Chris A Jackson's page

Really loving the art! Thanks everyone for the comments and the interest. Yes, as James said, this is a prequel. If you have already read Pirate's Honor, this will fill in a little backstory. If you have not, this will not ruin the story at all, and sets a few things up...

Enjoy!

I want that other Belisle pic of Celeste on it's own though! That pic is sweet. :)

I'm hoping for one, too... You may get one with the upcoming web fic... I fell in love with the image in Bestiary 3.

I've been biting my nails for this to go live, just to see the character illustrations. I love this one of Torius! The artist really nailed it!

The effort you put into this, Kyle...really awesome and much appreciated.

I do have one question: Bathrooms? Will we have a port-o-let?

Awesome, Tim!

Chris,

Hope to see more adventures with the crew of the Stargazer in the future be it another full novel or here on paizo.com with the free fiction.

As do I... Keep a weather eye on the horizon! Glad you liked the story...

I enjoyed this very much. It's hard to develop characters in short fiction, and Neal does a very good job. Good solid heroes all, but individuals and just "irregular" enough to add spice. Nicely done indeed!

Glad to see people are enjoying it. For those of you still on the fence, there will be a sample chapter posted on the Web Fic page May 1st, and a four chapter "Prequel" story posted in the following weeks. Enjoy!

Emphasis on what Vic said! Game design and writing fiction are completely different animals.

Okay, having just broken into Paizo as a contributor with "Pirate's Honor", I'll tell you how I did it. Keep in mind that this is not the only way it could happen.

1) Establish yourself as a professional fantasy author.

2) Read, learn, play and love Pathfinder.

3) Pitch yourself with a story or game element in mind. I chose nautical fiction not only because that is what I love to write, and have been successful with, but because PFT had not yet put out a "pirate novel".

4) Submit writing samples upon request, with emphasis on that last bit. I know James' post states that you can pitch with a sample, but personally, I would ask first. Deluging James with a bunch of e-mails with attached samples that were not requested will probably earn you a quick boot.

5) Wait and do not heckle!

6) If you are asked to pitch specific story lines for web fic (the typical starting point) be prepared with several pitches.

7) If James picks one of your pitches, give him your absolutely best work, and send it in.

Of the above, number one is the hardest step, but there really are no shortcuts. I put out ten novels before I pitched to Paizo.

Has anyone considered the Raygun Lounge? It's just off I-5 Downtown. Here's their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raygun-Lounge/350346401718425

Don't know about food, but they are certainly well acquainted with Paizo.

Nicely done! The action flows well and the characters are introduced naturally. Looking forward to more!

Okay, really? You think the rogue class is less powerful than the monk? Really?

Thanks Vic! Glad you liked it. Hope everyone enjoys it... I had a lot of fun writing it. And don't worry Dave. I got your back. ;-)

Congrats Dave! Looking forward to seeing King of Chaos follow suit!

Okay, my two cents: yes, the "Monk Vows" section of Ultimate Magic states that "Any user of ki" can take these vows. Yes, rogues (ninjas) can get a ki pool (at a lower level than monks can) by getting the ki pool talent, and therefore can take these vows (once again, at a lower level than a monk can) though I'm still having difficulty imagining a rogue taking a vow of anything, let alone poverty! So, by the rules, it seems legal for a ninja to use the vows.

However, having trouble with the already powerful rogue class having access to ki powers that (imho) were designed to give some edge to the monk class that no other could get. Looking up "rogue talents" in OGC, it seems like any rogue can take this talent. I have less problems with Ninja having monk powers, but a plain old rogue? The class already gets more skill points than any other, devastating surprise attacks, magic item use, the "Stand Up" talent as a free action. Not only that, but the monk has the additional penalty of losing his/her Still Mind feature when he/she takes vows, and rogues do not?

This is a problem.

What "Vows" section are you referring to? There is a "Monk Vows" section in Ultimate Magic. Rogues can attain a ki pool through talents, but the section here goes on and on about monks being able to take these vows... I would like a hard ruling on this if you can find one.

While the beginning of the section says that these vows are available to anyone with a ki pool, every sentence in the first paragraph of "Monk Vows" in Ultimate Magic uses the word "Monk". Even if another class can get a ki pool, this passage clearly states that "A monk" can gain ki points by taking a "monk vows".

Frankly, I disagree with the "ki pool talent" available to rogues. So a rogue can gain a ki pool at first level, and a monk has to wait until 4th? This depowers monks and gives even more power to already powerful rogues.

Chris is my GM and my good friend. I am so proud of him right now. I can't wait for this to be released to the world.

Yes, and we still have to finish that adventure path! Running pirates is like herding cats... they chase booty like cats chase mice!!! A very fun AP, by the way. We definitely shifted toward Chaotic Good (Okay, maybe Chaotic Neutral, since the Boatswain's idea of discipline was slitting the offender's throat!) after the PC's got their own ship, but that was a good thing, IMHO.

Here's Damon's Pathfinder art on Facebook. The cover is posted there without the title and logo.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442061125830641.87077.270998459603 576&type=1

Enjoy!

Sadly, no Convocation this year. Instead, we're getting the very first run-through of the new GenCon special, which is going to be pretty spectacular. You won't want to miss it!

Bummer, but yes, I am very much looking forward to GenCon this year! Is there a thread for this "GenCon Special"?

This sounds like all kinds of awesome. Do you know what city it was patterned after? I get visions of a city like Katapesh all laid out on tables, each table a place on the city map with a volunteer running encounters... Something like that?

Has anyone ever thought about just doing a huge tailgaiter in the hotel parking lot? We might even be able to Okay it with the hotel... Just a thought.

Just finished "Liar's Blade"... love the banter... Nothing better than a wise ass weapon to keep you dishonest.

Man! Dave is really cranking them out! So, the real question: Will this be out in time for GenCon?

Without asking the hotel what they are willing to do/offer us, there is no way to know what they will require. All it would take is a phone call, or a few e-mails to find out. If they want a non-refundable deposit, there are two options, take a collection or just say no thanks.

One point: since I will be flying in, and won't have a car, someplace as close as possible to the host hotel would be best for me. Don't know how many others are in the same situation.

While I would love to do a picnic in the park Meet and Eat, the 4th of July crowds would kill it, I think, not to mention the chance of rain. Someone might give the hotel a call about the meeting room rental... This is the con hotel, after all. If they set up a cash bar, they will be making money (at least from me), so some subtle hints that maybe they could comp us the room might be agreeable. If the last M&E drew 125 people, we could probably promise them that many. The only other question would be food.

Also, this is evidently Denman's first PFT cover! Send the man some LOVE!

I really love this cover! Denman really did an awesome job. A difficult scene to capture and he nailed it! Many Thanks! Also gotta agree with Dave, These great artists deserve some exposure. Love his work. Here's his site: http://denmanrooke.com/

Mmmm... toasted gnome... my favorite!

Enjoyed this first chapter very much. You have a great first person voice, Andrew. Great character development and physical descriptions that aren't onerous or distracting. Astronomer/astrologers are a weakness of mine, too...

Well done!

Awesome question, Dave! I agree with Neil that Luma of "Blood of the City" was a character I was truly rooting for. Betrayal is always a great sympathy motivating element. I would add Jerisa from "Worldwound Gambit" to the list; torn between love and duty, another great motivator. Alaeron, from City of the Fallen Sky (Noted previous error in title, Doh!), I loved simply because I personally identified with him; poor science geek who would much rather just tinker in his lab, caught up in a serious pot of trouble. My top choice, however, has to be Salim in "Death's Heretic." Talk about a soul in torment... Wow...

I've never been much of a "Knight in Shining Armor" fan, but as I said above, I love a marginal character that turns the corner. I've always loved Radovan because he's a marginal character *trying* to turn the corner, but convinced by his own cynicism that he's not the "Knight in Shining Armor" type, very much a Han Solo motif, but with spikes...

Personally, I love morally ambiguous characters. The joy in them, as I see it, is when they turn the corner to the "cause of good" whether they know it or not. Robin Laws did this beautifully in Worldwound Gambit.

I really enjoyed Tim Pratt's "Tales of the Fallen Sky" and I really didn't think the main character was so amoral. Nor, I think was he "self-absorbed"... he was just a science nerd and totally focused on his craft...and staying alive.

Hmmm. reading the plot synopsis, it looks like this story could have a big impact on the part of the world in which it is set, wich is so far unusual in Pathfinder Tales.

Yes, world shifting plots are rare indeed in Pathfinder Tales... Hmmm... Can't wait to find out how this one plays out! Awesome that Ed has come in to play in the PT sandbox!

Thanks for the Kudos, James. Torius and his crew do indeed log quite a few sea miles in this tale...the length of the Inner Sea, in fact! Just as the book was written and edited from Trinidad to Martinique,and many points in between. A writing sailor or a sailing writer...that's me, but I'm not sure which.

Ok lets see if I can do the Spoiler Button right.

** spoiler omitted **

Nice, but J needs some fighter levels. He was proficient with sword at the beginning of Master of Devils...

Looks like they've got you on a fast track, Dave... Much deserved.

I only have one complaint about the web fic, however: More!

Must be difficult to decide how much to give up; you don't want to make it a "must read" for the next novel, but teasing your audience is a good thing...

Well done!

Nelith wrote:

"You will never guess who I am." The intruder's voice was a sneer behind his golden mask.

"Prince Kasiya of Osirion."
He choked. "How—?"
...
"Vampire."
"How could you possibly—?"

Too bad this dumbs down the villain too much: it seems exaggerated. Otherwise, a good story.

Couldn't disagree more. My absolute favorite part of this story.

Agreed! A true "Sherlock" moment... Well done, Dave! But that fireball's gonna sting.

I don't have a problem with Gozreh being fickle or cruel. That is nature. The Norse prayed to Odin, the sea god, not to gain a boon, but more often to avoid getting smacked by a wicked North Atlantic storm. For anyone who has spent any time on the sea, the "praying not to die" idea is not hard to believe... done it myself.

Also, nature is not chaotic. The natural world is a complex mosaic. You may not be able to see the picture, because you are standing too close. Back up, look at global weather, forest ecology, evolution, the sheer beauty and complexity of food chains and the natural order, and you can imagine that a god who oversaw all this might be a little...odd, but would also be very pissed off if anybody decided they could "paint a better mosaic". Not someone who is cutting wood or killing game to survive, but someone who is simply clearing a forest for "agriculture" or "Development", would definitely be in Gozreh's cross hairs.

I like Gozreh a lot...

Let's see... abstinent for a year... Lips like ripe plums... Yep, totally worth killing someone for.

Radovan, you little...um...devil, you...

Nicely done, Dave!

You are evil, Dave... Pure evil...

Nice.

Looking forward to it! I think I'll wait for the hard copy, though.

Very nice double twist, Erik.

I had to look back to make sure there was no allusion from Terrant's pov that he already knew Ephere, but it was clean... very nicely done!

This gives me flashbacks to "Worldwound Gambit". The double, double cross with some of the crew knowing what is going on and others who do not. Once again, nicely done.

And they got the loot... yeah... Proper villains indeed...

Awesome cover art...I'm liking the small reptilian (dino) critter running along with her. Animal companion? Looking forward to this one!

Who is the cover artist, by the way?

Good work, Erik! Nice hook! Can't wait for more.

Also, it would appear that I need a new avatar... Hmmmm...

A train from Southern Cal to PaizoCon would be awesome! Gaming galore! It'd be like a GenCon on wheels!!!

Never argue with a red-hot poker... *wince*... Enjoying this!

Yes... need to know... I'm flying in for this one!

Nice beginning! Looking forward to more! This is prequel to Blood of the City, I'm assuming... very cool, since I just picked up a signed copy at GenCon... Thanks Robin!

Very nice read! Looking forward to Nightglass now... Well done!

Nice little piece... Well done, Michael! The idea of standing on a pressure trap for 12 hours is a great plot device! Where's that teleport ring when you really need it?

A very grim and vivid picture! Nicely done! I love the feeling of total oppression, like something out of Nazi Germany during the war...

Shivers... but good shivers...