|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 Recent Posts
Alright, so we got a little preview in the latest blog entry about the three distinct human ethnicities. Will these different ethnicities have any different stats? Or are they default/OGL humans mechanically? (BTW, I really like the descriptions and "flavor" of the three groups. Pathfinder only continues to impress.)
I have a half wish/half rant - I would like to see magic handled a little differently in Pathfinder. This is purely my opinion and others may feel the exact opposite, which is ok too. Personally, I don't like how Forgotten Realms and Eberron handle magic, and to some extent, generic D&D as well. Magic should be special, somewhat secretive, outside the common ken, and ... arcane. I don't like how there are spells for every single problem that could ever arise. In some settings, everyone down to the lowliest inkeeper has some magical ability, magical items can be bought at any roadside stand, etc. It just seems to miss the mark for me. Want to make that guy slip? Cast "Grease." Ooh..too much treasure to carry? Just cast "Tenser's Floating Disk." Etc. etc. The Conan RPG (for example) went entirely too far in the other direction and made magic users almost non playable as PCs. So, my wish is to see some balance maintained with treasure output and magical availability. Asking a lot? Sure. That's why it's on my wishlist.
Yep, I'm looking forward to completely new classes as well. As a DM, you can always allow the Warlock class in your game - no problem. Paizo doesn't want to get into a spitting contest (and litigation) by repackaging something WotC owns. I believe that Mr. McArtor has explicitly stated something to this effect when speaking about guidelines for submissions. i.e. Don't try to include a Beholder in your submission by just calling it something else, or by describing it slightly differently, for example. I for one am really looking forward to new classes, especially in the case of the Warlock. No, I don't think the Warlock is broken as some people have argued (that's a very subjective term), I just think it misses the mark. Heck, while I'm at it, I think the Sorcerer misses the mark as well, and to some extent, elements of the magic system as a whole too. I don't like a class that can shoot energy blasts at will, with no ill effects, and do little else. But I recognize that that's just my opinion. Ack...Ok, minor rant/threadjack over.
You could probably follow the Skeletal Minion rules using the creature type (instead of a human). Yes! That would cover it perfectly. Ack...just when you think you have a neat idea, there are already rules written for it. Kind of cheesy, but this idea was also portrayed in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies - with the undead monkey.
My first experience was with the Greyhawk Blue Box (the one with the guy riding a griffon on the front.) I think we adventured around Karystine's castle for a time, using that as a base of operations. My earliest memory of anything remotely resembling a cogent campaign was when we ended up around Eyebite Castle (the basis of my handle) and we fought against the wizard Shiner there in several (mis)adventures. Good times. This would have been late 89, early 90, at the tender age of 10 years old. I remember the Greyhawk Wars Red boxed set as well. I don't think I've ever seen stats on "Shiner." For nostalgia, anyone know anything about the guy? Remember him at all? (I have a feeling he didn't necessarily wield godlike powers like he did when I was a kid.)
Hm...I will word this clumsily, so stay with me... We have gotten a preview of some of the Gods that will be appearing in Pathfinder. Will there be any false gods? Since Varisia is a frontier type land, beings might "worship" all kinds of strange things in an effort to buy themselves some sense of security. Specifically, I'm thinking of REH's take on some of the gods, like a cult that worships and sacrifices to a gigantic (possibly, but not necessarily magical) spider, ape, snake, etc. (Maybe even rivers, mountains, etc.) Do you envision anything similar to these false religions?
Hm...well, for what it's worth (and be forewarned, this is meta-gaming at its worst), psions get shafted because they don't have as many options as wizards/sorcerers. Psionics is (and probably always will be) a "fringe"/alternative system that hasn't received a lot of heavy support. Look at everything that's been put out to customize your mage, and all of the uber cool things you can do to customize your mage. Psionics hasn't gotten anywhere near the same level of support.
I've toyed with the idea for several years, but have never had it come up and/or been able to use it. What if your ___________ (enter familiar type here) dies, and you bring it back as undead? How does this impact the rules regarding familiars, if at all? Might be kind of cool to have a skeletal or zombie familiar.
So we've gotten a small preview of what to expect of gnomes. I like the direction they're heading...I still am on the fence as to whether I'd ever want to play one. They appear to be taken more seriously and to have a better backstory than previous versions of gnomes. What about halflings? Has there been any word on this? Anyone at paizo willing to provide some brief insight? Please tell me they won't be merely comic relief anymore. (Savage. Cannibal. Halflings. Mean little bastards. That's all I want for Christmas.)
I totally agree. Who really wants to do it with an orc? Orc women? Not even on an adventurer's worst day. Not even while marooned on a desert island. Not even...well, you get the idea. Orc men? Not a whole lot of women clamoring to get themselves a piece of the piggy pig. Thus, nearly all half-orcs must be the product of rape and pillage. It is entirely unlikely that they would be created and would survive in great enough numbers to create an "established" race. At best, half-orcs should be exceedingly rare. I've often felt that they were overused and popped up far more often than the likelihood of their creation would allow. Half-elves I can understand. Having a kid with slightly pointy ears is a lot more palatable than churning out lil' bacon babies.
Indeed! As much as I'm pushing for it, if girl gnomes don't at least occasionally have pigtails in our campaign setting I might well resign in protest. ;D Gnomes are natural illusionists. Maybe all girl gnomes always have the illusion of pigtails in effect. It's a spell-like ability. Further, they receive a +2 to saves on all attempts to dispel their pigtail illusion. Inexplicably, the effect also works within an anti-magic field. I sense an addendum to the OGL rules coming . . .
We read through the messageboards on a daily basis, as you probably already know. Ideas presented here undoubtedly make an impact on our thinking, whether or not we're conscious of them doing so. Such is the way of creative endeavors. Mmmhmmm. I'm pretty sure that certain gnome related discussions on these messageboards will inevitably lead to gnomes with pigtails in the land of Varisia.
I confess, I haven't read all 202 posts in this thread, nor scoured the other threads to find an answer. I have mixed feelings about psionics... Will psionics be a part of the Pathfinder world? More heavily supported than current WotC adventures/materials? Or will they remain somewhat of a fringe/alternate system? Will there be a significant rework of the psionic rules?
I used to believe that firearms were completely incompatible with D&D. This was generally because past rules governing firearms were horrible, and completely out of touch with other in-game mechanics. Guns aren't going to be a major focus, they will be used judiciously, they will add flavor, and if you don't like them - they're easy to sub out. And for those who think that firearms are completely incompatible with sword and sorcery style gaming - there are a number of books that disprove this. I personally am a huge fan of the Solomon Kane stories...the man travels with a rapier, dagger, two single shot pistols, and a magic staff. His guns aren't unbalancing...they just add flavor to the stories. Now, if all hobgoblins had AKs and every wizard got exotic weapon proficieny (glock) as a free feat, we'd have a problem. But c'mon, the Paizo folks have shown an incredible love/understanding of the game. Have faith that they're not going to crap it up.
I have some ideas that (I'd like to think) will make gnomes no longer cute stupid and silly. I think I have some gnomes that will make you downright terrified. How so? And...based on the Chat Summary, it looks like hobgoblins are open to new interpretations as well. Any ideas? How about Hobgoblins with a very complex religious based society? Based somewhat off Mayan culture...what if they were in to human (and demi-human) sacrifice, tattoos, piercings, etc? I can also imagine them being something akin to the Picts in the Conan stories.
If you want to tie in one of the big bads from the end of the Savage Tide to be a hidden patron, Iggwilv actually makes more sense, as she's an actual wizard. Malcanthet and Shami, being succubi (and thus Charisma-based creatures) would bake better hidden patrons for bards or sorcerers. Eh ...rules schmules Actually, Iggwilv would be a far better choice for wizards. Hmmm...and I like the idea of her coming in the form of something else, and the party not knowing it's her until the end. Maybe, good ol' Iggy comes disguised as an angelic being (since the party is opposing a demon prince) and the party will think they are getting help/reliable info. from the good guys. MMMWWWUUAHAHAHAHA
As others have indicated, sounds like you're either going to have to make more spells available in the treasure found, or give the wizard ongoing access to spells to study over time so he "learns" them as he levels up. On somewhat of a tangent - I had considered this as well for the wizard in my group. I wish I knew just how Malcanthet's (or Shami-Amourae's) role overall is going to play out in this AP. We'll just have to wait until the end to see how it all comes together. They're both involved behind the scenes. One cool possibility might be to have either one make contact with the wizard and act as their tutor. This could be as apparent or disguised as you wish. Perhaps they come to the wizard in disguise, maybe the wizard enters into a pact he hadn't fully bargained for, sees strange mystical runes in his dreams and awakens with knowledge he shouldn't have, etc. It could give Malcanthet an even more direct route to manipulate the wizard (and the entire party) to her own ends. Just an idea.
Hm...elves... I like the concept of them losing their fey status. Possibly the other fey united against them, for their acceptance of humans, and took away their fey status? Maybe the one and only time that the Seelie and Unseelie courts have ever united on something? The original elves were very powerful compared to what passes for an elf now. The elves themselves were mortified when the first of them began to actually die of old age (albeit, after centuries of life). The elves also began to look more human-esque over time - their ears became less pointed and pronounced, the race grew noticeably taller and heavier than other fey over time, etc. (Becoming the OGL elf we all know.) Perhaps each new generation of elves has a shorter lifespan than the one before it (we're still talking centuries though). For the first time, much to the horror of the elves, "half-elfs" are being born that grow facial hair and live only slightly longer than humans (explaining the current OGL half-elf stats). Whereas previous generations of elf and human unions were basically elves. The elves are shocked at how thin their fey blood has run, and are struggling to reclaim their identity and to define themselves as they are now.
How would you answer the big question of "why are they called halflings?" I like the idea of the term "halfling" being derogatory. It could be as offensive to them as any racial epithet in real life. The humans, either when enslaving them or while causing their diaspora, coined the term for them. It could mean, literally, being only half a man. As such, the "halflings" (we really need a name that they call themselves) were accorded no rights, were spat upon, and were seen as only a notch above animals. This mindset, and the prejudice against halflings, would go a long way to explaining why Rogue is their favorite class. To adapt and survive in these "modern" (and still somewhat hostile) times, they have resorted to thievery.
That's what I meant. Sorry if I was unclear....I was looking for "fluff" to support the crunch.
Oooh...I like this idea too. You're absolutely right, it would "explain" a lot of the halfling game stats...with a very interesting backstory. I would also like to see some justification for gnomes. I've never played one....never been interested in one. I don't know anyone that prefers (or wants) to play them. They just seem like a semi-comical dwarf-halfling crossbreed.
...And....while I'm thinking about it - the halfling wizards wouldn't use paper or papyrus. They could etch their spells into bones and keep a bag of bones to study their spells from, rather than a spellbook. These same bones could be used for casting to divine the future. For spell components....they could keep fetishes....whereby they actually wear their spell components in braids of dead women's hair, knotted and wrapped in cords around their necks, wrists and waists. They believe that women's hair, when used in their fetishes, makes their spells stronger. The few scrolls that exist could be written in blood and bile on tanned flesh. Although...I'm not going for an "evil" halfing society. The halflings just wouldn't see anything wrong with eating their enemies and making good use of all the parts, so nothing goes to waste.
This has been touched upon in other threads....I figured I'd start a central clearing house for ideas on the topic(s). It seems to be the general consensus that most people want a "new take" on halflings, gnomes and kobolds. How would you like to see these races portrayed? (I love the way goblins are being reimagined, for example. And it looks like the Paizo folks have some ideas for kobolds...) Personally, I would like to see a move away from the Tolkien-esque, comedic halfing. I really liked the Dark Sun halflings. Maybe, feral, tribal halflings? I'm imaging cannibals that paint their bodies in ash and file their teeth to sharp points. Maybe they worship their ancestors, or practice voodoo/curse related magics. Almost like ... aboriginal pygmies. Anyone else? There are no wrong answers.
In my group, no one will use the iconics as written if they are elite array cookie cutter characters. Not really a problem - their stats can always be adjusted or completely redone to suit individual tastes. I'm not requesting that their power levels be jacked up - I would just like to see a unique set of stats for each iconic (and yes, having them all be roughly the same power level is certainly desirable). Just my two cents. I'm really looking forward to the Pathfinder adventures and all of the iconics either way.
Can I make a request that elite array NOT be used to stat up the iconics? Please use either a point buy method or random rolling for stats. Either way will make each iconic more "unique." Elite array is a little underwhelming and well....overdone. Not meant as a criticism by any means. I just really enjoy seeing a character in print (or artwork of that character) and then seeing a "surprise" in his printed stats. Like...when a fighter has a high wisdom score, or when an NPC has a noticeably high or low constitution score, for example. I think it leads to more individuality and story crunch when a character is more than just an arrangement of the elite array. What does everyone else think? Agree? Disagree?
For what it's worth, I agree with Stunty the Dwarf. After many years of gaming with all of the inherent min-maxing that goes on, it took awhile before I could accept a proper scaling of ability scores relative to one another. If you think about 10 to 11 being "average", with scores of 15 being Olympic level, I think it really puts things in perspective. It also makes those rarely rolled scores of 16 to 18 feel very special (and thus, only godlike beings have multiple scores in that range). If you can step back and bring the respective power level of your game down a notch (or two) it can balance out the misperception that certain scores are too weak, not high enough, etc. A decent example of this is embodied in the Star Wars RPG to some extent (yes...there are some NPCs with insane stats there too). For example, I really like the Quinlan Vos character from the comic books (muscular, resourceful, intuitive, charismatic, tough, a true "adventurer" type) and yet, his single highest stat is a 15 (due to a racial modification). So, really....it comes down to what your players are happiest with. Point Buy ensures that there are no truly horrible scores (and in fact, ensures several quite good scores), but lacks that random quality that dice rolling has. It's all a matter of perspective as to how "good" the character is and what his relative abilities are. Point Buy doesn't seem so evil if you think about ability scores this way.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
