While working on the forthcoming Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, we had the chance to get involved in a very challenging and rewarding design opportunity while developing the distinct flavors found in the steampunk city-state of Alkenstar and the magic-blasted Mana Wastes region surrounding it. The former required an industrial, clockwork aesthetic completely unlike anything else in the Pathfinder campaign setting, while the latter was steeped in the primal magic inherent to the region and the proliferation of the strange Mana Wastes mutants. These two elements combine to make a thrilling, dangerous setting with an almost alien mien that fits in perfectly with the Pathfinder campaign setting.
Today, in the first of a two-part blog previewing this epic module, author and Paizo developer Patrick Renie delves into the chaos that is the Mana Wastes with a preview of some of the most exciting (and harrowing) elements of the adventure portion of Wardens of the Reborn Forge, which takes place primarily in the shattered badlands outside of civilized Alkenstar.
Illustration by Filip Burburan
The adventure portion of Wardens of the Reborn Forge takes place in the Karggat-Sultur Hills, west of Alkenstar and north of Lake Ustradi. It was from these ore-laden hills that the dwarves of Dongun Hold and the industrious nomads of early Alkenstar drew their fortunes and established a technological empire, and it's into these hills that the heroes must travel in order to discover the forces assailing tempestuous Alkenstar in this time of crisis. The mining camps of yesteryear are rotted and abandoned, their operators and inhabitants having evacuated the emptied hills decades ago in search of further bounty.
Among my favorite aspects of the Mana Wastes are mana storms—raging squalls that produce neither rain nor snow, but instead warp and unleash the magical forces that yet linger in the spell-ravaged Mana Wastes. If you were a fan of the primal magic events in Inner Sea Magic, then I've got good news for you, since this book doubles the number of possible events adventurers might run into during their treks across either the Spellscar Desert or the Western Ravage. Spellcasters must be wary if they are to survive the perils of these lands intact, since a simple magic missile spell could easily result in catastrophe. To mitigate this ever-present hazard, magic-gifted wanderers who have braved the Mana Wastes have developed a number of eldritch tools to reduce the risks of primal magic, and adventurers would be wise to stock up on such tokens and wards (which are fully detailed in the module) before trekking into the unpredictable, arcana-scarred desert region.
Another important element of the Mana Wastes that features heavily in Wardens is the population of mutants that dwell in and constantly ravage that region. Abominations both natural and artificially created wander in droves among the dead, rocky badlands and rolling hills of the Mana Wastes; monstrous giants composed of both flesh and machine, impossible clockwork behemoths robbed of master and purpose, entire tribes of mutated individuals cast out from the City of Smog, and horrific work beasts tamed only by the foolhardiest scavengers are just a few of the unsavory denizens to be found among the Mana Wastes. Truly, only the most daring adventurers could hope to survive in a land overridden with such vile creatures—all of which appear in this module!
To give you an idea of the horrors that await in the insane and unforgiving Mana Wastes, check out this illustration of the capramace, just one of the monstrosities wandering those mad hills and deserts.
Illustration by Maichol Quinto
Patrick Renie
Developer
Be sure to stay tuned for next Saturday's blog entry, in which developer Mark Moreland details some of the most exciting elements of the Alkenstar gazetteer featured in the appendix of Wardens of the Reborn Forge. Political intrigue, inner-city strife, and magic-warped geography make the City of Smog a realm few GMs and readers will forget!
