The various races that inhabit the Inner Sea are as varied and interesting as the sands of the Katapeshian deserts. Races represent people, and people are at the heart of role-playing in the Pathfinder world of Golarion. That’s why the "Inner Sea Races" hardback book has everything Pathfinder role-playing gamers need to develop a more satisfying experience for their characters.
The book is divided into four chapters detailing a multitude of the races that inhabit the game. Some are familiar and others are unusual. Chapter 1 deals with common races such as humans, elves and dwarves. Chapter 2 deals with uncommon races such as orcs, tieflings, drow and aasimars. Chapter 3 outlines rare races such as the catfolk, gillmen and changelings, to name only a few. The final chapter covers traits, feats, spells, armor, weapons and, of course, wondrous items.
At the heart of most player characters are the common races, such as elves and dwarves, but this tome details 12 human ethnicities in addition to nonhuman races. Ever played a shoanti barbarian? How about a mwangi wizard? The choices are limitless. The book has information on society, faith, culture and adventure possibilities. The best part of this chapter is the list of specific things each group is likely to do in given situations and how others relate. Page 83 states that gnomes have colorful features like vibrantly colored hair and other races are weary of them pulling pranks. These are great details for role-playing.
The uncommon races listed in Chapter 2 of the "Inner Sea Races" book are encountered less frequently. Although it may be rare to find a drow elf wandering the streets of Almas or a powerful Aasimar fighting in the gladiatorial pits of Ostenso, these races still do exist, and in the right areas, they exist in abundance. The same descriptive categories from Chapter 1 help flesh out these races, including a helpful box titled “Where in Golarion?” that gives details of where these races can be found. Did you know orcs control the entire heart of Avistan? More details can be found on Page 116.
Rare races in the Inner Sea are fraught with mystery and suspicion. Chapter 3 of the book considers these races “alien.” But where mystery exists there is interest, and these races offer plenty of exciting options. Be warned, however, that rare races may not work for player characters. A Sahuagin shark man will likely be killed on the spot if discovered among the populace of more common races. The book does a great job providing details about these races, using the same categories for common and uncommon races. For example, on Page 183 it states that the birdlike Strix are a matriarchal society ruled by a powerful rokoa female that acts as a spiritual, military and social leader.
The final chapter of the book is a personal favorite. It fleshes out all the game statistics for the races, detailing ability adjustments. For example, orcs get a plus-4 strength adjustment and half-elves get a plus-2 dexterity bonus without the constitution loss of their full-blooded cousins. Cool traits specific to each race are listed, as well as powerful feats. There are some feats available that only function in a team situation when another member of that race is present. For example, the Juju Way feat allows Mwangi spell casters to target an ally 20 feet away with touch-only spells. Awesome!
In this book even the common races get customized options. Specific spells, weapons, armor and wondrous items round out the final chapter of this tome. The android “eyes of mind reading” wondrous item allows an android character to read the thoughts of other characters. Imagine how this would affect the role-playing opportunities in future game sessions. Wow.
"Inner Sea Races" is a book for serious Pathfinder role-playing gamers. The devil is in the details for hardcore gamers who want an engrossing experience, and this book for players or GMs is filled with tiny particulars. It's fun to just sit down and read. The artwork and production value is high quality, as is typical with Paizo, and gamers will find something for everyone at the table within its pages. This is a nice addition to the Pathfinder library of hardback game books.