>>Ask *James Jacobs* ALL your Questions Here!<<


Off-Topic Discussions

69,551 to 69,600 of 83,732 << first < prev | 1387 | 1388 | 1389 | 1390 | 1391 | 1392 | 1393 | 1394 | 1395 | 1396 | 1397 | next > last >>
Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
MythicFox wrote:
Have you ever hung up (or otherwise displayed) prints or originals of Pathfinder artwork in your home?

Yes.

At home I've got two Steve Prescott originals from Age of Worms (Abelard and Tyralandi messing with a giant gross egg, and Tyralandi versus a blood monster), the Wayne Reynolds original of the cover of Dungeon Magazine for the last installment of Age of Worms, and Wayne Reynold's original painting of Merisiel. Also the original Wayne Reynolds of a hunting horror attacking a church from the interior of the d20 Call of Cthulhu book, but that was a WotC piece, not a Paizo piece. Same goes for the signed canvas print of Tiamat from Wayne Reynolds.

Here at work I've got the goblin attack on Sandpoint from the cover of Burnt Offerings, the blue dragon fight from the cover of Pathfinder #100, and Shensen from the cover of Pathfinder #100, also all three the original paintings from Wayne.

I've also got an original (unpublished) sketch of Shensen by Andrew Huerta on my wall at home, a sketch of Merisiel from Jim Zubkavich here at the office on display, and this original illo of Merisiel by Eva Widermann that I haven't yet framed but hope to do so soon.

Those are lovely.

Do you have any other art that you display?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:


Do you have any other art that you display?

At home, a few movie posters ("John Carpenter's The Thing" and a mini poster of "Alien"; gotta get my mini poster of "Godzilla" up some day, or maybe a few of my other movie posters like Pulp Fiction or Jurassic Park).

A banner of the cover of Dungeon #112 (Maure Castle) on the wall in my office at Paizo.

And also at home, a little cat cross stitch thing my mom made for me.

I've a print of the Point Arena Lighthouse that I keep meaning to hang up.

Hmm... looking around the office here at work, Ive got a concept art from Jurassic Park, a print of the cover art from Isle of Dread, and a Bigfoot going to Seattle picture on display leaning against the wall.

Oh, and someone stuck a cinderella window cling to my office window. Not sure who it was, but I approve.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:


Do you have any other art that you display?

At home, a few movie posters ("John Carpenter's The Thing" and a mini poster of "Alien"; gotta get my mini poster of "Godzilla" up some day, or maybe a few of my other movie posters like Pulp Fiction or Jurassic Park).

A banner of the cover of Dungeon #112 (Maure Castle) on the wall in my office at Paizo.

And also at home, a little cat cross stitch thing my mom made for me.

I've a print of the Point Arena Lighthouse that I keep meaning to hang up.

Hmm... looking around the office here at work, Ive got a concept art from Jurassic Park, a print of the cover art from Isle of Dread, and a Bigfoot going to Seattle picture on display leaning against the wall.

Oh, and someone stuck a cinderella window cling to my office window. Not sure who it was, but I approve.

Nice.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

It looks pretty clear from the artwork that entothropes have exoskeletons in their hybrid forms. Do they retain their internal skeletons? What about organ systems that are different between vertebrates and arthropods, which do they use, or is it a mix? If it is a mix, how do they mitigate organs depenedant on very different circulatory systems (e.g. specific lungs don't work well with the less localized hemolymph setup)

I notice both PF pegasi and unicorns have similar intelligence and general sintiments. Does this imply they are phylogenetically related? Would you agree it is likely alicorns are closer to pegasi than unicorns since the wings are a much more complex structure, and thus less likely to evolve independently?

The bestiary artwork for Merfolk has a horizontal tailfin, like a whale. Since this is different from all fish, does this mean that merfolk evolved from terrestrial reptiles? Giving them a leg-using intermediary would explain the discrepancy.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
The Sideromancer wrote:

It looks pretty clear from the artwork that entothropes have exoskeletons in their hybrid forms. Do they retain their internal skeletons? What about organ systems that are different between vertebrates and arthropods, which do they use, or is it a mix? If it is a mix, how do they mitigate organs depenedant on very different circulatory systems (e.g. specific lungs don't work well with the less localized hemolymph setup)

I notice both PF pegasi and unicorns have similar intelligence and general sintiments. Does this imply they are phylogenetically related? Would you agree it is likely alicorns are closer to pegasi than unicorns since the wings are a much more complex structure, and thus less likely to evolve independently?

The bestiary artwork for Merfolk has a horizontal tailfin, like a whale. Since this is different from all fish, does this mean that merfolk evolved from terrestrial reptiles? Giving them a leg-using intermediary would explain the discrepancy.

Please ask one question at a time.

But in the meantime, the answer to all your questions above is "Magical, fantasy creatures don't need to be explained by science; that kinda makes them non-fantastic."

Another answer is: "I prefer to spend my creative time creating fantastic imaginative creatures and don't really have an interest in designing every single internal organ."


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm a DM preparing a shattered star campaign. I have a question regarding book 1: shards of sin area A4: Fortified position.

The book says the goblins are wielding medium heavy crossbows. Heavy crossbows are two-handed ranged weapons. Under core rulebook page 144 regarding inappropriately sized weapons

"If a weapon’s designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the weapon at all."

and yeah under page 145 for heavy crossbows you can shoot a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty, could mean two hands could be used to fire at -4 penalty but it is not included in the book.

So my question is.

How are these goblins wielding these heavy crossbows?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
wordelo wrote:

I'm a DM preparing a shattered star campaign. I have a question regarding book 1: shards of sin area A4: Fortified position.

The book says the goblins are wielding medium heavy crossbows. Heavy crossbows are two-handed ranged weapons. Under core rulebook page 144 regarding inappropriately sized weapons

"If a weapon’s designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the weapon at all."

and yeah under page 145 for heavy crossbows you can shoot a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty, could mean two hands could be used to fire at -4 penalty but it is not included in the book.

So my question is.

How are these goblins wielding these heavy crossbows?

The visual of a goblin wielding a giant oversized crossbow is really pretty amusing, and as such it's something that felt so "RIGHT" that when I was developing it, it didn't strike me that it might not technically be allowed by the rules specifically. Give them a –4 penalty to attack with them and describe how awkward and topheavy they are with them or how they have to prop them up on dead bodies or whatever to fire them and your players will likely enjoy it all the more.


If you had to give an order to doing a kind of Runelord Trilogy how would you posit doing it via Adventure Paths and/or books?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

7 people marked this as a favorite.
Thomas Seitz wrote:
If you had to give an order to doing a kind of Runelord Trilogy how would you posit doing it via Adventure Paths and/or books?

Ummmm...

I'd do it the way I'm doing it right now and have been for a decade, by creating these Adventure Paths:

Rise of the Runelords (Done!)
Shattered Star (Done!)
Return of the Runelords (In progress, launching next year in August!)


Let's say there's a character who's...a 20th level oracle of lore. We're talking not only miracle on tap, but also wish once a day. You can't save money or boost stats with that wish, but I'm guessing a clever user can solve problems that other characters need laborious quests for.

With even one mythic tier, said oracle can potentially have access to every cleric spell.

And then there're all those other oracle abilities which make them the equal to bards in skills.

Finally getting to my question, how would one have an interesting story with such a character as the protagonist? I'm guessing it'd be like Doctor Strange; like any other story, just one where the challenges simply have a higher challenge rating.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
AlgaeNymph wrote:

Let's say there's a character who's...a 20th level oracle of lore. We're talking not only miracle on tap, but also wish once a day. You can't save money or boost stats with that wish, but I'm guessing a clever user can solve problems that other characters need laborious quests for.

With even one mythic tier, said oracle can potentially have access to every cleric spell.

And then there're all those other oracle abilities which make them the equal to bards in skills.

Finally getting to my question, how would one have an interesting story with such a character as the protagonist? I'm guessing it'd be like Doctor Strange; like any other story, just one where the challenges simply have a higher challenge rating.

Fiction is ripe with stories about wishes and wish-fufillment gone bad. From "The Monkey's Paw" to "Pet Semetary." How do you make it interesting? By making it a horror story.

Silver Crusade

I just found out about an upcoming show called The Alienist. Have you heard of it?

(I was a little let down when I found out it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with aberrant and Eldritch creatures)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
I just found out about an upcoming show called The Alienist. Have you heard of it?

I had indeed heard of it.


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

To piggyback Rysky's question, have you read the Caleb Carr novel the series is to be based on? (If not, I'd suggest adding it to the ever-growing pile of "stuff to read)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Cole Deschain wrote:
To piggyback Rysky's question, have you read the Caleb Carr novel the series is to be based on? (If not, I'd suggest adding it to the ever-growing pile of "stuff to read)

I have not. It's been on the to-read list for several years, but I doubt I'll ever get to it.


How incredibly hype are you for Season 2 of Stranger Things!?


Any chance that when (I really think it'll happen) the Golarion mistery be solved in the Starfinder setting, we'll have a new Golarion coming to the light with the new Pathfinder edition? Hahaha

I really would like a crossover in Pathfinder-Starfinder Adventure Paths. First, in Pathfinder's AP, you could make Golarion disappear/vanish and, after that, in a following Starfinder's AP, just make it reappear.

Just a sunday night random/laze idea... :D

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Tacticslion wrote:
How incredibly hype are you for Season 2 of Stranger Things!?

I'm looking forward to it but I wouldn't say I'm "hyped" for it.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Bruno Mares wrote:

Any chance that when (I really think it'll happen) the Golarion mistery be solved in the Starfinder setting, we'll have a new Golarion coming to the light with the new Pathfinder edition? Hahaha

I really would like a crossover in Pathfinder-Starfinder Adventure Paths. First, in Pathfinder's AP, you could make Golarion disappear/vanish and, after that, in a following Starfinder's AP, just make it reappear.

Just a sunday night random/laze idea... :D

Pathfinder and Starfinder are separate games, despite sharing some proper nouns here and there, and the more separate they are, the better they are. There are no plans to do any crossover type things.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Has there been a conscious decision on the part of Paizo to avoid elf based adventures? It seems like the conflict with Treerazer would make for a great series of adventures or even a proper high level module.

Aaaaand welcome back! Your thread has always been the highlight of the forums.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Brother Fen wrote:
Has there been a conscious decision on the part of Paizo to avoid elf based adventures? It seems like the conflict with Treerazer would make for a great series of adventures or even a proper high level module.

That's a storyline I want to be involved directly with, either by writing it or being the one to outline, assign, and develop it. And since my time and opportunities to do either are limited, and since the number of actual opportunities we've had to actually see adventures all the way through to print is even MORE limited... it hasn't happened yet.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Return of the Runelords (In progress, launching next year in August!)

Can you share anything at this point?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Ionela Morescu wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Return of the Runelords (In progress, launching next year in August!)
Can you share anything at this point?

Apart from what they said at Gen Con, nope. It's well over half a year too early to say much more.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:

Let's say there's a character who's...a 20th level oracle of lore. We're talking not only miracle on tap, but also wish once a day. You can't save money or boost stats with that wish, but I'm guessing a clever user can solve problems that other characters need laborious quests for.

With even one mythic tier, said oracle can potentially have access to every cleric spell.

And then there're all those other oracle abilities which make them the equal to bards in skills.

Finally getting to my question, how would one have an interesting story with such a character as the protagonist? I'm guessing it'd be like Doctor Strange; like any other story, just one where the challenges simply have a higher challenge rating.

Fiction is ripe with stories about wishes and wish-fufillment gone bad. From "The Monkey's Paw" to "Pet Semetary." How do you make it interesting? By making it a horror story.

Heh.

And here's where you get to explain horror to me. How does one have a horror story that isn't the protagonist being helpless as they're maliciously jerked around? Help me expand my understanding of horror, because mine is very limited.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

5 people marked this as a favorite.
AlgaeNymph wrote:
And here's where you get to explain horror to me. How does one have a horror story that isn't the protagonist being helpless as they're maliciously jerked around? Help me expand my understanding of horror, because mine is very limited.

Consent of the players is step one. A player who wants to be in a horror game is there for the horror, and it's not "malicious jerking around" as much as it is building a story that's just in a different genre than fantasy.

If horror's not your thing, then it's not your thing and it's not my place to try to change your mind.

And if you want something that's NOT horror with a high-powered wish-slinger... then look more at the superhero genre I guess; Dr. Strange might be a good thing to look at as you mentioned.

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Are the children of a changeling also changelings, and if so, can the hag grandmother "call" them like she does their mother?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Serum wrote:
Are the children of a changeling also changelings, and if so, can the hag grandmother "call" them like she does their mother?

If I were deciding that now, yes, changelings would have changeling children, but their grandmother couldn't call them... but I haven't actually put much thought into it. You might wanna check Blood of the Coven or Inner Sea Races orsome of the other changeling things we've done though... there might be info there I'm not aware of.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

James,

What are you currently working on that's been announced?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Monkeygod wrote:

James,

What are you currently working on that's been announced?

Main focus at this moment is Planar Adventures.

Return of the Runelords is something I'll be working on soon.

If I've time, I'll be working on Cradle of Night (potentially writing the bulk of it), and maybe (but unlikely, due to time realities) Construct Handbook (both of those got delayed significantly, obviously).


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I looked up Cradle of Night after you mentioned it earlier, looks pretty cool. I might pick it up, eventually.

Will Planar Adventures be getting a product announcement soon?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Monkeygod wrote:

I looked up Cradle of Night after you mentioned it earlier, looks pretty cool. I might pick it up, eventually.

Will Planar Adventures be getting a product announcement soon?

It'll be easier for you to maybe pick it up, eventually, if we might ever publish it, eventually.

Planar Adventures will get its announcement when it's time to send out solicitations. Which will certainly be by the end of the year, but I don't know the exact date off the top of my head.


Are Planar Adventures and Return of the Runelords the two secret projects you said you are working on awhile ago?

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Currently, the reincarnate table has just the core humanoid races and some bestiary "monster" races, but our knowledge of all of the other humanoid races present on Golarion has expanded quite a bit.

If you were to modify the reincarnate table to include more of the humanoids that have been developed and included throughout Golarion, how would you decide which to include and the new table's distribution? Would you go by geography or some other metric?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Have you used an exoskeleton monster in the rare times you get to play and did you enjoy that encounter? It is is in bestiary 6 btw

Paizo Employee Creative Director

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
Are Planar Adventures and Return of the Runelords the two secret projects you said you are working on awhile ago?

Yes. Since they weren't announced when I started working on them. Since then I've started working on others, of course. I'm always working on unannounced products; it's kinda a reality of how the schedule of production works.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Serum wrote:

Currently, the reincarnate table has just the core humanoid races and some bestiary "monster" races, but our knowledge of all of the other humanoid races present on Golarion has expanded quite a bit.

If you were to modify the reincarnate table to include more of the humanoids that have been developed and included throughout Golarion, how would you decide which to include and the new table's distribution? Would you go by geography or some other metric?

Page 193 of Inner Sea Races is the result of me modifying the table to make it more Golarion appropriate. And yes, it's weighted by geography to a certain extent.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I really like the old Guardians of Dragonfall module. If I was going to run this in Golarion, do you have any suggestions where I should place it?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
doctor_wu wrote:
Have you used an exoskeleton monster in the rare times you get to play and did you enjoy that encounter? It is is in bestiary 6 btw

Since I picked and assigned and developed every monster in Bestiary 6, I know about the exoskeleton monster. I've not yet used one in a game. I actually haven't had a chance to play the game for half a year, alas.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Redelia wrote:
I really like the old Guardians of Dragonfall module. If I was going to run this in Golarion, do you have any suggestions where I should place it?

It's not an appropriate adventure for Golarion, alas, since it treats dragons and their burial rites and some other things in a way that's not consistent with the world. (It was assigned, developed, and published in a very narrow window where we were tinkering/experimenting with adventures that were truly world neutral, to the extent that a few—this one in particular—just has the wrong themes and plot for a Golarion adventure.)

Place it wherever you want, as a result. It's not officially part of Golarion so you don't have to worry about us ever contradicting you as to its location (not that any GM should ever worry about that for ANY adventure, since a GM's canon should always supersede the rest).


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

How do you feel about avatars? Would/do the Golarion gods use them much, or elevate a mortal follower to a quasi-avatar state?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

In reading more about Sarenrae, it says that she even tries to redeem some of the evil gods. Is that simply because it's in her nature to try or does she truly see something in them that is worthy of redemption?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Kryzbyn wrote:
How do you feel about avatars? Would/do the Golarion gods use them much, or elevate a mortal follower to a quasi-avatar state?

I used to love the idea, but these days I hate it. I like having demigods fill the tier of high CR things to fight or interact with via rules, and quasi-deities filling the realm below that. But I really think that for full-on deities, no rules is the right way to do it. There needs to be SOMETHING in the game that contextualizes the full-stop authority of the GM or author. In settings where the gods have rules for avatars or divine power, that authority is eroded, and then there needs to be a "Gods of the gods" tier created for "overgods" or whatever. And when THEY get rules, then it just keeps going. Not interested in jumping onto that perpetual treadmill.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Kryzbyn wrote:
In reading more about Sarenrae, it says that she even tries to redeem some of the evil gods. Is that simply because it's in her nature to try or does she truly see something in them that is worthy of redemption?

Both.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
How do you feel about avatars? Would/do the Golarion gods use them much, or elevate a mortal follower to a quasi-avatar state?
I used to love the idea, but these days I hate it. I like having demigods fill the tier of high CR things to fight or interact with via rules, and quasi-deities filling the realm below that. But I really think that for full-on deities, no rules is the right way to do it. There needs to be SOMETHING in the game that contextualizes the full-stop authority of the GM or author. In settings where the gods have rules for avatars or divine power, that authority is eroded, and then there needs to be a "Gods of the gods" tier created for "overgods" or whatever. And when THEY get rules, then it just keeps going. Not interested in jumping onto that perpetual treadmill.

When you want the pcs to interact with a deity, how do you handle it? to the heralds fill the "avatar" niche, or you prefer vision, miracles, etc?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Paladinosaur wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
How do you feel about avatars? Would/do the Golarion gods use them much, or elevate a mortal follower to a quasi-avatar state?
I used to love the idea, but these days I hate it. I like having demigods fill the tier of high CR things to fight or interact with via rules, and quasi-deities filling the realm below that. But I really think that for full-on deities, no rules is the right way to do it. There needs to be SOMETHING in the game that contextualizes the full-stop authority of the GM or author. In settings where the gods have rules for avatars or divine power, that authority is eroded, and then there needs to be a "Gods of the gods" tier created for "overgods" or whatever. And when THEY get rules, then it just keeps going. Not interested in jumping onto that perpetual treadmill.
When you want the pcs to interact with a deity, how do you handle it? to the heralds fill the "avatar" niche, or you prefer vision, miracles, etc?

Whatever works best for the story. Sometimes it's omens and signs. Sometimes it's a herald. Sometimes it's in the form of a potent divine boon or a boost to the party cleric. Sometimes it's having the deity make a personal appearance. However the story of the adventure wants it to be the most impressive and dramatic.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
In reading more about Sarenrae, it says that she even tries to redeem some of the evil gods. Is that simply because it's in her nature to try or does she truly see something in them that is worthy of redemption?
Both.

It seems that she tries to see the good in everyone then, but without any naivete. Is that an accurate statement?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Kryzbyn wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
In reading more about Sarenrae, it says that she even tries to redeem some of the evil gods. Is that simply because it's in her nature to try or does she truly see something in them that is worthy of redemption?
Both.
It seems that she tries to see the good in everyone then, but without any naivete. Is that an accurate statement?

Yes.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

One of the ways I really enjoy thinking about a fantasy world is figuring out if a member of a classic monster race 'turned good,' what good deity would he or she worship. The two best examples I've come up with are that a good goblin might worship Sarenrae (redemption and fire), and a good kobold might worship Apsu. Are there any similar combinations you would find particularly fitting?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Redelia wrote:
One of the ways I really enjoy thinking about a fantasy world is figuring out if a member of a classic monster race 'turned good,' what good deity would he or she worship. The two best examples I've come up with are that a good goblin might worship Sarenrae (redemption and fire), and a good kobold might worship Apsu. Are there any similar combinations you would find particularly fitting?

Haven't really thought about it. And this is a good category of creative thinking that, I think, works best when GMs take the lead, rather than me. As creative director, I don't have the luxury of doing much of the "what if" type stuff in public because it can confuse folks who then take the comments out of context.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Which Gods did you create for Pathfinder or transfer from your homebrew?

69,551 to 69,600 of 83,732 << first < prev | 1387 | 1388 | 1389 | 1390 | 1391 | 1392 | 1393 | 1394 | 1395 | 1396 | 1397 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Gamer Life / Off-Topic Discussions / >>Ask *James Jacobs* ALL your Questions Here!<< All Messageboards