Mundane Necessities

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Illustration by Vincent Dutrait

This summer we're unleashing Ultimate Equipment, a massive tome full of all sorts of equipment both magical and nonmagical. Last time, Sean asked you about what kind of items you would like to see in the book, and we got a bunch of magic item ideas. This week we're asking again, but this time we're looking for something a little more... well, mundane.

What kind of nonmagical equipment do you think should be in this book? It will feature all the nonmagical equipment found in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, the Advanced Player's Guide, and Ultimate Combat, as well as a bunch of nonmagical equipment that we produced for the Advanced Race Guide, including weapons and armor. But what other sort of nonmagical things should be in this book? Specifically, we're looking for those nonmagical pieces of equipment that should be in the game, but that we haven't yet published.

As always, we are listening.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer

Illustrations by Vincent Dutrait and Kieran Yanner. Widescreen version here.

You Tried to Kill Him, Now Try to Save Him!

Friday, January 7, 2010

A few years ago we released a little family board game of murder in the dark. Kill Doctor Lucky had you racing to see who can kill Doctor Lucky while nobody was looking. It was a great product and has provided hours of fun. A few weeks ago we released the sequel, Save Doctor Lucky. This time you're on a titanic cruise ship sailing across the Atlantic with one very lucky old man and an errant iceberg that's just hit the ship. Doctor Lucky is a charismatic and well-respected philanthropist with a heart of gold. Of course, you secretly hate the old bastard, and you're probably going to try to kill him someday. But killing him aboard a sinking ship would be pointless. So you've decided to save his life instead, and do it while someone else is looking. That way, even if you go down with the ship, you'll at least go down in history. And now you can include this lovely wallpaper on your computer as you float to the bottom of the sea.

Hyrum
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Trollin' on the River

Friday, February 19, 2010

We've had the cover for Pathfinder Adventure Path #32: "Rivers Run Red" (written by our own Rob McCreary) up for sometime now, but it bears another mention, as this cover sees the climax of a long and interesting evolution. It's little surprise that we were only three months into the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path—and Pathfinder's life in general—when it came time to order art for our first troll. How to handle this got a little tricky, though, as it's important to us that our creatures walk the line between familiarity and distinctiveness when it comes to earlier incarnations of the game. What we ended up with was the gnarled, lanky, long-nosed fellow from "The Hook Mountain Massacre". Neat! And totally a cool piece of art. But definitely nothing ground breaking.

Illustration by JZConcepts

Several months later, against all odds, we found ourselves ordering a cover for a Bestiary. Attempting to follow in the tradition of the "a whole bunch of monsters about to getcha!" covers from classic gaming bestiaries, we wanted a swarm of little monsters, one or two medium monsters, and a big monster. Creature ideas went around and around, then sketches did their circles, and what we ended up with was goblins, a maralith, and WHAT THE HECK IS THAT! OMG, that's a TROLL! Awesome! You don't get an incredible Wayne Reynolds cover and then say, "That looks amazing, but could we get this guy to look a little ganglier." This was our new look for the troll.

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Flash forward a few more months and we're ordering Kingmaker covers. So we want a cool bandit and a sexy fey and a barbarian dude and a—hey, how 'bout a troll boss! Okay, that'd be cool. And thanks to Vincent Dutrait, here he is.

Illustration by Vincent Dutrait

So our trolls have come a long way over the course of the past few years, but without a doubt, things are settled now. And if that nasty claw-claw-bite wasn't enough to send your PCs running for their alchemist fire, just wait for "Rivers Run Red" to see all the nasty tricks Chief Hargulka has in store for the Stolen Lands.

Looking back, trolls actually had it pretty easy. You should have seen the backstage identity crisis the ogre had before its debut. But that's a story for another day…

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Illustraction by Vincent Dutrait

In with the New

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Pretty much the last thing we did in 2009—before we ran screaming from the office, that is—was to pack Pathfinder Adventure Path #31: "Stolen Land", the first volume of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, off to the printer. So, to refresh your desktop for the new year, check out its incredible cover scene from artist Vincent Dutrait. Enjoy!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Too Hot to Handle!

Friday, December 12, 2008

I'm being forced to do this because my overlord is an ogre. He's off doing the 24% of his day's worth of lollygagging. (He actually told me to write that—sorta.) Anyway! Even though Second Darkness is still in full swing, we wanted to tease you with a bit of Legacy of Fire—which we've already steamed right on into here. No rest for the wicked and what not. From Vincent Dutrait, who brought us the cover to the Second Darkness Player's Guide, comes the appropriately scorching cover art to the Legacy of Fire Player's Guide. Check it out! The Pathfinder Companion: Legacy of Fire Player's Guide heats things up this February.

F. Wesley Schneider
Pathfinder Managing Editor

(There Jacobs. I did it. Where's my soda?) :P

His and Hers Full Plate

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Well, not exactly, but the lovely armor worn by Queen Ileosa's Gray Maidens—from the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, and thus the Curse of the Crimson Throne Item Card deck—is for women only. Make no mistake, though: you do NOT want to mess with them, no matter how good their armor looks.

On the even less subtle side, the Hellknight Order of the Nail stomps around Korvosa in their less stylish but far more intimidating apparel. As befits an organization with "Hell" in its name, the Hellknights dress to inspire fear and wonder in those who meet or oppose them. Unlike the Gray Maidens, though, the Hellknights are open to people of both genders.

Check out these and 52 other awesome pieces of art in the upcoming Pathfinder Item Cards: Curse of the Crimson Throne Deck.

Mike McArtor
Editor

A Return to Adventure (Gear)!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The original Adventure Gear proved to be both well-received and successful. By popular demand we have now released Adventure Gear 2. Check out some of the new things you can expect to find in the set!

Mike McArtor
Editor

Curse of the Crimson Item Cards

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

With the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path underway in the pages of Pathfinder, we have recently sent off the Curse of the Crimson Throne Item Cards to the printer. This set includes a wide variety of the items you might encounter while taking the fight to the foes of Korvosa. Inside you will find such gems as totem spear, the doctor's mask, and the mysterious harrow deck. Need more proof that this is shaping up to be a great set, take a look at these cards. The Curse of the Crimson Throne Item Card deck consists of 54 cards and is compatible with any fantasy roleplaying game (such as the Pathfinder RPG). This deck is due to hit stores in May.

Jason Bulmahn
Pathfinder Lead Designer

Gear for Everyone

Thursday, February 21, 2008

A couple of weeks ago, we previewed a number of cards for Adventure Gear 2, the new set of GameMastery Item Cards due out next month. Since we are going to be starting up a contest next week in celebration of the Critical Fumble Deck, this is going to be one of our last chances to take a look at this exciting sequel to Adventure Gear before it hits the streets. Take a look.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

More Gear!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

One year ago, we released Adventure Gear, a set of item cards designed to depict most of the common items adventurers carry with them deep into the bowels of the earth. There was only one problem: You can never have enough gear to bring with you into the bowels of the earth. Enter Adventure Gear 2, a new 54-card set of item cards depicting even more of the common items your adventurer carries with them... ah, you get the idea. Anyway, enough of my talking, take a look at some of these cards from the set.

Adventure Gear 2 is due to hit our warehouse later this month.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rise of the Item Card Contest, Part 4

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Three Runelords have grabbed a deck of these cards using the powers of sin. With the Rise of the Runelords Item Card decks now hitting our warehouse and the holiday weekend before us, this week has an extra special prize, with an extra difficult question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Rise of the Runelords Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases... plus with this being the final week, we will also throw in a signed copy of the alternate cover version of Pathfinder #1! Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Runelords #4" in the subject line of the email.

For this last preview, we wanted to show you some of the cool items from the rest of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. You can expect these items, along with a host of other treasures, to appear in parts 3 through 6.

Question #4: The journey from Skull's Crossing to Urglin requires you to travel through about 48 miles of the Wyvern Mountains, and 120 miles of the sandy Cinderlands. Assuming you went there and back again, traveling for 8 hours per day at a speed of 30 without a path, how many pounds of salt, on average, would you have when you returned? Note that your chance of running into an encounter is roughly 20% per hour and you always seem to run into four creatures whenever one occurs (and each one has 5 items in its bag). Please round your answer to the nearest pound.

All answers for Question #4 are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, November 29th. Good Luck!

Question #3 Solution: Congratulations to Jonathan Cruz who correctly answered "10th" to last week's question. We got a number of creative answers (some that involved level drain), but "10th" was the correct answer, as Kyra would need to pick up two feats to qualify for the Spherewalker prestige class.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rise of the Item Card Contest, Part 3

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Two Runelords have grabbed a deck of these cards using the powers of sin. I'll let you guess which ones. Will you be next?

With the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path well underway in the pages of Pathfinder, and a special Item Card deck tied specifically to those adventures soon to be released, we here at Paizo Publishing have decided to give you a chance to score one of these great accessories.

One question about Pathfinder will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Rise of the Runelords Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Runelords #3" in the subject line of the email.

This week we're taking a look at items from the second part of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, "The Skinsaw Murders." These items in particular are not ones you might want to bring to the next royal ball you attend, but their power makes them valuable nonetheless. Next week, we'll wrap up our contest with some cards from the third installment, "The Hook Mountain Massacre."

Question #3: Using the version of Kyra presented in "The Skinsaw Murders," at what level could she take her first level of the Spherewalker prestige class (assuming she had a change of heart concerning her deity and stuck with the cleric class)?

All answers for Question #3 are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, November 21st. Good Luck!

Question #2 Solution: Congratulations to Bobby Nichols, who gave an answer to question #2. We realized upon attempting to determine the winner that the Iron Golem has had different prerequisites over the years (and in recent books... I'll get you, polymorph any object!) so we decided to accept all of the entries.

Jason Bulmahn,
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rise of the Item Card Contest, Part 2

Friday, November 9, 2007

The first Runelord has grabbed a deck of these cards. Will you be next?

With the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path well underway in the pages of Pathfinder, and a special Item Card deck tied specifically to those adventures soon to be released, we here at Paizo Publishing have decided to give you a chance to score one of these great accessories.

One question about Pathfinder will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Rise of the Runelords Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Runelords #2" in the subject line of the email.

This week we're going to take a look at some of the cards that represent tools for your arcane character. As it turns out, when you're dealing with runelords, items like these are bound to be plentiful. Next week, we move on to look at items from "The Skinsaw Murders."

Question #2: If all 7 runelords sent a 16th-level wizard apprentice to craft an iron golem, using only the spells they possess, without any outside assistance, which runelords would have to execute their apprentices for failure?

All answers for Question #2 are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, November 15th. Good Luck!

Question #1 Solution: Congratulations to Kevin Reynolds who gave the correct answer of 39 to question #1. Note that we also accepted 40 as an answer if you assumed that Tsuto was still alive.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rise of the Item Card Contest, Part 1

Friday, November 2, 2007

With the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path well underway in the pages of Pathfinder, and a special Item Card deck tied specifically to those adventures soon to be released, we here at Paizo Publishing have decided to give you a chance to score one of these great accessories.

One question about Pathfinder will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Rise of the Runelords Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Runelords #1" in the subject line of the email.

This week we're going to take a look at some of the items your PCs might encounter in part 1 of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, "Burnt Offerings." While many of these are wielded by pesky goblins, a number of them might end up in the hands of your adventurers.

Question #1: How many creatures in all of Thistletop can speak the goblin tongue?

All answers for Question #1 are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, November 8th. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Elemental Mysteries, Part 4

Thursday, August 9, 2007

The four elements—air, earth, fire and water—have fascinated man for thousands of years. All of the mysteries have now been solved, save one: Water. Elements of Power—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to show up in game stores any day now, and if you can solve some of the mysteries of the elements, you might just score a free deck.

One elemental mystery has been presented each week. Answer this week's correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Elements of Power Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Mystery of Water" in the subject line of the email.

This week we take a look at the element of water. Often referred to as the giver of life, no other element is more revered and valued than water. There are a number of items in this set with a water or cold theme to them, including armor, weapons, potions, and a wondrous item or two. Look for these and other items like them in the upcoming set. Next week, we'll reveal the final answer and a complete set list.

Mystery of Water: How long would it take before a 12 HD water naga would need to start making checks to avoid taking nonlethal damage from thirst?

All answers for the Mystery of Water are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, August 16th. Good Luck!

Mystery of Fire Solution: Congratulations to Thomas Oakland who figured out the correct answer that a goblin wearing chainmail would need to roll a natural 20 to avoid taking the heat damage (because a 20 always succeeds).

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Elemental Mysteries, Part 3

Thursday, August 2, 2007

The four elements—air, earth, fire and water—have fascinated man for thousands of years. Yet, there are still many mysteries that have yet to be solved. Elements of Power—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release next month, and if you can solve some of the mysteries of the elements, you might just score a free deck.

One elemental mystery will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Elements of Power Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Mystery of Fire" in the subject line of this week's email.

This week we take a look at the element of fire. Perhaps no other element has fascinated man more than fire, and for good reason. Whereas fire can destroy, its cleansing can also lead to new life. There are a number of items in this set with a fire theme, including weapons, potions, staffs, and a wondrous item or two, each one looking like it might just burn you to a crisp. Look for these and other items like them in the upcoming set. Next week, we'll take a look at the final element.

Mystery of Fire: What would an ordinary goblin wearing chainmail need to roll on its Fortitude save to successfully avoid taking damage during his second hour spent in 114 degree heat?

All answers for the Mystery of Fire are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, August 9th. Good Luck!

Mystery of Earth Solution: Congratulations to Joshua Blazej, who figured out the correct answer that a stone giant could only throw a Small earth elemental (as it weighs 80 pounds, the maximum allotted weight for a rock thrown by a Huge giant).

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Elemental Mysteries, Part 2

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The four elements—air, earth, fire and water—have fascinated man for thousands of years. Yet, there are still many mysteries that have yet to be solved. Elements of Power—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release next month, and if you can solve some of the mysteries of the elements, you might just score a free deck.

One elemental mystery will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Elements of Power Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com.

Earth is the focus of our investigation this week. There are a number of items in this set with an earth theme, including items made of stone and metal or etched with acid. Each one of these items is of sturdy construction, with the power of earth behind them. Look for these and other items like them in the upcoming set. Next week, things get hot.

Mystery of Earth: What size Earth Elemental could be thrown by a stone giant of Huge size (assuming the elemental was willing and counted as a rock)?

All answers for the Mystery of Earth are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, August 2nd. Good Luck!

Mystery of Air Solution: Congratulations to Mike Davis, who figured out the correct answer that an air mephit (which counts as size Tiny when flying for the purposes of wind effects) would be blown up to 120 feet.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Elemental Mysteries, Part 1

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The four elements, air, earth, fire and water, have fascinated man for thousands of years. Yet, there are still many mysteries that have yet to be solved. Elements of Power—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release next month, and if you can solve some of the mysteries of the elements, you might just score a free deck.

One elemental mystery will be presented each week. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Elements of Power Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com.

This week we start off by investigating the powers of air. Not surprisingly, this set includes a number of magic items with an air theme, and those presented here are just a sample. Of course, air has long been associated with storms, wind, and lightning, so you might just find a few weapons and suits of armor with what appear to be those qualities in the set as well.

Mystery of Air: With a wind of 42 mph, what is the farthest that a flying air mephit could be blown in 1 round, without it moving at all under its own power or attempting to resist?

All answers for the Mystery of Air are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, July 26th. Make sure to put the phrase "Mystery of Air" in the subject line of the email. Good luck!

Jason Bulmahn,
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 4

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Riddling Dragon's hoard has been plundered three times now, and he grows restless. Soon he might wake. Not surprisingly, his riddles have grown incredibly difficult. Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we are showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

The Riddling Dragon has asked one question each week, and this is the last. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 4" in the subject line of the email.

Last week, I mentioned that I would show off some cards everyone has been waiting for. What I meant was that I would show of some items that have been near the top of the list of items not yet represented. Adding the 110 cards from Dragon's Trove, there are now about 400 unique cards in the Item Card line. Some of the items in this set, such as the glaive, goggles, hat, and kukri, have been a long time in the coming and frequently asked for by fans. Next week, we'll announce the last winner and post a complete set list.

Week 4 Riddle: Assuming you started your journey in Urglin and went south, you would run into a river. By boat, you might travel down this river, making your way down a steep drop before proceeding on through a large lake. After the lake, you might head down the same river for almost 100 miles before venturing north by boat to continue through another body of water. On the north edge of this lake is a small town. If a wyvern flies at an ordinary pace directly between Urglin and this town, how many hours will it take to make this journey?

Here is a hint: The answer can be found in one of our blog posts and in your 3rd grade math book. All answers for the Week 4 riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 28th. Good Luck!

Week 3 Winner: Congratulations to Todd Johnston, who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "7" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 3

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Two have now taken from the Riddling Dragon's hoard. Such disturbances might wake him, and his riddles grow more troubling as a result. Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we are showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

Each week, the Riddling Dragon will ask one question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 3" in the subject line of the email.

This week, I promised we would take a look at the riches hiding in the dragon's hoard. There are a lot of cards in this set that look quite a bit more valuable than just simple magic items. When ordering these cards, we asked for a lot of them to "gem encrusted" and made from precious metals. To show off this wealthy set, take a look at the ring, scroll, lamp, and harp cards. Next week, we'll take a look at the cards that everyone has been waiting for.

Week 3 Riddle: What would a dark talon hunter need to roll in order to successfully save against Kerrdremak's burning hands spell?

Week 2 Winner: Congratulations to Franz Lunzer who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "Horses and Dogs" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Here is a hint: The answer can be found in one of our blog posts. All answers for the Week 3 Riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 21st. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 2

Thursday, June 7, 2007

One brave adventurer has already stolen from the Riddling Dragon's hoard. Will you be next, or will his mighty fires burn you to a crisp? Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we're showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

Each week, the Riddling Dragon will ask one question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 2" in the subject line of the email.

This week, I promised a look at some of the more "scaly" cards of the set, and by that I meant items with an obvious dragon theme. Take a gander at the dragonhide, fang dagger, scroll, and scepter cards. Each one of these scaly cards (and there are many more) is either made from dragons or sculpted to look like one. Next week, we'll see what riches hide in the slumbering wyrm's vast mound of loot.

Week 2 Riddle: What two animals are hated by all of goblinkind?

Week 1 Winner: Congratulations to Kevin Maschler who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "Merlokrep" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Here's a hint: The answer to this week's riddle can be found in one of our blog posts. All answers for the Week 2 Riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 14th. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 1

Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Riddling Dragon is asleep and now is your chance to steal from his hoard! Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we're showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

Each week, the Riddling Dragon will ask one question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest" in the subject line of the email.

This week, we're starting the previews by showing off some of the great weapons featured in Dragon's Trove, including the bastardsword, falchion, morningstar, and pistol cards. We made sure to include a wide variety of cards in this set that have not appeared before in any of our other Item Card products, and these four are just a small sample. Next week, we'll take a look at some of the more "scaly" cards in the set.

Week 1 Riddle: Who is the "all-mighty Dragon King of the Truescale Kobolds"?

Here's a hint: The answer can be found in one of our blog posts. All answers for the Week 1 Riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 7th. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Item Card Themes

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The GameMastery team recently got together to hash out the next theme for our Item Card product line. While tossing around thoughts of undead scrolls and elven bows, it occurred to me that it might be fun to talk about how we come up with themes for our future sets. First, a bit of history.

The very first item card set, Item Pack 1, was specifically designed to be a starter set, with a wide variety of items so GMs could use the cards right away (for those of you unfamiliar with them, Item Cards are generic treasure cards that you can hand out when the PCs find loot, with a blank space on the back for writing in what the item does). While that first set was a big success, we needed a means for GMs to get a few more potions, scrolls, and other disposable items without having to buy a whole new deck of cards. Hero's Hoard was born soon after as a set of booster packs. This set had more items in line with those presented in Item Pack 1, but came in a booster pack with a set assortment (2 potions, 2 weapons, 2 wondrous items, 1 armor, 1 wand, 1 scroll, 1 rod/staff/ring, and 1 foil card in every pack).

It was at this point that we decided to do a themed set. Item Pack 1 and Hero's Hoard covered all your basic items, so we wanted the next set to branch out in new directions. Relics of War was our first foray into this arena, with all of the cards in the set themed to either good or evil. While you can't exactly tell this with some of the cards, others in the set, such as the "demonhide" and one of the "longswords," further the theme nicely.

By this point in time, the fan base for Item Cards had really started to take off, and the one thing everyone clamored for was a set of cards for the items that characters might typically carry, such as rope, a backpack, or rations. This made choosing our next theme easy. Adventure Gear came out late last year to give characters all the thieves' tools, holy symbols, and lantern cards they could handle, with the nice bonus that many of the cards in this set work well as magic items to boot. By popular demand, this set moved back to the deck format.

When it came time to plot out the fifth set, the idea of doing themes became much more solidified. Dragon's Trove, a 110-card deck, pulls out all the stops, is packed full of all the golden baubles, lamps, crowns, and swords you might expect to find in the hoard of a great wyrm. The set also includes a number of items made from dragons, to round out the theme. As this set just went off to the printer, I thought I might give you a few sneak peaks (with more to come soon).

Fortunately for you, the work of the Item Card team never ends. Our next set is called Elements of Power and should be out later this summer—I'll bet you can guess what the theme might be. Look for some cards tied directly to Pathfinder and the GameMastery Modules in this 54-card deck set as well.

Beyond that, however, the set themes are still malleable. Got any ideas for a set you'd like to see? Post it to our forums.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager