Second Edition

player’s
guide
By Ron Lundeen
AUTHOR
Ron Lundeen

DEVELOPER
Ron Lundeen

DESIGN LEAD
Logan Bonner

EDITING LEAD
K. Tessa Newton

EDITORS
Patrick Hurley

COVER ARTIST
Natasha Nanook

INTERIOR ARTISTS
Dariusz Kieliszek, Robert Lazzaretti, Natasha
Nanook, Ilina Naydenova, Leonardo Santanna

ART DIRECTION

Player’s Guide
Sonja Morris and Sarah E. Robinson
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Sonja Morris

PUBLISHER
Erik Mona

How to Use This Guide 3

Graydirge 3
Neighborhoods 4
Graydirge Map 5

Factions 6
Campaign Timeline 8
Character Suggestions 8
Alignments 8
Ancestries 8
Playing as Undead 9
Classes 9
Other Class Sources 9
Languages 10
Skills and Feats 10
Backgrounds 10
Table: Suggested Character Options 11

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Welcome to Geb, land of the dead! WHERE ON GOLARION?
If you’re reading this Player’s Guide, it means you The Blood Lords Adventure Path starts in Graydirge,
and your friends have decided you might like to play a city in the hinterlands of the undead‑populated
the Blood Lords Adventure Path. In this campaign (and undead-ruled) nation of Geb. In Geb, living
for Pathfinder Second Edition, you’ll create a people are generally called “the quick” and
1st‑level character and take on the role of an aspiring undead residents are called “the dead.” For more
troubleshooter in a nation run by both ageless undead information about Geb, see pages 76–77 of the
and the cunning living people who rub shoulders with Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide, pages 176–179
them. This nation is ruled by a ghost king named Geb of Pathfinder Book of the Dead, and pages 130–139
(who, in a characteristic display of hubris, named his of Pathfinder Lost Omens Impossible Lands.
nation after himself), but the real work of running
the nation is done by a fractious council of about 60
people called the Blood Lords. The Blood Lords are GEB
predominantly (but not exclusively) undead and are • Graydirge
predominantly (but not exclusively) necromancers.
Some of them have ruled Geb for thousands of years.
Anyone can join this council if they have enough skill,
tenacity, and luck—and your characters are destined
to join them, scheming your way to the top! You’ll
200 MILES
need to vanquish foes, curry favor, and occasionally
betray some of your NPC allies to succeed in Geb. If
you die trying, well, the undead rule in Geb just as
much as the living!
To play in this campaign, all you need is the
Pathfinder Core Rulebook and a character sheet. With GRAYDIRGE
your Game Master’s permission, you can also use Bone-shrouded Graydirge is a remote city located in
Pathfinder Second Edition supplemental rulebooks, the eastern foothills of the Shattered Range. Ancient
campaign setting books, and other accessories to and grim, the city has remained free of significant
further customize your character. While not required invasions or disasters for thousands of years, despite
to enjoy Blood Lords, Pathfinder Book of the Dead its distance from larger fortified cities like Mechitar
is an especially useful supplement to have on hand, and Yled. This is largely due to the city’s impressive
since it contains many character options and rules fortifications of bone and stone, sizable population
elements specifically designed for undead characters. of ghouls and necromancers, and the zombie-tilled
On the following pages, you’ll find spoiler-free fields that surround it for miles in every direction,
lore, campaign details, and specific suggestions to providing a natural—or unnatural—barrier to any
help you create a character tailored specifically for would-be invaders.
Blood Lords. This Player’s Guide is organized into Graydirge once served as a remote military outpost
the following sections: positioned to intercept troops invading Geb along
• Graydirge (page 3): A brief overview of the city the eastern edge of the Shattered Range. The war
in which this Adventure Path begins, and where between Geb and its rival Nex caused it to expand
you’ll first make your home. rapidly. The city’s architects first decided to use bones
• Factions (page 6): A look at the many factions to construct the city’s buildings and fortifications
that vie for control over Geb’s economy; earning simply because the material was so plentiful and
favor with these faction is a key element of the provided an unmistakably disconcerting appearance.
Blood Lords Campaign. What began as a convenience quickly evolved into a
• Character Suggestions (page 8): Additional tradition, then a respected architectural style.
guidance, practical advice, and specific tips for Graydirge is ruled by a single high governor with
creating a character that fits seamlessly into absolute authority over all municipal decisions. In
this campaign. practice, the high governor can do little to enact

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

changes in policy and serves mostly as the enforcer of NEIGHBORHOODS

existing laws. The city’s civic administrators comprise Graydirge consists of five neighborhoods within its
a small coterie of functionaries that are appointed walls, plus two neighborhoods that more recently
by (and can be removed by) this high governor; arose outside the south and west gates. Additionally,
unsurprisingly, all of them are mere toadies who a sizeable portion of the city’s center is dedicated
grovel before the high governor to maintain their to the public parade grounds, and Graydirge’s only
sinecures. The current high governor, Taf-Gekhta resident Blood Lord owns a massive estate within the
Seven Stomachs, is as ineffective as those who’ve come city walls that’s practically a neighborhood by itself.
before him and, as a ghast, smells significantly worse. Blood Lord’s Grace: Berline has allowed
The nation’s Blood Lords technically outrank significant construction outside the city walls on
Graydirge’s high governor, but few have any the hillside to the south despite the myriad laws
reason to even visit the out-of-the-way city, much that make expansion costly or outright prohibited.
less intervene in its governance. The exception She insists that the city needs to expand beyond the
is Graydirge’s only resident Blood Lord, Berline walls to increase food production and that it faces
Haldoli. A halfling necromancer with close ties to the no danger from invasion, but she has run up against
nation’s Reanimators faction, Berline is responsible rivals in Geb’s capital who don’t want the city to
for food production in the zombie-worked farms grow too much, too quickly, or at all. Most of this
that sprawl around her city. district, often just called “the Grace,” is populated by
halflings, humans, and zombies, the vast majority of
whom are Berline’s employees or associates.
Bonescrape: This district is one of Graydirge’s
oldest areas and was once the most opulent.
Most of Bonescrape’s population lives in
belowground residences, wedged between
the buried walls of old fortresses from
before the city’s founding. Most residents
here are minor undead or quick who’ve
escaped the Meat Market. Bonescrape includes
one of the city’s most notable buildings: the Empty
Threshold, a temple to Zon-Kuthon.
Court of Ghouls: This neighborhood is the city’s
largest market and artisans’ district. Many of the
market plazas are covered by roofs of meshed bones
and canvas to block out the sun. A lot of residents
are indeed ghouls, but the name is a holdover from a
brief and forgotten period in the city’s history when
only ghouls were allowed in the district at all.
The Gnashes: This residential area is inhabited
by Graydirge’s middle class, including many undead
who serve in the nearby wealthy homes of the
Governor’s Quarter and Haldoli’s Estate.
Governor’s Quarter: The city’s most opulent district
contains the high governor’s residence and homes
and shops for wealthy undead. The high governor
functionaries who help run the city also live here,
scheming against each other for wealth and influence.
Haldoli’s Estate: This walled villa holds the
residence of Graydirge’s only permanent Blood Lord,
Berline Haldoli. She maintains some of the city’s
Berline Haldoli
only gardens and orchards. Only a few of her more

4
Graydirge
400 FEET
GRAY WASTELAND

5
BONESCRAPE MEAT MARKET

THE OVENS

GOVERNOR’S QUARTER
D S
O UN
R
D EG
A
P AR COURT OF GHOULS

THE GNASHES

HALDOLI’S ESTATE

BLOOD LORD’S GRACE

 PLAYER’S GUIDE

trusted servants live here with her, and only a small inspected afterward. The Builders League wields its
minority of them are alive. approval or rejection of construction projects like
Meat Market: This poor neighborhood largely a weapon—sometimes like a slender knife, subtly
contains dismal residences for Graydirge’s living modifying or redacting plans to further the League’s
denizens. There are stories of abandoned flesh agenda, and sometimes like a sledgehammer,
rendering sites buried beneath the district, but the blatantly banning construction projects in an
maze of tunnels and rumors of dangerous creatures entire settlement for no other reason than to
and gangs dissuades most people from searching for show its disapproval of an upstart local authority.
them. Multiple tanneries operate on the surface, where It’s rumored that the Builders League specializes
the Reanimators employ dozens of workers to dye the in buildings of occult significance and harbors
massive quantities of leather produced on the farms of countless ancient secrets in its holdings across Geb.
Graydirge’s hinterlands. The method these tanners use Celebrants: The Celebrants are the most recent
to color leather, whether from animal or humanoid faction to rise in status from Lower Faction to
skin, hasn’t changed in centuries. Great Faction, a transition due entirely to Geb’s
The Ovens: One of Graydirge’s recent high recent return to public view. The Celebrants honor
governors allowed several families of living arrivals to their ruler and his victories by organizing immense
construct wooden dwellings west of the city, granting processions, extravagant ceremonies, gruesome
these new residents both amnesty and citizenship. feasts, tournaments, and public holidays. Most
After one month, that governor burned them alive Celebrants are priests of Urgathoa, and their
in their homes. Now, decades later, the current high devotion to a goddess of gluttony and undeath is
governor has ordered the district rebuilt, but he has evident in their macabre and frenzied festivities.
yet to explain why. With practically unlimited funding, the Celebrants
have agents stationed across Geb who serve not only
FACTIONS to spread propaganda at every opportunity, but to
The day-to-day administration of Geb falls under uncover and report any dissent or discontent.
the purview of about 60 Blood Lords, most of them Export Guild: The Export Guild governs Geb’s
necromancers, undead, or both. Each Blood Lord has foreign trade and, despite its name, handles all
ties to one of several formalized power groups that imports from other countries as well as exports. Many
control specific aspects of life in Geb, from its military members are younger or less traditional than some of
to trade and infrastructure. The five Great Factions the other Great Factions, such as the Builders League
have more influence than the more numerous Lower and Tax Collectors Union, yet the Export Guild is
Factions, though each faction’s prestige and influence filled with staunch loyalists and nationalists. In their
ebb and flow as the Blood Lords’ schemes play out. minds, going against Geb’s traditions is a good thing
The Great Factions operating in Geb at the beginning if doing so helps the nation extend its international
of the Blood Lords Adventure Path are the Builders reach or solidify its economic or political power.
League, Celebrants, Export Guild, Reanimators, and While they inevitably prioritize their own selfish
Tax Collectors Union. interests in many dealings, Export Guild members
Your GM has information about how to track frequently consider the costs and benefits to Geb as a
your reputation with the Great Factions (and with whole in their decisions.
other factions that influence the campaign). Earning Reanimators: Many Blood Lords of other
faction favor—and deciding when to throw your factions view the Reanimators, who are responsible
weight behind one faction at the expense of another— for raising the dead to work Geb’s farms, as the
is a big part of the Blood Lords Adventure Path. least desirable of the Great Factions. However,
Builders League: The most traditional of the few question their importance to Geb, nor their
Great Factions, the Builders League is responsible necromantic might— though they don’t frequently
for Geb’s architecture, civic improvements, and wield it outside their established responsibilities.
public works. Any such project occurring anywhere Most Blood Lords recognize that the Reanimators
in Geb, whether new construction or the expansion control untold numbers of mindless undead spread
or demolition of an older building, must be approved across Geb’s countryside. The possibility that they
in advance by the Builders League and thoroughly might one day use their “workforce” for something

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

beyond farming isn’t often uttered but is always at be reanimated as undead to serve the state. In their
the back of other faction leaders’ minds when they patrols across Geb, these officers also watch for any
think of the Reanimators. Most of the Reanimators, signs of the use of positive energy, which they’re
and especially the Blood Lords who eagerly align authorized to stamp out by any means necessary.
themselves with the faction, are necromancers, but Tax Collectors Union: In most nations, the
many serve the faction only in an administrative wealthiest individuals come from the oldest families.
capacity or as corpse tenders out on the farms. Few This is especially true in Geb, where many members
engage in necromantic animation on a daily basis. of such powerful families are more or less immortal.
The Reanimators also retain a small number of With no incentive to squander their fortunes in
officers whose primary responsibility is to enforce their later years or divide the family’s assets among
the law requiring anyone who dies on Geb’s soil to squabbling offspring, many of Geb’s oldest families
are so preposterously rich that the quick—and even
younger undead—have difficulty comprehending the
scale of their wealth. The Tax Collectors Union likes
to keep it that way. Prominent aristocrats and bankers
make up the upper echelons of the Tax Collectors
Union, with most of the faction’s other members
being part of their extended families, their employees,
or both. Nepotism is the norm in the Tax Collectors
Union; exorbitant bribes aren’t only accepted but
expected, and the status quo is sacred. These bankers,
financiers, and tax collectors are crucial to Geb’s
economy not only because they keep money flowing,
but because they work hard to prevent drastic shifts in
Geb’s power balance. The recent rise of the Celebrants
alarms Union members, despite the obvious benefits
of Geb’s return to public view.
Lower Factions: The delineation between a Great
Faction and Lower Faction has less to do with a
faction’s area of authority and more to do with the
degree of its influence and the whims and machinations
of the Blood Lords. The most significant of the Lower
Factions is the Carters Consortium, responsible for
shipping and transportation within the country.
The Carters Consortium was a Great Faction
until only a few decades ago, when
rivals exposed their leaders as secret
worshippers of Pharasma, and the
entire faction lost a significant amount of standing.
Other Power Groups: One of the only significant
matters that Geb’s factions don’t control is the nation’s
extensive network of spies and secret police, which is
instead orchestrated by Seldeg Bhedlis, a graveknight
spymaster who reports directly to the ghost king
Geb. The Warmaster Council, headquartered in
the metropolis of Yled, is specifically charged with
mobilizing the nation to resume war with Nex. The
Warmaster Council is building its forces slowly but
diligently, working toward a war they are charged
Corpse Tender
with winning.

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

CAMPAIGN TIMELINE or topple the nation’s power structure. You instead

Key events leading up to the start of the Blood Lords work within the existing structure and, as you work
Adventure Path are listed below. up to become Blood Lords yourselves, support it.
Date Event The key threats you’ll face are threats to the nation
–929 ar The declining empire of Osirion formally of Geb, which is your home and the land you seek
cedes control of its southern reaches to to preserve throughout the adventure. Chaotic or
the archmages Geb and Nex. good characters are generally a poor fit for the
–892 ar Nex and Geb go to war, unleashing dire Blood Lords Adventure Path.
magic against each other’s nations. Although you’ll work for and with evil people,
576 ar Nex magically destroys many Gebbites, you don’t need to have an evil alignment to play
prompting Geb to resurrect a vast this campaign. In fact, good characters might enjoy
undead army and march on Nex. Nex balancing the wickedness around them with a desire
vanishes from his capital in Quantium to do the best they can for people. You won’t be
during a Gebbite poison attack, and the tasked to commit overtly evil acts like torture or
war stutters to a stalemate. wanton arson. Most of your enemies won’t be angels
577 ar Geb’s primary apprentices, 60 feuding and paladins—they’ll be anarchists, rival undead, and
necromancers called the Blood Lords, other evil creatures that good and neutral characters
take control of the government as Geb have a great reason to fight.
retreats into solitude and despondency. In short, Geb is a lawful evil land. The more steps
632 ar A despairing Geb attempts to escape your alignment is removed from lawful evil, the less
Golarion in an act of ritual suicide but suited your character is likely to be for this campaign.
arises as a melancholic ghost.
4329 ar Geb petrifies an invading army from ANCESTRIES
Holomog, forming the Field of Maidens. Geb has a wide variety of ancestries and ethnicities,
4716 ar The Refuge of Nex opens in Quantium, although most people in Geb are (or were, in life)
prompting rumors of Nex’s return. humans, particularly ethnic Garundi. The nation
4719 ar Geb’s unwilling queen, the lich is millennia old, and in that time there’s been a
Arazni, abandons Geb to pursue her several successive influxes of humans—mostly
freedom. The graveknights pledged Keleshites from Katapesh and Qadira or Mwangi
to contain her are destroyed by from west of the Barrier Peaks. There are also
Arazni’s machinations, other than the many Vudrani from Jalmeray or elsewhere across
spymaster Seldeg Bhedlis. the Obari Ocean.
4720 ar Geb returns to more active management Halflings are the nation’s second most populous
of his nation, turning his eye toward ancestry, and most are Jaric halflings whose
Nex. He elevates the Warmaster Council ancestors came from the Barrier Wall mountains.
in Yled as his military commanders. Dwarves are also common in Geb, but most are
4722 ar The current year. Promising agents in Kulenett dwarves who inhabit the sprawling
the distant town of Graydirge set upon network of tunnels beneath the nation; few surface
the path to become Blood Lords. denizens of Geb realize just how many dwarves
live beneath them. Elves, gnomes, and goblins are
CHARACTER SUGGESTIONS less well-known, but neither are they cause for
Though you’re free to make any kind of character alarm by their very presence. Some small bands of
you like for the Blood Lords Adventure Path, taking catfolk and gnolls also live in Geb, but usually far
the following suggestions into consideration will from populous cities.
help you get the most out of this campaign. The most common versatile heritages in Geb
are dhampirs and changelings. Both vampires
ALIGNMENTS and hags inhabit the nation and have produced
You and your friends will be taking on the roles offspring over the nation’s long history. A few
of troubleshooters in a land ruled by evil undead. other planetouched heritages, like tieflings and
You aren’t crusaders who seek to quash the undead ganzi, are also present.

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Playing as Undead Pathfinder adventures. This means that classes that

The greatest percentage of the population, by far, are can hold their own in a fight are especially useful.
undead. The Blood Lords Adventure Path is a great This includes fighters, monks, and swashbucklers.
opportunity to try out an undead player character. Barbarians and rangers also make solid choices,
The skeleton ancestry is included starting on page 54 although most of the campaign takes place in urban
of Pathfinder Book of the Dead, and skeletons raise environments, so there’s not quite as much of the
no more eyebrows in Geb than humans do—in fact, wilderness exploration that sometimes makes those
in some places, a skeleton might fit in even better. classes really shine. Alchemists are likely to be very
Book of the Dead also contains rules for playing useful to most groups.
several other types of undead by use of the archetype Champions, as presented in the Pathfinder Core
rules. As described in the Starting Out as Undead Rulebook, are often zealous crusaders of righteous
sidebar on page 45 of that book, your GM might let causes. These types of champions make a poor fit
you begin play as a ghost, ghoul, mummy, vampire, for the Blood Lords Adventure Path. However,
or zombie character right from level 1. a champion with an evil alignment (as presented
Even if your character doesn’t start out as undead, starting on page 116 of the Pathfinder Advanced
you might become one later in your adventuring Player’s Guide) makes a better choice for the
career. The Blood Lords Adventure Path is a great campaign. Druids aren’t likely to have much of a
opportunity for a second chance for your character— satisfying wilderness experience in this campaign,
negative energy suffuses the land in strange ways. but an urban-friendly druid might do well.
If your living character dies, your GM might allow Clerics are among the best class choices for
you to retrain your most recent class feat into an this campaign, but they’re also among the worst.
appropriate undead archetype dedication feat and Urgathoa is the most widely worshipped deity in
rise again to rejoin the party. The campaign’s end Geb, and a cleric of Urgathoa would work well.
might have a higher percentage of undead player Abadar, Irori, Nethys, and Zon-Kuthon also have
characters than its beginning! many worshippers throughout Geb. Due to Arazni’s
unique place as unwilling ruler of Geb for so many
CLASSES years, clerics of Arazni (Pathfinder Lost Omens Gods
The overall theme in the Blood Lords Adventure Path & Magic 54) are also fairly common, although the
is intrigue in an undead nation. Classes well-suited to Blood Lords Adventure Path doesn’t deal much
the intrigue component of this theme include bards, with Arazni’s past or with her current status. Most
investigators, and rogues. In Geb, necromancers are other neutral or evil deities make good choices for
trusted and respected specialists, so any spellcaster clerics, with the significant exception of Pharasma.
with a good number of necromancy spells is a strong As Pharasma’s followers vigilantly strive to destroy
class choice. This includes wizards, of course—and undead, a character (of any class) that venerates
ones with the necromancy school most of all—but also Pharasma isn’t a good fit for this campaign. Most
includes many clerics, oracles, sorcerers, and witches. good-aligned deities encourage vanquishing undead
These classes fit even better if you lean into connections or refusing to work alongside evil, and are thus also
with undeath, such as oracles with the bones mystery poor choices.
and sorcerers with the undead bloodline. The investigator, oracle, swashbuckler, and witch
One important caveat about necromancy spells: classes appear in Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide.
in Geb, it’s illegal to use positive energy, and the
most common source of positive energy that player Other Class Sources
characters employ is the heal spell. Using this spell Several other classes appear in other books, and
around anyone in authority is a bad idea, and even most work very well in the Blood Lords Adventure
commoners in Geb will quickly realize they can curry Path. Alkenstar borders Geb, so gunslingers and
favor by reporting illegal use of positive energy. It’s inventors (from Pathfinder Guns & Gears) can find
safer to rely on other methods of healing, such as the the firearms and technological components available
soothe spell or alchemical elixirs. with only slightly less frequency than they’d find
The Blood Lords Adventure Path contains a lot in that nation of clockworks and black powder.
of the exciting action and combat found in most Gebbites value magic, so magi and summoners (from

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

Pathfinder Secrets of Magic) can fit right in. Their In any campaign where healing spells aren’t the
magical abilities are likely to prove useful. Some of most predominant form of healing, the Medicine skill
campaign’s themes involve tracking down esoteric becomes especially valuable. The Battle Medicine skill
mysteries and exploring mental manipulation, so feat allows you to deploy healing in the middle of a
the psychic and thaumaturge (from Pathfinder Dark fight, and the Stitch Flesh skill feat (Pathfinder Book of
Archive) make good choices as well. the Dead 45) allows you to heal undead allies.
Knowledge is power, and Arcana and Occultism
LANGUAGES can inform you about esoteric secrets and strange
Despite significant exports (especially food exports) creatures you encounter. Lore skills can also be
to all over the Inner Sea region, Geb is a fairly insular situationally useful; those focused on Geb’s cities
country. Osiriani has been spoken here for millennia, (Graydirge, Mechitar, or Yled) or terrains (forest,
and it’s still the common language throughout the plains, or underground) are solid choices. Lore skills
nation. Due to the prevalence of undead, Necril is about common types of undead can also be very
also an especially common language. Some undead useful (such as Vampire Lore or Zombie Lore), as
in Geb speak Necril to each other, assuming that the can Lore skills related to Geb’s common deities and
living don’t know that language—which is why so professions (such as Mercantile Lore, Urgathoa Lore,
many living people in Geb learn Necril as quickly as or Warfare Lore). Undead in Geb have stronger ties
they can. The nation’s high percentage of Kulenett to some planes than others, so Shadow Plane Lore
dwarves and Jaric halflings make Dwarven and and Boneyard Lore can prove useful. Even a skill
Halfling reasonably common languages as well. like Pharasma Lore can be useful, to learn about the
All player characters have Osiriani as their default nation’s enemies.
common language. Any reference to “Common” Nature and Survival will have their uses, but
throughout the Blood Lords Adventure Path (such as they’re probably the least-useful skills for the Blood
in creature stat blocks or otherwise) refer to Osiriani, Lords Adventure Path. Overcoming natural hazards
not Taldane. All player characters also have access to isn’t a big part of this campaign.
Necril, as it’s a language prevalent in the region. You
can pick Taldane as an additional language, if you’d BACKGROUNDS
like, but you aren’t likely to have a lot of use for it. Characters can select any background they choose
for the Blood Lords Adventure Path, as people from
SKILLS AND FEATS all walks of life (and unlife) end up in Graydirge.
Skills and feats that complement your character Page 82 of the Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide
concept are the best ones to take in any campaign. has several suitable backgrounds for characters
In the Blood Lords Adventure Path, interaction skills from the Impossible Lands region; of these, quick is
such as Deception, Diplomacy, and Intimidation are an appropriate background, but Geb crusader isn’t
strong choices. You’ll be negotiating with plenty of particularly in tune with the campaign’s themes.
other people, some of them quite powerful, and these Some of the best background choices in the Core
skills (and their associated skill feats) can be key to Rulebook are artisan, charlatan, detective, emissary
success. Society is an important skill to know who’s (best with the cities of Graydirge, Mechitar, or Yled),
who and how to navigate social situations, so consider merchant, noble, and scholar.
Society and its skill feats as well. Performance is a The new backgrounds below are available for
situationally useful skill to impress others, and good characters in the Blood Lords Adventure Path.
to take if it suits your character concept. Each of these provides a minor connection with
Religion is a useful skill in this campaign for two one of Geb’s powerful economic factions, adding
reasons. Most importantly, it’s the skill used to recall 1 Reputation Point with the indicated faction to
information about undead creatures. It’s also the the party’s score with that faction. A party might
skill to identify religious practices and recall religious thus begin with multiple Reputation Points with a
knowledge. Faith in Urgathoa is pervasive throughout faction, if more than one character takes the same
Geb. All of Geb’s major power players know how to background, but it’s also fine to have a party with ties
properly acknowledge the gods who oversee undeath, to many different factions—leveraging competing
even if they aren’t particularly faithful. faction reputation is important in this campaign.

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SUGGESTED CHARACTER OPTIONS

Alignments Ancestries Classes Languages Skills Feats
(and Ethnicities)
Strongly LE Dhampir* Bard Necril Diplomacy Courtly Graces
Recommended LN Human (Garundi, Cleric (of evil Lore (Geb or Group Impression
Keleshite,Mwangi) or neutral deities other undead-related)
than Pharasma)
Investigator*
NE Skeleton** Oracle (bones mystery Religion Hobnobber
especially) Streetwise
Rogue Stitch Flesh**
Wizard (necromancer) Deceptive Worship*

Recommended N Changling* Fighter Requian Arcana Battle Medicine

Dwarf (Kulenett) Monk Shadowtongue Deception Bon Mot*
Halfling ( Jaric) Sorcerer (undead Sylvan Intimidation Charming Liar
bloodline especially) Medicine Intimidating Glare
Witch* Occultism Lengthy Diversion
Wizard (other then Stealth Lie to Me
necromancer) No Cause for Alarm*
Quick Coercion

Appropriate LG Other common Other common Aklo Acrobatics Other skill feats
ancestries and classes (except below) Celestial Athletics (except below)
heritages Crafting
Performance
Thievery

Not NG — Champion (good aligned) — Nature Express Rider*

Recommended CG Cleric (of Pharasma or Survival Forager
CN any good deity) Natural Medicine
Druid Survey Wildlife
Terrain Expertise
Train Animal

* See Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide

** See Pathfinder Book of the Dead

ABLE CARTER BACKGROUND you’ve given up the shipping business for more lucrative
UNCOMMON opportunities.
You worked for many years as a hauler within Geb, either The Carters Consortium values your past work,
on your own or with a larger operation that shipped especially because so few people are sticking by them
goods across Geb’s ancient roads. In either case, you today. Your party gains 1 Reputation Point with the
were loosely affiliated with the Carters Consortium, and Carters Consortium at the start of the campaign.
you might have even been part of that faction when Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or
allegations of Pharasma worship among its leaders Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.
caused the faction’s sharp drop in significance. You’re trained in your choice of the Deception or
Yet the goods still need to be moved from ports to Diplomacy skill. You gain a skill feat: Charming Liar if you
warehouses or from town to town, and that was your chose Deception or Hobnobber if you chose Diplomacy.
business. You’ve seen a lot of Geb in your time, and you’re You’re also trained in a Lore skill with one of Geb’s cities:
good at interacting with the quick and the dead alike, but Graydirge, Mechitar, or Yled.

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

CONSTRUCTION OCCULTIST BACKGROUND truly is, and you decided that you should seek out a
UNCOMMON different line of work.
You helped to build and design buildings and public The Reanimators appreciate your past service. Your
works on behalf of Geb’s architectural faction, the party gains 1 Reputation Point with the Reanimators at
Builders League. You’ve been taught that creating the start of the campaign.
bridges, gatehouses, roads, walls, and more is as much Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution
about planning as it is about brute labor. You learned that or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.
the Builders League has plans of occult significance for You’re trained in the Medicine skill. You gain your
many of its construction projects and might have even choice of either the Risky Surgery (Pathfinder Advanced
aided them in the way you laid stones or designed walls Player’s Guide 208) or Stitch Flesh (Pathfinder Book of the
(although you never learned the great design behind Dead 45) skill feats. You’re also trained in Zombie Lore.
those secret plans). Although you’ve left construction
behind, the skills in long-term planning and leveraging FOOD TRADER BACKGROUND
effort remain with you. UNCOMMON
You are still well-regarded by the Builders League. Your In your past, you accompanied caravans, ships, or both
party gains 1 Reputation Point with the Builders League hauling foodstuffs out of Geb for export. You might be a
at the start of the campaign. Gebbite or a foreigner who has decided to work in Geb
because of the undeniable opportunities. In any case,
Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence
you’ve traveled between Geb and other nations of the
or Strength, and one is a free ability boost. Inner Sea and seen firsthand that many nations view
You’re trained in your choice of the Athletics or Geb with a combination of barely disguised revulsion and
Occultism skill. You gain a skill feat: Hefty Hauler if you eagerness for its bountiful food exports. Even though you
chose Athletics or Oddity Identification if you chose aren’t in that line of business any longer, you understand
Occultism. You’re also trained in Architecture Lore. how vital this international trade is to Geb’s prosperity
and appreciate the hardworking people who work in it.
CORPSE STITCHER BACKGROUND You are still highly regarded by the Export Guild for
UNCOMMON your past journeys on the nation’s behalf. Your party
The number of zombies working across Geb as gains 1 Reputation Point with the Export Guild at the start
farmhands, laborers, or shambling soldiers seems nearly of the campaign.
uncountable. None of these zombies can do their work if Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution
they fall to pieces, so the Reanimators maintain legions of or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost.
surgeons and tailors to keep zombies stitched together You’re trained in your choice of the Crafting or Society
and suitable for service. You were one of these corpse skill. You gain a skill feat: Seasoned (Pathfinder Advanced
stitchers, working long hours to ensure that Geb’s Players Guide 209) if you chose Crafting or Streetwise if
mindless workforce could perform at its best. On the day you chose Society. You’re also trained in Mercantile Lore.
you saw some of your friends come under your needle,
you realized how expendable Geb’s fleshy population MONEY COUNTER BACKGROUND
UNCOMMON
The wealthiest of all the factions in Geb is the Tax
Collectors Union, but it’s the money counters in its banks
and vaults that keep the numbers tallied. You used to
work as one of these drudges who counted other
people’s money all day, until you decided to slip
some unaccounted coins into your own pocket.
You weren’t caught, but you knew it would only
be a matter of time before you felt the Union’s
wrath if you remained employed. You took the
next opportunity to leave with both your official
and unofficial final payments.
The Tax Collectors Union is unaware of your
Peshagi the Poisoner
petty theft, and you remain in good standing

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE

with them. Your party gains 1 Reputation Point with the push messages of loyalty to the nation. Even though
Tax Collectors Union at the start of the campaign. most Celebrants are followers of Urgathoa, deity of
Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or gluttony and undeath, you might follow a different
Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. faith (or no faith at all); more important is helping
You’re trained in your choice of the Society or Thievery Celebrants spread their message. You started to see that
skill. You gain a skill feat: Eye for Numbers (Pathfinder propaganda was often timed to help the Celebrants, in
Advanced Player’s Guide 206) if you chose Society or addition to the nation as a whole, and you saw just how
Subtle Theft if you chose Thievery. You’re also trained in powerful the right message at the right time can be.
Accounting Lore. You are still well-regarded by the Celebrants. Your
party gains 1 Reputation Point with the Celebrants at the
PROPAGANDA PROMOTER BACKGROUND start of the campaign.
UNCOMMON Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Charisma or
The ghost king Geb has returned to a more active role Dexterity, and one is a free ability boost.
in leading his nation after thousands of years, and it’s You’re trained in your choice of the Acrobatics or
shocking that some people in the nation haven’t heard Performance skill. You gain a skill feat: Steady Balance
that. You helped the Celebrants plan parades, exciting if you chose Acrobatics or Impressive Performance if you
displays like circuses, news missives, and more to help chose Performance. You’re also trained in Urgathoa Lore.

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 PLAYER’S GUIDE
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Blood Lords Player’s Guide © 2022, Paizo Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paizo, the Paizo
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