RSS RSS Facebook Twitter Email
Sale / Pathfinder First Edition Celebration! / Campaign Setting

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lands of the Linnorm Kings (PFRPG)

4.80/5 (based on 8 ratings)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lands of the Linnorm Kings (PFRPG)
Show Description For:
Non-Mint

Add Print Edition $19.99 $9.99

Add PDF $15.99

Non-Mint Unavailable

Facebook Twitter Email

Land of Vikings!

In the savage north lies a realm where only those who slay mighty draconic linnorms are fit to rule. Where giants and trolls dwell just beyond the veneer of civilization, lying in wait to attack any who tread too far into the wild. Where the magical influence of the First World of the fey hides just beyond a thin layer of reality. Where barbarians, berserkers, and raiders constitute civilization, and the weak serve the strong. These are the fabled, savage, and noble Lands of the Linnorm Kings.

Lands of the Linnorm Kings presents a comprehensive overview of these mighty kingdoms, a realm of powerful viking kings, capricious fey, and savage beasts.

Inside this book, you will find:

  • A complete overview of the seven realms of the Linnorm Kingdoms, from the traditional raiders of Broken Bay to the sinister fey of Grungir Forest and the war-torn borderland of Hagreach, complete with histories, notes on current events and society, and a gazetteer of each region.
  • Detailed maps of seven of the most important cities of the Linnorm Kingdoms, from the streets of White Estrid’s Halgrim to the sprawl of Kalsgard, the region’s capital.
  • Numerous adventure sites and events where hopeful adventurers can prove their worth.
  • Rules for building reputation among the vikings of the land, using weregild to avoid blood feuds, and designing effigies and punishments capable of putting fear into the hearts of your enemies.
  • A bestiary of new monsters and NPCs from the land, such as the legendary linnorm Fafnheir and the fey animal template or iconic Ulfen raiders and berserker cannibals.

Lands of the Linnorm Kings is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting.

Written by Matthew Goodall, Jonathan Keith, Colin McComb, and Rob McCreary

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-365-1

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

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

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

Product Availability

Print Edition:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 3 to 5 business days.

PDF:

Fulfilled immediately.

Non-Mint:

Unavailable

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

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

PZO9238

See Also:

6 to 8 of 8 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

Average product rating:

4.80/5 (based on 8 ratings)

Sign in to create or edit a product review.

Paizo + Vikings...Recipe for Gaming Goodness

5/5 —

So I wanted to be sceptical about this product. Living in the region of this world from whence the vikings set sail to raid the world, my childhood was filled with lore of that glorious people. So when I learned that Paizo was doing a book on the Linnorm Kingdoms, I was excited. I wanted to be sceptical but that just didn't happen. It was Paizo so it had to be good. Even when the book arrived in my mail box and I started reading the thing, I tried so damn hard to be sceptical. But it didn't happen.

See, like every regional sourcebook Paizo has released for the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, this one does not describe every minute detail of viking society. It doesn't reveal the inner workings of Gorum's clergy in the region nor does it give a page-long account of the average farmer's day (yes people, there are indeed farmers in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings). What the book, like every other regional sourcebook to date, does do is provide an unbelievable amount of locations, personalities, and conflicts for us GMs to take to the gaming table and give our players a good time. And it does that damn well.

The book starts out with a gazetteer of the seven kingdoms and a timeline spanning from -624AR to the present date. Each entry discusses the social mindset of the kingdom and then proceeds to describe some of the most interesting locations in the kingdom. These entries are well written and filled to bursting point with adventure material. While each kingdom is a part of the Linnorm Kingdoms, they are all very different and some kingdoms aren't really kingdoms at all but rather wild regions claimed by no Linnorm King. Each kingdom presents its own set of possibilities. If you want to focus on the political tension between the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and Irrisen, then Hagreach is just the kingdom for you. If you find the struggle between tradition and progress to be fascinaing, the Ironbound Isles should keep you busy for a while. If you want to really explore the viking raiders aspect of this viking culture, look no farther than the Broken Bay. And so on and so forth.

The next chapter features specific events and adventure sites that can serve as fodder for the creative GM's mind. These sites and events can all set the stage for entire campaigns set in the Linnorm Kingdoms and, in the case of sea raids, beyond. Each entry includes a stat block containing information about where the site/event is located, its master, and any notable inhabitants as well at least half a page of fluff about the entry.

The third chapter in the book introduces three new mechanics to the game - reputation, effigies, and weregild. Reputation is just that. The mechanic is a representation of your character's reputation based on the adventures he's been on and the experiences he'd had during those adventures. It allows the character bo "buy" certain advantages, such as a favor, a gift or loan, or weregild payment. Effigies are used to strike fear into the hearts of enemies. Sample effigies are the standard effigy (such as heads mounted on spikes), blood eagle, the nithing pole, the tree of souls, and the wicker man. Finally the weregild mechanic represents an aspect of viking law that allows a person to pay with money for any crime he may have committed. The chapter wraps up with a description of three magic items - the banner of the ancient kings, the harp of storms, and the greatsword Rixbrand.

The last chapter in the book is the bestiary. It features three monsters (the huldra, the mindslaver mold, and the mountain troll), one template (the fey animal template), four generic NPCs (the berserker cannibal, the Blackraven scout, the longboat captain, and the ulfen raider), and one very unique NPC - Fafnheir, the Father of All Linnorms.

This book is a must-have for GMs running games set in Golarion. Even for games not specifically set in the Linnorm Kingdoms, there's a lot of cool information to get from this book. The new mechanics are decent enough and I could see effigies and reputation being used in non-Linnorm Kingdoms games. The bestiary is just phenomenal. I really enjoyed the generic NPCs and I hope it's something Paizo will continue doing. If you're running a game set in the Linnorm Kingdoms, those generic NPCs will come in very handy.

One of the best yet

5/5 —

The Lands of the Linnorm Kings is one of the most robust Pathfinder Campaign setting books I have read. Paizo has really stepped up their quality, as this book contains detailed and well written regional information, campaign integration guidelines (including a reputation rules-set), and a nice bestiary (with some generic NPCs). This book was written by a dream team of Paizo authors, Matthew Goodall, Jonathan Keith, Colin McComb, and Rob McCreary and contained everything I expected from a campaign supplement with an attention to detail that took it above and beyond.

The regional information section includes a timeline and details on the areas of Broken Bay, Grungir Forest, Hagreach (Which includes the city of Trollheim), Icemark, the Ironbound Islands, Southmoor, and the Thanelands. Each area contains background information, a gazetteer, information on the rulers, and a map of the capital (or significant landmark). This section was really interesting to me as it gave much more detailed information on areas I have played and run in PFS. I particularly liked the area on Hagreach as I have always been curious about Trollheim, the Blackravens, and Freyr Darkwine.
The following chapter, the Proving Grounds, is a list of adventure sites and events. When I first skimmed this chapter I dismissed it as adventure hooks and MacGuffins. When I took the time to read through it, I realized that they are more like adventure seeds. Each section includes a short stat block with a location, master, and notable inhabitants. It then has detailed information for building adventures around a location and an event. It gives a GM everything they need in order to build a rich adventure without leading them by the nose through a prebuilt scenario. Awesome job Paizo!

Chapter 3 has tools useful for GMs running campaigns in the Linnorm Kingdoms or any Viking setting including rules for reputation, effigies, weregild and ransom, and stats on three powerful magical items. As I read through this chapter I imagined myself either playing or running a game with Viking raids, adventuring to dark caves and fighting linnorms, massive Viking combat, and delving deep into the Ulfen culture. This chapter seemed very specialized in its use and will be widely ignored by players and GMs who focus on PFS and those not interested in creating their own Viking campaign setting.

The Bestiary goes a little beyond what I expect from a campaign book. We are given the usual encounter tables (all bestiary 1, 2, and this book) and a collection of creatures. We have the usual monsters of the region (5 new creatures!), plus four detailed generic NPC! This was my second favorite section since it gifted me with unique monstery goodness plus some nice statblocks to aid me with Ulfen encounters and character concept inspiration.
Who should buy this book?


  • Anyone interested in running a Viking game. It has plenty of details to run a game in the intended region or the location details, adventure seeds, and rulesets can be easily ported to any campaign setting .
  • Readers who want to deepen their understanding of another awesome region of Golarion.
  • GMs and Players looking to deepend their Ulfen Characters’ backgrounds.
  • PFS Judges who want to run richer locations and encounters in scenarios based in this region.

In conclusion, I love this book. I don’t run home games anymore yet I found myself wanting to build a Viking setting after reading it. I enjoyed the fluff, as setting and character detail are my favorite part of the game. Thanks Paizo for assembling a great collection of authors who were able to fit the richness of a 200 page campaign setting into a 63 page supplement.

Very good sourcebook

4/5 —

I really enjoyed this book. It really brought the Lands of the Linnorm Kings into sharper clarity for me. Previously i did not have much interest in this country, but now I am very interested in it.

There are only two negatives i can say about this one. One is the same problem I had with Rule of Fear, the book about Ustalav. As in that book this one also has chapters for the individual areas, but then certain sites within the area are detailed in another chapter. This was annoying in Rule of Fear and still annoying in this book. It just makes for more flipping back and forth then should really be necessary. It would be so much better in both books just to have that information in the same chapter section.

The only other negative i would say associated with this book, is that there was not a whole AP devoted to this area. Just a really brief stopover during the current(and to me, boring) AP.

All in all, this book is well worth the price, and i hope that Paizo eventually sets an entire AP in this area.

6 to 8 of 8 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Search Thread

Search this Thread:

1 to 50 of 157 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | next > last >>
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Just announced for September. As always, the cover image is a mockup, and will change prior to publication.

Spoiler:
This book is going to be Linnormous!
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Very excited about this! I'm glad now that I held off on my Linnorm campaign!
Dark Archive

Ooh, effigies sound interesting.

And there's just no way that a piddly little routine linnorm hunt could turn out anything like the movie Alien, with people being dragged off screaming into the darkness...

Heja linnormarna!

Six months seems such a loooong time for this.
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Very cool.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32, 2012 Top 4

I hereby command you to stop being so awesome! I COMMAND IT!
Set wrote:

Ooh, effigies sound interesting.

And there's just no way that a piddly little routine linnorm hunt could turn out anything like the movie Alien, with people being dragged off screaming into the darkness...

I like how you think, Set. ^.^

September... apt that the seasons change and the North wind blows but Hel's Teeth I could do with this now!

Hopefully it'll co-incide with an Ice Troll, Linnorm Kings and of course mighty Linnorm PF Minis ;)

Awesome!
Black Dow wrote:

... and of course mighty Linnorm PF Minis ;)

+1

Well I am sold on this product, now I just have to wait for the Numeria one.
Dark Archive
Kajehase wrote:
Heja linnormarna!

Shame on you, Kajehase -- det är förbjudet att använda svenska i detta forum! ;)

Asgetrion wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
Heja linnormarna!
Shame on you, Kajehase -- det är förbjudet att använda svenska i detta forum! ;)

Forbidden? Why? Swedish is cool!

Liberty's Edge

Excellent. About time we got our rightful time in the spotlight

Awesome! I've been waiting for this one.

Having this and a guide to Mana Wastes on my gaming shelf will be me a very happy camper.

HA!! just in time for my Bday. James was right, cool things are planned for Sept :)
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32, 2011 Top 4

Awesome. Been waiting for this one for a good long while.
Jeff de luna wrote:
Asgetrion wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
Heja linnormarna!
Shame on you, Kajehase -- det är förbjudet att använda svenska i detta forum! ;)
Forbidden? Why? Swedish is cool!

Yeah. In fact, all future posts in this thread be translated into one of the Scandinavian languages to fit with the viking theme. ;)

Kajehase wrote:
Jeff de luna wrote:
Asgetrion wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
Heja linnormarna!
Fy skam deg, Kajehase -- det är förbjudet att använda svenska i detta forum! ;)
Forbudt? Hvorfor? Svensk er kult!
Ja. Faktisk så vil alle fremtidige svar i denne tråden bli oversatt til et av de skandinaviske språkene, for å passe med vikingtemaet. ;)

;)

me wants!
Liberty's Edge

Since the Berserker's Cry feat was removed in the latest version of the Campaign Setting, I hope to see it updated to PF rules in this source. as it is, I'll have to use it in "grandfathered" form in PFS for now.
The Exchange Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6

Yay!
Dark Archive
Leonal wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
Jeff de luna wrote:
Asgetrion wrote:
Kajehase wrote:
Heja linnormarna!
Fy skam deg, Kajehase -- det är förbjudet att använda svenska i detta forum! ;)
Forbudt? Hvorfor? Svensk er kult!
Ja. Faktisk så vil alle fremtidige svar i denne tråden bli oversatt til et av de skandinaviske språkene, for å passe med vikingtemaet. ;)
;)

Tack, kära kusiner! Men jag tycker att det är inte så bra idé -- även om vi har för avsikt att översätta allt.

Och samma på engelska: I doubt non-Scandinavian posters would think it's fun if we keep posting in Swedish or Norwegian (even if we translate it to english). ;)
Dark Archive

Sweet!
Silver Crusade

Day One purchase! Thank you thank you thank you!
Grand Lodge

Wait.
Fafnheir is the most powerful linnorm?
What about Jormungand?
Asgetrion wrote:
Och samma på engelska: I doubt non-Scandinavian posters would think it's fun if we keep posting in Swedish or Norwegian (even if we translate it to english). ;)

Hvad så med dansk?

Okay okay, enough of this non-English hogwash!

Personally I'm really looking forward to this product. It'll be nice to see a fantasy version of 10th-11th century Denmark given the Paizo treatment. :)

This will be a great tie-in for Jade Regent I suspect.

Even more exciting, that once we have this book, we can expect an Irrisen setting book in late 2012.

Because "You Know Who" is coming back in 4713. She's coming for Elvanna. She's coming for all of you!

Just in time for Vikings Versus Witches!

Seriously, I'm looking forward to this on it's own merits as well.
Scribbling Rambler wrote:

Wait.

Fafnheir is the most powerful linnorm?
What about Jormungand?

Jormungand is essentially one of the Eldest of the First World (his name escapes me - it isn't Jormungand). He's essentially a giant water dragon who is said to be the father of linnorms. Thus, I'd guess that Fafnheir is the most powerful mortal linnorm.

Also, don't forget about Nidhogg. If he's in PF, I'd reckon he's demigod level.
Paizo Employee Creative Director
Scribbling Rambler wrote:

Wait.

Fafnheir is the most powerful linnorm?
What about Jormungand?

Fafnheir is the most powerful linnorm in the Linnorm Kingdoms. Jormungand doesn't live there, so he doesn't count. :-)

Regarding PF's Jormungand:

Ragadahn the Water Lord is a CE outsider demigod from the First World. "Also known as the Serpent King, the World Serpent, and (somewhat heretically) the Father of Dragons, Ragadahn claims to be the progenitor from whom all linnorms are spawned." You can read about him and see his illustration in Sound of a Thousand Screams (Kingmaker #36).

I've always been big on "the Northern thing", so I am eagerly looking forward to more information on the Vikings of Avistan.
Eric Hinkle wrote:
I've always been big on "the Northern thing", so I am eagerly looking forward to more information on the Vikings of Avistan.

Me too, this looks/sounds great!

We likely to see any new weapons, armour or equipement unique to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings?

I've a long hankering for the Skeggöx or bearded axe to appear [perhaps in the fashion of a "bastard axe"??] and the atgeir polearm...

Would that be a Skäggyxa you mean by ...that thing you wrote. (I'm pretty sure not even a Dane could bastardise a y into an ö, not least because they write it as an o with a dash through it). ;)
Kajehase wrote:
Would that be a Skäggyxa you mean by ...that thing you wrote. (I'm pretty sure not even a Dane could bastardise a y into an ö, not least because they write it as an o with a dash through it). ;)

Skægøkse would be the Danish word for it.

Guess I was wrong about that. Blast, now I have to make my dragon-head a peg smaller.
Kajehase wrote:
Would that be a Skäggyxa you mean by ...that thing you wrote. (I'm pretty sure not even a Dane could bastardise a y into an ö, not least because they write it as an o with a dash through it). ;)

Was going with a literal Old Norse translation - thanks for the heads up ;)

This really is the year of the North! Between the Thor movie (waited my whole life for it), Kobold's Guide to the Northlands and this, I'm a very happy viking! I suppose I really should bite the bullet and learn Old Norse, even if I haven't mastered Old English yet.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

FANTASTIC news! I have been thinking that I should continue my Campaign Setting subscription... and seeing this just flat-out cements that thought.

Thank you Paizo!

Sincerely,

Dean; The_Minstrel_Wyrm
Black Dow wrote:

We likely to see any new weapons, armour or equipement unique to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings?

I've a long hankering for the Skeggöx or bearded axe to appear [perhaps in the fashion of a "bastard axe"??] and the atgeir polearm...

Wouldn't the Dwarven Waraxe cover any "Bastard Axe"? That's usually how I handle it, anyway.

Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Eric Hinkle wrote:
Black Dow wrote:

We likely to see any new weapons, armour or equipement unique to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings?

I've a long hankering for the Skeggöx or bearded axe to appear [perhaps in the fashion of a "bastard axe"??] and the atgeir polearm...

Wouldn't the Dwarven Waraxe cover any "Bastard Axe"? That's usually how I handle it, anyway.

I would think the stats for a "bastard axe" would be exactly the same as the Dwarven Waraxe, at any rate. Maybe a different cost or some sort of benefit to make it different, otherwise it would be functionally the same weapon.

Yeah good point one and all. Dwarven war-axe would cover it, but thought the Ulfen bearded axe could also be used to trip as well... so to make it a unique weapon in its own right?
Liberty's Edge

Excellent! Definitely looking forward to this one. Now all we need is a full scale AP based here!
The Exchange Kobold Press

I think this is a glorious thing! And huzzah for Colin McComb writing a chunk of it.

I know I'll be running my version of it with some Northlands content as well. Likely the two will complement each other neatly.

If I squint just right, I think maybe Open Design scooped Paizo on this one, sort of. :)

Wow, I only just got Open Design's Northlands book. With this coming it seems like Fate is telling me to put my group into a Viking style campaign this winter.

Add to that Froggodgames' Northlands saga and you got a whole lot of Nordic Pathfinder stuff...

Any mention or hints about this at PaizoCon?
The Exchange Kobold Press

Nope, no discussion of it at the banquet. But I can say that the Northlands book did very well at PaizoCon, once people saw it had rune magic and grudge magic etc.

From the listing, it seems that Lands of the Linnorm Kings will have better art and less pagecount. What I really want to know is, will there be a Linnorm-region adventure to go with this book?
1 to 50 of 157 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Paizo / Product Discussion / Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lands of the Linnorm Kings (PFRPG) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Product Discussion
Pathfinder Season of Ghosts Adventure Path
Last post: by Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti
Pathfinder Lost Omens: Draconic Codex
Last post: by Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti