The Ultimate Evil

Monday, April 9, 2018

Well, folks, we did it. We made it through the Jungle of Despair, and with a whole month to spare before the Pathfinder Battles set releases at the end of April! Along the way, we faced many challenges, from monsters and Darklands societies to pit traps and summoning pillars, but the greatest threat we faced was the final one, remember? Let me refresh your memory.

In the Mwangi Jungle, the greatest force of evil is the gorilla king, Ruthazek (he got his own mini in the Legends of Golarion set). From his throne in Usaro, the Gorilla King rules a nation of demon-worshiping apes and charau-ka, which he sends to torment the peaceful people of the Mwangi Expanse. Leading these armies are mighty, four-armed apes with distinctive white fur, represented here as the thrall of Angazhan. A Large, uncommon figure, the thrall of Angazhan is the final figure eagle-eyed fans might have seen on the box art.

Aiding us in this battle against the ultimate evil were two forces of goodness, one from a distant corner of Golarion, and the other from blessed Elysium. The latter, the noble azata knight, makes it her mission to hunt fiends, evil dragons, and undead with equal vigor. It is thus no surprise that she graced us with her presence, though I'd describe that as a Medium rare occurance.

Finally, from the distant continent of Tian Xia far to the east (and west, I guess, if you go the long way around), is the graceful kirin. This Large rare figure is right at home in the jungle, especially the air above the kaiju-filled Valashmai Jungle, but can oppose the schemes of evil spirits like hags and oni in any environment. Though rare, some kirin have even served as the flying mounts of particularly worthy cavaliers, paladins, or samurai.

With the aid of both azata and kirin, we overcame all adversity, and ensured the forces of Angazhan did not spread beyond their accursed, ruined jungle citadel. We have vanquished the despair from the jungle! Sort of.

Just because I've now revealed the entire set, that doesn't mean the adventure has to end here. Check back next week for more discussion of our miniature offerings. Whatever could we be exploring next?

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

On a Wing and a Prayer

Monday, April 2, 2018

We're almost out of the Jungle of Despair, but we've still got two more previews to go. This week, we look at four winged inhabitants of our jungle, before we tie up all the loose ends next week.

First on the agenda this week is the pixie, a wild fey prankster sure to add a bit of annoying fun to any campaign. A Small common figure, the pixie should have a few of his friends with him for anyone opening a brick or a case, allowing for all sorts of pixie swarm shenanigans. Though larger than the atomie and other tiny winged fey, the pixie figure can also stand in for a number of similar creatures if you're ok with the size discrepancies.

Next we have the river drake, a lesser dragon that makes a great challenge as the adventurers sail or steam into the heart of the jungle. Perhaps one of the most versatile figures in the set, the river drake is at home along rivers in all sorts of environments, and there are very few adventures I can think of that don't involve a river of some sort, even if just as background. The river drake is a Medium common figure.

This week's third offering is the batlike sabosan, echolocating monstrous humanoids found in warm forests and in the deep caverns of the earth. The sabosan miniature can also stand in for a werebat, or in a pinch, even a winged demon or devil. Its massive wingspan makes it an imposing figure, even on a Medium base, and its common rarity means you can throw a handful of them at the players to really keep them on their toes.

Players of the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path will surely remember one of the campaign's most iconic winged adversaries, which we'd be remiss not to include in this set. The bane of goats and unsuspecting travelers everywhere, the winged chupacabra is a thing of legend. More dangerous than the standard, wingless chupacabra, this Medium uncommon figure is sure to be the highlight of any adventure it appears in.

Thus we end our penultimate entry in the safari journal of the Jungle of Despair. Next week we'll take a look at the final three figures, locked in the eternal struggle between good and evil, and after that, maybe a look at the next set on the horizon. Jungle of Despair is out next month, so make sure to get your preorders in soon!

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

No Bears, Oh My!

Monday, March 26, 2018

Hail and well met, Pathfinders! We're getting close to the end of our trek through the Jungle of Despair, and we'll be free and clear with a month to spare before its May release. No jungle is complete without animals to call it home, both benign herbivores like the slow-moving sloth and docile deer, and more deadly predators. What fun is a mini of a sloth, though? Let's take a look at some of those hunters!

First we have the lion, the so-called "king of the jungle." Now, you and I know that lions really live on the plains, but who am I to argue with one if he wants to be known by an inaccurate royal name? I've seen the videos of lions attacking, so I'll just call this one king of whatever he wants me to. The lion is a Large uncommon figure.

Next, we have another great cat—and one that actually lives and hunts in jungles, though it doesn't need such silly titles as the lion king. No, the tiger is content to hunt in peace and quiet. And if painted white, it might even do some magic tricks for you in a Vegas review. The tiger is a Large uncommon figure.

How does that line from "The Wizard of Oz" go? It's "lions and tigers and eagles, oh my," right? I think so, because that's what's next in this blog's sequence, and I'd never deviate from canon by changing up such an iconic listing of dangerous critters. The eagle makes an excellent animal companion or a summoned creature, available to even low-level adventurers. A Small uncommon figure, GMs everywhere will be saying, "the eagle has landed" in just a little over a month's time.

The set has more than just these iconic apex predators in it, however. After all, someone needs to clean up all the rotting, half-eaten corpses left behind in the hunters' wake. Leave that to the vulture, a gross, bald-headed scavenger bird sure to strike fear into players everywhere when a few of them start to circle overhead. The vulture is a Small uncommon figure.

With all these wild animals about, we really could use someone to train them. Fear not, for the human ranger is on the task! As a Medium rare figure, he's still a steal for the lucky collector who pulls him from a pack, because he's really two minis in one. With his trusty bird of prey perched on his gloved hand, this figure pairs well with either of the two avians previewed above.

Next week, we explore the horrors wrought by nature run amok, but until then, enjoy the birdies and kitties revealed today; next week's offerings won't be as kind.

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

They Came From Below!

Monday, March 19, 2018

The journey into the Jungle of Despair continues this week with a look at some of the myriad threats that may face your party in the Darklands below the jungle, such as in the final two volumes of the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path.

You've already seen the morlock cleric, serpentfolk cleric, and serpentfolk wizard, so there's no use in trying to tease what monstrous civilizations this week's previews are going to represent. What good is a morlock cleric without a congregation of followers to do his bidding? Look no further than the morlock, a Medium common figure. I expect most GMs to get at least two of these figures to take advantage of their swarming special ability!

Not to be outdone by the degenerate offspring of their ancient Azlanti enemies, serpentfolk are even better represented in this set than morlocks, with two more figures we haven't seen yet. The first is the serpentfolk hunter, a Medium common figure, the perfect component for a serpentfolk warband, either guarding their subterranean domain or venturing to the surface with evil intent.

The final serpentfolk in the set is the serpentfolk rogue, a Medium uncommon figure. I love hand crossbows, and this figure shows off why. Using the vials of poison on its belt, the serpentfolk rogue can envenom both a bolt and its blade, presenting a deadly threat both to enemies within reach and dozens of feet away.

Lastly, we have a brave adventurer willing to travel into the darkness to rid the world of these sinister beasts. The human paladin commander makes a great figure for both a player character or the noble leader of a holy order of knights, such as the Glorious Reclamation in the Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path. The human paladin commander is a Medium rare figure.

Check back next week, for the antepenultimate entry into our Jungle of Despair preview series! Yes, that makes this the preantepenultimate preview, but who's counting?

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

It's Dangerous to Go Alone

Monday, February 19, 2018

Okay, so I need to get this off my chest. We all know the classic line from the cave hermit at the start of The Legend of Zelda. "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." Cool. But how does taking a sword address the fact that Link is still going alone? Sure, he has something with which to fight the danger inherent in solo adventuring, but wouldn't it be better for the old dude to also advise Link to take some friends along? That worked really well for 15 core Final Fantasy games.* I'm just saying.

Well, when you venture into the Jungle of Despair in May, I advise you to take allies in addition to your swords, boomerangs, bombs, and whatnot. And when you build your expedition party, you're going to need some miniatures to represent them. That's where today's blog comes in!

What jungle expedition is complete without a ranger to cut a path through the thick underbrush, to listen to the calls of nearby fauna warning of pending danger, or to gauge the best time and place to make camp during the annual monsoon, when the threat of flash flooding could ruin your much-needed 8 hours of rest. Enter the human hunter, a Medium uncommon figure, and your savior when you need a high roll on that next Survival check. Equipped with a ghillie suit, soft leather boots, and a knocked arrow ready to let fly, the human hunter won't make a sound as she blazes a trail to adventure at your side!

"But," you might inquire, "what's our guide's final destination? Where are we going?" Why to find that lost magic anvil from the blog two weeks ago, silly! And who better to accompany such an expedition but the dwarf explorer? No one. There is no one better. If you don't believe me, this curmudgeonly companion will remind you at every opportunity. He's clearly planning on doing some spelunking, what with his rope and grappling hook, but even aboveground he stands to be a stalwart ally with his short sword and heavy crossbow. The dwarf explorer is a Medium rare figure.

Rounding out the party is some magical support—a companion capable of deciphering ancient runes and dispelling arcane wards that protect your prize from plunder. The human arcanist looks like he could hail from the esteemed magical academy of the Magaambya deep in the heart of the Mwangi Jungle, where acolytes of Old-Mage Jatembe still mix the traditions of arcane and druidic magic to keep the forces of evil at bay. And if his magic fails, he can always literally throw the book at his enemies. Look at that thing! It has to weigh 20 pounds! The human arcanist is a Medium rare figure.

When the dangers of the deep jungle become too much for even these capable adventurers to handle, they can always call upon the help of outsiders (maybe that giant book is full of true names used for planar binding and other summoning spells). But the arcanists of the Magaambya would never treat with the likes of devils or demons. Only the forces of good are, well, good enough for our magic warriors! The azata wilder, a CR 6 outsider capable of being summoned via summon monster V, relishes the thrill of battle, and would be more than happy to come to your aid. Since higher level variants of the spell could result in as many as 1d4+1 of the azatas, this is a common figure, enabling you to represent an entire host of Elysian archers on the battle mat. As a Medium creature with distinct elven features, the figure can also serve as a player character in a pinch—I could see this as an aasimar or a sorcerous elf arcane archer with the celestial bloodline.

Next week we'll look at the antithesis of today's previews: creepy, crawly creatures from the dark places of the earth (and at least one outer plane), as well as a thematically related piece of dungeon dressing! I look forward to continuing the conversation with you then, friends!

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

*Yes, I know there are like fifty Final Fantasy games at this point. I said "core"—like with a Roman numeral in its title. You don't get to out-pedant me, nerds.

Nature's Protectors

Monday, February 12, 2018

We're now a full month into our journey through the Jungle of Despair, the next set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures from WizKids, and this week I get to show off some of my favorite figures in the set. So without further ado, let's begin!

As long as humanity has stood on the edge of the jungle and peered into the darkness beneath the impenetrable canopy, the imagination has created as many phantasmal dangers as actually exist in the unforgiving environment. But not all of these dangers are primeval, unthinking beasts that see explorers as little more than a potential meal. Many, in nearly every culture and mythology, exist to protect the untamed, untainted regions of the world from humanity's encroaching influence.

The first such creature in Jungle of Despair is the couatl, a lawful good staple of fantasy roleplaying games that takes its inspiration from the Aztec god, Quetzlcoatl, who is often referred to as "The Plumed Serpent." As such, the couatl is a mighty, mystical flying serpent with wings the color of a jungle bird's plumage. Couatls make for great protectors of jungle ruins or sacred sites for their ability to aid the adventurers, but only if the interlopers can convince the winged serpent of their true intentions and veneration for the purity of the unaltered wilderness. The couatl is a Large uncommon figure.

Similarly, nature spirits from the First World, the capricious realm of the fey, often serve as protectors of portions of the Material Plane. Comprised in large part of dense undergrowth and ancient trees, jungles make for the perfect habitat for dryads, each of whom is linked to a specific tree and given dominion over a particular copse or grove. The dryad in Jungle of Despair is a re-posed version of the reclining dryad illustration from the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, and thus can be used in nearly any wooded environment, from a palm tree in a desert oasis to a lone evergreen high atop a mountain vista. The dryad is a common Medium figure.

Often filling a niche similar to that of a dryad but found in other environments beyond the woods is the enigmatic nymph, a paragon of natural beauty who uses her charms to bend would-be defilers of the wild to her will. Also based on the primary creature illustration from the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, the nymph has been given some clothes in her miniature iteration, in the form of a seaweed skirt. With a pair of starfish stuck to her legs, she makes a great protector of seaside grottoes or isolated beaches but can still easily fit in anywhere that nature needs a steward. The nymph is a Medium common figure.

Mortal protectors of the natural world are no less powerful and intrinsically tied to the land, as in the case of the elf druid, a Medium common figure perfect for either a player character or in a cabal of Green Faith worshipers. In fact, the illustration used as reference for this figure was the Green Faith druid in Pathfinder Player Companion: Faiths of Balance; now where could his hawk animal companion have gotten off to?

Finally, we have a guardian not born or spawned by the raw power of nature itself, but rather created with arcane magic and set to a specific, ceaseless task by its master: the clay golem. As a construct, this Large uncommon figure has no natural habitat, and thus can serve campaigns set in ancient jungle ruins, high-magic metropolises, and everything in between. While a clay golem can take any shape its creator molds it into, the iconic Pathfinder clay golem (and thus the miniature) has a hulking humanoid form and the head of a jackal, giving it a decidedly Egyptian feel, making it equally appropriate for use in the moldering pharaonic tombs of the Osirian desert.

That's it for this exciting installment of Jungle of Despair! Be sure to tune in next week for a look at some of the player character-appropriate figures in the set. Until then, roll high, Pathfinders!

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

Dressing on the Side

Monday, February 5, 2018

We're now on week three of our ongoing safari into the Jungle of Despair, and things are not looking good for our survival. We overcame the murderous vines, shambling refuse heaps, creeping tendrils, and pygmy plant people that plagued us last week, but it seems our trials are only beginning!

This morning we passed what can only be interpreted as a warning—a clear suggestion to TURN BACK! I mean, look at this skull pole. Look at it! Don't tell me that doesn't freak you out.

But did we heed the warning? Of course we didn't. And the result was a nice trip to the bottom of this fine obstacle. That's some welcome mat! See that blood on those spikes? Yeah, you guessed it—that's mine. I much prefer my life-sustaining bodily fluids remain on the inside, thank you very much.

And all this for some magic relic supposedly lost in dwarven ruins deep in the heart of the jungle? I didn't even know there were dwarves in the jungle. I thought they liked caves and canyons and dark, dry places. This place is anything but that! Still, ancient legend of the magic anvil claims that anything forged upon it will be flawless in form and unbreakable in construction. That's worth all this trouble, right? Right?

What the others don't realize, however, is that anything we find in the heart of this humid hellscape we must carry with us the many miles back to civilization. And we came for an ANVIL! Maybe I can use it to forge myself a wheelbarrow. In the meantime, everything we find goes into this trunk case. It looks like it'd be right at home on the deck or in the cargo hold of a jungle river barge, doesn't it? It's less appealing strapped to my back while I wade through thigh-deep, leech-filled muck, though, believe me.

Who am I to complain, though? I get to live the dream, the life of an adventurer. I get to venture into the untamed wild, and plunder whatever treasures I find there, left unguarded for millennia. Huh? Nature isn't unguarded, you say? There are forces protecting it and its bounty from exploitation? Great, I guess I'll just have to talk about some of those next week.

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

When Plants Attack!

Monday, January 28, 2018

Good Moonday, Pathfinders!

Last week, I previewed a few of the figures from the forthcoming Jungle of Despair set of Pathfinder Battles miniatures from WizKids, including the case incentive Hydra.

The mythical hydra's heads aren't the only thing growing wildly in the depths of the jungle, however. Today, we explore some of the verdant villains featured in the set, sure to seal player characters' floral fates. That's right—plant monsters!

Among the most iconic plant creatures in the game, and the bane of low-level adventurers everywhere is the well camouflaged Murder Vine. All too often unsuspecting explorers stumble across the remains of their predecessors, their treasures still intact, while hacking through the dense foliage of a forest or jungle, only to discover that the vines winding through the corpses are not so benign. This Large miniature, released at the Uncommon rarity, features just such remains, certain to remind your players of just how deadly a threat they're facing when it plops down on the battle mat.

While many would-be treasure seekers fall victim to murder vines and litter the jungle with their desiccated bones, not all prey of predatory plants are so lucky. Those who die at the tendrils of other mulchy menaces may be infected by their seeds and raised as fungal zombies! The culprit of such nefarious natural schemes is none other than the Musk Creeper, whose animated spawn not only serve as protectors of their parent vine, but act as seed carriers when they inevitably wander off into the jungle and die, creating a new plant to further torment future explorers. The Musk Creeper is a Medium Uncommon figure.

Other plants, such as a particularly pernicious variety of reddish brown mold, create not zombies, but intelligent pygmy plant men whose primitive societies spread through the jungles of the world. These Mold Runts hold their progenitor corpse, from whose innards they spring, wholly formed after the subject dies from exposure to the mold, in almost religious reverence, and often craft crude weapons out of the bones or equipment found on their birthing corpse. While weak in small numbers, these diminutive plant people are truly a force to be reckoned with in large numbers. The Mold Runt is a Small Common figure, allowing GMs to easily collect multiple copies with which to overwhelm their players.

Finally, another iconic plant makes its Pathfinder Battles debut in Jungle of Despair: None other than the hulking Shambler, whose formless bulk strikes fear into any explorer with even a passing result on her Knowledge (Nature) skill check. Dangerous in its own right, a Shambler exposed to electricity—either from a poorly planned magical attack, a natural lightning storm, or a nearby nest of static-charged lizards—flies into a rampage, absorbing the energy into itself and making it all the harder to bring down. Appearing as little more than moldering heaps of rotting vegetation, Shamblers are especially deadly when they infiltrate mulch piles and refuse pits, catching unsuspecting victims in their constricting tendrils. The Shambler is a Large Uncommon figure.

But surely adventurers the likes and caliber of most Pathfinder player characters will defeat these threats handily, right? Reducing Shambler, Musk Creeper, and Murder Vine alike to little more than salad? Mmmm, salad.* How about next week we look at something that goes perfectly with any salad? I am, of course, referring to dressing!

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

*My wife, were she to read this blog, would surely require I clarify that I have never uttered this phrase before in my life, though she would like me to.

Enter the Jungle of Despair!

Monday, January 22, 2018

Greetings, Pathfinders!

It's been a while since the last Pathfinder Battles preview blog, in part because the blog, like the proverbial torch, has passed to a new patron: Me! As Paizo's Franchise Manager, I work closely with all of our licensors to ensure that their products are the highest quality and accurately reflect both the Pathfinder and Starfinder brands. This includes, of course, the Pathfinder Battles line of pre-painted plastic miniatures from our longtime partner, WizKids!

And what better debut blog content than the announcement of a new set?

In May, WizKids and Paizo will be releasing the fourteenth (!) full set in the line: Pathfinder Battles: Jungle of Despair. This set features 44 randomized figures, plus six new pieces of set dressing, all themed around jungle exploration, ancient ruins, and (mostly) natural threats. As with past sets, those fans who purchase a full case of Jungle of Despair will be eligible to purchase a Huge case-incentive figure, and man is this one fun!

Hydras are a classic jungle threat, dating back to ancient Greek mythology, and we're happy to introduce the legendary beast to Pathfinder Battles with this incredible figure. While it's impressive on its own, what really makes this sculpt exciting are its interchangeable heads. That's right. When your neophyte adventurers chop one of the beast's five heads off without proper application of fire to the writhing stub, you can simply replace the single head with two, representing in exquisite plastic detail the growing threat facing the poor player characters. Check out both the 5- and 10-headed versions of the Hydra!

The hydra isn't the only serpentine threat found in Jungle of Despair, either! The featured villains in this set are none other than the sinister, ancient serpentfolk, who ruled the world for thousands of years before the advent of pesky, warm-blooded humanity. The Serpentfolk Cleric, below, is just one of the new serpentfolk figures in the set (stay tuned for previews of the rest in the coming weeks). The Serpentfolk Cleric is a Medium uncommon figure.

Not all serpentine threats in the set are members of the psychic ophidian race, however. Some, like the Hollow Serpent, are undead monstrosities the serpentfolk create to defeat their foes. Animated from the sloughed-off skin of a giant snake, the Hollow Serpent is a perfect high-level threat for any serpentfolk-based campaign (including the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path). The Hollow Serpent is a Large Rare figure.

The jungle also serves as home to countless natural inhabitants, including innocent animals and vermin just trying to get by in a harsh, unforgiving world. Take this Giant Leech, for example. It doesn't mean you any harm, really. It's just hungry. Why'd you have to go swimming through that murky water in the first place? You had it coming, honestly. The Giant Leech is a Medium Common figure, meaning you're likely to get a few of them in your collection, and you can fit eight of them around the typical player character for some bloodsucking fun.

Finally, we have the mischievous Tanuki—raccoon-like monstrous humanoids inspired by Japanese mythology and common in the temperate forests of Tian Xia. While they often appear in disguise as other creatures (especially when infiltrating sake-filled festivities in human civilizations), this figure represents the creature as it's most likely to appear in combat against the player characters. The Tanuki is just one of several protectors of the natural world found in Jungle of Despair, but certainly the cutest! The Tanuki is a Medium Uncommon figure.

That's it for this week's preview! Fans with max ranks in Perception may note that WizKids previewed all of these figures last fall when they announced the set, but have no fear! Next week it's all new reveals — When Plants Attack!

Pathfinder Battles: Jungle of Despair releases in May 2018 and can be preordered now!

Until next week,

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager