I Smell the Blood of a Player Character

Thursday, June 11, 2015

The first three volumes of the Giantslayer Adventure Path are out in the wild, and in a short time the fourth volume, Pathfinder Adventure Path #94: Ice Tomb of the Giant Queen will be hitting stores and subscribers' doorsteps (and downloads). Hopefully, if you're not playing though this campaign, some of you have been living vicariously through the Order of the Amber Die by reading along and looking at all the amazing pictures they have been sharing with us all from their marathon sessions. (If not, go check it out now: Giantslayer Marathon: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)

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Illustrations by Johan Grenier and Miguel Regodon Harkness.

It's been a wild and dangerous ride so far filled with towering odds and heavy hitters, and that's not about to stop. In fact, things are just going to get harder for your PCs as we step up the ranks of the giants.

Illustrations by Johan Grenier and Ekaterina Maximovich

Here are some of the things you'll encounter in the second half of the campaign. In Pathfinder Adventure Path #94: Ice Tomb of the Giant Queen the PCs have to take on a frost giant village and later on they come across one of the more rare types of giants in the Inner Sea.

Illustrations by Johan Grenier and Eric Belisle

Then, in Pathfinder Adventure Path #95: Anvil of Fire, the PCs assault an elite fire giant training facility in their way to finding the Storm Tyrant. The PCs also get a chance to put a hellhound in a headlock.

Illustrations by Aleksey Bayura and Yigit Koroglu

Wrapping things up (assuming everyone is still alive) Pathfinder Adventure Path #96: Shadow of the Storm Tyrant gives the PCs a chance to finally put an end to the Storm Tyrant's ambitious push at starting a new giant empire and subjugating the smaller folk of Avistan. Along the way the PCs encounter evil cloud giants and some new strange creatures, and hopefully emerge alive and victorious.

Illustration by Roberto Pitturru

Oh, remember when we said that there were more than just giants in this Adventure Path? Yeah, there are dragons too.

Adam Daigle
Developer

2014 Art Review

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

As we close out 2014, I wanted to end on a high note and give you one last year-end blog. I went to our Managing Art Director Sarah Robinson and Senior Art Director Andrew Vallas to get some help rounding up some favorite illustrations from the past year. Seeing how great their selections were, I also asked various members of our editorial team to pick a few of their own favorites to add. So here are some of our best illustrations from 2014!

Let's start off with some covers! The above are selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Developer John Compton.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Treasures Illustrated by Igor Grechanyi,
Pathfinder Module: Plunder and Peril Illustrated by Kiki Moch Rizky, and Pathfinder Player Companion: Alchemy Manual Illustrated by Kerem Beyit

Monsters and gods are up next! The above selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrations by Subroto Bhaumik and Jason Rainville, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustration by Johan Grenier,
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Mysteries Illustration by Ralph Horsley, and Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Yu Cheng Hong

Brigh and Zyphus are two of the many Golarion deities featured this year. The above selections were made by Adam Daigle and myself.

Pathfinder Adventure Path #86: Lords of Rust Illustration by Johan Grenier, and Pathfinder Adventure Path #89: Palace of Fallen Stars Illustration by Matias Tapia

And to round out this art blog, some portraits of deities, monsters and important characters of 2014!
The above selections were made by Andrew, Associate Editor Judy Bauer, Editor Ryan Macklin, Developer Rob McCreary, and Managing Editor James L. Sutter

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak,
Pathfinder Adventure Path #84: Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh Illustration by Johan Grenier, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Maichol Quinto, and
Pathfinder Tales: The Redemption Engine Illustration by Eric Belisle

What was your favorite piece of Pathfinder art from 2014?

Mark Moreland
Developer

Confessions of a Recovering Paizo Blog Addict

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Hello. My name is Mark, and I'm a recovering Paizo Blog addict.

When the Paizo Blog first started back in spring 2007, I was new to the Pathfinder fan community, and to be honest, Pathfinder wasn't even a thing. I rarely read it, because I wasn't quite sure what the people who made my favorite magazines thought they were doing making D&D content that wasn't officially approved and licensed as canon and therefore allowable in my game (yeah, I was one of those gamers). I read the blog occasionally, but that was it.

Then I started working (rather obsessively, I might add) on Pathfinder Wiki, and suddenly the blog was really useful, super exciting, and checking it daily became a big priority. Big isn't even the right word. I used to check religiously every day at blog time for the latest update so that I could add any newly revealed hints or secrets to the wiki, whether that was a spoiler about the monsters that were going to appear in a new Pathfinder Adventure Path volume or an image of Aroden creating Absalom.

Now, it should be noted that at this time, blogs were scheduled to go live at midnight. I was then living in New York City, so that was 3 AM where I was. And like the dedicated fan-boy I was, I stayed up until 3 to be the first to comment on each one, then I'd go promptly to bed. When there wasn't a blog or it wasn't on time, I got upset that I'd waited all night and forgone sleep for nothing. So entitled was I that I created an alias called Blog Police to remind the fine folks at Paizo that they'd "forgotten" a blog or neglected to include art in it that I could use under the Community Use Policy.

Oh how things change!

All this is to say that today's blog is being written after it was supposed to go live at noon. I'm sorry if anyone in Sydney has been waiting for a 3 AM blog. Here it is! And it's got art! And it's a preview of an upcoming book, Pathfinder Adventure Path #87: The Choking Tower by Ron Lundeen! Plus, a bonus wallpaper for download!

Illustrations by Maichol Quinto and Wayne Reynolds. Download the widescreen version of the wallpaper here.

Illustrations by Johan Grenier, Maichol Quinto, and Miguel Regodón Harkness

Ron's been a staple of many Pathfinder lines for several years now, but this is his first adventure path volume. Here are a few of the choicest pieces of art from the book, selected by yours truly based on which I like the most and/or feel would be most useful to the wiki. Enjoy!

Mark Moreland
Developer

Wrapping Up the Mummy's Mask

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I know what you're thinking. "Another Mummy's Mask blog? We're totally in Iron Gods mode now! Show me robots, darn it!" And you're right. We released the final chapter of the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path a few months ago now, and this month are releasing the second chapter in its follow-up AP, Iron Gods. That's why now is the perfect time to release a bunch of art from Mummy's Mask. We now have the entire AP to go through in search of the best pieces of art to release to the public, either as potential desktop backgrounds, or to use in a publication or on a website using the Community Use Policy.

Here are some of my favorite images from Mummy's Mask (and a couple from People of the Sands). I have it on good authority that the holy symbols of all the gods in the Ancient Osirian pantheon will soon be added to the Community Use Package, otherwise I'd have included them here. So enjoy one last trip through the sands of Osirion!

Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak and Florian Stitz

Illustrations by Johan Grenier, Vicky Yarova, and Damon Westenhofer

Illustrations by Johan Grenier and Jared Blando

Mark Moreland
Developer

Clash With the Lords of Rust

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Illustration by Johan Grenier

As the release date for Pathfinder Adventure Path #86: "Lords of Rust" nears, I thought I'd share a few details on what readers can expect. I don't want to spoil too much about the adventure itself, so I'll mention that it takes place in a giant junkyard and the PCs have to navigate all sorts of dangers and complicated relationships between various gangs. It was also written by a maniac. Most people know him by his human name, Nicolas Logue.

This volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path also answers some questions that have been on people's minds for a while. An article about the Technic League, written by Jim Groves, resolves some questions about how that unscrupulous organization's history and talks a bit about how the group operates. Something else people have shown interest in over the years is the faith of Brigh, so we got Sean K Reynolds to cover the topic in a deity article about the goddess of clockwork, invention, and time. I'm really happy with how the article turned out and I can't wait until readers get their own copies of "Lords of Rust" in their hands. The volume is rounded out with the usual collection of monsters and the continuation of Amber E. Scott's Pathfinder Journal.

To sate your hunger until you can grab a copy, enjoy some of the wonderful art pieces of Brigh, her holy symbol, and a worshiper that shows up in this adventure. (I threw in a bonus dead technician just for the fun of it.)

Illustrations by Johan Grenier, Migueal Regodón, and Dmitry Burmak

Adam Daigle
Developer

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Osirion

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Since the Age of Destiny, the people of Osirion have worshiped their own local gods, in addition to those deities venerated throughout the Inner Sea region. The popularity of these Ancient Osirian gods has waxed and waned over the centuries, but they remain a part of the history of Osirion’s land and people, and with the restoration of native Osirian rule, interest in these ancient divinities has been rekindled.

Full details on the 20 major gods of the Ancient Osirian pantheon appear in Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves, but for those who might want to play a follower or worshiper of one of these deities in the Mummy’s Mask campaign, here’s a preview of the gods, their areas of concern, domains, and favored weapons. Plus, enjoy a sneak peek at three of the gods appearing in the article!

Deities of Ancient Osirion

Deity	AL	Areas of Concern	Domains	Favored Weapon
Anubis	LN	Burial, the dead, funeral rites, mummification, tombs	Death, Earth, Law, Protection, Repose	Flail
Apep	CE	Chaos, darkness, destruction, snakes	Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Evil, Scalykind	Dagger
Bastet	CN	Cats, pleasure, secrets	Animal, Chaos, Charm, Protection, Trickery	Cat’s claws (tekko-kagi)
Bes	NG	Households, luck, marriage, protection	Community, Earth, Good, Luck, Protection	Hunga munga
Hathor	CG	Dance, joy, love, music, the sky	Air, Chaos, Charm, Good, Travel	Short sword
Horus	LN	Rulership, the sky, the sun	Air, Animal, Law, Nobility, Sun	Khopesh
Isis	NG	Fertility, magic, motherhood, rebirth	Charm, Community, Good, Healing, Magic	Quarterstaff
Khepri	NG	Freedom, the rising sun, work	Artifice, Good, Liberation, Sun, Trickery	Sling
Maat	LN	Justice, law, order, truth	Knowledge, Law, Protection, Void, Weather	Starknife
Neith	NG	Hunting, war, weaving	Animal, Artifice, Good, War, Water	Shortbow
Nephthys	CN	Mourning, night, protection of the dead	Chaos, Charm, Community, Darkness, Protection	Light mace
Osiris	LG	Afterlife, fertility, rebirth, resurrection	Good, Healing, Law, Plant, Repose	Flail
Ptah	N	Architecture, craftsmanship, creation, metalworking	Artifice, Earth, Fire, Knowledge, Travel	Quarterstaff
Ra	LN	Creation, rulership, the sun	Fire, Glory, Law, Nobility, Sun	Spear
Sekhmet	CN	Fire, healing, vengeance, war	Chaos, Destruction, Fire, Healing, War	Battleaxe
Selket	CG	Embalming, healing, scorpions	Chaos, Good, Healing, Protection, Repose	Scorpion whip
Set	NE	Darkness, deserts, murder, storms	Darkness, Death, Evil, Madness, Weather	Spear
Sobek	CN	Crocodiles, fertility, military prowess, rivers	Chaos, Scalykind, Strength, War, Water	Falchion
Thoth	LN	Magic, the moon, wisdom, writing	Darkness, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Rune	Sickle
Wadjet	LG	Good serpents, the River Sphinx, wisdom	Good, Law, Protection, Travel, Water	Light mace

Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak and Johan Grenier

Rob McCreary
Senior Developer

Beyond the Labyrinth

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Last time we talked about the adventure in Pathfinder #77: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth, so this time around on the blog I’m going to share a bit about some of the other features.

Demodands have always seemed like the gross cousins of the other fiends. Fueled by hubris, the thanototic titans tried to make their own servants and worshipers, but only created twisted, foul creatures. In this volume of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, we explore the ecology of the demodand in an article by Amanda Hamon. Sean K Reynolds provides a look into the demon lord Baphomet and Robin D. Laws continues Sweet Ichor in the Pathfinder’s Journal. Among other Abyssal threats, the Pathfinder Bestiary contains stats for Baphomet, protectors of the Ivory Labyrinth, and a disgusting new demodand! Everything in the back half of the book can heighten the experience of the adventure, so pick up Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth now!

Illustrations by Johan Grenier. Ekaterina Burmak, and Jon Neimeister.

Adam Daigle
Developer