“War has always had a place in Golarion, but since the Godsrain, it has been bubbling up with distressingly greater frequency. What follows is a quick survey of current and likely future conflicts of Golarion.”¹

Ominous. Battlecry! Did not come to fool around. This is war, after all. This quote is how the War Gazetteer section of Chapter 4 begins. A warning! All across Golarion things are shifting, conflicts are brewing, and tensions are rising.. We all know I love a good lore sidebar or dedicated section to a Lost Omens book. Well Battlecry! is chock full of it. The Godsrain took Gorum from Golarion and has seemingly brought increasing amounts of hostility across the world, possibly beyond. And you might be like “wow Rob, spoilers then?” but…

Battle Magic

Before I get into anything spoilery I did want to dig into the Battle Magic presented in Battlecry! The article was getting long and since I knew I’d do a lore article, giving space for magic and ritual seemed wise. In Chapter 2: Banded Together you’ll find this Battle Magic section as well as the Siege Rituals. The simple, 1st rank Forced Mercy (2-actions) caught my attention as you can temporarily cause a target to do nonlethal for a few rounds, a minute if they crit fail. I like it also reduces any bleed damage they’re causing to 0 for that time. Useful too as a willing target can choose to critically fail. The 4th rank version has a 100’ range and can affect 8 targets. This is a useful spell for those combat training or sparring encounters that might get woven into a game as well. Also 1st rank is the Curse of Recoil (reaction) to use on an enemy within 120’ to hopefully cause some recoil (or snapback for a bow I guess) to throw them off-guard. The very next spell is Dancing Shield (2-actions) at rank 2. This is the kind of spell I’d expect to see for a War Mage, and since we got that archetype, glad to see it. You cause a shield to orbit you and can sustain to raise it. The heightened 4th rank lets you use Shield Block. What’s great is you can cast it on another too.

Filter Air (reaction) is 4th rank and I love it’s a spell to grant you benefit to what you’re reacting to. In this case, something with the inhaled trait either that’s a poison or disease. You get to filter out the bad stuff for 1 duration, though it doesn’t make you immune. It just makes the saving throws you roll act as one degree of success higher. At 6th rank Boots on the Ground (3-actions) is another spell I’d expect to see and of course, the Battle Magic delivers! This illusion spell allows you to make your army, your amassed forces seem larger. You create up to 3 gargantuan duplicates of your troops. Great way to encourage parley of a not-so-bad, perhaps misled group. Instant Minefield (3-actions) is 5th rank and it’s a real threat. You place 6 hidden mines within 100’ that only you and your allies can see. It’s invisible so I suppose See the Unseen would reveal it. If you stop on its square, the mine explodes for 3d6 fire and 3d6 piercing. I’ve known some people in bomb disposal for the military and the mines can be truly gruesome. So maybe check with your team on this one, especially if some of war’s horrors aren’t for your table.

A duality exists between these two 8th rank spells: Holy Host (image above) and Unholy Army (3-actions). These are incarnate spells, the ones that summon something with an Arrive ability and then Depart at the end of your next turn with a different ability. One is Holy and the other is Unholy; I’ll let you guess which is which. These are quite cinematic and I love the imagery of your enemies summoning some dark cadre of creatures, or holy champion (probably a cleric but they’re on the occult list too) rallying with aid from the beyond. You even get to choose what you’re summoning in from Agathions to Angels to Archons to Azatas and finally Garudas. The Unholy summon Asuras, Daemons, Demons, Devils, Divs, Qlippoths, or Velstracs. Yes, you’re counting that right. The Unholy have more options. Well folks it’s easier to be bad than it is to be good. Just wait til someone summons from both. And a 10th rank spell I wanted to call out was Conquering Soldiers (3-actions) that is also an incarnate spell with a range of 500’. Rather than creatures from beyond, this spell summons the spectral, glowing echoes of a prouc army from long ago. At gargantuan size, it’s quite the echo. The Arrive ability target all enemies in 80’ for a will save, frightening 2 at a success. Failure is frightened 3 and mental damage. Crit Fail and it’s even more damage, frightened 4, and fleeing. Oh but there’s still the Trumps of War as they Depart. This effect heals you and all allies within 100’ while reducing a number of conditions by 2 (including drained which is amazing) and granting a +2 status bonus to attacks, saving throws, skill checks, and DCs for 3 rounds. I guarantee to you one of my Clerics will cast this. Last but not least is the Siege Weapon’s Blessing (3-actions, seen below) at level 6. For one minute, the glowing rune you’ve placed on a siege weapon allows you to roll twice to Load it. And those caught in its strike/blast must roll twice and take the worst result. Cast it at 9th rank and it last for 8 hours!

Siege Rituals

There’s more spells but let’s turn instead to the Siege Rituals. There’s one for every rank except 1st, and two for 2nd so let’s not complain: Army of Shadows and Oil-slicked Walls. I most definitely would love to summon a squadron of shadows to attack. Really they’re not the undead Shadows but living darkness to snuff out the light. Villain ritual? Maybe. Antimagic Artifice is rank 9 and allows you to imbue an item with power to “disrupt magic.” What does that mean? Well for one week it has the ability to be activated. They note possibly using a seemingly harmless item with the power to hide it by the way.. After you activate it, magic gets suppressed within a certain area around it, depending on how well the ritual was cast either 50 or 100’. That Crit Success also makes it so the ritual casters aren’t affected! This is incredible. Spells can’t get into/penetrate the area and magic items cease to function. So get that Crit Success so your enemies are in trouble but you’re all good. The 4th rank Reinforced Rations is for feeding that army, protecting the food supplies from spoilage and either making one meal enough to sustain someone for 1 day or enough for 3 days. It does reference a human’s needs for one day, which I suppose is so you aren’t trying to get away with enough to feed a dragon with one protein bar.

Alright, we’re ready.

SPOILERS AHEAD

War Gazetteer

Clearly, here comes some SPOILERS of lore that a GM might want to save for their campaign! You’ve been warned!. Don’t read any further if you don’t want to be spoiled about recent events or maybe ask your GM if they plan to leverage any detail from Battlecry! I’ll mostly call out the things you might hear from news spreading, gossip, or are just too juicy interesting to avoid. Again, you’ve been warned.

War is coming for Andor and Cheliax as escalations rise. Indeed, I’m going to specifically hold off here as an adventure path is coming for this called Hellbreakers and a novel as well this October. I’ll note it calls out the vassal state of Isger, which Cheliax has controlled for some time. I haven’t played Hell’s Rebels, but I’ve read it all. Since then I’ve been waiting for us to see more groups/countries rising up against Chelish rule and thus another Chelish-conflict path seems in order, especially after Gorum’s fall and rising tensions.

Meanwhile, we can’t forget that an ancient Lich and general evil is out and doing well in the Gravelands. Tar-Baphon’s forces are constantly growing and in the context of Battlecry! that’s a very dangerous army that doesn’t need to sleep or eat, unless you count brains or blood. Herein it’s called out how Tar-Barphon was never much of a general, only a grand wizard. And his Whispering Tyrant forces were spies and necromancers, not sergeants. However, the Knights of Lastwall that fell and have no risen as the Lost Knights are indeed generals and sergeants, giving due direction to the forces that need extra guidance: their fellow undead. A few NPCs like Sir Desrai and the Lady in Slate are called out as prominent leaders for you GMs, but also an idea… Not all undead want to follow Tar-Baphon and now Arazni has positioned herself as a primary goddess of the pantheon. Perhaps it’s time for intelligent undead to find some independence and hope for their existence. Pharasma, your thoughts please? We won’t be getting them in this article but we do know Tar-Baphon is sure to make use of Gorum’s fallen armor pieces and any divine help he can get. Thankfully the orcs of Belkzen have risen to the occasion and are still vigilant in the fight. Champions are coming and if you want to make a campaign of clear good versus evil, what better way than by taking out Tar-Baphon’s undead horde?

At Absalom, or more appropriately the Isle of Kortos, there’s a few issues going on. I’d already heard about the so-called reincarnated general Voradni Voon who threatened the city thousands of years before and now has returned. This minotaur has been rallying numerous groups to his name. Many minotaurs and now centaurs and harpies too. The centaur leaders are vampires who worship old Azlanti demon queen Zura and can bring demonic allies to the battle. And the harpy leader is 87th Yellow-Eyed King who has powerful witchcraft. That’s quite the name I must say. A King of harpies? A name given by parents? Or are they just giving themselves that title as they maraud. There are opposing clans but it’s an occult-casting alchemy-practicing lich named the Vitric Queen that’s called out as a wild card either side needs. She’d be terrifying on Voon’s side but helping allies, the tide would certainly turn. It’s noted she lost a lot in the fall of the Jistka Imperium and it depicts the Vitric Queen as a powerful construct creator. She’s looking for purpose and a home. Perhaps the PCs in such a conflict could convince her? Sounds like a perfect module 4 or 5 goal to me. In a 3 module path, certainly 2, but for your game it can go however you want! 

I’m quite excited by New Thassilon. I doubt that’s any surprise. I formed up a mythic Sorshen a bit ago for example. Wow, that was an April article? Which means I did it in like January. Time you move so fast, even maybe for Sorshen who watched the world go by and change, leading to her own reflective change. Belimarius on the other hand has not. Check out the banner above, like the top, pretty sure that’s her in the green and purple. Edasseril repeated the same week for thousands and years, and what did they learn? Nothing. Belimarius still wants control and power and aims to take over the area of New Thassilon while Sorshen moved into Xin-Shalast up in the mountains and is trying to bring some peace and place for those who need it, much in the way of Nocticula’s new teachings. There’s a reason I had Ateran (my witch for Three Ring Adventure for Roll for Combat) finding hope and power from Nocticula. Tensions have already built between the two former Runelords and Edasseril wants to retake all that was formerly Thassilon. Yes, that’s Magnimar and Korvosa and more. Belimarius has many supporters in her city while Sorshen’s allies are newer, younger, growing in their studies like at the new school. Sorshen could call on old allies – like the vampiric ones beneath parts of Varisia – but that’s not the person she is anymore. And it’s a bit hard to draw allies when your reputation is literally ancient and bad history. I’m interested to see how that plays out, especially as both seek out important tools in their fight especially from the warshards of Gorum that have fallen. The next adventure path line is Revenge of the Runelords so perhaps it’s time to see how this will go!

Vidrian is an area that was Sargava but no longer. In refreshing myself from the Mwangi Expanse lore, they’ve already freed themselves of Chelish influence and are their own independent city state. The problem is they’ve serious threats nearby in their southwestern portion of the Expanse. Remember Walkena? He’s the returned undead child near-god and wants to rebuild his nation. Mzali is just east of Vidrian and of course there’s all the pirates to the west in the Shackles. Well Mzali is growing as Walkena welcomes warrior who want to rampage and purge the Expanse, all to take it over really. “Faceless soldiers of sunfire” sure sound like extra dangers to worry about. Maybe that Army of Shadows rituals would be useful against this evil sun god-king? Mostly this seems to set up a campaign of primary concern around Mzali’s forces while the Shackles occasionally cause a problem. The Bright Lions are brought up as a positive force and revolutionary organization, hoping to overthrow Walkena. You could have PCs join or find aid with that group if you wish. I also love the idea of pirates joining in to stop the undead, nationalist horde. Where’s a Hallowed Necromancer when you need one? And truly, war threats and undead threats are growing prevalent.

Finally I was thrilled to see Arcadia spotlighted with Xopatl. It’s a place of great magic and wonder, powered by the ley lines that were the Veins of Creation. Another dead god broke that: Aroden. As an Azlanti man he came there to study, splintering his soul so a fraction could sit within the tree. Now I’ve read things that his might as a deity helped the tree survive longer than normal but as we’ve learned, splintering your soul is rarely what good people do. It was from Earthfall, the broken Aeon Star, that rained down on the Mildanesi Mountains but locals who felt the power of the Aeon Start became hero-gods, transformed the land, and brought prosperity to it. While Aroden’s reputation is now a foreigner who brought ruin. It’s where he met Arazni as well… Honestly, I have to wonder now could the Aeon Star also be part of a god, a larger divinity? The Starstone did fall from it and grant divinity and the part of it that hit the mountains did give the hero-gods their powers. This is my theory now! Anyway, Xoptal means land of promise but with the Veins of Creation gone, it’s been up to the arcane biologist, studying the ways of old, to make weaker but functioning ley lines through the forested land to help the people. I believe it can be again, and maybe the new leader Coatacha Maxoloc – a psychic – can help lead Xoptal there. I guess it’s up to the GM if his charismatic speeches and intentions are true or not, warning of the Fifth Army of Flame trying to attack them. A dubious orc woman and mason, head of the laborer’s guild, named Toliyotli Azcal questions Coatacha’s intentions. Seems some reporters of events have been mislead or manipulated. So again, the GM has to figure out is there a leader being undermined while an army and other dangers draws close for this nation who is trying to pick up the pieces of what they once had or is that leader power hungry and trying to manipulate a scared, stress nation?

What leader would do such a thing… Oh wait.

There’s more to read in the War Gazetteer and even more overall in Battlecry! so I encourage you to invest in it quick! I’m excited to see some Commanders, some War Mages, more lore as Gorum’s death reverberates all over the world. A great game can come from many inspirations, sometimes fun and silly, but sometimes therapeutic. It’s nice to feel empowered, protected, with the majority supporting you against an evil power or group. Remember to support one another then, eh? Much love to you and yours!

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 BATTLECRY! cover modified, Paizo

1. War Gazetteer excerpt, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo
2. Belimarius addresses Edasseril (Rob assumes), War Gazetteer page banner, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo
3. Holy Host, Battle Magic, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo
4. Siege Weapon’s Blessing, Battle Magic, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo
5. Kortos, War Gazetteer, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo
6. Encroaching Woods ritual, Siege Rituals, Pathfinder BATTLECRY!, Paizo