Paizo Does Paizo have any good systemless (or nearly systemless) books?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm feeling the need to drop some money in Paizo's bag of holding today.

I've previously gotten their Monsters Revisited books, but I no longer use the systems those books are (currently?) written in, and am interested in other books that would be of use for an OSR or 5E DM.

Thanks!

 

[Alzrius]

I'm pretty sure the 5E version of the Kingmaker Bestiary would be right up your alley.

Also, as I recall their Inner Sea Races book is something like three-fourths flavor text, one-fourth crunch.

 

[JThursby]

I'm feeling the need to drop some money in Paizo's bag of holding today.

I've previously gotten their Monsters Revisited books, but I no longer use the systems those books are (currently?) written in, but I'm interested in other books that would be of use for an OSR or 5E DM.

Thanks!

Much of the Lost Omen line is more lore focused than game focused. Absalom: City of Lost Omens; Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse; Lost Omens: Legends, and the Lost Omen: Travel Guide are all far, far more about the setting lore than the crunch.

 

[FallenRX]

Their original Korvosa City guide was made to be mostly systemless(They even said it in the book), and its a very good city to use.

Most of their setting books can easily be used for anything, espeically the Inner Seas World Guide.
I use it actively for my 5e game each week, its a minimum crunch.

 

[Matt Thomason]

I've used Paizo Adventure Paths for other systems before, just using the plot and swapping in whatever things I needed to stat-wise.

Otherwise, pretty much anything that describes Golarion is good. Even if you don't want to use the setting itself, you can always take bits and pieces for your own world.

 

[DMZ2112]

Is their Gamemastery line still a going concern? It is system-agnostic, for the most part, but it's things like map packs and card decks rather than books.

 

[Matt Thomason]

Is their Gamemastery line still a going concern? It is system-agnostic, for the most part, but it's things like map packs and card decks rather than books.

Oh, that's a good one. I still use all of those in other games, along with Pathfinder Pawns (are they still a thing? PF was still in 1st edition when I bought those )

 

[DMZ2112]

Oh, that's a good one. I still use all of those in other games, along with Pathfinder Pawns (are they still a thing? PF was still in 1st edition when I bought those )

Yeah, I think they still make the pawn boxes. Those are great, even if you have to buy a couple of them to get a decent number of mooks.

I love their map packs. I'm usually a theater of the mind dungeon master, but during D&D4 especially I really valued being able to slap one of those cards down in the middle of a hand-drawn battlemat to give players a sense of what the rest of the terrain looked like.

 

[payn]

I love the Inner Sea Guide for Golarion! Lots of setting material on a high level overview. You get facts and figures of every nation. Also, adventure hooks and ideas. Relatively free of mechanics. If anything a great book for the shelf thats fun to read.

 

[Matt Thomason]

I'm usually a theater of the mind dungeon master, but during D&D4 especially I really valued being able to slap one of those cards down in the middle of a hand-drawn battlemat to give players a sense of what the rest of the terrain looked like.

Ha, pretty much how I use things like that too. No measuring, counting squares, or tactical movement. It's just there to help illustrate the scene, and give people an idea of where X is in relation to Y at the moment.

And of course to give everyone a shock when you plop down a Cthulhu miniature in the water on the boat map.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Much of the Lost Omen line is more lore focused than game focused. Absalom: City of Lost Omens; Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse; Lost Omens: Legends, and the Lost Omen: Travel Guide are all far, far more about the setting lore than the crunch.

This is the correct answer for PF2.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Is their Gamemastery line still a going concern? It is system-agnostic, for the most part, but it's things like map packs and card decks rather than books.

Gamemastery has not been around for more than a decade. So no.

Mind you, some of that material continues to be published -- but it's PF branded.

 

[MockingBird]

Now would be the perfect time for Paizo to somehow make some of their books system neutral. If they could cheaply alter their adventure paths to more easily work with 5e they'd make some bank.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Now would be the perfect time for Paizo to somehow make some of their books system neutral. If they could cheaply alter their adventure paths to more easily work with 5e they'd make some bank.

That still involves a lot of time in layout, even if they didn't create a separate document with the stats in it (which I assume they'd also create). I wonder if there's any way they can get a good estimate of how many sales they could reasonably expect with such a change. I know there are quite a few APs I have looked at with interest.

 

[Matt Thomason]

That still involves a lot of time in layout, even if they didn't create a separate document with the stats in it (which I assume they'd also create). I wonder if there's any way they can get a good estimate of how many sales they could reasonably expect with such a change. I know there are quite a few APs I have looked at with interest.

I absolutely love both Kingmaker and Jade Regent. The only downside for me is that they're written for Pathfinder (or possibly even 3.5e, it's that long ago I can't remember!) I can say that the non-rules content is still more than enough for me to feel that they were worth getting.

 

[MockingBird]

I absolutely love both Kingmaker and Jade Regent. The only downside for me is that they're written for Pathfinder (or possibly even 3.5e, it's that long ago I can't remember!) I can say that the non-rules content is still more than enough for me to feel that they were worth getting.

I agree somewhat. I'd definitely prefer it be 5e compatible but that kind seems off the table now. I really wish they would re-release their old adventure paths to use with 5e. I think I'd still pick a few up even if they had no rules in them.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I quite liked a number of the setting books for PF1e I got in a bundle a while back, and I don't remember a huge amount of mechanics.

 

[Glade Riven]

• Kingmaker Anniversary Edition has a A LOT in it - the kingdom management system can be used with any system, and the Kingmaker 5e Bestiary is great for a quick conversion to 5e stats (currently running Level Up + Kingmaker + Ironkingdoms, it is WILD but works). Abomination Vaults 5e releases in June (unless something happens). I think there are (were?) other 5e adaptations planned but those plans may have changed with recent news.
• I have a lot of the old Campaign Setting books (in PDFs due to a Humble Bundle), can confirm most of these are mostly fluff. The Age of Lost Omens books have a lot of fluff in them, too.
• Mythic Adventures for Pathfinder 1 is...interesting, and the mechanics theoretically could work with 5e, but it will really boost the power level of the player characters.

 

[Alby87]

You can check yourself download, for free, the Lost Omen World Guide. Paizo has the PDF free if you use a code on the checkout (should be OPENGAMING, but double check it, is in the news).

 

[Voadam]

I am running my second Pathfinder 1e Adventure path converted to 5e. The first was in a face to face group, the second on Fantasy grounds. It has not been difficult to find similar CR monsters for similar challenges or to convert skill stuff on the fly. It is not as ready to go as using the individual monster stat blocks out of the module book, but I get a lot of mileage out of reskinning stuff from the 5e MM, Volo's, Creature Codex, Tome of Beasts, etc.