Pathfinder Companion: Qadira, Gateway to the East (PFRPG) (based on
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Paizo Publishing, LLC
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GENIE MYSTICS AND DESERT GLORY
A hot-blooded realm of riches, slavery, and blood feuds, the desert nation of Qadira looks down upon foreigners, for all other lands are glass when compared with Qadira’s diamonds. Ogre mercenaries and soldiers on flying carpets keep caravans safe from bandits and strange beasts. Bound genies build majestic palaces or guard pompous wizards, while tribes of jann roam the deserts hoping to free all geniekind. Militant factions of Sarenrae’s faith rattle their sabers and train dervishes, while mages and scholars from across the world line up to attend Qadira’s prestigious academies. And through it all, the war-mongering satrap turns his ambitious eye toward Taldor and the lands to the west, ready to break the centuries-long peace if only the padishah emperor would give him permission.
This Pathfinder Companion describes the country of Qadira and its capital of Katheer, the city of a million caravans. Study the secrets of the daivrat, humans honored with the trust of wise and deadly genies! Learn how to tell a half-genie from a thin-blooded suli-jann! Unlock Qadiran secrets with new feats and traits! Everything you need to know to play a Qadiran character—or defend yourself against one—is right here!
Written by Brian Cortijo
Each bimonthly 32-page Pathfinder Companion contains several player-focused articles exploring the volume’s theme as well as short articles with innovative new rules for social, magic, religious, and combat-focused characters, as well as a persona section detailing helpful NPCs and traits to better anchor the player to the campaign.
This was the best organized and most coherent Companion yet. I haven't really appreciated most of this series so far as the Companions often feel like a random collection of odds and ends of limited usefulness. Qadira gave a thorough overview of the history, geography, society, and even culture of magic. Enough background to give me a solid feel for the nation. I might have wanted to see a Dervish PrC, but I found the Daivrat to be very original and a good read. In fact all the Djinnfo was well presented.
My only suggestion would be that the traits be collected together, but otherwise I really enjoyed this product. AND much appreciation for reconnecting gnolls with their ghoulish heritage!
These companions are not impressive at all. The cover is juvenile, interior art is silly, the maps are lack luster, and what's with the half-janni? On the plus side the bestiary has a couple of nice additions to the writer's tool box, new traits, feats, and material which will help players of Pathfinder Society, backgrounds of local beliefs, types of magic schools, a prestige class, a few pages obout Katheer, how races and classes are viewed, the part on genders is confusing from a role playing angle, and their views of cast in society. I wish they would have had more about things like seasons, a bit more statistics on every city, struggles inside Qudira, details like roads between towns on the maps and products for different regions and cities, and how they would feel about other countries in Pathfinder Society.
I'll admit that I wasn't anticipating this book nearly as much as I was other releases. I tend to GM rather than play and Qadira was never one of the locations in Golarion that grabbed me.
Then I read it. This is a well-written, engaging book that has turned me on to this amazing nation in the setting and given me a caravan's load of new ideas for both sides of the screen. I especially love some of the new crunchy bits, like the suli race (which I think I might play in an upcoming Legacy of Fire campaign) and the zhyen familiar option.
I've been uninspired by past Companions either because of their content or their subject, but this book has made a huge impression on me. Plus, everything in it is 100% compatible with the new rules, so I don't even need to convert grapple to CMB and spot to perception. It's ready to go, right out of the gate.
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