I just got through reading The Kortos Envoy (PFS 03-04) in preparation for running it at Whoseyercon this weekend. It made me wonder what Paizo's policy is on disparaging depictions of real world religions.

Case in point:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet#Aleister_Crowley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema

I am personally not offended by it, but it does bring up a certain prejudice as to what is a "real world religion." Many companies (once again, maybe not Paizo) go out of their way not to offend Christians, Muslims, and other "main-stream" faiths, but seem unconcerned with others.

Once again, I'm not sure what Paizo's policy is. I don't think the mod needs to be changed. I don't think Paizo should shy away from using real world mythology. We should all understand, however, that one person's demon was very often another person's god, and those religions are not as dead as you think they might be.

This kind of thing can certainly get out of hand. If companies are too sensitive, all of a sudden your demons become Tanar'ri, which isn't good for anybody.

Just food for thought.

It's not too early to start thinking about Gen Con. Is there an official volunteer list yet? Any idea about when the call will go out for Gen Con GMs?

I always have a difficult time on these message boards. I rarely think in metagaming terms. Some folks do, they enjoy that aspect of the game.

I'm the designer of the Machinesmith. To follow up on LPJ, I wanted to make a class that would emulate the steampunk inventor. I wanted them to have access to crazy airships, robots, and ray guns. I didn't think of making a "blaster" or some kind of replacement for other character classes. (How can you do that anyway?) To me, concepts are not just fine, they are the essence of creating cool characters.

At the same time I understand the need to keep things fun for everyone. No one should fight better than the fighter. No one should sneak better than the rogue, no one should have a better servant than the summoner. I think I did that here, but I am not sure.

The class is pretty open-ended. You can do a lot of different things, but if you look closely you can only have 2 or maybe 3 really good greatworks.

In response to the epic level arms & armor creation, please note that just like everyone else, the machinesmith can only make arms & armor with a max +5 enhancement bonus, the other +5 go into weapon and armor traits.

I am certain that I missed something. A broken ability or combination that someone here will catch. I would really appreciate the help with it.

One thing that comes to mind, what do you guys think of adding a GP cost to the masterworks?

Wow, did I do that?

I checked back on this post the morning after I put it up and found no responses. I assumed it died.

Let me rephrase something. For the most part, people who enjoy 20th level more than first level are people who enjoy the game as a tactical simulation more than a roleplaying opportunity. You may disagree with this, it has been my experience.

I did write the original post with tongue in cheek. I thought the double-negative gave that away.

I still stand by my request. I would enjoy more material for 1-20th level characters than I would epic level content. I do not enjoy epic level play. My perspective is as a GM, who finds it difficult to prepare for high level play.

I would say my math skills are adequate. I have never enjoyed card games or any game where coming up with combinations of certain abilities gives a player an edge. I am more focused on story. I know there is a large segment of the gaming population that does enjoy making builds. I say more power to them and good gaming.

As a side note, I think Paizo has done an excellent job so far of appeasing all types of gamers. I don't know if that is possible with epic.

What I would like to see before epic Pathfinder is Pathfinder Modern. More specifically, I would like to see a post-modern/cyberpunk fantasy setting using Golarion. I think the rules have come along well enough to start working on this. Heck, I would like to start working on this.

Thoughts?

BTW Yes, I had an annoying session last night.

Was playing Rise of The Runelords.

Funny, my experience as a GM has always been - I want you to play anything you want. I want you to have fun.

Then, when I exploit that race/class/combo weakness they whine endlessly about it.

If players had their way:

They would never have an encounter they couldn't defeat.

Opponents can never run away.

No one can ever surprise them.

They should never suffer social pressure in the campaign world for being unusual.

I am hanging myself out in the minority again. I wish Paizo would spend their limited time and resources on things other than epic level rules.

I think epic only feeds players who refuse to give up their favorite character. As someone who's been in the hobby over thirty years I am telling you now that sometimes stories end. New heroes take up the mantle. Villains are vanquished and those who do the vanquishing become legends. There's plenty of high fantasy and adventure in levels 1-20 to handle it.

The only people who have more fun at 20th level than 1st level are the rules monkies. People who live to destroy everyone else's fun by finding that combination loop-hole that is totally unstoppable.

I say, no sir. I need no epic.

Does all this discussion of food and restaurants mean that Paizo should start serving food in it's hall next year? And if so what should they serve?

If I was going to have someone cater in the Indy area it would be Goose the Market hands down. http://www.goosethemarket.com/

A massive selection of smoked and cured meats, some they do in their own smokehouse. Hell, they have a bacon of the month club. Artisan cheeses. A fine selection of beer and wine. You can't go wrong at the Goose.

Just wondering how other GMs feel about Focus Shot and guns. The rules specifically say bows and crossbows, but that was before UC came out. I will probably allow it unless someone has a compelling reason not to.

I want to +1 the Adventure Paths. If you're like me, 40 years old trying to balance a job, and kids, and other social obligations, it just doesn't leave enough time to be hacking out your own adventures. The APs seem to have something for everyone, people who like roleplay, people who like combat, people who like cool and in-depth story lines. I love the fact I can pick up an AP and run it with minimal prep time. They are a life saver.

I'm not trying to be an ass with this, but I want to mention something important to me. I'm a pagan, and I play Pathfinder. If any group should be offended it's us as Pathfinder sometimes encroaches on our real-world religious beliefs. Some of those names for demon princes and arch-devils came from ancient mythology. Christianity took them and turned them into the bad guys of their religion.

But the truth is, I'm not offended because I can separate my fantasy from reality. What irks me sometimes is how much our society will bend over to make something palatable for Christians. So what if it's not? Should every mass media product out there be made for them? I'm not saying Pathfinder should be in any way offensive to Christians. I'm saying, should we give them special treatment? I just don't want to go back to the days or re-naming things in the Monster Manual to appease a certain segment that will trash the game no matter what you do.

I'd like the Eldest Faiths, covering the Eldest, animism, ancestral worship, hero worship ...

Also a book about the philosophies (Rahadoum, Diabolism ....) and cults of planar lords in Golarion (particularly Empyreal, the Godmind, Speakers of the Depths)

I could see ancestor worship being popular in Cheliax with its Roman feel. It would probably one of the few religious devotions tolerated alongside Diabolism as it can lead to veneration of the state.

Animism should be a viable choice for Druids. I would also like to see more on the philosophies. JJ (Does he mind being called JJ?) has expressed that all clerics in Golarion must follow a god to receive spells. I wonder if he counts ancestors, spirits, and heroes.

Just a quick poll, would anyone like to see even more detail on religions than given in the "Faiths of..." books? I wonder if it's just me, but I would like to see a book for each god. Maybe because of my background in religion, I'd really like to see some depth of mythology, theology, and practice.

Which gods would you like to see more than others?

I might do some of my own write-up if people are interested.

554: Not allowed to try stuff I saw in a cartoon once.
555: Using, "somebody get me a can opener," a a pick-up line on a paladin of Iomedea will get you killed.
556: Pharasma does not look perky, nor does she have an ankh, or bad eyeliner.

What I'm curious about is if Paizo will come up with some non-theistic religions for Tian Xia (ex. Buddhism, Taoism).

Thanks for your help everyone. I found what I needed.

Kabump wrote:

What?!? There aren't any Steak 'n' Shakes out West? That's unfortunate! Good food and AWESOME shakes, plus 24 hours for those late nite milkshake cravings.

heh... Steak 'n' Shake being the only food I've eaten at Gen Con that's played a part in making me sick to my stomach (and I've eaten at Whitecastle!)... I'm 100% fine with them staying off my coast. You all can keep them!

yuck

This is why me and my friends call it Botulism & Shake. I know way too many people who have gotten food poisoning at that place.

After meeting the Paizo staff at this year's GenCon I think we need to add one thing. Not only are they in touch with their fans and think about their customers, they do it with the highest level of professionalism I've ever seen in the gaming industry, or just about any industry. They deliver what they promise, and never disparage others.

From a local I am glad you all enjoyed Indy. There are some cool things here, but you have to look hard for them. Yes, the coffee scene is bad. I am forced to patronize Star-schmucks. As far as Steak & Shake, I could give you the horror stories but I don't want to ruin it for you.

Seattle is on the top of my list of places I want to move to. I can really handle a climate that doesn't get above 80 F and is cloudy half the time. Plus, I have a more left coast mentality. I will miss White Castles.

I will have to have a job that ensures I make it back for GenCon, at least I have friends here now so I can crash at their place.

I think the best thing about Indy is that people are genuinely friendly. More so than other places I've been.

Next time you are here head down to a district called Fountain Square. It's worth the cab ride. Check out New Day Meadery and the White Rabbit Cabaret. Good times.

It seems that many of the societies of the Inner Sea, the larger cities in particular, have moved past feudal models of property ownership. This being said, does anyone know where I can find gp values of property in major cities? Has anyone else had PCs who want to buy homes and businesses? What price did you set and how did you come up with that number?

Sound levels are a problem at all conventions. A bigger room would have helped some but not all of the problem. I know at one time GenCon was experimenting with a divider system for RPG rooms. Even simple curtain dividers would help a great deal. I know costs are already difficult to deal with but Paizo may consider renting curtain dividers in the future.

Please remember that some GMs run a lot of slots for hotel reimbursement. They couldn't afford the con otherwise.

The thing that has always surprised me is that WOTC never tried to keep the rights to Drow. Considering their popularity and success in novels, one would think that's one they'd hold onto tight. You could argue that it's another case of mythological creature, but the myth-base has nothing to do with the creation other than name.

The only thing I can think of is that WOTC looked around and saw every LARP group and fantasy game using the concept and decided they did a poor job in protecting the copyright. Mind you, I think they'd win such a claim in today's courts, but I'm not a lawyer.

Still, I'm glad we have them.

I agree with Fergie. The question you should be asking is not, "Is it fair?" The question should be, "Is it fun?" That's the job of the GM, not making sure NPCs get their due.

That being said, what stops you from upping the power level of the opponents you have already sent against them? How about making the book cursed?

As others have mentioned, make sure it's something the PCs think they have control over.

I would have the previous owner try to negotiate for his book back, and then screw the PCs over on the deal. I love it when my PCs really hate the villain.

Hurrah for Kistune. They are sexy.