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Paizo Employee Creative Director

Kalindlara wrote:

I hate to derail, but given what Zousha and I have discussed about his concept, I'd probably recommend the Guardian path (with a Dual Path for Hierophant as necessary). Also, Mr. Jacobs, you may wish to check out the Sorcerer variant multiclass option for your fighter. :)

A question, though.

How do you come up with names? I want to stay on point for Golarion's naming conventions (as my forum name might suggest) but I'm running out of names from Inner Sea World Guide's lists.

Thank you! :)

One of the big draws for me with Asenath was to play a class that I don't normally play. Another draw was to play a fighter who doesn't put absolutely every possible thing into fighting, but who remains at her core a single-classed non-archetyped fighter. I flirted with multiclassing into cleric for a bit, and still might go that route some day, but don't feel the need to jump on the new thing all at once and right away.

I come up with names via all sorts of ways. I use online generators. I spell words backwards and then shuffle letters to make them make sense. I make up new names from scratch. I vary names of characters from mythology or literature and change them slightly (such as Casandalee from Iron Gods, who is a variant of "Cassandra"). I also keep a list of names in a notebook and cross them off as I use them. Often, sitting down for 15 minutes here and there and just brainstorming names can get a full page of options you can milk for years.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:

I hate to derail, but given what Zousha and I have discussed about his concept, I'd probably recommend the Guardian path (with a Dual Path for Hierophant as necessary). Also, Mr. Jacobs, you may wish to check out the Sorcerer variant multiclass option for your fighter. :)

A question, though.

How do you come up with names? I want to stay on point for Golarion's naming conventions (as my forum name might suggest) but I'm running out of names from Inner Sea World Guide's lists.

Thank you! :)

One of the big draws for me with Asenath was to play a class that I don't normally play. Another draw was to play a fighter who doesn't put absolutely every possible thing into fighting, but who remains at her core a single-classed non-archetyped fighter. I flirted with multiclassing into cleric for a bit, and still might go that route some day, but don't feel the need to jump on the new thing all at once and right away.

I come up with names via all sorts of ways. I use online generators. I spell words backwards and then shuffle letters to make them make sense. I make up new names from scratch. I vary names of characters from mythology or literature and change them slightly (such as Casandalee from Iron Gods, who is a variant of "Cassandra"). I also keep a list of names in a notebook and cross them off as I use them. Often, sitting down for 15 minutes here and there and just brainstorming names can get a full page of options you can milk for years.

Anthroponomastic here, I do the same :3

For a question, can we haz Bloodborne progress update?


Hello Mr. Jacobs!

Congrats on finishing your latest campaign! It sounds like you all had a great time. Reading the blog post and seeing all the pictures was really cool. I love the use of the kraken tentacles being tentacles of Rovagug.

I was curious if you talk a little bit about what Rahotep's evil plan was, and what the statues of the Spawns of Rovagug did exactly?

Thank you for your time!

Have a fantastic week!

Radiant Oath

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

First off, thank you Kalindlara. :)

And now for a question: Do pseudodragons hoard things like their true dragon cousins? If so, what do they hoard? For some reason I imagine something like this little guy when I consider it.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
For a question, can we haz Bloodborne progress update?

Just over level 100 now. Got most of the bosses down. Playin' around in the chalice dungeons a bit before I try the insane tough realm beyond the Lecture Hall again.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Generic GM wrote:

Hello Mr. Jacobs!

Congrats on finishing your latest campaign! It sounds like you all had a great time. Reading the blog post and seeing all the pictures was really cool. I love the use of the kraken tentacles being tentacles of Rovagug.

I was curious if you talk a little bit about what Rahotep's evil plan was, and what the statues of the Spawns of Rovagug did exactly?

Thank you for your time!

Have a fantastic week!

The basic plan was for Rahotep to return to full life and release a new spawn of Rovagug into the world, and then help bolster the cult and more or less take over Osirion.

The statues were basically just adornments though; they were energy siphons for nine evil artifacts that could either be used to restore Rahotep to full life, or destroy him.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

First off, thank you Kalindlara. :)

And now for a question: Do pseudodragons hoard things like their true dragon cousins? If so, what do they hoard? For some reason I imagine something like this little guy when I consider it.

I suspect it'd be up to the pseudodragon, but I bet the urge to collect treasure remains strong in them...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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LazarX wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Aelryinth wrote:

Are you using the Unchained stamina pool options for your fighter, JJ? I'd like to see the base build. Do you have the character sheet online?

==Aelryinth

Nope. Not interested in the stamina pool stuff.

And nope; her stats aren't online. I kinda want to post them just to rile folks up, since she's a fighter who just spent her 4th level ability score to raise her Charisma by +1.

DO IT, please. There's no better entertainment than watching dedicated CharOps choke in apoleptic fits. :)

Fair enough. Here goes:

Spoiler:

Asenath Mercadicus
Female elf fighter 4
NG Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +1

AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +3 shield)
hp 50 (4d10+11)
Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +2 (+3 vs. fear); +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep

Speed 30 ft.
Melee adamantine heavy flail +8 (1d10+4/19-20) or
Masterwork cold iron scimitar +9 (1d6+5/18-20)
Ranged Masterwork longbow +5 (1d8/×3)

Str 16, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 13
Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 18
Feats Power Attack, Run, Shield Focus, Weapon Focus (scimitar), Weapon Specialization (scimitar), Weapon Versatility
Traits Illuminator, Undead Crusader
Skills Acrobatics -4 (+0 to jump with a running start), Diplomacy +10, Knowledge (religion) +4
Languages Common, Elven
SQ armor training 1, counter swarm, desert runner
Combat Gear potion of bull's strength, potion of cure light wounds, potion of cure moderate wounds, silversheen, alchemist's fire (5), caltrops, holy water (2); Other Gear chainmail, scarab shield, adamantine heavy flail, Masterwork cold iron scimitar, Masterwork longbow, apprentice's cheating gloves, ring of protection +1, tablet of languages lost, backpack, bedroll, custom container, everburning torch, golden holy symbol of Sarenrae, hammer, piton, silk rope (50 ft.), sunrod (2), wooden holy symbol of Nethys, wooden holy symbol of Sarenrae, 1,327 gp, 45 sp, 6 cp

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

First off, thank you Kalindlara. :)

And now for a question: Do pseudodragons hoard things like their true dragon cousins? If so, what do they hoard? For some reason I imagine something like this little guy when I consider it.

I suspect it'd be up to the pseudodragon, but I bet the urge to collect treasure remains strong in them...

Omigosh that makes them even MORE cuter! :D

Would attaching a stick or something to one's armor and hanging a banner from it look corny, or could one make it work (samurai can, naturally, but the character I'm asking on behalf of is more like a viking than a samurai).


Hi James!

Baba Yaga has an ability called Forceful Presence (Ex) which allows her to add her Charisma modifier to her AC and saving throws, and she uses her Charisma score in addition to her Constitution in determining hit points. It increases her CR by +1.

1) If her main casting stat had been Charisma instead of Intelligence, do you think this would have increased her CR by +2 instead?

2) Based on the above, what CR adjustment would you assign to the ability below for a NPC sorceress villain I'm designing (actually inspired by Iggwilv a bit!)?

Profane Beauty (Ex) The sorceress adds her Charisma modifier as a profane bonus to her Armor Class and on all saving throws, and uses her Charisma score in addition to her Constitution score when calculating hit points. Those looking directly at her take a -2 penalty on saving throws against any enchantment spells and effects she casts, and on attack rolls against her.

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

Silver Crusade Contributor

James Jacobs wrote:
LazarX wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Aelryinth wrote:

Are you using the Unchained stamina pool options for your fighter, JJ? I'd like to see the base build. Do you have the character sheet online?

==Aelryinth

Nope. Not interested in the stamina pool stuff.

And nope; her stats aren't online. I kinda want to post them just to rile folks up, since she's a fighter who just spent her 4th level ability score to raise her Charisma by +1.

DO IT, please. There's no better entertainment than watching dedicated CharOps choke in apoleptic fits. :)

Fair enough. Here goes:

** spoiler omitted **...

Very nice, and somewhat surprising - given the characters you're most associated with, I expected a Dervish Dance-based fighter. :)

As someone planning to run it within the year... what has been your favorite or most interesting moment of Mummy's Mask thus far?

Thank you! :)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:


Would attaching a stick or something to one's armor and hanging a banner from it look corny, or could one make it work (samurai can, naturally, but the character I'm asking on behalf of is more like a viking than a samurai).

Samurai don't use "sticks" to do so. To me, a "Stick" is something bigger than a twig, but is still a dead gnarly branch dropped off of a tree. So yes... it would look corny, but wouldn't look like a samurai at all. Vikings don't really fly banners off their armor as far as I know, but I don't know near to everything, so it's possible someone out there can provide a cool image of a real-world historical viking who does this. But to me... no, it's not on-model for that kind of character.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Varisian Wanderer wrote:

Hi James!

Baba Yaga has an ability called Forceful Presence (Ex) which allows her to add her Charisma modifier to her AC and saving throws, and she uses her Charisma score in addition to her Constitution in determining hit points. It increases her CR by +1.

1) If her main casting stat had been Charisma instead of Intelligence, do you think this would have increased her CR by +2 instead?

2) Based on the above, what CR adjustment would you assign to the ability below for a NPC sorceress villain I'm designing (actually inspired by Iggwilv a bit!)?

Profane Beauty (Ex) The sorceress adds her Charisma modifier as a profane bonus to her Armor Class and on all saving throws, and uses her Charisma score in addition to her Constitution score when calculating hit points. Those looking directly at her take a -2 penalty on saving throws against any enchantment spells and effects she casts, and on attack rolls against her.

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

1) No. Because honestly... we gave her that ability to make her stats hit the CR she was supposed to be at. The CR increase is actually something that happens AFTER that, if that makes sense. CR is almost entirley JUST a measure of where a creature's hit points, AC, attacks, damage, saves, and save DCs line up on table 1–1 of the Bestiary, and for NPCs, it's often VERY DIFFICULT to hit those numbers. It gets tougher the higher level you get. That's why you so often see NPCs wearing rings of protection, amulets of natural armor, and the stat boosting items—they have to have them in order to hit their expected CR numbers. Since NPCs don't really ever go above CR 25 on their own... if we do a character with class levels much above CR 25, as in the case of Baba Yaga, we have to invent new thing for them so that they'll hit their higher numbers. So... Baba Yaga's Forceful Presence ability is entirely ad-hoc design specifically to get her numbers close. Had we decided to key it off of her Intelligence, we would have adjusted her Intelligence so that it would result in those same numbers for her CR, and thus it wouldn't change her CR at all. That said, we would have also changed the name of the ability, since Intelligence has nothing to do with your presence.

2) Build the NPC sorcerer as you normally would. Give her the treasure she needs. Her CR should be equal to her class levels –1, assuming she's a human. Now, decide what CR you ACTUALLY want her to have. Adjust her Profane Beauty ability so that it makes her AC and saves and hit points hit the expected numbers for that CR. If you don't want her CR to be any higher than her base CR of sorcerer level –1, then this ability doesn't adjust her CR at all assuming it only raises her AC, saves, and the like up to where that CR should be (since chances are VERY GOOD that a sorcerer of any level will have hp and AC and saves far below what Table 1–1 expects a creature of that CR to have).

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Kalindlara wrote:

Very nice, and somewhat surprising - given the characters you're most associated with, I expected a Dervish Dance-based fighter. :)

As someone planning to run it within the year... what has been your favorite or most interesting moment of Mummy's Mask thus far?

Thank you! :)

The "dervish dance" type character is one that I play a lot. One of the big goals for me with Asenath, as put before me by Rob, in fact, was to play a character who WASN'T too similar to my other types of characters. And that meant not building a Dexterity build fighter. Instead, I went for a sword and shield type character who's all about strength and defense, really. High hit points, high AC.

My favorite moment in Mummy's Mask so far was when Asenath managed to convince Idori, via diplomacy, in the heat of the last battle to switch sides and thus saved the party from a possible TPK by overwhelming forces. She was intrigued by Idori, since she'd not yet met any other elves, and wanted to get to know her better and talk about elf stuff, but she left town soon after I paid her off the money I'd promised her for switching sides. In part because the other players in the group were all prickly and bristled at the idea of making friends with and/or redeeming an enemy. Heavy sigh.


Wondering how you could work in a weapon like tira's from soul calibur.

I am thinking a Huge Chakram, but would it be viable to allow an exotic weapon proficiency to be rid of the inappropriately sized penalties?


After reading Iron Gods, I have been wondering... is Unity's name a Fallout easter egg?

Where do dead gods go? For example if Aroden has been judged, then does it mean his godly petitioner can be found on Axis?

How do you rate the Runelords on the evilness scale from "power hungry wizard" to "absolute monster"?

The relics are Kazavon are all needed to revive the Wyrm, but each has a specific method of destruction. Does it mean if one is destroyed, then Kazavon can never be revived?

Finally, if you were to do a time traveling AP, which I have read won't happen, what periods/events do you believe would give the best roleplaying opportunities?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

BigP4nda wrote:

Wondering how you could work in a weapon like tira's from soul calibur.

I am thinking a Huge Chakram, but would it be viable to allow an exotic weapon proficiency to be rid of the inappropriately sized penalties?

I would make it a magic Huge chakram that, among whatever else it does in the game (not familiar with it) also negates all size penalties when she wields it in combat.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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VoidHerald wrote:

1) After reading Iron Gods, I have been wondering... is Unity's name a Fallout easter egg?

2) Where do dead gods go? For example if Aroden has been judged, then does it mean his godly petitioner can be found on Axis?

3) How do you rate the Runelords on the evilness scale from "power hungry wizard" to "absolute monster"?

4) The relics are Kazavon are all needed to revive the Wyrm, but each has a specific method of destruction. Does it mean if one is destroyed, then Kazavon can never be revived?

5) Finally, if you were to do a time traveling AP, which I have read won't happen, what periods/events do you believe would give the best roleplaying opportunities?

1) No. "Unity" is actually the name of a creature from a short novel I wrote back in high school and college but never published. It was a disembodied malevolent intelligence that survived the previous big crunch of the universe but got itself trapped inside of an asteroid when the next big bang happened, and then a group of space miners accidentally started letting it out and it got into their robots and computers and began to rework the human miners into cybernetic slaves so that it could expand itself back into an overmind that wasn't just stuck in a rock. And it had done this cycle countless times through countless universe incarnations. This was back in 1990–1992, before even Fallout 1 came along. The name itself is hardly a stretch to see duplicated, though, since it's a real word. But yeah, when I was casting about for a name for the AI in Iron Gods, I went with Unity because it was, in a lot of ways, the exact same thing from my unpublished novel.

2) It's different for every dead god. Dead demon lords, for example, become petrified into the walls of the Abyssal layer of the Rift of Repose... UNLESS they're killed by Nocticula, in which case they become new islands in her realm. Those are just 2 examples. Others exist, but we don't reveal them generally until and unless a story needs said revelation. We have no plans to EVER reveal what happened to Aroden though. The Gods DO get judged by Pharasma, though... they just don't follow the same results as mortal souls. What does happen? Unrevealed, and likely to stay that way.

3) I have no context for how that scale works, so I can't say.

4) It means that that method of reviving won't work for Kazavon, but that other methods that aren't yet revealed might.

5) Depends 100% on the nature and interests of the individual GM and his/her players. I'm not gonna pick one, because I don't want to set ANY false expectations that it's something I've got planned. Even if I DO have something planned.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:

Very nice, and somewhat surprising - given the characters you're most associated with, I expected a Dervish Dance-based fighter. :)

As someone planning to run it within the year... what has been your favorite or most interesting moment of Mummy's Mask thus far?

Thank you! :)

The "dervish dance" type character is one that I play a lot. One of the big goals for me with Asenath, as put before me by Rob, in fact, was to play a character who WASN'T too similar to my other types of characters. And that meant not building a Dexterity build fighter. Instead, I went for a sword and shield type character who's all about strength and defense, really. High hit points, high AC.

My favorite moment in Mummy's Mask so far was when Asenath managed to convince Idori, via diplomacy, in the heat of the last battle to switch sides and thus saved the party from a possible TPK by overwhelming forces. She was intrigued by Idori, since she'd not yet met any other elves, and wanted to get to know her better and talk about elf stuff, but she left town soon after I paid her off the money I'd promised her for switching sides. In part because the other players in the group were all prickly and bristled at the idea of making friends with and/or redeeming an enemy. Heavy sigh.

Could it be because they were looking forward to looting her stuff?

Silver Crusade Contributor

James Jacobs wrote:

The "dervish dance" type character is one that I play a lot. One of the big goals for me with Asenath, as put before me by Rob, in fact, was to play a character who WASN'T too similar to my other types of characters. And that meant not building a Dexterity build fighter. Instead, I went for a sword and shield type character who's all about strength and defense, really. High hit points, high AC.

My favorite moment in Mummy's Mask so far was when Asenath managed to convince Idori, via diplomacy, in the heat of the last battle to switch sides and thus saved the party from a possible TPK by overwhelming forces. She was intrigued by Idori, since she'd not yet met any other elves, and wanted to get to know her better and talk about elf stuff, but she left town soon after I paid her off the money I'd promised her for switching sides. In part because the other players in the group were all prickly and bristled at the idea of making friends with and/or redeeming an enemy. Heavy sigh.

I see. That was, in fact, my number one theory about the character. :)

As for Idorii, I'm hoping I can set up the clues about her in my game. Unfortunate about the second part though. :/

Silver Crusade Contributor

Speaking of Mummy's Mask, I've been working with one of my players on his character concept. He's interested in an "honorable" necromancer who uses speak with dead to acquire permission from the dead for the use of their bodies (when doing so at all - not his primary focus). Obviously, this is tricky in Golarion.

1) Is there any way for this to be non-evil? Not necessarily good, but at least not evil.

2) Does specifying "temporary use" help with the moral issue?

3) Is controlling undead, rather than creating them, more acceptable in this regard?

4) Can the moral issue be offset by other actions? For example, creating/controlling/allying with undead to find their killers/tomb robbers, then putting them to rest? Plus being generally moral and righteous the rest of the time.

Thank you! :)


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1) Do Desna and Pharasma get along well? I do not recall mentions of the relations of those two being present in any of the books thus far.

2) Would you say that those two deities are the main ones for prophetic visions? I recall Desna's followers having dream visions that can tell of things to come, while Pharasma actually has "Prophecy" in her portfolio.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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LazarX wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:

Very nice, and somewhat surprising - given the characters you're most associated with, I expected a Dervish Dance-based fighter. :)

As someone planning to run it within the year... what has been your favorite or most interesting moment of Mummy's Mask thus far?

Thank you! :)

The "dervish dance" type character is one that I play a lot. One of the big goals for me with Asenath, as put before me by Rob, in fact, was to play a character who WASN'T too similar to my other types of characters. And that meant not building a Dexterity build fighter. Instead, I went for a sword and shield type character who's all about strength and defense, really. High hit points, high AC.

My favorite moment in Mummy's Mask so far was when Asenath managed to convince Idori, via diplomacy, in the heat of the last battle to switch sides and thus saved the party from a possible TPK by overwhelming forces. She was intrigued by Idori, since she'd not yet met any other elves, and wanted to get to know her better and talk about elf stuff, but she left town soon after I paid her off the money I'd promised her for switching sides. In part because the other players in the group were all prickly and bristled at the idea of making friends with and/or redeeming an enemy. Heavy sigh.

Could it be because they were looking forward to looting her stuff?

They're all spellcasters. She was the NON spellcaster in the group, so I doubt it. I think it was more along the lines of intolerance and short-sightedness, and from Asenath's semi-paranoid low-self-esteem angle, because they don't like her.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Icyshadow wrote:

1) Do Desna and Pharasma get along well? I do not recall mentions of the relations of those two being present in any of the books thus far.

2) Would you say that those two deities are the main ones for prophetic visions? I recall Desna's followers having dream visions that can tell of things to come, while Pharasma actually has "Prophecy" in her portfolio.

1) They're pretty ambivalent toward each other. No rivalries, no alliances.

2) Any deity can be a "main one" for prophetic visions... but not so much in modern Golarion at all.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Kalindlara wrote:

Speaking of Mummy's Mask, I've been working with one of my players on his character concept. He's interested in an "honorable" necromancer who uses speak with dead to acquire permission from the dead for the use of their bodies (when doing so at all - not his primary focus). Obviously, this is tricky in Golarion.

1) Is there any way for this to be non-evil? Not necessarily good, but at least not evil.

2) Does specifying "temporary use" help with the moral issue?

3) Is controlling undead, rather than creating them, more acceptable in this regard?

4) Can the moral issue be offset by other actions? For example, creating/controlling/allying with undead to find their killers/tomb robbers, then putting them to rest? Plus being generally moral and righteous the rest of the time.

Thank you! :)

1) Not in my opinion. Undead are evil, and the idea of a character who uses speak with dead to "acquire permission" is at best LAWFUL evil. It's flawed as well, since that spell lets you talk to the body and it's memories, not the actual soul. So you're not getting permission at all from the part of the living creature that actually gets agonized and wrecked and ruined by the process of being turned undead.

2) No.

3) Yes, but still a slippery slope.

4) I suppose so. It'd depend on the GM. In my opinion, controlling or animating undead is a LAST RESORT option for non-evil characters, and for good characters it should be the type of option that even then agonizes and causes distress. Seek out atonement afterwards.

All of these issues go away if you're comfortable getting rid of them in your game, of course. Just as you can decide that fighters in your game gain 4 skill ranks per level, or that bards can retrain their skills each time they gain a versatile performance, or that orcs look like pig men, or that Thor is a core deity... how undead work in your game is up to you. But when you ask me, it's my responsibility to reply with the "On Golarion, it OFFICIALLY works like this..." because the internet does not work well with exceptions, and I'd really rather not confuse future possible writers for our products on the topic.

Because the game NEEDS to have some things in it that are, for lack of a better term, irredeemably evil. There's plenty that CAN be redeemed and all that, but the game needs some things that generally can't be twisted into agonizing morality plays. Don't get me wrong... moral choices and ethics conundrums are fun... but they get old and frustrating VERY fast. Especially if they're relentless.

Silver Crusade Contributor

James Jacobs wrote:

1) Not in my opinion. Undead are evil, and the idea of a character who uses speak with dead to "acquire permission" is at best LAWFUL evil. It's flawed as well, since that spell lets you talk to the body and it's memories, not the actual soul. So you're not getting permission at all from the part of the living creature that actually gets agonized and wrecked and ruined by the process of being turned undead.

2) No.

3) Yes, but still a slippery slope.

4) I suppose so. It'd depend on the GM. In my opinion, controlling or animating undead is a LAST RESORT option for non-evil characters, and for good characters it should be the type of option that even then agonizes and causes distress. Seek out atonement afterwards.

All of these issues go away if you're comfortable getting rid of them in your game, of course. Just as you can decide that fighters in your game gain 4 skill ranks per level, or that bards can retrain their skills each time they gain a versatile performance, or that orcs look like pig men, or that Thor is a core deity... how undead work in your game is up to you. But when you ask me, it's my responsibility to reply with the "On Golarion, it OFFICIALLY works like this..." because the internet does not work well with exceptions, and I'd really rather not confuse future possible writers for our products on the topic.

Because the game NEEDS to have some things in it that are, for lack of a better term, irredeemably evil. There's plenty that CAN be redeemed and all that, but the game needs some things that generally can't be twisted into agonizing morality plays. Don't get me wrong... moral choices and ethics conundrums are fun... but they get old and frustrating VERY fast. Especially if they're relentless.

I see. Thank you! :)


James, How would you feel about referring to Native Outsiders as Material Outsiders instead?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

The Golux wrote:
James, How would you feel about referring to Native Outsiders as Material Outsiders instead?

Meh. Native outsiders works, and changing it just to change it makes years of adventures needlessly out of date. Not a fan.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Would you say short names of one or two syllables are the hardest to "disguise" and make more original? You mentioned how you altered the name Cassandra to create Cassandalee, but I'm finding that characters with shorter names are harder to alter without getting something completely removed from the original.

Grand Lodge

I asked this in another thread but I will ask James Jacobs here.....can the eidolon evolution bleed be applied to guns or was it meant for natural weapons of the eidolon?

Silver Crusade

Is it wrong to give Catfolk catnip?

Scarab Sages

Did the Prophets of Kalistrade come from any specific source of inspiration?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Would you say short names of one or two syllables are the hardest to "disguise" and make more original? You mentioned how you altered the name Cassandra to create Cassandalee, but I'm finding that characters with shorter names are harder to alter without getting something completely removed from the original.

I wouldn't say that, no.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Gunther-1 wrote:
I asked this in another thread but I will ask James Jacobs here.....can the eidolon evolution bleed be applied to guns or was it meant for natural weapons of the eidolon?

It's natural weapons of the eidolon. Eidolons are not guns.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
Is it wrong to give Catfolk catnip?

No more so than to give a human pot.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Did the Prophets of Kalistrade come from any specific source of inspiration?

I suspect they were partially inspired by puritans, but you'd have to ask Erik for sure. I didn't make them up and haven't had much input into their development.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Have any characters or classes or scenarios been inspired by a single piece of character art?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
The Golux wrote:
James, How would you feel about referring to Native Outsiders as Material Outsiders instead?
Meh. Native outsiders works, and changing it just to change it makes years of adventures needlessly out of date. Not a fan.

Would it help if the female ones were named Madonna?

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

What would plop out of a nightmare that farted too aggressively?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
LazarX wrote:
Have any characters or classes or scenarios been inspired by a single piece of character art?

Merisiel.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

LazarX wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
The Golux wrote:
James, How would you feel about referring to Native Outsiders as Material Outsiders instead?
Meh. Native outsiders works, and changing it just to change it makes years of adventures needlessly out of date. Not a fan.
Would it help if the female ones were named Madonna?

Not at all.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
What would plop out of a nightmare that farted too aggressively?

Mud elementals.

Scarab Sages

Given that, as I understand, you dislike Dwarves as we've largely come to be familiar with them, what alternative vision of Dwarves from a source outside your own work (literature, film, tabletop games, or computer/video games) of which you are familiar would you say you like best, or think shows the most promise as a strong alternative to "typical" fantasy Dwarves?

Might we expect more subraces for non-Humans, the way the FORGOTTEN REALMS has its array of substantially different Dwarven/Elven/Halfling subraces?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:

Given that, as I understand, you dislike Dwarves as we've largely come to be familiar with them, what alternative vision of Dwarves from a source outside your own work (literature, film, tabletop games, or computer/video games) of which you are familiar would you say you like best, or think shows the most promise as a strong alternative to "typical" fantasy Dwarves?

Might we expect more subraces for non-Humans, the way the FORGOTTEN REALMS has its array of substantially different Dwarven/Elven/Halfling subraces?

I'm quite fond of the Dragon Age dwarves, frankly. The fact that they're sort of a matriarchy and there's a lot of profanity helps disrupt the version of dwarves that I'm bored with.

That said... fans of dwarves seem to be REALLY passionate about them for all the reasons I dislike them, so I'm really not interested in trying to rob their joy just to make something I'm not a big fan of more appealing. After all... if I made dwarves into something more appealing to me... they'd be a LOT like gnomes or halflings. And it turns out? We have those already. No need, then.


James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
What would plop out of a nightmare that farted too aggressively?
Mud elementals.

...

...

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!

Seriously that was the funniest thing I've read or heard all day, and I was listening to Pandora comedy for a while today.

Scarab Sages

I liked how DARK SUN Dwarves seemed to draw more on a Mesopotamian aesthetic than the typical Nordic/Scottish. It seemed like a promising alternative vision that could be taken well beyond the DARK SUN setting.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

What is your opinon on Qdoba Mexican Grill?

Scarab Sages

What is your opinon on Qadira Genie Kabobs?


James Jacobs wrote:
<Informative response!>

Thanks so much for the great feedback, James! I really appreciate it!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Do you know if it's a conscious effect of the art orders that Jirelle looks like she's having the time of her life in every depiction of her published so far?

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