In many fantasy settings, books are considered something of a rarity. Even if the general populace is considered literate (which isn’t always a given), books tend to be thought of as a luxury good enjoyed only by nobles, scholars and the occasional wizard.
Golarion, however, has active printing presses all over the setting… as such, books are everywhere!
We’ve seen all kinds of examples of this across the setting, from the gothic romances of Ustalav-born author Ailson Kindler, to the regular publications put out by the Pathfinder Society. So, whether someone is on a long caravan drive, a journey by ship or just unwinding with a pipe down at the local pub, it’s entirely possible they’re doing so with the aid of a good book. However, if you’re looking to add some extra flavor to your game, consider sliding some of the following volumes into your next Pathfinder game.
As a final note, while many of these books are merely amusing set dressing, some of them might contain information relevant to your campaign’s plot, the area of the world your party is traveling through, and so on. However, because there are so many different games one might use this setting for (Pathfinder Classic, Pathfinder Second Edition, Savage Worlds, etc.), no official bonuses are listed for a given book. Instead, Game Masters are encouraged to use their discretion, and to provide a bonus they find appropriate for a given situation.
To use the list, either roll d100 for a random result or select appropriate ones manually.
Here are some sample results:
17. The Necessity of Evil: A treatise on diabolism written by the so-called hellfire philosopher Malakhat Graves, this book breaks down the esoteric structure of diabolism into a language that most readers can come to grips with. This book explains the structure of Hell, the purpose the realm serves in the greater cosmos, and then it goes on to explain that despite how much mortals revile Hell and all it contains, it serves a necessary function. Or, as the author puts it, prisons may be ugly and distasteful, but they are still a requirement if one wishes to live in an orderly world that can at least pretend to some notion of justice. And for a prison to properly serve its purpose, there must be a hierarchy to keep it all in order.
18. Lesser Spokes: Minor and Often Misunderstood Realms: The Osirioni scholar Hannumari Nashan is known for writing niche treatises on the finer points of magic, mysticism and the multiplanar realms. While many of his works are dry (and perhaps a little tedious), Lesser Spokes is one of his better-known works, as it discusses the more obscure realms that are often left out of academic discussions. While rarely read outside of arcane colleges, there are some who have sought copies of this work because of rumors that claim there are terrible secrets hidden in the text of the work that conjurers with a sharp eye could make use of. Most well-read wizards scoff at this idea, claiming the rumor was begun by Hannumari himself to boost sales of one of his flagging titles by suggesting it was more than it appeared to be.
19. Anders Horn, The Sword of Freedom: A series of stories filled with adventure and dangers, these books tell the tales of a young farm boy in the early days of Andoran’s independence. Throughout his travels Anders Horn often plays minor (though important) roles in many of the nation’s early struggles, ranging from offering strategic insight to commanders in Andoran’s early wars, to making bargains with the fey lost deep in the nation’s hardwood forests, to inadvertently leading a rebellion of conscripts that sowed chaos among the border in Cheliax. Portrayed as an everyman just trying to do the right thing, Anders is a character one just can’t help but sympathize with. Widely distributed, and widely read, many find these books a harmless way to pass the time. Others have pointed out that these books paint Andoran in an extremely flattering light, which just might sway the opinions of those outside the nation. Given the regularity of new installments to the series, and the fact that there seems to be a no single author of the stories, that observation that these stories could act as propaganda might have some merit to it.
Released: 8th April 2023 Pages: 23
PDF ($2.49): DriveThruRPG
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