First of all I want to thank Legendary Games for sending us a review copy of Treasury of the Pharaohs. This is a Pathfinder Second Edition supplement filled with new magic items, all Egyptian themed. Or rather, themed Osirion, the region of the world of Golarion inspired by ancient Egypt. The authors have defined this manual an “Adventure Path plug-in”, that is a precious tool to enrich the experience offered by the official Paizo campaign entitled Mummy’s Mask; It is also true, however, that it can be used in any campaign that wants to take players to the desert sands or to ancient pyramids.
In case this product piques your curiosity, know that it is available on the official store at a price of $ 4.99 (about 5 euros) in the digital version, $ 10.99 (about 11 euros) in the physical version and 11,99 $ (about 12 euros) in the bundle which includes both. On the store it is also possible to find the D&D5e version. If you use the code NDU10 at checkout, you will get a 10% discount on your order!
But now let’s start exploring the manual as if it were the ancient tomb of a pharaoh!
Treasury of the Pharaohs Content Review
In Treasury of the Pharaohs there are 33 magic items, divided among the various categories and belonging to levels between 4 and 20. For pure personal taste I would have also liked something for the first three levels, but I understand that it is my whim. To be precise, we find: Weapons, Shields, Armors, Staves, Worn Items, Held Items, Intelligent Items, Artifacts, Consumables and more.
These items are very varied and original. No one seems to have been created as a filler and all are full of interesting ideas. There is really everything; you can find rod to command the slaves during the construction of buildings (also made useful in other contexts), a whip created with the chitin of scarabs and even a real funerary pyramid. My absolute favorites, however, are three jars dedicated to the feline divinity; each has a specific effect: guarding an area, appeasing enemies, and allowing for extra (but balanced) daily preparations.
Precisely about this I wanted to say a few words; the balance of the contents is excellent, allowing a perfect insertion in the official PF2 material. It was not easy to combine imaginative and not trivial ideas with solid mechanics, able to enrich the gaming experience without causing imbalances; good job Legendary Games, you did it!
The Aesthetics of the Manual
This manual consists of a soft cover and 15 pages of actual content, all characterized by an excellent quality of materials. The layout is on a double column, the classic role-playing format. Also the font is simple and functional, making it perfectly legible considering the background.
The latter is very reminiscent of the texture of a papyrus, with adequate decorations; a very pleasant and impactful choice given the theme of the manual. It also turns out to be an excellent choice to highlight the images, further embellishing the artistic side; as you can see from those included in this review, the illustrations of Treasury of the Pharaohs are very thematic and very well done. In addition, about half of the items are depicted; not bad!
Conclusions of the Treasury of the Pharaohs Review
I want to propose a reflection. You don’t often see printed manuals despite such a small number of pages; the authors could only have created the digital version, but they worked hard to provide a nice manual that you could add to your library and take to the game table. Another merit is that of offering it at a very fair price. Professionalism never fails with Legendary Games!
Per concludere questa recensione di Treasury of the Pharaohs, ci tengo a specificare un’ovvietà: è un manuale ben realizzato, ma ovviamente lo consiglio solamente a chi voglia portare un tocco esotico ed egiziano nelle proprie campagne di PF2.
To conclude this review of Treasury of the Pharaohs, I want to specify an obvious fact: it is a well-made manual, but obviously I only recommend it to those who want to bring an exotic and Egyptian touch to their PF2 campaigns.