Revisiting Themes, Characters, and Chronicles

Monday, February 22, 2016

This month is exciting for a host of reasons. First, February marks the anniversary of when I began working at Paizo, and I'll soon observe the conclusion of my third year on the job. February is also when I first started playing Pathfinder Society as part of a home group in Georgia six years ago, which eerily makes this the point at which I have participated in the campaign for an equal amount of time as a participant and volunteer as I have as an employee. I plan on celebrating this curious milestone by continuing work on an exciting, upcoming project for the organized play campaign—one I'll reveal soon enough! In a more official sense, you'll note that both Linda and I are brandishing deadlier titles that we trust will keep the pugwampis at bay.

Illustration by Mathias Zamęcki

In other news, we're also taking this opportunity to update the Additional Resources page with material from both January and February. Linda and I also investigated several inconsistencies the community has pointed out, so you'll see some small changes to some books. Most of these are noting that a familiar legal in one source is, in fact, legal in another source—and other such nuances. We've also updated several of the adventure sanctioning documents, including those for Pathfinder Adventure Path: Reign of Winter (some minor errors that don't affect the Chronicle sheets), Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge (added a limit to an ability on the fourth Chronicle sheet), and Pathfinder Adventure Path: Carrion Crown (added a limit to an ability on the second Chronicle sheet). These changes are retroactive, and I have made a note of that on the Additional Resources page.

This month we're also releasing two scenarios I've wanted to deliver for a long time. The first is Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-16: Faithless and Forgotten, Part 2: Lost Colony of TaldorM, a Tier 1-5 adventure that continues our three-part homage to the Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance Adventure Paths by sending the Pathfinders on a tour of southern Cheliax. This month the PCs travel to Kharijite, the sliver of territory Cheliax seized from Rahadoum over 500 years ago, to explore an archaeological site that shatters what we understand of Taldan history. Sure, I'm as excited about Taldor as anyone else, but what I've really looked forward to—ever since I learned that the Pathfinder Society is an archaeological organization—is an archaeological adventure. I'm an archaeologist by training, and it's always been a struggle to reconcile that archaeology can be lots of fun in practice, yet the study of stratigraphy, potsherds, and meter-wide trenches just doesn't translate well to a roleplaying game. It was while writing the outline for Faithless and Forgotten that I realized this passion could finally find a home. I entrusted it to RPG Superstar finalist Kalervo Oikarinen, and he delivered an awesome adventure that highlights all the themes I wanted while maintaining all the action and excitement we would expect from a scenario!

For more than two years now, I've had player after GM after Venture-Captain approach me and ask when we'd see the return of the fan-favorite NPC Valais Durant (featured in Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-09: The Traitor's Lodge). I can confirm the answer is February 2016, with the release of Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-17: Thralls of the Shattered God, a Tier 5-9 adventure with special opportunities for the Silver Crusade faction! The Fifth Mendevian Crusade has wound down in our campaign's continuity, and Mendev has uncovered an ancient Sarkorian site in the reclaimed land. Ever eager to document history, Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury has asked a team of his more experienced agents to salvage the secrets before Mendev settles the area. Curiously, though, Valais Durant has asked to accompany the PCs. What does she sense about this site, and what will it reveal about her past? Linda and I knew we needed an author well versed in our continuity, tapped into the community's appreciation of Valais, and talented to do the story justice. We're glad that Andrew Hoskins accepted the challenge and wrote such a fun adventure that you can enjoy beginning this Wednesday.

John Compton
Pathfinder Society Lead Developer