Back in 2025, I wrote about a review of the Pathfinder book Battlecry! And one of the things I wondered then was whether or not Paizo was going to follow it up with something that made it directly applicable. And they did. So let’s dive into Lost Omens: Hellfire Dispatches!
NOTE: A electronic copy of this book was provided to me by Paizo for review purposes.
Background
Related but unrelated to this book is the Howl of the Wild, which I previously reviewed here. And what I mean by related but unrelated is that the contents of the books? Very different. But the design idea behind it, the idea of adventures and campaigns presented without the traditional formatting? Very much related. As the metaplots and timeline of Golarion continue to surge forwards, Hellfire Dispatches steps into the breach to take the readers (and potentially players and GMs) to the frontlines of the conflict between Cheliax and Andoran. Lost Omens: Hellfire Chronicles blends setting, mechanics, options, and adventure ideas in a smooth mix.
The Good
This book validates and makes the contents of Battlecry! not just important, but possibly vital to games that use this book. The Hellfire Crisis is a series of conflicts all rolled into one, and war adventures are very different from conventional dungeon crawls and adventures. For one, they’re more often force-on-force, essentially PC vs equally class and power holding NPCs. It’s a different environment, and this book makes the prior one absolutely indispensable.
There are much needed geopolitical and timeline updates in here. Obviously, Cheliax and Andoran are the main recipients, but there’s some good info on Isger and Nidal as well. And this all helps the book build options for Players and GMs to draw on. There’s even some bits on Absalom and Taldor too…
Knights, knights, knights. Both the infamous Hellknights and equally (but for different reasons) infamous Eagle Knights get some sweet, sweet updates to get them going even better in the Remastered ecosystem. They needed th elove, and for this conflict, it was essential. It’s good to see.
The art is PHENOMENAL. Diverse, interesting, evocative, and vibe setting from the cover onwards. I’ve been loving the art direction and development in the Remastered series for a while now, and I’m happy to see Paizo is maintaining the standard.
Rahadoum mentioned! Rahadoum doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves at the northwestern tip of Garund, but they made the cut in this book! I don’t want to spoil things, but yeah, they’re making waves and I dig it.
The sheer volume of character options, NPCs, and monsters in this book are outstanding. As is the layout they’re presented in, effectively breaking the conflict into its component fronts and showing who and what’s active there. It’s solid and I love it.
The Bad
We’re back to square one for equipment and items. Wars spawn gear. It’s just facts. Since the time immemorial, large scale conflicts have been literal cauldrons of creativity for armour, weapons, tools, and more. I was hoping this book would back up its strong start with at least gear for the represented sides of the conflicts, but nope. Well, except for some naval vessels. They got some love.
At times in the writing, there’s a lack of urgency in the mounting conflicts and potential conflicts being described. Rahadoum’s desire for retaking Khari for example. The situation should have undertones of desperation on the side of the Cheliax forces that occupy the area, reinforced by mounting violence and danger from the forces of Rahadoum. I’m talking British Army in Afghanistan in the 19th century kind of fear, where attrition and terror take their toll. So the vibe was off at times.
The Ugly
The length. This needed to be at least 196 pages, not the slim 126 it is. The conflicts info presented is good, but it’s thin in places and it feels like there was a lot of cut content. I’m hoping they catch up in subsequent books, but this one was too thin for the job at hand.
Final Thoughts
This is Rank A entry from Paizo, it’s content is solid if thin, and it’s worth checking out. It’s a good book, and if you read Battlecry! and were wondering where you’d use it? Well, this is it. There’s multiple fronts, multiple threats, and support for tables that want to take either side officially or as mercenaries/independent operatives. It’s currently available for sale from Paizo, and I think you should check it out!
