The goblin alchemist Gristleburst is the fourth and final member of the protagonist adventuring party in the Pathfinder novella, The Shroud of Four Silences, by Pathfinder Tales veteran Liane Merciel. You can find the No-Prep Character (NPC) entries for his compatriots, Eleukas, Lisavet, and Wendlyn, on previous blogs. Check out the party’s full adventure here on paizo.com or on the Kindle bookstore.
Gristleburst, Inquisitive Pyromaniac
Gristleburst grew up among the Gullcracker goblins outside of Otari, but he was always a loner. His irrepressible curiosity and keen mind for chemistry earned him few friends among the goblins, even though his firebombs were always a source of good fun. When the Gullcrackers were killed and reanimated as zombies, Gristleburst took on the lonely, sad task of putting down each one of his former kin. He now wanders the world as an alchemist-for-hire, just as eager to investigate unusual mysteries as he is to set things ablaze.
Gristleburst is an unreliable ally. He’s quick to make friends—particularly because he’s otherwise all alone in the world—but he frequently pursues his own ideals without consulting his allies and hurls his bombs with reckless glee.
Plot Hooks
Game Masters might consider the following plot hooks as a means of integrating Gristleburst into any Pathfinder Second Edition game.
- When the heroes are following a treasure map through a dangerous wilderness, Gristleburst agrees to show them a safe path in exchange for a share of the loot.
- The heroes are hunting an arsonist, and Gristleburst can help identify blast patterns and accelerants the arsonist used to set the blaze.
- Gristleburst’s reckless alchemy inadvertently sets a stand of trees or a building on fire, and he needs urgent help to put the fire out before it spreads.