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What I've got planned after Jade Regent is, perhaps, the most experimental topic for an AP we've done yet.
A mesoamerican themed AP a la Apocalypto?
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What I've got planned after Jade Regent is, perhaps, the most experimental topic for an AP we've done yet.A mesoamerican themed AP a la Apocalypto?
Honestly, Savage Tide, despite being "Africa" themed feels more Mesoamerican what with all the snake stuff. It'd probably be pretty easy to put a more Mesoamerican flare on the region.
Honestly, Savage Tide, despite being "Africa" themed feels more Mesoamerican what with all the snake stuff. It'd probably be pretty easy to put a more Mesoamerican flare on the region.What I've got planned after Jade Regent is, perhaps, the most experimental topic for an AP we've done yet.A mesoamerican themed AP a la Apocalypto?
Do you mean Serpent's Skull? I haven't read Savage Tide, but I immediately thought of SS when you said that.
Wow, I didn't expect this little rambling whine of mine would bloom into this. This is a pretty amazing little thread. Got some details out of James and everything.
Creative Director
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James, remember you promised some serious Norgorber love in here soon... can't wait for both Jade Regent and what comes next. Would love to see an AP in Nidal though. the creepy feel and the blatant Zon-Kuthon worship would make for an intensely atmospheric game.
Norgorber won't have a big role in Jade Regent. Maybe the next one after that? ;-P
James, remember you promised some serious Norgorber love in here soon... can't wait for both Jade Regent and what comes next. Would love to see an AP in Nidal though. the creepy feel and the blatant Zon-Kuthon worship would make for an intensely atmospheric game.Norgorber won't have a big role in Jade Regent. Maybe the next one after that? ;-P
I'm all about the Zon-Kuthon stuff atm. My party in CotCT is not enjoying it. Found some interesting Geiger paintings and thought I'd toss print outs of those on the table when they found an ancient shrine to the ZK. "Everyone that handled that paper needs to make a Will save of 25 or more. Just seeing this stuff makes you want to claw on your skin until you see yourself bleed right if you fail. If you succeed, you get to watch your friends initially start clawing at themselves, like they have spiders under the dermis."
I would love to see APs based in the Worldwound, the Land of the Linnorm Kings, or Geb/Nex at some point in the future. I imagine they wouldn't be the top priority though, but those are all areas I adore :)
I'm most interested at the moment in Casmaron; Iblydos in particular. Some sword and sandal action has been missing from my games for a while now.
Beyond Casmaron, I'd like to go way beyond Golarion. All the way to Akiton and Castrovel. I want sword and planet gaming!
Numeria would roc
Linnorm kings please
That island with the gold dragon and his his "experiments"
Under the sea...life is better down where it is wetter.
Woo hoo! I can't wait to see what's in the works for Miss Minkai - flights from distant foreign lands to unsettled shores, unrest and turmoil and bleak omens, dark backroom imperial politics, and a destiny that can't be avoided.
This. I’m playing RotRL at the moment (actually, we’ve been playing it since December ’09, and we’re only about halfway through The Hook Mountain Massacre – our group meets once every two weeks, and we’ve missed a few weekends due to players having other commitments). My DM departed a bit from the standard opening (in which the characters are all newcomers or visitors to Sandpoint), allowing my character to be an established resident of Sandpoint with existing relationships to the NPCs there. Those included an unspoken and (as far as he knew) unrequited attraction to Ameiko, which blossomed into romance after
Ameiko will be on the cover of the first volume of Jade Regent.
I wanted to ask about that, now that the cover is up on the site: when did Ameiko become a half-elf? In “Burnt Offerings,” Tsuto was half-elven because he was the son of Atsuii Kaijitsu and her unidentified elven lover, but Ameiko was the legitimate human daughter of Atsuii and Lonjiku. Is this a ret-con, a mistake on the artist’s part, or is that actually not Ameiko on the cover after all?
In fact, the plot for Jade Regent's been bumping around in my head since Pathfinder #1, and that's a primary reason I put Ameiko in that adventure in the first place.
I wondered if there was going to be more to Ameiko even before I heard of Jade Regent: she seems designed to become a fan-favorite NPC. A pretty, smart, rebellious noble’s daughter turned innkeeper (of the most adventurer-friendly inn in town, at that), with a lovely singing voice, excellent kitchen skills, and elaborate, mangaesque hairstyles? Heck, she’s practically fan-service. I’m sure I’m not the only player of RotRL to [have his character] fall in love with her.
Probably the easiest way to do a megadungeon in Golarion would be to use the followers of Rovagug.
Say that one of his clerics decided that the best way to free him was simply to dig a hole to his prison. Centuries later, the predictable schisms between the various Rovagug factions, attacks from other churches, and interference from Drow and Duragar has left a huge, sprawling hole in the ground that the PCs must enter to stop the latest round of digging.
That already exists in Golarion; it's called the Pit of Gormuz. Also, there’s already a published megadungeon that fits the concept pretty well: Rappan Athuk, from Necromancer Games. Turn the cult of Orcus into a cult of Lamashtu or Urgathoa, define the Ravager as one of the Spawn of Rovagug, and you’re set. Heck, Necromancer is supporting PFRPG now, they might be persuaded to do another revision of Rappan Athuk to update it to the PFRPG ruleset and fit it into Golarion (if Paizo will allow 3PP’s to use Golarion-specific product identity material like the gods – I can’t remember offhand what the rules on that are).
Speaking of 3PP’s, those interested in an epic-level AP might want to keep an eye on Mongoose Publishing; they’re supposedly going to reprint “The Drow War” campaign with the rules updated to PFRPG. (Even if they don’t, there is such a thing as HeroLab – you could convert the statblocks yourself.) That one runs from levels 1-30, and the third volume (each volume covers ten levels of play) involves the party confronting an existential threat to the entire multiverse.
A lot of the ideas I see in this thread (e.g. Alkenstar, Numeria, underwater adventuring,* plane and/or planet-hopping, playing agents of evil, etc.) might better be done as stand-alone modules or PFS scenarios rather than APs – it’s a lot easier to do wildly experimental stuff and cater to niche markets if you’re not tying up your flagship product and huge numbers of designer-hours for half a year.
One thing I would dearly love to see, a couple of years down the road, is a Casmaron World Guide, detailing the Golarion cultures inspired by Persia, India, and the central Asian steppes (and their principle export: hordes of barbarian horsemen). Such an expansion of the setting should of course appear in tandem with an adventure path, just as Jade Regent is coming out concurrently with the Tian Xia World Guide. The AP could begin with the Padishah Empire of Kelesh and the Impossible Kingdoms of Vudra vying for control of the starting location – say, an independent port town that lies between their territories -- and ideally give the PCs the choice of which side to support and occasion to visit both nations. The climax would be an expedition to the Pit of Gormuz to stymie a dire threat to both Kelesh and Vudra: the revival of Ninshabur (would that be Golarion’s Babylonia?) under the banner of Rovagug. Screw it up, and the PCs will get to meet the Tarrasque up close and personal....
*Am I the only one with fond memories of the OD&D module “X7: The War Rafts of Kronn?” I’d love to see an homage/remake of that one done in Golarion. Hadric the velya could be replaced with the undead incarnation of Runelord Alaznist, and the sunken city of Colhador with the ruins of Xin-Bakrakhan.
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Well... Jade Regent is itself quite experimental... and not only because it globetrots. It's also got a LOT more NPC interaction in the storyline than anything we've done before.
If this is what it means when you guys get experimental then BRING ON THE EXPERIMENTATION! More NPC interaction in the storyline? Yes, please.
I know from a design perspective and space limitation it is a nightmare, but I would love to see plots where choices and interactions you make with NPC's drastically alter scenarios that occur in the books down the line. Imagine a mechanic like you have done several times for an individual book where the players score "points" for different interactions (think of the "citizens saved" in 7 Days to the Grave, or "Respect" in History of Ashes, or "Trust" in newest Carrion Crown adventure)... but continuing over the course of all 6 books and encounters have built in variables based on the points the characters have gained over the campaign.
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Ameiko will be on the cover of the first volume of Jade Regent.I wanted to ask about that, now that the cover is up on the site: when did Ameiko become a half-elf? In “Burnt Offerings,” Tsuto was half-elven because he was the son of Atsuii Kaijitsu and her unidentified elven lover, but Ameiko was the legitimate human daughter of Atsuii and Lonjiku. Is this a ret-con, a mistake on the artist’s part, or is that actually not Ameiko on the cover after all?
Paizo put placeholder art in until they've got the final art in.
The last four Carrion Crown adventures still have placeholder art up, so you can be pretty sure that is placeholder art. I think the castle in the background is from Tower of the Last Baron and that is just the most Minkai-tastic image they could find to add.
I don't imagine that a bard who runs an inn and was raised and lives in Varisia is going to wear a lot of oriental stuff.
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Creative Director
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I wanted to ask about that, now that the cover is up on the site: when did Ameiko become a half-elf? In “Burnt Offerings,” Tsuto was half-elven because he was the son of Atsuii Kaijitsu and her unidentified elven lover, but Ameiko was the legitimate human daughter of Atsuii and Lonjiku. Is this a ret-con, a mistake on the artist’s part, or is that actually not Ameiko on the cover after all?
That's a placeholder cover. None of that art is the final art; the background's from "Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale," and the geisha herself is from Ultimate Magic (whcih isn't out yet, but it's still not the final art for this book).
The actual cover art is in house now, but until Sarah has a chance to build the REAL cover, it's gonna stay under wraps.
The actual cover art is in house now, but until Sarah has a chance to build the REAL cover, it's gonna stay under wraps.
I see; thanks for the explanation. So is that half-elven geisha the iconic for a geisha character class (a Perform skill-based PrC, maybe?), or is she just part of the scenery? Either way, looking forward to seeing both Ultimate Magic and the new pictures of Ameiko. :-D
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Creative Director
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I see; thanks for the explanation. So is that half-elven geisha the iconic for a geisha character class (a Perform skill-based PrC, maybe?), or is she just part of the scenery? Either way, looking forward to seeing both Ultimate Magic and the new pictures of Ameiko. :-D
She's actually an elf geisha, not a half elf at all. She's not even an iconic. She's an illustration in the bard section of "Ultimate Magic," which has a geisha archetype for bards.
She's actually an elf geisha, not a half elf at all. She's not even an iconic. She's an illustration in the bard section of "Ultimate Magic," which has a geisha archetype for bards.
Huh. I assumed half-elf because her ears, while clearly not human ears, are shorter than those of other full-blooded elves I've seen illustrated in PFRPG books (I'm especially thinking of Shalelu as portrayed in "Burnt Offerings" and "The Hook Mountain Massacre"). Different artists, different interpretations, I suppose.
I like the idea of the geisha as a bard archetype. Will there be any new subtypes of Perform skill to go with it? Thinking things like tea ceremonies, not necessarily some of the other things geishas are known for (if you need that, you can still get a PDF copy of the Book of Erotic Fantasy from RPGNow).
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She's actually an elf geisha, not a half elf at all. She's not even an iconic. She's an illustration in the bard section of "Ultimate Magic," which has a geisha archetype for bards.Huh. I assumed half-elf because her ears, while clearly not human ears, are shorter than those of other full-blooded elves I've seen illustrated in PFRPG books (I'm especially thinking of Shalelu as portrayed in "Burnt Offerings" and "The Hook Mountain Massacre"). Different artists, different interpretations, I suppose.
There was some fuss about the rabbit-eared elves in the early art and Paizo staff have since stated that it was an abberation and elven ears will not be (and have not been) so immense since then.
I prefer the more proportioned elf ears.
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She's actually an elf geisha, not a half elf at all. She's not even an iconic. She's an illustration in the bard section of "Ultimate Magic," which has a geisha archetype for bards.Huh. I assumed half-elf because her ears, while clearly not human ears, are shorter than those of other full-blooded elves I've seen illustrated in PFRPG books (I'm especially thinking of Shalelu as portrayed in "Burnt Offerings" and "The Hook Mountain Massacre"). Different artists, different interpretations, I suppose.There was some fuss about the rabbit-eared elves in the early art and Paizo staff have since stated that it was an abberation and elven ears will not be (and have not been) so immense since then.
I prefer the more proportioned elf ears.
I agree I think it made them look more different than humans. I prefer the rabbit eared elves.
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I agree I think it made them look more different than humans. I prefer the rabbit eared elves.
There was some fuss about the rabbit-eared elves in the early art and Paizo staff have since stated that it was an abberation and elven ears will not be (and have not been) so immense since then.I prefer the more proportioned elf ears.
+1 I prefer long elf ears. I never want to go back to the Vulcan-ear days.
Yay! The elf-ear argument returns! :-)It never goes away, we just sometimes take a break to argue about CG Batman. :D
Uh, I think you mean LN Batman right?! :-)
Yay! The elf-ear argument returns! :-)It never goes away, we just sometimes take a break to argue about CG Batman. :D
Plus the classics never die. The Bible. Shakespeare. Edition War Arguments and now Elf Ear Arguments.
+1 I prefer long elf ears. I never want to go back to the Vulcan-ear days.
I think I like the look of that geisha's ears. They're not Record of Lodoss War*/World of Warcraft huge, but they're not Vulcan ears, either -- they're set lower on her head than a human's ears, and stick out to the sides a lot more, whereas of course Vulcans are played by human actors with a little prosthetic point on top of their ears. They also look like they could have greater mobility than human ears, like those of a cat or wolf. The extremely long neck, hands and feet are nice, too; overall, another great example of the amazing quality of artwork Paizo uses. (And reuses, which I think is very smart -- I'd much rather see the same fantastic illustration in four different books than four different mediocre illustrations that each cost a quarter as much, and thus were produced in a quarter the artist-hours.)
On a long tangent, if Paizo were to publish an "Art of Pathfinder" glossy trade paperback collection every year or two, with each one collecting all the new illustrations from your products that came out since the previous edition, I'd probably buy all the books just to have it all in one place.
*I'm pretty sure RoLW was the first manga/anime to portray elves with ears that rose well above their scalps.
My vote for long elf ears. It makes them distinctive from the "usual" elves.
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Creative Director
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Yay! The elf-ear argument returns! :-)We've had our elf ear look more or less locked in for almost 4 years now. Not sure why the arguments are still going, honestly.Hmmm.... Split personality there? ;)
Nope. The first post was filled to the rim with bitter sarcasm. The internets stripped all that sarcasm out; I was hoping the smiley face would put some of it back in.
If we are placing our requests for awesome AP..
Definitely Linnorn kings.. there is so much awesome that could be fit into that area... clan wars.. rampaging linnorn.. evil witches... yeah lets do that!
A "north Avistan" adventure path based in the Lands of the Linnorm kings, with some adventuring in Irrisen and the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, and perhaps a plot of Baba Yaga to plunge the whole of Golarion into an Ice Age as the ultimate threat, would be awesome.
For a City based AP (which after playing in CoCT i would desperately love to do again..) Why not do Absalom! The haven of the starstone! With so many ruins around the area, history, and intrigue in the largest city in the world... it could easily be an awesome site for a 6 book ap.. caught up in intrigue... theft... political control... yeah why not!
I don't know if they'd want to do an AP about Absalom; Absalom, and the various factions that seek to influence or control it, are the unifying theme of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, and I think publishing an AP there might seem kind of like stepping on the PSOP designers' and players' toes.
and if we are just plain going for the awesome... lets have an ap based on the mana wastes... start out in nex or another nearby region... learn of the location of or someone ELSE has learned of the location of one of the artifacts in the wastes... try to recover it or find the ancient counter to said artifiact the other mage used before open war and destruction springs out again? who wouldn't love it!
The Nex/Geb conflict does seem tailor-made for an AP -- possibly one involving Jalmeray, as well.
maybe a nonhuman ap? or one focused on them? this could be very awesome as well... the elves were pretty central in second darkness. why not a dwarf/orc war ap... plenty of politics in dwarven cities as well, and orcs have a ton going for them if they could find a powerful enough warleader to get behind...
I think that sort of thing is more likely to turn up in a stand-alone module; an AP shouldn't restrict the players' choice of character types too much.
+1 for both Linnorm Kings and Numeria
Also something involving Irresen and the Mammoth Lords(which might tie in with the Linnorm Kings)
Worldwound! Mammoth Lands!
+1
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I would figure Irrisen is going to happen in 2013. Baba Yaga replaces her daughter on Irrisen's throne every 100 years, and the last one was enthroned in 4613 AR. Since the setting kinda, sorta advances 1 year AR for every year in the real world (it's currently 4711 AR as of the Inner Sea World Guide), 2013 is likely going to see big changes in Irrisen, the kind of big changes that would be perfect to set an AP amidst.
Nope. The first post was filled to the rim with bitter sarcasm. The internets stripped all that sarcasm out; I was hoping the smiley face would put some of it back in.Yay! The elf-ear argument returns! :-)We've had our elf ear look more or less locked in for almost 4 years now. Not sure why the arguments are still going, honestly.Hmmm.... Split personality there? ;)
I'd like to put in a vote for ear less elves. It gives the orcs something to do. ;)
We've had our elf ear look more or less locked in for almost 4 years now. Not sure why the arguments are still going, honestly.
I never why these have to be so uniform....human ears come in different shape and sizes...heck my ears are a different size and shape...why can't elves have the size of their pointed ears be different.
Uh, I think you mean LN Batman right?! :-)Yay! The elf-ear argument returns! :-)It never goes away, we just sometimes take a break to argue about CG Batman. :D
you guys have it all wrong, batman is neutral good! :). also i love the elves in pathfinder.
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Creative Director
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We've had our elf ear look more or less locked in for almost 4 years now. Not sure why the arguments are still going, honestly.I never why these have to be so uniform....human ears come in different shape and sizes...heck my ears are a different size and shape...why can't elves have the size of their pointed ears be different.
They need to be uniform because they're something that doesn't exist in the real world, and therefore by making them uniform we can make them identifyable as a specific racial trait of a fantasy race.
Same reason superheroes have highly identifyable costumes. That way, no matter who draws the superhero, the costume helps you keep track of who they all are.
Long pointed ears are how you can tell elves apart from half elves and halflings, essentially (the other two core races who also have pointed ears).
how about something really NUTS? That is, digging up the many threads on "how much does a farmer earn", and have a peasant campaign!
Commoner being the basic class, and making a new expert prestige class, one tied to each special skill like farming, fishing, carpentry etc.
Then dealing with rats and taxcollectors, and in the second installation of the adventure path, having advanced to a propable commoner 3/expert 3, they can duke out againts a STIGRE that is killing the cows.
Treasure would come just from keepimg the farm going, along with improvements built/bought and maintained. Oh and breaking up new land.
Then perhaps a goblin raid, one hey can handle being commoner 10/expert fishing 3/ expert apiaries 3 /expert farming 2, and having a fishing net +1 and hoe of deep furrows +3 nor to forget the scary ioun stone of bee creation (1 live obedient bee created/20 rounds) and boots of muckwalking+1
Earnings at this near epic levels isnt just from truly epic carrots and fine milk, but from a magnificient skill in talking the taxcollector into the ground regarding exemptions and deduction plans :p
Another pretty fascinating one would be a wizards academy style megadungeon AP. Like a academy, but it has some pretty big cellars that havent been cleaned out since when they learned to write in osirion.
Perhaps THE aboleth lich still down there that taught the azlanti all they knew? ;) (and still kept a lot of secrets)
.... and then theres that alternative to farmers, the goblin tribe. Plenty of raiding, and if your character dies.. no worry.. the tribe has a replacement. A bard can invent new songs etc.
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Way back at my last post I did mean serpents skull.
I would really love an ap that encourages younger characters like that one module in Nirmathas for level 1s. I think it would be cool if there was a Mendev AP that started you out in a crusader boot camp with the campaign traits based on why you joined the crusade. And the players eventually become the military's elite unit.
Also wouldn't mind an AP with a dragon as the bbeg or something colossal.
Edit - Best elf ears are Shalelu in pf3
heck, i want to see the long ears again too.
young elven maidens having rivalries based on 'ear length' would be entertaining. and it would be quite fun to roleplay.
it could be like modern humans and 'endowment.'
an elven woman just isn't conventionally attractive to other elves unless her ears are long. 12 inch ears get a lot of romantic priority over 6 inch ears.