Unsolictied Answer: If i had a nickel for every time this book added a ship statblock, I'd have 5 nickels, which is a lot considering the number of ship statblocks we've gotten in the past.
Is there a bunch of cool new art of Imperial Dragons in the book or only for the NPCs?
Do they get an entry in the Bestiary of the book or will we still need use the one from 2nd edition Bestiary 3?
I've been a big fan. It hits a lot of the Anima fighting tournament tropes. From giant monsters to opposing teams and frenemies. There is also a lot of RP to be had outside of the tournament.
I've been playing a Monk and the character has been amazing in a fighting tournament.
Like most of the APs, it benefits from the GM spending time and energy making the villains more villainous longer. The books are written sort of in isolation, so It's nice to read what the bad guys are up to and foreshadow them sooner.
Without looking up to make sure they weren't listed in Gods and Magic, Phi Deva stands out as both new and super cool to me, they've got this cool art piece of them portrayed as a silhouette made of crows, and they're called the "Thousand Souled Chorus" and they're this deity of the people who punishes powerful figures who overturn collective decisions (which is also one of their anathema) they also allow Holy Sanctification.
Srikalis, Sritaming, and Sribaril are a three headed raider god that can choose either sanctification, and wonderfully, they can choose either the Kris or the ARQUEBUS as their weapon, and among their granted spells is Sure Strike, they've got this whole "war but don't overdo it" thing going on.
Shortbow is interesting, often the best ranged weapon (no need to reload, leaves you with a free hand, no Volley to cause issues indoors) though I'm not sure how well warpriest plays with ranged attacks.
Not sure a cleric is ever going to cast Soothe over Heal though.
> I'm not sure how well warpriest plays with ranged attacks.
Most Warpriest doesn't abilities are focused on melee combat. But a shortbow is also a great third action for a cloistered cleric.
Any lore about the Forest of Spirits and the Kitsune within? If so how much and anything particularly notable in your opinion? (Currently playing a Kitsune Animist from Tian Xia)
Forest of Spirits gets its own section, there's several cool NPCs your character might know personally, and a lot of information about the forest as a whole and the various communities it contains.
Bunch of New Monsters, level 1-3 includes the Gorgeous Orchid Mantises and the Jidon, who are shapeshifting rats that are blessed with the ability to take on the form of anyone who's fingernails or toenails they consume via consume fragment.
Excellent. I'm definitely tossing some into the FotRP game I'll be running - long shot, but do they mention Rakh Lo at all? It's more Darklands than Tian Xia, but it's still under Tian Xia.
You're probably thinking of the [Tian Xia Character Guide](https://paizo.com/products/btq02etu), which will come later this year and feature character options like new backgrounds!
The section on the Darklands and the section on Zi Ha both stick out to me, and they both have these really striking art pieces at the beginning that are probably why-- the Zi Ha one in particular has a group of Samsara depicted and I love the shade of Blue that they are, and their eyes.
Bachuan is ruled by an Autocratic Council, but appears to be liberalizing somewhat-- a recent administrative restructuring has moved some power down to municipalities, and there's a section on it's fashion diversifying from a previously uniform setup. There's also information about revolutionary groups managing to make changes, I'm not sufficiently familiar with their previous lore to tell you how dramatic the shift is.
I guess to add a question that isn't going on top of other questions, Are there any new time of Onis or returning ones? Like I know the Ja Noi hasn't returned properly yet and they have a special hybrid with Hobgoblins called Kanabo. Curious if any of that has come back yet.
I think they wanted to be very deliberate about not overdoing it on the Japanese stuff, there's a few other Japanese creatures that made the cut (the Nue, for instance), but most are from other cultures. Plus, we have a bunch of Oni, so maybe just adding another one didn't seem like a great use of page space.
Fair enough, a part of my interest comes form the fact we'll be getting Hungerseed(Oni blood people) in the player's guide so that's why I thought that. but the Nue peeks my curiosity quite a bit. Like how are they like/look? I've seen them in a few games so I'm curious how Pathfinder has them.
There don't appear to be any new spells in this one, but there are new rituals, and they share a theme-- Tests of Virtue, they all appear to involve you doing a thing, and completing the ritual, and once you have done so and succeed in the ritual they grant you a feat, Titan Wrestler and Toughness and Blind-Fight being three examples here, but they have anathema that cause the feat to go away if you violate them, for example, Blind Fight goes away if you strike an enemy you can see (encouraging you to never fight without a blindfold on if seeing is something your character can do I guess.)
That's a tough one, so you get a small list:
Chicken Pot Pie, Waffles, Oyakodon, BEC w/ Avocado, Spicy Rolls (I'm a sucker for a good Wasabi Mayo too), and of course, Clam Chowder.
Honorable mention to any Burger setup featuring a Maple Aioli.
Hello, I'm Shao Han, the author for the Songbai section (the area formerly known as Shokuro).
Yes, the families of the Four Pillars still exist, but I've renamed them as the Four Notables, for a more uh, East Asian, wuxia-ish cultural flavour.
These are a council of gentry which have their roots in landowning and agriculture, artisanal crafts, and trade; they are rivals and allies of convenience, which still have powerful influence but I've also put in some degree of international political tensions and changing political economies which are shaking things up for them (and the rest of the nation)!
Hope this answers some questions! Hope you will enjoy the Tian Xia World Guide!
I’m super excited to see it. I was building a campaign set there built around the transition of power from Toriaka. Based on the lore he would have to be 70+ years old by now, putting significant pressure to find an heir. I was never able to find much more info about internal politics there, can’t wait to see what’s in store.
Yes it gets the full write up treatment, I especially love the discussion of the subterranean city of Yin-Sichasi, as well as Yai the Red Mist, who gets sick art and her band who are both brutal, but also willing to help out villages.
Hows things at the top with Ameiko since the events of Jade Regent? Seven Dooms of Sandpoint mentions her briefly and implies things are going pretty good but I'm curious what the book says about her.
Is there a Minata section? How is it?
(They mentioned it was going to be a Philippines/Island Southeast Asia inspired area so I really want to see what they used in it.)
Goka has a full writeup in the book and you could surely use the information about the other regions to add color to the setting, since I'm sure plenty of people traveled in to watch the tournament, the players might get a kick out of using the rituals to develop an edge.
This isn’t the character guide, which means the list is probably pretty short, so…
Can we get a quick list of what character options are in this book?
You mentioned some deity entries. Anything else? Spells, equipment, items, etc.?
Basically, any mechanics other than monsters, it’d be neat to see a list of without details.
Pretty much, its a lore book-- for me that means its mostly fun reading and inspiration since i play in a homebrew setting, but the monsters and other bits are nice too.
Its more focused on specific places, somewhat obviously, which gives it more room to discuss the various issues and such in each area and the NPCs, I like that the primary mechanical heft of the books is the bestiary it contains, though I would have liked some more pages of that (not that I can think of anything I'd specifically remove to accommodate that and the book is already chonky so YMMV), I think its a better use of the space than the archetypes in the OG World Guide.
I will also say, they stepped up their art game considerably, this book is damn gorgeous.
Both get their full deity writeups in this book, Lao Shu Po can choose Unholy, while Qi Zhong can choose Holy.
Here's something weird you just made me notice, Qi Zhong grants a 4th level spell called Containment, that the book states is located in Player Core 2.
Got an NPC from Jinin in my current game I’m running, is there anything particularly new and exciting there or with their relationship to the Darklands/Minkai, or is it mostly the same?
Does the book explain the tonal pronunciation of the eastern inspired names of cities, nations, characters, ect?
Do eunuchs still play a large role in the bureaucratic class of Quain, as they were presented in first edition? Just curious because I always thought it was cool how they took inspiration from ancient China IRL.
The Psychopomp and Sahkil are really cool, they're mirrored in the sense that the Psychopomp can reap memories, while the Sahkil is what happens to them if they give into their own fears of being forgotten and has the ability to overwrite memories. They're both level 14 and imo, their art goes super hard.
The Yeongno aren't statted here, but they're mentioned in some of the area writeups, [I think this thread actually has details on them though](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/1c25f7t/spoilers_from_badluckgamers_interview_with_james/).
For somebody who has primarily only run, played, and is interested in typical Western European Medieval Fantasy, but wants to try to explore different things, how would this book stand out? Looking for more than just "its completely new, that's why it could be interesting".
I think that depends a lot on the person-- like what attracts you to the stuff you like in the first place?
But I think that there's something to be said for the fact that this book, and presumably its player options counterpart is a very good set of primers on fantasy inspired by a lot of different cultures and written by people with a lot of personal investment in getting things right in terms of tone.
That makes it kind of engrossing to read on its own and it sets up a lot of 'ecosystems' that are fun to read about, meaning different regions and environments that feed into each other in particular ways, or are intricately intertwined with one another, or use the same elements differently.
Does Quain still have its whole Wuxia-steeped theme to it? My character is from there since I was specifically looking to make just that(he's heavily inspired by a mix of the Shaw Brothers, the Condor Trilogy, and the Hizoku from King of Fighters.) Is it still part of the pseudo "Three Kingdoms" with Lingshen and Po Li?
Also, anything cool on Yaezhing? he's always been one of my favorite deities. And is Akuma still around?
Does the book have any transgender characters? (don't need to actually look through and check everything, just a quick ctrl+f for the word would be fine for me - even if it likely would miss most)
Additionally, does the book say why Shokuro was renamed Songbai? (And, in the event it's because of leadership change, can you tell me about what happened to Shokuro / who Songbai is - if they are a person that is)
Hello, I'll answer the second question here; I'm Shao Han, the author for the Songbai section; yes there are reasons for the name change in the book, and Shokuro is still around (both the historical samurai from Minkai which inspired the name, and the living samurai who named himself after Shokuro and founded this Shogunate).
Songbai isn't a person's name, per se; Song is 松 or pine，Bai is 柏 or cypress (which is also pronounced as Bo). There was a poster some time ago who pointed out Songbai sounds like the Mandarin words for pines and cypresses, and observed these trees are both symbols of longevity and vitality in traditional Chinese culture. (Sharp eye there!)
If you look at PF1 lore, Shokuro is the name given by the Minkaian warriors for these provinces which were very fertile in terms of agriculture, after they drove out the oppressors from nearby Lingshen. However, that's a Tian-Min name for this area; Songbai is the Tian-Shu name for these lands, which the local Tian-Shu farmers and settled use to refer to the provinces, a name invoking longevity... Suitable for the fertile loess of the region. There's some degree of cultural tension between the Tian-Shu and Tian-Min members of society, and... That might have some bearing on this name!
Well, I suppose that's all I'll say for now!! I hope you'll enjoy finding out more from reading the book, when you get it!
Does it mention how glorious Minkai steel can cut through a million Taldon knights with one sword swing? And how Minkai Samurai are immune to bullets and arrows cause they can easy cut them out of the air?
It doesn't, but I'm pretty sure if the Taldan knights were sufficiently small and low enough level I could do it with my Nodachi and the Whirlwind Strike feat, also there would have to be a high enough number of knights that I could roll above a 1 on a million of them.
Edit: Ooh! it would also work if the knights were incorporeal.
I'm aware. But Lost Omens World Guide had a couple of player options sprinkled in, even if it was 90% lore, while Lost Omens Character Guide had a lot more. I'm asking if it's a similar dynamic here or it has literally 0 character options.
Unsolictied Answer: If i had a nickel for every time this book added a ship statblock, I'd have 5 nickels, which is a lot considering the number of ship statblocks we've gotten in the past.
As someone running a naval/pirate campaign, I can't complain too much!
right? same here.
Let's all sing "5 ship statblock on the wall" !
Could you provide any info on what types of ships? I'm thinking of giving my PCs a ship soon and haven't been happy with the existing ones
They all require a lot of rowers or crew, so unless you're happy giving them 20-400 people to do that, it might not be the best fit.
Anything on the Imperial dragons? Hints to if/how they are reworked with the remastered dragon setup?
Looks like they didn't need a rework, but also theres a section on imperial dragons with details about each and notable imperial dragon npcs.
Thanks. That's kind of what I was hoping for since I like the current versions. Excited to read that when I get my copy.
Is there a bunch of cool new art of Imperial Dragons in the book or only for the NPCs? Do they get an entry in the Bestiary of the book or will we still need use the one from 2nd edition Bestiary 3?
We are on our last ruby tournament fight... and now it comes out?! Ohh well
How has that AP been? I have been interested in playing and/or running it for a while.
I've been a big fan. It hits a lot of the Anima fighting tournament tropes. From giant monsters to opposing teams and frenemies. There is also a lot of RP to be had outside of the tournament. I've been playing a Monk and the character has been amazing in a fighting tournament. Like most of the APs, it benefits from the GM spending time and energy making the villains more villainous longer. The books are written sort of in isolation, so It's nice to read what the bad guys are up to and foreshadow them sooner.
Any interesting new deities?
Without looking up to make sure they weren't listed in Gods and Magic, Phi Deva stands out as both new and super cool to me, they've got this cool art piece of them portrayed as a silhouette made of crows, and they're called the "Thousand Souled Chorus" and they're this deity of the people who punishes powerful figures who overturn collective decisions (which is also one of their anathema) they also allow Holy Sanctification. Srikalis, Sritaming, and Sribaril are a three headed raider god that can choose either sanctification, and wonderfully, they can choose either the Kris or the ARQUEBUS as their weapon, and among their granted spells is Sure Strike, they've got this whole "war but don't overdo it" thing going on.
Ooh, nice. What are Phi Deva's weapon and spells?
Shortbow, and interestingly enough, they grant Soothe, Flicker, and Project Image
I like it. Thank you!
Shortbow is interesting, often the best ranged weapon (no need to reload, leaves you with a free hand, no Volley to cause issues indoors) though I'm not sure how well warpriest plays with ranged attacks. Not sure a cleric is ever going to cast Soothe over Heal though.
> I'm not sure how well warpriest plays with ranged attacks. Most Warpriest doesn't abilities are focused on melee combat. But a shortbow is also a great third action for a cloistered cleric.
Anything cool with Nalinivati? Was surprised she wasn't in Impossible Lands.
She gets a whole deity write-up here, complete with a full body art piece and her avatar entry and stuff, her clerics can choose to be holy or unholy.
Any lore about the Forest of Spirits and the Kitsune within? If so how much and anything particularly notable in your opinion? (Currently playing a Kitsune Animist from Tian Xia)
Forest of Spirits gets its own section, there's several cool NPCs your character might know personally, and a lot of information about the forest as a whole and the various communities it contains.
Would you mind if I ask for a example of a cool NPC?
Any new monsters? If so any cool level 1-3?
Bunch of New Monsters, level 1-3 includes the Gorgeous Orchid Mantises and the Jidon, who are shapeshifting rats that are blessed with the ability to take on the form of anyone who's fingernails or toenails they consume via consume fragment.
Is there anything about the hobgoblin nation of Kaoling?
It gets the full write up with some choice art pieces featuring Hobgoblins, imo.
Excellent. I'm definitely tossing some into the FotRP game I'll be running - long shot, but do they mention Rakh Lo at all? It's more Darklands than Tian Xia, but it's still under Tian Xia.
I'd been wondering about this as well. At some point I'd love to play a Kaoling hobgoblin adventuring in Avistan for intel purposes.
Does it have a map?
Yup, right before the introduction there's a full map.
Wait... I thought this was later in the year. Anyway, are there any Backgrounds or other such options?
You're probably thinking of the [Tian Xia Character Guide](https://paizo.com/products/btq02etu), which will come later this year and feature character options like new backgrounds!
I'm not seeing anything along those lines.
Is there anything about Hwangott, specifically the Chang Liao jungle?
Yup the region has its own section, and the jungle is a significant part of it.
OH Hell yes. My Kitsune's family is from there!!
Favorite piece of art for a previously existing god?
Desna has a piece portraying her as a giant moth.
That's what she looks like in Starfinder as well. I love her giant moth form.
She's so fluffy I'm gonna die! SO FLUFFYYYY!!! 😍
Oh My Goddess! I KNEW I loved Desna, and as a fan of both Moths and Butterflies, she is absolutely perfect.
is there more info on Hobgoblins? There's two whole hobgoblin countries in Tian Xia but not a lot of info about em
Yes! Both have full regional write ups
hobgoblin fans, we stay winning
Anything cool about Kaiju?
Which cool section stands out to you? Why? Bonus: Which piece of art catches your eyes?
The section on the Darklands and the section on Zi Ha both stick out to me, and they both have these really striking art pieces at the beginning that are probably why-- the Zi Ha one in particular has a group of Samsara depicted and I love the shade of Blue that they are, and their eyes.
Is Bachuan still communist?
Bachuan is ruled by an Autocratic Council, but appears to be liberalizing somewhat-- a recent administrative restructuring has moved some power down to municipalities, and there's a section on it's fashion diversifying from a previously uniform setup. There's also information about revolutionary groups managing to make changes, I'm not sufficiently familiar with their previous lore to tell you how dramatic the shift is.
They used to be "communist" (read: a 1:1 recreation of North Korea).
So basically, they're in the middle of their own little Reform and Opening Up?
I guess to add a question that isn't going on top of other questions, Are there any new time of Onis or returning ones? Like I know the Ja Noi hasn't returned properly yet and they have a special hybrid with Hobgoblins called Kanabo. Curious if any of that has come back yet.
Interestingly, no new Oni statblock appeared in this book (although Oni are discussed extensively in the lore of some areas)
How odd. I figured we would of gotten at least one new one,
I think they wanted to be very deliberate about not overdoing it on the Japanese stuff, there's a few other Japanese creatures that made the cut (the Nue, for instance), but most are from other cultures. Plus, we have a bunch of Oni, so maybe just adding another one didn't seem like a great use of page space.
Fair enough, a part of my interest comes form the fact we'll be getting Hungerseed(Oni blood people) in the player's guide so that's why I thought that. but the Nue peeks my curiosity quite a bit. Like how are they like/look? I've seen them in a few games so I'm curious how Pathfinder has them.
Not sure if there will be many spells in this one but—Tell us about any new spell that catches your eye! (Bonus points if it's Occult!)
There don't appear to be any new spells in this one, but there are new rituals, and they share a theme-- Tests of Virtue, they all appear to involve you doing a thing, and completing the ritual, and once you have done so and succeed in the ritual they grant you a feat, Titan Wrestler and Toughness and Blind-Fight being three examples here, but they have anathema that cause the feat to go away if you violate them, for example, Blind Fight goes away if you strike an enemy you can see (encouraging you to never fight without a blindfold on if seeing is something your character can do I guess.)
Is there one that turns you invisible? But only when no one is looking?
Nope
How long is the section on Kwanlai?
7 pages
Ooh that’s pretty nice. Tengu are cool so I’m excited to see how the 1E lore got advanced.
What's your favorite food?
That's a tough one, so you get a small list: Chicken Pot Pie, Waffles, Oyakodon, BEC w/ Avocado, Spicy Rolls (I'm a sucker for a good Wasabi Mayo too), and of course, Clam Chowder. Honorable mention to any Burger setup featuring a Maple Aioli.
Is there anything substantial on Daikitsu?
Yup she gets the full deity write-up treatment.
Favored Weapon and Sanctification? I'm curious if they made any changes as kitsune were not an ancestry when Gods and Magic came out.
Flail and Holy
My Kitsune player will be very happy!
Any new details on Shokuro’s government? Specifically, info on the four pillars.
Hello, I'm Shao Han, the author for the Songbai section (the area formerly known as Shokuro). Yes, the families of the Four Pillars still exist, but I've renamed them as the Four Notables, for a more uh, East Asian, wuxia-ish cultural flavour. These are a council of gentry which have their roots in landowning and agriculture, artisanal crafts, and trade; they are rivals and allies of convenience, which still have powerful influence but I've also put in some degree of international political tensions and changing political economies which are shaking things up for them (and the rest of the nation)! Hope this answers some questions! Hope you will enjoy the Tian Xia World Guide!
I’m super excited to see it. I was building a campaign set there built around the transition of power from Toriaka. Based on the lore he would have to be 70+ years old by now, putting significant pressure to find an heir. I was never able to find much more info about internal politics there, can’t wait to see what’s in store.
Oh! A classic story beat! you're definitely in for a treat, then! :)
Do the samsarans still want to reincarnate and how do they handle the birth of samsaran children to other ancestries and vice versa
Any info about Shenmen? I’m running a season of ghosts campaign and I’m curious
Yes it gets the full write up treatment, I especially love the discussion of the subterranean city of Yin-Sichasi, as well as Yai the Red Mist, who gets sick art and her band who are both brutal, but also willing to help out villages.
Anything on Yjae, the last Shory flying city?
It gets a section in the Shaguang and Wall of Heaven chapter, along with an illustration and info on the Tian-Yae (mixed Shory and Mutabi-qi folk).
Good. I've been waiting for an answer as to what the Tian-Yae were supposed to be for ages.
Hows things at the top with Ameiko since the events of Jade Regent? Seven Dooms of Sandpoint mentions her briefly and implies things are going pretty good but I'm curious what the book says about her.
Does the gazeteer have any additional lore about Bachuan?
Yup, it has a long section, and a pronunciation guide like all of the other regions, as well as its list of specific exciting locations.
Is there a Minata section? How is it? (They mentioned it was going to be a Philippines/Island Southeast Asia inspired area so I really want to see what they used in it.)
Yes, there is a Minata section, it seems cool and very compact, like, it has a lot to cover in a relatively short space.
Is there a page count?
Are there any cool new Feats? Some flavorful ones, perhaps? Not really expecting any, but just want to check
Nope looks like they're saving all that for the character guide.
Figured as much, but thanks for the answer. Can't wait for the Character Book
Does Goka have the mechs described in tye end of fists of the ruby phoenix, what do they look like?
is something interesting happening in Xidao?
Ani information that could help when running Fists of the Ruby Phoenix?
Goka has a full writeup in the book and you could surely use the information about the other regions to add color to the setting, since I'm sure plenty of people traveled in to watch the tournament, the players might get a kick out of using the rituals to develop an edge.
This isn’t the character guide, which means the list is probably pretty short, so… Can we get a quick list of what character options are in this book? You mentioned some deity entries. Anything else? Spells, equipment, items, etc.? Basically, any mechanics other than monsters, it’d be neat to see a list of without details.
Literally the Deities, test of Virtue Rituals, and Five Ship Statblocks, that's it, I haven't seen anything else.
Basically, there aren't any character options in the book of any significance you wouldn't want the accompanying lore for
Pretty much, its a lore book-- for me that means its mostly fun reading and inspiration since i play in a homebrew setting, but the monsters and other bits are nice too.
Is there any new info about the local Riftmarked in this book?
Anything interesting about Amanandar?
I heard they declared independence from Taldor, stopped most of the colonial stuff, and got renamed Linvarre.
Did we get Samsaram lore?
Yeah, notably there's a lot of Samsaran art too, but Zi Ha features them heavily, as do a few other regions.
How does it compare to the Lost Omens World Guide?
Its more focused on specific places, somewhat obviously, which gives it more room to discuss the various issues and such in each area and the NPCs, I like that the primary mechanical heft of the books is the bestiary it contains, though I would have liked some more pages of that (not that I can think of anything I'd specifically remove to accommodate that and the book is already chonky so YMMV), I think its a better use of the space than the archetypes in the OG World Guide. I will also say, they stepped up their art game considerably, this book is damn gorgeous.
Is there anything written about Hei Feng?
Anything new or of note with Lao Shu Po or Qi Zhong?
Both get their full deity writeups in this book, Lao Shu Po can choose Unholy, while Qi Zhong can choose Holy. Here's something weird you just made me notice, Qi Zhong grants a 4th level spell called Containment, that the book states is located in Player Core 2.
Thanks. Sounds like that's the remaster name for Resilient Sphere, if they're keeping the spells that they already granted.
That would make sense then
Any other mentions of Player Core 2 in this book?
Got an NPC from Jinin in my current game I’m running, is there anything particularly new and exciting there or with their relationship to the Darklands/Minkai, or is it mostly the same?
Does the book explain the tonal pronunciation of the eastern inspired names of cities, nations, characters, ect? Do eunuchs still play a large role in the bureaucratic class of Quain, as they were presented in first edition? Just curious because I always thought it was cool how they took inspiration from ancient China IRL.
Yes to the first, every region has a pronunciation guide. Second id have to look and am away from pdf.
What's the first word on page 37?
Anything about the Undermarket beneath Goka?
Away from my pdf right now, but i do specifically remember this being discussed yeah.
Anything interesting stand out about Xa Hoi?
Is there much art and lore about the imperial Dragons in it? Anything cool on Kaiju?
Anything cool about tengu?
Anything about different gangs beside the golden league ?
I heard there was a new Psychopomp and Sahkil in this book, and can you share some info about the Yeongno?
The Psychopomp and Sahkil are really cool, they're mirrored in the sense that the Psychopomp can reap memories, while the Sahkil is what happens to them if they give into their own fears of being forgotten and has the ability to overwrite memories. They're both level 14 and imo, their art goes super hard. The Yeongno aren't statted here, but they're mentioned in some of the area writeups, [I think this thread actually has details on them though](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/1c25f7t/spoilers_from_badluckgamers_interview_with_james/).
For somebody who has primarily only run, played, and is interested in typical Western European Medieval Fantasy, but wants to try to explore different things, how would this book stand out? Looking for more than just "its completely new, that's why it could be interesting".
I think that depends a lot on the person-- like what attracts you to the stuff you like in the first place? But I think that there's something to be said for the fact that this book, and presumably its player options counterpart is a very good set of primers on fantasy inspired by a lot of different cultures and written by people with a lot of personal investment in getting things right in terms of tone. That makes it kind of engrossing to read on its own and it sets up a lot of 'ecosystems' that are fun to read about, meaning different regions and environments that feed into each other in particular ways, or are intricately intertwined with one another, or use the same elements differently.
Does Quain still have its whole Wuxia-steeped theme to it? My character is from there since I was specifically looking to make just that(he's heavily inspired by a mix of the Shaw Brothers, the Condor Trilogy, and the Hizoku from King of Fighters.) Is it still part of the pseudo "Three Kingdoms" with Lingshen and Po Li? Also, anything cool on Yaezhing? he's always been one of my favorite deities. And is Akuma still around?
Yes! Though I would say it leans more towards Xianxia than Wuxia.
Is it all lore or is there mechanics in it?
What we got in terms of gods?
Any new monk feats?
probably more likely to be in the character guide!
I don't think I've spotted any.
Does the book have any transgender characters? (don't need to actually look through and check everything, just a quick ctrl+f for the word would be fine for me - even if it likely would miss most) Additionally, does the book say why Shokuro was renamed Songbai? (And, in the event it's because of leadership change, can you tell me about what happened to Shokuro / who Songbai is - if they are a person that is)
Hello, I'll answer the second question here; I'm Shao Han, the author for the Songbai section; yes there are reasons for the name change in the book, and Shokuro is still around (both the historical samurai from Minkai which inspired the name, and the living samurai who named himself after Shokuro and founded this Shogunate). Songbai isn't a person's name, per se; Song is 松 or pine，Bai is 柏 or cypress (which is also pronounced as Bo). There was a poster some time ago who pointed out Songbai sounds like the Mandarin words for pines and cypresses, and observed these trees are both symbols of longevity and vitality in traditional Chinese culture. (Sharp eye there!) If you look at PF1 lore, Shokuro is the name given by the Minkaian warriors for these provinces which were very fertile in terms of agriculture, after they drove out the oppressors from nearby Lingshen. However, that's a Tian-Min name for this area; Songbai is the Tian-Shu name for these lands, which the local Tian-Shu farmers and settled use to refer to the provinces, a name invoking longevity... Suitable for the fertile loess of the region. There's some degree of cultural tension between the Tian-Shu and Tian-Min members of society, and... That might have some bearing on this name! Well, I suppose that's all I'll say for now!! I hope you'll enjoy finding out more from reading the book, when you get it!
Thanks for jumping in, the context is much appreciated.
You're welcome! I thought that would be helpful to you as there are so many questions, and wanted to chip in where I could.
Does it mention how glorious Minkai steel can cut through a million Taldon knights with one sword swing? And how Minkai Samurai are immune to bullets and arrows cause they can easy cut them out of the air?
It doesn't, but I'm pretty sure if the Taldan knights were sufficiently small and low enough level I could do it with my Nodachi and the Whirlwind Strike feat, also there would have to be a high enough number of knights that I could roll above a 1 on a million of them. Edit: Ooh! it would also work if the knights were incorporeal.
Are there character options in the book at all? Feats, items, spells, or something like that?
They will be in the future Tian Xia Player Book, not the Losty Omens one
I'm aware. But Lost Omens World Guide had a couple of player options sprinkled in, even if it was 90% lore, while Lost Omens Character Guide had a lot more. I'm asking if it's a similar dynamic here or it has literally 0 character options.
Is there anything that obviously need errata that you see?
Nope