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Somewhere is a list of major Pathfinder Lodges. Judging from their distribution (a few in each country in the Inner Sea World Guide, down to almost none in some countries), I would expect there are a few dozen venture captains, and so field agents should number in the hundreds.
Since the Decemvirate doesn't seem to pay field agents (sad face), They could have lots more than I am estimating. If anyone has better source data, I'd love to hear it.
We are Legion.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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I'm sure someone more ambitious than me could count all the references to fellow Pathfinders in scenarios, then count all the Pathfinders that make repeat appearances, and do some statistical number-crunching to make an estimate of how big the population size is.
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I'm going to hazard a guess that the pathfinder society is what ever size the plot dictates.
I doubt there will ever be any hard and fast numbers about the numbers of agents support staff and venture officers that there are. This leaves things open to what we would like to do in our own campaigns.
I'm going to guess that the membership in the pathfinder society has grown in the past few years .
4708-4709 "Year zero of Org play" No Meta Plot
4709-4710 "year one of Org play" No Meta Plot
4710-4711 Year of the Shadow Lodge
civil war in the Pathfinder society....Pathfinder Society VS Shadow Lodge. There must have been lots of deaths for the society. Perhaps a bit of a decline in organization size
4711-4712 Year of the Ruby Phoenix
Pathfinder Society wins the Ruby Phoenix Tournament in Goka. The Pathfinder society gains much fame from this and they get many more recruits....member ship grows, replacing the losses from the Shadow lodge war, and expanding the number of agents.
4712-4713 Year of the Rising Rune
The Pathfinder Society stops
4713-1714 Year of the Demon
Pathfinder Society helps defend the Diamond City against a Demon invasion, helps with the 5th Crusade against the Demons, and Gets to a lost Dwavren Sky Citadel. While many Pathfinders die this year, their numbers are replaced by the novices who complete their training three years after entered during the year of the Ruby Pheonix. The Society Expands
4714-4715 Year of the Sky Key
The Society continues to expand? we shall see as the year goes on.
I guess my sense is that the society has grown in size as it has taken on ever bigger challenges.
Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg
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You're only scratching the Society's most recent history.
It was founded in 4307, so they had a lot of time building up numbers.
Also, take a look at "Seekers of Secrets". They list 15 notable Pathfinders, mostly Venture-Captains, but those don't include people like Sheila Heidmarch or Varian Jeggare, which are mentioned in several scenarios and/or novels. Also, there are about 8 pages titled 'Pathfinders around the Inner Sea' detailing the Society's standing in each country.
Heidmarch Manor has 4 guest houses, each being able to house an average adventuring party (judging from the description). So the Heidmarchs are able to house up to 24 guest at a time.
Assuming all lodges in big cities have about the same capacity, that's a few hundred Pathfinders that can be stationed at lodges at any given time. The Grand Lodge in Absalom is certainly able to house a few more Pathfinders (also, the new recruits are trained there), and there are always quite a few teams that are not stationed at a lodge.
I'd estimate the Society has about 1500-1700 members.
Venture-Lieutenant, Washington—Pullman
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I'd estimate the Society has about 1500-1700 members.
I imagine its actually no smaller then 8k people. It is a worldwide organization with at least one contact in nearly every large city. I don't see 1.5k members spread out over the globe as influential enough to do the sort of things that it has done.
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Even given the limited number of Pathfinder Lodges, you also have to remember that there are Venture Captains without portfolio, more-or-less VC hobos, who don't have a set location, including many Seekers who have completed the Eyes of the Ten, and Count Varian Jegare; and some locations might have multiple VCs in a lodge, like the Grand Lodge, or even multiple lodges, like the Diamond City.
Any idea whether both Heidmarches are VCs, or just one, and, if only one, what the other one's title in the Pathfinder Society is, if any?
On the size of the guest area for Heidmarch Manor in Magnimar, remember that that is not, really, a normal Pathfinder Lodge, but their personal residence being used, temporarily, as the Pathfinder Lodge, so the actual guest capacity of a "real" Lodge cannot be determined by Magnimar's numbers.
And, equally, the average capacity cannot be determined by teh capacity of the Grand Lodge in Absolom, either. Far from typical, since it is also a training ground, and has to house trainees for three years...
And, as several scenarios show, there are going to be local differences between lodges, as determined by local architecture and available space.
And I don't think, despite the map being named Pathfinder Lodge, that the Dalsine residence is an actual Pathfinder Lodge...
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I am curious what are peoples impressions?
How big is the Pathfinder society in game?
How many field agents are there?
How many Venture Captains?
How many support staff?
So how large do people thing the pathfinder society is in game?
Thanks
there are at least 57 VCs and A good number of lodges
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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Any idea whether both Heidmarches are VCs, or just one, and, if only one, what the other one's title in the Pathfinder Society is, if any?
Both are Venture-Captains.
On the size of the guest area for Heidmarch Manor in Magnimar, remember that that is not, really, a normal Pathfinder Lodge, but their personal residence being used, temporarily, as the Pathfinder Lodge, so the actual guest capacity of a "real" Lodge cannot be determined by Magnimar's numbers.
It isn't a temporary situation, it is permanent (see The Golemworks Incident for example).
There are basically two types of lodges, open and discrete. Open lodges (e.g. Sothis, Manaket, Almas) are generally larger than discrete lodges (e.g. Oppara, Tymon, Bloodcove).
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there are at least 57 VCs and A good number of lodges
Kreighton Shane, Marcus Farabellus, and Aram Zey...are they specifically called out as being VCs anywhere? All I ever remember seeing with their name is the 'Master of...' title. I wouldnt think that would automatically make them VCs, its just a position outside the VCship still within the heirarchy.
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Kreighton Shane, Marcus Farabellus, and Aram Zey...are they specifically called out as being VCs anywhere? All I ever remember seeing with their name is the 'Master of...' title. I wouldnt think that would automatically make them VCs, its just a position outside the VCship still within the heirarchy.
there are at least 57 VCs and A good number of lodges
I'm pretty sure there are some PFS scenarios that describe them as venture captain Aram Zey, The master of scrolls... but I'd need to look into that
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You're only scratching the Society's most recent history.
It was founded in 4307, so they had a lot of time building up numbers.
Also, take a look at "Seekers of Secrets". They list 15 notable Pathfinders, mostly Venture-Captains, but those don't include people like Sheila Heidmarch or Varian Jeggare, which are mentioned in several scenarios and/or novels. Also, there are about 8 pages titled 'Pathfinders around the Inner Sea' detailing the Society's standing in each country.Heidmarch Manor has 4 guest houses, each being able to house an average adventuring party (judging from the description). So the Heidmarchs are able to house up to 24 guest at a time.
Assuming all lodges in big cities have about the same capacity, that's a few hundred Pathfinders that can be stationed at lodges at any given time. The Grand Lodge in Absalom is certainly able to house a few more Pathfinders (also, the new recruits are trained there), and there are always quite a few teams that are not stationed at a lodge.
I'd estimate the Society has about 1500-1700 members.I'm pretty sure that Heidmarch Manor is well above the norm even for a city on the size of Magnimar. So I think it is most likely the largest active lodge outside of Absalom itself.
Most Pathfinders are itinerant, doing their own thing most of the time, keeping their own quarters, and stopping by a Lodge only occasionally, sometimes not for years at a time.
I would say that the Society is easily dwarfed in size and financial power by the Aspis Consortium.
The thing to remember about Heidmarch Manor, is that it was, and still is, the residence of the Heidmarchs. It is a Mansion and associated grounds, that have been "repurposed" to have the secondary purpose as a Pathfinder Lodge, it is in no way typical for a Lodge. At least that is my understanding.
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I imagine its actually no smaller then 8k people. It is a worldwide organization with at least one contact in nearly every large city. I don't see 1.5k members spread out over the globe as influential enough to do the sort of things that it has done.
I'd estimate the Society has about 1500-1700 members.
I think Steve is on the right track, but it may be even larger. The PFS Field Guide says the campaign is "based on the concept that the thousands of players... are members of the Pathfinder Society." That is a meta-game number, and a certain percentage of characters are completing the same scenarios. Hopefully, a player's multiple characters, kind-of counters that. The PFS Primer actually says PFS "is an organization of thousands of daring and eager adventurers."
8-10k or even more is feasible.