Title: Pathfinder – Claws of the Tyrant
Publisher: Paizo Inc
Authors: Alexander Augunas, Rigby Bendele, and Erin Roberts with Joseph Blomquist and Sasha Laranoa Harving
Artists: Mirco Paganessi, Ivan Koritarev, Robert Lazzaretti, Vira Linevych, Mayra Luna, Alexander Nanitchkov, Luis Salas Lastra, and Firat Solhan
Year: 2025
Genre: Volume containing a trio of interconnected Pathfinder adventures
Pages: 128 pages
MSRP: $49.99 for the hardcover or grab the PDF for $19.99
Claws of the Tyrant is a three-adventure anthology; while each tale stands independently, they all come to circle around Arazni.
Arazni is a fascinating choice because, ultimately, she has a character who has been stripped of so much of hers. The former patron of the Knights of Ozem, she was summoned and bound by their will, subjugating hers. After her murder, her body was stolen and reanimated by Geb, hardening her heart and leading her down the path of cruelty and tyranny, even as she attempted to reassert her agency and secure her freedom. That freedom, of course, came in the form of incineration at the hands of Tar-Baphon.
Now, Seldeg Bhedlis seeks to rewrite her very past, seeking his own twisted catharsis and redemption by “saving her” – whether she wants that or not.
There are fascinating questions here about good and evil. How could the Knights, valiant and virtuous, have ever committed such an atrocious violation of autonomy? When cruelty begets cruelty, can there ever be an end to the cycle? And if a goddess can’t secure agency over her own story, then who can?
More importantly, Claws of the Tyrant dares to argue that victimhood and tragedy do not always take gentle form, that survival can take a brutal toll — but that the toll need not be permanent, that such a thing as “after” can exist. It dares to assert that even this brutal, thorny state is one worthy of a second chance, whether for the survivors of Yua’s Hope or for the goddess herself.
Most of this isn’t directly wrangled with in Claws of the Tyrant, but its presence informs the narratives all the same. It’s fascinating fuel to drive GM and player storytelling and, with any luck, to instigate some narrative wrestling. These aren’t easy stories – and with Arazni as the central narrative force, nor should they be.
Claws of the Tyrant sees Pathfinder venturing into uncommon territory again, both in the form of a two-act survival horror and in necessitating a cast of morally-grey-at-best PCs for its second tale. While the final adventure, Of Blood and Faith, is a more traditional story, it asks players to reckon with Arazni herself as a member of the organization that delivered the first, and possibly most cutting, betrayal.
In many ways, Claws of the Tyrant feels emotionally resonant in a way that War of the Immortals did not. While there is the larger existential threat of upheaval to the fabric of the cosmos, there is also a very human one: the fate of Arazni herself. After the harm she has both inflicted and endured, the question of what the future might hold for her is a weighty one indeed.
With a compelling throughline, Claws of the Tyrant is simply good storytelling, brought to life for a tabletop format. Moreover, it is proof that the team at Paizo are at their best when pushing the envelope of what kinds of stories Pathfinder can –and is willing to – explore.
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