Archpaladin Zousha's page

Though, to be fair, Asmodeus HATES free will. I think his allowance of non-LE clerics is more a temporary thing until he can get that taken care of. He'd PREFER his followers to be lock-step with him in every way shape and form, but beings don't work that way anymore, so he has to put up with it.

corruption is also a key feature. Did anyone notice that the BBEG of the last module was a descendant of the guy credited for defeating Tar-baphon, in effect totally destroying the heroic legacy of his ancestors?

==Aelryinth

Wait, Adivion's ancestors helped stop the Tyrant?!

I'd say one of Carrion Crown's biggest themes is an obsession with the past and how it can return to haunt the future. This is probably best seen in The Haunting of Harrowstone and in Broken Moon, HoH as it's a direct attempt by the ghosts of the past to wreak vengeance on the town that imprisoned them and left them to die, Broken Moon both for the ruins of Desna's temple now serving as a werewolf haven that can be purified by the PCs and because of the ruins of Feldgrau, where the atrocities of the War Without Rivals are deliberately being relived.

There's also Trial of the Beast, where the PCs must go digging into the past of the crimes the beast is accused of to learn what REALLY happened. And in the case of Brother Swarm, it's another example of the past returning to haunt the present, the executed murderer returning to take revenge on the community that wronged him. The Beast itself and Caromarc's other experiments represent his former inability to let go of his past power as the Count. Though he grew out of that phase, the results of his work continued to plague Vieland when they got loose.

Other aspects of clinging to the past can be seen in Ashes at Dawn. Vampires, by their very nature are undead monsters clinging to the pretense of the humans they once were. In addition, the witches in the abbey are obsessed with the past, namely in resurrecting their dead mentor (though one was beginning to drift away from this goal, but she became a vampire, and thus could count as a clinging to the past of her humanity). And indeed, Carrion Crown itself is about the attempt to resurrect one of the greatest evils from Golarion's past. Adivion Adrissant is convinced that he was born in the wrong era, and that only by reconnecting with the great minds of the past can he find an equal. Hell, the AP begins at a funeral, the act of remembering someone from the past who has just left this world.

And in the final chaper, Shadows of Gallowspire, you're exploring the ruined citadels of the Whispering Way. Ruins almost always draw connections to the past, and here the PCs are kind of reliving moments of the Shining Crusade, striving to purge the ancient enemy.

Not to mention that, Carrion Crown's story aside, Ustalav as a whole is a nation unable to forget the horrors of its past. The scars of the Whispering Tyrant's reign remain still. The nobles backstab each other for slights and ambitions that started long long ago, the Kellid swampfolk harbor grudges against the Varisian settlers that conquered them, etc. Almost every major power figure in Ustalav has something in their past that affects their present.

The only entry in Carrion Crown where the sins of the past don't seem to explicitly be returning to reap what was sown is Wake of the Watcher, which seems more like a multiple-way battle between the interests of two or three groups of Lovecraftian monsters with the PCs caught in the middle.

There really isn't a good expy for Great Britain except maybe Iobaria, but there isn't a whole lot written about Iobaria yet. There are several frontier areas that could fill in with a bit of work: Brevoy, The River Kingdoms, Nirmathas, and Varisia all have a vaguely uncivilized frontier vibe to them. Cheliax provides the monotheistic southern empire to clash with. I know it isn't technically monotheistic, but for most of Cheliaxian history they were the chosen nation of the "one true god" Aroden. Now they have Asmodeus.

It's not to clash against. It's for the person to draw some ideas of culture and particularly warfare to utilize when unifying your fellow native people against the barbaric invaders from across the water who were in turn displaced by other barbaric invaders riding in from the east to destroy the remnants of the withdrawn empire.

The whole reason I asked the question in the first place was because I was looking for a way to play that character, and was told the Kellids were my best bet vis a vis Sarkoris.

And while Lastwall is very "Camelot-like" a lawful good nation that's home to a heroic knightly order, it's too modern for the kind of Arthur I'm trying to build.

And Cheliax doesn't seem very "Roman." They seem more "Italian." I know one originated from the other, but the fact of the matter is that Chelaxians DO NOT wear togas.

Except I'm not interested in playing a Robert E. Howard Pict. I'm interested in playing a Bernard Cornwell King Arthur.

Yeah but I'm not looking for this. I'm looking for something more like this. Someone born to a Celt-like people who has adopted the weapons and tactics of a more modern, Roman-like group. What I'm reading about the Kellids suggests that I won't find this archetype here.

Yes, I have purchased People of the North. That's why I have these questions in the first place. First Lost Empires gave me a pseudo-Celtic image, then People of the North gave me a more Cro-Magnon image.

I'm looking more for someone like Arthur from Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles. Derfel would have been an Ulfen.

I've been reading up on the Kellids quite a bit recently, especially in preparation for stuff like Kingmaker, Reign of Winter and Wrath of the Righteous, which all happen in their neighborhood.

But I'm finding it difficult to get a bead on the Kellid aesthetic. Are they Celtic or Cro-Magnon? The write-up of Sarkoris in Lost Empires seems to indicate the former, with a pantheon of many gods and being the source of the Green Faith that many druids practice, along with things like barrows and standing stones. But all the artwork I see depicts them more like slightly civilized cavemen, riding mammoths in the icy north, dressed in hides and wielding bone weapons.

So...what ARE the Kellids supposed to be like? The reason I ask is because I was told that they're the closest analogue to a Briton-like people in Golarion, and if I wanted to play some sort of Romano-British warlord type figure, I should look to them. But nothing I've seen outside of Lost Empires seems to indicate that that's a kind of archetype the Kellids cater to. That they're better suited to fitting archetypes of hunter-gatherer tribes during the Ice Age and before the dawn of civilization.

Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I being racist by claiming the Kellids appear too "primitive" for my role-playing tastes?

What would a GrapeWolf taste like?

What would they eat?
What would the stats be on a Dire GrapWolf?
Are GrapeWolves available as Familiars? Companion Animals?

AAH! WHAT HATH SCIENCE WROUGHT?!

Curse of the Crimson Throne has a deity write-up. Gods & Magic has a section on Iomedae. Don't remember if either of them talk much about the structure of the urban church. Council of Thieves discusses that, as a Lawful deity, Iomedae's worship is tolerated in Cheliax but her priests tend to focus more on order than justice (so they can coexist without being routed by Hellknights, presumably).

Not just tolerated, but quietly celebrated. Despite Cheliax's diabolist government, it's still the land of Iomedae's birth, so she's a point of pride for them. She stands as a symbol of all a Chelaxian can achieve through discipline and strength. In fact, a number of Hellknights worship her, whether as part of the Godclaw or on her own as the personification of justice. You're right that her priesthood has to "hold back" to prevent getting into trouble, but tolerate implies that the church is one misstep away from being cast out, and Iomedae's got more street cred in Cheliax than that.

Of course Baba Yaga would win. She's still around. Jatembe isn't. Kinda hard to win when you're DEAD!

In addition, there are the Starstone Brewers (I think that's the name). They're a group of Caydenites that adopt children that have been orphaned by war and battle, raising them with that gentle good-humoredness that The Lucky Drunk favors so.

Bit of an interesting question regarding the new Winter mystery for Oracles. Some of the deities selected for it made a great deal of sense (Gozreh for his/her control over water and wind, which are both part of winter, Kostchtchie because winter is his portfolio, Ng the Hooded for his control over seasons) Gorum and Rovagug raised an eyebrow however. Is Gorum's connection to winter based on the fact that he's viewed very much as a "northern" god because his worshipers are found primarily among the Ulfen and Kellids? And Rovagug always seemed more like "fiery destruction" to me, so the idea that he has some connection to cold is very interesting.

Not a criticism, just musings that I'm wondering are accurate.

I always thought it was AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! At least that's what I imagine most people said upon meeting him.

"Look out! It's the Anti-paladAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" *skilghch*

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

Okay, more heraldry questions. Sorry if these are becoming annoying.

What's the rule about organizations like the Knights of Ozem, Aldori Swordlords or Eagle Knights, etc. in regards to family crests? Is there a universal crest for the order that all members must wear on their shields or tabards like a uniform, or would individual knights retain their family crests, or design their own in the event that they don't have nobles like Andoran, or the rare instance of a commoner becoming elevated to the nobility for their deeds?

At this point, there are no rules. We haven't done much with heraldry at all in Golarion beyond what's been done in Knights of the Inner Sea.

I see. So what would your personal opinion on the matter be?

Also, do you need to join the Aldori Swordlords to learn how to use an Aldori Dueling Sword? In some recent stuff there's been descriptions of the families like the Khatorovs who favor the dueling sword, but I think I remember that one of the requirements of joining the Aldori Swordlords is that you need to change your name to Aldori, abandoning your previous family ties and cementing your loyalty to the Swordpact and only to the Swordpact.

Honestly? My opinion is that heraldry is in the same category as guns and sailing ships—it's a real-world hobby and interest that has a LOT of crossover between games and real-world lore, and as such it's one of those topics that folks tend to get really nitpicky about and that folks tend to expect great depths of detail in the rules as to how it works in game.

I can absolutely understand this, since I'm like that with some elements of the game (sailing ships and dinosaurs plus more). I'm not all that into heraldry though, and as such I don't really want to get into a big discussion about how the heraldry of Golarion works nor do I really want to do much in print about it at this time. If I were to do something about it, I'd...

I understand. I don't even really know that much about heraldry myself anyway. I just tend to research these things as much as possible so when I write character backstories I don't contradict canon, which I generally consider sacrosanct, or historicity, mainly because I don't want to make mistakes that it's too late to correct once the game starts (like a character inspired by the Roman legions using a spear, when the typical legionnaire was kitted out with a pilum, which is meant for throwing and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a short sword, you would not BELIEVE how much flak I caught for that!)

And that makes sense with the Swordlords. Now that I think about it, a lot of my questions seem to be about the interactions between members of noble houses joining military or knightly orders of some sort, and the degree to which one supersedes the other. I have to have more variety in my characters.

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

Okay, more heraldry questions. Sorry if these are becoming annoying.

What's the rule about organizations like the Knights of Ozem, Aldori Swordlords or Eagle Knights, etc. in regards to family crests? Is there a universal crest for the order that all members must wear on their shields or tabards like a uniform, or would individual knights retain their family crests, or design their own in the event that they don't have nobles like Andoran, or the rare instance of a commoner becoming elevated to the nobility for their deeds?

At this point, there are no rules. We haven't done much with heraldry at all in Golarion beyond what's been done in Knights of the Inner Sea.

I see. So what would your personal opinion on the matter be?

Also, do you need to join the Aldori Swordlords to learn how to use an Aldori Dueling Sword? In some recent stuff there's been descriptions of the families like the Khatorovs who favor the dueling sword, but I think I remember that one of the requirements of joining the Aldori Swordlords is that you need to change your name to Aldori, abandoning your previous family ties and cementing your loyalty to the Swordpact and only to the Swordpact.

Okay, more heraldry questions. Sorry if these are becoming annoying.

What's are the rules organizations like the Knights of Ozem, Aldori Swordlords or Eagle Knights, etc. have in regards to family crests? Is there a universal crest for the order that all members must wear on their shields or tabards like a uniform, or would individual knights retain their family crests, or design their own in the event that they don't have nobles like Andoran, or the rare instance of a commoner becoming elevated to the nobility for their deeds?

I'm trying to come up with a coherent backstory for a character I'm creating for an upcoming Carrion Crown game. There's three distinct elements I know I want:

The character is a squire or even officially dubbed Knight of Ozem, being an inquisitor of Iomedae (I don't think I'll need the actual prestige class, as that effectivelly kills the character's spellcasting progression, and having spells like speak with dead and atonement are going to be important to me).

The character is a dhampir (vanilla kind).

The character was born into House Graydon, some of Barstoi's most fiercely loyal knights, before Cilas Graydon broke ties with Count Neska and fled to the Palatinates.

What I'd like to do is combine these into something that's plausible. The basic skeleton of the idea is that the character's mother was attacked by a vampire while she was pregnant with him. I haven't figured out just what the circumstances of the rest of the birth were, but the catch is that Lord Graydon was desperate to save his firstborn child, and so he followed some advice of a friend of his (preferrably Petros Lorrimor, depending on the timeline) and had an ecumenical group of priests perform a kind of mass-blessing on the child, allowing him to be born with little trouble. This, along with the Graydons' rejection of Count Neska's tyranny and subsequent exile in the Palatinates was what inspired him to eventually travel to Lastwall and petition to join the Knights of Ozem. He feels Ustalav has forgotten all Iomedae and the Shining Crusade did for them, and it's time for a reminder. And once he learns that the Whispering Way is responsible for the death of his friend, Professor Lorrimor, he's going to hunt them down relentlessly.

The big problem here is time. According to the Advanced Race Guide, dhampir mature and age at a rate identical to elves, so it's more than likely the character would have been born even before Professor Lorrimor was, and to have actually lived through events like the War Without Rivals, seeing as how by the time the game starts the character would be at least 120 years old.

Depending on this, Petros may or may not be the person who inspired Lord Graydon to bring in more than just priests of Pharasma, and that it was possible for his son to have a relatively normal life. And it also affect the character's potential relationship with Cilas Graydon in Broken Moon. Is he the character's father? Brother? Great-great-nephew? And if it's before the War Without Rivals, there's the religious element as well, as Barstoi enforces mandatory worship of Pharasma, and worshiping Iomedae would probably be viewed as treason, which is punishable by death, if they didn't just execute the kid at birth for being a dhampir.

I feel like these are kind of disparate elements, that would require some serious mental gymnastics to make into a believable backstory. Also, is Ambrose an acceptable name for someone who was born in Ustalav or does it sound too "Western European?"

What's the rule about organizations like the Knights of Ozem or Eagle Knights in regards to family crests? Is there a universal crest for the order that all members must wear on their shields or tabards like a uniform, or would individual knights retain their family crests, or design their own in the event that they were raised up to knighthood for their deeds and whatnot?

I have a question regarding the Graydon family crest described in Knights of the Inner Sea. Of the families on the front cover it was the only one that did not merit an illustration, so I'm wondering about it.

It is described as a howling wolf sillouheted by the sun. Does this refer to a wolf's head erazed or a full wolf? Is the sun on the horizon with the wolf in front of it or is it like the wolf is in the center of the sun? Are the rays of the sun pointy or wavy? How many rays are there? What position is the wolf in? Affronte? Couchant? Passant? Rampant? What are the tinctures and metals? I assume the sun would be or, but what would the wolf be, then? Sable? And what about the rest of the heraldry? Would the background be Purpure, like Ustalav's crest (which technically breaks heraldric rules, as it has sable on purpure, and you can't put a tincture on a tincture)? Sable if the wolf is centered in the sun? Something completely different like gules or azure?

I want someone to draw a picture of this heraldry, so I want to give them as detailed a description of the arms as possible.

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

I have a question regarding the Graydon family crest described in Knights of the Inner Sea. Of the families on the front cover it was the only one that did not merit an illustration, so I'm wondering about it.

It is described as a howling wolf sillouheted by the sun. Does this refer to a wolf's head erazed or a full wolf? Is the sun on the horizon with the wolf in front of it or is it like the wolf is in the center of the sun? Are the rays of the sun pointy or wavy? How many rays are there? What position is the wolf in? Affronte? Couchant? Passant? Rampant? What are the tinctures and metals? I assume the sun would be or, but what would the wolf be, then? Sable? And what about the rest of the heraldry? Would the background be Purpure, like Ustalav's crest (which technically breaks heraldric rules, as it has sable on purpure, and you can't put a tincture on a tincture)? Sable if the wolf is centered in the sun? Something completely different like gules or azure?

I want someone to draw a picture of this heraldry, so I want to give as detailed a description of the arms as possible.

I pretty much had zero interaction with the creation of that book, so I can't really say—that'd be a question for Wes and Patrick.

So where would be the best place to ask these questions where they might be able to see them? Thanks for the prompt response, by the way, even if the answer was "I don't know." I'm glad the developers take the time to answer these kinds of questions, even if it's just insane minutiae. :)

The best place to ask is on the thread for the book itself. You can title the thread "A question for the Developers about heraldry" or something like that, and hopefully someone will be along in a few days to answer it. Remember, it's the weekend now, and often Paizo employees wander off to do other things during the weekend. Not me, today, though... I'm sitting here at the office...

Thanks again!

One last question: Are there any famous mathematicians in Golarion? I know that Alchemists probably play the role traditional scientists would, not just working with chemical compounds and biology but applying the scientific method to magic in a way, as well as plenty of astronomers (heck, you guys had a whole NATION of them before the Eye of Abendego blew into town) but what about people who study things like algebra, calculus, geometry, game theory and number theory? Where are the Pythagorases, or Archimedeses, or Newtons or Eulers or Gausses of Golarion?

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

I have a question regarding the Graydon family crest described in Knights of the Inner Sea. Of the families on the front cover it was the only one that did not merit an illustration, so I'm wondering about it.

It is described as a howling wolf sillouheted by the sun. Does this refer to a wolf's head erazed or a full wolf? Is the sun on the horizon with the wolf in front of it or is it like the wolf is in the center of the sun? Are the rays of the sun pointy or wavy? How many rays are there? What position is the wolf in? Affronte? Couchant? Passant? Rampant? What are the tinctures and metals? I assume the sun would be or, but what would the wolf be, then? Sable? And what about the rest of the heraldry? Would the background be Purpure, like Ustalav's crest (which technically breaks heraldric rules, as it has sable on purpure, and you can't put a tincture on a tincture)? Sable if the wolf is centered in the sun? Something completely different like gules or azure?

I want someone to draw a picture of this heraldry, so I want to give as detailed a description of the arms as possible.

I pretty much had zero interaction with the creation of that book, so I can't really say—that'd be a question for Wes and Patrick.

So where would be the best place to ask these questions where they might be able to see them? Thanks for the prompt response, by the way, even if the answer was "I don't know." I'm glad the developers take the time to answer these kinds of questions, even if it's just insane minutiae. :)

I have a question regarding the Graydon family crest described in Knights of the Inner Sea. Of the families on the front cover it was the only one that did not merit an illustration, so I'm wondering about it.

It is described as a howling wolf sillouheted by the sun. Does this refer to a wolf's head erazed or a full wolf? Is the sun on the horizon with the wolf in front of it or is it like the wolf is in the center of the sun? Are the rays of the sun pointy or wavy? How many rays are there? What position is the wolf in? Affronte? Couchant? Passant? Rampant? What are the tinctures and metals? I assume the sun would be or, but what would the wolf be, then? Sable? And what about the rest of the heraldry? Would the background be Purpure, like Ustalav's crest (which technically breaks heraldric rules, as it has sable on purpure, and you can't put a tincture on a tincture)? Sable if the wolf is centered in the sun? Something completely different like gules or azure?

I want someone to draw a picture of this heraldry, so I want to give as detailed a description of the arms as possible.

What kinds of locations do you mean? Socio-political counterparts? Geographic features? Flora and fauna? The problem with Golarion is that while Paizo certainly drew inspiration vfrom various cultures, it's not an exact match.

That said, here's what TV Tropes has to say:

Absalom is Jerusalem. Almhult is Iceland. Amanandar is Hong Kong. Andoran is the early United States. The Arcadians are Native Americans, and so are the Shoantinote . Brevoy and Iobaria are medieval Russia. Dtang Ma is Thailand. The Erutaki are Inuit. The Forest of Spirits is ancient Japan, by way of Princess Mononoke. Galt is revolutionary France. Hongal is Mongolia. Hwanggot is Korea. Iblydos is ancient Greece. Irrisen is the fairy tale version of Russia (complete with Baba Yaga!). Kaladay is the medieval European conception of China. Katapesh is Arabia. Kelesh is Persia. The Lands of the Linnorm Kings are Scandinavia. Lung Wa and its many Successor States are China. Minata is Indonesia and the Philippines. Minkai is Japan and so is Shokuro. The Mwangi Expanse is Darkest Africa. Ninshabur is Babylon. Osirion is Egypt. Qadira is also Arabia (with some Persian influences). Sarusan is Australia. The Shackles are the Carribean. Taldor is the Byzantine Empire. Ustalav is fantasy Transylvania. Valenhall is Vinland. The Varisians are the Roma (Gypsies). The Varki are Sami (native Finnish). Vudra is India. The Wall of Heaven is Nepal. Xa Hoi is Vietnam. Zi Ha is Tibet.

I'm rounding up some friends for a Carrion Crown game, but I have one friend I'm a bit nervous about. He's OBSESSED with werewolves. Almost every character he ever plays is some kind of wolf-man or lycanthrope or something even slightly wolfy. And the minute I mention a horror campaign to him where werewolves are one of the creatures we'll encounter, he'll almost immediately start salivating. He's a great guy, and when he roleplays he can be a real sweetheart. Puppy dog, if you will (Pun totally intended, I REGRET NOTHING!). He just has this really narrow obsession when it comes to characters.

How does one deal with the player who REALLY REALLY wants their PC to be a werewolf, despite the grim fact that it sends their power through the roof (especially given this person prefers melee-based warriors above all else) and that generally speaking most of the werewolves in Broken Moon are bad news.

Even if he started as a normal person he'd probably ask to join The Prince's Wolves as soon as they revealed themselves. Is there a way to let him have what he wants without throwing any pretense of balance out the window? Or let him down gently? Or is this an instance where a GM should explicitly say NO?

Well, it wouldn't be sword and board. Just a longsword in two hands. Sort of like "there's some foes I don't want to get too close to me, like werewolves." So the guisarme would be for those kinds of foes, while the longsword is more for getting up close and personal.

Hmmm...what if I used a longsword in some situations and a guisarme in others (guisarme being a weapon associated with the noble family I want the character to be part of)?

This is true. The only real reason I'm picking Inquisitor to begin with is because they have more SP than a paladin, but it's not just that. Inquisitors also have a wider variety of skills to spend those SPs on. They can track, they have more use for knowledge, and they have access to ALL the negotiation skills as opposed to just two. I share your bias for having at least a decent intelligence for any character.

Those are good suggestions, Blackbloodtroll. I had already considered the idea that the mother cared enough to try and save him (that's practically a prerequisite for a character like this anyway), and after all, lots of famous knightly heroes were raised outside their birth home, like my idol, King Arthur. Perhaps this character was one of those dhampir who was more "infected" than "conceived," his mother and father being human but his mother suffered a nosferatu attack and partly out of desperation to save the life of her and the child, his human father secretly broke the law by calling in not just Pharasmin priests, but those of other gods too, hoping for anything that might help his wife survive the pregnancy and the child survive his first few years.

Thinking of using the Dayborn racial trait replacing the Spell-like ability. I know it gives up the spell-like ability, but honestly I was probably just going to forget I had that anyway. It would be the result of the intense prayer, healing and ritual magic that accompanied his birth.

That's inspiring, to be sure, but it doesn't change my worry that I'll end up with a luridly-written backstory that contradicts canon. To wit, what I want to do is combine these three elements:

Nosferatu dhampir

Knight of Ozem

Graydon family (from Knights of the Inner Sea).

But that raises a number of issues. The Graydons hail from Barstoi, easily the most draconian and conservative Ustalavic lands. The mandatory and often fanatical worship of Pharasma there seems to suggest any dhampir kids born there would be killed at birth. Plus, apparently Ustalavic noble tradition is an heir and a spare, and the third son joins the church of Pharasma. Worshiping Iomedae would literally be a crime punishable by death in Barstoi.

What I like about the family is their loyal nature (to the point where you get a free atonement from a trait), as well as the idea of redemption. The theme is this guy's seeking absolution for his heritage, not just for his bloodline, but also for the "heroics" of his family in the War Without Rivals. And given that Barstoi was the aggressor in that war and it created The Furrows, an area Carrion Crown PCs will see firsthand, I'd say it's safe to say many of those heroics were more like atrocities.

But I feel like these ideas are mutually exclusive. A Graydon would have no interest in joining the Knights of Ozem, and indeed might be prohibited by law from doing so. If a dhampir were entered into the Graydon family, he'd probably be a bastard at best, and thus not part of the family at all, or killed at birth at worst. And the Knights of Ozem probably aren't too keen on recruiting dhampir. Most evidence in the books points to dhampir heroes being lonely solo artists in the vein of D rather than knights in shining armor, especially since they're specifically focused on vampires rather than promoting good and slaying evil in general. Sort of the idea that "Ustalav could use some Iomedean justice and honor. This isn't just about stopping the Whispering Way, it's a pilgrimage to honor the Shining Crusade." that kind of thing...

The books state the child of a dhampir is always human, though.

I guess the vote is for Ancient-Born (Nosferatu-dhampir) with Conversion Inquisition and that a greatsword is a better investment than two-weapon fighting. One more question...is there a way for a dhampir to be noble-born without being a bastard (meaning illegitimate child in this case)? Ustalav places a lot of importance on bloodline, so if a noblewoman has a dhampir, wouldn't she be ostracized and the child treated as persona non grata even before the vampire bloodline came into the picture?

It's just that when I look at the Guide to the Guides, any build advice for sword and shield users almost immediately recommends TWF with Improved Shield Bash and sundry. What I was asking was sort of "I've already decided what I want as a fighting style, what's the best subrace of the race I want to use that can accommodate that fighting style with this class and still be competent?" I confess the only reason I'm using Inquisitor is because it has more skills to select and skill points to spend on them than the Paladin, which is basically what this character would play as anyway. An Inquisitor that acts like a Paladin.

As for the whole "cop from Boston" bit, I understand that, but I like to tie my characters in to the metaplot of the AP as possible. I know that's metagaming, but I find it enhances my enjoyment of the AP, as the character doesn't feel like an outlier. To use your metaphor of cops, you'd scratch your head if a main character on a police procedural was a Russian circus clown that hangs around the precinct after being a witness in an early episode and just kind of comes along for the ride, wouldn't you? That's the kind of effect I want to avoid when making a character. Exoticism can only go so far before it starts clashing with the mood the AP is trying to set. And I like the AP to play out like high-class literature as opposed to amateurish fan-fiction. I've got an English Lit degree, I can't help it!

This is what bugs me about optimizing. I have a concept I want to play in mind, and then I find out that the idea sucks and in order to have a competent character I have to play something else.

What are those from, out of curiosity?

That works mechanically, yes, but not thematically. First off, I'm going more for a knightly figure than a barbarian warrior. Two, Shoanti are hard enough to find in their native lands given their nomadic and reclusive nature. What would one be doing in Ustalav, where Carrion Crown takes place? And last but not least, what self-respecting Shoanti quah would allow a dhampir child to survive? They have a very harsh, survival-based mentality, and given how fragile dhampir are physically as children, they'd be more a burden to the clan than a blessing, and it'd probably be considered a mercy to end their misery.

The problem with two-handed is that that requires picking a deity that grants a weapon like that, and I think the only one that has a good two-handed weapon is Gorum. I kind of have my heart set on Iomedae. Gorum doesn't really have much presence in Ustalav, and worshiping Iomedae is a prerequisite for becoming a Knight of Ozem, regardless of whether you take the actual prestige class (I don't plan to, as it seems like it's really meant for fighters and maybe cavaliers, as they don't have to worry about spell progression).

Plus, according to one of the guides I've read, Vampire Hunter removes a lot of your versitality for very little payoff, like trading Detect Alignment for a bonus on crafting silver weapons. I'd like to fit in my theme, but not without sacrificing competency. None of the guides seem to have addressed Kinslayer yet...

Really? I thought using a shield was only useful if you planned on shield-bashing with it, or at least that's what a lot of the guides here seem to suggest...

It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this. What are you hoping to hear from anyone that responds?

Unfortunately, I'm way behind you with regards to my knowledge of both the race and the class, let alone the options you are tossing around, so I cannot provide much with regards to crunch. Which choice sounds more fun? Which has better synergies with the rest of your party?

What I'm looking for is sort of optimization advice from people better at it than I am.

Well, what choice is the most fun for me is the one that makes the most sense when written into the backstory of a Carrion Crown PC. And there's no party yet. I'm pre-making a character that I can submit quickly to recruitment threads, allowing me to get my foot in the door quickly and thus minimize the chance that other potential players will create a character too similar in concept, thus maximizing my chances of playing the character concept that I want to play.

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

What is the etiquette about posting seeking a response to a question on these forums? I know that on other forums, bumping a thread for attention is considered rude, as is making "double posting" here in quotation marks because I'm referring to a different post made immediately after a previous post of yours, rather than a forum glitch causing the first post to be repeated, because such posting can be viewed as talking too much or being needy for attention.

I ask because I have some questions I made a thread in the Advice section to ask (largely regarding how the different dhampir sub-groups might synergize with the inquisitor class due to their varying attribute bonuses), that seems, for lack of a better term, to have been ignored, as the only post in the thread is my own first post, so any subsequent posts by me would likely be considered a breach of etiquette.

The FAQ button is a good option if it's a rules question—you might not get a personal reply on the boards, but the rules team does go through the FAQ questions and periodically updates the FAQ with answers.

If you're looking for an answer from a specific Paizo staffer, you can always post the question with the staffer's name in the subject line... but keep in mind that not everyone at Paizo is equally active on the boards.

And if that doesn't work, maybe try reposting the question in a different forum? Maybe no one saw it? And certainly, if no one answers the question, bumping it isn't really rude in my book, although give it a day or two between bumps.

It's more about optimization than how the rules work, and I am not looking for a response from anyone in particular, just people knowledgeable about that kind of stuff. I'll bump it tomorrow, and I will now get some sleep.

What is the etiquette about posting seeking a response to a question on these forums? I know that on other forums, bumping a thread for attention is considered rude, as is making "double posting" here in quotation marks because I'm referring to a different post made immediately after a previous post of yours, rather than a forum glitch causing the first post to be repeated, because such posting can be viewed as talking too much or being needy for attention.

I ask because I have some questions I made a thread in the Advice section to ask (largely regarding how the different dhampir sub-groups might synergize with the inquisitor class due to their varying attribute bonuses), that seems, for lack of a better term, to have been ignored, as the only post in the thread is my own first post, so any subsequent posts by me would likely be considered a breach of etiquette.

I'm attempting to build a dhampir inquisitor for Carrion Crown, and I'm trying to decide how to build it. I want the character to be a knightly figure, a worshiper of Iomedae if not a Knight of Ozem, seeking to overcome his unholy heritage through the Kinslayer Archetype. I'm debating two of the different kinds of dhampir, the svetocher and ancient-born, as they have tempting stats for an inquisitor, though technically the vanilla dhampir works well too.

For a sword-and-board inquisitor, Strength and Dexterity are equally important, Strength for fighting skill and Dexterity to qualify for Two-Weapon Fighting to make shield-bashing effective. Both the svetocher and ancient-born have a bonus to Strength, so they seem like the most obvious options, but technically Dexterity is important too, so regular dhampir make a strong case as well. In addition, there's a decision between the Charisma bonus of the svetocher and normal dhampir and the Wisdom bonus of the ancient-born. Wisdom is a very important stat for an inquisitor because it's their spellcasting stat. With the Conversion inquisition, it also allows the inquisitor to act as a party face, something I think would come in handy in Carrion Crown. On the other hand, Kinslayer's unique powers key off Charisma, and if you have a decent Charisma, then there's no need for the Conversion inquisition in the firstplace.

So I'm trying to decide what this inquisitor will be. A regular dhampir? A svetocher who uses his/her Charisma or an ancient-born who relies on his/her wisdom?

I have to add my support to the "tolerate but don't condone" crowd here. Allow it if the summoning is in the heat of the moment for battle, but afterwards have a chat with the summoner about why a daemon was chosen for a summons and not something else. And then, without being self-righteous or angry, insist to the summoner that he/she look for alternatives to daemon-summoning, not just for the sake of your code but for the safety of the summoner's physical and spiritual health as well, because if it continues, the daemons will eventually rip his soul from his body as recompense. And that just sucks.

But also bear in mind that the summoner is a PC too, and his/her player may have specific character goals or ideas in mind. If the summoning of daemons is an important part of the character's story, then you may need to have an out-of-character conversation to avoid creating conflict at the table.

This couldn't be more true. Hell, one of the most iconic wizards in all literature spent more time using a sword than casting spells!

Depends on the GM, I'd say. Is this a rules question or are you asking whether powerful spellcasters of Golarion have used miracle or wish to create new life? To answer that question...not to my knowledge, in the instance of those two specific spells, but there HAVE been spellcasters who've created new lifeforms. The best examples would probably be the ghorans, sapient plant people who were created by a rogue druid from which they derive their name. He was recruited by the wizard Nex to create food crops that could survive in the harsh conditions his war with Geb created, and the ghorans evolved from those crops over time.

Most of the instances I've seen where new life is introduced, however, tends to be more of a transformation of pre-existing creatures, like the Runelords' transforming of regular giants into rune giants, or the fleshwarping procedures of the drow.

I'm curious about this a bit too. I think I remember something in her article in The Sixfold Trial saying that her "sword knights" are arranged into circles and that the First Sword Knight is the leader of the highest-ranking circle, and thus the leader, but this First Sword Knight wasn't actually named by the text. In fact, I don't think any God article has stated whether the church has a central authority figure like the Catholic Pope. With a Lawful church like Iomedae's, it would make sense, though it wouldn't with less organized faiths like Cayden Cailean's or Gorum's or even the Lawful Good Erastil (his faith focuses almost entirely on the local level of villages and small towns, with no real need to organize for country-wide or even continent-wide discussions or events, and humbleness is a big thing for him too).

I would say that there are echoes of England in Ustalav's political structure and history -- Varisians pushed out Kellids, the same way Anglo-Saxons pushed out Celts -- though that's also mixed with Eastern European influences.

This is actually a very good point. The Kellids are sort of the Celtic analogue in Golarion, if Sarkoris (the largest and most powerful Kellid land before the Worldwound opened on its doorstep) was anything to go on, and while, yes, there's Eastern European naming conventions and perhaps styles, Dracula only started in Eastern Europe. Most of the action was set in England. Same with Frankenstein. Ustalav's got the same kind of dreary weather and eerie moors and hills that England's gothic literature made famous...

I can't count how many threads have popped up about Ragathiel over time. I get the feeling they're gonna keep showing up until Chronicles of the Righteous is released.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you, Ragathiel IS my favorite Empyreal Lord.

To answer your question, from what I understand of Mendev, it's (at least originally) a nation of faithful united in purpose. If a pack of wayward Hellknights can go there and become powerful and numerous enough they get recognized as an official order before returning to Cheliax (Godclaw, if you're curious) think it'd be more than safe to assume that a few itinerant cultists of the Empyreal Lords ended up there to help stem the demonic tide. Ragathiel actually fits the best out of all of them, since he's a militaristic being (he leads an "army of heroes" in Heaven) and Iomedae's herald actually used to be his (Hand of the Inheritor now, formerly known as the Hand of Vengeance).

I personally have a pet theory that had Iomedae not come on the scene, Ragathiel would be where she is now, much like how Sarenrae stepped up after Ihys was murdered, and that when Iomedae succeeded at the Test of the Starstone AND took on Aroden's burdens, Ragathiel gave her his herald, both to help her ease into her command better and out of respect for all she accomplished despite being a mortal.

So...yes, it's pretty plausible that Ragathiel cultists would be in Mendev. He and Iomedae are buddy-buds. ;)

I dunno...I always got more of a vibe that he and Cutthroat Grok had a thing going...

Thanks for the official word, Mr. Jacobs. Guess that deep-sixes my idea for a Divine Scion, as such a character would have to be Lawful Evil (Divine Scion requires your alignment be identical to your deity's).