Snagged from the Vault: The Final Wish

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Howdy Paizonians! As you may have noticed, there's been a dearth of blogs lately. You can blame that on the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, as almost all of the editorial staff (including the interns) are furiously working on getting the Bestiary ready for release and ensuring that other projects (such as the one that bears this cover!) stay on schedule. It's a busy and exciting time, but it means that blogs may be sparse for a little while. Still, Hank and I will do our best to make sure that you have something new to enjoy every day (or almost every day) here on the blog! In the meantime, here's some art! Enjoy Jesper Ejsing's awesome cover for Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #24: The Final Wish, in which a poor sitarist is skewered by a brass golem's sword.

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Snagged from the Vault: Grand Sultan of the Efreet

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Behold! A portrait of the Grand Sultan of the Efreet, faithfully rendered by Ben Wooten. Look for the grand sultan within the pages of "The City of Brass" in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #23: The Impossible Eye.

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Illustration by David Bircham

Half-Elf, All Druid, No Tree Hugging

Monday, April 20, 2009

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

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

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

Sometimes the creative process takes interesting turns.

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

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

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

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

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

Elaine Cunningham
Contributor

Hunting the Planes

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

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

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Snagged from the Vault: Genie Binder

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

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

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

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

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Snagged from the Vault: Two-Headed Ruhk

Thursday, April 9, 2009

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

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

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Artist: Concept Art House

Snagged from the Vault: Pathfinder #21—The Jackal's Price

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Once again, the foolhardy Purloiners have braved the depths of the Vault of the Golem to bring you, our faithful readers, a glimpse of the future. Featured here today is the cover of Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21—The Jackal's Price. Enjoy it, dear readers, before the Golem returns to claim his prize...

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

A strange artifact discovered in the belly of an ancient ruin has all of Katapesh intrigued. Yet none can decipher the strange markings, nor confirm much about the scroll's purpose beyond the fact that the magic it contains is powerful indeed. In order to learn more, a trip to the sprawling market city of Katapesh itself must be mounted. Yet others want the map for themselves—scheming merchants eager to make their fortunes with its sale, enraged gnolls eager to reclaim what they feel rightfully belongs to them, and even a sinister hidden society willing to murder to claim the treasure as its own. What could be hidden within that could drive so many to such desperate acts of violence and mayhem? Is this artifact truly the one and only Scroll of Kakishon, and does the one who controls it control an entire world?

Roots & Beginnings: Genies of Golarion

Monday, March 2, 2009

One of the perks about being an intern at Paizo is that I have the privilege of reading and editing Pathfinder material that I would normally peruse in my free time. In my first week here at Paizo, in fact, I was handed a manuscript for an article that will be appearing in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21, "The Jackal's Price." This article describes the various cultures of genies and legends surrounding geniekind, and should prove very useful for those GMs seeking to expand their players' encounters with these mythological creatures in the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path. I had a chance to speak with Wes recently about the historical and mythological sources that were referenced in the creation of Golarion's genies.

One of the most comprehensive sources is The Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern Mythology and Religion by Jan Knappert. In the pages of this reference guide, sandwiched between the entries for Jilani and Jiris (the Arabic form of the name George, apparently), is a fairly long explanation of jinns. Knappert explains that in Islamic countries, spirits are divided among jinns, shaytans, ifrits, and marids, and that in Ancient Persia some jinns and other evil spirits were referred to as div (which also have a role as a new breed of fiends in Legacy of Fire). The entry goes on to illustrate examples of genies from myth, for instance, Knappert explains that many jinns "have ugly and terrifying forms" as a result of God's curse for copulating with animals.

Another source that was referenced is Everyman's Dictionary of Non-Classical Mythology by Egerton Sykes. Among other things, this book was used as a reference to further develop the shaitans, the new earth-based genie that was created as a replacement for closed-content earth genies. The brief entry explains that shaitan was the Islamic name for devil, and the it also "applied to the third species of jinn."

Wikipedia also proved to be an invaluable font of (sometimes questionable) knowledge about genies and Middle Eastern mythology in general. In the entry for ifrit, for example, an ifrit is described as "an enormous winged creature of smoke, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins." The entry goes on to explain, "While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them." Already sounding like RPG text, entries like this can do a lot to spark GMs' imaginations.

Hopefully these sources can serve as a launching pad for your own investigations into the nature of the always-unpredictable and dangerous genies and can inspire you to flesh out the nature of genies in your own games. You can also look forward to a detailed exploration of genies and their society showing up in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21. Also check out Jesper Ejsing's djinni illustration appearing on the cover of that volume. He starts a series of four cover characters who, while not necessarily specific personalities in the Adventure Path, epitomize the genies featuring prominently in each.

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Illustration by Tyler Walpole

Snagged from the Vault: Pathfinder #20—House of the Beast

Thursday, February 26, 2009

At much risk to ourselves, my colleague and I braved the defenses of Paizo's well-guarded vault to bring you, our loyal readers, this exclusive preview of Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #20, House of the Beast. Now we must flee, before our pursuers discover us...

Sunlord Thalachos is Sarenrae's favorite angel, liaison to the mortal world, the hosts of astral devas, and the ranks of superior angels (including the Empyreal Lords). At 8 feet tall and 300 pounds, he is an impressive figure with a rich baritone voice, always speaking with clarity and precision. His metallic skin is as hard as steel to any that wish to do him harm, but as soft as velvet to anyone kind, merciful, and good. He is the champion of the Dawnflower in Golarion and her favorite weapon against the spawn of Rovagug (though she only calls upon him for this when no mortal heroes are available). Before the death of Aroden he often delivered prophecies on behalf of the goddess, and several stories in The Birth of Light and Truth were penned by oracles whom he personally escorted through Sarenrae's realm. Now the only similar duty he bears is appearing at auspicious births.

Look for the full article on Sunlord Thalachos in Pathfinder #20's bestiary, along with the full description of Sarenrae's faith!

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

Pathfinder in 3D!

Monday, February 23, 2009

One of the more exciting things about working on Pathfinder is that, now and then, other companies have great ideas on how to augment and enhance what we're doing. With the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, please welcome WorldWorksGames to the Pathfinder fold! WorldWorksGames provides some incredible 3D paper dungeons, and with each Legacy of Fire adventure, they'll be providing a fold-up, miniatures-scale presentation of one of the key dungeons or areas featured in that volume's adventure. The first one presents the Ruined Undercrypt of Kelmarane—a dangerous dungeon players of the first adventure, "Howl of the Carrion King," will get to explore during the adventure's climax.

We've already shown off some of the images of the Ruined Undercrypt—here are a few more, and perhaps even more importantly, the helpful guys at WorldWorksGames have created an instruction book on how to set the dungeon up. So, if you'd like a better idea of what it's like to build a dungeon for your PCs to adventure in, download the building instructions (37 MB zip PDF) for the Ruined Undercrypt of Kelmarane now!

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

The Ruined Undercrypt of Kelmarane

Monday, February 9, 2009

Anticipation for the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path is at an all-time high at the Paizo offices, and it seems like every day brings a new piece of art, an exciting manuscript, or a fabulously evil idea related to the forthcoming campaign. The latest earthquake of interest occurred when our partners over at WorldWorksGames sent us images of their very first downloadable Pathfinder Terrain kit: The Ruined Undercrypt of Kelmarane.

Kelmarane is the village rescued by the player characters in the very first Legacy of Fire installment, "Howl of the Carrion King," which hits in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #19. I'm especially thrilled with the new kit because I designed Kelmarane and the first Legacy of Fire adventure a few months ago, and have been not-so-patiently awaiting the release of my first adventure since Dungeon #124's "The Whispering Cairn," the first installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path. When running that adventure for an all-star group of Paizo staffers I had to draw out my maps on a boring old set of blank tiles. The idea of springing my hideous traps and near-unfair villains on my workmates in a beautiful 3D dungeon crafted by the guys at WorldWorksGames... well, it's almost enough to bring tears to my monocular messageboard avatar's unwinking eye.

Feast your eyes on these early preview images of The Ruined Undercrypt of Kelmarane and gear up for the most exciting and fantastical campaign to hit Pathfinder since the day we released the very first volume! And I'm only partially saying that because looking at the dungeon in 3D makes it easier to imagine my friends' miniatures sprawled prone upon its flagstones like so much lifeless meat.

To arms, fellow Pathfinder GMs! To arms!

Erik Mona
Publisher

"Takin' it Easy" Uncontest Winners!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Okay. Wow, check out that "Takin' it Easy" Unthread (or, if you're at work, maybe don't). There's more than 300 posts on there, most being some really hilarious captions for the scandalous scene from Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21. Totally a hard decision, but at the end of the day the caption that had the editorial pit most in stitches was James Martain's short but sweet:

"Dear Pathfinder letters..."

James picked up a few free PDFs for his hilarity. We've got a few worth some extra special mentions, though! Thanks for everybody who posted. Really funny stuff everybody, thanks for playing along!

Little did his friends know that Exren's arcane eye functioned perfectly well underwater.

Merisiel: "Hey, is Wrinkles dead?! I'm taking his stuff!"

For weeks Sajan had suffered the jibes and taunts of the others. However, by not inviting him to the pool party, they had gone too far.

F. Wesley Schneider
Pathfinder Managing Editor

Illustration by David Bircham

Legacy of Fire Outline

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

With Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #19, we launch the fourth campaign set in the world of Golarion. Legacy of Fire features jilted genies, bestial gnolls, sinister merchants, and the legacy of the Rough Beast Rovagug in an Adventure Path intended to bring to Pathfinder a sense of the tales of Sinbad, the Arabian Nights, and the mythology from the Middle East. If you're looking forward to GMing this new Adventure Path, check out the free preview of Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #19 we've posted—the complete outline and backstory for the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path! NOTE: It doesn't get much more spoilerrific than this, folks, so if you're intending to be a player in this Adventure Path, you should probably not look any further!

Legacy of Fire Campaign Outline (840 KB zip PDF)

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Pathfinder "Takin' It Easy" Caption UnContest

Monday, February 2, 2009

In just over 20 issues of Pathfinder we've put our 12 iconic heroes through a lot. Pathfinder volume #4 features Seoni getting knocked off a cliff, Pathfinder volume #11 sees Lem getting strangled, and in Pathfinder volume #18 Lini gets abandoned by her allies (and her kitty!). So yeah, we're a little rough on those guys. So, in Pathfinder volume #21, we give them a little break. Check it out. (Forewarning, this is arguably NSFW).

Once you're done ogling Valeros, here's the deal. Until Friday we'll be accepting captions for this piece on the "Takin' It Easy" UnThread. We'll hook up whoever writes the caption that makes us laugh hardest with a free PDF or... something (we're still working out the details). Regardless, it'll be something cool. One caption per entrant please (that counts aliases as well).

So there you go! Write down what comes to mind (try to keep it PG–13 rated) and maybe we'll hook you up with something! Yeah, there aren't a lot of details, but we're playing things fast and loose 'cause we thought it'd be fun. Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

F. Wesley Schneider
Pathfinder Managing Editor

Divs: Daemons of the Desert

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

With Pathfinder #19, "Howl of the Carrion King," the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path introduces the first in a new breed of fiendish terror: the divs. Drawn from Persian lore, divs are neutral evil fiends born from the souls of fallen genies. Where the daemons of Abbadon seek to harvest souls from the Material Plane, divs seek to cause hardship, making mortal existence as painful as any hellish afterlife. Researched and designed by Adam Daigle, expect to see a new div every month, from the wicked-tongued doru (illustrated here by Eric Lofgren) to Ahriman, supreme lord of the div race. While wildly different, every div bears certain similarities. From Pathfinder #19, check out the fiends' nefarious traits:

The Nature of Divs

Divs are a race of fiends native to Abaddon that exist only to cause harm and destruction. They are closely related to daemons and the other fiends of the Outer Planes, though many planar scholars believe them to be descended from the spirits of the first evil genies. These creatures vary in power, yet all have similar traits that link them.

Divs commonly speak Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal.

Div Traits: A div possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in the creature's entry).
—Immunity to fire and poison.
—Resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10.
—See in Darkness (Su) Some divs can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.
—Summon (Sp) Some divs share the ability to summon others of their kind (the success chance and type of divs summoned are noted in each monster description).
—Telepathy.

That's right, you can never, ever have enough fiends.

F. Wesley Schneider
Pathfinder Managing Editor

Artist: Eric Lofgren

Artist: Kevin Yan

Pathfinder: Goat vs. Chupacabra Edition

Monday, January 5, 2009

No one will believe me when I say this, but I absolutely did not plan to have Pathfinder #19 contain not only the Golarion version of the notorious chupacabra, but also a relatively significant goat NPC. The goat in question is a hapless chap named Rombard, and he's menaced not by chupacabras but by something else entirely in this volume's adventure, "Howl of the Carrion King," but that doesn't mean he can't be worried about the goat-suckers that are lurking later on in the same volume's bestiary.

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Paizo Invades the Atomic Array

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Over at the Atomic Array, Rone Barton and Ed Healy have created a great podcast that should interest everyone who's a gamer. A brief look through their recent episodes sees topics such as Shadows of Cthulhu, Kobold Quarterly, Gen Con, and as of episode #11, Pathfinder!

This episode of the Atomic Array features myself, Jason Bulmahn, and Josh Frost getting interviewed about all matter of things Paizo, from Pathfinder and the upcoming Legacy of Fire Adventure Path to the Pathfinder RPG Beta playtest and more. Check it out!

James Jacobs
Editor-in-Chief

Legacy of Fire

Friday, December 5, 2008

Although Second Darkness is only two-thirds of the way to being out on store shelves, we here at Paizo are already heading deep into the fourth Adventure Path. The cover art for the first installment, Pathfinder #19's "Howl of the Carrion King," just came in, and while you can check out the actual cover over at the Paizo store, I thought it'd be cool to show off some of the new art here on its own! With Legacy of Fire, Jesper Ejsing joins the ranks of Pathfinder cover artists—I can't wait to see what he comes up with as the adventures grow increasingly genie-riffic!

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief