Wild and Wooly! Pathfinder: Howl of the Wild Reviewed

Title: Pathfinder – Howl of the Wild

Publisher: Paizo Inc

Authors: Kate Baker, Rigby Bendele, Joshua Birdsong, Chris Bissette, Jeremy Blum, Logan Bonner, Dan Cascone, James Case, Jessica Catalan, Brite Cheney, Rue Dickey, Caryn DiMarco, Matthew Fu, Leo Glass, Steven Hammond, Patrick Hurley, Michelle Y. Kim, Dustin Knight, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Christiana Lewis, Jessie “Aki” Lo, Luis Loza, Letterio Mammoliti, Jonathan “Ryomasa” Mendoza, Quinn Murphy, Dave Nelson, Mikhail Rekun, Kai Revius, Ember Rose, Simone D. Sallé, Michael Sayre, Shay Snow, Levi Steadman, Kyle Tam, Ruvaid Virk, and Andrew White

Artists: Wayne Reynolds, Shafi Adams, Wilmar Ballespí Escarp, Gunship Revolution (Mico Dimagiba, Patsy Lascano, Adelijah Ocampo, Luisa Odulio, Hinchel Or, Marcus Reyno, Jen Santos, and Brian Valeza), Ivan Koritarev, Vira Linevych, Mayra Luna, Damien Mammoliti, Lucas Melo, Justine Nortjé,
Mirco Paganessi, Maichol Quinto, Riccardo Rullo, Firat Solhan, Luca Sotgiu, and Jessé Suursoo

Year: 2024

Genre: Pathfinder 2E roleplaying supplement featuring new player character options focused on the natural world

Pages: 224 pages

MSRP: $64.99 in hardcover or $19.99 in PDF

Paizo Inc’s titles are reliably well-written, clear, and engaging. However, when books are allowed to come with a touch of in-universe narration, they tend to really shine, as highlighted by Geb’s sardonic commentary shaping Book of the Dead into one of the liveliest releases in recent years. Howl of the Wild offers us another in-universe look at the world, this time from Baranthet Zamendi, a naturalist and adventurer who has been compelled to record the details of his fantastic journey for the benefit of all who crave adventure, as well as for the financial benefit of the Droon Youth Conservation Foundation.

Functionally, Howl of the Wild introduces new ancestries, including minotaurs, mermaids, and awakened animals; new archetypes and options for existing archetypes; new items; a detailed bestiary; and the Wardens of the Wild themselves. It is a substantial expansion to an already massive gaming toolkit that maintains an outstanding caliber of game design throughout. Even if you are merely interested in the mechanical elements and not the framing, Howl of the Wild is an absolute delight — though you’ll be missing out on a real treat if you really do choose to bypass the narrative elements.

Howl of the Wild recounts Baranthet’s expedition for the Wardens of the Wild. No expedition is undertaken, of course, without benefit of transit or crew. Naturally, our narrator provides us not only a description of his airship, the Zoetrope, but also ensures we are well-acquainted with its crew. Each member of the team serves as an example of one of the new ancestries; while each team member is lovable on their own terms, they are also excellent demonstration of how players can embrace whatever visions they may have, even if it isn’t typical. Why can’t a mermaid be the navigator of an airship? After all, thanks to the newly introduced atmospheric breathing suit, pelagic helmet, and supramarine chair, dry land poses no problem; since these are all assistive devices, players are free to select one at character creation without penalty.

Baranthet’s narration feels something like a crossover between a Jules Verne novel and an old-fashioned adventure serial. He’s full of wonder and warmth, making him an appealing NPC to drop into a campaign or a connection for player characters. From the sample in Howl of the Wind, a proper novel detailing the expedition would be a welcome (if admittedly unorthodox) future addition.

It’s tempting to venerate all of the individual brilliant choices that the team have made, but that highlight reel could go on for pages. While art is consistently high quality in both Pathfinder and Starfinder, some of the character art and full-page spreads are highlights across the entire gameline.

Paizo Inc seems to delight in challenging its creatives to continually up their game, to find new and exciting things to expand the massive variety of options already on offer for players and GMs,and to bring the game’s stated values to the table in fun and surprising ways. Howl of the Wild delivers on all fronts. It’s a wonderfully substantive addition wrapped up in a charming framing device and bedecked with spectacular art. Whether you’re a player or a GM, if you’re a Pathfinder fan, pick this one up.