Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
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5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
I must say that I am loving this book so far, the classes, the spells and the flavor all really hit home with me. The system is easy, straight forward and adds a ton on new stuff. I particularly like the dark aspect they have included, things like Soul Portraits and the Monkey's Paw. Another well done product!
I must say that I am loving this book so far, the classes, the spells and the flavor all really hit home with me. The system is easy, straight forward and adds a ton on new stuff. I particularly like the dark aspect they have included, things like Soul Portraits and the Monkey's Paw. Another well done product!
Lucas Yew
Explorer
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
While there are some minor flaws with math stuff, overall it's a good psionics book for Pathfinder. At the least, it's OFFICIALLY supported now by Paizo themselves, starting with this book. The concept of "psychic magic" rolled into the Vancian magic system with tweaked spell components that make sense was the best twist here.
While there are some minor flaws with math stuff, overall it's a good psionics book for Pathfinder. At the least, it's OFFICIALLY supported now by Paizo themselves, starting with this book. The concept of "psychic magic" rolled into the Vancian magic system with tweaked spell components that make sense was the best twist here.
Jester David
Hero
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
I really like his book.
It's been a long time since a bought a Pathfinder hardcover and said "I want this in my game, right now!" Let alone had a book I wanted to base a campaign around. I'm pretty much done with Pathfinder and looking forward to finishing my Skull & Shackles game and switching over to a 5e homebrew. This book makes me want to hold off for one more Pathfinder fling.
But, I'm a Ravenloft fan from back in the day so I'm pretty heavily this book's target audience. So... bias alert.
There's a lot of excellent stuff in this book, and the balance and quality seems much tighter than the Advanced Class Guide. If you're the kind of person who likes the occult, wants to run a game with more wonder and mystery in its magic, likes a dash of horror in their fantasy, or simply wants to play a wizard that's more Dresden than Gandalf then this book is for you. If you like fantasy super heroes and non-subtle games and enjoy blasting waves of orcs with magic.. well, the kineticist is pretty cool as well.
Read my full review of the book here.
I really like his book.
It's been a long time since a bought a Pathfinder hardcover and said "I want this in my game, right now!" Let alone had a book I wanted to base a campaign around. I'm pretty much done with Pathfinder and looking forward to finishing my Skull & Shackles game and switching over to a 5e homebrew. This book makes me want to hold off for one more Pathfinder fling.
But, I'm a Ravenloft fan from back in the day so I'm pretty heavily this book's target audience. So... bias alert.
There's a lot of excellent stuff in this book, and the balance and quality seems much tighter than the Advanced Class Guide. If you're the kind of person who likes the occult, wants to run a game with more wonder and mystery in its magic, likes a dash of horror in their fantasy, or simply wants to play a wizard that's more Dresden than Gandalf then this book is for you. If you like fantasy super heroes and non-subtle games and enjoy blasting waves of orcs with magic.. well, the kineticist is pretty cool as well.
Read my full review of the book here.
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
Occult Adventures is more than just Paizo's take on psionics. Dreamscarred Press has already done a respectable showing of the 3.5. style "Crystals and Psi-Points" Psionics that many of my various playgroups have accepted as a part of the PF Canon.This is different. Occult Adventures forgoes the traditional D&D aesthetic in favor of something that is paradoxically both well-worn and yet completely new... occultism and esoterica. The characters created in Occult Adventures forgo obscure terms like "psicrystals" and "Dorjes" for more familiar tools like Quija boards and crystal balls. It's a style of magic rarely seen in D&D-like settings, but fits in perfectly in Pathfinder's beautiful anachronism stew of gunslingers, nanotech androids, and traveling fortune tellers. Part of the reason Occult Adventure works so well is because the reader is familiar with all of these things; nothing is obscured behind strange words like "Metacreativity", and all of the implements used are things one could feasibly find themselves. That makes the book's overall theme of delving into the unknown all that more accessible; one must have familiar ground to start on before they begin diving into the esoteric.The actual rules for Psychic Magic are perhaps the crux of this sense of accessibility. One complaint of many GMs (myself included), is that traditional point-based psionics are difficult to keep track of, and their interaction with traditional magic isn't entirely clear. Psychic Magic doesn't have that problem; anyone who understands how a Pathfinder spellcaster works will automatically understand how Psychic Magic works. Psychic Magic is merely another school of magic, akin to Arcane and Divine, and many psychic spells can be cast as normal spells by more traditional casters. There are only two primary differences: first, psychic spells replace somatic components with "emotion" components and verbal components with "thought" components. This has its strengths and weaknesses: a psychic can cast while bound and gagged and never needs normal material components. However, they're crippled by fear effects (which prevent them from using emotion components at all), and take a penalty to concentration checks when in melee unless they spend a move action to center themselves. It's an interesting flavor choice, but ultimately a minor one. The other major change is Undercasting, which is an elegant replacement to the occasionally clumsy "Augmentation" system used by point-based psionics. The idea is that certain spells are "tiered", and knowing the highest level tier automatically grants you the ability to cast each lesser tier. It's a good way of handling the system without allowing people to cast above their weight range.Each individual class is also quite interesting. One of my main complaints with the (fantastic) Advanced Class Guide was that several of the classes lacked sufficient character to stand on their own. An Arcanist was not sufficiently different from a Wizard to make the choice between the two any more significant than a matter of convenience. Occult Adventures doesn't have this problem; while the base system of spellcasting is fundamentally the same as the rest of PF classes, each individual class is outfitted with a tool kit so strange and delightfully weird that even the classes that are similar to existing classes (like the spiritualist) feel distinct and exciting. The Archetypes are also a treat; while a few are simple mechanical tweaks that let one shift their focus, others (like the Reanimated Medium, the Fragmented Mind, or the Amnesiac) are filled with such flavor and roleplaying potential that I'm willing to forgo optimization concerns to play one of them.But the strongest element of the book is the setting material; Occult Adventures presents a version of Pathfinder that is focused on the strange and weird, and gives advice for running adventures that are filled with mysteries upon mysteries. This isn't like Call of Cthulhu horror; your characters are still badasses, and none of the threats presented are ever portrayed as unbeatable. It's more like... a more intellectual type of Pathfinder, akin to games like Planescape, where players are drawn into strange situations and must rely on their wits to win the day. The game even includes a new-agey interpretation of the Pathfinder cosmology, and rules for strange mindscapes and esoteric planes. Overall, the book is by far the single best Pathfinder supplement I have ever read, combining strong crunch with engaging (and for a GM who was in a rut, inspiring) fluff to create a must have experience. If you like your roleplaying games on the weird side, or even if you just like the idea of running around with a quija board, you absolutely have to buy this book. You won't regret it.
Occult Adventures is more than just Paizo's take on psionics. Dreamscarred Press has already done a respectable showing of the 3.5. style "Crystals and Psi-Points" Psionics that many of my various playgroups have accepted as a part of the PF Canon.This is different. Occult Adventures forgoes the traditional D&D aesthetic in favor of something that is paradoxically both well-worn and yet completely new... occultism and esoterica. The characters created in Occult Adventures forgo obscure terms like "psicrystals" and "Dorjes" for more familiar tools like Quija boards and crystal balls. It's a style of magic rarely seen in D&D-like settings, but fits in perfectly in Pathfinder's beautiful anachronism stew of gunslingers, nanotech androids, and traveling fortune tellers. Part of the reason Occult Adventure works so well is because the reader is familiar with all of these things; nothing is obscured behind strange words like "Metacreativity", and all of the implements used are things one could feasibly find themselves. That makes the book's overall theme of delving into the unknown all that more accessible; one must have familiar ground to start on before they begin diving into the esoteric.The actual rules for Psychic Magic are perhaps the crux of this sense of accessibility. One complaint of many GMs (myself included), is that traditional point-based psionics are difficult to keep track of, and their interaction with traditional magic isn't entirely clear. Psychic Magic doesn't have that problem; anyone who understands how a Pathfinder spellcaster works will automatically understand how Psychic Magic works. Psychic Magic is merely another school of magic, akin to Arcane and Divine, and many psychic spells can be cast as normal spells by more traditional casters. There are only two primary differences: first, psychic spells replace somatic components with "emotion" components and verbal components with "thought" components. This has its strengths and weaknesses: a psychic can cast while bound and gagged and never needs normal material components. However, they're crippled by fear effects (which prevent them from using emotion components at all), and take a penalty to concentration checks when in melee unless they spend a move action to center themselves. It's an interesting flavor choice, but ultimately a minor one. The other major change is Undercasting, which is an elegant replacement to the occasionally clumsy "Augmentation" system used by point-based psionics. The idea is that certain spells are "tiered", and knowing the highest level tier automatically grants you the ability to cast each lesser tier. It's a good way of handling the system without allowing people to cast above their weight range.Each individual class is also quite interesting. One of my main complaints with the (fantastic) Advanced Class Guide was that several of the classes lacked sufficient character to stand on their own. An Arcanist was not sufficiently different from a Wizard to make the choice between the two any more significant than a matter of convenience. Occult Adventures doesn't have this problem; while the base system of spellcasting is fundamentally the same as the rest of PF classes, each individual class is outfitted with a tool kit so strange and delightfully weird that even the classes that are similar to existing classes (like the spiritualist) feel distinct and exciting. The Archetypes are also a treat; while a few are simple mechanical tweaks that let one shift their focus, others (like the Reanimated Medium, the Fragmented Mind, or the Amnesiac) are filled with such flavor and roleplaying potential that I'm willing to forgo optimization concerns to play one of them.But the strongest element of the book is the setting material; Occult Adventures presents a version of Pathfinder that is focused on the strange and weird, and gives advice for running adventures that are filled with mysteries upon mysteries. This isn't like Call of Cthulhu horror; your characters are still badasses, and none of the threats presented are ever portrayed as unbeatable. It's more like... a more intellectual type of Pathfinder, akin to games like Planescape, where players are drawn into strange situations and must rely on their wits to win the day. The game even includes a new-agey interpretation of the Pathfinder cosmology, and rules for strange mindscapes and esoteric planes. Overall, the book is by far the single best Pathfinder supplement I have ever read, combining strong crunch with engaging (and for a GM who was in a rut, inspiring) fluff to create a must have experience. If you like your roleplaying games on the weird side, or even if you just like the idea of running around with a quija board, you absolutely have to buy this book. You won't regret it.
Yasumoto
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
I was intrigued by this book since it wasn't the typical fantasy setting, and I'm glad I picked it up. The new classes really open up a cool new design space, which is empowering some fun new characters in my group. In particular, the Mesmerist is a fun way to start bringing some mental aspects to a character, especially during social-heavy sessions. Really glad that Paizo is able to keep churning out these killer products!
I was intrigued by this book since it wasn't the typical fantasy setting, and I'm glad I picked it up. The new classes really open up a cool new design space, which is empowering some fun new characters in my group. In particular, the Mesmerist is a fun way to start bringing some mental aspects to a character, especially during social-heavy sessions. Really glad that Paizo is able to keep churning out these killer products!
raevyn vasyrak
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
Occult Adventures is an interesting book, with a neat take on psionics/psychics. Of the new classes introduced, the Spiritualist is probably my least favorite, as it is basically a reskinned summoner that bonds with a ghost (oooh spooky!) The kineticist is an elemental blaster that utilizes spell like abilities, which reminds me of a certain class from another game, but without the otherworldly pacts involved. The Medium class channels the spirits of past heroes to augment their own abilities so they can fill in for a missing role in a party. Occultists are another well rounded class that gets spell casting through foci(implements) which allows them to change up their spells as needed. Psychics are powerful casters, and depending on their school, get a viariety of potent spells, which they can augment with their phrenic pool (similar to a monk's ki pool.) The book also has has several archetype's for each class. This tome has a lot of new spells, but each casting class also takes many spells from the corebook and Ultimate Magic. The artwork is on par with Paizo's other hardcover books. While the rules in book in no way make Pathfinder steampunk, the setting for this book is definitely informed with Victorian era motifs, and I think it would be a lot of fun to run or play in a campaign with these classes and clerics, fighters, rogues, alchemists and gunslingers only.
Occult Adventures is an interesting book, with a neat take on psionics/psychics. Of the new classes introduced, the Spiritualist is probably my least favorite, as it is basically a reskinned summoner that bonds with a ghost (oooh spooky!) The kineticist is an elemental blaster that utilizes spell like abilities, which reminds me of a certain class from another game, but without the otherworldly pacts involved. The Medium class channels the spirits of past heroes to augment their own abilities so they can fill in for a missing role in a party. Occultists are another well rounded class that gets spell casting through foci(implements) which allows them to change up their spells as needed. Psychics are powerful casters, and depending on their school, get a viariety of potent spells, which they can augment with their phrenic pool (similar to a monk's ki pool.) The book also has has several archetype's for each class. This tome has a lot of new spells, but each casting class also takes many spells from the corebook and Ultimate Magic. The artwork is on par with Paizo's other hardcover books. While the rules in book in no way make Pathfinder steampunk, the setting for this book is definitely informed with Victorian era motifs, and I think it would be a lot of fun to run or play in a campaign with these classes and clerics, fighters, rogues, alchemists and gunslingers only.
Navior
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
Occult Adventures is a great addition to the Pathfinder game. It does more than just introduce a bunch of new classes and create Pathfinder's version of psionics. It adds a whole new flavour and style of campaign with new rules options that back that flavour up. I eagerly look forward to trying out some of its ideas in a future campaign. Read my full review on http://www.ofdiceandpen.ca/2015/11/occult-adventures.html
Occult Adventures is a great addition to the Pathfinder game. It does more than just introduce a bunch of new classes and create Pathfinder's version of psionics. It adds a whole new flavour and style of campaign with new rules options that back that flavour up. I eagerly look forward to trying out some of its ideas in a future campaign. Read my full review on http://www.ofdiceandpen.ca/2015/11/occult-adventures.html
Starfox
Adventurer
3 out of 5 rating for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures
This book brings Pathfinder into the occult world of the 19th century. Magic becomes more subtle and varied. The question to ask is if you need this? If you are running a game of occult investigation or something inspired by Ultimate Intruige, this is a nice addition. If you are running a game of action-adventure, it is basically bloat.
This book brings Pathfinder into the occult world of the 19th century. Magic becomes more subtle and varied. The question to ask is if you need this? If you are running a game of occult investigation or something inspired by Ultimate Intruige, this is a nice addition. If you are running a game of action-adventure, it is basically bloat.
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