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

[zergtitan]

Do you think at some point we should have artwork of Lirianne and Jirelle fighting side by side, Grit and Panche, Rapier and Pistol?

Also is it just me or do all the half-elf characters have two-part names? liri-Anne, Jir-Elle.

[Winfred]

James! When playing Dragon Age Origins who is your favored Dwarven King choice?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

James Jacobs wrote:

Dragoncat wrote:

I'm curious--are changelings capable of having children? Or do they have to be transformed into hags first?

Yes.

To both questions?

Would lorica segmentata (the armor commonly associated with the Roman legions) be considered plate armor?

Not a question, but the Brigh article in Lords of Rust is AWESOME! Finally my search for a deity of SCIENCE! is over! Thank you guys so much! XD

Have you ever played any games in the Total War series?

I don't remember if I asked this before, but is there ANYTHING good or heroic about Molthune, or are they primarily a source for bad guys for heroic Nirmathi PCs to foil?

Can there be good or heroic Sczarni? What are they like, if there are?

[AlgaeNymph]

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

When you were designing Sandpoint, how did you make it both a pleasant place to live while still having lots of adventure hooks?

Practice, I guess. I've been designing adventure locations for decades. Plus, by drawing upon my memories of my home town, Point Arena, drew upon the real for the "pleasant place to live" and the way the terrain and architecture and locations triggered my imagination as for possible adventure sites. Being an imaginative kid growing up in a small rural town, you come up with a LOT of "what if a monster lived there" ideas.

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

[Kain Darkwind]

1. Do you recognize these guys?

AK:

AK (CR 17)
Male half elf ninja 10/brawler (snakebite) 10/trickster 1
NE Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +13; Senses Low light; Perception +25
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Halfling, Orc
_____________________________________________________________

AC 41, touch 34, flat-footed 41, combat 44
(+7 armor, +5 Cha, +5 deflection, +9 Dex, +5 dodge)
hp 257 (10d8 + 10d10 + 100 + 17); miss chance 20%
Immune sleep
Defense freedom of movement, hard to kill, improved uncanny dodge, indomitable
Fort +20, Ref +28, Will +15 (+17 vs enchantment); Iron Will
_____________________________________________________________

Speed 40 ft.
Melee Unarmed strike +31/+31/+26/+26/+21/+21/+16 (2d6 + 14 plus 5 bleed)
Ranged Hand crossbow +31/+26/+21/+16 (1d4 + 7 plus poison /19-20)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +17; Combat +26
Atk Options combat expertise (-5, +5), deadly aim (-5, +15), rapid shot, sneak attack +10d6 (10 bleed)
Special Actions fleet charge, knockout (2/day, DC 26), mythic (14/day), relentless (8/day), snake feint, surge (10/day, 1d6), surprise strike
_____________________________________________________________
Ki pool (12 ki points)
Agile stance (+20 ft.) - 1 point
Offensive stance (Additional attack) - 1 point
Shadow stance (+4 Stealth) – 1 point
Greater invisibility (15 rounds) – 1 point

Ninja Talents (ninja level 15th)
Constant - light armor training 3, stealthy
At will – assassinate (DC 22), bleeding attack, opportunist, sneak attack of opportunity
Ki - invisible blade, vanishing trick
_____________________________________________________________
SQ brawler's strike (magic, cold iron, silver, evil), canny defense, close weapon mastery, dexterous, light steps, no trace +5
Abilities Str 16, Dex 28, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 20
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiclass, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot
Mythic Feats Deadly Aim
Skills Acrobatics +32, Athletics +26, Bluff +28, Craft (shipmaking) +27, Disable Device +20, Disguise +28, Escape Artist +32, Intimidate +28, Knowledge (local) +27, Perception +27, Sense Motive +20, Sleight of Hand +32, Stealth +39, Use Magic Device +20; Racial +2 Perception
Possessions +5 nimble shot repeating hand crossbow, +1 human-bane bolts (x20), cold iron bolts (x10), silver bolts (x10), adamantine bolts (x10), +5 leather armor, +5 amulet of wounding fists, cloak of minor displacement, ring of mind shielding, ring of defense +5, monk's belt, bag of holding type IV, SS tattoo
_____________________________________________________________

Relentless As a full round action, A can convert all of his hit point damage into nonlethal damage.

Snake Feint A can select two adjacent squares to count as his square to determine whether or not he is flanking. He can move and feint as a single move action.

GS:

GS (CR 17)
Male human cleric (apostle of the pale) 20/hierophant 1
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +10; Senses Perception +29
Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Infernal
_____________________________________________________________

AC 38, touch 22, flat-footed 31, combat 46
(+11 armor, +5 deflection, +6 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 shield)
hp 277 (20d8 + 140 + 17)
Defense freedom of movement, hard to kill
Fort +22, Ref +18, Will +25; Lightning Reflexes
_____________________________________________________________

Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee Rapier +30/+25/+20 (1d6 + 7 plus 5 bleed and poison /15-20/x2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +15; Combat +24
Atk Options sneak attack +10d6
Special Actions assassinate (DC 29), mythic (14/day), surge (10/day, 1d6), true death (DC 30)
Combat Gear scroll of heal (x3), wand of greater magic weapon (CL 20th, 24 charges)
_____________________________________________________________
Cleric Spells Prepared (Caster level 20th, concentration +33; Domain Death)
9th (5+1/day) - energy drain, gate, implosion (DC 28), polar midnight (DC 28), soul bind (DC 30)
8th (5+1/day) – discern location, fire storm (DC 27), greater spell immunity, orb of the void (DC 29), symbol of insanity (DC 27)
7th (5+1/day) – blasphemy (DC 26) x2, repulsion (DC 26), symbol of stunning (DC 26), symbol of weakness (DC 28)
6th (5+1/day) – animate objects, banishment (DC 25), greater dispel magic, harm (DC 27), word of recall
5th (6+1/day) – fickle winds, life bubble, righteous might, symbol of sleep (DC 24), symbol of striking, true seeing
4th (6+1/day) – communal protection from energy, divine power, rest eternal, sending, spiritual ally, unholy blight (DC 23)
3rd (6+1/day) – bestow curse (DC 24), blood biography, deeper darkness, invisibility purge, protection from energy x2
2nd (6+1/day) – align weapon, bear's endurance, darkness, resist energy, silence, undetectable alignment
1st (7+1/day) – comprehend languages, curse water, endure elements, murderous command (DC 20) x3, protection from good
0 (at will) – bleed, create water, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, purify food and drink, spark
_____________________________________________________________
Abilities Str 15, Dex 22, Con 22, Int 16, Wis 28, Cha 17
Feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Critical (rapier), Improved Initiative, Insightful Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (necromancy), Still Spell, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Mythic Feats Silent Spell
Skills Bluff +16, Craft (poison) +26, Disguise +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, Perception +29, Profession (apothecary) +32, Sense Motive +22, Spellcraft +26, Stealth +44
Possessions SS tattoo, +5 greater shadow mithril breastplate, +5 mithril rapier of puncturing, +4 cloak of resistance, +5 ring of protection, ring of water walking, ring of sustenance, +4 buckler, greater slippers of spider climbing, necklace of prayer beads (healing), rope of entanglement, robe of powerlessness
_____________________________________________________________

AA:

AA (CR 18)
Female halfling slayer 20/trickster 2
NE Small humanoid (halfling)
Init +17; Senses See in darkness; Perception +25
Languages Aquan, Baklunish, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Flan, Fruz, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, Rhopan, Sylvan, Undercommon
_____________________________________________________________

AC 41, touch 36, flat-footed 29, combat 49
(+8 armor, +5 deflection, +12 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size)
hp 320 (20d10 + 120 + 40)
Defense freedom of movement, hard to kill
Fort +24, Ref +30, Will +14 (+16 vs fear); Iron Will
_____________________________________________________________

Speed 60 ft.
Melee 2 kukris +37/+32/+27/+22 (1d3 + 20 /15-20/x3)
Melee 2 power attacking kukri vs humans +33/+28/+23/+18 (1d3 + 34 plus 2d6 /15-20/x3)
Ranged Kukri +37/+32/+27/+22 (1d3 + 20 /15-20/x3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +20; Combat +31
Atk Options master slayer (DC 24), power attack (-6, +12), sneak attack +6d6, studied target +5
Special Actions fleet charge, improved quarry, mythic (15/day), slayer's advance (2/day), surge (10/day, 1d6),
_____________________________________________________________
Slayer Talents (slayer level 20th)
Constant - darksight, dexterous, poison use, ranger combat (two weapon), stealthy
At will – assassinate (DC 22)
6/day - another day, defensive roll, redirect attack, rogue's luck (+10)

_____________________________________________________________
SQ amazing initiative, impossible speed, limitless range, stalker, swift tracker, track
Abilities Str 16, Dex 34, Con 22, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 24
Feats Combat Reflexes, Double Slice, Greater Weapon Focus (kukri), Greater Weapon Specialization (kukri), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (kukri), Weapon Specialization (kukri)
Mythic Feats Improved Critical (kukri)
Skills Acrobatics +37, Athletics +28, Bluff +30, Diplomacy +17, Disable Device +9, Disguise +30, Linguistics +14, Knowledge (local) +27, Perception +25, Profession (bookkeeper) +13, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +22, Stealth +45, Survival +13, Use Magic Device +27; Racial +2 Acrobatics, +2 Athletics, +2 Perception
Possessions SS tattoo, +4 human bane kukri of throwing and returning, +4 human bane kukri of vampiric touch, +8 bracers of armor, +5 ring of ultimate defense
_____________________________________________________________

Quarry A can as a free action denote one target within her line of sight as her quarry. Whenever she is following the tracks of her quarry, she can take 20 on her Survival skill checks while moving at normal speed, without penalty. In addition, she gains a +4 insight bonus on attack rolls made against her quarry, and all critical threats against her quarry are automatically confirmed. She can have no more than one quarry at a time, and the target must be selected as a studied target. She can dismiss this effect at any time as a free action, but she cannot select a new quarry target for 24 hours. If she sees proof that her quarry is dead, she can select a new quarry target after 10 minutes.

Studied Target As a swift or move action, A can study up to five targets, gaining a +5 bonus on attacks, damage, DCs, as well as Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth and Survival checks against that opponent.

2. What is your favorite type of demon that wasn't in Demons Revisited?

[Douglas Muir 406]

A question on the new Champions of Corruption rules on damnation, and how they interact with the existing Diabolist PrC.

Several PrCs have rules for being damned, and the Diabolist has rules for being damned and raised/resurrected. The new Damned feat chains in Champions of Corruption also has rules for being damned and raised -- but they don't quite match. So if a character is a Diabolist and also takes the Damned feat chains (which would be totally thematic and appropriate), s/he is going to face a rules conflict.

Here are the Diabolist's rules on damnation and getting raised. First, "Damned" (class attribute gained at first level of the PrC):

Quote:

Damned: When a diabolist is killed, her soul is instantly sent to Hell. Any character attempting to resurrect her must succeed at a caster level check equal to 10 + the diabolist's level or her spell fails. That character cannot attempt to resurrect the diabolist again until the following day, though other characters can attempt as they please.

That's straightforward enough. Then, when you reach 4th level of the PrC, you get the Hellish Soul class attribute:

Quote:

Hellish Soul: At 5th level, a diabolist has been deemed useful enough to the cause of Hell to be allowed a brief respite from damnation. If killed by any means outside of the will of Asmodeus, the archdevils, or another influential force in Hell, the diabolist can be resurrected as normal.

However, Champions of Corruption does things a bit differently. It provides a set of Damned feat chains (four feats in each chain). To access these you must make a bargain with a powerful evil outsider and accept damnation. Then it gives the following rules:

Quote:

DAMNATION

When a character takes a damnation feat, his soul is damned. The character’s spirit is promised to a dark power, whether an evil deity or a foul planar race, and his soul will ultimately be consigned to some grim fate after his death. The method by which one becomes damned typically determines the specifics of this eternal doom, but the in-game effects are the same regardless.

Upon taking a damnation feat, the character’s soul becomes ensnared by dark, otherworldly forces. From that point on, if the character dies, returning him to life proves to be more difficult. Any nonevil spellcaster who attempts to bring the character back from the dead must attempt a caster level check (DC = 10 + the slain character’s Hit Dice). Success means the spell functions as normal, while failure means the spell fails and cannot be attempted again for 24 hours. Evil spellcasters, however, can raise the slain character normally, without a check.

Upon taking a second damnation feat, the character becomes even more ensnared by his doom. He remains difficult to return from the dead (as noted above), and he can’t be affected by breath of life or raise dead, even when these spells are cast by an evil spellcaster. Also, the character’s alignment shifts one step toward evil (typically toward the alignment of whatever creature serves as his patron).

This corruption continues if the character takes a third damnation feat. He is affected as previously noted, and in addition, the spell resurrection no longer affects him. The character’s alignment again shifts one step toward evil (typically toward the alignment of whatever creature serves as his patron).

Finally, upon taking a fourth damnation feat, the character can no longer be returned from the dead by any method short of a wish or miracle. The character’s alignment shifts one more step toward the alignment of whatever creature serves as his patron.

Okay, so I'm playing a character who enters the Diabolist PrC and, at the same time, becomes damned and starts on one of these feat chains. First question, which trumps: the raising rules under the Diabolist (anyone can try to raise you, but the DC is 10+your Diabolist level) or the Damned feats? Second, if you reach 5th level in the Diabolist class, does your Hellish Soul ("the Diabolist can be resurrected as normal") trump the rules of the Damned feats?

Personally, I'd say it would, if only for flavor reasons -- a character who has reached 5th level as a Diabolist is probably quite high level (it's hard to enter that PrC before 9th level) and has also shown rare dedication to Hell's cause. So s/he has attracted the attention of Asmodeus himself, and gets a special deal. But I could see it going either way.

Thoughts?

Doug M.

[Analysis]

Could the witch hex "Hidden Home" or the Mirage Arcana spell it refers to be used to create an illusory (if intangible) castle or tower, or is it intended only for camouflage?

[James Jacobs]

Lemmy wrote:

Well... I actually can't believe I asked the question about music in gaming sesisons but forgot to ask this...

1- What kind of music do you like?
2- What are 3 of your favorite bands?

1) All sorts of music, actually, as my answer to #2 below will imply. I don't really enjoy showtunes, and do not like country western music at all but that's about it.

2) Dead Can Dance, Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails

[James Jacobs]

zergtitan wrote:

Do you think at some point we should have artwork of Lirianne and Jirelle fighting side by side, Grit and Panche, Rapier and Pistol?

Also is it just me or do all the half-elf characters have two-part names? liri-Anne, Jir-Elle.

Eventually, yes.

And I think it's just you... I'm n not seeing "Liri" or "Jir" as recognizable names on their own.

[James Jacobs]

Winfred wrote:

James! When playing Dragon Age Origins who is your favored Dwarven King choice?

None. I have no memories of Dwarven Kings from that game at all, indicating that it didn't make a big impact on me.

[James Jacobs]

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Dragoncat wrote:

I'm curious--are changelings capable of having children? Or do they have to be transformed into hags first?

Yes.

To both questions?

Would lorica segmentata (the armor commonly associated with the Roman legions) be considered plate armor?

Not a question, but the Brigh article in Lords of Rust is AWESOME! Finally my search for a deity of SCIENCE! is over! Thank you guys so much! XD

Have you ever played any games in the Total War series?

I don't remember if I asked this before, but is there ANYTHING good or heroic about Molthune, or are they primarily a source for bad guys for heroic Nirmathi PCs to foil?

Can there be good or heroic Sczarni? What are they like, if there are?

No, changelings can have children. Their children are generally themselves changelings.

I suppose. Maybe a breastplate.

No problem.

Nope.

Yes; they're not evil. You can see them as representing civilization and high society and what not. Not all of that is bad and corrupt.

Absolutely... Robin Hood would be a good example. But so would any of the "gangsters with a heart of gold" type NPCs, or even just the kind of swashbucklery type heroes. They'd likely not have strong ties to an established Sczarni family, and are likely to be outcasts or estranged.

[James Jacobs]

AlgaeNymph wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

When you were designing Sandpoint, how did you make it both a pleasant place to live while still having lots of adventure hooks?

Practice, I guess. I've been designing adventure locations for decades. Plus, by drawing upon my memories of my home town, Point Arena, drew upon the real for the "pleasant place to live" and the way the terrain and architecture and locations triggered my imagination as for possible adventure sites. Being an imaginative kid growing up in a small rural town, you come up with a LOT of "what if a monster lived there" ideas.

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

Yes. I'm not sure if you're asking "How do you come up with your ideas/how do you write a location that's a nice place to live with so many adventure hooks" (the short answer there is lots of practice)...

...or if you're asking "How can you justify a nice place to live as having so many conflicts and problems infesting it—doesn't that make the place dangerous to live?" The answer to that is that there's a specific reason why the Lost Coast has recently become more dangerous but that reason hasn't yet been revealed... but also because it makes for good storytelling.

[James Jacobs]

Kain Darkwind wrote:

1. Do you recognize these guys?

** spoiler omitted **...

2. What is your favorite type of demon that wasn't in Demons Revisited?

1) I sure do! Redshore's welcoming committee!

2) Hmmm... I really like how the seraptis, lilitu, vermlek, and brimorak all came out, so one of them.

[James Jacobs]

Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

...asked about Champions of Corruption...

I don't have thoughts yet, having not had a chance to read any of Champions of Corruption. I would suggest that you pick the version that you're more interested in and go with that. You don't HAVE to include every single option in your game. Pick and choose what's best for your game. You don't eat everything offered at a buffet, after all, so you shouldn't use every single rule a game publishes.

[James Jacobs]

Analysis wrote:

Could the witch hex "Hidden Home" or the Mirage Arcana spell it refers to be used to create an illusory (if intangible) castle or tower, or is it intended only for camouflage?

It's only really camouflage.

[O Fortuna]

James,

A ninja can take rogue archetype has long has he got the abilities to replace? I'm asking since the ninja has no archetype selections plus the ninja is pretty much a rogue or not?

[James Jacobs]

O Fortuna wrote:

James,

A ninja can take rogue archetype has long has he got the abilities to replace? I'm asking since the ninja has no archetype selections plus the ninja is pretty much a rogue or not?

Yes. Unless your GM doesn't let you do that.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

When you were designing Sandpoint, how did you make it both a pleasant place to live while still having lots of adventure hooks?

Practice, I guess. I've been designing adventure locations for decades. Plus, by drawing upon my memories of my home town, Point Arena, drew upon the real for the "pleasant place to live" and the way the terrain and architecture and locations triggered my imagination as for possible adventure sites. Being an imaginative kid growing up in a small rural town, you come up with a LOT of "what if a monster lived there" ideas.

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

Yes. I'm not sure if you're asking "How do you come up with your ideas/how do you write a location that's a nice place to live with so many adventure hooks" (the short answer there is lots of practice)...

...or if you're asking "How can you justify a nice place to live as having so many conflicts and problems infesting it—doesn't that make the place dangerous to live?" The answer to that is that there's a specific reason why the Lost Coast has recently become more dangerous but that reason hasn't yet been revealed... but also because it makes for good storytelling.

I can probably guess what this specific reason is from hints dropped in Mystery Monsters and Demons Revisited, but since I know you can't confirm or deny the guess, I'll just ask this: will there be another Varisia AP where we get to deal with this specific reason?

[James Jacobs]

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

I can probably guess what this specific reason is from hints dropped in Mystery Monsters and Demons Revisited, but since I know you can't confirm or deny the guess, I'll just ask this: will there be another Varisia AP where we get to deal with this specific reason?

There'll be something. Maybe not an AP. But maybe. Maybe something else. Not anytime soon.

[Nargemn]

Now that we have 4 iconics from Varisia, if there was ever another AP set in Varisia, could they be the iconics for that AP?

Harsk - Janderhoff
Merisiel - Magnimar
Crowe - Storval Plateau
Seoni - Varisian Lowlands

[James Jacobs]

Nargemn wrote:

Now that we have 4 iconics from Varisia, if there was ever another AP set in Varisia, could they be the iconics for that AP?

Harsk - Janderhoff
Merisiel - Magnimar
Crowe - Storval Plateau
Seoni - Varisian Lowlands

Possibly.

[Alleran]

Reading through the article on Osirion's treasures, I notice that Namrut, a priest of Osiris, ascended and became able to grant spells to followers before he created a demiplane and left Golarion.

1) Was he just mythic, possibly Hierophant, or did he become a true demigod?

1a) If he was mythic with Divine Source, how many tiers would he have had, for the purposes of knowing the available spell levels for his followers?

2) What domains/subdomains would he have granted, and since he's technically not dead, does he still give spells to his followers?

[ulgulanoth]

James has a Halloween like holiday on Golarion been made yet?

[Rift.]

Why are all of the books written in female specific pronouns (she, her) and not just simply gender neutral ones?

[James Jacobs]

Alleran wrote:

Reading through the article on Osirion's treasures, I notice that Namrut, a priest of Osiris, ascended and became able to grant spells to followers before he created a demiplane and left Golarion.

1) Was he just mythic, possibly Hierophant, or did he become a true demigod?

1a) If he was mythic with Divine Source, how many tiers would he have had, for the purposes of knowing the available spell levels for his followers?

2) What domains/subdomains would he have granted, and since he's technically not dead, does he still give spells to his followers?

1) Unrevealed.

1a) Also unrevealed.

2) Also unrevealed.

We are very very very unlikely to say more about Namrut in the future, in any event, so feel free to assign domains as you see fit.

[James Jacobs]

ulgulanoth wrote:

James has a Halloween like holiday on Golarion been made yet?

Not really.

[James Jacobs]

Rift. wrote:

Why are all of the books written in female specific pronouns (she, her) and not just simply gender neutral ones?

The books aren't written in female specific pronouns... I suspect you're only noticing those because you're used to seeing male pronouns.

When we write about a specific class, be it the class description or an archetype or whatever, we use the pronoun as set by that class's iconic. SO... when talking about fighters, we use male pronouns (because Valeros is male). When talking about sorcerers, we use female pronouns (because Seoni is female).

Anyway... the fact that it's unusual to use female pronouns is all the reason I need to keep using them, because that means there's some inequality going on. When the switch between male and female pronouns ceases to be surprising, that's where I feel that society needs to be.

[O Fortuna]

James whats your favorite class overall and why?

What class would you play has a player if you were gonna focus on DPS pure DPS ?

[AlgaeNymph]

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

You're asking "How can you justify a nice place to live as having so many conflicts and problems infesting it—doesn't that make the place dangerous to live?"

Yep, and I want to know how to apply it in general rather than in particular. How can I do that?

[James Jacobs]

O Fortuna wrote:

James whats your favorite class overall and why?

What class would you play has a player if you were gonna focus on DPS pure DPS ?

Bard's my favorite, because it has the strongest set of abilities for roleplay and because I enjoy how it encourages showing off and helping other players.

I wouldn't play in a game where I had to focus on DPS. I play MMOs to scratch that itch.

[James Jacobs]

AlgaeNymph wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

You're asking "How can you justify a nice place to live as having so many conflicts and problems infesting it—doesn't that make the place dangerous to live?"

Yep, and I want to know how to apply it in general rather than in particular. How can I do that?

I guess the best advice there would be to build the town as a place YOU would like to live in... draw upon your favorite memories from your life to make it a combination of all the best stuff... and once you've got that idea, then just start populating the region with adventure hooks and conflict, drawing both from inspiration you've seen in stories and adventures but also from real-life experiences as well.

That's more or less how I built Sandpoint.

And remember... a nice place to live with no dangers and no conflicts is not a good place to set a story.

Sandpoint's goal was to not only build a place that could host entire campaigns, but also be a place that was nice enough that the players would WANT to defend it and call it home.

[Tels]

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

AlgaeNymph wrote:

What I mean to say is how can you conceive of a pleasant place to live that still has so many problems to solve? That's what adventure hooks are, right? Problems needing solving?

You're asking "How can you justify a nice place to live as having so many conflicts and problems infesting it—doesn't that make the place dangerous to live?"

Yep, and I want to know how to apply it in general rather than in particular. How can I do that?

I guess the best advice there would be to build the town as a place YOU would like to live in... draw upon your favorite memories from your life to make it a combination of all the best stuff... and once you've got that idea, then just start populating the region with adventure hooks and conflict, drawing both from inspiration you've seen in stories and adventures but also from real-life experiences as well.

That's more or less how I built Sandpoint.

And remember... a nice place to live with no dangers and no conflicts is not a good place to set a story.

Sandpoint's goal was to not only build a place that could host entire campaigns, but also be a place that was nice enough that the players would WANT to defend it and call it home.

To add to this, take some real world threats to a city/town/village in a similar setting, and exaggerate them a little.

For example, I live in Alaska, and one issue we sometimes have is wild life in our yards. This usually means moose, or bears getting into the garbage or something like that.

Exaggerate it a little and now you've got a plot hook of some 'Nature Spirits' (dryads, nymphs, kami etc) that periodically send animals into the town to cause trouble. No one has truly been hurt yet, just minor damages and annoyances, but rumor has it the spirits are getting angry at the encroachment of civilization and may start taking more drastic measures.

[poiuyt]

Dunno if it has been asked (and answered?) before but:

Fire of Creation questions:

Val is described as being in the young age category, how old/young does that mean "exactly" (the backstories are vague about her and Kronig timelines)? What kind of stats should she have?

Thanks!

[xavier c]

1)In which Nations in the Inner Sea region is slavery legal?

2)Why is slavery illegal in Magnimar?

3)is slavery illegal in Korvosa?

[James Jacobs]

Guy St-Amant wrote:

Dunno if it has been asked (and answered?) before but:

** spoiler omitted **

Thanks!

She is...

Spoiler:

About 13–14 years old. Use the young characters rules in Ultimate Campaign to stat her up. We would have given her stats, but there wasn't room in the adventure for even one more relatively simply stat block/

[James Jacobs]

xavier c wrote:

1)In which Nations in the Inner Sea region is slavery legal?

2)Why is slavery illegal in Magnimar?

3)is slavery illegal in Korvosa?

1) There's nearly 50 nations in the region, and I'm not going to go through them all. Cheliax and Katapesh are the big ones where slavery is a thriving trade though.

2) Because the founders of Magnimar value freedom and were repulsed by the idea of slavery. There's not really a LOT of laws in Magnimar, but there are plenty of things that aren't allowed as well. Slavery's one of them.

3) I can't remember off the top of my head, but I suspect yes.

[Generic Villain]

1) Arazni is a beastly mythic lich demigod who more-or-less rules the nation of Geb. Is Geb (the necromancer ghost) even more powerful than her? Or has his lassitude allowed his queen to overtake him?

2) Golarion is packed with fiend-summoners. There are countries (Thrune, Thassilon), organizations (Blackfire Adepts), and races (drow) that are just all about summoning and binding various flavors of fiend. So my question: are there any nations/organizations that frequently summon and bind celestials? I know there's an Azata-worshiping nation in southern Garund...

3) How about neutral outsiders? Like maybe a branch of Abadar's church that specializes in binding inevitables? Or an anarchist wizard guild with protean servants?

(As a quick aside, psychopomp summoning played a role in a recent AP volume, and that was awesome).

4) Why is fiend-summoning so dang popular compared to other varieties?

Thanks for any insight!

[Delor Damian]

Just curious but can the chakram weapon be used with the Arcanist archetype Blade Adept?

[James Jacobs]

Delor Damian wrote:

Just curious but can the chakram weapon be used with the Arcanist archetype Blade Adept?

That's a good question for your GM. Or perhaps for the rules froum. I'm not familiar enough with the chakram, the Arcanist, OR the Blade Adept to say... but just off the top of my head I'd say no, since I think of swords when I think of the word "blade" and a chakram isn't a sword.

[James Jacobs]

Generic Villain wrote:

1) Arazni is a beastly mythic lich demigod who more-or-less rules the nation of Geb. Is Geb (the necromancer ghost) even more powerful than her? Or has his lassitude allowed his queen to overtake him?

2) Golarion is packed with fiend-summoners. There are countries (Thrune, Thassilon), organizations (Blackfire Adepts), and races (drow) that are just all about summoning and binding various flavors of fiend. So my question: are there any nations/organizations that frequently summon and bind celestials? I know there's an Azata-worshiping nation in southern Garund...

3) How about neutral outsiders? Like maybe a branch of Abadar's church that specializes in binding inevitables? Or an anarchist wizard guild with protean servants?

(As a quick aside, psychopomp summoning played a role in a recent AP volume, and that was awesome).

4) Why is fiend-summoning so dang popular compared to other varieties?

Thanks for any insight!

1) Geb is comparable in power to Arazni, but we haven't yet officially revealed who's touger.

2) Not many, no.

3) There's several elemental/genie themed conjuration things going on in Katapesh, Osirion, Jalmeray, and Qadira.

4) Frankly? Because they make for better stories to tell once plots for PCs come up. Pretty much all of the content of Golarion skews this direction, remember, because the point of the setting is to provide background for games.

[Neongelion]

James, I just gotta know, what class is Zernibeth?

[kevin_video]

James, got a question that's apparently causing a 50/50 split for a fellow player. Hoping you can be that +1%.

So I have a question about the Bloodrager Class and the Dragon Disciple Prestige Class... Does DD advance the bloodline powers for the Bloodrager like it does for the Sorcerer? I looked on the message boards and found a 50/50 split that didn't have any official answers from Developers. Therefore I still don't have an answer. Any thoughts?

[O Fortuna]

James how old are you?

For how long you've been playing RP games?

What did you get for breakfast today?

[equinoxmaster]

What places in the inner sea teach Aldori style sword fighting (other than brevoy and mivon)

Are there any places in the inner sea where life hasn't turned totally horrible because of everything

[equinoxmaster]

Is zon-kuthon redeemable??

What would happen if the midnight court was defeated?

Could a mythic hero defeat zon-kuthon?

[Rift.]

James Jacobs wrote:

Rift. wrote:

Why are all of the books written in female specific pronouns (she, her) and not just simply gender neutral ones?

The books aren't written in female specific pronouns... I suspect you're only noticing those because you're used to seeing male pronouns.

When we write about a specific class, be it the class description or an archetype or whatever, we use the pronoun as set by that class's iconic. SO... when talking about fighters, we use male pronouns (because Valeros is male). When talking about sorcerers, we use female pronouns (because Seoni is female).

Anyway... the fact that it's unusual to use female pronouns is all the reason I need to keep using them, because that means there's some inequality going on. When the switch between male and female pronouns ceases to be surprising, that's where I feel that society needs to be.

I should have been more specific, I notice female specific in the source books more so than I do male specific. Why bother using either and not simply gender neutral in those source books, when not referring to a character or class at least.

[Bigguyinblack]

James you have said that Fury's Fall and Weapon Finesse don't stack because you can't add a stat to an ability twice.
Does that mean Wisdom of the Flesh (Acrobatics) "Use Wisdom instead of Dexterity for Acrobatics" doesn't stack with Monkey Style "Add your Wisdom Modifiers to Acrobatics"?

If no then I wish I had known before taking the feat.

Related question. The first line of Monkey Style is "You add your Wisdom bonus on Acrobatics checks." Then it talks about benefits you gain while using the style. Does that mean I get the bonus even when not activly using the style?

And related question #2. What are the rules for using a style out of combat?

[James Jacobs]

Neongelion wrote:

James, I just gotta know, what class is Zernibeth?

She's a ...

Spoiler:

wizard 8/technomancer 5.

[James Jacobs]

kevin_video wrote:

James, got a question that's apparently causing a 50/50 split for a fellow player. Hoping you can be that +1%.

So I have a question about the Bloodrager Class and the Dragon Disciple Prestige Class... Does DD advance the bloodline powers for the Bloodrager like it does for the Sorcerer? I looked on the message boards and found a 50/50 split that didn't have any official answers from Developers. Therefore I still don't have an answer. Any thoughts?

That's up to the GM to decide.

If you must, bring it up in the rules forums for a FAQ though. I've had zero work or input on the Bloodrager, and haven't even read the class yet, so I'm hardly an expert on it.

My gut feeling is that it should work fine, though, since bloodragers are sorcerer hybrids after all.

[James Jacobs]

O Fortuna wrote:

James how old are you?

For how long you've been playing RP games?

What did you get for breakfast today?

42.

32 years.

A cappuccino protein shake, some coffee, and a glass of water.