeast US, with stories told from across parts of Africa that came along with them when forcefully brought to America. Again, using any inspirations from other cultures be sure to know, understand, and discuss with your table. Some hags in African religions are more like malevolent spirits that cause sickness. I went searching on Native American hags but didn’t find much that didn’t refer to dangerous spirits that used foul magic. On the Asian side I learned of the Filipino folklore around the Aswang, a sort of witch / vampire / werecreature that was cannibalistic. How much this story is truly Filipino versus the work of Spanish visitors and then it propagates through oral tradition is tough to say. I wonder again if this is more of talented or isolated women getting a bad wrap from a man who wanted something. Yes, I certainly started looking into some feminist writings and seeing where these stories might have come from.

Which Witch or Warlock?

Hags and witches have long been featured in our roleplaying games. I remember D&D 3rd Edition had a suggestion of what a witch’s spell list might be like. But otherwise, witches and hags were antagonists or at best, mysterious NPCs for you to encounter. I’d say the Warlock in 3.5 changed that. Some might say “oh that’s a male witch.” And maybe that’s a perception now, of some masc presenting practitioner of the occult arts. However, originally warlock is said to be derived from waerloga, an Old English word meaning oath breaker. Thus witches who broke their oaths to their covens were warlocks. You see, anyone can be a witch or a warlock no matter what their gender. And isn’t it interesting then that a witch had their coven of fellow witches they were likely bound to and a warlock did what? Why worked with nefarious sources of power like devils and evil spirits, hence the pacts that we came to see for Warlocks in 3.5. Now Witches in Pathfinder2E have patrons, but they can be in a nefarious or positive light depending what you might desire. They’re not just occult casters either, considering they could be divine or primal. And even then, the Remaster project is about to change that. Not sure how all that’s going to work yet, but stay tuned. What I’m basically getting down to is that witches aren’t the baddies, technically if anything Warlocks are. But say the witch coven was doing bad things, then isn’t a warlock a good thing? And isn’t it interesting we saw Warlocks before we saw Witches as PCs? But I digress… It all depends on your game and how your hags, covens, witches, warlocks and the like are presented. And even then your players may want to change it up, make spicy decisions.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Previously I was accustomed to hags being predominantly considered humanoid-looking fey of various appearance. D&D introduced a few different types from annis, green, sea, and of course night. Night Hags are fiends both in D&D and Pathfinder, but they aren’t fey in Pathfinder. They’re just a form of people, perhaps even changed people. Changelings as an ancestry might find themselves drawn to a hag or witch parent. They were first written to “only be women” though my brother played an Assigned-Male-At-Birth changeling back in 1E. Again, up to your game. Not all changelings or witches are women. So not all hags are either. Not all hags are ugly after all though maybe Bloog Hags aren’t the best example, as they wear the skin of others. Annis hags are large, brutish. Green hags are a bit closer to classic lore. Certainly Night Hags are nightmarish. My nonbinary witch Ateran is certainly frustrated with the nightmarish ways of at least one Night Hag. I didn’t even know Pathfinder had a Grave Hag, rotted like the grave but still humanoid, not undead.

What Sort of Power

Some hags, like the Annis, are powerfully strong. Others have tricks up their sleeves, but classically all have a bit of magic. Our witches learn hexes and curses are easy to acquire whether through the Occult spell list or choice on the arcane list. Maybe you choose a Changeling Sorcerer with the Hag bloodline! You’ll get a few curses, and again use the Occult spell list. But there are those witches tied to nature like those with the Wild or Winter patron themes. Some have rare, unique abilities as well like the Moon Hag’s Dreadful Prediction or the Night Hag’s Dream Haunting. Singularly they can be dangerous, but together hags are very dangerous. That’s where Covens come in. I find it remiss that there isn’t a Coven feat for the Witch class but every hag contributes certain spells to a Coven they join. The Coven ability specifically makes all hags that are members their Elite versions. They can sense one another’s locations and they get additional spells to use but must be cast as joint activities. I’d forgotten all the spells they get automatically when forming a coven like baleful polymorph, charm, and prying eye. They get to use the Control Weather ritual as well. In a way a witch is more powerful than any hag, but not necessarily a coven unless that witch is particularly talented (or has a high level). I do sort of like the idea that a corrupted witch (again, any gender) could become a hag. I don’t think I’ve seen any masc-presenting hag art but it’s your game, your world. Do what you will.

It’s Tradition, Maybe

Covens got me thinking on the cultures hags form. Their society isn’t so much a community as a loose forming of traditions based on what empowers them. However, there has to be a bit more than that based on what hags might teach a young changeling. Religion usually plays a part in teaching such traditions. We know there’s a goddess of hags called Gyronna. She’s evil, she hates forgiveness, and expects you to expose hypocrisy in others. There is mention that her worshippers include fallen women, so maybe she’d not favor a wronged man much. Her possible origin is that she was once fey and angered a rival like Baba Yaga. Could it be that cursed witches become hags? I like that idea as an origin for some hags; it doesn’t have to be all. Gyronna apparently lives in the Abyssal realms and hangs with Night hags. None of that surprises me, but I can’t imagine if she’s so vile, focused upon angry women getting revenge, that much can exist in a way of an organized church. However, we know from Kingmaker – and I won’t give away the spoilers of where – that at least one such abbey existed for Gyronna with men living there. So she did have her male worshippers and presumably a priest or two with divine power. With hatred and spite as part of her areas of concern, it fits hags who are often depicted as hating humanity or getting revenge – or trying to eat – those living nearby. Again, I don’t see that promoting much in the way of culture but between other monstrous influences, Lamashtu, and a strong enough Coven you could have a very dangerous society living in secret within a town or out in the wilds. Perhaps a Coven of 20 or more takes in angered women to use as pawns, teaches some of these humanoids and changelings specifically the ways of witchcraft to enact revenge, and encourages a power-hungry, manipulative power structure. I’d likely enact some sort of Coven law that those within the Coven are not to be challenged but supported. You could quickly turn the script from just catty, ugly hags to a society of women supporting one another and getting justice on those who wronged them.

In Your Game

I thought I’d highlight a few ways to use Hags in your games besides what I’ve called out in all my research reflection musings. There are a few keys themes to work with. Hags in folklore often represent the fear of the unknown and the dark mysteries of the natural world. They embody the idea that hidden forces can disrupt our lives and bring chaos and misfortune. Thus in your game they might be symbols of hidden dangers lurking beneath a town or a full on city. Maybe they’re manipulating the people above while their coven grows in the sewers. Players and their characters must navigate their treacherous schemes and uncover the secrets behind their malevolent actions like what a seemingly good, respected member of the royalty did to cause the hatred of the Grand High Witch. Hags in that way can also be a reflection of society. I’ve mentioned at length how I felt I had to do some feminist readings as I read up on witches and hags. They reflect societal anxieties about aging, female power, and the consequences of breaking societal norms. They are cautionary tales about the consequences of straying from the expected path. And it’s frankly, bull. No one has to conform to societal norms of gender or what a ‘woman’ should do or look like. But of course, some backwoods townspeople might not trust that old woman in the woods. That’s up for you to decide, and again remember to check on veils and lines with your players as this might not be something someone wants to see reflected in their game. But if it’s okay, you can have these Hags be a reflection of the darker aspects of a particular society or country. Perhaps as people are corrupted they become Hags, so it’s actually those spreading vile hate are becoming the hags. Maybe it’s those studying dark magic, or just using magic for vile purposes. Imagine if greedy CEOs and those with unchecked ambition were twisted in vengeful, power-obsessed hags!

I hope my little essay here on hags and witches gives you some thoughts about how we view others and unconscious bias we might have. It’s important to think of why the stories we read and grew up with might influence us and where their origins truly came from. But also, it’s okay to have some fun with dangerous magic and monstrous hags too. Just remember to invest in the cultures and backgrounds of all you utilize in your games, talk with your table, and have some fun. Maybe it’s spooky and vile like a certain hag in Baldur’s Gate 3, but maybe there’s a greater plot afoot and that hag isn’t as evil as you thought!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Blood of the Coven cover image, text added, Paizo, image by Lie Setiawan

1. Baba Yaga Fighting, Paizo, image by KateMaxpaint
2. Great Dathomiri Witches, Creative Commons Attribution, hafaadairebels
3. Macbeth’s Weird Sisters, John Gilbert
4. Witches blues, Creative Commons Attribution, anndr

Have you ever played an evil character? How did the other characters treat you? Heck, how did the other players react upon finding out? What was the reason for the character’s morality? What were your motivations? Did your character grow more evil, become reviled or perhaps they had a change of heart? Maybe you played a whole campaign of evil or “not good” characters like Hell’s Vengeance or Blood Lords? Did the group trust one another? Did it fall apart?  Whether it was a group of nasties or you alone in your vileness was it ever asked: are we baddies?

While the above meme is in reference to Avatar: the Last Airbender, the original “Are We the Baddies?” meme came from the show That Mitchell and Webb Look, which I only learned about as I prepped this article. The premiere episode of this British sketch comedy was over 15 years ago and in that first episode two Nazis reflect on their helmets, the perceptions of others, and one posits: Are We the Baddies? Oh yeah; they were and make no mistake that they still are. The pop culture masses quickly took that saying for those who reflect on their actions that they might have thought – or were told – were the right actions to take but now they’re not as certain. I’d advise always being mindful of your actions in real life and the same goes for gaming. While alignment is set to disappear with Remaster, we’ll get edicts and anathema. People might still play shifty character, ne’er-do-wells, and other tropes but evil sometimes finds its place. So as we head into spooky season and see the launch of Remaster in a couple months, I found myself reflecting on those baddie characters.

The Why

Let’s consider the purpose, the appeal, and how to make these characters work in your game. And why do so many people seem to become rabid fans for these characters? I couldn’t help but think of my favorite iconic: Seltyiel. Games with non-good, especially what we consider evil, characters tend toward the Mature. I quickly thought of the World of Darkness games that include the undead. Vampires often are depicted as dangerous, dark, foreboding but it’s not their fault some might say. A tortured, sad soul perhaps never knew any better growing up on the streets and turning to crime. Perhaps it’s the government and the rulers around them shaping a system that encourages lower moral standards as you might see from Hell’s Vengeance. Ultimately it comes down to the journey we want to see for the character and there’s no denying there’s an allure to danger. But it shouldn’t be evil, violence, hatred for sake of being such. It’s why these characters or games with these themes require buy in from your table, your group. Holding a Session 0 and using safety tools become only more important! The lines and veils can help make it clear what the group is comfortable with. Open discussion and trusting one another to have that discussion is a good thing. Don’t be a villain in the growth of safe gaming spaces.

The Eventually Good

Some choose those characters that start evil but grow beyond such. We might see Pathfinder characters with edicts and anathema counter to what we might view as good, moral, or ethical. Perhaps they support Cheliax. Maybe they view Sarenrae worshippers as fiery arsonists. What if they’re from Ancient Thassilon and some aspiring runic mage saved a family member? They’re likely supportive of them. But sometimes it’s a bit clearer to define. Maybe they’re willing to steal for what they want or even kill. Rarely are those characters members of happy families, perhaps with deceased parents and no siblings. Suddenly found family in the part starts to influence and change them. Environment plays a part in our development after all, and I would encourage anyone choosing to roleplay an aspect that we can find in society to do their research. Just like we should understand the cultural influences, maybe understand the religious, nationalist, socialist, or even traumatic upbringing some have had. I really appreciated that Krynn – the prime material plane in Dragonlance – had a Cataclysm because one church started to say no god was Good enough. Zealotry and hubris brought that church down. 

And see, that’s another important facet to consider that Edicts and Anathema will help us represent. Even good can become evil or be seen as evil by others. I recommend deciding a few points that might make a non-good character take pause, reflect on what’s happening around them. That’s good character growth and a GM will reward such. Maybe it’s a child gets harmed. Maybe the sick are robbed. Robin Hood only stole from the rich, so he wasn’t evil, right? Well the child of a noble on a stage coach as the guards are attacked and their money stolen probably though the Hood was an evil person. Perspective matters and a point of character growth for an evil character can be gaining some perspective of their own. I’m actually playing a Monsterhearts character of this fashion named Callahan, even doing a bit of research to portray psychopathic tendencies like manipulation and exploitation of others. I’d chosen their love and appreciation for animals, but a hatred for humanity. They’re a dragon truthfully so they haven’t exactly appreciated the history of humanity’s hunt of dragonkind, let alone how humanity is handling the earth. Hard to disagree there, right? I’m interested to see how the mortals and other monsters continue to interact with that character.

The Not-So Bad

Maybe instead your character is already seen as a hero or at least willing to participate in the questing, adventuring, and other helpful activities heroes are often expected to do. The hero of one town or country may not necessarily be a hero to another country, especially if we look at history, but for sake of this section let’s consider the more common antihero trope. Some popular examples include Deadpool, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Magneto, Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles, Damon from the Vampire Diaries, or even Wednesday Addams. An antihero is a protagonist or part of a supporting cast of protagonists. But they’re imperfect, typically selfish or cynical. They may rude, generally not courageous, and can be prone to violence, greed, and other typical amoral behaviors. I listed two vampires for a reason in reference to my earlier discussion above. They feed on blood, hurt people, but maybe they try to do the right thing generally especially if people they care about are in danger. The line toward “goodness” becomes when they start taking action even for strangers. Or perhaps they are willing to put their allies at risk for their own fame or infamy! They might not even care about their reputation because of a cause that’s more important to them.

Magneto suffered incredibly racist crimes, losing his parents due to Nazism. And then he grew to persecute an entire group of people because of what they’d done. He holds himself apart from humanity, but ultimately he saves mutants and even grows to be kinder in later years. I’ll admit Magneto has influenced that Monsterhearts character I mentioned. I might argue Deadpool is less antihero and more child of chaos, but I suppose it depends who’s writing him at the time. Catwoman and Harley Quinn are willing to steal, kill but for what they think is right. Over time DC Comics has shifted Harley’s story from what of mental illness to one of abuse at the hands of the Joker. Elements like mental illness and abuse may not be suitable for all games or players, so again use that Session 0. And also, remember, some sessions someone may want to X a topic because of a fresh event. Be open to that need if you want to explore a character journey that includes such topics and your group has trusted you to do so. Antiheros can be incredibly dramatic, powerful characters and truly some very popular names are listed amongst them. I encourage you to understand antiheroes by researching these common elements and fashioning out the history, the cultures, the growth that got them to this point already. Pathfinder1E had rules for antiheroes in that you didn’t get hero points but they got a free feat. Perhaps you could use such for Pathfinder2E as well!

The Ugly or Just Really Bad

What if your PC Is downright vile? I made a joke of the good, the bad, and the ugly for my section titles but it is true in classic folklore that many villains are ugly. They can be devastatingly beautiful too so let’s not focus on that. Appearance doesn’t mean you’re a good or bad person after all, though I suppose we could get into the philosophy of using your looks too… No, no another time. Hell’s Vengeance encouraged some rather evil behavior and specified non-good characters serving Cheliax. Blood Lords has you playing the undead, or at least those who sympathize and regularly work with the undead in that wonderful nation we know of as Geb. You’re not even allowed to use positive magic there without being arrested! I’ve yet to see a campaign with a truly evil character, not planning to aid in any heroics, unless it was a premise for the game. I ran a Dragonlance game of all Wizards of High Sorcery, so we had two Black-Robed Wizards of Nuitari. They were evil: manipulative, willing to kill, etc. But even they performed many heroic actions, saved numerous strangers… Of course, they were bound to magic first and foremost above all else as is the ways of the Wizards of High Sorcery. While I think choosing a concept and preparing a backstory is important for any character, it’s even more important for these purely evil folks. In order for them to have some depth you’ll need to know what they stand for, what their motivations truly are. I’ve great respect for the writing of the characters that are “truly vile” in Baldur’s Gate 3 as I’ve learned why they did what they did. I won’t spoil of course. There’s revenge though I’ll say the Punisher is an antihero, not a villainous main character. If you are making evil characters / an evil campaign, look to the new Edict and Anathema system for Pathfinder2E for inspiration even if you aren’t playing Pathfinder.

There’s the villains our GMs have to play too. How many adventure paths have I seen played where the players will never quite know the true motivations of most of the villains? Ultimately the lead, big bad becomes known for their nefarious actions. Sometimes for a reason, but sometimes that reason is just power or world domination. Not all stories are complex enough, not all games need to be, for the villains to have the depth of characters. They’re meant to be villains. But I’ll say, good characters that go bad? Those can make for some great narrative surprises for the players and some truly wonderful stories. The Fallen Angel? Hello Diablo. The broken Paladin? Whatever’s going to happen with Critical Role Campaign 3… Yet again, even if a Runelord or the Queen of Cheliax is evil there are bound to be many who don’t see them that way. Allegiances (like Edicts) matter here. What can get an NPC to change their mind? Possibly betrayal, or helping them with something at the root of their misery, or it might just be proving to them how what they are doing is actually Anathema to them.

If you’re planning spooky games this October, creating a not-so good character for a campaign, or planning a whole host of evil characters, then I hope you’ll invest in the reasoning of why, the depth of a developed character, and certainly the session 0 and safety tools to make sure it’s a good experience for you and your entire table. There are great stories to be told from despair and triumph, but don’t let yourself revel in the darkness. It is as Carl Jung’s quote tells us a way to see and better understand that darkness in others. Maybe we need to talk about therapy through gaming too…

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Antihero Handbook cover image, text added, Paizo, image by Chris Seaman

1. Avatar Memes – Are we the baddies?, image by kkachi95, Creative Commons Attribution
2. Signing of the Contract, Hell’s Vengeance path image, Paizo, image by Bryan Sola
3. Magneto, image by tendercoal, Creative Commons Attribution
4. Mechitar, Geb, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Impossible Lands, Paizo

I – along with almost everyone I know – is absolutely loving Baldur’s Gate 3. Kudos to Hasbro for finding an amazing group to trust with their trademark/ruleset in Larian Studios. The characterization, the story, the dialogue, the fun combats… I’ll start off by saying very light spoilers. If you’ve watched the trailer or played any of the game you know what I’m about to discuss. Any social media whatsoever usually reveals some of the primary antagonists as the trailer made clear. That’s as far as we go. And why is that important? Well I was inspired to make something for Pathfinder2E.

So scroll down for some minor spoilers but some hopefully exciting rules to try out!

The illithid powers are quite tempting. I’m currently taking them with my main character but I may try a run through without them at a later date. As with any game I’m playing I think how I might use them for my Kingmaker game or at least Pathfinder in general. Well I decided the powers could be reflected with some feats and I thought what better than a set of Deviant Abilities! The thought of course is to use these to flavor any aberrant influence that your character might desire. I was of course inspired by Baldur’s Gate 3 but also the Fleshwarp ancestry. I struggled a bit on the backlash, finding inspiration from the existing Deviant options. I made the moderate backlash a little harder to remove while the severe possibly easier to avoid or resist as you’ll see below.

I also made a small rules addition. There are some Awakening options that have a number. That means in order to take Awakening 2 you must first take Awakening 1. Now a GM may wish to tweak these and that’s their choice. I am no rules publisher and impostor syndrome aside, I’ve not fully playtested these so don’t come at me about balance too hard. Do of course come at me with how you’re using them, tweaking them, or think they need balancing. I certainly tried while reviewing what would be available at what level or the investment you’d need to take to get to a certain Awakening. Also of course, there’s the backlash to think (worry?) about.

Deviant Abilities – Aberration

The Dark Tapestry is filled with maddening things, and their occult energies permeate the universe. Whether you were exposed to the unknowable or you’ve had frequent encounters with an aberration, your body and mind change with these deviant abilities.

Backlash: Corrupting Influence

Aberrations are not of this world and over time, you are less and less of this world yourself. Their influence changes you in one or many ways. The way you view others is never the same.
Mild Backlash: A physical manifestation of the corrupting influence becomes clear. Maybe you drip odd liquid, your tentacle thrashes about, or dark veins spread across your face. This imposes a -2 circumstance penalty to charisma-based skills until you next make your daily preparations. This penalty does not apply to aberrations unless they are hostile toward you as they’re amused by your changes. It is recommended to tailor the physical manifestation based upon your quirks or the type of aberrant influence
Moderate Backlash: Your body craves a nourishment outside of mundane norms. You are enfeebled 1, clumsy 1, and fatigued 1 until you consume a sentient creature’s flesh, typically their brain. It is recommended to tailor this based on the type of aberrant influence.
Severe Backlash: Psychic power from the Dark Tapestry or beyond rushes out from you in an uncontrolled burst. You deal 1d6 mental damage per level to all creatures with a mind in a 30-foot emanation with a basic Fortitude save. You automatically take full damage without attempting a save. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Related Feats

Aberrant Physiology
Feat 2
Traits: Rare, Deviant
You’ve developed a physical characteristic that you can use as a weapon. When you select this feat, you gain a claws unarmed attack that deals 1d4 slashing damage and has the agile and finesse traits; a horn, jaws, or tusk unarmed attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage and has the versatile S trait; or a tentacle unarmed attack that deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage and has the finesse and reach traits. Each of these unarmed attacks is in the brawling weapon group. Your features are mutable; you can select this feat at any level, and you can retrain into or out of this feat or change the type of attack you gain.
Awakening: Gain an additional attack from the options above.
Awakening: Choose one attack form. Small sacs and pores or grooves produce a venom. This attack form deals 1d4 persistent poison damage, which increases to 2d4 at 10th level and 3d4 at 18th level.

Aberrant Spellcasting
Feat 2
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
You gain an innate ability to produce psychic effects. This spellcasting comes naturally and instinctively to you, rather than from training. Choose two cantrips from the occult list. You gain access to the Cast a Spell activity and can cast these spells as occult innate spells. You’re trained in occult spell attack rolls and spell DCs. If you have a hand free, you can usually replace material components with somatic components, so you don’t need to use a spell component pouch. Your key spellcasting ability for these spells is Charisma.
Awakening 1: If you used the Awaken Power feat or this is your first time Awakening this deviant feat, you gain the Basic Spellcasting benefits as per Basic Captivator Spellcasting but the spells must be enchantment or mind-affecting.
Awakening 2: If you already have the previous Awakening ability, and used the Greater Awakened Power or are at least 10th level, you gain the Expert Spellcasting benefits as per Expert Captivator Spellcasting but the spells must be enchantment or mind-affecting.

Tentacle Grasp
Feat 4
Traits: Rare, Deviant
Prerequisites: Aberrant Physiology
You gain greater control of your tentacle(s). You gain a new option when attacking. You can use Grab as a free action triggered by a hit with the tentacle’s attack. You still have to spend an action to extend the duration for creatures you have already grabbed.
Awakening: You can use your Tentacle Grasp to deflect ranged attacks, granting you a +1 circumstance bonus to AC unless you are grabbing someone or have used it to attack this round.
Awakening: You no longer have to spend an action to extend the duration of creatures already grabbed.

Mind Shielding
Feat 4
Traits: Rare, Deviant
Prerequisites: Aberrant Physiology or Aberrant Spellcasting
Whether through increased mental fortitude or fundamental changes to your brain, something protects your mind from intrusion. You gain a +2 circumstances bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting effects.
Awakening 1: The bonus increases to +3.
Awakening 2: Should you pass the effect, you may choose to turn the effect back on the originator of it as a reaction.

Psychic Devourer
Feat 6
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Aberrant Physiology
Your body’s transformation is twisting in dangerous ways. When you critically hit with your Aberrant Physiology attack, you can attempt to devour the target’s mental energy. The target must succeed at a Will saving throw. This is an occult innate spell.
Critical Success: the target is unaffected
Success: As failure but half damage and the target is not confused.
Failure: The target takes extra damage equal to your level and becomes confused for 1 round.
Critical Failure: The target takes damage as a Failure and instead becomes paralyzed for 1 round. This effect has the Incapacitation trait.
Awakening: Terrible power courses through you. On a success the target is stunned 1.
Awakening: Small teeth, hooks, or a serrated edge cause 1d4 bleed on a failure or 1 bleed on a success. The 1d4 bleed is the same for a critical failure.

A Taste of Oblivion
Feat 6
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Aberrant Spellcasting
Your occult spells are tinged by the energies of the Dark Tapestry and the creatures from the space between the stars. When you deal damage with a mind-affecting spell, you can expend a Focus Point to weaken the target’s mental defenses as a free action. The target takes a -2 circumstance penalty to Will saving throws for 1 round. This is an occult innate spell.
Awakening: The occult energies grow stronger, increasing the penalty to -3.
Awakening: If the target fails or critically fails the spell save, they also take 1d4 persistent mental damage as their mind erodes from your assault.

Eater of Dreams
Feat 8
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Psychic Devourer
You develop a psychic hunger. When you successfully devour a creature’s mental energy with Psychic Devourer, you regain hit points equal to the extra damage dealt.
Awakening 1: If you are already fully healed, you gain temporary hit points equal to the extra damage dealt instead.
Awakening 2: If the target failed or critically failed against the Psychic Devourer effect, the next mind-affecting effect against the target counts as a success one degree higher.

Thought Sever
Feat 8
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Tentacle Grasp
Your mastery over mental energy allows you to sever thoughts and memories. While you successfully have a target grabbed with Tentacle Grasp, you can spend an additional action to inflict the Confused condition on the target for 1 round. The target makes a basic Will save. This is an occult innate spell.
Awakening 1: The target is also stunned 1.
Awakening 2: Instead of the Confused condition for 1 round, the target is subjected to the Confusion spell.

Cerebral Feedback
Feat 8
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Aberrant Spellcasting
Your mind has evolved to a complex state or churns with unknowable secrets. When you succeed at a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect or spell, you may use a reaction to have the originator take mental damage equal to your level. Additionally, you can expend a Focus Point to reroll a failed saving throw against a mind-affecting effect. You must use the new result.
Awakening 1: You may choose which result to use.
Awakening 2: You do not have to use a reaction to trigger this effect.

Along The Surface
Feat 10
Traits: Rare, Deviant
Prerequisite: Aberrant Physiology
Your body grows small cilia or suction-like cups that allow you to cling to surfaces with ease. You gain a Climb Speed of 15 feet.
Awakening 1: Your Climb Speed increases to your base speed.
Awakening 2: You ignore difficult terrain whenever you Stride.

Flay the Mind
Feat 10
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Aberrant Spellcasting
You have found it increasingly easy to affect weaker minds. When you cast a mind-affecting spell that targets a single creature, as an additional action you can expend a Focus Point to deal additional mental damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier and trigger a Paralyze effect as the spell on the target. This is an occult innate spell.
Awakening 1: Two minds can not compare to your mental might. You can affect up to two targets as part of a spell that affects more than one creature or an area.
Awakening 2: Multiple minds are no matter. You can affect up to five targets.

Aberrant Domination
Feat 10
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Aberrant Spellcasting
Your mastery over lesser minds allows you to dominate them with ease. Once per day as an action, you can attempt to Dominate (as per the spell) a creature you have affected with a mind-affecting spell that round. This is an occult innate spell.
Awakening 1: You may use this ability once per day and then more that day by spending a Focus Point.
Awakening 2: The Dominate effect loses the Incapacitation trait.

Psychic Convergence
Feat 12
Traits: Rare, Deviant, Magical
Prerequisites: Flay the Mind, Aberrant Domination
Your psychic powers converge, allowing you to overwhelm a single target. Once per day as a free action, when you successfully dominate a target with Aberrant Domination, you can immediately cast a mind-affecting spell on that target. This spell must be two actions or less to cast normally and not from your highest level of non-cantrip Deviant spells.
Awakening 1: You may use this ability once per day and then more that day by spending a Focus Point.
Awakening 2: The spell may be one of your highest level spells or a cantrip.

I hope you’re investing in the fun of Baldur’s Gate 3, but if not then I hope you’ll enjoy a taste of aberrant power with these feats.  Truly interested to hear your thoughts on them or how you’re using them.  I really liked the Corruption rules of Pathfinder1E and I think Deviant feats are a way to capture that.  We need more!  And, should I make any more in this line especially to capture all the kinds of powers you can get with the illithid powers track then I’ll be sure to update here.

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Gen Con 2023 program book cover, Gen Con, image by Lauren Brown

1. A quote from the Dream character, Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios
2. Lost Soul, Creative Commons Attribution, Ethan Harris

Paizo Keynote

First and foremost, that Paizo keynote with Erik Mona and more! I was live in the sky as I watched! Okay, yes, and Twitter too or X or whatever it is now, but you won’t see me linking to it anymore unless I’ve no other option. I can’t quite let go of it from a community connectedness standpoint (yet) but honestly I believe that once they’re your X, they stay your X and you don’t get back, so… I was thrilled at the announcements and I loved Erik weaving in the team with Logan Bonner, Luis Loza, Alex Speidel, and more! Rage of Elements was announced last year with Yoon bringing the fire back, and now it’s available! I’m envious of the special Rage of Elements dice pack you could get at the booth but hopefully they’ll show up online. I also want that new Campaign Coins Pathfinder Metal Compass (see below). We got a reminder to check out the Remaster preview as Rage does reference parts of the remaster rules. I’m really excited to check them out and bring them to my groups. Logan and Luis were teasing the Remaster presentation later in the weekend that I’ve still go to watch in totality.

Then Alex and Linda Zayas-Palmer about all things Pathfinder and Starfinder Society. We learned – I learned – the candidates for First Speaker were PCs submitted to be chosen! As I and Ateran can tell you, any adventure with a Night Hag involved is sure to be dangerous. I was glad to hear that Society releases will now get full Foundry treatments, the package updated over the course of the year as new ones come out. Bravo team! Oh and I might have buried it but a new playtest starts September 1st with two new classes and two new iconics from the minds of Michael Sayre and James Case! There’s a connected adventure path, novel, multimedia omnichannel war about to hit that spans multiple realms. A core deity will die! Is it because of one of those new iconics? Who knows! Honestly they did hint to us that those new classes are quite literally born from the inspirations and experiences of Michael and James. I’m psyched to learn more. Any ideas what they will be? Which core deity might get offed? Does Pharasma even know? Is it Pharasma?

Starfinder2E Playtest

And then Thurston Hillman took over with a mighty crew to roam the stars, well more like bring the stars to us. Starfinder2E is coming! Ryan even said it this week how it seemed like there wouldn’t be a lot of Starfinder based on the schedule, but oh what a surprise! Putting aside all those Zon-Shelyns we kept hearing… Yeah, terrifying is right. It’s going to be an amazing step for Starfinder to not only have a second edition, but be fully compatible with the Remaster rules and Pathfinder2E. Jenny Jarzabski, Dustin Knight, Jessica Catalan, and Thurston took turns giving us hints of the “most open playtest” Paizo (any company ever?) has planned. Make sure you check out starfinderplaytest.com. You might’ve missed that detail watching the keynote, but be sure to check it out. That’s starfinderplaytest.com. 

Chk Chk’s grown up and will be the new iconic mystic! The field test as it were will feature a number of classes like the mystic, but also soldier, envoy, and solarian. That solarian iconic is the Pahtra ancestry! Go check ‘em out on the Paizo blog. The idea of blending Pathfinder2E and Starfinder2E is really exciting to me. Crashed space ship? Time traveling? I’d say the stars are the limit but we can go beyond the stars. Maybe that’s how we’re getting Zon-Shelyn actually, so be careful going beyond the stars. Could one of them be dying in that Pathfinder grand plot and they must unite to survive or is this just unrelated? I’m leaning toward Zon-Shelyn being a red herring and another will face Pharasma. Back to the classes, I did come to love the Witchwarper so I’m intrigued to see if that remains and what changes along with it. Finally, lest I forget, I’m thrilled to hear Paizo will be at PAX Unplugged! I will be there in December and I’m excited for a strong Paizo presence!

Unrelated to Gen Con, they just announced Pathfinder Lore Masters: a new mobile game that will test your knowledge of Pathfinder rules and lore! If you’re a regular reader you know I’m a lore fiend, and I love how this helps teach on the amazing lore the contributors to this game have produced. Yet you can also improve your knowledge of the ruleset. I’m hoping the Remaster rules will be reflected. Considering the growing and awesome content in the comics and novels, I hope we can see that too. Clearly we’ll need a lore off at the next Gen Con!

Critical Role’s Making Games!

Besides all that I love that is Pathfinder and Starfinder, I had two Darrington Press (Critical Role’s publishing company) games that I wanted to check out. The first is a board game created by Kyle Shire (see the Himbos below!). Queen by Midnight is a deck-building game and I enjoy those from a strategic perspective, like Dominion. It’ll be available next week so if you find the reviews thus far interesting, be sure to pick it up quickly. They ran out every morning at the con! Considering many likened it to a more robust, tactical, alliance-forming Dominion, I’m excited to invest some time with it.

The second of course is Daggerheart, Critical Role’s “long form game” for rich narrative storytelling, gaming, and character development. The big question everyone’s asking – if they’re a Critical Role fan anyway – is if this means they’ll stop playing D&D. After all the licensing, OGL nonsense it makes sense they’d want to get their success to be wholly owned. They already remove copyrighted references from their Amazon show and increasingly change up names during live games. If you’re interested to learn more, there’s plenty who got a taste of it that you can find on youtube or social media, but I’ll recommend Bob World Builder’s here. I of course am a big Pathfinder fan – no doubt there – but I do enjoy many other games who have more open form character abilities or storytelling mechanics like the various Powered by the Apocalypse games. Daggerheart seems close to D&D inspirations, but it’s a 2d12 system. Ultimately I believe people will play it if only because Critical Role does, and that’s telling.

The Himbos

One live game I was sad to miss but eager to watch is the Oops All Himbos that Norse Foundry and Swole Initiative put together. Luis Carazo, Danny Quach, Kyle Shire, Omega Jones a.k.a. Critical Bard, and Jesse Jerdak were all brought together under the GMing of Jay Foster of Swole. You can also tune in by watching this video, starting at the 1 hour mark. Thank you to the amazing Laura (Critical_Mrs) for linking that out after the Con! It’s only the first hour, so I need to find the rest. If you know where it’s at, let me know, but Jay Foster said he’d share it once available. What a hilarious, good-hearted group. I’m a big fan of the live play energy and I’m wondering if Johnny Stanton did manage to show up. He was adorably hilarious, and seemed very much the fan getting to play with awe in the Dragonlance game Jasmine Bhullar ran with Erika Ishii and Anjali Bhimani.

Lastly I’ll note that yes I’m playing Baldur’s Gate 3, but that is content best saved for another time!  Instead I’ll encourage everyone to invest in the joy and love I’ve seen at Gen Con. However, I did have some concerns with Gen Con this year. Of course health reasons and the decision not to enforce mask wearing, but definitely glad they pushed support for anyone to wear a mask should they wish to do so. Moreover my larger issue was investing in a state that would pass anti-abortion laws like those passed in Indiana literally while we are at Gen Con last year. Now I’ll say surveys show that overall this legislation is not supported by Indianapolis but rather than debate a topic that shouldn’t be up for debate… How to support the Con and the game-makers while supporting what we think is right? I think it’s important we remember who and what we support when we make the decision to get involved with events, companies, etc. We’re hopefully too informed a world to forget that and thus I encourage you to donate to Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Gen Con 2023 program book cover, Gen Con, image by Lauren Brown

1. Definition of FOMO, Merriam Webster
2. Starfinder booth, Paizo twitter
3. Pahtfinder Metal Compas, Campaign Coins twitter
4. Chk Chk the Mystic concept sketch, Paizo Blog, Paizo, sketch by Kent Hamilton
5. Queen by Midnight, Darrington Press
6. Planned Parenthood giving

“Oh, I could tell you a lot about it…” – Kalikke²

“Wise words. If only there were more in this world who think as you do…” – Kanerah³

Aziza raises a good question as she shares well-wishes. I am rather curious what will come next, what we’re bound to learn at Gen Con. I’m not going this year – I’ll miss you all – but I’ve heard [REDACTED] will get announced and [REDACTED] will be amazing. Thanks Luis. But we at least know Rage of Elements is being released! Perhaps we will learn more character options for kineticists coming in the next year? They’re tied to an elemental gate, sure, but what about those tied to a different planar gate? Shadowdancers do draw on the Netherworld after all… Could we get divine, occult, and other source shapers of other planar energies? Hellfire binder? Heaven’s light wielder?

I could conjecture all day but I thought in part as I work endlessly for the amazing Kingmaker game I’m running and also because I promised back last fall, it’s time to update the kineticists for Kingmaker’s Pathfinder2E Anniversary edition! I couldn’t help but think of some of their clever witticisms with your protagonist in the Owlcat Kingmaker video game as I worked, hence the references above.

Kineticists NPCs for Kingmaker

I hope these updates give you a taste of what’s possible for a 1st level Kineticist. Of course if you’re investing in Kingmaker this will help even more! Considering various feat options and combinations, especially with ancestry choices, no two Kineticists will be the same even if they are twins. I’m sure we’ll be learning a lot more over the course of Gen Con, so be sure to check out their schedule. The keynote is on Thursday at 10 a.m. EST at twitch.tv/officialpaizo so be sure not to miss the amazing announcements for [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]!

Whether you’re playing at home this weekend (Baldur’s Gate 3 maybe) or celebrating Rage of Elements at Gen Con (I’m jealous), have a great 3 days of gaming!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Cover from Rage of Elements and Kalikke, Kanerah from Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo

1. Elemental Characters excerpt, Rage of Elements, Paizo
2. Kalikke dialogue, Pathfinder: Kingmaker game by Owlcat Games, Paizo
3. Kanerah dialogue, Pathfinder: Kingmaker game by Owlcat Games, Paizo
4. Ifrit Court, Fire, Rage of Elements, Paizo
5. Kalikke, Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo
6. Kanerah, Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo

We play these games for many reasons. We want to spend time with friends. We want to make new friends. We enjoy the tactical positioning and battles. We enjoy the roleplaying and story’s journey. Some love playing mighty warriors, expert archers while others prefer spellcasters healing their allies or summoning mighty arcane blasts. We create Druids calling lightning, Sorcerers of various dragonkin, Wizards of evocation but those warriors might embrace the elements too. I know a monk rooted to the mountain and an archer might add lightning to their arrows. Fire is an especially common a theme for it scares and inspires with its passion and heat. I truly love this excerpt above because the elements are often key to our fantastic realities and their characters, but also something hermetic and philosophical with cultures the world over.

It’s no surprise then that Rage of Elements is inspiring and exciting. Since its announcement last year – and I heard the cheers and saw the glee at Gen Con – everyone’s been talking of the various elements, the kineticist, and the planes-hopping that is to be had. Logan Bonner, Sen H.H.S., and Jessica Redekop have delivered an incredible book along with a number of other contributors like Jason Bulmahn, James Case, and Michael Sayre. There’s of course many more and I highly encourage you to check that Table of Contents page so you can review all the amazing people who produced pieces and art for this. Even the shifting banner art is amazing! Truly art in both literary and imagery! And since I’ve this masterpiece, I have to of course share why I’m so excited and investing all my time reading through it!

First of all, in the very Table of Contents we get a nice sidebar (I’m a sucker for a sidebar) that gives us some of the Updated Rules we’ll be seeing soon. While I’d heard individuals would now be off-guard instead of flat-footed, I hadn’t known the languages of some planes would change. Those of windy realms will speak Susrran with a breathy voice. Deep, earthy places will speak Petran. If you burn with a passion from the plane of fire you’ll speak Pyric, while those cool, go with the flow water plane types will speak Thalassic. I love – and am already using – the words vitality and void instead of positive and negative. I do need to better understand how spell schools are not going to be used in game, though as noted illusions will have special rules. I appreciate these previews we’re getting in stream and in book, though I’ll note the OGL is still referenced at the end.

Aziza’s Introduction

Elementary Truths is the first major section, our introduction. You maybe see these sections as chapters but they aren’t listed as such. Instead they are grouped first for Elemental Characters, then that of Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, Wood, and the Churn of Elements. And as previous releases have done, this tome is the work of a certain individual in the larger universe, namely Aziza Amani al-Fasih a jann traveler who’s kind enough to share her “understanding of the elements and Elemental Planes” with us. You can find more from her on Paizo’s blog as well. She uses this introductory section to detail the Fundamentals including the six foundational elements of her universe. Some of us – myself included – had likely grown hearing of the four classic elements drawn from Greek philosophy but metal and wood can be found in many cultures. Some use a combination, but for Golarion and the universe that it’s a part of there are indeed six as depicted in the above updated cosmology. I love this update as we heard last year, and I know many had hoped the playtest would share a bit more but now we’ve got them all! This is explained through a bit of a historical primer on how all Elemental Lords have been freed and the Planes of Metal and Wood returned. A quick run down is given of each plane – and they have whole sections later – but again a sidebar draws my attention. Elements of Aether and Void are discussed. I wonder if that means some rules to support them might appear, but otherwise Aether is suggested as a spiritual base of telekinetic manifestations or that of force while Void is an emptiness or destruction. Could we get a sort of kineticist with Vitality and Void abilities?

The introduction thus moves on to the Elemental Cycle and the focus on the flow between them feeding and countering. The image above shows this. Air is presented as having a special place within the cycle: always feeding and being fed. I read up on Wu Xing and Taoism to gain a better understanding (a reminder to explore and learn based on the cultural influences of our games) of how metal feeds water. While earth feeds metal as metal has to be drawn from the earth, it is said that metal feeds water as moisture in the air – surrounding all elements to feed and be fed – condenses and produces water droplets. Fire counters metal as it’s the only thing that will melt it, and possibly moisture is produced then too. Other philosophies are discussed like the Inner Sea’s classic four I mentioned above as well as that of Minkai, the Vudra, and the Shory Empire. The world building of our authors certainly gives much for our author Aziza much to reflect upon for Golarion.

The Kineticist

She exclaims in the very next section how much she wants to be a kineticist. Elemental Characters has all the goodies the PCs want: the new class, feats, impulses (manifested uses of your elements), allies, new backgrounds, the geniekin, and even details for other classes. Before I get to those I have to say Yoon, the iconic kineticist, holds a special place in my heart. I love a badass female protagonist and as a child struggling at the loss of her family with the need to keep going, her story resonated with me some eight years ago. Now she’s still got Gom-Gom but she’s persevered through adolescence and her own travels, culminating in a journey that burns for more adventure! I also got to play Yoon as an iconic when I first met up with Order of the Amber Die. I was low level, but quickly made a mark and it was an honor to play her in their home Rise of the Runelords game. As James said in the blog post: “the heart is a gate.” Yoon certainly has unlocked it.

On that note, your Kinetic Gate is what actually connects your kineticist supernaturally to the elements. While in the playtest you could be tied to all four, now you will choose to either start with one or two. The difference now is that if you select only one element you get a special impulse junction (minor effect) right from the beginning. All kineticists can gain junctions later on but right from the start the Kineticist with a Single Gate might be able to stride half their speed as part of a 2-action air elemental blast. Or maybe their fire damage is enhanced by a die! Or their flesh gains an oaken protection of temporary hit points. I like this deeper connection made manifest. Of course, I also level roleplaying opportunities presented by mechanics and the fact Channel Elements creates that 10’ aura of your element can provide some cool visuals for you to describe when your character gets angry or is making a statement as they stride through a town. Yet when attacking your Elemental Blast can be a 1 or 2 action melee or ranged attack. If you do 2 actions you get a bonus to your damage equal to your constitution modifier. Have I mentioned Kineticist sometimes makes me think of the spellfire in Forgotten Realms? They were Constitution based too I think. We get different damage dice, types and range based on element. Of particular note the Wood type can do the vitality energy type, i.e. what we have called positive. So the special Wood impulse gives temp hit points and the blast does healing. Vampires are really going to hate Wood kineticists…

Kineticist Feats

The class feats you can take include what you might expect: Elemental Familiar, Weapon Infusion, or Effortless Impulse for a free Sustain of an active impulse, a slight tweak from the playtest. But there’s also ones I didn’t like Elemental Overlap to pick up a composite (combination of elements) impulse where you only have the ability to use one of its elements. At 20th level you can be quickened all the time with Kinetic Pinnacle, though that extra action is just for Channel Elements, a 1-action Elemental Blast, or a single action stance impulse. Oh yes, there’s stances! Also as the playtest you don’t have to take class feats when you get one every even level. Instead you can take impulse feats tied to your element. Each element has two pages of impulse feats, and yes some are stances. Eternal Torch (fire) is now only a single action. Flame Eruption became Scorching Column (better name!) and it takes 3 actions now. However now it’s 10’ in diameter and can be 60’ away, and you can sustain it! Wood can create Fresh Produce (1st level) to feed and heal a creature who eats it! Cabbage Guy would be happy, though I guess maybe there’s no Cabbage Corp in that future. You do become full and immune to it for 10 minutes, so it’s not going to break the game. The 12th level Witchwood Seed is a 2-action attack. A seed takes root in the target’s body and erupts to cause piercing damage, possibly becoming clumsy or immozbilized too. I can’t tell if the Druids will be happy or disturbed. I guess it depends if they’re Green Faith or Gozrehian, am I right?

All the elements have impulses like I said but the Composite Impulses are the blend of two elements. Does that mean we might see a blend of more in the future? I hope so. There’s two pages of these feats at either level 4 or 6, so certainly attainable early on – if you have the right elements anyway. Or, well, you take that Elemental Overlap I Mentioned! I want to make a Dwarf of Highhelm with fire and metal. They can pick up Molten Wire, a two-action impulse that wraps the target in a spinning vortex of molten iron! Sounds painful! Tree of Duality makes me think of Lifeweaver from Overwatch, summoning a tree that heals allies and dazzles enemies with hallucinogenic spores. Oh and you can make a Rising Hurricane with air and water. It’s a 30’ diameter and bludgeons all within it, and if they fail a save you get to lift them as high 40’ and drop them too. A hurricane! I need to ensure my players in my Kingmaker game live so they can’t summon a hurricane with a new character.

Friends From All Over

Elemental Allies provides details for the various partners in adventuring various classes can acquire. We now have Elemental Eidolons with a base type and then variances for each element. The Water Eidolon is amphibious while the Metal one can fashion an unarmed attack into one weaponlike form, gaining the versatile damage trait of one type along with its other type. The Wood Eidolon regains hit points when you refocus, which is pretty efficient time wise between combats. Druids can now gain elementals as companions. The Fire Elemental lion is adorable, and ferocious… We get 5 new elemental familiars. Gennayn are minor genies who have a Little Wish reaction, once a day to allow a creature to reroll a saving throw or skill check. The Elemental Scamps are Scamps (formerly mephits) born of the elemental planes complete with a breath weapon!

More Character Options

Ten new backgrounds including 2 uncommon and 2 rare. Maybe you’re a Crystal Healer, trained to use crystals for natural healing and natural medicine (as per the feat!). Both uncommon backgrounds center around the Concordance: Research and Scout. I like that both can vary based upon the elements you wish to focus upon. Elementally Infused is the rare background sure to get a few players asking for permission. You were exposed to elemental essences somehow and that grants you a particle cantrip based upon the related element. We also get two new geniekin heritages: Ardande and Talos. Ardande are born of the Plane of Wood or possibly the First World. Talos on the other hand are tied to the Plane of Metal. You can very easily theme a party now with a plant focus maybe with an Ardande, a Leshy, a Druid, and a Kineticist tied to wood. The Talos are good at finding metal with the new detect metal cantrip while the Ardande can better see in low light or possibly darkvision. I like the Talos Gildedsoul 1st level ancestry feat as polished or precious metal like silver or gold manifest in your body. You might even have skymetals like adamantine or orichalcum! I guess you could have a metal themed party too! An automaton, an android, a transmuter Wizard, and a metal Kineticist!

There’s of course a multiclass Kineticist archetype! Got Constitution modifier of +2? Then you’re ready to rock. It’s recommended as something good for Champions, Barbarians, or Druids though I think almost any class might enjoy, Monks especially. One of things I think people will be pleased about is getting that Channel Elements action, even if it’s not as good as the full one (you don’t get to do a blast or stance with it). There’s 7 feats over one page, with the final listed feat at Level 12 to become an expert. Thus I expect we’ll get some more in time, or at least an 18th level feat to become a master. There’s also updates for the Elementalist archetype, basically updating to choose an Elemental Philosophy and expanding the feats available over 4 pages. We get metal and Wood focus spells for the elementalist or those who might grant them. Repel Metal is a Level 4 reaction that lets you summon a repelling field to get a circumstance bonus to AC when struck. You can use it on yourself or someone within 60’ so that’s pretty useful for a party, provided the item striking the target is made of metal anyway. Meanwhile the 4th level focus power for Wood is like spider climb meets plant shaping. You can walk right up a tree, summon vines to form a ladder traveling at your speed in any direction, along any surface provided plants are involved. You aren’t protected from hazardous terrain but it might help you get around where it’s difficult. Any spellcaster can become an elementalist now!

Oh The Planes We’ll Go!

Wow, a jam-packed book right? Well that’s just the Elemental Characters section! What follows are six sections highlighting each of the elements presented. Rather than go deep into each, I’ll note the base structure you’ll find and then highlight some things that got me excited. I’m not positive but most – if not all – of these sections starts with a full page piece of art by Matsya Das (who also did the new cosmology art above). We all love the crunch of mechanics and the weaving of the Lost Omens story, but the art is always an inspiration too. There’s then a beautifully produced narrative piece on that plane with an extension of that art. We learn about the author of that section, some denizen of the plane, and then some importance areas you might find when visiting. Shanaria, an air elemental, tells us of Hauntasia and the scamp King Eshakhar II of ice. Meanwhile the Plane of Metal is discussed by the elementalist Talamandair who’s had quite the series of titles. There’s apparently a Scouring Tempest on the plane where a storm of electromagnetic energy that rages over a hundred miles. The ring of every metal within, spinning in a pattern that repeats seems like material rife for an adventure! Each plane has a nice sidebar on the primary language spoken, a great way to reintroduce them. Muan, the language of wood elementals, is percussive and sounds like a mix of marimbas and pan flutes. Sounds lovely!

Some key individuals of the plane are noted before the official detail for it: category, divinations, native inhabitants and a short description. Then we get to the local Elemental Lord and an important deity found there. It’s interesting not to see any alignment information provided as Pathfinder2E moves away from that, but clear edicts and anathema are given as well as the divine attribute, what sort of fonts are allowed, and of course domains. Atreia the Lambent King is a fiery, three-headed ibis lords over fire while a terrifying shark-sea-dragon (brine dragon perhaps) in the form of Kelizandri rules the waters. With a nickname of Brackish Emperor, I don’t exactly expect much diplomacy to be had, at least easily. Thus effectively we get 12 new divinities, two for each element with one being the elemental lord. We learn of Ferrumnestra, the Lady of Rust, for the Plane of Metal and Shumunue, the Carved Lady of Mimicry. I’m really excited to see an elementally-focused campaign or adventure path to explore these places and the related cultures.

Elemental Offerings

Each of these sections also features new spells, items, and creatures. I was immediately drawn to the Fire Dancer spell, level 5, because it reminded me of Loren’s Hap from our Three Ring Adventure game for Roll for Combat. It can be used on others or yourself, granting them 2d6 fire damage to their Strikes, persistent of 2d4 to critical hits, and you get to use Performance instead of Intimidation to Demoralize. I’ll probably have Ateran pick it up just to cast it on her. In Highhelm we got Forge relics, and now we’ve got Metal relics too! I like the Rail Dash major gift. Two actions to Stride three times in a straight line and hopefully bludgeon a target where you end for 1d12 points of damage for every 2 levels of the relic (basic Reflex). And hey, another sidebar noting how runes can be used as gifts, which will be detailed in GM Core. Examples include shifting as minor gift for metal or extending as a major. In the Wood section, we meet the Nightwood Guardians (see below), which gave me Where the Wild Things Are vibes. Even the sidebar notes that while interacting with them usually results in violence, there are many tales of these giants escorting lost children safely through the woods. They might have a weakness to fire, but they’re enraged by it. I like the visual too of how damage to them slowly turns them into solid wood and their regeneration activates, unless of course they’re wounded by fire. And now unfortunately I have to call out the big miss.

And saving my favorite for last, the 18th level Anemos. The anemoi are genderless and even formless, taking on humanoid guises to walk amongst mortals and experimenting with the gender expressions they take interest in. These elementals “guard the skies and shepherd the winds of every world.” They can Command the Breeze to have the winds around them help them finish a ritual without the need of any other. They Redirect Weather as a reaction, redetermining all the targets and effects of an air or electricity spell. And they can even Collect Thunder, either as a free or single action. They gather latent energy in the winds around them, summoning a thunderbolt in an open hand. The single action version makes it manifest and strike their hand immediately, deafening those around them. So it’s a bit of Collect Thunder or Lightning and either way it’s awesome. A sidebar informs us of additional spells the Anemoi of different cardinals winds of Golarion might have. An exciting creature to use in any campaign, maybe even a Kingmaker game… 

This Is What It’s Like When Elements Collide

Finally we have the Churns of Elements, the section where Aziza returns to discuss the various approaches of elementalists including discrete and churn elementalism. She focuses in on churn elementalism as while some elementalists treat each element as individual components, others practice with the manipulation of transitioning, transforming, colliding elements. They pull power from border realms, though that’s not the only place churn occurs. We learn of a few of those areas before we learn some Hybrid Element Spells. Elemental Breath is a random roll as to which element you breath. Wood breath is just a ton of branches shooting out in a 60’ cone. I find that terrifying. A few items and a detail of the Genies that stride between planes – including Jann – follows. Indeed, Jann have every elemental trait including Elemental and Genie. We do also get a new ritual, Elemental Servitor, at level 8. You’re calling an elemental lord to send you a servitor of theirs. The success is good, gaining you a servitor that you’ll have to pay in some way and the critical success means you have to pay less. However, the critical failure means the lord is displeased and you’re likely to still get an elemental visitor but they’re not coming to help you. Call on the elements carefully y’all.

This incredible book of some 240 pages does have a codified spell list last (well before the appendix anyway). If you’re like me you’ll want to invest much of your time reading through Rage of Elements, and then you’ll re-read all the spells carefully too. I’m excited both from a player and GM aspect. You’ll find yourself imagining those universal energies at your fingertips, eager to explore the realities these planes present, especially the recently returned Metal and Wood. Oh, now I can update the kineticists for Kingmaker too. I’m excited to see the various kineticists others put together and the adventures beyond Golarion ahead! If the elements are raging anywhere, it’s within those willing to tap them.

And I do love, Gom-Gom!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Rage of Elements cover with background, Paizo / Paizo marketing team, cover art by Wayne Reynolds

1. Elementary Truths excerpt, Rage of Elements, Paizo
2. Cosmology, Elementary Truths, Rage of Elements, Paizo, art by Matsya Das
3. Elemental Cycle depiction, Elementary Truths, Rage of Elements, Paizo
4. Yoon, iconic Kineticist, then Occult Adventures and now Rage of Elements, Paizo, both by Wayne Reynolds
5. Fire Elemental companion, Elemental Allies, Rage of Elements, Paizo
6. Kelizandri, Water, Rage of Elements, Paizo
7. Nightwood Guardian, Wood, Rage of Elements, Paizo
8. Rob hugging Gom-Gom with Order of the Amber Die

The Quest for Sky led the dwarves to create many Sky Citadels, but it’s the latest Lost Omens release, Highhelm, that details the one that as noted above has become the most important. A number of talented individuals contributed to this including Development Leads Eleanor Ferron and Luis Loza, who was also Narrative Lead. Logan Bonner and Michael Sayre are the Design Leads while a number of other authors contributed including Dana Ebert, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Shan Wolf. I believe this is Shan’s first sourcebook contribution actually. Of course there’s many more amazing contributors like Avi Kool as Editing Lead and Covert Artist Ekaterina Gordeeva. You may recall that Ekaterina did the beautiful cover art for the Lost Omens Travel Guide. A big thank you to the artist, authors, leaders, and more honing their creative energy for this brilliant book. It’s exciting to see another piece of history detailed while presenting an extremely relevant, multicultural hub to expand on the world and lives of those in Golarion.

While next article will dive into some of the lore revealed in this Lost Omens source, I wanted to first peruse it at a high level and call out some of the character options presented as well. We open Chapter 1 with the King’s Wish and a not-available-to-the-public letter from the late King Taargick who led the Quest for the Sky. Now I know I just said I’d wait to dig into the lore until next time, but this letter is the one referenced in Legends that we knew High King Anong Arunak found. Now we get to see it. Indeed there’s an apology here, not publicized but recognized. That won’t fix what was done but it follows a trend of certain explorers and founders of nations who went too far in their questing. I’m looking at you, shade of Aroden! I think this is a great tonal opening for the Introduction chapter. We then get a wonderful map of Highhelm you’ve likely seen already, including the relevant blog article. Settlement information is always helpful, and a nice sidebar gives us that as geography is discussed, which is primarily the Emperor’s Peak.

The timeline starts at Founding, the implications of Earthwall (Taargick was born on Earthfall by the way), and to the present where Aroden’s death has warned of missteps but earthquakes reveal new opportunity. There’s a respectful amount of learning from the past while keeping tradition, and forging ahead with wisdom their city has developed. Dwarves always have some rich, exciting culture and the discussion of their engineering, trade, and clan framework is extremely valuable whether you are a GM or a PC. It’d be easy to adapt for any game, but of course for Golarion it’s only added to the tapestry of detail. Apparently Highhelm’s druids stay active creating breatherwalls in the tunnels with various lichen. Meanwhile ranchers raise massive grubs to handle waste but also make candles, soaps, and lubricants. Aren’t they just adorable as seen below? We do get bust art and information for the various clan leaders, helpful for anyone visiting or starting a campaign in Highhelm. A city only campaign can be a true delight.

Chapter 2 is the Gazetteer and starts with some useful mechanics, namely how to build up the right character background, find the right item based upon location, earn income based on that area, or get useful information from NPCs you’ve met. Because the chapter goes on to give maps and location details for each part of the city, there’s first a breakdown of the types of traits you might find. I believe this was first done in Absalom, City of Lost Omens. Each area has a bit of the local fauna, flora, demographics, and current events before going into a number of highlighted locations that are marked on the map. The amount of maps is really pivotal to playing out these area, useful however you blend it into your campaign, but more importantly if you want to do that city-focused game you’ve got more than enough here. Oops All Dwarves or Oops All Residents of Highhelm would be easy to do!

There’s a highlight of some crunchy mechanics for you too. The Depths and Five Kings Mountain overall geography sections don’t have them, but the other 3 do: King’s Crown, King’s Heart, and Stonebreach. Each has an applicable background to the area and then between the three there’s some feats and new items. The Furnace of Endings, a magical item used to smuggle documents, recreates the last item immolated within it. So I guess it doesn’t end with burning the message! And we get another magical tattoo with the Words of Wisdom, used to embolden you with words of affirmation. They always benefit Diplomacy but then either intimidation, deception, or performance. The idea of empowering oneself through magical affirmation, reflected in the tattoo upon your body seems to align perfectly with the idea many have when getting a tattoo.

Once we get to Chapter 3, however, it’s all Highhelm Options. A sidebar quickly calls out that while these options are focused on dwarves some can be for other ancestries, or maybe for those raised in the city. I was very excited to see expanded Ancestry options including the Rivethun feats. You might be aware of the Rivethun Adherent background. Well there’s a disciple feat for 1st level now that simulates the trait for 1st edition, granting a circumstance bonus to a few mental skills when you have physical-based conditions, or a few physical skills when you have some mental-based conditions. The 9th level spiritual attunement feat lets you gain spiritsense for a time and even the presence of spirits as if you had soulsight. The new heirtage is a blessing from the deity your family venerates, and who doesn’t like an innate divine 1st level spell even if it is only once a week? The new archetype is the Stalwart Defender is a very tanky archetype with 11 feats, first available through a 2nd level dedication feat. There’s 3 additional feats previously published that you can choose from besides the 11 new ones. I love the 8th level Rupture Stomp, a two-action attack to crack upon the ground and cause difficult terrain around you, possibly greater difficult terrain. The 16th level Stone Body grants you resistance 10 to all damage for a round and it’s usable once per hour. Truly a tank, ready to fight, and unable to face down the danger.

Some equipment is given including the Keep Stone Shield, a 17th level shield, and the Keep Stone Weapon, 18th level, using the new material Keep Stone. It’s metallurgically perfected alloy that, while weaker than adamantine alone, is disruptive to magic. The relics and legendary items are quite befitting the dwarves of Highhelm. Both minor and major gifts are given for the relics in the new aspect of Forge. These gifts focus on creation with a reference to the will of Torag. They don’t have to be for dwarves should you wish to use them for a character maybe with a blacksmith background or a crafter build. The Living Forge gift is a grand gift and lets you turn into a steel elemental! This new elemental form can reshape their limbs to do different forms of physical damage. Are you ready to go T-1000 and liquid metal attack your enemies? I hope this gets abstracted for future use in a spell, though I supposed that a custom rule you could easily make. One of the legendary items is the Blade of Fallen Stars, a gun sword of considerable power. I’ll leave the lore to next time! I’ll also leave the godly pantheon details to next time, but will note a few animals and other creatures are presented. I’m concerned by the Bloodstorm, a swarm of leeches, mosquitos, and various parasites. It’s level 14 and nothing I ever want to encounter. Apparently it’s due to the death of a demon that the local creatures devoured and were corrupted by its blood. I might bring it into our Kingmaker game actually… The pangulin are adorable, large-sized animals. They’re lizards that actually exist in the Five Kings Mountains. Oh there’s also the Riding Goats as seen below. They’re a possible animal companion for your characters!

There’s so much more detail in Highhelm that I can’t wait to break down the lore presented next time. Until then I suggest you invest in the numerous dwarf and other ancestry options, as well as general offerings, for your game whether based in Highhelm, Golarion, or any campaign setting! Fine maps, evocative images, and inventive creations are all the province of this sourcebook. You’ll be on your own Quest for the Sky after reading!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Highhelm cover, Paizo, cover art by Ekaterina Gordeeva

1. Using This Book excerpt, Chapter 1: Introduction, Highhelm, Paizo
2. A King’s Wish banner, Chapter 1: Introduction, Highhelm, Paizo
3. Grindlegrub Rancher, Chapter 1: Introduction, Highhelm, Paizo
4. King’s Heart, Chapter 2: Gazetteer, Highhelm, Paizo
5. Rivethun Dwarf, Chapter 3: Highhelm Options, Highhelm, Paizo
6. Riding Goat, Chapter 3: Highhelm Options, Highhelm, Paizo

Can you cook? I can. I can bake too. I enjoy sushi too, though I’ve never made any personally. So I’m all for fresh seafood, but eating a whole crab shell and all? Does Cleff worship Zon-Kuthon? I know the Zora were desperately hungry but… Okay I won’t spoil anymore there. If you know, you know. At some point, someone was hungry enough to try eating something whether they cooked it or not. I had that conversation about lobster just a couple weeks ago. Who picked that up and went ‘oh maybe this will taste good.’ Spoilers on that: it is, though I know not everyone enjoys it.

Traveling around The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom you’ll find a lot of fruits, veggies, monster parts, and other random what you might call ingredients to try putting into your cooking. And let’s be frank, some of it is downright alchemy, especially where the monsters parts and other random stuff comes in. Meanwhile in Kingmaker there’s a hint of that, more than a hint if you utilize the Cooking activity that’s part of the Camping Activities introduced in the Kingmaker Companion Guide. My group is, and they get a little kick out of how much haggis they’re eating right now. But the basic and special ingredients kept in a bag of holding can get a little… bland. And like I said, there’s a hint of the cooking (ahem alchemy) in the main path. It’s so early on and relatively minor that I wouldn’t call it a spoiler, but suffice to say there’s a chance to find some moon radishes and one of the NPCs will cook you Moon Radish Soup. Only problem is, it’s not really just cooking. Or it is, but mechanically it’s alchemy and thus the Craft Alchemy feat is required.

Later on there’s special meals that are rare and are practically you cooking monster parts. Hearty Purple Soup is cooked purple worm meat! Technically though it doesn’t require purple worm meat, but 6 basic and 3 special ingredients you pick up from foraging during other camping activities. A single serving of haggis is 2 basic ingredients, so you’re really chopping up that purple worm (and adding carrots it looks like?) to make that hearty soup. Cooking a basic or special meal requires Survival or Cooking Lore (not Crafting like Alchemy) and I’m sitting here in Zelda thinking Link got way more than the benefits of Free Archetype. How many skill feats? I’m going to have to make his stats too…

Anyway, I’ve since decided on a few special rules for our Kingmaker game.

Cooking Rule Variant 1: You can use Crafting or Cooking Lore to produce alchemical recipes like Moon Radish Soup.

It felt right to allow it to be Crafting or Cooking Lore for the more alchemically beneficial meals, though I’ll note the success, critical success, and favorite meal benefits of those recipes can feel like alchemy.

Additionally I wanted to expand some of what the heroes might pick up. It’s noted in the Ingredients section of Camping Activities that a GM can allow the PCs to harvest special ingredients after encounters with appropriate creatures. However, 1 special ingredient for a success and 2 for a critical seems too little. A Purple Worm is gargantuan. You’re telling me you can only get 1, maybe 2 special ingredients if you’re lucky or well-skilled? Nah.

Cooking Rule Variant 2: When harvesting ingredients you get special ingredients on a successful check based on its size or double that if a critical success. Medium 1; Large 2; Huge 4; Gargantuan 8. 

Remember it takes 3 special ingredients to make Hearty Purple Soup. So a successful check harvesting from it will only net you the ability to make 2 servings. Guess you better critical if you want to feed the whole party, or find more purple worms. I am not responsible for the farm/food industry that develops in your Kingmaker games but when the heroes start worrying about how to feed their growing Kingdom well… You’ve been warned. Of course you might also want to leverage something like the Monster Parts system from Battlezoo Bestiary. I’d suggest a 1 to 1 for special ingredients.

I also wanted to provide more herbs, plants, fruits, veggies, etc. to be found and harvested for alchemical or other uses. The Gremlin Brothers I mentioned in my Low Level Additions blog post first made me think to do this with their Restov Hinterlands & the Greenbelt offering. They now have five expansions to buy for Kingmaker including the Narlmarches and Selen Hills. More encounters, more hex-grid options to find, updates maps. No sponsor here; I just bought them and love the additional and great work they’re doing. I def encourage Investing In there! My players were rather excited to find the bright blooming flower Dordoran’s Fire and know they could brew it into tea. They haven’t yet (Stag Lord first) but soon enough. You might recall Pathfinder 1E had introduced herbs in Ultimate Wilderness. I wove a few into our Strange Aeons game because the Life Oracle was an Herbalist. Thus I wanted more of that! Things to find, collect, cook or brew into alchemy/recipes…

Cooking Rule Variant 3: All the following ingredients are considered Level 2 alchemical items once created and the denoted effects last for 10 minutes unless otherwise listed.  Once you eat/consume a serving, you gain temporary immunity to its effects for 24 hours.  For ingredients that can be used in other magical or alchemical item creation, they are considered to be 20% of the item’s crafting cost.

Herbs and Spices:

1. Moonbloom: A luminescent flower that grants a +1 item bonus to Perception checks and darkvision.
2. Serpentleaf: A rare herb that provides a +1 item bonus to resistance against poison and toxins.
3. Kelpweed: A nutritious seaweed that grants a swimming speed equal to your base speed and grants resistance to cold 5.
4. Honeycomb: Sweet honeycomb that provides a +1 item bonus to charisma-based skill checks and saves against effects that have the Emotion trait.

Animal Meats:

1. Manta Ray Fin: The fin of a manta ray that, when consumed, provides a +1 item bonus to Reflex saves and grants a swim speed equal to your base speed.
2. Stag Venison: A lean and nutritious meat that provides 2 temporary hp / character level or can be used for healing potions.
3. Dire Boar Bacon: Thick, savory bacon that grants a +1 item bonus to strength-based skill checks and strength-based damage rolls.
4. Owlbear Drumstick: A large, flavorful drumstick that enhances dexterity-based skill checks with a +1 item bonus and increases base movement speed by 5 feet.
5. River Shrimp: Freshwater shrimp that can be used to create a potion that grants water breathing or a swim speed.

Rare Mushrooms:

1. Shimmercap: A bioluminescent mushroom that grants invisibility for 1 minute and a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks in dark environments.
2. Bloodcap: A crimson-colored mushroom that enhances combat prowess, providing a +1 status bonus to attack rolls and damage.
3. Dreamspore: A hallucinogenic mushroom that induces vivid dreams, granting a +1 item bonus to Will saves or the results of one augury if taken right before sleep.
4. Feywild Mushroom: A rare mushroom with transformative properties, allowing characters to assume an Animal Form at 2nd level for 1 minute as per the spell.

Exotic Fruits:

1. Spiceberry: A pungent berry that enhances the flavor of cooked meals, increasing the level of the item to 4 and duration of their effects to one hour.
2. Forest Berries: A mix of vibrant berries that grant a temporary increase of 1 hp / character level to the character’s maximum Hit Points. The maximum remains over the 10 minutes, so if lost from damage they can be healed.
3. Sunfruit: A rare fruit that can be used for magic items that grant resistance to fire damage, or cooked for a +1 item bonus to fire and heat-based effects.
4. Starberry: A small, glowing fruit that enhances magical abilities and grants a +1 item bonus to spell attack rolls.
5. Thundermelon: A large melon that, when eaten, grants a +1 item bonus to strength-based skill checks and lightning resistance 5.

Monster Parts:

1. Wyvern Scale: A tough scale that can be used to craft armor or potions that grant resistance to acid damage.
2. Troll Heart: A pulsating organ that, when consumed, grants fast healing equal to character level for 1 minute.
3. Basilisk Gland: The gland of a basilisk that can be used to create a potion that grants temporary petrification immunity, or cooked for a +2 item bonus to any effect that has the transmutation trait and causes the slowed or petrified condition.
4. Siren’s Scale: A shimmering scale from a siren that can be used to create a potion that grants water breathing. When cooked into a recipe, it grants a +2 item bonus to Performance checks.
5. Pixie Dust: A shimmering powder that can be used to create potions of levitation or temporary flight.

Alchemical Ingredients:

1. Essence of Nightshade: A potent extract that can be added to meals to grant darkvision, bonuses to Stealth checks, or invisibility. The meal’s effects double in duration.
2. Elixir of Elemental Resistance: A vial of alchemical concoction that, when added to meals, grants resistance to one specific energy type for the meal’s normal duration.
3. Draught of Focus: Used for alchemical items or potions that enhance mental acuity or grant bonuses to Intelligence-based skill checks.

Elemental Residues:

1. Elemental Essence: After cooking into a syrup or inhaled vapor, this vial of elemental essence grants resistance 5 to a specific energy type.
2. Ember Shard: A fragment infused with fire energy that, when added to meals, grants fire resistance 5 and a +1 item bonus to damage equal to the spell’s level for spells with the fire trait. If eaten after cooking it lasts 1 minute. If eaten as part of another meal, the 1 minute duration begins at the player’s discretion with a bit of heartburn.
3. Frost Essence: A crystalline substance imbued with cold energy, granting cold resistance 5 and +1 item bonus to damage equal to the spell’s level for spells with the cold trait. If eaten after cooking it lasts 1 minute. If eaten as part of another meal, the 1 minute duration begins at the player’s discretion with a sudden chill and goosebumps.
4. Gale Feather: A feather infused with the essence of wind that, when used in cooking, increases movement speed by 5 feet and grants the ability to cast the Feather Fall spell once.

Presently there are 30 and while grouped, I listed them numerically in case I want to do a random roll for what might be found in an area/hex/treasure listing. I’ve not yet gotten to the next stage of formally listing what happens with certain ingredient mixes. My plan is to consider what might happen and go through the experimental “cooking” that the players do. I’ll document it and assign a related level/duration with the effect. Predominantly I suggest comparing against other Alchemical items. For example, combining Stag Venison and Moonbloom may create a meal that grants temporary hit points, Perception, and darkvision as well as the ability to get a sense of others health when you look at them like a Status effect?

I hope you’re enjoying my continued inspirations from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Kingmaker. Obviously you can use these in any campaign, not only Kingmaker. All the camping activities can be used in any campaign after all! Until then, I’ll be investing more time in Zelda and my Kingmaker game. Again, Happy Pride and if you’ve any custom rules you’re creating for your game I want to know about them! And remember a lot of great cultural traditions or means of connecting people stems from cooking, so be sure to invite your fellow koroks for a fine meal but maybe best to save the experimenting with ingredients for another time.

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Link cooking, Nintendo

1. Cooking A Meal, Pathfinder Kingmaker Companion Guide, Paizo
2. Hearty Purple Soup, Pathfinder Kingmaker Companion Guide, Paizo
3. Link & some koroks cooking, Creative Commons Attribution, miyabau

I was asked by our LGBTQIA+ organization at my workplace (yay Slalom!) what Pride means to me. I said Pride is a joyous celebration of the authentic self, and sometimes that means still learning about who you are. Thankfully PRIDE month continues that celebration with education and visibility. We honor what many have worked hard to attain that we enjoy now, such as the right to celebrate, parade, and march. However, the need for this work isn’t over as many are still under attack and can’t live openly, equally across our country. Lately even it feels like we’ve taken one step forward in recent decades, but two steps back. It’s at the point that even the Human Rights Campaign has declared a national state of emergency for the LGBTQ community.

So we should be fighting, right? Time to roll initiative, stand up for what we believe in, protect our friends, families, and way of life. Yes. People ask why there is a need for parades, walks, floats, and parties? For visibility. For celebration. You can’t be quiet; we can’t be quiet. We have to take some time to celebrate one another as we seek to bring respect, equality, even safety to nonbinary individuals, gay men who want to wear a Pride shirt to the store without getting mocked, to lesbian women who don’t want to be harassed, to bisexual individuals who want to be respected, queer individuals to live without definition, and especially for trans individuals who are a part of our country, family, and friends for they deserve all the respect, joy, and life that all others do. Our LGBTQ youth especially need us to make our voices heard.

Pride. PRIDE.

I came to realize prepping for this article why I love Paizo’s Firebrands! Adventurous, willing to explore and put themselves out there. Beautiful, bright souls celebrating and parading down your streets. Fighters, seeking rebellion and change against the unjust. Our own community has many Firebrands sharing, fighting, exploring and I wanted to share some of what they’re doing this PRIDE in celebration of community and gaming while I plot up my future fashionista firebrand. Perhaps something inspired by the now and future battles of Disney and the sad State of Florida… But I digress!

If you follow me, you’ll have seen my enjoyment of Luboffin and the amazing community she has created. What started with Critical Recap theories and recaps has grown into actual plays, discussions on other shows, community gaming, and more. It’s thrilling to see she’s being featured in TwitchANZPride and raising money for the Pride foundation. Indeed, Twitch is doing a focused community viewing for LGBTQ creators and streamers for Aussie Pride. I don’t play D&D, but I do watch Critical Role. However, even if I did not, the positive and supportive community Luboffin has fostered is one I’d be happy to be a part of. Maybe one day I can convince her to try some Pathfinder or Starfinder…

https://twitter.com/luboffin/status/1660915032946008065

Ah but Australia isn’t the only country getting a featured Pride channel. As announced at the beginning of the month, Twitch is featuring and celebrating all those celebrating and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s actually how I learned of Drag Trashly, otherwise known as Trashly. Watching them play Dead by Daylight in full drag, commenting on every move of the poor players as she hunted them down. Absolutely brilliant. They started doing drag while playing games live after seeing another performer, Miss Coco Peru playing GTA V. They had a day job and wanted to do some drag and needed a venue. They brought their game playing and desire to do this performant art together. Drag is a short-form art, rooted in the LGBTQ space perhaps originating from Shakespearan plays where men had to take on femme roles. However, the art is often attributed to drag balls from Harlem in the late 1800s. It was about performance, a safe space, and often comedy. Seeing that brought to gaming by the award-winning Trashly and others feels both a growth in the community as well as just an additional fun element I didn’t know I needed. In a world where Drag Queen Story Time is challenged, I invite you to support those events as well as other Drag media. Check out Trashly’s inspired stream schedule below!

It only took me over 6 years of streaming but graphic design became my passion and I finally made a stream schedule https://t.co/nXJgWkkCp5 pic.twitter.com/AJRMWTuyqX

— dragtrashly (@dragtrashly) January 18, 2023

I’m also looking forward to seeing Paizo’s annual PRIDE post on their blog. I always appreciate their staff, creators, freelancers sharing their stories. Paizo’s support of the community in materials in a non-exploitative way has always been truly appreciated. Since the very first module of Rise of the Runelords we’ve had representation with Sandpoint’s former adventuring paladin and local bard’s relationship. It’s continued in a very positive, representative way. I did find this list of 50 LGBTQ characters in Pathfinder materials. I mentioned the Firebrands earlier, and I think it’s true that they remind me of the community. Thankfully Golarion and Paizo overall are moving away from unnecessary tropes like slavery, bigotry, racism, homophobia. How much of that exists in your game is up to you, but as always have those conversations with your group and remember to use safety tools. In the meantime, you can leverage those Firebrands to create tremendous rebellion against oppressive groups or nations. If you ever see me at a convention, let me know if you’d like a free Paizo PRIDE pin, which you can also buy online! I’ve many to share in celebration of both the community and Paizo’s representation.

Another reminder to our allies to continue to support the community by learning, ask members of the community what you are looking to learn and know. Keep in mind how those around you are speaking and acting whether within the family, friends, or at the workplace. We can all support one another better, and sometimes too that’s asking provoking questions in roleplay if the player is wanting to explore a topic. I can say from my own perspective I often not sure if anyone is going to play LGBTQ in my games. Of course I’m thrilled to play the nonbinary Ateran in Roll for Combat’s Three Ring Adventure. And if we’re lucky, we’ll soon see Alhara – his girlfriend – again! Vanessa made Alhara as seeking to have their body reflect their soul and hopefully that will happen as part of the campaign too.

In the interest of allies doing good work, not that I necessarily know how the core cast falls into the community, but the Critical Role team is doing a fine job every year using PRIDE to sell cool merch that benefits a charity. This year, the shirt is We Never Give Up On the Fight, building on the popular saying of their opening song for this current campaign. Partial proceeds are going to OutRight International. Obviously this is retail, but I truly feel and trust their intent like I do with Paizo.

Next time I’ve got more Kingmaker ideas inspired by Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Until then, this June and all year long, I suggest you invest in Pride, LGBTQIA+, and individual affirmations and celebrations! Showing your support for others enriches us all, let alone spreads that joy for others especially those creators out & proud this month. Happy Pride!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – PRIDE Inclusive flag

1. Vaunter’s Carnival section image, Chapter 4, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo, art by Jen Santos
2. Pride Pin – Paizo Golem, Paizo
3. We Never Give Up On The Fight t-shirt, Critical Role, art by Aaron Monroy

Rob made a huge discovery, well a realization anyway. I realized why Kingmaker appeals to me besides being a sandbox with a grand story that I’m sure my friends will talk about for years to come. It’s not just the many ways I can weave in character details personal to them either. It’s got so much going for it including exploration, ancient discoveries, spirits, old magic, politics, dangerous ancient evils hidden below, camping, cooking… It’s like Zelda Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, which I’ve been playing since it came out.

Now you might say: Rob, are you sure Breath of the Wild isn’t like Kingmaker since technically Kingmaker came out in 2010 and Breath of the Wild came out in 2017. Well Kingmaker for Pathfinder2E came out last year. Is Tears of the Kingdom, the 2E version of Breath of the Wild? Well, yeah, maybe. It is a sequential follow up with new abilities, new mechanics, but like the additions to the new Kingmaker there’s more story. Anyway, we’re getting away from the point that I love rich NPCs, grand stories, a world to explore… This is why I love RPGs. These latest Legend of Zelda releases mirror that and Kingmaker is the ultimate exploration, grand story, amazing NPCs path!

Thus, I figured I needed to weave in some inspirations from the Legend of Zelda into my Kingmaker game. There’s already a cooking system added into the Kingmaker Companion Guide and of course we’re exploring the hex grid. So my mind turned to a combination of the story and NPCs. You might recall Luis Loza did make a Ganon for Monstrous Physique back after Breath of the Wild came out and so I felt compelled to follow in his large, amazing, talented footsteps! Yep, first thing I did was make a new Pathfinder2E Ganondorf. I don’t have 90 hours in yet, but I did feel I could produce a capable villain! 

Ganondorf
Creature 20
NE Large Humanoid Demon Fiend
Perception +34; darkvision
Languages Common, Abyssal, Gerudo, Hylian
Skills Acrobatics +32, Arcana +32, Athletics +34, Intimidation +41, Religion +41, Stealth +34
Str +11, Dex +7, Con +8, Int +10, Wis +7, Cha +11
Items Sword of Darkness (see below)

AC 48; Fort +36, Ref +33, Will +40; +2 circumstance bonus to saves against divine magic.
HP 580; Resistance 20 to physical damage; Weakness good / light 20
Dark Aura (see below)
Attack of Opportunity [reaction]

Speed 30 feet
Melee sword of darkness +40 (deadly 2d12, evil, forceful, magical, versatile P), Damage 4d12+20 slashing; critical hit see Corrupting Gloom
Ranged gloom blast +36 (evil, magical), Damage 4d10+20 evil (can’t be healed unless individual bathed in light)
Dark Lord’s Power [free] Ganondorf is a being of immense dark power. He has a pool of 5 dark focus points, which he can use to enhance his abilities. He can spend 1 dark focus point to gain a +2 circumstance bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks for 1 round.
Mortal Binding Ganondorf is bound to his physical form and cannot be permanently destroyed unless specific conditions are met. Those conditions should be based on the story of your campaign’s characters.
Sword of Darkness Ganondorf wields a legendary weapon known as the Sword of Darkness. The sword is a +3 major striking bastard sword with the Cursed Blade ability.
Cursed Blade When a creature is slain by the Sword of Darkness, its soul is trapped within the sword, and Ganondorf gains temporary hit points equal to the slain creature’s Hit Dice. These temporary hit points last for 24 hours or until depleted.
Dark Energy [one] Once per day, Ganondorf can channel dark energy into his melee or ranged attacks, causing them to deal an additional 5d6 negative damage with each successful attack for 1 minute.
Corrupting Gloom When Ganondorf successfully critically hits with a melee attack, he can choose to activate the Corrupting Gloom. The target must succeed at a DC 42 Fortitude save or have its soul partially corrupted. The target takes 10d8 negative damage and becomes drained 3. Ganondorf gains half of the damage dealt as temporary hit points, rounded down.
Deific Sealing When Ganondorf is reduced to 0 hit points, the secret stone upon his head shatters and releases a burst of dark energy. All creatures within a 60-foot radius must succeed at a DC 40 Will save or be banished to another plane of existence.
Dark Resurgence [two actions] Once per day, Ganondorf can tap into his dark powers and restore himself. He regains up to 290 hit points (not beyond his maximum) and gains a +4 status bonus to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 minute. You should describe a transformed, bulkier, scarier appearance.
Dark Aura Ganondorf exudes an aura of darkness/gloom within a 30-foot radius that is effectively a 9th level effect with a Will DC of 44. Enemies within this aura must make a Will save DC 44 when they first enter it. They are then immune for 10 minutes.
Critical Success: As success but ignores all penalties.
Success: As failure but halves the penalty to -1 and reduces the enfeebled to 1 while also removing the reducing healing.
Failure: The enemy takes a -2 status penalty to saving throws against Ganondorf’s abilities and are enfeebled 2. Additionally, any healing effects on enemies within the aura are reduced by half.
Critical Failure: As failure but also drained 2, doomed 2, and blinded.

Now I’ll mention obviously I’ve used good and evil between weaknesses and the attacks, though we know the alignment traits are changing with the Remaster project. Gloom is the enemy; light is the ally. I’ll also have to tweak once I finally get to fight him in the game. Thus far I haven’t seen mention of the triforce, and while we all know Ganon typically has that of Power, I chose to focus on the secret stone (form of Triforce maybe?) and the gloom attacks. As to how I actually plan to use this Ganondorf build? I’m going to tweak it I think based on how the characters in the game progress and what interests they have, but considering some of the other ancient evils and dangers in the Stolen Lands, another one making a ploy of influence over the people to keep them separated and prevent a kingdom from flourishing will make sense.  You can have him sealed away, released by activities with the Sootscale or foolish machinations of Pitax.  Perhaps he’s always been operating and that’s why the Stolen Lands are struggling to find unity.

I’m going to produce another article with some other Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom items woven in but you’ll see a PRIDE 2023 article next! Until then, I hope you’re investing in some Legend of Zelda game playing because it’s a ton of fun and I hope it inspires your games, especially if you’re running or playing in Kingmaker like my group and I! Want to run Kingmaker in the future? Well, you may want to check out Alchemy, the new VTT, whose kickstarter will be ending when this article comes out. It unlocked Kingmaker materials as a stretch goal!

Update: I had to add this amazing image that Ryan created. Thanks Ryan!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom art, Nintendo

1. Ganondorf, Nintendo
2. Kingmaker cover image with Ganondorf edit, Kingmaker is a property of Paizo while Ganondorf is a property of Nintendo

PaizoCon started in 2008 as a fan event, but it’s grown tremendously since then and has come to be a beloved, favorite convention for many. I’ve never made it to an in person PaizoCon. For a while I didn’t know about it, and then by the time I’d made plans to get there, well it was 2020. Thankfully they’ve made the convention increasingly accessible and affordable by leveraging the growing medium of digital and online play. PaizoCon Online is here to stay, and I’m ever so thankful for it. I figured I’d share in typical fashion what I’m excited for based on what we might see and hear!

The past six months have seen some tumultuous topics in the TTRPG space, resulting in a number of new players and GMs for Pathfinder. Record sales of the core rulebook, a flood of new content from creators, videos explaining the rules, and of course record high Pathfinder Society game numbers too! Well, I think we can expect to see many new faces at PaizoCon Online. Let’s be sure to greet them with open minds and warm hearts. This game is about adventure for everyone and this year’s one of unfettered exploration after all! Hopefully these details can help those new and experienced with the game.

The streaming schedule was announced last week. If you missed it, check out the blog but I’ve brought some details here for you! First and foremost is that keynote with Erik Mona at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. EST! That’s the place to learn of new content coming like new books for Pathfinder and Starfinder. Of course, I expect we’ll hear about the record breaking sales, the welcome to new players, and efforts with the United Paizo Workers union.

There’s so much news though too! We’ve got more coming out with virtual tabletops like Roll20, Foundry, and the new Alchemy system! We’ll definitely get updates on ORC (Open RPG Creative) after the first draft came out last month. The releases coming for Tian Xia will certainly get some time; I definitely want more preview into that Character Guide but the World Guide will have the lore I crave. The adventure path Season of Ghosts starts in October too. I’d be shocked if we don’t get a little more about the Remaster project. Witch updates you say? Can you imagine what’s going on that we haven’t even heard about yet? 

It’s a new year for the Pathfinder Society, hence the Unfettered Exploration reference above and the year of Fortune’s Fall for Starfinder Society. The “News from Organized Play” will certainly cover such on Friday. Also on Friday is a focus “Introduction to Foundry,” which I could benefit from especially as I’ll be playing a game or two on Foundry during PaizoCon Online. I’m glad Fantasy Grounds gets an hour on Friday and Roll20 gets one on Saturday.

Also on Saturday there’s “Primal Previews,” which I think might give us some Rage of Elements that’s releasing later this summer at Gen Con! The Lost Omens lore lover in me always looks forward to Secrets of Golarion. There’s also a seminar for writing for Pathfinder Infinite. Bkom Studios has the Abomination Vaults hack and slash games kickstarter and a livestream on Saturday too. You can sign up for the kickstarter notification here and I suggest doing so. They started showcasing some of the iconics you can play, like my main man, the mighty mage Ezren! I and Order of the Amber Die as discussed last week are increasingly watching for Abomination Vaults content like many others. I love Diablo so something in that style but for Pathfinder is so exciting! I can’t wait to see how they weave in different abilities.

Now Sunday I’m likely to be busy with some local social activities but “Into the Darklands” intrigues me. Is this because we’re hearing of a focused path during the Pathfinder Adventures on Saturday? Or maybe there’s some other books featuring that area? There’s a lot of mystery here and woven into recent adventure paths, which is why a seminar for such “Mysteries in RPGs” makes sense. I plan to play at least one game that evening so I can probably catch Mysteris and maybe “Ask the Paizo GMs” too. Jason Bulman always has new information to share and I hope Luis Loza is there too!

Of course it’s not just seminars. Games will be held via Discord and a few mediums like Fantasy Grounds, Foundry, and Roll20. You can sign up for them at Warhorn once you have your event ticket. Want to try the new Elemental Stones (product link here)? I’m excited for more short-term games for a quick pick up or something to do while chatting. Want to flex those Beginner GM skills with Alex? Of course there’s Pathfinder and Starfinder Society play galore. Abducted in Aether sure looks interesting. There’s non-society games too like The Beast That Came to Bresham. And don’t worry, if it’s not society play then pre-generated characters are provided. 

I hope you have a great PaizoCon Online and remember to invest in friends (old and new) and fun while doing so! Remember to share consideration of pronouns or safety tools with your group, and respect those of others. As I mentioned earlier you could be meeting many people new to Pathfinder who will ask questions in context to D&D. We need to embrace the fun and be welcoming. I’m actually enjoying watching the Activity on Warhorn as people choose characters and the like for their games. I’m glad to see the hype. If you’re looking to discuss PaizoCon further, there’s the PaizoCon forums as well as the Discord space with us here or Paizo’s. 

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – PaizoCon Online 2023 logo and stylized background, Paizo

1. PaizoCon Online 2023 banner, Paizo
2. PaizoCon Online 2023 streaming schedule, Paizo
3. Pathfinder Society season 6 banner, Paizo, illustration by Justin Usher
4. Starfinder Society season 6 banner, Paizo, illustration by Samuel Jr.
5. Pathfinder Abomination Vaults game banner, BKOM Studios
6. Warhorn logo, Warhorn

And what a group, what an experience Order of the Amber Die is!

First a content warning: Abomination Arsenal does feature all gunslingers so guns will be a topic of discussion. While I can’t change firearm policy, I can note we approach the topic with respect as does Order of the Amber Die. A theme in a fantasy ttrpg should not be taken into the real world but sometimes it does help to bring a modern issue into the fantasy world. Of course, we encourage a session 0 and safety tools with your group!

You may recall, you may know that I’m a member of Order of the Amber Die! Yes, way back in the innocent days of 2019 I guessed blogged about the honor I had visiting and then joining Order of the Amber Die! Let me tell you, I’ve got Gom Gom ready to go with the release of the kineticist this year! I’m quite excited that Yoon’s back as she was the iconic I got to play during a bit of fun when I met Order folks. Right now, however, the Order’s been busy with The Abomination Arsenal, their playthrough of the Abomination Vaults! I had wanted to get some details from those playing – as I’m but a spectator for this marathon – back at the new year but personal events kept that from happening. 

Marathon 2 of The Abomination Arsenal is in the books, and Marathon 3 is starting in a few hours!

Check out our 2nd report over on the @paizo blog, and then follow along with us this weekend as we venture deeper past the Library level of the Abomination Vaults! (seen here) pic.twitter.com/6B0aNywNSi

— OrderOfTheAmberDie (@theamberdie) April 14, 2023

Well today I’ve got more information, more news hot off part 2’s release on the Paizo blog and their playthrough of part 3 during the weekend of April 14th! If you aren’t watching twitter for those hot maps then you’re missing out like the one above! Order members were kind enough to answer my questions so we could get more details on why all gunslingers, background of their characters, and info from some of the newer members (so amazing!). You’ll find some hints of things to come as well as details not yet revealed!

“This game is a lifestyle for us.” – Adam, GM

Rob: Adam, let’s start with the most obvious: what made you want to do an all gunslinger game?

Adam: Ok Rob, you wanted to ask the big question, so it’s got a long answer! After thirty-six years and over 150 published adventures now, we’ve seen a lot, and certainly enough to have learned many times over what has become an OAD mantra: There are few absolutes in this game. What can sometimes be frustrating for us, is when we are vetting a new member or when we sit down at a table at a gaming convention and we hear, “We need a cleric.” There is always my personal favorite, “We need a balanced party.” No, actually, you don’t need any one class or a balanced party to be successful, and we’ve experienced plenty of evidence to prove it. In fact, it would be a weak game if either of those things were true. One of the main reasons we made an all-gunslingers party was to leave behind a record of evidence for the community, proving that any party can be successful. We knew that attempting this would put a ton of pressure on us, because balanced or not, any party can fail and we have. Rob, you know we love pressure as much as we love to push the envelope; sometimes that means going on location, playing insane hours, or even assembling a grossly unbalanced party.

Rob: Pushing the limits indeed.

Adam: The funny thing is, no one was allowed to play a gunslinger in those thirty-six years, and we’ve never had a single gun in any campaign — until now. In fact, in all our previous projects with Paizo we’ve played the iconic characters at every opportunity. Now we had OAD making its own characters for the first time in a Paizo project, so you knew we were gonna get crazy. Besides, we like to offer something new with our projects, and since so many groups have already publicly delved the Abomination Vaults, this would offer a fresh approach for the community. We actually chose the Vaults in particular, because a dungeon is a fairly standard unit of adventure for a game with too many variables to attempt a completely accurate experiment. Additionally, with so many groups having played Abomination Vaults already, playing an all-gunslinger party would allow for even more of a party-by-party comparison than some of the less popular Adventure Paths.

Adam: As for the elephant in the room, playing an all-gunslinger party at a time when guns are in the news every day? I could say that we’ve had this project on the docket for years, but simply put, this game is a lifestyle for us. We’ve never shied away from using the game to help us interpret our world. Heck, we played The Slithering during the height of the pandemic with some critical care nurses at our table. So, if the classroom teachers in OAD who’ve seen their share are finding something cathartic through the fantasy use of firearms from Pathfinder’s Guns & Gears, then maybe we really are playing the greatest game in the world.

Rob: Thanks Adam. I think that’s important to note and I’ll be certain to put a content warning for those in need. I know we discussed possibly doing the all Gunslinger for Return of the Runelords. Thoughts on if they ever release it with 2E rules?  What other path are you eager to play, especially if they release a 2E version of it?

Adam: That’s right, as far back as 2019 we had the idea for trying an all-gunslinger party to go shoot up some Runelords. We don’t like to repeat themes too much with our projects, so I can safely say that we don’t have any plans to assemble an all-gunslinger party for any version of Return of the Runelords in the future. However, I still want to play that AP – and about a dozen others. If it comes around for 2E, we’ll have our eye on it. As for other paths that we’re eager to play, especially 1E, I’d have to put Mummy’s Mask or Legacy of Fire among the top. We’re still sharp as ever with 1E, and if people want to see us carry the torch and showcase an old AP in 1E rules, we’d be down. 

Rob: I’ve played both Mummy’s and Legacy and enjoyed both! Let me ask then what other “Oops all <class>” or perhaps archetype have you desired to see played?

Adam: Around the fire pit after a long marathon, you’ll hear the stories of some of our previous adventuring parties. Our group of all-fighters, named Legion Mettle, was the first party in OAD history to plant the flag of epic level 21st. Our party of all bards, a band with different instruments, had its shortcomings but we absolutely trashed certain encounters we came across. I’m not as interested in seeing any more parties of the same class right now, instead I think I’m more interested in seeing a party with the same ancestry instead. Did I just give away our next project?

Rob: Oh there’s a lot of opportunity there and so many ancestries to choose from! Undead? Automaton? Anadi? Maybe a versatile heritage like dhampir! I do appreciate the characterization no matter what the class or ancestry and the Abomination Arsenal has plenty too. You noted the Black Powder Cadre’s symbol is the harmona bird and how each character wears blue to represent it.  But which character is the most fabulous and fashionable?

Adam: Props to Matt, our Player Captain, for the deep dive into Pathfinder lore to find the harmona bird. Next, props to the whole team for bringing these characters to life and embracing not only the theme – different shades of blue and the bird – but also taking it to the next level. This group of players worked harder than usual to make their characters stand out because they were all playing the same class, and it shows at the table. As for your question, I’m going to take the teacher answer here and say that ALL the characters of the Black Powder Cadre are fashionable and fabulous. Around the table you’ll see: Vlai smoking his cigar, Breen’s fancy pistols, Mazatl’s dungeon ghillie suit, Maloika in a full goblin mask, Zoric with his hand-painted harmona gun, Lady Sniper’s sleek outfit, and Tess’s pirate hat from the Shackles. It’s a great-looking group!

Rob: I think that’s a very fine answer. Fashion is always changing and truly there’s a lot to enjoy with such a group! But if I can turn the attention back to you, those maps are always ridiculous! You put such care and style into them, let alone the reaction from players. Your maps draw attention from all! Which has been your favorite thus far?

Adam: Thanks Rob! There’s just something about drawing a map by hand that gets me really inspired to GM, it can even be a map that actually leads me to run a certain module. When it comes to my favorites over the years, dungeons often rank high. I just like walking the halls for days before my players ever set foot in it. Once you hand-draw a map, you’ll know it like your own home! Speaking of dungeons, I just drew a dungeon level that is now one of my favorites. It’s level five of the Vaults: Arena. I’ll toss you a pic from our next Paizo blog report, so I guess that makes this an official teaser, enjoy! Oh, and the one that resides at Paizo HQ – an asylum – is up among my favorites too. 

Rob: Oh yeah, mine as well! You inspired me to draw up the entirety of the asylum for Strange Aeons after all. Thanks for all the guidance! Now Karee, welcome to the Order after reaching your 100 hours during the first part of the Arsenal! Can’t wait to join you at the table as a fellow Order member! You partook of The Slithering Salve as the pandemic challenged how we play. From then to now, what’s different for you at the table?

“I was convinced Breen was dead and it would have been my first character death…” – Karee

Karee: Hi, Rob. I look forward to gaming with you at OAD as well. Things have changed dramatically since playing in The Slithering Salve. With the pandemic in full force, we were all very cautious as we made our way to Fort Rannick in NJ and played masked to keep each other safe. In addition, it was my first time playing with OAD. I walked in as an avid fan. I was in awe of the complicated sets and immersive play experience. I tried my best to help in any way I could and felt privileged to be able to game in such a great environment. Since that time, I’ve become a full member of the Order, having played in 5 marathons to date. While I still feel lucky to be able to game in such a great environment, I’ve grown comfortable with the people and the culture of OAD. I’ve become the official scribe and treasurer for our group and take turns running the initiative board with Erick. I provide backup to Sean in the kitchen as well as keeping the group supplied with cookies.

Rob: Let’s be honest, you’ve long supplied this group with sustenance and those cookies are always amazing. Critical Hit Cookies is a nat 20 every time. The Amber Die is jealous it doesn’t get to eat them. I’m sure! And I’m so thrilled you’re loving every minute of it. What’s been your favorite moment thus far after being a dedicated fan and supporter to a member now? And thank you for all those rations, er cookies! I don’t know how we’d get through a marathon without you!

Karee: Being an Order member has been a great ride to date and I expect it to continue to be so. My favorite moment out of game was when I finished my 100 hours to become a full Order member. My favorite moment in game was during the last marathon when we fought a Bearded Devil and I was dropped by him. I was convinced Breen was dead and it would have been my first character death, but the group rallied and beat him and I made my saving throw to avoid dying at the literal last possible moment.

Rob: The more I hear about this bearded devil, the more worried I am of what the next level of the vault has in store. Or maybe I need to introduce my party to a bearded devil. Hmm. Can you tell us more about Breen than we’ve gotten thus far in the updates?

Karee: Breen Danaan grew up in Alkenstar with a gunslinger mother and a doctor father. Her father disappeared and is presumed dead, with rumors surfacing that he had fallen victim to fleshwarping. In an attempt to be closer to him, Breen vigorously studied her father’s books and taught herself medicine. After her mother passed, Breen tried to make a living using her mom’s guns and met up with V’lai, leader of the Black Powder Cadre. She adopted the group as her new family and those doctoring skills have come in handy now as she struggles to keep her new family alive as they deal with the horrors of the Gauntlight. It seems like she spends half of her time healing people and the other half shooting creatures. She’s a friendly redhead but can be fiery at times while wielding her silver handed pistols. Breen tends to be the levelheaded member of the group and is considered trustworthy enough to be trusted with the group’s funds. In a group of thieves and miscreants, that’s a useful quality.

Rob: I’d say so! Who else can you trust your treasure and loot with than the one you also trust your life with? It’s not easy keeping these PCs alive. Thanks Karee, really appreciate the background. Matt, I’d love more insight. What’s different about being a Player Captain to an all Gunslinger game?

“…you have to have a completely unselfish group of players or it won’t work.” – Matt, Player Captain

Matt: Being Player Captain is actually – at least theoretically – fantastic, in terms of oversight. Everyone playing the same class means I can simply laser focus right down on one class, and one class only primarily. It was really fun to dig deep into all the different gunslinger ways, all the different gunslinger archetypes, and all the different guns themselves. We wanted to use as many of all of the above as possible. That’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult or challenging.

Rob: How so, what’s been the greatest challenge of planning to survive the Vaults?

Matt: As Player Captain—and also just from my many decades of gaming and due to my personality too—I am always trying to think of contingencies and unorthodox or unusual encounters. I’m not so much worried about your standard 80% of encounters; those will come and go, for the most part. I’m worried about the 10-20% of encounters that can really trip you up, or give you trouble. Playing an entire party – sometimes 7-8 PCs at a time! – of all gunslingers is an extreme. And when you play an extreme party like that, you will get some extreme results. For example, in the Abomination Vaults, the Black Powder Cadre has had plenty of encounters that were of a routine, or average, difficulty—like you would expect with any group. We’ve also had far more than I’d like of encounters that kicked our teeth in! Fewer in number, but extremely memorable, were the encounters that we absolutely decimated. The graveyard mowing down zombies and skeletons at range across a no man’s land, where the enemy never even got to hit us, is something I will always remember.

Matt: I’m always on the lookout for the curveballs though. What’s it going to be that really trips up a party of all gunslingers? Is it incorporeal? Oozes? Devils? What else? So far, we have definitely struggled the most with incorporeal undead and devils in Abomination Vaults. 

Rob: Never trust a devil, let alone one with a beard I say! Action economy with reloading is pretty key for gunslingers as is the cost of alchemical needs. What advice would you give other players of gunslingers?

Matt: Cost and money was an issue right away. At times in the past in OAD, we have implemented a treasure pooling system, where we pool all our money, and spend it on the best item available that we can afford. This is an absolutely fantastic system – we’ve done every method you can imagine of treasure distribution amongst PCs, and this is by far the most deliberate and effective, but you have to have a completely unselfish group of players or it won’t work. People have to be ok with waiting their turn to get items and enhancements.

Rob: That’s difficult in any party, let alone one where it’s tied to their ability to fight!

Matt: We actually had to pool money right away to make sure everyone could even have a firearm and some ammo! We were dead broke for a long while, and almost every gold piece would go back into ammo or healing potions. Not much healing magic going on in a group of gunslingers obviously.

Rob: And Karee, I mean Breen can’t fix them all I’m sure.

Matt: Another thing we did was have every single player take the Munitions Crafter feat at 1st level or as soon as possible thereafter. Was that overkill? Maybe. But we wouldn’t know for sure until we actually played, and I’ll be damned if I was going to let the party TPK because we ran out of ammo. I wanted to eliminate that possibility as best we could.

Matt: As for action economy? I could go on and on about how absolutely, horrifically brutal that is for gunslingers. But words can’t do it justice. When you only get one attack on round 2, and you shoot and miss, or you see another PC shoot and miss? It is beyond devastating. Risky Reload has been crucial, and really the only thing that has allowed us to semi-reliably sneak in some extra attacks. Running Reload has also been a nice recent addition in terms of gaining actions too though not attacks. I have said over and over to everyone at the table: I’ve never seen a group more in need of haste than the Black Powder Cadre!

Rob: That’s a great point. You feel that miss even more and who better to understand than a whole group of gunslingers. I see a lot of negative things over Pathfinder2E haste but I feel it’s still a game changer for any melee or ranged combatant! Some of those fights are pivotal after all. We just heard about the dangerous wood golem the cadre fought! What did you learn and what’s the plan to handle it now?

Matt: We learned that a wood golem can kick the Cadre’s ass! Seriously, we learned that we had a hard time dealing damage to it, as well as even hitting it. Simultaneously, the wooden beast seemed to have no problem hitting us, and dealing prodigious damage to boot.  What’s the plan now? Leveling up doesn’t hurt! We were 3rd level when he had to tuck tail and run. Now, most of us are 5th level, which was a huge boost: gaining a level and master proficiency was like adding +3 to our BAB for the old school players. Also, obviously, fire—alchemist’s fire and anything else we can get our hands on.

Rob: Flaming bullets, flaming guns, flaming anything. Yeah agreed there! Hope that wood golem has enjoyed its time.  Plans to find it or leave it alone?

Matt: Oh, we’ll pay a visit to Mr. Wood-Face again. You can count on it. Vlai is looking forward to splintering his wooden body to pieces with his dwarven scattergun, burning it, and dancing on the ashes. Which reminds me, there’s a shadow on level two we owe some payback to…

Rob: Oh no, I’m afraid to ask so I’ll leave it as a tease for next time! Thanks Matt, and now I want to make sure to welcome Theodora to the Order! Tell us more about you if you would be so kind.

“Should I mention that her flirting usually occurs when she’s covered in blood after returning from the Abomination Vaults?” – Theodora

Theodora: Hey, Rob! So I started floating around the OAD studio about two years ago, and Adam introduced the group to me. I was already a pretty serious completionist gamer – platinum in God of War, thank you – and they gave me a chance to be there for The Slithering Salve. It has been far from what I expected – there’s gamers, then there’s professional gamers – but I can’t get enough of how fun and immersive it’s been. These marathons are absolutely ridiculous!

Rob: That’s truly great to hear considering we read about your career. I’m very thankful for that as I’m sure many are.

Theodora: Back in reality, I am a night shift ICU nurse. Talk about the vampire life! I worked full time and traveled during the pandemic and can safely say that I’ve cared for thousands of Covid patients at this point. I actually met our GM about ten minutes after receiving my second Covid vaccine. Maybe it was the required fifteen minutes but who’s counting? I also have a seven-year-old daughter who makes appearances behind the GM screen to roll the Amber Die, and feeds too many treats to the OAD mascot, Gambit. Her name is also Theodora, and outside of the game we’re usually fighting over space in the kitchen to cook up a Greek dish for Adam and the Order. Apple didn’t fall far from the tree there!

Rob: Ah so the Amber Die has found another I see! It’s power is legendary. Well I’m glad Sean’s getting so much help in the kitchen now. This is great, and again thank you. As you said you started playing with the Order during The Slithering Salve, while the pandemic impacted many lives as it still does today.  What did playing with the group mean to you?

Theodora: True, I joined in as the group was navigating how to pull off in-person play during the second year of a pandemic. If you’re familiar with The Slithering, it has plenty of things like quarantine and social distancing that we were going through in the outside world. Everyone there wanted to have fun, create a great product, but be safe. I can appreciate how the Order incorporated – albeit sometimes not planned – the unpredictability and unsettling vibes of current events into the gameplay. Adam makes it look easy for sure!

Rob: That he does! I was impressed and envious and loved reading of your adventures. Now you’re spotlighting the NPC Tess during the Abomination Vaults.  Tell us more about her and how you chose to portray her, though let’s be careful of spoilers though certainly teases are happening!

Theodora: Oh, Tess. I think if Matt was going to help create a character build that was closest to her actual player, he hit the nail on the head with Tess! She’s as undiplomatic as a doorknob and often resorts to flirting or yelling to get her way. Should I mention that her flirting usually occurs when she’s covered in blood after returning from the Abomination Vaults? Her aggressiveness often has her prematurely kicking in doors and firing shots. With that she’s often – at times naively – trusting of her companions to be right behind her to help add to the lead storm cloud. Despite her bullish nature, she’s made friends with the mayor and worked hard to mend ties she’s broken with some offensive statements she’s made in the early parts of the game. Tess is also a big fan of maps and lore, which has proven to be profitable to the cadre during her appearances in the path. 

Rob: <laughing> That is amazing. I enjoy that kind of character and it sounds like a ton of fun to play. Nice to see the growth she’s experienced as well and I bet the lore does come in handy. Those later levels are sure to benefit from Tess’ knowledge! Thanks Theodora. There’s another member I know was working on their schooling in the same field and I’ve some questions for you, Erick! Congratulations on all your career aspirations and thank you for working in healthcare during this pandemic!  We are so lucky to have your aid.  How did Pathfinder and the Order impact you during this time?

“With the d20 though, I’ll make any character look good…” – Erick

Erick: For the most part, Covid and my job working in the ICU did not affect my play in the Order up until the most recent marathons. I had a few struggles switching from night shift to day shift in order to play during the day with everyone else. Just switching from nights to days is usually hard enough, and consists of taking short naps to transition back. To make matters worse, I would usually come in just before a session or during nighttime pre-marathon preparations, which would keep us up until a few hours before the start of a long marathon. While others are naturally day shift and come into a marathon full sleep, I’m usually the worst off with a combination of low sleep plus the transition from night to day. The first day is always rough!

Rob: That it is but with what I’ve seen of your real life work ethic and your amazing characterization there’s no doubt you pulled it off. I was sad to see during part 1 we lost Rome and then worse yet, the party had to fight his zombie form in the graveyard.  How did you feel during this encounter?  Were you playing an NPC during that time?

Erick: Losing Rome sucked! I had invested a lot into a detailed backstory, with a great accent and attitude that really made Rome a fun character to play. On top of that, losing him in the manner I did – seemingly a dozen rounds of stabilization checks – was a slow, painful death. Seeing the party then shoot up his corpse afterwards was a light slap in the face, but I don’t blame them. Hell, at that point I was playing Mazatl and put a couple of holes in my former character too. Character death is something we all go through at one point, but I can say that this was a unique way to say goodbye to a character!

Rob: I bet! What do you think Rome feels of the group’s progress thus far?

Erick: Rome was all about creating competition for Alkenstar when it came to firearms on Golarion, even if he had to eventually work as an arms dealer. The fact that we’re embedding ourselves into Otari and setting up shop is a great way to do that. I think Rome would be proud. 

Rob: Ah that’s cool and good to hear. You certainly get to see things to fruition still. Now that the spellshot Mazatl has joined, tells us more about them!  Sounds like it was an epic shot on that dang bearded devil!

Erick: Yeah, it was a pretty epic shot! We wanted to see what we could do with various types of gunslingers, so at least this was an opportunity to see Way of the Spellshot. Mazatl has not been one of my strongest characters statwise, but part of what makes him decent is the persistent elemental damage. This would be better if his enemies had a weakness he could exploit with his elemental ammunition, but so far it hasn’t often been the case in the Vaults. This makes Mazatl’s damage somewhat weaker compared to other classes, especially when melee characters rely on strength damage to increase average dps. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with a firearm, so it’s up to the dice to really put the damage out. Honestly, I just feel better with a d8 rather than a d10, and my rolls have been average or slightly less so with the d10. With the d20 though, I’ll make any character look good, as the devil found out. I’m hoping Mazatl pans out more at higher levels, and in the meantime I’m doing what I can!

Rob: Yeah and sounds like you really saved the day too. I’m sure over time you’ll see those plans pay off as elemental and other weaknesses come up more at higher level. Thanks Erick, you take care of Mazatl! And Sean, our dear and hard-working castellan, providing both set decoration and hearty meals, you bring it OOC and IC! Tell us more about Maloika the Miserable!

“A small sign outside will welcome visitors: Home of the Blue Coat Adventurers.” – Sean, Castellan

Sean: Maloika carries the moniker “miserable,” but in truth he is quite a likable and loved little fellow! He is always there to lend a hand or ear to all. Maloika truly is by far the luckiest and smartest in this town of longshanks. He’s also garnered an excellent reputation in the area: Hero of Otari, Royal Babysitter, Slayer of the Damned, Gifted Entrepreneur, Champion of the People, Relic Hunter, and Paragon of Virtue. Lastly, Maloika is known for carrying great stories, books, and treasures from bygone millennia. Not bad for a goblin making his way in the world, eh? 

Rob: Not bad at all! That sounds like an epic set of titles! I’m sure he’ll have stories recorded of him then! What made you choose a goblin and the way of the sniper?  Were you eager to wear the goblin mask?

Sean: In our past projects, I’ve played unconventional roles such as a locathah and even a lizardfolk. When we assembled this party of gunslingers, I was offered the opportunity to play a special role as the smallest character with the largest gun. All Matt had to say was there was a goblin involved! Erick and I decided to play the size thing up even more when the 6ft 7in, 330lb Rome was teamed up with the 38-in, 35lb Maloika for the Sniping Duo archetype.

Rob: Classic big small combo, love it!

Sean: The goblin mask is awesome! I’m all about immersion, so after the fish mask from The Azlant Odyssey and the lizard mask from The Slithering Salve, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another one. The goblin mask is way better quality than the others, so sometimes I wear that thing even when we’re just hanging outside on the patio.

Rob: I’ll have to showcase that (see below). Gotta love the post-game destress fires outside! I did want to ask before we finish up our questions, Maloika’s Mercantile has a nice ring to it.  Legitimate business or working cover front?  Both?

Sean: Really, I get to spill Maloika’s business plan!? 

Rob: Really really!

Sean: First, the mayor, as special thanks for our support, granted Maloika land on which to do what he may. Originally, this property was known as the ruins of the Thirsty Alpaca seen on old maps of Otari. Maloika gave it some thought, and a world-class store and museum was born! Then something else occurred with the current market owner, Keleeno Lathenar, also Maloika’s best friend. The owner was so incredibly grateful for the goblin’s efforts to avenge Keleeno’s murdered wife, that as he prepared to take his leave of the town forever, he gave Maloika the Otari market and all associated chattel effectively 20% off items in game for now. As a teaser for the next report, the goblin has since decided to name the establishment Ayla’s Oddities and Collectibles – an homage to Keleeno’s wife. Inside the new store will be a subsidiary, Maloika’s Membrane Modifications, where he will personally offer exquisite body art and even magical tattoos. A small sign outside will welcome visitors: Home of the Blue Coat Adventurers. Merchants, tourists, even nobility will come far and wide to discover wonders and dark secrets that have been brought to the light! Whaddya think?

Rob: That’s amazing! I love the homage to Ayla and how Maloika is developing a true business as their adventures develop. The small sign outside is sweet. You’ve basically set up the final shot if this was a movie. I really appreciate getting details like this as I know so much roleplaying happens at these sessions. Truly, thank you all for answering these questions and sharing with the Know Direction readers.

I am so truly thankful the team took time for me and the article here. Order of the Amber Die helped me have an amazing Strange Aeons game and then truly opened up my world in 2019, helping me have the best Gen Con ever! From there I got involved with Know Direction and Roll for Combat, and more. These amazing folks have such great stories to share.

A big thanks to everyone for their time and giving us a deeper look at these wondrous marathons and characters! Adam, Karee, Matt, Theodora, Erick, and Sean: thank you! Adam and I were talking once ahead of a marathon and he brought up the fact that with planning around life events, the length of campaigns, and the options of adventures/adventure paths there’s only so many you can get in if it takes a few years to finish. Marathons help but not everyone can do what Order of the Amber Die does. So I encourage you to invest in the games you’ll enjoy and the people you’re with for the best group, cooperative experience. And of course, take some time and invest in Order of the Amber Die!

Order of the Amber Die can found at:

Twitter
Patreon
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Abomination Vaults hardcover altered with Order of the Amber Die logo, Pathfinder Adventure Path: Abomination Vaults, Paizo

1. Gauntlight Group Shot, Order of the Amber Die
2. Preview Map Dressed with CRB v2, Order of the Amber Die
3. The Slithering Group Shot, Order of the Amber Die
4. The Amber Die, Order of the Amber Die
5. The Goblin Mask, Order of the Amber Die
6. The Firepit, Order of the Amber Die

Alchemy RPG announces Version One release, industry partnerships, and upcoming Kickstarter Campaign

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Cinematic Virtual Tabletop (VTT) Alchemy RPG is collaborating with gaming industry giants Free League Publishing, Paizo, Chaosium, and more to announce Alchemy Version One and Alchemy Enhanced—the most immersive way to experience tabletop role-playing games online—live on Kickstarter on Tuesday, April 25th, 2023.

Alchemy’s Version One Kickstarter campaign breathes new life into digital adaptations of Free League titles by creating exclusive “Enhanced” versions of  Mörk Borg, Tales From the Loop, Coriolis, Forbidden Lands, Dragonbane, and more. Each Alchemy Enhanced title—represented as the face card in five physical thematic Content Decks—includes a custom themed Alchemy interface, original score, ten looping ambient soundscapes, ten motion overlays, and an animated title screen. Content Decks will include campaign settings, adventures, supplements, and storytelling assets from some of the industry’s most loved creators.

“Alchemy brings our titles to players and Gamemasters in a new way. This digital tool creates an atmosphere that adds to the cinematic quality of our IPs. Free League is excited to be a part of the Alchemy Kickstarter campaign, and we’re looking forward to bringing even more titles to the platform later this year.”

—Tomas Härenstam (CEO, Free League Publishing)

Four thematic Content Decks (Fantasy, Futures, Horror, and Modern), each containing ten cards, are being offered as reward tiers on the campaign, with a fifth deck exclusively offered in a box set collection including all 50 content cards. Each deck will have campaign settings, adventures, and supplements from creators like Paizo (Pathfinder), World of Darkness (Vampire: The Masquerade), Modiphius (Fallout RPG), Magpie Games (MASKS, Cartel), Kobold Press (Scarlet Citadel), Hunters Entertainment (Kids on Bikes), and Chaosium (Call of Cthulhu). With an MSRP of $120, backers will have the opportunity to get decks at more than half off the retail price.

Kickstarter Backers will also receive exclusive Kickstarter benefits, like “Backer Account” status, enabling access to special offers, advanced access to new features, and Alchemy Version One before the general public. Each physical tier will also receive access to Alchemy Unlimited, with an option to purchase a lifetime license to Alchemy’s premium subscription at the campaign’s highest tier.

Alchemy Version One promises more than Enhanced content experiences, title availability, and a wide array of game system support. The team is also opening up its feature set to include tactical improvements like fog of war, grid customization, video chat, and Streamer Mode, making Alchemy RPG the only tool you’ll need to tell an incredible story.

###

Are you playing Kingmaker? Are you thinking about it? I think you should, at least, think about it. Our game is proving incredibly fun as I feel this path is truly a memory maker for you and your friends. Granted, it’s epic in scope so I’ve done a couple other Kingmaker articles here for planning and here for kineticists to help support those running it. However, I wanted to highlight some other news and additions that have come out!

The most recent news is that Alchemy RPG is creating a Virtual Tabletop (VTT), character hoster, immersive digital experience for Kingmaker. You can actually sign up for their pending kickstarter here. The screenshots and mocks look great as seen in the tweet below. What’s more, however, is you can sign up and begin some playtesting with their early access app. You can tell that there’s a dedicated team of product and project managers, web developers, and experience design (designers, strategists, usability) at work here. I’m excited to see what their kickstarter offers and what their timeline is. Considering the early access app is available with some sample games both from player and GM perspective, I’m hoping not too long and they’ve already gotten the partner announcement from Paizo.

Earlier today we announced the incredibly exciting upcoming release of Pathfinder on Alchemy from @Paizo which will be available in 1 week with our Kickstarter!

Here are a few screenshots of Pathfinder in action for you and we cannot wait for our Alchemy users to try it out too! pic.twitter.com/hUbMApZH5h

— Alchemy RPG (@AlchemyRpg) April 11, 2023

Maybe you’re eager to get out exploring however. As your characters venture out of Restov and into the Stolen Lands there’s quite a bit of lore, hex encounters, monsters, and NPCs to meet as detailed in the path. But what if you want more? I did, and while I’ve made some I was curious to see what others have created. Cue the Gremlin Brothers (twitter) or on patreon! You can find quite a few pieces from them on Pathfinder Infinite including expansions for Kingmaker! I had already bought the Rostov and Greenbelt package, which includes expanded maps, new digital renders, encounter sites, and NPCs. However, they’ve since come out with the Kamelands and the Tuskwater offerings as well. I haven’t yet but I’m considering building an updated map for where I plug in additional details from these or my own work. My favorite addition from the Rostov and Greenbelt release is the Druid’s Grove. The location is beautiful and the NPC is a wonderful woman that doesn’t come off as just some NPC addition. She has a more complex personality and background that truly helps an interaction feel real.

I also wanted a shadowy spirit to greet my players and be watching them in the southern part of the Greenbelt and into the Narlmarches. Thus, I created the following creature while also having it behave as a more curiously, alien-minded entity. I used the Shae as inspiration and made it largely unaware of typical mortal behaviors. It noted attacking some bandits from a nearby camp, but it wasn’t quite sure which people were good and bad. Thankfully the heroes gave a little clarity to that!

Shadow Spirit
Creature 8
N Medium Fey Shadow
Perception +16; darkvision
Languages Sylvan, Shadowtongue
Skills Acrobatics +21, Deception +20, Stealth +22
Str +1 Dex +6 Con +2 Int +3 Wis +4 Cha +5
AC 28; Fort +16, Ref +21, Will +19
HP 115; Immunities precision, unconscious; Weaknesses cold iron 5, light vulnerability
Light Vulnerability An object shedding magical light (such as from the light spell) is treated as magical when used to attack the shadow spirit.
Speed 40 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee shadowy touch +19 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 3d6+8 negative plus 1d6 persistent negative
Ranged shadowy bolt +20 (magical), Damage 4d6 negative
Occult Innate Spells (DC 26) 6th dimension door (at will), 4th darkness (at will), 3rd illusory creature (×3)
Shapechange [single-action] (concentrate, transmutation) The shadow spirit can shift between a humanoid form and a shadowy form as a single action. While in humanoid form, the shadow spirit gains resistance 5 to all damage. While in shadowy form, the shadow spirit gains resistance 15 to all damage and can move through solid objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Shadow Form The shadow spirit is immune to precision damage, unconsciousness, and any effects that rely on a corporeal form (such as grabbing or tripping). The shadow spirit is not invisible, but its shadowy form makes it difficult to pinpoint. Any creature attempting to target the shadow spirit with an attack or spell must make a DC 10 flat check or the attack misses.
Shadowy Escape [single-action] The shadow spirit can Disappear into shadows or dim light within 60 feet as a single action, becoming hidden.

Hopefully my fey spirit can be of use to you whether a curious creature watching the adventurers as they travel into the forest, or perhaps confrontationally if the heroes are quick to attack rather than parley. I know I said low level additions and this is Creature 8, but you can have it run or monitoring the group for some time before truly creating an encounter. A dangerous entity talking to the heroes in the dead of night makes for a lovely bit of drama too.  Also, here’s an inspirational image below from an artist I found on Deviantart. The eerie yellow eyes and humanoid shape are sure to frighten would-be explorers. They should remember – and a GM should remind them – they’re new to this area and many things have lived here long before them…

I want to continue to bring additional Kingmaker aids I find and build to you, perhaps even some NPC statistics! Watch for more from the Gremlin Brothers, Alchemy RPG, and more as you invest in Kingmaker! If you’ve anything you’ve found, heard, or build make sure to share with me or find us over on discord! Next week we’ll check in with my friends over at Order of the Amber Die after their latest run into the Abomination Vaults!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Kingmaker altered, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo

1. Into the Stolen Lands excerpt, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo
2. The Swordlord’s Feast banner, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo
3. Gremlin Brothers logo, Gremlin Brothers
4. Drakir Forest Smoke Spirit, Creative Commons Attribution, KD-LoseAider

—Ever your humble servant and eternally loyal to House Thrune, Kaivus of House Roverrint”¹

I told you there were more reports from the sniveling Kaivus that gave House Thrune good reason to be concerned. Firebrands are on the move. Firebrands are loose! Feel the heat, hear the parties! Firebrands are loose! (That’s some Thundercats nostalgia for some.) It’s true though, the Firebrands are out recruiting with parades and parties, while others are fighting on land and sea, or making a name for themselves with their rebel cries. By the time this article is live, Firebrands is now available for all! It’s not just in our major cities either, but nearly all lands and oceans. While we dig into a bit of that wondrous Lost Omens lore the creative team has given us, and of course the breathtaking art, we can look at how Firebrands can fit into your campaign!

Chapter 4 as I mentioned last time is entitled Firebrand Efforts because it not only gives us how to address a campaign featuring the Firebrands, but how to add them to any campaign. Of course the various mechanics gives players something to build with, but the GMs may want to feature a bit more to support that player or simply to entertain either their own or the overall group’s interests. There’s details of the Firebrand activities across many regions and between all we’ve already gotten in the Intro, Among the Firebrands, and Firebrand Options chapters you can easily work such into your custom campaigns whether in Golarion or beyond.  We start with a few in-context, in-world items that perhaps Kaivus found including a Gazetteer piece of propaganda and some highlights of areas you’ll travel to if you’re a member like the Mwangi Expanse or Katapesh. It’s really stressed that Firebrands aren’t here to take over, rule the Inner Sea, etc. They are part of our communities and nations, sparking rebellion or looking to undertake exciting, often dangerous, missions. They can be found anywhere, but a party is sure to follow! The sidebar about Firebrand Parties isn’t about festivities but a party of PCs with a Firebrand theme can vary from daredevil to angry rebel, but ultimately they should be united by a cause. GMs can find plenty of support for such games in the pages thereafter…

Vaunter’s Carnival details an annual event that the Firebrands throw in a port town, changing its location up every year. It’s meant not to overwhelm the city, so a port city is good for that duty to trade but well it’s also easier to visit.  The history of the event is detailed and I love how we get quick snippets of NPCs like a tengu pirate named Kekcho but also references to information detailed elsewhere in the book like Tilri Venler, the cleric of Marishi, the Festival Queen azata empyreal lord. Note the vibrant art above. Actually the art is great about including other elements from the book too like the banner earlier where you can see my favorite android Passenger. I’m pretty sure that’s their robot Scrapheap on the right side. As it turns out Tilri (see below) is a fourth-mark Firebrand (super well known that is) and is in charge of organizing the carnival. You could easily run a short chapter around protecting Tilri’s committee and/or joining them in a fight when Hellknights or the like try to interrupt choosing the next location. 

I love that later on it’s mentioned the second carnival was held in Kintargo in part to celebrate Ravounel’s succession from Cheliax but also to encourage the Silver Ravens in. The third event? Absalom, giving some the chance to come but be covered by the city’s vast populace should they need some anonymity. Interestingly Runelord Sorshen is offering Xin-Shalast as a location and even providing magical aid to create a waterway to connect the city to the Steaming Sea. Gee, I wonder if that’s because she wants to help any group that would undermine Runelord Belimarius… But we’ll get to New Thassilon. The carnival has all sorts of activities as detailed in the book including storytelling contests, public dare contests, urban parkour races, wrestling, fencing, fashions shows, puzzle rooms, and more… Sounds wonderful to me. Oh, don’t miss out on another wonderful sidebar detailing other Firebrand famous events including Surlo’s Fashion Spectacular, led by Absalom’s most fashionable shoony.

The section on the Mwangi Expanse thankfully attends to a matter I’ve been concerned about since I learned of Mzali: Walkena the dangerous child mummy god. Thankfully the old tombs of sun gods Walkena wants forgotten offer refuge for what few rebels dare to dream of freeing their people. You could craft quite the adventure around a group of vigilante or secret heroes that plot their missions within musty tombs. Perhaps one is a cleric drawing on the last remnants of power from one of the gods? Bloodcove’s pirates get some attention as Firebrands counter the Aspis Consortium. Usaro has lost its Gorilla King so chaos is a rife playground. Vidrian is the center of counter-colonial rebellion and so could be a seat of Firebrand operations, especially for work in other parts of the Mwangi. But let’s not be disrespectful of the culture and history of the Mwangi. A very poignant sidebar calls out the need for respectful exploration. Be a daring explorer but don’t steal for plunder, either enjoy the adventure of documenting what you learn or possibly keep items out of the hands of the Aspis and ensure in the Magaambya’s safekeeping.

Oh look. Cheliax. A whole section on Old Cheliax and the actual nation of Cheliax. But what’s this? Queen Abrogail issued an Emancipation Edict in 4722 A.R. to free the enslaved population of the nation. It’s clear this is both for the development of real world sentiments that slavery doesn’t have to be a narrative story element but also so Thrune doesn’t have to worry about growing influence from Ravounel or Andoran. I myself have had characters carrying anger against Cheliax for their practices including slavery, but I admit clear ignorance over having to deal with those real-world impacts or old prejudices. Like many elements of the real world that can, but don’t have to be, part of our games, make sure to discuss such with your tables and utilize safety tools like lines and veils. There’s plenty to hate the devil-worshiping, murderous Chelish for without other plot elements being woven in. I’m glad to see Paizo craft this into game canon.

It’s nice to see a sidebar recounting those the Chelish have labeled enemies of the state for their actions like Hrothar Sea-Wiles the Ulfen raider. Another details about the legal loophole that saved Ravounel and hopefully others can be found with other national or individual contracts. This could help you make a Pathfinder2E sequel to Hell’s Rebels if your players loved that game and want another in a similar vein! Ravounel does have a bit of information, mostly on external politics, including that of trade partner who is keeping most trade to exports rather than imports to prevent spies. But Nidal has its own problems with Firebrands active with Desna-worshiping occultists called Dreamtenders. I admit this warms my heart because the Atteran Ranches are focused upon and that’s where my nonbinary witch Ateran from Roll for Combat’s Three Ring Adventure draws their name, because they were saved and helped by farmers there. I had no idea Firebrands were active there but maybe that’s a future allied group for Ateran! No agents in the Uskwood? Well maybe that needs to change! I’d love to see a game or path focus on Nidal, and you and your group have a lot of material to work with here and elsewhere. Danger, politics, religious concerns… It’d likely tend toward a mature game but Impossible Lands shows us how great a game that can be.

We couldn’t not visit the Shackles. While it’s called out Tessa Fairwind has been an ally in the past – and she’s quietly corresponding with the Sapphire Butterfly of Ravounel – that she also doesn’t really appreciate the Firebrands causing trouble for her specifically. The good and the bad of free thinking and questioning folks can lead to trouble, but also, well… Pirate. If you want your group traveling to numerous ports the weaving of these NPCs knowing one another can create reasons to move between the Shackles and Kintargo, possibly also Riddleport. There’s also the Vaunter’s Carnival which is in different port cities so place it wherever works for you. Maybe it’s time to have it in the Shackles? It’s encouraged not to dare to test the Red Mantis as they will send dead Firebrands back as a message, but participating in the Second Wind trial could be a good daring feat. Quick snippets are giving for various isles in the Shackles should your group wish to sail through. There’s also a sidebar on the Ruins of Azlant, which I feel gives any sea-faring exploration group more material than you could ever dream of. A few locations and strange artifacts are offered up including the Aeon Gear which came out of a strange clockwork creature and now floats like an aeon stone when held. You can draw from the Ruins of Azlant path or if your players played in it, reference it in a new campaign where their choices and actions have created an area for exploration and Firebrand activity. Perhaps the old god Amaznen had something to do with that clockwork creature…

Want to have Firebrands daring the hordes of undead serving the Whispering tyrant? Go to the Eye of Dread and face the fields and hills of the Gravelands. Meanwhile in Numeria your game could focus on serving the new rule Kevoth-Kul in tracking down the remains of the Technic League. They’re still out there and the Circuit Breakers would be happy to have your help in tracking them down in return for some rare skymetals. Running Kingmaker like me? Well there’s info for the River Kingdoms too! There’s a pirate lord called the Black Marquis controlling a 30-mile swath of the Sellen River. Perhaps your young nation is called on for help in ridding the river of this scaliwag. Don’t forget too Brevoy has a number of rebellious folks, especially in the southern starting city where the heroes first begun their Kingmaker adventure: Restov. Perhaps Lady Aldori, whom we know favors Milani based on the statues in her estate, works with or is actually a Firebrand!

I had to leave some space just for New Thassilon. I’m very interested in a game based there or having adventurers visit New Thassilon. My last game had the heroes skirting the edge as they traveled north of Riddleport and if any of my players are reading this, well… You can be sure ramifications of that game will surely influence our Kingmaker game. The Return of the Runelords path brought two back to Golarion after so many years. While one has changed her ways – at least a little – and become Queen Sorshen of Eurythnia from Xin-Shalast, the other has not and Runelord Belimarius still runs Xin-Edesseril with a tyrannical approach. It tickled me that Sorshen is trying to get the Vaunter’s Carnival to come to Xin-Shalast as noted above. I’m sure it’s to find allies in undermining Belimarius, though she’ll have to be careful not to let it become more of the Runelord v. Runelord of the past. I mean, it can’t hurt to have her support. As noted New Thassilon has some Firebrands already active in the region. The Epoch Hunters are led by a chronomancer to fight the sinspawn, time dimensionals (would love to see a 2E version of these!), and rune-based beasts that are creating a rather unsafe environment for the people of the area. Meanwhile Hesteric Grimgleam (below) is using perfumes and colognes to send coded messages between a secret society intent to bring down Belimarius. And would you look at that! He’s got a favorite customer and connoisseur of fragrance in Queen Sorshen. Smells like trouble for the cruel Runelord!

There’s information and NPCs and tie-backs galore far more than I’ve called out, including details on Galt, Osirion, Taldor, and more. You could easily adapt these amazing NPCs to be a part of your campaign whether in Golarion or another world. Change the town name if you’re the GM or ask your GM how you can adapt the Firebrands to be a rebellious group within the local society. There’s incredible roleplaying opportunity in playing a group of not-so-like minded individuals who are dedicated to the same purpose as the Firebrands. One might be more risk taking daredevil, another more dedicated to a cause of freedom, and still another interested in exploration but all can agree to the ideals of personal and true freedom. If you’re ready to bring daring-do, flamboyant flash, and rebellion to your game then be sure to invest in Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands cover with title, Paizo

1. Campaigns excerpt, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
2. Chapter 4: Firebrand Efforts banner image, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
3. Marishi, Faith section, Chapter 2, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
4. Tilri Velner, Chapter 4, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
5. Vaunter’s Carnival section image, Chapter 4, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
6. Hesteric Grimgleam, Chapter 4, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo

—Ever your humble servant and eternally loyal to House Thrune, Kaivus of House Roverrint”¹

Ugh. Those Chelish. I mean, I know not all Chelish are bad but like a lot of them. I don’t know Kaivus but their groveling to Abrogail is gross. Yes, I know it’s an affectation but it’s sniveling. Part of me is insulted for her at the empty platitudes and she’s running around with Asmodeus goons for advisors. But you know they’re right to be concerned about the Firebrands. A few more reports from Kaivus found in the newest release for the Lost Omens line proves that. Collect all you can while you can because the Firebrands are here!

“To be a Firebrand is to live life on your own terms, beholden to no external law or authority. Firebrands make their own choices and uplift the causes they feel are worthy. Yet being independent doesn’t mean being alone.”²

I don’t normally do two quoted pieces but there’s a lot of wonderful writing to quote here. The first chapter is modestly titled Introduction and, besides the snippets from Senior Correspondent Grovelist Kaivus mentioned above, there are sections giving players old and new a background of the Firebrands. The first section specifically has a number of narrative, in-character pieces that are quotes from numerous individuals across the Inner Sea detailing their run-ins with the organization or those from it. It ends with how to use this book but the sidebar right there is about how to join the revolution both in character and out of character. Later on this book does what I love for new setting material, giving you detail on how to use the Firebrands in various campaigns or geographies of Golarion. But I’ll save that for next time!

The Introduction also breaks down the historic origins of the Firebrands including the presence of the Silver Ravens from the Hell’s Rebels path! The Life as a Firebrand will really aid those looking to roleplay a character, providing those background details on how to become one, their training, slang they used (yay sidebars), and even their fashion (see below). What is either a new feature in the lore, or I wasn’t aware, are the Marks. That’s how Firebrand’s standing of reputation and popularity is measured. One mark is a new, unknown individual. Those with four marks are famous in their region. Thus I guess five marks makes you world famous, however a few four marks are known across various continents especially if they’re part of certain groups. The final section of this chapter calls out the relationships many Firebrands have, specific to certain groups anyway. That includes Foes. Like Cheliax. And Hellknights. Now I need a comic that shows Firebrands playing pranks on neutral Hellknights and taking down the evil ones! Also boo Cheliax.

In Among the Firebrands we get into the factions, known figures, and faiths related to the rebellious, risk-taking group! I already mentioned the Silver Ravens of Kintargo, made famous in Hell’s Rebels. It’s the path I most want to play but have not. Anyway, glad to see various NPC members for it and the other groups. Fire’s Finest has those daredevils and thrillseekers. Passenger is a known member and the nonbinary android’s art is gorgeous (see below)! The Nightwaves are pirates while the Salt Breakers are some mix of pirate corsairs and revolutionists. We get a few more groups of smaller renown, useful for those varied campaigns in numerous locations. I want to visit the Mithral Chef in Absalom’s Docks district! Secret restaurant of Firebrands sounds like a cool campaign!

Passenger is one of the many notable figures as is Shensen (further down) of the Silver Ravens. There are a number of figures here I hadn’t heard of with the Mockingbird being a great idea. It’s two individuals, two thieves who ran into one another, fell in love, and decided to share this disguise and notoriety in all their escapades. Passenger is from Numeria but it’s that art that grabbed my attention first. That hair, the lips, the eyes! Love how the clothes look like they have circuitry built in. I certainly intend to weave them and their robot Scrapheap into visiting our Kingmaker game. I love that their reason for joining the Firebrand was exploration not for plunder’s sake but learning the unknown! We’ve got a sprite that cannot yet fly named Wingless, fighting for revolution. The Sapphire Butterfly is a vigilante from behind the scenes of the Kintargo efforts. They don’t worship Desna that we can tell, but it is possible. Many do as detailed in Faith. Milani, Nivi Rombodazzle, Calistria, and more are detailed as well.

With Chapter 3 we get Firebrand Options. Backgrounds, feats both general and for various archetypes, equipment including magic items, spells, and then there’s services too. Here’s the character mechanics for PCs and useful things for NPCs too. I really like the Free Spirit background for mentioning the leaf in the wind, journey-taking nature of some. There’s two rare backgrounds too: Beast Blessed and Dauntless. Beast Blessed is about a creature you freed maybe like a unicorn or a griffin. Seems useful for an Impossible Lands campaign. In the feats I am thrilled to say Dazzling Display is now in Pathfinder2E. I loved this feat in first edition, having a bard with it while we played in a Ravenloft game. Fighters, rangers, rogues, and swashbucklers can take it at level 10. A reminder Barbarian’s have Terrifying Howl at level 10 already. That there’s a number of eats intended as options for various archetypes that already exist from acrobat to assassin to celebrity to pirate to vigilante is great. I’m glad it’s less about new archetypes to choose from and instead more options for existing archetypes that could be good Firebrands.

In the equipment we get some useful spy-like items like the poison ring or the quick-change outfit. The armored cloak has been added after the armored coat was added in Knights of Lastwall. It’s got a max Dex of +3 but it is flexible, so the check penalty of -1 won’t apply to athletics or acrobatics. I think it’s fair to say we all deserve a Stone of Encouragement that will telepathically whisper to us encouraging words like “You can do it!” or “Look at you go!” The once a day benefit to skill checks is great but encouraging affirmations are good for all of us. I also want to see a cape of grand entrances at play as it flows and rustles magically, granting a bonus to performance checks of +2 but also allowing you to enthrall once per day with a sweeping gesture. I did mention services earlier too and those meant for activities Firebrands can expect or others might find from them like running propaganda, safe houses when facing heat, or smuggling. A nice table is presented for the cost of these various services too.

Chapter 4 details the various Firebrand Efforts inclusive of use in different campaigns and activities across the world. We’ll save that for next time as we review the lore contained within and future implications. It’s important to think of the future after all as Firebrands seek justice or simply to experience more! Whether you risk the daredevil’s challenge or want to play up the rebels fighting injustice, I encourage you to invest in Firebrands! 

We should also cheer for those out in our community doing the same. I’m so glad for those dedicated to celebrating the community, fighting for change, and supporting those in need. WatchTableTop is bringing gaming news to us. Gaming news by gamers including Michaelle Nguyen Bradley and Xander Jeanneret! Be sure to check out their Kickstarter! Due to the unfortunate and outright terrible policies and other political measures being actioned in Florida, a charity bundle TTRPGS for Trans Rights in Florida has been organized to raise funds for Zebra Youth and Transinclusive Group. It was started by Rue Dickey who helped organize the TTRPGS for Trans Rights in Texas bundle last year. It’s already gained over $100K and growing. There’s great games in the bundle including Wanderhome, which I got to play and loved back in 2021. Check out the bundle and consider buying in at only $5 for all 505 items!

https://twitter.com/IlanaNight13/status/1635338979255148547

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands cover, Paizo

1. Beacons Across the Inner Sea excerpt, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
2. Life As A Firebrand excerpt, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
3. Chapter 2: Among the Firebrands banner image, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
4. Passenger, Notable Figures of Chapter 2, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo
5. Shensen, Notable Figures of Chapter 2, Pathfinder Lost Omens Firebrands, Paizo

I mean you didn’t really think we’d be able to get out of the Treasure Vault in just one go, right? Last time I highlighted what the various chapters had to offer, but there’s some juicy in-story details woven in as well! Of course I love the art that can inspire PCs when they see what they just found or the stories told in some of the images. Looks like Fumbus got a little excited (see above) as he started exploring for example. But it’s the lore, the Age of Lost Omens, and the great story unfolding within Golarion that always excites me as a storyteller. One of the best ways to make the world feel alive around your players’ characters is to be able to punctuate what is happening around them. Also, while I do value the improv, including some consistent narrative details is exciting. And dang it, some of these mysteries are too juicy to ignore!

Rage Of… Dragons?

As I said before I love how this book is framed narratively with Valashinaz, a collector of all things treasure who just happens to be an ancient underwolf dragon, and Purepurin their seneschal and curator, as well as steward kobold from one of many tribes of kobolds who have longed served Valashinaz. This isn’t merely a bit of fun in the Vault, though if it had been that would’ve been fine. Nope. Besides starting every chapter with a perspective from one of the two, we also get sidebars (yes, love those sidebars) and other perspective details from the two. They even start with a two page detail of the Vault’s owner and curator giving us backgrounds on the two. Considering Rage of Elements and the ever-unfolding tales of the Age of Lost Omens (i.e. adventures and adventure paths), I would be shocked if we don’t see the two again. The dragon’s first paragraph paints some tales of her having an elven companion and fighting a kraken while another warns not to deal with her in bad faith. The former shows promise for heroics and the latter is a neutral, fair story. Perhaps one day our heroes will need something from Valashinaz’s Vault… EDIT: I’ll add that a recent blog post sees many of the contributors referencing working on Rage of Elements. Coincidence? I think not!

Valashinaz shows both self-actualized hubris (she is a dragon after all) but a bit of humility that belies perhaps some faith in the inevitably of things like Groetus. In speaking to the Armor & Armaments of that chapter, Valashinaz speaks to the varied items of those who come to fight the dragon. Yet she speaks of the day when some party will be her downfall. More foreshadowing? Maybe, but what I like of this chapter is the variety of individuals who have presumably come and gone adventuring in the vault. Many cultures and groups are represented and that is also good for the world-building of Golarion. There’s Mantis Shell armor for those Red Mantis Assassins as well as Hellknight Half Plate and the O-Yoroi armor that is clearly modeled after the armor of Samurai from Japan. It’s not just armor as there are shields for a Helmsman or the Starfall Shield made of adamantine. There are other items from historically asian cultures including weapons like the meteor hammer, three-section naginata, and hook swords. As Golarion has various lands and cultures that are meant to accentuate and celebrate the diversity in our own world, I’ll remind all to research the history of these items and weave them into your tales. Don’t play an adventure in Tian Xia without considering the empires of China like we need to consider South American history for Arcadia.

BREAKING NEWS: Get ready for far more adventures in Tian Xia with the announcement today from Paizo including an adventure path and not one, but two books on the lands and people!

Of People and Places

We get more cultural inspiration for Golarion in the Alchemical Foods with a few world references like Warding Punch being a Thassilonian recipe or Witch’s Finger being an invention of Irriseni witches… Maybe it is. Only way to know for sure is to get the Treasure Vault. It’s definitely not something an ice cream shop invented to sell kids. Of course, in your story maybe that ice cream shop owner from New Stetven met an Irriseni witch. That sort of detail is always up to you. We get more Fulus as well, which were first introduced in Secrets of Magic and I pointed out in the last article have cultural significance you should be familiar with if you use them. We get Spellgun ammunition and while not called out, the Beast Gunner archetype is from a practice developed in Arcadia while guns are a product of Alkenstar and certainly some blend magic with it, perhaps in Nex to the north. There’s also many items from armor, weapons, potions, talismans for draconic reference. This doesn’t mean anything from a lore perspective that I can easily conclude other than the obvious owner of this Vault and perhaps the idea we’ll see more dragons popping up. The Dragon Handwraps, an Apex Item, is another example. They’re silk and not scales, but a red dragon is featured for the flaming nature. Maybe a thematic item we’ll see in an adventure path. Again, Rage of Elements seems likely considering dragons typically have that elemental connection.

The Treasure Vault keeps plenty of items agnostic of Golarion materials but as we get deeper into the book, more tied to the world pop up. Harrow Spellcards are definitely a Golarion item, and we know a Harrow-based adventure path is coming. I like that Stolen Fate starts at level 11 as a quick aside. There’s a Varisian Emblem tattoo born the Varisian tattoos that they themselves can from the Thassilonian magic before them. Varisian nomads and people have a strong Romani feel, and I love that inheritor of magic especially with our iconic sorcerer Seoni. The Varisian Emblems let you know the language of Varisia or get a bonus to diplomacy on top of the spells they let you cast. Since it’s considered a level 3 magic tattoo I expect we’ll see more of them in adventures. Meanwhile the Lyrakien Staff is not attributed to a people but a religion as they were first made by Desnans after the lyrakien azatas. If you’ve got a Thaumaturge in your party then they will be thrilled with all the new things, or cultural information, to associate with them whether magical or not. You’ve also got the Bellflower Toolbelt meant for those in the Bellflower Network to hide their contraband amongst alleged tools of the trade. The weaving in of locations, peoples, religions, and organizations presents a healthy representation with these Vault items.

These Are The Arti-facts, Sir

But okay, let me just go next to artifacts. Cayden’s Tankard is presented in its level 25 glory! Apparently “the accidental god wasn’t the only one who achieved apotheosis over his 3-day test” so sayeth the Treasure Vault right there under the entry. The tankard is effectively a weapon (a light hammer) and we learn its imbued with Cayden’s courage. I had a pirate inquisitor who’d have loved to have this! I appreciate one ability is to swiggle the beverage within to counter fear for those around you. What’s interesting to me (well more interesting) is the destruction of it requires a lawful evil creature to bring the tankard into Starstone Cathedral, drink from it, and return outside, which will shatter the tankard. That really makes me wonder if a certain Lawful Evil entity (Asmodeus) or some associated devil helped Cayden get to where he is.

There’s many other cool artifacts, and you should definitely check out the relics and archetype artifacts like I mentioned last article, but we also get the Whisperer of Souls. It’s the glaive that Shelyn gave to her half-brother Dou-Bral. Who’s Dou-Bral? Oh sorry, you know him as Zon-Kuthon, patron of Nidal. The entry says Shelyn took it back from Zon-Kuthon fear it had aided in his corruption. Well the ability it has to allow an occultism check to act as a Legend Lore might be part of it. That critical failure that turns you toward evil and fills you with forbidden knowledge and wicked secrets sure seems like it might have. Basically, Zon-Kuthon knows about all the dark evils and unknowable terrors in the vast darkness between the stars because of this glaive. Whispers of danger and dread glaive is more like it. It drinks the souls of your enemies after all. I’m sorry Shelyn, but where did you get this? Why would you give this to your brother? I can’t really blame a deity for going a bit mad and consumed with darkness after his sister “gifts” him with such a blade. I blame Shelyn y’all. If Ateran over at Roll for Combat ever finds out, they might too. Maybe Nocticula can help redeem the knower of terrors.

Dark & Foreshadowing

The Blighted Boons have some story-long implications. They’re great for a full game or a long arc for a character. The Void Fragment refers to a crystalline wisp who wanted to master all of mind and space. It feels like a psychic danger to me, and a reminder of the Dark Archive’s secret mystery hunt for lost pages. I loved participating in that and I highly recommend you check it out! Ultimately you have to slay a chaotic evil aberration to put off the void fragment and its strange magics. You can easily weave a tale about Ustalav, Nidal, Lastwall now, or some other dangerous location as to where to find a Void Fragment. I’m wondering if the Gatewalkers or some other path will feature one. Golarion is plumbing the depths of history, magic, and multiple cultures more and more and I thank Paizo for that. The future is in the path, and we’re even seeing Chronomancy pop up in books. Granted, this fragment also made me think of Critical Role Campaign 3 and the red moon Ruidus’ effect on people. This fragment does give you tongue, telepathy, the ability to quickly teleport, protection from mental effects. Could there be a psychic danger in Golarion’s future? Well, there already is clearly. Some of the darker, less obvious, and more noir dangers are starting to arise for Golarion. I think Paizo is positioning for some secret wars or hidden villains adventure paths or larger plot threads. You didn’t really think that Dark Archive mystery hunt was a one time marketing ploy did you?

I think it’s pretty clear you should invest in the Treasure Vault. Do it for you. Do it for your players. Do it for Valashinaz and Purepurin. Do it for the love of adventure and treasure. The options grow but with story-minded intention and really, the fun use of treasure we didn’t see as much in Pathfinder 1E because of all the “math-necessary” stat items. Now you can get the various items and enjoy all the cool abilities or rich flavor, like collecting the set items of Pharasma’s Command a relic item set with life and time abilities! Now if someone could come help me, I don’t think Valashinaz is going to let me leave and I don’t want to get stuck down here like Professor Zei in Wan Shi Tong’s library…

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Treasure Vault cover edit,  Paizo

1. Into The Vault excerpt, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
2. Potions banner image, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
3. Crackling Bubble Gum image, Alchemical Foods, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
4. Magical Tattoos banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
5. Trappings of Power banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
6. Armor & Armaments banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo

The Treasure Vault is in my hands and I’m about ready to travel to Tian Xia and find this Valashinaz, so I can get my hands on all these amazing items. We’ve three authors to thank for this including Mark Seifter, Kendra Leigh Speedling, and Michael Sayre, who is also the Design Lead! Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, and James Case are contributing designers with numerous additional writers, editors, artists, and more working as a team to deliver this treasure trove.

The frame up of this book has a wonderful narrative approach much like Secrets of Magic, Book of the Dead, and Dark Archive before it. This time we get to explore the vast vault of one underworld dragon, Valashinaz, and her leading steward, the kobold Purepurin. As you might have guesses, Valashinaz’s vault is beneath Tian Xia with a thousand or more chambers to house their treasures. There’s common treasure but a number of greater secreted items like artifacts. It’s noted too that the dragon favors various inventions and alchemy. It’s a perfect narrative to tell and use for each chapter start with the wise Purepurin having some forewords as well.

The first chapter details Armor & Armaments. We get new armor and weapons including new traits for both along with various runes and specifically enchanted armor, shields, and weapons. One thing I appreciate is the inclusive nature of the Treasure Vault. If it’s previously published you can find it all here in the Treasure Vault, immediately clear in this first chapter. Granted we have the Archives of Nethys (thank you) to always reference, it helps to find all things treasure in one book. The 5th level assisting armor property rune is a nice addition to support those who need splints or prostheses while also allowing you to carry more bulk. The vampire-fang morningstar on the other hand made me think of a certain animated fantasy show that recently concluded its second season. The fact it heals instead of granting temporary hit points and the ability is usable once per minute makes it a great weapon in my opinion.

Alchemy Unleashed isn’t just alchemical ammunition and bombs. There’s foods to eat, tools to use, various elixir and poisons as well as items to support. The Bottled Monstrosities feels very Pokemon. The very first one is the Bottled Roc. Can you imagine unleashing a Roc for two actions? I appreciate it’s more attack action than summoned creature, as this example has the Roc grabbing two creatures then dropping them from 90’ up. But it’s not hard to imagine the possibilities. Maybe we can blend this with Battlezoo Eldamon? Then there’s the Permanent Alchemical items, which are more like armaments that utilize alchemy. I’ve heard concerns already the Alchemical Gauntlet might become too standard due to the placement of a bomb within so you can do some extra energy damage when you strike with the gauntlet. What alchemist wouldn’t like that in melee?

The next chapter details Momentary Magic! Catalysts, Fulus, Magical Ammunition, Missives, Oils, Potions, Talismans, and Wondrous Consumables! There’s a lot to review here but the catalysts have special interest to me. I enjoy playing spellcaster and like the idea of weaving in special components. I encourage component mention now, even if many spells rely primarily on verbal and somatic as two action spells. The Euphoric Loops is only 5gp, yet when you weave it into a charm, the target experiences a euphoric bliss. Yet it’s when the spell ends that the target has to make another Will save. This can stun or cause confusion! I love how this sets up turning a hostile NPC into a momentary friend and then hopefully an easy way to cause a bit of chaos or chance to get away if the spell ends. I haven’t used a Fulu yet but I love how they represent such powerful written intention as is true to their cultural significance. The Kaiju Fulu got me excited, but it doesn’t summon one. It’s more that it protects your building from being damaged by them, or anything really. Could really use more of those in a town before a big fight breaks out with major enemies, let alone a Kaiju.

The Trappings of Power chapter starts with two good sidebars. One is on assistive items and how “fantasy gaming is for everyone.” I agree completely. They remind how all should be able to see themselves reflected in their gaming. “Representation in gaming is essential to creating open and welcoming communities, so respectful use of assistance items has a place in all games and stories.” Use assistive items you find in the Vault or in previous books like Guns & Gears or Grand Bazaar, but do so with understanding and respect. There’s also an informative sidebar on music instrument use and that if benefits come from playing that item, spending an action each round to play or perform activates those abilities. Assistive Items and musical instruments can be found in this chapter as well as the expected grimoires, magical tattoos, spellhearts, staves, wands, worn items, and other held items. Apex Items – that I clearly didn’t have a good understanding of – have a section here too. They truly are Apex-level items considering they’re all level 17 and either add +2 to an ability score or raise one to 18. They feel like artifacts without having that level of power. I heavily suggest reviewing them for use in your high level games. It’s the spellhearts I went to first though. I believe it was Avi Kool who first alerted me to their exciting nature and inclusion to Secrets of Magic. Talismans are fun, but some more powerful ones that stick around granting a bit of magic but usable in different ways is both useful while flavorful. I’m very likely to bring the Enigma Mirror into my Kingmaker game considering the Thaumaturge that one friend is playing. It grants mirror image but lets you give an ally an image if connected to your armor or a thicket of knives effect if on your weapon. I imagine it’s like mirror shards anyway.

Many have been seeking new crafting rules. We have them now. Secrets Of Crafting, funny enough, is the chapter for you! The first section is that alternate set of rules you’ve heard from others on. Now you’ll be able to adjust the days it takes based upon your expertise and the level of the item. Consumables are even faster than permanent items, which is the right way to go in my humble opinion. Even so you can spend additional time beyond that set up to finish the item, reducing the cost. The more you’d normally make earning income with such a crafting check, the less you can spend crafting the item in materials. I think we’re going to see more people wanting to craft treasure now that they find value in the feats aside from the ability to make whatever they want. We get some cool downtime events for GMs like me who want to pepper some RP into long weeks of downtime. I can use these ideas of Kingmaker too like the mutation, which can actually result in a beneficial item of greater power for the crafter. The spirit magnet event also calls to me with spirits or vitae (spirits of nature) getting attracted to the process. Nature Crafting seems to help support this with rules about growing items like an elf wood-crafting their home in the trees or Darklands creatures enchanting mushrooms. The ability to make gardens for alchemists harvesting rare ingredients is a fun idea, and you can set up your own garden of betrayal for social encounters. Various lores are encouraged to be used besides Nature and the typical Crafting, which I think can lead to cool character builds.

The last section of the Secrets of Crafting detail narrative magic item creation or Story-based Crafting. I saw that header section and wondered just what crafting you’re doing in-character with stories, maybe as a bard. And while that could be true, it’s meant to express the ability to go on a quest or explore a narrative story and build up a magic item. I love TTRPGs for telling a cooperative story with friends, enjoying the improv, and developing characters and a world together. There’s a section to help you with this around items: Building a Narrative. Think of this as that quest to restore a legendary weapon to help you stop a beast. This could be very helpful in a lower magic game or to tie a specific magic item to a need. One example is creating a holy avenger for a paladin. It’s not a campaign wide story but a good series of encounters for a level 14 party. I want to try this for some low level and higher level items to help make treasure, specifically magic items, feel interesting and special even in a higher magic world. I highly recommend reading through all of the Secrets of Crafting chapter in detail.

The final chapter before we’re presented with some excellent treasure tables is the one entitled Game Master’s Trove. It’s got artifacts, cursed, and intelligent items like you might expect. There’s also more relics (and relic sets!) as well as two new special items: archetype artifacts and blighted boons. Now I want to heavily discuss some of the artifacts, primarily the Whisperer of Souls (Shelyn’s gift to her brother Dou-Bral who became Zon-Kuthon!), but I have to say that for lore discussion in my next article. I’m of course thrilled to see rules for Cayden’s Tankard too! But the blighted boons? They remind me of the 1E corruption rules. The Elder Seed that slowly turns you into a tree or the fragment of the beyond that will not only kill you but turn you into some terribly evil aberration from beyond the stars. Between that and the Whisperer of Souls I’m picking up some- No, wait for next time Rob. Back to the Archetype Artifacts! They are specifically intended “to be used in conjunction with the free archetype variant rules…” There’s only two examples but the quick and short of it is that you need the Archetype Artifact so you can take its feat with your free archetype feats. While the example they give is of a simple baker or commoner becoming a hero once they find such an item, you could weave the same theme into your core character build by making them a focused non-spellcaster individual who is gifted magic. Or perhaps they’re a spellcaster but now they are the champion of a spirit who gifts their chosen a specific item. This again is making me think of the Legend of Vox Machina Season 2 but their items were more like artifacts and relics.

We all love treasure, whether to give us more abilities or rewards after that epic dragon fight! Well borrow from one dragon’s hoard by investing in the Pathfinder Treasure Vault! Next time we’ll dig into the lore woven into this wonderful tome. We’ll see what Valashinaz is willing to give up!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo

1. Into The Vault excerpt, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
2. Purepurin and Valashinaz, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
3. Alchemical Foods banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
4. Elixirs banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
5. Staves banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
6. Archetype Artifacts banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo
7. Permanent Alchemical Items banner, Pathfinder Treasure Vault, Paizo

I hope everyone takes that to heart no matter what game they are playing. Maybe you enjoy the tactical side more than the roleplaying. Maybe you want the story more than the battles. No matter what, you’re doing something together as a group and experiencing something relatively unscripted even if maybe some lines of dialogue or next events are planned like in an Adventure Path. It likely comes as no surprise that I favor the roleplaying and the story elements. It’s why what matters to me is a truly great set of characters to meet and learn about and a world to explore. It’s why I love Golarion and the Age of Lost Omens and the line of books coming out as part of Pathfinder2E so much. But what about those other worlds, some custom but also those framed for another ruleset?

Well before I decided to try D&D 5E, my brother Corey was talking about running a Waterdeep-focused game. My group had never played in a game that stayed primarily in one area, especially a specific city. We’d been tempted to play Hell’s Rebels – an amazing path – and focus on Kintargo, but ultimately we chose to play through Strange Aeons. My brother’s first campaign that ended years ago now was focused on what could have been for Mystra and the other gods if the timeline 4E created had gone a bit differently; of course we didn’t know that at first but soon discovered we were within the Forgotten Realms or at least a pocket dimension bordering it. It’d been a Pathfinder1E game without much specific Forgotten Realms mechanics, NPCs, etc. except the gods. Thus I was now wondering if he was intending to bring us into Waterdeep: Dragon Heist or some 5E derivative.

The City of Splendors

Pathfinder he told us, not 5E. It was the campaign, the stories he loved, he wanted to explore and adventure in together like Gary Gygax said. I was excited and he wanted to start in 2020 with concerns of jumping to Pathfinder2E as the launch had just happened the previous summer. He wanted to see more options first and thought it may take too long. Well, we all know COVID shut down much of the world and changed how we worked, lived, and certainly played games. Waterdeep went on hold but this past summer, it was back on! Some of the limited magic compared to earlier editions (like flight) was a concern, but the value in the 3 action economy and other changes were too good to ignore with more and more options available at every turn. What I appreciate and respect is that my brother has chosen not to try and tackle turning everything into Pathfinder2E rules, only what he needs at the moment and letting that library grow.

For example, I had originally thought about playing a Pathfinder1E Spiritualist and while 2E’s summoner had the possibility of a ghostly or spirit-like summon, I didn’t want that. My point had been to play a spiritualist that called on the city of Waterdeep. Thus Cleric seemed right, especially with some added psychic free archetype that I flavored as my connection to the city. Rather than build out details for every Forgotten Realms deity with Pathfinder2E’s write-ups on domains, weapons, etc. my brother merely focused on what was needed to answer my and the other players’ questions. I needed to know what domains I could take and he answered with cities, magic, and protection. What about favored weapon? Oh that’s the Battleaxe. Easy to answer. We have an elf in our party and I’m intrigued to discover if he’s a moon elf, sun elf, or perhaps another. Considering all the elven heritages like Ancient Elf or Woodland Elf, it’s less about the ancestry line you came from and a bit more about your background but still all are possible. Ancient Elf seems right for Sun Elf after all.

Maybe in time he’ll prep them all, but right now he just wanted to ensure our group could tell their stories as well as have the details he needed to run the story he had in mind, or at least the tales and adventures that would add up to such. Cue countless novels, Forgotten Realms campaign and rule books, as well as an expedia-like amount of information on various wikis. It’s not so much about the 5E (or even 4E or 3E) rules translating into Pathfinder2E, but about capturing the right flavor and using the detailed material of Toril to create the City of Splendors. 

Fancy A Game?

While I haven’t seen them, I know he’s created Pathfinder2E statistics for monsters like the Beholder, the Mindflayer, the Malaugrym, and the Ghaunadan. He’s got Elminster, Khelben, Danilo Thann (we met!), PIergeiron Paladinson, Drizzt Do’Urden (of course), and then there’s the one I was hoping to meet. Elaith Craulnober, and it didn’t take too long. My brother crafted up a bit of adventure at the straight from the lore Tymora’s Fancy, the gambling hall owned by Elaith. While we had a run in with him and a few other NPCs while exploring the hall, it was the rules he crafted for the games that he’s given me to share. You could of course use these at any gambling hall or casino like the Gold Goblin in Riddleport! And if you want to ask him for stats that I can’t see, you can reach my brother here.

Asmodeus

The name itself is seductive, but it’s merely a card game… unless he’s watching?

How to Play

1. All players contribute 1 Silver Shard to the pot
2. Dealer – public d20 | Others – secret d20, then bets/bluffs/folds
3. Dealer – public d10| Others – secret d10, then bets/bluffs/folds
4. Dealer – secret d6| Others – secret d6, then bets/bluffs/folds
5. Everyone reveals their dice

How to Win

Objective is for a player’s dice to be closest to the dealer’s, however, if three rolls of the number 6 are present in the game, the Fancy wins.

In the event of a tie, players may do one of the following:

1. Agree to split the winnings evenly with the Fancy.
2. Reroll, where each player publicly identifies the die they’re rerolling.

Rainbow Race

This game is not named, but is briefly described as “gem-colored lizards who race” so I named it and made a version of horse-racing suited for a fantasy campaign.

Clockwork Castle

This game is mentioned in various texts, but few details exist outside of a short description. I took the foundation provided and ran with it.

Overseen by a Cleric of Gond, two Clockwork Knights fight “to the death” using different weapons every round. It has the violence of true dueling, but through machinery and a bit of magic no one gets hurt.

Die-spectives

Cost to Play

2 Golden Dragons, with the option to pay an additional Golden Dragon for a single “pass”.

How to Play

Requires at least 5 people to play a round. Roll a die and follow the directions below:

• 1 – remove a piece of clothing
• 2 – ask a truth of a member of the game
• 3 – take a drink, rolled at random
• 4 – reveal something personal about yourself
• 5 – give a drink to a member of the game
• 6 – flip a coin and guess correctly to ask a question of Elaith
• 7 – direct a member of the game to remove a piece of clothing
• 8 – wild

How to Win

Successfully complete all 7 die rolls, plus 1 additional.

How to Lose

Any of the following will eject you from the game:

1. No longer wearing any clothing
2. Too drunk to continue
3. Refuse to do part of the game

We actually played Die-spectives with Elaith to learn a bit of information about the city and a recent attack at a wedding…

More To Explore

You see, Tymora’s Fancy was not the only location he brought to life for us.  There’s been incredible immersion in the city and experiencing life. Using Dwarven Forge and some other accessories, our initial session started at a wedding in the City of the Dead. He created handouts on language and the calendar so we could quickly get into character as we sought out our way to be present at this wedding. I got myself invited in by way of working for two different guilds, but eventually I was just officiating. The Church of Oghma didn’t show up. Tsk tsk. A priest later told me it was on purpose because of some sign from Oghma but I’m not so sure about that. It was a tremendous first session and you can check out a glimpse of that below.

This development of campaign worlds to other rule sets – using the worlds you love to tell the stories you want – is entirely possible. I ran Dragonlance with 3.5 and then Pathfinder1E, and it wouldn’t be hard with 2E either. You could run kender as halflings for example. You want to play Eberron? There’s Automatons if you want to play a Warforged. Book of the Dead makes it easy to play monsterous and horror like Curse of Strahd. If you’re looking for a magical college like Strixhaven, then you have to attend the Magaambya. The Strength of Thousands adventure path and the Mwangi Expanse setting book are all ya need to explore a rich tutelage of magic. Of course there’s so many ways to build a character, I know I could run another all Wizards of High Sorcery Dragonlance game with 2E. It can honestly go the other way too. The diverse, rich, and exciting cultures and history of Golarion make for an amazing campaign setting. You could easily utilize it for a 5E game, a Powered by the Apocalypse game, FATE, or more.

I want you to have the best group, cooperative gaming experiences possible. Invest in the games and rulesets that help you have fun with your friends and family. You can find all manner of possibilities at your fingertips with Pathfinder2E as you seek to bring your world and campaign to life away from Dungeons & Dragons. If you’ve translated your game to Pathfinder2E or another rule set, join us on Discord and let us know! Maybe Dark Sun’s Athas should be next.  If you’ve any concept you need help translating for ancestry, class, and archetype, then I bet Vanessa could help you as she recently offered on twitter!