Pathfinder Chronicles: Dark Markets—A Guide to Katapesh (OGL)

(BTW, James, it's nice that you guys placed 'Castle Odranto' in Ustalav... a great way to give a nod towards Walpole's gothic horror classic!)

That's all Wes. Ustalav is his pet country, and he did a GREAT job setting the place up so that it covers all of the classic sub-genres of horror. Good stuff!

Asgetrion wrote:

(BTW, James, it's nice that you guys placed 'Castle Odranto' in Ustalav... a great way to give a nod towards Walpole's gothic horror classic!)

That's all Wes. Ustalav is his pet country, and he did a GREAT job setting the place up so that it covers all of the classic sub-genres of horror. Good stuff!

No argument there -- please tell Wes that he *is* great! :) I hope to see more info on Ustalav in the future (and I just can't wait to run 'Carrion Hill'!). Yet it's not just Ustalav -- all of Golarion is made of good stuff! I've been a long-time FR fan (ever since it came out), and now I'm seeing that same kind of depth and love and attention to detail in Golarion... and last year I thought about switching to Hero or RuneQuest or GURPS, because I felt so tired about running 3E and didn't really like what I heard about 4E (and I felt so angry at the changes in 4E FR). Now I'm running a Beta campaign, and you guys have made me more excited about D&D than I've been since 3E originally came out, or when I first read the FR 'Grey Boxed Set' years and years ago! :)

I'm also planning to run 'Howl of the Carrion King' (and, naturally, the rest of the modules in the AP) as soon as my FLGS has received it -- and I have never liked running adventures in "desert" environment (in fact, I thought I never would). Maybe it's the top-notch art and graphic design in Paizo products? Maybe it's the 'Mona Factor'? Maybe it's that extra effort you guys always seem to put into your work?

Anyway, you guys listen to your fans and their wishes, and actually *communicate* with them, providing what they want to see published.
As I looked at the list of the upcoming products, I thought: "Wow... 'Cities of Golarion', 'Dwarves of Golarion' with stronghold maps and all, 'Cheliax', 'Bastards of Erebus' AP, 'Dungeon Denizens Revisited', 'Classic Horrors Revisited', 'City Map Folio' that contains "Valerie Valusek-style" bird's eye view maps, 'Andoran', 'Taldor' ... looks like I'm going to be a *very* happy Golarion DM (but seriously in debt) by the end of the year!". :)

So, keep up the good work, guys -- you've certainly hooked me (and several fellow DMs I know in RL) for Paizo goodness :)

Does anyone know if there's a picture of the pactmasters or an alluum in this?

Does anyone know if there's a picture of the pactmasters or an alluum in this?

There are both.

Is there any way the PDF version could be released before the April sale ends?

King in Yellow wrote:

Does anyone know if there's a picture of the pactmasters or an alluum in this?

There are both.

And both look freakin' cool!

Is there any way the PDF version could be released before the April sale ends?

Sorry—our PDF on-sale dates are tied to the retail release dates.

This will be the first Pathfinder item I'll be buying as I need something like this for my arabian campaign.

This will be the first Pathfinder item I'll be buying as I need something like this for my arabian campaign.

You could also take a look at Osirion, too, and the Legacy of Fire AP.

While I've loved this book so far, is it just me, or has the editing been a little...poor. I've already found two errors in the book.

You could also take a look at Osirion, too, and the Legacy of Fire AP.

Thanks, I will!

While I've loved this book so far, is it just me, or has the editing been a little...poor. I've already found two errors in the book.

It's all about an acceptable level of accuracy vs. time invested.

Aberzombie wrote:

While I've loved this book so far, is it just me, or has the editing been a little...poor. I've already found two errors in the book.

It's all about an acceptable level of accuracy vs. time invested.

Thank you for those words. I would rather see more 99% accuracy than less 100%...

Aberzombie wrote:

While I've loved this book so far, is it just me, or has the editing been a little...poor. I've already found two errors in the book.

It's all about an acceptable level of accuracy vs. time invested.

Believe me, as someone who does periodically write and review (and endlessly revise) multipage documents, I can sympathize. And your journal entry is dead on. On the whole, I've found Paizo products to be among the best edited books around.

It's just that these two errors surprised me. I don't have the book right in front of me, but (if I remember correctly) two different characters were referred to by different names at different spots in the book. And by different I mean not a simple spelling error.

When I get home today, I'll try to remember to look them up and post which ones.

When I get home today, I'll try to remember to look them up and post which ones.

As promised:

The Andoran anti-slavery group is referred to as both the Steel Falcons (Pg 40 Entry #32 - The Slave Block) and the Steel Raptors (Pg 45 Entry # 51 - Castle Clarion). No biggie, but I'd love some clarification. I'm thinking I noticed Steel Falcons used in one other location, so I guess that's the correct name...

The other was a bit more confusing - On page 21 the temple of Abadar seems to be referred to as the Temple of Measured Weights, overseen by a Garundi priest named Aakif Ashad. On page 29, however, under entry #1 for the city guide, the temple is called The Immaculate Repository, overseen by a Garundi priest named Jalal Abdul-Abadar.

Ahhh.

It should be Steel Falcons.

As for the Abadaran priest, I'm a little baffled. The text turnover from both designers lists Aakif Ashad. The developed files i put on the server both refer to Aakif Ashad. None of the files refer to anyone named Abdul; yet there he is in the final PDF and the print copy! I blame gremlins. The names on page 21 (Aakif, ToMW) are correct.

Ahhh.

It should be Steel Falcons.

As for the Abadaran priest, I'm a little baffled. The text turnover from both designers lists Aakif Ashad. The developed files i put on the server both refer to Aakif Ashad. None of the files refer to anyone named Abdul; yet there he is in the final PDF and the print copy! I blame gremlins. The names on page 21 (Aakif, ToMW) are correct.

Thanks for the clarifications Sean. When I first came across them, I thought for a second I was going crazy.

G!$$#+n gremlins!

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

Ahhh.

It should be Steel Falcons.

As for the Abadaran priest, I'm a little baffled. The text turnover from both designers lists Aakif Ashad. The developed files i put on the server both refer to Aakif Ashad. None of the files refer to anyone named Abdul; yet there he is in the final PDF and the print copy! I blame gremlins. The names on page 21 (Aakif, ToMW) are correct.

Thanks for the clarifications Sean. When I first came across them, I thought for a second I was going crazy.

G&%!&#n gremlins!

Going Crazy?!? WTF?!? Who said that you were GOING? I figured that you were already there!

Aberzombie wrote:

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

Ahhh.

It should be Steel Falcons.

As for the Abadaran priest, I'm a little baffled. The text turnover from both designers lists Aakif Ashad. The developed files i put on the server both refer to Aakif Ashad. None of the files refer to anyone named Abdul; yet there he is in the final PDF and the print copy! I blame gremlins. The names on page 21 (Aakif, ToMW) are correct.

Thanks for the clarifications Sean. When I first came across them, I thought for a second I was going crazy.

G$#*@$n gremlins!

Going Crazy?!? WTF?!? Who said that you were GOING? I figured that you were already there!

Hmmm....you've got a point.

Since Amber and I compared notes like maybe ONCE during the whole writing process, I'm blown away at how well the editors took our two sections (she wrote about the country, I wrote about the city) and meshed them together so seamlessly. Well done!
That Steel Raptors thing bothered me too. I just got my print copy yesterday. I wondered if I had really made that error. I'll have to dig up my draft and see....

Just out of curiosity - Why camelopard?

Are you just trying to see how many people recognize the animal in question?

Props for the dhabba. Was it inspired by the "dhabi" mentioned in Bushnaq? I was going to write that critter up at some point.

I started reading my copied this weekend. I love it.
thank everyone for all the hard work to make a great product.

Just out of curiosity - Why camelopard?

Are you just trying to see how many people recognize the animal in question?

Not at all, I just loved the name. It's so fun to say and I thought it sounded kinda cool and mysterious. I would have been fine if it got changed, but it didn't, and that makes me happy. :)

And yeah, writing this book coincided with a particularly difficult time during my life and I WAY underestimated the committment. But I put my nose to the goblin grindstone, or some other humorously mixed metaphor, and I love the finished product.

-Amber S.

Where is Okeno? It's not on the big map inside the front cover.

Where is Okeno? It's not on the big map inside the front cover.

Okeno is the island country northwest of Katapesh in the Obari Ocean; check the PCCS poster map and you can't miss it. :)

Aha! Thanks! :)

Curious -does the book list the identities of the Pactmasters in terms of race, class, and level? What is the highest level of a listed NPC? Second highest?

Names, and their race, but that's it. (Hint: their race is statted out in Pathfinder #14.)

Thanks. I assumed their race upon first reading of them, but it is nice to know confirmation exists.

What about the level of the highest NPC? I'm curious as to the relative power level of Katapesh, especially after lucky Faoud's fluff implied epic, or near epic, stats, but was somehow paired with CR 6 stats... so I'm curious as to the upper tier of power (level-wise) of listed NPCs.

Thanks. I assumed their race upon first reading of them, but it is nice to know confirmation exists.

What about the level of the highest NPC? I'm curious as to the relative power level of Katapesh, especially after lucky Faoud's fluff implied epic, or near epic, stats, but was somehow paired with CR 6 stats... so I'm curious as to the upper tier of power (level-wise) of listed NPCs.

From other posts, I believe this is deliberately left vague, so you can tailor it to your group and your campaign :)

Overall we try to avoid going WAHOO on NPC levels in towns. IIRC the highest-level NPC listed in the book is a Ftr9, the head of the gladiator's guild.

Overall we try to avoid going WAHOO on NPC levels in towns. IIRC the highest-level NPC listed in the book is a Ftr9, the head of the gladiator's guild.

No Balddudes in Katapesh? C'mon... ;P

I'm kind of divided on the issue... I (both as a player and DM) like that there are high-level NPCs in the setting. It's more realistic and occasionally a high-level NPC villain or ally sets the mood "right", even if he did momentarily "steal the PCs' thunder" or make them flee. On the other hand, I can understand the reasons for not doing it.

Overall we try to avoid going WAHOO on NPC levels in towns. IIRC the highest-level NPC listed in the book is a Ftr9, the head of the gladiator's guild.

Fighter 10, actually.

Well, I did say "IIRC" (if I recall corectly). Clearly, I didn't RC. :)

Well, I did say "IIRC" (if I recall corectly). Clearly, I didn't RC. :)

Ooooo, the developer doesn't remember exactly what stats one NPC in the book doesn't have, months after he probably worked on it. I'm telling! :)

*nervous whisper* "He knows!"

*nervous whisper* "He knows!"

"You know, for a paltry sum, a few of my henchmen could eliminate him for you..."

This is the best of the Chronicles sourcebooks so far. A lot more focus has been put into how this would be used in a campaign, with care to have plot hooks, adventure seeds and interesting NPCs all throughout the text.

Also there is a bit more 'game' in the book, with a prestige class, some new feats and spells, and some other game rules related to pesh.

In all, even though initially the subject was perhaps less interesting to me than some of the other sourcebooks, this is the one I think is best executed. I really hope future books follow this example.

According to AP #22 'The Jackal's Price', one of the characters has a piece of gear entitled 'Pactmaster's Favor' and refers to this Chronicle. I could find no reference the this gear item anywhere in the publication. Could someone point me to this information?

Thanks.

-Pel

Here.

The Search box, when you limit it to the Messageboards only, makes finding stuff like that fairly easy.

Either I am blind, of the number for location #11 (Jerikal's Ale) is missing from the Map of the City of Katapesh. Can anyone help?

I'll ask Steve, as I'm also having a hard time finding it on his original map turnover.

Steve was able to find the original tag for #11 on his turnover; it very nearly blended in with the other buildings there, and the tag didn't make it onto the final map. On the printed map, it's the little building directly southwest of #7 in the Dock District (not the building southeast of the #10 tag, the building southeast of that).

Ya gotta love Steve!

Steve was able to find the original tag for #11 on his turnover; it very nearly blended in with the other buildings there, and the tag didn't make it onto the final map. On the printed map, it's the little building directly southwest of #7 in the Dock District (not the building southeast of the #10 tag, the building southeast of that).

Thanks!

The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting on page 87: "The most influential temple in Katapesh is the Immaculate Repository, where the clergy of Abadar - under the leadership of Master of the Vault Jalal Abdul-Abadar- offer banking..."
That must be where the name comes from, even though the Guide to Katapesh (page 21) lists Aakif Ashad oversseing "The Temple of Measured Weights."
I don't mind the conflicting info., though; I can use both names for NPCs with different duties within the temple of Abadar.

The one discrepancy that bothered me in the Guide to Katapesh is the different location of White Canyon on the inside-cover map from the map on page 52 in Legacy of Fire: House of the Beast. Are there two White Canyons? Does White Canyon run from the mountains north of Solku all the way to the east of Pale Mountain? Is it just a simliar terrain feature, like the layers in the Grand Canyon?

Actually, one solution might be to make TWO White Canyons (sort of how the Grand Canyon has many branches). This would be GREAT if you wanted to mess with a wizard casting teleport!

The one discrepancy that bothered me in the Guide to Katapesh is the different location of White Canyon on the inside-cover map from the map on page 52 in Legacy of Fire: House of the Beast. Are there two White Canyons?

Ha! Interesting. Short answer. Yes. Longer answer: Looks like. The two books were written by different authors and developed by different people at the same time. That something minor like this eked through isn't really surprising, though it also isn't really a problem. I mean, I live on Cherry street and a friend of mine lives on a different Cherry street 30 miles east. Things getting named the same thing - both in the real world and Golarion.

Question: what is a greater ghul's challenge rating? It doesn't seem to be listed.