| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
James,
Do you ever sit back, look at this thread, and go "holy s$&*?"
Have you ever gone back to earlier responses and see how your personal philosophy has changed? Maybe go "what was I thinking?"
Happy Friday
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So my players are gaining Mythic power through an ancient unique runewell, that was not attuned to one particular sin, and beofe we started the game i subtely got them to tell me all their greatest sin and their best virtue. I entend to give hem bonus based off of how they play their characters and depending if they lean towards their sin or virtue. So my question is i know each of the Sins is tied to a school of magic, what schools should i tie the virtues to? Should they be the same one or should they be opposites, and if so what would each schools exact oposite be?
also on a side note how much would you charge a player to fund the private teaching of an npc in the teaching of magic. Specifically sorceror. One of the players got attached to a girl who i mentioned had magic in her families past and could cast prestidgitation. and now they want to pay for her to be taught.
The virtues should tie to the same schools of magic their corresponding sins tie to.
As for paying for tuition... that depends on a lot of things, but for the story's sake, I'd probably keep the costs relatively low and work into the campaign a plot line where the PC could find someone to serve as the girl's tutor for free or as thanks for going on a quest.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
James, a question about The Moonscar!
The Worldwound is connected to Deskari's domain, the Rasping Rifts, correct? Where does the Moonscar connect to? Would my assumption of The Midnight Isles be correct, given the prominence of succubi and the local leader's loyalty to Nocticula?
The Moonscar doesn't directly connect to the Abyss in the same way the Worldwound does. Neither does Tanglebriar. They are both INFLUENCED by the Abyss and demonic energies, but there's not a raw wound between worlds there. That's unique to the Worldwound.
That said, the Moonscar's themes associate it with the Midnight Isles. That's different than linked portals though.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Was the fox shape feat available to kitsunes intended to expand on the kitsune's change shape ability? Was it meant to be an at-will ability with an indifinite duration, a once-per-day ability with a min/level duration, or somewhere in between?
I have no idea what "fox shape feat" you're talking about, so I can't say for sure.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
James,
Do you ever sit back, look at this thread, and go "holy s~++?"
Have you ever gone back to earlier responses and see how your personal philosophy has changed? Maybe go "what was I thinking?"
Happy Friday
I don't.
And I don't, although now and then when someone dredges up a quote from me that's 10 years old and it contradicts what I might say today, that's annoying. And frustrating and demoralizing if the someone is using the quote as a weapon against me. That's one of the ways the internet sucks.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Was the fox shape feat available to kitsunes intended to expand on the kitsune's change shape ability? Was it meant to be an at-will ability with an indifinite duration, a once-per-day ability with a min/level duration, or somewhere in between?I have no idea what "fox shape feat" you're talking about, so I can't say for sure.
Mea culpa. It's a feat from page 5 of the Dragon Empires Primer. Here is the text:
Fox Shape
You can change into a fox in addition to your other forms.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, base attack bonus +3, kitsune.
Benefit: You can take the form of a fox (Pathfinder RPG
Bestiary 3 112) whose appearance is static and cannot be
changed each time you assume this form. Your bite attack’s
damage is reduced to 1d3 points of damage on a hit, but
you gain a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to
appear as a fox. Changing from kitsune to fox shape is a
standard action. This ability otherwise functions as beast
shape II, and your ability scores change accordingly.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mr. Jacobs,
As i was browsing which undead would speak Necril, i assumed most sentient undead would.
Contrary however, i found that a lich speaks it, while a vampire doesn't.
Both are powerful undead, was there some particular reason vampires don't speak it, going by their listed statblocks?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The question about Fox Shape reminded me - when you are running a game and someone passes a perception check to see through a disguise, do you treat that as the perceiver recognizing that there is a disguise, or do you generally treat it as seeing through it more comprehensively?
I have a hard time visualizing people figuring out significant details about a polymorphed person (for example) while they look nothing like that, but don't want to take away from someone's scary-high perception just because I don't have a clear mental picture of how it works.
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Was the fox shape feat available to kitsunes intended to expand on the kitsune's change shape ability? Was it meant to be an at-will ability with an indifinite duration, a once-per-day ability with a min/level duration, or somewhere in between?I have no idea what "fox shape feat" you're talking about, so I can't say for sure.Mea culpa. It's a feat from page 5 of the Dragon Empires Primer. Here is the text:
Fox Shape
You can change into a fox in addition to your other forms.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, base attack bonus +3, kitsune.
Benefit: You can take the form of a fox (Pathfinder RPG
Bestiary 3 112) whose appearance is static and cannot be
changed each time you assume this form. Your bite attack’s
damage is reduced to 1d3 points of damage on a hit, but
you gain a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to
appear as a fox. Changing from kitsune to fox shape is a
standard action. This ability otherwise functions as beast
shape II, and your ability scores change accordingly.
Ah. The point of that was to give kitsune the option to assume fox form. As a 0 HD player race, shapechanging is kinda powerful to just give out for free, and having the kitsune PC spend a feat on it helps to keep things more balanced.
It adjusts the kitsune's basic ability to change shape, which normally allows only the assumption of a human form. That ability is usable at will, as often as the kitsune wants, and when she takes Fox Shape, that doesn't change; she can assume fox shape as often as she wants as well.
|
Creative Director
|
Mr. Jacobs,
As i was browsing which undead would speak Necril, i assumed most sentient undead would.
Contrary however, i found that a lich speaks it, while a vampire doesn't.
Both are powerful undead, was there some particular reason vampires don't speak it, going by their listed statblocks?
Necril is not a core rulebook language (although it should be, in my opinion). Since it's one of those languages that exists in Golarion, it never gets used in Bestiaries because those are world-neutral and can't really utilize things not in that line. Therefore, the core undead in the rules never speak Necril, but when they show up in Golarion, they often do. It's not uncommon for a writer and/or developer to forget Necril exists, especially if they don't do a lot for Golarion as opposed to the world-neutral RPG books.
(The lich in the Bestiary doesn't speak Necril, so I'm not sure where you're getting the comparasion from.)
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The question about Fox Shape reminded me - when you are running a game and someone passes a perception check to see through a disguise, do you treat that as the perceiver recognizing that there is a disguise, or do you generally treat it as seeing through it more comprehensively?
I have a hard time visualizing people figuring out significant details about a polymorphed person (for example) while they look nothing like that, but don't want to take away from someone's scary-high perception just because I don't have a clear mental picture of how it works.
It's situational. At the very least, the perception check, if successful, lets the viewer know that she's looking at someone who's disguised or hiding their true form. For a polymorphed creature, that could be noticing that an animal's eyes look weirdly human, for example, or it could simply mean that the viewer noticed the animal's behavior or the way it moved was odd.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
(The lich in the Bestiary doesn't speak Necril, so I'm not sure where you're getting the comparasion from.)
That would be an example lich on the d20 website.
On the side, have any of your PC fought liches before?
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Speaking of shapeshifting kitsune, is there a way for them to be in a "hybrid" form with human face and features but fox ears and tails? Or is it exclusively a dichotomy between "single human form" and "actual fox-faced form?" I've a player who wants to do this, not really for the purpose of powers or stuff but because she thinks it'll make her character look cute. I'm tempted to say it's fine, but I was wondering what your opinion as a GM was.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ah. The point of that was to give kitsune the option to assume fox form. As a 0 HD player race, shapechanging is kinda powerful to just give out for free, and having the kitsune PC spend a feat on it helps to keep things more balanced.It adjusts the kitsune's basic ability to change shape, which normally allows only the assumption of a human form. That ability is usable at will, as often as the kitsune wants, and when she takes Fox Shape, that doesn't change; she can assume fox shape as often as she wants as well.
Thanks James. Would the fox shape duration also be indefinite, like the kitsune's basic ability? Would a sleeping kitsune in fox form turn back into his normal form after a few minutes?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
(The lich in the Bestiary doesn't speak Necril, so I'm not sure where you're getting the comparasion from.)That would be an example lich on the d20 website.
On the side, have any of your PC fought liches before?
That example lich is not Paizo published, and therefore I have no quality control over it. That's why it confused you, I guess.
And yes, my characters have fought liches before.
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Speaking of shapeshifting kitsune, is there a way for them to be in a "hybrid" form with human face and features but fox ears and tails? Or is it exclusively a dichotomy between "single human form" and "actual fox-faced form?" I've a player who wants to do this, not really for the purpose of powers or stuff but because she thinks it'll make her character look cute. I'm tempted to say it's fine, but I was wondering what your opinion as a GM was.
Nope. That's not a kitsune. That's a different monster, one that we haven't created. But in your game, do what you want! :-)
|
Creative Director
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Thanks James. Would the fox shape duration also be indefinite, like the kitsune's basic ability? Would a sleeping kitsune in fox form turn back into his normal form after a few minutes?
Ah. The point of that was to give kitsune the option to assume fox form. As a 0 HD player race, shapechanging is kinda powerful to just give out for free, and having the kitsune PC spend a feat on it helps to keep things more balanced.It adjusts the kitsune's basic ability to change shape, which normally allows only the assumption of a human form. That ability is usable at will, as often as the kitsune wants, and when she takes Fox Shape, that doesn't change; she can assume fox shape as often as she wants as well.
It works exactly like the basic ability, so yes, it's indefinite. Remember, the "change shape" ability is NOT the same as the alter self spell. As stated in the universal monster rules for "change shape"...
"Unless otherwise stated, it can remain in an alternate form indefinitely."
It uses the language of alter self as mostly a space-saving technique, so we don't have to spell out all the rules for polymorph and the like. When a creature uses change shape to assume a new form, it remains in that form as long as it wants. If a change shape ability has a limited duration, the rules text will spell it out—and in such a case, it's better to just give the creature alter self as a spell-like ability and save all the trouble.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thanks James. Would the fox shape duration also be indefinite, like the kitsune's basic ability? Would a sleeping kitsune in fox form turn back into his normal form after a few minutes?
Ah. The point of that was to give kitsune the option to assume fox form. As a 0 HD player race, shapechanging is kinda powerful to just give out for free, and having the kitsune PC spend a feat on it helps to keep things more balanced.It adjusts the kitsune's basic ability to change shape, which normally allows only the assumption of a human form. That ability is usable at will, as often as the kitsune wants, and when she takes Fox Shape, that doesn't change; she can assume fox shape as often as she wants as well.
It works exactly like the basic ability, so yes, it's indefinite. Remember, the "change shape" ability is NOT the same as the alter self spell. As stated in the universal monster rules for "change shape"...
"Unless otherwise stated, it can remain in an alternate form indefinitely."It uses the language of alter self as mostly a space-saving technique, so we don't have to spell out all the rules for polymorph and the like. When a creature uses change shape to assume a new form, it remains in that form as long as it wants. If a change shape ability has a limited duration, the rules text will spell it out—and in such a case, it's better to just give the creature alter self as a spell-like ability and save all the trouble.
Thanks James! =)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sorry if I missed an obvious print source, but how accessible is Hermea? How often do people come and go? Can strangers come and visit, or is it invitation only? Under what circumstances do residents leave for good?
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Are there any countries in southern Avistan with a standing army? Specifically wondering about Ustalav, but if there are any especially large or impressive ones nearby, I'd love to know.
Most of them, in fact, have standing armies. That's part of what makes a nation a nation.
But since armies fighting armies isn't something our game handles well, that story isn't one we often cover in our products or adventures, and it's not a feature that we focus on developing information about because it's largely irrelevant to the game.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sorry if I missed an obvious print source, but how accessible is Hermea? How often do people come and go? Can strangers come and visit, or is it invitation only? Under what circumstances do residents leave for good?
We haven't said much about Hermea. It's not all that much more difficult to reach, physically, than any other island, but it's not often visited due to the nature of the region's ruler and the program he's running. My take is that the dragon is, in fact, evil and controlling, and that once you arrive you don't leave unless you're 100% on board with his program. That interpretation isn't the one that James Sutter likes, so for now, we've avoided saying much at all in print about Hermea and leaving it to individual GMs to roll with.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Is there ever going to be an AP planned around Alkenstar or the Mana Wastes, or even the Nex/Geb conflict in general?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Does Cixyron have any connection to the dwarves of Dongun Hold? His favored weapon after all, is a musket, which the dwarves invented. Did he get the idea from them or did they get the idea from him?
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Does Cixyron have any connection to the dwarves of Dongun Hold? His favored weapon after all, is a musket, which the dwarves invented. Did he get the idea from them or did they get the idea from him?
Nope. I like to think that Nyrlathotep is the one who dropped the hints to make the dwarves "invent" gunpowder.
Cixyron is likely worshiped by some small-number of cultists in Dongun Hold though, that's for sure.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have a couple of questions about Flaming Sphere and similar spells (aggressive thundercloud, aqueous orb, etc.) and i was hoping you could help me. I'm sure it's already been answered, but i seem to be unable to find it, so sorry if you've already been asked this.
1- If you don't use your move action to move the sphere, does it still "attack" the creatures sharing the same square?
2- If the answer to that is no, then the next question is in order: if you cast it (standard action) and summon it directly in someone's space, does it attack that someone as a part of the casting or do you need to also expend your move action to do so?
3- What happens to creatures that enter/pass through a square containing a sphere?
Thank you in advance.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1. If there was going to be a Guild of Calamitous Intent(Venture Bros.) on Golarion, who would you have as some(not all) of the members of it's Council of Thirteen?
2. I have seen some of the templates from the Advanced Bestiary appear in some books and adventures (Like Metal Clad and Blood Knight), are all of the templates of that book a part of the setting or is it only a few?
3. In most if not all fantasy settings, technological development seems to progress at a snails pace. If you were to look at that fact in a deeper sense then, "That's just the way the story teller decided to build the setting." What's your opinion on what the cause of that might be?
4. Being as unbiased as possible, who do you think would win in a war between the Reapers(Mass Effect) and the Dominion of the Black?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
James, what feats does your Hunter's Trex Have? Where did he find his buddy and where is your Hunter From?
I assume you're talking about Warcraft here?
My hunter there has a raptor as her main pet. She rarely brings out the devilsaur. She first recruited the raptor in the Barrens; one of the bright red ones, and then "upgraded" that to the new bright red model found in the last expansion. Said raptor, Guttugger, generally goes for the DPS tree of feats. Shensen, the night elf hunter in question, is from Darnassus (although in my head canon she's earlier from Dire Maul).
If you're not talking about Warcraft... you have confused me.
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have a couple of questions about Flaming Sphere and similar spells (aggressive thundercloud, aqueous orb, etc.) and i was hoping you could help me. I'm sure it's already been answered, but i seem to be unable to find it, so sorry if you've already been asked this.
1- If you don't use your move action to move the sphere, does it still "attack" the creatures sharing the same square?
2- If the answer to that is no, then the next question is in order: if you cast it (standard action) and summon it directly in someone's space, does it attack that someone as a part of the casting or do you need to also expend your move action to do so?
3- What happens to creatures that enter/pass through a square containing a sphere?
Thank you in advance.
1) Yes, assuming a creature is foolish enough to stay in the fire.
2) —
3) Since the sphere fills the whole square, they get burned. Reflex save for half, as normal.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Question. Can a Druid that is wildshaped be effected by baleful polymorph? Not sure how the interaction is supposed to work.
Thoughts?
Yes they can be affected by that spell and other spells, but as with all shapechangers, they can still change form using their shapechanging ability. In this case, a druid could wild shape from a baleful polymorph into another animal or whatever, or back to druid form.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Given that Earth has the "man on the moon" concept involving the dark spaces/craters resembling the outline of a man's face, does Golarion's moon have a skull-like visage? I'm thinking ala Groetus.
It does not. Groetus is in the Boneyard, not the Material Plane.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
1. If there was going to be a Guild of Calamitous Intent(Venture Bros.) on Golarion, who would you have as some(not all) of the members of it's Council of Thirteen?
2. I have seen some of the templates from the Advanced Bestiary appear in some books and adventures (Like Metal Clad and Blood Knight), are all of the templates of that book a part of the setting or is it only a few?
3. In most if not all fantasy settings, technological development seems to progress at a snails pace. If you were to look at that fact in a deeper sense then, "That's just the way the story teller decided to build the setting." What's your opinion on what the cause of that might be?
4. Being as unbiased as possible, who do you think would win in a war between the Reapers(Mass Effect) and the Dominion of the Black?
1) The seven runelords, Arazni, Tar-Baphon, Treerazer, Razmir, Baba Yaga, and Mengkare.
2) They can potentially be part of the setting, but until we use one in print, they're not. Some of them, such as the horsemen of the apocalypse, never will be in the setting because we do something different with the concept. And some of them will never be in the setting cause they're kinda silly and not thematically appropriate for Golarion.
3) Magic is more powerful than technology. When you have spells that let you teleport, there's not a big push to invent faster vehicles, for example.
4) Dominion of the Black. And no, I can't be unbiased.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1. If there was going to be a Guild of Calamitous Intent (Venture Bros.) on Golarion, who would you have as some(not all) of the members of it's Council of Thirteen?The seven runelords, Arazni, Tar-Baphon, Treerazer, Razmir, Baba Yaga, and Mengkare.
Now there's meeting of the minds.
1. What would they talk about (besides the usual taking over the world stuff)?
2. What sort of personality conflicts would arise?
3. How would Areelu Vorlesh feel about being left out? What about Abrogail Thrune II?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hi, mister J!
So ... with the new OGL manual, Horror Adventures, you have made rules which emulate Ravenloft's setting (dread fog, domains of evil and dread/cursed lords).
These elements will be used to build new Campaign Setting/Modules? I'd like a super-adventure like The Dragon's Demand with horror elements :D
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1. After reading the Strange Aeon's Guide I am liking the idea of building a Chaotic Evil character for it. I'm picturing the character as great to his friends but terrible to everyone else. Since the players guide mentions a vague kinship with the other pc's I figure that will keep them safe from the character as he will respect their wishes. The character will feel no urge to join the party's enemies, at least not willingly.
If you were GM'ing the game would you allow this character? If not what would need to be compromised?
2. Also haven't picked his class yet. If he ends up a Divine Caster am I right to assume there is no love between the Demon Lords and the Outer Gods?
| 7 people marked this as a favorite. |
James,
Do you ever sit back, look at this thread, and go "holy s~++?"
Have you ever gone back to earlier responses and see how your personal philosophy has changed? Maybe go "what was I thinking?"
Happy Friday
I don't.
And I don't, although now and then when someone dredges up a quote from me that's 10 years old and it contradicts what I might say today, that's annoying. And frustrating and demoralizing if the someone is using the quote as a weapon against me. That's one of the ways the internet sucks.
Adding to that, do you realize what frikking amazing service and support you personally and Paizo as a whole provide, not just in this thread (which is amazing) but on these whole forums and throughout this community? Seriously, this thread and what it represents astounds me, and it makes me very glad to be a Paizo customer!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Torment.Hey, James,
Which is your favorite BioWare game of all time?
Torment is probably my favorite game of all time, but that may be because of nostalgia glasses. Somthing about it really resonated with my 17-year-old self, and has stuck with me since them. I stayed up until 3 am on a school night because I had to finish it then.
1) What did you particularly enjoy about Torment?
There are many cool things but one thing that stood out to me was Fall-From-Grace, the succubus that had "fallen" to good.
2) What is your favorite all time game, so far?
3) Do you, like books, mostly enjoy horror games?
4) Have you ever, perhaps when you were younger, encountered a book/movie/game that was so scary you had trouble getting through it?
If so which?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Is it implausible that a sect would worship both Dou-Bral and Shelyn, and work to redeem Zon-Kuthon?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1 can you use create undead to stack zombie templates ex fast plague zombie, plague zombie lord, relentless gasburst zombie?
2 if so what level does you caster level have to be to combine them (I'm assuming past 11 for zombie lords because that's when you can make skeleton champions aka zombie lord minus the skin.
3 if question 1 is correct I'm going to assume other zombies created by the plague zombie/other template only have the plague zombie template.
4 what level do you need to be to combine more then 2 templates.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Given that Earth has the "man on the moon" concept involving the dark spaces/craters resembling the outline of a man's face, does Golarion's moon have a skull-like visage? I'm thinking ala Groetus.It does not. Groetus is in the Boneyard, not the Material Plane.
But if it did, would the Moonscar be Groetus's goatee?