Amber Scott's page

Amber, I think this is the first thing I've ever read of yours. I really dug it. Thanks!

If I may post a shameless plug, you can see a list of all the Pathfinder products I've worked on here.

I wanted to separately add that the article on tieflings is fan-fraking-tastic. This adventure path just paid for itself, even if we never play it. We've always had fun with planetouched and this turns things even cooler. My compliments to Amber Scott for coming up with a list of 98 very interesting alternate abilities (100: one roll-again and pick two, and 7/66 are duplicates). Very clever unique thinking here.

I have to say I went through the roof when Wes asked me to write this, and I'm so glad you liked it!

-Amber S.

Just out of curiosity - Why camelopard?

Are you just trying to see how many people recognize the animal in question?

And yeah, writing this book coincided with a particularly difficult time during my life and I WAY underestimated the committment. But I put my nose to the goblin grindstone, or some other humorously mixed metaphor, and I love the finished product.

-Amber S.

My friend and I are playing through CotCT; my husband is DMing. This is the first time my friend (I'll call him Mork, because that's his character's name) has played D&D in about fifteen years.

So far, he's picked up everything very easily. He's playing a half-orc monk and really likes the range of abilities he has. He's a little reluctant to use ki points for fear of running out, but I think he's striking a good balance.

I, of course, have been playing 3.5 for a long time so I find the rules easy to adapt to. I love the more customized speciality wizards -- I'm playing an illusionist -- and the utility of the rogue (my second character) seems unchanged. I've always liked rogues.

The main issue Mork has is he keeps thinking "bull rush" should knock down your opponent. Something he'll figure out soon enough, I expect.

Will post more as we play more!

-Amber S.

Amber Scott wrote:

-Amber S., who likes sexy medusas

Is there any other kind?

-W. E. Ray

What type of characters do you prefer to play?

Which woman fantasy characters work for you?

Which authors write women characters well?

-Amber S.

I am also a Female Gamer (though I didn't know until now that I qualified for capital letters -- yippee!) and a Female Game Designer and I like the occasional scantily clad woman as well. What I don't like is a pervasive, unchanging image of the scantily clad fantasy-woman as the only available model in RPGs. Variety, after all, is the spice of life.

-Amber S., who likes sexy medusas

This book is superkeen.

-Amber S., the excited

That's ridiculously awesome.

-Amber S.

Oh I'm so glad you guys liked it! I seriously make it all the time...and I vary the spice amounts too, depending on the mood I'm in. And yes, kale is da bomb, I eat it at least once a week. Thanks for the comments!

-Amber S.

Pathfinder fiction is inevitable.

-Amber S.

What a supercool backstory! I love it!

-Amber S., who wants a giant sword now

I would probably sell a body part for the chance to write a PF novel.

-Amber S., already missing several body parts

Our game is Alphatest too. :) I'm running two characters and my husband is DMing. We like playing solo games like this from time to time.

My characters:

Dorin: A Varisian frustrated by his inability to perform innate magic, which his clan treated as a "woman's skill" anyway. Dorin ditched his clan while passing through Korvosa and made it his new home. At one time he had plans to join the Acadamae, but a frame job left him with a criminal shadow over his head. Though a local thief managed to clear his name in the eyes of the guard, the real culprit was never found and he was denied Acadamae admittance. Bitter and hot-tempered, Dorin vowed to become the best mage Golarion has ever seen, Varisian sorcery and Acadamae smugness be damned.

Despite his desire to strike out on his own and forge his own path, he found he had a knack for the kind of flashy stage-magic Varisians are known for. He now performs as a street magician for his bread while dreaming of bigger things.

"Anna": Tatiana ("Anna" to most) remembers being at the circus as a little girl and being mesmerized by the acrobats who seemed to float through the air. After the show she tried to get close enough to one of the acrobats to touch her costume, but only succeeded in getting lost in the crowd. A man found her crying and promised to help her find her parents, but Anna soon found that this man wasn't nice at all. Thus she became one of Lamm's little pickpockets.

Strong-willed and arrogant, Anna never made a very good servant. She rebelled against Lamm routinely and was routinely beaten for her defiance. One day she returned home in tears, her right hand badly mangled from a trap. Lamm broke what fingers she had left, gave her the beating of her life, and threw her out. Anna nursed herself back to health, nursing her grudge along with her hand. She was getting too big to work for Lamm anyway, and longed to strike out on her own.

She soon paired up with a wrongfully accused Varisian mage; after helping him clear his name, the two became inseperable. Anna's hand did heal, but remained twisted and ugly from the old injuries. She wears gloves constantly, though she sometimes removes the left one while working. Normally right-handed, she's also trained herself into rudimentary ambidexterity to compensate.

Anna still remembers the beauty of the acrobats and is fascinated by circuses. She imagines creating her own unique brand of thievery that combines acrobatics, dance, and stealth -- perhaps creating a style so unique and beautiful it will garner her the attention of someone famous. Dorin has promised to teach her some traditional Varisian dances to incorporate into her 'routine'.

-Amber S.

P.S. Dorin's blinding ray (his illusionist ability) + Anna's sneak attack = SUPER COMBO!

I think I've heard of you too, though I can't recall from where at the moment...

This thread made me update my website. Heh heh heh.

-Amber S.

I've written for many systems. You can find my "credentials" here.

As for what I think: so far, so good, but I'm still playtesting. :)

-Amber S.

Loved the sheet but I found it difficult to print two-sided because of all the black space. It makes the sheet warp a little and you can see black splotches through the other side, even though I used thick, good-quality paper. Any way to make the black background light gray or something?

-Amber S.

Thank you, I was just wondering how to record my new characters!

-Amber S.

Oh, they linger. They linger. But it's finally starting to warm up and get melty and puddle-y outside. I have high hopes that it's not going to snow again until October.

How're you? (You can always email me at medesha at yahoo dot com if you don't want to turn this into a catch-up thread. :) ).

-Amber S.

Disenchanter: HA, made my Will save.

;)

-Amber S.

The question is, were the firefighter standards unreasonably high in the first place in order to exclude women? It's a matter for strenuous debate merely because it's a passionate subject that riles people up. So I'll just stop talking now. :)

-Amber S.

Perkins mentions he believes that there are female gamers, and that WoTC has made at least one attempt to reach out to more (via Confessions)

I wasn't offended, nor was I overly interested in the comments.

Things Paizo has done to make me feel included:

1. Included me.

It's not that hard. They listen to me, buy some of my articles, reject others, kill my characters sometimes, whatever. In short, they treat me like everyone else. Then again, I don't think women and men are all that different, and that is a matter for strenuous debate.

I think I wrote a letter to Dragon once where I was all angry about how women are portrayed in gaming, but I can't remember why I was angry or what I said. But they did publish it! It was the issue with Dixie looking into a mirror of opposition on the cover.

That made me remember it was something about forestry or logging or something...how odd.

-Amber S., she of the poor memory

It was the best of bites, it was the worst of bites...

I'd just like to point out that I was recovering from Major Surgery when Mike asked me to work on this project, and I fell over myself replying yesyesohmigodyes. That's how much I love these guys.

And the cast I'm working with...!!! indeed!

-Amber S.

I think it's human nature to think "we" are better than "them", or that our actions are more justified. But in reality we're all part of a human spectrum, and it's no surprise that there's similar behaviour on all sides of an issue. At least not to me. :p

/world-weary

-Amber S.

SO HAPPY!

-Amber S., the happy one

Shining with all my might!

-Amber S.

Not sure what you mean by "feeling fake because I try to be objective". Would you feel less fake if you tried to be subjective?

When I write reviews (and I have no idea if I write good reviews or not, I don't do it very often...) I list what exactly is in the product (sometimes blurbs don't give a clear picture) from the table of contents to the end advertisements. I say which parts I liked best and which parts I didn't like at all, and why. If I feel there are external influences (ie. "I'm personal friends with this writer" or "I've never liked dungeon crawls to begin with") I say that too. And then that's it.

-Amber S.

I have to say that I am surprised, and disappointed, to read that Amber Scott will not be writing products for 4th edition.

Game writing, sadly, is not my only occupation. I must divide my time between my full-time 'real' job, my home life, my fiction writing (not yet a career, but hopefully one day...) and game design. 4e might be really great, I simply don't have the willingness to involve myself deeply enough in it to write for it.

However, that may change as time goes on and my priorities shift. Who can say what my life will look like a year or two down the road?

In the meantime I'll try to put out some really great stuff for Paizo and others. Thanks for your extraordinarily kind comments, they made my night!

-Amber S.

Out of curiousity, Amber, if Paizo were to switch to 4e (and they haven't decided obviously) and offered you work how would you come down on that. I know you don't want to work in 4e, but I know you want to work with Paizo... hrmm... decisions...

Sean Mahoney

Also, if Paizo goes 4e I'll still buy their stuff even if I don't play. For the fluff, and for the system-independent stuff (like item cards).

-Amber S.

Blarg. Reply post eaten. Must quote Clevinger and talk like old time telegraph. All good with Disenchanter. Hope moderating goes well in future. Toodle pip.

-Amber S.

I wasn't intentionally trying to insult anyone. My statement is that I knew some people would 'get mad', not that I was trying to make anyone 'get mad'. I hoped that by admitting my comments would be unpopular, people would read them with more of an open mind. Obviously I didn't make that clear -- my apologies.

-Amber S.

Out of curiousity, Amber, if Paizo were to switch to 4e (and they haven't decided obviously) and offered you work how would you come down on that. I know you don't want to work in 4e, but I know you want to work with Paizo... hrmm... decisions...

Sean Mahoney

Disenchanter: I thought I was clear, but perhaps my wording was ambiguous. I meant to state that I understood some people would take offense despite my efforts to simply be honest and non-insulting, but I would do my best to avoid that. I try to speak the truth and not to hurt anyone's feelings, but I've found that someone always takes umbrage no matter how neutrally I try to speak. That's what I meant by "I decided to risk it". Does that make sense?

Regardless of my intentions, I'm sorry if I did offend anyone. If the mods choose to edit my post, I totally understand.

-Amber S.

Stereofm wrote:

I do not think the text is really insulting, though, it is just an angry response, but it does not help any. I think I would listen more to the pro 4e side without this kind of text.

But it is noteworthy that you count Amber to the pro 4E side though she didn't even hint at this direction.

I wasn't angry when I posted, nor did I intend to be insulting -- just honest -- though I expected some to find it insulting or become angered. That's what happens when people speak their minds. If everyone felt and thought exactly the same way, there'd be no need for free speech.

I'm in a unique position (unique for the average poster, that is, but not to game writers) in that I've worked for WotC in the past, and they've always treated me well. I've gone on the record several times, mostly on my website and on some other messageboards, that I'm not excited about 4e.

I consider it a mark of professionalism not to insult WotC at all; I've worked with many of their employees, and I consider them a fine and talented group. That I have no interest in 4e and expect to remain 3.5/GURPS is a separate issue from their worthiness as a company. I would feel bad if I let my emotions take control of me in a public forum where real game designers with real feelings might read my comments. Though some take offense at what I say, I never set out to be offensive.

This isn't a theoretical stance either, as I've turned down 4e work already and intend to turn down any more 4e work offered me. I'd rather work for Paizo and other 3.5 publishers.

None of that changes anything I've said, but it may cast it in a different light.

-Amber S.

You're right, but some of those boards were a bit more predisposed to Phase 4 than regular boards...

; )

:D

Excellent post Amber. And maybe its just me, but I haven't seen you posting here in a while. Its good to have you back.

I knew some people would get mad over my post, but I decided the risk of hurt feelings was worth expressing myself. There is a lot of resistance against censorship being expressed here, but when I say something unpopular those same people accuse me of being insulting and unhelpful.

And you know what? I'm fine with that. I'm willing to accept that others will judge me based on the content of my posts. That's what free expression is all about -- knowing that you'll make someone, somewhere, mad. I think this debate, and related threads, are silly and only hurting the cause of those who are upset with Paizo. That's allowed. I can feel however want.

In just the same way, some people probably see me as a Paizo fangirl with no opinions of my own and a smug sense of self-satisfaction. I'm willing to accept that judgement of me because it's important to state my opinion. And while I might feel that this debate is silly, I in no way think the debators are silly. For God's sake, I don't think there's a person alive with an internet connection who hasn't been worked up over something read or expressed online, no matter how trivial.

I won't apologize for my priorities, though, nor for my suggestions. A walk outside and some volunteer work will unquestionably relieve some of the tension garnered in messageboard posting. Unless someone is actually suggesting that if I can't post something mild enough to anger no one, and which contains something helpful, I shouldn't post anything at all?

-Amber S.

The way some people talk you'd think this was life or death. Maybe we should get off the computer and go walk in the real world for a while. Do some volunteer work, sponsor a food drive, or protest atrocities in Darfur. Something meaningful.

I've been around for the inception of quite a few messageboards and they all, to a fault, followed the same pattern.

Phase 1: Small membership, no moderation, lots of in-jokes, feeling of camaraderie.

Phase 2: Stagnation, membership drive, surge in popularity.

Phase 3: Lots of posters, loss of some of the 'small-family' feeling, lots of excitement -- a honeymoon phase.

Phase 4: Some b%!&#~~& issue causes a rift and a bunch of established posters leave in a huff. Usually form their own board or join some small and 'uncorrupted' board.

Phase 5: New posters come, old ones are forgotten, boards continue on as normal.

So I really don't care if some people leave. Sorry if that sounds heartless, but with all the comments about feeling 'betrayed' and 'this isn't the same boards I used to love', I have no idea why those people would stay. To try and make us feel bad? To try and effect change? If it's the latter, there needs to be a civil and organized methodology. Random posts and heated argument just lead to confusion, more moderation, and potential bans.

-Amber S.

I think if we gave everyone My Little Pony avatars, this place would be a lot more friendly.

I give props to the Paizo guys. Having been a moderator, I'd frankly rather stuff popcorn up my nose than try to do it again, especially with a site as loosely modded as this (and yes, it is loose). I'd even play 2e before doing it again. And if I DID do it again, I'd delete and edit posts like you wouldn't believe.

Actually there probably wouldn't be any members but me. This is why I'd never successfully run for office.

-Amber S.

Yay, I get to write about zombies!

-the world-famous Amber S.

I have nothing intelligent to add to these fine posts, but my opinion probably doesn't matter anyway. Paizo could offer socks full of dirt for sale and I'd buy them.

-Amber S.

If it's on the weekend, I can probably swing it.

-Amber S.

Medesha wrote:

I for one am neither European nor American...

My nationality is Zocchihedron.

I for one am neither European nor American...

Hm, I don't know! Maybe the guys know something they're not telling me. :-p

Dualwolf: D&DOG? I am a mod there, albeit a slacky one. :-)

-Amber S.

It's a little too gruesome for me, and I'm toning it down in my own game. I'm not at the point of wanting to wash my mind out with soap or anything (meeting Logue tends to inoculate you against future horrors), but I'd prefer to see lighter adventures.

That's just me, though, and I understand everyone needs a fair shake at the kind of adventures they wish to see and play. So I trust the guys to keep on doing what they're doing.

-Amber S.

I love the goblin art in Burnt Offerings, especially the cover, but I only today realized that the signs in the street are for the Fatman's Feedbag and the Pixie's Kitten, and that they're appropriately placed in relation to the map.

Kudos.

-Amber S.

Get some sleep, Erik. Have Mike make you some veggie soup!

I use OpenRPG for my weekly FR game.

-Amber S.

One of my favorite art orders was the one I wrote for Secrets of Xen'drik, page 57. I adore that picture! That's the kind of woman I'd like to see more of in D&D art.

-Amber S.

As a female gamer (who is usually the DM, and as such must roleplay NPCs of all races and sexes), the issue to me isn't so much "why are there so many women?" or "what do the women look like?". The issue to me is, "Did Paizo do it?" Cause if they did, I'm on board. My loyalty is kind of sickening in its steadfastedness. Y'know, trusting the guys implicitly and figuring they know what they're doing and all that.

Ok, there are alternate issues. I wouldn't mind seeing a girl with a figure like mine on the cover of a Pathfinder. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind seeing me on the cover of a Pathfinder. We discussed having me on a Dragon cover, the lizardfolk issue, when I thought I was going to have 3 features. We were going to do a Swamp Thing style cover with a lizardfolk clutching a scantily-clad me rising out of the muck, an artistic slash mark on my thigh.

And by "we" I mean me and Wes, and when we mentioned it to Erik he gave us that "this is why I drink" look he so often wears around us.

I think I lost track of my point. Oh yeah! The alternate issue is, Mike, have you seen the pictures in your inbox yet? The ones of me? That sounded dirty but it really isn't. The alternate issue beyond "Did Paizo do it?" is "Does Mike like my hair?".

-Amber S.