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TLDR: What if Nex is the narrator?
Each of the Non-Core rulebooks have some in-world narrative framing mechanism, despite putting some effort into being more setting agnostic than the outright Lost Omens line: The Logs of the Zoetrope, the journalism of Arianna Dreth, an accounting of Samo and Nahoa's journeys across Avistan. Book of the Dead is framed as a collection of writings from throughout the life (and undeath) of the Ghost King Geb of Geb, a copy of which has been smuggled out of his kingdom.
Impossible Magic, from what little we know so far, is centered to some degree around the Impossible Lands, the region which includes both Geb and its/his rival Nex.
They've been hinting at the possible return of Nex (the guy) since at least the start of second edition.
Imagine Impossible Magic is a returned Nex's accounting of both Magic and the World, bringing forth both his expertise -- from his history of conquest and his travels since vanishing alike -- as well as his exploration of Golarion as it has become in his absence. A preposterously ancient and powerful Wizard's various musings on the discipline of his greatest rival, the base power of magical symbology, a novel martial extrapolation of his own discipline, and a comparable martial/magical hybrid with importance to several cultures. The Iconics might be framed as a group he hires to go out and retrieve information he's curious about in the world as it's become, to fill in the gaps in his knowledge left in his long absence.
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Alternatively,
Threatening (and mildly homoerotic) correspondence between Geb and Nex as they set the stage for the next active phase of their conflict. Geb hires Seltyiel and the Necromancer to run some errands, meanwhile Nex approaches Ija for the same and conscripts the Runesmith out of Alkenstar to help her. The two parties converge in the scene on the cover with the Totum Font and pool their information to figure out what both Wizard Kings are really after, and decide they'll play no role in their Foemance.
TLDR: What if Nex is the narrator?
Each of the Non-Core rulebooks have some in-world narrative framing mechanism, despite putting some effort into being more setting agnostic than the outright Lost Omens line: The Logs of the Zoetrope, the journalism of Arianna Dreth, an accounting of Samo and Nahoa's journeys across Avistan. Book of the Dead is framed as a collection of writings from throughout the life (and undeath) of the Ghost King Geb of Geb, a copy of which has been smuggled out of his kingdom.
Impossible Magic, from what little we know so far, is centered to some degree around the Impossible Lands, the region which includes both Geb and its/his rival Nex.
They've been hinting at the possible return of Nex (the guy) since at least the start of second edition.
Imagine Impossible Magic is a returned Nex's accounting of both Magic and the World, bringing forth both his expertise -- from his history of conquest and his travels since vanishing alike -- as well as his exploration of Golarion as it has become in his absence. A preposterously ancient and powerful Wizard's various musings on the discipline of his greatest rival, the base power of magical symbology, a novel martial extrapolation of his own discipline, and a comparable martial/magical hybrid with importance to several cultures. The Iconics might be framed as a group he hires to go out and retrieve information he's curious about in the world as it's become, to fill in the gaps in his knowledge left in his long absence.
I wholeheartedly agree with this theory.
And as we have one more Rulebook that will release late this year after Impossible Magic, my theory is that will be a Remastered Book of the Dead. Since that is the final remaining rulebook.
I wholeheartedly agree with this theory.
And as we have one more Rulebook that will release late this year after Impossible Magic, my theory is that will be a Remastered Book of the Dead. Since that is the final remaining rulebook.
That's a bit of a tricky proposition, given how much of BotD has either been already reprinted (The Darvakka, Unrisen, Hungry Ghost, and some Skeletons all appear in Monster Core 2, peachwood in Tian Xia Character Guide) OR is an OGL no-go (Orcus, the outdated Ghoul lore and Lacedons, the "Zombie Owlbear").
It already required the most significant reworking to bring it up to remaster, but given they've already started canibalizing from it for Core books, it feels like BotD's getting left in the Premaster. It's possible they're just clearing a few things out to make room for the bigger structural changes necessary, but were I a betting man, I think it's more likely the essential stuff will get shuffled into Impossible Magic.
