Pathfinder Player Companion: Bastards of Golarion (PFRPG)

3.00/5 (based on 4 ratings)
Pathfinder Player Companion: Bastards of Golarion (PFRPG)
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Unlock the powers of your ancestors and combine the might of two worlds with Pathfinder Player Companion: Bastards of Golarion! Whether you’re the abandoned progeny of elven royalty or the feared result of hag trickery, your lineage is both strange and storied, and you must channel the brawn and guile of your forebears to prove yourself to a harsh and uncaring world—no matter the costs.

Inside this book, you’ll find:

  • Ten new heritages and alternate racial traits for half-elves and half-orcs—from the seafaring children of aquatic elves to the brash kin of desert orcs.
  • Details and new character options for adventurers from the famous half-elven refuge of Erages and the half-orc port city of Averaka.
  • Four character themes to represent bastards of all races and pasts, including the envied celebrity, the misbegotten illegitimate, the scorned outcast, and the neglected unfortunate.
  • A slew of generation tables to inspire grim character backgrounds and determine the physical features inherited from non-human progenitors.
  • New archetypes, feats, spells, magic items, traits and more for bastard characters of all walks!

This Pathfinder Player Companion is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be incorporated into any fantasy world.

Written by Judy Bauer, Neal Litherland, Ryan Macklin, and David N. Ross.
Cover Art by Ralph Horsley.

Each monthly 32-page Pathfinder Player Companion contains several player-focused articles exploring the volume’s theme as well as short articles with innovative new rules for all types of characters, as well as traits to better anchor the player to the campaign.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-602-7

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

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

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

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3.00/5 (based on 4 ratings)

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Not worth the price

2/5

This product would have gotten four stars were it half the price. At its listed retail, however, the value just isn't there.

There are some wonderful illustrations of the common fantasy half-breeds, especially half-orcs. However, the work itself seems a bit unfocused, with not enough material in some cases (gill men) and bland material in others. What crunch there is seems to be so minor or insignificant as to be an after thought.

The true "bastards" - half-tiefling, half-aasimars, etc. - are relegated to a paragraph apiece. A true shame and a missed opportunity.

A large swath of this work was devoted to character backgrounds - material that could have been condensed to one or two paragraphs per concept, leaving more room for discussion on actual half-breeds.

A work on this subject could have easily been double this size and packed with awesome information. It's very unlikely we'll ever get that chance again for Pathfinder.


Bastards of Heroics

5/5

After looking at this book again recently, I can say that it is much better then I thought it would be. Not only do half-elves and half-orcs get a lot of love but several other races get a little something cool as well.


Pretty good

3/5

Read my full review on Of Dice and Pen.

Bastards of Golarion is a rather better book than I was expecting, even if it does at times seem unsure of its focus. It contains a lot of advice and suggestions for creating characters who are either half-human characters or outcasts from society in some way or another. As with any Pathfinder Player Companion, there are quite a few new mechanical options, but these are mostly limited to new traits that help support the “fluff” of the book. The emphasis of the book is very much on the background information, and this pleased me a great deal.


Disappointing

2/5

A disappointing book that tries to do too much. You get some good fluff and an occasional gem amidst a lot of chaff and a few real head-scratchers. Admittedly, Half-Elves are my favourite core race and I was hoping for better quality content than what I found here.

Positives: Good fluff all round. Half-Orc Subraces are well done. Great cover and I have to single out the Half-Orc pic on page 10 for making me consider playing my least favourite race.

Negatives: Most of the new options are forgettable. Far too many races with their own dedicated Players Companions are represented. Background and Distant Heritage options are things you could work out for yourself with little actual mechanics.

I have to call out some specifics now as examples; some of this stuff perplexes me. The Shoreborn give up Low-light Vision and Keen Senses for Swim and Sailing buffs; the buffs are understandable but you’d think Aquatic blood would make for better vision rather than worse. Spireborn are a little too good, they trade Adaptability for Spell-Like abilities. The rest generally trade Elven Immunities for terrain-specific skill buffs which are of questionable utility aside from very specific campaign settings.

The Unusual Origins feat is actually four feats, depending on which of the applicable races you are. Why isn’t it four separate feats? I don’t know, I can’t think of a single reason why. This one feat takes up an entire double page spread too with some seriously ugly artwork. I hate saying that but that particular piece of artwork rubs me in every wrong way possible.


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Silver Crusade

Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Shadow Lodge

Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

Silver Crusade

doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

The Huarizo :3

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

The Huarizo :3

That is cool but definitely not a player race. You may have to wait until we get some stuff in Arcadia to see more llama and alpaca love. All I have to say is an Aztec inspired centaur with the lower half of a llama.

Silver Crusade

doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

The Huarizo :3
That is cool but definitely not a player race. You may have to wait until we get some stuff in Arcadia to see more llama and alpaca love. All I have to say is an Aztec inspired centaur with the lower half of a llama.

Alpaca-tan. WANT!

Shadow Lodge

Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

The Huarizo :3
That is cool but definitely not a player race. You may have to wait until we get some stuff in Arcadia to see more llama and alpaca love. All I have to say is an Aztec inspired centaur with the lower half of a llama.
Alpaca-tan. WANT!

Lol thanks. As a GM I also function as an excellent enabler of want and mighty need creation.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Really really anxious for this book.

Wondering if Averaka and its culture will be explored. Hoping non-evil full-blooded orcs live there too.

Silver Crusade

doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Patrick Renie wrote:
Rysky wrote:
What about Huarizo?
Haha, I wish!

*sigh*

was bound to get one that wasn't featured.

Which ones are they?

Honestly I'm just really excited for stuff on the core bastard bloodlines and the ogrekin. Those 3 make it all worth while for me.

The Huarizo :3
That is cool but definitely not a player race. You may have to wait until we get some stuff in Arcadia to see more llama and alpaca love. All I have to say is an Aztec inspired centaur with the lower half of a llama.
Alpaca-tan. WANT!
Lol thanks. As a GM I also function as an excellent enabler of want and mighty need creation.

Gracias.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Patrick Renie wrote:
Jurisia Karien wrote:

will we be getting more information and racial traits for half elves of drow descent?

You betcha!

I will say this is a nice surprise for me.

Webstore Gninja Minion

Product image and description updated.


From reading the Description, I get the impression that Featured and Uncommon races got very slim pickings in this book and got one page if it was lucky to get one.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Is it January yet?!


I would say this is mostly for half-elves and half-orcs but still interesting and nice cover art.

Silver Crusade

The Owlbear! My favorite bastard :3

Silver Crusade

1. Sweet cover. :)

2. Imrijka's fanart hair is canon! :D

3. Oh the owlbear was chosen on purpose wasn't it. ;)


Mikaze wrote:
3. Oh the owlbear was chosen on purpose wasn't it. ;)

o_O

The hell you trying to say there, Paizo?! >:(

Silver Crusade

Auskrem wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
3. Oh the owlbear was chosen on purpose wasn't it. ;)

o_O

The hell you trying to say there, Paizo?! >:(

That this book will also cover monster hybrids?

...

Cmon Half-Fiend Half-Celestials

*crosses fingers*

Silver Crusade

Quote:

Ten new heritages and alternate racial traits for half-elves and half-orcs—from the seafaring children of aquatic elves to the brash kin of desert orcs.

Details and new character options for adventurers from the famous half-elven refuge of Erages and the half-orc port city of Averaka.

The new heritages and possibility of flavor expansion have me really hopeful on the flavor side of things, particularly where their origins and the cultures they can pull from are concerned. And Averaka getting explored has me downright excited.

Quote:

Four character themes to represent bastards of all races and pasts, including the envied celebrity, the misbegotten illegitimate, the scorned outcast, and the neglected unfortunate.

A slew of generation tables to inspire grim character backgrounds and determine the physical features inherited from non-human progenitors.

This does have me a bit worried about support for half-orcs with non-tragic parentage though, especially seeing "all pasts" boiled down to those four, with the odd one out probably geared towards half-elves/aasimar.

Rise of the Runelords:
Of the Nualia variety at that.

That and "bastard" sure gets flung around a lot...

Silver Crusade

8 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Owlbear: I don't even know what I should say 'cause I'm an idiot a loser, microphone abuser...
Imrijka: Great, an owlbear with bad taste for music, just what we needed!
Seltyiel: LIMP BIZKIT AIN'T TRÜE METAL, BARECHEST CRÜEL THÜNDER CHARGE ATTACK!!!!!!!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Gorbacz wrote:

Owlbear: I don't even know what I should say 'cause I'm an idiot a loser, microphone abuser...

Imrijka: Great, an owlbear with bad taste for music, just what we needed!
Seltyiel: LIMP BIZKIT AIN'T TRÜE METAL, BARECHEST CRÜEL THÜNDER CHARGE ATTACK!!!!!!!

In this particular scenario, I'd probably help out a fellow Bizkit and kick some half-elf/half-orc Bizkit-dissing butt. :D


Rysky wrote:
The Owlbear! My favorite bastard :3

+1

Well played Paizo, well played :)


That owlbear looks more befuddled than enraged.


Whoa, there's gonna be new heritages for half-elves and half-orcs?
Like, aasimartieflingdhampirskinwalker heritages!?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:


This does have me a bit worried about support for half-orcs with non-tragic parentage though, especially seeing "all pasts" boiled down to those four, with the odd one out probably geared towards half-elves/aasimar.

Well to be fair half-orcs with non-tragic parentages would not be Bastards....so I was not really expecting much support for that concept.

I guess we are going to just have to wait for Happy and Healthy Familys of Golarion.

Developer

Axial wrote:

Whoa, there's gonna be new heritages for half-elves and half-orcs?

Like, aasimartieflingdhampirskinwalker heritages!?

Yeah, similar, but not the same. ;]

Spoiler:
One notable difference is that the half-elf and half-orc heritages don't sport different ability score modifiers than the core races of the same name.


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Steven "Troll" O'Neal wrote:
That owlbear looks more befuddled than enraged.

He just got out of hibernation, man. He needs a few weeks to wake up.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ah, here's a question:

Are there gonna be any new bloodlines (Maybe an Elf Bloodline to match the Orc one) or Sorcerer Archetypes, or maybe feats to allow alternate ways to use your bloodline? .


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Orthos wrote:
Steven "Troll" O'Neal wrote:
That owlbear looks more befuddled than enraged.
He just got out of hibernation, man. He needs a few weeks to wake up.

Sounds like me in the Morning...

Shadow Lodge

Ahh... Finally a book for me and Mr. Hoots


I wanted to by this back in September. Seeing that owlbear on the cover I need this.


Who shipped the wizards the jaggermeister this time?

Silver Crusade

Gorbacz wrote:
Half-breeds sounds icky as well. Half-bloods doesn't have any negative vibes unless you despise Harry Potter.

Or Percy Jackson.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Apostle of Gygax wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
Half-breeds sounds icky as well. Half-bloods doesn't have any negative vibes unless you despise Harry Potter.
Or Percy Jackson.

Except it kind of does. Particularly in the American south (not all of it but at least the places I've been) it is associated with old racist notions about blood purity.


As far as I can tell no one has mentioned this, but honestly I am curious if they go into what happens with other possible mixes. I mean there is already a feat of (x) blooded where you also count as another type of humanoid for humans. Do shorter human Cheliaxians get accused of having ancestors who were having too much fun with the slips? I mean what happens if a Half-Elf and a Half-Orc love each other very much, or if a Tiefling and Aasimar do for that matter? If certain mixes do not work does anyone bring up that it is strange that you can have a dragon produce offspring with a human, but say a human and a dwarf are not intercompatible?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Really love the cover art for this. The red, tan, and brown go well together.

Also, information on half-drow? Sweet! :)

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Well this kinda looks crazy awesome!


Any love for the half human/half shae Fetchlings?


Any chance at some sneak peeks during this month to wet the appetite of those wanting the book.


Vic Wertz wrote:
Announced! Cover image is a mockup, and will change prior to publication.

An Elf (or Orc) finds a compatible Human mate, they get married or bond for life, settle down and start a loving happy family in a culturally diverse and accepting community. Are the off-spring still to be thought of as bastards?

Or do all half-elf and half-orc characters have to have a tainted back-story to be interesting?

Half-bloods of Golarion would be a better title.

Paizo Employee Developer

Azure_Zero wrote:
Any chance at some sneak peeks during this month to wet the appetite of those wanting the book.

Aside from this blog?


Adam Daigle wrote:
Azure_Zero wrote:
Any chance at some sneak peeks during this month to wet the appetite of those wanting the book.
Aside from this blog?

Yes, aside from that blog.


Adam Daigle wrote:
Azure_Zero wrote:
Any chance at some sneak peeks during this month to wet the appetite of those wanting the book.
Aside from this blog?

I'm going to have to rethink my interest level here...it sounds like it's 90% about Half Elves & Half Orcs :(


a2fan wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:
Announced! Cover image is a mockup, and will change prior to publication.

An Elf (or Orc) finds a compatible Human mate, they get married or bond for life, settle down and start a loving happy family in a culturally diverse and accepting community. Are the off-spring still to be thought of as bastards?

Or do all half-elf and half-orc characters have to have a tainted back-story to be interesting?

Half-bloods of Golarion would be a better title.

Try time travellng to this thread about 6 months ago. You'll love it.

(or just scroll up/go to the previous pages)


1 person marked this as a favorite.
nighttree wrote:
Adam Daigle wrote:
Azure_Zero wrote:
Any chance at some sneak peeks during this month to wet the appetite of those wanting the book.
Aside from this blog?

I'm going to have to rethink my interest level here...it sounds like it's 90% about Half Elves & Half Orcs :(

That's pretty much my thoughts that I posted earlier.

Azure_Zero wrote:
From reading the Description, I get the impression that Featured and Uncommon races got very slim pickings in this book and got one page if it was lucky to get one.


To be fair, most of the other half-X races already got books. Aasimar, Dhampir, Tieflings, and Geniekin are getting a book. Fetchlings are all I can really think of that are hybrids that need a book. But yeah, I've been waiting for a Half-Orc book for ages. Favorite race!

Also, hoping for some stuff on Racial Heritage. As a GM, I wish it was a little more limited.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Kitsune need a book. Urgently.


Yes Kitsune do need a book and so do catfolk, lashunta, tengu, grippli, and many others. But none these races are human hybrid races so there not going to be in this one.

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

gets charge e-mail

F5

F5

F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mikaze wrote:

gets charge e-mail

F5

F5

F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5F5

Lol I feel you. I might have to wait till tomorrow for this since I've already gotten my purchase notice but need to throw some cash in my account.

What I'm hoping for myself is some ogrekin love since they have been featuring prominently in my home game and I would love to see more on them to go with the half-elf and half-orc content. I'm really hoping we don't get a lot of stuff on the elemental kin since this feels more like a book meant to cover the crossbred races that come from material plane non outsiders more then anything else (i.e. the aforementioned core 2, ogrekin, changelings, etc.). Also from the sounds of it they are now getting their own book so it would feel like a squandering of pages.


Odraude wrote:

To be fair, most of the other half-X races already got books. Aasimar, Dhampir, Tieflings, and Geniekin are getting a book. Fetchlings are all I can really think of that are hybrids that need a book. But yeah, I've been waiting for a Half-Orc book for ages. Favorite race!

Also, hoping for some stuff on Racial Heritage. As a GM, I wish it was a little more limited.

My main interest is the Changeling...which I can't imagine getting a book of their own, and don't fit into the "planes" themed books.

So this was kind of my motivator for this one.
Never had much interest in Half Orcs or Half elves at our table (shrugs)

If there is enough Changeling crunch in the book to make it worth the cost, I'll probably still get it....guess I'll wait till people have access to the PDF and see how it pans out.

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