Creative Director
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I apologize if this has been asked before, but...
At the height of his power, did Aroden rival Pharasma for "most powerful divinity worshiped on Golarion"? Or in the greater scheme of things, even if his worship was more influential and pervasive throughout the Inner Sea region in his heyday than Pharasma has ever been, was Pharasma still top dog?
No; not even close. Aroden didn't even rival Desna or Sarenrae or Abadar or Gorum or most of the others for power. Among humanity on the nations of the shores of the Inner Sea his faith was very influential, but the further you got from the Inner Sea, the less influence he had. And remember, most of the other core 20 are worshiped on many other planets as well. Aroden, not so much.
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Creative Director
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2) CAN Hellknights that are Lawful-Good go to hell in their afterlife, if they really want to? (Assuming they really believe the in the clause.)
2) If they "WANT" to, then they're not lawful good.
1) What if someone who is truly LG or at the very least truly, totally Good, wants to go to hell for the sake of another? An example reason being the person they love most and who does love them in return is going to/in hell and they want to join them.
2) How does hell or the good planes for that matter handle such cases?
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3) I read in one of the Pathfinder Tales of angels called the Redeemed(?), who are former devils turn angels. Aka they are the opposite of fallen angels.
Are such beings individually unique? Each having their own looks, stats, abilities?
And therefore don't conform to any of the known celestial angel/races types?4) Which core deities are the most likely to have or gain an addiction to korean love dramas?
5) Which iconic characters are the most likely to have or gain an addiction to korean love dramas?
6) What inner sea nation has the most "soft power"? As defined as the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction.
7) What would you do if you found out that a product that you made was culturally insensitive?
8) Are the humans of Golarion originally from another planet/world/plane? Or or are the humans of Golarion and other planets in the solar system the result of parallel evolution on their own planets?
9) With so many other non-human races to be racist against, how racist are the human races of Golarion to each other?
10) How do anti-paladins of Calistria handle the fact that that their goddess's home is on a goodly plane?
11) Do Flumphs have their own deities?
12) Are there fairy godmothers in the Golarion multiverse?
12a) Do they exist/operate on Golarion?
1) That sounds like an exception to the rule and a really cool plot for a Mythic adventure path. AKA: It's possible but so rare that it needs to be handled as a SIGNIFICANT departure from the norm.
2) They don't. Pharasma handles it. She's the one who determines where souls go when they transition from mortal life to the Great Beyond.
3) Yes, they're individually unique, and if we were to stat one up, we'd stat them as a unique monster or character, similarly to how we statted up Arueshalae in Wrath of the Righteous.
4) None? I don't know really what or why you're asking this.
5) See #4 above.
6) Absalom.
7) Publicly apologize for it and take steps to correct the part that was culturally insensitive. A better solution is to remain aware of potential problems and fix them before they see print, and having a diverse staff as Paizo does is a good way to help prevent this type of disaster from happening. It's also important to keep an eye on the industry as a whole and learn from EVERYONE'S mistakes.
8) Nope; the humans of Goalrion are from Golarion. The fact that there are humans on at least three planets in the Golarion Universe doesn't mean that there's a single solitary human home world.
9) As racist as they are in the real world, I suspect, but we tend to ignore that element somewhat unless it's actually important for a character flaw.
10) By believing that their goddess is tricking the multiverse, or by not caring about it. This is also why there are very very very very few antipaladins of Calistria. I don't think we've ever published an NPC antipaladin of Calistria in over a decade of printing Golarion stuff. How many antipaladins of Calistria have you seen in play? I've not seen a single one. Just because it's possible, doesn't mean it exists. There may well NOT be any living antipaladins of Calistria on Golarion at this moment, in fact.
11) No.
12) It's possible, but they wouldn't be a monster type called "fairy godmother."
12a) It's possible.
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Creative Director
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Hi, James.
I just stumbled across Richard Pett's Kickstarter for his swords & sorcery urban horror campaign setting, "The Blight."
This setting really seems like your cup of tea. Are you a backer?
Have been since day one, yup!
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James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.
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Creative Director
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James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.
I'd say no. And there's nothing in Kingmaker that would allow it either. The fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books is NOT the same as us saying "there's no limit."
What you say as GM of your game is not up to me though. And what you as the GM say is, in fact, the limit that your player needs to comply with.
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James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.I'd say no. And there's nothing in Kingmaker that would allow it either. The fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books is NOT the same as us saying "there's no limit."
What you say as GM of your game is not up to me though. And what you as the GM say is, in fact, the limit that your player needs to comply with.
If only I was the GM. As a fellow player I can only advise the GM what he should and shouldn't consider. That said, if you're ruthless enough and the GM is green enough, it's unfortunately easy to pressure your way into allowing a GM to let things go. I'm told that up to a +38 bonus was approved and that he rules lawyered that only a CL 8 was needed.
I just needed to know that I wasn't blowing smoke or being biased due to being an older player who played previous editions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
A badly belated happy birthday, James. Are there any songs that you strongly associate with particular characters from Golarion or other materials you've published?
I was listening to Tarja Turunen's cover of Alice Cooper's "Poison" a little while ago, and immediately thought of Arueshalae. The lyrics could be the thoughts of the Desnan cleric whose murder led to the succubus's fateful encounter with the goddess, having misgivings about the mysterious beauty who's seducing her; parts of it could also be Arueshalae's own thoughts about someone (probably a PC) she's fallen in love with while her redemption is still incomplete and any act of passion could lead to energy draining her partner and set back her quest.
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Creative Director
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A badly belated happy birthday, James. Are there any songs that you strongly associate with particular characters from Golarion or other materials you've published?
I was listening to Tarja Turunen's cover of Alice Cooper's "Poison" a little while ago, and immediately thought of Arueshalae. The lyrics could be the thoughts of the Desnan cleric whose murder led to the succubus's fateful encounter with the goddess, having misgivings about the mysterious beauty who's seducing her; parts of it could also be Arueshalae's own thoughts about someone (probably a PC) she's fallen in love with while her redemption is still incomplete and any act of passion could lead to energy draining her partner and set back her quest.
Not really... although I've always imagined Shensen sounds something like Lisa Gerrard when she sings, but that's less a Golarion thing and more of a my character thing.
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Creative Director
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James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.I'd say no. And there's nothing in Kingmaker that would allow it either. The fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books is NOT the same as us saying "there's no limit."
What you say as GM of your game is not up to me though. And what you as the GM say is, in fact, the limit that your player needs to comply with.
If only I was the GM. As a fellow player I can only advise the GM what he should and shouldn't consider. That said, if you're ruthless enough and the GM is green enough, it's unfortunately easy to pressure your way into allowing a GM to let things go. I'm told that up to a +38 bonus was approved and that he rules lawyered that only a CL 8 was needed.
I just needed to know that I wasn't blowing smoke or being biased due to being an older player who played previous editions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
Wow. Why did he stop there? Why not just bully the GM into granting him a +30 dancing speed vorpal scythe?
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Creative Director
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Is the ship from Androffa that crashed in Numeria the only one made by the Androffans or were there others?
What is the current state of technology on Androffa?
Basically wondering if the Numerian crash sites are the only remains of Androffan tech in the universe or not.
That ship (the Divinity) was a state-of-the-art one-of-a-kind ship with a unique and experimental engine drive. It took insane amounts of resources for the planet to build, and they didn't get the chance to build a second one before Androffa hit its own apocalypse.
The current state of technology on Androffa is the same as Golarion, since the "current Androffa" is my homebrew setting upon which much of Golarion is based, in fact. There are a few locations on Androffa (the world is now known as Droffa though—time has eroded away the "an" part) where advanced technology continues to exist, primarially in a time-locked lost island that contains a preserved city from 10,000 years ago called Lorchester hidden up near Droffa's north pole, and there may be a few tech items here and there as well, but overall, with the existence of Numeria as it is today, Androffan tech is ironically more common on Golarion today than it is on Droffa.
There ARE other Androffan ships out there in the universe, likely derelicts by now but perhaps a few that are still run by computers or aliens or the like, but nothing on par with the Divinity.
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Wow. Why did he stop there? Why not just bully the GM into granting him a +30 dancing speed vorpal scythe?James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.I'd say no. And there's nothing in Kingmaker that would allow it either. The fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books is NOT the same as us saying "there's no limit."
What you say as GM of your game is not up to me though. And what you as the GM say is, in fact, the limit that your player needs to comply with.
If only I was the GM. As a fellow player I can only advise the GM what he should and shouldn't consider. That said, if you're ruthless enough and the GM is green enough, it's unfortunately easy to pressure your way into allowing a GM to let things go. I'm told that up to a +38 bonus was approved and that he rules lawyered that only a CL 8 was needed.
I just needed to know that I wasn't blowing smoke or being biased due to being an older player who played previous editions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
Frustrated Directorsaur is frustrated (and it's hard to blame him).
I recommend an application of tummy wubs.
Another Arueshalae-related question. Can a paladin use Smite Evil as a test, when he suspects that his Detect Evil power is being spoofed somehow? (E.g. by a succubus Master Spy's nondetection ability.) You can use it on an unarmed strike, as far as I know, or on a non-magical, non-cold iron weapon that wouldn't ordinarily go through a demon's DR without the Smite in play.
I would imagine that willingly and publicly submitting to such a test could help Arueshalae gain acceptance among the crusaders in Drezen, especially if she took the most drastic version and allowed the paladin a coup de grace attack (with a normal steel dagger, which can't harm her even with a critical hit and maximum damage rolls). I might also count such an act of faith in her own redemption as one of her penances.
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How is it that Androffan isn't a secret language (can't take it as a bonus language, but can with a rank linguistics), but Druidic is? Seems odd to me that a language from across the universe is easier to learn than one spoken by druids.
It's not secret in that there's not a powerful group dedicated to keeping it secret. A better description for it would be a dead language. You can learn it fine... IF you can find someone or something to teach it to you.
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Creative Director
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Another Arueshalae-related question. Can a paladin use Smite Evil as a test, when he suspects that his Detect Evil power is being spoofed somehow? (E.g. by a succubus Master Spy's nondetection ability.) You can use it on an unarmed strike, as far as I know, or on a non-magical, non-cold iron weapon that wouldn't ordinarily go through a demon's DR without the Smite in play.
I would imagine that willingly and publicly submitting to such a test could help Arueshalae gain acceptance among the crusaders in Drezen, especially if she took the most drastic version and allowed the paladin a coup de grace attack (with a normal steel dagger, which can't harm her even with a critical hit and maximum damage rolls). I might also count such an act of faith in her own redemption as one of her penances.
A paladin who uses smite evil as a "test" when he suspects his detect evil power isn't working is, frankly, walking the line of losing paladinhood. Because...
1) That's akin to not having faith in your detect evil power, but worse...
2) What if it's right, and you end up stabbing an innocent or other non-evil target? That would be grounds for losing your paladinhood normally, and this is no exception.
A paladin should NEVER use smite as a "test" to determine if something is evil. That's not what a paladin would do. That's what a player who is getting the roleplaying element of playing a paladin would do.
That all said, a paladin could absolutely use smite evil as a way to determine if somethin is evil, but doing so would be a chaotic act and possibly an evil act depending on the results, and as such I would warn the player before hand about this and the possible repercussions of losing paladin abilities as a result.
A MUCH BETTER solution for a paladin who suspects her detect evil isn't working would be to observe the target with her other senses and stay on guard for any actual evidence of evil doing.
Quick question, my friend and I are arguing about it, are Owlbears in Golarion quadrupedal or bipedal?
Since I can't seem to convince him most of the art of Owlbears just shows them rearing back because huge claws and bear-stance.
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Creative Director
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Quick question, my friend and I are arguing about it, are Owlbears in Golarion quadrupedal or bipedal?
Since I can't seem to convince him most of the art of Owlbears just shows them rearing back because huge claws and bear-stance.
They work like bears. So, quadrupedal but capable of standing up and being scary.
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Wow. Why did he stop there? Why not just bully the GM into granting him a +30 dancing speed vorpal scythe?James, ignoring the fact that 3.5 had a limit of +6 for standard stat boost items, and then had separate rules for "epic" +8, +10, and +12 stat boost items, what would you say to a player that said "adhering to the rules" they wanted a headband of intellect +29? They have the money, and they have the 821 days to craft it. Apparently, they say that while it's likely frowned upon, Kingmaker is one of the few AP that make allow it to happen. I've never heard of such a thing even remotely being possible, but due to the rule for times squared and the fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books, they say this is good to go.I'd say no. And there's nothing in Kingmaker that would allow it either. The fact that Pathfinder doesn't have a limit specifically put in the books is NOT the same as us saying "there's no limit."
What you say as GM of your game is not up to me though. And what you as the GM say is, in fact, the limit that your player needs to comply with.
If only I was the GM. As a fellow player I can only advise the GM what he should and shouldn't consider. That said, if you're ruthless enough and the GM is green enough, it's unfortunately easy to pressure your way into allowing a GM to let things go. I'm told that up to a +38 bonus was approved and that he rules lawyered that only a CL 8 was needed.
I just needed to know that I wasn't blowing smoke or being biased due to being an older player who played previous editions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
Thankfully he abides by the rules as written. You can't have a weapon or armor bonus enchanted unless it's done by a caster three times the level. No level 90 casters.
No; not even close. Aroden didn't even rival Desna or Sarenrae or Abadar or Gorum or most of the others for power. Among humanity on the nations of the shores of the Inner Sea his faith was very influential, but the further you got from the Inner Sea, the less influence he had. And remember, most of the other core 20 are worshiped on many other planets as well. Aroden, not so much.I apologize if this has been asked before, but...
At the height of his power, did Aroden rival Pharasma for "most powerful divinity worshiped on Golarion"? Or in the greater scheme of things, even if his worship was more influential and pervasive throughout the Inner Sea region in his heyday than Pharasma has ever been, was Pharasma still top dog?
So what made Aroden so special that his death ended prophecy through the entire universe? I know, and agree with, the meta reason (prophecy is lazy storytelling), but what's the in-setting reason?
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So what made Aroden so special that his death ended prophecy through the entire universe? I know, and agree with, the meta reason (prophecy is lazy storytelling), but what's the in-setting reason?No; not even close. Aroden didn't even rival Desna or Sarenrae or Abadar or Gorum or most of the others for power. Among humanity on the nations of the shores of the Inner Sea his faith was very influential, but the further you got from the Inner Sea, the less influence he had. And remember, most of the other core 20 are worshiped on many other planets as well. Aroden, not so much.I apologize if this has been asked before, but...
At the height of his power, did Aroden rival Pharasma for "most powerful divinity worshiped on Golarion"? Or in the greater scheme of things, even if his worship was more influential and pervasive throughout the Inner Sea region in his heyday than Pharasma has ever been, was Pharasma still top dog?
Who said it was Aroden's death that ended prophecy? More likely, it was the other way around, that the end of prophecy had MULTIPLE effects, one of which was Aroden's death.
The in-setting reason is closely tied to how Aroden did die, and it's FAR beyond just Aroden, and it's not something we have plans to ever answer.
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Hey there James, hope you're having a good day.
What exactly is Valero's sexual orientation? Do the Iconics even have sexual orientations or is it best left unsaid and up to the players?
I've heard him described as everything from "mostly straight" by paizo staff, to "his sexuality is YES!" but that seemed to be more of a joke than anything.
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Creative Director
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Hey there James, hope you're having a good day.
What exactly is Valero's sexual orientation? Do the Iconics even have sexual orientations or is it best left unsaid and up to the players?
I've heard him described as everything from "mostly straight" by paizo staff, to "his sexuality is YES!" but that seemed to be more of a joke than anything.
The iconics do indeed have sexual orientations, but until we need to make one of those orientations official in the context of a story we're telling, it's best to assume an iconic is bisexual.
Stories featuring the iconics are actually relatively rare in the grand scheme of things—at this point, those mediums are pretty much limited to the comic books and to the audio dramas, and in a lot of cases there, we've used the same iconics, so overall, not many iconics have been put in situations where their sexual orientations have been "set in stone" in print in the context of a story.
Valeros is straight, in any event, but has a lot of problems with commitment. Including, given the right circumstances, being committed to being straight.
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Hey there James, hope you're having a good day.
What exactly is Valero's sexual orientation? Do the Iconics even have sexual orientations or is it best left unsaid and up to the players?
I've heard him described as everything from "mostly straight" by paizo staff, to "his sexuality is YES!" but that seemed to be more of a joke than anything.
The iconics do indeed have sexual orientations, but until we need to make one of those orientations official in the context of a story we're telling, it's best to assume an iconic is bisexual.
Stories featuring the iconics are actually relatively rare in the grand scheme of things—at this point, those mediums are pretty much limited to the comic books and to the audio dramas, and in a lot of cases there, we've used the same iconics, so overall, not many iconics have been put in situations where their sexual orientations have been "set in stone" in print in the context of a story.
Valeros is straight, in any event, but has a lot of problems with commitment. Including, given the right circumstances, being committed to being straight.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
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So what made Aroden so special that his death ended prophecy through the entire universe? I know, and agree with, the meta reason (prophecy is lazy storytelling), but what's the in-setting reason?No; not even close. Aroden didn't even rival Desna or Sarenrae or Abadar or Gorum or most of the others for power. Among humanity on the nations of the shores of the Inner Sea his faith was very influential, but the further you got from the Inner Sea, the less influence he had. And remember, most of the other core 20 are worshiped on many other planets as well. Aroden, not so much.I apologize if this has been asked before, but...
At the height of his power, did Aroden rival Pharasma for "most powerful divinity worshiped on Golarion"? Or in the greater scheme of things, even if his worship was more influential and pervasive throughout the Inner Sea region in his heyday than Pharasma has ever been, was Pharasma still top dog?
Who said it was Aroden's death that ended prophecy? More likely, it was the other way around, that the end of prophecy had MULTIPLE effects, one of which was Aroden's death.
The in-setting reason is closely tied to how Aroden did die, and it's FAR beyond just Aroden, and it's not something we have plans to ever answer.
Regarding Aroden, one question I haven't seen asked yet is why no plans to answer why/how he died?
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Regarding Aroden, one question I haven't seen asked yet is why no plans to answer why/how he died?So what made Aroden so special that his death ended prophecy through the entire universe? I know, and agree with, the meta reason (prophecy is lazy storytelling), but what's the in-setting reason?No; not even close. Aroden didn't even rival Desna or Sarenrae or Abadar or Gorum or most of the others for power. Among humanity on the nations of the shores of the Inner Sea his faith was very influential, but the further you got from the Inner Sea, the less influence he had. And remember, most of the other core 20 are worshiped on many other planets as well. Aroden, not so much.I apologize if this has been asked before, but...
At the height of his power, did Aroden rival Pharasma for "most powerful divinity worshiped on Golarion"? Or in the greater scheme of things, even if his worship was more influential and pervasive throughout the Inner Sea region in his heyday than Pharasma has ever been, was Pharasma still top dog?
Who said it was Aroden's death that ended prophecy? More likely, it was the other way around, that the end of prophecy had MULTIPLE effects, one of which was Aroden's death.
The in-setting reason is closely tied to how Aroden did die, and it's FAR beyond just Aroden, and it's not something we have plans to ever answer.
Because that mystery drives more excitement when it's unanswered.
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Have been since day one, yup!Hi, James.
I just stumbled across Richard Pett's Kickstarter for his swords & sorcery urban horror campaign setting, "The Blight."
This setting really seems like your cup of tea. Are you a backer?
A good point well raised Haladir, I thank you for it.
You are Mr Jacobs, as I have said before, a singularly very talented and excellent likeable person who happens to have superb taste too...if it hadn't been for James re-writing and bashing and leeching the good words from the chaff over many years at Paizo the Blight would never have happened - he makes me a better writer. Like all my Paizo stuff he's a co-author of anything I write as far as I'm concerned.
Hey, wait - the Blight by James Jacobs and Richard Pett has a nice ring to it:)
And Haladir, when you say stumbled, does that mean you haven't pledged yet? Hmmm, Sister Blight can get very angry when she's ignored, and now she's burst from her cellar, blinking, she's so hungry. There are still a few safe days to feed her before she slithers away to find her own way and home, looking for those who did not give her succor in her hour of need...
Mnaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!
A paladin who uses smite evil as a "test" when he suspects his detect evil power isn't working is, frankly, walking the line of losing paladinhood. Because...
1) That's akin to not having faith in your detect evil power, but worse...
It would be foolish to retain your faith in that power while dealing with an allegedly risen succubus who has explained that she was able to keep her fellow demons from noticing that her goals and personality had changed and she was now opposed to their cause because, before her enounter with Desna, she had learned a technique for blocking such detection powers. At that point the fact that she doesn't detect as evil, which the paladin would have found reassuring before hearing that part of her story, stops being evidence that she isn't evil.
(Heh. AFAIK paladins have to be devoted to a specific deity, but clerics can occasionally draw their powers from serving an abstract cause, and oracles always work that way; the thought just occurred to me of a cleric, or perhaps better an oracle, devoted to the cause of Knowledge, using Bayesian reasoning and practicing the Twelve Virtues of Rationality.)
2) What if it's right, and you end up stabbing an innocent or other non-evil target? That would be grounds for losing your paladinhood normally, and this is no exception.
Normally, yes, but when the target of the Smite cannot possibly be harmed by the attack you're using (which could just be an open-handed slap -- as far as I can see from the ability's description, Smite Evil can be applied to any kind of blow, with or without a weapon) unless the Smite takes effect, and you're doing it because either you asked first and the target consented to the test, or the target asked for the test in order to prove her claim that she's no longer evil (and, just possibly, because she wants to reassure herself of that -- any being as good at deception as a succubus Master Spy should be concerned about the possibility that she's deceiving herself), I wouldn't call that circumstance normal.
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It would be foolish to retain your faith in that powerA paladin who uses smite evil as a "test" when he suspects his detect evil power isn't working is, frankly, walking the line of losing paladinhood. Because...
1) That's akin to not having faith in your detect evil power, but worse...
... I don't think you're quite grasping how Divine classes work...
I was wondering does Gorum have rare anti-paladins like Calistria does?
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Have been since day one, yup!Hi, James.
I just stumbled across Richard Pett's Kickstarter for his swords & sorcery urban horror campaign setting, "The Blight."
This setting really seems like your cup of tea. Are you a backer?
A good point well raised Haladir, I thank you for it.
You are Mr Jacobs, as I have said before, a singularly very talented and excellent likeable person who happens to have superb taste too...if it hadn't been for James re-writing and bashing and leeching the good words from the chaff over many years at Paizo the Blight would never have happened - he makes me a better writer. Like all my Paizo stuff he's a co-author of anything I write as far as I'm concerned.
Hey, wait - the Blight by James Jacobs and Richard Pett has a nice ring to it:)
And Haladir, when you say stumbled, does that mean you haven't pledged yet? Hmmm, Sister Blight can get very angry when she's ignored, and now she's burst from her cellar, blinking, she's so hungry. There are still a few safe days to feed her before she slithers away to find her own way and home, looking for those who did not give her succor in her hour of need...
Mnaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!
Richard:
You're welcome! ;-)And of course I backed this! One of my PBP GMs plugged it, and I pondered all of 15 minutes before I pledged. While I have backed gaming Kickstarters before (Paizo's The Emerald Spire, TPK Games' The Fen of the Five-Fold Maw, and Robert Brookes' Aethera campaign setting immediately come to mind), I've never pledged as much as I did for The Blight!
James:
How often do you tend to back Kickstarters?
How often are they successful?
I don't think you're quite grasping how Divine classes work...
More likely, I'm disagreeing about how they SHOULD work -- if I'm GM, they might not work exactly as they do in someone else's game, especially in regards to flavor aspects that aren't reflected in any numerical game mechanic. In the game world, gods and the divine powers they grant are real, and therefore empirically falsifiable, so they shouldn't require the cognitive flaw known as "faith," i.e. believing a proposition despite the lack of evidence, or in the teeth of contrary evidence. (Faith in Razmir won't actually let you cast divine spells or use any other power of a cleric or inquisitor, because Razmir isn't really a god, and can't grant such powers no matter how devoutly you believe in his divinity.) Divine abilities should thus be subject to suspicion when there's reason to suspect they might not be working normally.
Anyway, thinking about that scenario brought up a new question for James: what does Damage Reduction look like in the game world? Say Merisiel throws a dagger at that succubus that's draining Kyra* on page 52 of Demons Revisited. Say her player rolls a 20, then confirms the critical hit, and rolls two fours on the damage dice, but unfortunately it's not a cold iron dagger, just an ordinary steel one.
The succubus has DR 10/cold iron, so she doesn't lose any hit points, but if I'm GMing and trying to be a good, dramatic storyteller, how do I describe what Meri sees happen? With a roll like that, attacking from behind, I'd say the dagger hit her in the lower back, just below the ribs, and (if it were an ordinary humanoid with no DR, or a cold iron dagger) sank in to the hilt. With DR, does the dagger fail to break her skin (similar to natural armor)? Does it penetrate, then fall right out again, spilling no blood and leaving no wound (like regeneration on steroids, similar to Wolverine's healing factor)? Does the succubus feel it as pain comparable to a real wound, as slight pain like a pinprick, as a painless impact like a pat on the back, or does she not feel it at all?
*Kyra, seriously? I would think she'd have more sense than to get into a situation like that. I'd have chosen Valeros or Alain for that illustration -- they seem just the type to fall for a succubus's wiles.
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Creative Director
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Have been since day one, yup!Hi, James.
I just stumbled across Richard Pett's Kickstarter for his swords & sorcery urban horror campaign setting, "The Blight."
This setting really seems like your cup of tea. Are you a backer?
A good point well raised Haladir, I thank you for it.
You are Mr Jacobs, as I have said before, a singularly very talented and excellent likeable person who happens to have superb taste too...if it hadn't been for James re-writing and bashing and leeching the good words from the chaff over many years at Paizo the Blight would never have happened - he makes me a better writer. Like all my Paizo stuff he's a co-author of anything I write as far as I'm concerned.
Hey, wait - the Blight by James Jacobs and Richard Pett has a nice ring to it:)
And Haladir, when you say stumbled, does that mean you haven't pledged yet? Hmmm, Sister Blight can get very angry when she's ignored, and now she's burst from her cellar, blinking, she's so hungry. There are still a few safe days to feed her before she slithers away to find her own way and home, looking for those who did not give her succor in her hour of need...
Mnaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!
Awww... thanks!
Can't wait to see what horrors you unleash with this one, Rich! Mnaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr indeed!!!
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1) Depends entirely on the cataclysm. A deity that wipes out an entire planet not only damages his faith by wiping them out, but also many other faiths and that would get him in trouble with the other deities and maybe exiled or killed or whatever—Rovagug tried to do this, and look what that got him, for example.
3) Not really, but it might be opposed or even impossible if the other deity(s) have more power than them.
1- Understood. Other than the threat of mutually-assured destruction, violating the divine contract, and damage to their faith, gods do not expend or risk anything when acting.
3- Fair enough. So it makes no difference if the gods opposed to them have the same (or opposite) domains?
Should Zon-Kuthon attempt to cause eternal night globally, would this require that other deities of darkness agree and 'pool in their power', and if this happens, is it countered by sun domain deities only?
Torag commanding his people to withdraw to he earth while he 'sorts out Zon-Kuthon personally' is possible, but a god of earth, strategy, and protection would probably find it difficult to bring the day alone, since he has no influence over the skies or sun.
Also, should divine acts be opposed and countered, it would make sense for there to be 'the council of the gods', where deities can pledge using their influence to swing reality one way or another for the interests of the multiverse.By following Pathfinder's sourcebooks and this thread, I have come to realize that godly power has some kind of classification.
Gods have personal power (from personal strength), influential power (from age, worship or control over sources of power such as souls), and territorial power (if places like the Spire have its own strengths, such as if it is older than Pharasma as some records suggest).
According to this, Rovagug is the greatest in personal power (by virtue of strength and possible min-maxing), Pharasma is the greatest in influence (by virtue of judging souls in death, age, and other intangibles such as being one of the few goddesses of prophecy), and the Spire might be just the most single powerful territorial feature in the Outer Planes, acting as a beacon to lost souls, and occupying the center of the planes.Keep in mind that in Golarion, the gods themselves generally do NOT cause direct cataclysms like this—they tend to work their wonders and devastations on the material plane via minions or the like. When a star goes supernova... that's just as likely to be a deity triggering it as it is just the star's time to go supernova... in the end, to the creatures on the planet, it doesn't make much of a difference I guess.
That is true as of current history (ignoring instances of the Pit of Gormuz, and events following the Starfall). A cataclysm, in my usage above, is representative of a consistent theme in how the gods of Golarion work so far:
Deities prefer to act through mediums due to current divine politics (such as the contract and the Mutually-Assured Destruction doctrine), but when they act directly (such as when Iomedae summons the heroes in WotR, and when Urgoatha resurrects and empowers the villains in CotCT), they seem to only act within their spheres.
Torag, for instance, makes his anger and displeasure known through earthquakes (according to ISG), and those who survive are blessed. The question is not whether he can manifest an earthquake or whether he frequently does (which made its way into a religious event)--it's a question of this:
If Torag wishes to affect the whole world with a single (low-level) earthquake, can Abadar or Magrim veto him from doing so, by virtue of having the Earth Domains? Gods were never stopped from acting in places without worshipers in Golarion.TL;DR: Basically, do deities work in a cooperative framework, or is it a free-for-all without some kind of cosmic balance/distribution of power?
Whew... let's aim for shorter posts if possible, please... or if that's not possible, break them into multiple posts? Makes it easier for me to just click "REPLY" and do so, rather than copy/paste and then reformat a complex post so I can reference it easily. Furthermore, long posts tend to crowd out my available space on my screen and make it difficult to reply (my work computer's resolution is not what I would categorize as "hearty" or "competitive").
If Zon-Kuthon were to make an eternal night, it would not require the cooperation of any other deity, but if he didn't have that, he might be faced with competition. More to the point, on Golarion, Zon-Kuthon would NOT do this... that type of goal is left to the faithful to pull off. They might enact a ritual or activate an ancient artifact or whatever that implores the aid of their god, but the bulk of the work would be done by his cult, and thus be opposed by enemies of his cult. Direct intervention in Golarion is not something the gods generally do until their cult makes it possible via the right combination of trial and sacrifice, and even then, they work their powers THROUGH the cult, so in this case, the energy that brings the endless night would likely emanate from the high priest of the cult, NOT from Zon-Kuthon himself.
When it comes to demigods, this is relaxed somewhat. A demigod has a stat block, and that means they can be killed by mortals who are powerful enough, but that also means that they can interact directly with the world. See the Worldwound as a good example.
We deliberately do NOT quantify the power levels of the full-on deities themselves, and aside from confirming that Pharasma is the oldest of the gods, we don't really say in print which one is more powerful than the other. There are, of course, implications; the fact that it took several deities to lock up Rovagug speaks much to Rovagug's power, as you point out. But how much, and what it is, and what he can do? That's left to the imagination.
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A paladin who uses smite evil as a "test" when he suspects his detect evil power isn't working is, frankly, walking the line of losing paladinhood. Because...
1) That's akin to not having faith in your detect evil power, but worse...
It would be foolish to retain your faith in that power while dealing with an allegedly risen succubus who has explained that she was able to keep her fellow demons from noticing that her goals and personality had changed and she was now opposed to their cause because, before her enounter with Desna, she had learned a technique for blocking such detection powers. At that point the fact that she doesn't detect as evil, which the paladin would have found reassuring before hearing that part of her story, stops being evidence that she isn't evil.
(Heh. AFAIK paladins have to be devoted to a specific deity, but clerics can occasionally draw their powers from serving an abstract cause, and oracles always work that way; the thought just occurred to me of a cleric, or perhaps better an oracle, devoted to the cause of Knowledge, using Bayesian reasoning and practicing the Twelve Virtues of Rationality.)
2) What if it's right, and you end up stabbing an innocent or other non-evil target? That would be grounds for losing your paladinhood normally, and this is no exception.Normally, yes, but when the target of the Smite cannot possibly be harmed by the attack you're using (which could just be an open-handed slap -- as far as I can see from the ability's description, Smite Evil can be applied to any kind of blow, with or without a weapon) unless the Smite takes effect, and you're doing it because either you asked first and the target consented to the test, or the target asked for the test in order to prove her claim that she's no longer evil (and, just possibly, because she wants to reassure herself of that -- any being as...
This seems to have changed from a question to an alignment argument. This thread is for answering questions, not arguing about alignments. I've answered your question about how I'd handle the situation, and I'd rather not go down the bottomless rabbit hole of what is and isn't lawful or good; I don't have the time or interest in long drawn-out alignment arguments. Sorry.
Let's keep this thread to questions; thanks!
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I was wondering does Gorum have rare anti-paladins like Calistria does?
Gorum's got more antipaladins than Calistria, for several reasons. Mostly because his worship tends to stray closer to evil than good, whereas for Calistria it tends to stray closer to good than evil. Basically, Gorum has lots of orc worshipers, while Calistria has lots of elf worshipers, and that distinction helps to indicate why Gorum has more antipaladins (orcs are normally chaotic evil) than Calistria (elves are normally chaotic good).
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James:
How often do you tend to back Kickstarters?How often are they successful?
I backed a LOT Of kickstarters a few years ago, but these days I'm down to maybe backing 3-4 a year, if that. I've ramped back a lot on the kickstartering, and tend these days to only kickstart things that are done by people I've kickstarted before and know they're capable of delivering, are projects by friends that I want to help out with, or are simply incredible ideas that I can't pass up.
I've had a pretty good success rate with getting kickstarters in that are successful. Have had a few that crashed and burned—mostly video games launched by folks who underestimated the work involved. Have had a few that succeeded that i simply never picked up the rewards for too... but will some day when I remember I need to download something.
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How is it that Androffan isn't a secret language (can't take it as a bonus language, but can with a rank linguistics), but Druidic is? Seems odd to me that a language from across the universe is easier to learn than one spoken by druids.It's not secret in that there's not a powerful group dedicated to keeping it secret. A better description for it would be a dead language. You can learn it fine... IF you can find someone or something to teach it to you.
The Technic League is dedicated to keeping many things secret, including Androffan. What makes druids so adept at keeping their language secret compared to the League?
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what does Damage Reduction look like in the game world?
With DR, does the dagger fail to break her skin (similar to natural armor)? Does it penetrate, then fall right out again, spilling no blood and leaving no wound (like regeneration on steroids, similar to Wolverine's healing factor)? Does the succubus feel it as pain comparable to a real wound, as slight pain like a pinprick, as a painless impact like a pat on the back, or does she not feel it at all?
I'll answer the questions you bolded, but PLEASE keep this thread for questions. If you want to debate with another poster... take it to a different thread. This one's big enough already without forcing me to sift through non-question material that clutters things up.
What damage reduction looks like varies per monster. In some cases, like a golem, it'd look like weapons bouncing off the creature. In others, like werewolves, it might manifest as wounds that heal instantly. In still others, like some undead, it might not have any apparent result at all—gaping wounds appear but simply don't actually damage the target. It's not set in stone SPECIFICALLY to give GMs more creative room to describe things in the battle and to keep the players on their toes.
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After reading the front matter from AP 102.
Now that you've handed off some of the AP developer duties to others, what are you doing instead? (or is this a case of you were horribly overworked and this brings things back into normal territory?)
I'm focusing more on my other job—the Creative Director job, which has long competed for time with my job as Lead Developer for adventure paths. I'm also switching over to other projects, as needed. For example, I swooped in to develop next year's Free RPG day product, and have come by to write some emergency art orders for other products. I also outlined the AP that will be happening after Strange Aeons (won't be developing it though).
But all that said, I've got two SIGNIFICANT development/writing projects I'm currently lined up to do, but neither of them have been announced yet.
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The Technic League is dedicated to keeping many things secret, including Androffan. What makes druids so adept at keeping their language secret compared to the League?How is it that Androffan isn't a secret language (can't take it as a bonus language, but can with a rank linguistics), but Druidic is? Seems odd to me that a language from across the universe is easier to learn than one spoken by druids.It's not secret in that there's not a powerful group dedicated to keeping it secret. A better description for it would be a dead language. You can learn it fine... IF you can find someone or something to teach it to you.
The fact that there's a LOT more druids in the world and they've been doing their thing for an order of magnitude more years than the Technic League. They're just better at it.
That said, the first Iron Gods adventure has a nice big sidebar about the language and how it can be learned on page 33 of that volume. I'm not gonna reprint that whole sidebar here, but the short version is that you as the GM get to decide when and even IF the PCs in your group ever get to learn the language, but the suggestion is that they can't learn it until they're at least 3rd level. In fact, that sidebar DOES say that the Technic League controls the language in much the same way that druids do. So yeah... check that sidebar out for more or less the exact words in print you seem to be looking for. ;-)
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The Technic League is dedicated to keeping many things secret, including Androffan. What makes druids so adept at keeping their language secret compared to the League?How is it that Androffan isn't a secret language (can't take it as a bonus language, but can with a rank linguistics), but Druidic is? Seems odd to me that a language from across the universe is easier to learn than one spoken by druids.It's not secret in that there's not a powerful group dedicated to keeping it secret. A better description for it would be a dead language. You can learn it fine... IF you can find someone or something to teach it to you.The fact that there's a LOT more druids in the world and they've been doing their thing for an order of magnitude more years than the Technic League. They're just better at it.
That said, the first Iron Gods adventure has a nice big sidebar about the language and how it can be learned on page 33 of that volume. I'm not gonna reprint that whole sidebar here, but the short version is that you as the GM get to decide when and even IF the PCs in your group ever get to learn the language, but the suggestion is that they can't learn it until they're at least 3rd level. In fact, that sidebar DOES say that the Technic League controls the language in much the same way that druids do. So yeah... check that sidebar out for more or less the exact words in print you seem to be looking for. ;-)
Perfect! Thank you!
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What are the current ten largest cities in Golarion (including ones in Casmaron, South Garund, Arcadia and Sarusan).
What was the largest city ever to be in Golarion?
Were the cities of technological Androffa larger?
Did or does Androffa have psychic magic?
Avistan has Aroden's death and The World Wound. North Garund has the Eye of Abendego. Tian Xia lost its Emperor and got the sucessor states. Do Casmaron, South Garund, Arcadia and Sarusan have their own "lost omens" moments? Or are they unchanged like the crown of the world?
Arodens death will never be revealed. The Worldwounds origin has. Will the Eye of Abendego origin ever be revealed?
The largest cities off the top of my head are Absalom, Goka, Katapesh, Sothis, and Westcrown. As for the TEN largest... we put population totals for all the cities of the Inner Sea region into the Inner Sea World Guide, so anyone can go through that and find out what the ten biggest ones in the core campaign setting are. I'm not gonna do that now. Beyond THAT... Absalom is the largest on the planet. Others (like Goka) come close; there's probably a city that's about 300,000 on Casmaron and Arcadia. Might be a big one somewhere in Holomog in southern Garund. No cities approaching this size are on Azlant or the Crown of the World. What's on Sarusan is a mystery.
Absalom is the largest city.
Yes. Androffa's cities at the height of that planet's technological era 10,000 years ago were on par with cities like modern New York or Hong Kong.
Yes; there are big events for all those continents that coincide with the world-spanning storms and other events that wracked the planet at the start of the Age of Lost Omens, but we haven't really detailed what those events are yet.
We never intended to hide the origin of the Worldwound, and more or less spelled it out from the start. What caused the Eye of Abendego to form, though, is a secret now. We may some day reveal it, but I doubt it. (I do know, for the record, what DID cause it... and how Aroden died, for that matter. So it's not like we DON'T know. If we do someday tell all, the hints we've placed already in the setting will thus make sense.)