This isn't remotely related to the actual point of the post, but "This/That" are excellent pronouns Thank you very much! They're a little awkward to wield, but they strike a really good middle ground between they and it for me, and it scratches my brain in a really nice way.
As someone who ran AoA to completion I vastly dislike the choice of where the troop demo is occurring because it breaks canon for probably every single group that has played the AP. I feel that for almost any group that finished the AP there is at least one level 20 PC at the Citadel and probably more. Just one of them solos both armies put together. I mean, with that argument, we shouldn't have gotten any future adventures in Sandpoint ever again
It's Derry!!!!!! It's me!! I'm so, so grateful to have worked on this book-- I have a lot of feelings to share when it comes out, and a lot of maniacal laughter to let loose when people see some things I helped with. Be excited!I am hopeful experts on specific aspects of European history that most closely resemble the inspirations of these 6 nations are brought on board to give this the kind of high quality treatment we've now grown used to from Paizo. Without saying too much, I hope, the answer is yes! I'm Irish (like, from the island, not descended), and I was able to talk to people on this book about cultural stuff one mightn't see in other depictions of this specific type of fantasy. I'm also half Swiss-French, and I was able to use *that* side of my ancestry to help around with other places too. The entire team did an amazing job with portraying cultures individually, and I'm really, really pleased with how accurate each one feels. Like I said, I have a lot off feelings to share when this book comes out! I'll need to be incredibly vague til then, but for now, rest assured: it's got the same cultural respect as any other book, rather than generic fantasy schlock.
Hey howdy, everyone! I'm Derry, your gender non-comformiest GM, and I'm here to present (for your listening pleasure!) the third campaign of the award winning Dice Will Roll podcast! Do you have what it takes? To stand among legends? To overcome impossible foes and challenges? To be the greatest fighter in the world? Then prove it... AT THE RUBY PHOENIX FIGHTING TOURNAMENT! Once every 10 years, adventurers from around the world are invited to the eastern continent of Tian Xia, where dragons rule nations and kami live in sprawling forests of spirits. It is here that they compete in a martial arts tournament organized by the mythical sorceress, Hao-Jin, the Ruby Phoenix. The prize? One of the infinitely powerful relics she collected over the millennia, from weapons that have felled nations to handwoven demiplanes, artifacts anyone in the world would do anything to own. 32 teams will compete in the trials of Danger Island, 8 will compete in the finals in the city-state of Goka, and only ONE team will stand victorious. Are you ready? Then FIGHT! Join Masami Takahara, the Kitsune Magus, Xie Chuji, the Dhampir Monk and Sangku, Witch-Prince Of The Sea, the Undine Witch, as they take on the dangers of Danger Island, the trials of the tournament and adventures beyond! Lots of references to anime, JRPGs and more by folks who grew up on the stuff. We've previously run Kingmaker and Extinction Curse, and our newest show is angled to be the best one yet! So come along, and keep it rollin'! Our Website!
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Hey hi! I'm going to be running this adventure soon, and I want to try to involve a player backstory into the campaign. They're a former ninja who defected to the Golden League at a young age. She's kept her past secret from the party, and intends to try to keep it that way. Now, what kind of GM would I be if I didn't force them to reckon with their past? The only problem is... I'm not sure WHEN this should happen. I was considering having them catch the PC alone in Goka in Book 2, and for the Clan leader to try blackmail them into winning a reward from the Tapestry, but then that runs into the problem that this won't really get a chance for payoff; not enough time will have passed if it happens at the end of Book 2, and come Book 3, the party will have their hands full saving Hao Jin, and then it's too late by the time they actually get the treasure, it feels cheap to come in like "Not so fast! No happy ending quite yet!" I can't seem to figure out the best time to incorporate this backstory hook, and I could really use advice!
Literally nobody wants to cancel Paizo, good grief. We want their workers to be treated fairly. Is every complaint from henceforth a witch hunt or mob justice? Or are we supposed to sit there and be fine with companies doing less than savoury moves? Grow up, you're not 12, we can expect better from companies. Nobody has pitchforks, and nobody wants to destroy Paizo or anything.
Posting this here from the main thread for visibility. Obviously, this situation is a lot, with many moving pieces. However, one thing has become clear; employees are being mistreated. Writers, artists, developers who make the stories we love, and use the platform of Paizo to reach more people than they ever could alone. But that's coming at the expense of abuse from their employers, and it has to stop. This situation has evolved into is a call for accountability and for better working conditions for Paizo Employees. Those interested in helping more can find the hashtag #PaizoAccountability on Twitter, where several former Paizo staffers, freelancers and community members have put together a list of demands, which are: * Paizo needs to hire a whistleblower/arbitration company.
These are requests put together by people who know Paizo and have or still do work with them. These aren't fantasies, they're fundamental requirements of the employees to fix this company. I, the guy in charge of the Dice Will Roll Podcast, and many other content creators like Jessica Redekop of Valiant, Perram of Know Direction and Rise of the Rulelords have joined in in calling it; if you want things to be better, or maybe you just want to stop hearing about all this, then help us end it and email these fundamentals to customer.service@paizo.com and help make a change.
Anyway, for people throwing a fit over this being cancel culture, it really isn't. What it has evolved into is a call for accountability and for better working conditions for Paizo Employees. Those interested in helping more can find the hashtag #PaizoAccountability on Twitter, where several former Paizo staffers, freelancers and community members have put together a list of demands, which are: * Paizo needs to hire a whistleblower/arbitration company.
These are requests put together by people who know Paizo and have or still do work with them. These aren't fantasies, they're fundamental requirements of the employees to fix this company. Myself and many other content creators like Jessica Redekop, Perram of Know Direction and Rise of the Rulelords have joined in in calling it; if you want things to be better, or maybe you just want to stop hearing about all this, then help us end it and email these fundamentals to customer.service@paizo.com and help make a change.
This really isn't getting the scope of the problem, I feel. Bigotry is only one of the problems; the treatment of employees is another that was barely touched on. Many of us also want to know HOW you're going to listen to employees to make the company better. Simply saying you'll listen feels dismissive, as was just stating Paizo's inclusivity mission. Saying things is one thing. Doing it is another. We want action, not platitudes.
Hey gang! After browsing the forums and reading through the rules for the Circus, I got the urge to expand on it. So, compiling ideas from Zapp and IcedMilk in the Circus Analysis Thread, and then expanding on those further, I bring you...
Featuring... *Rewards for Successfully Completing Acts
And much more! Feedback welcome, we'll be using these in Dice Will Roll's playthrough of Extinction Curse which starts Thursday the 30th alongside the release of the APG in order to show off some of the new character options available in the book! Hope you enjoy!
This is an interesting topic for me, as I'm planning a horror campaign heavily inspired by Algonquin and Inuit cultures (combined with some other concepts like eldritch horror) where the Wendigo is a major presence throughout the campaign. Even though it's just a campaign for me and some friends, I've been trying to do research to present things as accurately and respectfully as possible while still giving myself some creative freedom. I've been trying to think of how to accurately represent the Wendigo while still remaining within the D&D/Pathfinder "go to place and kill the monster" mold, which I'm not entirely sure is appropriate for the Wendigo. The quote from Desmond I posted may be interesting to you. In his eyes, it's okay-- so long as you are keenly aware of the lesson the myth is meant to tell, a warning against all consuming greed. I'll probably stick to the name Rysky coined, and remain careful either way, but yeah, you're on the right track I think!
Ithaqua is Lovecraft's Windwalker/Wxndigo (seriously, his title is The Wxndigo), so I just played with that.Could rename them Ithaq or something of the like. Huh! I considered myself pretty well read on old Huge Racist Lovecraft. Ironic that we'll be able to use his IP to be more respectful to indigenous people, despite it all! Using his works in inclusive media continues to be my favorite pass time!
... Man, the point is they don't want people finding out more and giving it more ability to do harm. That's exactly the point. They don't want it to be trivialized, and would prefer we didn't use it. Having creatures inspired by a legend but not an actual representation of the legend itself for culturally respectful reasons ≠ whitewashing. I dunno if you're deliberately misreading the point or not, but it's not really our place to decide something /isn't/ culturally insensitive if native folk say it is, which they've been saying. I linked you places they've said it. I've talked to someone who agreed. I dunno how else to convince you this isn't some fringe issue
So here's that! In Extinction Curse, this can still be written in easily. That being said, there's still a lot of room as written to misrepresent these guys, and that's still something Paizo should consider looking into. This doesn't touch the Sk*nwalker thing, which I feel could best be fixed by just using the term Werekin, since the ancestry doesn't really have anything to do with Sk*nwalker lore, and everything to do with lycantrophy. To be clear: I'm not saying "Ugh, Paizo's SUCH a bad company" for this. They do representation so much better than... Well, anyone I've seen so far in any media, honestly! It's just that these two beings specifically have a cultural context we can't really compare to any other monster in the bestiary without delving into false equivalency and overlooking the things that happened to Indigenous people and their culture at the hand of colonization. If we're willing to look at why a law enforcement AP could be handled insensitively, and give guidelines in order to better approach it in a more aware way, then I feel we can share that respect with Native Folk and their culture too.
Hey man, let's de-escalate a little, okay? Remember that Native folk are still around, and by and large the victims of genocide. Saying "what about the Greeks?" is a false equivalency, because the Greeks weren't killed en masse and forced to forgo their culture by their killers. Google is your friend here, but as a show of good faith, here's a few sources on why plundering a very important native belief as Big Scary Monster when it's still a part of a modern culture, not one that's been gone for millenia, is a problem. This isn't an All Monsters! situation. I'm Irish, I don't mind leprechauns at all, because they're not a core part of my culture. To answer your question, the TL;DR is naming the creature is considered taboo, since it gives it power and invites its attention, and many native folk request we respect that tradition and don't do it. Here's a few sources, if you want to know more! https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/10/why-the-wendigo-is-not-my-monster/ https://ko-fi.com/post/The-Wendigo-Is-Not-Yours-for-the-Taking-C0C116U8P https://www.backstoryradio.org/blog/the-mythology-and-misrepresentation-of- the-windigo/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/ladygeekgirl.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/magical- mondays-appropriating-myth-and-magic/amp/
This is the thing I'm most curious about. I've managed to get a hold of the team lead of Heartbeat Dice, who is native themselves. I've asked them if changing the name enough? Should changes be more severe? Are there even a need for changes, should they be handled respectfully? Etc etc. I'll update with their insight soon!
Mild Age of Ashes & Extinction Curse spoilers ahoy! Hopefully, me censoring W*ndigo was enough to pique your curiosity into reading this thread. Regardless, with how TTRPGs are looking at cultural and racial sensitivity lately, I wanted to bring up an elephant in the room that's been on my shoulders since Day 1 of getting the first Bestiary: the W*ndigo. I'll be clear: I'm white as snow! I'm hailing from Ireland, the closest I've come to interacting with the First Nations is dating a Canadian. That being said, using your platform, etc etc, this is something I feel we as a community (and if possible, one Paizo can weigh in on eventually, especially now that they're hiring sensitivity readers) should discuss. The long and short is the W*ndigo is a HUGE part of Algonquian culture, even today. This isn't some random critter from folklore, it's an extremely serious topic that, for the most part, is trivialised and turned into another good ol' fashioned Monster of the Week by the rest of the world. Granted, the PF version has more inspiration from Blackwood's novel than from folklore, but even saying the name of the creature is considered taboo. I was hoping Paizo might change the name and some features to make it into a creature inspired by the folklore but seperate enough to be respectful of Algonquian culture. It was honestly a surprise to get to its page in the Bestiary when I first opened it, full name right there, considering Paizo tends to be on the ball with sensitivity lately. I was willing to drop it (whatever! I just won't use it!), but now both Adventure Paths in 2e have at least one W*ndigo encounter, one of which is pretty important. It's getting harder to avoid the topic, so I'm bringing it up now. How do we approach this situation? What alternatives are there, in name or in spirit? And how do we do this in a way most respectful of the cultures this figure was, unfortunately, trivialised from?
I didn't have money when the Kickstarter came around... but I do now. Hey, when's this gonna be up for preorder?! I'm not gonna run Kingmaker in 2e a second time after doing it with Dice Will Roll, but I really want this- if only to read back, see how things could have gone differently. Also, HUGE commendations on making Nyrissa look amazing! Her old design never struck me as "beautiful yet terrifying", but this... she's really both now.
A cool concept, but I think I'd prefer my Kobold in this AP to be... Copper. ;)
A few of my players are VERY excited for the playtest. One of them was wondering how the abilities of some classes might interact with the abilities of others- speficially, Barbarian-Witches (Cackle and Rage? Sign me up!).
Why oh why is it that every time people say "I think I'd like to have a nuanced look at the lore", some chucklenut comes in with "But /I/ want to have races that are specifically child murdering slave owning sex deviants!" This is like the 4th time this kind of thing has happened on my times in the forums... nuance is good, it's messed up to have "ENTIRE RACE SHARES X IDEOLOGY" enforced, grow up
Vibrant Thorns is amazing! Thorns grow from your body, and uh-oh! Anyone who touches you takes damage equal to your max spell level. What's that? You just cast a positive spell? Now they do 1d6 to anyone who touches you! Seriously, a tenth level Cleric can give themselves a screw-you-take-5d6 to anyone who wades into melee with them. That's an AMAZING boon for warpriests!
"I am super excited to announce that I am down here in LA to film a Pathfinder Second Edition show with the awesome folk at @GeekandSundry! Stay tuned for more information!"
Discuss! What does this mean, folks? I've always commented that Critical Role is the reason 5e did so well- could this be a genuine competitor move once more?
Actually, I kinda want a Leadership themed class a TONNE now... Plus, consider- a cohort that you can use like an Animal Companion! A bodyguard? A butler? A cultist? It's perfect for people who want to play duos, or people who want the GM to play a recurring NPC, or whatever you like!
Okay, so on one hand- being serious, this is a really, really big thing for us. I think a lot of folks around the Facebook groups or forums know about Dice Will Roll, our super queer-inclusive Kingmaker podcast, and how passionate we are about bringing LGBT stuff to Actual Play. Sometimes, it's really hard. I can't tell you the amount of times we deal with "I'd watch it if it wasn't gay" comes up, or "Why do you have to put it in our faces" just for mentioning it's a queer podcast with LGBT characters or creators. Sometimes, we even think about listening, about conforming and pretending we're something we're not just to fit in with whatever's mainstream. But seeing this- seeing each and every name, one by one, these people I /know/ that I recognize, some of whom I literally idolize... one by one, seeing that they're like us, that we're not alone? It's extremely moving, and... I dunno, it gives me hope. It makes me remember "hey, you're not the only ones going through this!" Thank you all. You make gamers like us feel safe, and I mean that genuinely. Being less serious now, "James Jacobs is too funny to be straight" was my first reaction to seeing him on Pathfinder Friday a few months back and honestly? Vindication
The more I think about it, the more I feel we could really use a full on diplomacy-based class that ISN'T magical. Now THIS is a Marshal I can get behind!
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