“For generations, the Stolen Lands have spanned the southern border of Brevoy. Many attempts have been made to settle them, but to date, none have succeeded, making these 35,000 square miles of wilderness the largest swath of unclaimed land in the entire River Kingdoms.”¹

Are you playing Kingmaker? Are you thinking about it? I think you should, at least, think about it. Our game is proving incredibly fun as I feel this path is truly a memory maker for you and your friends. Granted, it’s epic in scope so I’ve done a couple other Kingmaker articles here for planning and here for kineticists to help support those running it. However, I wanted to highlight some other news and additions that have come out!

The most recent news is that Alchemy RPG is creating a Virtual Tabletop (VTT), character hoster, immersive digital experience for Kingmaker. You can actually sign up for their pending kickstarter here. The screenshots and mocks look great as seen in the tweet below. What’s more, however, is you can sign up and begin some playtesting with their early access app. You can tell that there’s a dedicated team of product and project managers, web developers, and experience design (designers, strategists, usability) at work here. I’m excited to see what their kickstarter offers and what their timeline is. Considering the early access app is available with some sample games both from player and GM perspective, I’m hoping not too long and they’ve already gotten the partner announcement from Paizo.

Earlier today we announced the incredibly exciting upcoming release of Pathfinder on Alchemy from @Paizo which will be available in 1 week with our Kickstarter!

Here are a few screenshots of Pathfinder in action for you and we cannot wait for our Alchemy users to try it out too! pic.twitter.com/hUbMApZH5h

— Alchemy RPG (@AlchemyRpg) April 11, 2023

Maybe you’re eager to get out exploring however. As your characters venture out of Restov and into the Stolen Lands there’s quite a bit of lore, hex encounters, monsters, and NPCs to meet as detailed in the path. But what if you want more? I did, and while I’ve made some I was curious to see what others have created. Cue the Gremlin Brothers (twitter) or on patreon! You can find quite a few pieces from them on Pathfinder Infinite including expansions for Kingmaker! I had already bought the Rostov and Greenbelt package, which includes expanded maps, new digital renders, encounter sites, and NPCs. However, they’ve since come out with the Kamelands and the Tuskwater offerings as well. I haven’t yet but I’m considering building an updated map for where I plug in additional details from these or my own work. My favorite addition from the Rostov and Greenbelt release is the Druid’s Grove. The location is beautiful and the NPC is a wonderful woman that doesn’t come off as just some NPC addition. She has a more complex personality and background that truly helps an interaction feel real.

I also wanted a shadowy spirit to greet my players and be watching them in the southern part of the Greenbelt and into the Narlmarches. Thus, I created the following creature while also having it behave as a more curiously, alien-minded entity. I used the Shae as inspiration and made it largely unaware of typical mortal behaviors. It noted attacking some bandits from a nearby camp, but it wasn’t quite sure which people were good and bad. Thankfully the heroes gave a little clarity to that!

Shadow Spirit
Creature 8
N Medium Fey Shadow
Perception +16; darkvision
Languages Sylvan, Shadowtongue
Skills Acrobatics +21, Deception +20, Stealth +22
Str +1 Dex +6 Con +2 Int +3 Wis +4 Cha +5
AC 28; Fort +16, Ref +21, Will +19
HP 115; Immunities precision, unconscious; Weaknesses cold iron 5, light vulnerability
Light Vulnerability An object shedding magical light (such as from the light spell) is treated as magical when used to attack the shadow spirit.
Speed 40 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee shadowy touch +19 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 3d6+8 negative plus 1d6 persistent negative
Ranged shadowy bolt +20 (magical), Damage 4d6 negative
Occult Innate Spells (DC 26) 6th dimension door (at will), 4th darkness (at will), 3rd illusory creature (×3)
Shapechange [single-action] (concentrate, transmutation) The shadow spirit can shift between a humanoid form and a shadowy form as a single action. While in humanoid form, the shadow spirit gains resistance 5 to all damage. While in shadowy form, the shadow spirit gains resistance 15 to all damage and can move through solid objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Shadow Form The shadow spirit is immune to precision damage, unconsciousness, and any effects that rely on a corporeal form (such as grabbing or tripping). The shadow spirit is not invisible, but its shadowy form makes it difficult to pinpoint. Any creature attempting to target the shadow spirit with an attack or spell must make a DC 10 flat check or the attack misses.
Shadowy Escape [single-action] The shadow spirit can Disappear into shadows or dim light within 60 feet as a single action, becoming hidden.

Hopefully my fey spirit can be of use to you whether a curious creature watching the adventurers as they travel into the forest, or perhaps confrontationally if the heroes are quick to attack rather than parley. I know I said low level additions and this is Creature 8, but you can have it run or monitoring the group for some time before truly creating an encounter. A dangerous entity talking to the heroes in the dead of night makes for a lovely bit of drama too.  Also, here’s an inspirational image below from an artist I found on Deviantart. The eerie yellow eyes and humanoid shape are sure to frighten would-be explorers. They should remember – and a GM should remind them – they’re new to this area and many things have lived here long before them…

I want to continue to bring additional Kingmaker aids I find and build to you, perhaps even some NPC statistics! Watch for more from the Gremlin Brothers, Alchemy RPG, and more as you invest in Kingmaker! If you’ve anything you’ve found, heard, or build make sure to share with me or find us over on discord! Next week we’ll check in with my friends over at Order of the Amber Die after their latest run into the Abomination Vaults!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Pathfinder Kingmaker altered, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo

1. Into the Stolen Lands excerpt, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo
2. The Swordlord’s Feast banner, Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, Paizo
3. Gremlin Brothers logo, Gremlin Brothers
4. Drakir Forest Smoke Spirit, Creative Commons Attribution, KD-LoseAider