Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Magnimar, City of Monuments

There's a single more half-elf in Magnimar, yet three more represented.

I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm not angry at the developers or anything... sometimes that just happens, especially with races not typically in positions of power.

It sounds like the people who want to see more half-elves and half-orcs need to lead some kind of rebellion.

Dark_Mistress wrote:

graywulfe wrote:

The Pathfinder Society is not a do-gooders league. They are Treasure Hunters. They steal the treasures and artifacts of other people and shove them in a giant warehouse for "safe-keeping".

Like Warehouse 13, I hope they have their own Claudia. :)

Considering some of the stuff floating around Golarion, it's a wonder they haven't gone full-tilt into SCP Foundation territory by now.

Who is to say they haven't? Or soon won't? I've only played a handfull of PFS scenarios, but I know of at least one where the mission is to round up some cursed items to get them out of the wrong hands (back to their original caretaker). I can easily see a scenario based on something in the warehouse getting loose, or being stolen and used for ill, and the party has to recover a previously held creature/item/entity for "safekeeping". In fact, it sounds like fun!

I put up a review of this book. :)

Kaer Maga: ~8,000 population, 400 half-orcs (5% of total), 4 half-orc NPCs mentioned (City of Secrets)

Magnimar: ~16,000 population, 160 half-orcs (1% of total), 0 half-orc NPCs mentioned (City of Monuments)

One or two mentioned NPCs might have been appropriate, but really, James's point is supported by the numbers here.

Yeah these numbers make sense.

Kaer Maga is pretty close to Belkzen, Orcland, and the city North of it is a kind of half-orcish city.

Magnimar is pretty far off yet not far enough for the orcish blooded not to have a really bad reputation.

That and the Magnimarians get called out for prejudice against the Shoanti. Even a badly behaved Shoanti is analogous to a half-Orc from Belkzen or the Cinderlands North of Kaer Maga. These people are good but I got the feeling they are also pretty snobby towards anything even remotely "uncivilized", not Cheliax snobby but still.

Kaer Maga: ~8,000 population, 400 half-orcs (5% of total), 4 half-orc NPCs mentioned (City of Secrets)

Magnimar: ~16,000 population, 160 half-orcs (1% of total), 0 half-orc NPCs mentioned (City of Monuments)

One or two mentioned NPCs might have been appropriate, but really, James's point is supported by the numbers here.

It might also be worth remembering that Kaer Maga is hardly a typical city, and comparisons between it and pretty much any other city in the Inner Sea region will look skewed anyway.

Not only is Kaer Maga close to Belkzen... it's also a monster city, not a human city. There are nagas and trolls and stranger folks rubbing shoulders in the streets of the city, after all.

Magnimar has half-orcs living in it, but they're not a major factor in the city at all, and therefore I felt no need to include any in important roles in the city.

Mikaze wrote:

Dark_Mistress wrote:

graywulfe wrote:

The Pathfinder Society is not a do-gooders league. They are Treasure Hunters. They steal the treasures and artifacts of other people and shove them in a giant warehouse for "safe-keeping".

Like Warehouse 13, I hope they have their own Claudia. :)

Considering some of the stuff floating around Golarion, it's a wonder they haven't gone full-tilt into SCP Foundation territory by now.

Who is to say they haven't? Or soon won't? I've only played a handfull of PFS scenarios, but I know of at least one where the mission is to round up some cursed items to get them out of the wrong hands (back to their original caretaker). I can easily see a scenario based on something in the warehouse getting loose, or being stolen and used for ill, and the party has to recover a previously held creature/item/entity for "safekeeping". In fact, it sounds like fun!

Man, Warehouse 13 would make a pretty awesome campaign come to think of it...

This is a fantastic book. Tons of cool nuggets of adventuring goodness spread throughout. I don't know about you, but the Irespan pilings just scream adventure to me.

I love the book. I so bloody wish I could time-travel with it to 2008 when I ran Skinsaw Murders, but still. It rocks my socks. Expect a review soon!

Also, I absolutely adore the format. This is how city sourcebooks should be laid out. THIS. This is what was missing from Kaer Maga book.

Now please make a book for Westcrown like this.

I love the book. I so bloody wish I could time-travel with it to 2008 when I ran Skinsaw Murders, but still. It rocks my socks. Expect a review soon!

Yes,

I don't want to provide spoilers, but it illuminates quite a bit. I would have portrayed things quite a bit differently. Right up to and including the section of the city without the "secret stuff".

If you're gonna run Runelords (and presumably Shattered Star) this will be a very a helpful book, while not being essential.

Well... if it's one thing we've heard loud and clear, it's that folks like maps in these campaign setting books.

I really like the way you did the various district maps - guide to korvosa was one of my first paizo purchases and the approach there really stayed with me. What's gone by the wayside since then (which I miss, personally) is the detachable map insert. I'd love it if they were to return to the city guides.

In my opinion, a full poster map is too much, but a smaller (say A3) sized map of the city overall would have been awesome.

EDIT: I realize "return" might be overstating the case, but I'd like to see them in campaign guide sourcebooks focussed on individual cities, anyhow.

Turns out that the 64 page books land in a weird phantom zone of profitibility between 32 pagers and 96 pagers... as a result, poster maps are difficult to include, which is one reason why we're doing poster maps of cities and the like in our Map Folio Line. There'll be a poster map of Magnimar in the Shattered Star map folio, I believe.

I figured there'd be a good reason.

The inclusion in a map folio is a decent solution, although I personally find the full poster maps of the folios a little unwieldy at the table. For a city, I prefer a map the size of the one in the guide to korvosa. (I appreciate life isn't always perfect though - this is still a terrific book and I'll be glad to pick up a poster map too).

This is one of the best city books, IMO. The formatting and the maps are great. I've had characters in Magnimar, in PBPs, but having read, literally, *nothing* about the city, it was never anything to me but a featureless 'city.'

I'm particularly fond of how many ideas I see in the city, and think, 'We were just talking about that on the messageboards!' The gnome dude with 7 levels in 5 different classes? New Empyreal lords? Signs of active worldly involvement from celestials (both in the city's past, and, through the monuments, present)? Mention of human ethnicity in parenthetical short descriptions? Coolness.

I am amused that, on p. 17, Sir Aeryn Darvengian is a 4th level
'rouge.' I kinda wish my spellcheck software would allow me to *remove* words from the dictionary, such as rouge, so if it appears in something I write, spellcheck would flag it so that I could verify if I actually meant to type 'rouge' instead of 'rogue.'

I also wonder what Sir Aeryn and his friends eat and breathe, and other science facts.

Ok I have a question comment about this book. About where is Heidmarch Manor, the Pathfinder lodge from Seeker of the Secrets book located in Naos? I admit I was a little disappointed it wasn't listed as one of the locations there. Either way a rough location from the Naos map section would be nice, if someone at Paizo could let us know. :)

Ok I have a question comment about this book. About where is Heidmarch Manor, the Pathfinder lodge from Seeker of the Secrets book located in Naos? I admit I was a little disappointed it wasn't listed as one of the locations there. Either way a rough location from the Naos map section would be nice, if someone at Paizo could let us know. :)

It's not in Naos. It's in the Alabaster District.

Ok I have a question comment about this book. About where is Heidmarch Manor, the Pathfinder lodge from Seeker of the Secrets book located in Naos? I admit I was a little disappointed it wasn't listed as one of the locations there. Either way a rough location from the Naos map section would be nice, if someone at Paizo could let us know. :)

Yeah...

Unfortunately, the information about Heidmarch Manor in Seekers of Secrets is relatively riddled with errors, including the fact that the map of the manor was accidentally based on Magnimar's zoo.

A corrected version of Heidmarch Manor appears in the upcoming Shattered Star Player's Guide.

The manor is indeed in Alabaster District, on the edge between that and Naos. In particular, Heidmarch Manor is location A12, and is detailed on page 9 of the book.

Dark_Mistress wrote:

Ok I have a question comment about this book. About where is Heidmarch Manor, the Pathfinder lodge from Seeker of the Secrets book located in Naos? I admit I was a little disappointed it wasn't listed as one of the locations there. Either way a rough location from the Naos map section would be nice, if someone at Paizo could let us know. :)

It's not in Naos. It's in the Alabaster District.

Ah ok they changed it's location then. In Seekers of Seekers book it says the Manor house was in the Naos district(page 32 for those curious).

Edit: Posted while James was posting.

Dark_Mistress wrote:

Ok I have a question comment about this book. About where is Heidmarch Manor, the Pathfinder lodge from Seeker of the Secrets book located in Naos? I admit I was a little disappointed it wasn't listed as one of the locations there. Either way a rough location from the Naos map section would be nice, if someone at Paizo could let us know. :)

Yeah...

Unfortunately, the information about Heidmarch Manor in Seekers of Secrets is relatively riddled with errors, including the fact that the map of the manor was accidentally based on Magnimar's zoo.

A corrected version of Heidmarch Manor appears in the upcoming Shattered Star Player's Guide.

The manor is indeed in Alabaster District, on the edge between that and Naos. In particular, Heidmarch Manor is location A12, and is detailed on page 9 of the book.

Ah ok no worries, was just wondering, in my current game one of the PC's wants to join the Pathfinders and plans to travel to Magnimar to talk to the Pathfinders there. The PC's are currently in Sandpoint and I was using the Seeker of Secrets book up till now. So i cracked this book finally this week and couldn't find it in Naos.

Just checked and found it in the book. Now that I know where to look for it. :)

Very cool about it showing up again in Shattered Star Player's Guide, any chance we can see that soon, before the first AP ships in a couple of weeks? Pretty please? :)

Very cool about it showing up again in Shattered Star Player's Guide, any chance we can see that soon, before the first AP ships in a couple of weeks? Pretty please? :)

There is a very good chance of getting the Player's Guide in the next couple of weeks. :)

Yes yes i know I was asking to see it sooner. I will have the first AP by then silly. As in maybe next week. :)

The gnome dude with 7 levels in 5 different classes

I love that guy, though it does demonstrate why they can't give the text-space required for such gnomes more often. :)

Oh sweet spell list of Alaznist, that guy must take forever managing his spells.

I'm sure from day to day Billiver doesn't manage his spells that well. One day he might forget to pray for spells or memorize spells or prepare extracts. Silly scatterbrained gnome.

[...] Unfortunately, the information about Heidmarch Manor in Seekers of Secrets is relatively riddled with errors, including the fact that the map of the manor was accidentally based on Magnimar's zoo. [...]

On the surface, it's just your typical lowly zoo, but in reality, it's the home base of a extensively trained Penguin Pathfinder Strike Force ...

Review posted. Still lovin'.

I read the book yesterday (got it on friday), and I think it is very well written and gives a good impression of the city. In general, I would love to see more artwork depicting places (be they cities or buildings), as these give an impression to the players. There are some good depictions inside this book.

The maps of the quarters are a good thing, but I have a minor gripe with them: the way they are presented, with the main roads as borders, it is somewhat difficult to get a feeling just what these roads look like. If you want to describe them, you have to reference two chapters. As these main roads are probably those the PCs walk along, this could be a little awkward.

Some questions: Is the cliff face that divides the city of a universal height throughout, or does its height vary? If I get that right, there are two ways to climb the cliff, one beside the Irespan and one inside the Arvensoar? The description of the Arvensoar seems to indicate that the cliff is about 300 feet high. Is that right?

I just had a look at the old map of Magnimar. I´m not sure which one I like better, but I´m leaning towards the old style. I just like the way the graphics are made, it feels somehow more real to me.

Also, I absolutely adore the format. This is how city sourcebooks should be laid out. THIS. This is what was missing from Kaer Maga book.

Now please make a book for Westcrown like this.

+1! Yes!

Some questions: Is the cliff face that divides the city of a universal height throughout, or does its height vary? If I get that right, there are two ways to climb the cliff, one beside the Irespan and one inside the Arvensoar? The description of the Arvensoar seems to indicate that the cliff is about 300 feet high. Is that right?

The cliff varies in height, but it's mostly about 300 feet high for the bulk of its run. It's pretty significant in size! :P

Stebehil wrote:

Some questions: Is the cliff face that divides the city of a universal height throughout, or does its height vary? If I get that right, there are two ways to climb the cliff, one beside the Irespan and one inside the Arvensoar? The description of the Arvensoar seems to indicate that the cliff is about 300 feet high. Is that right?

The cliff varies in height, but it's mostly about 300 feet high for the bulk of its run. It's pretty significant in size! :P

Thanks for the fast answer! 300 feet ~ 90 meters, or as high as a tall church tower (the Washington National Cathedral is 301 ft. high, the Dresden Frauenkirche is about the same.). This is indeed significant.

Isn´t it, like, middle of the night in Seattle?

Hey, any chance of getting the order of the pilings? They are listed in alphabetical order, and I can't find where it says which is actually which on the maps.

James Jacobs wrote:

Stebehil wrote:

Some questions: Is the cliff face that divides the city of a universal height throughout, or does its height vary? If I get that right, there are two ways to climb the cliff, one beside the Irespan and one inside the Arvensoar? The description of the Arvensoar seems to indicate that the cliff is about 300 feet high. Is that right?

The cliff varies in height, but it's mostly about 300 feet high for the bulk of its run. It's pretty significant in size! :P

Thanks for the fast answer! 300 feet ~ 90 meters, or as high as a tall church tower (the Washington National Cathedral is 301 ft. high, the Dresden Frauenkirche is about the same.). This is indeed significant.

Isn´t it, like, middle of the night in Seattle?

Yup.

I don't normally go to sleep till about 2:00 or thereabouts anyway though.

Hey, any chance of getting the order of the pilings? They are listed in alphabetical order, and I can't find where it says which is actually which on the maps.

Ugh... yeah, that's a case where the editors did go ahead and alphabetize something that made more sense non-alphabetized. There's a few of the pilings that are called out in the Underbridge section, but that only covers four of the pilings.

SO!

Here's the pattern of the pilings.

Irespan edge against Magnimar
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
Varisian Gulf

Piling Key:
1: The Harpy
2: The Gecko
3: The Rat
4: The Gull
5: The Salmon
6: The Whale
7: The Osprey
8: The Firepelt
9: The Shark
10: The Crow

I'm 100% sure about pilings 1–4 and 10. I'm 96% sure about the rest.

I just got this, and it reminded me of one of my complaints about the line: there's no way to find anything in there. I keep turning to the back to find the index, and there's no index. Likewise, the table of contents has three items, which barely counts. Without taking away from other content, the ad on the back page could be replaced with a workable index. The table of contents could be made two-column and doubled in size (which would be at least a start) or made quite a bit larger by squeezing everything else on the page.

It sounds like the people who want to see more half-elves and half-orcs need to lead some kind of rebellion.

Eh. My Korvosa is 5% kobold and 5% ratfolk. I say that, add a few NPCs, and sketch out a region of Old Korvosa where they live, and I'm done, no need to rebel. As I'm running the Curse of the Crimson Throne and updating to Pathfinder I'll change a few races, too. I can't imagine running a world and not making it my own in some way.

Seems like the magnimar noble ladies like ..ermm.. elf-friends. Not just the kajitsu, but im pretty sure i noted another family aswell with a half-elf bastard :p

Makes one wonder, is it the same elf guy seducing the ladies in town?

Seems like the magnimar noble ladies like ..ermm.. elf-friends. Not just the kajitsu, but im pretty sure i noted another family aswell with a half-elf bastard :p

Makes one wonder, is it the same elf guy seducing the ladies in town?

He stops by every 25 years or so, long enough for the rumors to have faded from memory, and seduces another fine lady. He hopes, after a few centuries, to have notched each of the highbred families of Magnimar on his belt, but they keep adding new ones, faster than he can keep up!

ikki3520 wrote:

Seems like the magnimar noble ladies like ..ermm.. elf-friends. Not just the kajitsu, but im pretty sure i noted another family aswell with a half-elf bastard :p

Makes one wonder, is it the same elf guy seducing the ladies in town?

He stops by every 25 years or so, long enough for the rumors to have faded from memory, and seduces another fine lady. He hopes, after a few centuries, to have notched each of the highbred families of Magnimar on his belt, but they keep adding new ones, faster than he can keep up!

That actually sounds like it should be a bit of campaign background color. Reminds me of the Forgotten Realms, Cormyr, and King "Anything Female and Breathing" Azoun.

such a character could prove a nice challenge in a more diplomatic oriented adventure

What are the monsters in this book? + small discription if possible!

Thanks!

Angelic Guardian CR 5 medium construct made of metal in the form of an angel, serving as a decorative 'gargoyle' or protective guards for the wealthy. Can attack or shield others with it's metallic razor-edged wings.

Swamp Barracuda CR 2 medium sized fish, seen before, in Second Darkness, but now with PF stats.

Shriezyx CR 4 aberration like a three-eyed medium spider that envenom's it's webbing with its numbing toxin.

Vydrarch CR 14 gargantuan magical fish-beastie, part of the local legends, this great beast was slain by the city's founder, it's covered with venomous spines and surrounds itself with a veil of fog. While thought a unique beast, rumor suggests that more of them may yet exist.

Yamah CR 5 butterfly winged medium azata with a starknife and hair like starry-night sky. Apart from that, apparently nothing to do with Desna. (0.o) No interest in astrological portents, safeguarding travellers, defending Varisians, dreams stuff or resisting slavers / tyrants / mind-control types, just some Pharasman-sounding 'hates undead / necromancy' stuff.

Mixed in with the 'beasties' are full-page stat blocks for NPCs found on the encounter tables, such as a CR 4 Aspis Agent (Bard 5), a CR 1/3 City Guard (Warrior 2), a CR 4 City Watch Captain (Fighter 5), a CR 2 Mystery Cultist (Cleric of Ashava 3), a CR 5 Night Scale Assassin (Rogue 5 / Assassin 1), a CR 1 Sczarni Thug (Rogue 2), a CR 2 Shifty Noble (Aristocrat 2 / Rogue 1) and a CR 2 Shoanti Gladiator (Barbarian 3).

Yamah CR 5 butterfly winged medium azata with a starknife and hair like starry-night sky. Apart from that, apparently nothing to do with Desna. (0.o) No interest in astrological portents, safeguarding travellers, defending Varisians, dreams stuff or resisting slavers / tyrants / mind-control types, just some Pharasman-sounding 'hates undead / necromancy' stuff.

A much nicer and more loving Pharasma at least. ;) The Empyreal Lord they're tied into, Ashava the True Spark, is detailed like a very cool alternative to Pharasma, especially with her much gentler attitude towards undead(or at the very least ghosts and other "lonely, lost spirits"). From her description, it sounds like she gathers them up and gives them some form of solace that actually bypasses Pharasma's judgment. Very interesting stuff to work with there.

The butterfly wings do scream Desna though. I'm playing around with changing that one detail(while keeping the rest of their appearance as-is) to something more...ghostly-ish-esque.

This is going to sound like a weird detail to point out, but I love that they have no protruding noses, just the nostrils. Very alien and cool, especially added with the eyes. Like angelic "greys"....oh snap, just found the Desna connection again. :D

Also, so want an art deco clockwork temple of Brigh with angelic guardians built right into the architecture. Like carytid columns with Archangel wings.

Maybe it could be a wing of the Golemworks...

Also, so want an art deco clockwork temple of Brigh with angelic guardians built right into the architecture. Like carytid columns with Archangel wings.

Maybe it could be a wing of the Golemworks...

Have you been listening to Clockwork Angels by any chance?

I just got this, and it reminded me of one of my complaints about the line: there's no way to find anything in there. I keep turning to the back to find the index, and there's no index.

This has been bothering me too. I love the book, but it's hard to find things.

It's laid out as though I know where my PCs are and want to describe what's immediately around them, which isn't usually why I'm using a book like this. I usually need to find a specific building or they're searching for a specific type of business.

I know that indexes suck up editing time, but I'd cheerfully trade any two stat block pages from the back for an index (or a list of buildings by their function with location, which would be awesome).

Cheers!
Landon

On the first page, it says the Varisians convinced Ordellia to move what would become the district named after her South of the river. It is down on the map... but what with North being left, shouldn't the text read that Ordellia is West of the rest of the city?

On the first page, it says the Varisians convinced Ordellia to move what would become the district named after her South of the river. It is down on the map... but what with North being left, shouldn't the text read that Ordellia is West of the rest of the city?

Yup; should be west.

Reason #58,304 why I hate it when maps are drawn with north not facing toward the top of the page.

Good book but would definitely benefit from a larger map - at least A3 in size. Could not a hi-res map be made available as a PDF download so that GMs could print at the size they prefer?