Leather-Bound Pathfinder Beta

Thursday, April 30, 2009

So our fans are apparently crazy... crazy awesome. Check out this leather-bound copy of the Pathfinder RPG Beta sent to our office by Sean, who posts on the messageboards as yellowdingo. The lovingly made book was well used by Sean and his fellow Beta playtesters, and includes all of the web enhancements for the Beta, as well as his personal notes from the playtest. It's really quite amazing!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Infernal Sorceress Nominated for Origins Award

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Here at Paizo we're pretty darn proud of our Planet Stories line of fiction. Reviving classic fantasy and science fiction by the likes of authors such as Leigh Brackett, Henry Kuttner, and Gary Gygax has been a labor of love for Publisher Erik Mona, Senior Editor Pierce Watters, and Editors James L. Sutter and Christopher Paul Carey. It's with great pride, then, that we announce that Gary Gygax's Infernal Sorceress has been nominated for an Origins Award! Take a look at the back cover copy:

"The underworld of the Iberian Peninsula is a dangerous place, filled with cutthroats and swindlers, and no pair is more infamous than the gaunt man known as Ferret and the broad-shouldered mercenary Raker. Yet when the swashbuckling comrades are framed for the one crime they didn't commit, the scoundrels are faced with a choice: bring the true culprits to justice, or dance a gallows jig. In order to do so, they'll need to pull out all their tricks, stretching magic and muscle to their limit as they invade castles, battle subterranean monsters, and bluff their way through courts of nobles and shape-shifters in their search for revenge. Yet can even this canny, ruthless duo prevail against the beautiful witch that plots their downfall?"

Gary's writing style was certainly unique, and for those interested in his influence on the modern English lexicon, this article by Stephen Chrisomalis is worth checking out. Among other things, the article discusses how he popularized the little-used words eldritch and psionic, and effectively created the word dweomer whole cloth. Well worth the read!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Snagged from the Vault: Pathfinder #23—The Impossible Eye

Monday, April 27, 2009

It is with the greatest pleasure that we are able to bring you some fantastic art with which to start your week. Featured here is the cover to Pathfinder Adventure Path #23: The Impossible Eye, painted by Jesper Ejsing. Valeros looks like he's really gotten in over his head this time!

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Imprisoned by Flame
A world of fire and wonder awaits! The path of the planes is fickle and the PCs' road home proves far more difficult than any had anticipated. Emerging from the pleasure plane of Kakishon reveals all the wealth and terror of a vast efreeti palace tightly sealed by ancient magics and situated at the heart of the incredible City of Brass. In this lavish citadel of sculpted flame, the PCs find hints into the burning obsession of their hidden foe. But will their discoveries be of any help to their imperiled world, hidden away in some distant reality? And can they ever hope to escape a prison that has, for untold centuries, imprisoned some of the most powerful creatures of a realm of endless flame?

Paizo Twitter

Friday, April 24, 2009

We've been tweeting! As of yesterday afternoon Paizo has its very own Twitter account. Come join the more than 200 Twitter users already getting nearly 24-hour-a-day updates on all sorts of Pathfinder info, Pathfinder RPG details, and other Paizo ephemera! Follow along on the Paizo Twitter page right here.

There's also a new Twitter page for Planet Stories, where you can get endless updates on all your favorite pulp science fiction and fantasy stories and authors as well as other exciting news on all our upcoming adventures!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Illustration by Tylor Walpole

Roots & Beginnings: Book of the Damned (Part 2)

Friday, April 24, 2009

As promised, here is part 2 of "Roots & Beginnings: Book of the Damned":

Wes: "There are a lot of interesting stories about demons in Hebrew mysticism and collections of angelology. Sean K Reynolds lent me a fantastic book, the Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels, by Gustav Davidson, which was a major source of inspiration. Another interesting source was accounts from the Book of Tobit, which features Asmodeus as the primary villain.

"There was also a lot of ancient Middle Eastern mythology that I tried to fit in. It's interesting how in ancient history, when a large religion such as Christianity gained prominence in an area, the old gods were demonized. Moloch and Beelzebub are good examples of this. Moloch was a relatively benevolent deity in the Fertile Crescent in ancient times. What's interesting is that the word 'Moloch' might refer to the either the deity itself or to the method with which worshipers sacrificed to it. Adherents possessed a kiln shaped like a bull, and put seven sacrifices into seven slots in the oven—one was an amount of flour, there were several animals, and the last was a human child. There was nothing inherently malevolent about this—nor particularly uncommon for the age—it was just the way they practiced their religion.

"1st Edition portrays Moloch basically as a scary devil with horns. Paizo's version of Moloch promotes him to the general of Hell's legions; he is a monstrous suit of armor with a bull-like helm, beneath which there is nothing but living fire. He's disciplined, severe, and merciless, but aside from commanding Hell's war machine, he's also very mercenary in his recruitment for his legions in that he's willing to provide services for those who honor him; if people sacrifice to him, he fixes their problems. Should one burn offerings to Moloch to stop a flood and save their village, he's probably more likely to step in and stop the flood than most deities. The caveat, of course, is that Moloch is an archdevil and whether one worships him as part of a militaristic cult, as part of the traditions of one's people, or just because his standing offer of aid is tempting, serving him damns a soul to his fortress realm in Malbolgia after death. But when faced with dying at the hands of a foe, infernal intervention for either benevolent or selfish reason might be worth the price of later damnation. There's a lot of this throughout the book, evil disguised as goodness or at least the right—or easy—choice for the moment. Sure, Asmodeus, the archdevils, and the armies of Hell could easily murderer mortals and claim their souls, but why when, with the proper nudging, most mortals will damn themselves.

Thanks for reading "Roots & Beginnings: Book of the Damned"!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Adventurers of Sandpoint!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Sean K Reynolds loves painting miniatures. In fact, he enjoys it so much that he's willing to sit down with Hank, Alison, Brock, and me every Wednesday and give us painting tips. For those of you attending PAIZOCON, you'll have the opportunity to receive some of Sean's expert advice in his painting workshop.

Hopefully these snapshots of some minis painted by Sean will be enough to whet your appetite for the miniature painting extravaganza. Pictured here is the intrepid band of heroes who have set out to save Sandpoint in James Jacobs's new bi-weekly game. From left to right, the minis belong to Vorn, Servitor of Gorum (Sean K Reynolds), Velmarius Elazarin (Jason Bulmahn), Ostog the Unslain (feeling a bit under the weather) (Erik Mona), Zandu Vorcyon (Christopher Carey), Styrian Kindler (not present for photo, standing in for him is Connor "Windbag" MacHaggis) (F. Wesley Schneider), and Kirin the Heretic (James L. Sutter).

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Snagged from the Vault: Pathfinder Adventure Path #23: "The Impossible Eye"

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Fortune favors the bold, dear readers, and today the Preview Purloiners were brave (or foolish) enough to fetch a piece of art from the penultimate chapter of the Legacy of Fire, Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #23: "The Impossible Eye." Illustrated here by Jason Engle is the black jinn, a spiteful being of elemental fury; these creatures will harm mortals if they can.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Thought by many, even among the jann, to be myths and dark legends, the black jinn are an accursed and forgotten tribe of genies. Bearers of ill will and bringers of destruction upon both mortals and their own kind, these living ill omens are hateful creatures possessed by madness and a drive to call down ruin upon any who intrude upon their desolate sanctums. The few black jinn encountered on the Material Plane are thought of as terrors of the deep desert, arriving in sudden sandstorms, brilliant with electrical fury, and disappearing just as quickly to leave behind no trace of lost comrades or merely corpses, charred or glazed in molten glass. Largely, black jinn are creatures of myth and legend, but a handful of mortals know the terrible truth which few live long enough to tell.

Illustration by Tylor Walpole

Roots & Beginnings: Book of the Damned

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting gave readers a glimpse of the tortuous layers of Hell and the diabolical machinations of the archdevils who rule them, and The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, scheduled to be released in June, will further whet the appetites of those who crave to add a healthy dose of the infernal to their game. The definitive treatise on Hell, however, is being written by none other than Paizo's own F. Wesley Schneider: Princes of Darkness—Book of the Damned, Volume 1. I had the chance to speak to Wes recently about the sources he consulted when writing this daunting tome, and how he managed to reconcile the mythological roots of Hell with the lore of previous editions of the game.

Wes: "The two primary sources of inspiration are obvious: Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno. Other influential real-world sources included the Lesser Key of Solomon—and the Dictionnaire Infernal.

"The problem is these sources have been used over and over in the game and in third-party supplements. The way the entries for individual demons are written in the Lesser Key, for example, they already sound as if they were appearing in RPG products. I tried to avoid using the entries that have been bandied about the game frequently, as they've had enough coverage already. I didn't want to use too many of the fiends from mythology that have already appeared in products like Necromancer's Tome of Horrors and Green Ronin's Book of Fiends, as they have lives and details of their own. The 1st Edition Monster Manual II has a list of names of demons—some are made up and so we can't use them, but the ones from obscure mythology were perfect.

"The problem with Hell, in my opinion, is that it is the red-headed step-child to the Abyss. Whereas the Abyss is infinitely large, full of an infinitely diverse number of cool monsters, Hell has been stereotyped as a place of boring rigidity ruled over by scary-looking dudes with whips and pitchforks and goatees. When I wrote The Book of the Damned, I wanted to get rid of these stereotypes, and to make the archdevils actually monsters, because that would be much cooler than just generic cackling overlords. I tried to draw on the mythology that was already established for them but make them more like monsters. A good example is Geryon—in the original game he was just a snake man with a spear. Classical Greek mythology, however, portrays him as a warrior possessing a human form from waist down, but with three torsos and six arms. For The Book of the Damned I mixed the both the mythological and game interpretations of Geryon into something at the same time evocative of past images, but still new and very cool.

"The biggest differences between the Pathfinder version of Hell and the classic interpretation in the game is that we play up the "law and order" aspect—it's more about tyrants and the hierarchy of Hell, in that while Hell is first and foremost a punishment, it also has a goal and intention, and the personalities there are ancient and have neat concepts behind them. Beyond just Asmodeus and the archdevils, there is a whole host of deity-like beings: infernal dukes (of whom there is unlimited room for further development and details), malebranche (powerful diabolical warlords sent out to conquer specific worlds), and a few other tiers I’ll save as surprises for the final book. The biggest thing is that there is a lot going on and it's interesting, and it sticks to both the lore of the game and the mythological roots; it also draws on interesting history of deities that have been subsumed by other religions."

Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Roots & Beginnings: Book of the Damned"!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Illustration by David Bircham

Half-Elf, All Druid, No Tree Hugging

Monday, April 20, 2009

When you think of characters in game-world fiction, what first comes to mind are the fighters, wizards, and rogues. Priests are fine if they're sufficiently powerful and conflicted, otherwise, not so much. Bards generally play second fiddle, you should pardon the expression, and paladins are seldom cast in starring roles. The druids, apparently, are too busy communing with nature to bother with fiction.

Since the publication of my first shared-world book, Elfshadow, in 1991, I've hit most of the character classes with the exception of the druid. Channa Ti, the protagonist of the Pathfinder's Journal fiction in the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, is my first.

I started with a typical D&D druid—a serene mystic who dwells in emerald groves, nurturing the woodland creatures and healing hapless passersby with potions brewed from rare herbs and crafted from recipes learned at the feet of wise, benevolent elven mentors. And then I put him in a cage match with Channa and observed while she stomped him into organic fertilizer.

Sometimes the creative process takes interesting turns.

Once I started thinking seriously about druids, one of Tennyson's more famous quatrains came to mind:

Who trusted God was love indeed
   And love Creation's final law—
   Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed—

Why should druids embody calm serenity and selfless love rather than "Nature, red in tooth and claw"? Surely some druids would be more closely attuned to nature's predators. This notion was central to Channa Ti's creation. To her way of thinking, "A paladin's noble steed must eat, but then, so must a crocodile."

Another inspiration came from Pathfinder's ingenious addition to the druid class: the Nature Bond, which allows druids to specialize in one of the domains—Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water, or Weather—rather than forming a partnership with a companion animal. Since Channa is a loner by nature and circumstances, this suited her perfectly. An affinity for water also gives her considerable value in a desert clime. An expert dowser, she occasionally pays her way as a "water witch." Her ability to sense a coming rain is highly valued in a culture that still mourns the passing of the Age of Prophecy and is always seeking some way to foresee the future. Finally, her affinity with water gives her skills that interest people obsessed with an ancient, sea-swallowed realm.

Nature Bond offers intriguing potential for character development and storytelling, not just for fiction, but also for campaign use. For those of you who've never played a druid—and I'm guessing that's most of you—the Pathfinder setting is a great place to start.

Elaine Cunningham
Contributor

The Roof is on Fire!

Friday, April 17, 2009

You may have noticed a preponderance of previews lately on the Paizo blog. As exciting as it is to see new art and sneak peaks of things to come in Pathfinder, the number of previews in fact correlates directly with the amount of work we have to do here in the office. In short: things here at Paizo have been pretty crazy. With the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary just around the corner, the Editorial Pit has become a scene of furious activity, as everyone works to get products out the door. Even the interns aren't immune to the frenzy! Here is glimpse of what is going on at Paizo this week:

Sarah Robinson is putting the final touches on Pathfinder Adventure Path #23: The Impossible Eye.

Wes Schneider and James Jacobs are busy developing the final chapter of Legacy of Fire, Pathfinder Adventure Path #24: The Final Wish

Sean K Reynolds continues his simultaneous development of Qadira, Gateway to the East and Jason Bulmahn's Crypt of the Everflame, the first Pathfinder Module to use the Pathfinder RPG rules.

Chris Carey and James Sutter have their hands full editing the Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder #24.

Jason Bulmahn has spent the week entering changes and making last-minute tinkering with the Pathfinder RPG.

Vic Wertz, Lisa Stevens, and Erik Mona have sequestered themselves away while they edit the Pathfinder RPG.

And Hank Woon and David Eitelbach are busy doing development for Pathfinder #24 and writing blogs, of course!

Here's an illustration by Tyler Walpole from Pathfinder Companion: Qadira that pretty accurately summarizes the state of things around here right now. Now back to work!

There comes the sound of a whip cracking.

Official Call for Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 Volunteer GMs and Assistants!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Hello!

This is the official call for volunteer GMs and assistants to help Paizo Publishing run events at Gen Con 2009. (If you're looking for the Origins volunteer thread, click here.) In order to be sure that Gen Con 2009 is the best possible play experience, I need a minimum of 42 volunteers (54 volunteers total on Friday and Saturday night) with no maximum—I'll keep taking volunteers until the slots are filled! Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteers. This year, I'm also creating a new "Volunteer Assistant" position for the show—these two folks will aid me in all manner of things and will be my right and left hand man/woman throughout the entire show. They will be rewarded handsomely for their time. Speaking of our rewards, we've DOUBLED the voucher amounts you get for volunteering this year and increased the number of hotel rooms available for Tier 1 volunteers. By doing this, I hope to see even more people working for us at Gen Con.

Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell everyone in your game group! We need volunteers!

One last thing to keep in mind: you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and won't take requests.

Volunteer Tiers and Rewards

Volunteer Assistant
The volunteer assistants will work closely with me every day of the show from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. to help muster slots, gather tickets, answer questions, and run HQ. The volunteer assistants may also be used as gophers, lunch-gatherers, or errand-runners. Reliable, punctual, and guaranteed-to-be-at-the-show applicants ONLY please. This position is limited to two volunteers and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers I've worked with in the past (i.e., at Gen Con 2008 or Gen Con UK 2008). Volunteer assistants will only be used as GMs to cover GMs that are MIA. Volunteer assistants receive:

A FREE 4-day badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room
A $150 voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook hardcover at Gen Con Wednesday evening
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 T-Shirt

Tier 1 GM Volunteers
Tier 1 GM volunteers are my workhorse, every day GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success! Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 8 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 8 slots if they so desire. I only have room for 18 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Tier 1 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook hardcover at Gen Con Wednesday evening
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 T-Shirt

Tier 2 GM Volunteers
While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 2. Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day badge
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 T-Shirt

Tier 3 GM Volunteers
This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 2 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:

A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 T-Shirt

Volunteering for One Slot
While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one slot during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.

Events by Slot
When volunteering, please be specific about what slot you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to scenarios on an as-needed basis, so you really only need to tell me the slot(s) you're volunteering for (since I won't take requests). I will update the needs in the Gen Con volunteer thread on the Pathfinder Society messageboards as I receive volunteers, so you may refer to that thread in order to remain up to date on where we still need help.

Slot 1: Thursday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 2: Thursday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 3: Thursday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 4: Friday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 5: Friday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 6: Friday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need: 54 volunteers

Slot 7: Saturday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 8: Saturday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 9: Saturday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need: 54 volunteers

Slot 10: Sunday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Slot 11: Sunday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need: 42 volunteers

Thanks in advance for volunteering, good luck, and have a great Gen Con 2009!

All volunteers can email me: josh@paizo.com with the subject line Gen Con Volunteer.

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

Hunting the Planes

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Readers with a keen eye might spot something a little different on the credits page to Pathfinder Adventure Path #22. Tucked in there amid all the who's-whos and what's-whats is a dedication to Spooky the Mighty Hunter, feline familiar and cat of legend. I personally didn't know Spooky, as he was Gary Teter's long-time partner in crime, but when Lisa came to us with the news that our web czar's slinky sidekick had moved on to hunt upon other planes of existence and suggested adding him into a Pathfinder adventure, we were all for it. Even Kevin Yan stepped up to the task of cranking out the super-fast portrait for the noble hunter before our deadline. So just a heads up to those thousands of players who tackle "The Edge of Eternity" in Pathfinder #22—keep an eye out for Spooky, a wandering kitty who proves just as reliable, just as tenacious, and just as adorable a companion in Golarion as he did out here. Good hunting!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Snagged from the Vault: Genie Binder

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

From upcoming Pathfinder #22 we bring you the mighty genie binder, whose dark magic commands the awesome might of the djinn, depicted here by artist Kevin Yan...

While any spellcaster capable of casting planar ally, planar binding, and binding spells can conjure and bind genies, the true genie binder is a spellcaster who has devoted his life to the pursuit of this practice. Most genie binders study the works of Sulesh the Great religiously, but the best of them understand that even Sulesh wasn't infallible, and use his works as stepping stones to further perfect the act of genie binding.

While most genies abhor the act of binding and bottling, many have an odd appreciation and respect for actual genie binders. Nothing delights an efreeti more than to see a djinni ensnared, for example, and the jann are quite pleased to see their elder brothers and sisters brought low.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Snagged from the Vault: Otyugh

Monday, April 13, 2009

From the upcoming Pathfinder Chronicles product, Dungeon Denizens Revisited, behold the vile otyugh, as depicted by artist Ben Wootten.

The strong scent of rotting garbage precedes this walking horror. It stumbles on three massive legs that end in flat stumps with broad toes. Atop these is a gigantic mouth full of crumbling teeth that seems to stretch from one side of its broad body to the other. Extending from its body is a trio of muscular tentacles, each one ending in a hooked pad, waving around menacingly.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Worth Waiting For!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Even though Free RPG Day is still 70-some days away, we just got in our first look at this year's offering, the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bonus Bestiary, here in the Paizo offices, and for a freebie, just let me say wow!. Way more than just a preview of the upcoming Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, this 16-page mini-manual of monstrosities shows off new rules for monsters straight from the Pathfinder RPG, a rundown of just 257 of the monsters you can expect to appear in September's Bestiary, and updated statistics for 13 classic monsters—including the allip, carytid column, faerie dragon, and shadow mastiff—not to mention a few other surprises slipped in there. Also, although it's been hiding on the product page for a while, here's Tyler Walpole's action-packed cover, which kind of gives away one more monster hiding in the book. You can pick up your totally free copy of the Bonus Bestiary in print at local game stores as part of Free RPG Day on Saturday, June 20th. Free PDFs of the book will also be available right here at paizo.com on Free RPG Day and thereafter (with a limited number of print copies also being available for cheap soon after). Good stuff, and I can't wait to show off more from it—like a ton of awesome new monster art—in the coming month.

Oh, and for cthulhudarren from the boards, you can expect to see stats for your favorite monster in here too. Enjoy!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Snagged from the Vault: Two-Headed Ruhk

Thursday, April 9, 2009

From the Bestiary of Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21 comes this twisted menace, the nightmarish two-headed ruhk, as depicted by Tyler Walpole...

Beating its greasy, night-black wings, this gigantic two-headed vulture picks across the ground upon two earth sheering talons. Craning its twin massive heads forward, the terrible avian opens its giant twin beaks to unleash a blood curdling shriek.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Within the Star Chamber

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The next stop on our impromptu virtual tour of the Paizo offices brings us to the conference room, where brains are racked and PCs are slain. A long, wide table dominates the center of this room. Windows tinted against prying eyes march above rows of low cabinets filled with terrain and chairs that sit pressed against the walls. Vast armies of miniatures stand attentively atop nearly every surface, scattered in ways that make sense only to the room’s various GMs. A whiteboard hangs from the southern wall, unholy script and mysterious symbols scratched across its face, plots just as likely to be the mad schemes of managers and editors as wizards and demons.

Hank Woon
Editorial Intern

Snagged from the Vault: Ratsheek

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

For those of you who have been following the adventures of the druid Pathfinder Channa Ti in Elaine Cunningham's "Dark Tapestry" Pathfinder's Journal, as featured in the , we bring you the visage of Ratsheek, the villainous gnoll, as depicted by artist David Bircham...

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

The Shadow Under Sandpoint Campaign Begins!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Last Thursday an unlikely group of strangers gathered on the docks of Sandpoint, beginning what will doubtlessly be one of the most unfortunate misadventures in the usually peaceful town's history. This marks the beginning of the Paizo editorial pit's new biweekly Pathfinder RPG Campaign: James Jacobs's The Shadow Under Sandpoint! Watch the calamity unfold with ongoing character reports, missives, comments, journal entries, and sketches on the Shadow Under Sandpoint thread here.

And wish good luck to the people of Sandpoint—they're going to need it.

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Snagged from the Vault: Dungeon Denizens Revisited

Friday, April 3, 2009

Closing out this week's blogs, we unveil a terrible creature that epitomizes the savage and insatiable hunger possessed by you, our ravenous readers: the bulette, illustrated here by Steve Prescott...

Of all the beasts that populate the wilderness, few are as feared as the bulette. Known sometimes as the landshark, the bulette is a sleek predator, moving as fluidly through earth as those primeval eating machines move through water. Bulettes possess insatiable hunger and view anything that moves as food. They hunt constantly, and when their attention turns to new hunting grounds they feed until nothing remains. They are the stuff of nightmares, the bane of the wilderness—a brutal, savage monster whose ferocious majesty was not evolved, but intentionally crafted.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Snagged from the Vault: Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Occasionally the Vault contains wondrous oddities, such as this map of the Eternal City of Axis, rendered beautifully by Rob Lazzaretti. This map, and more information about Axis and the other planes of the Outer Sphere, can be found in Pathfinder Chronicles: The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, due out in May. Of course, nothing but perfect symmetry should be expected from the axiomites and their Godmind.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

The Eternal City of Axis exists among the planes of the Outer Sphere as the personification of universal law, a shining example of perfect order and harmony rising out of the churning Maelstrom. Within the plane's golden barrier walls, the streets are perfectly ordered and clean, the buildings appear as paragons of their respective architectural styles from virtually every culture within the multiverse, and the natives strive to live in orchestrated harmony. Of course, some would label the plane's perfection hollow, or its beauty verging on sterility, but given the eternal city's violent history and perhaps precarious present standing, its gods and outsiders alike dismiss such criticism outright.

Snagged from the Vault: Dark Markets, A Guide to Katapesh

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Our latest foray into the treacherous Vault has met with success once again, dear readers! Today we bring you a preview of the dreaded ghul, the restless undead spirit of a fallen genie, illustrated here by Tyler Walpole. The ghul appears in the bestiary of Pathfinder Chronicles: Dark Markets, A Guide to Katapesh, due out in April. Fear the power of the genies, even in death!

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Sometimes a janni dies in a state of disfavor with Fate; as a parting curse from its race's age-old enemy Ahriman (lord of the divs), such an ill-favored genie may come back from the dead as a ghul, a ghoul version of genie-kind. Ghuls are easily recognized as inhuman by their donkey hooves, which shame them greatly; most ghuls take great pains to hide their hooves from view. Ghuls feed upon carrion much as their lesser ghoulish kin, but prefer the fresh blood of mortals, especially children and innocents. They haunt desolate cemeteries and necropolises feeding upon the interred as well as mourners and gravediggers they can catch. They despise the light of the sun (though it does not harm them), so such locations are usually safe during the day, though there are no guarantees that a hungry ghul might not brave the dreaded light to obtain a tasty-looking morsel.