RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Have you been enjoying the update of Rise of the Runelords to the Pathfinger RPG? Is it giving you the change to fix and tweak things that might not have quite worked in the original, essentially making a director's cut version of it, in addition to updating the system?
I know that the plan is to only do this with Rise of the Runelords, for some very solid business reasons, but if you were to have the same opportunity to update one of the other 3.5 adventure paths to make them work closer to how you originally would have wanted them to, which would you select? What about any AP 3.5 or Pathfinder RPG?
James Jacobs,
What are your thoughts about Pathfinder Online?
Will you play it after it comes out?
What do the numbers 12, 24, 35, 85, 89, 92, 95, 98, 134, 139 and possibly 112 have in common?They all appear in your question.
Come ON folks! Ask me some HARD questions!
Ok, How does Frostbite (or Chill Touch) work even by itself? Do you get the multiple touches in the round you cast it (like the section on Touch Spells says) or do you get one touch a round until they are exhausted? And depending on that answer...
How do Chill Touch (or Frostbite) and Spell Combat, and Spellstrike work together???
Inquiring Magii want to know? or maybe their GM's do?
Creative Director
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| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Just out of curiosity, why do you hate spell points so much?Will there ever be a spell point option for spellcasters in Pathfinder?Not if they listen to me.
Hate spell points. Not good for the game.
Because I actually really like the game mechanic that is Vancian spellcasting, because it's a type of resource management that is interesting to me, and because it's a tradition in D&D type games that I value.
On the other hand, spell point systems encourage a VERY different type of game play. They remove the preparation element and have a different form of resource management that works better in video games in my opinion than in tabletop RPGs (although I do still love the Vancian system in video game—a variant of it appears most recently in Dark Souls).
The two systems are significantly different enough that when you mix them in a single game, the results are frustrating. Because regardless of how you approach them, ONE of the systems is going to end up being more easily abused than the other, and thus logically the one that's more powerful (aka more easily abused) should be the one that everyone uses, and from a Darwinian point of view the other version should have gone away.
Having both systems in a single game is not only illogical in this way, but also artificially complicates the game since it makes you have to work harder to be a master of the rules. A player only has to master one, sure, but it's the GM that I worry about. A GM has to be a master of the entire ruleset of the game, otherwise his players won't get the support they deserve from the GM. And having two ways to do the same effect is unnecessary complication.
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Creative Director
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So a pech was a fey that devolved to a derro due to leaving the First World.
A ______ is a fey tha devolved into a gnome. Has this happened? Or gnomes always been the way they are? And will we get stats for the original?
We haven't revealed that yet. Probably won't. My preference is that the original gnome was a fey and those gnomes are gone. Easiest solution I guess would be to just change the creature type. THEN give them a +2 bonus to all stats, like how we handle Azlanti humans.
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Creative Director
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Have you been enjoying the update of Rise of the Runelords to the Pathfinger RPG? Is it giving you the change to fix and tweak things that might not have quite worked in the original, essentially making a director's cut version of it, in addition to updating the system?
I know that the plan is to only do this with Rise of the Runelords, for some very solid business reasons, but if you were to have the same opportunity to update one of the other 3.5 adventure paths to make them work closer to how you originally would have wanted them to, which would you select? What about any AP 3.5 or Pathfinder RPG?
There are indeed some changes—calling it a "Developer's Cut" isn't all that inaccurate at all. And while it is indeed fun to do... it's a lot of work and it's pretty stressful as a result.
Honestly... the AP that I think needs an update the most from the 3.5 era is Second Darkness. Alas... that is also the least popular one, so chances of it ever getting that kind of treatment are pretty slim.
I really don't see us doing another AP compilation like this anytime soon. Runelords celebrates Paizo's 10th anniversary. Maybe for our 20th anniversary in 2022 we'll update another AP... and by then we'll have a LOT more to choose from.
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Creative Director
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James Jacobs,
What are your thoughts about Pathfinder Online?
Will you play it after it comes out?
I'm excited about Pathfinder Online, but also VERY nervous about it. My preferred MMO is a lot more like Warcraft or (from the sounds of it) Old Republic—I MUCH prefer the exploration and teamwork elements of MMOs and am not a big fan of PVP. There's a lot of stuff planned for Pathfinder Online that sounds really compelling and exciting—I just hope that it doesn't all get overshadowed by the PVP elements.
But seeing Golarion come alive in a video game? That's going to be unbelievably awesome.
I'll play it if there's a Mac version. If not, I would hope that Paizo or Goblinworks would buy me a PC to use to play the game! :-P
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Creative Director
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Ok, How does Frostbite (or Chill Touch) work even by itself? Do you get the multiple touches in the round you cast it (like the section on Touch Spells says) or do you get one touch a round until they are exhausted? And depending on that answer...
How do Chill Touch (or Frostbite) and Spell Combat, and Spellstrike work together???
Inquiring Magii want to know? or maybe their GM's do?
Chill touch gives you a touch attack you can use a number of times equal to your caster level. Those uses last until you use them; you recharge them by re-casting the spell. You do get a touch in the round you cast it (since it's a touch spell, you use the rules for touch spells). When used in Spell Combat or Spellstrike or that stuff, it works like shocking grasp or inflict light wounds on that first round, after which it's just an additional touch attack that you make on its own or as a secondary attack if you also attack with a one-handed weapon.
At least... that's how the current rules work. I'm not sure if that's the way they were INTENDED to work.
Whether or not "The Grey" is propaganda for wolf-hunting or not doesn't change the fact that it's a really gripping, entertaining, well-made movie. I haven't heard any of that political stuff at all. To me, saying that is like saying "Jaws" is propaganda against shark fishing. (For what it's worth... I didn't pick up on any political type elements At All in the movie while I was watching it.)
Shark fishing wasn't a hot political issue when Jaws came out, though, whereas wolf-hunting (or, to call a spade a spade, wolf extermination) is at the moment -- the governors of Alaska, Idaho and Wyoming are pressuring the EPA to stop protecting wolves so they can hold government-sponsored hunts to eliminate the species from their states, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and other groups are arguing the other side.
As to the propaganda, it's transparent if you're not familiar with the issue, which makes it all the more effective: the movie's premise is that wolves are dangerous to people; that premise is a malicious lie. There is, in the history of North America, not a single recorded case of a wolf that wasn't in the late stages of rabies attacking a human; feral and badly-trained domestic dogs are a far, far greater threat than wolves. I might see it anyway when it turns up on one of the On Demand cable services, but damned if I'll contribute to its box-office revenue.
The influence of Jaws and similar movies has made it harder to convince people of the importance of protecting shark populations, too. Some of the large sharks are also keystone species -- their removal has led to populations explosions of predators just below them on the food chain, such as stingrays and skates, and consequent collapse of some commercially important species those predators feed upon, notably the North Atlantic bay scallop fishery.
We'll do a mostly-underwater adventure some day.
Cool, I look forward to it; I love War Rafts and the undersea parts of Dragons of Faith, and I'm confident Paizo will come up with something even more awesome than those classics.
The two systems are significantly different enough that when you mix them in a single game, the results are frustrating. Because regardless of how you approach them, ONE of the systems is going to end up being more easily abused than the other, and thus logically the one that's more powerful (aka more easily abused) should be the one that everyone uses, and from a Darwinian point of view the other version should have gone away.
Interesting. So if backward-compatibility hadn't been such an important consideration, would you have eliminated the sorcerer from Pathfinder, assuming it were up to you? Or do you think the Third Edition design team struck a good enough balance between Vancian and spontaneous casting to make the class worth keeping on its own merits? I've never played in a group that included a sorcerer, so I don't have much feel for how it works out in practice, but on paper it looks pretty well-balanced with the wizard, if not slightly weaker when the wizard's free Scribe Scroll feat and its implications are figured in, along with the lower cost in Pathfinder for adding spells to a spellbook.
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Creative Director
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...wrote a lot of great information...
Good stuff to know! And absolutely something that I would hope someone keeps in mind when going to see the movie... yet none of that changes the fact that the movie itself is really compelling entertainment.
But it's also a movie. It's not presented as a documentary, nor does it bear the always-dubious "Based on a true story" or "inspired by actual events" bit. There are elements in the movie that require you to suspend disbelief, be they "Wolves are not normally this vicious against humans" or "You wouldn't be able to function that well after taking a dip in freezing water for that long" or "That method of crossing a chasm would probably not work in real life."
When you come right down to it... a large number of excellent works of entertainment have at their genesis a political or religious agenda that they're pushing. And while it's certainly important to be well-informed so you can make your own decisions, and while it's best NOT to get sucked in by propaganda... if a piece of entertainment is a solid piece of entertainment on its own right, that's important too.
Good stuff to know! And absolutely something that I would hope someone keeps in mind when going to see the movie... yet none of that changes the fact that the movie itself is really compelling entertainment.I don't doubt that; Liam Neeson is a terrific actor, and the overall premise of survival after being stranded in the arctic wilderness is a good one -- why I liked The Terror so much. And if the villains had been polar bears, instead of wolves, I wouldn't complain -- there's a predator that really does think people are an appropriate part of it's diet, and can't generally be persuaded otherwise without killing it. (They're still important to preserve -- like all apex predators, they play a disproportionate role in regulating their ecosystem -- but they're also best avoided in the wild, and someone who encounters one and shoots it has a legitimate presumption of self-defense.)
But it's also a movie. It's not presented as a documentary, nor does it bear the always-dubious "Based on a true story" or "inspired by actual events" bit. There are elements in the movie that require you to suspend disbelief, be they "Wolves are not normally this vicious against humans" or "You wouldn't be able to function that well after taking a dip in freezing water for that long" or "That method of crossing a chasm would probably not work in real life."
When you come right down to it... a large number of excellent works of entertainment have at their genesis a political or religious agenda that they're pushing. And while it's certainly important to be well-informed so you can make your own decisions, and while it's best NOT to get sucked in by propaganda... if a piece of entertainment is a solid piece of entertainment on its own right, that's important too.
I agree for the most part, but I also think that, when a movie or TV show is nominally set in the real world, and is the only information about a particular topic to which many of its viewers are exposed, they tend to accept the underlying premises as true without thinking about them. The crime novelist, lawyer, and children's advocate Andrew Vachss has written that one of the things that makes his job difficult is the misconception, fostered by movies like The Bad Seed, that some children are just born evil, and deserve to be treated like adult criminals if they commit violent crimes. On that topic, the reality Hollywood ignores and obscures is that pre-adolescent children who commit violent crimes are essentially always victims of severe, violent abuse themselves, and need therapy, not punishment, if there is to be any chance of them growing up to be something other than violent criminals.
Okay, [/soapbox].
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James--
seconding one of Kavren's recent questions, after seeing your statement of opinion regarding 'Vancian' spell-casting vs spell-point systems:
How do you feel about the inclusion of spontaneous casting classes (Sorcerer, Oracle, Bard, Inquisitor-- any others I'm missing?) in Pathfinder? Do think they are reasonably well-balanced with the memorization/pray-for-daily-selection classes? Do you think they still belong in the game alongside the 'Vancian' casters, or would you prefer that all spell-casters had to use the Vancian-style methods?
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Hey James,
In preparation for my Absalom campaign, I've been pouring over the Guide to Absalom, learning the city backward and forward. I've found one contradiction I'd like cleared up, though. I've searched all over the site, but haven't been able to find if it's been answered anywhere else:
The entries for both the Arcanamirium and the College of Mystery claim to be the oldest institution for magical learning in Absalom. The descriptions in those entries actually seem to indicate that the College is the eldest, having been founded by some of the first colonists to the city, whereas the Arcanamirium was built by the Arclords of Nex, presumably some time after Nex tried and failed to take the city.
Am I reading those right?
I'm sure they both claim to be the oldest institution... but both of these fine magical colleges might be lying (one of them at least is telling an untruth). I think my bet's on a third institution out there actually being the oldest one in Absalom.
Hmmm... Inquiring minds want to know-- so I too am waiting to see how James will answer this question.
From RL experience, they probably are both claiming that their assertion are true based on some twist of the definition.
RL: "We are the oldest scientific academy in the world." "Actually ours was founded 4 year earlier." "Yes, but ours is the first only scientific academy, while yours has a literature and history section."
Absalom: "The Arcanarium is the oldest magical school in Absalom." "The College of Mysteries is holder." "Yes, but you weren't a school but a secret society back then. We were the first teaching magic to the non initiated." Start fisticuffs/not lethal magic brawl between the two body of students. :)
Now I've got another idea for some fun incidents for low-level characters belonging to one of these institutions... :D
James, would you allow a Sorcerer with the Draconic bloodline to take a dragon from Bestiary 2, Bestiary 3, or 3.5 Draconimicon instead of the dragons listed in the Core Rulebook under Draconic bloodline as their bloodline's type if the dragon in question existed in the campaign setting? It seems like something really easy to homebrew, and it doesn't look like it would effect balance too much. Those Tian dragons in Bestiary 3 look nifty, and I might want to take one as the dragon type for a Draconic Sorcerer.
So a pech was a fey that devolved to a derro due to leaving the First World.
A ______ is a fey tha devolved into a gnome. Has this happened? Or gnomes always been the way they are? And will we get stats for the original?
I seem to recall, WAY back in the day, some talk by James or some other dev that gnomes might actually be unknowing scrying tools made by greater fey to observe the material plane through their eyes. (Humanoid interface devices, for those who've seen Haruhi Suzumiya.) Is that still a potential explanation for the gnomish exile? Or did I hallucinate it?
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I seem to recall, WAY back in the day, some talk by James or some other dev that gnomes might actually be unknowing scrying tools made by greater fey to observe the material plane through their eyes. (Humanoid interface devices, for those who've seen Haruhi Suzumiya.) Is that still a potential explanation for the gnomish exile? Or did I hallucinate it?So a pech was a fey that devolved to a derro due to leaving the First World.
A ______ is a fey tha devolved into a gnome. Has this happened? Or gnomes always been the way they are? And will we get stats for the original?
Hmm, I might have a place in my campaign for a crazy noble that makes gnomes wear tin-foil hats to prevent inter-dimensional spying...
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Creative Director
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James--
seconding one of Kavren's recent questions, after seeing your statement of opinion regarding 'Vancian' spell-casting vs spell-point systems:How do you feel about the inclusion of spontaneous casting classes (Sorcerer, Oracle, Bard, Inquisitor-- any others I'm missing?) in Pathfinder? Do think they are reasonably well-balanced with the memorization/pray-for-daily-selection classes? Do you think they still belong in the game alongside the 'Vancian' casters, or would you prefer that all spell-casters had to use the Vancian-style methods?
Spontaneous casters like sorcerers and bards still use Vancian magic. They just pick their spells when they cast them rather than at the start of the day. I think it's a very good compromise for folks who want spell points, personally, and I think it's a really elegant method of doing magic that doesn't work all that different than the classes who prepare spells at all.
The key difference is that with a spell-point system, you can easily transform your low level spells into high level spells, and THAT'S the part that doesn't mix well with Vancian magic.
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Creative Director
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James, would you allow a Sorcerer with the Draconic bloodline to take a dragon from Bestiary 2, Bestiary 3, or 3.5 Draconimicon instead of the dragons listed in the Core Rulebook under Draconic bloodline as their bloodline's type if the dragon in question existed in the campaign setting? It seems like something really easy to homebrew, and it doesn't look like it would effect balance too much. Those Tian dragons in Bestiary 3 look nifty, and I might want to take one as the dragon type for a Draconic Sorcerer.
If I felt that, for my game, such a choice made sense for the campaign and the character, I would indeed build up the options for such choices.
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Creative Director
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I seem to recall, WAY back in the day, some talk by James or some other dev that gnomes might actually be unknowing scrying tools made by greater fey to observe the material plane through their eyes. (Humanoid interface devices, for those who've seen Haruhi Suzumiya.) Is that still a potential explanation for the gnomish exile? Or did I hallucinate it?So a pech was a fey that devolved to a derro due to leaving the First World.
A ______ is a fey tha devolved into a gnome. Has this happened? Or gnomes always been the way they are? And will we get stats for the original?
I don't think that was me... that's certainly an interesting idea, but it's not one we've really followed up on much at all.
James, would you allow a Sorcerer with the Draconic bloodline to take a dragon from Bestiary 2, Bestiary 3, or 3.5 Draconimicon instead of the dragons listed in the Core Rulebook under Draconic bloodline as their bloodline's type if the dragon in question existed in the campaign setting? It seems like something really easy to homebrew, and it doesn't look like it would effect balance too much. Those Tian dragons in Bestiary 3 look nifty, and I might want to take one as the dragon type for a Draconic Sorcerer.If I felt that, for my game, such a choice made sense for the campaign and the character, I would indeed build up the options for such choices.
There's barely even any effort involved. The dragon type effects what? Breath weapon and damage resistance? That's very easily homebrewed for a non-Core dragon type without any balance issues or hard work.
I have an idea. Neutral Good Tian-born Draconic Sorcerer (Sovereign Dragon)/Cavalier/Dragon Disciple/Eldritch Knight = Awesome Asian magical dragon knight.
A few questions about Magnimar and its city council.
1.) What are the criteria for being elected to the city council?
2.) Who gets to vote people into the council?
3a.) For how long is a council-member elected?
3b.) Are all council-members elected for an equally long period, or are there different kinds of seats? (Like an upper and lower chamber of the kind you have in the US, or a situation like we had in Sweden back before and a bit into the 19th century, with all nobles being automatic members, to pick two examples).If by "city council" you mean the Council of Ushers, then...
1) You need to be a member of one of Magnimar's significant families in order to have a seat on the council.
2) Family members do. It's a hereditary post. When a council member wishes to abdicate his seat, the seat goes to his eldest child.
3a) Until they die or until they decide to shift the seat to a son or daughter.
3b) No election term. The exact number of council members isn't set in stone—it's currently at 117, I believe. Once you get a chair, you keep it forever until your family line dies, moves out of Magnimar, or has it taken from you because you did something like family-wide treason against the city or whatever.
Many thanks. :)
If a Aasimar used Alter Self to turn into a Human, would it then be able to receive the benefits of Enlarge Person? If so, would it also be able to be affected by Charm Person or Dominate Person?
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Spontaneous casters like sorcerers and bards still use Vancian magic. They just pick their spells when they cast them rather than at the start of the day. I think it's a very good compromise for folks who want spell points, personally, and I think it's a really elegant method of doing magic that doesn't work all that different than the classes who prepare spells at all.The key difference is that with a spell-point system, you can easily transform your low level spells into high level spells, and THAT'S the part that doesn't mix well with Vancian magic.
Now, there's an answer that retains my confidence in Paizo's direction with the game. :D Thank you.
Never thought of spontaneous casters as 'Vancian' before but I like them and like playing them-- and I do get your point about the similarities in play. I don't want to see a spell-point system in PF either, because I saw the game balance problem with spell-points before (works great in some games where it's the only type of magic though).
If a Aasimar used Alter Self to turn into a Human, would it then be able to receive the benefits of Enlarge Person? If so, would it also be able to be affected by Charm Person or Dominate Person?
Polymorph spells in Pathfinder does not change your creature type, like it did in 3.5.
Polymorph: A polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature.
Alter Self
School transmutation (polymorph); Level bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
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Dear Mr. Jacobs
My name is Hebert Magno, I am Brazilian, and i publish a personal blog, in portuguese, where I look for to disseminate information on the Pathfinder RPG in my country. I would like, if you accept to perform an interview with you, translate and post on my blog. If any questions make you uncomfortable to answer, feel free to skip.
1- Who are James Jacobs ?
2- How would you describe the success of the Pathfinder RPG?
3- How would you describe the success of the Adventure Path format?
4- Here in Brazil, Golarion is known as the scenario that is the same as every scenario that you've played in your life. As creative director, you think it was designed to be comfortable for the fans like that or he is unique in its way?
5- With so many options available on the market today, including dungeons and dragons 4e, why do you think the fans are dedicated to the Pathfinder RPG?
6- As a player do you have any expectations for the D&D Next?
7- Again, here in Brazil, many people blame Paizo for the so sudden announcement of the D&D next and that´s Paizo was very opportunistic in its use of the OGL, what you personally think about the issue?
8- What can you say about the future of Pathfinder RPG ?
9- There are already a Brazilian project of translating the PRD. Do you know if there is a chance the Pathfinder RPG is officially released in Brazil?
10- Something that you want to add for the Pathfinder RPG´s Brazilian fans?
Thank you very much.
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Creative Director
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If a Aasimar used Alter Self to turn into a Human, would it then be able to receive the benefits of Enlarge Person? If so, would it also be able to be affected by Charm Person or Dominate Person?
Although when you use a polymorph spell to change shape you do so into a creature of a specific type, that doesn't actually change your actual creature type. So...nope!
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Creative Director
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| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Dear Mr. Jacobs
My name is Hebert Magno, I am Brazilian, and i publish a personal blog, in portuguese, where I look for to disseminate information on the Pathfinder RPG in my country. I would like, if you accept to perform an interview with you, translate and post on my blog. If any questions make you uncomfortable to answer, feel free to skip.
1- Who are James Jacobs ?
2- How would you describe the success of the Pathfinder RPG?
3- How would you describe the success of the Adventure Path format?
4- Here in Brazil, Golarion is known as the scenario that is the same as every scenario that you've played in your life. As creative director, you think it was designed to be comfortable for the fans like that or he is unique in its way?
5- With so many options available on the market today, including dungeons and dragons 4e, why do you think the fans are dedicated to the Pathfinder RPG?
6- As a player do you have any expectations for the D&D Next?
7- Again, here in Brazil, many people blame Paizo for the so sudden announcement of the D&D next and that´s Paizo was very opportunistic in its use of the OGL, what you personally think about the issue?
8- What can you say about the future of Pathfinder RPG ?
9- There are already a Brazilian project of translating the PRD. Do you know if there is a chance the Pathfinder RPG is officially released in Brazil?
10- Something that you want to add for the Pathfinder RPG´s Brazilian fans?Thank you very much.
Hi there! Here ya go!
1) I am a game designer and writer for RPGs employed at Paizo Publishing as the company's creative director.
2) I would describe Pathfinder's success as astonishing and delightful!
3) As with Pathfinder, I'd describe the Adventure Paths's success as astonishing and delightful as well! :-)
4) Absolutely; Golarion adheres very close to the "standard expectations" for the classic roleplaying game world. The rules themselves assume just such a game world, in fact. By maintaining this familiar and expected baseline, we can get more people to check Golarion out, and by employing the best authors and artists and cartographers in the industry we can present Golarion in a way that is very compelling and KEEPS interest once it attracts it.
5) I think the greatest appeal to Pathfinder is that it allows gamers to continue playing the types of games they've been playing for years. It doesn't require a lot of relearning the rules, nor do those rules require revisions to world content or continuity. In effect... Pathfinder's a very non-invasive set of rules to use for an established campaign. And on top of that, I think that Paizo's transparency and willingness to engage with the customers is huge—in this age of the internet, it's easier than ever for a business to engage its customers in interactions that are more like friendships than mere entertainers.
6) I'm VERY curious and intrigued to see where the next edition of D&D goes and what it's like, but I don't really have any insights into it worth mentioning at this time.
7) I wouldn't say Paizo was opportunistic in its use of the OGL... but more a combination of hopeful and desperate and practical. When we lost the licenses for the D&D magazines about 5 years ago, we were faced with a decision—stick with the OGL, publish something entirely new, or drop out of the business. The third option would have meant firing most of the staff, and none of us wanted that. The second option meant a lot of work for an unknown payoff. The first option made the most sense—we could keep doing what we were doing (publishing Adventure Paths) by just using the OGL. When Wizards of the Coast moved on to 4th edition, that meant they stopped publishing the 3rd edition rulebooks. And a game without in-print rulebooks is, essentially, dead in the water. So we really had no choice at that point than to take over the task of keeping the 3.5 ruleset in print... and by taking that opportunity to revise and update the rules in ways we felt they needed improvement... the Pathfinder RPG was born!
8) We're here for the long haul! The game's success and popularity is still growing, and I've got dozens of Adventure Path and campaign setting expansion ideas still waiting to become reality bouncing around in my head.
9) I'm not sure; licensing and translations aren't something I'm involved with. I'd love to see it happen though!
10) A HUGE thank you for playing the game! It's always incredible to see how far from a Seattle suburb Pathfinder's spread out into the world... so... Thank you!!!! (cheers!!)
I've got a few questions about Prestige classes.
1. How are future Prestige classes going to be introduced into the Pathfinder RPG? Will there be any more coming up in the hardcovers, or are they going to continue to be released sporadically through the Campaign Setting books?
2. Are there any types of Prestige classes that you are more inclined to release? For example, is there an emphasis in adding Prestige classes useful to a variety of classes (like the Duelist, Defender, or Bloatmage), ones that are somewhat specific in their purpose (Pathfinder Chronicler, Master Chymist, Liberator), dual progression classes (Mystic Theurge, Rage Prophet, Arcane Trickster), or none of them in particular?
3. Do your PCs often use Prestige classes, or when you GM, do you like giving them to their enemies?
Given your druthers, in what order would you detail the remaining regions of Golarion? Which of them interests you most?Arcadia, Garund, Sarusan, Casmaron, and Azlant, in that order.
Reading about Arcadia on the wiki, I'm actually really excited to see this. I've been wanting to do a New World campaign using some of the rules from Kingmaker to pretty much make a colonization campaign.
I've always been interested in the mythologies and cultures of the pre-colonization Americas. We've seen a great deal of Native American folklore in the bestiaries that you have made, from the Wendigo and Thunderbird to the Ahuizotl and Xtabay (which, btw, is an excellent take on the legend). With your interest in Arcadia and the excellent job you've done on Tian Xia, can we expect to see some Golarion analogues of the New World civilizations? Perhaps not in an Adventure Path since this seems very pulp flavored and I know you guys have done the Serpent's Skull already. But, perhaps a Primer and Gazetteer like the Dragon Empires?
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Hi there! Here ya go!
Dear Mr. Jacobs
Thank you very much again. You were very nice and gentle. I really hope this help Brazil check ups Pathfinder a bit more. The translated interview is here, but it´s in Portuguese, so maybe you might find google translator helpful if you want to check it out.
Cheers!
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/additionalMonsters/oread.html#oread
The PRD is online, free, and searchable. It's an amazing resource.
This thread moves so fast...
Allow me to present a few quick links, to enrich your life with objectively awesome things!
One of ensiferum's songs- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyvPe0uqjjY
McNinja's Top 10 moments- http://drmcninja.com/newreaders.php
Project Zomboid is a Java-based game currently in pre-alpha, which has a minecraft-like business model, a demo, and is totally bleak and zombie-y and awesome. From having to manage food and water, to building a fort and rallying survivors, to fighting through zombies with a hammer just to get a single can of soup for your paralyzed wife, it's one of the most fun experiences I've ever had with a game and it's got tons of potential whenever it's done.
How would you defend Sandpoint against a horde of 300-400 2nd level Ulfen barbarian raiders led by a party of 7th-8th level PCs?
James, in playtesting, did you guys ever come up with a formula/guideline for adjusting CR for parties that were above 15 point-buy? i.e., if we wanted to go with 20 or 25 point-buy, would the CRs drop by 1 and 2 respectively?
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Creative Director
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1. How are future Prestige classes going to be introduced into the Pathfinder RPG? Will there be any more coming up in the hardcovers, or are they going to continue to be released sporadically through the Campaign Setting books?
2. Are there any types of Prestige classes that you are more inclined to release? For example, is there an emphasis in adding Prestige classes useful to a variety of classes (like the Duelist, Defender, or Bloatmage), ones that are somewhat specific in their purpose (Pathfinder Chronicler, Master Chymist, Liberator), dual progression classes (Mystic Theurge, Rage Prophet, Arcane Trickster), or none of them in particular?
3. Do your PCs often use Prestige classes, or when you GM, do you like giving them to their enemies?
1) Mostly via the Pathfinder Adventure Path support articles, the Player's Companion line, and in the Campaign Setting Line.
2) At this point, I'm more inclined to present new prestige classes that are in the context of Golarion, rather than world-generic ones. So... classes that help us tell specific stories, or help us model specific roles in Golarion.
3) Most of my PCs end up taking prestige class levels at some point. I love giving them to bad guys and monsters.
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Creative Director
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With your interest in Arcadia and the excellent job you've done on Tian Xia, can we expect to see some Golarion analogues of the New World civilizations? Perhaps not in an Adventure Path since this seems very pulp flavored and I know you guys have done the Serpent's Skull already. But, perhaps a Primer and Gazetteer like the Dragon Empires?
Not anytime soon... at least not in an expansive way. You can expect to see bits and pieces of Arcadia continue to seep into Golarion products now and then... but I'm not quite ready to spearhead another exploration of a new continent this close to Jade Regent and the Dragon Empires Gazetteer. Gotta give that mojo some time to recover and recharge its resources!
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Creative Director
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Hi there! Here ya go!
Dear Mr. Jacobs
Thank you very much again. You were very nice and gentle. I really hope this help Brazil check ups Pathfinder a bit more. The translated interview is here, but it´s in Portuguese, so maybe you might find google translator helpful if you want to check it out.
Cheers!
No prob! And whew... don't I look happy to have been photographed there? HA!
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Creative Director
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You know you CAN run Windows natively on your Mac don't you? Or possibly just use Crossover which is fairly close to a consumer-level version of Wine.
Yeah, I know that. I'm not a fan of emulators at all, and my last attempt to install Windows on my Mac via boot camp was disastrous.
And know what? I actually don't like Windows; that's part of the reason I switched to a Mac in the first place. Installing Windows or running it on a Mac isn't really compelling to me... any more than drinking muddy water from my favorite HP Lovecraft coffee mug is compelling to me. Lovecraft may be on the side, but it's still muddy water inside! :-)
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Creative Director
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How would you defend Sandpoint against a horde of 300-400 2nd level Ulfen barbarian raiders led by a party of 7th-8th level PCs?
I would write an adventure in which the PCs learn about the threat a few weeks ahead of time, and have to delve into the hidden, ancient chambers below the Old Light to find a way to reactivate it as a Hellfire Flume that they could use to destroy the invading Ulfens!
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Creative Director
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James, in playtesting, did you guys ever come up with a formula/guideline for adjusting CR for parties that were above 15 point-buy? i.e., if we wanted to go with 20 or 25 point-buy, would the CRs drop by 1 and 2 respectively?
Nope.
We playtest using 15 point buy and 4 characters more or less exclusively, except in cases where the adventure we're publishing breaks that assumption (as was the case of "Dawn of the Scarlet Sun").
That way we establish a relatively stable baseline. How things get adjusted by that depends not only on the makeup of the party's point buy, but also the number of characters, the experience of the players, the mix of classes, and a lot more. That's really best left for the individual GM to handle.
A big book of advice on how to make those CR adjustments would be cool, though!
A big book of advice on how to make those CR adjustments would be cool, though!
Could Paizo please release a hardcover all about setting CRs?
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Creative Director
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A big book of advice on how to make those CR adjustments would be cool, though!Could Paizo please release a hardcover all about setting CRs?
No. That is not a large enough topic to fill the minimum amount of pages a hardcover book requires. It could certainly make a compelling section of a book, though.
But we're pretty focused on making the game work well for the baseline assumption; time taken to experiment with tweaking those assumptions takes time away from providing more baseline content, and as such isn't really the best use of our time, in my opinion.
With your interest in Arcadia and the excellent job you've done on Tian Xia, can we expect to see some Golarion analogues of the New World civilizations? Perhaps not in an Adventure Path since this seems very pulp flavored and I know you guys have done the Serpent's Skull already. But, perhaps a Primer and Gazetteer like the Dragon Empires?Not anytime soon... at least not in an expansive way. You can expect to see bits and pieces of Arcadia continue to seep into Golarion products now and then... but I'm not quite ready to spearhead another exploration of a new continent this close to Jade Regent and the Dragon Empires Gazetteer. Gotta give that mojo some time to recover and recharge its resources!
Fair enough. Seeing how well you guys did with the Dragon Empires, I can definitely wait with baited breath for Arcadia. Some other questions:
1. Like how Tian Xia is the Land of the Dragon Empires, will the civilizations in Arcadia have a similar title?
2. Have you ever played Rise of Legends? It's a computer game that had three races. One was steampunk and had some D'avinci influences, one was Arabian Nights, and the last race (Cuotl) was heavy on Mayan influences. If you haven't played it, definitely check out some of these pictures of them and tell me what you think of the style.
http://www.riseoflegends.com/media/Cuotl_Concept_Art.htm
A big book of advice on how to make those CR adjustments would be cool, though!Could Paizo please release a hardcover all about setting CRs?No. That is not a large enough topic to fill the minimum amount of pages a hardcover book requires. It could certainly make a compelling section of a book, though.
But we're pretty focused on making the game work well for the baseline assumption; time taken to experiment with tweaking those assumptions takes time away from providing more baseline content, and as such isn't really the best use of our time, in my opinion.
Could you extrapolate on this comment? Are you pointing out a dislike of homebrewers using Pathfinder, or am I reading into implications and opinions that aren't actually there? It'd be nice to know before things get said that maybe don't need to get said.