Journey into the Meraz

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The sands of the Meraz Desert hide a long and storied history, one beset by ancient evils and warring factions. In Feast of Dust, the PCs start off in the trade town of Dimayen as it is plagued with an ancient curse. Citizens find themselves ravenously hungry, but can't seem to keep any food down and eventually starve or wander out into the desert. As the PCs get involved, they work with factions in the town, before setting out into the remote Meraz to track down the source of the town's problems—a cult of Trelmarixian inhabiting the Sunbleached Tower!

Developing the look of a brand new cult we've never used before fell to our amazing Art Department and artists! Here are just a few examples:

Illustrations by Tomasz Chistowski, Firat Solhan, and Rogier van de Beek

The wait is over! In addition to the adventure, this Pathfinder Module also features a gazeteer of Dimayen and three new monsters. Pick up Feast of Dust and have the PCs square off against the, cultists, daemons, and more! Can your group stop the evil harbinger of famine before it's too late?

Illustrations by Tomasz Chistowski and Ertaç Altınöz

Adam Daigle & Crystal Frasier
Developer, Assistant Developer

Let (Im)mortal Combat Continue!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

We've got the results in from Round 1, and we're ready to show off Round 2 of our Bestiary 5 previews—not to mention a chance for you to win a copy of Bestiary 5!

Without further ado, let's show off our winners from Round 1!

Illustrations by Bryan Sola and Ben Wootten

Thought Eater CR ??

A nimbus of glowing, intangible matter envelops this strange skeletal creature with a birdlike beak.

N ??? aberration (extraplanar)

Ecology

Ecology any (Ethereal plane)

Organization solitary or group (1–3)

Treasure none

With your votes, the Thought Eater beat out the Monstrous Humanoid it was paired against! Back into the ocean with you, Monstrous Humanoid! The Though Eater might have some problems with its new opponent, though...

Wyrmwraith CR ??

This ghostly, skeletal creature appears to once have been a dragon, but it is now something far less noble.

CE ??? undead (incorporeal)

Ecology

Ecology any

Organization solitary or cadre (1 plus 2–4 dread wraiths)

Treasure double

The Wyrmwraith crushed the Fey by one of the wider margins in the contest. Sharp-eyed fans may have noticed a glowing green dragon on the cover of the Advanced Class Guide, but now it has stats (and if it has a statblock, you can kill it...right? Guys, where did you go?)

Adam Daigle (Developer): "Dwarfed by the wyrmwraith, the thought eater is going to have to be clever to win this battle of the strange skeletons!"

Mark Seifter (Designer): "A lot of people have been saying that the wyrmwraith's phenomenally greater power level will cinch this fight, and it does have the ACG cover on its side, but fundamentally, this is a creature that detests its own existence, whereas the thought eater, while humble, has a go-getter attitude and isn't afraid to team up with adventurers."

Illustrations by Tomasz Chistowski and Subroto Bhaumik

Deep Merfolk CR ??

This gaunt mermaid has a long, semitransparent tail with a vivid red crest and caudal fin.

N ??? humanoid (aquatic)

Ecology

Ecology any oceans (trenches)

Organization solitary, family (2–4), or tribe (10–15)

Treasure standard (spear, other treasure)

Orthos correctly guessed that the humanoid was an "eel-humanoid mermaid-like thing", and the Deep Merfolk won against Outsider C. No love for creatures of the heavens, it seems—mortalkind wins again! But can it win a second time?

Twilight Pitri (Barhisad) Manasaputra CR ??

Cerulean light surrounds this towering four-armed figure in a vibrant corona.

LG ??? outsider (extraplanar, good, lawful, manasaputra)

Ecology

Ecology any (Positive Energy Plane)

Organization solitary

Treasure none

The Twilight Pitri Manasaputra is not the only manasaputra in Bestiary 5, and many of her abilities tie heavily into elements from Occult Adventures—but to see which ones, she'll have to make it to future rounds!

Ashley Kaprielian (Accountant): "Let's hope that the Twilight Pitri can slap some enlightenment into this Deep Merfolk before she's unmade. The Deep Merfolk is cool, calm, and elusive under pressure though, so this will be an epic battle between these paragons of light and darkness!"

Mark: "Let's face it, I have to give the twilight pitri credit for surviving the destruction of the previous Multiverse, and it could deep freeze the deep merfolk in an instant, but the deep merfolk is a mortal humanoid, so I think she's got this by just exploiting the pitri's aversion to meddling in mortal affairs. The pitri would have done better against the wyrmwraith or pakalchi."

Illustrations by Brynn Metheney and Jose Parodi

Su CR ??

This emaciated quadruped has a mouth full of jagged teeth and a cluster of bald, mewling offspring clinging to its back.

CE ??? magical beast

Ecology

Ecology any forests

Organization solitary, pair, or troop (3–6)

Treasure incidental

Alas, John, the Su stomped Magical Beast A by nearly twice the votes, offering no quarter and certainly no mercy. The fight between "who's art is creepier" is gonna be a tough one with its next opponent...

Pakalchi Sahkil CR ??

Thorny vines with tiny red flowers grow from this emaciated woman and flow like a train behind her.

NE ??? outsider (evil, extraplanar, sahkil)

Ecology

Ecology any (Ethereal Plane)

Organization solitary, pair, or plot (3–7)

Treasure standard

DeciusNero was the first to identify Outsider B as a sahkil fiend, and this particular variant is the pakalchi! I would say this creature is spooky good...but there is nothing "good" about any sahkil!

Adam: "Dragons are always tough contenders, so I'm glad that my pakalchi sahkil beat it in the silhouette round. Now that she's squaring off against the su, a beast one of my PCs squared off against recently, she has to bring it to make it to the next round. I'm confident she'll strike fear into her opponent and pull off a win."

Ashley: "It's a good thing the Pakalchi Sahkil can fight blind, because those whelps have a face only their mother could love. I would be angry all the time too if I had six kids clinging to me. The level of malice in this ring is enough to make even Zon-Kuthon take notice."

Mark: "This one's a slam dunk: The su brings its whole family to bear, using its young as psychic batteries for its magic, but the pakalchi specializes in breaking the bonds between loved ones, so this is the perfect match-up for her."

Illustration by Joshua Meehan and Daniel López

Roiling Oil CR ??

This viscous heap slides like an inky spill. It's the color of a starless night sky, and a thick odor permeates the air around it.

N ??? ooze

Ecology

Ecology any underground

Organization solitary

Treasure none

No tempura for me, alas! The Vermin gets to scuttle back to the ocean in peace and comfort, while the Roiling Oil will slither along to face its next victim!

Lotus Leshy CR ??

A plant whose body resembles a blooming lotus flower exudes an air of serenity.

N ??? plant (leshy, shapechanger)

Ecology

Ecology warm lakes or ponds

Organization solitary

Treasure standard

Dragon78 also correctly identified the Lotus Leshy as our representative flora of Bestiary 5! It's definitely winning in the cute department, but will it be enough?

Mark: "Roiling Oil is an unintelligent ooze and lotus leshy is an adorable plant possessed of mystical wisdom. The ooze might be able to resist the leshy's dream pollen attack, but the leshy is smart enough to keep out of the slower ooze's way and find something to slash it with from afar."

Now that you've seen the entrants for Round 2, head on over to the Voting Booth to place your bets! If you vote on a winning creature, you'll increase your chances to win a signed copy of Bestiary 5, or be one of four winners of a digital version! The second round of voting closes at 12:00 PM Pacific time on November 4th, 2015, and remember, each round will give you more chances to win!

Vote Now!

What's that? You want more creatures in this feature? Well, alright then! Here's a few representatives from the creature types that didn't make it into Round 2.

Illustrations by Ertaç Altınöz, Aleksey Bayura, and Jose Parodi

Until we meet again,

Liz Courts
Community Manager

Salutations, Spring!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Illustration by Suzanne Helmigh
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Realms

As "predicted" in our last product update blog, fall has arrived! In fact, as I'm typing this, I'm wearing my first oversized sweater of the season and looking at decidedly orange leaves against the grey and rain filled sky. This is certainly setting the mood for an excellent Halloween night this Saturday, and what better to set the scene than going over some the tricks and treats we've released and have to look forward to in the coming months?

We've reached the mid-way point of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path with the release of Pathfinder Adventure Path #99: Dance of the Damned. How's your group dealing with the tenacity of resident tyrant, Barzillai Thrune? I hope they're ready, because they've got a lot of work to do to get ready for Pathfinder Adventure Path #100: A Song of Silver. The next volume of the Hell's Rebels is a mega-sized volume, filled with articles that all fans of the Pathfinder Adventure Path line will want to have in their collection. We'll have more previews available as we get closer to AP #100's release in December.

Ever wondered what lies beyond the border Golarion's Inner Sea region? Distant Shores takes you there! Or may you're a character that prefers to lay low or the company of the unseen world? This month we had a double Pathfinder Player Companion release with Black Markets and Occult Origins.

The current Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Adventure Path, Wrath of the Righteous cames to a close with the release of the epic conclusion: Adventure Deck 6: City of Locusts. Fans of the Adventure Card Game will be excited to know we've also announced plans for the Season of the Runelords, which begins in early 2016.

Do you need monsters and frights? This month we rummaged up some ideas for you to add in some creepy elements to your games in a series on the Paizo blog (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. We also launched a brand new feature in the Pathfinder Reference Document to sort Bestiary entries so you can find just the perfect set of teeth to drop into your campaign, and rounded all the free resources you can find on paizo.com to enhance your game or plan your next character.

Here's a complete look at what released in October:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #99: Dance of the Damned
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Deck 6: City of Locusts
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Shores
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Black Markets
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game GM Screen—Alternate Cover 2
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Slum Quarter
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Dungeon
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Town Square
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-09: The Blakros Connection
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-08: To Judge a Soul, Part 2: Karma Reclaimed
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild Adventure 1-5: Herald's Vengeance
• Pathfinder Legends—Mummy's Mask #2: Empty Graves

Now, what is that book coming out in November? You know, the big one? The big awesome one that's filled with stat blocks? We've kicked off a community-based series of previews (and a contest where you could win yourself a copy!) for the latest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover, Bestiary 5. This fifth volume of monsters for the Pathfinder RPG delivers a series of dark and weird creatures, whimsical allies, and so much more. Keep an eye on the Paizo blog and the Bestiary 5 Battle Royale for more news!

Illustration by Ertaç Altınöz (Pathfinder Module: Feast of Dust)

While we don't have an Adventure Path volume releasing in November, we do see the return of Pathfinder Modules with the latest stand-alone adventure Feast of Dust. Get to the bottom of the deadly curse that's been driving the city of Dimayen mad and stop the Jackal Prince before the entire world falls victim to his whims!

Here's a complete look at what is releasing in November:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Realms
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Weapon Master's Handbook
• Pathfinder Module: Feast of Dust
• Pathfinder Pawns: Summon Monster Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Slum Quarter Alleys
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-10: The Consortium Connection
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-11: Ancient's Anguish

Spring 2016 Announcements

In our last roundup blog we covered the announcement of our next Pathfinder Adventure Path, Hell's Vengeance, the next Pathfinder Comics series Hollow Mountain, and more. Let's take a look a bit further into the future into the next season of Pathfinder releases:

The March 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #104: Wrath of Thrune
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Faiths
• Pathfinder Pawns: Hell's Rebels Adventure Path Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Twisted Caverns
• Pathfinder Legends—Mummy's Mask #6

The April 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Intrigue
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #105: The Inferno Gate
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Inquisitor
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Heaven Unleashed
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Armor Master's Handbook
• Pathfinder Module: Ire of the Storm
• Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Road System

As always, the release dates are subject to change, but you can see the most up-to-date information on the Product Schedule page, or on each individual product page.

See ya next month!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director