PaizoCon Brings Out the Best

Monday, May 23, 2016

Illustrations by Marko Horvatin

Convention season for us is a lot like hosting a large gathering of family and friends for a major holiday: preparing way more dishes than usual, aiming for more spectacular fare than we would otherwise cook, and fretting about whether great-aunt Matilda will critique how we made the pie crust. From dicing the first onion to the moment where everyone sits down and takes the first bite of food, there's always the question of whether everything turned out just right. Sometimes, though, you can just tell that everything's fallen into place before even seeing your guests' expressions. In my extended analogy, while Tonya, Todd Morgan, and Bob Jonquet have handled our seating arrangements and sending out invitations, I think my co-chefs Linda, Thurston Hillman, and Jason Keeley can agree that the menu this year turned out great.

Illustration by Dion Harris

One year ago, I ran an increasingly infamous session of Pathfinder Society Special #6-98: Serpents Rise at PaizoCon for a handful of noteworthy hooligans. One of the chief takeaways from this event was the tradition of shouting "Druma Lodge" whenever somebody mentioned Druma, lodges, money, or a host of other keywords that we have developed since then. The esteemed contributor and Pathfinder Society author Thurston Hillman was among the more...rambunctious participants, and after the game we got to talking about how the Society had done so little in Druma and what a Druman adventure [Druma Lodge!] might look like. Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-22: Bid for Alabastrine has grown and evolved in really amazing ways since then, including the incorporation of some Serpents Rise metaplot, so if you have a Spoils of the Siege boon, it might pay to have it on hand to show the GM during this adventure. As fair warning, this Tier 1-5 adventure features both roleplaying and dealing with people whose outfits cost more than your PC might earn by 10th level. Be prepared to hobnob with the high'n'mighty—including these two kalistocrats depicted by Marko Horvatin—but keep an eye out for danger!

The uninitiated might assume that I invite editors to write adventures because their manuscripts are pristine and a delight to develop. Although that's true, I've also found that Paizo's editors—including Justin Juan with #5-21: "The Merchant's Wake" and Joe Homes in #6-17: "Fires of Karamoss"—are among the more creative narrators and insightful creators to work on the campaign. This time I was especially familiar with editor Jason Keeley's work on the Pathfinder Comics backmatter and his discerning feedback while editing scenarios, so I felt that this was the guy who could handle a high-level adventure set on another plane. I have since confirmed how delightfully inventive he can be, especially in portraying otherworldly NPCs. Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-23: Abducted in Aether concludes the Master of Spells mini-arc of Season 7 and features several popular NPCs, including the commanding night hag depicted here by Dion Harris (who has also created the excellent artwork for the earlier parts of this story).

Illustration by Javier Charro

PaizoCon's not complete without a special event. In addition to Pathfinder Society Special #6-97: Siege of Serpents, last year players had the special opportunity in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-98: Serpents Rise to portray capable Aspis Consortium agents who got to (figuratively and literally) punch Pathfinders in the face. I've really enjoyed hearing from players about their experience with the accompanying pregenerated characters and how they hoped to see those characters appear again in the organized play storyline. Over the course of Season 7, authors have helped us incorporate this motley cast into several more adventures, and it only made sense to get the gang back together for one more epic heist in Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-98: Serpents' Ire. And epic it is. Even if you're not terribly familiar with the campaign setting, there's a lot of action, a splash of intrigue, and hefty serving of the unexpected. If you enjoy the organized play metaplot, keep an eye out for all sorts of extras that might hint at what's happening elsewhere in the world and what is to come. This was an absolute blast to write (including the *ahem* lovable Iaovin Ratarion, depicted here by Javier Charro), and I hope folks enjoy playing and GMing it.

In fact, I might need to assemble another group of yahoos to do just that. You'll know it's us because while everyone else in the room is signing Chronicle sheets, we'll still be stuck on the first scene thanks to having spent hours designing a team uniform, hiding bodies, and coming up with elaborate plans to attack buildings that have nothing to do with the adventure. PaizoCon is great like that.

John Compton
Pathfinder Society Lead Developer