Pathfinder Battles Preview: Scary Monsters

Friday, October 12, 2012

It's October, and as Halloween approaches it seems appropriate to focus on some of the scarier creatures in the upcoming Shattered Star set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures!

I'm technically on vacation this week, but hey, no rest for the wicked. I can't let my personal need for a couple of days off get in the way of your personal need for more cool Pathfinder Battles previews. As a wise man once said, "the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the few."

So, on to the spoooooooookiness!

First up this week we have an absolutely disgusting menace culled from the mind of Paizo's own James L. Sutter. A while back, when James was writing the brilliant City of Strangers: A Guide to Kaer Maga, James invented an ancient subterranean race of outsiders known as the caulborn who dwell below Varisia's most unusual city. These telepathic prophets and historians feed on the psychic energy and memories of victims, which they keep in their grossly distended heads.

The third adventure of the Shattered Star Adventure Path, The Asylum Stone, written by Mr. Sutter himself, returns to Kaer Maga, so of course the caulborn make a return appearance. And in my endless quest to ply my editorial staff with 3D representations of the fruit of their own diseased minds (and 'cause you fight 'em in the adventure), I just had to add one of them to the Shattered Star set.

Here he is, a gross miniature in this grossest of months: The Caulborn!

Next up we have an oldie but a goodie, a gruesome undead mastermind even TOUGHER than a regular lich! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the dread Mesmalatu, an undead lord so powerful that even his floating skull packs a deadly punch! And watch out for those gems in his head, or your soul might end up living in one for eternity!

Sculpted in clear plastic, from the jet of ectoplasm holding up his head to the multicolored gems encrusting it, this guy is one of the major villains of the campaign, and one your player characters won't soon forget. Mesmalatu is among the smallest miniatures in the Shattered Star set, but he's also no doubt one of the most powerful enemies we've sculpted in plastic to date.

And that's it for today! Here's hoping I scared the socks off of you (or at least impressed you a bit with two awesome miniatures).

And with that, I slip cannily back to my vacation, to return with a big pile of treats for next Friday's blog!

Erik Mona
Publisher

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Tags: Miniatures Pathfinder Adventure Path Pathfinder Battles Shattered Star

Woot finally a cool demilich mini!!!!!!


OH MAN, there's a demilich bad guy? Great, now I have to buy the whole AP.


Cool preview.

The Caulborn is a critter I have never heard of till now but the eyeless thing really is creepy. I like it a lot.

The Demilich is very cool as well. Much more fitting as a big scary boss monster compared to a tiny green mini put out by some other company. I love how he is a decent height off the ground, though the ectoplasm holding him up looks like a spinal cord....or a scorpion's tail. Still I do indeed dig the mini. I wish I owned it when I ran Tomb of Horrors about 10 years ago. :)

So is Mesmalatu on a medium or small base? And is he technicly a tiny creature despite the base size?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

@ agnelcow: This isn't the first AP with a demilich in it.....


Erik, are both of these minis on medium bases?

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Erik is away, and I can't verify this myself, but I do believe they're both on 1" bases.

Liberty's Edge

Looks much better than my tiny green flaming skull. I have often found uses for that miniature and I hope I will with this one.


Great Demi-Lich! I don't know anything about the Caulborn, but he does seem to make a good generic creepy monster.


A DEMI-LICH!....you guys are f-----g awesome. I fell outta my chair. As an old school closet first ed lover this just rocks. And a Caulborn, thats just too much. Greatness. Sheer greatness. I had a hard time waiting for the RotRL set, I'm about ready to burst now for this one.

Grand Lodge

The detail on the Caulborn is really good. I like different and interesting monsters.

The Demilich is very creepy. I also like creepy. However, it does remind a little of 790 from Lexx.

Cheers,

Mazra


Maybe I'm blind, but is there any mention of the rarity? Presumably the demilich is rare. Are the caulborn going to be uncommon?

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

Rarities for this set are still shaking out, so no comment on that for now. Betting on Mesmalatu being a rare is safe.

And although I'm currently in a hotel room in New York far from the miniatures, my memory and documentation suggest that Mesmalatu is on a 20mm (Small) base.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Erik, what happened to "I'm going to turn my phone off and treat this like a real vacation"?

There you have it, folks--this blog and its subsequent comments are a classic example of why Paizo employees can't be trusted with days off. Erik's in a hotel in the BIGGEST, CRAZIEST city in America, and he's checking the messageboards. It's a sickness, I tell ya.

(Seriously, though, I'm still a little boggled at how cool it is to have caulborn minis!)


Erik Mona wrote:
Rarities for this set are still shaking out, so no comment on that for now. Betting on Mesmalatu being a rare is safe.

Thanks. Now go and enjoy yourself. New York is awesome. :)

Sczarni

James Sutter wrote:

Erik, what happened to "I'm going to turn my phone off and treat this like a real vacation"?

are you saying that the message boards aren't fun for you James? (just kidding)


I have waited for a demi-lich since I first beheld a copy of the Tomb of Horrors (or was it MM2, I don't remember). Pathfinder once again finishing up what my beloved "old school" could not! Thanks guys!

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Yes, it's true. I suck at vacations.

Sorry, everyone! :)

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

Well you do have an awesome job. Publishing great gaming material, proofing and approving miniatures etc. Getting to add your own personal touch and desires to the products you make - to most it's a bit of a gamers dream, not that I don't think the work can be demanding or tiring. Still, a vacation is a vacation...


Once again, a great tease/preview.

Have a great time in NYC.


Looks good. Bring on the Super Creeps.

Shadow Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

I'm a little uncertain about the ectoplasmic effect under the demi-lich. Will need to see it in hand to really judge.

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