Pathfinder 2: The Absalom Initiation

As part of my investigation of Pathfinder 2nd edition, I ran The Absalom Initiation, an introductory Pathfinder Society adventure, on the weekend. I had a group of five players, with varying levels of familiarity with the PF2 rules, and we played three of the four missions in the adventure. Like the introductory D&D Adventurers League adventures that I’m more familiar with, this adventure has the … Continue reading Pathfinder 2: The Absalom Initiation

Pathfinder 2: A Look at some First-level Wizard Spells

One of the issues that I (and many others) had during the Pathfinder 2 playtest was that wizards had been reduced in power to the level of ineffectiveness. I’m interested in how things have changed since the playtest, and so I bring you a selection of first-level Wizard spells, with notes on how they were changed from the playtest. With these spells, I’m looking for … Continue reading Pathfinder 2: A Look at some First-level Wizard Spells

Pathfinder 2 Playtest – In Pale Mountain’s Shadow, session 1

A different group of five players met with me on Saturday afternoon to play through the second of the playtest scenarios of the new Pathfinder RPG. This time, the players would make their characters – so we wouldn’t have the problem of underwhelming spells such as acid splash. I’m not running these sessions as official playtest sessions, but rather for a group of mostly 5E … Continue reading Pathfinder 2 Playtest – In Pale Mountain’s Shadow, session 1

A Session of the Pathfinder 2 Playtest

Last night, I wasn’t feeling particularly creative and – with PAX Australia in a couple of weeks – I needed a break from my fortnightly Greyhawk game. So, I inflicted the Pathfinder 2 playtest on my players – the first scenario from Doomsday Dawn. I’m not a fan of Pathfinder. I was a fan of the original 3E rules system, but I find it somewhat clunky … Continue reading A Session of the Pathfinder 2 Playtest

Pathfinder II – Modifier Madness

One thing that greatly irritates me about Pathfinder is the plethora of conditional modifiers. There are usually very good game-world reasons for those modifiers, but the more of them there are, the harder it gets to keep track of everything. I just noticed one of them in the latest blog entry on PF2, Secrets of Alchemy. Now, thematically this is a fantastic item. It’s very … Continue reading Pathfinder II – Modifier Madness

Thoughts on Pathfinder Playtest Spells

The Paizo team put out a blog entry recently about how they’re handling spells for Pathfinder II. I though I’d say a few words on what their approach means for the game. Caveat: I’m not a fan of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. This will come out in this article. I think that if you enjoy Pathfinder, you’re an excellent person who should keep playing games … Continue reading Thoughts on Pathfinder Playtest Spells

Musings on Adventure Path Structure

When 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons was released, it also gained a series of eight adventures that took a group of adventurers from levels 1 to 20. Starting with the Sunless Citadel and continuing through to Bastion of Broken Souls, it demonstrated something that previous editions hadn’t provided: a complete “Adventure Path” series that went the full range of levels. However, players only familiar with … Continue reading Musings on Adventure Path Structure

Pathfinder Adventure Review: In Hell’s Bright Shadow

A couple of years ago, I ran the Council of Thieves Adventure Path for Pathfinder. It was the first of the adventure paths to be released using the full Pathfinder system rather than 3.5E, and although it had a great overall story and some memorable encounters, I had a lot of problems with the adventures: a lot of underpowered foes and some really badly written … Continue reading Pathfinder Adventure Review: In Hell’s Bright Shadow

Rogues in Remballo and the Borderland Provinces

Once upon a time, there was a dungeon called Rappan Athuk… Necromancer Games (and/or Frog God Games) have been publishing adventures for a while now. The original incarnation of the company was publishing adventures back in 2000, when Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition came out. One of their products was a little dungeon known as Rappan Athuk. Or the Dungeon of Graves. It’s actually one … Continue reading Rogues in Remballo and the Borderland Provinces

Adventure Review – The Lost Dungeons of Xon: The Crucible

One of the more interesting Kickstarters currently running is that for an adventure: The Lost Dungeons of Xon: The Crucible. Burning Yeti Studios plan to release three versions of their adventure – for 1E, 5E and Pathfinder – but its most intriguing feature is its presentation: as an interactive pdf, optimised for use on tablets. I’ve been provided with a review copy of the Pathfinder … Continue reading Adventure Review – The Lost Dungeons of Xon: The Crucible