G'day fellow PF enthusiasts and Paizonians! I am seeking a quick clarification on the RAW vs RAI on the Tallow Bombs introduced in Broken Tusk Moon. The text, according to AoN (alas, I do not own the book) is as follows.

A mixture of rendered animal fat and acids designed to ignite the fat when exposed to air, a tallow bomb creates a splash of burning oil that adheres to skin, clothes, and hair. A tallow bomb deals the listed fire damage, persistent fire damage, and splash damage. On a critical hit, a living creature taking persistent fire damage from a tallow bomb is sickened 1 from the stench of burning fat and can't reduce its sickened value below 1 while the persistent fire damage lasts. Many types of tallow bombs grant an item bonus to attack rolls.

Tallow Bomb (Lesser)

Item 1
Source Pathfinder #175: Broken Tusk Moon pg. 75
Price 3 gp
Bulk L
The bomb deals 1d4 persistent fire damage and 1 fire splash damage.

After some debate on the Pathfinder 2E Discord, I'm willing to agree that because Persistent Damage is a condition, it does not benefit from precision damage generated by–for example–a rogue's sneak attack. Because there is no "listed fire damage", the first actual damage type listed by the bomb is the "1 fire splash damage."

This seems like an oversight, where the RAI clearly intended there to be a "1 fire damage" at the start as is the case for an Acid Flask. RAW, we're looking at a rogue dealing 1d4 persistent fire damage and 3d6+1 fire splash with a lesser Tallow Bomb.

It would, of course, be ridiculous to allow precision damage to apply to a splash, but I figured I may as well post about it to clarify that this was a RAW/RAI issue and not a deliberate, if baffling, design choice.

Good day Paizonians! I had a lil' oopsie with my payment method expiring, and thus delaying a pending order I have for Secrets of Magic. I don't know if the order will be automatically resubmitted by a computer, but in case it needs to be done manually, I would appreciate it when you can get around to it. I hunger for the secretsssssss.

Thank you all for your continued hard work! You bring joy to us all each time a book arrives and a PDF populates.

Best Regards,
Al

As should be expected after a decade of GMing, I received an unexpected question from one of my players last week that I could not solidly answer.

What is the market rate for your average egg laying hen?
Apparently this trivia is a thing with one of this player's friends, who scales RPG economies on the relative value of a chicken.

Back in the PF1 Ultimate Equipment days the answer would have been 1gp, but the restructuring of the economy to be backed by silver instead of gold means those prices are obsolete.

My gut says they'd be worth around 1 sp, but that silver goes much further than it used to. 1 sp gets you a whole Explorer's Outfit, but back in PF1 you'd need 100sp to get one!

Thoughts? Maybe they'll have some prices for stuff in Absalom, City of Lost Omens but I'd hoped to answer such a seemingly simple question before then.

I have a player whose Starfinder character kept being haunted by a recurring song he couldn't quite remember. While reading the Crimson Oath for the umpteenth time, I noticed that you could put it to the melody of Mercedes' Lullaby from Pan's Labyrinth with a minimum of effort/smudging.

There's probably some underlying music theory at work regarding the Oath's meter and its transition to a musical rhythm. If anyone can figure it out or give other examples I'd love to see what y'all can come up with.

Hey there Paizonians. Please cancel my Starfinder Roleplaying Game subscription. With PF2 coming out soon yay I simply don't have enough spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace or credits to maintain both.

Good day Paizonians! A few months ago, I pre-ordered Starfinder: Pact Worlds because I neeeeeeeds it, my preciousss but now I am in a stronger financial position, and find myself looking into a subscription; not to mention addicted to Starfinder like a Shirren at an option-bar.

Ahem.

I was hoping, if this is even possible, to subscribe to the Starfinder Roleplaying Game subscription without having to purchase an additional copy as part of the subscription enrollment. Is there a way we can work this out?

On a recently shipped order (4163786) I went to check the tracking link (although I don't remember if the shipping method I chose supports tracking) and it says both "Not yet shipped" and "Item(s) have already shipped." I got the confirmation email regarding their being shipped, so I am reasonably sure they're on the way, but why does it show both the not shipped and shipped blurbs?

Thanks to the wonderful Paizonians, I was able to get my whole Starfinder perorder on the same shipment back in April. I just checked the forums for the first time in a long while and I've seen some people's Starfinder stuff has already been shipped, whereas none of my items have. I am seeing a (warning?) (advisory?) line saying the order needs a valid payment option (which my account does.)

1. Do I simply need to be patient? Though every day without it is like a photon torpedo to the heart.

2. Is there anything I need to/can do to help the process along? (That red text has me concerned.)

3. Will Diego ever have the chance to work in a pun-free workplace? (Probably not, but figured it worth asking.)

Best Regards,
Alayern

Good day, Paizonian Customer Service reps! I was wondering if (between fending off Cosmo with the sheer goodness you radiate and fighting the warehouse raptors) you might be able to help lil' 'ol me? I have an issue with my cart, which I had thought there was a thread of other people having the same problem, of Starfinder items each shipping separately. I have tried changing the manner of shipping for each of them, bu I cannot get them to cooperate. Is there anything to be done?

I'm hoping someone can help me find and/or identify a feat/ability I thought I'd seen somewhere. It was a feat/ability that allowed monks to treat their unarmed strikes as bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage.

I don't remember anything about the name, or where I (may) have seen it. Any help provided would be much appreciated.

Being awesome adventurers is great. It's just the bee's knees. That being said, some adventurers coming from other settings often bring knowledge with them that doesn't match up with Golarion-The existence of drow comes to mind-or lack knowledge that any socialized Golarion native would know. (One gold is enough for a day's food, a night's stay at a common inn, and a whole gallon of ale.) Players new to Golarion are fine and welcome but, for dedicated roleplayers unfamiliar with Golarion, not knowing about the setting can put a damper on things.

For "common knowledge" examples: in Inner Sea Races, there are sidebars talking about cultural cornerstones and outside prejudices/generalizations. Those are suggested as "common" opinions. In Rise of the Runelords there's a sidebar "Ten Fun Facts About Goblins."

I am of the opinion that collecting such information (along with other generalized bits of info) into a softcover would be a huge benefit to players looking to get into the setting. It could also serve as a book chock-full of adventure/roleplaying lures, whether or not the "common knowledge" is true or only as real as Razmir's divinity.

Setting the base assumptions for the world, especially from the commoner's perspective, would not only add cohesiveness to the shared world experience, but it would also remind players who're used to being the creme de la creme of champions just how special they are. Example: "Even an adventurer of modest skill can make more money in a week than your village will in a decade or more. They treat gold worse than you treat copper, the ingrates."

Obviously, most tables play Golarion in their own way. I'd never want to squash that wonderful creativity. Finding a balance between "suggesting" and "deciding" on how Golarion works is something Paizo has always done very well, and I have no doubt they'd be able to do this with equal grace.

"But Alayern!" said no one, ever. "Why not just read the Inner Sea World Guide? It's the go-to setting book and has all that stuff you're talking about. The book you want has been done before."

"True." I respond to nobody. "But here's why the softcover would still be marketable:

• Softcovers are cheaper, reducing the Will Save DC against price barrier.
  
• It can be formatted akin to the Beginner Box Materials; focused on ease of reading. The ISWG is gorgeous, but it's so jam-packed it can seem dense to some readers.
  
• For players getting used to roleplaying, having some precooked ideas can be a good launching point. The ISWG has facts galore, but not much subjectivity, which roleplay is all about.
  
• For tried and true Golarion vets, it can give them an array of, or help them generate their own, in-world slang and aphorisms to accentuate their style. Side note: Whoever worked on the aphorisms sections in Inner Sea Gods, thank you very very much, those were great.
  
• For players starting into PFS, it could reduce confusion at the table, making games run smoother.
  

Thoughts? Suggestions? Condemnations? Gibberish?

Good day Paizo Customer Service Staff. I am happy to say this is my first issue that requires your assistance, which is to say 19 orders have gone off without a hitch, so thank you for that!

My issue today is related to the Golem sale going on. I loaded my cart with all of the map packs that are on sale, and went to check out. I was surprised to see my total price almost doubled. It seems that the map packs are being shipped in pairs (and then the 9th one independently).

Is there any way we could ship them all together? Even if I have to pay for a bigger box, I hope that would be cheaper than sending five smaller shipments.

I didn't complete the order, so I don't have an order number to give, but if there's any way to consolidate the shipments I would be much less hesitant to hit that button.

For reference, the retail price of all of the map packs is $27.00 and the shipping is $29.82 after the (ever so gracious) shipping discount.

Any help you can render would be much appreciated. Again, thank you for 19 orders with no issues, you guys do good work.

While the opening description for Psychic magic says:

A psychic spell largely functions like any other spell. It's another type of magic, similar to arcane or divine magic—in fact, those who use psychic magic are easily mistaken for practitioners of arcane and divine traditions.

It doesn't mention attacks of opportunity. Then there are the following sentences interspersed throughout the following paragraphs:

Therefore, psychic spells never have verbal or somatic components, and have only expensive material components. Psychic spells are purely mental actions, and they can be cast even while the caster is pinned or paralyzed.

Instead of verbal and somatic components, all psychic spells have components related to the caster’s inner being. The two psychic components are called emotion components and thought components. If a spell’s components line lists a somatic component, that spell instead requires an emotion component when cast by psychic spellcasters, and if it has a verbal component, it instead requires a thought component when cast by psychic spellcasters.

While the first line suggest that apart from the specified new rules, psychic magic otherwise obeys the same rules as Arcane and Divine magic. How does this work with AoO's?

If there's no verbal or somatic components, and the action is purely mental, how would an enemy know a psychic spellcaster was casting unless the spell's results had an obvious manifestation?

For instance a mesmerist casting command could stand totally still and not say anything, but then an adjacent opponent could suddenly fall prone outta nowhere.

If I were a mesmerist with a rogue ally *such intrigue, much conniving, wow* would the rogue get sneak attack damage when I use this trick?

The problem phrase here is "The target doesn't suffer any additional effects that the mesmerist or the subject would cause on a normal feint or Bluff check."

Sneak Attack (for this example) results as a product of a target being denied its Dex. Does it trigger at that stage in the action, or could it be considered an aforementioned "additional effect"?

I am completely thrilled to be attending Paizo Convention this year. It will be my first year having done so, and as the winner of the Pathfinder Chronicler Fiction Contest 2015, plus having a fiction article in Wayfinder #15, I have a vested interest in attending. It saddens me to feel the need to bring something like this up, but it must be considered.

Today the illustrious Sean K. Reynolds posted an article on his website: "Tabletop Gaming has a Sexual Assault Problem" which includes a subset article "Tabletop Gaming has a White Male Terrorism Problem."

It is of course important to note that Paizocon is not mentioned in those articles, but these problems are just as likely to exist at any given Con. To ensure the utter success of Paizocon for all of its attendees, I would like to confirm three things.

1. Could somebody from Paizo please clearly and explicitly post their official stance on inappropriate behavior for all to see?

2. Have any of you previous Paizocon attendees ever felt like you weren't 100% completely safe while at the convention? Feel free to reply in a private message to me if you don't want it public. If you have ever felt harassed, assaulted, attacked, raped, threatened, sexism, racism, homophobia, or negligence, this means you.

3. What practices have been in place (or will be this year) to prevent this sort of thing from happening? Who can victims talk to to have their concern addressed? How can they be assured they won't be punished for talking about it? Will there be security or trained personnel equipped to handle an incident where an attendee's safety is concerned?

Again I would like to reiterate if anyone wants to send me a private message detailing their experience they are welcome. It is important the truth be known so we can make the Con as welcoming and safe as can be.

With the release of Ultimate Intrigue and particularly a spell within it, a question is thus raised:

Can a target that cannot observe the Mesmerist be affected by its "stare" class features?

From the hypnotic stare description:

"The hypnotic stare is a psychic effect, and relies more on the mesmerist's focus than the target's perception of his stare."

and

"The mesmerist can use this ability even while blinded, but must succeed at a DC 20 concentration check to do so."

indicate the mesmerist doesn't need to be perceived directly by the target, but how cut and dry is this relationship?

Can the Mesmerist use this while invisible? What about if they're under the effects of hidden presence? (Ultimate Intrigue 216)

Thanks to Paizo and Goblinworks' generous 15day trial of PFO I figured "Sure, why not?" However my patcher seems to be having an issue.

1. Downloaded Installer file from Goblinworks' site.

2. Installed Game Successfully

3. Patcher launches.

4. Patcher gets to ~50% and gets stuck on "Downloading - Pathfinder_Data\textures.pig"

I've tried removing all of it and reinstalling. Same result.

How can I fix this so I can join this most wonderful project?

This is still hecka up in the air, but I might be relocated from my low-wage job to a much better corporate job across the U.S. What should I know about California (and San Diego in particular) before I (hopefully) move?

Example categories would be:

1. Weather (which I hear is nice)
2. Local culture (and how not to look like an idiot)
3. How big the RPG presence is in the city (priorities, gotta have em)
4. Transportation (is the public infrastructure good? Would a personal car be necessary?)
5. Fashion
6. What to bring
7. What to not bring
8. Food. (What's popular? What's to be avoided?)
7. Entertainment (besides RPG's, what's fun?)
8. Healthcare (how are the hospitals?)
7. Potpourri (anything else I missed)

Having played Play-by-Post games on other sites, notably http://www.myth-weavers.com I was wondering if there were any long term goals to upgrade the BBcode possibilities? You can do some really cool stuff on MW that isn't available here. I love the paizo.com community, and would love to have both together.

Just, y'know, in case...

Subject is pretty summative. These factions are obsolete. They must be purged.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/factions

1. Does

You are encouraged to use bold and italic text to conform to the style and formatting standards of the Pathfinder RPG, but please do not use [u]additional styles[/u] or...

mean I definitely shouldn't put in a big ol block where the map would fit? I don't actually have the map the quest I'm working on would take, so should I just put something like [INSERT MAP: MAPNAME] where the map would go on the page?

Also, does the underlined phrase mean I shouldn't put the text in two columns like most of the books are? What this boils down to is: I would like a clearer definition of "additional styles".

2. Will I have to account for bracketed text in my word count as per the following?

Better to use bracketed art notes like [Begin boxed text] and [End boxed text] to indicate where you want such text to begin and end than to use a style that isn't correct based on Paizo's existing material.

3. I want to use a monster from the upcoming Bestiary 3 box set as my miniature, but the list has not been released yet. This of course means I cannot know for sure whether or not my monster is one of the available miniatures, but the iconic nature of the monster as well as its abilities suggest it would be a likely candidate. Should I use something else in the meantime, or wait to see if it is released?

Thanks for your time, this Open Call is an awesome opportunity for so many people! I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize my submission.