Last time we looked at previews of April's Pathfinder Battles: Ruins of Lastwall set from WizKids, we saw the amassed forces of good defending the world from the Whispering Tyrant's minions. Those are all well and good (pun intended) for PCs and their allies, but what fun toys does the set hold for GMs?
Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak
The lich's primary agents are the Whispering Way Cultists, depicted here as a Medium common figure. The most nefarious aspect of the Whispering Way is that its cultists can be hidden among any population, secretly advancing the Whispering Tyrants' goals. When discovered, however, the vassals of undeath fight viciously to see their plans through to fruition.
As numerous and threatening as Whispering Way cultists are, they pale in comparison to the Tyrant's undead minions. While many of these are mindless skeletons and zombies, often raised from the fallen legions of his vanquished enemies, these hordes need leaders. One powerful undead creature often serving in this role is the Murderous Undead, a Medium uncommon figure.
Not all skeletons are mindless, however, and despite their lack of vocal cords, lips, and lungs, they often speak for their lich lord, proclaiming the tyrant's edicts in conquered lands or acting as envoys to potential allies. The Skeletal Speaker, a Medium uncommon figure, makes a great skeletal diplomat or even a spellcasting skeletal champion.
While the remains of mortals make excellent potential servitors, sometimes the agents of undeath need more powerful help from beyond the borders of this reality, in which case they might summon or make a deal with an outsider like a thanadaemon. These deacons of the Horseman of Death, Charon, ply the waters of the River Styx, ferrying souls through Abaddon. Thanadaemon is a Medium rare figure.
Last, we have the ultimate undead, or rather the premier undead, for she was the very first soul to escape the River of Souls and extend her existence outside the normal cycle of death and rebirth. Yes, Urgathoa, Goddess of Undeath makes her Pathfinder Battles debut in this set as a Medium rare figure. Wielding her imposing scythe and exemplifying both the decay of undeath and the debauchery of gluttony, it is to her glory the Whispering Tyrant and all his undead minions do their sinister work. All hail Urgathoa! All hail the Pallid Princess!
Game Masters looking to add some scenery to their undead encounters should be excited by another piece of dungeon dressing from Ruins of Lastwall, the Stone Cairn, a remnant of a culture now as dead as the corpse or corpses buried beneath it. When the gravestones or burial markers from the Cemetery of the Fallen don't quite fit your needs, consider using a Stone Cairn instead.
That's it for this week's preview. Check back next time for a look at the champions of balance stuck in the middle of the war for the souls of the Inner Sea. I'm pompously psyched to show them off!
Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager
