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Pathfinder Adds Playable Tanuki in Return to Tian Xia
Paizo has announced a slate of Pathfinder books focused on the Golarion continent of Tian Xia, which contains several countries and cultures inspired by various real-world Asian cultures. Starting later this year, Paizo will release a pair of Lost Omens lore books focused on Tian Xia, as well as the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path, which is a four-part adventure set in the haunted country of Shenmen. The two Lost Omens books, the Tian Xia World Guide and the Tian Xia Character Guide, will not only provide a plethora of new information about the continent, its countries, and its peoples, but also provide new character options for players and new monsters for GMs.
In a blog post announcing the upcoming slate of books, Paizo creative director James Jacobs revealed that the Lost Omens Tian Xia Character Guide will feature six new playable ancestries, including a brand new ancestry not previously featured in the game. While Pathfinder is bringing back the Samsaran (an ancestry notable for their blue skin and their cycle of reincarnation) and the Wayang (an ancestry originally from the Plane of Shadow inspired by the Indonesian shadow puppets), the Character Guide will also introduce a playable tanuki ancestry. Tanukis not only have the power to shapeshift, they can also create illusions and drum their bellies under the full moon.
Perhaps most importantly, Paizo has brought on a number of diverse voices to bring Tian Xia to life in their new line of books, with over 40 authors contributing to the adventure and Lost Omens guides. The Tian Xia Lost Omens books continues a trend for Paizo, following the release of the popular Mwangi Expanse Lost Omens source book back in 2021, which greatly expanded upon a continent that featured various cultures and nations based off of African cultures. Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse was almost universally praised and fans have asked Paizo to give a similar treatment to other parts of the world of Golarion since.
Season of Ghosts will launch in 2023, while the Lost Omens Tian Xia World Guide and Lost Omens Tian Xia Character Guide will be released in 2024.
