TRAILseeker #20: Power Components: The Biting Flames

Exclusive to TRAILseeker patrons! Daniel Marshall brings you special components to augment your Pathfinder RPG spells! In this article, find rules for harvesting ingredients, ranging from the organs of defeated creatures to the essence of elementals; and details on trading exotic ingredients with essence vials. Plus six sample ingredients, from dragon bone and ifrit blood to phoenix ashes and salamander horn. Illustrated by Nick Cramp & Jeremy Corff.

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• Multiclassing Feats. This article presents a selection of multiclassing feats which allow characters to pick up skills from those whose paths they cross. By Jonathan Palmer.
• Archery Contests. Running and conducting large archery tournaments can be fun and easy! By Russ Morrissey, based on an original article by Ryan Nock.
• Red Fangs in a White Night. This is an adventure for four 7th-level characters. Werewolves, vampires, a city under a white dome, and a missing archmage. Can the PCs catch White Night’s mysterious werewolf? And what will they discover in the process? By Thiago Rosa.
• Urndaemon, Voludaemon. This article presents an horrific demon, just waiting to corrupt your adventurers. By Jessie Staffler.
• Weapon Style Feats. From mounted styles designed to be used in close-quarters, to ancient elven sword styles that emphasize deception and the use of a cloak as a defensive tool, this article introduces five new weapon styles, each with three weapon style feats, sure to enhance your game! By Jonathan Palmer.
• Crypta Hereticarum: The Vault of Heresies. Evil lies trapped within the Crypta Hereticarum — the Vault of Heresies. The Clergy believes that true evil cannot be destroyed, and that killing an unholy disciple or destroying a cursed item will only free its malevolence to wreak havoc elsewhere in the world. For centuries, whenever the priests and godhands of the Clergy collected dangerous items, captured evil acolytes, or rescued afflicted innocents whose curses they could not break, they placed them in the vault, built beneath the desolate isle of Odiem, off the coast of the city Sid Minos. Many still tried to plunder its treasures - but these dungeon delvers are drawn not only by the promise of rare riches and powerful magic, but by the mysterious temptation of the vault’s greatest prisoner, Ashima-Shimtu.
• Creating Enjoyable Puzzles for Role Playing Games. Carl Heyl shows you how to create enjoyable puzzles for your Pathfinder game. It's all too easy to stop a game in its tracks, or throw off any sense of immersion. The advice in this article gives tips on creating organic, fun puzzles which don't interrupt your game. Illustrated by Sade.
• Fantastic Tomes & Librams. 1d100 mundane but exotic books and tomes to furnish a wizard's study, a library, or a treasure hoard. Each entry contains the book’s name, its author, a short description, and an optional notation indicating its rarity, relative value, and number of pages. By Russ Morrissey.
• Making Mischief: A Dirty Trick Guide. Make the most of the dirty trick combat maneuver with this guide by Thomas Kyle, which also includes four new feats and two new spells designed to fool and bewilder your opponents in battle!
• After Death. Congratulations! Your party is dead. This is a Pathfinder RPG adventure designed for 9th-level characters. It is also a little different, as the PCs will start it dead. Fortunately for them, death is not the end. With the help of the azata Asha, they can still defeat the monstrous lich who killed them in the first place… And recover their lives in the process. By Jonathan Garret.
• Cherufe. A mighty, volcanic monster for your Pathfinder game! This menacing, CR14 giant appears to be made of magma. Its black, rocky mass radiates massive heat, while red light pours from its mouth and the cracks in its stony hide. Full stats, plus adventure seeds. By Jeff Lee; art by Xandits.
• The Power of Theme. Anthony Torretti discusses ways to introduces strong thematic elements into a campaign while avoiding railroading in this helpful GMing advice article.
• Creating A Survival Horror Adventure. Resource scarcity, helplessness, and personal stories are all tropes of the survival horror genre for good reason: they work! By Jonathan Palmer; illustrations by Savage Mojo.
• Herbal Remedies. Enhance your Pathfinder game with plants and herbs which heal, cure poisons or diseases, provide mental cleansing, or augment the imbiber. Butterfly Weed, St. John's Wort, Dragon Flower, Rosy Periwinkle... this article contains 10 useful herbal remedies. By Daniel Marshall; illustrations from Savage Mojo and Xanditz.
• Galem Builder. Galems - not golems! - are built out of clay by the galem builders, an alternate version of the summoner. This article introduces the galem builder, along with the galem itself. Why summon an outsider when you can build your own perfect construct? By Carl Cramér; art by Xanditz.
• Leech. Not all healing is supernatural! Sometimes medical training takes the form of the field-surgeon, with roguish talents such as Apothecary, Bleed, Expert Surgeon, and First Aid, or even advanced talents like Cosmetic Surgery (if you'd dare to undergo medieval-style cosmetic work!) Do not try this at home! By Carl Cramér; art by Xanditz.
• Stunning Eldritch Fist. When you combine spellcasting and the martial arts, you get three new exciting fighting styles for the Pathfinder RPG. Emulate the vampire's gaseous form with the Clouded Path Style; use the graceful dance of blossoms on the wind with the Falling Blossom Style; or summon virulent toxins from your body with the Wandering Spider Style. Each style is presented with three feats ready for use. By Jerall Toi; art by Xanditz.
• Shadow Magic. Shadow Magic introduces 16 new shadow spells to your Pathfinder game, pushing the limits of illusion magic. Whether you're creating undead shadows, arming yourself with shadow weapons, or transforming yourself into a quasi-real shadow shape, the realm of shadow provides the muscle behind the illusion. By Carl Cramér; illustrated by Xanditz.
• Bow & Rival. This article introduces two new NPCs designed specifically to take part in archery contests as introduced in the TRAILSeeker Archery Contests article. These NPCs are well suited to serve as rivals, spanning a number of competition sizes. Each entry details the type of contests that each NPC would find attractive, coupled with suggestions on how they would approach the contest. For players and GMs alike, each NPC also introduces a new ranged combat-themed magic item which expands the options available for both thrown weapons and traditional archery. By Jerall Toi, illustrated by Xanditz.
  [*=left]Chimeric Fusion. This brand new Chimeric Variant system allows you to create chimeras beyond the Greek archetypal dragon, lion, and goat, and adds nearly 20 new aspects including the yeti, aboleth, spider, golem, and cobra. Additionally, two new spells allow casters to engage in the practice of chimeric fusion. By Anthony Torretti; illustrated by Jen Tracy & Rick Hershey.
  [*=left]Power Components: The Biting Flames. Daniel Marshall brings you special components to augment your spells! In this article, find rules for harvesting ingredients, ranging from the organs of defeated creatures to the essence of elementals; and details on trading exotic ingredients with essence vials. Plus six sample ingredients, from dragon bone and ifrit blod to phoenix ashes and salamander horn. Illustrated by Nick Cramp & Jeremy Corff.