Exclusive OCCULT ADVENTURES Preview for PATHFINDER!

Paizo Publishing has very kindly sent over a super-secret super-exclusive two-page preview of the upcoming Occult Adventures hardcover book due for release later this year. Lead designer Jason Bulmahn also had a short message -- "We are really excited to unveil the secrets of our game with Occult Adventures. Releasing in time for Gen Con, this hardcover book includes our take on rules for psionic magic, including six new character classes ready to uncover the truth and unlock the powers of the mind! In addition, Occult Adventures includes a wide variety of archetypes for the new classes and many of the existing Pathfinder character classes as well. This spread shows off one of my favorites: the Cult Master. This vile character is just begging to be the villain in your next campaign. Finally, this meaty book also includes a huge list of new spells, magic items, and other rules to help players and GMs make the occult a part of their game!"

​

Occult Adventures is due for release at Gen Con this year (end of July). The book underwent a public playtest last year. Click on the image for a larger PDF version of the preview.

Delve into the occult secrets of psychic magic, mystic rituals, and esoteric sciences with Occult Adventures, the latest hardcover rulebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game! Six new occult-themed character classes bring the vast treasures of occultism and mysticism to Pathfinder players like never before. Set out on new adventures as a kineticist, medium, mesmerist, psychic, occultist, or spiritualist, or choose from dozens of archetypes for these and most existing Pathfinder RPG classes. Explore forbidden secrets long kept from the world to discover magical forces that unlock vast powers of mind and body. Uncover lost relics and proscribed spells to give your hero new powers in the fight against evil, and pick up new psychic tricks with a library of new feats based on occult traditions.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures includes:

• Six new base classes—the reality-warping kineticist, the spirit-infused medium, the manipulative mesmerist, the relic-wielding occultist, the mind-master psychic, and the phantom-bonded spiritualist.
• Thematic archetypes for appropriate Pathfinder RPG base classes, such as the haunted totem barbarian, the phrenologist bard, the ghost rider cavalier, the psychic detective inquisitor, and more!
• Tons of new spells and magic items, including lots of options for existing classes as well as the perfect gear for the new classes and archetypes introduced in this book.
• In-depth overviews of key occult topics such as auras, ki, chakras, psychic combat, possession, occult rituals, and the esoteric planes.
• AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

​

SaveSave​

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

I'd much rather play a Pathfinder game with Psionics than the standard, oh so typical Arcane/Divine forms of magic that are pretty boring after 40 years so this is another book recently released that has me wanting to get back into Pathfinder.

 

[Henry]

I'm with you. It seems people feel that it's better that a company stop publishing game material altogether rather than publish a book they personally don't want. It's weird.

I have a few theories, any or none could be true:

1) Gamers are a funny lot, with a "completionist" vibe - some feel like of they aren't playing with all the rules a company puts out they aren't playing "Real" Pathfinder. By the same token, so many of the groups that feel forced into it also for similar reasons assume all 3rd party material is not worth considering for inclusion.

It's a damned crazy thing that someone could unconditionally ignore or dismiss Minotaur Games' material, for instance, yet it happens all the time.

2) second crazy theory is that gamers are just plain lazy, and disallowing source material means creating a house rule document to disallow things- and then having to put up with argumentative fellow gamers who fight to have allowed their favorite option, and how it's just less trouble to give in and let them have their pet options allowed.

3) the gamers that dislike more books are frequent PFS players, who MUST allow by its nature a ton of options, all which threaten to unbalance the game campaign. At least for them nowadays there's the new PFS core-only campaign.

 

[Thotas]

One man's bloat is another man's options. I like the new classes. Besides, no one is making you use it. Stick to the core if that's what makes you happy, but some of us like variety.

I find that there is far too much food in the world, and all those recipe options ... it's too much! I could never eat all of it, and some of it I don't even like at all!

 

[Morrus]

I have a few theories, any or none could be true:

1) Gamers are a funny lot, with a "completionist" vibe - some feel like of they aren't playing with all the rules a company puts out they aren't playing "Real" Pathfinder. By the same token, so many of the groups that feel forced into it also for similar reasons assume all 3rd party material is not worth considering for inclusion.

It can't possibly be that. Desiring a producer of product to cease producing products because you can't control how you feel about those products borders on actual malevolence!

It would make sense for actual addictive substances like cigarettes. But it can't be the explanation for books! That doesn't work at all!

Nah, there's got to be some other explanation. Does the Pathfinder Society permit all books? Maybe it's because people don't feel they can keep up with other players in organizes play sessions without keeping track of all the options?

The best 3.5 campaign we ever had was Age of Worms, and we played the entire AP strictly core books only. PHB, MM, DMG, and whatever was in the adventures. Nothing else. It was awesome!

 

[Grimstaff]

My comment was directed at any who complain about "bloat". This weird belief that an invisible gun is held to people's heads forcing them to buy a new book or be forced in some way to add the new material to their games. I just don't get it.

With so many people (and game companies) expressing concern about bloat, I'm thinking there's more to it than "invisible guns" lol. And Paizo seems like a very attentive company, who values feedback.

Personally, I dislike bloat because material cranked out at such a fast pace almost never gets play tested correctly, and as an adult DM with family/work/other hobbies I simply don't have time to fully scrutinize every little ability of 50-odd classes for inconsistencies and exploits. Even back when I did have more time for that, there were still splat options that turned out to be ticking time bombs just waiting to F up my campaign when high levels arrived. Vow of Poverty comes to mind...

 

[Phaide]

Paizo does a lot of play testing. A lot. Does that mean they get it right every time? No, but they do have a solid batting average.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Are publishing companies supposed to not publish material because some people complain?

How are they supposed to continue to operate, pay their staff, expenses, etc.?

 

[Grimstaff]

Are publishing companies supposed to not publish material because some people complain?

How are they supposed to continue to operate, pay their staff, expenses, etc.?

Either you're completely unaware that Paizo publishes a whole lot more content than just class splats, or you're being intentionally disengenuous.

Not deluging the PFRPG with new class options every 6 months or so would mean Paizo putting out 48 products a year instead of 50. Not that they couldn't think up something cool to fill those extra 2 slots.

What do you think happens in the Paizo offices anyway? "We need 101 new monk feats by Gen Con or we'll just have to close up shop! We're just 11 new 18th century themed character classes away from financial ruin! Out the window I go!!!" Lol.

 

[Desh-Rae-Halra]

I'd much rather play a Pathfinder game with Psionics than the standard, oh so typical Arcane/Divine forms of magic that are pretty boring after 40 years so this is another book recently released that has me wanting to get back into Pathfinder.

I am still thrilled with Dreamscarred Press' Ultimate Psionics. I think they got it right. The Occult classes seem cool and I might pick this up, but I dont actually consider Occult = Psionics. If you compared each Kineticist, I think the Dreamscarred Press wins out in terms of the feel of "classic" Psionics. Plus I think the point based system Dreamscarred press uses really expands the utility of the powers. If PF adopted a similar system for magic, I would probably like those classes a lot more.

 

[Kaodi]

Not to mention Paizo puts all of the crunch from their rulebooks on the PRD, which is an amazing fact in and of itself. Bloat is not nearly as much an issue with such a simple to use, unified resource.