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So it was mentioned in Return of the Runelords that a more powerful Alaznist than the one the players fight existed at some point, and I envision that at least one sadistic GM out there wants to throw the all-out version of the Runelord of Wrath at their players. Hence, I decided to complete the statblock of a mightier Alaznist for all your sakes

I also used this opportunity to patch up some odd discrepancies with the presented Alaznist, namely her large number of item creation feats given her in-lore unwillingness to craft things herself. I also added in the Scepter of Alaznist from the City Outside of Time, as it makes sense for her to wield it (I take partial responsibility if the entire party is annihilated by an empowered maximized augmented mythic meteor swarm).

Now anyway, enjoy.

RUNELORD ALAZNIST CR 28/MR 10
XP 1,228,800
Female advanced human evoker 20/archmage 10
CE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +30M; Senses arcane sight, darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Perception +31
------DEFENSE------
AC 52, touch 27, flat-footed 40 (+13 armor, +5 deflection, +10 Dex, +2 dodge, +7 natural, +5 shield)
hp 600 (20d6+528); fast healing 10
Fort +29, Ref +24, Will +28
Defensive Abilities mythic contingency, evasion, hard to kill, mirror dodge;
Immune confusion, disease, feeblemind, fire; SR 30
-----OFFENSE-----
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)
Melee Alaznist’s Hateful Ranseur +22/+17 (2d4+13/19–20/×3 plus 1 bleed), Scepter of Ages +21/+16 (1d10+12/18-20), Scepter of Alaznist +22/+17 (1d8+12)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with ranseur)
Special Attacks arcane metamastery x2, channel power, eldritch breach, intense spells (+10 damage), mythic power (23/day, surge +1d12), mythic spellpower 2/day
Evoker Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +37)
At will—elemental wall (20 rounds/day)
20/day—force missile (1d4+10)
Evoker Spells Prepared (CL 21st; concentration +34)
9th—maximized chain lightningM (DC 37), crushing hand, meteor swarmM (2, DC 40), power word kill, time stop, quickened wall of forceM, ride the lightning (DC 40) wishM
8th—clenched fist, empowered maximized fireballM (2, DC 39), quickened greater invisibility, horrid wilting (DC 35), maximized quickened magic missile, phasic challenge (DC 35), polar ray (2), power word stun
7th—control weatherM, delayed blast fireball (2, DC 38), elemental body IIIM, quickened displacement, finger of death (DC 34), forcecage (DC 38), quickened lightning bolt (DC 35), limited wish, project image (DC 34)
6th—borrowed timeM, chain lightningM (3, DC 37), disintegrate (DC 33), flesh to stone (DC 33), quickened mirror image (2), sign of wrath (15d6, DC 37), true seeing
5th—cone of cold (DC 36), dominate person (DC 32), dream, feeblemind (DC 32), interposing hand, rune of ruin (DC 32), sending, telekinesis (DC 32), wall of forceM (2)
4th—charm monster (DC 31), fire shield, greater invisibility, ice storm (2), phantasmal killer (DC 31), resilient sphere (2, DC 35), wall of fireM (2), wall of ice (DC 35)
3rd—fireballM (4, DC 39), hasteM, lightning bolt (3, DC 34), ray of exhaustion (DC 30), slow (DC 30), vampiric touch
2nd—blindness/deafness (3, DC 29), fiery runes, flaming sphere (DC 33), gust of wind (DC 33), invisibility, pyrotechnics (DC 29), scorching ray (2), spectral hand
1st—blood money, burning hands (2, DC 32), charm person (DC 28), disguise self, magic missile (3), ray of enfeeblement (DC 28), reduce person (DC 28), shocking grasp
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 27), mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic
Thassilonian Specialization evocation; Prohibited Schools conjuration, abjuration;
M mythic spell
-----STATISTICS-----
Str 24, Dex 30, Con 42, Int 44, Wis 28, Cha 36
Base Atk +10; CMB +19; CMD 44
Feats Arcane StrikeM, DodgeM, Empower Spell, Fleshwarper, Greater Spell Focus (evocation), Improved InitiativeM, Inscribe Rune, Intensifed Spell, Martial Weapon Proficiency (ranseur), Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell FocusM (evocation), Spell Penetration, Spell Perfection (Fireball), ToughnessM
Skills Bluff +35, Fly +35, Heal +31, Intimidate +35, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, engineering, geography, history, local, nature, nobility, planes, religion) +42, Linguistics +42, Perception +31, Sense Motive +31, Spellcraft +42, Use Magic Device +35
Languages Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Azlanti, Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Necril, Protean, Shoanti, Sylvan, Terran, Thassilonian, Undercommon, Varisian; tongues
SQ amazing initiative, arcane bond (Alaznist’s Hateful Ranseur), arcane surge, component freedom, enduring armor, exceptional statistics, immortal, inherent bonuses, mythic spellcasting, permanent spells, profane pact, recuperation
Combat Gear scrolls of greater restoration (3), scrolls of heal (3);
Gear Alaznist’s Hateful Ranseur*, belt of physical perfection +6, cloak of quick reflexes +5/+6 (Mythic Adventures 149), emerald ellipsoid ioun stones* (20), headband of mental superiority +6, ring of evasion, ring of protection +5, runewell amulet*, Sihedron Tome*, diamond worth 25,000 gp (for wish), diamond worth 1,500 gp (for limited wish)
-----SPECIAL ABILITIES-----

If Alaznist drops below 100 hit points, she takes a Contingent Action to use the Scepter of Ages to transport the attacker through time.

The first two times Alaznist takes ability damage, a Stalwart Resolve spell activates on her negating the ability damage to the damaged stat. These usually activate when Alaznist casts mythic Borrowed Time and Blood Money

When Alaznist bites her tongue (a free action), she creates a Mythic Globe of Invulnerability around herself which is augmented to negate all non-mythic spells

When Alaznist becomes grappled or entangled, she is immediately affected by Freedom of Movement

Exceptional Statistics (Ex) Alaznist's ability scores were generated using 25 points, rather than the standard 15. Additionally, she has much more gear than an NPC of her level would normally have. These modifications increase her total CR by 2.

Immortal (Ex) Pacts with forces from the Abyss have allowed Alaznist to live well beyond a human’s normal lifespan. She gains the +3 bonus to her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores for having lived beyond venerable age, yet she retains the youth of a young woman and does not take the penalties to her physical ability scores. She is immune to disease and to all forms of madness (including confusion effects and feeblemind).

Inherent Bonuses (Ex) Alaznist has used wish spells to increase her statistics and has a +4 inherent bonus to her Constitution, Dexterity, Strength, and Wisdom scores and a +5 inherent bonus to her Charisma and Intelligence scores.

Mythic Contingencies (Sp) If Alaznist takes damage when she doesn’t have a displacement spell active, a displacement spell immediately activates on her.

Permanent Spells (Sp) Alaznist has made the following spells permanent on herself: arcane sight, darkvision, see invisibility, and tongues.

Profane Pact (Su) Alaznist bears a brand in the form of the rune of wrath on her hip—a mark bestowed by the powerful lilitu demon Ariashrael that also grants the runelord a profane pact; this pact grants Alaznist a +4 profane bonus to her Constitution score.

So far, there have been four adventure paths dealing heavily with these nations (Rise, Return, Shattered Star, and Ruins of Azlant. One more if Curse of the Crimson Throne counts), and most of the big set pieces from that era have been dealt with. The Runelords have risen, most of the major landmarks have been explored, and to my knowledge every major NPC having something to do with these nations (save for Aroden) has been utilized.

Are there any more plans for future content in this portion of Golarion? Will we ever get to explore the labyrinths below Castle Korvosa? I’d personally be fine seeing other parts of Golarion take center stage from this point on.

A lot of folks were requesting this one after my Runelord stats, so I decided to cook her up. I decided to challenge myself by seeing how powerful an un-archetyped fighter could be, and I think that I created something pretty impressive. Savith here could definitely 1v1 a god and pull it off.

SAVITH CR 24/MR 6
Azlanti Pureblood Fighter 20/Champion 6
LN Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +35M Senses Perception +23
Aura Perseverance 30 feet
-----DEFENSE-----
AC 41 touch 21, flat-footed 35 (+15 armor, +6 dex, +5 natural, +5 deflection)
hp 415 (20d10+210)
Fort +25, Ref +25, Will +19;
Defensive Abilities: Armed Bravery, Armor Training +1, Armor Specialization, Aura of Perseverance, Bravery +5, Fighter’s Reflexes, Force of Will, Hard to Kill, Recuperation DR 5/-
-----OFFENSE-----
Space 5 feet Reach 5 ft
Speed 30 feet
Melee Serpentdeath +47/+42/+37/+32 (3d6+34/17-20/x3), Vital Strike +47 (3d6+40/17-20/x3)
Ranged +2 Longbow +15 (1d8+15/x3)
Special Attacks Abundant Tactics, Advance, Fleet Charge, Mythic Power (15/day, Surge +1d8), Punishing Blow, Trained Initiative, Warrior Spirit (+7), Weapon Training (Heavy Blades) +6, Weapon Mastery (Greatsword)
-----STATISTICS-----
Str 40, Dex 26, Con 26, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 16
Base Atk +20; CMB +35; CMD 53
Feats: Advanced Weapon Training (Armed Bravery), Advanced Weapon Training (Fighter’s Reflexes), Barroom Brawler, Blinding Critical, Combat Reflexes, Combat Stamina, Cornugon Smash, Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Critical Mastery, Critical Versatility (Currently Tiring Critical), Cut from the Air, Devastating Strike, Dual PathM (Marshal), Furious Focus, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (Greatsword), Improved InitiativeM, Improved Vital Strike, Master Craftsman, Power AttackM, Smash from the Air, Sprightly Armor, Stunning Critical, Staggering Critical, Vital StrikeM
Skills Acrobatics +31, Craft (Armor) +26, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +26, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (Nature) +13, Perception +23, Spellcraft +13, Survival +26
Languages Aklo, Azlanti, Draconic, Giant
SQ Adaptable Training, Extra Mythic Feat, Legendary Item x3 (Serpentdeath, Foebiting, Perfect Surge, Rejuvenating, Unstoppable Strike, Intelligent (fly, darkvision, telepathy, spellcasting, skill)), Master Armorer
Combat Gear Serpentdeath, +2 Longbow, +5 Heavy Fortification Mithral Breastplate, Amulet of Natural Armor +5, Gloves of Dueling, Headband of Mental Superiority +4, Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Cloak of Resistance +5, Ring of Protection +5, Ring of Freedom of Movement, 50 Adamantine Arrows, 50 cold iron arrows, 50 silver arrows

SERPENTDEATH
Aura strong divination and evocation; CL 18th; Slot none; Weight 4 lbs.
Alignment LN; ego 20
Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12 Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 20
Communication telepathy
Languages Aklo, Azlanti, Common, Draconic, Giant
Powers fly 30 ft., 10 ranks in Perception
Lesser Powers: Righteous Might 1/day
Special Purpose defeat/slay serpentfolk; Dedicated Power true seeing at will
-----DESCRIPTION-----
Savith’s +6 Axiomatic Impact Monstrous Mithral Greatsword has become legendary for its use in Ydersius’ destruction, and the weapon is capable of slaying far more than just gods. Whenever Serpentdeath strikes a chaotic evil creature, it gains the Bane property against creatures of that type for 1 hour.
-----DESTRUCTION-----
Serpentdeath can be destroyed by a serpentfolk cleric who travels to a location where an Azlanti god perished and targets Serpentdeath with a Destruction spell, causing it to crumble to dust.

So I'm running Shattered Star right now and plan on running Return of the Runelords afterward. Naturally, I plan on utilizing the Onion Kid Division (long, hilarious story behind the name) for the Sihedron Heroes.

However, after having built the party up, the idea of just taking down the whole group offscreen seems not only anticlimactic but unfair to the characters and their players. Hence, I have decided to take a more dramatic route.

What I plan to do is to run the encounter outside Crystilan that took place prior to Return with the Onion Kid Division, having them fight of Alaznist and her followers in an epic but ultimately futile final confrontation that would end with Alaznist using the Sceptre of Ages to seal them in Crystilan but causing her to lose the item in the process.

The ending is effectively scripted, but I think that a suitably difficult encounter could give the players the sense that they tried their hardest to avoid this fate. I've had successful final-session encounters in the past where the players have lost but were ultimately satisfied with the conclusion, and I'm fairly confident that I could repeat that success here.

What do you folks think? Should I go through with this or would it be better for the Onion Kid Division to fall without the players' involvement?

Should these CR 18 behemoths have it? Without it, there’s no way for them to break from a Greater Planar Binding spell, meaning that any spellcaster with enough Cajones to drag one to the material plane is virtually guaranteed its service.

Was this an oversight or was it intended?

So I had an idea for my Wrath of the Righteous character which I am planning on using in this week’s opening session. The GM thinks it is cool but concerning due to how some NPCs may interact with him. Hence, I wanted to run him past you to see what you folks would do with this character or point out obstacles he might face.

Marcellano is a LG cleric with the Channeler of the Unknown archetype whose father was a priest of Aroden in Cheliax. Although the god of humanity is long-dead, Marcellano’s father still clung to the old trappings, teachings, and methods, teaching his son about the faith of Aroden and the glories Cheliax knew before the Diabolists took over. It was at the age of 30 that Marcellano made a pilgrimage to Absolam, and it was there that he heard a strange voice beckon to him for the first time. The voice offered him power, guidance, and purpose, and Marcellano became convinced that Aroden was contacting him from some remote corner of existence.

Taking his bastard sword and eye-emblazoned shield to the Worldwound, Marcellano is determined to retrace Aroden’s steps, finish what his god had started, and ultimately reforge the faith in the hopes that it might bring Aroden back to Golarion.

Plan on going Hierophant/Archmage dual path and grabbing Divine Source so that my character can grant spells in the name of an allegedly-deceased god. Marcellano’s chosen domain is Void, and though he’s no slouch in melee his primary interest is BFC and Support. In time, I want Marcellano to build a following of Aroden loyalists which becomes a full religion by the end of the campaign.

Okay, so those of you who have made their way to book 3 know that Sorshen's blood simulacra are running around Golarian with some hidden agenda. The surprising thing about them is that they're chaotic neutral rather than chaotic evil as most would expect from a mastermind who started a seven-way civil war by killing her master and carried out a 1100+ year reign of terror (among some other horrific and unsavory things). Unless Pharasma has suddenly decided to relax a lot of rules regarding alignment or Sorshen has does some big things we don't know about in order to atone for her misdeeds, there's something fishy here. I was trying to figure out what could possibly explain it when I came across a certain mythic ability that fits the concept perfectly: Beyond Morality.

My theory is that Sorshen's recent actions have not been enough to push her out of the CE territory (seriously, 1100 years of being a sexually predatory warlord is a LOT to atone for), but the Beyond Morality ability allows her to disguise that fact. Her blood simulacrums are whatever alignment she wants them to be, and CN is just troublesome enough to not seem suspicious but just innocent enough to get some powerful alignment-sensing allies on her side (and possibly innocent to allow her to seize power without the other nations of Golarian freaking out).

I'm sure we'll get an answer on this in the next volume, but I'm curious to know what the rest of you think. Did Runelord Sorshen pull off the impossible and actually redeem herself, or has she pulled a fast one on the multiverse the likes of which haven't been seen since the Pact Primeval?

Are the PCs aware that history has been rearranged? After all, they should logically be living with the consequences of Alaznist's actions in the past if the Scepter of Ages is involved.

If the past has been altered in some way, then the records in the timelocked city of Crystilan should be clearly divergent from the history that the PCs grew up with. Whatever they discover in that library should go against what they were taught in school/informed of by their elders/however else PCs might get knowledge (history) ranks.

The only alternative is that Alaznist's historical alterations have yet to take effect for some reason, and if that is the case I would like to know the "input delay" of historical tampering in order to figure out what's going on here.

Will this be explained in part 6? Does somebody at Paizo have a manuscript written somewhere pinning down how time travel functions with the Scepter of Ages? More than anything, I just want an explanation so I can figure out how to run this adventure properly.

As with Xanderghul, I have created a fully realized version of the last remaining Runelord: Zutha. This engorged abomination has been built up since the earliest days of Pathfinder, functioned as the basis on which Tar-Baphom built his mythic lichdom, created an utterly bonkers army of the undead, and in general has disgusted and terrified Pathfinder fans all over.

I've personally wanted to pound this guy for years and now here's an opportunity for you all do try your hands at taking down the second-most-legendary lich in all of Golarian.

Given that Tar-Baphom stole some of his power and eventually transcended him, I decided that Zutha himself wouldn't be quite at full mythic capabilities. However, I wanted to play up the uniqueness of his form and so utilized the Dread Lich template from Advanced Bestiary as well. The fact that Zutha's fragment was lower-level meant that I had more freedom with the feats and spells than I did with Xanderghul. The fact that only a fragment of Zutha was statted also meant that I could reasonably alter quite a bit about Zutha's abilities (so of course I went all out with that and gave him one of Pathfinder's most disturbing prestige classes).

Now, Enjoy.

RUNELORD ZUTHA CR 27/MR 9
XP 3,280,000
Male pureblood azlanti human dread mythic lich necromancer 10/bloatmage 10
CE Large undead (augmented humanoid, azlanti, human, mythic)
Init +30M; Senses darkvision 120 ft., life sight (10 ft., 10 rounds/ day), true seeing; Perception +51
Aura dread fear (60 ft., DC 43), frightful aspect 30 ft, radiation (30 ft, DC 30)
-----DEFENSE-----
AC 47, touch 25, flat-footed 47 (+6 armor, +5 deflection, +8 Dex, +3 insight, +16 natural, -1 size)
hp 546 (20d6+474) fast healing 20, 33 temp hp from false life
Fort +30, Ref +24, Will +32 second save
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +12, contingency, creeping paralysis, destiny realized, fated +5, formidable animation, fortification (50%), freedom of movement, stable form, rejuvenation, within reach; DR 15/magic, good, and epic; Immune cold, electricity, polymorph, undead traits Resist 30 acid, 30 fire, 30 sonic, SR 47
Weakness Hemophilia
-----OFFENSE-----
Speed 10 ft., fly 80 ft (perfect),
Melee Zutha’s Ravenous Scythe +31/+26 (2d6+24/×4 plus cursed touch) or touch +28 (1d10+12 negative energy plus cursed touch)
Space 10 ft Reach 10 ft
Special Attacks augmented spellcasting (wild arcana), blood pool (10), bloodgorged, bloodsurge 3/day (1d12), cursed touch, empowered spells, enhanced spellcasting, feed (DC 32), immediate counterspell, it was meant to be 2/day, mythic potency, mythic power (11/day, Surge +1d10), mythic spells, paralyzing touch (DC 43), strong spellweaving, sustained by magic
Necromancer Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +36)
13/day—grave touch (5 rounds)
Bloodline Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
18/day—Touch of Destiny
Gluttonous Tome Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
At will—detect undead, gentle repose
3/day—empowered ray of enfeeblement, empowered false life, empowered maximized vampiric touch, create undead
1/day—bestow curse, create greater undead, waves of exhaustion
Necromancer Spells Prepared (CL 20th; concentration +36)
9th—ascension, astral Projection, empowered energy Drain (2), gate, mass Suffocation (DC 37), empowered thanatopic finger of deathM (DC 35), time stopM, winds of vengeance (DC 35), wishM
8th—empowered death clutch (2, DC 36), empowered quickened wall of bone, frightful aspect (DC 34), Mass Umbral Infusion, maximized cone of cold (DC 31), maze, prediction of failure (DC 35), quickened dimension door, soulreaverM (DC 36)
7th—empowered finger of deathM (2, DC 35), empowered maximized masochistic shadow (DC 32), ethereal jaunt, grasping hand, greater teleport, mass hunger for flesh, plague storm (DC 35), quickened displacement, waves of exhaustion
6th—borrowed timeM, cold ice strike (DC 32), empowered circle of deathM (DC 34), empowered wither limb (2, DC 34), greater eldritch conduit (DC 32), quickened blindness/deafness (DC 30), quickened mirror image, true seeing, unwilling shield (DC 34)
5th—cloudkillM (DC 29), cone of cold (DC 31), empowered fireball (DC 29), empowered feast on fear (DC 33), empowered maximized limp lash, magic jar (DC 33), suffocation (2, DC 33), telekinesis (DC 31), teleport, quickened vanish
4th—animate deadM, black tentaclesM, dimension door, empowered boneshatter (DC 32), empowered enervationM (3), empowered scorching ray, ice storm, phantasmal killer (2, DC 30)
3rd—empowered aura of cannibalism (DC 31), empowered ray of exhaustion (2, DC 31), empowered vampiric touch (2), fireball (2, DC 29), flyM, slowM (DC 29), stinking cloudM (DC 29), unliving rage
2nd—blindness/deafness (2, DC 30), create pit (DC 28), empowered boneshaker (DC 30), empowered false lifeM, empowered limp lash, invisibility, mirror image, scorching ray (2), web (DC 28)
1st—chill touch (DC 29), empowered ray of enfeeblement (2, DC 29), mage armorM, magic missile (3), illusion of calm (DC 27), interrogation (DC 29), sculpt corpse (DC 29), vanish
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 19), mage hand, ray of frost, touch of fatigue (DC 19)
Thassilonian Specialization: Necromancy, Opposed Schools: Abjuration, Enchantment
-----STATISTICS-----
Str 38, Dex 26, Con —, Int 43, Wis 30, Cha 38
Base Atk +10; CMB +25; CMD 43
Feats Bloatmage Initiate, Combat CastingM, Combat Expertise, Command UndeadM,, Empower Spell, Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Greater Spell Penetration, Improved InitiativeM, Martial Weapon Proficiency (scythe), Maximize Spell, Mythic Spell LoreM x2, Potion Glutton, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell PenetrationM, Spell Perfection (Enervation), Thanatopic Spell, Turn Undead, Undead MasterM
Skills 19 skills in total Fly +36, Heal +36, Intimidate +37, Knowledge (all) +43, Linguistics +43, Perception +51, Sense Motive +41, Spellcraft +43, Stealth +44, Use Magic Device +38
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Azlanti, Draconic, Giant, Shoanti, Varisian
SQ arcane bond (Hunger Ring of Zutha), craftmaster, enhanced ability scores, mythic phylactery, power over undead, rejuvenation, voidheart
Gear Zutha’s Ravenous Scythe, Rings of Zutha, 10 vials of Nectar of the Gods, 5 quantities of Ambrosia, Robe of Eyes, Thanatopic Metamagic Rod, Greater Quicken Metamagic Rod, Gluttonous Tome
-----SPECIAL ABILITIES-----

Bloodgorged (Su) Zutha has gathered the blood of a wide variety of creatures in his time as the Runelord of Greed, and is capable of tapping into their powers at a whim. The duration of Zutha’s Absorb Bloodline ability is permanent rather than 1 hour, and by expending a point of mythic power as a swift action Zutha may change what bloodline he is currently benefiting from (he may select from any bloodline that exists). Currently, Zutha benefits from the Destined Bloodline.

Craftmaster (Ex) Zutha is considered to have all item creation feats for the purpose of crafting items, and automatically knows the location of all items he has ever crafted or modified (this includes all of his gear). As a free action, he can call any item he has created to his person, causing him to don it immediately.

Cursed Touch (Su) Any living creature a dread lich hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralyzed and cursed by a Death Curse that slowly wastes them away.

The curse must be removed before any attempt to remove the paralysis can occur. Further, the curse slowly drains away the target’s Constitution at the rate of one point of Con drain a day. A creature’s Con cannot be restored until the curse is removed. If the creature’s Con is reduced to 0, it immediately disintegrates into a pile of ash and bones. Only powerful magic, such as true resurrection, miracle or wish, can bring them back to life.

After the curse is removed, remove paralysis can free the victim. If either attempt to remove the curse or the paralysis fails, the creature’s Con immediately goes to 0 and it dies as above. Both the paralysis and the curse cannot otherwise be dispelled. Anyone under the effect of the cursed touch seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.

Creatures immune to paralysis, except for other dread liches, can still be inflicted by the curse of the dread lich’s touch. The save DC and the DC to remove the curse are both based on the dread lich’s Charisma.

Dread Fear Aura (Su) Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that looks upon a dread lich must succeed on a Will save or become panicked. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be frightened for a number of rounds equal to the dread lich’s total Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same dread lich’s aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Empowered Spells (Ex) All of a dread lich’s spells from the necromancy school, spells with the evil descriptor, and spell-like abilities are automatically affected as if by the Empower Spell feat. Such spells do not require higher-level spell slots or increased casting times. The Empower Spell feat cannot be used to further augment these spells.

Enhanced Ability Scores (Ex) As with the other runelords, Zutha used wish spells to increase his ability scores. This fragment retains an echo of those effects and has a +5 inherent bonus to its Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. In addition, his ability scores were calculated using a 25-point buy.

Mythic Contingency (Sp) Zutha’s fragment has the benefit of a mythic contingency spell in effect, with several effects. When Zutha bites his tongue (a free action that can be done reflexively in response to taking damage), he is affected by the following spells with maximum possible mythic augmentation: mage armor, fly, false life, true seeing, frightful aspect, and borrowed time. These abilities are already factored into his stats. When Zutha runs out of uses of mythic power, he is immediately affected by Time Stop. When Zutha bites his lower lip (a free action that can be done reflexively in response to taking damage), he is affected by Etherealnes. When reduced to below 100 hp, he is affected by a Greater Teleport spell that takes him to one of several hidden locations.

Stable Form (Ex) A dread lich is immune to all polymorph effects except those it casts on itself.

Strong Spellweaving (Ex) A -4 penalty applies to any dispel check made to dispel a spell cast by a dread lich.

Voidheart (Su) Zutha was known for creating numerous portals to the negative energy, but few are aware of the portal within his own corpulent form. This portal creates a constant Desecrate effect centered on Zutha, and Zutha’s body is considered a shrine for the purpose of determining the power of the Desecrate effect (+6 profane bonus to negative channeled energy DCs, +2 profane bonus and +2 hit points per HD for undead created in the area). These bonuses are already factored into Zutha’s stats. In addition, so long as this portal is active, Zutha gains fast healing 20. This ability fails to operate while inside the area of a Dimensional Lock spell.

ZUTHA’S RAVENOUS SCYTHE
Aura strong necromancy [evil]; CL 17th
Slot none; Weight 9 lbs.
-----CONSTRUCTION-----
Alignment LE; Ego 22
Senses 120 ft., darkvision, hearing
Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 10
Communication read languages, read magic, speech, telepathy
Languages Thassilonian
Speed fly 30 ft. (good)
Lesser Powers appearance of life (3/day), draconic reservoir (3/day)
Special Purpose protect the wealth and prosperity of Xin-Gatash; Dedicated Power fabricate (considered to have 17 ranks in all crafting skills)
-----DESCRIPTION-----
Soon after the founding of Thassilon, the ancient emperor Xin crafted the Alara’quin, seven icons symbolizing the runelords’ mastery of rune magic and dominance over their respective domains. Zutha’s +3 conductive spell storing wounding vicious bone scythe is one of these weapons.
Zutha’s Ravenous Scythe was originally created to ensure the continued productivity and efficient operation of the nation, it’s bone construction serving as a constant reminder of how human activity is the true source of wealth. The weapon provides constant advice on how to make the most of every situation and resource which the wielder has available. The weapon also harshly condemns any wasteful habits of its owner, calling them out for throwing away food or material when it can be repurposed somehow. Having long been the implement of necromancers, it views living creatures as inherently wasteful and parasitic when compared to undead.
-----DESTRUCTION-----
Zutha’s Ravenous Scythe must be used to harvest a field which has become so depleted it will no longer be capable of sustaining life once the harvest is finished.

RINGS OF ZUTHA
Aura overwhelming abjuration, divination and necromancy; CL 20th
Slot rings; Weight 2 lbs.
-----DESCRIPTION-----
Zutha was known for collecting Ioun Stones from remote locations across Golarian, oftentimes enhancing them with his own magic. He created ten magic rings inlaid with the most exotic and powerful stones, each of them glowing with an ultraviolet light that ordinary humans cannot perceive (thus they appear black to mortal observers). Each ring grants a unique benefit, and if all ten are worn by the same person it is possible to benefit from all of them at once. They are as follows.
Clarity: Grants the wearer a +3 insight bonus on AC, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks, and the wearer may spend a point of mythic power as an immediate action to increase these bonuses to +10 for one round.
Efficiency: Allows the wearer to ignore any material components for spells that cost less than 1000 gp. Wearer may spend a point of mythic power as part of casting a spell to ignore a larger component cost.
Hunger: The wearer gains the Feed ability of a Colour Out of Space (DC 32). Rather than gaining gaining hit dice, the wearer can expend five growth points to regain one expended use of mythic power.
Impenetrability: Grants the wearer a +5 deflection bonus to AC, and the wearer may spend a point of mythic power as an immediate action to deflect a spell cast upon them as per Spell Turning
Insulation: Grants the wearer resistance 30 against acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic damage. The wearer may spend a point of mythic power as an immediate action to gain immunity to one of these types of damage for one minute.
Perfection: Grants the wearer a +6 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, and allows the wearer to grant these bonuses to another creature within close range for 1 minute as a swift action by spending a point of mythic power.
Persistence: Grants the wearer a +5 resistance bonus on all saving throws, wearer may spend a point of mythic power as an immediate action to attempt another saving throw against an effect they failed a save against in order to end it prematurely.
Purification: The wearer exudes an aura of severe radiation out to 30 feet (DC 30, 4d6 Con drain, 2d6 Str drain per day). The wearer is not protected against this effect
Reclamation: Whenever a creature dies within close range of you, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to three times the creature’s hit dice. By expending a point of mythic power as a free action, you may allow these hit points to stack with each other for one minute
Sacrosance: Grants a constant Freedom of Movement effect. By expending a point of mythic power, the wearer may use Antilife Shell as a spell-like ability (CL 20th)
-----DESTRUCTION-----
To destroy the Rings of Zutha, each ring must be subject to a separate Imprisonment spell cast at the center of a prestigious, abundant, and distinct field or vineyard. From that point on, the field becomes barren for 1000 years.

Well, word from Paizo is that Xanderghul and Zutha will not be statted in the last volumes of Return of the Runelords. As they are both canonically dead after the last two adventures, it is very unlikely that we will see either of these characters at the peak of their power. This strikes me as a minor tragedy, as these two have been built up as some of the zaniest villains in all Golarian and the idea of fighting them seems fun for a lot of players. Hence, not one to let a void like this remain, I statted up the arrogant p**** Runelord of Pride for any of you to try your hands against.

For those of you who are wondering why this guy is so spectacularly powerful, I'll describe why I made him CR 30. We know that Tar-Baphom is CR 26, and the fact that he derived his power from Zutha implies that peak Zutha must be substantially stronger (probably CR 28 or so). The fact that Zutha is considered weaker than Sorshen makes Sorshen at least CR 29 by this logic, and that leaves Xanderghul at CR 30.

I tried to cling to the original statblock from Temple of the Peacock Spirit as much as I could, which meant sticking to some less-than-optimal feat choices on several occasions.

I am only partially responsible for the TPKs this monster may cause

XANDERGHUL CR 30/MR 10
XP 9,830,400
Male inveigler shadow lord suzerain human (pureblood Azlanti) illusionist (thassilonian specialist) 20/archmage 10
LE Medium outsider (augmented humanoid, human)
Init +31M Amazing Initiative; Senses arcane sight, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, see invisibility, see in darkness; Perception +32
AuraDauntless Courage, Enchanting Presence (DC 39), Mythic Presence (DC 39)
-----DEFENSE-----
AC 43, touch 28, flat-footed 30 (+10 armor, +13 Dex, +1 insight, +5 natural, +4 morale, +19 deflection when moving)
hp 372 (20d6+300)
Fort +26, Ref +29, [/b]Will +29;
[b]Defensive Abilities dauntless courage, enshrined, force of will, incorporeal step, immortal, legendary hero, longevity, mythic saving throws, pure body, recuperation, shadow blend, unstoppable; DR 20/magic; Immune disease, fear, poison Resist cold 30, electricity 30; SR 33, 35 vs arcane spells
-----OFFENSE-----
Speed 40 ft.
Melee Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer +47/+42 (1d12+20 plus 2d6 vs. chaotic), touch +22 (1d6+4)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with lucerne hammer)
Special attacks arcane metamastery, born to lead, channel power, charming falsehood, cloying gloom blast (DC 39), competent caster, divine source, enchanting presence (DC 39), mirror dodge, mythic craft, mythic power (13/day, Surge +1d12), mythic presence (DC 39), resilient arcana, resilient illusions, tangible illusion, true archmage, wild arcana
Illusionist Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +39)
At will—invisibility field (20 rounds/day)
19/day—blinding ray
Shadow Lord Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +39)
At will—ray of sickening;
3/day—shadow conjuration, shadow step;
1/day—greater shadow conjuration, shadow walk.
Illusionist Spells Prepared (CL 20th; concentration +39)
9th—astral projection, energy drain, greater shadow transmutation, icy prison (DC 38), impenetrable veil, mage’s disjunction (DC 38), prismatic sphere (DC 38), shades (2) (DC 40), wishM (DC 38)
8th—demand (DC 37), irresistible dance (DC 37), mind blank, moment of prescience, prediction of failure (DC 37), prismatic wall (DC 37), quickened greater invisibility, quickened shadow step, scintillating pattern (2)
7th—finger of deathM (DC 36), mage’s sword, permanent hallucination, prismatic sprayM (2, DC 36), project image (2, DC 38), quickened dispel magic, sequester, subjective reality, waves of exhaustion
6th—antimagic fieldM, baleful shadow transmutation (DC 37), greater dispel magic, greater illusion of treachery (DC 37), mass suggestion (DC 35), mislead (2, DC 37), programmed image (DC 37), quickened mirror image (2), shadow walk
5th—dismissal (DC 34), hold monster (DC 34), impossible angles, mirage arcana, phantasmal web (DC 36), quickened magic missileM (2), seeming (DC 36), shadow evocation (2, DC 36), wall of force
4th—ball lightning (DC 33), charm monster (DC 33), confusion (DC 33), dreadscape (DC 35), greater invisibility (2), illusory wall (DC 35), mindwipeOA (3, DC 33), shadow conjuration, horrific doubles, shadow step, enervation, heroismM
3rd—dispel magic, fireballM (DC 32), illusory script (DC 34), lightning bolt (DC 32), major image (2, DC 34), nondetection, suggestion (DC 32), vampiric touch, vision of hell (DC 34), wall of nausea (DC 34)
2nd—blur, haunting mists (DC 33), invisibilityM (3), jitterbugs (DC 33), minor image (2, DC 33), resist energy, shadow anchor, touch of idiocy (2)
1st—Dazzling Blade (DC 32), disguise self, Illusion of Calm (DC 32), magic missileM (4), ray of enfeeblement (DC 30), shield, silent image (2, DC 32), vanish
0 (at will)—arcane mark, dancing lights, prestidigitation, read magic
Thassilonian Specialization illusion; Opposition Schools conjuration, transmutation
-----STATISTICS-----
Str 24, Dex 36, Con 30, Int 48, Wis 25, Cha 48
Base Atk +10; CMB +36; CMD 59
Feats Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Deceitful, Eschew Materials, Extra Path AbilityM, Fabulous FigmentsM, Greater Spell Focus (illusion), Improved Feint, Improved InitiativeM, Iron Will, Leadership, Martial Weapon Proficiency (lucerne hammer), Mythic Spell LoreM, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell FocusM (illusion), Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +38, Bluff +63, Craft (clothing, tattoos, weapons) +40, Disguise +48, Diplomacy +69, Fly +38, Intimidate +50, Knowledge (all) +47, Perception +32, Sense Motive +32, Sleight of Hand +20, Spellcraft +47, Use Magic Device +44
Languages Aboleth, Azlanti, Draconic, Giant, Infernal, Necril, Shoanti, Thassilonian, Varisian
SQ arcane bond (Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer), exceptional statistics, extended illusions (10 rounds), hidden enchantment, inspiring example, knowledge is power, permanent spells, planar thinning, shadow gear, stirring speech, taken to the grave, undetectable nature, undetectable thoughts
Shadow Gear Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer (currently contains touch of idiocy), amulet of natural armor +5, authoritative metamagic rod, belt of Physical Perfection +6, bracers of armor +10, crystal ball, dusty rose prism ioun stone, greater persistent metamagic rod, handy haversack, headband of mental superiority +6, mantle of the peacock lord, pale green prism ioun stone, ring of freedom of movement, ring of wizardry IV, Sihedron Tome, 15k of Diamond Dust for Wish spell
-----SPECIAL ABILITIES-----

Born to Lead (Ex) So long as a free-willed follower of the suzerain is within sight and capable of witnessing its actions, the suzerain has a +4 morale bonus to AC, attacks, damage rolls, checks, and saves. Mounts, familiars, animal companions, and trained animals do not count as free-willed creatures for the purpose of this bonus, but cohorts and followers the suzerain has gained via the Leadership feat do. These bonuses are integrated into Xanderghul’s stats already.

Additionally, if the suzerain has any teamwork feats, it can grant a number of followers and cohorts gained from its Leadership feat equal to its leadership score the use of any one of its teamwork feats once a day as a free action for a number of rounds equal to its Charisma modifier (minimum +1).

Charming Falsehood (Su) Once per day, an inveigler can tell a lie so convincing that it enchants a single creature that hears it. The inveigler need not be able to see the target of its lie or have line of effect to it, but if the target cannot hear the lie, this use of the ability is wasted. The lie must be one that would cause the target to view the inveigler as a trusted friend or that would make it likely to follow the inveigler’s orders, but it can be as outlandish as the inveigler wishes. If the target hears the lie, it must attempt a Sense Motive check opposed by the inveigler’s Bluff check. A creature that fails this check by less than 5 is affected as though by the charm monster spell (caster level equals inveigler’s character level). Failure by 5 or more means the inveigler has dominated the target as though using the dominate monster spell (caster level equals inveigler’s character level). Charming falsehood is a sonic, mind-affecting charm effect.

Cloying Gloom Blast (Su) Three times per day, the shadow lord can unleash a 30-foot cone of cloying gloom. On a failed Fortitude saving throw, creatures in the cone are affected by a slow spell (caster level equal to the shadow lord’s Hit Dice) and are blinded for the duration of the slow effect.

Dauntless Courage (Ex) A suzerain is immune to fear. In addition, any allies within 30 feet that view the suzerain as their leader are immune to fear effects.

Divine Source (Su) Xanderghul can grant divine spells. This does not require any specific action on his behalf. He grants access to the domains of Evil, Law, and Trickery and to the subdomains of Deception and Tyranny. His symbol is a peacock feather with an eye inside, and his favored weapon is the lucerne hammer.

Enchanting Presence (Su) The first time a creature comes within 30 feet of the suzerain, its attitude toward the suzerain shifts one category toward the positive, if it was not initially hostile (Will save negates). This shift can be further modified by the suzerain’s actions, or it might change over time naturally. The creature must be able to see, hear, or otherwise notice the suzerain to be affected. This is a mind-affecting enchantment effect. The save is Charisma-based.

Enshrined (Ex) As long as the Peacock Shrine in area O3 remains active, if Xanderghul is slain, his body and shadow gear vanish, only to be restored in area O3 after 1 minute. Being restored in this manner otherwise functions as true resurrection. If Xanderghul is slain while this Peacock Shrine is inactive, he dies normally and his shadow gear dissipates into nothing.

Exceptional Statistics (Ex) Xanderghul’s ability scores were generated using a 25-point buy, and he has a +5 inherent bonus to all six ability scores. This increases his final CR to 17. Permanent Spells (Sp) Xanderghul has these permanent spells: arcane sight, see invisibility, and tongues.

Hidden Enchantment (Su) When the inveigler uses any effect or spell that mimics charm monster, dominate monster, or any similar effect, spells such as detect magic cannot detect the effect. Furthermore, any Sense Motive check made to determine the influence over the target takes a –15 penalty. True seeing and other magic that reveals magical effects or determines the truth of the situation work normally.

Incorporeal Step (Su) When a shadow lord moves, it gains the incorporeal subtype and quality, including a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma bonus. It loses the incorporeal subtype and special ability when it stops moving.

Inspiring Example (Ex) Each ally within 60 feet of the suzerain that can see or hear it gains a morale bonus equal to the suzerain’s Charisma modifier on all attack and damage rolls, checks, and saves so long as the suzerain is alive or not destroyed.

Mythic Contingencies (Sp) When Xanderghul shouts “know your place!” in Thassilonian (a free action), the following spells activate on him with maximum possible mythic augmentation: Globe of Invulnerability, Heroism, Shield, and Horrific Doubles. When Xanderghul shouts “face me!”, it activates a mythic antimagic field which does not suppress illusion spells. When Xanderghul shouts “enough!”, a prismatic sphere activates centered on him.

Planar Thinning (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, a shadow lord can thin the barriers between the Material Plane and Shadow Plane, making it considerably easier for creatures to cross between the two. This functions like the planar travel aspect of the gate spell (caster level equal to the shadow lord’s Hit Dice). This planar thinning is immediately dispelled if in an area of normal or bright light.

Shadow Gear (Su) Xanderghul carries shadowy duplicates of his favorite possessions, including a Sihedron Tome. These items function normally in all ways, save that if Xanderghul is killed, the items vanish along with his body. The Sihedron Tome functions as Xanderghul’s spellbook, and it contains all of his prepared spells as well as all sorcerer/ wizard spells (save those of the schools of conjuration and transmutation) from the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (at your discretion, it might contain more spells than these). The Sihedron Tome allows Xanderghul to prepare additional spells as if his Intelligence score were 6 points higher.

Stirring Speech (Su) As a standard action, a suzerain creature can inspire greatness (as the bard ability) in its allies within 30 ft. a number of times per day equal to its Charisma bonus.

Taken to the Grave (Su) When speak with dead is used on the corpse or head of an inveigler, it tells nothing but lies. Only a wish or miracle spell used to mimic speak with dead can pry the truth from the dead body of an inveigler.

Truth Be Told (Su) Magic used to determine whether an inveigler is telling the truth reveals its lies only if the inveigler would wish its words to be construed as a lie. This ability affects even spells such as detect lie, zone of truth, and more powerful spells such as wish or miracle. Other creatures that are asked about the truth of what an inveigler says can represent the truth normally, so spells such as commune can allow characters to discover the truth, provided the creatures interviewed are privy to that truth.

Undetectable Nature (Su) Magical effects used to determine an inveigler’s alignment or true form automatically reveal it to be the same as that of the creature doing the detecting. If the inveigler is aware of the attempt, it can cause the magic to reveal any alignment it chooses. This ability also protects the inveigler from spells that detect only certain alignment components, such as detect evil. It defeats even true seeing, but a wish or miracle spell used to learn about the inveigler (even by mimicking a lesser spell) reveals the truth. .

Undetectable Thoughts (Su) Whenever a creature attempts to detect the inveigler’s thoughts (with a detect thoughts spell, for example), the inveigler is immediately aware of the attempt and can cause the effect to reveal any thoughts it chooses. A wish or miracle spell used to mimic detect thoughts or a similar effect reveals the inveigler’s true thoughts.

MANTLE OF THE PEACOCK LORD
Aura overwhelming abjuration and illusion; CL 20th
Slot shoulders; Weight 5 lbs.
-----DESCRIPTION-----
Xanderghul’s infamous feather-decorated mantle has long defined the Runelord’s image, it’s vibrant feathers and immaculately-woven fabrics acting as the centerpiece of the legendary wizard’s striking silhouette. Of course, even the Runelord of Pride wouldn’t decorate himself with such a garment were it not also phenomenally potent. The Mantle of the Peacock Lord provides a +5 resistance bonus on all saving throws and constantly affects the wearer with a displacement spell. In addition, illusions created by the mantle or its wearer are not bypassed by True Seeing or similar effects. Finally, any effects that the wearer creates through Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, or similar spells are considered 20% more real (to a maximum of 100% real).
-----DESTRUCTION-----
To destroy the Mantle of the Peacock Lord, one must wind the mantle around the loins of an inverted giant who knows Xanderghul’s most ancient and horrible secret. At this point, the mantle crumbles into dust and its feathers scatter to the winds.

Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer
Aura overwhelming illusion [evil]; CL 20th
Slot none; Weight 18 lbs.
-----CONSTRUCTION-----
Alignment LE; Ego 28
Senses 120 ft. blindsense, darkvision, hearing
Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 20
Communication read languages, read magic, speech, telepathy
Languages Thassilonian
Speed fly 30 ft. (good)
Lesser Powers dispel magic (3/day), modify memory (3/day)
Special Purpose defend Xanderghul and those who serve him; Dedicated Power true strike (targets wielder, constant)
-----DESCRIPTION-----
Soon after the founding of Thassilon, the ancient emperor Xin crafted the Alara’quin, seven icons symbolizing the runelords’ mastery of rune magic and dominance over their respective domains. Xanderghul, too egotistical to utilize a weapon given to him by others, made numerous modifications to his weapon to improve it. This +5 Axiomatic Ghost Touch Heartseeker Spell Storing Lucerne Hammer is made from a strange alloy of starmetals that enables it to overcome all forms of damage reduction and utilize its Heartseeker Property even on creatures that lack hearts.
The weapon was originally created to uphold the prestige of its wielder and their actions, with Xin believing that a leader must always be a figure that followers can look up to. In the hands of a dignified and refined wielder (criteria which have been warped to include only Xanderghul), the weapon will embolden its wielder with assurances of their poise and worthiness, pointing out potential vulnerabilities in their reputation and offering guidance on how to safeguard against humiliation or insults. In the hands of anyone else, the weapon will constantly nettle and mock the wielder for all of their weaknesses and imperfections, constantly informing the wielder of how little their companions think of them.
-----DESTRUCTION-----
Xanderghul’s Flawless Hammer can be destroyed by hurling it into a star while it is encased within a Prismatic Sphere.

So I've been reading through a bunch of older adventure paths in preparation for running Return of the Runelords and I've stumbled upon a rather large inconsistency with the writing of Thassilon-based adventures. Namely, Xin's original seven virtues vary from book to book.

The star itself is known as the “Sihedron Rune,” and signifies not only the seven virtues of rule (generally agreed among scholars to have been wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest), but also the seven schools of magic recognized by Thassilon (divination magic, Brodert points out, was not held in high regard by the ancients). Brodert notes with a smirk that much of what is understood about Thassilon indicates its leaders were far from virtuous, and he believes the classic mortal sins (greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth) rose from corruptions of the Thassilonian virtues of rule.

This is supported by the description of Krune's weapon later on.

Krune’s dragon-tooth spear has insightful patience granted to it by its imperial creator. Meant to embody all that is right and virtuous about inaction, the weapon is primarily concerned with providing for the comforts of its rightful wielder.

However, Shattered Star and other books seem to have a very different set of Virtues

The runelords took Xin’s seven virtues of rule—charity, generosity, humility, kindness, love, temperance, and zeal—and corrupted them into the rewards of rule, now known as the seven great sins of the soul—envy, greed, pride, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

At 1st level, a runeguard can master a secret method of using one of the seven runes of Rune magic in a beneficial way to aid himself or others. He must choose one of the seven virtues when he gains this ability, but can choose another at 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th levels; by 9th level, he has mastered all seven of the secrets of virtuous runes. A runeguard can use any of the virtuous runes that he has mastered in any combination per day, but no more times per day than his runeguard level overall. Using a virtuous rune is a standard action (unless otherwise indicated in the text) and provokes an attack of opportunity.

Charity...
Kindness...
Generosity...
Humility...
Love...
Temperance...
Zeal...

What happened with this inconsistency? Why have the seven virtues gone from moderated versions of the seven sins to complete inversions of them? Moreover, which set should we use for Return of the Runelords?

In all seriousness, the whole concept of the Sorcerer having to re-learn spells at higher levels at all is an unnecessary complication that prevents the class from keeping up with its prepared brethren.

The implementation of the feat that auto-heightens specific spells just puts the sorcerer back where it was: short on feats and still not able to match up to prepared casters. Heightening should be free for ALL casters for ALL spells, because having to take the same spell multiple times isn't fun for anyone.

I'm not sure where the misinterpretation came from, but making retributive strike an exclusive ability for LG paladins was the exact opposite of what playtesters like myself thought would be good for the game.

To clarify, I was one of the folks who wanted Paladins to be open to any alignment rather than just being Lawful Good, with my reasoning being that the ability to protect your allies and punish those who target them is something that every kind of force would want on their side and that possesses no intrinsic ties to Lawfulness or Goodness.

Beyond not making sense, this also creates a bit of a balance problem. Non-good parties have an inherent disadvantage in their defensive options, and I really don't think that defensive characters should be restricted based on fragile moral grounds.

You want Lawful Good Paladins to have some unique abilities? Give them Archon-themed magical abilities and holy auras and whatnot. The game shouldn't be imposing alignment restrictions on martial arts tactics

I want to talk about something that came up a LOT during my playtest, that being the way resonance cost for consumables slowed down our game and ruined a character concept for one of our players.

Quentin the Alchemist tailored himself as a traveling medicine man. His skills were dedicated to Medicine and Nature, and he was always willing to step in and administer a healing potion if a party member was struggling. As the party didn't have a cleric or paladin, we assumed that Quentin could fill the role of a support character. This went wrong in several ways.

1. Limited resonance strongly discouraged people from grabbing any sort of buff. There were lines about “I can’t accept that eagle eye potion, I might need to get healed later” during our game.

2. No fewer than eight healing potions were consumed with no effect due to lack of resonance points, and this forced the party tank to sit out the final encounter because they had no way to go above 1 health without leaving the dungeon to rest up.

3. The alchemist didn’t have enough resonance to both create a decent number of items and use them himself. Most often, Quentin only had one or two resonance points left after preparing in the morning.

4. When we had to go back to the town to rest (a direct consequence of several failed healing potions), Quentin proceeded to spend the downtime blowing all of his resonance on healing potions so the party members wouldn’t be one hit away from death when we went back down. Imagine our frustration when only 5 of the 10 crafted potions worked.

In short, putting a resonance cost on potions and elixirs bogs down adventuring and forces parties to have at least one cleric in order to have any semblance of sustainability. Parties (especially low-level ones with alchemists) go through a lot of alchemical items over the course of an adventuring day, far more than the resonance system allows for. The solution for this problem is simple: make it so that consumables no longer cost resonance. Elsewise, every low-level Alchemist is shoehorned into a bomber build and any cleric-less party can’t last longer than 2 encounters without having to rest. Neither of these consequences are desirable for a game.

Hello, everyone.

After a whole lot of bouncing around between publishers, I am proud to announce that the Martial Maneuver Expansion Codex of Blood (a continuation of Dreamscarred Press' Path of War series) is returning under Lost Spheres Publishing, now even more expansive than before.

Link to the Playtest Document Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ve-d_lqkQ7GPVbbPCX3yL0NG1Xpz0GYwPRYW-0q 8jag/edit

The Martial Maneuver system from Path of War has been a noteworthy reinterpretation of martial combat ever since it was introduced, and Codex of Blood is intended to expand upon it even further. Enclosed within are numerous options for over a dozen iconic classes which previously lacked initiator options, as well as a new initiator class. What's more, this book contains numerous feats and monsters options as well as three new disciplines which can be utilized by maneuver users of all stripes.

As always, input is appreciated.

Hello, everyone.

After a whole lot of bouncing around between publishers, I am proud to announce that the Martial Maneuver Expansion Codex of Blood is returning under Lost Spheres Publishing, now even more expansive than before.

Link to the Playtest Document Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ve-d_lqkQ7GPVbbPCX3yL0NG1Xpz0GYwPRYW-0q 8jag/edit

The Martial Maneuver system from Path of War has been a noteworthy reinterpretation of martial combat ever since it was introduced, and Codex of Blood is intended to expand upon it even further. Enclosed within are numerous options for over a dozen iconic classes which previously lacked initiator options, as well as a new initiator class. What's more, this book contains numerous feats and monsters options as well as three new disciplines which can be utilized by maneuver users of all stripes.

As always, input is appreciated.

I've compiled the following class feats from across the playtest. It is my view that they should be opened to all classes (becoming either skill feats, general feats, or some sort of new category which can be selected as class feats regardless of class) for one of or several of the following reasons:

1. Flavor-wise, there is no reason why the class should have a monopoly on this ability/why other classes shouldn't be able to utilize this technique.
2. I feel the ability is polarizing enough that a sizeable number of characters will be multiclassing/playing this class just to grab it.
3. Every single class that could make use of the feat gets it, and the ability should be reclassified as a general feat in order to save space and avoid potential issues in the future (for example, forgetting to give a future spellcasting class Steady Spellcasting).

If two or more classes get a certain ability, I've listed it under the first class alphabetically to get it.

Barbarian
Sweep
Cleave
Great Cleave
Knockback
Awesome Blow
Whirlwind Strike

Bard
Cantrip Expansion
Steady Spellcasting
Additional Heightening

Cleric
Reach Spell

Druid
Widen Spell
Savage Slice

Fighter
Double Slice
Power Attack
Dueling Parry
Double Shot
Swipe
Exotic Weapon Training
Triple Shot
Blind-Fight

Monk
Crushing Grab
Guarded Stride

Ranger
Quick Draw
Crossbow Ace
Running Reload

Rogue
Finesse Striker (as a feat or just a part of the Finesse quality)
You’re Next
Mobility
Poison Weapon
Improved Poison Weapon
Sneak Savant
Fantastic Leap
Sense the Unseen
Blank Slate
Cognitive Loophole
Perfect Distraction
Implausible Infiltration

Sorcerer
Counterspell
Dangerous Sorcery
Conceal Spell
Magical Striker
Overwhelming Spell
Quickened Casting
Effortless Concentration
Magic Sense

Wizard
Eschew Materials
Spell Penetration
Makeshift Wand

I am aware that this list includes a sizeable quantity of the fighter and rogue's class feats, and I think that the best way to fill the gap these would leave would be to expand the stance system or to create more abilities which play to the classes' unique abilities (more attack of opportunity options and stances for fighters, for example).

I happen to really like multiclass feats as a concept, and I think that they will enable more dynamic character creation for players whose abilities don’t fit a specific role. What I don’t understand is why they require a certain number of dedication feats before you are alloweed to take another.

I know that the multiclass feats that we’ve seen are rather powerful, but at the same time I don’t envision problems arising if players want to dabble among them freely. If some bard wants to grab some basic arcane as well as divine casting with a smidge of fighter ability on the side, I as a GM see no problems with allowing such dipping (players did it all the time in 1e, and now it’s possible to pull it off without gimping yourself).

What’s more, I think the dedication feats should grant class-specific abilities rather than just accelerating a character’s progression towards certain skills or proficiencies. Fighter Dedication in my opinion should be geared towards opening access to Fighter-specific tactics, maybe granting the character Attack of Opportunity and Expert proficiency in any weapons they are trained with (exotic weapons should not require martial weapon proficiency, while I’m talking about this). Rogue Dedication, on the other hand, should grant Surprise Attack and Deny Advantage, two abilities that anyone who wants to get down and dirty would benefit from.

Multiclassing shouldn’t be about grabbing extra skills and proficiencies, because for those things we have feats. The wizard and cleric multiclass feats executed the premise of dabbling in cross-class abilities quite well, and the same treatment should be given to martials.

So I played a fighter in the Gen Con playtest this year, and I have a few suggestions for gameplay improvements. as a result of my experience.

First, something needs to be done about diagonal movement. Discussion over how it worked ended up slowing down the game far more than it should have. I would simplify the "1.5 squares every other square" rule to "for any movement during which you move diagonally, treat your movement speed as 5 feet slower."

Second, the wording on the grabbed condition seems needlessly complicated, and it forced us to stop and look up what exactly it forces a check on. For clarity, I would suggest putting a table somewhere that lists common manipulate actions and activities. An increase in the flat DC would be handy as well (6 seems appropriate, with a 25% chance of failure being fair for those who are committing themselves to a grapple).

The third thing is minor but could use clarification: is it intentional that the break grapple action is affected by Armor Check Penalty? I could understand why mechanically and reasonably, but I want to be certain.

A fourth thing may be viewed as a tad powerful, but I think it would make sense for the flat-footed condition to impose a -2 penalty on saves in addition to the penalty on AC. Unsuspecting foes would logically be more vulnerable to mental effects and explosives, and mechanically I think there should be some incentive to grappling an opponent before shoving or tripping them (or, if the players feel particularly frisky, holding them while a fireball goes off on top of them).

Finally, I enjoyed playing a 2e fighter a great deal, and felt that I had a lot of functional options to work with (more than I ever did playning a 1e one).

Hello everyone. I'm here to reveal the latest playtest that we at TPK Games are working on.

Pathfinder and Starfinder are different games, undoubtably, but a lot can be said for combining them. Maybe you want to take to the stars with your favorite artifacts at your side. Maybe you want to see what a technomancer would feel like in a more classical fantasy world. Maybe you want to try out a lot of Starfinder's content without switching over to the new rules or a lot of Pathfinder's content without reverting to the old ones.

Regardless, we have something for you in Arcforge: New Age of Legends.

Contained within are comprehensive rules for fully integrating Pathfinder and Starfinder content, enabling you to use most anything from one game in the other. We've also got new options for most of the Starfinder classes and rules for how Arcforge: Technology Expanded's Helmsman class operates in starship combat.

I hope you folks all enjoy this piece. We've worked hard to put it together. As always, input is appreciated.

Hello there. I've looked intensely over most everything that has been released so far for Starfinder, and something I've found no trace of whatsoever is a ruleset for putting Starfinder stuff in Pathfinder.

Are there plans for this? Will I be able to use the old full attack and AoO rules alongside the new crazy equipment coming along? Can I get rules for brandishing an electrified laser chainsaw as a more typical fantasy setting? Will I be able to play a soldier, operative, or technomancer in the old world of pathfinder (maybe I want my technic league to be ludicrously competent in an Iron Gods game, or something like that)?

I would love to see stuff like this implemented, and I am curious as to whether any plans presently exist for such concepts.

Many of us have read and enjoyed the mad creatures that lurk in Bestiary 6, the epic demigods and nightmares which only the toughest of the toughest heroes can face down. The thing is, Golarion has a lot of exclusive entities of such caliber that have yet to be statted. Some of them include Orgresh, Mhar, the sixth Qlippoth Lord, the remaining Spawn of Rovagug mentioned in Legacy of Fire, and the followers of other Outer Gods mentioned in Strange Aeons.

I feel this may be enough content to release some sort of Inner Sea Abominations book, cataloging the most powerful unique monsters of the setting just as Bestiary 6 did. What say you guys on this?

Hi there. I'm a guy who likes writing adventures and I have a few questions pertaining to some specific monsters.

As soon as I got my hands on Strange Aeons part six, I fell in love with the concepts of Cassilda and the Pallid Mask. As I am writing an adventure where both would fit perfectly, I was wondering if I am allowed to use them under the rules of the OGL, and what I should call them if they are permitted.

The same question goes for the Avatar of Ydersius (a wholly different campaign, but nonetheless). Would I be allowed to write the creature into the official adventure, and what should I call it?

I got hand-me-down copies of the original CotCT adventure path from a friend of mine a while back, and while I have read through some of it I have yet to run the campaign. There are a few things I would like to ask about regarding the anniversary edition, especially in regards to some of the odd monsters.

Do the Havero and Akachek still have stats in the new book? It would be great to see them somehow updated for Pathfinder.

Do the new additions add anything interesting to the adventure that I would miss out on by running the original 3.5 adventure path?

Likewise, is there anything that you would advise I keep from the original adventure path that didn't make it into the updated version?

Finally, are there any new player or monster options in the book that I should be aware of? I always like to have new feats, templates, and other abilities on hand, and I was wondering if CotCT has as many as the RotRL anniversary edition (which I am currently running and absolutely love) did.

Thanks for your help

Okay, so I'm doing an open-world Golarion adventure and this question came up from talking to one of my players. He is much more familiar with the lore than me (he's a big fan of the chronicles books) and he asked me which of the Runelords are still up and kicking at this point in time.

This got me thinking, where and how have all of the Runelords been killed off or prevented from awakening? I can recall a few events but elsewise am unsure, and I would love for you guys to help me out in compiling a list.

Greed-defeated in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path
Gluttony-allegedly defeated in the Pathfiner Chronicles books, according to my friend
Lust-defeated in Seven Swords of Sin
Sloth-defeated in Pathfinder Society 42
Pride-???
Envy-???
Wrath-???

If somebody could help fill in these gaps for me, I would certainly be grateful.

Shadowrun was mentioned in the syllabus, and technology is obviously a big part of starfinder, so...

Will these be systems in starfinder? Will players be able to pull off techno-shenanigans in the same way as they do in shadowrun (but maybe simplified a bit)? What will statistics be for computers, and will we be able to tinker with them using magic?

I personally hope that this becomes a system. Cybersecurity is part of any major technological society and should logically be a part here. I envision hacking will be streamlined (maybe as a skill), but I would not be surprised if paizo or some third party gave it a whirl.

Because space fantasy can get just as insanely high-powered as regular fantasy, can't it?

Look at Dune, Star Wars EU, and Gurren Lagaan, and you will notice that there are plenty of examples of cosmic-level power being utilized in a space fantasy game. I for one would love to see that kind of insanity implemented in Starfinder, at least as a part of the universe.

Imagine characters with the capacity to destroy planets or alter the course of galaxies. Think of outer entities that combine technology and magic to exercise obscene powers over a large swath of the universe. These are all things that I definitely want to see at some point in the game.

In particular, it would be great to have mythic power not expressly tied to magic. Let's see some people become mythic through some awesome technology as well.

So I've been looking over the Ultimate Campaign Kingdom-Building rules again, and I find that there is a lot to like. The system works great for creating a settlement, and I want to know if it is going to return for Starfinder.

With players exploring new planets, the process of creating new intergalactic states will most certainly come up in many games. I imagine that civic innovations will have occurred alongside technological ones, so the rules from Ultimate Campaign will most likely have to be expanded.

Can we see rules for republics or direct democratic states? How about for socialist or even communist nations? Will there be rules for states having colonies or smaller, dependent states in the style of the Ottoman Empire? Will there be larger networks of trade in place that can be orchestrated between nations? What about anarchic settlements with no leaders or governments whatsoever?

Or, to push things further, will one be able to stat out large corporations in a manner similar to nations? I imagine that if groups like Dune's Federation exist in this universe, people will want some concrete numbers for interacting with them.

If all of these seem too crazy for main rules, might I advise some sort of sourcebook dedicated to galactic economics? I envision some statecraft-heavy campaigns could benefit from systems like those listed.

This query has sort of hounded me ever since I discovered class based on technology and magic would exist in starfinder. What is generally expected to happen should such individuals attempt to go toe to toe with a pathfinder druid?

For reference, I'm curious about three scenarios:
1. 8th-level druid and an 8th-level technomancer square off in a fight with no time to prepare.
2. A 20th-level druid and a 20th-level technomancer square off in a fight, both with intent to destroy the other.
3. A 20th-level druid and a 20th-level technomancer are on opposite sides of the planet and have a lot of time to study up and prepare before the conflict.

Is the technomancer going to be strong or versatile enough to deal with a foe who is harnessing the power of the gods to contain technological advancement, or does it fall sort in terms of capabilities when trying to foil something as strong as a Tier 1 caster?

Hello everyone

On the 27th of August, Geek Kon Madison will be hosting a Pathfinder event from 6:00 to 11:00 pm. However, several of the GMs who were initially going to run the event have since declared themselves unavailable, leaving us with three empty tables that require game masters.

The adventure itself is a dungeon crawl one-shot, with about 4-7 players expected at each table. GMs should have at least a moderate degree of familiarity with Pathfinder. Any who are willing to help have my most sincere gratitude.

Thank You

So I was just looking through Shattered Star recently when it occurred to me that we still have six more runelords to deal with. This got me thinking, is it possible that at least one of them went to space to escape Earthfall?

My bet is on Krune, personally, given his lack of sentimental attachments to Golarion as well as his specialty of Conjuration Magic. I could totally see him teleporting off to some other planet and living out eternity in the vacuum of space where nobody could disturb him.

Nonetheless, I think that some sort of Thassilonian society that fled to the stars and has been waiting around for some challenge would be a neat addition to this setting. Imagine having one guy who's still a top-of-the-line wizard in an era where magic has mostly been neglected. The premise is an adventure path just waiting to happen.

I have been trying for the last few days to purchase Bestiary 5, but for some reason a computer error keeps deterring me.

Every time I attempt to confirm my order, I am shunted back to the payment section despite having filled out everything properly. No message has ever come up about my card being invalid or anything along those lines, I am simply rebounded from the download every time I attempt to confirm it. I would like to know what is going on here, and how it could be fixed.

Salutations all of ye.

For those of you who enjoy pathfinder and dangerous dungeons, I have good news for ye. In two weeks I will be playtesting a very special adventure with a style based upon 5e's popular Lair of the Dracolich adventure. Up to six parties will be traversing the dungeon at once, working together to complete their goal. What lies in the way is a series of brutal encounters, with a high fatality rate to be expected.

I expect any who attempt this challenge to bring their A-game in creativity, system mastery, and of course tactical mastery. The link to the adventure is here: https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/2654094/playtest-nightmare-barrage-a-dung eon-that-will-test-your-limits

Best of luck to all of ye.