... Illustration by Daren Bader ... It's a Bug Hunt Wednesday, December 1, 2010When we ordered art for Lost Cities of Golarion, I criticized the wisdom of ordering a cover that was just Kyra fighting some bugs? ... Thanks to Daren Bader, I stand thoroughly corrected. ... Wes Schneider ... Managing Editor ...
Illustration by Daren Bader
It's a Bug Hunt
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
When we ordered art for Lost Cities of Golarion, I criticized the wisdom of ordering a cover that was just "Kyra fighting some bugs?"
Thanks to Daren Bader, I stand thoroughly corrected.
... We Have Ways of Making You Report Thursday, October 28, 2010Early this month I posed a challenge to the community to report their Pathfinder Society events in exchange for an extra-early preview of art from the forthcoming World Guide: The Inner Sea. Well, I'm overjoyed to report that the targets we set were the definition of an underestimate of what you folks were capable of. Not only did the number of events taking place in October surpass our monthly average, the total number of...
We Have Ways of Making You Report
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Early this month I posed a challenge to the community to report their Pathfinder Society events in exchange for an extra-early preview of art from the forthcoming World Guide: The Inner Sea. Well, I'm overjoyed to report that the targets we set were the definition of an underestimate of what you folks were capable of. Not only did the number of events taking place in October surpass our monthly average, the total number of previously unreported events that finally got reported exceeded our expectations to a level we haven't seen since we sold out of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook before it was even released. Seriously. I'm incredibly proud of the entire PFS community, and all of you should be too! I knew people were playing, and now we can actually see how much our fans are enjoying the campaign.
As a lawful being through and through, I will now uphold my end of the bargain. Though there are still a few days left in October to increase your numbers even further, the targets are already clearly blown out of the water. Thus will I release the hostage art. And this isn't just any art, mind you, but an image James Jacobs specifically didn't want to reveal until much, much later. Cries of triumph echoed from Erik's office, through the editorial pit, and as far as the warehouse when we saw the numbers, though, so you all get what you earned.
BEHOLD!
Illustration by Tyler Walpole
Now that you got what you wanted, don't stop reporting. I plan to keep the rewards coming for your hard work!
... Vanquished Beasts! Friday, October 1, 2010If you've been paying attention over the last few weeks, you've probably noticed a lot of talk about the whole office putting great effort into wrapping up the forthcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2. Well, as of the end of the day Wednesday, the beasts—over 300 of them— were successfully wrangled into line, made to look sharp, and shipped off to the printer. Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com...
Vanquished Beasts!
Friday, October 1, 2010
If you've been paying attention over the last few weeks, you've probably noticed a lot of talk about the whole office putting great effort into wrapping up the forthcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2. Well, as of the end of the day Wednesday, the beasts—over 300 of them— were successfully wrangled into line, made to look sharp, and shipped off to the printer. Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com in November. In celebration of this event, check out these lovely images:
... Greetings from the Deep! Wednesday, July 7, 2010Hey, remember Pathfinder Adventure Path? What? Oh yeah, that thing. That thing we're always working on and we never blog about. We should write something up about that sometime. Yeah, we should. Okay! ... This time around on our totally weekly preview of what's coming up in Pathfinder Adventure Path, we're talking interior covers! As you've all seen, in our endless battle against boredom and stagnation we mix up what's on the interior covers...
Greetings from the Deep!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Hey, remember Pathfinder Adventure Path? What? Oh yeah, that thing. That thing we're always working on and we never blog about. We should write something up about that sometime. Yeah, we should. Okay!
This time around on our totally weekly preview of what's coming up in Pathfinder Adventure Path, we're talking interior covers! As you've all seen, in our endless battle against boredom and stagnation we mix up what's on the interior covers of Pathfinder from Adventure Path to Adventure Path. To play up the exotic exploration elements of the Serpent Skull Adventure Path, this time around we're coving these pages with descriptions and sketches taken from the field book of one of Golarion's most esteemed naturalists, detailing some of the wildest and weirdest flora and fauna of the Mwangi Expanse. Chuck Lukacs tackles the task of sketching out these strange life forms month after month, providing GMs with just a little extra when it comes to describing the incredible variety, strangeness, and deadliness of Garund's most dangerous jungles. Check out just one of the beasties detailed right behind the covers of Pathfinder Adventure Path #37—a creature PCs might have a very personal confrontation with in the first adventure of the Serpent Skull Adventure Path: "Souls for Smuggler's Shiv."
"Common Eurpterid"
"The waters around Smuggler's Shiv are thick with predators like sharks, giant crabs, and hungry eels, but the most pervasive may be the sea scorpions, more properly known as eurypterids. With a poisonous sting and the ability to chase prey out of the waves and onto land, these aggressive vermin should be avoided at all costs."
... It's Alive! And It's in My Head!! Monday, April 12, 2010Words aren't supposed to float like this, bobbing in this slow, mildly nauseating way before my watering eyes. This sucks. And if you were at Norwescon this past weekend, I blame you. Con crud: it happens every time we go to a convention—and this time I didn't even go! ... My office quarantine makes me but one gross cog in a large, messily predictable, sick-machine. Every 3 minutes Jason, through the wall to my left, coughs...
It's Alive! And It's in My Head!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Words aren't supposed to float like this, bobbing in this slow, mildly nauseating way before my watering eyes. This sucks. And if you were at Norwescon this past weekend, I blame you. Con crud: it happens every time we go to a convention—and this time I didn't even go!
My office quarantine makes me but one gross cog in a large, messily predictable, sick-machine. Every 3 minutes Jason, through the wall to my left, coughs twice. Every 1 minute and 20 seconds, to my right, James "Harumpghs"—as Jacobses do. Every 25 seconds I sniff, punctuated by nose blowings after every 15, and with cycle-marking sneezes after every 30 blows. It's not pretty. I especially don't envy Chris, Judy, Rob, and Sutter outside our doors listening to this sickly symphony. Although, if anyone forgot their watches today, they can measure the time by the rising tissue tide.
Now that I've set the gross factor for your week, how does this pity party tie into Pathfinder and RPGs and everything you've come to expect from Paizo? Well, we're foolishly here at work aren't we? And never ones to let little things like our collectively decomposing bodies stop us from bringing new elements to your campaigns, please accept the following gaming grossness, along with an appropriately awesomely awful illustration from Jeff Carlisle (that unfortunately we didn't have room for in the GameMastery Guide, but I'm sure will find a home down the line). Now, back to trying to build a Skinsaw mask out of tissues and mucus...
Creeping Contamination (aka Creeping Crud or Con Crud) Type disease, contact or inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 14 Onset 1d3 days; Frequency 1/day Effect 1d2 Wis damage and target is fatigued. Any creature that comes within 5 feet of one infected with con crud must save or also become infected (whether or not this save is successful, the target is immune to the infected creature's con crud for 24 hours); Cure 2 consecutive saves
... Leeches! Wednesday, March 10, 2010One of my favorite parts of being an editor at Paizo is getting to read about the new monsters in each bestiary before they come out. My favorites are the ones whose descriptions make me shiver with a delicious sense of horror and disgust. If the players facing these foul beasts make the same expression that I do reading about them, GMs will be richly rewarded for including them! ... Last week, James Sutter was casually describing some of the nasties in...
Leeches!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
One of my favorite parts of being an editor at Paizo is getting to read about the new monsters in each bestiary before they come out. My favorites are the ones whose descriptions make me shiver with a delicious sense of horror and disgust. If the players facing these foul beasts make the same expression that I do reading about them, GMs will be richly rewarded for including them!
Last week, James Sutter was casually describing some of the nasties in Heart of the Jungle as he handed over a copy of one of the chapters: "You know, giant botflies, giant leeches, and [...]" Oh sorry, could you repeat the rest of that sentence? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my inner child screaming in fear.
Illustration by Andrew Hou
You see, when I was about 10, I was reading my dad's Dragon magazine back issues while en route to a week of camping in northern Minnesota, and I came across an article called "Ecology of the Giant Leech." The description of foot-long ribbons of muscle whose bite you can't even feel slowly fattening as they fill with your blood horrified me—suddenly I was terrified to be spending a week canoeing and swimming in leech-infested waters. ("Leech-infested" is not an exaggeration; the water along the shore of every beach and campsite was thick with six-inch-long leeches.)
I studied over the article again and again, poring over the stats and descriptions of their attacks and vulnerabilities, so I'd know how to defend myself when the time came. (You can laugh, but clearly, it worked!)
Now giant leeches are back—and I can't wait to read about them again! Partly because I love being creeped out by things that go bump in the water, and okay, I confess, partly to learn whether leech-fighting methods have evolved over the years.
GMs, you're going to love these wriggly critters: monsters based on one of nature's actual horrors, and whose attack is so insidious that victims may not even notice until it's almost too late. The only thing more priceless than the expression on your players' faces when they find a couple giant leeches draining one of their comrades—and wonder about that crawling sensation on their own backs—will be the look on their faces when they realize they have to cross that swamp again on the way back.
Random Encounters in the Fellnight Mist—Mist Random Encounters
... Random Encounters in the Fellnight Mist Monday, March 8, 2010Here's some more bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally included some additional random encounters at the beginning of Part 2: Lost in the Mist, but they were cut for space reasons. Adding these encounters helps to reinforce the eerie atmosphere of the mist. Mist Random Encounters Roll on the following chart to generate a random encounter...
Random Encounters in the Fellnight Mist
Monday, March 8, 2010
Here's some more bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally included some additional random encounters at the beginning of Part 2: Lost in the Mist, but they were cut for space reasons. Adding these encounters helps to reinforce the eerie atmosphere of the mist.
Mist Random Encounters
Roll on the following chart to generate a random encounter for each day spent in the mist.
Roll
Type of Monster
CR
1
Desperate Townsfolk
—
2
Missing Lumberjacks
—
3
Spirit Moss
—
4
Amnesiac Elf
—
5
Pit Trap
3
6
Unicorn Sighting
—
7
Giant Bees
6
8
Will-o'-Wisp
6
9
Dire Bear
7
10
Fellnight Spriggans
8
Amnesiac Elf: A half-elf named Carith (N male half-elf warrior 2) wanders this part of the forest. He had the misfortune of falling victim to a pixie memory loss arrow (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 228) and now finds himself lost in the mist. If the PCs escort him to a safe place (for example, leaving him in the care of other good-willed forest creatures), award them experience for a CR 3 encounter.
Desperate Townsfolk: A Perception check (DC 20) detects cries for help in the fog. If the PCs respond, they discover a family of four with a stuck wagon fleeing Bellis. A DC 30 Strength check can get them moving again (multiple PCs can assist in moving the 10-foot-by-10-foot wagon, one per square adjacent to the wagon). A Diplomacy check (DC 20) convinces them to return to town for their own safety. If the PCs free the wagon or convince the family to return to Bellis, award them experience for a CR 2 encounter.
Dire Bear: The PCs blunder into the path of a dire bear that a short time ago hungrily raided a giant beehive. Unfortunately, he's still hungry and can smell the PCs through the fog.
Fellnight Spriggans: Four Fellnight spriggans deserted Rhoswen's army to explore and pillage on their own. They attack the PCs on sight (see page 7 of Realm of the Fellnight Queen).
Giant Bees: A nest of giant bees has recently had its hive disturbed by a dire bear. Three of the bees now angrily search the mist for creatures to attack.
Missing Lumberjacks: The PCs happen upon a ruined Lumber Consortium camp littered with debris. Thorn darts riddle the tents and supplies. A DC 15 Survival check determines at least nine lumberjacks have gone missing from the site. A search of their belongings discovers 38 gp, 42 sp, 118 cp, a brass cup engraved with the likeness of Cayden Cailean worth 25 gp, and a masterwork throwing axe.
Pit Trap:
Devarre the druid has laid traps to capture animals. Along a narrow deer trail lies a camouflaged pit trap (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 420) designed to catch a bear, covered by leaves and baited with a honey-covered shoe.
Spirit Moss: A patch of spongy gray-green moss covers the sides of a massive log. A Knowledge (nature) check (DC 20) identifies the substance as spirit moss (Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting 217). Those consuming it suffer 2d6 points of Strength and Dexterity damage (no save), but temporarily gain the ability to speak with dead (CL 10th). A character who makes a Survival check (DC 16) may harvest enough for two preparations.
Unicorn Sighting: Any character making a Perception check (DC 20) notices a horse-like figure in the mist. As some of the fog drifts past, a unicorn meets their gaze and then gallops away, teleporting if the PCs try to pursue it.
Will-o'-Wisp: A will-o’-wisp uses the fog to mimic the voices of desperate townsfolk trying to leave Bellis, pretending to be lost in the mist or stuck among the thickets. It draws unsuspecting victims into a patch of brambles, a ravine, or a swampy area (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 427).
... Oh yeah! Adventure Paths! Friday, February 12, 2010Huh. It's been a while since I've talked about an Adventure Path in the blog, I just realized. Looking back, seems the last time we talked about an Adventure Path at all was on January 6th, in fact. AIEEE! ... Now... sometime soon I wanna share with you some excerpts from Merisiel's journal that have come into my possession... excerpts that catalog her joys and frustrations over the foundation of her new nation in the northeastern River...
Oh yeah! Adventure Paths!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Huh. It's been a while since I've talked about an Adventure Path in the blog, I just realized. Looking back, seems the last time we talked about an Adventure Path at all was on January 6th, in fact. AIEEE!
Now... sometime soon I wanna share with you some excerpts from Merisiel's journal that have come into my possession... excerpts that catalog her joys and frustrations over the foundation of her new nation in the northeastern River Kingdoms... but I'm still deep in the process of translating it to English from Elven and excising all the racy parts that the MAN won't let me put on the blog.
So, since I don't have the time yet to post that preview of the kingdom-building rules that'll be appearing in Pathfinder Adventure Path #32, why don't I show off some of the art from the first Kingmaker adventure instead? Let's see... how about pictures of two of the more ferocious war chieftains your PCs will be dealing with during the course of "Stolen Land?" Names withheld to prevent the not-so-innocent...
And I promise to make public Merisiel's journal soon! Stay tuned!
Illustration by Kyushik Shin
Illustration by Eric Belisle
Illustration by Scott Purdy
PS: Yes... the third picture is of a carbuncle. For real.
... Second Day Non Sequitur Monday, September 21, 2009Jason Bulmahn here with another update from the FUTURE! By the time you read this, Gen Con OZ will nearly be over, but it's not too late to learn the lessons of TOMORROW! That lesson is: the people of Australia love the Pathfinder RPG. ... But that's not all, in this distant future time, the people are very excited to learn more about the Advanced Player's Guide and all 6 of its wonderful new base classes. One day (probably as soon as this...
Second Day Non Sequitur
Monday, September 21, 2009
Jason Bulmahn here with another update from the FUTURE! By the time you read this, Gen Con OZ will nearly be over, but it's not too late to learn the lessons of TOMORROW! That lesson is: the people of Australia love the Pathfinder RPG.
But that's not all, in this distant future time, the people are very excited to learn more about the Advanced Player's Guide and all 6 of its wonderful new base classes. One day (probably as soon as this afternoon's seminar takes place), you too might enjoy their splendor.
A word of warning from the future. Although we live in a time of wonder, where the impossible is real, it does have one drawback—giant horror spiders! (Thanks to the Brisbane Museum for the terror.)
By the way, although it has not happened yet, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to all the Daves of the world. No one could have predicted that the aliens would have responded that way.
