Greetings, Pathfinders.
We've got an exciting new announcement for you this week, but first, I want to talk about the characters from the new August release, the Paladin Class Deck. Meet the band:
First up is Koren. When the design team started kicking around paladin character concepts, I immediately pitched the idea for a self-sacrificing martyrish fellow, one who's always saving other people at cost to himself. Because the design team has a... quirky... sense of humor, Koren quickly morphed into a self-hating half-orc who follows Sarenrae. He's all about saving people from themselves. His roles allow him to branch out into undead slaying or to stick with his team. (Fun Fact: that last one, the Unflagging Companion role, was originally called Creepy Stalker. Editorial is so mean.)
Next we have my personal favorite, Raz the gnome. She's definitely a cavalier-like take on the paladin. She's inspired by a perennial RPG character of mine: a halfling paladin dog rider. Conveniently, I talk about her a bit on this podcast. From Raz's token card:
“Raz is the only gnome paladin she's ever met. Therefore, she's clearly the best gnome paladin there ever was. At an early age, Raz decided she wanted to be different from her mischievous kin. She did so by kicking bad guy butt and protecting the good guys.”
That tells you most of what you need to know. She's got a role devoted to helping people get stuff, and she's got a role named Dog Rider Knight. I'm not going to tell you what to do or anything, but Dog. Rider. Knight.
Last but certainly not least, we've got a fresh new take on the iconic paladin Seelah. This Iomedae-following sword-wielding lover of good and righteousness shows off her "lay on hands" ability in the Paladin Class Deck. For the uninitiated, Lay On Hands is a classic paladin ability—the paladin calls forth divine aid to heal someone with a mere touch, faith healer-style. In fact, Faith Healer is one of her roles, good for those who like supportive paladin builds. Unlike Raz, Seelah has no interest in loot, so she tends to ignore it in her endless search for justice.
You may have noticed that this deck features only three characters rather than the four featured in each of the first seven class decks. That's a change that you'll see going forward in the rest of the Class Deck line. Based on extensive player feedback, we've increased the number of boons in the deck. Each character can now get a greater range of worthwhile options to choose from while progressing through an adventure path. We think you'll be pleased with the results while still appreciating the variety of innovative characters that we present in these products.
Oh, and that news I foreshadowed so subtly earlier? CLASS DECK SUBSCRIPTIONS, Y'ALL. They're starting with the August release of the Paladin Class Deck. Check the details:
With your ongoing Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck subscription, we'll automatically send you each new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Deck, charging your credit card automatically as we ship each product. You only need to sign up once, so you'll never need to worry about renewal notices or missed products! Best of all, each subscription shipment will give you a discount of 20% off the MSRP of that release. Items from your Class Deck subscription will be combined with your other Paizo subscriptions (including your Adventure Card Game subscription) to save money on shipping.
When you start an ongoing subscription, any existing preorders for products covered by your subscription are automatically cancelled (or if you've preordered more than one of an item, they'll have their quantity reduced by one). If you've already preordered any of the upcoming decks, you do not need to do anything special when you subscribe.
Exciting, right? Next week, you'll learn what the real Best Character Ever is, because I'm taking my turn at the helm.
Until next time, Pathfinders.
Tanis O'Connor
Adventure Card Game Designer