As the subject reads, I found myself truly inspired by this book. As someone participating in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the knowledge of the Shackles region found in this 64-page tome is indispensable. From fleshed out information on ports such as Port Peril and Quent, to amazing adventure backdrops such as Besmara's Throne and the Cannibal Isles.
An enormous bestiary rounds out the book, adding fearsome creatures such as the mighty lusca and the horrific Blood Queen. It also contains some great sea-dwelling undead options, seafaring NPCs, and a disturbing new 0-HD race, the kuru.
If you've got an adventure coming up on the high seas, look no further for some inspiration than this book. Highly recommended!
While I have enjoyed all of the Pathfinder Tales novels up to this point, I feel no hesitation in stating that Death’s Heretic is the strongest thus far. I already knew Mr. Sutter was a strong writer from his brilliant RPG sourcebook, City of Strangers, but writing a novel is an entirely different matter. Boy, did his talent shine through.
And this is not just a great RPG novel; Death’s Heretic is a great fantasy novel, in general. Mr. Sutter has crafted an incredibly deep, complex, and fascinating character in his protagonist, Salim Ghadafar. Through Salim, Sutter explores religious and philosophical subject matter rarely broached in fantasy with such depth and poignancy. The concept of atheists living in a world where there is proof of the gods’ existence is a topic ripe for exploration, but only if approached with the care and deftness of skill that we see in Death’s Heretic.
The mystery of Salim’s background is a constant driving force for the novel that interweaves seamlessly with the main plot involving not just the murder of an aristocrat, but the theft of his very soul. Salim’s investigation of this event, alongside the persona of the dead aristocrat’s daughter, brings the pair on a roller coaster adventure from the urban intrigue at the scene of the murder to the scene of the soul theft in the Boneyard of the Goddess of Death herself, and beyond.
Each character and exotic location is fully formed and has a deep connection to the story and setting. The subtle character moments are written with the same intensity and care as the action set-pieces. Question after question gets raised and then answered in increasingly creative and unforeseen ways. It’s a mystery and philosophical smorgasbord, the likes of which I had never come across in my years of reading the genre.
I implore you to give Death’s Heretic a chance, whether you’re a fan of Pathfinder, fantasy, or just good novels in general.
This card set has proven to be invaluable since I purchased it upon its initial release. I'm at the point now where I can't imagine running a game without having them at hand. They make the game flow so much quicker and easier without having to stop, flip, and research and try to remember what each condition does when it comes up. A player in a game I'm running becomes shaken, I chuck the shaken condition card at him, and we move on. It's wonderful!
Ultimate Magic has everything that I want from a book by that title for my Pathfinder game. Beautifully enhancing the magical aspects of the game, this book offers everything from a wonderfully realized new base class (the figher-mage styled Magus); to a plethora of flavorful archetypes for all of the Pathfinder core/base classes; to feats and spells; to new magical subsystems such as spell duels, binding outsiders, and more… And all of this is done in the typical, ultra-high-quality manner that Paizo has come to be known for. Certainly a wonderful supplement to sit alongside the Advanced Player’s Guide and Ultimate Combat.
Ultimate Combat has everything that I want from a book by that title for my Pathfinder game. Beautifully enhancing the combat-oriented aspects of the game, this book offers everything from a wonderfully realized new base class (the Gunslinger); to a plethora of flavorful archetypes for all of the Pathfinder core/base classes (including the ever-popular ninja and samurai); to feats, weapons, and spells; to new combat subsystems such as armor as damage reduction, vehicle combat, and more… And all of this is done in the typical, ultra-high-quality manner that Paizo has come to be known for. Certainly a wonderful supplement to sit alongside the Advanced Player’s Guide and Ultimate Magic.
This is a fantastic, ultra high-quality, professional product. It is the first output from Legendary Games, the new brain-child from Necromancer Games’ Clark Peterson, a man known for leading the way in terms of high-quality 3rd Party publisher quality.
I am a person who generally eschews 3rd party material, in favor of sticking to the core elements, first with WotC in the 3rd edition days, and now with Paizo for Pathfinder.
Clark’s return to the fold, with the reputation he comes with, has forced me to rethink this rule. Combine his pedigree with the talent he lined up for Legendary games, and it was a no-brainer. The people he has writing for him and literally the people who write the official Paizo products, including their stellar Adventure Path installments.
The Treasury of the Macabre does not disappoint. From the innovative use of the PDF format to the layout to the art to the writing, this is a top-notch product that was worth every penny and more.
The magic items present were designed to be easily inserted in a “gothic-horror adventure path” (aka Carrion Crown), but I have already found a home for a number of them in my homebrew Pathfinder game.
The flavor and creativity of the items is breathtaking, touching on all of the genres featured in Carrion Crown (ghosts/haunts, constructs/alchemy, werewolves, Lovecraftian Horror, vampires, and liches).
Favorites include the Sanguinary Torque (an anti-vampire necklace that turns the wearer’s blood to holy water), the Spinelash (a whip which deforms the victims skeleton, entangling them in their own bones), and The Horn of the Deep Ones (an instrument that will summon Skum to your aid, but runs the rist of transforming its sounder into one of the grotesque creatures).
Do yourself a favor and pick this up. It might as well be an official Pathfinder product. It’s that good.
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