Evan Tarlton's page

"...and a superpowered ki form for monks whose spell level is over 9."

I understood that reference.

Hi Evan!

Looks like everything is set over here now, and we'll be getting this out soon!

Wonderful! Thank you so much! I hope that you and the rest of the team stay safe, and I thank you for everything you are doing in this tough time.

Hello!

My latest order (Order # 22049899) was not shipped due to my payment method being declined due to my card being expired. I thought that I had already updated the information, but it looks like I was mistaken (or that I screwed up somehow). I have updated the card, I think, and if possible would like confirmation that all is now well. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you very much.

Welcome, and congratulations!

Yes. Yes! YES!

*screams uncontrollably*

In a good way?

Emerald City is on for some time this summer. I got an email from them sying that they cancelled my hotel booking for me (a formality, as I had done it myself Friday morning when the announcement came down). The exact date for the con is up in the air, due to the sheer amount of balls they have to juggle: venues, vendors, and guests. This also cuts into the time they have to prepare for 2021, unless they decide to push the date back. ECCC has March pretty well staked out.

Disneyland is closed until the end of the month for sure.

Congratulations and welcome!

Any information on Arshea? Domains, alignments, that sort of thing?

Arshea gets a blurb in the Empyreal Lords section, and a writeup like the gods in the CRB (Title, Alignments, Domains, Cleric Spells, Favored Weapon, Divine Font, Divine Ability, Divine Skill, Divine Font, Key Edicts, Key Anathema). To answer your specific questions, Arshea's domains are Confidence, Freedom, Passion, Perfection, and cleric alignments are LG, NG, and CG.

Those rules, if they are made, are most likely to show up in the GMG, not here, and will most likely consist of just letting PCs select more than one Heritage.

Agreed, and I would be shocked if that isn't one of the more common house rules already.

For my part, I'm strongly in favour of the Witch having access to all four magical traditions. The second most prominent witch in canon is Areelu Vorlesh, who is all about demons. Demons are tied to Divine magic, so...

42, eh? We know 4: T-B, Old Mage Jatembe, the Hurricane Queen, and Abrogail Thune. That leaves 38. Who else do we think is going to show up? I expect that Sorshen and Baba Yaga are locks. Eando Kline as THE Pathfinder, Blood Mistress Jakalyn as THE Red Mantis. The bit about "distant past" could apply to Jatembe, but it could just as easily be applied to Nex. Geb is also a strong possibility. The "all around the globe" bit strongly hints at Ameiko Kaijitsu.

Evan Tarlton wrote:

Is anybody else picking up on the Marvel Comics influence here?

By this do you mean how Pharasma is the last suvivor of the previous universe, in the same way Galactus is?

And how she's going to die bringing about the next one while the last person alive becomes the next survivor.

I like the idea of Curses tied to Mysteries, but agree that there should be a variety of Curses per Mystery. It would give the class some more variety. ATM I also agree that the class should have Focus spells as normal, but that may change when I play it.

I didn't catch the bit about there being no focus pool and no mechanic to ever get one. I agree that it limits multiclassing too much. I know that one of the goals is to cut down on the number of pools that players have to juggle. Most multiclassing characters have to worry about two. However, the cleric/alchemist has to juggle three, so there is precedent.

Arachnofiend wrote:

I think you fix the hair just by making it finesse, and possibly reach. Then it works like a whip, a poor damaging option that has a ton of maneuver traits so you can use it as a third action on rounds when you don't cast attack spells.

Seconding this.

Thirded. It's an elegant, thematic solution that works within the theme.

Is anybody else picking up on the Marvel Comics influence here?

I take it that the first group of deities each representing an alignment is not a coincidence?

ETA: Never mind. Anyway, I take it that the Throne Dude is the Oinodaemon?

I'm in the "no e-mail but order pending" boat as well.

My headcanon has her keep the glaive within arms reach (or as close to it as is practical) at almost all times. She only truly relaxes her guard when visiting Sarenrae or Desna.

James Jacobs wrote:

Spamotron wrote:

I assume the picture is how Golarion artists interpret the battle.

Because my understanding is that Desna didn't adopt a humanoid form until she encountered and came to love humanoid mortals. Who didn't exist back then.

Desna's clashed against Ghlaunder more than once. But also, she's a deity, and that allows her to reach out to alter our minds' ability to perceive her depictions even if those depictions were created before there were mortal minds to perceive in the first place.

Also if we illustrated her in her previous form no one would recognize her so that's not an option either.

EDIT: For the record, I've always envisioned Desna's pre-humanoid form to be more like a glowing light space moth. Think Mothra, but made out of stars and prismatic sprays and sparkles.

I LOVE MOTHRA DESNA!!!!!

Does anybody else want to see art of that?

I also think that Agathions better serve to contrast Daemons than do Angels. Agathions seem to be about how one lives life, where Daemons are about how one dies unnaturally.

Welcomes and congratulations!

What it says in the title. I'd expected Halcyon spellcasting to be a Dedication, and it is, but unlike other Dedications it tops out at providing 7th level spells. Is that an error? If it isn't, then why does it stop there? The only thing I can guess is because the caster can choose whether or not a given Halcyon spell is Arcane or Primal, unlike normal Dedication spellcasting. For example, a wizard can cast heal as an Arcane spell or a druid could cast sleep as a Primal spell, with all the benefits of doing so. Is that the rationale?

My favorite line in the backstory is:

Quote:

With sudden clarity, Velloro remembered dozens of instances earlier in his life when he had subtly affected the state of matter around him—events he had dismissed as coincidence or even imagined.

Because that's basically what it feels like when you figure out your sexuality / gender identity. You just start realizing all these little things you've done or thought that seemed insignificant at the time, but were actually blaring sirens.

Co-signed. It's like everything just suddenly falls into place.

I especially love this from a writing perspective. I can imagine what it must be like to adventure as her or with her. There are so many open doors, but a lot less anonymity (and all the headaches that come with that; Dr. B has to keep it family friendly at all times). On the gripping hand, I can very easily picture a mook hesitate if confronted by their kids favourite entertainer (or theirs, for that matter).

This is really cool!

keftiu wrote:

Really hoping the Magaambya is our next preview.

Umm...

The blog does say (towards the end) that the Knights of Lastwall will be the preview next week...

Of course, the schedule could change, but...

<shrug>

I am looking forward to the Magaambya though!

Carry on,

--C.

If their pattern holds, we'll get KoL crunch next week, and a Pathfinder-oriented Tales story. The week after that will include Magaambya crunch for sure, and possibly Pathfinder crunch unless they have something else up their sleeve. It's difficult to say; with the release date being in the middle of the month this time around, a good portion of subscribers will probably have their books by that time. We shall see.

This is great! Using an outsider as viewpoint character really works as a hook, just like it did last time. That said, I hope that we get an insider perspective at some point. I also really liked the bit about Thanda's titles. That tells us a lot about a character without having her appear in the story.

VerBeeker wrote:

CAYDEN HAD A CHILD WITH A GREAT OLD ONE?!

And that's not the strangest place he's woken up...

I'd be shocked if it was in the top 5.

MMCJawa wrote:

I'd like some full casters that ONLY rely on focus pool points, with perhaps some sort of ability to have a larger focus pool.

The Occultist is the best choice for this, IMO. That class's PF1 mechanics are in many ways the groundwork for PF2's focus system.

Agreed. A full caster with cantrips and focus spells would also be the answer to 5E's warlock (mechanically, anyway).

So only a half/human Universalist with Natural Ambition and Improved Familiar Attunement or Metamagical Experimentation or a gnome Universalist with Animal Elocutionist and Improved Familiar Attunement can get 3 feats at first level? Okay. That's good to know, and explains why Ezren had 3 feats when he should have had 4 according to the rules as written.

Agathions, Couatls, Divs, Geniekin, Kaiju, Kami, Kytons, Manasupatras, Oni; more varieties of Aeons, Angels, Archons, Azatas, Daemons, Demons, Devils, Dragons, Giants, Proteans, Psychopomps, Rakshasas, Vampires.

Evan Tarlton wrote:

I'm looking forward to any archetype/s related to the Magaambya. An Initiate regular archetype and an Adept prestige archetype perhaps?

Other than Magic Warrior, you mean?

Other than Magic Warrior, yes, although I am excited for that one as well. I was thinking more in terms of a pure caster.

Great job, James!

I'm looking forward to any archetype/s related to the Magaambya. An Initiate regular archetype and an Adept prestige archetype perhaps?

Is the wizard supposed to gain a wizard class feat at 1st level?

The CRB seems to say so, but neither the cleric nor the sorcerer gain a class feat at 1st level. Furthermore, Ezren only has two class feats at 1st level, Reach Spell and Widen Spell, and, being a Universalist with the Metamagical Experimentation arcane thesis, these are accounted for (the Universalist grants a bonus 1st-level class feat and the thesis grants a bonus 1st-level metamagic class feat).

Yes. The cleric and the sorcerer gain benefits at 1st level based on their path/bloodline, and these are worth a feat. The wizard's School and Arcane Thesis don't equal those by themselves, so the wizard gets an extra feat to compensate.

There are four mystical essences: Life, Matter, Mind, and Spirit. These essences power magic, and each tradition of magic uses two. Arcane uses Matter and Mind, Divine uses Life and Spirit, Primal uses Life and Matter, and Occult uses Mind and Spirit. That leaves two possible combinations to be explored: Matter and Spirit, and Life and Mind. What are your thoughts about what these might look like? Do any of the existing PF1 classes maybe map onto them? Here are my thoughts.

Matter and Spirit have an interesting interplay. One concerns the body, the other the soul. Just the body, however; there are no thoughts in play, and no life force either. That would leave an inanimate object. Do inanimate objects have souls of their own? There is a possibility, but it is more likely that they would absorb the spiritual essence of whoever or whatever used them, or lived near them. Is there a class that fits that bill? Why, yes. However, it has the wrong name. My bet is that this tradition will be represented by a renamed Occultist.

The Life essence is the "animating universal force within all things," (CRB 300) and the Mind essence allows for thoughts and memories. Therefore, the last tradition would have to control both things. Say, by using their thoughts to control the minds and bodies of others. This doesn't have to be solely offensive; there are a lot of ways such a mage could help their allies as well as harm the enemy. For my money, this tradition would be best represented by the Mesmerist, a caster that can convince both ally and enemy of anything, and can affect their bodies to back it up.

How does any of this sound? What are your thoughts?

The deities DON'T depend upon their worshippers for their survival, so it is possible for some of them to be actually Good, unlike in some other settings. Idols have been introduced that do depend upon worshippers, so that role isn't completely unfulfilled, although it needs to be fleshed out.

And sign me up as a fan of the kitchen sink . . . .

Are you sure that gods don't need worshippers? I seem to remember that the reason Baba Yaga doesn't pursue divinity is that she would have to deal with worshippers, and she wants as little contact with quote-unquote normal people as possible. Am I remembering it wrong (which, tbqh, wouldn't be the first time)?

Rysky wrote:

SOLDIER-1st wrote:

Evan Tarlton wrote:

And to add to these:

The good elemental lords have been freed, which means that there's almost certainly going to be a throwdown, and since an organization of mortals from Golarion were involved in said release...

And I did not know about that. Where did that happen?

I know at least one was freed in PFS, they might have freed the others.

It is not impossible that I missed a meeting and need to reread the World Guide ASAP, but last I checked there was only one good elemental lord free (Ranginori, the Duke of Thunder). It probably would be a bit of a priority for him to start looking for his counterparts though; they all lost to their evil peers pretty decisively when the tables were balanced, so while the Duke of Thunder can certainly shake up the existing power dynamic he's going to need backup if he doesn't want to find himself stuffed back in an opal.

It's in the Elemental Lords sidebar in the Bestiary, page 146. It explicitly says that all four are now free. I thought it was a strange place to first mention that bit of lore, but then again the book also makes players able to be clerics of Gogunta and Treerazer.

Data Lore wrote:

I disagree. Master and Legendary should be limited by the main class. This is like BAB in 3.X.

Cool. We're in agreement. No one in this thread has asked for anyone to get legendary proficiency.

Well, actually... *raises hand*

I have no problem with the fighting characters (Barbarian, Champion, Monk, Ranger, maybe Rogue) burning a high level class feat to get Legendary in at least one weapon category. By the same token, I have no problem with Fighters burning a similar feat for Legendary in armour, Perception, or a save. It's easy enough to house rule, but an official option would be nice.

I think this is the first one that shows an event from an adventure. I really like that aspect of it.

One question: what were the cards in the reading? I count the Midwife, Big Sky, the Brass Dwarf, the Carnival, the Demon's Lantern and the Tangled Briar. That leaves three.

Well, if “good is winning “ (because it’s assumed that parties succeed in the various APs), let’s look at the other side of things-

The Whispering Tyrant is back, large and in charge, forcing the entire region to adapt to his presence.

Yeah, Sorshen’s nice enough, but she has Belimarius to deal with, so while New Thassilon has some promise, it also has internal squabbling.

Irrisen may suck less, but that doesn’t mean the neighbors trust it- especially since Linnorm Kings aren’t exactly required to be nice. In fact, if the right (or wrong) Linnorm Kings or the Mammoth Lords decide that Anastasia’s relative benevolence is a sign of weakness, they may well attack here and there.

Korvosa is free of Ileosa, but not the damage she did- not just to the people and infrastructure of the city, but to the “idea” of Korvosa itself.

The orcs of Belkzen might have their eyes on the new undead threat, but that doesn’t make them good or nice.

The Mammoth Lords no longer have an active Worldwound to contend with- which is a good thing- but Sarkoris is still a dangerous wasteland, and the Mammoth Lords themselves run the gamut of motivations.

If the PCs of the past decade have made things better, that hardly means everything is hunky-dory.

And to add to these:

The good elemental lords have been freed, which means that there's almost certainly going to be a throwdown, and since an organization of mortals from Golarion were involved in said release...

Cheliax is arguably in a better position now than it was at the start of the game. Ravounel was its most troublesome province, but it is now no longer its concern. Westcrown was a lesser headache, but the city has been brought to heel. House Thrune and the Church of Asmodeus got a kick in their complacency, so ambitious Thrunes are going to be less likely to, say, risk an entire armada in a power play. The Glorious Reclamation failed badly, severely damaging the Church of Iomedae and removing the Thrune's most dangerous internal enemies. Any neighbours who would wish to take advantage of their temporary weakness are distracted by the greater threat to the north, allowing them to rebuild unimpeded. The devils will still be quiet for a few years, but there will be trouble after that.

Geb has taken a more direct hand in running his country now. This development probably won't affect Avistan much, but we are long overdue for some Garund content. Then there's Arazni herself. If she survived the TG AP, we'll definitely see her again. Ideally in an AP centred around helping her free herself once and for all.

Speaking of Garund, the fall of Usaro opens up a power vacuum. It's entirely possible that Ruthazek will be succeeded by someone or something even more dangerous.

Speaking of power vacuums, one demon lord has ascended (in multiple ways), and one or two more may well be dead, and mortals from Golarion were involved each time. That's going to have ramifications going forward.

Vidrian is free! ... but it has few allies, and no protection from the Shackles.

Eutropia's rise is a big deal, but she will still have enemies within and without to keep the Lion Blades busy. Including a Daemonic Harbinger who has no longer has a pact holding him back.

The Technic League's grasp has been loosened, and Unity is dead. There's nothing controlling Starmount! ... there's nothing controlling Starmount?!?

And these are just off the top of my head, and don't include the possibility that the Pathfinders or the Aspis will inadvertently waken some buried horror. Or the possibility that Rovagug will spit out a little sib for the tarrasque. Or the possibility that some lost children of Azlant will descend from the stars.

Anyone find any Oni in this book?

No oni. No kami either. One assumes we'll get them at the same time, hopefully in Bestiary II.

Githzilla wrote:

Question on Dragons - entry notes 'shape-changing dragons.' I can't tell if any of the dragons listed are shape-changing dragons. Can someone point one of them out to me so I know what to look for in the stat blocks? It's probably right in front of my face, but I can't find it.

There are no shape changing dragon stat blocks, so you didn't miss anything, unless I missed it too.

My guess it's an optional ability you can slap on any dragon you want.

It is, much like the spellcasting. The only difference is that the shape changing doesn't sub in for any other abilities.

HTD wrote:

Do the serpentfolk and inevitables appear in the Bestiary? If yes, do they have new names?

Neither of them appear. Inevitables are mentioned, and by that name.

Correction: the Kolyarut appears. Inevitables are now a subset of the aeons.

caps wrote:

Do PCs in general get more total feats than in the playtest?

In the playtest, casters had fewer class feats than other classes. Based on the wizard progression table that was posted, it looks like casters now get the full 11 class feats.

Yes and no. They all get feats, but all of the other casters are locked into their 1st level feat by their subclass choice: Bard Muse, Cleric Doctrine, Druid Order, and Sorcerer Bloodline. Wizards get a free choice, on top of their chances to get bonus feats depending on build choices. Universalists gain a bonus feat, and some of the Arcane Thesis options grant a bonus feat.

Do the serpentfolk and inevitables appear in the Bestiary? If yes, do they have new names?

Neither of them appear. Inevitables are mentioned, and by that name.

It seems more than a few people already got hands on the books...

So, are Imperial Dragons, Pegasi, Phoenixes, and Shoggoths extant in the Bestiary?

No to the first (just Chromatics and Metallics), yes to all of the others.

Oh my

Ya know, I kinda feel odd about that thread I made asking why Aroden is never focused on in any adventuring content despite 1e setting book hyping up his importance (historically) :D

It's funny. We have been getting a lot of Aroden content recently. Tyrant's Grasp and Extinction Age are all about the repercussions of some of his less savoury actions, Tar-Baphon is now loose and Aroden was kind of his arch-nemesis, and now there's this.

Adding my voice to the Magaambya choir. I'd love an AP set in the Expanse that actually starts out there and stays there. The beauty of the Magaambya is that it has room for both local PC's and those from anywhere in the Inner Sea.