Pathfinder 2E Goes to Tian Xia – New Adventures, Ancestries, & More
Pathfinder 2E is headed for the distant shores of Tian Xia in 2024. Inspired by Asian culture and fantasy, the new book brings a big adventure.
Pathfinder 2E will soon be visiting the many diverse nations and cultures that inhabit Tian Xia. In the Inner Sea region, Tian Xia is known mostly through snippets of lore that have come to Avistan through merchants and immigrants. But the newly announced book will take adventurers there for a look at the whole picture.
From its ancient days of elemental hegemonies and yaoguai wars to the modern era marked by the return of the Ruby Phoenix, the Sorcerer Hao Jin. Tian Xia is full of legends and lore. And it’s not just a new world guide that we’ll get to see, but a whole season of adventure.
Pathfinder Goes to Tian Xia in a Big Way
Paizo announced the new book late last week. Alongside the Lost Omens Tian Xia World Guide, there’ll be a brand new adventure path, and even more. It all kicks off later this year with the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path. The new Adventure Path releases in October and will be a horror-themed campaign set in the haunted land of Shenmen.
The small town of Willowshow celebrates the Season of Ghosts, a local festival to appease ghosts, and spirits, and ensure safety for the coming year. Naturally, something goes wrong, and the PCs are pulled into a town in the wake of a sinister curse:
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- The Summer that Never Was, by Sen H.H.S.
- Let the Leaves Fall, by Joan Hong, with additional articles by Tan Shao Han and Grady Wang
- With No Breath to Cry, by Dan Cascone & Eleanor Ferron, with additional articles by Jeremy Blum, Dana Ebert, Joshua Kim, and Michelle Y. Kim
- To Bloom below the Web, by Liane Merciel, with additional articles by Jeremy Blum, Joshua Kim, and Michelle Y. Kim
Lost Omens Tian Xia World Guide
Then later, in 2024, there’s the Lost Omens World Guide for the region. This sets the stage for “modern” Tian Xia in Pathfinder reckoning:
In an age ruled by heroes unfettered by prophecy, change is sweeping across the continent. Some of you might have helped Ameiko Kaijitsu depose the Jade Regent and ascend to the throne of Minkai—now witness the new Ondori era under her rule. Step into the nation of Bachuan, now that a Po Li oracle has convinced it to ease its restrictions and open its borders; Hao Jin’s tapestry people now live here too, descendants of a past once thought lost for good. Amanandar, a nation now as Tian in heritage as it is Taldan, has declared its independence with the blessings of Queen Eutropia and renamed itself as Linvarre—visitors from Avistan may delight in its Grogrisant lion dances or pick up a few words of its national language of Taltien. Journey the perilous Valashmai Jungle and find your way upon the Valash Raj, flourishing among the ruins shattered by giant beasts and monsters. The World Guide will lead you through these nations and more before giving GMs a bestiary containing the continent’s monsters, from the ferocious, four-horned aoyin to the aristocrat-eating yeongno.
Lost Omens Tian Xia Character Guide
Finally, there’s the character guide, which will have all new player options. Including six ancestries. Three of which we’ve seen:
- Samsarans – People who have reincarnated many times and who can call upon the memories of their past selves to do better in skill checks.
- Wayangs – A diasporic people from the Shadow Plane who sailed to the oceans and forests of Tian Xia, wayangs wield their shadows through dance.
- Tanuki – Fun-loving tanuki are shapeshifters who can take the shape of objects, people, and more to play tricks, entertain themselves, and more.
Alongside these, are new backgrounds to build your PCs around. There are also new heritages, like the peachchild leshi and the bakuwa lizardfolk, as well as new character options for character archetypes.
Paizo has really cast a wide net with this one, including putting together an amazing team to tackle this land and its people with aplomb.
Lastly, Pazio couldn’t have put these books together without an amazing team of writers! The Lost Omens Tian Xia books are brought to you by Eren Ahn, Jeremy Blum, Alyx Bui, James Case, Banana Chan, Connie Chang, Rick Chia, Hiromi Cota, Hans Chun, Theta Chun, Dana Ebert, Basheer Ghouse, John Godek III, Joan Hong, Sen H.H.S., Michelle Jones, Joshua Kim, Daniel Kwan, Dash Kwiatkowski, Jacky Leung, Jesse J. Leung, Monte Lin, Jessie “Aki” Lo, Adam Ma, Liane Merciel, Ashley Moni, Kevin Thien Vu Long Nguyen, Collette Quach, Andrew Quon, Kyra Arsenault Rivera, Christopher Rondeau, Joaquin Kyle “Makapatag” Saavedra, Shahreena Shahrani, Kienna Shaw, Philip Shen, Tan Shao Han, Mari Tokuda, Ruvaid Virk, Viditya Voleti, Grady Wang, Emma Yasui, and Jay Zhang.
Happy adventuring!
