Creative Director
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James, may I ask for your assessment of the new Godzilla movie (assuming you're going to/have seen it)?
How does it compare to your favorites of its predecessors?
Did it surprise you in good or bad ways?
I just saw it this morning. And I'll be seeing it again in a few hours.
It was great. VERY great.
It's one of the best Godzilla movies I've seen, in fact.
A few scenes actually made me tear up! And one scene in particular was a delight and a surprise, since I'd been waiting for it the whole time... but I'll wait to talk about that until the spoiler window closes.
Huh. In the paper today they gave it 2 out of 4. I'm not sure what to believe about it, and whether to see it or not.
I'm starting to think I'm coming at the whole Celtic thing from the wrong angle. I just learned that the father of King Arthur's mother, Igraine, was named Amleth...the same name as the Prince of Denmark that inspired Shakespeare...I need to start looking at the Ulfen a bit more closely!
What do you think?
If you like Godzilla movies, and not everyone does, you'll love this movie. Turns out, a lot of reviewers don't have the joy and wonder in their hearts to enjoy Godzilla movies.
I think that you should have your celtic character come from Sarkoris, but I said that a while back. Whatever works for you is, obviously, the right choice.
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Creative Director
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James,
I was catching up on the thread and the Nocticula ascension questions made me think of this, so sorry for calling back to something that was mentioned a couple pages ago.
If nocticula became a neutral goddess, is there any chance she would simply stay in her realm in the abyss, albeit with its nature changed slightly? Gorum and Calistria have their realms in Elysium, I believe, and the maelstrom is not exactly conducive to building realms in. Or would she be more likely to just transplant herself into islands in the maelstrom, or perhaps even set up a realm in Elysium? Would it be possible to transplant her whole realm into a different plain, or would she have to leave it and start a new one? The main problem I see with just staying in the midnight isles in the abyss is that the neighbors there are more likely to take issue with a neutral neighbor than the other inhabitants of Elysium are.
Obviously, response would in no way be seen as binding, just wondering what your thoughts on the matter at the moment are and if you have any sharable insight on how the planar and realm stuff in question might work.
She might well stay in her realm, yes. Depends on how the story plays out.
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Creative Director
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Kyonin isn't a closed nation. They allow most folks in there. They keep an eye on them though.James.
Are half-elves allowed within the borders of Kyonin (no counting Greengold), or are they considered non-elves?
Text from Elves of Golarion seems to indicate otherwise, I know that the book is a 3.5 product, but Queen of Thorns seems to agree with it it's writings. And none of the newer Inner Sea text gives any conflicting impression.
Greengold is the only open port where non-elves can dock and settle. Krages is a village of half-elves, but they're pretty hostile to strangers. The only other exception are the gnomes who've been allowed to live above Onesta. All the text from Queen of Thorns indicates that access to Kyonin outside of Greengold is by express leave only. It is noted that there are areas of Kyonin's interior that aren't under elven control, but presumably they guard their borders pretty fiercely. They've shown some sympathy to refugees on their borders, but not to the point of allowing them entry.
There's not much love for the Pathfinders either. The queen has had at least one Pathfinder group, the Leaves of Talhinda assasinated in 4708 AR, presumably for the Pathfinders' propensity to loot any elven artifacts they can get their mitts on.
It's understandable to some extent. Humans breed fast compared to elves, and if human settlement weren't restricted, the elves would be a minority in their own country within an elven generation.
It's been really difficult to draw our authors away from the tired Tolkien trope of elves not wanting others into their homeland. They're chaotic GOOD after all, and that, to me, means "not jerks" and welcoming of visitors... but the antisocial elven element in the zeitgeist of gaming is hard to reverse.
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Creative Director
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Oh sorry I meant How does Sarenrae and Iomedae feel about there worshipers being more sexual then most people?There seem to be missing words in that question; I'm not sure what you're asking, alas. Please rephrase.How does Sarenrae and Iomedae about her worshipers being more sexual then most people?Can Lawful Good and by proxy paladins be sexual as a core theme and. i'm not talking about paladins of Lymnieris or Arshea. i'm talking about paladins of Iomedae and Sarenrae or Abadar. so is it possible for "paladins" of those last three gods to have sexuality as a core theme of there personality?Absolutely.
Lawful good creatures can be as sexual as they want. There's nothing in the alignment preventing sexuality. Alignment is not the same as a faith or creed or religion or following or vow.
Ah. Her worshipers aren't as a general rule any more or any less sexual than most people, actually, and neither has any particular parts of their faith that encourage or discourage sexuality in either direction. It's not a big part of their religions, frankly.
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Creative Director
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Regarding Lord-Mayor Grobaras of Magnimar, Magnimar, City of Monuments states that his office is in the Pediment Building in the Capital District. Is this also his place of residence, or does he live somewhere else?
He has his own villa in town. I believe it's in Naos if I recall correctly.
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Kaiju Revisited!
So I'm seeing Godzilla tomorrow in IMAX 3d, super stoked, and am wondering, did your theater break out in cheers at any point?
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Regarding Lord-Mayor Grobaras of Magnimar, Magnimar, City of Monuments states that his office is in the Pediment Building in the Capital District. Is this also his place of residence, or does he live somewhere else?He has his own villa in town. I believe it's in Naos if I recall correctly.
Thanks for the reply, and your timing is perfect!
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Creative Director
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A query on various demon lords, specifically their weapons: Nocticula's Shadowkiss, Pazuzu's Scepter of Shibaxet and Baphomet's Aizerghaul.
Of these, Pazuzu and Deskari have their weapons explicitly stated as artifacts. However, Nocticula and Baphomet don't - the weapons appear to be named ones, but are not artifacts (other statted-out demon lords, such as Shax or Sifkesh, lack both names and artifact-status for their chosen weapons).
Since artifact status comes into play in WotR at the 10th mythic tier, where a PC needs to be on the receiving end of a CDG or critical hit from an artifact to get around their Immortal ability, is the lack of artifact status for Aizerghaul and Shadowkiss an oversight? Deskari needing an artifact weapon is obvious, since otherwise there would be no risk of perma-death, but Nocticula and Baphomet are technically from an earlier point in the AP where perma-death is a possibility regardless of artifact status.
Would it also be a reasonable assumption to say that other demon lords, such as Shax, Sifkesh, Xoveron, Dagon et al, would have regular access to artifact weapons in the event that they're threatened by somebody at that 10th tier level of power?
Not an oversight, really, but more a reality of not having enough room to give the weapons their proper data/artifact entries, due to the combination of space constraints and limitations with the item card sets. Making them artifacts is a good idea and won't break anything.
Not all demons have regular access to artifacts. But if you have lots of tier 10 folks, go for it.
Are you excited about Paizo winning the Gauntlet?
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Creative Director
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Just how is the Maftet race kin to the Sphinxes? Were they created by the sphinxes as a servitor race like the naga created the Nagaji? While the sphinxes are better off then the nagas when it comes to manipulating objects, a pair of hands beats leonian paws any day .How else to the sphinxes get their jewelry, headdresses, etc in place?
Dunno. That's a Rob question. He knows a lot about them, having designed them I believe, and having just done Mummy's Mask.
Please post a picture on the blog of the gauntlet punching, I know a few people donated money just for that.
Yes, Paizo won, 61 points in first, Remove From Play and Bungie tied for second with 55 points.
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Hello James
Did you hear they found the remains of the largest dinosaur ever recorded this past week?
1) We've recently had the Occult book come out to reveal some of the mysteries of Golarian, and there was nary a mention of the Peacock Spirit. Are we likely to ever get info on it, or will it remain shrouded in mystery forever?
2) Is it possible for a Divine castor to worship a mistaken understanding of a Deity and still receive divine blessing? In pathfinder I play a Paladin who worships "Peacocks" because one saved him as a child, and has since been trying to research the Peacock Spirit because he thinks that it was the divine source of his salvation. What actual diety would he be receiving his power from, if any? (To be honest, I just wanted a paladin in a Peacock feather Tabard).
I'm not a Godzilla historian so I'm wondering if this is explained at all. Why does Godzilla protect humanity? Or your own theories?
What considerations are taken into account when you create a new spell? Do you try to fill in design space? Are you creating spells that cater to the stories you want to tell?
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Creative Director
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Hello James
Did you hear they found the remains of the largest dinosaur ever recorded this past week?
I did!
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Creative Director
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1) We've recently had the Occult book come out to reveal some of the mysteries of Golarian, and there was nary a mention of the Peacock Spirit. Are we likely to ever get info on it, or will it remain shrouded in mystery forever?
2) Is it possible for a Divine castor to worship a mistaken understanding of a Deity and still receive divine blessing? In pathfinder I play a Paladin who worships "Peacocks" because one saved him as a child, and has since been trying to research the Peacock Spirit because he thinks that it was the divine source of his salvation. What actual diety would he be receiving his power from, if any? (To be honest, I just wanted a paladin in a Peacock feather Tabard).
1) It will not remain a mystery forever, but it will for the immediate future. We didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING in the book, after all, because mysteries are what drives interest in large part.
2) I suppose it's possible for a non-cleric to do so. It'd be more likely for a spellcaster who doesn't require a high Wisdom, since Wisdom is the stat that governs Perception and Sense Motive, two things you'd use to figure out if someone is tricking you.
A paladin in a peacock feather tabard sounds like a PERFECT choice for Shelyn though.
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Creative Director
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I'm not a Godzilla historian so I'm wondering if this is explained at all. Why does Godzilla protect humanity? Or your own theories?
That varies from movie to movie. Indeed, in several of the movies, such as the original Gojira and in "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack," Godzilla is in fact a force of destruction, and is VERY much the bad guy of the film.
In the most recent Godzilla movie...
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Creative Director
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What considerations are taken into account when you create a new spell? Do you try to fill in design space? Are you creating spells that cater to the stories you want to tell?
Depends entirely on the book that the spell's going into. Some are there to round out new spellcasting class options. Some are there to help tell stories. Some are there to build world lore. Some are merely there because we needed a spell to fill a blank spot on a page that needed a name that alphabetizes between, say, La and Li.
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Creative Director
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Do muffins exist on Golarion? And more importantly, do muffin SLICERS exist on Golarion?
Muffins exist. And since muffins need to be sliced, tools to do so exist as well. The question seems to have at its core a nugget of silly goofiness though... and Golarion is SERIOUZ BUZNESS!!
Ooops, yes, I was asking from the flavor of the new movie which I knew that you enjoyed so I thought that it would have captured elements like that from older things. But it differs from a lot of sci fi where humans are what is destroying the earth, so we should be balanced.
Godzilla as a druidic totem does sound pretty cool.
Hmm...now I need a question. I'm about to start Skull and Shackles. What are some good tips on how to keep so many NPCs fresh, organized and distinguishable?
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Creative Director
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Ooops, yes, I was asking from the flavor of the new movie which I knew that you enjoyed so I thought that it would have captured elements like that from older things. But it differs from a lot of sci fi where humans are what is destroying the earth, so we should be balanced.
Godzilla as a druidic totem does sound pretty cool.
Hmm...now I need a question. I'm about to start Skull and Shackles. What are some good tips on how to keep so many NPCs fresh, organized and distinguishable?
Godzilla as a balancing factor for nature isn't new with this movie; it's been parts of previous Godzilla movies as well. That role traditionally falls to Mothra though.
As for the NPCs... use face cards and art. Each time one of the NPCs talks, hold that card up for the PCs to see; they'll start associating visually with the NPCs in question. You can even make a big sheet of paper with an "org chart" of sorts of the NPCs. I did this for my Beyond the Mountains of Madness game several years ago (that game had 20+ NPCs ) and it made a HUGE difference.
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Alright, time to dig up an old question and ask a new one!
1. About a year ago someone asked about the Linnorm Kings. The question was whether you have to kill a Linnorm on your own to qualify or if you're allowed to gather a hunting party or something alike. Understandably, you referred to the Campaign Setting book about the Lands in question; however, I didn't find anything concerning this special issue. From what I read between the lines I concluded that it doesn't "count" if a band of heroes sets out to slay a Linnorm. Does this indeed mean that the king has to live through the battle all by himself with nobody to interfere before the battle is over?
2. How do you describe a rogue disabling a magic trap in your games? While I can think of lots of ways to describe the disabling of mechanical traps (blocking mechanisms, snapping wires...) I cannot think of good ways to disable a trap with a trigger like alarm.
Also, take this Godzilla-sized muffin, baked in the forges of Five Kings Mountains, as an offering, o mighty one!
Good [insert localised time of day] Mr. Jacobs!
You have previously stated that the mystery of Aroden's death will most probably never be revealed.
My question is, do you, as creative director know what happened? If so, do you sometimes revel in the fact that you do know?
So, a character idea I was going to run was going to be a musetouched aasimar who's celestial bloodline was inherited from a lyrakien azata. One of their character quirks was going to be a fixation on coming as close as they can to becoming a lyrakien azata. After reading the entry for Polymorph Any Object, it seems that this spell could be used to achieve this goal. The math adds up to a permanent duration (Same kingdom, same class, same or lower int (assuming the character's bast int is 14), and related (aasimar with lyrakien blood to lyrakien)). Of course, I'll be talking this over with my DM when I use the character, but I would like to know your thoughts on the matter.
So, my questions are:
1) How would this transformation effect my stats? (Here I assume the easiest way would be to look at other polymorph spells and apply the changes acquired for transforming into a tiny creature, resulting in +4 dex, -2 str)
2) What abilities would I gain? (Starlight Blast, Traveler's Friend, Spell Like abilities, etc)
3) Can this spell be used to used to turn someone into something that doesn't exist in the book? For example, if turning into a full azata is impossible, would it be possible to do something like reducing the character's size to tiny but otherwise retain all of the other abilities of the character's race?
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Creative Director
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Alright, time to dig up an old question and ask a new one!
1. About a year ago someone asked about the Linnorm Kings. The question was whether you have to kill a Linnorm on your own to qualify or if you're allowed to gather a hunting party or something alike. Understandably, you referred to the Campaign Setting book about the Lands in question; however, I didn't find anything concerning this special issue. From what I read between the lines I concluded that it doesn't "count" if a band of heroes sets out to slay a Linnorm. Does this indeed mean that the king has to live through the battle all by himself with nobody to interfere before the battle is over?
2. How do you describe a rogue disabling a magic trap in your games? While I can think of lots of ways to describe the disabling of mechanical traps (blocking mechanisms, snapping wires...) I cannot think of good ways to disable a trap with a trigger like alarm.
Also, take this Godzilla-sized muffin, baked in the forges of Five Kings Mountains, as an offering, o mighty one!
1) The king to be must survive the battle, and must be the primary combatant. The more aid he receives in prep and during the battle, the more chances there are that his claim will be disputed. Of course, if all those who helped end up not surviving... then the surviving king gets to write history how he wants, doesn't he?
2) Depends entirely on the trap. But usually, I describe it as the rogue noticing a line of tiny magical runes and using her tools to adjust or deface or erase key runes.
NOM
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Creative Director
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Good [insert localised time of day] Mr. Jacobs!
You have previously stated that the mystery of Aroden's death will most probably never be revealed.
My question is, do you, as creative director know what happened? If so, do you sometimes revel in the fact that you do know?
Afternoon! :)
In fact, the mystery of Aroden's death will NOT be revealed.
Yes, I do know what happened. I have to, since we often build side effects or repercussions of that into our adventures. So in theory, if we DO reveal the truth some day (we won't!), folks can look at all the other things we've done and say, "oh! That makes sense!"
And yes.... I do revel.
Mogaru or the Tarrasque?
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1. About a year ago someone asked about the Linnorm Kings. The question was whether you have to kill a Linnorm on your own to qualify or if you're allowed to gather a hunting party or something alike. Understandably, you referred to the Campaign Setting book about the Lands in question; however, I didn't find anything concerning this special issue. From what I read between the lines I concluded that it doesn't "count" if a band of heroes sets out to slay a Linnorm. Does this indeed mean that the king has to live through the battle all by himself with nobody to interfere before the battle is over?1) The king to be must survive the battle, and must be the primary combatant. The more aid he receives in prep and during the battle, the more chances there are that his claim will be disputed. Of course, if all those who helped end up not surviving... then the surviving king gets to write history how he wants, doesn't he?
Which of course means that there very well might be a king who murdered his party members to claim the title for himself, telling stories about his lonely fight against the linnorm...that's an awesome plot hook.
Thanks!