Paizo Publishing today unveiled new details of the exciting new rules system that will form the basis for their upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The newly christened "d21™ System" uses a new 20-sided die that's numbered from 2 to 21.

"Using the old d20 die, you could roll a 20, but where can you go from there? Where?" asked Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn. "Nowhere. Exactly. With the new d21™ System, now you can roll a 21—one higher."

Paizo will release new d21™ dice along with the new Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook in August 2009. "We're confident that people will enjoy the added excitement afforded by the d21™ System," insisted Publisher Erik Mona. "It's clearly better than games that use d20 dice, because it uses dice that can roll one higher."

For more about the d21™ System and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, visit paizo.com/pathfinderRPG.

APRIL FOOLS!

OK, so we're not really using the d21 System as the engine for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. But here are 21 ways we've improved the core 3.5 fantasy system for the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game:

1. Grappling a monster no longer requires you to have a master's degree in combat rules with a minor in spatial mechanics.

2. Using a polymorph spell does not require 3 different FAQ documents, 4 bestiaries, and a mountain of house rules.

3. Clerics can actually cast their prepared spells instead of converting them into healing.

4. Bards don't suck. Now they can make you die with laughter.

5. Monks don't suck. When they use flurry of blows they actually hit.

6. Paladins don't suck. Smite evil lasts until your target is dead.

7. Rangers don't suck. You really do not want to be a ranger's quarry.

8. Sorcerers don't suck. Bloodlines give you a host of cool powers and abilities.

9. There is now a reason to wear medium armor. With a good Dexterity score, you can get an AC of 19 by just wearing a breastplate.

10. Building the skill list of a rogue 5/barbarian 3/assassin 2 now only takes about 2 minutes.

11. Use Rope is gone. Climbing a wall requires only one skill check.

12. Spellcasters do not have to spend a bunch of ranks on Concentration (or any other skill) to be able to cast their spells in the middle of combat.

13. At high levels, a fighter can cause a character to become blinded and stunned with a critical hit.

14. At high levels, a paladin can cure a character that is blinded and stunned with a touch.

15. Curses, diseases, and poisons are now something that the players want to avoid contracting.

16. Putting together an encounter only requires you to add up the XP totals of the monsters you are using.

17. You do not have to wear a Christmas tree of magic items to be a successful adventurer. Monsters are designed with normal characters in mind.

18. Creating magic items now comes with the risk of making a cursed item if you are not well-prepared and careful.

19. You never, ever have to "de-level" your character.

20. With more healing and reusable abilities, the 15-minute adventuring day is a thing of the past.

21. You don't have to scrounge through secondhand bookstores to find the rulebooks. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game releases on August 13th, 2009 in game stores everywhere.

ABOUT PAIZO PUBLISHING
Paizo Publishing, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, board games, and speculative fiction. Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is the most highly anticipated tabletop roleplaying game release of 2009, with more than 50,000 playtesters and a game system over 30 years in the making. Paizo's Pathfinder® game lines support the Pathfinder RPG with a variety of adventure scenarios, campaigns, and exciting settings. Paizo's GameMastery® accessories offer easy-to-use tools that improve the play of any fantasy roleplaying game. Titanic Games™, Paizo's board game imprint, unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Lucky™ and Yetisburg™ that appeal to families and casual gamers. Paizo's Planet Stories® presents classic tales of science fiction and fantasy alongside cutting edge works by today's best authors to create an essential library featuring the finest in speculative fiction. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the six years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.