Mayhem in the Mana Wastes

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Illustration by Chris Seaman

With the release of Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, there's no shortage of monsters and mutants eager to kill some characters! Not only are there dangerous constructs like the one you see here taking on Lirianne, but even regular beasties end up nastier and weirder.

Illustration by Maichol Quinto

Because scorpions weren't scary enough already, right? They really needed a sabosan with a sword and a gun to be a threat. We're not going to say much more about this NPC; this image speaks for itself!

Illustration by Dieter Miller

Now, you might expect a good many folks carrying firearms in Alkenstar and beyond, but in the Mana Wastes, even the oozes are filled with gunpowder! This gunpowder ooze makes fights more volatile with its explosive residue.

Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge will be available for purchase approximately December 18, 2013

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Two for Turkey Day!

Friday, November 29, 2013

As the joy of Thanksgiving fades and the chill winds of winter creep in from the far corners of the world, icy terrors shudder ever closer to your gaming table! This week we take a break from the regularly scheduled previews of figures from the upcoming Wrath of the Righteous set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic figures to embrace the frigid winds with two titans of the tundra.

I'm talking, of course, about February's Reign of Winter Monsters Encounter Pack, a special two-pack featuring two Huge figures sure to chill your player characters to the bone. Huge is a strange size category for us—too large to fit into a regular set's standard booster box, and too small to make for a truly satisfying case incentive (which we usually reserve for Gargantuan figures). We have not produced any Huge figures for a regular set of Pathfinder Battles since our second set, Rise of the Runelords, but the Pathfinder RPG itself is actually loaded with them. We've squeezed Huge dragons into the White Dragon Evolution and Red Dragon Evolution Encounter Packs, but there are a lot more creatures that we'd like to do.

Reign of Winter Monsters Encounter Pack is the first of what I hope to be many Encounter Packs featuring Huge figures, but of course time and your support will be crucial to determining if we do more in the future (I've got my eye set on a certain swampy creature folks have been demanding for ages, for example…). So please do check these out. Your support for this Encounter Pack makes future similar releases much more likely!

But enough from me. Let's check out the figures!

Our first creature is the immense Frost Worm, a freezing foe that has never before been produced in prepainted plastic! With armor-crushing jaws, flesh that radiates cold, and a terrible keening cry capable of holding creatures fascinated, Frost Worms are apex predators of the frozen tundra. This particular Frost Worm is absolutely enormous, and will land with a resounding "thump" on your game table that is sure to have your adventurers shivering in their boots. He was originally designed as the case incentive for the Heroes & Monsters set, and he's been patiently awaiting his moment ever since. I assure you, everything about this figure is awesome. You are going to love him. (Incidentally, his statistics appear on page 126 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2.

This unusual beast is a Svathurim, one of the epic climactic encounters in the Reign of Winter Adventure Path (particularly Pathfinder #69: Maiden, Mother, Crone). Ancient tales claim the first svathurims spawned from the frost giant god Thremyr, and frost giant clans often revere these enormous creatures as emissaries of the god himself. As you can see, the Svathurim melds the upper body of a frost giant with the lower half of a giant eight-legged horse reminiscent of Odin's horse Sleipnir. Basically, he's incredibly badass and perhaps one of the best sculpts we've done so far in the Pathfinder Battles line. The Svathurim is admittedly a bit of an odd choice, but when you see him I'm fairly certain he'll warm even the coldest heart.

The Reign of Winter Monsters Encounter Pack is set for a February release!

We'll see you back here next week for another exciting Pathfinder Battles preview!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Bells for the Dead

by Howard Andrew Jones

Chapter Three: Lieutenant of the Guard

Even after she and Karag were led to a private room in the back of what proved a pleasant little tavern—complete with dark wood booths and antique table lanterns—Lisette couldn't quite believe the dwarf's claim that he'd get her connected with the banker. Yet the dwarf wasn't one to offer reassurances, and she wasn't one to ask for them, so she simply fell to repairing the musket while he assaulted a large platter of ribs and downed mug after mug of frothy ale.

Proof of Karag's story arrived within a quarter-hour of him asking the tavern keeper to relay a message. A large man in the blue coat of the city guard trooped into their room, closing the door behind him with elaborate care.

Lisette set aside Kerrigan's rifle. Loaded.

Karag glanced up and swallowed quickly before dabbing greasy lips with his napkin. "Lisette Demonde, this is Lieutenant Vech Marill. Lieutenant, this is Lisette Demonde. A bounty hunter."

Vech was large and thick, and between that and his grim demeanor he might have resembled one of Belvar's thugs if he hadn't carried himself with pompous dignity. His uniform, from the cuff of his pants to the collar of his coat, was immaculate, and his well-groomed mustache ends extended an absurd thumb-length beyond his face.

The lieutenant trod heavily across the planks and bowed. "Charmed," he told Lisette.

"As am I." She had decided against rising, so as to leave the question of who socially ranked whom more uncertain. "Karag told me he had connections in the guard. He didn't mention they were so gentlemanly."

Karag grunted and downed a long swig from a foaming mug of ale.

"Won't you join us?" she asked.

Vech pulled out a chair across from her and took a seat.

Lieutenant Vech is far too fond of his mustache.

"She spoiled my work for you, Lieutenant," Karag growled between mouthfuls. "She royally tupped the whole situation with Belvar. You'll have to find a new spy."

"I saved his life," Lisette said. "Twice."

Karag grunted but didn't correct her. She saw Vech's eyebrows twitch with interest.

Lisette explained. "Karag and his bagman were jumped in an alley where I just happened to be. We got out together. Then, when Belvar proved uninterested in my business proposal, he became combative with both of us."

"A business proposal?" Vech's mustache twitched disapprovingly.

She passed over the bowman's warrant. Vech unfolded it, lingering for a moment upon the bloodstain in the corner. Kerrigan had been carrying it.

"Is this blood?" Vech asked.

Lisette nodded once. "This assassin is after one of your prominent citizens." She artfully brushed hair from her forehead and fixed Vech with an intent gaze. "Some of your men misconstrued my activity earlier today, and gave chase."

Vech blinked. "Wait a moment. Were you the one firing arrows willy-nilly from rooftops near the Centre Street court? That's not—"

She tried to keep irritation from her voice. "Not me. That was the bowman."

Vech frowned and touched his mustache.

"He was planning to shoot his target," Lisette continued, "but I surprised him so he aimed his arrows at me."

"Do you have a license?" Vech asked.

Lisette studied him for a long moment, hoping he wasn't as thick as he seemed. Then she reached into a small belt pouch and handed over a sheaf of stamped papers. She waited as he unfolded and read over each of them, knowing he'd find all of it in proper order. There wasn't only an official Andoren seal affixed to the bottom of the primary document, there were all the proper signatures, and additional bounty licenses from Isger, Druma, and Absalom.

He handed them all back. "You should have reported your activity to the guard immediately upon entering our jurisdiction. A less lenient man might see fit to bring you up on charges."

"And you're a lenient man?" She gave him her best smile.

It worked, and the big man returned one of his own. "I'm willing to provide concessions for a... newcomer to the city."

"I just want the bowman, Lieutenant. He's stalking someone in banking who's known to have some underworld contacts, a Jhon Dronsbech. I thought Belvar might introduce us."

Vech's brows rose.

She'd learned Jhon Dronsbech was a prominent and prickly citizen, a member of Oregent's city council, and she'd been worried about how someone in the guard might react to information that an assassin was on his tail. "If you value his safety," Lisette said, "I suggest precautions be taken sooner rather than later. The bowman is quite deadly."

"Jhon is a wealthy man, with his own security."

Lisette arched an eyebrow. "It's your affair."

Vech fingered the end of his mustaches, twirling them between finger and thumb. "I'll ride out to speak with him at once."

"I'd like to accompany you," Lisette volunteered.

He looked surprised. "You? Why?"

"To bear witness. He may not believe just how dangerous the bowman is."

"You have personal experience with this killer?"

"Yes." Something in her voice drew Vech's eyes to hers for a long moment. Finally, he nodded.

Her eyes flicked to the dwarf. "I'd like him along."

"Karag? He still has half a pig to eat."

The dwarf wiped hands on his napkin. "She wants me to earn my keep. If the bowman's there, I get two-fifths of the bounty."

The officer's eyes narrowed. "You think the bowman will be there?"

"He'll be wherever the banker is," Lisette said, "looking for opportunities to strike. I hope to flush him out with the game."

Vech seemed to think long and hard about that. "I'm not sure I like your analogy, but very well. Dronsbech's a touchy one, and your story might make him a little more receptive."

Vech ordered a carriage and brought along a pop-eyed corporal he assured her was an excellent swordsman. She eyed the slim young man dubiously as the carriage got underway, and the soldier, Culcumber, proved irritating almost on the instant. He pointed at the rifle, just visible in the gloom owing to the open curtains and the full moon.

"What's that?" His voice was thin, sharp.

"A ranged weapon."

"Is it magic?" Culcumber asked.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Lisette was far more interested in watching the lay of the land as they approached the city gates, so she decided to head off further questions. "It's a gun. From Alkenstar. I carry four. The longer ones have greater range; all have excellent stopping power. And no, I won't be telling you anything else about them." At that she fell silent, then pushed the curtain aside to consider the passing streets.

As they rode out north of the city, Vech attempted small talk a couple times, but Lisette kept her answers curt. Didn't the chatty soldiers realize they were heading into combat? At least Karag was silent.

Before much longer they turned off onto a country lane. A manor stood in the lee of a hill ablaze with light. Lanterns strung on poles ascended the hill, and figures strolled up and down dressed in wild garments with fantastical masks. A band of a dozen musicians, dressed alike in green finery, sat on dark benches, plying their trade on violins, cellos, and woodwinds, and it made a merry sound on the evening air.

Great. What more perfect cover could an assassin encounter when closing in on a target?

The same thought must have occurred to Vech, who was eying the perimeter.

Dronsbech at least had an ample force of guardsmen—grim mercenary types wearing dark red tabards over leather armor. Two came immediately to inspect the carriage. Vech motioned for the others to remain within and dropped to the ground.

The guard who stepped forward to meet him was a well-built veteran with a crooked lower lip. His eyes flicked brightly over the uniform coat and Vech's insignia. "Are you an invited guest, Lieutenant?"

"I've urgent news for Mister Dronsbech." Vech put his shoulders back. "His life may be in grave danger."

The fellow's expression clouded, and he studied Vech for a moment before coming to a decision. "Come on, then. Who's the rest in the carriage?"

"One of my men, and witnesses to the assassin who's after your master."

"Assassin?" The guardsmen's eyebrows climbed a little higher. "Alright." He glanced at his companion. "Laltros, you're in charge of the gate. Might want to call up Murgan."

The talkative guard led them off toward the manor, eyeing the rest of Vech's group with curiosity.

"You'd best get Dronsbech up to the house," Vech said. "From what I've learned, it's a credible threat."

"What kind of assassin?" the guardsman asked.

"A bowman," Lisette answered.

The man frowned, then increased his pace and led them through a side door into the manor house, where they threaded past a trio of servants bearing food-laden platters.

The guard then introduced a frowning servant as Darvus, Dronbech's seneschal, who informed them that the master was with some guests in the garden.

"But who are these?" Darvus asked in a droning voice, indicating Lissette and Karag with a slight gesture.

"They need to see the master," the guardsman answered. "Shall I bring him?"

Darvus's frown only deepened, and his balding forehead creased: he was one long visage of disapproval. "This is quite irregular." He sighed. "Very well; go find Master Dronsbech." As the man hurried off, Darvus nodded to Vech. "I suppose you can wait in the master's office. Be so good as to follow me." He directed a dark look toward the dwarf and stepped off the marble to a parquet floor, highly polished, and then to an ornately carved oaken door. "A moment," he instructed, then stepped through into the darkened space to light a wall lamp and another on a desk.

Lisette entered, followed by the others, and saw then they stood within a finely appointed space, complete with an expensive carpet of green and gold, a wall-long bookshelf, a window overlooking what appeared to be a courtyard garden—for Lisette could see walls beyond the flowers—and a mahogany desk with various shiny knick-knacks.

Darvus stepped back from the desk lantern and cleared his throat. "Make yourselves comfortable." He pointed to leather upholstered seats and regarded Lissette again, haughtily. "Why is it that you're here, again?"

Lisette returned the man's gaze. "I have information that may help your employer avoid considerable danger."

Darvus studied her for a long moment, then considered each of them in turn before departing, pulling the door shut behind him. It closed with a click.

Next to the door was a wide, floor-length mirror that reflected the group: the dwarf, now studying the view through the window; Culcumber, nervously considering the book spines; and Vech, fingering his mustache with a look of disappointment, apparently noticing that one side drooped further than the other.

Lisette stationed herself near the mirror and waited for the sound of approaching steps.

Darvus opened the door and entered, reviewing the room before gesturing with a sweeping motion.

Jhon Dronsbech entered behind him. The banker was a tall man with a widow's peak and stooped shoulders, and he scowled at them all from under high, supercilious brows.

He tapped his ivory-handled cane and was opening his mouth to speak when Lisette snapped up her rifle and fired.

Coming Next Week: Blood and explanations in the final chapter of Howard Andrew Jones's "Bells For The Dead"

Want even more Lisette and Karag? Check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel Stalking the Beast, available now!

Howard Andrew Jones is the author of the Pathfinder Tales novels Plague of Shadows and Stalking the Beast, as well as the independent historical fantasy novels The Desert of Souls and The Bones of the Old Ones. He's also edited eight collections of literary giant Harold Lamb's work, and currently serves as the Managing Editor for the iconic sword-and-sorcery magazine Black Gate. For more information, see his website at howardandrewjones.com.

Illustration by Kelly Perry

Playtest Thoughts: Week 1

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Greetings from the playtest laboratory! We are one week in to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest, and we are already getting a lot of great feedback and playtest data. Every week from now until the playtest's end on December 17th, we are going to be giving you our thoughts on the state of the playtest and give you some hints of the direction we are taking some of these classes.

This being the first week, we are only just starting to adjust some class mechanics and look at making some shifts in how things work. Most of these will take a bit longer to make it to your table, but sometime in the next few weeks we are hoping to rerelease the playtest PDFs with all of our revisions incorporated into the classes. It is our hope to get some feedback on these revisions before the playtest window comes to a close.

So, without further delay, here are some of the changes we are considering or are in the process of implementing. Feel free to comment on these changes in the thread attached to this post, but any serious discussion should occur in the class thread for each individual class (located in the Class forum).

Arcanist

As mentioned on the boards, the arcanist is going through a serious round of redesign. While the core casting mechanic of this class is going to remain pretty much as it currently stands, the blood focus ability is being replaced by an arcane reservoir that the arcanist to call upon to create magical effects and tinker with the spells and effects of others. They can refuel this pool by consuming spell slots or even other magic items and spell effects. In essence, the arcanist is becoming the "hacker" of magic, capable of pulling it apart and putting it back together to accomplish their goals. We are hoping to rerelease the arcanist in the next few days.

Bloodrager

We are generally happy with the direction of this class, but it needs some tweaks. We are seriously contemplating giving the class its own spell list to help it better fulfill its role in the game. In addition, we are looking at pulling some of the more direct barbarian abilities to replace them with something a bit more in tune with the class. Refinement of the various bloodlines will be much of our focus, making sure they are in tune with the overall balance of the class.

Brawler

The brawler is getting a few revisions and tweaks in the coming weeks. The capstone ability of the class is going to be replaced with something far more interesting than the current ability (although we are not quite ready to show that off just yet). The knockout ability will gain a number of uses per day, scaling with level. We are also going to change up the brawlers weapon list, giving it all simple weapons, plus any weapon on the "close" weapon group from the fighter. Of course, you will be able to use all those weapons with the brawler's flurry ability.

Hunter

We are looking at a lot of different options for the hunter, the biggest of which is giving a boost to the hunter's animal companion. We really want to see the class working in tandem with its companion in a way that we just have not done with any other class. We are looking at buffing up the hunter's ranged capabilities as well. Expect to see a number of teamwork feats in the final book that work specifically with an animal companion as well. Of course we are looking at a few other issues as well, such as the restrictions on armor and shields and increasing the duration and use of the animal focus ability.

Investigator

The design team is looking to move this class a little bit away from the rogue, possibly by replacing sneak attack with an ability that is more in line with the theme of the class. We are also looking into changing the poison use ability to make it something that allows the investigator to identify poisons, their effects, and neutralize them. Finally, there are going to be more talents allowing them to use more of their skills as well as some new effects we are not quite ready to talk about just yet.

Shaman

Overall, we are pretty happy with the direction the shaman is taking, but there are some adjustments we are investigating. The first of which is changing the class to work off the druid spell list, as this fits the theme better than the witch or cleric list. In addition, we are looking into adding a bit more the hexes for each spirit and possibly adjusting how those hexes are used.

Skald

The biggest change on the horizon with the skald involves how the raging song is used in play, allowing characters to drop out of participating if they want. We are also looking at making the raging song work in tandem with other rage abilities in a limited way. In addition, we are thinking about adding a number of weapon proficiencies to the class to bring it a bit closer to its theme.

Slayer

We are looking at ways to make favored target a bit easier to use and a bit more versatile. We are also looking at bringing the class up to 6 skill ranks per level (it currently has 4 per level). Other than that, most of our upcoming revisions involve greatly expanding the number of talents that you can choose from, allowing you to build the slayer you want to play.

Swashbuckler

We are investigating ways for the class to get Weapon Finesse at an appropriate level and to work with Combat Expertise. In addition, we are looking at adding some deeds and increase the swashbucklers mobility during battle, allowing them to stand up without provoking an attack and charge without having to move in a straight line. We are still working on how those play with existing deeds and what changes would need to happen to get them to fit into the advancement scheme.

Warpriest

Finally we get to the warpriest. We are looking at strengthening the role of this class by taking it a bit away from the cleric's position. While we want the class to be among the best at healing and casting spells on itself and we are investigating a mechanic to let it do just that (probably in place of channel energy). We are also looking into a new class feature that allows the warpriest to be an effective combatant with the favored weapon of its deity, regardless of what weapon is favored by their deity. Look for increased damage and additional effects depending on the type of weapon and its role in the game.

Well, that about wraps up the playtest review for this week. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to give us their thoughts and playtest reports. You are helping us make these classes great and we appreciate all the time you are spending giving us your feedback. Look for the revised arcanist in a blog post later this week and expect to see a revised version of the playtest document soon.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Giving Thanks for Great Scenarios

Monday, November 25, 2013

Every time the last Wednesday of the month rolls around, emotions run high. Usually it's a mix of growing excitement as I watch a pair of scenarios metamorphose into awesome adventures and anxiousness as I hope that the players and GMs enjoy the scenarios as much as I enjoyed developing them. Given that the Thanksgiving holiday approaches in the United States, I think there's a little excitement about turkey, too.

Following in that tradition of giving thanks for the things we truly appreciate, I'd like to offer this short list of things I'm thankful for at this very moment.

• I am thankful for having two returning authors who were each willing to accept a unique scenario-writing challenge.
• I am thankful for the new Tier 1–2 scenario entitled The Confirmation by Kyle Baird, which allows infinite replay by 1st-level characters as well as one play-through with a 2nd-level character. There are many variations in how the scenario can play out, allowing players to have a different experience each time.
• I am thankful for the spookily atmospheric The Traitor's Lodge by Thurston Hillman, which answers many an unanswered question about a certain dwarf who disappeared during a certain siege in Nerosyan.
• I am thankful for having some really awesome art to show off today to get people excited about these two scenarios.

Illustrations by Mathias Zamęcki

Both of these brand new scenarios will be available this Wednesday, so you can enjoy your turkey without the blinding radiance of unconquered adventure to distract you.

Happy holidays and happy gaming,

John Compton
Developer

Into the Abyss

Saturday, November 23, 2013

In Pathfinder Adventure Path #76: The Midnight Isles, the PCs travel to the Abyss in their quest to heal the scar on Golarion known as the Worldwound. Though the PCs only dip their toe into the churning planar muck that is the Abyss, two articles appear in this volume to give readers more Abyssal material on which to chew. Unlike a nearly infinite plane, the pages in a volume of an Adventure Path are certainly finite, but Mike Shel does a stellar job filling the gazetteer of the Abyss to the brim. James Jacobs provides the other gazetteer shining starlight down on the Midnight Isles—in particular Alushinyrra, the Porphyry City and home to Nocticula. It's rarely a good idea to go to the Abyss, but saving the world is a hard job. After all, it's better to go there on your own terms than end up in the Abyss as a larva.

Illustrations by Fabio Gorla

Adam Daigle
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Fiendish Friday

Friday, November 22, 2013

Another Friday is upon us, and I’ve got five more sweet, sweet figures from January’s Wrath of the Righteous set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic figures to reveal!

This week it’s a mix of heroes and villains—two iconic Pathfinder heroes and a trio of sickening fiends soon to bring trouble and mayhem to your campaign. On with the previews!

Here we have our iconic inquisitor, the half-orc Imrijka! She first appeared in the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide as the iconic for one of that book’s six new classes, and since then she’s just become more and more popular. WizKids did a great job on this sculpt, and the colors are nice and vibrant. I always throw them some curveballs when it comes to Wayne Reynolds’s highly detailed iconic characters, and true to form, our partners there have absolutely delivered an amazing figure. This Medium figure is, incredibly, at the uncommon rarity.

Like I said, I like to throw them some curveballs. The set already includes a standard Alain, Human Cavalier figure that we revealed in an earlier preview blog. But cavaliers really shine on mounts, so it seemed only natural that we also include a mounted version of Alain in this set, so he can really take the battle to the Worldwound’s demons at his most effective. Of course, having both a mounted and unmounted version of the same character gives a lot of flexibility for player and GM proxies, as well. I can’t say much about this figure that the photographs don’t already say. This Large figure is slated at the uncommon rarity.

The loathsome Tarry Fiend is the grunt of fiendish armies, savaging enemies with two weapons and adhesive skin. The figure has great armor detail, and towers over heroes at about 7 feet tall. The Tarry Fiend is a Medium, uncommon figure. It appears under a slightly different name on page 71 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3.

If you think tar is disgusting leaking out from a fiend, how about acidic slime? Here we have the exceedingly gross Slimy Fiend. Shock troops and slavers alike, Slimy Fiends scour the lower planes looking for captives to bully, exploit, and work until death. The Slimy Fiend is a Medium uncommon figure. The Slimy Fiend appears under a slightly different name on page 70 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3.

Even leaky fiends need leadership. Here we have the Shaggy Fiend, the obese outsiders that keep the other fiends in line. The Shaggy Fiends serve their thantotic titan leaders as advisors, covert agents, or battlefield generals. They look a bit smaller than their fiendish cousins, but don’t let it fool you. These bastards are CR 18. The Shaggy Fiend is a Medium uncommon figure. It appears under a slightly different name on page 69 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3.

And that’s it for this week. Tune in next week for an early look at more exciting upcoming Pathfinder Battles releases!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Notoriously Good

Thursday, Novermber 21, 2013

In this volume of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path the PCs journey to the Abyss at the behest of Queen Galfrey to get to the bottom of the sinister plots before them. While there the PCs visit the Midnight Isles where they have to gain notoriety in order to obtain a meeting with the realm's ruler—Nocticula, demon lord of assassins, darkness, and lust. Even though Nocticula allows nearly anyone into her realm, not all of the denizens there are going to be happy to see the PCs poking around the Abyss. Though this animosity might make things more difficult for the PCs, it certainly helps them gain notoriety. Getting into fights with demons, openly showing affiliation to lawful or good deities and organizations, and competing in blood sports all helps earn notoriety. For example, the PCs can earn a solid chunk of notoriety if they enter the arena of Battlebliss and defeat its reigning champion Gelderfang. Can the PCs pilot a safe course through the intrigues of the Midnight Isles to achieve victory? Until you can get your hands on Pathfinder Adventure Path #76: The Midnight Isles to find out, enjoy these fine illustrations.

Illustrations by Eric Belisle, Ekaterina Burmak, and Miguel Regodón Harkness

Adam Daigle
Developer

Bells for the Dead

by Howard Andrew Jones

Chapter Two: Dockside Entertainment

Lisette followed Karag into the bosom of Oregent's underworld, such as it was. The folk of Andoran were different from those of Cheliax, addled perhaps by their own slogans about liberty. Their enterprises were not especially well interwoven with that of the city government, and required more furtive activity. Or so she had deduced. As evening came on, Karag led her via a circuitous route to a tavern in the warehouse district, then through a small crowd of incurious drinkers to a large back storage room. Somewhere, more bells were signaling. All was dark but for a lantern near the door and another over a card table occupied by four thick-necked bruisers. Crates and barrels were stacked more or less neatly upon shelves, amid bits of discarded junk and rusted winches.

At sight of Karag, one of the card players, a big balding Keleshite with a nose ring, got up.

"I've got the delivery," the dwarf announced. "And some news."

"And a visitor." The thug gave Lisette a once-over. He stepped back to knock on a paneled door and announce: "Karag's back, with some woman." The others kept their seats, appraising the newcomer.

After only a brief delay, a fifth man stepped out from a shadowy office. He was of a different cut than the thugs: aquiline nose, firm chin, high cheekbones. He was well dressed, gone a little to fat, but handsome save for lips that seemed small for his face, and somewhat petulant.

This, then, was Belvar. If she managed things right, he could get her past all the obstacles this ill-fated mission had thrown into her path. Belvar had the Keleshite take Karag's satchel, then his dark eyes raked Lisette thoroughly. He made sure she knew that he liked what he saw, as powerful men so often did. She had even, regular features, and her chosen occupation kept her fit, even if it also led to the acquisition of scars and bruises. As yet, none had permanently marred her face. So much the better for playing these kinds of games.

Belvar's a small-town crook with a big-city ego.

"Who's this, Karag?" Belvar's voice was thin, a little oily. He gave her a half-smile as Karag explained how he'd been ambushed, his partner killed. Then Belvar's eyes slipped to the butts of the rifles poking over Lisette's shoulders. They flicked to the blue feather in her brimmed hat, and his expression froze.

She kept her smile fixed in place, pretending that she felt no alarm. He'd recognized her. How had he recognized her?

Karag was in the midst of his report about Lisette dropping into the alley.

"What did you say?" Belvar asked him.

Karag summed up flatly, as if familiar with such interruptions, "Vermet's men jumped us after we'd collected most of the protection money."

"And her?" Belvar snarled.

"She killed two. I got the other one."

Belvar demanded a few more details, then spun and barked orders to one of the muscle boys about arranging a proper "thank you" for Vermet and his crew. The man departed swiftly with an eager, self-satisfied air.

Only then did Belvar step a little closer. "So," he said to Lisette. "It seems I'm about to become involved in a business dispute with a competitor."

"A turf war," she said, picking up on Karag's lead.

"And here you are, dropped right into the middle of things, guns, plume, and all. Coincidence?"

He seemed to have recognized her specifically, not just the fact that she carried guns. She'd have to play things very carefully. She adopted a softer, more feminine tone. "I have to find the man that killed my friend," Lisette told him. "A bowman. And I've learned this bowman is now after a banker you may know. I can see you have more important matters to attend to, but if you could just—"

"I'm afraid your reputation precedes you, my dear." Belvar snapped the fingers of his right hand. "I think I'd be more comfortable discussing your little problem with you unarmed." Instantly he had the attention of the remaining muscle, who rose, grinning with menace, to take up positions—two in front of Belvar, and another who circled behind Lisette. Karag was at her side, though he seemed a little puzzled by his boss's action.

"Hold on," Lisette snapped. Like hell he was going to get her guns. Good thing she'd taken the time to reload. Too bad she only had three shots. There just hadn't been time to repair that broken hammer yet.

"Belvar, she's here to make a deal," Karag told his boss. "She can pay well for basic information." He was trying to prevent a fight, bless him.

"Can she." Belvar sneered, but he held up a hand to his men, who didn't advance. "Did she tell you who she was, Karag?"

The dwarf's gaze shifted doubtfully between the two of them.

"I'm Lisette Demonde," she announced.

"Which she volunteers now," Belvar said with a smirk. "After I've already worked it out."

"I'm not keeping any secrets." Lisette strove to sound as reasonable as possible. "I'm after a bowman, and there's money in it for you."

"Maybe," Belvar said, small lips curling, "and maybe you're really after one of us."

Karag's expression foundered. "What's going on?"

"You ever hear of Kerrigan Sure-Shot? The bounty hunter?"

Apparently Karag hadn't. One of the enforcers, a good-looking Ulfen, muttered under his breath. The other, the big Keleshite, growled.

"She's his." Belvar turned to the Keleshite. "You've heard the stories, right? How many pretty, gun-toting bounty hunters do you think there are? Let alone one wandering around in a feathered hat."

Lisette forced a wider smile. Things were going south. She heard the thug behind her shift. Someone thought he was quieter than he truly was. "I'm a business woman," she tried. "Just like you."

"Bounty hunters killed my brother," Belvar spat.

"Other bounty hunters," she emphasized. "Not me. There's money in this for us both. I hear this banker has some business interests on the shady side, and I figured someone you know has dealings with him."

Belvar snorted in disbelief. "You want to pump me for information?"

"Pay," she repeated. She sensed now that if the window remained open at all, it was closing fast. Now she understood the dwarf's hasty speech. Belvar had a short attention span. "The bowman will be where the banker is. Dronsbech doesn't know the bowman's after him, so I need someone to intro—"

"Dronsbech? Jhon Dronsbech?" Belvar's eyes fairly bulged. "You think I know him?"

"I came here betting you know someone who does. And I'll bet the rich banker will be grateful to whoever helps him out. I just want the bowman. You collect the gratitude."

"Maybe I'll see about talking to Dronsbech myself." Belvar flashed an oily grin "I don't like bounty hunters. Even pretty ones." He snapped the fingers of his other hand.

The man behind her sprang.

Well, so much for the diplomatic approach. Lisette whipped about, fired from the hip, and took the shirtless thug through his sagging belly. He dropped with a scream. She spun back and, with her second pistol, shot the lantern above the card table. It shattered in a spray of glass, plunging the area into darkness. She ducked the knife swipe of the Keleshite, clubbed him in the side of the head with her pistol butt. As he staggered, she swung the rifle around her shoulder so that the barrel pointed forward and triggered it upside down.

The Ulfen had thrown himself flat; he learned fast, though he hadn't been the target. Lisette's third shot blasted the second lantern, plunging the storeroom into darkness. Now the only light source was the dim evening sun filtering through the shuttered back door window.

"She'll rush the door!" Belvar shouted. "Stop her!"

But that wasn't her intention at all. She holstered the pistol, then drew her sword with her off hand. The guy she'd pistol-whipped was groaning on the floor, but the handsome Ulfen was climbing to his feet. And there was Belvar. And Karag, a squat figure who had unlimbered his axe, but stood uncertain.

The Ulfen got his blade up and out as she charged. She deflected his strike and took him down with a precise kick. He groaned and crumpled. So there was only Belvar, and Karag. Neither was likely to know enough about guns to tell that Kerrigan's was broken, and it was too dark to see detail in any case.

To Belvar she presented the bore of Kerrigan's rifle, her curved short sword in her other hand. The crime boss held only a knife.

"I'd drop that, if I were you," she instructed.

She couldn't make out Belvar's expression, but she saw the glint of his blade reflecting the window light behind her, and it quivered.

"Karag?" he said.

"She came for business," Karag replied stubbornly.

"Damn straight," she agreed, then addressed Belvar again. "Drop the knife."

Belvar's oily self-assurance cracked, and he cursed at Karag in a high-pitched tirade. Lisette risked another step towards him. The boss's weapon thudded against the floor planks.

Belvar's voice shook as he screeched. "You ever come near me again, Karag, and you're dead."

"I think you have more pressing worries," Lisette told him smoothly. She slipped in beside him and put the blade of her sword to his throat. She heard the intake of his breath, and let the rifle hang back over her shoulder as she grasped the back of his shirt with one hand and tugged him toward the door. "I wasn't after you at all. I want the bowman. But I bet there's a bounty on your head, somewhere. Maybe I'll take it anyway. To keep in my hope chest."

"This is a misunderstanding." Belvar's voice had risen another half an octave in fear. Lisette looked past him to the shapes gathering in the doorway to the storeroom. The Ulfen had climbed stiffly to his feet and looked like he might still be able to try something. Karag followed her, warily, on a course parallel to her own, axe at the ready.

She heard Belvar lick his lips. The others drew closer.

"Call them off."

He gasped as she pressed the sword edge to his neck. "Get back! All of you! I'm serious."

The Ulfen pulled back, though he watched alertly.

"You're making things a lot more difficult for me, Belvar."

"Just a misunderstanding. We can still talk."

There was nothing more to talk about. She'd be a fool to trust him for an introduction now, and she didn't think there was anything more than her own skin that could be gotten out of the situation. But she had to play things cool. "Alright, but I'll do the talking. Karag"—she had almost called him dwarf—"seems like your name's mud around here now. Earn some coin and show me out of here."

"I don't owe you anything. I had a good thing here."

"Maybe. I think you're probably smarter than Belvar, who's going to end up in a noose before long. Show me around. I'll make it worth your while."

The dwarf only grunted. Well, he'd help or he wouldn't, but if he was as smart as she thought, he'd be out the door right after her. She resisted the impulse to slit Belvar's throat—that could make things even more complicated than they already were. Instead, she sent him careening forward before she turned and bolted for the exit. Immediately, Belvar began shouting for someone to get her.

The door was unlocked. She was through in an instant, and quickly put distance between her and the inevitable pursuit. As she predicted, Karag came out alone a moment later. Three thugs ran after him: one the handsome Ulfen, limping a bit; the other two presumably from the tavern's main room. All were threatening shapes in the twilight. The dwarf jogged along ahead of them, solid, determined.

And dead pretty soon. They were catching up.

She didn't owe the dwarf. Belvar hadn't proven useful. But she might still get some use out of Karag, who at least knew a little more about the city than she.

She dashed behind crates piled by a darkened warehouse door, then unslung the rifle and powder bag. Over the last few years she'd drilled in twilight, darkness, and glaring light, high on rooftops and on rocking boats, and even in the pouring rain. Kerrigan had told her she was faster now than all but the best gunmen of Alkenstar. All her skills were honed so that she might load and reload and keep Kerrigan always supplied with a ready weapon.

She would give much, now to have someone like that herself. Or better yet, to still be offering a loaded weapon to the dark-skinned bounty hunter.

The dwarf was ten feet off, the nearest thug fifteen. There was no time to waste. She cocked the hammer, raised the rifle to her shoulder, and fired, deciding at the last second to shoot one of the others instead of the good-looking Ulfen. Life and death, she thought, aren't always fair.

She absorbed the weapon's kick, felt the familiar smell of the gunpowder wash over her as the pursuing guard's face dissolved into red ruin. The Ulfen and his comrade dove for cover.

"Come on, dwarf!" Lisette called, and ran on. Another twenty feet led them out to what seemed a main thoroughfare, judging by the carriages and the lights. Puffing, Karag joined her. She was about to ask him the best way to go when Karag pointed and they jogged off, stopping only when Lisette flagged down a closed black carriage.

The driver leaned down, the tip of his conical black service cap sagging. She showed him a gold sail, the then glanced to Karag, who seemed uncertain as to her aim. "Give him a destination."

After a moment, the dwarf said, "The Golden Ox."

"No other passengers," Lisette said as she passed up the coin.

"As you wish, madame. My pleasure."

They scrambled into the carriage, and Lisette closed the door, though she held the dark curtain to one side to consider the street. There was no obvious sign of pursuit. "What's at the Ox?" she asked Karag.

"A friend," the dwarf grunted coarsely. "You cost me a lot, woman. I had a decent thing going back there."

She considered the squat, broad shape hunched on the bench across from her. He smelled of sweat and ale and blood.

"I'll probably have to leave the city now," the dwarf muttered.

"You could work for the mine gangs, or Vermet."

He grunted. "Vermet's an ass. And I'm done with mining."

"Well. I didn't expect Belvar to recognize me."

"You'd be hard to forget," the dwarf said. "Don't the guns give you away?"

"Kerrigan usually does the talking." The moment she said as much, she chided herself.

For a long time, she thought the dwarf hadn't understood, but he deduced more than she'd hoped.

"So it's Kerrigan who's dead, is it? What was he, your lover?"

"Yes," she answered, as though the matter was of little import.

"So who's this bowman guy?"

"An elite assassin. There's a contract on him."

"See, you should have told me you were a bounty hunter."

"It's not about the bounty. Not now. I told you that."

Karag seemed to consider that, for he was quiet for a time. "If I help you find him, will you cut me in for half?"

"Help me how?"

"I can get good help. You want to get in to see the banker? I can manage it. And I can back you up so we can collect."

"What kind of help?"

"Let's talk money first. It'll be help that will cut through about anything, though."

She was intrigued despite herself. "A fifth," she offered.

"A fifth of what?"

"You'd get a hundred Sails."

Karag remained silent. The cart turned, and they bounced through some deep ruts. Somewhere far away, another set of bells began their ringing. "Two fifths. Two hundred sails," the dwarf said at last.

"That's a lot of money. Who're these friends of yours?"

Karag grinned. "You wouldn't believe me."

Coming Next Week: Dwarven revelations in Chapter Three of Howard Andrew Jones's "Bells For The Dead"

Want even more Lisette and Karag? Check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel Stalking the Beast, available now!

Howard Andrew Jones is the author of the Pathfinder Tales novels Plague of Shadows and Stalking the Beast, as well as the independent historical fantasy novels The Desert of Souls and The Bones of the Old Ones. He's also edited eight collections of literary giant Harold Lamb's work, and currently serves as the Managing Editor for the iconic sword-and-sorcery magazine Black Gate. For more information, see his website at howardandrewjones.com.

Illustration by Kelly Perry

Advanced Class Guide Playtest is Live!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Greetings, and welcome to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest!

Next summer we will be releasing the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide, a meaty 256-page rulebook filled with new options for players of any class. In addition, the book also contains 10 brand new classes! In the design pit, we call these "hybrid classes" because each one takes elements from two existing base classes and blends them together to create a novel play experience. To make sure that these classes get rigorously testing and fit seamlessly into the Pathfinder experience, we're turning to you, the fans, to playtest them.

Starting today, you can download the Advanced Class Guide Playtest PDF right here at paizo.com. The PDF contains all 10 of the new classes, ready to become a part of your game, either as a player character or NPC. Give these classes a read, build a character or two, and use them in your game. Once you've had a chance to try them out, hop on to the playtest messageboards and let us know what you think. You'll find a bunch of other playtesters there, also giving feedback on the classes. Hop into the discussion and add your thoughts. The playtest will remain open until December 17th, 2013.

In addition, there will be a survey for each of the classes, allowing us to gain some basic information on your reactions to them. These will be available on Tuesday, November 24th, and remain open until the end of the playtest. You can even change your answers as the playtest progresses, but though on December 17th we'll close those surveys. Please share your input before then!

Finally, I want to take a moment to talk about the playtest process itself. Although we find all feedback useful, thoughts and comments based on actual play experience is by far the most valuable. Please try to fit these classes into your game, or even just run a few mock encounters. When posting to the playtest forums, look for existing threads on your topic before starting a new one—this will help us to better absorb and respond to feedback. While discussions can become heated, remember that every game is different and every poster is trying to make the game better for everyone. Be polite and respectful of the ideas others' posts.

That wraps it up for now. Expect blog posts with thoughts and updates each week throughout the playtest. Thanks for participating—now grab that PDF and start reading!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Pathfinder Special #1 Sneak Peak!

Tuesday, November 13, 2013

Magnimar is a city of mythic architecture and colorful occupants. When Merisiel and Kyra decide to 'hit the town' and explore their new home, they end up with more trouble than they bargained for—cutthroat thieves, betrayal, swashbuckling swordplay and much more are found in Pathfinder Special #1, a super-sized story that couldn't be contained in the regular Pathfinder series. Check out the preview below!

Subscribers to Pathfinder comics through paizo.com receive a 20% discount off the cover price, 15% off back and special issues, a special subscriber tag for the paizo.com messageboards, and a limited-edition collectible paizo.com exclusive cover for each issue.

Tech-saavy goblin fans can also pick up their digital copies of Pathfinder Goblins! at comixology.com!

Jenny Bendel
Marketing Director

Shiver Me Timbers! A New Pathfinder Adventure Carrrrrrd Game Experience!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Ahoy, landlubbers! I'm Gaby, one of Mike's developers on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. I'd be remiss if I didn't begin by thanking you all for your support of the game. Thanks to you, the game is doing so well that we're already working on another set! Developing this game has been a total blast, and it's been so much fun to watch everyone enjoy something I got to help create.

If you haven't guessed from the awesome Daryl Mandryk cover art, the new set is going to be adapted from the popular Skull & Shackles Adventure Path! A private playtest is starting soon, and the game will launch at Gen Con Indy in August of 2014. So, now that the catfish is out of the bag, what exactly is there to look forward to in the Skull & Shackles set of PACG?

New character classes: We're bringing seven new character classes from the Pathfinder RPG to the Pathfinder ACG. The Oracle, Gunslinger, Magus, and Swashbuckler will debut in the Skull & Shackles Base Set, along with the returning Bard, Fighter, and Rogue. The Skull & Shackles Character Add-On Deck will introduce the Alchemist, Witch, and Warpriest, along with the Druid. (Not familiar with the Swashbuckler or the Warpriest? They appear in the upcoming Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide—check tomorrow's Paizo blog for more on that!)

Guns: There's going be a Gunslinger, so we'd better have some guns for her to sling. Big guns, little guns, sneaky guns! Pew pew pew!

Pirates: Now with piratical accessories! Our pirates may be helpful or they might be the sort of scallywags who will make you walk the plank. Your character may even be a pirate! Of course, pirates need pirate gear, so you can expect to find eye patches, tricornes, and the like.

Sharks: Dunnn dunn.… dunnn dunn… dunnndunnndunnndunnndundundundundundun. Being that I work at Lone Shark Games, I'm pretty stoked about sharks appearing in this game.

Ships: It's pretty hard to have adventure on the high seas without ships, so there might be a ship or two in this set. But watch out: there might also be some sea monsters that like fish and ships.

Booty: I don't want to say too much, but we're definitely going to have some pirate booty in this game. It'd be wrong not to.

Swashbuckling: Many times, your character will be swashbuckling. Sometimes that will help you and sometimes it won't. The pirates you meet will care quite a bit about whether or not your buckles are swashed.

New challenges: With new adventures come new challenges. Ships and seas are full of perilous and rewarding tasks. (Protip: I just told you a new type of barrier.)

Sharks: Did I mention sharks? There are going to be a lot of sharks.

There are a couple other very exciting aspects to PACG: Skull & Shackles. First, you'll be able to play Rise of the Runelords characters in Skull & Shackles and vice versa. Yeah, we're totally backwards compatible. Second, Adventure Decks will be released MONTHLY, which means less waitin' and more keelhaulin'! And don't forget the part where you can save money! Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Subscribers get 20% off of MSRP, free promo cards, and discounts on Ultrapro's upcoming PACG character mats and other Ultrapro PACG accessories yet to be announced!

Stay tuned in the coming months for more news about PACG: Skull & Shackles! Here's hoping you and your salty crew have smooth sailing ahead!

Gaby Weidling
Developer, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

New Rules, New Ideas, New Stories

Monday, November 18, 2013

Illustration by Diana Martinez

If you haven't heard, Paizo Publishing will release the playtest rules for the upcoming Advanced Class Guide tomorrow, Tuesday, the 19th of November. That's ten new 20-level base classes that combine features of the existing classes to create innovative options with both unique powers and familiar mechanics with novel twists. I'm sure that by the time you finish reading through all ten, you'll have multiple character concepts screaming to be put on paper.

These classes are available for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play immediately upon the release of the playtest document. You'll need to have a print or PDF copy of the playtest document with your character, and you'll need to incorporate any changes established by the design team or campaign staff during the playtest as well as once the final versions of the class are released in August 2014. The Additional Resources list will have specific details about what is allowed in the campaign and should be referenced when creating a character that uses any of these classes. Remember that everyone is gaining access to these playtest documents at the same time, so be a good roleplaying game citizen and plan to arrive early to any game for which you're using these rules so that you can discuss them with your GM, help her to understand how the class works, and give a friendly heads-up about what your character can do. Sure, you may only have a single class to learn, but the GM may have to handle six new classes at once.

Also, don't forget that in a little more than a week you'll have The Confirmation, a brand new Tier 1–2 Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for unlimited replay by 1st-level characters (yep, we extended the level range). That sounds like an ideal adventure to test out those new character concepts.

I'm always excited to see new character options because it gives me tons of character ideas. Sometimes I get a cool idea about synergy between feats, class abilities, or spells, which leads to a powerful character, but after building and playing however many dozens of aspiring adventurers, nobles heroes, and dastardly antiheroes, I recognize that sometimes new mechanics are most helpful in designing new personalities, backstories, and comprehensive concepts. In fact, some of my favorite characters are those that I or a friend built to break the mold of what is expected in a class: a barbarian whose rage power choices make her behave like a druid who channels elemental power, a "paladin" of Cayden Cailean who is actually a bard that chose spells to replicate paladin abilities (e.g. remove fear, cure light wounds, etc.), and most of all a "cleric" of Razmir.

When I play Jokhas, that "cleric," I have two character sheets: a real one that records my actual stats (that I show to the GM before the game) and a somewhat reflavored one that renames many of my class abilities and spells. When Jokhas the priest of Razmir casts a spell that's obviously unavailable to clerics—such as black tentacles—I often get some strange looks before sharing a knowing wink with the GM and then explaining in character that Razmir grants all magic and transcends the arbitrary limitations set by less caring deities. That said, Jokhas (member of the Silver Crusade faction) is also delusional, believing Razmir is a benevolent but stern god of glory, love, and prosperity who must regrettably strike down nay-sayers to remind mortals that justice is not to be mocked. It's usually at the end of the game that I reveal to curious players that Jokhas is a witch with a healing patron and has renamed his hexes as "miracles." Of course, anyone with Spellcraft can identify Jokhas's renamed spells or make other relevant checks to learn about what he's really doing. For Pathfinder Society Organized Play, it's important I not change how burning hands works or appears, but that doesn't stop me as a player from calling it the fires that destroyed Melcat.

What's most interesting about playing such a character, though, is that it inspires a different mentality in my fellow players. The character is not an 8th-level witch with familiar rules mechanics; instead he's a strange and enigmatic spellcaster, drawing others' attention to his style and presentation and less to the numbers on the character sheet. When he calls on Razmir's blessings, the results seem as miraculous to the players as to the player characters. In a way, it's one more step toward immersion in the setting and the story.

So as you explore these ten new classes, don't just limit yourself to considering mechanics—though please do provide feedback about balance, flavor, and other features important in the playtesting process; let these options inspire you to create a truly unique character personality that your region will be talking about for years to come.

Do you already have such a character?

John Compton
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Random Chaos

Friday, November 15, 2013

In the "Woe is Me" department, I'm being paid to play Pathfinder all day today for generous donors to the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter effort from last year, so I've got precious little time for this blog today. There are characters to kill, after all, and we can't keep Pharasma waiting too long for their tortured souls.

With that in mind, I want to take a quick hop, skip, and jump around January's 55-figure Wrath of the Righteous set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic gaming figures to highlight a few minis that I really like from the set.

Without much further ado, here they are!

Here we have the multi-faceted Mongrel, a combination creature made up from the parts of several different creatures. Every Mongrel looks unique and different, but this one looks exactly like the one statted up on page 191 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2. This is an amazingly detailed sculpt for a common, and I find a new cool detail every time I look at it. From the segmented insect eye to the giant claw, this guy is a winner. Or, rather, he's probably a huge loser, but his figure sure looks cool. The Mongrel is a Medium, common figure.

What's scarier than an undead humanoid? Why, a FLYING undead humanoid, of course. Here we have the Berbalang, a classic creature from real world mythology and fantasy gaming, straight from page 40 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3. The Berbalang is a Medium, common figure.

We want you to live! Or, at the very least, we want you to never turn into this thing. Behold the Suicide Demon, from page 58 of Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Book of the Damned Volume 2: Lords of Chaos. Suicide Demons play an important role in the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path. They stand about 7 feet tall, are covered in self-inflicted wounds with teeth, and they've got four blood-soaked arms. COOL. The Suicide Demon is a rather large Medium figure, slated at the uncommon rarity.

Here we have Jaruunicka, a nasty black annis cleric of Sifkesh, demon lord of heresy. She's got an amazing design right down to the blood-soaked hem of her dress. She doubles easily for any Large hag or hideous crone spirit, and I cannot wait to field her against my PCs. Her pose is excellent, and the sculpt is impeccable. Jaruunicka appears on page 35 of Pathfinder Adventure Path 75: Demon's Heresy". She is a Large, uncommon figure.

We just released a cool Serpent Demon in our most recent set, Legends of Golarion. That figure used an off-beat paint scheme and wielded a bunch of colorful weapons, which had a lot of reviewers complaining that we didn't take a more traditional approach with that figure. I didn't worry about it, because I knew this figure would follow right on its heels. Here we have Aponavicius, the serpent demon general of the demon lord Deskari's Worldwound host. She stands considerably taller than the Legends of Golarion Serpent Demon, and she's one of the most gorgeous figures in this set. The paint scheme is great, as are the array of exotic weapons she wields (which took us about 9 tries to get right at the factory). I hope you love her as much as we do! Aponavicius is a Large, rare figure.

And that's it for today's preview. I'm off to go run four adventurers through "The Throne of Azlant," the dungeon level I designed for the upcoming Emerald Spire superadventure that was generated as a result of the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter. Wish me luck!

Better yet, wish THEM luck!

See you next week for more exciting Pathfinder Battles previews!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Marathon at BoardGameGeek.Con

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The website BoardGameGeek.com has been an extraordinarily fruitful discussion site for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. After its release in late August, the Rise of the Runelords base set had an epic run at #1 in the Hotness, and has stayed in the top ten ever since. It's had over half a million page views. The game just got into the all-time top 50 games and the top 5 thematic games only a couple months out of the gate. And just like the folks on the Paizo messageboards, the commenters at BGG were tremendously helpful in helping us get the wording right on an updated version of the PACG rulebook (click to download).

So we decided we'd go see the folks responsible for all that activity. Next week in Dallas, most of the development team—myself and developers Chad Brown, Tanis O'Connor, and Paul Peterson—will bring the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game to BoardGameGeek.Con. And we're doing something special with our game for the BGG crowd. We're going to play all of it.

Yup, the whole adventure path, from Burnt Offerings to The Spires of Xin-Shalast, an adventure that won't be out for six months. That's 30 straight scenarios in five days. If you want a preview of what's coming, come see us there. We'll have a signup sheet that rotates players in and out; we want as many people as possible to get a chance to see the new awesome. Plus, we'll be running demos for new players as well. Should be a blast.

So buckle up, Texas. The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game is headed your way.

Mike Selinker
Designer, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

P.S. I've put an autographed PACG base set up for charity auction on Desert Bus for Hope, benefiting Child's Play. The auction will start at roughly 11 pm PDT on Saturday, November 16. The winner of the auction will get the game plus me. I'll either Skyping into your game session or playing with you in person if you can get to Seattle. Desert Bus is a little odd, in that everyone who wants an item puts in a nominal donation at the specific time the item is live, and then gets a chance at the prize. We'd like to raise some money for kids in hospitals and victims of domestic abuse, so if you're at all interested, click this link.

Bells for the Dead

by Howard Andrew Jones

Chapter One: The Wrong Target

Lisette slowly brought her rifle to rest on a dirty shingle at the apex of the roof, checking a final time to ensure the weapon's barrel was still smudged. The afternoon sky might be overcast, but Lisette took no unnecessary chances. There were enough necessary ones already. A sunbeam might break through and glint off any undulled metal.

There on the civic building roof, far above the narrow streets, she had a fine view of the bowman. He perched in a small bell tower overlooking the central square, some fifteen feet below and two hundred away. Like many structures in Oregent, the bell tower was tall and slender. The folk of Oregent seemed to like high and cramped almost as much as they liked their damnable bells.

The bowman stood in the shadows, awaiting his own prey, so still he might have been a statue. His finely crafted weapon of polished oak was just a sliver of darkness in his hand.

Lisette ticked off the precautions she'd taken while waiting for a wave of anger to pass. In her dark form-fitting clothes, black hair tied off in a ponytail, she'd be unlikely to draw attention against the soot-blackened slate tiles, even once the report of the gun echoed erratically off the roofs around her. Only a handful of the city's buildings stretched as high as this, and few of them had windows looking out toward her. So narrow were most of the town's avenues that anyone on the street would have a difficult if not impossible task spotting her. The bowman was fast, and she'd likely get only one shot. She hadn't had time to repair her other rifle, and she'd have to be very lucky indeed to hit the bowman from such a distance with either of her pistols. It was this rifle, or nothing. And so she steadied herself, counting slowly down from ten while she lined up the shot.

She spied the hawk in the same instant she heard its screech. It dove into her peripheral vision from the upper right, a keening brown blur with dark claws. She jerked reflexively even as her finger stroked the trigger.

The rifle kicked into her shoulder, and the acrid smell of gun smoke hit her nostrils as the weapon bellowed. She cursed, knowing instinctively that the shot was spoiled even as she saw the bowman slip into cover behind one of the bell tower's structural supports.

His hawk pulled out of its dive only a few feet away, and her frustration got the better of her. She clasped the warm barrel of her rifle and swung out at the thing. She missed by only a few inches, knowing a brief moment of satisfaction as the animal shrilled in alarm.

But in striking out she overbalanced and slid down the shingles. Her ire vanished in an upswell of panic. She flipped to her side, then her back, scrabbling one-handed on the sharp tiles. She dared not release her hold on the irreplaceable rifle, but she could find no purchase. The cobblestone street lay a killing distance below, some sixty feet even beyond the twenty of dormered roof.

Sheer luck sent her sliding toward an elaborate gargoyle outcropping above a downspout. She grabbed the hideous creature's waist with one hand like a desperate lover, then lay half entwined with it as she caught her breath.

A trio of arrows arced up and over the roof. She shifted desperately.

The damned bowman was so good that all three struck the position where she'd just been lying. They hit the dirty shingles and clattered away, one rolling past her to a windowsill beneath the dormer on her left. If she'd remained where she'd been propped, any one of them would have skewered her.

The hawk, meanwhile, was circling back and calling out. Was the vile creature actually signaling her position?

As if things weren't bad enough, from somewhere below came the whistle of one of the Oregent city guard.

Lisette cursed a blue streak, shouldered the rifle, and untangled herself from the gargoyle enough to set one foot on the cracked stone sill to her left. It seemed solid enough. This wasn't the window she'd entered by, but she didn't wait to see if it was unlocked when another arrow chipped off one of the gargoyle's ears.

One good kick from her black boot broke the peeling wood frame and fragmented the window. She threw herself in after, hearing the clatter of more arrows striking the frame even as she dropped into an empty storage room.

She dashed into the empty attic hallway, diverted briefly to the room cluttered with old chairs where she'd gained roof access. There she retrieved Kerrigan's damaged rifle, her hat, and her shoulder bag. In moments she was hurrying out the lower window she'd jimmied open, then out onto the roof of the annex. She retraced her steps across the flat rooftop at a jog. She didn't see the hawk, and the arrows had stopped, but she heard the whistle of the city watch, closer now, and someone shouted, "There's a woman running up there!"

It hadn't been one of her better days. She should have stuck with her original target and worried about the bowman later.

A second whistle blew, and then was promptly drowned by the ringing of some set of great brass bells. The clanging was so thunderous that it set the roof below her shaking in sympathy.

She hated those bells. People in the city seemed so tuned to them that they could tell which particular temple called them to worship, and knew which factory called for shift change. Almost it seemed that people moved at the behest of the bells rather than the other way around. A whole city governed by implacable metal monsters.

She ran on, ducking around a spire and dropping onto the slanted roof of an apartment building before leaping a narrow alley to a two-story stone affair. This was the closest she'd yet gotten to the ground, and she hurried a little farther before spotting a dark alleyway. Just what she needed.

And then she saw that the space was occupied. Three men were turned away from her toward the alley's mouth, facing a stout figure beside a youth lying in a widening pool of blood. The trio advanced menacingly on the short one. She grimaced as she knelt and scanned the surrounding rooftops. This looked like the best way down anywhere nearby and she'd have to get to the street to lay low. The depressingly efficient Oregent guards would already be combing the rooftops.

And so, panting and tired, she swung to the coping and dropped.

She felt the shock of the twelve-foot fall. In other circumstances, she would have absorbed it with a roll, but she had two rifles slung over her shoulder. One of the three bravos must have heard her, and he turned, lifting a sword.

She'd talked her way out of plenty of tough scrapes, but this was no time for niceties. She shot the man point-blank with one pistol and was pulling the second free even before he crumpled. His mouth opened, and he might have screamed, but it was difficult to hear over the reverberating crack of the powder.

The second of the bravos turned from his target—a blond dwarf armed with an axe—and she fired a second time. In the confined space the blast echoed like thunder, but when this man dropped, his shrieks outlasted the echo.

Lisette cursed again. This wasn't what she needed. The whole job had been rotten from the beginning. She'd warned Kerrigan...

There was no time for that.

The last assailant seemed to think his best option was to simply run clear, but the dwarf caught him with the axe as he dashed past and brought him down with a spray of blood. It was a swift, efficient cut, and left the dying man no air with which to cry out.

Lisette had both pistols back through her sash now, and considered the dwarf while she pointed her second rifle at him—Kerrigan's rifle. Hopefully the dwarf wouldn't notice the damaged hammer, or know what it meant. Both ignored the third thug moaning in an ever-widening stream of his own blood.

The dwarf proved a rugged, plain fellow with a weathered leather jerkin. There was no missing the battle lust in his eyes.

"Do I have to fight past you, too?" Lisette asked.

"I suppose I should thank you for the assist." His accent was eastern. He frowned as the whistle of a watchman sounded nearby. From his strained expression, she suddenly knew that he was as leery of the law as she was. Was he an outlaw? A bandit? Someone from a local gang?

"You can thank me by getting me into hiding." If the guards detained her, even for a little while, she'd lose her chance at the target. Both targets.

The stout dwarf grunted, then lowered the axe to snatch up a heavy-looking bag lying beside the dead boy at the alley's mouth—a fallen ally? He considered her warily as it clanked with the unmistakable jangle of coins. "Come on."

He walked at such speed it was almost a jog, and she shouldered the rifle to fall in beside him. They'd just made it down the winding lane across the street when the alarm whistles shrilled more vehemently. The guards were close.

The dwarf sped up to a full run, and she loped silently at his side. She could easily outpace him, but there was no point—not if he really did know the way to a safe house. He ducked suddenly down an even narrower passageway between an older stone building and a newer brick one, this gap so thin they had to sidle sideways. Twenty paces in, just a few feet before it dead-ended, a blackened rope hung against the grimy bricks. From the alley opening it was completely invisible, indistinguishable from dirty building in the darkness.

Clever. The dwarf shoved his bloody axe into its holster and clambered up. Mostly he used his arms, but he pushed off the wall with his boots and was soon up to the blank face of the second floor.

Lisette didn't think there was time to waste, so she scaled quickly, using opposing walls for leverage. It was no simple feat, but she thought nothing of it until the dwarf reached a third-floor window and noticed her beside him. His eyes widened in surprise, and he went into the darkened opening without comment.

She slipped in immediately after, reaching back to steady the rope lest its movement catch attention. She then considered the room, alert for ambush.

There was no one else inside the cramped and musty place. The dwarf settled on a bench, breathing heavily through his mouth, presumably trying to make as little noise as possible for him. She heard footsteps rush past the main portion of the alley.

From somewhere below came a strain of fiddle and a woman's laughter, high and a little unnatural. They were above one of Oregent's many taverns, she realized. "What—" she started to ask, and then was drowned out by the pealing gongs of a nearby clutch of bells. Had it been another quarter hour already, or was this some other interval of time being marked?

The dwarf scowled throughout the two-minute long episode. She took the time to inspect the rest of the room. The bedframe and the dirty mattress. The warped floorboards. The single dresser with its sagging left leg. There was a candle sitting upon this last, but she didn't move to light it.

"I hate those bells," the dwarf muttered when the sound had finally ebbed.

Lisette smiled wryly. "What's that batch ringing about?"

"I think another mining shift has ended," the dwarf said, though he didn't sound certain.

"You're not a native, I take it."

"No," the dwarf agreed. "And neither are you."

"Right. But it looks to me like you have some business connections I don't."

"Is that so?" The dwarf listened at the open window, his head in profile so he could also watch Lisette.

She heard a whistle, but it was now quite far away. During the ringing she'd planned her next move, and she acted on it now. "I'm thinking you owe me a favor."

The dwarf snorted. "Way I see it, the favor's already paid. You weren't out to save me. You were on the run and dropped in on the middle of the fight."

He was shrewder than he looked. "Fair enough. But, as you're a businessman, let's say I've got a proposition for you."

"Let's say you do," the dwarf told her cautiously. "There's money?"

"A little. I don't need that big a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"What makes you think I'd know her?"

"It's a him. He might travel in circles familiar to you."

The stout outlaw kept his tone flat. "What circles are those?"

Lisette snorted. "Don't play games, dwarf."

"It's Karag."

Karag likely has ties to the underground—but then, he is a dwarf.

"Alright, Karag. It's easy to see you're no more a friend of the city watch than I am. I'm guessing that bag of coins isn't something you'd want to be caught with."

He glanced down at the bag at his feet. "Not much of a guess."

"I'm not sure what you were doing, and I really don't care. I need to find someone. And I'll bet your boss knows someone who can help me. I'll pay you both. But the man I'm after is going to slip away if I don't move fast."

"How much money?"

"For some introductions? Five sails for you. If your boss knows the way, I'll cut him in for more."

The dwarf shook his head. "That's pretty cheap. Look, lady, let me offer you some advice: If you go poking under the wrong rocks in Oregent, you'll end up dead. You don't just wander in and start asking around. It gets people suspicious. And you start throwing around gold, they might just knife you to take it all."

"They can try," Lisette said softly.

He eyed her sidelong. "What do you want this guy for?"

"I'm delivering flowers. What do you think?"

Karag grunted. "What'd he do to you?"

"He killed a friend."

At this, Karag nodded. He pointed to her waist. At the pistols, she realized as he spoke. "You a witch?"

She forced back a laugh. "No."

"Sorceress?"

"No."

"What are you, then?" he asked with a truculent growl.

"I'm just a lady hunting a killer, and I'm willing to pay for information."

Karag grunted again. "Come on, then. I need to report to Belvar in any case. My advice, keep things simple."

She smiled thinly. "Oh, I always do."

Coming Next Week: Into Oregent's seedy underbelly in Chapter Two of Howard Andrew Jones's "Bells For The Dead"

Want even more Lisette and Karag? Check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel Stalking the Beast, available now!

Howard Andrew Jones is the author of the Pathfinder Tales novels Plague of Shadows and Stalking the Beast, as well as the independent historical fantasy novels The Desert of Souls and The Bones of the Old Ones. He's also edited eight collections of literary giant Harold Lamb's work, and currently serves as the Managing Editor for the iconic sword-and-sorcery magazine Black Gate. For more information, see his website at howardandrewjones.com.

Illustration by Kelly Perry

Pathfinder #11 Advanced Scouting Report!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Ravenswatch gets even uglier in this week's release of Pathfinder #11! Will our bold adventurers make it out alive? Will this crumbling prison become their tomb? Will Ezren ever get tired of fire? Check out the preview below!

Subscribers to Pathfinder comics through paizo.com receive a 20% discount off the cover price, 15% off back and special issues, a special subscriber tag for the paizo.com messageboards, and a limited-edition collectible paizo.com exclusive cover for each issue.

Tech-saavy goblin fans can also pick up their digital copies of Pathfinder Goblins! at comixology.com!

Jenny Bendel
Marketing Director

Pathfinder: Goblins! #4: Mean and Green

Saturday, November 9, 2013

My adolescent comic book dollar was not well spent.

Growing up, we were terminally out of milk, meaning the circuit for any errand inevitably included a trip to the local convenience store. As much as my brother and I enjoyed the opportunities any store presented for squirming and line standing, my mother usually preferred to let her hellions run flailing to the nearby comic shop.

The baleful Comic Keeper had little patience for tweens in his store, and certainly not among the titles kept in mushy white-brown boxes on and under the store's mismatched folding tables. Rather, I was directed to a metal rack crammed in a back corner, one that displayed titles united by the Archie Comics logo: Archie & Friends, Jughead's Time Police, Koosh Kins, The Wild West Cowboys of Moo Mesa, and the like. I can't say I was terribly discerning at the time, but I certainly didn't scoff at what direction I received—the two dollar price stickers also went a long way to pique my interest (I was trying to make ends meet with a five dollar a week allowance after all). So I got in the habit of picking up the best from this collection, something I was familiar with both from television and mangled piles of action figures: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures.

To clarify, these were not the Mirage Studios, 1980s, Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Rather, these were the the gritless and never grim, pizza loving, cowabunga crowing interpretations of Saturday morning cartoons, Nintendo classics, and KB Toys. I checked for the new monthly issue probably twice a week, and poured tens of dollars into that store over months and months, not resting until my 10 volume back issue collection was complete.

Eventually, though, the system failed. One day, unsuspectingly, I went into the comic shop planning to leave with something garishly colored, but instead got into the back of my Mom's van with pages of black and white. I don't remember why I picked up one of the Eastman and Laird volumes—maybe I just had fresh allowance burning a hole in my pocket, maybe I was more curious than I remember. Regardless, in this volume Raphael was dead (I think it was him, I was thoroughly confused on how to tell the turtles apart in black and white), being tormented through some horrible spire-filled afterlife by a foul-mouthed bone faced vulture.

This was not my comic. It also certainly wasn't from the cartoon. I was even fairly sure it wasn't the plot of the recently released TMNT movie. This couldn't have been from anywhere else, so what the devil was this?

That answer was something of a revelation. It was it's own thing—something that would never fly in any other format. These comics could tell stories other mediums couldn't. They could be visually bold and expressive beyond novels, but also mature and experimental in ways film and animation (that I was aware of at the time) couldn't be. Comics were different, and had unique tricks and potential. It wasn't a realization I expected for my $1.99, but it's stuck with me in the few years since 1990.

When the opportunity came around for Erik, Sutter, and I to contribute stories to Pathfinder: Goblins, I knew I wanted to tell a story I couldn't with a Pathfinder adventure or in a piece of fiction. It had to be a goblin story, but it couldn't just be goblins being quirky and fail-ready, it had to use the medium. That's where my story's main character got the personality trait that would land him in so much trouble, because Xoff—that's my gob—is a total liar.

In Pathfinder: Goblins! #4, along with Jeremy Holt's awesome tale "The Gobbling Goblin," you'll find "Horsechopper," a dual account of Xoff's encounter with the Lost Coast's most infamous inhabitant, none other than the Sandpoint Devil. I say "dual account" because Xoff's narration recounts his grand battle, while Jainai Jeffries's brilliant illustrations depict a somewhat less flattering reality. It's a creepy encounter about a goblin, a dashing hat, and—of course—one trusty horsechopper. I won't give away the ending, but things get messy and along the way a frog almost gets gobbled. Writing this, now I really wish I'd made that frog a turtle.

Pathfinder: Goblins! #4 is on sale now, a creepy pair of tales to share along with your other Autumn ghost stories, and one that backs up your Pathfinder game with an appendix including stats for our "hero" Xoff and details on a distinctly goblin haunted house. Order it here, or hunt it down at your local comic shop now!

Just remember, it's the one with the hairless green ruffians who aren't ninjas.

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Demons, Demons, Everywhere

Friday, November 8, 2013

Time marches on toward the scheduled January release of the Wrath of the Righteous set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures! This week I want to focus on many of the demons in the set, particularly some of the "rank and file" types placed at the more common rarities. WizKids did a wonderful job on the sculpts for these badboys, and I am fairly confident that by the time we’re done with this set, less than a tiny handful of official Pathfinder demons will be without representation in prepainted plastic. Praise the dark lords of the Abyss!

Up first this week we have the Sloth Demon, the very lowest form of demon in the Abyss. At CR 2, these guys are best when attacking as a group, a tactic made easier by their common rarity. You can find the Sloth Demon under a different name on page 60 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. The Sloth Demon is a Small, common figure.

Here we have a gross Slime Demon (also known as Omox Demons), from page 79 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2. While this demon is Medium-sized, he looms above most adventurers in a most demon-like attack leap. The Slime Demon is a common figure.

This disgusting fellow is a Vermlek Demon, a hideous example of a low-ranking demon in the armies of the Abyss. They wiggle and crawl in nauseating numbers on Abyssal battlefields, hoping to inhabit a dead humanoid foe as a parasitic puppetmaster. Born from the souls of those who violated the dead in life—such as graverobbers, necromancers, and necrophiles—vermlek demons appear as fat worms until they burrow their way into a host, after which they look like this poor fellow here. Vermleks are found on page 54 of Book of the Damned Vol. 2: Lords of Chaos, and they play an important role in the Wrath of the Righteous campaign. The Vermlek Demon is a Medium, common figure.

This little guy loves perching on the shoulders of chaotic evil wizards, flitting through the shadows of evil human cities, and generally causing mischief wherever he goes. You can find his stats (under a different name) on page 66 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. The Demonic Familiar is a Small (actually Tiny on a Small base), uncommon figure.

Up last today is the Horned Demon, a creature with a long and interesting history in the Pathfinder RPG. This creature first appeared in Paizo’s very first independent adventure product, the metal minis/adventure hybrid "Dark Elf Sanctum," the first GameMastery Compleat Encounter. It was designed by Wayne Reynolds for an adventure written by freelancer Mike Mearls. Years later, when we launched the Pathfinder world, we incorporated several characters and monsters from this earlier product line, and the rest is history. The Horned Demon (or Kalavakus Demon, in you prefer), is found on page 78 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2. The mini is a Medium, uncommon figure.

And that’s it for this week. Come on back in seven days for another look ahead at the Wrath of the Righteous miniatures set!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Play Games. Heal Kids. Final Countdown.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Play games. Heal kids. That's what Uncle's Games set out to do when we partnered with Paizo and others to throw one of the biggest Extra Life board gaming events in the nation. Over 200 people descended upon Redmond Town Center in Washington state with the goal of playing games for 25 hours straight. For each hour they gamed, their friends and family donated money to Seattle Children's Hospital.

Uncle's Games joined with Paizo, the hit web-series Tabletop, and many other publishers and game designers to create a gaming experience similar to that which you would typically find at a convention. The Pathfinder Society gamers began showing up an hour before the event was scheduled to start, full of enthusiasm for a marathon of roleplaying. Throughout the day other gamers came and went in waves with everyone participating in the awesome cause of playing games to help heal kids.

Boyan Radakovich, producer of Geek & Sundry's Tabletop, flew out to participate in the festivities. His goal: to beat Wil Wheaton's Season 2 win record by playing through the same games, in order. His table was full throughout the entire 15 hours it took him to play through all of Season 2. Ultimately, Wil's honor was defended as Boyan ended with the same win record, 2 wins out of 11 games.

Thanks to the generous support of Paizo and many other game industry folks, this Extra Life event featured a silent auction. There were four full tables of games and geeky items to bid on. The first table was full of games that had been signed by designers and famous people. These items included a Pathfinder RPG bag with a retail value over $300 signed by the entire team at Paizo, Star Trek Catan signed by Wil Wheaton & Jeri Ryan, and a whole host of other items.

Uncle's Games started the event with the hope of raising $1000 for Seattle Children's Hospital, but with the fantastic support of our gaming community, we were able to raise over $3000 for Seattle Children's Hospital!

While our event was a success, in that we had a ton of fun playing games with our community, the even bigger win is the record-breaking $3.8 million raised by Extra Life participants across the globe! We can't wait to do it all again next year!

Whatcha Want, Fiction Fans?

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Pathfinder Tales has been going strong for a couple of years now, and I'm happy to say that I'm still just as excited about it as when it first launched. We've gone from werewolves in Ustalav to the Outer Planes, an evil magical academy in Nidal to the high seas. In the months to come, we've got vikings and barbarians, bardic super-spies, soul-stealing in Kaer Maga, and more.

Yet we're still just scratching the surface. Which is why I want to know: What do you want to see from Pathfinder Tales? Is there a certain class or race you want to read about? Do you have a favorite nation we haven't been to yet—or one you can't wait to visit again? Are there certain types of stories you're pining for? Here at Paizo Fiction Headquarters, we're always trying to figure out what people will be most interested in—which means that our jobs are way easier if you tell us.

So sound off, fiction-lovers: What do you want to see more of from the Pathfinder Tales line?

James L. Sutter
Senior Editor/Fiction Editor

Stalking the Beast Sample Chapter

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013

by Howard Andrew Jones

In Stalking the Beast, Howard Andrew Jones returns to the story of Elyana and Drelm from Plague of Shadows as they defend a frontier town in the River Kingdoms from a marauding monster. In order to track a deadly beast that can turn invisible at will and strikes with cunning intelligence, they'll need to pull together the best team of adventurers their backwater corner of the River Kingdoms has ever seen. Yet can everyone they recruit be trusted?

Chapter Three: Too Good to Miss

Lisette

Most of Delgar's buildings were fashioned from rough-hewn timber, lacking exterior plaster or even a second story. Unless you enjoyed the smell of fish scales and muddy water, there was little to recommend the place, although Lisette appreciated the community's nod toward organization. A lot of river communities couldn't be bothered to fashion straight roads—or straight houses, for that matter. Delgar at least had been built on a grid plan, and as she and Karag climbed out of the barge that afternoon, she was able to take quick stock of the little town.

For the last week of her journey she'd heard rumors about a hunting expedition jointly sponsored by several of the famously uncooperative River Kingdoms. Delgar was to be its launching point, which was probably what had drawn her bounty so far north. Apparently, experienced hunters were to be paid good coin, and the old rogue probably hoped he could pass off as one.

She and Karag blended in fairly well with the crowds thronging the little village, for no one could guess by looking at their gear that they earned their coin hunting men, not beasts.

She scanned the faces they passed, taking the place in, ignoring the return appraisals from knots of varied martial types who wound their way through the muddy streets.

Dark of eye and dark of hair, which she'd cut to the nape of her neck, Lisette had the pale complexion of a Chelaxian. Her pants were dark, loose, comfortable, and tucked into well-worn, calf-high boots sewn from lizard hide. A pair of pistol butts stood out from the sash tied at her waist, weapons of fine iron and dark, highly polished wood. Her single mark of flamboyance was the slim red feather thrust into the side of her brimmed cloth hat.

As Karag finished unloading their gear, he handed a matching flintlock rifle up to her. She shouldered the weapon without remark, the brown strap sliding across the long black sleeve of her shirt and the rim of her black vest.

The burly dwarf hefted a second rifle on his own shoulder, the long muzzle poking three feet above his blond locks. He then lifted a huge leather bag as thick around as himself and propped it on the other shoulder.

"Let's get this over with," she said, and they started forward.

The two made an odd pair. Karag was Lisette's physical opposite in nearly every way, for he was blond and pale and sturdy. Where she strode with pantherish grace, he swaggered. If passersby even recognized the rifle he carried for what it was, they would probably have assumed it was his, but it belonged to Lisette just as much as the powder bag slung across Karag's back, the rifle over her own shoulder, or the brace of flintlock pistols thrust through her belt.

"You ever hear what they're really supposed to be hunting?" Lisette asked him. She ignored the appreciative whistle of a leather-clad barbarian leaning against the side of a building.

"It's some monster the elves drove out of Kyonin," Karag answered in his low rumble. "If the long-ears can't be bothered, they'll just chase a beast out and let everyone else..."

Karag's voice trailed off, and Lisette's gaze swung to follow his own.

A thickset man with a full beard had just stepped from the sprawling, two-story building ahead of them and stood now under a hanging placard carved with a leaping fish. The hood of his light traveling cloak was cast back to reveal a balding pate peppered with red hair. Beside him were two younger men of similar build, their receding hair heavy with grease.

Lisette cursed in disbelief. It was never, ever this easy. She'd tracked the man for the better part of two months, always staying just behind him. And now he was there before her within a few moments of reaching Delgar.

"Velmik," Karag whispered.

Even as her hand swept toward her right pistol, Velmik spotted her. With a deep-throated shout he dove back through the doorway. His sons hurried after.

Lisette wasted no breath cursing. "Back entrance," she ordered Karag, then leapt to the wooden porch to push into the throng of men Velmik and his sons had stumbled through.

The fugitives left a wake through the middle of the tavern's crowded common room, a wide space crammed with long wooden tables and broad-shouldered men and women, many of whom were now cursing, their heads turned toward Velmik. The murderer ploughed toward a closed door beside the stairs to the private rooms. One of his boys was ahead of him; the other was looking back at Lisette. His hand went to his belt, and fastened not around the sword hilt, but an axe haft. Lisette knew then that she faced Gern, who had a reputation with his throwing axe. That meant the one starting up the stairs ahead of Velmik had to be the eldest, Hadek, against whom there was a minor bounty. Not half the size of the one on Velmik, and it wouldn't have brought her out to the wilds, but with him so close by she wouldn't dream of passing up the opportunity.

Gern charged up the creaking steps after the others. "Hurry, Dad!"

A man and woman at the top of the stairs froze at sight of Hadek and backed off.

Lisette elbowed a gawking servant girl out of the way and pulled her pistol free, cocking the hammer with her off hand. As she brought the muzzle in line with Velmik's broad, retreating back, Gern sent the axe flying at her head.

She sidestepped, firing as she felt the passage of the haft brush her hat brim. She missed by only a little, hitting Hadek instead. The man dropped with a girlish scream and his father whirled. Behind Lisette, the axe smashed into a row of glasses at the bar, and there was an uproar from the bartender and any number of patrons. She thrust the smoking pistol through her belt and drew its twin even as Gern pulled a second axe.

Velmik crouched by his firstborn, who whimpered on the stairs. The older man bared teeth as he faced her, drawing steel.

She notched back the hammer of her second pistol and snapped off a shot. She grinned through the swirl of black gun smoke—she'd known even as the weapon kicked in her hand that it had been true. Gern staggered and jerked as a leaking red hole materialized in the center of his forehead. He sprawled.

The thunderous pistol shot set women screaming and men shouting in terror. Many dove for cover or rushed the door. Lisette calmly shoved the smoking pistol back through her sash and drew her short sword.

Velmik charged down the stairs, eyes mad and rolling, lips peeled back to show stained and crooked teeth. He brandished his long notched sword like a cleaver.

"You killed my boys, you bitch!"

Lisette snatched a tankard from the abandoned bar and hurled it at Velmik's head. Her aim was not as accurate with her off hand, but the bald man swerved. The tankard banked off the stair rail, spraying sour-smelling ale. The instant's distraction was all Lisette desired. She lunged forward, slicing rather than thrusting, and cut Velmik across his neck and upper chest. The old fool was wearing leather armor but no neck guard.

It was not a deep strike, but it was enough to spoil Velmik's own and set him clawing instinctively for his throat. He looked down, wide-eyed, as she drove the sword through his hand and out the back of his neck.

Blood spurted forth, and Velmik gurgled a bit as he wobbled, then sank, finally flopping onto the floorboards like a fish. His sword struck the stained planks a second later with a dull clang.

There came a brief silence, over which she heard the labored breathing of Hadek, collapsed with glassy eyes upon the stairs.

She wiped her blade on the back of Velmik's shirt.

Karag burst in through the back doorway, panting, and suddenly found every pair of eyes in the whole tavern staring at him and the musket he carried in two hands.

The silence lasted only a moment longer, and then the buck-toothed bartender demanded to know who she was, how she dared, and, most loudly, who would pay for the damages.

"I am a bounty hunter," Lisette told him calmly, "and two of these men are wanted in Andoran, Druma, and Isger. Karag will pay the damages." At this the dwarf stepped to her side, a little red-faced.

"They never came out," he explained swiftly, softly, "and I heard gunshots."

She had surmised that. "There was no real trouble," she told him so his dwarven pride would remain uninjured. "Bag these two up, and pay this gentleman for his trouble. Your pardon, sir," she said to the proprietor with her prettiest smile. "I'm afraid I must leave your fine company."

The bartender and the others gawped. She didn't mind the attention at all; it might make her stay in the place a little simpler.

The crowd broke into low murmurs, talking among themselves and staring darkly. A few were even moving back toward their tables, though they were cautious about it. The bartender was actually scowling.

"This is Delgar," he said with a drawl. "You can't just wander into the town and kill people in my bar! We have laws!"

Karag stepped up to the counter, his head just clearing its edge. "Lisette has full authority—"

"This is my inn!" The barkeep's face reddened. Lisette heard angry murmurs from the crowd behind her. Curious. She hadn't anticipated this at all. Quietly, methodically, she took up one of her pistols and cleaned the inside of the muzzle with a rag she pulled from a vest pocket.

From behind came a loud clump of steps, and a lull in the mutters as a deep, male voice demanded silence.

Lisette paused in the loading of her pistol and turned.

A peculiar figure strode through the doorway. At first glance he was just another broad, powerful man-at-arms. And then she saw so many incongruities that she was not sure which to consider first.

It was not so remarkable that she faced a thickly built member of the city guard bearing a sheathed sword. What was remarkable was that he was a half- or at least quarter-blood orc. Even out here in the uncivilized wilds, most folk didn't trust their kind, and there was no missing the greenish hue or the foreword thrust of the thick jaw and upward-pointing teeth. Yet here was no coarse brute, either, for his garb was immaculate, from polished helm to the glimpse of leather armor she perceived beneath the spotless blue tabard with its black, crenelated tower. Her eyes shifted briefly to the tall figure striding in behind him, likewise immaculate, likewise wearing leather armor and a white-and-blue tabard with a stone tower, but his long mustaches and slanted eyes were merely peculiar as opposed to extraordinary.

"What has happened here?" the half-orc growled.

"Captain," the barkeep began, and once again Lisette started. Captain? The barkeep pointed at her. "This woman just killed those three men on the stairs with some kind of magic."

The bright, rather small eyes in the half-orc's face shifted immediately to her, then to the gun.

"You need to set that down," the captain growled.

Karag stomped over from the bar to stand at Lisette's side. He glowered up at the orc, who seemed careless of the dark look, for he gave the dwarf little attention before focusing again upon the gun.

"Who are you?" Karag growled.

The tall, mustached guardsman had stepped to the half-orc's side, and it was he who answered in a mellow voice with the faint trace of a Brevic accent. "You are addressing Drelm, captain of the Delgar guard. And he has given your...associate a command. Put aside the strange wand. Immediately."

Lisette's smile did nothing to change Drelm's expression; it remained grim even as she passed the still unloaded pistol on to Karag. "I am a bounty hunter," she said, "fully licensed in five separate countries, and at least as many municipalities, including Tymon. Two of those men were known bandits and murderers; the other was a relative. I was not after him, but he attacked."

"Proof?" Drelm asked.

Lisette was used to thinking on her feet, but it took a moment longer to decipher the captain's short command.

"I have posters for them here," she said, "in my vest pocket."

"Pull them slowly," Drelm told her.

"Of course."

The captain's eyes never left her hand as she produced two quarter-folded pieces of parchment. They crinkled as she passed them across to one large, greenish hand. The knuckle on his first finger was scarred with a long, slightly paler line.

She watched as his eyes tracked across the likenesses of Velmik and Gern—not perfect, but fair enough—and then the words beneath. And she kept the smile upon her lips, knowing that he would demand some sort of fine, or impose some other penalty to enrich himself. She knew better than to object. Here was a "man" clearly used to getting his own way by physical intimidation. The curious thing was how the barkeep and two barmaids were both focused upon the "captain" expectantly. She would have thought they would view any interaction with him with fawning politeness, as you had to do in larger cities when the gangs shook you for protection money.

Drelm finished what must have been a somewhat labored examination of the words, for he was long about it, and handed the papers off to the Brevan. "Compare them."

"Yes, Captain." The Brevan stepped around Karag, walking with a horseman's swagger. His boot heels, she noticed, were silver.

"They did a lot of damage." The barkeep pointed to a row of smashed glasses sitting on a dark shelf behind him. Lisette glanced over the bar top and saw a trio of broken bottles lying on the dark floorboards amid a spreading pool of sweet-smelling wine.

"We will gladly pay for the damages," Lisette told them. "Although all of this was because Velmik's son threw an axe."

That didn't hold any sway with the barkeep. "He wouldn't have thrown an axe if you hadn't followed him into my inn!"

The Brevan had climbed the first two stairs and was glancing back and forth between the two pieces of paper and the bodies. "Captain," he called, "two of these look just about right. And the third must be a son of the older one."

Drelm's small eyes flicked to the barkeep's. "What will repairs cost?"

Lisette could see conflicting emotions warring on the barkeep's face. He looked down at the damage, then back to the orc.

"Five gold sails."

"Three at best," the Brevan said as he wandered over. "I can smell that wine from here. Not exactly high elven vintage."

The Brevan was right, but Lisette knew better than to offer any opinion.

"Three," Drelm said to Lisette. "Pay him. Demid, collect the coins."

"Yes, Captain."

Lisette couldn't believe she was getting off that lucky. Drelm glanced once more at the dwarf, who still watched with suspicion, and faced the rest of the tavern's occupants.

"Many of you are new faces," Drelm said as he drew himself up. "This is not how we do things here." He tapped his chest. "Those who kill, face me. Those who steal, face me. Those who hurt an innocent, face me. I give this one"—he pointed to Lisette—"this one chance. She is new. She is a bounty hunter. She has taken her chance, and yours. Next time, you face me. Am I understood?"

He snapped this last. A few of the folk—locals, probably—were direct with their reply: "Yes, Captain!"

The others looked away and mumbled.

Drelm's lips pulled back in a snarl, and he roared. "Do you understand me? You will answer, ‘Yes, Captain!'"

"Yes, Captain!" the customers called back.

"Again!"

This time the tavern timbers seemed to shake a little with the noise. "Yes, Captain!"

Drelm grunted, then glanced back at Lisette. "No more bounties before speaking with me."

"Of course." Lisette tried a smile, and produced a gleaming cold coin. She lobbed it twirling into the air between the half-orc and herself. "For your trouble."

Drelm caught it without looking in one massive fist, then addressed the Brevan while staring at her. "Lieutenant Demid, she is new. Speak to her."

"Only the mayor pays the city guard, little sparrow," the Brevan said from behind her.

Drelm then pitched the coin, without once considering it, toward the barkeep. "I levy fines for bribery," he said. "There, keep it. Now you profit from the mess."

Stranger and stranger. Lisette couldn't quite figure the captain's angle. Only some wet-behind-the-ears Eagle Knight would be so honest. Certainly no half-orc in a village no one had heard of.

"Do you have more targets in Delgar?" he asked her.

"Probably not," Lisette answered. There was always the possibility she'd bump into someone else.

"‘Probably not.'" Drelm grunted, a low, almost thoughtful sound. "If it becomes ‘probably yes,' see me before you spill more blood, or you and I will have a problem."

At last he acknowledged the dwarf, who muttered under his breath. Something dwarven, from the sound, and an insult, from his dark look.

"I don't speak dwarf," the half-orc said, then his eyes tracked back to Lisette's. "Tell him threats to me when I'm in uniform are threats to the guard."

Lisette's hand tightened on Karag's shoulder. He tensed under her fingers. She did not leave off smiling. "I'll make sure he knows."

Drelm grunted.

The Brevan strode past then, coin purses in hand. "They had thirty-two silvers, Captain, and a handful of coppers."

"For the treasury," Drelm said.

"Yes, Captain."

Her first thought was that the half-orc was an idiot and meant to have the lieutenant turn the money over to the city coffers. Then she realized they were saying that solely for the benefit of listeners and would surely cut themselves in for a nice percentage of the money, for Demid had certainly announced fewer funds than he'd actually found on the bodies.

Drelm surveyed the room a final time, then turned heel and strode away.

"Karag," Lisette forced almost sickly sweet kindness into her voice. "Make the rest of the arrangements. And keep the captain's warning in mind. I do think," she added, "we'll be better welcome at some other inn for the night."

"I suppose you're right," Karag said, and turned to consider the bodies, and the barkeep, who still watched them. Everyone, actually, was still staring at them, although some had returned to their meals.

"My pistol?" Lisette asked. It was evidence of how peculiar the encounter had been that Karag had not instantly returned it to her. He did so now with an apologetic look, then strode toward the bar. In this place she didn't imagine he'd be able to drag the bodies to an alley and cut off their heads. One way or another, though, the dwarf would have to decapitate the corpses and drop the heads in salt. It didn't matter to her how he did it, so long as they stayed on the right side of the law—and, more importantly, so long as the evidence of the kill was preserved long enough to collect the bounty.

She walked out past Demid and stepped to the edge of the raised platform, leaning against the warm building shingles while she checked over the pistol bore and fished around for her pellet and powder. She was not at all surprised to find the Brevan guard following her out, black eyes afire with interest.

"You have strange talons," he said, "but are a deadly bird. The dwarf didn't slay any of them, did he?"

"No."

She pulled out a powder packet and bit off the end with her teeth, then spat it to the side.

Demid's lips turned up in a slight smile.

"Is there something funny, Lieutenant?"

"Demid," he said. "I assure you that I take you quite seriously."

She wasn't sure what to make of that, but decided not to press further. "So what are a Brevan and a half-orc doing on the guard force in a nowhere village in the River Kingdoms? It almost sounds like a joke."

He repeated the word doubtfully. "A joke?"

"Sure." She pulled free a bullet from another pocket and held it up to the sun. "A Brevan and a half-orc walk into a bar. But I don't know the punch line."

"The punch line. Oh, yes. No, it's no joke, Lady..." He waited expectantly.

"Lisette."

"Lisette. How lovely. I might begin such a joke myself. An angry dwarf and a beautiful marksman—markswoman—enter a bar. But I also don't know the..." He paused to make a rolling motion with his hand, then finished: "punch line."

"There isn't one." Lisette put home the bullet, and, satisfied, tamped it down. "What is it you want, Lieutenant?"

"I am curious about you. Part of my duties as a guardsman of Delgar, you understand."

Was he flirting, or was he actually searching for information? The more time she spent in this place, the more unsure she became. She could read men, though, and even though Demid clearly found her attractive, there was a coolness in his gaze. "Of course."

"For instance, I've never seen wands with handle grips before."

"You mean these?" As she tapped the muzzle of her pistol, he nodded. "These aren't wands, they're guns. No magic's involved."

"Ah," he said. "I've never seen one before."

"But you've heard of them?"

"Alchemical, aren't they?"

Clearly he wished to hold one, but she wasn't feeling charitable. "Something like that."

"I see. And where is it that you're going?"

"I wish only to find lodging for the night. Somewhere where I might obtain a warm bath."

"Ah." Demid clicked his tongue. "That's more challenging than usual, owing to the hunt. Are you planning to participate?"

"I'm only here for Velmik. I just want a warm bath, a night in a real bed, and then I'll be on the next boat out."

Demid listened with interest, then provided directions to a home near the walled city center. "Madame Celene has expensive rooms, and is careful to whom she rents them. Most of these would not be welcome there. Your friend," he continued, "would have to be..."

"Gentlemanly?"

"Polite," Demid said with a nod.

"He can manage that. I thank you, Demid."

"Of course." He executed a smart half bow, turned on his heel, and retreated to the inn.

Interesting. He had not been looking for a bribe, or romance, but inspecting her, almost as though he were a guardsman in Almas. A real professional. Well, the River Kingdoms attracted fugitives. Likely the Brevan had some sort of complicated backstory, and probably one less interesting than she supposed. Curious as she was, she decided she was thankful neither Demid nor Drelm were the types who liked to brag about their past.

Lisette slipped her gun back through her belt, readied her second, then tucked her supplies away. She checked her appearance in a small glass mirror, finding a few blood flecks, which she wiped from her cheeks.

Demid's directions and information proved accurate. Madame Celene, a beanpole-thin woman with a personality dry as day-old bread, could have done with some of the Brevan's politeness. Elyana rented a room for a silver wolf—a criminal rate out here in the middle of nowhere—but it came with a warm bath, and privacy, and Celene told her the latter was not likely anywhere else in the village this week.

The outrageous fee soured Lisette's mood even after a long hot soak in a sparkling clean iron tub off Madame Celene's kitchen. She was upstairs in the tiny bedroom allotted her, methodically checking over her gear, when a loud rap rang against her door.

Lisette reached immediately for one pistol, which she put close to hand. She was partially dressed, in shirt and pants, although she was uncorseted and barefoot, and her wet hair hung wild about her shoulders.

"Who is it?"

She expected an answer from Karag. Still, you could never be too cautious in her line of work. She glanced over her shoulder at the narrow, shuttered window overlooking the street. The afternoon sun cast lines of light through which dust motes drifted, highlighting the polish on the old floor planks. Madame Celene kept a tidy inn.

"I have a message for you, miss."

The voice was that of a young man's. Lisette lifted the pistol and pulled back the hammer with a faint click. "From whom?"

"Someone from the court, miss."

That struck her as more than a little curious. "You don't know?"

Apparently the message boy thought so too. "I'm sorry, I don't," he admitted. "I was just supposed to find the lady who'd..." There was a brief pause. "Killed those men at the tavern. You're her, aren't you?"

Lisette was still wondering how to answer that when the boy spoke on.

"I'll just slide this message under the door. No need to pay me. My fee's already handled."

The floorboards creaked outside then, probably from the boy shifting weight, and a small envelope slid slowly under the door.

Lisette stared at it from a distance.

"I'll be going now," the young man's voice said, nervously, and then his footsteps receded hurriedly.

Lisette slowly lowered the hammer, put the gun aside, and stepped to the envelope, though long years in the field made her cautious even with this simple act. The letter might be poisoned or trapped, or the letter might be a distraction while something else was underway.

In the end, though, it proved just a letter, sealed with wax that lacked the mark of any kind of seal. The message within promised twenty gold sails for a brief discussion with the lord mayor, so long as she understood she that was to be completely discrete about the summons, both before and after the meeting.

An unexpected development, and a profitable one. Probably the man was looking to drop a criminal the local guard force hadn't been able to kill. Someone too clever for, say, a half-orc. The discretion was peculiar, but compared to some of the requests she'd heard over the years, it didn't amount to much. Likely Lord Avelis didn't want anyone knowing his guard force couldn't handle the matter.

Lisette readied herself in short order, pleased that she'd kept one blouse clean just for these sorts of emergencies.

One street over, the wooden buildings gave way to a handful of stone homes immediately outside the walled enclosure that surrounded the seat of government. The ten-foot wall wouldn't hold off an army for long, but it would keep back the kind of bandit forces that usually assaulted River Kingdoms settlements.

She passed through the open gates and tried not to stare too long at the two spear-bearing guardsmen. It was odd enough that they should look so competent, odder still that their helms matched, and that their hair and faces were well-groomed, but beyond that, they were actually wearing clean tabards. One simply didn't encounter that level of organization in River Kingdoms villages, which tended to rise and fall every generation. So far as she knew, Delgar was only a few years old. It had no business being so well run.

She understood now that the symbol she'd seen on all the guards' tabards—a small tower with an arrow slit and four merlons—was a fair likeness of the tower of the keep ahead of her.

Beyond the gate was about what she'd expected—an expanse of rich black dirt and scrubby grass with various outbuildings and storage sheds. A stable stood along the wall directly west of the gate. All of this, too, seemed finely ordered. There were no sagging roofs or rotting joists, no mismatched roof thatching.

How did the lord of this little burg manage such order in the midst of such chaos? He might not be the simple hayseed with delusions of grandeur she'd anticipated. Lisette supposed it didn't really matter, so long as the money was good.

As she crossed the compound, the keep's metal-banded door opened wide, and out walked three tall, splendid figures. One was dressed in black traveling clothes, like herself, and the others in green and brown forest gear.

Elves. She'd seen her share of them in various cities, but these were no ordinary citizens. They walked with a warrior's confidence, shoulders wide. Their eyes had a veteran's look, measuring all that they took in.

Each gauged her as they walked for the stables, and as one adjusted the strap of his quiver, she realized with a start that his left hand was nothing more than a hook. He was the shortest of the lot, though still half a head taller than herself, and one of the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen, even for an elf. His coppery brown hair was long, straight, and thick, and his dark eyes were dotted with luminous amber flecks. Many elven males struck her as youthful or effeminate, but not this one, whose fine-featured face seemed grimly competent, and was marred by a small scar along his nose. She was shocked to find that her breath actually caught in her throat a bit as his eyes met hers. Worse, he seemed to see or hear it, for his gaze fastened on her a moment longer. Then he glanced at the hook upon his arm. His expression hardened, and he strode after his companions.

Lisette wasn't used to feeling regret, but she had a mad impulse to follow and tell him that it wasn't the hook she'd gasped at. But what should she care about what an elf thought of her feelings?

She found someone else watching: a lean, bearded man in the tower doorway. She returned his scrutiny as she walked closer.

The stranger stood perhaps six feet tall, with a full head of brown hair. That and his beard were lined with distinguished bands of silver. His face was weathered but handsome, and she guessed him to be somewhere in his late thirties or early forties. His breeks were brown, his cuffed and collared shirt white and tight over thick shoulders. He had a swordsman's build, she thought, though she saw no blade upon him.

Lisette halted before him.

"Welcome," the man said in a subdued baritone. "I think you may have come to see me."

"Lord Avelis?"

"Avelis will do," he replied. "And you are?"

"Lisette Demonde. Of Cheliax."

He didn't quite manage to hold in his surprise. One eyebrow twitched. Somehow, she was not quite what he'd expected. But he didn't let it stop him. "It was good of you to come so quickly. Please, follow me." He turned on one boot heel and addressed someone out of sight within the building, telling them to bring refreshments.

Lisette followed the mayor through a common room, then a deep doorway—almost a short tunnel—and into a long, narrow office. Apart from a small, high window, the room lacked natural light, which explained the lanterns hung from dark joists over the desk.

There was just barely room for Avelis to slide around the desk, and this he did before turning to face her and gesturing to the chairs.

As they took their seats, she noted the well-crafted wooden cabinet under the window behind him. The elm desk was simply but finely made, and the papers on its surface neatly stacked.

"Your arrival was fortuitous," Avelis told her. "I've made inquiries about...those in your line of profession, but none of them have come."

Lisette smiled thinly. "The River Kingdoms is a long way to come for twenty gold sails. I assume you don't want someone local."

"You assume correctly."

A chubby servant girl knocked upon the door behind them and hurried forward with a platter holding a wine bottle and two glasses.

"Just set it on the desk, Syra. Thank you. Please close the door behind you."

"Yes, Mayor," she said, curtsying to him before she departed. The door shut with a heavy thud.

"Please, have a drink." The mayor's hand indicated the platter.

"You're very kind. After we discuss our business, perhaps."

Avelis nodded once, sharply. "I'll cut to the point." He reached under the desk, and Lisette tensed as she heard a drawer being opened. A moment later, Avelis set a cloth bag upon the wood, where it jangled with a heavy thud. He pushed it toward her. "Twenty gold sails. That's for hearing me out and keeping your mouth shut. Even if you don't like what I offer you."

"That's right."

She loosened the leather tie cord and peered within, then lifted one of the coins to the sunlight. It was Andoren currency, with a shine so clear it must be virtually unhandled. She tested one between her back teeth, found it appropriately soft and pure, and dropped it back in with its fellows before cinching the bag and dropping it into the pack she'd slung over the chair back.

"Don't you want to count it?" Avelis sounded amused.

"I did," she said, which wasn't entirely true, but she could tell there were at least fifteen sails in there, which was good enough for her. "Alright, Avelis, I can see you're serious about this. What do you want me for?"

Avelis steepled his fingers. "I need you to kill an orc."

She laughed. "Any decent mercenary can do that job, Mayor. And your town is crawling with them. Your guard force looks surprisingly capable."

"Oh, it is. But it's the captain of my guard I want you to kill."

The expression upon his face was so strange, what with his twitching smile and the burning gleam in his eyes, that she thought at first that he joked.

She realized he was serious as he spoke on. "I suppose I should explain that he's partly human."

She cleared her throat. He probably wasn't going to handle this well. Avelis seemed like a man who was used to having his way. "I'm a bounty hunter, Mayor, not an assassin."

Avelis shrugged. "Is there a difference? I'm putting a private bounty on him."

She wanted to ask how large that bounty was, but she was already treading on thin ice. "Has he broken the laws of your community?"

"No."

Lisette shook her head. "Then that's an assassination. That's not my line."

"Oh, you haven't yet heard my price."

Now the trick was leaving the meeting gracefully. She offered a few alternative suggestions. "If you want him killed, hire some guards to attack him. Hire some bravos. Poison him."

"My guards are fiercely loyal to him. They would sooner betray me. And he would kill any warriors sent against him. Poison...would be too suspicious. I want you. And I will pay you very well."

Again she saw that strange gleam in his eyes, and the peculiar shifting smile. She felt a dawning curiosity about the money. "How well?"

Avelis reached slowly into an inside pocket to produce a small red silk bag. He undid the drawstrings, cupped his left hand, and poured out a stream of small gems, each the size of her thumbnail. Lisette recognized bloodstone and carnelian, moonstone and onyx.

"Every one of them is worth at least fifty gold sails. A fortune that transports well."

It was far more than what Lisette would have guessed. She had many questions, but thought to keep him talking while she considered the matter. "Pardon my asking, but if you have all of these, what are you doing...here?"

Avelis's eyes narrowed. "That's not really your concern, is it? Do the job well and all this is yours." He extended the palm of his hands, strewn with gems, and Lisette reached out to select one. She held it up between thumb and forefinger, and directed it into a mote-filled sunbeam.

"That's more than four thousand sails for what's likely to be a week's work."

Lisette had been paid in gemstones often enough that she knew a real one when she saw it. She dropped that one back into his palm and chose another at random. It, too, was finely cut, glimmering with color.

She'd had good reasons for walking away from her earlier profession, and even finer reasons for permanently keeping her distance. Yet this was good money—absurdly good, given the circumstances—and if she played things right, no one would ever know. How would the Black Coil ever hear about the death of a half-orc in the River Kingdoms?

With this kind of money she might finally have the funds to set up permanent residence in Triela in one of those rambling old Chelish-style mansions. There were any number of them sinking slowly into disrepair. Between this and the funds she'd stashed in Almas, she might just be able to lay claim to one and afford the upkeep.

The real question might have been why the mayor wasn't doing the same thing. But then, as he said, that really wasn't her business. Maybe he was one of those driven to command. Or maybe he'd done something terrible under his real name and had fled to the frontier to start afresh.

She considered the mayor as she dropped the gem back into his palm. "Why do you want him dead?"

His smile widened, showing teeth, and he gathered in the gems. "He killed my son, and is marrying my daughter. He will rule after me...unless I kill him."

Had he missed the obvious? Some, blinded by desire for vengeance, were too quick to dismiss easier methods. "Wouldn't it be easy to forbid the marriage and bring him to trial?"

"It's not so simple." Avelis's lip curled in a savage sneer before he regained composure. "It was no blade that killed my Melloc, but negligence. My son was on patrol with the orc, who didn't have the brains to safeguard him. Most of the village doesn't even think it's the orc's fault." The mayor's eyes burned. "He's got all of them fooled."

"What do you mean?"

"They like him. They trust him."

"A half-orc?"

Avelis nodded once. "Two years ago this community was on the brink of ruin. Bandits and river raiders were a constant threat. Despite my best efforts, the town was lawless and violent."

"And Drelm fixed all this for you?"

"The orc and his friend. An elven woman named Elyana. They were just passing through, but with their help things quickly turned around. I was grateful, understand. He's been my guard captain now for the last year and a half, and Elyana remains a sort of informal advisor. She's very, very good."

Lisette managed not to smirk at the open lust in the man's tone. So Avelis had a thing for pointed ears. Then again, given her reaction in the courtyard, who was she to talk?

"The town has embraced them," Avelis went on. "They've even embraced the idea of him...courting my daughter. But the thought of his blood mingling with mine..." The fingers on the mayor's left hand slowly curled inward, and he stared down at the clenched fist, almost in surprise. It began to shake. "I should have seen it," he said through gritted teeth. "He means to rule after me!"

Lisette thought she had a handle on the matter now, but she summarized for clarity. Before discussing contracts, she always made sure expectations were clear between her and her employer. "You want him dead, but not in an obvious way. And you don't want to anger the village, or his friend the elf?"

"Exactly."

"How is it that a half-orc and an elf are friends?"

Avelis snorted. "They served together over in Taldor. I thought they were lovers for the longest time, or I'd have been more worried when Drelm was near my daughter. He's so...proper...I didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late."

"Well, I don't have any love for orcs. But my reputation is as a bounty hunter. I take on legal cases. I'd like an official contract."

Avelis favored her with a long look, then set his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. "I think the money's good enough that we don't need a contract. Don't you? Papers can fall into the wrong hands."

"Maybe you should think about hiring someone else then. As I said, I'm not an assassin." Not anymore. And by her covenant, she could not work as one. She shouldn't even be sitting here.

"Well, I'm the ruler here, and I'll pay a large bounty. I can even turn the paper over to you, if you wish, once you succeed."

"I always come through on a contract," Lisette said.

"I've no doubt. You managed to impress Lieutenant Demid, which is no mean feat. He said that you felled three men, and that you used strange weapons that launch metal balls, but aren't magic."

He was doing his best to change the subject. "That's true enough. I want the contract with me."

"That's really not possible."

She thought about walking out. Yet... "Then I want half, now."

"Half?" he spluttered.

"Unless you give me a contract that will hold up in court."

Avelis frowned, and his good looks soured. The eyes narrowed, lines curled about his mouth, and she saw what he would look like in ten or fifteen more years. A bitter, angry old man.

Avelis let out a pent-up breath. "Very well. But there is one more condition. Drelm must die, but it can't be done in a way that alerts anyone—especially not Elyana, whom I would rather remain to serve the town. Her counsel is quite valuable to me."

I'll bet it is, Lisette thought, but Avelis seemed oblivious to how much he was revealing about himself. "And it can't be done promptly," he continued. "You've probably noted the influx of warriors."

"It was hard to miss."

"A deadly beast's killing people up and down the river."

"One beast?"

"We think so. It was my son's last wish that we band together to launch an expedition to hunt the thing down. I've joined forces with Kyonin, Tymon, Riverton, and Sevenarches, and we've scraped enough together to reward those who kill it. Drelm and Elyana are heading the expedition. It must succeed—it was the beast that killed my boy, and I will see it go down. Which means Drelm can't be killed until the thing is dead. He's too good a warrior. Do you understand?"

More complications. She should have known it would have more complications. "So you want me to go on the expedition with them through the wilderness and pretend to hunt for this thing with them. What sort of beast is it?"

"No one's really seen it." Avelis turned over an empty palm. "What we do know is that it likes to kill. It's smashed into homes and outposts and hunting camps up and down the river for the last six months. It comes and goes as it likes, vanishing right in front of witnesses."

Better and better. She kept the disgust from her voice. "I see."

"Some of the best trackers in the River Kingdoms will be along," Avelis said. "I can't imagine it taking more than a week. And at some point, while you're trying to shoot the beast with one of your alchemical wands, Drelm will just get in the way. And he will get in the way—he'll be in the forefront to kill the thing, I guarantee it. And you, with your ranged weapons, will be standing back. Easy."

Somehow she doubted it would be as easy as he supposed. And then Avelis opened the bag once more. "Hold out your hand, and we'll count out your advance. That is, if you're in."

She hesitated only a moment. "I'm in."

Purchase the whole novel here.

Coming Next Week: An all-new prequel story starring Lisette in "Bells for the Dead"!

Howard Andrew Jones is the author of the Pathfinder Tales novels Plague of Shadows and Stalking the Beast, as well as the independent historical fantasy novels The Desert of Souls and The Bones of the Old Ones. He's also edited eight collections of literary giant Harold Lamb's work, and currently serves as the Managing Editor for the iconic sword-and-sorcery magazine Black Gate. For more information, see his website at howardandrewjones.com.

Illustration by Roberto Pitturru.

Goblins! #4 Sneak (peek) Attack!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Pathfinder Goblins! #4 is available this week! This new issue features two goblin tales written by Jeremy Holt and Paizo's very own F. Wesley Schneider. Check out the preview below!

Subscribers to Pathfinder comics through paizo.com receive a 20% discount off the cover price, 15% off back and special issues, a special subscriber tag for the paizo.com messageboards, and a limited-edition collectible paizo.com exclusive cover for each issue.

Tech-saavy goblin fans can also pick up their digital copies of Pathfinder Goblins! at comixology.com!

Jenny Bendel
Marketing Director

Unforgettable Villainy

Monday, November 4, 2013

Illustration by Jason Juta

There are many wonderful things about being a Game Master, but I think it's fair to say both that filling that role takes practice and that we can make some silly errors while learning. Thinking back to how I GMed before beginning Pathfinder Society Organized Play, I realize that many of the tricks I pulled on my players were downright cruel, such as heaving colonies of rust monsters at the fighter, swarming the bard with wererats until he was infected and under GM control, repeatedly giving one player an intelligent greatsword that would inevitably betray him, having a creature "adopt" the party wizard in a familiar-master bond just so I could kill the familiar and drain the character's Constitution score, and repeatedly tempting the characters to betray the other PCs for power and wealth. Yep, those were some really bad campaigns (yet everyone kept expecting me to be the GM), and I think it's telling that I can remember little of their overarching plotlines. What I can remember, though, are the villains.

In retrospect, I think one villain in particular made me understand what it meant to make an adventure about more than just looting dungeons and killing monsters. He was an orange-clad wizard with a penchant for turning into a falcon, and I initially threw him into the storyline largely for the opportunity to lob a fireball at the 4th-level PCs. The adventurers fought hard and nearly killed the poor spellcaster, but he transformed into a falcon and flew out of the tower, madly screeching incomprehensible promises to get his revenge for their interrupting his nefarious (and largely undefined) plans. A recurring villain was born, but I hardly knew it then.

The PCs shrugged, looted the tower, and went on their way to continue raiding random dungeons and getting themselves into trouble in practically every town—thanks in large part to the paladin constantly catching the chaotic "good" barbarian in the act of killing commoners. Perhaps three character levels later, the tavern they were in exploded, and like any adventuring company worth its salt, the PCs rolled initiative and chased after the mysterious culprit. Thinking their prey cornered in an alleyway, they were surprised to find the dead end empty save for a sealed letter and that wizard standing on top of a building laughing maniacally. "That letter contains the name of the next village I shall burn to the ground," he chortled. "See if you can reach it before I do!" He then shapechanged and flew out of sight, leaving the paladin fuming and the barbarian ambivalent. After reading the message and triggering its explosive runes the barbarian was also thoroughly interested in squashing the spellcaster.

That wizard repeated this at three villages in a row, each time leaving behind a charred husk of a town, a few minions to gnaw on the PCs, and a booby-trapped letter saying where he would strike next. They eventually cornered him in a climatic fight, killed him, and threw his body into a volcano. Unfortunately, the GM had recently read the description for true resurrection, brought back the wizard with new allies, and convinced the aforementioned barbarian to betray the party in return for an unnamed boon. After defeating all but the barbarian, that wizard knocked out the traitor, polymorphed the entire party into rats, and sent them through a trap-filled maze after giving a classic villainous monologue. The story goes on and on, but suffice it to say that this was our recurring villain from levels 4 to 24, and for years afterward, mentioning his name to any of that gaming group would cause them to scowl, grind their teeth, and hoarsely growl "I hate that guy!"

Nearly a decade later when I started playing Pathfinder Society, I found the lack of recurring villains somewhat comforting; by the end of each scenario, the PCs were victorious and had no loose ends to tie up. That was the case, at least, until I played a noteworthy, multi-scenario arc that ended in our perceived failure, for despite our "winning" the scenario, the villains succeeded at their scheme and left behind an insulting letter to add insult to injury. At first I found myself thinking, "What? No way! This can't be right!" A little later that evolved to, "What more could we have done to prevent this," and later still, "Oh, I can't wait to find those guys in the future." I found myself actually enjoying that we didn't have a clean victory because it really made me look forward to encountering those villains again in the future. In a way, I had encountered exactly what I had used against my players years before.

Illustration by Dean Spencer

Now that I've cornered you and given you the "let me tell you about my character" spiel, let me share why I subjected you to my rambling stories. When I first started working for Paizo, my mind was swimming with different villains who had tormented the Pathfinders in the past and might one day make a second appearance. Already there are several familiar faces set to show up again in the coming months, and I'm always happy to read about players' memorable experiences with the Big Bad Evil Guy from Scenario #X–YZ. It means the villain connected with the player base and helped to pull participants deeper into the story. It means that I can learn from what went particularly well with that NPC, and it also means that—story permitting—we might see that character again for a rematch.

USING SPOILERS that include the scenario's name so as not to ruin the surprise for someone else, which villains in Pathfinder Society Organized Play have been your favorites? What about the villain really pushed your buttons? Who would you like the chance to meet again?

John Compton
Developer

New Short Fiction ePubs!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

If you're a fan of Pathfinder Tales fiction, I hope you're already reading the free weekly web fiction every Wednesday and getting a taste of some of the best new authors and adventures we can find! But if you've been waiting until you can download the stories and read them on your e-reader, your wait is now over! Check out the huge selection of new ePubs below, featuring both web fiction stories and compiled Pathfinder's Journals from the last year, complete with all their illustrations and ready to be loaded onto your devices.

• The Treasure of Far Thallai by Robin D. Laws
• Light of a Distant Star by Bill Ward
• "A Tomb of Winter's Plunder" by Tim Pratt
• "Misery's Mirror" by Liane Merciel
• "The Twelve-Hour Statue" by Michael Kortes
• "In the Event of My Untimely Demise" by Robin D. Laws
• "Shattered Steel" by F. Wesley Schneider
• "Proper Villains" by Erik Scott de Bie
• "Killing Time" by Dave Gross
• "Thieves Vinegar" by Kevin Andrew Murphy
• "In Red Rune Canyon" by Richard Lee Byers
• "The Fate of Falling Stars" by Andrew Penn Romine
• "Bastard, Sword" by Tim Pratt
• "The Irregulars" by Neal F. Litherland

James L. Sutter
Fiction Editor/Senior Editor

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Around the Horn(s)

Friday, November 1, 2013

As I write this, the brand new Legends of Golarion set is in retail stores and in the hands of or on the way to subscribers. WizKids is hard at work on the next set, January's Wrath of the Righteous, and today they've also announced the NEXT full set in the Pathfinder Battles line, Reign of Winter. Reign of Winter is set to release in April, and will contain 55 figures inspired by that wintry Adventure Path. It will also include a brand new Gargantuan White Dragon figure as a promotional case incentive piece, but I'll talk more about that when I have an actual image to show you. Suffice it to say for now that the figure will be based on one of the most gorgeous and impressive pieces of draconic art in Paizo's arsenal of awesome art.

But April is a long way away, and we've still got a ton of Wrath of the Righteous figures to preview before January. So let's get this demon-show on the left-hand path, shall we?

This week I want to focus primarily on Baphomet, demon lord of beasts and labyrinths. This creature has a long history in fantasy gaming, and an even longer history in real world mythology. Golarion's version mixes elements of the beast's occult design (by way of Eliphas Levi) with Baphomet's traditional role as founder of the minotaur race to create one of the major antagonists of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path. I've already revealed a look at the unpainted Baphomet sculpt, but today I'm pleased to reveal the creature's wicked paint master.

Baphomet is a (very) Large, rare figure.

And since Baphomet is the Lord of Minotaurs, it only made sense to include a new Minotaur in this set. We previously released a Minotaur in our very first set, Heroes & Monsters. And while that version was perfectly fine, he always seemed a bit runty to me, so I decided to take this opportunity to add a new one to the line. This new Minotaur is a Large, uncommon figure.

Speaking of minotaurs, here we have Hepzamirah, the Daughter of Baphomet and an imposing enemy in her own right. A unique nephilim NPC, Hepzamirah is one of Baphomet's most favored servants and a major antagonist in the Wrath of the Righteous campaign. She could easily double as some sort of half-minotaur or unique demon as well. The sculpt on this figure is absolutely incredible. Hepzamirah is a Large, rare figure.

This here is Minagho, a lilitu demon rogue who serves as one of the key villains of the Adventure Path. She doesn't have much to do with Baphomet, but she does have horns, so I'm including her in this week's batch. The eyeless Lilitu demons are born from foul spirits of temptation, and this one in particular has specialized in the corruption of faith. Minagho is a Medium, rare figure.

Every evil demon lord needs a cultist. In the case of Baphomet, they tend to take the form of warriors wearing horned helmets and wielding elaborate pole arms. This evil figure will help to fill out your Abyssal armies, but also doubles as a credible female pole-arm-wielding player character or even a non-evil soldier (if you absolutely must). The Baphomet Cultist is a Medium, common figure.

Last up this week is the Deskari Cultist, a scythe-wielding maniac who has sworn his eternal soul to Deskari, demon lord of locusts (more on him in a future preview). This figure also lacks horns, but he makes up for it with elaborate engravings on his chitinous armor. He's cool, he's Medium, and he's common.

And that's it for this week. Tune in next Friday for another look at upcoming figures from the Pathfinder Battles line!

Erik Mona
Publisher