Secrets of the Azlanti, With Erik Mona

Monday, June 30, 2014

Illustration by Abrar Ajmal

Wrangling 16 authors to write 16 levels of a massive superdungeon is no small feat, but after getting the physical copy of The Emerald Spire Superdungeon in our hands we can say that it was totally worth it.

There is enough high adventure and dungeon delving between these covers to keep a group of players entertained for a long time. Although this massive module can take a group of heroes from their meager beginnings as 1st-level adventurers all the way to the high end of 13th level, game masters can run one-night adventures with individual levels. Alternately, a GM could take four or five levels of the dungeon and cobble together a mini-campaign hitting on just a few of the levels that most interest them and their group.

Our own publisher, Erik Mona, designed Level 14, and his dungeon would make a great ending for one of these compacted campaigns. This level also serves as one of the most interconnected levels of the whole superdungeon. But don’t just listen to me—let’s let Erik speak for himself and share some of his experiences designing Level 14: The Throne of Azlant.

How do you define a "Superdungeon"? What is your favorite dungeon or superdungeon experience in your personal gaming history?

A superdungeon is a multi-level collection of mini dungeons that combine to form a locale suitable for an entire campaign's worth of exploration. The best superdungeons allow for repeated forays in and out of the dungeon, and the majority of a character's growth and development (both in terms of story and game statistics) can occur without too much deviation from exploration of the singular, epic location—if that's what the players want.

Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti

I've run several campaigns based around the classic Temple of Elemental Evil dungeon (how cool is it that the co-author of that adventure is one of my co-authors on this project?), with general success. The opening levels of that dungeon—particularly the moathouse section—are among my favorite dungeon levels in all of gaming. I had the opportunity to playtest Monte Cook's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil with the author himself back in the early days of third edition, and I really loved the way Monte updated the adventure I'd run so many times before, so my affection for the adventure transcends three editions (I have not yet managed to run it in Pathfinder, alas). Each time I've run the classic version it's been completely different. One group decided to knock over the village of Hommlet's jewelry store and ended up outlaws. Another got completely wiped out on the third level of the dungeon. No group I've ever run through the temple has ever made it all the way through. Sure, a few of them died, but mostly people just ended up losing interest, or the campaign went on long enough that the real world intruded to make it impossible to game together. That's the problem with superdungeons—it's all too easy for them to get boring, or for them to become so ambitious that it's nearly impossible to play all the way through and experience all of the story the dungeon has to offer.

One of my favorite things about the Emerald Spire project is that the Flip-Mats are like a challenge to play every level. They also contained the authors somewhat, forcing us through the brutality of limited space and a tight word count to focus on the important stuff and not design anything too sprawling. The Emerald Spire, unlike many superdungeons, is designed to be completable. Alternatively, it works as a collection of 16 dungeons that can be used more or less independently, making this a very easy adventure to cannibalize.

What is your level of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon called? What theme, if any, does the level have?

My Emerald Spire dungeon is called the Throne of Azlant. It's the seat of the dungeon's Big Bad, the lich Nhur-Athemon. A lot of the foreshadowing in the dungeon, particularly on the handful of levels directly above mine, points to this ultimate nemesis, so my level pays off elements that the adventure has been building toward all along. Nhur-Athemon was "destroyed" by the Knights of the Ioun Star in the dying days of the Azlanti Empire, his unmortal corpse bound forever to his subterranean lair by mythic magic curses. Naturally, the player characters investigate and discover what an undead wizard tyrant gets up to when he has 10,000 years confined to quarters. Old Nhur-Athemon was exiled from Azlant after a failed attempt to claim the imperial throne, so you can be sure that whatever the lich's plan, it certainly doesn't lack for ambition.

My busy work schedule doesn't allow me to write as much as I'd like to, so over the last couple years I've tried to make my few small projects count by tying a lot of minor elements of subplot together throughout various sources. The Knights of the Ioun Star, Nhur-Athemon's ancient Azlanti enemies, also appeared in a short section I wrote for Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Mysteries. My Emerald Spire dungeon also connects (thematically and literally) to the dungeon level I wrote for the Thornkeep dungeon, the Sanctum of a Lost Age. That adventure dealt with Nhur-Athemon's apprentices, who have influence upon the Throne of Azlant as well. All of this material ties into my home campaign, Kings of Absalom, which involves a lot of ancient Azlanti secrets. I'll be running that campaign next weekend at PaizoCon, and I hope one day to write it up for publication. This adventure is a taste, and a peek at the grand picture.

Illustration by Abrar Ajmal

What where the inspirations you drew on for your Emerald Spire level, and what are you hoping players get out of it?

My inspiration for this adventure comes more from my in-game play experience than from something I'm trying to emulate from fiction or the movies or whatever. I've run (and written) a lot of dungeon crawls in my time, and this one plays off of a few lessons I've learned along the way. There's one of my patented "oh, this fight is more difficult than I anticipated" encounters right near the beginning of the adventure, but beyond that I've done my best to avoid some of the pitfalls a big dungeon brings on both sides of the screen.

The Throne of Azlant is non-linear—there are multiple routes to the final chamber that leads deeper into the Emerald Spire dungeons (for the Spire's "Big Bad" is not the "Biggest Bad" on offer).

The dungeon level is more than just hack-and-slash. I included a few roleplaying encounters amongst all the carnage, a sure-fire way to get across more of the dungeon's backstory and to engage the interest of players who enjoy more than just rolling dice.

The adventure contains interesting elements of world lore and continuity. Though I don't explore the full history of Old Azlant or a major mystery like the origin of the god Aroden (you'll have to find a way to play Kings of Absalom for that!), it does reveal interesting new tidbits about the empire that fans of the Pathfinder world will likely appreciate.

It also contains the meanest trick I have ever played on a player character, a bind so nasty that I continue to giggle just thinking about it. I don't want to give away the secret on the blog post, but folks who read the adventure should find it pretty easy to understand what I'm talking about. Every time I've run the dungeon it's been utterly delightful to see whether the players fall into this trap and create a real conundrum for themselves. It's a glorious thing, if you are the type of GM who appreciates seeing his players squirm when they realize they've made a bad decision.

I'll be running one more shot at the Throne of Azlant at PaizoCon next week, which will make it the 13th time I've run the adventure. I started before last year's PaizoCon, and managed to run the Throne of Azlant about a half-dozen times at various conventions and events before I had to turn in my final manuscript. Unsurprisingly, repeated play produced lots of changes to improve the adventure, and I honestly believe it got better with each play-through. I've now run the Throne of Azlant more than any other Pathfinder adventure, which has earned it a special place in my heart. Each running has resulted in different conclusions and different routes through the dungeon, and it never seems to get old.

Thanks to Erik for taking the time out of his schedule to share some of his insights on this monumental project. Keep your eyes on this blog next week for more exciting reveals.

Adam Daigle
Developer

Faction Evolution, Part III: History and Politics

Monday, June 30, 2014

Three weeks ago, we briefly discussed the impact of faction PCs' decisions in the campaign and how these decisions have shaped the direction that these factions are going. The following week on the Know Direction podcast, John Compton expanded on what this evolution might entail for many factions: name changes, shifting goals, and even changes in leadership. Most recently, we shared how the Andoran an Cheliax factions are developing over time.

As advertised over a year ago, the so-called nation-based factions have spent the past season (or longer for some like the Cheliax faction) distancing themselves from their parent countries to embrace less territorial and more broadly philosophical endeavors. When the Pathfinder Society Organized Play leaders began discussing how factions would change, we looked at the reporting numbers contributed by players worldwide and carefully considered how the faction might change to reflect this information while still appealing to a large percentage of its members. For example, members of the Silver Crusade faction tend to be good guys, so changing that faction to be neutrally aligned would discourage a lot of players.

Both of our factions for today tap into the past in the hope of creating a better world, though their methods and vision of what constitutes "better" differ. Be warned that there are some light spoilers from Season 5 scenarios referenced below—particularly for the Scarab Sages and developments that appear in the Destiny of the Sands trilogy.

Illustration by Ben Wootten

Scarab Sages: Unlock the Wisdom of the Past for a Brighter Future

Nearly two years ago, agents of the Osirion faction brought a collection of Thassilonian relics to offer to the Ruby Prince Khemet III. One of these relics was cursed, and it afflicted the Ruby Prince with a terrible wasting affliction. Despite the faction's attempts to find a cure, they were unable to remove the curse, and the monarch resorted to powerful magic to be rid of it. Disappointed by Amenopheus and his agents both for overlooking the curse and failing to remove it, Khemet III dismissed the Sapphire Sage and the Pathfinder allies from his service.

Season 5 has given Amenopheus ample time to catch up on past projects, including researching the mysterious order of Jeweled Sages to which he belongs (and appeared to be the last surviving member). About a year ago we discovered that he is not alone, when faction PCs began to hear rumors about the Diamond Sage and learned the secret history of the Jeweled Sages (as well as how Amenopheus gained his power and wisdom). With the assistance of Osirion faction PCs, the two sages have reestablished their order independent of the Osirian state, intent on recruiting new sages to those replaced millennia ago, securing ancient secrets, and disseminating that lore to modern innovators to spark a new golden age of thought and technology. Working with the Pathfinder Society to unearth these secrets is only logical.

How will the Osirion faction be different? Although the faction may not be a direct agent of Osirion, there's still a great deal in that nation that ties into the Jeweled Sages; the faction will still have plenty to do in its old stomping ground. The faction is also interested in recruiting new sages, which means recovering the lost sage jewels and finding worthy inheritors of that power. The leadership of the faction remains up in the air, so there's still time to influence that aspect. Despite these subtle shifts, the faction remains a strong choice for scholars and Osirion enthusiasts alike.

Sovereign Court: Nobility United for a Common Cause

For an empire in decline, war is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it drains resources from already dwindling coffers. On the other hand, it provides a cause to rally behind, spurring squabbling houses to cooperate and struggling industries to increase production. Such was Lady Gloriana Morilla's thinking when she tried to convince the Taldan nobility to send more support to Mendev to combat the Worldwound. In numerous campaigns that united nations against a common evil, Taldor had led the charge, so why not do so again and return Taldor to the spotlight?

Although Lady Morilla found a few like-minded allies at home, many of her peers laughed off the idea. Sending more troops north would leave the southern border vulnerable to Qadiran aggression, argued some, whereas others simply laughed off the idea as idle fancy by an upstart who had spent more time in Absalom than in Oppara. Since words were not enough, Lady Morilla raised a self-styled Army of Exploration (which sees action in an upcoming scenario) with the assistance of Taldor faction PCs. The idea had been to inspire Taldor's leadership to party less and lead more. In this regard she failed, for the majority have not changed their attitudes and view her campaign as an amusing curiosity. Taldor is not a lost cause, but its inertia is too great for the faction to change it on its own.

Instead, Lady Morilla is examining some of the unintended fruits of the faction's work—in particular the stronger relationships she has with several noble houses in other nations. What if, rather than work exclusively in Taldor, the faction instead worked through other nations' leadership to create a network of like-minded aristocrats that all promote the virtues of nobility and strong governance? This secretive sovereign court would have an agenda all its own, not one tied to any one nation. Under Lady Morilla's leadership, the faction focuses on second-tier nobility of each nation, using them to act as the powers behind their respective thrones to steer national policy. Perhaps years or decades in the future, this shared vision will birth a new continent-spanning empire through politics rather than conquest—one that will bring prosperity and peace to the Inner Sea region.

What does this mean for the Taldor faction? Glory and politics are still central themes for the faction, and it's still a great home for those who love both audacious action and court intrigue. Nothing stops PCs from being active in Taldor, but the goal is now something bigger and bolder. Of course, the Pathfinder Society is happy to have the Sovereign Court as an ally, for friendly nobles are more likely to allow Pathfinders into countries where the Society had once been banned.

Happy gaming!

John Compton and Mike Brock
Developer and Global Organized Play Coordinator

Friday Publisher Preview: Erik Trolls the Internet

Friday, June 27, 2014

We're less than a week from PaizoCon, and the office is exploding with activity required to get ready for the Big Show. I'm franticly working on the Preview Banquet presentation in another window, we've just sent the on-site book to the local printer, and the warehouse team is packing up the products that will appear in our on-site Paizo Store. Upstairs, our CEO Lisa Stevens is playing the just-released Alpha Build of Pathfinder Online, and the editorial team is, as usual, working nose to the ground to hit its regular deadlines.

In short, it's chaos as usual here at Paizo, and everyone has Big Things on their minds at the moment. But that's no reason to keep us from our regularly scheduled Friday Publisher Preview!

This week we take a peek at three new reveals from November's The Lost Coast set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures. The Lost Coast covers a wide variety of figures that represent common enemies, specific NPCs, and appropriate player characters from the Lost Coast region of Varisia. That region has played home to Adventure Paths like Rise of the Runelords and Shattered Star, as well as numerous Pathfinder Modules and Pathfinder Society Organized Play scenarios.

But today's miniatures aren't from any of that. Rather, they're of the "fits the region" variety, and each was chosen for a different reason that had nothing to do with Adventure Paths.

Up first this week is a little critter we like to call the Id Stalker, directly from page 180 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. These hideous Darklands creatures embed themselves in the empty brainpans of their victims, using them like puppets to do evil in the world. They've also been crying out for a good miniature representation for a long time. The Id Stalker is a Small, common creature, so you'll be able to attack your player characters with a small horde of them.

Continuing the theme of "great things come in Small packages" is the Gnome Eldritch Knight, pulled from page 221 of the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex. This little guy exists mostly because I think he looks cool, but also because I want to fill the ranks with characters wielding interesting weapons—in this case a warhammer. My biggest regret with this guy is that the factory couldn't work in his hair-thin cigarette holder, but even when the Gnome Eldritch Knight is a bit more health conscious, he still looks fantastic in his fine purple suit. The figure is a Small, uncommon figure. He was originally a rare, but the relatively simple sculpt saw him switch places with a more complicated figure—something that upsets my "perfect" proposed rarities once or twice every set. He's cool enough that I hope folks end up wanting more than one of him.

Finally, finally, FINALLY we get a standard Pathfinder Troll at the correct size with The Lost Coast set. Many of you probably remember the severely undersized Troll from our first set, Heroes & Monsters. Many gamers now semi-effectionately refer to this little guy as the Troll Whelp because he's so small. In sets since then we've managed to produce an appropriately sized Sea Troll, two appropriately sized Ice Trolls, and a deliberately oversized Troll Champion, but the regular Troll has been waiting impatiently for a return to the spotlight. Our first "generic" set in a while gave me the perfect opportunity to rectify the Original Sin of Pathfinder Battles, and I'm absolutely thrilled with how he turned out. Size-wise, he's between the Sea Troll and the Troll Champion, which is right where he should be. I am very, very happy with how this guy turned out. The Troll is a Large, uncommon figure.

Before I leave you today, I also wanted to draw attention to the special promotional figure we'll be giving FREE to all PaizoCon attendees. Here he is!

This is the Bloodbriar Goblin Raider, straight from the set of Emerald Spire promotional figures we produced for the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter effort of last year. We've just started fulfilling the Emerald Spire miniatures sets to backers, and wanted to share this figure in particular with our hardcore fans—along with the other cool free swag that has made the PaizoCon gift bag a legend among PaizoCon attendees!

Speaking of PaizoCon and miniatures, I hope all minis-fiend attendees will join me Sunday at 2:00 PM for my official PaizoCon Miniatures Trading Afterparty in the hotel bar. I'll be bringing lots of Pathfinder Battles doubles along with tons of unpainted metal and unwanted plastic figures from other companies, and will be trading them for a few hours with other like-minded folks over beers to officially wind down the convention. This event has happened every year at PaizoCon, and it's become a really fun tradition. I urge all attendees to leave a little extra room in their suitcases for unwanted minis. It's a great opportunity to return home with a similar space filled with figures you DO want, and I look forward to chatting and trading with you in just over a week's time.

Finally, I'd hoped to be able to share a bit this week about WizKids' plan to make good on the production errors that effectively ruined the Feiya, Iconic Witch figure from the recent Reign of Winter set. The mini was a huge disappointment for everyone involved, and while I unfortunately cannot yet reveal any details, I am confident that WizKids will go above and beyond to make up for the mistakes made on this figure. I'm both surprised and impressed by what they have in mind—it's somewhat elaborate, so they need to make sure everything is in place before announcing their plans, but I wanted to make sure that you all know that those plans ARE moving forward, and I think you'll be pleased when you learn what they are—something I very much hope to be able to reveal next week.

Until then, or at least until PaizoCon, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

With a Blade in Your Hand and a Song in Your Heart

Friday, June 27, 2014

Syrinscape has recently announced that their first group of Paizo-licensed Soundpacks will follow the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. To start, they have released the Burnt Offerings Soundpack, containing everything you will need to fill your players with dread and terror! Whether you're already playing the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, or planning how best to run this classic adventure, you'll find the perfect atmospheric setup in this Soundpack. It's stuffed full of audio goodness for use in any Pathfinder game—there are goblins, a town festival, catacombs, mercenaries, and even an evil priest!

Are you wondering how well these sounds work at a gaming table? Well, if you're coming to PaizoCon, then you're in luck! Syrinscape will be set up in the Paizo store, and members of the Syrinscape team will be running encounters at one of the two Dungeon Delve tables on Friday and Saturday afternoons. So come by and let them arbitrate your doom! They have promised to try their hardest to kill you, while providing an atmosphere that will have you on the edge of your seat!

For more information on Syrinscape and the Pathfinder-licensed Rise of the Runelords Soundpacks, visit: http://syrinscape.com

Meet the Iconics: Crowe

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Today we introduce the next of the new iconic characters from the Advanced Class Guide: Crowe the bloodrager. While the complete rules for making your own bloodrager characters will debut this August in the Advanced Class Guide, Crowe features in this year’s Free RPG Day adventure, Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands. Crowe will also be a playable character in the not-yet-announced Pathfinder Adventure Card Game set due for release in February 2015.

When Crowe was a young man waiting to depart on his first horse gathering, he had the same dream every night for five weeks. It always started and ended the same way. Each time the storm came. Each time the stampede thundered out of the canyon to the south. Each time his body was trampled to pulp before he woke up soaking with sweat.

Every night.

Crowe was born under an auspicious sign during a thunderstorm that scoured the Storval Plateau one burning autumn evening. After generations of uncertain prophecy by the tribe’s shamans, the holy ones were reluctant to predict much about the newborn aside from foretelling that he would one day become a significant force.

From a young age, Crowe was trained to be a perfect groom, and it was clear that in time he would become a good trainer. He learned from his mother and father, as well as from his aunts and uncles, for even among the animal-loving Shriikirri-Quah, his family had a way with horses. They even supplied many a burn-rider of the Sklar-Quah with their signature steeds, and foreigners came from miles around seeking to trade for the family’s fearless stallions.

Crowe’s father was known throughout the Storval Plateau for his skill at capturing and breaking wild horses, and his mother could read the face of nature as if it were her own child’s. Together, Crowe’s parents trained their horses, content with their lives. But their son was becoming unruly.

As a youth, Crowe often got into fights then claimed that he didn’t remember how the scraps had started. He would feel his heart beating against his ribs. He would hear the blood thrumming in his ears, and that would be the last thing he recalled. People in the tribe grew cautious around the boy. After far too many of these sorts of scuffles, his mother began asking him why he was so angry. Crowe claimed again that he didn’t remember, that the last thing he had heard before each fight broke out was the storm.

As Crowe grew stronger of frame, he learned the traditional ways of Shoanti warfare. He trained with the weapons of his ancestors and learned how to protect his people and their way of life. Crowe learned the klar, mastered the earthbreaker, and also studied the natural world and the ways of magic that his mother followed. Throughout his tutelage, he challenged his elders and was challenged by his not-so-infrequent gaps in memory. Some in the tribe thought this was simply an excuse for his misbehavior, and many blamed his parents for his violent outbursts.

Though Crowe was still considered to be too young for a long outing, his father decided that taking his son on his first horse gathering would teach the boy discipline. The herds would be funneling through the canyon in a matter of weeks, and Crowe’s father hoped to gather a few more horses, the most prized of which were the foals of Bright Star—a stallion that had eluded him for the past five years. Rounding up even one or two of the foals would be a major boon to his family’s stock.

Crowe, his father, and seven other men and women from the tribe traveled for three days. Horses are predictable beasts, and the Shoanti knew where the herd moved in the uplands. The herd would race through the canyon until it leveled out to a dry riverbed that cut through the blistered land. When the herd came through, the hunters would be ready with ropes and snares.

In order to test Crowe’s patience, his father sent the youth ahead to the canyon’s mouth. He wanted his boy to wait, to listen to hooves and snorts echoing down the canyon. He wanted him to throw the loop around a horse that he could call his own. He wanted Crowe to concentrate on his task and listen past the distraction of the storm.

Crowe crouched upon a flat umber rock, trembling with terror. All he could hear was the storm in the distance, a low, rolling rumble that thundered in his eardrums. He was sure what he heard was his fear, his rage. This was the canyon. This was the night he would die. Why couldn’t he just leave? Just walk away from it all?

Tradition.

The thunder beating in his ears changed. It wasn’t just internal; it was echoing through the canyon. The herd was coming. Crowe looked to the sky as dark clouds rolling in from the south obscured the setting sun. The others shouted orders and set up positions with their snares. Crowe scrambled back to his designated post as hundreds of horses filled the canyon, their hoofbeats driving a pounding echo off the canyon walls.

Then the storm broke. Thunder rumbled and crashed through the canyon and lightning bathed its rusty walls in flashes of white.

After the storm had passed, Crowe awoke to find his cousin sitting on his chest and slapping his face, claiming that he was to blame for the carnage spread all around him. More than a dozen horses lay dead, and half of the hunting party lay trampled in the riverbed. They said Crowe was to blame. They said there was no storm. They said he had done it.

Slick with blood, confused, and full of no uncertain amount of shame, he stumbled through the night. The dawn broke on Crowe’s new life—a life not burdened by tradition, a life that was numb to fear.

Adam Daigle
Developer

The Tides of Blood!

by Lucien Soulban

Chapter Four: A Rat and a Hard Place

Darvin wasn't sure whether the bluff worked or not, but the result was the same. The sewer rats were chasing Darvin and Fife and the two storytellers were chasing the assassin, trying to make him believe the pack was under their control.

In the face of the swarm, the half-orc panicked and clambered up the blockage of branches, tree limbs, uprooted clumps of soil, and stones. When he reached the top of the embankment, he began kicking at the debris in desperation.

He's trying to dislodge the rubble and flood the tunnel, Darvin realized, but that could collapse the whole dam, washing them all away.

"Grab him!" Darvin shouted, snaring one leg while nimble Fife leaped up to grab the other. The half-orc screamed in his mad scramble to dislodge rubbish. More water poured through the opening.

The rats were less than ten feet away now, the king among them screeching furiously and driving the rats forward.

Fife planted his feet against the slopes and yelled, "Pull him down or the rats will never eat his eyes!"

Darvin gave him a look and shook his head, but the half-orc screamed and dislodged more debris in his panic.

Oregent's sewer rats suffer no trespassers.

A rumbling followed that shook the tunnels themselves, and a big beam of timber shifted, firing a jet of compacted mud and slop that shot down the passageway.

Darvin and Fife stumbled back, and only then did Darvin remember the rats. The rats had come to a stop, water roaring through the small gaps of the dam, wood creaking under tremendous pressure, the half-orc crying triumphantly.

Then it all came down, the pressure of the dam firing smaller debris like arrow shot. A chair leg shot past Darvin's head, and he yanked Fife away just as the top of the dam disintegrated and cut a trough down its center. A V-shaped cascade of water shot through, and Darvin was running down the slope, grabbing a handful of Fife's damp cloak.

Debris-strewn water punched straight down the spine of the tunnel, cutting a line through the swarm. The rats were scattered, and even their king turned its eaten tail to the flood and ran along the side, pulling its retinue with it.

Darvin and Fife stuck to the walls of the tunnel, but the breach widened and Darvin watched in horror as the flood fanned out toward them.

∗ ∗ ∗

Fife pulled behind his half-brother, the flood splashing around his ankles and almost shoving him into Darvin. Debris tumbled past them, along with the half-orc who screamed as he sailed past.

A moment later, the assassin disappeared over the arc of the tunnel's slope and Fife and Darvin followed on their butts.

"Wheee!" Fife cried, throwing his hands up.

Around them, dozens of rats scrambled for purchase and vanished back under the churning tumult. Some climbed atop Fife and Darvin and dug in with teeth and claws, but the pair tore them off.

From behind them came a roar that shook the tunnel, and Fife realized that the rest of the dam must have given way. In his mind, he saw the wall of pent-up water and timber from the mills that had fallen into the storm channels. Anyone caught inside that avalanche would be crushed utterly.

"Darvin!" Fife shouted, but his brother had already understood the danger. They grabbed at walls, at grooves and rough stone. Darvin tried to hook the edge of a side-feeder, but only slowed himself enough for Fife to slam into him and send them both spinning around.

Rats bit at them, and pebbles and stones sent flying stung them as the avalanche bore down. Fife spun in front of Darvin as his half-brother grabbed at the edge of another side-tunnel and lost his grip. A log toppled end over end past them and down the slope. They were on the verge of getting swept away.

A dark spot loomed on the wall and Fife threw his weight behind his bag. The momentum hooked him on the side-feeder's edge, his legs kicking against the flood that tried to yank him back out. A great weight struck him. Fife almost lost his grip, the pressure of Darvin's weight crushing. A moment later, the weight was gone. Fife almost cried out in panic, but Darvin was pulling him into the collector.

Pieces of the broken plug rumbled past them, timbers and rocks slamming into the wall with crushing force. The ceiling groaned, the walls shook, as the sewer collapsed under the sudden punishment.

Fife was horrified as masonry crashed down around them, water pushing into the side passages like geysers. Fife didn't feel Darvin pulling him until he himself scrambled to his feet and began running.

"Are we heroes yet?" Darvin yelled over the tumult.

"Shut up!" Fife said. The rising water raced past his shins, panicking rats clambering up them both. Fife spun and scraped the walls to dislodge them. Sometimes Darvin struck rats from him, and sometimes he from Darvin.

There was no way around it, however: the waters pushed them along and they had no recourse but to follow the flow down the spiral of the sewers. Rumbles followed elsewhere as parts of the flooded and strained tunnels collapsed. Then a thundering that sounded all too close was followed by a horrific crash.

The brick wall behind them exploded as a battering ram of a tree smashed through, followed by a surge of water that swept over them. Fife was off his feet instantly and, in the tumult, he could see Darvin fighting to swim. Fife extended his backpack to Darvin, sputtering and screaming for him to grab hold...

∗ ∗ ∗

Darvin blinked, blinked again. He was... somewhere. A domed stone ceiling stretched overhead, held in place by the ribs of arches. His head thundered, his sides hurt, his right arm numb.

"Fife?" He raised his head, looking around. His numb arm was wrapped around the strap of Fife's sodden bag, but no Fife. Despite the pounding in his head, he sat up. His head swam before the room steadied. Fife squatted next to a pile of rags, a makeshift torch in his hand.

Not rags... a body. "The assassin?" he asked.

Fife shook his head and continued thumbing through the tome next to the body. "The wizard from the first group our employers sent," he said. "It's a spellbook, I think."

Darvin groaned, his back popping and snapping as he stood and stretched. "Is that safe? Wizards are tricky."

Fife shrugged. "I don't think he was all that good. Most of the baubles were colored glass, and not all that impressive."

"You searched his body?"

"Yes."

"I'm so proud of you!"

The persistent thundering Darvin heard was the runoff from the feeder tunnels emptying into the circular chamber. A wooden grate braced with iron brackets covered the floor and sieved the water pouring in to somewhere below, but splintered logs, large rocks, shattered crates, and more covered the floor, all too large to fall through the grate.

Three bodies in total, torn and cut and savaged, lay in indignant repose. Darvin dropped Fife's bag next to him and searched through the bodies, plucking at coin pouches.

"How'd we get all the way there?" he asked, nodding to where he'd awoken. The nearest tunnel was a good dozen feet away, the castoff a steady gush of noise.

"I dragged you to the side."

"Pff, you're not strong enough."

"Okay, I kicked and rolled you like a barrel," Fife said, engrossed in the book.

"That I believe. Can you read that?"

Fife smiled. "No, but I get the gist of it. Now this symbol is either warmth or fiery death."

"I'm sure the wizard carried around a spell of snuggly warmth." Darvin found a beautiful stiletto blade weighted expertly. He slipped it into his belt.

He reached for another body when he saw the pair of large gleaming red eyes glaring at him.

"Uh," was all he managed before the eyes, teeth, and claws were on him.

∗ ∗ ∗

A shout shook Fife from his studies, the rubble around them a sudden fury of rustling and squeaks. Darvin thrashed, something large and brown and glinting with teeth clawing at him.

More rats darted forward, leaping nimbly toward them, and Fife swung his torch, striking the closest. The angry embers of red eyes surrounded him. He raced to his brother who wielded a stiletto blade Fife had never seen before. The king rat leaped away as the halfling jabbed the torch at it, but Darvin managed a slash across its hind flanks.

The large rat hissed and darted off, sending the other rats into a panic.

"Get it!" Fife said. "Before they rally!"

Fife and Darvin scrambled over logs and clumps of moss. The large rat darted from hole to niche, but Fife jammed his torch into the shallow warrens, driving it back out. Darvin slashed at it and any rat too brave for its own good, helping Fife outflank the bigger rodent and kicking down precarious hovels to scatter the packs.

The king rat ran for the nearest tunnel a dozen feet away along the curved wall. It vanished under a plank and Fife jammed his torch beneath; something sharp and unforgiving stung his hand. He yelped, dropping the torch as he fell back. The large rat was atop the plank in a blur of fur, leaping for the halfling.

"Fife!"

The stiletto flashed by, overshooting the king. Suddenly, it sheared down sharply, impaling the rodent through the back and into the wood.

The rats stopped suddenly, Darvin and Fife themselves stunned silent. The king rat thrashed against the blade momentarily, and then stilled. With that, the rats vanished into the nearest holes, the spell broken.

"Did you see that?" Darvin shouted, exultant. "The way I made it curve down?"

"I think the dagger's magical."

"It's that wrist thing that I do."

"The one that makes you miss everything? Birds, bottles, the sides of barns? The dagger's magical."

"I was incredible," he was flicking his wrist appreciatively.

"Magic will do that," Fife said, touching the pommel. He pulled it from the rat and handed it back to Darvin.

Darvin sheathed the dagger as Fife collected his backpack and the book of spells. He had much studying to do.

"Come on," Darvin said. "We have a knife gate to open."

Fife smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. Heroes don't leave such things unfinished, right?"

"Right," Fife said, beaming ear to ear.

∗ ∗ ∗

The rains stopped two nights ago, leaving the stars free to shine brightly over Oregent. The streets remained muddy but traversable, the bells sounding out loud and clear as lumber workers returned home from a day of repairs.

Along the portway, crews had erected a lattice of wooden beams to repair the street that had collapsed into the sewers. As Darvin and Fife moved past the construction, the Halfling tore down a wall poster: a drawing of them as the heroes who had opened the knife gates and saved Oregent from flooding. He folded the poster, and pocketed it with a grin.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and enjoy the celebrations?" Darvin asked, looking back. He'd never had a party thrown in his honor, but there was only so much mead he could drink.

"I'm sure," Fife said with a smile. "Besides, who was it who taught me to leave when the going was still good?"

"Did I? That sounds entirely too responsible to be me."

"Well, you didn't exactly say it as you did live it by outstaying your welcome."

"Which time?" Darvin said, defensively.

"Every time," Fife pointed to the river lands beyond. "Shall we?"

Darvin smiled. "More misadventures await."

"To more misadventures," Fife agreed, shouldering his pack and stepping in line with his brother.

"You still made me taste poo water," Darvin said.

Fife merely smiled.

Coming Next Week: The River Kingdoms await in a sample chapter from Michael A. Stackpole's The Crusader Road

Lucien Soulban is an accomplished fantasy and science fiction author who's written shared-world fiction for White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Black Library, and more, including the novels Blood In, Blood Out and The Alien Sea. For more information, visit his website at www.luciensoulban.com.

Illustration by Michael Rookard

Advanced Class Guide Preview: Bloodrager

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Illustration by Géraud Soulié

Even during the brainstorming and initial design for the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide, the bloodrager was the "weird" class. The concept was strong—a mix of the barbarian and the sorcerer that used bloodlines to fuel its arcane rage—but the weirdness came from the lack of precedent for the class. Hunters, investigators, shaman, and swashbucklers were all over history, folklore, and were even mentioned in Golarion before they were added to this book, but the bloodrager was created out of whole cloth. We thought about toying with the name or forcing it into some kind of classical archetype, but when we tried either of those, something got lost along the way.

While we liked the initial proof of concept, marrying it with another story idea did not solve the problem. There was still something missing. Then it came like a thunderbolt—spells! The bloodrager needs spells!

Like the sorcerer, the bloodrager needed to be a spontaneous caster, but we wanted the progression to look something like the ranger or the paladin (the bloodrager was a full BAB class after all), both of which are prepared casters. The first order of business was to design a similar progression for spontaneous casters. Once that was done, we had to find the right spell list. Spell lists are tricky beasts, and we knew substantial shifts would occur with each design iteration, but we needed a starting point. To that end, we chose a modified version of the magus list. We knew it wasn't perfect—far from it—but it was the best place to start.

The overall design goal was to create a class that was both easy to build and fun to play. Even before we unleashed this most metal of classes to the general public, I had a good feeling we were on track. Ryan Macklin decided to give this bruiser a whirl during our internal playtests, and loved the feeling of playing a character that basically felt like a character off the cover of an old heavy metal album, without flipping though a number of sources to get him just right. In other words: mission accomplished.

When the bloodrager reached the public playtest, this sentiment was echoed by a great number of playtesters. Were there issues? Sure. As we figured, that spell list wasn't cutting the mustard, but it gave us handholds to make the climb toward the class's own spell list. There was some fiddling to be done with a number of class features, both those that were standard for the class, and those nestled in the bloodlines, but the excellent playtest data gave input on where to expand, where to pull back, and which ones just needed a little finesse to get right.

After some playtest chatter, we looked again at renaming the classes or to give it a focus that fit better with lore, but in the end the class is what it is called, and named what it does. So bloodrager stuck.

With the development of the bloodrager completed, the next step was the creation of archetypes. This is always difficult for classes that basically have archetypes in their design (bloodlines, I'm looking at you) but we came up with some exciting options. In Advanced Class Guide you'll find the bloodrider (a mounted bloodrager that transfers some of his power to his mount) the rageshaper (a rager that gains extra features when it changes shape) and the untouchable rager (which replaces spell progression with spell resistance). All together, mixing bloodlines with archetypes, you'll be able to play a variety of bloodragers!

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer

Faction Evolution, Part II: Secrets and Liberty

Monday, June 23, 2014

Illustration by Alex Aparin

Two weeks ago, we briefly discussed the impact of faction PCs' decisions in the campaign and how these decisions have shaped the direction that these factions are going. Last week on the Know Direction podcast, John Compton expanded on what this evolution might entail for many factions: name changes, shifting goals, and even changes in leadership.

As advertised over a year ago, the so-called nation-based factions have spent the past season (or longer for some like the Cheliax faction) distancing themselves from their parent countries to embrace less territorial and more broadly philosophical endeavors. When the Pathfinder Society Organized Play leaders began discussing how factions would change, we looked at the reporting numbers contributed by players worldwide and carefully considered how the faction might change to reflect this information while still appealing to a large percentage of its members. For example, members of the Silver Crusade faction tend to be good guys, so changing that faction to be neutrally aligned would discourage a lot of players.

This week we're sharing the direction that two of our factions are heading (new faction symbols will come a bit later). Be warned that there are some minor spoilers from Season 5 scenarios referenced below.

Dark Archive: In Darkness Lies Enlightenment

It's been more than a year since Chelish officials condemned faction leader Paracountess Zarta Dralneen on false charges. Because the accusation and punishment were largely off the record, there was little context for Cheliax to apologize, formally withdraw the charges, or invite Zarta to resume her duties as a liaison to the Pathfinder Society. Even Zarta's agents have not escaped blame entirely. It's a bitter reminder that the servants of Hell are hardly forgiving.

Since then, Zarta has worked from Korvosa to consolidate what remained of her faction, and to her surprise, the Pathfinder Society has extended a hand to help on multiple occasions. As a result, Zarta finds her professional relationship with the Society has grown stronger. As her agents stay busy recovering powerful artifacts and tomes that they might use to track down the faction's enemies and defend themselves against future betrayals, Zarta has corresponded with the Society's leaders to carve out a niche for her organization.

What resulted is a major victory for the faction, for Zarta has convinced the three Masters that she and her agents are uniquely suited to handle dangerous relics. Not only does this cover for the evil artifacts that the faction has recovered, but it has also earned an invitation to begin cataloguing the vast array of perilous finds the Society has acquired and then promptly hidden away for later study. Zarta intends to accept the offer and found a dark archive, giving her faction access to untold numbers of forbidden texts and relics—purportedly to catalogue and better understand these objects, but also as a backdoor for her agents to gain power from sinister sources.

How will the Cheliax faction be different? Despite being estranged from Cheliax, the faction still values order and law. These are worthy end goals in their own right, and they are also potent mantras in maintaining a positive working relationship with the Pathfinder Society. Any betrayal of that trust must be a calculated one. In many ways, the new Dark Archive faction is still the “bad guy” option that the Cheliax faction has always been, but its reason for being welcome in the Society is stronger.

Liberty's Edge: In Pursuit of True Liberty

Almost a year ago, Major Colson Maldris learned of a thriving contingent of statesmen—many who had held noble titles before the People's Revolt—who had established themselves as the new nobility of Andoran. Of course, these career politicians were not embracing this lifestyle publically; doing so would invite criminal charges. Instead they have built up networks of political and economic power that keep them perpetually elected to office, in control of major industries, in a position to shape a new generation of leaders through favors and cronyism.

These corrupt leaders represent only a small fraction of Andoran's elected leaders, and much of the nation still operates in a manner true to its founding principles. Nonetheless, it is a chilling reminder that the great democratic experiment is not without its flaws. With the help of Pathfinder agents, Maldris has tracked down enough evidence to accuse a few criminals in high places, but his attempts to demonstrate how deep the corruption runs has met with pushback from both the crooked and the honest. So long as his faction operates as a direct extension of Andoran, the faux-nobility can track Maldris's attempts to root them out. The only way to save Andoran is to leave Andoran—at least for now.

What does this mean for Andoran going forward? Well, in some ways little has changed. For example, Maldris still seeks to help other throw off the shackles of tyranny and bring freedom to all people. Now, though, the faction's reason for doing this has expanded beyond altruism. In studying others' philosophies and techniques, faction PCs can borrow strategies that might help Maldris hunt corruption at home and abroad.

Happy gaming,

John Compton and Mike Brock
Developer and Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Free at Last, Free at Last, the Runelord of Greed is Free at Last!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path

If you don't want to be spoiled on the details of the adventure path, you probably want to skip this preview post, or perhaps just scroll down and look at the pretty card art.

Very soon, the final chapter of our year-long Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords will be hitting shelves, stores, and front steps. In Rise of the Runelords Adventure Deck 6: Spires of Xin-Shalast, our heroes have mastered the lore and magic of the Runeforge, and are now ready to take the battle to the ultimate force behind their troubles to date: an ancient master of magic, the Runelord of Greed, somehow returned from the long-lost Thassilonian Empire. Armed now with Runeforged Weapons, you need but find the secret redoubt of the Runelord, and you will be able to end his threat once and for all.

Where might it be? I'll give you a hint.

When I said "scale the mountain face", that's not what I meant!

The legends say that Mhar Massif is the final resting place of a colossal entity that attempted to force his way into Golarion from some alien realm. Mhar was stopped, somehow—stories vary—but his titanic face still adorns the top of the great peak. Guess where you need to go?

Regardless of which parts of the story are true and which are fancy, one thing is certain: scaling the Mhar Massif is a deadly undertaking. There are many paths, but only one actual choice. Climb into and through the Death Zones, defeat or negotiate with the otherworldly creatures that dot the mountain, and reach the top... if you can.

I'm sorry, did someone say Death Zones? As you ascend, the air supply ranges from thin to non-existent, and soon enough altitude sickness will set in. Though heat and air may be in short supply, the other legacy of Mhar's petrified presence—the thin veil between Golarion and the nightmare realm of Leng—is all too present. In the Death Zones, the surreal spectacle of strange creatures and freak magical happenings is punctuated only by the occasional avalanche.

Well, it's not called the "Puppies and Sunshine Zone".

Speaking of strange... Strange alliances abound, as these mammoth-sized spider creatures demand that you destroy the enigmatic Leng Device, or become spider food. They won't tell you exactly what the device does, but they do insist that its destruction will distress their enemies in a most pleasing way. Should you refuse the demand or negotiate badly, the Leng Spider's unnatural poison will cause terrible paranoia and hallucinations. Just ask your friends!

"I spy... something gigantic, 11-legged, and Not From Around Here!"

Atop the Mhar Massif stands the ice-covered tower known as the Pinnacle of Avarice, seat of power for every Runelord of Greed in the ancient Thassilonian empire. Recently awakened from thousands of years of frozen stasis, the well-equipped denizens of the Pinnacle await the return of their master.

You climbed the great mountain, survived the Death Zones, and "convinced" the Leng Spiders to let you pass—and what do you find? Something else to climb!

Whether you negotiated through or negotiated with the Leng Spiders, your path forward will eventually cross the Leng Device. Constructed through an alliance between the immoral arcanists of Xin-Shalast and the inhuman denizens of Leng, this recently-reactivated device seems to be warping time—and something is coming through!

"The last one in is a rotten..." "Nope."

An unearthly howl echoes around the Pinnacle as this enormous hound-shaped creature ripples in and out of reality. A malign intelligence peers out of bulging black eyes as the creature clacks forward on razor-sharp talons, and a long, tentacle-like tongue darts back and forth, tasting the minds nearby. Beware the Thing From Beyond Time, or you might find your own time running out!

No. Seriously. Bad Doggy!

But wait, there's more! While it is certainly a threat, the Thing From Beyond Time is really more of a houseguest. Before you deal with the master of the house, you'll need to deal with the welcoming committee.

First up, the Wardens. These blue-skinned, rune-covered giants send arcs of lightning through the area before taking up titanic blades easily capable of slicing through the entire party at once.

It's got giants in it! You like giants!

Only recently awakened from stasis, the First Apprentice of the Runelord of Greed has fallen out of favor. Destroying your party seems like just the opportunity he needs to remedy that situation!

Oi! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!

The favored champion of the Runelord, Viorian Dekanti, has given herself over to the artifact weapon known as Chellan, Sword of Greed. If you can overcome their combined threat, perhaps you might take the sword for your own!

"Who's next?"

Finally, only one gatekeeper remains. Even the dreaded lamia matriarchs bow to the unholy oracle Ceoptra. Her strikes leave withered destruction which cannot be healed by normal methods, so we recommend that you not fail. Should your first attempt provide a worthy challenge, she will fully prepare for the second round.

"This better work, or there won't be enough left to heal ..."—Kyra

As we approach the final confrontation of the Rise of the Runelords adventure path, there are still some boons to go along with the banes. For example, our heroes are now powerful enough to invoke the aid of the gods directly against the advancing plots of their enemies (i.e. the blessings deck). In dire circumstances, the truly desperate—and the truly prepared—can call upon the power of the gods to give themselves that extra chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Turning "almost" into "just enough"!

You might find this buried amongst the trappings of the Pinnacle of Avarice, or worn on the finger of an opponent. Either way, this protective ring can prove a lifesaver when enduring the elements, be they natural or (more often) not.

Whether facing dragons (yes, plural), ancient Azlanti wizards, or rune-covered giants, this ring is sure to come in handy.

Even in these rarefied heights, it is possible to find help in unlikely places—or is that unlikely faces? Gyukak is a resident of Xin-Shalast who isn't exactly your friend or your enemy. Rather, this Oni has disguised and ingratiated himself with several stone giants in Xin-Shalast, with the goal of eventually leading them to greener pastures. A potent distraction like the PCs might be just the sort of thing Gyukak needs to make his move, so he's willing to help out—for a while.

"Very dangerous! You go first."

I hope you've enjoyed this peek ahead into Rise of the Runelords Adventure Deck 6: Spires of Xin-Shalast. If you can make it through this, there's only one place left to go: the Eye of Avarice, for the final confrontation with Karzoug the Claimer. Not far now.

Thanks for playing!

Chad Brown
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Developer

Free RPG Day is Here!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Today is the day! Across the world, game stores are currently participating in Free RPG Day, and Paizo has two exciting products that are being released just for this event. This year we are releasing Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands and Ranzak the Goblin Raider for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game as we get ready to release the Skull & Shackles Base Set. You can learn more about these products and download the Pregen Characters for the module in our blog from this past Thursday. If you've already picked up Ranzak from your local game store, we have put together downloadable character sheets so you can drop him into your game right now!

Download Ranzak's Character Sheet - (377 KB zip/PDF)

And if you haven't made it to Free RPG Day, don't worry! On July 1, Risen from the Sands will become available as a free PDF and a $5 print product while supplies last, exclusively at paizo.com—and at PaizoCon and Gen Con! Ranzak will also be for sale at PaizoCon and Gen Con, and on paizo.com (while supplies last) after Gen Con begins. Pathfinder ACG subscribers will also get Ranzak free with their August shipment, along with a few other promo cards.

We hope you're enjoying Free RPG Day, and look forward to sharing more about the Skull & Shackles Base Set as we get closer to release this year at Gen Con!

Chris Lambertz
Digital Products Assistant

Chaos and Drowning in the Emerald Spire, with Sean K Reynolds and James L. Sutter

Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Emerald Spire Superdungeon is the largest Pathfinder Module ever, which means there's a lot to keep track of for GMs and players braving its perils. Adventurers can end up on a number of different quests, talk to various recurring allies and foes, and acquire a trove of odd relics and treasures. Players without good notes might end up a bit lost somewhere between The Automaton Forge and The Pleasure Garden.

For groups that find visual aids helpful, many of these elements can be managed with the help of Pathfinder Campaign Cards: The Emerald Spire Superdungeon. This set of 53 full-color campaign cards tracks 18 quests on which the PCs may find themselves, reveals the faces of 19 major NPCs, and unveils 16 mysterious items found in the depths of the Emerald Spire.

And what will PCs encounter over 16 levels of dungeoneering? For another sneak peek, this week we talk to some of the designers of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon. We talked to Sean K Reynolds (prolific game designer and developer, founder of Sean K Reynolds Games, and designer of level 5) and James L. Sutter (Managing Editor at Paizo and designer of level 15) about how they approached creating their dungeon levels, what they think a "superdungeon" is, and what inspired them when crafting their portion of the Emerald Spire.

Illustration by Firat Solhan

How do you define a "Superdungeon"?

Sean

I define it as "a dungeon that gets its powers from exposure to Earth's yellow sun," as opposed to "Spider-Dungeon," which got its powers from a radioactive spider; "Wonder-Dungeon," which got its powers as blessings from various Hellenic deities; "Invisible Dungeon," which got its powers from cosmic rays; or "Ant-Dungeon," which has a technological helmet that can communicate with bugs.

James

I think a superdungeon is an old-school dungeon romp that just keeps going—room upon room of traps, monsters, and loot! While I was always more of an urban adventures kid when it came to actual gameplay, I can still recall the way those old-school Gary Gygax dungeon maps captured my imagination. What was in those little gridded boxes, floating in the sea of black ink? It could be anything! There was a sense of possibility that pulled me in at a really visceral level (the same way I can remember how my first Magic cards smelled, or the feeling of my first BattleTech set). Whether I had a game or not, I spent countless summer hours with graph paper, drawing connected rooms without any idea what could be in them. (Even today, I still sometimes like drawing a rough draft of a dungeon map first, then letting that inspire its encounters.)

What is your favorite dungeon or superdungeon experience in your personal gaming history?

Sean
Hands down, when Monte Cook ran Labyrinth of Madness for a bunch of TSR people as an all-nighter at his house in Lake Geneva, WI. It was brutal, but we played high-level characters who alternately romped through the challenges and got our butts kicked, and it was great fun.

James
I never owned any superdungeons as a child, but of the ones I've encountered in the years since, I think my favorite is Maure Castle. I was unfamiliar with it until I started working at Paizo, and once I started editing for it, I was fascinated by all the clues and secrets—who was the mysterious "Y"? It had never occurred to me that a superdungeon could have overarching mysteries running through all of the levels. So when it came time to write Emerald Spire, I was excited to have tie-ins between my level and other folks' (most notably Wes Schneider's).

What is your level of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon called? What theme, if any, does the level have?

Sean
It was called "The Water Level" in my turnover, because nobody told me we were supposed to come up with names for our levels. Hopefully they changed the name in development into something cooler, like "The Hydro Level." _{(Developer Note: We actually went with the MUCH more evocative "The Drowned Level")}

James
Mine is called "Order and Chaos." I'm not going to lie—going into the project, my goal was to be as self-indulgent as possible. Ever since Death's Heretic—and really since I wrote the bit of protean speech that shows up in the Chapter 6 opener of the GameMastery Guide—I've felt a particular bond with proteans and inevitables. They're just so delightfully alien! So in my level, I wanted to give people the chance to encounter both of them, in an environment that's almost as weird as the creatures themselves: partially mechanical and partially warped by chaos. And of course, since I find social encounters as interesting as combat (or more so), you have the opportunity to form an alliance with either side, though neither really have your best interests at heart...

Illustration by Damien Mammoliti

What inspirations did you draw on for your Emerald Spire level, and what are you hoping players get out of it?

Sean
In the concept meeting for the book we realized we wanted a water level for characters at about level 4 or so. Much of the level is partially submerged or completely underwater, and navigating the water and the lack of air are common challenges. As a scientist by training, I tried to create a reasonable ecology in the level, with microportals to the Plane of Water keeping most of it fresh and providing suitable food for the inhabitants, and also setting up active currents in what otherwise would be still, stagnant dungeon water. I also like to mess with darkness in dungeons (as mentioned in intern Hank Woon's blogs about my Bastards of Erebus playtest game), and using murky water (filled with silt and gross stuff) accomplishes the same thing as darkness. I'm hoping players will be challenged and annoyed by the water level, but will figure out ways for their characters to routinely overcome those obstacles—basically, to make the dungeon a learning experience for them.

James
Really, that chapter opener from the GameMastery Guide is probably the single biggest inspiration for my level—I've always wanted to play through that particular scene, and despite the fact that this is a dungeon level, I hope that I've come close to capturing its feel. More than anything, though, I just want players to have fun, which for me always means seeing new (and weird!) creatures and landscapes. So in my level, every room is different, there are bizarre magical effects, and you rarely fight the same critter twice.

Oh, and there are robots. Because robots.

We hope your appetite is whetted by this glimpse of the visions you may find in the lower reaches of The Emerald Spire! Next week we'll look at a few more Emerald Spire tie-in products GMs are sure to find useful, and maybe even preview some of the superdungeon maps!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer, Pathfinder Modules

Bonus Blog: Happy Free RPG Day!

Free RPG Day is going on right now! Be sure to head out to your participating local game store and pick up this year’s Pathfinder offerings: Ranzak the Pirate Goblin—a new character for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—and Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands, a complete adventure previewing four new classes from the upcoming Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide. You can get the full story on both of our Free RPG Day products right here. Also, be sure to download your Risen from the Sands pregenerated characters so you can start playing as soon as you hit the game store. Hope you have a blast with all your Free RPG Day adventures!

Friday Publisher Preview: The Runes Shall Rise Again!

Friday, January 17, 2014

One of my favorite things about the "open" theme of November's The Lost Coast set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles figures is that it allows me to do pretty much whatever I want. Unlike sets based on a specific Adventure Path, The Lost Coast does not require a certain number of Russian soldiers, or very specific and unusual monsters key to an important encounter in a campaign. The loose theme of "wilderness area in Varisia" is enough to play home to high-utility figures based on amazing drawings, with pretty much no other restrictions on what to include in the set.

That said, setting the set loosely in Varisia means that it shares territory with several of our popular Pathfinder Adventure Path campaigns, including Curse of the Crimson Throne, Shattered Star, and Rise of the Runelords. The latter two campaigns have already received a dedicated Pathfinder Battles set, and they include some of my favorite figures we've produced to date.

They also, unfortunately, have some holes. Today's preview focuses on three figures that fill specific holes from Rise of the Runelords, and there are more coming (sadly, Shattered Star holes will have to be filled with a different set some time in the future). While the theme of the set allows for some revisiting old friends and foes, that isn't the primary point of the set—I've got to be careful with my choices.

The elf cleric Justice Ironbriar is a member of the ruling elite of the city of Magnimar, making him travel in some of the same circles as last week's Lord Mayor Grobaras. He plays an important and spoiler-filled role in the finale of Richard Pett's popular adventure, The Skinsaw Murders, and it's always bothered me that we never made a miniature of him. Quality art for the character came in while we were putting together the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition hardcover, making it too late to make the cut for the Rise of the Runelords miniatures set. Now, with The Lost Coast, I finally have a chance to rectify that omission. Justice Ironbriar is suitable for any knife-wielding cultist, for a well-armed elf dignitary, or even for a player character. Justice Ironbriar is a Medium, rare figure.

We've done a lot of goblins so far in Pathfinder Battles, but to date we've never done a proper Goblin Mutant. Goblin Mutants play an important role in the first arc of the Pathfinder Comic: Dark Waters Rising, and of course they also play a role in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. In particular, this specific Goblin Mutant is Koruvus. Koruvus's original illustration, to put it kindly, was nearly impossible to translate into a little plastic figure, so I was really pleased when a much-easier-to-sculpt drawing of the character came in for the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition hardcover. Again, however, it arrived too late to make it into that set, so the poor Goblin Mutant has had to (somewhat impatiently) await its turn. The Goblin Mutant is a Medium (yes, Medium—he's a mutant!), uncommon figure.

This here is Malugus Kreeg, one of the ugliest members of the Kreeg clan (his brother, Jaagrath Kreeg also appears in the Rise of the Runelords set). Honestly paunchy old Malugus is in this set simply because I love the looks of him. I hope you'll indulge me one more ogre in the Pathfinder Battles line. The art was so awesome I couldn't resist. Malugus Kreeg is an uncommon, Large figure.

Speaking of irresistible art, I unfortunately was not able to get a good picture of the infamous Mammy Graul in time for this set, so there's at least one more ogre in the offing before I close the book on them. That will have to await a future set. Something to look forward to!

Speaking of looking forward... we've got three more The Lost Coast figures to preview next week. I'll see you in this space in seven days!

Until then, I remain,

Erik Mona
Publisher

Join Paizo for Free RPG Day this Saturday!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

One of the best days in gaming hits this weekend: Free RPG Day! This Saturday—June 21st—all across the world, participating game stores will literally be giving away incredible RPG rules, adventures, and accessories, and you're not going to want to miss it! As for us, this year Paizo's got not just one, but two fantastic Pathfinder Free RPG day offerings!

Character Art by Ben Wootten

Ranzak the Pirate Goblin: For Adventure Card Game players already looking forward to August's release of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set we've got the perfect preview: Ranzak the Pirate Goblin! This brand-new character card combines that infamous goblin lunacy with a piratical love of plunder, assuring an entirely madcap character experience like none you've ever had in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. You can use Ranzak right away to give a bizarre twist to your Rise of the Runelords game or save him for your upcoming Skull & Shackles adventures! Ranzak will only be available in limited supplies after Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set releases in August, so be sure to nab your copy this weekend!

Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands: A forgotten pharaoh rises in this year's Free RPG Day adventure, a perfect one-shot quest to play at your favorite game store or add to your home campaign. Aside from featuring a complete delve through an ancient, unexplored pyramid, Risen from the Sands includes a playable preview of four of the new classes in the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Class Guide ! Play Risen from the Sands as one of four pregenerated characters—the daring swashbuckler, cunning investigator, brutal warpriest, or unstoppable bloodrager—weeks before those classes' debut in game stores this August.

Also, to help run your Risen from the Sands adventure, check out the two Bestiary 4 monster templates below. GMs will find both handy in running this new adventure if they don't have their copy of Bestiary 4 on hand.

Spoiler:

Mummified Creature

"Mummified creature" is an acquired template that can be added to any living corporeal creature (hereafter referred to as the base creature). A mummified creature uses all of the base creature's statistics except as noted here.

CR: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: Any evil.
Type: The creature's type changes to undead (augmented). It retains any other subtypes as well, except for alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind. Do not recalculate class HD, BAB, saves, or skill points.
Senses: A mummified creature gains darkvision 60 feet.
Aura: A mummified creature gains a frightful presence aura with a range of 30 feet and a duration of 1d6 rounds.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4.
Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s. Class Hit Dice are unaffected. As an undead, a mummified creature uses its Charisma modifier to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).
Defensive Abilities: A mummified creature gains DR 5/— and the defensive abilities granted by the undead type.
Weaknesses: The mummification process leaves a mummified creature vulnerable to a single energy type. Choose or determine randomly from the following list. d10 Energy 1 Electricity 2–3 Acid 4–7 Fire 8–9 Cold 10 Sonic As a fail-safe in case of rebellion, a mummified creature is subtly marked during the ritual process with a hieroglyph someplace inconspicuous on its body or wrappings that identifies the particular energy type to which it is vulnerable. A successful DC 20 Perception check is needed to find the mark, but a successful DC 25 Linguistics check is still required to decipher the hieroglyph's meaning.
Speed: Decrease all speeds by 10 feet (to a minimum of 5 feet). If the base creature has a f light speed, its maneuverability changes to clumsy.
Attacks: The mummification process hardens the mummified creature's bones to a stone-like density, granting the mummified creature a powerful slam attack if the base creature has no other natural attacks. This slam attack deals damage based on the mummified creature's size (Bestiary 302), treating the creature as if it were one size category larger.
Special Attacks: A mummified creature gains the following special attacks.

Burst of Vengeance (Su): Despite its slow, lumbering nature, a mummified creature is capable of lurching forward to attack with a short but surprising explosion of speed. Twice per day as a swift action, a mummified creature may act as if affected by a haste spell for 1 round.
Dust Stroke (Su): A creature killed by a mummified creature's natural attack or slam attack is disintegrated into a cloud of dust and ash, completely destroying the victim's body (as disintegrate).

Abilities: Str +4, Int –2 (minimum 1). As an undead creature, a mummified creature has no Constitution score.
Feats: A mummified creature gains Toughness as a bonus feat, and Improved Natural Attack as a bonus feat for each of the base creature's natural attacks.
Skills: A mummified creature gains a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.

Zombie Lord

"Zombie lord" is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than undead) that has a minimum Intelligence of 3. This corporeal creature is referred to hereafter as the base creature.

CR: A zombie lord's CR is 1 higher than that of a normal zombie with the same Hit Dice, plus the normal CR increase for class levels (if any).
Type: The creature's type becomes undead. It keeps subtypes except for alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind.
Alignment: Any evil.
Armor Class: Natural armor as per zombie (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 288).
Hit Dice: Change all of the creature's racial Hit Dice to d8s, then add 2 racial Hit Dice to this total (creatures without racial HD gain 2 undead HD). Hit Dice from class levels are unchanged.
Saving Throws: Base save bonuses for racial Hit Dice are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2.
Defensive Abilities: A zombie lord gains DR 5/slashing and channel resistance +4, in addition to undead traits.
Speed: As zombie (Bestiary 288).
Attacks: As zombie (Bestiary 289).
Abilities: Str +2, Dex +2. As an undead, it has no Constitution score.
BAB: A zombie lord's BAB for its racial HD is equal to 3/4 its HD.
Skills: A zombie lord gains skill ranks per racial Hit Die equal to 4 + its Int modifier (class skills as the undead type). Skills gained from class levels remain unchanged.
Feats: A zombie lord gains Toughness as a bonus feat.
Special Qualities: Unlike a common zombie, a zombie lord does not gain the staggered special quality.

So check with your local game store to make sure they're participating in Free RPG Day and get out there to get your copies of Ranzak and Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands. For more details on Free RPG Day be sure to check out http://www.freerpgday.com . We'll see you all at the game store!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

Update Character sheets for four brand new Advanced Class Guide iconic characters are now available for download here (1.3 MB zip/PDF). Print them out for your own run through Risen from the Sands or for your home campaign!

The Tides of Blood!

by Lucien Soulban

Chapter Three: The Rat Race

"Run!" Darvin screamed. Behind them, the wall of rats fell over each other as they raced along the partially submerged sewer ledge.

"I am running!" Fife said, his small arms pumping.

"Run like a human!"

"I'm faster than you!" Fife retorted. "My strides are shorter!"

Darvin struggled to stay on his feet, the wet bricks slick, the runoff from the storm chasing a hard course through the tunnels and spraying everything in a shower of sewage. He heard Fife stumble, but when he looked back, the halfling was already back on his feet, the rats half a dozen feet behind.

"Why... are we always... running... down corridors?" Fife huffed. "The hands, now rats. Heroes don't flee."

"We aren't heroes!" Darvin shouted back. "At best we're unwilling appetizers." He searched, trying to find some escape from the roiling mass of vermin on their heels. The swarm would soon run them down. It wasn't just that the rats were faster (they were in spurts). Or that there were so many (there were). It was that, as rats fell back, more scampered forward, always gaining on them.

Then there was the large one that ran in their midst, the one the size of a dog, urging them on with a grating, high-pitched screech and blood-red eyes.

The passageway narrowed, the ledge thinning, and Darvin saw a glimmer of hope. The rats had gained and were now a handful of feet behind them. Darvin slowed a step, just long enough to grab Fife by the collar and the belt...

"Hey!"

Darvin doesn't mind his half-brother's stories—
as long as they're made up.

...and heaved his half-brother across the seven-foot-wide sewer torrent. Fife screeched and landed on the opposite ledge just as Darvin ran another couple of steps to the edge. Several rats jumped onto his back, trying to bite through the wet wool cloak, but Darvin leaped with a roar.

He struck water, his hands scrabbling across the ledge, the rapids pulling him down the tunnel.

"Not again!"

Fife raced to grab his hand, but water pulled Darvin with angry strength, too quickly for the halfling. Inches separated their outstretched hands, then a foot, and then another. In desperation, Fife slid forward, swinging out with his rucksack. Darvin caught the bag, fingers clenched around fabric with an aching ferocity.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Fife said. The sewer waters pulled Darvin along, and bounced Fife across the slimy bricks.

At this rate, Darvin realized, Fife would end up in the foul drink in a matter of yards where the tunnel turned to the right. "Dig in with your monkey feet!" he said.

Fife grunted something that may have been in pain or in insult. The halfling tucked his body into a fetal position, slowing them both down as the yards slimmed to inches.

Darvin grabbed the ledge at the corner of the turn, and Fife helped him back up to solid ground.

∗ ∗ ∗

"We need to stop meeting like this." Darvin lay on his back, panting hard as Fife looked around.

The pack of rats watched them from the opposite ledge. They acted restless, but the leader kept its beady red eyes on the two humanoids. There was something unpleasant in its gaze, something profoundly angry and vicious. Fife couldn't stop staring, until finally, the king rat lifted its head and uttered a series of angry squeaks.

"What did you say?" Darvin asked, sitting up.

"That wasn't me, you idiot." Fife nodded at the rats.

"Ah, yes," Darvin said, calling out to them. "Are the four-legged fiends at a loss? Has their dinner outwitted them?"

The king rat snarled and squeaked louder. The rats broke into two packs, half going back the way they had come, the other half scurrying up the passageway and around the corner.

"Oh dear," Fife said. "I think they're looking to outflank us."

"Ah," Darvin said. "Tactics. That's... upsetting. Run?"

"That would be best." Fife helped his brother up as the packs vanished in opposite directions. "It's just..."

"Just?"

"I'm tired of running. Aren't you?"

"I'm surprisingly good at it," Darvin replied.

"That's the problem. So am I."

Darvin looked down at his half-brother and sighed. "What do you propose?"

"We turn the tables."

∗ ∗ ∗

They followed the water flow, crossing wood bridges over the smaller passages. Of the rats or their king, they saw no sign; the ledges and corridors created a maze.

"Turn the tables how?" Darvin asked, when he realized his half-brother had never added anything.

Fife looked up at him, a flicker of surprise in his face.

"Do you even have a plan?" Darvin asked.

"I had an idea," Fife admitted.

"I hear an 'if.' Or a 'but.' Maybe a 'well.'"

"Well..."

"There it is."

"I came up with one plan," Fife said, "but we don't have a wheel of cheese."

"In this situation, we are the wheel of cheese," Darvin said.

"And then I thought about trapping them in a large maze."

"We are the ones in the maze?"

"Are you suggesting that we're the rats?"

"I'm not that profound. I think the sewers are getting to you."

"And then I thought, why aren't the sewers flooded?"

"Aren't they?" The waters that sloshed at Darvin's feet were a good inch above his soles, and he could barely feel his cold toes.

"For the amount of rain we've had? The water's being dammed up somewhere and that's causing the streets to flood."

"The knife gate," Darvin suggested.

"That's at the lowest point of the sewers. The flooding would back up, not—"

"Yes, thank you," Darvin said. "I have a general understanding of slopes and how they work."

They arrived at an intersection and Fife looked up and down its length. He smiled and waggled a finger for Darvin to follow. After a few minutes of this, Darvin realized what he was doing. "You're heading up."

Fife nodded. "I'm following the streams with the smallest flows."

"To find the blockage. Look, if adventurers failed, with a wizard no less, why don't we just find a way out?"

"Why escape when we could undam the sewer, wash away the rats, and get paid in the process?"

"Hold," Darvin said, putting his hand on Fife's shoulder. "We're getting paid for this? Why didn't you say so?"

"I didn't need to," Fife said. "'We have a deal' means 'we get something in the exchange.'"

"Did you negotiate for the rest of your missing height?"

"I bargained for a smarter brother."

"I guess we both came up short."

Fife punched Darvin in the thigh. From off in the distance came the echo of a rat squeak. Fife hesitated, then started jogging. He kept looking back, the sound of the rats growing louder, and Darvin knew he had to keep his fretting half-brother preoccupied.

"I don't know with you anymore," Darvin said. "You seem intent on jumping into danger. Well... hopping in your case."

"There's nothing wrong with trying to be the hero," Fife said, huffing.

"But we're not heroes."

"We could be," Fife said.

"And the payment? Is that what heroes do?"

"Only to disguise their noble intentions. Besides—never mind," Fife said, his expression sullen.

"What?" Darvin asked.

"It's just... I know you'll never come on adventures with me unless there's money to be made! Or a chance to meet a plump woman."

In response, Darvin reached down and punched Fife in the shoulder, almost hard enough to send him into the water.

"What was that for?!" Fife snapped.

"Coin is nice, and plump women are better," Darvin said. "But you're my brother. You think I'd let you go on an adventure alone?"

"So you punched me because you love me?"

"I punched you because you made me say it."

The rat squeaks grew louder from somewhere behind them, but Darvin saw none of the red-eyed vermin, just rain water rushing off into the darkness. Fife paused at another intersection of sewer tunnels. The larger passage on their right angled up, the water diminished. They took it.

"You love me," Fife said, almost singing.

"Don't make it a thing," Darvin said.

Behind them, the sound of rats grew louder, but at least Fife wore a grin. It was all too easy for the halfling to get lost in the needs of the world, without sharing in its joy. That's why he needed Darvin.

∗ ∗ ∗

Fife did his best to ignore the skittering of nails on brick. Beside him, Darvin followed his lead, tracking the trickle of water back to the blockage.

That was good. It was all too easy for Darvin to distance himself from the world, to ignore it and go about his own affairs. Fife liked to believe that Darvin was better than he thought of himself; all he needed was a little encouragement to perform outside his own narrow motives. Fife could provide that incentive.

Fife glanced back and caught a hint of movement deep in the darkness, perhaps a foot beyond the limits of his vision. The shadows along the ground squirmed, though that could have been the water. He nudged Darvin, and without another word, the pair jogged more quickly.

The ten-foot-wide sewer passage angled up and ended at a large tunnel. This new avenue stretched wider than the others, to nearly twenty feet, with a low arched ceiling and small side feeders angling off sharply at intervals. The slope grew more pronounced, the water a thick ribbon down the center trough and still too little for the rains and flood.

"The portway drain," Fife said. When Darvin glanced at him, he explained. "The portway runs the river's length and links the mills to the river port. If this is blocked..."

Darvin nodded, and Fife led them upward. The rats gained, however, untiring in their advance. By the time the pair had crowned the sloped passage, the rats were within sight, as was the dam of splintered timbers, dislodged topsoil, and nests of roots. It blocked the passage save for the water leaking through the imperfect plug.

Standing before the blockage of castoff stood the half-orc assassin. He'd been examining the dam and the water cascading over the embankment, but he turned at the sound of their steps. His expression of surprise lasted but a moment, then gave way to a sharp-toothed smile. Behind Darvin and Fife, the rats ran and screeched up the slope. A glance back told Fife they were less than fifty feet back, their bodies nearly indistinguishable in the writhing mass, but for their eyes and yellowed incisors.

The brothers shared a glance and Fife knew immediately what his brother was thinking. They were finally in familiar waters.

"Oh, look," Fife said. "It's our favorite assassin."

The half-orc casually pulled his cloak open, revealing the glint of daggers. "No escape this time."

"Yes, about that," Fife said, "we've picked up something along the way."

"Vermin," Darvin said.

"A plague really."

"A plague of vermin."

"Isn't that redundant?"

The rats were thirty feet back and the excitement of blood drove them faster.

"Can you say vermin of plague?"

"I—don't think so," Fife admitted.

"Then I guess it isn't redundant."

"Enough babbling. Why do you keep looking ba—what are those?" the half-orc asked, noticing the swell of rats that had cleared the slope of the tunnel.

"The plague of vermin," Darvin said, not bothering to look back.

"They're with us," Fife said.

"Charge!" Darvin screamed, and the half-brothers bolted forward.

Coming Next Week: Here comes the flood in the conclusion of Lucien Soulban's "The Tides of Blood!"

Lucien Soulban is an accomplished fantasy and science fiction author who's written shared-world fiction for White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Black Library, and more, including the novels Blood In, Blood Out and The Alien Sea. For more information, visit his website at www.luciensoulban.com.

Illustration by Michael Rookard

Advanced Class Guide Preview: Warpriest

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Illustration by Subroto Bhaumik

Many years ago, back in the days of the Advanced Player's Guide, there were plans to open up the paladin class to characters of any alignment. Unfortunately, the constraints of the class and its many alignment-based abilities made it too much of a challenge to fit in the pages of that book. Fortunately, the Advanced Class Guide gave us the opportunity to revisit the idea in the form of the Warpriest.

Blending together the powers of the fighter and the cleric, the warpriest is a class that allows you to represent the ideals of your deity, but to back them up with cold, hard steel. The class had 6 levels of divine spellcasting, combined with an ability called blessings that work like domains, but grant combat focused abilities. It seemed like a perfect blend, but the first version of the class that we put forth to playtest did not go over very well. The powers and abilities, as initially designed, just did not give the player enough martial ability to get the job done. It had some the spellcasting and some of the combat skill, but the two just did not work well together as initially presented. Fortunately, in round 2 of the playtest, we got it right (or maybe a bit too right). We added an ability called fervor that allows the warpriest to channel energy to heal his allies similar to a paladin's lay on hands, but it also could be spent to cast warpriest spells as a swift action, as long as those spells only targeted the warpriest. We also changed an ability called sacred weapon, which allows the warpriest to designate a weapon (or the favored weapon of his deity) and use that weapon to greater effect, increasing the damage and attack bonus.

Unfortunately, that caused a bit of a problem. The class was a bit too good.

The second round of playtest showed us some really interesting data. Everyone seemed in love with the class, which is certainly good, but our surveys also showed us that the class was now at the top of the power curve. After a number of internal playtests, it became clear that attacking with the full attack bonus of a fighter, combined with swift-casting a number of "buff" spells made the class a juggernaut. Since we really liked how the fervor mechanic worked, the sacred weapon rules had to change. Sacred weapon still increases the damage of weapons and it can still be used to grant special abilities to the weapon, but it no longer increases the attack bonus of the warpriest when using the designated weapon. Just like that, everything seemed to fit.

We also took another look at a wide number of the blessings, bringing them all in line with one another and making them a more seamless part of the class. Take the community blessing for example. The major version of the blessing did not fit really well and was outright useless to a warpriest of Erastil. It got changed to the following.

Fight as One (major): At 10th level, you can rally your allies to fight together. For 1 minute, whenever you make a successful melee or ranged attack against a foe, allies within 10 feet of you gain a +2 insight bonus on attacks of the same type you made against that foe—melee attacks if you made a melee attack, or ranged attacks if you made a ranged attack. If you score a critical hit, this bonus increases to +4 until the start of your next turn.

There are a lot of other exciting changes in the blessings as well, but for those, you will have to wait until the book arrives in stores and at Gencon in mid-August. Come back on Thursday to unleash your inner rage, now improved with magic!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Welcome Mark Seifter!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Surprise! Waits for shock to die down before continuing.

Hi, I'm Mark Seifter, the newest Pathfinder RPG Designer. Nice to meet you! You might know me better as Rogue Eidolon on the boards. Clearly a "Promoted Fanboy", I have plenty of experience in the field as a 5 Star PFS GM and have authored several popular products as a 3pp designer. Until now, I served with my girlfriend Linda as co-Venture Lieutenant of Boston (Boston Lodge represent!).

Here I am researching in Angkor Wat to ensure an authentic experience for my Jade Regent campaign

My roots are deep in the Paizo messageboard community, so expect to continue seeing me around in various threads as much as my new job permits. My experience has burned into me an insatiable desire to FAQ various topics, so expect to see those pick up as well.

You have no idea how much awesome we on the Design Team have in store for you, and with me on the team, we have more members than ever before. If we combine my new blood and enthusiasm with the experience and brains on this team, the world may not be prepared for the eldritch horrors we unleash!

Mark Seifter
Designer

Year of the Sky Key

Monday, June 16

PaizoCon 2014 is less than a month away, and traditionally that convention debuts the thrilling conclusion of one season of Pathfinder Society Organized Play and lays the groundwork for the exciting story arc that begins a month later at Gen Con . The Pathfinder Society is poised to march to Jormurdun, a lost dwarven Sky Citadel, but several of their sworn enemies have taken it upon themselves to claim the prize first. Of course, we can't let that happen, so gear up to tackle some major campaign villains at PaizoCon! On Friday evening, we're also doing a test run of "Legacy of the Stonelords," one of the upcoming season's two Special adventures.

What season is that, you ask? Well, no doubt you've seen this blog's title already. Nonetheless it's our pleasure to announce that Season 6 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play is the Year of the Sky Key, which kicks off this August at Gen Con Indy!

The Pathfinder Society team has really enjoyed reading the speculation about the upcoming season. For several years we've tied the season's theme to the Adventure Path that debuts at that year's Gen Con, as we did with "Jade Regent" and the Year of the Ruby Phoenix, "Shattered Star" and the Year of the Risen Rune, and "Wrath of the Righteous" and the Year of the Demon. To an extent this is also true for the Year of the Sky Key, which borrows from the technological theme of the "Iron Gods" Adventure Path; however, the scope is different this time around.

It's hard to deny Numeria's appeal and intrigue. For years we've received inquiries on the messageboards, questions during convention panels, and requests in person for more information about Numeria, and based on a blog post earlier this year, the organized play campaign is no exception to this phenomenon. The bounty of new books about Numeria and its technology provide some great adventure ideas that might inspire a few scenarios this year. So that's it, then—a year of robots, laser guns, and cybernetic prostheses? No, that's one of the Year of the Sky Key's many charms. Not everyone likes sci-fi peanut butter in the fantasy chocolate, and we respect that. What's more, introducing a glut of advanced technological gadgets in the campaign would impact the many adventures that precede (and likely those that follow) Season 6 in unintended ways. One can only imagine the havoc a particularly trigger-happy Pathfinder could inflict with a nuclear resonator or gravity rifle.

We have several adventures planned that deal with Numeria and its past, including the three scenarios set to debut at Gen Con. You'll find that many of these adventures don't take the PCs directly into Numeria, but they do involve the rare piece of technology smuggled out of that nation, the Technic League, and the sites influenced by Numeria's alien treasures. That said, we've made a conscious decision not to tie this season to its neighboring Adventure Path so closely for another important reason: it allows us to return to long-neglected lodges and reinforce the Pathfinder Society's founding goal—the recovery of lost knowledge and ancient treasures. During the Year of the Sky Key, Pathfinder agents will have numerous opportunities to return to places the campaign hasn't touched in years. Are you excited to see more of Qadira, Katapesh, the Mwangi Expanse, the Land of the Linnorm Kings, the Shackles, and Tian Xia—including whatever became of the thriving Lantern Lodge? Us too!

In the weeks leading up to the new season's debut, we'll be sharing more details about faction developments, the revised Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, and a few other surprises that we're really eager to announce. In the meantime, check out the Year of the Sky Key's new logo.

Seeing the popularity of the Season 6 scenarios, as well as some of the favorites from Season 5, we've adjusted the number of tables available at Gen Con for nine of the 10 slots, and more tickets are now available for those popular events that were sold out. Finally, John will be appearing on the Know Direction podcast on this Wednesday, June 18th.

Happy gaming,

John Compton and Mike Brock
Developer and Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Friday Publisher Preview: Denizens of the Lost Coast

Friday, June 13, 2014

I'm writing today's blog from the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Origins is one of the longest-running gaming conventions in the country, and this year a small contingent from Paizo is at the show running demos of the Skull & Shackles Base Set for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, playing some Pathfinder Society Organized Play games, and hob-nobbing with other game industry folks. Last night, I had a chance to introduce some friends from Wizards of the Coast's D&D team to the glorious wonders of White Castle hamburgers, and just a few minutes ago I finished up a fun PFS table at which our own Jason Bulmahn played an obnoxious priest of Razmir, the fak—er, "Living" god. Good times.

But the second biggest tabletop gaming convention in the country is no excuse to skip a Friday Preview Blog, so here I am in my hotel room bringing you the latest glimpse at November's upcoming The Lost Coast set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic figures!

The Lost Coast set contains a wealth of cool creatures drawn from Pathfinder monster books, adventures, campaign settings, and comic books, presenting a straight-up serving of fantasy goodness that should appeal to all Pathfinder players and GMs. I think the set contains some of our finest sculpts yet, and I can't wait to get them on my own gaming table!

Here's a sneak peek at three of the set's 45 figures.

Here we have wily old Brodert Quink, the resident sage of the town of Sandpoint—the opening locale in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path and numerous other Pathfinder adventures, comics, and audio dramas. Quink comes complete with reading glasses and a large book, making him a perfect option for elderly wizards or a sage in just about any locale. He's got a great expression and adds nicely to the growing range of "townsfolk" available in the Pathfinder Battles line. Brodert Quink is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Now here's a creature I've been dying to get in prepainted plastic for years and years. One of my favorite aspects of deciding the figures in each set is that I get to supplement my own collection with creatures I've long wanted, and this scruffy critter is a perfect example of my own wish fulfillment working for you. I give you the Leucrotta. This wolf-hyena-deer hybrid dates back to AD 77, when it appeared in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, one of the world's earliest RPG bestiaries. Even the "historical" Leucrotta had cool powers like the ability to mimic human speech, and I've been fascinated by these evil creatures since they first appeared in RPGs back in the 70s and 80s. There have been a few metal versions available, but so far as I know The Lost Coast marks the creature's first appearance in prepainted plastic. The Leucrotta is a Large, uncommon figure.

Last up this week is a man full of pomp and circumstance, or at least pomp and lots of fatty foods. I'm speaking of course of Lord Mayor Grobaras, the arrogant ruler of Varisia's city of Magnimar. I have a real soft spot for noble figures tricked out in finery AND for grossly fat figures, so this guy is like a dream come true for me. He's ideal for any kind of overbearing politician, though if you ask me I think he's perfect for an obnoxious singing bard. The figure is based on one of my favorite illustrations from the Magnimar, City of Monuments sourcebook, and I hope you love him as much as I do. There's certainly a lot of him to go around. Lord Mayor Grobaras is a Medium, rare figure.

And that's it for this week's preview. I'm off to play some more Pathfinder Society adventures!

Until next week,

Erik Mona
Publisher

The Stars Are Falling Soon!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Illustration by Patrick Reinemann

The latest volume of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line has started shipping out to subscribers, and it's one that I know a lot of players and Game Masters are very excited to get their hands on—Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars I asked one of the book's co-authors, Jim Groves, to write a few words about his own excitement surrounding the book, and what a few of his favorite elements of it are. Here's what he has to say (as well as a few pieces of preview art I generously appended to his text).

Like many fans, I was at home during Gen Con 2013. My personal situation required me to live vicariously through the Twitter feeds and messageboard posts of fans who generously kept me informed. When I read James Jacobs had announced the Iron Gods Adventure Path, I wasted no time e-mailing him, right then and there, while he was still on the convention floor. A few days later, I received a very friendly and gracious reply. James already had a list of authors in mind, and it is vital for the health of the product line to add new authors and vary the cast up from AP to AP. So I understood James's reasoning perfectly, but when Mark Moreland contacted me a few weeks later to work on Numeria, Land of the Fallen Stars, I was overjoyed.

When writing for Numeria, I felt it was important to honor the theme of otherworldly super-science, but not to absolute exclusion. There are a number of elements, like the Plain of Ten Thousand Swords and the Battle of Grasyhot, which are all about traditional barbaric adventure. I was also very aware throughout the entire process that Ustalav, the Worldwound, and the River Kingdoms were right across a borderline—a division many adventurers and barbarians do not honor. My hope is fans gain insight into how Numeria fits and interacts with the world around it.

Among my favorite plots is the Chapel of Rent Flesh, dedicated to kyton activities on Golarion. The origin and history of the kytons is wonderfully mysterious and provocative. They demonstrate an aspect of the campaign setting which does not conform to a tidy and artificially organized cosmology. The Chapel doesn't upend what we know about the universe, but it asks some interesting questions. I also love Hajoth Hakados and Chitterhome. These communities allow a GM to introduce unusual player characters and NPCs, not just for a Numeria campaign but for all of Golarion, without feeling they're "fighting the campaign setting." GMs should never feel that way, but I think we help with a liberal sprinkling of rationale and context. I hope the book inspires and supports people to develop their own incredible and original campaigns.

Illustrations by Caio Maciel Monteiro

As I said above, Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars is already on its way to subscribers and will be available in game stores, bookstores, and for PDF download to the general public on June 25! The book is a vital source of setting information for Game Masters running the Iron Gods Adventure Path or anyone looking for more highly-anticipated information on one of the Inner Sea region's most exotic locales.

Mark Moreland
Developer

Meet the Iconics: Oloch

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Introducing the next of the Advanced Class Guide's new iconic characters, Oloch the warpriest. While the complete rules for making your own warpriest characters debut in the Advanced Class Guide this August, Oloch himself stomps onto the scene in our upcoming Free RPG Day adventure, Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands, available at participating game stores Saturday, June 21st. Oloch is also a playable character in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Skull & Shackles Character Add-On Deck due in August.

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Oloch has no memory of a time before pain—pain suffered, and pain inflicted. A half-orc of the Haskodar tribe in Blisterwell, Oloch was raised—if it can truly be called that—with the knowledge that his parents had been quarry slaves who died in the ancient mine's cramped tunnels shortly after his birth. Constantly forced to fight for survival against his larger, stronger tribe-mates, Oloch quickly learned that the best defense is a total lack of fear or restraint. Those who thought to casually bully the child soon learned the error of their ways, for in Oloch's mind, every fight is a fight to the death, and anyone who pretends otherwise leaves themselves vulnerable.

This fearless ferocity did not go unnoticed. As Oloch reached his teenage years, the tribe's leaders began harnessing the boy's abilities. Whether in the gladiatorial pits or in battle against the sometimes-allied One Eye tribe, Oloch shed blood on command—both his own and that of others As his victories mounted, the tribe's priests of Gorum took control of Oloch's education, wrapping him in armor and teaching him the glories of the Lord in Iron. In Gorum, Oloch finally found someone he could look up to: a being of perfect strength, without the pathetic fallibilities of even the other battle-priests. More, Gorum looked into Oloch's heart and put to rest any nagging doubts the half-orc had about his love of violence. He saw the dark thrill Oloch felt as his oversized sword split the spine of an enemy—and rewarded it with magic.

As time went on, Oloch began to chafe at even the meager restrictions placed on him by his orc superiors. Who were they to tell him when and where to fight? And so perhaps it was inevitable that, upon learning the truth of his heritage—that he was no slave child, but rather the stolen son of a human adventurer—he took the chance to sever ties (and limbs) and strike out on his own, taking with him only his favored gear and a description of the fearsome warrior woman who bore him.

Fortunately for Oloch, the legend of a woman brave enough to adventure alone in the Hold of Belkzen—and rumored to tryst unashamedly with orcs—is a hard one to stifle. So it was that he soon found himself standing before the gates of the human settlement of Trunau, calling for its leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, to stand forth and meet her son.

To his surprise, she did, and Oloch found himself both shocked and vaguely discomfited by the warmth with which Halgra greeted her lost son, welcoming him into her house. There she told him the story of his birth—how he was the product of a short-lived dalliance with a powerful orc leader she refused to name, and how he had been stolen from her as an infant during a raid on her campsite. She introduced him to his half-siblings, and offered him a place as a defender of Trunau.

Yet a wolf can never be a simple dog, no matter how much it might long to wear the chain. To Halgra's horror, Oloch's lust for battle refused to be sated by simple raids and training bouts. Citizens who roused his ire were terribly injured, and in the end Halgra herself had to take up her sword and drive him from the town, announcing that she would always love him as a son—but that he would never again be allowed in Trunau until he learned to control his battle lust and turn his divine abilities toward a positive end.

Frustrated, feeling shamed for the first time in his life, Oloch left Trunau. For a time he wandered the wilds, yet no ordinary beasts could provide a proper challenge—nor remove the lingering suspicion that there might, as Halgra claimed, be more to life than simple bloodshed. Eventually he wound up in Urgir, where he quickly found work as a government enforcer and champion. Though on the surface, he claims that his position ensures him a steady supply of worthy opponents, in secret Oloch hopes that Grask Uldeth's half-civilized ways will help him puzzle out how to balance the orc and human inside himself and discover the man he was born to be.

Oloch is a quiet, brooding warrior with a disturbing love of violence. Though not actively evil, and scornful of those who pick on obviously weaker opponents, he nevertheless takes it as a given that might makes right, and the whining of those unable to defend their property means little to him. He lives in the moment, relishing the red rush of battle and the communion it brings him with his god. He's not opposed to working with—or even for—those he considers his equals, but those individuals are few and far between, and must take pains to show him proper respect. Perhaps the only activity other than combat that truly brings him pleasure is making music on his drum—and then only if it's sufficiently riotous as to echo the clamor of battle.

James L. Sutter
Managing Editor

The Tides of Blood!

by Lucien Soulban

Chapter Two: Up the Creek

They struck the raging sewer river hard, the cold lacerating them and the turbulence spinning them around. The rushing water caught them in its torrent and Fife scrambled for purchase. His fingers scrabbled slimy brick and then water, and then brick again.

"Darvin—" he half-managed before he swallowed a foul mouthful of their surroundings. The halfling coughed and tried to gasp down air, but the waves closed around his head, his books and sodden wool dragging him down. Fife reached up, panicked.

A hand grabbed his and pulled him up and over rough wood.

Fife spent a few minutes coughing and waiting for the pain in his shoulder to subside. He looked up at Darvin, who was wet and huddled on the bench of the small boat that rocked at the end of a taut rope.

"You're going to say I told you so," Fife said, unable to meet his brother's gaze.

"I... swallowed poo water," Darvin said.

"Go ahead. Say it."

Fife is never at a loss when striking a deal—making good on it is another story.

"You made me swallow poo water."

"You pushed us in," Fife offered.

"Nothing will ever taste the same again."

"The assassin!" Fife suddenly looked around. A shaft with iron rungs stretched above their heads, heavy runoff pouring down from the hole. The tunnel itself was well past half-flooded, the curved ceiling within reach.

"I'll taste things," Darvin continued, his eyes hollow and unblinking. "Honeyed ham, ale, warm sourdough bread, salted beef, sugar figs. And suddenly I'll remember that this tongue also tasted poo water. And then the taste, that taste, will return. The taste," he whispered. "The taste..."

"Darvin! The assassin is up there!"

"If he knew what I'd tasted..."

"You're annoyingly melodramatic." Fife pulled his knife and cut the mooring rope. A knick from Fife's dagger was all it took to unravel its taut braids.

The boat lurched and careened down the sewer passage, jolting Darvin from his shock. "Wh—what are you doing?"

"Committing us to a course." Fife grabbed one of the peeling gray oars and handed the other to Darvin. "Keep us off the walls."

∗ ∗ ∗

Keeping them off the walls was easier said than done, Darvin knew. The waters spun them around and sent their boat scrapping and thudding against the tunnel's brick-lined flanks. Then the route ended at the junction of another passageway with them hurtling toward the junction wall.

Darvin screamed, "Left or right?" against the roar of the water. It wasn't until he looked back and saw Fife's eyes go wide that he realized Fife didn't know.

The joint of the passageways surged the water upward before the merge, and both Darvin and Fife ducked as the ceiling rushed down to scrape their heads. Then the torrent dipped into the new corridor with a lurching drop, and Darvin fell off the bench as the rush twisted them to the side. The prow of their boat slammed off the wall, a jarring crunch that splintered wood.

As Darvin righted himself, he heard, "Uh oh."

"‘Uh oh,' what?" Darvin screamed.

"Nothing," Fife said, fighting with the oar and doing his best to grin amiably.

"‘Uh oh' is never nothing!" Darvin said. "‘Uh oh' is code for run or duck or—" and then he realized the bottom of the boat had vanished under rising water. "—or that! We're sinking?"

"It's just a small crack," Fife said, pressing his naked foot against the bloom sprouting in the bottom of the boat.

"You know what you call a bucket with a crack? Broken!"

"A bucket holds water in," Fife said, his brows furrowed. "A boat keeps water out. I don't think you're making the point you were hoping to make."

"Wall!" Darvin shouted. The boat surged on a swell and the two brothers pushed hard against the wall with their paddles. The boat scraped the greenish brick, splintering jagged bits of wood. More water spilled into their boat, but they managed to push off all the same, the muscles in Darvin's shoulders screaming in exertion.

"Oof!" Fife said, sounding like the wind had been knocked out of him.

Darvin looked back; Fife was no longer in the boat.

"Fife—?"

Fife's oar was sticking out of the wall, the spade half buried between the bricks, and Fife hung from it, his feet treading water.

"How—?" Darvin cried, and then saw. The oar was wedged in a large crack in the wall, and Fife had accidently thrust it in when he tried to push them off.

Darvin scrambled to grab Fife, but it was a fool's notion. Too many yards separated them, and the gap was increasing rapidly. They locked eyes, Fife's large circles of panic mirroring the ‘O' of his mouth.

Darvin dove into the water.

∗ ∗ ∗

Fife almost lost his grip on the oar. Darvin had gone under and had yet to surface. "Stupid," Fife muttered, almost in tears, fighting to stay up. He'd wedged the oar into the wall and it'd sheared him off as the boat slipped away.

"Stupid!" he screamed at the tumult, desperately searching the rapids as the boat careened and spun and slammed into a wall farther down. A moment later, it was gone, pulled around the corner by the torrent. He was alone.

Fife's shoulders hurt, his joints pulled by the weight of books. He had to let go, to swim downstream and find Darvin.

A hand grabbed the brick wall, slipped on slime, and grabbed again. A face emerged from the white surf: Darvin struggling to pull himself forward brick by brick.

"Grab my leg!" Fife cried, pushing his foot forward.

"Grow longer legs!" Darvin shouted back with a grin, and was almost swallowed under.

"Stupid!" Fife shouted again, but now it was with a fierce smile. "Why'd you jump in?"

Darvin clawed forward another couple of feet, his fingers jammed into the groove between bricks. "You're welcome!" he managed.

"The boat had rope!" Fife shouted.

"Did it?" Darvin managed between gulps of air. "Fancy that."

Darvin was a few feet away now, a look of sheer determination on his face as he pulled on bricks against the surge. Fife thrust his legs out again despite the ache in his shoulders. Darvin pushed forward from the wall with a desperate look and grabbed the cuff of Fife's trousers.

Fife wriggled, his shoulders crying out at the sudden pull.

"Stop bucking," Darvin said, holding on to Fife's pants.

"You're pulling my pants down," Fife screeched. He was trying not to laugh, but he couldn't help it, the ridiculous of the situation hitting home as his pants steadily lost their grip on his hips. It was all too much, and Fife's fingers came undone at the same time his trousers did.

A year passed, a moment, time irrelevant in the chaos, all of it spent spinning, upturned, in the foul-tasting water. Hands grabbed for him, pulling him up. A moment later, he was pulling Darvin up. They were each other's ladder in the tumult.

"Trying... to... save you!" Darvin gasped.

"Saving you!" Fife retorted.

And down they both went again.

Fife wasn't sure when it happened. He didn't know who found the ledge first, who pulled whom up, or if they both clambered up. The tunnel here was higher, or maybe there was less water; the ledge was only an inch submerged. It hurt to breathe. Darvin sucked in heavy gasps next to him.

"How'd they... send an assassin... after us... so quickly," Fife said between gulps of air. He could still see the half-orc materialize out from the storm, throwing daggers.

"He was at the... inn. Likely spying on... your clients."

"Our clients," Fife said. "You're in this mess now."

"A detail I'll rectify later. I call it ‘flogging the halfling.'"

"I've heard that about you."

"Pervert," Darvin said, giving his brother the measure of a half push.

"Besides, I'm already half-flogged," Fife said after a moment. He managed to draw measured breath but still coughed as the water pooled around them both.

"You all right?"

Fife nodded. "You?"

"Have I mentioned? You made me taste poo water."

"Trust me, that part won't make it into the tales."

"What about the part where you lost your pants?" Darvin asked.

Fife raised his head and looked down at his small clothes, his hairy legs and large feet. He waggled his toes and groaned. "Heroes are supposed to wear pants."

"My heroes work best without their pants," Darvin replied, waggling his eyebrows obscenely.

Wet pants hit Fife in the face before he could retort.

"I held on to them," Darvin continued.

Fife nodded and slipped them on, freezing as they were, and looked around. Better with them than without, he thought, despite the chill.

"You have no idea where we're going, do you?"

"I don't need to." Fife pointed to where the water fled. "The water flows to the knife gates. We need to get them fully opened to flood the lowlands."

"And why isn't the city handling this problem?" Darvin asked, getting up slowly.

"They sent people down to clear the knife gates, including a wizard!" Fife said, checking his books. The water-resistant ink and candle-waxed pages had protected the writing. "The men never returned."

"Excuse me?" Darvin said. "Define ‘never returned'!"

"Um, you know?" Fife said, trying to look nonchalant in a manner that suggested he was completely chalant. "I thought I'd mentioned it."

"You did no such thing!"

"Oh... fancy that."

"Don't play coy. I saw you hesitate."

"Well," Fife said, smiling up at his brother. "I knew you'd overreact."

Darvin motioned around them. "Really! I wonder what would coax such mortal terror from me?"

"Certainly not a fear of hyperbole."

"No, no, no," Darvin said, pointing. "It's the terror of being your brother!"

"See? Hyperbole. We're half-brothers at best."

"We're in the flooded sewers!" Darvin said. "Lost, cold, hunted by an assassin, and whatever killed those men..." He trailed off.

Fife sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Something is behind us, isn't it?"

Darvin nodded and backed away one step.

"The thing that killed the men?"

Darvin took another step back. "Things. What do you fear other than spiders?"

"Gnomes," Fife admitted softly. "In fool's motley."

"Good," Darvin said. "This isn't that."

Fife turned, knowing he'd regret it, and instantly at that. He was right on both counts.

A wall of black bodies covered the ledge not two dozen yards behind them. Wet fur in mangy tufts, diseased scabrous skin in brown and black patches, thousands of red beady eyes, fist-sized bodies, yellowed fangs bared. More disturbing still, the largest one measured the size of a dog, with a long, wormlike, chewed and bitten tail. They made no sound, no hint at motion, just watched.

"Are those...?" Fife whispered, backing away.

"Rats," Darvin said.

"And the bigger one?"

"Bigger rat."

"I was wrong," Fife said, almost apologetic.

The swarm of rats took a step forward.

"About coming here?"

"No," Fife said. "Gnomes dressed in fool's motley has now dropped to fourth-worst fear."

"What was second, then?" Darvin asked.

"Another time, perhaps? I don't want to give the fates ideas."

"Point. Shall we run?"

Fife looked down at his own hairy feet. "Oh," he said in a hoarse whisper. "I thought we already were."

Fife and Darvin turned and ran in earnest. Behind them, the sound of rushing water was drowned out by the new din of scrabbling claws...

Coming Next Week: Desperate tactics in Chapter Three of Lucien Soulban's "The Tides of Blood!"

Lucien Soulban is an accomplished fantasy and science fiction author who's written shared-world fiction for White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Black Library, and more, including the novels Blood In, Blood Out and The Alien Sea. For more information, visit his website at www.luciensoulban.com.

Illustration by Michael Rookard

Advanced Class Guide Preview: Investigator

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Funny story. While brainstorming the Advanced Class Guide, and determining which classes were to appear in it, the investigator almost didn't make the cut.

Illustration by Igor Grechanyi

The class was my favorite from the start. I love detective stories and have been a fan of Doyle's work since first reading The Hound of the Baskervilles all those years ago. I've also been delighted by the numerous reinterpretations of Sherlock Holmes popping up over the decades. For a long time now, I've wanted to cast the shadow of that brilliant investigator and chemist in the light of Pathfinder by fusing the rogue and the alchemist. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but there were fears that the task might be nearly impossible or the class would not find traction with the players.

To our relief, those fears were unjustified.

From the start, a sizable group of players grokked the class. Pathfinder is a combat game, to be sure, but it's also a game of exploration, where players uncover the secrets of their GM's campaign. While some classes are pretty good at exploring story and secrets, their true potential often doesn't ramp up until higher levels. The investigator, through the inspiration mechanic, gives players a leg up from the start.

While the concept of the investigator was well received, that didn't mean the playtest and further development were a walk in the park. The early iteration of the investigator relied on a later-level progression of the rogue's sneak attack to ramp up its combat effectiveness (he can't uncover secrets all the time). Playtests showed us that wasn't good enough. The investigator's ability to increase his combat potential needed something new to highlight his unique take on adventuring. We went back to the drawing board and created studied combat and studied strike. These new mechanics allows the investigator to study his opponent and gain bonuses in combat, until he has studied his foe enough to unleash a damaging, maybe even debilitating, strike. This mechanic kept the investigator true to his theme in and out of combat. The early versions of those abilities were unleashed during the second round of playtesting, and through the great feedback we were able to refine these mechanics into their final form.

Studied Combat (Ex): With a keen eye and calculating mind, an investigator can assess the mettle of his opponent to take advantage of gaps in talent and training. At 4th level, an investigator can use a move action to study a single enemy that he can see. Upon doing so, he adds 1/2 his investigator level as an insight bonus on melee attack rolls and as a bonus on damage rolls against the creature. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) or until he deals damage with a studied strike, whichever comes first. The bonus on damage rolls is precision damage, and is not multiplied on a critical hit.

An investigator can only have one target of studied combat at a time, and once a creature has become the target of an investigator's studied combat, he cannot become the target of the same investigator's studied combat again for 24 hours unless the investigator expends one use of inspiration when taking the move action to use this ability.

Studied Strike (Ex): At 4th level, an investigator can choose to make a studied strike against the target of his studied combat as a free action, upon successfully hitting his studied target with a melee attack, to deal additional damage. The damage is 1d6 at 4th level, and increases by 1d6 for every 2 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 9d6 at 20th level). The damage of studied strike is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit; creatures that are immune to sneak attacks are also immune to studied strike. If the investigator's attack used a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), he may choose to have the additional damage from studied strike be nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. If the investigator chose to make an attack with a lethal weapon instead deal nonlethal damage (with the usual –4 penalty), the studied strike damage may also deal nonlethal damage.

The investigator must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. An investigator cannot use studied strike against a creature with concealment.

Furthermore, investigator talents allow this class to increase the effectiveness of these two abilities, some of which allow you add debilitating conditions to the studied strike.

Lastly, while the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes were the inspiration for the investigator, there are many types of investigators floating around the creative consciousness. When designing archetypes, we wanted to cover as many of those bases as space allowed. In the book you'll find the mastermind (an investigator that manipulates via a group of minions), the sleuth (a gumshoe who uses luck instead of inspiration), the spiritualist (a detective who gains insight from the world beyond), and much, much more.

In short, if you have a hankering for playing the smartest guy in the group, we think you'll dig the investigator.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer

Faction Evolution

Monday, June 9, 2014

Illustration by Damien Mammoliti

Nearly a year has passed since we introduced the check boxes to scenarios' reporting sheets in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Perhaps you haven"t had the opportunity to GM a Season 5 scenario, so let me recap the idea. Almost every scenario in Season 5 has had four check boxes labeled "A" through "D," and the end of scenario provides instructions of which ones to check off depending on what happened during the adventure. Did the PCs ally with Team 1? Check box A. Did they ally with Team 2? Check box B. If they instead destroyed Team 1 or 2, check box C or D respectively.

The results of those check boxes are included when the organizer reports the scenario online, and we/ve been using that data to watch trends and shape the storyline in increasingly visible ways. For example, the Qadira faction has recruited several trade partners over the past year, but some of their rivalries with one another have required the PCs to choose one to favor over the other. When I looked at the numbers reported from an earlier scenario, I saw the two of the parties were neck-and-neck, so they returned for a rematch in a later scenario. Another example involved choosing where to construct a basecamp, and after collecting data for a few months, I saw that there was a clear favorite. That choice decided the course of a recent scenario. Even seemingly innocuous matters like an NPC surviving a scenario allow you to shape future adventures when we determine what villains are still out there and harboring a grudge.

Data like these also contribute to the ongoing evolution of the Pathfinder Society's eight active factions. Back in April 2013 we revealed that faction goals might change over time. In fact, based on the storyline, character decisions, and player feedback, even a faction's alignment and leadership could change. Over the course of the Year of the Demon, the original five factions have all distanced themselves from their respective nations—some pushed away by troubles at home and others pulled toward greener pastures. No doubt many of you have witnessed these events throughout the season, and blog posts later this month will reveal these factions' new faces and interests.

Of course, any talk about changes to factions stirs up questions. Is my faction changing? Are you eliminating any factions? What if I don't like what is happening to my faction? Can I change factions for free? How long do I have to change factions? In brief, we're aiming to make any transitions as reasonable, painless, and fair as possible. We'll provide more details as we get closer to the new season.

Finally, I'll be appearing on the Know Direction podcast on the Wednesday, June 18th. I'll post more details here and on the Pathfinder Society messageboard as the interview gets closer.

Happy gaming,

John Compton and Mike Brock
Developer and Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Demons and Fire in the Emerald Spire, with Chris Pramas and F. Wesley Schneider

Saturday, June 7, 2014

When reading about all the dangers our amazing designers have prepared for the Emerald Spire Superdungeon, it might sound like GMs are going to have to spend most of their time preparing these sixteen levels of deathtraps and ancient mystery. Luckily, the largest Pathfinder Module ever is also associated with the largest Flip Map Pack ever!

Anyone who wants to jump right into running this massive dungeon can pick up Pathfinder Flip-Mat: The Emerald Spire Superdungeon Multi-Pack. This set of eight double-sided 24" x 30" maps details every nook and cranny of the Emerald Spire, from the Tower Ruins on the surface down to The Emerald Root itself!

And what kinds of things will PCs be encountering in these 16 levels? For another sneak peek, this week we continue to talk to designers of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon. We talked to Chris Pramas (founder of Green Ronin Publishing and designer of level 7) and F. Wesley Schneider (Editor-in-Chief here at Paizo and designer of level 10) about how they approached their levels of the superdungeon, what they think a "superdungeon" is, and a few teasers on what surprises they arranged for the unsuspecting delvers of the Emerald Spire.

How do you define a "Superdungeon"? What is your favorite dungeon or superdungeon experience in your personal gaming history?

Chris

Illustration by Damien Mammoliti

A superdungeon to me is an adventure location that's going to be the centerpiece of a campaign. Characters might go other places from time to time, but the Superdungeon is big enough and interesting enough that it's the focus.

I designed my first superdungeon when I was 12. My impetus was a game convention that was being held at Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was the first con I ever went to and I brought my dungeon with me and ran it there. Naturally, the characters never got off the first level because it was a one day convention! Hammond Castle was a great location though. I liked it so much I got married there 20 years later.

Wes
"Superdungeon," "megadungeon," "ultraextremodungeon," they're all buzzwords for "giant frickin' dungeon." If a dungeon is the focuse of one adventure, a superdungeon is a location (or tightly interlinked series of locations) with multiple adventures worth of action. At some point this transcends physical size and is more about plot. Scarwall in Pathfinder Adventure Path #11: Skeletons of Scarwall, for example, is a massive dungeon, but the whole castle shares the same theme and plot. It's all one adventure. With the Emerald Spire, though, the levels are linked by proximity, but every floor still has its own distinctive story (or piece of a larger story). For me, number of stories, number of adventures, not necessarily number of square feet, distinguish dungeons from superdungeons.

As for my personal favorites, well, I'm playing through Gary Gygax's Necropolis with James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Jason Bulmahn, Rob McCreary, and Tim Nightengale right now, so that's up there. I also had a very small part in AEG's World's Largest Dungeon about a decade ago. But the megadungeon I have the most experience with is Bruce R. Cordell's Return to the Tomb of Horrors. I was too young to jump in the Tomb of Horrors meatgrinder the first time around, so when this boxed set came out in 1998, all I knew were snippets of the legend. It absolutely didn't disappoint, either, with its weighty adventure book, handouts, illustration booklet, and monster supplement. Many of the encounters were beyond twisted, like the gigantic bone-golem gate to Skull City, the twisted necromantic experiments in the Black Academy, riding through the planes on the back of a phantom flyer, updates of traps and puzzles from the classic adventure, and finally the last battle with Acererak in front of his massive, soul-infused phylactery. It's a roller coaster of sick, awesome stuff—and the beginning of my love affair with winter wights. The art throughout also went beyond the call of duty. It didn't just luridly reveal the dooms and denizens of Acererak's stronghold, but presented a group of adventurers that persisted throughout the megadungeon—at least, until each nameless character got killed off in turn. I scalped sections of the dungeon for several personal games, but only attempted to run it as a whole twice... both times to my players' terrible, untimely ends.

Which I suppose is also a big factor of true megadungeons: lethality.

What is your level of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon called? What theme, if any, does the level have?

Chris
My level is called Shrine of the Awakener. It is controlled by a demonic cult and I don't want to say much more than that, as the nature of the cult is one of the secrets players will learn when they play through.

Wes
I originally named my section something melodramatic, like "Hell of Obsessions" or some such. In the final accounting, it's called the Magma Vault. Totally a good change. Sounds less like the afterlife for cheap perfume.

As for theme, I knew mine from the beginning: I wanted to do the fire level. You know, the Fire Level. Every game has a fire level! They're some of the most loathed levels in video games because they have—duh—fire... or lava, or magma, or whatever that roiling red stuff is that causes you to die as soon as you fall in. I'm talking Norfair in Metroid, Heat Man's level from Mega Man II, Death Mountain in Ocarina of Time, and the Underworld or Volcano Planet in a dozen other games. They're deadly places that typically involve platforms and some daring leaps with deadly consequences. If you still don't get it, check out "Lethal Lava Land" on TV Tropes.

So I did that...

Then threw in Hellknights.

What where the inspirations you drew on for your Emerald Spire level, and what are you hoping players get out of it?

Chris
The cult actually comes from a home campaign I've been running the last couple of years. I wanted my teenage stepdaughter to get a feel for what D&D was like back in the day, so I started running an AD&D campaign set in Greyhawk for our Monday night game group. The cult was one of the PCs' major enemies and I liked the lore I had built up while creating adventures for the campaign. It was easy enough to re-work the material to fit in Golarion. I hope the players like seeing something that came straight from my game table to theirs!

Wes

Okay, minor spoilers..., Illustration by Warren Mahy

Well, I touched on my inspirations above, as the theme and inspiration are kind of one and the same for my level. I also pulled in references to a lot of my work with Hellknights—one of our established Hellknight lictors has a daughter who features prominently here. There's also some serious moral ambiguity, a few lessons about leaving well enough alone, two new monsters I created just for this level, two distinct flavors of fiends, and... _{maybe the Emerald Spire's only dragon}... or two... or more! Or none! Who knows!? No spoilers.

As for what I hope players get out of it? A mysterious lockbox^* and fiftieth degree burns.
^{(* Ask Sutter.)}

We really appreciate Chris and Wes taking the time to give us a hint of the horrors they created for The Emerald Spire! But there are still many more levels to tease, and even more tie-in products to help GMs make this superdungeon an experience their players will never forget! Next week we'll look at a few more Emerald Spire tie-ins GMs are sure to find useful, and talk about how themes of order and chaos, and the Gamemastery Guide, influenced the superdungeon.

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer, Pathfinder Modules

Friday Publisher Preview: One Promo, Four "BIG" Minis!

Friday, June 6, 2014

We're in the thrall of the summer convention season here at Paizo, with employees spread hither and yon across the globe at conventions near and far. In the last two weeks, we've had employees at Comicpalooza in Texas, UK Games Expo in Birmingham, KublaCon in San Francisco, and Book Expo America in New York City. Yours truly was at the last two, and in the ensuing fracas there was a bit of confusion here at Paizo regarding the Friday preview blog. In short, we completely missed last week, and the week before got posted in a super-secret ninja way that kept it hidden from sight for all but the cleverest members of the paizo.com community.

We've since fixed the link, so if you haven't yet had a chance to check out the three "Leapin' Lizards" I posted on the 23rd, now is an excellent time to do so.

But conventions are good for more than just boring internal business miscommunications. They also bring special promotional figures for you to enjoy! Jason Bulmahn, Jenny Bendel, the Adventure Card Game team, and I are headed to the Origins Game Fair in Columbus next week to show off the new Skull & Shackles Adventure Card Game set and to play some Pathfinder Society games. Both the Adventure Card Game demos in Hall D and the Pathfinder Society HQ in the PFS room will feature the debut of this year's first Pathfinder Battles Promotional Figure, the Hellfire Wisp!

This exciting figure is based on the Will-o'-Wisp figure from the recent Wrath of the Righteous set. Reviews of the set so far have declared the Will-o'-Wisp one of our most exciting figures to date, with a neat skull visible through clear blue plastic. For the Hellfire Wisp variant, we've changed the clear plastic to a red tint, adding an extra bit of diabolical fun to the figure. We'll be giving away the figure to PFS players and card game demoers at Origins, and it will likely make a return appearance at future conventions this year, such as Gen Con and PAX Prime. After the convention season, remaining figures will appear for sale on paizo.com for folks who are not able to meet up with us out in the wider world. (Don't worry, we'll set aside a few early to make sure that at least some of them end up for sale here on the site.)

Speaking of promo figures, the 10 promotional repaint figures based on creatures from the Emerald Spire Superdungeon will head out from our warehouse to backers of the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter project later this month. It's possible that very few of these extremely rare sets will remain after we have fulfilled all of the Kickstarter rewards, but at this point it appears that most of them are headed to project backers as originally intended. I'll drop a note here if any slip through the cracks and go on general sale at paizo.com.

We'll be back to a full preview of Pathfinder Battles figures from the upcoming Lost Coast set next week, but this week I want to keep the focus on promotional items above and beyond the Pathfinder Battles line.

Last up this week is a sneak peek at a project I've been spending a LOT of time on over the last several months—Pathfinder Minimates!

Pathfinder Minimates are small, 2-inch collectible toy figures produced by our partners at Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys. The picture above features the four debut figures in our Pathfinder Minimates mass market range—Merisiel, Harsk, Valeros, and a Goblin! The first four-pack is scheduled for an October release.

Pathfinder Minimates are built to the same scale as the more than 1700 Minimates Diamond Select Toys has already produced for licenses like Marvel Comics, Big Bang Theory, Pulp Fiction, and more. All of the pieces—from their weapons to their hair to their hands—are completely interchangeable, meaning you can have a field day giving Valeros Merisiel's hair, or giving Harsk's axe to Deadpool. Their feet also scale perfectly to work with Lego building blocks, making them a fun addition to the little castles filling the game rooms of builders young and old.

I've seen the first four Pathfinder figures in hand, and they look fantastic. Valeros and Merisiel have working scabbards, and the goblin is the spitting image of Wayne Reynolds's art (and yet still remains a distinctively Minimate-like). They look phenomenal, and I'm sure a lot of you will get a kick out of playing with them.

That said, the first set will not be ready until October, which is well after the summer convention season. SO, given that, I've worked with Diamond Select Toys to create at least TWELVE additional Pathfinder Minimates that we plan to debut at this year's Gen Con in Indianapolis, both as promotional items and as for-sale two-figure packs. While I can't yet show off any images of these bonus figures, I've put a lot of thought and care into deciding what we should include in the line, and I'm certain you'll be pleased with my choices.

Watch this space in future months for a look at these exciting new Pathfinder toys, and come back next week for another adventure into the treacherous Lost Coast set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures.

See you at Origins!

Erik Mona
Publisher

PaizoCon Event Registration Closes Soon!

Friday, June 6, 2014

PaizoCon 2014 is swiftly approaching in less than a month and we are super excited to start seeing our friends and fans rolling in from both far and near!

Last week we opened up the lottery for event preference ranking and earlier this week we announced our special guests, Frank Mentzer and artist Jesper Ejsing.

You can view the jam packed PaizoCon 2014 schedule here. You'll notice there are two tabs on the events page. One is for "Lottery" and one is for "Open Events". We've also got a special page for events that are on-going throughout the convention, like our infamous Delves, and events which do not have online sign ups, such as the 1-on-1 sessions for editing and fiction writing. We are also happy to announce that there are a few new events at PaizoCon 2014 which will have signup on site at the convention. Check out this page for more details!

What is the PaizoCon Lottery?
PaizoCon has a ton of events and some have a limited-availability events, including games run by Paizo staff members, exhibitors, and special guests. Because there are lots of attendees and a limited number of seats, we use a lottery system so as many attendees as possible have a chance to get into these games and events.

How does the lottery work?
Once the preference selection deadline passes, the Event Lottery will begin assigning attendees to events, based on a random drawing. The lottery works best if you use your actual preferences. We know you might love optimization problems, but please don’t try to get fancy.

When is the deadline for selecting my preferences?
You have until 2 PM Pacific time on Monday, June 9 to make your PaizoCon Event Lottery selections. If you have any trouble selecting your lottery preferences please let paizocon@paizo.com know as soon as possible so we can assist you! Once you choose your selections, you are done! There is no submit button you need to worry about and you can adjust your preferences if needed up until 2 PM Pacific time on Monday, June 9.

Am I guaranteed to get into a lottery event?
No. There are a lot of attendees and a limited number of seats, not everyone may end up in a lottery event.

Do I have to have a badge already to participate in the lottery?
Yes! You must have purchased or received a regular 3-day badge to select preferences for the lottery and register for events.

What happens if an event doesn't fill up after the lottery process has been run?
It will become available for open registration along with the "Open" events at 2 PM Pacific time on Wednesday, June 11.

Happy lottery-ing and hope to see you at PaizoCon!

Sara Marie
Customer Service Manager

Meet the Iconics: Quinn

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Introducing the next of the Advanced Class Guide's new iconic characters, Quinn the investigator. While the complete rules for making your own investigator characters debut in the Advanced Class Guide this August, Quinn features in our upcoming Free RPG Day adventure, Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands, available at participating game stores Saturday, June 21st.

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

The rule of law is only as strong as the people who uphold it, and few know this fact better than Quinn.

The child of a former noble family of Galt, Quinn was raised to despise the chaos that had robbed his parents of their proper name and station, forcing them to hide as middle-class apothecaries. Yet for Quinn himself, trained as a legal clerk and never having personally known the aristocratic comforts his parents mourned, this was no true inconvenience. What frustrated him about his nation was not that power resided with the people, but rather that it was wielded in such a capricious fashion. His fellow citizens' constant false accusations and refusal to abide by court rulings—not to mention the Gray Gardeners' tendency to pronounce sentences completely outside the system—drove young Quinn to distraction.

When Quinn was 37, having recently lost both parents to an outbreak of plague, his simmering rage finally came to a head. After the ruling faction sentenced a man to death with flagrant disregard for due process, Quinn overstepped his usual role by investigating the matter himself, turning up irrefutable proof of the man's innocence. When his attempts to reopen the case were stymied, he returned the night before the scheduled execution and set the man free—only to run straight into a Gray Gardener patrol. The prisoner escaped in the ensuing fracas, and even as Quinn ran, he heard the Gardeners shouting his name.

Quinn fled for the Taldan border, knowing that there was now a price on his head. Yet despite all he'd lost, he found himself laughing—for here, in this tragic debacle, he had finally discovered a sense of satisfaction he'd been missing his whole life. He had upheld the law and defended the innocent in spite of government negligence and corruption. By working outside the legal system, he'd helped guide it back toward a righteous path. And he wanted more.

Thus began a new chapter in Quinn's life. Roaming the nations of the Inner Sea, he constantly keeps an ear out for allegations of unjust accusations or abuses of power. When he finds one, he investigates the case himself, using a lifetime of association with law enforcement agents and detective agencies like The Sleepless to help him ferret out the truth. If the legal system seems fair, he often shows up unexpectedly at the court proceedings, presenting sworn evidence and acting as defending counsel for the accused. If he finds a court to be corrupt, he takes a more direct hand in protecting the innocent. While he respects the law, he also knows that people are imperfect, and that breaking local laws is sometimes necessary in order to uphold more universal ones. Of course, his meddling is rarely popular with the opposition, and so Quinn generally moves along as soon as he's seen justice done and taken steps to ensure that the victim won't suffer further abuses.

Quinn is a genial, gentlemanly sort, quick with a joke and able to fit easily into both high society and low. His well-honed analytical mind is capable of astounding feats of logic and deduction, and he's fond of sharpening it still further with alchemical extracts learned from his parents and his own personal studies. While formidable in combat, he uses a sword cane so as not to unduly tip off his enemies to his abilities, believing that the best weapon is the one your foe never sees coming. He's loyal to his friends, and sometimes seems to have a connection in every town, yet is also wary of associating too long or too openly with his allies, knowing that his fight for justice has made him unpopular with various powerful factions.

Though now well into middle age, Quinn has no intentions of slowing down. As he's fond of telling companions, "a man needs only three things to change the world: a quick wit, a righteous heart, and a stylish coat."

James L. Sutter
Managing Editor

The Tides of Blood!

by Lucien Soulban

Chapter One: Misadventure Is Our Name

Earth and sky rumbled, the hellish magma-filled fissures radiating out from the necromancer's crumbling manse.

Darvin pulled himself up, hand over hand, from one of the terrible rents as more of the stronghold fell into the inferno. A tower tumbled and broke not a dozen feet from them, showering the cleft with bricks and certain death. Darvin ignored the sweltering heat, intent on saving the plump maiden on his back, her ebony arms around his neck, her squeals of panic tickling his ears.

Fife, his halfling companion, was already standing over them, pulling Darvin up with as much muster as his diminutive strength allowed. Suddenly, Fife screamed and pointed past Darvin. A mass of amputated hands, animated by the necromancer Malificar, crawled out from the labyrinth of passageways exposed by the fissures and tremors.

"There must be hundreds of them!" Fife said as Darvin cleared the edge of the fault with the maiden Charlotte in tow.

Darvin only needed to glance at the hands that scrabbled and vaulted up the rock wall to know, "Five-hundred and forty hands to be precise."

"How many arrows do you have left?" Fife asked.

"Two," Darvin said through gritted teeth. "I'll make them count."

A deep rumble shook the land and almost sent the trio to the ground. The tremors widened the fissures, a blast of heat like the breath of some dragon smelling of sulfur and hot death with a side order of rancid. Charlotte squeezed his arm and pressed it between her bosoms.

"What's happening?" she screamed.

Darvin looked into her soft black eyes and stroked her cheek. He said nothing, but his eyes spoke volumes and promised: Ignore the flood of hands cresting the fissures with the sole intent of adding six new hands to their numbers. You're safe with me, Darvin, now. By the way, this is my half-brother, Fife.

She nodded calmly but Fife screamed, "Run!" Two dozen feet ahead of the half-brothers and the woman, the ground burst open and giant fingers emerged from below, each as large as a human knight, and armored too. The fingers dragged the giant amputated hand out from the manse's undercroft, digging trench-like troughs in the soil. The large monstrosity blocked their escape.

"The Hand of Malificar!" Fife said.

Darvin surveyed the dire situation. Behind them skittered hundreds of hands, ready to slice them with bladed fingers before overtaking the sleeping town below. Ahead, the enlarged appendage of the very necromancer they'd just killed blocked their escape.

"Well, old friend," Darvin said, drawing his bow. "Looks like things have finally gotten out of hand."

∗ ∗ ∗

Everyone stared at Darvin, blinking uncertainly. Tankards thunked wood softly, voices murmured, the smell of clove ham wafted from the kitchen and mixed with the rich tobacco smoke of long pipes.

"Looks like things have finally gotten out of hand," Darvin repeated more slowly. Again, no reaction. Darvin glanced at Fife. "Uh."

"You're not speaking their language," Fife whispered. He pushed his chair out, careful to avoid the steady drips from the ceiling.

"Aren't we all speaking Taldane?" Darvin asked.

"Honestly," Fife said, shaking his head. The halfling looked at the crowd of mill workers who now stared at him. "What my brother meant to say was"—Fife lowered his voice in the best impression of Darvin he could muster—"Fife, old friend, our asses are on the chopping block."

Cries of "Oh!" and "Why didn't he say so," exploded from around the table, the listeners suddenly all smiles and laughter. "Go on!" others cheered, encouraging Darvin.

Darvin glanced at Fife, his expression wide and lost.

"The Lumber Consortium rules here," Fife explained with a smile. "Know your audience."

"Save me!" Darvin hissed.

"With what? My, um, what did you call it? Ah yes, ‘diminutive strength?'" Before Darvin could respond, Fife headed deeper into the crowd, blissfully ignoring him.

"Go on!" a patron demanded. "Get to the plump wench!"

Fife chuckled and moved out of earshot, sidling closer to the rock-rimmed fire pit in the center of the Sawhorse Inn's common room as the fire drove the damp cold from his bones. The others seated around the flames looked miserable. The river town of Oregent survived on schedule and order, but the long rains had muted the complicated system of bells that regulated the lives of Oregentans (Orangutans? he wondered). Now the rain-pregnant waters of the Arthrosh River had overrun their boundaries and flooded the mills and lumberyards.

In short, life for the highly regulated employees of the Lumber Consortium had been thrown into chaos. No work meant no money, no money among the commerce-savvy citizens meant no investments or earnings. That left them to brood and squabble.

A low argument slowly filtered into Fife's consciousness, the words becoming clearer over the thrum of rain and the crackle of fire.

"The clattering take you both!" a woman proclaimed. "I tell you we're in for trouble."

Fife turned to the exchange, trying not to eavesdrop, but curious. A human woman with wide shoulders, black hair, and the arms of a mill worker sat with a burly man with a wild red mane for a beard and a gray-haired gnome woman who smoked on a long cork pipe and blew smoke from her button nose.

"It's a flood," the man said. "Nothing anyone can do about it."

"It'll be a week before my employees can work and that's after the rains end." The human woman bit her thumb.

"You and everyone else," the gnome replied, taking sage puffs from her pipe. "But the Consortium is primed for a shake-up. Perhaps not among the inner guilds, no, but among the cousin guilds there's room for expansion, growth... acquisition for Woodland Enterprises." The gnome's gold eyes glittered.

"You're talking about reopening the mills before anyone else does," the man said.

"I'm talking about stealing contracts out from under some of your rivals. Like Dannigan Lumber?"

"But that would mean predicting when the floods will retreat," the man argued, "and not even Dannigan can do that until someone reaches the blasted knife gates."

The trio at the table fell silent and Fife almost drifted away from the table when the human woman cursed softly: "Damn monsters."

Fife was instantly at their table with a smile and a heart beating fast at the mention of...

"Monsters?"

The gnome waved Fife off. "Go away, child. This is grownup talk."

"Hey!" Fife said, indignantly. He showed them the soft hair on the roof of his feet. "I'm halfling."

"As I said," the gnome replied, smiling sharply.

"You're the same height as me!"

"Whatever you're selling, we're not buying," the man said, barely glancing at Fife.

Fife grinned sweetly. "I'm offering my brother's and my services as experienced monster hunters."

"The last ‘hunters' who entered the sewers included a wizard—" the woman began, but Fife interrupted her.

"Our work is pro bono, payable at completion of the contract against five percent projected gross earnings of your mill over a one-month period, in addition to operating expenses for equipment and a food allowance."

All three eyed Fife through squinted and suddenly wary eyes. The human woman leaned forward. "One percent against one week's projected gross earnings, and an allowance limit of 10 coppers a day."

The four of them were quiet, staring at one another like gladiators wielding their favorite weapons of war. Fife cracked his knuckles and smiled in anticipation of the coming fight...

∗ ∗ ∗

Years later (or perhaps an hour later; it was hard to tell when it came to Fife), Darvin would remember the moment with horrible clarity, his mind refusing to forget. It was inexorable, like one of the three certain tragedies in life: Death, taxes, and Fife's desperate need for adventure.

Darvin remembered regaling the Sawhorse Inn with his exploits in "Malificar and the Hands of Doom," the audience enraptured by his skill in hand-puppetry and how it made shadows on the wall. Then, in mid-pantomime of his great battle against the legion of hands (and honestly, if anything shadow puppets were made for was the showing of a war of hands), Darvin turned to see...

...Fife extending his arm to shake the hand of a seated woman. A sudden dread hollowed him. He bolted from his chair all too slowly, as though trapped in amber, like time congealing. He extended his arm out, his mouth opening to scream, "Nooooooo—"

The chair clattered to the ground in slow motion, Darvin pushing past patrons. Drinks flew from their hands, Orengentans (or was that Orangutans?) pushed backward as Darvin barreled past them and Fife gripped the woman's hands.

"—oooooooooo—" Darvin continued. He brushed by the serving wench, upending her tray and marveling for a moment at the sparkling rain of mead and ale that hung in the air. Fife's hand began pumping the woman's hand in return.

"—ooooooooo!" Darvin leapt and skidded across a tabletop, arriving at Fife's side just in time to hear the halfling conclude with the three words Darvin feared most.

"It's a deal."

∗ ∗ ∗

"I don't see the problem," Fife complained as they made their way through the wet streets.

The rain had polished the cobblestones slick, but closer to the river, Darvin knew they'd start hitting the flooded and muck-covered streets. He wanted to punish his brother with good dose of the silent treatment, but he was too angry. From beneath his hood he glared at the halfling.

"We discussed this," Darvin said. "We deal in stories. That fiasco with the hands," he said, waggling his fingers. "We agreed after that, no more misadventures."

"No more misadventures!" Fife said, cheering.

Dannigan Lumber doesn't mess around when dealing with competitors.

"Fife! We're not cut out for the real thing!"

"This won't be like that business with the hands. Ah!" Fife glanced down at the iron grate set by the side of the road. "This should be it. Help me."

Fife removed the iron spanner from under his cloak and wedged it between the grate's bars.

"You're beyond help," Darvin said and sniffed. He refused to budge and he refused to be budged.

Fife shrugged and used the spanner as a fulcrum with his body as the weight. For a moment he hung there, his feet scurrying through the air, before the grate shifted. Fife struggled it off the hole and peered down while cinching the cloak tighter around his body, shifting his backpack and books.

"Ooo," Fife said, but Darvin refused to be baited. "Look."

"It's a sewer."

"It's a flood drain."

"Where the sewers empty. I am not swimming in that."

"We won't," Fife said, grinning. "There's a small boat down there. The mill owner said so."

"Then let her go sailing in that." Darvin motioned toward the hole.

"She'll be grateful," Fife sang.

"So?"

"She's plump."

Darvin swallowed hard and shook his head. "No, I don't care how plump she is. We're not—"

A chuckle interrupted them. A stranger seemed to materialize out of the rain, his wide shoulders cloaked in gray, his face hooded but for the stub of small tusks poking out past his thick, green lips.

Half-orc, Darvin realized as the stranger spoke.

"Are you the agents of Woodland Enterprises?" the half-orc asked with a voice as grizzled as his chin.

"No," Darvin said.

"Yes," Fife said at the same time.

The cloak split open. "Then Dannigan Lumber regrets it must terminate your position!" His hand flashed out and Darvin watched in horror as the blade struck Fife in the chest.

Fife looked down as well, startled and pained. "My... book," he gasped, opening his wool cloak to reveal an impaled journal in his breast pocket.

The half-orc snarled and flung another dagger with the flick of his wrist. Darvin tried to push Fife out of the way and only succeeded in spinning him around. The dagger struck Fife in the back.

"My other book!" Fife cried. "He's after my books!"

"He's after us, you idiot!" Darvin shouted back and, before he could reconsider, pushed himself and Fife into the exposed hole. Darkness surrounded them, and the roar of the flooded sewers enveloped them...

Coming Next Week: The perilous sewers beneath Oregent in Chapter Two of Lucien Soulban's "The Tides of Blood!"

Lucien Soulban is an accomplished fantasy and science fiction author who's written shared-world fiction for White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast, Black Library, and more, including the novels Blood In, Blood Out and The Alien Sea. For more information, visit his website at www.luciensoulban.com.

Illustration by Michael Rookard

Advanced Class Guide Preview: Swashbuckler

Tuesday, June 2, 2014

Illustration by Igor Grechanyi

As a kid, I spent a good chunk of my weekend hours watching just about anything that had swashbuckler goodness. Pirates, musketeers, and masked avengers were among the first sparks that ignited my fledgling imagination. When we set out to design the swashbuckler class our chief goal was to create a class that was fun in that Errol Flynn sort of way, while creating enough room for the many fine swashbuckler variants that have appeared in the many decades after Captain Blood.

Even before playtesting began, we designed two versions of the class. Like all of the classes appearing in the Advanced Class Guide, the swashbuckler is a hybrid class—a class with mechanics and sometimes theme rooted in two existing classes—specifically a hybrid of fighter and gunslinger. One of the pre-playtest version was heavy on fighter, the second was heavy on gunslinger, but we soon discovered that the latter variant was a lot more fun, as we reskinned grit to panache, and were able to create deeds that were both useful and iconic...including the very fun derring-do feat that grants an extra d6 boost with the possibility of exploding dice (if you roll a 6 on that roll you gain another d6 boost) when using Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, or Swim checks.

During the playtest, feedback granted us a wealth of information that allowed us to fine-tune the class. We wanted the class to be true to its roots, but to have enough room for players to create their own take on this daring warrior classic. To this end, we made it relatively easy to gain Dexterity modifier damage and benefit classes nifty precise strike precision damage deed with a variety of weapons through the class itself, by way of multiclassing, and through feats (try the Snake Style feat from Ultimate Combat with the precise strike deed to get your swashbuckler/kung fu fusion on).

The playtest also gave us feedback on which abilities were good, but not quite good enough for a true swashbuckler. For example, in the original iteration of derring-do, you had to spend panache and use the deed before you made the skill check. The finally ability allows you to use it after making the check, but before the results are revealed, making it more evocative and useful.

With the fine-tuning of class abilities complete, we moved on to archetypes, which allowed us create fun and interesting variants on the theme. In the book you’ll find (among others) the flying blade (hint: the blade are flying, not the swashbuckler, unless the wizard decides to do her a solid), the mysterious avenger (so you can make your own flavor of Zorro), and the picaroon (for those of you who like a little bang-bang alongside your flashing blade). Add this to the various combat and panache feats along with magic items tailor made for the swashbuckler, and you will find a lot of options to make exactly the swashbuckler that you always wanted to play.

Needless to say, if you like your heroes with light armor, a sharp rapier, an even shaper wit, and more than a few tricks up your sleeve, we think you’re going to enjoy the swashbuckler at least as much as we enjoyed designing her.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer

On Completing 14 Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Products in Two Weeks

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Illustration by Daryl Mandryk

Protip: That is insane, and don't ever do it. There. Don't say no one ever warned you.

But after sending the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set, its Character Add-On Deck, the S&S Adventure Decks #2—6, and the first seven Class Decks to the printer, I have some observations that I'd like to share. I'll ask Tanis, Chad, and Gaby to go deeper into the details of each product in the coming months, but I'd like PACG fans to hear some more global thoughts from me.

First off, we're all in. This is an immense product line now, and we're going to do everything we can to keep it on your gaming table. We're deep in design of the third Adventure Path, and we're plotting out the fourth. Our job is to keep giving you reasons to keep playing, and we take that job very seriously.

That means not resting on our laurels. We don't want a carbon copy of Rise of the Runelords with some different chrome on top. Skull & Shackles will require you to strategize differently, to use skills and make checks differently, to build your decks differently, and to advance your character differently. Where Runelords had one scenario per adventure that was atypical in its format, S&S has quite a bit more. You won't see what's coming, and that's going to make it harder to win the game, and we hope you'll like that.

We also want you to see yourself differently. Instead of just our base 11 iconic characters, these products will get us up to 40 uniquely named characters—and even the new versions of familiar faces will play differently from those of Runelords. As of August, you'll have more than 100 role cards available. And there's a personality shift as well: As a general rule, our base 11 iconics are pretty nice people. Not all of our new characters are nice. Some are borderline nasty. We want you to be able to play whatever you want.

We're going to give those characters a lot to play. The weekly organized play scenarios will roll out starting in the summer, and the character/scenario combinatorics are off the charts. (Seriously, we made those charts, and we're off of them.) We care a whole lot about our friendly local gaming stores and game conventions, and want to bring our brand of entertainment to all those places. Wherever you're surrounded by gamers, we'll be there.

We're making more things people want for the game. There are more S&S promos, including our first and most insane promo character. Ultra Pro is making character mats, card sleeves, adventure mats, and cases for the serious PACG player, all of which have subscriber discounts. These definitely change the play experience in positive ways. There are more fun things in the works, but Vic would hit me with a gaffi stick if I said anything about them.

We're also making a commitment to a living rulebook. We've now got more than 1,500 uniquely named cards for the game (roughly equal to the first four years of Magic: The Gathering), and they all interact in fascinating ways. So that means the rulebook needs to handle everything the game throws at it. That means it's getting bigger, and is unlikely to get smaller any time soon. It'll be updated a few times a year, and each set's rulebook will supersede the previous set's rulebook, modulo any rules unique to that set (e.g., S&S's ships). We want everything to work with everything else, and so we'll stay on top of the forums and address any issues people come across, changing the rules as needed. If you make that kind of commitment to us, we're going to make a similar commitment to you.

So that's it. After almost 2,000 cards passed through my hands in less than a month, I can see the future of this game. If you like it as much as I do, it'll be very bright indeed.

Mike Selinker
Designer, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game