Evan Tarlton's page

Question for the devs (assuming they see this): I was wondering about the level math for the archdragons. Most of them are three levels higher than the ancient versions, but some have bigger level gaps. The resurrection archdragon, for example, is a whopping 6 levels higher than the ancient version. The math for the other age categories is set, but not this one. I am curious as to why. Thank you.

Zaluraak gives me the impression of suffering from Youthful Stupidity rather than being Outright Evil. I hope the scenario has a diplomatic option to get him to understand how over his head he is rather than having to just kill him. Or that he doesn’t do anything so heinous that that option seems off the table to most players.

I think it will depend partly on his actions, partly on the mercy of whoever deals with him, and partly on how Kyonin fares. A young fortune dragon shouldn't even be a speedbump to a party that took down Treerazer, but those heroes probably wouldn't be dispatched to handle him unless they thought he was much older.

His greed has made him so dumb, and I find I love him so much because of it. Setting all else aside: the Five Kings Mountains? I seem to recall them having a dragon of their own. Assuming he gets that far, that is.

I noticed something interesting about Archdragons. The level formula for dragons is pretty consistent. 4 levels between Young and Adult, 5 between Adult and Ancient. For most dragons, there are 3 levels between Ancient and Archdragon, but not all. The Empyreal and Requiem Archdragons are 4 levels higher than Ancients, and the Resurrection Archdragon is a whopping 6 levels higher than the Ancient version (23 vs 17).

Draconic Codex: But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them. (Ursula LeGuin, A Wizard of Earthsea)

Revenge of the Runelords: See ya soon between hard covers!

My order came through! One question: my version of Apocalypse Archive is File by Chapter only. Will there be a single file option?

Havent been keeping up with the lore of the setting but does this mean the origonal background for Golarion dragons been completly reworked from the ground up?

It looks that way, and it's probably for the best. I still remember my eyes bulging when I read the dragon entry way back in AP #4. Now, some of the stuff in previous issues was dark and even a bit twisted (the previous issue was The Hook Mountain Massacre!) and I didn't have a problem with it, but there was a particular detail in this article that was unnecessary and unpleasant. IYKYK.

Ooh. As a designer and former web developer, I can't wait to see the website's "under construction" placeholder.

Hoping it's not the purple goblin in the PC case.

I'm picturing a goblin and a skittermander holding up signs. One says "Nothing to see here!" The other says "Just go about your business!" Naturally, there is a massive explosion in the background.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Oh! And having read Monster Core 2, that black-colored dragon on the cover is the new "resurrection dragon"! :P

Definitely not a name I could have guessed by look alone. But reading the description, it fit. xD

The lore writeups even give a ready-made reason why they might throw down, without also making one or the other a clear villain (despite how they might look).

I would like a series of hybrid books. :3

I would like this as well!

And now my watch has ended.

Are there any Agathions?

Happy Authorization Day!

UnArcaneElection wrote:

Ravingdork wrote:

{. . .} Janet Paegin {. . .}

The “tyranny” she practices is bureaucratic rather than brutal: a relentless insistence that all knowledge be cataloged, protected, and preserved from ignorance. {. . .}

I can see that sooner or later, she's going to run afoul of the Order of the Rack.

That would make for one hell of a plot hook.

Emphasis on "hook."

And now my watch begins.

Dragonchess Player wrote:

ornathopter wrote:

Is the Timewracked mythic destiny good for martials?

Short (spoiler-free) answer: Yes.

For those more inclined to the Time Mage archetype and chronomancy, is it also good for casters? Since there are a few Mythic Destinies that play to both, hoping it can also thread that needle.

Short, spoiler-free answer: there's not a lot of synergy for full casters, but wavecasters could do fairly well with it.

Starstone Aspirant? That sounds like a high level archetype that has room for Mythic feats.

??

Book is now listed as now arriving December 3, 2025.

Guess it's getting delayed. If so, my wallet thanks you!

Yeah. Waiting another month sucks, but this and MC2 in one month? Brutal!

Will the PDF files from the original get updated or will we need to purchase a new copy for the remastered version?

If history holds, there will be complementary remastered PDFs for people who bought the PDF.

Guilt of the Graveworld: "Zo! fought worse monsters for years in the Halls of the Living, and I reckon he knows how to win the hard way. This ain't his first time at the rodeo." - Eterrina Rikutan

And now my watch has ended.

And now my watch begins.

Happy Authorization Day!

For where I stand, Strength of Thousands is the ideal 1 through 20 AP. The story justifies the range of levels, and the "side quests" are done in a way that makes perfect sense. The story isn't about

And now my watch has ended.

Arkat wrote:

Some of you guys seem to think the Thrunes losing is a done deal.

I wouldn't bet on that if I were you.

Fundamentally, I look at it this way.

If high level PCs are marching with a force of Andoran military into Egorian, then the Chelaxian military, and by extension Abrogail herself, has either lost the ability to stop them or doesn't care enough to try.

By the same token, if high level PCs are marching with a force of Andoran military into Egorian, they are not going to leave without achieving their objective and there is no scenario I can see where that objective does not include breaking House Thrune's control over Cheliax.

Could Abrogail survive to remain a problem for the future, and even achieve some other goals (ascension to archdevil/godhood) in the process? Sure. But practically speaking, she's going to be removed as the ruler of Cheliax, which means there's going to be a power vacuum, and without House Thrune holding it together, Cheliax will tear itself apart.

Not necessarily. There is a place in the Inner Sea that is directly ruled by a god. There is also loads of precedent for an ascended to stick around. One notoriously did so for quite a while, and when he finally left he chose a city in what is now Cheliax for his departure. I think Andoran may well win, but it will be a pyrrhic victory.

ETA: When I say "directly ruled by a god," I of course mean Mzali, which is ruled by the Child-God Walkena. Ignore the ramblings of certain masked individuals who claim that there is another.

It's fitting that the last single issue AP will involve the Runelords. If the era is to end, let things come full circle.

I stand corrected.

Dead God's Hand stated to be fully written and has art in the latest Paizo Twitch stream!

And was kind of hinted to be the next AP after Hellbreakers. I say "kind of" because they didn't say the name, but we know it's going to be about a famous megadungeon (that may or may not be a dungeon, but James Jacobs said it counts) and Erik had to restrain himself because he was really excited. Oh, and it comes out at GenCon, which would be appropriate for something we've waited for since the dawn of 2e.

Happy Authorization Day!

zimmerwald1915 wrote:

Spamotron wrote:

With the asterisk that Deities are influenced by their worshipers in some fashion.

For example Baba Yaga figured out how to ascend to godhood millennia ago but refuses to do it because she wants nothing to do with a worshiper connection.

Pretty sure that's just because she finds supplicants annoying at the best of times, and imagines/hypothesizes that prayers would be worse. Not because she's afraid of worshippers affecting her personality.

It's also part of Baba Yaga's style that if you come to her to make a bargain, if she vaguely approves of what you're after she will offer you what you want for a price that is fair from her perspective and astronomical from anybody else's (and if you pay it, she keeps her word). But having to do this for a very small number of people who have the temerity to ask Baba Yaga for something, and having to do it for a potentially unlimited number of worshipers is something entirely different.

Part of her likes rendering incredibly cruel vengeance on a party who has wronged someone who is paying her an exorbitant rate, and she'd be sad to give it up entirely. Like it's a core part of her role in folklore that "sometimes she helps."

Also, the people who approach her generally risk a lot just to do it. People that resourceful and/or desperate might actually be worth the trouble. If she ascends, people can bother her whenever they like. She's not obligated to respond to any of them, but the flood would be a pain to manage.

Besides, she's at a point where she can play on a basically divine level without being bound by those rules. Why surrender most of the freedom if you already have most of the power?

And now my watch begins.

This is great! I love the characterization and the game mechanic integration. Thank you so much, Gene! I would love to thank the artist as well, but I can't find the accreditation for this piece.

It's worth pointing out that the timing wasn't at all helpful. The... situation in January of 2023 required an all hands on deck response. Starfinder 2e would have been well underway by that point, but since it wasn't announced yet resources would have been taken away to help Pathfinder. Paizo then had a choice: release a 2e book that didn't have all of the intended content, or wait even longer for the book they had planned. They were running out of 1e material, so they went with the first option to keep Starfinder alive. Not ideal, but the best that could be done in response to a situation they didn't create. Getting an Iconic Encounters for the Technomancer indicates to me that the Technomancer and Mechanic were intended to be a part of the original lineup, but got folded in to the tech expansion to hasten production.

But back on topic: this is great! I love the Shadowrun-esque feel, and how the class abilities were worked into the story. Great job, Alex and Kevin!

Hi-hi nufriend!

Dse has already captured my heart with their brilliance! Thank you so much, Danielle and Pixoloid!

Starfinder Player Core: The real stars are the friends we find along the way.

They did indeed!

This is dizzying in the way I think a witchwarper should be. I also like that it was low-stakes compared to the others we've had. That makes it stand out. Thank you so much, Erin and Bastien!

Do we know when the pdf for Starfinder Player Core will be available?

And now my watch has ended.

Dark Archive is coming next year, so we're only waiting on Magus and Summoner.

Happy Authorization Day! (May our wallets forgive us!)

Is anybody else wearing the shipping goggles right now? I sure am. Thanks so much, Penn and Mirco! This is fantastic.

And now my watch begins.

Also: OW, my watch begins.

It's almost time! So very excited for this month of books.

I am also excited. My wallet, however, is bracing for impact.

Okay, show of hands, who wants Pakelia to be our Evolutionist Iconic?

*hand shoots up*

She is already iconic. Being an Iconic would be a short jump!