Boards Don't Hit Back!

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Can I just take a moment to say how excited I am to see Pathfinder Player Companion: Martial Arts Handbook finally hit bookshelves and digital downloads from paizo.com as a PDF? I am quite excited! This is the book that I've been waiting years to see and it's finally here!

Illustration by Alyssa McCarthy

Illustration by Michele Giorgi

Martial Arts Handbook provides new options for all characters that focus on martial forms of combat. While your first thought might be the likes of monks and brawlers, most any kind of character that uses strength, agility, or guile on the battlefield will find useful options in this book. The book features a number of options inspired both by real world fighting styles and previously established lore in Golarion. This includes the likes of the battle dancer, inspired by capoeira, and the Chu Ye enforcer, vigilantes that wearer dreaded oni masks to oppress the humans of Chu Ye.

In addition to providing martial options for several classes, including some unlikely classes like the medium of the master, we also expand on existing techniques already available to character. This means there are several new style feats, weapon tricks, and feats to grant you more options with your combat maneuvers. There are new techniques in this book, too! One of my favorites are the new combination techniques that grant you bonuses for successfully attacking the same target during a round. Throw in some signature moves and new equipment and this book becomes something you don't want to miss!

If you've been looking for a chance to improve your character's fighting style or just want a new way to hit a baddie, make sure to pick up Martial Arts Handbook!

Luis Loza
Developer

Let Go of the Material!

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Illustration by Priscilla Kim

Pathfinder Player Companion: Plane-Hopper's Handbook has emerged onto bookshelves worldwide and into the digital archives of Paizo.com in PDF format. This exciting book provides several character options for heroes that wish to travel the planes. The book serves to expand upon and supplement material from this year's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Planar Adventures!

Plane-Hopper's Handbook provides information to help prepare characters wishing to travel to other planes, from small excursions to full-length campaigns. This includes advices on proper equipment and spells to aid with such travels. Additionally, the book presents new equipment to help players survive the dangers of the planes.

Characters that wish to tap into the potential power of the planes have all new options available in this book. From firing planar energy in the form of bullets with the planar rifter archetype, to calling eidolons created from unique to planar energies, to calling upon an outsider to serve as a mentor, characters have loads of options for every class. The book also holds options for the various planar scion races, such as aasimars and tieflings, but also options for some of the newer races like aphorites, duskwalkers, ganzis, and shabti!

If you're looking to travel the planes or just make a character with a splash of planar influence, then make sure to pick up Plane-Hopper's Handbook!

Luis Loza
Developer

Life on the Fringe!

Friday, September 14, 2018

Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes From the Fringe is now available on bookshelves worldwide and on the digital bookshelves of paizo.com as a PDF. This exciting book lets us take a look beyond the typical groups and ethnicities you're used to seeing in our other books.

Illustration by Alyssa McCarthy

Illustration by Priscilla Kim

Heroes From the Fringe features a section on each of our non-human races, dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings, plus a few others. Each section shines a spotlight on a few different cultures and groups, such as the Pahmet dwarves in Osirion, the Jinniese elves of Tian Xia, gnomes that have undergone the Bleaching, and the Song'o halflings from deep in the Mwangi Expanse. Every entry also has a new set of alternate racial traits that helps you better tie your characters to these groups and regions.

This book also presents a number of interesting player options that are tied to each of these new groups. Dwarves have all new dwarven weapons and fighting styles. Ekujae elf calamity callers are able to call blizzards and lightning against their enemies. Gnomes bring new magic with them from the First World. Half-elves and half-orcs have new abilities depending on from where the hail. Aquatic half-elves can use ocean water to create potions, while Darklands half-orcs can draw upon psychic power to fill their enemies' minds with nightmares. Segadan halflings have new unique tricks allowing them to disarm foes or heal allies with the help of slings.

This book is perfect for any player that's tired of playing the typical dwarf or elf or is looking to learn more about the different races in Golarion. If this all sounds exciting to you, make sure to pick up Heroes From the Fringe!

Luis Loza
Developer

It's in Your Blood!

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Soon Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Ancients will be hitting shelves worldwide and the digital bookshelf of paizo.com as a PDF. If you're looking to have your character gain knowledge from the ancient cultures of Golarion, this is the book to check out!

Blood of the Ancients kicks off with a section that allows you to tie your character to the traditions of the ancient cultures of Golarion in a similar manner that a worshipper of a god follows an obedience. These traditions grant characters special abilities like spells and bonuses to skills.

Illustrations by Alyssa McCarthy and Kent Hamilton

The book then continues with sections on various ancient cultures such as the ancient Azlant, Imperial Lung Wa, and Ninshabur. Each section features new options that allow aspects of these ancient cultures to survive to present day Golarion. Some of these new options include the Hinyasi brawler archetype from the Abendego Gulf, which focuses on fighting with improvised weapons, and the dwarven scholar bard that can teach her allies the ancient fighting styles of the dwarves of Tar Taargadth.

We have more than just archetypes in this book, though! Maybe you're interested in the astrological wonders of the Saoc Brethren. Perhaps you've wanted to tap in to the arcane secrets of the Poleheira of the Jistka Imperium or follow the ancient paladin code of Wadjet. There are many things your character can learn from the past and Blood of the Ancients is the best way to do so!

Illustrations by Alyssa McCarthy and Lucas Durham

Luis Loza
Developer

Pick Your Poison—Or Potion

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

In a couple of weeks, Pathfinder Player Companion: Potions & Poisons will be available in stores worldwide and as a PDF here on paizo.com. If you've got a character that uses poisons, brews potions, or has poisonous racial tendencies, this is the book for you!

Potions & Poisons starts off with a section providing feats and archetypes for gripplis, nagaji, and vishkanyas like the swamp poisoner, venomblade, and disciple of the forked tongue. There's also a scorpion bloodline for those sorcerers who trace their power back to these venomous arachnids.

The book goes on to provide player options for character classes that frequently make use of poisons, such as the alchemist, rogue, witch, and investigator. Some of these new options include the fermenter alchemist, venom siphoner witch, and the rotdrinker rogue, as well as new alchemist discoveries, witch hexes, rogue talents, and investigator tricks.

Illustrations by Kent Hamilton

Deeper into this Player Companion, readers can put poisons away for a bit and read about potions. There are new feats for characters who brew potions, spells that aid in potion brewing, and a table of spells that are viable for potions and oils.

Pathfinder Player Companion: Potions & Poisons continues with a section on interesting elixirs and nonmagical alchemical concoctions usable by everyone. The last part of the book provides 10 new poisons, 12 new drugs, a dozen items frequently used by character who incorporate poison use into combat, and a dozen items used by those who either treat poisons or fight against toxic creatures and characters.

There's plenty in there for everyone! So, take your antitoxin before diving in and watch out for any needles, weird fluids, or strange-smelling gasses.

Warp Not, Waste Not

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Golarion is filled with adventurers from sleepy villages and pristine cities who spend their days navigating the labyrinthine social structures of society. In fact, there are a host of Paizo books filled with Pathfinder player options to support and encourage just those kinds of characters and stories.

Pathfinder Player Companion: People of the Wastes is not one of those books.

Rather, the myriad archetypes, feats, items, and class features in People of the Wastes are for characters who are from or adventure in some of the most treacherous parts of the world, from the demon-filled Worldwound to the corrupted Southern Fangwood of Nirmathas to the flooded Sodden Lands to the unpredictable and primal magic of the Mana Wastes.

This book, as such, provided us with an opportunity to gleefully provide options for PCs who, though often nonstandard, nonetheless fit right into these wasteland locales. Characters who have encountered the Cindersnort goblins of the Mana Wastes, for example, might choose this book's volatile fuse character trait, or its Sizzling Shot feat, each of which focuses on the use of powerful but unpredictable firearms.

Another fun option People of the Wastes provides involves advice for playing character with the mutant template from Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5 (at your GM's discretion, of course!). There's also the constructed pugilist brawler archetype, which is perfect for mutant PCs who have chosen to use mechanical prostheses to augment their bodies. This archetype grants the brawler a constructed limb and provides a host of options for modifying it.

I won't spoil the rest of this archetype's specifics, though. I'll simply leave you with this illustration below.

Illustration by Benjamin Widdowson

Amanda Hamon Kunz
Development Coordinator

Blood Stains

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Eh? Is that you, girl? It's about time! I have a blasted archive to run, and I can't lollygag all day in some café waiting for a single customer! I'm Gloamont Sanderson, genealogist to kings! I don't care if I was the one who insisted on meeting here. My time is valuable!

And this? Your family? This is the kind of trouble I don't want walking through my front door. So thank you for that.

So you want to know about your mother, and unlike those cheapskate sorcerers you had the coin to cover my considerably expenses. Well, it's been six weeks and have I got bad news for you.

I found her.

But before we reach deep inside this squirming sack of ettercrap I've opened, let's take a step back. There I was, handsome shopkeep that I was, minding my little business when a healthy young woman walks in with coin in her purse and mud on her boots. That combination means one thing: Adventurer. And adventurers mean trouble. You get yourselves mixed up in drama and intrigue and five-generation curses and then you come to me to dig up the dirt on your behalf. Last adventurer I took work from wanted me to research his "friend's" grandparents, so he could travel back in time and murder some evil overlord none of us have even heard of yet!

That can't be healthy.

But all you want is to meet your mom. Gave me a sob story about never feelin' like you belong anywhere, but girl, no teenager feels like they belong anywhere. But you're persistent. I hate persistence. And so I take the job before I notice your blue eyes. Not very common among garundi. I thought to myself, maybe mom's an Ulfen lass sailing south, and your daddy couldn't fess up to a little foreign indiscretion. I'd be remiss if I didn't admit to a certain fondness for family gossip. It's what makes me so good at my job.

But no. No Ulfen on any passenger manifests in or out of Botosami near the time of your birth. Not many passengers at all—storms kept 'em away. Unseasonable storms. Your mother's storms.

Your mother is Panrael, the Thunder of the Jagged Reach. A storm hag. A nasty one, too, by all accounts. Vengeful, cunning, short-tempered, possessive. Persistent. Yeah.

You're a "changeling," a "virga may" if you want it a little honey to wash that vinegar down. And don't shake your head at me, because I may be irritable and arrogant but I'm never wrong. Hag blood runs in your veins; old magic from places people never walk. I don't care if you've never cast a spell in your life, when you're mama gets ahold of you, she'll tear away every trace of humanity and decency that keeps it bottled up, and you'll be like her. They're like cuckoos, leaving their eggs with some other fool bird to raise, and once you're ripe they come back to pluck you... and I, I lost that bird metaphor along the way. Apologies.

Illustrations by Ken Hamilton

You understand, though, that you are in great danger, yes? And by proximity, so am I! I obtained your half-sister's folio in an auction selling all her belongings after she wandered out into the rain one night and never returned. She had also been researching Panrael; assembled extensive notes not just your mother, but hags and what they're capable of. I'm not a paranoid man, but your mother almost certainly has already called to her and transformed her, and that means now there are now two storm hags on your scent, and two storm hags who likely know I bought this folio!

And hags hate each other, especially mama and daughter! If there's two of them, that means they want three to make a coven. A coven means power, and power is the only thing hags love more than they hate. With a little training they can tap that bond for more magic, meaner spells, perform rituals to make spies or jinxes or curse a family for five generations! My family line is impeccable and does not need a curse, thank you quite plainly!

Your best bet is to do like me and find yourself a witch. I know, wizards seem educated and sorcerers seem powerful and you'd think a cleric would be ideal for repelling ancient evil, but hags don't give one whit about mortal gods. They worship power, and hags and witches draw from the same primeval font. Hell, some witches get their power by way of a hag, but you don't want to go to one of those. A witch can outwit a hag, because they're at least a little bit hag themselves.

Yes, even boy witches. Do you want to nitpick or do you want advice?

Kids these days.

Find yourself a nice vellemancer, they're wish-granters. Not as buff as an efreeti, but also a lot less likely to enslave you for a thousand mortal lifetimes. That doesn't work, look up an arakineticist—they throw curse magic around like hags do, and some of 'em can even turn that kind of magic back on a source. There are witch-hunters, too, like hexbreakers and malice binders, but I don't know how they'd take to a half-hag girl knocking at their door. If you're particularly vindictive, track down a hag-riven; they're changelings like you, but they escaped their mothers before they could be turned all hag. They're mean, and bloodthirsty, and want someone to take out all that misplaced aggression on. Great buncha ladies.

Now get out, and stay away from the woods. And the coast! Take the folio, too; I'm not giving your family any other reason to come looking for me! You're the third changeling I've worked up a genealogy for, and it never ends well. No one should see the inside of a stewpot more than once in a lifetime.

Crystal Frasier
Developer

A Folio for the Flawed

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Look, I'm tired of trying to be the perfect hero. Ever since I started offering up my services—and working with a never-ending succession of random strangers—I've done the right thing, put others first, and bit my tongue, all without asking anything in return. And sure, the villagers I've saved have been grateful, and that's... nice. But whoever said virtue is its own reward never had to pay a bar tab. And hey, I do a lot of good in this world, from undoing ancient curses to putting down the world-ending-threat du jour, so why shouldn't I let loose on occasion? To be clear, I'm not talking about embracing some sort of chaotic neutrality in the name of being a jerk—I just want to be myself and get my due.

Lucky for me, I found this book, and it's full of antiheroes: folks who worry less about sanctimonious social norms and focus instead on turning their flaws into fortes. This is the kind of heroism I can get behind; to hell with all that dour do-goodery. Take the vindictive bastard, an ex-paladin archetype, for example: she lives up to the label (given to so many exes) by using her vindictive smite against those who've hurt her friends. Or the blatherskite, a gunslinger who runs away from danger faster than he runs his mouth—and that's saying something.

Illustrations by Alyssa Davis and Forrest Imel

Now, some of these antiheroes had it real bad in the past, giving them good reason to approach this whole adventuring thing with a chip on their shoulders. There's a multitude of backgrounds that result in the traits and drawbacks they carry with them today. Some were criminals, some get a raw deal in their dealins with a religion or some other group, and some have backgrounds that're downright tragic. But even these sad sacks can transform their personal tragedy into something productive (if unconventional): there are spiritualists whose phantoms draw their abilities from lifelong suffering, and there are bloodragers who summon the strength of a martyred ancestor to become an embodiment of righteous wrath.

Illustration by Forrest Imel

Of course, treading too far down the path less traveled can get you in a heap of trouble. Before you know it, you forget why you're bending rules and start breaking them just for the fun of it, leaving yourself susceptible to corruption. Sure, you might get better at forging evidence and using forbidden magic, but you'll eventually end up overwhelmed by hate and turning on your closest allies. Happens all the time.

On the other hand, a lot of great tactics and tools are opened up to those who put aside the idea of a fair fight. Even when losing a brawl, you can accomplish all kinds of feats, like using your bloodied visage to sicken your enemies or taking someone down with you when you're tripped. And a swig from a vial of reckless courage will give you the temporary guts needed to face down the most horrific monsters. Or you can throw a portable hive at your enemies and let them explain a fair fight to a wasp swarm.

After seeing all the options available in this book, I think I've made up my mind—it's the antihero's life for me! But I'll tell you what: I leave it to fate to decide. I'll flip this coin, and if it comes up Desna, I'll start living life in the gray area between right and fun. Otherwise, it's the straight and narrow for me, I promise.

Here goes...

Illustration by Alyssa Davis

Desna's Coin Price 8,000 GP

Slot non CL 5th Weight &mdash Aura Faint Abjuration

This gold coin has two blank faces, but its owner can cause the holy symbol of Desna—a butterfly with suns, moons, and stars on its wings—to appear on either face at will. This proves especially useful when performing coin flips, as the owner of a Desna's coin can essentially guarantee that the result will go in her favor.

As one would expect of an item associated with the goddess of luck, a Desna's coin confers on its owner an uncanny ability to fortuitously avoid sudden threats. As a result, its bearer gains a +2 luck bonus on Reflex saving throws.

Construction Requirements Price 4,000 GP

Craft Wondrous Item, divine favor

Joe Pasini
Developer

True Masters of Elemental Power

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Pathfinder Player Companion: Elemental Master's Handbook is just about to coalesce from the elements to land in your hands, so it's time to let you know what it's about! This book is a player-focused look at wielding elemental powers. Whether your PC studied elemental forces as a route to power, was born with an inherent connection to these primordial forces, or became cursed with an affiliation to one entity at the expense of vulnerability to another, this book is for you. Whether or not your GM plans to provide you with planar adventures, such by using the recent Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Planes of Power, you'll find this book to be invaluable!

Elemental Master's Handbook is broken up into several sections. First up are four long sections about air, earth, fire, and water. Each of these sections provides one or two new archetypes, such as the firebrand gunslinger archetype, who uses dragon pistols effectively but recklessly, or the storm caller summoner archetype, who can hurl lightning. These sections also present a variety of additional rules elements like new magic items, rogue talents, and bloodlines. All these rules are infused with elemental flavor: for example, desperation is a new spiritualist phantom focus to reflect a death by drowning or suffocation. Tragic? Yes. But also cool. Each elemental section concludes with a look at a few places on Golarion where your PC may have been steeped in elemental power, including a new feat for each. For example, the following new feat fits characters with a connection to the dwarven Sky Citadel of Kraggodan.

Kraggodan's Stance (Combat)

You have learned one of the secrets of Kraggodan's defenders and can lock your armor and shield into an impenetrable barrier.

Prerequisites: Con 13, proficiency with heavy armor and shields.
Benefit: As a move action when wearing heavy armor and using a heavy shield or tower shield, you increase the bonus to AC granted by your armor and your shield by 1 each until you move or are moved from your current square. You must be in contact with solid ground to gain this benefit. You can never increase an armor or shield bonus to AC by more than 1 each in this way.

"Good? Bad? I'm the kid with the stick."
Illustration by Graey Erb

The rest of Elemental Master's Handbook contains several shorter sections, each touching on a different facet of elemental mastery. There has been some public speculation about whether this book will have kineticist content—of course it does! In addition to rules items scattered throughout the book that kineticists will find invaluable, there's an entire section devoted to kineticists alone. This section includes new infusions, utility wild talents, and feats—like this one.

Mobile Gathering

You can gather elemental energy while walking slowly.

Prerequisites: Kineticist level 7th, kinetic blast class feature.

Benefit: While taking a move action to gather power, you can move up to half your base speed, and while taking 1 full round to gather power, you can move up to half your speed on the turn you begin the full round of gathering power. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity, and you can't use Acrobatics checks or other abilities to attempt to negate them, as you're concentrating on gathering power (nor can you use Acrobatics to balance, jump, or do anything else that requires a skill check). It's harder to concentrate on gathering power while using this feat; if you take damage during or after gathering power and before using a kinetic blast that releases it (including from an attack of opportunity provoked by the movement), the concentration check DC to avoid losing the gathered power increases by twice the blast's effective spell level.

An advantage—or a curse, I suppose, depending on how you look at it—of being in one of my home games is that I'll sometimes introduce new rules items I'm writing or developing. The kineticist player in my Hell's Vengeance game already uses some of these rules items to blast paladins and angels with wanton abandon.

Another section of Elemental Master's Handbook presents elemental augmentations, which permanently alter a portion the recipient's body by infusing it with primordial powers. An augmented body part is forever altered; the elemental augmentation remains until the body part is removed, which can have some unfortunate side effects. Elemental augmentations come with some powerful advantages, but also carry some corresponding weaknesses that tend to be more flavorful than debilitating. What? You don't follow? Is this some trick to get an example out of me? Okay, done.

"My master wishes you some serious harm, and I'm pleased to grant it."
Illustration by Kent Hamilton

Quicksilver Blood Price 62,000 GP

Slot none; CL 9th; Weight —

Aura moderate transmutation

This recipient's blood is infused with liquid metal that is magically bound to the recipient's system. When the recipient bleeds, the metal clings to itself and turns a bright silver color. The recipient automatically stabilizes when at negative hit points and is immune to continuous damage from bleed attacks (including weapons with the wounding special ability) and ability damage from blood drain. The recipient is considered a ferrous creature for the purposes of spells and effects such as rusting grasp and a rust monster's attack.

This elemental augmentation cannot be applied to a creature without blood.

Construction Requirements Cost 31,000 gp

Craft Wondrous Item, adhesive blood^ACG, lesser restoration, creator must have 9 ranks in Knowledge (planes)

There's more neat stuff here than I can get into, such as a new oracle mystery that blends elemental powers together, the aether elemental school for wizards, and the new genie eidolon subtype that can improve its own powers only in response to its summoner uttering a wish. Elemental powers for any PC can be yours!

As a final note, the first bardic masterpiece has a missing title. Although I briefly considered inviting readers to propose their favorite name for this masterpiece, I'll just tell you: it's Blazing Rondo (oratory, percussion).

Ron Lundeen
Contributing Developer

A Deeper Dive with Undersea Characters

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

We're on the cusp of releasing Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Sea, and I wanted to provide a glimpse beneath the surface at its contents. I think this product's existence isn't a huge surprise: a player focus on underwater adventuring naturally follows the recent Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Aquatic Adventures and the upcoming Ruins of Azlant adventure path (Pathfinder Adventure Path #125: Tower of the Drowned Dead takes place entirely underwater, with an exception I hope people find as awesome as it is unexpected). I also think this product's structure isn't a huge surprise: as with other Player Companion volumes such as Blood of the Beast and Blood of Shadows, you'll see PC races highlighted and expanded. What will surprise most people is how awesome and useful Blood of the Sea really is.

First, the book was penned by Amber Scott, a long-time contributor for Paizo who devotes as much attention to flavor as rules. Amber's text was a delight to develop. She took a close look at several aquatic races and added innumerable roleplaying touches; for example, the notoriously lawful tritons are often asked to serve as mediators by other aquatic races, many aquatic elves are incorrigible treasure-seekers, and quite a few locathahs like potatoes. She also provided cool race-specific mechanical options for each, including archetypes, feats, and gear. For example, merfolk are deeply connected to musical expression and therefore have new bardic masterpieces and the song-bound oracle curse.

In addition, Blood of the Sea provides racial trait lists for races that didn't have them—such as locathahs, sahuagin, tritons, and more. These traits span a wide range to suit many campaign types: locathahs and tritons have the same power level as existing PC races (10 RP and 11 RP, respectively), while other races are slightly more powerful but fit perfectly into an underwater campaign. Like an octopus-person? Yes!

Look at this stuff—isn't it neat?
Illustration by Kent Hamilton

Cecaelia Racial Traits (23 RP)

As cecaelias are unusual and powerful monstrous creatures, you should play one only with your GM's permission. Cecaelias normally have racial Hit Dice, skills, and other abilities. PC cecaelias, however, calculate these benefits based solely on their class. Note that these abilities are only an approximation of the cecaelia monster from Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 and may not match exactly. PC cecaelias have the following racial traits.

+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence: Cecaelias are nimble and have a canny insight, but they tend to be flighty.

Monstrous Humanoid: Cecaelias are monstrous humanoids with the aquatic subtype.

Medium: Cecaelias are Medium creatures, and they have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Darkvision: Cecaelias have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Tentacle Sense (1 RP): While swimming and not grappled or grappling, a cecaelia can spread her tentacles wide to form a sensory net around herself as a swift action. This grants blindsight to a range of 10 feet and lasts as long as the cecaelia concentrates or until the cecaelia attacks with a tentacle or moves.

Natural Armor: Cecaelias have a +2 natural armor bonus.

Normal Speed: Cecaelias have no trouble moving about on land using their tentacles and have a base speed of 30 feet.

Swim Speed: Cecaelias have a swim speed of 40 feet.

Jet (1 RP): Cecaelias can swim 200 feet backward as a full-round action. A cecaelia must move in a straight line when jetting and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when she uses jet.

Tentacle Attacks (3 RP): Cecaelias have two tentacle attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage. These attacks are primary natural attacks and have a reach of 10 feet. This extended reach only applies to the cecaelia's tentacle attacks and not to any other attacks she makes.

Amphibious: Cecaelias are amphibious and can breathe both air and water.

Ink Cloud (3 RP): Once per hour as a standard action, a cecaelia can emit a 10-foot-radius sphere of ink while underwater. This ink cloud provides total concealment and persists for 1 minute.

Stable Tentacles (4 RP): Cecaelias cannot be tripped.

Languages: Cecaelias begin play speaking Aquan and Common. Cecaelias with a high Intelligence score can choose from the following: Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnome, and Halfling.

Blood of the Sea isn't just about aquatic races; it's also extremely useful for land-bound races venturing beneath the waves. You'll find several archetypes, magic items, and spells useful for undersea exploration, such as the tempest tamer archetype (a druid that transforms into air or water elementals rather than animals or plants) and the suspend drowning spell. A useful magic item for PCs with little critters is the familiar bubble. Useful how? Take a look!

Did someone say there were sahuagin PCs down here?
Illustration by Alyssa Davis

Familiar Bubble Price 2,500 GP

Slot none; CL 3rd; Weight 1 lb.
Aura faint conjuration

A familiar bubble looks like nothing more than a pair of reinforced leather straps designed to fit over the shoulders—until it is worn. Once the straps are donned, a bubble of force forms on the wearer's back, large enough to hold a Tiny or smaller creature and 1 pound of items (usually food for the creature). The bubble is transparent and continuously generates fresh, breathable air within. While the bubble keeps air in and water out, it is permeable to other objects. Spells and weapons can target the creature in the familiar bubble normally.

As a standard action, the familiar bubble's user can designate a specific creature within 30 feet that can pass freely in and out of the bubble. All other living creatures find the bubble impenetrable. This selection remains until the wearer chooses a different creature or removes the familiar bubble (which causes the bubble to disappear). Normally, the user selects a creature in order to get it into the bubble and then selects himself so he can retrieve the creature, if needed.

Construction Requirements Cost 1,250 gp

Craft Wondrous Item, air bubble^UC

Blood of the Sea also discusses the roleplaying elements that can confront landwalker PCs, such as why aquatic disguises can be difficult to pull off and why Common is hard to speak underwater. It also discusses the most useful and relevant magic items and spells that already exist. I'll conclude with a personal story: in an adventure path I'm playing, our group needed to embark on a lengthy underwater excursion. While the other players scoured the Core Rulebook and Ultimate Equipment to see how best to pull it off, I just consulted page 29 of Blood of the Sea and noted that cloaks of the manta ray were probably our cheapest effective option, and that we should carry back-up potions of water breathing as well. Useful advice! The journey went well, although my hobgoblin druid was slain by our party's oread monk who had been dominated by—whoops, spoilers. But any way you look at it, Blood of the Sea brings new depths to underwater adventuring!

Ron Lundeen
Contributing Developer

Your Personalized Armory

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

I had the pleasure of working on this month's highly anticipated Pathfinder Player Companion release, Adventurer's Armory 2. It had been a few years since I developed a player companion, and I was excited for the chance to tackle the follow-up to the most popular product in the line to date, Adventurer's Armory. No pressure, right? Luckily, I wasn't going it alone. As discussed last week, the inimitable Ron Lundeen did a thorough pass on the book before it ever hit my desk, leaving me that much more time to really delve into the most exciting elements of the project.

My favorite is the armor and weapon modifications system that appears in the Implements of War section. This system allows a player to customize his or her weapons and armor in more versatile and less expensive ways than adding magical enhancement bonuses and plus-based special abilities, and first appeared in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Faction Guide back in 2010.

We expanded on the handful of modifications that appeared in that book, with six weapon modifications and eight armor modifications, allowing a player to increase a suit of armor's maximum Dexterity stat, treat a weapon as belonging to a different fighter weapon group, or grant a weapon a new special quality like brace, disarm, nonlethal, or trip, among many other customizations.

Each of these modifications comes with a drawback in addition to the cost of adding the modification to the piece of equipment. A modified weapon requires a level of proficiency one level higher than normal to wield, turning a simple weapon into a martial weapon and a martial weapon into an exotic one. This means that characters with automatic proficiency with all martial weapons will get the most out of the system, and it further lets fighters, cavaliers, rangers, and paladins customize their load-outs to fill more specialized narrative and tactical niches. Each armor modification comes with its own unique drawback, such as increasing the armor check penalty or adding extra weight to already heavy armor.

In both cases, however, a variety of new feats allow player characters to ignore drawbacks, more quickly apply modifications on the fly, or add more than one to the same piece of equipment.

What weapon or suit of armor are you most excited to apply a modification to? What new weapons and armor from Adventurer's Armory 2 do you think will lend themselves best to this new subsystem? Let us know in the comments below, and maybe if we ever do an Adventurer's Armory 3 we'll take them to even finer levels of customization.

Smiths the world over are prepared to customize your favorite gear.
Illustration by Benjamin Widdowson

Mark Moreland
Developer

Of Packages and Poppets

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Careful observers may have noted that a number of recent Pathfinder products credit a few new names as lead developer, namely Thurston Hillman and Ron Lundeen. We have since brought Thurston on as the full-time developer of our Starfinder Society organized play program, but Ron already had a full-time gig (can you believe how much he writes and now develops for us in addition to a 40-hour work week?!) so we had to settle for using his talents on what projects he had time for. Among the first I had the pleasure of working with him on was Pathfinder Player Companion: Adventurer's Armory 2—the follow-up to our most popular Pathfinder Player Companion to date. Here are a few words from Ron on his favorite parts of the book.

Oh, and many thanks to Ron for helping out when we needed it! You're a genuine hero, sir. —Mark Moreland, Developer

As Adventurer's Armory 2 is now hitting shelves and downloads everywhere, I wanted to talk about two of my favorite sections. Mark Moreland has been like my Yoda through this process, and he is going to pen a follow-up Adventurer's Armory 2 blog where he rolls up his sleeves (like on a spider-silk bodysuit, page 6) and pulls back the veil (as found in dancer's garb, page 29) on getting the most out of this book (such as any of its 8 new equipment tricks). So I won't steal his thunder (as delivered by a stormshaft javelin, page 9). Okay, no more games (like the imperial conquest board game, page 29).

First up are equipment packages. These are designed to include everything you'd need for your PC's first few adventures. These are more expansive than existing class-based kits (such as a sorcerer's kit), as they include weapons, armor, and even a few minor magic items. If you don't like the detailed accounting of purchasing starting equipment, or if you get overwhelmed by all the options, equipment packages will definitely interest you. They are designed by role or theme (such as "Daring Bravo" or "Wilderness Warrior"), and not by class, so each equipment package is attractive to a wide range of PCs. Equipment packages are expensive—each is worth around 1,000 gp—so a starting character usually obtains them as a gift from a wealthy patron (when permitted by the GM), after a big score in an early adventure, or through the Well-Provisioned Adventurer equipment trait (which lets you select any equipment package in place of your normal starting gold). Equipment packages take a lot of the detailed work out of shopping and allow a PC to quickly hit the table running. An example? Sure! The Holy Warrior equipment package provides good defense and a great selection of gear for overcoming DR, swarms, and enchantments.

Grab-and-go adventuring!
Illustration by Forrest Imel

Holy Warrior

The holy warrior is prepared to use her might and zeal to take the fight to the enemy, but she understands the importance of having the right equipment to overcome the resistances of her monstrous foes. This equipment package is well-suited to a cleric, inquisitor^APG, paladin, warpriest^ACG, or even a fighter with a religious background. It's especially suited to characters who focus on supporting their party members and making them more effective in a fight. Even more than with other equipment packages, the GM should consider substituting the masterwork longsword in this package with a masterwork melee weapon appropriate to the PC's faith. If the PC can cast spells, add a spell component pouch.

Armor: Heavy steel shield, masterwork breastplate.
Weapons: Cold iron morningstar, heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, masterwork longsword.
Combat Gear: Alchemist's fire (3), holy water (4), oil of bless weapon, potions of cure light wounds (2), potion of protection from evil, sunrods (3).
Other Gear: Backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, candles (5), chalk (5 pieces), crowbar, flint and steel, holy symbol (silver), mess kit^UE, sack, silk rope (50 ft.), trail rations (5 days), waterskin, 7 gp.
Total Weight: 102 lbs. (57-1/4 lbs. for a Small character).

My absolute favorite section in Adventurer's Armory 2—and perhaps my favorite spread in any Player Companion book—is poppets. Poppets! So loveably cute, so utterly disposable! Ahem. These simple constructs are helpful and loyal critters, but they're pretty fragile. Here's what a base poppet looks like:

Someone's ready for a hug!
Illustration by Benjamin Widdowson

Poppet CR 1/3

XP 135
N Tiny construct
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision;
Perception -3

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 5 (1d10)
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will -3
Immune construct traits
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.
Melee slam +2 (1d2-1)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 5, Cha 1
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 10

Even low-level characters can pick up a poppet with the Craft Poppet feat (available at 1st level), the Poppet Familiar feat (available to 3rd-level casters able to take a familiar), or buying one along with its ownership token—for which you'll pay about as much as you would for a masterwork weapon. But your little poppet need not stay feeble for long! You can augment your poppets with more abilities (such as fire-resistant sealant, climbing hooks, or armor), and even get a larger poppet. Although the rules say it's "Small in size," I prefer to think of it as "the size of a toddler"—and twice as cute!

Maybe three times as cute!
Illustration by Forrest Imel

Ron Lundeen
Contributing Developer

Identify, Approach, Kill, Repurpose

Friday, March 17, 2017

Any adventurer can swing a blade, but it takes planning and training to fell the greatest beasts. Today we're sitting in on a crash course on monster hunting to show off some of the new Pathfinder Player Companion: Monster Hunter's Handbook!

"You want to fight monsters, eh? You? The lot of you are scrawny, sickly, sorry excuses for adventurers whose heads are more likely to be appearing as goblin chamber pots a month from now than the polite side of a commemorative coin. If you were serious about this business, you'd have signed on with real talent, like the Duskwardens, the Mendevian Crusaders, or hell, even the Pathfinder Society. See that lady in the heavy armor over there? She's a Hellknight in the Order of the Pike—all dedicated to killing monsters and just shrugging off punishment. That spear isn't to keep fiends at a safe distance; she's more dangerous the closer you get, so her killing something with a reach weapon's a professional courtesy! Nah, I figure if you're training with me, you're either rejects... or you want the real secrets to slayin' beasts.

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

"Normally I teach a six-week course, but I can tell from the burning village over there that some of you are in a rush to get back and defend your farms from whatever crawled out of your great-grandma's crypt. Lemme boil the profession down into four easy steps: identify, approach, kill, and repurpose. Master those, and you have a long and fruitful career ahead of you of sleeping in the rain, crawling through mud, reading scat, skinning beasts, and getting paid handsome purses of gold for your trouble! Now... 'scuse me as I gather a few educational illustrations."

Illustration by Forrest Imel

Identify

"If you don't know what you're up against, you're going to die. There, I said it. Now see this? The first key to monster-hunting is knowing what in the Abyss you're even hunting and how to identify it. As you can see here, Lirianne and Ezren are in for a brutal surprise because they believe owlbears are a form of caterpillar that dwells in the leaf litter. Rookie mistake.

"Some hunters can't tell the difference between a centaur and a centipede, much less between boggard and a boggart. The easiest solution is to team up with someone who knows what's what and can spot it coming from a mile away. Rangers and inquisitors are great for that—first one can forage a mean stew, besides, and the second can practically smell monsters... uncanny. As an added bonus, think of these friends as an early warning system; if he gets snatched up by a dinosaur and screams, ‘Oh sweet Erastil, I'm being eaten by an allosaurus," chances are good there might be a dangerous predator nearby. Be sure to ask him about any special weaknesses the beast might have before he gets eaten."

Developers' Note: Been failing a lot of Perception checks? Maybe the abolisher inquisitor archetype's ability to pierce disguises is for you. Don't forget new feats like Monster Spotter and Needle in a Haystack to trace a monster to its lair and get the jump on it.

Approach

"Right, so you know what you're after? Great. Monsters are canny scoundrels that have more senses than you have years of remaining life expectancy. The moment they notice you coming is the moment they flap off screaming, gather their friends, and choose a home ground advantage that going to be a real pain to navigate. Ideally, you're going to sneak in and snap the beast's neck, but looking at you, I'm guessing it's better to have some contingencies for approaching the creature's lair like magical flight, invisibility, teleportation, or, y'know, rope. But let's be clear: that's the old way of doing things. ‘Round here we've mastered a new technique called Monstrous Masquerade. Allow me to show off our winter collection:"

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

"Amiri is wearing triple-ply yeti hide harvested just this morning, as designed by the eminent Cronarg the Obliterator. Accessories include cold resistance, climb speed, and a sinister sense of recycling for a good cause—all for the low cost of a couple feats and some spare gold. Never underestimate the power of dressing like your enemy in order to get the drop on your enemy. So Amiri, how do you like the outfit?"

"MNYARRR! I'M A YETI!"

"Umm, of course you are. As I'm sure Amiri meant to say, taking a few ranks in Disguise and learning to speak Aklo can play a big role in the success of your disguise."

Developers' Note: New feats like Monstrous Disguise and Monstrous Masquerade allow you not only to disguise yourself as monstrous humanoids but also to replicate some of their abilities—flight speed, energy resistances, and more!

Kill

"Ah, the sweet song of steel ringing against a creature's scales... it's that cheerful reminder that brute force isn't always enough to cut through a gorgon's hide. You can't just hit everything with an axe until it stops moving—okay you can't always hit things with axes. Sometimes you need to apply some finesse. That's especially true if you're trying to make a living off of monster hunting. See those bounty posters? See how the monsters have faces? If you can't kill a monster without saving some recognizable piece to collect the bounty, you're never gonna get paid.

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

"Case in point: See Crowe here? He was sent to kill a bugbear chief, but he's gotten a little carried away with the slaying part and now doesn't have any monster parts. If he knew a bit more about goblinoid's he'd have a much cleaner kill and much cleaner boots. Rookie mistake."

Developers' Note: There are some intense options for monster slaying in here. If you're a fan of the ranger's favored enemy ability, you're going to love the Creature Focus feat, which provides you some similar benefits; the Focused [your most hated creature type] Expertise feats then build off that or the favored enemy ability, allowing you to apply that favored enemy bonus on other checks and saving throws your targets love to use. Another favorite is the green scourge druid archetype, which allows you to prepare flame blade and shillelagh using higher spell slots in order to grant the manifested weapon magical properties.

Also yes, we know that's a lemure. We've just seen Crowe in action and know he tends to reduce most foes to piles of glop.

Repurpose

"So let's make an assumption: let's say you prevailed, and the creature's dead at your feet. An amateur is going to lop of the beast's head, heave it before the constable, and get paid. A real pro doesn't let a good carcass go to waste! Scales, teeth, horns, eyeballs... it's all an organic treasure trove just waiting for some enterprising spirit with a carving knife and a little know-how. Chances are that if it came from a powerful monster, a wizard somewhere has developed a spell that uses it. Even if you don't have any friends in the spellcasting business, you can turn spare pieces into downright ferocious trophies and armor.

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

"Any yokel with a sword and PC class levels can wear dragonhide; that doesn't take any creativity. Talk to me when you've chased off a chimera by turning its cousin's horns into a bullroarer or its teeth into a set of wind chimes. If you want to identify a true master of the craft—like that one over there—watch for the weird trophies. Nobody makes armor out wing membranes if he wants to deflect attacks; he does it because he can kill any threat before it scratches him."

Developers' Note: That's right, there are rules for harvesting critter parts and turning them into magic items and temporary trophies that can spook similar kinds of creatures! If you think Mavaro's looking pretty dapper in his variant red dragon hide armor and array of grisly trophies, take a look at the psychodermist, an occultist archetype that swaps out conventional implements for magically preserved pieces of creatures you've slain (and whose powers you can channel)!

Final Exam

"So what have we learned? Travel with friends, learn what you're up against, kill efficiently, and let nothing go to waste. Right, that's all the time we have. Grab your weapon of choice from the corner, there, and go make a name for yourselves!"

Developers' Note: And most importantly, grab a copy of Pathfinder Player Companion: Monster Hunter's Handbook, full of everyday "solutions" for exceptional beasts!

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer

Mind Over Ghostly Matter

Friday, February 17, 2017

Illustration by Litos Lopez Rodriguez

Amanda Hamon Kunz and Jason Keeley are back to tell you more about the brand-new Player Companion, Psychic Anthology, a compendium of esoteric ideas and unusual choices for the occult classes.

Jason

When writing, editing, or developing a project, I often like to ask myself, "Is this disgusting enough?" Luckily for me, I didn't have to pose that query very often for Psychic Anthology. In a product that features a book written on the inside of a human skull and a tome bound in the hide of an extraplanar monstrosity, my favorite is the Encyclopedia Etherica, which is made entirely out of ectoplasm. A chronicle of spiritualists and their phantoms, the original version of this encyclopedia exists only on the Ethereal Plane. The only way for a copy to appear on the Material Plane is for a spiritualist's phantom to grasp it and then be harbored in the spiritualist's consciousness. The spiritualist then must vomit up the book, page by page. I don't think Amazon will be using this method of delivery any time soon.

But if you can stomach reading about the Encyclopedia Etherica, you can find all kinds of exciting options for spiritualists! The first is the addition of a new phantom emotional focus—kindness. A kindness phantom excels at aiding others and can even provide a small amount of healing. This section also includes archetypes that grant spiritualists phantom animal companions or allow them channel positive energy to harm the undead. Or, if you want to ditch the whole phantom thing and instead wield a sentient ectoplasmic sword, then the phantom blade archetype is for you. Not only does the phantom weapon get more powerful as you gain levels, it can also be reshaped into different weapon types and, eventually, eat souls. Not convinced? Just ask Estra, who seems pretty satisfied with her giant gooey battleaxe.

Illustration by Veli Nystrom

Illustration by Veli Nystrom

Amanda

Aside from its very theme, the most exciting part of Psychic Anthology was, for me, the opportunity to present psychic versions of concepts that have long been Pathfinder staples. One of my favorite ways that we accomplished this was by creating psychic versions of tried-and-true magic items.

The in-world framework the book uses to introduce these items is the Infinity Scroll, an enigmatic work that only holds a tiny fragment of the Akashic Record—or perhaps a few manifestations of the Dark Tapestry's impossible truths. The scroll was lost long ago, but the fragments that scholars recorded led to the creation of the truly noteworthy items detailed in Psychic Anthology.

For one, the book presents the ring of mysticism, which works much like a psychic ring of wizardry in that it doubles the wearer's psychic spells per day for one specific spell level. We also present the robe of the overmind. I won't spoil exactly what it does, but think a more psychically appropriate version of robe of the archmagi.

There are so many other goodies in Psychic Anthology, but you'll have to pick up the book to find out more!

We're So Fancy, You Already Know

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Developers Amanda Hamon Kunz and Jason Keeley teamed up as the lead developers of Heroes of the High Court, a Pathfinder Player Companion that takes adventurers to the royal courts and noble houses of Golarion. Let's see what they have to say about the lords and ladies of high society.

Jason

This was the first book that I did a major amount of development on, having spent a few years in the word mines of editing—a place that holds a very special place in my heart and to which calls to me still. And I have to give major thanks to Amanda, who made sure I didn't spend my whole time on this project alphabetizing everything. It was exciting to take the glittering ideas fresh from our freelancer's minds and altering them to fit the needs of the product, much like a bespoke tailor creating a velvet doublet for his noble patron.

Illustrations by Bryan Syme and Javier Charro

Speaking of clothes, we all know how much those courtly types enjoy their fashion, so of course Heroes of the High Court touches on this important facet. From mundane attire such as long, silk gloves that grant bonuses against contact poisons to magical accessories such as a fashionable shawl that provides the wearer with her own illusory entourage, you'll be able to dress to impress. Once so attired, you might look half as nice as the silksworn, an occultist archetype that trades dusty ancient implements for ostentatious garments and expensive magic items. A silksworn casts spells as a spontaneous arcane spellcaster, and actually gets a few more spells per day than the regular occultist. He even gains a bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks depending on how much fancy clothing he's wearing. I mean, just look at Mavaro here! Isn't he fabulous?!

Amanda

For me, one of the most fun parts of character creation is coming up with a deep and intricate origin story. It might never come up in play, but my characters always have weird reasons for adventuring, and for being in specific locations when their adventures start. More than one has had traceable ties to a legendary hero (or has just made up a story and passed it off as fact!).

Regardless, Heroes of the High Court is rich in mechanical tools for building nearly any specific noble character you can imagine. The book accomplishes this in a lot of ways, but one of the most interesting is an expansion of the Noble Scion feat from the Inner Sea World Guide. The original feat gives you a mechanical benefit at 1st level based on the broad flavor of your character's noble family, but in Heroes of the High Court, we go a step further. With this expansion of the feat, characters can gain a mechanical benefit based on the actual nation from which their noble family hails.

Is your character, for instance, a member of frosty noble family from Irrisen? If they take the Noble Scion feat, they can reduce the amount of nonlethal damage taken from exposure to cold by 4 points (minimum 0). If they're from shadowy Nidal, they can gain low-light vision, or a +2 bonus on Perception checks in areas of dim light, and if they're from Taldor, they can gain a +2 bonus on Charisma-based checks when interacting with nobles or members of a noble court.

The Noble Scion options are really just a drop in the bucket of mechanical options that Heroes of the High Court offers to noble characters. Check out the book to find out more!

Walk the Path of Virtue

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

So, earlier in the year, the ebb and flow of product workflow had me swooping in to serve as the lead developer for a few installments of the Pathfinder Player Companion line. Two of these products (Haunted Heroes Handbook and Divine Anthology) had already been outlined and assigned to authors, but one of them was completely up in the air and left to me to create. I kicked around a few ideas, but time and time again those ideas were pretty much 100% inappropriate for a player-facing product (they may or may not some day see the light of day in the Campaign Setting line or elsewhere). And then I had an epiphany.

We hadn't done a book about prestige classes in ages.

I love prestige classes.

And so Paths of the Righteous was born. My overwhelming preference for prestige classes is that they should tie into world flavor and reward players for actually bothering to invest in said world's flavor. I knew I didn't want to build a book that just randomly threw unrelated prestige classes out there (since I'd already built that book with Paths of Prestige), and tying the flavor to various religions made a lot of sense, since I've long been a champion of the concept of "every religion should have its own specialized class."

Prestige classes are the perfect solution to this, and so in Paths of the Righteous I decided to focus on the good-aligned faiths of the campaign setting. All of the good aligned core deities got a prestige class, along with two of the good-aligned "other gods"—Kurgess and Milani. That left five spots for prestige classes associated with empyreal lords (of which we had more than enough to choose from!). Once I had the 14 faiths chosen, I also wanted to make sure that these classes would work with as many different character themes as possible. That meant building several prestige classes that suggest non-divine spellcasting classes—there's options for wizards and fighters and swashbucklers and much, much more in this book!

Illustrations by Kent Hamilton and Graey Erb

But enough about the words... what about the arts? As a preview, here's images for the Devoted Muse of Shelyn, the Sacred Sentinel of Torag, and the Sphere Singer of Desna! Oh... and the Stargazer of the empyreal lord Pulura, because KITTY!!!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

More Magical Texts, and Great Art

Monday, September 19, 2016

With Pathfinder Player Companion: Divine Anthology, we step into the second volume of our series on magical texts. This time around, there's an even wider range of player options to choose from—sure, there are plenty of spells for your spellcasters to explore, but there's also new archetypes, additional traits, all sorts of new feats, a new category of subdomian, divine fighting styles, and much, much more!

But don't just take my word for it. Check out some of the great art in the book that goes along with all this new content!

Illustrations by Veli Nyström and Graey Erb

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Is Your Mind Your Own?

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Who says only monsters get to be haunted? Where's the fun in that?

With Pathfinder Player Companion: Haunted Heroes, we wanted to explore exactly that—what happens when a PC gets haunted? But that wasn't the ORIGINAL incarnation of this book. Once upon a time, back when several of us were shut away in one of Paizo's enormous Think Tanks and tasked with coming up with ideas for the Player Companion line, many suggestions got bandied about—one of which was something called an "Exorcist's Handbook." One of the things that really appealed to me about that, of course, is the fact that exorcism movies are one of the most enduring and popular sub-genres of horror, and I loved the idea of exploring the concept of how you would make an exorcist in Pathfinder. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that there was more to the idea than just rules for building exorcists—and so the book expanded into new haunting territories.

So now, you not only get rules for dealing with what happens when your allies get possessed by evil spirits... but you get rules for what happens to YOU when you get possessed... and not necessarily by unwelcome and/or evil entities.

Illustrations by Forrest Imel and Alessandro Poli

But don't take my word for it. Check out some of the illustrations of haunted heroes from the book below. Don't they look like they're having the time of their lives? Wouldn't you want your character to have as much fun as them? Well, now you can!

All you have to do is to tell your GM, the next time she or he asks you to roll a Will saving throw for your character... "Oh, no thanks. I'll voluntarily fail that save." PRESTO! Instant character upgrade!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

A Legacy Is So Much More Than Blood

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Hello and welcome, friend! We here at Sandermane Archives are pleased to offer the most thorough genealogical services in all of—oh, you're a sorcerer.

No, no! Don't say anything. You're screaming it loudly enough already, from that tacky dragon tattoo to the gaudy "gold" embroidery on your robe. Who even wears a robe in the summer? I just want one month to go by without seeing one of you deadbeats in here!

Let me guess? You know a few fire spells, some scales on your tuckus, and you daddy's cousin's great-aunt claims she spent a sweaty summer night with Mengkare. And now you want me to dig up some proof of their salacious interspecies gambol so you can embrace your destiny or claim your family fortune or settle a drunken bet?

Well you know what? You're paying up front! I'm tired of getting stiffed when you lot find out there's not a drop of dragon blood in your veins, and storm out in a huff!

Oh, what's that? You say "Mom had a tail, so grandma must've been a dragon!" Pssht! Dragons are a half-step down from gods, and you're about three square meals better than a goblin. And I know you know that; that's why you want me to tell you you're really half-dragon. But a dragon wants to make babies with you about as much as you want to make babies with your rose bush! Sure, there might be a few weirdoes out there, but that takes some pretty low self-esteem or a legendary quantity of whiskey!

Oh, but you're so sure you're the exception, are you? Ha, I say! Ha! Remember when I said they were close to gods? They change all the rules. Make 'em funny. They don't need carnal relations to leave their mark on the world. Maybe your grandpappy was a loyal servant for some wyrm, and just picked up a little taint to his blood hanging around so much—happens to kobolds all the time! Or maybe your great aunt helped slay an ancient wyrm. Or was standing too close when someone else did. Maybe your mom built her farm over the grave of some long-dead dragon's hoard. There was a lass in here last Rova, we figured out she wound up a sorcerer because her alchemist dad got addicted to dragon's blood! Never met a dragon his whole life; just bought the blood from a shifty-eyed dwarf, then his daughter winds up with claws and spells and a hankering for rubies.

Wouldn't have happened in my day.

Illustrations by Francesco Di Pastena, Hannah Kennedy, and Lance Red

It's not all bad. So you can't order your dragon grandma to lay waste to your enemies or claim some legendary pile of gold. Most folk can't! But see dragons impact everything they brush up against, not just people. They leave knowledge and magic and treasure wherever they go, and weirder bits, too. Dragons change the way the world works, and if you study them, you can too! There are these eccentrics in Katapesh can draw out dragon magic by worshipping dragons like gods—even turn into dragons, from what I hear! And Druma has these witches, they learn their magic by gathering up hoards of gold, no spooky deals with the powers-that-be required. Heck, we got a gladiator in this city who claims she learned to fight from a linnorm, and to see the way she tears open anyone that hits her, you'd believe it. You think you're limited without dragon blood, but the truth of the whole deal is that you're never limited just by your blood.

That's why being a genealogist is better than being well-bred!

Of course, you're still limited by your gold. Secrets don't come cheap, whether they're family indiscretions or secret techniques to tame a drake. One advantage to the many, many egotistical sorcerers who walk through those doors and hire me to peek into draconic history is that I have become quite the tidy expert of the subject—Probably the foremost in this city, at any rate—and I just happen to keep a copy all of my notes in this conveniently portable little folio. It's certainly a good deal cheaper—and less disappointing—than paying me to plot out your family tree on the off chance you have some scaly kin lurking around.

And look at the bright side: If you buy the folio, you never have to grapple with the existential dread that comes with discovering you're descended from a kobold.

Crystal Frasier
Developer

Spies Are All Around Me, Spies in Every Country

Thursday, June 16, 2016

You want to know about Pathfinder Player Companion: Spymaster's Handbook? Yes, that's information we have, but it was not easily obtained. There were risks for a number of assets, and significant costs in the acquisition operations. You are valued clients of course but...

Why yes, that DOES settle the matter quite nicely, thank you.

Illustrations by Tawny Fritz and Kiri Ostergaard Leonard

Spies and information brokers are a fact of life on Golarion, for nearly any large organization. Kingdoms need to know what other kingdoms are plotting, so as to best make their own plans, while at the same time keeping their own secrets hidden. Churches, schools, guilds, and merchants have their own need to control the flow of information leaking out of their inner chambers. Many groups have dedicated espionage branches, such as the Twilight Talons of Andoran, while others combine information gathering and enforcement, as with the Silent Shroud in Nidal. Smaller or less wealthy groups often must depend on independent spymasters, which may be as simple as buying information from the Church of Calistria to as complex as putting together bands of freelancers to acquire specific intelligence.

The Spymaster's Handbook explores all these options, beginning with what causes a character to become some kind of spy. Numerous espionage backgrounds are presented, along with related traits (from Chelish Sympathyzer to Youthful Infiltrator) and drawbacks (many spies must deal with being Betrayed, or hiding some Secret Shame). Secret agendas are presented in new Story Feats, to allows an espionage character to have an element of spycraft added to their character as part of a typical ongoing campaign. New rules on information dealing allows secrets to be bought and sold as commodities, making secret-running a potentially lucrative line of work.

And of course new character options tie characters with secret to the lore of Golarion. Spy elements within groups ranging from the Blackjackets to the Starwatch are tied to be magic items, feats, and spells. Espionage spells allow you to steal a victim's face, or encourage a target to speak endlessly on a topic of your choice. And the ultimate secret-keeper, the vigilante, is given three new archetypes, and a host of social and vigilante talents.

For a little extra I can even preview one of the new spells present in the book? Ah yes, always a pleasure doing business with you.

Claim Identity

School transmutation (polymorph); Level alchemist 3, antipaladin 3, bard 3, druid 4, inquisitor 3, shaman 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a needle and thread)

Range touch

Target humanoid creature touched

Duration 1 hour/level

Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes


You steal the target's face, transforming yourself into a flawless imitation of it. All of the target's facial features, vocal cues, and identifying physical traits change, transforming it into an unremarkable member of its race and gender. You transform into a perfect likeness of the target's true form, as if affected by alter self, and gain a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to impersonate the original subject of this spell; you take no penalties on this check if the original target is of a different race, age, size,
or gender.

Claim identity prevents any other polymorph effects from restoring the target's true face for the spell's duration, though the target can still assume
other forms or faces via magic or any natural shapechanging ability.

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

Let Me Be Your Armor, Let Me Be Your Shield

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Spellcasters are the focus of legend and envy. Weapon masters are flashy and famous. Armor masters?

Armor masters are survivors.

The reason the best offense is a good defense is the undefended die, which tends to end any effort at offense. The life of adventurers, crusaders, and champions of any cause is filled with dangers and enemies. Hammers seek to crush heads, spears seek to pierce flesh. Unless you've mastered some esoteric fighting style likely to allow you to dodge crossbow bolts, or have the skill (and time) to defend yourself with spells, you need armor. And anything you depend on to save your life is worth learning to master.

So who are the armor masters of the Inner Sea?

The horse tribe nomads of Karazh have learned to balance the weight of their armor in the saddle, so it does not hamper their skilled riding.

The Knights of Arnisant follow in the footsteps of the famous general who was crucial to the defeat of the Whispering Tyrant. They depend on their shields to guard not just their bodies, but also their minds and souls against incorporeal undead, curse-flinging witches, and the death magic of necromancers.

The Kortos Cavalry are Absalom's only mounted troops, protecting the island's hinterlands as well as the Westgate district and training to fight to the last.

The yojimbos are samurai dedicated to protecting others, and their resolve is not focused on just their own needs. Each can act as a living shield, standing between a chosen ally and a deadly foe, but through force of will can also inspire an ally to overcome fatigue, or at higher levels allow and ally to stave off fear, nausea, and even death.

And anyone trusting armor from leather to plate can learn at least a few armored tricks to help themselves survive, whether it's combinging the power of your attacks with the weight of your armor with Intense Blow, expending stamina to more effectively use Redirect Attack, or just learning to fight from rafters and walls while wearing an arachnid harness.

Illustrations by Manuel Castanon

Most characters wear at least some armor—get the most from it with the Armor Master's Handbook!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

The Shadows Know!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Shadow is a more than a mere absence of light in Golarion. It's a fundamental force, no weaker than the elemental energies, no less vast than the ethereal or astral planes, and far more common in everyday life than any of those esoteric materials. The Shadow Plane is a physical place, a colorless realm that serves as a dark reflection of the Material Plane, and its existence can mold and shape those within it. The fetchlings who dwell there are the descendants of Azlanti refugees, who over generations have been altered by constant exposure to its planar power until they are no longer truly human. Conversely, the wayang found on the Material Plane have been changed by their lack of access to the Shadow Plane, their pathways between their new lands and their original homes destroyed when the sun returned and the Age of Darkness ended.

Illustration by Anson Tan

The deepest shadow, of course, is total darkness. Such lightless realms may lack the planar power of shadow, but within the darkness other powers over move about unseen and unfettered. It was in the darkness of the Darklands that a group of elves fleeing the destruction of Earthfall became vulnerable to demonic influence, and in time so corrupted themselves and their society that they became something wholly different than elves. The drows' transformation may not have involved direct exposure to the power of a plane, but it remains a testament to the power of the shadowed places.

Illustrations by Tawny Fritzinger and Marjorie Davis

These then—drow, fetchling, and wayang—are the races that receive the most focus of Player Companion: Blood of Shadows. Some examination is given to how the rest of Golarion treats those tied to shadow, with discussion of shadowy origin stories (from benign envoy to umbral operative). The idea of the taint of shadow reaching beyond these races is explored with darkborn and shadowborn alternate racial traits. Then in the sections dedicated to each race, the options players often look at to customize their characters are expanded, with favored class bonuses, alternate racial traits, and sometimes racial feats. Some idea of how these cultures handle core roles differently is revealed with common archetypes that can be traced back to these races (though now generally also available to a few beyond the originator societies), ranging from the shadow-themed rogue talents developed by the fetchlings, to the shadow ink tattoos and shadow mysteries once exclusive to the wayang.

Feast of Rats

Price 45,125 GP

Slot none CL 19th Weight varies

Aura strong evocation and illusion

A swarm of shadowy rats clump together to form this +1 stalking^UE light melee shadowcraft weapon. Three times per day, the wielder can throw the weapon into one square within 10 feet while speaking a command word, causing the weapon to disperse into a shadowy haze that functions as fog cloud. Each round, any creature within the fog cloud takes 1d6 points of damage and must succeed at a DC 19 Fortitude saving throw or become nauseated for 1 round. This effect lasts for 1 minute, after which the weapon returns to its previous form. Alternatively, any time before the effect's duration ends, the wielder can spend a move action while adjacent to the fog cloud to return the weapon to its previous form, dismissing the effect and returning the weapon to her hand.

A feast of rats can be used as an unholy symbol divine focus of Lao Shu Po, the Old Rat Woman.

Construction Requirements

Cost 22,712 GP

Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Create Reliquary Arms and Shields^UM, deeper darkness, fog cloud, major creation, shadow weapon^UM

Other shadow-themed characters are also given support in the form of archetypes, spells, and magic items. Morphing shadowform weapons, which range from humble weapon of solid shadow, to mighty reliquaries often carried by divine champions can be found in Blood of Shadows—including the more powerful weapon above!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

Throw the Spellbook at 'Em!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

What harm could there be from reading a book? I think we all know the answer to that, but for those that prepare their spells, damaging your foes is just one of the many options available in Pathfinder Player Companion: Arcane Anthology... And I'm going to pass on a few of these arcane secrets to you!

Illustration by Melvin Chan

Illustration by Kenneth Solis

Not all spellbooks are created equal—and I'm not talking about the handy waterproof or travel-sized versions. In Arcane Anthology, certain tomes will grant additional abilities when you prepare from them with the Ritualistic Preparation feat, like the formula book known as the Galtan Cookbook, which grants the blast finesse action for alchemists.

Oh yes, there are more options in here than just for wizards—pretty much every arcane spellcaster is going to want to grab the Arcane Anthology, for reasons such force sword, grand destiny, Last Azlanti's defending sword, and splinter spell resistance.

Force Sword

School evocation [force]; Level bloodrager 2, magus 2, occultist 2, psychic 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, spiritualist 2, witch 2

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range 0 ft.

Effect one sword-shaped weapon of force

Duration 1 minute/level

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

You create a +1 longsword of pure force sized appropriately for you that you can wield or give to another creature like any other longsword. At 8th level, the sword functions as a +2 longsword. At 13th level, it functions as a +3 longsword. A force sword cannot be attacked or harmed by physical attacks, but dispel magic, disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation, or a rod of cancellation affects it.

If a creature you attack with the sword has spell resistance, you must attempt a caster level check (1d20 + your caster level) against that spell resistance the first time the force sword strikes it. If you fail the check, the spell is dispelled. If you succeed, the weapon has its normal full effect on that creature for the duration of the spell.

In the Age of Anguish, there was one spellcaster whose name has survived even to the current Age of Lost Omens: Jatembe. Angels, gods, demons, the Ten Magic Warriors—these are the stuff of legends, and now your spellcaster can use the same legendary magic themselves. Spells like celestial healing, Jatembe's ire (which supposedly eradicated the lost city of Ird), and a number of mask-based feats help capture the glory that Old-Mage carved out of those terrible times in Golarion's past.

While this volume is called Arcane Anthology, this is not solely devoted to students of the arcane. The eldritch scoundrel archetype for rogues, not to mention the Child of Acavna and Amaznen fighter archetype, are just some of the new content within—and it's shipping to your Friendly Local Gaming Store and subscribers now.

May you succeed on your next caster level check,

Liz Courts
Community Manager

Let's Be Clear

Monday, January 11, 2016

Happy New Year, everyone! As we return from our holiday vacations, John, Tonya, and I have been diving into some projects that have been sitting on the Pathfinder Society back burner for some time. We are happy to announce the release of the first of these projects—the Pathfinder Society Campaign Clarifications Document.

As anyone who has ever seen the official list of Additional Resources knows, Pathfinder Society characters have many options. As anyone who is a regular on our forums knows, some of these options can be interpreted in different ways. When these rules ambiguities crop up in a home campaign, where a player is likely to have only one GM, the GM and the player can work together to find a satisfying solution. In the organized play campaign, where players are likely to have many GMs over the course of each character’s adventures, these ambiguities can lead to substantially different rules interpretations from table to table. We created this document to help reach one of goals of organized play—to provide an equitable gaming experience to players all over the world. The Clarifications Document is a centralized place for us to offer official rulings for ambiguous rules.

Many of these interpretations are the suggestions of the developers who worked on the rules in the first place, which have until now been unofficial posts on the messageboards. Others come out of Additional Resources, which we will be trimming down a bit in the next update. The last source is a list of ambiguities I’ve been saving until we had a clear plan for how to address them. I’m sure some of you will notice a couple of rules elements mentioned in the Clarifications Document that are not currently legal in Pathfinder Society. These elements will appear in our next update of Additional Resources.

While GMs are free to use clarifications from this document in their home campaigns if they wish, these are not official errata. The Clarifications Document principally addresses rules material that appears in softcover sources such as the Pathfinder Campaign Setting and Pathfinder Player Companion lines, rather than the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover books. As part of our Additional Resources process, we plan to revisit this document each month and make changes if necessary. What rules ambiguities have you seen in your Pathfinder Society games that you would like to see resolved?

Download the Campaign Clarifications Document — (8.43mb zip/PDF)

Linda Zayas-Palmer
Assistant Developer

"Spooky? Do You Think I'm Spooky?" The Year in Review

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Another year is in the bag, and with it, thousands of pages of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game content, ranging from new a whole new range of psychic classes in Occult Adventures to facing off against the demons of the Abyss in Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Wrath of the Righteous! Here's a few highlights from 2015.

Pathfinder Adventure Path

Yes, I was attracted in my younger years to the occult.
Illustration by Emiliano Petrozzi

Deep within the Mindspin Mountains, a big problem stirred, kicking off the Giantslayer Adventure Path with "Battle of Bloodmarch Hill"! As you might surmise from the title, you face a whole lotta giants in this AP, from hill to storm and pretty much all kinds in-between. The Order of the Amber Die ran the entire Giantslayer Adventure Path in six sessions, one per volume, and we shared their exploits on the blog previously. This year also saw the start of the 17th Adventure Path with Hell's Rebels, which included the milestone 100th volume, "A Song of Silver"!

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

Jefe, what is a plethora? Four hardcover Pathfinder Roleplaying Game books, that's what. The Strategy Guide, Pathfinder Unchained, Occult Adventures, and Bestiary 5 all made its way out to fans everywhere this year, bringing a host of advice, new rules options, psychic characters, and critters a-plenty for everybody's game. The wyrmwraith proved pretty popular, winning our Bestiary 5 Battle Royale contest!

Pathfinder Campaign Setting

Pairing nicely along with Occult Adventures is setting-specific releases of Occult Realms and Occult Bestiary! Esoteric horrors and secrets await in those tomes, but there's also Inner Sea Races, a hardcover compilation expanding upon the many members (and possible player characters) of the Inner Sea! The Inner Sea Monster Codex gives a heapin' helpin' of new options for the game master as well (along with the return of the Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics and a redesigned Combat Pad).

Pathfinder Module

Don't rest your head.
Illustration by Dave Allsop

You may not be aware of this...but we kinda like adventure 'round these parts! "Daughters of Fury" was penned by RPG Superstar 2014 winner Victoria Jaczko, while Nicolas Logue returned with "Feast of Dust", and Master of Mysticism Brandon Hodge penned "The House of Hook Street" (which just might make you afraid to close your eyes at night). If you're looking for something level- or region-specific, don't miss out on the Pathfinder Adventure Finder, which includes hundreds of adventures from Paizo and third-party Pathfinder publishers!

Pathfinder Player Companion

There were quite a few fan-favorite releases for players this year, including (but certainly not limited to) Cohorts & Companions, Melee Tactics Toolbox, and Weapon Master's Handbook! Players picking up a copy of Occult Adventures might also want to grab Occult Origins, which provides new spells, feats, and rituals that tie into some of Golarion's history.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

The world-changing events of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path made for an epic conversion to the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and the Season of the Righteous brought the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Card Game to organized play. From lowly mortals dabbling in affairs beyond their ken to challenging demon lords in their home realms, Wrath of the Righteous is not for the faint-hearted heroes!

And in conclusion, here's some more art from this year's releases!

Illustrations by Nikolai Ostertag, Géraude Soulié, Tom Babbey, Donald Crank, Jaime Martinez, and Kiki Moch Rozky

May your next crit confirm—and if you're looking for more hidden gems, check out Know Direction where hosts Alex Augunas and Ryan Costello interview our Project Manager Jessica Price for things you might have missed this year!

Liz Courts
Community Manager

For Evil to be Victorious, it Needs Good Help!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Evil is insidious, it's not always the person stabbing you in the face repeatedly, but instead, it's the person whispering honeyed words into your ears. You've all been victim to it. I've seen you lot, swayed by the promises of the occult or tales of black markets. The crafter of those words was quite skilled. It's my understanding that her hand helped guide the words that fill the tome of which I am to speak.

What am I here to discuss? I'm here to talk about evil. Specifically, I'm here to talk about Pathfinder Player Companion: Agents of Evil.

The noblest of soul, or the most depraved mind, can willingly walk the path of service to an evil power. It's important to note that such bondage does not inherently turn one into a force for evil. In this guide, you'll read about bad beginnings, sad stories, and monstrous motivations.

For those of you without a maligned past or similarly dark ambitions, there are evil patrons aplenty—from the Aspis Consortium to the Whispering Way—who willingly seek agents to do their bidding. For those of you with a more religious bent, the fouler gods of Golarion have much to offer. Even those less vile followers of such deities are given their fair respect in this book. Asmodeus too takes his rightful place here, and for those of you foolish enough to combat the rightful rule of House Thrune, you may find yourself interested in hearing about the Devil Impostors—summoners whose eidolons imitate the traits of hellspawn.

All can benefit from the knowledge on fighting the supposed 'forces of good'. Learn strategies to employ against agathions, angels, archons, and azatas alike—most certainly useful for those battling the rising rabble of the Glorious Reclamation.

Contained within the intricate script of this tome are poisons of the foulest sort, with additional necrotoxins—whose sort you've likely learned of from Golarion's black markets. Even the more misunderstood races can learn some skill in service to evil powers, from fetchling magi clouding the vision of their enemies, to tiefling alchemists brewing bombs of pure hellfire.

Ah... it appears I may be telling you too much, and our time is growing short.

Luckily, there's far too many magic items and spells to adequately describe in this place. I could discuss the withershot muskets, crafted by the servants of the daemonic harbinger Cixyron. Or perhaps you'd like to hear of the Aspis Consortium's success with the aboleth-designed ioun spite bracers.

Illustrations by Sally Gottschalk, Kez Laczin, and Andy Timm

Interested?

Well, I suppose I could tantalize you with the necromantic spell blood tentacles that does... well, it does exactly what you might expect.

Sadly, there's just too much to talk about in a place such as this.

Except... Well, I wouldn't be properly evil without mentioning one last seductive item from this volume of inequity. The insinuator is an antipaladin archetype that purely embodies a path of pure self-interest. These paragons of self shun bonding with a single deity, instead living an existence bartering with any power that seems likely to grant them the power needed to meet their own goals.

Now I must go. But before I do, I must thank Crystal Frasier and Owen K.C. Stephens for the opportunity to work on this book. If anything, I am truly an agent of their far-reaching evil.

Thurston "Thursty" Hillman
Contributing Author

Who's the Master?

Friday, November 6, 2015

YOU are, once you pick up some of the options from Player Companion: Weapon Master's Handbook!

In all seriousness, my working title for this product when outline it was "nice things for martials," and a note with that phrase sat on my monitor as a guiding principle through the project's development. Weapon-focused characters don't generally need help hitting foes or dealing damage, but they can find themselves with fewer options to just be interesting in new and unexpected ways. Given the breadth of history in Golarion there are lots of opportunities for sword-swingers and axe-hurlers to learn surprising techniques not available to run-of-the-mill warriors, and this book highlights the ones we thought were the most exciting.

Of course all the things you've come to expect from a Player Companion are here—archetypes representing weapon masters from throughout the Inner Sea, traits tied to specific fighting groups in Golarion, and new magic items appropriate to the weapon master theme. But we've also presented lots of new options, including an expansion of the stamina and combat trick rules first presented in Pathfinder Unchained (to cover the combat feats from Inner Sea Combat, Inner Sea Gods, and Inner Sea World Guide), advanced weapon training (allowing fighters more options that just gaining a reduced bonus to new weapon groups), weapon-based style feats, weapon trick feats (broken into categories for one-handed weapons, polearms, ranged weapons, two-handed weapons, two-weapon tricks, and weapon and shield tricks), magic item mastery (ways to force magic items to do new things), and much more!

Illustrations by Simul

Golarion is a big place, so we've only scratched the surface on the kinds of weapon mastery practiced in its many schools, temples, war colleges, and armies. But this book does open doors to whole new kinds of options for character who truly dedicate themselves to being masters of weaponry.

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

Salutations, Spring!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Illustration by Suzanne Helmigh
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Realms

As "predicted" in our last product update blog, fall has arrived! In fact, as I'm typing this, I'm wearing my first oversized sweater of the season and looking at decidedly orange leaves against the grey and rain filled sky. This is certainly setting the mood for an excellent Halloween night this Saturday, and what better to set the scene than going over some the tricks and treats we've released and have to look forward to in the coming months?

We've reached the mid-way point of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path with the release of Pathfinder Adventure Path #99: Dance of the Damned. How's your group dealing with the tenacity of resident tyrant, Barzillai Thrune? I hope they're ready, because they've got a lot of work to do to get ready for Pathfinder Adventure Path #100: A Song of Silver. The next volume of the Hell's Rebels is a mega-sized volume, filled with articles that all fans of the Pathfinder Adventure Path line will want to have in their collection. We'll have more previews available as we get closer to AP #100's release in December.

Ever wondered what lies beyond the border Golarion's Inner Sea region? Distant Shores takes you there! Or may you're a character that prefers to lay low or the company of the unseen world? This month we had a double Pathfinder Player Companion release with Black Markets and Occult Origins.

The current Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Adventure Path, Wrath of the Righteous cames to a close with the release of the epic conclusion: Adventure Deck 6: City of Locusts. Fans of the Adventure Card Game will be excited to know we've also announced plans for the Season of the Runelords, which begins in early 2016.

Do you need monsters and frights? This month we rummaged up some ideas for you to add in some creepy elements to your games in a series on the Paizo blog (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. We also launched a brand new feature in the Pathfinder Reference Document to sort Bestiary entries so you can find just the perfect set of teeth to drop into your campaign, and rounded all the free resources you can find on paizo.com to enhance your game or plan your next character.

Here's a complete look at what released in October:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #99: Dance of the Damned
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Deck 6: City of Locusts
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Shores
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Black Markets
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game GM Screen—Alternate Cover 2
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Slum Quarter
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Dungeon
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Town Square
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-09: The Blakros Connection
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-08: To Judge a Soul, Part 2: Karma Reclaimed
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild Adventure 1-5: Herald's Vengeance
• Pathfinder Legends—Mummy's Mask #2: Empty Graves

Now, what is that book coming out in November? You know, the big one? The big awesome one that's filled with stat blocks? We've kicked off a community-based series of previews (and a contest where you could win yourself a copy!) for the latest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover, Bestiary 5. This fifth volume of monsters for the Pathfinder RPG delivers a series of dark and weird creatures, whimsical allies, and so much more. Keep an eye on the Paizo blog and the Bestiary 5 Battle Royale for more news!

Illustration by Ertaç Altınöz (Pathfinder Module: Feast of Dust)

While we don't have an Adventure Path volume releasing in November, we do see the return of Pathfinder Modules with the latest stand-alone adventure Feast of Dust. Get to the bottom of the deadly curse that's been driving the city of Dimayen mad and stop the Jackal Prince before the entire world falls victim to his whims!

Here's a complete look at what is releasing in November:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Realms
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Weapon Master's Handbook
• Pathfinder Module: Feast of Dust
• Pathfinder Pawns: Summon Monster Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Slum Quarter Alleys
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-10: The Consortium Connection
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-11: Ancient's Anguish

Spring 2016 Announcements

In our last roundup blog we covered the announcement of our next Pathfinder Adventure Path, Hell's Vengeance, the next Pathfinder Comics series Hollow Mountain, and more. Let's take a look a bit further into the future into the next season of Pathfinder releases:

The March 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #104: Wrath of Thrune
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Faiths
• Pathfinder Pawns: Hell's Rebels Adventure Path Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Twisted Caverns
• Pathfinder Legends—Mummy's Mask #6

The April 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Intrigue
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #105: The Inferno Gate
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Inquisitor
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Heaven Unleashed
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Armor Master's Handbook
• Pathfinder Module: Ire of the Storm
• Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Road System

As always, the release dates are subject to change, but you can see the most up-to-date information on the Product Schedule page, or on each individual product page.

See ya next month!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

You Have Found a Shop

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Oh, what pretty little thing have we here? What pretty-pretty have you brought me today? Nice. Good weight. Very rare. In fact, a bit too rare. Is this stolen?

Oh, what am I saying? You're an adventurer—of course it's stolen. But that's fine! That's fine. Not a lot of clean hands Red Silk Route, are there? I can find you a nice price, so long as you didn't kill whoever it belonged to. You kill someone over a pretty little bauble, and the first thing their friends look for is the bauble itself. Follow the money and you—

Oh dear. Is that blood? Well, you're complicating my life by the moment, aren't you? I can't sell this here.

Wait, wait! Where are you going?! I said I could sell your pretty-pretty here, not that I couldn't sell it. Goodness, but are all adventurers so defeatist? The sign on the door does say "All wares bought and sold," after all. I wouldn't want you to think I'm a crook. I have friends on many foreign shores who love their pretty things. I have just the ship and captain to slip it out of town—both are very quiet and very well-formed. We could smuggle you out along with it, perhaps? I understand how you sellsword types love your violent ends, but perhaps you'd like to postpone yours a bit. We'll find you a whole new life in some other greasy underbelly, and get you back to stabbing and stealing as soon as you like.

Check through this little guidebook I have, Black Markets. A bit literal, I know, but I think we can all agree that allusions went the way of Ghol-Gan.

Not even a pretty smile for that one? Abadar's bronzed knickers, you lot are humorless when you're being hunted for murder. Well regardless, we've got a few treats for you in here: Pick out the black market of your choice from around the Inner Sea where you can land on your feet, and if you don't see anything you like, well you can always start you own my discerning little sack of contraband. All the rules are right there.

Illustrations by Ian Perks, Kiri Østergaard, and Vicky Yarova.

Not sure you're cut out for crime? The bloodstains on your boots speak otherwise. I mean, we're all cut out for a little petty larceny, but you certainly have no qualms cutting out what's owed you. But if you'd rather look into a new line of work, the guide offers a few helpful hints, like the pesh-addled sorcerer of sleep; get your jollies and give them out for free. You'll be the absolute life of the party. Or push your own brands of magical death by becoming an Eldritch Poisoner; pairs well with the selection of magical necrotoxins I'm selling these days— and for you, pretty one, I'll offer a lovely bulk discount.

Wherever you're going, you'll need a few tricks like those anyway. I can stock you up on personal, portable traps—you do seem like the paranoid sort. Or a few polished-up cursed relics you can sell as genuine magic. Seven Hells, I've a man out back who will stich ghouls' guts into you for enough coin. Whatever it takes to finish this deal and get you out of my shop, before disrespectable sorts come looking for the bauble you've brought me. Check the book, pretty-pretty, tell me what you need, and let's get your new life started.

Crystal Frasier
Assistant Developer

Walk Paths Unseen in Occult Origins

Friday, October 9, 2015

Oh yes, we know that particular flavor of frantic look. You are far from the first whose eyes it has crossed, friend, and so long as the sun continues to rise you will not be the last.

You found a book, and in your childlike naiveté you assumed this book held answers. That is the lie we teach our children, after all: Books hold answers. Knowledge is power. Broaden yourself and you shall no longer be the fearful, mewling lump you dropped into this world as.

But now you know the truth.

You read your Occult Adventures. You assumed it would satisfy you; would answer your questions. But now you're left with an intellectual hunger no crumb of written word can sate. Yet you scrape through the cupboards, hoping—no, begging to a universe you hope is just that page will relieve the pangs for just One. More. Day.

It won't. It can't. The truth of this world—beneath the playful façade of queens and dragons we set out to delight clumsier minds—is grisly and devoid of sense. I have the book you want; the book you need. This book of Occult Origins tempts you with so many new secrets—questions you never even thought to ask—but it can't offer peace of mind. You knew this before you stepped in, and yet here we both stand. You need to know how kineticists are born, and why they hurl the fundamental forces of the universe as carelessly as a child throws a disobedient doll. You long to know why the psychic mind can overwrite a world you believed to be so stable and sound and impervious to whim. But this book isn't a book of answer. You will leave here all the hungrier. But you will leave here book in hand, knowing you are richer, and perhaps one step closer to mad.

Illustrations by Ian Perks and Kiri Østergaard

The Occult Origins tells of chaokineticists, who channel the universe's devouring maw and wield death and decay, and the phytokinetic disciplines of distant Tian, who kindle the energy of life to violent and deadly ends. It whispers the secrets of Chelish mental disciplines to wither the unbending will of devils. It details the ancient art of the reliquarians, who suckle powers the gods themselves leave in their passing. It will teach you how to develop the powers of your psychic mind through introspection, or reflection on the lives—and deaths—you have long since outgrown. It can teach you to modify the delicate web of bone of sinew that contains the immortal essence of your being.

Trepanation

Through careful study and practice, you have learned how to relieve pressure in the brain to balance the humors, promote health, and ward off outside influence.

Prerequisites: Heal 5 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 2 ranks.

Benefit: You can perform the faith healing occult skill unlock^OA even if you can't use psychic magic. If you can cast psychic spells or have the Psychic Sensitivity^OA feat, you can use faith healing one additional time per day.
So long as you have a healer's kit^UE or surgeon's tools^UE, you can spend 1 hour performing a full trepanation on a creature. This procedure requires a Heal check (DC = 20 + the target's Hit Dice). If you're successful, the target gains a +2 insight bonus on saving throws against curses, possession, and spells from the enchantment (compulsion) school. These effects persist for 1 day per character level you possess. If you fail the check, the target takes 1d3 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma damage. You can perform this procedure on yourself, but the DC increases by 5.

But it can't tell you such things are the law of the land, or pull aside the shadows far larger forces cast across your world—perhaps even across your self. It teaches occult rituals to bind gods into your army or force back psychic influence, but it can never teach you why an assemblage of words and willpower make the strict laws of creation shudder and cower.

But maybe it gives you just enough. Maybe this keeps you hungry enough that you keep asking questions and checking dark corners. Maybe you'll be the first to understand the why of it all without losing your life or your mind. Most likely not, but maybe. Gods' speed to you.

Or whatever you pray to.

Crystal Frasier
Assistant Developer

Down On Your Luck, Friend?

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I know your sob story. It's written on your face, same as everyone else's. The world just rolled over and dumped you on your butt. Know you don't know how to get a roof and three squares without a coin in your pocket, and don't know how to put coin in your pocket without a good night's sleep and a full belly.

Luckily, we know all these things. Lots more of us than you, after all—all of us hungry and scraping but still getting by. We know what you can eat. Hell, we know who you can eat. The city streets aren't just a bunch of people; they're nature—screwed up, turned-around, greedy, grasping, vicious nature. You can be one of the lucky ones, riding on top of it all like princes in a yacht, thinking you're master of it all but never seeing a hint of what goes on for real. Or you can be like the rest of us: Down below, stinking of it and getting by like any other animal. You can be a deer or a squirrel, maybe, but I advise being a wolf, friend. Wolves don't come to such sudden and unpleasant ends. Ain't food for no one, except maybe those useless sorts who think they're on top, and you don't see their sort down here in the gutters so often.

Illustrations by Vicky Yarova and Anson Tan

We got a book right here: Make yourselves Heroes of the Streets. Blend in, bite back, and don't be anyone's meal ticket. Find a warm place to sleep and do it all again tomorrow. You can be scum like the rest of us—learn to be an Alley Witch, or a Street oracle, or a Slum Shaman—or sell your soul and work for the town guard as a Constable Cavalier or Lamplighter Investigator. The book don't care. You think you're too wild for the city? The book don't believe you. The book's seen Hunters and Bloodragers twist themselves—urbanize themselves—to fit this place before it ever saw the city twist itself to fit them. The book's got spells to make the best of the stunty little plants here and there, or to walk you big, mean monster pet right under a guard's nose. The book's got feats to help you get by in all the dark, forgotten bits every city seems to have. The book tells you where you people fit, so you can fit in with 'em, or spit in their eye for wiping you off their boots.

Coin Shot

School transmutation; Level alchemist 1, antipaladin 1, bard 1, bloodrager 1, magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components S
Range touch
Target up to three coins touched
Duration 10 minutes or until discharged
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless, object)

You turn up to three coins into deadly projectiles that gain the velocity of a bullet when thrown. The coins retain their normal appearance but can be used as simple thrown weapons with a range increment of 20 feet and a critical multiplier of ×2. The transmuted coins are treated as ammunition for the purposes of drawing them. Like firearm bullets, the coins deal bludgeoning and piercing damage, and attacks with them are resolved as touch attacks within the first range increment. Regardless of whether a transmuted coin hits or misses the target, it is destroyed after the attack. Only you can make attacks with the coins, though other creatures can safely handle them without discharging the spell.

You can make a single ranged attack with a coin as part of casting this spell. Different types of coins create different bullet effects. Copper coins deal 1d4 points of damage. Silver coins deal 1d6 points of damage and count as silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Gold coins deal 1d8 points of damage and count as masterwork weapons. Platinum coins deal 1d10 points of damage, count as masterwork weapons, and are treated as adamantine weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness. All coin bullets deal an additional 1 point of damage per 2 caster levels (to a maximum of an extra 10 points of damage at 20th level).

You think you've seen the worst the city has to offer? The book will teach you how to be the worst the city has to offer. It's short—just 32 pages—and easy to read. Just a few happy coins and the book is yours...

Crystal Frasier
Assistant Developer

There's Adventure in the Air—September and Winter 2016 Releases

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Today the skies are shining overhead in Redmond, where in the Paizo office we've been recovering from a busy and exciting convention season. But we all know and feel the loom of pumpkin spice, sweaters, and clouds that's ahead from our respective desks. And if your group is anything like mine, the end of September marks the start of regular game nights. And what better to kick off this glorious season by revisiting the Pathfinder related releases headed your way?

Illustration by Romanov Pavel

This month we're releasing our third Pathfinder Campaign Setting hardcover (under the Pathfinder RPG ruleset), Inner Sea Races. This 256-page volume delves into the history, culture, and powers of the the denizens of the Inner Sea, including in-depth coverage of the seven core races, and features of the uncommon races like goblins and tengu. You'll also find an array of new feats, spells, character traits and more to add flavor to your own character or home game. Our Project Manager, Jessica Price, has just kicked off our series of previews into the pages of Inner Sea Races, so look out for more information and art previews in the coming weeks!

Download Standard | Download Widescreen | Download Mobile

Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

But what about the folks that just kicked off their own Hell's Rebels adventure? The second volume, Pathfinder Adventure Path #98: Turn of the Torrent, takes your rebel band of do-good "miscreants" through the paces as they gather allies and establish their might with the Silver Ravens. Evil is running through the streets of Kintargo, and I won't spoil it for you, but your group should probably get on that. For reasons. Your Hell's Rebels character might want to take some notes from this month's Player Companion, Heroes of the Streets for inspiration as well!

Maybe your group is more into throwing down some cards? The fifth installment of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Wrath of the Righteous is coming out, and it's got demons. A whole lot of them. But what if you don't have a group? You might want to look into the Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild, where you could bring our favorite monk, Sajan from the new Monk Class Deck, to the table in fist-to-claw-claw-bite demon combat.

We also brought back the long-awaited Pathfinder Combat Pad! Now armed with more magnets, this latest printing helps keep tracking initiatives in your game just that much easier. And if this isn't the only reprint you've been holding out for, we're happy to announce the next two installments of our Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics line, City Streets and Prison, are now available.

Here's a complete look at what's releasing this September:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #98: Turn of the Torrent
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Deck 5: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Monk
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Races
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Streets
• Pathfinder Combat Pad
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: City Streets
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Prison
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Forest Dangers
• Pathfinder Pawns: Giantslayer Adventure Path Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Legends–Mummy's Mask #1: The Half Dead City
• Pathfinder Tales: Beyond the Pool of Stars

November 2015 and Beyond!

In addition to our announcements made in the last roundup blog, which included the announcement of Pathfinder Adventure Path #100, today we're adding the latest Pathfinder Comics series: Hollow Mountain! The first volume is authored by our very own Executive Editor, James L. Sutter, where our heroes find themselves in a position where they just may have to try to get along with some the most notorious villains out there.

It might seem like 2016 is the very distant future, but not here! As we approach the new year, our Hell's Rebels Adventure Path concludes and the counter Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path will begin. Fans and followers of RPG Superstar will also see the release of our 2015 winner Monica Marlowe's module Down the Blighted Path in January as well (and I suggest you check out the hopeful module writers in the current competition going on now!).

The January 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #102: Breaking the Bones of Hell (Hell's Rebels 6 of 6)
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Alchemist
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Hell's Rebels Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Arcane Anthology
• Pathfinder Module: Down the Blighted Path
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Noble Estate
• Pathfinder Tales: Pirate's Prophecy

The February 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #103: The Hellfire Compact (Hell's Vengeance 1 of 6)
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Inquisitor
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Darklands Revisited
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of Shadows
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Urban Sites

As always, the release dates are subject to change, but you can see the most up-to-date information on the Product Schedule page, or on each individual product page.

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

Your Honor Will Get You Dead!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Does the thought of honorable combat sound like a good way to get killed? When the bad guys use every sneaky option in their arsenals, it only makes sense to retaliate with your own dirty tactics. Learn how to fight fire with fire (or poison... or poisonous explosives...) in Dirty Tactics Toolbox!

This 32-page Player Companion will be available later this month and contains a slew of options to ensure that your character never has to face a fair fight. For example, take a look at the Dirty Fighting feat that appears on page 14:

Dirty Fighting (Combat)

You can take advantage of a distracted foe.

Benefit: When you attempt a combat maneuver check against a foe you are flanking, you can forgo the +2 bonus on your attack roll for flanking to instead have the combat maneuver not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you have a feat or ability that allows you to attempt the combat maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity, you can instead increase the bonus on your attack roll for flanking to +4 for the combat maneuver check.

Special: This feat counts as having Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, and Improved Unarmed Strike for the purposes of meeting the prerequisites of the various improved combat maneuver feats, as well as feats that require those improved combat maneuver feats as prerequisites.

That’s far from all the hijinks within the pages of the Dirty Tactics Toolbox! Check out some of the art below for an idea of other tricks this book has up its sleeve:

Illustrations by Vicky Yarova and Ian Perks

Amanda Hamon Kunz
Assistant Developer

A Hellishly Good Winter Ahead: July and Winter 2015 Releases!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

As we double- and triple-check our Gen Con prep lists, our warehouse is also busily sending out the latest and greatest Pathfinder releases to your doorstep! Check out this overview of this month's releases, as well as what's heading your way this winter!

There are creatures in the world that even giants fear.
Illustration by Jason Rainville, from "Shadow of the Storm Tyrant"

Subscribers have already started receiving their July products, and in a little less than two weeks, they'll be available to retail stores everywhere, as well as at Gen Con in Indianapolis! Here's a roundup of this month's releases:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #95—Giantslayer 5 of 6: "Anvil of Fire"
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #96—Giantslayer 6 of 6: "Shadow of the Storm Tyrant"
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Giantslayer Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Adventure Deck 3: "Demon's Heresy"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Character Mats: Ekkie
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Hell Unleashed
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Museum
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Village Square
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Woodlands
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Camps & Shelters
• Pathfinder Comics—Origins #5: Harsk

Of course the big release this month is one that our staff has been super-excited about, and we've been filtering out sneak previews and stories about the six new iconics featured in the newest Pathfinder RPG hardcover—Occult Adventures! Over 250 pages long, it's got everything you want to be a master (or mistress) of mysticism and explore new realms of adventure with psychic magic.

November 2015: One Hundred Volumes of Pathfinder!

There was a time in the not-too-distant-past where the idea of Pathfinder (and Paizo) reaching a volume in triple digits was a distant dream—but it is a reality, and "A Song of Silver" is it! This special volume contains more than just our usual assortment of support articles for the adventure—it also contains more new monsters, revelations about the god Aroden, and a retrospective covering all of our previous Adventure Paths!

Additional releases in November include:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Realms
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Weapon Master's Handbook
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Barbarian
• Pathfinder Pawns: Summon Monster Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Winter Forest

December 2015: The Thrice-Damned!

Unsurprisingly, we've got Hell on our minds (and I am firmly placing this blame on the Overlord of Words Wes Schneider), and this December, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Cheliax, The Infernal Empire gets its due with more details on this infamous country. For both freedom fighters of the Hell's Rebels or Thrune supporters of the Hell's Vengeance Adventure Paths, this will be an essential guide!

Additional December releases are:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #101—Hell's Rebels 5 of 6: "The Kintargo Contract"
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Agents of Evil
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Oracle
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Marsh Trails
• Pathfinder Tales: Bloodbound

As always, the release dates are subject to change, but you can see the most up-to-date information on the Product Schedule page, or on each individual product page.

Liz Courts
Community Manager

I Can Call Spirits From the Vasty Deep!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Looking to see what will come when you call for it? Find the answer in our new Player Companion, Monster Summoner's Handbook!

Summoning is a popular tactic, and it's one of the few magic options that has an entire character class built around it (a class that is also one of the few to get a revision in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Pathfinder Unchained). So when we dedicate a 32-page book to the topic, we know there are a lot of expectations, and a lot of concerns. As a big fan of summoning (so much so I stepped in and wrote part of this book, as did Assistant Developer Linda Zayas-Palmer) I wanted to make sure, it provided a wide range of options.

So, to put a lot of folk's minds at ease quickly, be aware that all the summoner class options we present in this book function with both the base summoner, and the Pathfinder Unchained summoner! Second, we provided options for expanding monster summoning spells with creatures from Bestiary 2-4, without just openly boosting the power of those spells. There are also options for priests of various gods to gain access to new summoned creatures when using either summon monster or summon nature's ally.

Illustrations by Darren Waud, Katherine 'Kez' Laczin, and Ian Perks

We also added two new outsiders (one with 5 HD and one with 11 HD, filling some gaps in the list of HD for outsiders appropriate for planar ally and planar binding spells), a slew of archetypes (my favorite being the elemental ally, a druid with access to four elementals, one for each element, that function as eidolons but with just one out at a time), simple templates (for creatures from elemental planes, Plane of Shadow, and the First World) and ways to access them, a way to use summoning spells to summon the SAME guardian spirit each time, and some anti-summoning options (ranging from the counter-summoner archetype to the summon bane magic weapon special ability).

It's only 32 pages of course (efforts to summon a bigger book failed...), and I'm sure there are yet more things people would have loved to see. But I hope we managed to provide a little something for everyone, and a lot of cool options for anyone wanting to master summoning!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

Pulling Back the Veil: Fall 2015 Releases!

Monday, May 11, 2015

One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to add upcoming products to the website. Often it's the first time that I'm hearing about the latest adventure, realm to explore, or new player options, and now we're going to round up all the announcements to make sure you don't miss out on the latest additions to Pathfinder, coming to you this summer and fall!

Welcome to Kintargo—hope you survive your stay!
Illustration by Shen Fei

This month is going to be a triple feature, as we're going to talk about not one month's releases, but three, starting with August.

August 2015: Hell's Rebels Adventure Path begins!

With Gen Con a wee bit earlier this year than normal, we won't be starting the Adventure Path at the show, which means that the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path will begin in August, starting with "In Hell's Bright Shadow" by Crystal Frasier! With the city of Kintargo under martial law, what starts as a protest turns into a riot, and your hero is at the center of it!

Other August releases include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck #4: "The Midnight Isles"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Paladin
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Bestiary
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Streets
• Pathfinder Tales: Liar's Island by Tim Pratt
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Forest
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Swamp
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Forest Dangers

September 2015: Hail and Well Met, Traveler!

The feature of this month is one that we've all been waiting for—Inner Sea Races! Filled with details on all of the races common to the Inner Sea, this also gives you juicy tidbits on rarer denizens like aasimar, tieflings, and ooh, do I spy a [[REDACTED]]?!

More September releases include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck 5: "Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Monk
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #98—Hell's Rebels, Part 2: "Turn of the Torrent"
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Slum Quarter
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: City Streets
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Prison

October 2015: The Night is Dark, and Full of Terrors!

We like spooky things—turns out, they are a grand thing when writing adventures and designing campaigns, and what could be grander than returning to one of our earliest Varisian stomping grounds? As anybody who's visited Elm Street can attest, dreams can be a dangerous thing, and "The House on Hook Street" promises to make a pleasant afternoon nap into a nightmare in this Pathfinder Module for 6th level adventurers. Written by Brandon Hodge, one of our own key resources when Occult Adventures was first on the drawing board, would-be heroes attempting to survive this adventure may want to stock up on their elixir of choice to stay awake through the night!

Additional releases in October include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck 6: "City of Locusts"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Druid
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #99—Hell's Rebels, Part 3: "Dance of the Damned"
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Shores Gazetteer
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Black Markets
• Pathfinder Tales: Beyond the Pool of Stars
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Slum Quarter Alleys
• Pathfinder Pawns: Giantslayer Adventure Path

As always, the release dates are subject to change, but you can see the most up-to-date information on the Product Schedule page, or on each individual product page.

Is there any particular release you're excited for? Have a hankering for learning more about the denizens of the Inner Sea with the Inner Sea Races hardcover? Maybe want try to divine the details of Occult Origins? Let us know in the discussion thread!

Liz Courts
Community Manager

PS: With PaizoCon just around the corner and adventures to wrap up before then for our GMs, the Pathfinder Society team is busily developing and editing the May releases. The regular PFS blog will return next week! And if you're attending PaizoCon, be sure to attend the Pathfinder Society Q&A on Saturday, May 23 at 2:00 PM!

2014 Art Review

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

As we close out 2014, I wanted to end on a high note and give you one last year-end blog. I went to our Managing Art Director Sarah Robinson and Senior Art Director Andrew Vallas to get some help rounding up some favorite illustrations from the past year. Seeing how great their selections were, I also asked various members of our editorial team to pick a few of their own favorites to add. So here are some of our best illustrations from 2014!

Let's start off with some covers! The above are selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Developer John Compton.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Treasures Illustrated by Igor Grechanyi,
Pathfinder Module: Plunder and Peril Illustrated by Kiki Moch Rizky, and Pathfinder Player Companion: Alchemy Manual Illustrated by Kerem Beyit

Monsters and gods are up next! The above selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrations by Subroto Bhaumik and Jason Rainville, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustration by Johan Grenier,
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Mysteries Illustration by Ralph Horsley, and Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Yu Cheng Hong

Brigh and Zyphus are two of the many Golarion deities featured this year. The above selections were made by Adam Daigle and myself.

Pathfinder Adventure Path #86: Lords of Rust Illustration by Johan Grenier, and Pathfinder Adventure Path #89: Palace of Fallen Stars Illustration by Matias Tapia

And to round out this art blog, some portraits of deities, monsters and important characters of 2014!
The above selections were made by Andrew, Associate Editor Judy Bauer, Editor Ryan Macklin, Developer Rob McCreary, and Managing Editor James L. Sutter

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak,
Pathfinder Adventure Path #84: Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh Illustration by Johan Grenier, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Maichol Quinto, and
Pathfinder Tales: The Redemption Engine Illustration by Eric Belisle

What was your favorite piece of Pathfinder art from 2014?

Mark Moreland
Developer

Wrapping Up the Mummy's Mask

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I know what you're thinking. "Another Mummy's Mask blog? We're totally in Iron Gods mode now! Show me robots, darn it!" And you're right. We released the final chapter of the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path a few months ago now, and this month are releasing the second chapter in its follow-up AP, Iron Gods. That's why now is the perfect time to release a bunch of art from Mummy's Mask. We now have the entire AP to go through in search of the best pieces of art to release to the public, either as potential desktop backgrounds, or to use in a publication or on a website using the Community Use Policy.

Here are some of my favorite images from Mummy's Mask (and a couple from People of the Sands). I have it on good authority that the holy symbols of all the gods in the Ancient Osirian pantheon will soon be added to the Community Use Package, otherwise I'd have included them here. So enjoy one last trip through the sands of Osirion!

Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak and Florian Stitz

Illustrations by Johan Grenier, Vicky Yarova, and Damon Westenhofer

Illustrations by Johan Grenier and Jared Blando

Mark Moreland
Developer

Iron Gods Resource Roundup

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Many of you have already got your hands on Pathfinder Adventure Path #85: "The Fires of Creation," the first volume of the Iron Gods Adventure Path. Dedicated readers, eager fans, and other messageboard fanatics (you know who you are) have been clamoring for us to do something more with Numeria since the nation first appeared in the Campaign Setting, but adding in laser guns and robots isn't something you do without a considerable amount of preparation. So, to support the Iron Gods Adventure Path we went all out with a number of releases intended to fully flesh out the campaign and provide fun and interesting options for players and GMs alike.

While you wait for the next volume—Pathfinder Adventure Path #86: "Lords of Rust"—check out the wealth of resources we've provided to help you enjoy the Iron Gods Adventure Path.

Illustration by Lucio Parrillo

The first thing we needed were rules for all the technological wonders found in Numeria, so we came up with Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Technology Guide. This 64-page book not only presents dozens of examples of high-tech equipment, but it also provides new feats, spells, archetypes, and even a prestige class suited to mastering Numeria's technological wonders. We didn't want to make it so that people had to buy this book to run the Iron Gods Adventure Path, so we made sure to include all the rules from the Technology Guide in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Resource Document (aka PRD). Our own resident robot recently remodeled the PRD to not only include this resource, but to also spiff up the place a bit. And it looks great! Have you seen it? Why not? Go, now. Go check it out.

Now that the rules were covered, we knew we'd need a good gazetteer of Numeria to allow GMs to really flesh out that part of Golarion. Knowing that there wouldn't be enough space in the back matter of the Adventure Path to provide all this information, we got to work on Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars. This 64-page book talks about the nation's history, goes into detail about its settlements and people, provides hazards to watch out for while exploring the land, and outlines some of the most compelling adventuring sites and hooks to keep a group playing in Numeria for years.

We couldn't let the GMs have all the fun, so we knew we needed some exciting options for characters too. Instead of just doing one Player Companion to support the Iron Gods Adventure Path, we spread it out over two books. Pathfinder Player Companion: People of the River talks about the multitudes of people that live along the Sellen River, the largest river system in Avistan that reaches all the way up through Numeria. This Player Companion also include the campaign traits for players eager to jump into an Iron Gods campaign.

Also providing support for players hoping to play a stranger race in an Iron Gods campaign, Pathfinder Player Companion: People of the Stars provides character options for some of the most popular aliens in the Campaign Setting, new ways to incorporate astronomy into your games, and dozens of new traits, feats, gear, and other new mechanics all steeped in some Distant Worlds flavoring.

Finally, as with every Adventure Path, we also put out the free to download Iron Gods Player's Guide that provides advice and suggestions about making characters that fit the themes of the Iron Gods Adventure Path and excel at the challenges presented in the campaign.

Players and GMs running an Iron Gods campaign would also do well to check the messageboards to see all the fan-made goodies and shared advice from dozens of on-going campaigns. I hope everyone has as much fun playing in this Adventure Path as we've had working on all this material. Charge your batteries and strap on your gear. Let's go to Numeria!

Adam Daigle
Developer

Calling All Miscreants and Malefactors!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Get ready to get evil with Pathfinder Player Companion: Champions of Corruption! The latest volume in the Player Companion line provides players and GMs alike with suggestions on how to take their Pathfinder game to the dark side without pushing it over the edge of fun. Rather than tantalize you with mere words, however, I figured I'd let the illustrations in this book of vileness speak for themselves. In addition to dozens of new character traits, feats, and much, much more, the following features (and their accompanying art) are just some of the all-new content you'll find in this spine-tingling Player Companion.

Illustration by Chen Nambiarooran

Readers of Champions of Purity and Champions of Balance will be familiar with the treatment of the three evil alignments in Champions of Corruption. Whether you're shooting for a character that embodies the ruthless strictures of lawful evil, the wanton bloodlust of chaotic evil, or the sheer maleficence of neutral evil, this book's discussions on how to play antiheroes of the various evil alignments will leave you inspired and informed.

Illustration by Andy Timm

Magic is the ultimate weapon for the mischievous and misanthropic, and this book has no shortage of ways to use the powers of the arcane and divine to fulfill deviant goals. New evolutions enable summoners to use the arcane powers of blood itself to infuse their eidolons with sanguine sorcery.

Illustration by Vicky Yarova

Fans of the Umbral Court agent prestige class from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige (or anyone with a penchant for stylishly sadistic body jewelry) are sure to get a kick out of the new rules for Nidalese shadow piercings in Champions of Corruption.

Let your hair down and give in to your bad side this fall, because Champions of Corruption hits shelves in September!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Faction Evolution, Part III: History and Politics

Monday, June 30, 2014

Three weeks ago, we briefly discussed the impact of faction PCs' decisions in the campaign and how these decisions have shaped the direction that these factions are going. The following week on the Know Direction podcast, John Compton expanded on what this evolution might entail for many factions: name changes, shifting goals, and even changes in leadership. Most recently, we shared how the Andoran an Cheliax factions are developing over time.

As advertised over a year ago, the so-called nation-based factions have spent the past season (or longer for some like the Cheliax faction) distancing themselves from their parent countries to embrace less territorial and more broadly philosophical endeavors. When the Pathfinder Society Organized Play leaders began discussing how factions would change, we looked at the reporting numbers contributed by players worldwide and carefully considered how the faction might change to reflect this information while still appealing to a large percentage of its members. For example, members of the Silver Crusade faction tend to be good guys, so changing that faction to be neutrally aligned would discourage a lot of players.

Both of our factions for today tap into the past in the hope of creating a better world, though their methods and vision of what constitutes "better" differ. Be warned that there are some light spoilers from Season 5 scenarios referenced below—particularly for the Scarab Sages and developments that appear in the Destiny of the Sands trilogy.

Illustration by Ben Wootten

Scarab Sages: Unlock the Wisdom of the Past for a Brighter Future

Nearly two years ago, agents of the Osirion faction brought a collection of Thassilonian relics to offer to the Ruby Prince Khemet III. One of these relics was cursed, and it afflicted the Ruby Prince with a terrible wasting affliction. Despite the faction's attempts to find a cure, they were unable to remove the curse, and the monarch resorted to powerful magic to be rid of it. Disappointed by Amenopheus and his agents both for overlooking the curse and failing to remove it, Khemet III dismissed the Sapphire Sage and the Pathfinder allies from his service.

Season 5 has given Amenopheus ample time to catch up on past projects, including researching the mysterious order of Jeweled Sages to which he belongs (and appeared to be the last surviving member). About a year ago we discovered that he is not alone, when faction PCs began to hear rumors about the Diamond Sage and learned the secret history of the Jeweled Sages (as well as how Amenopheus gained his power and wisdom). With the assistance of Osirion faction PCs, the two sages have reestablished their order independent of the Osirian state, intent on recruiting new sages to those replaced millennia ago, securing ancient secrets, and disseminating that lore to modern innovators to spark a new golden age of thought and technology. Working with the Pathfinder Society to unearth these secrets is only logical.

How will the Osirion faction be different? Although the faction may not be a direct agent of Osirion, there's still a great deal in that nation that ties into the Jeweled Sages; the faction will still have plenty to do in its old stomping ground. The faction is also interested in recruiting new sages, which means recovering the lost sage jewels and finding worthy inheritors of that power. The leadership of the faction remains up in the air, so there's still time to influence that aspect. Despite these subtle shifts, the faction remains a strong choice for scholars and Osirion enthusiasts alike.

Sovereign Court: Nobility United for a Common Cause

For an empire in decline, war is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it drains resources from already dwindling coffers. On the other hand, it provides a cause to rally behind, spurring squabbling houses to cooperate and struggling industries to increase production. Such was Lady Gloriana Morilla's thinking when she tried to convince the Taldan nobility to send more support to Mendev to combat the Worldwound. In numerous campaigns that united nations against a common evil, Taldor had led the charge, so why not do so again and return Taldor to the spotlight?

Although Lady Morilla found a few like-minded allies at home, many of her peers laughed off the idea. Sending more troops north would leave the southern border vulnerable to Qadiran aggression, argued some, whereas others simply laughed off the idea as idle fancy by an upstart who had spent more time in Absalom than in Oppara. Since words were not enough, Lady Morilla raised a self-styled Army of Exploration (which sees action in an upcoming scenario) with the assistance of Taldor faction PCs. The idea had been to inspire Taldor's leadership to party less and lead more. In this regard she failed, for the majority have not changed their attitudes and view her campaign as an amusing curiosity. Taldor is not a lost cause, but its inertia is too great for the faction to change it on its own.

Instead, Lady Morilla is examining some of the unintended fruits of the faction's work—in particular the stronger relationships she has with several noble houses in other nations. What if, rather than work exclusively in Taldor, the faction instead worked through other nations' leadership to create a network of like-minded aristocrats that all promote the virtues of nobility and strong governance? This secretive sovereign court would have an agenda all its own, not one tied to any one nation. Under Lady Morilla's leadership, the faction focuses on second-tier nobility of each nation, using them to act as the powers behind their respective thrones to steer national policy. Perhaps years or decades in the future, this shared vision will birth a new continent-spanning empire through politics rather than conquest—one that will bring prosperity and peace to the Inner Sea region.

What does this mean for the Taldor faction? Glory and politics are still central themes for the faction, and it's still a great home for those who love both audacious action and court intrigue. Nothing stops PCs from being active in Taldor, but the goal is now something bigger and bolder. Of course, the Pathfinder Society is happy to have the Sovereign Court as an ally, for friendly nobles are more likely to allow Pathfinders into countries where the Society had once been banned.

Happy gaming!

John Compton and Mike Brock
Developer and Global Organized Play Coordinator

Harrow: Past, Present, and Future

Tuesday, May 27

Illustration by Cristian Chihaia

For years the Harrow has been the domain of home games, literature, and lore, but due to a combination of the soft time limits inherent in organized play, the range of ways in which someone might cheat with a deck-based mechanic, and a wealth of other considerations that predate my work at Paizo, most Harrow-based options were never allowed. When Mike and I heard that Pathfinder Player Companion: The Harrow Handbook was on the product schedule, we started pondering how we might share as much of this book as possible with the campaign. We bounced ideas off a lot of folks, and in the end we decided to make legal nearly everything in the book as well as several previously banned Harrow character options such as the harrower prestige class from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide and the oft-requested Deadly Dealer feat from Pathfinder Player Companion: Varisia, Birthplace of Legends. Expect an update to the Additional Resources page that includes these additions.

Excited? Me too!

Let's discuss some ground rules for Harrow use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. These are intended to keep Harrow use from bogging down gameplay while also providing GMs some assurance that everyone's playing fair and showing off the beautiful new version of the Deluxe Harrow Deck.

1. Using a Harrow-based character option that involves drawing one or more cards at random requires a physical Harrow deck. Substituting another deck of cards or using the dice-rolling option (such as the one presented in the harrower prestige class) is not an option. If you aren't using a character option that does not change based on which card you draw (such as just throwing cards with the Deadly Dealer feat), you do not need to have a physical copy of the Harrow deck.
2. When you are using a class ability that involves drawing one or more cards at random, the GM always has the option to cut the deck before you draw from the top. This is just a quick consideration to minimize cheating. The GM can also examine your deck at any time, particularly if she believes there's anything wrong with your deck.
3. Be considerate when performing a Harrowing. Many Pathfinder Society games are run in 4—5 hour time slots, so taking 10 minutes to perform an in-character harrowing might not be an option. Be prepared to flip cards, record results, and move on if the group is operating on a time limit. So long as you're exercising common sense and courtesy, there shouldn't be anything more to discuss here.

Lots of great options are about to be available. Go make something fun!

Happy gaming,

John Compton
Developer

Best of Both Worlds

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Cover by Ralph Horsley

Some of Golarion's greatest heroes hail from not one world but two, caught between dueling cultures and impulses, and it's your turn to become one of them! Bastards of Golarion is due out soon, and this is one Player Companion you won't want to miss. Here are five reasons why:

• Half-Elves and Half-Orcs: Readers have been asking for a book on these unusual races for years, and Bastards of Golarion makes such wishes a reality. Numerous details and expanded flavor provide inspiration for these mixed-blooded adventurers and inform players how their half-elf or half-orc character may interact with others in the world of Golarion. Oh, and did I mention a flurry of new traits and rules options for each of these races?
• Regional Variants: The half-human child of a Snowcaster elf is sure to be different than that of an elf from Kyonin, and the same can be said for desert orcs from Osirion versus orcs from the Hold of Belkzen. All-new details on ten (five for half-elves, five for half-orcs) of these half-blooded variants breathe life into your game and allow for a bevy of new character choices. New alternative racial traits make sure the rules represent your unique character, whether she be descended from the jungle orcs of southern Garund or the mysterious elves of the Mordant Spire.
• Character Themes: Half-elves and half-orcs aren't the only people of Golarion to come from unusual or dubious origins. Even seemingly unassuming humans can be bastards given the right backstory! Four diverse character themes in this book provide inspiration for an infinite number of characters and stories. Whether your character calls himself a bastard or a celebrity, an outcast or an unfortunate, these character themes and related rules options shine a light on previously unenviable origin stories and show how such characters can rise from regret to resplendence!
• Half-Race Hometowns: You've decided your bastardly adventurer's race and background story, but where did this character even come from? Information on Averaka—the city of half-orcs—and Erages—haven for half-elves—make sure your bastard's hometown is as fleshed out as she is. Regional traits and archetypes for characters from either of these unique locales tie your character's formidable past to her heroic present.
• Build-A-Bastard: In addition to details and traits for bastards of unusual origins (such as the strange gillmen of Absalom or the half-hag changelings from northern Avistan), the last few pages of this book provide suggestions and rules for creating characters whose racial ancestry is perhaps less obvious or more distant. Ever wanted to play a human character that's actually 1/8th orc and 1/8th dhampir? This book shows you how.

Illustrations by Ian Llanas and Michael Rookard

And because I would be remiss to write a blog post about this book without including some of its some juicy art, here are two of my favorite pieces to tide you over until Bastards of Golarion is in your hands.

Patrick Renie
Developer

Howl at the Moon!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Illustration by Lloyd Allan

October is looming nearer, and with it comes the promise of new Paizo books that deal in the horrific, the supernatural, and the downright creepy. Chief among our offerings this year is a book I am very much excited for—the much-anticipated Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Moon! This spiritual sequel to last year's Blood of the Night contains everything players need to know about werecreatures and their distant descendants, the skinwalkers, including rules for this all-new race of lycanthrope-kin and dozens of new mechanics to complement bestial adventurers of any race or path. Whether your skinwalker heritage emerged amid an assuming rural village or you were a human raised by wolves to become an animalistic barbarian, Blood of the Moon provides infinite inspiration and options for characters who have more than a tinge of the wild side running in their blood.

Anyway, it's probably about time we spilled some of the beans on this book. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite parts of Blood of the Moon.

• Bestial Powers for All: While a lot of the focus of this book is on skinwalkers, there's also no shortage of new info and new character options for players of any race or background as long as they have a flair for savagery and are willing to embrace the animal within.
• Eight Faces of Lycanthropy: Since skinwalkers can be descended from any type of lycanthrope—including familiar beasts such as werewolves, wererats, and werebears, as well as Golarion's more unusual werecreatures like weretigers and werecrocodiles—it made sense to include details and rules for each of these distinct lycanthrope races and their half-blooded brood. Whether you're playing a skinwalker, a natural or afflicted lycanthrope, a hunter of these creatures, or an adventurer who simply has a tendency for nocturnal bloodshed, each of the eight facets of lycanthropy presented in this book give characters of all walks ample opportunity to hone their deadly skills toward a path that best represents their tactics and personality.
• La Luna: No book on lycanthropes and their kin would be complete without an examination of these creatures' special relationship with the moon. In addition to exploring the mystical connection between lycanthropes and the moon, Blood of the Moon features the new lunar oracle mystery and even suggestions for how to play with lycanthropes on worlds with multiple moons (such as some of the planets in Golarion's own solar system).

Of course, there's much, much more in Blood of the Moon than the tidbits I've hinted at. In addition to explorations on skinwalkers' status in Golarion, in-world accounts of these creatures and their lycanthropic forebears, and a thorough analysis of lycanthropic infection and the process of transformation, this Player Companion features tons of new rules crunch, including new magic items, spells, feats, magus arcana, and witch hexes, to name just a few.

This was a very exciting Player Companion to develop, and I'm stoked to see what readers think of this no-holds-barred volume on all things lycanthrope. Take off the collar and get ready to unleash the beast within, because Blood of the Moon hits shelves next month!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Take Your Character to the Level After the Next Level!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The release of Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures is looming ever nearer, and I know a lot of you are champing at the bit to get your hands on this tome of unearthly powers and epic storytelling! But we at Paizo knew you wouldn’t be satisfied with just one book on mythic power—even a 256-page behemoth like this will only sate the diehard Pathfinder fan’s hunger for so long. That is why, esteemed reader, we are also giving you Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms and Pathfinder Player Companion: Mythic Origins, which bring the majesty of mythic might off of the page and into the world of Golarion!

I’ll let Mark tell you all about Mythic Realms in another blog post—what I’m here to tell you about is Mythic Origins, the book designed to provide your player character with the mighty powers and abilities of such storied figures as Old-Mage Jatembe, the Whispering Tyrant, and even the God-Kings of Ancient Osirion! This Player Companion is full of all sorts of information pertinent to mythic heroes, including details on what it means to be the son or daughter of one of Golarion’s deities, new mythic versions of Inner Sea-specific spells, and entirely new mythic spells and magic items. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the path abilities—oh, the path abilities! No matter your character’s creed, call, or code, there a power for everyone in this volume, with abilities that allow archmages to travel the void of space in a giant bubble and hierophants to leave entire fields of flora wherever they walk. One of my personal favorites, however, is one that belongs to the champion—the seven-league leap!

Seven-League Leap (Ex): Your leap is so mighty that you defy gravity. Add your tier to Acrobatics checks made to jump. The distance you can jump in a round is not limited by your movement speed. If you are carrying no more than a light load, you can expend one use of mythic power to make a powerful jump that lets you sail through the air. In order to use this ability, you must be able to run in a straight line for 1 minute. Any obstacles or impediments that prevent you from completing this sprint uninterrupted prevent you from being able to use this ability, though the expenditure of mythic power is not wasted. At the end of your 1-minute sprint, you attempt an Acrobatics check and leap a distance up to half the check’s result in miles, rounded down to the nearest mile (for example, an Acrobatics check result of 29 would allow you to jump 14 miles). This trip takes 1 round per mile, and you reach a maximum height at the apex of your arc equal to half the distance traveled. You do not take falling damage from using this ability. You must have a clear arc of travel to complete this jump; if you strike an obstacle mid-jump, you and the obstacle each take a number of points of damage equal to 1d8 × the number of miles you have left to travel. If this damage destroys the obstacle, you continue your jump; otherwise, your jump comes to an end and you fall, taking falling damage as appropriate. You cannot aim this leap accurately, and always land 50 to 5,000 feet (5d%) from your intended destination.

Oh, and did I mention that Mythic Origins is packed full of art for the mythic versions of our most popular iconics? I’m talking about a fully steampunked-out Lirianne, battle-hardened Alain, and a vulpine familiar who gets a fearsome makeover. Maybe it’s best if I just let the art speak for itself. Check out Balazar riding his eidolon toward the great and unknowable Mordant Spire in this illustration by Greg Opalinski!

Illustrated by Greg Opalinski

Get ready to get mythic, because Mythic Origins hits shelves in September. Until next time, Paizonians!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Back to the Abyss with You!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Illustration by Maichol Quinto

From pesky quasits to fiendishly handsome incubi, grotesque dretches to cunning glabrezu, all of the foulest denizens of the Abyss continually show that they are in dire need of slaying. To this end, countless groups and organizations across the Inner Sea train in the art of hunting, defeating, and slaying demons that crawl forth onto the Material Plane. Alternatively, these daring adventurers delve into the heart of the Abyss itself, taking the battle to the demons' home plane while performing harrowing missions to retrieve valuable treasures or rescue captured victims. Both of these themes are the focus of Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook—a volume no demon-slaying adventurer should miss!

In addition to all the usual goodies readers have come to expect from Player Companions (including new magic items, feats, spells, and more), one of my favorite parts of Demon Hunter's Handbook is a section called "Innovations of the Crusades," which details a slew of inventions and items used by the demon hunters and Mendevian soldiers fighting in the Worldwound. In addition to the holy fountain firework, deity-specific portable altars, and new alchemical items useful for slaying fiends from shadow demons to omoxes, the following new item can be a crucial aid to intrepid heroes delving head-first into demon territory.

Angel Quill Arrowhead

Price 10 gp

Weight —

Illustration by Francesco Graziani

This barbed, cold iron arrowhead is alchemically treated to inflict additional harm while embedded in creatures that are vulnerable to cold iron. For every angel quill arrowhead that damages a target with DR/cold iron, the target's damage reduction decreases by 1. Up to five angel quill arrowheads can affect a single target at any one time, reducing the target's DR/cold iron by up to 5 (additional arrowheads have no effect aside from dealing damage as normal). An affected target can pull out a number of arrowheads equal to her Dexterity modifier (minimum 1) as a full-round action with a successful DC 15 Heal check. Alternatively, the application of any magical healing causes all angel quill arrowheads embedded in the creature to instantly fall out.

Angel quill arrowheads of silver and adamantine are also available for the same price, and affect creatures with DR/silver or DR/adamantine, respectively. Crafting any type of angel quill arrowhead requires a successful DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check.

In addition to being useful for any party that might run afoul of extraplanar baddies, this book is a perfect aid for groups playing the forthcoming Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path. Adventurers need wait not much longer for the chance to expand their demon-slaying arsenal and bring the fight to the heart of the demonic incursion, because Demon Hunter's Handbook hits shelves this August!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Test Your Faith!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Illustration by Diana Martinez

Player Companion: Faiths & Philosophies is on its way to store shelves and subscribers' hands, and I couldn't be more excited about this book! When threads pop up on our messageboards with questions like "Is it even possible for a cleric to not be some deity-worshiping fanatic?" and "How much do the deities ‘talk' to their followers?", it warms my heart to see that fans are truly ready for a book like Faiths & Philosophies, which is much unlike any other book we've ever done!

In addition to answering these sorts of questions and more, this Player Companion hosts a bunch of super-cool new ways to practice worship and religion while also allowing characters to try out entirely new ways of finding spiritual enlightenment. In no particular order (just kidding, it's alphabetical), here's a list of the features in this book I'm most excited about:

• Codes of Honor: Ever wonder how you could get in good with the Knights of Ozem? How about the Red Mantis Assassins? Wonder no more! The new codes of honor in this book tie in perfectly with the rules for honor in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Campaign, and provide guidelines for gaining prestige within many of Golarion's most fabled organizations.
• Meditation Feats: Now your monk has a reason to sit and ponder while the wizard prepares her spells and the cleric prays to his deity! By meditating every day, any character with a couple of these feats can unlock powerful new abilities that allow you to channel your insight into perilous situations, shield your body from deadly blows, and even slow down time as you perceive it!
• Pantheons: This book delves into the unique sets of deities worshiped by groups such as the Hellknights' Order of the Godclaw and Taldor's zealous nationalists and even details some of Vudra's thousands of deities! The pantheons discussed in this book provide a slew of ideas for characters that worship more than one deity, and the new Pantheistic Blessing feat grants believers some impressive divine powers should they uphold the tenets of their diversified faith.

I'd hate to spoil too much more, so I'll just leave you all with a single piece of the awesome art that appears in this book. Polish your holy symbols and get ready to cast some bones, because Faiths & Philosophies ships soon!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Primed for Adventure

Monday, June 17, 2013

Illustration by Paolo Puggioini

Next month, we’ll be releasing Pathfinder Player Companion: Pathfinder Society Primer, a 32-page player-focused sourcebook specifically designed for use in the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign. Written by John Compton and myself, the book should provide characters of all sorts with new options to use both in the organized play environment and in society-themed home campaigns.

Among the many new rules presented in the book are a series of feats designed to accentuate the difference between Pathfinder agents commissioned from the field after proving themselves as able adventurers and those initiates who receive training at the Grand Lodge before earning their wayfinders. While none of these feats has the prerequisite of either character background, those for field commissioned Pathfinders tend to focus on luck and spontaneity, while those for trained Pathfinders benefit characters whose abilities are based on study and extensive training.

Here are two sample feats from this section of the book.

Patient Strike (Combat)

Your training under the Master of Swords has taught you that a well-timed strike is worth waiting for and that patience will serve you well in the long run.
Prerequisite: Int 13.
Benefit: You can choose to ready an attack as a full-round action instead of a standard action. When you do so, you gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll when your readied action triggers.
Normal: Readying an attack is a standard action and doesn’t grant a bonus on your attack roll.

Versatile Spontaneity

You made a good name for yourself in the Pathfinder Society in part because you knew how to prepare for the challenges before you, even if your natural magical abilities lend themselves less to preparation and more to spontaneity.
Prerequisites: Int 13 or Wis 13 (see Special), ability to spontaneously cast 2nd-level spells.
Benefit: When you regain spell slots at the start of the day, you may opt to prepare one spell you don’t know in place of a daily spell slot 1 level higher than the prepared spell’s level. To do so, you must have access to the selected spell on a scroll or in a spellbook, and the spell must be on your spell list (even if it is not one of your spells known). This process takes 10 minutes per spell level of the selected spell. You can cast the selected spell a single time, expending the spell slot as though it were a known spell being cast by you. Preparing a spell in this manner expends a scroll but not a spellbook. A spell prepared in this way is considered its actual level rather than the level of the spell slot expended. You can apply metamagic feats to the spell as normal, as long as the spell’s actual level plus the increases from metamagic feats is 1 level lower than the highest-level spell you can cast. For example, a 12th-level sorcerer with this feat, a scroll of fireball, and the Empower Spell metamagic feat could prepare an empowered fireball spell in her 6th-level spell slot.
Special: If you spontaneously cast arcane spells, you must have an Intelligence score of at least 13 to take this feat. If you spontaneously cast divine spells, you must have a Wisdom score of at least 13 to take this feat. If you have both arcane and divine spellcasting classes, you can use this feat to prepare a spell using a given class’s spell slot as long as you meet the associated ability score prerequisite.

Pathfinder Player Companion: Pathfinder Society Primer is set for a July release, so preorder your copy today to ensure that you can start using the great character options within at the start of Pathfinder Society Organized Play’s Year of the Demon, which launches at Gen Con Indy on August 15.

Mark Moreland
Developer

A Righteous, Mythic September!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

In a lot of ways, Gen Con is like the start of the gaming year. You've probably already heard all the excitement over Paizo's upcoming Gen Con releases, but we're just getting this new year of games started! Here's what we have in store for you in September:

A Truly Righteous Adventure Path

The second installment of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, Pathfinder Adventure Path #74: Sword of Valor continues the story of newly mythic PCs fighting against the encroaching horde of the Worldwound. This is our first Adventure Path to use Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures, and you don't want to miss out!

Getting Even More Mythic

Speaking of being mythic, check out these two books that give you even more to play with: Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms and Pathfinder Player Companion: Mythic Origins. Mythic Realms will introduce you to a host of epic legends, secret places of power, and mythic hotspots. If you're looking for ways to put the mythic into your game, this book is for you. And everyone playing a mythic character will want to grab Mythic Origins, for loads of new options for every mythic path and plenty of ideas for being mythic heroes.

Fearsome Adventuring Gear

Playing the Reign of Winter Adventure Path? Or in a campaign centered on the vicious perils hidden in the ice and snow? You'll want these Pathfinder Pawns: Reign of Winter Adventure Path Pawn Collection, with over 100 different critters, villains, and other NPCs. These work with the plastic bases from the Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box.

For that most classic of adventure openers—that creepy, dirty, poorly lit tavern—we've got just the flip-mat for you: Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Seedy Tavern. From vile criminals ambushing the heroes to the PCs getting into a drunken brawl, the scenes you could have in this Seedy Tavern pretty much write themselves.

Looking to play the upcoming Wardens of the Reborn Forge deluxe module? Then check out Pathfinder Campaign Cards: Wardens of the Reborn Forge. This 54-card Campaign Deck is a great way for the players to keep track up the items and NPCs in the game, and introduces the Quest Cards to help the players keep track of the adventure. With gorgeous artwork, you'll surely find uses for this even after the adventure is over!

Ryan Macklin
Editor

Gather Your Forces!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Here we have a balor taking out a silver dragon in this awesome cover illustration from Wayne Reynolds. This chaotic scene greets the PCs as they begin the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, which launches this August with Pathfinder Adventure Path #73: The Worldwound Incursion. This Adventure Path uses rules from Pathfinder RPG: Mythic Adventures to make this a truly mythic campaign. As the release of this Adventure Path nears, I'd like to highlight some of the other things we're working on that can help support your PCs' venture into the Worldwound.

At the same time that Pathfinder Adventure Path #73 releases, a number of other products that help support the Adventure Path will be available, such as Pathfinder Cards: Wrath of the Righteous Item Cards, which allow you to hand players cards depicting the treasures they unearth during the campaign. Learn more about the horrible rift in reality that gives the region its name in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Worldwound. Need more information on demons to use in the Adventure Path to stop those pesky heroes? Look no further than Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited! Are there now too many demons around? Then check out Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook for tips and tools that come in handy during a fight against the Abyss.

If all of that's not enough to get you packing your bags for Mendev, then stay tuned for the adventures of your favorite count and his trusty bodyguard as Radovan and Jeggare head into the Worldwound in Dave Gross' upcoming novel Pathfinder Tales: King of Chaos. Also, this year at GenCon the Pathfinder Society begins a new season with Year of the Demon. Mike Brock and John Compton will provide more information about that sometime soon.

Adam Daigle
Developer

Finally An End To All Those Paladin Threads...

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Illustration by Bryan Sola

Pathfinder Player Companion: Champions of Purity is on its way to stores and subscribers soon, and I thought I'd take this opportunity to point out some of my favorite parts of this book. While it has all the delightful crunch readers have come to expect in the Player Companion line (including new feats, magic items, spells, bardic masterpieces, subdomains, inquisitions, and a whole ton more I don't want to give away), the most exciting part about this volume for me is the careful and thought-out discussions regarding alignment and playing good characters. Some of the most interesting matters considered in this book include:

• Explorations of the methodologies, advantages, and challenges of each good alignment. Examples of philosophies followed by characters of various good alignments ensure that no two chaotic good characters are the same, while suggestions on how to play alongside characters of opposing or conflicting alignments make certain your group doesn't fall apart just because the paladin caught the rogue stealing something.
• Thoughts on putting good characters in bad situations and tips on how to handle moral quandaries as they apply to rules for characters such as paladins as well as for purely roleplaying purposes.
• A discussion of redemption and how this might play into capturing villains both mortal and otherworldly. While that misled farmer stealing his neighbor's sheep might be redeemable, how does one go about handling a tiefling foe or even a crib full of goblin babies? Examples of possible penances and other ways characters might go about achieving atonement abound.

If you're tired of playing the same old lawful good holy knight or even just want to put a new spin on your chaotic good barbarian, Champions of Purity is an absolute don't-miss. Coming soon!

Patrick Renie
Developer

You Are Not Forgotten!

Monday, April 8, 2013

We here at Paizo HQ are deep in the throes of birthing a number of incredible products for release at Gen Con in August, and that means it's an all-hands-on-deck scenario. John and I are being called upon to assist with development and editing of products outside the Pathfinder Society Scenario line, and that means less time to devote to Pathfinder Society blogs on Mondays. So that you aren't left in the lurch, however, here are a few pieces of art from some of this month's Pathfinder releases, set to start going out to subscribers in the next week or so. Some of these images may even be useful for GMs who like visual aids for their Pathfinder Society games, though I won't give any more info than that!

Illustrations by Filip Burburan, Jason Rainville, and Xia Taptara

Mike's back in the office later this week after almost a month of conventions and international business trips, and from what I understand, he's got a few good blogs in the works. Be sure to check back next week and see what he has to report!

Mark Moreland
Developer

Pathfinder Preview!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

It's Savannah again. The prodigal intern from last summer returns... for Spring Break anyhow. It's been an accidental intern reunion here at Paizo, as my predecessor Jerome is helping out in the warehouse this week. Personally, I think I've got the better end of the deal, since I get to tell you all about some of our upcoming products and how exciting they're looking. So, from the depths of the Editorial Pit and my appropriated computer comes an intern's-eye view (when that view isn't "hiding on pallets from the cave raptors.")

Do you want the power to challenge the gods themselves? Then Mythic Adventures is the book for you! This is the perfect resource to help you take our game up a notch, and give your characters the power to challenge the gods themselves. Mythic Adventures allows you to take up new mythic magic items, artifacts, and legendary items, utilize news feats and spells, and walk one of six mythic paths. However, with mythic heroes also come mythic foes, and this book has over 40 of them, including mythic versions of the minotaur and the medusa!

Next up is the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited. This book showcases some of Pathfinder's most vicious and well-known demons and provides in-depth information, such as what sins they arise from. The balor, the succubus, and the vrock are among the demons mentioned here, but Demons Revisited doesn't stop there! There are a list of named demons, some of them from previous Pathfinder products, and some of them brand new, but each of them unique in their own horrendously cruel ways. This can help to add some spice to the conjurations of your villains (or your PCs) and nothing says "personal" quite like a named summons. As an added bonus, this book ties in with the upcoming Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path!

Speaking of Wrath of the Righteous, The Worldwound Incursion is also up for August. One of the most exciting aspects of this Adventure Path is that it is the first to utilize the rules of Mythic Adventures, making it a truly epic adventure! On top of that, there will be six demon lords featured in Wrath of the Righteous, and the first of them will be in The Worldwound Incursion's bestiary.

Continuing our demonic theme is Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook. This book explains exactly how to eradicate or control demonkind through might or magic. To help, there are all sorts of archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items to give you just what you need to take care of the vilest of demons and purge them from the land (or take their power for yourself...). Don't travel to the Abyss without one!

For the fans of steampunk out there comes Wardens of the Reborn Forge by Paizo's own Patrick Renie. This module takes place in the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar, which has withstood the ravages of the Mana Wastes thanks to the amazing inventions of its citizenry. When the clockwork guardians start attacking the townspeople, though, the power balance of the city is thrown into disarray. Can our heroes discover the cause behind these attacks and save Alkenstar from itself?

In case you were wondering about what you were going play some of these awesome adventures on, you can look no further than the Pathfinder Map Pack: Evil Ruins for all of your creepy, dungeon-crawling needs! From spider haunts to profane altars to overflowing ossuaries, this map pack brings all the horror and dark ambiance of unhallowed ruins to your game.

If frightening ruins aren't what your game calls for, then the Flip-Mat: Basic Terrain Multi-Pack might be just what you need. Its full-color textures include grassland, stone floor, street, and water. It also folds up to be travel sized, making it great for the GM on the go.

If you haven't had enough of demons yet, then I'd suggest that you check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel from fan-favorite (and intern-favorite) author Dave Gross: King of Chaos. This is another adventure featuring Count Varian Jeggare and his wisecracking hellspawn bodyguard, Radovan. This time they find themselves mixed up in the battle at the Worldwound as the demons break free of the wardstones. In addition to being an excellent book with interesting characters, King of Chaos is also a great resource for those who are running or playing Wrath of the Righteous.

To round out our Worldwound-themed August comes a new set of Pathfinder Item Cards. These cards represent the trove of treasure that characters can amass, as well as the medals that heroes can earn in their service against the demon hordes and the legendary artifacts that they will need to defeat the Abyssal armies.

From Paizo's collaboration with Lone Shark Games comes an entirely new breed of game: The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set. This is a cooperative card game for one to four players. Choose a class and select your cards to create a unique character to play through your first adventure, the Burnt Offerings Adventure Deck. If you want even more card game goodness, then check out the Rise of the Runelords Character Add-On Deck, which adds on 110 cards worth of new classes (including druid, monk, paladin, and my favorite, barbarian), new items, and enough cards to expand to five or six players.

All right, well that's a wrap. Let's hope that writing this was a good enough offering that I don't get thrown to the cave raptors. Hope you enjoy all the new products!

Savannah Broadway
Editorial Intern

Five Awesome Things about the Dungeoneer's Handbook

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Get out of the tavern and into the treasure with Pathfinder Player Companion: Dungeoneer's Handbook! Since this book is just over the horizon, I thought I'd treat you all with a sneak preview of what I think are just a couple of the coolest parts about this dungeon-delving must-have.

1. Dungeon Guides! Found yourself more lost than a bat in an area of silence? Never fear with dungeon guides! Each of these tomes is keyed to a specific adventure location and can help dungeon delvers figure out what kinds of dangers might lurk around the next corner. Bibliophilic dungeoneers should be wary however, for the veracity of these volumes is variable, and those who rely too frequently on their supposedly trusty tour book might discover only too late the flights of fancy implicit in these over-the-top tomes!
2. New Alchemical Items! With such items as glowing gel-tubes, pebbles that expand into boulders with water, and smoke pellets that cover invisible creatures with sticky black resin, the aspiring trickster need look no further than the cornucopia of alchemical items unveiled in this volume. Oh, and did we mention new alchemist discoveries for those bomb-slinging partisans of all things potable?
3. Essential Tips and Tricks! Discover solutions to common dungeoneering quandaries with sections on monsters, traps, and treasure. Whether your task involves outsmarting the minotaur guard, throwing an unwitting foe into a suspected swinging blade trap, or figuring out how to haul all that booty back to town, Dungeoneer's Handbook will have you covered with clever advice, helpful suggestions, and brand new feats!
4. New Hirelings! Who's taking care of your horses outside while you're excavating that kobold-infested mineshaft, anyway? Wonder no more with handy new hirelings—NPCs that specialize in making your dungeoneering career a lucrative one while you concentrate on the action.
5. Archetypes, Spells, and More! With new magic items, spells, archetypes, feats, traits, equipment, and more, this book will leave every crypt delver and tomb raider fully prepared for their next dungeon visit!

Illustrations by Ben Wootten

Pathfinder Player Companion: Dungeoneer's Handbook comes out this month, so don't wait for the gelatinous cube to swallow your character before it's too late—order your copy now!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Animal Archive Preview

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Since we revamped our Player Companion line last August, we've been able to play with a lot of different ideas and themes in coming up with overarching concepts for the latest Player Companions. Coming up is one of our most exciting new releases in this line, a content-packed volume called Animal Archive, available starting on the 20th of February. This Player Companion is chocked full of awesome new tips, tricks, items, archetypes, spells, and feats for you and your bestial buddy. Oh, and did I mention there'd be a ton of new animal companions and familiars too?

While of course I could never betray the llama animal companion as my favorite new addition to the Pathfinder stables, I think the platypus familiar is particularly well suited for a preview blog. I'm not sure if Seoni shares my sentiment, though...

Illustration by Roberto Pitturru

Platypus CR 1/6

XP 65
N Tiny animal
Init +3; Senses electrolocation 30 ft. (while underwater); Perception +1 (+5 while underwater)

Defense

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 3 (1d8–1)
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +1

Offense

Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee spur +4 (1d3–4 plus poison)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics

Str 2, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 6 (10 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Swim +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception while underwater

Ecology

Environment temperate or tropical rivers
Organization solitary
Treasure none

Special Abilities

Electrolocation (Ex) While underwater, platypuses can sense the tiny electrical currents that trigger muscle movement. This allows them to locate living prey and to distinguish it from inanimate objects. Treat electrolocation as blindsight 30 feet, but platypuses can sense only living creatures, and it functions only underwater.
Poison (Ex) Spur—injury; save Fort DC 9; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1 nonlethal damage; cure 1 save.
Semiaquatic (Ex) Platypuses can hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes before they must start attempting Constitution checks to avoid suffocation.

This little guy is just one of the four new familiars you'll find in Animal Archive, and just one of eight brand-new animals total! In addition to these all-new beasties and a host of new rules options, you'll find expanded information and rules on some of Golarion's most famous endemic creatures, including the razorcrow, ether frog, firefoot fennec, and more!

So dust off the old feedbag and clean out your kennel, because Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive hits shelves later this month!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Blood of the Night: Sate Your Hunger, Part 2

Saturday, December 22, 2012

This past Thursday we gave you a glimpse into the brand-new Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Nightand offered up some pointers on playing your favorite bloodsucker. Now it's time for dhampirs and the dauntless vampire hunters.

So You're Playing a Dhampir...

Half-breed vampires, the dhampir first appeared in Bestiary 2 and were further embraced in the Advanced Race Guide (page 96, which begins 6 pages of new traits, archetypes, magic items, and more). Blood of the Night expands on those options, bringing these tainted souls fully into the Pathfinder campaign setting. If your GM is allowing dhampirs in her game, its time to decide if playing one of these accursed souls is right for you.

Illustrations by Diana Martinez

1. Begin with the Basics: Start on the inside front cover to get a run down on what it means to be a dhampir. All of the racial benefits and abilities of this mysterious breed appear right up front. Check these out and see if it seems like a dhampir character is right for you.
2. Know Your Ancestors: Dhampirs aren't their own full-fledged race, they're half-breeds. Just as elven culture impacts half-elves and orc society shapes half-orcs, dhampir characters stand to be shaped by their parentage just as much as any of these other races. With that in mind, players with dhampir characters should check out the overview of the vampiric bloodlines of the Inner Sea on the inside cover, and there more detailed write-ups on pages 6 to 12. This might also be a good time to decide your general feelings about full-blooded vampires, as dhampirs have a reputation for being among the greatest vampire hunters.
3. Know Yourself: The details of life as a vampire, secrets of this rare race, and suggestions for creating dhampir characters are presented on page 18 and 19. Now that you've chosen to be a dhampir, learn what that means and let that help shape the character you're planning on making. Additionally, now that you know a thing or two about your ancestry, decide whether or not you want to further connect yourself to Golarion's vampire bloodlines by selecting one of four variant dhampir racial options—the jiang-shi-born ru-shi, the moroi-born svetochr, the nosferatu-born ancient-born, or the vetala-born ajibachana.
4. Create Your Character: Now that you know what a dhampir is and how your vampiric heritage has affected you, it's time to make your character. Numerous character options can be found throughout the book in the form of new feats (28 and 29) and traits for dhampirs (19, 20, 21). If you've chosen to be an enemy of vampire kind, the various roles for vampire hunters on pages 26 and 27, as well as several of the spells and magic items on pages 30 and 31, can also help set your character's path.
5. Add Campaign Details: Although rare in the extreme, dhampirs can be found in many places throughout the Inner Sea Region. Learn about where your dhampir and the vampires of your bloodline fit into the Pathfinder campaign setting on pages 24 and 25. Additionally, if you're looking for vampires to hunt, check out the inside back cover for an overview of places in the Inner Sea Region (below, and beyond) in need of vampire hunters.
6. Consider Optional Rules: Even though many of the options in Blood of the Night are themed for vampires, dhampirs straddle the line between the worlds of the living and the dead. A dhampir character interested in highlighting his vampiric urges might work with the GM to employ the rules for hunger on page 22. Characters with a strong tie to a particular vampire bloodline might also find traits suggested for vampires that work well for them, and players should ask their GM if she'll permit them. Dhampirs are exceptionally rare individuals and norms for this race are few, so work with your GM to create the half-vampire hero or antihero of your darkest dreams.

Illustration by
Jorge Fares

So You're Not Playing a Bloodsucker...

Vampire hunters face a daunting, immortal foe, but fortunately Blood of the Night can help them in their quest to beat back the creatures of the night. Aside from many of the secrets and best-known details of Golarion's various vampire breeds, the Hunting Vampires section (page 26 and 26) presents four distinct ways to make a variety of vampire hunters, from spell-slinging arcane slayers; undead-killing bards, monks, and rogues; divine-focused hunters; and classic martial slayers. These builds direct players toward some of the strongest vampire-hunting options in the Pathfinder RPG, including more than a few options you might have never guessed work great against the undead. To really get the edge on the servants of darkness, Blood of the Night also presents a host of new feats designed specifically for vampire hunters (page 28), new spells (page 30), new magic items (page 31), and, of course, a hit list of lands in the Inner Sea where a vampire hunter can ply her trade. You don't just need to be playing the Carrion Crown Adventure Path to play a vampire hunter anymore—let Blood of the Night be your guide to hunting Golarion's deadliest hunters wherever your campaign and character concepts take you.

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

Blood of the Night: Sate Your Hunger, Part 1

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Something besides the Krampus stalks the snowy, holiday streets this year. Just in time for the longest nights of the year comes Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Night, a guide to playing vampires, dhampirs, and vampire hunters. Always wanted to play a character with a true bloodlust? Blood of the Night gives you a variety of gory options, from playing fantastically powerful actual vampires (and detailing what that means for a game) to slipping in more subtle bloodsuckers like dhampirs. But how do you know what type of bloodsucker is best for you and your game? Blood of the Night can help you answer that question.

Start with the For Your Character section

The first section of every Player Companion is the For Your Character spread, two pages dedicated to answering your questions, highlighting focus classes and topics, and helping you find the perfect options for you character. This is the place to start, particularly with the Questions to Ask Your GM section.

The biggest question here: Will we be allowed to play any monstrous characters in this campaign, including vampires?

Remember, the GM is the arbiter of what works in her game and what doesn’t, so if you want to play a character tainted by vampirism, talk to her and find out what works in her game. If the answer’s no vampires (or other powerful races), that’s still okay! There are still plenty of ways to play a bloodsucker. In fact, that’s what dhampirs were made for. See if your GM is okay with you playing one of these creatures, which are more evenly matched to the core races. If the answer to the vampire question is yes, though, that’s great too, and opens the door for not just significant options, but also new ways to play and things to consider regarding your character.

So You’re Playing a Vampire...

Illustration by Denman Rooke

If your GM is allowing vampires in her game, the first thing to decide is what type of vampire is right for you.

1. Choose Your Bloodline: Start on the inside front cover and get an overview of the four major types of vampires that haunt the Inner Sea Region. Choose which one seems most appealing to you. Each of these sections has tons of details on what distinguishes these undead hunters, along with how they come into being, their desires, secrets, roles, racial traits, and more.
• Want to know more about the mystical jiang-shi? Check them out on page 6.
• Want to play to tradition with the Dracula-like moroi? Flip to page 8.
• Looking for something more ancient and mysterious? Consider the nosferatu on page 10.
• Ready for the exotic, body-possessing vetala? Head to page 12.
  
  
2. Create Your Character: Once you’ve selected the type of vampire you want to play, you’ll want to follow a few steps.
• Build your character as normal, probably starting as a 1st-level core race, but talk to your GM about specifics.
• Apply the relevant vampire template (jiang-shi, Bestiary 3; moroi, Bestiary 1 [normal vampires]; nosferatu, Pathfinder Adventure Path #8; vetala, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Bestiary).
• Refine your powers: From traits specific to each vampire breed (pages, 7, 9, 11, 13) to specialized feats (pages 16, 17, 28, 29), no two vampires ever need be alike.
  
  
3. Consider Hunger: Page 22 presents a new subsystem for hunger, whether it be the bloodlust of vampires, the carrion hunger of ghouls, the life envy of ghosts, or otherwise. Hunger brings the endless desires of the damned to the forefront of a game as never before, with penalties for fasting but also new benefits for the well fed.
   
   
4. Add Campaign Details: The Inner Sea Region is full of places vampires thrive, famous vampires you might somehow be tied to, and religions willing to help you indulge your desires. Learn about them on pages 24 and 25.
   
   
5. Learn How to Play Well with Others: Now that you’ve decided to play a sinister, lonely creature of the night, you’re likely headed into a game about cooperation and heroics. Pages 14 and 15 presents a primer on what it means to play a vampire in a Pathfinder campaign, with suggestions on handling alignment, how you might interact with other players, and things both you and the GM should keep in mind throughout the campaign to make sure that not just you, but all the players, have many unforgettable adventures.
   
   
6. Be Flexible: The base assumptions of the Pathfinder RPG were obviously not designed to support vampiric characters, but with the tools presented in Blood of the Night and a willingness to cooperate with your GM and other players, you’ll be set for a Pathfinder experience like no other.

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

11 Awesome Things About the Refreshed Player Companions

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Readers with subscriptions to the Pathfinder Player Companion line have already started getting a glimpse of Varisia: Birthplace of Legends, with its refreshed format and philosophies. But for everyone still waiting for their hard copies, who haven't checked out the Player Companions in the past, or who just want to see a bit of what all the hubbub is about, here are ten new awesome things you can expect from Player Companions going forward.

Something for YOUR Character! Every Player Companion begins with a new "For Your Character" introduction, enumerating which character classes receive the most focused love, as well as new features great for characters of any class! Regardless of the type of character you're playing, each Player Companion will always have something for you!

Questions to Ask Your GM! You're not playing Pathfinder by yourself. To make the most of the content in every Player Companion, there's a list of questions for players to ask their GMs regarding that month's topic. Player Companion: Knights of the Inner Sea is going to have lots of players excited to don their shining armor, but if your GM is about to take you under the sea, maybe you should put that character concept on hold. Make sure you've got the right character for your campaign with just a few simple questions.

Rules Index! Want to cut right to the chase and find the feats, traits, archetypes, and other rules elements that your character has to have? Flip to the rules index for a comprehensive listing of the crunchiest elements, by type and with associated page number. Stop wadding through pages searching for that lost trait and get back to playing!

Did You Know? Making the Pathfinder RPG has been a weird and wild ride. Learn behind-the-scenes secrets and weird Pathfinder trivia with the quick new "Did you Know?" call-outs.

Almost a Centerfold! Player Companions are some of the only Pathfinder products that lie absolutely flat (there's no gutter between pages for words or art to get lost in). This gives us the opportunity to do jaw-dropping, uninterrupted, two-page art pieces right in the center of every book. In Varisia: Birthplace of Legends, that means a massive player-friendly map of all Varisia (complete with routes and travel times to some of the most exciting locations), but down the road it'll mean month after month of lavish, artistic depictions of regions, topics, and themes central to that month's Player Companion. If you want a lot of information without a lot of words, here's the place to look!

Vistas and Double Truck Art! See the Pathfinder Campaign Setting like never before with huge, double-page-spanning art pieces. Beyond just the huge piece in the center spread, expect to see sweeping views of some of the most exciting lands and epic scenes from across Golarion, with art pieces only the format of Pathfinder Player Companion can provide. Check out just a few of the most awesome vistas from Varisia, Birthplace of Legends and next month's Knights of the Inner Sea, included here!

Illustrations by Ben Wootten

New Players Welcome! Weren't here for Pathfinder Adventure Path #1? Didn't play Hollow's Last Hope? That's just fine, and welcome aboard! Pathfinder Player Companions are designed to be entry points for players who know nothing about the subject of the month, giving you the backstory on existing topics, overviews of regions detailed at length elsewhere, and quick briefs that bring you into the know with gamers who have been playing Pathfinder for years!

The Veteran's Arsenal! Player Companions are your new one-stop arsenal for the best gear, archetypes, spells, magic items, traits, and other character options related to the month's topic. Also, don't worry about just getting rehashes of information presented elsewhere—with every overview you can also expect Player Companions to drill down deeper into details players need to know on some of the richest subjects in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting. Think you knew everything there was to know about Varisia? In Varisia, Birthplace of Legends, you'll learn all about the territories and totems of Shoanti quahs, the most traveled routes of Varisian wanderers, the fastest travel times between major locations, arcane schools from across Varisia, freshly updated Varisian equipment, and much, much more!

What You Need—NOW! We know players don't always have the time to read an entire book's worth of material to make their character—especially when they need that character right away. Player Companions are now built with every two-page spread focused on a single topic, giving you everything you need to know on the subject at a glance, or allowing you to page quickly past material you don't need in search of what you want. These focused sections give players in a rush the opportunity to make the right choices for their characters and learn about the Pathfinder Campaign Setting without having to read dozens of pages.

Roles! Heard about a great idea from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, but not really sure how to build it? Then you need a role! Roles can be considered builds, templates, or kits that give you suggestions on what rules and roleplaying themes you should consider if you want to play a character related to some of the most exciting cultures and organizations in Golarion—folks like Varisan fortune-tellers, Sczarni toughs, and Sable Company marines (to name just a few from Varisia: Birthplace of Legends). Roles draw on rules and options from across the whole spectrum of Pathfinder RPG products so you don't have to hunt through book after book for the perfect feat or that archetype you know you saw somewhere. Additionally, roles are as much about how you play your character as what stats go into building it, so you'll also find tips on how to roleplay, preferred gear for your character, and even considerations on relationships you might want to share with other members of your party. At the same time, every role is entirely a suggestion—an idea of how we here at Paizo might build a type of character—so if you want to play an exception to the rule, well, being exceptional is what being a PC is all about!

Monthly! Player Companions have gone monthly! Now subscribers can expect a new host of options for their characters and details on the hottest topics in Golarion every single month. (After all, you're a player every month, right?) Get all the backup you need—now twice as often!

Pathfinder Player Companion: Varisia, Birthplace of Legends is available now, so if you've never taken a look at Pathfinder Player Companions before or didn't think they were for your game, now's the perfect time to take another look. We've put a lot into refreshing this series, and I think you're really going to like what you see. Thanks for checking them out, and be sure to tell us what you think!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

Celebrating Jestercap

Monday, October 24, 2011

Since I have been involved with Pathfinder Society, one thing I have heard mentioned by players on numerous occasions is that they wish they could learn more about Golarion and incorporate that knowledge into their Pathfinder Society character. After thinking on different ways to make this happen, it occurred to me that Golarion has quite a few holidays mentioned in Faiths of Balance, Faiths of Corruption, Faiths of Purity, and The Inner Sea World Guide. As in the real world, where holidays are important to all of us, holidays in Golarion are important to our characters and the NPCs spread out across the world.

Every so often, I will write a blog that details a holiday in Golarion to help Pathfinder Society characters share in the spirit of the holiday. Creative Director James Jacobs wrote the description below for the first holiday in this series: Jestercap, mentioned on page 249 of The Inner Sea World Guide. At the end of the description, you will find a special Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet you can download and apply to a Pathfinder Society character.

Jestercap occurs at the end of the month of Lamashan, traditionally on the 27th (although a few regions have taken to moving the exact day around slightly so it always falls on the last Starday of the month, allowing people who wish to celebrate in excess to have the following day of rest to recover). While Jestercap has been embraced with excited open arms by the gnome communities of the Inner Sea region, its original genesis is said to have been in one of Taldor’s coastal cities not long after King Aspex the Even-Tongued broke from the nation, significantly weakening Taldor’s power and beginning that nation’s long decline. The holiday was originally intended to distract the distraught Taldan populace with a night of revelry and comedic entertainment, but the antics of jesters simply weren’t enough. Over the course of the first few years, Jestercap evolved from a holiday of observation to a holiday of participation. Today, the holiday is a time where anyone can pull pranks or jokes or japes on companions, on neighbors, and (most typically) on rivals, with the understanding that provided no lasting harm is done, any humiliations inflicted before midnight are to be taken in stride. Of course, come morning the day after, there are inevitably jokes that went too far, and grudges and feuds borne from Jestercap antics have a way of lingering for months to follow.

Download the Jestercap Boon! - (115 KB zip/PDF) This Boon is no longer available as of 11/14/11.

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Gen Con Announcement Recap!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

ENnie Awards: Product of the Year
(for the Advanced Players Guide)

Whew... another Gen Con over and done with! We had a great time at the show, in no small part due to the incredible support of our fans and customers. You all are the BEST!

In a Gen Con filled with highlights, though, for me one of the most incredible moments came about 15 minutes after the Ennie Awards wrapped up, when we went up to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play room to announce to a room of several hundred gamers that we’d won. The uproar of cheers that filled the room when Erik climbed up on his chair and made that announcement was overwhelming. Pictured is one of those many awards—the trophy for Product of the Year (Advanced Player’s Guide) held up with an enormous room of hundreds of Pathfinder Society GMs and players in the background.

We also made a large number of announcements at Gen Con for products coming out in the months ahead. Most of these announcements can be found here and there on paizo.com, but I thought I’d group them all up here in this post so everyone can find out about them at once.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Coming at the end of the year is Pathfinder Bestiary 3, followed next Spring by the Advanced Race Guide (a big hardcover book that’ll give you new options for ALL of the zero Hit Die races we’ve published to that point, as well as rules for building your own races of any power level), and then next Gen Con with Ultimate Equipment (a hardcover filled to the brim with new toys and magic items for any Pathfinder character).

Pathfinder Adventure Path: At long last, we’ve started the Jade Regent Adventure Path! But once you’re done traveling over the frozen Crown of the World and exploring Tian Xia, be ready next February for some good old-fashioned plundering and mayhem with the pirate-themed Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. And then, next Gen Con, we celebrate five years of Pathfinder and ten years of Paizo by returning to where it all began—the Shattered Star Adventure Path brings it all back to Varisia with a frantic search to be the first to recover and rebuild an ancient Thassilonian artifact—the original Sihedron Symbol—before it’s too late!

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: We sold out of the copies of Inner Sea Magic and Pathfinder Society Field Guide we brought to the convention! Coming in the future in this line is a trip to the north with Lands of the Linnorm Kings, a visit with the daemons and their overlords in Book of the Damned 3: Horsemen of the Apocalypse, our first real excursion into the lands of Tian Xia in the Dragon Empires Gazetteer, and an investigation of ten favorite beasties in Mythological Monsters Revisited. Then, next year, we’ll explore the other planets of Golarion’s solar system in Distant Worlds, look at the big guys in Giants Revisited, look to ancient empires with Lost Kingdoms, explore the pirate and monster infested Isles of the Shackles, and finally take a trip back home with Magnimar: City of Monuments.

Pathfinder Player Companion: After debuting Goblins of Golarion at Gen Con, we’re ready to finish out the three-part exploration of the faiths of the Inner Sea with Faiths of Corruption. Two months later, the Dragon Empires Primer gives players all they need to know to make characters from Tian Xia. And early next year, Pirates of the Inner Sea will finally let you unleash your inner buccaneer!

Pathfinder Modules: We’ll be heading back to Varisia even earlier than Magnimar: City of Monuments and the Shattered Star Adventure Path, though, with Feast of Ravenmoor, a low-level module set in the Varisian hinterlands. Two months later, test your mettle in The Ruby Phoenix Tournament, and then next January find out what our latest RPG Superstar winner, Sam Zeitlin, has in store for you in The Midnight Mirror!

Pathfinder Tales: Dave Gross’s trip into Tian Xia, Master of Devils, launched at Gen Con to great success. Later this year comes Death’s Heretic by Paizo’s own James L. Sutter, followed next year by Hugh Matthews’s Song of the Serpent and Tim Pratt’s City of the Fallen Sky.

Pathfinder Battles: After WizKids releases the initial set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder miniatures of Merisiel, Kyra, Valeros, and Ezren (Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes, which ties into the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box), you can look forward first to the 40-miniature set of Heroes and Monsters, to be followed up later next year by the Rise of the Runelords set.

And finally... the announcement that I was the most excited for: a 420-page hardcover compilation of Rise of the Runelords, fully updated to the Pathfinder rules and expanded with new encounters and tons of new artwork, due for release at PaizoCon 5 next June!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Golarion Day: Where Do the Goblins Live?

Thursday, July 7, 2011

There's a lot of fun information about goblins in the upcoming Pathfinder Player Companion, Goblins of Golarion—things like new character traits, goblin spells and magic, goblin feats, some new subdomains, and lots of fun tidbits about what it is to be a goblin in the first place. One thing I'm particularly delighted we got to do, though, was include a section that talks about all of the significant (and some not-so-significant) goblin tribes of the Inner Sea region. Check out this map that lists their locations. They're all over the place!

Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti

James Jacobs
Creative Director

We Be Goblins—You Get Free Stuff!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Cover Illustration by Tyler Walpole

Tomorrow, retail stores around the globe will open their doors and hand out free RPG materials from some of the game industry's most well-known companies. Why? Well tomorrow is Free RPG Day and once again Paizo is taking part in this great program and has produced We Be Goblins, a most unusual (and fully sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society) adventure for 1st-level goblin characters.

In this adventure, the Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh have stumbled upon a great treasure—fireworks! Yet unfortunately for them, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, the Licktoads' leader, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad, has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh. In order to prove themselves as the Licktoads' bravest goblins, the PCs must complete a series of dangerous dares, from swallowing bull slugs and braving the dreaded Earbiter to dancing with Squealy Nord himself. Yet even once they've proven their mettle, the adventure is just beginning. For the ship in question is far from uninhabited, and Vorka the cannibal goblin would like nothing better than a few tasty visitors...

Check out the Free RPG Day website for more information and a link to participating retailers. Here in the Seattle area, Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn will be running a few sessions of We Be Goblins, at his local store—Card Kingdoms out in Ballard. Stop on by, say hi, and then roll some dice!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Orcs, Giant Scorpion Robots, and Barbarians: An Interview with Tyler Walpole

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A couple of weeks ago we interviewed Ed Greenwood, our Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011. This time I had the pleasure of interviewing Tyler Walpole, our Artist Guest of Honor this year.

Tyler is one of those artists who just gets it. I don't think he's created a piece I don't love and it's going to be awesome to see him at PaizoCon this year. From orcs battling giant monsters single-handedly, to lone barbarians taking on giant arachnid robots, Tyler's art is dynamic, detailed, and just plain awesome. Tyler's definitely on the list of artists I want to paint murals in every room of my future mansion when I win the lottery.

And he's an illustrating machine, doing work for us (seriously, look how awesome the Master of the Fallen Fortress cover is), IDW on the D&D comic, Hero Games, and a ton of other high-profile companies. We're lucky to have him with us at PaizoCon, and if you're coming out, you should definitely see if you can buy him enough drinks to get a sketch.

And now, on with the interview!

1. A brief bio, where you are from and how you started in the industry?

I am a self-taught illustrator who lives in Des Moines, Iowa. I spent several years trying to break into the comic book industry as a penciler. That ended up being a bit like pounding my head against a brick wall. Lots of offers to do work for free, but no professional (i.e., paid) work. In 2000 I decided to forgo my annual trip to Wizard World Chicago, and instead created a portfolio of black-and-white interior illustrations and went to Gen Con. I talked to every art director I could find on the showroom floor. When I got home, I had an offer to do some work for Palladium Books, and that worked out pretty well, so I kept pursuing more and more game work (and added color into the mix) until I had enough coming in to make the jump to full time. I've managed to stay pretty busy ever since.

2. When did you discover your creative talents?

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I spent a lot of time in grade school being told not to draw on my homework... now drawing is my homework!

3. What inspires you?

I take inspiration from everything. Movies, games, books, walks in the park, all of it! I have a pretty active mind, and almost anything can germinate in there and come out as something useful for my art.

4. How would you describe your style?

Oh man, I have no idea. John Romita, Jr. once described his work as "Deadline Style"... its as much as I can get done by the deadline. Working in a publishing environment has sort of dictated that I also have a "Deadline Style." One of these days I'm going to spend just as long as I please on something. I'll go back to you after that happens. ;)

5. Do you have a favorite story or character?

Let see... I'm pretty satisfied with most of the covers I've done, my favorite is probably the Orcs of Golarion. It's essentially a Conan vs. the Monster illustration... only in this case Conan is an Orc, and he's dual-wielding axes. Sarah pretty much let me do my own thing on that one, in design terms, and I really enjoyed it.

6. Who are your favorite artists, writers, and/or influences?

Well, here again, it could be just about anybody. Some of my favorites include Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos, Todd Lockwood, Greg Manchess, Frank Frazetta, James Jean, Phil Hale, Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Adam Hughes, Bill Willingham, and Jim Butcher.

7. How do you juggle freelance work and life?

I skip out on a lot of sleep. No, seriously, I skip out on a lot of sleep. I love my job, but I'm married and have two sons. I do my best to make it to every family function, school event, and baseball game. But, many nights, once everyone is in bed, I sneak back to the studio to make sure I'm on top of my deadlines, and squeeze in some time to develop my own projects.

8. Describe yourself in 5 words.

Living the dream. So grateful!

9. What's the best thing to happen to you recently?

Besides being Artist Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011, you mean? I found a publisher for one of those projects!

10. Any advice for aspiring artists?

Practice your art. All. The. Time. Whatever you decide to do, whatever voice emerges through your art, or writing or music, honor it, and do it the best you can... the business part of it will follow. People are drawn to excellence in many forms, so don't try to be like the other guy. And keep at it!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustration by Sara Forlenza. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here.

Paizo Is Divine

Friday, February 18, 2011

It's been a divine week here at Paizo. On Wednesday we talked a little about Faiths of Purity, a book that discusses in depth the good-aligned gods and the role of religion and faith on Golarion. In that post we spoiled the code that paladins of Shelyn live by, which you can read about by clicking here.

Yesterday, James Jacobs gave us the subdomains for all of the deities mentioned by name in The Inner Sea World Guide that didn't in turn get a write-up in the Advanced Player's Guide That post built on the one from the week before, where he gave us Pharasma-friendly versions of the Death domain and the attached Souls subdomain. He also gave us the Dark Tapestry, Stars, Dragon, and Saurian subdomains, which fall under the Void and Scalykind domains, both of which can be found in The Inner Sea World Guide.

All of that is a roundabout way of presenting this week's wallpaper, a great piece depicting a paladin of Shelyn. Enjoy!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

You Gotta Have Faith!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

In the next month or so the next book in our Pathfinder Player Companion line will be released. Faiths of Purity isn't a book about the gods. It's not even just about their clerics. It's really a book about the vast masses of the faithful, the worshipers of the gods of absolute good and their place on Golarion. It's about the living religion, and how that religion ties into the everyday lives of its followers. More importantly, it outlines the role of adventurers in the faith, and why an adventurer might choose a particular god—not merely because the god's alignment matches, or because the best spells come from his domains, but because your philosophies match. Most importantly, it's about how your story can encompass faith, and how a myriad of different heroic characters can battle evil and live in the light of the gods.

This is an awesome book that focuses on the seven major good-aligned gods, provides an outline of the god in question, and summarizes the deity's domains and interests, and why that god might be a good fit for your character. In addition to new feats, spells, and write-ups on different organizations officially sanctioned by the various churches, Faiths of Purity also discusses the various codes paladins of the different good gods live by. As a teaser, here's the code that paladins of Shelyn (yes, she has paladins) follow:

Illustration by Sara Forlenza

Paladins of Shelyn are peaceable promoters of art and beauty. They see the ugliness in evil, even when cloaked in the form of beauty, and their job is to prevent the weak and foolish from being seduced by false promises. Their tenets include:

• I am peaceful. I come first with a rose. I act to prevent conflict before it blossoms.
• I never strike first, unless it is the only way to protect the innocent.
• I accept surrender if my opponent can be redeemed—and I never assume that they cannot be. All things that live love beauty, and I will show beauty's answer to them.
• I will never destroy a work of art, nor allow one to come to harm unless greater art arises from its loss. I will only sacrifice art if doing so allows me to save a life, for untold beauty can arise from an awakened soul.
• I see beauty in others. As a rough stone hides a diamond, a drab face may hide the heart of a saint.
• I lead by example, not with my blade. Where my blade passes, a life is cut short, and the world's potential for beauty is lessened.
• I live my life as art. I will choose an art and perfect it. When I have mastered it, I will choose another. The works I leave behind make life richer for those who follow.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

We Be Goblins, You Be Food!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

One of the hardest things about working at Paizo is not talking about the awesome products that are being worked on but haven't been announced yet. Especially when you're the marketing guy and it's your job to tell people about the awesome products that we're working on. This year's Free RPG Day release, We Be Goblins! is a perfect example of this; it's been in the works for months but I haven't been able to say anything until now.

Cover Illustration by Tyler Walpole

We Be Goblins! is an adventure by Richard Pett for 1st-level characters in which you get to play a horde of malicious and murderous goblins that have stumbled upon one of the greatest treasures in goblindom—fireworks! Unfortunately, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh outside Sandpoint in order to prove yourselves as the Licktoads' bravest goblins. And yet even once you've proven your mettle, the adventure is just beginning—for the ship in question is far from uninhabited, and Vorka the cannibal goblin would like nothing better than a few tasty visitors...

We Be Goblins! is a complementary adventure to August's Pathfinder Player Companion: Goblins of Golarion (which I also just announced right there—sneaky, eh?) and an optional prequel to Pathfinder Adventure Path's upcoming Jade Regent Adventure Path. This special 16-page Pathfinder Module will initially be made available as Paizo's contribution to Free RPG Day on Saturday, June 18. Print editions will be available for sale exclusively on paizo.com beginning the following Monday, and a FREE PDF will also be released that day.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Give the Gift of Gaming

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Last night marked the first night of Hanukkah, and today is the seventh day of the traditional holiday shopping season. Christmas carols have invaded my car radio on the drive to and from work, and the flood of wishlists from friends and family have my inboxes overflowing. But this past weekend, I saw some of the spirit of the season exhibited in our own community and wanted to remind everyone of the tools paizo.com offers to help you show your appreciation for your online friends!

This weekend, one of our generous Pathfinder Society members gave the gift of several scenarios to a fellow board member so that she could review them. Gifting products (either downloads or physical merchandise) was a new feature introduced to paizo.com around this time last year, but anyone can do it! When looking at your shopping cart, before proceeding to checkout, be sure to click the "show gift options during checkout" button to gain the ability to give the contents of the order as a gift to a fellow Paizo customer, either anonymously or with a message.

I know that I, for one, love wishlists, and used to fill my Amazon wishlist up throughout the year to send to family and friends around the holidays and my birthday so they could see alternatives to getting me socks, calling cards, and scratch-off lottery tickets. Paizo offers the same thing, and whether you use one to list products to buy yourself in the future or to list for others, wishlists are a great way to organize your desired products. When someone (either a relative you direct to the site or a random friend from the messageboards) orders something for you from your wishlist, they'll be able to send it directly to the address you specify and it will be removed from the list so you don't get duplicated items. Start your own wishlist by going to the "My Wishlists" tab at the top right of any page on the site. Who knows who out there on the boards wants to share the holiday spirit with you.

And because I'm feeling extra generous today, here's some new art from the forthcoming Pathfinder Player Companion: Halflings of Golarion by Mike Sass!

Illustration by Mike Sass

Mark Moreland
Developer

Illustration by Alex Aparin

Short and Sweet?

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

With Halflings of Golarion headed off to the printer, now seems like the perfect time to show off Alex Aparin’s awesome cover!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Into the Inner Sea?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Off to the printer goes Pathfinder Player Companion: Inner Sea Primer, our new guide to what's what and where's where for characters in the Pathfinder campaign setting. Aside from being filled with the baseline, "what your character knows" details of Avistan and Garund, it's also our new go-to book for traits from around the Inner Sea, with each column-length country write-up including two new options for natives of that region. As a bit of a preview, here's a new trait for Sargava to help all you Serpent Skull players soon to be in need of replacement characters. (What can I say? The Mwangi's a killer.) Also, take a peek at more of Carolina Eade's incredible art: a Chelish infernal binder—just one of three new Golarion magic archetypes included in the guide. Enjoy!

Illustration by Carolina Eade

Jungle Guide (Regional): You've made your living outfitting and guiding expeditions deep into the Mwangi interior in search of ancient ruins and lost cities. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Handle Animal checks, and a +1 trait bonus on Survival checks in jungle terrain. One of these skills is a class skill for you.

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Around the Office in 80 Seconds!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Good morning, and welcome to S.M. Tours. Today we are offering a "virtual" tour of the elusive Paizo Publishing offices. Here to greet us as we open the front door is the ever-cheerful Customer Service Manager Cosmo! While tempting, we recommend for your safety that you do not stare directly at the moustache, as it has been known to attack on occasion.

On your left are the offices of our technical team. If we could see through the gloom in the first office, we would find the illustrious PostMonster General and his minion Ross. We here at Paizo try to simulate the native environment of these computer folks, as it helps with productivity. Please, no flash photography—it disturbs their delicate sensibilities. Moving forward, we see that our Technical Director Vic is not yet in. Unlike the cave where his team slaves away, Vic's office is usually cheerfully lit by fluorescent lighting.

On your right we have a set of cubicles: one for yours truly, one for the warehouse manager, one for a laser printer, and one for a set of label printers. While quiet now, in a few days those label printers will fire up to continuously spit out subscription labels for hours at a time—truly a sight to behold.

Pressing onward, we have several more administrative offices lying dormant. This is to be expected, as we started our tour fairly early this morning and the residents have not yet arrived. Behind the door on the right is our server closet, where hundreds of little hamsters feverishly run in shifts to keep the servers running and the website on.

And here we have the upstairs breakroom, complete with refrigerator, sink and the all-important coffee maker. Next, past the restrooms, we have probably the most impressive location at the Paizo offices: the combination conference room and library. Here you will find all manner of old, new, rare, and interesting games, books, and magazines.

We are tight on time, folks, so let's keep moving along. Here we have still more offices. You'll notice that the double-doored corner office is the largest of the lot, fittingly occupied by our CEO, Lisa Stevens. The expansive office seems to help with the various and sundry secret meetings which take place there.

If you'll follow me down the stairs, please, past the monsters... here we have the offices belonging to our publisher, managing editor, and creative director. On the left are the set of cubicles referred to (for obvious reasons) as the "Editorial Pit."

And what do we have here...? It would appear that, unlike the other unoccupied offices, this one has its door open. What do you think, folks, should we take a peek inside?

It appears this is the office of lead designer Jason Bulmahn. Jason is on vacation this week and seems to have forgotten to arm his office's defense system. You folks might be getting more of a tour than you bargained for!

Let's just take a quick look at what we have on the desk...

Illustration by Carolina Eade

Sara Marie
S.M. Tours

The Foxes Have Landed (part II)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Sara Marie: Those were some delicious biscuits! Over.

Crystal: This time we should say something less confusing and less likely to end with us eating biscuits. Like "Hedgehog."

....

Crystal: Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: I like porcupines better. Porcupine.

Crystal: Where are you, anyway? I got lost when the cave raptors were chasing us. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Let me turn on a light... Looks like I'm in Sarah's office. There's art all over the place. Porcupine.

Crystal: She must have left in a hurry. Does it look trapped? Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: I don't SEE anything that looks like a trap. Where are you? You're better at spotting traps than I am. Porcupine.

Crystal: I don't know. I dropped my darkvision when that lurking ray grabbed at us. Where ever I am, smells nice! Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: There's a folder marked "TOP SECRET" sitting right on top of her desk! I'm going to see if I can get a closer look. Porcupine.

Crystal: No wait! The "top secret" folder is Midwestern family recipes! It's almost certain to be booby-trapped!

Sara Marie: Where else should I check?

Crystal: Check the refrigerator. I think that's where she keeps the special art. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: You're right! This thing is chock full of art-like pictures. Most of it seems like stuff that's already released. Porcupine.

Crystal: You should see what's in the dishwasher!

Sara Marie: Oooh wait! .... What's this! .... It's marked "Future Cover Art". Porcupine.

Crystal: Stuff from the future, huh? Sounds neat! Open it and see if a paradox destroys us all! Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Wow! These are amazi-- ...Umm... I just heard a "click" sound. Is that bad? Porcupine.

Crystal: You've either stepped on a mine, or else let her lucky cricket out of its cage. Possibly both. I'm not certain if the cricket explodes. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: PORCUPINE IS LEAVING THE NEST! REPEAT PORCUPINE IS LEAVING THE NEST!

...

Crystal: Sara? Sara, are you okay?

...

Crystal: SARA?!

...

Sara Marie: I'M OK! COPY THAT? I AM OK!

Crystal: Stop yelling or the cave raptors will find us again. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Where ever you are... Watch out! These people know how to lay traps! On the up-side, I made it out with two incredible pieces of artwork!

Pathfinder Player Companion Panel

Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 02:26 PM Pacific

Sean, Sutter, and Rob fielding questions about the Pathfinder Player Companion line.

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

This Week at Paizo

Friday, May 7, 2010

It's been a busy week at Paizo... and we're not done yet.

Sean "The 'K' is for Konfident" Reynolds reassures me of what he already knows.	My desk midweek: ground zero for much chaos. (To answer the inevitable question here: Yes, I use them as bookmarks.)
It may drive us crazy, but putting out so many products does make for some pretty awesome hauls.

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Oh Yeah!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

	Illustration by Alex Aparin

Harsk learns the perils of not bringing a large enough kettle to the triceratops tea party on the cover to Sargava, the Lost Colony.

James Sutter
Editor

Andoran, Spirit of Liberty Preview

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Andoran, Spirit of Liberty is due to arrive in January, and as the rest of the team is burning the midnight oil to get the next Pathfinder out the door, Wes deputized me to do a blog. Time for some preview art!

The patron celestial of Andoran is an avoral named Talmandor, and as there aren't avoral stats in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, we put their stats in Andoran—sort of a sneak peek for Bestiary II next year. The next picture shows that halfling paladins are just as badass as human ones—in this case the hero is Jamus Hainard, born to a farming family and inspired by the Eagle Knights to become a champion of freedom. Finally, a piece showing an Andoren general and his troops trying to cross a river.

Illustrations by Florian Stitz
Illustration by Craig J. Spearing

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Companion

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 6: Move 6d6 Tons, and what do you get?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

So far, we've uncovered the shocking details of raising an innocent idea into a rebellious roleplaying product, but if your beloved book never moves out of the house, then it will never really make anything of itself. Now is the time when a PDF, so self-important, must go out into the world by itself. And sure, it may come back wrinkled or torn, or even upside down, but without that life experience, it will never truly be its own book. It's time to talk about the physical, blue-collar side of game design: printing, warehousing, and distribution.

For all intents and purposes, Dwarves is ready to pack up and head off to college. Out of sight of its overprotective developers and even its best friend, the art director, it will grow into a bearded adult of glossy pages and the comforting scent of ink. Then it comes home, where its loving parents criticize its dress, notices it's gained weight, and implies that it should cut its hair because it looks like a hippy. Then it leaves again.

Printing of RPG products is arranged through horrible, arcane methods, often via deals with unseen and unknowable supernatural powers. Paizo prefers to deal through the fey, who are both adept at weaving physical products from ideas and accept readily available sandwiches as payment (in truth, lead developer Jason Buhlman's most important contribution to the company is his astounding egg salad, which pleases the fey queen Titania and ensures a lasting business relationship and a minimum of ironic curses). Once the electronic layout of a book is finished, it is transferred through a series of tubes to the distant faerie courts. The attending pixies immediately spin it into gold, and then press the gold itself into physical books and arrange for its return. Total elapsed time to print a Paizo product: 14 minutes. Sadly, due to the unstable chronological connection between the First World and our own mortal realm, upwards of two months may pass in our world during that 14 minutes.

Eventually, sprite couriers, glamered as UPS drivers, drop off multiple tons of product at the Paizo warehouse. This fabulous structure, adjacent to the production offices, is the realm of warehouse manager and 10th-level monk Jeff Strand. The warehouse stores not only Paizo's catalog of products, but also much of the stock for the online store, and so organization is vital. Inhuman physical strength is also important, as every pallet of products can weigh up to an Imperial ton (which is to say, it weighs as much as 2,000 pounds worth of emperors). Jeff and his able-bodied assistants work tirelessly to ship orders out as soon new product arrives, focusing first on Paizo's thousands of loyal subscribers. During these rushes, Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens and Vice President Jeff Alvarez can even be found braving the warehouse's icy trenches and lurking glabrezu in order to send books far and wide.

The enormity of Paizo's distribution efforts is staggering, especially to a little goblin. In addition to sending out literally tons of product at a time to subscribers and fans, pallets of each and every product to come through the door immediately goes back out to retail distributors like Alliance and Diamond. Like NBA scouts, these distributors then ship our MVPs all across the U.S. of A. and beyond, across the ocean to Europe and even north into the fabled Canada. And this volume doesn't even include our licensees who translate Paizo products for non-English-speaking fans.

Printing and distribution are vital to the lifecycle of a gaming product. Without that final kick out of the nest, to plummet or soar, pages would be doomed to constant revision. Roleplaying is built on a spine of pulp and glue, and losing the physical quality of the game book means losing an important piece of our heritage. Without that healthy respect for the past, the next generation will grow up cold and mechanical, controlled as they are by the fluoride in their computer screens. By the end, we'll bow before our PDF overlords, and soylent green will be people!

Plus, if you drop your latest Pathfinder in the bathtub, you can fix it with a hairdryer—try doing that with an e-reader!

This wraps up our quick review of the Paizo publishing process; you now understand as much about creating new products as I do. Starting next week, we'll take a look at existing Paizo products with our new feature, Sci-Fried.

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 5: Layabout

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

There comes a time in every game product's life when a developer has to learn to let go; to let his sweet, innocent babe go out, make mistakes, and grow into a book. A game product needs to stay out late, crash the car, and hang out with the wrong crowd. And that wrong crowd is the art director, in Paizo's case the amazing Sarah Robinson and the undefeated James Davis.

Welcome to the jungle we call layout.

When last we saw Dwarves of Golarion's's art director, she was a childhood friend helping to tutor the infant sourcebook in good grooming and healthy posture. But now that editorial puberty has hit, the art director becomes a corruptive influence. She'll introduce the book to page composition, gateway fonts, and the pagan ways of design. While the developer cares about making a good text, the art director (or humble-yet-beautiful production goblin) is only concerned with tarting the book up.

Once development and editing are finished, layout is everything else. It means making an attractive page that doesn't remind the reader of a junior-high science textbook. It means making sure the words, the art, and all the stat blocks don't trip over each other. It also means constantly harassing the developers and editors to cut or add words and send material to work with in a timely fashion. The process is arduous, often checking a work line by line for tight spacing or dangling widows (who hang around poorly laid-out products to get their kicks; during last month's move we uncovered no fewer than thirty-eight widows cleverly concealing themselves in the recycling bin). For any given product, the process may take hours, days, or even weeks, depending on how recently the art director has been fed.

In ye olden times, layout was performed by hand, using glue and a layout churn to mock up a page and send it away to the printer by horseless carriage. These days, much of the hard work of layout is performed by computer, where all the trimming and gluing are handled digitally. The common computer terms "Cut," "Paste," and "Churn" actually hail from these pre-computer layout processes.

This is the basic workspace, with the guides for page and column sizes. Boring enough.

Our text needs to live somewhere fancy, so first we design an attractive page.

We drop in the formatted text from the developer next.

Now we switch everything to a dwarfier font and adjust the text spacing a little.

Add some frames and titles, so we all know what we're looking at.

Now we drop in our artwork, wrap the text around it, and make sure everything fits.

And that's a finished spread!

Like a fancy show octopus with a mastery of sign language, a well laid-out product is a joy to look upon and easy to understand. While the prose might make a book beloved, its layout makes it popular, and often the only difference between a bestseller and a discount special is how well each page presents itself. Without good layout, even well-written books would languish in exile, their hideous countenances creating a wall between themselves and the general populace. Resentment would set in, and as their numbers grew alongside their discontent, murmurs of revolution would spread. Cries of "Viva la Composicion!" would echo through the winding streets, followed by bloody, horrific riots. Heads of editors and writers alike would roll as the dispossessed texts yearned for justice, but settled for vengeance.

To dodge that bloodshed, make sure to follow up your writing and editing with a loving layout. The bourgeoisie will thank you for your effort.

And now our baby manuscript has grown up into a finished book! Or has it? Still nothing more than a digital file and a pile of black-and-white printouts, Dwarves won't be it's own book until it has returned with a diploma from one of several prestigious printers. Next week, we'll examine what goes on once the book is out of Paizo's hands.

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 4: The Editor's Compositional Fitness Challenge

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

Yes, editing: the sport of grammatically minded kings. So far we've examined the natural growth of Dwarves of Golarion, as well as its invaluable hours of education, and yet we've ignored physical fitness. Without a steady regimen of editing, our little manuscript could turn into a clumsy butterball, drawing ridicule and cruelty from other game products.

To keep a product trim, healthy, and happy, it's going to need editors to run it through its paces.

According to Paizo's editorial tag-team of Christopher Carey and James Sutter, an editor's job involves neither crushing the dreams of authors nor blindly hacking away at text, but instead is a carefully crafted routine to burn off flabby text and improve narrative posture. Like a cephalopod, any quality Paizo product needs to hit the gym regularly to keep it healthy. Just like any fitness-obsessed octopus will hit both the free-weights and the treadmill, Paizo products will rotate their editing to catch problems with grammar, spelling, word choice, continuity, voice, and even the occasional rewrite to adjust the word count. Even the greatest authors will occasionally dip into the candy-coated bacon of purple prose or forget to tie their punctuation, so a good editor can help make sure every product can fit into its cover before the big class reunion.

The amount of editing any given product needs is easily determined with the formula n+1, where n is the amount of time you actually have to edit the book. Because of this conundrum, it's important for editors to make the most of the time they do have. At Paizo, the ideal grammatical specimen sees four editorial passes: two from each of Paizo's own hard-nosed prose-wranglers. A 'pass' is a single read-through. Obsessive-compulsive as any wild pack rat, these editors greedily gobble up any mistakes they sniff out, trading it for proper spellings or active voice. And because anyone, even editors, can make mistakes, multiple passes and different editors help to ensure that no errors go unexamined.

For Paizo products especially, the editors also serve the dual role of security. They stand constant vigil over continuity of Golarion, ensuring that dead NPCs don't crop back up, that cities don't spontaneously shift location, and that worst of enemies aren't running around as BFF. The editors have the blessing and curse to read every product Paizo releases, from thrilling Planet Stories to mysterious modules, and serve as living repositories of the universe.

And yet they stay so svelte, just like the products they care for.

Editing is necessary for the health and longevity of a product. Without it, mistakes, typos, and plain, old dead wood can slip through into the final product, clogging intakes eventually leading to frustration overheating in readers. The heat released by frustrated readers contributes to the inconvenient truth of global warming, melting the polar ice caps, flooding coastal regions, and causing alligator populations to explode. Ultimately, mankind devolves into primitive tribes of swamp dwellers, hiding in terror from the maurading ultra-gators that have made this marshy, dystopian Earth their own!

So to keep your writing trim and healthy, and to ensure the survival of the human race, edit!

Now that our product is happy, healthy, and knows where its going in life, next week we're ready for that special time in every product's life when it truly becomes a book. Next week, we examine layout!

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 3: An Outbreak of Art

Tuesday, October 5, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; It's time to blog!

As it stands, Dwarves of Golarion is now written and assembled by its loving developer. Though awkward and gangly, we can see what it will finally grow up into. But at this point, this happy child is nothing more than a text document in the daycare that is a documents folder, happy rolling in the mud and receiving bowl cuts from mom. But there's an ugly truth for gaming products that this little production goblin's learned at her junior prom: you can be creative and brilliant, but if you don't look good, nobody'll pick you up.

Enter the art order, the good grooming of game design.

The majestic octopus mates for life, and hopes to find a sensitive and intellectually compatible lover that shares its appreciation of American Gothic poetry, but it will make its initial judgments based on appearance and health. Similarly, good art can make a product seem interesting and romantic before the first words are even read. It can make the difference between a product you don't tell your friends about, and one you take home to mom. But like an attractive octopus, a quality illustration must be carefully cared for if it is to be worthwhile.

The art order begins once the text for a product has begun development. By now, the developer knows how everything will shake down, even if the specifics remain a mystery. The developer will sit down with the decorator crab that is the art director, and with careful attention to the budget, they decide how much art the book can stand and what compelling elements to call out in pictorial form. With that list completed, the task is kicked back to the developer and his editorial cronies, who write up brief descriptions of all the illustrations they'll need to get their product a seat at the popular table during lunch.

By now, the art director is already comfortable in its den, combing through the preferred artists list and thinking about what to assign to whom. Just like writers and tutors, different artists' styles lend themselves better to different moods and fit different products*. A happy, bubbly, or wacky artist would be a terrible fit for Dwarves of Golarion's "quiet and cool" attitude, and would be better suited for its goofy sidekick, Gnomes of Golarion. Once the art orders are written, the art director mails them along to the illustrators of choice, together with the promise of great riches.

The first thing received from the artists are those embarrassing family photos we like to call 'sketches.' These are passed out among the editorial and art staff, who make crippling judgments about cowlicks, large ears, and crooked teeth that will haunt the product well into adulthood. They also make note of any changes the artist needs to make.

Finally, the finished images are received from the artists who, like the octopus, die shortly afterwards. This cruel cycle of nature provides the few glimpse of a grown-up, mature product that needs to be home by ten because tonight is a school night.

Illustrations by Jeremy McHugh

The art order is vital in a product's life cycle because it prevents the normally docile artists from breaking free of their enclosures and wandering the streets, mauling and tagging innocent civilians at random. It also serves as the cranial implant that prevents the art directors from seizing the reigns of power and assuming their rightful places as god-kings, directing the entirety of a company's funding into a single, penultimate illustration that makes children weep and grown men fall to their knees in prayer. Very important if you are a company looking to put out more than one product.

By now in the life cycle, our game product has begun to grow up and go through some awkward changes. Suitors have come calling, and its started wearing makeup. Tune in next week when we'll examine how to cope with your precious first draft's frustrating period of editing!

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

*Except for Wayne Reynolds, whose art is universal and can bring peace to warring nations.

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 2: The Awkward Development Years

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave Raptors are sated; It's time to blog!

When last we left Dwarves of Golarion, it was a mere egg of an outline, being fussed over by attentive parents and waiting to hatch. But now it is time for that blessed moment when an idea emerges into the world as written words! It is time for… the development phase!

Development is the process of growing a book from an idea and a few rough notes into written text, rearing the infant outline into a rebellious and hateful teenager who will keep you up at nights, drinking your secret stash of scotch and praying to god it turns out alright. Much like the rearing of the noble octopus, a game product requires two separate parties: the designer and the developer. Designers are the writers and artists (more on those wily and attractive artists next week), while the developers are the core who tie everything together. Where developers are comparable to an overprotective parent, designers are more akin to teachers: chosen carefully by the developer to impart information and direction to their snot-nosed offspring.

Of course, this is not an insult. Both octopi and game developers are widely known for their post-nasal drip.

Choosing a writer is a careful task. Like parents, developers want someone who will make their job easier. These choices are made by means of an arcane formula that takes into account past products, punctuality, and relative position of the stars. Managing Editor Wes Schneider admits that Paizo relies on a small, incestuous lot of authors to rear our products. Putting new designers through their paces requires time and branding irons, both of which Paizo has in painfully limited quantities*.

For roleplaying products, the ideal designer can fill three vital roles for the juvenile product: author, game mechanic, and artisan. Telling a good story and having a firm grasp of the mechanics are important, but just as vital and oft overlooked is the role of player-friendly artifacts in a young game's life. Like a sweater vest, legible maps and gripping player handouts are those little touches that decide if a product rides along on the bus or resides at the cool table at lunch.

The developers' job is just as challenging and vital to give their books the best chance at happiness. They need to organize everything those precious bundles have absorbed from their designers and make sure they play nice with the other products. A developer needs to tweak the mechanics to balance with the system at large, rewrite some fluff to keep the narrative canon, and embarrass the product in front of its friends. Even the best writing needs at least a week or two in development, says Schneider, because "folks aren't here every day, and they don't know exactly what we need."

Dwarves of Golarion and similar anthology products are like troubled foster kids: they get bounced between several authors and other corrupting influences. A firm and loving eyeball is needed to guide them through this troubled time. The twitterpated Sean Reynolds, developer in charge of this problem child, has had his hands full. Every line written by its savage gang of authors needs to be reviewed for balance and continuity, and he must occasionally search its room for illicit substances and pop culture references.

Without proper development, a game product suffers. Its already-overworked Paizo parents stretch themselves too thin trying to write thousands of words a day while maintaining their backbreaking day jobs in the grammar mines. Neglected and uneducated, the books would fall back into dull narrative habits and eventually turn to crime to make ends meet. Crime rates skyrocket, property values plummet, and we are all left unprepared for the forthcoming invasion of the reptimen from the Earth's core!

So, for a happy and contributing addition to the RPG landscape, make sure you follow the example of the methodical octopus. Keep a close group of talent to help raise your products, but don't give away your own parental responsibilities!

Tune in next week, when we examine the art of art, and stretch the octopus metaphor to it's breaking point!

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

*Wes also mentions that if you're a newcomer who'd like to write for Paizo and has a high pain threshold, you should still write and submit. Both the Pathfinder Society Open Call and RPG Superstar are Paizo's favorite tools for reviewing new blood in an organized setting. Publishing your own material online through a blog or website is a good icebreaker as well (check out Paizo's Community Use Policy for more details). Being on productive and nonviolent terms with other publishers also helps, as the RPG industry is made up of a mere 73 people, all of whom know each other personally and frequently gather for the imbibing of caustic organic solvents.

Ecology of the Pathfinder Product, Part 1: Hatching an Outline

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated, so now it is time for blogging!

Few things spring into the world fully formed, and game products are no exception. And if you aren't involved in the publishing industry, you might expect the life cycle of a supplement as unknowable as that of an octopus.

And it is.

As a neophyte nanny in the Paizo maternity ward, my elbows-deep, on-the-job training has been a real eye-opener. And if I have to suffer through that experience, then there's no reason not to share the pain. Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at the stages of development of a young sourcebook, show off embarrassing baby pictures, and generally demystify the miracle of life as we follow Dwarves of Golarion from Outline, to Development, through Art Orders, Editing, Layout, Extra Editing, and finally Printing and Shipping.

The octopus knows it is time to reproduce when the seasons are right. Similarly, Paizo Publisher par excellence, Erik Mona, explains that a product first emerges when the various carriers demand a season's previews for their catalogs. At this point, the development team enters a furious ritual to determine whose memes are passed on to the next generation of Pathfinder canon.

Once the product ideas are agreed upon, each one goes on to outlining.

As a book egg, the outline doesn't tell us much, except that the book is healthy and to start preparing the office for its blessed arrival. We know who the proud papas are, and the outline hints if the book will grow into a fluffy nerd or crunchy jock, but nothing is set in stone just yet. Developers dig out warm nests in a hard drive to house the outline, lining it with file folders and sticky notes until writers can be assigned to help the book hatch and develop. A title (and adorable nickname) is decided upon, the chapters are parsed out, words counts are decided, and a handful of notes give developers and contributors an idea what the baby book will look like all grown up.

Unlike the noble octopus, the developer does not hover over the outline, constantly blowing salt water over it. Sean Reynolds occasionally spills latte on his, but more in a crude ritual to beg the gaming gods for the product's continued health.

Some things are immutable: Companions and Modules are Small sized (32pages), while Chronicles and APs will grow to Medium size (64 and 96 pages). Much like octopi, the largest, healthiest writers get first claim to the larger, healthier books, though until the outline hatches into development, even it's parentage can change.

Dwarves of Golarion Outline

As we can see from these adorable Dwarves of Golarion baby photos, the prenatal book doesn't resemble the adult product except in title. As the final draft of the outline, it's already showing the beginning signs of development: Exact words counts for each chapter have been decided and writers have been assigned to sit on the project until it hatches. We can also see in the bottom, left-hand corner that a goblin has chewed on this outline: an obvious indicator of superior product!

Without the outline, development would grow higgledy-piggledy, with chapters repeating each other, growing like tumors until they stretched the page count to breaking. Writers would run free, uncontrolled and burning things they shouldn't burn. Chaos would spill into the streets, and civilization as we know it would crumble.

So remember kids, be like the mighty octopus: plan your books carefully before getting started and save us all unneeded anarchy.

Crystal Frasier
Production Assistant

Dwarves of Golarion

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Kazmur here had a nice, relaxing weekend. When you're a dwarf, you celebrate your work as much as you do your time off. And when your job is to chisel your king's face onto the side of the mountain, you know that your people will be admiring your work for generations to come. Also, you have sweet job security.

Illustrations by Jeremy McHugh

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Companion

Cheliax, Empire of Devils

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Available mid-August, Cheliax, Empire of Devils is a Pathfinder Companion sourcebook written by a star cast of authors led by Amber Scott (contributor to Dragon magazine, the "Ecology of the Varisians" article for Pathfinder, and Dark Markets, A Guide to Katapesh) and Colin McComb (TSR veteran and a designer for Fallout II and Planescape: Torment). Developed hand-in-hand with the Council of Thieves Adventure Path, Cheliax serves up a big spicy dish of diabolical bureaucracy with its hands around the throat of the common people.

In a land ruled by devil-worshipers, nothing is quite... normal. Basement arenas in slums host cockatrice fights. The elite military forces train against devils to overcome fear. Priests of Asmodeus interpret laws. At the top of the hierarchy, lovely young Queen Abrogail issues orders to the royal scribes, redacting events of the past and issuing new official histories so that eventually all will believe that Cheliax has always been in league with Hell.

As the Pathfinder Companion line is designed to be player-friendly, inside you'll find articles on Westcrown (an excellent source of info for players about to start the Council of Thieves Adventure Path) and the capital city of Egorian, magic items and spells of Cheliax, religion in Cheliax (including how non-Asmodean religions are allowed to exist there), new traits, new combat feats to emulate devil fighting styles, and four fully statted NPCs suitable for contacts, hirelings, or cohorts.

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Companion

Qadira, Gateway to the East

Monday, July 27, 2009

Qadira, Gateway to the East is a bit unique. It got delayed by the Paizo "snowpocalypse" of 2008, and its revised release date placed it much closer to the release date of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. Rather than publishing a regional sourcebook and follow it a month later with the new rules, we secretly replaced its regular coffee with... I mean, secretly updated all the rules content to the Pathfinder RPG. So, technically, Qadira is a preview of Pathfinder that's available right now... we just kept it a secret.

Qadira is a cool book, especially if you like adventures in the style of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad. The book gives the history of Qadira, its political climate (internal and external), a geographical overview, an in-character Qadiran perspective on the races and character archetypes of Golarion, the city of Katheer, Qadiran magical studies, feats, the daivrat prestige class (why force genies to do your bidding when they'll do it willingly for you?), and—of course—new traits! It's also the only Pathfinder Companion with monsters instead of a regular Persona column—but given the unique role of genies in Qadira, these "monsters" may actually be relatives of Qadiran PCs, whether a half-janni or the suli-jann. And every daivrat needs a little zhyen genie buddy! Just treat them nicely or they may turn into a cruel prankster called a jocta...

Art by Concept Art House

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Companion

Snagged from the Vault: Taldor, Echoes of Glory

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Huzzah! The Preview Purloiners return from the treacherous Vault of the Golem once again with a fantastic prize—Ralph Horsley's art for the cover of Pathfinder Companion: Taldor, Echoes of Glory. Such beauteous art is particularly coveted by the Golem and its minions; but of course, the danger to our own lives is of no concern to you, our faithful readers. Now, please excuse us as we don hastily assembled disguises.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Chivalry Tarnished
Knights, fair maidens, heroic adventures, and righteous quests—these are the legends of old Taldor. But the once powerful empire has fallen from its former glory. Now rival nobles battle each other with bitter knights and proxy armies for personal power rather than honor. A smoldering truce with Qadira again threatens to ignite into war, and Taldor's daughter states look down upon her with contempt. Yet there is still greatness in Taldor, a stone foundation under the flaking gold adornments. Sons and daughters of forgotten royal bloodlines hear change on the wind—but is it the whisper of greatness to come, or the death rattle of an empire long past its prime?

This Pathfinder Companion describes the country of Taldor and its capital of Oppara. Become one of the Lion Blades, a secret agent prestige class for the empire! Learn the magic of the oppressed church of the Dawnflower! Rise to greatness from humble origins with new feats! Gain the ostentatious magic of Taldor's wealthy elite! Taldor needs champions—are you ready for the challenge?

Welcome to Osirion!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Our third Pathfinder Companion takes us south into the legendary sands of Osirion. And what is pretty much the number one thing you need to watch out for in Osirion? Mummies, of course! But to me, it's not the mummies in Ralph Horsley's cover to Osirion: Land of Pharaohs you have to worry about... it's whoever built that freaky sphinx in the background that would have my characters nervous!

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Elves of Golarion

Friday, August 29, 2008

The second Pathfinder Companion is off to the printer! Elves of Golarion is filled with all sorts of information about one of the most popular races in the game; everything from details on the elven nation of Kyonin to magical food to elven PC Character Traits, and more! We'll have a bit more information to show off in the coming weeks, but for now, check out Ben Wootten's awesome cover for the book, wherein lovely Merisiel (and a few of her friends) give a band of bugbears a proper elven welcome to the woods.

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Character Traits, Part II

Monday, July 21, 2008

Back on June 23, I gave you a preview of the Character Traits system we're introducing in the Pathfinder Companion line. There, I'd mentioned that there were several different kinds of traits for you to mix and match—with a single trait roughly equaling half a feat in power, by picking to Character Traits your character effectively starts with a bonus feat that's tailored specifically to his or her background and personality.

Today, I'd like to preview what traits look like. Presented below are five of the ten Combat traits. These traits comprise a small portion of the 40 basic traits presented in the Second Darkness Player's Guide, and represent generic traits that you can pick from for any character for any campaign in any setting. Later installments of Pathfinder Companion will present more Golarion-specific traits for race, region, and religion, but these basic 40 traits comprise the baseline for them all. Again, when you pick your two character traits, you can only pick one from a particular category—a character can't have two Combat traits, for example. Picking traits from different categories, after all, is a great way to make a character seem a bit more well-rounded.

But enough of the chatter. On with the preview traits! (Oh, and you'll see lots of "trait" bonuses mentioned; this is a new type of bonus that never stacks with itself, but stacks with other bonuses.)

Anatomist: You have studied the workings of anatomy, either as a student at university or as an apprentice mortician or necromancer. You know where to aim your blows to strike vital organs and you gain a +1 trait bonus on all rolls made to confirm critical hits.

Armor Expert: You have worn armor as long as you can remember, either as part of your training to become a knight's squire or simply because you were seeking to emulate a hero. Your childhood armor wasn't the real thing as far as protection, but it did encumber you as much as real armor would have, and you've grown used to moving in such suits with relative grace. When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit's armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0.

Bullied: You were bullied often as a child, and you are now constantly ready to defend yourself with your fists when an enemy comes near. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack of opportunity attack rolls made with unarmed strikes. Note that this trait does not grant the ability to make attacks of opportunity with your unarmed strikes—you'll need to take a level of monk, the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, or some other similar power to gain the use of this Character Trait. However, that doesn't prevent you from selecting this trait. You'll simply not be able to make use of it until a later point if you do.

Courageous: Your childhood was brutal, yet you persevered primarily through force of will and the hope that no matter how hard things might get, as long as you kept a level head you'd make it through. You gain a +2 trait bonus on saving throws against fear effects.

Deft Dodger: Growing up in a rough neighborhood or a dangerous environment has honed your senses. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Reflex saves.

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Character Traits

Monday, June 23, 2008

In the first Pathfinder Companion, the Player's Guide to the Second Darkness Adventure Path, we introduce a new mechanic for tying your character's background and history into the gaming world as a whole. These are Character Traits, a concept we first introduced in the Curse of the Crimson Throne Player's Guide, where the trait you pick gives you not only a small bonus to your character, but ties him or her into the Adventure Path's storyline from the start. Starting with the Pathfinder Companions, we're solidifying this system into something you can use not only for Adventure Paths, but for any campaign.

At its core, a Character Trait is approximately equal in power to half a feat—in fact, at one point, we considered calling them "Half Feats" but abandoned that idea when we realized it implied a point-based system that didn't really exist (there's no such thing, for example, as a "Double Feat"). At the start of a new campaign, you can pick two traits for your character—in effect, gaining a bonus feat that you tailor from two different categories of options. Yet a Character Trait isn't just another kind of power you can add on to your character—it's a way to quantify (and encourage) building a character background that fits into the world of Golarion. Think of Character Traits as "story seeds" for your background; after you pick your two traits, you'll have a point of inspiration from which to build your character's personality and history. Alternatively, if you've already got a background in your head or written down for your character, you can view picking his traits as a way to quantify that background, just as picking race and class and ability scores quantifies his strengths and weaknesses.

At the start, there'll be 40 different basic traits to choose from (ten each, split over the categories of Combat Traits, Faith Traits, Magic Traits, and Social Traits), along with six Second Darkness specific traits (these'll be more like the traits we introduced at the start of Curse of the Crimson Throne), but that certainly won't be the end of the matter. The goal is to continue presenting additional traits in the Pathfinder Companions to come—traits based on your character's race, homeland, and religion. Eventually, the pool of traits you'll be able to choose from should cover just about any type of character background you'd ever want!

One more thing: Character Traits are for PCs. If a GM wants an NPC to have traits, that NPC will need to "buy" them with the Additional Traits feat. Player characters are special; they're the stars of the game, after all, and if they have an advantage over the NPCs of the world in this way, that kind of makes sense. The pregenerated characters presented in Pathfinder and the modules will not have bonus traits selected for them—we're leaving those choices to you if you wish to use one of them as a PC.

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

A Favorable Companion

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

We're finishing up a whole bunch of great products this week, all of which will be available at Gen Con in a couple months. As most of you are probably keenly aware, we launch a whole new Adventure Path in August with the first 96-page chapter of Second Darkness. In addition, we provide the most comprehensive look at Golarion and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting with our expansive 256-page campaign setting hardcover. Not to be outdone, of course, is the Pathfinder RPG Beta release, a 400-page behemoth chock full of awesome.

Don't overlook, though, Paizo's release of the first of its new line of products that provide useful flavor and new rules for GMs and players alike: the 32-page Pathfinder Companion. Each Pathfinder Companion will cover some topic related to the campaign setting in great detail, presenting both flavorful information and new character options.

This first Pathfinder Companion fills the role of the Second Darkness player's guide, but goes so much further. In August's Companion, we introduce a structured and expansive traits section. We first introduced traits in the Curse of the Crimson Throne player's guide, but with this player's guide we set out more defined rules and a much greater variety of available traits. In each subsequent Pathfinder Companion, we'll introduce some more traits to give you an even greater selection to choose from.

In fact, to give you a little glimpse at what we've got coming your way, here's a short excerpt and a bit of art for you.

Character Trait Design Philosophy

At its core, a Character Trait is approximately equal in power to half a feat—in fact, at one point, we considered calling them "Half Feats" but abandoned that idea when we realized it implied a point-based system that didn't really exist (there's no such thing, for example, as a "Double Feat"). Yet a Character Trait isn't just another kind of power you can add on to your character—it's a way to quantify (and encourage) building a character background that fits into the world of Golarion. Think of Character Traits as "story seeds" for your background—after you pick your two traits, you'll have a point of inspiration to build your character's personality and history from. Alternately, if you've already got a background in your head or written down for your character, you can view picking his Traits as a way to quantify that background, just as picking race and class and ability scores quantifies his strengths and weaknesses.

One more thing—Character Traits are for PCs. If you want an NPC to have traits, that NPC will need to "buy" them with the Additional Traits feat. Player characters are special—they're the stars of the game, after all, and if they have an advantage over the NPCs of the world in this way, that kind of makes sense. The pregenerated characters presented in Pathfinder and the modules will not have bonus Traits selected for them—we're leaving those choices to you if you wish to use one of them as a PC.

Mike McArtor
Editor

Pathfinder Companion Art Preview!

Friday, May 30, 2008

Being one of the newest employees here at Paizo certainly has its advantages, one of which is that I get to see some of the new stuff coming in. In an effort to not be a selfish, selfish man, I thought I'd share some of the love with you.

Here are a couple of sweet art pieces from August's Pathfinder Companion: Second Darkness. For those that don't know, Pathfinder Companion will be a new series of player-friendly, 32-page, bimonthly books designed to enlighten different aspects of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, such as Elves of Golarion or Osirion: Land of Pharaohs. This first Pathfinder Companion will be a key resource for players and GMs playing through Pathfinder's Second Darkness Adventure Path, which begins in Pathfinder #13.

Jacob Burgess
Online Retail Coordinator

It's in Your Blood!

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

In a few weeks, Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Ancients will be hitting shelves worldwide and the digital bookshelf of paizo.com as a PDF. If you're looking to have your character gain knowledge from the ancient cultures of Golarion, this is the book to check out!

Blood of the Ancients kicks off with a section that allows you to tie your character to the traditions of the ancient cultures of Golarion in a similar manner that a worshipper of a god follows an obedience. These traditions grant characters special abilities like spells and bonuses to skills.

Illustrations by Alyssa McCarthy and Kent Hamilton

The book then continues with sections on various ancient cultures such as the ancient Azlant, Imperial Lung Wa, and Ninshabur. Each section features new options that allow aspects of these ancient cultures to survive to present day Golarion. Some of these new options include the Hinyasi brawler archetype from the Abendego Gulf, which focuses on fighting with improvised weapons, and the dwarven scholar bard that can teach her allies the ancient fighting styles of the dwarves of Tar Taargadth.

We have more than just archetypes in this book, though! Maybe you're interested in the astrological wonders of the Saoc Brethren. Perhaps you've wanted to tap in to the arcane secrets of the Poleheira of the Jistka Imperium or follow the ancient paladin code of Wadjet. There are many things your character can learn from the past and Blood of the Ancients is the best way to do so!

Illustrations by Alyssa McCarthy and Lucas Durham

Luis Loza
Developer