Mad Brew Labs

Roleplaying Philosophy Series:

• RPP-000: RPG Theory Bibliography
• RPP-099: Mad Brew’s Gaming Philosophy
• RPP-100: Defining Game
• RPP-101: Defining Roleplaying Games
• RPP-310: Roleplaying Promotes Wellbeing
• RPP-399: 10 Reasons to Play Games at the Table
• RPP-401: RPG Community
• RPP-450: Roleplaying is a Pastime
• RPP-499: Gamer Elitism

Deadorc's Question

I’m officially dedicating this week at Labs to Deadorcs. In the same  Twitter discussion that inspired my last article, Randall Walker of Initiative or What asked a question:

deadorcs: So the question becomes: How do you make #dnd a “pastime” instead of a niche game? What social machinery has to be activated to make it so?

During the course of the discussion, Randall states D&D should (or asks how it could) transcend the status of hobby to be more ingrained in the culture, like grilling or going to the beach (two activities he cites as pastimes).

I believe that D&D, and roleplaying games in general, already are pastimes. Hobbies are inherently pastimes, if that’s what you usually do. To fully understand what I am about to say, we need to define pastime:

What is a pas·time?

noun /ˈpasˌtīm/

1. An activity that someone does regularly for enjoyment rather than work; a hobby^[1]
2. Something that serves to make time pass agreeably; a pleasant means of amusement, recreation, or sport.^[2]
3. Something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.^[3]

From the above definitions, I think we can reasonably say that all pastimes are hobbies, but not all hobbies are pastimes. The trait that separates the two is frequency. Looking at the first definition, a pastime is something someone does regularly.

A National Pastime

What’s missing from Randall’s tweet, and what I think he’s getting at, is a social spectrum qualifier. What would make D&D a <insert community level here> pastime? Much like baseball is referred to as the “national pastime.”

So what would it take for D&D to become a national pastime? It’s hard to put hard requirements down because there are lots of variables. Recognition, intimate knowledge, and acceptance all play major roles (and maybe seasonal shelf space at Wal-Mart). I suppose A-list celebrities might help. But the complexities, requirements, and buy-in of D&D are too great for this too ever happen.

Pastime is Subjective

In the end, I came to the conclusion that, for the most part, pastimes are determined by the individual. I certainly do not consider beach-going or baseball pastimes (or probably many things other people do). My pastimes are playing RPGs, drawing, and shooting firearms (all usually while drinking beer and listening to metal).

D&D is a pastime; whether or not it’s recognized at a specified cultural level is irrelevant to me.

Mad Brew's Response

Listening to: Metalocalypse – Dethalbum II – Symmetry

References

[1] The definition of pastime via Google.
[2] The definition of pastime via Dicionary.com.
[3] The definition of pastime via Merriam-Webster.

Deadorcs Question

Towards the end of last week, Deadorcs (Randall Walker of Initiative or What?) asked a question:

deadorcs: If #dnd were as popular as say (I don’t know) Scrabble or Monopoly (but not be a board game). What would that look like & how to get there?

Mad Brew's Response (1)

My reply was that such a feat was improbable. Mostly because the amount of involvement, buy-in, and general work required by players is a hurdle too great for most people to overcome. Indeed, the imagination required must have been unfathomable to a vocal part of the population in the 1980s during the prime of the D&D-is-satanic scare.^[1][2]

Mad Brew's Response (2)

Maybe I spoke too soon. I think I know what D&Dopoly would look like and how it got there.

Legacy

The anti-D&D fervor of the Eighties, while mostly gone, has still left a legacy. So in order for D&D to become a popular kid, it would have to put that legacy to rest (hopefully in a hole deep enough that when its remains become reanimated, the zombie cannot crawl out). While education, celebrity fawning, and wearing your D&D badge where everyone can see it does a lot to kill that legacy, time is D&D’s greatest ally in this battle.

Even harder to conquer than its satanic roots, is D&D’s hardcore geek legacy. Only geeks, nerds, and dorks play D&D, man, or worse. Right? Well, no one wants to be a dork, so the D&D player needs to be an everyperson: women, men, doctors, lawyers, factory workers, secretaries, plumbers, landscapers, actors, & lingerie models. Again, education, celebrity fawning, and time are the biggest champions here.

Simplicity

Even if D&D was the golden child of games, having been blessed by the Pope or promised virgins in the hereafter, it would still have to overcome the complexity of rules that are present. Also, let’s not forget the one element that truly separates roleplaying games, and thus D&D, from board games, and that’s scope.

D&D allows players to freely improvise character actions in order to achieve a possibly infinite number of goals.^[3] The scope of D&D is an impressive thing, so impressive it puts off prospective gamers because they like finite possibilities because they’re easier to manage.

But how can you simplify the game without sacrificing its identify? You could do watered down starter sets, but I think technology is the key [see below].

Market Penetration

The giant phallus of marketing would need to bury itself into the tight, little love channel that is the people’s game shelf. To be as popular as Monopoly would mean that just as many homes have D&D. What can marketing do?

First off, put the kibosh on shitty fucking movies and other media. Get them while they’re young (make an awesome cartoon series complete with posable dolls/figures, pajamas, and goddamned coloring books). Execute an effective transmedia attack on people. Yes, it would mean a serious investment, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

D&Dopoly

D&Dopoly is not what it sounds like… or maybe it is! Hasbro owns both D&D AND Monopoly, so why not cross pollinate and make D&D themed Monopoly boards? Put that in your merchandising strategy right beside your transmedia attack.

Anyways, what would the popular D&D, brother to Monopoly in every home, look like?

Well, it would be a couple of decades from now, when the biggest religious opponents from the eighties are now confined to filling their Depends while mumbling nonsense about the “good ol’ days.” Touchscreen tabletops, like the Microsoft Surface^[4], have pervaded people’s home (no doubt riding the coattails of the iPadXX). High society parties dress up like wizards and demons and play exclusive adventures written for them on giant versions of the tabletops found in normal consumer homes.

It’s all there, the rules (classes, spells, powers, etc.), the maps, miniatures (virtual or physical… which has its own memory to save your stats & loot), and even dice (again, virtual or physical), only the touch-app running on the table does all the calculations for you: movement (hopefully we’ve dropped grids & hexes by then), damage, and even what actions you may take.^[5]

The Awesome Part

You want to know the best part? The rest of us who already dig D&D don’t even have to wait. I say fuck popularity and to hell with whether or not roleplaying (D&D included) is as popular as Monopoly. Once it gets to that point, there is a decent chance you won’t like it.

Listening to:  Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones – Descendant

References

[1] Robertson Games has a recent article about Chick Tracts from the 80s.
[2] Anyone remember Patricia Pulling & her Bother About D&D group? Check out The Escapist’s write up on one of their brochures.
[3] I developed a pretty damn good definition of a roleplaying game a couple of years ago. Which is where I’m pulling this comment about scope.
[4] The new Microsoft Surface.
[5] Oh wait, there is shit like that already in development!

What if you could roleplay at a table that actually contained all the game logic? It recognized your mini when you placed on the surface and presented an array of options available to your character and resolved the challenges based upon GM and Player input? In addition, you were not constrained to play within the rules (game logic), but could play “freestyle” any time you wish by simply switching of the rules?

Well, the technology is available today, but it’s real pricey (app. $12,000 USD). However, in about 10 years, I expect the price for such technologies will have dropped into the upper range of affordable and such tables might become something more than an uncommon sight.

If you have been following the Labs for any amount of time, then you are probably aware of my love of technology when it is used to enhance or facilitate the playing of roleplaying games. Recently, The Core Mechanic and Mad Brew Labs bounced some ideas about utilizing Social Media as a platform for playing RPGs.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Prior to the discussion of Social Media RPGs, I wrote several articles about the Future Technology of roleplaying. These articles focused on current technologies the hobby had yet to use fully^[5], emerging technologies that RPGs could utilize^[6], a look at augmented reality for RPGs[7], and finally a piece about the rise of the digital game table^[8], which included a preview of Dungeons & Dragons being playing on the Microsoft Surface.^[9]

The SurfaceScapes^[10] team at Carnegie Mellon University^[11] has designed the interface and logic for playing D&D on the MS Surface. The MS Surface site has done several interviews with the team, and if you’re interested in the technology, I recommend you read them.^{[12] [13] [14]}

Otherwise, I present three videos that demonstrate the capabilities of the table:

References

[1] Roleplaying Games, Social Media Games, and the Shared Fence. The Core Mechanic. 2010-01-12.

[2] Bridging the Gap: RPGs and Social Media. Mad Brew Labs. 2010-01-14.

[3] Social Media RPG Platform. Mad Brew Labs. 2010-01-15.

[4] Social Media Role Playing Minigames. The Core Mechanic. 2010-01-15.

[5] Untapped Potential of Technology. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-05-06.

[6] Future Potential of Technology. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-08-06.

[7] Augmented Reality “Boardgame”. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-08-07.

[8] Rise of the Digital Game Table. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-10-19.

[9] The Microsoft Surface is a multi-touch table computer.

[10] SurfaceScapes is a student project for Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center.

[11] Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, PA.

[12] Dungeons & Dragons Done Right on MS Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-10-19.

[13] SurfaceScapes Follow-up: Bringing D&D to MS Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-12-08.

[14] New Gameplay Video with D&D on Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-12-16.

Listening to: Monster Magnet – Dopes to Infinity – Negasonic Teenage Warhead

These feats are inspired by some ideas I have had about reach weapons (which probably are not new) and some feats I encountered while playing in my first Conan RPG game this last weekend (which was pretty fun I should add).

Infantry Tactics

You have been trained to fight in formation and function as a unit. Such training instructs combatants to protect the soldiers next to them and to move in unison.

Benefit: If you and an ally with this feat are adjacent to one another, you both receive a +1 circumstance bonus to your AC as well as to attack rolls. Multiple adjacent allies with this feat do not provide additional bonuses.

Improved Infantry Tactics

You have mastered the technique of fighting in formation.

Prerequisite: Infantry Tactics.

Benefit: The bonus gained from having adjacent allies with the Infantry Tactics feat improves to +2.

Pole & Shield

Elite phalanx units have been trained to control their shield while wielding polearms and spears.

Prerequisite: Str 13, Infantry Tactics, Shield Proficiency, Weapon Proficiency (chosen polearm).

Benefit: You may wear a heavy shield and gain half its shield bonus to your AC when wielding glaives, guisarmes, halberds, longspears, pikes, ranseurs, or spears.

Normal: Without this feat, you cannot wear shields while using a two-handed weapon.

Rebuffing Reach

You have learned to keep opponents from getting within the reach of your polearm.

Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (chosen polearm).

Benefit: Anytime you are wielding a glaive, guisarme, halberd, longspear, pike, ranseur, or spear and succeed with an Attack of Opportunity for an enemy moving through spaces you threaten, instead of dealing full damage, you may choose to deal half damage and push the target 5 feet away from you.

Listening to: Demons & Wizards – Touched by the Crimson King – Terror Train

I colored a bit outside the lines with this wondrous item for Pathfinder RPG.  It has some rather complex rules going on and I’m not sure how game breaking it is. It’s a risky item to introduce for sure, unless you don’t have any aspiring necromancers.

Obsidian Ossuary

Aura strong necromancy; CL 16th
Slot –; Price 180,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This foot long cylinder is fashioned from the blackest obsidian about three inches in diameter and is capped by two small infernal skulls of silver. It is also embossed with intricate silver filigree that contains imagery of two skeletal hands gripping the cylinder from opposite directions. It is filled with the powdered remains of an osyluth (bone devil) skull.

The ossuary may be used as the focus to cast animate dead. When an animate dead spell is cast using the ossuary, the caster does not need the material component and there is no longer a 25 gold piece restriction per Hit Die limitation. The spell is also treated as if it were cast within an area affected by desecrate (doubling amount of Hit Dice worth of undead created).

Additionally, while the caster is in physical possession of the ossuary, the Hit Dice worth of undead he can control is doubled. However, the additional amount allowed may only be applied towards undead created with an animate dead cast with the ossuary as the focus. Furthermore, all undead under the control of someone physically possessing the ossuary gain a +2 profane bonus to attack rolls, damage roll, and saving throws as well as +2 hit points per Hit Die.

The ossuary gains its strength from those who possess it. Anyone in physical possession of the ossuary has his current and maximum Hit Points are reduced by half. Upon the moment someone gives up physical possession of the ossuary, their original maximum (but not current) Hit Points are restored.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, desecrate, unhallow; Cost 90,000 gp

Listening to: In Flames – A Sense of Purpose – Disconnected

Radiance House Publishing released Secrets of Pact Magic and Villains of Pact Magic a couple of years ago as supplements for 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons. Dario Nardi, the man behind the books, recently updated the series with a free 4 page Pathfinder conversion guide. The guide makes the rules supplements more accessible for groups using Paizo’s successful iteration of D&D 3.5.

Atomic Array and Radiance House were kind enough to provide me with review copies, which I promptly read but unfortunately didn’t have time to use at the table before writing this. However, I did like what I read and these books give GMs and players a very different approach to magic that is actually very easy to integrate into an existing campaign. Spellcasters can easily begin using pact magic by simply giving up spell slots. This makes the rules painless to introduce and test.

Secrets of Pact Magic

Secrets of Pact Magic

The pact magic presented in the book is inspired by real-world rituals such as those found in The Lesser Key Solomon which is pretty interesting. This 330+ page tome has a beautiful cover which has an abstract style not often found in fantasy gaming supplements. The interior uses black and white illustrations, some of which remind me of brushed ink renders.

Beyond the new pact magic and over 100 spirits to bind, Secrets of Pact Magic also introduces new races, base classes, prestige classes, spells, and magic items. What I didn’t expect, but which was very welcome, were the encounters that make for an excellent means to introduce pact magic as well as making pact magic a worthwhile addition to your game.

The flavor and story of each spirit was obviously very important when it came to writing this book, and I’m glad. Every spirit has its own geometric sigil, a well developed legend, and an associated constellation (which is a keyword that many new feats, racial traits, and class features make use of).

I am especially fond of the summoning rules which not only include a binding DC and character/environmental requirements but also the description of how the binding ritual is performed and what the manifestation appears like.

Another good design feature is that no matter what you roll on your bind check, you receive the granted abilities of the spirit. However, if you fail the check, you are unable to suppress the physical signs and your alignment and personality may shift to take on the traits of the spirit. On the other hand, if you succeed on the check by 10 or more, you get a capstone ability, which a bonus granted ability.

Each spirit also confers a tactical bonus to any d2o rolls when any of its listed criteria are met. Spirits may also grant favored allies (I wonder why we haven’t seen more of this mechanic in D&D), favored enemies, and even inspired companions.

The final chapter of the book also gives readers the tools to create new spirits and pactmakers which I think is an importance feature that allows GMs or players to tailor spirits for their particular setting or character.

Villains of Pact Magic

Villains of Pact Magic

Villains of Pact Magic is a 210+ page supplement to the original Secrets of Pact Magic and introduces four more classes as well as new spirits, feats, flaws, and spells. It then gives GMs new challenges to throw at their PCs in the form of detailed organizations replete with lore, adventure hooks, new monsters, locations, and encounters.

Besides the organizations, Villains also has an interesting chapter called Binder Challenges. This chapter contains traps, terrain, puzzles, and rules for stage plays (where the binders must participate in a play that reenacts a spirit’s life. It also includes maps and descriptions of four adventuring sites.

Pathfinder Update

This 4 page document really only has 2 pages of changes that brings both Secrets of Pact Magic and Villains of Pact Magic up to date with the new Pathfinder RPG rules. Most of the changes include hit die and ability score adjustment. The transition appears to be pretty smooth.

Web Extras

Radiance House has a free section on their website that allows you to download excerpts of the books to whet your appetite as well as the Pathfinder Conversion Guide and quite a few web enhancements (including base & prestige classes, feats, and monsters) to use in your game.
Want to learn more about Pact Magic? Read on…

• Atomic Array: Pact Magic (Atomic Array 035)
• Game Cryer: Review by Chris Perrin
• allgeektout: Flavor of Pact Magic
• Creative Anomalous: Secrets of Pact Magic
• Mad Brew Labs: Pact Magic for Pathfinder

Drop by Radiance House Publishing today!

Listening to:  Nine Inch Nails – Broken – Last

After playing Pathfinder for a few months, I am already hankering for some new options. I have played solely as a Cleric, though at different levels as well as both positive energy and negative energy versions. I love the new channel energy so I have crafted some fine new Feats for the Cleric that should prove very useful.

Augment Channel

Your channeled energy is more reliable.

Prerequisite: Improved Channel.

Benefit: Re-roll ones when determining the amount of healing or damage dealt by your channel energy ability.

Channel Mastery

Your channeled energy can affect both allies and opponents at the same time.

Prerequisite: Greater Channel.

Benefit: Channeling energy now affects both living and undead creatures at the same time.

Normal: Without this feat, you must choose which type of creature (living or dead) your channeled energy affects.

Empower Channel

You channeled energy is more effective.

Prerequisite: Greater Channel.

Benefit: Add 2d6 more dice your channel energy ability damage or healing roll. An empowered channel energy expends an additional use of your channel energy ability.

Enlarge Channel

You channeled energy affects a larger area.

Prerequisite: Improved Channel.

Benefit: Add 15 feet to the burst radius of your channel energy ability.

Greater Channel

Your channeled energy is harder to resist

Prerequisite: Improved Channel, caster level 6th.

Benefit: Add 2 to the DC of saving throws made to resist the effects of your channel energy ability.

Maximize Channel

You can channel energy at its full potential.

Prerequisite: Greater Channel.

Benefit: Your channel energy ability deals the maximum amount of healing or damage possible. A maximized channel energy expends two additional uses of your channel energy ability.

Quicken Channel

You can channel energy in a fraction of the normal time.

Prerequisite: Improved Channel.

Benefit: You can channel energy as a move action. A quickened channel energy expends an additional use of your channel energy ability.

Listening to: Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe – Superbeast

Ultimate Toolbox by AEG

The fine folks over at Alderac Entertainment Group were kind enough to send me a copy of their Ultimate Toolbox, a book of tables, charts, seeds, and sidebars to inspire and aid the Game Master or player of any fantasy based roleplaying game. This book is far larger than its predecessor, the Toolbox, and is system agnostic to boot. It clocks in at 400 pages, none of which are wasted.

Within those pages are over 1000 charts and numerous sidebars that should help any player (Game Master or not) flesh out player characters, non-player characters, cities, governments, religions, dungeons, and plots (just to name a few).

The book is laid out into seven chapters and an appendix. Each chapter is also divided into sections conveniently marked in the table of contents. Each chapter ends with a section called Using This Chapter which gives a capstone on implanting the many charts and various sidebar information presented throughout the chapter.

This is a veritable mine of ideas, description, and seeds with which to grow your campaign. The utilitarian nature of the Ultimate Toolbox combined with the sheer amount of information provided makes it a difficult supplement to adequately review. So to give readers a better idea about what is contained in this massive tome, I’m going to reproduce the table of contents as well as craft a section of a city using the book.

Crafting with the Ultimate Toolbox

The description below was created after about five minutes of rolling a d20 on several charts in from the Civilization chapter and the Architecture & Atmosphere section. As you can see you can generate some detailed descriptions fairly quickly.

• Building Description: Complicated Connections span a series of buildings all owned by a single landlord
• Architecture: Second-story structures with many windows
• Districts & Quarters: Red-light district
• Neighborhood Features: High crime rate in alleys
• Monuments: Obelisk
• Building Types 1: Aqueduct
• Building Types 2: Concert Hall
• City Sights: Local crowd partaking of a public stoning or execution
• City Sounds: Glass breaking
• City Smells: Burnt Sugar
• Statue Description: Tall, once pure-white obelisk rises to the sky. It is covered with strange ancient writings and is rumored to be only one of many

Conclusion

I have a theory that the best Game Masters are actually accomplished improv artists. They are able to play off of unexpected player decisions without missing a beat. While this book will not teach you improv, it can prove indispensible as a tool at the table to quickly generate details for unexpected situations at the table, especially if you bookmark likely used tables beforehand.

Needless to say, despite the marked price of $49.95, I highly recommend this book. This book will survive the current edition of whatever game you’re playing and prove useful time and again. You can shave nearly $16 off the cover price if you pick up the Ultimate Toolbox from Amazon.

Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting

The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting is probably one of the best setting books that I have seen in the past few years. The official Pathfinder RPG campaign setting is the world of Golarion, where all the Pathfinder Adventure Paths and Pathfinder Society modules take place. Golarion and its cosmology truly offer something for everyone.

Golarion has it all: steampunk, horror, sword & sorcery, sword & planet, dark fantasy, political intrigue, Vikings, genies, pirates, ninjas, dinosaurs, and lasers. The surprising quality is Golarion manages to provide all this yet still feel very homogeneous and flowing. The key to the setting’s consistency (other than the A-list of developers Paizo had working on it) is Golarion’s familiarity.

The world of Golarion is structured, shaped, and colored with the same elements that comprise our own Earth. Golarion’s Inner Sea is a rough translation of the Mediterranean with all the various surrounding cultures being transposed upon Golarion’s landmasses with a fresh perspective. This was actually a goal spelled out in the prologue titled, An Old New World penned by Mike McArter, the editor and project lead.

Chapter 1: Characters

Races

The campaign setting begins with the obligatory descriptions of the major races of Golarion. What is important to note is that each race has been given a unique treatment that is specific to how they operate in Golarion. For instance, in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, gnomes suffer from an affliction called the Bleaching.

A gnome’s age is not tied to the passing of time. Instead, whenever a year passes by without the gnome experiencing new wonders, he advances one age category. Favored regions, preferred deities, names, and languages are given at the beginning of each racial entry. Each race has been given something that makes them feel like they belong to the world of Golarion.

Classes

Each of the D&D 3.5 base classes is also given the Golarion treatment. Each class entry describes the general behavior and common expectations of representatives found in Golarion as well as which regions favor the class. Each entry begins with an alternative class feature, which give a Golarion flavor to the mechanics.

Map of Golarion

Chapter 2: The Inner Sea

Once through the Golarion perspective on Races and Classes, the book plunges into 2 or 4 page entries on the major (and minor) kingdoms, nations, and regions which appear alphabetically. Each entry begins with a coat of arms and statistics about the location including its alignment, capital (if any), notable settlements, ruler, type of government, dominant religions and languages.

The entries include histories, political description, and brief details on locations of note. Each region also includes one or more feats for characters that have affinity for the region (either having been born there or lived there for an extended period of time). Here is where you find that real world familiarity that makes this setting click.

Andoran represents the very American (at least the America of ages past) ideal about freedom and democracy. Cheliax embodies imperial fascism in the guise of diabolism, symbolizing British Imperialism and Nazi Germany. Galt and its named guillotines harkens to the days of the French Revolution while Quadira has the Ottoman Empire written all over it. Osiria is a direct reflection of ancient Egypt and the Mwangi Expanse is reminiscent of the rain forests of both Africa and South America.

The Campaign Setting focuses on just the Inner Sea region of Golarion, which includes the two (out of eight total) continents of Avistan and Garund. Brief descriptions of the other land masses are given at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 3: Religion

Pantheon

The chapter begins with the introduction of twelve new domains introduced by the Campaign Setting. However, since the Pathfinder RPG has been released, this information is really only applicable if you are playing Dungeon & Dragons 3.5.

Each deity receives a half page entry that begins with their holy symbol, portfolio, alignment, domains, favored weapon, centers of worship, and nationality. I think the most interesting concept is that there are not racial pantheons. The gods get a more complete treatment in the Gods & Magic supplement.

Cosmology

Pathfinder has a cosmology similar to the Great Wheel planar composition of 3.5 D&D. At the center of everything you have the Material Plane and Positive Energy Plane at the center of the Inner Sphere.  Overlapping these, through the Ethereal Plane, are their mirror opposites: Shadow Plane and Negative Energy Plane.

The Material Plane is encased in 4 layers of Elemental Planes (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) and then the Astral Plane which marks the beginning of the Outer Sphere. One the edge of the Astral Plane, before the universe is consumed by the infinite Abyss, reside the planes tied to alignments (Nirvana, Heaven, Elysium, Abbadon, Hell, The Maelstrom, Axis, and the Boneyard).

Also in this chapter are brief descriptions of minor gods, devils, demons, and angels. The campaign setting also introduces four philosophies that are not tied to deities.

Chapter 4: Organizations

The famous Pathfinder Society (the same group the organized play wing of the Pathfinder RPG), infamous Hellknights, deadly Red Mantis assassins, righteous Eagle Knights, and devious Apsis Consortium are laid out in this chapter. These organizations could serve as handy elements in a campaign to further the plot, either as resources and allies or as dangerous opponents. Also, a handful of less influential organizations are given a brief mention at the end.

Chapter 5: The World

This is the largest chapter and its sections include History & Timeline, The Darklands (the Pathfinder version of the subterranean Underdark), Fauna, Flora, Languages, Lost Nations, Psionics, Technology, Trade, and Weather & Climate. There are also the more mechanic orientated sections of Domain Spells, Equipment, General Feats, and Prestige Classes (Harrower, Low Templar, Pathfinder Chronicler, Red Mantis Assassin, and Shackles Pirate).

History

The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting provides a rough account of 10,001 years of history. It begins with the Earthfall event, when a massive meteor, the Starstone, called down from the stars by the Aboleth destroyed the Azlant (the first kingdom of men that appears to be inspired by Atlantis mythos). This event plunged Golarion into a literal and figurative Age of Darkness.

Today, Golarion is in the Age of Lost Omens which was brought about by the death of Aroden (the god who was prophesied to return to Golarion upon the eve of mankind’s greatest triumph). None of the old prophecies are reliable and it is truly an age to make your own destiny.

Current year is 4709, but was 4708 when the book was published. Time passes in Golarion just as it does in the real world.

Appendices

There are four appendices. The Pathfinder Chronicles Locations which details where the Adventure Paths published (at the campaign setting’s time of publication) take place. The much needed Pronunciation Guide (something EVERY fantasy supplement should have). There is the Rogues Gallery of NPCs for Game Masters. Even an appendix for Wandering Monsters is included.

Criticisms

I have a few criticisms for the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting. The first criticism is that the book has an MSRP of $49.99, which is pretty expensive to me for a book with less than 260 pages. Also, there needed to be more maps. On the editing front, I encountered about 15 errors (but didn’t document them until I encountered 5 or 6).

I also had some confusion surrounding the mechanics of the Shackles Pirate prestige class. They have the ability to grapple ships, but I wonder how to calculate the strength check is a character opposing? Is it the grappled ship’s strength or its crew’s?  How do you determine the strength of a ship? There is a chart that shows the strengths of various classes of ships, but the table is really only for the mist ships that Shackles Pirates can create. Some further clarification would be nice.

Praise

As I mentioned in my introduction, the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting is probably the best setting book I have read since the Iron Kingdoms from Privateer Press. Paizo wrangled an awesome crew of contributors to pen the setting and it shows (not to mention the awesome cover by Wayne Reynolds).

The setting presents just the right amount of detail. Game Masters, and players, are given just enough information to spark the imagination while not nailing everything down and making the setting inflexible. As this setting matures, we’ll see if this continues to be the rule, but for now it feels very open and not oppressed by official canon.

Just about any type of fantasy adventure can be found within the pages of the campaign setting. It is a veritable melting pot of genre. This book has been a valuable resource in creating a new campaign with my Co-GM. Since it also meshes nicely my new default RPG of choice, I highly recommend it. You can get it at Amazon for $31.49 ($18.50 off the cover price!).

Verdict: 4.5/5

Pathfinder RPG

Well, Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG will have been out a month by the beginning of next week and I want to get a head start on compiling a PFRPG Resource. Of course, many people were waiting until the final rules were published before creating anything specifically for Pathfinder. That being said I think any Pathfinder aficionados will find the following resources useful

Official Paizo Resources

Pathfinder RPG Resource Page
Here you will find errata, policies & licensing, character sheets, the character traits PDF, the free Bestiary Preview PDF, a 3.5 Conversion Guide that shows where all the changes were made, and the Council of Thieves Player’s Guide.

Official Pathfinder Reference Document (PRD)
This is an online version of nearly everything released under the Open Game License. The PRD makes quick work of looking up rules and can serve as a supplementary resource at game tables (providing you have a computer with internet access).

Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Join the organized play arm of Pathfinder and be able to participate in official games run at conventions, hobby shops, and in homes across the globe. Of particularly worthwhile note is the link to the PFS Guide which includes faction traits for use with PFRPG.

Unofficial Resources

d20 PFSRD
This unofficial online Pathfinder System Reference Document includes some details the official PRD (mentioned above) does not have. These details include Character Traits and Bestiary monsters. It is also organized a little differently and you can quickly find such things as conditions, special abilities, and traps using their navigation menu. Oh, and they have an instance of Azhrei’s Digital Index Lookup which allows you to search a digital version of the PFRPG index. By the way, they also have download of the full site for offline use, how handy is that? Highly recommended!

Mad Brew Labs’ Mystic Market
I have my own collection of Pathfinder compatible material dealing with magical items. Check out the Mystic Market for new magical item for your Pathfinder game.

Pathfinder DB
I’ll let this excerpt from the About page describe the site:
The Pathfinder Database seeks to fill the role that countless of sources and message boards across the Internet have provided for fan-created gaming content. This site exists specifically for the purpose of providing a collection of fan-created content for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The types of content available could change over time, and the menus above will change to reflect that.

Pathfinder Chronicler
The Chronicler is dedicated to fiction set in the Pathfinder universe. The site does reviews and reports Paizo news, but the main focus is to develop fiction. If you want to participate, you must first become and editor. While I haven’t applied for the process myself, due to my primary focus of Nevermet Press, it appears that the process is about helping each other write better, which gets two thumbs up from me.

Pathfinder Open Game Content
This site also houses an online SRD, but it looks like it is keeping the Beta stuff. However, it does have some PFS authorized Character Traits sourced from the Pathfinder Companion: Cheliax, Empire of Devils.

Pathfinder Wiki
This wiki serves as a repository for official Pathfinder and Golarion canon obtained from the various Pathfinder sourcebooks such as the Gazetteer, Campaign Setting, Adventure Paths, and the various Companion and Chronicles supplements. It has been instrumental in assisting my Co-GM and I develop a massive multi-GM campaign. Highly recommended!

The Book of Arcane Magic – Reborn Soul Sorcerer Bloodline
This is a free PDF from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming that is a web enhancement for sorcerers. Can’t beat a free PDF of character options!

Pathfinder RPG Character Generators

Hero Lab
This commercial software developed by Lone Wolf Development works with many game systems and costs $29.95. The price includes the material for one system of your choice with the option of expanding the product with other systems at $20 a pop. I stopped at their booth during GenCon and was looking at all the nifty systems it worked with and I really want to try it. They have a demo version of it available for download and I think I might take it for a spin.

PCGen
PCGen has been around a loooooong time. I used it way back with D&D 3.0 I believe. It is a heavily developed and maintained software package that I believe is heading into version 6! I just noticed on their Yahoo Group that they are releasing a Pathfinder data set. Oh, did I mention it’s free?

RPG Engine
This site also has two free utilities for Pathfinder RPG. sCoreGen is a character generator based on the Pathfinder Beta rules, but an upgrade to the final released rule set is in the works. The other utility, adVance, is a spell list manager also based upon the Pathfinder Beta rules. Both utilities are based upon Excel spreadsheets and VB script macros.

Pathfinder RPG Character Sheets & Game Documents

LPJ Design’s Basic Character Sheet
The Basic Character Sheet for use with The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is a 2 page PDF Character Sheet resource that players can use to record all the their characters information on. This basic version is free, but Louis Porter, Jr. also has an Expanded Character Sheet on sale for $0.79.

LPJ Design’s Initiative Cards
LPJ also has a free set of initiative cards to help ease the burden of GMing.

Neceros PFRPG Character & Extra Spells Sheets
Alternate character sheet and spell sheet available as PDFs.

Help Mad Brew Grow this List!

It’s nigh impossible for one man to keep abreast of all the new and existing resources available for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, so if you know of one I missed, feel free to leave me a comment with a link to the item. Shameless plugs welcome!