Chief Technical Officer
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We've added the Item Cards for Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne into the Pathfinder Chronicles line. Once we introduce subscriptions—probably next week—you'll be able to choose to start with either the RotR deck (available now) or the RotR Map folio (due in February).
(One should also note that PDFs will not be available for card products.)
What Bray said. "Oh yes, here you go...would you like coffee with my debit card?"
Now look what you've done. My wallet's sitting in the corner crying; it's been feeling empty inside as it is, and now it finds out its friends George, Thomas, Abraham, Alexander, Andrew, and Ulysses will be leaving it behind.
My poor, poor wallet.
Probably next week—you'll be able to choose to start with either the RotR deck (available now) or the RotR Map folio (due in February).
As an owner of the RotR Deck, I appreciate the flexibility!
Note: Also in related Item Card news, check out Joshua (the Paizo Marketing Director) Frost's interesting comment on December 7th In this thread
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How do I know which RotRL Item Cards are illustrations of a specific, special item mentioned in the Pathfinder series, compared to a card which depicts a generic item?
I'd like to know which ones I can hand out at my whim, and which ones I should hang on to and distribute when they appear in the Pathfinder AP.
Thanks,
Derek
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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(One should also note that PDFs will not be available for card products.)
Bummer. Any reason why that may be? I really dig the item cards, but as of yet I don't use them because the thought of handwriting on something makes me cringe. Identify would be insufficient to read my illegible scribbles. I've considered just printing out my excel magic item sheets and gluing them to the item cards - I suppose I could still attempt something like that. But it sure would be nice to be able to print the pictures from a pdf and paste them onto my own homebrew item cards instead.
Penny sleeves and sticky notes...No defilement of cards necessary. :-)
Or penny sleeves and print-outs of your notes. Either way, the card stays nice and safe while the player gets a nifty card.
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Creative Director
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How do I know which RotRL Item Cards are illustrations of a specific, special item mentioned in the Pathfinder series, compared to a card which depicts a generic item?
I'd like to know which ones I can hand out at my whim, and which ones I should hang on to and distribute when they appear in the Pathfinder AP.
Thanks,
Derek
That's a good question, and to be honest there's not an easy answer. In a best-case scenario, we use the actual art from the item card for the specific magic item in the adventure when it's introduced, but this isn't always feasible (especially in cases where we're tight on space). There's also a few items in the Runelords set that are specifically intended to be generic items but with a "Runelords" feel. And there are a few items that are more specific, but don't actually have related items in the Adventure Path; they're included because we haven't done many of those items, but we gave them a "Runelords" spin in some way that makes them usable as additional items you might wish to incorporate into your own game.
All that said, behind the following spoiler I'll list which ones of the cards in this set are ones that depict specific items in the campaign. Cards NOT listed behind the spoiler are "generic" and are safe to hand out whenever you want for whatever works. And yeah... there ARE adventure spoilers in what follows...
06 Bastard Sword (This is very closely modeled on Nualia's sword... but that magic bastard sword is pretty boring, so this one could technically be a generic bastard sword if you want.)
10 Falchion (This is the Scribbler's weapon, the fanged falchion, and is detailed in Pathfinder 5.)
11 Glaive (This is Karzoug's glaive; Pathfinder 6)
14 Quarterstaff (This could actually work for the staff of mithral might in Pathfinder 5.)
15 Ranseur (This is the masterwork ranseur from Pathfinder 1—it also works as Runelord Alaznist's ranseur, although that particular magic weapon doesn't officially appear in Rise of the Runelords, but her ranseur DOES look just like this one.)
16 Repeating Crossbow (This is the crossbow for sale at Savah's Armory in Sandpoint; Pathfinder 1.)
17 Scythe (This is the scythe used by the Scarecrow, Pathfinder 2.)
23 Ring (This ring is actually one of the several talons of Leng that Karzoug wears on his fingers; alas, the final item here ended up being more like a glove, in that there are ten of them, one for each finger, so it's not really a ring anymore, so this one could also just be a generic but creepy ring with a fake talon attached to it.)
24 Ring (This is the Sihedron ring from Pathfinder 6.)
31 Staff (This is the staff of hungry shadows from Pathfinder 5.)
35 Book (This is the Sihedron tome from Pathfinder 6.)
37 Cauldron (This is a runeslave cauldron from Pathfinder 4.)
39 Helm (This is technically the big helm that the hermit crab moves into in Pathfinder 1, but it's certainly usable as any generic helm as well.)
40 Lens (This is the anima focus from Pathfinder 6. At least... I THINK that's what we ended up calling it. It's NOT the actual soul lens, though.)
42 Mask (This is the medusa mask from Pathfinder 2.)
43 Mask (This is the skinsaw mask from Pathfinder 2.)
44 Medallion (This is the Sihedron medallion which shows up in most of the adventures, but first in Pathfinder 1.)
45 Necklace (This is the monarch talisman detailed in the Desna article in Pathfinder 2.)
47 Quill (This is the quill of revelation in Pathfinder 5.)
48 Robe (These are Karzoug's robes. They probably smell funny; he's been wearing them for 10,000 years.)
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Okay here's my question. I've never really been interested in any of the previous Item Card sets because they've always seemed too generic. Now according to James Jacobs' spoiler these cards are mostly specific things taken right out of Rise of the Runelords. Is that how it's always been with these cards? Like the potion with the icky worm in it, is that really something? Or is it just a generic potion with an icky worm in it? I would be a lot more interested in these cards if there was some kind of list like this that said what each of the items was actually supposed to be. I like the art, but it seems like extra work for me to try and find an item that matches the picture on the card instead of just picking a treasure that makes sense out of the DMG.
All that said, behind the following spoiler I'll list which ones of the cards in this set are ones that depict specific items in the campaign. Cards NOT listed behind the spoiler are "generic" and are safe to hand out whenever you want for whatever works. And yeah... there ARE adventure spoilers in what follows...
*Spoiler Omitted*
Wow. I had no idea that amount of detail went into these cards. I have to admit, you've sold me. I would have said it couldn't be done. I had flat out refused to accept item cards in the past. I've got a pile of them mouldering in a neat stack next to my game stuff--mostly given to me against my will as free boosters amid my orders. I would periodically look through them and grumble something about their uselessness before stacking them back into a neat pile and setting them back in their place.
This stuff is incredible. Everything is straight out of the setting. Most of it is straight out of specific modules. Every card contains valuable reference to what things in Golarion look and feel like. That is worth tons to me. Now when I say "you see a goblin with a dogslicer" I can pull out the card and say "like this!" When I get asked what a suit of Korvosan armor looks like compared to Magnimaran armor I can (or will in a few months) be able to pull out two breastplate cards and flick them across the table. Heck, even little stuff like what sword designs look like in Golarion are right here. Loads of visual reference packed in.
One request though. I would love to see lists like James' included with every pack on an extra card or on the box somewhere. It really boosts the value of the cards infinitely! Honestly I looked at the robes and sighed. Eh, robes. Who cares, right? Then I read they're Kurzoug's robes. Wow! Now I'm hooked.
Anyway just wanted to say I'm buying a pack of these. In the future if you can make all your cards just like these, you'll have one more product that I can't get enough of.
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One request though. I would love to see lists like James' included with every pack on an extra card or on the box somewhere. It really boosts the value of the cards infinitely! Honestly I looked at the robes and sighed. Eh, robes. Who cares, right? Then I read they're Kurzoug's robes. Wow! Now I'm hooked.
Either that or use 1/3 of the card back to describe the item? that way DM's can say - you find these on the bodies and hand the cards,and the players can get the awesome descriptions, which are some things that many DMs leave out for the simple fact that they are playing on a smaller time frame then they would like. you could also put in things like "(pathfinder #1 p23)" as references to sample times these items would be found.
Is that how it's always been with these cards? Like the potion with the icky worm in it, is that really something? Or is it just a generic potion with an icky worm in it?
It could be generic. Or it could be a Kyuss worm, if you're playing through Age of Worms.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Like the potion with the icky worm in it, is that really something? Or is it just a generic potion with an icky worm in it? I would be a lot more interested in these cards if there was some kind of list like this that said what each of the items was actually supposed to be. I like the art, but it seems like extra work for me to try and find an item that matches the picture on the card instead of just picking a treasure that makes sense out of the DMG.
Well, the Item Cards—including the Rise of the Runelords set—are designed to be generically useful. Some of the RotR cards have an extra layer of usefulness in that they can easily be keyed to specific things in that Adventure Path.
The intended use, though, isn't about going through the DMG to find the appropriate treasure for the card; it's about choosing a card to represent the treasure you have. (Not that there's any "wrong" way to use them.)
Thanks for the info James! I suggest this type of info placed in all of the AP specific deck.
Best.
I move that we get a PDF for those card decks, too.
Shouldn't be too hard - I'm sure there are digital versions of these cards around, which could be used or converted to use for that PDF. Just put 9 on a sheet (or how many you can fit on there) with the pictures on one side and the descriptions on another.
In fact, you might give them formula fields so we can write our own descriptions and print them out.
And, it will give me something shiny to look at while I wait for the shipment to cross the ocean.
Okay here's my question. I've never really been interested in any of the previous Item Card sets because they've always seemed too generic. Now according to James Jacobs' spoiler these cards are mostly specific things taken right out of Rise of the Runelords. Is that how it's always been with these cards? Like the potion with the icky worm in it, is that really something? Or is it just a generic potion with an icky worm in it? I would be a lot more interested in these cards if there was some kind of list like this that said what each of the items was actually supposed to be.
If the description of the item in the adventure does not match the art on the card, improvise either the text in the adventure describing the potion or improvise the card itself. The only people that will question you on it are people that have read the adventure before you've ran it, and that typically means miscibility into poison or something. ;)
Now look what you've done. My wallet's sitting in the corner crying; it's been feeling empty inside as it is, and now it finds out its friends George, Thomas, Abraham, Alexander, Andrew, and Ulysses will be leaving it behind.
My poor, poor wallet.
My wallet is made of onion-leather.....
Each time I take a look at it I start to cry.
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All that said, behind the following spoiler I'll list which ones of the cards in this set are ones that depict specific items in the campaign. Cards NOT listed behind the spoiler are "generic" and are safe to hand out whenever you want for whatever works. And yeah... there ARE adventure spoilers in what follows...
And that list is: *Spoiler Omitted*
I had scoured RotRL for cards to match, and had found most of these, but had missed a few, so thanks for the list, James!
And for anyone else considering purchasing this item deck based on how useful it may be for their RotRL Adventure Path, there were a few gaps in James' list that are relevant to RotRL or Varisia in general, sourced from the RotRL Players' Guide (should be general knowledge, so no need for spoilers):
03 Hide Shirt
04 Klar
07 Bladed Scarf
08 Dog Slicer
09 Earth Breaker
13 Ogre Hook
18 Star Knife
19 War Razor
49 Barbarian Chew
50 Harpy Musk
51 Holy Symbol (Desna)
52 Reinforced Scarf
54 Varisian Idol
(Okay, this one might require a spoiler?)
However, there are still adventure items/treasures to be found by players of RotRL that don't have specific cards. Some of these, I'd *really* like to see cards for in a future set. Of the others, I was wondering what cards other DMs have used to hand out to their players, cards from *ANY* set:
Pathfinder 1:
- Tsuto's masterwork flute (coincidentally, one or two of my players have taken performance ranks in flute, so I am fully expecting them to loot this from his dead body!)
Pathfinder 2:
- Stalker's Mask
- Reaper's Mask
- Xanesha's Impaler of Thorns
- Xanesha's Snakeskin Tunic
Pathfinder 3:
- Boots of the Mire
Pathfinder 4:
- Staff of Heaven and Earth
- Runechill Hatchet
- Robe of Runes
- Fogcutting Lenses
There are indeed many items I haven't listed, these are just the ones that leapt out after a quick scan, and I haven't received Pathfinder 6 yet, so I'm sure there will be more.
I just want to try avoid handing out a card as a generic item, and then realise it would have been perfect for a specific magic item further in the adventure.
I welcome any DMs suggestions, based on their own RotRL game experiences, which cards from *ANY* set to hold in reserve for specific RotRL adventure items.
Cheers