I'm a Man of Wealth and Taste

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Illustration by Dimitri Sirenko

Last week we took a look at villains of the natural world, with an in-depth look at Nature's Scourge. This week we're headed back to civilization to shine a light on the corruption and excesses that make villains like Nature's Scourge want to just burn the whole thing down.

Regal Court

The Regal Court is a hotbed of intrigue and schemes. The king and queen, once young and in love, have grown bitter and distant, yielding a political situation loosely based on the court of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, with the queen locked away in a tower. With the King's supporters, the Queen's supporters, and several other opportunistic factions, the Regal Court provides numerous opportunities for the PCs to become embroiled in a major political conflict with no clear "good guy" to back. As the queen says to her champion:

"A marriage is much like an empire, my friend. I've come to understand this intimately ever since I spoke my own vows. In the beginning, it is full of promise, hope, and bounty. Love is its decree. Children and prosperity are its crop. Power and vitality are its commerce. Life is brimming with adventure and endless possibility, and the borders of the lands seem boundless—limited only by one's ambition and ability to grasp all within reach. And in those heady days, you think those things will last forever, but they never do. The decrees become rote. Most of the crop has been reaped and consumed; the last of it lies rotting in the ditch. Time takes vitality from us all, especially those who do nothing to defend themselves against the inevitable. The empire crumbles, and all that is left is to try to survive, despite the parasites that have latched on and will not let go."

Today, let's take a look at one of those other opportunistic players in the political game, ostensibly loyal to the King but truly loyal only to himself. I speak, of course, of the vizier, since what intrigue-ridden court is complete without an evil vizier?

Vizier

Always lurking in the shadows behind the throne, the vizier started serving the king just before the queen's rebellion. The vizier is a sly and treacherous fellow, and those who side with the queen see him as both the true power of the kingdom and the architect behind the court's strife.

Vizier CR 12

XP 19,200

Male human mesmerist (vizier) 13 (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 38, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue 38)

NE Medium humanoid (human)

Init +3; Senses Perception +16

Defense

AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 natural)

hp 101 (13d8+39)

Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +10

Offense

Illustration by Florian Stitz

Speed 30 ft.

Melee mwk dagger +9/+4 (1d4–1/19–20)

Special Attacks bold stares (disorientation, sapped magic, susceptibility), hypnotic stare (–3), manifold tricks (4 tricks), mesmerist tricks 12/day (astounding avoidance, faked death, gift of will, meek facade, mesmeric mirror, misdirection, spectral smoke), painful stare (+6 or +4d6+6)

Mesmerist Spells Known (CL 13th; concentration +22)

5th (2/day)—foster hatred^OA (DC 23), possession^OA (DC 21)

4th (4/day)—dimension door, dominate person (DC 22), modify memory (DC 22), phantasmal killer (DC 20)

3rd (5/day)—confusion (DC 21), glibness, scrying (DC 19), synaptic pulse^OA (DC 21), witness^UM

2nd (7/day)—deflect blame^UI (DC 20), detect thoughts (DC 18), mirror image, rumormonger^UI, suggestion (DC 20)

1st (7/day)—beguiling gift^APG (DC 19), charm person (DC 19), deja vu^OA, expeditious retreat, memory lapse^APG (DC 19), mental block^OA (DC 17)

0 (at will)—daze (DC 18), detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 16), mage hand, message

Tactics

During Combat The vizier uses his power behind the throne ability to make it seem like his allies are the true threats to foes. He prefers to disable enemies before handing them over to the King's justice, but if in dire need, he will use phantasmal killer to make short work of his enemies.

Statistics

Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 22

Base Atk +9; CMB +8; CMD 22

Feats Deceitful, Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Persistent Spell, Spell Focus (enchantment), Subtle Enchantments^UI, Third Eye^OA, Toughness

Skills Bluff +29, Diplomacy +25, Disguise +11, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (nobility) +17, Perception +16, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +17, Stealth +17, Use Magic Device +13

Languages Common, Elven

SQ glib lie (DC 28), insidious influence, power behind the throne (DC 22), touch treatment 8/day (greater)

Combat Gear potion of gaseous form, potion of shield of faith (CL 12th), potion of bear's endurance; Other Gear +2 mithral chain shirt, mwk dagger, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, headband of alluring charisma +2, cloak of resistance +2, belt of incredible dexterity +2

Careful in word and action, the vizier plays the part of the king's most loyal servant and advisor, but his true demeanor is far more self-serving. He is slowly draining the kingdom's coffers through the embezzlement of the treasury, manipulation of the bureaucracy, and accumulation of a patchwork of petty titles of land that he plans to parlay into a large holding that will one day be independent from the kingdom. His manipulation of both the king and the prince has been masterful, and the only person who stands in his way is the queen, who thwarts some of his schemes (even as she assists others) and has much more power in court than anyone knows. The vizier suspects the identity of his rival, though not the extent of her influence, and has been subtly and carefully suggesting that the queen should be executed for the sake of the kingdom. Thus far, the king is still loath to do so, and the vizier has begun to exert pressure on other members of the court, such as the prince and the captain of the guard.

Corrupt Guard

The corrupt guard serve double duty in this book due to the way they're set up as an organization. Priding themselves on efficiency, fairness, and upholding the law, institutionally the corrupt guards are mostly lawful neutral (technically even the Guard Captain is lawful neutral, but only technically; you'll have to check out the book to find out way). The corruption in the guard's leadership is subtle enough that few rank-and-file members know about it, and they even have a paladin on staff. What this means is that not only do you have an organization set up for adventures full of conspiracies and corrupt law enforcement, but you also have stats you can easily use for the regular non-corrupt guard the next time your PCs roll a flaming sphere into a bar or whatever other mischief they get up to.

Cruel Musketeers

The Cruel Musketeers are the only direct tie-in between two villain organizations. Remember that queen locked away in a tower? Turns out her personal guard, the Queen's Musketeers, didn't take that too well. They were banished from the kingdom and are hoping for the day she calls for them to march back in and free her. Until then, however, they've been slowly descending into villainy just to survive adrift in foreign lands and keep up recruitment, making them one of the more tragic villain groups in the book. The Lord Marshal ostensibly in charge of the musketeers might be lawful neutral, but the decentralized organization of musketeers into fellowships mean that the cruel and ruthless captains find more recruits. Also, there's a foreign baroness trying to politically subvert the musketeers to add a Milady de Winter style character into the mix.

Merchant Caravan

The Merchant Caravan are an unusual group of villains in that very few of them can stand against combat-focused PCs for long in a fair fight. Instead, they focus on deception, shady deals, shifty tricks, and all sorts of scams. Bait-and-switch, shorting, smuggling, snake-oil, and confidence games of all sorts follow in their wake. Take a look at the petty fence: "Hey there, need any potions or scrolls?"

Thieves' Guild

What set of civilized villains is complete without a thieves' guild? These rogues are each specialists in particular criminal fields, including spying, safecracking, second-story work, gathering intelligence, fixing gambling, and more. Of course, every thieves' guild needs a wiseguy to crack a few skulls if necessary, but most of the thieves tend to be more combat-focused than the Merchant Caravan but most still prefer a proper heist where there's no need for a messy fight and there's always an escape plan.

Illustrations by Subroto Bhaumik, Tim Kings-Lynne, and Dimitri Sirenko

Stay tuned next week for the last installment, as we reveal the most secretive, enigmatic, and hidden groups of all!

Mark Seifter
Designer

Strategy Guide Art Preview!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

With the Strategy Guide shipping out to players at long last, it's time to take a look at a few pieces of the fantastic art contained within its pages.

The conjurer, a wizard theme, summons extraplanar creatures to aid and defend his party, augmenting their fighting capabilities with magic.
Illustration by Mark Molnar

The stargazer cleric uses divination to predict threats she might face, prepare her spells as needed, and employ her magic to deadly effect.
Illustration by David Alvarez

The trickster is an expert in appearing to be something she's not and hiding in plain sight, and this rogue uses magical performances in battle to win the day.
Illustration by Maichol Quinto

The smasher is a barbarian whose destructive rage lets her bash down otherwise insurmountable obstacles.
Illustration by Mark Molnar

Each theme has an associated icon that appears throughout the text to indicate theme-specific character building ideas and other tips.
Illustration by Bryan Sola

Combat tips and tricks enable players get the most out of their character's class, skills, and even size.
Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne

Ideas for better roleplaying and storytelling offer players and GMs a spectrum of tools for making their game richer.
Illustration by Bryan Sola

Discussion of narrative play situations such as solving mysteries, meeting important NPCs, and exploring help players find ways to let their characters shine both in and out of combat.
Illustration by David Alvarez

Check out all the options and more excellent artwork in the new Pathfinder RPG: Strategy Guide by ordering a copy today!

Jessica Price
Project Manager

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

The Usual Suspects: Class Decks Preview

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Gather round, Pathfinders. I've got some secrets to share with you. It's the story of an unlikely group of adventurers whose journeys took them into the Eye of Abendego, out to the Worldwound, and beyond. How does the story end? Well, that's up to you to decide...

The Courtier

Graceful, talented, and beautiful, Siwar has ingratiated herself into the highest courts of the River Kingdoms. She is knowledgeable in topics ranging from art to politics and is highly schooled in etiquette. Though her talents might lead an observer to think that she is too delicate for the adventuring life, Siwar is happy to make eye contact with that observer, smile impishly, and direct him to do her bidding.

Siwar Illustration by Florian Stitz

The Scholar

In the city of Oenopion, Zarlova is a well-known professor at the Hive, an academy of wizards and clerics working in concert to unravel mysteries left by the god Nethys. A master of The Book of Magic, Zarlova routinely ventures from the halls of academe to spread knowledge among the unenlightened. Her mastery of offensive magic makes her a valued ally on any adventure.

Zarlova Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne

The Legbreaker

Tontelizi's rough-and-tumble past began with a stint as an enforcer in his family's shady business. Because of his short stature, some mocked him with the nickname "Legbreaker." They soon found their ability to walk severely compromised. After retiring from daily enforcement detail, Tontelizi found himself missing the simple pleasures of maiming and intimidation. He now wields his polearm as a mercenary for fun and profit.

Tontelizi Illustration by Jorge Fares

The Gamekeeper

Dwarves laboring in the mines of Kalsgard have limited exposure to the animals of the forest, but Agna has trained in the wilderness, and she's introduced many beasts to the lands below the earth. Ready to fight with a weapon in either hand, Agna can make you think she's your biggest threat, right before a trained bear attacks you from behind.

Agna Illustration by Eva Widermann

The Death Whisperer

Wu Shen loves death as if it were an actual person. She speaks of death as "her lover," and listeners may mistakenly believe she is referring to a mortal. Each time she brings a monster to its grisly end, she savors a moment of hope that death will acknowledge her as its favorite. To add spice to her devotional gifts, Wu Shen often chooses unique or difficult ways to complete her kills.

Wu Shen Illustration by Alex Tooth

The Trickster

Qualzar's heritage includes mischievous fey who curdle milk, tie shoelaces together, and generally make nuisances of themselves. He claims to not understand why others find his humor malicious, but in truth, he doesn't care. He's willing to hurt others for the sake of a pun or a punch line, and he's got a book of plucked fairy wings to prove it. His mind-melting spell blasts and mesmeric powers are almost always turned on enemies, so it's probably safe to adventure with him.

Qualzar Illustration by Kostja Schleger

The Necromancer

The power of the dead courses through Darago's thin veins. It's a rare wizard who can traffic with the unliving and retain most of his soul, but so far, Darago has resisted the baser desires of most necromancers. Still, his chilling voice and devilish sense of humor will surprise even the most hardened mercenary. After all, he will happily battle at the side of any adventure while she lives... and perhaps for a short time thereafter.

Darago Illustration by Diana Martinez

I hope you've enjoyed this preview of some of the new characters and cards found in the Class Decks. Preorder one now and get ready for the Adventure Card Guild, launching in just two weeks!

Also, make sure you check out Erik Mona's Publisher Preview on the Paizo blog this Friday. (It's a weekly blog that mostly talks about Pathfinder Battles pre-painted plastic miniatures.) Pathfinder Adventure Card Game players, be they miniatures lovers or not, are going to want to read this week's installment.

Tanis O'Connor
Adventure Card Game Designer

A Visitor's Guide to Osirion

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

"Welcome, travelers, to the ancient land of Osirion, where the countless ages are preserved beneath the sand, awaiting your exploration. Please use the following promotional illustrations as a reference when deciding to brave our welcoming and accommodating land."

— Sekmekh Binwari's Most Reputable and Honest Truthful Guide to Osirion

Sothis, the Stormhaven of Osirion, is the finest metropolis in all of the Inner Sea, with a history more storied even than that of Absalom.
Illustration by Yong Yi Lee

Though they may look intimidating, the crocodiles of the Rivers Sphinx, Asp, and Crook really just want a hug.
Illustration by Lindsey Wakefield

The gnolls of the southern desert are decidedly less friendly than their reptilian counterparts, but rumor has it they enjoy rare meat and painfully witty puns.
Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne

The Khopeshman of Sothis may take his name from his favorite weapon, but he's actually taken a vow to never use his sword against a living creature. Have no fear breaking the law in his presence.
Illustration by Bryan Sola

The Ruby Prince is cursed and can never wear a shirt.
Illustration by Tim Kings-Lynne

Mark Moreland
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

Return to the Runelords

Thursday, May 23, 2013

My favorite part of the new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords is the opportunity it gave us to revisit Rise of the Runelords in art form. There was only so much room for art in the original adventures, and while we were able to order a bunch of new art for the Anniversary Edition of the book, there was still more that needed to be illustrated. This card game gave us a chance to right that wrong!

Anyway, they say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll let the images speak for themselves. See if you can recognize all of the iconic Rise of the Runelords locations and events pictured!

Illustrations by Paolo Puggioni and Bryan Sola


Illustrations by Tim Kings-Lynne

James Jacobs
Creative Director