Pathfinder Chronicles: City of Strangers (PFRPG)

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Pathfinder Chronicles: City of Strangers (PFRPG)
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In the outcast city of Kaer Maga, your business is your own, and no ware is too dangerous or taboo to find a buyer. Within the walls of the ancient, ruined fortress, refugees and criminals from every nation disappear into the swirling crowds of gangs and monsters. Here leech-covered bloatmages haggle with religious zealots who sew their own lips shut, while naga crime lords squeeze self-mutilating troll prophets for protection money. And these are just the city’s anarchic residents, not the fearsome beasts barely contained in the mysterious dungeons beneath the streets, held at bay by the elite rangers known as the Duskwardens. Welcome to the City of Strangers, a haven of freedom and independence—assuming you survive.

    Inside this book, you’ll find:
  • Detailed gazetteers for all 11 of the city’s districts, from the fabled Balconies of Bis to the necromantic paradise of Ankar-Te.
  • A history of the city and the bizarre, ruined monument that houses it.
  • Thorough briefings on the most important gangs and factions within the city, such as the golem-crafting Ardoc family and the abolitionist Freemen, as well as how they interact with each other.
  • The bloatmage prestige class, in which spellcasters use their own blood to empower their spells—but at a terrible price.
  • Statistics for the caulborn, a mysterious new race of telepathic, memory-eating monsters.
  • A layer-by-layer guide to the dungeons beneath the city, and the echoes of lost races and magic that still guard them.
  • New magic items, random encounter tables, and more.

City of Strangers is intended for use with the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, but can easily be used in any fantasy game system or setting.

by James L. Sutter

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-248-7

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscription.

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Simply the Best

5/5

Sometimes it's good to be direct: City of Strangers is the best book I've read so far in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line. Written by James L. Sutter, it's all about Kaer Maga, a city in Varisia inhabited by outcasts from a hundred lands somehow finding a way to live together in the crumbling remains of an ancient walled fortification. A city of outlaws and slavers with an "anything goes" mentality and no central government, there's also a strong current of individuality and freedom that makes the place far more interesting than a generic hive of cut-purses. Kaer Maga itself has a fascinating history and ethos, but what really sets this book apart is the writing: it's frankly fantastic. It's colourful, laugh-out-loud funny in some places, squirm-inducing in others. There are few RPG books that are "page-turners", but this is one of them. Indeed, the book, one of the earlier ones in the line, is almost 90% descriptive flavour with very little rules crunch, which is sometimes a turn-off for me: but here, I didn't miss it. I want a full adventure path centered around Kaer Maga just so I can use this book more.

Weighing in at 64 full-colour pages, the book has one of my favourite pieces of artwork to grace a Pathfinder book: the Iconic rogue Merisiel in battle against a Bloatmage. This art is reproduced as the inside-back cover, while the inside-front cover is a really good map of Kaer Maga that shows several notable locations while making the geography of the walled city quite clear. The interior of the book is divided into seven sections.

The first section (four pages) is the Introduction. It provides a brief history of the city, much of which will get expanded upon in later sections of the book, but the way the city is related to ancient Thassilon and the Runelords made it especially interesting for someone (like me) who is involved in the Rise of the Runelords adventure path. Next, the section has an overview of the various districts of the city. Unlike some Golarion cities, each of these districts has a very distinct "feel" and they don't seem repetitive. Last, there's the expanded settlement stat block for the city.

Section two, "The City", makes up the bulk of the first half of the book, weighing in at 24 pages. As you would expect, each district gets a more detailed write-up. There's Ankar-Te where undead servants openly walk the streets. The Bottoms is a district of craftsmen and day laborers firmly committed to democratic decision-making. Cavalcade is the industrial heart of the city, but one of its notable features is the Augur Temple: reclusive troll seers! The city's wealthiest residents live in Highside Stacks, and this district contains one of the most important libraries in Varisia: the Therassic Spire. Hospice is a district catering to visitors, and is full of inns, brothels, theatres, and taverns. There's a brewing antagonism between brothel owners in the district that could have surprisingly large repercussions! Oriat is something of a war-zone between clashing sects of a monastic order, but it also contains the Lyceum, a bardic college. Tarheel Promenade is the district where both divine and arcane spellcasters are likely to want to visit, as it's filled with temples, magic shops, and the like. The description makes it clear that some sort of shrine to every deity, large or small, can be found somewhere in the city. The Warren is where the city's poorest live, while Widdershins is best thought of as a "gated community" bought-up by the upper middle-class. I haven't done justice to the flavour and detail that litter these descriptions of the districts, but it will have to suffice to say that there's a lot for a GM to work with and PCs will never leave thinking Kaer Maga was "just another city." I also appreciate the little sidebars in the section, such as "City Adventure Hooks" and "Seen on a Street Corner."

Section three, "The People", is 18 pages long. The first couple of pages explain how each of the core classes and races fit into Kaer Maga. Photocopying these pages for players in a Kaer Maga-focused campaign wouldn't be a bad idea. Kaer Maga really is a city of outcasts, and, unlike most "civilized" cities, no one's going to bat an eye if an orc, tiefling, or ogre enters the city. Several paragraphs each cover the city's government (accurately described as "anarcho-capitalist") and foreign relations. A section on religion provides a little info on how some of the core deities are perceived. Abadar and Asmodeus are the most prevalent faiths in Kaer Maga, but some others receive their due; on the other hand, the "crusading" faiths of Sarerae and Iomedae don't receive a warm reaction. Last, twelve different factions in the city receive several paragraphs each of description. The groups that really stood out to me were the Augurs (the troll prophets I spoke about above), the Bloatmages (more on them below), the Duskwardens (urban rangers that keep the city safe from the threats that lay below), and the Iridian Fold (a positive representation of same-sex male couples, which is much appreciated in RPGs!). These factions, and their tensions, offer plenty of opportunity for drama and adventure in Kaer Maga.

Section four, "Beneath Kaer Maga" (11 pages) dives into the variety of threats laying under the city, which, in class gaming fashion, get more and more dangerous and mysterious the deeper down you go. What sets this chapter apart from most is how well-crafted the history and story of Kaer Maga is. Kaer Maga predates even ancient Thassilon, but during the age of the Runelords, the city served as a prison for Runelord Karzoug. What lays beneath Kaer Maga is not generic subterranean monster caverns, but things far stranger and truly unique from the prison period and before. I especially liked the map on page 52; it's useful but also looks exactly like something that could have been created in that setting. This section, of course, only gives overviews of what PCs are likely to run into beneath the city, and a GM would still need to develop actual level lay-outs and encounters. It'd be worth it though!

I don't know if I've ever seen a single-page section in a Campaign Setting book, but a random encounters table makes up section five. It's a good one that covers the surface and various subterranean levels and sensibly withholds the higher CR threats for the more dangerous areas.

Section six is a two-page write-up on the Bloatmage prestige class. These power-hungry arcane spellcasters have turned to blood-magic to fuel their abilities, and they can draw upon energies greater than traditional casters but at great cost: their bodies become more and more corpulent, and they can easily overextend themselves and collapse or fly into a homicidal rage! I never hear of players taking the Bloatmage prestige class so perhaps its drawbacks far outweigh its benefits, but I want to run one purely for the flavour.

The book ends with section seven, a two-page write-up on the Caulborn. The Caulborn, a race of hairless, blind humanoids that lurk under Kaer Maga, are a hive-mind whose goal is to collect the thoughts and knowledge of living creatures and transmit them to their hive's brain-sack. They're quite different than anything I've seen before, and I like it.

Reading this book immediately answers the question I have going into every Campaign Setting book: what's special about this place? The book is incredibly entertaining and evocative, and I had more than one "Jeez!" moment (but in a good way), like reading about a brothel with undead prostitutes ("there are some things you just can't do with a live 'un" reports regulars at The White Lady brothel, according to the book). Kaer Maga is definitely not your average fantasy city; its history and current lived reality make it a worthwhile setting for groups willing to take a turn on the darker (but not always evil) side of adventuring life. City of Strangers merits an immediate purchase.


No GM is New to the City of Strangers - with this Book in Hand!

5/5

The City of Strangers campaign setting book is hands down my favorite of the Golarion setting so far! These 64 pages are filled with more info on the city of scum and villainy than I'll be able to put into practice over the course of ten campaigns.

This is the book you need if your PCs are going to set foot anywhere atop that dreaded city on the Storval Plateau. If you are planning to run The Godsmouth Heresy, Seven Swords of Sin, The Asylum Stone or any of the PFS scenarios set in Kaer Maga, you MUST OWN THIS BOOK!

It will help you fill in the details of the various sectors of Kaer Maga and the factions that populate them. Breathe life into your bloat mages, necromancers of Ankar-Te with their undead servants and the troll augurs by reading up on them first in this setting guide.

Kaer Maga is my favorite setting in Golarion and whole campaigns can be cut from the cloth provided in these pages. Buy it today!!!


Favorite guide so far

5/5

I can only agree with the other comments, this supplement is brilliant and inventive. Kaer maga is stuffed with unusual characters, sometimes weird, sometimes plain brilliant, able to move even the most jaded players. Every corner hides some oddity!
I just love it and hope future supplements will hold to that standard.


4/5


The Standard for City Supplements

5/5

I finally made it around to picking this product up in preparation for a campaign that is starting up shortly. This is the bar for all city book supplements to meet. With the city of Kaer Maga brought to life this book was an excellent read with interesting districts, factions, people and geography.

See my full review at The Iron Tavern - Review: City of Strangers.


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This will be a nice addition for games set in Varisia.

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

Holy s~#%! This is awesome!


I had wanted to try to find more information on Kaer Maga. I guess it just goes to show be careful what you ask for because you may get it. Thanks Paizo for some outstanding products.

Just my 2 cp.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32

Glee! This will be awesome for use with Crimson Throne ::rubbing hands together and making evil GM cackling noises::


A little nit pick about the descriptive text:
"In the outcast city of Kaer Maga, your business is your own, and no ware is too dangerous or taboo to find a buyer."

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Dennis da Ogre wrote:

A little nit pick about the descriptive text:

"In the outcast city of Kaer Maga, your business is your own, and no ware is too dangerous or taboo to find a buyer."

It's Ware as in "item for sale" not ware as in "nowhere"

Dark Archive

Wow, cool! Thanks for doing a book on Kaer Maga! I remember asking for this again and again during the chats and now it finally will see the light of day. Thanks Paizo, you guys are awesome!

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Damn, wish it was out while I'm running RotRL ! Still, it means there will be Kaer Maga sidetrek in my CotCT game :)

Thanks Paizo, Kaer Maga was quite in dire need of a solid writeup ! Hope that Janderhoff follows :)

Dark Archive

It's good we have the write up because when I read the title I keep picturing a city where everyone keeps going:

"Do I know you?"

"You're sure we've never met?"

"I think I live next door to that guy, but I'm not quite sure."

Dark Archive

Oh, and I just realised that Mr. Sutter will write the book! Even better! He's an expert on the topic of this awesome city! I can't wait to see the final book.


Why-o-why give us tantalizing teazers to wait 8 months for? Now that it is announced, I must have it!

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

This would have been great to have... two years ago. Now... I mean, yeah, I'll definitely be happy to get my mits on it, but it's just far too long in coming.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Gamer Girrl wrote:
Glee! This will be awesome for use with Crimson Throne ::rubbing hands together and making evil GM cackling noises::

The party's Wizard: "We will find an alternate route!" ;PPPP

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Gorbacz wrote:

Damn, wish it was out while I'm running RotRL ! Still, it means there will be Kaer Maga sidetrek in my CotCT game :)

Thanks Paizo, Kaer Maga was quite in dire need of a solid writeup ! Hope that Janderhoff follows :)

Janderhoff is in need of a solid Adventure Path! :)

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
LoreKeeper wrote:
Why-o-why give us tantalizing teazers to wait 8 months for? Now that it is announced, I must have it!

Oh I agree it is painful to wait this long, but I would rather them post this stuff up so I know what to look forward to.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

Hell Yea!!!!

Contributor

Wow, guys! Glad to see everyone is still excited about this. :)

One of the reasons the book is coming out now rather than a year ago is that, in accordance with our new staff policy regarding personal projects, the book was completed in its entirety before it was announced. Kaer Maga's been my baby since its invention for Seven Swords of Sin and Pathfinder #3, so I'm thrilled that it's finally going to see a book of it's own.

I hope you all enjoy it!


Huzzah! This is going to be awesome!

The Exchange

Just as long as it has a Cantina, the description just scream Mos Eislee.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

James Sutter wrote:
One of the reasons the book is coming out now rather than a year ago is that, in accordance with our new staff policy regarding personal projects, the book was completed in its entirety before it was announced.

Wow! So this is already written? That's great. I assume that means it isn't at as high a risk of being delayed due to production complications down the line, since it's so far ahead of schedule?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

yoda8myhead wrote:
James Sutter wrote:
One of the reasons the book is coming out now rather than a year ago is that, in accordance with our new staff policy regarding personal projects, the book was completed in its entirety before it was announced.
Wow! So this is already written? That's great. I assume that means it isn't at as high a risk of being delayed due to production complications down the line, since it's so far ahead of schedule?

not really...

Writing happens outside of work hours. Our current delays were, for the most part, not the fault of the authors but the result of us having to rob development and editing time from those projects and use that time on the rulebooks.

Sovereign Court

Huzzah !


flash_cxxi wrote:
Dennis da Ogre wrote:

A little nit pick about the descriptive text:

"In the outcast city of Kaer Maga, your business is your own, and no ware is too dangerous or taboo to find a buyer."
It's Ware as in "item for sale" not ware as in "nowhere"

HA!

The phrase "and no ware is too dangerous or taboo" just sounds... like it should be wrong but isn't... hmm


Dennis da Ogre wrote:
The phrase "and no ware is too dangerous or taboo" just sounds... like it should be wrong but isn't... hmm

It's probably a deliberate pun.

Contributor

Crimson Jester wrote:
Just as long as it has a Cantina, the description just scream Mos Eislee.

Dude, Kaer Maga is the Mos Eisley cantina. :D

Contributor

yoda8myhead wrote:
I assume that means it isn't at as high a risk of being delayed due to production complications down the line, since it's so far ahead of schedule?

While Jacobs is of course correct that numerous other factors affect book delays more than author turnover... that is the hope, yeah.


Awe. Some.

I already know which city in the Forgotten Realms I will include this as.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I was looking at the cover. I know it is a mock up. but my first thought was poor girl. Hope she isn't in a anima


Wow. Of all the new Paizo products that have just been announced, this is definitely the one I'm most looking forward to. I love "monster cities" like James Jacobs' Scuttlecove, and am especially looking forward to the bloatmage PrC. I've wanted to see those guys since Eando Kline met one in the Pathfinder fiction.

Liberty's Edge

Dennis da Ogre wrote:

A little nit pick about the descriptive text:

"In the outcast city of Kaer Maga, your business is your own, and no ware is too dangerous or taboo to find a buyer."

I was wondering it if dealt with Tupperware. Some of that can be quite dangerous and foul.


*Does the dance of joy*

Thank you so much, Paizo.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Wow, one of the last cities in Varisia I expected to get it's own book, I'm surprised but pleasantly so. Look forward to seeing it.


Devil of Roses wrote:
Wow, one of the last cities in Varisia I expected to get it's own book, I'm surprised but pleasantly so. Look forward to seeing it.

I cannot wait to run this. Second Darkness, CotCT, hell yeah!

The Seven Swords of Sin module still causes my players to scream when I put little dinosaur figs on the battlemat.


This is so cool I remember asking for this book a few years ago glad to see it finally gets made

Dark Archive

The whole bloatmage thing makes me wonder if there are less-successful / lesser-practiced magical traditions based on the other bodily humors, or on precise balances of the four humors, or on the elusive search for a speculative fifth humor...

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

Set wrote:

The whole bloatmage thing makes me wonder if there are less-successful / lesser-practiced magical traditions based on the other bodily humors, or on precise balances of the four humors, or on the elusive search for a speculative fifth humor...

I recently completed a set of critters based on the four humors, but I'm unsure where they will end up.

The idea of different magical traditions based on the humors would be awesome, however. Cool idea, Set.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Adam Daigle wrote:
Set wrote:

The whole bloatmage thing makes me wonder if there are less-successful / lesser-practiced magical traditions based on the other bodily humors, or on precise balances of the four humors, or on the elusive search for a speculative fifth humor...

I recently completed a set of critters based on the four humors, but I'm unsure where they will end up.

The idea of different magical traditions based on the humors would be awesome, however. Cool idea, Set.

There's an article on that idea (Medieval Medicine) by Phillip Larwood in Issue 8 of Kobold Quarterly.

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

Good call, Paul. I forgot about that one.


Ive been waiting for this books since the begining of Rise of the Runelords when I purchased 7 Swords of Sin


sounds like my kind of town

Dark Archive

Adam Daigle wrote:
The idea of different magical traditions based on the humors would be awesome, however. Cool idea, Set.

I dunno, blood is the 'coolest' of the humours, anyway. A bile mage sounds a little funky, and who the heck wants to play a phelgm mage?

Phlegm Mage - "I cast Melf's Acid Booger!"

Standard Sorceress - "I throw up a little in my mouth..."

Bile mage - "Oh, I can probably use that as a component!"

Dark Archive

Lilith wrote:
Huzzah! This is going to be awesome!

How have I missed this? I agree -- this is going an awesome product, and definitely a must-buy for all Golarion GMs! :)

Dark Archive

Arnwyn wrote:

Awe. Some.

I already know which city in the Forgotten Realms I will include this as.

Ruins of Zhentil Keep?

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Now, since we have Kaer Maga book over a year after the Varisian Trilogy, can we pretty please have a similar book for Westcrown ? :)

Liberty's Edge

This is super news, can't wait to delve into this one!


nice

Sovereign Court

Now we know why Kear Maga didn't make it into Cites of Golarion. And I'm glad it didn't, I can't wait to get my hands on this book.

Liberty's Edge

Will this also contain a map of the city?


Asgetrion wrote:
Arnwyn wrote:

Awe. Some.

I already know which city in the Forgotten Realms I will include this as.

Ruins of Zhentil Keep?

No. Zhentil Keep has long since been detailed and mapped.

This is going to become the city of Three Swords, in the Shining South, sitting on the edge of the Landrise.

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