Varisian Wanderer's page

James,

Do male lamia (the typical lion-bodied ones) exist in Golarion?

How about male harpies?

I'm glad the incubus was included in the Bestiary 3! What level would a PC/NPC need to be in order to take it as a cohort via the Leadership feat? Or what is it's ECL?

What top three sasquatch/bigfoot horror films would you recommend seeing?

Thats terrible. I can't comment on those incidents b/c I'm not a Sociologist or an expert on suicide rates or teenage bullying. (I remember the wisdom of the time years ago was that playing D&D increased your risk of suicide) That was false....ANYWAY!<snip>

Until I see Straight only water fountains/restaurants or voting rights taken away I dont believe Homosexuals are an oppressed minority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBT_youth

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04suicide.html

Just thought I'd share this. There is evidence that discrimination and hatred against homosexuals gets so bad at times that people take their own lives in order to escape it, especially young people. Not all discrimination is as bold-faced as having separate drinking fountains or restaurants, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist or have real results.

I personally am homosexual, and at one point I did contemplate taking my own life because I knew many in my family and community would not accept me. Luckily I had a select few to confide in, who helped me to understand that just because I was gay, didn't mean I was undeserving of life or love. It was hard at first, but I have gotten stronger over the years. However, at times I still weep when hearing about such tragedies, as I've been in their shoes, and know it could have easily been me.

The mere fact that homosexuals exist in the setting seems to be an offense and 'political agenda' to some. Think about that. The mere fact that they exist and are included is an affront.

That saddens me, but I am very thankful that Paizo has elected to acknowledge their existence. I don't think that its pushing a political agenda.

Now, if every homosexual NPC in the game were an upstanding model of righteous Good, or a vile Evil villain, I might be concerned that they're pushing an agenda. As it is, however, the sexual orientation of an NPC is at most a character attribute or what amounts to a foot-note. Nothing distracting, and easily ignored if that's not your cup of tea.

Yes. It is necessary. Just as it's necessary to move beyond having every PC and NPC in the game be white. And why it's important to show women in positions of power (be they bad like Queen Ileosa or good like Mayor Kendra or whatever.) It's called diversity, and it's a Good Thing. If diversity isn't something that you're interested in, Paizo products might not be for you.

I will agree with James Jacobs here, in that diversity and inclusion are good things, whether it be about sexual orientation, race, or gender.

There was a blog article for subdomains a while back, here.

To my knowledge, however, only the subdomains of Ketephys have been revealed. They are Azata, Feather, Fur, Growth, Seasons, Storms.

James Jacobs,

I wanted to tell you what a neat idea I think the romance and caravan options are in the Jade Regent adventure path. I enjoyed them in Dragon Age 1 (which broke my heart - Why, Alistair, why?)and 2 (Go go Fenris!), and I'm sure my players will when I include them in our games. The caravan rules are great for the nomadic Varisians too.

Now, as for questions... I'm currently running a Rise of the Runelords campaign, and one of the PCs (a CG Male elf raised by Varisians, and a Dreamspun-bloodline sorcerer and eventual Spherewalker of Desna) has expressed interest in pursuing Orik Vancaskerkin romantically.

First, are there any insights into Orik's personality you'd be willing to share? Does gender matter much to him (The romance rules seem to indicate that most NPCs are assumed to be bisexual)? Aside from this, I could see Orik as a bit hesitant, as his previous relationships seem to have caused trouble. Thoughts?

Lastly, do you know of any models or actors that bear a resemblance to Orik? Alternatively, maybe just his hair/eye color and ethnicity (I'm guessing Chelaxian?).

Thanks for any tips you can give!

Totally getting a Princess Mononoke feel from this. Can't wait!

Does this adventure have music suggestions, like in Carrion Crown? I really enjoyed those.

Dear James Jacobs,

I have a few questions concerning demonkind, if you don't mind.

First, do the drow of Golarion visualize their demonic lords as idealized (but obviously demonic) members of their own race, or do they revere them in their actual true forms?

Second, do you have any suggestions for music that would fit Nocticula, the Midnight Isles, succubi or incubi in general?

And last (but not least!), have you considered what Pathfinder's incubi may look like? For example, will they have horns, tails, claws and wings - or will they be flightless like the ones presented in the Malcanthet section of the Demonomicon? Beautiful article by the way.

I ask because I enjoy drawing things for my Pathfinder campaigns, so any sort of direction would be great!

(Warning, the following images might not be safe for work, although there is only implied sensuality which I find rather tame - better safe than sorry!) I thought this image was neat, and might be an idea for the incubi. Here is a more traditional interpretation I think. Thoughts?

Edit: Also, I hope you don't ever feel obligated to answer. I imagine you're quite busy, being an awesome game designer and all! This is just for fun, and thank you for your time. :)

Thank you for the responses thus far. :)

Suppose you were assigning theme songs and/or ambient music to the deities. What would you choose for Desna?

I'm personally fond of the Great Fairy's Fountain theme from the Zelda games. Thoughts?

James Jacobs,

Have you seen the movies She Creature or Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides?

Did you like / dislike them?

If you have seen them, how keen would you be on introducing some of the more sinister elements of the mermaids presented in the films for the merfolk of Golarion? (Who I hope might make an appearance in the future pirate-themed adventure path!)

If you haven't seen the above movies, I recommend them for what I consider a neat twist on the typically friendly but reclusive fishfolk.

I'd also like to add that being able to speak with the developers themselves (such as this thread) is a rare and splendid thing - so my thanks to you! It is appreciated, and certainly DOES factor into my continued buying of Paizo products.

If Nocticula is the first succubus, does that mean her brother Socothbenoth is the first incubus?

Any chance we'll get to see the obedience and boons of a nascent incubus demon lord, who serves either Nocticula or Socothbenoth?

Are incubi stats a possibility for the next Bestiary?

Are butterflies or moths a possibility for future familiar options? A Desnan wants to know! ;D

Any news on this?

Any word on this?

Hello,
Just letting you know I've return shipped this order for a refund.

Please cancel all subscriptions for this account. Thanks.

Varisian Wanderer wrote:

Hello,

Just wondering if its still possible to cancel this order and subscriptions, or if its too late (with the exception of Pathfinder Adventure Path #30: The Twice-Damned Prince (Council of Thieves 6 of 6), and Pathfinder Adventure Path #32: Rivers Run Red (Kingmaker 2 of 6), as I've already downloaded them).

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately, this order has been shipped and is on it's way to you. If you would like, you may return all or part of it for a refund of the merchandise price.

Thanks,
cos

Thank you.

Hello,

Just wondering if its still possible to cancel this order and subscriptions, or if its too late (with the exception of Pathfinder Adventure Path #30: The Twice-Damned Prince (Council of Thieves 6 of 6), and Pathfinder Adventure Path #32: Rivers Run Red (Kingmaker 2 of 6), as I've already downloaded them).

I apologize for the inconvenience.

I'd recommend 15, 16 and 17.

15 contains an article on the Drow of Golarion and the elven city Celwynvian.

16 has much information on the main drow city of Zirnakaynin, and an article on drow art of fleshwarping.

17 details the elven kingdom of Kyonin, the goddess Calistria, and gives the stats for Treerazer, a minor demon lord that dwells within a haunted part of the elven kingdom.

The Pathfinder Companion series has Elves of Golarion, which also gives great information and some player options.

Here James tells a little about where Thraxxia came from. Still relatively minor.

Unique demons / demon lords could always be exempt from the rule of cambions / alu-fiends.

The Demonomicon of Iggwilv featuring Graz'zt mentions two of his daughters - Thraxxia (CE female human half-fiend sorcerer 11) and Belyara (CE female half-fiend lamia rogue 3/bard 7/arcane trickster 8).

Source

You're more than welcome. I said this in the PF chat earlier, but it is worth repeating; Paizo customers are awesome and frankly, as a whole, you people are some of the best customers I've dealt with in my many years and many varieties of customer service.

A huge thanks to all of you at Paizo! Not only are your adventures and products top-notch, but you have some of the most patient and best customer service I've encountered.

Cheers to you guys!

Mechanically, as pointed out by others, it'd be a bit restrictive.

I would advise that you roleplay the worship of two or more deities. This depends on the setting, but I don't see why certain polytheistic races or cultures would have a problem with it. For example, in Elves of Golarion, its mentioned that elves often acknowledge and respect all their divinities. Elf clerics may even select their domains from those different deities.

Please cancel my subscriptions for the time being.

I fully support Paizo and am looking forward to Pathfinder, but can't afford an ongoing subscription currently.

I'll pick it back up at a later time.

Thanks.

My Deviantart.

Any bites on my artwork?

I'll bite. If you don't want to do one for free, maybe we could do an art trade of sorts? I draw a little too, but they're kinda rough...

I'd be interested in seeing depictions of Desna. Heres mine.

Or you could draw my character Tinariel Dreamdancer, or Cinnrael.

Any of those would be cool! :D

Neat-o! That looks like it took a lot of work. My eyes! *is dizzy* o_O

I've only rarely seen these feats used. Mostly for PrC requirements. Even then, many PCs would rather spend it on a more valuable feat, and have a "grit and bear it" approach. They can be useful for NPCs and monsters though.

Having a +2/+2 feat would be nice, though I'd limit it to skills that are tied to the same attribute. Bluff and Diplomacy. Escape Artist and Stealth. Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft, etc.

Wow, this is some great work, and is much appreciated daemonslye!

Awesome! Love the color scheme. Ordered.

Here is another vote for attractive male tiefling art! :D

I think this has also come up in this thread too.

Fear not, elves are egalitarian enough that gender-exclusivity isn't an issue, especially in Calistria's church (male sacred prostitutes, woo!!).

Yay! Playing one of those would be fun.

And art to go along with it would be too! ^_~

Calistria does seem to have some sort of connection to tieflings... Perhaps some of her outsider minions are responsible for such fiendish bloodlines? A non-Chaotic Evil version of Succubi or Incubi maybe? Creatures of pure, undiluted Lust?

Calistria herself might have once been CE, and when she changed alignments, perhaps her servants did as well?

I'd be interested in seeing how Calistria's faith influences elven society. I think its awesome that the main elven deity is CN and advocates trickery, lust, and revenge. It definitely sets Pathfinder elves apart from other versions of them, so any detail on this would be great!

Information on rituals, holy days, and relics of the faith would be neat too. What are common initiation rituals into her priesthood? Is there much in-fighting within the clergy? Do the faithful extend their agenda of trickery and revenge to include other priests?

Seeing as how Calistria is accepting of CE, CG, and CN, do such different outlooks cause many problems within her faith? Are there different branches of her faith? For example, one branch could be CE assassins who specialize in cruel and deadly trickery, and who exact brutal vengeance on their enemies. Another branch that is mostly CG could use lust and trysts to bring happiness or comfort to those who seek it, and may play more benevolent tricks. This wide range of alignments could make for very interesting heresies, possibly even open war between different churches. Would Calistria approve of such confrontations?

The faithful's views on love and lust would certainly be interesting. Do Calistria's teachings seperate and draw a clear distinctiion between them? Or do her teachings promote the obscuring of the two, possibly using love as yet another tool in their arsenal of tricks and for revenge?

What is her herald? On one hand, it could be similar to a wasp, but on the other, it might inspire lust in those who view it.

I've really enjoyed the previous information given on how clerics go about their daily lives, and what roles they play in their communities. Thieves, prostitutes, assassins, diplomats, or match-makers maybe?

Calistria is probably the most sexual deity, so I agree with pushing the envelope on this one like the article on Zon-Kuthon.

On a side note, I'd like to put in a plea for her faith to be gender neutral. There should be females and males present in positions of power. For example, if there is a prestige class, avoiding the "Gender Requirement" would be good. I can definitely see her faith as female-oriented, but I wouldn't like it to be presented as so female-oriented that males are excluded...

Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to whatever you come up with! The articles you've produced so far have been fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to ask. ^_^

This might be a little late, but...

A haunting female voice... Hmm. How about this?

You're right, it is tough finding a female vocal with no background music. :/

And a map. Golarion.

I would recommend the Pathfinder Chronicles: Gazetteer, here.

Also, the actual Hardcover Campaign Setting will be out very soon!

The PathfinderWiki is a good source too.

Paizo's blog is another. You'll have to scroll through it, but the info is there.

Hope this helps!

Absolutely gorgeous artwork.
I really like Sarenrae's wings. They literally seem to glow.
Bravo Wayne Reynolds and Paizo!