The event’s key revelation was the introduction of Starfinder Second Edition, initially announced at Gen Con 2023. This update aims to align Starfinder more closely with the mechanics of Pathfinder Second Edition. The launch of the Starfinder Playtest Rulebook, expected at Gen Con 2024, will start a comprehensive playtest phase, including content for six classes, ten ancestries, and a variety of new technological and magical options.

On the Pathfinder front, the convention showcased the forthcoming Pathfinder Player Core 2, the final installment in the Core Rulebook series, which integrates extensive player feedback and updates. The Pathfinder War of Immortals rulebook was also announced, setting the stage for a new meta event in the Golarion universe following the death of the god Gorum, which disperses mythic powers across the world.

Additional updates included the Pathfinder Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, which will explore changes in the divine landscape after the War of Immortals event, and the announcement of Godsrain: A Pathfinder Novel, which follows Pathfinder’s heroes as they face new mythic challenges.

Paizo also revealed Pathfinder Quest, a new cooperative board game set to launch on BackerKit this fall. This dungeon crawler is designed for quick, campaign-style play and is aimed at both new and veteran players.

The convention additionally featured the premiere of the trailer for The Gamers: Dorkness Falls, the concluding installment of The Gamers film series, which follows the protagonists as they navigate their most perilous adventure to date.

The event will kick off on Friday, May 24th, with the PaizoCon 2024 Keynote on Twitch, presented by Erik Mona. The keynote is set to provide attendees with the latest news and previews of upcoming products. The day will also see the introduction of Paizo’s first board game, Elemental Stones, alongside sessions that explore updates and developments in the Starfinder Second Edition, and various gaming activities and discussions.

Throughout the weekend, participants can engage in organized play game blocks, live play sessions, including an alpha playtest campaign for Starfinder Second Edition, and panel discussions covering topics such as the integration of journalism within TTRPGs and advancements in digital and physical gameplay.

Special sessions like “The Lightless Beacon: Call of Cthulhu 7E” and “Chickens in the Mist,” a Savage Worlds adventure, are also part of the agenda. These events offer immersive gaming experiences set in unique settings.

The convention will continue to offer a range of programming into the weekend, including workshops on mapmaking, panels on the therapeutic use of TTRPGs, and discussions about the Pathfinder Project Remaster. The final day, Monday, May 27th, concludes with the last series of organized play game blocks and a repeat session of “Chickens in the Mist.”

Paizo has also noted that individuals who have purchased tickets will receive early sign-up opportunities for art and writing portfolio reviews. Game signups will open to ticket holders on April 17th, with GM early sign-ups beginning on April 10th.

Pathfinder Remaster Project

Lead Designer Logan Bonner revealed the painted covers for the Player Core and GM Core books, done by acclaimed artist Wayne Reynolds. These full-color covers, which will be available online and at retailers, feature Pathfinder iconic heroes battling new diabolic and mirage dragons, slated to debut in Monster Core.

New Rulebooks for Pathfinder

James Case, Senior Designer on Pathfinder, showcased some of the upcoming content for the franchise. “Rage of Elements,” Pathfinder’s latest rulebook, set to be released in early August, introduces a new class: the kineticist, an elemental adept martial class. This book will be the first Remaster compatible rulebook, offering a glimpse of upcoming rule changes.

Looking ahead to 2024, the recently announced “Howl of the Wild” will feature new wild-side ancestries, new creatures, regional variants of existing creatures, spells, archetypes, and more.

Creative Director of Pathfinder, Luis Loza, gave fans a sneak peek of the upcoming Lost Omens Highhelm, an exploration of dwarven culture set to release in June.

Pathfinder Adventures

Pathfinder’s next Adventure Path, “Sky King’s Tomb,” syncs with the release of Lost Omens Highhelm and offers players an exciting quest for a major piece of dwarven history. This adventure path starts in August, and the three volumes will take players from levels 1–10.

Following “Sky King’s Tomb,” the adventure paths lead to Tian Xia for “Season of Ghosts.” This four-part Adventure Path for levels 1–12 spans a full calendar year in a cursed town in haunted Shenmen.

Standalone adventures return with Pathfinder Adventure: “Rusthenge,” a hardcover book that brings the western reaches to your table, to be released later this year.

Paizo’s Partner Projects

Paizo also highlighted its licensed partners’ ongoing projects, such as the Dynamite Comics Kickstarter, BKOM Studios Abomination Vaults ARPG Kickstarter, Demiplane’s Pathfinder NEXUS, and more. Steve Jackson Games announced that Pathfinder: Revolution, the Pathfinder expansion for hit board game Revolution, will release later this year.

Starfinder Enhancements

On the Starfinder front, Starfinder Enhanced, a book full of player options, items, spells, and rules for scaling up equipment is in the works. Additionally, mech fans can look forward to Mechageddon!, a high-level hardcover Adventure Path set to release in 2024.

Organized Play

Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society have prepared exciting plans for this summer’s convention season. Players will see the release of new scenarios, including the chance to participate in the election of the next First Seeker in Starfinder Society.

Pathfinder Adventure Path #200

Lastly, marking a milestone, Pathfinder Adventure Path #200, “Seven Dooms for Sandpoint,” a double-sized standalone adventure is set for release next year. This level 4–12 adventure, by author James Jacobs, adapts Pathfinder’s designer playtest campaign for the first time.

For those interested in experiencing all the teasers, updates, and panels, the entire PaizoCon Online 2023 is available for viewing on YouTube.

Stay tuned for more updates on the development and release of these exciting new additions to the world of Pathfinder and Starfinder.

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Paizo’s Portfolio Reviews is scheduled for Friday, May 26th, from 10 am to 3 pm. Participants will have a 10-minute window where their work will be constructively critiqued by Paizo’s team. Pre-registration is currently open for ticket holders, and will later be extended to all interested individuals.

To sign up for this invaluable opportunity, participants need to select one of the links correlating to a Paizo Art Director. Next, select the highlighted date on the Calendar and pick one of the available times. The final steps involve filling in personal details and providing a link to the portfolio.

The guidelines for the Portfolio Reviews stipulate that the process will be conducted over Discord, hence participants are encouraged to remember their designated time slots to avoid overlapping with others’ reviews. Each participant is limited to one art director, to ensure as many individuals as possible can benefit from this opportunity. All participants should also provide a link to their portfolio, allowing the Paizo team to review their work in advance. The company has specifically requested no AI-generated artwork for this review.

Paizo is excited to see the unique vision of each illustrator and is committed to helping artists evolve their talents. This Portfolio Review event is indeed a great chance for artists to learn from the industry’s experts and receive personalized feedback to hone their skills further. Don’t miss this chance to put your work in front of the art directors at Paizo.

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Among the digital guests is AbyssalBrews, a two-person team passionate about creating magic items, creatures, systems, and player options. They have recently ventured into the world of Pathfinder 2E and are excited to share their work with a new audience. They are scheduled to host two events over the weekend, “Making Magic with AbyssalBrews” and “Rising from the Depths,” where they will discuss their creative process and journey in the TTRPG space.

Alchemy RPG, a unique virtual tabletop platform, will also be in attendance. Their platform aims to provide an immersive, cinematic experience in all aspects of roleplaying games, including gameplay, worldbuilding, content discovery, and live game streaming. Their Marketplace provides content publishers and creators with a modern digital game store, and their streamer mode brings new levels of interactivity to online gaming.

In addition, BKOM Studios, an award-winning game developer, will be showcasing their work, as will the Archives of Nethys, the official SRD representing Paizo’s RPGs. DriveThruRPG will be hosting a panel on the Pathfinder Infinite and Starfinder Infinite Program.

Newcomers to the event include Hephaistos, a digital toolset for Starfinder RPG, and PF2Easy.com, a collection of webtools for both masters and players. Pf2eTools, an ad-free website dedicated to Pathfinder 2E content, and Roll20, a premiere online marketplace for roleplaying games, will also be joining the roster.

Several other incredible teams, including Demiplane (PF Nexus), dScryb, Foundry VTT, Lone Wolf (Hero Lab), SmiteWorks (Fantasy Grounds), and WizKids, will be participating in PaizoCon Online 2023.

Fans interested in attending should purchase a ticket and sign up on Warhorn for access to Organized Play games and non–Organized Play activities. The Paizo team eagerly awaits the arrival of the event and looks forward to connecting with everyone at PaizoCon Online 2023.

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For those seeking valuable feedback and assistance in refining their monster designs before submission, the Roll For Combat Discord community is available to lend a helping hand. Join the Discord server at http://discord.rollforcombat.com/ to connect with like-minded individuals who can offer advice and constructive criticism. This collaborative platform can enhance your chances of success in the contest.

This year’s RPG Superstar contest, titled “Elemental Storm,” presented by Roll For Combat, encourages participants to connect their monsters to twenty different “elements.” These elements range from traditional themes to more unconventional ones like music and space. It’s an opportunity to infuse your creations with unique ideas and explore diverse thematic connections.

Once the submission period concludes, the voting and judging phases will commence, adding an element of excitement to the contest. The evaluation process consists of two rounds. In the first round, the community at large has the opportunity to judge each monster based on various categories, narrowing down the selection to the top contenders. The public voting phase will last approximately six weeks, during which anyone can cast their votes for their favorite submissions. Public campaigning is also allowed, enabling participants to promote their creations and gather support.

Following the public voting phase, a panel of experienced industry professionals will engage in private judging. This group of seasoned judges, equipped with diverse skills and expertise, will thoroughly evaluate the top entries, considering factors such as quality, creativity, and alignment with the contest’s theme. The winners will be announced, prizes will be awarded, and the winning monsters will be published in the highly anticipated upcoming edition of Battlezoo Bestiary.

Speaking of Battlezoo Bestiary, Pathfinder enthusiasts can now delve into a world of strange and unusual creatures with the release of Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual. This recent publication, authored by Stephen Glicker, Mark Seifter, and the winners of the previous RPG Superstar contest, features over 150 captivating monsters from the previous edition of the competition. Additionally, the Battlezoo Bestiary expands the Pathfinder game with various new elements, including:

• Over 150 RPG Superstar monsters categorized by their achievements, ranging from copper to platinum, and grand prize winners.
• The Aberrant Soul archetype/subclass, offering players the opportunity to experience a gradual transformation into aberrations.
• Additional options for the Monster Parts crafting system.
• New rules for refining monster parts and creating custom weapons, armor, shields, skill items, magic items, and more.
• Expanded imbuing categories, encompassing eldamon elements such as air, earth, water, as well as other stretch goal elements. Unconventional properties like the tentacular “extension” imbued property are also included.
• Fresh character backgrounds to enhance roleplaying possibilities.
• Over 150 vivid illustrations that bring these incredible creatures to life.

For those seeking inspiration or an insight into the creativity of previous contest winners, the Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual is an invaluable addition to any Pathfinder collection.

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Starting on Friday, May 26th, attendees will be able to tune in to a packed schedule of programming, beginning with the PaizoCon 2023 Keynote. Hosted by Erik Mona, the keynote will offer a sneak peek at upcoming products, new releases, and exciting announcements from the Paizo team.

Other Friday highlights include a discussion of Pathfinder Remastered, featuring the designers talking about the upcoming updates and improvements, and a deep dive into the world of Starfinder, with developers discussing new projects, adventures, and the future of the setting.

Saturday’s programming offers even more opportunities for fans to connect with Paizo and its community. Among the many panels scheduled for the day are previews of upcoming adventures, an in-depth discussion of the writing process for Pathfinder Infinite, and a conversation with the developers of the upcoming BKOM Studios Pathfinder video game.

Sunday promises even more exciting programming, including a workshop on building one-session adventures, a discussion of mysteries in RPGs, and another “Ask the Paizo GMs” panel, where fans can get their burning questions answered by the creators themselves.

While the Twitch stream schedule offers a packed lineup, fans will also have the opportunity to connect with their favorite creators in the PaizoCon Discord, where digital content guests will be hanging out in their own channels to answer questions and showcase their own products and panels.

PaizoCon Online 2023 promises to be an exciting and engaging event for fans of Pathfinder and Starfinder, with plenty of opportunities to connect with the creators, preview upcoming products, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of tabletop RPGs.

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