TEXT: PLAYER’S GUIDE
  
  Paizo Inc.
  7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
  Redmond, WA 98052-0577
  paizo.com
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  ADVENTURE PATH
  Coming Together
  3
  Fugue State
  4
  But I Don’t Want to Be in a Fugue State!
  4
  Character Tips
  5
  Campaign Traits
  8
  About Ustalav
  10
  Reference
  This book refers to several other Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products using the following abbreviations, 
  yet these additional supplements are not required to make use of this book. Readers interested in 
  references to Pathfinder RPG hardcovers can find the complete rules of these books available online 
  for free at paizo.com/prd.
  Advanced Class Guide
  ACG
  Advanced Player’s Guide
  APG
  Advanced Race Guide
  ARG
  Harrow Handbook
  HH
  Monster Codex
  MC
  Occult Adventures
  OA 
  Ultimate Magic
  UM
  This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game.
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered 
  trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game 
  Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.) 
  Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 
  1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
  Strange Aeons Player’s Guide © 2016, Paizo Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paizo, Paizo Inc., the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, the Pathfinder logo, and Pathfinder Society are registered trademarks of 
  Paizo Inc.; Curse of the Crimson Throne, Pathfinder Accessories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Battles, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, 
  Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Tales, Rise of the Runelords, and Strange 
  Aeons are trademarks of Paizo Inc.
  Printed in China. 
  Development Lead • Adam Daigle
  Author • Adam Daigle
  Cover Artists • Kent Hamilton, Hugh Pindur, Firat Solhan
  Interior Artists • Eric Belisle, Tim Kings-Lynne, Hugh Pindur, 
  and Bryan Syme
  Cartographer • Robert Lazzaretti 
  Design Elements • Tomasz Chistowski
  Editor-in-Chief • F. Wesley Schneider
  Creative Director • James Jacobs
  Creative Design Director • Sarah E. Robinson
  Executive Editor • James L. Sutter
  Senior Developer • Rob McCreary
  Pathfinder Society Lead Developer • John Compton
  Developers • Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, 
  Amanda Hamon Kunz, Mark Moreland, 
  Owen K.C. Stephens, and Linda Zayas-Palmer
  Managing Editor • Judy Bauer 
  Senior Editor • Christopher Carey
  Editors • Jason Keeley, Elisa Mader, and Josh Vogt
  Lead Designer • Jason Bulmahn
  Designers • Logan Bonner, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, 
  and Mark Seifter
  Art Director • Sonja Morris
  Senior Graphic Designers • Emily Crowell and Adam Vick
  Publisher • Erik Mona
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Chief Operations Officer • Jeffrey Alvarez
  Director of Sales • Pierce Watters
  Sales Associate • Cosmo Eisele
  Marketing Director • Jenny Bendel
  Chief Financial Officer • John Parrish
  Staff Accountant • Ashley Kaprielian
  Data Entry Clerk • B. Scott Keim
  Chief Technical Officer • Vic Wertz
  Software Development Manager • Cort Odekirk
  Senior Software Developer • Gary Teter
  Project Manager • Jessica Price
  Organized Play Coordinator • Tonya Woldridge
  Adventure Card Game Designer • Tanis O’Connor
  Community Team • Liz Courts and Chris Lambertz
  Customer Service Team • Sharaya Copas, Katina Davis, 
  Sara Marie Teter, and Diego Valdez
  Warehouse Team • Laura Wilkes Carey, Will Chase, 
  Mika Hawkins, Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, and 
  Kevin Underwood
  Website Team • Christopher Anthony, William Ellis, 
  Lissa Guillet, Don Hayes, Julie Iaccarino, and Erik Keith
  
  3
  STRANGE AEONS
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  The Strange Aeons Adventure Path begins with your 
  characters waking up in an asylum with no memory of 
  how they arrived there or who they are. Your first glimpse 
  of the asylum is like a snapshot of nightmarish chaos. 
  Things are certainly not what they seem, and carnage fills 
  the grim stone halls of the sanitarium. You must face the 
  challenges of the asylum and your own foggy memories 
  if you hope to survive.
  Strange Aeons embraces numerous themes of 
  Lovecraftian horror to present an entire campaign that 
  pits Golarion’s latest batch of heroes against maddening 
  menaces from beyond time and space. In this Adventure 
  Path, you’ll find encounters focusing on locales such 
  as insane asylums, creepy old houses, musty libraries, 
  forgotten desert cities, and far stranger locations. At 
  the same time, Strange Aeons remains fundamentally 
  a Pathfinder game. Your characters will continue to 
  gain power as they rise in level, and the expectation is 
  that they will survive and persevere against seemingly 
  insurmountable horrors. There may be casualties along 
  the way, but in the end, Strange Aeons is not meant to give 
  ruthless GMs a blank check to kill off the party in every 
  other encounter. As with all Adventure Paths, the story 
  presented in Strange Aeons unfolds best when there is a 
  continuing thread of characters from start to end. They 
  may emerge with scars (both mental and physical) when 
  all is said and done, but overall, the encounters in this 
  campaign aren’t designed to be insurmountable.
  COMING TOGETHER
  The Adventure Path opens with the PCs awakening in 
  the basement of an asylum and witnessing a frightening 
  and gruesome scene. Regaining their senses, the PCs 
  feel as if they are emerging from a fog or a dream, but 
  have trouble remembering who they are and how they 
  got into their current situation. The only memories that 
  remain are but vague hints and gut feelings—hardly 
  clear recollections. A PC may recall only bits of an early 
  childhood in a merchant family, while another might 
  remember being born in Oppara, but nothing else. It 
  is up to you to determine how little or much you can 
  recall. Feel free to begin the campaign as a complete 
  blank slate. However, this campaign assumes that the 
  player characters can’t recall anything about the past few 
  
  4
  FUGUE STATE
  You don’t know how this happened, who or what did this 
  to you, or why it occurred. This may distress some players, 
  but rest assured that you will find the answers during the 
  course of the Adventure Path. When the Adventure Path 
  begins, you have no memory of who you are, but you 
  have a vague recollection of your childhood and a hazy 
  grasp on your early memories. What’s most disconcerting 
  is that the last few years of your life are beyond your 
  ability to recall, as if they never happened. Over time, as 
  you discover more clues, you learn more about yourself 
  and those responsible for your condition and eventually 
  restore your locked-away memories (along with any ugly 
  revelations that may bring).
  Despite this condition, you are still capable of 
  performing all tasks normally. You discover that you 
  still know how to use your class abilities. Access to 
  your skills and feats are not hindered in the slightest, 
  and you can inexplicably recall trivial information 
  about the world that you knew before this condition 
  took hold of you.
  You might be initially inclined to forsake all other 
  tasks in order to heal yourself of this state, but any 
  attempts are in vain. Due to the unusual and powerful 
  circumstances of your memory loss, nothing short 
  of a wish or miracle can repair this damage, though 
  your actions in future adventures may restore your 
  fractured mind.
  years. Over the course of the adventures, the characters 
  begin to piece together what happened to them, and 
  they regain their full memories midway through the 
  Adventure Path.
  Upon waking, your character senses the presence 
  of the other amnesiacs, each with the same lingering 
  doubts, occupying the same cell. Your character feels a 
  vague kinship to these people for unknown reasons. The 
  first thing your character likely realizes is that they are all 
  trapped together in a terrifying situation and that these 
  others might make the difference between escape and 
  perishing in an asylum that has erupted into chaos.
  A lingering sense of servitude also nags at your 
  character’s memories upon awakening. It’s hazy, but 
  some recollection tugs at the back of your character’s 
  mind of having been captured, along with a sense of 
  dread that he or she had committed some dark deeds 
  in the past, perhaps under duress. Your character might 
  even consider this blank slate a blessing in disguise.
  Beginning a campaign on such unsteady footing 
  requires groups to trust one another. The players need 
  to give up some control over their character’s past in 
  order to let this story of uncertain dread play out during 
  the course of this Adventure Path. Players in Strange 
  Aeons should trust the GM and know that the latter 
  has additional information about their characters’ past 
  and future beyond what they may have envisioned. In 
  the hands of a good GM, this slow reveal of characters’ 
  histories adds an exciting element to the campaign, but 
  this kind of narrative device also has the potential to feel 
  exclusionary or antagonistic. If at any point during this 
  Adventure Path you feel like your character’s agency has 
  been taken away, talk with the GM and the group about 
  ways that the story can be amended or changed to restore 
  a comfortable level of personal control. Remember, 
  uncertainty can be fun, and consensually surrendering 
  some control is a crucial element of the horror genre.
  As the Strange Aeons Adventure Path is steeped in 
  Lovecraftian themes, occult elements, and otherworldly 
  mysteries, it might seem like a good idea to make a 
  character familiar with those forces. However, it might 
  prove fun to play someone completely ignorant of the 
  Elder Mythos instead of one steeped in the occult. It’s up 
  to you and your group to determine a preferred approach 
  this Adventure Path, and there are few wrong ways to play 
  through Strange Aeons. It’s more important for players 
  to be interested in cosmic horror or the Lovecraftian 
  Mythos than it is for their characters to be aware of the 
  things both terrible and unknown. Furthermore, players 
  don’t need to be experts on Lovecraftian lore to find 
  frightening enjoyment from this campaign.
  But I Don’t Want to Be In a Fugue State!
  Not all groups are going to want to start the campaign 
  with their memories impaired. Some might not like the 
  implications that they can’t determine certain events that 
  happened to their characters in the past. Fear not! You 
  can still play through the Strange Aeons Adventure Path. 
  You and your GM will certainly have to make changes 
  and will miss out on one disturbing element of the 
  campaign, but the lack of memories isn’t the only driving 
  factor in this Adventure Path. 
  If you remove the fugue state element in this campaign, 
  you will need to provide an alternative explanation 
  for why your character ended up in the asylum as it 
  descended into chaos. Perhaps your character was 
  visiting a friend or loved one in the asylum. Maybe your 
  character was committed by a friend or family member 
  (or perhaps even self-committed). It could be that your 
  character worked at the asylum as an orderly, or was a 
  scholar of sorts that heard about weird goings-on at the 
  asylum and decided to investigate. All of these present 
  viable options for beginning Strange Aeons without 
  memory loss, but keep in mind that going this route does 
  alter many plot events in the first half of this campaign.
  It’s also possible to play Strange Aeons with only some 
  of the PCs affected by the fugue state. This requires the 
  
  5
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  unaffected characters to help drive the story by wanting 
  to see their companions’ minds restored—or potential 
  sins undone. There is always the chance that a character 
  might not survive an encounter early on in this campaign 
  and a new character unaffected by the fugue state would 
  come in to replace the fallen character. In this case, the 
  player and the GM should work together to find the best 
  way to integrate a new character, depending on where the 
  party is in the campaign, as many of the stakes in Strange 
  Aeons are more personal than in other Adventure Paths.
  CHARACTER TIPS
  You’re starting the Strange Aeons Adventure Path, but 
  what kind of character should you play? How much 
  should you develop your character’s backstory, knowing 
  that the characters can’t remember much of their past? 
  What are the best options for fighting against cosmic 
  horrors from beyond time and space? The following 
  tips and suggestions can help you create characters 
  perfectly suited to conquering the 
  threats and challenges in store for 
  you and your party. These 
  ideas are not exhaustive, 
  and there are thousands 
  of 
  viable 
  character 
  concepts that can excel 
  in this campaign. For 
  more 
  discussions 
  of 
  characters in the Strange 
  Aeons Adventure Path, 
  visit the messageboards 
  at paizo.com.
  When making a character 
  intended for the Strange Aeons 
  Adventure Path, simply proceed as 
  you would for any other character for any 
  other campaign. Choose 
  your race, class, feats, 
  skills, 
  traits, 
  and 
  starting equipment. 
  Your GM will let 
  you know what you 
  have on your person at the start of 
  the campaign, but the remainder 
  of your starting gear will eventually 
  be recovered.
  To heighten the horror elements in 
  this Adventure Path, consider making a 
  character that has an obvious weakness 
  or vulnerability. This requires an 
  element of trust between you and 
  the GM that the latter not abuse this 
  vulnerability, so talk with your GM 
  about your concept ahead of time.
  The suggestions found in the remainder of this 
  document are presented as good choices for fitting the 
  flavor and tone of the Strange Aeons Adventure Path.
  ClaSSeS, arChetypeS, anD preStIge ClaSSeS
  While many of the same options that make great 
  characters in any Adventure Path work well for this 
  campaign, a few class options are especially suited 
  to a campaign where the characters struggle against 
  indescribable horrors.
  Lovecraftian horror touches upon the disquieting 
  aspects of the unknown and the insignificance of mortal 
  life in the vast cosmos. This idea of peeling back the 
  layers of reality to find unknowable truths fits well with 
  the occult classes introduced in Pathfinder RPG Occult 
  Adventures, but players might also relish playing someone 
  ignorant of these hidden truths. That said, while psychic 
  casters tie in well thematically to this Adventure Path, 
  they might also encounter more difficulties with this 
  campaign than usual, since there is a greater chance 
  to run into fear effects and effects with the emotion 
  descriptor. Keep this in mind when making a 
  psychic caster for this campaign. It should also 
  be noted that any character classes that excel 
  at removing negative conditions from 
  themselves and other characters would be 
  useful in this campaign.
  The following suggestions are 
  for archetypes that could prove 
  both useful and thematically fitting 
  throughout 
  the 
  Strange 
  Aeons 
  Adventure Path.
  Pathfinder 
  RPG Advanced 
  Class 
  Guide: 
  counterfeit 
  mage 
  (rogue), 
  disenchanter (warpriest), divine tracker 
  (ranger), empiricist (investigator), 
  hex channeler (witch), infiltrator 
  (investigator), 
  mutation 
  warrior 
  (fighter), possessed shaman (shaman), 
  psychic 
  searcher 
  (oracle), 
  sleuth 
  (investigator), 
  speaker 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  (shaman), 
  spirit 
  warden 
  (shaman), spiritualist (investigator), 
  underground chemist (rogue), 
  visionary (shaman).
  Pathfinder 
  RPG 
  Advanced Player’s Guide: 
  archivist 
  (bard), 
  detective 
  (bard), hungry ghost monk 
  (monk), infiltrator (ranger), 
  investigator 
  (rogue),
  superstitious (barbarian), 
  urban 
  druid 
  (druid), 
  urban ranger (ranger).
  
  6
  Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures: cult hunter 
  (investigator), elder mythos scholar (wizard), gravedigger 
  (investigator), haunt collector (occultist), hexenhammer 
  (inquisitor), living grimoire (inquisitor), mad scientist 
  (alchemist), soul sentinel (paladin), talisman crafter 
  (occultist), witch killer (slayer).
  Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures: esoteric (magus), 
  false medium (rogue), psychic detective (investigator).
  Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat: spellbreaker 
  (inquisitor), witch hunter (inquisitor).
  Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue: conspirator 
  (investigator), enigma (mesmerist), eyebiter (mesmerist), 
  faith 
  hunter 
  (inquisitor), 
  forensic 
  physician 
  (investigator), hallucinist (investigator), phantom thief 
  (rogue), secret seeker (inquisitor), sharper (rogue), snoop 
  (rogue), warlock (vigilante), zealot (vigilante).
  Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic: chirurgeon (alchemist), 
  infiltrator 
  (inquisitor), 
  mindchemist 
  (alchemist), 
  oathbound paladin (paladin [oath against corruption]), 
  psychonaut (alchemist), vivisectionist (alchemist).
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Arcane Anthology: 
  eldritch scoundrel (rogue).
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Streets: 
  urban bloodrager (bloodrager), urban hunter (hunter), 
  urban skald (skald).
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Magic Tactics Toolbox: 
  cryptid scholar (investigator).
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins: 
  Harrowed 
  Society 
  student 
  (arcanist), 
  fate 
  guide 
  (spiritualist), id rager (bloodrager), reliquarian (occultist), 
  supernaturalist (druid), true silvered throne (shaman).
  If you plan to take a prestige class, down the line 
  consider some of the following options. As your 
  character will be delving into books full of dangerous 
  knowledge, the loremaster prestige class in the Core 
  Rulebook might provide an enticing option. If you 
  plan to have a religious character, take a look at the 
  evangelist, exalted, and sentinel prestige classes in 
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods. If you intend 
  on creating a sleuth as a character, consider looking 
  into joining the ranks of the sleepless detectives by 
  taking the sleepless detective prestige class in Pathfinder 
  Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige. The riftwarden 
  prestige class also appears in Paths of Prestige and works 
  well for characters devoted to shutting down dangerous 
  portals and fighting against the horrors that emerge 
  from unstable boundaries.
  BlooDlIneS, MySterIeS, patronS, anD 
  pSyChIC DISCIplIneS
  While nearly any bloodline is a good choice, sorcerers 
  who are wishing to mesh well with the themes of 
  Strange Aeons Adventure Path should consider the 
  following bloodlines: aberrant, accursedUM, destined, 
  dreamspunAPG, 
  ectoplasmOA, 
  ghoulMC, 
  harrowHH, 
  imperiousARG, and psychicOA. 
  Bloodragers have fewer options, but their most 
  thematic choices of bloodline are aberrantACG, arcaneACG, 
  and destinedACG.
  The oracle mysteries that have the strongest ties 
  to the themes of the Strange Aeons Adventure Path 
  include the dark tapestry and time mysteries found in 
  Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic, the lore mystery from 
  Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide, and the streets 
  mystery found in Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of 
  the Streets.
  There are a number of witch patrons well suited to the 
  themes of Strange Aeons. Pathfinder Player Companion: 
  Champions of Purity has the boundaries patron, which 
  works well for characters fighting against otherworldly 
  evils. Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures contains the 
  ethereal and mind patrons, both apt thematic choices 
  for this campaign. Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic
  includes the insanity, occult, portents, spirits, stars, and 
  time patrons, and Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures has 
  the conspiracies, decadence, and space patrons.
  The following psychic disciplines found in Pathfinder 
  RPG Occult Adventures make good thematic fits for this 
  campaign: abomination, dream, lore, and psychedelia.
  WANT TO READ MORE?
  A number of other books can help complement your 
  Strange Aeons Adventure Path experience. Listed 
  below are various sources that, while not necessary, 
  can greatly enhance the experience of playing through 
  this campaign.
  FOR GAME MASTERS
  To explore exciting new mechanics and try out some 
  optional rules subsystems that fit well with this campaign, 
  check out Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures. When 
  using the research rules in this campaign, make sure to 
  reference Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue, and keep 
  Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures handy for experiences 
  with dreaming. If you want to learn more about the Elder 
  Mythos and have some additional Lovecraftian monsters 
  to throw at your players, check out Pathfinder Adventure 
  Path #46: Wake of the Watcher. Finally, if you want to 
  learn more about Ustalav, look to Pathfinder Campaign 
  Setting: Rule of Fear.
  FOR PLAYERS
  If you’re interested in finding flavorful character options 
  for your Strange Aeons characters, pick up Pathfinder 
  Player Companion: Occult Origins and Pathfinder RPG 
  Occult Adventures. 
  
  7
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  anIMal CoMpanIonS, FaMIlIarS, 
  anD otherS
  The fugue state that afflicts the player characters 
  also extends to any animal companions, eidolons, 
  familiars, phantoms, or spirit animals, who likewise find 
  themselves unable to recall or relay any recent memories. 
  Your kinship with such a creature remains strong and 
  true, even if your character may not remember ever 
  having it as a companion!
  Even though the campaign begins in Ustalav, your 
  character can hail from anywhere and can begin with any 
  animal companion or familiar option your GM allows. 
  Your character could have picked up an exotic pet long 
  before arriving in Ustalav.
  Since much of Strange Aeons takes place inside 
  cluttered estates, mystical libraries, and haunted 
  laboratories, characters with mounts are not suggested. 
  Likewise, characters with exceptionally large animal 
  companions might have trouble getting their companion 
  into some (but by no means all) of the adventure locations 
  in this campaign.
  FavoreD eneMIeS anD 
  FavoreD terraInS
  Solid favored enemy choices in Strange 
  Aeons include aberration and humanoid 
  (human). Good secondary choices are 
  outsider (evil) and undead, and useful 
  tertiary choices include magical beast and 
  ooze. These don’t cover all the monsters 
  and challenges your character will 
  face, but they appear frequently as 
  opponents in the campaign.
  A fair portion of this adventure 
  path does take place in urban 
  environments, so an urban favored 
  terrain will prove useful. However, 
  the PCs also experience a lot of boat 
  travel, and later desert climes, making 
  aquatic and desert favored terrains useful 
  secondary choices.
  languageS
  Common is the most prevalent tongue 
  spoken by enemies and allies in this 
  campaign. The majority of the texts your 
  characters will read will be in Common 
  as well. To communicate with some 
  of the stranger enemies in this 
  campaign, learning Aklo might help, 
  but the language of aberrations 
  and dark fey is an unusual skill for 
  beginning characters and requires 
  a solid justification.
  raCeS
  Since your character can theoretically come from 
  anywhere on Golarion, all races in the Core Rulebook can 
  offer good choices for this campaign. If your character is 
  from Ustalav, where the campaign begins, that character’s 
  likely to be human, since humans make up most of 
  the nation’s populace. Humans in Ustalav are most 
  commonly of the Varisian or Kellid ethnicities. 
  Races rarer than those found in the Core Rulebook are 
  possible options, but take care in your selection, because 
  odd races can distract from the atmosphere of horror. 
  A changeling might be a flavorful choice of race for this 
  campaign, but a nagaji would feel out of place.
  relIgIon
  Even though religion isn’t a primary focus in this 
  Adventure Path, your group will still need a cleric or a 
  similar character to provide treatment for the inevitable 
  wounds collected along the way. You might be tempted 
  to play a character that venerates a Great Old One or an 
  Outer God, but that isn’t a great option for this Adventure 
  Path. You’ll be fighting against cultists who worship 
  these foul beings, and knowing all about the Elder 
  Mythos hinders the horror of the unknown. Any 
  of the other gods in the setting work just fine 
  in this campaign, but if you want a deity with 
  a connection to Ustalav (where the Adventure 
  Path begins), consider choosing Desna or 
  Pharasma as your patron.
  If you worship a deity and draw power from 
  your god, you awake with an understanding 
  of that faith and can feel your divine 
  connection. If you venerate a 
  good deity, you might awaken 
  with a vague sense of guilt or 
  shame that you can’t quite put 
  your finger on. Regardless of 
  this lingering doubt, you 
  feel that your god has 
  granted you a second 
  chance to redeem 
  any misdeeds.
  SkIllS anD FeatS
  Feats that could help a character 
  explore loathsome lore, survive 
  in strange and distant locales, 
  and fight unspeakable horrors 
  are all solid choices, but none 
  in particular stand out as 
  an aptitude that your 
  character will absolutely 
  need 
  to 
  complete 
  the campaign.
  
  8
  The Strange Aeons Adventure Path contains a number 
  of encounters and events where the PCs must use their 
  wits to achieve success. Research plays a part in a few 
  of the campaign adventures. While the players don’t 
  need to have expertise in research mechanics, it would 
  be an excellent idea to have at least one party member 
  with access to a number of Knowledge skills. The most 
  useful among these are Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge 
  (dungeoneering), 
  Knowledge 
  (history), 
  Knowledge 
  (nobility), Knowledge (planes), and Knowledge (religion).
  There are also plenty of social interactions throughout, 
  so having a player character in the group who is skilled in 
  Bluff and Diplomacy is a good idea. As the party starts off 
  in an asylum and later delves into mysterious libraries, 
  creepy estates, and forgotten places, including a party 
  member with ranks in Disable Device will prove useful 
  for many challenges.
  thIngS to ConSIDer
  In addition to the previous advice regarding 
  character creation and the earlier explanation 
  of how the PCs begin the campaign, here are 
  a few more matters to consider when you’re 
  playing through the Strange Aeons 
  Adventure Path.
  Trust Your GM: Since this Adventure 
  Path presents a nonstandard opening, 
  it requires a high element of trust 
  between the GM and the players in order 
  to work smoothly. Your character begins 
  the campaign with little control over the past 
  but still retains agency in the present. Your 
  character’s strongest drive at the start of this 
  campaign is likely surviving and escaping 
  the asylum, as well as piecing together those 
  missing years. Over time, as your character 
  uncovers more clues, new facts you learn 
  about the past might prove uncomfortable 
  or frustrating since you as the player 
  didn’t get to make those decisions. Roll 
  with these events and explore your 
  character more deeply in order to 
  justify what has happened. To enjoy 
  the story to its fullest, use whatever 
  frustrations arise from this outside 
  control and corruption to fuel your 
  ire toward the antagonists of the 
  campaign instead of turning 
  them on your GM or fellow 
  players. The 
  GM 
  should 
  not hold this trust in light 
  regard, and maintaining 
  positive 
  communication 
  with your GM about 
  your character’s motivations and your own personal 
  boundaries will hopefully keep everyone on the same 
  page and having fun.
  Don’t Be Afraid to Be Cautious: There are a few times 
  during the course of the Strange Aeons Adventure 
  Path where your character might face exceptionally 
  challenging foes. Remember that it’s occasionally 
  smarter to retreat than to keep fighting, and that 
  sometimes it’s best not to rouse the wrath of a potential 
  threat. Holding these caveats in mind will help keep 
  your character alive, and it can enhance the fear-
  saturated atmosphere of the campaign.
  Talk to the Group: The Strange Aeons Adventure 
  Path is a cosmic horror campaign. While cosmic horror 
  doesn’t carry some of the frightening and gory elements 
  of slasher horror or body horror, there are still plenty 
  of disturbing elements your character will encounter 
  during the course of this story. Some players aren’t 
  comfortable with all components of a horror story. 
  You should know up front what it means to participate 
  in a horror adventure and prepare yourself for 
  these contingencies. There will be events 
  that are unsettling, as well as characters 
  and creatures that are disquieting. If you 
  have any particular sensitivity, make sure to 
  communicate that with your GM and fellow 
  players so that they can be conscious of your 
  needs. For more information on the importance 
  of consent in horror-themed adventures, see 
  Chapter 6 of Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures.
  CAMPAIGN TRAITS
  These campaign traits tie characters to the 
  Strange Aeons Adventure Path, where the 
  party wakes up in a nightmare—trapped 
  in an asylum and confronted with a 
  terrifying scene. Though the PCs don’t 
  remember their past, these traits provide 
  a feeling of who they are or may have been. 
  Though these just consist of vague feelings 
  and personality elements, they can help the 
  character better integrate with a Strange 
  Aeons campaign.
  Driven By Guilt: You awake after your 
  ordeal with a lingering feeling that you have 
  taken part in something outside the normal 
  bounds of your morals. Whether you were 
  corrupted at one point or compelled to 
  perform some forgotten actions, this guilt 
  drives you to fight against those forces in 
  the world that prey upon the good. You 
  see your present condition as a chance 
  to redeem yourself and banish this 
  unsettling emotion.
  
  9
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against 
  any spells or spell-like abilities cast by evil creatures. In 
  addition, once per day as a swift action, you can add your 
  Charisma bonus to your attack rolls and deal 1 additional 
  point of damage for each class level you have against evil 
  creatures for 1 round. You must have a good alignment to 
  take this trait.
  Enduring 
  Stoicism: 
  Even 
  though your pulse is pounding 
  in your ears when you awake in 
  the asylum, you feel strangely 
  nonplussed. You can recognize that 
  the situation you find yourself in 
  is horrific, but you refuse to let that 
  fear control you. It doesn’t feel like it’s 
  worth worrying over too much. You know 
  that when you face unspeakable forces, 
  keeping your cool will keep you alive.
  You gain a +2 trait bonus on all saving throws 
  against spells or effects with the fear or emotion 
  descriptors. In addition, you gain a +1 trait bonus on 
  Intimidate checks due to your intimidating presence, as 
  people don’t know what to expect from you.
  Foe of the Strange: You awake feeling emboldened 
  after a terrifying nightmare. Instead of being frightened 
  by the bizarre creatures from your nightmares, these 
  experiences have steeled you against these startling 
  alien beings. You know that you fell victim to strange 
  circumstances and loathsome forces, but you refuse 
  to give in to a creeping sense of helplessness. Instead, 
  you vow to fight back against whoever or whatever is 
  responsible for your current situation. The creatures of 
  your nightmares won’t hold fear over your head. You’ll 
  take the fight to them.
  You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against 
  extraordinary, spell-like, and supernatural abilities 
  of aberrations (for example, a gibbering mouther’s 
  gibbering or an intellect devourer’s confusion). In addition, 
  whenever you’re confused and roll to determine behavior 
  in a given round, subtract 10 from the result.
  Formerly Mind-Swapped: You awake with a strange 
  sensation beyond the frightening experience of extensive 
  memory loss. Full recollections of the experience—like 
  so many others—have been wiped from your mind, but 
  at some point in your past your mind was swapped with 
  that of a yithian, an alien being from beyond time and 
  space. You don’t remember details of your experiences 
  wandering the yithians’ peculiar city in a foreign body —
  and even worry whether this might be some strange 
  hallucination —but every so often, a flash of insight 
  strikes you as a result of this experience. You know 
  that you can rely on these alien flashbacks during your 
  investigation into your current situation, as it gives you 
  greater perspective into an otherwise confusing world.
  Once per day, you can reroll one Knowledge check 
  that you have just failed. In addition, you can attempt 
  untrained Knowledge checks with DCs up to 20 instead 
  of 10.
  Methodical Mind: When you awake with nothing 
  but hazy memories, you begin carefully cataloging 
  your thoughts to determine the reasons for your 
  condition and where you might be. This 
  comforts you, and you know deep down 
  that you have always relied on your 
  ordered mind and pragmatic 
  approach to face challenges. 
  You 
  use 
  this 
  focus 
  and 
  sensibility to your advantage 
  as you investigate your current 
  dire situation.
  Choose 
  three 
  Knowledge 
  skills. You gain a +1 trait bonus 
  on Knowledge checks of these kinds and on 
  concentration checks. In addition, choose one Knowledge 
  skill. When researching, you are considered to have Skill 
  Focus for that Knowledge skill when determining what 
  die you roll to reduce a library’s knowledge points (kp). 
  See Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue for more information 
  on research rules.
  Pugnacious: You awake in the asylum with sore 
  muscles and bloody knuckles, as if you were recently in 
  a fight. You even have a vague feeling that you won. You 
  can’t explain it, but you know that you’ve always been 
  easy to set off, and your first instinct when pressed into 
  a corner is to lash out. Stuck in the asylum sets you on 
  edge, and you not only want to figure out what happened 
  to you, you want to free yourself and find whoever did 
  this to you—and make them pay.
  You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls when 
  threatened by two or more enemies. In addition, once 
  per day you can gain one of the following effects as an 
  immediate action: You can increase the reach of your 
  melee attacks by 5 feet for 1 round, or you can treat your 
  weapon as one size category larger than it actually is for 
  purposes of determining damage for 1 round.
  Ritualistic: You awake with a sense of purpose and 
  a tingle of magical power. Though it’s unsettling that 
  you can’t recall your past, you have a hunch that if you 
  and your companions do everything just right—follow 
  the correct steps and order—the answers will reveal 
  themselves and you will be free of your condition. You 
  get the feeling that you’ve always fallen back on careful 
  planning and time-tested evidence in the past, but a 
  nagging sensation also tells you that you used these skills 
  in less-than-kind ways all too recently.
  Choose one 0-level spell. You can cast this spell once 
  per day as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to 
  your character level. The spell-like ability’s save DC is 
  
  10
  Charisma-based. In addition, you gain a +2 trait bonus 
  on all skill checks when performing occult rituals.
  Sensitive Mind: You awake in the asylum horribly 
  aware of dangers lurking nearby. While your memories 
  are hazy and indistinct, everything around you looks 
  vibrant and clear. You have an inkling that you have 
  always been perceptive and can tell a lot about a person 
  even in a quick meeting. This sensitivity can overwhelm 
  you at times, especially in your current situation. 
  You gain a +1 trait bonus on Appraise, Perception, and 
  Sense Motive checks, and one of these (your choice) is 
  a class skill for you. In addition, once per week you can 
  use the psychometry occult skill unlock even if you are 
  not capable of casting psychic spells or have the Psychic 
  Sensitivity feat. See Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures for 
  more information on psychometry and other relevant 
  occult skill unlocks.
  True Devotion: You wake from your recent 
  ordeal with a sense of 
  shame, as if you had sinned 
  deeply against your morals 
  and beliefs. However, you feel a 
  bit of relief as well, as if your god 
  had granted you a second chance. 
  You not only have a drive to figure out 
  what happened to you, but an urge to fight 
  back against the unspeakable forces of evil. 
  If, during the course of your investigation, 
  you discover that you took part in unsavory 
  activities that would normally be opposed 
  to your faith or alignment, this event 
  no longer has any impact with your 
  standing in the eyes of your god due to 
  your renewed righteous convictions.
  Once per day when casting a 
  divine spell, you can attempt to cast 
  the spell without losing the spell 
  from its spell slot or using one 
  of your allotted spells per day. 
  There is a 20% chance that 
  this attempt is successful. 
  In addition, select one 
  domain or inquisition you 
  have. You can use the first 
  granted power of that domain 
  or inquisition one additional 
  time per day. You must have a good 
  alignment and be class capable of 
  casting divine spells in order to select 
  this trait.
  Twitchy: Your first thought 
  upon awaking in the asylum isn’t 
  confusion over why you can’t 
  remember anything clearly—it’s 
  a sudden urge to find safety. You feel like everything 
  around you, aside from your companions, might threaten 
  you and you’re always ready to react. You have a hard 
  time staying still, and you’re constantly surveying your 
  surroundings. Maybe you are paranoid, or maybe it’s just 
  an overactive imagination, but whatever it is, you know 
  that keeping these feelings honed will help you stay alive.
  You gain a +2 trait bonus on initiative checks and a +1 
  trait bonus on Reflex saves
  ABOUT USTALAV
  The storyline in the Strange Aeons Adventure Path 
  takes the PCs from an asylum in Ustalav in the first 
  adventure to a neighboring town in the second 
  adventure, before leading them south through a 
  number of other locations as the PCs attempt to 
  uncover what events led to their being committed—and 
  earn a chance to take revenge on those responsible. 
  What follows is some general information about 
  Ustalav. If you want to know more, see Pathfinder 
  Campaign Setting: Rule of Fear.
  The Immortal Principality of Ustalav lies on 
  the northern shore of Lake Encarthan, 
  a 
  grim 
  bastion 
  of 
  civilization 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  barbarian 
  north. A harsh landscape and 
  a history rich in tragedies 
  inspire a wary population 
  to 
  skepticism, 
  religious 
  devotion, and superstition. 
  A conglomeration of loosely 
  affiliated counties run by feuding 
  nobles vying for power and influence, 
  Ustalav is a pitiful shell of its former 
  glory, before it was subjected to 
  centuries of slavery at the hands of the 
  Whispering Tyrant’s undead armies. 
  While the nation’s upper classes struggle 
  to compete with the very nations that 
  abandoned them to fend for themselves 
  after the Whispering Tyrant’s defeat, the 
  average Ustalavic citizen faces far more 
  gruesome realities.
  Hundreds of years of subjugation and the 
  residual horrors that plague the countryside 
  have left the people of Ustalav suspicious of 
  magic, religion, foreigners, and even their fellow 
  citizens. Beyond their eccentric and insular 
  qualities, the people of Ustalav often 
  have a dour worldview. They resign 
  themselves to lives of suffering, 
  seeing nothing in their people’s 
  history to suggest there exists 
  any hope for a better life. Despite 
  
  11
  • Old Chapel
  THRUSHMOOR
  0
  600 FEET
  • Binter's Smithy
  Farmer's Square •
  • Hasok's Studio
  • New Chapel
  Smokehouse •
  • Sleepless Building
  • Star Stela
  • High Mart
  • Fort Hailcourse
  • Iris Hill
  • Old Manor
  The Silver Wagon •
  Healer's House •
  Builder's Hall •
  • The Stain
  • Depository
  • Fish Market
  • Star Stela
  Gibbet •
  Pier 19 •
  The Booklayer •
  Wailing House •
  PLAYER’S GUIDE
  the physical and psychological strains upon its populace, 
  Ustalav nevertheless fosters extremely hardy and 
  tenacious stock: men and women who firmly believe that 
  no matter how bad it gets, history shows it could always 
  be worse.
  Although Ustalav has little to offer its rural peasants, 
  inhabitants of its many metropolitan areas fare 
  somewhat better, and the centers of learning and culture 
  they provide draw trade and travelers from throughout 
  the Inner Sea region. The capital, Caliphas, stands on the 
  banks of Lake Encarthan, and its fog-shrouded streets 
  host some of the nation’s most esteemed trade and 
  academic establishments. In the north, the city of Karcau 
  boasts a thriving culture of music, theater, and other fine 
  arts, and its opulent architecture rivals the excesses of 
  even the most exotic Taldan palace. Meanwhile, Ustalav’s 
  northwestern counties have broken from aristocratic 
  rule and formed their own local, democratic government 
  without nobles, calling themselves the Palatinates and 
  providing a glimmer of hope for the downtrodden 
  people of provincial Ustalav.
  thruShMoor
  Though the characters won’t actually reach the town of 
  Thrushmoor until the second adventure, the asylum they 
  find themselves in initially was built on Briarstone Isle. 
  This island is situated in the Danver River, not that far 
  from Thrushmoor.
  Originally established by Kellid wanderers, a 
  settlement has existed in some form at the mouth 
  of the Danver River for nearly seven centuries. Early 
  settlers found a bounty of clean water and abundant 
  fishing here, though many felt that the area was cursed. 
  Even though the people enjoyed all the resources they 
  needed to survive, danger lurked behind every shadow, 
  and something always seemed to go wrong with their 
  efforts to tame the land.
  Thrushmoor is the seat of power of the Ustalavic 
  county of Versex and home to the region’s ruling family, 
  the Lowls. The town maintains a veneer of propriety 
  despite its sinister underbelly. Count Haserton 
  Lowls IV takes a largely hands-off approach to rule, 
  leaving much of the county’s governance to elected 
  or appointed mayors. In the case of Thrushmoor, this 
  bureaucrat is Magistrate Tillus Padgett. The count’s 
  reclusive tendencies rarely impact Thrushmoor’s daily 
  activities, as the noble spends most of his time holed 
  up in his estate, Iris Hill, poring over arcane tomes and 
  ancient grimoires on unknown topics.
  Thrushmoor is primarily a fishing town, as the 
  temperate climate and fecund waters of Avalon Bay 
  provide the anglers with profitable activity all year 
  long. The boats stop moving only for the few days on 
  which the surface of the lake freezes, and even then, 
  the tranquil inlet of the port provides an ideal spot for 
  ice fishing.
  
  12
  open gaMe lICenSe Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is 
  Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark 
  owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative 
  Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works 
  and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, 
  modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, 
  compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may 
  be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, 
  license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise 
  distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and 
  includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent 
  such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement 
  over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open 
  Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this 
  License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, 
  but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means 
  product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including 
  trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, 
  thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, 
  designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and 
  graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names 
  and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, 
  teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, 
  environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or 
  effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or 
  registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner 
  of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game 
  Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, 
  designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products 
  or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the 
  Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, 
  edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material 
  of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms 
  of this agreement.
  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that 
  contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be 
  Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice 
  to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or 
  subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. 
  No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content 
  distributed using this License.
  3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate 
  Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this 
  License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-
  free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, 
  the Open Game Content.
  5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing 
  original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your 
  Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient 
  rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
  6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, 
  and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright 
  holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game 
  Content you distribute.
  7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, 
  including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly 
  licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each 
  element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility 
  or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in 
  conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as 
  expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner 
  of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product 
  Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the 
  ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity 
  used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in 
  and to that Product Identity.
  8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly 
  indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open 
  Game Content.
  9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish 
  updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version 
  of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content 
  originally distributed under any version of this License.
  10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every 
  copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game 
  Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission 
  from the Contributor to do so.
  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the 
  terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due 
  to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any 
  Open Game Material so affected.
  13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply 
  with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming 
  aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
  14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, 
  such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it 
  enforceable.
  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary 
  Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Strange Aeons Player’s Guide © 2016, Paizo Inc.; Author: Adam Daigle.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/Adventure Paths/PF109-114 - Strange Aeons/Strange Aeons - Player's Guide.pdf