Tabletop Review - Pathfinder: Howl of the Wild

Developer: Paizo

Publisher: Paizo

Available on: Print, Special Edition Hardcover, PDF, and as a digital asset on virtual tabletops such as Demiplane

Become Wild!

Welcome Adventurers, to Howl of the Wild, the newest book from Paizo for Pathfinder 2nd Edition. Howl of the Wild is filled to the brim with options for Players and Game Masters, allowing both to fully embrace their wild sides. This beautifully illustrated 224-page book follows the adventure of the crew of the Zoetrope and its crew as they explore Golarion to find the Wardens of the Wild and details the creatures they encounter along the way. Their findings directly translate to character options and enhancements.

Ancestries, Heritages, and Enhancements, Oh My!

Howl of the Wild gives Players and GMs six new playable Ancestries, including the highly variable Awakened Animal Ancestry that allows Players to have their character be (at GM discretion) any animal from Tiny to Large.

The first new Ancestry is Athamaru, which are fish folk from all parts of the ocean. Athumaru have four Heritages that represent where they grew up. Additionally, the Athumaru have pages of Feats that make them feel unique from other waterborne races, such as Merfolk, which are also chronicled in this book.

The next playable Ancestry is the Awakened Animal. This class represents an interesting departure from many TTRPGs as it allows players to become any animal they can convince their GM is a good idea to play. The following pages give instructions for almost any creature you can think of, be it running, swimming, flying, climbing, or some combination of these. More Feats make each animal character feel useful and powerful.

All Your Mythical Creatures in One Place

Centaurs, Merfolk, and Minotaurs are no longer creatures of myth as they are all available to Players. Each of these Ancestries comes complete with background suggestions, origin stories, special rules, and Feats to enable Players and GMs to fully embody their chosen Ancestry.

Finally, Sukris emerge from underground. This mysterious insectoid Heritage absorbs latent magic and uses this arcane diet to fuel its abilities. This book takes the Sukri from its larval stage all the way through adulthood with the Feats to support them along the way.

Further stacking the proverbial deck for Players is the addition of Untamed Morphs, Warden Spells and Ranger options, new options for Witches and Bards, eight new nature-based Archetypes, including Werecreatures, and 16 new spells complete with the ability to summon a Warden of the Wild at higher levels. There is also a list of Animal Companions, Grafts (splicing animal parts onto your character), Arms and Armor, Items and Ingredients for crafting and spell use, and setting-specific adventuring gear with Siege Weapons for use against massive beasts.

Specifically for GMs, there are creature adjustments and more than 50 creatures to fill the oceans, jungles, forests, skies, and subterranean places of Golarion. There is also a setting-specific ability index and, like all recent Paizo books, an amazing edge-of-page index for easily looking up rules and creatures. Additionally, Howl of the Wild has many ties to Tian Xia making running these options in the newest Pathfinder setting much easier. If you host your games online, Demiplane.com has Howl of the Wild, Tian Xia, and many more available in their marketplace AND you can link your Paizo account to use your purchased assets digitally.

Parting Thoughts

Overall, I highly recommend Howl of the Wild. It allows so many nature-based options, creatures, and storytelling opportunities that it’s a no-brainer for your campaign. So, if you want to live out your fantasy of being a merfolk, centaur, your favorite fantasy animal, or a werecrocodile, give a Howl to the Wild and dive in!