Creative Director
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Hi James,
Have you been watching Penny Dreadful? If so what do you think. I have been watching it on demand and only up to episode 3, but so far I am digging it.
I've seen the first 2 episodes. I'm watching them on Sunday nights with Wes and Jessica. So far, so good... I like a lot of what the show's doing, particularly when it's doing things with Eva Green or Timothy Dalton.
We also are watching Hannibal... and I like that show a LOT better.
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Creative Director
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Random grab bag of questions, GO!
1) What would you say separates nature-loving oracles or clerics and actual druids? What makes a cleric of Gozreh different from a druid who follows the Green Faith for example?
2) Why, in your opinion, did the Falchion become basically the scimitar's answer to the longsword/greatsword paradigm, rather than appearing as actual falchions are, which are short, one-handed chopping blades more akin to the falcata (in fact the name falchion is an evolution of the word falcata)? I understand that the reason it's like that in Pathfinder is because it was like that in the world's oldest role-playing game, but why did that happen in the first place? And furthermore, why did RPGs start referring to the arming/knightly sword as a longsword? More accurately, proper longswords are what the game describes as bastard swords (which IS an accurate term, but by no means the only one).
3) Which seems more "heroic" to you? Mustaches or complete beards? And what thickness of hair seems most heroic? Or do you think bald, clean-shaven characters seem more heroic?
4) What happens if a mythic character uses two different weapons in battle and then takes the Divine Source path ability to become a god? Which weapon becomes their "favored weapon" that their new clerics gain access to at first level?
5) Generally speaking, what colors are Shoanti tattoos? Do individual Quahs have favored colors?
6) On the matter of the Shoanti, do you think it's better for PCs in Curse of the Crimson Throne to NOT have connections to them via things like ancestry? I wonder if PCs who have pre-existing ties to Shoanti culture may have the same effect on A History of Ashes that playing as an Android in the upcoming Iron Gods AP would, taking away part of the element of discovery.
And thank you for your patience with my annoying, awkward questions and emotional insecurity.
1) Nature loving clerics worship deities. Oracles generally worship pantheons and philosophies, but tend to do so in a non-organized way. Druids tend to be more social among druids, and tend to be more about interacting with animals and nature in a more physical way (via having companions, summoning, and by wildshaping), while nature clerics/oracles are more about more raw, primal, natural energies. Druids tend to be more "real" while clerics/oracles tend to be more "theory." Druids are the only ones who really can follow the Green Faith. Oracles are more likely to have their own home-made personal religion that works for them and no one else. There are, of course, plenty of crossovers, and all of them can be pretty similar in raw game effects.
2) That's a question you'd have to ask Jonathan Tweet. My guess? They wanted a light, 1 handed, and 2 handed weapon that did an 18-20 slashing crit, and they chose curved blades to fill that niche. So... kukri, scimitar, and falchion got selected. Could have been ANY curved blade, but those are the ones they chose for 3rd edition. A certain level of arbitrariness is involved.
3) None of it. I don't really equate hair with heroism. Sampson is a hero with thick hair. Picard is a hero with no hair. Doesn't really make a difference.
4) One of those weapons is the right choice for favored weapon, and the player of the character will know which one is the right one to choose. If the player does not know... then the player is, honestly, doing it wrong.
5) Black. No favored colors, really.
6) For Curse of the Crimson Throne, Shoanti PCs would be fun to play, but they'd have to be okay with putting up with some racism from the government.
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Creative Director
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...suggest you take the questions to the rules boards to ask them there so that they can be FAQed.
That process is MUCH SLOWER than getting an answer from me, it's true. I'm not part of the FAQ team though, so apart from making frowny faces in meetings and so on, there's not a lot I can do to solve rules arguments on the boards.
James, the most frustrating aspect of Paizo is the slowness (or complete absence) of getting answers to rules questions. The old Dragon Sage Advice column was a favorite - the ability to ask a neutral third party with insight and rules knowledge.
Q: Why can't this be resolved? Is it a monetary issue, philosophical viewpoint, territorial issue, conspiracy, other?
I'm not trying to get you or anybody else in trouble - just trying to understand why a company I love won't do the obvious thing to make the fans happy...
It's not the most frustrating aspect of Paizo to me, but I can see how it could be for some folks.
The reason for the slowness is because the people who we've decided are the ones who can/should answer the rules questions are also the same people who create our rulebooks, and creating rulebooks is pretty much a full time job that leaves very little time to do other things. We've just hired a new designer and the hope is that we'll be able to answer those questions more quickly... but the fact is that losing Sean from the team slowed things down on that front as well, since training up and learning the ropes is ALSO a drain on a designer's time, and a drain on other designer's time since they're doing the training. In the long run, we DO hope to be able to answer the FAQ stuff faster, and hiring up to meet demand is the solution. It's not gonna be an instant fix though.
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Creative Director
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Even if it's a clan whose main business is carving duck calls???They do not have beards in Pathfinder.On the topic of Pathfinder (character bio)
Do female dwarves have beards? I am working up a bio for a character who was kicked out of her clan for her inability to grow a beard.
Those aren't dwarves. Those are orcs, or maybe bugbears or hobgoblins or trolls.
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Creative Director
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So there's equivalent to the Akashic Records or something similar?Mr. James Jacobs,
As I recall you liked the Pact Binders from the 3.5 Tome of Magic. So, I was wondering: Would Aroden make a good vestige? If so what level would you put him at? Also, while I am not expecting you to remember the whole of the class mechanics, from what you remember what are some tweaks you would make to bring it in line to Pathfinder?
On a related, though not obviously so, Note: If there were a spiritual realm which contained the sum of every intelligent beings memory in the multiverse, which plane would it be, or would it be a new plane?
They were just called binders, weren't they?
Aroden is a perfect example of what would make a great visage, though.
If I were to bring the binder or something akin to it into Pathifnder, I'd explore a caster-type class that gains spell-like abilities as its way to create magic rather than actual spellcasting. That's more or less what a binder was.
And in fact, the divine obedience system I developed for Lords of Chaos, that then went on to inspire the same for all the gods in Inner Sea Gods, was as much inspired by the binder as it was Green Ronin's Book of Fiends.
A spiritual realm that contains the sum of every intelligent being's memory already exists. That's what existence is, pretty much—it's called the multiverse.
Maybe.
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1)Did Iomedae have a family before she became a god?
2)what was Iomedae's family like?
3)You said of the good gods Iomedae is the least sympathetic to mortal hardship so who are the three most sympathetic gods to mortal hardship?
4)How big is Shelyn's planar realm?
5)Are there any planar metropolis in Shelyn's realm that are the size of Alushinyrra?
6)Are there any planar metropolis in Iomedae's realm that are the size of Alushinyrra?
AND
7)Do you think we will get a new the great beyond book next year?
8)when will we get that romance of the inner sea Campaign Setting book?
1) Dunno. I doubt it. The crusade/church was pretty much her family.
2) Dead. Typical adventure background, probably.
3) Probably Sarenrae.
4) Undefined.
5) I doubt it.
6) I doubt it.
7) I know if you will or won't get one next year; I know next year's book schedule. And no, I'm not gonna say yes or no yet on anything there. You'll have to wait for Paizocon and Gen Con for most of next year's major announcements.
8) I brought that up today in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management. So at this point, not anytime soon.
What do you think the last post on this thread will be?
I took a degree in gamedesign like a year ago, and since then i been messing around with pathfinder and other systems to take a bite at the mechanics and such to see how the system ticks. ( more of a mechanical designer in that aspect )
First question however is: What different kind of designers do Paizo have around, and what kind of qualifications and/or skills are most looked into when you are looking for a new designer of the various kinds?
Second: what kind of "training" can those who mess around with gamedesigns as a hobby work on if they wish to join Paizo? ( creating characters, modules, adventures, locations, etc etc. )
...so apart from making frowny faces in meetings and so on...
This statement amused me far more than it probably should have :-)
8)when will we get that romance of the inner sea Campaign Setting book?8) I brought that up today in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management. So at this point, not anytime soon.
Even though that isn't a book I'm interested in, it's always great to see how you listen to and interact with the community.
You mentioned you liked the way Andoran was shaping up, does it have anything to do with the Faction shift in PFS?
Is there a theme behind the boons and spell like abilities granted to followers via the exalted/evangelist prestige classes? (Inner Sea Gods)
I'm working something up for Besmara and am looking for inspiration.
I brought [Romance of the Inner Sea] up in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management.
Well foo.
So why didn't they like it?
I brought [Romance of the Inner Sea] up in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management.Well foo.
So why didn't they like it?
Too lewd.
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Creative Director
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I took a degree in gamedesign like a year ago, and since then i been messing around with pathfinder and other systems to take a bite at the mechanics and such to see how the system ticks. ( more of a mechanical designer in that aspect )
First question however is: What different kind of designers do Paizo have around, and what kind of qualifications and/or skills are most looked into when you are looking for a new designer of the various kinds?
Second: what kind of "training" can those who mess around with gamedesigns as a hobby work on if they wish to join Paizo? ( creating characters, modules, adventures, locations, etc etc. )
First: We've got several rules designers (who mostly work on the hardcover rulebooks), several story designers (who mostly work on novels and campaign setting stuff), and several who are good at rules and story simultaneously (who pretty much work on adventures). Keep an eye out on our job postings for exact details for what we look for, but it more or less boils down to a knowledge of the Pathfinder rules, a strong skill with writing/editing, and skills in various other areas that help make you multi-talented.
Second: The best training to keep in mind is writing, honestly. Being able to write well (both lyrically and technically) is an enormous advantage. Having an attention to detail is strong too. Creativity and imagination is excellent. Math skills don't hurt. The ability to show us several writing credits to prove you have the discipline needed to hit deadlines and see projects through to the end is great. Having a strong positive presence among our PFS players or freelancers is excellent.
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The mythic ability Mortal Herald has some trial possibilities for the core 20 of the Inner Sea - what do you think would be potential trials for Besmara or Achaekek?
Additionally, the trial for Asmodeus says that those forging a covenant binding an entire metropolis to him may gain his attention. Was the first Abrogail, the one who originally made the deal with Asmodeus/Hell, perhaps a candidate for this?
I'm not familiar with how the trial possibilities for the core 20 are set up off the top of my head... but!
Besmara: Become a legendary pirate so that your name causes people on other continents to want to avoid going to sea.
Achaekek: Kill something that can grant spells to its worshipers.
The first Abrogail certainly COULD Have been a candidtate for that, yes. Whether or not she was actually mythic isn't something we've said.
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8)when will we get that romance of the inner sea Campaign Setting book?8) I brought that up today in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management. So at this point, not anytime soon.Even though that isn't a book I'm interested in, it's always great to see how you listen to and interact with the community.
You mentioned you liked the way Andoran was shaping up, does it have anything to do with the Faction shift in PFS?
It has nothing to do with the Faction in PFS. I actually don't really involve myself much at all with PFS, mostly due to time management needs.
I'm more talking about how we've been developing it over the last few years, such as in books like Dungeons of Golarion and Towns of the Inner Sea and so on.
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Is there a theme behind the boons and spell like abilities granted to followers via the exalted/evangelist prestige classes? (Inner Sea Gods)
I'm working something up for Besmara and am looking for inspiration.
I'm not sure, really. I wasn't really involved at all with any of the new writing for Inner Sea Gods. Which really kinda frustrated me, since the deities are really close to my heart and are one of my top 5 favorite things about Golarion. But I had too much else to do, and part of the job is, alas, knowing when you can't spare the time to work on something that you might love to work on because that'd mean the rest of your job goes undone.
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I brought [Romance of the Inner Sea] up in a meeting as a possible book, and it was kinda not well received by other folks and management.Well foo.
So why didn't they like it?
Why do you think? Because it's a combination of subject matter that the game isn't really intended to support at its core and a subject matter that can edge into material that would make the more puritanical of our customers rise up with torches and pitchforks and because there are other books that are more interesting to them.
I personally still think a "Romance of the Inner Sea" book could be cool. Not one that wallows in immaturity though, and that topic more than most would have a tough time avoiding that, I fear. At least, judging by a lot of the questions I've seen on this thread regarding sex, sexuality, and the like... it'd be a really tricky book to pull off to cover what it needs to cover without us facing backlash from customers and management.
I'm not giving up yet. I didn't give up on Jade Regent, but it took 3 or 4 years for that to get approved and into print. So don't hold your breath waiting for a "Romance of the Inner Sea" book.
In the meantime, the rules I wrote for relationships for Jade Regent are now in Ultimate Campaign in an expanded format, so check them out till then?
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Creative Director
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Why can't we have advertising like this?
Some stuff is just too awesome for us.
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Creative Director
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How come the next meet the iconics blog hasn't appeared this Thursday and last Thursday ?
We didn't last Thursday because we were trying to get back on schedule to have them all leading up to Gen Con; we jumped the gun by 1 week with Jirelle.
And today's not over yet. Patience! I just read and approved today's post yesterday.
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So was looking at the monk weapons in Ultimate Combat, and the Lungchuan Tamo stood out to me in the description: "What seems to be an ordinary baton sheaths a pair of matching slender-bladed daggers—perfectly balanced throwing blades."
When enchanting this item; can you pay the enchantment cost once for both weapons?
If so, this is arguably the best weapon for TWFers, and better than daggers in most waysAs a secondary question, can you hit people with the 'ordinary baton' part of the description and still gain the enchantment?
Nope; it works the same as any other double weapon.
Nope.
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3)What other gods are more sympathetic to mortal hardship after Sarenrae?5)why?
6)why?
7)Will if you guys do make a new the great beyond book.what do you think
will get updated/how will the great beyond change?8)OH WOE IS ME! what has the world come to when you can't even talk about romance in a fantasy setting
3) Probably one of the Empyreal Lords, but maybe not. I don't like pinning down absolutes until I'm sure that's the story I want to build.
5) Because Alaushinyrra is supposed to be one of the largest cities in the outer planes, and that means there's not many more its size or larger.
6) See #5's answer above.
8) You can talk all you want. As can I. We print a finite number of books each year, and the fact that we won't do that one this year doesn't mean we won't next year, or in 2019, or in 2199.
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I still think a "Romance of the Inner Sea" book would be cool too.I think you guys can Handel it maturity
Personally and i don't understand it.I mean there was three threads asking "where all the sexy men at" on these forums.All i was asking for was can we have a book talking about more then just sexuality on Golarion and. some People liked the idea and some People got all Defensive about it
I'm not the one you need to convince of this, so posting here isn't gonna do much. ;)
But the fact that people DO get all strung up and freaked out and weird about things concerning sexuality is the reason a book like this is a hard one to get approved. You need to convince the public that it's a good idea, frankly, and that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, given America's weird disconnect with acceptance of violence but shame about sex and romance.
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I'm not sure, really. I wasn't really involved at all with any of the new writing for Inner Sea Gods. Which really kinda frustrated me, since the deities are really close to my heart and are one of my top 5 favorite things about Golarion. But I had too much else to do, and part of the job is, alas, knowing when you can't spare the time to work on something that you might love to work on because that'd mean the rest of your job goes undone.Is there a theme behind the boons and spell like abilities granted to followers via the exalted/evangelist prestige classes? (Inner Sea Gods)
I'm working something up for Besmara and am looking for inspiration.
James, what are your top 5 favorite things about Golarion?
So if a vampire placed a ring of sustenance on the finger of a person who is willingly going to submit to the vampires create spawn ability, would the now vampire spawn ever have that craving for blood? Also if the master then continues to have their spawn feed from cattle on a regular basis, would the spawn be eventually free of the desire for human blood if they take the ring off say 100 years later?
I do have an iconics question. Not using it for an argument or anything, but it's more of something that I have been curious about. Plus, I think it is something that would make Mikaze squeal for joy... So, depending on your answer, you may want to invest in a pair of ear plugs first ;)
Are there any romance plans for Oloch?
I know you likely will not say what such plans are if they exist, and know you probably won't confirm anything. But, thank you in advance for considering the question ^.^
Also, I should have said this much, much earlier: Thank you for the time you put into posting on the forum. I know you have an issue with how some of your words have been handled, but I am glad that has not caused you to pull out of the community.
Why do you think? Because it's a combination of subject matter that the game isn't really intended to support at its core and a subject matter that can edge into material that would make the more puritanical of our customers rise up with torches and pitchforks and because there are other books that are more interesting to them.
Why use puritanical as a pejorative?
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James, what are your top 5 favorite things about Golarion?I'm not sure, really. I wasn't really involved at all with any of the new writing for Inner Sea Gods. Which really kinda frustrated me, since the deities are really close to my heart and are one of my top 5 favorite things about Golarion. But I had too much else to do, and part of the job is, alas, knowing when you can't spare the time to work on something that you might love to work on because that'd mean the rest of your job goes undone.Is there a theme behind the boons and spell like abilities granted to followers via the exalted/evangelist prestige classes? (Inner Sea Gods)
I'm working something up for Besmara and am looking for inspiration.
1) That I have more than 5 favorite things about Golarion.
2–5) See #1.
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So if a vampire placed a ring of sustenance on the finger of a person who is willingly going to submit to the vampires create spawn ability, would the now vampire spawn ever have that craving for blood? Also if the master then continues to have their spawn feed from cattle on a regular basis, would the spawn be eventually free of the desire for human blood if they take the ring off say 100 years later?
Yes. A vampire's craving for blood is supernatural, not biological, nor does going without blood hurt an undead in Pathfinder.
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I do have an iconics question. Not using it for an argument or anything, but it's more of something that I have been curious about. Plus, I think it is something that would make Mikaze squeal for joy... So, depending on your answer, you may want to invest in a pair of ear plugs first ;)
Are there any romance plans for Oloch?
I know you likely will not say what such plans are if they exist, and know you probably won't confirm anything. But, thank you in advance for considering the question ^.^
Also, I should have said this much, much earlier: Thank you for the time you put into posting on the forum. I know you have an issue with how some of your words have been handled, but I am glad that has not caused you to pull out of the community.
Not at this time.
And thanks!
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She does not, but she does know that the point at which she shows up in her line to be judged will be simultaneously the saddest and happiest day of her life.Does Pharasma know when she's going to die?
If yes, would she be the type to try to save her life despite this knowledge or would she stoically accept her demise?
What happens to the "soul" of a god when it is judged? Aroden didn't show up back in Axis as a petitioner, I assume. What about Ydersius, if the PCs manage to drag him to the Boneyard?
Also, how were gods like Aroden and Ydersius able to hang out on the Material Plane, without getting the other gods upset for directly interfering and causing a divine war (my current understanding from Inner Sea Gods as to why gods don't deal with stuff like the Worldwound for example)?
It varies widely, but isn't something that mortals get to know about.
And as for how some gods get away with being on the Material Plane... that's also not something mortals get to know the reasons why.
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So James, with the release of the technology guide will I be able to make one of these?
Actually... nope. There are no rules for miniguns in the tech guide.
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Why use puritanical as a pejorative?
Why do you think? Because it's a combination of subject matter that the game isn't really intended to support at its core and a subject matter that can edge into material that would make the more puritanical of our customers rise up with torches and pitchforks and because there are other books that are more interesting to them.
Because I think that a puritanical viewpoint, especially one that embraces violence but vilifies sex, is not something to approve of or strive for or think of as a good thing. The connotations of "Puritanical" are not good ones.
The word essentially means excessively strict and moral, especially in a religious way. And it's my opinion that being too strict rigid when it comes to any world view is self-limiting and damaging to society.
By how many employees has the Paizo staff grown since the Core Rulebook was released to today? Even a ballpark estimate would sate my curiosity.
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James, I have a question on animal companions. Are animal companions Separate form the PC that they are a part of? The reason that I am asking the somewhat obscure question is that Command word activation says the character must hold the item.
IF the AC is wearing a collar that requires a command word and is part of the character [does not Independently function w/o the character] the AC's master should be able to say the command word that activates the collar.
Could you tell me if I'm full of hooey on this.
James, when are you going to get someone to update your photo on the Pathfinderwiki?
I still think a "Romance of the Inner Sea" book would be cool too.I think you guys can Handel it maturity
Personally and i don't understand it.I mean there was three threads asking "where all the sexy men at" on these forums.All i was asking for was can we have a book talking about more then just sexuality on Golarion and. some People liked the idea and some People got all Defensive about it
I'm not the one you need to convince of this, so posting here isn't gonna do much. ;)
But the fact that people DO get all strung up and freaked out and weird about things concerning sexuality is the reason a book like this is a hard one to get approved. You need to convince the public that it's a good idea, frankly, and that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, given America's weird disconnect with acceptance of violence but shame about sex and romance.
Would it help if we got Mikaze on the case?
Would it help if we got Mikaze on the case?I still think a "Romance of the Inner Sea" book would be cool too.I think you guys can Handel it maturity
Personally and i don't understand it.I mean there was three threads asking "where all the sexy men at" on these forums.All i was asking for was can we have a book talking about more then just sexuality on Golarion and. some People liked the idea and some People got all Defensive about it
I'm not the one you need to convince of this, so posting here isn't gonna do much. ;)
But the fact that people DO get all strung up and freaked out and weird about things concerning sexuality is the reason a book like this is a hard one to get approved. You need to convince the public that it's a good idea, frankly, and that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, given America's weird disconnect with acceptance of violence but shame about sex and romance.
*casts Summon Mikaze*