We continue our look at the creatures filling the pages of Pathfinder Monster Core with this chilling encounter from Adam Daigle, featuring a first look at the remastered ghoul and Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Showtime Multi-Pack.

Massacre on the Hill — Severe 3

This encounter takes place in the small town of Navendale at the base of the Aspodell Mountains in Andoran not far from the Cheliax border. Your PCs could be passing through town or restocking and relaxing between adventures. Navendale is small, but it gets a fair number of travelers. One of the draws is the Red Rose Refuge, a popular lodge perched high on a rocky peak overlooking the town. The Refuge, as the locals call it, is known for having musicians play nearly every night, and tonight the famed Brastlewark Trio are performing.

The PCs are in the town square below when a stableboy comes running down the steep road to the Refuge shouting for any attention he can gather. He heads straight for the PCs and says, “Hey! You! You gotta help! It’s real bad up there!” If he’s calmed and asked what’s going on, he continues, “I was working in the stables brushing the horses when all of a sudden they got spooked, and then a real bad stink rose up. I nearly urped; smelled like when you stumble across a dead goat out on the mountainside. Then I heard all the yelling and screaming. A couple people stumbled out into the snow all bloody. You gotta get up there and do something!”

The PCs can run up the steep road and get to the Refuge in about two minutes. When the PCs arrive, the first thing they encounter is a stench of death carried on the cold spring wind. The Refuge’s door hangs open and the sounds of gruff voices, sobbing cries, and violence spill from the doorway. Inside, tables sit askew, and chairs are sprawled out on the floor amid broken pottery mugs and shattered glass. Over a dozen bodies lie slumped and bloody on the floor.

Map: This map showcases a portion of the upcoming Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Showtime Multi-Pack, out next month on Paizo.com or your local hobby store!

Creatures: Forced from their warrens, this group of ghouls has been wandering the countryside to find a new home. They’ve also grown hungry, and instead of hunting in town, they decided to target the remote Red Rose Refuge. They slinked out of the woods, passing by the stables before entering the Refuge.

They immediately attacked anyone they could reach, killing a dozen staff and patrons before cornering the frightened gnome singers on the stage. Three of the ghouls have the performers restrained while they whisper into their ears using Ghoul Whispers, while the other three are feeding on their fresh kills so they can use Grave Knowledge to help them find new warrens under an old boneyard. As the PCs enter the room, all six turn their attention to the door and bare their teeth.

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Ghoul Stalkers (6) — Creature 1

Medium, Ghoul, Undead, Unholy

Perception +7; darkvision
Languages Common, Necril
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +8, Stealth +7, Survival +5

Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +2
AC 17; Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +5
HP 16, void healing; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious

Stench (aura, olfactory) 10 feet; A creature entering the aura or starting its turn in the area must succeed at a DC 14 Fortitude save or become sickened 1 (plus slowed 1 as long as it’s sickened on a critical failure). A creature that succeeds at its save or recovers from being sickened is temporarily immune to all stench auras for 1 minute.

Speed 25 feet, burrow 5 feet

Melee [one-action] jaws +9 (finesse), Damage 1d8+1 piercing

Melee [one-action] claw +9 (agile, finesse), Damage 1d6+1 slashing plus Grab)

ConsumeFlesh [one-action] (manipulate); Requirements The ghoul is adjacent to the corpse of a creature that died within the last hour; Effect The ghoul devours a chunk of the corpse and regains 1d6 Hit Points. It can regain Hit Points from any given corpse only once.

ForbiddenCravings (curse) SavingThrow Will, using the high spell DC for the ghoul’s level (GM Core 121); Stage 1 carrier with no ill effects (1 day); Stage 2 2d6 void damage and the target is sickened 1 until it consumes raw meat (1 day); Stage 3 as stage 2; Stage 4 as stage 2 unless the target has consumed raw meat in the past 24 hours, then it takes 4d6 void damage and is sickened 2 until it consumes raw meat; Stage 5 if the creature has eaten raw meat in the past 24 hours, it dies and rises as a ghoul, if not, it returns to stage 4

GhoulWhispers [one-action] (auditory, linguistic, occult) Requirement A grabbed, paralyzed, restrained, or unconscious creature is within the ghoul’s reach; Effect The ghoul whispers dark thoughts and vile cravings into the creature’s ears. The creature must save (DC 17) against the forbidden cravings curse.

GraveKnowledge (occult) Frequency once per hour; Effect The ghoul calls upon knowledge it retains from one creature it has consumed in the past 7 days. The ghoul attempts a skill check using a skill in which the consumed creature was trained (if it’s unclear whether the creature was trained, the GM decides). The ghoul is treated as trained and uses a +7 skill modifier. This takes the same amount of actions or time as usual for the check.

The ghoul can instead automatically learn something specific known by a creature it consumed in the last 7 days, like the location of a hidden treasure or the name of a loved one. The ghoul can do this only once for a given creature, no matter how much of its flesh the ghoul consumed.

SwiftLeap [one-action] (move) The ghoul jumps up to half its Speed. This movement doesn’t trigger reactions.

Continuing our series of encounters to challenge your players, featuring creatures debuting in the forthcoming Pathfinder Monster Core, Bill Fischer takes us to the dank grotto lair of a remastered sea hag, as depicted in Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Temples Multi-Pack.

Eye for an Eye — Moderate 1

Captain Blazo Orane’s career as a notorious pirate captain was cut short when a freak storm capsized his ship not far from the city of Riddleport. As stubborn as he was cutthroat, Blazo went down with the ship but awakened several hours later to find himself in the cave of a sea hag named Cyclona. The hag had spared Blazo’s life, but in return, she demanded the captain’s eye. Blazo balked, of course—like any good pirate, he only had one eye left to spare. Unfortunately, his captor was in no mood for mercy. Cyclona plucked Blazo’s remaining eye from its socket, leaving the now-blind man to bleed out while she transformed her grisly reward into a hag eye.

Miraculously, Captain Blazo managed to free himself from his shackles—striking Cyclona with his cold-iron scimitar in the struggle—and stumbled his way back to Riddleport. Now, still weakened from his ordeal, Blazo hires the PCs to retrieve his stolen eye. If the PCs express doubts Blazo will regain his sight even if his eye is recovered, the pirate seems unconcerned. “If I can’t have my eye,” he grumbles, “I’ll settle for revenge.” Blazo lends the PCs the only thing of value he has left, his cold-iron scimitar, with the promise they can keep the weapon if they return with his eye or proof that Cyclona is dead.

Map: This map showcases one of the maps included in Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Temples Multi-Pack, out this month on Paizo.com or at your local hobby store!

Approaching the Cave: Cyclona’s cave is a half-day’s walk from Riddleport. If Blazo’s understandably vague directions aren’t enough for the PCs, most anyone in the city can direct them to the place.

The remnants of an ancient sea wall stretch to Cyclona’s cave like a trail of stepping stones. Slick with algae, the wall is uneven ground. Once during the crossing, each PC must make a successful DC 13 Acrobatics check to Balance or fall into the surf. Any PC who fails this check alerts Cyclona to the party’s arrival, granting her a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative. Alternatively, the PCs can approach the hag’s cave along the weed-choked shore to the south. This approach doesn’t require skill checks, but the ground is difficult terrain, and the party’s noisy arrival automatically alerts Cyclona.

Creatures: When the PCs arrive, Cyclona lurks in the northern alcove, admiring an amulet set with a blue gemstone: Captain Blazo’s eye transformed into a hag eye. Loath to surrender her new treasure, Cyclona lunges at intruders, opening with her Dread Gaze before slashing with her claws. The hag remembers all too well the bite of Blazo’s scimitar, granting the PC holding the weapon a +1 circumstance bonus to Demoralize the hag. If reduced to 15 Hit Points or fewer, Cyclona dives into the sea, dropping the hag eye in her panic.

Treasure: The PCs might not recognize Captain Blazo’s eye in its current state, but anyone who interacts with the amulet feels its wet, sticky surface, allowing the character to attempt to disbelieve the illusion (DC 19). Like all hag eyes, the amulet produces no direct benefit for the wearer (and doesn’t restore Blazo’s sight if given to him), but it allows Cyclona to peer through the eye using the Seek action. Any damage dealt to the eye destroys it. If this happens while Cyclona is looking through it, the hag is blinded for 1 hour.

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Sea Hag — Creature 3

Medium, Amphibious, Hag, Humanoid
Perception +10; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Fey, Jotun, Thalassic
Skills Acrobatics +8, Athletics +11, Deception +10, Occultism +8, Stealth +8
Str +4, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +3

Coven A sea hag adds humanoid form, mariner’s curse, and water walk to their coven’s spells. Their spell DC when leading a coven is 20.

AC 19; Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +10; +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 45; Immunities polymorph; Weaknesses cold iron 3
Speed 25 feet, swim 35 feet

Melee [one-action] claw +12 (agile, magical), Damage 1d10+4 slashing

Dread Gaze [two-actions] (curse, emotion, fear, mental, occult) The hag gazes upon a creature, afflicting it with a gnawing sense of impending doom, with a result depending on its Will save (DC 20). The target doesn’t need to be able to see the sea hag.

Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is frightened 1.
Failure The creature is frightened 1 and is slowed 1 for 1 round. If the target was dying, it remains unconscious for 1 day. At the end of the day, it must attempt a Fortitude save against the same DC; if it fails, it dies.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature is frightened 2 and slowed 1 for 1 minute.

Sea Hag’s Bargain (concentrate, exploration, occult, polymorph) The sea hag can make a bargain with a willing creature who must be of sound mind. The creature gives away a special or cherished quality—such as its courage, its beauty, or its voice. In exchange, the sea hag spends 1 minute polymorphing the creature into a form the target desires.

This functions as Change Shape. It might be a total transformation or just changing one or more aspects of the target’s body, and it can’t make the creature more than one size smaller or larger. The creature changes its Speeds as appropriate for the new form. It doesn’t change the attack and damage bonuses with its Strikes, but it might change the damage type the Strikes deal. This has an unlimited duration, and as long as it’s transformed, the creature is sickened 2 and can’t reduce its sickened condition below 2. The creature can slowly and carefully eat and drink despite being sickened. The only way to restore the lost quality used as payment is to defeat the sea hag or make another bargain for its return. Ending the bargain in this way also removes the transformation.

Today, we debut a series of sample encounters previewing some of the creatures from the pages of Pathfinder Monster Core, the next release in the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. This encounter, from Josh Birdsong, features the first look at the quai dau to and makes use of Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Night Market & Shrine.

The Sound of Love — Moderate 11

This encounter takes place at a shrine for the Black Butterfly. Your PCs could have heard rumors of the shrine or have been invited to a heartbondritual taking place at the sanctuary. The shrine is a series of smaller altars and sanctuaries that were built to be traveled between in utter silence with respect to the Black Butterfly, allowing travelers to meditate on the silence between.

The PCs are given an opportunity to reflect on their previous adventures and meditate on their future choices. If they choose to travel in silence, they become more aware of the beautiful vista before them. They notice how green the trees are and how beautiful the nearby river sounds as it tumbles on its way, unconcerned with the happenings of the world around it. The air begins to smell fresher and cool against their skin. PCs who remain silent during their travels gain a +1 status bonus to Perception checks while traveling between the altars.

When the PCs arrive at the final altar, they are welcomed by a small gathering of nobles who decided this shrine was the perfect location for their heartbond ritual. When the ceremony begins, trumpets are sounded to announce the union to the world. Unbeknownst to the nobles, a quai dau to stealthily hunts nearby, and the sound of trumpets sends it on a rampage. It inflates and flies towards the ceremony with rage in its eyes.

Map: This map uses a portion of the Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Night Market & Shrine

Creatures: The local quai dau to normally hunts the river in peace, leaving the silent visitors of the shrine alone. However, they are very sensitive to loud noises and the trumpets, which caused the beast great distress. The quai dau to will attack the creature making the most noise. PCs can spend an action to calm the beast (DC 32 Nature check), provided they can get everyone else to become completely quiet. This DC is reduced by 5 if the quai dau to is reduced to 150 HP or lower. The beast will flee if reduced to 50 HP or lower.

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Illustration by Gunship Revolution

Quai Dau To Creature 13

Huge, Beast

Perception +25; darkvision, mist vision, scent (imprecise) 120 feet
Skills Athletics +27, Stealth +25, Survival +24
Str +8, Dex +4, Con +8, Int –3, Wis +5, Cha –1

Mist Vision The quai dau to ignores the concealed condition from mist and fog.

AC 32; Fort +26, Ref +19, Will +21
HP 300; Immunities blinded, dazzled; Weaknesses sonic 15

Frightful Sight (aura, emotion, fear, mental, visual) 60 feet. This aura functions as a DC 32 frightful presence aura (page 359), but a creature doesn’t attempt its save until it sees the quai dau to.

Reflective Scales [reaction] Trigger A creature within 30 feet casts a spell with the light trait or uses an ability with the light trait; EffectThe quai dau to adjusts its position to reflect the light off their scales in a blinding display. All creatures in a 30-foot emanation must succeed at a DC 33 Fortitude saving throw or become blinded for 1 round.

Speed 40 feet, swim 30 feet; Inflate

Melee jaws [one-action] +27 (reach 10 feet), Damage 3d12+14 piercing

Melee tail [one-action] +27 (reach 20 feet), Damage 3d8+14 bludgeoning

Melee foot [one-action] +27 (agile), Damage 3d8+14 bludgeoning

Drain Water [one-action] (manipulate) Requirements The quai dau to is within 10 feet of a body of water that’s at least 10 feet deep and their water sac is empty; Effect The quai dau to sucks water through their trunk to fill their water sac, lowering the level in the body of water by 10 feet. All creatures in the water within a 30-foot emanation are off-guard until the start of the quai dau to’s next turn.

Inflate [one-action] The quai dau to inflates their body. They become Gargantuan, gain a fly Speed of 30 feet until the end of their next turn, and then Fly. They deflate if they fall unconscious or Dismiss this effect.

Mist Breath [one-action] (primal, water) Requirements The quai dau to’s water sac is full; Effect The quai dau to empties their water sac to breathe out mist in a 10-foot emanation. All creatures within the mist become concealed, and all creatures outside the mist become concealed to creatures within it. The mist dissipates after 1 round.

Spout Water [two-actions] (primal, water) Requirements The quai dau to’s water sac is full; Effect The quai dau to empties its water sac to blast water from its trunk, dealing 9d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 90-foot line, with a DC 33 basic Reflex save. A creature that fails is pushed 10 feet (or 20 feet on a critical failure).

Red Waves Aflame — Moderate 15

The city of Bloodcove, on the western coast of the Mwangi Expanse, is one of the region’s major port cities, a veritable melting pot where a merchant can find any item they’re looking for, a traveler can find any dish to fill their belly, and an outlaw can find any number of places to lay low. While it’s named for the crimson waters that flow between its giant mangroves and reflect the burning sunset, the city is also a chaotic one. Pirate captains and cutthroat merchants vie for control and brawls are tolerated as long as they don’t cause to much disturbance, providing another possible interpretation of its name.

Lately, several of the fishers in one of the city’s docks, as well as nearby restaurant owners, reported receiving threatening messages demanding a share of their catch and profits in an obvious protection racket. Though such a thing is hardly unknown in Bloodcove, the growing presence of some local Firebrands has empowered the dock workers to resist the scheme, and they’ve even managed to drive off a few pirates come to collect. The last such tussle ended with the pirates threatening that their leader was going to send “a collector” next time, and the merchants worry that things are getting beyond their ability to handle.

The adventurers have been called to the docks to make sure everything’s well. After a few minutes, the “collector” surfaces in the bay. A maliadi—a hippo-like beast as greedy as it is massive, known for taking tribute from those it considers its lessers—emerges from the water and begins to rampage. The adventurers must stop the creature before it can make its way deeper into the inland markets, and maybe find out who sent it there in the first place!

Creature The maliadi remains in the water initially, attacking from range using fire magic like produce flame and, if necessary, volcanic eruption, relying on its collar of fire to stymie incoming attacks and attempting to separate PCs from each other using its wall spells. If targeted by magic, it uses its Counterspelling Wall and then, seeing this as a challenge to its dominance, charges down the spellcaster who would be so presumptuous as to use magic against it and attempts to Swallow them Whole. When reduced to 30 Hit Points, the maliadi tries to flee by turning itself into a river; if caught after this point, it recognizes its defeat and is willing to give up the names of those who called it here, possibly leading the PCs to their next encounter in Bloodcove.

Rickety Docks The docks here are all either old, floating, precariously built over mangrove roots, or a combination of all three, and in any event were hardly made to withstand a rampaging Gargantuan hippopotamus. The maliadi can Capsize the docks as if they were boats of Huge size.

Illustration by Firat Solhan from Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse

Maliadi — Creature 17

Uncommon, LE, Gargantuan, Beast

Perception +29; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet, true seeing
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Mwangi
Skills Athletics +36, Deception +28, Intimidation +28, Nature +29, Survival +29
Str +9, Dex +3, Con +9, Int +1, Wis +6, Cha +3
Deep Breath The maliadi can hold its breath for 1 day.
AC 40; Fort +34, Ref +25, Will +28
HP 285; Immunities death effects, fire

Collar of Fire (abjuration, fire, primal) The maliadi has resistance 20 to physical ranged attacks, such as arrows, bolts, javelins, and thrown rocks, as such attacks are magically diverted through its collar of fire. Non-magical weapons and ammunition affected by this ability are incinerated and destroyed.

Counterspelling Wall [reaction] (evocation, fire, primal) Trigger A creature within 100 feet of the maliadi that the maliadi can see Casts a Spell that targets the maliadi; Effect The maliadi casts one of its innate wall of fire spells, with a duration of 1 round. If the spell that triggered this reaction passes through the wall of fire, the wall attempts to counteract it, with a counteract modifier of +28.

Speed 30 feet, swim 20 feet; freedom of movement

Melee [one-action] jaws +35 (deadly d12, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d12+19 piercing plus Improved Grab

Melee [one-action] foot +35 (agile, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d10+17 bludgeoning

Primal Innate Spells DC 38, attack +30; 9th wall of fire (×3), wall of stone (×3); 8th fire shield, volcanic eruption; 4th air walk, gaseous form; Cantrips (9th) detect magic, produce flame; Constant (8th) freedom of movement; (7th) true seeing

Capsize [one-action] The maliadi tries to capsize an adjacent aquatic vessel of its size or smaller. The maliadi must succeed at a DC 35 Athletics check (reduced by 5 for each size smaller the vessel is than the maliadi) or the pilot’s Sailing Lore DC, whichever is higher.

Change Shape [one-action] The maliadi can take on the appearance of any Large, Huge, or Gargantuan animal. This doesn’t change its Speed or Strikes.

River Form [three-actions] The maliadi takes on the form of a stretch of river, with the effects of wind walk, except the maliadi can only affect itself, appears as a section of a flowing river that takes up the same space as the maliadi, and can’t leave the ground.

Swallow Whole [one-action] Huge, 3d10+17 bludgeoning, Rupture 35

Trample [three-actions] Huge or smaller, foot, DC 38

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Map This map is constructed using Flip-Tiles from Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Urban Waterfront Expansion. To create the map, lay out each Flips-Tile so that the label in the lower-left corner matches the orientation on the map below—for example, rotate this piece marked 21A so that the label is in the upper left. You can place these tiles over a blank mat or place them over an aquatic map such as Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Basic Terrain Multi-Pack. While the water in the Flip-Tiles is normally blue in color, we’ve altered the tiles below slightly to more closely resemble Bloodcove’s signature red waves.

Untagged map

The release of the Pathfinder Bestiary 3 is just over the horizon, and as a preview of the content you'll find within, we wanted to offer an exclusive stat block that GMs can use anytime, with or without the book. Former Paizo developer Chris Sims created the following creature by turning a clockwork mage into a divine warden (both found in Bestiary 3) to make a mechanical servant of Brigh, goddess of clockworks and invention. Seems like it might come in handy later this year when Pathfinder Guns & Gears comes out, doesn't it?

Divine Warden of Brigh

Imbued with the divine energy of the goddess of clockwork and invention, divine wardens of Brigh are prominent in Alkenstar as guardians of the Temple of Brigh there. The Bronze Lady might have her largest following in this metropolis. But the city’s boomtown atmosphere means that security is a concern even on holy ground. Citizens and visitors to Alkenstar know about its wind-up sentries or quickly learn about them. The High Clockmother, head priestess of Brigh’s holy place, keeps divine wardens in the goddess's image visible in the sanctuary and on the grounds. These automatons are as much a warning to would-be thieves or troublemakers as they are an inspiration to Brigh’s worshippers. The mixing of divine and arcane in these constructs is intended to show off innovation and evoke Brigh’s power over earth, fire, metal, and smoke.

While divine wardens of Brigh can take any form, most are clockworks crafted in the goddess's image.
Illustration by Leonardo Borazio."

Divine Warden of Brigh — Creature 10

Uncommon N Medium Clockwork Construct Divine Mindless

Perception +18; darkvision
Skills Acrobatics +18
Str +2, Dex +6, Con +4, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha –5
Items clockwork wand

Wind-Up For a divine warden of Brigh to act, it must be wound with a unique key by another creature. This takes 1 minute. Once wound, it remains operational for 24 hours, after which time it becomes unaware of its surroundings and can’t act until it’s wound again. The divine warden shuts down immediately once it has 0 time remaining.
A divine warden can enter standby mode as a 3-action activity. Its operational time doesn’t decrease in standby, but it can sense its surroundings (with a –2 penalty to Perception). It can’t act, with one exception: when it perceives a creature, it can exit standby as a reaction (rolling initiative if appropriate).
A creature can attempt to Disable a Device to wind a divine warden down (DC 27). For each success, the warden loses 1 hour of operational time. This can be done even if the warden is in standby mode.

AC 28; Fort +18, Ref +20, Will +18
HP 135; Immunities death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poisoned, sickened, unconscious; Weaknesses electricity 10, orichalcum 10; Resistances physical 5 (except adamantine or orichalcum)

Clockwork Wand The divine warden uses a mechanical wand as a focus to channel magical energy. This wand is built into the divine warden’s chest, with only the crystal at the end exposed. The warden can Interact to remove the wand, or someone else can remove it with a DC 32 Thievery check to Disable a Device. The divine warden becomes unable to cast any spells except cantrips while the wand is removed.
When removed, the clockwork wand is a magic wand containing the last 2nd-level innate spell the divine warden cast (the GM determines the spell randomly if the divine warden has not cast any eligible spells). The spells are placed within the wand while the divine warden is created, and the creator can substitute other arcane spells of the appropriate level.

Divine Destruction (divine, necromancy) When the divine warden is reduced to 0 HP, it erupts with divine energy in a 30-foot emanation, dealing 10d6 positive damage. Each creature in the area must attempt a DC 29 Will save with the following outcomes.
Critical Success The creature takes half damage.
Success The creature takes full damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and becomes temporarily cursed by Brigh to be enfeebled 1 and stupefied 1 for 1 day; this is a curse effect with a counteract DC of 29.
Critical Failure As failure, except the creature becomes enfeebled 2 and stupefied 2.

Faith Bound (abjuration, divine) The divine warden can’t attack a creature that openly wears or displays Brigh’s religious symbol unless that creature uses a hostile action against the divine warden first.

Speed 25 feet

Melee [one-action] fist +20 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d10+6 bludgeoning

Melee [one-action] light hammer +20 (agile), Damage 2d6+6 bludgeoning

Ranged [one-action] light hammer +20 (agile, thrown 20 feet), Damage2d6+6 bludgeoning

Arcane Innate Spells DC 29, attack +21; 5th cloudkill, cone of cold; 4th dimensional anchor, fly, wall of fire; 3rd haste, invisibility, stinking cloud; 2nd glitterdust, obscuring mist, web; 1st feather fall, floating disk, grease; Cantrips (5th) daze, detect magic, ray of frost, shield, tanglefoot

Divine Innate Spells DC 29; Cantrips (5th) daze

Divine Domain Spells 2 Focus Points, DC 29, attack +21; 5th hurtling stone, localized quake

Energize Clockwork Wand [one-action] (concentrate) Frequency once per 10 minutes; Effect The divine warden regains a spell it has already cast that day. It must spend 1 hour of its operational time, or 2 hours if the spell is 3rd level or higher.

Faithful Weapon light hammer, striking rune

Instrument of Faith The divine warden is a beacon for Brigh’s faith. A cleric of Brigh can channel a heal spell through a divine warden of Brigh they can see within 60 feet. The cleric determines any targets or area for the spell as if they were standing in the divine warden’s space.

Few things are more challenging for a Game Master than creating an encounter on the fly, but one of those more-difficult tasks is making an impromptu encounter set in a crowded city street packed with all manner of details you have to draw on the map before the players start to lose interest. Luckily, Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Red Light District is available now, so you’ll never again need to sketch out winding alleys, interior locations of ill repute, or a canal of questionable cleanliness. While this map is by no means necessary to run the following encounter (designed by Vanessa Hoskins), they certainly go well together!

Phinelli’s Miracle Elixir — Severe 3

Edolpho Phinelli, the notorious con artist, has developed a new scheme. He’s selling an elixir that he claims can heal wounds, erase scars, and regrow hair. The citizens that live in the red light district are buying it by the case-full. Edolpho is looking to get rich quick! Fast enough to hop on a ship out of the city with enough earnings to set himself up in a new town.

The elixir is, of course, a watered-down minor elixir of life mixed with several inexpensive alchemical reagents. The effects are an intense euphoria followed by a heavy hangover unless more of the elixir is ingested. He’s selling each dose for 1 gp. While the brew does restore 1d2–1 Hit Points, the fumes the imbiber belches carry tuberculosis (Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide 118), exposing themselves and anyone around them for 1 hour after they’ve consumed the elixir.

An outbreak of tuberculosis has started to spread throughout the district and the city guard are getting desperate. They suspect that this new “miracle cure” might have something to do with it, but their forces are spread thin due to the disease and a long-standing labor dispute. They’ve hired the adventurers to investigate and point them toward Edolpho’s last known location—a shipping crate dais overlooking the canal.

Creatures: Edolpho stands above a crowd of roughly a dozen onlookers, waving his arms and barking his well-rehearsed pitch. Two burly assistants flank the charlatan, holding up vials of his wares and waving them enticingly in the audience’s faces. If the adventurers approach him looking to incite violence, then Edolpho’s two “assistants” step in to carry out their true role as bodyguards, putting themselves between the PCs and their employer, and trying to push any attackers into the adjacent canal. Given his control of the rapt crowd and the carefully staged environment, Edolpho uses Performance instead of Perception when rolling initiative.

He also attempts to turn the fervent (and quite addicted) crowd against the adventurers. If the adventurers succeed at a DC 18 Diplomacy or Deception check to persuade the crowd that the elixir is toxic, then the commoners disperse as soon as violence commences. Otherwise, they fervently attempt to defend their elixir supplier.

Any commoner who is damaged immediately flees. If the bodyguards reach 5 Hit Points or fewer, they surrender. Edolpho attempts to flee if he reaches 10 Hit Points or fewer but refuses to surrender. If cornered, he attempts to bribe the adventurers.

Art by Alberto Dal Lago

Edolpho Phinelli — Creature 3

Unique NE Medium Elf Half-Elf Human Humanoid
Male half-elf charlatan

Perception +6, low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven
Skills Acrobatics +8, Deception +11, Diplomacy +9, Occultism +7, Performance +11, Society +7, Stealth +8, Thievery +8, Underworld Lore +9
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +0, Int +2, Wis +1, Cha +4
Items disguise kit, lute, sap, shortsword, thieves’ tools
Versatile Performance Edolpho can use Performance instead of Diplomacy to Make an Impression and instead of Intimidation to Demoralize. He can also use an acting Performance instead of Deception to Impersonate.

AC 18; Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +10
HP 40
Speed 30 feet

Melee [one-action] shortsword +10 (agile, versatile S), Damage 1d6+2 piercing

Melee [one-action] sap +7 (agile, nonlethal), Damage 1d6+2 bludgeoning

Occult Spontaneous Spells DC 20, attack +10; 2nd (2 slots) charm, illusory disguise, invisibility; 1st (3 slots) illusory disguise, magic aura, unseen servant, ventriloquism; Cantrips (2nd) daze, ghost sound, mage hand, message, prestidigitation

Bard Composition Spells 1 Focus Point, DC 19; 1st counter performance (Core Rulebook 386); Cantrips (1st) inspire courage (Core Rulebook 386)

Sneak Attack Edolpho deals an extra 1d6 precision damage to flat-footed creatures.

Bodyguards (2) — Creature 3

Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide 226
Initiative Perception +8

Commoners (4) — Creature –1

Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide 214
Initiative Perception +3

XP Award: If the adventurers convince the commoners not to fight, award them 40 XP, as if they had defeated them in combat.

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