But is It Divine? Pathfinder Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries Reviewed

Title: Pathfinder Lost Omens – Divine Mysteries

Publisher: Paizo Inc

Authors: Misha Bushyager, Jessica Catalan, Carlos Cisco,Rue Dickey, Brian Duckwitz, Aoife Ester, Eleanor Ferron, Ivis K. Flanagan, Tomas Gimenez Rioja, Leo Glass, Alastor Guzman, Thurston Hillman, Laura Lynn Horst, James Jacobs, Jason Keeley, Michelle Y. Kim, Monte Lin, Luis Loza, Stephanie Lundeen, Poorna M., Adam Ma, Jacob W. Michaels, Jaime Reyes Mondragon, Zac Moran, Jon Morgantini, Matt Morris, Morgan Nuncio, Kevin Thien Vu Long Nguyen, Daniel “Drakoniques” Oleh, Pam Punzalan, Jessica Redekop, Erin Roberts, quinn b. rodriguez, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Austin Taylor, Isis Wozniakowska, Sebastian Yue, Robert Adducci, Piper Amatrudi, Amirali Attar Olyaee, Calder CaDavid, James Case, Adam Daigle, Katina Davis, Leo Glass, Joshua Grinlinton, James Jacobs, Virginia Jordan, Jason Keeley, Jacky Leung, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Stephanie Lundeen, Jacob W. Michaels, Matt Morris, Dave Nelson, Samantha Phelan, Jennifer Povey, Jessica Redekop, Patrick Renie, David N. Ross, Simone D. Sallé, Michael Sayre, David Schwartz, Shahreena Shahrani, Isabelle Thorne, Marc Thuot, Jason Tondro, and Diego Valdez

Artists: Ekaterina Gordeeva, Klaher Baklaher, Helge C. Balzer, Subroto Bhaumik, Leonardo Borazio, Diana Campos, Michele Chang, Anna Christenson, Cagdas Demiralp, Emile Denis, Michele Esposito, Mariusz Gandzel, Kendal Gates, Fabio Gorla, Miguel Regodón Harkness, Igor Grechanyi, Vlada Hladkova, Sammy Khalid, Katerina Kirillova, Ivan Koritarev, Ksenia Kozhevnikova, Katherine Laczin, Valeria Lutfullina, Alexander Nanitchkov, Will O’Brien, Vilius Petrauskas, Nicholas Phillips, Hugh Pindur, Sandra Posada, Maichol Quinto, Audy Ravindra, Riccardo Rullo, Luis Salas Lastra, Firat Solhan, and Luca Sotgiu

Year: 2024

Genre: Pathfinder sourcebook focusing on the deities and other god-like beings of Golarion

Pages: 320 pages

MSRP: $79.99 for the hardcover or $39.99 in PDF

Lost Omens Divine Mysteries expands on and updates material first introduced in Lost Omens Gods & Magic. It provides detailed profiles for many of the most popular Pathfinder deities, as well as class expansions, new archetypes, and additional character options. Of course, the book also taken an in-world deep dive into the mysteries of divinity via its narrator, Yivali, an aide-in-training to Pharasma.

Divine Mysteries packs a lot into its 320 pages. The level of detail is impressive and there is no shortage of inspiration for GMs and players alike. The in-world portions provide a unique perspective that keeps detail front of mind while still creating a story-focused hook to keep things straight.

While this section is certainly well-written with a strong sense of character voice and a wonderful sense of pacing, it may be the section that most risks losing its readers. Yivali is well-realized as a narrator, but that realization full encapsulates her devotion and her role as an aide-in-training. If deeply devout, academic-flavored writing isn’t your cup of tea, this opening section – even with all of its strengths – may be tough to get through.

The deity profiles are easily accessible as reference, detailing areas of concern, edicts, anathema, divine attributes, religious symbols, sacred animals and colors, as well as devotee benefits, all in a handy at-a-glance format. The additional detail provided in the text provides a detail description of each deity’s church, followers, and relationships, painting a rich picture. For GMs looking for campaign inspiration or players looking to develop compelling character backgrounds, these are veritable wellsprings of information.

Divine Mysteries also contains some of Pathfinder’s most visually striking art in recent memory. The two-page spread that opens the introduction is beautiful, followed by a charming piece of half-page splash art depicting Yivali hard at work. The highlight art depicting both the gods and their followers keeps the profiles from feeling too text-heavy while also providing a visual hook for readers.

The real sticking point here is the price. While about $30 for the PDF is the high end of the industry norm, nearly $80 for the hardcover edition is a tough ask. Divine Mysteries isn’t essential reading for a successful campaign, but for tables who are truly invested in the lore or have found their interest piqued by the unfolding saga of Godsrain and the War of Immortals, it’s certainly a compelling addition.

Lost Omens Divine Mysteries is absolutely brimming with new additions to the Pathfinder toolbox, additions that will no doubt enrich the experience of upcoming Adventure Paths dealing with the continued fallout of Gorum’s death. While the PDF is an easy, low-risk purchase for tables drawn to that deeper experience or divinely-inspired storytelling in general, the price tag may be a greater consideration with the print edition. Divine Mysteries will also no doubt be a useful support for those interested in mythic play. For players and GMs more concerned with other aspects of life in Golarion other than the gods and goddesses, Divine Mysteries may not hold the same sense of urgency.