Goblins! Free to a Good Home! Or a Bad Home! Please Take Them Away!

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Illustration by Andrew Hou

Everyone knows that the surest way to improve the quality of any tabletop game is to invite the wholesome goodness* of goblins into your home, and your heart**. For this year's Free RPG Day, Paizo did just that, by delivering the whimsical prequel to our We Be Goblins series of adventures: We B4 Goblins. This lighthearted coming-of-age tale takes your players back in time to adolescence of our iconic goblin heroes***, where they can help these young adventurers reach adulthood by claiming their toads and joining in on their very first raid in a scenario ideal for introducing new players!

And now, We B4 Goblins is available to YOU free of charge on your paizo.com account!

As happens alarmingly often with these adorable*** little tykes, we have more goblins than can reasonably fit in the space provided! So for those of you who plan to run a table with five or six players, we have two brand new goblin characters for your PCs to test drive: the warchanter-in-training Bisbee, and the ever-lovable Smuz, who so obviously a goblin that you shouldn't even consider the possibility that he might not be. Because, I mean, come on.

These two little champions are ready to join Reta, Mogmurch, Chuffy, and Poog as they brave the world for the very first time! Visit your friendly local game store today, and print out these handy companions to join your own game today!

Download Bisbee and Smuz!—193kb zip/PDF

Crystal Frasier
Developer

*For certain, nonbinding values of wholesomeness and goodness.
**Paizo Inc. assumes no responsibility for goblins applied to the heart.
***Heroism subject to change. Odds of winning 1 in 1s0,000.
***Adorableness not guaranteed. Consult your owner's manual.

Goblins Invade Free RPG Day!

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Goblins have returned for this momentous occasion—Free RPG Day is here! Free RPG Day is a worldwide gaming event, aimed to bring new and exclusive adventures to local game stores to inspire new comers and long-time gamers alike. This year Paizo has contributed two new offerings for the event: Pathfinder Module: We B4 Goblins! by Crystal Fraiser and Tup the Terrible for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.

If you're running We B4 Goblins! at your local store, or if you've just picked it up and want to try it out, you can download the pregenerated goblin characters for your players right now. This module is also sanctioned for play in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild. If you're planning on playing at your local game store, there's a Free RPG Day exlusive boon for your Pathfinder Society character—you can learn more about that in last Monday's blog.

Illustrations by Kiki Moch Rizky

Illustration by Dmitry Burmak

Ready for a goblin marathon? We B4 Goblins is the fourth Pathfinder Module to feature our band of miscreant goblin adventurers: Chuffy Lickwound, Mogmurch, Poog of Zarongel, and Reta Bigbad. You can follow their other harrowing encounters with horses, dogs, and other large monsters in We Be Goblins!, We Be Goblins Too!, and We Be Goblins Free!

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Goblin fans can pick up Tup the Terrible at game stores today, too! Tup is a Rise of the Runelords ACG character with just as much of an affinity for fire as his RPG companions. You can add Tup into your game right away, too! We've put together his character sheet below that you can drop into your own game below. And if you've got a hankering for more goblins in your game, check out Ranzak and Ekkie, or preorder a Goblins Burn! or Goblins Fight! Class Deck (due out this summer).

Download Tup's Character Sheet (108kb zip/PDF)

Won't get a chance to head out to Free RPG Day? No worries! Starting on July 1, we'll have We B4 Goblins! available as a free PDF and a $5 print product while supplies last. Tup will not available for purchase until the first day of Gen Con 2016, however, but you'll be able to preorder his promo pack soon!

Get out, game, and enjoy Free RPG Day!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

Watch Fantasy Authors Play Pathfinder!

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Last year at Gen Con, I had the opportunity to run a bunch of award-winning fantasy authors through We Be Goblins! in front of a live audience. Now we've teamed up with our friends at Tor to put the whole game online, unabridged and uncensored, so you can watch Elizabeth Bear (Karen Memory), Scott Lynch (The Lies of Locke Lamora), Wesley Chu (Time Salvager), Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead), and Django Wexler (The Thousand Names) run around as goblins, riding pigs and setting things on fire for the glory of the Licktoad Tribe! Plus, watch me frantically try to accommodate plot twist cards thrown in by notoriously sadistic Editor-in-Chief F. Wesley Schneider. It's a spider-riding, horse-chopping good time for all involved!

James L. Sutter
Creative Director

Blighted Beginnings—Writing is a Sensory Experience

Friday, February 19, 2016

Last year I competed in the Paizo's RPG Superstar contest, and earlier this week I saw my complete winning adventure. It was humbling to see my first design work become reality. Roleplaying games are an integral part of my daily and family life. I play Pathfinder at least once a week, sometimes with friends, my children, complete strangers—I love to game! I love the social aspects of gathering around a table to share in the group storytelling experience. We explore, we laugh, we fight, we are a party, and we are together. As gamers we experience things outside our everyday lives, see places that exist in our collective imaginations. We get to be "not ourselves."

Winning RPG Superstar introduced me to a new aspect of my favorite hobby. I created a space for gamers to explore Nar-Voth and discover new things about themselves (should gamers follow those threads). One of the most important parts of the design process was finding places to include roleplaying solutions in addition to combat solutions. Creating believable NPCs was both fun and challenging. My favorite characters to create were the three "big bad" encounters. The personalities and relationships between Zohir and her underlings were crucial to giving options to players for dealing with the encounters. For each NPC, I created files of real and fictional people and relationships, created musical soundtracks, and for a few, I had specific perfumes that I wore when I wrote their scenes to help me focus and round out NPCs that could have ended up moustache twirling villains. Even now when I wear some of them I'm put in the frame of mind of Zohir and Delbera. (Editor's Note: Apparently Lady Delbera is Vétiver Fatal. We leave it up to you, dear readers, to convince Monica to share the rest!)

Illustrations by Sally Gottschalk and Vicky Yarova

Thank you Paizo, Lisa Stevens, Crystal Frasier, Amanda Hamon Kunz, and RPG Superstar voters and judges! Without this supportive gaming community we would still be searching for like-minded friends to share our dreams. Thank you for sharing my dream of an axe wielding dwarven cleric. Thank you Andrew for believing in me and for your endless support. This module is for all of you!

Monica Marlowe
Contributing Author

House of Horrors!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

I recently got a chance to develop an adventure written by my good friend Brandon Hodge. It also turns out I got to develop an updated version of an adventure that Brandon ran for our group nearly 10 years ago.

Brandon has a solid background as a scholar of the esoteric and occult, and after he was brought on as a consultant for Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures, we knew that he'd be the best fit for an adventure that would tie in to that book. After running the idea past him, he immediately had an idea for the adventure pitch—one he knew well from years back. Since I've been friends with Brandon since high school and since I'd been a player in that adventure, it made me the best choice to develop it... and that adventure is Pathfinder Module: The House on Hook Street.

Of course, the adventure has changed from when I was with my home group back in Texas, and I think it's even better. I'll let Brandon get a few words in about the history and process.

I remember that I sent a really disturbing nursery rhyme to my players a few days before the first House on Hook Street sessions, and that it was sometime around 2007. A few weeks previously, our group had one of those typical post-game "the thrill-is-gone/I've-seen-it-all/memorized-the-bestiary/bought-the-tshirt" laments that we've all felt at some point, and I recall another player boldly challenged me for something truly fresh and surprising, but using existing materials. So, I picked up the gauntlet.

And that's how The House on Hook Street was born. The original adventure predated the Pathfinder RPG by a couple of years, but it was still set in Golarion, though in the recently debuted streets of Riddleport rather than Old Korvosa. Back then, my longtime pal Adam Daigle and I were just enthusiastic players in a couple of weekly games in Austin, and Daigle was just beginning to sniff around the industry, and trying to drag me along with him. With his encouragement, I wrote this new adventure in the Dungeon Magazine format with the intention that maybe—just maybe—I'd get it published.

And because the re-write shifted the original plot enough that it isn't spoiler material anymore, the mechanic I used to 'file off the serial numbers' of monsters involved a bloodthirsty thieves' guild using tainted potions, with transmogrifying results that let me use some of my favorite creatures in new and horrifying ways, keeping my players guessing at every turn even as I was peering menacingly from the other side of an open Monster Manual. It was part of the challenge, after all, and I just went wild: thieves who "overdosed" on tainted elixirs of hiding essentially used the stats for shadows but dragged their discarded corpses behind them, while tainted potions of gaseous form let other thieves exhale their souls as weird belker-things. Just don't ask me about the poor sap that overdosed on a tainted potion of tongues—it's way, way worse than you think, and, yes, the horrifying legacy of that encounter made its way into the final product. See if you can spot it!

My players went crazy trying to figure out what was happening, and I loved the results enough to keep the adventure in my back pocket. When Occult Adventures came along and Erik asked me to write an adventure using those materials, I knew I finally had the perfect tools to bring the greater story to life. And by shifting the setting to Korvosa, I got to revisit some of my favorite material from my friend Nick Logue and the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path, and I think you'll appreciate the results!

I recently ran the rewritten adventure again as a playtest, with two members of that old group getting to revisit The House on Hook Street. Sadly, Daigle couldn't join us, and just had to deal with my constant updates and pictures of the action, some of which I've included here. I'm happy to say my players were blown away with the adventure's latest incarnation, and just as surprised with the twists and turns as their first time through. That, and there's about 50 hours of gameplay packed in between these covers, so I think you're getting your money's worth.

The occult has strange effects on some people—beware the streets of Old Korvosa!

Merisiel finds herself in a sticky situation.

Ezren drools at the prospect of plumbing the secrets of this occult library.

The Pathfinder Battles Locus Demon makes a great stand-in to bring the adventure's cover illustration to life.

What secrets lurk below?

It turns out that the cult has some nightmarish allies... but have we seen this guy somewhere before?

The inner sanctum of the house is awfully quiet... but why's Valeros so on-edge?

So, it'll be yours now. You'll get to revisit Old Korvosa and witness its transformation yourselves, and I know you'll have as much fun with it as we did. And how cool is it that after all of our years of friendship, that I get to work right alongside Daigle as my developer on an adventure he actually played in nearly a decade ago, before we even got into the biz? Pretty damned cool, if you ask me!

Brandon Hodge
Contributing Author

One of the things I remember from that adventure long ago, aside from being creeped out by Brandon's description of his reskinned antagonists, was getting frustrated with getting to an enemy and just hacking through the floor. (I think something might have even been on fire.) One of the things that I'll remember about this adventure is getting to work on cool and creepy material from Brandon while he sent me the aforementioned "constant updates and pictures of the action." I swear I got at least one email or text per page of adventure during the process.

Illustrations by Tomasz Chistowski

It was fun setting this in Korvosa, as it was a great way to show that occult elements are always lurking in the shadows, waiting for intrepid adventurers to peel back the layers and discover the esoteric bits hiding beneath. Pick up The House on Hook Street, gather your friends for adventure, and let us know how it went!

Adam Daigle
Developer

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

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

Spooky Scary Pathfinder Games

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

It's that time again, ghouls and boils! Howl-oween is almost here—the fearly celebration of everything creepy and scary, and on a Saturday no less! If you're lurking for a good time, it's the perfect excuse to run a creepy game for all your fiends! But what's that? You haven't made arrangements before now? What a ghastly mistake! Luckily, your friend Paizo grave-elopers have assembled a list of the top ten creepiest Pathfinder products you can pull out for a scary night of rolling bones. You can buy the physical product, or pick up the PDF on short notice and get your spooky books instantly, anywhere ghost to ghost!

10. Pathfinder Adventure Path: Empty Graves: You say you want a zombie apocalypse in Pathfinder, with plenty of strange monsters being stirred into a tizzy over the undead uprising, and it all runs on a timer? Empty Graves is a level 4-6 urban sandbox that focuses on surviving the undead onslaught and eventually ending the necromancer stirring them up!

9. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Tombs of Golarion: if a pre-built adventure isn't your style, Tombs of Golarion offers 6 seeds and maps for dungeon crawls among the restless dead, covering everything from a murky Horse Lord cairn to a clockwork tomb.

8. Pathfinder Module: Feast of Ravenmoor: If you want less dead and more lively threats, Feast of Ravenmoor is a 3rd-level adventure that pits your innocent travellers against an all-too-human cult in a sleepy little hamlet. Equal parts Sleepy Hollow and Children of the Corn, Ravenmoor is a small town getaway your adventurers won't be recommending to their friends.

7. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Undead Unleashed: If your campaign can't afford a long diversion for a full module, the Undead Unleashed brings 15 rotting antagonists to meddle in your adventurers' affairs for a single encounter or an extended stay, ranging from CR 3 to 23!

6. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Mysteries: If you need to bring in a touch of the strange far more than you need a monster-of-the-week, Occult Mysteries is a toolbox that caters to every flavor of weird that hides in the corners of Golarion. From astrology to numerology to the secret societies and veiled masters who control the destiny of humankind, Occult Mysteries offers guidance in adding just enough of the weird to your game to keep your players uncomfortable.

5. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Rule of Fear: Horror requires a certain sense of helplessness and hopelessness, and nowhere in Golarion do these elements flourish quite so well as Ustalav. Rule of Fear offers a detailed overview of a nation that exists to support its monsters, human and supernatural alike, and where mortal heroes are the ones who are hunted as beasts.

4. Pathfinder Module: Carrion Hill: If insanity, lost lore, and buried secrets appeal to your players, they'll find a place to settle in somewhere in the winding, muddy streets of Carrion Hill. This adventure for 5th-level characters takes players from the halls of government to asylum cells to forgotten ruins all in search of secrets buried in the cursed city's founding.

3. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Undead Revisited: To run a creepy-crawly effectively, you need to get inside its head and know how they tick. Ghosts don't simply leap out and yell "boo!" in our complicated modern world. Learn the tricks of the undead trade in Undead Revisited, and be prepared for any spooky game this Halloween, whether of our making or your own.

2. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Classic Horrors Revisited: Certainly monsters are scary, but why are they scary and how can you make them scarier? Classic Horrors Revisited looks at some of the most iconic monsters in pop culture, from mummies to flesh golems to werewolves and delves into why they exist and what makes them hunt commoners for sport! It provides plenty of inspiration whether you're running your own game or trying to make a pre-made adventure a little more terrifying.

1. Pathfinder Adventure Path: Carrion Crown: The entire run of Carrion Crown delves into the most timeless horror monsters in the western world, and runs from 1st-level through 15th! Whether you want a haunted prison, Frankenstein's monster, or Lovecraftian horror, the six volumes of Carrion Crown cover your needs, and each volume comes packed with new horror-themed monsters and articles to kick up your poky game!

Crystal Frasier
Assistant Developer

There's Adventure in the Air—September and Winter 2016 Releases

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Today the skies are shining overhead in Redmond, where in the Paizo office we've been recovering from a busy and exciting convention season. But we all know and feel the loom of pumpkin spice, sweaters, and clouds that's ahead from our respective desks. And if your group is anything like mine, the end of September marks the start of regular game nights. And what better to kick off this glorious season by revisiting the Pathfinder related releases headed your way?

Illustration by Romanov Pavel

This month we're releasing our third Pathfinder Campaign Setting hardcover (under the Pathfinder RPG ruleset), Inner Sea Races. This 256-page volume delves into the history, culture, and powers of the the denizens of the Inner Sea, including in-depth coverage of the seven core races, and features of the uncommon races like goblins and tengu. You'll also find an array of new feats, spells, character traits and more to add flavor to your own character or home game. Our Project Manager, Jessica Price, has just kicked off our series of previews into the pages of Inner Sea Races, so look out for more information and art previews in the coming weeks!

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Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

But what about the folks that just kicked off their own Hell's Rebels adventure? The second volume, Pathfinder Adventure Path #98: Turn of the Torrent, takes your rebel band of do-good "miscreants" through the paces as they gather allies and establish their might with the Silver Ravens. Evil is running through the streets of Kintargo, and I won't spoil it for you, but your group should probably get on that. For reasons. Your Hell's Rebels character might want to take some notes from this month's Player Companion, Heroes of the Streets for inspiration as well!

Maybe your group is more into throwing down some cards? The fifth installment of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Wrath of the Righteous is coming out, and it's got demons. A whole lot of them. But what if you don't have a group? You might want to look into the Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild, where you could bring our favorite monk, Sajan from the new Monk Class Deck, to the table in fist-to-claw-claw-bite demon combat.

We also brought back the long-awaited Pathfinder Combat Pad! Now armed with more magnets, this latest printing helps keep tracking initiatives in your game just that much easier. And if this isn't the only reprint you've been holding out for, we're happy to announce the next two installments of our Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics line, City Streets and Prison, are now available.

Here's a complete look at what's releasing this September:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #98: Turn of the Torrent
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Deck 5: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Monk
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Races
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Streets
• Pathfinder Combat Pad
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: City Streets
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Prison
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Forest Dangers
• Pathfinder Pawns: Giantslayer Adventure Path Pawn Collection
• Pathfinder Legends–Mummy's Mask #1: The Half Dead City
• Pathfinder Tales: Beyond the Pool of Stars

November 2015 and Beyond!

In addition to our announcements made in the last roundup blog, which included the announcement of Pathfinder Adventure Path #100, today we're adding the latest Pathfinder Comics series: Hollow Mountain! The first volume is authored by our very own Executive Editor, James L. Sutter, where our heroes find themselves in a position where they just may have to try to get along with some the most notorious villains out there.

It might seem like 2016 is the very distant future, but not here! As we approach the new year, our Hell's Rebels Adventure Path concludes and the counter Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path will begin. Fans and followers of RPG Superstar will also see the release of our 2015 winner Monica Marlowe's module Down the Blighted Path in January as well (and I suggest you check out the hopeful module writers in the current competition going on now!).

The January 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #102: Breaking the Bones of Hell (Hell's Rebels 6 of 6)
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Alchemist
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Hell's Rebels Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Arcane Anthology
• Pathfinder Module: Down the Blighted Path
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Noble Estate
• Pathfinder Tales: Pirate's Prophecy

The February 2016 lineup includes:

• Pathfinder Adventure Path #103: The Hellfire Compact (Hell's Vengeance 1 of 6)
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Class Deck: Inquisitor
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Darklands Revisited
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of Shadows
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Urban Sites

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.

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

I Demand More Dragons!

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Pathfinder's beloved adventure The Dragon's Demand just got a whole lot better! After months of hard work and the contributions of a host of Syrinscape and Pathfinder fans, the long-awaited SoundPack for this well known adventure has arrived.

Packed full with delicious and slightly frightening goodies, "The Dragon's Demand" SoundPack includes a complete Kobold Lair, an awesomely gross "Mouther" monster, shrieking grioths, firebombing Flame Drakes, and an epically massive and quite angry Green Dragon with an eye-wateringly singeing acid breath weapon with which to terrorise your players.

Check out the video demo of the awesome SoundPack!

Then grab all the sounds here, along with the rest of Syrinscape's products in the Paizo store!

What else is news?! Well, we are super excited to be able to announce that Hell's Rebels is the next Adventure Path to receive the Syrinscape treatment! Just imagine what sounds will be coming out of your speakers when you play this one—Cheliax here we come! Look out for the first chapter of Syrinscape's Hell's Rebels SoundPacks coming out simultaneously with the August release of "In Hell's Bright Shadow."

And finally watch out for Ben at GenCon! Drop by the stand to pick up this year's free goodies and contribute your voice to the "GenCon Monster Raid" SoundSet or once again enjoy the epic accompaniment Syrinscape adds to the Pathfinder Society Specials. And make sure you don't miss Ben as he GMs this year's Live RPG Plus, a truly interactive roleplaying experience where the audience determines the fate of our all-star cast, including such legends as Chris Pramas, Adrian Swartout, and Paizo's very own James Jacobs. This event is not to be missed—the last time we ran a Live RPG Plus we ended up with a Green/White/Fire/Ice Dragon held by the tail being used as a weapon by the slightly overenthusiastic Ranger, a ranger who determined all his actions using Rock-Paper-Scissors. Get your tickets now!

And remember listen out for the fantastic Pathfinder fans who gave their vocal talents to "The Dragon's Demand" SoundPack at both PaizoCon and UK Games Expo this year. You can find their names in lights under the product credits in the store. Syrinscape thanks you and praises you for your spectacularly and slightly disturbing contributions!

Benjamin Loomes (half-elf bard/paladin)
Creative Director
Syrinscape

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Illustrations by Dave Allsop and Jaime Martinez.

It's a Goblin Free-For-All!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Free RPG Day is here! Today game stores across the world are participating in this event, bringing new and exclusive adventures to their area, and inspiring new comers and long-time gamers to new roleplaying games. This year we're contributing two new products to Free RPG Day. The first is Pathfinder Module: We Be Goblins Free!, a new adventure following the antics of select characters from the Birdcruncher goblin tribe. For Adventure Card Game fans, we've got a real tricksy treat in store: Ekkie the Goblin Cutpurse.

Illustration by Dave Allsop

If you're running We Be Goblins Free! at your local store, or if you've just picked it up and want to try it out, you can download the pregenerated goblin characters for your players right now. This module is also sanctioned for play in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild.

Want to marathon some goblin fun? Why not add We Be Goblins! and We Be Goblins Too! to your gaming arsenal? These adventures all follow the same four goblin adventurers: Chuffy Lickwound, Mogmurch, Poog of Zarongel, and Reta Bigbad.

In addition to tables of the new Pathfinder Module, participating stores will also be running demos of the current Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Base Set, Wrath of the Righteous, or the new introductory scenario Demonic Politics. You can also download Ekkie as a free PDF and drop her into your game right now!

Download Ekkie's Character Sheet (116kb zip/PDF)

If you'd like to jump in right away as Ekkie, we've worked up some suggested deck lists below. You'll want to pick the 12-card deck if you're playing the short demo, and the 15-card deck if you're playing a full-length scenario. Either way, should should have the Mythic Champion mythic path card.

Deck Lists

12-Card Deck		15-Card Deck
Card Type	Card Name	Card Type	Card Name
Weapon	Heavy Pick	Weapon	Heavy Pick
Weapon	Javelin	Weapon	Javelin
Armor	Hide Armor	Weapon	Mace
Item	Blood Periapt	Armor	Hide Armor
Item	Caltrop Bead	Item	Blood Periapt
Item	Nectar of the Gods	Item	Caltrop Bead
Ally	Bat	Item	Nectar of the Gods
Ally	Frog	Item	Trapsmith Gloves
Ally	Vulture	Ally	Bat
Blessing	Blessing of Ascension	Ally	Frog
Blessing	Blessing of Ascension	Ally	Vulture
Blessing	Blessing of Ascension	Blessing	Blessing of Ascension
		Blessing	Blessing of Ascension
		Blessing	Blessing of Ascension
		Blessing	Blessing of Ascension

If you want to start a Wrath of the Righteous campaign and play Ekkie, build her deck by using her Cards List above after the other characters have built their starting decks. Remember that you may only use cards that have the Basic trait.

Won't get a chance to head out to Free RPG Day? No worries! Starting on July 1, we'll have We Be Goblins Free! available as a free PDF and a $5 print product while supplies last. While Ekkie will not abvailable for sale until the first day of Gen Con, you can pick up her character mat starting July 1 from paizo.com! Pathfinder Adventure Card Game subscribers will receive Ekkie in their July shipments.

Get out, game, and enjoy Free RPG Day!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

We Be Pathfinders!

Monday, June 15, 2015

Illustration by Dave Allsop

This Saturday, June 20th, is Free RPG Day! Participating hobby game retail locations and industry publishers will be giving away free adventures and other materials so that gamers can try new games and play exclusive content together. This year Paizo has contributed two special products. A few months ago, Tanis O'Connor introduced us to the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game's special treat: the adventurous goblin Ekkie. Of course, many of you familiar with Pathfinder Society have likely met the little warrior while dealing with a certain goblin guild. I have no doubt she'll get up to even crazier antics now that she's a playable character.

We're also debuting We Be Goblins Free!, a new adventure featuring the Licktoad tribe's champions Reta, Mogmurch, Chuffy, and Poog. As in past years, the new Free RPG Day module is also sanctioned for the organized play campaign, and we're releasing the sanctioning document today so that GMs have a chance to read over it and print out Chronicle sheets. If you're planning to play the adventure first, I encourage you not to peek and spoil the surprise, so I'll answer some of your anticipated questions now.

How many Prestige Points does We Be Goblins Free grant?
This module does have a secondary success condition of sorts, allowing someone to gain up to 2 Prestige Points for playing the adventure. Anyone playing this on Free RPG Day this Saturday automatically qualifies for the second point.

Is it bad if my goblin pregenerated character dies?
As was the case when I sanctioned We Be Goblins Too, it's still important that a deceased goblin's horribly squishy death be resolved, but doing so happens at a heavily subsidized rate: 5 Prestige Points completely clears up even the worst fate that you might inflict on your pregenerated character during the module.

Does the Chronicle sheet have lots of cool boons?
The Chronicle sheet has lots of cool boons, including one for Squealy Nord and owlbear enthusiasts.

Where can I download the sanctioning document?
On the product page or the right-hand side of the Additional Resources page.

John Compton
Developer

Pulling Back the Veil: Fall 2015 Releases!

Monday, May 11, 2015

One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to add upcoming products to the website. Often it's the first time that I'm hearing about the latest adventure, realm to explore, or new player options, and now we're going to round up all the announcements to make sure you don't miss out on the latest additions to Pathfinder, coming to you this summer and fall!

Welcome to Kintargo—hope you survive your stay!
Illustration by Shen Fei

This month is going to be a triple feature, as we're going to talk about not one month's releases, but three, starting with August.

August 2015: Hell's Rebels Adventure Path begins!

With Gen Con a wee bit earlier this year than normal, we won't be starting the Adventure Path at the show, which means that the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path will begin in August, starting with "In Hell's Bright Shadow" by Crystal Frasier! With the city of Kintargo under martial law, what starts as a protest turns into a riot, and your hero is at the center of it!

Other August releases include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck #4: "The Midnight Isles"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Paladin
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Bestiary
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Streets
• Pathfinder Tales: Liar's Island by Tim Pratt
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Forest
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Swamp
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Forest Dangers

September 2015: Hail and Well Met, Traveler!

The feature of this month is one that we've all been waiting for—Inner Sea Races! Filled with details on all of the races common to the Inner Sea, this also gives you juicy tidbits on rarer denizens like aasimar, tieflings, and ooh, do I spy a [[REDACTED]]?!

More September releases include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck 5: "Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Monk
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #98—Hell's Rebels, Part 2: "Turn of the Torrent"
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Occult Origins
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Slum Quarter
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: City Streets
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Prison

October 2015: The Night is Dark, and Full of Terrors!

We like spooky things—turns out, they are a grand thing when writing adventures and designing campaigns, and what could be grander than returning to one of our earliest Varisian stomping grounds? As anybody who's visited Elm Street can attest, dreams can be a dangerous thing, and "The House on Hook Street" promises to make a pleasant afternoon nap into a nightmare in this Pathfinder Module for 6th level adventurers. Written by Brandon Hodge, one of our own key resources when Occult Adventures was first on the drawing board, would-be heroes attempting to survive this adventure may want to stock up on their elixir of choice to stay awake through the night!

Additional releases in October include:

• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game—Wrath of the Righteous, Deck 6: "City of Locusts"
• Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck: Druid
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #99—Hell's Rebels, Part 3: "Dance of the Damned"
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Shores Gazetteer
• Pathfinder Player Companion: Black Markets
• Pathfinder Tales: Beyond the Pool of Stars
• Pathfinder Map Pack: Slum Quarter Alleys
• Pathfinder Pawns: Giantslayer Adventure Path

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.

Is there any particular release you're excited for? Have a hankering for learning more about the denizens of the Inner Sea with the Inner Sea Races hardcover? Maybe want try to divine the details of Occult Origins? Let us know in the discussion thread!

Liz Courts
Community Manager

PS: With PaizoCon just around the corner and adventures to wrap up before then for our GMs, the Pathfinder Society team is busily developing and editing the May releases. The regular PFS blog will return next week! And if you're attending PaizoCon, be sure to attend the Pathfinder Society Q&A on Saturday, May 23 at 2:00 PM!

2014 Art Review

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

As we close out 2014, I wanted to end on a high note and give you one last year-end blog. I went to our Managing Art Director Sarah Robinson and Senior Art Director Andrew Vallas to get some help rounding up some favorite illustrations from the past year. Seeing how great their selections were, I also asked various members of our editorial team to pick a few of their own favorites to add. So here are some of our best illustrations from 2014!

Let's start off with some covers! The above are selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Developer John Compton.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Treasures Illustrated by Igor Grechanyi,
Pathfinder Module: Plunder and Peril Illustrated by Kiki Moch Rizky, and Pathfinder Player Companion: Alchemy Manual Illustrated by Kerem Beyit

Monsters and gods are up next! The above selections were made by Andrew, Sarah, and Designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustrations by Subroto Bhaumik and Jason Rainville, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustration by Johan Grenier,
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Occult Mysteries Illustration by Ralph Horsley, and Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Yu Cheng Hong

Brigh and Zyphus are two of the many Golarion deities featured this year. The above selections were made by Adam Daigle and myself.

Pathfinder Adventure Path #86: Lords of Rust Illustration by Johan Grenier, and Pathfinder Adventure Path #89: Palace of Fallen Stars Illustration by Matias Tapia

And to round out this art blog, some portraits of deities, monsters and important characters of 2014!
The above selections were made by Andrew, Associate Editor Judy Bauer, Editor Ryan Macklin, Developer Rob McCreary, and Managing Editor James L. Sutter

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne, Pathfinder Adventure Path #80: Empty Graves Illustrations by Ekaterina Burmak,
Pathfinder Adventure Path #84: Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh Illustration by Johan Grenier, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Illustration by Maichol Quinto, and
Pathfinder Tales: The Redemption Engine Illustration by Eric Belisle

What was your favorite piece of Pathfinder art from 2014?

Mark Moreland
Developer

Piracy on the Sanctioned Seas!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Illustration by Mariusz Gandzel

For many Pathfinder Society players, the end of the year is a time to reunite with friends and family—and get the old gaming group back together! If you haven't heard the news, there's a new Pathfinder Module at large: Plunder & Peril. Ready for some more tidings of good cheer? It's now sanctioned for Pathfinder Society Organized Play! You can download the Chronicle sheet from the product page or Additional Resources page.

This module is actually a set of three smaller adventures that can be played back-to-back to tell a bigger story, and there's a Chronicle sheet for each part of the module. If one of your characters is feeling particularly piratey, you can apply all three Chronicle sheets to her and earn a fourth sheet as a bonus! For even more swashbuckling action, combine this module's rewards with those for theSkull and Shackles Adventure Path to create a true Pathfinding terror of the high seas (it's now possible to get a character from 1st- to 14th-level playing almost nothing but pirate-themed adventures)!

Is that still not enough ship-to-ship action for you? In conjunction with Tannis O'Connor, I have added a little something extra to the Chronicle sheets for those of you participating in the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild's Season of the Shackles.

Happy gaming!

John Compton
Developer

End the Year on a High[-Level] Note!

Monday, December 8, 2014

I could swear I've written this blog before, and I could swear it has started a different way each time.

In fact, this blog has been about a year in the making, ever since I took a copy of Paizo's second 64-page model with me over Thanksgiving break to begin working on that adventure's sanctioning document. It's been through about four revisions since then, each one not quite turning out as I had envisioned before other priorities put an end to my edits.

Something changed with this last go-around. I put an end to saying, "No, this is too silly to be a boon" and began asking, "What needs to happen to make this a boon?" I began taking out some of the weird limitations and tweaked the language in the Seeker Arc Option section (yes, a seeker arc option!) to make it easier to schedule and play. I began experimenting with ways to let the player choose the rewards. I began to open up some stranger options, and I began to write something other than a number in the "GP Gained" box. In the end, the Chronicle sheets began to look like the Chronicle sheets should for a high-level module full of clockwork, mutants, and gunpowder: awesome.

Really there's only one thing left to begin: playing Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, now sanctioned for the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign. One important thing has come to an end: the long wait for this fine opportunity for high-level play. You can download the rules and Chronicle sheet on the product page or the Additional Resources page.

Bwa ha ha! Sanctioned for Organized Play at long last!
Illustration by Dieter Miller

Check by next week when I continue spreading the holiday cheer with some Treasure and Terror... or was that Jewels and Jeopardy?

Happy gaming!

John Compton
Developer

Honor the Hold!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Illustration by Caio Maciel Monteiro

The treacherous Hold of Belkzen is a savage place for outsiders as well as its own residents. We've said a lot about the region, but a lot of this information is scattered throughout different books and product lines. For those who are new to Belkzen or who just can't get enough of the orc nation, here's a brief breakdown of some of the most interesting aspects of this savage region as well as links to where you can find more information on these topics.

Illustration by Roberto Pitturru

Beasts: Orc rangers and beastmasters have "domesticated" many animals and monstrous beasts native to the valleys of the Tusk and Kodar Mountains, though in most cases this simply means caging wild animals until they're to be released on the field of battle. From dire wolves to the strange and tempestuous gorthek, orc tribes rear a number of different monsters to serve as their mounts or hounds. Beyond these brutes, even fiercer beasts lurk in the hills around the Hold of Belkzen (including a number of all-new Belkzen animals detailed in the forthcoming Giantslayer Adventure Path bestiaries).

Half-Orcs: The progeny of orcs and humans are treated somewhat paradoxically among the orcs of Belkzen. On one hand, orcs treat their half-blooded brethren as weak, and bully or abuse them to prove their inferiority. On the other hand, talented half-orcs (especially spellcasters) can achieve statuses among their tribe as seers or witch doctors. Many half-orcs consider themselves prisoners in their own homelands, and wrestle with the inherent savagery that flows through their blood. Others flee the Hold as soon as they are able, becoming storied adventurers or even founders of peaceful settlements that they can fearlessly call home.

Atrocities: The horrors of war are not solely restricted to the orc side of Belkzen's borders, and the human knights and soldiers who clash with these monsters sometimes inherit more of the orcs' savagery than any would care to admit. Servants of Zon-Kuthon often go to the ravaged battlefields of Belkzen to commemorate the unfathomable acts of savagery that transpired there, and rumors persist of orcs being held prisoner and brutally interrogated in such Lastwall border strongholds as Castle Everstand.

With a slew of orc-related products coming out this winter—including Pathfinder Adventure Path #91: Battle of Bloodmarch Hill (written by yours truly), the much-anticipated Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes, and Pathfinder Module: Daughters of Fury (written by Viktoria Jaczko, winner of the 2014 RPG Superstar contest)—you can be sure we're going to be posting a lot of Belkzen banter on the blog in the coming months.

Patrick Renie
Developer

Free RPG Day is Here!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Today is the day! Across the world, game stores are currently participating in Free RPG Day, and Paizo has two exciting products that are being released just for this event. This year we are releasing Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands and Ranzak the Goblin Raider for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game as we get ready to release the Skull & Shackles Base Set. You can learn more about these products and download the Pregen Characters for the module in our blog from this past Thursday. If you've already picked up Ranzak from your local game store, we have put together downloadable character sheets so you can drop him into your game right now!

Download Ranzak's Character Sheet - (377 KB zip/PDF)

And if you haven't made it to Free RPG Day, don't worry! On July 1, Risen from the Sands will become available as a free PDF and a $5 print product while supplies last, exclusively at paizo.com—and at PaizoCon and Gen Con! Ranzak will also be for sale at PaizoCon and Gen Con, and on paizo.com (while supplies last) after Gen Con begins. Pathfinder ACG subscribers will also get Ranzak free with their August shipment, along with a few other promo cards.

We hope you're enjoying Free RPG Day, and look forward to sharing more about the Skull & Shackles Base Set as we get closer to release this year at Gen Con!

Chris Lambertz
Digital Products Assistant

Join Paizo for Free RPG Day this Saturday!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

One of the best days in gaming hits this weekend: Free RPG Day! This Saturday—June 21st—all across the world, participating game stores will literally be giving away incredible RPG rules, adventures, and accessories, and you're not going to want to miss it! As for us, this year Paizo's got not just one, but two fantastic Pathfinder Free RPG day offerings!

Character Art by Ben Wootten

Ranzak the Pirate Goblin: For Adventure Card Game players already looking forward to August's release of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set we've got the perfect preview: Ranzak the Pirate Goblin! This brand-new character card combines that infamous goblin lunacy with a piratical love of plunder, assuring an entirely madcap character experience like none you've ever had in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. You can use Ranzak right away to give a bizarre twist to your Rise of the Runelords game or save him for your upcoming Skull & Shackles adventures! Ranzak will only be available in limited supplies after Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set releases in August, so be sure to nab your copy this weekend!

Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands: A forgotten pharaoh rises in this year's Free RPG Day adventure, a perfect one-shot quest to play at your favorite game store or add to your home campaign. Aside from featuring a complete delve through an ancient, unexplored pyramid, Risen from the Sands includes a playable preview of four of the new classes in the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Class Guide ! Play Risen from the Sands as one of four pregenerated characters—the daring swashbuckler, cunning investigator, brutal warpriest, or unstoppable bloodrager—weeks before those classes' debut in game stores this August.

Also, to help run your Risen from the Sands adventure, check out the two Bestiary 4 monster templates below. GMs will find both handy in running this new adventure if they don't have their copy of Bestiary 4 on hand.

Spoiler:

Mummified Creature

"Mummified creature" is an acquired template that can be added to any living corporeal creature (hereafter referred to as the base creature). A mummified creature uses all of the base creature's statistics except as noted here.

CR: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: Any evil.
Type: The creature's type changes to undead (augmented). It retains any other subtypes as well, except for alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind. Do not recalculate class HD, BAB, saves, or skill points.
Senses: A mummified creature gains darkvision 60 feet.
Aura: A mummified creature gains a frightful presence aura with a range of 30 feet and a duration of 1d6 rounds.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4.
Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s. Class Hit Dice are unaffected. As an undead, a mummified creature uses its Charisma modifier to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).
Defensive Abilities: A mummified creature gains DR 5/— and the defensive abilities granted by the undead type.
Weaknesses: The mummification process leaves a mummified creature vulnerable to a single energy type. Choose or determine randomly from the following list. d10 Energy 1 Electricity 2–3 Acid 4–7 Fire 8–9 Cold 10 Sonic As a fail-safe in case of rebellion, a mummified creature is subtly marked during the ritual process with a hieroglyph someplace inconspicuous on its body or wrappings that identifies the particular energy type to which it is vulnerable. A successful DC 20 Perception check is needed to find the mark, but a successful DC 25 Linguistics check is still required to decipher the hieroglyph's meaning.
Speed: Decrease all speeds by 10 feet (to a minimum of 5 feet). If the base creature has a f light speed, its maneuverability changes to clumsy.
Attacks: The mummification process hardens the mummified creature's bones to a stone-like density, granting the mummified creature a powerful slam attack if the base creature has no other natural attacks. This slam attack deals damage based on the mummified creature's size (Bestiary 302), treating the creature as if it were one size category larger.
Special Attacks: A mummified creature gains the following special attacks.

Burst of Vengeance (Su): Despite its slow, lumbering nature, a mummified creature is capable of lurching forward to attack with a short but surprising explosion of speed. Twice per day as a swift action, a mummified creature may act as if affected by a haste spell for 1 round.
Dust Stroke (Su): A creature killed by a mummified creature's natural attack or slam attack is disintegrated into a cloud of dust and ash, completely destroying the victim's body (as disintegrate).

Abilities: Str +4, Int –2 (minimum 1). As an undead creature, a mummified creature has no Constitution score.
Feats: A mummified creature gains Toughness as a bonus feat, and Improved Natural Attack as a bonus feat for each of the base creature's natural attacks.
Skills: A mummified creature gains a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.

Zombie Lord

"Zombie lord" is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than undead) that has a minimum Intelligence of 3. This corporeal creature is referred to hereafter as the base creature.

CR: A zombie lord's CR is 1 higher than that of a normal zombie with the same Hit Dice, plus the normal CR increase for class levels (if any).
Type: The creature's type becomes undead. It keeps subtypes except for alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind.
Alignment: Any evil.
Armor Class: Natural armor as per zombie (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 288).
Hit Dice: Change all of the creature's racial Hit Dice to d8s, then add 2 racial Hit Dice to this total (creatures without racial HD gain 2 undead HD). Hit Dice from class levels are unchanged.
Saving Throws: Base save bonuses for racial Hit Dice are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2.
Defensive Abilities: A zombie lord gains DR 5/slashing and channel resistance +4, in addition to undead traits.
Speed: As zombie (Bestiary 288).
Attacks: As zombie (Bestiary 289).
Abilities: Str +2, Dex +2. As an undead, it has no Constitution score.
BAB: A zombie lord's BAB for its racial HD is equal to 3/4 its HD.
Skills: A zombie lord gains skill ranks per racial Hit Die equal to 4 + its Int modifier (class skills as the undead type). Skills gained from class levels remain unchanged.
Feats: A zombie lord gains Toughness as a bonus feat.
Special Qualities: Unlike a common zombie, a zombie lord does not gain the staggered special quality.

So check with your local game store to make sure they're participating in Free RPG Day and get out there to get your copies of Ranzak and Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands. For more details on Free RPG Day be sure to check out http://www.freerpgday.com . We'll see you all at the game store!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

Update Character sheets for four brand new Advanced Class Guide iconic characters are now available for download here (1.3 MB zip/PDF). Print them out for your own run through Risen from the Sands or for your home campaign!

More Sanctioned Adventures

Monday, May 19, 2014

Convention deadlines love to monopolize my time, but I can't ignore some of the other great adventures published over the past several months. It's high time we sanction another Pathfinder Adventure Path and Pathfinder Module!

Mummy's Mask opens with "The Half-Dead City," in which the heroes explore numerous abandoned sites in a sealed Osirian necropolis. It's a classic task for Pathfinders, and as a result, I made sure to sanction this as a Tier 1–2 adventure that players can enjoy again and again. Of course, one cannot expect the disturbed dead to remain quiet, and they strike back in "Empty Graves," sanctioned for levels 4–6.

Illustration by Francesco Graziani

Of course, Osirion doesn't have a monopoly on intrigue and adventure. "Tears at Bitter Manor" begins in Cassomir on Taldor's coast and travels deep into the countryside. You may find some similarities to "The Dragon's Demand" in how it is sanctioned, such as the multiple Chronicle sheets that each grant 3 XP and 4 Prestige Points; however, this time the entire module is sanctioned for play—not just a large part of it. “Campaign mode" is still an option, of course, and there's a little something extra for players who are willing to go the extra mile when they play through the whole adventure. You may find the module's campaign cards particularly useful in that regard.

What? No, don't peek! Go play it! You can find the Chronicle sheets on the Additional Resources page or on the respective product pages.

While we're on the topic of sanctioning adventures, let me give you an update on other projects. "Wardens of the Reborn Forge" has gone through several revisions and is almost done, and we'll add that to the Additional Resources page soon. More of Mummy's Mask will also be appearing between now and Gen Con. When these update, we'll post an update on the Additional Resources Updates thread. Also, we wouldn't forget about "Risen from the Sands," which is this year's Free RPG Day module set to debut on June 21, 2014.

What about that Emerald Spire Superdungeon? Yep, the plan is to sanction it, though I'm still in the earlier stages of that process. There's too much dungeon delve goodness for us not to share this with the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign.

Finally, I'd like to thank Nathan King for his hard work behind the scenes to help me sanction these and other adventures. Nathan's been a volunteer author of numerous boons dating back to Gen Con 2013, and he's also contributed to numerous other sanctioning projects. Much appreciated, Nathan!

Happy gaming!

John Compton
Developer

Mysteries of the Past and Future!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

It's almost that time of year again, the best day of the year to be a gamer: Free RPG Day! You might have already heard about what we have in store for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, but that's far from all. In the annual tradition of giving you an exciting new adventure to actually play on Free RPG Day, this year's quest is Pathfinder Module: Risen from the Sands, an expedition into the deep deserts of Osirion, written by the director of the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path, Rob McCreary. This foray into a perilous pyramid parallels the mysteries and ancient dangers of the new Mummy's Mask Adventure Path^*. Here's the gist:

The deserts of Osirion—land of pharaohs and ancient tombs—hide not just untold wonders, but also unspeakable dangers. When the vast sand dunes part to reveal the ancient pyramid of the legendary Pharaoh of Sphinxes, glory seekers from across many nations race toward it, each fighting to be the first to claim its wonders. But the storied pharaoh doesn't rest quietly within this monument, and his tomb was designed to slaughter any who would dare trespass.

A band of bold adventurers are the first to arrive, and stand poised to claim what's risen from the sands—but they're unaware of the doom that lurks inside. With daring on their side and strange, rarely seen powers at their disposal, the heroes may be the only force capable of containing the force of evil within and defeating its curse!

But we're not just reaching into the forgotten past for this year's offering, we're also looking toward the future. Toward August, in particular, as Risen from the Sands includes four ready-to-play, pregenerated characters previewing four classes from this Summer's major hardcover release, Pathfinder RPG: Advanced Class Guide.

Free RPG Day is Saturday June 21st, so be sure to check with your local gaming store to make sure they'll be participating. It's less than 3 months away, so mark your calendar and don't miss out on Risen from the Sands, a new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game hero, and plenty more Free RPG Day awesomeness!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

^*No, they can't be goblin adventures every year, or else you won't appreciate them. This year the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game has your annual dash of goblin goodness.

Quest Cards

Sunday, December 22, 2013

The relatively new Campaign Cards sets from the Pathfinder Cards line include quest cards, which tie directly into the corresponding adventure. So far we've seen Pathfinder Cards: The Dragon's Demand Campaign Cards, which tied in to Pathfinder Module: The Dragon's Demand, and Pathfinder Cards: Wardens of the Reborn Forge Campaign Cards to complement Wardens of the Reborn Forge. We're also going to have sets for the upcoming RPG Superstar module Tears at Bitter Manor, and the hardcovers super dungeon The Emerald Spire!

But if you haven't used the Campaign Cards before, you might be unfamiliar with how the quests and quest cards work. Well, the quests are built to provide more XP to PCs and give them clear goals they can choose to pursue (or not), and they appear in several places in the text.

First off, each module has a list of quests at the start of the book. Let's take a look at an example from Wardens of the Reborn Forge! I've trimmed out some of the text so you won't get spoiled on the adventure's plot, but rest assure the quest list contains all the salient details for the GM.

3. Sabotage!: Acquired: Adventure's start. Quest: Uncover [REDACTED]'s role in sabotaging the Brass Guardians in areas [REDACTED]. Reward: 51,200 XP.

This entry shows when the PCs acquire the quest in the adventure, what they need to do to complete it, and the reward they earn. Often, this reward includes items or gold in addition to an XP story award. The "acquired" entry also shows when the PCs get the corresponding quest card from the Campaign Cards set. Of course, you can have them write it down or make your own cards, but the cards are probably going to look a little cooler than your index card.

Illustration by Matthew Starbuck

The players hold on to this card, which conveniently summarizes the quest's requirements—without spoilers—until they complete it. Each card is fully illustrated and has a summary, but includes none of the reward information the GM knows (though some quests involve an NPC revealing the amount of the reward up front and that sort of thing). The back has plenty of space for taking notes, with a wider note box than you'd see on an item or face card.

The final part of the quest is the story award for completing it. This appears in the section where the PCs get the information they're looking for, defeat the enemy they've been tasked with taking down, or the like. For instance, here's one tied to the quest above. The text appears in the adventure location that's cut out of the quest text above.

Story Award: If the PCs uncover [REDACTED]'s role in the reprogramming of Alkenstar's Brass Guardians, award them 51,200 XP.

And that wraps up the quest! The selection of quests can include both long-reaching quests that take pretty much the entire adventure to complete, or ones that can be acquired and completed within the span of one session. Hope you enjoyed this rundown of how these cards work, and may you complete all your quests!

Logan Bonner
Developer

Campaign Cards of the Reborn Forge

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Since Golarion is mostly a fantasy world, it's not every day that Paizo brings in new treats for the gear-and-steam set. If you're looking for something a little more scientific, a little more modern, and a little more sooty and gritty, look no further than Pathfinder Cards: Wardens of the Reborn Forge Campaign Cards! Though this set is made specifically to go with Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, it's plenty useful for anyone who wants to run a steampunk-themed or Western-themed game. We'd love it if everything took place around Alkenstar—and hey, the module has a write-up of the city to help you out—but we won't judge if you send your Pathfinders off to Victorian England or the Wild West! (If you send them to the Wild Wild West, we might judge you a little bit. But only a little bit.)

The folks featured on the set's 23 face cards in the set range from the fancy elites of Alkenstar to the dusty workers well suited to an industrial location. We see a couple of their cards down below, and there's a little bit of Clint Eastwood in... well, both of them really! Like the rest of our face cards, these have names and short descriptions on the back, plus plenty of space for writing notes.

Illustrations by Jon Neimeister and Daniel Warren

The 16 item cards from the set include three different firearms, like the sword cane pistol shown below. The magical bombard isn't a cannon per se, but we won't tell the people it blows up if you don't!

Illustrations by Tim Kings-Lynne

Rounding out the rest of the set are the 15 quest cards tied specifically to the events of the module. So whether you're snagging these Campaign Cards to make running that adventure more vibrant or to bring some steam into your own campaign, the Wardens of the Reborn Forge Campaign Cards will treat you right!

Logan Bonner
Developer

Mayhem in the Mana Wastes

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Illustration by Chris Seaman

With the release of Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, there's no shortage of monsters and mutants eager to kill some characters! Not only are there dangerous constructs like the one you see here taking on Lirianne, but even regular beasties end up nastier and weirder.

Illustration by Maichol Quinto

Because scorpions weren't scary enough already, right? They really needed a sabosan with a sword and a gun to be a threat. We're not going to say much more about this NPC; this image speaks for itself!

Illustration by Dieter Miller

Now, you might expect a good many folks carrying firearms in Alkenstar and beyond, but in the Mana Wastes, even the oozes are filled with gunpowder! This gunpowder ooze makes fights more volatile with its explosive residue.

Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge will be available for purchase approximately December 18, 2013

Inner Workings of the Clockwork Metropolis Part 2: Alkenstar

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Previously on the Paizo blog, author and Paizo developer Patrick Renie gave a sneak preview of some of the perils and enemies to be discovered in the Mana Wastes in the upcoming Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge. In today's blog, developer Mark Moreland provides details on the geography of Alkenstar and explains how the magic-warping effects of the Mana Wastes play out in the City of Smog's society and culture.

Illustration by Sam Burley

Wardens of the Reborn Forge includes an extensive gazetteer of the city of Alkenstar, which straddles a 500-foot-tall waterfall that preludes an equally tall sheer cliff-side. While there are certainly clockworks, guns, and other steampunk elements in the adventure itself, it's in this gazetteer that the gloves come off as far as gears, goggles, and guns go. The city of Alkenstar is divided into two distinct parts—Smokeside and Skyside—naturally separated by the Ustradi River. The poorer and more dangerous half of the city, Smokeside, is located in a permanent pocket of antimagic, where spells both arcane and divine simply cease to function. Here, a tumble down the stairs can be just as lethal as a bullet wound (though the latter is far more likely), as magical healing is non-existent and unpracticed doctors are the only way for many citizens to remedy deadly injuries or disease. Gangs and criminal organizations operate out of soot-covered factories, ruling the streets beneath a perpetual cloud of lung-burning smog. For all its hazards, however, this side of the city is also one of the most highly sought out, since it's one of the few places in the Inner Sea where one can reliably avoid magical detection via divination, as scrying and other eldritch means of locating a person simply don't work among the smokestacks and filth-ridden alleys of Smokeside.

The half of the city on the eastern side of the Ustradi River is known as Skyside because the towers here are among the few places in Alkenstar where one can penetrate the blanket of smog and see the sky. The wide river itself is an area of unforgiving primal magic, which washes down the Alken Falls as surely as it occasionally seeps into the waters of Smokeside and Skyside from time to time. Only the wealthiest and most established Alkenstarians may live in Skyside. Here, the Grand Duchy holds sway, as do the myriad engineering guilds, metallurgic factories, Brigh- and Abadar-worshiping temples, and universities of alchemy and primal magic. The organizations and businesses of Skyside utilize the unpredictable fonts of magical energy that course through the soil—arcane remnants of the ancient wars between neighboring Geb and Nex—in order to drive their noxious industries ever forward in the name of profit, progress, and power.

Clockmother Athenth of the Temple of Brigh
Illustration by Daniel Warren

The result of these two distinct sectors is a dichotomy between the haves and have-nots—those who use haphazard magic in their privileged daily lives and those who must subsist in a raw, unforgiving world run by machinery and grit alone. Factor in the presence of clockwork automatons constructed by Skyside's wealthiest engineering guilds and the burgeoning technology of guns, and Alkenstar quickly proves to be one of the most fascinating, exotic, and compelling cities in the Inner Sea region.

Mark Moreland
Developer

Thus concludes the two-part blog preview of the upcoming Wardens of the Reborn Forge! Whether you're a fan of desert-roaming mutants or steampunk-inspired plots and locales, this Pathfinder Module is one no Pathfinder fan should miss! Pre-order your copy now or pick it up when it hits shelves this fall!

Inner Workings of the Clockwork Metropolis Part 1: The Mana Wastes

Thursday, August 29, 2013

While working on the forthcoming Pathfinder Module: Wardens of the Reborn Forge, we had the chance to get involved in a very challenging and rewarding design opportunity while developing the distinct flavors found in the steampunk city-state of Alkenstar and the magic-blasted Mana Wastes region surrounding it. The former required an industrial, clockwork aesthetic completely unlike anything else in the Pathfinder campaign setting, while the latter was steeped in the primal magic inherent to the region and the proliferation of the strange Mana Wastes mutants. These two elements combine to make a thrilling, dangerous setting with an almost alien mien that fits in perfectly with the Pathfinder campaign setting.

Today, in the first of a two-part blog previewing this epic module, author and Paizo developer Patrick Renie delves into the chaos that is the Mana Wastes with a preview of some of the most exciting (and harrowing) elements of the adventure portion of Wardens of the Reborn Forge, which takes place primarily in the shattered badlands outside of civilized Alkenstar.

Illustration by Filip Burburan

The adventure portion of Wardens of the Reborn Forge takes place in the Karggat-Sultur Hills, west of Alkenstar and north of Lake Ustradi. It was from these ore-laden hills that the dwarves of Dongun Hold and the industrious nomads of early Alkenstar drew their fortunes and established a technological empire, and it's into these hills that the heroes must travel in order to discover the forces assailing tempestuous Alkenstar in this time of crisis. The mining camps of yesteryear are rotted and abandoned, their operators and inhabitants having evacuated the emptied hills decades ago in search of further bounty.

Among my favorite aspects of the Mana Wastes are mana storms—raging squalls that produce neither rain nor snow, but instead warp and unleash the magical forces that yet linger in the spell-ravaged Mana Wastes. If you were a fan of the primal magic events in Inner Sea Magic, then I've got good news for you, since this book doubles the number of possible events adventurers might run into during their treks across either the Spellscar Desert or the Western Ravage. Spellcasters must be wary if they are to survive the perils of these lands intact, since a simple magic missile spell could easily result in catastrophe. To mitigate this ever-present hazard, magic-gifted wanderers who have braved the Mana Wastes have developed a number of eldritch tools to reduce the risks of primal magic, and adventurers would be wise to stock up on such tokens and wards (which are fully detailed in the module) before trekking into the unpredictable, arcana-scarred desert region.

Another important element of the Mana Wastes that features heavily in Wardens is the population of mutants that dwell in and constantly ravage that region. Abominations both natural and artificially created wander in droves among the dead, rocky badlands and rolling hills of the Mana Wastes; monstrous giants composed of both flesh and machine, impossible clockwork behemoths robbed of master and purpose, entire tribes of mutated individuals cast out from the City of Smog, and horrific work beasts tamed only by the foolhardiest scavengers are just a few of the unsavory denizens to be found among the Mana Wastes. Truly, only the most daring adventurers could hope to survive in a land overridden with such vile creatures—all of which appear in this module!

To give you an idea of the horrors that await in the insane and unforgiving Mana Wastes, check out this illustration of the capramace, just one of the monstrosities wandering those mad hills and deserts.

Illustration by Maichol Quinto

Patrick Renie
Developer

Be sure to stay tuned for next Saturday's blog entry, in which developer Mark Moreland details some of the most exciting elements of the Alkenstar gazetteer featured in the appendix of Wardens of the Reborn Forge. Political intrigue, inner-city strife, and magic-warped geography make the City of Smog a realm few GMs and readers will forget!

Dragon's Demand: New Sanctioned Module!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Illustration by Miguel Regodón

Remember when Paizo first announced the new 64-page format for the module line back in November 2012? I recall mentally comparing it side-by-side with the 32-page modules from the perspective of a Venture-Lieutenant, store liaison, and event organizer. Those 32 pages were already pretty tough to squeeze into a one-day event. 64 pages would certainly be impossible. I remember thinking back then that Mike and Mark would have to do some clever thinking to find some way to sanction the module for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. I shrugged and just assumed that I would end up writing the boons for the Chronicle sheets but nothing more.

Soon after I started work at Paizo in February, they both asked me what my plan was for sanctioning Dragon's Demand. My how things change over the course of a few months.

The new module format is an exciting opportunity to explore new ways of sanctioning adventures that were not written with Pathfinder Society in mind. On one end we have the 32-page modules that are sanctioned in their entirety, allowing players to earn 3 XP and experience a complete story. On the other end we have the Pathfinder Adventure Path line, which gets sliced up a bit during the sanctioning process to provide players and organizers with a fairly contained play experience that might fill the same amount of time as a 32-page module. Players can experience Adventure Paths in "campaign mode," in which the players just play the Adventure Path as they like and get Chronicle sheets in the end, or they can play in "module mode," in which the players only play the sanctioned sections. I love the versatility that these two options give groups, but I also love knowing that players have experienced the full story that an Adventure Path has to offer.

With 64 pages there's just enough material that it seems in need of trimming, but at the same time the length is so tantalizingly accessible that I wince at the thought of irreverently carving it up for a waiting crowd of Pathfinder Society players. Also the idea that a character could progress a full six levels in one module is both exciting and daunting; it both means that players can zip ahead to enjoy higher level content, but it also means that they can level up a character far faster than is intended. That would probably also mean making six Chronicle sheets!

Well, let me get the bad news out of the way first: Playing through all of Dragon's Demand will not grant a Pathfinder Society character six levels of credit. Now let's talk about everything else, which is all positive.

You can play through Dragon's Demand in either "campaign mode" or "module mode." In module mode, the module is broken into three large chunks that grant respective Chronicle sheets, cover about 75% of the module, and can be played stand-alone. As usual, one can play any legal, level-appropriate character in each sanctioned section—even playing a different character in each.

In campaign mode, one can play through the whole module with a single character (Pathfinder Society legal or not, just like in Adventure Paths). During the adventure, you level up your character following normal Pathfinder rules, just like in a home game. If you play through the whole thing, you not only get the three Chronicle sheets, but you also gain a fourth sheet. Each one represents 3 XP and 4 Prestige, so playing the whole story not only means that you get to enjoy the whole story; it means your character's XP value in Pathfinder Society more accurately reflects the challenges you overcame.

I'm sure someone will ask, so here are the planned level ranges for the Chronicle sheets and sanctioned portions.

• Chronicle sheet 1: Level 1–3
• Chronicle sheet 2: Level 3–5
• Chronicle sheet 3: Level 5–7
• Bonus Chronicle sheet: Level 2–6

Enjoy the scenario, and you'll have a 4th-level dragonslayer with a Chronicle sheet ready to apply once you gain a level.

John Compton
Developer

What... Is Your Quest?

Sunday, July 21, 2013

So those of you who've had a chance to check out our newest adventure module, The Dragon's Demand, have doubtless noticed changes to the module format. The biggest change is, of course, the expansion in size from 32 pages to 64 pages, but there's other changes as well. Each module will contain a two-sided poster map, for one—The Dragon's Demand features a poster map of the town of Belhaim on one side and the town's amphitheater (mapped out at minis scale) on the other. We'll be presenting more than one new monster in each adventure, and each adventure will also come with a longer support article for a region, location, organization, or the like (in The Dragon's Demand, this is a four page overview of the town of Belhaim, including a huge chart of what most of the buildings in town are for, who lives there, and how well they interact with each other and with PCs).

But there's another thing, and that's the one I'm here to introduce.

There are a lot of quests your PCs can undertake in The Dragon's Demand—24 of them, in fact. Each one of these quests grants experience points and, often, gold or magic or other rewards for completing them. In order to help the GM track these quests, we've summarized all 24 of them on page 3 of the adventure, including when the PCs should gain the quest and what they need to do to finish the quest.

But what about the players, you ask?

That's where Pathfinder Cards: The Dragon's Demand comes in! This deck of cards contains item cards of key treasures you'll find in the adventure and face cards for all of the important NPCs, but about half of the cards are a brand new type of card—quest cards!

We're showing off three of these quest cards here. When your party reaches a point at the adventure where an NPC sets you on a quest, or where you discover something in the course of play that serves as the start of a quest, the GM simply gives you a copy of the appropriate quest card. There's blank space on the backside of each quest card for your group to track notes, and when you finish the quest, you can even record the reward here. With these quest cards, you won't have to worry about forgetting to follow up on opportunities for more adventure!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Doom Comes to Dustpawn Game Day

Friday, July 12, 2013

The Asheville, North Carolina, Pathfinder Lodge invited RPG Superstar 2012 Mike Welham to run Doom Comes to Dustpawn for the lodge during our recent Saturday game day.

Doom Comes to Dustpawn was a fun mix of roleplaying challenges and fierce combat that had my team of advanced players, with their favorite high level Pathfinders, racing to each encounter to find out what wild thing Mike Welham had in store for us next. The feeling of impending doom could be felt from the very start of the module. As the adventure progressed, we veered on and off course by my well meaning paladin's pursuit of monsters that didn't exist, and his fixation with labeling everything as a "vampire" or some derivative of vampire. He almost had it right, but not quite, and you'll never convince him there weren't vampires behind the whole thing!

The bizarre blend of aliens and manimals gone wild has a 50's scifi feel while keeping you firmly in Golarion with compelling lore and magic items. While our group was able to get through the adventure, other groups beware that things can quickly get out of hand! Overall our experience playing Doom Comes to Dustpawn was excellent, and I cannot wait to run it for my lodge mates!

James Becker
Venture Captain—Western North Carolina

Illustrations by Lars Grant-West. Widescreen version here.

Dragon's Demand is Coming Soon!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Make your friends green with envy with this new wallpaper featuring the fantastic cover art from Dragon's Demand! This latest Pathfinder Module is an action-packed adventure which takes the players to the small town of Belhaim, where one event has started a chain reaction of mystery. Has Belhaim's ancient draconic nemesis returned? It's also the first Pathfinder Module using the 64-page format, which includes new monsters, treasure, a new location and double-sided poster map.

Find out what's got this town in a tizzy this July with the release of Dragon's Demand!

Jenny Bendel
Marketing Director

We Be Free!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Summer's coming, and that means Free RPG Day is just around the corner! As you no doubt know, June 15th is a day set aside for your friendly local game retailer to give you free goodies to get you excited about playing RPGs. This year, Paizo is contributing We Be Goblins Too! This follow-up adventure to the popular 2011 Free RPG Day module, We Be Goblins! puts you and your friends back in the goblin POV as you try to find a place for yourselves in an unfamiliar tribe.

Don't miss out on We Be Goblins Too! Stop by your local game store on Free RPG Day and pick up a physical copy. If you can't make it to Free RPG Day, you can get these 16 pages of goblin mayhem from the Paizo store starting in July.

Jay Loomis
Editorial Intern

A Righteous, Mythic September!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

In a lot of ways, Gen Con is like the start of the gaming year. You've probably already heard all the excitement over Paizo's upcoming Gen Con releases, but we're just getting this new year of games started! Here's what we have in store for you in September:

A Truly Righteous Adventure Path

The second installment of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path, Pathfinder Adventure Path #74: Sword of Valor continues the story of newly mythic PCs fighting against the encroaching horde of the Worldwound. This is our first Adventure Path to use Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures, and you don't want to miss out!

Getting Even More Mythic

Speaking of being mythic, check out these two books that give you even more to play with: Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythic Realms and Pathfinder Player Companion: Mythic Origins. Mythic Realms will introduce you to a host of epic legends, secret places of power, and mythic hotspots. If you're looking for ways to put the mythic into your game, this book is for you. And everyone playing a mythic character will want to grab Mythic Origins, for loads of new options for every mythic path and plenty of ideas for being mythic heroes.

Fearsome Adventuring Gear

Playing the Reign of Winter Adventure Path? Or in a campaign centered on the vicious perils hidden in the ice and snow? You'll want these Pathfinder Pawns: Reign of Winter Adventure Path Pawn Collection, with over 100 different critters, villains, and other NPCs. These work with the plastic bases from the Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box.

For that most classic of adventure openers—that creepy, dirty, poorly lit tavern—we've got just the flip-mat for you: Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Seedy Tavern. From vile criminals ambushing the heroes to the PCs getting into a drunken brawl, the scenes you could have in this Seedy Tavern pretty much write themselves.

Looking to play the upcoming Wardens of the Reborn Forge deluxe module? Then check out Pathfinder Campaign Cards: Wardens of the Reborn Forge. This 54-card Campaign Deck is a great way for the players to keep track up the items and NPCs in the game, and introduces the Quest Cards to help the players keep track of the adventure. With gorgeous artwork, you'll surely find uses for this even after the adventure is over!

Ryan Macklin
Editor

Superstars from Spaaaace!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Illustration by Alex Tooth

It's no secret that the Pathfinder campaign setting includes a number of science-fiction elements, from the future-tech-wielding barbarians of Numeria to the crashed flying cities of the Shory in the Mwangi Expanse. Back in 2012, RPG Superstar contestant Mike Welham tapped into this underlying theme of the setting and ran with it, and his adventure proposal for Doom Comes to Dustpawn ultimately won the contest by a public vote.

The release of that adventure is just around the corner, and we wanted to show off some of the crazy-cool Superstar stuff you'll find within. First, there's a crashed spaceship leaking terrible things into the atmosphere, causing nearby farmers and townsfolk (and maybe the PCs) to have horrific dreams and even mutate into otherworldly abominations.

Then there are the strange cultists who are also seeking the fallen spacecraft for their own sinister reasons. (Hint: it's not cause they're interested in scientific exploration.)

And I don't even know what to say about this guy other than that he's bound to send your PCs on something of a wild ride if they hope to survive their encounter with him!

Illustrations by Scott Murphy

Doom Comes to Dustpawn by RPG Superstar 2012 winner Mike Welham is available for preorder now, and will be out in stores everywhere next week!

Mark Moreland
Developer

Put on Your Sneaking Shoes

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Recently, we released Pathfinder Module: Fangwood Keep by veteran Pathfinder Society author Alex Greenshields. This adventure holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons. First, on a personal level, it was Alex who first ran me through a Pathfinder Society scenario (Pathfinder Society Scenario #1: Silent Tide way back in 2008) and he's been a constant contributor to my other passion, the PathfinderWiki, for nearly just as long. It makes me happy to see him get his first printed cover credit in a Pathfinder product, and on such an amazing adventure, too!

Second, I've always been a fan of adventures that provide the PCs lots of different options. When I was working on this scenario with Alex, we wanted to make sure that it offered as many choices as possible. For example, the adventure takes place in the Southern Fangwood, on the ever-shifting border between warring nations Molthune and Nirmathas. It was important to us to ensure that the PCs could be agents of either nation when they set off on the adventure, making it easier for GMs to place the adventure into their ongoing campaigns or for PCs for better integrate characters of varying backgrounds into the plot.

Illustration by Eric Braddock

Additionally, one of the main objectives we set for ourselves was to provide written-in options for players to take two different approaches to taking the adventure's eponymous fortress. Some players love the thrill of combat and taking on imposing odds, and for these players, a full frontal assault on the fortress is likely the most fun approach. Other players like to use stealth, guile, and trickery to win the day, and we made sure there were just as many opportunities for PCs to infiltrate Fangwood Keep in secret and take the fortress one room at a time without raising any alarms. Hollow walls, secret escape (or entry, in the PCs' case) tunnels, and hidden doorways are just a few of the ways PCs can explore the tower without tipping off the soldiers who guard it.

Fangwood Keep is available now, so try it today! What's your preferred method of ridding a forest stronghold of its current occupants?

Mark Moreland
Developer

You Are Not Forgotten!

Monday, April 8, 2013

We here at Paizo HQ are deep in the throes of birthing a number of incredible products for release at Gen Con in August, and that means it's an all-hands-on-deck scenario. John and I are being called upon to assist with development and editing of products outside the Pathfinder Society Scenario line, and that means less time to devote to Pathfinder Society blogs on Mondays. So that you aren't left in the lurch, however, here are a few pieces of art from some of this month's Pathfinder releases, set to start going out to subscribers in the next week or so. Some of these images may even be useful for GMs who like visual aids for their Pathfinder Society games, though I won't give any more info than that!

Illustrations by Filip Burburan, Jason Rainville, and Xia Taptara

Mike's back in the office later this week after almost a month of conventions and international business trips, and from what I understand, he's got a few good blogs in the works. Be sure to check back next week and see what he has to report!

Mark Moreland
Developer

RPG Superstar 2013: Steven Helt!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

After 4 months and more than half a million votes cast, we are proud to announce that Steven Helt is the winner of RPG Superstar™ 2013! Paizo will be publishing Helt's winning Pathfinder Module proposal, which has been renamed Tears at Bitter Manor.

Steven Helt - Tulsa, OK
  Round 5 The Golden Watch
  Round 4 Ssel Asha - Ancient Naga Temple
  Round 3 Deadfall Dweller
  Round 2 Floodwalker (Witch)
  Round 1 Quicksand Cloak

The three runners-up, Matthew Duvall of Chicopee, MA, Scott Fernandez of Allen Park, MI, and Pedro Coelho of Sau Paulo, Brazil, have won assignments to write Pathfinder Society Scenarios.

Congratulations again to Steven and look out for Tears at Bitter Manor, coming this November!

RPG Superstar™ will be returning in 2014!

Pathfinder Preview!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

It's Savannah again. The prodigal intern from last summer returns... for Spring Break anyhow. It's been an accidental intern reunion here at Paizo, as my predecessor Jerome is helping out in the warehouse this week. Personally, I think I've got the better end of the deal, since I get to tell you all about some of our upcoming products and how exciting they're looking. So, from the depths of the Editorial Pit and my appropriated computer comes an intern's-eye view (when that view isn't "hiding on pallets from the cave raptors.")

Do you want the power to challenge the gods themselves? Then Mythic Adventures is the book for you! This is the perfect resource to help you take our game up a notch, and give your characters the power to challenge the gods themselves. Mythic Adventures allows you to take up new mythic magic items, artifacts, and legendary items, utilize news feats and spells, and walk one of six mythic paths. However, with mythic heroes also come mythic foes, and this book has over 40 of them, including mythic versions of the minotaur and the medusa!

Next up is the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited. This book showcases some of Pathfinder's most vicious and well-known demons and provides in-depth information, such as what sins they arise from. The balor, the succubus, and the vrock are among the demons mentioned here, but Demons Revisited doesn't stop there! There are a list of named demons, some of them from previous Pathfinder products, and some of them brand new, but each of them unique in their own horrendously cruel ways. This can help to add some spice to the conjurations of your villains (or your PCs) and nothing says "personal" quite like a named summons. As an added bonus, this book ties in with the upcoming Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path!

Speaking of Wrath of the Righteous, The Worldwound Incursion is also up for August. One of the most exciting aspects of this Adventure Path is that it is the first to utilize the rules of Mythic Adventures, making it a truly epic adventure! On top of that, there will be six demon lords featured in Wrath of the Righteous, and the first of them will be in The Worldwound Incursion's bestiary.

Continuing our demonic theme is Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook. This book explains exactly how to eradicate or control demonkind through might or magic. To help, there are all sorts of archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items to give you just what you need to take care of the vilest of demons and purge them from the land (or take their power for yourself...). Don't travel to the Abyss without one!

For the fans of steampunk out there comes Wardens of the Reborn Forge by Paizo's own Patrick Renie. This module takes place in the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar, which has withstood the ravages of the Mana Wastes thanks to the amazing inventions of its citizenry. When the clockwork guardians start attacking the townspeople, though, the power balance of the city is thrown into disarray. Can our heroes discover the cause behind these attacks and save Alkenstar from itself?

In case you were wondering about what you were going play some of these awesome adventures on, you can look no further than the Pathfinder Map Pack: Evil Ruins for all of your creepy, dungeon-crawling needs! From spider haunts to profane altars to overflowing ossuaries, this map pack brings all the horror and dark ambiance of unhallowed ruins to your game.

If frightening ruins aren't what your game calls for, then the Flip-Mat: Basic Terrain Multi-Pack might be just what you need. Its full-color textures include grassland, stone floor, street, and water. It also folds up to be travel sized, making it great for the GM on the go.

If you haven't had enough of demons yet, then I'd suggest that you check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel from fan-favorite (and intern-favorite) author Dave Gross: King of Chaos. This is another adventure featuring Count Varian Jeggare and his wisecracking hellspawn bodyguard, Radovan. This time they find themselves mixed up in the battle at the Worldwound as the demons break free of the wardstones. In addition to being an excellent book with interesting characters, King of Chaos is also a great resource for those who are running or playing Wrath of the Righteous.

To round out our Worldwound-themed August comes a new set of Pathfinder Item Cards. These cards represent the trove of treasure that characters can amass, as well as the medals that heroes can earn in their service against the demon hordes and the legendary artifacts that they will need to defeat the Abyssal armies.

From Paizo's collaboration with Lone Shark Games comes an entirely new breed of game: The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set. This is a cooperative card game for one to four players. Choose a class and select your cards to create a unique character to play through your first adventure, the Burnt Offerings Adventure Deck. If you want even more card game goodness, then check out the Rise of the Runelords Character Add-On Deck, which adds on 110 cards worth of new classes (including druid, monk, paladin, and my favorite, barbarian), new items, and enough cards to expand to five or six players.

All right, well that's a wrap. Let's hope that writing this was a good enough offering that I don't get thrown to the cave raptors. Hope you enjoy all the new products!

Savannah Broadway
Editorial Intern

The Price of Freedom

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Illustration by Grafit Studio

The next installment of the Pathfinder Modules line, Broken Chains, is set to release this month, and a lot of you have been asking on the messageboards about how well this module fits into a Legacy of Fire game, particularly while pairing it with Pathfinder Adventure Path #21: The Jackal's Price. As it turns out, Broken Chains is a perfect fit for PCs playing through the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, and can easily be incorporated into the campaign as an expansion to The Jackal's Price, building upon the urban intrigue set forth in the adventure and being highly compatible with that volume's article on the markets of Katapesh.

While GMs will hardly find it difficult to combine the perils of Broken Chains with the events of The Jackal's Price, here are a couple suggestions for readers hoping to run both adventures in concert.

Spoiler:

• Adjusting CRs: Broken Chains is designed for 6th-level PCs, whereas PCs playing through the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path should be 7th level by the time they start The Jackal's Price. Increasing the quantity of enemies per encounter throughout Broken Chains can easily increase the difficulty of combat. If the PCs are still 6th level by the time they start playing through The Jackal's Price, all the better, since running this module before delving into that volume's content is a snap. Alternatively, since 6th-level PCs likely gain a level near the end of the module, many of the foes fought throughout the latter half of Broken Chains are perfectly suited for 7th-level characters—making it easy to simply skip the first half of the adventure and go into the harder stuff.
• Incorporating the Nightstalls: The first part of Broken Chains takes place in a slave auctioning house known as the Garden of Chains, located on the outskirts of the Twilight Gate district in Katapesh. While the auction house's nefarious wares are solicited primarily during the day, it wouldn't be hard to incorporate the gritty nature of the Nightstalls (described in detail starting on page 58 of The Jackal's Price) into this establishment, further lending it an air of cruelty and unjustness. If Broken Chains would likely be too easy for your group of expert players, plunging the events of the auction house into darkness can certainly make for a more challenging visit!
• Incorporating NPCs: The Jackal's Price and Broken Chains are both rife with new and interesting NPCs that can easily be dropped into either adventure. From brooding slave hunters and crazed pesh addicts to undercover Andoran agents and monstrous slavers, the personages encountered throughout Broken Chains make perfect accompaniments to those in a Legacy of Fire campaign and vice-versa.

Broken Chains is sure to win the hearts of anyone who appreciates an adventure rife with vigilante justice, dungeon delving, and Katapeshi lore. For even more information on the trade capital of eastern Garund, be sure to check out Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Dark Markets, A Guide to Katapesh and the entire Legacy of Fire Adventure Path while getting ready for this highly anticipated Tim Hitchcock adventure!

Patrick Renie
Developer

Pathfinder Battles Preview: At Last, the Goblin Mystic!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Way back when we first announced Heroes & Monsters, the very first Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures set, we knew we needed to include Pathfinder goblins from the very start. It’s an open secret that about half of that set was already in development at WizKids when we got involved, and a lot of the specifically Pathfinder creatures came relatively late in the process. Some of the figures, such as the Human Rogue and Orc Brute bear an uncanny resemblance to classic Mage Knight figures from the first era of prepainted plastic miniatures, whereas others like Seelah and the Ogre were more or less direct ports of Pathfinder art to miniature form.

The Goblin Warrior and Goblin Hero figures are examples of miniatures directly inspired by Pathfinder art, but what only some of the most astute Pathfinder Battles observers remember is that Heroes & Monsters was originally to include a third goblin, the mysterious Goblin Mystic.

Here’s the weird tale about how that miniature failed to happen the first time, and how we finally got a chance to bring him out with the upcoming We Be Goblins Builder Series set due in stores in late May.

The original Goblin Mystic was a port from an existing WizKids sculpt, modified slightly so that it better matched the Pathfinder goblin art. The original sculpt featured a goblin sitting cross-legged on a floating flying carpet. This was problematic because flying carpets in Pathfinder are not appropriate treasure for most goblins. Worse, the original sculpt was much, much taller than a Pathfinder goblin, so the Goblin Mystic was as tall sitting down as our regular goblins were standing up, which wasn’t something we could fix without scrapping the entire sculpt.

We decided to try to make it work anyway, and when we sent WizKids reference art for the only real “goblin mystic” that we had—the antagonist goblin druid Vorka from the original We Be Goblins! adventure, I’m afraid things went from bad to worse. The original sculpt was still way too big, only this time she was wearing a big dumb Gandalf hat on top of all the other problems.

Ultimately, we decided we couldn’t make things work in time, and that the poor old Goblin Mystic would need to wait for a future set.

I’m pleased to report that the We Be Goblins Builder Series set offers us the perfect opportunity to reintroduce a “goblin mystic” to the Pathfinder Battles line, only this time without the troublesome flying carpet and at the correct scale.

And we decided to cut through the earlier problems by actually making the goblin mystic Vorka herself, rather than a freakishly tall monster simply wearing Vorka’s hat.

So here she is in all her glory, the goblin villain Vorka!

In addition to new friends like Vorka and her goblin player character adversaries from both the original We Be Goblins! adventure and Free RPG Day 2013’s We Be Goblins Too!, the new We Be Goblins Builder Series set includes repaints of classic Pathfinder Battles sculpts like this major bad boy, the Goblin Warchief!

This upper-tier goblin villain comes with his very own riding lizard and a massive hate-on for the player characters. He’s based on the Warchief Ripnugget figure from Rise of the Runelords, with a unique new paint scheme.

There are two more We Be Goblins figures left to preview, but a mix-up here at the office sent them to the factory before we had a chance to take good pictures of them.

Instead, next week we’ll have to content ourselves with preview images of jaw-droppers from the very next full set, which we’ll announce here on paizo.com early next week!

A double dose of Pathfinder Battles news? AMAZING!

You guys are going to explode when you see the figures from the next set.

Set your internal spontaneous combustion engines to next week. You are all about to go BOOM!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Pathfinder Battles Preview: I Drop the Bomb on You

Friday, February 22, 2013

I'm back in the office after a week and a half in the blissful tropical paradise of Hawaii (with a busted computer, no less), and that means work must commence. The Spice must flow. And Pathfinder Battles Previews must continue!

And because I missed last week's update, this week is a double dose of goblin greatness, brought to you by yours truly and the fine folks over at WizKids, who continue to set new standards with sculpts and painting on our prepainted Pathfinder Battles figures. This week we've got four more figures from the We Be Goblins! Builder Series set. Each figure is packed in a randomly assorted single-figure blind box for the low price of $2.49, making it easier than ever to assemble your very own goblin horde!

We've already previewed four figures from the set on previous Fridays, which leaves four more for upcoming weeks. But I've got to churn through them FAST, because we are at the very doorstep of the announcement of the very next full set. WizKids brought the first round of paint masters for THAT by the office this week, and they are better than anything we've seen from them before. But that's getting ahead of myself. Onward my goblin soldiers!

Up first is the Goblin Warrior, a repainted version of our very first goblin figure from the original Heroes & Monsters set. This figure is almost sold out on the secondary market, and has been commanding some pretty crazy prices, which is one reason we wanted to bring him out again and give gamers another shot at him. You can never have too many mooks, after all.

Here we have the repainted Goblin Commando, originally from the Rise of the Runelords set. With his mighty horsechopper in hand, this little guy is ready to terrorize your campaigns!

Speaking of terrifying, is there anything scarier than a goblin in a wedding dress wearing a wig of beautiful blonde hair? How about the same goblin, with a bow and arrow? We added this feature to the figure because the original illustration didn't have a weapon, and we thought she was scarier this way. And also awesomer (did you know publishers get to use fake words without consequence?).

And here we have the titular bomb from the name of this week's blog. Why, it's Mogmurch the goblin alchemist, complete with a cool skull helmet and an even cooler olde tyme bomb ready to go off in his hand. Or at the feet of your player characters!

Mogmurch and Reta are playable characters in We Be Goblins Too!, this year's Paizo offering for Free RPG Day! That promotion takes place at game stores all around the world on June 15th. The We Be Goblins Builder Series set is scheduled for a May 29 release.

See you next week!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Pathfinder Battles Preview: Goblins on the March!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Here I am on Day 3 of my vacation in Maui, and naturally my computer has helpfully broken on me. I think that poor thing needed a vacation more than I did, and it's part of a psy-ops move to convince me NOT TO WORK on my vacation. Silly computer, it's 2013, man. I can blog from my iPhone!

So let's talk about goblins, even if briefly (to protect my vacationing thumbs).

May sees the release of the new Pathfinder Battles Builder Series We Be Goblins set, a collection of 12 goblin minis sold in a blind-packed, single-figure packages. The release is timed to coincide with Free RPG Day (June 15th), and our cool new free adventure, We Be Goblins Too!

That adventure (which you can get free at participating game retailers) features the same four goblin player characters we introduced in the original We Be Goblins adventure, and all four are included as brand new sculpts in this new Pathfinder Battles set.

Goblin player characters such as this fine gentleman, Mister Chuffy Lickwound!

In addition to five new sculpts like Chuffy, the We Be Goblins Builder Series set also includes exclusive repainted goblins from previous Pathfinder Battles sets, such as this Goblin Hero, originally from the first set, Heroes & Monsters.

Goblins from early sets like the Goblin Hero have been very popular on the secondary market, and they're starting to get pretty expensive. With a single-figure We Be Goblins pack selling for $2.49, figures like the Goblin Hero offer an affordable way to build up your goblin hordes!

And that's it for me. Back to the salt mines of tropical forests and black sand beaches. I'll find a way to preview two more figures next week, ideally with a computer fully recharged and healed with the spirit of aloha!

Erik Mona
Publisher
Wailuku, Hawaii

Get Your Free RPGs!

Thursday, June 13, 2012

Free RPG Day is this Saturday! Be sure to swing on by your friendly local game store to get your copy of Pathfinder Module: Dawn of the Scarlet Sun, written by our very own James Jacobs, along with tons of other free offerings from the greatest in gaming. Our offering this year, Dawn of the Scarlet Sun, is built to tie in perfectly with the Pathfinder Battles: Champions of Evil Encounter Pack, which, along with the pregenerated characters included in the module, give you everything you need for a day of adventure at your favorite gaming den. So be sure to check out the Free RPG Day website for a complete list of retailers participating in this weekend’s excitement. See you at the game store!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

PaizoCon Pathfinder Society Review

Monday, Febraury 13, 2012

I have never been to PaizoCon. I have heard many stories over a pint from friends who have been. I have wanted to go the past few years but it just never worked out, whether it was expenses or work related obligations. One of the perks of my job is now I get to go to PaizoCon every year. Of course, Erik has told me the only excuse for missing it is if I was dead and the body couldn’t be recovered. I promise, you don’t need to twist my arm to be there. I am excited to experience my first PaizoCon with many of you. Not only do I get to attend, I get to help plan the convention. I can’t begin to tell you how cool that is. Every week, I’m working on one preparation or another to help make this PaizoCon the best yet. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of what is being planned for Pathfinder Society. I need to share some of this excitement so I don’t explode.

We are scheduling 150 tables of Pathfinder Society scenarios over the three days. The response of volunteers to GM was overwhelming. We filled all 150 tables in 23 hours and we currently have 22 people on the waiting list to step in if someone has to cancel their trip. It looks like I’m not the only one excited about this year’s PaizoCon. We’re scheduling every Season 3 scenario for PaizoCon over multiple tables.

We’ll also be debuting the GM 101 Workshop. Georgia Venture-Officers took the initiative late last year to put together a program to inform prospective GMs of what they might expect while running a Pathfinder Society scenario or sanctioned module. They received excellent feedback from participants, shared it with several other Venture-Officers to run in their regions, and refined the program. They pitched the idea to me to run it at conventions and I thought it was a great idea. This 4- to 5-hour workshop will be broken into two parts.

The first half includes topics such as how to bring a 4- to 5-hour scenario to life, how to make rulings on the fly, how to manage a table of complete strangers, how to organize a game day, and how to adapt to players doing the unexpected. Participants will circulate between stations to learn and practice the skills involved. During the second half, Georgia Venture-Officers will reveal the Deck of Many Situations. They will lead a humorously instructive game that challenges its players to handle tough GMing situations based on real, in-game dilemmas. Participants will have the opportunity to play the parts of both the GM and the troublesome players. Judges will offer feedback for each round, giving everyone the opportunity to learn. Note that we will also be running GM 101 workshops at Gen Con. I prefer that anyone who wants to volunteer to help run them at Gen Con attend one of these workshops at PaizoCon.

Finally, we are returning the Grand Convocation to its rightful place at PaizoCon. There will be tiered mini-quests that take an hour or two to complete. There will be side events where special Chronicles can be earned. And, according to Major Maldris, the Blakros family is planning to make an appearance. It is unclear exactly what they want. Major Maldris seemed visibly upset (who can blame him when the Blakros are involved) when asked about it, as there have been whispers of bargains, deals, marriages and the like that the Blakros family is pursuing.

I hope to see many of you there and to match faces with messageboard names and avatars. I also hope that I can help provide all of you that are attending with your most memorable Pathfinder experience to date. I look forward to seeing you all in July.

Oh, I almost forgot one important note. It has been mentioned for several years that there would be occasional special events for retired, 12th level PCs. The Grand Convocation is the debut of these special, Tier 12+ events.

And one more thing: Check out the final cover art by Grafit for Pathfinder Module: The Midnight Mirror, an adventure by RPG Superstar 2011 winner Sam Zeitlin!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Changing Sanctioned Module Play

Monday, December 12, 2011

A year ago, Pathfinder Modules were sanctioned for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. As Atlanta Venture-Captain for a year, I appreciated the fact I could offer the sanctioned modules to local players, especially those who had played every scenario that had been released. But the rules that were established bothered me. No negative effects carried over from module play, even death or consumable use. Many players I talked with felt that sanctioned module play was not as good as it could be because of the rules put into place. One of my top goals when hired as Campaign Coordinator was to reevaluate sanctioned modules and see if we could change the way they worked to make them a more valuable part of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign.

What I would like to see in the comments to this blog are what you do and don’t like about the below proposal. How will this proposal affect your game in both a positive and negative way. Once I review feedback over the next few weeks, the Venture-Captains, Venture-Lieutenants, and I can decide what changes we want to make in the upcoming 4.1 update to the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

Spoiler:

Pathfinder modules are produced for a wider audience than just Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Because modules are structured differently from scenarios, the specific rules changes needed for playing sanctioned modules in Pathfinder Society Organized Play are presented below.

How to Play

Sanctioned modules are generally three times the length of a standard Pathfinder Society scenario and will likely take players two or three 4—5 hour sessions to complete. They do not contain Pathfinder Society faction missions, nor are they tiered for play by characters over a wide range of levels. Thematically, modules do not assume the characters are members of the Pathfinder Society. GMs and players are encouraged to create a reasonable plot hook for their characters’ participation.

Legal Pathfinder Society Characters

Players have the following three options when playing sanctioned modules for Pathfinder Society:

• A player must use an existing Pathfinder Society character (without modification) within one level of the module’s starting level.
• For modules below 9th level, a player who does not have a character in the correct level range may use a Pathfinder Society pregenerated character available on paizo.com. In this case, the chronicle sheet must be linked to an existing Pathfinder Society character and applied when that character reaches the level of the module. The linked character must be declared before play begins and recorded on the scenario reporting sheet.
• As mentioned in Chapter 5 of the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, if you have already played the sanctioned module and wish to play it an additional time for any reason, you must inform the GM that you have already played the sanctioned module. If you spoil the plot for the other players at the table, the GM has the right to ask you to leave. You are free to replay the sanctioned module in order to meet a minimum PC requirement (see Chapter 7), but if you already have received a player Chronicle for this sanctioned module for any of your PCs, you do not earn any additional rewards beyond having a good time. The Tier 1 exception still applies for Tier 1-—2 modules.

Conditions, Death, and Expendables

Whether playing your own character or a pregenerated character, all conditions (including death) not resolved within the module carry beyond the end of the module. Likewise, any wealth spent or resources expended during the course of the adventure are tracked and must be recorded on the Chronicle sheet.

If you are using a pregenerated character, calculate the cost of any consumables used and mark this cost on the Chronicle sheet. Any remaining conditions are applied to the linked character when the Chronicle sheet is applied to that character.

The one exception is when a character remains dead at the conclusion of the module. In this case, the linked character is permanently dead and removed from play immediately. In resolving any conditions on a pregenerated character, Prestige Points and gold from the linked character may be used to pay for the cost of the raise dead or resurrection spell.

Applying Credit

All players receive a Chronicle sheet unless, at the GM’s discretion, they are replaying the module for no credit. If a player uses an existing Pathfinder Society character for the adventure, he must apply the Chronicle sheet to that character immediately. A player who uses a pregenerated character must apply the Chronicle sheet to his linked Pathfinder Society character when that character reaches the starting level of the module.

A GM who runs a module may likewise apply the Chronicle sheet to one of her Pathfinder Society characters. The GM must decide which of her characters will receive the Chronicle sheet when the module is completed and the Chronicle sheets are filled out. Playing a module from beginning to end earns a character 3 XP and 4 Prestige Points if that character is on the normal advancement track or 1.5 XP and 2 Prestige Points for characters on the slow advancement track. There are no day job rolls when playing a sanctioned module.

If a character dies and is brought back to life, the GM must determine the rewards for that character. The minimum possible reward is 0 GP, 1 XP and 1 PP on the normal advancement track or 1/2 XP and 1/2 Prestige Point on the slow advancement track. If a character participates in more than 2/3 of the module, he should receive full rewards. GMs and active players are encouraged to hasten the return of a character waiting to be raised from the dead.

Players who do not complete each game session earn 1 fewer XP and Prestige Point for each session missed. This also applies to players who join later sessions; they receive 1 fewer XP and Prestige Point for each session missed. In both cases players earn a minimum of 1 XP and 1 Prestige Point (or 1/2 XP and 1/2 Prestige Point on the slow advancement track). If a character earns more XP than she needs to reach her next level, she may not choose to switch advancement tracks at the new level earned.

As always, each player may receive credit for each module once as a player and once as a GM, in either order. Players must accept a Chronicle sheet for their character the first time they play a module. A player may replay a module at the GM’s discretion, but the player may not receive more than one player Chronicle sheet per module. The only exception is Tier 1—2 modules. A player may only play a Tier 1—2 module for credit once with a 2nd-level character, but may use additional 1st-level characters to replay the same module for credit.

Running Multi-Session Modules

Since sanctioned modules can be multi-session events, Pathfinder Society characters may not be used in other Pathfinder Society events until they receive a Chronicle sheet for the module. This does not apply to a player using a pregenerated character until the linked character reaches the starting level of the module.

GMs are advised to work with players who miss the final session of the module in order for those players to receive their Chronicle sheets.

Retirement and Beyond

In the interest of allowing Pathfinder Society characters to extend their adventuring careers, and to utilize sanctioned Pathfinder Modules to their fullest enjoyment, I would like feedback on allowing Pathfinder Society characters to advance past 12th level for sanctioned module play only.

The level cap for the campaign is still 12. There are no current plans for us to publish any Pathfinder Society scenarios of 13th level or higher. However, there are more modules on the schedule that are 13+ levels. We do have some stand-alone, Tier 12 scenarios on the radar for those that do not wish to play Eyes of the Ten, but wish to play three additional scenarios at 12th level and then retire. Just as with every other Pathfinder Society Scenario, Eyes of the Ten is not open for replay and that isn't going to change. So, the addition of more Tier 12 scenarios, or another retirement arc, allows for players to have options.

This part of the proposal would allow people to play a “retired” character through higher-level sanctioned modules, receive credit, and not have to play an artificially leveled character. This also helps to balance the wealth-by-level curve as presented currently at the end of Eyes of the Ten that presents 13th-level wealth for 12th-level characters. Right now it is difficult for us to plan special retirement events for 12th-level characters mentioned 3 years ago because characters’ wealth-by-level is so imbalanced.

Mark and I have discussed this and here is how I plan to incorporate advancement for 13th level and higher. This will open up the extended career of Pathfinder Society characters if people want to utilize modules in that manner.

Spoiler:

Once you reach 12th level, it would require 3 XP to advance to 13th level and beyond as normal. We will adjust the Eyes of the Ten arc so you receive 2 XP after Part 1 and 1 XP for Parts 2, 3, and 4. Once you complete Parts 1 and 2 of Eyes of the Ten, you may advance your character to 13th level. Mark and I reviewed Parts 3 and 4 and all CRs are higher than 13 so there shouldn't be a significant effect on the play of either of those. Once you complete Eyes of the Ten, you will still be 13th level and one XP short of advancement of 14th level. This will allow you to roll right into playing Academy of Secrets at level for the module. Any character who has completed Parts 1 and 2 of Eyes of the Ten may advance to 13th level.

At 13th level, you can then play your Pathfinder Society character in Academy of Secrets and receive full credit as normal, but you may play it at 13th level. We will be adjusting the gold received at the end of Academy of Secrets.

Upon completion of Academy of Secrets, the character would receive 3 XP and be one short of 15th level.

At the end of Tomb of the Iron Medusa, the character would receive 3 more XP and be one short of 16th level.

In the future, Paizo will release additional high-level modules that will also be sanctioned for play. We will eventually sanction The Witchwar Legacy once it is possible for someone having played everything to reach 17th level. We will make gold adjustments accordingly for those Chronicle sheets.

To help GMs and players use their Pathfinder Society characters in retirement and beyond, both the wealth and Fame tables will be extended beyond their current limits.

The above changes would not go into effect until version 4.1 of the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play is released. Also, I am very aware that people might be in the middle of a multiple-play session for a sanctioned module, or be involved in a play-by-post game that takes months instead of one or two game sessions.

If these changes were to go into effect, I plan to grandfather in modules caught in the middle of multiple sessions when this goes live. I also plan to assign a Venture-Captain as the coordinator for this endeavor. Players and GMs will have a month to register their games as "grandfathered" games. After that time, no new module play should begin under the old rules. These registered "grandfathered" games have until the start of Season 4 to complete their games and report such to the Venture-Captain.

So there you have it. This is a proposal to modify play of sanctioned modules to bring them more in line with standard scenario play, as well as open options for players to extend the life of their Pathfinder Society characters. As mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I would like to hear what you do and don’t like about the above proposal, and how this proposal would affect your game in both a positive and negative way if put into place.

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

It's RPG Superstar Time!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Tomorrow marks the official launch of RPG Superstar 2012, Paizo’s annual open-call RPG design competition! That means a lot of excitement here at the Paizo offices, because if this year’s Superstar is anything like the previous four, we’re about to discover some serious design talent that will help us years into the future.

As in previous years, the final winner of this year’s RPG Superstar will receive a contract to write a Pathfinder Module to be published by Paizo. Previous winning modules include Christine Schneider’s Clash of the Kingslayers, Neil Spicer’s Realm of the Fellnight Queen, Matthew Goodall’s Cult of the Ebon Destroyers, and The Midnight Mirror, by last year’s Superstar winner Sam Zeitlin, which is scheduled for release in February!

And while winning the chance to write a published Pathfinder Module is great, it’s also important to remember that RPG Superstar offers value to more than just the single winner. This year, the three finalists will also earn a contract to write a Pathfinder Society Scenario, a downloadable adventure sanctioned for play in Paizo’s worldwide Pathfinder Society mega-campaign. The first Pathfinder Society Scenario from last year’s finalists, Jerall Toi’s The Edge of Heaven just came out last week, and the two additional sequels that make up the “Quest for Perfection” campaign arc are all being written by RPG Superstar finalist and semi-finalist alumni.

Speaking of prizes for finalists, did you know that Pathfinder Adventure Path developer Rob McCreary first came to our attention as a finalist in the first year of RPG Superstar? He didn’t win the final challenge, but his hard work and excellent creativity made him a natural choice when a staff position opened a few years ago, and he’s now one of the most important elements of Paizo’s monthly editorial effort here at the Paizo offices.

This year’s competition begins tomorrow with an open call that asks you to submit an original wondrous item by January 6, 2012. If you can use your 300 words wisely (and awesomely) enough to earn a place in the judges’ Top 32, you’re on your way to what might just become a RPG design career! As a special treat, we plan to include selected wondrous items from this year’s Top 32 in 2012’s Ultimate Equipment Pathfinder RPG hardcover, which will also include selected favorites from previous years.

See paizo.com/rpgsuperstar for more details, a complete RPG Superstar calendar, and rules for Round 1.

So start sharpening your pencils and shaking up your creativity. The next RPG Superstar could be you!

Erik Mona
Publisher

More Adventures for Pathfinders!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Illustration by Roberto Pitturru

One of the things I often heard complained about over the past year was that players did not have enough scenarios to play. Many times, they had played every scenario of a particular tier and were in a holding pattern to continue adventuring with their favorite characters.

The problem was noted and added to my list of to do items, and getting the remaining Pathfinder modules sanctioned for Pathfinder Society play was one of my top priorities. Thanks to the help of JP Chapleau, John Compton, Nick Gray and Joseph Caubo, (who combed through the modules to provide me with lists of items, as well as flavor text and ideas for Chronicle sheet boons) Pathfinder Society now has seven additional modules for sanctioned play. The list includes: Carrion Hill, City of Golden Death, Crypt of the Everflame, Curse of the Riven Sky, Masks of the Living God, Realm of the Fellnight Queen, and From Shore to Sea.

Additionally, the Chronicle sheet for Feast of Ravenmoor has been updated to include a new boon.

For those who have not had a chance to play through Carrion Hill, I highly recommend it as a Halloween weekend game. Enjoy and good gaming!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

Gen Con Announcement Recap!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

ENnie Awards: Product of the Year
(for the Advanced Players Guide)

Whew... another Gen Con over and done with! We had a great time at the show, in no small part due to the incredible support of our fans and customers. You all are the BEST!

In a Gen Con filled with highlights, though, for me one of the most incredible moments came about 15 minutes after the Ennie Awards wrapped up, when we went up to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play room to announce to a room of several hundred gamers that we’d won. The uproar of cheers that filled the room when Erik climbed up on his chair and made that announcement was overwhelming. Pictured is one of those many awards—the trophy for Product of the Year (Advanced Player’s Guide) held up with an enormous room of hundreds of Pathfinder Society GMs and players in the background.

We also made a large number of announcements at Gen Con for products coming out in the months ahead. Most of these announcements can be found here and there on paizo.com, but I thought I’d group them all up here in this post so everyone can find out about them at once.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Coming at the end of the year is Pathfinder Bestiary 3, followed next Spring by the Advanced Race Guide (a big hardcover book that’ll give you new options for ALL of the zero Hit Die races we’ve published to that point, as well as rules for building your own races of any power level), and then next Gen Con with Ultimate Equipment (a hardcover filled to the brim with new toys and magic items for any Pathfinder character).

Pathfinder Adventure Path: At long last, we’ve started the Jade Regent Adventure Path! But once you’re done traveling over the frozen Crown of the World and exploring Tian Xia, be ready next February for some good old-fashioned plundering and mayhem with the pirate-themed Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. And then, next Gen Con, we celebrate five years of Pathfinder and ten years of Paizo by returning to where it all began—the Shattered Star Adventure Path brings it all back to Varisia with a frantic search to be the first to recover and rebuild an ancient Thassilonian artifact—the original Sihedron Symbol—before it’s too late!

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: We sold out of the copies of Inner Sea Magic and Pathfinder Society Field Guide we brought to the convention! Coming in the future in this line is a trip to the north with Lands of the Linnorm Kings, a visit with the daemons and their overlords in Book of the Damned 3: Horsemen of the Apocalypse, our first real excursion into the lands of Tian Xia in the Dragon Empires Gazetteer, and an investigation of ten favorite beasties in Mythological Monsters Revisited. Then, next year, we’ll explore the other planets of Golarion’s solar system in Distant Worlds, look at the big guys in Giants Revisited, look to ancient empires with Lost Kingdoms, explore the pirate and monster infested Isles of the Shackles, and finally take a trip back home with Magnimar: City of Monuments.

Pathfinder Player Companion: After debuting Goblins of Golarion at Gen Con, we’re ready to finish out the three-part exploration of the faiths of the Inner Sea with Faiths of Corruption. Two months later, the Dragon Empires Primer gives players all they need to know to make characters from Tian Xia. And early next year, Pirates of the Inner Sea will finally let you unleash your inner buccaneer!

Pathfinder Modules: We’ll be heading back to Varisia even earlier than Magnimar: City of Monuments and the Shattered Star Adventure Path, though, with Feast of Ravenmoor, a low-level module set in the Varisian hinterlands. Two months later, test your mettle in The Ruby Phoenix Tournament, and then next January find out what our latest RPG Superstar winner, Sam Zeitlin, has in store for you in The Midnight Mirror!

Pathfinder Tales: Dave Gross’s trip into Tian Xia, Master of Devils, launched at Gen Con to great success. Later this year comes Death’s Heretic by Paizo’s own James L. Sutter, followed next year by Hugh Matthews’s Song of the Serpent and Tim Pratt’s City of the Fallen Sky.

Pathfinder Battles: After WizKids releases the initial set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder miniatures of Merisiel, Kyra, Valeros, and Ezren (Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes, which ties into the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box), you can look forward first to the 40-miniature set of Heroes and Monsters, to be followed up later next year by the Rise of the Runelords set.

And finally... the announcement that I was the most excited for: a 420-page hardcover compilation of Rise of the Runelords, fully updated to the Pathfinder rules and expanded with new encounters and tons of new artwork, due for release at PaizoCon 5 next June!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Illustrations by Yngvar Asplund and Dmitry Burmak. Widescreen version here.

Don't Be Late for Your Very Important Date with the Harrowing!

Friday, June 24, 2011

It's no surprise that our childhoods influence who we are today. That's especially true for writers, since everything we do gets stored in our brains to be mashed together and filtered through our experiences, ready to jump out when the Muse strikes. The Harrowing, an adventure written by Crystal Frasier and designed for 9th-level characters, is such a mash-up: one part Time Bandits, two parts Alice in Wonderland, with a dash of a David Bowie-styled Labyrinth. In this adventure, the long-dead bard Sonnorae feared that her collection of stories would be lost when she died, and so she created a demiplane within her personal harrow deck to contain them. Over time, these stories took on lives of their own, and melded with the images on the cards themselves. But not all stories have happy endings, and the storykin who live in the Harrowed Realm have their own motivations and plots for power and some have even escaped into the real world. When the PCs find themselves drawn into the Harrowed Realm in search of a disappeared scholar, they must use all their wits and steel to navigate the landscape and politics of this strange wonderland and make it home again.

This adventure features an entire plane of fanciful locations and characters inspired by the popular harrow deck of the Pathfinder campaign setting. In addition, you'll find a brand-new monster and an optional rules subsystem allowing players to bend reality to their wills by using all 54 cards in the optional Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Harrow Deck to manipulate the strange demiplane in which they adventure.

We'll be shipping this adventure next month but until then, we hope this wallpaper fills you with Wonder.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

We Be Goblins—You Get Free Stuff!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Cover Illustration by Tyler Walpole

Tomorrow, retail stores around the globe will open their doors and hand out free RPG materials from some of the game industry's most well-known companies. Why? Well tomorrow is Free RPG Day and once again Paizo is taking part in this great program and has produced We Be Goblins, a most unusual (and fully sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society) adventure for 1st-level goblin characters.

In this adventure, the Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh have stumbled upon a great treasure—fireworks! Yet unfortunately for them, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, the Licktoads' leader, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad, has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh. In order to prove themselves as the Licktoads' bravest goblins, the PCs must complete a series of dangerous dares, from swallowing bull slugs and braving the dreaded Earbiter to dancing with Squealy Nord himself. Yet even once they've proven their mettle, the adventure is just beginning. For the ship in question is far from uninhabited, and Vorka the cannibal goblin would like nothing better than a few tasty visitors...

Check out the Free RPG Day website for more information and a link to participating retailers. Here in the Seattle area, Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn will be running a few sessions of We Be Goblins, at his local store—Card Kingdoms out in Ballard. Stop on by, say hi, and then roll some dice!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustrations by Jared Blando and Ryan Portillo. Widescreen version here.

Anybody Have a Mirror Handy?

May 20, 2011

One of my favorite movies as a kid had an awesome medusa put on the silver screen by Ray Harryhausen, a true master of physical special effects magic. The medusa in this wallpaper, from Tomb of the Iron Medusa reminds me a lot of that iconic one and now I really want to make a fighter with a divine heritage to chop her head off, in order to win the hand of the princess.

What's your iconic medusa memory?

Hyrum.
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Orcs, Giant Scorpion Robots, and Barbarians: An Interview with Tyler Walpole

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A couple of weeks ago we interviewed Ed Greenwood, our Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011. This time I had the pleasure of interviewing Tyler Walpole, our Artist Guest of Honor this year.

Tyler is one of those artists who just gets it. I don't think he's created a piece I don't love and it's going to be awesome to see him at PaizoCon this year. From orcs battling giant monsters single-handedly, to lone barbarians taking on giant arachnid robots, Tyler's art is dynamic, detailed, and just plain awesome. Tyler's definitely on the list of artists I want to paint murals in every room of my future mansion when I win the lottery.

And he's an illustrating machine, doing work for us (seriously, look how awesome the Master of the Fallen Fortress cover is), IDW on the D&D comic, Hero Games, and a ton of other high-profile companies. We're lucky to have him with us at PaizoCon, and if you're coming out, you should definitely see if you can buy him enough drinks to get a sketch.

And now, on with the interview!

1. A brief bio, where you are from and how you started in the industry?

I am a self-taught illustrator who lives in Des Moines, Iowa. I spent several years trying to break into the comic book industry as a penciler. That ended up being a bit like pounding my head against a brick wall. Lots of offers to do work for free, but no professional (i.e., paid) work. In 2000 I decided to forgo my annual trip to Wizard World Chicago, and instead created a portfolio of black-and-white interior illustrations and went to Gen Con. I talked to every art director I could find on the showroom floor. When I got home, I had an offer to do some work for Palladium Books, and that worked out pretty well, so I kept pursuing more and more game work (and added color into the mix) until I had enough coming in to make the jump to full time. I've managed to stay pretty busy ever since.

2. When did you discover your creative talents?

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I spent a lot of time in grade school being told not to draw on my homework... now drawing is my homework!

3. What inspires you?

I take inspiration from everything. Movies, games, books, walks in the park, all of it! I have a pretty active mind, and almost anything can germinate in there and come out as something useful for my art.

4. How would you describe your style?

Oh man, I have no idea. John Romita, Jr. once described his work as "Deadline Style"... its as much as I can get done by the deadline. Working in a publishing environment has sort of dictated that I also have a "Deadline Style." One of these days I'm going to spend just as long as I please on something. I'll go back to you after that happens. ;)

5. Do you have a favorite story or character?

Let see... I'm pretty satisfied with most of the covers I've done, my favorite is probably the Orcs of Golarion. It's essentially a Conan vs. the Monster illustration... only in this case Conan is an Orc, and he's dual-wielding axes. Sarah pretty much let me do my own thing on that one, in design terms, and I really enjoyed it.

6. Who are your favorite artists, writers, and/or influences?

Well, here again, it could be just about anybody. Some of my favorites include Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos, Todd Lockwood, Greg Manchess, Frank Frazetta, James Jean, Phil Hale, Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Adam Hughes, Bill Willingham, and Jim Butcher.

7. How do you juggle freelance work and life?

I skip out on a lot of sleep. No, seriously, I skip out on a lot of sleep. I love my job, but I'm married and have two sons. I do my best to make it to every family function, school event, and baseball game. But, many nights, once everyone is in bed, I sneak back to the studio to make sure I'm on top of my deadlines, and squeeze in some time to develop my own projects.

8. Describe yourself in 5 words.

Living the dream. So grateful!

9. What's the best thing to happen to you recently?

Besides being Artist Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011, you mean? I found a publisher for one of those projects!

10. Any advice for aspiring artists?

Practice your art. All. The. Time. Whatever you decide to do, whatever voice emerges through your art, or writing or music, honor it, and do it the best you can... the business part of it will follow. People are drawn to excellence in many forms, so don't try to be like the other guy. And keep at it!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Golarion Day: Prepare to Get Harrowed!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

So, we just shipped The Harrowing off to the printer. An adventure where you get sucked into a magical deck of harrow cards and end up interacting with some of the strangest characters we've published yet! Check 'em out! (Those of you who are familiar with the Harrow Deck will probably recognize these three folks...)

Illustrations by Dmitry Burmak

Also, you can tell when I forget to write a blog post until we get to a point where I have only 20 minutes to do a blog before heading into a supersized meeting that'll take up the rest of the day, can't you? Cause there's not many words? Guess I should put up a third picture from The Harrowing to further distract you from the lack of words... hope it works!

Illustrations by Dmitry Burmak

James Jacobs
Creative Director

RPG Superstar 2011 has a winner!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Paizo challenged amateur game designers from around the world to show off their skills in RPG Superstar 2011, the fourth season of Paizo's search for great undiscovered game designers. Judges Ryan Dancey, Sean K Reynolds, Mark Moreland, and Neil Spicer narrowed the field to 32 would-be RPG Superstars, and guest judges including Paizo designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland, cartographers Jared Blando and Robert Lazzaretti, and Paizo's Creative Director James Jacobs provided their advice as the contestants answered each new challenge.

In the final round, we asked this year's Top 4 to propose a 32-page Pathfinder Module for use with Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Contestants Cody Coffelt (Boise, ID), Jerall Toi (Port Elizabeth, South Africa), Sam Zeitlin (Arlington, VA), and Sean McGowan (New York City, NY) responded with four excellent submissions, but there can be only one RPG Superstar 2011, and so after the judges offered comments, the general public selected one winning proposal to be published by Paizo in early 2012.

Congratulations to Sam Zeitlin for his victorious proposal, Grasping at Shadows which will be released as The Midnight Mirror. Here's a brief description of the adventure from Sam Zeitlin's winning RPG Superstar 2011 submission:

A horror and investigation adventure for 4th-level characters.

In shadow-haunted Nidal, the denizens of the Plane of Shadow intermingle with the common man. Now people are disappearing, and it falls to the PCs to stop the terror. Faced with terrible shadow creatures, an unruly mob of scared citizens, and an unpredictable creature of light, can the heroes undo a greedy and uncaring noble's self-serving mistake?

The Midnight Mirror is an adventure for 4th-level characters, written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and compatible with the 3.5 edition of the world's oldest RPG. In addition to the adventure, this volume also features a brand-new monster and a gazetteer of a brand-new location in the shadow-tainted nation of Nidal.

Written by Sam Zeitlin, the winner of Paizo Publishing's RPG Superstar contest, which allows unpublished authors to compete before a panel of celebrity game designers and legions of their peers for the chance to write a Pathfinder Module.

Pathfinder Modules are 32-page, high-quality, full-color, adventures using the Open Game License to work with both the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the standard 3.5 fantasy RPG rules set. This Pathfinder Module includes new monsters, treasure, and a fully detailed bonus location that can be used as part of the adventure or in any other game!

As RPG Superstar 2011's Grand Prize, Paizo will contract Sam Zeitlin to write The Midnight Mirror, which we will release as a Pathfinder Module in January, 2012.

But you don't have to wait until January to reserve your copy! Head over to the new The Midnight Mirror product page here on paizo.com to preorder your copy of Sam Zeitlin's winning adventure! If you're already a Pathfinder Modules subscriber, The Midnight Mirror will arrive as part of your subscription.

On behalf of our judges as well as the whole Paizo Publishing family, congratulations to Cody Coffelt, Jerall Toi, and Sean McGowan. Though only contestant one earned the title of RPG Superstar 2011, for the first time in Paizo history, the runners up will be contracted to write a scenario for the Pathfinder Society, Paizo's organized play program. Keep an eye out in the months ahead for when these scenarios will be released.

And we'd like to offer one final thanks to you, the readers of paizo.com, and to anyone who submitted an entry or voted during RPG Superstar 2011.

And for those of you who didn't, RPG Superstar 2012 is less than a year away!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustration by Andrew Hou

Introducing Squealy Nord!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Among the Licktoad Goblins, fame doesn't come easily. If you want to be taken seriously by His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad and allowed to undertake a dangerous mission—such as retrieving a load of fireworks from a goblin cannibal—you need to be ready to prove yourself. That means engaging in any number of deadly and disgusting dares, from eating a bag of bull slugs or braving the dreaded Earbiter to the most fearsome challenge of all: attempting to ride the infamous Squealy Nord himself! (Presented above is an artist's rendition of one such attempt. Images of the aftermath have been deemed too graphic for public display.)

For more information on Squealy Nord and your chance to join the Licktoad heroes on their epic quest, be sure to stop by your local game store on June 18th to pick up your free copy of our Free RPG Day adventure, We Be Goblins!

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

Illustration by Carolina Eade

The Origin of the Garuda

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

As we find ourselves deep in the midst of RPG Superstar 2011, it is fitting that last year's winning adventure proposal is shipping out to subscribers this week. Matthew Goodall's Cult of the Ebon Destroyers pits the PCs against a despicable cult of assassins and murderers from the distant land of Vudra. Among the many new Vudran elements featured in the module is the book's new monster—the garuda. These avian native outsiders typically inhabit rugged hills and sometimes serve as protectors of isolated human settlements. Due to space constraints, we had to cut much of the garuda's world flavor from its write-up in the adventure itself, but it seemed a waste to simply leave it in my ever-growing cut text scrapbook file. What better way to show off Matt's debut adventure than feature his winged creation on the Paizo blog?

Garudas are distant descendants of the goddess Janasini, the mother of birds. Legend tells that Janasini made an unwise wager with her sister Ravithra, the goddess of nagas and snakes. Ravithra cheated, and Janasini lost and became the slave of Ravithra's naga children. Sudachala, the first of Janasini's garuda children, offered to complete any task to free his mother. The nagas demanded a legendary bowl of nectar said to rest atop the tallest mountain in Vudra. Sudachala flew to the mountain and overcame many obstacles to retrieve the bowl, as detailed in the Azvadeva Pujila.

As Sudachala flew back, the god Gruhastha appeared and told Sudachala that the nectar was the elixir of immortality. The wicked nagas had tried to trick Sudachala into stealing the elixir from the gods' hiding place so they could drink it and live forever.

Sudachala alighted in front of the waiting nagas, placing the bowl on some sedge grass, and the nagas freed Janasini from servitude. But when the nagas tried to drink from the bowl, they cut their tongues on the sharp grass, for as Sudachala and Gruhastha had planned, the god had whisked the true elixir away, leaving only an illusion in its place.

Since then, garudas have been the mortal enemies of nagas. Only the most depraved and outcast garuda would knowingly associate with any kind of aberrant serpent.

Additionally, we've released rules to run the module as part of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign, complete with a unique Chronicle and advice on running it within the organized play format, available as a free download here.

Mark Moreland
Developer

We Be Goblins, You Be Food!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

One of the hardest things about working at Paizo is not talking about the awesome products that are being worked on but haven't been announced yet. Especially when you're the marketing guy and it's your job to tell people about the awesome products that we're working on. This year's Free RPG Day release, We Be Goblins! is a perfect example of this; it's been in the works for months but I haven't been able to say anything until now.

Cover Illustration by Tyler Walpole

We Be Goblins! is an adventure by Richard Pett for 1st-level characters in which you get to play a horde of malicious and murderous goblins that have stumbled upon one of the greatest treasures in goblindom—fireworks! Unfortunately, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh outside Sandpoint in order to prove yourselves as the Licktoads' bravest goblins. And yet even once you've proven your mettle, the adventure is just beginning—for the ship in question is far from uninhabited, and Vorka the cannibal goblin would like nothing better than a few tasty visitors...

We Be Goblins! is a complementary adventure to August's Pathfinder Player Companion: Goblins of Golarion (which I also just announced right there—sneaky, eh?) and an optional prequel to Pathfinder Adventure Path's upcoming Jade Regent Adventure Path. This special 16-page Pathfinder Module will initially be made available as Paizo's contribution to Free RPG Day on Saturday, June 18. Print editions will be available for sale exclusively on paizo.com beginning the following Monday, and a FREE PDF will also be released that day.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustrations by Carolina Eade and Mike Sass. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here.

Ebon Destroyers!

Friday, January 21, 2010

As I was contemplating which wall paper to put up on the blog this week, Warehouse Will made it super easy since he came by to drop off advance preview copies of our upcoming products. The Inner Sea Poster Map Folio (3-1/2' × 5' of map goodness) and Condition Cards are awesome, but what really got me excited were my copies of Cult of the Ebon Destoyers. Written by RPG Superstar 2010 winner Matt Goodall, the module pits 8th-level PCs against a murder-cult of terror set against the backdrop of Jalmeray and its capital city of Niswan. Can the PCs wipe out the Ebon Destroyers before the beloved ruler of Jalmeray is beheaded? You'll be able to find out in a few weeks! Until then, enjoy this fabulous wallpaper depicting one of the many members of this evil cult of Vudrani assassins.

Hyrum.
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

The Kobold King Says Get Your Superstar Entry In!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Illustration by Warren Mahy

Tomorrow at 2pm PST the first round of RPG Superstar™ 2010 will end. The judges will go over the entries and pick the best 32, and the winners will move on to Round 2. Ultimately, we'll get down to the Top 4, who will all receive a contract to write for us. The ultimate winner will get to write a Pathfinder Module, while the remaining members of the Top 4 will get to write Pathfinder Society Scenarios.

Last week, Sean told you we'd give you a sneak peek of the Round 2 rules, and here they are: In no more than 450 words, design an archetype for one of the 11 core classes in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook or the 6 base classes in the Advanced Player's Guide. Note that we mean actual archetypes, not new domains, subdomains, alternate classes or subclasses (such as the antipaladin), sorcerer bloodlines, or wizard schools.

Don't know what an archetype is? Check out page 72 of the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide, or start reading here in the free online Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PRD).

There is no twist in Round 2! We'll reveal the full rules next week, but first things first—you can't compete unless you pass Round 1!

If you've ever wanted to be published in the RPG industry, this is your chance. Three hundred words isn't a lot, and if your dream is to write for Paizo, you owe it to yourself to get that idea in before time runs out. And really, what do you have to lose?

Besides, you don't want to make the Kobold King angrier than he already is...

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

How About Some Pathfinder Society for the Holidays?

Thursday, December 16, 2010

It's a crazy busy week here at Paizo HQ, as we all strive to get a jump start on the holiday season. At the moment, we have the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide hardcover in the final approval stages before it heads to the printer, as well as the first wave of Ultimate Magic showing up on the editorial wall. Despite these major projects and the impending absences of many staff members as people head home for the holidays, we managed to slip a few little Pathfinder Society projects in between the cracks!

While we generally release Pathfinder Society scenarios the final Wednesday of the month, this month we've got two scenarios ready to go live weeks early, in anticipation of the hectic nature of that final week of the year. It's not yet clear when they'll go live for sale, but keep an eye out for Pathfinder Society Scenario 2–11: The Penumbral Accords by Owen K.C. Stephens (which sees the Pathfinder Society return to fan-favorite location Blakros Museum for yet another adventure) and Pathfinder Society Scenario 2–12: Below the Silver Tarn by Crystal Frasier (which pits the Pathfinders against the imprisoned spirit of a pit fiend in a rugged mining village) within the coming days.

If two new scenarios aren't enough to sate your hunger for Pathfinder Society over the holiday break, why not get in on a game of The Godsmouth Heresy, the first adventure in the Pathfinder Modules line sanctioned for Pathfinder Society credit. It's a longer adventure and doesn't conform to many of the standards of Pathfinder Society scenarios, and thus requires additional rules to supplement its play for PFS credit. We've put together a free PDF document that includes these additional rules and the module's Chronicle, which will be available on the module's product page by the end of the week.

Finally, we've made a few changes to the Heresy of Man series by Greg A. Vaughan and Kevin Wright based on customer feedback. These revised and clarified scenarios will be replacing the existing PDFs, so if you've purchased any of the three scenarios already, you'll get an email detailing what changes we've made and be able to download the updated version from your My Downloads page.

What are your holiday PFS plans? Drop by the Pathfinder Society messageboards and let us know.

Mark Moreland
Developer

RPG Superstar™ 2011

Monday, November 15, 2010

Paizo Publishing, LLC® is proud to announce RPG Superstar 2011, the fourth season of its popular RPG design contest. The search for the newest talent in RPG design begins December 3, 2010 on paizo.com.

"We’ve been blown away by the success of the contest,” said Lisa Stevens, CEO of Paizo Publishing. "Each year the contest gets bigger and better. This year not only will we publish the winner’s entry as a Pathfinder Module, but the remaining Top 4 contestants will each get to write a scenario for our Pathfinder Society organized play program. It’s going to be an exciting year, and I can’t wait to see what gets submitted."

Paizo has selected four judges to oversee the competition. For the first time ever, Ryan Dancey, one of the fathers of Open Gaming, will be an RPG Superstar judge. Returning from the previous season is Paizo’s own Sean K Reynolds, author and developer extraordinaire. Joining them will be Mark Moreland, Pathfinder Society developer and continuity editor; and former RPG Superstar winner Neil Spicer, who debuted as a guest judge for the initial round last year. These judges will critique each round’s entries before the public vote.

Last year Matt Goodall’s Cult of the Ebon Destroyers emerged victorious as 2010’s RPG Superstar winner after a week of public comment and fan voting at paizo.com. His winning adventure releases in January as a full-color printed Pathfinder Module.

Starting at 2 PM Pacific Time on December 3, 2010, contestants will be able to submit their RPG Superstar entry at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar/previous/2011. For the first round, that entry will be a wondrous item designed for use with Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Each entry must be 300 words or less, and must include all of the proper mechanics and flavor. Contestants must submit their entry by December 31, 2010. Judges will select the top 32 entries to be announced on January 18, 2010; those 32 contestants will be assigned a new design task and their entries will be posted on paizo.com for the public to read, critique, and vote on. The designers garnering the most votes in each round will continue on to subsequent rounds, and the ultimate winner will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo's upcoming Pathfinder Modules, while the remaining top 3 designers will earn a paid commission to write an upcoming Pathfinder Society scenario!

Specifics for each challenge will be announced as each round begins. The winner of RPG Superstar 2011 will be announced on March 22, 2011. Complete rules and a submission form are available at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar/previous/2011.

Do you have what it takes to be the next RPG Superstar?

Hyrum Savage
Marketing Manager

Jalmeray Spicy!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Just this week, I finished development of RPG Superstar 2010 winner Matthew Goodall's awesome Pathfinder Module, Cult of the Ebon Destroyers. One of the best parts of the process was seeing the final art come in for the evil cultists who make this such an evocative adventure. So do what I did while poring over Matt's turnover and set your Pandora station to sitar music, get yourself a tangy curry or some buttered naan, and check out these pieces from Carolina Eade. Cult of the Ebon Destroyers is currently anticipated in stores and on paizo.com in January 2011.

Illustrations by Carolina Eade

Mark Moreland
Developer

Oh Look, More Venture-Captains!

October 27, 2010

A few weeks ago we announced 13 Regional Coordinators that we're calling Venture-Captains. Since then, Mark and I have been going through the entire Pathfinder Society program and starting the process of making sure Season 2 ends with a bang you'll all remember, making plans for Season 3 (which will be awesome, trust me), and going through all of the rules for the Society program itself. In between all of that, I've reviewed a number of Venture-Captain applications and chosen a few new Coordinators. We're still not finished naming new Venture-Captains, but rather than sit on these names I thought it was more important to get them announced and out there building the Society in their area. And so, without further ado, here are your new Venture-Captains!

Arizona (Phoenix)
Rene Ayala
pfscoordinatorphx@gmail.com

California (San Francisco)
Michael Azzolino
pathfinder@justiceradio.net

Colorado (Denver)
JP Chapleau
jp@chapleau.us

Nevada (Las Vegas)
Issak Haywood
PFSTheocrat@gmail.com

Canada – Ontario (Toronto)
Neil Shackleton
VCNeilOnt@gmail.com

Oh, before you head over to the messageboards, you should scroll down a little to check out what my new desktop image is. Isn't it amazing? It's the cover to Matt Goodall's RPG Superstar adventure Cult of the Ebon Destroyers done by a good friend of mine, Kieran Yanner. And speaking of RPG Superstar, we're hard at work preparing for the 2011 round, so start getting ready for it. Who knows, this time next year I could be putting the cover to your adventure on my desktop.

Illustration by Kieran Yanner

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

The Foxes Have Landed (part II)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Sara Marie: Those were some delicious biscuits! Over.

Crystal: This time we should say something less confusing and less likely to end with us eating biscuits. Like "Hedgehog."

....

Crystal: Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: I like porcupines better. Porcupine.

Crystal: Where are you, anyway? I got lost when the cave raptors were chasing us. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Let me turn on a light... Looks like I'm in Sarah's office. There's art all over the place. Porcupine.

Crystal: She must have left in a hurry. Does it look trapped? Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: I don't SEE anything that looks like a trap. Where are you? You're better at spotting traps than I am. Porcupine.

Crystal: I don't know. I dropped my darkvision when that lurking ray grabbed at us. Where ever I am, smells nice! Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: There's a folder marked "TOP SECRET" sitting right on top of her desk! I'm going to see if I can get a closer look. Porcupine.

Crystal: No wait! The "top secret" folder is Midwestern family recipes! It's almost certain to be booby-trapped!

Sara Marie: Where else should I check?

Crystal: Check the refrigerator. I think that's where she keeps the special art. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: You're right! This thing is chock full of art-like pictures. Most of it seems like stuff that's already released. Porcupine.

Crystal: You should see what's in the dishwasher!

Sara Marie: Oooh wait! .... What's this! .... It's marked "Future Cover Art". Porcupine.

Crystal: Stuff from the future, huh? Sounds neat! Open it and see if a paradox destroys us all! Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Wow! These are amazi-- ...Umm... I just heard a "click" sound. Is that bad? Porcupine.

Crystal: You've either stepped on a mine, or else let her lucky cricket out of its cage. Possibly both. I'm not certain if the cricket explodes. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: PORCUPINE IS LEAVING THE NEST! REPEAT PORCUPINE IS LEAVING THE NEST!

...

Crystal: Sara? Sara, are you okay?

...

Crystal: SARA?!

...

Sara Marie: I'M OK! COPY THAT? I AM OK!

Crystal: Stop yelling or the cave raptors will find us again. Hedgehog.

Sara Marie: Where ever you are... Watch out! These people know how to lay traps! On the up-side, I made it out with two incredible pieces of artwork!

Storm the Lost Tower!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Illustration by Tyler Walpole

Have you ever wondered just what is inside those siege castles outside Absalom? Have you ever smelled the heady stench of troglodytes in the morning? Have you always wanted to join the Pathfinder Society, but could never figure out just how to impress them? Or do you want to know just a little more about the Advanced Player's Guide?

Well, you're in luck! Free RPG Day is almost upon us! On Saturday, many of you can go to your Friendly Local Game Store and pick up all sorts of free RPG products, including Paizo's own offering, Master of the Fallen Fortress, by yours truly. Check the official Free RPG Day Retailer Locator to see if stores in your area are participating.

(PaizoCon attendees will each get a free copy of the module at the show, and, starting Monday morning, everyone will be able to download a FREE PDF or buy a $5 print edition right here at paizo.com, so no need to despair if your store isn't on the Free RPG Day list!)

So what's all the hoopla about? Master of the Fallen Fortress takes a group of 1st-level PCs into one of the ruined siege castles that litter the Cairnlands outside Absalom. While it's a standalone Pathfinder Module, the adventure can also be used as an introduction to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Paizo's constantly evolving, worldwide mega-campaign. And even better, it gives a preview of the six new iconic characters from the upcoming Advanced Player's Guide, statted up as pregenerated characters to get you right into the action!

Adventure is coming your way this weekend, just around the corner and down the road. Defeat the Master of the Fallen Fortress, rescue a captive Pathfinder, and on the way, say hi to Alahazra, Alain, Balazar, Damiel, Feiya, and Imrijka for me!

(To allow GMs to prepare to run Master of the Fallen Fortress on Free RPG day, we're releasing the Chronicles Sheet and pregenerated character sheets as a free download here (1.2 MB zip/PDF).)

Rob McCreary
Developer

This Week at Paizo

Friday, May 7, 2010

It's been a busy week at Paizo... and we're not done yet.

Sean "The 'K' is for Konfident" Reynolds reassures me of what he already knows.	My desk midweek: ground zero for much chaos. (To answer the inevitable question here: Yes, I use them as bookmarks.)
It may drive us crazy, but putting out so many products does make for some pretty awesome hauls.

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Developer's Diary: They Came From Beneath the Sea!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

As Wes mentioned a couple of weeks ago, our Open Design partnership project From Shore to Sea has had a few problems on its way through development and editing. But I'm happy to tell you that we are now in the final stages of getting this thing out the door and into your hands!

Senior Art Director Sarah Robinson found a great artist, Damien Mammoliti, to pick up where the last one left off, and once that art came in, she put everything together in record time. Finally, there are some faces to go with the names (some of them pretty creepy, but faces nonetheless!). Coupled with Andrew Hou's fantastic, action-packed chapter openers, this adventure is finally coming together. And once we had the art, editorial questions like what is the correct plural of octopus (octopi? octopuses? octopodes?) were easily resolved. Here's hoping that the ocean between here and China is safely free of giant cephalopods.

Illustration by Andrew Hou

For a final sneak peek at From Shore to Sea, take a look here at Valeros trying to save some hapless (and disturbingly fishy) villagers from more of those pesky giant tentacles. And be careful when you go swimming. You never know what might be lurking beneath the waves!

Rob McCreary
Assistant Editor

The Best Laid Plans...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I hate airing our dirty laundry in public...

Who am I kidding, I relish airing our dirty laundry in public, but professionalism and good taste often makes doing so... "inadvisable." But this is a special situation and in this instance it's easy to talk around the specifics so to protect the innoce—well, in this case, to protect the guilty. As we've been trying to show off our editorial processes with this project, even more reason to let you all in on how things sometimes play out around here.

The product in question: From Shore to Sea, our Pathfinder Module partnered with Wolfgang Baur's patron-fueled Open Design venture.

The topic: Sometimes we get screwed.

So, let's backtrack a little bit. Here's something most folks didn't notice—unless you've been getting emails from me or really enjoy reading the credits pages of our projects. Around October of last year my title here at Paizo totally didn't change. What comes after that title did, though. Thus, "Managing Editor of Pathfinder" became "Managing Editor of Paizo Publishing." The distinction: now I'm not just in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly for Pathfinder Adventure Path, but everything else we publish too. And, as a special bonus challenge, that it all happens in a timely manner. That's been the real trick. It's like telling someone to build a number of towers (one for each product line) but, hey, for fun, let's start at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon, in this case, is our "schedule debt," a sizable hole with depth markers called Dragon and Dungeon magazines, the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, and other beautiful fiascos that have gradually meant nearly everything we publish has fallen off its intended tracks. A real nasty peril when you've got thousands of gamers rightly demanding the products they've subscribed to and expect from month to month. But with my shiny Paizo-brand carrot and Paizo-brand stick, and the incredible efforts of our insanely talented and even more dedicated designers, editors (with a special nod to Judy Bauer, Chris Carey, Rob McCreary, and James Sutter), and folks at all levels of the company who have sacrificed nights, weekends, sleep, and meals to write and edit, those towers have reached up and up toward the light. The first tower to break the surface was the Pathfinder Module line with From to Shore to Sea, scheduled to go to print, on time, March 5th.

Or rather it would have, if the art we ordered actually came in. Oh, I don't just mean came in on time, I mean, was going to come in at all. What we got on the due date instead of a half dozen illustrations was an apology from Joe "You'll-Never-Work-in-this-Town-Again" and a very empty "good luck!" Lame. Now, art directorix Sarah Robinson is a goddess for a variety of reasons, but the power she employed in this particular crisis was to bat her eyelashes via email and coax a whole host of fantastically talented artists to take up the slack, and in record speed. What that did mean, though, is that instead of going out on time, From to Shore to Sea is now going out next week, three weeks behind my precious schedule. Ugh.

Illustration by Dan Scott

Wolf set us up with this great plan, author Brandon Hodge pulled together a fantastic adventure, the Open Design patrons made a host of inspired suggestions, and Rob developed this thing into a fine addition to our Pathfinder Modules line in record time. And Dan Scott, our ever reliably awesome cover artist, did the incredible cover I’ve attached here. (Again, Dan: great and timely work. We love Dan’s stuff.) Yet despite top-notch materials and everyone who touched the adventure doing heroic work, sometimes things still don't work out the way they should. Sometimes it makes things frustrating and stressful, but never, ever boring.

From Shore to Sea will be awesome, there's no doubt about that, and I'm more excited about this one than I am about most. But, sadly, this one has had a bumpy journey, and my first tower breaking the surface will likely have to wait for City of Strangers in the Pathfinder Chronicles line later this month. Missing a deadline sadly isn't something new, so don't go adjusting orders or rechecking release dates; this happens sometimes and no one outside this building ever hears about it. Our website and warehouse teams are also quite adept—to our chagrin—at picking up our slack. And, should all our plans continue to work and there are relatively few additional catastrophes, you shouldn't ever hear me griping about our "editorial debt" again.

So just a heads-up for all the folks who have been invested in and keenly anticipating Open Design's From to Shore to Sea: it's awesome and it's coming, but sometimes the path from author to your hands has some unanticipated adventures. And expect a very boring blog post from me in a few months announcing that all our product lines are, at last, shipping to the printer on time. It might not matter much to folks outside these offices, but here, it's going to be cresting the top of a very tall hill.

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Random Encounters in the Fellnight Mist

Monday, March 8, 2010

Here's some more bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally included some additional random encounters at the beginning of Part 2: Lost in the Mist, but they were cut for space reasons. Adding these encounters helps to reinforce the eerie atmosphere of the mist.

Mist Random Encounters

Roll on the following chart to generate a random encounter for each day spent in the mist.

Roll	Type of Monster	CR
1	Desperate Townsfolk	—
2	Missing Lumberjacks	—
3	Spirit Moss	—
4	Amnesiac Elf	—
5	Pit Trap	3
6	Unicorn Sighting	—
7	Giant Bees	6
8	Will-o'-Wisp	6
9	Dire Bear	7
10	Fellnight Spriggans	8

Amnesiac Elf: A half-elf named Carith (N male half-elf warrior 2) wanders this part of the forest. He had the misfortune of falling victim to a pixie memory loss arrow (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 228) and now finds himself lost in the mist. If the PCs escort him to a safe place (for example, leaving him in the care of other good-willed forest creatures), award them experience for a CR 3 encounter.

Desperate Townsfolk: A Perception check (DC 20) detects cries for help in the fog. If the PCs respond, they discover a family of four with a stuck wagon fleeing Bellis. A DC 30 Strength check can get them moving again (multiple PCs can assist in moving the 10-foot-by-10-foot wagon, one per square adjacent to the wagon). A Diplomacy check (DC 20) convinces them to return to town for their own safety. If the PCs free the wagon or convince the family to return to Bellis, award them experience for a CR 2 encounter.

Dire Bear: The PCs blunder into the path of a dire bear that a short time ago hungrily raided a giant beehive. Unfortunately, he's still hungry and can smell the PCs through the fog.

Fellnight Spriggans: Four Fellnight spriggans deserted Rhoswen's army to explore and pillage on their own. They attack the PCs on sight (see page 7 of Realm of the Fellnight Queen).

Giant Bees: A nest of giant bees has recently had its hive disturbed by a dire bear. Three of the bees now angrily search the mist for creatures to attack.

Missing Lumberjacks: The PCs happen upon a ruined Lumber Consortium camp littered with debris. Thorn darts riddle the tents and supplies. A DC 15 Survival check determines at least nine lumberjacks have gone missing from the site. A search of their belongings discovers 38 gp, 42 sp, 118 cp, a brass cup engraved with the likeness of Cayden Cailean worth 25 gp, and a masterwork throwing axe.

Pit Trap:

Devarre the druid has laid traps to capture animals. Along a narrow deer trail lies a camouflaged pit trap (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 420) designed to catch a bear, covered by leaves and baited with a honey-covered shoe.

Spirit Moss: A patch of spongy gray-green moss covers the sides of a massive log. A Knowledge (nature) check (DC 20) identifies the substance as spirit moss (Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting 217). Those consuming it suffer 2d6 points of Strength and Dexterity damage (no save), but temporarily gain the ability to speak with dead (CL 10th). A character who makes a Survival check (DC 16) may harvest enough for two preparations.

Unicorn Sighting: Any character making a Perception check (DC 20) notices a horse-like figure in the mist. As some of the fog drifts past, a unicorn meets their gaze and then gallops away, teleporting if the PCs try to pursue it.

Will-o'-Wisp: A will-o’-wisp uses the fog to mimic the voices of desperate townsfolk trying to leave Bellis, pretending to be lost in the mist or stuck among the thickets. It draws unsuspecting victims into a patch of brambles, a ravine, or a swampy area (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 427).

Sean K Reynolds
Developer

Arvormeigh, Nixie Rogue

Monday, March 1, 2010

Illustration by Concept Art House

Here's a bit of bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally featured this character in one encounter, but she ended up on the cutting room floor to make the adventure fit the page count. Now she's back and ready to annoy some PCs!

Spoiler:

Arvormeigh originally appeared in the Upper Pool area of the Dead Man's Drop encounter, along with an allied Large water elemental (CR 5), for a CR 7 encounter. If your PCs are especially tough, you could add her to the encounter as presented in the adventure, resulting in a CR 8 encounter.

ARVORMEIGH CR 5
XP 3,200
Female nixie rogue 5; (Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary 15)
NE Small fey (aquatic)
Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 11 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 43 (7 HD; 2d6+5d8+14)
Fort +3, Ref +13, Will +4
Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny dodge; DR 5/cold iron; SR 12
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee short sword +11 (1d4/19–20)
Ranged +1 shortbow +12 (1d4+1/x3)
Special Attacks lure (as harpy's captivating song, DC 16), sneak attack +3d6 plus 3 bleed
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
3/day—charm person (DC 16)
1/day—water breathing
TACTICS
Before Combat Arvormeigh observes intruders from the pool while in fish form to discern their intent. Then she reverts to her natural form to drink her potion of resist energy before swimming to the water's surface to speak with them. A Sense Motive check (DC 22) detects the nixie stalling for time during the conversation—she waits only long enough for the next obscuring mist from the wardstones before attacking (see Hazard).
During Combat Arvormeigh knows the pool well enough to time the waves of mist to her advantage. On any round while her vision remains unimpeded, she keeps her distance, rising from the water to shoot opponents with her bow and making sure to use her Deadly Aim feat and bleeding attack ability if possible, selectively targeting spellcasters with sleep arrows. During rounds with the obscuring mist in place, Arvormeigh uses her lure ability instead, drawing victims into the pool and the waiting vortex of her elemental ally. She uses sneak attack underwater on anyone left in the pool.
Morale As the final guardian of the wardstones, Arvormeigh fights to the death, only temporarily retreating to drink her potion of cure moderate wounds before resuming the attack.
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 22, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 21
Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 19
Feats Deadly Aim, Dodge, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +14, Bluff +12, Craft (jewelry) +5, Diplomacy +12, Escape Artist +15, Handle Animal +12, Knowledge (nature) +10, Linguistics +5, Perception +8, Perform (dance) +12, Perform (sing) +12, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +17, Swim +17
Languages Aquan, Elven, Sylvan
SQ amphibious, change shape (Small or Medium aquatic creature, beast shape I), rogue talents (bleeding attack, combat trick), trapfinding, trap sense +1, wild empathy +13
Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of resist energy (electricity) ; Other Gear +1 shortbow, sleep arrows (6), cold iron arrows (20), short sword, aquamarine necklace worth 250 gp with matching bracelets worth 50 gp each

Winter 2010 Releases: An Early Look!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

This week Paizo posted new product descriptions for dozens of products to be released in the third trimester of 2010, including new hardcover books, a revision of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, and a brand new line of Pathfinder novels!

We've been hard at work on these items for months, and even though you'll have to wait until at least September before they hit your game table, we're thrilled to finally be able to discuss some of this stuff in public. The suspense has been killing us!

Folks are already discussing some of our new releases on the paizo.com messageboards, but as the commentary has been flying fast and furious over the last couple days, I figured it might be helpful to post a broad overview of our new offerings here on the blog, with direct links to the products in question.

So without further ado, let's plug ourselves into the future-caster time machine and take a journey forward to September through December 2010. Bring your dice and a few character sheets. You're going to need them!

PATHFINDER FICTION
The biggest announcement is a brand new line of Pathfinder novels written by some of the biggest names in fantasy fiction! The first book, Winter Witch, by New York Times best-selling author Elaine Cunningham, explores the tale of a barbarian shield maiden who ventures from Varisia to the winter-locked land of Irrisen to rescue a possessed sister—and the canny young cartographer who follows her into that haunted land. The book formally releases in September, but we'll have copies on hand at this year's Gen Con Game Fair as a special preview. October sees the release of Prince of Wolves, by former Amazing Stories and Dragon editor Dave Gross, which revisits the Pathfinder agent Varian Jeggare and his tiefling assistant Radovan, last seen in the Pathfinder Journal section of the Council of Thieves Adventure Path. Additional novels will follow in 2011 from well-known authors including Paul S. Kemp and other familiar faces. Stay tuned for more info!

NEW HARDCOVERS
Following up on the forthcoming GameMastery Guide and Advanced Player's Guide, 2010 will see the release of one more hardcover rulebook in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line: Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2! Like the first Bestiary, Bestiary 2 will include more than 300 monsters for use with the Pathfinder RPG, including old favorites like the hippogriff and new planar creatures like the aeons and proteans. This book will cover most of the standard monsters from the history of the game that we couldn't fit in the first Bestiary, as well as tons of other great monsters you've never seen before. Each monster will receive a full page or a 2-page spread, using the same format as the original book.

Supplies of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting hardcover are dwindling faster than we can count, so in September we'll release a revised edition in the form of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting World Guide: The Inner Sea. Fully updated to the Pathfinder RPG rules and with expanded coverage of nearly every nation, the latest version of this book contains a new cover from Wayne Reynolds, an updated map, fixed errata from the first edition, and more than 300 pages packed with tons of information about the lands, peoples, beliefs, and cultures of the world of Golarion. Paizo Creative Director James Jacobs is giving this project his personal finish, making sure our campaign setting book is a solid bedrock of our publishing operation for years to come. We're really pleased with the early development of this book, and think it will be an ideal resource for all Pathfinder players and game masters.

PATHFINDER CHRONICLES
In addition to the revised campaign setting, in late 2010 we'll release the Inner Sea Map Folio, a massive 32-panel map of the Inner Sea region containing all "canonical" locations from every Pathfinder product published to date! This monster is sure to brighten up the gaming room or man-cave of any Pathfinder enthusiast, and its "four poster" format will even allow for easy reference at the game table for those lacking the wall space to do it justice. The Campaign Setting product line will also see a new Classic Monsters-style book in the form of Misfit Monsters Redeemed (and you won't believe what that's about until you read the description, believe me) as well as Lost Cities of Golarion, which explores six adventure locales from throughout the world of Golarion.

PATHFINDER PLAYER COMPANION
We can't let the GMs have all the fun, after all, so we've also planned a couple of sure-fire player's guides for the last third of 2010 that will be must-buys for Pathfinder RPG players. October sees the release of the Inner Sea Primer, a slimmed-down overview of the Pathfinder world designed specifically for players. This book will include tons of new character traits tied to the regions and religions of Golarion, and will provide a perfect "gist" of the setting for those looking to dip a toe in the water without needing to buy a big hardcover book. December sees the release of Halflings of Golarion, which rounds out the player's guides to the standard "demihuman" player character races in the Pathfinder RPG with plenty of details on how to integrate them into Golarion campaigns. Lots of fun equipment and lore in this one for fans of halflings (and everyone else, too)!

PATHFINDER MODULES

Gamers have been asking for a high-level Pathfinder adventure since the very beginning, and now I'm pleased to report that the time has come at last! Shipping in September, The Witchwar Legacy takes 17th-level player characters to the snow-shrouded witch kingdom of Irrisen to thwart a plan by the Ice Queen involving the insidious Baba Yaga herself! If that's not enough, in November we'll release a brand-new 1st-level starter adventure called The Godsmouth Heresy, set in the shadowy city of Kaer Maga, site of June's City of Strangers sourcebook!

GAMEMASTERY ACCESSORIES
Paizo's popular map products keep on coming in the last part of 2010, including the first-ever crossover between the Map Pack and Flip-Mat lines! Everything starts innocently enough in September with the release of Flip-Mat: Forest, but things really get interesting in October, with Map Pack: Shops. This 18-tile map set includes the interiors for several different stores, apothecaries, taverns, and the like, but things become super-special when you combine this pack with November's Flip-Mat: City Streets, which details a mercantile district suitable for use with other city Flip-Mats. The roofed buildings on this Flip-Mat (suitable for rooftop chases) correspond exactly to the interiors presented in Map Pack: Shops, providing a uniquely immersive tabletop experience. And if that's not enough to impress your jaded players, spring December's Map Pack: Ambush Sites on them. They probably deserve it.

GameMastery Cards keep coming as well, this time in the form of new GameMastery Condition Cards, handy reference cards for all of the various conditions in the Pathfinder RPG rules.

PATHFINDER ADVENTURE PATH
And, of course, we haven't forgotten the date that brought us to the big dance in the first place. The last trimester of 2010 will see plenty of action in the Pathfinder Adventure Path line, as the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path takes a jungle trail toward its stunning conclusion! Ruined Azlanti cities, Red Mantis assassins, monkey-men, the Pathfinder Society, ancient serpentfolk, and one very, very angry Gorilla King are all in store in a quartet of adventures by Tim Hitchcock, Kevin Kulp, Greg A. Vaughan, and Graeme Davis! The Serpent's Skull is a return to classic-style adventuring in the Pathfinder tradition, and we can't wait to get you guys into the jungle!

I'm saving our Planet Stories releases for tomorrow's blog, so be sure to tune in then for some of the biggest Planet Stories news we've had yet!

So much is happening here at Paizo these days that it's difficult to remember the uncertainty and horror of the last few years, with major changes to our business, our game system, and our lives. All of us really appreciate the support you have shown us so far, and we look forward to more exciting products in the months and years to come!

Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing

Gold Fever!

Monday, February 8, 2010

As I write this the finishing touches are going in on our newest Pathfinder Module, City of Golden Death, the climactic conclusion to the Price of Immortality campaign arc. Written by our own Events Manager, Joshua J. Frost, the adventure takes the PCs to the notorious Isle of Terror, where they'll face agents of the Living God Razmir, ageless menaces from ancient Thassilon, the undying machinations of the Whispering Tyrant himself, and even greater perils! Here's a sneak peak of some of the scenes your PCs can expect to face when the module releases in just a few short weeks. Enjoy!

Illustration by Andres Espara

Illustration by Jorge Maese

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Illustration by Anthony Jones

Developer's Diary: Tentacles from the Deep

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

As one of my new duties here in Paizo's editorial pit, I've been asked to take on the development for the upcoming Pathfinder Module From Shore to Sea, designed and developed with the assistance of the patrons at Wolfgang Baur's Open Design Studio . The adventure is a fun-filled romp (some might say a terrifying delve) through sunken ruins, with ancient Azlanti technology and undersea abominations thrown in for good measure, and I thought now was a good time to share a little bit of the process that goes into developing a Pathfinder Module.

We've already done the art and map orders for the adventure, helped in no small part by author Brandon Hodge's detailed and descriptive turnovers. Which leads us to the adventure itself. I'm still wading around in the shallow waters of the module (just getting my feet wet, so to speak), but I've already ventured into spooky, seaside villages, dealt with their insular, ichthyic inhabitants (some preliminary sketches appear below), and wrestled with giant tentacles from beneath the waves. From Shore to Sea has already had extensive playtesting as part of the design process at Open Design, so most of my development work so far has involved arranging things in a more Pathfinder-friendly format, clarifying rules issues, and making a few minor adjustments here and there to make a cool adventure even cooler.

It's looking like a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to diving even further into the adventure to see what ancient Azlanti wonders and eldritch horrors come to light from out of its abyssal depths. Maybe I'll even get a chance to run some unfortunate players through it myself eventually. Now all I have to do is keep James Jacobs from throwing a tylosaurus into the adventure...

Rob McCreary
Assistant Editor

River Kingdoms of the Fellnight Queen

Friday, January 29, 2010

It's a busy week here at Paizo, and that means it's time for an art blog! So enjoy this sneak peek at some artwork from the upcoming Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen and Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to the River Kingdoms!

	Illustration by Andrew Kim
Illustration by Jorge Maese	Illustration by Andres Espara

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Chronicles and Pathfinder Modules

Illustration by Dave Rapoza

Hail to the Queen, Baby

Friday, January 15, 2010

Ramping up to Tuesday's announcement of this year's RPG Superstar first-round winners, I wanted to remind everybody what all the hype is about. Here we see the cover to Realm of the Fellnight Queen in all its splendor, part of the "trophy" for 2009's Superstar winner Neil Spicer. Neil's winning proposal debuts in just a few short weeks, and it looks absolutely incredible. So that's the prize folks! The chance to bring your villain, hero, monster, story, or whatever to life with some of the best artists and editors in the biz. So check back on Tuesday, and we'll see if this is the year your adventure comes to life!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Illustration by Craig J. Spearing

Behind the Mask

Friday, December 4, 2009

Masks of the Living God is expected in our warehouse later this month. Written by Jason Bulmahn as a sequel to Crypt of the Everflame, it can be used as a standalone adventure, and helps set the stage for City of Golden Death in March 2010.

Masks of the Living God is a bit of a change of pace for Paizo adventures. While it has the usual elements of travel and combat, much of the adventure is a freeform or "sandbox" environment where the PCs are able to set their own pace and agenda for dealing with the Cult of Razmir—from the inside! In the adventure, the PCs join the cult to see what's really going on behind the locked doors of the temple. Is the Church of Razmir as benevolent as it claims to be? Are its good works and charitable efforts just a front for a gang of thugs and extortionists? Is there something even more sinister going on?

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Modules

Uncharted Waters

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ever wanted to contribute to a Golarion-based adventure or submit your spells and monsters to a Pathfinder RPG supplement? You can with the creative and award-winning folks at Open Design. Their official Golarion adventure From Shore to Sea is on track for a spring release, and right now they are playtesting that adventure—and soliciting game design from the project's supporters for the Sunken Empires sourcebook. The Sunken Empires book is a 64-page collection of hooks, tools, spells and monsters to support water-based adventures using Pathfinder RPG rules. Join as a patron and your design contribution just might get you into the credits! Find out more about patron projects and how you can contribute at Open Design.

Also, stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes looks at the creative process involved in taking From Shore to Sea from patron project to printed publication right here on the blog as Paizo's designers continue the open-door creative process already in the works at Open Design.

Wolfgang Baur
Open Design

Carrion Hill Preview #2

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary has reached our warehouse, and we've loaded it with hundreds of updated monsters for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. However, some of our favorites didn't quite make the cut and had to be left out of the book. Fortunately, we're clever and sneaky, and found a way to get one of the extra monsters into the Pathfinder Module Carrion Hill. After all, in an adventure with Lovecraftian horrors, this shapeshifting creature should feel right at home.

Illustration by Tyler Walpole	Illustration by Hector Ortiz

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Modules

Carrion Hill Preview #1

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Carrion Hill is a 5th-level urban horror adventure in the style of H. P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror. Chock full of mythos goodness, this book has references to the Outer Gods, underground ghoul societies, and (of course) the spawn of Yog-Sothoth. Here's a quick peek... avert your eyes if your will is weak!

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Modules

Snagged from the Vault: Beyond the Vault of Souls

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Greetings, dear readers—as the Golem busies itself crafting the deadly artifact known only as the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary , the Preview Purloiners have struck once again deep into its fathomless Vault. Today we bring you Ralph Horsley's cover to Pathfinder Module J5: Beyond the Vault of Souls. The foolish minions of the Golem won't even known it's missing! But what is that pounding on the door...?

Vadid and Nahk
Preview Purloiners

A wizard is capturing souls and binding them to magical gems to keep the spirits of the dead from departing to their just rewards, and the church of Pharasma, goddess of death, has had enough of his meddling with the afterlife. When a magical security feature in the wizard's tower sends the gems spinning off to several different planes, the church calls on the PCs to track them down. From the vault of the gods in the planar nexus of Axis, to the fields of Elysium where righteous heroes battle endlessly even in death, and on past the gates of Hell itself, the PCs must race through portal after portal to recover the lost souls before sinister outsiders can beat them to the prize.

Jason's New Campaign!

Friday, January 16, 2009

The last year at Paizo's been really hectic and busy. I think I ran one whole session of my Call of Cthulhu game in 2008, and as for actual D&D office games, we pretty much haven't done any gaming. That's no good. Fortunately, now that we're heading into 2009, there may be a change in the air. Either we're finally getting caught up, or we're finally adjusting our sleep cycles to accommodate the new reality—whatever the reason, office games at Paizo are starting up again. I'm hoping to get my own Sandpoint campaign off the ground in February, but Jason's even more on the ball than me. We started the first game of his new campaign last Monday! We're starting out by playtesting the adventure he's writing for the upcoming Pathfinder Module, Crypt of the Everflame. Check out this thread on our messageboards for the gory details! I'm playing Merisiel in this one, and I haven't quite decided yet if I'm gonna do a big detailed journal yet—I'm not sure Merisiel's the type to keep a diary. Maybe a kill list, though. Maybe even a "still needs to be killed" list. Hmmmmm...

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Out and About

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Turns out that we haven't been the only ones busily bustling away to bring you new Pathfinder brand insanity. A quick glance across the boards turns up Hugo Solis's (aka Butterfrog) currently Unofficial Paizo Comic Strip. The first is featured above, but check out his awesome comic thread here.

Also, Paizo—or more specifically Entombed with the Pharaohs and the Critical Fumble Deck—got a subtle shout-out on this week's commodoreHUSTLE by the web comedy troupe over at LoadingReadyRun.com. Be sure to check it out—hilarious stuff. I promise that Tukanem-Hanam, the mummy dragon in question, doesn't always suck that bad. And don't worry, we're totally hooking them up with the sequel, The Pact Stone Pyramid, to give Jeremy a chance to get his revenge.

So yeah! Great work to everyone out there making Pathfinder their own! And if you've been inspired by adventures in Golarion, be sure to show off your talents here on the message boards. We can't wait to see what you've come up with!

F. Wesley Schneider
Pathfinder Managing Editor

The Clash Begins

Friday, November 14, 2008

It's been many, many months since Leandra Christine Schneider won the first RPG Superstar contest, but we're finally almost there—her module, Clash of the Kingslayers, is going through its last bits of editing as I type this. To celebrate, check out some of the art from the adventure!

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

Headlock!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Once more, I reveal unto you some great art for Pact Stone Pyramid by Bento Box Studios! Nothing much more to say than pictures of paladins headlockin' mummies. Paladins headlockin' mummies.

Jacob Burgess
Online Retail Coordinator

The Pact Stone Pyramid

Thursday, September 25, 2008

In this interior piece we have a girallon covered in glowing magical hieroglyphics battling Seelah and Kyra, set in one of the interior areas of the Pact Stone Pyramid. Well, it's not really a girallon, it's a magical curse in the shape of a girallon, but when the thing is quadruple-punching your face the subtle difference probably isn't your biggest concern....

Sean K Reynolds
Developer / Editor

Pact Stone Capstone

Friday, September 19, 2008

A new addition to the Pathfinder Modules is coming down the pike, and with it of course comes new art, a cover in fact. It is, once again, a pleasure to bring you, right off of Drew's desk, one hot cover (it's in a desert, ya know) for The Pact Stone Pyramid. Enjoy!

Jacob Burgess
Online Retail Coordinator

Modules: Back on Schedule!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

It's been a while since we've talked about a Pathfinder Module on this blog, for the simple reason that they were the unfortunate sacrifice to the Deadline Demons that had to be made in order to get everything else on schedule. The good news is that the modules themselves are back on schedule as well now, and with the upcoming release of Hungry Are the Dead you can expect to see a new Pathfinder Module once every other month.

To celebrate, I figured I'd show off art not from one, but from two upcoming modules. See if you can correctly guess which of these illustrations is from the nautical-themed Treasure of Chimera Cove and which is from the grisly undead-themed Hungry Are the Dead!

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

The Creepy Crepitus

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Here's another peek at the forthcoming Pathfinder Module LB1: Tower of the Last Baron.

It is speculated that Asmodeus spawned the first crepitus devils, sometimes called magewretches, to tempt and corrupt mortal wizards into damning their souls. Yet while it is true that the crepitus is a highly intelligent creature with a gift for spellcraft and all things arcane, its great intellect is countered by its foolishness and inability to competently lure mortals to Asmodeus's will. As a result, specimens seen on the Material Plane are more often slaves than fiendish tempters.

Ecology

A crepitus stands 3 to 4 feet tall, with bright eyes in a saurian head that appears too large for its gaunt, rune-covered body. Its shoulders sprout bat-like wings that allow it to fly with ease, and its sharp talons are surprisingly nimble and capable of fine adjustments when conducting magical rituals. A typical crepitus weighs 30 pounds. Though, like other devils, crepituses don't require food, they take particular joy in consuming wizards' familiars (and sometimes the wizards themselves.) Crepitus devils are native to Hell, and many lurk around Asmodeus's infernal palace, often serving as messengers.

Habitat & Society

Left to their own devices, crepitus devils are cunning, malicious pranksters, content to while away their days flitting about Hell and tormenting lost souls and devils alike. Yet crepituses are rarely left alone for long, and it is likely from this fact that their long-standing racial hatred of wizards stems. Highly valued for their spell-like abilities and intuitive knowledge of magic, crepituses are frequently bound into contracts or enslaved outright by mortal wizards and other fiends, a situation the intelligent devils find exrtemely demeaning. This situation is not helped by the fact that crepituses are frequently the first gifts handed out by higher-ranking demons attempting to seduce mortal magic users. If given an opportunity, a crepitus goes well out of its way to destroy a wizard and burn his precious spellbooks to ashes (not necessarily in that order). Chelish wizards regularly bind crepitus devils as servants, and view having an enslaved crepitus as a mark of prestige.

Crepituses enjoy lording their power over their significantly weaker impish cousins, and referring to a crepitus as an imp is the gravest possible insult.

Mike McArtor
Editor

Art!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

We're all crazy busy here today making sure you get the awesome products you've come to expect from us. While we're at it, here's a pretty picture of the ever-popular Seoni from Pathfinder Module LB1: Tower of the Last Baron. Enjoy! :D

Mike McArtor
Editor

The Red Raven, Revealed!

Friday, April 25th, 2008

Time again for the blogging! This time it is my pleasure to reveal, with all due fanfare, the One True Cover for our upcoming module W3: Flight of the Red Raven!

Jacob Burgess
Online Retail Coordinator

Meet the Red Raven

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Last year, we ran a contest to determine who would write for us the module W3: Flight of the Red Raven. We received more than 150 entries. The eventual winner, frequent Dragon-contributor David Schwartz, handed over a great adventure. We look forward to working with David again in the future.

Presented here is the Red Raven as he appears in the module, which will be available in May!

Mike McArtor
Editor

Dark Water

Thursday, March 6, 2008

The muddy waters of the great Vanji flow past hundreds of miles of dark jungle. As it flows through the darkness, the river drinks deeply of the blood of thousands of creatures, from the lowliest lizard devoured by a river crocodile to the human sacrifice drowned to appease the dark jungle gods to a battlefield where neighboring tribes rip out each other's throats in casual displays of wanton brutality. The terror and death along the dark banks sometimes gives birth to monsters. Horrifying amalgamations of jungle detritus and human souls, they float along the river, as serene as flowing water, until they encounter a living creature to add to their tranquility.

Jeremy Walker
GameMastery Assistant Editor

Sneak Peek: The Demon Within

Friday, February 29, 2008

Enjoy this art sneak peek of GameMastery Module D3: The Demon Within. The haunted castle awaits you!

Carolyn Mull
Paizo Sales & Marketing Assistant

Sneak Peek: River into Darkness

Friday, February 22, 2008

Enjoy this art sneak peek of an expedition riddled with conflict and danger! GameMastery Module W2: River into Darkness releases in April.

Carolyn Mull
Paizo Sales & Marketing Assistant

RPG SUPERSTAR: WE HAVE A WINNER!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

In early November Paizo challenged amateur game designers from around the world to show off their skills in a revolutionary online contest called RPG Superstar. From more than 850 submitted wondrous items, celebrity judges Erik Mona (Paizo's Publisher), Wolfgang Baur (Editor-in-Chief, Kobold Quarterly), and Clark Peterson (President, Necromancer Games) narrowed the field to 32 would-be RPG Superstars, and further rounds have narrowed that field in the intervening weeks.

The final round asked the four competing finalists to propose a 32-page GameMastery Module for ultimate publication by Paizo as the Grand Prize of RPG Superstar. Contestants Clinton Boomer (Macomb, IL), Rob McCreary (Prague, Czech Republic), Jason Nelson (Seattle, WA), and Christine Schneider (Neu-Isenburg, Germany) responded with four excellent proposals, each worthy of publication in its own way.

But there can be only one RPG Superstar, and in the end after the celebrity judges had a chance to offer comments and criticism and the general public had their final vote, one proposal stood out as the clear winner.

Congratulations to Christine Schneider for her victorious proposal, "Clash of the Kingslayers." Here's a brief description of the adventure from Christine's winning RPG Superstar submission:

This module will set the heroes against the gods' blind wrath in defence of a dwarven city-kingdom. During the course of the adventure the PCs will cross swords with dwarvish valkyries, fight giants freed from the underworld, unravel an ancient secret, and explore a remote monastery. What starts as a casual dungeon crawl, will turn into a frantic pandemonium as the monastery is imbued with divine life to wage war on the city the heroes might choose to protect or even aid to destroy. Ultimately, the PCs get the chance to slay not one, but three kings in attempt to end this madness and write the final lines of an ancient tragedy. This adventure is intended for characters of 10th-level and will yield enough experience to advance them to 11th-level or even half-way to 12th-level.

As RPG Superstar's Grand Prize, Paizo will contract Christine Schneider to write "Clash of the Kingslayers," which we will release as GameMastery Module S1 in January, 2009.

But you don't have to wait until January to reserve your copy! Head over to the new "Clash of the Kingslayers" product page here on paizo.com to preorder your copy of Christine's winning adventure! If you already subscribe to GameMastery Modules, "Clash of the Kingslayers" will arrive as part of your ongoing subscription.

On behalf of judges Wolfgang Baur and Clark Peterson as well as the whole Paizo Publishing family, congratulations to Clinton Boomer, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, and Christine Schneider.

Remember those names, folks. You'll be hearing from all of them in the months and years to come. Though the contest produced only one true RPG Superstar, it also turned up a huge number of fresh voices we plan to work with for a long time to come.

And I'd like to offer one final thanks to you, the readers of paizo.com and to anyone who submitted an entry to this year's RPG Superstar contest. The event has been enormously popular here on the site, and even the wizened old judges learned a thing or two along the way. Something this successful is certain to return, so in the meantime sharpen your pencils and start working on some wondrous items.

The next RPG Superstar is only a few months away!

Erik Mona
Paizo Publisher

Journey Into Darkness

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The next GameMastery Module, River Into Darkness is off to the printer. This adventure features a great trek through the dark and mysterious jungles of the southern continent of Garund (part of the Pathfinder Chronicles world for those of you not in the know). To top it off, there are angry natives, deadly monster, and questionable friends. What more could you ask for? Not much I say. Not much. Need more proof? Here is the back cover copy:

A vast merchant consortium has a simple job for you—one that pays extremely well. All it asks is that you stand guard over one of its outposts for a few weeks until reinforcements arrive. The problem, of course, is that the outpost is in the middle of a vast and dangerous jungle and the natives seem intent upon putting an arrow in you at every turn. If the journey there doesn't kill you, though, you might just learn what is worth risking your lives over.

River Into Darkness is a wilderness-based adventure for 4th-level characters compatible with the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. This adventure includes all in information you need to send your heroes on a fantastic journey through the heart of the deep and mysterious jungle, including encounters with terrible monsters and hostile natives.

This adventure is set in the Mwangi Expanse, the largest jungle in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, but it can be easily adapted for use in any setting. For more information on this environ, check out the Pathfinder Chronicles Gazetteer.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Sneak Peek: Crucible of Chaos

Friday, February 1, 2008

Here is a sneak peek into one of the living nightmares that you will encounter in the Lost City. Enjoy this evocative art, representative of what is featured in Crucible of Chaos.

Carolyn Mull
Paizo Sales & Marketing Assistant

Terrible Trio

Friday, January 25, 2008

During Ulduvai's final days, when its citizens were caught in the slow but inevitable decline of their once-great civilization, as one by one the other flying cities fell to decadence, disease, conquest, or other misfortune, a strange wanderer arrived in the city and brought with him a relic of uncertain origin but undeniable power. This mysterious outsider found within the city fertile soil: citizens both corrupt enough to submit to perversions that others would find unthinkable, and desperate enough to try anything to escape a fate that seemed as certain as the stars.

Before long, the cult had grown to control much of the city, and at its head were three powerful sorcerers. On a dark night when the time was right, these three leaders brought the cultists together and channeled arcane power through the artifact, seeking to unlock the mysteries of creation and become living gods. The results were not what they expected.

Now, centuries later, these three cultists still linger amongst the ashes of their former civilization. Each controls a separate area of the city, and each is convinced that, given the right tools and enough time, he can return Ulduvai to its former glory and banish the chaos that has warped the city almost beyond recognition. Yet no matter what they do and what secrets they unlock, they are no closer to the answers they seek now than they were on that fateful night centuries ago.

Jeremy Walker
GameMasteryAssistant Editor

Sneak Peek: Hangman's Noose

Friday, January 18, 2008

Here's an artistic sneak peek of our haunting urban adventure Hangman's Noose. Happy nightmares!

Carolyn Mull
Paizo Sales & Marketing Assistant

Monster of Madness

Thursday, January 17, 2008

"We had expected, upon looking back, to see a terrible and incredible moving entity if the mists were thin enough; but of that entity we had formed a clear idea. What we did see—for the mists were indeed all too maliguly thinned—was something altogether different, and immeasurably more hideous and detestable. It was the utter, objective embodiment of the fantastic novelist's 'thing that should not be...'

...It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train—a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of greenish light all over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its kind had swept so evilly free of all litter. Still came that eldritch, mocking cry—'Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!'"

H. P. Lovecraft
At the Mountains of Madness

Jeremy Walker
GameMastery Assistant Editor

Crucible of Chaos

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Crucible of Chaos has been sent to the printer and is due to come out next month. This module features a number of really cool locations, including a crashed sky city. To get you salivating for this dangerous adventure, here is a look at the final cover and the info from the back of the module.

Uncover the ruins of the flying city

Legends speak of an ancient culture that drifted through the clouds atop immense floating cities. These same tales speak of a horrible catastrophe that brought them low, but no one has discovered the true cause. Now, a mystical compass has been discovered that seems to point to an unexplored valley, one that just might hold the secrets of this lost empire. But will the same catastrophe strike again?

Crucible of Chaos is a journey-based adventure for 8th-level characters compatible with the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. This adventure contains details on the valley containing the crashed sky-city, including the natives who live there, as well as information on those who brought about the city's downfall.

This adventure is set in the unexplored reaches of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, one of the nations in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, but it can be easily adapted for use in any setting. For more information on this area, check out the Pathfinder Chronicles Gazetteer.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Meet the Suspects: Part 2

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Last week, we introduced four of the eight suspects the PCs will have to investigate while they are trapped in a haunted courthouse with time running out. Here are the other four candidates for the Hangman's Noose:

The Fool: Ebin Blithoddle is a peculiar gnome who dresses in motley and has a stupid joke and a bad pun for every occasion. Despite the fact that he couldn't make a hyena laugh, the poor old sod refuses to quit, dancing and capering around the courthouse in fits of manic hysteria. Still, a sinister air hangs around the smiling and dancing fool—at times, his eyes seem glassy and his smile looks fixed. Even for Ebin, there is something about this courthouse that is not funny at all.

The Curious: Of all the suspects, Killian Paltreth is perhaps the most normal. Of course, in this adventure, anything normal is automatically cause for suspicion. The alchemist seems like a decent enough fellow genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of the mystery. But who knows what this seemingly honest old man is cooking up in that laboratory of his? And how did he get mixed up in this nasty business?

The Bully: Malgrim Hurkes is one of the most notorious figures in Absalom. The leader of a gang called the Grindle Street Shades, this ruthless hobgoblin has his fingers in much of the violent crime around the seedier districts of the city. Unfortunately, he doesn't take too kindly to being questioned by upstart adventures.

The Innocent: This cute, athletic halfling named Madge Blossomheart was little more than a girl when the crimes were committed, and she retains much of her youthful charm. This unfortunate maiden doesn't even understand most of what is going on... or at least that's what she claims. But what dark secrets could she possibly be concealing behind that glowing smile?

Jeremy Walker
GameMastery Assistant Editor

Quick Drop, Sudden Stop

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Hangman's Noose is the first real murder mystery adventure set in the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting. As such, it includes a host of suspects, both charming and nefarious. And while each one might have had a hand in the mistrial that caused the haunting in this adventure, one of them truly deserves to hang. If your PCs can't uncover the culprit by dawn, their necks might hang in the murderer's place. Here are just a few of the suspects.

Halgrak: (at right) Known as "Five Toes" due to his mangled foot, this menacing half-orc is a local smith by trade. When things begin to turn sour, though, he quickly becomes certain that everyone is doomed.

Patrissa: Despite her overindulgences, this former adventurer is still quite attractive, wearing a fine dress and expensive jewels. Once locked inside the courthouse, she is certain to turn to the heroes for protection.

Sir Rekkart: (above) This staunch, aging paladin of Iomedae was a part of the jury ten years ago, and is certain that justice was served. Persuading him otherwise might just be an impossible task without solid proof.

Tablark: This grizzled old dwarf has held just about every job one could have in the city of Absalom. When things seem grim, the heroes can count on this dwarf to remain steadfast and confident in victory.

Is one of these jurors to blame? Maybe it was one of the others. Next week, I'll be back to give you a few more suspects to investigate.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager