KoboldOracle's page

This is a bit of an old thread (Nov) but the OP would be the right one from what I can tell. If this conversation is happening somewhere else, let me know -- I want to get in on it.

I know one thing I had hoped would exist but they didn't include in the playtest (which makes sense -- it's trying to playtest the core aspects of the rules, not minutia) are rules for mythic/legendary magic items.

Some might argue the Excalibur's and Sword of Roland's are artifacts, but it doesn't need to be that way. Sampson supposedly picked up the jaw of a donkey, but once he was done it should be considered "mythic" to say the least and much of Greek and Roman myth is obviously filled with items of interest.

The thing is, its not that the item itself is made more magically enchanted (as per standard understanding). As Arthur used Excalibur, he didn't have it constantly reenchanted by Merlin or the Lady in the Lake. But yet, it needed to level with Arthur to stay grand.

A good example that might be on everyone's mind right now are the swords in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Already by the time that "Foehammer"/Glamdril (spelling?) and Orcist were found in the troll's cave, they were legendary weapons (hence why they had names). They, like the bit of oak branch that Thorin had, had gained some reputation and in turn should have some power. Now the "dagger"/short sword that Bilbo picks up was enchanted the same time as those other blades, but it was likely just a measly +1 dagger with the ability to glow when orcs/goblins were near.

But, as the story progresses and as they weapons are/were used, they should gain in power and myth. So that that mere dagger that Bilbo found was much more by the time he gifted it to Frodo (it had a name, Sting) and in Frodo's time it may have gained more mythic power.

I'm not sure how it should work -- does anyone have ideas? I just like the idea of items also gaining power with your mythic characters....?

One thing with pricing I would hope is that cross-player support is enabled so that we don't necessarily all need to "own" or have paid "access" to a map to play on it.

In my mind, certain people could pay to have better accounts, with more data storage and they host the game (i.e. the gamemaster) while players could get limited access to any materials their GM makes available, but only during a play session.

Unless every map/token/etc. is remarkably cheap (less than a $1 per) than I doubt most of my play groups would be willing to play. Traditionally, other than most of us having a copy each of the core rulebook, only our GM really needs to own a copy of an AP to get access to that adventure -- I hope this model holds over.

Mind you, whatever system Paizo settles on I suspect it will work well or if it isn't, get changed shortly to be better :-)

Yay VTT!

Motorola Droid 4

An official Pathfinder Dice Roller that is free would be cool. I know many exist, but they are not terribly hard to design/program and it would be a simple way to sneak your way on to my phone in the first place.

Yeah, I've seen that they (kobolds) get a full 6 page spread! I hope for many great options to be included -- ones that make it more viable as a PC race (like including the alternatives from Classic Monsters Revisted) :-)

Does anyone know if rules will be included in the ARG for having alternate versions of a race (as in "sub-races"), with say alternate bonuses to ability scores?

So far, Paizo has seemed reluctant to include the idea that there are many, many, (and still even more) version of a race like "Elf" -- what with High/Grey/Moon/Sun/Wood/Wild/Etc (Faerun had like 12 different flavors of elven subraces) all being slightly altered versions of the base "ELF" race. They have the "alternative racial traits" rules, which I love, but the way those rules are written up it is as if any elf may have an alternate racial trait.

In various campaigns I or my GM have just ruled that a particular "sub-race" always has specific traits, for instance, Woodcraft instead of Elven Magic, to reflect that sub-races' connection with the forest over magic. This has worked well enough, but I really wish Paizo would include specific rules for the idea of a sub-race, going so far as to allow base attribute bonuses to be altered between one sub-race and another (so my Wild Elf doesn't have to lose two points of Con, despite having grown up in the harsh forest of Whereeverland).

I know I could just alter them as I see fit, or use the race building rules to make an almost exact replica of the standard elf, just slightly different, but for official games and rule-lawyer GMs there is always a hangup unless it says it in the book. I tried scanning over and then searching this thread but I haven't found the answer yet.

@ Cheapy -- why not kobolds?

I wonder if Paizo considers "flumph" as a "PC-appropriate monster" race?

Kaymanklynman's comment sparked the idea that a Level 21+ book could be cool IF it it focused on the idea of mythic roleplaying rather than just the classic epic of "bigger/harder/stronger."

Way way back in the the day the Gold Box of AD&D did this by incorporating rules for immortality, and as many people saw it, they weren't so much just new level advancements, but a whole new game of playing as a legend in your own time. The rules as written don't help you account for managing whole governments. I'd like to see a book of subsystems that let you be the ruler of a nation or seen as a messiah in a religion, maybe even gain immortality. 3.5 had some rules that could be adapted with the divine rank for instance. As for being a king of a nation, though you could say "that's all up to role playing" I'd still like to see some mechanics in place to help it.

What I'd really love to see, and sorry if anyone else has already said this, I did not see it in the first and last 50 or so posts I read, would be something like Ultimate Monsters rather than just another Bestiary.

What I mean is, I wish Pathfinder would publish rules on how to make balanced monsters all on your own. I think one of the Monstrous Manuals offered up some rules, and the back of the original Bestiary offers the ground floor starting point but I think I'd really like a "How to Make Your Own Monsters" guidebook.

And in it a lot about making more templates -- I like templates and apply them often to spice things up with monsters.

So, some Market Research Answers:

1 -- What are your criteria to purchase 3rd Party Content?

I must see a need for it in the games I am currently playing. If it isn't adding something, something I either had not thought of myself or improving what I already house rule -- why bother?

2 -- When you purchase a Paizo product what are your main reasons for purchasing Paizo?

*** Company Loyalty?

Matters, a little. I prefer Paizo to others but they won that loyalty by having stellar products and offer them at an acceptable price.

*** Good Editing?

Not a reason, a requirement. Would you purchase a book with crap editing?

*** Good Writing?

Here's the rub -- what qualifies as "good" subjectively changes. Good enough, from Paizo, and it becomes law with the players I run with. Good enough from a 3rd party? Well... can we not think of something better ourselves? Great writing though wins the day...

*** Art?

Helps, but can't sell a book with bad mechanics and writing. Terrible art can turn me off from a purchase, but great mechanics and writing can overrule crap art.

*** How do you define the word "Quality" when it comes to OGL products (Paizo is technically OGL)?

Integration into the larger (Paizo) ruleset is key. Your 3rd party material is generally going to be at best an add on or substitution. If those additions and substitutions break the core gameplay, then I can't use it. If its good enough to stand all on its own then am I really talking 3rd party to Paizo? Maybe its a whole new game with similar ruleset, etc.

3 -- When you purchase a Pathfinder 3rd Party Product what drove you to purchase that product? (I purchased more 3rd party D&D 3.5 than Pathfinder so far, so my answers reflect that)

*** Art?

Not by itself.

*** Idea?

Important. The books I bought outright were the ones that within the first 2 minutes intrigued me so much I felt I needed to get it now and bring it home to dive in deeper rather than just skim and be inspired to make a better example for my own use.

*** What is it you look for in a 3rd Party Product?...

Quality :-P That's a vague answer, but really its a matter of quality for my price. I'll shell out $100 if the book has awesome art, produced on high quality paper, bound in leather or at least hardbacked AND it has amazing rules and ideas within. I wont even pay a $1 for a download that I'll regret once I've read through it and realized what I just purchased is fundamentally broken.

As a more general comment, not covered by your limited scope of questions:

The book needs to give me something, something I need, something I want, something I may not even realize I cared about before. It doesn't need to be a big name company for me to want it, if it meets my needs. What are my needs? That's tough to answer --- especially since you can't go through all that trouble JUST for me... but I'm likely not the only person looking for a better X, Y or Z.