Generic Villain's page

I'd also like to chime in that this issue's "Beyond Serpent's Skull" was amazing. I liked it quite a bit more than the "Beyond Kingmaker" one, and hope for more of the same with "Beyond Carrion Crown."

Furthermore, I believe that this...

Also:

Is there any information regarding the Exalted/Higher-Caste Serpentfolk in the bestiary or Article?

No. And I was really expecting this as well, so I'm a little confused actually. Maybe something for Bestiary 3?

Actually, just to keep expectations managed, the Inner Sea World Guide will NOT contain any archetypes. This is according to the product description and Paizo employees...

For real? Well paint me stupid, I could've sworn...

I am very late to this discussion.

With some info on Ninja's, samurai, etc., will there by any suggestions / archetypes for the casters from Oriental Adventures. i.e. an Archetype for Wujen (based off wizard), Shaman (based off of Oracle or Cleric?) or would something of this nature be in the Tian Xia book?

Or perhaps nothing at all?

The Inner Sea World Guide will have archetypes pretaining to the Inner Sea region. It stands to reason that the Tian Xia World Guide will have Tian-Xia-ian archetypes. Whether one of these archetypes will be a wu jen? Who knows. As far as I can tell, the wu jen was created wholesale for Dungeons and Dragons. It has an "Asian" feel, but I don't think it's based off any particular sect/religion/practice.

Wu shamanism, on the other hand, is an ancient religion that is still practiced today. Paizo tends to be leery about transforming living religions into RPG fodder - though they did a good job with Juju, Golarion's Voodoo/Vodun.

Ick, no. Paizo's ninja would only have to be historically accurate if it assumed players would all be playing in a historically accurate ancient Japan campaign setting. Are the Druid, Cleric, or Monk in any way historically accurate? Not at all. They're classes that took some elements from the historical idea and then made something fun to play with in a fantasy setting.

And yet, glancing through the many ninja/samurai threads, we find countless examples drawn from real world history being discussed. So clearly, historical accuracy is important to some.

Hmm... is Rule of Fear's format going to become a standard for the Chronicles line? In other words, will future issues feature gazeteers on cities, several detailed adventure sites, and details on conspiracies/secrets/etc?

I really hope so. Past Chronicles that have delved into specific countries - Katapesh and the River Kingdoms so far - have been good when it comes to fluff/story, but they lacked crunch for the DM (particularly the River Kingdoms guide).

It would be great if country-based Chronicle books were set up like the recent Lost Cities of Golarion guide, with stat blocks for major bad guys, variant monsters, campaign ideas, and so forth.

The ninja gains "light steps" at 6th level. It's a useful ability, but the ninja doesn't sacrifice anything to get it. That alone makes the ninja superior to the rogue. I think, at the very least, the ninja shouldn't get a ninja trick at 6th level. Not even sure that covers the gap though.

If you mix talents rogue gets a ki pool (otherwise it is still two lists) that's one difference gone. Poison use is in a rogue archtype so you dont need ninja for that (another difference gone). they both have assorted weapon proficiencies. so that leaves us with no trace, light steps, and a capstone ability.

Umm, what? When did the base rogue class get a ki pool? If rogues get acces to ninja tricks, they simply won't be able to take the ones that require ki. Also, the base rogue class does not have poison use. Just because a rogue can get poison use by taking a different archetype, doesn't mean the rogue has that ability. Because by that logic, the rogue class has every single ability it could potentially have, from all the numerous archetypes already out there.

That is barely an archtype, let alone an alternate class.

Perhaps you should glance through the APG, if you have it. Several archetypes only grant a single alternate ability. Heck, some archetypes don't grant any abilities at all - just a suggestion of some choices they should make (the totem barbarian I believe, or whatever it's called).

A rogue living in Tian Xia should not be able to pick up ninja tricks, because if they could they wouldn't be ninja tricks, in other words why did you specify Tian Xia? If they werent abilities associated with a certain training that is obviously only supposed to be given to the ninja class

By your logic, a ninja living in Tian Xia should not be able to pick rogue talents, because if they could, they wouldn't be rogue talents. Yet many rogue talents make sense for a ninja (just as many ninja tricks make sense for a rogue). And I said Tian Xia, because it's the default "Asian" setting in Pathfinder.

A rogue living in Andoran should just as easily learn, for example, undetected sabotage or deadly range. These abilities are very rogue-like.

But I'm done with this topic. I've said my part.

better for everyone but the ninja, all you've done is give rogues "ninja powers", so the actual class is barely different and entirely unnecessary.

Stuff ninjas have that rogues don't: assorted weapon proficiencies, poison use, a ki pool, the no trace ability, the light steps ability, and the hidden master ability. That's a pretty huge difference right there.

If you want a western style ninja, then well... be a freaking ninja. You don't have to be a rogue to be western, be a ninja and fluff it differently. just because the class is called "ninja" doesn't automatically make every single one eastern.

I agree, you don't have to be a rogue to be western, and not every ninja has to be eastern. That's why a ninja can pick up rogue talents - the two classes are similar in many ways, and so practice similar techniques. By the same turn, there's no reason why a rogue living in Tian Xia shouldn't be able to pick up a few ninja abilities.

Enough is enough! I have had it with these @#%*!@ snakes in this @#%*!@ Sanctum of the Serpent God!

(in my best SLJ voice)

I think this is less a failing of the feat and more a failing of the capstone, to be honest.

Agreed. The gunslinger's capstone is very underwhelming.

I think one of the hardest things for game developers is striking a balance between flavor and mechanics. Paizo's ninja has to be historically accurate, while also appealing to the romanticized image of Bruce Lee, Naruto, etc. Oh, and their ninja has to be mechanically balanced.

In short, something's going to have to give. I, personally, hope the focus is on game balance. In that regard, let's compare the ninja's weapon proficiencies with the rogue's.

Ninja: All simple weapons, kama, katana, nunchaku, sai, short sword, shortbow, shuriken, siangham, and wakizashi.

Rogue: All simple weapons, hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword.

Each class is proficient with all simple weapons, short swords/wakizashis, and shortbows.

What we're left with is the rogue's rapier, sap, and hand crossbow, compared to the ninja's kama, katana/bastard sword, nunchaku, sai, shuriken, and siangham. It appears that the ninja does indeed hold the advantage in weapon proficiencies. Looking at it this way, I reverse my original opinion: ninjas have far more exotic weapon proficiencies than rogues. I would, at the very least, lose the katana/bastard sword proficiency.

Please do not post playtest feedback in this thread—it belongs in the playtest forums, where it is more likely to bee seen by the appropriate people.

D'oh! Sorry about that Vic.

One glarlingly obvious thing I noticed about the ninja: they gain the ability "light steps," which is quite useful, for free at 6th level. They don't sacrifice anything to gain it. At the very least, the ninja shouldn't get a ninja trick at 6th level as well.

From a game balance point of view, I absolutely agree rogues should be allowed to choose ninja tricks that don't rely on a ki pool.

There's no argument I can think of, outside of a purely thematic one, that could suggest otherwise.

Regarding the OP:

From the thematic point of view, no, a ninja shouldn't know how to use a wakizashi or katana.

From a game balance point of view, a wakizashi is a short sword, which a rogue is proficient with, so that's fine. Also, the ninja essentially "exchanges" a rogue's proficiency with the hand crossbow (an exotic weapon) with a bastard sword (also an exotic weapon).

Thus, I have no problem with this.

I absolutely agree. There shouldn't be a feat that replicates a class's capstone ability (or in this case, 1/2 of a class's capstone ability).

It would be like taking two feats, and gaining all the benefits of a fighter's 20th-level weapon mastery ability.

I have a few issues with the ninja's balance.

-My biggest problem is that he receives the "light steps" ability at 6th level, without having to sacrifice anything. At the very least, he shouldn't get a ninja trick at that level.

-He gets a ki pool in place of evasion. Honestly, these two abilities are so different that I don't know how to compare them. I feel like the ki pool is superior though.

-He can choose rogue talents in place of ninja tricks. I really hope that rogues can, in turn, choose ninja tricks instead of rogue talents.

The samurai and gunslinger were both amazing, and seemed well-balanced.

Generic Villain wrote:

Oh oh! I thought of the *real* difference between archeypes and alternate classes: alternate classes get illustrations.

And a chart doing all the conversion work for you, plus likely more fluff for the class.

My post was mostly tongue-in-cheek ;)

Oh oh! I thought of the *real* difference between archeypes and alternate classes: alternate classes get illustrations.

I recall reading somewhere that Nex and Geb would be getting their due eventually. Also, iirc, that they were Erik Mona's babies.

Considering that these two countries are just oozing with potential, an AP set there is my guess. It would also allow Paizo to throw in Mana Waste/Alkenstar content, which many people have been clamoring for.

As for what could make this "experimental"? I have no idea. It's not the setting that makes something innovative, so much as the story itself. You could easily make an incredibly experimental AP set in backwater Andoran, or a classic and traditional AP in Numeria/Geb/the moon/wherever.

I'm curious what is beyond the Jade Regent adventure path. Is there another adventure path in Tian Xia where it is assumed that the players start out as ninjas, samurai, etc? If so, cool. But .... What about the continent we've known and come to love? A whole year without more Avastian adventures. Seems like forever.

But what is beyond that? It seems logical that Paizo will put out another World Guide and another adventure path set there. Is Avastian going to be left as a distant memory?

I highly doubt Avistan/Garund will ever be a distant memory. That said, I hope Paizo continues to explore Golarion's other regions, whether in the form of their Adventure Path line, new World Guides, Modules, Companions, etc. I also hope they'll always head back to the Inner Sea region as a sort of "baseline."

My only question: why would Daemons want to destroy all life? If they eat souls, they then would starve without any prey.

Daemons would be selfish and predatory but not stupid. What would motivate them eliminating their food source?

Thanks.

Souls aren't a daemon's food source. Souls are something daemons hoard, experiment on, and occasionally destroy. It's a form of currency for them.

That said, daemons are bent on bringing about the appocalypse. Thus why they're most powerful leaders are called the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. They want to kill every last thing that can be killed, reducing the entire universe to a silent, still oblivion, at which point they too will all vanish.

Daemons are Freud's Thanatos (death) urge personified on a cosmic scale.

Archfiend fiiiight!

And while talking about daemons, devils, and demons... since new devils and demons arise from corrupted human souls, where do new daemons come from? I get the idea they they arise from human fears and terrors, and have even less connection to humans then the demons and devils do, as well as probably a far smaller population.

Daemons are birthed from mortal souls as well, just like most demons and devils. Look at the "petitioner" entry in the Bestiary 2 - mortal souls that are doomed to Abaddon become the Hunted. Essentially, petitioners who are constantly on the run from the murderous natives. Those who survive long enough become daemons themselves.

So really, the daemon's desire to destroy souls is as much suicidal as it is homicidal. They really are perfect nihilists.

There are indeed still Azlanti around. Check out the adventure "From Shore to Sea."

I'm most comfortable with ninjas/gunslingers/samurais as alternate classes. I thought the antipaladin rules in the APG were simple and elegant, and suspect these will be too.

I wonder though... will there ever be alternate class archetypes? Or is that like splitting hairs?

For example, perhaps a "demonologist" archetype for the antipaladin (which is itself already an alternate class of the paladin). It could replace the antipaladin's touch of corruption ability with the ability to take on fiendish characteristics.

I'm curious mainly because, if ninja and samurai are alternate classes, I can see a ton of directions both could take. A "kuji-kuri" ninja for the Naruto crowd, a Musashi Miyamoto-inspired "katana/wakazashi" samurai, etc.

I'd love to see an adventure featuring a Groetus cleric of cult.

Check out the Pathfinder Society Scenario "The Devil We Know—Part I: Shipyard Rats."

(and sorry for the triple post...)

I feel that one has to put these In context first (spoilers for various products)

Context is everything, I know. And for all those examples, the context does certainly make sense.

That said, we actually HAVE done a lot of non-demon bad guy clerics. In fact, I can't think of a single evil deity from the core 20 who hasn't had at least one adventure dedicated to him or her (and thus, an adventure with clerics of that deity).

Yeah, I guess that's really the important thing here. It isn't like the core gods get neglected - it's just that, at the moment, their clerics haven't been as powerful as the strongest Archdevil/Demon Lord clerics in published material. Which is ultimately a small point, and I realize after reading everyone's thoughts, ever-so-slightly irrational.

I also came to another conclusion, that may or may not be valid. Maybe the reason Paizo hasn't named Asmodeus's most powerful high priest (or any other god's highest priest, for that matter) is because doing so essentially creates a roof. The moment we know that High Evil Dude Jimminy Doomsouleater is Asmodeus's most powerful mortal cleric, that creates a barrier that didn't exist before. GMs who love cannon (myself included) will thereafter be unable to flesh out their own highest priest of A. They are, essentially, stuck with Jimminy at the top. Even the afforementioned high priestess of Mammon is said to only be "Mammon's most powerful priestess in the Inner Sea" region, which leaves an opening for other potent worshipers of Mammon from distant realms.

The main reason he is cooler is becuse he brings with him all his cool history: The Bloodstone series, Necromancer Games' Rappan Athuk and Tomb of Abysor, The adventure Headless in Dungeon Magazine, The Great Modron March/Dead Gods, and all the references to him and Moil in the Return to the Tomb of Horrors. So far all Urgathoa has is a few paragraphs. That and he has the Wand of Death :)

Heh, I was somewhat hoping that no one actually recognized that quote, because it could have seemed snarky. In other words, there was no offense intended.

I appreciate your opinion more now that I see where you're coming from. I'm also a fan of Orcus - Dead Gods is one of my most prized 2nd edition books.

I think the clerics following demon lords and the like mean that so far, in the high level adventures that Paizo has published, which hasn't been their main focus, thematically it has made more sense for the clerics to be more "cultish" than belonging to a more traditional faith.

I could easily see a high level adventure with a follower of Urgathoa or Rovagug, or even Lamashtu in the villains role. I don't think a sampling of a few high level adventures can be considered a predictive index of who the most powerful divine casters in the setting are.

Perhaps I am unfairly picking on Paizo, to an extent, but my issue is broader. Here is a sentiment I've heard before (not an exact quote of course): "Let's make an adventure where the PCs have to ally with the church of Urgathoa to stop an even worse cult of Orcus." Gah! How is Orcus worse than Urgathoa? Why is Orcus so much cooler/more evil/more heinous than the GODDESS OF DEATH?

Also, the idea of a "cult" works just as well with gods as it does Demon Lords/Archdevils. Heck, the religions of Lamashtu and Rovagug struck me as little more than a bunch of individual cults, each doing their own wacky thing. In fact, all you really need for a cult is a region/country that doesn't tolerate a given religion. There are cults of CG Desna in the LE realm of Nidal, for example.

I agree that the current sampling of high level adventures probably isn't an indicator of powerful clerics in Golarion. But it's certainly an indicator of where authors have chosen to focus.

Ultimately, this is a minor gripe of mine. I certainly don't feel too passionately about it, despite all the words I've written, and it is by no means something that will make me quit Pathfinder.

No, it's simply something that makes my eye twitch just a little bit every time I see it.

I get what you're saying, but that begs the question: if you're not going to use the societal and in depth trappings of the world to their full extent, why use the world? Of course every GM must needs customize Golarion to their own preferences, so there is that. For one: the number of official NPC's in Golarion in the 15-20th level range in any given nation (Canonically) can probably be counted on one hand. So to my brain, if you're meeting a 20th level Asmodean cleric, he's probably the head of an entire wing of the church.

The funny thing is, I actually personally agree with you. I'm a bit of a canon nut, and I both know and love Golarion, so if I were to make a high priest of Asmodeus the Big Bad, I would do so with a lot of forethought. But my problem is that I suspect other GMs aren't so inclined, and thus are scared off from a perfectly good (bad) god for fear that they won't be able to "do it right."

Lots of stuff.

This is going to be a long-winded post, so bare with me.

Here's my problem with your line of thought: quite simply, it discourages GMs from utilizing the Golarion campaign setting how they see fit. I suspect that many GMs are intimidated by using clerics of major gods for precisely this reason. They feel like they don't know enough about a god or his/her church, and thus simply give up, instead opting for a more obscure cult. This stifles creativity.

Here's an example, illustrating my twin grievances. Let's say that a GM (whom I'll call Winston b/c that's a cool name) wants to make an adventure for his 15th level players. This adventures isn't inteded to be part of a larger story arc, but rather more of a sidetrack. The adventure will be a classic dungeon delve, with the PCs attempting to seal a portal to Hell at the dungeon's core. The main enemies will be devils, but Winston wants the dungeon's boss to be a human cleric. His initial thought is to make a 17th-level cleric of Asmodeus, because that makes sense, but he ultimately opts out and makes the cleric a worshiper of the Archdevil Mephistopheles instead. I suspect Winston made his decision for one of two reasons, which I'll now illustrate monologue-style:

Potential monologue 1: "Okay, so the main bad guy is a 17th-level cleric of Asmodeus. But wait... I don't know a lot about Asmodeus's church. Is there already a high priest of A in the region? Because if so, I'd have to justify my cleric's existence. Is my cleric part of the local church hierarchy? If so, she'd probably be even stronger than the regional high priest, so that doesn't make sense... Crud, apparently there's a temple of A in a nearby city, so I'll need to figure out why they aren't involved as well. Ah screw it, I'll just make my cleric worship Mephistopheles instead. There's not much info on him, so it'll be a lot less work."

Potential monologue 2: "Okay, so the main bad guy is a 17th-level cleric of Asmodeus. But wait... that's just so boring. I mean Asmodeus is the obvious choice, right? He's so bland and overused. Hey, why don't I make my cleric worship Mephistopheles instead? I mean he's an Archdevil, and that's much cooler! He's all mysterious and stuff."

I think, if a GM wants to make a high-level cleric as a one-shot villain, neither of the above thought processes makes much sense.

Now back to your point: I think it's perfectly acceptable to throw a 20th-level cleric of Asmodeus at the PCs without taking a ridiculous amount of time to justify it. After all, if A is as far-thinking and Machievellian as you say, than his reasons for sending a high priest hit man could be impossibly obscure to mortal minds. The PCs may never figure out what they did to piss A him off. Or perhaps A is simply playing some cosmic game of chess, with his high priest and the PCs as mere pawns. After all, I suspect that, while A certainly values his high priests, he puts much more stock in his diabolic servants. A 20th-level cleric is far less valuable than a 30 HD pit fiend lord.

One final point, then I'm done (I promise). In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, one of the largest evil churches belonged to Shar, LE goddess of loss and darkness. Shar's most powerful mortal follower is a priest named Alorgoth. Alorgoth acts as Shar's agent-at-large - which is to say, he's doesn't belong to the church hierarcy, but instead moves among all the different regional churches. He has unlimited access to all of these church's resources and assets, but isn't bogged down by ecclesiastic responsibilities, so that he can better work his goddess's schemes. If you know anything about FR, Algoroth is the guy that started the Monks of the Dark Moon in 3rd ed, then swiftly moved on to other pursuits.

I'm sure Golarion's Asmodeus has similar mortal agents without close ties to his (sometimes momotonous) temples. Such an agent-at-large would make an excellent adversary.

Not necessarily psychotic, just desperate. Many evil (to our POV) entities have been appeased with sacrifice or prayers in human belief systems in history to stave off the terrible things they might otherwise do.

I agree. I was just saying that worshiping a CE demon lord is no more (or less) insane than worshiping a CE god.

I, for one, hope there's never a Mordenkainen/Elminster/Raistilin in Golarion. The whole "uber archmage who secretly pulls the strings of the world" thing obviates the need for heroic PCs to save the day. I suppose the GM could handwave said archmage's existence, but that would make the whole setting unrealistic.

That said, I'm all for there being high-level wizards in a campaign world. I just prefer that they stay in the background, rather than becoming dominant political figures. After all, shouldn't they be more concerned with the pursuit of magic and knowledge than manipulating worldly affairs? I mean who cares about politics when you're that close to unlocking the secrets of the universe?

Now, an evil archmage who secretly controls things, that could have potential for a great campaign. The mysterious master of the Aspis Constorium, for example...

If your going to have a BBEG you want him to be as evil as possible for that extra effect. You are going to have to be one crazy mo-fo to worship a demon lord which helps give reason to why they would campaign for the destruction of all life or what ever their doing.

See, that's where I dissagree. How is a demon lord more evil than an evil god? How is a CE cleric of Shax (demon lord/murder) worse than a CE cleric of Norgorber (god/murder)? The way I see it, it's the other way around. Demon lords are small potatoes compared to gods - they think small and act small, because they aren't powerful enough to do anything else.

You are right though, in that you'd have to be pretty psychotic to worship a demon lord. But you'd have to be equally psychotic to worship, say, Rovagug or Zon-Kuthon.

Aside from demons and devils having the rule of cool, there's also the fact that the more popular gods have churches and temples and it can cause havoc for them when one of their clerics is being the BBEG. I mean, look at Asmodeus. If an 18th level cleric of his isn't his antipope or at least one of a cabal of wicked Satanic cardinals, there comes a question of what heresies he's sponsoring on the side, and what happens when people who don't like this BBEG start taking it out on his more profitable ventures, such as Cheliax.

Wacky little cults very few have heard about don't have these troubles.

You make a good point certainly, but I would counter with this: a cleric is entrusted by his/her god to enact that god's divine will. GMs shouldn't need to justify why an 18th-level cleric of Asmodeus is coming after the PCs, any more so than he would an 18th-level cleric of Jubilex. Also, in the case of Asmodeus, his 18th-level cleric would certainly be an important member of the church. However, A's church is incredibly well organized - a well oiled machine of tyranny. Should one of A's top priests die, another priest would quickly take his/her place, thus avoiding any chaos.

Also, there are several deities who have laissez faire attitudes towards what their clerics do. Take for example Zon-Kuthon, the LE god of darkness and pain. In ZK's writeup in Skeletons of Scarwall, the following is written:

"Clerics of the Dark Prince have a single goal: bringing pain to the world. In the absence of moral or immoral guidance from their patron, most choose their own path and use Zon-Kuthon’s gifts to serve their own desires. Their deity is largely indifferent to mortal affairs but still grants spells in response to the proper prayers. Many clerics of Zon-Kuthon seek power without responsibility and aren’t particularly zealous. In other words, being a priest is a secondary profession to them, leaving them most of their time to focus on their obsessions with conquest, wealth, and so on."

With that in mind, an 18th-level cleric of ZK would be a perfect enemy. Other gods with a similarly hands-off approach are Calistria (CN goddess of lust and vengeance) and Nethys (N god of magic). A high-level CE priestess of Calistria would be an awesome antagonist, as would a NE mage/priest of Nethys.

Instead, they seem to all worship demon lords or archdevils. Here are some examples from various Pathfinder products:

By comparison, here are the two most powerful clerics I could find that worship actual gods:

I guess my real point here, is that there seems to be disproportionate love for the demon lords/archdevils. Is a priest of Orcus somehow inherently "cooler" than one of Urgathoa? Is a cleric of Nocticula more intriguing than one of Norgorber?

Or am I just being too nit-picky?

James, if the plural of "goose" is "geese", than why isn't the plural of "mongoose" "mongeese"?

Geez, this is an amazing adventure - probably my favorite since Sound of a Thousand Screams. Hopefully Paizo can get Graeme Davis on board for more projects.

Hmm, slightly inconvenient in its timing, in that I just finished my Rise of the Runelords campaign in November and could have used the extra material on Xin-Shalast then.

Then again, one of the party members is staying in town and has great plans for it, perhaps becoming the new Runelord of Greed to replace the one they killed... There is potential for interesting follow-up games.

Then you're very much in luck, because...

It's a bit odd that more niche locations like Darkmoon Vale, Katapesh, Kaer Maga and the River Kingdoms get almost twice the page count of development, compared to the more setting-central locations, and, my own love being Osirion, it makes me frown to know that I've got four times more information on a couple of cities in backwater Varisia (Korvosa and Kaer Maga) than I do about Osirion!

In the new Campaign Setting due out in March, every country gets 4 pages. Furthermore, I would consider a country like Osirion far more niche-like than Varisia, the River Kingdoms, etc. Roleplaying games, rather tabletop or video game, are far more often set in Medieval Europe analogues than they are Dynastic Egypt.

Furthermore, Katapesh, the River Kingdoms, and Varisia have all hosted at lease one Adventure Path.

I think, rather than simply noting that "there are no good nations in Garund," it would be useful to consider why a country has the alignment it does. I don't see Andoran's NG alignment as being somehow "better" than Osirion's LN. Rather, these alignments simply help to portray each nation's unique outlook.

As a peasant, would I rather live in idealistic young Andoran, or stable Osirion? If my only concern is feeding my family (as it is for so many peasants), I would venture that Osirion is the better choice. Sure, I may not enjoy the freedoms of an Andoran, but at least I can depend on a fair, stable government to maintain the peace, keep the roads paved, etc.

Well, here are my interpretations of the Garundi countries.

-Geb (LE): A metropolis for all things undead. No good can come of that...

-Katapesh (N): This is a a country devoted entirely to merchants, trade, and commerce. Furthermore, all the top government officials are mysterious aliens. A LN alignment would also make sense, but a good alignment really wouldn't.

-Mwangi Expanse (N): The Mwangi Expanse has nothing resembling a central government. Its borders are determined entirely by the countries that surround it. In that regard, the Mwangi Expanse isn't really a country at all, but rather a huge conglomeration of tribes, villages, city-states, and the like who all just happen to be neighbors.

-Nex (N): There hasn't been much detailed about this kingdom, but as a place devoted entirely to magic, the N alignment again makes sense. I see these people as being driven by knowledge and power, not idealism.

-Osirion (LN): One of the oldest nations in the world, Osirion has survived in some form or another throughout the ages. It's only recently getting back on its feet after shaking off foreign occupation, and is concerned primarily with consolidating its own power and regaining stability.

-Rahadoum (LN): A nation that was almost destroyed by idealistic zealots. I figure most Rahadoumites (sp?) are incredibly wary of any kind of idealism. They are probably very logical and level-headed, to the point of pragmatism.

-Sargava (N): An imperial relic, Sargava oppresses the native people who it also depends on for survival. Its "civilized" aristocracy are self-important, arrogant fools.

-The Shackles (CN): Pirates. They ain't nice.

-The Sodden Lands (CN): Anyone crazy or desperate enough to live in this wasteland is most likely concerned with their own survival, first and foremost. They certainly aren't going to expend their precious resources on philanthropy.

-Thuvia (LN): Like Nex, we don't know much about Thuvia. As far as I can tell, it's a cross between Osirion's traditionalism, and Katapesh's mercantilism.

According to the Asmodeus article in AP29, there are, in fact, paladins of Asmodeus. They're exceptions to the normal alingment rules. Perhaps something to consider.

Quoth: "The paladin’s duties are always very carefully explained and restricted to avoid conflicts that result in evil thoughts
or actions; in effect, the paladin is a champion of contracts
and law, who happens to be good."

I really think they should go back and fix it or just make them supernatural abilities. I need to FAQ that and start bumping it like I am doing with the counterspell vs no counterspell thread.

In the new Lords of Chaos book, the demoniac PrC grants several non-standard spell-like abilities, and makes a note of their equivalent spell levels. I was really glad to see that, and hope it becomes a new standard.

Alas, that still leaves us with tons of sorcerer bloodlines, cleric domains, wizard spell schools, and the like, that grant SLA without noting their levels. I almost wonder if it's become too big a problem to tackle, what with all the material that could be revised.

Spell-like abilities. It really annoys me how so many classes, monsters, and prestige classes grant spell-like abilities, but equivalent spell levels are never noted. I started a thread on this with a more thourough explanation of my gripe:

Spell-like ability woes

I'd say one great way to creep the PCs out is to hide evil in plain sight. For an example of this, read the great short story "The Lottery," or check out the movie "The Wicker Man" (the original... not so much the remake).

Another great way to portray evil is to show it's effects on regular folks. In the Ravenloft campaign setting, for example, there were people called Lost Ones. They are formally normal, ordinary individuals who were exposed to some terrible trauma, and as a result become nearly catatonic. When exposed to something that reminds them of their traumatic past, however, they go berserk and become quite dangerous. For example, a woman who saw her family torn apart by a werewolf might go into a fit of rage and attack someone who reminded her of the werewolf.

I statted one up once, just for fun:

A similarly tragic figure is the psycopath, driven to madness and the urge to kill as a result of some horendous past experience. I statted up one of those too (hehe).

By showing the PCs (and more importantly, the players) how evil effects innocent, otherwise good people, it can really make things personal for them. An evil lich cult is bad, yes, but an evil lich cult that drives good people to madness is something much worse.

I'd say one great way to creep the PCs out is to hide evil in plain sight. For an example of this, read the great short story "The Lottery," or check out the movie "The Wicker Man" (the original... not so much the remake).

Another great way to portray evil is to show it's effects on regular folks. In the Ravenloft campaign setting, for example, there were people called Lost Ones. They are formally normal, ordinary individuals who were exposed to some terrible trauma, and as a result become nearly catatonic. When exposed to something that reminds them of their traumatic past, however, they go berserk and become quite dangerous. For example, a woman who saw her family torn apart by a werewolf might go into a fit of rage and attack someone who reminded her of the werewolf.

I statted one up once, just for fun:

A similarly tragic figure is the psycopath, driven to madness and the urge to kill as a result of some horendous past experience. I statted up one of those too (hehe).

By showing the PCs (and more importantly, the players) how evil effects innocent, otherwise good people, it can really make things personal for them. An evil lich cult is bad, yes, but an evil lich cult that drives good people to madness is something much worse.

Hm, looks to me that templates will be involved for that thing and having read more than once that (new) templates or combinations of templates are not the big thing at Paizo, I rather doubt it/hope for another antagonist.

Ruyan.

First off, I love gothic horror and am anticipating this AP with baited breath. I do have one concern though, and it involves the BBEG...

From Resident Evil Remake (NSFW b/c of the caption on the screen): Rush of Horror

Also, some more games with creepy/tense music:

-Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 (especially the dungeon themes)
-Neverwinter Nights
-Diablo 1 & 2