Brian W Suskind's page

I am there as well!

Tsriel wrote:

Looking to trade into this slot. I have a ticket for The Journals of Tular Seft on Friday @11am, but I'm not certain I'll make it in time. If anyone is able to trade and wouldn't mind doing so, please let me know.

I saw a trade for this slot and was going to do it, but it said it was no longer available when I tried. If you got in, congratulations! If not, let me know and I'll trade you.

Velisruna - I need to help run a booth on Saturday so I can't make this event. If you still need a ticket, I have one.

Awesome! Thanks Tom!

Thanks Tom. Just so I understand, they do a lottery for events, then they do open reg and people can trade or whatever?

So I’m going to Paizocon for the first time this year. About when do the PaizoCon events come out for preregistration?

Thanks in advance

As someone who's first campaign was Planescape I am thrilled to be writing on this project. What am I writing?

Well...Remember that feeling of wonder, fear and excitement that first time your rogue modron rogue got to shop the strange stores and street carts along Pandemonium Path in Sigil?

Let's just say, prepare to feel that again.

Happy Birthday Boss!!!!

Working with you has been an amazing experience and getting to know you as a friend has been even better. I will raise a glass for you tonight. Happy Birthday!

I got my fancy contributor copy today! I was loving the PDF, but it's so nice to see it in print. The book looks great! Awesome job, Wolfgang, Marc, Ben, Brian, and all the writers and editors and developers!

Thanks Adam! It was a great book to work on and I can't get over how amazing it looks in print.

-Brian

Good luck this year to everyone who competes. I wish I could still submit (pesky rules!).

To those who are still on the fence about submitting something, let me just say that there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't try. Even the attempt will teach you how to refine your ideas and condense your prose until it shines.

Happy writing and good luck to you all!

-Brian

The combat divination section was one of our favorites while writing the book.

My other fav is the "Abandoned Lands": a vast swath in the center of the continent once home to a Titan empire that was the equal of famed Ankeshel. The Titans very words were filled with magical power and they altered the lands ley lines to suit their needs. But the Titans culture fell to disease, insanity and chaos. Now it is a huge vista, mostly shunned by the human kingdoms and dotted with the remains of a mighty civilization.

Gee....I wonder if there is some cool adventure and treasure there? :)

I hope that Muslims don't get offended by this book. That would be a problem that the PF fanbase really doesn't need to deal with right now.

It's funny you mention this, Axial. Ben and I were a bit nervous initially. Here we are, two guys with no ethnic or religious connections to that part of the world writing Arabian, African and Egyptian analogues. I think we pulled off a tone that hearkens to African/Arabian/Egyptian themes yet is respectful and celebratory without tying our hands.

I can't wait to write up more on the Living Jungle of Kush for you guys. Predatory plants, vegipigmy tribes worshiping a nature-based Walker, new poisons and hazards....so much to do, so much fun!

Wow, Ishadia sounds very cool! I think we're going to need an awesome illustration done for this bad boy! :)

Speaking of art, I had a great idea for the nation of Omphaya and its Titan king. [Which I thought I'd tell you here as a perk for the readers]

I have this image in my head of a pillar-ed archway/open window. Omphaya's rakshasa vizier leans up against one of these pillars with a smirk on his catlike face. Filling the archway opening behind the rakshasa is the massive, grinning face of the titan Gamka.

That was actually the initial image that launched the design of Omphaya. :)

-Brian

Grave Ol' Salty wrote:

The thought that Ishadia was a stretch goal completely bugged me - it's right on the edge of The Dragon Empire after all. Why explore places further away and yet leave a gap in the Midgard CS book? Good thing it's being filled in.

It bugged me too! Ben McFarland and Brian Suskind wanted to cover new ground rather than revisit known sites, so they argued against revisiting Ishadia (since it is already in the Midgard CS book). I think they had a point, but I put it on the list of stretch goals.

I'm very glad we are covering it, though, as I think it is one of those hinge-points that are good for campaign variety and conflict.

The true be told, Ben and I talked about Ishadia for a long time before making our recommendation to Wolfgang.

When it came down to it, we had to focus on the Southland continent (which is realllllly big) even if that meant Ishadia got bumped down into the stretch goal list.

I'm thrilled we get to add it to the book after all. My hope for Ishadia is three fold:

1. Really hammer home the image of it as a gateway city to the South and East that has fallen into corruption and decline.

2. Play up the competition and conflicts between Ishadia and Shibai (her one-time colony). Where the old nation is falling in importance, the newer one is rising - an explosive situation.

3. Really explore the Aasimar angle and the city of Shuppurak

What do you all hope to see in Ishadia or the Southlands?

I am considering asking Richard Pett to join the design crew for Southlands. It seems like he would add a lot to the project, but then I remember that his contribution to Deep Magic involved Rakshasas and monkey poo and impudent homunculi. Hmmmmmm...

Should Richard Pett be a stretch goal for Southlands? I humbly consult the Paizo hivemind!

Uh?....YES! Even if all he is doing is figuring out a few crazy tables to add to the project...YES!

Perhaps he could take on the challenge of the awakened lemurs and their treebound (or should I say impaled) god?

Rysky wrote:

Hmm Red Portal forums?

Brainstorming and discussion forums (mentioned in the FAQ) for the biggest backers, the Red Portal Wizards and up.

The forum opens up to a wider group of backers if we hit a few more goals.

And yeah, that Ninth Arabian Night looks pretty sweet. Need more backers!

So far in the Red Portal we're discussing the gods of the Southlands, how they interact and if they are masks with the gods of the North.

Hope to see you all there!

Just a quick update. The Southlands fully funded in a single day and now we are chomping through the stretch goals.

We are now only $600 from the Well of Urd stretch goal and 20 backers from the Hero Lab bonus!

Please check us out at....

Go to The Southlands Kickstarter..

Speaking as one of the designer/authors of the Southlands, I have to tell you I haven't been this psyched for a desert-themed rpg since the 1st edition Deserts of Desolation or Al-Qadim.

I just wrote a sneak peek for the Kobold Press blog on the Imajaghan, the blue-turbaned paladins of the tamasheq nomads.

Two words for you: Elemental Companion.

Forget that summoned horse or sword! Who wouldn't want a stone elemental backing you up?

Give the Southlands a look. You won't be disappointed.

Wolfgang Baur wrote:

I would say there is much less on styles of dress or marriage ceremonies, though there is some emphasis on coming-of-age/adulthood rites and on certain markers of status equipment.

Hmmm, but that would be great fodder for a "Cultures of Midgard" book post-Southlands, right? Right?!? I mean with two continents (3 counting Northlands) and all of those races, there would have to be enough material! ;)

If you expand it out to gear, we could even hope for regional/cultural-specific weapons & armor lists. PLEEEAAASE!

(Goes back to watching stretch goals unlock)

Well, I can't speak to a post-Southlands book...

But within the Southlands book there are regional and cultural specific weapons and armor like the assagai short stabbing spear, elephant plate armor and riding zebras. Not to mention new archetypes, magic items, spells, poisons....the list goes on and on! Of course, I'm a bit biased.

For those of you worried about the Nuria-Natal chap book, never fear! There is a whole bunch of new Nuria material in the core Southlands book. I do not believe you will be disappointed.

Just picked up the PDF of this and have been reading through it.

Good stuff.

One error that I need fixed, (because I intend to run this shortly): In the Five Trials of Pharos, the clues for Waypoint Four repeat those from Waypoint Three, which obviously don't fit for Four.

Not a show stopper, but an annoying blemish on an otherwise great adventure that will fit very well with my world.

Could someone with the print book tell me what the correct clues are for Waypoint Four?

Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words about my adventure. Sorry for the errors. In checking into things, I notice that both the pdf and the print versions have the same replicated clues. Sometimes things slip through the editing process, that's no excuse just an explanation.

Going back to my draft of the adventure, I'm adding below the correct clue for Waypoint Four.

Clues:

The mosaic floor, awash in swirls of colored tiles, displays a pattern beyond a simple pleasing visual.

DC 20 Perception check + DC 20 Knowledge Arcana: The mosaic floor is a cleverly disguised ley line map of Marea. Studying the map for 1d4 x 10 minutes reveals that each of the waypoints in the race rests upon a different ley line surrounding Pharos.

I hope you and your players enjoy the adventure!

Thanks,

Brian

The only part of this I can't confirm is the "launching around GenCon" part.

It will launch after the show, because it would be pure insanity to try to run a Kickstarter while at Gen Con. But yes, the elements are starting to come together for something great.

Well, "around" is a vague term. Could mean close to Gencon, could mean within the same year as Gencon. :)

-Brian

(Reads Mr. Radle's post and then begins singing/hissing a kobold battle hymn.)

Thanks, Marc! That'll do....for now. :)

Well, for those who did not get the announcement, the next Kobold Press project is going to be.....

The Southlands

Exploring points south of the current Midgard map. Full of pulp adventure, exotic locals, incredible creatures, fabulous treasures and, of course, loads of news spells, character options and equipment.

It's being written by Ben McFarland and Brian Suskind (me) and as always closely monitored by our kobold overlord, Wolfgang Baur.

As to when it is launching, I believe the plan is for it to greenlight sometime around Gencon. Hope that's enough to whet your appetite!

-Brian

It's a great book! Chock full of amazing locations, monsters and adventures. That Murders, Fathoms Below murder mystery is so good I could have written it myself!

For what it's worth here's how I do it in my campaign.

I ask my players to write down notes during the game of role playing things they do that they think we're good. I don't want combat stuff just role playing.

I collect them after the game and when I'm calculating xp I award bonus points for the things they wrote down. Usually it's 5 or 10xp for an average role playing note and 20xp if it was something to do with their background or personal subplot.

Over time the players who hand in notes get an edge over the ones who don't and it makes everyone want to hand them in.

Hope this helps.

-Brian

Ok, so here is a question thatbis probably simple to answer but it has confused me.

One of my players has a 10th level Dread Necromancer and has been creating undead friends to follow him around. Up until now it hasn't been an issue, but last game the party fought some hill giants. After the battle, the Dread Necromancer created hill giant zombies.

Seeing a glimpse of future games, I started looking at Animate Dead rules. In 3.5 you couldn't create a zombie from a corpse with more than 10 HD. Did this rule go away in Pathfinder?

What's to prevent my player from making 20HD zombies whenever they run across the right bodies?

Thanks for the help.

Hi all. This question came up in a recent game.

I know that, as per the Undead type, undead have...

"Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)"

My question is how does this immunity work when dealing with intelligent undead such as Vampires and Lich?

If you are undead and smart enough not only to know it but also enough to speak, have tactics and cast spells shouldn't you just have to make a will save like anyone else with a mind?

Thanks for your help.

Bsus wrote:

Hmmmmm.....Must resist urge to be mean to my players....

Seriously though, I think I'll try to come up with a way to limit the PCs equipment. Perhaps suggesting that (as their characters in the play) they've been brought directly from a battle or ambush to the trial carrying only their arms and a few baubles.

I appreciate the reply on my question. Keep up the great work with these kinds of adventures.

-Bsus

But remember... during the Cornucopia, the PCs are allowed to attend in costume. Part of the reason the Children of Westcrown chose this method of infiltrating the mayor's manor is precisely BECAUSE of this. The PCs attending in "costume" allows them to attend the gala with all their weapons and gear, and thus when it comes to exploring the Asmodean Knot, they'll have all their stuff with them. If you rework the play so that the PCs don't get to bring their gear, you'll probably be limiting them in the same way to lesser gear for the entire adventure.

Not only would that hurt the PCs unfairly, since the Asmodean Knot assumes the PCs aren't hobbled by lack of gear, but PCs are more likely to go along with "so you all died and are now zombies" than they are to go along with "You have to do the entire adventure without your gear."

Ah, good point there, James. I'll just play up the "starring real adventurers" angle.

Thanks for the input.

-Bsus

Bsus wrote:

Great job on this adventure, guys! I especially appreciate how it blends roleplaying with combat while, at the same time, not being in a traditional dungeon.

I do have one question about the play itself. I'm only asking this because my players are going to ask me. If Larazod and friends are on trial, why do they have all of their weapons and gear?

I realize that in the past productions they gave them arms in order to keep the play going longer before the actors were killed. But in terms of the "world" of the play, why are they armed while being on trial?

Anyone have thoughts about this?

-Bsus

Huzzah! Thanks for those kind words.

You raise an interesting question. I know James has chimmed in already but I thought you'd be interested to know that the unspeakable one and myself did have a discussion about the PCs having to take on the traditional arms of the players, and having a set list of items with the play, some of which of course would be cursed. We did also talk at length about the PCs going in unarmed but both takes didn't work for us for this paricular adventure, although they would add another horrible angle if you were feeling that way inclined:)

Rich

Hmmmmm.....Must resist urge to be mean to my players....

Seriously though, I think I'll try to come up with a way to limit the PCs equipment. Perhaps suggesting that (as their characters in the play) they've been brought directly from a battle or ambush to the trial carrying only their arms and a few baubles.

I appreciate the reply on my question. Keep up the great work with these kinds of adventures.

-Bsus

Great job on this adventure, guys! I especially appreciate how it blends roleplaying with combat while, at the same time, not being in a traditional dungeon.

I do have one question about the play itself. I'm only asking this because my players are going to ask me. If Larazod and friends are on trial, why do they have all of their weapons and gear?

I realize that in the past productions they gave them arms in order to keep the play going longer before the actors were killed. But in terms of the "world" of the play, why are they armed while being on trial?

Anyone have thoughts about this?

-Bsus

I submitted a proposal (fingers crossed)....

Nicholas Logue and the guys at Paizo did a great job on Hangman's Noose! It is wonderful to see a module that is more atmosphere and role-play than it is hack/slash.

Now I know the module provides a method to run it for six players, but how about seven?

I am a profession screenwriter (currently on strike)