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Paizo Employee Creative Director

Icyshadow wrote:

Are all Golarion orcs Chaotic Evil?

There was a thread where some insisted they are.

Said people went as far as to FAQ a post, wanting some answers as to why do the orcs NOT have the Evil Subtype.

Perhaps I am not in the same boat because I started out with 3.5e D&D, where orcs were "Often Chaotic Evil", which is less than both "Usually" and "Always" with regards to alignment spectrums.

No, but the vast majority of them are. More than 99% of them are. That's part of what makes the non-chaotic evil orcs so unique and special; they ARE exceptions to the rule, and as such tend to be the ones about which major stories are told. But for the vast majority, if we have a tale to tell about non-chaotic evil orcs, it'll take a LOT of convincing to make me use orcs in that role and not half-orcs; half-orcs are the ones more or less intended to fill that role in Golarion.

Orcs don't have the evil subtype because they're not outsiders. Only outsiders can have that subtype.


So it IS a good action to kill orc toddlers in Golarion? Lame.


Roll a d100 for any type of orc. If 1-99, orc is chaotic evil. If 100, roll again, because more than 99% of them are chaotic evil.


James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.

How does Shelyn view the The Radiant Muse?

Does the The Radiant Muse remember Shelyn?


James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
Some time ago you said even the evil gods care about there worshipers.Can you give me some more details on what you mean by"care"?
"Care" equals "value their faith."

I see, I kept thinking that you meant "Care" as in (loving) and.I could not see evil gods as being that at all.


James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
Are the gods always aware of everything that happens in there Temples and Shrines?
Yes, as a general rule.

How would Iomedae view some stupid kid walking into one of her Shrines.

And painting graffiti all over the walls?


Is there anything in Golarion that lives a long time (i.e.: At least a couple centuries) and can still work as a pet (i.e.: Int 2)?

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

This comes dangerously close to throwing gasoline onto a fire, as the Internet has exploded in recent days with this topic. Still, you've never shied away from answering the hard questions, so I'd like to know your take.

The crossguard lightsaber. Awesome or stupid?


Is Golarion similar to Tolkien wherein orc culture is so inherently and absurdly evil that it molds orcs into being evil by default?

Are they evil due to some quirk of their brain chemistry?

Do demon lords have sympathetic ties to the whole orc species and not just those that directly worship them

Scarab Sages

If a small community was trying to appease a evil God to show mercy on them by not having monsters attack which one would it most likely be and would said dirty actually show any pity


James Jacobs wrote:
Kelban Alenark wrote:
Im hoping to Include the Runelords in my campaign, but have no idea where to start with statting them, what Level would you put them each at about.
Check the last volume of Shattered Star for some helpful information...

Wait a minute, the real Krune is here or not?

"hoping to see FIVE more runelords anytime soon"

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Icyshadow wrote:
So it IS a good action to kill orc toddlers in Golarion? Lame.

That's absolutely not what I said at all.

It's not a good action to kill defenseless young of any species. It's an action good characters might be forced into taking now and then, if only by proxy by killing the providers for a group of evil characters. It's one of those tough moral decisions that groups need to wrestle with. Most groups just gloss over it, of course.

But it's not a good action to orc babies.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.

How does Shelyn view the The Radiant Muse?

Does the The Radiant Muse remember Shelyn?

As a wayward but still possibly useful minion.

Yes, if barely.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
Are the gods always aware of everything that happens in there Temples and Shrines?
Yes, as a general rule.

How would Iomedae view some stupid kid walking into one of her Shrines.

And painting graffiti all over the walls?

That type of thing is left to the faithful to handle.

Deities don't involve themselves in petty day to day stuff. Or even the big once in a lifetime stuff generally. That's the WHOLE POINT of having a church; the church handles that stuff.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Lemmy wrote:
Is there anything in Golarion that lives a long time (i.e.: At least a couple centuries) and can still work as a pet (i.e.: Int 2)?

A few things. They're the same things that live a long time in the real world, mostly. Like tortoises.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Misroi wrote:

This comes dangerously close to throwing gasoline onto a fire, as the Internet has exploded in recent days with this topic. Still, you've never shied away from answering the hard questions, so I'd like to know your take.

The crossguard lightsaber. Awesome or stupid?

Awesome, but only because it shook up a bunch of Star Wars fans and made them consider the possibility of something new they didn't anticipate.

I think it LOOKS really neat, frankly. Whether or not I'll like it once the movie is out... all signs point to no, since the only Star Wars movie I kind of liked was Empire, and I found all the rest to be varying shades of disapointment thanks to overhype.

We'll see if getting Lucas out of the picture makes the franchise more interesting to me, I guess, but at this point, I'm much more excited by the news that Toho is making a new Godzilla movie.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Alex Smith 908 wrote:

Is Golarion similar to Tolkien wherein orc culture is so inherently and absurdly evil that it molds orcs into being evil by default?

Are they evil due to some quirk of their brain chemistry?

Do demon lords have sympathetic ties to the whole orc species and not just those that directly worship them

They're evil because that's the way they've always been. Given a sudden and important enough change to their society or the emergence of a powerful leader or some other event could in theory cause them to drift toward another alignment, but that's unlikely to happen, since we want them to remain bad guys.

Demons dont' really have much of a tie to orcs at all, although orcs sometimes worship deities. Rovagug is a MUCH stronger influence on them and their society.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Kelban Alenark wrote:
If a small community was trying to appease a evil God to show mercy on them by not having monsters attack which one would it most likely be and would said dirty actually show any pity

No evil gods would be likely to show pity. Best case scenario, the evil god's worshipers infiltrate the society and corrupt it to become evil so that they JOIN the monsters that were attacking them.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Geezer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Kelban Alenark wrote:
Im hoping to Include the Runelords in my campaign, but have no idea where to start with statting them, what Level would you put them each at about.
Check the last volume of Shattered Star for some helpful information...

Wait a minute, the real Krune is here or not?

"hoping to see FIVE more runelords anytime soon"

That's the real Krune, yes.

Also, spoiler alert.


What would be required for a high-level Wizard to become considered a new "Runelord"? Has there been any thought about an AP centered around this idea? I mean, we've started killing Runelords, so theoretically there are spots open.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
spectrevk wrote:
What would be required for a high-level Wizard to become considered a new "Runelord"? Has there been any thought about an AP centered around this idea? I mean, we've started killing Runelords, so theoretically there are spots open.

First, Thassilon would have to be back up and running.

The next several steps would all involve very complex and very evil political and magical rituals and tasks, most of which no longer work since Thassilon's society has been gone for 10,000 years.

It's not something that a PC can really hope to attain, nor should it be.


Would there be anyone with the political motivation to declare themselves a runelord and found "New Thassilon" similar to Peter the Great calling St Petersburg "new Rome" or the Holy Roman Empire declaring itself "new Rome"?

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Alex Smith 908 wrote:
Would there be anyone with the political motivation to declare themselves a runelord and found "New Thassilon" similar to Peter the Great calling St Petersburg "new Rome" or the Holy Roman Empire declaring itself "new Rome"?

Sorta like how both Taldor AND Cheliax claim to be the true heirs of Azlant? ;)

Scarab Sages

Say someone wanted to raise a goblin dog .would their be any way to groom one so that it dander ability wouldn't be constantly detrimental to its non goblin owner. Like daily baths or a special magic shampoo?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Alex Smith 908 wrote:
Would there be anyone with the political motivation to declare themselves a runelord and found "New Thassilon" similar to Peter the Great calling St Petersburg "new Rome" or the Holy Roman Empire declaring itself "new Rome"?

No.

Not without that being the core plot point of an entire campaign, at least.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Kelban Alenark wrote:
Say someone wanted to raise a goblin dog .would their be any way to groom one so that it dander ability wouldn't be constantly detrimental to its non goblin owner. Like daily baths or a special magic shampoo?

It'd take regular and daily treatments and would result in a goblin dog that's not as powerful as all the rest, but if you wanted to do it, you could. The goblin dog would HATE you though.


1)can gods create mortals?

2)can gods create souls?


James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.

Why does Shelyn not send lillends to devout communities as often anymore.?


Why did Acavna try to save Golarion? if the world had been destroyed could she not just gone to a different world.? Was she not worship on other worlds?


Is Tiamat in pathfinder. If yes then why was she not in the inner sea gods book?


Walkena has the Devil Subdomain. Does this mean he has Devil Divine servents?

Does Walkena have any Devils that worship him?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:

1)can gods create mortals?

2)can gods create souls?

1) Absolutely.

2) Unrevealed.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.
Why does Shelyn not send lillends to devout communities as often anymore.?

Because they're too chaotic.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
Why did Acavna try to save Golarion? if the world had been destroyed could she not just gone to a different world.? Was she not worship on other worlds?

Good question! Not one we're ready to spell out.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
xavier c wrote:
Is Tiamat in pathfinder. If yes then why was she not in the inner sea gods book?

That's up to the individual GM to decide. Officially, she's not, but unofficially, she fits in well.

Tiamat is a real-world mythological character and that version we can't talk about being in Golarion as long as we want.

Tiamat's legacy in the game as a 5 headed dragon is NOT mythology; that's Wizards of the Coast's intellectual property. We CAN NOT talk about that version or use it in print.

So if we were to put Tiamat into the game, we'd have to redefine that role. We'd likely go with her real-world mythology, but then the version that D&D players are used to would be "wrong." More to the point, GMs who want to play a "by canon" Golarion but want to use the classic D&D Tiamat would have problems.

And so we just don't talk about her. If you WANT to use Tiamat, you can do so, and since it's a private game of your own, you can use the D&D version in your game if you want. And nothing we've said can be used against you (either by your own mind or your players) to say otherwise.

Early in the game, when we were still using the 3.5 D&D rules and were still getting our heads wrapped around Golarion, we DID mention Tiamat here and there. That was an error, since there was no way for us to go forward with Tiamat in the game that would satisfy us.

She's not in the Inner Sea Gods book because we are officially backing away from including her in the game for these reasons.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:

Walkena has the Devil Subdomain. Does this mean he has Devil Divine servents?

Does Walkena have any Devils that worship him?

Walkena is a weird case as far as deities go. He's not even a demigod; he's a quasi deity. He doesn't have the reach of most deities, and as such doesn't have all the things a deity normally has. His clerics and worshipers might use devils as minions or agents, and he might do the same, but that's mostly because he happens to be lawful evil and thus his conjuration spells naturally gravitate toward devils.

I doubt any devils worship him. If some do, the total number is so low as to be statistically insignificant.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Wub-a-dub-a-dub-is that true?


James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.
Why does Shelyn not send lillends to devout communities as often anymore.?
Because they're too chaotic.

So does this mean that back when she was Chaotic good she would do this more often.And now that she is Neutral good she does this less often?


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

will there ever be gargantuan, collosal pawns?


Some time back you said that the wizard's Arcane Discovery called Immortality did not really make a wizard Immortal.Only extended there life span.But what do you say about the Longevity Mythic ability which specifically says that you can't die from old age?


I think the point was eventually you will die from accident. Honestly I would be amused to know how the first wizard to die after discovering immortality did so.

Dark Archive

James when you answer a question with "unrevealed", does that usually mean "we haven't decided yet"? And please don't answer unrevealed...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Wub-a-dub-a-dub-is that true?

I have no idea what just happened.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
xavier c wrote:
I was reading stuff on Shelyn on the wiki and it said that in ancient Azlanti. Shelyn would send lillends to devout communities to serve as muses.So does Shelyn still do this?
Sometimes, yes. Not as often. See "Serpent's Skull" for more info.
Why does Shelyn not send lillends to devout communities as often anymore.?
Because they're too chaotic.
So does this mean that back when she was Chaotic good she would do this more often.And now that she is Neutral good she does this less often?

Probably.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Biztak wrote:
will there ever be gargantuan, collosal pawns?

Unlikely, since we don't have a good way to get bases of that size out there, and since the logistics make producing and selling pawns of that size (and bases of that size) impractical.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:

Some time back you said that the wizard's Arcane Discovery called Immortality did not really make a wizard Immortal.Only extended there life span.But what do you say about the Longevity Mythic ability which specifically says that you can't die from old age?

Until forever happens, no one can actually LIVE forever. There's a LOT of ways an immortal can die before then, regardless of how they became immortal. Being immune to death from old age doesn't protect you, say, from being eaten by a shark.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Atrocious wrote:
James when you answer a question with "unrevealed", does that usually mean "we haven't decided yet"? And please don't answer unrevealed...

It generally means one of the following:

1) I know, but haven't had a good chance to reveal the answer yet, likely because there's a product a year or two or three or ten or more away where I do intended to make that revelation, but don't want to let folks know that such a revelation is in the works.

or

2) I haven't decided yet.

or

3) I didn't even know the question was something in the first place, and didn't really feel qualified to answer it but didn't want to give the impression that it was unimportant enough that I wasn't aware of the subject at all.

or

4) The campaign setting is better off without someone at Paizo officially giving a cut and dry answer to the question. The death of Aroden is the classic example here, as is "which creation myth is right?"

or

5) Unrevealed.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Biztak wrote:
will there ever be gargantuan, collosal pawns?
Unlikely, since we don't have a good way to get bases of that size out there, and since the logistics make producing and selling pawns of that size (and bases of that size) impractical.

this makes me sad


What do you think of a Lawful good god of empires,conquest,Prosperity,unity and harems?


James Jacobs wrote:
"which creation myth is right?"

My money is on none of them :P

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