Into the folds of the primaeval, the savage, the mysterious, and the unknown...
The very first in a series of playtesting products regarding The Nymian Beastlands Campaign Setting, this guide shows Pathfinder Roleplaying Game players and Game Masters (respectfully called 'Storytellers' in this setting material) everything they need to begin the hard work of playtesting the upcoming material for an entirely new campaign setting. Along with a summary of the setting elements, a bunch of new playtest material is available in these pages. These new materials are fully compatible with your other core material, and can be used to get playtesters off on the right foot!
The Beastlands of Omarka await! Time to begin!
Product Availability
Fulfilled immediately.
Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at
store@paizo.com.
This product is 26 pages long. It starts with a cover, credits, and ToC. (2 1/2 pages)
Introduction (11 ½ pages)
The introduction talks about the setting and what to expect in the future. It should be noted this is a free players playtest guide for the future the setting. It has a few paragraphs about the people of Omarka, ecology, and mysteries of the setting. Next it gives a overview of the 7 planned books for the setting. A players guide, GM guide, 3 monster books, Races and Secrets book. With a rough timeline of when the books are planned to be released. It has a small section talking about what will or will not be OGL and why.
This is followed by talking about who the books are for, how you can use them. What good are they for people that play in homebrew campaigns and a section of how to use this with Golarion the Pathfinder world. They are asking for playtesters to help them out, there is a section on play testing and how to get involved in it and what they want from playtesters. There is 3 new feats, two are ok. One Lies within Lies was very clever and a very good feat.
Equipment (3 pages)
This section has a handful of new equipment to be found in the new setting. As well as a few new animal companions that fit the setting.
For some reason in the middle of the equipment chapter is one page of expected stats for monsters by CR, 3 pages of forms to fill out for playtesting. I honestly have no idea why they was put here instead of at the very end of the book. (3 pages)
Misc
The last section has a few new options in it. Two feats for lizardfolk, three feats for boggard/frogs, a Rakshasa Sorc Bloodline(I felt it was a bit strong), two new domains Juju(seemed inspired by Voodoo) and Ancestral Domain. Two new Subdomains Philosophy and Enlightenment.
It ends with a OGL.
Closing thoughts, There is 2 copies of this product, a color nice looking very pretty copy. The problem with it, is that it is laid out in 2 page format making it hard to print or read in PDF format. The artwork in the product is good. Then there is a black and white version that is in single page format. The final bit is the 3 forums for play testing separate in a fallible and saveable PDF format. I didn't notice any major errors and it was pretty well written. My on major problem with the product was layout. I just honestly is not laid out great. The part with the forms in the middle of the equipment chapter was the worse part but some of the rest could have been laid out better I think.
All the playtest forums and comments on what they want etc should have all been put at the back I feel. It would have made it much easier to read and would have made a more sense layout wise. This is a ambitious project and it sounds like it will be a interesting setting. Which seems to be a lost prehistoric world setting in a steamy jungle like environment. So I am curious to see what the company comes up with in the future. I think this is worth picking up. I mean it is free. If the idea of this appeals to you, you should jump on the playtesting and get some further material to help them playtest it out. I am giving it a 3.5 star review, it is free so I can forgive the layout a bit. For the finish product they need to work on that. I recommend checking it out though, you have nothing to lose.
I review stuff for anyone that asks me to and some that don't. I review a lot of the stuff I buy but not all and then I review most of the stuff companies give me, for purpose of a review. If I can't for some reason i let them know. So sure I will review your stuff as it comes out, but not promises on time on my reviews. I tend to be sporadic, I do a whole bunch for awhile then slack off for awhile, rinse repeat.
Mistress, is there any chance you got the reviewer copy of the new PP file through RPGnow? Email me at my krewehar email - xidoraven(a)krewehar(d)com if you didn't get it. ;)
-will
I'm going to be registering as a playtester as soon as I purchase your playtester packs, but I already have some questions regarding some of the feats in the Playtest Guide.
1. The Lizardfolk feat Whiptail requires that characters have a +1 BAB in order to even possess a detachable tail, much less use it in combat. That means that 1st level rogues, wizards, etc can't possibly start with one. Now, a detachable tail would be an inborn feature, right? I would suggest breaking the feat into two separate feats. The first would be Detachable Tail, which would just have the CON requirement, and provide only the detachable feature. The Whiptail feat would then have a DEX and/or BAB prerequisite, and would represent just learning how to use the tail in combat. Not only that, it gives players more options: just detachable tail, tail attack, or both.
2. Now, the Saurian Crest feat. I assume that your Saurians are elite-type lizardfold with Ceratopsian-style crests and horns. If so, having such a crest would also be an in-born feature
Sorry, using my phone to post. Okay, so why a +3 BAB requirement? If it's a birth feature, it should be available as at first level. Now, what you can do is make the gore attack a full-round action and give it a x1.5 STR bonus and maybe a bull rush component, then have an Improved Gore feat which requires a +3 BAB. The Improved Gore feat could reduce it to a standard action. I also don't understand the ability requirements. I would replace CON with STR to represent the difficulty of carrying around the extra weight. I would just remove the CHA requirement entirely.
3. Tengu Mimicry and Tengu Ditto: I know these have already been published, so you might not want to revisit them. However, I would suggest using Perception instead of Linguistics for the skill prerequisite if you're just copying sounds. If you're trying to imitate someone in a conversation, the prerequisite should be Bluff or Disguise. I would also suggest Tengu Mimicry a prerequisite for Tengu Ditto, leaving Tengu Ditto as an advanced usage of a general talent. Otherwise, the feats sort of duplicate each other.
4. Not having a Polynesian (I assume) background, the Taiaha is sort of hard to wrap my head around. It would be useful to have an illustration somewhere in the book of that weapon in use or make the description clearer.
Okay, that's it for right now. As soon as I get ahold of the other materials, I'll start doing some one-shot encounters for my group. Anyway, let me know if this has been helpful at all.
Craig
P.S. If you need any more contributors, I also do some freelance writing and design.
Craig, thanks for the insights - very much appreciated. I will make sure to have something ready for you the next time we release a Playtest Pack (PP) or other product - this is some very good feedback, and definitely worth my consideration and possible implementation in the final material. Since I will cover lizardfolk features once more in an upcoming PP, and saurians (a subtype race of reptilian humanoids, related to lizfolk) will be covered in Omarkan Ecologies I and II - so we will have a variety of PPs on them before then, as well.
I am excited about saurians in particular, but it's even more exciting to see someone taking the initiative and reviewing our initial playtester's guide for balance and practicality. You bring up some very good points I can take into account. I will also keep you in mind for freelancing, if I can afford to take you on soon. I am trying to go for making some funds for freelance artists (and personally writing) right now - but we will see how far I can make this work for us. So far, so good - we are getting out of the grimey beginning spot, and beginning to get into the good stuff.
I also look forward to releasing a separate product line, beginning with the release of 'Hinduism and a Pantheon of India' - an advanced gaming concepts line called Farseeker, some of which will be directly helpful in analyzing some of the more exotic and conceptual parts of The Nymian Beastlands setting.
Take care, Craig - and best wishes to you and yours.
-will
OK, my apologies in advance should this be thread necromancy but I am going to be looking back at what I already have and have enjoyed for this setting with an eye on adding some elements to it if that is not too much trouble. One question I have right now is the over all climate. Is this a tropical or warm place or are there a range of climates. I only ask because I am wondering if it snows anywhere in the beastlands? Also, would there be room for a bear race? There are two races from 4 Winds Fantasy's Tome of Monsters I might want to use with this both of which being anthro animal races with the one being the goat folk and the other being the bear folk whose name escapes me right now. As a GM and part of the furry community at large I see the Nymian Beastlands as a potential opportunity to get more of my fellow furs interested in gaming. A gate way if you will in which folks can play the persona that they have made for themselves in a fantasy setting.
