Ross Byers's page

There's a lot of angry, confrontational posting going on right now. Take a deep breath, step back from the keyboard. Maybe take a walk.

I think this thread has run its course. It is locked.

Formians will be in Bestiary 4.

Speaking as myself—a fan and a customer:

I like Aeons, but I see a problem with them. They're fundamentally "Reality Cops". A good source of fun and adventure is when reality becomes distorted or messed up. That is a good high level (or mythic) PC problem. From a design standpoint, why would you give that problem away to a race of aloof and uncooperative NPC outsiders to fix?

Inevitables don't have that problem, because they make good NPCs in the same way proteans do. They can be extreme. They can be a PC obstacle.

But Aeons? Like I said, I love the concept—but in actual practice, they're a buzzkill. They don't add adventure easily, and in fact would serve to shut "cool adventures" down.

Aeons, to me, are like the cops at the very end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is amusing to seem them arrest Arthur and his knights and cart them off to jail, but three seconds later the movie is over. Yeah, the fun is over, go home now.

"Reality Cop" may be a niche the game doesn't need to spend a whole lot of time on.

Edit: I can see a crazy Aeon being an interesting NPC, but if you have to make them crazy in order to be fun, there's something missing from the core concept.

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I loved psychopomps ever since Stephan King's "The Dark Half".

I prefer Inevitables as Reality Cops anyway.

I removed a couple posts that attempted to pick fights.

Ravingdork wrote:

Love.

That's right. Love. My powers are fueled by love.

Or at least, that's what I've observed anyways; every time I cast a spell, the divorce rates in the world go up.

*ROTFLMAO*!

I have no clue what the reference is, here...but that's hilarious!

It's an 8-Bit Theater reference.

Fire elementals can also be more effective against foes with Damage Reduction, since the fire damage, being energy, bypasses DR.

Fire elementals also have a better ground speed than Earth Elementals (granted, if you need speed, air elementals are probably the way to go, but if an air elemental would be overkill for speed, the fire elemental dishes out more damage.) Similarly, by default them come kitted out with mobility feats instead of power attack feats, which fits certain environments/foes much better. For instance, Huge fire elementals have Combat Reflexes and a +7 dexterity bonus, meaning they can make a lot of AoOs in the right circumstances.

Fire elementals have better Touch ACs, which matters quite a bit against some enemies.

Fire elementals have a better initiative: if your GM gives summoned monsters their own init, this can make a surprising difference.

Just to double check I'm not missing anything, the current fulfillment tool is not being used for character name reservations or land-rush declarations, correct? Cause I did not see a place for them anywhere.

You are correct. Goblinworks will be handling that part at a later date.

I have already a little problem. I was seen that I can also change my drive from the demo. Curious I change my 30 for a 50. Even if they said you can change until 30 jun, I can't return to 30. What should have do?

You should not have been able to make changes to your Tech Demo pledge: the cutoff for those changes should have been March 1 and was displayed in error.

I have refunded the difference and returned your pledge to the $30 level.

Crystal: What you're doing right now is the equivalent of telling someone about to have their appendix out about how the doctor left a sponge inside you.

Cosmo: More like telling someone about to have their left arm amputated to write "NOT THIS ONE!" on their right arm.

I removed a post. That wasn't necessary.

The profanity filter is there as a backstop: it's the equivilent to bleeping something out on-air.

But just because something is filtered doesn't make it polite. If you're saying something that you know will be filtered, then you should probably be aware that you could say it in another, less offensive way.

I removed some posts and posturing (and the replies to them.) You cannot Win the Internet. Please flag it and move on.

I removed a post. Flag it and move on.

Sara: I'm not sure I want to know what those eyes are made from.

I think this thread is done.

I think we're done here.

Gary: Don't forget the goat sacrifice next time, I guess.

"Look, I'll give it back once we get Alain out from inside the dragon."

What i like about this cover is that Valeros has clearly stolen Alain's sword (from the cover of Ultimate Equipment.)

I realize it's really easy to argue by deciding that everyone who disagrees with you has committed some moral fault and you can therefore disregard anything they have to say.

However, it is not a good way to have a conversation anyone can learn from.

I cleaned up some posts and replies. It's a game, folks. Chill.

I removed some posts. Relax. Maybe talk a walk.

I removed a post and a reply to it. Relax. It's a discussion on the Internet. About a television show.

I removed some posts and replies to them. Let's keep the conversation constructive, instead of condescending to one another.

Please don't create threads just to stir the pot. This one is locked.

Adam: ...goat eyes!

Rob: No, no, no...
Adam: ...like eight goat eyes!
Rob: Two goat eyes is too many!

I can only assume this has to do with Spider goats.

Hrm, so according to your analogy, I have a garage filled with all sorts of cars and drive them all based upon my whims? Because I totally have Wizkid minis in addition to Reaper minis and pawns ....

Yes. Doesn't that make it sound cool?

I just roll these types of checks behind the screen. If the player doesn't know if it's 3 or a 17 that cause them to not hear anything, they can't metagame it.

Four, I don't have 440 bucks to blow all willy nilly. It would take me 2 months minimum to save up that much after I'd spent on necessities. Obviously this company didn't get the concept that most gamers are not loaded, or this manipulation wouldn't exist.

I don't mean to sound dismissive, but apply this logic, to say, luxury or specialty cars.

I've love to drive a Tesla Roadster, but I don't have $150,000 to blow all willy nilly. It would take me years to earn that much money, and that's not even accounting for things like food and rent. Obviously Tesla didn't get the concept that most drivers are not loaded, or this manipulation wouldn't exist.

The end result is that I don't buy a Tesla. Instead I drive a Honda: because it serves my needs while also being within my budget. Frankly, I don't think I'm ever going to be in a position where I can buy such an expensive car.

I guess what I'm getting at is that different people value money differently, and that they also value certain items differently. If you cannot justify spending your hard-earned money on these minis, no one is going to make you. We offer non-random Reaper minis, stand-up pawns, and printable paper minis in addition to these, and they all have different costs depending on their needs. Maybe ones of those suits you better.

I removed some posts. If you cannot have a respectful discussion with someone who doesn't share your opinion, you need to calm down and wait to post until you can.

I have no idea who the actual transexual iconic is, but I do recall that Ezren is the one modeling the Girdle of Opposite Gender.

I removed a post and some replies to it. This is a thread for discussing Homosexuality on Golarion. If you want to discuss Homosexuality on Earth, then you can make a new thread in the Off-Topic forum, as long as you can remain respectful and civil.

I removed a couple posts. It is not polite to insult someones intelligence for merely disagreeing with you. Or at all, for that matter.

Well, any wizard who reaches 20th level can take the immortality discovery .

But otherwise, yeah, I'd agree with the "good is hard (but you go to heaven)" line of thought above.

Doug M.

But that's at level 20. Lichdom can be done much earlier. As usual, evil has the 'shortcut'.

I'm not sure this is the place for an in-depth discussion of Robotech. You may be looking for the 'Other RPGs' forum.

I removed some real-world politics.

I removed some posts (and replies to them) that do not belong in this thread.

IIRC, it's because they view the creation of souls as their province, but the Gods have a huge trade in used souls.

I removed a fighty post.

I removed a post and some replies to it. Do not use the word 'retarded' in that way.

I removed a post that was excessively crude, and the replies to it.

I removed some posts. Be civil, please.

If the current rules are unacceptable to you, then create a new thread in Suggestions/Houserules to discuss possible changes.

Erik: Just your typical conversation that starts with Valeros burning himself.

This thread is long past the point of being a useful rules discussion. It is locked.

I removed some posts and replies to them. This is a forum to answer rules questions, not mark your territory. Act like grown-ups, please.

You do know they made different sized weapons for different sized people. Ever see the Japanese wield large swords like the flamberge or the claymore on a regular basis? The Japanese are mainly a small people so smaller weapons were ideal for those people. Culture plays a part as well but so does the physicality of the people.

Yes, but that doesn't hold in Pathfinder: A medium weapon is useable, without penalty, by a medium-sized creature that is proficient with that weapon, regardless of if it's a elvish rapier being used by a dwarf, a dwarven axe in the hands of a tall human, or a greatsword being used by a rather short human being.

What makes an "elven curved blade" work so easily in the hands of an elf?

No, it's because elves as a culture are more likely to use weapons like the curve blade. Just like Fighters are proficient in different weapons than rogues: they have a different life history and set of skills.

A (possibly apochryphal, but still illustrative) real-life example: In the second world war, on the European front, British troops were greatly impressed by the skills American soldiers showed with hand grenades. This was due to the American soldiers having grown up with baseball and football as the national pastimes, as opposed to cricket, rugby, and soccer. There isn't a way to design a better hand grenade for a British thrower: Americans simply took to them better.

Elves and dwarves surely have physical differences. Let's talk about humans and elves instead. Elves are, on average, taller and thinner than humans. But a short, stocky elf doesn't lose his racial proficencies any more than a tall-thin human sudden would gain them. There is too much variance within a race for 'perfectly fitting in their hands' to explain racial proficiencies (except as the original basis for a cultural preference). If that were enough of an explanation, no one except dwarves would be able to use a dwarfish-made longsword: it would be too broad-bladed and handle-weighted for a tall human or elf to use. Instad, the rules assume that any medium creature can use medium-sized weapons without penalty. Sure, it might not be an ideal weapon for a human or elf, but it isn't enough of a difference to even lose a masterwork bonus.

In Golarion, elves often import metal goods from dwarves, because, well, dwarves are better at it, and also elves, being tree-dwelling hippies, prefer to work in more natural materials.

Consider a dwarf smith making an Elven Curve Blade for export. Why should dwarves in general know how to use this particular blade? Should elves not, then, be able to use it?

Or how about a human smith making a bastard sword? Does it suddenly become a 'Human sword' and all humans can use it as a martial weapon instead of exotic (similar to the Dwarven Waraxe and dwarves?)

Generally speaking, smiths and creaftsmen are perfectly capable of making weapons or other items they themselves cannot use: they do want to sell these items to someone else, after all. think of a blacksmith making a reapeating crossbow for a special customer. Or an Expert with limited martial weapon proficiencies churning out longswords for the city guard.

A weapon is typed depending on it's physical characteristics: while a dwarf smith, a human smith, and an elvish smith might all make slightly different longswords, it fits into the broader category of 'longsword'. (And a dwarf smith making a weapon he knows is going to be sold to elves is probably going to make one more to elvish tastes than dwarven ones.)
Weapon proficiencies are based on what weapons a character can be supposed to have some skill with: Elves are proficient with rapiers and bows because it assumed that all elves, at some point in their long lives, got some experience with those weapons. Similarly, elves with all martial weapon proficiencies (fighters, rangers, etc.) are assumed to be skilled with the Curve Blade because, in an elvish society, it is as ubiquitous as a shortsword. And dwarves with waraxes, and gnomes with hooked hammers. An elf does not have that kind of 'background' exposure to waraxes, and needs to take a feat to use a waraxe as well as a dwarf does.

So, why can't an elf smith make an 'elvish waraxe'? Well, there's two ways he could do this - He could change the weapon's design to the point that elves know how to weild it intuitively (and given than elves prefer fast, delicate, elegant weapons over heavy, impactful ones, that's a hell of a change.) I don't know what the end result of this process would be, but it wouldn't be something recognizable as a waraxe - it would be lighter and thinner, and more elongated. My guess is you'd end up with something more properly labelled as a simple battleaxe. Which all elves can already use as a martial weapon: regardless of the 'elvish' in its name. Or maybe they would come up with something best described as a 'elvish waraxe', but it certainly wouldn't have the same stats as a dwarven waraxe, which is less indicating 'racial property of its maker' and more 'this is a new weapon type'.

The other way would be to introduce the waraxe at a baseline level into elvish culture to the point that all or almost all martially-inclined elves know how to use it. Which is frankly a whole other ball of wax than smithing a blade.

I removed a sexist post.