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

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Tags: Bryan Sola Paolo Puggioni Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Pathfinder Adventure Path Rise of the Runelords Tim Kings-Lynne

Lovely pictures... placing them all isn't easy!

Runelords:

1 - Goblins in the basement below the Glassworks?
2 - Not sure here... Aldern's wife in Foxglove Manor?
3 - The Junk beach? Or a failed landing at Thistletop?
4 - Halls of Lust in the Runeforge
5 - Halls of Envy in the Runeforge (why does it look like it's sparking faster now...)
6 - Not sure... lich in Halls of Gluttony?


Creepy Peacock Spirit skeleton


Ahhh of course - nice Andru - #2 is Chopper's Isle.

Grand Lodge

I believe the skeleton and the mage are actually

Spoiler:
Vraxis (or whatever his name was in the Pride wing of Runeforge) and since there is a window by the mage, I think it might be Aldern's grandfather trying to turn himself into a lich.

Dark Archive

I think that the skeleton

Spoiler:
is the body from the Runeforge Halls of Pride.
I'm pretty sure the lich is Azavan of the Halls of Gluttony.
The beach as Chopper's Isle makes sense but it might be the Junk Yard from Sandpoint.
I have no idea what the basement scene is. One of the goblins is holding a beer...that's a terrifying thought.
The cages are definately from the Halls of Lust and last but not least: I think the staff thing is the broken Rod of Absorption from the Halls of Envy. You know the "Mage's Disjunction" trap? Also, screw you Paizo for that trap! I hated that thing! :D

Edit: It just clicked that they're gambling in the middle of a ruined basement so I'm gonna agree with the earlier post that said they were beneath the Glassworks. Specifically the group that is chilling with Tsuto.


Enough teasing! Just give me the cards already! All of them! :D


godsDMit makes a good point about the window in Illustration 6 (by the file names). Plus those ears just don't seem to be random.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

Digging the new pics

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Majuba wrote:
godsDMit makes a good point about the window in Illustration 6 (by the file names). Plus those ears just don't seem to be random.

Window does make little sense for Azaven, but the dress exactly matches Azaven's mini. Also, the windows in that are stained glass, not barred like the illustration here.

Paizo Employee Developer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I imagine that window is a result of an art order that said "a guy is casting a spell in a dungeon" and the artist assumed that meant a medieval dungeon rather than an underground series of windowless chambers made of stone.


I can't wait to get my paws on all this lovely art...


The cages are...

Spoiler:
The finely-crafted wire bird cages in the basement of Misgivings that Aldern used to hold the diseases rats for the Brothers of Seven!

...am I right?


Here's a question - will this art be available anywhere else?

I'm still running RotR and I'd happily pay for an electronic version of the art to use as handouts.

I've no real interest in the card game though.

I know PDF-only products are an overhead/non-start for Paizo, but I figured it was worth mentioning a potential market.

Contributor

Loving the art! Curious: does Paizo employ any of these artists full time, or are they all freelancers?

Liberty's Edge

Haladir wrote:

The cages are...

** spoiler omitted **

...am I right?

Spoiler:
I pretty sure they're supposed to be the cages in the Lust section of the Runeforge.
Digital Products Assistant

Chris A Jackson wrote:
Loving the art! Curious: does Paizo employ any of these artists full time, or are they all freelancers?

All of Paizo's illustrators are freelance.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

forbinproject wrote:
Here's a question - will this art be available anywhere else?

Some of the new art in the card game was ordered specifically with an eye toward future use—though we don't have anything particular planned. Some of the new art, though, is pretty specific, and it'll be harder to find good places for that....

Shadow Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Illustration 3 might be the end of the smugglers tunnel that starts at the glassworks and ends at the beach.

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