Two Cave Creatures

Friday, August 19, 2016

The bulk of the convention season is behind us, and it's time to jump back aboard the weekly Pathfinder Battles preview train! And I've got to say, Gen Con was just the thing to re-ignite my excitement about the product line and all of the amazing stuff we have coming out in the next year or so! Before we get into this week's Deadly Foes preview, please allow me to list a few items that are stirring my excitement, including some behind-the-scenes stuff you might not be aware of!

  1. Deadly Foes, now scheduled for a November release, is shaping up to be one of our best sets yet. We've approved ALL of the paint masters for the set, the packaging is finished, and we're into production as I write this. While I have not yet seen final production figures from the run, everything I've seen for Deadly Foes makes me even more excited about the set than I've previously been, which is really saying something. From the digital sculpts to figure selection to the paint masters, everything has gone "right" with this set, and I can't wait to see the final product in hand.
  2. While waiting at the Indianapolis airport upon my attempted escape from Indiana on the ill-fated day of the Deltapocalypse, our friends at WizKids provided about two-thirds of the digital sculpts from the next set, entitled I CAN'T TELL YOU YET, and holy moley, there was so much coolness packed into that set that I didn't even mind being delayed by seven hours, so fueled was I with overwhelming awesomeness. I barely had any corrections or comments for this batch, and all of the fellow Paizonians I fanatically showed the images to while they also waited to board their planes agreed with my assessment. Some of the very best Pathfinder Battles figures are yet to come. The multi-figure "themes" in the next set are REALLY strong, and I think folks are really going to dig them.
  3. Speaking of the next (secret) set, I can confirm that the case incentive is EXTREMELY SPECIAL, and unlike anything we've done previously. Not totally unlike what we've done before, but definitely bigger and better. There will be more value packed into this incentive than in any of our previous sets, and now that I've seen some of the sculpts associated with it... man. So, so cool.
  4. While at Gen Con, I had a chance to meet with WizKids, and I'm happy to report that based on that discussion I'm now at work building the NEXT setlist, which should cover us through all of 2017 insofar as big sets are concerned. This set, too, will have an unprecedented and completely awesome Case Incentive featuring something people have been asking for for a long time. The line is healthy and we're moving forward full steam ahead!
  5. Lastly, I'm super excited to welcome back to the Paizo family Mr. Mike Kenway, our former Licensing Coordinator, who returns to Paizo after a year in the wilderness as our Director of Licensing. Mike will return to helping me out on setlists, approvals, and reference coordination, which will be an enormous boon. Mike has worked on nearly every Pathfinder Battles set, and bringing him back onto the team frees me up to push the envelope conceptually even further. A team of two is much, much better (and much more efficient) than just little old me doing nearly everything (on the Paizo side, anyway) by myself, and I speak for the entire Paizo team when I say: "Welcome back, Mike!"

So with all of that great news out of the way, let's take a look at three figures from November's Deadly Foes set!

First up this week is the nasty Cave Catcher, a sneaky subterranean hunter who ensnares adventurers with its sticky tongue. This Medium, uncommon figure is sure to menace your player characters, and at the uncommon rarity, why not pit your heroes against a small clutch of the creatures?

Want something larger for your cavern adventures? How about Bestiary 3's Cave Giant? These monstrous brutes dwell in caves, where they make slaves of lesser creatures like dwarves, orcs, troglodytes, and player characters. Wielding a massive bone battleaxe and clad in filthy hide, the Cave Giant makes a perfect addition to the ranks of Pathfinder Battles giants we've produced to date. The Cave Giant is a Large, uncommon figure.

Last up this week is the delightful little House Drake, which appears under a different name on page 229 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. This deadly creature packs impressive power into its small (actually Tiny) frame. Perfect as either an improved familiar, a mischievous opponent, or even the child of a larger dragon figure, the House Drake is a rare figure on a Small base.

And that's it for this week! It was great to chat minis with a few of you at Gen Con, and I look forward to our paths crossing again!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

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Tags: Deadly Foes Miniatures Pathfinder Battles

Pathfinder Adventure Path, PF Special Edition Subscriber

Loving this set! Always happy to receive more giants!

Silver Crusade Contributor

Awesome preview! ^_^

Silver Crusade

This set has sucked me in. I subbed this week. I neeeeed all the devils.

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

Holy plastic goodness Batman! Three minis I've been hoping to get for some time and here they are. This set is indeed shaping up to be an awesome one, well certainly from my point of view, so many things in this I've been hoping for. I hope its been just as kind to everyone else.

Cave Catcher - although with that tongue it could easily go "fishing" instead! Wanted for a while, now I can have it. Not sure about the hovering aspect but that may well just be the digital, and since I have no issue with the plastic posts I'm all good here.

I have wanted the cave giant for a long time, well any of the more niche giants really (come on tomb, ash and shadow). Like it! Another great uncommon. Feet look strangely huge, but I assume that's the perspective, hopefully its proportions are fine in hand.

House drake? well house dragon? neither really more of a pseudo-dragon (see what I did there). Brilliant. I hope the detail come through in tiny but I'm really happy this made the set. Looks great. My only issue if the rarity, but that just me, I imagine most wouldn't use more than one anyway. Plus as a rare it may get the attention to detail it wqill need to shine as a tiny mini.

Welcome back Mike, keep pushing Erik.

I thought you had taken on a replacement for mike when he left? Shoes too big to fill huh?

Paizo Employee Publisher, Chief Creative Officer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Naw. We looked around a bit, but no one gave us quite that special Kenway feeling.

Dark Archive

Very exited for Deadly Foes and the next two sets!

I´m happy with the Cave Fisher being an uncommon, as i want multiples for my Darklands/Underdark campaign, same as the brilliant Cloaker.
The colors look great!

The Cave Giant looks so hulking cool that 2 or 3 of it will be a welcome addition to any collection.

I already got the tiny D&D Pseudodragon, but the small PF one fills a niche and could easily double as small red dragon.

A great preview and a good thing you have Mike Kenway back to take some work off your shoulders.

Have a nice weekend, Erik!

Silver Crusade Contributor

I like the old Pseudodragon mini, but that and the Flameskull were a major pain. I'm glad to have a more manageable one.


I can't wait to hear about the next couple of case incentives! I also hope that two huges haven't been ruled out, I like that idea (and it's currently the only way to get huges).


Nice stuff

someone's been feeding the Pseudo Cat too much, for a tiny it fills out the smal base rather snugly :-p

Shame it's a rare though, it could have been re-painted to multiple wyrmlings of other dragons.

The Exchange

DropBearHunter wrote:

someone's been feeding the Pseudo Cat too much, for a tiny it fills out the smal base rather snugly :-p

Shame it's a rare though, it could have been re-painted to multiple wyrmlings of other dragons.

Well there's an idea for a promo figure for cons :)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Erik, any more thoughts on continuing the iconic heroes line or including some more card game characters in one of these awesome sets? I loved getting the ones that were included in Rusty Dragon.

Thanks!

Dark Archive

My prediction on the next set/Summer 2017:

As Erik said it has lots of "multi-figure themes".

I think it will be similar to "The Rusty Dragon" in that we will see humanoid groups of four each, like "Red Mantis Assassins", "Razmirans", "Grey Gardener"(and hopefully Drow, Morlocks and Vegepygmies).

Also i think that the Case Incentive will be something like the Bar - something like a Palace or a Wizards Tower.

Exciting times!

Dark Archive

More lovecraft monsters please. And I bet we are getting a metallic dragon, I seem to recall a lot of requests. Or maybe a froghemoth.....

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

I'm tempted to say linorm. There was a lot of requests early on and repeated requests whenever the incentives come up. Personally I'd love to see a Frogemoth (or a Frogemoth and Mobogo double) or a Tendriculous, but I'm stoked with how many of my long time wants are in this set already.

As for themed minis please let the red mantis get their day in the sun.

Dark Archive

The "most asked for" minis were the missing "Gargantuan Black Dragon", "Neothelid" and on first place by a long shot HUGE Elementals imo. ;-)

Liberty's Edge

More gargantuan humanoids would be nice. We just have the rune giant, some dragons, and a bar. Plus a very campaign specific demon.
Tarrasque maybe.
Purple worm would also be cool, and double for snakes and centipedes.

Dark Archive

Gargantuan creatures we have:
-Humanoid (Rune Giant)
-Dragon (Blue, Green, White, Red)
-Undead (Skeletal Dragon)
-Demon (Shemhazian, Deskari)

Without the wings, the Blue & Skeletal Dragon can stand-in for snake-like creatures.
The Shemhazian can stand-in for Abberations.
Deskari can substitute for Vermin.

Animals can be bought cheaply in toystores.

What we need is a Plant creature (Body-Thief being the best imo) & something worm-like (Neothelid being the best imo).
Also maybe a construct.

A Linnorm would be nice, but there are lots of Lindworm toys that look like one.

I think the days of the Gargantuan creature case incentives are almost over and the time for Huge creatures & dressing sets are here.

Dark Archive

3 people marked this as a favorite.

I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

Dark Archive

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

Dressing pieces need to be common or uncommon when being beds, chairs, tables, crates...

When being Iron Maidens, Book of the Damned or Anghazan Idol rare is proper.

Let´s not forget that a small, medium or large creature mini is more useful than a dressing piece to most people (me included).

That said, i would love boxed sets the size of Iconic Heroes with 2 tables and 8 stools for example.


It sounds like the Azlant adventure path involves at least one aboleth, and that's a huge creature that's never had a proper <huge> sculpt in any D&D or Pathfinder line . . . .


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

I'd agree with your dressing-specific set idea although for different reasons (I think they're proving popular, but I have zero interest in them).

Giving them their own line would mean people who want them can get them at a reasonable price whereas those of us who aren't interested don't face the choice of having to buy a dozen niche sculpts as part of collecting more traditional miniatures.

Dark Archive

Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

I'd agree with your dressing-specific set idea although for different reasons (I think they're proving popular, but I have zero interest in them).

Giving them their own line would mean people who want them can get them at a reasonable price whereas those of us who aren't interested don't face the choice of having to buy a dozen niche sculpts as part of collecting more traditional miniatures.

That is very fair. Id assumed (incorrectly) everyone liked the dressing.


I'd bet money on the case incentive being 4 huge elementals, one of each standard "flavor"

Fits everything, high value, multi model theme and something high demand.


Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

I'd agree with your dressing-specific set idea although for different reasons (I think they're proving popular, but I have zero interest in them).

Giving them their own line would mean people who want them can get them at a reasonable price whereas those of us who aren't interested don't face the choice of having to buy a dozen niche sculpts as part of collecting more traditional miniatures.

That is very fair. Id assumed (incorrectly) everyone liked the dressing.

I'm pretty sure that almost everyone else does. :p

Sczarni

Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

I'd agree with your dressing-specific set idea although for different reasons (I think they're proving popular, but I have zero interest in them).

Giving them their own line would mean people who want them can get them at a reasonable price whereas those of us who aren't interested don't face the choice of having to buy a dozen niche sculpts as part of collecting more traditional miniatures.

That is very fair. Id assumed (incorrectly) everyone liked the dressing.
I'm pretty sure that almost everyone else does. :p

If I had to choose between humanoids and dressing, I'd choose dressing, If I had to decide between dressing and monsters, I choose monsters every time.


Yeah, I'm a bit similar. It's pretty rare that a humanoid figure comes out with any interest to me. I'm even less interested in goats, owls, pigs and so forth.

However, in my view, humanoids are at least the-same-kind-of-thing as monsters whereas dressing seems to me to be a different category. Judgements like that are obviously subjective, of course.

I'm glad the dressing stuff has been so well received. Hopefully that will mean wizkids don't see it as such a big risk to spin off into its own product line. My armchair analysis doesn't see any losers in that scenario (assuming the sales hold up and that the dressing demand isn't similar to the 'RPG art book' demand).

Dark Archive

-3 medium or small uncommons to be revealed (one hopefully being the Hobgoblin Leader/Samurai)

-2 large uncommons unrevealed (one being a Bone Devil?)

-3 medium or small rares (one being "Aram Goldenheart"/Aasimar Paladin)

-2 large rares (one being the Keketar Protean)

Erik also teased more Celestials, so i hope for Astral Deva/Messenger Angel and Planetar.


What about Choral Angel, Marco?


How much would the dressing have to cost if it came in a set like the Iconics?

Dark Archive

Thomas Seitz wrote:
What about Choral Angel, Marco?

This being a relative new and obscure creature which isn't very iconic visually, i wouldn't expect it to be in this set.

On another note, Wizkids managed to post their first D&D (actual production mini) preview - 4 weeks before release.

Thank god for Erik & Mike, who manage this much better.


Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
I have liked the dugeon dressing in concept but i have to say getting one chair or one bed is not really all that useful. I for one would like to see the common dressing in a common slot or baring that a set of only dressing. The secondary market isnt very cost friendly either. I think the idae of dressing was presented as a experimernt and it has been seeminly well recieved but now it needs to be given the treatment it deserves. Just my 2 cents.

I'd agree with your dressing-specific set idea although for different reasons (I think they're proving popular, but I have zero interest in them).

Giving them their own line would mean people who want them can get them at a reasonable price whereas those of us who aren't interested don't face the choice of having to buy a dozen niche sculpts as part of collecting more traditional miniatures.

That is very fair. Id assumed (incorrectly) everyone liked the dressing.
I'm pretty sure that almost everyone else does. :p

I don't.

Dark Archive

I like the dressing, but i'd rather have one cool monster mini than one chair or table.

The same may not be true for a special dressing piece like a guillotine, the Book of the Damned on pedestal or a throne, but i agree with the wish of testing the waters with a boxed set of dressing.

On another note, Erik reduced the number of creatures in a set down to 44 and the 6 dressing pieces are one per case (or 2 maximum).
I'm not sure we would get more creatures without them...


Marco Massoudi wrote:

On another note, Erik reduced the number of creatures in a set down to 44 and the 6 dressing pieces are one per case (or 2 maximum).

I'm not sure we would get more creatures without them...

If it's a choice between dressing or no dressing and less minis, then I'd obviously choose the dressing, in the interests of those who use them. However, I can't see why that would be the case.

The dressing pieces in a case cost something to make - whatever that is could be reallocated to more traditional minis if they were moved from the PFBattles line to their own thing.

Edit: also, it's a minor quibble, but that choice was probably Wizkids' rather than Erik's.

Dark Archive

So, no preview this week?

Next weekend is PAX West in Seattle...


Maybe they're just waiting for Saturday Marco...

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

Well there only 10 minis to go, 5 dressing pieces and at least 9, possibly 12 weeks to release so I suspect spoiler rates will slow. I may be one of the few but I kind of hope the next incentive is neither a set piece like the bar or a set of 4 huge elementals. Neither appeals. The idea of the bar was great but I find myself using it far, far less than I expected and frankly elementals don't really excite me, they'd need to be something truly amazing?

Dark Archive

Thomas Seitz wrote:
Maybe they're just waiting for Saturday Marco...

Saturday is rare but possible. ;-)

Dark Archive

There are 10 or 11 weekends before release on 16th or 23rd of november.

There are 16 computer renders unrevealed (which translates to 8 previews of 2 minis) plus pictures of actual minis/prototypes.

Also in the past Erik has shown all minis a few weeks before release. ;-)

Dark Archive

Erik Mona wrote:
Naw. We looked around a bit, but no one gave us quite that special Kenway feeling.

It's good that Mike is back.

With the Horsemen of the Apocalypse getting stats (and illustrations) in Bestiary 6, could you maybe sneak one or two of them into the next two sets as rares? ;-)

Charon with his boat as a large maybe?

Silver Crusade Contributor

They all have illustrations already, in Book of the Damned III: Horsemen of the Apocalypse. ^_^

Apollyon and Szuriel would probably be the most impressive. I wouldn't mind seeing a Medium Charon mini and a boat or barge dressing item, though. (Trelmarixian would be aa harder sell, I suspect...)


Charon and a seperate barge mini would be fantastic. I think my group is much more likely to need to enter the underworld than to encounter the apocolypse.

Dark Archive

Erik will be on Dragon Con next weekend, that makes preview unlikely. ;-(

Dark Archive

Maybe we will get a guest blog by Mike Kenway while Erik is understandably busy at Dragon Con (and with the "Paizo product catalogue" pdf, the "Pathfinder: Worldscape" comic series and changes to the Pathfinder RPG line - man, Erik IS busy these days)? ;-)

Dark Archive

Dear Erik,

now that it is confirmed that each D&D Icons "Storm King´s Thunder" booster contains 1 HUGE miniature (in addition to 3 medium or small ones), i wonder about the possibility of HUGE miniatures in the next two Pathfinder Battles series.

D&D boosters are much larger than PFB boosters, also their price has increased by $1 (from $15.99 to $16.99) and the number of different sculpts has gone down from 12 to 11, probably to accommodate for the size increase.

I guess PFB boosters will stay the size and price we know (at least for a little while) and you will stay focused on the high quality small, medium and large minis we have gotten from the line in the past, but i thought i´d ask anyway.

Thank you for your time and dedecation.

Greetings Marco

Dark Archive

I wonder when we will see the box art for Deadly Foes.
Wizkids showed the one for Storm King's Thunder in june and it releases in 2 weeks.


Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:


That is very fair. Id assumed (incorrectly) everyone liked the dressing.

Naw. Got the book of the damned in the one box of this set I picked up and I was like ... boooooo... Not my thing. It's neat looking but I can't see myself using it.

I'm like great, I got a mini worth $10, I'd rather just have the mini worth $2 that I'll actually use. I also got the iron maiden before too... I have bad luck with getting dressing I don't want.

Wish I knew folks locally that collected so I could trade stuff I don't want for things I do.

Alas! Can't please everyone all of the time. I'll live.

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