The Genius Guide to What’s in my Pocket? by Rich Redman and Owen K.C. Stephens is a role playing game supplement published by Rogue Genius Games (originally as Super Genius Games) for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License with some parts considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a PDF from RPGNow for $2.99 but was purchased at the greatly reduced price of only $0.06 as part of a special bundle. Two thirds of a page is the front cover and one page is the Open Game License and Credits.
The supplement starts with how most randomly generated treasure hoards contain some mundane items and equipment and how players quickly stop caring about this. So the aim of this supplement is to add some interest and mystery with some items that seem as if they may have some back history to them. Most of the items are not magical, all are small enough to fit in a pocket, belt pouch or backpack and most are not worth much. They are considered to be either worthless (or 1 cp) or 10 gp, unless otherwise stated. The few minor magical items are considered to only need the Create Wondrous Item feat.
The aim is to provide possible adventure hooks with the items, although the GM will need to flesh such out, or simply to add a bit of colour.
Then there is the list of oddities, 110 in total. These vary as to what they are and do include some genuine oddities, such as pine splinters that naturally glow in the dark and a broken adamantine slave collar, interesting items, such as the letter from the wife of a political personage to someone who definitely wasn’t her husband and somewhat gruesome items such as three bugbear scalps.
Finally, there is some GM Advice on using the oddities in-game and a paragraph on Target Fixation, if a player fixates on an object discovered.
The Genius Guide to What’s in my Pocket? in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, given that the supplement is largely a list, these world not have been expected.
The text maintains Super Genius’ old, three column landscape format and appeared clear of errors. This is designed to be easier to read on tablets and screens, but is a bit of a pain when it comes to printing and works less well on smaller tablets. There are a number of colour illustrations, which may be stock, but are generally relevant to the nearby items. Presentation is decent.
The idea of this supplement is good – to provide items with possible attached mysteries that are otherwise not that valuable, and these can serve as a source of adventure hooks or simply red herrings to distract players. Most of the items are decent and uncommon, but a few are rather standard. It’s hard to class a brass ring as an oddity. It’s a piece of jewellery made of brass – not exactly uncommon, unusual or really a source of potential adventure hooks. Most items are more interesting than this though. One question is – Why 110 items? It seems an unusual number; 100 or 101 are more common. Not really a complaint, it just sticks out as being odd.
Although aimed at Pathfinder, the supplement is generic enough in most places that it could be used in other systems, simply by replacing the few specific skill and other references. This supplement could also be used with some of the treasure hoard supplements to add an unusual item.
Overall, this is a nice, interesting collection of sometimes weird items to give characters. At $2.99, it is perhaps now a bit on the pricy side, as there are other, similar supplements now that cost less, but it is not extortionate. At the price it was purchased for, it was well worth it. The Genius Guide to What’s in my Pocket? is a good collection of perhaps sometimes puzzling and often junk that can be found whilst looting, and it can be bought by clicking here.
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