Pathfinder Battles Preview: In the Lair of the Lamias! (Also: Storm Giant)

Common Large? Interesting. I also like the almost familial relationship between the Lamia, good old X and the Harridan.

Also good to get the next huge announced.

After 20-something DDM sets we never got a large lion-body lamia. You guys are AWESOME!!!

That figure alone is pulling me back in.
I cant afford to be a Case Subscriber anymore (my Credit Card only has a $500 limit. How sad!), but I will definitly be buying a few boosters in the hopes of getting one of these.

Heck I may even order a case if I can pinch my pennies and go without food a couple of times. :)

The storm giant is also beautiful.
All 4 huges are awesome (well..I havent seen the white dragon but Im sure its fantastic). I heard 2 of the huges are rare and 2 are uncommon. A case of six will get you 2 of each uncommon and 1 of each rare. Can you confirm that? Can you let us know which are the rares and which are the uncommons?

"Heh, you can look up her dress."
"It's really out of focus."
"But if you squint up one eye..."
"It gets even more out of focus."

Random guy from GirlGenius reacting to this.

For some reason the storm giant reminded me of that. :D

Really liking the Lamia Kuchrima. I could make that work for a lot of flying baddies! Took me a minute from the picture to get that I was seeing the lower part of the beak/jaw with a tongue sticking out.

Cool looking storm giant too. And it doesn't look like a green, Spartan armor wearing woman. :)

Did you all read how he ended that blog?

Erik Mona: Showman extraordinaire.

I really don't like the storm giant, at least the rendering. I hope the actual figure will look better.

Did you all read how he ended that blog?

Erik Mona: Showman extraordinaire.

You mean about him approving 24 more figures for the next set or how much better they look or both?

We all have known there will be a next set after this one for awhile now, and I certainly hope WizKids keeps improving on the miniatures!

As for the miniatures this preview, they look great. Although I will say the Storm Giant looks to be somewhat demonic with the pure white eyes. Or is she looking up and therefore the pupil blends into the corner of the eye?

baron arem heshvaun wrote:

Did you all read how he ended that blog?

Erik Mona: Showman extraordinaire.

You mean about him approving 24 more figures for the next set or how much better they look or both?

With but a few key strokes he has already laid the groundwork for the anticipation of the next set.

Now will there be 40 or 60 minis in that set is the question.

And my platinum says Lem will be one of them.

Well, he has made reference to 'the next set' for awhile now, so we knew it was already coming. :)

But yes, I do wonder how many we will receive. They probably won't make a final decision until they see how well the 60+ set from RotRL sells.

Hobbun wrote:

baron arem heshvaun wrote:

Did you all read how he ended that blog?

Erik Mona: Showman extraordinaire.

You mean about him approving 24 more figures for the next set or how much better they look or both?

With but a few key strokes he has already laid the groundwork for the anticipation of the next set.

Now will there be 40 or 60 minis in that set is the question.

And my platinum says Lem will be one of them.

That's unusually nice of a Thrunie to say.

...wait, what are you planning to do to it?

baron arem heshvaun wrote:

Hobbun wrote:

baron arem heshvaun wrote:

Did you all read how he ended that blog?

Erik Mona: Showman extraordinaire.

You mean about him approving 24 more figures for the next set or how much better they look or both?

With but a few key strokes he has already laid the groundwork for the anticipation of the next set.

Now will there be 40 or 60 minis in that set is the question.

And my platinum says Lem will be one of them.

That's unusually nice of a Thrunie to say.

...wait, what are you planning to do to it?

I got your back, Lem, in case the Thrunies are tricking you...

Lamias, a Matriarch Lamia, a Lamia Harridan and Lamia Kuchrima. Wow, from a void to saturation in a single set! I don't even know anything about the last two, other than that I must have them. I really need the RotR AP Anniversary set out now.

This whole basing a set on an adventure path things is producing some nice selections I don't think we would see otherwise. I wonder if the next set will be themed off of another adventure path?

I got your back, Lem, in case the Thrunies are tricking you...

We am not adverse to sharing.

You can have his back Shensen, his feet too if you like, we are just making claim to his head and choice bits of his soul.

We hope to have the pleasure of your eternal company as well one day Shensen.

Well, he has made reference to 'the next set' for awhile now, so we knew it was already coming. :)

This is true Hobbun but it's the manner of how Erik has drawn our attention for said future projects is what I was referring to.

From last weeks somewhat (though I am sure that was not the intent) polarizing blog, to now new anticipation of "what's behind the door," without skipping a beat - that's showmanship sir.

Storm giant is a little more cartoony looking than I'm used to. I'm sorta ok with that I guess, wizkids paint jobs are that style more so anyways. More of a WoW look than the old wotc miniatures. It looks good tho appeals a little to the long dormant anime fan in me.

This whole basing a set on an adventure path things is producing some nice selections I don't think we would see otherwise. I wonder if the next set will be themed off of another adventure path?

I agree Berk. A set based on Skull and Shackles might have been a good idea if possible for the next set. We could use more sea based miniatures. That too is an area that has not been well represented in miniature.

But as is, RotR is shaping up to be one of the most memorable sets ever created. If H&M is any indication, there maybe some deals in the aftermarket for those really interested in these minis, but cannot shell out the case price. It is quite the hit. It will be hard for a lot of people. You pay for quality, and from what we have seen in the previews we are getting quality. And for any DM planning to run RotR in the future, this set will truly make that adventure come alive.

Thanks to Wizkids, but more importantly thanks to Paizo and Erik for putting out these previews well in advance of the release. I truly look forward to them. And for creating a set specifically for an Adventure Path. This is an idea long overdue.

Later,

Mazra

Like these minis. The Lamia Kuchrima will double up nicely as Vrocks.

"Heh, you can look up her dress."

"It's really out of focus."
"But if you squint up one eye..."
"It gets even more out of focus."

Random guy from GirlGenius reacting to this.

For some reason the storm giant reminded me of that. :D

"usher things to a thunderous climax."

A slightly mixed bag for me. Both lamias are awesome, and common. Look at the shading on the kuchrima, the pinkish shade adds a really disturbing tone to the mini. Well overdue and a real truimph.

The Storm Giant? I am a little ambivilant - I don't love it, I don't hate it. The pose is good, the colours are good (except see below). I think it is the lack of shading on the skin. This, the huge lamia from last blog, and this lamia have little to no shading on the skin. This is obviously a conscious choice by wizkidz but detracts from minis with a large area of skin.

My biggest issue is with that trident, why lurid green? Extra paint step, and odd colour. Could look better in person? Transparent yellow or blue would be a better choice but difficult I suppose given the need to mold transarent parts together.

Would I be correct in guessing a huge case consists of:
1 Treachery demon
1 white dragon
2 Lamia
2 storm giant?

Still, more awesome additions to what is looking to be the most awesome mini set yet.

Am I the only one that thinks the storm giant looks cross-eyed?

Am I the only one that thinks the storm giant looks cross-eyed?

She has no pupils so I don't see how. Don't Pathfinder Storm giants lack irises and pupils?

It is a shame that the Storm Giant is the first Giant chosen to be female, as it is the only giant WOTC decided to portray as female.... It would be fantastic if futures sets decided to augment this mini with other gender / poses...

Still, the set is worthy of the price so far. I can't wait to see what fills out the larges and mediums. Regardless, the current reveals have sold me.

Sorry, but I've got some thread creep here. If we can have a set of Huges outside of the regular RotC case, perhaps a set of tinys isn't outside the realm of possible????

It is a shame that the Storm Giant is the first Giant chosen to be female, as it is the only giant WOTC decided to portray as female....

I found that odd as well.

It's also a strange pose... looking up into the air... about to throw a trident. Nice pose for a medium mini but not for a huge.

It's also a strange pose... looking up into the air... about to throw a trident. Nice pose for a medium mini but not for a huge.

Based on the way javelin throwers hold their bodies as they start the throw I'd say it's actually rather spot on.

I like everything here, especially the Lamia. However, I am extremely disappointed that the Storm Giant was the choice for one of the Huge Miniatures. WotC has already produced two Storm Giant Miniatures, both of which are relatively cheap and easily attainable. A third in a different pose is completely unnecessary, especially considering the number of huge monsters out there and the limited number of huge miniature slots. Next time Paizo, please consider the secondary market and what has already been done. If it had been a large mini that had previously appeared, I would be more okay with it, but as it is, I'm less likely to want a case now. Why not a Taiga giant, Shemhazian demon, or a paizo artwork'd Huge Blue Dragon? Or a Mother of Oblivion??

For starters, some of those creatures are Gargantuan, so it's apples and oranges. The fact that the set is based on an Adventure Path naturally limits the selection. The concluding encounters of that campaign involve storm giants, so adding a storm giant to the original set list was a natural choice. At that point, we looked at all the storm giant art we had, and this pose was the one most appropriate for a miniature.

Subsequent to this set, we've actually ordered new art specifically for minis, but even then I would have qualified this pose as a potentially cool one for a miniature.

It's also worth noting that three Huges were cut from this set by WizKids for cost reasons, and these sculpts will soon appear elsewhere. Gamers seeking different Huge giants will not have to wait long.

The next set, for example, contains four more giants.

I'm confident we'll get to all the giants (and probably both sexes of all the giants) eventually.

Nice preview... thank you.

I'm not certain, but it looks to me like something different has been done to these preview photos. Either it's a better camera, better lighting, or someone's not applying 99% lossy JPEG compression, but these are showing detail far, far better than the pictures I'm used to seeing on Fridays. I recognize they're Large and larger minis, but it's the crispness that's different, especially in the two Lamia.

we looked at all the storm giant art we had, and this pose was the one most appropriate for a miniature.

It's also worth noting that three Huges were cut from this set by WizKids for cost reasons, and these sculpts will soon appear elsewhere. Gamers seeking different Huge giants will not have to wait long.

The next set, for example, contains four more giants.

I'm confident we'll get to all the giants (and probably both sexes of all the giants) eventually.

Excellent news. I think the giants pose is good, and a different storm giant is fine by me. Now I can put down the two DDM ones I have and the four pathfinder ones for a little variety. The issue I haveisn't the pose it's the colour pallette that seems odd, but I'll wait until I have it in hand.

It's been hinted the other three cut minis may be coming out as a separate mini set. Is this likely to be the case?

Your post implies more huge minis in future sets - so is this set now setting the trend?

Keep up the good work.

I don't yet know how or when the cut minis will show up. I know at least one will appear "soon," but beyond that, we're still hatching plans.

Hard to say whether Huges will be a part of every set. Were I to guess, I'd say probably not, though we will do big sets similar to Rise of the Runelords at least once a year.

It's looking like three sets a year in general, maybe not all with Huges.

Like these minis. The Lamia Kuchrima will double up nicely as Vrocks.

Just FYI, but I believe they are medium sized.

Thoughts on the Preview:
1)The lamia looks a little fat in the back quarter and it looks a little undersized on the base.

2)I think the armor design on the giant is a bit silly, metal kneepads, metal boots, metal arm plates, metal hand plates, chain mail apron, why not just go with a real set of armor than all these little bits and pieces strapped on separately? Maybe she is just too big to find enough metal to make a full set of armor.

1)The lamia looks a little fat in the back quarter and it looks a little undersized on the base.

First thing I thought of... ;)

pres man wrote:

1)The lamia looks a little fat in the back quarter and it looks a little undersized on the base.

First thing I thought of... ;)

Does this lioness make my backside look big?

I really like the lamias. Not thrilled about the storm giant. The color sheme doesn't really jive with me, specifically the purple hair/cloak and the green trident.

I know at least one will appear "soon," but beyond that, we're still hatching plans.

It's looking like three sets a year in general, maybe not all with Huges.

Great news. You've now doubled my excitedment level - more previews to come and a new additional huge soon. 3 sets a year is a great number of sets - but one every four months could end up hard on the wallet if they are all this size.

As for the storm giant I have read a few negatives at including it in the set - here and on another mini site. I have no issue with the inclusion of the giant, or even a cloud giant. It was 8 years ago, yes 8, when the first storm giant mini came out. Besides paizo have shown they intend to provide what people want, and eric seems to have a good grasp of the minis scene. I'm confident the line will get better and better over time - if wizkidz can keep up with the high standrads of paizo.

As for the storm giant I have read a few negatives at including it in the set - here and on another mini site. I have no issue with the inclusion of the giant, or even a cloud giant. It was 8 years ago, yes 8, when the first storm giant mini came out. Besides paizo have shown they intend to provide what people want, and eric seems to have a good grasp of the minis scene. I'm confident the line will get better and better over time - if wizkidz can keep up with the high standrads of paizo.

From my understanding most of the complaints are that 'there was already a Storm Giant in DDM'. To be frank, that's a silly complaint. Sure it's nice that Paizo & Wizkids are considering the contents of a defunct, rival product line but that is what DDM was.

If it turned out that there wasn't a Storm Giant in this set, and the only reason for that was that it was available in DDM, then I would be very annoyed that something that was needed for the AP had been left out purely because it's theoretically possible to get it for an inflated price on the secondary market...

Cat-thulhu wrote:

As for the storm giant I have read a few negatives at including it in the set - here and on another mini site. I have no issue with the inclusion of the giant, or even a cloud giant. It was 8 years ago, yes 8, when the first storm giant mini came out. Besides paizo have shown they intend to provide what people want, and eric seems to have a good grasp of the minis scene. I'm confident the line will get better and better over time - if wizkidz can keep up with the high standrads of paizo.

From my understanding most of the complaints are that 'there was already a Storm Giant in DDM'. To be frank, that's a silly complaint. Sure it's nice that Paizo & Wizkids are considering the contents of a defunct, rival product line but that is what DDM was.

If it turned out that there wasn't a Storm Giant in this set, and the only reason for that was that it was available in DDM, then I would be very annoyed that something that was needed for the AP had been left out purely because it's theoretically possible to get it for an inflated price on the secondary market...

The vastly inflated price of the ddm Storm giant is still cheaper than the whiz kids one ;)

I like some of the huge figs, but they are very costly per figure. The storm giant is fine by me but the Lamia does not thrill me. The other are ok but still costly.

I like some of the huge figs, but they are very costly per figure. The storm giant is fine by me but the Lamia does not thrill me. The other are ok but still costly.

well, then you'll be happy that the storm giant is 2 per case while the Lamia is one per case