The first project I ever did for Pathfinder Society Organized Play as a volunteer—really the start of my career—was creating boons, and by the time Paizo hired me, I had written about 100 boons for the campaign. Booncraft lost little of its magic when I took on the role of developer, and I continue to use boon-writing as a way of enabling volunteers to contribute to the campaign and, perhaps as importantly, as a means of testing out new and aspiring authors. I've had numerous folks ask me what goes into writing a boon, what makes a good boon, and how one goes about getting me to publish a boon. Let me start with good qualities.
Balance: A boon must be mechanically balanced. This includes it being balanced on its own, balanced in terms of the campaign, and balanced with regard to other boon options on a Chronicle sheet. If a Chronicle sheet has two boon options that a player can choose from, and one is far superior to the other, something's not quite right. A boon could also be great for a home game but have troubling consequences for Pathfinder Society. Finally, a boon might just not be balanced in terms of the game's mechanics. Most boons end up being about as potent as a trait; some might have a one-time use or have a niche application, but there's at least a rough metric for what is appropriate. It's reasonable for a boon's power to be greater if it's awarded at a higher level, particularly at 12th level and beyond.
Flavor: A good boon typically has some flavor text describing why it grants the bonus that it does. This not only explains the intention of the boon, but it helps to chronicle what the character accomplished to earn it.
Integration (modules and Adventure Paths): When developing a boon for a sanctioned adventure such as a module, it's important that the boon actually tie into the core product. I would be quite confused if I acquired a pirate ship during Reign of Winter, and I would scratch my head at learning special ice magic during Skull & Shackles. Reverse them, though, and things make a lot of sense.
Innovation: Boons—particularly convention boons—present a special opportunity because they are not print products and often have a limited time in which they're available. That means it's possible to experiment with new mechanics in ways that might not be appropriate for a new hardcover book. If the boon ends up being too potent or a poor fit for any other reason, the limited number of those boons will gradually disappear as those characters gain levels and become Seekers. If the mechanic is particularly interesting, word gets around, and other developers begin saying, "Hey, that's pretty cool!" It's only a matter of time before we might see it in a book or returning to a convention near you.
Wow Factor: I love boons that make players' eyes go wide with excitement, even when the mechanical bonus might not be very potent. It's usually obvious whether or not a boon has wow factor within a minute of handing out Chronicle sheets.
Narrative Potential (optional): Boons can provide a fun story-telling hook. This is the case for Missing Mentor, which sends the PC looking for a lost teacher over the course of five scenarios. The boon may only take 30 seconds to use each scenario for a fairly minor bonus, but the flavor of the boon makes the player think, "huh, who did teach my character how to be so awesome?"
A few of my most active boon-crafting volunteers have given me permission to share an earlier draft or two of their work to illustrate how a boon evolves from idea to draft to development to distribution. Keep an eye out for these in the coming weeks as well as a few sanctioning projects that are coming down the pipeline. In the meantime, what qualities in a boon make you excited? Using spoilers (at least for boons found in scenarios), are there any boons that really exemplify what a boon should do?
John Compton
Developer
