Paizo Opens Impossible Playtest for Necromancer and Runesmith, Seeks Feedback

Paizo launched an "Impossible Playtest" in mid-January to put two candidate classes in players' hands and collect focused feedback. The playtest, which began January 18 and runs through January 31, 2026, asks the community to evaluate the Necromancer and the Runesmith—two thematically distinct options intended to broaden character roles and tactical choices at the table.

The Necromancer is presented as an occult spellcaster built around thralls and undead management. Design notes emphasize thrall-based mechanics, including abilities that create, command, and ultimately consume thralls to fuel more potent effects. That consumption dynamic represents a risk-reward engine that changes over the course of an encounter and across adventuring days, creating a resource economy centered on living and unliving minions rather than spells known or prepared in the traditional sense.

The Runesmith is a martial-caster hybrid that centers on symbols and rune crafting. Its toolkit focuses on inscribing runes, placing or attuning symbol magic to gear and terrain, and using rune effects to reinforce allies or control space. Designers framed the Runesmith around flexible symbol work that ties narrative flavor to battlefield utility, offering a different route to magical expression for players who want more mechanical interplay than a straightforward spell list.

Both classes aim to add new archetypes rather than replace existing options, giving GMs and players ways to tell darker occult stories or to emphasize craft and battlefield control with runecraft. For groups interested in campaign tone, the Necromancer provides a scaffold for morally ambiguous necromancy play, while the Runesmith can support rune-heavy cultures, fortress defenses, or rune-forged gear themes.

The practical value of this playtest is immediate: your tabletop sessions can test balance, clarify wording, and stress-test edge cases for thrall consumption, rune persistence, action economy, and multiclass interactions. Provide concrete examples when you report bugs or balance concerns - list exact abilities, levels, and outcomes so designers can reproduce issues. Paizo is explicitly seeking feedback during the limited window, so focused reports on play experience, mechanical confusion, and fun-factor will matter most.

For GMs running the material, try one-shots or side quests to isolate class mechanics, and log interactions that feel unintuitive or underpowered. For players, experiment with different thrall uses and rune inscriptions to see which patterns emerge.

This playtest is a quick opportunity to shape two evocative classes before they move forward. Test, document, and send concise feedback now so the Necromancer and Runesmith arrive polished and ready for the table.