Illustration by Patrick Reinemann
The latest volume of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line has started shipping out to subscribers, and it's one that I know a lot of players and Game Masters are very excited to get their hands on—Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars I asked one of the book's co-authors, Jim Groves, to write a few words about his own excitement surrounding the book, and what a few of his favorite elements of it are. Here's what he has to say (as well as a few pieces of preview art I generously appended to his text).
Like many fans, I was at home during Gen Con 2013. My personal situation required me to live vicariously through the Twitter feeds and messageboard posts of fans who generously kept me informed. When I read James Jacobs had announced the Iron Gods Adventure Path, I wasted no time e-mailing him, right then and there, while he was still on the convention floor. A few days later, I received a very friendly and gracious reply. James already had a list of authors in mind, and it is vital for the health of the product line to add new authors and vary the cast up from AP to AP. So I understood James's reasoning perfectly, but when Mark Moreland contacted me a few weeks later to work on Numeria, Land of the Fallen Stars, I was overjoyed.
When writing for Numeria, I felt it was important to honor the theme of otherworldly super-science, but not to absolute exclusion. There are a number of elements, like the Plain of Ten Thousand Swords and the Battle of Grasyhot, which are all about traditional barbaric adventure. I was also very aware throughout the entire process that Ustalav, the Worldwound, and the River Kingdoms were right across a borderline—a division many adventurers and barbarians do not honor. My hope is fans gain insight into how Numeria fits and interacts with the world around it.
Among my favorite plots is the Chapel of Rent Flesh, dedicated to kyton activities on Golarion. The origin and history of the kytons is wonderfully mysterious and provocative. They demonstrate an aspect of the campaign setting which does not conform to a tidy and artificially organized cosmology. The Chapel doesn't upend what we know about the universe, but it asks some interesting questions. I also love Hajoth Hakados and Chitterhome. These communities allow a GM to introduce unusual player characters and NPCs, not just for a Numeria campaign but for all of Golarion, without feeling they're "fighting the campaign setting." GMs should never feel that way, but I think we help with a liberal sprinkling of rationale and context. I hope the book inspires and supports people to develop their own incredible and original campaigns.
Illustrations by Caio Maciel Monteiro
As I said above, Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars is already on its way to subscribers and will be available in game stores, bookstores, and for PDF download to the general public on June 25! The book is a vital source of setting information for Game Masters running the Iron Gods Adventure Path or anyone looking for more highly-anticipated information on one of the Inner Sea region's most exotic locales.
Mark Moreland
Developer
