RPG Superstar 2009™ Round One Assignment: Design a Wondrous Item

Design a compelling wondrous item for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta Release, using the Item Creation guidelines available here (1 MB zip PDF). These rules are similar to—but not the same as—the traditional 3.5 SRD rules, so while the old rules are still fine for designing a conceptual framework for the item, be sure that the final submission is designed to the Pathfinder RPG specifications.

Entries must be submitted through the submission tool at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar beginning at 2 PM Pacific time on December 5, 2008, and must be received by 2 PM Pacific time on January 2, 2009. Judges will announce the top 32 entries on January 20, 2009.

The entire submission, including the title, must not exceed 200 words.

PRESENTATION: Use the presentation for magic items found in the wondrous item section of Chapter 15 in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta rules, which can be downloaded for free at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG. The subject line of the submission form should contain only the name of the item. The body of the form should include only the complete item text in the appropriate format (this means the item name will be included in the body as well). DO NOT INCLUDE ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION SUCH AS NAME, AVATAR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, ETC. IN THE SUBMISSION ITSELF. Your paizo account provides all of the information we need; repeating it in the submission may be grounds for disqualification.

DISQUALIFICATION: Submissions may be disqualified for the following reasons:

• Submission is not a wondrous item.
• Submission exceeds 200 words.
• Submission does not conform to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta Release.
• Submission is copied from a previously published source.
• Submission uses non-SRD rules, monsters, or copyrighted material from publishers other than Paizo.
• Incorrect math.
• Incorrect grammar or spelling.

ROUND 1 FAQ:

Which is more important: an item that has a lot going for it creatively, or an item that is perfectly balanced with no spelling or math errors?

An RPG Superstar does not see a contradiction between these "extremes." The best items will be both creatively unique and mechanically interesting. The judges must sift through hundreds and hundreds of submissions for the first round, so you'll want to come up with something that stands out from the pack. That said, rules are important too. Try to create an item that is both well conceived and well designed, and you stand a better chance of being among the 32 contestants who will proceed to Round 2.

Can I resubmit an item from last year?

Provided the item was not selected for the Top 32 last year, you can choose to resubmit it for this year's contest. The judges have long memories, however, and are probably not likely to advance an item that they passed on last year. Your best bet is likely to create an entirely new item specifically for this year's contest.

Will I be able to see the judges' comments on my item?

The judges' discussion for the Top 32 items only will be posted online, and fans will be able to consider that feedback in their own voting decisions. We are sorry that we cannot provide detailed feedback for all of the items submitted to the contest, but the sheer volume of submissions makes this impossible. After the Top 32 have been announced, non-advancing contestants are free to post their wondrous items to the RPG Superstar discussion forum for feedback from their peers.

Can we refer to Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting material, such as nations, heroes, or gods, when describing our item?

Yes, but keep in mind that only one of the judges works at Paizo and has a strong knowledge of the campaign setting, and many of the voters are not regular Pathfinder readers. Contestants hoping to get an "edge" by including a bunch of Pathfinder and Paizo-related inside jokes may be shooting themselves in the feet.

Can we refer to the campaign setting material of other publishers?

No. And while we're at it, if you refer to a monster please be sure to use only monsters published in Pathfinder products or in the OGL System Reference Document. You can consult the SRD online at d20srd.org. Reference to non-open rules or monsters may be grounds for disqualification.

How about material from my own campaign?

Provided the campaign has never been published, this is fine, but keep in mind that all submissions become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. You are probably better off inventing a new country or god or whatever specifically for the contest.