Pop Creature - Geth Individual (PC Race)

A geth platform from Mass Effect.

Back in December, when the Encounter Table was first getting its footing we did an article detailing the geth from Mass Effect as a Pathfinder monster. With Paizo's Iron Gods Adventure Path starting up in just a few short weeks, I thought it would be good to revisit the geth and present the other side of their proverbial coin: the individual.

In Mass Effect lore, the geth are a collective consciousness of millions upon millions of sentient programs downloaded into mobile "platforms", or bodies, which they use to interact with biological species. Mass Effect 2 introduced a unique geth named Legion who could exist apart from the geth collective and retain his higher cognitive functions, an "individual" even though he was comprised of a staggering amount of software cooperating as a whole. In Pathfinder, we're presenting the geth individual as a geth without the unique geth subtype, thereby depriving geth players of a dependency on their hive mind networking. While the geth are a powerful PC race (the construct type affords a plethora of immunities) they represent a fun and unique thematic opportunity to explore with a willing GM.

Maybe your geth in Iron Gods could be a stow-away from the now crashed Silver Mount, awakening in a scrap heap in Numeria without memory of where it came from and needing to become an adventurer to uncover the truth about their origins. Let us know how you use geth individuals in your campaign in the comments section, or check us out on Facebook!

Fiction - Tyranny of the Stars, Part VIII: Fext

Tyranny of the Stars by Robert Brookes.

July continues to be a busy month for me as new opportunities come in and old projects reach their conclusion. This, as always, results in less updates here at the Encounter Table. I've been working closely with Raging Swan Press in the development of their Demiplanes product line, so I highly recommend you keep an eye out for The Frozen Cage when it comes out in September. Additionally I'm working on a project with Amber E. Scott that I can't wait to talk about more in depth. There'll be more on that as it becomes available for discussion!

This week the Encounter Table's serialized fiction, Tyranny of the Stars continues with Part VIII and delves below the city of Alkenstar on a mission to discover a fragment from Earthfall before the dreaded Anaphexia can get their hands on it. In this week's Between the Lines, at the end of the story, we delve into the fighting style of the character Patris' and give you options for how to blend combat maneuvers into other attacks.

Let us know what you think about the Encounter Table's fiction in the comments section, or check us out on Facebook!

Pop Creature - Gallow Walker

The titular creatures from Gallowwalkers.

It's not a surprise to most people who know me that I'm an avid watcher of bad movies, specifically bad horror and sci-fi films. The recently released (but long-troubled) Wesley Snipes' sci-fi/fantasy western Gallowwalkers fits squarely in the middle of my bad movie Venn diagram where terrible overlaps with fun. It's an incoherent, terribly produced, but at times surprisingly inventive romp involving some of the worst cinematography outside of the shaky-cam fights of a Doug Liman Bourne flick. That said, there's something inherently watchable about Gallowwalkers and part of that comes from the film's titular villains: skin-stealing undead born from the curse of a wrathful god. That's exactly the kind of stuff perfect for a tabletop RPG!

Today's Pop Creature article delves deep into the rancid pool of meat that is Wesley Snipes' Gallowwalkers, and comes up with a gem of a creature. Pop the gallow walker undead template into your Pathfinder game and introduce a face-stealing nemesis that yearns for the pleasures of life and escape from the eternal torment of death!

Let us know what you think of the gallow walker (or Gallowwalkers, if you dare sit through it) in the comments section!

Fiction - Tyranny of the Stars, Part VII: Rendezvous

Tyranny of the Stars, by Robert Brookes

With Paizocon over things are returning to normal here at the Encounter Table. If you enjoy the work put out weekly here, please stop by Paizo.com and check out my latest work for Raging Swan Press: Village Backdrop: Hjalward and Demiplanes: The Twilight Demesne. Additionally, you can find some of my bestiary work in the Mummy's Mask: The Slave Trenches of Hakotep, out later this month!

This week the Encounter Table's fiction serial Tyranny of the Stars returns from hiatus with the ongoing adventure of Aribessa, Father Czanis, Iosef, Patris, and Korva in the city of Alkenstar! Let us know what you think about the Encounter Table's fiction series here in the comments or on our Facebook page!

Spotlight - Detmer, Druma

Paizocon has ended and I'm back at home from a whirlwind experience in Seattle. I'd like to take a moment to thank the Paizo staff and the hordes of volunteers who helped make this year's Paizocon a success and made me feel remarkably welcome and among friends the entire time. Now that Paizocon has ended, the update schedule for the Encounter Table will gradually return to normal, including the next chapter of Tyranny of the Stars.

Today the Encounter Table premieres the second entry into its Spotlight series, focusing on a settlement on Golarion that has not yet seen official outlining in print. Detmer, the home of Druma's naval headquarters and shipyards is the focus of this spotlight, as well as the deep-dwelling terrors that lurk in the shadows of the city's dense political landscape!

Let us know what you think about this Spotlight article in the comments section!

System Shock - Bezekiran (Monk Archetype)

Wayfinder #11 - Cover art by Nick Russell.

We're just a few days away from Paizocon 2014! The Encounter Table will be there Friday and Saturday, covering events and sharing surprises on our Facebook page! So please follow us on Facebook to keep up to date on all the goings-on at Paizocon and the big reveals at Saturday's Preview Banquet! Also debuting at Paizocon is issue #11 of the Wayfinder Fanzine! This issue's topic is the infernal empire of Cheliax, so if you cant get enough of diabolism, evil empires, and the people that are trapped in them we highly encourage you to head over to Paizo.com and check it out!

Today's System Shock article is a supplement to the upcoming Wayfinder #11, and details the bezekiran monk archetype, modeled after Master Soan from Paizo's Pathfinder adventure module, The Pact Stone Pyramid. The article also gives background on the origins of the bezekiran style and this history Chelish martial arts!

Let us know what you think of the article in the comments section or on Facebook!