>>Ask *James Jacobs* ALL your Questions Here!<<

Dear great and powerful Oz, I mean JJ:

I know that a cleric an choose whether or not to be affected by their own channel, and that Selective Channeling lets you choose a number of people up to your Charisma modifier to not be affected, however, is this number actually the cleric + number of people up to your Cha-mod? If you have Cha 16 (+3), does that number include you and 3 other people, or are you part of the 3 people?

The cleric using channel energy never counts against the maximum number of targets. Selective Channeling does indeed mean you and 3 other people in that case.

Dear James,

I live in Seattle, it's 2:10 am, go to bed...:)

Can the Bladebound and Hexcrafter archtypes of the Magus class be combined? It originally appeared as if they could but lately I'm seeing arguements both ways, with merit to each side, so I'm curious what you think.

Dunno. That's a good question to post over on the rules forum and FAQ it up! :-)

Question about the Sweettalkers of Kaer Maga: If they sew their mouths shut, how do they eat?

Straws and liquid foods.

Christmas/Holiday songs. Love? Hate? Meh?

(I love them!)

Meh, mostly, but I do get tired of them pretty quickly.

James Jacobs wrote:

MMCJawa wrote:

Hi James,

1. Do the Tcho-Tcho from the Mythos exist in Golarion? Would they be a separate humanoid race, or just a race of people. Some of the stories featuring them sometimes make them out just as an ethnicity, and others make them out as something not really part of Homo sapiens.

Will we ever get stats for them if they do exist?

Also

2. is Tsathoggua or any of his servitors (Voormis, Spawn of Tsathoggua) part of Golarion?

1) Nope; the Tcho-tchos were invented, I believe, by August Derleth, and unlike Lovecraft, Derleth's inventions are not yet in the public domain. Furthermore, the Tcho-tchos are pretty established as being natives of Earth anyway. If we DID do them up in Golarion, they'd be a human ethnicity that wouldn't have different stat mods, but would probably have a few alternate traits.

2) Nope; he was created by Clark Ashton Smith, I believe, and like the Tcho-tchos, aren't yet in the public domain.

You're right about #1, James, but on #2 the situation is more ambiguous. CAS's works published before 1923 are in the public domain. The CAS estate, however, asks for permission, which is usually granted, for use in publications released for profit. Some of CAS's works are currently copyrighted by Arkham House. The "Tale of Satampra Zeiros" was published in 1931 (and written in 1929), and is the first CAS mention of Tsathoggua, so it's still under copyright- though he was mentioned by Lovecraft in the Whisperer in Darkness (1930), which is not in copyright... Frog God, however, features a demon lord called... Tsathogga. Note spelling.

CAS's description of Tsathoggua, being fully fleshed out in the "Seven Geases" (1932), will enter the public domain in 2023. But the name itself exists in a murky zone since it first saw print in a now copyright-free story.

(a CAS admirer)

I'm a huge fan of CAS as well, and some day I do intend to contact the estate to find out if they'd be willing to let us stat up some of his monsters. I'd rather not do it via the Frog God route—their version of the character's pretty different, thematically, in any event.

The Calistrian myth of the Blooded, is this originated from misconceptions of the Runelords? Or was there really such a land?

Greg

I'm not gonna say, since if I did, it'd stop being a myth!

1. Could Sorshen afford a demiplane of 10,000 10-ft cubes? If so then she'd have a place to stash her harem (though they're probably bonkers after 10,000 years).

2. A variation of what I asked before (which I've doing since I was a kid): Why wouldn't Sorshen just order a minion to cast polymorph any object on a favored playmate rather than go through the expense of fleshwarping?

3. When I asked "Would a Sorshen AP be like Vampire?" I wasn't clear with what I meant, you could think Vampire means one thing while I think it means another. To clarify, would a Sorshen AP have a "vampire court," with complex social dynamics and everyone having their own plots?

4. How much would Sorshen want to rebuild her city? Or is she okay with Korvosa's slummy state?

5. The Sense Motive DC for being magically, is that only when a victim is acting under orders or does it apply even when she can go about her usual routine?

6. How would Sorshen deal with the post-Earthfall races? Specifically orcs, gnomes, dwarves, drow, and especially dark folk.

7. What's Sorshen relationship with devils as opposed to demons?

8. What would it take to get a succubus to work for you without planar binding? By "work" I mean staying focused on whatever (presumably open-ended and sex-related) task she's given rather than frolic about and cause collateral damage.

9. Why does Nocticula have magma hooves?

10. Are there any questions you get sick of seeing over and over? Given my obsessive nature, I'm worried mine are among them.

1) I'm not sure why she'd do something like that... there's better uses for money, demiplanes, AND harems.

2) Plenty of reasons, not the least of which being sometimes polymorph isn't as fun.

3) Depends on the type of adventure path I wanted to do.

4) Also depends on the type of story I want to tell at the time. As with #3, I've not really yet started to make all those decisions.

5) Depends on the GM. For the most part, if the person's doing something that they'd do normally, then its probably not a chance to Sense Motive.

6) Same way she dealt with the others; by ruling them.

7) Unknown, although she likely sees both as tools.

8) Bargaining. Charm monster. Dominate monster. Binding. Sacrifices. Bribes. Diplomacy. Intimidation. Luck.

9) Because it makes her look unique and different from all the other succubi out there.

10) Nope! :-)

Dear James,

I live in Seattle, it's 2:10 am, go to bed...:)

2:00 is my normal bedtime, as it turns out. Sometimes I go to sleep a little earlier, but other times a little later.

Don't have to be at work until 11:00 AM, which is benefit #244 of working at Paizo. :P

You are kind of lucky on that. I work nights, so I get to catch up on your posts while I'm working.

Alexander Augunas wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Stratagemini wrote:

Given the new 10k tier for the pathfinder MMO allows you to have Wayne Reynolds draw your character, and given that you've had something similar don with Merisiel, can you post the original art order for her? So we can see what inspired her iconic look?

Merisiel wasn't one of my characters. Ameiko was.

I no longer have the art order for Merisiel handy, but it was something along the lines of:

"The iconic rogue is a female elf. She wears leather armor, has lots of knives, and is a few inches taller than a human. She has white hair and long pointed ears that point up along the side of her head, not outward."

Wayne did pretty much everything else, including coming up with the fact that their eyes look different than human eyes.

Oh, how else has Wayne influenced Golarion / Pathfinder's style?

Goblins.

Stone Giants.
Trolls.
Iconic Characters.
Magic runes around hands when spellcasting.
Rune Giants.
Sarenrae and Rovagug.

AKA: Pretty much anything you see on a cover by Wayne has influenced the style of the game's look.

I'm curious now do you happen to remember what the design brief for Lini was and how much of it was Wayne's own idea's?

Can a crafter deliberately make a cursed item? I can think of a few uses forsome of them.

Can a crafter deliberately make a cursed item? I can think of a few uses forsome of them.

I myself am interested in this. One of my party members may decide to try and turn against the party, and I've been thinking about putting some sort of curse on his gear the next time my wizard tinkers with it, so the magic temporarily shuts off.

Thanks for the clarification...I knew Tsathoggua wasn't a Lovecraft invention but didn't realize the Tcho-Tcho weren't. All the borrowing of elements from other authors work is an awesome part of Mythos fiction, but a confusing part when it comes down to tracking the origins of things.

Do you know if, on a related note, the copyright on Edgar Richards Burroughs material (or at least some of it) has expired? It would be nice to see some Barsoom critters running around Akiton someday. Or the Mahar hanging out in the Darklands.

Tels wrote:

Christmas/Holiday songs. Love? Hate? Meh?

(I love them!)

Meh, mostly, but I do get tired of them pretty quickly.

stuff like this?

Can a character take ability score damage in excess of their actual ability score?

For instance, could a character use the spell Blood Money (from RotR Anniversary Edition) to cast a Wish by taking 50 points of strength damage? This would basically knock out the character for a couple months if not attended to. I think it would be kind of... well cool for a wizard or sorcerer to cast a spell so powerful, it puts him into a coma.

With a Spell Storing Item, what is the DC Save for a spell cast from it? Minimum, like a Scroll, or the Caster's?

Thanks for the clarification...I knew Tsathoggua wasn't a Lovecraft invention but didn't realize the Tcho-Tcho weren't. All the borrowing of elements from other authors work is an awesome part of Mythos fiction, but a confusing part when it comes down to tracking the origins of things.

Do you know if, on a related note, the copyright on Edgar Richards Burroughs material (or at least some of it) has expired? It would be nice to see some Barsoom critters running around Akiton someday. Or the Mahar hanging out in the Darklands.

Rice, not Richards. And I think some of it is in public domain...

I'm curious now do you happen to remember what the design brief for Lini was and how much of it was Wayne's own idea's?

I believe that was something like:

"Lini is a female gnome. She wears leather armor, has a sickle, and has crazy green hair. She's standing next to a snow leopard so we can get a sense of scale."

Can a crafter deliberately make a cursed item? I can think of a few uses forsome of them.

Rules as written, no. Because they have no prices. But you SHOULD be able to deliberately make them because yes, if you know an item is cursed, it can be used in lots of ways. Since we didn't give them prices, it falls to the GM to determine how and when a cursed item can be deliberately created.

Do you know if, on a related note, the copyright on Edgar Richards Burroughs material (or at least some of it) has expired? It would be nice to see some Barsoom critters running around Akiton someday. Or the Mahar hanging out in the Darklands.

That's a great question fro Chris Carey. It's complex, in any event. I believe that the copyright ran out on some of it but not all of it. I'm not as familiar with the status of his works re/public domain as I am Lovecraft's.

James Jacobs wrote:

Tels wrote:

Christmas/Holiday songs. Love? Hate? Meh?

(I love them!)

Meh, mostly, but I do get tired of them pretty quickly.

stuff like this?

I will not lie. I did not watch that whole you tube clip.

Can a character take ability score damage in excess of their actual ability score?

For instance, could a character use the spell Blood Money (from RotR Anniversary Edition) to cast a Wish by taking 50 points of strength damage? This would basically knock out the character for a couple months if not attended to. I think it would be kind of... well cool for a wizard or sorcerer to cast a spell so powerful, it puts him into a coma.

No. Your ability score is the limit to how much ability damage you can take.

With a Spell Storing Item, what is the DC Save for a spell cast from it? Minimum, like a Scroll, or the Caster's?

The spell's caster level and DC save are set by the spellcaster who puts the spell in the ring in the first place. It's easiest to assume minimums (like a scroll) for these items, but it doesn't have to be so. Especially once the PCs get one and start using it themselves.

James, why is your profile blank?

Got a few more questions if any have been asked before I apolagise

1. Did specific people come up with specific Iconics and if so can you remember who did which?

2. Is it only members of Paizo staff that run the Iconic's you see on the messageboards or can anyone who feel's like it do it? (thinking the ask x threads maonly)

3. Besides MMO'S and RPG's do you think there would be any other game types pathfinder could be used for? (I seem to remember there being a side scrolling beat em up for D&D for example.)

4. Have you read the pathfinder comic?

As always thank you for your time.

Dear James,

Is there any plans to develop Arcadia the same way Tien Xian was developed?

James, why is your profile blank?

Because I never filled it out.

Dear James,

Is there any plans to develop Arcadia the same way Tien Xian was developed?

Eventually I'd like all of Golarion's continents to be developed to the extent that the Inner Sea World Guide develops that region.

Got a few more questions if any have been asked before I apolagise

1. Did specific people come up with specific Iconics and if so can you remember who did which?

2. Is it only members of Paizo staff that run the Iconic's you see on the messageboards or can anyone who feel's like it do it? (thinking the ask x threads maonly)

3. Besides MMO'S and RPG's do you think there would be any other game types pathfinder could be used for? (I seem to remember there being a side scrolling beat em up for D&D for example.)

4. Have you read the pathfinder comic?

As always thank you for your time.

1) It was mostly me, Erik, and Sean Glenn, I believe, who ordered them from Wayne.

2) There's no official ruling there that I'm aware of.

3) If it's a game, Golarion can be adapted to it. The raw rules themselves (Pathfinder) are already the game it is; changing it to other games (such as the upcoming card game or MMO) makes it a different game.

4) Yup. I have script approval, first of all. And I kind of have to read the comics in order to make sure that the backmatter for each comic that I write matches the themes of the comic issue itself.

Hey James I have been gone a while....and wow did I have a lot of catching up on this thread. Did you miss me? Did you even noticed?

Anyway got the Inner Sea Bestiary and I am wondering where on Golarion are Lashunta found? It mentions there are from planet Castroval...but does not mention how and where they get to Golarion. I am working on a character concept so I sorta need to know to be able to sell it to my GM.

Hey James I have been gone a while....and wow did I have a lot of catching up on this thread. Did you miss me? Did you even noticed?

Anyway got the Inner Sea Bestiary and I am wondering where on Golarion are Lashunta found? It mentions there are from planet Castroval...but does not mention how and where they get to Golarion. I am working on a character concept so I sorta need to know to be able to sell it to my GM.

Welcome back!

Lashunta can be found anywhere on Golarion, but it's easier to find them in places where links to Castrovel are strong, such as Kyonin.

Hmm, any thoughts of a adventure Through The Looking Glass?

Hmm, any thoughts of a adventure Through The Looking Glass?

Gygax wrote two of these back in the 1st edition days. They were quite fun! And they're a significant reason as to why the Jabberwock ended up in Pathfinder and on the cover of Bestiary 2, in fact...

If a person attacks themselves, do they have to roll to hit, or is it assumed they hit?

zean wrote:

With a Spell Storing Item, what is the DC Save for a spell cast from it? Minimum, like a Scroll, or the Caster's?

The spell's caster level and DC save are set by the spellcaster who puts the spell in the ring in the first place. It's easiest to assume minimums (like a scroll) for these items, but it doesn't have to be so. Especially once the PCs get one and start using it themselves.

1) The original caster feats would apply?

- * - * -

Witches and the Simulacrum spell.

2) It seem a spell in theme with the witch, why they haven't it? And the summoner has it?
Weird.

3) If a witch get a scroll with the simulacrum spell and successfully cast it with use magic device, he can make a simulacrum of his familiar?
It will retain the spell knowledge of the original?

It seem a interesting way to have a "back up" for the witch spells.

- * -

Witches and acquiring spells:

4)In Golarion, how easy it is, for a witch, to go in a city and acquire some spell from another witch?

For a wizard or magus it seem fairly easy, if there is a wizard capable to cast the required level of spells in the city generally he would be as willing to sell his spellcasting services as he would be to allow non competitors to copy spells from his spellbook (for a fee, obviously).
It surely will vary from region to region, but finding a witch in a city seem a bit more difficult (even if the class work very well in a civilized setting, better that in exploration/wilderness adventures).

DrDeth wrote:

Hmm, any thoughts of a adventure Through The Looking Glass?

Gygax wrote two of these back in the 1st edition days. They were quite fun! And they're a significant reason as to why the Jabberwock ended up in Pathfinder and on the cover of Bestiary 2, in fact...

Those are some of my favorite 1st ed modules.

Witches and the Simulacrum spell.

I forgot:

3a) The familiar would cont as his original HD for the simulacrum spell or as the witch HD?

3b) He would have hp based on his HD or on the witch hp?

hi james everybody knows your love for everything lovecraft..was wondering if your a robert e howard fan

Hi James - I wonder if you could illuminate me - there are plenty of references (in adventure paths, etc) to boggards, goblins and marsh giants living in the Mushfens, but do lizardfolk and bog striders also live there?

Four questions about "Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss":

1) Aside from their differing backstories, how would you sum up the difference in role and character between 3E's obyriths and PF's qlippoth?

2) What was behind the decision to make Pazuzu an obyrith, given his history as a tanar'ri?

3) If Pale Night existed in Pathfinder's cosmology, would you make her a demon, a qlippoth, a qlippoth-turned-demon (like Dagon), or something else entirely?

4) I know obyriths were based on Green Ronin's qlippoth, but what was the inspiration/creative process behind the loumaras, and would you make them demons or a separate fiendish race in Pathfinder?

Kevin Mack wrote:

2. Is it only members of Paizo staff that run the Iconic's you see on the messageboards or can anyone who feel's like it do it? (thinking the ask x threads maonly)

2) There's no official ruling there that I'm aware of.

At the moment I believe the only staff-run iconics are Merisiel (James), Imrijka (Crystal), and Reiko (Liz). Kajehase has the Lem alias, I have Alain (though I don't use him much), and another normal user has Kyra but I forget who it is.

Finally doing a thorough read through of Artifacts & Legends. I direct your attention to page 6. Is that Seoni dressed up in Valeros' arms and armor? If so, that's wonderful.

Are we likely to get any more art for cross dressed/geared iconics?

Hi James, have more questions!

1) How do you handle story XP awards? Is there a formula of some type you use or is it more or less a case-by-case basis?
2) For treasure, should consumables like scrolls, potions, and alchemical items be tallied at full market value for the purpose of determining how much loot the party gets? I ask because it just seems kind of odd that you could put most of an adventures treasure in the form of one-shot items that could be carried by, and sometimes used by, the enemy against the party and say "Well, since you didn't kill so-and-so in the first 2 rounds, they used the consumables instead and you don't get any treasure." For example...

Finally doing a thorough read through of Artifacts & Legends. I direct your attention to page 6. Is that Seoni dressed up in Valeros' arms and armor? If so, that's wonderful.

Are we likely to get any more art for cross dressed/geared iconics?

There's a painting of Ezren in mid-transformation of the curse of donning a girdle of opposite gender. I belive it's in the GameMastery Guide.

Are you aware of any story (book, movie, etc.) that is about Lovecraft, Howard, and other Mythos related authors from that time period being characters who actually encounter Mythos creatures, which therefore inspire their works? It has been done with Edgar Allen Poe before a few times, but thought it would be fun with a Mythos angle.

How often does Paizo read the homebrew forum area? I know a couple rare posts are seen in that area, but it's a curiosity of mine.

DrDeth wrote:

Hmm, any thoughts of a adventure Through The Looking Glass?

Gygax wrote two of these back in the 1st edition days. They were quite fun! And they're a significant reason as to why the Jabberwock ended up in Pathfinder and on the cover of Bestiary 2, in fact...

I would also assume that a love of those modules is why the Harrowing has such a strong "Alice in Wonderland" feel to it.

OK Raider, that's scary that you are here. Anyways, James, some homebrew compatriots of mine (Raiderrpg happens to be one) are planning on putting PDFs together of our products, and want to use PF OGL pics to supplement them. these are FREE pdfs, so no money being made.

I know pics on the Blog are open to everyone, what else is usable by us minions of Pathfinder? I had thought that pics from any of the Core OGL books were also fair game, but another compatriot said only the Iconics and Blogs pics are free game.

So, If you could let me know (or whoever knows that stuff in the company) so as to avoid any legal issues, that would be awesome! Thanxs!

1)Can the Ghoran benefit from magical light sources such as daylight spell so they don't take con damage when not exposed to sunlight for 24 hours?

2)Why does the Annihilater and Zelishkar have energy resistance for an energy type they are weak too?

3)Would you allow any of the 0HD races from the Innersea Bestiary as playable characters in your campaigns?

4)Even though you guys have said that the seelie and unseelie courts don't exist in the Pathfinder setting why not have them in a hardcover bestiary since it is setting nuetral?

5)Do you rule that a natural 20 on an attack roll should hit regardless or do you still roll miss chance for effects like displacement, fog, invisibility, etc.?

6)What movies have you seen lately? what did you think of the ones you did see?

7)What top five movies coming out next year are you most excited about seeing?