What do you think?
Rate this book
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
Occult Adventures
There is an unseen world all around you. On the streets and in the halls of power, in your dreams and across the bizarre planes of the multiverse, there are those who walk among us like giants among ants, twisting reality to their wills in their search for ancient knowledge. Now pull back the curtain of the mundane world and learn the secrets of these occult masters—if you dare!
Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures is an indispensable companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon over 15 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into a new era.
Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures includes:
- Six new occult base classes—the energy-shaping kineticist, the spirit-calling medium, the deceptive mesmerist, the mind-bending psychic, the uncanny occultist, and the phantom-binding spiritualist.
- Archetypes for all of the new classes, as well as a broad selection of strange and mysterious archetypes and class options for existing characters.
- New feats to flesh out your occult character, plus a whole new way to use existing skills to become a master of faith healing, hypnotism, psychometry, and more!
- More than 100 spells using the all-new psychic magic system, plus rituals that grant even non-spellcasting characters occult power! Explore worlds beyond imagining with dream voyage, or defend yourself from mental threats with tower of iron will!
- Rules and advice to help you steep your game in the occult, from chakras and deadly mindscapes to possession, psychic duels, and the Esoteric Planes.
- A wide variety of new magic items, such as the eerie spirit mirror and the peculiar tin cap, plus new cursed items and powerful artifacts.
... and much, much more!
Cover art by Wayne Reynolds
Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures is an indispensable companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon over 15 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into a new era.
Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures includes:
- Six new occult base classes—the energy-shaping kineticist, the spirit-calling medium, the deceptive mesmerist, the mind-bending psychic, the uncanny occultist, and the phantom-binding spiritualist.
- Archetypes for all of the new classes, as well as a broad selection of strange and mysterious archetypes and class options for existing characters.
- New feats to flesh out your occult character, plus a whole new way to use existing skills to become a master of faith healing, hypnotism, psychometry, and more!
- More than 100 spells using the all-new psychic magic system, plus rituals that grant even non-spellcasting characters occult power! Explore worlds beyond imagining with dream voyage, or defend yourself from mental threats with tower of iron will!
- Rules and advice to help you steep your game in the occult, from chakras and deadly mindscapes to possession, psychic duels, and the Esoteric Planes.
- A wide variety of new magic items, such as the eerie spirit mirror and the peculiar tin cap, plus new cursed items and powerful artifacts.
... and much, much more!
Cover art by Wayne Reynolds
271 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2015
2 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Jason Bulmahn
125 books40 followersLead Designer of Paizo Inc and Minotaur Games, creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 22, 2022
Good evening and welcome fellow Children of Chaos.
This was not a good book. A lot of page space is spent for the absolutely dull Mindscape battle rules. And a bunch of psionic spells that are "basically a wizard spell but with a single slight tweak."
Honestly the only thing that is worth taking from this book is the Kenetisist, that even then needs some house ruling. Also it feels like the water master has way more options than the others. I don't know maybe someone can come and be like "Nah, the telekentic with meh and meh will just auto-win every fight."
This book just felt over long and boring and fuels this very awful idea in these games that you have to use the exact flavor. Why my "bard" pirate kept being called "bard" even though he never sang or played a lute once.
Honestly just download the Kenetisit and skip this book
This was not a good book. A lot of page space is spent for the absolutely dull Mindscape battle rules. And a bunch of psionic spells that are "basically a wizard spell but with a single slight tweak."
Honestly the only thing that is worth taking from this book is the Kenetisist, that even then needs some house ruling. Also it feels like the water master has way more options than the others. I don't know maybe someone can come and be like "Nah, the telekentic with meh and meh will just auto-win every fight."
This book just felt over long and boring and fuels this very awful idea in these games that you have to use the exact flavor. Why my "bard" pirate kept being called "bard" even though he never sang or played a lute once.
Honestly just download the Kenetisit and skip this book
October 12, 2015
The fine folks at Paizo recently released a book that made me do a double-take. Not because of the title, but because of the subject matter. Titled OCCULT ADVENTURES, this new tome delves deeper into the darker side of Pathfinder magic, and it offers a more complex glimpse into games that are heavy in the arcane arts. I was surprised to see this, as many RPG games tend to shy away from an ‘occult’ label. Interestingly, Paizo tackles it head on, and the result is an intriguing and entertaining addition to the Pathfinder canon.
From other reviews I’ve read, this book seems to have been received well. One particular reviewer mentioned “the material seems to be largely situational and heavily campaign oriented,” and I can see his point. However, I think with a little tweaking here and there, many of the the components in this book could be used in almost any campaign.
PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME: OCCULT ADVENTURES states up front several of the differences between an occult adventure and any other adventure. One of the primary components to an occult adventure is “a focus on the mind over direct combat and confrontation.” For example, instead of simply investigating the physical ruins of a castle, occult adventurers work to uncover the psychic history of places and objects as well. This unique take on exploration and discovery is an interesting twist on commonplace adventuring practices.
One of my favorite aspects of this book are the new magic items. I absolutely love the variety, and many of these new treasures are inventive and unique. Combine these with the new occult base classes and a slew of spells and feats to amp up your characters, and you’ve got the making of an amazing new campaign.
PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME: OCCULT ADVENTURES may not appeal to all players of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game system, but I suggest giving it a look. This is another feather in the cap for Paizo, and I cannot wait to see where they take the game next.
From other reviews I’ve read, this book seems to have been received well. One particular reviewer mentioned “the material seems to be largely situational and heavily campaign oriented,” and I can see his point. However, I think with a little tweaking here and there, many of the the components in this book could be used in almost any campaign.
PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME: OCCULT ADVENTURES states up front several of the differences between an occult adventure and any other adventure. One of the primary components to an occult adventure is “a focus on the mind over direct combat and confrontation.” For example, instead of simply investigating the physical ruins of a castle, occult adventurers work to uncover the psychic history of places and objects as well. This unique take on exploration and discovery is an interesting twist on commonplace adventuring practices.
One of my favorite aspects of this book are the new magic items. I absolutely love the variety, and many of these new treasures are inventive and unique. Combine these with the new occult base classes and a slew of spells and feats to amp up your characters, and you’ve got the making of an amazing new campaign.
PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME: OCCULT ADVENTURES may not appeal to all players of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game system, but I suggest giving it a look. This is another feather in the cap for Paizo, and I cannot wait to see where they take the game next.
Read
July 27, 2015I want to play an Occultist so, so bad, so this book clearly served its purpose. The magic items may be the highlight for me, really, or anyway I wanted to have all the magic items. An indomitable jewel? Yes please! Spelljammers, er, psychic skiffs? Sign me up! -- MK
August 2, 2015
One of the best Pathfinder additions in a while (continuing the good things seen in Unchained in fact) the psychic classes are far more balanced than the Psionics ever where and make sense in a ghost / horror campaign. Definitely planning on using these classes for my Gothic Horror homebrew.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews