Next question is related to the above one. In the description of special materials, it usually states something along the lines of "40 hp per inch of thickness". How is that information useful if most items do not state how thick they are? Normally only doors and walls are stated the thickness that i have seen. I dont hardly ever see the thickness of weapons and armor for instance.
Creative Director
|
** spoiler omitted **
Next question is related to the above one. In the description of special materials, it usually states something along the lines of "40 hp per inch of thickness". How is that information useful if most items do not state how thick they are? Normally only doors and walls are stated the thickness that i have seen. I dont hardly ever see the thickness of weapons and armor for instance.
It may or may not be realistic... but you can basically assume that X amount of a material is enough to make an object that weighs X pounds. Thus... 15 pounds of any material is enough to make 15 pounds of objects, split up however you want.
The game doesn't bother tracking details beyond that.
Weapons and armor have their own hit points. When a material is listed as having a number of hit points per inch of thickness, that's generally just for doors and walls.
James,
What are the chances of seeing stats for the Bacon Golem?
Since the two people who are most responsible for being the gatekeepers of what does and doesn't make it into the game, myself and Wes, do not adhere to the internet cult of bacon...
...chances of a bacon golem appearing approach zero.
Use flesh golem stats. It's the same thing just a more specific choice as to what flesh has been used.
Hi, sorry if this question is just been asked, but i need clarification about negative levels mechanic:
whena negative level is taken the pg take a series of malus and this is clear, is not clear for me what happen to spellcaster, if they loose speellcaster level to launch spell, they can homewher launch studied spells or not?
And day after they can study spells for what they no more have requisite due to negative level/s?
|
Creative Director
|
Hi, sorry if this question is just been asked, but i need clarification about negative levels mechanic:
whena negative level is taken the pg take a series of malus and this is clear, is not clear for me what happen to spellcaster, if they loose speellcaster level to launch spell, they can homewher launch studied spells or not?
And day after they can study spells for what they no more have requisite due to negative level/s?
Negative levels do not actually reduce the number of spells you know or can cast.
|
Sorry if this has been asked before, but was the Inner Sea World Guide a unique occurrence, due to the importance of the Inner Sea in Golarion, or can we expect hard cover books for the other continents at some point in the future?
Also, just out of curiosity, what is your process for creating names? I've just been reading some of the sample names in the aforementioned guide, and I can see some possible lingual similarities to Earth naming schemes (especially in Tian-Min and Chelaxian names), but the other seem sort of random. How did you come up with them? Is there a pattern?
Thanks in advance for your time.
With the popularity of the Guide To the Guides thread, do you think that this would warrant a new product?
There's plenty of source material already in all the community created guides to pull from...
|
Creative Director
|
Sorry if this has been asked before, but was the Inner Sea World Guide a unique occurrence, due to the importance of the Inner Sea in Golarion, or can we expect hard cover books for the other continents at some point in the future?
Also, just out of curiosity, what is your process for creating names? I've just been reading some of the sample names in the aforementioned guide, and I can see some possible lingual similarities to Earth naming schemes (especially in Tian-Min and Chelaxian names), but the other seem sort of random. How did you come up with them? Is there a pattern?
Thanks in advance for your time.
The Inner Sea is the focus of the vast majority of our books and adventures and novels. As such... it deserved a hardcover. But getting that hardcover right the way we wanted it took about 4 years, and two previous attempts (one 64 page softcover and one 256 page hardcover). And since at this point every Golarion hardcover we do is an EXTRA hardcover added onto an already pretty full publishing schedule... chances of us going through all of that additional work for a region beyond the Inner Sea that we don't have the plans or resources to support to the extent that a hardcover would deserve are slim at best.
As for how I name things... all sorts of ways. Sometimes I'll use real-world names that sound right for a region. Sometimes I'll use variants of how those names are constructed, swapping letters around to mimic the SOUNDS those names make. And sometimes I just make up new names out of the blue.
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
With the popularity of the Guide To the Guides thread, do you think that this would warrant a new product?
There's plenty of source material already in all the community created guides to pull from...
No, for 2 reasons.
1) I'd never heard of the "Guide to the Guides" thread, so it might not be as popular as you suspect.
2) We build the rules for the game. We do not want to tell you which ones are the "best." The whole "guide to building the best class" meme is a cool subject for a messageboard, but it's a TERRIBLE idea for an official publication from Paizo for a LOT of reasons. The biggest two being...
a) I honestly don't believe there IS one best choice for any one build. That's the fun of the game, building a character that YOU like. I'm not interested in tricking people into thinking that Paizo thinks that's not the case.
b) I would be bored stiff working on a project like that, and in my experience, when a designer/developer is bored stiff, it shows in print.
Out of pure curiosity: How would you implement rapidfiring firearms (I'm talking, assault rifle-like fire rate) in Pathfinder, given the way firearms have been handled thus far?
|
Creative Director
|
Out of pure curiosity: How would you implement rapidfiring firearms (I'm talking, assault rifle-like fire rate) in Pathfinder, given the way firearms have been handled thus far?
Using completely different rules that haven't yet needed to be published due to the fact that we haven't yet put machine guns in the game.
1)So there are only six (major) spawn of Rovagug, correct?
2)If two spawn encounter each other would they fight, work together, or ignore each other?
3)Will we ever see variant half celestial and half fiend templates based on each major type of celestial or fiend?
4)Could there be more major spawn of Rovagug? because 13 has a better ring to it then 6.
5)Other the six major spawn did he spwan "minor" ones?
6)What is the order of strongest to weakest of the spawn of Rovagug?
7)who or what is Gormuz?
8)Would it be unbalanced to have a racial feat chain to give Aasimar(or Tieflings) wings? Fast Healing? Immunity of some kind?
9)Of the CR20+ outsiders to apear in the innersea beastiary, are any of them not Evil aligned?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1)So there are only six (major) spawn of Rovagug, correct?
2)If two spawn encounter each other would they fight, work together, or ignore each other?
3)Will we ever see variant half celestial and half fiend templates based on each major type of celestial or fiend?
4)Could there be more major spawn of Rovagug? because 13 has a better ring to it then 6.
5)Other the six major spawn did he spwan "minor" ones?
6)What is the order of strongest to weakest of the spawn of Rovagug?
7)who or what is Gormuz?
8)Would it be unbalanced to have a racial feat chain to give Aasimar(or Tieflings) wings? Fast Healing? Immunity of some kind?
9)Of the CR20+ outsiders to apear in the innersea beastiary, are any of them not Evil aligned?
1) Something like that, yeah. Lots of minor ones though.
2) That would depend on the two spawn and the situation that brought them together.
3) No... not only is that a huge page count that immediately becomes non-all-inclusive the instant we print another fiend or celestial, but the two templates we have already pretty much do the trick. I could see us printing expanded half-fiend and half-celestial options some day, perhaps... but not specific templates for every one.
4) Six is what we're going with.
5) Yes.
6) Tarrasque is the toughest. Xotani is the weakest.
7) A secret. For now.
8) Not if the prerequisites for those feats were on an equal par with spells and other effects that grant the same type of effect.
9) Yes. Two of them.
|
"Share Spells (Ex): The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells."
That range of "you" mean range of personal or "a spell that you can cast on yourself" with any effective range?
Especially with summoners and eidolons it make a lot of difference.
|
|
A few people on the rule forum have cleared that (I was mixing range and target, most spell with personal range have a target of you but it is not the same thing). I still have a problem with the link between: "The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on herself." and "A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal)." a druid (or whatever) can cast any spell, regardless of range, on his animal companion, or only spells with a range of "you"?
In particular, he can cast spells like Enlarge person?
|
Creative Director
|
"Share Spells (Ex): The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells."That range of "you" mean range of personal or "a spell that you can cast on yourself" with any effective range?
Especially with summoners and eidolons it make a lot of difference.
No... it means a spell with a target of "you." Nothing else really matters; you could cast spells like tree shape or meld into stone on your animal companion.
What would you use as stats for a Jumonji Yari spear, such as the one wielded by Yukimura Sanada in Dynasty warriors or Sengoku basaraUmmm... a normal spear won't work? AKA: I'm not really sure what you're talking about...
A Jumonji Yari spear looks very similar to a trident with long spear characteristics, like two handed and with reach and you can't throw it. Here is a picture of the spear. And here is the character from the anime/video game that the poster mentioned.
I don't mean half celestial(half fiend) for every type but for each major type like Azata, Oni, Angel, Rakshasa, etc. But of course this would still take up a lot of space and I not sure were it would be put.
I do have a question. There are a great deal of fiendish related bloodlines for the sorcerer, however, only the celestial for the good outsider blood. Why is that?
|
Creative Director
|
What would you use as stats for a Jumonji Yari spear, such as the one wielded by Yukimura Sanada in Dynasty warriors or Sengoku basaraUmmm... a normal spear won't work? AKA: I'm not really sure what you're talking about...A Jumonji Yari spear looks very similar to a trident with long spear characteristics, like two handed and with reach and you can't throw it. Here is a picture of the spear. And here is the character from the anime/video game that the poster mentioned.
I would treat that as a ranseur.
|
Creative Director
|
I don't mean half celestial(half fiend) for every type but for each major type like Azata, Oni, Angel, Rakshasa, etc. But of course this would still take up a lot of space and I not sure were it would be put.
OH! That's probably a lot more workable, and honestly is a lot more interesting to me than a version that would lead us to having stats for half-cacodemons, half-dretches, and half-lantern archons.
Perhaps some day.
|
Creative Director
|
I do have a question. There are a great deal of fiendish related bloodlines for the sorcerer, however, only the celestial for the good outsider blood. Why is that?
Probably because the folks who designed the bloodlines so far are more interested in the evil side of things than the good side.
We'll do more good outsider bloodlines some day.
|
|
No... it means a spell with a target of "you." Nothing else really matters; you could cast spells like tree shape or meld into stone on your animal companion."Share Spells (Ex): The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells."That range of "you" mean range of personal or "a spell that you can cast on yourself" with any effective range?
Especially with summoners and eidolons it make a lot of difference.
Wow, I just realized that got nerfed hardcore from 3.5
I don't mean half celestial(half fiend) for every type but for each major type like Azata, Oni, Angel, Rakshasa, etc. But of course this would still take up a lot of space and I not sure were it would be put.
You might consider just adding in some of the abilities from the fiend-specific tieflings (and celestial-specific aasimars when Blood of Angels comes out).
|
Creative Director
|
In the Dragon Empires Primer, it's easy to tell what some of the ethnicities are based on, but some are more vague. I was wondering if you happened to know who (if anyone) the Tien-Hwan were based on.
If the answer is no one, do you have any recommendations for naming Tien-Hwan NPCs?
Korea.
Korea.In the Dragon Empires Primer, it's easy to tell what some of the ethnicities are based on, but some are more vague. I was wondering if you happened to know who (if anyone) the Tien-Hwan were based on.
If the answer is no one, do you have any recommendations for naming Tien-Hwan NPCs?
Along the same theme of questions, I was wondering about these countries and what real-world culture/nation they were based off of? It's a bit of a long list, so I apologize.
1. Bachuan
2. Goka
3. Lingshen
4. Quain
5. Shaguang
6. Tianjing
7. Xa Hoi
There were a couple (Lingshen, Quain, and Tianjing) that all feel like parts of Chinese culture, but I'm not completely sure. Thank you for your help!
|
Why are Monks always lawful and Paladins Alignment locked into Lawful neutrality?
You have several monk archetypes that would seem to differ from the whole "Strict discipline and study" ideal, like Drunken Master, But for some reason My Drunken master needs to be Lawful.
Likewise you gave plenty of awesome Gods like Cayden Cailean who it would seem would be just fine with an order of armored casters righting wrongs and Fighting the good fight. You have paladins of Shelyn, and she's not a particularly lawful deity. So why not allow Desna a paladin charged with protecting the rights of travelers and keeping the roads safe? or Cayden Cailean a paladin protecting the right of people to be free from oppression, and to drink beer?
|
Creative Director
|
Along the same theme of questions, I was wondering about these countries and what real-world culture/nation they were based off of? It's a bit of a long list, so I apologize.
1. Bachuan
2. Goka
3. Lingshen
4. Quain
5. Shaguang
6. Tianjing
7. Xa HoiThere were a couple (Lingshen, Quain, and Tianjing) that all feel like parts of Chinese culture, but I'm not completely sure. Thank you for your help!
First off... ALL of these have a strong dose of fantasy in them... but most of them do have additional real-world inspirations...
1) A mix of China and Korea
2) Hong Kong
3) China
4) China
5) Gobi Desert
6) Fantasy
7) Cambodia
|
Creative Director
|
Why are Monks always lawful and Paladins Alignment locked into Lawful neutrality?
You have several monk archetypes that would seem to differ from the whole "Strict discipline and study" ideal, like Drunken Master, But for some reason My Drunken master needs to be Lawful.
Likewise you gave plenty of awesome Gods like Cayden Cailean who it would seem would be just fine with an order of armored casters righting wrongs and Fighting the good fight. You have paladins of Shelyn, and she's not a particularly lawful deity. So why not allow Desna a paladin charged with protecting the rights of travelers and keeping the roads safe? or Cayden Cailean a paladin protecting the right of people to be free from oppression, and to drink beer?
Tradition. It's been part of the game from the start.
Paladins are not minions of the gods, though... a paladin serves law and good first. Many also serve gods, but most do not. If you're looking for an "order of armored casters" then what I would suggest is clerics.
Oh wow. I'll have to read more about Cambodia because I really like Xa Hoi.
|
Creative Director
|
Why?What's your favorite Villainous Character/organization in Golarion?The Red Mantis.
Because they've been a villain group in my homebrew for over a decade, so I'm pretty proud of them and have invested a lot of work into their group... not all of which has yet seen print, of course...
Do you still hate me?
James, you've said that...
The bard's design was probably the part of the Core Rulebook I was MOST involved in, in fact. And how they exist right now is about 98% perfect, as far as I'm concerned—inventing new bard spells or archetypes or prestige classes covers most of what's left for specialties. The only thing I'd like to still finesse is how Versatile Performance works—I'd like to let bard players reconfigure their skill ranks whenever they gain a new Versatile Performance so that those skill ranks that are now covered by Perform Checks can be put to use elsewhere. That's the whole point of Versatile Performance, after all—a sneaky and fun way to essentially get the bard more skill points without actually raising their skill points per level.
...and that...
Okay, so just to be clear...
Verasatile Performance includes:
• Ability score: use Cha instead of the original score
• Ranks: use Perform ranks instead of rank in Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Acrobatics, etc.
• +3 because Perform is a class skill
• Bonuses: any random bonuses to Perform, like Skill FocusBut...
• Situational bonuses and penalties to the original skill still apply and get added to/subtracted from the Perform check, things like magic items, boons, pre-disposed favorable attitudes, etc.
How about things like traits (like "Fashionable" that grants +1 Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive, or "Fiendish Presence" that grants +1 to Diplomacy and Sense Motive), Orcs' bonus to Intimidate, Rangers' favored enemy bonuses to Sense Motive, Ranger/Druids' bonus to Handle Animal their companions, spellcasters with viper familiars' bonus to Bluff, spellcasters with bat familiars' bonus to Fly, small characters' penalty to jumping with Acrobatics, armor check penalties to Acrobatics, etc. These all seem like things that would logically transfer to a Versatile Performance skill check. Would these all be considered "situational"?
I'm assuming masterwork instruments would not assist a Versatile Performance check as you are not actually performing, just using your performance skills in other areas of life.
Yup.
And yeah, the bonus granted by a masterwork tool or instrument would not assist a Versatile Performance check because you're using that tool to enhance an actual performance, not a substituted skill. I'd certainly allow trait bonuses to stack as well; I'd even be tempted to let bonuses from Skill focus or other feats stack.
Basically... I think of it as basically transplanting your ranks in the perform skill directly into the two other skills as "phantom" ranks that overlap with any ranks you currently have in those other skills. You take the higher of the two and go from there.
Now, since you seem to know more about the bard then anyone, and about Versatile Performance in paricular, perhaps you can help me answer the following questions?
You stated that you use the Perform skill's total modifier (hereafter referred to as Perform X, or X) in place of the skill modifier of two or three other skills (hereafter referred to as Y Skills, or Y).
You've also clarified that Skill Focus in X will effect all of Y skills (possibly even allowing them to stack) and that magic items still grant their skill bonuses to the appropriate skills, regardless of the substitutions.
So...
Does that mean I can get a magic item to increase Perform X, thereby increasing all of my Y skills WHILE ALSO getting another magic item to increase one of the Y skills directly? What if both magic items grant the same types of bonus? Does it stack or overlap? Technically, they ARE going to different skills, and the total modifier from Perform X is carried over to Y skills via Versatile Performance without any apparent regard for how it became that number. What if it was a single magic item effecting both X and Y skills?
Take something like...say...a circlet of persuasion, for example. Would such a thing grant me a +6 bonus to all of my Charisma-based Y skills?
What about feats? Would Skill Focus in Perform X and Skill Y potentially grant me a +12 bonus to Skill Y? I know you've broached this, just want to be absolutely clear.
In short, is it possible to double up on Versatile Performance, and if so, what does and does not accomplish this?
I'm currently hammering out a fetchling cavalier 2/bard 3/battle herald 3/shadowdancer 10 character and I want to get his versatile performance ability done right, since it has a HUGE impact on several of his skills.
1)Is it too late to make a wishlist for the Innersea Bestiary?
2)Will the Blood of the night book have stats for any kind of vampire not stated up before?
3)Will the Artifacts and Legends book have artifacts that serve good, law, or chaos, not just evil?
4)Will that numerian metal scorpion thing in the innersea bestiary be around CR12-19 range?
5)So why did you guys deside to make the companion product line monthly?
6)How much would you price a magic ring that granted immunity to an energy type? how much would you make it if it granted immunity to charm effects, curse effects, petrification, or confusion/insanity effects?
7)if you could have one special attack ability(breath weapon, gaze, etc.) and one special defence(DR, regenration, etc.) ability from monsters, what would they be?
|
Creative Director
|
You stated that you use the Perform skill's total modifier (hereafter referred to as Perform X, or X) in place of the skill modifier of two or three other skills (hereafter referred to as Y Skills, or Y).
You've also clarified that Skill Focus in X will effect all of Y skills (possibly even allowing them to stack) and that magic items still grant their skill bonuses to the appropriate skills, regardless of the substitutions.
So...
Does that mean I can get a magic item to increase Perform X, thereby increasing all of my Y skills WHILE ALSO getting another magic item to increase one of the Y skills directly? What if both magic items grant the same types of bonus? Does it stack or overlap? Technically, they ARE going to different skills, and the total modifier from Perform X is carried over to Y skills via Versatile Performance without any apparent regard for how it became that number. What if it was a single magic item effecting both X and Y skills?
Take something like...say...a circlet of persuasion, for example. Would such a thing grant me a +6 bonus to all of my Charisma-based Y skills?
What about feats? Would Skill Focus in Perform X and Skill Y potentially grant me a +12 bonus to Skill Y? I know you've broached this, just want to be absolutely clear.
In short, is it possible to double up on Versatile Performance, and if so, what does and does not accomplish this?
I'm currently hammering out a fetchling cavalier 2/bard 3/battle herald 3/shadowdancer 10 character and I want to get his versatile performance ability done right, since it has a HUGE impact on several of his skills.
If you get a magic item to increase Perform, you increase your versatile performance skills. If you get an item to increase a skill directly, that does NOT increase your perform skill. In fact, only if that increase bonus bumps the actual skill modifier up above your perform modifier would it matter. A circlet of persuasion is an EXCELLENT item for a bard, but things like boots of elvenkind are increasingly not all that great (assuming you have a versatile performance that can be used for Acrobatics in that case).
Same goes for feats and spell effects.
You can't double up on versatile performance, in other words.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1)Is it too late to make a wishlist for the Innersea Bestiary?
2)Will the Blood of the night book have stats for any kind of vampire not stated up before?
3)Will the Artifacts and Legends book have artifacts that serve good, law, or chaos, not just evil?
4)Will that numerian metal scorpion thing in the innersea bestiary be around CR12-19 range?
5)So why did you guys deside to make the companion product line monthly?
6)How much would you price a magic ring that granted immunity to an energy type? how much would you make it if it granted immunity to charm effects, curse effects, petrification, or confusion/insanity effects?
7)if you could have one special attack ability(breath weapon, gaze, etc.) and one special defence(DR, regenration, etc.) ability from monsters, what would they be?
1) The monsters for the Inner Sea Bestiary were selected several months ago. So... yes.
2) Dunno. Probably not.
3) Probably so. I haven't read it in detail yet, but having chaos and law associated artifacts is a long tradition in the game. As is having artifacts that don't particularly serve specific alignments at all. Expect a good mix of all possibilities.
4) Sure looks like it should be, hmm?
5) To make more money, and to allow us the chance to cover more topics.
6) A ring that grants immunity to a specific energy would be, at minimum, twice the cost of the ring that grants resistance 30. Something that granted all of those immunities would be an artifact, and therefore not something to price in the first place.
7) Special attack: wish as a spell-like ability. Special defense: immunity to disease.
James do you plan to do anything with Runelord Alaznist in the future? She seemed like such a cool villain to me.
|
Chief Technical Officer
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What is going to happen when you let your guard down and Justin Franklin gets lucky with his attempts to wear down your defenses for spoiling some kind of future product?I'll probably get scolded/yelled at by Erik or Vic or Lisa, I guess. And perhaps inadvertently give a competitor a chance to scoop us on a product or otherwise harm the launch of the product in question.
Turns out, we keep the announcements close to the chest for a lot of good reasons.
The two *main* reasons are really this:
1: If it's not officially announced, it might not happen, and we don't like disappointing people.
2: If it's not officially announced, it's not coming out all that soon, and we'd much rather get you excited about the things that are coming up sooner rather than later. There's always time to get you excited about later stuff... later.
Not all those immunities together, but like an amulet that makes you immune to petrification would be more expensive that one that makes you immune to diseas but maybe as much or less then one that protects against poison. Being immune to charm effects isn't game breaking but curse effects, maybe. We have periapts that grant immunity to disease, poison, or wounding effects. We use to have a Ring charm resistance in ether 2nd edition or 3rd that made you immune to charm or enchantment effects of up 4th level and then a bonus to saves vs such spells of a higher level. I like items that grant an immunity to an attack for or ailment of some kind so it would be nice to figure out how much such items would cost.
I do not remember seeing to many items like these in pathfinder ecxept of the modules had an interesting one, a lotus shaped one that was interesting.