Gather Your Forces!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The new Pathfinder Tales novel, The Wizard's Mask, is getting ready to ship out to stores and subscribers! Folks have been asking us for years when we planned on releasing an Ed Greenwood Pathfinder novel, and it's hardly surprising—after all, Ed is responsible for both the Forgotten Realms and Elminster, his wizardly alter-ego who's without question one of the most recognizable characters to come out of fantasy RPGs. Now, at last, all those Greenwood fans will finally get to see what happens when Ed's turned loose in Golarion for a complete novel, and I can safely say that The Wizard's Mask is chock-full of all the crazy action, witty repartee, and detailed world building you'd expect!

The Wizard's Mask is set in the middle of the conflict between authoritarian Molthune and rebellious Nirmathas, with the heroes caught up in a deadly game of espionage and magical missions, and you can read more about it here or check out a brand new free story featuring Tantaerra, the halfling half of its protagonist duo, on the weekly web fiction. Yet the thing I want to talk about today isn't the heroes or their quest, but that awesome cat on the novel's cover!

You see, fiction isn't the only way Ed Greenwood's contributed to the Pathfinder campaign setting. Way back in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, we brought Ed in to help suggest monsters for that AP's bestiary. He came up with a bunch of crazy stuff, but one that stuck in everybody's heads was the dweomercat from Pathfinder Adventure Path #36, a fey creature attracted to magic that has the strange ability to teleport whenever it's targeted by a spell. Naturally, when it came time for Ed to plan out a novel, we were all excited to see the dweomercat step back into the spotlight.

Though native to the First World, dweomercats sometimes pop up in particularly magical areas of the Material Plane as well, having followed the metaphysical scent of magic through planar rifts. While I don't want to give any spoilers about the book, it's safe to say that you'll be seeing plenty of these furry magic junkies in The Wizard's Mask, and they're not nearly as cuddly as they look...

Illustration by Damien Mammoliti

Dweomercat CR 7

XP 3,200
CN Medium magical beast
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +16

Defense

AC 23, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
hp 85 (10d10+30)
Fort +10, Ref +13, Will +6
DR 5/magic; SR 19

Offense

Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 claws +16 (1d4+2), bite +16 (1d6+2)
Special Attacks dweomer leap, pounce, rake (2 claws +11, 1d4+2)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
Constant—detect magic
At will—lesser globe of invulnerability, dispel magic
3/day—dimension door (self only), antimagic field

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 23, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 16
Base Atk +10; CMB +12; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +6, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Perception +16, Stealth +19; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ spell link

Special Abilities

Dweomer Leap (Su) When a dweomercat is targeted by a spell or within the area of effect of a spell, it can, as a swift action, choose to teleport to a square adjacent to the spell's caster, effectively appearing mid-leap and aimed toward the caster. This ability takes effect regardless of whether or not the spell overcomes the dweomercat's spell resistance. If it chooses, the dweomercat can immediately make a full attack against the spell's caster as though pouncing. Using this ability does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If there is no safe space adjacent to the caster—or if the dweomercat chooses—the dweomercat can forgo using this ability.

Spell Link (Su) When a dweomercat is targeted by a spell or within the area of effect of a spell, it can, as a swift action, forgo its dweomer leap ability to gain an effect related to the school of the spell targeting it. This effect activates before the dweomercat is affected by the spell targeting it and regardless of whether or not the spell overcomes its spell resistance. Each power lasts for 1 minute per level of the spell targeting the dweomercat, until the dweomercat uses this ability again, or until the dweomercat chooses to dismiss the effect as a free action, whichever duration is shortest. This ability does not prevent the spell affecting the dweomercat from taking effect; it only provides an additional benefit.
Abjuration: Gains acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic resistance equal to 2 per spell level.
Conjuration: Gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to +1 for every 5 levels of the spell.
Divination: Gains the effects of detect chaos/evil/good/law.
Enchantment: Grants the effects of the spell heroism.
Evocation: Inflicts an amount of damage equal to the spell's level upon the spell's caster.
Illusion: Grants the effects of invisibility. This effect ends as per the spell.
Necromancy: Gains the effects of false life, as if cast by the opposing spell's caster.
Transmutation: Gains an enhancement bonus on its natural weapons equal to +1 for every 5 levels of the spell.

Ecology

Environment any forest (First World)
Organization solitary, hunt (2–3), ambush (1–3 dweomercats and 2–12 dweomercat cubs)
Treasure standard

James L. Sutter
Senior Editor/Fiction Editor

Primed for Adventure

Monday, June 17, 2013

Illustration by Paolo Puggioini

Next month, we’ll be releasing Pathfinder Player Companion: Pathfinder Society Primer, a 32-page player-focused sourcebook specifically designed for use in the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign. Written by John Compton and myself, the book should provide characters of all sorts with new options to use both in the organized play environment and in society-themed home campaigns.

Among the many new rules presented in the book are a series of feats designed to accentuate the difference between Pathfinder agents commissioned from the field after proving themselves as able adventurers and those initiates who receive training at the Grand Lodge before earning their wayfinders. While none of these feats has the prerequisite of either character background, those for field commissioned Pathfinders tend to focus on luck and spontaneity, while those for trained Pathfinders benefit characters whose abilities are based on study and extensive training.

Here are two sample feats from this section of the book.

Patient Strike (Combat)

Your training under the Master of Swords has taught you that a well-timed strike is worth waiting for and that patience will serve you well in the long run.
Prerequisite: Int 13.
Benefit: You can choose to ready an attack as a full-round action instead of a standard action. When you do so, you gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll when your readied action triggers.
Normal: Readying an attack is a standard action and doesn’t grant a bonus on your attack roll.

Versatile Spontaneity

You made a good name for yourself in the Pathfinder Society in part because you knew how to prepare for the challenges before you, even if your natural magical abilities lend themselves less to preparation and more to spontaneity.
Prerequisites: Int 13 or Wis 13 (see Special), ability to spontaneously cast 2nd-level spells.
Benefit: When you regain spell slots at the start of the day, you may opt to prepare one spell you don’t know in place of a daily spell slot 1 level higher than the prepared spell’s level. To do so, you must have access to the selected spell on a scroll or in a spellbook, and the spell must be on your spell list (even if it is not one of your spells known). This process takes 10 minutes per spell level of the selected spell. You can cast the selected spell a single time, expending the spell slot as though it were a known spell being cast by you. Preparing a spell in this manner expends a scroll but not a spellbook. A spell prepared in this way is considered its actual level rather than the level of the spell slot expended. You can apply metamagic feats to the spell as normal, as long as the spell’s actual level plus the increases from metamagic feats is 1 level lower than the highest-level spell you can cast. For example, a 12th-level sorcerer with this feat, a scroll of fireball, and the Empower Spell metamagic feat could prepare an empowered fireball spell in her 6th-level spell slot.
Special: If you spontaneously cast arcane spells, you must have an Intelligence score of at least 13 to take this feat. If you spontaneously cast divine spells, you must have a Wisdom score of at least 13 to take this feat. If you have both arcane and divine spellcasting classes, you can use this feat to prepare a spell using a given class’s spell slot as long as you meet the associated ability score prerequisite.

Pathfinder Player Companion: Pathfinder Society Primer is set for a July release, so preorder your copy today to ensure that you can start using the great character options within at the start of Pathfinder Society Organized Play’s Year of the Demon, which launches at Gen Con Indy on August 15.

Mark Moreland
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Unleash the Undead Horde!

Friday, June 14, 2013

This week I'm pleased to announce the latest release in the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted plastic fantasy gaming figures: the Undead Horde Builder Series! Our first Builder Series release, We Be Goblins, just came out this week, and has been receiving positive reviews both online and here at the Origins Game Fair, where I'm writing today's blog. In September, we plan to follow up this week's set with a new release packed with 12 sculpts of classic undead creatures, including four all-new sculpts and new paintjobs for popular undead figures from previous sets.

Undead Horde figures come one to a pack, in both common and rare varieties. Gamers who pick up a full "gravity feed" display box of 24 figures should receive a complete set (although with all randomly packed product, collation is not guaranteed). A full display should include one each of the six rare figures and three each of the six common figures. Each single-figure pack has a retail price of $2.99.

This week I'd like to preview half of the figures in the set. Next week I'll show off the other half, and then we'll get back to our regularly scheduled reveals of August's 55-figure Skull & Shackles set.

Up first we have the Skeleton, an old friend from our very first release, Heroes & Monsters. This figure's all-new paint scheme presents a more bleached, older skeleton. When our partners at WizKids brought this figure to our office a couple of weeks ago, all of us agreed that the new paint scheme is an improvement on the original. And since all of us liked the original Skeleton, that's really saying something. The Skeleton is a common figure.

Here we have a brand new sculpt of a classic undead horror—the Wight! Drawn from the creature's illustration in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, this Wight has a bit of nautical flair, making him a good match for several of the figures in the Skull & Shackles set. The Wight is a common figure.

Here's another amazing new sculpt culled straight from the pages of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. Many of you probably remember our original Zombie from Heroes & Monsters. That figure already got a repaint in the Champions of Evil Encounter Pack, so I didn't think it was appropriate to include that sculpt in this new set. But come on, the set is called Undead Horde! It's got to have a zombie! Anyway, I figure most GMs need as many interesting Zombie sculpts as possible, and with arrows and spears sticking through this one, I thought it made for a perfect fit. The Zombie is a common figure.

Here we have the Mummy Lord, an alternative paint scheme of the Mummy Cleric from the Shattered Star set. We've given him a red cloak and tabard, and we think he looks just as menacing as ever—and perhaps more so! The Mummy Lord is a rare figure.

The Lich was always one of my favorite figures in the Heroes & Monsters set. He looks like a serious badass, especially with his new Undead Horde paint scheme. The new version turns up the contrast to a chilling effect. This was another one that everyone in the room when it came in agreed was an improvement on an already awesome original. The Lich is a rare figure.

Last up this week we've got another rare figure, perhaps the coolest in the whole set. I give you the Grave Knight, star of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 cover and one of the most popular monsters in the entire book. WizKids' sculptors did a great job combining details from the cover painting and interior illustration to bring us an imposing figure in a suit of haunted full plate armor. This figure is sure to inspire a ton of horrible ideas about how you can use it to scare the pants off of your player characters. I know I can't wait to drop it on mine!

All figures in the Undead Horde Builder Series set are Medium.

I suspect you are going to love them. I do.

At this point it's probably not surprising to hear that we are already plotting with WizKids to develop the NEXT Builder Series release. I can't tell you what it is yet, but I can tell you that we have big expectations for this product format. It's a great way to add some cool new figures while offering a chance to build up large groups of key monsters at a reasonable per-figure price. I'd love to hear what sorts of Builder Series releases YOU would like to see in the comments to this post.

Set up an ongoing Pathfinder Battles subscription today to make sure you don't miss a single figure! The Undead Horde Builder Series is not formally part of the subscription, but subscribers can use their Encounter Pack/Builder Series discount codes to receive a 20% discount on display boxes (the code does not apply to single pack purchases).

That's it for this week. Next week I'll reveal six more figures. After that, we're back to revealing the rest of the Skull & Shackles set!

See you then! I'm off to get in some gaming here at Origins!

Erik Mona
Publisher

We Be Free!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Summer's coming, and that means Free RPG Day is just around the corner! As you no doubt know, June 15th is a day set aside for your friendly local game retailer to give you free goodies to get you excited about playing RPGs. This year, Paizo is contributing We Be Goblins Too! This follow-up adventure to the popular 2011 Free RPG Day module, We Be Goblins! puts you and your friends back in the goblin POV as you try to find a place for yourselves in an unfamiliar tribe.

Don't miss out on We Be Goblins Too! Stop by your local game store on Free RPG Day and pick up a physical copy. If you can't make it to Free RPG Day, you can get these 16 pages of goblin mayhem from the Paizo store starting in July.

Jay Loomis
Editorial Intern

A Matter of Knives

by Ed Greenwood

Chapter Two: When Someone Wants You Dead

Tantaerra hastily transferred her hands to just the bottom edge of the crate-lid as she backed away—and the first slashing blows fell on it, numbingly hard.

A few splinters flew, but the swift dark swords were sharp, and the arms that drove them very strong. Steel sliced deep and caught, binding in the wood.

The silent slayer shook its swords to free them. Tantaerra let go of the lid before she was shaken dizzy and darted around behind the huge stack of crates. Time to enact her clever plan.

She ran right up the reaching pole and kicked out hard against the cellar wall, slamming her back against the big stack of shield crates. She hit hard, readying herself to leap clear of the avalanche as the crates overbalanced and came down on top of her attacker.

Yet the big stack of shield-crates wavered not an inch.

Tantaerra cursed foully, then cursed even harder as she felt swords biting into the far sides of the crates she was now clinging to. The manyswords thing was hacking and hewing crates as high as it could reach, cleaving wood that was a lot older and damper than the lid it had just flung aside; its blades were through one crate-side already.

Tantaerra climbed wood that shuddered and groaned at each sword-blow, and was a crate higher when a sudden cacophony of sliding metal announced the riven crate was abruptly spilling all of its shields.

Spilling them right onto the head of the manyswords monster, or automaton, or golem, or whatever it was. The thing came staggering into view around the edge of the stack. By then, Tantaerra was atop the uppermost crate and holding onto one of the cellar ceiling beams, sneezing out dust.

The manyswords thing regained its balance and determination, and charged back at the stack, hewing at the next crate down.

Sparks and shrieks flew as metal struck metal, and all too soon the deluge of rusting shields emptying out of a half-destroyed crate rang out again—but this time, the weight of two full crates stacked atop the two now-empty ones was too much, and Tantaerra's perch groaned, toppled, and came down on the thing of swords with a thunderous roar.

Tantaerra rode the ponderous fall almost to the cellar floor, but sprang free at the last moment to land in a dead run up the stairs.

She halted halfway up, listening as the crash rebounded off the walls, ready to continue running at the slightest stirring in the shield pile. Yet no new sounds interrupted the fading echoes.

She turned and moved cautiously down again, halting two steps from the bottom, peering into the cellar's half-light.

Nothing was moving but eddying dust. Swords lay still here and there on the floor, and a few corners of the cage-like apparition that had been their wielder could be seen protruding from under a great heap of shattered crates and flakes of rust.

Stairs creaked as the Master moved down into the basement. "Is it dead?" he asked.

"Well and truly crushed," she responded.

He shook his head, and they crossed the cellar together to peer at the fallen swords and shields, then examined the coffin-like crate lying open and unscathed. The lid had borne the "Hroalund Only" directive; the solid box was well used and empty, and bore no other markings save the usual chalked street-carters' mark that meant "delivery fee paid."

Tantaerra looked again at the label on the lid. Although its lettering was different than the label on the crate of gorgets they'd received from Galdrake and Sarpent, the labels and glue were the same.

"Someone wants you dead," she told her master grimly, tugging the rag from her face.

He looked angry, but said only, "I believe we both know who."

"So what happens now?"

"I go and do the work they've hired me for," the Master told her, his words flat and hard. "Argulk Hroalund doesn't run from threats."

"Argulk Hroalund can't run, these days," Tantaerra replied. "From anything."

The Master of the House of Blades gave her a scowl that lightened slowly into a chuckle and a nod. "You have the right of it, little one. And I see from your face that you have an idea." He started for the stairs, and added over his shoulder, "Your ideas have never led me astray thus far, so..."

When she reached the head of the stair, he was holding out his belt-flask.

"Drink," he ordered. "You've earned it. Then talk."

∗∗∗

Loryn Garldrake is a snake of a man—making him an excellent merchant.

It was hot and cramped inside the box, even wearing only light gauzy silks. Tantaerra had taken the hood off, and resolved to stay that way until Hroalund was actually opening the catches. She wore a smoke suit: tight-fitting breeches, slippers, a jerkin, and a full-head hood, all mottled gray to make the wearer hard to see in mist, shadow, or dim surroundings. It was identical to the sort favored by Molthuni scouts and sneak-thieves of all lands, and she was surprised they'd been able to find one small enough to fit her—once the arms and legs were doubled back on themselves, that is. Sometimes it proved useful to work in a shop that sold war-gear.

Useful, but not precisely comfortable. She was bumping and rumbling along on the House of Blades' freight cart, in a box that had only two tiny air-holes where nails had gone "missing" (thanks to the Master's prybar), and huddled on a bed of coiled cords inside a frame that held a tray of the Master's smaller tools just above her nose. Her carrybag was across her legs, reassuringly heavy. The traps Master Argulk Hroalund installed were almost always activated by trip-cords or wires, and his working gear also included many pulleys, hooks, ring-catches, hinged treadles, and the like. So the cart held no less than six boxes—because Garldrake and Sarpent could afford the best, and wanted it.

The holes were too small for Tantaerra to see the splendid carved sign that proclaimed "Garldrake and Sarpent/Arms and Armor For All," but as she was carried through its doors—double doors!—she could tell that it was brighter and roomier than the House of Blades.

She did catch a glimpse of the fabled polished copper ceiling. The Master had spoken scornfully of that particular addition to the main showroom of what was increasingly his chief rival in Canorate. Sheets of copper that were polished nightly, there to make everything grander and brighter, reflecting everything on display and showing the counter staff what patrons were up to in every back corner and aisle. Ornamental pillars and moldings had been added everywhere, and doors turned into tall archways, to make the premises appear much grander.

The prices had soared, of course, but unlike the Master, Garldrake and Sarpent were happy to charge extra for their fancy show room. And it had worked—not only had they retained most of their patrons, they had gained some new ones; foolish nobles who judged a smith on the beauty of his store rather than the quality of his steel.

Where the House of Blades was crammed with knives, knives, and more knives, Garldrake and Sarpent had lots of empty space, and lone suits of armor standing on their own in gleaming displays. The shop still carried far more wares than the Master did, but most of them were on shelves filling room after room opening off the showroom.

You could do that, the Master had said a trifle enviously, if you'd taken over the next-door shops on both sides, and had coin enough to swallow more. Over the last eight years, Garldrake and Sarpent had gone from strength to strength, buying out many—no, most, by now—competitors. They were the purveyors of armor and weaponry to Molthuni of wealth and discernment.

And welcome to it, she'd often heard the Master say, but from time to time he'd sounded wistful while saying it. The rest of the time, he sounded merely bitter.

"Well, well, Master Hroalund! I am most pleased to see you!"

To Tantaerra, Loryn Garldrake sounded more astonished than pleased. That confirmed her suspicions: that the manyswords thing in the coffin had been expected to kill him, and this prearranged hiring to outfit their store with traps was an alibi—for who would kill the best trap-fitter before he did his work for you?

"Welcome, welcome!" Garldrake went on, more heartily. "And you've brought all your, ah, fixings and fittings, I see! Can you have it all done today, d'you think?"

Loryn Garldrake was one of those who could melt butter on his tongue, jovially and heartily. Probably until the instant he thought you were crossing him, and then—watch out.

"I fear not," the Master replied gently. "I could if you closed your doors, but your partner was most firm that the shop—"

"Establishment, please!"

"Ah, pray pardon—the establishment should stay open, and that one room at a time would be curtained off as I worked. Here's the chart we agreed upon; please let me know if there are any changes you'd like, or..."

"No, no," Garldrake spoke slowly, his voice sharp and shrewd. No doubt he was studying the chart. "No, this is all in order. You're the best, Master Hroalund, and the best is what we want. You'll start at the back, then?"

"Yes."

"My lads will carry your boxes through. Six, aren't there?"

"Six and my little satchel, here," the Master replied agreeably. "My thanks. The curtains? Ah, good, good..."

A few bumpy moments later, Tantaerra felt her box being set down. With care, thank the gods.

"No, leave them closed, thank you," the Master said firmly. "I'll open them as I need them. Until then, less clutter, and easier to move if a patron needs something I'm in front of. Thank you."

There were murmurs from Garldrake's shop workers, booted feet shuffling away, and then the familiar clinks and clanks of the Master getting out tools and starting to hum softly to himself.

Though Garldrake and Sarpent ran to nothing so common as a shop-bell to announce the front doors opening, Tantaerra didn't have to see to know the shop was busy. The hubbub of many voices never stopped, not a few of the nearest inquiring what was behind the curtains. Hastening feet fetched things from nearby shelves on more occasions than she could count. It made the pace in the House of Blades seem one step from the grave, by comparison.

Abruptly the catches on her hiding place were thrown back. She only just had time to tug on her hood before the Master was dragging her out by an elbow and murmuring, "Now."

After the dimness of the box, the light even in this back room seemed nigh-blinding, but she was out in it for barely long enough to snatch two quick breaths before being plunged into darkness again—dustier and faintly moldy darkness this time, with a cool draft.

The Master had bundled her into the Garldrake and Sarpent dumbwaiter—or rather, atop the box that traveled up and down the shaft on furry-with-dust but well-oiled cables. Easily done by hauling on cables and thrusting a foot down into the box, when all one needed was enough space for a lithe halfling to pop through. Tantaerra checked that her carrybag was leashed securely to her wrist; it was heavy with trap-guns, triplines, and cork-guarded darts coated with poison that brought swift and deep slumber to those they stung.

She was here to spend the night, peering and hearing as she stayed unseen. Riding the top of the dumbwaiter, or climbing its ropes to get higher, the better to spy.

Being discovered would bring almost certain death, because the Master had a pretty fair idea of what Garldrake and Sarpent were up to: cheating the rulers of Molthune by providing inferior armor and weaponry—like those gorgets—and undercutting competitors' prices, driving said rivals into business failure or forcing them to sell out to Garldrake and Sarpent. No doubt they knew that Master Hroalund would never willingly hand over his shop, and had decided it would be easier to acquire his share of the market after his untimely death.

They had to know they'd be found out eventually, but obviously planned to make their fortunes first, and probably buy merchant ships and buildings in the heart of bustling cities in other lands, so they could leave Molthune in haste and still keep some wealth. Or perhaps they'd simply quietly pay off the injured parties whenever their shoddy quality was discovered—and in the meantime, grow to dominate Molthune's arms and armor trade, and heap up coins as high as they could.

A fine plan in theory. Yet if Tantaerra could discover evidence of it, Hroalund could easily use that knowledge to expose them—or perhaps simply hold it over them, using it to secure his own safety.

Safety—and more than a little gold, if Tantaerra had her way. For anything that threatened Master Hroalund also threatened his slave. And no one threatened Tantaerra and got away cheaply...

Like Tantaerra the plucky halfling? Read more of her adventures in the new Pathfinder Tales novel The Wizard's Mask, coming soon!

Coming Next Week: Darts in the dark in the final chapter of Ed Greenwood's "A Matter of Knives"!

As the creator of the Forgotten Realms, Ed Greenwood is one of the most famous RPG designers of all time, with a veritable dragon's hoard of game setting products under his belt. In the Pathfinder universe, he's the author of the new novel The Wizard's Mask (also featuring Tantaerra) and the short web fiction story "Guns of Alkenstar." In addition, he's written more than twenty Forgotten Realms novels (many dealing with his signature character, Elminster) and ten independent novels.

Illustration by Mariana Gomez

No Tears at This Bitter Manor

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Photo by (and of) Steven Helt

My first RPG game was a high-level adventure, and had something to do with queens, demons, webs, and pits. We didn't last long, but I was hooked on the concept. Over the years, I graduated from aimless power gamer to aspiring storyteller. I've been blessed with great friends and great campaigns. Though I cherish my faith and family more than anything, I have been a gamer longer than any other attribute or hobby I could ascribe to myself, so this opportunity is very special to me.

I'll compete for my third Iron GM crown at Gen Con this year. As I became a better GM and storyteller, I began to flirt with the idea of adventure and game world design, even making notes on a few novels. I entered every year of RPG Superstar thinking I'd improved from the year before, and hoping I could get past the gatekeepers into a round where I might shine. When I made it in this year, I immediately started working to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Fortunately, I have lots of contacts from my two favorite gaming towns, both those who know about the large events I host at Gen Con and organizers and fellow competitors at Iron GM, LLC. In addition to gathering support from multiple areas, I worked on several design options. In fact, not a single entry for any round of Superstar this year was among my first three ideas.

If I have advice to offer next year's contestants, "never give up" seems pretty strong. Also, I'd offer the same counsel I give hopeful Iron GMs. Always keep your brain (and your flashdrive) stocked with new ideas. The first one or two might not be your best. A rules twist might make your adventure pitch impossible to submit in the final round. Have confidence, and never stop working or improving. Submit cinematic ideas, and surround yourself with honest editors and writing critics.

I'm working on Tears at Bitter Manor every day. My goal is to deliver a gritty horror/mystery adventure, and to include plenty of new material so players who read the proposal round will still be challenged and surprised. I look forward to your comments and questions about the adventure when it's released, as well as a lengthy and detailed obituary. Thanks to Paizo for this fantastic contest, and to the online community of Pathfinder players for making me this year's RPG Superstar!

Steven Helt
Contributor

When a Faction Turns Out the Lights

Monday, June 10, 2013

Illustrated by Lindsey Wakefield

Ever since we divulged which factions would disappear, the forums have been humming with speculation, questions, and clarifications about exactly how the whole faction retirement process will work. In brief overview, we are removing two factions from the available options for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. These factions are not necessarily disappearing from the face of Golarion, but for a variety of reasons they are withdrawing their direct involvement in the Pathfinder Society. Two new scenarios, #4-21 Way of the Kirin and #4-23 Rivalry's End, allow Lantern Lodge and Shadow Lodge faction PCs respectively the opportunity to play through their factions' conclusions. Of course, anyone can play these scenarios, but there's a special something waiting for members of the above factions. On August 14th, whether a person has played the scenarios or not, the two factions will be removed, and all existing Lantern Lodge and Shadow Lodge characters will have to switch factions.

Allow me to provide a compiled list of answers for as many of the many questions as I can.

Can I play a pregenerated character and get credit?
According to the Pathfinder Society Guide to Organized Play, pregenerated characters are treated as members of the Grand Lodge. As a result, playing a pregenerated character does not grant a player access to the faction-specific boon.

I have a Lantern Lodge character who is 8th level or higher. Shouldn't I have an opportunity to experience my faction's conclusion?
We are allowing GMs to do something special for these two scenarios. Anyone who GMs the scenario can apply the sheet to a character of level 8+ even though the character would not normally be eligible to receive credit. This Chronicle sheet includes the experience point, Prestige Points, items, and gold for Subtier-6–7.

My Lantern Lodge or Shadow Lodge character is not yet level 3. What happens if I assign him GM credit before August 14th?
Follow the normal rules for assigning a Chronicle sheet to a character from GMing; the Chronicle sheet is held until the character reaches a high enough level to qualify for earning the Chronicle sheet. The key difference is that the character's faction might change by the time the Chronicle sheet kicks into effect. If the character does not reach 3rd level by August 14th, the character will no longer be a member of the Lantern Lodge or Shadow Lodge and will no longer qualify for the faction-specific boon(s).

What happens if my Lantern Lodge or Shadow Lodge character doesn't play the scenario before August 14th?
Your character will receive the free faction change on August 14th but no other benefits. The character must choose a new legal faction the first time he plays a scenario on or after that date.

Happy pathfinding,

John Compton
Developer

Kyra's Helmet

Saturday, June 8, 2013

At the conclusion of every costume production course at UWM, students are assigned a choice project that will fully illustrate the variety of techniques that they have learned throughout the semester, and explore techniques that they have not yet learned about in order to create a project that is uniquely tied to their interests. My interest in costuming is directly tied to my love of gaming and fantasy, so naturally I decided to build Kyra’s helmet.

Building the helm was a trial and error process, as I was trying to replicate a metal object using plastic, fabric, and acrylic paints. We had three weeks to work on the project, and I used every last second. The final process involved shaping foss-shape over a clay covered head block to provide the foundation (with some changes to the shape, as I liked the longer Persian helms better), painting several dozen layers of gesso and sculpt-or-coat, creating the headpiece by sculpting and casting it (with a couple of failed casts!), painting the helm after sanding it fairly smooth, and wrapping a dipped-down fabric filled with battering to make the turban.

While the result looks far more weathered than I originally planned, it was a favorite among my classmates and my teacher, so it was a huge success for me!

...Now I just have to make Kyra’s robes and I can show up to PaizoCon as everyone’s favorite cleric!

Levi Miles
Contributor

Pathfinder Battles Preview: It’s All My Fault

The August release of the Skull & Shackles set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures is only a couple of months away. WizKids has delivered final production samples of all 55 figures in the set, and it's pretty amazing how they continue to raise the bar on sculpting and painting with each Pathfinder Battles release. It's always amazing to see creatures and characters we created in our minds finally taking form as three-dimensional full-color objects we can hold in our hands. I often consider it one of my greatest powers as a publisher, in fact, and this week's preview fittingly covers four figures that probably would never have existed if it wasn't for yours truly, even if I did not directly invent any of them.

Let me explain.

The devil-binding empire of Cheliax, a major nation in the Golarion campaign setting of the Pathfinder RPG, has a long and storied history that predates the founding of Paizo Publishing and the creation of Gen Con.

It all started more than 20 years ago, when my folks took me and my brother on a special vacation to see the Final Four NCAA tournament being hosted that year in Seattle. It was my first trip to the city, and as far as the basketball, the museums, and the monorails were concerned, it was a highly enjoyable trip for the whole family, and Seattle was a great city (little did I know then that I would end up living here a couple of decades later).

The problems started after the tournament, when my father had to stick around for some business meetings in the city while my mom took me, my brother, and my grandmother to a timeshare unit in a lakeside resort community called Lake Chelan to spend our final week in Washington state in a gorgeous, rustic stay in a tourist-oriented town filled with lake activities, waterslides, and other fun attractions. The only trouble was that we arrived in late March, whereas all of the town's fun activities were scheduled for the summer tourist season.

We arrived to find the lake mostly drained, the "resort" part of our accommodations flooded, all of the waterslides closed, and even the local bowling alley booked solid for the high school "bowling unit" (!!!). For a little kid of 13 years, that immediately qualified the trip for "WORST EVER" status, and it soon became a legend in our family, a source of laughs years later but something that actively and truly sucked for every hour during which it was actually taking place in what seemed like slow motion.

The word "Chelan" soon became synonymous with the depths of evil in my teenage mind, and as I moved on to college in the early 90s, I'd taken to using Chelan as the name of the evil kingdom in most of my fantasy fiction. By the time I moved to Seattle in 1999, I realized that everyone in my new home knew Chelan as a classy resort destination, and since they didn't share my teenage loathing for it, it just stuck out, like calling a kingdom Bellevue or Redmond or something. It didn't work.

But man, I still hated Chelan, and wanted to continue my literary revenge upon it. When it came time to design an evil kingdom for what would become the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, I decided to incorporate much of the creative work I'd done on Chelan, only I decided this time to mask it a little more with a slightly modified name: Cheliax.

So yes, I'm afraid Chelaix is all my fault, at least in concept. Others took the concepts I laid down and added significantly to them (especially Wes Schneider, the demented mind behind the Hellknights). One of the great things about being in on the creation of a huge part of the campaign setting is seeing where others have taken "my" original ideas. Cheliax has come a huge distance from my freshman year scribblings, and every time I see some new bit of development for it, I can't help but feel like a proud parent.

And the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path gave me plenty of reasons to play the proud papa, as Cheliax plays heavily in the background of the campaign and in its resolution.

Today I present three miniatures associated with the Chelish faction, intended to help you stage epic Skull & Shackles encounters but usable in any fantasy RPG. I didn't create any of these characters, but I was responsible for a big part of their background and I'm ultimately the one who decided to include them in the set. This close to Father's Day, I'll call that close enough and declare them my twisted progeny by proxy.

Up first we have the leader of the Skull & Shackles Chelaxians, the insidious Admiral Thrune! This diabolical naval "hero" and her crew play a huge role in the campaign's endgame, and her heavy mace, crossbow, and noble costume make her an ’interesting choice for a player character, as well. But in the campaign, I'm afraid you're going to have to fight her. And her companions, too! This medium figure is slated at the uncommon rarity.

Here we have one of Admiral Thrune's most trusted allies, the Scourge Hellknight Paralictor! This fully armored female polearm master Hellknight does everything in her power to protect the leadership of House Thrune, including pole-axing your player characters in twain. The medium figure is also uncommon, and while she is the first Hellknight we've produced in the Pathfinder Battles line and the only one in this set, it's fair to say she'll soon get a fair amount of company from others in her order…

A navy needs officers, of course, and the Skull & Shackles set is ready to deliver in the form of this figure, the Chelish Marine. His smart uniform matches that of his admiral, making them look great together. Because you'll probably want more than a single crewman, we've slated this medium figure at the common rarity.

And that's not all for this week! Last week I accidentally previewed only two figures, so I've decided to make up the difference by revealing what is probably my personal favorite figure in the entire set. Open your eyes, me hearties, and behold the SEAWEED SIREN!

The hideous creature is a CR 13 Large magical beast that inhabits islands and coastal regions, luring sailors with its three false heads. These bad boys (or girls, I suppose) have a host of cool powers, from a gaze attack to a curse power to bolts of sonic energy. Mostly, I just thought it looked amazingly cool. Even though the Seaweed Siren does not technically appear as a monster in the six adventures of the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, its game statistics do appear in the Bestiary section of Pathfinder Adventure Path #60, technically making it qualify for inclusion in this set. And really, I just love the way it looks, so I used a rare bit of publisher fiat to include it in the set simply because I wanted it.

So blame me. Indirectly speaking, all four figures this week are my fault!

That's it for this week. Tune in to this space next week for a big announcement and an even larger preview of figures… from something other than the Skull & Shackles set. What? A NEW set of Pathfinder Battles minis? Whatever could it be?

Well, come back next week, and I'll tell you.

In the meantime, don't forget to set up an ongoing Pathfinder Battles subscription to make sure you don't miss a single figure!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Enhance Your Game with the Shattered Star Face Cards!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I'm a big fan of Face Cards. In my own games I have used cards from multiple sets both to depict NPCs and to inspire creatively blocked players during character generation. Face Cards add a lot of depth and color to any game. The Shattered Star Face Cards, available now, are no exception! These cards depict notable characters from the Shattered Star Adventure Path, but the faces are also intriguing and evocative even if, like me, you haven't had the chance to play though Shattered Star yet.

But enough of my jabber, here's a sample of some the awesome art found in this 54 card set:

Illustrations by Miguel Harkness, Dmitry Burmak, and Dmitry Prosvirnin

I hope you find these cards as useful as I do!

Jay Loomis
Editorial Intern

A Matter of Knives

by Ed Greenwood

Chapter One: In the House of Blades

"I do not waste time dealing with slaves," the citizen in the splendid red doublet informed her. "Go and fetch your master. Now."

"Come back tomorrow," the halfling said flatly, her eyes two flames of fury. She stood on the shop counter facing him, chin thrust forward and hands on hips, as if she owned the place.

Which she didn't, of course. She was indeed a slave—and a halfling of shorter stature than most halflings, to boot.

The citizen looked down his nose at her, dubiously. It was unusual in splendid and sprawling Canorate to see a slave openly armed, but this one had daggers that looked like they'd serve her as swords strapped to her arms and legs.

Yet this was Hroalund's House of Blades, a shop that sold knives and daggers. The problem was, this arrogant little above-herself slave looked ready, willing, and one angrily spitting moment away from using them.

"Yes," she hissed, as if reading his mind, her hands suddenly stroking dagger-pommels. "I hit what I throw these at. Every time." Her voice became a menacing purr. "Would sir care for a demonstration?"

The citizen opened his mouth to say something sneering and dismissive—and then thought better of it. "Tomorrow, then!" he snapped, then spun on one magnificently booted heel and stormed out.

Through the shop window, Tantaerra Loroeva Klazra watched the embroidered tail of the citizen's fine cloak swirl in his wake, and sighed.

The Master steps out on business for the afternoon, and half of Canorate comes in here to try to bully the shop slave into giving them things for a quarter their worth—and a sixth of the asked price. It was hardly surprising—she was, after all, an outlander and a little child of a creature, no doubt untutored and naïve.

Pah. Molthuni were such aggressively arrogant idiots.

That went double for rich Canorate citizens out adventuring beyond the walls of the gilded Sweet Orchard district, to where the lungs of Canorate breathed, the real daily business of Molthune was done, and shops that sold useful things crowded together along busy streets.

Tantaerra plucked one of the mirror-bright sample knives from an upright fan display of them atop the polished countertop, buffed it on her sleeve, then turned her back on the now-empty shop and strode right off the countertop, tossing the knife casually back over her shoulder as she started to fall.

Those who judge Tantaerra based on her size are fools indeed.

It thunked into the target even before her feet sank into the heap of soft mats the Master had accumulated behind the counter as his gout steadily worsened.

She did not have to look to know she'd struck the target dead center. She was, after all, better at demonstrating the throwing knives Argulk Hroalund was deservedly famous for than the Master was himself.

The shop guards watched her pad across the shop and leap up to retrieve the blade, their faces as impassive as ever, but when she sighed loudly and told the ceiling, "If one more overblown scion of Canorate's elite comes in here before we close..." she saw the ghost of a smile pluck at the lips of one of them, just for an instant.

As if her lament had been a cue, the singing clash of crossing swords rang out, courtesy of the enchantment on the shop door. Well, it was better than those annoying bells any day.

Tantaerra swallowed a sigh, fixed a professional smile on her face, and sprang atop the stool behind the counter once more. After all, if the Master didn't eat, neither would she, and Canorate wasn't the cheapest of places to—

Her smile became genuine. It was the Master.

Yet the grin faded as quickly as it came, and she found herself struggling to get the professional smile back into place. The Master was worried.

And it took a lot to worry Argulk Hroalund.

He was the best maker of throwing knives in five lands, probably more, and offered the best stock of knives of all sorts—from tiny hide-in-your-hair ladies' death-needles to joint-an-aurochs cleavers—in Molthune. And had been for fifty years, perhaps sixty. Which meant he'd dealt with a lot of Molthuni. And anyone who sold arms and armor had to be ready to defend themselves, as well as tough as mountain stone against intimidation, or...

"Braerand, Luthkul, Orrlehm—have my thanks; this day's shift is done. Be off home with you. The House is closing until the day after tomorrow. So tomorrow is yours, though I'll pay you for it as if you were here."

The guards were surprised, yet said not a word. They merely nodded and went.

As the Master shot the bolts in their wake and reached to swing the metal doorbar down into place, Tantaerra set the first trap, but he turned with a frown and held up a hand to stop her.

Surprised, Tantaerra stood on the counter and watched him shuffle back to her from the door and begin the routine of setting all the traps himself.

He was worried.

Most shops had traps against thieves, but the Master's were the best. Oh, a knife shop's traps almost had to be, but even the Orchard-dwellers in Canorate hired Argulk Hroalund to trap their homes.

He designed the most elaborate and best hidden mechanical traps, from half a dozen for a small shop to scores of silently waiting deadlinesses in a grand mansion; elaborate mechanical traps that could wound intruders with "knives or darts, launched or thrust." Tantaerra knew the Master's skill well; because she was deft, supple, and small even for a halfling, she was often set to work installing his creations in spaces too cramped for the Master himself.

The knives were the daily soup and cheese of the House of Blades, but the trapping was big coin.

"Anything I should know?" he growled at her as usual, as he checked the day's takings. Not too worried to entirely abandon routine.

"Two odd deliveries, both crates. The smaller from Garldrake and Sarpent, the larger from no one who wants to share his name, and who ships in crates that could double as coffins; it's labeled ‘To Be Opened By Master Hroalund Only.' So I left it. I opened the other, though. Forty-six gorgets, steel, all the same size—and utter slop. I bent some accidentally, between two fingers, lifting them out. You can't sell them. You're being insulted. Or set up for a fall, somehow."

The Master frowned and then sighed. He looked old and tired—but not surprised. "You left them in the back?"

At Tantaerra's nod, he set off for his private rooms, pinching the lamps dark as he went. Tantaerra scampered after him. His abrupt and early closing meant she hadn't even warmed the water atop the little stove, but she could rub oil into his gouty feet while supper was cooking, rather than after...

"I'd like that," the Master grunted, and she froze. She must have said her thoughts aloud.

Then he turned and proved again why he was the best Master any slave could have. "And we'll talk. My worries are bothering you, and I need someone to talk to. I trust you, Little Firebrand. You've more sense than any twenty Canorate shopkeepers—or any forty Sweet Orchard highcloaks—put together."

"Flatterer," she told him affectionately. "See if you can be as complimentary about my supper—and I'll try not to burn it."

∗ ∗ ∗

Tantaerra's stomach was both full and warm; she was finally getting the hang of hot savory pies. The Master belched and smiled, several times each, then stopped smiling and told her, "It seems Garldrake and Sarpent may turn out to be difficult trading partners. At best."

"Oh? Share?"

"Nothing to share but suspicions. Yet. Let's be looking at the larger crate."

A few shuffling moments later and they were standing over it, eyeing the crate that looked very like a coffin.

To Be Opened By Master Hroalund Only. That boldly lettered label was imperious enough.

The Master looked at her.

Tantaerra sighed. "You want me to open it, don't you?"

Hroalund nodded, looking a little ashamed and a little sad.

"Not here," she said crisply. "In the cellar. Back corner, next to the big stack."

The big stack was the one fixture in the cellar of the House of Blades. Hroalund's only deadwood; a six-crate-high tower almost brushing the ceiling beams. Bigger crates than most carters made these days, full of shields silently rusting away—shields the Master would never be able to unload, now that Molthune's armies used a new design. Not without scouring clean and reshaping every last one, and they just weren't worth the time and expense.

The Master nodded and went for his cart.

One of Tantaerra's tasks was keeping its side-ramp well greased, and she did tasks thoroughly. The Master only grunted twice as he shoved the coffin-crate up onto the cart; its journey was swift and easy.

Tantaerra had improved the winch on the pulley-lift so it rarely creaked, and gave off sighs rather than its former high, raw groans. A few pumps of the handle and cart and burden were down in the cellar.

The Master wheeled the cart to right beside the stack of crates and gave his slave a questioning look.

She nodded, and he stepped back. She pointed at the handle of the cart.

"Ah," he said, after a moment. "Take the cart away. Good thinking."

He did that, then stopped halfway across the cellar to watch. Tantaerra gave him an exasperated look, then used the prybar she'd fetched down with her to point at the ceiling, then at him, then at the ceiling again. Imperiously.

Hroalund nodded reluctantly and set off up the stairs. She made sure he wasn't halting to turn and come back down before she hastily downed breeches and emptied her bladder all over the polishing-rag she'd brought with her.

She tied the damp result over her nose. A feeble defense against poison gas, but better than nothing. She was still tightening its knot behind her ears when the Master reappeared. He had a long length of cord in his hands.

"What're you—?"

He tied it securely around her waist. "In case I need to drag you to safety."

He'd brought the long reaching-pole from the shop with him, and used its jaws to thrust the free end of the rope up through the open pulley-lift hatch in the ceiling. When he started for the stairs again, Tantaerra caught hold of the reaching-pole. "Leave it."

The Master looked surprised, but relinquished it readily enough.

Tantaerra positioned it against the wall behind the stack of crates. When she returned from behind them, Hroalund was upstairs and peering down at her through the hatch, the cord tied to her waist hanging from it.

She waved cheerily and set to work with her prybar.

The nails were few but secure. Tantaerra hauled and heaved, and it went swiftly enough; this was work she did every day. As she finished one side and started around the end of the crate—it did look like a coffin, to be sure—she caught sight of her master watching her. He looked anxious.

When every nail was out, she levered the lid up and hauled it back, keeping behind it as if it was a shield.

Silence. Stillness.

And then, as she'd expected, something erupted up out of the crate with a clatter and clang of ringing steel. The Master shouted in alarm.

The thing emerging looked like a man's skeleton sheathed in a metal cage-work—if, that is, human skeletons came with eight arms, each of them ending in wicked-looking sword blades.

It stepped out of the box and toward her, blades reaching...

Like Tantaerra the plucky halfling? Read more of her adventures in the new Pathfinder Tales novel The Wizard's Mask, coming soon!

Coming Next Week: Professional rivalry in the weapons business in Chapter Two of Ed Greenwood's "A Matter of Knives"!

As the creator of the Forgotten Realms, Ed Greenwood is one of the most famous RPG designers of all time, with a veritable dragon's hoard of game setting products under his belt. In the Pathfinder universe, he's the author of the new novel The Wizard's Mask (also featuring Tantaerra) and the short web fiction story "Guns of Alkenstar." In addition, he's written more than twenty Forgotten Realms novels (many dealing with his signature character, Elminster) and ten independent novels.

Illustration by Eric Belisle

A Righteous, Mythic September!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

In a lot of ways, Gen Con is like the start of the gaming year. You've probably already heard all the excitement over Paizo's upcoming Gen Con releases, but we're just getting this new year of games started! Here's what we have in store for you in September:

A Truly Righteous Adventure Path

The second installment of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, Pathfinder Adventure Path #74: Sword of Valor continues the story of newly mythic PCs fighting against the encroaching horde of the Worldwound. This is our first Adventure Path to use Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures, and you don't want to miss out!

Getting Even More Mythic

Speaking of being mythic, check out these two books that give you even more to play with: Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms and Pathfinder Player Companion: Mythic Origins. Mythic Realms will introduce you to a host of epic legends, secret places of power, and mythic hotspots. If you're looking for ways to put the mythic into your game, this book is for you. And everyone playing a mythic character will want to grab Mythic Origins, for loads of new options for every mythic path and plenty of ideas for being mythic heroes.

Fearsome Adventuring Gear

Playing the Reign of Winter Adventure Path? Or in a campaign centered on the vicious perils hidden in the ice and snow? You'll want these Pathfinder Pawns: Reign of Winter Adventure Path Pawn Collection, with over 100 different critters, villains, and other NPCs. These work with the plastic bases from the Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box.

For that most classic of adventure openers—that creepy, dirty, poorly lit tavern—we've got just the flip-mat for you: Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Seedy Tavern. From vile criminals ambushing the heroes to the PCs getting into a drunken brawl, the scenes you could have in this Seedy Tavern pretty much write themselves.

Looking to play the upcoming Wardens of the Reborn Forge deluxe module? Then check out Pathfinder Campaign Cards: Wardens of the Reborn Forge. This 54-card Campaign Deck is a great way for the players to keep track up the items and NPCs in the game, and introduces the Quest Cards to help the players keep track of the adventure. With gorgeous artwork, you'll surely find uses for this even after the adventure is over!

Ryan Macklin
Editor

Ratfolk and Catfolk and Race Boons Oh My

Monday, June 3, 2013

Of all the feedback I receive about Pathfinder Society Organized Play, whether it be in person when I am visiting different regions, through emails, or on the messageboards, what I hear most is that non-convention-goers have little to no chance to obtain some of the convention-only boons that are offered at regional shows. The most popular of these boons are the racial boons, which open up the player's options to choose a unique race. I have thought long and hard on how we can even out things for those players who are not able to attend a convention for whatever reason.

First, let me clarify that we will always have special boons that can only be obtained at conventions. These will consist of a multitude of various options, from extending the range of the Day Job earnings chart to unique races. Our regional and national conventions and larger game days are where we garner the biggest PR for our game. But that doesn't mean I don't want to offer the chance of getting cool boons, especially racial boons, to members of our player base who don't attend conventions.

At these regional conventions, players only receive approximately a 10% chance to receive any boon that is provided at the convention. I don't think it is unreasonable to offer a similar chance to non-convention players.

One tool that has finally been opened to me is I am able to filter play of individual scenarios, and to see every reported table and every Pathfinder Society number that was at that table. I am also able to filter dates so I can see exactly how many tables of a specific scenario were reported over a specified time. Playing around with this new tool got me to thinking about how I could utilize it for the benefit of the entire Pathfinder Society player base.

My initial thought is that when a scenario presents something unique, such as helping a race like ratfolk, catfolk, or dhampirs (and no, I am not advising one way or another whether either of these races will make an appearance in Season 5), it might be possible to offer these races (or whatever races were aided in a specified scenario) via a lottery type of system. While I certainly don't want to flood the OP with a zoo of races (such as making them available on a Chronicle sheet for everyone who plays the specified scenario), I don't think it is a bad thing to occassionally give a limited pool of players the chance to play a new race, similar to the Grippli boon at Gen Con this year, as long as we control the flow of how many become available. With that said, my thinking is that after the first month or two of a specified scenario, I would randomly select from all tables that reported success in the specified scenario. All the players and GMs of the randomly selected tables would then have the unique Chronicle sheet sent directly to them.

Maybe this is or isn't the best way to offer unique boons to the entire playerbase, especially those who can't or won't attend conventions. However, it is the start of a working idea I am still toying with that would offer an equal chance to everyone who plays the specified scenario in a specified time limit. If you think this is a horrible idea, please offer a solution for how we can make it better. I would very much like to hear your feedback on what you think of the above system, or hear your thoughts on any other suggestions you might have for how to best utilize this new tool I have been given. As always, your feedback and comments help to strengthen the community at large, and without your feedback and participation, Pathfinder Society wouldn't be as awesome as it is today. I look forward to reading all of your comments.

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Pathfinder Battles Preview: On the Road!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Greetings, Miniatures Fiends! I am on the road in New York City for the annual Book Expo America show, where Paizo joins the ranks of hundreds and hundreds of publishers to show off its wares to book buyers and librarians. That means I'm about 3000 miles from my archive of Pathfinder Battles photos, but mere distance is not sufficient to keep me from the holy calling of showing off new Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures sculpts from August's Skull & Shackles set!

Last week our friends from WizKids brought over production samples of the entire set of 55 figures, including the massive Gargantuan Skeletal Dragon. Many a squee was heard from the Paizo conference room, as all in attendance agreed that WizKids has raised the bar AGAIN, producing a set that exceeds the standards of its predecessors in both sculpt and paint quality. The final paint jobs are just amazing. "THIS IS A COMMON!??!?" was probably the most-heard phrase of the meeting, and we're all very excited to spread that enthusiasm for the final product beyond the hallowed walls of Paizo when the set releases in August.

So let's move on from the bragging and pride and get to the reason you came. Let's look at a couple new minis!

In the Skull & Shackles campaign, the Master of the Gales serves on the Pirate Council of the Shackles and captains his own pirate ship, but to me this bearded fellow with an imposing staff works great for a HUGE variety of NPCs or PCs, from your nasty druidic hermit to your unkempt grumpy wizard. This Medium figure is slated at the uncommon rarity.

Sometimes, pirate lords stick around long after they've died. Such is the case with the insidious Whalebone Pilk, a skull-collecting cursed undead pirate who makes for one of the spookiest opponents in the Skull & Shackles campaign. Accordingly, we've worked with WizKids to make him as spooky as possible. With plenty of clear plastic to depict the miasma in which he floats, a nifty pirate outfit, and a nasty spear, this is one encounter your players will never forget. Whalebone Pilk is a Medium-sized rare figure.

And with that, I'm back to the Book Expo. Now that we have the full set's production figures in house, expect some amazing treats in store over the next few weeks! Some of the best figures in the set are still yet to be revealed!

Make sure you don't miss a single figure by setting up an ongoing Pathfinder Battles subscription today!

We'll see you next week!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Stargazer

by Chris A. Jackson

Chapter Four: A Matter of Commerce

A nondescript wagon creaked down a dark street of the Inner City, the back piled high with canvas-covered wares and the caravaneers perched on the seat and rails. A single horseman rode beside the wagon, looking ill at ease in the saddle. The wagon stopped just before entering a wide, curved avenue, across which loomed an impressive stone mansion. To the casual eye, it looked just like one of the dozens or hundreds of wagons that passed through Katapesh each day.

It wasn't.

"If the wizard I paid was any good, Celeste's up there." Torius pointed to the tower atop the mansion.

"Looks like Brojanni's still up," Snick said from the driver's seat, nodding up at the lights blazing through the upper windows.

"That can't be helped." It had taken four days to set this up; Torius was not going to let Celeste remain prisoner one night longer.

A spiked wrought iron fence encircled the place, inside which strode four human guards, each bearing a loaded crossbow and the leashes of two snarling hyenas.

"Don't like dogs," the pirate beside Snick complained.

"Shouldn't have to deal with them." Torius nodded to the nearest guard. "Him, however, you'll have to take out, or he'll shoot me and you'll need a new captain."

"And the downside of that would be..." Snick said with a grin.

"Just get us set up, Snick!" Torius wiped his brow and checked his bag of tricks. His hands were shaking again, blast it, and he couldn't stop sweating. He'd finally realized the source of his symptoms: the absence of his navigator, or more precisely, her venom, to which he apparently had become both inured and addicted.

"Here." Snick passed him a small bottle. "Drink it."

"What is it?"

"Pesh brandy; it'll help the shakes."

He wondered how much she knew about the origin of his shakes, then unstoppered the bottle and took a pull, feeling its sweet warmth set his stomach afire. "Thanks."

"Get ready." She glanced at the hourglass that synchronized them with three similar wagons on parallel streets. "It's almost time."

Torius doffed his kaftan, revealing a stout harness over studded leather armor. He took a bottle from his belt and downed the contents; Brojanni was a poison master, so a preemptive cure seemed a good precaution.

The crewmen pulled the canvas off of Snick's baby, already loaded with a special stone-biter bolt. A long, light rope was threaded through the bolt's eye; one end they clipped to the horse's saddle, the other to a heavy ring in the front of Torius's harness. A second line, which was wound around a spring-tensioned drum bolted to the wagon, they clipped to the back of his harness. This was a tensioning line; without it he would be dragged right into the menacing fence.

"You're sure about all this, Snick?" He took a deep, calming breath.

"Trust me, Captain." She gave him another grin, holding up the glass and gripping the ballista's trip cord. "I triple-checked everything. Ready?"

"Hell no!"

"Too bad." Snick pulled the cord. The ballista cracked sharply as it shot the bolt into the night. From adjacent streets, three more bolts shot toward the mansion. Three of the four hit their marks, lodging deep in the stone above the tower's highest window; one glanced off an embrasure and fell. Their assault force had just been reduced by one quarter.

Torius said a short prayer and snapped, "Go!" to the horseman.

The man applied his spurs and the horse bolted back down the street, pulling the line though the bolt's eye and yanking Torius from the wagon. He felt like he was being torn in half; one rope pulled him forward while the tensioning line pulled him back to keep the angle of his ascent above the deadly fence. As he cleared the tines, he saw a guard below raise his crossbow, but a hail of bolts cut him down before he could fire and Torius allowed himself to breathe. Glancing to his left, he saw Grogul and Joss also ascending toward the window.

When his feet were firmly planted against the window's narrow ledge, he unclipped the tensioning line. Grogul and Joss arrived, the former grinning his tusky grin, the latter looking pale but ready.

He had no doubt that Brojanni had some type of ward on his tower windows, but this was where another of his preparations came into play. Torius slipped out the wand he had purchased for this venture—at a cost that made him nauseous when he thought about it—pointed it at the window frame and whispered, "Negate."

Nothing happened.

Three possibilities flashed into Torius' mind: the wand was a fake and he would have to hunt down and kill the merchant he'd purchased it from, the window had no enchantment for the wand to dispel and he had just wasted a charge, or the wand had worked and it was safe. Only one out of the three would get him killed, which wasn't bad odds considering the stupidity of attacking a spellcaster in his own home. He glanced at Grogul and shrugged.

"Bah!" The boatswain kicked in the ornate leaded glass and swung through the opening. Torius followed, and Joss came last.

As they rolled to their feet, he heard the sound he had been dreading; the chanting of a wizard casting magic. He swept his wand in an arc, looking for the source. There were myriad tables, cages, boxes, barrels, shelves and alchemical apparatuses, but no wizard. Then he realized his mistake, and discharged the wand in the direction of the wizard's voice.

Too late.

Brojanni learned a valuable lesson about dealing with pirates. Or perhaps not.

Lightning cracked out of thin air, blasting Grogul against the wall. Torius leapt to the attack, wand in one hand, sword in the other, as Brojanni winked into visibility. Before he could close the gap, the wizard cast a handful of dust before him and began another spell, but Torius was ready this time.

"Negate!"

Nothing happened.

Torius grinned and advanced.

The wizard threw a vial at his assailants' feet, and it burst into a noxious cloud. The acrid vapor stung Torius' eyes and nose, but he felt no other ill effects. Chalk one up for the pre-emptive cure, he thought triumphantly.

Torius and Joss stepped forward, swords poised to strike.

Brojanni backed against the door. "How dare you invade my home, you damned pirate!"

"How dare you steal my navigator, you trite bastard!" Torius shot back. "Tell us where she is and you live."

"I didn't steal your pet naga, Captain. Your own first mate did that for me. I am not going to hand over my property to a common thief, and my guild will have your head if you kill me."

"And my guild will have your head for arranging her kidnapping!" Torius placed the tip of his cutlass against the man's chest. "Now, hand her over."

Brojanni's face abruptly softened from a sneer to a smile.

"Captain, please, we're both businessmen. The naga's venom is all I want. When mixed with refined pesh, it makes an interesting poison. I expect to make a fortune from it. A fortune we could share." He raised his hands in submission. "This is simply a misunderstanding in a delicate matter of commerce. I see no reason why we can't reach a mutually beneficial agreement with no guild involvement."

"Like what?"

"Sell me her venom! If you sign a contract to bring me regular shipments, I'll give you the naga."

Torius opened his mouth to tell the wizard what he could do with his contract, then heard distant shouts from beyond the door.

"Those are my guards, Captain, and I daresay there are more than you can oppose. Decide quickly!"

Torius's mind raced. "Five hundred gold per ounce, six ounces per month, guaranteed."

"Three hundred and ten ounces per month."

"Four hundred and eight per month."

"Done!"

Torius lowered his sword. "Where is she?"

"Just behind that wall, Captain." Brojanni produced a key from his sleeve.

"Joss, see to Grogul. We just made a deal."

"Aye, sir!"

"This way, Captain." Brojanni stepped to the shelf-lined wall. He moved a pot and fit the key into a hole. Silently, the entire wall swung out.

Inside, Celeste lay restrained by an iron collar chained to two bolts in the walls. The room was crowded with other devices and a table laden with vials of pearly white liquid.

She rose on her coils, her dark eyes wide. "My captain!"

"Release her!" Torius's hand began to sweat on his sword hilt.

"Captain, please. The monster is dangerous without the enspelled collar. Let me place a charm on it for our protection."

"Fine. Do it now."

Torius tensed as the wizard cast his spell, then stepped over and touched the iron collar; it glowed briefly and fell away. "Your owner has come for you, Celeste. You can go with him as soon as we sign a simple contract."

"Of course," she said, slithering submissively after them.

Back in the outer room, Brojanni bent over his desk to gather paper and quill. Torius sidled over next to Celeste and aimed his wand.

"Negate!" he whispered

This time, something happened.

Celeste coiled and struck, sinking her fangs into Brojanni's neck. He reeled, and again she bit him, hissing with rage. The wizard fell against the desk, and she sunk her fangs into his chest, flexing her powerful body before releasing him. Brojanni slumped to the floor, gasping for breath, his skin nearly as pale as Celeste's. Once more, she reared back, ready to strike.

"Celeste! Enough!" Torius stepped forward, but she turned and hissed at him.

"This man..." she seethed, "this beast chained me and kept me from seeing the stars! He forced me to trade my venom for a mere glimpse of the sky! I'll have him dead!"

"Wait, Celeste! Please. It's complicated. We can't kill him. It'll start a guild war." He stepped between them and turned to give her a secret wink. "In fact, I'll need to give him the antidote to your venom right away." He turned to Brojanni and handed him a large flask. "Drink this. It'll ease the poison. Quickly!"

The wizard took the flask and drank greedily, then slumped back. His hand dropped to the floor, releasing the flask as his eyes glazed over with forgetfulness.

Celeste hissed angrily. "You...you mean to let him live? After what he did to me?" She lashed her tail. He'd seen her agitated before when she'd been too long from the stars, but never this bad.

"At least he won't remember it." Torius looked down at the man's slack face. "Trust me, if I could kill him, I would. Do you have any idea how much that elixir he just gargled was worth?"

"We gotta go, Captain!" Grogul rumbled. He and Joss were busy barricading the door.

"Grogul! You okay?"

"Bah! Nothin' but a little burn." He brushed charred leather away from the healing scar on his chest. "Joss fixed me up. But we better get before this door gives way."

"We've got to go, Celeste. Now! I'll make it up to you." He pulled out a potion vial and held it while she drank. He heard Joss gasp as she morphed into a beautiful nude woman, but he didn't have time to deal with that right now. He draped a cloak across her shoulders and the four of them dashed for the window.

∗ ∗ ∗

The stars shone like jewels overhead as Stargazer sailed beyond the glow of Katapesh. Torius stepped out onto the deck, his hands behind his back. Celeste was coiled at the rail, gazing up and swaying sinuously with the roll of the ship while the crew tended to their duties around her.

"For you." Torius held out an exquisite sextant wrought in bright silver.

Celeste's smile gleamed as she floated it out of his hands. She peered through the lens and hissed with delight. Leaning close, she nipped his neck; the faint rush of weakness and euphoria was like a breath of sea breeze, and Torius sighed.

"You must have done well with the sale of the Gods' Tears to afford such an instrument," she said.

Torius looked around guiltily to ensure that none of the crew stood within hearing, then whispered, "Actually, after paying the crew and buying that, the money's mostly gone. We've got to find a rich merchant ship if we're to keep in provisions."

"Then I will find one for you," Celeste agreed, turning her face to the night sky. "And the stars will be our guide!"

Coming Next Week: A brand new story featuring Tantaerra from Ed Greenwood's new novel, The Wizard's Mask!

Read more about Torius, Celeste, and the crew of the Stargazer in the new Pathfinder Tales novel Pirate's Honor, available now!

Chris A. Jackson is the author of the Scimitar Seas nautical fantasy series, which has won sequential gold medal awards for fantasy from ForeWord Reviews, as well as Weapon of Flesh, Deathmask, A Soul for Tsing, and the Cornerstones Trilogy. He lives with his wife on a sailboat in the Caribbean. For samples of his work, his blog, and his convention schedule, visit jaxbooks.com.

Illustration by Greg Opalinski

Gather Your Forces!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Here we have a balor taking out a silver dragon in this awesome cover illustration from Wayne Reynolds. This chaotic scene greets the PCs as they begin the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, which launches this August with Pathfinder Adventure Path #73: The Worldwound Incursion. This Adventure Path uses rules from Pathfinder RPG: Mythic Adventures to make this a truly mythic campaign. As the release of this Adventure Path nears, I'd like to highlight some of the other things we're working on that can help support your PCs' venture into the Worldwound.

At the same time that Pathfinder Adventure Path #73 releases, a number of other products that help support the Adventure Path will be available, such as Pathfinder Cards: Wrath of the Righteous Item Cards, which allow you to hand players cards depicting the treasures they unearth during the campaign. Learn more about the horrible rift in reality that gives the region its name in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Worldwound. Need more information on demons to use in the Adventure Path to stop those pesky heroes? Look no further than Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited! Are there now too many demons around? Then check out Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook for tips and tools that come in handy during a fight against the Abyss.

If all of that's not enough to get you packing your bags for Mendev, then stay tuned for the adventures of your favorite count and his trusty bodyguard as Radovan and Jeggare head into the Worldwound in Dave Gross' upcoming novel Pathfinder Tales: King of Chaos. Also, this year at GenCon the Pathfinder Society begins a new season with Year of the Demon. Mike Brock and John Compton will provide more information about that sometime soon.

Adam Daigle
Developer

Have Some Art With Your Hotdogs!

Monday, May 27, 2013

I'm not in the office today, and neither is anyone else at Paizo. And any of you in the USA also shouldn't be. Because today is a holiday! But that doesn't mean you can't get a glimpse at what's coming in this month's Pathfinder Society Scenarios—The Halls of Dwarven Lore and Way of the Kirin—which are set to release later this week. Enjoy the art, and don't spend too much time in the sun. Happy Memorial Day!

Illustrations by Lindsey Wakefield and Kelly Perry

Mark Moreland
Developer

Aliens and Dragons

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Illustration by Kate Maximovich

In the upcoming installment of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path, Pathfinder #70: The Frozen Stars, the PCs' quest brings them to the planet Triaxus in the midst of its generations-long winter. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you playing in the Adventure Path, but there are dragons... and aliens.

Adam Daigle
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: More Monsters of the High Seas

May 24, 2013

With the sun high in the sky here in Seattle, it must mean that summer is just around the corner. And summer means the release of the Skull & Shackles set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures! This week I'd like to show off three more monsters coming your way this August!

Here we have a figure long requested by miniatures fiends, albeit under a slightly new name. We call this six-legged critter a Golden Guardian, and he'd love to spend some time chewing on your coins or guarding your treasure hoard. Just make sure to keep it away from his huge mouth. The Golden Guardian (which, I should point out, James Jacobs saved me from naming the Gold Digger) is a Small figure at the rare rarity.

One of the great things about publishing a pirate campaign set in a fantasy world is that it gives us the opportunity to create interesting nonhuman pirates. Here we have one of my absolute favorites from the Adventure Path, the tengu pirate Jakaw Razorbeak. This Medium figure is slated at the uncommon rarity.

Last up this week is one of the set's weirder miniatures, an undead creature known as a Duppy. This creature comes from the monster appendix in the Isles of the Shackles sourcebook, and also appears in the Skull & Shackles campaign itself. A Duppy is the spirit of a cruel sailor who died on land away from his ship, and thus was unable to receive a proper burial at sea. Duppies have control over spectral dogs, which we see sculpted into the base on the figure itself. WizKids did some amazing work with clear plastic on this figure, and I think it looks like the most incorporeal beastie we've created for Pathfinder Battles so far. The Duppy easily proxies for any kind of spooky undead ghost-like villain. It is a rare figure.

That's it for this week, my faithful scallywags! Check back next week for another exciting look at the Skull & Shackles set!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Return to the Runelords

Thursday, May 23, 2013

My favorite part of the new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords is the opportunity it gave us to revisit Rise of the Runelords in art form. There was only so much room for art in the original adventures, and while we were able to order a bunch of new art for the Anniversary Edition of the book, there was still more that needed to be illustrated. This card game gave us a chance to right that wrong!

Anyway, they say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll let the images speak for themselves. See if you can recognize all of the iconic Rise of the Runelords locations and events pictured!

Illustrations by Paolo Puggioni and Bryan Sola


Illustrations by Tim Kings-Lynne

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Stargazer

by Chris A. Jackson

Chapter Three: Blood and Information

It was late, and the doors of Gozreh's temple were closed, but it was not so late that a bit of judicious knocking didn't get a response. A young acolyte cracked the door and squinted at Torius dubiously.

"Yes?"

"We need to speak to the high priest immediately!" Torius gestured to the stiff form in Grogul's arms. "My friend..."

"The high priest is eating his supper." The acolyte seemed unmoved by the plea. "Perhaps tomorrow."

"We are faithful to Gozreh!" He produced the small golden leaf on a chain from the neck of his robes. "And we are not without resources." A handful of gold reinforced the plea, and gained them entry.

Like all temples to Gozreh that Torius had seen, this one was open to the sky, its walls of joined driftwood servin...g only to keep out the unfaithful, not the elements. In its center sat the traditional large pool of water, surrounded by native plant life. Katapesh being Katapesh, however, this particular temple was far from the humble hermitages and shrines one might find on a distant coast or otherwise uninhabited island. The head priest wore fine robes, and looked as if it had been some time since he last slept out under the open sky. He sat at a beautiful wooden table next to the reflecting pool, and looked none too pleased at being interrupted.

"It's late, Captain." The aged priest wiped the grease of his curried goat stew from his long beard. He squinted down at Snick's corpse as if it somehow offended him. "And there is no hurry. Perhaps in the morning."

"I've donated enough to your coffers in years past to buy this temple thrice over," Torius seethed, one hand clenching the hilt of his cutlass. "We urgently require information that our friend may have learned just prior to her death. I'm willing to pay whatever you deem fair."

"Oh. Well, information comes easier than treatment of her... um... condition. For a generous donation to the temple, we may be able to accommodate you."

"How generous?" Grogul growled, his flinty eyes narrow.

"And before you answer, consider my longstanding, and potential future support of this temple." Torius reached for his belt pouch.

After some haggling, they came to an agreement, and the priest led them across the garden and over to a stone slab, deeply engraved with the Gozreh's leaf symbol.

"Place her there."

When Grogul complied, the priest produced a matching leaf pendant from his robes and began a careful incantation. The symbol glowed with a deep blue light, and Snick's morbid features suddenly stirred. Sightless eyes blinked, and her mouth twitched, but her color remained the ashen hue of death. Grogul muttered an oath and took a step back.

"Ask your questions," the priest instructed.

"Snick!" He stepped forward. "Snick, I need to know where they took Celeste!"

"Celeste..." The gnome's voice was raspy, undoubtedly the result of being garroted. "They took her... Don't know where."

"I need to know about Caliel. What did he do with Celeste?"

"Caliel!" Her sightless eyes flung wide, pale lips drawn back in a rictus snarl, she hissed, "Traitor! He sold her to a man."

Torius' blood ran cold in his veins. "To who? Who paid him?"

"Don't know... Didn't see his face... Wizard."

"Blast!" Torius clenched his fists and thought furiously. "Do you know where Caliel's gone to?"

"No. South... Told his men Grand Arch at dawn."

"Good! Thank you, Snick." He rested a hand on her cool shoulder. "You rest now."

The spell faded, and Snick's pale features stilled.

"It will be expensive to bring her back, Captain," the priest warned.

"I don't care. I'll pay it." Torius looked up at the heavens and a shiver wracked his body. Could Celeste see the stars she so loved? Would she ever observe the night sky again? He knew what she would become if that was denied her for too long. He turned away without another glance at the priest. "Come on, Grogul. We've got to get back to the ship. We've got an appointment at the Grand Arch at dawn."

∗∗∗

The crewmembers of the Stargazer were with him. Pirates they might be, but loyalty to one another was the key to their success and survival, and avarice was in their blood. Consequently, the opportunities to repay the treason of fellow crewmembers and reap a share of Caliel's payment for the sale of their navigator were serious incentives.

Well before dawn, Torius, Grogul and a dozen pirates were hidden among the simple homes along the road between Twilight Gate and the Grand Arch Bridge. Just as the sun peeked over the sea, seven desert-cloaked riders exited the gate astride fine mounts and headed toward the bridge.

"Horses," Grogul muttered with a note of disdain. "Figured that and brung a little surprise." He delved into a large bag and withdrew a heavy bola.

"Where'd you learn to use a thing like that?" Torius eyed the ungainly device dubiously.

"Wasn't always a pirate, Captain," the bosun replied with a grin.

"Fine. Just don't tip our hand." He watched the riders closely; they wore dust cloths across their faces, but he knew Caliel when he came close enough. When they were in position, he gave a high-pitched whistle and stepped into the street in front of the horses. Half his sailors stepped out beside him, and the rest filled the street behind the riders. Every pirate bore a loaded crossbow.

"That's as far as you go, you mutinous piece of dog meat!" Torius drew his sword and the riders pulled their mounts to a halt.

"Vin! How in the depths of Hell—"

"The shipmate you murdered gave us just enough information to find you, Caliel. Snick isn't here to cut her due out of your traitorous hide, but I'll wager you got enough from selling my navigator to pay a cleric for her return."

"Snick's dead?" Honest surprise registered in the half-elf's eyes. "Nosey gnome. I didn't mean for that to happen, Torius. She killed herself with her own damned curiosity."

"You might sell that to the dung collectors, but not to me, Caliel. I'll make you a deal. If you drop the gold you made from selling my navigator and tell me who you sold her to, I'll let you be on your cowardly way. Otherwise..." He gestured to the bowmen.

"Your navigator is a scaly monster, Vin!" The man hefted a long spear. "And you're the coward! No stomach to be a real pirate! We could have made twice what we got on that last take if you had any stones! A hold full of silks and fifteen new slaves would have paid well, and nobody would have been the wiser!"

"I told you when you came aboard that I don't deal in people," Torius said, his voice low and dangerous as he hefted his silver-hilted cutlass. "And there wasn't time to take anything more. You know that."

"Because you don't have the balls to kill a bunch of bloody merchants!" Caliel hawked and spat. "Did that scaly witch of yours chew off your manhood, Captain Vin? Is that why you're so craven?"

"Tell me who you sold her to, Caliel, or I swear by Gozreh, I'll take your head."

"You mean you'll try!" The riders kicked their mounts into a charge, spears set like lances.

"Fire all!" Torius shouted, and the crossbows cracked.

Three men fell, but Caliel and the others rode on. There was not a faint heart among his crew, but pirates are unaccustomed to facing a cavalry charge. They dove out of the way; only Grogul remained, his tusks bared as he threw his bola. One of the horses went down screaming, its rider pitching forward to land with a sickening crunch.

Torius stood his ground, reaching for a pouch at his hip. He focused on the gleaming tip of Caliel's spear and threw the pouch down hard, right in the horse's path.

It was just a simple firecracker, but the sound spooked the horse, which threw off Caliel's aim enough to save Torius's life. The tip of the spear creased the captain's shoulder, but his cutlass caught the traitorous first mate squarely in the stomach. Caliel fell from the saddle and landed in a bloody heap.

Another horse screamed in agony, and Torius heard Grogul bellow, but his attention was fixed on Caliel. He dashed to where the man lay clutching the slithering mass of his eviscerated abdomen.

He put the tip of his cutlass to his first mate's throat and said, "Who'd you sell her to? Tell me!"

"Or what?" Caliel spat, his lips flecked with blood. "You'll kill me?" He laughed horribly, then coughed, choking on his own blood.

"Or by Gozreh, your soul gets bound and sold to the foulest necromancer I can find." He withdrew an ornate crystal vial from his belt—nothing but an empty perfume bottle, but Caliel didn't know that—and pressed the tip of his cutlass into Caliel's neck. "There are things worse than death, my friend."

"A poison-crafter named Brojanni. Offered me enough for my own ship... The money's on my horse." Caliel grinned through the blood. "You said you'd let me live."

"I lied." Torius allowed the man a moment's realization before he ended his life in one quick slash. It was better than he deserved.

"Captain!"

Torius turned to see Grogul standing over a dead horse and rider. Blood dripped from both his axe and the spear that transfixed his thigh. The boatswain reached down and snapped the spearhead off, then yanked the shaft free. Torius swallowed.

"One got away." The half-orc pointed to the bridge where the last of the traitorous pirates was riding at full gallop.

"I got what I needed, Grogul." He cleaned his sword and sheathed it. "Have the men round up the horses, and bind up that leg. Our traitorous first mate just supplied us with sufficient funds to bring Snick back and heal your hairy carcass up in the bargain."

"Bah! Just a poke with a stick!" the boatswain claimed, barely limping as he shouted orders at the pirate crew.

∗∗∗

Not even death fazes Snick.

"This isn't good, Captain." Snick huddled in a blanket, her face flushed a living hue as she recovered from her brush with death. "Not only is Brojanni a wizard, he's an alchemist specializing in poisons, which explains why he wanted Celeste! And he's alchemist guild. The Pactmasters won't like it if we storm his fancy home."

"I'm guild, too, and he stole my navigator!"

"You're guild?" Grogul asked, taking another swig of his medicinal fish oil whiskey. The smell of it nearly made Torius retch.

"Merchantmen's guild," Torius explained. "Can't sell anything in this city without it."

"That's not going to do you much good, Captain, because technically, he didn't steal Celeste. He bought her, which is perfectly legal." Snick shivered and clutched her blanket closer. "The masks won't like it if you kill him."

"I don't want to kill him, Snick. I just want Celeste back." Torius suppressed a shiver of his own, and began to wonder why he was feeling like he'd just woken up from a two-day binge.

"So we go in quick, take her, and give him a swig of that memory-enema potion," Grogul suggested, taking another deep draught.

Torius swallowed hard and tried to think. Grogul's idea wasn't half bad, but they would have to make sure it happened like that, quick and without repercussions. The last thing he needed was to tangle with the Pactmasters. Katapesh was his home port; if he lost his standing here, he'd be cast adrift.

"Okay, we do like Grogul suggested. Quick in and out, and the good Master Brojanni doesn't even remember that we were there." He shivered again.

"You okay, Captain?" Grogul squinted at him.

"I'm fine." He reached for a bottle of spiced rum that he kept for his own medicinal purposes. "Snick, I think we'll need to bring your babies out of bed for this one, and I'll need to make a trip to the Repository. We'll need gold to do this right."

"How much gold?" Grogul's eyes narrowed in worry.

"All of it, I think." Torius suppressed another shiver. "When you confront a spellcaster, it's best to have a few tricks on hand."

Coming Next Week: The thrilling conclusion of Chris A. Jackson's "Stargazer."

Read more about Torius, Celeste, and the crew of the Stargazer in the new Pathfinder Tales novel Pirate's Honor, available now!

Chris A. Jackson is the author of the Scimitar Seas nautical fantasy series, which has won sequential gold medal awards for fantasy from ForeWord Reviews, as well as Weapon of Flesh, Deathmask, A Soul for Tsing, and the Cornerstones Trilogy. He lives with his wife on a sailboat in the Caribbean. For samples of his work, his blog, and his convention schedule, visit jaxbooks.com.

Illustration by Greg Opalinski

Superstars from Spaaaace!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Illustration by Alex Tooth

It's no secret that the Pathfinder campaign setting includes a number of science-fiction elements, from the future-tech-wielding barbarians of Numeria to the crashed flying cities of the Shory in the Mwangi Expanse. Back in 2012, RPG Superstar contestant Mike Welham tapped into this underlying theme of the setting and ran with it, and his adventure proposal for Doom Comes to Dustpawn ultimately won the contest by a public vote.

The release of that adventure is just around the corner, and we wanted to show off some of the crazy-cool Superstar stuff you'll find within. First, there's a crashed spaceship leaking terrible things into the atmosphere, causing nearby farmers and townsfolk (and maybe the PCs) to have horrific dreams and even mutate into otherworldly abominations.

Then there are the strange cultists who are also seeking the fallen spacecraft for their own sinister reasons. (Hint: it's not cause they're interested in scientific exploration.)

And I don't even know what to say about this guy other than that he's bound to send your PCs on something of a wild ride if they hope to survive their encounter with him!

Illustrations by Scott Murphy

Doom Comes to Dustpawn by RPG Superstar 2012 winner Mike Welham is available for preorder now, and will be out in stores everywhere next week!

Mark Moreland
Developer

Register Now for Pathfinder Society Events at Gen Con Indy!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Event registration for Gen Con Indy is open to the public! That means that the over 100 unique Pathfinder Society events Paizo will be offering throughout the convention are already starting to sell out, so don't hesitate to get your tickets now. We expect this to be the largest Pathfinder Society showing at Gen Con to date, and you won't want to miss out on the action!

Gen Con will see the launch of Season 5 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play—the Year of the Demon! Three new scenarios will run throughout the show, pitting Pathfinders against the faithful of Razmir, the demons of the Worldwound, and the political machinations of Absalom's ruling council. We'll also be offering the first two levels of Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn's Ruins of Bonekeep megadungeon, which are specifically designed to challenge even the most ambitious Pathfinder characters with truly deadly combats, traps, and puzzles. As if that weren't enough, on Friday night, over 1,000 Pathfinder Society members will participate in a massive, multi-table event called Siege of the Diamond City, which will place the noble heroes on the front lines of an Abyssal invasion of the crusader capital of Nerosyan, and fill the Indiana Convention Center's cavernous Sagamore Ballroom.

We'll also be offering non-Pathfinder Society events throughout the convention, including:

• Seminars with Paizo's creative staff and management about forthcoming products, the future of the company, and some in-depth looks at the workings of the Pathfinder RPG.
• Demos of the new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.
• Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box demos to introduce new players to the world of roleplaying (including new adventures never before offered for Beginner Box characters of 3rd level!).
• A robust kids' track, allowing parents to play the Pathfinder RPG alongside their children in a safe and educational environment.
• A silent auction running throughout the convention, the proceeds of which will benefit the Gen Con Indy 2013 charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, offering both in- and out-of-character prizes.

Check back here every Monday for more on the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign, including revelations about the end of Season 4, the Year of the Risen Rune, and the start of Season 5. But before you set your reminder for next week, reserve your spot in the Gen Con 2013 event(s) of your choice and prepare for the Best Four Days in Pathfinder Society Gaming of the year!

Mark Moreland
Developer

First World Problems

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Illustration by Emily Fiegenschuh

In the forthcoming Pathfinder Campaign Setting book, Fey Revisited, we examine ten classic fey creatures in the context of how they function and fit into the world of Golarion. Each article presents details on the ecology of the creature (life-cycle, habitat, and so forth), its aspect of nature, and a sample creature of the type as well as a description of the sample's home. We also provide some background about each fey creature's real-world mythological origins and the fairies' tokens.

A fey token is an item, generally crafted by the fey giving it, that can be provided to another creature as a sign of the fey's blessing or approval for a short period of time. Each fey creature in the book has different conditions upon which it grants its token, and each has a limited magical effect that generally lasts about a day before its magic fades. As an example, here's the token granted by the evil water fey known as nuckelavees.

Illustration by Helge C. Balzer

Token of the Nuckelavee
Nuckelavees are rarely pleased by anything other than bloody vengeance, but occasionally they take a liking to a mortal—usually one with some connection to nature—who has a reputation for being a friend of the waters, perhaps by virtue of clearing a river of debris or driving a coven of polluting hags from a shore. In such instances, the nuckelavee bestows its token upon the do-gooder. The recipient awakens one day to find a bracelet made of cold, gray skin that smells of brine and constantly drips water. (Some say the nuckelavees craft these bracelets from strips of their own skin, which is why they have none left to wear.) Upon donning the bracelet, for the next 24 hours the recipient gains the ability to make contaminated water clean enough to drink (as per the spell purify food and drink, but only for water). However, the fey token has a cost. For the same duration, the water inside the recipient's body becomes tainted, lowering his or her Constitution by 2. When the token's power expires, there is a chance that the devil of the sea comes after the recipient to reclaim the bracelet.

Ok, so maybe that's not the fey token most PCs would want, especially given that last bit about the nuckelavee maybe coming for them. The rest of the tokens presented in the book totally don't have hitches and gotchas like that, though. I swear. Really. Why wouldn't you trust a fey creature not to try to trick you?

Fey Revisited is available for preorder now and will start shipping to subscribers this month!

Mark Moreland
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Devils of the Sea

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Skull & Shackles Adventure Path features a lot of "proper" devils from the Hells, but it also features a LOT of SEA devils. While these aquatic menaces are not lawful evil outsiders proper, their sharp teeth and evil looks make the name fit quite well. WizKids did a great job translating these creatures into prepainted plastic for the Skull & Shackles set of Pathfinder Battles figures, and I'm thrilled to show them all to you today.

As we continue to do these sets, it becomes more and more clear to me that I should take the opportunity to do as many of the same type of creature at the same time that I can. That way, similar creatures look "of a kind" to one another because they're based on unified art, and are often sculpted by the same sculptor. Likewise, all similar figures are painted based on paint masters painted by the same artist (in this case the excellent Chris Hart, who also did all the masters for the Shattered Star and Rise of the Runelords sets.

Here's an early look at three of those paint masters for the Skull & Shackles set!

Here we have the Sea Devil, a common rank-and-file member of this hideous undersea race. Watch out for his trident. It's pokey. This is a Medium common figure.

Liven up the ranks of your Sea Devil invasion force with this Sea Devil Champion, also Medium and also common.

Every invasion force needs a leader, and in this case we've got The Matron, one of the greatest figures in the Pathfinder Battles line according to yours truly and all the folks here at Paizo who have seen it. Chris really did a great job on the painting for her, and you guys are going to freak when you have her in hand. This Large figure is slated at the rare rarity.

That's it for this week. Set up an ongoing Pathfinder Battles subscription today to make sure you don't miss a single figure! The full set is slated to release this summer!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Ultimate Campaign: WAR! What is it Good For?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Sometime in the next week or so, Ultimate Campaign will be shipping out to a game store or mailbox near you. In anticipation of the release of this 256-page hardcover, we are taking a look at what you can expect to find inside. In the past three weeks, we have looked at character backgrounds, the downtime system, and rules for the GM to add to their campaign. This week, we are looking at the final chapter of the book, Kingdoms and War!

Built from the popular rules found in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, this chapter takes those rules to the next level, giving you new options to allow your PCs to conquer any part of the world (or at the very least, declare war on the parts they cannot conquer). First up are rules for building and expanding a kingdom. These rules are a refined version from those in Kingmaker, but if you used those rules, these will be very familiar to you. The big thing we added here was a variety of new rules and options for your kingdom. We expanded just about everything from rulership types to buildings that you can construct in your cities. Here are just a few examples.

Bank 28 BP, 1 Lot
Kingdom Economy +4
Special Base value +2,000 gp
A secure building for storing valuables and granting loans.

Palace 108 BP, 4 Lots
Kingdom Economy +2, Loyalty +6, Stability +2; Fame +1
Discount Mansion, Mint, Noble Villa
Special Base value +1,000 gp; you may make two special edicts per turn (see page 229), but take a -2 penalty on kingdom checks associated with each special edict
Settlement Law +2
A grand edifice and walled grounds demonstrating one's wealth, power, and authority to the world.

What good is a kingdom if you can't declare war on your neighbors? To that end, we added the war rules from Kingmaker and expanded upon them. This system is not a tactical war simulation, but it works perfectly in a narrative game, with quick and simple resolution with meaningful results. We greatly expanded the sample units and armies in this section of the book as well. Take a look at a few of these stat blocks!

Illustration by Jim Nelson

Drow Army XP 400
CE Medium army of drow (warrior 3)
hp 3; ACR 1
DV 11; OM +3, ranged
Tactics dirty fighters, false retreat, sniper support, spellbreaker
Special darkvision, light sensitivity, poison, spell resistance
Speed 2; Consumption 1
Note +2 OM due to spell-like abilities

Tarrasque XP 102,400
N Fine army of one tarrasque
hp 93; ACR 17
DV 27; OM +21, ranged
Tactics defensive wall, relentless brutality, siegebreaker, spellbreaker, withdraw
Special cannibalize; fear; grab; immune to ability damage, bleed, disease, energy drain, fear, paralysis, petrification, and poison; low-light vision; regeneration 40; scent; significant defense; spell resistance
Speed 2; Consumption 8
Note +4 OM due to feats and monster special abilities

Well, that about wraps up our look at Ultimate Campaign. You should be able to find this book in stores very soon. Pick it up and expand your campaign!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Stargazer

by Chris A. Jackson

Chapter Two: Stealing the Stars

"Don't put us downwind of the slave markets, Caliel." Torius scanned Katapesh's busy docks, looking for ships that he might prefer to avoid. The list had become quite long.

The mate sneered. "Squeamish, Captain?"

"It's the smell, that's all." Torius tended to steer clear of the slave markets for other reasons, too, but his crew need not know all the details of their captain's past.

"Smells like half-orc day at Trillia's Bathhouse!" Snick chimed from beside him, her sea-green hair fluttering in the breeze. The crew chuckled and Grogul growled low in his throat.

"All secure below, Snick?"

"Well, of course, sir! All my babies're off to bed." Snick's ‘babies' were the twelve ballistae that Stargazer bore. When in Katapesh, his home port, he ordered the huge crossbows dismantled and hidden in the smuggling niches crafted into the spaces between the ship's decks. The gnome looked indignant at the suggestion that she might be slacking. "We're nothin' but a merchant ship now."

"Except for that ruddy great reptile in his cabin," a crewman muttered.

"Good." Torius ignored the comment. Celeste's magical talents and her value as a navigator and astrologer far outweighed the risks of having her aboard, and every member of the crew knew it.

He scanned the crew and nodded his approval. Though they still bore weapons, they looked little like pirates. Their dark leathers and bandanas had been replaced by loose vests, colorful pantaloons, and varied desert headdresses. As captain, Torius wore a dazzling white kaftan that was subtly enchanted to keep him cool in the blistering heat. Only Grogul still looked menacing, stripped to the waist and showing his impressive array of scars. He'd traded his axe for a pair of long kukris tucked crosswise under his sash at the small of his back.

"Might need a trip to Jexler and Young's, though," the gnome continued. "Those swimmer bolts just don't seem to be quite—"

"First things first, Snick." Torius ruffled her hair, smiling when she grimaced and slapped his hand away. "And the first thing is to conclude our business."

When the ship was docked and all secure, Torius turned to his first mate. "Caliel, deal with the fees and bribes to the dockmaster and see to provisions and repairs. Grogul, you're with me."

The pirate captain crossed the gangplank and headed uptown as if he hadn't a care, for all the world a merchant and his bodyguard out for a stroll. The burlap sack over Grogul's shoulder was nondescript enough to be holding laundry, but inside their prize lay nestled in a padded leather pouch, a fortune for the selling. Torius had long ago learned that the most effective means of stealth is often to appear as if you have nothing to hide at all.

∗∗∗

"May Abadar smile on your every endeavor, Master Alchemist." Torius bowed low and backed out of the shop's opulent back room, smiling through the bitter taste of both the dark tea he'd been forced to drink as a matter of custom and the poor deal he'd just struck.

"That took too long," Grogul said with a scowl.

Torius handed over a small bag heavy with gems and nodded to the door, but once outside he grumbled, "And they call me a pirate!"

"What happened?"

"Oh, just haggling," he said, then lowered his voice. "We've been paid, Grogul, but not what we were promised. I should have expected it, really, but there's nothing we can do."

"You said we had a contract."

"We did, but that thief caught me broadside. If I threatened to take our business elsewhere, we'd soon have Benrahi Ekhan himself on our tails." He shook his head ruefully, then cocked a wry grin and clapped the burly half-orc on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Grogul. We still made out well, just not as well as I'd wanted." He glanced at the angle of the shadows. "Come on; we've got to hurry to make it to the Immaculate Repository before dusk."

"Bankers..." Grogul muttered, matching his captain's long stride. "Now there's a band of pirates!"

Grogul is a bosun who gets things done.

They were met with aplomb at the Repository, and the certificates of appraisal that accompanied the gems were quickly verified, their value deposited in his account with a scribbled number on a leger. Torius withdrew a sum in gold for the crew's shares and all the expenses associated with maintaining Stargazer, and they headed back to the ship. Dusk in Katapesh reminded him of twilight on a tropical reef—the time of day when predators began to hunt—but two well-armed men cognizant of their surroundings had little to fear from common thugs. They arrived at the docks just as the sun's glow faded behind the city's gilded domes, but the welcome they received was more chilling even than the coming desert night.

"Captain!" A crewman named Joss ran up as they crossed the gangplank. "You're free! Where's Mister Caliel?"

"What do you mean, ‘free'? Why wouldn't I be?" The chill slithered down Torius' spine.

"But the slavers, sir! We got word a gang of Duenas took you, the filthy hyenas, and Mister Caliel—"

"Where is Caliel, Joss?" He scanned the worried faces and shivered.

"Mister Caliel took half a dozen men and went to rescue you. This feller said he knew where you was, but that it'd take some doin' to get you back. He, uh..." The man balked, biting his lower lip. "They took yer navigator with 'em."

"Celeste?" The chill clutched his heart like the hand of a lich. Torius gripped Joss's vest, jerking him off his feet. "Where?"

"We don't know, sir! That feller, he just spoke to Mister Caliel. The mate said they'd need yer navigator's help to get you back. She took that potion that makes her human and left with 'em, all cloaked and secret-like. Then Snick followed 'em. Told me somethin' weren't right and she'd find out."

"Damn!" Torius released the man and began to pace Stargazer's deck, his mind awhirl. "And nobody recognized this man? Did Caliel call him by name?"

"Oh, aye! Called him Vemmy. I heard him."

"Vemmy..." The name meant nothing to Torius. He glanced at Grogul, who knew every sneak and informant on the docks, but the boatswain shook his head.

"Never heard of him, but I know someone who might."

"Let's go." Torius turned back to Joss. "Keep the ship secure. Nobody, and I mean nobody, comes aboard. If Caliel or Snick come back, they stay put. Understand?"

"Aye, sir!"

∗∗∗

Nowhere in Katapesh is the night darker than beneath the Night Ramp, with its seedy cluster of tents where informants and black marketers ply their trade. Grogul led Torius past clusters of men sitting around small charcoal fires cooking meat of dubious origin on metal skewers to a canvas-shrouded stall near the Obsidian Wall. There, an old woman sat smoking a pesh pipe, her knobby, misshapen feet propped up on a stool.

Grogul didn't bother with formalities or introductions. "Need to find someone, Hound."

"Nice to smell you, too, Grogul. Who's your friend?" She sniffed, then blinked, the lamplight glinting on the haze of her unseeing eyes. "Don't think I know his scent."

"I'm Captain Vin of the Stargazer." Torius stepped forward. "We're looking for a man named Vemmy."

"And what are you willing to pay for this, Captain Vin?" The old woman puffed on her pipe, drawing the acrid smoke deep into her lungs and holding it there before exhaling. She smiled, thin lips pulling back over elongated canines. Her name, it seemed, was apropos.

"Gold or steel," Torius said, a hand on his sword hilt. "Gold if you tell us the truth. Steel if you lie."

"I never lie, Captain. There's no profit in it." She took another puff from her pipe. "Twenty scarabs."

"Ten," he countered.

"Seventeen."

"Fifteen." He was in no mood to haggle, but if he didn't, he risked being marked as moneyed prey.

"Sixteen, then, if you insist."

"Done." He counted out the coins, but kept them in his palm. "Where do we find Vemmy?"

"Street of the Seven Suns, north of The Block. He works for whoever pays him, and isn't particular."

He handed over the money. "Thank you."

"You already have, Captain." She laughed and jingled the money in her hand before slipping it into a pocket.

"Come on." Torius grabbed Grogul's arm and turned him north.

A quarter of an hour and dozens of twisting streets later, they entered the Street of the Seven Suns. Most of the stalls in the bazaar were closed, but the alehouses and pesh pits were open for business. A few questions and some judiciously applied silver pointed them toward a narrow alley and a dark second story flat.

"Round the back," Torius instructed his boatswain in a whisper. "If he bolts..."

Grogul nodded and vanished around the corner, stealthier than his bulk would suggest possible. Torius gave him a moment to get situated, then climbed the rickety stair, the boards creaking under his weight. There was a click as the door opened, and the glint of starlight on metal. Torius dodged as the crossbow fired, and felt the bolt tug at the sleeve of his robe. He drew his sword and dashed up the stairs before the man could reload.

The door splintered under his onslaught, but he only caught a glimpse of the man's boots vanishing out of a small window. He heard a crash, then a grunt and a scream. He leaned over the sill.

"Grogul?"

"Got him, sir." The half-orc was bent over a prone form.

"Dead?"

"Not yet."

Torius ran back down the stairs and around the corner. Grogul bore a cut along his cheekbone, and the tip of his pointed ear was missing, but that was nothing compared with the man he was pulling to his feet. One of the bosun's kukris transfixed the man's shoulder from back to front, six inches of bloody steel sticking out of his filthy robes.

"You okay, Grogul?"

"Bah! Just a scratch."

"You must be Vemmy." Torius peered into the man's pockmarked face. "Not a good night for you."

The man spat an epithet, then screamed again as Grogul whacked the hilt of the kukri. Torius winced.

"Now Vemmy, let me be clear. You tell us where Caliel took my navigator, or you're tomorrow's dinner special at Chargut."

"Don't know where," the man said through clenched teeth. "He just paid me to bring the message and watch his back. Then that blasted gnome came along."

"Snick? Where is she?"

"Dead."

Torius felt the blood drain from his face, and he whacked the kukri himself. Vemmy's scream was gratifying.

"Show us where. Now!"

Grogul arranged Vemmy's cloak to hide the knife and frogmarched the man through the dark streets. In minutes they reached an alley and Vemmy pointed.

"In there. I stashed the corpse behind the bins."

Torius's gorge rose in his throat. The building was an abattoir, and the rats had massed for their nightly feast. He kicked the rats away, and found Snick's body reasonably unchewed; apparently the butcher's offal ranked higher than gnome on the rat culinary scale. He pulled her into the faint starlight, and saw the mark of a garrote around her throat. She was dead, her limbs stiffened and her face fixed in a ghastly expression.

"Grogul, pick her up. We need to—"

Vemmy gasped in shock as the half-orc retrieved his kukri. Grogul hadn't simply pulled the blade out, but twisted it and slashed down through bone and sinew. Blood quickly darkened the man's robes, and he crumpled to the refuse-strewn ground. Grogul wiped the blade on Vemmy's cloak and sheathed it.

"You were sayin', Captain?"

"I was saying, we need to get her to Gozreh's temple."

"Why?" He picked up the gnome's corpse and tucked it under his arm.

"Because, Grogul," Torius said, leading the way into the night, "the dead can talk."

Coming Next Week: A chat with a corpse in Chapter Three of Chris A. Jackson's "Stargazer."

Read more about Torius, Celeste, and the crew of the Stargazer in the new Pathfinder Tales novel Pirate's Honor, available now!

Chris A. Jackson is the author of the Scimitar Seas nautical fantasy series, which has won sequential gold medal awards for fantasy from ForeWord Reviews, as well as Weapon of Flesh, Deathmask, A Soul for Tsing, and the Cornerstones Trilogy. He lives with his wife on a sailboat in the Caribbean. For samples of his work, his blog, and his convention schedule, visit jaxbooks.com.

Illustration by Greg Opalinski

Put on Your Sneaking Shoes

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Recently, we released Pathfinder Module: Fangwood Keep by veteran Pathfinder Society author Alex Greenshields. This adventure holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons. First, on a personal level, it was Alex who first ran me through a Pathfinder Society scenario (Pathfinder Society Scenario #1: Silent Tide way back in 2008) and he's been a constant contributor to my other passion, the PathfinderWiki, for nearly just as long. It makes me happy to see him get his first printed cover credit in a Pathfinder product, and on such an amazing adventure, too!

Second, I've always been a fan of adventures that provide the PCs lots of different options. When I was working on this scenario with Alex, we wanted to make sure that it offered as many choices as possible. For example, the adventure takes place in the Southern Fangwood, on the ever-shifting border between warring nations Molthune and Nirmathas. It was important to us to ensure that the PCs could be agents of either nation when they set off on the adventure, making it easier for GMs to place the adventure into their ongoing campaigns or for PCs for better integrate characters of varying backgrounds into the plot.

Illustration by Eric Braddock

Additionally, one of the main objectives we set for ourselves was to provide written-in options for players to take two different approaches to taking the adventure's eponymous fortress. Some players love the thrill of combat and taking on imposing odds, and for these players, a full frontal assault on the fortress is likely the most fun approach. Other players like to use stealth, guile, and trickery to win the day, and we made sure there were just as many opportunities for PCs to infiltrate Fangwood Keep in secret and take the fortress one room at a time without raising any alarms. Hollow walls, secret escape (or entry, in the PCs' case) tunnels, and hidden doorways are just a few of the ways PCs can explore the tower without tipping off the soldiers who guard it.

Fangwood Keep is available now, so try it today! What's your preferred method of ridding a forest stronghold of its current occupants?

Mark Moreland
Developer

Ransom on the High Seas

Monday, May 13, 2013

Illustration by Craig J Spearing

The sunny skies that Paizo has experienced over the past week have provided a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy the weather. Apparently we weren't the only ones thinking that, and true to form, the pirates of the Shackles paid a visit, boarded the vessel carrying our latest shipment of Chronicle sheets, and spent the weekend roistering just beyond our reach. As I have learned in my move from a relatively landlocked area to the Pacific northwest, such is the price we must pay for good seafood.

Once the pirates realized just what a prize they now hold—I hear the boons are the stuff of legend—they offered to ransom the Chronicle sheets back for the paper's weight in gold! Villains! What I propose is more devious and hopefully far more to the liking of the swashbuckling sorts that frequent the Pathfinder Society. We shall build up our strength and launch a daring raid to take back what is rightfully ours.

So hone your blades and sharpen your wits as you do battle with the foes in Season 4 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play. If we see in our reports that you have soundly beaten all that Varisia can throw at you, then we shall launch that raid, share the spoils, and tell stories about it for years to come. If not... I know that the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path promises adventure on the high seas, but I cannot imagine our Chronicle sheets would survive walking the plank.

Rules for sanctioning the Skull and Shackles Adventure Path for Pathfinder Society Organized Play are ready to launch, but we await your reporting of Season 4 scenarios. Play and report as much as you can. The more activity we see, the sooner you shall see rules for new Adventure Paths. Comment in character here, and so long as I see that you have participated in at least one Season 4 scenario since, you may be one of the characters called out in a later blog's narrative should we perform the raid.

John Compton
Developer

Welcome Our New Intern, Jay!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Greetings one and all! My name is Jay Loomis, and I'm one of the new editorial interns here at Paizo HQ. I share a desk with Cassidy, whom you have already met (though I haven't, due to a temporal displacement in our schedules).

I'm a graduate student at the University of Washington, Bothell in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Poetics program. My path to grad school was long and winding, and involved a ton of professional experience in technical and expository writing, management and team dynamics, desktop publishing and a smidgeon of graphic design, among many other areas. That's a roundabout way of saying that I'm kind of old for an intern. I look forward to bringing my experience to bear as I learn more about the world of RPG publishing.

Coming to Paizo is one step in the fulfillment of a dream to make RPGs that started when I was 10. That was a long time ago (here's a hint: that was the year that I got Star Frontiers, Marvel Superheroes [the original in the yellow box], and The Adventures of Indiana Jones Role-Playing Game, all published by TSR) so it feels really good. My interest in design hasn't lain dormant in the intervening years. I'm always designing games of one sort or another. I have accumulated a lot of theory, and have helped my peers learn about designing games as the president of the Game Design Club at school. Last year I was fortunate enough to be the editor of the critically acclaimed Dungeon World, published by Sage Kobold designs.

In the rare moments that I am not playing or talking about roleplaying games or doing homework (or playing or talking about other tabletop games) I enjoy blacksmithing, stage combat and European martial arts (swords!). I like making things with my hands and (when time allows) walking in nature and relaxing at home with my wife and two cats.

I can't wait to dive deeper into the inner workings of Pathfinder and to tell you about it here on the blog!

Jay Loomis
Editorial Intern

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Strange Cargo

Friday, May 10, 2013

The summer release of Pathfinder Battles: Skull & Shackles is just over the horizon. Already you can hear the sea shanties of pirate crews carried on the salt-saturated air, and was that a shark fin that passed by just now? We've previewed almost half of the 55-figure set so far here on the Paizo Blog, and excitement is building for what is shaping up to be one of our best Pathfinder Battles sets yet! Designed to support the popular Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the set includes creatures encountered in that campaign as well as aquatic and pirate-themed figures usable in any fantasy adventure.

This week I want to show off some of the set's stranger figures in the form of three unusual passengers we think will add a lot to your sea voyages.

A long ocean voyage is going to require a lot of food to feed the crew, and who better to provide that provender than Ambrose Kroop, "star" cook to pirates, smugglers, and heroes alike? Over the course of several sets, it's our intention to provide all sorts of "menial" NPCs, from barkeepers to bouncers to barmaids, from watch captains to politicians. When I first saw the art for Ambrose Kroop come through during the course of publishing the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path campaign, I just knew I had to include him in a set. Ambrose Kroop is an uncommon figure.

And what do you think the "mystery meat" is on the tenth week at sea? Why, bilge rats, of course! Here we have a Rat Swarm ready to eat your feet or feed your belly in case things get desperate. We've put the rats on a Small base and made them a common figure so it'll be easy to build up enough to have a reasonably sized rat horde.

Here we have the menacing Gilbrok the Tongue, a chief lieutenant of one of the Adventure Path's key villains. When I saw the illustration for this character, I added it to the list for this set as a sort of challenge to our partners at WizKids, because I honestly wasn't sure they'd be able to pull off such a complex sculpt. You can't quite appreciate all of the detail from the tiny photograph above, but you're going to have to trust me that, in terms of complexity, this is one of the most elaborate figures we've done to date. He's got a glowing spell effect in clear plastic coming off his right hand and a monkey witch familiar on his shoulder. His staff is, for lack of a better term, "very three-dimensional," and his windswept robes had to be captured just perfectly. He'll work great for any crazed hermit, rowdy druid, gross witch, or just plain old weirdo you need for your campaigns. That said, we know you won't need a ton of him, which is why we made him a rare figure.

That's it for this week! Come on back next week for a look at three more figures from the Skull & Shackles set! And if you haven't seen them yet, check out the upcoming Pathfinder Battles releases White Dragon Evolution and We Be Goblins!, also coming this summer from Paizo and WizKids! Set up an ongoing Pathfinder Battles subscription today to get discounts on Encounter Packs and make sure you don't miss a single figure!

Until next week,

Erik Mona
Publisher

We Survived!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Gen Con Crunch breakfast! Liz made delicious pancakes!


Happy editors and developers working on some exciting products due out this summer.

The last six weeks have been quite a slog for the development and editorial pits here at Paizo. We worked day and night, and most weekends, getting over two dozen products scheduled for Gen Con ready to go. To celebrate, many of us are going to kick back and actually take a whole weekend to unwind—maybe soak up the Seattle sun while it's out (yeah, we get sun sometimes!), go catch Iron Man 3, or even just sleep in while we can.

On behalf of the editing staff, I'm pretty stoked to say that we're proud of the work we've done. We're not just happy that the slog is over; we're happy that we knocked this year's product schedule out of the park!

What did we survive, you ask?

We have a host of Pathfinder Player Companions just waiting to jump into your hands: Kobolds of Golarion, Quests & Campaigns, Dragonslayer's Handbook, Pathfinder Society Primer, Faiths & Philosophies, and Demon Hunter's Handbook. There's something in this hot group of titles for everyone, no matter what you're playing in your Pathfinder campaign.

But hey, we can't be adventurers if we don't have places to go adventuring! For that, we've worked hard on these Pathfinder Campaign Setting books: Castles of the Inner Sea, Dragons Unleashed, The Worldwound, and Demons Revisited.

You like adventures? You're going to see a double-sized module in Pathfinder Modules: The Dragon's Demand. Of course, we've got the exciting end to the Reign of Winter Adventure Path in Pathfinder Adventure Path #71: Rasputin Must Die! and Pathfinder Adventure Path #72: The Witch Queen's Revenge. And we kick off the next Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous with Pathfinder Adventure Path #73: The Worldwound Incursion.

Sometimes we don't get to game, and for those times, it's nice to curl up to a good book. Check out Pathfinder Tales: The Wizard's Mask by that wizard of fantasy, Ed Greenwood.

We also shipped off a number of accessories to enhance your experience at the table, including Map Packs (Forest Trails and Evil Ruins), Flip-Mats (Arcane Dungeons and Thieves' Guild), and four Pathfinder Card sets: (Animal Allies Face Cards, Dragon's Demand Campaign Cards, and Iconic Equipment and Wrath of the Righteous Item Cards.

Last, but certainly not least, are two massive beasts we were happy to slay and present to you: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set—plus the PFACG Character Add-On Deck—and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures. Plus, for all you art lovers out there, there's Visions of WAR: The Art of Wayne Reynolds.

In case any of you out there are wondering, here're the names of the Gen Con heroes who've worked 50+ hour weeks to put more awesome into your gaming lives:

Judy Bauer, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Christopher Carey, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, James Jacobs, Ryan Macklin, Rob McCreary, Mark Moreland, Erik Mona, Jessica Price, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sonja Morris, Sean K Reynolds, Sarah E. Robinson, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, Patrick Renie, and Andrew Vallas, along with our interns Jay Loomis and Cassidy Werner.

We hope you enjoy the books and accessories! If you'll be at Gen Con, come by and say hi!

Ryan Macklin
Editor

Ultimate Campaign: Behind the Screen

Thursday, May 9, 2013

In just over two weeks, Ultimate Campaign should hit your local game store or your mailbox. In the build up to the release of this new 256-page hardcover expansion to the Pathfinder rules line, we are showing off some of the things you will find inside.

This week, we are taking a look at Chapter 3, which is absolutely packed with new systems for GMs to use in their game. Each one of these sections is designed around one theme and they are easily added to any existing campaign when the story calls for that particular theme. For example, if the player's travel to a kingdom where honor is valued above all else, Ultimate Campaign includes four pages of rules on honor and how it can be incorporated into the game. Are the heroes tasked with exploring a great, uncharted wilderness? No problem, there are six pages detailing rules for exploration in a wide variety of terrains, covering everything from hazards of travel to random map generation!

Illustration by Sam Burley

All told, this chapter contains 15 sections detailing various rules systems you can add to your game, including rules for alignment shifting, making contacts, developing relationships, and retraining. This last section is sure to be popular at your table, allowing characters to spend some time to change almost everything, from feats and skills to class features and archetypes. You can even retrain your class levels, given enough time and a suitable teacher!

One of my favorite sections of this chapter includes rules for playing young characters, before they start their adventuring career. It includes rules for young members of all of the core races, guidelines for available classes, and tips for roleplaying and the types of encounters young characters might face. While this is only a short section at the end of the chapter, I can think of a number of games that would have greatly benefitted starting the story before the PCs became the heroes they are today.

That about wraps up this week. Next week, we are going to take a look at the final chapter of the book, dealing with kingdoms and war!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Stargazer

by Chris A. Jackson

Chapter One: Venomous Friends

Black sails tore out of the moonless night, all but invisible as the corsair Stargazer swooped down on her prey. Even as the merchant galleon's crew recognized the danger, three ballistae cracked in perfect unison, and their steel heads bit into the planks of the ship's hull.

"Haul!" bellowed a voice, and Stargazer's capstan spun, hauling in the lines affixed to the ballistae bolts, pulling the two ships together.

The two hulls met with a crack, and thirty seasoned pirates leapt aboard the merchant ship in a wave of curses and flashing steel. One stout sailor swung a boathook, cracking a burly pirate across the face. The pirate responded with an anatomically impossible epithet and a sweeping blow of his heavy axe that clove the sailor's skull like an overripe melon. The captain and crew of the Golden Griffin dropped their weapons and backed against the windward rail, pleading for mercy, hands raised.

"Bosun Grogul!" The voice cut through the night like a knife, staying the burly pirate's hand as he raised his axe above the merchant captain's head. "Stand down! Secure their weapons and start your search!"

"Aye, Captain!" The half-orc pirate spat blood onto the deck. He glanced over his shoulder at his captain standing on Stargazer's rail, and the rage in his eyes dimmed. "Search party with me! You others, secure this rabble!"

Captain Torius Vin stepped onto the deck of the merchant galleon with the preternatural agility of a born seaman, one hand on the silver hilt of the cutlass at his hip. His confident swagger was that of a man walking across a street instead of a lurching deck as he stepped over the corpse of the dead sailor and confronted the captain of the Golden Griffin.

"Where is it, Captain Wayland?" He stroked his carefully groomed goatee, dark eyes narrowed.

"Where's what?" The merchant captain's voice sounded harsh with fear. "You're nothing but a damned pirate!"

Torius grinned—he expected fear from his conquests, but not defiance—and drew his cutlass. The flat of the blade slapped the captain's cheek, the edge coming to rest beneath the man's ear. "A pirate I am, Captain, and I may even be damned one day. But not today, and not by the likes of you! If you hand over the coffer you're delivering to Benrahi Ekhan of Azir, I'll spare the lives of you and your crew. If you lie to me again, I'll feed you to the adaro a piece at a time—your right ear first."

"Bugger yourself, pirate!" the captain spat. "You'll kill us all anyway. You vermin have no honor!"

Torius' wrist stiffened, and the razor edge of his cutlass drew a bead of blood from the captain's ear. "Have it your way," he said, but a soft voice from behind him stayed his hand.

"My captain!" There was a rustle of scales against wood. "I can help, if you'll allow me."

"Celeste!" Torius lowered his sword and glanced over his shoulder to see... nothing. "Is there time?"

"There's always time, Captain Vin. It's what we do with it that matters." The voice was as hauntingly beautiful as the night sky. "In this moment of it, I can find what you seek."

"Then by all means proceed, my dear." Torius stepped back.

Undulating coils of starlight flowed over the conjoined rails of the two ships as a huge serpent with the head of a woman materialized from invisibility. The white waves of her hair glowed in the starlight as she slithered to Torius's side, then smiled, her fangs glistening with venom. Torius stifled a chuckle at the gasps of horror from the Golden Griffin's captain and crew; where they saw a monster, he saw magnificence.

"Captain Wayland," she hissed as she bent close to the man's sweaty face. Torius heard the whisper of her quietly murmured spell. "If not to save your own life, then for the lives of your crew: tell me where you have hidden the coffer destined for Benrahi Ekhan."

The man paled nearly to the naga's alabaster hue, swallowed, then answered. "In a secret compartment under the chart table in my quarters. This is the key." He fumbled a heavy brass key from a pocket, and it floated out of his grasp and into Torius's hand.

"Mister Caliel!" Torius tossed the key to his first mate. "Get that coffer, double quick! Time is of the essence!"

Celeste is an exceptional woman—in many senses.

"Aye, sir!" The tall man, a half-elf by the gentle point of his ears, gathered two men and hurried aft.

"Celeste," Torius said more quietly, "best go below now. Thank you for your help."

"Who am I to argue with the stars, my captain?" Her lips curved in a knowing smile. "I await you in your cabin." She slithered away with astonishing alacrity, gone by the time Torius turned back to the captain of the Golden Griffin.

"Now, Captain, there are two possible outcomes to this night's events, and only one ends with you still breathing." He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a large, flat bottle. "Outcome one is that you and your crew each take a single draught from this bottle, and forget the last half-hour of your lives. Outcome two is that you all die, right now."

"That's a choice?" the captain scoffed, his defiance returning.

"Life or death? Yes, I do believe that is a choice, Captain." A door slammed, and Torius turned to see Caliel with a small metal coffer, while his two companions hefted much larger bundles of finery. He grinned. Pirates will be pirates, he thought, then turned back to the captain. "Choose now—live or die. Quickly! If you delay, your choices get cut in half." He tapped the side of the man's neck with his cutlass.

The captain cursed, but took the bottle, removed the cork and tilted it into his mouth, then passed it to the next man in line. Torius watched carefully, making sure each sailor took a mouthful of the precious potion and swallowed. It had cost him plenty, but he gauged it worth the lives of fifteen men, given that he'd already taken from them a prize fifty times the potion's value. When the last man in line drank, he took the bottle back and smiled; the captain's eyes were already glassy with forgetfulness.

"Bosun Grogul! Anyone else aboard?"

"No, sir! Searched from stem to stern."

"Good! We're leaving. Gather your men and get aboard Stargazer."

"Aye, Captain!" The boatswain and his men, burdened with more armfuls of carefully selected spoils, returned to the corsair.

"Farewell, Captain." Torius gave a fluid salute that ended with his cutlass snapping into the scabbard at his hip. He leapt to the rail of his ship and doffed his hat in a sweeping bow as his men cast off and the ships parted. "May we do business again soon!"

As Stargazer heeled away, black sails vanishing into the cloak of night, Torius strode through his grinning crew of pirates and shouted down the open main hatchway. "All secure below, Snick?"

"Secure as a half-orc's virginity, Captain!" a high-pitched feminine voice called back up.

The joke elicited a round of giddy laughter from the crew, and a growl from the bosun, which was probably what the gnome was aiming for. Others, however, seemed in a less humorous mood.

"Besmara's boots, Captain, that was close," Caliel grumbled. "You put a lot of faith in that wizard's concoction, expecting it to keep our identity a secret."

"Aye, we could'a took her like a cheap doxy, Captain," Grogul said as he wiped his gore-streaked axe with a rag. "Dead men don't talk, and it would'a saved the cost of that potion and gained us a hold full of fine Qadiran silk."

The bosun's boldness loosened the tongues of some of the other crew, and Torius heard a rush of dark muttering. He shook his head dismissively.

"The potion was crafted by a priest, actually, Caliel, and I tested it personally. Besides, this way we're free to plunder the Golden Griffin at a later date. Set course for Katapesh, and don't spare the canvas. I want twenty miles between us and the Golden Griffin before sunrise!" Torius pointed to the coffer. "Grogul, bring that to my cabin. Now. It's worth more than a dozen holds full of the finest silks in Golarion."

"Aye, sir!" The boatswain scooped up the coffer and followed.

In Torius's dimly lit cabin, they were greeted by the disconcerting sight of several navigational instruments, including an elaborate astrolabe, floating about the sinuous coils of Stargazer's navigator. She lay beneath the open skylight, but turned from her celestial observations as they entered, the tip of her tail twitching in delight.

"My Captain, I see that we're underway. I'll take my instruments up to the quarterdeck presently to get a proper fix and plot our course. Ah, Grogul, you bear the coffer of Gods' Tears." She cocked her head in concern. "And you're injured."

"Bah! Just a bloody lip, Miss Celeste." The half-orc put the box down and nodded. "I'll leave you to yer snake charmin', Captain." He ducked out of the cabin with a tusky grin.

"Pass the word for Snick to come by when she's through mothering the ballistae, Grogul. I'll need her to open this thing."

"Aye, sir." The door clicked closed.

"You take a great risk in this endeavor, Torius." Celeste turned to the astrolabe, rotating the discs more accurately with her magic than most could with two hands. "Such a valuable prize will not go unmissed."

"Not such a great risk, Celeste. The Sword of Man himself would thank me for keeping such a relic out of Rahadoum. The Gods' Tears will vanish in the markets of Katapesh, and there'll be no trail leading back to us." He unbuckled his sword and hung it on a peg near his bunk. "Which was another reason for the potion. Better to obliterate their memories than kill the crew of the Golden Griffin. Contrary to what Grogul thinks, dead men do occasionally talk."

He stepped to where Celeste lay coiled, her torso swaying easily with the roll of the ship as she gazed at a particularly bright star through her telescope. A stylus on the chart table scratched down a series of numbers. Beneath the charts lay several scrolls, mostly zodiacs of various cultures and lengthy scholars' notes of celestial observations. He stood next to her and stared up at the star-filled sky; this far from the lights of any city, they were so clear he felt as if he could reach out and touch them.

"It's a beautiful night." He brushed a hand through her silvery hair.

"Isn't it?" The tip of her tail shuddered as she turned to him. "And speaking of potions."

A thin drawer beneath the chart table opened and a small vial floated out. The stopper twisted free and she quaffed the contents in a single gulp. Her shape shifted with the potion's magic, her tail morphing into two long legs, two pale arms sprouting from supple shoulders. In the time it took him to draw a deep breath, she stood before him as a tall, willowy human woman with skin the luster of pearl and eyes of midnight, her face and hair unchanged. He reached for a cloak and draped it over her shoulders, though she was unabashed by her lack of raiment. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, unaccustomed as she was to having digits.

"Celeste, Snick will be coming by to open the coffer any minute."

"And the potion will only last a few minutes also." With a glance from her, the door's bolt clicked closed. "Time enough."

"Oh, hell," he murmured as her hands explored beneath his shirt.

"Besides," she breathed, nuzzling his neck, "it's been far too long since I've had arms to hold you."

He felt the prick of her fangs, then the familiar rush of weakness from her venom and the odd euphoria that accompanied it. He knew the weakness would fade quickly; he'd become accustomed to Celeste's venom. In fact, he'd become quite fond of it... and her.

"And legs," he reminded her. "Don't forget your legs..."

Neither of them noticed the soft click at the door, or the shadow that passed below the lintel.

Coming Next Week: Pirate problems in Chapter Two of Chris A. Jackson's "Stargazer."

Read more about Torius, Celeste, and the crew of the Stargazer in the new Pathfinder Tales novel Pirate's Honor, available now!

Chris A. Jackson is the author of the Scimitar Seas nautical fantasy series, which has won sequential gold medal awards for fantasy from ForeWord Reviews, as well as Weapon of Flesh, Deathmask, A Soul for Tsing, and the Cornerstones Trilogy. He lives with his wife on a sailboat in the Caribbean. For samples of his work, his blog, and his convention schedule, visit jaxbooks.com.

Illustration by Eric Belisle.

Ultimate Campaign Art Preview!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The release of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign is getting ever closer. Whether it's kingdom-building or leading an army, starting a business or crafting magic items, Ultimate Campaign is for all of the adventures that take place outside of the dungeon. The pages of the newest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover provide all kinds of useful information for your campaign, but many fantastic illustrations are contained within! Check some of them out!

Being a ruler has many responsibilities, but also many rewards.

Eidolons and other companion creatures are more fun when treated as a separate character rather than an obedient stat block.

Retraining rules allow you to replace a feat, change an ability score increase, or improve your hit points.

The quest to find a missing family member is a driving force for many heroes.

The section on marriage talks about how a spouse (or any relationship) can be an ally or an adversary.

Illustrations by Sam Burley, Eric Belisle, Lydia Schuchmann, and Maichol Quinto

Kingdom-building rules allow PCs to control their own country—or be the power behind the throne.

Followers, apprentices, and similar companions can be positive or negative plot hooks for a PC.

A character's lineage is a chain of characters linking a PC to the history of the campaign setting.

Illustrations by Denman Rooke, Jim Nelson, and Grafit Studio

Ultimate Campaign releases this May, preorder your copy today!

Sarah Robinson
Senior Art Director

New Pathfinder Society Rewards for Reading Pathfinder Tales!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Fans of Paizo's Pathfinder Tales line of fiction set in the Pathfinder campaign setting have likely noticed that it's been a few months since we released a Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet for the novels released as part of this line. For those who have been holding their breath to get an in-character benefit for reading Liar's Blade or Pirate's Honor, the wait is finally over! With the release of today's Chronicle sheet, we're changing up the way Pathfinder Tales boons work.

Illustrations by Eric Belisle

This Chronicle sheet is actually a Chronicle sheet for four different Pathfinder Tales titles: Liar's Blade, Pirate's Honor, The Wizard's Mask, and King of Chaos. Now, back when we began sanctioning Pathfinder Tales novels for Pathfinder Society credit during Season 2, a player received a Chronicle sheet for each Pathfinder Tales book he brought to a Pathfinder Society game, which was subsequently signed by a GM and applied to one of the player's PCs. Now, a player needs print this Chronicle sheet only once, and bring it to a sanctioned Pathfinder Society event along with a printed or digital copy of one or more of the four novels included on the sheet (digital copies must be legally obtained and possess a watermark indicating such). The GM should initial the Chronicle sheet for the associated books, indicating that the player has access to the book, and hopefully that she has read it.

Any time thereafter, the player may use the initialed boon for any of her PCs. Once used, the box to the left of the boon should be checked to indicate such.

A player who collects GM initials for all four books on a given Chronicle sheet can select one of the four boons to become a permanent bonus for one of her PCs. At this time, only that PC can use the boon, though any unused one-time boons still on the sheet can still be used by other PCs.

You may note that this Chronicle sheet is called "Pathfinder Tales, Volume IV." That's because it contains the boons for the fourth distinct set of four Pathfinder Tales novels. In the coming months, we'll be replacing the existing Chronicle sheets for the entire Pathfinder Tales line to utilize this format, and anyone who's already received initialed versions of the Chronicle sheets for Queen of Thorns, The Worldwound Gambit, and Death's Heretic (all 12 of them, in fact), can get an initial in the associated box on the compiled Chronicle sheet.

As if that weren't enough, we also plan to tie in at least one scenario per season to each novel released during that season. It's too late in the process to do so for these four books, but starting with Stalking the Beast in October, we'll have a scenario set in the same region as every new Pathfinder Tales novel, or otherwise thematically linked to them if not set in the same geographical area. This will allow us to tailor the boons on the Chronicle sheets to directly apply to a situation one of the reader's PCs may be in around the time they're reading the book.

So download the Pathfinder Tales Chronicle sheet below and grab your copy of Liar's Blade or Pirate's Honor. In the coming months, you'll be able to "fill your BINGO card" with the release of The Wizard's Mask and King of Chaos. It's never too late to sign up for a Pathfinder Tales subscription so you never miss a volume of the exciting fiction line!

Let us know what you think of the new format for these tie-in Chronicle sheets and the prospect of directly-linked Pathfinder Society scenarios down the road. We're always looking for community feedback and for new ways to improve the campaign.

Download the Pathfinder Tales, Volume IV Chronicle sheet!

Mark Moreland
Developer