There’s been a lot of bad news related to the situation with COVID-19 right now. From those forced into isolation and quarantine, to those facing sudden financial or medical hardship, to those upset that an event they were looking forward to was canceled, a lot of people have been having a rough time. Teachers, artists, authors, performers, musicians, and many others have been stepping up to help keep spirits high despite the circumstances. In particular, I’ve been following the curious resurrection of an obscure Japanese yokai—known as an amabie, the creature was recorded as predicting a plague, but claiming that anyone who saw a picture of the amabie would be cured of the disease. Now, Japanese artists on twitter have been sharing their own drawings and other creations of the amabie to offer their best wishes for good health.

An Edo-era depiction of an ‘amabie’. Image Public Domain, from Wikipedia.

Often in Pathfinder, we focus on creatures that are cruel and vicious, to better serve as foes for player characters. But right now, I think a humble yokai that seeks to do good deserves its own spotlight. So here is my “picture” of the amabie, sketched with words, to give to you.

Amabie

Creature 3

Rare, NG, Medium, Aquatic, Kami

Perception +13; disease sense (imprecise) 30 feet, low-light vision
Languages Aquan, Common
Athletics +10 (+12 to swim), Intimidation +8, Nature +11, Religion +10
Str +1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +3

Disease Sense The amabie detects sources of disease and creatures that are infected with a disease, but receives no information beyond the location of the disease or such afflicted creatures.

Warding Visage An amabie’s image helps ward off sickness and bad fortune. For this ability to function, a non-amabie creature must clearly see the amabie and succeed at a DC 10 Crafting (Artistry) check to create an image of the amabie within 7 days. Any creature that sees this image within the next 28 days can use a +11 modifier to saving throws against diseases and curse effects instead of its own saving throw modifier for the next 14 days. Once a creature has gained a bonus from a specific amabie’s warding visage ability, it is permanently immune to that amabie’s warding visage ability.

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AC 19; Reflex +8, Fortitude +6, Will +7

HP 43

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Speed 20 feet; swim 30 feet
Melee [one-action] +13 claw (agile), Damage 1d6+3 slashing plus touch of purity
Divine Innate Spells DC 22; 3rd remove curse (x2), remove disease (x2); 2nd augury, dispel magic, restoration; 1st chilling sprayAPG, ill omenAPG; cantrips light
Touch of Purity An amabie deals an extra 1d6 good damage to any creature with the ability to inflict diseases or curses.
Whirling Slash [two-actions] The amabie makes three claw Strikes, each at its current multiple attack penalty.

Be well, do your best, and stay safe.

Eleanor Ferron

Make your game your own with the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery GuideUse it to build your own creatures, hazards, items, NPCs and more! You'll find it here and at your favorite local game store.

You can start today with the free Gamemastery Guide Monster and Hazard Creation PDF. Then, consider competing in the RPG Superstar Contest from Roll for Combat!

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks
Marketing and Media Manager

Unveiling the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery Guide!

As the Game Master of a Pathfinder campaign, you’re the architect of your players’ adventures—a rewarding but sometimes challenging responsibility. With this book, your job just got a whole lot easier! Whether you’re building your own monsters and adventures, looking for new subsystems to play out cinematic chases or tense infiltrations, or simply want to speed up your game with scores of NPCs ready for action, the Gamemastery Guide has you covered!

The focus of every Pathfinder game is the players—their characters are the stars of the show and appear in every scene that plays out in game. But what about those scenes? What stories are being told? What old legends are being discovered, and what new ones are being forged? Who are the villains, the allies, the traitors, the lovers, the monsters, and the gods? Who runs the world? When you’re the Game Master, that’s all up to you!

Chapter 1: Gamemastery Basics

The role of a GM can be complex, challenging, and sometimes difficult, but ultimately rewarding. Luckily, you’re not on your own! Not only will the other players at your game table help you tell collaborative stories, but you can use the advice here to make your games run more smoothly and feel more exciting.

Inside you’ll find guidance on Running Encounters, Running Exploration, Running Downtime, Adjudicating Rules, Resolving Problems, Narrative Collaboration, Special Circumstances, Rarity in Your Game, Campaign Structure, Adventure Design, Encounter Design, and Drawing Maps.

Chapter 2: Tools

While the Core Rulebook provides all the tools you need to be a Game Master, you may want resources to create original game content, whether it be new items, unique creatures, or a sprawling new world for adventurers to explore.

Inside you’ll find tools for Building Creatures, Building Hazards, Building Items, Item Quirks, Intelligent Items, Cursed Items, Relics, Artifacts, Gems and Art Objects, Afflictions, Building Worlds, Nations, Settlements, and Planes.

Chapter 3: Subsystems

When your game goes into uncharted territory or you want to emphasize an element of gameplay that usually gets overlooked or condensed into a single check, you can use a subsystem. As the name implies, subsystems are extensions of the main rules system that allow you to explore a particular topic or style of play at your table.

You’ll find subsystems for Victory Points, Influence, Research, Chases, Infiltration, Reputation, Duels, Leadership, Hexploration, and Vehicles

Chapter 4: Variant Rules

While the rules presented in the Core Rulebook are designed to give you and your group a baseline experience that’s easy to learn and fun to play, sometimes you’re looking for more customizable options. That’s where variant rules come in: options to alter the game’s rules to fit your needs. This chapter adds a collection of variant rules to your toolbox, often with additional options for how to use them.

You’ll find variant rules on Ability Score Variants, Alignment Variants, Deep Backgrounds, Feats and Features, Level 0 Characters, Magic Item Variants, Proficiency without Level Skill Points, and Stamina.

Chapter 5: NPC Gallery

Monsters and PCs aren’t the only inhabitants of your world. Though they might not be heroes, NPCs can play various roles in your game, such as calling PCs to adventure, serving as obstacles in social encounters, or opposing PCs in battle. This chapter presents almost a hundred NPCs for your game, plus rules to modify them to fit any particular niche.

You’ll find a gallery of Courtiers, Criminals, Devotees, Downtrodden, Explorers, Foresters, Healers, Laborers, Magistrates, Mercenaries, Mystics, Officers, Performers, Publicans, Scholars, Seafarers, Tradespeople, and Villains.

To learn more, don’t miss these episodes of Pathfinder Friday!

Gamemastery Guide Developer Sneak Peek

Gamemastery Guide, Dual-Class PCs, and more!

Creating a Monster with the Pathfinder 2E Gamemastery Guide

How to Build Your World with the Pathfinder 2E Gamemastery Guide

Our next Pathfinder rulebook will be the Bestiary 2. We release an average of three new Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products annually. With your ongoing Pathfinder Rulebook Ongoing Subscription, we'll send you each new installment and charge your payment method automatically as we ship each product. You only need to sign up once, and never need to worry about renewal notice or missed products.

Lastly, don’t miss the live interview with Managing Designer and Gamemastery Guide co-author Mark Seifter tonight on Know Direction on Twitch!

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks,
Marketing and Media Manager