For nearly 5,000 years, the great city of Absalom has stood at the center of the Inner Sea region's culture, commerce, and prophecy. Now, after the death of its founder-god Aroden, the disappearance of its lord mayor, and new attacks from some of its greatest foes, Absalom stands at the crossroads of a new and uncertain destiny!
This lore-packed 400-page guide presents a fascinating locale suitable for years of Pathfinder adventures! A huge poster map of the city, more than 250 locations, and more than 400 interconnected NPCs set the scene in unprecedented detail, beckoning your characters to walk upon streets paved with centuries of history. Follow in the footsteps of generations of questing heroes to chart a new path for the City at the Center of the World!
Written by:
Allie Bustion, John Compton, Jeremy Corff, Katina Davis, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Virginia Jordan, Erik Mona, Matt Morris, Liane Merciel, Dave Nelson, Samantha Phelan, Jessica Redekop, Mikhail Rekun, Brian Richmond, David N. Ross, Simone D. Sallé, Shahreena Shahrani, Abigail Slater, Chris Spivey, Diego Valdez, and Skylar-James Wall
Content Warning: While Absalom, City of Lost Omens contains a great deal of content suitable for everyone, it also presents themes of slavery, ableism, body horror, and human experimentation. Before you use this material in a campaign, understand that player consent (including that of the Game Master) is vital to a safe and fun play experience for everyone. Talk with your players before using these themes at the table and modify descriptions or scenarios as appropriate.
This book is a mouthful, that's for sure. And I'd say it's for two kinds of people: Hardcore fans and theatre kids who never leave Absalom.
It honestly reminds me of Shadowrun's Seattle sourcebooks - an excellent deconstruction, neighborhood by neighborhood, with all the important locations. However whereas Seattle/New Seattle were tailored towards locations that might be of interest to a certain type of person (shadowrunners) this is just a blanket treatment of the city - almost like more of an atlas/tourists guide to Absalom than anything else.
Unfortunately it reads like a phone book - and that's great, if that's what you're angling for. I think I prefer Owen K C Stephens style over this personally. But if you do anything in Absalom, it's certainly worth picking up.
I would have liked to have seen more than four pages about the outskirts -- Absalom the City is very well charted and travelled, especially with the six part AP Agents of Edgewatch. But Absalom the country remains regrettably poorly plotted. Not even Otari gets a shout-out, and that's been the location of at least three adventures, one of which is the most popular PF2 adventure so far. When your supposed atlas to a country says "See the beginner box for info about this town!" that's a cash-grab.
Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect from this massive, nearly 400-page book. It consolidates and repurposes information about Absalom found elsewhere in the Pathfinder modules and PFS adventures -- a long overdue task that has thankfully materialized.
For seasoned GMs and Players, this tome brings most things you know about Absalom together under one proverbial roof with a poster map of the city and enumerated inset maps with gazetteer-like descriptors of places of interest. NPCs you have come to know through adventures and modules can be found here, along with a few updates for 2nd Edition.
For the newcomer to Pathfinder, this will give you a handy (if initially expensive) reference to Absalom that you can use as you might an encyclopedia. If you keep that in mind, this tome may be worth the investment when adventuring (or GMing).
Unfortunately, the sheer magnitude of consolidated and repurposed information here is only the tip of Absalom's proverbial iceberg. Depth of coverage about the city's history, lore, politics, geography and intriguing aspects (on the whole) will be adequate for most purposes. GMs with a bit of creativity will find ways to build new hooks and adventures from this material without too much difficulty, especially if using some of the rumors, points of interest, and NPCs included in the book. GMs designing "sequels" to PFS scenarios from 1st Edition or 1st Edition adventure modules may find this book to be an adequate assistant to that end. But GMs who want a comprehensive guide to the city (is there ever such a thing in any speculative RPG?) will get close -- but will have to either wait for future adventures and supplements to flesh out the missing bits or create their own lore in the meantime.
As a GM and Player, I truly appreciate the hard work this book represents in putting the bulk of Absalom in a one-stop reference. As such, it justifies its place on my bookshelf.
At this rate I'm unsure of whether this book will be released before or after I get chance to play in edgewatch
Everything points to this book being on time at the beginning of December. Big question is when it comes in from the printer, I think? But so far I'm pretty sure all the delaying products have been the AP volumes and not hardcovers.
But I am assuming a lot. Here's hoping we see it in a month! I'm so excited for it.
At this rate I'm unsure of whether this book will be released before or after I get chance to play in edgewatch
Everything points to this book being on time at the beginning of December. Big question is when it comes in from the printer, I think? But so far I'm pretty sure all the delaying products have been the AP volumes and not hardcovers.
But I am assuming a lot. Here's hoping we see it in a month! I'm so excited for it.
The estimated arrival date at our warehouse is today. Cast your buff spells for good fortune and remember to aid others.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
So I noticed Galactic Magic got bumped back to January while Absalom and Monsters of Myth are still slated for December. Does this mean those books arrived in warehouse?
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
I will be happy as long as no other Lost Omens product comes out during the same month as the Absalom City map. I really want to be able to skip that product with a well timed subscription cancellation.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
David knott 242 wrote:
I will be happy as long as no other Lost Omens product comes out during the same month as the Absalom City map. I really want to be able to skip that product with a well timed subscription cancellation.
Aww. I was kind of hoping that one would trigger some renewed interest in the map folio line. Would have been really fun to get some stylized maps of the Mwangi Expanse region, since we didn't get much of that in 1e.
I will be happy as long as no other Lost Omens product comes out during the same month as the Absalom City map. I really want to be able to skip that product with a well timed subscription cancellation.
Aww. I was kind of hoping that one would trigger some renewed interest in the map folio line. Would have been really fun to get some stylized maps of the Mwangi Expanse region, since we didn't get much of that in 1e.
The problem is they confirmed that it's the same map we'll get with the Absalom book, just even bigger. I'm already battling to get wall space for the Absalom map normally, so a gigantic one just sounds to me like something I'd pay for but never be able to use.
But that's just me. I really wish I had a way to use the folio map. If any place on Golarion deserves it, it's Absalom.
I will be happy as long as no other Lost Omens product comes out during the same month as the Absalom City map. I really want to be able to skip that product with a well timed subscription cancellation.
Aww. I was kind of hoping that one would trigger some renewed interest in the map folio line. Would have been really fun to get some stylized maps of the Mwangi Expanse region, since we didn't get much of that in 1e.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Interest is clearly divided -- some people love campaign map folios, while others hate them. That can become an issue for subscriptions when people have different attitudes towards map folios than they do towards other products in the same subscription category. In PF1, Paizo rarely had me as a subscriber to the Campaign Setting line for that very reason, as I did not want to cancel my subscription and re-subscribe every six months (and it would have gotten worse when the product order got shuffled around). The situation would have been even worse for people who wanted the campaign map folios but not the campaign setting books.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Honestly, I think they should be treated as a special sub addition, like a Starfinder adventure gets tied to the Starfinder AP line, or like the Anniversary Edition harcovers were ties to the PF AP line. You can have them treated like a part of the sub if you pre-order, but if people don't want them they can just not pre-order them.
I'm not currently planning an urban campaign so I'm not in high need of this book but the other half of me wants to buy it if only to signal to paizo to continue with mammoth projects every once and awhile. Pandemic and scope creep took this project for a few rounds in the ring but I want to encourage content of this scale.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
It always was December, they just had the "Preorders expected late November" because that's how preorders and subs typically work. The preorders and subs are expected to start shipping on November 30th.
Not always. This product has been pushed a number of times. Since it was rescheduled to December it has remained December, so from that perspective it is "still" December.
You get the PDF if you purchase directly from Nexus, so all of it?
What if any mechanical options (I know there’s a few) mechanical options should be accessible through the program’s functions, if I understand it correctly.
Isn't it cheaper to get at least the free pdf and then go to NEXUS? I would like to see their character building app before I make any financial decision.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Currently, we don't know as no Lost Omens books are on Nexus yet. All the rulebooks have a discount of $10 if you own the PDF but we have no way of knowing yet what the discounts for Lost Omens and AP volumes will look like.
Yes! There is a list of "GUILDS AND UNIONS" that is a page and a half long with a short paragraph for each, from the Bakers’ Union to the Woodcutters’ Guild.
This book is VERY lore focused, which is important for players and GM's alike. There are also Azarketi rules.
Are these new rules, or the ones from the Web Supplement?
I've been meaning to cross-check. Certainly they reprint what was is in the supplement. Well, the supplement was created from Absalom, City of Lost Omens as it existed at that time... I see additional AZARKETI NPCS with are and sidebars.
There are also a few new drugs in the Adventure Toolbox section.
Of course, the locations have stats, and there are tags used all over, but this is mostly setting lore.
For nearly 5,000 years, the great city of Absalom has stood at the center of the Inner Sea region’s culture, commerce, and prophecy. Now, after the death of its founder-god Aroden, the disappearance of its lord mayor, and new attacks from some of its greatest foes, Absalom stands at the crossroads of a new and uncertain destiny!
This lore-packed guide presents a fascinating locale suitable for years of Pathfinder adventures! A huge poster map of the city, more than 250 locations, and 400 NPCs set the scene in unprecedented detail, beckoning your characters to walk upon streets paved with centuries of history. Follow in the footsteps of generations of questing heroes to chart a new path for the City at the Center of the World!
How much info is there on the surrounding island(s), including cities like Escadar and Diobel?
Also, how much stuff is there on the aeon orb that's supposedly in Absalom?
Basically, I'm curious regarding how useful this book would be to the Extinction Curse campaign I'm currently running.
There is a chapter on the Outskirts with a map of Starstone Isles. The map is a reprint of the map on page 264 of the Lost Omens World Guide.
The chapter adds about a page of text regarding both Escadar and Diobel, together. Other OUTSKIRTS LOCATIONS include The Cairnlands, Copperwood, Dawnfoot Flotsam Graveyard, Pariol Island, The Tyrant’s Grasp, Westerhold, and several sidebars.
I think NPCs from Absalom, City of Lost Omens and Grand Bazaar could appear in your campaign. "Aeon orb" is mentioned 3 times.
The book will be incredible for the Agents of Edgewatch AP.