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Quote:
Are any of the iconics transgender?

Huh. Does polymorph still do that?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

BigNorseWolf wrote:
Quote:
Are any of the iconics transgender?
Huh. Does polymorph still do that?

Alter self can do that. At half the spell level!

Pathfinder is ALL ABOUT the options!

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

James Jacobs wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Quote:
Are any of the iconics transgender?
Huh. Does polymorph still do that?

Alter self can do that. At half the spell level!

Pathfinder is ALL ABOUT the options!

This makes me really hope that Golarion doesn't have an equivalent of April Fools Day.

Or possibly that it does...


Alright, James,

What are the socio-political consequences?

Are magic transgender people fertile?

Do princesses ever become princes or vice-verse when it would be expedient to produce royal offspring from allied nations?


Jiggy wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Quote:
Are any of the iconics transgender?
Huh. Does polymorph still do that?

Alter self can do that. At half the spell level!

Pathfinder is ALL ABOUT the options!

This makes me really hope that Golarion doesn't have an equivalent of April Fools Day.

Or possibly that it does...

In a world where magic can make nearly any effect you can think of occur, you're bound to have the most insane April Fools Days ever.


Evil Lincoln wrote:

Alright, James,

What are the socio-political consequences?

Are magic transgender people fertile?

Do princesses ever become princes or vice-verse when it would be expedient to produce royal offspring from allied nations?

Can one cleverly impregnate oneself via magic?

Grand Lodge

Whip/Scorpion Whip/Nine-Section Whip questions:
1. Do the Scorpion and Nine-section whip have 15ft reach like the regular one does? Neither of them specify any kind of reach length in the descriptions Ive seen, but since they have the name 'whip' Id be inclined to think its supposed to be there.

2. The scorpion whip specifically says that if you are proficient with a regular whip, you are proficient with the scorpion whip as well? This doesnt extend to the nine-section, correct?

3. If I take a feat to enhance my whip usage (Weapon Focus/Spec for example), would those extend to all three kinds, or just the one specific one? With the Whip/Scorpion whip connection, would that allow it to pass between types?

Non-Whip questions, though I imagine these have been asked before:
1) Favorite Chuck Norris Joke?
2) Favorite Power Ranger? (the color and the person underneath)
3) Favorite Transformer?
4) Favorite LotR character?
5) Are you right handed or left handed?
6) Favorite subject in school?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Evil Lincoln wrote:

Alright, James,

What are the socio-political consequences?

Are magic transgender people fertile?

Do princesses ever become princes or vice-verse when it would be expedient to produce royal offspring from allied nations?

Depends on the nation.

Depends on the magic.

That's a very interesting story idea. An unusual variant on the "you have to endure this arranged marriage for the good of the kingdom!"

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Ringtail wrote:
Evil Lincoln wrote:

Alright, James,

What are the socio-political consequences?

Are magic transgender people fertile?

Do princesses ever become princes or vice-verse when it would be expedient to produce royal offspring from allied nations?

Can one cleverly impregnate oneself via magic?

Magic can do ANYTHING! That's why they call it magic.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
godsDMit wrote:

Whip/Scorpion Whip/Nine-Section Whip questions:

1. Do the Scorpion and Nine-section whip have 15ft reach like the regular one does? Neither of them specify any kind of reach length in the descriptions Ive seen, but since they have the name 'whip' Id be inclined to think its supposed to be there.

2. The scorpion whip specifically says that if you are proficient with a regular whip, you are proficient with the scorpion whip as well? This doesnt extend to the nine-section, correct?

3. If I take a feat to enhance my whip usage (Weapon Focus/Spec for example), would those extend to all three kinds, or just the one specific one? With the Whip/Scorpion whip connection, would that allow it to pass between types?

Non-Whip questions, though I imagine these have been asked before:
1) Favorite Chuck Norris Joke?
2) Favorite Power Ranger? (the color and the person underneath)
3) Favorite Transformer?
4) Favorite LotR character?
5) Are you right handed or left handed?
6) Favorite subject in school?

1) Nope; no reach for the scorpion whip or nine-section whip. The big advantage of the whip over those two IS the reach element; you sacrifice damage for it.

2) Nope.

3) It would indeed, as long as your feat enhanced your whip proficiency and not, say, JUST your scorpion whip proficiency.

NON-WHIP ANSWERS

1) The one about how his tears would cure cancer, yet he has never cried.

2) None.

3) Grimlock.

4) Shelob.

5) Right handed.

6) English. (surprise!)


James Jacobs wrote:
That's a very interesting story idea. An unusual variant on the "you have to endure this arranged marriage for the good of the kingdom!"

You're welcome to it. :)


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

So what AP do you think will be after Shattered Star? ;)

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Mr. Dinosaur,

I've been thinking more about the hypothetical meteor-hammer-using PFS character that I asked you about the other day. I've narrowed it down to a Lawful "Neutral" creepy guy with a bit of a snake fixation. I'd like to again solicit your creative insight, if that would be alright.

Here are some of the things I've thought of using for the Creep Snake Guy theme, and I'd like to know your opinions on them and if there's anything I missed:

1) Be a ranger. Full BAB progression (good for weapon usage) and I can eventually get an animal companion (I've never used one before, but I presume I could get a snake). Also gets me TWF bonus feats starting at 2nd level, which will help.

2) Bite attack, most likely via the famous Adopted/Toothy trait combo. Would be pretty cool, right? (Alternatively I could just carry a dagger that I call "Fang" and stab people when I feel especially vindictive.)

3) A one-level dip into Maneuver Master. Gets me Improved Trip without prereqs, and the ability to "tack on" a trip to an otherwise normal full attack. Half the appeal here is to declare a full attack (while the hammer is in reach mode), start with the Flurry trip, use the MH's special ability to draw them in instead of knocking them prone, then move on to my normal attack, in which I use the aforementioned bite. I'm not super-familiar with natural attacks (yet), but I think this works. "Reel them in for a snakebite" seems cool. (Obviously, this 1-level dip becomes less appealing if the fangs are a dagger.)

4) Snake Style feat. The question is whether to spend two feats to get it "legit", or to dip a level of Unarmed Fighter and grab it early. Wouldn't disrupt my BAB progression, so it seems good. But it would slow down the acquisition of the AniComp (especially if I also dip Maneuver Master). Your thoughts?

5) I guess I'd pick Cheliax for my faction, as they're the most obviously-creepy... but with your superior knowledge of Golarion, would another faction have some potentially interesting snake-flavor possibilities? Maybe I could be "The Osirion Cobra" or something?

6) Any other tips/ideas?

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

Why is the gorilla bear so lame, yet the owlbear is so cool? Are there any other combo-bear monsters that would be cool? How about a hippopotamus-bear?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

JoelF847 wrote:
Why is the gorilla bear so lame, yet the owlbear is so cool? Are there any other combo-bear monsters that would be cool? How about a hippopotamus-bear?

Or platypus-bear?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Justin Franklin wrote:
So what AP do you think will be after Shattered Star? ;)

I actually KNOW what AP will be after Shattered Star, just as I KNOW what AP was going to be after Shattered Star 1 week ago, just as I KNOW that AP changed during that week (and is likely to change again).

Which is why we don't reveal details about things that far in the future until we know for sure things are solid.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Justin Franklin wrote:
So what AP do you think will be after Shattered Star? ;)

I actually KNOW what AP will be after Shattered Star, just as I KNOW what AP was going to be after Shattered Star 1 week ago, just as I KNOW that AP changed during that week (and is likely to change again).

Which is why we don't reveal details about things that far in the future until we know for sure things are solid.

But if I don't ask you don't get to come up with fun new ways to tell me you can't tell me. ;)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

JoelF847 wrote:
Why is the gorilla bear so lame, yet the owlbear is so cool? Are there any other combo-bear monsters that would be cool? How about a hippopotamus-bear?

Because the owlbear was first. And it did what that monster construction needed to do, and I didn't need another example of two animals mashed together to be one. And because the art for the gorilla bear was... unfortunate. Further... gorillas and bears are already badass enough. Same goes for hippos. They don't need bear parts to kill us. Owls do.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Jiggy wrote:

4) Snake Style feat. The question is whether to spend two feats to get it "legit", or to dip a level of Unarmed Fighter and grab it early. Wouldn't disrupt my BAB progression, so it seems good. But it would slow down the acquisition of the AniComp (especially if I also dip Maneuver Master). Your thoughts?

5) I guess I'd pick Cheliax for my faction, as they're the most obviously-creepy... but with your superior knowledge of Golarion, would another faction have some potentially interesting snake-flavor possibilities? Maybe I could be "The Osirion Cobra" or something?
6) Any other tips/ideas?

4) Spend two feats to get it legit. Bloating an already complex character with extra archetypes and the like is lazy. :-P

5) If this is for PFS... Lantern Lodge seems the best fit for a meteor hammer character.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

James Jacobs wrote:
4) Spend two feats to get it legit. Bloating an already complex character with extra archetypes and the like is lazy. :-P

You think so? I was just concerned that it would take too long that way. I'm already spending my first level feat (and a race choice of either human or half-elf) just to get the meteor hammer online. That means level 3 to get IUS and level 5 for Snake Style. Which means that my namesake style doesn't show up until halfway through the character's career (due to the PFS level 12 cap).

Any ideas for solutions?

Quote:

5) If this is for PFS... Lantern Lodge seems the best fit for a meteor hammer character.

Hm... Any ideas for snake-themed flavor tie-ins? Even if it's just a cool-sounding Tian snake I could name the character after?

Dark Archive

Jiggy wrote:
Hm... Any ideas for snake-themed flavor tie-ins? Even if it's just a cool-sounding Tian snake I could name the character after?

For my snake-themed ninja / poison mastermind in City of Villains, I used this site to come up with names like Mamushi and Tokara for his ninja minions.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Jiggy wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
4) Spend two feats to get it legit. Bloating an already complex character with extra archetypes and the like is lazy. :-P

You think so? I was just concerned that it would take too long that way. I'm already spending my first level feat (and a race choice of either human or half-elf) just to get the meteor hammer online. That means level 3 to get IUS and level 5 for Snake Style. Which means that my namesake style doesn't show up until halfway through the character's career (due to the PFS level 12 cap).

Any ideas for solutions?

Quote:

5) If this is for PFS... Lantern Lodge seems the best fit for a meteor hammer character.

Hm... Any ideas for snake-themed flavor tie-ins? Even if it's just a cool-sounding Tian snake I could name the character after?

4) Beyond being patient and waiting for the chance to earn those feats... no solutions. Unless you decide to go the archetype route. I wouldn't if it were my character.

5) I'd head over to Wikipedia or elsewhere on the internets and start looking up info about snakes what live in Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian realms.


Hey James what do you think of this spell? Too powerful/weak? notes/ideas?

Wrath of the first world
School: Conjuration
Level: Druid 6 Sorcerer/Wizard 6 Witch 6
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V,S
Range: 120ft
Area: 120ft line
Duration: Instananeous(but seebellow)
Saving throw: Reflex Partial
Spell Resistance: None

You call upon primal forces unleashing a compination of positive energy, life in the form of plants, and the decay of unnatural creations not of nature. All Undead and Constructs in the area of effect take 1d6/level(15d6max) in damage. In addition to this, plants grow in the area of effect that is on the ground wether natural or man made(stone floors, wooden deck of a ship, etc.) that will entangle anything that enters the area as well as those struct with the blast. The entangling effect last for 1 round per caster level and a succesful reflex save negates this effect as well as 1/2 the damage for the blast.

Note: I am thinking of including Aberrations and/or objects being effected as well.

Other names for the spell include "Life's breath of the first world","Life's energy of the first world",or "Blast of the first world"

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Dragon78 wrote:

Hey James what do you think of this spell? Too powerful/weak? notes/ideas?

Wrath of the first world
School: Conjuration
Level: Druid 6 Sorcerer/Wizard 6 Witch 6
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V,S
Range: 120ft
Area: 120ft line
Duration: Instananeous(but seebellow)
Saving throw: Reflex Partial
Spell Resistance: None

You call upon primal forces unleashing a compination of positive energy, life in the form of plants, and the decay of unnatural creations not of nature. All Undead and Constructs in the area of effect take 1d6/level(15d6max) in damage. In addition to this, plants grow in the area of effect that is on the ground wether natural or man made(stone floors, wooden deck of a ship, etc.) that will entangle anything that enters the area as well as those struct with the blast. The entangling effect last for 1 round per caster level and a succesful reflex save negates this effect as well as 1/2 the damage for the blast.

Note: I am thinking of including Aberrations and/or objects being effected as well.

Other names for the spell include "Life's breath of the first world","Life's energy of the first world",or "Blast of the first world"

I generally don't want to provide feedback on design stuff here, partially because that would turn this thread into something it's not, but mostly because doing development work on rules bits like this is a big part of my actual job, and as such I tend to take it pretty seriously. AKA: I don't rush it, and that means it takes a fair amount of time, and I don't want to set a precedent where I'm developing anyone's and everyone's new rules because I wouldn't have time to do that. Sorry! :(


I came across the Call Of Cthulhu role playing game and it's very interesting. I was looking at all of the books for it though, and it seems very confusing. I don't know where to start. Can you help me? What books should I get?


Questions regarding oracles and divine scions...

The Divine Scion (p 46 Inner Sea Magic) has the requirement must have a patron deity.

1. The Inner Sea World Guide (p. 235) states that although dead gods can't grant spells to clerics, other divine spell casting classes who draw their power from other sources (such as oracles) can serve these sources as champions or cultists.

So, if an oracle (gaining its power from somewhere other than a god) chooses a dead god as a patron, would that count as having a patron deity for purposes of qualifying for the Divine Scion prestige class?

Hypothetical Example:
Aramar is a Lawful Neutral Azlanti (human) Oracle who follows the ancestor mystery and is of the possessed archetype with the possession being the spirit (or fragment of a spirit) of a celestial servant of Aroden. Like many Azlanti he clings to the glorious past and has taken Aroden as his patron deity despite the fact that the god is deceased. Can he qualify for the Divine Scion prestige class assuming that the other requirements are met?

Note: Such a character (PC or NPC) would be of extreme interest to the Harbingers (ISWG p 261), IMO.

2. Could an oracle who receives his spells and powers from a source other than a deity, such as the possessed archetype (UM p.59) still have a patron deity and become a divine scion of that deity?

Hypothetical Example
Durin Iron Fist is a Lawful Good dwarf who was taken to the tombs of his ancestors as a little boy and they spoke to him and have since guided him through his life. In game mechanics, he would be an oracle of the ancestor mystery who would also be of the possessed archetype with the "possession" being fragments or imprints of the souls of his deceased ancestors. Could he choose Torag as his patron deity and become a Divine Scion of Torag despite receiving his spells from a source different than Torag but which was very closely in line with Torag's works and ideals? Sort of a case of getting spells from one source (dead ancestors souls) and the Divine Scion abilities (Opposition Alignment, etc.) from another?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Marshall Fundaburk wrote:
I came across the Call Of Cthulhu role playing game and it's very interesting. I was looking at all of the books for it though, and it seems very confusing. I don't know where to start. Can you help me? What books should I get?

Start with the core rulebook—this one right here.

That one book is really all you need to get started; it's got several adventures in it. Beyond that, there's a LOT of supplements and adventures available for the game, as you might expect for a game that's been in print for over 30 years. The fact that the game's rules are relatively unchanged over the course of its six editions means that you can pick up an adventure from 1982 and still run it today using the sixth edition rules.

Once you've absorbed the contents of the core rulebook... the best place to go from there is the adventures. "Masks of Nyarlathotep" and "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" are my two favorites.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

The Thing from Beyond the Edge wrote:

The Divine Scion (p 46 Inner Sea Magic) has the requirement must have a patron deity.

1. The Inner Sea World Guide (p. 235) states that although dead gods can't grant spells to clerics, other divine spell casting classes who draw their power from other sources (such as oracles) can serve these sources as champions or cultists.

So, if an oracle (gaining its power from somewhere other than a god) chooses a dead god as a patron, would that count as having a patron deity for purposes of qualifying for the Divine Scion prestige class?

Hypothetical Example:
Aramar is a Lawful Neutral Azlanti (human) Oracle who follows the ancestor mystery and is of the possessed archetype with the possession being the spirit (or fragment of a spirit) of a celestial servant of Aroden. Like many Azlanti he clings to the glorious past and has taken Aroden as his patron deity despite the fact that the god is deceased. Can he qualify for the Divine Scion prestige class assuming that the other requirements are met?

Note: Such a character (PC or NPC) would be of extreme interest to the Harbingers (ISWG p 261), IMO.

2. Could an oracle who receives his spells and powers from a source other than a deity, such as the possessed archetype (UM p.59) still have a patron deity and become a divine scion of that deity?

Hypothetical Example
Durin Iron Fist is a Lawful Good dwarf who was taken to the tombs of his ancestors as a little boy and they spoke to him and have since guided him through his life. In game mechanics, he would be an oracle of the ancestor mystery who would also be of the possessed archetype with the "possession" being fragments or imprints of the souls of his deceased ancestors. Could he choose Torag as his patron deity and become a Divine Scion of Torag despite receiving his spells from a source different than Torag but which was very closely in line with Torag's works and ideals? Sort of a case of getting spells from one source (dead ancestors souls) and the Divine Scion abilities (Opposition Alignment, etc.) from another?

Oracles don't HAVE to have a patron deity... in fact, most do not. But still, they can. If an oracle wants to take levels of Divine Scion, she must have a patron deity. The class only works if you worship an active god capable of granting spells. Dead gods and false gods do not have divine scions.


James Jacobs wrote:
The Thing from Beyond the Edge wrote:

The Divine Scion (p 46 Inner Sea Magic) has the requirement must have a patron deity.

1. The Inner Sea World Guide (p. 235) states that although dead gods can't grant spells to clerics, other divine spell casting classes who draw their power from other sources (such as oracles) can serve these sources as champions or cultists.

So, if an oracle (gaining its power from somewhere other than a god) chooses a dead god as a patron, would that count as having a patron deity for purposes of qualifying for the Divine Scion prestige class?

Hypothetical Example:
Aramar is a Lawful Neutral Azlanti (human) Oracle who follows the ancestor mystery and is of the possessed archetype with the possession being the spirit (or fragment of a spirit) of a celestial servant of Aroden. Like many Azlanti he clings to the glorious past and has taken Aroden as his patron deity despite the fact that the god is deceased. Can he qualify for the Divine Scion prestige class assuming that the other requirements are met?

Note: Such a character (PC or NPC) would be of extreme interest to the Harbingers (ISWG p 261), IMO.

2. Could an oracle who receives his spells and powers from a source other than a deity, such as the possessed archetype (UM p.59) still have a patron deity and become a divine scion of that deity?

Hypothetical Example
Durin Iron Fist is a Lawful Good dwarf who was taken to the tombs of his ancestors as a little boy and they spoke to him and have since guided him through his life. In game mechanics, he would be an oracle of the ancestor mystery who would also be of the possessed archetype with the "possession" being fragments or imprints of the souls of his deceased ancestors. Could he choose Torag as his patron deity and become a Divine Scion of Torag despite receiving his spells from a source different than Torag but which was very closely in line with Torag's works and ideals? Sort of a case of getting spells from one source (dead ancestors souls) and the Divine Scion abilities (Opposition Alignment, etc.) from another?

Oracles don't HAVE to have a patron deity... in fact, most do not. But still, they can. If an oracle wants to take levels of Divine Scion, she must have a patron deity. The class only works if you worship an active god capable of granting spells. Dead gods and false gods do not have divine scions.

So, as to number two, if Durin worships Torag (an active god capable of granting spells) but receives his spells from another source (possession), can he become a Divine Scion of Torag?

Reading your response RAW makes me want to say yes, but OTOH, I feel like I might be reading too much into the response to fit my wishes.

Thanks for the response.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

The Thing from Beyond the Edge wrote:

So, as to number two, if Durin worships Torag (an active god capable of granting spells) but receives his spells from another source (possession), can he become a Divine Scion of Torag?

Reading your response RAW makes me want to say yes, but OTOH, I feel like I might be reading too much into the response to fit my wishes.

Thanks for the response.

Correct; he receives his spells from some other source, but his divine scion abilities are granted by Torag. In fact, once he becomes a divine scion, the actual source of his spells BECOMES Torag, although he'd still grant them via a proxy possessing spirit.

Basically, the whole point of the divine scion prestige class is that you are a chosen agent in the mortal realm of a specific deity. If you don't want to play a divine spellcaster who directly serves a single specific deity and thus has his powers granted to him by that deity... you shouldn't take levels in the divine scion prestige class.


James Jacobs wrote:
The Thing from Beyond the Edge wrote:

So, as to number two, if Durin worships Torag (an active god capable of granting spells) but receives his spells from another source (possession), can he become a Divine Scion of Torag?

Reading your response RAW makes me want to say yes, but OTOH, I feel like I might be reading too much into the response to fit my wishes.

Thanks for the response.

Correct; he receives his spells from some other source, but his divine scion abilities are granted by Torag. In fact, once he becomes a divine scion, the actual source of his spells BECOMES Torag, although he'd still grant them via a proxy possessing spirit.

Basically, the whole point of the divine scion prestige class is that you are a chosen agent in the mortal realm of a specific deity. If you don't want to play a divine spellcaster who directly serves a single specific deity and thus has his powers granted to him by that deity... you shouldn't take levels in the divine scion prestige class.

Thanks once again. I've been toying with a lot of concepts lately...


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Hi James--

I ran the first session of Burnt Offerings earlier this week and everyone had a great time. Thanks so much for kicking off the Adventure Paths with such an accessible and enjoyable adventure. : )

For those who haven't played through Rise of the Runelords, beware--there are oblique spoilers below.

I'm making two major modifications to the AP, those being that I'm running it on a Medium advancement track (which means I have room to shove all sorts of sidequests in as I see fit, such as ones dealing with political maneuvering between Korvosa and Magnimar), and that I'm cramming it full of Lovecraftian overtones--Mhar itself may well make an appearance at the end of the AP if things go spectacularly wrong for the PCs.

In any case, I had a question for you. I've never played Call of Cthulhu, but have a middling appreciation of the Mythos and have read recaps of several Call of Cthulhu campaigns online. In some of those campaigns, the Investigators are occasionally drawn into the Dreamlands. Different Keepers appear to treat the Dreamlands in different ways, but I was wondering if it would be reasonable for me to use the Dreamlands as a means to warn my PCs about Mhar, Leng and the whole 'conspiracy behind the rise of Karzoug', so to speak.

And beyond that, I am considering using flumphs to make it all happen.

So if you were playing in my game and your PC went to sleep one night, and woke up in the Dreamlands where he/she had a conversation with a flumph about the Dark Tapestry and Leng and the end of the world, would that be ridiculous, or cool/fun? I figure that between your familiarity with both the AP and the Mythos, you're the ideal person to ask. : )

--Mike


James Jacobs wrote:
Alter self can do that. At half the spell level!

Ah, but its duration is pretty short... and it cannot be affected with permanency...

So, is there an easier way, or do I have to dig out one of these cursed girdles, or resort to polymorph any object which is a bit... high level?

Grand Lodge

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

Spellstrike: The free attack is NOT an extra attack. It's a free attack you ad on to spellcasting. Casting the spell still takes the normal amount of time—spellstrike just effectively adds the weapon attack as a part of the casting of the spell. Think of the attack as a somatic component if you will. So when he uses spellstrike, he does NOT get his full iterative attacks—his primary action in that round is the spellcasting, and normally that means he gets NO attacks. Spellstrike lets him make ONE attack as part of that spellcasting.

I think you are missing the interaction between Spellstrike and Spell Combat. Spell Combat allows the Magus to cast a spell with his offhand as a full round action and still receive his iterative attacks. If that spell is a touch spell that provides a free touch attack as part of it (like shocking grasp) then the magus would still get this attack. So using Spell Combat, but without Spellstrike, the magus could attack with his sword and cast shocking grasp and deliver it as a touch spell with his off hand. With Spellstrike (which the ability states can be used with Spell Combat) the magus can make the attack for the shocking grasp with his sword instead of his off hand (though it is no longer a touch attack). I think this works fine so long as cantrips are errata'd to not be usuable with Spellstrike.

Does this make sense?

Cantrips should be errataed to just not be spells in the first place. Too many design assumptions rely upon spell level as a multiple or adjustment, and using "0" as a spell level causes too many problems.

Such has how Arcane Mark has finally found a use?... Giving free extra attacks to Magi using spellstrike. I consider it a cheese move but the RAW Lawyers have me over a barrel on that one.


Could you please answer these two questions for me?


James Jacobs wrote:
Marshall Fundaburk wrote:
I came across the Call Of Cthulhu role playing game and it's very interesting. I was looking at all of the books for it though, and it seems very confusing. I don't know where to start. Can you help me? What books should I get?

Start with the core rulebook—this one right here.

That one book is really all you need to get started; it's got several adventures in it. Beyond that, there's a LOT of supplements and adventures available for the game, as you might expect for a game that's been in print for over 30 years. The fact that the game's rules are relatively unchanged over the course of its six editions means that you can pick up an adventure from 1982 and still run it today using the sixth edition rules.

Once you've absorbed the contents of the core rulebook... the best place to go from there is the adventures. "Masks of Nyarlathotep" and "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" are my two favorites.

Thanks james. Is Malleus Monstrorum worth getting? It kinda seems exactly what I've been looking for, which is like a comprehensive collection of all the monsters and gods in the game. it'd probably take ages to track them down through all the books they've released over the past 30 years, right? so I should probably just get it if it's worth getting.


1)Where Gnomes originally Fey in the first world or have they always been humaniod(gnome)?

2)Since all the core races(except halfling) have dark and/or evil counterparts, Human(Human, Fetchling, etc.), Elf/half-elf(Drow), Dwarf(Duegar)Gnome(Spriggan and Svirfneblin). So why no Evil, Shadowy, and/or Underdark versions of Halflings?

3)So what all the Cryptids that have stats in pathfinder? What are the chances of having a Module that focuses on capturing/killing cryptid? I know that Chubacobra, Mothman, Sea Serpant, Water Orm, Sandpoint Devil, and Hodag are cryptids.

4)Will there be any variants(like poisonous) or more powerful versions of the Hudra stated up anytime soon because I found it to weak? Can a Pyro/Cryo Hydra use all its breathweapons at once for each head?

5)Are there any low CR(4 or less) Dragons(other then fairy dragons) in the Beastairy 3?

6)Will there be any new types of trolls in the Beastairy 3?

7)Will we ever find out when and where Halflings came from? Same for Elves?

8)What is the worst campaign you have ever played in?

9)What melee touch spells can a caster hold the charge for?

10)With only 3 APs left of the jade regent it is safe to assume that the oni that will be in them will Kuwa(human), Spirit oni and ja Noi(hobgoblin) So the Yai types of oni will be in the Beastairy 3 correct?


Vinland Forever wrote:
Could you please answer these two questions for me?

I got the second one answered, but I could still use some help on whether or not I should apply for a compatibility license.


Vinland Forever wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Could you please answer these two questions for me?
I got the second one answered, but I could still use some help on whether or not I should apply for a compatibility license.

Here's a link to more information so you can tell me if it should have a compatibility or community use license.

Also, any creator opinions on the project in general would be appreciated.


Vinland Forever wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Could you please answer these two questions for me?
I got the second one answered, but I could still use some help on whether or not I should apply for a compatibility license.

Here's a link to more information so you can tell me if it should have a compatibility or community use license.

Also, any creator opinions on the project in general would be appreciated.

You know, if there's a college somewhere around you then you can hang around the law department and probably get better answers for free from students and bored professors. That's how I get the legal advice on my student loans. It's competent advice and free, too. And somehow I think bored law professors would probably know more about law minutiae than James Jacobs would.


Dear James Jacobs,

Let's pretend that Wizards of the Coast decides to release all of their old 3.5 material into the OGL (yeah, this is some hard-core pretending!). Can you name 5 to 10 things that you wouldn't want to ever see Paizo add into the Pathfinder roleplaying game as-is? This could be anything as broad as "The Book of Nine Swords" or anything as specific as "mindflayers."

... what? I'm curious!


Golden-Esque wrote:

Dear James Jacobs,

Let's pretend that Wizards of the Coast decides to release all of their old 3.5 material into the OGL (yeah, this is some hard-core pretending!). Can you name 5 to 10 things that you wouldn't want to ever see Paizo add into the Pathfinder roleplaying game as-is? This could be anything as broad as "The Book of Nine Swords" or anything as specific as "mindflayers."

... what? I'm curious!

I know he has a partial no to Unearthed Arcana (No to generic classes and probably no to Gestalt characters)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

cynarion wrote:

In any case, I had a question for you. I've never played Call of Cthulhu, but have a middling appreciation of the Mythos and have read recaps of several Call of Cthulhu campaigns online. In some of those campaigns, the Investigators are occasionally drawn into the Dreamlands. Different Keepers appear to treat the Dreamlands in different ways, but I was wondering if it would be reasonable for me to use the Dreamlands as a means to warn my PCs about Mhar, Leng and the whole 'conspiracy behind the rise of Karzoug', so to speak.

And beyond that, I am considering using flumphs to make it all happen.

So if you were playing in my game and your PC went to sleep one night, and woke up in the Dreamlands where he/she had a conversation with a flumph about the Dark Tapestry and Leng and the end of the world, would that be ridiculous, or cool/fun? I figure that between your familiarity with both the AP and the Mythos, you're the ideal person to ask. : )

--Mike

Whether or not you think it's reasonable to have the Dreamlands take on a stronger role in your game is, in the end, up to you. Personally, I would enjoy a side-trip now and then to the Dreamlands, and to ANY other plane of existence, really, but only as long as Golarion remains the main campaign setting. And only if the side trip wasn't too distracting to the overall plot—usually when we include elements in an AP that aren't well-connected to the AP's plot and themes, people get frustrated.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Midnight_Angel wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Alter self can do that. At half the spell level!

Ah, but its duration is pretty short... and it cannot be affected with permanency...

So, is there an easier way, or do I have to dig out one of these cursed girdles, or resort to polymorph any object which is a bit... high level?

Honestly... apart from the girdles, there's not really much of the gender swapping stuff in the rules. If you want such elements in your game, you should speak with your GM. A spell that permanently swaps gender, though... since such a spell would have no effect on actual game statistics, I'd say it would probably be mid level. Maybe 5th? Awaken, strangely enough, seems to be the closest parallel... as a spell that creates a permanent change to a living creature's body.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

LazarX wrote:
Such has how Arcane Mark has finally found a use?... Giving free extra attacks to Magi using spellstrike. I consider it a cheese move but the RAW Lawyers have me over a barrel on that one.

That's a great example. And if you're the GM in that case, and you've got players who are being pills, maybe you need to kick those players out of your game.

I don't have a lot of patience for players who don't respect GM calls and decisions. After all, a player who doesn't agree with the way a GM runs the game can leave the game as well... that street should run both ways.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Vinland Forever wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Could you please answer these two questions for me?
I got the second one answered, but I could still use some help on whether or not I should apply for a compatibility license.

Looks like things resolved themselves before I came around?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Marshall Fundaburk wrote:
Thanks james. Is Malleus Monstrorum worth getting? It kinda seems exactly what I've been looking for, which is like a comprehensive collection of all the monsters and gods in the game. it'd probably take ages to track them down through all the books they've released over the past 30 years, right? so I should probably just get it if it's worth getting.

Malleus Monstrorum is a really interesting book; they've illustrated it not with pictures of the actual monsters, but with artifacts and the like as if the monsters were real-world, and they used those artifacts as evidence of the monster's existence. Things like cave paintings, ancient carvings, blurry photos, and the like. It's a really unusual and interesting way to illustrate a monster book.

And yes, the book's definitely worth getting. It's not 100% comprehensive, but it DOES have a lot of critters.

As for tracking down all the books released over the past 30 years... that'd get expensive really quickly. A fair amount of them are long-since out of print, and command prices in excess of several hundred bucks in some cases on e-bay...

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:

1)Where Gnomes originally Fey in the first world or have they always been humaniod(gnome)?

2)Since all the core races(except halfling) have dark and/or evil counterparts, Human(Human, Fetchling, etc.), Elf/half-elf(Drow), Dwarf(Duegar)Gnome(Spriggan and Svirfneblin). So why no Evil, Shadowy, and/or Underdark versions of Halflings?

3)So what all the Cryptids that have stats in pathfinder? What are the chances of having a Module that focuses on capturing/killing cryptid? I know that Chubacobra, Mothman, Sea Serpant, Water Orm, Sandpoint Devil, and Hodag are cryptids.

4)Will there be any variants(like poisonous) or more powerful versions of the Hudra stated up anytime soon because I found it to weak? Can a Pyro/Cryo Hydra use all its breathweapons at once for each head?

5)Are there any low CR(4 or less) Dragons(other then fairy dragons) in the Beastairy 3?

6)Will there be any new types of trolls in the Beastairy 3?

7)Will we ever find out when and where Halflings came from? Same for Elves?

8)What is the worst campaign you have ever played in?

9)What melee touch spells can a caster hold the charge for?

10)With only 3 APs left of the jade regent it is safe to assume that the oni that will be in them will Kuwa(human), Spirit oni and ja Noi(hobgoblin) So the Yai types of oni will be in the Beastairy 3 correct?

1) Before gnomes came into this world, I suspect they weren't gnomes at all but were a now extinct or obsolete or super-rare form of fey. The thing that makes a gnome a gnome is the fact that it's humanoid and native to the Material Plane, after all...

2) In 3.5 there were underground versions of halflings. But in my opinion, those were kinda silly. AKA: If I felt that a evil/shadowy/underground version of a core race was worth going into the game... it went in. Not all made the cut.

3) There's a LOT of cryptids in the game... the ones you list are pretty much the core group. There are some more coming in Bestiary 3. But don't forget the yeti!

4) There's some variant hydras coming soon in "Mythological Monsters Revisited."

5) Yes... I believe there's at least one CR 4 or less dragon in Bestiary 3. That's a category of dragon you can expect us not to expand much in the future, though, since dragons aren't strong fits, thematically for low CR.

6) Yes.

7) Probably.

8) The one I won't be mentioning since I don't want to hurt any feelings.

9) All of them.

10) Nope; some oni will appear in Bestiary 3.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Golden-Esque wrote:

Dear James Jacobs,

Let's pretend that Wizards of the Coast decides to release all of their old 3.5 material into the OGL (yeah, this is some hard-core pretending!). Can you name 5 to 10 things that you wouldn't want to ever see Paizo add into the Pathfinder roleplaying game as-is? This could be anything as broad as "The Book of Nine Swords" or anything as specific as "mindflayers."

... what? I'm curious!

That comes close to "What are your 10 least favorite 3.5 D&D books?" I'm not really interested in listing my least favorite anything, since that tends to hurt feelings. Sorry!


James Jacobs wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Vinland Forever wrote:
Could you please answer these two questions for me?
I got the second one answered, but I could still use some help on whether or not I should apply for a compatibility license.
Looks like things resolved themselves before I came around?

Yup. I gots me a license.

What do you think of a 3rd party Pathfinder future project that brings the game to 1500 to 1918 (with a possible extension to 1945 or further), and is made up of "Punk" technology sets (Steampunk, Petrolpunk, the like)? It'll have equipment, new firearms mechanics, feats, spells, archetypes, and rules for naval and air combat. It'll have a campaign setting eventually, but that'll be offered separately from the main pdf, just like how Golarion is mostly separate from the CRB.

It was originally to be called Trailblazer, but I changed the name to Voyager. A 3.5 pdf called Trailblazer already exists.

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