DrDeth's page

his is a great Player Character folio for a long in depth played frequently character. And since you can make copies for your other PC's it's not so bad price wise either.

Yes of course the basic Character sheets can be found and downloaded easily. But these will help you put more roleplaying depth into your character.

And as a side bonus, by having it you can get one free re-roll in a Pathfinder Society game, per night.

This book has a great deal of background info on Humans in the Pathfinder world of Golarion. The history and sociological info is well written and expensive. The only issue I have is with the map- they have a nice map of migrations, but the history section repeatedly mentions various regions and kingdoms- but altho the map contains said areas, they are no labeled. A rather puzzling omission.

The rather small amount of crunch is provided with a small but choice list of humano-centric spells. There’s also quite a bit of background info on various human regional weapons, but as they seemingly forgot the chart, you’d have to check back into various other sourcebooks to make it work.

There’s also a nice section about Aroden.

Here's part of what I said when I reviewed "King of Chaos": About page 33 of the new Dave Gross Novel "King of Chaos" I realized it was part of a series. About page 44 I went ahead and ordered the other three books in the series, but since I was already hooked, I kept reading....

I like reading fantasy novels, sometimes including those set in a gaming universe. The problem with those is sometimes the authors are third tier , hired to crank out some hack books just to support the game side. Not so with Pathfinder Tales. James Sutter, the Editor, has taken great care to get some solid authors for his line of Pathfinder Tales fiction.

Now, sometimes the authors come out with a fantasy tale, which other than the setting, is not particularly `set" in that gaming universe. The characters don't have "classes', don't use a lot of easily recognizable spells, and magic items are few and far between, unless they are a macguffin. This works as it gets in readers who don't play that particular fantasy roleplaying game.

But as one of my friends was complaining, they don't read as if they are set in one of those High Fantasy High Magic universes. I mean sure- the locations are there, but where's the magic?

Well, this one does. There are scads of spells being tossed around here, not to mention magic items. Characters use scrolls, quaff healing potions, and fire spells which are clearly from the pages of the Player Handbook. Most of the characters (other than those with a mysterious secret background, of course!) are clearly identifiable as to their class, and those who track the spells, etc used can even get a fair guess as to level. Summoners summon their eidolons, wizards burn thru scrolls like it's my Friday nite game, Paladins lay on hands, etc.

This is cool, fun & refreshing. And the combats! Ah here, Dave Gross excels! Our heroes are fighting a literal legion of demons from the depths, not to mention a despicable Undead Lord, who is definitely not sexy or sparkly. "

So, after ordering the prior three books, of course I am now reading them and finding them just as enjoyable as I thought. I have just finished with the last (which is the next to last as I read the 4th book first- confused yet?): “Queen of Thorns” whereupon our brave team of Pathfinder Investigators delves (too) deeply into Sylvan secrets, including some interesting enigmas and mysteries of both Count Varian Jeggare and his hellspawn bodyguard Radovan.

I have talked about the great actions sequences and combat scenes Dave is known for. I forgot to mention the banter, which is filled with little digs, humor and double entendre. What’s also cool is that now that I have read this far, I really feel like I really know these two characters and am invested in and care for them. It’s hard to write fantasy where you get so involved with the characters. These guys are all too human…even if technically they’re only half-human.

Besides Varian and Radovan we also get more about their faithful hound and are introduced to a paladin , a uncanny gnome, a ranger, not to mention someone interesting from the Count’s mysterious past.

A real page turner, fun and with plenty of action.

Here's part of what I said when I reviewed "King of Chaos": About page 33 of the new Dave Gross Novel "King of Chaos" I realized it was part of a series. About page 44 I went ahead and ordered the other three books in the series, but since I was already hooked, I kept reading....

I like reading fantasy novels, sometimes including those set in a gaming universe. The problem with those is sometimes the authors are third tier , hired to crank out some hack books just to support the game side. Not so with Pathfinder Tales. James Sutter, the Editor, has taken great care to get some solid authors for his line of Pathfinder Tales fiction.

Now, sometimes the authors come out with a fantasy tale, which other than the setting, is not particularly `set" in that gaming universe. The characters don't have "classes', don't use a lot of easily recognizable spells, and magic items are few and far between, unless they are a macguffin. This works as it gets in readers who don't play that particular fantasy roleplaying game.

But as one of my friends was complaining, they don't read as if they are set in one of those High Fantasy High Magic universes. I mean sure- the locations are there, but where's the magic?

Well, this one does. There are scads of spells being tossed around here, not to mention magic items. Characters use scrolls, quaff healing potions, and fire spells which are clearly from the pages of the Player Handbook. Most of the characters (other than those with a mysterious secret background, of course!) are clearly identifiable as to their class, and those who track the spells, etc used can even get a fair guess as to level. Summoners summon their eidolons, wizards burn thru scrolls like it's my Friday nite game, Paladins lay on hands, etc.

This is cool, fun & refreshing. And the combats! Ah here, Dave Gross excels! "

So, after ordering the prior three books, of course I am now reading them and finding them just as enjoyable as I thought. Here in "Master of Devils" we continue the fantastic adventures of the enigmatic Pathfinder Count Varian Jeggare and his strange & uncanny assistant Radovan.

Again early on Jeggare & Radovan are separated, but this time they spend most of the book apart, along with their faithful hound Arnisant . All three are thrust into a path of personal growth, training and adventure in what passes for ancient China in Golarion.

Be prepared for some fabulous “wu-shu” action and combat, straight out of the most fantastic and martial arts heavy Chinese cinema. Think “Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon” meets “Big Trouble in Little China” with a dash of a few of your favorite fantasy movies thrown in.

Radovan is trapped in his devil form, Venture-Captain Jeggare is trapped training in a Monastery and our faithful hound is out raising an army of phantasmagorical Oni and other creatures to rescue them.

Ghosts, devils, demi-gods, wizards, celestial dragons, oriental goblins, and a host of other populate the action packed pages.

Here’s part of what I said when I reviewed “King of Chaos”: About page 33 of the new Dave Gross Novel "King of Chaos" I realized it was part of a series. About page 44 I went ahead and ordered the other three books in the series, but since I was already hooked, I kept reading....

I like reading fantasy novels, sometimes including those set in a gaming universe. The problem with those is sometimes the authors are third tier , hired to crank out some hack books just to support the game side. Not so with Pathfinder Tales. James Sutter, the Editor, has taken great care to get some solid authors for his line of Pathfinder Tales fiction.

Now, sometimes the authors come out with a fantasy tale, which other than the setting, is not particularly ‘set” in that gaming universe. The characters don’t have “classes’, don’t use a lot of easily recognizable spells, and magic items are few and far between, unless they are a macguffin. This works as it gets in readers who don’t play that particular fantasy roleplaying game.

But as one of my friends was complaining, they don’t read as if they are set in one of those High Fantasy High Magic universes. I mean sure- the locations are there, but where’s the magic?

Well, this one does. There are scads of spells being tossed around here, not to mention magic items. Characters use scrolls, quaff healing potions, and fire spells which are clearly from the pages of the Player Handbook. Most of the characters (other than those with a mysterious secret background, of course!) are clearly identifiable as to their class, and those who track the spells, etc used can even get a fair guess as to level. Summoners summon their eidolons, wizards burn thru scrolls like it’s my Friday nite game, Paladins lay on hands, etc.

This is cool, fun & refreshing. And the combats! Ah here, Dave Gross excels! Our heroes are fighting a literal legion of demons from the depths, not to mention a despicable Undead Lord, who is definitely not sexy or sparkly. “

So, after ordering the prior thrrr books, of course I am now reading them and finding them just as enjoyable as I though. Here in “Price of Wolves” we are introduced to the enigmatic Pathfinder Count Varian Jeggare and his strange & uncanny assistant Radovan.

Prince of Wolves has quitea few rather dark and horrific parts, with some chapters downright creeptastic. But the witty banter keeps the series from being too dark and depressing. Dave Gross here also showcases his talent for using words like a master painter uses a brush to show us the scenes and characters. There is also a fascinating mystery here.

This series is aimed at more mature readers. Mind you, there’s nothing that is even “R” rated but the double entendres, drinking etc shows that this series is not for little kids.

Oh and one note, while this is a series, each book comes to a definite end. Altho you will want to read the next, you are not kept hanging. I like that.

Still- I can’t wait to start reading “Master of Devils”!

Most magical action yet!

About page 33 of the new Dave Gross Novel "King of Chaos" I realized it was part of a series. About page 44 I went ahead and ordered the other three books in the series, but since I was already hooked, I kept reading....

I like reading fantasy novels, sometimes including those set in a gaming universe. The problem with those is sometimes the authors are third tier , hired to crank out some hack books just to support the game side. Not so with Pathfinder Tales. James Sutter, the Editor, has taken great care to get some solid authors for his line of Pathfinder Tales fiction.

Now, sometimes the authors come out with a fantasy tale, which other than the setting, is not particularly ‘set” in that gaming universe. The characters don’t have “classes’, don’t use a lot of easily recognizable spells, and magic items are few and far between, unless they are a macguffin. This works as it gets in readers who don’t play that particular fantasy roleplaying game.

But as one of my friends was complaining, they don’t read as if they are set in one of those High Fantasy High Magic universes. I mean sure- the locations are there, but where’s the magic?

Well, this one does. There are scads of spells being tossed around here, not to mention magic items. Characters use scrolls, quaff healing potions, and fire spells which are clearly from the pages of the Player Handbook. Most of the characters (other than those with a mysterious secret background, of course!) are clearly identifiable as to their class, and those who track the spells, etc used can even get a fair guess as to level. Summoners summon their eidolons, wizards burn thru scrolls like it’s my Friday nite game, Paladins lay on hands, etc.

This is cool, fun & refreshing. And the combats! Ah here, Dave Gross excels! Our heroes are fighting a literal legion of demons from the depths, not to mention a despicable Undead Lord, who is definitely not sexy or sparkly.

In general, I am not fond of those books where the narrative shifts from character to character, but Dave handles that pretty well too, since the narrative stays with one of the three main Characters each chapter, and each is clearly labeled. I’ll also mention that our three main characters are well thought out with fascinating backgrounds and raison d'être .

Now yes, I imagine that those who don’t play Pathfinder or D&D might be a little lost (however there’s a complete glossary at the back) but those who do will love this book!

OK, this is a fine & useful guidebook for Pathfinder players. It has lots of crunchy fluff and fluffy crunch. Six Archetypes, eight feats, four traits, and over two dozen items. Section on Dungeon guids (books and maps), famous dungeons, traps, etc.

They have one piece of advice which can be disastrously wrong: The advice that the main route into a chamber is usually not trapped, as it’s a route that would have to be taken many times a day. This is true if we’re talking realistic, but few dungeons are designed in a realistic fashion.

The "Ostentation Display" feat should be a rule, not a feat. You'd be crazy to waste a feat on this.

Award winning & best-selling author Ed Greenwood here turns his well-honed +5 pen to the Pathfinder setting and a tale of two mismatched and star-crossed rogues.

One is a mysterious man with a mysterious past and an even more mysterious mask- which has a deadly curse. Another is a young female Halfling, who is an escaped slave.

Although trust is hard to come by in their world, they find themselves thrown together by a series of chases and closes escapes. Finally they are captured and sent on a weird quest to recover a powerful magic item, an artifact. The quest sets off yet another series of chases, fights and hairbreadth escapes. When they finally get to their destination, you, as the reader, are as out of breath as they are!

But wait! Now comes the best part- a series of horrific undead and harrowing traps guard this dungeon. The “dungeon crawl” is very well done, perhaps even better than Gygax himself. The final battle is epic in scope, what with magic and tricks being used liberally.

But of course, with Ed at the helm, it turns out that’s just the penultimate encounter. We still have the long trip home and the real, true final battle!

Breathless escapes, great characterization, non-stop action, swashbuckling swordplay and a real page-turner.

Get it!

Salim has a secret. And- he also has a public identity- that of hunting down undead and heretics for the Goddess of Death. Salim doesn’t much care for this relationship, and the how & why of how he got his position and how he got so very good at it is part of his secret. One thing is no secret- altho Salim works for the Goddess, he still doesn’t worship her or any gods and is not happy with his “deal”.

James Sutter is the co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game , and this book is set in that fantasy world. But you don’t need to be a RPG player to enjoy this solid fantasy novel. What sets James’s writing style apart from so many others in the field is the richness of his descriptions- you can close your eyes and see what he has put on the page in bare words. This gets fun & interesting when Salim’s adventures here takes him out of the desert city where his recent “job” is set to some other planes of existence, including the plane where the dead are judged.

Besides the great descriptions, James has created an unforgettable, compelling, realistic and thoroughly three dimensional protagonist/hero. No ‘cardboard cut-out here”. Salim is grim, brave, fast with a sword, and has a dark history and of course- the secret I mentioned about. I want to read more about Salim.

Plenty of action and magic and even a romance, which altho starts out rather predictable- takes a few different and unexpected turns.

Very readable, a real page-turner. Suggested for any fantasy reader above the age of 12.

Rodrick is a rakish, raffish rogue, a dab hand with a blade and a con, who is partners with just about the most powerful magic sword in the whole region. Note I didn’t say “owns”- said sword is part of the duo/partnership/friendship of Hrym (the sword) and Roderick (the human rogue).

I really liked this touch. The two really acted like long term partners, with constant bickering and jokes (and you’ll get a few chuckles here and there too). It’s also nice to see a powerful magic item- not many characters in D&D/Frp Fantasy fiction are known for their powerful magic items.

I also really enjoyed the very realistic character of Roderick, who reminds me more than a bit of Cugel the Clever. Not a “good guy” nor a “bad guy” just a realistic guy out for the main chance and some gold. Roderick is not a super-swordsman (altho he does wield a super-sword), nor is he supernaturally fast, smart, lucky or anything. He’s just a regular clever guy who lucked into a partnership with a powerful magic item.

But his quest partners are anything but ‘regular”: Rod & Hrym get hired by a VERY mysterious and odd duo of sorcerer and cleric, who are weird, strange, eldritch and a host of other adjectives- except “normal”. How their mysteries unveil is part of the fun of this book.

And, another part of the fun is the overall ‘tone”. Tim Pratt, being a Hugo award winning author, didn’t feel the need to make this book “dark & gritty” as so many recent other Fantasy novels are. Instead the light tone- which doesn’t mean there aren’t some pretty dark and scary moments. In fact the real identity of the sorcerer and the ultimate plan of her priestly boss could cause a few nitemares. Really creepy & scary. It’s a tribute to the writing skills of the author that he manages to carry off a over all light in tone book but is able to segue into some terrifying and dark encounters so very easily.

Very readable, with plenty of action, banter, magic, mysteries and a great twist ending.

“Pirates Honor” is a new Pathfinder Tale Fantasy fiction tale set in the Inner Sea of Golarion. But it’s really a great seafaring pirate novel with a few interesting fantasy touches thrown in. Those who like great swashbuckling naval fiction, readers of Fantasy fiction or those who like adventures set in the world of their favorite RPG all will find lots to enjoy between the pages of this fun fantasy novel. It’s not just for RPGers.

Altho this is Chris Jackson’s first Pathfinder novel, his feet are pretty wet: “The first three Scimitar Seas Novels—Scimitar Moon, Scimitar Sun and Scimitar’s Heir—won sequential Gold Medals in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards for 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the science fiction/fantasy category. Scimitar Moon and Scimitar Sun were also finalists in the fantasy category for the USA Book News Best Books 2010 and 2011 Awards”

This book has two great things going for it: fascinating and original characters, and a triple-cross twist worthy of “The Sting”.

Tortios Vin is no run-of-the mill Pirate captain, he is as well known for his sense of honor, and not just the normal “honor among thieves’. The Captain prefers to loot that which was stolen, and won’t have anything to do with the local lucrative slave trade. Still, he’s a great swashbuckler & swordsman and not above flouting the law. However, the good Captain has a secret- his hidden and forbidden love, his very unusual & lovely navigator (more would spoil it).

Loads of action, a forbidden love, swashbuckling swordfights, a fantastic scam, just a little magic, and plenty of salt air in your face- what more could a reader ask?

Pathfinder is better known for it’s complete and ‘go for 20 level’ base classes than it’s Prestige Classes. After all, the Archetypes make many PrC’s obsolete.

But here we have another thirty prestige classes for your use and reading pleasure. One I thought was great but might be a better base class is Noble Scion, which is Aristocrat done at a playable (but not power gamed) level.

Fun classes include the Mammoth Rider!

I have two quibbles- at least three of the PrC’s depend upon non-Core material, such as a feat found only in a sourcebook. The writers should have repeated the feat here. True, Core rulebook stuff doesn’t need to be, but this does. A more minor quibble is that some of these classes here are very region dependant.

A extra bonus is the table of where to find another three dozen Prestige classes, including some very basic info on each. Nice!

This is a small “fortune telling” deck of cards used for the Pathfinder RPG from Paizo.

I agree with many of the other reviewers here- the illustrations are fun, but not great and the packaging is useless.

Now, in many cases with a game “fortune telling deck” the cards are just re-worked tarot cards. Not so here. Each card has a different and unique design.

This deck can be used for other Roleplaying games, also.

Are you playing Rise of the Runelords or any of the other Pathfinder campaigns set in Varisia? Then you need this short but informative guide. Besides scads of interesting background info, it also has some new archetypes and traits. In fact one of the traits (which gives Perception as a class skill!) is pretty darn good. Thus, altho this book is mostly for background info, it is worthwhile for the player that is just more into designing and playing a powerful PC.

This does have some info which is duplicated in the original 3.5 Sandpoint book, but now fully updated to Pathfinder.

Mind you, every player doesn’t need a copy- but at least one player and the DM should have one.

This set of 54 cards was done specifically for the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path . They have a nicely done illustration of a important Non-Player-Character (“NPC”) on one side and then a name and brief description on the back, along with a blank area to add your own notes.

I find it hard keeping track of NPCs in games like this, and in this campaign they are actually pretty important. Useful!

These could also be used in other RP games as PC illustrations.

I was seriously blown away by the richness and depth of this module. Seriously, Creighton is missing his mark by writing RPG modules and should be doing Fantasy Fiction. (as some of you might know I am more of a book reviewer than a game reviewer.)
This Adventure is designed for four First level PCs.

Oh well, on to the module itself. We have 60+ pages of material here. The PC’s basically travel to a monastery, and are trapped there during a snowstorm. Not surprisingly, “all is not as it seems”. I am not going to give away spoilers, however.

What I liked here, besides the rich language and well thought-out background for this module, is the lay out. As we all know, some DM’s like to read the whole module, while others want to “wing it”. The writer here wisely adds a “Adventure Synopsis” so that the “wingers” can read just a couple of pages and jump right in. Also each section has synopsis and summary with how many eps and the loot. Nice. There’s also a couple of unique monsters and even a one-of-a-kind magic item which won’t break any DM’s campaign- although it certainly useful. I always like those.
A few small caveats: there is one encounter (you’ll know when you get there) which if the Players are “open the door and kill it” types, will likely result in a TPK. DM’s- know your players. While there are several not-too-difficult ways of defeating this monster besides bashing it, if your players are of the “hack & slash” school, you might want to change the encounter a bit or warn them.

The one way I’d play this different is due purely due to a “DM philosophy”. I think PC’s need to be leveled up to level 2 asap. I like a fast advancement up to level 5, then I slow things down so that they can savor the “sweet spot’ for a while. Thus, if I was running this, I’d level the PC’s up to level 2 right after Part 1, then to level 3 at the end of the module (especially if the players showed good roleplaying). Yes, maybe I might add a few HP to a few monsters due to this, sure. But that’s not a criticism of this module at all, Creighton wisely follows the rules with the eps.

Overall, this is very well done module, with several nights of good gaming fun, a decent amount of combat, investigations and RPing possibilities.

I give it ***** out of *****.

This is a fun and very well done supplement for the Pathfinder Roleplaying game. It is mostly world specific, designed to be used for the world of Golarion.

The book/supplement is very well laid out. First we have a totally spiffy and handy chart of the Deities, with Domains, favorites weapon, and etc. This is almost worth the price of admission all by itself. This includes the lesser known deities, too, which is nice.

Each of the better known deities is given a nice spread, with a fantastic illustration of that deity. There a even score of these. Plenty of roleplaying info is given here, with backgrounds, philosophies, and everything you need or want. It even explains why Shelyn is packing a glaive.

There's also some cool magic items and spells as bonus materials.

The price is a tad steep, but for what you get, I think it's well worth it. Mind you, I admit this could be a "one copy per table" purchase, every player doesn't need his very own copy.

This is a small (only 16 pages) guide to the world in which Pathfinder is set- the continent of Varisia, part of the world of Golarion.

It purports to be the guide to start the players out on "Rise of the Runelords" but it's a great guide for any who adventure in that world.

Sections on races and classes of Varisia, including a great chart on the local Deities , including Portfolios, Domains and even favored weapons.

There's also a handful of local weapons and other gear, including the Starknife and War-razor.

I also like the local feats, here included for a free background feat. In power, they are moe like "traits" than feats, but still they add a little local flavor and some roleplaying ideas, but also are somewhat useful.

There's great color maps of Sandpoint and Varisia, too.

All in all, this is a fantastic value for the price.

Wow! These little figures are far and away the best pre-painted figures I have even seen. The detail is quite amazing- Kyra's cloak even has the gold designs worked upon, to a unbelievable level of detail.

What you get here is four plastic (not hard but not soft, either. Slightly flexible, but can be broken under duress) figures of what is called 25MM scale but are actually a little larger. Their bases are sized for Pathfinder/D20/D&D. They would be perfect for any Fantasy Roleplaying game or just as little toys on their own (warning, not for little tots who could choke on them)

The price is very reasonable considering the quality. I also like the fact that there's no "mystery collectible sets"- what you see is what you get. The best figure is likely the cleric, but all four are amazingly detailed and painted.

For those of you who have kids who are into Fantasy gaming but aren't sure what to get them (the array of books & modules is bewildering, I admit!) this is a perfect present. You will be "the cool aunt/Grandparent" etc for sure.

This review is for Neca Wizkids Game - Pathfinder Beginner Minis 4-pack, by Paizo.