E1 — Golden Hand
2x GOLDEN HAND MERCENARY CREATURE 3
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [HUMAN] [HUMANOID]
Golden Hand mercenaries are disciplined hired blades employed to protect the consortium's interests, intimidate witnesses, guard remote worksites, and ensure that valuable property remains in the hands of its proper owners. Most know little about the organization's deeper purpose. They know who pays them, what they are protecting, and which questions they are not supposed to ask.
Perception +9
Languages Common
Skills Athletics +12, Intimidation +9, Society +7, Survival +8
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +1
AC 20; 22 with shield raised
Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +9
HP 52
Items breastplate, steel shield, longsword, dagger, Golden Hand badge
Speed 25 feet
Melee ◆ longsword +12, Damage 1d8+6 slashing
Melee ◆ dagger +12 (agile, finesse, versatile S), Damage 1d4+6 piercing
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Raise a Shield ◆
The mercenary raises their steel shield, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of their next turn.
Shield Block ↻
Trigger The mercenary would take physical damage while their shield is raised.
Effect The mercenary reduces the damage by 5. The shield takes the remaining damage as normal.
Hold the Line ↻
Trigger A creature within the mercenary's reach uses a move action, makes a ranged attack, or uses an manipulate action.
Effect The mercenary makes a longsword Strike against the triggering creature. This Strike doesn't count toward the mercenary's multiple attack penalty, and their multiple attack penalty doesn't apply to this Strike.
Golden Hand Formation
While the mercenary is adjacent to another Golden Hand mercenary or ally using a shield, they gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves and checks to resist being Shoved, Tripped, or forcibly moved.
Drive Them Back ◆◆
The mercenary makes a longsword Strike. If the Strike hits, the target must attempt a DC 19 Fortitude save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is pushed 5 feet.
Failure The target is pushed 10 feet.
Critical Failure The target is pushed 10 feet and falls prone.
TACTICS
Golden Hand mercenaries prefer controlled fights. They raise their shields, block passages, and force enemies away from doors, evidence, employers, or valuable equipment.
They avoid pursuing fleeing enemies unless ordered to do so. Their job is usually to protect something, not die chasing adventurers through the forest.
When fighting beside Golden Hand archers, mercenaries deliberately position themselves between the enemy and the shooters, using Drive Them Back to create distance and give the archers clear lines of fire.
RECALL KNOWLEDGE & INVESTIGATION
Recall Knowledge — Society DC 18
Success The character recognizes the mercenary as a professional private soldier rather than a common bandit. Their equipment, discipline, and standardized hand-and-serpent badge suggest employment by a wealthy commercial organization.
Critical Success The character notices that their gear intentionally lacks obvious company names or heraldry. The Golden Hand appears to value deniability as much as protection.
GM NOTES
Role: Front-line soldier / bodyguard.
Creature Level: 3.
Adventure Use: These mercenaries are ideal guards for Golden Hand agents, excavation equipment, sealed records, hidden entrances, or shipments whose contents the guards themselves may not understand.
GOLDEN HAND ARCHER CREATURE 3
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [HUMAN] [HUMANOID]
Golden Hand archers serve as scouts, lookouts, trackers, and quiet enforcers. They are chosen less for loyalty than for discretion and skill. A Golden Hand archer prefers to see a fight before being seen, strike from favorable terrain, and leave someone else to explain the bodies.
Perception +11
Languages Common
Skills Acrobatics +10, Deception +9, Stealth +12, Survival +10, Thievery +10
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +1
AC 19
Fort +8, Ref +12, Will +10
HP 42
Items leather armor, shortbow, 40 arrows, shortsword, thieves' tools, Golden Hand badge
Speed 30 feet
Ranged ◆ shortbow +12 (deadly d10, range increment 60 feet), Damage 1d6+4 piercing
Melee ◆ shortsword +12 (agile, finesse, versatile S), Damage 1d6+4 piercing
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Sneak Attack
The Golden Hand archer deals an additional 1d6 precision damage to off-guard creatures.
Golden Hand Ambush
On the archer's first turn of an encounter, creatures that have not yet acted are off-guard to the archer's ranged Strikes.
Quick Draw ◆
The archer draws a weapon and then Strikes with it.
Skirmishing Shot ◆◆
The archer Steps, makes a shortbow Strike, and then Steps again. The archer cannot use Skirmishing Shot if their Speed is reduced below 20 feet.
Find the Gap ◆
The archer studies one creature they can see within 60 feet. Until the beginning of the archer's next turn, the first shortbow Strike they make against that creature ignores lesser cover and treats standard cover as lesser cover.
If the target is adjacent to one of the archer's allies, it is also off-guard to that Strike.
Slip Away ↻
Trigger An adjacent enemy misses the archer with a melee Strike.
Effect The archer Steps.
TACTICS
Golden Hand archers begin from cover or elevation whenever possible. They use Golden Hand Ambush to deliver an opening Sneak Attack, then continually reposition with Skirmishing Shot.
They favor enemies engaged by Golden Hand mercenaries, using those allies to make targets off-guard for their precision damage.
If an enemy closes into melee, the archer uses Slip Away whenever possible and retreats toward another firing position rather than trading blows.
An archer reduced below 12 HP attempts to escape unless protecting an especially important employer or objective.
RECALL KNOWLEDGE & INVESTIGATION
Recall Knowledge — Society DC 18
Success The character recognizes the archer's equipment and tactics as those of a trained scout or private security operative rather than an ordinary highwayman.
Critical Success The character notices the archer's hand-and-serpent badge is designed to be easily removed. Other identifying marks have deliberately been stripped from their gear.
GM NOTES
Role: Ranged skirmisher / scout.
Creature Level: 3.
Adventure Use: Golden Hand archers work well in pairs with mercenaries. The fighters hold choke points while the archers attack from scaffolds, log piles, balconies, trees, or excavation platforms.
XP
A party of five 2nd-level characters faces three 3rd-level Golden Hand combatants.
| Enemy | Creature Level | Level Difference | XP Each | Quantity | Total XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Hand Mercenary | 3 | Party Level +1 | 60 XP | 2 | 120 XP |
| Golden Hand Archer | 3 | Party Level +1 | 60 XP | 1 | 60 XP |
Encounter Budget — Five 2nd-Level PCs
| Difficulty | Standard (4 PCs) | Adjusted (5 PCs) |
|---|---|---|
| Trivial | 40 XP | 50 XP |
| Low | 60 XP | 75 XP |
| Moderate | 80 XP | 100 XP |
| Severe | 120 XP | 150 XP |
| Extreme | 160 XP | 200 XP |
Total Encounter Budget: 180 XP
This encounter is 30 XP above the Severe budget and 20 XP below the Extreme budget for five 2nd-level characters.
Expressed as a percentage of the Extreme budget:
180 ÷ 200 = 90% of Extreme.
Three Creature 3 enemies against five 2nd-level characters represent a dangerous encounter approaching Extreme difficulty.
Each opponent is one level above the PCs. The mercenaries can coordinate flanking attacks while the archer threatens characters attempting to remain at range.
The encounter may be survivable with good tactics, terrain advantages, and available resources, but poor positioning or unlucky critical hits could quickly overwhelm the party.
Encounter-building cost: 180 XP.
Pathfinder 2e adjusts encounter budgets for parties larger than four, but the XP awarded to each character remains based on the standard four-character difficulty.
For this encounter, a proportional five-character adjustment gives:
180 × (4 ÷ 5) = 144 XP
Suggested award: 144 XP per character.
This is an interpolated award between the standard Severe (120 XP) and Extreme (160 XP) awards, rather than a separately listed encounter tier.
The award is not divided among the five PCs. Each character receives the full award if the party defeats or otherwise overcomes the encounter.
Recall Knowledge
Golden Hand Mercenary
RECALL KNOWLEDGE
Recall Knowledge — Humanoid (Society): DC 20
Unspecific Lore: DC 18
Specific Lore: DC 15
Critical Success The character recognizes a disciplined private soldier employed by a wealthy commercial interest. The standardized equipment, removable hand-and-serpent badge, and deliberate lack of conventional heraldry identify the mercenary as connected to the Golden Hand. The character also recognizes the mercenary's defensive fighting style. Reveal two useful combat facts: their ability to Strike enemies who move or manipulate objects within reach, their improved defenses while fighting beside another shield-bearing ally, or their ability to force opponents backward.
Success The character recognizes the mercenary as a trained professional rather than an ordinary guard or bandit. Their equipment and tactics suggest they are intended to hold ground and protect something important. Reveal one useful combat fact: Hold the Line, Golden Hand Formation, or Drive Them Back.
Failure The character recalls no useful information beyond the obvious fact that the mercenary is well trained and heavily equipped.
Critical Failure The character mistakes the mercenary for an ordinary hired guard and underestimates the coordination and discipline of their fighting style.
Recognize the Golden Hand — Society or Mercantile Lore DC 18
Success The small hand-and-serpent badge resembles the mark used by a private commercial network with financial interests tied to Kerse. The symbol is intentionally mundane enough to resemble a merchant house, investment concern, or security company.
Critical Success The character notices that the badge is made to detach quickly and that every other identifying mark has been removed from the mercenary's equipment. Whoever employs these soldiers places unusual importance on deniability.
Golden Hand Archer
RECALL KNOWLEDGE
Recall Knowledge — Humanoid (Society): DC 20
Unspecific Lore: DC 18
Specific Lore: DC 15
Critical Success The character recognizes a professional scout and skirmisher trained to operate alongside heavier Golden Hand soldiers. Their equipment has been deliberately stripped of normal identifying marks, though the removable hand-and-serpent badge links them to the Golden Hand. Reveal two useful combat facts: their Sneak Attack against off-guard targets, their ability to reposition while firing, their ability to exploit allies engaging a target, or their ability to Step away after an adjacent enemy misses them.
Success The character recognizes the archer as a trained scout or private security operative rather than a common bowman. They specialize in attacking distracted targets and avoiding prolonged melee. Reveal one useful combat fact: Sneak Attack, Skirmishing Shot, Find the Gap, or Slip Away.
Failure The character recalls no useful information beyond recognizing the archer as an experienced ranged combatant.
Critical Failure The character assumes the archer is primarily a stationary marksman and fails to recognize how aggressively they reposition and exploit distracted opponents.
Recognize the Golden Hand — Society or Mercantile Lore DC 18
Success The hand-and-serpent badge matches the symbol used by the same private commercial network employing Golden Hand mercenaries. The archer's lack of unit markings suggests employment intended to remain unofficial.
Critical Success The character recognizes small similarities in equipment procurement—matching buckles, arrowhead manufacture, and standardized field gear—that indicate these archers and the heavier Golden Hand mercenaries are supplied by the same organization, even when they operate separately.
