John Compton wrote: Consider classic encounters such as fiendish kraken, hydras that are actually amalgams of all linnorms published to date, prismatic spray elementals, greater pugwampis, and some kind of evil clown demon (include the creature's stats in the appendix in case you want to use these in multiple encounters). When mapping this area, depict at least one chamber that can only be represented accurately by printing out the map and twisting it into a non-Euclidean Mobius strip. I think I just heard Bill Web weep black tears of character-murdering joy.
*coughshamelessselfpromotioncough* Excuse me, hayfever. Dragonmech has some interesting concepts, but really doesn't balance for a full party without major tweaking. That is, one PC gets the giant robot, and the rest of the party gets...umm...not the robot. The height/weight/size comparisons also will need some tweaking to fit the more regular 3.5/PFRPG assumptions. That said, I definitely used it as a starting point for designing a mech vs. kaiju adventure, In Iron Clad. Just don't expect a simple straight "update the skill list and hit die" sort of conversion.
In Golarion:
For comparison with the Florentine pricing, a mason is a hireling earning 1-3 gp/day, so if anything, eyeglasses were likely overpriced to get a nice round number. Or these could represent a nicer example with fine-quality glass crystal. Speculation:
(>•^•)>
For some historical context, on our Earth: •Handheld magnifiers were certainly in use in the High Middle Ages. Friar (Roger) Bacon, the same dude famous for his formulation of gunpowder, did a study of optics as part of his Opus Majus that aped even older works.
Style: Note that early eyeglasses would not have the spring temples. Instead, the earliest had a riveted joint that would hold the glasses (hopefully) by friction on the joint. Renaissance glasses resemble what we would call today, pince-nez, and the variety in materials meant softer frames could be pinched around the nose. In the early 1500's, "thread loop" were invented: essentially, there was a cord at each end of the frame that would go around the ear, with the cord adjusted to fit. The modern temple eyeglasses were invented ~1730 by a British lensmaker, Edward Scarlett, who advertised them.
Price: ~1460's: "Ordinary “run-of-the-mill” spectacles cost the buyer just 2 or 3 soldi (shillings). Middle priced ones were selling for 6 to 18 soldi. The finest examples with quality crystal/glass lenses and gold or silver frames were priced at 1 ducat (the equivalent of 82 soldi). So who could afford them? As an example, a mason from Florence in the 15th century made 17 soldi per day so multiple pairs were frequently ordered." References of Early Eyeglasses in Action:
Jeffrey Hersh wrote:
Glad I got to contribute to the stretch goals, and yes, the color art is fantabulous. :D
Neil Spicer wrote:
Sorry, Messrs. Spicer and Nelson, but as a freelancer and potential 3PP myself, after the hassle and heartbreak I've had over Deep Magic, I'm opting out of this KS.
Distant Scholar wrote:
Sadly, I don't think it's in error, as Kobold Press/Open Design has a history of being bizarrely mix-and-match in their Open Content and Closed Content otherwise, something I noticed way back when Sunken Empires came out. The lack of Open Content in Deep Magic just strikes me as lazy more than anything. Chapters 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8 are basically an Unearthed Arcana of additional variants and content: spellbooks, variants, magic items, schools, arcane discoveries, feats, new words of power, constucts, undead...closed, closed, closed. Even if it's reprinted or reworked versions of Midgard-related content, good crunch should be able to stand on its own. Between this and the frustrating hassle it took to merely get the Backer Spells credited to their authors, it's made me hesitant to purchase anything else KP, despite how much I love it. It's also the reason I opted out of the Mythic Mania kickstarter. How much of that will be Closed Content? Why pay for patronage and the opportunity to contribute if your contributions go unrecognized?
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote: I'll be honest, this drive seemed shorter when I was 13 years younger, had more time, and had gotten more sleep in the 6 weeks beforehand. I got to do the same drive backwards three years ago, taking my late grandfather's 1991 Chrysler New Yorker Salon gunboat from Seattle to OKC a few years back. There is always more of Wyoming. Also, with Owen gone to Seattle, and Greg Vaughan in medical school, I'm slowly working my way (by default, apparently) towards becoming THE MOST POWERFUL FREELANCER IN OKLAHOMA BWA*cough*. Oh, wait, no...there's that Steve Helt guy in Tulsa. Greater Oklahoma City metro, perhaps? [Steeples fingers.]
Sara Marie wrote: To clarify, banquet tickets are not sold out. They are temporarily disabled while the eTicket issue is being resolved. The remaining tickets will go back on sale when we have that issue resolved. Then that may change things, possibly. Depending on available financing, of course. Any way to get a notification when things are fixed?
Zhayne wrote:
1. If you're a wizard/sorcerer, you would essentially transfer your bonded ring/staff/rod/whatever's power to the gem or jewel. You could still mount it on a ring or a necklace, but it would be the tama itself being the focus, not necessarily the mounting or the whole unit. 2. This would be a corner case left up to GM and Rule 0, due to lack of writing space. My interpretation would be that you could combine the two by installing the tama into the hilt or pommel of said bonded weapon. I'd also say the same would work for black blade magi, gauntlet witches (from the last issue of Kobold Quarterly), and any other spellcasters that already have a mandatory item for their class abilities to work.The intention was for it to be a iconic/thematic additional requirement, not a "screw you over" mutual exclusion for those already dependent on special items for their mojo. And likewise, kitsune with the feat have to honor the letter of a rule or vow, not necessarily the intent. So, fastening a tama to a bracelet or necklace or embedding it into a staff to make it harder to lose or steal would be perfectly in line with the fluff. ~_^
Zhayne wrote:
Since the original post was gobbled by the change in product codes, for a disclaimer/apologetic, the concept (for better or worse) was not to meddle with anything that Paizo had already released for kitsune crunch in the ARG, but only to build on it from there. :) As for subraces/racial subtypes:zenko (town fox, "core" kitsune): +Dex, +Cha, -Str tenko (shrine fox): +Wis, +Cha, -Str kiko (spirit fox, i.e. celestial throwback) modifies either zenko or tenko; agathion ancestry+atavistic bloodline traits = native outsider instead of humanoid, darkvision instead of lowlight, etc. yako (wild fox, i.e. clanless) modifies either zenko or tenko; lose Cha bonus, gain +Int bonus, suspicious+sharp claw,dull spell traits = Int-based roguish wanderer.
Samy wrote: Orcs, Kobolds and Goblins of Golarion, honestly, rather baffle me. I don't know what the thought process behind them was. I suppose I can understand goblins as a key monster of the Pathfinder brand, but the other two...are there really more players who want to play kobolds than, say, drow? I can vouch for kobolds being popular at my table. They have a reputation for guile over raw brutality, and being the eternal underdogs/mooks even moreso than goblins. Drow have comparatively less appeal as PCs in my circles. As for Orcs of Golarion, it's possibly more GM-oriented "get into orc headspace" useful than player useful, despite being in the Companion line. Unless you're running a monstrous/evil game, of course.
Ahem, if I might sneak in here and give my two CP.
With the core focus of the setting as the Inner Sea Region, Paizo's been intentionally cautious about venturing off the map. It took years to get supplements about the Dragon Empires, and then they were shorter softcovers and also tied and timed to both the PFS metaplot for the season and an adventure path, both of which are the major bed and butter for the brand and setting as a whole. Lisa Stevens has said several times that one of the lessons learned from the TSR days is not to split your audience, and to some gamers, "Asian"-themed setting material doesn't jive with their table's preferences. Paizo's kitchen sink/compartmentalization and "test the waters" approach are a method to give spice and variety without splitting up their core audience. So for the same reasons there's not been a hardcover on Ilbydos or player companion on Vudra, it may be a while before Paizo dives back into Tian Xia whole hog. Or not. I'm not privvy to Paizo's plans. Much. :) <Shameless Plug>
That said, nothing wrong with making noise and showing Paizo there's interest in a topic. They do like listening to their customers. :)
Rapheal wrote: Thank You, for the kind words Jon. The OKC area is in full PFS mode currently and we have a good growing group. Is there any information about said group available? There's been one PFS Game Day Event in the OKC metro this summer (at GameHQ) and it was hosted by some of the Tulsa area folks.
Ash_Gazn wrote: KoboldQuarterly blog had stats for chicken familiars. A pirate witch or oracle might find those useful. The Fearsome Power of Chickens cannot be denied. Nor their relative availability on seafaring vessels for the wizard, witch, or druid on a budget. Cheers!
Is there any more information available on the Pathfinder Developer position at this point in time? Is it still open at this point or would there be any estimated date by which a decision might be made? I sent in my application package in December, and am still very interested in the possibility of working for Paizo. On a related note, I will be in the Bellevue/Redmond/Seattle area from the 29th of April through the 4th May; if possible, I'd love the opportunity to drop by and see the Paizo offices, and possibly chat with someone about what the company is like. Who might be a good point of contact for such a visit? Thanks for your time, Alex Putnam |