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Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
What would be the best weapon to simulate a boar sword like this one? My gut instinct says "estoc," since their basic construction is essentially the same (a hand-and-a-half sized sword with a thin blade designed exclusively for thrusting attacks), but estocs can't be braced against a charge, which is the boar sword's primary function (to stab an oncoming boar and prevent its momentum from allowing it to gore you, similar to the boar SPEAR that already exists in Pathfinder). What do you think?
Dunno, the link doesn't work for me.
How 'bout now?

That's an unusual enough looking weapon that I'd perhaps be tempted to build it as a unique weapon. But if I was lazy, I'd probably just call it a rapier.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Therrux wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Therrux wrote:
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) Cliched bad guy supervillain stuff.

2) Cliched bad guy supervillain conflicts.

3) Jealous. Both of them.

Geb is a super villain who's wife is more successful and active then he is. She's so great that she could be on the Council of Thirteen. He's also completely obsessed with his arch nemesis Nex. So much so that he can never move on until he knows Nex is dead. With all that in mind, do you think Geb is the closest Golarion equivalent for The Monarch?

Nope. Because as awesome as Venture Brothers is, it's a comedy, and I kinda think that mixing comedy and other genres makes the other genres comedy. And I take Golarion seriously enough (it puts food on my table and keeps a roof over my head) that I'm actually kind of uncomfortable "making fun of it" in this kind of way. It's not a headspace I can really do much with.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Tacticslion wrote:

James: who would win, Mhar or Rovagug? What about Azathoth or Rovagug?

Thanks!

Mhar vs Rovagug: ROVAGUG WINS

Azathoth vs Rovagug: AZATHOTH WINS

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Tacticslion wrote:

Rift of Repose: while I imagine it's generally made of some sort of hard Abyssal rock, at this point, in your mind (as, to my knowledge there's nothing official on the subject), what would happen if someone got to the rift and successfully knocked out the walls containing the fossilized remnants?

Understanding that each campaign is different, I'm curious what your opinion is - that is, how you'd tend to handle it.

Do you think it'd:
1) reform, barring some sort of quest/specific action to alter it?
2) be gone forever? (that one memory was it)
3) something else I've not thought of?

Thanks!

3) Something else. Probably something really bad for whoever was hammering away at the rock.


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James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

Not to mention the fact that many jungle tribes use poison to bring home dinner.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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IDTheftVictim wrote:

1. Favorite Representation of a Vampire?

2. Do Vampires in Golarion need blood to survive or is it just a craving?
3. How's the Hell's Vengeance Game going?

1) Hmm; that'd probably be a tie between Nosferatu and Selene from Underworld.

2) It's a powerful craving, but a vampire in Pathifnder does not REQURIE blood to continue to exist.

3) It's been on hiatus for what feels like 2 months due to conventions. In THEORY the game happens tomorrow, but I have my doubts, seeing as how Rob's close to going on a vacation and might not be available to run a game, in which case it'll be at least 2 more weeks...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Alexander Augunas wrote:
When you run an AP, do you take notes in the physical book itself (like using a highlighter on the text) or do you take notes elsewhere and bring them with you?

The paper we use for our products looks great when it's presenting our full-color layout, but for taking notes on the page it's not so great. Pencil doesn't work well, and ink smears. I do keep notes in the text in ink when I'm tracking errata, but when I run a game I keep my notes on scrap paper.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

Not to mention the fact that many jungle tribes use poison to bring home dinner.

In fact, I wouldn't mention that at all, since alignment in the game has no real direct bearing on real-world situations, and trying to make the game's alignment rules map to real-world (or even fictional) stuff only causes internet arguments. So whenever there's alignment discussions, I do my best to restrict the examples 100% to in-game stuff.


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James Jacobs wrote:
IDTheftVictim wrote:


2. Do Vampires in Golarion need blood to survive or is it just a craving?

2) It's a powerful craving, but a vampire in Pathifnder does not REQURIE blood to continue to exist.

What level craving are we talking about? If we're talking about addict level craving, that's one that very very few will be able to resist. Something on the order of single digit, or counting the fingers on Thomas Covenant's half-hand, number I would imagine.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
IDTheftVictim wrote:


2. Do Vampires in Golarion need blood to survive or is it just a craving?

2) It's a powerful craving, but a vampire in Pathifnder does not REQURIE blood to continue to exist.

What level craving are we talking about? If we're talking about addict level craving, that's one that very very few will be able to resist. Something on the order of single digit, or counting the fingers on Thomas Covenant's half-hand, number I would imagine.

Whatever works for your game. We may have said more about this in Classic Horrors or the vampire-themed Player's Companion, and there's more adjacent material in Horror Adventures (particularly the vampire corruption, I believe). Personally, I'd rather it be something that is not nailed down in stone, since there are a HUGE number of excellent vampire movies/stories out there and if it's variable, then multiple stories can be told. Whether the story is about the vampire from Nosferatu or the vampire from Underworld.

AKA: Up to you for the story you want to tell, and don't feel bound to keep that answer for the NEXT story you want to tell.

Silver Crusade Contributor

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To confirm Mr. Jacobs' statement, Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Night does indeed have more advanced options for using vampiric hunger in your games. ^_^

Mr. Jacobs, which is best? Bonelike exoskeletal structures, fleshy writhing tentacles, or non-Euclidean bodily formations and mis-angled limbs?

Contributor

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James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

Along similar lines, I have a PFS player at my store who is convinced that every enchantment (compulsion) effect is inherently evil because they override a creature's free will. What are your thoughts on enchantment (compulsion) effects? Is there ever a time where a compulsion effect isn't evil? How about situations where doing so is good?


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

So, slow day at work, I spent a lot of it reading Darklands Revisited...leading to the following queries:

1. Was the Xulgath worship of Qlippoths your brainchild?

2. To a layman, what would distinguish Qlippoth worship from Demon worship if they happened upon a ceremony?

3. Which of these four Azlanti survivor species do you consider your favorite: a- Dark Folk, b-Morlocks, c- Gillmen, or d-Munavri?

4. Only tangentially related- my group are interested in running a Drow PC's redemption arc- she'd start out Chaotic Evil, but due to exile, forced to rely upon the others to survive on the hostile surface world, and the character's transition would play out over the course of the campaign.

The question, then- Is there an AP in print where the presence of such a character, in your opinion, would not be insanely disruptive and snowflake-y, and if so, which would you recommend?

I know, for example, that Second Darkness is an insanely poor choice for this story, and a demon-worshipping chaotic evil Drow PC is unlikely to be flying beneath the radar in Kenabres at the start of Wrath of the Righteous.


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Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<


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Questions about working at Paizo:

1. Who's the nicest person you work with? Why?

2. Who smells the best?

3. Who sings in the office (there is always one)? Are they good?

4. Who has the most pictures of family?

5. Does anyone say those horrible, awful, cheesy office phrases, like "somebody has a case of the Mondays", "working hard or hardly working", or worst of all, "are we having fun yet?"

6. Do you guys have those corporate motivational posters? You know the ones I'm talking about. There's something scenic and a word like "persistence" and like...a balloon on a mountain too or something like that.

7. Who has a cool voice? Like "this person should do narration" or something.

8. How is the coffee?


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The Doomkitten wrote:
Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<

Were either you or Mr. Jacobs, one of those folks who had their Windows 7 machine just up and update themselves to 10 without your consent?


I was. >:I


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Windows 10 updated itself in the middle of the night. When I wake up, I have to wait thirty minutes for two minutes of uptime before I have to rush off.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

In D&D 3.5 Book of Exalted Deeds it states.

"Poison and Diseases are generally tools of evil monsters and characters, implements of corruption and destruction. If snakes and vermin are associated with evil, as they are in many cultures, it is usually because of their venom that they are viewed in such a negative light despite their neutral alignment. Using poison that deals ability damage is an evil act because it causes undue suffering in the process of incapacitating or killing an opponent. Of the poisons described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, only one is acceptable for good characters to use; Oil of Taggit, which deals no damage but causes unconsciousness. Ironically the poison favored by the evil drow, which causes unconsciousness as it's initial damage, is also not inherently evil to use."

The section on poisonous creatures associated with evil despite alignment implies that creature based poisons and venoms are an exception to the rule and that poison use is "generally" evil.

*Note* I am aware that Pathfinder isn't 3.5 but I've used them for rules that don't exist explicitly inside the Pathfinder rules.

*Question* You've given a few examples of venomous creature having poison despite being good, as there are also neutral creatures with poison as well.

But is there a general use for lethal poison that isn't evil?

*Note* Not trying to spark a discussion, I'm trying to resolve this as an ongoing issue for a player and I figure words from the J-man himself will hold enough weight ^_^.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Kalindlara wrote:

To confirm Mr. Jacobs' statement, Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Night does indeed have more advanced options for using vampiric hunger in your games. ^_^

Mr. Jacobs, which is best? Bonelike exoskeletal structures, fleshy writhing tentacles, or non-Euclidean bodily formations and mis-angled limbs?

Tentacles.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Alexander Augunas wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

Along similar lines, I have a PFS player at my store who is convinced that every enchantment (compulsion) effect is inherently evil because they override a creature's free will. What are your thoughts on enchantment (compulsion) effects? Is there ever a time where a compulsion effect isn't evil? How about situations where doing so is good?

Same as with poison. It's how you use the enchantment effects, not what they are that makes them evil or good. It's also VERY influenced by the story that's unfolding, AKA VERY influenced by the way the GM and the player(s) play things out.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Cole Deschain wrote:

So, slow day at work, I spent a lot of it reading Darklands Revisited...leading to the following queries:

1. Was the Xulgath worship of Qlippoths your brainchild?

2. To a layman, what would distinguish Qlippoth worship from Demon worship if they happened upon a ceremony?

3. Which of these four Azlanti survivor species do you consider your favorite: a- Dark Folk, b-Morlocks, c- Gillmen, or d-Munavri?

4. Only tangentially related- my group are interested in running a Drow PC's redemption arc- she'd start out Chaotic Evil, but due to exile, forced to rely upon the others to survive on the hostile surface world, and the character's transition would play out over the course of the campaign.

The question, then- Is there an AP in print where the presence of such a character, in your opinion, would not be insanely disruptive and snowflake-y, and if so, which would you recommend?

I know, for example, that Second Darkness is an insanely poor choice for this story, and a demon-worshipping chaotic evil Drow PC is unlikely to be flying beneath the radar in Kenabres at the start of Wrath of the Righteous.

1) Nope; first I've actually heard of that.

2) Demons are relatable to humanity, Qlippoth are not. The difference to a layperson would be that the demon worshiper would be more relatable and seem less mad/insane, while the qlippoth worshiper would be more outrageous in appearance, action, and motivation. On average, at least.

3) Munavri, since I invented them, but I've also got a soft spot in my heart for morlocks, since they've been around for over a hundred years.

4) It depends on how you run the campaign and how the player plays the drow more than the nature of the campaign about the character being "disruptive and snowflaky." The worst option would be Hell's Vengeance, of course, with Second Darkness a second worst. Otherwise... the best options would be APs where the PCs either start out in situations where they're forced to work together without an overarching umbrella that requires good or evil and with an overall plotline that takes place in regions that would be relatively easy to get along in as a drow in hiding. (The player should absolutely answer the "how can you disguise yourself?" question.) The ones that come to mind would be Skull & Shackles, Serpent's Skull, Kingmaker, and maybe Reign of Winter. But others, like Shattered Star or Iron Gods would work as well. And in fact, I think that Hell's Rebels would make for an INCREDIBLE chance for such a character, particularly since one of the major NPCs you encounter in that AP is someone who was born a drow but is no longer a drow, so that could make for some cool NPC/PC interactions. It would probably be best if you had the drow PC start out as chaotic neutral at worst, to represent the character's already on the way to redemption.

Overall, then, I would suggest Hell's Rebels, with the PC starting at chaotic neutral.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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The Doomkitten wrote:
Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<

Doesn't bother me at all.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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thegreenteagamer wrote:

Questions about working at Paizo:

1. Who's the nicest person you work with? Why?

2. Who smells the best?

3. Who sings in the office (there is always one)? Are they good?

4. Who has the most pictures of family?

5. Does anyone say those horrible, awful, cheesy office phrases, like "somebody has a case of the Mondays", "working hard or hardly working", or worst of all, "are we having fun yet?"

6. Do you guys have those corporate motivational posters? You know the ones I'm talking about. There's something scenic and a word like "persistence" and like...a balloon on a mountain too or something like that.

7. Who has a cool voice? Like "this person should do narration" or something.

8. How is the coffee?

1) Adam, because he's an all-around good and compassionate guy.

2) Jessica, when she's been into the frankincense.

3) Erik. He's good enough!

4) I'm not aware of anyone who keeps pictures of their family around; most of us decorate our workspaces with other stuff, I suppose. I guess me? I've a few pictures of my parents on my computer that pop up on my screen saver now and then. Dunno.

5) Yes, but not that often.

6) Only in a home-made ironic sense.

7) Jessica. Who has done voice-acting before, I believe.

8) Depends who makes it... ranges from gross to okay, but living where I live means that it's never more than a 1 or 2 minute drive to get great coffee.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
The Doomkitten wrote:
Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<
Were either you or Mr. Jacobs, one of those folks who had their Windows 7 machine just up and update themselves to 10 without your consent?

I'm not currently using any Windows machines, so it wasn't me. All the computers I use these days are Macs.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Suz wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Suz wrote:

Apologies if this question has already been asked.

Is the use of poisons an evil act?

That is to say the knowing poisoning of a creature, not the natural venom of animals.

I imagine things that cause sleep/unconscious as effects are exceptions to this rule for their non-damage nature. But my question is geared more towards basic poison purchase/usage.

It absolutely is not. Want proof? Look at the couatl or the guardian naga; both of them are lawful good monsters who use deadly poison.

Poison use is not evil. It can be USED for evil purposes, but then so can fire or knives or kisses.

In D&D 3.5 Book of Exalted Deeds it states.

"Poison and Diseases are generally tools of evil monsters and characters, implements of corruption and destruction. If snakes and vermin are associated with evil, as they are in many cultures, it is usually because of their venom that they are viewed in such a negative light despite their neutral alignment. Using poison that deals ability damage is an evil act because it causes undue suffering in the process of incapacitating or killing an opponent. Of the poisons described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, only one is acceptable for good characters to use; Oil of Taggit, which deals no damage but causes unconsciousness. Ironically the poison favored by the evil drow, which causes unconsciousness as it's initial damage, is also not inherently evil to use."

The section on poisonous creatures associated with evil despite alignment implies that creature based poisons and venoms are an exception to the rule and that poison use is "generally" evil.

*Note* I am aware that Pathfinder isn't 3.5 but I've used them for rules that don't exist explicitly inside the Pathfinder rules.

*Question* You've given a few examples of venomous creature having poison despite being good, as there are also neutral creatures with poison as well.

But is there a general use for lethal poison that isn't evil?

*Note* Not trying to spark a discussion, I'm trying to resolve this as an ongoing issue for a player and I figure words from the J-man himself will hold enough weight ^_^.

D&D 3.5 is an entirely different game, and Pathfinder is separated from it by over a decade of our own philosophical take on game play. Citing a 3.5 book to argue a point isn't appropriate, as a result.

Using weapons to fight against evil when you are good is not an evil fact. A couatl who bites an evil demon worshiper and kills that demon worshiper via the poison is no more committing an evil act than if it had killed the person via constriction or fireballs or pushing him off a cliff. What WOULD be evil is gloating over an evil demon worshiper as he dies in pain from poison, or tricking the evil person into drinking poison that could have just as easily been gulped down by a good person (indiscriminate friendly fire/not caring about collateral damage).

And just because the couatl HAS a lethal poison doesn't mean it has to default to using that method of attack each time it's faced with a confrontation.


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James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
The Doomkitten wrote:
Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<
Were either you or Mr. Jacobs, one of those folks who had their Windows 7 machine just up and update themselves to 10 without your consent?
I'm not currently using any Windows machines, so it wasn't me. All the computers I use these days are Macs.

You or anyone you know using the Sierra beta?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
The Doomkitten wrote:
Don't you hate it when OS updates sneak up on you in the middle of the nigh? >.<
Were either you or Mr. Jacobs, one of those folks who had their Windows 7 machine just up and update themselves to 10 without your consent?
I'm not currently using any Windows machines, so it wasn't me. All the computers I use these days are Macs.
You or anyone you know using the Sierra beta?

First I've heard of it, so I guess the answer is no all around.


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Mr. JJ,
Is it better to be full and content or content with being full? I would ask that you explain why in essay form, double spaced in "12" times news roman font and cite your references! ;)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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berserker444 wrote:

Mr. JJ,

Is it better to be full and content or content with being full? I would ask that you explain why in essay form, double spaced in "12" times news roman font and cite your references! ;)

It's better to stop eating before you're full, because it takes like 10 minutes for your brain to catch up to the fact that you're no longer hungry, and that will help keep from overeating and thus becoming fat, and that will help you be content.

This essay deliberately submitted without compliance to archaic academic presentation standards as deliberate protest against old-fashioned and outdated formatting protocols. I'm surprised you didn't ask me to add 2 spaces after every period!


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During your weight loss did you find yourself hitting a wall after a certain amount was lost? If so how did you get over that hump? I seem to be stuck at 27 pounds.


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What is the weirdest thing you have ever experienced in real life?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Triphoppenskip wrote:
During your weight loss did you find yourself hitting a wall after a certain amount was lost? If so how did you get over that hump? I seem to be stuck at 27 pounds.

Not really. The program I was on was VERY regimented, with weekly visits to a coach. Now and then, particularly for conventions or when I had to take time off to recover from gall bladder removal surgery, I went off the program and the weight loss stalled, but as long as I was doing the diet it was a pretty steady 2–4 pounds per week. Keeping the weight off once I get to the target weight is tricky, and requires exercise and concentration and willpower, but now and then I go back on the program for a few months (I'm currently wrapping up a 2-month stint in fact) to get back down a few dozen pounds if it creeps up too high.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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The Doomkitten wrote:
What is the weirdest thing you have ever experienced in real life?

Probably a night terror/anxiety attack—all of which are equally weird/terrifying.


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Why are night hags not considered fiends, despite being extraplanar outsiders, while rakshasas are, despite being native outsiders?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Belltrap wrote:
Why are night hags not considered fiends, despite being extraplanar outsiders, while rakshasas are, despite being native outsiders?

Because of game tradition dating back over several editions.

Liberty's Edge

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James,
What would be a fitting deity for a redeemed/good-aligned drow? Would Sarenrae, as a Sun goddess, be appropriate?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Paladinosaur wrote:

James,

What would be a fitting deity for a redeemed/good-aligned drow? Would Sarenrae, as a Sun goddess, be appropriate?

As goddess of redemption, Sarenrae's the most appropriate deity for ANY redeemed evil creature.


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Between Blood of the Night, Blood of the Moon, and Blood of Angels, which player companion would you recommend that I get first (I have no pressing need for any at this particular moment, so it's just a preference call)?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Captain Battletoad wrote:
Between Blood of the Night, Blood of the Moon, and Blood of Angels, which player companion would you recommend that I get first (I have no pressing need for any at this particular moment, so it's just a preference call)?

Personally, I like Blood of Angels the most.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
As goddess of redemption, Sarenrae's the most appropriate deity for ANY redeemed evil creature.

Just gonna chime in that Sarenrae was the plan for the situation I outlined... the group has no intention of leaving the character to fend for herself on the road to redemption, and the paired concept is a cleric of Sarenrae serving as sheepdog for the drow's journey away from demon worship- and also standing by to put her down if need be. Also, since the drow is going around wrapped up like a leper, hanging out with a cleric makes sense.

So... questions:

While, as a player, I am not reading the adventures in the APs for the next six months, I've dived right into the other material... how cool was it to be able to stat up Ithaqua for Pathfinder? Or did someone else handle the mechanical end of that?

Are the other five volumes also going to feature a Great Old One in the bestiary?

With Neothelids being direct spawn of Shub-Niggurath (as per Darklands Revisited) would tossing a few Dark Young into Orv for encounter variety be appropriate, or do Neothelids exclusively employ Seugathi that close to home?


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I think after one day I saw 168 new comments on this thread how in the world do you keep up with all that?

Also do you feel a bit famous from all the attention?


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EDIT: for great justice readability/ease of use

Nihiloi were a creature kind that made a quasi-prominent (-ish) appearance in Council of Thieves (in that they showed up in one of the AP entries as a major encounter and statted up in the back of the book, were implied to be kind of important, and just kind of were never mentioned again)... and were never mentioned again, from what I can tell.

Is Paizo ever planning on revisiting them?
- 1) If so, what (if anything) do you think (or know about) the basic concept of such a thing, if you can or don't mind sharing?
- 2) If not, I'd be curious: why not? (I actually found them really cool, over-all, as a thing. I can understand there are plenty of possible reasons - I'd just be curious for Paizo's.)

Thanks!


EDITED into a new post: for easier digestion/replies! Yay!

1) Related to the above post, do you mind briefly describing the ecology (as you understand it) of the shadow as it applies to Golarion? I've really read as much as I can of it, and I'm more confuddled than ever, as most of it's contradictory - probably on purpose, but still.

It often seems in some places that it's an abandoned wasteland, while in others it's quite settled - that, in itself, wouldn't be a problem, it just kind of seems to imply that these are the same places (i.e. where cities in the material are reflected in the shadow).

2a) Am I just misreading the intent, or is it intentionally vague, or is there something else going on there?

2b) Example: How do creatures like the shae get on with their business in life and growing human harems and such, with creatures like the kyton's implied to have so much power over such great reaches of the place? What about the d'ziriak?

3) How do the d'ziriak, shae, dark folk, niholoi, and fetchlings view each other and relate to each other (on Golarion)? (Generally, I suspect they all hate the kytons; except, maybe, for those few crazy folk who worship ZK and/or his kytons, or those, who, like some of the citizens of Nidal, were forced to be raised under the yolk of them and know nothing better.)

Thanks again!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Cole Deschain wrote:

While, as a player, I am not reading the adventures in the APs for the next six months, I've dived right into the other material... how cool was it to be able to stat up Ithaqua for Pathfinder? Or did someone else handle the mechanical end of that?

Are the other five volumes also going to feature a Great Old One in the bestiary?

With Neothelids being direct spawn of Shub-Niggurath (as per Darklands Revisited) would tossing a few Dark Young into Orv for encounter variety be appropriate, or do Neothelids exclusively employ Seugathi that close to home?

It was pretty fun stating up Ithaqua. I'm the one who's statting up all of the Great Old Ones for Pathfinder, in part because I'm not intimidated by high CR stat blocks but mostly I've got the right knowledge base and skillset after immersing myself in the mythos for 3 decades to tackle the job.

Each volume of Strange Aeons will indeed feature a Great Old One. Several will also feature other monsters from the mythos as well.

Dark Young in Orv makes some amount of sense, but Shub has those proverbial thousand young, so it might make more sense to make an entirely new monster that's acclimated to the underground terrains of the Darklands (Dark Young being kinda foresty looking things).

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Vidmaster7 wrote:

I think after one day I saw 168 new comments on this thread how in the world do you keep up with all that?

Also do you feel a bit famous from all the attention?

There's usually only 5 to 10 new questions a day on this thread, if that. By checking in and answering as quickly as possible, I can keep up by spending 15 to 30 minutes of work when I get in in the morning to get all caught up.

I don't feel that famous though, which is good, because feeling famous kinda creeps me out. :-)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Tacticslion wrote:

EDIT: for great justice readability/ease of use

Nihiloi were a creature kind that made a quasi-prominent (-ish) appearance in Council of Thieves (in that they showed up in one of the AP entries as a major encounter and statted up in the back of the book, were implied to be kind of important, and just kind of were never mentioned again)... and were never mentioned again, from what I can tell.

Is Paizo ever planning on revisiting them?
- 1) If so, what (if anything) do you think (or know about) the basic concept of such a thing, if you can or don't mind sharing?
- 2) If not, I'd be curious: why not? (I actually found them really cool, over-all, as a thing. I can understand there are plenty of possible reasons - I'd just be curious for Paizo's.)

Thanks!

Nihiloi are still part of the setting; they're designed for use with Pathfinder, not 3.5, so there's not much of a reason to "revisit" them. Their stats still work fine. We might use them again in a future project or product if it seems like the right move. BUT we can't update/represent every single thing we publish, since we publish far more than we can reprint, if that makes sense. So a fair amount of what we create stays where it is until it's needed again. In the case of the nihiloi, that simply hasn't happened yet.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Tacticslion wrote:

EDITED into a new post: for easier digestion/replies! Yay!

1) Related to the above post, do you mind briefly describing the ecology (as you understand it) of the shadow as it applies to Golarion? I've really read as much as I can of it, and I'm more confuddled than ever, as most of it's contradictory - probably on purpose, but still.

It often seems in some places that it's an abandoned wasteland, while in others it's quite settled - that, in itself, wouldn't be a problem, it just kind of seems to imply that these are the same places (i.e. where cities in the material are reflected in the shadow).

2a) Am I just misreading the intent, or is it intentionally vague, or is there something else going on there?

2b) Example: How do creatures like the shae get on with their business in life and growing human harems and such, with creatures like the kyton's implied to have so much power over such great reaches of the place? What about the d'ziriak?

3) How do the d'ziriak, shae, dark folk, niholoi, and fetchlings view each other and relate to each other (on Golarion)? (Generally, I suspect they all hate the kytons; except, maybe, for those few crazy folk who worship ZK and/or his kytons, or those, who, like some of the citizens of Nidal, were forced to be raised under the yolk of them and know nothing better.)

Thanks again!

1) There's not much ecology to tell; they're kinda parasites. Undead who drink up living strength to spawn more of their kind. That's more or less it. Not sure what's contradictory about that.

2a) I'm kinda confused... are you asking about shadows (the undead creature) or the Shadow Plane itself?

2b) Now it's starting to make a bit more sense, assuming you're asking about the Shadow Plane. Kytons have power because they have arguably the most powerful patron on the plane (Zon-Kuthon) and the widest diversity of members and are the most powerful at a baseline. D'ziriaks simply can't compete with the power and spread of a kyton.

3) Mostly with suspicion; they don't all really work together at all, and all of them fear the kytons.

We haven't said a LOT about the Shadow Plane yet. We might explore it more some day, but for now it is intended to be sort of mysterious.

THAT SAID: Check out Netflix's "Stranger Things" for an EXCELLENT depiction of the Shadow Plane!

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