Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Inner Sea Intrigue" [RPG]

Inner Sea Intrigue is a 64-page, full-colour sourcebook that helps to situate the themes from the setting-neutral Ultimate Intrigue into Golarion.  It has a mixture of material for GMs (like new content for rules sub-systems) and for players (such as several new archetypes).  More detail is below.  To preview my conclusion, I think this is an extremely useful book and a good addition to anyone's Pathfinder collection.

Chapter 1, "Intrigue of the Inner Sea" (6 pages) starts the book off with paragraph-long descriptions of how intrigue stories could be located in various regions of Golarion.  There's an impressive amount of setting lore on display, though I might personally nitpick that Varisia (and some of its notable cities, like Korvosa and Riddleport) isn't included.  The rest of the chapter is an usual little overview of something like three dozen "schemers of the Inner Sea"--each NPC receives a headshot, alignment and class level, and brief description.  The NPCs come from a variety of places--Pathfinder Society, previous campaign setting books and adventures, and even the novels.  I'm not 100% sure how useful this is, but it's an interesting assortment, to be sure.

Chapter 2, "Avenues of Intrigue" (10 pages) adds some additional content to some of the themes and rules sub-systems introduced in Ultimate Intrigue.  It gives stats for four specific archives usable with the library research rules (I appreciated the info on the Jeggare Museum for my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign), adds some new feats for characters with masked personas, expands on the idea of stylized spells (a great way to stun the know-it-alls at the table!), and adds a few more ways to use the verbal duels rules such as inciting riots or winning courtroom trials.  A new sub-system is included--spreading and countering rumors.  The chapter makes very good use of referencing other intrigue-based sub-systems from a wide variety of books, so, if nothing else, it can point readers in a good direction.

Chapter 3 is "Nefarious Schools" (10 pages) and sets up a whole rules sub-system for  "nefarious" institutions in the same vein that Inner Sea Magic had for magical academies and Inner Sea Combat had for fighting schools.  Everything from finding the group to entrance exams & fees to getting expelled is covered.  In addition, each of the specific schools detailed has particular tasks and awards associated with them.  In a way, they work a bit like factions in Pathfinder Society or Starfinder Society, where things like Fame and Prestige within the group are tracked and can be spent for special benefits.  Some of the benefits are pretty cool and offer boosts to class abilities that could be unique in the game.  However, I find it hard to picture how some of these "schools" work in light of the fact that many campaigns may only span several months of in-game time.  It's a sub-system that could be an interesting way to track "success" (beyond just wealth and experience points), however, if the GM and players all bought into it.  The chapter has specific descriptions for three criminal enterprises (the Freebooters' Academy, the Guild of Liars, and the Guild of Wonders), three rebel groups (the Bright Lions, Irgal's Axe, and the Woodsedge Dissidents), three secret schools (the Honored of Osibu, the Kusari-Gama, and the Sword Pit), and finally three spy academies (the Conservatory, the Kitharodian Academy, and the Twilight Talons.  All of these locations are  geographically notated on the book's inside front cover.  The system is designed to work alongside a similar system in the Faction Guide as well.

Chapter 4 is the longest chapter, "Masters of Intrigue" (20 pages).  It starts with a handy page describing how many intrigue-themed archetypes from other books could be situated in Golarion.  Several pages are then devoted to new class options (talents, primarily) for Inquisitors, Rogues, and Vigilantes.  Next are two new prestige classes, each receiving a full two-page spread.  The prestige classes include the Enchanting Courtesan (an interesting mix of concealed spellcasting, poison use, and information gathering abilities) and the Lion Blade (secret bardic spies from Taldor--the prestige class is a bit scatter-shot in what it offers).  The remainder of the chapter is devoted to several (17!) new archetypes.  Although many of the archetypes are for classes one would expect (rogues, investigators, etc.), there's also some for counter-intuitive classes like druids, summoners, and witches.  There's far too many archetypes for me to go into detail, so suffice it to say my notes on the various archetypes use the words "ok" and "too weak" frequently, but with a few inclusions of "cool".  Something I have no qualms about, however, is the artwork--the piece on page 39 is just stunning.

Chapter 5 is the "Intrigue Toolbox" (16 pages), and contains dozens of new poisons, magic items, spells, and a very useful little section on special building materials (dead-magic walls, lead-lined walls, and secrecy runes).  There's a lot of little things I like in this section, such as a poison (Blackfingers' Silence) that renders the victim unable to speak or cast spells--my Daggermark Poisoner PFS character once put that to good use.  There's a lot of really clever, sneaky spells that help the GM in crafting intrigue and mystery stories that aren't so easily foiled by common skills and spells in a PC's toolbox.  For example, there's substitute trail (making it seem like someone else left the trail that you've left).  Overall, it's a solid chapter that pretty much every player and GM can make use of to some degree or another.

I found Inner Sea Intrigue extremely useful in planning my run of Curse of the Crimson Throne, and I'm sure most GMs can find something worthwhile inside it as well.  It also has a wealth of options for players in terms of new archetypes, spells, equipment, etc.  There's a consistent, high-standard of quality from the book, which might stem from the fact that it's one of the few Paizo books written by a single author instead of a collection of several each doing little bits.  I love the cover art, but there's some great interior art as well.  Anyway, this is a really useful book for anyone interested in the more subtle types of gameplay that Pathfinder can offer.