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Alternate Realities and a Vision of the Past!

Well, last night’s Starfinder Wednesday pre-recorded episode was an absolute delight! But, before we get into that, lets take a peek at what happened the week before. (Admittedly, the holidays have left me a little behind!).

Last week on Starfinder Wednesday Dan and the gang over at Paizo talked about the Character Operations Manual Playtest, where you can take three new Starfinder classes for a test drive. This week was the second of three episodes streaming over the next month that will take an in depth look at these three classes: the biohacker, the witchwarper, and the vanguard. So which is up second?

StarfinderCover — Want to play Starfinder? All you need to get started is the Starfinder Core Rulebook!

The witchwarper!

Host Dan Tharp welcomed special guests Amanda Hamon Kunz and Owen K.C. Stephens. Amanda wrote the first draft of the witchwarper and, although it was a team effort, this class has her personal touch all over it!

So what is the witchwarper? For starters, it’s based around the ‘Infinite Worlds’ theory, which posits that there are an unlimited number of realities where different decisions made by its intelligent life-forms has led to alternate realities slightly different than our own. The witchwarper can see into these alternate realities and temporarily bring aspects of them into our own reality. By drawing on these other worlds they can change circumstances to their benefit, affecting themselves, their allies, their enemies, and their surroundings. Mechanically, this means that they can alter the battlefield, provide buffs and debuffs, and casts spells. As they grow in power, they gain new ways to use their powers on the world around them. They have the same number of spells per day and spells known as mystics and technomancers, and their spell list will be comparable in length when the final version is released.

Also on the topic of magic, it was revealed that there are going to be plenty of new spells released in the upcoming Character Operations Manual. Some spells will be available for all casting classes, others will be available for only two of the three, and a fair amount will be class specific. I can’t wait to see what the folks at Paizo have up their sleeves!

Finally, Amanda and Owen announced that the Starfinder Beginner Box is now available for Preorder. It’s scheduled to be released in April 2019.

Which brings us to today!

The most recent episode of Starfinder Wednesday wasn’t about the future. It was about the past. Host Dan Tharp welcomed special guests Owen K.C. Stephens and Robert G. McCreary onto the show to discuss the history of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! They started with a talk about it’s origins. Many of us will think back to Pathfinder’s sci-fantasy products as the basis for Starfinder. Places like Numeria (which is fully detailed in Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars), and adventures like the Iron Gods Adventure Path, and the Second Darkness Adventure Path. Golarion’s original solar system was described in Pathfinder Adventure Path 14: Children of the Void (Second Darkness book 2 of 6), and then further expanded into Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Worlds.

But, when asked about the origins of Starfinder, both Owen and Robert agreed that it went back way, way further. To the ages of Pulp Fiction, and to the classic Dungeons and Dragons adventure Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. They emphasized that combining science fiction and fantasy is not new. People have been doing it long before them. And, of course, there’s plenty of other influences from science fiction we could all name.

PZO7107 — For more information on the Starfinder campaign setting, check out Starfinder: Pact Worlds!

Although there was lots of other interesting topics discussed, I particularly enjoyed hearing about the early days of planning, when they were trying to decide if making a Science Fantasy game even made sense, or if it could be approximated within Pathfinder itself. Was Starfinder a separate entity influenced by Pathfinder? Or was is Pathfinder taken into space? What would make those concepts different? And if they did create Starfinder as its own entity, would it be in a whole new universe? Or would Golarion’s Solar System still fit? How could they even make that work?

What would it look and feel like?

I also really enjoyed getting to hear about the balance they decided to aim for, and how they went about it. What would they carry forward from Pathfinder and what would they create new? What races and monsters, and places would stay the same? What was the right balance between updated and entirely new content? And how could they make old races and places fit in with their new universe?

How did Starfinder become what we know it as today?

There was also some great conversation about the core concepts of Starfinder and how they came to be. Things like cosmology, the Pact Worlds, the Drift, The Gap, and Absalom Station.

Really great stuff! If you haven’t given it a watch yet, I highly suggest you do! Also, you’ll get to see Owen accidentally (or perhaps purposely) mention Alien Archive 3, which is in the works! Robert ended on a more detailed but equally tantalizing note, mentioning that they’re hoping to create more content that has to do the Near Space, the Vast, and the places you might find in it. Awesome!

Want to learn more about the witchwarper? Download your free copy of the Character Operations Manual Playtest PDF on Paizo’s website right now! You can also tune into Paizo’s twitch channel on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. PST for ‘Starfinder Wednesday.’ Next week’s show is going to focus on the Vanguard! It’s sure to be a great show!

Until next time,

Jessica

Happy Holidays!

Snow is falling, lights are twinkling, there’s a chill in the air, and a pile of torn up gift wrap all over my floor. My kids are running around the house testing out new toys, reading new books, playing new video games, and shrieking in glee over the letter Santa left them last night.

It’s Christmas morning.

Some people say this is a magic time of year. A time for reaching out to loved ones and old friends. A time for reflection. For gratefulness. For spreading joy and cheer. For some people it’s a time of faith and prayers. For others it’s just another day. For me it’s always been about family.

It’s that one time of year we always make the time to visit our extended family, even though we don’t really have the time. It’s the time we share meals, and hugs, and showers gifts on the kids. It’s the time to say ‘I love you,’ and to tell your friends and family how much you appreciate them.

And so, in spirit of the holidays, we here at d20diaries would like to take the time to say to each and every one of you: thank you.

Thank you for your time and your attention. Thank you for your feedback and kind words. Thank you, thank you, and a thousand more times, thank you. It means the world to us that so many of you choose to spend some of your precious time with us.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Yule! Happy Holidays! And if you’re currently celebrating a holiday I haven’t mentioned, then happy that, too!

We wish you all the best today, tomorrow, and every day afterwards.

Best wishes,

Jessica
(and family!)

Holiday Dragon

Pathfinder Society Scenarios: The Shattered Shield and The Hao Jin Hierophant!

Today we’re going to take a look at two of the most recent Pathfinder Society Scenarios that are currently available for purchase, and let you know we thought. Although you’ll find references to events in each that I liked or disliked, and comments about specific characters, these scenarios are not explored in detail. It’s not my intention to spoil the events in these scenarios, or give summaries and full reviews, but to share my opinions and provide recommendations. That said, if you want to avoid even minor spoilers I recommend you check out a different article. Whether you intend to use them in home games of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, sanctioned scenarios for use with the Pathfinder Society Organized Play, or just want to read a nifty new adventure, we’ve got you covered! So let’s get cracking!

10-10 Shattered Shield — Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-10: The Shattered Shield by Leo Glass

Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-10: The Shattered Shield is a Tier 1-5 adventure written by Leo Glass. It takes place in Rahadoum, a nation where religion is outlawed. It features creatures from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary, Bestiary 3, and Bestiary 4 (although all of the necessary stat blocks are included within the scenario). It makes use of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Advanced Player’s Guide, Ultimate Equipment, and Ultimate Magic. This scenario utilizes Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Noble Estate, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Museum, and a morbid custom map that looks pretty rockin’. This mission is of particularly importance to members of the Dark Archives Faction, and is very likely going to lead to other Pathfinder Society Scenarios (and tie in with the Tyrant’s Grasp Adventure Path, I’d wager).

On the surface, because religion is outlawed in Rahadoum, bringing a cleric, paladin, or other divine caster on this mission is a really bad idea, but actually… that’s only half true. Yes, religion is outlawed in Rahadoum, and playing a divine caster will be a challenge. There will be social repercussions, and you’re likely to run into trouble with the law. However, these interactions are very well-handled in this scenario with the addition of ‘Legion Points,’ which are a measure of how many legal infractions the Pure Legion has caught you committing. The punishments are clear, and you have plenty of opportunities to lower these totals throughout the scenario. You’re not going to be executed, or immediately kicked out of the scenario or something equally drastic. As long as you play your divine character with some subtlety and caution, you should come out alright. As a nice bonus, there are quite a few obvious benefits to bringing that divine caster along. Players who take the time and try their best to navigate this difficult political landscape will find their efforts were worth it. It’s a gamble. Although I don’t recommend you bring a divine-heavy party to this scenario, I don’t condemn their use either. If you’re up for the challenge, go for it!

The Shattered Shield tasks the PCs with heading into Rahadoum and attending an illegal auction that deals in religious relics. There they’ll need to obtain a shard of the Shield of Arnisant, which was once known as the Shield of Aroden, and was used to battle the Whispering Tyrant. This shield is supposed to be safe in Vigil, but all signs seem to show that the shard up for auction is legitimate. Of course, as with any good scenario, acquiring the shard will be harder than it sounds.

Zaashakar Tom Ventre — Zaashakar and Vaultkeeper from Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-10: The Shattered Shield. Illustration by Tom Ventre

There’s a lot to like in this scenario. It has a lot of interesting social and skill-based encounters. There’s one very weird illness going around that’s used to great effect. The mission briefing with Venture Captain Obo was very detailed, with plenty for roleplay-oriented players to riff off of. I particularly enjoyed how the Pure Legion was portrayed. This scenario did a great job of humanizing them, which was nice to see. The adventure allowed for some deviation from the assumed path, with alternate allies and differing methods accounted for. I really, REALLY liked that. It’s rare to see in published products, particularly of this length. I also really enjoyed some behind the scenes bits with Nulalla, which most players will be curious about but aren’t likely to discover completely. I loved the situation that Torvad Shalzadin and Inusi Mendalari find themselves in. In addition to being dynamic and a little suspenseful, clever PCs will be able to glean a bit of information about this scenario’s main villain from the witnesses. The final location PCs visit in this scenario was super morbid and different. I really, really liked it. And the map for it looks great! Finally, I adored the main villain’s… pal. It’s both horrible and adorable. Just awesome.

That said, there are some downsides. The auction itself was a bit of a let-down. Although there’s some interesting people to interact with, and some cool things to bid on it’s unscripted, and the notes are scattered over a few pages. This is inconvenient for GMs, and means that the auction is unlikely to be a showstopper. Which is a shame! I LOVE a good auction in my Pathfinder. Events are also a bit overly convenient. Not a trait unique to this scenario, but it is more obvious and heavy-handed than is typical. Particularly with regards to the connections between the estate and the auction guests.

Finally, villain tactics. This scenario’s villain is an odd one. Don’t get me wrong, I love her. Seriously. She has flaws, hang-ups, quirks, obsessions, and goals which both haunt and drive her. They affect her tactics and reactions. Unfortunately, it’s not depicted in a way that everyone — GMs and players alike — will necessarily notice. And if you don’t notice? She comes off seeming rather stupid. Which is… unfortunate. And as cool as the final location is, the ending has the potential to be incredibly anticlimactic. I like the premise, and it works for the character, but if certain events occur a lot of players will just be left shaking their heads and asking: ‘That’s it?’ Not really the reaction you want at the end of a successful mission.

10-11 Hao Jin Hierophant — Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-11: The Hao Jin Hierophant by Jessica Redekop.

There’s one other quibble I have with this scenario: penalties. As with any Society Scenario, there’s many opportunities where not discovering ‘X’ or accomplishing ‘X’ can cause your PCs to lose out on some of the gold rewards on their chronicles. Usually accomplishing those tasks is easy, and it just sort of happens as you play. In this scenario that is not necessarily the case. Some are harder to get than is typical. Most groups won’t get full gold. In fact, some groups will miss out on gold two or three times. Now, on the one hand, I like that it’s not a given you’ll get all the rewards this scenario has to offer. It’s refreshing. But, this scenario might have gone too far in the other direction. If too many players miss out on too much of the rewards, they might even feel like they’ve been unjustly penalized.

Overall, I ended up torn on this mission. I love how Rahadoum and the Pure Legion was handled. I also enjoyed the large number of social and skill based encounters. The villain was flavourful, different, and had some serious quirks — all things I adore. Heck, I even liked her doorman. On the other hand, players are likely to come away from this scenario feeling confused over enemy tactics and behaviour, and the ending has the potential to be a let down. In the end I decided to give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Hao Jin Tapestry by Robert Lazzaretti — The Hao Jin Tapestry. Art by Robert Lazzaretti.

Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-11: The Hao Jin Hierophant is a Tier 5-9 adventure written by Jessica Redekop. It takes place in the Hao Jin Tapestry, an artifact that acts as a gateway to a demiplane that the sorceress Hao Jin created to store her greatest treasures. Things like magical objects, temples, places, and even people. The Pathfinder Society won the Hao Jin Tapestry seven years ago at the Ruby Pheonix Tournament, and have made heavy use of it since. This scenario features creatures from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5, although all of the necessary stat blocks are included within the scenario. In addition to the Pathfinder Core Rulebook it makes use of content from Occult Adventures, Planar Adventures, Ultimate Equipment, and Ultimate Magic. It utilizes the Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Forbidden Jungle, Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Swamp, and a custom map.

The Hao Jin Tapestry is unstable. Unravelling, one could say. This scenario tasks the PCs with heading into the demiplane, checking out an ancient Tian site, and getting out with whatever lore and treasures they can before it’s too late. It’s a sequel to this year’s interactive special Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-00: The Hao Jin Cataclysm. In the new year this story will continue with Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-13: Fragments of Antiquity, and Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-15: Tapestry’s Trial. If you’ve got characters who have had a hand in acquiring, exploring, or protecting the Hao Jin Tapestry in the past, now is definitely the time to bring them out! Also, if you’ve got characters with knowledge of Tian Xia, who can speak Hwan, or who can magically communicate in other languages, they’ll be used to great effect in this scenario.

Lin Fen Hai by Michele Giorgi — Lin Fen Hai from Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-11: The Hao Jin Hierophant. Illustration by Michele Giorgi.

This scenario begins in Absalom with an announcement from two members of the Decemvirate! This is followed by a more typical mission briefing with the oread Master of Spells Sorrina Westyr. From there it quickly moves into the Hao Jin Tapestry’s demiplane. There the PCs will get to explore the ancient Tian village of Onhae, which would once have been found in the jungles of Chang Liao. The PCs main goals are to collect a sample of a rare flower from the area, and to learn all that they can about the traditional religion and culture of the people of Onhae, the Sunsu Godae. Happily, there’s still people in Onhae. This should be a cinch! …But, it turns out they’re not practising their traditional religion anymore. They have a new leader, Lin Fen Hai the Hao Jin Hierophant, and a new god who we’ll just call the Ruby Pheonix. Interesting! Your players will get to navigate this newly changed political environment in order to accomplish their missions, all while the Hao Jin Tapestry frays around them, causing unnatural events, magical malfunctions, and planar breaches. It’s an interesting mission to say the least. Similar in form and tone to some previous adventures like… #3-21: The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment and #9-12: Shrine of the Sacred Tempest.

RubyPhoenix Hao Jin Cataclysm — The Ruby Phoenix.

Onhae was an interesting, rich little village with both and ancient past, recent history, and current changes. Sussing out this places many secrets looks like an enjoyable challenge. Their new religion was awesome! Haha. So good! Although a lot of this scenario was social encounters and skill checks, there are some battles to be fought. Each of these encounters is well written and has interesting flavour and tactics. There’s also some neat planar malfunctions going on you get to interact with. Overall, I really liked this scenario! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for taking the time to join us today! I hope you stop by later this week when we take a look at the newest Starfinder Society Scenarios!

All the best,

Jessica

Alien Archive 2

For my birthday yesterday my family gifted me a wonderful book I’ve been itching to get my hands on: Starfinder Alien Archive 2! And what better way to celebrate than to share it with all of you? So today we’re taking a deep dive into the latest Alien Archive! Ready?

Let’s go!

Alien Archive 2 is an awesome supplement book for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game. This book has a hardcover, and is 159 pages in length. It’s got an American cover price of $39.99, which means that if you’re Canadian (like myself), you’re looking at a cost of around forty-five to fifty dollars for the book online, or up to sixty in your local game store. It’s currently on sale for around $32 Canadian on that handy link I posted, so I highly recommend picking it up cheap while you can.

At it’s core, Alien Archive 2 is a book of monsters. You’ll find a ton of creatures to fight and ally with inside this book, as well as some new player races. The book is easy to use, adaptable, and well organized. It also has some new character options, like new spells, equipment, and feats, scattered amongst the monster entries.

The Alien Archive features lovely cover art by Remko Troost which depicts a glitch gremlin, a mi-go, and a trox. The inside front and back covers feature an image of the Pact Worlds. After that we come to the table of contents. Alien Archive 2 has sixty-five distinct monster entries inside it, many of which have more than one stat block or variation of that creature, making the actual number of foes inside larger than it seems (around one hundred and twenty-six by my count). Of these, sixteen are playable as character races. There are also three starships, and twenty-six template grafts.

After the table of contents we reach the introduction. This is where we learn how the races are oriented, and how to read a stat block. While most of this is basic information that only a player new to d20 games will need to read, some of the information is quite important. Of course, all of this will be business as usual for owners of the first Alien Archive.

Each of the stat blocks inside the Alien Archive is sorted into one of three categories: combatants (which excels in physical combat), experts (who are most effective with skills), and spellcasters (who rely on spells or spell-like abilities). These categories are represented by an icon in the left margin. These images are easy to distinguish and provide a quick and easy way for GMs to realize the role each monster plays in combat, which makes it super easy to find the type of creatures your looking for, or to quickly discern a creature’s tactics.

Every one of the bestiary entries in this book is two side-by-side pages long. These entries include information on the creature, where they’re found, their use throughout the Pact Worlds, and their society — if they have one. Many of the entries include more than one stat block on a theme. For example, the Forman entry gives us stats for a CR 7 taskmaster, along with a CR 10 myrmarch. Similarly, the akata entry features the both the akata and the void zombie, which are controlled by its parasitic offspring. Some entries include many stat-blocks (such as the herd animals, predators, and dinosaurs) or include simple grafts that can be added to a featured creature to make it into other versions (such as metallic and outer dragons). Many of the archive entries introduce new gear, rules, or consumables. My personal favourites include the arquand horns found on the arquand gazelle’s entry, the glass skin of the glass serpent, and the apocalypse solarian weapon crystals from the living apocalypse.

Alien Archive 2 - Glass Serpent -Armor — Armour made from a Glass Serpent

After this we come to the meat of the book: the aliens archive itself. There are a ton of cool creatures in this book, and even some that I wasn’t sure I’d like on first perusal, I ended up really enjoying. Some of my favourites you should check out include the squox, a CR 1/3 or 1 creature which is utterly adorable and makes a fabulous pet. I also adored the adaptable entries on dinosaurs, herd animals, and predators, each of which comes with a sample stat block for a creature of each size, followed by simple rules for how to make an innumerable combination of custom creatures of those types. It’s simple, incredibly useful, and has awesome art. LOVE IT. Glitch gremlins were a fun low level challenge I also really enjoyed, as were the akatas, which I’m thrilled to see included. For a great high-level challenge check out the calecor and the living apocalypse.

Squox

Glass Serpent

Vermelith

PZO7403 — Starfinder: Alien Archive Pawn Box

Mixed amongst the monster entries are sixteen playable races. Each entry features two different CR stat blocks representative of their race, a bunch of interesting information on their societies and home worlds, and a side bar which include the rules for playing them as a race. Although many of these were ‘humanoid shaped’, with arms and hands or some sort, there were some which were not, most notably the mollusk-like embri, and the silicon-based quorlu. This was just awesome to see, and I really enjoyed it! Some of the races and monsters from old Golarion were up for selection, including aasimar, tieflings, ghorans, hobgoblins, orcs, and trox, but many were brand new. I honestly loved a TON of these races, but my favourite new additions are damai, osharu, pahtra, and the wolf-like vlaka.

Curious about the playable races available in this book? Well, look no further! The Alien Archive includes:

Aasimar: celestial blooded humanoids you’ll find under ‘planar scion’
Bolida: armoured burrowing arthropods with a wide array of senses
Damai: pale, scrappy humanoids forced to hide underground from the colossi they share their world with
Embri: masked, mollusk like aberrations with a rigid social order secretly controlled by the forces of hell
Ghoran: delicious plant beings from Golarion who have terraformed their own planet-paradise and genetically split into two subraces: oaklings and saplings
Hobgoblin: tall, war-mongering, militaristic humanoids with faces similar in appearance to goblins
Kanabo: a red-skinned oni, which is a type of evil spirit given a physical form
Orc: strong humanoids conditioned as slave labour by the drow of Apostae
Osharu: slug-like creatures that view religion and science as intertwined
Pahtra: asexual cat-like humanoids that adore music and battle
Phentomite: agile humanoids acclimated to thin atmospheres and high altitudes that live on a broken planet
Quorlu: silicon based quadrupeds with tentacle arms and eyestalks capable of digging through earth and stone
Tiefling: fiendish blooded humanoids you’ll find under ‘planar scion’
Trox: large, chitinous, gentle humanoids that have been magically transformed since their time on Golarion
Uplifted Bear: intelligent, bipedal bears that you’ll find under ‘bear’
Vlaka: wolf-life humanoids from a dying world often born deaf or blind

Past the statistics for all those snazzy new aliens we come to the Appendixes, of which there are eleven. Appendix One contains two pages of creature subtype grafts and Appendix Two contains two and a half pages of environmental grafts. Appendix Three contains rules for the polymorphing creatures. This section is around seven pages long and frankly, feels quite complicated to me. Definitely not something my kids could use. Appendix Four contains all of the universal creature special abilities. Appendix Five, Six, and Seven are very short, sorting the creatures in the Alien Archive 2 by CR, type, and terrain. Appendix Eight lists the template grafts and the pages they can be found on, while Appendix Nine lists the new character options and gear and the pages they can be found on. Appendix Ten contains a chart of average vital statistics for all playable races from Alien Archive, Alien Archive 2, and for the Legacy Races from the Starfinder Core Rulebook. Finally, Appendix Eleven is a list of the playable races and their page numbers.

That’s it. We’ve come to the end of the Alien Archive 2.

And what did I think?

In short: I loved it. Alien Archive 2 is packed full of a wide array of monsters and cool races. Many of the stat blocks are highly adaptable, there’s plenty of new templates and grafts that help with monster creation, summon spells, and polymorph. There’s content in here for players and GMs. I’m supremely happy to own Alien Archive 2, and highly recommend it to fans of Starfinder!

Want a sneak peek at some of the playable races? Check out the image below! Got a favourite creature from Alien Archive 2? let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Jessica

Bolida

Damai

Kanabo

Phentomite

Quorlu

Wayfinder Authors Announced!

This morning brings a bunch of huge smiles to the faces around my house as Wayfinder Fanzine announces the authors whose articles will be published in their upcoming magazine: Wayfinder 19.

Wayfinder is full of fan-created content for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and is a free download on Paizo’s website. Over the years they’ve made an astounding 18 issues of Wayfinder, as well as a Bestiary! Nearly every issue has a theme, with this latest one being Fey and the First World. But, the next one coming up really breaks the mold! In fact, it’s not Pathfinder at all. It’s the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! This coming Wayfinder fanzine focuses on Absalom Station.

As some of you may have heard my kids and I all submitted articles to this coming issue and are proud to say we all had something accepted! My kids are literally screaming in glee and jumping up and down. I’m so proud of them. What a huge achievement for a pair of young kids.

And yes, my daughter’s involves rabbits. She’s desperately hoping hers gets some adorable artwork. Haha.

There’s a long time to wait before Wayfinder 19 releases. Art has to be made and edits have to happen, not to mention the ton of other work that the folks over at Wayfinder have to get done. It’s such a huge undertaking, and I know that my family is always happy to see the results. We adore the Wayfinder fanzine.

So join me in congratulating my kids and all the other authors whose pieces will be showcased in this next issue.

And more importantly, we’d like to offer a huge thank you to the people who work hard every year to make the Wayfinder fanzine a thing of beauty, creativity, and awesome gaming material. They should be beyond proud.

Jessica

For a full listing of which authors works were accepted, check out the announcement here.

A Whirlwind Week!

Whoooo! It’s been a busy week.

My kids had their school holiday concert this week. They were supremely excited for it. My daughter’s been practising her holiday songs and dancing around every day since they first started practising two months ago. She would give me a mischievous smile every time I saw her practising, then shut the door in my face. Haha. Anyway, the concert was a lot of fun. They sang Hanukah, Kwanza, Christmas, and holiday songs, and had a ton of fun. I had my niece and nephew with me for both shows (they do an afternoon and an evening show) which I suppose might make some people nervous. What two and four year old want to sit nice through a concert, never mind the same one twice? But they’re usually pretty good for me, and I bring them with me every year, so they were pretty excited to see their cousins put on a show for them. They had a lot of fun and were actually really, really good. Which was nice. I got to enjoy the show too, haha. I parked my niece in her stroller at the edge of an aisle so she could see, but other parents kept getting up and standing in front of her and blocking her view. I suppose they figured she was ‘just a baby’ and wouldn’t mind. Ha! She’s two and at that age where she’s using new words every day. So, every time someone purposely stood in front of her she’d shake her little fist and exclaim, “HEY! CAN’T SEE! YOU! GO! I CAN’T SEE!”

So many parents jumped and looked around shocked to see it was this tiny, cute little chubby toddler giving them a scolding. Some moved, some ignored her, some scowled at her, some jumped a foot like we were on some gag show, but either way I had a laugh. She’s adorable. Haha.

Later in the show Santa made an appearance and went through the crowd greeting kids so my niece and nephew were just AMAZED. “SANTA! ITS SANTA! LOOK AUNTIE! SANTA!!” My kids up on stage were pretty excited about it to. Apparently Santa had made a few visits to their rehearsal ahead of time to say he was coming and greet all the kids. My daughter explained to me later that night that someone from her class had written him an email to invite him to the concert, so OF COURSE he came. It was cute.

Last night we went to a fancy gala for my husband’s work. Princess Auto is celebrating its 85th year in business. Not only that, it’s a small Winnipeg-based, family owned, Canadian business that stretches from coast to coast. Many of you won’t have ever heard of Princess Auto before, but let me start by saying: no, they don’t sell cars. Haha. They were originally an auto wrecking business based on Princess Street here in Winnipeg, but as the years went on their owners were always adapting to the current and future retail market. They got into army surplus at the end of the war, mail order catalogs, and later stores. They kept changing with the times and now they have 43 stores across Canada and are opening one more that I know of this year, with a few more in 2019. They sell products in all kinds of categories: hand tools, outdoor, farm, trailer, driveline, hydraulics, and surplus (where you can find good deals on just a bunch of.. stuff. Haha). Where I live people either have never heard of Princess Auto, or LOVE IT. Like, OBSESSIVELY love it. Their customers are absurdly loyal. I suppose it’s mostly due to their ethos. Princess Auto has made it their mission, and always has, to treat their customers and employees with kindness and respect. They’re one of those businesses where the regulars come in and hang out all day, chatting and visiting and browsing. Staff probably knows them by name, what they do for a living, and about their family. Like at an independent coffee shop, or your local gaming store. A little community where everyone’s welcome. I’m just some employees wife, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the owners, CEO, and all kinds of other wonderful people plenty of times. A lot of customers bring in gifts for the staff and store, just because. I have some smoked fish and pepperoni sticks made by some happy customers sitting in my fridge right now.

Anyway, the folks over at Princess Auto are super nice, and they always throw a great party, so it’s one of those work get-togethers that is always fun to go to. For the 85th Anniversary Gala they hosted a big dinner and dance, with a live brass band, free food and drinks, prizes, gifts for everyone, and (very important) free cab vouchers to get home. There were staff in from all over the country, and guests of honour from the early days of Princess Auto. It was a lot of fun.

My kids went for a sleepover to my Mom’s house for the evening, so I’m sitting in my living room as I type this with a hot cup of tea and… silence. There’s just the tap of the keyboard as I type, a distant drip in my sink — I really should get up and turn that off — and my husband’s snoring from the other side of the apartment. It’s so… still.

I’m not used to that. Being still.

Even when my kids are at school I’m watching other young children and trying to stop them from tearing my modest apartment apart. Life is never quiet for me. And certainly never still.

It’s weird. But nice. Give me another few hours and I’ll miss my kids. Haha. But, for now, it’s the first quiet break I’ve had in a long time.

Later this week it’s my birthday. I’ll be turning… (pardon me while I count) … 33! Yes, I literally had to count. Honestly, once I turned 18 (which is the year you’re an adult where I live in Canada) I just stopped counting. I’m an adult! That’s all I need to know. Haha. I don’t do much for my birthday. I’m not one of those people who has a big party, or even family over really. I usually just take a day off from babysitting and spend the day with my husband. My birthday wishes? Same as always! Hugs from my kids, a day free from chores and cooking, and a slurpee for a treat.

I’m a fan of the simple things. Haha.

Not sure what I’ll be doing this year. Taking my kids to school. Probably cleaning my house and cooking. Haha. But, my husband booked the day off (he’s a sweetheart), so maybe I’ll make him do all my chores for me.

Hey! A girl can dream!

So, from me and mine to you and yours, here’s wishing you all happy birthdays throughout the year. I value every one of you that comes by to visit our little corner of the internet.

A thousand thanks!

In other news, PaizoCon registration has officially begun!

PaizoCon will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in SeaTac, Washington over Memorial Day weekend (which is May 24–27). I may admit that I’m a little jealous of all you folks who are going to attend. Haha. At PaizoCon you can meet your favorite Paizo artists, authors, designers, developers, editors, and personalities. You can also play games at the Pathfinder and Starfinder Society organized play tables, attend panels and workshops, get some snazzy sneak-peeks, and (of course) buy stuff! This PaizoCon will also mark the relaunch of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (which has been getting an overhaul) and their new Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne. The Starfinder team apparently has some secrets to share, and Pathfinder Second Edition is sure to be a hot topic, as well.

The Guests of Honor for PaizoCon 2019 are Liane Merciel (author Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight), Wayne Reynolds (freelance illustrator whose work includes every Pathfinder RPG hardcover release and the Pathfinder Iconics), and The Glass Cannon Podcast (weekly live-play podcasters who play Pathfinder and Starfinder. I’ve previously written about them here.).

Curious about pricing? Look no further!

4-Day Badges are $75.00
4-Day Kid’s Badges are $40.00
PaizoCon Preview Banquet Tickets are $45.00 and include an exclusive commemorative item available only to attendees at the Preview Banquet and through auctions or prizes at select charity events.
Purchasing a 4-Day Badge (regular) and a Preview Banquet ticket together are $110 ($10 savings)

For more information on PaizoCon 2019 and to register head over to PaizoCon.com. Want to learn more about the special guests? Check out LianeMerciel.com, WayneReynolds.com, and GlassCannonPodcast.com.

In other news, Wayfinder is announcing their accepted authors this week. Wayfinder is a free Paizo magazine written by fans, for fans, which features a ton of new content for the Pathfinder RPG. The issues are always a free download on Paizo’s website, and are always a treat to read. Usually they follow a theme and this year it’s not about Pathfinder at all! It’s about Starfinder! Absalom Station to be exact. They’ve been accepting entries from fans since the summer, and reading through them for another two months, and now this weekend they’re supposed to announce everyone who’s articles and submissions they’re going to use. My kids each created a creature for Wayfinder this year, and I submitted a Weal and Woe article and two themes. We’re all excited to see if any of us made the cut. My kids, particularly, are on the edge of their seats. It’s adorable. We’ve got our fingers crossed.

Wish us luck!

Finally, I want to talk about Pathfinder Friday. This past week’s episode was AWESOME! Erik Mona, Chief Creative Officer and Publisher of Paizo, was on the show and was an amazing guest. Erik has been with the team at Paizo the whole time. From back in the Dungeon and Dragon Magazine days, when Pathfinder wasn’t even born yet. This marked his first time on the show since they got they’re snazzy, comfy set for the twitch stream, and wow! They should really get him on more often!

Erik shared a ton of information with us about the Starstone! From behind the scenes inspirations, to the history and lore of the Starstone, how it arrived on Golarion, it’s effect on the world, its powers, and how you can use it. Just a ton of interesting information. Some of it was even new to me (exciting!).

For those of you who don’t know, the Starstone is part of a giant meteorite that was called down from outer space by some ticked off aboleths in order to put those uppity humans back in their place. The meteorite was slowed and detoxified by two Azlanti gods, Acavna and Amazden, which prevented much of the devastation that could have been caused at the expense of their lives. But, the impact still shook up the world. Civilzations ended, the sun was blocked from the sky, the terrain was literally reshaped, some races fled to different locations, which even created new races. In short, it was a BIG DEAL. A long time later a survivor by the name of Aroden found the stone, raised it up from the oceans, created the isle of Kortos, became a god, and made a city for his worshippers called Absalom. Thanks Aroden! When you interact with the Starstone you undergo a series of phantasmagoric visions and experiences that is different for everyone. This is known as the Test of the Starstone, and it sort of pits yourself against yourself. This inner test determines if you’re worthy to be a god, and if so, what you’ll be god of. If you pass you can become a living god, which is sort of like a demigod and is the most available method for ordinary people to become divine. Some people managed (Norgorber, Iomedae, and Cayden Cailean), while many more died in the attempt. Around the Startsone Aroden built a temple and filled it with dangerous tests, traps, and guardians.

“The first part of the Test of the Starstone, the dungeon part, tests your character sheet, but the second part tests your character,” said Erik Mona.

The Starstone is an artifact which had a huge historical impact on Golarion, it’s people, and the Pathfinder Campaign Setting as a whole. It even has a role to play in the Starfinder universe. Which is why this episode was such a neat one to get to see. Because, despite its importance, the Starstone isn’t really something that Pathfinder has focused on. It set the stage for the game and the world, but then it’s been sort of… idle. Nothing’s really happened with it lately, in and out of game. This is something that they hope to remedy in Pathfinder Second Edition. Erik explained that they’re going to do the Test of the Starstone one day, but the question is when and how. Is it better served as an Adventure Path or a high level deluxe adventure? He also mentioned that the team at Paizo is putting in a lot of thought into some central themes which may have been neglected over the last few years. This includes Absalom (which only PFS has focused on), Aroden, the Starstone, and much more.

If you haven’t seen the most recent Pathfinder Friday episode, I highly suggest you give it a watch. You can watch it and other previous episodes on Paizo’s Twitch stream, as well as on youtube. Although, I highly recommend watching it on Twitch so you can see the Q&A portion of the episode as well.

Enjoy!

Have a great week everyone,

Jessica

Starfinder Wednesday Dissects the Biohacker!

Last week on Starfinder Wednesday Dan and the gang over at Paizo talked about the Character Operations Manual Playtest, where you can take three new Starfinder classes for a test drive. This week was the first of three episodes streaming over the next month that will take an in depth look at these three classes: the biohacker, the witchwarper, and the vanguard. So which is up first?

The biohacker!

Host Dan Tharp welcomed special guests Jason Keeley and Owen K.C. Stephens. Jason wrote the first draft of the biohacker and, although it was a team effort, this class is his baby. In fact, the biohacker is the first class that Jason has ever written. Yes, ever. For anything.

Congrats, Jason! I love it!

Know what else I love? Jason even wore a bloody lab coat to get into character. Honestly? I think Jason’s always a delight to see on the show. He’s a sort of… understated hilarious.

So what did Jason have to say about the biohacker?

“Biohacker is a science based class that works with a lot of our injections (a weapon special property) and can aid his allies and hinder his foes with science. WITH SCIENCE!”

And yes, everyone should say ‘with science’ with great enthusiasm!

WITH SCIENCE!!!

Yeah!

Have I mentioned I really like the biohacker?

…Well, I do. And I’m not the only one! When asked why he wanted to make the biohacker, Jason had this to say:

“So when we decided the three classes that we were going to do I was very excited to jump in and get to write the first pass on the biohacker because I used to want to be a scientist. In high school I had some really great science teachers. I actually had a teacher whose last name was — I kid you not — ‘panic,’ spelt a little differently […] and he taught us all sorts of fun science experiments and I was like ‘Yeah, science is cool! I’m going to go to college for science.’ And I went to the University of Delaware for two years […] with a biochemistry major.”

Unfortunately for Jason, and very fortunately for Paizo and all of use at home, science didn’t really work out for Mr. Keeley. He shared some hilarious stories about his misadventures working in a science lab, which sound like they could have been showcased in the classic Disney ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ In short, it ended with Jason accidentally flooding the entire science lab on his way home for the night. Luckily for all of us, Jason later realized he liked theatre a lot more, and got an English degree instead.

“And that eventually led me here. And that’s my backstory, everybody.”

Thanks for sharing, Jason!

But, back to business. When asked how he used his experiences to help him create the biohacker, Jason replied:

“So I was excited to take what I remembered from science, and chemistry, and biochemistry, and biology, and try to […] apply that to a fun class.” […] “Thinking about all the aspects of biochemistry […] going into the generalities of genetics, and neurotransmitters, and enzymology and that sort of thing, were words that I definitely wanted to use. Right? And figure out how it would work in the game.”

Owen K.C. Stephens went further, saying:

“I think an important part of where his experience came into this draft is that Jason discovered the very important difference between the fun ‘imagining what science would be like that is exciting and interesting’ and what real science is like.” […] “The biohacker is not designed to be any kind of real world statement about genetics, or biochemistry, […] we don’t want you to have to pick up a thesaurus or have two years of biological chemistry in order to play this class, so its, its very much a fun idea catchphrase driven class.”

So what is a biohacker? What cool goodies do they get and what roles are they meant to fill? Well, as we mentioned in a previous blog post on the Starfinder Playtest classes, the biohacker can do a lot. They have a custom scanner which they can use to identify creatures and heal their allies. They can fire injection weapons at their allies without causing them harm — an ability that lets them fire a healing serum or other beneficial medicinal without hurting their pals. They have some balancing abilities — buffs and debuffs — that let them influence the battle, and a large list of theorems that they can choose to learn which allow them new abilities. Some of these are toolbox-y, others alter how you might use injections or what your injections can do, and others force mutation. High level theorems can even stop peoples hearts and lower an enemy’s cognitive abilities. Basically, they inject people with things to solve problems.

Owen explained that they have three main categories of classes: combatants, spellcasters, and classes that are neither. Instead, these classes have a unique array of abilities that are good in and out of combat. Its these classes — like the biohacker — that are the most difficult to design. Which is also why it needs playtesting!

So if we want to help make the biohacker the best it can be, what kind of information should we be giving in our feedback surveys and on the message boards? For starters, they want to know how the class works mechanically. Did you like it? Was it easy to understand? What works well and what doesn’t? How does it work on its own, in a group, and at high-level play? Did you come across any odd situations or combinations what caused problems. Also, they want to know if the class fits in with the world of Starfinder, and if you liked it. Was it fun? Exciting? Boring? Tell them!

Following the episode was a great Q&A segment where fans can ask questions live on Paizo’s twitch stream through the chat function, or by posting a question online ahead of time here. There were a lot of good topics discussed, including clarifications to mechanics and rules. My favourite question? “Can a biohacker build an injection ship weapon to target living ships?” Answer? No! Not right now. But clearly Owen and Jason loved the idea, so it’s likely we’ll see something like that one day down the road. Owen said he was going to add it to his list of ‘things that are too cool to forget.’

All in all, it was an awesome episode. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you do! Starfinder Wednesday airs on Paizo’s Twitch stream on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. PST. You can also watch already aired episodes on their Twitch stream, or watch partial episodes on their youtube channel. Curious what’s on the agenda for upcoming shows? Next Wednesday Amanda Hamon Kunz and Owen K.C. Stephens discuss the Witchwarper. On Boxing Day Paizo will be airing a pre-recorded show about the beginnings of Starfinder. And on January 2nd Joe Pasini and Owen K.C. Stephens discuss the Vanguard.

Exciting!

For more information on the Character Operations Manual Playest and to download the new classes check out StarfinderPlaytest.com.

Happy gaming!

Jessica

Pathfinder Friday: Runelords, Spoilers, and a Glimpse of the Future!

This past week’s Pathfinder Friday episode was an absolute delight! Marketing Manager and Host Dan Tharp welcomed special guest James Jacobs, Creative Director for Pathfinder, to discuss the history and lore of the Runelords. It was awesome. I highly recommend you give it a watch but, BE WARNED! A common phrase on the episode was essentially: ‘I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but…’ Followed by some spoilers. Haha. It was awesome.

So what did they talk about?

PaizoLogo Hi-Res.jpeg — Check out Paizo’s website to learn more about Pathfinder and their products!

For starters, James Jacobs shared some wonderful stories about creating the Runelords in the first place. He spoke about brainstorming sessions, allocating sins, and the reasons for making the classic ‘evil wizards’ the big bad guys in Pathfinder’s first Adventure Path. This was my favourite part of the episode.

Afterwards he touched on the Thassilonian Empire, Xin, and each of the Runelords in turn, their sins, their story, how they avoided dying in Earthfall, what happened to them in the time since, and even if they died in the intervening years (likely from PCs in either the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, or the Year of the Risen Rune Season of Pathfinder Society Scenarios, or in the Pathfinder Tales novel, Lord of Runes). He also mentioned what each of the Runelords is up to at the start of Return of the Runelords. This is mostly where the spoilers came into play, particularly in regards to Alaznist and her plans (which involve TIME TRAVEL)! My favourite Runelord to hear about? Sorshen! I love the changes she’s gone through over the years.

They put up an image of a gorgeous map of Ancient Thassilon which is going to appear as a poster sized map in the Return of the Runelords Map Folio. Another exciting spoiler? Jame Jacobs has confirmed that Alaznist’s meddling will cause New Thassilon to be a nation at the end of Return of the Runelords AND in the world of Golarion going into Second Edition Pathfinder. Which is… EPIC! Haha. I love it.

They dropped a few other PF2 tidbits over the course of this episode and the previous one. For starters, last week they announced that although Golarion and the Inner Sea will be the same world with the same places, it will be assumed going into PF2 that all of the PF1 Adventure Paths have happened. That means Queen Ileosa was overthrown, the Runelords were defeated, The Worldwound has been closed, and so on. But, that doesn’t mean that Golarion will be a safe place. Some regions are still as dangerous as always — the Worldwound is still a wasteland overrun by demons, for example (although the Crusades are pushing back and has victory in sight a few more years down the line). In other places new/old evils have risen to cause havoc. Many such changes are being fleshed out now, but aren’t set in stone. We’ll have a long time to wait to get full details on that. James also mentioned that Paizo will be doing something with Nex at some point, but not immediately.

Two other interesting tidbits I particularly enjoyed? Jame Jacobs mentioned that they are intending for all Pathfinder Second Edition Adventure Paths to go all the way from levels 1 to 20! Although, whether this will work out in execution remains to be seen. Personally, I think that’s awesome! Also, James has mentioned that he’s currently working on the first PF2 Adventure Path and that people will be excited for its topic and content. What a delightful teaser! Exactly what that content is? Still under wraps! We’ll have to wait and see.

Future episodes of Pathfinder Friday will include conversations on the Whispering Tyrant, who happens to be the big bad in the upcoming Tyrant’s Grasp Adventure Path (which is the final PF1 Adventure Path), as well as conversations on the world of PF2, and the product lines we can expect in PF2.

To check out Pathfinder Friday episodes as they air head over to Paizo’s official Twitch stream on Fridays at 4 p.m. PST. You can also watch already aired episodes on their Twitch stream, or watch partial episodes on their youtube channel. I highly recommend you check it out! It’s a favourite in my house.

Jessica

December New Releases

December’s here and the weather’s getting colder, which means a there’s a whole pile of new d20 products for us to drool over! And so close to the holidays, too! Let’s hope Santa (or at least my husband) is reading this! Haha.

We’re starting out today with the classics: Dungeons and Dragons!

Recent adventures released by Wizards of the Coast include Dungeons and Dragons: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, an adventure for levels 1-5; and Dungeons and Dragons: Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, an adventure for levels 5-20! Both of these adventures are a hardcover book, and one of which has its own map pack: D&D Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage: Maps and Miscellany. Dragon Heist also has it’s own dice collection: D&D: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist: Dice Set. Other major releases include: the D&D: Core Rules Giftset! My personal favourite release? Dungeons and Dragons: Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica! This awesome hardcover mixes D&D with Magic: The Gathering’s most popular plane: Ravnica. As a fan of Magic: The Gathering, this was one book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on! So far, it’s delightful, but I’m not quite finished reading it yet. When I do you can expect further details here, on d20diaries! Supplementary products include: D&D: Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica: Maps and Miscellany, and D&D: Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica: Dice Set.

D&D: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica

D&D: Core Rules Giftset

D&D: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist: Dice Set

D&D: Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica: Dice Set

Next Up? Let’s take a look at my personal favourite: new releases for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game!

Last month brought us Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Construct Handbook (which is a wonderful book, by the way!), Pathfinder Player Companion: Martial Arts Handbook, and Pathfinder Adventure Path 136: Temple of the Peacock Spirit (Return of the Runelords 4 of 6), which I regret to say I don’t yet own! The Pathfinder Society brought us two challenging adventures which take us to Hell and the Abyss: Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-08: What Prestige is Worth, and Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-09: The Rasping Rebirth! Other releases include the War for the Crown Pawn Collection, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Docks, and Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Warehouse.

The end of this month brings us a few more wonderful releases! Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Faiths of Golarion looks to be amazing! It focuses on some lesser detailed but very important gods of Golarion. Pathfinder Adventure Path 137: The City Outside of Time (Return of the Runelords 5 of 6) comes out. This is honestly the issue from Return of the Runelords that I’m most excited for. Also coming out after a slew of delays is the Pathfinder Module: Cradle of Night. This deluxe adventure is intended for level eight characters, takes place in Nidal, and heavily features Caligni — also known as Dark Folk — as allies that need your help! Super cool! The Pathfinder Society brings us two scenarios, as always. Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-10: The Shattered Shield is written by Leo Glass, is intended for tiers 1-5, contributes to the ongoing story of the Dark Archives faction, and takes place in Rahadoum. Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-11: The Hao Jin Hierophant is written by Jessica Redekop, is intended for tiers 5-9, and sends your PCs into the Hao Jin Tapestry where they’ll have to deal with both extraplanar and political hazards. Other releases include Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Urban Starter Set, and Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Pirate Ship.

PFS #10-08: What Prestige is Worth

PFS #10-09: The Rasping Rebirth

Temple of the Peacock Spirit (Return of the Runelords 4 of 6)

The City Outside of Time (Return of the Runelords 5 of 6)

Pathfinder Module: Cradle of Night

Pathfinder Player Companion: The Martial Arts Handbook

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Construct Handbook

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Faiths of Golarion

From Golarion we take off into the stars with new Starfinder Roleplaying Game releases! Whoo! I can honestly say that although Pathfinder is my favourite d20 game, I usually have the most fun reading Starfinder products. The entire team over there at Paizo is doing a great job!

This past month brought us Alien Archive 2, and the dark horror of Starfinder Adventure Path 10: The Diaspora Strain (Signal of Screams 1 of 3). Although I’ve yet to get this delightfully suspenseful book in my hands, I would love to give it a read. It sounds awesome! Definitely not one to play with the kids, though… Haha. The Starfinder Society releases last month were Starfinder Society Scenario #1-26: Truth of the Seeker, and Starfinder Society Scenario #1-27: King Xeros of Star Azlant. For more information on those two scenarios check out this previous blog post. Other releases last month included Starfinder Flip-Mat: Hospital.

This month brings us a few more releases. Starfinder Adventure Path 11: The Penumbra Protocol (Signal of Screams 2 of 3) continues the horror theme on the planet Verces. The Starfinder Society releases two new scenarios of vastly different tiers. Starfinder Society Scenario #1-28: It Rests Beneath is written by Jason Tondro, intended for tiers 1-4, is of particular importance to members of the Wayfinders Faction, and sends the Starfinders to explore a mysterious calcified region of a planet in Near Space. Colour me intrigued! This scenario also includes the ‘vehicle’ tag, which is exciting! Starfinder Society Scenario #1-29: Honorbound Emissaries is written by Jenny Jarzabski, is intended for tiers 7-10, is of particular importance to the Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo) faction, and continues the Scoured Stars storyline. A bonus? I have a feeling this one features another cameo of the delightfully gruff vesk pawnbroker, Julzakama. I can’t wait! Also coming out this month is the Starfinder Critical Hit Deck, which features adorable artwork of skittermanders. I’m incredibly curious to see what’s up with these cards. Plus? They look awesome! Haha.

Starfinder Flip-Mat: Hospital

Starfinder: Critical Hit Deck

SFS #1-26: Truth of the Seeker

SFS #1-27: King Xeros of Star Azlant

Starfinder Alien Archive 2

Diaspora Strain (Signal of Screams 1 of 3)

The Penumbra Protocol (Signal of Screams 2 of 3)

Sunburst Games Realms of Atrothia Legacy Races Revisited — Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited

And that’s it! Or is it? This month also featured the release of Sunburst Games first Pathfinder Compatible product, Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited. Written by my brother, this product is available from a variety of websites, and lays the groundwork for the upcoming Realms of Atrothia: Primary Expansion! Watch for the Kickstarter coming this February!

Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited as a digital download from Amazon.ca
Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited as a print copy from Amazon.ca
Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited as a digital download from Amazon.com
Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited as a print copy from Amazon.com
Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited as a digital download from the OpenGamingStore

Like Realms of Atrothia: Legacy Races Revisited? Watch for the Kickstarter coming in February 2019, and get ready for a whole new world of adventure!

That’s all for today! Got a favourite product you think I should take a look at? How about a favourite new release? Let us know in the comments!

All the best,

Jessica

New Pathfinder Society Scenarios: What Prestige is Worth and The Rasping Rebirth

10-08 What Pretige is Worth — Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-08: What Prestige is Worth by Matt Duval.

Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-08: What Prestige is Worth is a Tier 7-11 adventure written by Matt Duval. It begins in the Grand Lodge in Absalom, but quickly moves to the city of Dis, the second layer of Hell ruled by the Archdevil Dispater. This scenario makes use of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Advanced Player’s Guide, Planar Adventures, and Ultimate Magic. It features creatures from Pathfinder Bestiary, Bestiary 3, Book of the Damned, NPC Codex, and the Villain Codex (although all of the necessary stat blocks are included within the scenario). It utilizes the Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: City Streets , Gamemastery Map Pack: Hellscapes, and a full page custom map. This mission is of particular importance to members of the Dark Archives faction. If you’ve got any characters who have ties to Zarta Dralneen, an interest in interacting with devils, or who worships Asmodeus or an Archdevil, now is definitely the time to bring them! In addition, if you have any PCs that have the checked version of the Infernal True Name boon (from Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-16: Fallen Family, Broken Name), you’ll get both helpful and hindering effects during the course of this adventure. It should also be noted that many characters will have issue working with devils. If your character adamantly would not do so, even for the greater good, don’t bring them. Lastly, characters who have obvious ties to good outsiders, who openly worship divine beings, or who can cast divine magic will have a harder time accomplishing their goals than those who don’t. Although that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring such goodly characters, it is something you should take into account.

Michele Giorgi Rowane 10-08 What Prestige is Worth — Rowane, a norn from Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-08: What Prestige is Worth. Art by Michele Giorgi.

This adventure tasks the PCs with entering a portal in the Pathfinder Archives that spontaneously opened to Dis. The portal has a connection to an important soul from Cheliax’s past, which Zarta Dralneen, Leader of the Dark Archives, wants to question. Along with Zarta, your players will enter Hell, explore Dis, investigate a contract devil, and interact with some of the nastiest and most dangerous beings around — all while avoiding the attention of Dipater himself!

I really enjoyed this scenario. It’s incredibly atmospheric, with Dis always seeming ominous, dark, and downright evil. There’s a ton of wonderfully challenging and unique social encounters, where your PCs can forge both enemies and allies — temporary allies, at least. Players will be faced with temptation and opportunity, and even have the chance to barter away parts of their personality or souls in order to accomplish their mission, or gain tangible or esoteric rewards. The battles in this scenario are challenging, and never straight forward. For in Hell a bargain can always be struck — if you’re willing to pay…. There’s a lot of incredibly helpful handouts, most of which are for the GM. Overall I really enjoyed this scenario. It was different, challenging, haunting, and really, really well done. That said, it’s not an easy scenario to run. Not by a long shot. And it’s not an easy one to play, either. Players have a lot of free reign — which is great, but also can be hard. Some groups might flounder, get confused, or just get frustrated with their efforts. Lastly, this scenario is not for everyone. In addition to any moral concerns some folks might have about playing an adventure in Hell, there is also sights and sounds in the background in this scenario that are dark, haunting, and perhaps even offensive. Although I would enjoy this kind of adventure, not everyone will. Although it should go without saying, this is not the kind of adventure you should let your kids play. No way in hell! Haha. I give this scenario four out of five stars.

10-09 - The rasping Rebirth — Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-09: The Rasping Rebirth by Cole Kronewitter.

Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-09: The Rasping Breath is a Tier 12-15 adventure written by Cole Kronewitter. It begins in the Starrise Tower in Mendev, but the majority of the scenario takes place in the Worldwound, and the Abyss. It makes use of Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Bestiary, Bestiary 2, and Mythic Adventures (although all of the necessary stat blocks are included within the scenario) and utilizes Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Battlefield, Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Forest Fire, Gamemastery Map Pack: Swallowed Whole, and a full page custom map. If you’ve got characters who have done a lot of work to make the Worldwound safer, particularly one who’s played multiple scenarios from Pathfinder Society Season Five: Year of the Demon, or if you have any characters who have interacted with the glabrezu demon Koth’Vaul, or the Demon Lord Deskari in the past, I highly suggest bringing them. Characters who have earned the ‘Al-Jakri’s Debt’ boon (from Pathfinder Society Scenario #9–25: Betrayal in the Bones) will also get a nifty benefit during this scenario.

This scenario makes use of rules found in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures.

The demon Koth’Vaul, a constant thorn in the side of the Pathfinder Society, has entered the Worldwound, torn open a rift to the Abyss, and entered Deskari’s realm. His purpose? Unknown! Your PCs are tasked with tracking down Koth’Vaul, foiling his plans, and destroying him. Now, I REALLY enjoyed this adventure. Every single one of the battles was complex, enjoyable, challenging, and most importantly: dynamic! The social encounters in this scenario were really well-done! There were lots of helpful handouts, cool maps, and the finale! So good! One of my favourite decisions the PCs are faced with is whether they’ll accept outside aid from a foul source, knowing that there will be repercussions, but the aid might be necessary. It’s a wonderful predicament where your players will have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in the fight for the greater good. While some PCs will balk at this, others will definitely claim the offered power! The repercussions are amazing, and I can’t wait to see how the majority of players swing! Overall I really, really enjoyed this scenario. I give it five out of five stars.

Thanks for joining us today! We’ll see you again soon!

Jessica

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