Paizo Inc. has been knocking it out of the park recently with the books they produce and the choices that they make. Today in TTRP Corner, we look at the highlights from PaizoCon Online 2021!
Paizo has recently launched their fourteenth PaizoCon! This year PaizoCon was completely online, and panels are slowly trickling to their YouTube channel for you to check out. Despite the pandemic, Paizo had a slew of announcements for both their Starfinder and Pathfinder 2nd edition game. Here are some of my favorite products coming forth!
STARFINDER
The Galaxy Exploration Manuel creates new rules for every class and a PC background generator. Right off the bat, we see that this book is also here on how to create planets and biomes that players can explore. Creating planets are hard, so it is nice to see that we are continually getting supplements on how to create your own characters. In August, there is also another rulebook called Tech Revolutions where they come out with a new class called “The Nanocyte”, that features weaponizing nanites in various and cool ways. Perhaps the biggest announcement, Tech Revolutions features rules for Mechs and bringing them into your game!
PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION
Paizo seems to be trying to push out a lot of content for Pathfinder. What I like is that they seem to be trying to do new things rather than rehashing old ideas. The next big rulebook coming out is called Secrets of Magic that has two new classes and over 100 new spells! They add new options of play by adding elements of blood magic, alternative magic systems, and even soul-bound weapons. The book is also supposed to discuss in-character approaches to magic. How does a person feel about magic or view it in everyday life?
In October, Pathfinder is coming out with Guns and Gears that features a lot of tech and two new classes. It also features the first Pathfinder second edition exclusive class called the Inventor. This book features low-tech options for clockwork creatures, mechanical familiars, and vehicles. They also hinted at the next book called Book of the Dead anticipated in March 2022. This gives in-depth treatment on undead. It has hordes of new undead creatures, character creation rules for being undead, and is set in the nation of Geb and the Gravelands. 
I’ll briefly talk about The Lost Omens product line. Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse will explore a rich and diverse culture that is unlike your standard fantasy tropes. This will also tie in the Strength of Thousands adventure path. Lost Omens: The Grand Bazaar will feature a whole new slew of items and shops that includes mobility devices like magic wheelchairs! Lost Omens: Absalom City of Lost Omens features the city of Absalom that has a ton of NPCs and explores how the city functions.
ADVENTURE PATHS AND STANDALONE ADVENTURES
Starfinder is coming out with an adventure path called Horizons of the Vast, with is a six-volume campaign. This features a planet that is uninhabited by sentient beings and tasks players to set up a colony. The party will be able to fight off monsters and deal with settlement disputes. There will be two standalone adventure paths which includes Junker’s Delight and Locus 1. Since Starfinder adventure paths are going bi-monthly, these adventure paths will be added to keep content consistent for this system. There is also a one-shot adventure called Band on the Run where you play in an intergalactic rock band!
For Pathfinder, Fist of the Ruby Phoenix is a three-part adventure path that deals with the Ruby Phoenix tournament. This is kind of cool because it has been ten years since they wrote the first Ruby Phoenix Tour
nament for first edition, and this is sort of a return to that story. It features champions from all around the world competing! I am extremely excited for the Strength of Thousands adventure path where you start as magic students in the Mwangi Expanse. Eventually you become a teacher and beyond! This one is exciting, because it takes African-inspired lore that meets a Harry Potter type story. With diverse writers on this book, I’m super excited.
A couple of other adventures coming out is another three-part adventure path is called Quest of the Frozen Flame coming out in early 2022. There are also two standalone adventures including Malevolence and Night of the Gray Death as well as several one-shots.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite all these announcements, they have hinted at even more stuff to be announced at Gen Con 2021! I’m glad that Paizo seems to be listening to the community and the people who play these systems. They have been hearing the feedback from the playtest materials and changing it in a way that makes it more friendly to the game. All the content that they are producing has been and will be incredibly thought out. The Book of the Dead gives an intelligent perspective on undead society. The adventure paths pay respect to the culture they are portraying from the culture’s perspective. This is a huge plus and I am looking forward to seeing how inclusive these products are.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com