It’s time for my update on everything Paizo! With all of the content coming out of Paizo HQ, it can be a lot to keep track of, even if you pay attention to the Release Calendar on the Paizo website. So, I’m here to give you a little recap about some of the Pathfinder and Starfinder news and releases that you may have missed!
Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary 3 Battle Cards
I’ve written about previous iterations of the Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary Battle Cards here, so you can imagine that I feel similarly about the recently-released Bestiary 3 Battle Cards. And you, in fact, would be correct. These cards are one of my favorite accessories to have at the table. Not only does it keep my preparation time down, but they also serve as a fantastic visual for the players.
This set of cards includes every creature from the Pathfinder Section Edition Bestiary 3, which means you’re getting over 300 monsters on 4×6 cards. For creatures with extended statblocks, they actually will take up more than one card. Twice the art is twice as nice!
If you’re the Gamemaster and need to prepare for an encounter, just find the necessary cards from the decks and create a stack for yourself. I’ve even used the stack as an initiative tracker after making custom cards for my players. That way, I never get confused about whose turn it is or who has access to what abilities.
The entire box is hefty thanks to the abundance of creatures within. If you have the other two sets of Bestiary Battle Cards, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up to add to your arsenal. If you don’t have any Battle Cards yet, the nice thing about Bestiary 3 is that it features some of the more outlandish entries in the Pathfinder Bestiary. You can always check out which creatures are in which pack to make sure that you’re picking up something that you’ll get a lot of mileage out of.
There are dragons so… what are you waiting for?
You can find the Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary 3 Battle Cards over at Paizo.com, or at your FLGS.
Pathfinder Hero Point Deck
Hero Points were introduced in Pathfinder 1st Edition, and then became a part of the base rules for Pathfinder Second Edition. Functionally, they’re designed to reward players for creativity, great roleplay, or any other positive additions to the story at the table. With the Pathfinder Hero Point Deck, you can expand the versatility of the Hero Points by giving them more value than just rerolling a single check.
The deck includes 52 random boons that players can tap into, in addition to their normal effect. For example, you could play the Grazing Blow card to reduce a critical hit to a regular hit, or a regular hit to be minimum damage. Or you might play Healing Prayer, which functions as a healing spell for allies within reach.
Expanding the versatility of the Hero Points make them that much more exciting. And, if you happen to get a card that doesn’t really apply to a situation your character is likely to get into, you can always cash them in for the normal Hero Point effect.
Overall, this handles a couple important aspects of Hero Points that make them a worthwhile inclusion at your table:
- Your players get something tangible that they can read and hold. It makes it easier to keep track of who has Hero Points and you can see them begin stacking up around the table.
- It gives characters opportunity to perform things that they might not ordinarily do. In the Healing Prayer example, a fighter isn’t going to be Laying on Hands or casting Cure Wounds anytime soon. But with the Hero Point deck, they now have the opportunity to roleplay that if they so choose.
- There’s just more utility! I love having more options for my characters at the table, and the Hero Point deck allows me that luxury.
You can find the Hero Point Deck over at Paizo.com, or at your FLGS.
Latest Adventure Path Releases
Starfinder and Pathfinder Adventure Paths keep marching towards their inevitable conclusions! Most notably, the Second Edition Adventure Path Strength of Thousands comes to a close in December with the release of Shadows of the Ancients. This Adventure Path is a perfect pairing with the Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse book. It’s been a fantastic adventure path to follow, and I’m excited to read about how it all ends.
For Starfinder, Horizons of the Vast adds its 4th installment in December. This adventure path shares some similarities with the First Edition Adventure Path, Ruins of Azlant, but is overall much better. It’s full of mystery and intrigue, and is a worthy addition to your adventure path collection. The planet has a little bit of everything!
Glass Cannon Network Concludes Androids and Aliens
The Glass Cannon Network recently concluded their live actual play show Androids & Aliens. They have been playing through the Dead Suns Adventure Path by Paizo for a few years, and had their conclusion live via Twitch on December 3rd.
That makes it the perfect time to catch up and listen to the entire series! You can find the entire thing wherever you get your podcasts, or you can check out the accompanying video content on the GCN Website. Sure, it took the GCN a long time to work through an Adventure Path – in comparison, the Cosmic Crit podcast in entering their fourth AP in the same timespan – but they were able to tell a worthwhile story in the Pact Worlds/Starfinder galaxy.
Other Releases
We’ve contributed full articles on several other recent releases, and I’m not going to rehash all of that information again. Instead, I’ll drop some links to the complete articles so that you can pick and choose what interests you the most:
- Pathfinder Lost Omens: The Grand Bazaar Review
- Pathfinder Guns & Gears Review
- Starfinder Tech Revolution Review
Upcoming Releases
Paizo’s always cooking up something great, but we still have TWO upcoming releases in the Lost Omens line that I’m really excited about.
We recently had The Grand Bazaar book, and now we get an entire book dedicated to the city its housed in: Absalom. Expect the Lost Omens: Absalom, City of Lost Omens book to be released mid-December. The scale of this tome is bound to be massive, and will be a must-have for Gamemasters preparing for any kind of city-centered game.
And then we’re doing a complete 180 with the Lost Omens: Monsters of Myth, also coming mid-December. I’m assuming this book will be similar to Lost Omens: Legends, except that it’s all about those legendary monsters and creatures spun in tales by the campfire. Except, of course, all of them are extraordinarily REAL!
The Lost Omens is the line I’m always most excited for, so getting two releases in the same month is the best holiday gift a person could ever ask for!
With all of this fantastic content coming out of Paizo HQ, it’s a great time to be a fan of Starfinder or Pathfinder. Sometime in the next couple weeks I’ll likely be dropping a review of Lost Omens: Absalom, City of Lost Omens. It’s about to be the most fleshed-out city in Golarion when you factor in the great detail from the Grand Bazaar!
Have fun at your tables, and stay safe!
[Disclosure: Paizo provided copies of the Bestiary 3 Battle Cards, the Hero Point Deck, the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, and Horizons of the Vase Adventure Path in exchange for an honest preview.]