So far we’ve revealed plenty of monstrous menaces soon to appear on your game table as part of this summer’s new Rise of the Runelords Pathfinder Battles prepainted miniatures set. This week, we’ll bring things back to earth with a look at some familiar friends you just might recognize from the Pathfinder world.
Before I get into the new miniature reveals, I need to point out that we still don’t have all of the specifics about when exactly this set will come out, how much it will cost, or how many figures will be in each booster box, but things have been moving steadily forward on these fronts, and I expect to be able to reveal details shortly.
Until then, we wait. I hope to soothe the ennui by showing off more awesome miniatures from the set.
These miniatures support the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path Anniversary Edition, which is scheduled for a July release. The images shown below are “paint masters,” meaning they are the painted miniatures our partners at WizKids send to their factories as guides for how the production run should be painted. Expect a little variance between these images and the final miniatures, but this is what they’ll be shooting for.
Because these are pre-production images, they’re also missing some of the fine detail work on things like tattoos, fine costume design details, and similar flourishes. These are added at the factory as a final step, so if it looks like Seoni is missing a few tattoos below, don’t despair! They’re coming soon!
Anyway, on to this week’s previews!
This uncommon figure represents Ameiko Kaijitsu, one of Pathfinder’s very first NPCs, and one who has grown to become an important figure in the Pathfinder world thanks to the events of the Jade Regent Adventure Path. Way back in the Rise of the Runelords AP, Ameiko was a simple owner of Sandpoint’s Rusty Dragon Inn, but she went on to become a very important figure whose destiny spans the globe of Golarion. She appears here kitted out in her adventuring gear, ready to help your player characters in either campaign.
The elf fighter/ranger Shalelu Andosana is older than the town of Sandpoint itself, but over the centuries she’s come to view the place as home. She makes an excellent ally and information source for the players in Rise of the Runelords, and her appearance in the Jade Regent Adventure Path means that this uncommon miniature, like Ameiko above, comes in doubly useful for Pathfinder GMs running both campaigns. Plus, female elf ranger with a bow = great miniature for lots and lots and lots of player characters.
So far we’ve managed to fit an iconic character or two into each of our Pathfinder Battles releases, and Rise of the Runelords is no exception. The first iconic in this set (an uncommon) is Harsk, the iconic ranger. I love the detail WizKids was able to achieve with Harsk’s face, and some of the detail on his outfit is absolutely amazing. Artists and sculptors always complain about Wayne Reynolds’s highly complex original art for Harsk, but we think WizKids did a great job capturing the detail and nuance of this popular character.
Speaking of popular iconic characters, they don’t come more popular than this lovely lass, the inimitable Seoni! Seoni made her debut on one of the covers of the original Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path issues, so we knew we had to include her in the set (at the uncommon rarity). And I’m thrilled that we did. WizKids definitely met the challenge with this figure. The picture above is pretty good, but in-hand this miniature is absolutely gorgeous, with a great color to it and lots of excellent sculpt details. Fans of Seoni might notice that her tattoos and some of the pattern on her outfit is missing. As I mentioned above, that stuff will be coming at the factory, and what we’ve seen so far looks terrific.
That’s it for this week! The Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path is a dangerous campaign, but these familiar faces will help you make it through alive, if not exactly unscathed!
PCs are never as exciting as monsters IMO, so this isnt the best preview, but its still a great preview none the less.
A BARD!!!! DDM hated bards. What did they make in the history of DDM? Three? I am so happy to see a bard. Definitly the highlight of the preview for me.
Great Bard. Actually, they're all great characters. I've enjoyed the rich colors chosen for many of the character's garb. Not to mention the stellar detail in the sculpts and painting.
Now that we will have the iconic paladin, ranger, and sorcerer, any chance those classes will get downloadable Pathfinder Beginner Box character sheets? The Beginner Box miniatures set just put it in my head that iconic miniatures relate to the Beginner Box.
I guess the only other thing I need is all of the specifics about when exactly this set will come out, how much it will cost, or how many figures will be in each booster box.
These are incredibly awesome to check out. I love Shalelu, but I'm a sucker for a good ranger-y type mini. Also, I don't think I'd ever seen Seoni's back before.
Yes, quite a few, actually. In my opinion any classed NPC that doesn't look like some sort of super-mega-evil wizard is probably a good PC figure for someone, so it's safe to assume that NPC minis we have yet to reveal will make awesome player characters.
Well, I agree that it takes exceptional PC figures to rival the oohs and aahs that are usually reserved for the monster minis.
That said, however these are pretty good. But the biggest issue? I can't help but look at Seoni and think she needs tattoos to match up with her iconic ref art. Without it? Something important seems to be missing. Maybe some of that uber cool technology that helped detail Kyra's cloak could assist Seoni with some consistent ink? Just two tattoos would go a long way to making that one an exceptional piece worthy of Kyra or Ezren.
I'd rather these were rares, tbh. It's not that I don't want one -- I do. However, I will have trouble finding a use for 3 or 4 of them.
Maybe Seoni and Seelah can go hang out together while Seoni (successfully) teaches Seelah to cast Mirror Image!
But the biggest issue? I can't help but look at Seoni and think she needs tattoos to match up with her iconic ref art. Without it? Something important seems to be missing. Maybe some of that uber cool technology that helped detail Kyra's cloak could assist Seoni with some consistent ink? Just two tattoos would go a long way to making that one an exceptional piece worthy of Kyra or Ezren.
Bad Steel_Wind! Don't just look at the pictures!
Erik Mona wrote:
Because these are pre-production images, they’re also missing some of the fine detail work on things like tattoos, fine costume design details, and similar flourishes. These are added at the factory as a final step, so if it looks like Seoni is missing a few tattoos below, don’t despair! They’re coming soon!
And yes, the missing detail work he's talking about is the application of tampos, which is the same process responsible for those fantastic details on Kyra's cloak.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Deluxe Comics, Battles Case Subscriber
Ameiko may be the best female Bard produced in PPM yet. I like that Shalelu's pose is different from the Reaper versions. That is a good looking fig too. I really like the expression on Harsk's face. How is his height compared to DDM Dwarves? I ask because he looks a bit big; but that could be the camera shot. Seoni is beautiful. I look forward to seeing her with her tats. I don't know if I have a use for her, but I will definitely want one.
Thanks again for fantastic preview. They truly make me look forward to Fridays.
You know, I thought the same thing, because I always think of them as being redder.... but I held up the paint master against Wayne's art, and it's actually *spot on*.
OK i need you to know I am excited for this line, but i am concerned with the idea of making iconics. I Just want my minis Generic so they can serve many purposes. I think if you had not said that was Harsk I would be more apt to buy it as a dwarven fighter or ranger.
OMG I'm starting a class action suit against Paizo. Their products are clearly addictive. Thats it I'm going to have to buy TWO cases. Thanks a lot Paizo, why can't you be crappy and my family can have a home. I hope you can sleep at night delivering all your awesome products that I can't live without.
Impressive. Both the Bard and Elf Archer fill holes from DDM. I just hope they are all rares and the rarity levels are more differentiated than with Heroes and Monsters.
I just hope they are all rares and the rarity levels are more differentiated than with Heroes and Monsters.
Agreed.
I'd like to see PC mini's (even the iconics) moved to rare and have other monsters fill in the more common ranks. I have more uncommon "Human Rogue's, Human Ranger's, Elf Wizard's, Half-Elf Cleric's, Dwarf Fighter's, Human Druid's, and Gnome Fighter's" than I want or could ever use and they're completely un-tradable because everyone else has the same problem. Meanwhile, it would have been great to get more than one common Lizardfolk Champion out of a case.
I was already planning on getting quite a few minis from this set, but now... well, if I can justify the expense of a whole case, that might be the way to go, and if not, a brick or two is certainly in my future now.
Figures look great, but they should be in a separate pack, like the first four. I definitely don't need more than one for my players to use as characters, would hate to miss out on monsters as a result.
Figures look great, but they should be in a separate pack, like the first four. I definitely don't need more than one for my players to use as characters, would hate to miss out on monsters as a result.
Figures look great, but they should be in a separate pack, like the first four. I definitely don't need more than one for my players to use as characters, would hate to miss out on monsters as a result.
Ryan. Costello
Erik Mona
Publisher, Chief Creative Officer
Perry Snow
sveden
TOZ
