Early Pathfinder RPG Product Previews

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Just in case you missed the announcements and updates at Gen Con 2011, here's some news on the next few Pathfinder RPG products.

Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box


Pawns from the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box.

The Beginner Box contains:

  • A 64-page player book with information on the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard classes up to level 5; skills; feats; equipment; and rules for combat, adventuring, and how to handle leveling up.
  • A 96-page GM book with a sample adventure; information on running the game; creating a campaign; 12 pages of magic items; 24 pages of monsters; a sample campaign starting area; and advice on building your own adventures.
  • Other materials such as a Flip-Mat, three pages of cardboard pawns for PCs and monsters (see photo for an example), pregenerated characters, and a blank character sheet.

When the Beginner Box is released, we'll have additional free online content for players (the barbarian class, new spells, new feats, and new rogue talents) and GMs (an adventure, more magic items, and more monsters). The Beginner Box directs players and GMs to look online for this additional content.

Bestiary 3

This 320-page book has 283 pages of monsters, including new monster categories such as clockwork, demodand, div, kami, and kyton (some of which are subtypes). If you're a GM running a high-level game, you'll find 36 monsters at CR 15 or higher (more than 20 of which aren't outsiders).

Advanced Race Guide

This comprehensive guide to rules on fantasy races includes 10 pages on each race in the Core Rulebook (including humans), six pages each on featured races such as aasimar, catfolk, goblins, orcs, and tieflings, two pages each on uncommon races such as duergar, gillmen, kitsune, and suli, and a 38-page chapter on designing your own balanced 0-HD races.

Ultimate Equipment

This is a collection of all the nonmagical and magical gear we've published, updated and all in one place, and that's only half of this book. It'll also include random magic item tables for everything in the book, with items sorted by slot to make it easier to finish up gear for PC and NPCs.

Sean K Reynolds
Designer/Developer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
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Dark Archive

So, ARC will have catfolk. Some people will be happy about it. I wonder if the recent Thundercats reboot has something to do with that.

And will Ultimate Equipment reprint all the equipment from the Core Rulebook, the APG and UC, too?

Shadow Lodge

Sean did you just say Catfolk in the ARG?

Because Cat Girls scare me. ;p

But on the other hand I can finally make the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kobalds.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

dartnet wrote:

Sean did you just say Catfolk in the ARG?

Because Cat Girls scare me. ;p

But on the other hand I can finally make the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kobalds.

It ends badly:

Spoiler:
I did that, with monk kobolds. The rogue in the party bluffs "I am the Shredder, flee!" Natural 20 on his check, followed by a natural one on mine...

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

So Ultimate Equipment doesn't contain new magic and mundane items? Just reprints, rule updates and tables?

Dark Archive

I suspect catfolk will be a race in the upcoming bestiary 3


Six pages each on catfolk, aasimar, and tieflings? I'm sold.

After the Beginner's Box is out (and only due to budget limitations), I'm subscribing. The fact that the third bestiary will include a clockwork subtype is just icing on an already delicious cake.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Necromancer wrote:

Six pages each on catfolk, aasimar, and tieflings? I'm sold.

After the Beginner's Box is out (and only due to budget limitations), I'm subscribing. The fact that the third bestiary will include a clockwork subtype is just icing on an already delicious cake.

So it's safe to say that the subtype has you wound up?


Nice. Have catfolk been placed in Golarion anywhere yet? I could see Southern Garund...?
Nice to see more info on Gill-men and Suli. I wouldn´t mind an ´update´ on Suli stats... (vs. Qadira Companion)

Dark Archive

I'm not sure about clockwork being a subtype. Demodand, div, kami, and kyton probably are, so 'some' would not be the best choice of words if clockwork were a subtype, too. Golems aren't a subtype, either.


I could see Kami being it´s own type...


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Galnörag wrote:
So Ultimate Equipment doesn't contain new magic and mundane items? Just reprints, rule updates and tables?
It says:
Quote:
... and that's only half of this book.


Ten pages on EACH of the core races... hasn't there already been a book for each race published? Or do those not count because they're Golarion focused?

I think it should be flipped there, with 6 pages for each of the core seven, and 10 pages for less established races. That will even them out more. I doubt it will change, but maybe there's time... maybe I'm a minority anyway.

And I hope there's a construct race (stone, metal, I don't care).


I put Catfolk in Arcadia. The wife played a (Very) lost catfolk in Kingmaker and really loved it. This was, of course, a house ruled version of the catfolk from Races of the Wild.


I was looking at those pawns for the Beginner box and I noticed the Giant Centipede is running over mushrooms/toadstools. I missed that before. I think that could be considered an homage to the game Centipede.

Also, is that a World War I zombie? Are those images for zombie and skeleton from something previously published.

Shadow Lodge

Matthew: LOL. Maybe I should just stick with Captain Andoran.

Foghammer: If there isn't one then there is 36 pages on how to add one. :)

Wolf: WWI zombies with shovels were doomed.


Will the Core and APG items be reprinted too? Adventurer's Armory? Literally an "Ultimate" collection?

Will there be chapters covering (magic) item creation in deal? Including special items, intelligent, cursed, possessed, artefact, and-so-forth?


Matthew Morris wrote:
Necromancer wrote:

Six pages each on catfolk, aasimar, and tieflings? I'm sold.

After the Beginner's Box is out (and only due to budget limitations), I'm subscribing. The fact that the third bestiary will include a clockwork subtype is just icing on an already delicious cake.

So it's safe to say that the subtype has you wound up?

Safe. Anytime Paizo publishes something similar to homebrewed/converted content I use in my games on a weekly basis, that "key" turns a little tighter. The more I see, the more I'm convinced Paizo's going to eventually publish everything I need for my games (mechanics-wise).

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Galnörag wrote:
So Ultimate Equipment doesn't contain new magic and mundane items? Just reprints, rule updates and tables?

There will be plenty of new nonmagical and magical equipment in the book. It's not "half the stuff you've seen before, half random magic item tables." Because that would suck.


Unless Ultimate Equipment has rules for motorcycles or something equally cool, I'm not interested. Between the Advanced Player's Guide and Ultimate Combat, there's plenty of gear available already.

It's good to know that the Advanced Race Guide will include races from the Jade Regent adventure path, and I hope Bestiary 3 has enough clockwork monsters to justify the new category.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Foghammer wrote:
Ten pages on EACH of the core races... hasn't there already been a book for each race published? Or do those not count because they're Golarion focused?

1) Those don't really "count" because they're Golarion-focused.

2) Also, because most of those race books is flavor (non-rules). This book is rules, rules rules rules rules, with a little bit of basic flavor (like what you see in the Core Rulebook). Rules = feats, favored class options, archetypes, alternate racial abilities, and so on.

The core rulebook line isn't the place to insert a large amount of history, personality, and so on about each race, because we don't want to tell you how it should be in your campaign. And, even if we did so, the core rulebook line isn't world-specific, so we'd be stuck either creating Golarion info for these races, or creating "generic" world info on those races... which most GMs would ignore as it may not mesh with their ideas for the race. To put it another way, we could do six pages of Golarion flavor on catfolk, or six pages of "generic" flavor on catfolk, or one page of flavor and five pages of cool mechanics bits for catfolk so you (player or GM) can customize how you want catfolk to be in your world, whether that's Golarion or some other place.

And that's all I'm saying about it right now!


Wait...catfolk? Catfolk? I believe this is best expressed thusly.

Still keeping my fingers crossed for the nuckelavee to be in B3.


Galnörag wrote:
So Ultimate Equipment doesn't contain new magic and mundane items? Just reprints, rule updates and tables?

That was a pretty terrible write-up for it.

That said, here is how many items we have in the major hardbacks:

  • Core Rulebook: 26 pages of mundane items, 90 pages of magical items. A total of 116 pages.
  • Advanced Player's Guide: 14 pages of mundane items, 38 pages of magical items. A total of 52 pages.
  • Inner Sea World Guide: 4 pages of mundane items, 4 pages of magical items. A total of 8 pages.
  • Adventurer's Armoury: 28 pages of mundane items (some of which was reprinted in the APG).
  • Ultimate Combat: 22 pages of mundane items.
  • Classic Treasures Revisited: Assuming the item stats only, 11 pages of magical items.
  • Faction Guide: 3 pages of magical items.
  • Faiths of Balance: 2 pages of magical items.
  • Halflings of Golarion: 1 page of mundane items.
  • Pathfinder Society Field Guide: 2 pages of mundane items, 7 pages of magical items. A total of 9 pages.
  • Seeker of Secrets: 3 pages of mundane items, 14 pages of magical items. A total of 17 pages.
  • Books I don't have: approximately 20 pages.
That's roughly 289 pages worth of items. Oh crap. I was hoping to say "that's not even half of the book. No need to worry." But it's actually more pages then Ultimate Magic has.

I'm sure a paizo staff member will chime in to highlight the original items this book will have to put our fears to rest.

[EDIT]: Ninja'd by Sean K. Reynolds. Assuming they don't reprint magical items from the Core Rulebook and APG, that's 161 pages for reprinted content assuming they reprint EVERYTHING (not a safe assumption). Might I say damn Paizo has produced a lot of items for Pathfinder.


Catfolk?

Hmmmmm, Will we ever see Tibits again? <3
I *loved* them!


Charles Poltenson wrote:

Hmmmmm, Will we ever see Tibits again? <3

I *loved* them!

Not unless permission is granted, which I sincerely doubt.

But I know where you're coming from. Tibbits (and diaboli) were awesome.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.

We're about a year away from the release date for Ultimate Combat, which is another way of saying the book itself isn't even outlined yet. As a result, it's WAY too early for us to start revealing details on the book. Have patience, folks!

(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

Sovereign Court

James Jacobs wrote:

We're about a year away from the release date for Ultimate Combat, which is another way of saying the book itself isn't even outlined yet. As a result, it's WAY too early for us to start revealing details on the book. Have patience, folks!

(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

[snicker]Ooo! I want Ninjas and Samurai alt classes based on rogues and cavaliers. And maybe a class that gives some love to guns and the Mana Wastes (secretly because it's a core rulebook yo)...[/snicker]

--I wanna Vrock. VROCK!


James Jacobs wrote:
(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

I usually try very hard to avoid negativity. That said, you're asking. I've got at least one hardcover of each of the rules books. I've got Adventurer's Armory. For me, the vast majority of equipment rules and tables you've printed, I've got.

A book like this is used (I would think) at two times: character creation and DM treasure assignment. At both of those speed-of-access is a non-issue, really. A compilation wouldn't do me any meaningful good, personally. What is useful is the more part. New and interesting mundane and magical items... more, more, more. Both the player and DM in me calls for this.

I'd like to see new special materials out of which things could be constructed. I'd like to see new special properties that can be applied to magical gear. I'd like to see non-+1 equivalent static priced attributes that can be applied to gear. "Resilient - anyone trying to dispel spells currently active upon you suffer a -1 penalty to their caster level checks... adds x,000gp to the price of armor." << That sort of thing.

There's still plenty of room to play with rules without "wasting" pages on reprinted anything. Frankly this is neat opportunity to solicit community submissions for raw concepts. "Armor property that increases Max Dex." Paizo takes the raw idea, names it, balances it, sells me a book containing it. Not unlike RPG Superstar, only more primitive.

So hey. You asked. That said, I accept not everyone is me, so I'm not going to all Goblin, burning down the town because I don't get my way.


James Jacobs wrote:

We're about a year away from the release date for Ultimate Combat, which is another way of saying the book itself isn't even outlined yet. As a result, it's WAY too early for us to start revealing details on the book. Have patience, folks!

(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

You all heard the T-Rex, get posting your wishes, if you want a chance for it to be included.

As you have about 3-4 months for Advanced Race Guide with a solid chance of it getting looked at.

Advanced Race Guide Wish list

if I am wrong on the time lines, I am wrong. but it is to make a point, that time is running out

Edit fixed an error

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Azure_Zero wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

We're about a year away from the release date for Ultimate Combat, which is another way of saying the book itself isn't even outlined yet. As a result, it's WAY too early for us to start revealing details on the book. Have patience, folks!

(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

You all heard the T-Rex, get posting your wishes, if you want a chance for it to be included.

As you have about 1 month for a chance at Bestiary wishes (guessing) and about 3-4 months for Advanced Race Guide with a solid chance of it getting looked at.

Advanced Race Guide Wish list

Bestiary III Wish list

if I am wrong on the time lines, I am wrong. but it is to make a point, that time is running out

IIRC the monster list for Bestiary III is locked for some time.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Gorbacz wrote:
IIRC the monster list for Bestiary III is locked for some time.

Correct. I'm actually about 2/3 the way through copyfitting and final development on each and every monster. Which is another way of saying a little LESS than 2/3 of the book is well into editing, and chunks of it are in the last stage of final edits.

Well beyond the point now where we can make significant changes to the monster list for that book.


Quandary wrote:

Nice. Have catfolk been placed in Golarion anywhere yet? I could see Southern Garund...?

Nice to see more info on Gill-men and Suli. I wouldn´t mind an ´update´ on Suli stats... (vs. Qadira Companion)

Advanced Race Guide, like all the other hardcovers in the Core RPG line, will be setting neutral, so there won't be anything Golarion-specific in it such as where you would find catfolk. What this book will really need is a Campaign Setting book to go along with it, giving setting-specific details for each of the new races that end up being canon for Golarion.

Dark Archive

There was a mention about artifacts showing up in the UE guide during the Paizo 2012 seminar at Gencon.

Sovereign Court

I think one of the most important things Ultimate Equipment could have is the clasic diagram of magic item slots on the body, AND something like a virtual backpack/Handy Haversack/Bag of Holding.

I know my players forget about important pieces of gear they've stowed in back packs/Handy Haversacks/Bags of Holding that could be critical at key moments of the game. I've given out Gamemastery Item Cards as reminders but they tend to get shuffled to the side. A more visually enticing format for recording treasure that goes with their character sheets would be a big hit for my group.

More storage items that improve Action Economy. Bandoliers, potion belts, Adventurers sashes, Belts of many pouches... mundane items that give some minor mechanical benefits for players using them.

--Masterwork Vrock Picks


Anguish wrote:
A book like this is used (I would think) at two times: character creation and DM treasure assignment. At both of those speed-of-access is a non-issue, really. A compilation wouldn't do me any meaningful good, personally.

Just to comment on the speed of access issue, another time that items would be needed is when the PCs go shopping. Either the GM will need it in order to populate the inventory of each of the stores in the settlement, in which case speed of access isn't an issue. However that's a lot of work. What seems more common is for PCs to flip through the books and create a list of items they wish to purchase. This can't always be done between sessions and so speed of access does become an issue.

I personally love the idea of magical items being sorted by slot rather then the current setup. However reprinting hardcovers would require more pages then this book is likely to have (by my very rough estimates above which are by no means 100% accurate). I think items from the APG and Corerulebook could be included in the tables at the beginning of each slot with an * or ^ to denote which book they came from. This would only require (roughly) 10 pages from the Core Rulebook and 4 pages from the Advanced Player's Guide. I think 5% of the book's content for ease of reference is a good compromise.

That said, for items from the floppy books, I'm not too keen very much, if any of it getting reprinted. These books are largely thematic and so will only be referenced when it fits a certain theme. Keeping them separated by theme helps say "items from that book can't be found in this region."

As for what else I'd like to see:

  • Developed and unified rules for equipment feats. At the moment these feats seem to be all over the place, and it would be much easier to understand them and use them if they were united (much like the background traits system were in the APG).
  • Heirloom weapons - Guidelines and examples for creating magical items (doesn't have to just be weapons) that have a historical legacy that are balanced for a character to use them from level 1 to level 20. I'm imagining properties that become unlocked after certain conditions have been met (can be as mundane as reaching a certain level. Although for GM created heirloom weapons, they could be unlocked after a certain event has occurred).
  • Low-Magic Item Campaigns - It might seem an odd request for Ultimate Equipment, but guidelines for how to keep PCs balanced without needing magic items (perhaps they gain bonuses for attack, AC and Saving Throws as they reach certain levels).

    Having a way for parties to heal between battles that doesn't rely on having sticks of cure light wounds would be awesome.

  • Animal Companion Magic Items - Guidelines for magical items that animal companions can use. At the moment they're able to utilise any magical item that can anatomically be strapped to them. So a Dwarven Belt strapped to a horse suddenly means we've got Mr. Ed who speaks fluent dwarven.

That's it. For now ;)

Grand Lodge

Hmm! I wonder how many of the Basic Games pawns revealed here will actually end up as a miniature in Heroes and Monsters. We have seen the Dire Rat. We know we are getting two Goblins and a skeleton. I may be willing to wager we will see most of these in miniature; and based on this art.

Very Cool! I have to admit and please don't tell anyone, but I am quite fond of Pathfinder Goblins.

Later,

Mazra

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

A lot, but not all, of the creatures shown above are in Heroes & Monsters. Of those, a lot, but not all, are based on the above illustrations. :)


For Ultimate Equipment, I'll second a paper doll sheet for item slots on the body, with each slot having a list below it of common types of things that could go in that slot like googles, kilts, masks, boots, belts, bandoleers, rings, armor, robe, clothing, and so on.


James Jacobs wrote:
(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

A tonne of mundane equipment. I try not to run my games like Diablo II where players can trip over a 1HD skeleton and find magical loot. Specifically, I'd like to see...

Reasonable requests:
- new special materials
- dangerously-close-to-steampunk gear
- alchemical items
- more trade goods and complex items (anything clockwork, really)
- typical luxury items (or at least a guideline)
- any kind of early medical equipment (I need things to fill abandoned asylum "operating" rooms...)

Straying-from-traditional-fantasy requests:
- vehicles and siege gear
- alternative potion/alchemy delivery options (syringes, etc.)
- actual steampunk tech
- science fiction gear (laser weaponry, spaceships, etc.)


I don´t know if it´s possible, but SLIGHTLY :-) broadening the scope of this book to include Ultimate Equipment and Animal Companions would broaden the potential audience tremendously IMHO. Not just Animal Companions either, but more pets and uses for them and toys for them that are usable by anybody who can buy/train them. Since those should be purchasable just like other gear, it seems reasonable to include here.


Catfolk...really...for real... AWESOME

What are Tibits?

Grand Lodge

Erik Mona wrote:

A lot, but not all, of the creatures shown above are in Heroes & Monsters. Of those, a lot, but not all, are based on the above illustrations. :)

That Works! Thanks ;)

Shadow Lodge

on with the others above on catfolk, construct races, plant races, and yes to tibbits though what I would really love to see is the shifter races of eberron return have too many players that I've had to home brew in and would love to see a true treatment. Problem is I don't think we'll be seeing the warforged-esque and shifter races maybe for a long time (Numeria for construct race i pray with fervent hope). But for those who are looking for a playable construct race now you may want to check out the Ironborn from Rite publishing as it a very well done treatment on a construct race and for insect races you may want to look into the entobians from alluria publishing.


Dragon78 wrote:
What are Tibits?

Catweres. That is, sapient cats that can polymorph themselves into vaguely feline-looking halfling-sized humanoids.

Don't want a spoiler for the second Dresden Files book, don't click!:
Kind of like Tera from Fool Moon. Except as a kitteh.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:

We're about a year away from the release date for Ultimate Combat, which is another way of saying the book itself isn't even outlined yet. As a result, it's WAY too early for us to start revealing details on the book. Have patience, folks!

(In the meantime, post to let us know what YOU might want to see in such a book!)

Something that lets a barehanded monk enhance his unarmed strike without the natural attacks baggage the AoMF has. Something that preserves the flavor of a monk whose entire body is his weapon. Anything from rituals that the monk can research and perform himself or some alternate method to allow his body to be enhanced directly through more conventional means.

Options for martial characters to make them less dependant on magical gear. Folded into that could be options for what(if any) magical gear they choose to use growing with the character to avoid the "out with the old, in with the new" disposable gear syndrome.

More flavorful approaches to items like magic tattoos, implanting methods for ioun stones, and such.

More African weapons and armor!

Artifical limbs and/or other magical body modifying gear?


Necromancer wrote:

- alternative potion/alchemy delivery options (syringes, etc.)

There's a weapon called a "syringe spear" in the Adventurer's Armory which is exactly that.


Generic Villain wrote:
Necromancer wrote:

- alternative potion/alchemy delivery options (syringes, etc.)

There's a weapon called a "syringe spear" in the Adventurer's Armory which is exactly that.

The derro toy works fine as a weapon, but I'd like a normal syringe (or an antiquated equivalent).

Dark Archive

Sean K Reynolds wrote:
Galnörag wrote:
So Ultimate Equipment doesn't contain new magic and mundane items? Just reprints, rule updates and tables?
There will be plenty of new nonmagical and magical equipment in the book. It's not "half the stuff you've seen before, half random magic item tables." Because that would suck.

Sean, does it include all the magical items from the core rulebook? And if so, will all/some of them be updated or revised, or simply reprinted?

Dark Archive

Okay, it turns out I was wrong. The Clockwork subtype already exists, it's on page 256 of the Inner Sea World Guide.

clockwork (Inner Sea World Guide)
demodand (have a subtype in ToH)
div (have a subtype in LoF)
kami (nonevil equivalent of oni who have a subtype)
kyton (have a subtype in the Bestiary as well as in CoT)

No mention of an asura section (who had a subtype in CotCT and CoT), but they didn't mention oni either who are pretty much confirmed to be in.

The inclusion of demondands also seems to imply that Bestiary III will have ToH monsters beside the ones from the Bonus Bestiary.


LoreKeeper wrote:


Will there be chapters covering (magic) item creation in deal?

Oh please this, 1000 times.

Really looking forward to Ultimate Equipment, as I have several item creation feats and this book just opens up my options for magic items to make.

My DM is going to absolutely love the Advanced Race Guide, as he always has liked to play monster races, and create his own.


Hhm spotted a few errors in the Pawn images gor the beginners box above.
Don't get me wrong I love the reuse of Paizo owned (and very smexy) art.

But...

>Thats a Tenebrus worm not a Giant Centipede

>Thats a Dream Spider not a Giant spider (tho it could be a giant dream spider)

>Thats a Salt Wight from AP#38 not a zombie

>Thats a Dire Wolf, not a regular Wolf

>And the Generic Orc depicts the Half-Orc Rage Prophet iconic from the APG.

Hoping thats a draft...

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