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Paizo Employee Creative Director

W E Ray wrote:
Regarding "The Eureka Hill Horror" at PaizoCon, how little familiarity is appropriate (in your opinion) to have of the Call of Cthulhu game? What level are the pre-gens? To be fair, I'm 'reasonably' interested in playing Call of Cthulhu once more (after almost 20 years) but the appeal of this adventure to me is, you know, the DM.

Call of Cthulhu is a relatively simple game to play. I'll be providing characters for the game so folks don't need to bring their own... and characters in Call of Cthulhu don't have levels anyway. The basic game system revolves around d100 rolls—for example, if you have a score of 70 in your Rifle skill, you have a 70% chance to successfully hit with it. If you're familiar with RPGs, it's a really easy game to pick up, and since I've been running CoC games since 1985 or so, I've got a lot of practice helping new players play.


You've had an impressive career, so I'm curious, what pre-Pathfinder product of yours are you most proud of?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Davia D wrote:
You've had an impressive career, so I'm curious, what pre-Pathfinder product of yours are you most proud of?

Dungeon Magazine.


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

1.When you play an adventure do you have a favorite set of dice you use? 2.Do you have a large die collection and pick based on color or some other element that you relate to the character?
3.Do you start a new character with a new set of dice?
4. Do you ever "punish" or "ban" dice for poor rolls?
It seems no one has asked about your die habits, but a lot of gamers talk about theirs.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

if you had to compare pathfinder languages and/or accents to real world ones what would you say they were

would rougarou have a cajun accent


I hope this question isn't triggering.

So the PCs kill some sapients, either out of self-defense, or because they totally had it coming. Why would it be morally wrong to eat them? Or at least use every part of their bodies and keep their corpses from going to waste?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Jareth Elirae wrote:

1.When you play an adventure do you have a favorite set of dice you use? 2.Do you have a large die collection and pick based on color or some other element that you relate to the character?

3.Do you start a new character with a new set of dice?
4. Do you ever "punish" or "ban" dice for poor rolls?
It seems no one has asked about your die habits, but a lot of gamers talk about theirs.

1) Yes.

2) I have a standard size collection (about 2 dice bag's worth) but generally only ever use the same dice.

3) No.

4) No.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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serithal wrote:

if you had to compare pathfinder languages and/or accents to real world ones what would you say they were

would rougarou have a cajun accent

I actually DO have to do this now and then, for things like the audio dramas. It's kinda tricky and weird and awkward, especially since accents can become so much of a caricature when gamers try to do them at the game table... I generally don't think it's really all that useful or interesting a topic to explore for game play at all.

They do not.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
AlgaeNymph wrote:

I hope this question isn't triggering.

So the PCs kill some sapients, either out of self-defense, or because they totally had it coming. Why would it be morally wrong to eat them? Or at least use every part of their bodies and keep their corpses from going to waste?

It's not "triggering" to me, but it is exactly the type of question that pops up on this board that folks tend to use my answers to start conflict with.

Ask your GM, in other words. I'm not your GM, so it's not appropriate for me to answer for you, and I CAN'T answer for you without giving the impression to some folks that I'm trying to enforce my answer as the rules for how to "play the game right." Sorry.


James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:

I hope this question isn't triggering.

So the PCs kill some sapients, either out of self-defense, or because they totally had it coming. Why would it be morally wrong to eat them? Or at least use every part of their bodies and keep their corpses from going to waste?

It's not "triggering" to me, but it is exactly the type of question that pops up on this board that folks tend to use my answers to start conflict with.

Ask your GM, in other words. I'm not your GM, so it's not appropriate for me to answer for you, and I CAN'T answer for you without giving the impression to some folks that I'm trying to enforce my answer as the rules for how to "play the game right." Sorry.

I gave the trigger warning because...well, some questions do kinda set you off (e.g., PC slavers). It's bad this is one of those questions I can't get nices things from because of other people (Hell is other people), but good that I didn't upset you.

Let's teleport back to some questions I've been meaning to ask you for a while.

James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:

Hm... So why couldn't a wizard demand a scryed being describe their location?

But back to traveling via greater teleport. Would something specific-yet-broad (e.g., "the main port in the Rampore Islands") be precise enough?

Because the 25 word reply for demand isn't detailed enough.

What about having them say it out loud for the scrying wizard? I'm guessing the answer's still 'no', but I want to see how.

Suppose I had a picture of a location, like something out of the Pathfinder comics. Would that provide enough detail?

Regarding using teleportation to travel the world, what about calling an aeon and asking it about a location? They do communicate in pictures, after all.

Could I use two gate spells to go to new places? The description does say I arrive at precisely where I want to go.

If not through teleportation, how can a wizard quickly travel to new destinations? The quickest I've seen is shadow walk, and that's only 50mph (though admittedly respectable speed for a "road trip").

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:

What about having them say it out loud for the scrying wizard? I'm guessing the answer's still 'no', but I want to see how.

Suppose I had a picture of a location, like something out of the Pathfinder comics. Would that provide enough detail?

Regarding using teleportation to travel the world, what about calling an aeon and asking it about a location? They do communicate in pictures, after all.

Could I use two gate spells to go to new places? The description does say I arrive at precisely where I want to go.

If not through teleportation, how can a wizard quickly travel to new destinations? The quickest I've seen is shadow walk, and that's only 50mph (though admittedly respectable speed for a "road trip").

All up to your GM. If you want an "official answer from Paizo" you need to ask rules questions in the rules forums. In effect, I'm not authorized to answer rules questions in the way the Design Team or the PFS folks or your GM is.


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

So, finally saw Train to Busan, which I recall you mentioning a fondness for...

Favorite character?

Spoiler:
Mine was Seong-kyeong, expectant mother and level-headed badass.

Shadow Lodge

James - I am a big fan of what I've read about Rivethun...but I can't seem to find where it was "first" introduced to Pathfinder/Golarion (as in books rather than in-setting). Other than Haunted Heroes Handbook and the new Adventurer's Guide, do you happen to recall where it's first mentioned?

Thanks very much!!


James Jacobs wrote:
W E Ray wrote:
Regarding "The Eureka Hill Horror" at PaizoCon, how little familiarity is appropriate (in your opinion) to have of the Call of Cthulhu game? What level are the pre-gens? To be fair, I'm 'reasonably' interested in playing Call of Cthulhu once more (after almost 20 years) but the appeal of this adventure to me is, you know, the DM.

Call of Cthulhu is a relatively simple game to play. I'll be providing characters for the game so folks don't need to bring their own... and characters in Call of Cthulhu don't have levels anyway. The basic game system revolves around d100 rolls—for example, if you have a score of 70 in your Rifle skill, you have a 70% chance to successfully hit with it. If you're familiar with RPGs, it's a really easy game to pick up, and since I've been running CoC games since 1985 or so, I've got a lot of practice helping new players play.

Not a question, but I'm kinda bummed that the Dungeon World demo game I'm going to run is in the same slot as your CoC game!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Cole Deschain wrote:

So, finally saw Train to Busan, which I recall you mentioning a fondness for...

Favorite character? ** spoiler omitted **

Saw it months ago. She was a cool character but my favorite was the main characer; his story arc was really pretty intense.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
CanisDirus wrote:

James - I am a big fan of what I've read about Rivethun...but I can't seem to find where it was "first" introduced to Pathfinder/Golarion (as in books rather than in-setting). Other than Haunted Heroes Handbook and the new Adventurer's Guide, do you happen to recall where it's first mentioned?

Thanks very much!!

It was first introduced in the "Meet the Iconics" entry for the shaman. Since then, it's been mentioned here and there in passing, but Adventurer's Guide is the first time we're detailing it fully as an organization and all that.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Haladir wrote:
Not a question, but I'm kinda bummed that the Dungeon World demo game I'm going to run is in the same slot as your CoC game!

Fair enough, but this type of comment is better served as a PM to me or a post in another thread. Please keep this one to questions.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

James, in your own playing experience, what was your most epic Nat 20 moment, and also your most devastating Nat 1 moment?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

KingGramJohnson wrote:
James, in your own playing experience, what was your most epic Nat 20 moment, and also your most devastating Nat 1 moment?

I don't really think in those terms, so it's hard for me to parse you question. Are you asking "Most wildly successful character action and most disappointing/frustrating failure?"


do any of Golarions evil deities have good afterlives (from the point of view of evil people) if so which ones?

example of good evil afterlife: hey good job killing all those paladins enjoy eternity lording over these slaves and snorting drugs made form angel wings etcetera etcetera.

Bonus Question: How much bugs could a bugbear bear if a bugbear could bear bugs?

Radiant Oath

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

So will the upcoming hardcover Book of the Damned render the previous 3 paperback volumes obsolete?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
So will the upcoming hardcover Book of the Damned render the previous 3 paperback volumes obsolete?

It's a reprint and expansion of those three out of print paperback books, so I suppose you could look at it that way.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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wabbitking wrote:

do any of Golarions evil deities have good afterlives (from the point of view of evil people) if so which ones?

example of good evil afterlife: hey good job killing all those paladins enjoy eternity lording over these slaves and snorting drugs made form angel wings etcetera etcetera.

Bonus Question: How much bugs could a bugbear bear if a bugbear could bear bugs?

Not gonna answer this question because it's phrasing makes it sound like you're trying to trick me into justifying evil, and I'm tired of my answers here being misrepresented or misinterpreted when it comes to questions like this.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
So will the upcoming hardcover Book of the Damned render the previous 3 paperback volumes obsolete?
It's a reprint and expansion of those three out of print paperback books, so I suppose you could look at it that way.

Ah, so not obsolete but redundant. That's fine. I'll still get it to see the new stuff and support the publishers I love! You folks are awesome. :)

Did I hear correctly that each organization in the Adventurer's Guide will get two new prestige classes? If so, how will those avoid being redundant with ones that already have prestige classes, some of them even having multiple ones like the Hellknights?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:


Did I hear correctly that each organization in the Adventurer's Guide will get two new prestige classes? If so, how will those avoid being redundant with ones that already have prestige classes, some of them even having multiple ones like the Hellknights?

You did not hear correctly. Each organization in the guide gets at least one prestige class. Some get two or more. They won't avoid being redundant to those who already have them, other than that they incorporate errata (something we've not been able to do ever ever before in print for things like the Red Mantis Assassin). Nevermind the fact that the previous books are generally out of print, and even when they were in print, saw an order of magnitude fewer eyes due to the much smaller print runs softcover world books get as opposed to hardcover rule books.

But it's pretty much no different than any other time we've "graduated" softcover content to a hardcover rule book. We've been doing that since the first Bestiary, so it's nothing new.


James Jacobs wrote:
wabbitking wrote:

do any of Golarions evil deities have good afterlives (from the point of view of evil people) if so which ones?

example of good evil afterlife: hey good job killing all those paladins enjoy eternity lording over these slaves and snorting drugs made form angel wings etcetera etcetera.

Bonus Question: How much bugs could a bugbear bear if a bugbear could bear bugs?

Not gonna answer this question because it's phrasing makes it sound like you're trying to trick me into justifying evil, and I'm tired of my answers here being misrepresented or misinterpreted when it comes to questions like this.

I'm not trying to trick you, I just want to know if any one of the evil Golarion deities has a good(read decent) afterlife

basically I'm looking for a reason a cultist would worship them besides the stereotypical sold your soul for power and/or insanity.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

wabbitking wrote:

I'm not trying to trick you, I just want to know if any one of the evil Golarion deities has a good(read decent) afterlife

basically I'm looking for a reason a cultist would worship them besides the stereotypical sold your soul for power and/or insanity.

They do so for all the reasons people choose to be evil.

And I didn't think you were trying to trick me... but that doesn't change the fact that this kind of question has a track record for being taken out of context by some folks around these parts, so I'm opting not to give them more fuel.

Silver Crusade

James will the Decemvirate always be kept secret? After complteing eyes of the Ten I think that the Decemvirate is not a benign group. I think they spy on their field agents for some unknown reason. How often do members of the Ten Change? DO members of the Ten recruit upper level Pathfinder field agents to do missions for them?

James does star finder have a group like the Decemvirate?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lou Diamond wrote:

James will the Decemvirate always be kept secret? After complteing eyes of the Ten I think that the Decemvirate is not a benign group. I think they spy on their field agents for some unknown reason. How often do members of the Ten Change? DO members of the Ten recruit upper level Pathfinder field agents to do missions for them?

James does star finder have a group like the Decemvirate?

The Decemvirate is an ongoing story line we're exploring in Golarion, but specifically in the organized play campaign, and I'm not gonna say more about that so I don't spoil things for the PFS team. If you have concerns about how an element in PFS is handled, you should bring those concerns up directly with the PFS team though.

I'm not involved in Starfinder so I don't know if there's an analogous group there.


Suppose you're a demigod, and there are so many people calling for help. How do you decide who to help, and who goes unanswered?


I hate to ask another character alignment question, but is Rocket Raccoon a good example of a playable Chaotic Evil character that could actually work in a group game of Neutral or even Good characters?


So, between the Vouivre, Beheaded, and Alraune, there seems to be at least ONE Castlevania fan in the Paizo office. Know who it is?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Albatoonoe wrote:
So, between the Vouivre, Beheaded, and Alraune, there seems to be at least ONE Castlevania fan in the Paizo office. Know who it is?

I do know, yes.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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AlgaeNymph wrote:
Suppose you're a demigod, and there are so many people calling for help. How do you decide who to help, and who goes unanswered?

You know. You're a demigod. Your ability to know those things is just something you know. Whether or not you choose to help or not is your choice.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Delightful wrote:
I hate to ask another character alignment question, but is Rocket Raccoon a good example of a playable Chaotic Evil character that could actually work in a group game of Neutral or even Good characters?

Ask your GM.


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

Your top five zombie films?

Radiant Oath

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
The Decemvirate is an ongoing story line we're exploring in Golarion, but specifically in the organized play campaign, and I'm not gonna say more about that so I don't spoil things for the PFS team. If you have concerns about how an element in PFS is handled, you should bring those concerns up directly with the PFS team though.

So...how does one experience that story line when the majority of PFS has passed them by, like myself?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Cole Deschain wrote:

Your top five zombie films?

In order from best to not:

1) Re-Animator
2) Dawn of the Dead (1978)
3) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
4) The Girl with All the Gifts
5) Dead Alive

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
The Decemvirate is an ongoing story line we're exploring in Golarion, but specifically in the organized play campaign, and I'm not gonna say more about that so I don't spoil things for the PFS team. If you have concerns about how an element in PFS is handled, you should bring those concerns up directly with the PFS team though.
So...how does one experience that story line when the majority of PFS has passed them by, like myself?

By letting your GM know you're interested in the group and would like to see a campaign with them in it, or by reading all of the stuff we've published about them.


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Where would be the most likely place in Golarion to find a Charnal God of Aroden?

Radiant Oath

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

Is there a way to use the Intimidate skill in a non-evil way? I have a friend who said that intimidation works like this:

"Intimidation comes from showing the other guy how little his pain means to you. That you can inflict massive suffering, then not lose a wink of sleep over it. Alternatively, that you greatly enjoy their suffering, their pain is a good thing to you."

That makes it sound like you have to be evil to Intimidate correctly, or at least convince the person you're trying to scare that you're evil enough to jump straight to torture. What do you think? Are there ways a good person can Intimidate people without using the threat of torture?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

FormerFiend wrote:
Where would be the most likely place in Golarion to find a Charnal God of Aroden?

He's probably the dead deity I'm least likely to use as a charnal god basis in anything I do, frankly. But as for all charnel gods, they exist in remote and hidden places where they were once worshiped as a living deity. So in Aroden's case... anywhere in the region depicted by the Inner Sea map.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

Is there a way to use the Intimidate skill in a non-evil way? I have a friend who said that intimidation works like this:

"Intimidation comes from showing the other guy how little his pain means to you. That you can inflict massive suffering, then not lose a wink of sleep over it. Alternatively, that you greatly enjoy their suffering, their pain is a good thing to you."

That makes it sound like you have to be evil to Intimidate correctly, or at least convince the person you're trying to scare that you're evil enough to jump straight to torture. What do you think? Are there ways a good person can Intimidate people without using the threat of torture?

Intimidation is absolutely not inherently evil. A frilled lizard who makes his frill puff up, or an ape who beats his chest, or a growling wolf are all using intimidation, and none of those things are evil.

The evil part comes in when a creature derives pleasure or enjoyment from the act of frightening and intimidating others. What your friend quote is talking about is NOT how Intimidate works, but instead is how an evil character takes pleasure in using a skill. Don't confuse the two.


Is Dragons Revisted still "canon." It's one of Paizo's older sourcebooks and I wondered if the draconic info in it is still correct.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Delightful wrote:
Is Dragons Revisted still "canon." It's one of Paizo's older sourcebooks and I wondered if the draconic info in it is still correct.

For the most part it should be fine. There's some elements that we introduced there (or even earlier, in the article on dragons we did during Rise of the Runelords) that we may never follow up on, but that doesn't mean it's gone. For your home game, use what you like, of course!


By the manual, trolls regenerate from the largest remaining portion of their body. In other words, it sounds like if you behead a troll, and prevent it from grabbing the head and sticking it back on their body, the body will grow a new head, instead of the head growing a body.

Given this, do trolls have the traditional brain in their heads? If so, do they lose all memories if beheaded and forced to grow a new head? Or do they have more of a distributed, highly developed nervous system that allows them to retain memories across their body?

(And I am aware I'm overthinking something that doesn't really need an answer. I'm just curious if you had one.)

Silver Crusade

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy 2 yet?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy 2 yet?

No.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Trigger Loaded wrote:

By the manual, trolls regenerate from the largest remaining portion of their body. In other words, it sounds like if you behead a troll, and prevent it from grabbing the head and sticking it back on their body, the body will grow a new head, instead of the head growing a body.

Given this, do trolls have the traditional brain in their heads? If so, do they lose all memories if beheaded and forced to grow a new head? Or do they have more of a distributed, highly developed nervous system that allows them to retain memories across their body?

(And I am aware I'm overthinking something that doesn't really need an answer. I'm just curious if you had one.)

Yes, they have a brain in their skull. Regeneration doesn't quite work the way you think it does though; you can't grow a new troll by harvesting a finger and letting the severed finger grow back, so it's never an issue in this way.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy 2 yet?
No.

Are you wanting to?

Have you seen the first one?

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