We’re just shy of 1 month from the release of Pathfinder 2! That means that a lot of companies are putting projects on hold and waiting to see which way the wind is blowing before releasing any new products. Some are waiting to see the reception of Pathfinder 2, some are adamant about staying with the original Pathfinder.

So what should you do?

Keep writing.

There’s plenty of material out there yet to write. Whatever Pathfinder 1st Edition projects or ideas you have, go for them! If you’re excited about Pathfinder 2nd Edition but don’t know how much you can write without a rule set, don’t worry. We’re only a handful of weeks away from release and then you’ll know how to adapt your awesome idea to the new rules.

Adventures are just stories; keep plotting out the adventure. Come up with narrative twists and schemes. Perhaps a custom magic item. Even if you don’t know what the exact mechanics are going to be yet, you can create a general concept and theme.

Don’t stop writing.

General Topics / System Agnostic

One way to go is to focus on ideas that transcend the idea of systems. Gazetteer type work is fantastic for these uncertain times. Work on your own custom setting for a home game, flesh out a corner of Golarion for a fan blog. Come up with some crazy list of short and fun ideas to keep your creativity flowing and your presence in the market high. What about the setting inspires you? What about a non-Golarion setting inspires you? Write about that! There’s plenty of other settings out there that could use a little exposure; now’s the time to champion your favorite! Release one new thing every day in the lead-up to Pathfinder 2nd Edition.

 

Here’s a list of some other ideas off the top of my head. Please steal them:

• 35 things to do in Katapesh
• A list of influential dwarven families, their holdings, and their histories
• Elven holidays that are not annual. As they’re so long lived, they likely have holidays that only happen once a decade or even every 20 or 30 years
• 17 things you might find for sale in Kaer Maga
• A codex of magical herbs and their effects on potion making
• Crystallized spells from the Plane of Earth
• 11 interesting things about were-rat culture
• Official rules for a fey game, but in-world and in real life
• Recipes that might be served in a restaurant in the Ivy District

Create for Pathfinder 1st Edition

The audience for Pathfinder isn’t going anywhere; it’s still a great game with a huge fan base. Several 3rd party publishers are still making great content for the original edition of Pathfinder. If you want your work to be published, contact them and see how you can get involved. This includes Lost Spheres Publishing, Legendary Games, Jon Brazer Enterprises, Rogue Genius Games, Everybody Games, and many more.

Some folks have argued that after 10 years of Pathfinder 1st Edition, what is there to write about? What new ground can one cover? First off, a shout out to Words of Power that never got a full shake-down; if you build a full system out of that, it will sell copies. But more than that, look at the Chronicle of Legends from Paizo. It was the last Player Companion and had some of the most wild and crazy design ideas yet. Most of those were just scratching the surface of the ideas. Go write more capstones, item sets, and magic trick feats. Go expand on what Paizo did in that book and keep fleshing out the already meaty Pathfinder 1st Edition game system.

Pathfinder 2nd Edition – Rough Drafts

There is a TON of information released about Pathfinder 2 already. If we start with the playtest as a backdrop and then look at the 100 spoilers released by Jason Bulman, plus all of the content released at PaizoCon (more coming soon), you’ll see that we actually know a good deal about it already. Certainly enough to make rough drafts between now and August 1st. Get designing and then adjust based on the final release. Come up with

• 101 ideas for Fighter Feats
• 5 new halfling deities
• 14 divination spells they’ll never see coming
• Bardic illusions they’ll have to interact with to believe
• 27 surprisingly effective gnomish weapons
• The fashionista archetype you never knew you wanted

Go! Start writing!