Lucus Palosaari's page

Is there going to be a 5e version of this book?

Also hoping for answers for the above questions. I know it's been seven years, but still.

I'm sorry -- we're not in the habit of looking at older releases on Paizo.com

We DID include a 5e version in our Shadows over Vathak Zine #1. You can read a review of it on DriveThruRPG.com or on Endzeitgeist's website that he did. The book itself can be found on DriveThruRPG.com -- we never bothered to load it to Paizo.com as it's a 5th Ed book.

Here's a Link Vathak Times Zine #1

As for the mechanical issues -- we're sorry and I don't think we ever did address them in any meaningful way anywhere. The author, Nick, has used living dolls extensively in his own games and likely has a bunch of workarounds and house rules but I don't think we ever collected them.

There are a lot of spells for mending and ways to "repair" via magic and the like that came out over the years. In particular I'd look (Archives of Neyths links)
Rules for Repairing Constructs
Make Whole Spell
Mending Spell
Rapid Repair Spell
Field Repair Feat
Mundane Mending Kit
Mundane Mending Paste

Hope those help

It's been a long time BUT...

RPG SuperStar 2020

Seems to be licensed by Paizo (i.e. Paizo is onboard but not "running it" per se).

So, who has seen this?

RPG SuperStar 2020

Seems to be licensed by Paizo (i.e. Paizo is onboard but not "running it" per se).

No. There was an update a few months ago on their Starfinder kickstarter that detailed the various setbacks and delays that they've been experiencing. Right now, they are focused on completing the Starfinder Psionics Guide kickstarter, and after that, who knows?

I think the update was this one: Updated #20 We Hear You from like August 20, 2019. There was one Sept 4th that was mostly art.

So, not dead, just busy.

Plot Points Podcast finally posted their audio from Gary Con, which goes back to the OP of this thread...

http://plotpointspod.com/pathfinder-2nd-edition-seminar-from-gary-con-2019- episode-134/

Linkified: Plot Points

This thread became about the Twitch which is fine, but there was a ttrpg podcaster that was at GaryCon and recorded Jason's event -- Plot Points Podcast. On Facebook he said he'll have it within the month. His podcast can be found here:

Plot Points

None of the changes mentioned in the New Updates section of this blog are in the rules update file linked above. In fact, I can't see any evidence that you have changed that file since August 27th.

Really? The file I downloaded has these changes it seems and is clearly labeled Update 1.2 with a release date of today.

The intention, I think, is that he's going to blog AS the Playtest is going on.

Like, during each "phase" of it -- so he'll start in the weeks after August's release of the Pathfinder Playtest and continue on till November or whenever it all ends.

And I assume from the nature of how this one reads, he hasn't been reading any of the blogs -- which I don't blame him. The little slices we're getting in the blogs are nearly useless for anything except a tease and he's a reviewer -- don't want to set his mind wrongly on something because he hasn't seen a more full picture etc.

I am looking forward to this whole thing, personally! Go Endz go!

CalebTGordan wrote:

Another paper cut is how coffee and tea aren't in the core rulebook. While it doesn't seem like much, what if my proper noble character wants something besides wine with his brunch? What if he wants to do business over coffee at a cafe instead of a rowdy tavern?

We appreciate all feedback given about our Playtest, but unfortunately many changes are too extensive to make at this point in the book's process.

However, we just added coffee and tea to the Playtest Rulebook. Harsk thanks you!

I'm a little disappointed you folks didn't already have coffee or tea in the book!

Next you're going to say that Jason forgot to have scotch* & beer in there!

*Note: I mean, it might be under a different name as its not going to be "Scottish," per se -- whiskey? burbon? "generic hard alcohol" etc.

Looking forward to people's reactions!

*spit take* Whaaaa?

theheadkase wrote:

Thank you for purchasing! I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't mind a quick review would be greatly appreciated!

It's taken me a couple of weeks (classes started up, huzzah!) but getting right on it!

Cole -- thank you so much for the review! You "got it" -- and summarized the point of the book perfectly with your "spigot of beer" comment.

That's 100% along the lines of what Kiel was "pitching" to Rick & I and we hoped he was right that there was an audience for it. Glad to see we're all correct!

The price is right! Sold!

I think Starfinder is gonna be a SERIOUS 3PP playground- space is huge, after all.

We have a LOT of options for sure -- I'm curious how many 3PPs will "go niche" or "their own setting" vs. make "world-neutral" stuff for Starfinder?

<note, I am editor and project manager at Fat Goblin Games -- I worked on this book>

I think I see a problem with the themes in this book. The themes in the Starfinder Core Rulebook generally reduce the DCs of skill checks to recall some sort of information by 5, thereby turning certain DC 15 checks into DC 10 checks that can be attempted untrained. However, the DC reductions in the themes in this book are generally not for checks to recall information.

Hi David,

I'm Lucus Palosaari -- the editor of the book. I'll try to get Kim specifically to chime in but I know I had at least one bit of a comment.

First off, I'd say less "problem" more "design choice." Now, I guess you could argue "its unbalanced this way" or "its not fitting with the ability in general" but I don't think our Themed Knowledge for the Brute or the Rogue are unprecedented.

As they're just little slices of the book, I'll share both here for everyone to read (various emphasis is added by me, not in the book):

For the Brute
Theme Knowledge (1st)
You’re obsessed with violence of every kind,
enjoying inflicting pain, and misery upon others. To
this end you’ve amassed a great deal of information
on what makes different people tick, and what
makes them hurt. To your allies this comes in handy
whenever they have suffered injury as you are quick
to identify what the cause is. Reduce the DC by 5 for
all Medicine checks for first aid and to treat deadly
wounds. Intimidate is a class skill for you, though if it
is a class skill from the class you take at 1st level, you
instead gain a +1 bonus to your Intimidate checks.
In addition, you gain an ability adjustment of +1 to
Strength at character creation.

&

For the Rogue
Theme Knowledge (1st)
Charming to a fault, you find other sentient beings
to be fascinating and in many cases to be worth
more than the loot they carry, and perform feats of
derring-do to impress them. Reduce the DC by 5 for
all Diplomacy checks to change attitudes. Athletics is
a class skill for you, though if it is a class skill from the
class you take at 1st level, you instead gain a +1 bonus
to your Athletics checks. In addition, you gain an ability
adjustment of +1 to Charisma at character creation.

Now while we have in the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook 10 "example" themes, not even ALL of them share that same "Reduce the DC of <specific insert skill(s)> checks to recall knowledge about <insert specific example situation> by 5."

Specifically, the Themeless and the Xenoseeker 'break the mold' with Themeless just granting a class skill of the player's choice (and then also giving the player the choice to add the bonus to ANY ability rather than only one specific one -- which is quite the boon), and then -- the key one -- is Xenoseeker has a "Reduce the DC" for identify.

Now its a single alternative (I think the rest are all "recall knowledge") but its thus not "unprecedented" to offer some alternative.

And what I think is really the point is to reduce the DC for a specific use of certain skill(s) in particular circumstances. In the case of the Brute, we said they can first aid and treat deadly wound better -- which is just 2 of the 6 uses of the Medicine skill (First Aid, Long-Term Care, Long-Term Stability, Treat Deadly Wounds, Treat Disease, and Treat Drugs or Poisons). That feels like a specific situation for that skill, but an argument could be made.

And then the Rouge is better at changing attitudes with Diplomacy. Now, maybe as one of only two special listings for the skill, maybe we should have narrowed it more but its still a specific circumstance. ALSO, the uses of this skill (Diplomacy) vs. others though and that kind of use is also a thing we'd look toward -- we didn't for instance make it to lie using Bluff. Maybe it should have been but Kim chose it carefully, I feel.

Hope that assays your concerns.

HECK YES!! :D

Always love to see Endz excited!

And as the former writer doing the "design blog" for Steampunk Musha, I will fully admit -- Rodney's are superior to mine. His short story, for instance, is lovely.

So please go check these out and when the book drops shortly (we keep putting other things in The Fattest Goblin's lap that are ASAP -- like our Starfinder books!) I hope you'll check out the Explorer's Guide!

Don't forget Shadows over Vathak] either, our sister setting already in publication on DriveThruRPG & on Paizo, and on the shared world of Antikthon!

Copying the email

Fat Goblins email wrote:

...

TL;DR "Shadows over Vathak: Players Guide to Vathak" pdf 5$, and hardcover 30$!! One of the coolest settings for PF, 40$ discount.

EDIT: this is on DriveThru and other OBS sites, don't know about other venues.

Necrometal, thank you so much for sharing this and broadcasting it for us -- this is exactly what I was talking about in this blog we (and all 3rd Party Publishers) NEED our fans to do!

And yes, we're running the sale till the end of the week on DriveThruRPG and related sites (follow that link)

Do you yearn for a simpler time, when video games scrolled right and you only had to deal with two buttons at a time? An era where blocky, colorful, vaguely recognizable shapes made up heroes that battled odd and often confusing villains with little to no context? Then Fat Goblin Games has you covered!

Welcome to 8-Bit Adventures!

This product line is designed to take a nostalgic look at the iconic video games of the past and bring those adventures to life in your campaigns in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game with all new options. Each volume will includes all the things you need to play a game “inspired by” a classic video game! The names have been changed, but the flavor remains the same to ensure that the references are easy to see. Each volume describes a different game world, each inspired by a classic game sure to inspire nostalgia in even the most hardened of veterans.

This volumes covers the iconic gear (both magical and mundane) found in the harsh lands of the Vampire Kingdom that can be used to defend against and defeat the undead legions and other supernatural beings that roam and terrorize the lands.

You can read a blog all about it (and see a preview of it) right here!

And you can pick up a copy of it on DriveThruRPG.com here!

We'd love to hear what you all think!

Lord Fyre wrote:

Is this meant for the Starfinder default setting?

Cosmic Odyssey's are meant to be able to be dropped into any setting you like! We're extremely excited for this and our other as-of-yet unannounced products coming that are compatible with Starfinder.

Adding to theheadkase's comment -- we can't release anything in the Starfinder "setting" owned by Paizo -- so its not like we'll be discussing "AbsolomStation" or "Eox" etc.

But we're going to be as likely to more-than-likely to use vesk and ysoki for the races of the NPCs, mixed in with dwarves and elves and the like.

But its a space port of ill-repute, and it will attract an "eclectic" crowd I suspect.

As for other core assumptions, yeah we'll default to "hyperspace" (the Drift is likely IP of Paizo) as the go-to method of Faster-than-light travel etc.

We're planning on a lot of different kinds of support, but this is the one I had art work for today (go to the link).

Cosmic Odyssey: Pirates of the Starstream from Kim Frandsen.

See the blog post for a cover image and product description ;)

Lets us know what you think? What would you want to see? What wouldn't you want to see?

We have a lot of other things planned (see a link at the top in today's blog for a bigger discussion).

We have a blog available where we go over some of the 50+ Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products you can pick up for just $1 each! Check it out!

The Fattest Goblin has deemed the sale shall go until Monday evening! (May 29th).

Hello all!

Head on over to FatGoblinGames.com to my latest blog-post to read all about our brand new Line Developer -- Landon Winkler!

Landon will be taking over the Shadows over Vathak horror setting released by Fat Goblin Games.

A little more about Landon:

Landon kicked off GMing in elementary school with Alien-inspired body horror, but has mellowed with regular doses of Lovecraft and Chambers since then. He GMs two to four times a week now, honing those skills on a diverse group of players.

He's freelanced sporadically since the 3.5 era with companies like Zenith Games, Mongoose Publishing, Silven Publishing, and Paizo. He'd like to apologize if he killed any of your characters during that stretch.
Landon is also lead developer for the web games Metroplexity and Twilight Heroes under Metroplexity Games.

Stay up-to-date on all Shadows over Vathak news by joining our Facebook community!

I heartily support Endzeitgeist -- have even though about grabbing up one of those $25 slots, but it might be just outside my monthly budget as a freelancer right now (too, how often would I be saying "Do mine!")

I wonder if any part of this was "salvaged" from the announced and planned Encounter Codex, that was shelved etc. for reasons?

Lucus Palosaari wrote:

You forgot Book Of The Damned. :-)

Thanks for pointing it out, I edited it as I could.

Someone help me out - this makes how many hardbacks that are being released this year? Four? Bestiary 6, Ultimate Wilderness, Ultimate Adventurer, and one the name of which escapes me. My relatives are going to freak out when they see my Christmas list.

EDIT: Is the fourth one the Book of the Damned or something like that?

Looks like:

Villain Codex just recently released.

Bestiary 6 coming April 26th of 2017.

Adventurer's Guide coming May 24th of 2017

and

Now this.

EDIT: There's also The Book of the Damned coming Sept 2017.

I hadn't included it as I thought it wasn't the "mainline" because its very-very tied to their "world" but with the Villain Codex and the Adventurer's Guide they're mixing their IP with their "world-neutral line" a lot. And it looks like this is officially just "main line" not a supplement in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting stuff.

So 5 Books in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line

Kristopher and I can answer any questions people might have about the mineralites or the Crystal Planet. Its the first in a series of books we have planned!

So, this product has certainly got my attention.

What gets my attention most is the archetypes- So would anyone who has bought this and given it a perusal be kind enough to give a description?

I'd like to know if I should consider this a "must buy now" or another entry to my wishlist.

What would you like to know? Kristopher or myself can try to provide input or preview a thing or two if it would help ;)

TheDisgaean wrote:

"We...

Are the Crystal Gems,
We always save the day
And if you think we can't,
We'll always find a way!

That's why the people of this world believe in

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl...

And Steven"

I'm sorry, but this was just asking for it.

Don't be, I'm pretty sure this was exactly the intention with this product.

As one of the developers and the editor on this, YES -- we most certainly were "inspired" by that show by Rebecca Sugar. ;)

The Time Assassin is another fun class from Andrew, and even Owen KC Stevens (famous for his Time Thief and Time Warden) commented on Fat Goblin Game's Facebook announcement for the book that it has some ideas that would mesh well with those classes!

Congratulations on a great year for Legendary Games!

Side Note: If this is the same product as up on drivethrurpg, it should include the base rulebook for the system. It's easy to learn and easy to play, suitable for a one-night gathering with some gaming buddies. It's a pretty solid product overall. o wo/

Rednal -- glad you liked it! If you get the chance, reposting even that comment with a Star rating at DriveThruRPG would be greatly appreciated!

It IS the same one (things load on OBS sites faster than here at Paizo), and it was meant to include a free copy of the base rules for vs. Stranger Stuff.

IF you get this book AND it doesn't have them, please contact us -- it means I need to beat Troy Daniels, but we'll make sure you get a copy ASAP.

But it should include both the vs. Stranger Stuff and the adventure.

Excellent! Now available on Paizo!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

Now Available!

Thanks Rick!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

To people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

And to people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

Now Available!

Thank you Rick!

And to anyone curious about this product, you can read a Q&A the author -- Jason Owen Black -- did about it and see a preview of the book on our blog here!

And to people interested in the the original vs. Monsters and the revival of vs. M Engine books, follow our blog on FatGoblinGames.com and join the vs. M Engine Facebook group!

LAST DAY OF THE SALE!

Lucus Palosaari wrote:

(Follow link to see a discussion of the kind of rates we normally get -- you might find them quite affordable).

I always found this thread to be great, but its a bit old now. A number of the publishers listed here pay their freelancers much more than they did back in the beginning of 2015, particularly as they've seen success in Patreons and Kickstarters.

Hey AmberVeal,

Agreed, I'd say rates in general are up, likely in part as a response to this -- BUT it was updated for a bit, and it is -- at least to the best of my knowledge -- the best discussion (only?) of the matter that is out there and specifically related to "tabletop RPG writing."

Like Endzeitgeist said, most freelancers would likely do custom work, especially if you're actually paying their rate (Follow link to see a discussion of the kind of rates we normally get -- you might find them quite affordable).

You could make a post in the Freelancer Open Call, and you'd get a bunch of hits -- especially if you posted a "I will pay this much."

Alternately, hit up a favorite publisher and say "I will pay a writer X to get this made, you then get to own it, and release it -- I just want it to exist!" and something tells me there are a bunch of them that would be down for that in various ways Fat Goblin Games, whom I work for, for instance would jump at this.

Hell, you could become your own imprint for some, if you'd consider doing it more in the future!

Alternately, find your favorite writer/designer and send them a message. Even Jason Bulmahn or Owen KC Stephens will take your money for their design (they're just more likely to ask for that $0.05+ per cent rates -- but since most corruptions are about 1,500 words, most people could do that in a day's worth of work (at least a rough draft) and it would run you between $7.50 (@ the abysmal $0.005 per word rate) up to $75+ (@ the high side $0.05 per word rate).

Only three days left then its gone for ever!

Hey Scott,

I think Fat Goblin Games no longer offers the Saint class as presented here in your list BUT with our Shadows over Vathak: Player's Guide we offer 4 'new' classes:

* Disciple (new class, actually a redesign of the saint in part)
* Fortune-teller (new occult class)
* Re-animator (new class, though built on alchemist body with serious mods)
* Soldier (new alternate class for the fighter -- not sure if you include those, but its a samurai-to-a-cavalier type difference)

We've been keeping this revival going pretty well...

Owenstreetpress -- Owen KC Stephen's RULE #1 (or whatever) -- make it easy for them to give you money!

HERE IS A LINK TO GET YOUR COPY OF vs. MOON MEN FROM FAT GOBLIN GAMES TODAY!