Katina Davis Webstore Coordinator |
Psiphyre |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
No words to describe how awesome the cover is!
Yet I'm surprised we didn't get a cover featuring Geb, the Whispering Tyrant or others of the most iconic undead NPCs.
Hmm...
Isn't that Geb sitting on the throne on the cover though??
(At least, that's who I thought it was...)
Carry on, I guess...
--C.
<shrug>
RiverMesa |
5 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'd chalk it up to Wayne Reynolds's idiosyncratic art style, but there's enough context clues in the picture as a whole (the fact he's all ghostly, the Egyptian-style architecture - Geb was Osirioni after all -, and some of the undead looking similar to those in that one Geb picture in LOWG) for me to think it's him.
Psiphyre |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
vagrant-poet wrote:It's definitely Geb.Unless he's wearing some kind of mask, that's a completely different look from how he was depicted in Legends and on other products.
Eh, I dunno.
Looking at his profile pic here, there's enough similarity (he's just cleaned up a bit since Arazni is no longer around to rule the nation he named after himself...), as well as context (look at all the ectoplasm slithering off of him!), to guess that that is who is centered on the cover.
Also, it was mentioned by developers--during Paizocon?--that the nation of Geb would get some spotlight in this book (the Grave Lands, too, but that is certainly not Tar Baphon on the cover, so...)
But if you feel differently, that's fine, too. : )
We'll know more once Paizo staff/the developer(s) are ready to say more. <shrug>
Carry on,
--C.
Paradozen |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
I think some concept sketches for book of the dead back when it was first announced showed Geb in a similar manner. And I think an aesthetic change makes sense too. He has to actively rule for the first time in centuries and has a chance to finish his business with Nex once and for all, so the change may involve a shift in his role from brooding and reclusive to active leader and a shift in attitude trying to connect to his old traditions and power as he thinks of revenge buried in the past. He looks more tired, more severe, and more concerned with ceremony than the older artwork. I think it's an appropriate change.
Ezekieru |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I think some concept sketches for book of the dead back when it was first announced showed Geb in a similar manner. And I think an aesthetic change makes sense too. He has to actively rule for the first time in centuries and has a chance to finish his business with Nex once and for all, so the change may involve a shift in his role from brooding and reclusive to active leader and a shift in attitude trying to connect to his old traditions and power as he thinks of revenge buried in the past. He looks more tired, more severe, and more concerned with ceremony than the older artwork. I think it's an appropriate change.
Yeah, I remember the concept art shown during the PaizoCon keynote and the Q&A sections, and Geb did look like that in the cover. So it's most likely Geb.
Ezekieru |
5 people marked this as a favorite. |
this is probably not the final cover. we didn't see GaG's cover until paizocon, about 4 months before its release. Using that same timeframe we'll probably see the final cover for this around november. cool mock-up though.
But Secrets of Magic's temp cover was basically the same as the final cover, minus the new border and text. Since this was drawn up by Wayne Reynolds, I'm going to err on the side of this being close to done, maybe with another new fancy border.
Ly'ualdre |
Interesting. An adventure about fight Undead instead of being them? Darn. Granted, still an adventure I didn't expect to receive here! So it's a plus.
This page answers a question I hadn't been able to ask during PaizoCon, being which book set this would fall under. I figured it would be a Rulebook, which I'm glad it is, because it still leaves room for a potential LO: Eye of Dread book. Although, I suppose that was likely to still happen regardless, since not every nation is haunted by Undead in that region.
Gisher |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I like the mural/painting behind the Throne where Urgathoa seems to grant power/knowledge to Geb, if that is Geb sitting on the Throne.
Or possibly being "Ain't no rest for the Wicked, have fun being Ghost"Also like the Mummy carrying undead cat.
Undead familiars sound fun. My first thought was that this cat might be the 2E version of a Migrus.
Ly'ualdre |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
I like the mural/painting behind the Throne where Urgathoa seems to grant power/knowledge to Geb, if that is Geb sitting on the Throne.
Or possibly being "Ain't no rest for the Wicked, have fun being Ghost"Also like the Mummy carrying undead cat.
Fairly certain that the ghostly figure sitting in the chair is in-fact Geb. This art does look different from some of his previous depictions; but his identity is certainly solidified, if by nothing else, by the ankh shaped hieroglyph situated at the crown of the throne, which represents the nation of Geb.
I too found the wall art incredibly interesting, as I don't recall it ever being implied that the Pallid Princess had any correlation to the rise Geb and his nation.
I actually hadn't considered that the incredibly tall woman with that cat may be a mummy. Would make sense, given the scarab on her outfit, representing Osirion. But, she actually struck me more as a lich than a mummy, primarily due to the distinct lack of wrappings. Liches aren't unknown in Osirion, but are certainly less common than say a mummy pharoah. But who knows. We are getting variant types of undead, or at least variant types of liches; such as the one Jason mentioned at PaizoCon that affixes and replaces its body parts with magic items. Perhaps we will see one that is more closely related to mummies and maybe store their origans in canopic jars, which function as their phylactery. Side note: the cat, though not exclusive to them, also made me think that she may be a witch; a rarity among liches.
There are a lot of neat details that stand out to me in the cover and I love it. The possible graveknight on the right. The zombie or gurgeist above them, whose engorged appearances reminds me of Bloatmages and Blood Magic (unlikely, I know, as the practice is mostly confined to Varisia). The seeming difference in social status between the two ghouls (ghasts?). The apparent difference in the intellect of the three skeletons, with the one on the left having lights in its eyes, which may indicate sentience compared to the other two. And, what I'm choosing to believe is possibly a Herecite of Zon-Kuthon holding the head as an offering. Not sure what else they could be, as they don't appear to bare the long ears of the ghouls, and the piercings on their back makes me think of the Midnight Lord.
Anyways, simply cannot wait for this book. I hope we get some more spoilers somewhere between now and its release.
Ashanderai |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
I was thinking that the undead holding the platter was a nosferatu. Also, it might be unlikely, but I'd like to think the head is that of a newly-made dullahan being offered up to Geb so that it might be added as a new commanding officer for his undead army.
Wayne Reynolds Contributing Artist |
Valantrix1 |
10 people marked this as a favorite. |
Routamaa wrote:I like the mural/painting behind the Throne where Urgathoa seems to grant power/knowledge to Geb, if that is Geb sitting on the Throne.
Or possibly being "Ain't no rest for the Wicked, have fun being Ghost"Also like the Mummy carrying undead cat.
Fairly certain that the ghostly figure sitting in the chair is in-fact Geb. This art does look different from some of his previous depictions; but his identity is certainly solidified, if by nothing else, by the ankh shaped hieroglyph situated at the crown of the throne, which represents the nation of Geb.
I too found the wall art incredibly interesting, as I don't recall it ever being implied that the Pallid Princess had any correlation to the rise Geb and his nation.
I actually hadn't considered that the incredibly tall woman with that cat may be a mummy. Would make sense, given the scarab on her outfit, representing Osirion. But, she actually struck me more as a lich than a mummy, primarily due to the distinct lack of wrappings. Liches aren't unknown in Osirion, but are certainly less common than say a mummy pharoah. But who knows. We are getting variant types of undead, or at least variant types of liches; such as the one Jason mentioned at PaizoCon that affixes and replaces its body parts with magic items. Perhaps we will see one that is more closely related to mummies and maybe store their origans in canopic jars, which function as their phylactery. Side note: the cat, though not exclusive to them, also made me think that she may be a witch; a rarity among liches.
There are a lot of neat details that stand out to me in the cover and I love it. The possible graveknight on the right. The zombie or gurgeist above them, whose engorged appearances reminds me of Bloatmages and Blood Magic (unlikely, I know, as the practice is mostly confined to Varisia). The seeming difference in social status between the two ghouls (ghasts?). The apparent difference in the intellect of the three skeletons, with the one on the left...
Being one of the few blind players on the boards, I really appreciate this in depth analysis of the cover. It lets me "see" it through your description. Thanks!