The shattered remains of dead civilizations lie dormant throughout the Inner Sea. Whether such ruins are entombed under tons of rubble, sunk beneath white-capped oceans, or warped into blasted wastelands by otherworldly energies, the perils of these obliterated empires are equaled only by the unfathomable treasures locked within their crumbling temples, crypts, and citadels.
Lost Kingdoms provides a detailed overview of six of Golarion’s most famous and mysterious ancient nations, fallen empires that promise intrepid adventurers the opportunity to claim untold riches, explore fantastical realms of antiquity, and unravel mysteries thought long lost to the sands of time.
Ancient kingdoms explored in this 64-page book include:
Ancient Osirion, the pharaonic empire whose rulers constructed treasure-laden crypts, pyramids, and temples dedicated to their own honor.
Ghol-Gan, where cyclopes raised ziggurats to otherworldly deities, but whose works now serve as half-flooded temple-lairs for alien horrors.
The Jistka Imperium, the first true civilization to rise after the apocalypse of Earthfall, famed for its golem-crafting artificers and expansionist magistrates.
Lirgen and Yamasa, whose astrological divinations and ancestral spirits led their cultures to prosperity, but failed to warn them of the coming of the great hurricane destined to destroy their lands.
Sarkoris, where barbarian warlords and druids now raise spears against the demon-spawning rift in the center of their ancestral lands.
Thassilon, a divided empire ruled by the runelords, vile wizards whose sin magic enslaved entire tribes of giants and shackled them to building monuments to their glory.
Lost Kingdoms is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting.
By Wolfgang Baur, Adam Daigle, Jeff Erwin,
and F. Wesley Schneider.
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So much awesome coming out in 2012. Hoping for some coverage of the Shory (and maybe the vault builders but that's probably outside the scope of the book I'd wager).
This will be one of my most anticipated books for 2012.
Also: when Paizo announces new products w/ "Image is just a mock-up...", where exactly do they get that art? I assumed it was from older products, but I don't tend to recognize the art.
It's funny, I was just saying in another thread that I hoped we got more info on living countries before "lost" ones like Thassilon. And yet, I couldn't be more happy that this is coming out. Weird.
Here's hoping for more info on Azlant and the progenator Mwangi civilization.
hopefully they'll also include for playing in those long lost kingdoms during their hayday
I wouldn't expect that kind of information in this book. I would expect it to be more about adventuring in those areas in the present day. Although you might be able to glean enough information from it to do something like that.
hopefully they'll also include for playing in those long lost kingdoms during their hayday
I wouldn't expect that kind of information in this book. I would expect it to be more about adventuring in those areas in the present day. Although you might be able to glean enough information from it to do something like that.
Maybe someday when they run out of other hardcover ideas we can get a book of golarion a year before starfall.
Maybe someday when they run out of other hardcover ideas we can get a book of golarion a year before starfall.
As I don't really think that such a book will be a "scraping the barrel" sourcebook, I think that a "Golarion: Ancient Ages" book would make me salivate. A lot.
Before the Starfall era:
- Larger than life Azlant mythic heroes against the serpentfolk host.
- Empires of the elves before the Fall.
- Satrapies of Thassilon, intrigue and magic-fueled wars with armies of giants and dragons.
After the Starfall era:
- The rise and fall of Ancient Osirion, tainted by misteric cults of the Outer Gods
- Shory aeromancers soaring in the skies all over the Inner Sea
- Sarkoris and Iobaria!
Fool! Do not invoke our Blessed Lord's name in such a frivolous tone -- be respectful, or you shall feel the Infernal Wrath of the Almighty One! ;P
Yes and his wrath is naked dwarven beard dancing.
There must have been some kind of mishap in my last punishment, I was invited to an Erynies/tiefling competitive BDSM match as a juror. Unsettling but inspiring.
Fool! Do not invoke our Blessed Lord's name in such a frivolous tone -- be respectful, or you shall feel the Infernal Wrath of the Almighty One! ;P
Yes and his wrath is naked dwarven beard dancing.
There must have been some kind of mishap in my last punishment, I was invited to an Erynies/tiefling competitive BDSM match as a juror. Unsettling but inspiring.
Can't say for sure. I've been tasked to make up RPG rules for such a match. There's a fair share of squirming in here too.
Hellish punishment is sometimes a bit longwinded.
Hmm.
I usually rattle the pathfinder sword to EVERYONE. However, this being said, i worry a little that this product might turn out a lot like lost Cities.
Now again its just me, probably since no one seems to have a bad word for anything, but i buy just about every product you put out, our game group does. Anyhow I spend a lot, and quite often get a pdf and hardcover cause i am a tool. However that Lost cities was so disappointing (think i spelled that wrong.). Anyhow more meet on a few, rather then a tiny discussion on many that gives us nothing to work with.
Its a role playing game, not roll, but still give us more to work with, more villians, npcs, or people wandering...
again i ramble.
To manage some expectations... Azlant won't be one of the Lost Kingdoms covered in this book. I'm not quite ready to reveal the FULL info on what WILL be in here yet, but Azlant itself is far too big a topic (and too big a region—it's a whole continent, after all, even if most of it has sunken under the waves today) to be adequately covered in a single chapter in a 64 page book.
But now IS the perfect time to tell me what you want in this book. As in more NPCs, more villains, more monsters...
It's probably better to look at Dungeons of Golarion to get a notion of how I'll be working with the authors to create their chapters than Lost Cities, in any event.
To manage some expectations... Azlant won't be one of the Lost Kingdoms covered in this book. I'm not quite ready to reveal the FULL info on what WILL be in here yet, but Azlant itself is far too big a topic (and too big a region—it's a whole continent, after all, even if most of it has sunken under the waves today) to be adequately covered in a single chapter in a 64 page book.
But now IS the perfect time to tell me what you want in this book. As in more NPCs, more villains, more monsters...
It's probably better to look at Dungeons of Golarion to get a notion of how I'll be working with the authors to create their chapters than Lost Cities, in any event.
What I would personally like to see is. Information about how the kingdom was, major cities, it's history, magic etc. Things that would help me bring to life any ruins any PC's would find of it and make it really come to life so they could really feel the old culture. So it stands out from other ruins. so it just isn't dungeon number 17 explored.
I'd like to have juicy, flavourful hand-outs or vignettes that lament the lost glories and terrible fates of these kingdoms, their ancient ruins and wondrous secrets now guarded by devious traps and horrifying monsters. I'd also like this book to contain maps, historical timelines, a couple of monsters and magical items/artifacts per kingdom, campaign ideas for different levels, plus a sample encounter area (and/or a "what-you-can-expect-to-find-in-a-typical-dungeon/ruin-in-this-kingdom" part).
I personally don't need whole stat blocks for NPCs -- name, alignment and levels (plus some details such as major magical items he/she possesses) is enough for me.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Companion Subscriber
I'd really like to see info regarding cultural norms and taboos in each chapter; something that gives each Lost Kingdom a distinctly different feel than the current civilization that rules the area. In regards to Osirion, I'd really like to see more info on the elemental clans, the Dominion of the Black (Nyarlathotep baby!), and the Four Pharoahs of Ascension (just how great was their power?). This could be in the form of NPC's, artifacts, spells or monsters. In regards to Ghol-Gan, I'd like to see what it looked like geographically *before* the Eye of Abendengo hit the area, along with more info on the astrology cultist in later years who committed mass suicide (Cult of Starry Wisdom?) and their connection to the ancient kingdom of the Cyclops (who, if memory serves, were also known for their strange foresight). As for Thassilon, I want to see... EVERYTHING! Rune magic, the Rune Law, the rise of Lissala (and the Peacock Spirit and other religions of the ancient empire of Xin), the major (and lesser) monuments, the geography, the rulers (more on Xanderghul please!), the castes, the society, the rise of sin within the empire (and what role did demons, the personification of sin, play?), etc.
how about a little on how to play in these places when they were thriving?
That'll probably be part of it. Not a BIG part of it, but we can't really do a book like this without context, after all!
If I could cast Wish or Miracle, I would like to see this product as a springboard for an AP set in an earlier (more "mythic") time period of Golarion. Come to think of it, this could also be a great way to satisfy the itch of those who want epic/mythic adventures. Put it far back enough that it wouldn't interfere w/ modern continuity and/or hesitation at having high-level material in today's Golarion.
Or just a "regular" AP (starting at level 1), but set in the mythic past in one of these great kingdoms of old...that would be epic in and of itself.
But now IS the perfect time to tell me what you want in this book. As in more NPCs, more villains, more monsters...
Fluff-wise, I'd really like to see more on the Shory and the pre-Earthfall Mwangi nation that was hinted at in Heart of the Jungle. An, if you're willing to consider some Mwangi-love, I'd be very happy to get some additional information on Zurakai.
Another lost kingdom I'd very much would like to see explored is Lirgen, possibly with a section of their inheritors in Jaha and any attempts to retake their homeland.
It might also make a nice change of pace to consider kingdoms in locales that are off the beaten path, such as the fall azer empire (mentioned on p. 19 of The Great Beyond) or a fallen nation elsewhere in the solar system. As Akiton seems to be largely modeled off of John Carter of Mars, I suspect this would be a prime candidate.
Crunch-wise, I think it'd be interesting to see information that can be salvaged from these ancient kingdoms that can have a real mechanical benefit.
Spells that have been lost to time are always a classic, but ancient techniques and technologies would be cool, too. For example, principles of Shory Aeromancy that provide a cost-reduction to aerial propulsion systems, or a forgotten chain of Style Feats that is shown in ancient pictograms and can be decoded by modern martial artists.
Oh, and if you do end up developing Lirgen, I'd love to see a Lirgeni Astrologer archetype.
I think a historical sourcebook would appeal to only a small subset of the community. I think the best use of resources might be to publish a historical line of novels. This would provide the fluff people desire.
I would love to see more on the Jistka and their imperium. A detailed map of their territory and other cities during their hey day. More on their Magistracy, Golem Artificers, the fiends behind their downfall, and how they became the morlocks found in their ruins today. A look into the technology and golem crafting during their time. Details of their temple-foundries, and maybe a statblock or two of new constructs from that era such as a Jistkan War-hound and/or Jistkan Behemoth. A look into the fiend-fueled,green oily residue-like essence that animates their creations. I could go on and on. :)
I would -love- a little more detail on the lost civilization at the top of the Crown of the World, That one little paragraph in the World Guide is not enough I say! >>
I would -love- a little more detail on the lost civilization at the top of the Crown of the World, That one little paragraph in the World Guide is not enough I say! >>
Check out AP #51. It has a gazetteer for the Crown of the World.
I just finished "Lost Cities" at work tonight. I really liked the layout for each chapter and the low-med-high campaign ideas. I think this is a major selling point and should stay! However, I was annoyed at the lack of place art. I wanted to see the flaming lens thing on the Sun Temple Colony island pursuing terrified rebels just ahead of its burning swath, maybe even immolating an unlucky someone. As it is, I have no idea what the unique architecture of the lost cities looked like. The maps are exquisite, by the way and I would buy a map folio of this book.
I just finished "Lost Cities" at work tonight. I really liked the layout for each chapter and the low-med-high campaign ideas. I think this is a major selling point and should stay! However, I was annoyed at the lack of place art. I wanted to see the flaming lens thing on the Sun Temple Colony island pursuing terrified rebels just ahead of its burning swath, maybe even immolating an unlucky someone. As it is, I have no idea what the unique architecture of the lost cities looked like. The maps are exquisite, by the way and I would buy a map folio of this book.
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