Pathfinder Kingmaker Player's Guide.pdf

ADVENTURE PATH

P l a y e r ’ s G u i d e

Player's Guide

c r e d i t s

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Player's Guide

revoy is a proud land, known throughout Golarion

for producing able warriors, regal nobles, and clever

rogues. Yet Brevoy’s two regions, Issia and Rostland,

have long held one another in contempt and now stand

on the verge of civil war. Both Issia and Rostland were

independent nations until Choral the Conqueror’s barbarian

armies and red dragon servitors united the regions into

a single kingdom two centuries ago. Until recently, the

iron rule of House Rogarvia maintained a fragile peace

between the two regions. But a decade ago, House Rogarvia

mysteriously disappeared, and the conniving leaders of

Issia’s House Surtova supplanted them as Brevoy’s rulers.

Now a labyrinthine political landscape plagues the nation,

full of secret alliances, provincial loyalties, and nefarious

plots; civil war seems inevitable. In Rostland to the south,

the swordlords see in many of Issia’s recent political moves

the swit approach of such a war. They rightly fear such an

event, for Rostland is smaller than Issia, it has fewer armies,

and its rolling hills and grasslands ofer very little in the

way of natural defenses. Worse, unlike Issia, whose northern

border stretches along the Lake of Mists and Veils, which

ofers some defense, Rostland’s southern border lies along

a stretch of wilderness infested with bandits and monsters.

If Brevoy falls into civil war, it won’t be long at all before

the violent, opportunistic vultures to the south move to take

advantage of Rostland’s problems.

This southern region of wilderness is called the Stolen

Lands. While these lands are technically a part of the

River Kingdoms, several of which have advanced claims

in the past, Rostland has long viewed them as “stolen”

from it by bandits and monsters. Many attempts have

been made to settle the Stolen Lands, but to date, none

have succeeded, making these 33,000 square miles of

unclaimed wilderness the largest swath of unclaimed

land in the entire River Kingdoms. As tensions mount

in Brevoy, some of Rostland’s swordlords hope to change

that fact; they have issued charters to several groups of

adventurers, sending them south into the Stolen Lands.

These initial charters are simple enough: re-open the

old trade routes along the rivers and scatter or defeat the

bandits who have made them too dangerous to use. Beyond

that, it seems apparent that Rostland wants to encourage

new nations to grow in this region—and believes that by

supporting these nascent kingdoms as allies, it’ll gain

loyal support in any coming conlict with Issia. It’s a bold

and brilliant political move—for if Rostland turned its

own resources to the task, not only would such a move

weaken its defenses against the north, but the blatant

power grab would certainly force Issia’s hand. By sending

free agents south, the swordlords of Rostland hope to

create new allies without sacriicing their own position

of power in Brevoy.

Yet as with most complex and brilliant plans, there are

plenty of opportunities for disaster.

t h e K i n g m a K e r Pc s

Your group of characters begins the Kingmaker Adventure

Path as one of four groups sent south into the Stolen Lands

to defeat bandits and, hopefully, to establish one of four

new nations in the River Kingdoms. It certainly won’t be

an easy task. Before any such settlement can even begin,

the bandits and monsters must be dealt with—and once

that initial task is done, the danger will only increase. As

you struggle to foster a ledgling kingdom, build up its

cities, and expand its farmlands, your group is destined

to face rival warlords, ferocious beasts, strange cults,

invading barbarian hordes, and even the mysterious fey

denizens of the near-mythical First World. Can you tame

the Stolen Lands and forge a lasting settlement amid

such opposition? Who will survive to rule your kingdom?

Who among you possesses the makings of a king?

The Kingmaker Player’s Guide is intended to provide

context for creating characters from the nation of Brevoy or

surrounding regions who wish to play a role in the Stolen

Lands’ transformation. In this campaign, your characters

will explore vast wildernesses and settle them, build

cities and nations, and even ight wars against opposing

kingdoms. Many of these unusual campaign elements are

supported by additional rules that appear in other volumes

of the Kingmaker Adventure Path—your GM can provide

you with the information you need to explore, build,

conquer, and war as the need arises in each adventure. As

a special preview, some of these elements are presented at

the end of this guide so you have all of the blank forms

and hex paper you need to track your adventures and

achievements in the Stolen Lands.

The following pages outline qualities of typical

members of all seven core races and 11 core classes; they

should allow you to create any combination thereof

within the framework of the Kingmaker Adventure Path.

Characters of all alignments, religions, and nations of

origin have a place in Brevoy and the River Kingdoms, and

the following suggestions should serve to spark a concept

or background for your would-be nation builder. You’ll

also ind several new traits speciic to the Kingmaker

Adventure Path to better customize your character and

link her to the campaign’s setting and plot.

Stolen Land Explorers

Your group is but one of four groups chartered by the

swordlords to explore and settle the Stolen Land. Here’s

what you know about the four regions in the Stolen Lands

and who Brevoy sent to explore them. If you wish to learn

more, your characters will need to ask around once the

campaign begins.

The Greenbelt : Dominated by the woodland known as

the Narlmarches and the rolling hills of the Kamelands,

this region is the one your group has been chartered

to explore. Bandits are particularly rife in this area, and

the rumors that they’ve organized under the banner of

a bandit warlord who calls himself the Stag Lord are

particularly troubling. You are to explore as much of the

northern half of the Greenbelt as you can and, if possible,

to ind out more about this “Stag Lord” and remove the

bandit threat from the region. Other rumored problems

in the region include a tribe of mites, a tribe of kobolds,

mischievous fey, and numerous dangerous monsters

and wildlife.

Glenebon Uplands : The swordlords sent a relatively

experienced band of adventurers into the westernmost

reach of the Stolen Lands—an area that is supposedly

under the rule of the bandit kingdom of Pitax (although

that River Kingdom has done very little to prove its claims

over this area).

The Slough : The East Sellen River runs through the

swamps known as Hooktongue Slough. Rumor holds that

the swordlords sent actual Brevic government agents into

this swampy area.

Nomen Heights : The easternmost reaches of the Stolen

Lands contain a low mountain range and border the long-

ruined realm of Iobaria. The swordlords sent a band of

mercenaries into this region, rumors hold.

d w a r v e s

Though typically rare in northeastern Avistan, dwarves

exist in small numbers in almost every community

in Brevoy. Many serve as town blacksmiths, masons,

militia quartermasters, or pawnbrokers. The small

mining village of Brunderton in eastern Rostland has an

overwhelming dwarven citizenry—most dwarves in the

region can claim at least one relative or acquaintance that

calls the hamlet home—and gem and ore traders from

Brunderton travel throughout the area peddling their

wares. Rumors of untapped or unclaimed mines hidden

throughout the Stolen Lands are enough to get most

dwarves interested in exploring the wilderness.

e l v e s

Full-blooded elves are rare in Brevoy, generally

preferring to live in Kyonin further to the south. A fair

number of rebellious elves, however, emigrate from

their homeland up the Sellen River to Brevoy. Oten,

Forlorn elves pass through Brevoy on their way south

to Kyonin to live among their people, and some ind

the region so amenable that they never complete their

journey—although lately, others have chosen to stay

ater the direct route down the river through the Stolen

Lands was closed because of hostility from bandits and

indigenous tribes of boggards, lizardfolk, and even

trolls. The Brevic city of Restov boasts one of the largest

concentrations of elves in the region. Long ago, the

elves maintained a stronger presence in this region, and

rumors of surviving elven ruins scattered throughout

the most remote reaches of the Stolen Lands have long

intrigued elven scholars and historians.

g n o m e s

The boundaries between Golarion and the First World

are not constant; in some places, like in the Sellen River

basin, these barriers are unusually thin. The barriers

thin yet further, rumors hold, in the Stolen Lands—and

certainly fey are a powerful force in the region. Many

believe that the inluence of the First World over the

Stolen Lands is the primary reason none have managed

to tame the wilderness. Regions like these have long

drawn gnomes to their proximity, and tales of gnome

expeditions to explore the Stolen Lands are quite

common—as are tales of expeditions that become lost

and are never heard from again. Optimistic gnomes

cling to these vanishings as proof that the Stolen Lands

hide pathways into the First World. Gnomes have a strong

presence in the River Kingdoms and have established

communities there, such as Thom and Artume. Enclaves

of less civilized gnomes exist in Echo Wood near the

Numerian border, Embeth Forest, and Brevoy’s Gronzi

Forest, though these shamanistic sects tend to keep

r a c e s

Amid the constant threat of civil war, the inhabitants of

Brevoy have more pressing concerns than their neighbors’

race, and few judge a person by race alone. Brevans value

custom and loyalty regardless of race; thus, anyone

who adheres to local traditions enjoys a high degree of

tolerance and acceptance. As such, the region boasts a

diverse population comprised of nearly every race and

ethnicity on Golarion.

Note that you don’t have to be from Brevoy to play in

the Kingmaker Adventure Path, but since the campaign

begins with your characters chartered by the swordlords

of Restov and your initial approach into the Stolen

Lands is from Brevoy, you should still take into account

how members of your race and class function in this

northern kingdom.

Player's Guide

mostly to themselves. Full of interesting sights and new

experiences, the region presents a perfect spectacle for

gnomes who enjoy the variety of people and places that

can be found there.

across Avistan oten congregate in the northern River

Kingdoms and southern Brevoy, consolidating their

power and plotting emancipation raids throughout

the Inner Sea. Non-crusading hallings oten work as

street performers, pickpockets, or legitimate shop or

tavern owners; their natural penchant for stealth and

showmanship makes them valuable assets to both the

ruling elite and underground criminal organizations.

The opportunity to help shape a kingdom from the

ground up, to build a civilization where hallings can be

a signiicant part of the leadership, could well be a draw

to any ambitious halling.

h a l f -e l v e s

Oten the victims of unfounded stigmatization in

communities of primarily human or elven populations,

half-elves typically ind Brevoy a welcoming land. The

Chelish and Taldan upper classes have long exiled

their embarrassing—if common—illegitimate half-elf

progeny to the unruly River Kingdoms, and as a result,

many of the region’s half-elves claim some noble heritage

(even if such claims aren’t formally recognized). Other

half-elven settlers in the region are the result of trysts

between locals and elves from nearby Kyonin. Regardless

of their origins, half-elves ind their adaptable nature

well suited to Brevic life, especially those settlements

in which adherence to local custom is of paramount

concern. Many half-elves rise to positions of power

thanks to their ability to roll with political changes and

bypass unexpected social impediments.

h u m a n s

Humans constitute the most populous race in and

around Brevoy, as they do throughout Golarion. Ethnic

Taldans make up well over half the region’s human

population; many trace their lineage back to the explorers

and soldiers who irst tamed the wild countryside

ages ago. Descendants of Choral’s conquering army

possess strong Kellid bloodlines, as do the barbaric

hordes of nearby Numeria. Spring and autumn bring

leets of Varisian latboats to the Sellen’s waterways

as the nomadic people make their seasonal migration

between the banks of Lake Encarthan and the Lake of

Mists and Veils. Because of the region’s penchant for

attracting outsiders from around the world, Chelish,

Keleshite, Tian, and Ulfen visitors commonly pass

through or make new homes in the River Kingdoms’

many outcast sanctuaries.

h a l f -o r c s

Throughout the civilized world, half-orcs sufer

ostracism and prejudice, yet many ind Brevoy not merely

tolerant of their kind, but in fact refreshingly accepting.

Brevans don’t view half-orcs with the same disdain that

the half-breeds receive in other parts of the world, and

any half-orc who adheres to the strict, provincial customs

of the land achieves the same level of acceptance that a

similarly compliant full-blooded human would. Half-orcs

blessed with less overtly bestial features might attempt to

pass for human, keeping the unseemly conditions of their

birth a closely guarded the secret and leaving their past

behind as they start again with a clean slate in Brevoy or

the wild River Kingdoms. Some embrace their heritage,

however, and are rewarded; warlords among feuding city-

states oten recruit half-orcs to serve as elite soldiers,

oicers, and law enforcement, valuing their blend of

strength and cunning.

c l a s s e s

People from all walks of life call Brevoy home, and the

region’s population consists of members of every class.

While some classes are more prevalent than others,

characters of all sorts can ind a niche within the

eclectic society. As the expedition to reclaim the Stolen

Lands prepares to embark, PCs with any set of skills and

abilities have the potential to play an important role in

the region.

h a l f l i n g s

Brevan hallings tend toward transient lifestyles that

shule them through Brevoy and the neighboring River

Kingdoms every few years. The Fith River Freedom

denounces slavery as an abomination, and inhabitants

uphold this tenet of the land as earnestly as they do any

other. As a result, the River Kingdoms have become a

haven for escaped or freed slaves—especially Chelish

hallings—attempting to start a new life without the

fear of bondage. A strong halling liberation movement

has taken root in the region, and freedom ighters from

B a r B a r i a n s

Most of Brevoy’s barbarians hail from the nearby nation

of Numeria, where primitive Kellid tribes bow to the will

and power of the mysterious Technic League. Numerians

oten hold strong superstitions about both magic and

technology, and many barbarians in the region share

this wariness, even those from the wild lands of Iobaria

to the east. Many Brevic communities adhere to strict

customs and cultural mores and don’t permit variation

from these traditions. As such, barbarians are rarely

fully accepted in more parochial settlements. They

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