So what does this Companion actually contain? I don't see any reviews yet.
Does it cover other Dwarven cultures besides the pseudo-Viking 'stereotypical' Dwarven culture, say Mwangi/Osirioni/Kelish Dwarves? (further variants in Vudra, Tian, or further afield probably need more general world material to support) I've seen James' explanation of why he dislikes Dwarves, and it seems to mostly revolve around the 'stereotypical' pseudo-Viking Dwarf culture - which wouldn't necessarily apply to other cultures. In any case, how are Dwarven culture(s) developed - whether conforming to stereotypes, or departing from them?
How is their subterranean origin explained? I've had a hard time squaring that background with the 'stereotypical' Dwarven culture which seems to persist in Golarion, i.e. grains for bread and ale are not something you would expect from subterranean dark-vision species, rather fungi, oozes, and cold flesh would seem more appropriate. Even if some Dwarves pick that up from surface cultures, it seems like the old subterranean culture would persist, and would have the mantle of 'most traditional' Dwarven culture/ cuisine...???
I assume there are Dwarven Feats/ Class Variants/ etc to make the standard Classes more specific to Dwarven culture(s). Without reproducing the crunch en-masse, what Classes are so developed, and what do the options look like generally?
Does it cover other Dwarven cultures besides the pseudo-Viking 'stereotypical' Dwarven culture, say Mwangi/Osirioni/Kelish Dwarves? (further variants in Vudra, Tian, or further afield probably need more general world material to support) I've seen James' explanation of why he dislikes Dwarves, and it seems to mostly revolve around the 'stereotypical' pseudo-Viking Dwarf culture - which wouldn't necessarily apply to other cultures. In any case, how are Dwarven culture(s) developed - whether conforming to stereotypes, or departing from them?
Most of the book is devoted to the "standard dwarves" that you'd find in and around the Five Kings Mountains, but there is some discussion of other cultures of dwarves, including "sand dwarves" and "desert dwarves."
How is their subterranean origin explained? I've had a hard time squaring that background with the 'stereotypical' Dwarven culture which seems to persist in Golarion, i.e. grains for bread and ale are not something you would expect from subterranean dark-vision species, rather fungi, oozes, and cold flesh would seem more appropriate.
The book talks about traditional diet and "modern" foods... just remember that the dwarves have been living on the surface for thousands of years now and have taken a liking to these "new" surface foods....
Even if some Dwarves pick that up from surface cultures, it seems like the old subterranean culture would persist, and would have the mantle of 'most traditional' Dwarven culture/ cuisine...???
Most of the dwarves left the Darklands in their pursuit of the orcs. However, dwarven traditionalism is a topic in the book.
I assume there are Dwarven Feats/ Class Variants/ etc to make the standard Classes more specific to Dwarven culture(s). Without reproducing the crunch en-masse, what Classes are so developed, and what do the options look like generally?
The Companions line doesn't normally have class variants, or feats specifically to change a class to something more culture-specific. Here's the rundown of the "back matter" articles in the book:
Combat: axe, chain, and hammer feats
Faith: new spells keyed to the other gods of the dwarven pantheon
Magic: more new spells
Persona: three dwarven NPCs suitable as hirelings or cohorts (or, if you use the suggested gear upgrades, as PCs)
Social: the cultural aspects of dwarven beards, ales, and crafting
Cool, thanks... I think I just may pick this one up...
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Persona: three dwarven NPCs suitable as hirelings or cohorts (or, if you use the suggested gear upgrades, as PCs)
Hi Sean! Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to you and yours!
BTW, I own this book, but away from home visiting the in-laws...
Q: cohorts... as per Leadership feat wording, my DM has allowed me a heroic stats cohort, with double the gear's worth as per "high fantasy" recommendation. Would it be extremely game breaking to have PC stats and gear for cohorts? (our PCs use a 25pt build, while the "heroic NPC" recommendations put them at a 15pt build...) Also, followers: I've been statting them up using heroic build as well (they stay at home to run the Golden Goblin.... as my fighter PC is part owner of that joint now...)
If your PCs are at the high fantasy level, you probably should crank up the cohorts as well, otherwise they're Rick Jones to your Hulk.
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If your PCs are at the high fantasy level, you probably should crank up the cohorts as well, otherwise they're Rick Jones to your Hulk.
Thanks Sean! I will carry the suggestion over to my DM, as I've considered you the authority on NPC game balance ever since your "How to level up peasants" article.
Cheers!
PDK
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Addendum: my PC is a male Varisian Fighter8/Rogue1, and his cohort a female Aasimar Paladin5/Hellknight2... wonderin' if the 15pt build kinda offset the fact that she's an aasimar... or should that be just a 1,000xp penalty akin to the tiefling article...
Sorry for the threadjack... this was my last question on the subject!!
:P
If your PCs are at the high fantasy level, you probably should crank up the cohorts as well, otherwise they're Rick Jones to your Hulk.
Hulk smash Rick Jones! Puny Jones hang out with Captain America and ROM! Hulk hate superhero groupie sidekick whores!
(But Hulk guess its okay since Hulk nailed Rick's wife)
Addendum: my PC is a male Varisian Fighter8/Rogue1, and his cohort a female Aasimar Paladin5/Hellknight2... wonderin' if the 15pt build kinda offset the fact that she's an aasimar... or should that be just a 1,000xp penalty akin to the tiefling article...
Well, tieflings an aasimar aren't THAT much different than the core races. And as you're talking about a cohort rather than a PC you don't really need to worry about "is my character on par with my friend's character" stuff, so I'd just hand-wave it.
I can highly recommend this book. Then again, I LOVE Dwarves. This one is done very well.
Any particularly favorite bits?
If your PCs are at the high fantasy level, you probably should crank up the cohorts as well, otherwise they're Rick Jones to your Hulk.
You know, I never did like Rick Jones
You know, I never did like Rick Jones
Rick Jones was, at one point in time, the only guy to actually get cancer from gamma radiation instead of super powers, at least until the Beyonder got involved.
So at least he served as a role model to explain to kids why you shouldn't try to be like 99% of the Marvel Universe at the time.
You know, I never did like Rick Jones
Rick Jones was, at one point in time, the only guy to actually get cancer from gamma radiation instead of super powers, at least until the Beyonder got involved.
So at least he served as a role model to explain to kids why you shouldn't try to be like 99% of the Marvel Universe at the time.
Reminds me of John Byrne Fantastic Four story where a kid dumps gasoline on himself and lights himself up. Only to have a horrified, aghast, and apologetic Johnny Storm visiting him and his parents in the burn ward..
Don't try this at home kids.
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If your PCs are at the high fantasy level, you probably should crank up the cohorts as well, otherwise they're Rick Jones to your Hulk.You know, I never did like Rick Jones
I love the blue Rick Jones now... he's a "stronger there is" guy with a streak of humor. One of my fave new marvel characters in a long time (see this month's hulk issue when they do the eulogy of General Ross... Rick Jones and Ben Grimm step up and make 'honest' comments on General Ross... Rick Jones is also Bruce Banner's "ride" to the funerals, to allow Bruce to say a few words... Rick Jones tells the Avengers to "back off" and let Bruce speak. Love it! Rick Jones telling the Avengers to back off!! ha! it must be good to be Rick Jones these days! :) )
Can anyone give me a rundown of the Traits in this book as well as the Hammer and Crafting feats?
Anyone?
Can anyone give me a rundown of the Traits in this book as well as the Hammer and Crafting feats?
Real brief overview here :)
Dwarf Race Traits: Clearheaded, Deep Marker, Goldsniffer, Grounded, Ruthless, Tunnel Fighter, Warsmith, Zest for Battle.
Dwarf Religion Traits: Alluring (Bolka), Battlefield Caster (Angradd, Groum, Torag, Trudd), Guardian of the Forge (Torag), Honeyed Words (Grundinnar), Resigned (Droskar), Toilcrafter (Droskar).
Dwarf Regional Traits: Blooded (Mindspin Mountains), Coin Hoarder (Mindspin Mountains), Frostborn (Land of the Linnorm Kings), Glory of Old (Five Kings Mountains), Perserverance (Five Kings Mountains), Warrior Poet (Land of the Linnorm Kings).
Dwarf Magic Traits: Deep Guardian, Earthbound, Eldritch Smith, Strength of the Land.
There ya go!
... because any time you try to take a significant whack at Alkenstar content, you realize you need to put that in an Alkenstar book. It would be like saying, "Oh, there are dwarves in Qadira... and their weapons are like Qadiran ones but... and their culture is like this because in Qadira... and their crafting philosophy is similar to Qadaran because... oh, poo, this needs its own book.
Are any of the dwarves combat style feats usable with a earth breaker?
Are any of the dwarves combat style feats usable with a earth breaker?
After a quick glance, I'd say not really. But then the earthbreaker is not a dwarven weapon, so I wouldn't expect their specialty style feats to encompass it.
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... because any time you try to take a significant whack at Alkenstar content, you realize you need to put that in an Alkenstar book. It would be like saying, "Oh, there are dwarves in Qadira... and their weapons are like Qadiran ones but... and their culture is like this because in Qadira... and their crafting philosophy is similar to Qadaran because... oh, poo, this needs its own book.
And Alkenstar book is not going to happen, according to JJ.
That just means we're probably not going to have an Alkenstar Pathfinder Companion. Alkenstar material may appear in an unspecified future sourcebook about firearms in a fantasy world, but Alk has such a different feel than the rest of Golarion that we're being very cautious about it.
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... because any time you try to take a significant whack at Alkenstar content, you realize you need to put that in an Alkenstar book. It would be like saying, "Oh, there are dwarves in Qadira... and their weapons are like Qadiran ones but... and their culture is like this because in Qadira... and their crafting philosophy is similar to Qadaran because... oh, poo, this needs its own book.
yeah, i know :P
but i quote certain someone-who-is-not-you-but-who-takes-such-decisions-on-books... that IF they do something about Alkenstar it would be when hell freezes or you have no other countries in golarion to talk about... and maybe not even then :Pso yes... knowing that any tidbit would be reserved for a book that might never exist its pretty frustrating :)
That just means we're probably not going to have an Alkenstar Pathfinder Companion. Alkenstar material may appear in an unspecified future sourcebook about firearms in a fantasy world, but Alk has such a different feel than the rest of Golarion that we're being very cautious about it.
i know i know... but i think you get the point that the few things that could appear in one another saddly are not there for this same reason
To quote The Usual Suspects: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.
It would be an interesting challenge to concept, design, and create an Alkenstar book under James' nose, and get it published so he doesn't actually see it until the print copy is on his desk. ;)
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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A thought on dwarves and subterranean foods: Italian cuisine got its start without tomatoes or pasta. Odds are dwarven cuisine hasn't altered less than Italian did. I'm a big fan of surface farming dwarves, I have to admit. Surface dwarves (with a strong underground connection) are one of many things I like about Golarion.
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To quote The Usual Suspects: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.
It would be an interesting challenge to concept, design, and create an Alkenstar book under James' nose, and get it published so he doesn't actually see it until the print copy is on his desk. ;)
lol, ok, that would certainly be neat
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A thought on dwarves and subterranean foods: Italian cuisine got its start without tomatoes or pasta. Odds are dwarven cuisine hasn't altered less than Italian did.
A good point. Surface dwelling dwarves seem much more likely to enjoy beer, cheese, breads and meats (goat and chicken seems particularly likely, being so easy to raise in mountainous terrain, compared to pork and beef), while their new terrain would be much less likely to support the sorts of fish and fungus and insects that they would have eaten underground.
'Traditional' dishes for certain special days or events might involve fish or fungus or crunchy-fried bat, but the average dwarf is probably a meat and potatoes sort of guy, who washes it down with an ale.
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'Traditional' dishes for certain special days or events might involve fish or fungus or crunchy-fried bat, but the average dwarf is probably a meat and potatoes sort of guy, who washes it down with an ale.
I am not sure they eat bat... since Torag's doctrine abhorrs bats and flying things as abomination.... how do you eat an abomination... it would be as eating .. I don't know... orc maybe
Fffish!
True but it cannot be denied that Dwarves and Earthbreakers work oh so well together. ^_~
Truly an irony of ePIG proportions. ^_~
i just got this off ebay and I must say, it may be the best Companion yet, though I liked Taldor quite a bit too
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i just got this off ebay and I must say, it may be the best Companion yet, though I liked Taldor quite a bit too
Well, the REAL question is: does it measure up to the glorious, supreme tome about our nation? Or, rather, as it naturally *CANNOT* (we all acknowledge that no other book can), does it come even close? ;)
I must say it is everything I expected: A solid (sorry for that pun) book that gives a good insight into dwarves and does not provide a shred of innovation for dwarves.
While all other races have a special place in/on Golarion, dwarves are the same as they always are.
Not saying this is bad or good, but it is.