Im putting this in the pfs discussion, because im asking because of a potential (and my first) pfs character. Im still hazy on General galorian lore, but what i am really wondering is if I walk into town as a fox person, will people freak out or not?
I ask because i know a lot of kitsune keep their nature a secret with the human form ability, but i kinda wanted to do the opposite, and use the fox shape more, so if i needed a disguise, i could then use human shape.
|
I assume that whenever they were initially introduced to the Inner Sea Region, they were likely looked upon with fear and suspicion. But at this point I think, as uncommon as they may be, the average city should be aware of the race in general, and may, due to their nature as charming tricksters, view them with mild distrust.
|
| 19 people marked this as a favorite. |
Varies greatly by location.
Tian xi (not china) - Its where you're from. In a city you won't get a second glance, in the country people may assume you're a gypsy trickster.
Absolom: People see them all the time. They'll probably greet you in tian , as absolom and Goka have been trading for a thousand years now.
Taldor: you are not a taldan noble. And therefore a peasant. And therefore worthless
Worldwound: The new guy might mistake you for a demon. The old salts have probably seen a kitsune crusader or two.
Ustalav: (not transylvania) is probably the only place you need to worry about. If they see you in fuzzy form they're probably going to reach for the good silverware and try to stab you with it.
Katapesh: ... someone hand that baby gnoll a sandwich, it looks underfed.
mawangi: ... what the heck is that? That fur looks hot...
Realms of the mammoth lords: Hey buddy, your lycanthrope is out of his moon hut. Need a hand putting him back? My cousin has a nice one...
Irisien: Yes sir mister talking wolf sir, I am only a human and you are clearly some form of enchanted magical beast and I am in SO much trouble if I touch a hair on your head.
Lands of the linorm kings: Its one of those Irisien talking wolves, SKIN IT!
Contributor
|
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Lands of the linorm kings: Its one of those Irisien talking wolves, SKIN IT!
Because of the Path of Aganhei, the Ulfen lands are some of the most exposed to Tian Xia's people. Between that and their own prevalence of respected skinwalkers, they'd probably be more familiar with or accepting of kitsune.
Other than that, not bad. ^_^
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
you can check Pathfinder_Wiki to read up on Kitsune and their distribution across Golorian. okay - not all that helpful...
PFS players are used to all sorts so only somebody with a specific set of boons or kitsune as a favored enemy is going to look at you funny.
PFS GMs have instructions as to what the NPCs like or don't like and being a Pathfinder is going to get you into more adventures than being a kitsune.
okay - now my joke...
unless you have a level in Aristocrat or a trait or the right boon/vanity stating you're a noble, you're pretty common. *bah Doom*
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
View of a Kitsune in Andoran? Almas vs a more remote location/frontier town/village?
Almas has probably seen a freed slave kitsune or two. You might get a few odd looks but Andorans are usually pretty open minded.
In the logging consortium areas they're probably eyeing you with suspicion as some sort of trickster fey or lycanthrope.
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
I refuse to be seen in even my clumsy biped form. As far as I know i don't HAVE a naked, furless, human form. Four legs good too legs bad. Its always funny when the "wizards familiar" wearing a big pink bow hops off of someone's shoulder, starts foaming at the mouth and claw claw bite sneak attacks something into chunky salsa.
|
Its always funny when the "wizards familiar" wearing a big pink bow hops off of someone's shoulder, starts foaming at the mouth and claw claw bite sneak attacks something into chunky salsa.
A tiny Kitsune? Sounds like fodder for getting run over by a traveling horse and buggy to me. That's a win for the rest of us!
|
|
I don't think they're really as common as people are making them sound, I would think that Kitsune are rare outside of Tian Xia, where they're merely uncommon (as I believe most of them probably prefer to let people think they're human).
The kitsune are a people with one foot in the physical world and the other in the realm of spirits. Known throughout the Dragon Empires for their love of art, beauty, and trickery, kitsune are shapeshifters who, in their true forms, appear as lithe, anthropomorphic foxes. In these true forms, they often possess a downy coat of auburn fur, although more exotic coloration is possible. The most magical of their kind sport multiple tails; stories of very powerful kitsune with up to nine tails are told in certain parts of Minkai. Each kitsune also possesses a single human form, typically strikingly beautiful and retaining the lithe and agile frame of his true form. Regardless of which of his two guises a kitsune adopts, his eyes retain the same hue—an arresting color that ranges from golden to brilliant blue.
Kitsune society is enigmatic and largely impenetrable to non-kitsune. While kitsune prize loyalty among friends, their delight in trickery often spawns rivalries and ill will among strangers. This reputation for shenanigans precedes them throughout the Dragon Empires and beyond, leading most kitsune who dwell within human societies to take great pains to hide their true natures and live public lives as humans, taking to their true forms only after twilight to pursue entertainment and other nocturnal delights.
Given that I think the most common reaction to a kitsune in it's normal form would either be one of novelty (as robertness put, "Hey look! A talking fox!") to one of slight suspicion ("It's one of them shifty Kitsune...") for people that recognize Kitsune for what they are. And of course this would vary to more extremes one way or the other in various regions.
Thank you all for your responses!
The reason I ask is that as soon as I saw the Magical tail feat, I knew i would need to make a multi tailed kitsune at some point. I didn't however want to be a drag on the party, so i did some research and found the zen archer for the bonus feats. My idea for my characters background was that like a lot of monks, he was trying to prefect himself in mind and body, and he is using the legendary nine - tailed foxes as his model for perfection. so to him, whenever he gets another tail, he is closer to his goal. that being said, i would mean that he would stay in his fox form more as to him it is better. (also, most kitsune make it a point to hide their nature, but i wanted to buck the trend a little)
Thanks again for your help!
|
The rarity is obviously going to vary based on where you are. In Tian Xi you'll see many, many more of them. In Absalom you might see a few more than anywhere else.
Looking at it from the point of view of any random humanoid NPC, if they see you with a group of Pathfinders you might get stares or whispers, but they likely won't mess with the character.
Those they recognize what you actually are are going base it on whatever stories or stereotypes that npc might have.
Any monster or undead isn't going to care that you are a talking fox thing.
My Kitsune Alchemist spends most of his time in his natural form. Mostly because, personality wise, he doesn't have the sort of social cognizance of what people might think of a talking fox person. It's also the reasoning that got him in trouble for talking all the bread from a nobles dinner party and putting in his bag, or the time he tried to fill up bottles with holy water at a temple.
|
Currently actively playing a Kitsune Eagle Knight. Chelaxian slave (was a novelty), freed by the Bellflower, and now a Milanite evangelist (not the class... yet). He has never been in his silly human form since he joined the society - he actually spends more time with four legs than two.
Being a kitsune has come up a couple times. One time was being sneaky, and he stood out as being the only not-human in sight. Turned into 4 legged form and stalked the party then. The other was in Tien, where he first met others of his own kind.
I also have another one who everyone assumes is human until they hear her enchantment save DC :)
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
View of a Kitsune in Andoran? Almas vs a more remote location/frontier town/village?Almas has probably seen a freed slave kitsune or two. You might get a few odd looks but Andorans are usually pretty open minded.
In the logging consortium areas they're probably eyeing you with suspicion as some sort of trickster fey or lycanthrope.
"Hey, John? Looks like those Druids are at it again! You wanna send for the Pathfinder Society? They took care of them the last time this happened."
Its always funny when the "wizards familiar" wearing a big pink bow hops off of someone's shoulder, starts foaming at the mouth and claw claw bite sneak attacks something into chunky salsa.A tiny Kitsune? Sounds like fodder for getting run over by a traveling horse and buggy to me. That's a win for the rest of us!
There are some Urban Barbarian builds for Fox Form kitsune that are downright terrifying.
-j
|
|
Non-Philly Venture Captains: "I don't think kitsune are all that common; I hardly see any of them at my table."
Philly VC Jeff Fox: "What are you talking about? I usually see about one a table! Granted, about 95% of them belong to Alex Augunas."
Me:
You woulda thought someone named Fox would run some kitsune, himself....
Contributor—Canadian Maplecakes
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Non-Philly Venture Captains: "I don't think kitsune are all that common; I hardly see any of them at my table."
Philly VC Jeff Fox: "What are you talking about? I usually see about one a table! Granted, about 95% of them belong to Alex Augunas."
Me:
I opened this thread with the express purpose of making sure you posted.
Thank you. :)
Contributor
|
Non-Philly Venture Captains: "I don't think kitsune are all that common; I hardly see any of them at my table."
Philly VC Jeff Fox: "What are you talking about? I usually see about one a table! Granted, about 95% of them belong to Alex Augunas."
Me:
I opened this thread with the express purpose of making sure you posted.
Thank you. :)
I aim to meet expectations!
Now I need someone to convince Compton not to write that scenario where all of the villains are Tian archers with kitsune bane arrows....
|
Im putting this in the pfs discussion, because im asking because of a potential (and my first) pfs character. Im still hazy on General galorian lore, but what i am really wondering is if I walk into town as a fox person, will people freak out or not?
I ask because i know a lot of kitsune keep their nature a secret with the human form ability, but i kinda wanted to do the opposite, and use the fox shape more, so if i needed a disguise, i could then use human shape.
People will freak out when I tell them to freak out.
|
|
You woulda thought someone named Fox would run some kitsune, himself....Non-Philly Venture Captains: "I don't think kitsune are all that common; I hardly see any of them at my table."
Philly VC Jeff Fox: "What are you talking about? I usually see about one a table! Granted, about 95% of them belong to Alex Augunas."
Me:
Not really, no. Never had that thought.
|
|
Back before they were always allowed races, I went to a gaming con where every GM for PFS got one of those triple race boons that let you make a kitsune, nagaji, or wayang. Everyone was talking about wanting to make kitsune PCs with those boons, and joking about how it would be a kitsune convention the next time we all got together at a convention. I intentionally used mine to make a nagaji, just to be different.
I've thought of playing a kitsume against oriental cultural tropes.
For example, a black haired (kept short), Osirion raised kitsume with lawful alignment, and a role that involves judgement.
Or an Oracle with low wisdom, claiming to be a future god. His name, Coyote.
Running a heavyset, tall (as much as the race allows) kitsune paladin, myself.
It's fun seeing the reactions.
-j
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I've thought of playing a kitsume against oriental cultural tropes.
For example, a black haired (kept short), Osirion raised kitsume with lawful alignment, and a role that involves judgement.
Or an Oracle with low wisdom, claiming to be a future god. His name, Coyote.
|
Contributor
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've thought of playing a kitsume against oriental cultural tropes.
For example, a black haired (kept short), Osirion raised kitsume with lawful alignment, and a role that involves judgement.
Or an Oracle with low wisdom, claiming to be a future god. His name, Coyote.
|
Contributor
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've thought of playing a kitsume against oriental cultural tropes.
For example, a black haired (kept short), Osirion raised kitsume with lawful alignment, and a role that involves judgement.
Or an Oracle with low wisdom, claiming to be a future god. His name, Coyote.
Running a heavyset, tall (as much as the race allows) kitsune paladin, myself.
It's fun seeing the reactions.
-j
This is important not just for kitsune, but whenever you play a non-human race. Because humans are our default perception, it is VERY easy to assume that [race] is a meaningful character trait in a roleplaying game. But that is inherently racist. (Racist towards an imaginary people, sure, but still racist.) Its the same problem that a certain miniature, blue cartoon series has with the only female member of its cast. All of the characters on that iconic TV show / in that comic have personality traits, and said character's personality trait is ... girl.
When I'm writing new kitsune characters, I often start by looking at the various real-world pigmentation mutations that foxes possess and choosing one. Most of my kitsune ARE red foxes, mind you, but every now and then having something that's different helps keep them visually distinct in my head.
Second, I try to come up with something visually distinct or different about them. Sometimes its a color. Sometimes its physical. Sometimes its clothing. For example, my swashbuckler only wears shades of brown, white, and red. My kineticist is 14 and dresses like a punk (black leather armor with armor spikes). My bloodrager's armor doesn't cover his chest (sort of like the Iconic Bloodrager). My slayer is melanistic (her pigmentation is all black, silver, and white).
Third, I try to come up with something in their backstory that explains why the character looks and/or acts the way they do. Sometimes the backstories are positive. (My alchemist was rescued from Wanshou when he was eight by the Lantern Lodge and has been with the Pathfinders ever since.) Sometimes they aren't. (My kineticist's mother died when he was young, and his father was assassinated when his telekinetic powers started to develop, which forced him to stow away on a ship bound for Absolam.) Sometimes they are bittersweet. (My cavalier was raised by elves and when it became clear that his shorter lifespan was going to keep him from progressing in elven society, he left.)
Finally, I try to have a weird twist in that goes against the character's backstory or general expectations, just to keep things interesting.
— My cavalier loves things that are gaudy and his favorite color is pink.
— My slayer began play as being socially awkward and aromantic. (She has a REALLY difficult time understanding when people are trying to advance on her.)
— My swashbuckler always introduces himself as a hibachi chef first.
— My alchemist is a sociopath. (Or a psychopath, depending on your perception.)
— My bloodrager's Day Job is Profession (caligrapher).
— My kineticist is actually a fairly nice, somewhat confused kid under the bad boy attitude. (Which I think is fairly common, having worked often with eighth graders.)
— My cleric left his life in Tian Xia behind, travelled to Qadira, and took on a new, Kellish name when he received a vision of Sarenrae.
Even if it doesn't come up often in play, stuff like that is fun to have because it helps keep your characters distinct.
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Florida—Jacksonville
|
Almost nobody knows that my Kitsune is one. Not only does he always take human form, he is constantly under the effects of disguise self, AND he's got maximum ranks in disguise.
Whereas my four tail Kitsune keeps it out and visible. She enjoys being the center of attention and with every level (and tail) she gets it gets better.