Echo Vining's page

There was some material in 1e - either actually in the text, or in dev commentary - that the planes are vast. Like, really big. And that, basically, the part of a plane you interact with reflects your culture of origin, broadly speaking. It's why we from Golarion (or Earth, really) see outsiders with human-ish forms or modelled after different kinds of terrestrial creatures, and it also would explain the tech parity between the material and other planes - medieval-tech worlds plane shift to medieval-tech parts of the Outer Sphere, and similar for modern or future-tech primes.

If you want to lean a little actually Planescape, the Outer Planes are shaped by belief and literally infinite - so the setup there lets it be more clear that the medieval-tech and high-tech worlds stay segregated even when they planewalk.

My initial response is that it's a cultural influence from the Dongun dwarves, who developed strange fashions while back underground. A more out-there thought is that this is an effect of the Mana Wastes - a bit of wild magic brought fashion on the winds from a far-off place or time, and it's cool so it stuck.

Light can't set anybody on fire.

that doesn't seem to be what the term 'cyberpunk derivatives' is specifically about

I've always been annoyed that deep slumber isn't called 'greater sleep'. I believe it was several years into 3e before I even knew the spell existed.

Whenever I see something in an RPG setting that doesn't seem to make sense, I find "what reason can I make for it to be this way?" rather than "how can I justify why this shouldn't be the case?" So in that vein, here are some Echo-style solutions to the Free Captains problem. A couple notes: These ideas don't all fit neatly into canon (and some explicitly go against what's stated officially). Also, none of these ideas are waterproof. It's likely not difficult to create an argument as to why my explanations wouldn't work, or how this group of NPCs is too smart to not notice this workaround you've devised. That's not the point. Finally, these are all ideas for why Broken Rock is difficult to find/assault. Reasons as to why the pirates' enemies are, instead, choosing not to take action are left as an exercise for the reader.

1. Technomancers. This is really a family of solutions, based mainly around the fact that technomancers are my favourite part of science fantasy. So if I was a team of reality-hackers trying to keep the asteroid pirate base hidden, what would I do? I could establish a field around the asteroid that automatically hacks the nav system of any non-pirate ship close enough to find us. I could alter the space around the astroid in several ways to prevent or discourage approach. I could spoof the ship's sensors to make it look like there's no astroid here, or that a small fleet of, idk, vesk just dropped out of the drift and are charging weapons. I could send some kind of engine-virus that overloads the ship's reactor core. Basically if you're a wizard and love physics, there are like 241 thousand fun ways to protect a place.

2. Broken Reach has its own drift engine, so if a big fleet shows up to hunt them, they just jump to a different part of the Diaspora.

3. You remember the Diaspora is the remnants of two entire populated planets that were destroyed by a superweapon, right? I can't read something like that without thinking the place must be space-haunted. Clearly, with the sarcesians and dwarves and whatnot there are reasonably safe parts of the Diaspora. But Broken Reach could easily be in one of the parts that isn't.

4. Okay so this one is super-weird. But in one of the volumes of Attack of the Swarm! the backmatter has a whole thing about mindscapes, because

I think the tricky part about that is that the idea of Near Space/the Vast is based not on physical distance but ease of travel through the Drift, so the actual relative positions/distances of different systems is not a clear matter.

Like this, but deadly?

I am all for 80s cyberpunk drow with their shades and leather.

Isn’t the xiomorn already in the emerald spire superdungeon bestiary?

Yes, now normal folk can see it too.

What do you do when you find out the Vesk are turned on by absolutely any kind of hat?

This is my new favourite Starfinder fact.

I think it's important to remember that Starfinder is technically a different game than Pathfinder. As such, direct conversions (say, of three energy resistances) may not be appropriate. Saying that tiefling energy resistance is being nerfed is a distraction from the point that you're actually converting between game systems, and that tends to require more consideration than just copying over text.

As for people older than the Gap, sure, such are possible. They are just going to be singular and rare, since extremely few beings native to the Prime Material are going to be old enough for it to happen. Your mainly talking some *especially* ancient undead.

I'm pretty sure some of the Bone Sages of Eox have been around since the original catastrophe.

I find it hilarious that Asmodeus, devil-god of "Everything Belongs To Me, So Hands Off My Stuff!" got the boot from the top 20 religions list.

Asmodeus is ancient. He is patient. He waits. He works. The material plane will be his again.

I feel like the best option, narratively, is "it varies".

I'm a big fan of being able to hack stuff, but I don't want it to be an entire subsystem like in Shadowrun. While I wouldn't find any of the proposed methods onerous, I wonder how feasible it would be to run it kind of like KOTOR: you make a check to hack a particular result. "I want to shut down the security cameras here" "okay make a roll", that kind of thing.

Thank you. :) It can be hard knowing that no matter what you do, *someone* is going to be angry or disappointed with your choices, but we're just going to make the best game we can within the constraints we've been given, and hopefully a lot of folks will have fun!

As a counterpoint, no matter what you do I will be SO EXCITED.

I just want to warn you that Pathfinder already has AI, and hacking a smart computer is, um, tricky.

I'm pretty sure we haven't heard much, if anything, about how magic and tech will play together in Starfinder. However, if you're wondering from an Iron Gods perspective, that AP and the Technology Guide should have all the rules for how things interact in Pathfinder, at least for the purposes of that campaign.

Regarding the wall, the intent behind the weight restriction seems to be to prevent bridging a chasm or using several walls to make "stairs" up to a high point. However, they are specifically intended to block attacks and protect you from harm. So I would go with the simple ruling of: the power does what it's supposed to and does not do what it's not supposed to.

I think the main reason we won't see most races is that they weren't offworld at the time. Halflings, gnomes, dwarves, etc may have no interest in space. Elves resist change, thus I doubt many would take to slave regularly. Humans, however... well we did go to space. Then golarion suddenly vanishes. Where was everyone? On golarion. Except those who weren't. So while there are plenty of cool ideas for where dwarves or elves could've gone, the better question is would they be there? Probably not.

The problem here is that elves are already a spacefaring race. They are on both Golarion and Castrovel, and have a gate network that goes to a few other planets.

I would like to toss in support for hearing more about the science fantasy version of the Great Beyond.

I'm pretty sure the equator is slightly below the bottom edge of the Inner Sea map.

What I mostly don't get about them is how we're supposed to insert that into any campaign. I haven't found any smooth way to insert such an odd race, at the very least.

Off the cuff here, I'd say they were trapped in the Demiplane of Dream, or some sort of Astral demiplanar prison for terrible psychic things (of which they are the nicest), which has recently burst open and spilled its psychic terrors into the world.

Hmmm ...

Adult Dog Int = 2

Adult Human Int = 10

Adult Gold Dragon Int = 20

So this means dog breeders are evil?

I think there's a pretty clear difference between two sapient species (even if one is unilaterally much more intelligent than the other) and one sapient species, one that is not.

Needing hands free doesn't imply channeling through your hands. As so.

When did the beard/no beard thing happen?

According to this highly reputable source, 2007.

I second the above. Verces is rotating about its own axis, just at a rate that perfectly matches its revolutions about the sun. Because of this, geosynchronous orbits do still exist for Verces. I'd have to know more about Verces' makeup and do some math to tell you how fast the orbit would have to be for a particular distance, but I feel relatively confident in stating that one exists.

Yeah, Wall of iron is a REAL problem. ... If its unsuitable as it is, fine. MELT IT DOWN. Refine it. It's like tons of ore, just sitting there waiting to be used. Scrape off the impurities and reduce it to base iron, then remake it.

That's not what the spell says. It says the iron is not suitable for use in creating other objects. That means you can't do it. It doesn't mean you can do it if you think you're smarter than the person who wrote the spell.

For someone who's been harping on RAW RAW RAW, you're pretty adamant about ignoring any actual rules that don't support your point.

You don't see elves or dwarves making flying cities or world spanning empires or creating "I AM A GOD NOW" spells.

The elves do have the aiudara network, which is interplanetary (at least).

I'm largely curious as to why Baba Yaga's hut would not be instantaneous, and if it's not what sort of time difference it causes. Isn't it a teleportation or plane shift effect? Like, interplanetary teleport is instantaneous.

This sounds like a neat option for a monk archetype. One of those monks that's a little more priest and a little less kung fu.

It gets weirder when you consider humans. Humans exist on Earth, on Golarion, on Androffa. They are the same species. Distant Worlds gives a bunch of sapient humanoids on other planets, but none of them are human. (Some of them are mechanically the same as humans, I think just for simplicity.) So... why? Why is the same species on multiple planets separated rather distantly in space? If humans are common, why are they only on Golarion and not on any of the other ten populated planets in the star system?

The problem with druids is that they typically worship nature, or are perceived to do so. The thing about the first law is that it's about the damage worship does, as a mindless devotion to some vague thing outside yourself (I'm exaggerating a little to express a harsh Rahadoumi viewpoint). So I think druids would probably be a no-go, also, although they may sometimes be treated less harshly than clerics.

It is just like the usual aid another action in combat, but the feat lets you do it at range, which is not usually permissible.

If a demiplane is just part of the astral, then characters on a demiplane that are not native to the astral (either the astral itself or some other demiplane) are extraplanar on every demiplane.

I've plans for Nyarlathotep's role on Golarion. They're a bit far from coming out at this point... but there will be more about him eventually.

*ahem* Strange Aeons?

It's about the cult of Trelmarixian and not written by Todd Stewart? I'm surprised.

Yakman wrote:

James Sutter wrote:

On the subject of whether elves are from Golarion or Castrovel: I find it's really fun to have it be ambiguous. There's some pretty strong circumstantial evidence that they're from Castrovel, but on page 10 of Distant Worlds, we deliberately say that nobody *really* knows which planet they evolved on, and that there's a certain amount of planetary pride at play. I love the idea of Golarion's elves—who many races see as snooty—rankling at being viewed as "provincials" by the elves of Sovyrian. :)

I guess I never caught that.

I always assumed that they were from Golarion and found the portals to Castrovel.

I had read both pieces of material which why I did not put anything on my posts about the elves being FROM Castrovel. As it's stated, the actual origin details are in dispute. It's something long ago even by elven reckoning.

Despite loving Distant Worlds, I missed that. I think I just decided alien elves were cooler and assumed my preference was presented as canon.

The spell description for the Blink spell says this:

"An ethereal creature is invisible, incorporeal, and capable of moving in any direction, even up or down. As an incorporeal creature, you can move through solid objects, including living creatures."

The description for Ghost Touch weapons says this:

"A manifesting ghost can wield the weapon against corporeal foes."

Therefore, yes, a ghost touch weapon does negate the 20% miss chance suffered by someone using the Blink spell.

Your conclusion does not follow from the cited text.

Echo Vining wrote:

Foeclan wrote:

It compiles and updates a lot of the previous race books into one place, as well as adding some new content. If you already have the 'X of Golarion' books, where X is 'Dwarves', 'Kobolds', etc., then it probably won't give you much new information. If you don't, then it's a good way to get that content, plus some newer things, all in one book.

As a follow-up question, if I get Inner Sea Races, can I skip over picking up the (race) of Golarion books?

It depends which one, and how worried you are about canon.

The game material will be different. Dwarves of Golarion is the only place to learn about the dwarven dorn-dergar - one of the most tactically interesting weapons in Pathfinder.

The world material may be different, and sometimes outdated. For example, I love Elves of Golarion, but parts of it are no longer considered canon (such as the Brightness).

Was there a specific book you were thinking of?

I was largely wondering about Elves and Dwarves, as they're a bit on the older side. Especially Elves of Golarion - since that has a lot of 3.5-based information that has been expressly changed in current Golarion, I'm kind of hoping for an excuse to ignore it.

It compiles and updates a lot of the previous race books into one place, as well as adding some new content. If you already have the 'X of Golarion' books, where X is 'Dwarves', 'Kobolds', etc., then it probably won't give you much new information. If you don't, then it's a good way to get that content, plus some newer things, all in one book.

As a follow-up question, if I get Inner Sea Races, can I skip over picking up the (race) of Golarion books?

To clarify Lazar's statements, elves are actually from Castrovel. They originated there (however that happens in Pathfinder) and came to Golarion. When Earthfall happened, the elves were going home.

Depends how much room was in the book. Verces would certainly be interesting, but would probably require either a large book or many supplements to handle things like basic higher technology, technological augmentations, space vehicles, and lots more...one of the reasons it'd be so interesting.

I imagine the Technology Guide would help a bit with that.

If you really want to house rule that mage hand can attack, I suggest including improvised weapon penalties and giving the spell a strength score of 1. -9 to hit and -5 damage seems about right if you were to allow this at all.

From this perspective, I think it's worthwhile to point out that there are attack cantrips - ray of frost and acid splash. These do 1d3 damage on a ranged touch attack. It doesn't seem unbalanced to allow mage hand to assault someone with a weapon weighing 5 lbs. or less, as long as it does 1d3 damage. Since a physical weapon would be a regular attack instead of a touch attack, I would probably say it's safe to bring it up to 1d4 damage.

As a physics student, I get to claim apprentice arcanist.

This is a subject that's not really touched on in the canon. I assume the rift and god you're talking about is when Aroden died and the Worldwound opened. Now, I haven't read Wrath of the Righteous, but below is my understanding of the matter, under a spoiler tag because it might be spoilers for said campaign:

As I see it, elementals are a different category of being than mortals or outer-plane outsiders. They are born directly from the energy of their plane, without any influence from the Material at all. So when they die, they just dissipate back into elemental planar energy.

This is a very Planescape view, though. As far as I know, nothing in Golarion's lore has touched on this specific subject yet.

Arcane Addict wrote:

Does this mean that Clerics (Capital C because I mean the class) are never fed to Groetus? Well... Except maybe Clerics of Groetus, that is.

I could see it happening (albeit very rarely).

Imagine a cleric of Gorum who has been so worn down by the years of endless, pointless bloodshed. He continues to fight - gloriously, even! - but in his heart, he is consumed by the idea that all his fighting is meaningless in the face of the imminent end. He fights to the bloody last, all the while simultaneously dreading and welcoming the end he knows is drawing nearer and nearer.

And when his end finally comes, he stands before the Lady of Graves... who slowly points upward, to the skull-faced moon.

He welcomed the end, and now it welcomes him.

He sighs, shrugs, and raises his memory of a sword. One last battle, then he can rest.

Evil can work in more subtle ways than outright violence all the time.

Someone who only follows his own passions and whims, ignoring the needs, wishes or even rights of others can be just as chaotic evil.
And i think that´s a pretty good use of an Antipaladin, making the class a lot more playable.

That is a good interpretation. I've been struggling to figure out how the antipaladin can be used feasibly, since the classes code seems to require it to be more randomly violent than a typical demon.