Deadly Foes on the Loose!

Friday, November 4, 2016

We're just a few short weeks away from the November 23rd official release date for Deadly Foes, the newest release in our prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles line from our partners at WizKids! As I write this, the Paizo warehouse elves (almost certainly drow) are unpacking minis to be sold as singles, prepping case subscriber orders, and overall getting our act together to release everything on time. Meanwhile, I've been sneaking in and stealing figures left and right. What value is there in absolute power if you don't allow it to absolutely corrupt you, at least a little bit?

I'm VERY pleased with how Deadly Foes turned out, and think it's one of our best sets yet. From great facial details to amazing "tampo" stamping of intricate designs (mostly pentagrams), Deadly Foes will soon prove to be just as popular outside the Paizo office as it is inside.

Because you never quite know how these sets are going to turn out until you see final production figures, earlier this afternoon I grabbed two handfuls of my favorite figures from Deadly Foes and ventured outside to take advantage of some rare November sunshine here in Seattle. This gave me the chance for some "candid" photos of the final production figures that I'd like to share with you today.

Here we have the mighty Barzillai Thrune (rare), arch-villain of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path, leading a horrific ceremony to summon a devil from the depths of Hell. With him, from left to right, are the Fire Diabolist (rare), the Priest of Asmodeus (common), and the Thrune Enforcer (common). In the background we see examples of the set's ultra-rare dungeon dressing pieces, which come 1-2 per case. Here we have two candelabras, the Book of the Damned (which comes off its lectern), and the Hellgate.

Great success! All hail mighty Asmodeus as a Bearded Devil (uncommon) emerges from the Hellgate! What a joyous occasion for the forces of evil! But wait, what's that dark shadow in the flames of the gate? Is something else coming? Perhaps more than the diabolists bargained for?

Oh nooooo! It's an almighty Pit Devil (rare)! Even the evil servants of the diabolical House Thrune are on the run after the appearance of this unwelcome guest! Run awaaaaay!

Speaking of the Pit Devil, here he is standing next to the Fire Demon from Legends of Golarion, by way of a size comparison. Demon? Devil? YOU decide!

Here's a close look at some of the dungeon dressing in Deadly Foes. The Hellgate looks much better to my eyes in hand than on the digital image, since you can make out the writhing bodies of its frame much more easily. And take it from me, they're pretty disturbing. These pieces make for great décor in almost any frightful scene, and I'm eager to add them to my own campaigns.

Hobgoblins are a major creature type in Deadly Foes. Here are a few of them (from left to right): the Hobgoblin Archer, Hobgoblin Cleric, and Hobgoblin Alchemist, all of them commons.

We've been adding characters from the villainous nation of Cheliax to our Pathfinder Battles sets for years, and this set is no exception. Some day soon I'll array all of these figures for a class photo, but here are four from Deadly Foes: the Thrune Enforcer, Priest of Asmodeus, Fire Diabolist, and Barzillai Thrune!

And that's it for this week. Next week I'll show off more Deadly Foes figures "in the wild." Let me know if there are others from the set you'd like to take a closer look at, and I'll do my best to accommodate.

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

The Last of the Deadly Foes

Friday, October 14, 2016

Deadly Foes, the next set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures, releases next month! Over the last few months, I've been using this space to preview new digital sculpts for the figures, and this week I've got the final two miniatures for the set! The Paizo Warehouse Runelords tell me that our shipment of packaged product from WizKids hits our office soon, so I also hope to provide a few first-looks at actual production figures in the weeks between now and the set's official release date in the middle of November.

Then we've got ANOTHER whole set that WizKids just announced this week to cover in future previews—more on that at the bottom of this week's blog.

But first, let's take a look at the last two figures from Deadly Foes!

Up first is the Shadow Giant, the final creature figure to be revealed for Deadly Foes! This guy has a fascinating Pathfinder origin. The Shadow Giant first appeared in the illustration accompanying the religion chapter waaaaay back in the Pathfinder Chronicles Gazetteer, the first-ever look at the world of Golarion as a whole (co-written by yours truly). It took until The Inner Sea Bestiary to give the Shadow Giant statistics. Keep an eye out for their upcoming appearance in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 6 next spring! The Shadow Giant is a Large, rare figure.

The last figure of the entire set to preview is the Rope Trick, a fun piece of dungeon dressing suggested by my friend Ross Williams, a player in my weekly Pathfinder game (under GM Jason Bulmahn). During a particularly rough patch in the campaign, we found ourselves frequently hiding out in the extra-dimensional rope trick created by Ross's wizard, and it often became necessary to know where exactly on the battlefield the rope trick was meant to be. Ross suggested a rope trick miniature, and I thought it a sufficiently fun idea to add it to the set. Opinions here at Paizo are somewhat divided as to the utility of this piece, but I know I'll use it in my game, so it's in. As they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Absolutely! The Rope Trick is a super-rare piece inserted once per case in place of an uncommon figure. I hope you like it.

And that's it for Deadly Foes, which I think is one of our best and most useful sets yet!

The end of Deadly Foes previews comes just in time, as WizKids this week announced the NEXT Pathfinder Battles set, Crown of Fangs! Crown of Fangs contains 47 creature figures and a bunch of dungeon dressing. My favorite element of the set is the case incentive, the Court of the Crimson Throne, a full throneroom playset that contains thrones, a banquet table, courtiers, and more. We took the idea from the bar incentive in The Rusty Dragon Inn set and said "how can we make this waaaay cooler?" I think you'll be pleased with the results.

But that's getting way ahead of myself. There will be a lot more time to talk about Crown of Fangs in future weeks!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Two for the Road!

Friday, September 30, 2016

We've got four more figures to preview for November's Deadly Foes set of prepainted plastic gaming miniatures, but just to be mischievous, I'm going to split them into two previews of two figures each. To draw things out a bit longer, next week I'll be on-site at New York Comic Con, and there will not be a Friday Publisher Preview (though I do hope to keep up my new Worldscape Workbook blog column while I'm on the road. If you haven't yet checked out my new column, which gets into the nitty gritty of my design decisions when putting together official Pathfinder RPG stats for legendary heroes like Red Sonja and John Carter, I urge you to do so at the above link. I've had a ball writing the blog series, as well as writing the Pathfinder Worldscape comic itself, which hits newsstands Wednesday, October 19th. If you enjoy my writing here on the Paizo blog or enjoy the Pathfinder comics in general, please consider setting up a Pathfinder Comics Ongoing Subscription.

But enough about comics! This space is for miniatures, and this week I've got two fantastic figures to show you from Deadly Foes!

Ardent watchers of this space have been predicting this Angelkin Paladin from the first day we revealed the set's packaging, and here he is in all his celestial glory! Based off of a character who shows up semi-frequently in our interior illustrations, as well as on covers like Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of Angels. The clear plastic effects on his flaming sword and glowing halo make quite the impression upon evil foes, or even goodly folks who happen to be in his way. The Angelkin Paladin is a Medium, rare figure.

Last up this week is another Medium, rare figure, and what a rare figure it is indeed. Here we have Paizo Creative Director James Jacobs's personal character, Shensen! James has played many different versions of this swashbuckling bard over his RPG career, but two of them are my favorites. First, of course, is the version that appeared in the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path. That appearance, in the blockbuster Pathfinder Adventure Path #100, came with a nice Wayne Reynolds painting of Shensen that now hangs in James's office (which, incidentally, is right next to mine—I can hear him through the wall as I type this). But an even better version of Shensen, or at least one that's more meaningful to me personally, is the version James played in my old Kings of Absalom office campaign, where she was one of many stars of the show. Shensen as presented in Deadly Foes makes a fantastic player character or NPC, whether good or evil. Shensen, is a Medium, rare figure.

That's it for this week. I'm off to New York Comic Con! See you in two weeks!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

A Haughty Horse and Some Funky Furniture

Friday, September 23, 2016

It's the end of another exciting week here at Paizo Inc., and what better way to celebrate than by revealing a few new miniatures from November's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures! Time is short today, so I'm going to jump right into it with four exciting new reveals!

Everybody loves a good Unicorn, and I think WizKids has done a great job with this one. Use it to represent a paladin's mount, a fun forest encounter, or as a captive in need of rescue. It's a Unicorn. The Unicorn is a Large, uncommon figure.

Speaking of captives, why not use this Cage to imprison your player characters? With a lid that removes from the flat base, you actually can fit miniatures inside this simple metal Cage for an encounter they won't soon forget. As dungeon dressing, the Cage will appear about once per case, in place of an Uncommon figure.

Speaking of cool dungeon dressing, check out this spooky Candelabra! The Candelabra is also randomly inserted, about one per case.

There are a lot of devils and devil-aligned critters in Deadly Foes, and they've got to have come from somewhere. Watch your players eyes go wide with fear when you place the Hellgate upon the table. The gate probably leads to the home plane of devils, but you can really use it for just about any kind of evil-aligned magical portal. Your secret is safe with me. I (probably) won't tell Asmodeus. Again, as a bit of dungeon dressing, the Hellgate should appear once per case.

And that's it for this week's short-and-sweet preview. We'll see you next week, for what I believe will be the final four figures of the set!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Three More to Go!

Friday, September 16, 2016

By my count, we've got 11 figures left to preview for November's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic gaming figures. I've decided to break down those figures over three different previews in the coming weeks, with this being the first of the "home stretch." After that, I have piles and piles of even newer stuff to show off, but that's getting a bit ahead of myself. Some of my favorite figures in Deadly Foes have yet to make their preview debut, so before we get to 2017 stuff, let's take a breath and appreciate the wonders yet to come in 2016.

First up this week is the Sewer Beast, a beloved (and re-named) creature from the very first Pathfinder RPG Bestiary! This popular denizen of dungeons and sewers alike makes his Pathfinder Battles debut with art inspired by Wayne Reynolds's cover of Pathfinder Adventure Path #7: Edge of Anarchy, which we're reprinting next month as part of the incredible Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path hardcover. Those of you playing that epic campaign will find this a most helpful miniature indeed, as will anyone whose adventures routinely take them to the smellier part of a city's infrastructure. My favorite part of this figure are the eyestalks, complete with their very own tampo'd eyes. Spooky! The Sewer Beast is a Large, uncommon figure.

Gamers have been asking for proteans in Pathfinder Battles for ages, and I'm happy to report that Deadly Foes gives us our first opportunity to answer those prayers directly, and in the best possible way! Again using classic Wayne Reynolds Pathfinder art as inspiration (this time the cover of The Great Beyond), WizKids's talented digital artists have brought this creature—completely original to Pathfinder—to three glorious dimensions. I'm thrilled with the complex color guide (seven different colors on this one!), and overall the final figure is just delightful to drop on the table. There will definitely be more proteans to come, but we had to begin with the one that started it all! The Keketar Protean is a Large, rare figure.

Just last week, in the FANTASTIC and VERY HELPFUL thread of minis suggestions that accompanied the weekly preview blog (we're seriously stealing at least a dozen figure ideas from that thread), at least one poster mentioned the need for regular old pillars as dungeon dressing in a future Pathfinder Battles set. While I'm not sure the glowing runes on this Arcane Pillar count as a "regular" pillar (you'll have to wait for the NEXT set for that!), I can deliver a pillar of some kind much sooner than many of you probably anticipated. With glowing runes along one side, the Arcane Pillar makes a versatile piece that can be used in just about any dungeon encounter. I like the idea of running a gauntlet of three sets of these, in which crossing the plane of the inward-facing runes causes some kind of horrific magical effect. Fun! The Arcane Pillar is a randomly inserted dungeon dressing piece that takes the place of an uncommon figure. While collation is never guaranteed, the idea is that each case should include at least one of them.

And that's it for this week, leaving us two more four-figure previews for Deadly Foes in the weeks to come.

Feel free to keep posting figure suggestions to the comments. Mike and I read them assiduously and will definitely consider them for the setlist we're currently building.

Thanks again for your interest in and support of the Pathfinder Battles. It's a labor of love for everyone involved, and your support makes it possible.

See you next week!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Back in the Saddle!

Friday, September 8, 2016

I'm back from Dragon Con with a handful of new preview images from November's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures! And thanks to one friendly Dragon Con panel attendee, I've decided to add a FOURTH figure to this evening's preview, in part to make up for the last couple of weeks with no updates and in part to show her that dreams really do come true, sometimes much more rapidly than you can imagine!

Let's start things off today with this imposing Dwarf Slaver, as nasty a ginger as your player characters will ever encounter. With art based on the Chelish villain Kossrani from Pathfinder Adventure Path #97: In Hell's Bright Shadow, this guy has enough personality to be a hero OR a villain. He's also a good illustration of how things can go wrong during the sculpting and approval process, and how good WizKids is at fixing our mistakes! Take a close look at Kossrani's shield, with the awesome carved-in symbol of Asmodeus. Well, it would have been awesome if it hadn't been sculpted in reverse. You see, sometimes when we're laying out books, we flip an image on its Y axis to make for a more interesting page layout. This usually works with no problems, but occasionally, as in the case of Pathfinder #97, something like a holy symbol gets reversed and causes a bit of a problem. In this case, I didn't notice until the paint master came into the Paizo offices and I was holding it in my hand. Happily, WizKids was able to fill in the mold for the cut-out part of the shield, and will instead be producing the (correct) Asmodeus symbol using a tampo stamp. All praise be to the Lord of the Nine Hells! Miracles really do happen, you guys! The Dwarf Slaver is a Medium figure slated at the uncommon rarity.

Up next is the Torrent Hellknight, based on the Wayne Reynolds character design for the Hell's Rebels character Lictor Octavio Sabinus from the cover of Pathfinder Adventure Path #98. This is our third or fourth Hellknight in Pathfinder Battles so far (I've lost count!), and he's definitely one of my favorites. I think I've found that, as cool as all-black armor looks on the printed page, it sometimes results in fairly underwhelming prepainted figures, at least color-wise. Thankfully, the blue cape and silver scale armor in Wayne's design gives us some interesting colors to pop with this guy, and I think he'll be a popular choice for player characters and NPCs alike. Heck, get a couple of them and they serve as pretty killer elite guards for any of the various Chelaxian (or even just generally evil) NPCs we've released to date. The Torrent Hellknight is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Speaking of despicable Chelaxian villains, here we have Jilia Bainilus, the former mayor of the city of Kintargo and a very interesting character in the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path. Calling Jilia a villain is a bit of a stretch (as well as a bit of a spoiler), so in the interests of not ruining anything let's just say her Facebook alignment status is "It's Complicated." Jilia's look comes direct from the brush of Pathfinder superstar artist Wayne Reynolds and the cover of Pathfinder Adventure Path #99. I think she's got a fantastic look for a player character noble swordswoman. Although Jilia's official game statistics are... let's just say, "somewhat different," to me this is pretty much the perfect swashbuckler miniature, and I can't wait to use it in my games. Jilia Bainilus is a Medium, rare figure.

After one of my fun Dragon Con panels this last weekend, a dedicated Pathfinder fan came up to ask me if we might ever do a Pathfinder Battles figure of a Strix, the dark-skinned primitive winged folk who feature so heavily in the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path, Liane Merciel's wonderful Nightglass novel, and elsewhere. I was pleased to not only say "yes, we will!" but to say "yes, we will, as soon as humanly possible. In fact, we've got one in the very next set!" So here you go, Pathfinder fan. Your very own Strix Sorcerer, suitable for use as a player character or a nasty winged villain. Huzzah! The Strix Sorcerer is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Next week, I'll be back with more awesome previews for Deadly Foes. A formal announcement of the next set should hit soon. In the meantime, I'm currently working on the NEXT setlist with our recently returned Director of Licensing, Mike Kenway. We're starting with a blank slate and a VERY loose theme for this one, so please let me know if you have any requests! I'm particularly interested to hear what major races or groups you'd like to see us cover with multiple "like" figures in the same set. By my count we've done goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, ghouls, and a few others.

What else do you want or need? Let us know in the comments.

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

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

The Wrath of CONNNNNNNNNN!

Friday, July 29, 2016

It's that magical time of year again when I break my time into 30 minute chunks as I leap from state to state and country to country for the annual ritual of level-draining known as "Con Season." I only just returned to the States from (the absolutely wonderful, it must be said) PaizoCon UK, and here I sit in my office with only a few more working hours before it's time to head out to the big one—GEN CON!

This year marks my 22nd consecutive year at the convention, and I'm still just as excited about going as I was that very first year. Since I haven't gotten a chance to actually play a game at Gen Con since the 1990s*, these days the aspect of the convention that most gets my blood pumping is the chance to see old friends from all over the world in the evenings. Also, for about an hour on Sunday, after all the business meetings and seminars and media interviews are over, I like to speed-walk the trade hall on the hunt for new miniatures!

All of the best minis manufacturers are present at the show, displaying their latest and greatest offerings. Because of strange timing this year, WE don't have any brand new WizKids Pathfinder Battles sets to show off, though we will have a few cases of The Rusty Dragon Inn that we managed to find recently. So if you missed that much-in-demand set the first time, you'll have a chance to check it out in the Paizo booth (#103).

We'll also have a few new metal miniatures from our friends at Reaper Miniatures making their debut in the Paizo store, including iconic characters from Occult Adventures and a few other exciting surprises.

As in past years, we've set up a special promotional repaint miniature FREE with purchases of $50 or more at the Paizo booth. This year's promo mini is the Blue Guard, a repaint of the Guard from The Rusty Dragon Inn that we've produced in extremely limited quantities. We should have a FEW of this guy left over for sale here on paizo.com after we get back from the show, but I wouldn't expect him to last long. He's really cool, and guards are the type of figures most GMs want by the small handful.

We'll also be giving away top-secret promo repaints to all ticketed players of the Friday and Saturday night Pathfinder Society Specials in the massive Sagamore Ballroom. If you're there on Friday night especially, there's a good chance that I or a member of the Paizo editorial staff will hand-deliver your limited-edition figure, just by way of saying "thanks" for playing Pathfinder and enjoying what we do. We couldn't do it without you, and a free miniature every once in a while is but a token of our appreciation for your continued gaming loyalty and support.

But most of you won't be at Gen Con, and you're probably eager to see more previews of figures from the upcoming Deadly Foes set. I've been on the road at conventions the last two Fridays, so it's understandable if everyone is a little bit starved of previews.

So let's get on with it!

It's unbelievably hot in Seattle right now, so today's previews both involve FIRE! Up first we have the Peri, from Bestiary 3. Peris are a race of celestials native to the good-aligned Outer Planes, but they are often found in the company of mortals on the Material Plane. Sworn enemies of divs, Peris are drawn from Persian mythology, and their fiery wings certainly give them a nifty appearance. At CR 14, you're gonna want a pretty titanic battle to make up for these guys being in the Common rarity slot, but hey, at least they look really sweet with clear wings and a great sculpt. The Peri is a Medium figure.

As I sit here writing this, the sun is beating into my office, which has surely grown as hot as the flaming bow of this incredible Erinyes devil. It's difficult to believe it's taken us this long to create one of the most iconic and beloved devils, but some of our early sets were so filled with winged female fiends that I wanted to wait for the right time for this specific creature to strike. WizKids has done a phenomenal job with the sculpt—don't let the relatively simple paint job fool you. This one is a winner. The Erinyes is a Medium, uncommon figure.

And that's it! I'm off to Gen Con. If you can catch me between meetings in the Paizo booth, I'd love to chat with you about Pathfinder Battles, miniatures in general, or pretty much whatever! It's great to get to see our customers face-to-face at the show, and more than a few of those conversations have resulted in figures added to the line, so you never know! I'm always open to suggestions.

See you at the show, or see you back here in a couple weeks!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

* Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration! I'm actually playing in a LIVE Pathfinder game this year with Jason Bulmahn, F. Wesley Schneider, and Crystal Frasier! It's the Live RPG Plus "celebrity" gaming event on Saturday night at 7:00 in the Westin Capitol III room. I understand tickets are still available. You can find more information HERE!

Here Come the Hobgoblins

Friday, July 8, 2016

One of my favorite moments in the development of any Pathfinder Battles set is the day when WizKids brings in the paint master and I get to see the figures for what amounts to the first time. Sure, I've carefully selected the reference images and approved digital sculpts, but it's not until you can actually hold the figures in your hand that they truly become "real." And oh, boy did we have a "real" experience looking at Deadly Foes!

Incidentally, the set has officially moved to a NOVEMBER release. I am told by reliable sources that it is unlikely to slip further.

The theme of Deadly Foes is high-utility monsters, humanoids, and heroes, and the feeling in the room as each of the painted figures was that this may be one of our best and most useful sets yet.

This week I'd like to show off three figures from the set: Hobgoblins all!

Up first is the Hobgoblin Archer, a nice rank-and-file ranged weapon attacker. Simple. Effective. Deadly. The Hobgoblin Archer is a Medium, common figure.

This guy is the bomb. The Hobgoblin Alchemist is a Medium, common figure.

Last up this week is the Hobgoblin Cleric, another Medium, common figure.

All three hobgoblins were inspired by art from the Pathfinder RPG Monster Codex, which also has relevant game statistics.

Lots more to show off in the coming weeks!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Friday Publisher Preview: Feelin' Crabby

Friday, June 24, 2016

It’s been a long, long week filled with sick days and budgets and other things that make Erik a dull boy, so here at the end of Friday, with the prospect of Saturday staring me in the face, I thought it might be fun to focus on a couple of miniatures that seem well suited to my current mood. Nothing makes me feel better than miniatures (ok, well, almost nothing), and this week’s previews are especially tasty. Both are from the new Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures that is currently slated for an October release.

Here we have my current mood’s namesake, the Giant Crab, in all his crabby glory. These guys come up in play enough that I knew I wanted to include one in a set. I’m happy to report that the Giant Crab is a common figure, so you can send a whole swarm of them at your player characters the next time they decide to let their guard down while enjoying an afternoon at the beach. The Giant Crab is a Medium figure.

Sometimes when you’re in a bad mood, all you really need is a hug. The Flying Ray is very happy to lend a couple of gnarly skin flaps to the cause, cloaking you in its warm embrace. Once inside, you’ll never want to leave! The Flying Ray is a Large, uncommon figure.

That’s it for today’s blog, and for today, really. And not a moment too soon! We’ll see you next week with a couple more exciting reveals from Deadly Foes!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Greetings from Hellywood

Friday, June 10, 2016

As I write this blog, I'm sitting in a writer's room in Hollywood working on a secret Pathfinder project. Everyone here thinks I'm taking notes, but in fact I'm making good on my mission to provide you, the Miniatures Fiend, a weekly preview of upcoming Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures from October's Deadly Foes set. It'll be a short update this week—it's an exciting meeting—but excitement is no excuse for no update at all.

Here we have a wicked Bearded Devil, one of countless elite warriors in the legions of Hell. WizKids did a fantastic job with the sculpt on this one. His face (and beard) is particularly charming. The Bearded Devil is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Last week some folks said they wanted to see more of the NPCs in Deadly Foes, so here we have a very important one—Barzillai Thrune, one of the primary antagonists of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path. Your players will already hate him as they play the campaign, so why not let them see the source of their loathing? Barzillai Thrune is a Medium, Rare figure.

See you next week!

Erik Mona
Publisher

PaizoCon Reveals Up-Close!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Last week we revealed a number of figures for October's Deadly Foes set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles figures, and the response at the show has been fantastic. I've seen a few of the images show up online from cameraphones in the audience, but today I'd like to reveal the four new figures I showed off at the preview banquet here on the blog, to give you all a MUCH better look at them!

Up first is the Salamander, everyone's favorite snake-bodied denizen of the Plane of Fire. The Salamander has a cool spear and stands ready to scorch your player characters into ashes. The Medium figure is slated at the common rarity.

This masked Pathfinder Society Leader is a member of the Decemvirate, the 10-person group of mysterious masked leaders who run the Pathfinder Society from the shadows. Are they good guys? Bad guys? WHO KNOWS? That's part of the fun of working for the Pathfinder Society. Every day is a surprise! The Pathfinder Society Leader is a Medium, rare figure.

At long last I'm pleased to reveal the Pit Devil, a paragon of law and evil that serves as a fitting end-boss to any fantasy campaign. Or, you know, throw him at your third-level heroes and see what happens, just for fun. The Pit Devil is a Large, rare figure.

At the PaizoCon Preview Banquet I also revealed the first piece of "dungeon dressing" in the Deadly Foes set, the Book of the Damned itself! Like all of the other dungeon dressing in the set, this guy comes one per case, and is randomly swapped out for another mini in a randomly selected booster. Now, just like the impulsive rogue in my Monday night Pathfinder game, your player characters can have their very own copy of the most evil book in the Pathfinder world. Fun for everyone! Even more fun: The book can be removed from its base, giving you two minis in one. Kinda!

And that's it for today. Thanks to all of you who attended PaizoCon this year. The Miniatures Trading Afterparty was a huge success again this year, and I hope those of you who didn't get a chance to come this year will make it out to Seattle over Memorial Day Weekend next year so we can meet in person, talk about minis, and do a trade or two! Or three. Or four.

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Big Guns

Friday, May 20, 2016

Friday brings the smell of fresh plastic wafting on the winds, a sure sign that it's time again to preview some digital sculpts for October's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted miniatures! As we prep for PaizoCon next weekend, we're heading into a big week for Paizo, so I wanted to take the time to focus on a couple of "big" miniatures in the set—namely two of my favorites!

Here we have the Ankhrav Drone, a new name for a classic creature found on page 15 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. The story behind this burrowing, bug-like monster's origin is quite interesting. The standard version, with a name gate-locked by our inability to include the Open Game License on the bottom of every figure, also was saddled with an illustration that wasn't too inspiring, and that didn't seem to me like it would make a good miniature. Still, it's a very useful creature in general, and eventually I want to make sure we make every creature in the first Bestiary (if not all the others), so I had a lot of impetus to make the figure, but knew we'd need a better illustration (for minis purposes) AND a new name for the creature. Enter the Pathfinder Campaign Setting book Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Lords. That book introduced the Ankhrav, a Huge cousin of the classic Bestiary monster, and positioned it more as a brood queen for the standard Large version of the character. It also had a very cool illustration that, when coupled with the re-do we put into the Pathfinder Pawns Bestiary Box created the new look for this creature. I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out, and look forward to having this guy burrow his way up from under my player characters! The Ankhrav Drone is a Large figure at the uncommon rarity.

The Gynosphinx is a classic dungeon creature that we've somehow not managed to produce in more than 10 Pathfinder Battles sets. I think we've been waiting for the right piece of art, and with this version, we've finally got it. Sure, she's a bit Liz Taylor, but I'd hardly call that a problem. Ahem. Anyway, the Gynosphinx is a Large, rare figure.

And that's all I've got for this week. We will likely NOT have a Publisher Preview next week, as I'll be at PaizoCon with the rest of the Paizo staff. I WILL be revealing some new figures at the Preview Banquet on Saturday night, though, so keep your eyes on the Internet to see if you can't find some camera phone photos before we formally share them here after the convention.

And if you ARE coming to PaizoCon, don't forget the 9th-annual Miniatures Trading Afterparty in the hotel bar immediately after the conclusion of the convention on Monday. I'll have piles of Pathfinder Battles goodies, and it's a great chance to swap doubles with other miniatures fiends in the community. Plastic, metal, painted, unpainted. Bring it all! Dump stuff you don't want anymore for new stuff you never knew you wanted. It's one of my favorite parts of the convention, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Until then (and after), I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

The Devils in the Details

Friday, May 13, 2016

Once upon a time, October's Deadly Foes set of prepainted plastic miniatures from the Pathfinder Battles line had a much heavier focus on fiends vs. celestials, with a huge emphasis on the devils of Hell. Probably too much of an emphasis, if I'm being completely honest. Eventually we toned down some of the diabolical content and replaced it with other creatures to give the set a more general appeal, but some of that infernal impetus still remains, and there are PLENTY of devils left in Deadly Foes.

This week, I'd like to show off a couple of the minor devils in the set—the Lemure and the Accuser.

Here we have the Lemure, and from where I sit I'm not certain that we've ever produced a figure quite so ugly. And I mean that in the nicest possible way! The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary describes Lemure Devils as the least of devilkind, shapeless masses of quivering flesh. They are further described as "grotesque and useless." I beg to differ on that last point! I can see swarms of these guys converging upon my player characters. The Lemure is a CR 1 Medium figure at the common rarity.

Our second fiend today comes from the pages of Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2, which describes them as "childlike souls tormented and scoured of innocence by the flames of Hell and then reshaped by the mad whims of the archdevil Baalzebul." Accuser devils embody the foul, merciless, and pervasive corruptions of Hell. At CR 3, they also make for great group encounters. This gross little guy is slated at the common rarity, making him perfect for an otherworldly ambush by the party's devilish foes. The Accuser Devil is a Small figure.

There are a lot more devils coming in Deadly Foes, but I've made my own infernal promise to drag these previews out until October, so I'm afraid they'll have to wait for future previews!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Good Guys!

Friday, May 6, 2016

Last week we revealed a couple of bad guys from October's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures, so it seemed only fitting that this week we tip the celestial scales back in favor of good! Only this time, because the Sun is shining in Seattle and I'm ready to leave work behind for a relaxing weekend, I want to OVER-tip the scales, so as a special Spring bonus I'm going to reveal three "good" minis today!

Up first is the simple-but-effective Celestial Lantern. This low-level lawful good spirit eagerly converses with and assists other goodly creatures, and can even be taken as a familiar or summoned by even low-level casters. Molded in clear plastic with a golden lattice, the Celestial Lantern keeps the light of good alive against the darkness. The Celestial Lantern is a Small, common figure.

Celestial Sentinels are disciplined watchers for good-aligned deities, often guarding specific places or individuals important to pure-hearted gods. Their ranks fill the celestial armies, where they are great enemies of evil fiends, showing them no mercy. At CR 4, they're also among the most commonly summoned allies for lower-level spellcasters, making them a nice addition to the ranks alongside Celestial Lanterns and the like. The Celestial Hound is a Medium, common figure.

To round out our goodly trio we've got the Celestial Trumpeter, a messenger of good deities and the vanguard of divine armies. Their glorious trumpets transform into magic +4 greatswords, adding significant punch to a significant array of magic spells, justifying their CR 14 status. The Celestial Trumpeter is a Medium, uncommon figure.

And that's it for this week (though more celestials remain for future reveals)! I wish you all the best of weekends to come, and look forward to showing off another round of figures next week!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Bad Guys!

Friday, April 29, 2016

This week's Pathfinder Battles preview reveals two of my favorite figures in October's Deadly Foes set, both of whom very much live up to their name.

Up first this week is the Technic League Captain, a villainous lout from the barbaric land of Numeria, where the remnants of a huge spaceship that crashed long ago still fuel the people with weird liquids and technological debris. Our friend the Technic League Captain, culled from the pages of the Inner Sea World Guide, has made that technology work for him in the form of a cool futuristic sword. Is it a ghost touch weapon? A brilliant energy blade? You decide! The Technic League Captain is a Medium, rare figure.

The Fire Diabolist is one of my favorite illustrations from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: NPC Codex, which continues to be a great source of images for the Pathfinder Battles line. This 20th-level cleric of Asmodeus (!!!) comes ready to rumble with a killer mace and a sturdy shield. The Fire Diabolist is a Medium, rare figure who would probably prefer to cook your player characters all the way to well done!

That's it for this week. Swing by in seven days for another look at what WizKids has in store in October's Deadly Foes set!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Good Bad Dogs

Friday, April 22, 2016

It's been a long week of hard work and hard business travel (ok, fun business travel), so at the end of the day here on Friday, the thing I'm most looking forward to doing is heading home and hanging out with my dog. I got my first pet—a wonderfully chubby pug named Tiny—about 5 years ago. Before that I didn't really understand compassion. While I always (sort of) enjoyed hanging out with my friends' dogs, I never knew why people liked them so much. Then I got one of my own, my heart melted, and I guess you could say I'm a better man than I ever was before.

But the thing is, not all dogs are as awesome as my little Tiny. Some of them are right bastards.

For this week's preview, we're taking a look at two terrible canines from October's Deadly Foes set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic miniatures. Bring your pepper spray and choke chains, and most importantly, BEWARE OF DOG!

Up first this week is the Cerberi, a nasty three-headed dog from the pages of Pathfinder RPG: Bestiary 3. Based on the mythical guard dogs of Hell, these outsiders can dimensionally anchor an enemy with a bite, and their three noses are particularly good at sniffing out undead. Of course, they're lawful evil, so they aren't so great with the living, either. The Cerberi is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Bad dogs travel best in packs, and when you're talking about dogs from Hell like the Cerberi, you've got to also talk about the original hounds of hell—hell hounds! This charming fellow is the Advanced Hell Hound, a Large and more imposing version of the original creature (whom we included in the Shattered Star set). I've included a side view, as the flames coming out of this guy's mouth make it a little difficult to interpret from straight-on. Either way, this guy is sure to light a fire under the feet of your player characters. The Advanced Hell Hound is a Large, uncommon figure.

And that's it for this week! Join us in seven days for another look ahead at the villains, heroes, and monsters of Deadly Foes!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Winged Warriors (Big and Small)

Friday, April 14, 2016

Hard to believe it's already Friday, which also means it's already time for another sneak peek at new minis from the upcoming Deadly Foes set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles gaming figures from our friends at WizKids! This week I've decided to focus on two winged figures, one quite small, and the other very large! Let's take to the air and see what all the fuss is about!

Up first this week is the Imp, a diabolical little fellow who makes a perfect familiar for a villain or for the somewhat villainous arcane spellcaster that seems to infect nearly every party. Even though this figure is Tiny, I love all of the detail WizKids put into his face, and he's a nice addition to the ranks of devils that we'll continue to see in this set as we move toward its October release. The Imp is an uncommon figure.

Look, up in the sky, it's a freakin' terrifying raptor with claws as long as short swords! Here's hoping he's friendly! Giant Eagles have been a staple of fantasy since long before J.R.R. Tolkien had them rescue a bunch of hobbits from a tree, and I'm pleased to finally bring this "staple" creature to the Pathfinder Battles line. At the Large size and positioned in the uncommon rarity, it should be pretty easy to build up a terrifying flock!

And that's it for this week. I've got to space these things out a bit to make it all the way to October! In the meantime, keep on keepin' on, and keep up with the suggestions for new minis we can make for you!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

Two for the Road

Friday, April 1, 2016

I'm leaving for a much-needed vacation to the ruined ancient cities of Mexico in about an hour, so I'm going to make this week's Pathfinder Battles preview short and sweet. The sun is shining, I've got packing to do, and this is no time to be at work.

That said, I'm absolutely thrilled with the quality of sculpts WizKids has been sending us for October's Deadly Foes set of prepainted plastic gaming figures. This latest pair—a diabolical pair if I've ever seen one—bring dark flames to my wicked heart.

Two maces. A wicked beard. A giant upside down pentagram to properly honor Lord Asmodeus. What's not to love? The Priest of Asmodeus makes a great rank-and-file evil cleric, but he's dynamic enough to be a specific, credible villain. The figure is a Medium piece slated at the common rarity.

This cool Thrune Enforcer is the perfect compliment to the Priest of Asmodeus, a great shock-trooper for an evil army or even a member of an evil town's city watch. Heck, if you look past the glyph of the evil empire Cheliax, she'd even work well for a darkly garbed, mace-wielding player character. Either way, you don't want to see her coming at you with that mace held high after you unexpectedly interrupt a candle-lit ceremony! The Thrune Enforcer is a Medium, common figure.

And with that, I say "GRACIAS" for your interest in and support of the Pathfinder Battles line. I'm off work next week, which means no figure preview next Friday. I WILL return in two weeks time with even more cool minis to show off, however, provided I don't take a nasty tumble down a Mayan pyramid.

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

The Clear Choice

Friday, March 25, 2016

This week I've got two figures from October's Deadly Foes, the next set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles gaming figures! This week's choices allow me to show off figures tied to one of my favorite features—clear plastic.

When it comes to things like invisible creatures and flames, clear plastic offers a verisimilitude that's very difficult to achieve even with a well-painted miniature. Try as I might, I can never blend orange, yellow, and red well enough to really "sell" it as fire, but when clear plastic comes into the picture, things get considerably more "realistic."

I've loved several clear figures from the past of the Pathfinder Battles range, from the flaming pole-arm of early experiments like High Lady Athroxis to all-out classics like the elementals from the Shattered Star set. Deadly Foes continues the tradition, with a significant number of creatures that employ clear plastic effects sure to drop your jaw.

Here we have the Invisible Guardian, an incredibly versatile figure that can double as a dungeon stalker or any kind of incorporeal undead. The Invisible Guardian stands a bit taller than your average adventurer, and it's ready to sneak up and do some stranglin'. The Invisible Guardian is a Medium, common figure.

Also today we've got the Hellcat, one of my favorite sculpts from the Deadly Foes set. If previous Pathfinder Battles figures like the Hell Hound from Shattered Star are any indicator, this guy is going to turn out wonderfully. Even better, it's a Large figure, so I expect the juxtaposition between bone and fire is going to look fantastic. The Hellcat is slated at the uncommon rarity.

I hope you agree that both of these figures are "clearly" great choices for your game table! I'll be back next week with a look at some more figures from Deadly Foes!

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

News from the GAMA Trade Show!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Greetings, everyone! I'm writing to you today from the floor of the GAMA Trade Show, the game industry's annual convocation of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in lovely Las Vegas, Nevada. GAMA is not only a great chance to meet up with industry friends and business partners, but it's also a great place to pick up exciting news from the attending publishers. This year, Paizo and Pathfinder are no different! You've probably also seen the news about our new paperback Pathfinder RPG Pocket Editions of the Core Rulebook and Bestiary, as well as the exciting announcement of September's Curse of the Crimson Throne hardcover Adventure Path. You may not have seen the great news about Pathfinder miniatures, however, so I wanted to carve out some time from my busy convention schedule to bring you up to speed.

Our partners at WizKids, who have already produced nearly a dozen sets of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles releases, announced on Tuesday that they are launching a brand-new line of unpainted plastic miniatures based on their two popular fantasy miniatures licenses—Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons, along with some original unbranded dungeon scenery!

In all the new unpainted figure line will launch with more than 150 unique sculpts, and is scheduled for a fourth-quarter 2016 release. All of the figures will come fully assembled, and will be pre-primed with Acrylios Vallejo primer, some of the finest-quality hobby paint available. The figures will come in a few different configurations:

• Hero Packs will contain both a low-level and a high-level sculpt of the same character, such as the Pathfinder iconic hero Valeros, pictured below.
• Monster Packs will contain 1–3 miniatures with different versions of the same type of monster (for example, goblins, orcs, etc.).
• Item Packs will contain scenery and items (treasure chests, traps, furniture and the like) for detailing adventures.

Each pack will be priced from $2.99-$3.99, depending on the size and number of figures included.

I had a chance to review early versions of these figures in hand at the show, and I think you will all be blown away by the enhanced sculpting process WizKids will be using, which highlights minute elements and includes deep cut surface details and scaled features for easier hand painting.

Take a look at the quick photos I took of Valeros on my iPhone to get a sense of how cool these will look. Much more detailed photos will appear here in the weeks to come.

The launch of WizKids new unpainted figure line will not impact either of Paizo's two existing miniatures lines, Pathfinder Battles from WizKids and Pathfinder Miniatures from Reaper. As the new figures will use completely new sculpts and poses, there should be very little overlap with existing figures, though it's safe to assume that some familiar faces are certain to appear in the new line.

Also at the show, I revealed two more digital sculpts from the forthcoming Pathfinder Battles set Deadly Foes, scheduled for an October release.

Look out! It's a Cockatrice! He nips you with that nasty beak of his and you're sure to be turned to stone. The Cockatrice is a Small, uncommon figure.

Look out! That friendly NPC you picked up a few dungeon rooms back isn't friendly at all—it's a Doppelganger! The Doppelganger is a Medium, uncommon figure.

Lots more to reveal in the weeks to come. Keep your eyes on this space for more exciting Pathfinder miniatures developments!

Until the stars are right, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher

A HUGE Announcement: Deadly Foes!

Friday, March 11, 2016

I'm thrilled to announce that the next set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted plastic gaming figures will be Deadly Foes! Deadly Foes is a 45-figure "full" Pathfinder Battles set with 6 pieces of bonus "dungeon dressing" randomly inserted into standard 4-piece booster boxes. The set's general theme allows for a huge variety of high-utility monsters and allies, with a focus on key creatures we've not yet produced and some exciting new surprises.

The biggest surprise, both literally and figuratively, is that the Deadly Foes set includes two HUGE figures as its limited-edition case incentive! It's been a long, long time since we've been able to include Huge creatures in Pathfinder Battles, for a number of largely boring reasons related to production hurdles, form factors, and the like. I'm thrilled to report that we worked with WizKids for a solution to this problem. Past case incentive figures have been Gargantuan, the Pathfinder RPG size just above Huge, and we'll continue to include Gargantuan case incentives when they make sense. Mixing things up with our previous set, The Rusty Dragon Inn was so successful that we're in an experimental mood. And we've decided to experiment by making the Deadly Foes Case Incentive a two-pack of two of our favorite Huge creatures: the Clockwork Dragon and the Spawn of Cthulhu!

Here we have the insanely detailed Clockwork Dragon, from the pages of Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 4! The creature's neutral alignment makes it the perfect foe for good or evil characters, and its looming size make it an impressive addition to any tabletop battle. The art for this creature is one of my favorite pieces to ever appear in a Pathfinder monster book, so I'm extra delighted to see it come to glorious three dimensions!

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die" is not just a sweet line from a Metallica song, it's also a key phrase in the mythology of American horror author H. P. Lovecraft, creator of the Cthulhu Mythos. It's also the inspiration for Pathfinder's next Adventure Path, Strange Aeons, which launches in August. Here we have the dreaded Spawn of Cthulhu as it emerges from the water to destroy the sanity of your player characters. The world has seen a lot of Cthulhu miniatures over the years, but I've never quite seen one emerging from the ocean like this guy. WizKids's brilliance with clear water effects is sure to make this a distinctive, pants-ruining experience for your players when you plop down the Big C on your game table.

That's it for this week! I've got a ton of other images to show for this set, but it's unfortunately going to take two weeks to get to them. I'm off to the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas on Monday, and will be out for the entire week. I will try to get a blog completed while I am on the road, but I expect to be very, very busy next week and don't want to make any promises I can't keep.

But I did promise the Huge figures would reappear in Pathfinder Battles, so I think you can count on my word!

Until the stars are right, I remain,

Erik Mona
Publisher