Kingmaker (adventure path)

This article covers the Pathfinder Adventure Path. For the computer roleplaying game, see Kingmaker (CRPG). For the 2020 hardcover edition, see Kingmaker Adventure Path (hardcover).

Set in the River Kingdoms, Kingmaker—the sixth Pathfinder Adventure Path—allows players to create their own kingdom from the ground up, dealing with all the economic, military and political responsibilities that come with being a king. Key NPCs and villains were designed by none other than Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms, but the adventure is 100% Pathfinder.

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The land rush is on! Sent south by Brevoy, the heroes have the unenviable task of venturing into the infamous Stolen Lands and annexing the territory, facing down monsters, bandits, and worse. It's hard enough to conquer territory—but does a ragtag band of adventurers have what it takes to found and defend a burgeoning kingdom from the terrors of the wild?
The Kingmaker Adventure Path takes the heroes from encounters with mysterious bandit lords and barbaric raiders through the trials and tribulations of developing and defending their new settlement in the notoriously lawless River Kingdoms. Yet when war comes to the Stolen Lands in earnest, it's up the heroes to take up a mystical blade and stand tall against the horrors of man, beast, and strange creatures more dangerous than either...

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Kingmaker was adapted into the video game Pathfinder: Kingmaker by Owlcat Games. The video game additionally has a soundtrack album.

Hardcover edition

In May 2019, Paizo ran a crowdfunding campaign to determine the size and scope of a hardcover 10th anniversary edition of the Kingmaker Adventure Path originally planned to release in 2020. The campaign would be converted to Pathfinder Second Edition, incorporating story and characters from Owlcat's Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG, and be supported by numerous accessories, a Companion Guide, and bestiaries of monsters and key NPCs for both Pathfinder's first edition and D&D's fifth edition. The campaign earned more than $440,000 with over 2,500 backers and added an additional $50,000 in late pledges from July to October. Unlocked add-ons included additional campaign content, expanded kingdom management rules, three flip-mat multi-packs, a kingdom-management GM screen, custom dice, a pawn collection, and more. Paizo partnered with Legendary Games, publishers of Pathfinder- and 5E-compatible material, to assist with the conversion and design of new content. After delays, the hardcover edition and its supplements were released in 2022.¹

Releases

Pathfinder Adventure Path
	Stolen Land	Written by Tim Hitchcock	Released March 2010
	For level 1. Enter the Stolen Lands, a wilderness claimed by nobles, bandits, and beasts alike. Into this territory the fractious country of Brevoy sends its emissaries, tasking them with subduing the lawless folk and deadly creatures that have made it a realm of savagery and shame. Beyond the last rugged frontier stretches the home of voracious monsters, capricious fey, wily natives, and bandits who bow to the rule of a merciless lord none dare defy. Can the PCs survive the Stolen Lands, bring their dangers to heel, and lay the foundations of a new kingdom? Or will they just be one more fateful band, lost forever to the ravenous wilds?
	Rivers Run Red	Written by Rob McCreary	Released April 2010
	For level 5. With the heart of the Stolen Lands explored and the bandits who ruled there scattered, the long-contested realm finally lies open for pioneers and settlers to stake their claims. Amid the rush of opportunistic travelers, the PCs find themselves stewards over a new domain, tasked with the responsibility of guiding and guarding a fledgling nation struggling to grow upon a treacherous borderland. Yet the threats to this new nation quickly prove themselves greater than mere bandits and wild beasts, as the monstrous natives of the hills and forests rampage forth to slaughter all who have trespassed upon their territory. Can the PCs hold the land they've fought so hard to explore and tame? Or will their legend be just one more lost to the fangs of the Stolen Lands?
	The Varnhold Vanishing	Written by Greg A. Vaughan	Released May 2010
	For level 7. The Stolen Lands consume many wanderers—the perils of its rugged wildernesses and hidden mysteries prey upon even the wariest of travelers. Founded upon one of the most savage frontiers, the colony of Varnhold defied the many dangers of this harsh region. At least, it did until all the residents of the fledgling community completely disappeared. Now it falls to the PCs to discover what became of their eastern neighbor, a secret steeped in generations-old hatreds and the mysteries of an empire long crumbled to dust. Can they uncover the terrible secret behind this shocking disappearance before the same calamity befalls their own land?
	Blood for Blood	Written by Neil Spicer	Released June 2010
	For level 10. Even with the PCs' kingdom growing at their heart, the Stolen Lands are far from tame. An incursion by merciless barbarians spills blood on the PCs' lands and begins a search for a legendary artifact in the depths of the region's most infamous wilderness. Amid the perpetual shadows and bottomless bogs of the Hooktongue Slough lie long-mired secrets and terrors eager to consume any who intrude upon their fetid realm. Yet what powers that lurk beyond the swamp seek to end the PCs' reign? And how might a single, bloodthirsty blade mean the difference between their kingdom's ruin and its survival?
	War of the River Kings	Written by Jason Nelson	Released July 2010
	For level 12. Can two kings truly trust one another? King Irovetti, ruler of Pitax and potential rival to the leaders of the eastern Stolen Lands, opens his gates and hospitality to the lords of that realm. Within his city of shallow indulgences and crude decadence, he hosts a tournament ostensibly meant to foster friendship and peace, but fraught with dangers all its own. Is the King of Pitax's good will sincere, or does he harbor a more sinister goal? And are the PCs fated to gain an opponent who commands not only a nation, but allies from a deadly other realm?
	Sound of a Thousand Screams	Written by Richard Pett	Released July 2010
	For level 15. With the dangers of the Stolen Lands brought to heel, the PCs rule as lords of that realm. But from an unassuming corner of their kingdom, a centuries-old plot takes shape, turning the land itself into a deadly enemy that threatens to bring their entire nation to ruin. As the boundary between the Stolen Lands and an insane other world begins to break down, it's up to the PCs to save their people from nature gone mad and the emissaries of a reality beyond imagining. But can they retain their kingdom—and their sanity—against the fury of the First World?
Hardcover edition
	Kingmaker Adventure Path (hardcover)	Written by Tim Hitchcock, Rob McCreary, Greg A. Vaughan, Neil Spicer, Jason Nelson, and Richard Pett	Released September 2022
	For level 1–20. The Stolen Lands have long been the domain of bandits and monsters, but no longer! Your party has been granted a charter to explore these wilds, defeat its dangers, and build a brand new nation. Yet not everyone will welcome you as new neighbors, and powerful supernatural forces have their own plans for the region. Can you defeat your kingdom's enemies and become one of the greatest new nations in the world?

Related publications

Player's guides
	Kingmaker Player's Guide (2010)	Written by James Jacobs, Mark Moreland, and F. Wesley Schneider	Released March 2010
	The Kingmaker Player's Guide is intended to provide context for creating characters from the nation of Brevoy or surrounding regions who wish to play a role in the Stolen Lands' transformation. In this campaign, your characters will explore vast wildernesses and settle them, build cities and nations, and even fight wars against opposing kingdoms. Many of these unusual campaign elements are supported by additional rules that appear in other volumes of the Kingmaker Adventure Path—your GM can provide you with the information you need to explore, build, conquer, and war as the need arises in each adventure.
	Kingmaker Player's Guide (2022)	Written by James Jacobs, Jason Nelson, and Victoria Jaczko	Released September 2022
	With the Kingmaker Player's Guide, all the rules your players need to create characters, kingdoms, and armies are presented in a spoiler-free and cost-free context. This player's guide contains details and advice about: Character suggestions, including recommendations for alignments, ancestries, classes, languages, skills, and more that are well suited for this Adventure Path; New backgrounds to inspire your character's connections with the region, be they a noble or outcast, patriot or pioneer, brigand or sword scion!; Fully detailed rules for building kingdoms and settlements, including kingdom sheets to help you stay organized and several sidebars highlighting NPCs who might come to live in your lands and offer you unique opportunities for adventure.; Rules for building armies and playing out warfare encounters—a quick and simple method of running mass combat during downtime play.
Sourcebooks
	Guide to the River Kingdoms	Written by Elaine Cunningham, Steve Kenson, China Miéville, and Chris Pramas, et al.	Released February 2010
	Stake your claim! In the anarchic hills and valleys of the River Kingdoms, all you own is what you can hold by force. Dozens of nations flourish in this land of outlaws and scoundrels, from high-walled city-states to tiny tribal enclaves, and any hero with strength and vision can claim a throne at the point of a sword. Here secretive druids protect ancient forests, and downtrodden refugees and exiles cast longing eyes toward lost homelands. Civilized sea monsters trapped far from the briny deep rub shoulders with legitimized assassins, and strange magic can pull a prosperous town in and out of time and space. With the constant rise and fall of bandit lords, there's no limit to the power and prestige bold adventurers can find—though whether they can keep it is another story.
	Kingmaker Companion Guide	Written by Alexander Augunas, Russ Brown, Jeremy Corff, et al.	Released October 26, 2022
	Ruling a kingdom is a complex and dangerous affair—and with all the monsters out there in the wilds, you'll need all the allies you can gather to keep your nation safe! With the Kingmaker Companion Guide, full details on fan-favorite NPCs drawn from Owlcat Games's digital version of the Kingmaker Adventure Path are at your fingertips, including game-ready statistics for them at several key levels of power, extensive notes on their personalities and goals, and fully detailed side-quests for your PCs to undertake to earn their loyalty. Expanded rules for campsite-based shenanigans and additional roles to help your kingdom grow (or perhaps suffer), presented as custom downtime activities, further expand your companions' roles in the game. Will you stand by their sides and gain their trust, or will they turn against you and become your kingdom's most dangerous enemies? What strange secrets and hidden treasures will your newfound friends reveal? The softcover Kingmaker Companion Guide expands your Kingmaker Adventure Path experience significantly, with dozens of pages of expanded content inspired by the video game.
	Kingmaker Bestiary (First Edition)	Written by Russ Brown, Carlos Cabrera, Jeremy Corff, et al.	Released October 26, 2022
	Does your group prefer to stick with First Edition? We've got you covered with the hardcover Kingmaker Bestiary for Pathfinder First Edition, a 160-page monster and NPC resource that converts the new companions, NPCs, and monsters unlocked by this campaign into old-school Pathfinder First Edition. Play along in the new and updated encounters with this helpful conversion guide featuring back-converted stats for the entire Kingmaker campaign, plus other rules conversions, tips, and tricks to run the campaign as smoothly as possible. Not ready to convert to 2E? Already running the campaign with your First Edition group? This add-on book is your ticket to playing Kingmaker in classic style!
	Kingmaker Bestiary (5E)	Written by Jeremy Corff, Robert J. Grady, Tim Hitchcock, et al.	Released October 26, 2022
	More than 140 monsters and key NPCs from the Kingmaker Adventure Path pack the pages of this 160-page hardcover guide to the dangers and denizens of the River Kingdoms, all in glorious 5E rules! Whether used as a companion volume to help convert the entire Kingmaker campaign or as a handy way to add new challenges and foes to 5E campaigns of all varieties, these time-tested critters and foes are sure to keep your players on their toes! With rules conversion and additional design by our friends at Legendary Games, this collection of creatures translates seamlessly across game systems and is a perfect addition to any 5E campaign!
Accessories
	Kingmaker Poster Map Folio (2010)	Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti	Released July 2010
	Raise and rule an entire kingdom in the Kingmaker Adventure Path. From early explorations and cartographic cataloguing of the region, to forays into the deadliest depths of an ancient wilderness, the Kingmaker Poster Map Folio provides the maps for an entire epic campaign.
	Kingmaker Poster Map Folio (2022)		Released October 26, 2022
	Raise and rule an entire kingdom in the Kingmaker Adventure Path! From early explorations and cartographic cataloguing of the region, to forays into the deadliest depths of an ancient wilderness, the Kingmaker Poster Map Folio provides invaluable maps for an entire campaign! Within this map folio, you'll find six huge, 4-panel poster maps crucial to the Kingmaker Adventure Path—the mysterious village of Varnhold, the oppressed city of Pitax, and four linked maps that present the infamous Stolen Lands in their entirety. Even if you aren't running the Kingmaker Adventure Path, the maps inside can serve as new wilderness regions, villages, or cities for any RPG campaign!
	Kingmaker Kingdom Management Screen	Written by Paizo Inc.	Released October 26, 2022
	Keep the essential rules for kingdoms and armies on hand—and protect your notes and die rolls from players' eyes—with the Pathfinder Kingmaker Kingdom Management Screen! This beautiful four-panel, portrait‑style screen features a sprawling map of the Stolen Lands on the players' side, while the GM's side presents key information from the Kingmaker Adventure Path's rules for Kingdom turns and Warfare encounters. The Pathfinder Kingmaker Kingdom Management Screen gives you the tools you need to keep Kingdom turns and Warfare battles moving: a list of Kingdom skills, important notes on Kingdom and Army level advancement, turn orders, Kingdom events, army conditions, and more. Constructed of ultra-high-grade hardcover book stock, this durable screen is perfect for travel, convention play, and repeated regular use.
	Kingmaker Kingdom Tracker	Written by Paizo Inc.	Released October 26, 2022
	Keep track of your kingdom with the indispensable Pathfinder Kingmaker Kingdom Management Tracker! This 16-page folio includes custom-designed sheets for you to take extensive notes on your kingdom's abilities, skills, resources, and ongoing events. A blank map of the Stolen Lands lets you track the evolving border of your kingdom, along with its settlements and relationships with nearby allies and enemies, and a blank urban grid with over five dozen buildings you can cut and paste to customize your capital city gives you all the resources you need to track your kingdom's progress through the Kingmaker Adventure Path. The included quick reference rules for kingdom building, army building, and building settlements will help you spend less time keeping track of details and more time ruling your kingdom and adventuring within it—and beyond!
	Campsite Flip-Mat Multi-Pack		Released October 26, 2022
	Whether it's a semi-permanent encampment, a fortified wilderness hideout, or simply a place to set up tents, every wilderness explorer eventually needs a campsite. This Flip-Mat Multi-Pack features three different campsites for your players to explore, including a simple clearing in the woods, a hidden forest hideout, and a sprawling goblin encampment. Designed specifically to work with Pathfinder's Kingmaker Adventure Path, these high-utility maps also make an ideal resource for any fantasy RPG campaign!
	Noble Manor Flip-Mat Multi-Pack		Released October 26, 2022
	Be it an aristocrat's manor or a sovereign's throne hall, all nobles and rulers need places to live and to hold court. This Flip-Mat Multi-Pack features two wings of a sprawling mansion fit for nobility as well as two versions of a throne room—rustic wood and elegant stone—to represent two different variations on the same ruler's grand hall. Designed specifically to work with Pathfinder's Kingmaker Adventure Path, these high-utility maps also make an ideal resource for any fantasy RPG campaign!
	River Kingdoms Ruins Flip-Mat Multi-Pack		Released October 26, 2022
	Mysterious ruins lie hidden within far-off reaches in the wilderness, ancient remnants of long-lost civilizations. This Flip-Mat Multi-Pack features four such ruined locations: an overgrown keep in the woods, a decrepit river crossing, a dilapidated swamp settlement, and a long-forgotten shrine. Designed specifically to work with Pathfinder's Kingmaker Adventure Path, these high-utility maps also make an ideal resource for any fantasy RPG campaign!
Miniatures
	Pathfinder Battles: Kingmaker	Produced by WizKids	Released October 2018
	Kingmaker follows the lead of popular Pathfinder Battles sets like Jungle of Despair to provide a legion of high-utility monsters and heroes suitable for any fantasy role-playing campaign. From the disciplined Oni Mage to the deadly Soul Gorger and a special visit from Jaethal an Elf Inquisitor with a dark reputation. Make sure to keep an eye out for the rare "dungeon dressing" inserts that add realism and fun to your fantasy gaming, Kingmaker is packed with the adversaries your game is looking for!
	Kingmaker Pawn Box	Written by Paizo Inc.	Released October 26, 2022
	The monsters are coming! The Kingmaker Pawn Box is here to help you keep your players busy with the wide range of allies and enemies they're destined to encounter during your Kingmaker campaign. This jam-packed collection contains more than 350 monsters and NPCs pulled from both the Kingmaker Adventure Path and Kingmaker Companion Guide, perfect for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or any fantasy RPG. Pawns include lumbering giants, sinister fey, carnivorous plants, wild beasts, deadly bandits, traitorous brigands, helpful companions, and more. Printed on sturdy cardstock, these pawns slot into a size-appropriate plastic base, making them easy to mix with traditional metal or plastic miniatures. The Kingmaker Pawn Box is the best way to ensure you've got the perfect monster on hand for every Pathfinder Roleplaying Game encounter!
Kingdom-building rules
	Ultimate Campaign	Written by Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, et al.	Released May 2013
	Where the dungeon ends, another adventure begins! Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign takes you on a guided tour through the parts of the game that happen between monster attacks and quests for ancient artifacts. As some of the most powerful and prestigious heroes around, do your player characters want to build up a kingdom of their own, or lead an army against a neighboring nation? Perhaps they want to start a business, craft magic items, or embark on a quest that will come to define them. Whether you're looking for help generating a young character or seeking ways to challenge adventurers who've grown bored of fighting monsters one-on-one, this book has everything you need!
Digital games
	Pathfinder: Kingmaker	Written by Chris Avellone, Owlcat Games	Released September 2018
	Pathfinder: Kingmaker is an isometric single-player RPG based on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Kingmaker Adventure Path.
Soundtracks
	Kingmaker Original Game Soundtrack	Written by Alexander Fomichev, Dmitry V. Silantyev, Dryante, Inon Zur, Mikhail Kotov, Sergey Eybog	Released September 25, 2018
	The 60-track digital album features all of the music from the Kingmaker computer roleplaying game.