Pathfinder RPG Archive
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Fearsome Foes: Black Hounds
Posted on December 6, 2019 | No CommentsFearsome Foes: Black Hounds This installment of the Fearsome Foes-series clocks in at 10 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, leaving us with 8 pages of content, so let’s take a look! The story of the Black Hounds begins with Belik Hammerfist, born to loving half-orc parents, and subsequently orphaned at the tender age of 7 in peacekeeping riots that, including arcane police fireballing buildings, seems surprisingly topical when thinking about the world in general. Anyway, this incident did spawn a massive riot that burned half the city down, but Bellik? He survived the next 10 years on the streets, going through the school of hard knocks, if you will. With his renown growing, he struck a […] -
Mystery at Ravenrock (Patreon Request)
Posted on December 4, 2019 | No CommentsMystery at Ravenrock This module for PF1 clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD,1 page back cover, leaving us with 20 pages, so let’s take a look! This review was moved up in my reviewing queue at the request of my patreon supporters. All right, so, first things first – this is the second of James Thomas’ modules dealing with the frontier’s region of Ravenreach. The module focuses on a very Borderlands-ish feel and should slot seamlessly into such regions – or e.g. the River Kingdoms in Golarion. Of course, you can also use it in the Lost Lands-setting without any hassle. The module is intended for […] -
City of 7 Seraphs (Patreon Request)
Posted on November 29, 2019 | No CommentsCity of 7 Seraphs (Patreon Request) So, this massive hardcover clocks in at 609 pages. Yes, 609 pages of content – this is already minus the usual editorial, ToC, SRD, etc. And there is a LOT of text on each page. This is literally one of the most densely-packed books I’ve read in a long while. Why did I not call this “campaign setting”? Because there is more to this. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The first thing you have to know, is that I have contributed to this tome – I’ve written a race and an archetype for this massive book, the Rhyzala and the Mycorrhizal Networker radiant archetype , to be more precise. As such, […] -
Races of the Lost Spheres: Bloodborn
Posted on November 28, 2019 | No CommentsRaces of the Lost Spheres: Bloodborn This supplement clocks in at 23 pages,1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 3 pages of SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 16 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, what are Bloodborn? Well, at one point, there were those that came before – collectors of lore and knowledge, this ancient empire implemented a unique plan to withstand the inevitable fall of their empire, electing not for the preservation of the self, but instead of the things they achieved in a supremely selfless gesture. Thus, they crafted the Sourcerunes and the Bloodwells – when these are seeded with the blood of 2 compatible beings, thus generating […] -
Book of Beyond Subscription (Patreon Request)
Posted on November 15, 2019 | No CommentsBook of Beyond Subscription Okay, so, now that I’ve finished covering the entirety of the Book of Beyond series at the request of my patreon supporters, let’s talk about the subscription/bundle offering as a whole. If you want to see detailed reviews of the components, check out the individual reviews – if you click on the “Book of Beyond”-tag on my homepage (or search for it, you’ll have them all conveniently listed. The greatest weakness of the series, as a whole, is that it mainly suffers from its editing not being as precise as it’d deserve to be; there are a lot of little niggles to complain about, and yes, there are a few options herein that imho go […] -
Book of Beyond: Psionic Paths (Patreon Request)
Posted on November 15, 2019 | No CommentsBook of Beyond: Psionic Paths This installment of the Book of Beyond-series clocks in at 39 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 6.5 pages of SRD, leaving us with 29.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This review was moved up in my reviewing queue at the request of my patreon supporters. All right, after a brief introduction to the concept of power source origins, we start with lists of psionic powers, organized by classes, then levels. Particularly fans of the cryptic and dread will be rather happy to note quite a bunch of material for their classes. It should be noted that different classes might have different power point costs […] -
The Genius Guide to More Simple Class Templates for Monsters
Posted on November 7, 2019 | No CommentsThe Genius Guide to More Simple Class Templates for Monsters This pdf clocks in at 23 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 19 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, applying class levels to monsters is often not a valid or smart move n the CR-system, as e.g. slapping a single wizard level on a CR 19 critter will contribute nothing to the build. The first of these genius guides remedied that for a plethora of classes, and this one follows that lead, this time around covering the Occult Adventures classes and the Vigilante. Since these classes have more complex systems, the abilities often work differently […] -
Frogfolk of Porphyra (Porphyra RPG) (Patreon Request)
Posted on November 6, 2019 | No CommentsFrogfolk of Porphyra (Porphyra RPG) This installment of the „…of Porphyra“-series clocks in at 57 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of SRD, with the pdf laid out in 6’’ by 9’’ (A5), leaving us with 54 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This book was moved up in my reviewing queue at the request of my patreon supporters. In case you were wondering: Porphyra RPG is essentially a continuation of Pathfinder 1, fully backwards compatible in the same way as Pathfinder behaved to 3.5, but with several cool features such as scaling feats and the like. Now, it should be noted that this pdf was written before the rules for Porphyra RPG were finalized, […] -
The Genius Guide to More Druid Talents (Patreon Request)
Posted on October 28, 2019 | No CommentsThe Genius Guide to More Druid Talents This expansion for the Talented Druid clocks in at a massive 40 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 3 pages of advertisement, 1 page blank, leaving us with 33 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This pdf was moved up in my reviewing-queue at the request of my patreon supporters. Okay, here things become interesting, as we get new stuff – where the core pdf provides the talented druid framework, this one presents new options, including guidelines (right in the introduction) that allows for their use in context with a regular druid class. The edges this time around take no prisoners, and tie in […] -
The Genius Guide to the Talented Druid (Patreon Request)
Posted on October 28, 2019 | No CommentsThe Genius Guide to the Talented Druid This massive supplement clocks in at 60 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, ½ a page blank, 1 page SRD, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 52.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This pdf was moved up in my reviewing-queue at the request of my patreon supporters. Also: Samhain’s approaching. 🙂 To briefly recap, since it’s been a while: Rogue Genius Games’ talented class reworks are an interesting and handy option to have for many groups; the idea is to redesign a given base-class and codify all those alternative abilities and a archetype features in a unified frame; […] -
The Genius Guide to the Talented Otter Dragon (Patreon Request)
Posted on October 28, 2019 | No CommentsThe Genius Guide to the Talented Otter Dragon This pdf clocks in at 20 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 3 pages of SRD, 2 pages of advertisements, leaving us with 13 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This review was requested to be moved up in my reviewing queue by my patreon supporters. Okay, first things first: I am pretty positive that this creature was created using the Talented Bestiary, a book I do not own. As such, I can’t comment on how well it implements the guidelines in said tome. That out of the way, we begin with an introduction that contextualizes the otter dragon in the fantasy world, before diving […] -
Book of Beyond: Liminal Power
Posted on October 18, 2019 | No CommentsBook of Beyond: Liminal Power This installment of the Book of Beyond-series clocks in at 76 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 6 pages of SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 66 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This review was requested to be moved up in my reviewing queue by one of my patreon supporters. As before in the series and in Lost Spheres Publishing’s offerings, we begin with a brief synopsis of sources of power, that, in a way, pre-empted how PF2 thinks about magic, which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned – if e.g. the source of power is entropic, that’ll be a […] -
Bloodlines & Black Magic: Whispers & Rumors Issue #3 (O7/5e)
Posted on October 18, 2019 | No CommentsBloodlines & Black Magic: Whispers & Rumors Issue #3 (O7/5e) The third installment of the little ‚zine devoted to supplemental material for the amazing Bloodlines & Black Magic setting/campaign-hack/system-tweak clocks in at 21 pages, 1 page front cover, 3 pages of SRD, leaving us with 17 pages of content, so let’s take a look! While the header and tags also designate this as 5e on my homepage, it should be noted that the 5e-material is just one character, and that this character has not been built with standard 5e-NPC-rules and acts as a kind of preview for the 5e-version of Bloodlines & Black Magic. All righty, so, we begin this supplement with a new creature penned by Tim […] -
Bloodlines & Black Magic: Whispers and Rumors Issue #1 (O7)
Posted on September 12, 2019 | No CommentsBloodlines & Black Magic: Whispers and Rumors Issue #1 (O7) The first of the Whispers & Rumors-expansions for Bloodlines and Black Magic clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 11 pages of content, so let’s take a look! We begin with the black-eyed ones, penned by Tim Hitchcock – illustrated in a pretty nice one-page b/w-artwork that depicts a girl coming from a corn field. These Small humanoids are manifestations of the powers-that-be – black-eyed entities, often looking like kids, who can strike a bargain that carries serious repercussions for breaking it. Targets slain by these beings may be returned as black-eyed zombies, and they act as emissaries to Raum. Sample […] -
Book of Beyond: Spells of Boon and Burden
Posted on September 11, 2019 | No CommentsBook of Beyond: Spells of Boon and Burden This installment of the Book of Beyond-series clocks in at 42 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 6 pages of SRD, leaving us with 33 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, the pdf begins with explaining the goal of this book – it seeks to provide a sense of unique identity and being “the best” at something for psychic magic – something that sets it apart from the arcane. The witch is included in a heavy manner as well. Conceptually, spells of boon are spells that provide benefits to allies at a cost to themselves. Spells of Burden, on the other hand, tap […] -
Superhero Classes – Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath
Posted on September 11, 2019 | No CommentsSuperhero Classes – Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath This pdf clocks in at 21 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 18 pages of content, so let’s take a look! The first class would be the superman, who gets d8 HD, ¾ BAB-progression, good Fort-saves, 4 + Int skills per level, and proficiency with simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields. (Captain America’s weeping…) First level nets resistance 1 versus acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic resistance, which increases by 1 at 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter. The superhuman also may exist in temperatures from -50 to +140°F (-45 to 60°C) sans having to make Fort-saves. The superhuman loses […] -
Porphyra Roleplaying Game (Porphyra RPG)
Posted on September 6, 2019 | No CommentsPorphyra Roleplaying Game (Porphyra RPG) This massive game clocks in at 606 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 7 pages of SRD, 8 pages of helpful index, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 585 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So before we dive into what this book is, and what it isn’t, let’s recap: Pathfinder Playtest very much defined that Pathfinder Second Edition would feel like a radically different game in many ways; as you have probably noticed, Pathfinder Playtest left me hopeful, but also filled with quite a lot of trepidation, and to say that I was ecstatic would be simply false. I am currently in the process of […] -
Village Backdrop: Blackhill Gaol
Posted on September 6, 2019 | No CommentsVillage Backdrop: Blackhill Gaol This installment of RSP’s Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look at the settlement! Blackhill Gaol once was a one-way-trip – the place was conceived as a forced labor camp for debtors, for political prisoners, for the wicked – for those that were to never be free again. As such, the village was constructed in a pretty remote area that is known for being pretty darn dangerous. The prisoners, alas, revolted against their overseers in a coup masterminded by Lady Ephael Areva (who now has […] -
Village Backdrop: Kerwyn’s Pride
Posted on September 3, 2019 | No CommentsVillage Backdrop: Kerwyn’s Pride This installment of RSP’s Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look at the settlement! When infamous pirate captain Vayla Hollan (fully presented in the fluff-centric style of the series; one of two NPCs getting this treatment) met her match in a particularly nasty storm, she barely managed to steer her vessel, the eponymous “Kerwyn’s Pride”, into the relatively safe Ballisco Bay. Here, she found opportunity – three baronies vying for supremacy and control over the water-based trade routes. Instead of simply making her ship seaworthy […] -
Village Backdrop: Victory Elm
Posted on August 29, 2019 | No CommentsVillage Backdrop: Victory Elm This installment of RSP’s Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look at the settlement! Standing amid gently roiling hills, Victory Elm derives its name from the massive tree that gives the village its name; goats graze on the hills, though the absence of any other tree nearby may seem odd to some. While a few hill giants remain nearby, the village has attempted to entice the creation of additional settlements to make the place less remote, but so far to no avail. The PFRPG version […] -
Paragon Hags and Occult Covens
Posted on August 26, 2019 | No CommentsParagon Hags and Occult Covens This supplement clocks in at a hefty 28 pages,1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 25 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, let us do this from the ground up: The pdf starts off with a summary of coven-benefits: If at least two coven members participate in the same occult ritual, they get +2 to all skill checks, saves and concentration checks for the ritual; when casting spells on another coven member, CL is two higher, but multi-target spells only gain target number increases by CL if all targets are members of the coven – great catch! The pdf sports a variety of coven related […] -
Monster Menagerie: Giraffenomicon
Posted on August 23, 2019 | No CommentsMonster Menagerie: Giraffenomicon This installment of the Monster Menageries-series clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page of SRD, leaving us with 10 pages of content, one of which is devoted to the introduction, so let’s take a look! Okay, so see that one the cover? Legend Stan! Provides pretty hilarious artworks for all the monsters herein, so let’s check out whether the stats hold up as well: The first critter would be the Giraffecorn (CR 5), who sports a glistening silvery coat, cloven hooves and a sex-feet long, pink horn. It also, hilariously, can use invisibility at will and has an air walk that only works to a limit of 6 feet […] -
Village Backdrop: Ravens’ Cradle
Posted on August 21, 2019 | No CommentsVillage Backdrop: Ravens’ Cradle This installment of RSP’s Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look at the settlement! Raven’s Cradle is a prosperous farming community ruled by superstition and folklore; bandits are founded pecked to death nearby, and woe betide any who dare attempt to bring harm to this strange place. It may not be a surprise to veterans – but Raven’s Cradle makes for a pretty perfect fit for Ravenloft and similar settings/games that want to add a bit of folklore/horror in the vein of the Wicker Man […] -
Book of Beyond: Herald Mythic Path
Posted on August 20, 2019 | No CommentsBook of Beyond: Herald Mythic Path This mythic path clocks in at 17 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page introduction, 1 /2 a page blank, 4 pages SRD, 1 page back cover (erroneously referring to the Mythic Paths of the Lost Spheres book), leaving us with 7.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, so, like in the Wielder path file, this recaps that Lost Spheres Publishing’s supplements have the concept of different sources of power: The power-sources are arcane, divine, entropic, material, psionic and temporal. There is one more thing to note: The pdf introduces a rules term, namely the “source entity” – this entity is basically akin to […] -
Village Backdrop: Gull’s Roost
Posted on August 19, 2019 | No CommentsVillage Backdrop: Gull’s Roost This installment of RSP’s Village Backdrop-series is 13 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look at the settlement! Gull’s Roost is a safe place where law abides – in the PFRPG-iteration, this fact is properly supported by the village’s stats, but even without them, PCs are bound to be impressed by the beautiful place: originally created as a summer resort for nobles to escape (akin to how e.g. the Viennese used to in real life) the summer’s stifling heat. Coated with mother-of-pearl and lavishly-painted, Gull’s Roost was doomed – […]