The subject of this article exists in or is relevant to the real world.

Pathfinder Adventure Path

From PathfinderWiki
See also: Index of articles (1E), Index of articles (2E), and Category:Adventure paths
Pathfinder Adventure Path logo trans.png

Pathfinder Adventure Path is a series of monthly publications released by Paizo Inc. Each volume consists of one segment of a multi-part series of adventures linked together by a story arc and theme, with the exception of the special 200th issue, which is a standalone adventure. In addition to the main adventure, each issue also features support articles on the Pathfinder campaign setting, new monsters, and (through the end of the Strange Aeons Adventure Path) serial Pathfinder's Journal fiction.

Each Adventure Path includes a free Player's Guide that provides a spoiler-free overview of the path, as well as tips and content to help players create characters for the campaign. Some Pathfinder Campaign Setting and Pathfinder Player Companion products are released in concert with specific Adventure Paths to provide related setting context and rules options.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

The tradition of Adventure Paths was begun by Paizo when they published the official Dungeons & Dragons periodicals Dungeon and Dragon. When these magazines were discontinued in summer 2007, Paizo continued the popular tradition, now set in their own proprietary game setting—the world of Golarion. The line was originally titled simply Pathfinder but was changed to the current Pathfinder Adventure Path when additional Pathfinder-branded product lines were introduced.

Each First Edition Adventure Path path is intended to take a party of characters from 1st level to upwards of 14th level over the course of the series, but individual adventures can be run independent of the overall path should a GM wish to do so.

Originally published using the OGL 3.5 rules set, Pathfinder Adventure Paths converted, along with all other Pathfinder products, to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules in August 2009.

Each Adventure Path is helmed by a particular lead developer, who sees it from concept to outline and from six raw turnovers from freelance authors into a coherent whole. The first six APs were helmed by Creative Director James Jacobs, who then co-developed Serpent's Skull with Developer Rob McCreary. Beginning with the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, McCreary and Jacobs alternated lead development of APs through Hell's Vengeance. Thereafter, Developers Adam Daigle and Crystal Frasier alternated development on the next four APs. Jacobs returned to the lead developer seat for Return of the Runelords, while Developer Ron Lundeen helmed the Tyrant's Grasp Adventure Path, the last in support of Pathfinder First Edition.

Pathfinder Second Edition

Starting with the Age of Ashes Adventure Path, the line began using Pathfinder Second Edition rules and incorporated the advanced timeline of the Pathfinder Lost Omens product line. Sky King's Tomb was the first Adventure Path to incorporate some of the revisions from the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project, and Wardens of Wildwood is the first to incorporate all of the project's revisions and be licensed under the Open RPG Creative (ORC) license.1

In a change from First Edition, most Second Edition Adventure Paths run either from 1st level to 20th level, from 1st to 10th, or from 11th to 20th, though there are exceptions.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

With the launch of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Paizo and Lone Shark Games began adapting Adventure Path stories for card game play. An adapted Pathfinder Adventure Path has an equivalent Base Set, and each issue has a corresponding Adventure Deck.

Supporting product lines

In addition to the primary Adventure Path game products, Paizo produces several lines of complementary products for individual Adventure Paths.

  • Pathfinder Battles: Paizo's official line of prepainted plastic miniatures, produced under license by WizKids Inc., sometimes features sets of miniatures depicting monsters and characters from specific Adventure Paths.
  • Pathfinder Cards: Decks of item and face cards provide visual aids and tracking tools for gear and NPCs that appear in Adventure Path issues.
  • Pathfinder Legends: Audio drama performances produced by Big Finish Productions bring Adventure Path stories featuring the iconic Pathfinder characters to life.
  • Pathfinder Pawns: When paired with the Bestiary Boxes, these Adventure Path-themed sets of cardstock miniatures serve as gameplay aids capable of representing all monsters in each of a Path's encounters.
  • Poster Map Folios: Poster-sized maps show locations that play prominent roles in each Adventure Path.

Pathfinder Adventure Paths

There are 39 released or announced Adventure Paths:

3.5
Rise of the Runelords logo.png
Rise of the Runelords Released August 2007–January 2008; July 2012 (PFRPG Anniversary Edition)
From the idyllically peaceful coastal town of Sandpoint to an ancient lost city at the top of the world, Rise of the Runelords takes a party of adventurers from 1st to over 18th level and delves into the mysteries of Varisia's ancient past. Millennia ago, the powerful empire of Thassilon ruled the land, dominated by despotic runelords who maintained their power through harnessing the power of rune magic. Thought gone forever, the workings of Thassilon are not so far beneath the surface and one of the runelords plans a return to power. Only the brave adventurers stand in his way.
Curse of the Crimson Throne logo.png
Curse of the Crimson Throne Released February 2008–July 2008; October 2016 (PFRPG Hardcover Edition)
The king is dead! In the Varisian port city of Korvosa, the death of a monarch leads to chaos, and only the PCs can hope to save the city from its own darkest tendencies. As the rule of the young queen grows more and more draconian, it's up to a band of bold adventurers to stop the spread of tyranny before all of Korvosa is crushed beneath her iron fist.
Second Darkness logo.png
Second Darkness Released August 2008–January 2009
A strange shadow lurks in the sky above the city of Riddleport, and the doomsayers take it as a sign of the approaching end of the world. The thing is—they're right. But the source of the menace facing Golarion comes not from the skies above, but the Darklands below. The Second Darkness Adventure Path takes heroes on a sweeping quest that begins in a star-struck city, weaves through ancient elven ruins, and unmasks the terrible secret of the subterranean dark elves!
Legacy of Fire logo.png
Legacy of Fire Released February 2009–July 2009
Long ago, two warring armies of genies fought on the slopes of Pale Mountain, and the world shook under the power of their wishcraft. Today, the armies are wakening, and one potent efreeti warlord is ready to pick up where he left off unless the PCs can stop him! The Legacy of Fire Adventure Path takes the heroes to all corners of the desert land of Katapesh and beyond, with journeys to strange demi-planes and even the fabled City of Brass, home to genies and beings of living fire.
First Edition
Council of Thieves logo.png
Council of Thieves Released August 2009–January 2010
Don't go out after dark! In the run-down Chelish capital of Westcrown, fallen from grace generations ago by the rise of the devil-worshiping House of Thrune, strange beasts of shadow prowl the streets after nightfall. At the same time, the head of the city's all-powerful crime syndicate, the notorious Council of Thieves, has grown unstable, and a new power is determined to take control—even if it means burning Westcrown to the ground.
Kingmaker logo.png
Kingmaker Released February 2010–July 2010; October 2022 (Pathfinder Second Edition)
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 adventures have what it takes to found and defend a burgeoning kingdom from the terrors of the wild?
Serpent's Skull logo.png
Serpent's Skull Released August 2010–January 2011
Race to the lost city! Deep in the southern jungles, a fantastic city of wonders lies ruined and forgotten by the outside world, ripe for plundering and exploration by the heroes. Yet they aren't alone—several other factions, from deadly Red Mantis assassins to the avaricious Aspis Consortium—have also been tipped off to the city's existence, and the race is on to see who will reach it first. Of course, nothing in the jungle is as easy as it seems. For once they arrive, the heroes discover that the city may be lost, but it is not uninhabited...
Carrion Crown Logo.png
Carrion Crown Released February 2011–July 2011
From the whispering shadows of haunted Ustalav an ancient evil rises to grip the world in a new age of horror! Amid the mists of this land of dark superstition and dread secrets stand both those who would defy the return of evil and those who would seek its terrible favor. Can the heroes discern their allies from their enemies in time to save a tortured realm from a tyrant's return? Pathfinder's darkest and most frightening campaign ever sets the heroes against the agents of Golarion's most notorious villain, the Whispering Tyrant, in a terrifying trek across a land of lurking horror and ancient mysteries.
Jade Regent logo.png
Jade Regent Released August 2011–January 2012
When a decades-old secret is exposed, an unassuming local tavern-owner and a close friend of the PCs discovers her birthright is to rule one of the ancient Dragon Empires of Tian Xia—the empire of Minkai. Yet the current ruler of this empire, the mysterious and increasingly cruel Jade Regent, has no intention of giving up his hold over the throne. In order to save Minkai from a would-be tyrant, the PCs must not only escort their friend from Varisia to Tian Xia, braving the frozen horrors of the Crown of the World, but must aid her in gaining the trust and support of a nation on the edge of anarchy.
Skull & Shackles logo.png
Skull & Shackles Released February 2012–July 2012
There's adventure to be had on the high seas when a group of press-ganged strangers seizes a ship and becomes embroiled in the plots and politics of the Shackles—an infamous island chain dominated by pirate warlords. But as these new swashbucklers make names for themselves, rival scalawags, enemy navies, legendary sea monsters, and the infamous Hurricane King himself seek to see them walk the plank. Who will survive when there's glory to plunder?
Shattered Star logo.png
Shattered Star Released August 2012–January 2013
The ancient empire of the runelords may be long dead, yet the legacy of Thassilon continues to haunt the frontier realm of Varisia. With the rise of one runelord only narrowly thwarted, Korvosa reeling after the curse of the Crimson Throne nearly brought the city to its knees, and Riddleport rebuilding after a close call with a falling star, the people of Varisia fear that the greatest threat to their land has yet to play its hand. When agents of the newest Pathfinder Society lodge in Magnimar learn of a fragmented artifact scattered throughout the lands of old Thassilon, it falls to a new band of heroes to step in and gather up the seven fragments of this Shattered Star. For if the greatest prize of Thassilon's first ruler cannot save Varisia... what can?
Reign of Winter logo.png
Reign of Winter Released February 2013–July 2013
It has been a century since the immortal witch Baba Yaga last visited the world, and the hour draws nigh for her return. But when she fails to appear in the frozen realm of Irrisen to usher in its newest ruler, pockets of winter begin to grow throughout the Inner Sea. After 1,400 years of perpetual winter, the icy curse of Irrisen is spreading! What links do these strange blizzards and swaths of wintry landscapes have with Irrisen, and is there any truth to the growing rumors that the Witch Queen Elvanna has taken full control of the realm? Can her plans for the Inner Sea be thwarted, or will the Reign of Winter engulf the world?
Wrath of the Righteous logo.png
Wrath of the Righteous Released August 2013–January 2014
The Worldwound tore reality apart at the dawn of the Age of Lost Omens, murdering the nation of Sarkoris and unleashing a ravenous demonic horde upon the world. Only the quick action of several other nations of knights, barbarians, and heroes stemmed the demon army and contained it within lost Sarkoris, and for the next century, crusade after crusade tried to defeat the demons only to fail time and time again. Their greatest success, the line of magical artifacts known as Wardstones that stand sentinel along the Worldwound's border, barely manages to contain the demons. So when one of the wardstones is sabotaged, a city falls and the demons within surge out in a massive assault like none before. Even before the Fifth Crusade has begun a city has fallen and some of the crusaders' greatest defenders and heroes are slain. Can anyone rise up against the demon host to prevent the armies of Deskari, the demon lord of the Locust Host, from swallowing the world?
Mummy's Mask logo.png
Mummy's Mask Released February 2014–July 2014
The ancient lands of Osirion are blanketed by the sands of time, and eldritch secrets and vast riches lay just beneath the sun-blistered surface. As modern Osirion opens its vaults and tombs to outsiders for the first time in centuries, many of these lost treasures and secrets are now emerging—some more troublesome than others. Hakotep I, a now-forgotten pharaoh, was robbed upon his burial. A secret sect took his heart and his funerary mask, both containing a portion of his soul. Betrayed the chance to pass on into the afterlife during his burial, Hakotep has existed in a state between life and death for millennia. The recent rediscovery of one of these lost soul fragments has allowed the trapped pharaoh to once again work in this world to redress the wrongs committed against him, and a cult worshipping him as a god-king grows in the heart of Osirion. Can a group of heroes brave terrible guardians, foul cults, and the burning sands of the desert to stop the rebirth of this ancient tyrant?
Iron Gods logo.png
Iron Gods Released August 2014–January 2015
Numeria has a long history of mystery and wonder buried under its rugged landscape, for on that one fateful night thousands of years ago, the Rain of Stars scarred the land. The fragmented remnants of a ship from beyond the stars fell from the sky, scattering strange technological ruins and deadly perils across the land. Today, these sites are feared by the barbaric tribes and coveted by the sinister spellcasters of the Technic League. Yet something worse than brutish berserker or super-science wizard has risen to power in these hidden technological halls. The Iron Gods are ready to make their presence known, and if they are not opposed by the region's newest heroes, a scourge unlike any the Inner Sea has seen will arise!
Giantslayer logo.png
Giantslayer Released February 2015–July 2015
Deep in the Mindspin Mountains, a storm giant warlord known as the Storm Tyrant has seized control of a cloud castle and an Orb of Dragonkind, and is gathering an army of giants from across western Avistan—first to bring the orc hordes of Belkzen under his banner, then to conquer the neighboring realms. Heroes defending the human town of Trunau from an orc raid discover that the attack is just a precursor to the Storm Tyrant's larger plans. Working their way through an abandoned border fort, an ancient giant temple, the tomb of an undead frost giant, and an elite fire giant training facility beneath a dormant volcano, the heroes eventually take the fight to the Storm Tyrant himself inside his flying fortress. Can the giant army be defeated before it can conquer the human lands of the Inner Sea, or will all of Avistan bow down in fealty to the Storm Tyrant?
Hell's Rebels Logo.png
Hell's Rebels Released August 2015–January 2016
The city of Kintargo has a new lord-mayor, but he's not someone interested in maintaining that city's free spirit. Paracount Barzillai Thrune has placed the city under martial law, and his cruel proclamations and sinister plans for the city bode ill. Can a small group of heroes and would-be rebels stand against the might of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune and the Church of Asmodeus and save their home town from being crushed under the boot of an infernal tyrant? Will one of Cheliax's most powerful inquisitors make the city his playground, or can the rebels known as the Silver Ravens rise up to bring a new era of freedom to the so called Silver City of Kintargo? Join the rebellion! Save Kintargo! DOWN WITH THRUNE!
Hell's Vengeance Logo.png
Hell's Vengeance Released February 2016–August 2016
Under the leadership of a zealous paladin of Iomedae—goddess of honor, justice, and valor—a new knightly order called the Glorious Reclamation seeks to purge Cheliax of its diabolical taint by overthrowing the House of Thrune and reclaim the country for its people in the name of Iomedae. As the uprising gathers strength, the evil adventurers must defeat the valiant knights and their celestial allies to stop the rebellion's spread through Cheliax and preserve Thrune's oppressive rule. Will the wicked antiheroes quell dissent and uphold the infernal laws of Cheliax and its diabolic rulers, or will the heroic knights of the Glorious Reclamation overthrow the corrupt House of Thrune and usher Cheliax into a new age of peace, prosperity, and glory?
Strange Aeons Logo.png
Strange Aeons Released August 2016–February 2017
In a distant land polluted by an alien menace from beyond the stars, a great cancer grows within the earth. As its tendrils reach out through the dreams of those who learn and study its existence, a sinister cult grows more active in preparing the way for a devastation that will destroy more than the minds of would-be heroes. Can the adventures reclaim lost memories in time to stop the advance of a cataclysmic contagion that could threaten all of Golarion? Can they resist the mind-shattering truths revealed by the Yellow Sign, and the monstrous force it symbolizes?
Ironfang Invasion logo.png
Ironfang Invasion Released March 2017–July 2017
When the PCs witness their hometown of Phaendar destroyed in the first steps of an all-out war of conquest, they begin a quest that leads them from desperate survival to heroes of legend as they push back against the monstrous Ironfang Legion. This ruthless army—helmed by the hobgoblin General Azaersi and empowered by an ancient artifact known as the Onyx Key—intends to claim both Nirmathas and Molthune while the isolated nations bicker with one another. The heroes' quest will take them deep into the fey-haunted Fangwood Forest, to the craggy bluffs of western Nirmathas, and delve deep into the earth to explore the Darklands. Can a small band of refugees grow into champions and push back against Azaersi's horde, or will the Ironfang Invasion give way to an Ironfang nation?
Ruins of Azlant logo.png
Ruins of Azlant Released August 2017–January 2018
Thousands of years ago, a barrage of meteors called forth from the vastness of space by humanity's greatest enemies rained down on Golarion, cutting short the remarkable human empire of Azlant while plunging the world into an era of darkness. Since then, the shattered continent of Azlant has lured intrepid explorers to its broken shores, but few have the mettle to survive in the remains of this dangerous and mysterious land. Now, a hopeful expedition has established a colony on one of the nearest islands across the sea, but danger has struck the fledgling settlement. An ancient enemy was accidentally released from its prison and has resumed its millennium-old machinations to punish the hubris of humanity once again. Can the adventurers survive in a faraway land and track down this enigmatic being before its sinister plans can come to fruition?
War for the Crown logo.png
War for the Crown Released February 2018–July 2018
As the political scene in the ancient kingdom of Taldor explodes into chaos, players take the roles of agents, advocates and saboteurs working for Princess Eutropia to help secure her claim to the throne and prevent the nation from collapsing into civil war. Along the way, the heroes must recover hidden secrets of Taldor's past — many deliberately hidden — and grow from relative nobodies to powerful politicians and spymasters in the deadliest political arena in the Inner Sea!
Return of the Runelords logo.png
Return of the Runelords Released August 2018–January 2019
The all-powerful Runelords, near-immortal wizards who ruled Varisia in ancient days, stir to terrible life once more, surging across the frontier with plans to reignite their time-lost empire. Years ago, Pathfinder's classic Rise of the Runelords campaign explored the return of just one of these terrible masters from the depths of time—now the rest of his scheming allies have returned, their brilliant minds turned solely to conquest!
Tyrant's Grasp logo.png
Tyrant's Grasp Released February 2019–August 2019
The heroes awaken already defeated—slain by a superweapon unlike anything seen before on Golarion. They must fight their way back to the land of the living and warn the rest of Lastwall of this new threat in the grasp of the newly returned lich-king long thought consigned to history. Will hubris damn the last bulwark against the Whispering Tyrant's return? And can a handful of heroes stand against one of the most ancient threats ever to loom over Golarion?
Second Edition
Age of Ashes logo.png
Age of Ashes Released August 2019–December 2019
The mysterious fires burning atop an abandoned Hellknight citadel are but the first of many discoveries waiting to be uncovered in this six-part, monthly Pathfinder campaign of continent-spanning conflict against cultists, slavers, and a fiery draconic devastation that could unleash an Age of Ashes upon the world!
Extinction Curse logo.png
Extinction Curse Released January 2020–June 2020
Come one, come all! Humble performers become leaders of the Circus of Wayward Wonders when tragedy strikes. But as these heroes lead their motley band of performers and roustabouts around the Isle of Kortos, they uncover a sinister plot to exterminate life from the Starstone Isle. The dead god Aroden may be gone, but his legacy lives on, as do his old enemies who would destroy the wonders he raised from the sea. Spectacle meets savagery as the heroes strive to stop the Extinction Curse!
Agents of Edgewatch logo.png
Agents of Edgewatch Released July 2020–December 2020
Amid the hustle and bustle of the world-famous centennial Radiant Festival, the guards of the so-called Edgewatch precinct must take down Absalom's sickest serial killers, brashest bank robbers, and cruelest criminal masterminds in order to ensure the festival's success and the safety of Absalom's citizens. After a string of seemingly unrelated crimes is revealed as part of a much larger criminal plot, the members of one select squad find themselves at the center of things and must put their badges on the line to prevent the city from falling into chaos.
Abomination Vaults logo.png
Abomination Vaults Released January 2021–March 2021
Enter the megadungeon! Evil stirs in the depths of the Abomination Vaults, a sprawling dungeon where the evil sorcerer Belcorra Haruvex attempted to raise an army of monsters hundreds of years ago. Brave heroes must venture into a dungeon full of beasts and traps to prevent a spiteful villain from rising again.
Fists of the Ruby Phoenix logo.png
Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Released July 2021–July 2021
The time has come again for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament! The sorcerer Hao Jin has invited only the strongest martial artists, adventurers, and fortune seekers to her world-famous fighting competition. The motley roster of contenders must compete for this decade's champion title and the choice of one of the Ruby Phoenix's grand treasures. Who will come out on top, and who will be left in the dust? There's only one way to find out!
Strength of Thousands logo.png
Strength of Thousands Released August 2021–December 2021
A magic school like no other! The oldest and most prestigious magic academy in the world is the Magaambya, an ancient institution founded by the greatest wizard the world has ever known. This wizard vanished long ago, but his sinister enemies plot against his school and those who attend it. Over their long academic career, the heroes rise from humble students to become teachers, and they ultimately hold the fate of the Magaambya magic academy in their hands. Graduates of the Magaambya are among the greatest wardens of the world, but if the heroes can't marshal the strength of thousands who have come before them, the venerable Magaambya might fall!
Quest for the Frozen Flame logo.png
Quest for the Frozen Flame Released January 2022–March 2022
In the brutal tundra of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, only the hardiest folk have what it takes to withstand unsparing weather, track down big game, and fight back hostile followings. The Broken Tusk following has survived another winter, but a new year just began, and signs of danger foretell a year unlike any before. Unless their newest party of scouts can secure a safe route through the wilds, saber-toothed beasts, warmongering rivals, and the ever-looming possibility of natural disaster all threaten to end an ancient people’s legacy. Will the Broken Tusks succumb to the elements and surrender to their rivals? Or will you guide your following to glory and reclaim a stolen birthright?
Outlaws of Alkenstar logo.png
Outlaws of Alkenstar Released April 2022–June 2022
A ragtag band of gunslinging outlaws get their hands dirty in the greasy alleyways and whisky-soaked saloons of Alkenstar, the City of Smog. To get revenge on the mogul who destroyed them, the renegades will have to stick up an illicit bank, foil a crooked shieldmarshal, and escort a reclusive inventor to safety.
Blood Lords logo.png
Blood Lords Released July 2022–December 2022
The undead nation of Geb gains most of its trade from the export of food grown on zombie-worked farms, but one farm has been the site of a series of strange occurrences. The Blood Lords Adventure Path, is a six-part, monthly campaign in which the characters rise from skilled troubleshooters to join the Blood Lords who rule a land of the dead.
Kingmaker logo.png
Kingmaker — 10th Anniversary Edition Released October 2022
The classic adventure path updated and expanded for Pathfinder Second Edition. — 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 adventures have what it takes to found and defend a burgeoning kingdom from the terrors of the wild?
Gatewalkers logo.png
Gatewalkers Released January 2023–March 2023
After they walked through that glowing gateway, nothing was ever the same. A band of characters become paranormal investigators in order to figure out the cause of a global amnesic episode. Their quest takes them to lands near, far, and outside of this reality altogether. Along the way, the characters meet fellow "gatewalkers," defeat alien monsters, and explore strange realms also touched by the so-called Missing Moment. And when it comes time to learn the grim truth of what happened to them on that fated summer night, what then?
Stolen Fate logo.png
Stolen Fate Released April 2023–June 2023
Not even destiny itself is safe when powerful forces seek to seize control of the future, and now it falls to a band of heroes selected by the power of a magical Harrow deck to step in and ensure that fate is not stolen from the world! Already noteworthy in their own right, this new band of adventurers finds themselves quickly swept up in a race to gather and control the scattered cards of a powerful, mysterious artifact tied to the destinies of all who live on Golarion. It’s a race that must be won, for to lose means all possible futures fade save for one—a stolen fate meant to bring power to a very select few and leave the rest of reality in ruin!
Sky King's Tomb logo.png
Sky King's Tomb Released July 2023–September 2023
Millenia ago, the dwarven creator god Torag shook the earth and called the dwarves to the surface in the Quest for Sky. Taargick rose from the hardships of this journey, becoming the Sky King of Highhelm. For centuries he ruled, creating monuments to Torag and the accomplishments of his people… And then he vanished without a trace. Invited guests of the clans of Highhelm find themselves embroiled in a story of seekers, survivors, and heroes discovering the Sky King’s Tomb.
Season of Ghosts logo.png
Season of Ghosts Released October 2023–January 2024
Something strange is happening to your hometown of Willowshore! Nestled on the banks of a river winding through the legendary Specterwood in Tian Xia’s haunted land of Shenmen, the people of Willowshore are no strangers to supernatural threat, but the danger that comes to town on the first day of summer is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Over the four seasons to come, you and your fellow home-grown heroes must face evil spirits, sinister fiends, and frightening curses, lest the town of Willowshore succumb to the Season of Ghosts!
Announced Pathfinder Adventure Paths
Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Expected March 27, 2024
For level 4–11. The town of Sandpoint has seen more than its fair share of danger and trouble over the years, including harrowing fires, prolific serial killers, goblin raids, and attacks by giants and dragons, but what faces the so-called Light of the Lost Coast now is its greatest threat yet! Something sinister has been manipulating events all along, and now a new band of heroes must step in to save this legendary small town from seven deadly dooms!
Wardens of Wildwood Released April 2024–July 2024
For level 5–15. As the fledgling nation of Taldor grew over millennia, it picked away at the surrounding wilderness, felling valuable trees while riling the beasts, fey, and other inhabitants into generations of cyclical violence. Only millennia later did Taldor and the forest's eminent druids of the Wildwood Lodge negotiate lasting peace with the Treaty of the Wildwood. Even so, the forest remains a realm besieged by civilization. As forest-dwellers gather for the annual Greenwood Gala, the election of Lodge leadership, and the renewal of the treaty, there’s an opportunity to resolve old grudges—and as much potential to spark war.
Curtain Call Released August 2024 - October 2024
For level 11-20. TBA

Final lines

The final issue of each Adventure Path contains a quote at the bottom of its credits page, located either in the book's front matter (First Edition) or back matter (Second Edition).

Rise of the Runelords
"The runelords will return."2 Reference to the end cards on James Bond films. The runelords subsequently returned several times, particularly in the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path.
Curse of the Crimson Throne
"Sic semper tyrannis."3
Second Darkness
"Keep watching the skies."4 From The Thing from Another World.
Legacy of Fire
"Still just one left."5 Refers to Jhavul's remaining required wish.
Council of Thieves
"Quisque suos patimur manes."6 From Virgil's Aeneid.7
Kingmaker
"It's good to be the king."8 From History of the World, Part I.
Serpent's Skull
"Asps... very dangerous. You go first."9 From Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Carrion Crown
"What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!"10 Popularly attributed to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, that game in turn lifted the line from French novelist André Malraux's Les Noyers de l'Altenburg.11
Jade Regent
"Hide a stone among stones and a man among men."12 From The Hidden Fortress.
Skull & Shackles
"Damnation seize my Soul if I give you Quarters, or take any from you."13 Attributed to Blackbeard by the pseudonymous Captain Charles Johnson.
Shattered Star
"Sorshen lives!"14 Sorshen prominently appears in the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path.
Reign of Winter
"O Wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"15 From Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind".
Wrath of the Righteous
"Ayavah was right all along!"16 Referencing the redemption of Nocticula that follows the events of this Adventure Path.
Mummy's Mask
"A crocodile be against him in the water, a snake be against him on land, he who would do anything against this tomb."17 From the Tomb of Meni, a ranking official of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, in Giza.18
Iron Gods
"Keep watching the skies."19 Repeated from Second Darkness in error.20
Giantslayer
"We are like dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants."21
Hell's Rebels
"Omniscient am I not, yet many things I know."22 From Goethe's Faust, Part One.23
Hell's Vengeance
"I was walking among the fires of Hell, delighted with the enjoyments of Genius, which to Angels look like torment and insanity."24 From William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.25
Strange Aeons
"Have you found the Yellow Sign?"26 From the Robert W. Chambers short story "The Yellow Sign" in The King in Yellow.
Ironfang Invasion
"Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed."27 From The Last Unicorn.
Ruins of Azlant
"Where is my mind? Way out in the water, see it swimming."28 From the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?".
War for the Crown
"I would rather see her lovely step, And the radiant sparkle of her face, Than all the war chariots in Lydia, And soldiers battling in arms."29 From the 16th fragment of Sappho.30
Return of the Runelords
"New Thassilon is just getting started—long live Queen Sorshen!"31 Sorshen subsequently becomes the canon ruler of Eurythnia in New Thassilon.
Tyrant's Grasp
"Everything dies, baby, that's a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back."32 From Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City".
Age of Ashes
"Before tomorrow burns, will you see the Ashen Man?"33 The Ashen Man appears during apocalyptic events on Golarion.
Extinction Curse
"You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!"34 From The Simpsons.35
Agents of Edgewatch
"The worst crimes were dared by a few, willed by more, and tolerated by all."36 Corrupted quote derived from Tacitus' Histories.37
Abomination Vaults
"The monument of granite sent a beam into my eye."38 From They Might Be Giants' "The Statue Got Me High".
Fists of the Ruby Phoenix
"What was that? An exhibition? We need emotional content!"3940 From Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon.41
Strength of Thousands
"Black lives matter."42
Quest for the Frozen Flame
"In this game, fire represents your life. When your fire's gone, so are you."43 Catchphrase from the reality show Survivor.
Outlaws of Alkenstar
"Reflexes, that's what you've got! Me, I've got brains."44 From Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.45
Blood Lords
"There's not a town in the world I haven't run amok in."46 Popularly attributed to Joe Strummer.
Gatewalkers
"The truth is out there."47 From The X-Files.
Stolen Fate
"The future is not set. There is no fate, but what we make for ourselves."48 From Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Sky King's Tomb
"The dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness..."49 From The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.50
Season of Ghosts
"No matter how terrifying, I want the truth."51 From Noroi: The Curse.

Some hardcover Adventure Path compilations include their own separate quotes.

Kingmaker
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"52 From Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky".
Abomination Vaults
"It's dark as a dungeon, damp as the dew; the dangers are many, the pleasures are few."53 From Merle Travis's "Dark as a Dungeon".54

The Curse of the Crimson Throne hardcover edition's front matter contains a dedication to the late former Paizo editor Mike McArtor, who also wrote Guide to Korvosa.55

External links

References

  1. Aaron Shanks. (November 13, 2023). Pathfinder Adventure Path: Pactbreaker (Wardens of Wildwood 1 of 3), Product discussion.
  2. Greg A. Vaughan, et al. Spires of Xin-Shalast, 2. Paizo Inc., 2008
  3. Tito Leati, et al. Crown of Fangs, 2. Paizo Inc., 2008
  4. Brian Cortijo, et al. Descent into Midnight, 2. Paizo Inc., 2009
  5. Robert G. McCreary, et al. The Final Wish, 2. Paizo Inc., 2009
  6. Brian Cortijo, et al. The Twice-Damned Prince, 2. Paizo Inc., 2010
  7. The phrase's meaning has been variously translated and long debated; "We suffer each one our own retributions", "each of us undergoes his own purgatory", "Each man receives / His ghostly portion in the world of dark", "Each of us suffers / His own peculiar ghost". Popularly interpreted as "Each of us bears his own Hell".
  8. Richard Pett, et al. Sound of a Thousand Screams, 2. Paizo Inc., 2010
  9. Neil Spicer, et al. Sanctum of the Serpent God, 2. Paizo Inc., 2011
  10. Brandon Hodge, et al. Shadows of Gallowspire, 2. Paizo Inc., 2011
  11. The quote's attribution passes through several lenses. In Terence Kilmartin's translation of André Malraux's autobiographical work Antimémoirs, Malraux recalls the line from his novel Les Noyers de l'Altenburg (The Walnut Trees of Altenberg). Kilmartin's translation of this recollection provides the precise quote use in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. In the original French, the quote is:
    Pour l'essentiel, l'homme est ce qu'il cache : un misérable petit tas de secrets.
    In the novel's English edition translated by A. W. Fielding, this is interpreted as:
    Man is what he hides ... a wretched little pile of secrets.
    The line also appeared only in the North American and European localization of Castlevania, purportedly added to those versions by its translator Jeremy Blaustein; it does not appear in the game's original Japanese text.
  12. Neil Spicer, et al. The Empty Throne, 2. Paizo Inc., 2012
  13. Jason Nelson, et al. From Hell's Heart, 2. Paizo Inc., 2012
  14. Brandon Hodge, et al. The Dead Heart of Xin, 2. Paizo Inc., 2013
  15. Greg A. Vaughan, et al. The Witch Queen's Revenge, 2. Paizo Inc., 2013
  16. Richard Pett, et al. City of Locusts, 2. Paizo Inc., 2014
  17. Mike Shel, et al. Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh, 2. Paizo Inc., 2014
  18. Popularly attributed to an inscription on a temple dedicated to Amenhotep, this is most credibly attributed to one of the two Tombs of Meni. The curse's full text has been interpreted as:
    The crocodile is against him in the water and the snake is against him on land, he who will do something against this (tomb), as I have never done a thing against him. It is the god who judges him.
    See also Colledge, Sara Louise (2015). The Process of Cursing in Ancient Egypt. University of Liverpool, and Strudwick, Nigel (2005). Texts from the Pyramid Age. Society of Biblical Lit.
  19. Crystal Frasier, et al. The Divinity Drive, 2. Paizo Inc., 2015
  20. James Jacobs. (January 13, 2015). Credits page quotes from all final AP chapters, Paizo messageboards.
  21. Tito Leati, et al. Shadow of the Storm Tyrant, 2. Paizo Inc., 2015
  22. Amber E. Scott, et al. Breaking the Bones of Hell, 1. Paizo Inc., 2016
  23. Specifically the George Madison Priest translation of scene IV:
    Faust. Spying is your delight, is that not so?
    Mephistopheles. Omniscient am I not, yet many things I know.
    In the original German:
    Faust. Das Spioniren, scheint’s, ist deine Lust.
    Mephistopheles. Allwissend bin ich nicht; doch viel ist mir bewußt.
  24. Ron Lundeen, et al. Hell Comes to Westcrown, 1. Paizo Inc., 2016
  25. Specifically the opening lines of "A Memorable Fancy:"
    As I was walking among the fires of hell, delighted with the enjoyments of Genius; which to Angels look like torment and insanity.
  26. Jim Groves, et al. Black Stars Beckon, 1. Paizo Inc., 2017
  27. Crystal Frasier. “Foreword” in Vault of the Onyx Citadel, 2. Paizo Inc., 2017
  28. Thurston Hillman, et al. Beyond the Veiled Past, 1. Paizo Inc., 2018
  29. Amber E. Scott, et al. The Six-Legend Soul, 1. Paizo Inc., 2018
  30. Specifically the 2014 Diane J. Raynor translation as presented in Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works, University of Cambridge Press.
  31. Greg A. Vaughan, et al. Rise of New Thassilon, 1. Paizo Inc., 2019
  32. John Compton, et al. Midwives to Death, 1. Paizo Inc., 2019
  33. James Jacobs, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Broken Promises, 92. Paizo Inc., 2019
  34. Kevin Bryan, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in The Apocalypse Prophet, 92. Paizo Inc., 2020
  35. Swartzwelder, John; Silverman, David (1995-02-12). "Homie the Clown". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 15. Fox. 5:03.
  36. Benjamin U. Fields, et al. “NPCs” in Ruins of the Radiant Siege, 92. Paizo Inc., 2020
  37. Attributed to the Roman historian Tacitus, this popular quote is a corruption of multiple translations. Francis Bacon's Of Seditions and Troubles quoted the following in Latin from Tacitus' Historiarum Liber I (Annals Book I) 28:
    Atque is habitus animorum fuit, ut pessimum facinus auderent pauci, plures vellent, omnes paterentur
    Editor Mary Augusta Scott subsequently translated this as:
    And that was the state of their minds that a few dared the worst villainy, more willed it, all tolerated it.
    The popularized modern paraphrasing is derived from this, but no English translation of Tacitus provides this cited quote. The Latin that Bacon cites is also an excerpt taken out of the context of soldiers witnessing Otho's mobilization to claim the title of Roman emperor:
    Stationem in castris agebat Iulius Martialis tribunus. is magnitudine subiti sceleris, an corrupta latius castra et, si contra tenderet, exitium metuens, praebuit plerisque suspicionem conscientiae; anteposuere ceteri quoque tribuni centurionesque praesentia dubiis et honestis, isque habitus animorum fuit ut pessimum facinus auderent pauci, plures vellent, omnes paterentur.
    As translated by Alfred John Church:
    Julius Martialis was the tribune on guard in the camp. Appalled by the enormity and suddenness of the crime, or perhaps fearing that the troops were very extensively corrupted and that it would be destruction to oppose them, he made many suspect him of complicity. The rest of the tribunes and centurions preferred immediate safety to danger and duty. Such was the temper of men's minds, that, while there were few to venture on so atrocious a treason, many wished it done, and all were ready to acquiesce.
  38. Stephen Radney-MacFarland. “Adventure Toolbox” in Eyes of Empty Death, 92. Paizo Inc., 2021
  39. James Case, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in King of the Mountain, 92. Paizo Inc., 2021
  40. James Case, et al. “Glossary and Index” in Fists of the Ruby Phoenix (hardcover), 255. Paizo Inc., 2023
  41. Excerpted clip with context.
  42. Saif Ansari, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Shadows of the Ancients, 92. Paizo Inc., 2022
  43. Jason Tondro. “Adventure Toolbox” in Burning Tundra, 92. Paizo Inc., 2022
  44. Cole Kronewitter. “Adventure Toolbox” in The Smoking Gun, 92. Paizo Inc., 2022
  45. Excerpted clip with context.
  46. Jessica Catalan & Mike Kimmel. “Adventure Toolbox” in Ghost King's Rage, 92. Paizo Inc., 2022
  47. James Jacobs & Rodney Sloan. “Adventure Toolbox” in Dreamers of the Nameless Spires, 92. Paizo Inc., 2023
  48. James Jacobs, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Worst of All Possible Worlds, 92. Paizo Inc., 2023
  49. Jessica Catalan, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Heavy is the Crown, 92. Paizo Inc., 2023
  50. The precise quote of Saruman from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is:
    The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness...
    The quote appears only in the film (excerpted clip with context), not the book.
  51. Jeremy Blum, et al. Ren Mei Li” in To Bloom Below the Web, 92. Paizo Inc., 2024
  52. Steven Helt, et al. Kingmaker Adventure Path, back matter. Paizo Inc., 2022
  53. James Jacobs, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Abomination Vaults 254 Paizo Inc. , 2022
  54. Popularly credited to Johnny Cash, "Dark as a Dungeon" was a coal miner's lament written by Merle Travis and covered by many artists. The same quote also appears in the back matter of the Crown of the Kobold King hardcover edition.
  55. Nicolas Logue, et al. Curse of the Crimson Throne, 2. Paizo Inc., 2016