New Releases by James Jacobs

Thieves, brigands, deposed princes, and the truly desperate inhabitants of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting flock to the River Kingdoms, a motley collection of tiny enclaves whose rulers command only so far as their brute strength and mercenary armies can carve out for them. This comprehensive guidebook presents the first-ever extensive overview of this treacherous land, where any man can become a king so long as he keeps his hand on his sword and his back free of daggers. More than a dozen rogue kingdoms come alive with lavish illustrations and detailed maps in this first look at the setting for the Pathfinder Adventure Path: Kingmaker!

The greatest explorers in the world come from the Pathfinder Society, a motley assembly of adventurers, archaeologists, and mystics who brave the lost cities and forgotten dungeons of the world in search of treasure, knowledge, and the thrill of discovery. This comprehensive guide to the Pathfinder Society provides an exciting overview of the world-spanning organization, with extensive explorations of its history, customs, bylaws, goals, and machinations. A sample, fully mapped Chapter House and fully detailed Pathfinder Society characters make it easy for players and game masters to add the organization to their games, either as patrons, allies, or foils.

The Legacy of Fire Adventure Path begins in the desert nation of Katapesh, where the heroes must attempt to retake a conquered town from a pack of fearsome gnolls. From there, the trail leads to the fortress known as the House of the Beast, an ancient map-world created by one of the most powerful wizards in history, and even the legendary City of Brass on the Plane of Fire.

Dominating the southeastern reaches of the Inner Sea, the nation of Qadira is among the richest and most powerful of the region. Along its roads travel countless caravans and traders of exotic wares, infusing the regional markets with strange spices, unusual weapons, and exotic magic from the east. This Pathfinder Companion explores the nation of Qadira and its shining cities, and presents numerous options for player characters from the region, including new spells, new character traits, new magic items, and a new prestige class.

The Council of Thieves Adventure Path starts with a bang in the crumbling metropolis of Westcrown, former capital of Cheliax, a once-proud empire now reduced to political infighting and ruled by a revolutionary aristocracy in league with the vilest devils of Hell. Decadent nobles and desperate rebels face off against a backdrop of crumbling buildings and badly eroded stability. When a gang of devil-blooded bandits called the Bastards of Erebus threaten Westcrown''s delicate status quo, the heroes must face sinister beasts of shadow, relentless armored Hellknights, and whispered rumors of a return to power of the city''s legendary criminal guild. What mysterious force is pulling the strings of the shadowy Council of Thieves, and what do its machinations mean for the heroes and all of Cheliax itself? A 3.5/Pathfinder RPG adventure for first-level characters. This is it! The first chance to get involved in a Pathfinder campaign using the newest Pathfinder RPG rules innovations! Don''t get left behind in the next great step forward for tabletop roleplaying games!

The Legacy of Fire Adventure Path begins in the desert nation of Katapesh, where the heroes must attempt to retake a conquered town from a pack of fearsome gnolls. From there, the trail leads to the fortress known as the House of the Beast, an ancient map-world created by one of the most powerful wizards in history, and even the legendary City of Brass on the Plane of Fire.

The Legacy of Fire Adventure Path begins in the desert nation of Katapesh, where the heroes must attempt to retake a conquered town from a pack of fearsome gnolls. From there, the trail leads to the fortress known as the House of the Beast, an ancient map-world created by one of the most powerful wizards in history, and even the legendary City of Brass on the Plane of Fire.

An ancient legacy smolders in the hidden history of the nation of Katapesh, a legacy whose time has come to explode with a fiery wrath back into the world. The Legacy of Fire Player''s Guide serves as an introduction to the fourth Pathfinder Adventure Path, giving you all the tools you need to create characters from the exotic nation of Katapesh. Herein you''ll find new feats, equipment, magic, character traits, class options, a new prestige class, and more -- everything your character will need to withstand the fury of the Legacy of Fire

The city-state of Korvosa, largest in all Varisia, has prospered over the last century since its abandonment by its founding nation of Cheliax. Its port brims with black-and-red-flagged ships -- the colors of both Korvosa and Cheliax -- endlessly trading fineries from the south for Varisian curiosities and her land''s natural bounty. As such, Korvosa rightfully claims to be the most cultured and civilized city in the region, yet visitors might also grant the city-state the titles of most decadent, exploitative, and socially stratified. This book serves as an exhaustive guide to the city, including details on all major points of interest, profiles on the city''s movers and shakers, and countless adventure hooks for enterprising GMs to expand upon.

Pathfinder and the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path famously reimagined goblins, detailing their culture, mannerisms, and tactics in a way that made a boring old monster one of the most hotly discussed foes in fantasy roleplaying. Now, the minds that bring you Pathfinder have applied the same method to ten "classic" monsters, providing complete ecological discussions and adventure ideas involving orcs, ogres, goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, bugbears, and more in this lavishly illustrated, full-color overview that is both fun to read and fun to use at the gaming table.

Five years after a tragic fire and dark times at Sandpoint, at the height of a ceremony to consecrate a new temple during the Swallowtail Festival, disaster strikes. Sandpoint''s newest heroes, the PC''s, must protect the citizens through rumors of goblin armies, wrathful monsters and the rise of a forgotten empire that may not be as dead as history records.

This super-adventure supplement, designed for characters of level 8-13, revisits Castle Greyhawk and the classic dungeon beneath. It is usable as a mini-campaign on its own, a story arc in a Dungeon Masters regular campaign, or as a series of small side adventures with a big payoff.

An exciting super-adventure that pits heroes against an army bent on domination, this D&D Accessory includes encounters designed for use with the D&D miniatures game.

This art-filled sourcebook about aberrations in the D&D world takes a comprehensive look at bizarre monsters and the heroes who fight them. Illustrations.

Building upon existing materials in the "Dungeon Master''s Guide," this title was specifically designed to facilitate play, especially when the Dungeon Master has a limited amount of preparation time. Chapters include discussion on running a game, designing adventures, building and using prestige classes, and creating campaign settings.

A complete guide to playing D&D in the ice and snow. This 4-color supplement begins a new series of releases that focus on how the environment can affect D&D gameplay in every capacity. Frostburn contains rules on how to adapt to hazardous cold-weather conditions, such as navigating terrain with snow and ice and surviving in bitter cold or harsh weather. There are expanded rules for environmental hazards and manipulation of cold weather elements, as well as new spells, feats, magic items, and prestige classes. New monsters associated with icy realms are included, as well as variants on current monsters. There is enough adventure material included for months of gameplay.

The purpose of this paper is to review the sources of vocational curriculum ?instruction that provides the skills necessary for individuals to perform entry-level jobs at the sub-baccalaureate level ? that may be available from selected federal agencies other than the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. The research method relied on an investigation of the Web sites of specific agencies. The paper outlines the relevant content of these sites, as well as some challenges policymakers and practitioners may face in accessing the available curricula.

In response to the 1992 Scientific and Advanced Technology Act (SATA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program to promote systemic reform of the nation''s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The Act gave community colleges the central role for the implementation of the ATE program. This study analyzes the influence of the ATE initiative on the nature of STEM programs in community colleges: on the formation of partnerships; and on the characteristics of the colleges in which they were located. It also examines the steps taken to promote the sustainability of the ATE reforms and innovations once the NSF funding had ceased or been significantly reduced. The Community College Research Center closely examined six ATE projects and four national centers between October 2000 and January 2002. Information was collected by researchers through two or three day visits to each of the sites, as well as through information available on the ATE website and the websites of the individual projects and centers. The major activities of the ATE projects and centers were examined in five broad areas: (1) The development, implementation, and dissemination of curriculum and other instructional materials; (2) Professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; (3) Efforts to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in high schools and to increase the numbers of high school students in STEM postsecondary programs; (4) Articulation and transfer agreements between the two-year and four-year institutions; and (5) Partnerships with industry. The following recommendations have been made in response to this research: (1) The applicants and the NSF staff need to be clear about the problem to be solved; (2) Design incentives that will promote broader programmatic and organizational innovation; and (3) There is a need for several types of new researcexplorations. [Report produced by the Community College Research Center (CCRC).].

For Forgotten Realms fans, this new book features extended descriptions of each of the character races of the Forgotten Realms( campaign setting. Maps.

The question of how to best prepare nurses for practice continues to be debated extensively. The crux of the debate is whether a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) should be required of all registered nurses in the United States or whether an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and diploma programs adequately prepare novice nurses for practice. Most of the literature on the relative effectiveness of BSN and ADN programs is inconclusive or dated. Most relevant studies focus on one type of program and do not directly compare how BSN and ADN graduates perform on the job. The findings of the few studies that do compare outcomes of BSN and ADN programs are mixed. What the literature does suggest is that the differences between ADN and BSN programs may not greatly affect nurses'' ability to perform basic nursing tasks and that both programs prepare registered nurses for entry-level positions in most health care settings. The following lessons for those involved in planning and delivering nursing education were identified from the literature: (1) move carefully and work together; (2) conduct further research and use it; (3) create clearer career ladders; (4) differentiate between novice and advanced practice; and (5) ease movement between the ADN and BSN. (Contains 60 references.) (MN).

A curious young tiger learns some important lessons about life when, disregarding his mother''s warnings, he sets out to explore the jungle.