Category Archives: Pathfinder

February 23, 2013 · 10:33 am

Hyperborean Race in Golarion

Northern Avistan has seen a lot of activity over the last couple of years. The Jade Regent Adventure Path took us through the Lands of the Linorm Kings and over the Crown of the World. And, the current Reign of Winter Adventure Path features Irrisen and the White Witches that rule there. Additionally, Paizo has published a variety of supplements supporting those APs.

Before all of these Kobold Press published a supplement with a different take on many of the same icy themes. Set in Midgard, Northlands covers Vikings, ice magic, monsters of Northern mythologies and the perils of adventuring in the cold. The book uses the Pathfinder rules, so its crunch is readily adoptable to Golarion. Additionally, I found the fluff inspirational as well. This is first of a series of blog posts detailing how I ported and extended the material in Northlands for my own campaign. The Wyrm Rhyme Saga, is a Viking dragon hunt set in the kingless Icemark region of Golarion.

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Arkham Horror Toolkit

App: Arkham Horror Toolkit
Platform:iPhone
Price: $2.99
Rating: ***
Systems: Arkham Horror Board Game and Expansions
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games

I remember at one point, openly praying to the “powers that be” for a kitten card

I remember that first game of Arkham Horror. It was at Origins, probably 2010. The game was scheduled for the first slot of the day. I ‘m an early riser and I was surprised to find that this game had a full table.

The game was a blast. I remember being baffled at the way, in a shuffled deck, each card could be worse than the one before it. The guy sitting next to me didn’t understand what he was getting into and got a little upset about the game conspiring against us. I remember at one point, openly praying to the “powers that be” for a kitten card. I couldn’t imagine what could be worse than we had already seen, and I knew that was a bad sign.

That demo game worked. I spent a lot of money on Arkham Horror at the con, and then struggled to find a way to pack it for the flight home. Now, I only get a chance to play a couple times every year, but it is always a good time.

This past weekend, as I was setting up all of the little pieces and cards around the board, I thought, “there must be an app for this.” And sure enough I found Arkham Horror Toolkit.

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iCrit: Make Critical Hits Even More Fun

Screen After Two Critical Hits

Platform:iPhone/iPad
Price: $1.99
Rating: ****
Systems: Pathfinder, OGL 3.5

I have been a fan of Paizo’s Game Mastery cards for a while now. Their treasure cards are great, especially when playing with new and younger players. For new players a sheet of cards in a binder makes it easy for them to keep track of what they have and what it does. For the video game set, the tactile reward of getting a card is engaging in the same way that achievements are.

The fun my group had with the treasure cards opened my mind to the possibilities offered by Paizo’s Critical Hit Deck. This a deck of 52 cards. Each card contains 4 critical hit results, one for each of slashing, piercing, bludgeoning and magic damage. When you confirm a critical hit, you simple draw a card and apply the appropriate bonus. This is a fun way to make every critical hit different and more exciting.

Given the simple fun provided by the physical Critical Hit Deck, I expected iCrit to be pretty good. I wasn’t disappointed.

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