Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG)

4.60/5 (based on 34 ratings)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG)
Show Description For:
Non-Mint Non-Mint

Add Hardcover $49.99

Add PDF $29.99

Add Non-Mint $49.99 $37.49

Non-Mint Unavailable

Facebook Twitter Email

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Discover the world of Golarion, the official campaign setting for the smash-hit Pathfinder Roleplaying Game! A time of lost prophecies grips the world, bringing with it an unending maelstrom, a tear in the fabric of reality, a surge of diabolism, and the endless threat of war. Yet all is not lost, for these dark times provide ample opportunity for adventure and heroism.

    Inside this exciting and informative 320-page tome you will find:
  • Detailed summaries of the player character races native to Golarion, including more than a dozen distinct human ethnicities
  • Elaborate gazetteers of more than 40 crumbling empires, expansionist kingdoms, independent city-states, and monster-haunted wildlands of Golarion’s adventure-filled Inner Sea region, with locations perfect for nearly any type of fantasy campaign
  • Cultural information and Pathfinder RPG rules covering the 20 core deities of the Inner Sea, plus entries on other gods, demigods, forgotten deities, weird cults, strange philosophies, and more!
  • An overview of the Inner Sea’s history, a look at time and space, a discussion of magical artifacts and technological wonders, discussions of important factions and organizations, and hundreds of locations ripe for adventure!
  • Tons of new options for player characters, including Inner Sea-themed prestige classes, feats, spells, adventuring gear, and magic items!
  • Nine new monsters, including exotic humanoids of the skies and seas, undead and dragons, and an angry demon lord in exile!
  • A giant 21.75"x33" poster map that reveals the sweeping landscape of the Inner Sea in all its treacherous glory!

by James Jacobs with Keith Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Clinton J. Boomer, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, Ed Greenwood, Stephen S. Greer, Jeff Grubb, Michael Kortes, Tito Leati, Mike McArtor, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Eric Nelson, Jeff Quick, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Leandra Christine Schneider, David Schwartz, Amber E. Scott, Stan!, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, James L. Sutter, Greg A. Vaughan, Jeremy Walker, and JD Wiker

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-269-2

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscription.

Additional Product Images


(click to enlarge)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG) Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG) Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG) Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG)

Product Availability

Hardcover:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 11 to 20 business days.

PDF:

Fulfilled immediately.

Non-Mint:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 11 to 20 business days.

This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Non-Mint:

Unavailable

This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZO9226


See Also:

1 to 5 of 34 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | next > last >>

Average product rating:

4.60/5 (based on 34 ratings)

Sign in to create or edit a product review.

The Kitchen Sink, and Everything But

5/5

To put it simply, the Inner Sea World Guide is *the* setting book for Pathfinder. There are several other books (softcovers) that provide more insight into particular areas, but this is the book that introduces the whole shebang. Weighing in at 318 pages, it provides an overview of everything that makes up Pathfinder's official campaign setting: the Inner Sea region of the planet Golarion. There are entries on each of the core races and human ethnicities, overviews of each of the nations of the region, a chapter on gods and religion, miscellaneous information like holidays and languages, an introduction to some major organisations that PCs might belong to (or fight against), player-facing material like new equipment and prestige classes, and finally a handful of new monsters for the GM. In short, there is a *lot* of information in the book and I've come to rely on it heavily.

In terms of overall production quality, a reader won't be disappointed. It's attractively laid out, with tons of maps, artwork (some of it recycled from earlier Paizo products), sidebars, etc. It's clear that a lot of love and attention to detail went into the book, which makes sense as it's one of the premier products in the Pathfinder line.

An Introduction (4 pages) kicks things off. One page is a map of the entire Inner Sea region. The theme of the setting is encapsulated nicely: against all prophecies, the God of Humanity, Aroden, has died suddenly, leading to a world "where nothing is foretold, and anything can happen." From another perspective, that's really what Golarion is: a kitchen-sink setting where no matter what kind of fantasy game-play your group wants, it can find a place for it--whether it's gothic tales of horror, swashbuckling tales of pirates, barbarians with laser-swords, steampunk gunslingers, or more traditional elves and wizards. The sum really is greater than the parts, and somehow it all works. The entire setting has a surprisingly rich and detailed history, which helps to tie everything together into a more coherent whole. The Introduction also contains a really nice in-game summary of the Pathfinder Society and a short sidebar explaining how the Inner Sea World Guide has expanded upon and updated the two previous overviews of the setting (the Gazetteer and Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, respectively).

Chapter 1 is Races (22 pages). It starts with a *very* brief overview (a sentence or two each) of where some of the uncommon humanoid races (like tieflings or kobolds) fit into the Inner Sea before devoting a single-page to each of the human ethnicities of Golarion (many with sensitively-handled analogues to real world cultures) and then the other core races like elves, dwarves, etc.. I'm not necessarily a fan of this way of handling things, as it gives the appearance that only humans have different ethnicities while all the other core races are homogeneous. Still, the chapter does succeed in adding a ton of Golarion-specific lore that is absent from the setting-neutral Core Rulebook.

Chapter 2, "The Inner Sea" (184 pages) is clearly the heart (and, by page-count, a full half) of the book. It starts by explaining that the Inner Sea consists of the continents of Avistan and (northern) Garund, explaining that the planet of Golarion contains several other continents that are outside the scope of the book. There's a detailed timeline of the setting's in-game history, which makes for interesting reading once some additional context is provided. The bulk of the chapter consists of four-page entries on each of the major countries/regions of the Inner Sea. Each entry starts with a sidebar giving basic information (like notable settlements, rulers, population, etc.) and is then sub-divided by topics: history, government, and a gazetteer of notable locations. There are 41 of these entries in alphabetical order, so it's pretty hard to cover them adequately in a review like this. I think the best thing to do is repeat my earlier point that there's a place for almost everything somewhere: revolutionary America has an analogue in Andoran, revolutionary France is Galt, Osiron is ancient Egypt, etc. But there are also some very original countries, like Razmiran (a theocracy ruled by a con-man), Rahadoum (a country that has turned against the gods and where worship is illegal), the Worldwound (a wasteland devastated by the presence of an open portal to demonic planes), the Mana Wastes (where magic doesn't work, and technology has stepped in), and so much more. If nothing else, each entry serves as a nice overview to give the area some basic flavour, and then a GM who really wants more detail can look for the matching softcover campaign setting line book for more depth. I was particularly intrigued by the eight page "Beyond the Inner Sea" section, which is more detailed than I would have thought (and definitely worth expanding someday, Paizo!).

Chapter 3, "Religion" (32 pages), contains a half-page introduction to each of the "Core 20" deities of the setting. Other gods get a paragraph or two, but there's also space devoted to archdevils, demon lords, elemental lords, dead gods, and philosophies. It's enough to get started, though serious players and GMs will likely want more detailed information. In terms of game-play mechanics, two new clerical domains (Scalykind and Void) are introduced here.

Chapter 4, "Life" is sadly just ten pages long. This is the chapter that covers the calendar, holidays and festivals, languages, weather and climate, and distinctive flora and fauna, among other subjects. There are some nice samples of things that make Golarion distinctive, but it would be good to someday have an "Inner Sea Almanac" that expanded on the little things that don't seem exciting but help add a major degree of verisimilitude to the setting.

Chapter 5, "Factions" (14 pages) provides a two-page introduction to five different organisations: the Aspis Consortium (an unprincipled group of colonialists & merchants), the Eagle Knights (anti-slavery freedom-fighters), the Hellknights (extremely strict "law and order" types), the Pathfinder Society (explorers and treasure-hunters), and the Red Mantis (assassins). Several lesser groups also get a one-paragraph overview. Overall, the chapter again serves nicely as a brief introduction, though more detailed information on each of the groups is available elsewhere.

Chapter 6, "Adventuring" (30 pages) is for the players. It starts with suggestions on where in the Inner Sea various classes might hail from. It then introduces four new prestige classes: the Harrower (a cool fortune-teller with an interesting suite of special abilities), the Hellknight (an armored juggernaut), the Low Templar (a sort of cowardly knight; it's hard to envision this one appealing widely), and the Red Mantis Assassin (maybe more for GMs than players, but with some eye-raising abilities). The chapter introduces several new feats; most of them are forgettable but a couple (like Rapid Reload and Fey Foundling) have become crucial to some builds and are, frankly, probably overpowered. The chapter provides updated rules for several pieces of equipment introduced in earlier adventure paths, including goblin weapons like dogslicers, Shoanti weapons like the Earth breaker, and more. It also briefly covers firearms, which are suitably rare and problematic (until someone plays a Gunslinger). Finally, there are some new spells (the most famous of which is infernal healing) and magic items (many of which are essential to parts of the campaign setting, like the final blades for Galt, the sun orchid elixir for Thuvia, and wardstones for the Worldwound). On the whole, I don't think buying the book purely for the "crunch" would be a good idea; the material in this chapter is only a supplement to what's essentially a "flavour/fluff" book.

Chapter 7, "Monsters" (14 pages) starts off with a nice overview of the role that various traditional groups of monsters (like dragons, trolls, ogres, etc.) play in Golarion. It then goes on to introduce seven new monsters, each with a 1-page Bestiary-style entry. Potential players will be interested to see that two of them, Gillmen and Strix, are given rules to make them playable races. Rise of the Runelords GMs may be interested to see full stats for the Sandpoint Devil.

As I write this review, Pathfinder Second Edition is on the horizon and Paizo has said they plan to update the official setting with the "results" of all previous adventure paths. For now, however, the Inner Sea World Guide is the best one-stop resource to get started on anything involving the Inner Sea. Lots of books have more on a single given topic, but no book has so much on so many different topics when it comes to the Inner Sea.


Incredible Product

5/5

So I had a few new players starting a session zero, but after making characters, they wanted to jump in to a game. I had nothing prepared because we were deciding what type of game we were going to play. After thirty minutes and this book, I had a strong beginning to a campaign. Every location, government and current events in this book is PERFECT for a campaign. So many starting points and storyline openings. Rich with interesting information and plot hooks. Easy five star and beautiful map. Thanks paizo


An Engaging Setting

5/5

This was the first Pathfinder Campaign Setting product I bought. That would have been early in 2013. I was curious about the references to Golarion in the Core Rule Book and wanted to know more. I got what I wanted in spades! This is an excellent resource for the Golarion setting.

I recently bought the PDF because I forgot where I had put my hard copy. It's excellent because I can just open the file on my computer, find what I'm looking for with a bookmark and I'm good to go.


The Inner Sea is Good for Me

5/5

This is a great resource book. The layout is great and even if you don't feel like using the various nations of The Inner Sea itself it the book gives you tons of ideas on how to build your own fantacy nations. The kinds of civilizations are diverse and all look like great places to have adventures in and make me want to read all of the Campaign Setting product line.

Add to that the feats, prestige classes, items, and the handful of monsters and you've got icing on what is already a great cake of a book.

All in all definitely worth the $9.99 asking price for the PDF!


Best RPG Product Ever

5/5

I can honestly say this is the best RPG product I've ever bought. There's so much reading in it, and I keep dipping back into it over and over again.

This book made me fall in love with Golarion, and each entry has made me dive off looking for more in the campaign setting and tales line.

If you haven't already hit the link to buy, then stop reading and do it now, you deserve it!


1 to 5 of 34 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | next > last >>
151 to 200 of 857 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | next > last >>
Dark Archive

James Jacobs wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:

James Jacobs:

I don't suppose you can resurrect Lissala maybe, or at least some aspect of her legacy?
Only there was a *LOT* of interest in rune/sin/virtue magic of any kind back during the Rise of the Runelords AP, as far as I recall.
There'll be two pages in the revised book that talks specifically about the dead gods of Golarion. Lissala will be covered there.

Will it include info on portfolios and domains in case we want to bring them back in our game?

Scarab Sages Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games

James Jacobs wrote:
Jason Nelson wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Actually, a divine spellcaster type prestige class would probably be a GREAT idea. Hmmmm...
In a bit of irony, one of the three PrC's I wrote for the Campaign Setting (the PF Chronicler and the Low Templar being the others) *WAS* a divine caster, the "Idolater," which was kind of a cultic idol-priest. Alas, that one ended up on the cutting room floor, but presumably it lurks still somewhere in the vaults of Paizo, hammering uselessly on the walls of its electronic prison... :)
I also seem to remember that prestige class being SUPER wordy, taking up WAY more than what we could fit on a spread with an illo, and required another new subsystem of categorizing ruins on a scale of powers that would have made every ruin in the game have a stat block, yeah? We needed the prestige classes to fit on 2 pages.

What, me write something wordy and needlessly complicated? That makes the entire game use a new subsystem? Perish the thought!

And cmon, it was only 400 words over budget. On a budget of 1450 words... :)

James Jacobs wrote:
Also, I like picking on you. Revenge for all the killer gorillas, if you will. And the sword-breaking hook horror. (runs off to cry)

Ah, such sweet memories.

HH: "So, I've completed what you asked me to do then?"
Shensen: "Yeah, you're free to go."
DM: Okay, the suggestion effect is now over.
HH: "Thanks." FULL ATTACK - *POWER ATTACK* *SUNDER* *SUNDER* *SUNDERING BITE* ... *crunch* *tinkle* ... *cry*

Then again:

Spoiler:
Best delivery of a James DM revenge line ever:

Jason: I cast swift etherealness!
James (without even pausing for breath): Swift etherealness is BANNED FROM THE CAMPAIGN!

Topped only by the look on your face when you quite calmly pointed out that I had just cast holy word... inside of a zone of silence.

Me: "Um... " (jaw drops... picks back up) "Well, that's the end of my turn."


As divine spellcaster I suggest the Pandemonic Liberator, a follower of the Cerulean Void/Pandemonium/Maelstrom itself who wants nothing more but to liberate all beings by bringing about the end of existence.

Divine. Chaos. Magic! Holy symbols containing eight arrows! You just can't say no to that!


James Jacobs wrote:

I also seem to remember that prestige class being SUPER wordy, taking up WAY more than what we could fit on a spread with an illo, and required another new subsystem of categorizing ruins on a scale of powers that would have made every ruin in the game have a stat block, yeah? We needed the prestige classes to fit on 2 pages.

Also, I like picking on you. Revenge for all the killer gorillas, if you will. And the sword-breaking hook horror. (runs off to cry)

I'm going to say this here since it is somewhat appropriate.

I love the few times cut content has made it's way to the boards. I know there's a lot of people who want fancy web enhancements and all that(which Paizo doesn't have the time for), but I highly enjoy some extra content or a little lore here and there leaking out in a quick board post every once and awhile.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

Bikis wrote:
I love the few times cut content has made it's way to the boards. I know there's a lot of people who want fancy web enhancements and all that(which Paizo doesn't have the time for), but I highly enjoy some extra content or a little lore here and there leaking out in a quick board post every once and awhile.

In the case, maybe I should start throwing down the material that got cut from Realm of the Fellnight Queen. Sean indicated there might be a small chance (if they ever had time...yeah, right!) of sharing such material via a blog post or maybe a web enhancement. But if short messageboard posts can serve the same purpose...? Hmmm, what say you, Mr. Jacobs? :-D


I've thoroughly considered it, and I think making a divine prestige class that applies to all deities isn't possible. Well, rather, it is possible, but it must result in a mechanics-only PrC that basically just replaces the base class — the kind of PrC I intensely dislike.

I hope I am wrong. But classes like the Heirophant simply don't amuse me. If it is a prestige class that could just as easily be found in the CRB or another setting, why bother? Hellknights, Red Mantis Assassin, Shackles Pirates — they all have geographical and philosophical ties to Golarion. I think the new PrC should also.

Unless you invent some new expression of Divine Magic unique to Golarion, you're going to end up with a generic class. You need to limit it somehow (say, EVIL ALIGNMENT) to make it worth doing. Evil alignment is actually not a bad idea, since PrCs are best for NPCs anyway.

Just my 2cp.


I know a good home for cut content...(with approval, of course). :D


For a divine-type prestige class, I'd suggest something that focuses the cleric more on knowledge and skills at the expense of being a mainline fighter type...maybe something like the archivist, but without the wonky 'access to every divine spell list in existence' feature that it had.

It would work off the divine caster's previous casting stat rather than INT, but would get extra skill points, special powers that keyed off knowledge/exploration themed skills, and perhaps some bonus feats to focus it, with a nice capstone power. It would have a poor BAB and a d6HD.

Forgive me if you've already published something like this? I just got my Chronicles subscription a month ago ;-)

Ken

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Jam412 wrote:
Don't the Shoanti worship spirits or something other than the normal gods? How about a Shoanti Totemist or shaman?

We've already got the Harrower. I'd rather the final prestige class draw its primary inspiration from somewhere other than Varisia.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

David Fryer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:

James Jacobs:

I don't suppose you can resurrect Lissala maybe, or at least some aspect of her legacy?
Only there was a *LOT* of interest in rune/sin/virtue magic of any kind back during the Rise of the Runelords AP, as far as I recall.
There'll be two pages in the revised book that talks specifically about the dead gods of Golarion. Lissala will be covered there.
Will it include info on portfolios and domains in case we want to bring them back in our game?

Unlikely, but maybe. These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

NSpicer wrote:
Bikis wrote:
I love the few times cut content has made it's way to the boards. I know there's a lot of people who want fancy web enhancements and all that(which Paizo doesn't have the time for), but I highly enjoy some extra content or a little lore here and there leaking out in a quick board post every once and awhile.
In the case, maybe I should start throwing down the material that got cut from Realm of the Fellnight Queen. Sean indicated there might be a small chance (if they ever had time...yeah, right!) of sharing such material via a blog post or maybe a web enhancement. But if short messageboard posts can serve the same purpose...? Hmmm, what say you, Mr. Jacobs? :-D

I'll leave that decision up to Sean. It's possible that he might have some plans or other reasons why this might not be a good idea. Plus, I just found out he has a fear gaze attack and so I don't want to rouse his anger...

Dark Archive

James Jacobs wrote:
David Fryer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:

James Jacobs:

I don't suppose you can resurrect Lissala maybe, or at least some aspect of her legacy?
Only there was a *LOT* of interest in rune/sin/virtue magic of any kind back during the Rise of the Runelords AP, as far as I recall.
There'll be two pages in the revised book that talks specifically about the dead gods of Golarion. Lissala will be covered there.
Will it include info on portfolios and domains in case we want to bring them back in our game?
Unlikely, but maybe. These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...

Well it was worth a hot. :)

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

James Jacobs wrote:
I'll leave that decision up to Sean. It's possible that he might have some plans or other reasons why this might not be a good idea. Plus, I just found out he has a fear gaze attack and so I don't want to rouse his anger...

D'oh! I'm with you there...

Maybe he's still channeling Ghenghis "Con" from his recent trip?

:-D


As someone who has both the hardcover and the PDF of the original: To me, a new book, but with a $10 PDF, is an excellent compromise. Folks who already own the book can get the new PDF on the cheap and get access to the new info. Frankly, anyone who expected a new hardback book out of the deal simply had unrealistic expectations (imho).

Good job, guys. :)

The Exchange

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
We've already got the Harrower. I'd rather the final prestige class draw its primary inspiration from somewhere other than Varisia.

I'd love to see a Sarenrae PrC (since she didn't get one in her six-page in #20). And Abadar has TWO (Justiciar and Balanced Scale).

Sovereign Court

James Jacobs wrote:
These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...

Can we get pics of their holy symbols? Surely, their symbols are still around in the setting here and there, even if they themselves are not.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Zootcat wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...
Can we get pics of their holy symbols? Surely, their symbols are still around in the setting here and there, even if they themselves are not.

Absolutely. In fact, we've already published most of their symbols elsewhere... easy job to reprint them in this book! :-)


Are you going to provide an upgrade to Pathfinder for those of us who bought the original book?


Xabulba wrote:
Are you going to provide an upgrade to Pathfinder for those of us who bought the original book?

As an owner of the original book, I think charging $10 for the PDF (all-new) is a pretty good compromise, no?

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

I would like to see the first vampires statted up and sorted out.

I would also love to see the rest of the existing Runelords statted up and some background on them.

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:


Unlikely, but maybe. These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...

Well, a game set in the past could use that information... after all, at some point in time, these gods were officially alive and where granting powers to their followers.

Verdant Wheel

Should a Philosopher be a interesting prestige class ? I ever thought that a Philosopher should be a base class (or at least a variant cleric), but as the guide has a Philosophy entry, then maybe a prestige for Philosophers might be interesting and generic.

Dark Archive

Nikosandros wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:


Unlikely, but maybe. These gods are dead, and I'm wary about giving the official indication that they might not be permanently dead is all...
Well, a game set in the past could use that information... after all, at some point in time, these gods were officially alive and where granting powers to their followers.

But I can see James' point that this book might not be a good place for that information. Maybe a web enhancement would be a better place.

Contributor

Jason Nelson wrote:
And cmon, it was only 400 words over budget. On a budget of 1450 words... :)

Percentage-wise, Jason has me beat for running over budget with that one versus The Great Beyond. Sean can never pick on me for being wordy now, ever again. Hear that Sean! ;)

Scarab Sages Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games

Todd Stewart wrote:
Jason Nelson wrote:
And cmon, it was only 400 words over budget. On a budget of 1450 words... :)
Percentage-wise, Jason has me beat for running over budget with that one versus The Great Beyond. Sean can never pick on me for being wordy now, ever again. Hear that Sean! ;)

Cmon, it's only 27.7% over. How bad could it be?

Of course, over budget for one spread vs. a whole book? Yeahhhhhhh... :)


I just have one request for this book:

Please do not use that pinhead looking Andoran Knight art from the Gazetteer and the original PFCS book

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Polevoi wrote:

I just have one request for this book:

Please do not use that pinhead looking Andoran Knight art from the Gazetteer and the original PFCS book

We've got a LOT of eagle knight art to choose from now. No worries!


Polevoi wrote:

I just have one request for this book:

Please do not use that pinhead looking Andoran Knight art from the Gazetteer and the original PFCS book

God I hate that piece of art. It isn't often I look at a piece of art and think "I could improve that using Photoshop" ('cause I care barely use Photoshop), but that one is just SO BAD...


well just the head was bad if ya want to be honest. I think it was aiming form looking up from the ground but it just didn't pull it off


James Jacobs wrote:

There'll be two pages in the revised book that talks specifically about the dead gods of Golarion. Lissala will be covered there.

Hmm, I hope you mention the Peacock Spirit. I know he was created pretty much on-the-fly and wasn't necessarily planned, but still seems like a very neat god (goddess? awful, asexual abomination?).

Sovereign Court

About the 4th PrC being divine, I have some thoughts. Just off the top of my head, I can name 4 gods that are probably the most popular with PC clerics: Sarenrae, Iomedae, Desna and Cayden Cailean. If the goal is to have a PrC that players will take (as opposed to DM/NPC fodder), then the fourth PrC should focus on one of these four.

Desna is somewhat regional, with a heavy folowing among Varisians. This is good and bad for the same reasons: every one of the PrCs in the book have representatives in the Varisia-set APs.

Iomedae, as a martial goddess, could be represented both regionally or as a generic "warpriest" (usable by any god granting the War domain).

Cayden Cailean could be regional (Absalom), or he could be swashbuckler-ish, but that's not such a good fit for most divine casters. Maybe both a pro and a con?

Finally, Sarenrae. She is already regional, and a PrC has already been devoted to her somewhere. Perhaps a PrC that focuses less on fighting with a scimitar and more on healing/blowing up undead with positive energy?

Just my random thoughts....

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Twowlves wrote:


Finally, Sarenrae. She is already regional, and a PrC has already been devoted to her somewhere. Perhaps a PrC that focuses less on fighting with a scimitar and more on healing/blowing up undead with positive energy?

Just my random thoughts....

The Sarenrae PrC was in Wayfinder #1. There's never been one directly published by Paizo.


A warpriest of Iomedae is a great idea. I also like the concept of a Holy Warrior of Sarenrae, maybe specializing as an undead hunter cleansing the land with light and fire.

Whatever concept makes the final cut, I really like the suggestion made about going with a divine caster to round out the 4 classic archetypes. A priest of some flavor feels like a natural fit.


If there's going to be a divine caster prestige class in there, I hope it will be one that druids (and oracles, etc.) can qualify for as well. I'm not holding my breath, though.


Well, here's another thought...

If there are any gods who are actually tied together in a subgroup (as often happens in myth) there could be a divine PrC that let you worship those multiple gods at once, and derive special pantheistic powers, or extra domains or something. But I wouldn't want it to be generic, I would want to see specific god-groups established.

If it were based on domain access pre-reqs somehow, the Druid would be eligible as well. You could create two or even three such groups, do give the class some diverse options, but I hesitate to segregate them along alignment lines. It would be much more interesting to have a cleric who, for example, derived power from a good AND an evil god who were conceptually linked somehow.


Well, looking at the balance of the other classes, they all have some divine take on the current standard (if I'm understanding them right - I'm still new to the Golarion CS). Red Mantis assassins are sneaky types... who are religious fanatics. Hellknights are fighters... with a religious devotion to Hell. Harrowers are arcane casters... with religious connections to tribal spirits. So personally, I'd like to see some divine PrC that deemphasizes the religious aspects.

This could be a scholarly type like the archivist, a warrior type like the war-priest, or a stealthy type like... well, nothing springs to mind. Or maybe a demon-lord servitor, though that would limit usefulness to PCs.


Evil Lincoln wrote:

Well, here's another thought...

If there are any gods who are actually tied together in a subgroup (as often happens in myth) there could be a divine PrC that let you worship those multiple gods at once, and derive special pantheistic powers, or extra domains or something. But I wouldn't want it to be generic, I would want to see specific god-groups established.

If it were based on domain access pre-reqs somehow, the Druid would be eligible as well. You could create two or even three such groups, do give the class some diverse options, but I hesitate to segregate them along alignment lines. It would be much more interesting to have a cleric who, for example, derived power from a good AND an evil god who were conceptually linked somehow.

There is already an example of an organization that derives power from a group of deities... the trouble is that it's the Order of the Godclaw, a subset of the Hellknights, and with the Hellknight prestige class in already, more Hellknight content might be considered to be overdoing it. :-?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

I should point out that the Harrower works just as well as a divine spellcaster as an arcane spellcaster. NO where in the harrower's description does it require arcane spellcasting at all. In fact, it's probably easier to qualify as a cleric or druid, since they get faster access to the requirement of being able to cast 3 divination spells.

The current frontrunner for the 4th prestige class, by the way, is a reworked genie binder type class from the Qadira book that'll serve as both a divine and arcane spellcaster prestige class.


James Jacobs wrote:

I should point out that the Harrower works just as well as a divine spellcaster as an arcane spellcaster. NO where in the harrower's description does it require arcane spellcasting at all. In fact, it's probably easier to qualify as a cleric or druid, since they get faster access to the requirement of being able to cast 3 divination spells.

The current frontrunner for the 4th prestige class, by the way, is a reworked genie binder type class from the Qadira book that'll serve as both a divine and arcane spellcaster prestige class.

Would a reworking make them more like a Sha'ir by any chance? I loved that class in Al Quadim.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

DM Wellard wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

I should point out that the Harrower works just as well as a divine spellcaster as an arcane spellcaster. NO where in the harrower's description does it require arcane spellcasting at all. In fact, it's probably easier to qualify as a cleric or druid, since they get faster access to the requirement of being able to cast 3 divination spells.

The current frontrunner for the 4th prestige class, by the way, is a reworked genie binder type class from the Qadira book that'll serve as both a divine and arcane spellcaster prestige class.

Would a reworking make them more like a Sha'ir by any chance? I loved that class in Al Quadim.

It would make them less like the sha'ir, in fact. There's no room to present a brand new magic system in 2 pages.


Okay, maybe a dumb question, but how many of these are there? Is this the first such book? Aside from the core rules and these messageboards, I have little to no understanding of Golarion, but at least one of my players has been pushing me to check it out, and I'd like to know what I'm in for.


James Jacobs wrote:
The current frontrunner for the 4th prestige class, by the way, is a reworked genie binder type class from the Qadira book that'll serve as both a divine and arcane spellcaster prestige class.

Would it be possible to rework that binder type class to be able to bind other entities in addition/lieu to genies? Not exactly in the way that WotC's Tome of Magic did with their Binder, but it would be interesting to see.


James Jacobs:
I'm confused as to what you're referring to here, as I think the genie-binder was a 5-level prestige class presented in one of the Legacy of Fire path volumes, whilst the genie-friend ('Daivrat') is the 10-level prestige class from the Qadira book.

I agree that either prestige class would probably fit the qualifications of presenting strong imagery and bidding to be 'iconic', although the binder had some additional material on seals I think you might have to include with it too. (You might want to include some stuff on Sulesh the Magnificent in the expanded Campaign Setting anyway. :) )


I'd like to see more 5 level PrCs versus the seemingly standard 10 levels.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

drakkonflye wrote:
Okay, maybe a dumb question, but how many of these are there? Is this the first such book? Aside from the core rules and these messageboards, I have little to no understanding of Golarion, but at least one of my players has been pushing me to check it out, and I'd like to know what I'm in for.

The title implies that there will be other World Guides covering different regions of Golarion, but this is the only one that has been announced. The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting has regions inspired by all sorts of places both real and imagined, including East Asia, India, Pre-Columbian America, and Australia, though none of these have been detailed yet nor will they be covered in this book. It will focus on the Inner Sea, which consists of two continents.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

James Jacobs:

I'm confused as to what you're referring to here, as I think the genie-binder was a 5-level prestige class presented in one of the Legacy of Fire path volumes, whilst the genie-friend ('Daivrat') is the 10-level prestige class from the Qadira book.

I agree that either prestige class would probably fit the qualifications of presenting strong imagery and bidding to be 'iconic', although the binder had some additional material on seals I think you might have to include with it too. (You might want to include some stuff on Sulesh the Magnificent in the expanded Campaign Setting anyway. :) )

I was indeed a bit confused there... but it doesn't matter now because the pendulum is swinging back toward the good old Low Templar. It's crazy-time in prestigeclassland!


That's an awesome choice too and a wickedly popular class in our gaming circles right now, but I don't know where it's being referenced from.

I remember when the "anti-paladin" was first introduced back in first edition and I've always liked the idea of a paladin free of the lawful good restrictions that have a tendency of dividing the party due to moral compass issues.

So the Templar can be of any good or neutral alignment, excluding lawful good and evil alignments correct?

Sovereign Court

Clark Wittle wrote:

That's an awesome choice too and a wickedly popular class in our gaming circles right now, but I don't know where it's being referenced from.

I remember when the "anti-paladin" was first introduced back in first edition and I've always liked the idea of a paladin free of the lawful good restrictions that have a tendency of dividing the party due to moral compass issues.

So the Templar can be of any good or neutral alignment, excluding lawful good and evil alignments correct?

It's from the current Campaign Setting, which was published under 3.5 and this book will replace.

The current Low Templar has no alignment restrictions, although he must choose darkness/light at levels 5 and 10.

They are people who took the Crusader's Oath but have been sullied in some way by the harsh realities of the Worldwound.

You can play a Low Templar of any alignment and if you wanted to you could create an anti-paladin vibe for an evil Low Templar.


For what its worth, I do like the Low Templar, and if there isn't a book slated to update it if its scrubbed from the Campaign Setting, I'd be a little bummed. For what its worth.

Sovereign Court

KnightErrantJR wrote:
For what its worth, I do like the Low Templar, and if there isn't a book slated to update it if its scrubbed from the Campaign Setting, I'd be a little bummed. For what its worth.

+1 for Low Templar

151 to 200 of 857 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Paizo / Product Discussion / Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide (PFRPG) Hardcover All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.