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Paizo Employee Creative Director

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Would I be correct in assuming that elf siege warfare is less "catapults and camps" and more "let's use magic to turn their walls into mud or just toss fireballs over them, or simply wait for the human defenders to die of old age and the walls just erode," right?
Yes.
Doesn't the presence of magic pretty much eliminate the concept of siege warfare that we think of historically? Razmir conquered at least one city in a night, and magic is a thing for just about any nation that's going to war. Would that not impact most of the things that would make a siege prolonged?

Magic isn't universally spread equally in power and availability throughout the world of Golarion. In a place like Nex and Geb, you see magic as the rule of warfare, but in a region like Molthune and Nirmathas, it's much more in line with "historical" warfare. Whether or not you think this is realistic from a world-building viewpoint is kind of MISSING the point; the world is attempting to provide multiple styles of game play opportunities after all.

So... what might work for Razmir wouldn't work over in, say, Kyonin. The setting is intended to be able to host all sorts of potential storylines. The only ones that actually MATTER are the ones you want to focus on at your table. Or, if you're us, publishing adventures and books for Golarion, the ones you want to publish adventures and books for.


James Jacobs wrote:
John Kretzer wrote:

How is something sinful, but not evil?

Because "sin" and "evil" are not synonyms.

Um...my Thesaurus disagrees

I am more asking to get the veiw in Golarion what is a sin than to declare anything evil.

So in Golarion what is a sin if not evil?

(I am really not trying to talk about the Real World here, while you seem like a nice guy and all...and I think we have alot in common I did not come here for a morale lesson)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

John Kretzer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
John Kretzer wrote:

How is something sinful, but not evil?

Because "sin" and "evil" are not synonyms.

Um...my Thesaurus disagrees

I am more asking to get the veiw in Golarion what is a sin than to declare anything evil.

So in Golarion what is a sin if not evil?

(I am really not trying to talk about the Real World here, while you seem like a nice guy and all...and I think we have alot in common I did not come here for a morale lesson)

So... after thinking on it a bit more, I'm willing to say that yes indeed, incest is evil. That is, in fact, supported by the fact that we have it as an area of concern for demon lords and not for any good deities, after all.

Sin, on Golarion, is when you take something to extreme when there are laws (either divine or social or moral or whatever) that prohibit that action. Lust is, for example, a sin, but ONLY when it's taken to an extreme that your lust (or gluttony or envy or wrath or whatever) is destructive to either yourself, others, or society or nature or the world.


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James, I just received my Curse of the Crimson Throne book and it is beautiful. My only disappointment is that I finally gave up on waiting for a revision a few months before this was announced. I'm still sorely tempted to see if my group want to play it again.

I realise that the deluxe RotRL AP was a unique thing, but I did wonder if you'd ever looked into the possibility of providing player handouts as a standalone item for APs (a bit like the old map packs - pure reprints of the 6 issues)?

Having finished CotCT, we've moved on to Runelords and my players love poring over the letters/notes/etcetera I can hand them. It would be awesome if that was a more common thing for the regular APs (photocopies just don't have the same impact).

Anyhow - there is a kind of question there. But really I just wanted to thank you for the book. It's my favorite AP and this revision/expansion looks excellent!


For the record, I would love a Map Folio-style product along those lines. ^_^

No question here, either, I'm afraid. Too busy working on you-know-what to think of one.


Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons?

I mean...:
Hastur's cult would make a natural enemy.


Is the worldwound a unique thing or are/could similar things happen on other planets?


Hello James Jacobs.
About bloodstained gloves.
How many target it could take effect at the same time?


Hello Mr. Jacobsaurus,

Aranea speak Sylvan, which mirrors phase spiders speaking Aklo. Other than this reason, do aranea in Pathfinder have any ancient ancestral ties to the First World/fey creatures? Or is it just the much more likely complete coincidence?

I'm not holding you to this answer, especially with aranea and Nurvatchta so lightly detailed in Golarion canon; I'm just wondering if I'm chasing hallucinatory breadcrumbs again.

Thanks muchly!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Steve Geddes wrote:

James, I just received my Curse of the Crimson Throne book and it is beautiful. My only disappointment is that I finally gave up on waiting for a revision a few months before this was announced. I'm still sorely tempted to see if my group want to play it again.

I realise that the deluxe RotRL AP was a unique thing, but I did wonder if you'd ever looked into the possibility of providing player handouts as a standalone item for APs (a bit like the old map packs - pure reprints of the 6 issues)?

Having finished CotCT, we've moved on to Runelords and my players love poring over the letters/notes/etcetera I can hand them. It would be awesome if that was a more common thing for the regular APs (photocopies just don't have the same impact).

Anyhow - there is a kind of question there. But really I just wanted to thank you for the book. It's my favorite AP and this revision/expansion looks excellent!

Since the number of player handouts in an AP is kinda random, and tends to be, overall, a pretty small number, printing them as their own print product is not really all that viable. Printing them as a PDF only one is kinda a waste of time from our end as well—the best solution for folks would be to either grab the PDF version of the AP and print out the handouts, or to scan/photocopy the ones in the book. You're allowed to do that for personal use in a home game.

Glad you like the book though!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **

There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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TheHappyFlumph wrote:
Is the worldwound a unique thing or are/could similar things happen on other planets?

Similar things could happen on other planets, absolutely. It happens all the time on Azeroth, for example.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

I do not know what it is. wrote:

Hello James Jacobs.

About bloodstained gloves.
How many target it could take effect at the same time?

Rules questions should be asked in the product thread or in the rules forum so the question can be flagged and the proper folks can see the question. I, for one, have no idea what bloodstained gloves are, unless you're just talking about gloves that got soaked in blood. But I assume you're not...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Ambrosia Slaad wrote:

Hello Mr. Jacobsaurus,

Aranea speak Sylvan, which mirrors phase spiders speaking Aklo. Other than this reason, do aranea in Pathfinder have any ancient ancestral ties to the First World/fey creatures? Or is it just the much more likely complete coincidence?

I'm not holding you to this answer, especially with aranea and Nurvatchta so lightly detailed in Golarion canon; I'm just wondering if I'm chasing hallucinatory breadcrumbs again.

Thanks muchly!

They do not have ties to the First World or the fey.


James Jacobs wrote:
TheHappyFlumph wrote:
Is the worldwound a unique thing or are/could similar things happen on other planets?
Similar things could happen on other planets, absolutely. It happens all the time on Azeroth, for example.

Speaking of Azeroth, as your night elf ventured into Suramar yet?


Hi! I have some planar questions, mostly about the Shadow Plane.

1) How bright is it there?
2) Does it have a day/night cycle? (Even if just a heavily subdued one?)
3) Are stars (or maybe even a moon) visible in its sky? (I'm mostly asking because there are some references to Desna being worshipped by many non-evil shadow plane inhabitants.)
4) Besides the Material and the Negative Energy Plane, are there any other planes that it is adjacent to?

And a minor one about another plane:
Is there any reason why Axiomites don't have their own languages? What language is spoken in Axis?

...And, one thing that keeps bothering me: If a vigilante with two alignments (and possibly worshiping two different gods, or none at all) dies, which of their alignments decides what plane they end up on? Case-by-case, based on Pharasma's judgement?

Thanks for your time!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
TheHappyFlumph wrote:
Is the worldwound a unique thing or are/could similar things happen on other planets?
Similar things could happen on other planets, absolutely. It happens all the time on Azeroth, for example.
Speaking of Azeroth, as your night elf ventured into Suramar yet?

Nope; haven't been playing much at all lately.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rajnish Umbra, Shadow Caller wrote:

Hi! I have some planar questions, mostly about the Shadow Plane.

1) How bright is it there?
2) Does it have a day/night cycle? (Even if just a heavily subdued one?)
3) Are stars (or maybe even a moon) visible in its sky? (I'm mostly asking because there are some references to Desna being worshipped by many non-evil shadow plane inhabitants.)
4) Besides the Material and the Negative Energy Plane, are there any other planes that it is adjacent to?

And a minor one about another plane:
Is there any reason why Axiomites don't have their own languages? What language is spoken in Axis?

...And, one thing that keeps bothering me: If a vigilante with two alignments (and possibly worshiping two different gods, or none at all) dies, which of their alignments decides what plane they end up on? Case-by-case, based on Pharasma's judgement?

Thanks for your time!

1) Dim light

2) No

3) No

4) Ethereal and Astral, I guess

We try not to introduce new languages, since each one we introduce makes communication that much more difficult and ranks in Linguistics that much more complex. In Axis, I suspect Infernal, Common, and Celestial are spoken the most often.

Case by case, based on what religion/alignment was dominant and defined their actions and legacy.


1. You said that Kyonyn is more powerful than Druma and Galt, but didn't say about the Five Kings Mountains. Do you think the Five Kings Mountains is more powerful than Kyonyn?

2. Elves, dwarves and serpentfolks live much longer than humans. Can I assume Kyonyn and the Five Kings Mountains have much more high level characters than other human nations? Maybe that's why these two small nations are much more powerful than nearby human nations? And maybe that's why the resurgence of serpentfolks would be a dire threat to the world?

3. So, Ileosa was already evil before she found the Crown of Fangs, and the crown only made her braver so that she can do what she really wants to do?

4. So she isn't under any kind of mind control or manipulation? I thought greater restoration will free her from Kazavon's domination. But if she isn't under any kind of domination, no spell can return her to her original state because this is her original state?

5. How should I nullify the contract of a devilbound person? Do you think killing the devil responsible would be enough to nullify the contract?

6. Does Ileosa know the nature of her crown fully? Does she know it was made by Kazavon and his very essence is in it? And does she worship Kazavon?

7. If Ileosa was good or neutral, what would have happened when she touched the crown? Would the crown grant her power but because she's not evil, all the crown did was just making a high level good NPC? Or even though she wasn't evil, because of the crown's influence she would eventually become evil? Or the crown didn't work at all?

8. In this page you said that you changed the power of the Crown of Fangs deliberately. So, should I assume that the CotCT version is canon, and A&L version is not canon? In other words, if you can take a time machine and go back to 2012, would you make sure that the Crown of Fangs in Artifacts & Legends have the same stat block as the one in the Curse of the Crimson Throne Anniversary Edition?


9. I thought Hell's Vengeance assumes that Wrath of the Righteous already happened because the page 69 of The Hellfire Compact says that "since Iomedae's ascension to godhood, no fewer than five Mendevian Crusades have been launched against the demonic hordes of the Worldwound in her name." This sentence clearly said no fewer than five Mendevian Crusades, which means the adventure assumes that the fifth crusade already started, which means that Wrath of the Righteous already happened. Maybe we can conclude that the attack on Kenabres already happened but Deskari and other important bosses like Xanthir Vang didn't die yet so the Iomedaeans need to concentrate their efforts in the Worldwound? Or maybe Deskari already died, but though the Worldowund is closed now, there's still numerous demons in the Worldwound and thus Iomedaeans must exterminate these demons first, and have no time to deal with Cheliax?

10. After the Glorious Reclamation starts attacking Cheliax, what would happen to those Iomedaeans living there? Would Abrogail warn, imprison, oust, enslave, or outright slaughter them? What would happen after the adventure path ended? Would Cheliax outlaw the worship of Iomedae and destroy all Iomedae's temples and shrines, including her holy city Kantaria?

11. I found two illustration errors in Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance. First, please see this page. there is a blue dragon who breathes fire. But he's a blue dragon and thus should breathe lightning, right? And second, there was an illustration in Wrath of Thrune that describes Iomedae's tenth act, the battle of Kantaria. It shows that Iomedae kills a veiled master with a longbow. But the next book, The Inferno Gate, shows the exactly same picture! Is it a mistake? if so, what illustration did Paizo originally plan to include in that book?

12. It's mentioned that Haldmeer Grobaras became the Lord-Mayor in 4700 AR. I'm curious about the Lord-Mayor election in Magnimar. How long is the term length of the Lord-Mayorship? Four years? Or is it an office for life? If it has a specified term length, can a Lord-Mayor serve consecutive terms? Can all citizens participate in the election? Or only the nobles have the right to elect the Lord-Mayor? Magnimar, City of Monuments didn't give me neough information.

13. How would Andorens view Magnimar? Would they think Magnimar is an exemplary democratic republic? Or would they think Magnimar is an aristocratic republic and thus disdain it?

14. I like the current alignment system pretty much, but the restriction that a god must have alignment domains frustrates me. Because of this restriction, for example Iomedae has to choose good and law as her domains, even though there are other apppropriate domains that suit her. If you didn't have to think about the backwards compatability when you first published Pathfinder, would you still have retained this restriction? In other words, do you find this restriction frustrating? Or do you think the alignment is the fundamental part of a god and thus removing alignment domains from the game entirely would not be a good idea?

Sovereign Court

James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.

Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Aenigma wrote:

1. You said that Kyonyn is more powerful than Druma and Galt, but didn't say about the Five Kings Mountains. Do you think the Five Kings Mountains is more powerful than Kyonyn?

2. Elves, dwarves and serpentfolks live much longer than humans. Can I assume Kyonyn and the Five Kings Mountains have much more high level characters than other human nations? Maybe that's why these two small nations are much more powerful than nearby human nations? And maybe that's why the resurgence of serpentfolks would be a dire threat to the world?

3. So, Ileosa was already evil before she found the Crown of Fangs, and the crown only made her braver so that she can do what she really wants to do?

4. So she isn't under any kind of mind control or manipulation? I thought greater restoration will free her from Kazavon's domination. But if she isn't under any kind of domination, no spell can return her to her original state because this is her original state?

5. How should I nullify the contract of a devilbound person? Do you think killing the devil responsible would be enough to nullify the contract?

6. Does Ileosa know the nature of her crown fully? Does she know it was made by Kazavon and his very essence is in it? And does she worship Kazavon?

7. If Ileosa was good or neutral, what would have happened when she touched the crown? Would the crown grant her power but because she's not evil, all the crown did was just making a high level good NPC? Or even though she wasn't evil, because of the crown's influence she would eventually become evil? Or the crown didn't work at all?

8. In this page you said that you changed the power of the Crown of Fangs deliberately. So, should I assume that the CotCT version is canon, and A&L version is not canon? In other words, if you can take a time machine and go back to 2012, would you make sure that the Crown of Fangs in Artifacts & Legends have the same stat block as the one in the Curse of the Crimson Throne Anniversary Edition?

1) They're about equal.

2) No, because they have fewer individuals overall. On a percentage basis, they probably skew higher level on average though.

3) More or less, correct.

4) She's not under any sort of mind control or manipulation. The crown isn't controlling her. Her "original state" is evil.

5) By going on a specific adventure to do so. It's complex. There are more specific rules for this in the article on diabolic contracts in the 5th Hell's Rebels. It's not a "directly supported" plot point of Crimson Throne though, so if you want to explore that story, you or your GM will need to add stuff; and again, using the article in Hell's Rebels should help.

6) Yes, she knows relatively soon what's going on with the crown. By the end of the first adventure for certain, likely well before. She does not worship Kazavon. She wears Kazavon. Kazavon is a fashion statement to her.

7) She would have run the risk of the crown controlling her in the standard way that intelligent items can control their user, and would not have become so swiftly bolstered to high level. If she wasn't evil to start with, the AP would likely have never happened at all.

8) The latest publication is canon.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Aenigma wrote:

9. I thought Hell's Vengeance assumes that Wrath of the Righteous already happened because the page 69 of The Hellfire Compact says that "since Iomedae's ascension to godhood, no fewer than five Mendevian Crusades have been launched against the demonic hordes of the Worldwound in her name." This sentence clearly said no fewer than five Mendevian Crusades, which means the adventure assumes that the fifth crusade already started, which means that Wrath of the Righteous already happened. Maybe we can conclude that the attack on Kenabres already happened but Deskari and other important bosses like Xanthir Vang didn't die yet so the Iomedaeans need to concentrate their efforts in the Worldwound? Or maybe Deskari already died, but though the Worldowund is closed now, there's still numerous demons in the Worldwound and thus Iomedaeans must exterminate these demons first, and have no time to deal with Cheliax?

10. After the Glorious Reclamation starts attacking Cheliax, what would happen to those Iomedaeans living there? Would Abrogail warn, imprison, oust, enslave, or outright slaughter them? What would happen after the adventure path ended? Would Cheliax outlaw the worship of Iomedae and destroy all Iomedae's temples and shrines, including her holy city Kantaria?

11. I found two illustration errors in Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance. First, please see this page. there is a blue dragon who breathes fire. But he's a blue dragon and thus should breathe lightning, right? And second, there was an illustration in Wrath of Thrune that describes Iomedae's tenth act, the battle of Kantaria. It shows that Iomedae kills a veiled master with a longbow. But the next book, The Inferno Gate, shows the exactly same picture! Is it a mistake? if so, what illustration did Paizo originally plan to include in that book?

12. It's mentioned that Haldmeer Grobaras became the Lord-Mayor in 4700 AR. I'm curious about the Lord-Mayor election in Magnimar. How long is the term length of the Lord-Mayorship? Four years? Or is it an office for life? If it has a specified term length, can a Lord-Mayor serve consecutive terms? Can all citizens participate in the election? Or only the nobles have the right to elect the Lord-Mayor? Magnimar, City of Monuments didn't give me neough information.

13. How would Andorens view Magnimar? Would they think Magnimar is an exemplary democratic republic? Or would they think Magnimar is an aristocratic republic and thus disdain it?

14. I like the current alignment system pretty much, but the restriction that a god must have alignment domains frustrates me. Because of this restriction, for example Iomedae has to choose good and law as her domains, even though there are other apppropriate domains that suit her. If you didn't have to think about the backwards compatability when you first published Pathfinder, would you still have retained this restriction? In other words, do you find this restriction frustrating? Or do you think the alignment is the fundamental part of a god and thus removing alignment domains from the game entirely would not be a good idea?

9) That's clutter and in error.

10) See the plotline of Hell's Vengeance for what happens to Iomedans. AKA: They either join the Glorious Reclamation and are treated as enemy soldiers, or stay quiet and are essentially ignored unless they get uppity.

11) Read the adventure. That particular blue dragon in volume #100, Rivozair, has a breath weapon that consists of hellfire as a result of its soul being bound to a horned devil. As for the other one, we accidentally printed the same illustration twice—that was an art layout error.

12) The term length for lord mayor in Magnimar is for life, or until retirement or until the current lord mayor is ousted. Citizens participate in voting for a lord mayor in Magnimar, but nominees are put forth by city officials.

13) They admire it for starting along the right path toward democracy, but think it's got a long way to go still.

14) I believe I've addressed this already. If I hadn't had to worry about backwards compatibility, I would have removed the Law, Chaos, Evil, and Good domains from the game entirely and spread those powers around among new domains, so that deities could have more flavorful choices for the domains they grant. I would probably do a stealth version of this—there'd likely be 8 domains in the game that would be themed toward an alignment type. We sort of already have this. Death is evil themed, glory is good themed. That said, it is what it is for now and it's not that horrific of a restriction to worry much about.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?

Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.

Sovereign Court

James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?
Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.

What does hentai-adjacent mean??? (if the answer is: 'unrevealed', I will understand, and google that myself later, on a non-work computer...)

Radiant Oath

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

If a PC is proficient with shields but not with all martial weapons, can they still utilize a klar as a defensive item, just taking a penalty to using it as a weapon until they actually take the appropriate feat? Or do you need both proficiencies to use the klar at all?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?
Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.
What does hentai-adjacent mean??? (if the answer is: 'unrevealed', I will understand, and google that myself later, on a non-work computer...)

It means that there's a subgenre of tentacle porn out there that, if that's not what you were referring to in the context of asking about tentacles when responding to a question about how a worshiper of a sexuality deity would fit into the campaign, is a remarkable coincidence.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
If a PC is proficient with shields but not with all martial weapons, can they still utilize a klar as a defensive item, just taking a penalty to using it as a weapon until they actually take the appropriate feat? Or do you need both proficiencies to use the klar at all?

You could just use a klar as a shield and as a nonproficient weapon. Same case as if you had the same character with a shield spike.


Which of the Four Horsemen are you most proud of the statblock for? Which of the Archdevils are you most proud of the statblock for?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Belltrap wrote:
Which of the Four Horsemen are you most proud of the statblock for? Which of the Archdevils are you most proud of the statblock for?

Charon, of course.

I haven't developed the archdevils yet. They're gearing up to be the last things I develop for the book (all that's left at this point are them, the dragons, the elder wyrm, the kaiju, and the empyreal lords).

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Belltrap wrote:
Which of the Four Horsemen are you most proud of the statblock for? Which of the Archdevils are you most proud of the statblock for?

Charon, of course.

I haven't developed the archdevils yet. They're gearing up to be the last things I develop for the book (all that's left at this point are them, the dragons, the elder wyrm, the kaiju, and the empyreal lords).

Elder Wyrm? Ooooo...

Grand Lodge

You seem to like the Marvel Netflix series. What is your opinion on the villains in those shows? Which ones work and which ones don't? Favorite and least favorite?

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
If a PC is proficient with shields but not with all martial weapons, can they still utilize a klar as a defensive item, just taking a penalty to using it as a weapon until they actually take the appropriate feat? Or do you need both proficiencies to use the klar at all?
You could just use a klar as a shield and as a nonproficient weapon. Same case as if you had the same character with a shield spike.

Thought so. Thanks for the confirmation! :)

Do unicorns and pegasi ever let paladins ride them? I know they'd obviously treat such marvelous creatures of good more like friends and respected allies against evil than mounts, but if I remember correctly, both are Chaotic Good, and thus two steps away from the paladin's Lawful Good.


Question. Can spells that create weapons be cast and then simply handed to another player? Or is the player that cast the spell the only one that can use it?

The example in question would be blazing rainbow. One of the players at our table is a druid, and thinks that they should be able to cast the spell, make the bow, and pass it off to the ranger in the group because they can use it more effectively.

Is this even a thing? Because it doesn't technically say anything one way or the other in the rule book as far as I can tell. But this also seems like it could turn silly very quickly by turning players into weapon factories for other players.

Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. It would also be appreciated if you told me whether or not these ideas are from a rule book or simply thoughts you have on the subject.

As always, thanks for being awesome!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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IDTheftVictim wrote:
You seem to like the Marvel Netflix series. What is your opinion on the villains in those shows? Which ones work and which ones don't? Favorite and least favorite?

I'm impressed by ALL of the villains. My favorite is Kingpen, though—Vincent's portrayal of him was a revelation, possibly the best portrayal of a bad guy in a comic book live-action show/movie I've ever seen. The villain from Jessica Jones is a close second. I'm not yet done with Luke Cage, and while I've enjoyed the show so far who can say what waits for me in those last few episodes I've still to see?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Do unicorns and pegasi ever let paladins ride them? I know they'd obviously treat such marvelous creatures of good more like friends and respected allies against evil than mounts, but if I remember correctly, both are Chaotic Good, and thus two steps away from the paladin's Lawful Good.

Generally no. There can be exceptions, I guess, but they're chaotic, not lawful. Not only do they kinda not get along with paladins, but paladins generally aren't interested in riding them becuase they're chaotic. Of course, they're magical beasts, and that means they aren't BORN with alignment restrictions, so for a lawful good pegasus or unicorn, sure!

Grand Lodge

1.Also since you are an expert on alignment I want your opinion on the following hypothesis. The alignment axis can be broken down into two questions to determine a characters alignment.
1a. How does the character affect the majority with their actions? Beneficially=Good, Negligibly=Neutral, Victimize=Evil.
2a. Through who does the character justify their actions?
Another entity=Lawful, Doesn't care=Neutral, Themselves=Chaotic.

How does this seem for a guideline for determining a characters alignment? Any potential loopholes that you see?

2. How will Nocticula's followers react to her alignment shift? Will there be examples of CN assassins worshiping her?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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AramilNuren wrote:

Question. Can spells that create weapons be cast and then simply handed to another player? Or is the player that cast the spell the only one that can use it?

The example in question would be blazing rainbow. One of the players at our table is a druid, and thinks that they should be able to cast the spell, make the bow, and pass it off to the ranger in the group because they can use it more effectively.

Is this even a thing? Because it doesn't technically say anything one way or the other in the rule book as far as I can tell. But this also seems like it could turn silly very quickly by turning players into weapon factories for other players.

Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. It would also be appreciated if you told me whether or not these ideas are from a rule book or simply thoughts you have on the subject.

As always, thanks for being awesome!

Generally no; spells like flame blade create weapons to be used by the spellcaster. The spell should say specifically in the text if it allows the weapon to be handed off to another. If the GM's okay with the spellcaster handing out the weapon to others to use, I guess that's fine, but as written they're not intended to be things for anyone other than the spellcaster.

And all my answers are "simply" my thoughts on the subject. I'm not a fan of slaving game play to the rules. The rules exist to help you tell a story, and the instant they get in the way of the story being told, they're generally more trouble than they're worth.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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IDTheftVictim wrote:

1.Also since you are an expert on alignment I want your opinion on the following hypothesis. The alignment axis can be broken down into two questions to determine a characters alignment.

1a. How does the character affect the majority with their actions? Beneficially=Good, Negligibly=Neutral, Victimize=Evil.
2a. Through who does the character justify their actions?
Another entity=Lawful, Doesn't care=Neutral, Themselves=Chaotic.

How does this seem for a guideline for determining a characters alignment? Any potential loopholes that you see?

2. How will Nocticula's followers react to her alignment shift? Will there be examples of CN assassins worshiping her?

1) I'm not a fan of nailing down specific actions like that for alignments. When I run a game, I let players pick their alignments and then if they play outside of that alignment's scope I'll chat with them about it as needed.

2) There'd be a huge schisim in her faith. Some would convert. She would pick up some new worshipers as well. Many of her worshipers would abandon her and start worshiping other demon lords, and would likely bear a strong grudge against her and her faith. For this reason, I could see a lot of her ex-worshipers drifting over to the worship of Kostchtchie, who's not only a deity of revenge, but kind of a woman-hater as well. Socothbenoth, Pazuzu, Sifkesh, and Lamashtu would pick up a fair amount of her worshipers as well. She would no longer be a goddess of assassins, so there would be no CN assassins out there worshiping her—if she goes CN, she becomes a goddess of outcasts, artists, and the glories of midnight. Her assassin ex-worshipers would probably drift toward demon lords like Shax or Andirifhku.

Grand Lodge

Apologies if this is already covered in a Paizo product. Why would Nocticula consider becoming non-evil?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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IDTheftVictim wrote:
Apologies if this is already covered in a Paizo product. Why would Nocticula consider becoming non-evil?

There's a cult of heretics who believe she's about to ascend from demon lord to deity and become chaotic neutral in the process, as a deity of artists, outcasts, and the glories of midnight. Clerics of this heretical sect are gaining spells from Nocticula. It's an ongoing plot element I've been seeding into various adventures and products in the edges here and there for some time now, starting with the Magnimar book and continuing with Wrath of the Righteous and a few other locations.

As to WHY she'd do this? She's not saying. If and when it happens, we'll (as in she'll) say more.


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James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?
Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.
What does hentai-adjacent mean??? (if the answer is: 'unrevealed', I will understand, and google that myself later, on a non-work computer...)
It means that there's a subgenre of tentacle porn out there that, if that's not what you were referring to in the context of asking about tentacles when responding to a question about how a worshiper of a sexuality deity would fit into the campaign, is a remarkable coincidence.

...

Let me reassure you that tentacle monsters were not on my mind when I asked that question. I was thinking more along the lines of smiting decadence cultists.

As for an actual question...:
How orgiastic do Hastur's cultists get?


Do demons physically change form like devils when they grow in power or do the say much the same and just gain class levels or the like?

What do Quasits do after their master dies, as i understand they can sometimes catch their masters souls, but what do they do with this afterwards?


Do spells and effects that grant temporary boosts to stats prevent becoming unconscious or dead from ability damage? i.e. cast bull strength before casting blood money to allow 4 more points of strength to be spent.


How would Calistria react to Nocticula becoming a CN deity that somewhat mirrors her own portfolio?


If you were abducted by aliens, and they gave you one extra fully functional limb, or body part, what limb or body part would you prefer.


James Jacobs wrote:
I do not know what it is. wrote:

Hello James Jacobs.

About bloodstained gloves.
How many target it could take effect at the same time?
Rules questions should be asked in the product thread or in the rules forum so the question can be flagged and the proper folks can see the question. I, for one, have no idea what bloodstained gloves are, unless you're just talking about gloves that got soaked in blood. But I assume you're not...

ah....okay


You mentioned a couple pages back that an early version of Erastil was little a misogynist, could you elaborate that? I'm playing a lawful neutral half-orc warpriest of Erastil that occasionally gets in bouts with our oracle of Desna for his uh, rather dated views.

Sovereign Court

James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?
Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.
What does hentai-adjacent mean??? (if the answer is: 'unrevealed', I will understand, and google that myself later, on a non-work computer...)
It means that there's a subgenre of tentacle porn out there that, if that's not what you were referring to in the context of asking about tentacles when responding to a question about how a worshiper of a sexuality deity would fit into the campaign, is a remarkable coincidence.

Why? why did I look up that dreadful hyphenated word?? (things have gotten apparently less mild since 1993's 'Ninja Scroll'... but yes, I was referring to... funny tentacles.... so... for hilarity's sake if I ever get around to play Strange Aeons, Arshae's on the list... provided there are an adequate dose of tentacled monsters that is... :P)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Do you think an Arshean would be a good fit for Strange Aeons? ** spoiler omitted **
There's nothing about Strange Aeons that makes an Arshean a good or a bad fit.
Will there be a lot of tentacles in Strange Aeons?
Are you asking if it's hentai-adjacent? Because if you are, get your mind out of the gutter.
What does hentai-adjacent mean??? (if the answer is: 'unrevealed', I will understand, and google that myself later, on a non-work computer...)
It means that there's a subgenre of tentacle porn out there that, if that's not what you were referring to in the context of asking about tentacles when responding to a question about how a worshiper of a sexuality deity would fit into the campaign, is a remarkable coincidence.

...

Let me reassure you that tentacle monsters were not on my mind when I asked that question. I was thinking more along the lines of smiting decadence cultists.

** spoiler omitted **

As much as you want them to in your game.

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