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Paizo Employee Creative Director

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The Fox wrote:

Hey James, by canon, is there a distinction in Golarion between divine magic and arcane magic, such that, for instance, a bard would be unable to use a wand or scroll of cure light wounds if it were created by a cleric?

Spoiler:
This question comes from a discussion on the PFS forums. I'm not asking for a PFS-related ruling. The rules there are already set. For PFS purposes, there is no distinction between arcane magic items and divine magic items. All of that is covered in the guide to PFS, and it works just fine, and I don't think there is anyone who thinks it should be changed. (Just stressing this to reassure you that I'm not trying to trick you into getting involved with an argument somewhere.)

My home group has two campaigns going on right now, both in Golarion. (One is Rise of the Runelords and the other is Iron Gods). For our home games, we use the same ruling as above from PFS. But the question really is about campaign setting canon.

Follow-up question: Is there anything that you can think of that is canon in the campaign setting of Golarion—as published—that is remarkably different than the way things work in your home game? (I'm asking about narrative differences, not mechanical rules changes.)

Thanks!

The distinction between the three forms of magic is this:

Arcane magic is magic you learn to use through study.

Psychic magic is innate magic of the mind.

Divine magic is magic you gain from faith.

There's a LOT of crossover; sorcerers are kinda a cross between arcane magic and psychic magic thematically, for example.

But magic is magic, and the three categories are largely artificial constructions, and it doesn't matter when it comes to spell-trigger item like a wand; you just need it on your spell-list to use. For spell completion items like scrolls, you TECHNICALLY need a scroll of the same category as you... a wizard couldn't cast a divine scroll of dispel magic, I believe, rules as written... but in my opinion that's clutter and a great rule to ignore. The game certainly won't break if you do so. It's a bit of clutter we probably shouldn't have kept from previous editions, but back in the day we were paranoid about ANYTHING that might give customers a reason to abandon Paizo, and so backwards compatibility was a big deal.

As for me... turns out that when you help publish a game, it's pretty easy to influence things so that the game that's published is the game you play at home. The only two differences in my home games, I guess, would be that I allow bards to reallocate their skill ranks each time they gain a new versatile performance, and I call "breath of life" "cure deadly wounds" so it can be cast on the fly.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rhothaerill wrote:
So you've described the daily life of a Paizo developer. What is the daily life like for a Paizo creative director?

For THIS creative director?

Helping to come up with the products we'll be offering. Providing advice and direction to all designers and developers on the way we build up the game and its setting. Working with licensees to ensure that 2nd party products (such as the comics, the audio dramas, the minis, video games, etc.) are all using the intellectual property correctly. Attending meetings to help guide Paizo's progress through the years. Helping to keep things running by editing or writing or developing when a project falls behind and needs a bit of help.

Plus everything that a developer does.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

JoelF847 wrote:
Since Occult Adventures don't have fakir or swami archetypes, are those being reserved for a campaign product tied more directly to Vudra?

Nope. We might do something with some of those some day, or we might not.


Is Aroden at all related to Ihys?

Radiant Oath

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

Do you have an opinion of any sort regarding the various Warhammer settings?


James: Can you FAQ my request regarding Bardic Masterpieces so that the player base can stop bugging you about what you meant in post X vs post y?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Simeon wrote:
Is Aroden at all related to Ihys?

No.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Do you have an opinion of any sort regarding the various Warhammer settings?

I like the art. I like a lot of the monster design and world design. I never played the game much at all—never had anyone else into the game when I was growing up, and it's too expensive to get into these days. I did buy a copy of the RPG that Fantasy Flight published a few years ago, but it's been sitting on my shelf unopened in its shrink wrap the whole time...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lab_Rat wrote:
James: Can you FAQ my request regarding Bardic Masterpieces so that the player base can stop bugging you about what you meant in post X vs post y?

Me FAQing that won't change anything.


James Jacobs wrote:
Lab_Rat wrote:
James: Can you FAQ my request regarding Bardic Masterpieces so that the player base can stop bugging you about what you meant in post X vs post y?
Me FAQing that won't change anything.

Oh I know that. I was just trying to come up with an entertaining way of letting you know that we are trying to stop bugging you about this silly question.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lab_Rat wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Lab_Rat wrote:
James: Can you FAQ my request regarding Bardic Masterpieces so that the player base can stop bugging you about what you meant in post X vs post y?
Me FAQing that won't change anything.
Oh I know that. I was just trying to come up with an entertaining way of letting you know that we are trying to stop bugging you about this silly question.

Well... to be honest, until your post, I hadn't really realized or noticed that folks were "bugging me about that question" in particular. Turns out, I get asked a LOT of questions on this thread and elsewhere, and my tactic for keeping up with them is to answer them ASAP so that they don't build up into a mountain that can never be reclaimed. And as a result, I don't really spend much time ruminating or focusing on any one question at a time, and therefore very few questions take on a gravity to me that they might to someone who only has that one question that they've been waiting for a satisfying answer to.

So from my perspective... this particular question hasn't bugged me whatsoever.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

How many times have you allotted the authors of the Strange Aeons AP to utilize the words "eldritch," "cyclopean," and "antediluvian?"


Also, is "batrachian" even on that list, or just a non-starter?

Edit: More seriously than my previous question, have you ever read "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" by Neil Gaiman? It might be a bit farcical for your Lovecraft preferences, but I liked it.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Misroi wrote:
How many times have you allotted the authors of the Strange Aeons AP to utilize the words "eldritch," "cyclopean," and "antediluvian?"

That's an Adam question. I'm not developing that AP.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Hitdice wrote:
Edit: More seriously than my previous question, have you ever read "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" by Neil Gaiman? It might be a bit farcical for your Lovecraft preferences, but I liked it.

I have read it. I didn't care for it. In fact, I'm not a big fan at all of Neil Gaiman's Lovecraft stuff.


Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?

No.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.

Have you heard of it before now?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.
Have you heard of it before now?

No.


James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.

It, American Gods and Anansi Boys feature many of the same characters as the comic, but in an off brand sort of way, 'cause DC owns the likenesses. But, like, Odin and Loki (same ones from Season of Mists) show up, and it is not disappointing; worth reading to say the least.

Anyhow, enough blathering about Gaiman, do you enjoy Roger Zelazny's work?

Y'know, just to phrase it in the form of a question. :)

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.
Have you heard of it before now?
No.

He took HEAVY inspirations from The Jungle Book and made a story telling the life of a boy as he grows up in a cemetery raised by ghosts. I liked it and would recommend it but if you don't care for mists of his stuff...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Hitdice wrote:

Anyhow, enough blathering about Gaiman, do you enjoy Roger Zelazny's work?

Y'know, just to phrase it in the form of a question. :)

Haven't really read Zelazny at all, and never really had the urge to do so. I prefer horror over fantasy.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.
Have you heard of it before now?
No.
He took HEAVY inspirations from The Jungle Book and made a story telling the life of a boy as he grows up in a cemetery raised by ghosts. I liked it and would recommend it but if you don't care for mists of his stuff...

It's not so much that as the fact that I have about 2 bookshelves filled with books I've bought to read that haven't yet read... I tend to be pretty hard to convince to read something not on those shelves these days.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.
Have you heard of it before now?
No.
He took HEAVY inspirations from The Jungle Book and made a story telling the life of a boy as he grows up in a cemetery raised by ghosts. I liked it and would recommend it but if you don't care for mists of his stuff...
It's not so much that as the fact that I have about 2 bookshelves filled with books I've bought to read that haven't yet read... I tend to be pretty hard to convince to read something not on those shelves these days.

Ah, I know that feeling. Best of luck whittling it down!

Silver Crusade Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Not a question, but...

I thought of you when I saw this.


Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

do you own a Kindle/Ereader?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

j b 200 wrote:
do you own a Kindle/Ereader?

Yes. A kindle, but also can use my iPhone and iPad as a reader as well. I prefer the reading experience on the kindle though.


Will there be more dragon-related campaign settings in the near future?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Samaxolotl wrote:
Will there be more dragon-related campaign settings in the near future?

No. We have always and shall continue to focus on Golarion as our only official campaign setting.

Sovereign Court

How well mapped is the Inner Sea region? I mean by the people of Golarion, not the people at Paizo.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Nightdrifter wrote:
How well mapped is the Inner Sea region? I mean by the people of Golarion, not the people at Paizo.

Well enough to show adventurers where to go to find adventure, and for merchants to go to have trade, but not well enough so that there's nowhere left to explore.


If a character with multiple ranks in Divine Source (mythic adventures)wears a Ring of the Ecclesiarch (and possessing Leadership), how should npcs view and act around that character ?

Also, for those npcs that are not aware of the character being a source of divine power (whether by the character only just getting divine source or by simply being new to the area), how would they act and treat them (also assuming to be wearing Ring of the Ecclesiarch) ?


James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Hitdice wrote:
Do you have a favorite piece by Gaiman?

Absolutely. Sandman. AKA one of my all-time favorite comics.

Nothing else he's done even comes close in my book.

Have you read The Graveyard Book?
No.
Have you heard of it before now?
No.
He took HEAVY inspirations from The Jungle Book and made a story telling the life of a boy as he grows up in a cemetery raised by ghosts. I liked it and would recommend it but if you don't care for mists of his stuff...
It's not so much that as the fact that I have about 2 bookshelves filled with books I've bought to read that haven't yet read... I tend to be pretty hard to convince to read something not on those shelves these days.

So what was the last book you managed to knock off that bookshelf as far as reading goes? And did you like it?

What's next on the read list?

Whats your opinion of anthologies? I find it a lot easier to tackle a horror anthology when I have a busy work schedule, because I can read and put the kindle away without getting sucked into a 4 hour reading binge.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Shadow_Charlatan wrote:

If a character with multiple ranks in Divine Source (mythic adventures)wears a Ring of the Ecclesiarch (and possessing Leadership), how should npcs view and act around that character ?

Also, for those npcs that are not aware of the character being a source of divine power (whether by the character only just getting divine source or by simply being new to the area), how would they act and treat them (also assuming to be wearing Ring of the Ecclesiarch) ?

Depends entirely on how the character behaves and what sort of personality the NPC has. Maybe worship. Maybe suspicion. Maybe fear. Maybe violence.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

MMCJawa wrote:

So what was the last book you managed to knock off that bookshelf as far as reading goes? And did you like it?

What's next on the read list?

Whats your opinion of anthologies? I find it a lot easier to tackle a horror anthology when I have a busy work schedule, because I can read and put the kindle away without getting sucked into a 4 hour reading binge.

The last book I finished was "Go Set a Watchman." Which was a very complicated book, and I'm not sure if I liked it or hated it. I know I didn't love it like I love "To Kill A Mockingbird." I think that, had "To Kill A Mockingbird" never been written, I would have found "Watchman" to be a relatively good book shot through with brilliant scenes but hampered by some shallow characterizations. But that's not the world we live in, so the book itself is kinda disappointing and frustrating in how it undermines the much better "Mockingbird" to tell a different story than what made "Mockingbird" brilliant.

Next on the list is "The Fifth Heart" by Dan Simmons. Or maybe some short stories by various authors.

On to anthologies? I love them, especially now that i've learned how to give up on a story that's bad and skip on to the next one in the book.


I had a character who was a CG worshiper of Desna, then turned away from faith and became true neutral, but after that was killed in battle. Where would his soul go after he died?


James Jacobs wrote:
Shadow_Charlatan wrote:

If a character with multiple ranks in Divine Source (mythic adventures)wears a Ring of the Ecclesiarch (and possessing Leadership), how should npcs view and act around that character ?

Also, for those npcs that are not aware of the character being a source of divine power (whether by the character only just getting divine source or by simply being new to the area), how would they act and treat them (also assuming to be wearing Ring of the Ecclesiarch) ?

Depends entirely on how the character behaves and what sort of personality the NPC has. Maybe worship. Maybe suspicion. Maybe fear. Maybe violence.

So any Npcs should get some sense that the character isn't just some nobody walking by ?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Simeon wrote:
I had a character who was a CG worshiper of Desna, then turned away from faith and became true neutral, but after that was killed in battle. Where would his soul go after he died?

I don't have enough information to judge your character. I'd need to know everything your character did from the moment he was born to the moment he died. If I had to nail down the four most likely fates? They would be, in no particular order...

1) Sent to Abaddon to be hunted and eaten by daemons.
2) Sent into the boneyard as a faithless soul.
3) Sent on to Desna's realm to become quintessence rather than becoming a petitioner.
4) Reincarnated to try again.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Shadow_Charlatan wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Shadow_Charlatan wrote:

If a character with multiple ranks in Divine Source (mythic adventures)wears a Ring of the Ecclesiarch (and possessing Leadership), how should npcs view and act around that character ?

Also, for those npcs that are not aware of the character being a source of divine power (whether by the character only just getting divine source or by simply being new to the area), how would they act and treat them (also assuming to be wearing Ring of the Ecclesiarch) ?

Depends entirely on how the character behaves and what sort of personality the NPC has. Maybe worship. Maybe suspicion. Maybe fear. Maybe violence.
So any Npcs should get some sense that the character isn't just some nobody walking by ?

A mythic character should NEVER give the sense that they're a nobody, unless that's the whole point of their mythic trope.


Two rather old-schoolish questions:

1) If a DM were to set Legion of Fire in the World of Greyhawk, which Baklunish country is the best fit for Katapesh?

2) My PCs are exploring Maure Castle right now, with the added wrinkle that a PC belongs to the Seekers. What I don't understand--and really matters--is whether the Seekers in Maure Castle, currently following Eli Tomorast (sometimes described as "a renegade Seeker") are members in good standing of the Seekers of the Arcane or not. Arley the Weaver is also mentioned as Octavus Marius' spy in the operation. Marius (NG alignment), is the head of the Seekers, based in Seltaran.

So are the Seekers following Eli "renegades" or not? Do they answer to Octavus Marius? How should they react when another Seeker wanders into the dungeon they're guarding? And how should Marius react if/when the PCs foil Eli's plans?


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

So, Iomedae was the herald of Aroden after she ascended, right? I had always assumed that the Test of the Starstone was a pass/fail kind of thing, until I came across that. So, there's a way to pass the test of the Starstone and not directly become a deity? Is it possible that there's someone who also passed the Test of the Starstone and is hanging out as a Psychopomp Usher or some other class of demi-god deities?

Paizo Employee Publisher, Chief Creative Officer

4 people marked this as a favorite.

The Test of the Starstone turns you into a legit god.

For reals.

Silver Crusade Contributor

Erik Mona wrote:

The Test of the Starstone turns you into a legit god.

For reals.

I'm really looking forward to the Aroden article!

That said, I have questions. It is James's thread, but if you answer it, that's fine too.

1) How much of the Starstone section of Mythic Realms is still correct? It seemed like a departure from what had been written before... and kind of a disappointment. I'm thinking mostly of the whole "the other gods make you a god" and "you just become a little more mythic" parts.

2) Piggybacking off of that... when we say "The Starstone turns you into a legit god"... does that mean a full god? Not a demigod or quasi-deity, but a five-domain deity who has transcended the concept of a statblock?


Couple of questions

When a character has an intelligent item cohort (Cohorts and Companions) they can enhance/improve the item as if possessing the appropriate item creation feat, would this ability be enough to fulfill the requirements Mythic Crafter?

Can a intelligent Legendary Item (Mythic Adventures) have it's ability scores/senses /communication abilities be improved as per the normal Designing an Intelligent Item rules if the item gained intelligence from being Legendary?

Paizo Employee Publisher, Chief Creative Officer

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Kalindlara wrote:

I'm really looking forward to the Aroden article!

Cool! I hope you like it. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Kalindlara wrote:


1) How much of the Starstone section of Mythic Realms is still correct? It seemed like a departure from what had been written before... and kind of a disappointment. I'm thinking mostly of the whole "the other gods make you a god" and "you just become a little more mythic" parts.

I'd have to look at it again to answer this question, but at the very least both of the things you mention are completely contradicted. The article is much less specific than that section on this point, of course, but I supply enough superlatives and general information to make it clear that:

a) The other gods had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with it. Aroden's whole _point_ is that he made himself the manifestation of the Starfall Doctrine prophecy. It is fundamental to his purpose and his history. I was extremely disappointed by this specifically because it contradicted everything that Aroden is all about. So I changed it back to the way it has been in every product since I made Aroden up in 2007.

Kalindlara wrote:


2) Piggybacking off of that... when we say "The Starstone turns you into a legit god"... does that mean a full god? Not a demigod or quasi-deity, but a five-domain deity who has transcended the concept of a statblock?

I'm not sure I say so explicitly, but my conception has always been that it makes you a demigod. Where you go from there is up to you. In Pathfinder lore, when we (and especially when "I") use the term "living god," we're generally referring to a demigod.

Silver Crusade Contributor

Awesome. Thank you! ^_^

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Huh, so you could technically have campaign end with villain succeeding the test and becoming a demigod and then have them as final boss fight ._. Cool

(not that adventurers are likely to win against 25-30 cr guy without being mythic themselves xD)

Anywaay, everyone always asks about Xanderghul, but what about Belimarius? Are there any hints about what happened to her? I think she is probably the runelord we know least about if I don't remember wrong


I have heard there will be wood and void elements for the kineticist in Occult Origins. Do you know what the void element actually is(negative energy, balance of forces, anti-elements, etc.)? If you do not know for sure then can you tell me who to ask?

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