Owen K.C. Stephens
Starfinder Design Lead (2017–2019)
Freelance Contributor
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Owen Kirker Clifford Stephens was a game designer at Paizo Inc., Lead Genius of Rogue Genius Games, and Pathfinder Developer for Green Ronin Publishing. He previously worked for Wizards of the Coast, Super Genius Games, White Wolf, and Steve Jackson Games.1
Owen was born in 1970 in Norman, Oklahoma. He was introduced to gaming by his uncle in 1979 (though his uncle now claims no memory of the event) and was instantly hooked. While attending the local high school and the University of Oklahoma, Owen became interested in creating novels and short stories and took every English and writing course he could. He later enrolled in creative writing courses taught by Forgotten Realms novel author Mel Odom.
During the early years of his freelance career, every piece of fiction Owen wrote was rejected, and every gaming article accepted. Taking the path of least resistance, he continued to write articles, many of which were accepted by magazines that went bust before his work could be published. In 1997, he attended a TSR Writer's Workshop, and his first professional work to see the light of day (an article on elven names in issue 250 of Dragon) was published shortly afterwards.
Owen moved with his wife and three cats to the Seattle area in 2000 after accepting a job as a Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast. While there, he worked on numerous Star Wars Roleplaying Game projects and the Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game. Fourteen months later, he returned to Oklahoma and picked up his freelance career. He has written freelance for numerous companies, including Green Ronin, White Wolf and Steve Jackson Games. His major credits include the Advanced Gamemaster's Guide, The Black Company Campaign Setting, numerous EverQuest RPG books, d20 Apocalypse, and d20 Cyberscape.2
In April 2014, Paizo Inc. announced that the company had hired Stephens as a staff developer to helm the quarterly line of 64-page Pathfinder Modules.3 He also hosted the RPG Superstar contest in 2015. In 2017, Stephens transitioned from the Pathfinder team to the Starfinder team, taking the role of Design Lead in July of that year. In 2019, Stephens left the company.
Pathfinder credits
Adventure credits
| Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Magic of Thassilon" | January 2008 | Sins of the Saviors, 56. |
| "Faces of the Earthbound Evils" | May 2008 | Escape from Old Korvosa, 60. |
| The Penumbral Accords | December 2010 | PFS 1e #02-11 |
| "Bestiary" #54 | February 2012 | The Empty Throne, 82. |
| "Meet the Villain: Urgraz" | June 2016 | Scourge of the Godclaw, 60. |
| "Developer Showcase: Angradd" | August 2019 | Midwives to Death, 64. |
| "Adventure Toolbox" #146 | August 2019 | Cult of Cinders, 70. |
| "Adventure Toolbox" #148 | October 2019 | Fires of the Haunted City, 72. |
| "Adventure Toolbox" #150 | December 2019 | Broken Promises, 72. |
- See also: Category:Works by Owen K.C. Stephens
Sourcebook credits
| Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Setting | August 2008 | |
| Guide to Absalom | December 2008 | Cover credit |
| Gnomes of Golarion | May 2010 | |
| Advanced Player's Guide | August 2010 | |
| The Inner Sea World Guide | March 2011 | |
| Ultimate Magic | April 2011 | |
| Inner Sea Magic | July 2011 | Cover credit |
| Advanced Race Guide | June 2012 | |
| Ultimate Equipment | August 2012 | |
| Animal Archive | February 2013 | |
| Faiths & Philosophies | August 2013 | |
| Advanced Class Guide | August 2014 | |
| Monster Summoner's Handbook | June 2015 | |
| Inner Sea Races | September 2015 | |
| Distant Shores | October 2015 | |
| Spymaster's Handbook | June 2016 | |
| Paths of the Righteous | December 2016 | |
| Heroes from the Fringe | August 2018 | |
| Faiths of Golarion | December 2018 | |
| Character Guide | October 2019 | |
| Gamemastery Guide | February 2020 | |
| Legends | July 2020 | |
| Ancestry Guide | February 2021 | |
| Highhelm | June 2023 | |
| GM Core | November 2023 | |
| Player Core 2 | August 2024 |
- See also: Category:Works by Owen K.C. Stephens
Fiction Credits
| Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Urgraz" | April 2016 | Meet the Villains. Link |
| "Ready" | January 2020 | Iconic Encounters. Link |
| "Pointed Questions" | December 2021 | Iconic Encounters. Link |
- See also: Category:Works by Owen K.C. Stephens