paizo.com Favorited Posts by Dreikaiserbundpaizo.com Favorited Posts by Dreikaiserbund2024-03-27T17:49:22Z2024-03-27T17:49:22ZRe: Forums/Paizo: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Paizo Recognizes United Paizo WorkersMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shum&page=3?Paizo-Recognizes-United-Paizo-Workers#1212021-10-22T03:07:09Z2021-10-22T03:02:32Z<p>Amazing news! There's still a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty to come, but this is a major step in the right direction, and a cheering sign that the management is willing to meet us halfway. Congratulations to everyone, staff, freelancers, and fans, who made this happen!</p>Amazing news! There's still a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty to come, but this is a major step in the right direction, and a cheering sign that the management is willing to meet us halfway. Congratulations to everyone, staff, freelancers, and fans, who made this happen!Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2021-10-22T03:02:32ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: The Mwangi ExpanseMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq027ot/discuss&page=6?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-The-Mwangi-Expanse#2552021-08-07T10:40:07Z2021-06-28T17:41:25Z<p>Hi all! Mikhail Rekun here, I'm one of the freelancers who wrote for this book — I'm the guy that wrote the gnolls, the Mbe'ke dwarves, the Mwangi Jungle, and the Terwa Uplands. Just want to say thank you for all the enthusiasm, especially for my beloved floofy gnolls. :D</p>
<p>My veeeeeeeery first D&D character, back in the misty depths of [checks calendar, feels himself turning to dust]... long ago... was a gnoll. Terribly emo gnoll, but I've had a love for the fluffy-eared critters ever since, and for hyenas as well. I'm fairly sure I've been wheedling Eleanor for a chance to write gnolls since I started freelancing for Paizo. </p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Rysky wrote:</div><blockquote> <b>AARDWOLF. <i>FLUFFIES</i>.</b> </blockquote><p>Yessssssss.
<p>Each of the gnoll heritages was based on one of the four hyena subspecies, so when I was looking at aardwolves I was like "...welp, gnoll/halfling." I'm pretty sure the "Many are skeptical that you are in fact a gnoll" line comes from Eleanor originally, though.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">AnimatedPaper wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I need a campaign around Cykurarreot, the crotchety old lady dragon that collects wind chimes and bothers her grandchildren to amuse herself, <i>yesterday</i>.</p>
<p>She is absolutely a mystery writer turned amateur sleuth. I would like a miniseries voiced by Jennifer Lewis immediately. </blockquote><p>...I'd been thinking Angela Lansbury when I wrote her, honestly, but I think Jennifer Lewis is the superior choice. And yes, she'd be a <i>great</i> patron for PCs.
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Ashanderai wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">keftiu wrote:</div><blockquote>Several NPCs have levels in nonexistent classes in 2e. </blockquote>Such as...? </blockquote><p>One of my proudest moments as a Paizo freelancer was getting the following sentence into print: <i>"The centaur is Jaldan (NG female centaur apprentice shaman), the PCs’ contact. The children are Alayn and Linnit (CN male and female human <b>adorable brats</b>), a pair of young troublemakers"</i> (PFS1-15: Blooming Catastrophe, pg. 5)
<div class="messageboard-quotee">keftiu wrote:</div><blockquote> There’s a tiny mention of a gnoll hoping to found a gnoll nation opposed to slavery and I’m SO keen on it. </blockquote><p>Also me! Unlike her Katapeshi counterpart, Gold Beetle is more focused on the nation-building than the abolitionism, though it's definitely part of her agenda.
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Eleanor Ferron wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">keftiu wrote:</div><blockquote> Okay, so I have to ask: /where/ did Sweetbreath Gnolls come from?</blockquote>There was a note in the gnoll turnover on this... -<i>Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Hyenas</i>, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1998, pg. 96 </blockquote><p>That document was <i>extremely</i> useful in digging up some more authentic hyena-related myths to draw on. The Right-Hand Blood feat also came from the same document:
<p><i>"Another belief considers that the flesh of the right side of a striped hyena has healing properties against many illnesses but the left side is poisonous."</i> (Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Hyenas, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1998, pg. 96)</p>Hi all! Mikhail Rekun here, I'm one of the freelancers who wrote for this book -- I'm the guy that wrote the gnolls, the Mbe'ke dwarves, the Mwangi Jungle, and the Terwa Uplands. Just want to say thank you for all the enthusiasm, especially for my beloved floofy gnolls. :D
My veeeeeeeery first D&D character, back in the misty depths of [checks calendar, feels himself turning to dust]... long ago... was a gnoll. Terribly emo gnoll, but I've had a love for the fluffy-eared critters ever since,...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2021-06-28T17:41:25ZRe: Forums: Off-Topic Discussions: Any fanfic writers/readers?Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43bnl?Any-fanfic-writersreaders#32021-03-26T08:47:03Z2021-02-28T13:27:09Z<p>I've read a few fanfics or campaign narratives here and there, and I've written enough cutscenes for my home campaigns that they probably edge into fanficness.</p>
<p>The best TTRPG fanfic I have ever read, by a considerable margin, is the 40k <a href="http://www.theallguardsmenparty.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">All Guardsmen Party</a>.</p>I've read a few fanfics or campaign narratives here and there, and I've written enough cutscenes for my home campaigns that they probably edge into fanficness.
The best TTRPG fanfic I have ever read, by a considerable margin, is the 40k All Guardsmen Party.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2021-02-28T13:27:09ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-08: A Frosty MugMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq0251r/discuss?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-208-A-Frosty-Mug#252021-01-25T12:13:17Z2020-11-19T04:20:51Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">DragonflyBlue wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Squees in Russian!</p>
<p>•• spoiler omitted •• </blockquote><p>[Spoiler omitted]DragonflyBlue wrote:Squees in Russian!
** spoiler omitted **
[Spoiler omitted]Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-11-19T04:20:51ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-08: A Frosty MugMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq0251r/discuss?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-208-A-Frosty-Mug#202023-12-16T08:00:45Z2020-11-04T13:22:50Z<p>I must admit that Michael Sayre knew very well how to hook me onto a project. </p>
<p>"Hey, Mikhail, do you want to work on a PFS adventure featuring displaced Russian soldiers in Golarion?"</p>
<p>"...is there a way for me to say 'Yes' loudly and quickly enough?"</p>
<p>The hat, by the way, is called a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papakha" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">papakha</a>.</p>I must admit that Michael Sayre knew very well how to hook me onto a project.
"Hey, Mikhail, do you want to work on a PFS adventure featuring displaced Russian soldiers in Golarion?"
"...is there a way for me to say 'Yes' loudly and quickly enough?"
The hat, by the way, is called a papakha.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-11-04T13:22:50ZRe: Forums: Starfinder General Discussion: Paizo Blog: The Ark Is ComingMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shc9?The-Ark-Is-Coming#42020-09-01T00:08:44Z2020-08-14T19:21:30Z<p>Hype hype hype hype!</p>
<p>(I wrote the Hibb Gazetteer, so I am not a disinterested party)</p>Hype hype hype hype!
(I wrote the Hibb Gazetteer, so I am not a disinterested party)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-08-14T19:21:30ZRe: Forums/Lost Omens Campaign Setting: General Discussion: Baba Yaga vs JatembeMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pk4g?Baba-Yaga-vs-Jatembe#102020-08-13T00:03:36Z2020-08-10T11:51:56Z<p>Every century, the two duel over the epic question of... who pays the bill.</p>Every century, the two duel over the epic question of... who pays the bill.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-08-10T11:51:56ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Meet The Legendary Authors!Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shc3?Meet-The-Legendary-Authors#102021-05-04T15:15:46Z2020-08-07T19:31:21Z<p>[continues to inflict the Cyrillic alphabet on poor, hapless readers]</p>[continues to inflict the Cyrillic alphabet on poor, hapless readers]Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-08-07T19:31:21ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq023gd/discuss&page=6?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Legends#2602020-08-05T10:43:15Z2020-07-31T08:31:56Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Hmm wrote:</div><blockquote><p>Andrew Mullen, I blame you for the damage I took when I fell off my couch reading this. Okay, I blame Micah too. This is marvelous. And now I am feeling that I am going to need to contribute Artokus Kirran filk sung by Tukalo, of course. Because you know that would have been who put him up to this.</p>
<p>But I am still trying to prep the Starfinder Special for tomorrow. Gah, how dare you distract me at this time! I will have to wait to filk Artokus Kirran and Tukalo after GenCon.</p>
<p>The agony!</p>
<p>Hmm </blockquote><p>[is not blamed] Marvelous, I escape unscathed!
<div class="messageboard-quotee">CorvusMask wrote:</div><blockquote><p> On sidenote, has anybody noticed that vast majority of rulers in Inner Sea appear to be singles and subsection of the ruler explicitly aren't interested in romance?</p>
<p>I mean on some level it makes sense, even if they aren't single their hypothetical spouse might not be important enough to be mentioned, but I realized upon reading book that Kevoth-Kul & Kul-Inkit and Qadira's leader's spouse are very rare exceptions xD </blockquote><p>The real reason is probably just conservation of detail. But hey, it opens the field to the PCs, as the Unofficial Lost Omens Dating Guide demonstrates. :BHmm wrote:Andrew Mullen, I blame you for the damage I took when I fell off my couch reading this. Okay, I blame Micah too. This is marvelous. And now I am feeling that I am going to need to contribute Artokus Kirran filk sung by Tukalo, of course. Because you know that would have been who put him up to this.
But I am still trying to prep the Starfinder Special for tomorrow. Gah, how dare you distract me at this time! I will have to wait to filk Artokus Kirran and Tukalo after GenCon.
The...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-07-31T08:31:56ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq023gd/discuss&page=6?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Legends#2522020-08-05T17:00:49Z2020-07-30T23:47:40Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">CorvusMask wrote:</div><blockquote> I also like how there are other post campaign articles without confirming they happened ;D Such as Choral the dragon theory and certain three headed raven from War for the Crown.</blockquote><p>I think this was a case of convergent evolution. One of the directives of the book was definitely 'make some plot hooks' for the people in question, and you have these APs with handy dandy post-campaign plot hooks as is...
<div class="messageboard-quotee">CorvusMask wrote:</div><blockquote><p>Also one of my favorite lines in book:</p>
<p>"I am gravely disappointed in the quality of assassination in this country.
<br />
No one stays dead." </blockquote><p>Maleagant has <i>standards</i>.CorvusMask wrote:I also like how there are other post campaign articles without confirming they happened ;D Such as Choral the dragon theory and certain three headed raven from War for the Crown.
I think this was a case of convergent evolution. One of the directives of the book was definitely 'make some plot hooks' for the people in question, and you have these APs with handy dandy post-campaign plot hooks as is... CorvusMask wrote:Also one of my favorite lines in book:
"I am gravely...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-07-30T23:47:40ZRe: Forums: Paizo Products: Paizo Blog: Tales of Lost Omens: Be Kind to StrangersMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shai&page=2?Tales-of-Lost-Omens-Be-Kind-to-Strangers#632023-04-05T14:17:22Z2020-07-30T18:52:04Z<p>https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shbu?Character-Options-for-Pathfi nder-Society-and</p>
<p>Presenting this, as it answers a fair few questions (especially alongside Lost Omens: Legends).</p>https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shbu?Character-Options-for-Pathfi nder-Society-and
Presenting this, as it answers a fair few questions (especially alongside Lost Omens: Legends).Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-07-30T18:52:04ZRe: Forums: Community Use: [Community Project] Wayfinder #21 Call for Submissions •Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs433q9?Community-Project-Wayfinder-21-Call-for#92020-07-24T20:37:52Z2020-07-20T06:37:25Z<p>Marking interest, probably Flavor Articles expanding on minor adventure hooks or what-have-you that I've put into recent Lost Omens books.</p>Marking interest, probably Flavor Articles expanding on minor adventure hooks or what-have-you that I've put into recent Lost Omens books.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-07-20T06:37:25ZRe: Forums: Paizo Products: Paizo Blog: Tales of Lost Omens: Be Kind to StrangersMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shai?Tales-of-Lost-Omens-Be-Kind-to-Strangers#352020-07-11T20:10:31Z2020-07-11T04:12:07Z<p>I'm having the time of my life.</p>I'm having the time of my life.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-07-11T04:12:07ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #156: The Apocalypse Prophet (Extinction Curse 6 of 6)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq023gb/discuss?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-156-The-Apocalypse-Prophet#432020-07-09T22:31:40Z2020-06-18T03:46:53Z<p>[looks to the left]</p>
<p>[looks to the right]</p>
<p>[whispers]</p>
<p>"Psst. The Kortos Mounts Gazetteer has giant corgis."</p>
<p>[skulks away]</p>[looks to the left]
[looks to the right]
[whispers]
"Psst. The Kortos Mounts Gazetteer has giant corgis."
[skulks away]Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-06-18T03:46:53ZRe: Forums: GM Discussion: PFS2 1-15 The Blooming CatastropheMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42yxt?PFS2-115-The-Blooming-Catastrophe#42020-03-27T22:28:39Z2020-03-11T18:11:15Z<p>I very much had <i>Beetlejuice: The Musical</i> and <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> in mind during this adventure.</p>I very much had Beetlejuice: The Musical and The Nightmare Before Christmas in mind during this adventure.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-03-11T18:11:15ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-15: The Blooming CatastropheMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq022x2/discuss?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-115-The-Blooming-Catastrophe#82020-07-19T23:29:37Z2020-02-22T03:34:40Z<p>My first PFS adventure! This is going to be wonderful. Or possibly a blooming catastrophe, one of the two.</p>
<p>Unrelated, I have been told that the leshy on the cover looks a lot like me. I am not sure how to take this.</p>My first PFS adventure! This is going to be wonderful. Or possibly a blooming catastrophe, one of the two.
Unrelated, I have been told that the leshy on the cover looks a lot like me. I am not sure how to take this.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2020-02-22T03:34:40ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq023gd/discuss?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Legends#302020-04-08T12:12:48Z2019-11-20T22:55:50Z<p>Hurray! This was quite possibly one of my favorite projects to write on for Paizo, and I <i>very much</i> hope it's a hit so we get to write a lot more like these.</p>Hurray! This was quite possibly one of my favorite projects to write on for Paizo, and I very much hope it's a hit so we get to write a lot more like these.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-11-20T22:55:50ZRe: Forums: Starfinder Accessories: Paizo Blog: Classing Things Up With Starfinder's Newest BookMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgzt?Classing-Things-Up-With-Starfinders-Newest-Book#112019-11-01T07:58:26Z2019-10-31T22:41:38Z<p>I have several players in my Starfinder Horror/Intrigue campaign who are awaiting this book with bated breath.</p>I have several players in my Starfinder Horror/Intrigue campaign who are awaiting this book with bated breath.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-31T22:41:38ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: Character GuideMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01zt4/discuss&page=6?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Character-Guide#2582020-02-28T08:29:26Z2019-10-23T02:10:15Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Asgetrion wrote:</div><blockquote> Thanks, Sasha and Mikhail! It's great to hear these insights from you, although I'm fairly sure you couldn't have called a feat "Stiff Upper Lip" (TM) without inciting the wrath of the British people! ;) </blockquote><p><i>Alas</i>. Thus is my creativity constrained by cruel reality, and Golarion forever loses a spark of genius.Asgetrion wrote:Thanks, Sasha and Mikhail! It's great to hear these insights from you, although I'm fairly sure you couldn't have called a feat "Stiff Upper Lip" (TM) without inciting the wrath of the British people! ;)
Alas. Thus is my creativity constrained by cruel reality, and Golarion forever loses a spark of genius.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-23T02:10:15ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: Character GuideMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01zt4/discuss&page=5?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Character-Guide#2492020-02-28T08:26:39Z2019-10-19T11:41:16Z<p>Hail and well met, fellow travelers! The name is Mikhail Rekun, and I wrote the Human Ancestries section of this book.</p>
<p>First, credit where it's due, Eleanor and Luis did yeoman work putting this book together, and Mark did a great deal to convert my early-system musings into actual rules.</p>
<p>Overall, I'd say this was the most difficult project I've ever undertaken for Paizo, before or since. On the mechanical side, the PF2 system was still being finalized when I was writing all those feats, which made for some interesting times (I want to say that heritages became a thing about halfway through my writing, though my memory may be deceiving me). On the setting side, well... summarizing an entire world's worth of ethnic groups was never going to be easy. Still, I'm rather pleased with the final product.</p>
<p>A couple of miscellaneous notes:
<br />
<ul><li>As mentioned earlier, the Dragon Spit and Dragon Prince feats are in my notes as 'Anime Hair' feats, since they give you a perfectly reasonable, rules-legal explanation for why you are wandering around with anime protagonist coloration. Dragons! Is there anything they can't do?
<br />
<li>The working title for Keeping Up Appearances was 'Stiff Upper Lip', and I still wonder if I should've named it that instead. For the record, the Taldans are my favorite ethnicity. So delightfully <i>snooty</i>.
<br />
<li>I'm rather proud of the origin stories I have for the half-orcs. In gaming, there's a marked tendency to portray half-orcs as the children of rape, with all the unfortunate implications involved. I made a point to sidestep that, and instead give them a certain mythic background. I'll also admit to being amused at the idea of Pharasma just throwing her hands in the air and sending a bunch of souls back, even though this is a folk legend and <i>probably</i> did not happen.</ul></p>
<p>Anyway, that's all from me for now. Hope you lot like the book!</p>Hail and well met, fellow travelers! The name is Mikhail Rekun, and I wrote the Human Ancestries section of this book.
First, credit where it's due, Eleanor and Luis did yeoman work putting this book together, and Mark did a great deal to convert my early-system musings into actual rules.
Overall, I'd say this was the most difficult project I've ever undertaken for Paizo, before or since. On the mechanical side, the PF2 system was still being finalized when I was writing all those feats,...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-19T11:41:16ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: Absalom, City of Lost OmensMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq02ap2/discuss?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Absalom-City-of-Lost-Omens#182021-12-10T15:34:41Z2019-10-14T13:12:59Z<p>So, ah, not to burst anyone's bubble, but do be aware that by the time a product has been publicly announced, about 98% of the writing is completed, and has been for months.</p>
<p>Publication pipelines are <i>long</i>.</p>So, ah, not to burst anyone's bubble, but do be aware that by the time a product has been publicly announced, about 98% of the writing is completed, and has been for months.
Publication pipelines are long.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-14T13:12:59ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Lost Omens: Character GuideMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01zt4/discuss&page=5?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Character-Guide#2162019-10-17T01:23:26Z2019-10-14T03:10:36Z<p>I'm rather proud of those two feats. In my notes I have them listed as my 'Anime Hair' Feats, for reasons that should be abundantly clear.</p>I'm rather proud of those two feats. In my notes I have them listed as my 'Anime Hair' Feats, for reasons that should be abundantly clear.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-14T03:10:36ZRe: Forums: Paizo Products: Paizo Blog: He's A Magic Man, She's A Magic Man!NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgyc?Hes-A-Magic-Man-Shes-A-Magic-Man#142019-10-08T00:26:02Z2019-10-04T19:01:31Z<p>Love this to bits. The art is gorgeous, the mechanics inspired, and the university fascinating.</p>
<p>Also I want an anadi ancestry so very much.</p>Love this to bits. The art is gorgeous, the mechanics inspired, and the university fascinating.
Also I want an anadi ancestry so very much.NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-10-04T19:01:31ZRe: Forums: Paizo Products: Paizo Blog: All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a ChanceNeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgvl?All-We-Are-Saying-Is-Give-Peace-a-Chance#262019-08-24T11:09:50Z2019-08-24T02:18:43Z<p>Excellent. Really, all of it is excellent, but I particularly love the hobgoblin with the taotieh axe, and the whole concept of Uncommon ancestries.</p>Excellent. Really, all of it is excellent, but I particularly love the hobgoblin with the taotieh axe, and the whole concept of Uncommon ancestries.NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-08-24T02:18:43ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder Second Edition: General Discussion: Niche Request: Gnoll AncestryMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42pbs?Niche-Request-Gnoll-Ancestry#102019-08-28T12:00:23Z2019-08-13T13:33:29Z<p>I very, very, <i>very</i> much would like to see playable gnolls somewhere in the setting.</p>
<p>They're a venerable D&D race, dating back from the first edition. They have a very appealing look (how can you not love <a href="https://media.nature.com/w700/magazine-assets/d41586-018-03094-8/d41586-018-03094-8_15522530.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">these faces?</a>). The hyena link gives you options for some definitely novel biology (the insane jaw strength has definite play applications, while the reproductive aspects are not exactly game-friendly but can definitely be fodder for cultural myths in the style of the Hugo-award winning <a href="http://diggercomic.com/?p=924" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Digger by Ursula Vernon</a>.)</p>
<p>Keith Baker's 4E article on gnolls was a master class in how to make gnolls interesting and playable without detracting from the 'dangerous monster' aspect.</p>
<p>And I think that there are definite signs that Golarion may be ready for such a thing. We're steadily moving away from 'It's okay to kill them because they're green' approach to gaming, and if <i>goblins</i> can be a player ancestry, I can't imagine why gnolls couldn't be.</p>
<p>So, all aboard the gnoll hype train! Gnoll gnoll gnoll!</p>I very, very, very much would like to see playable gnolls somewhere in the setting.
They're a venerable D&D race, dating back from the first edition. They have a very appealing look (how can you not love these faces?). The hyena link gives you options for some definitely novel biology (the insane jaw strength has definite play applications, while the reproductive aspects are not exactly game-friendly but can definitely be fodder for cultural myths in the style of the Hugo-award winning...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-08-13T13:33:29ZRe: Forums/Lost Omens Campaign Setting: General Discussion: What aspect of the Pathfinder Universe do you *really* like....”Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n59?What-aspect-of-the-Pathfinder-Universe-do-you#82019-08-08T03:10:09Z2019-07-26T05:59:37Z<p><b>1)</b> Ustalav and all that is within it, but <i>especially</i> the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. I started gaming in Ravenloft, and Ustalav feels very much like Ravenloft's hip, modern successor.</p>
<p><b>2)</b> Taldor, and the mixture of politics, arrogance, history, and genuine albeit faded greatness that it has. If I were to live in Golarion, I would be a Taldan.</p>
<p><b>3)</b> The Test of the Starstone and the stories of the Ascended Gods (Iomedae, Norgorber, and Cayden Cailean). More than any others, they feel like fully realized and complex characters, while at the same time maintaining that 'mythic' quality to them.</p>
<p><b>4)</b> Psychopomps. I feel profound sympathy for the put-upon bureaucrats who are just trying to make the universe run properly.</p>1) Ustalav and all that is within it, but especially the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. I started gaming in Ravenloft, and Ustalav feels very much like Ravenloft's hip, modern successor.
2) Taldor, and the mixture of politics, arrogance, history, and genuine albeit faded greatness that it has. If I were to live in Golarion, I would be a Taldan.
3) The Test of the Starstone and the stories of the Ascended Gods (Iomedae, Norgorber, and Cayden Cailean). More than any others, they feel...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-07-26T05:59:37ZRe: Forums/Lost Omens Campaign Setting: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: The Saga LandsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgsi&page=2?The-Saga-Lands#522019-07-28T10:11:20Z2019-07-24T15:00:56Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Rysky wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Also thankies for the info Mikhail ^w^</p>
<p>And especially for the Dustwalkers and Mortics, I likes those I do yes yes. </blockquote><p>You are most welcome! You have not heard the last of me, but alas, the big stuff I've worked on is still under NDA at the moment. Weep for the plight of the freelancer, Rysky.
<div class="messageboard-quotee">zimmerwald1915 wrote:</div><blockquote> First of all, thanks to @Mikhail Rekun for the extremely useful post.</blockquote><p>You are very welcome!
<div class="messageboard-quotee">zimmerwald1915 wrote:</div><blockquote>I agree with this, with the caveat that Anastasia might think to use magic to intervene covertly abroad and spare her armies. But I don't see a way clear to her loosening the reins in a longstanding repressive society, when she's only ever seen that lead to ruin for her family and for herself personally (she might also get some schadenfreude from scrying on the Russian Civil War from time to time). </blockquote><p>I think at this point we are so far out of the usual situation that any historical comparisons are of limited use at best, and narrative considerations become more important (in this case, I'm <i>guessing</i> that the narrative purpose is to make people who finished the Reign of Winter AP feel like they accomplished a positive act).
<p>Anyway, I will bow out of the discussion at this point, but feel free to ping me if anyone wants more Random Russian History Fun Time Posts.</p>Rysky wrote:Also thankies for the info Mikhail ^w^
And especially for the Dustwalkers and Mortics, I likes those I do yes yes.
You are most welcome! You have not heard the last of me, but alas, the big stuff I've worked on is still under NDA at the moment. Weep for the plight of the freelancer, Rysky. zimmerwald1915 wrote:First of all, thanks to @Mikhail Rekun for the extremely useful post.
You are very welcome! zimmerwald1915 wrote:I agree with this, with the caveat that Anastasia might...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-07-24T15:00:56ZRe: Forums/Lost Omens Campaign Setting: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: The Saga LandsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgsi?The-Saga-Lands#462020-12-17T19:48:57Z2019-07-24T14:24:01Z<p>I generally avoid wading into these sorts of debates, but for once this touches very close to my own field. So, here we go!</p>
<p>First off, hi, I'm Mikhail Rekun. I'm a Paizo freelancer, though not one who's done anything related to Saga Lands to date. When <i>not</i> writing about duskwalkers and mortics, though, I'm a historian of the late Russian Empire. (I've got a book and everything! Check it out: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCZ65Z6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">How Russia Lost Bulgaria, 1878-1886</a>) My specialty is diplomatic history and foreign relations, not the Romanov dynasty itself, but I'm moderately familiar with them.</p>
<p><b>First point</b>: There is not enough historical information to say firmly that Anastasia would be more liberal or more repressive than the typical ruler. Ultimately, Anastasia died when she was seventeen years old, and as a woman would have never been considered for the Russian throne owing to the Pauline laws of succession (there's some outside edge cases where such a thing was <i>possible</i>, but this was no a concern at the time to my knowledge). I'm not aware of Anastasia ever showing much interest in politics at a young age.</p>
<p>Thus, everything is going to be guess work to a certain extent, and that's even before you factor in the potential PTSD from her family's death, or the way resurrection, dimensional travel, and all the rest would influence the poor girl. </p>
<p>That said, we can untangle a couple of other points here.</p>
<p><b>The argument that the Romanovs were uniformly repressive</b>, or that the lesson of history is that if you give the people an inch they will take a mile is a bit of an oversimplification. By and large, the last 150 or so years of the Romanovs saw more liberal monarchs alternating with more reactionary ones - you have Catherine the Great followed by Paul I, Alexander I followed by Nicholas I (Nicholas Palki, the real Gaoler of Europe), Alexander II followed by Alexander III, and then Nicholas II as the odd duck in the flock.</p>
<p>Taken as a whole, Imperial Russia was a more conservative land than France or the United Kingdom, but there were regular efforts to modernize, liberalize, and update it - the biggest effort was Alexander II's Great Reforms, which freed the serfs but also brought about massive reorganizations in the judiciary, in civil administration, and so forth.</p>
<p>The <i>reason</i> here is that it was fairly clear that a consistently authoritarian line would leave Russia further and further behind its peers among the Great Powers. I won't get into the details because I am much too lazy to break out my books, but suffice to say that Russia's antiquated administration came with serious costs - more modern states such as Germany were better able to mobilize large numbers of soldiers, and use civic expenditures to arrange railways the way they liked them for easy logistics. Ultimately, Alexander II became a reformer and a liberal (in the contemporary Russian sense of the term), because Imperial Russia had been beaten black and blue during the Crimean War, for all that the French and British armies had their own share of woeful incompetence.</p>
<p>Nicholas II breaks the pattern a bit, because he was honestly not the brightest bulb, but even his own experiences point to the fact that one cannot effectively repress a population indefinitely - the Revolution of 1905 was only really stopped because Sergei Witte essentially bullied Nicholas into granting a constitution and allowing for a legislature, even if the October Manifesto was subsequently defanged to near irrelevance with the various election manipulations. Which in turn played a major role in letting pressure build that resulted in the February Revolution.</p>
<p>So, it's certainly plausible that a reborn Anastasia might conclude that perpetual repression is a long-term loser, because sooner or later the system breaks down. Personally, I think it's even <i>more</i> plausible that she'd become a staunch pacifist and noninterventionist, because the Revolutions of 1905 and 1917 had their proximate causes in her father getting involved in unwise and unsuccessful foreign wars.</p>
<p>This post is getting a bit unwieldy, but I'll touch on a second point, which is the idea that <b>the Romanovs were uniquely brutal</b>. As noted, compared to the rest of Europe they were more conservative, and they definitely had their unpleasant moments (best example here would be the regular pogroms launched by basically all the Tsars).</p>
<p>But consider their contemporaries - such folks as Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Dowager Empress Cixi, or the most triumphant example, King Leopold II.</p>
<p>King Leopold II of Belgium's life overlapped a bit with Anastasia's (she was born in 1901, he died in 1909), though I don't know that they'd ever met. But in the Congo Free State, Leopold ran what can only be called a genocidal regime, uniquely brutal and horrific even by the standards of colonialism, which saw such things as routine mutilation, forced labor (slavery, not to mince words), and cut the Congo's population roughly in half. He's someone who could give Hitler and Stalin a run for their money in the body count contest.</p>
<p><b>Ultimate conclusion then</b>: Yes, the Romanovs were conservative in general and on occasion quite reactionary (the point about Nicholas I and the Revolution of 1848 is a valid one), but they were neither uniformly tyrannical nor necessarily out of line with other European monarchs of the Victorian era. </p>
<p>Furthermore, there's not really enough on Anastasia to make sweeping proclamations as to what kind of ruler she would be, but certainly a benevolent, non-violent Anastasia is entirely possible.</p>
<p><b>Sources</b>: I've got more books on this topic than I care to think about, but a very good set of readable histories on the late Russian Empire would be the various books of W. Bruce Lincoln, especially <i>In War's Dark Shadow</i>. If anyone is terribly interested in an actual reading list, I would be happy to provide.</p>I generally avoid wading into these sorts of debates, but for once this touches very close to my own field. So, here we go!
First off, hi, I'm Mikhail Rekun. I'm a Paizo freelancer, though not one who's done anything related to Saga Lands to date. When not writing about duskwalkers and mortics, though, I'm a historian of the late Russian Empire. (I've got a book and everything! Check it out: How Russia Lost Bulgaria, 1878-1886) My specialty is diplomatic history and foreign relations, not...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-07-24T14:24:01ZRe: Forums: Starfinder Society: Paizo Blog: Starfinder Society: Ethical AnthropologyMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgs1?Starfinder-Society-Ethical-Anthropology#112019-07-25T22:43:30Z2019-07-18T00:20:56Z<p>I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the old, classic pulp adventures (or more accurately, their retro reincarnations like Indiana Jones or Johnny Quest). It had orientalizing baggage by the truckload, no argument here, but at the same time... there was this little spark of genuine interest in other lands and other cultures. "Look how cool the world is! Look at all these interesting places and interesting people!"</p>
<p>Seeing this made me grin, I'll say.</p>
<p>Anyway, this was a genius trick and I am legitimately impressed. Also putting a bunch of adventures on my to-read list, clearly.</p>I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the old, classic pulp adventures (or more accurately, their retro reincarnations like Indiana Jones or Johnny Quest). It had orientalizing baggage by the truckload, no argument here, but at the same time... there was this little spark of genuine interest in other lands and other cultures. "Look how cool the world is! Look at all these interesting places and interesting people!"
Seeing this made me grin, I'll say.
Anyway, this was a genius trick...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-07-18T00:20:56ZRe: Forums/Paizo: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Paizo Wishes Everyone a Happy Pride Month!Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgrb?Paizo-Wishes-Everyone-a-Happy-Pride-Month#102019-06-28T15:07:40Z2019-06-28T00:43:10Z<p>You're the best!</p>You're the best!Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-06-28T00:43:10ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Player Companion: Chronicle of LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01yji/discuss&page=4?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Chronicle-of-Legends#1602019-05-22T08:37:45Z2019-05-20T14:11:16Z<p>I was very much thinking of Mussorgsky's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCuL-K39eQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Night on Bald Mountain</a> when I wrote it.</p>I was very much thinking of Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain when I wrote it.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-05-20T14:11:16ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Player Companion: Chronicle of LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01yji/discuss&page=4?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Chronicle-of-Legends#1582019-05-20T14:07:51Z2019-05-20T13:50:41Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Prince Setehrael wrote:</div><blockquote> What is the Witch Capstone called?</blockquote><p>The Witch and the Alchemist already get a variable capstone, with grand hexes and grand discoveries, so rather than replace those I simply wrote one new grand hex and one new grand discovery.Prince Setehrael wrote:What is the Witch Capstone called?
The Witch and the Alchemist already get a variable capstone, with grand hexes and grand discoveries, so rather than replace those I simply wrote one new grand hex and one new grand discovery.Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-05-20T13:50:41ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Player Companion: Chronicle of LegendsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01yji/discuss&page=3?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Chronicle-of-Legends#1462019-05-29T12:58:53Z2019-05-19T02:22:16Z<p>Greetings all and sundry! This is Mikhail Rekun, your humble author and writer of the capstone section. A great big thank you to Eleanor and Luis for tossing this my way - it was fun to really stretch my wings with high-power, high-level stuff.</p>
<p>A few miscellaneous notes and comments below. Standard disclaimer, this is me in my civilian hat, and is no way, shape, or form official.</p>
<p><b>1)</b> My balance guideline was 1 capstone = 4 feats, leaning towards more powerful and dramatic effects out of the principle of ending the campaign, and the edition, with a bang.</p>
<p><b>2)</b> I dearly, dearly wanted to call the Wizard capstone 'Schrodinger's Wizard', but this would have been too meta. The thought, however, is there.</p>
<p><b>3)</b> My own personal favorite capstones are 'The Boss', 'With This Sword' and 'Won't Stay Dead,' for their ability to spark new stories or roleplaying moments ("How did you survive that broken neck?" "Special trousers.") Arch-Familiar gets an honorable mention because I love familiars.</p>
<p>Finally, I note that the narrator of this section, Kallixeina Nyx, is a character from my Planescape campaign, and is the sister of Kharmione Nyx from the <i>Half-Dead</i> article intro in <i>AP 139: The Dead Roads</i>. You can see what Kalli looks like <a href="https://i.imgur.com/x6f7yFa.png" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p>
<p>Hope everyone liked the capstones!</p>Greetings all and sundry! This is Mikhail Rekun, your humble author and writer of the capstone section. A great big thank you to Eleanor and Luis for tossing this my way - it was fun to really stretch my wings with high-power, high-level stuff.
A few miscellaneous notes and comments below. Standard disclaimer, this is me in my civilian hat, and is no way, shape, or form official.
1) My balance guideline was 1 capstone = 4 feats, leaning towards more powerful and dramatic effects out of the...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-05-19T02:22:16ZRe: Forums/Paizo: General Discussion: Paizo Blog: Help Paizo Celebrate Kingmaker's 10th Anniversary!NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sgmf&page=3?Help-Paizo-Celebrate-Kingmakers-10th-Anniversary#1422019-05-13T12:34:40Z2019-05-03T14:52:16Z<p>I am thoroughly on board with this. Kingmaker the AP has always seemed like a triumph of magnificent ideas over solid-but-not-great execution, so a revised, rereleased AP is <i>definitely</i> my cup of tea. Owlcat did a lot of good work on the CRPG, it'll be great to have it backported into PF.</p>
<p>Also, I am quite happy on having it be PF2 (really, I can't imagine who'd think it would be otherwise), and the D&D5E bestiary seems a fairly shrewd play to lure new gamers in.</p>
<p>Overall, count me as quite pleased.</p>
<p>(Carrion Crown afterwards? :D)</p>I am thoroughly on board with this. Kingmaker the AP has always seemed like a triumph of magnificent ideas over solid-but-not-great execution, so a revised, rereleased AP is definitely my cup of tea. Owlcat did a lot of good work on the CRPG, it'll be great to have it backported into PF.
Also, I am quite happy on having it be PF2 (really, I can't imagine who'd think it would be otherwise), and the D&D5E bestiary seems a fairly shrewd play to lure new gamers in.
Overall, count me as quite...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-05-03T14:52:16ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #140: Eulogy for Roslar's Coffer (Tyrant's Grasp 2 of 6)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01x4b/discuss?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-140-Eulogy-for-Roslars-Coffer#492019-03-13T18:05:35Z2019-03-13T02:23:40Z<p>Greetings to all and sundry! This is Mikhail Rekun, and I wrote one of the monsters at the end of this AP — the Gurgist, everyone's favorite terrifying masked horror who isn't really <i>that</i> bad.</p>
<p>As ever, a massive thank you to Ron Lundeen for sending this my way, along with big bunches of ideas to ponder. And likewise, what follows are some random comments that are not in any way official.</p>
<p><b>Stylistically,</b> the Gurgist grew out of thinking about hungers, while trying to avoid the usual zombie tropes (nothing wrong with those, but we were aiming at more than just 'cannibal humans'). So, I was thinking about hunger as a central theme, and addiction, and I was reading <i>Discworld</i>, and a little light bulb went up above my head. For those sorry souls among you who have not read Sir Terry's <i>Discworld</i> series, vampires there often become teetotalers, displacing their addiction to blood for something else. </p>
<p>Now, in Sir Terry's books, this is <i>mostly</i> played for laughs. So I started thinking of how to make it creepy (leading to the obsession skills). And then one of my friends showed me something that involved masks, and a second light bulb went on. Creepy masks! Masks make everything creepy! (My players are now rolling their eyes a bit). Maybe not the most original idea in the history of gaming (creepy masked dead things are a thing), but hey, it works.</p>
<p>Fun fact: As often neutral critters, they can also be creepy-cool allies.</p>
<p>So, this is where the Gurgist came from. I'm rather proud of them, and I'm <i>really</i> proud of the artwork that came with them. Seriously, it's amazing.</p>
<p><b>Mechanically</b>, Gurgists are slow-moving rogues. They have the zombie vibe, and then they rush up to you and sneak attack you (ideally, they're fighting in groups and set up flanks). Whereupon they are zombies dual-wielding daggers and hitting you for way too much damage.</p>
<p>Hope folks enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them, and with luck a few PCs will get to go 'urk' at being stabbed repeatedly.</p>Greetings to all and sundry! This is Mikhail Rekun, and I wrote one of the monsters at the end of this AP -- the Gurgist, everyone's favorite terrifying masked horror who isn't really that bad.
As ever, a massive thank you to Ron Lundeen for sending this my way, along with big bunches of ideas to ponder. And likewise, what follows are some random comments that are not in any way official.
Stylistically, the Gurgist grew out of thinking about hungers, while trying to avoid the usual zombie...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-03-13T02:23:40ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #139: The Dead Roads (Tyrant's Grasp 1 of 6)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01ws3/discuss&page=4?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-139-The-Dead-Roads#1612020-11-15T22:05:23Z2019-03-01T06:13:53Z<p>Hello everyone! This is Mikhail Rekun, I wrote the Half-Dead article at the back. I just want to say a very big thank you to Ron for giving me the chance to write about this — various creepy dead things are absolutely in my wheelhouse.</p>
<p>Some miscellaneous comments on things in the article not immediately obvious: (For the record, this is me in my civilian hat, and is in no way, shape, or form official).</p>
<p><b>1)</b> The Dhampir's <i>Blasphemous Chalice</i> is inspired by Brian Lumley's <i>Necroscope</i> series, with its alien vampires.</p>
<p><b>2)</b> The <i>Suit of Inverted Jade</i> is based on a real-world thing, the jade burial suits of Han Dynasty China. I had the privilege of seeing one at the National Museum of Beijing roughly at the same time as Ron first messaging me about this article, so it was meant to be (you can find more on them <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_burial_suit)" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>).</p>
<p><b>3)</b> The weapons from the Vanth's Scythe feat are meant to match the weapons of the psychopomps — scythe for vanths, quarterstaves for shoki, whips for the morrigna, and bows for olethros.</p>
<p><b>4)</b> The Shabti feats are all named after actual Egyptian titles, with the exception of First General. But the others are all real things.</p>
<p>Finally, as a tiny bit of trivia, Kharmione Nyx, the hustler from the article introduction, is a character in a Planescape game I have run. You can see what she looks like <a href="https://i.imgur.com/nKSuS1h.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p>
<p>That's all! Hope everyone liked the article.</p>Hello everyone! This is Mikhail Rekun, I wrote the Half-Dead article at the back. I just want to say a very big thank you to Ron for giving me the chance to write about this -- various creepy dead things are absolutely in my wheelhouse.
Some miscellaneous comments on things in the article not immediately obvious: (For the record, this is me in my civilian hat, and is in no way, shape, or form official).
1) The Dhampir's Blasphemous Chalice is inspired by Brian Lumley's Necroscope series,...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-03-01T06:13:53ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #138: Rise of New Thassilon (Return of the Runelords 6 of 6)NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01w1w/discuss&page=5?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-138-Rise-of-New-Thassilon#2472019-02-03T05:32:35Z2019-02-02T16:09:54Z<p>I'll admit that I am okay with Belimarius as one of the surviving Runelords, because she always seemed one of the more interesting ones. She's an Abjurer, which feels like an underrepresented school of magic, she's an evil grandma-looking old lady, which is just generally underrepresented in fiction, and she's actually interested in running her nation. Plus the ghost angle feels like it has quite a lot of potential for character and plot development going forward.</p>
<p>(I do have a soft spot for Xanderghul, if only because there's something homey about his little lair — you can meet the guy while he's eating dinner or feeling homesick!)</p>I'll admit that I am okay with Belimarius as one of the surviving Runelords, because she always seemed one of the more interesting ones. She's an Abjurer, which feels like an underrepresented school of magic, she's an evil grandma-looking old lady, which is just generally underrepresented in fiction, and she's actually interested in running her nation. Plus the ghost angle feels like it has quite a lot of potential for character and plot development going forward.
(I do have a soft spot for...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-02-02T16:09:54ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #138: Rise of New Thassilon (Return of the Runelords 6 of 6)NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01w1w/discuss&page=4?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-138-Rise-of-New-Thassilon#2002019-01-23T19:50:18Z2019-01-23T15:48:27Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">magnuskn wrote:</div><blockquote> Aside from the Neutral Evil alignment (which makes no sense, but there it is...)</blockquote><div class="messageboard-quotee">CorvusMask wrote:</div><blockquote> Reading the entry again, I think they are evil because they were originally created by binding Shining Children(which are evil outsiders) into body of a lynx </blockquote><p>...I mean, they're cats. Do we need more of an explanation? Cats are •••holes. :Pmagnuskn wrote:Aside from the Neutral Evil alignment (which makes no sense, but there it is...)
CorvusMask wrote:Reading the entry again, I think they are evil because they were originally created by binding Shining Children(which are evil outsiders) into body of a lynx
...I mean, they're cats. Do we need more of an explanation? Cats are ***holes. :PNeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-01-23T15:48:27ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Player Companion: Wilderness OriginsMikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01w1y/discuss&page=3?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Wilderness-Origins#1282019-01-21T19:09:49Z2019-01-19T03:50:59Z<p>Greetings all and sundry! Mikhail Rekun here, I wrote the familiar and animal companion sections. I <i>might</i> have made some manner of feral sound when Luis offered me a chance to write it.</p>
<p>I'm glad to see people like those sections so far. Some random thoughts, keeping in mind that this is me in my 'Private Citizen' hat and I don't actually have my copy yet.</p>
<p><ul><li><> I really, really wanted to add ostriches to the list of animal companions/mounts, but alas there are no ostriches in any hardcover books. I shall carry this regret to my grave.</p>
<p><li><> Something that might not be immediately obvious about the talking-familiar feat is that it makes it semi-official that your un-Improved Familiar is also your Improved Familiar, albeit in a new body (I say semi-official because I don't <i>believe</i> there are any formal rules about this). You play with Mittens the Cat Familiar for seven levels, you want to get a shiny new Silvanshee Agathion Improved Familiar, but you can't just throw Mittens aside. It's Mittens! You two go way back! Most GMs I've had would let you finagle something for roleplaying purposes, but this makes it a bit more official.</ul></p>Greetings all and sundry! Mikhail Rekun here, I wrote the familiar and animal companion sections. I might have made some manner of feral sound when Luis offered me a chance to write it.
I'm glad to see people like those sections so far. Some random thoughts, keeping in mind that this is me in my 'Private Citizen' hat and I don't actually have my copy yet.
I really, really wanted to add ostriches to the list of animal companions/mounts, but alas there are no ostriches in any hardcover...Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2019-01-19T03:50:59ZRe: Forums: Product Discussion: Pathfinder Adventure Path #139: The Dead Roads (Tyrant's Grasp 1 of 6)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/products/btq01ws3/discuss?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-139-The-Dead-Roads#462019-02-14T19:01:54Z2018-12-23T03:22:09Z<p>Yessss.... first Paizo article with my name exclusively on it. And it's about dead things! <i>Marvelous!</i></p>
<p>(Many thanks to Ron for giving me this chance. So <i>many</i> fun dead things.)</p>Yessss.... first Paizo article with my name exclusively on it. And it's about dead things! Marvelous!
(Many thanks to Ron for giving me this chance. So many fun dead things.)Mikhail Rekun (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-12-23T03:22:09ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: Spell IncantationsDreikaiserbund (Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2kvgr&page=4?Spell-Incantations#1802018-12-24T02:23:05Z2018-12-16T15:55:55Z<p>Continuing along, my invocation-slinging wizard's spell list. </p>
<p><b>Reality Rend</b>: <i>Time Stop</i>
<br />
"Time is an illusion, space is a lie. By the Seven Runes of Thassilon and the Eighth Rune Unwritten, I call upon the Worm that gnaws its tail. Coils of infinity, turn!"</p>
<p><b>The Fimbulwind</b>: <i>Cold Sirocco + Cold Tar Pool</i>
<br />
Let the cold wind shatter their eyes, let the night wind steal their breath, let the ice wind harden their blood, let the dark wind blacken their limbs. Hoary Jötnar of bygone ages, unleash the Fimbul-Wind!</p>
<p><b>Solar Gate</b>: <i>Sunburst</i>
<br />
"Solar orb, sightless, sleeping, chained in cloud and night, Awaken!"</p>
<p><b>Chain of Jupiter</b>: <i>Chain Lightning</i>
<br />
"Jupiter rises ascendant, and dwells in the house of the Archer. To your base forms I assign the crown, the blade, the throne, the eagle... and chain them with the thunderbolt!"</p>
<p><b>Azlant's Doom</b>: <i>Tsunami</i>
<br />
"Rime-ringed ocean, fathomless and black, lend me one of your children. I call upon Azlant's Doom!"</p>
<p><b>Hungering Flames</b>: <i>Disruptive Contagious Flames</i>
<br />
"Spell-drinker, Heart-eater, never sated, never quenched. By the Secret Fire I bid thee, feast!"</p>Continuing along, my invocation-slinging wizard's spell list.
Reality Rend: Time Stop
"Time is an illusion, space is a lie. By the Seven Runes of Thassilon and the Eighth Rune Unwritten, I call upon the Worm that gnaws its tail. Coils of infinity, turn!"
The Fimbulwind: Cold Sirocco + Cold Tar Pool
Let the cold wind shatter their eyes, let the night wind steal their breath, let the ice wind harden their blood, let the dark wind blacken their limbs. Hoary Jötnar of bygone ages, unleash the...Dreikaiserbund (Contributor)2018-12-16T15:55:55ZRe: Forums: Serpent's Skull: NobodysHome's Silly Serpent's Skull Moments [***Spoilers***]NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2s9t0&page=33?NobodysHomes-Silly-Serpents-Skull-Moments#16262018-04-08T22:03:00Z2018-03-15T12:20:58Z<p>Ooooh. This is gonna be good/terrible.</p>Ooooh. This is gonna be good/terrible.NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-03-15T12:20:58ZRe: Forums: Advice: No love for... the Baetriov?NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2uyot?No-love-for-the-Baetriov#42018-03-16T11:16:27Z2018-03-10T01:38:46Z<p>A few of the splatbook critters are pretty awesome. The creepy spider-doll servitor from <i>Crownfall</i> comes to mind as well.</p>
<p>Also, totally stealing this creature for my Ravenloft game.</p>A few of the splatbook critters are pretty awesome. The creepy spider-doll servitor from Crownfall comes to mind as well.
Also, totally stealing this creature for my Ravenloft game.NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-03-10T01:38:46ZRe: Forums: Serpent's Skull: NobodysHome's Silly Serpent's Skull Moments [***Spoilers***]NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2s9t0&page=32?NobodysHomes-Silly-Serpents-Skull-Moments#15682018-02-02T19:55:48Z2018-02-02T19:16:48Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">NobodysHome wrote:</div><blockquote>The problem in Pathfinder is the sheer number of buff types, and the fact that some stack (Dodge, Natural Armor, Untyped) and others don't (Deflection, Armor, Enhancement), leading to an incredibly-complicated game to try to keep track of...</blockquote><p>Yeeeeep. My players are at roughly the same level as yours, and despite having both a mechanical engineer and a finance geek among my player base, we still get regular cries of "okay so what are my actual numbers?!?"
<p>I recently enacted the nuclear option and just banned numbers-only buffs from the table (Divine Favor, Prayer, Barkskin, etc), except for a couple of grandfathered-in exceptions like Inspire Courage. We'll see how it goes, but hopefully it'll be a slightly simpler game.</p>NobodysHome wrote:The problem in Pathfinder is the sheer number of buff types, and the fact that some stack (Dodge, Natural Armor, Untyped) and others don't (Deflection, Armor, Enhancement), leading to an incredibly-complicated game to try to keep track of...
Yeeeeep. My players are at roughly the same level as yours, and despite having both a mechanical engineer and a finance geek among my player base, we still get regular cries of "okay so what are my actual numbers?!?" I recently enacted...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-02-02T19:16:48ZRe: Forums: Advice: Is Summoner too powerful?NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2usxw?Is-Summoner-too-powerful#402018-01-05T22:07:50Z2018-01-05T11:27:15Z<p>It might help to qualify what one means by 'powerful' a bit (the following is based on my own experiences with the class).</p>
<p>The most important thing to note is that a summoner is fairly optimized right out of the gate. Summoning monsters is considered one of the most potent strategies in Pathfinder, and producing an extremely durable Eidolon is child's play. In essence, a summoner has a low floor.</p>
<p>However, their ceiling isn't particularly different from other casters. If you've got a summoner alongside well-optimized martials (like a pounce-raging barbarian) and casters (like a Treantmonk-style God Wizard), then they won't stand out at all.</p>
<p>What this means is that while the summoner is powerful, whether it's "too" powerful (in other words, whether the power is out of whack with the rest of the table) depends on the level of optimization of the rest of the players, and to a lesser extent the level (it's easier to optimize at higher levels, so the summoner's 'natural' power shines more early on).</p>It might help to qualify what one means by 'powerful' a bit (the following is based on my own experiences with the class).
The most important thing to note is that a summoner is fairly optimized right out of the gate. Summoning monsters is considered one of the most potent strategies in Pathfinder, and producing an extremely durable Eidolon is child's play. In essence, a summoner has a low floor.
However, their ceiling isn't particularly different from other casters. If you've got a...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-01-05T11:27:15ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: Is there anyway to justify Eldritch heritage without actually being descended from said bloodline?NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2usxo?Is-there-anyway-to-justify-Eldritch-heritage#72018-01-02T18:28:58Z2018-01-01T02:06:53Z<p>In addition to the good points above, I might further add that a character's heritage or occult origins don't have to be so clear and crisp. </p>
<p>Golarion (or Faerun, or Eberron, or your typical campaign setting) is a place with a lot of magic, a lot of supernatural creatures, a lot of weird stuff... and they've been around for a long time. It might not be that your father was a demon (or made a demonic pact, or had a demonic artifact). Maybe it was your great-great-great-great-great grandfather, and you just got (un)lucky with a recessive gene throwing up for some reason.</p>
<p>Essentially, it is entirely plausible for the character themselves not to know why they have a certain eldritch heritage.</p>In addition to the good points above, I might further add that a character's heritage or occult origins don't have to be so clear and crisp.
Golarion (or Faerun, or Eberron, or your typical campaign setting) is a place with a lot of magic, a lot of supernatural creatures, a lot of weird stuff... and they've been around for a long time. It might not be that your father was a demon (or made a demonic pact, or had a demonic artifact). Maybe it was your great-great-great-great-great grandfather,...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2018-01-01T02:06:53ZRe: Forums: Advice: Evil Fun with DemandNeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2usl6?Evil-Fun-with-Demand#112017-12-24T03:11:07Z2017-12-24T02:52:28Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Terrinam wrote:</div><blockquote> Set up party romances that are doomed to fail epicly as soon as the spell wears off.</blockquote><div class="messageboard-quotee">Scrapper wrote:</div><blockquote>Make sure it involves high end clergy of Cheliax!</blockquote><p>This is a thing of beauty. Probably more involved than I can strictly manage, but definitely intriguing.
<p>Riffing off that... she knows the PCs well enough to have a sense of their personalities, so encouraging the PCs' worst (or most inconvenient) habits at the worst time. The Paladin who tends to be far too honest for her own good, the rogue who seduces everything that moves, the wizard who has the common sense of a gerbil...</p>
<p>This has potential.</p>Terrinam wrote:Set up party romances that are doomed to fail epicly as soon as the spell wears off.
Scrapper wrote:Make sure it involves high end clergy of Cheliax!
This is a thing of beauty. Probably more involved than I can strictly manage, but definitely intriguing. Riffing off that... she knows the PCs well enough to have a sense of their personalities, so encouraging the PCs' worst (or most inconvenient) habits at the worst time. The Paladin who tends to be far too honest for her own...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2017-12-24T02:52:28ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: How much diversity is in your games?NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2usbh?How-much-diversity-is-in-your-games#472017-12-20T08:17:49Z2017-12-19T16:13:19Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Omnius wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Wevi wrote:</div><blockquote>For skin I just need to find a pic that's not white.</blockquote><p>Way harder in fantasy than it should be. >.>
<p>Paizo's done an admirable job of it. Most others... not so much. </blockquote><p>Good god yes. >_> It's not just race either, though that's a big part of it. Try finding fantasy characters who do not fit classical ideals of beauty. Maybe I want a short, fat, female knight!
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Wevi wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">NeoTiamat wrote:</div><blockquote> his was intentional to counterbalance PC tendency to play male characters... </blockquote>To not do the same when I'm playing, every time I start a new character I go to the other gender. I just played a female human bard, now I'm about to play a male ratfolk wizard. When it come I playing a female dwarf druid. </blockquote><p>I tend to play characters of the opposite gender, for vaguely this reason, yes. Variety!Omnius wrote:Wevi wrote:For skin I just need to find a pic that's not white.
Way harder in fantasy than it should be. >.> Paizo's done an admirable job of it. Most others... not so much. Good god yes. >_> It's not just race either, though that's a big part of it. Try finding fantasy characters who do not fit classical ideals of beauty. Maybe I want a short, fat, female knight! Wevi wrote:NeoTiamat wrote: his was intentional to counterbalance PC tendency to play male characters...
To not do...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2017-12-19T16:13:19ZRe: Forums: Serpent's Skull: NobodysHome's Silly Serpent's Skull Moments [***Spoilers***]NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2s9t0&page=30?NobodysHomes-Silly-Serpents-Skull-Moments#14712017-11-16T15:58:13Z2017-11-15T23:22:07Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">NobodysHome wrote:</div><blockquote>•• spoiler omitted •• </blockquote><p>Please, please tell me there is photographic evidence.
<p>(Also, hope you get better soon!)</p>NobodysHome wrote:** spoiler omitted **
Please, please tell me there is photographic evidence. (Also, hope you get better soon!)NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2017-11-15T23:22:07ZRe: Forums: Serpent's Skull: NobodysHome's Silly Serpent's Skull Moments [***Spoilers***]NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2s9t0&page=30?NobodysHomes-Silly-Serpents-Skull-Moments#14662017-11-15T22:48:51Z2017-11-14T16:04:36Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">NobodysHome wrote:</div><blockquote>Community colleges, my friend. No research; no publish-or-perish, and a remarkably good student body of people who are (mostly) really dedicated to getting a "real" education so they can move on to a "real" college.</blockquote><p>I considered it, and actually sent off some job applications... but community colleges (or at least the ones I'm familiar with) have gone heavily for the adjunct model of teaching. Which is it's own kettle of severely messed up fish.
<p>Anyway, I can't complain too much. I graduated last year and finally landed a job a few months ago (teaching English abroad) and it's been the most profitable and least stressful two months of my life so far.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">NobodysHome wrote:</div><blockquote>In high school, math is such a hated subject that no matter how interesting you make it, you have a good percentage of the students who tune it out just out of resentment. In college, if you make it interesting, students will sit up and say, "Hey, I haven't seen math taught <i>this</i> way before!" </blockquote><p>I enjoyed statistics, but my memory of most of the rest of my high school math education consists of 'memorize these formulae'.NobodysHome wrote:Community colleges, my friend. No research; no publish-or-perish, and a remarkably good student body of people who are (mostly) really dedicated to getting a "real" education so they can move on to a "real" college.
I considered it, and actually sent off some job applications... but community colleges (or at least the ones I'm familiar with) have gone heavily for the adjunct model of teaching. Which is it's own kettle of severely messed up fish. Anyway, I can't complain too...NeoTiamat (alias of Dreikaiserbund, Contributor)2017-11-14T16:04:36Z