This article contains affiliate links. If you’d like to support us, feel free to use these links 🛒 to buy books, dice, or similar products. Thank you 🙂
What is a Pathfinder Adventure Path anyway?
Pathfinder is a pen-and-paper role-playing game developed by Paizo Publishing, based on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. One of the outstanding features of Pathfinder are the so-called “Adventure Paths”.
An Adventure Path is essentially a pre-made, episodic campaign consisting of several interconnected adventures. These adventures are designed to tell a continuing story and typically require many game sessions to complete. Such epic campaigns can last for years.
Some of the most well-known Pathfinder adventures are about six volumes long, with each volume representing a self-contained adventure that advances the main story and leads the characters into new situations and locations. In each Adventure Path, the goal is to accompany a group of characters from 1st to 15th level throughout the course of the adventure. Nevertheless, the individual adventures have the flexibility to be played independently from the main path if a Dungeon Master prefers shorter stories.
The beautiful thing about Adventure Paths is that they take a lot of work off the Dungeon Master’s shoulders. The adventures are detailed and contain pre-made NPCs, locations, storylines, and maps that help the Dungeon Master bring the story to life. This allows both experienced Dungeon Masters and beginners to run exciting campaigns with minimal preparation.
Players appreciate Adventure Paths because they offer them the opportunity to immerse themselves in an epic and well-thought-out story that often exceeds the scope of what they could experience in self-created adventures.
These Adventure Paths exist so far for Pathfinder
There are currently 38 published or announced Adventure Paths. Together they amount to 196 adventures, each about 96 pages long.
Below we have listed all Adventure Paths:
Which Pathfinder Adventure Path would we recommend?
Of course, there are definitely experts out there who have played Pathfinder more than we have. But based on our own experiences and preferences, we would recommend two Adventure Paths.
First, “Reign of Winter,” especially because of the gripping adventure “Rasputin Must Die!” This part of the campaign offers a fascinating mix of Russian folklore, modern historical elements, and an epic plot. It allows players to immerse themselves in a weird, new story that has nothing to do with conventional fantasy.
Second, “Abomination Vaults,” as it is a so-called megadungeon. Here, players experience an epic adventure that leads them deep into the depths of a dangerous lighthouse. Megadungeons offer a unique challenge and a variety of puzzles, enemies, and treasures. They especially offer a lot for player types who are into exploration and combat. Additionally, it was available as part of the Paizo Humble Bundle, which was an additional incentive for us. However, the Adventure Path did not disappoint our expectations.
For additional perspectives, we asked r/penandpapergermany. You can find the community’s recommendations here.
Overall, the choice of Adventure Path depends on the group’s personal preferences. However, Adventure Paths promise unique and unforgettable gaming experiences, regardless of which path you choose. When in doubt, you can also first test individual components of the Adventure Paths before buying the complete books.
This might also interest you:
