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I will most likely foreshadow it in my own way, but I am curious to see what Jason had in the original manuscript. Email sent Jason.Likewise (including the email :p) Same here. I'm interested in knowing. :) 
This absolutely changed. The book ended up expanding in size, and even then barely fitting. Cutting the player traits and creating a player's guide for the campaign was a late change adjustment. The Player's Guide will consist of 6 or so campaign traits, a short section about what kinds of characters to create (akin to the start of Skull & Shackles' Player's Guide), and a player-friendly version of the Gazetteer of Varisia published back in Pathfinder #3. We've been doing Campaign Traits since "Curse of the Crimson Throne," in any case—we have no plans to stop doing them anytime soon. 
@DeciusBrutus: If you had a right to kill someone, and you did it for hire, that would not be an evil act. However, the system I am envisioning for "Assasination" would involve some supernatural component (thus the "worse than death" aspect). The use of that component will be an inherently evil act. Could I imagine a thousand "what if's" to get around that? Sure I could. But it's much, much easier to imagine abuse of those exceptions for the purpose of grief, so I'd rather have a simple, clear system that some people don't like, then a complex system full of loopholes being abused to the detriment of the quality of the experience of most of my customers.
Hmmmm, question. If I follow a CE deity, and I cast Detect Evil, does it ping on Evil things or would it ping on Good? Of course not. Because in Pathfinder, good and evil are not relative. They're definitive. Evil simply IS evil. It's a constant, not a variable. How much more clear life must be in Pathfinder. If you do evil or are evil, you can't rationalize it away or delude yourself. You, and your acts, can be tested and their alignment made known. RyanD
We'er actually trying something of a "megadungeon" in Shattered Star... sort of. It's actually six different dungeon locations rather than one giant location, but each volume of Shattered Star will feature a relatively large and iconic dungeon site as is primary location. That said... there's other stuff going on as well—Shattered Star isn't all dungeons all the time. There's wilderness and urban elements here and there, and lots of non-combat encounters (or combat encounters that can be resolved via things other than combat). 
Sitting in the airport in Dallas awaiting my connecting flight to Seattle. We're getting close now. Thank you for doing this, Greg! (Yay, signed copy!) 
alright, not sure if anyone is still interested in this, but a friend I work with happens to be a programmer and we are starting to work on a random mundane item generator that will include all weapons, armor, and gear for core rulebook, advanced players guide, and ultimate combat. It will have options for deselecting any book or armor or weapons or gear. I also have plans to have it capable of having a custom section so that you can add your own house ruled items. We should have a beta test available fairly soon. 
So if I have a player in my game that has a Fighter without Iron Will and GoD am I to ram forks into their eyes, set them on fire and throw them out of the window because they duh, don't deserve to breathe or something? Hint: I have 2 such players in different groups I run. Look, it's your "everyone" argument flying away. :)
Part of the reason we quit putting the pregenerated iconics in there is precisely because of this reaction. I'm actually not at all interested in trying to make the most over-the-top numbercrunched optimized characters... be it in a game I'm running or as sample PCs. Partially because it's kind of soul-numbing, but also because it's pretty hard to sift through every possible spell option and try to perfect a stat block that, in the case of those sample PCs, is being done at the last minute anyway. In fact, we often picked spells for the PCs based ENTIRELY on the length of the spell, since too many long-named spells would make the spells prepared not fit in the space we had available. In other cases, we'd pick spells (and feats and the like) that might not be "optimized" for a specific build, but are the perfect feats for that particular character. For example as well... Merisiel is wearing studded leather armor because that's what she's wearing in her artwork. The iconic stat blocks had FAR more masters to serve than the "Optimization Master." to the extent that serving the "Optimization Master" was never on the to-do list in the first place. AKA: Those pregenerated characters are NOT intended to be optimized, but folks who want or expect them to be get worked up and therefore threads like these start up. So we quit doing it. If you're looking for a better representation to how we build high-level wizards, a better place to look than the prebuilt PCs is to any high-level wizard NPCs in the adventure. Of course... those are built as NPCs with specific story goals and requirements their stats must serve first before any other master... and they've got worse stats than most PCs most of the time, so maybe not. 
Hey, thanks everybody! Really appreciated! Erik is fine and continues his ever-expanding role as publisher. As for my title, we haven't had an editor-in-chief for some time and for the last three years my role has been considerably more than just "guy in charge of the editors." As the company continues to grow Erik's attentions rightly move toward exploring exciting new projects and possibilities, while I've been increasingly helming the day-to-day adventure of making sure Paizo Publishing keeps... well... publishing. What this promotion means for me is that now all of our editing and development officially falls under my umbrella, as well as much of the organization and outlining of new products - along with the champions of our individual product lines (and others, because coming up with new books and adventures is usually fun). Pretty much, if it has to do with our print projects, assigning them, developing them, editing them, approving them, getting feedback to authors, or any of the other bits that go into making a book happen (that isn't layout or on the design team's shoulders for the three hardcovers in our Pathfinder RPG line), it's on me and my crew's shoulders. Other than that, most of the other ramifications of our internal changes are mundane (or DOUBLE SUPER TOP SECRET... if that's a thing). What this means for folks playing the home game... is pretty much nothing. The crew that brought you everything you already love is the same crew bringing you everything you're going to love. Nothing to see here, move along. In other news, this has meant that Fiction Editor James Sutter has stepped up to Senior Editor to take on direct oversight of the wilder-than-you'd-expect world of editing everything for the Pathfinder brand, as well as captaining the most bombproof team of editing geniuses in gaming. Beyond this, James Jacobs continues to be our creative director, assuring elf eyes from Pathfinder Society to Pathfinder comics to Pathfinder Miniatures to Pathfinder Everything Else are appropriately shaped, continuity is maintained across our brands, ideas cleave to the highest calibers of coolness, and that his writer's callous never grows soft. Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn still heads up the design team and spends his days coming up with innovative new ways to kill characters (or is it monsters this week?). "Señor" Art Director Sarah Robinson continues her jet setting as head of the art team (She's at Spectrum Live this week, less than a week since her return from a con in Germany) and wrangler of a thousand incredibly artistic cats. And beyond that, everyone else - Andrew, Chris, Crystal, Judy, Mark, Mike, Patrick, Rob, Sean, and Stephen - got other rewards for their fantastically hard and continually awesome-under-fire work (except for Adam who just got a pat on the head and half a shiny red apple [and not even those] because he's still new; but we love him anyway). So that's the scoop! Now back to work! 
The top 2 novels I most want to see are: A Kaer Maga novel (with Salim?) written by James Sutter. A Nex or Absalom novel written by Erik Mona. Other than those, maybe something set in Riddleport, Minkai, or the Shackles. Regardless, I'm happy to follow where the novels take me. I certainly have my favorites among the line, but I'm happy to say that I haven't been disappointed by any of them yet (read them all, and just started Fallen Sky). 
I'm really looking forward to Pathfinder Online for a numer of reasons but high on the list is the wealth of dynamically generated content in the game, much of which is generated by the actions of the playerbase. Some of the quests in the game clearly will be generated by the players in the form of bounties, contracts, etc. I would like to suggest a possibility for dynamic generation of non-player-created content. Way back in the day, Sid Meier created a spy game called Covert Action. The game had its share of flaws but one thing it did which I think has tremendous potential was the way it generated "missions". The game contained ten mastermind villains; in Pathfinder Online those might be evil demigods, demon lords, mighty necromancers, or crafty dragons. Each of those mastermind villains had a specific objective, something far-reaching requiring the achievement of numerous smaller objectives; think along the lines of development, production, and distribution of a magical disease or the subjugation of an entire region by turning everyone into undead. To acheive that larger goal, several intermediate goals would need to be achieved, perhaps an ancient formula retrieved from the depths of some ruined wizard's tower or the destruction of a village for the rapid generation of corpses for reanimation. Some of these intermediate goals might be broken down into even smaller goals such as researching the location of a wizard's lost tower or blackmailing a guard captain to turn against his village. The accomplishment of these goals can be approached from two angles. Through successive layers of obfuscating underlings, the mastermind villain needs to hire someone to accomplish these goals. But as word gets out that someone is being or has been hired, opposing forces may choose to take action to prevent the accomplishment of these goals. So for each goal, content is generated for two types of players. Now, from the mastermind's perspective, the goal NEEDS to be achieved. If one group fails, another group must be hired to achieve that same goal. Perhaps she hires from a different region and that same quest spawns elsewhere in the game. Once that goal is achieved, the next step in her nefarious plan gets generated as a quest. At some point along the quest chain, perhaps there is a point of no return where failure of the quest results in a complete collapse of the quest chain. And that quest chain might appear later in the game having been generated by a different mastermind. So from a list of masterminds and a list of plots, a series of goals can be generated as quests. Each quest results in content for two types of players, the "for" and the "against." Some of those plots may share similar goals to reduce development resources and to obfuscate the true nature of the plot. I believe this could be a great way of encouraging player interaction in an ongoing storyline without that storyline being static content that is consumed once and then ignored. 
Subscription is happening. Just working out the final details with Dynamite. Expect to hear about this shortly. The first issue is scheduled for an August 8th release, just in time for Gen Con! I'm looking over the book for final approvals right now, and it's GREAT!
I just went back and reread this fantastic story. Here's hoping to seeing more of Korm and Aebos soon, Eric! 
Not to disappoint you, but skymetals are part of Golarion and the Pathfinder RPG line of books assumes a setting neutral stance. That said, one skymetal will be mentioned in Ultimate Equipment. Stay tuned for more information on skymetals in our Golarion-focused products. 
$50,000! In less than 24 hours! Congratulations to everyone at Goblinworks! 
I'm loving this tight cohesive starting theme for Season 4, dovetailing with the AP and Module release. 
Herolab is in the works for all FGG stuff! We are awaiting details on contract revisions. Seriously. That is fantastic news.
Are the illustrations in the new edition going to be the same as in the previous uncollected Runelords? or will there be all new Art? There's quite a bit of new art, actually. The most significant changes were to all of the art that had a bit too much of a "cartoony" feel to it. In the first several volumes, we were still testing the waters with art style, and hadn't yet settled on a standard "look" for art styles, and as a result we had a fair amount of art in Runelords that, by compassion to what we use today, looks out of place. All of that art's been redone. We also redid/replaced some other art pieces that we've since re-used in the Core Rulebook, and redid/replaced all of the vertically-aligned half-page illustrations (since, for layout reasons, the vertically-aligned art ended up not working well for what Sarah wanted to do with the book). And then we ordered new art on top of all of that to illustrate some things we never illustrated before. Like... Spoiler:
Lonjiku. Shayless. Mammoth-riding stone giants. Leng Devices. Scarlet Walkers. Burning Manticores. Angry wendigos taking that anger out on log cabins. And more! There's a lot of the old art though as well... we didn't replace it all. 
Tsathogga - Frog God Games: Rappan Athuk News - Add to the 80K Bonus Goals for all!!! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/froggodgames/rappan-athuk 
Here is a list of things that I think would be great to add wherever you see fit, these could be digital or printed:
When you say that you cannot "get it done anywhere near in time for delivery," it made me think of Rich Burlew's Order of the Stick Reprint Kickstarter. All of the rewards for that were delayed (I still haven't received mine yet), but people still pledged and he is working on getting them done. I am okay with delayed rewards. Digital rewards are easiest in this regard because we don't have to wait for them to be shipped. The book ships out on time, and I get an email later that my reward is ready for download. I, for one, would not mind even if my book shipped out late (even months late) to wait for a printed reward (like a "you see this" book) to come in. Part of this is due to the fact that I will have Slumbering Tsar to keep me occupied with Froggy Evilness for quite some time. I also acknowledge that delayed rewards likely means more bookeeping for you, the publisher. That may be more work than you want to do, especially on top of all the day to day work of running a publishing company. That's your call, and I respect whatever you decide. I just want to let you know that if you want to produce more FGG awesomeness and I have delay my gratification to get it, then I will wait patiently. I have full trust that you will not let us down. -Aaron
Just woundering, iam going to buy this great book, but are there traits /background traits in this new version? You'll have two options for campaign traits with this book... but neither will be IN the book. Option 1: You can use the sample campaign traits from the Advanced Player's Guide. Those traits are custom-built for a campaign that starts in Sandpoint. Option 2: I believe the plan is to have a free Rise of the Runelords player's guide that'll have a few more traits plus a short player-friendly gazetteer to Varisia in it. 
I've updated the cover image and description to match the finished product. Oh. My. God. That's an awesome cover. 
Thank you Paizo! As a Busy GM who has to juggle kids, a job, and a weekly Pathfinder game, i've been waiting for a product like this for a long time. I thank you mightily for the hours you'll save me from week to week with the product. 
Well, my take on this. For every rule I don't like there are about 25+ that I really like. Which I really can live with. The longer I play the more I find myself likeing the rules. Campaign management listens to player feadback on rules discussions. I think the best thing about PFS is the group dynamic. For me it is meeting new people at different game days and conventions. The idea 5 random people can go on a 4-5 hour adventure is great. I would suggest running a home game, perhaps the newer AP.
Now all these are my own personal opinions, but I do like clever players. The players that take make decisions that while small can really turn a scenario on it's sides. My favorite games are the ones where simple decisions and roleplaying make the scenario more fun for everyone. Instead of the X damage someone does. I tend to remember the bard wearing a hat of disguise sneaking through an encounter only to discover while he looks the part he can't speak the NPC's languages. Or the player who choose to rush a monster only to find he ends up almost swallowed whole in a couple rounds barely escaping needing a 18-20 suceeding with a 19. 
It is my understanding that PFS is intended to introduce people to pfs first, being a campaign environment second. The rules and stipulations revolving around the organization are meant to provide a balanced environment for those players. The reason you're chafing is most likely because you and your players are beyond the play environs. congratulations, you've graduated to big boy(girl) pants. You may as well set up groups to play outside of PFS, in adventure paths, modules or home brew campaigns. the hard part you face now is the fact that anything's possible, and you will have to deal with power creep, random fudging and manipulation behind the scenes, and everything else that can get into a private play group. It sounds like you've already got a good start, using PFS rules as guidelines, and it isnt like you have to completely drop playing PFS, just establish a game that functions outside of PFS. 
Things we've "broken the rules on" have been stuff like letting new players re-stat their characters, GMs altering encounters because they were too easy or too hard, general GM fudging of dice, and the usual not playing game mechanics as RAW (after all, things can get hectic and crazy in battle sometimes). The other big thing is the way Prestige Points and Factions work - Factions as a concept are a wonderful thing in PFS, but the fact that players always feel compelled to complete their missions and always get derailed trying to achieve all their points (not to mention that GMs here hate to "deny" players maximum PP) has overall really hurt the quality of many of the PFS scenarios we've lead here at our RPG Group. Thanks for your thoughts, zean. To be honest, you're not the only group that struggles with those issues. As a local coordinator, our group (and myself) have gone through similar thought processes. We want the best for our players and we want our players to have fun within the structure. And sometimes they come in conflict...especially in debating RAW vs. RAI. You're not alone on this. I and many others have chosen to work within the system a bit longer to address the changes that need to be made (some of which you addressed above) rather than leave completely. I hope that you'll stick with it a bit longer, keep reporting, and keep an eye on future changes. There is no reason that the PFS campaign and environment cannot grow to meet the needs of our playgroups. We need to be around to help steer and encourage those changes. -Pain 
I disagree. If you are taking actions in character, no problem. Even if that action is 'cowering in a corner'. 
If the game is easier when your character isn't there, you're not contributing.
If I enjoy the group more when you are absent, you're not contributing. 
If all these blog posts are serving as the buildup to the 10th anniversary celebration at PaizoCon 2012, I'm absolutely ecstatic to be there for it. Vic? Good show, man.
And for everyone else at Paizo? As hard as I know it must sometimes feel in your everyday work schedules and product deadlines, these are the kinds of stories which represent the hard-won accomplishments waiting at the end of that struggle. Nothing worth doing in life ever truly comes easy. Otherwise, it isn't appreciated. And yet, all that you do today is obviously so very much appreciated by your customers, the fans, your industry peers, and yes, even us freelancers who stand ready to support you precisely because of the kind of people and company that you are. I wish you guys all the prosperity and longevity in the world. Because your committment and hard work deserves it. My sincere two cents, ;-)
Well, I don't literally start twitching. I was just trying to give expression to the excitement I feel about the game in general, and the new blogs in particular.
There's a LOT of monsters in this book... and folks who've been wondering about monsters we've mentioned or illustrated but never gave stats to should be well pleased with the book, since that's a primary purpose of it—to stat up monsters we KNOW live in or visit the Inner Sea region, but as of yet have no stats. That means that it's something of a departure for is in that these monsters are not things taken from the SRD or inspired directly from myth and legend. With perhaps a couple of exceptions (which should be obvious once the book is out), these really are "monsters invented specifically for Golarion" through and through. 
I just wanted to say thanks to SKR for being the pointman on rulings. I know many of them are considered unpopular but what many do not realize is that he is not alone in those rulings. Being a pointman for unpopular rulings has to be a hard job so, thanks Sean for doing the dirty work. - Gauss P.S. I love that Paizo is active on the boards compared to other game companies I've seen over the years. Please keep this up.
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