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Secrets of Magic Liveplay Premieres Tonight

Wedneday, July 14, 2021

Join a halfling summoner, a dwarven wizard, a half-elf magus, and a kitsune witch to get a first look at some of the exciting new content in the upcoming Pathfinder Secrets of Magic, and watch as they uncover the true danger that awaits them in the sands of Thuvia! This unique, 10-episode, actual play show starts tonight at 6 PM Pacific at Twitch.tv/OfficialPaizo!

Four esteemed graduates from the College of Mysteries in Absalom are sent to a tiny desert village in eastern Thuvia along the banks of the Junira River. Rumor has it that everyone in this small community has suddenly developed magical abilities. Power that, if left unchecked, might spell their doom. Perhaps even more troubling, even those who just visit the town receive powers as well! Can these four spellslinging scholars work together to get to the bottom of this mystery before rogue magic tears the place apart?

Pathfinder Secrets of Magic: text over-layed over the city of Zantir, built around a lively river, sits under the large glowing shape of a roaring dragon


Take a look at your heroes and a behind the scenes look at their character art orders!


Headshot of Xander Jeanneret over a white background a male dwarf with white hair, blunt bangs, long sideburns, and a well-groomed white beard. He has round gold spectacles and crystal jewelry hanging from his ears, around his neck, and on both wrists. He wears purple robes, has a large, leather-bound spellbook with a large crystal on the cover at his waist, and even more crystals hang from his belt. In one hand, he has a wand with a crystal tip that he’s using to cast some powerful cold spell. Color palette focuses for this piece are purples, whites, gold.

Xander Jeanneret as Ingot - @Xanderrific

Ingot is a male dwarf with white hair, blunt bangs, long sideburns, and a well-groomed white beard. He has round gold spectacles and crystal jewelry hanging from his ears, around his neck, and on both wrists. He wears purple robes, has a large, leather-bound spellbook with a large crystal on the cover at his waist, and even more crystals hang from his belt. In one hand, he has a wand with a crystal tip that he’s using to cast some powerful cold spell. Color palette focuses for this piece are purples, whites, gold.


Headshot of Michelle Nguyen Bradley, wearing a blue sleeveless blouse with pink hair over a green background This illustration depicts a female kitsune. She has bright, white fur with red markings on her cheeks, forehead, and the tips of her nine tails. She wears a sheer, dusty grey-blue dress that has silver accents and fittings (like shoulder guards, and silver ribs like a corset; see reference). In one hand, she has a silver and blue wand with a star and moon motif. Her other hand is stroking a small, pale, white and blue dragon (an east Asian dragon shape, more like a snake) that’s coiled up on her shoulders. It has a ruff of fur around its head, white like the kitsune’s.

Michelle Nguyen Bradley as Hachi - @iamchubbybunny

This illustration depicts a female kitsune. She has bright, white fur with red markings on her cheeks, forehead, and the tips of her nine tails. She wears a sheer, dusty grey-blue dress that has silver accents and fittings (like shoulder guards, and silver ribs like a corset; see reference). In one hand, she has a silver and blue wand with a star and moon motif. Her other hand is stroking a small, pale, white and blue dragon (an east Asian dragon shape, more like a snake) that’s coiled up on her shoulders. It has a ruff of fur around its head, white like the kitsune’s.


Headshot of London Carlisle , wearing a red shirt over a tan background Dond Oom is a half elf of Garundi descent. He has warm brown skin, pointed ears that protrude from the loose curls of his jet black hair, and brown eyes. He’s dressed in elaborate, finely tailored clothing, including a finely made tunic under an embroidered vest as well as well-made trousers tucked neatly into mid-calve boots. Over his vest, he has a navy blue long-coat. In one hand, he has a fan of playing cards (he’s a gambler by trade), and in the other, he has a wide-bladed shortsword that has a hint of magic running up and down the blade, flowing from his hand.

London Carlisle as Dond Oom - @LondonCarlisle

Dond Oom is a half elf of Garundi descent. He has warm brown skin, pointed ears that protrude from the loose curls of his jet black hair, and brown eyes. He’s dressed in elaborate, finely tailored clothing, including a finely made tunic under an embroidered vest as well as well-made trousers tucked neatly into mid-calve boots. Over his vest, he has a navy blue long-coat. In one hand, he has a fan of playing cards (he’s a gambler by trade), and in the other, he has a wide-bladed shortsword that has a hint of magic running up and down the blade, flowing from his hand.
Color palette for this piece is blue with accents of red, white, and gold embellishments.


Headshot of Bonnie Gordon. Her hair is braided back from her face and she's wearing a purple off shoulder blouse, standing in front of a blue background Ha female Uhlam halfling. She has light skin with freckles and a rosy completion from having spent long days out in the wild. Her hair is reddish/brown, and it runs a bit wild with twigs, leaves, and maybe even a small vine wrapped up inside (some of it looks accidental, but a few bits might be intentionally placed). She’s barefoot, wearing a rough spun tunic and simple breeches that mostly have earth tones with green highlights and leaf patterning. Overall, it looks like she might have rolled around in a bush a bit. Around her neck, she has a wolf-tooth pendant. She holds a gnarled walking staff in one hand, while mystical green runes surround her other hand, as if she’s casting a spell. Finally, she has a mystical symbol on her neck, like three comets trailing each other. This symbol is identical to the one on her wolf companion. This image is of a full-sized wolf. It’s large enough for Fairel to ride. Its coat is mostly gray, but it has some brown/red highlights. It too looks like it has rolled around in the underbrush a bit, as it has leaves and twigs caught in its fur. On its neck, it also has a mystical symbol, like three comets trailing each other. The wolf has a fierce expression, but it isn’t actively snarling. Color palette focus here is on greens and warm browns.

Bonnie Gordon as Fairel - @BonnieBellG

Fairel is a female Uhlam halfling. She has light skin with freckles and a rosy completion from having spent long days out in the wild. Her hair is reddish/brown, and it runs a bit wild with twigs, leaves, and maybe even a small vine wrapped up inside (some of it looks accidental, but a few bits might be intentionally placed). She’s barefoot, wearing a rough spun tunic and simple breeches that mostly have earth tones with green highlights and leaf patterning. Overall, it looks like she might have rolled around in a bush a bit. Around her neck, she has a wolf-tooth pendant. She holds a gnarled walking staff in one hand, while mystical green runes surround her other hand, as if she’s casting a spell. Finally, she has a mystical symbol on her neck, like three comets trailing each other. This symbol is identical to the one on her wolf companion.

This image is of a full-sized wolf. It’s large enough for Fairel to ride. Its coat is mostly gray, but it has some brown/red highlights. It too looks like it has rolled around in the underbrush a bit, as it has leaves and twigs caught in its fur. On its neck, it also has a mystical symbol, like three comets trailing each other. The wolf has a fierce expression, but it isn’t actively snarling. Color palette focus here is on greens and warm browns.


Don’t miss Jason Bulmahn, Paizo Director of Game Design, as the GM and author! - Twitter

ICYMI: Meet the Cast!


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Neato!
Horizon Hunters

- The party arrives at the village in Thuvia to investigate the sudden appearance of magical abilities developed in this place.

- People in that village: Singing "MAGIC SYSTEM - Magic In The Air Feat. Chawki".

hahahahaha!
5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I hope the party investigates why everyone suddenly has magical abilities, and in the final episode it turns out that the entire village got their copies of Secrets of Magic early and couldn't wait to try out the new content.
Grand Archive
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

!!! They got art for their characters! NIIIICE!
Nice to see specific art for Ingot! :3
And the other 3 look AWESOME too!
I'm all giddy. :3
Hachi is SOOO colorful!
Dond Oom has some SERIOUS CLASS!
Fairel is WILD!
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

im seeing premade maps and some art for this adventure in the stream. Will this adventure be available for purchase after the 10 episode stream is up? Reminds me of sundered waves and dinner at lions lodge a bit

No Gabe?
Where Gabe ?

Walking up on the stream just in time to see London crit a spellstrike Shocking Grasp told me all I needed to know xD
Can't wait to watch the VOD
Marketing & Media Manager
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Episode 1 of the Pathfinder: Secrets of Magic Liveplay premieres at noon Pacific on YouTube.

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!
Grand Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Lanathar wrote:

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!

Well. Half of these seem to have never played PF2, and they are playing at lvl 6 with quite complex characters. They probably don't really differentiate well what is new and what is not, as for them, it's all new.

We should give them a couple of episodes to get more comfortable.
Marketing & Media Manager
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Elfteiroh wrote:
Lanathar wrote:

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!

Well. Half of these seem to have never played PF2, and they are playing at lvl 6 with quite complex characters. They probably don't really differentiate well what is new and what is not, as for them, it's all new.

We should give them a couple of episodes to get more comfortable.

I appreciate your feedback. Indeed, half these players are new to Pathfinder and of course new to the new classes. Our charismatic, experienced roleplay talent is learning the new system. Please understand they've been given a huge amount of PDFs to absorb that some of us have been referring to for nearly 2 years. I'm pleased that we've started to nurture an experienced group of pro "Paizo Players" to feature our system in the long term.

We are happy to show them leanring and having fun, because that is exactly the kind of show that will bring new players to the game and stand the test of time as an entertaining show long after the Secrets of Magic book has been released and all is known. I recognize enthusiasm for spoilers as the show spotights the new content and look forward to seeing the players grow over the 10-episode arc.
Elfteiroh wrote:
Lanathar wrote:

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!

Well. Half of these seem to have never played PF2, and they are playing at lvl 6 with quite complex characters. They probably don't really differentiate well what is new and what is not, as for them, it's all new.

We should give them a couple of episodes to get more comfortable.

I was originally going to put something in my post saying perhaps add stars next to new or unrevealed things

For example it did seem like Jason was trying to nudge the magus to cast their focus spell to recharge and that potentially the player (understandably for a new player) did not realise it was rechargeable after a 10 minute refocus
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:
Lanathar wrote:

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!

Well. Half of these seem to have never played PF2, and they are playing at lvl 6 with quite complex characters. They probably don't really differentiate well what is new and what is not, as for them, it's all new.

We should give them a couple of episodes to get more comfortable.

I appreciate your feedback. Indeed, half these players are new to Pathfinder and of course new to the new classes. Our charismatic, experienced roleplay talent is learning the new system. Please understand they've been given a huge amount of PDFs to absorb that some of us have been referring to for nearly 2 years. I'm pleased that we've started to nurture an experienced group of pro "Paizo Players" to feature our system in the long term.

We are happy to show them leanring and having fun, because that is exactly the kind of show that will bring new players to the game and stand the test of time as an entertaining show long after the Secrets of Magic book has been released and all is known. I recognize enthusiasm for spoilers as the show spotights the new content and look forward to seeing the players grow over the 10-episode arc.

So was it the intention to have people with no pathfinder experience in this? To try and demonstrate that it could in theory be picked up relatively quickly (and not just at level 1)

Intrigued as to whether it was a deliberate choice

I personally would have preferred more experienced PF2 players either from the paizo team and/or from other actual play podcasts. Even if their acting creds aren’t quite as extensive.

But this is the first of these I have listened to and will be more than happy to revise my opinion - and I hope that is that case. As mentioned seeing how quickly they pick it up will be interesting.

I also gather than a previous one in band of bravos was the paizo team so perhaps it is a case of that has been done. And there have been at least two other streams - Everflame and Beginner Box - both with inexperienced pathfinder players . So I can only assume historic feedback on the choice of player background has led paizo in this direction ...
Marketing & Media Manager
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Lanathar wrote:
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Elfteiroh wrote:
Lanathar wrote:

Could someone gently lean on the players to nudge them in the direction of using some of the new stuff from Secrets of Magic ? As this is a showcase ?

In three hours there were two things that weren’t already known (the cantrip and the eidolon spell)

I guess part of that is that there was only one combat and the awesome crit shortened that one!

Hopefully more stuff comes up next week!

Well. Half of these seem to have never played PF2, and they are playing at lvl 6 with quite complex characters. They probably don't really differentiate well what is new and what is not, as for them, it's all new.

We should give them a couple of episodes to get more comfortable.

I appreciate your feedback. Indeed, half these players are new to Pathfinder and of course new to the new classes. Our charismatic, experienced roleplay talent is learning the new system. Please understand they've been given a huge amount of PDFs to absorb that some of us have been referring to for nearly 2 years. I'm pleased that we've started to nurture an experienced group of pro "Paizo Players" to feature our system in the long term.

We are happy to show them lerning and having fun, because that is exactly the kind of show that will bring new players to the game and stand the test of time as an entertaining show long after the Secrets of Magic book has been released and all is known. I recognize enthusiasm for spoilers as the show spotights the new content and look forward to seeing the players grow over the 10-episode arc.

So was it the intention to have people with no pathfinder experience in this? To try and demonstrate that it could in theory be picked up relatively quickly (and not just at level 1)

Intrigued as to whether it was a deliberate choice

I personally would have preferred more experienced PF2 players either from the paizo team and/or from other actual play podcasts. Even if their acting creds aren’t quite as extensive....

Thanks for the feedback.

Casting staff is not an option as we are already producing products at a break-neck speed. Many staff members have home games and freelance work. We tried it and have moved away from it.

The deliberate choice was to cast engaging, energetic, diverse roleplayers who could learn, enjoyed playing together, and had a following of their own. I'm not saying we left no stone unturned in a casting call, timelines being what they are, but honestly, the amount of pro talent who know how to be entertaining in front of a camera and know Pathfinder Second Edition like the back of their hand is not a large number—less than two years after launch. And we are happy to show people learning the game over time. We made offers to talent we have worked with before and, when they were not available, we went with fresh faces we wanted to work with and we thought would gel with those already cast.

Similarly, in the Pathfinder One-Shot Dinner the Lionlodge at PaizoCon, Glass Cannon's Pathfinder Second Edition Rules knowledge were imperfect, but they bring a huge audience with them and a great deal of fun. They are committed to producing a Pathfinder Second Edition show next year with Bulmahn as the author. Their expertise will grow.

I think we are playing the long-game; I am interested creating a welcoming environment and have no interest in gate-keeping based on rules knowledge. But you are welcome to have a different preference and I accept your is constructive criticism. We all want the same thing—expert talent with expert knowledge. But that has to be built.

(We also have plans to invest in our staff to make them more comfortable and confident on camera. I think it will be limited to interviews, not liveplay, considering the demands on our time.)

We are about to try something different for Gen Con. We will streamline our seminar content and host many more hours of liveplay on Twitch, featuring our Community—we will shine the spotlight on some of our Licensed Partners and groups producing under the Community Use Policy. I'll be fascinated to see if we've overlooked some expert players. Help me keep an eye out, won't you?

Thank you for the in depth response

Now that you mention it I realise how stupid the staff suggestion was given their workloads

And admit to not fully appreciating the camera comfort part and completely get it. I was thinking of people who do 2E podcasts and now realise that many of those are likely not comfortable with the camera and/or used to there being an edit option. Live play is a different animal

I might have been getting confused because weren’t there some previous streams that seemed like the episodes were pre recorded (but I could be utterly wrong here)

I’d be delighted if this does a good job of demonstrating people quickly picking up the game at a mid level. It would be a great advert

The best thing is always group rapport but I appreciate that is incredibly difficult if not bordering on impossible for things like this
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Aaron Shanks wrote:
We are about to try something different for Gen Con. We will streamline our seminar content and host many more hours of liveplay on Twitch, featuring our Community—we will shine the spotlight on some of our Licensed Partners and groups producing under the Community Use Policy. I'll be fascinated to see if we've overlooked some expert players. Help me keep an eye out, won't you?

That sounds... less than exciting for me as I do not usually watch liveplays. I often fall asleep when I try to watch them (especially those that last over 2 hours); and I do try every now and then, but they just don't usually enthrall me. But, I love the interviews, seminars, and spoilers I can see on Paizo's other streams and I never fall asleep for those. I hope that this streamlining of seminar content does not mean it is being reduced in favor of the liveplays does not mean that the seminars are being provided shorter time slots and material to go over, giving us less in the way of interviews, spoilers, and Q&As, because that would not feel good.

I only tuned in for this liveplay because of the opportunity to see how the new classes work in play since it will be a while yet before I can see the book they will be released in. I won't be tuning in to GenCon like I have in the past if the liveplays take away time that was usually spent on seminars in past GenCons. I guess this means I am not the target audience for this and I recognize others do seem to enjoy liveplays; I just usually don't.

Having said all that though, I did enjoy most of this liveplay and trying to puzzle out how the class abilities worked for the unreleased final versions of the Magus and Summoner. It helped that it was shorter than other liveplays that I have tried watching. I hope something like this can be done with the content from Guns & Gears, too.
Marketing & Media Manager
Ashanderai wrote:
Aaron Shanks wrote:
We are about to try something different for Gen Con. We will streamline our seminar content and host many more hours of liveplay on Twitch, featuring our Community—we will shine the spotlight on some of our Licensed Partners and groups producing under the Community Use Policy. I'll be fascinated to see if we've overlooked some expert players. Help me keep an eye out, won't you?

That sounds... less than exciting for me as I do not usually watch liveplays. I often fall asleep when I try to watch them (especially those that last over 2 hours); and I do try every now and then, but they just don't usually enthrall me. But, I love the interviews, seminars, and spoilers I can see on Paizo's other streams and I never fall asleep for those. I hope that this streamlining of seminar content does not mean it is being reduced in favor of the liveplays does not mean that the seminars are being provided shorter time slots and material to go over, giving us less in the way of interviews, spoilers, and Q&As, because that would not feel good.

I only tuned in for this liveplay because of the opportunity to see how the new classes work in play since it will be a while yet before I can see the book they will be released in. I won't be tuning in to GenCon like I have in the past if the liveplays take away time that was usually spent on seminars in past GenCons. I guess this means I am not the target audience for this and I recognize others do seem to enjoy liveplays; I just usually don't.

Having said all that though, I did enjoy most of this liveplay and trying to puzzle out how the class abilities worked for the unreleased final versions of the Magus and Summoner. It helped that it was shorter than other liveplays that I have tried watching. I hope something like this can be done with the content from Guns & Gears, too.

We'll still be producing 16 hours of interviews, seminars, and spoilers. The live plays will be before and after. There will be something for everyone!

Marketing & Media Manager
Lanathar wrote:

Thank you for the in depth response

Now that you mention it I realise how stupid the staff suggestion was given their workloads

And admit to not fully appreciating the camera comfort part and completely get it. I was thinking of people who do 2E podcasts and now realise that many of those are likely not comfortable with the camera and/or used to there being an edit option. Live play is a different animal

I might have been getting confused because weren’t there some previous streams that seemed like the episodes were pre recorded (but I could be utterly wrong here)

I’d be delighted if this does a good job of demonstrating people quickly picking up the game at a mid level. It would be a great advert

The best thing is always group rapport but I appreciate that is incredibly difficult if not bordering on impossible for things like this

Knights of Everflame was prerecorded, but that was pre-pamdemic. With most talent in LA, I think it might be 2022 before we can all be in the same room together, but we are exploring it.

Once we can see usage of "Truename"...

Like direct summoning...

I need to take a look at this!@
Marketing & Media Manager
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Pathfinder: Secrets of Magic | Episode 2: "Merchant of Wonder" premieres on YouTube today at noon Pacific! Don't miss the magus crit on a spellstrike, ahem, again, and the summoner cast a new spell from the Secrets of Magic hardcover. Join us to watch and chat.
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