Illustration by David Bircham

Half-Elf, All Druid, No Tree Hugging

Monday, April 20, 2009

When you think of characters in game-world fiction, what first comes to mind are the fighters, wizards, and rogues. Priests are fine if they're sufficiently powerful and conflicted, otherwise, not so much. Bards generally play second fiddle, you should pardon the expression, and paladins are seldom cast in starring roles. The druids, apparently, are too busy communing with nature to bother with fiction.

Since the publication of my first shared-world book, Elfshadow, in 1991, I've hit most of the character classes with the exception of the druid. Channa Ti, the protagonist of the Pathfinder's Journal fiction in the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, is my first.

I started with a typical D&D druid—a serene mystic who dwells in emerald groves, nurturing the woodland creatures and healing hapless passersby with potions brewed from rare herbs and crafted from recipes learned at the feet of wise, benevolent elven mentors. And then I put him in a cage match with Channa and observed while she stomped him into organic fertilizer.

Sometimes the creative process takes interesting turns.

Once I started thinking seriously about druids, one of Tennyson's more famous quatrains came to mind:

Who trusted God was love indeed
   And love Creation's final law—
   Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed—

Why should druids embody calm serenity and selfless love rather than "Nature, red in tooth and claw"? Surely some druids would be more closely attuned to nature's predators. This notion was central to Channa Ti's creation. To her way of thinking, "A paladin's noble steed must eat, but then, so must a crocodile."

Another inspiration came from Pathfinder's ingenious addition to the druid class: the Nature Bond, which allows druids to specialize in one of the domains—Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water, or Weather—rather than forming a partnership with a companion animal. Since Channa is a loner by nature and circumstances, this suited her perfectly. An affinity for water also gives her considerable value in a desert clime. An expert dowser, she occasionally pays her way as a "water witch." Her ability to sense a coming rain is highly valued in a culture that still mourns the passing of the Age of Prophecy and is always seeking some way to foresee the future. Finally, her affinity with water gives her skills that interest people obsessed with an ancient, sea-swallowed realm.

Nature Bond offers intriguing potential for character development and storytelling, not just for fiction, but also for campaign use. For those of you who've never played a druid—and I'm guessing that's most of you—the Pathfinder setting is a great place to start.

Elaine Cunningham
Contributor

Snagged from the Vault: Ratsheek

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

For those of you who have been following the adventures of the druid Pathfinder Channa Ti in Elaine Cunningham's "Dark Tapestry" Pathfinder's Journal, as featured in the , we bring you the visage of Ratsheek, the villainous gnoll, as depicted by artist David Bircham...

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Illustration by David Bircham

Osirion, Land of the Ph-rickin' Awesome

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Part of the joy of being an editorial intern is getting to read all the goodness that is Pathfinder. For free. And before the rest of the world. Recently, I was asked to give an editing pass over a few chapters of the new Pathfinder's Journal, "Dark Tapestry," penned by the prolific and outrageously talented Elaine Cunningham (seriously, who wouldn't want this job?!).

Set in the desert realm of Osirion, this new Pathfinder story does everything a piece of fiction set in an RPG campaign world should do: it reveals believable and interesting characters, it brings the setting to life, and most of all, it makes me want to play a Pathfinder campaign set in Osirion right now.

Really though, the story highlights for me everything I really enjoy about Pathfinder. There is a touch of the familiar, but at the same time, never once can I say, "Hey, I've been here before." While reading the Pathfinder's Journal, I recognized many well-known aspects—a magical item here, a class-name drop there—and even though I have been playing RPGs since I was in junior high, never once did I feel like it was just another tired rehash. And while Osirion clearly draws inspiration from ancient Egypt, never once does it feel like a shallow interpretation of real-life history. While reading Elaine Cunningham's words, it truly felt that if I could somehow peel back the crawling desert sands, it would reveal the bones of countless centuries, a deep, rich, and lived history filled with epic stories and sweeping tales of heroism and tragedy, of which the PCs' adventures comprise only the latest chapter.

So I think I'm going to slip on some sandals, slap on some sunscreen, and head on back over to Osirion. See you there!

Hank Woon
Paizo Editorial Intern

Eando's Final Bow

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

When we first started the Pathfinder's Journal, back in Pathfinder #1, we really didn't know what it was going to be. Was it a travel guide? An in-character support article? A series of standalone short stories?

By the time we reached Pathfinder #2, however, it was clear that what Pathfinder really needed was something different—a straight-up epic fantasy story with a familiar character who would give us fun world details, yes, but who would also pull people through them via a fast-paced narrative. Something that GMs, players, and even non-gaming fantasy enthusiasts could pick up and use to immediately get a sense of Golarion. And to do that, we needed a protagonist. Enter Eando Kline.

Eando's story arc has taken numerous directions since those early days, as we grew ever more ambitious with his destiny. What started as standalone travel journals became adventure-path-spanning short stories and finally a full 18-part novella leading him halfway across our world to confront the mysterious leaders of the Pathfinder Society—and all stemming from that mysterious little box he runs across in his first episode.

Many quality authors have helped to shape Eando since his conception two years ago, and through his adventures shaped parts of Golarion: before Eando's travels took him there, we knew next to nothing about Belkzen, Kaer Maga, or any number of other locations in northwest Varisia. Moreover, he gave us an archetype to work from in designing the Pathfinder Society. It wasn't always easy reconciling so many different voices and styles—something that's been my department since The Hook Mountain Massacre—but in doing so Eando became a living, breathing character, chock-full of flaws and little moments of heroism.

And now, after 18 episodes, his story is coming to a close.

It was my honor to write the final chapter in Eando's saga, and I hope that when it arrives in your mailbox or local game store you'll find it a fitting conclusion for Golarion's first action hero. Along with the story, you'll also find a two-page NPC write-up with Eando's post-conclusion stat block and featuring this awesome character portrait from Jason Engle—a little thank-you present to all those readers who've been asking us "So is Eando a bard, or what?" for the last 18 months.

Starting with Pathfinder #19, all of the Pathfinder's Journals in a given adventure path will be by a single author, and feature a single story arc with a new protagonist. For Legacy of Fire, that's New York Times bestselling author Elaine Cunningham, who'll be introducing us to Channa Ti, a half-elven, half-Mwangi water druid making her way through Katapesh and Osirion in search of a lost city and an imprisoned god. Talk about exotic—even Eando would approve.

Eando Kline may be back someday—his type always tends to pop up just when you least expect it—but for now, at least, his sun has set, and it's time for some new heroes to take the stage. I hope you've enjoyed his story. I know I have.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye...

James Sutter
Pathfinder Editor