Lloyd Jackson's page

Good idea. I'd say you have plenty of interest.

@LankyOgre, right. They may consider themselves 'nobles' and even adopt titles/mannerisms of such, the social construct isn't there. Nobles from countries with actual nobles, Cheliax or Taldor probably being the best examples, would laugh in the face of any Magnimarian who said they were from a noble house.

Sandpoint is very similar to one of the company towns or planned settlements of 19th century America where an individual would buy a bunch of land in one of the territories and then import/persuade immigrants to settle there. In this case, instead of a single individual doing it, it was a joint venture.

Yes, The Kaijitsu's do have serious History behind them, but that isn't what got them their position in Sandpoint. It was their skill and wealth from the glass trade that they leveraged. As far as the other families are concerned, they're just some foreign craftsmen that have done well for themselves. They've actually taken pains to conceal their true history.

Agreed. I'd put Rovagug and the Outer Gods, possibly some others in the same category. They are deities by effect rather than choice/action.

The Deverin family's wealth comes from owning most of the farmland around Sandpoint. They bought it up, brought in tenants, collect rent, etc. They are classic land-owning nobles, which is why they have tendency to be the mayor and have the biggest clout of the major families. They aren't the wealthiest, but they 'employ' most of the area.

The others families are noble because were on the charter that formed the town. There isn't really any sort of heredity aristocracy in the Downton Abbey sense.

Basically all the nobles in this part of Varisia are newly minted, whether they can claim a legacy or not. In Magnimar, all you need to be noble is the money and the attitude, and the city is rather proud of that.

Except for heralds, allies don't have stat blocks. They are there to give flavor and ideas, you or your DM will need to flesh out the crunch.

While it probably varies a bit from diety to diety, most, particularly the lawful ones, probably act like most CEO's do.

Discuss with minions the status of various projects/objectives, modify/cancel/start as needed. Worship on planet Zorg is increasing. Sending a legion to help close the dimensional breach has significantly improved our image there. Excellent, check the legion for ascension candidates and shift our PR resources there immediately.

Do meetings that can't be pawned off on a minion. I know the Mountains of Quivering Delight have been part of your domain since the fourth conjunction, but ceding the Pass of Desires would significantly reduce transit times and prevent... altercations. *heavy breathing intensifies* So, you're open to the idea?

In addition there are some things unique to being a object of worship, namely making sure the people drawing power from you are generally keeping aligned with your divine will and ensuring that your domain in the planes of existence remains stable.

So meetings, meetings, and more meetings broken up by serious introspection and meditation. Occasionally you might get to do something fun like smite some heathens or work on a crafting project.

If you're a chaotic and minor diety like Cayden Cailean, drink with your minions, spend time making sure your house/domain doesn't fall apart, drink some more, visit Golarion for a laugh, maybe sire a nephilim. Basically work to ensure you never end up like the diety described above.

Jessica Price wrote:

thejeff wrote:

Jessica Price wrote:

Hags.

Harpies.

But I think when you get to a species of only women using males of other species to reproduce you're talking something more basic than misandry.

Harpies don't necessarily hate men--they're just all female.

Hags explicitly hate men--and, I mean, everyone else, but they eat their male children.

Hags give birth to males? Doesn't that mean that there is potential for male hags? That is interesting.

Yeah, I didn't know that bit either.

The idea that physical, hand-to-hand combat is the default way to select a leader is in itself a misogynist assumption.

How?

Only if you assume it's a given that combat is the way to determine leadership. That's the way things went in many--but not all--Earth cultures, but it isn't a given, and even if it is, generals and kings haven't historically always been the best fighters among their people.

Hmm, that's not exactly what he said. Males have been the default military leaders and held greater political power in every major civilization. That could purely be a quirk of societal development on our planet, but I don't think so.

As for women being inferior, you said it not me. I'd go with different, as thejeff mentioned. I'd also add to that list of differences gestation.

I believe these biological differences are a primary factor in the development of different societal roles for men and women. The only factor, no, but a crucial one.

Pray continue.

Sure. Where'd you like me to go with it?

It's a bit of a trick having those cultures be so universal in a setting (unless there are misogynist cultures I'm forgetting), but that's really just a bit of a coincidence, not inherently unrealistic.

I'd love to hear some thoughts from the Paizo folk on why things might have developed differently, honestly. I bet it's really interesting. I mean, we all know that the main reason is just sensible gaming logic—it's a more inclusive and fun setting this way, and allows for a wider range of characters. Flexibility is always good for a tabletop game world. But I know some of the Paizo staff are really learned on this subject. I'm sure they have ideas.

Same. Why did thing develop differently on Golarion? And why did the same patterns hold true for the majority of humanoid species? I am genuinely curious to hear thoughts, head-canons are fine, on why. We should probably move that to a different thread though.

I would also really like to hear thoughts on why Asmodeus is misogynist. Like I said, to me he seems like he ought to predate the concept. If I remember right he generally hates mortals as a whole, so maybe he hates women because they give birth to more mortals?

Actually, it's not the default in Golarion for men to have more power than women, and we've explicitly stated that Asmodeus is a misogynist.

So you've said before, and it's canon, even it does mean some substantial differences between pathfinder humans and the ones I'm more familiar with.

I find it amusing that people don't have any trouble imagining him just being "accidentally" misogynist because he's into "survival of the fittest" and men just happen to be the fittest, but the idea that he is a misogynist but puts his pragmatism above his misogyny is somehow difficult to believe.

Misogynists sometimes promote women. They just treat us as if we're exceptional, and Not Like Other Women, when they do.

Why would Asmodeus have a bias against women/females? He kind of predates the entire concept of gender/sex. It seems like an odd trait for 'him' to have. I can see him being misogynistic because he believes women are weaker, whether they are or not is another matter, and I don't think that counts as accidental. I see him being racist towards halfings for a similar reason.

Getting back to OP's question. Gyronna is the main one that comes to mind. "No men! Except maybe eunuchs, and then only maybe...."
I don't think Lamashtu has any of that. A bit more focused on females, but that's her shtick. She births monsters. If you don't birth, well she's not as into you.

The only real misogynist divinity I can think of is Kostchtchie.

Asmodeus falls in that direction because he is all about power. Human males generally have more power than human females, so he favors human males over females. In another species, the generality might be different. Either way he gives power to those worthy of it it, and cares nothing for vagaries the meat-sack worn. The First is beyond such petty concerns. We are but worms before our Prince.

Wszebor Uriev wrote:

So what was all that about RotR being a one off? You know you're never going to get anyone believe this won't be the fate of all APS a decade later.

So when will Kingmalker get the treatment? ;)

Also, need to get! Awesome :)

Turns out we're allowed to change our minds.

And I am so very glad you did!

Was just looking and noticed the bundle sale has passed $1,000,000 and 60,000!

Congratulations Paizo!

Witches also aren't beholden to their patrons. For whatever reason, they're offered these secrets of arcane power by a mysterious force. They're not really channeling the powers of their patron. Just applying the arcane knowledge they were given.

Sort of like a wizard and their teacher. The wizard isn't channeling their tutor's power, just using the methods they were taught to create arcane effects.

It isn't like that at all.

Some gain power through study, some through devotion, others through blood, but the witch gains power from her communion with the unknown. Generally feared and misunderstood, the witch draws her magic from a pact made with an otherworldly power. Communing with that source, using her familiar as a conduit, the witch gains not only a host of spells, but a number of strange abilities known as hexes. As a witch grows in power, she might learn about the source of her magic, but some remain blissfully unaware. Some are even afraid of that source, fearful of what it might be or where its true purposes lie.

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A witch must commune with her familiar each day to prepare her spells. Familiars store all of the spells that a witch knows, and a witch cannot prepare a spell that is not stored by her familiar.

A witch has to commune with her patron through her familiar to prepare and cast spells. A wizard can use another wizard's spellbook. A witch can't use another witch's familiar. Patrons don't teach witches how to use their power, they give power to them.

Thank you!!!

Picture a real-world police department.

Vast majority of the cops will want to promote law in order. In Pathfinder terms, most of them are Lawful, and the rest of them have to at least pretend to be Lawful to some extent or another.

Some of them will genuinely want to "Serve and Protect" - they will try to uphold the law and protect the innocent - probably in this order. These guys are Lawful Good. But many of them are still not above delivering you a world of hurt if you resist arrest.

There will be plenty of "rules are rules" guys. Government tells them take away medical marijuana from eldery ladies in wheelchair, and they do it. The law changes, and they will stop doing so. New government outlaws cucumbers, and they will bust down doors of cucumber growers. These guys are Lawful Neutral.

And then there are the guys will will obey (or hide behind) police procedure, and if you don't give them a hard time they will probably not pound you. But they will not see a problem throwing a flash-bang grenade at a baby's face as long as rules are followed and proper paperwork is done. These guys are Lawful Evil.

And much of the time, they will all work together. If you are an ordinary citizen having to deal with the police concerning some routine mater, you might even have difficulty telling them apart.

So, think of Hellnights as elite, somewhat brutal police.

Of course a Lawful Good Hellnight will have a different worldview than, say, a Lawful Good healer - but there is nothing in the notion of "Lawful Good" precluding that.

I second this answer.

To add, I would think Rahadoum treat witches as clerics. While they are Arcane Casters, their power comes directly from a mysterious patron.

Parliment of Fools - Skyclad It's election time!

Keep it up! Only.... nine more days to go!

Eureka!

To help welcome some of our new Humble Bundle friends to Paizo and Pathfinder, I've opened up a Play-By-Post game of Hell's Rebels over at THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.

I'm hoping this will be an opportunity to let people who are new to TTRPG or pathfinder get settled in, and in particular for people who don't yet have a gaming group to get a feel for an AP and then one day step into the GM-ing role for others.

Apart from that though, a hearty welcome to all those who are new to the forum :)

Good on you!

Thanks for the update and good work Chris!

Ah... that would do it.

As said, pages have been loading very slowly, or not loading at all. This is making it difficult to do pbp games here. I haven't experienced it with any other site, so I assume it is something here. Anything I can do on my end to improve performance? What is the root cause?

Kelesh is a large, ancient, and extremely powerful empire. It's not a nation: it's a governing body that contains many nations and cultures. (As I hinted at in Inner Sea Races, the "Keleshite" designation is less an ethnicity like Kellids or Varisians and closer to "Tian" -- which is to say, it's not monolithic, and has more to do with Avistani not really understanding the different cultures and peoples and lumping them all into a single designation that basically equates to "I dunno, they're from Over There.")

Kelesh itself has a lot of desert, but it also has jungles, grasslands, temperate forests, and other climates, and cultures that developed within them. The Imperial Family and a lot of the nobility originate from desert tribes, and a lot of citizens imitate some of their practices and dress because they're seen as socially prestigious, which is why Keleshites are seen as "desert people" in Avistan.

Vudra is also extremely large and potentially powerful (and probably better defined as an empire than as a nation), but it's a collection of a ton of different smaller nations and while the maharajah is the supreme ruler, its administration is less tight than Kelesh's -- a mahajanapada is more independent than a satrapy.

Vudra hasn't conquered the world because A) overall they're not inclined to and B) they're not particularly centralized.

Kelesh hasn't conquered the world because after they got rich enough, they decided that instead of engaging in military conquest, they'd try economic/cultural conquest instead. (Join up, get free shipping on luxury goods from around the world!) They're confident that the quality of life the Empire provides its citizens will lure the rest of the world under their rule eventually. They don't need to force it. Qadira feels differently, of course.

Thank you for this Jessica!

Don't look at me guys, I'm just a mouse. Squeak!

Kingmaker Wolfspirit wrote:

Also, it was just the push I needed to be motivated to create this game.

I would be happy to share notes / materials with prospective GMs after this is done: a "Kingmaker Shared Resources", if you will.

One of the reasons I am signing up is because I would like to run this AP at some point and want to see how others do it. So I would definitely be interested in the "shared resources."

I highly, highly, recommend checking out the Kingmaker AP board here, there is a ton of great material there.

Lloyd Jackson wrote:

As for running two games, I'll throw this out there for any potential GMs out there. Easy way to recruit players is reach out to the applicants once selection has been made. You've got plenty of solid choices and just slip 'em a little PM. "Hey, got some of that... Kingmaker you're looking for."

That may be how this all started -- I did a recruitment for a KM game (that is just getting through its second encounter!) and Wolfspirit mentioned that the huge turnout inspired him to set up his own. :)

Congrats!

You've got 3 hours! You can do it!

As for running two games, I'll throw this out there for any potential GMs out there. Easy way to recruit players is reach out to the applicants once selection has been made. You've got plenty of solid choices and just slip 'em a little PM. "Hey, got some of that... Kingmaker you're looking for."

Yeah, I don't envy the GM this monumental task. What a kind of a crazy person would sign... up for... that?

*looks around* Wait, *I* am supposed to pick from this group of talented writers and RPers?

*abdicates throne*

On a serious note, thanks for all the encouragement and excellent characters. Please make sure to look over the Character Roster to make sure that you're on there and that your characters profiles are updated with any final edits by midnight.

I may make some suggestions and recommend some tweaking still, but I'm trying to get a final, stable list before I start making cuts from 85% of the list of applicants.

That's what you get for putting up a well-written recruitment post. ^_^

The Scorpion King

Why it's bad: Action adventure doesn't get much cheesier than The Scorpion King. (So say the critics)

Why it's good: It's FUN. It's cheesy, knows that's it's cheesy, and glories in being what it is: A fun action adventure that doesn't let history, accuracy, or anything else get in the way of having a good time. Guy experimenting with gunpowder thousands of years too early. Sure. Flaming swords, hell yes. Sub-Saharan African amazonian kingdom in the middle east. Why not?

Looking forward to seeing the final recruitment post, and what everyone submits.

I'm not sure I'd worship one primarily. I'd probably be one of those with a small shrine holds the icons of several.

My shrine would probably hold icons too:
Abadar: As patron of civilization and my profession.
Sarenrae: Light of the world.
Pharasma: I just like her and someone worthy of showing respect to.
Erastil: I appreciate nature and his values most resonate with me.
Shelyn: Love and beauty are worthy of worship, and I could use more of both.

If I had to choose one, I think either Pharasma or Nethys. I could see being a cleric of Pharasma for area, and could represent other deities as well who don't have clerics in the area. I help you on the way in and out, very practical faith that, and like contemplating eternity. Wouldn't mind becoming a psychopomp helping the flow of souls along either after finishing with life.

If Nethys, mystic theurge dedicate to learning all the things. I seek phenomenal cosmic power! (Probably end up being a magic 101 teacher for prospective wizards and clerics.)

I would say you can't have a trans-sex member of a single-sex species.

To be trans-sex is to change from one sex to another. This isn't possible if there is only one sex. Harpies, we'll use those since they are social, probably don't even have a concept of sexes in the way we think of them.

Now, What you might be able to do is create a new sex that mimics the role that other species play. In this case, I think it would be seen as becoming, at least in part, another species. Because that's what performs that role. Other species, not other members of the species. How harpies would take a Trans-harpy? No idea, but probably not very well.

At this time it isn't possible to be truly change sex in the real world, but we can come pretty close. Hormone therapies, surgeries, etc relate to this.

This brings us to gender. Genders are social constructs that center around biological sex. Sex is what your body is. Gender is what you and the rest of the world think that particular body means.

Changing genders is possible. You and society just have to agree that you are are no longer one and are now the other. In practice it's pretty messy, but the core is simple.

Now what this means for single-sex species that rely on other species to reproduce... who knows? Do harpies even have genders? Perhaps gender centers around whether a harpy has reproduced? Those that do are one, those that don't are another?

One important aspect of alignment is that LN is an alignment goal in and of itself that someone might adhere to. If Lissala was LN, she would, either actively or passively, disapprove of the LE stuff that went on in her faith - and we know that is not the case.

By the reasoning, she would disapprove of the LG or LN that went on, and she didn't. As you said, one of her most sacred shines was initially dedicated to virtues. To me seems very L(n). She's neutral because she isn't very interested in morality rather than particularly dedicate to neutrality itself, which is a valid form of neutral alignments.

I'll agree that having her as evil is definitely interesting. It gives LE more nuance when you have Asmodeus at the center, but Lissala and Zon-Kuthon on the sides.

Ragathiel, on the other hand, is a psychotic omnicidial monster who covers his head with a sheet of lead every time his fellow empyreal lords cast detect evil on him.

Perhaps in your games G, but that is not how he is presented in the source material, and it clearly isn't how everyone else sees him.

For me, Ragathiel is a very welcome, and necessary, part of the Good community. I like an obedience that I might not get every day. It's more powerful than most obediences and is appropriately more difficult to perform.

As for his flavor/nature that people find disagreeable, that doesn't mean he isn't Good. I don't care for Arshea, but that doesn't make he/she/it not Good. Take away Arshea and Good is too sexless. Take away Ragathiel and Good becomes too fluffy bunny. We need both.

The article makes it clear that she completely approved of the Runelords, and really did recognize Runelord Krune (who was a straight up wizard, not a cleric) as her High Priest. Amusingly enough, her teachings favor arcane magic over divine magic, and so seeing her divine servitors dwindle in favor of arcane casters was not a surprise.

(Like Sorshen apparently murdering an entire city to become immortal. If I understand Lissala right, in Lissala's eyes Sorshen, as the master of those people, actually had the right to kill them all to further to her own magical advancement. By Lissala's teachings, those people had a duty to die for Sorshen's whims.)

That is actually the opposite of what I got from her article. When talking about Thassilon's downward spiral into depravity, it specifically mentions that this was the result of the nation's culture, and not a directive of the goddess. Although the more distasteful practices did not conflict with Lissala's teaching, they don't seem to have been encouraged either.

Lissala's slow withdrawal from Thassilon always struck me as a sign of disapproval. The runelords and her church were abandoning her directives and so she gradually moved away, or perhaps she viewed it as the other way around.

Also, nothing in the article indicates she approved of Krune. He was the head of her church, and many people thought him to have a special connection to the goddess, but there isn't anything that really supports him having her approval.

I quite like Lissala, and she seems like a quite positive deity. Her church was heavily involved in the local community, and even today emphasizes service regardless of the facade the cult is using.

If a slave isn't a good fit for the church's rigor, sell them to a owner with a more suitable post. Apprentices who aren't happy should be encouraged to seek other careers, not punished and forced into conformity. Sounds like deity we need to bring back. Lissala 2015!

Nice job on cleaning up GD.

Ptemenib--your NPC assistant--was a trans man in my early drafts of Empty Graves, but I chickened out because it was my first AP, I wasn't out to my coworkers, and I was afraid to push boundaries. I was afraid, and you suffered for it. I'm genuinely sorry.

I'm keeping this in mind if I run Empty Graves. Be interesting to see how a trans-man would work in a society that seems to have a lot of bare-chested men around.

Don't feel bad about it though. Ptemenib is a fine character. Do you have any material lying around on how his trans identity would have been incorporated into the story. Like how Irabeth sold her family sword to get the potion for Anevia in Wrath of the Righteous?

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On a different topic, since you guys mention liking feedback. All of our less-than-good iconics seem to be white, straight, cis, men. It doesn't bother me that much, but I have noticed.

Good luck and have fun at Gen-Con.

@Hammas Wow! Excellent character you got there! Good luck!

Thanks! I used your alias as template for mine, so thanks for the assist!

Indeed! Hammas looks like a well thought out character. I wish that they offered more variety in the non-iconic female half-orc avatars, but it is what it is. I looking forward to seeing which characters are chosen for this adventure!

Thanks Owl! Hurray for cuddly half-orcs!

It would be really nice to get some more portraits of the different races. Imrijka is great, but she doesn't fit very for a lot of characters.

Appreciate the help. Mice aren't designed for this.

General Discussion is going down! I'm squashing them fast as I can!

I've abandoned pbp games...

"Shame! Shame! Shame!"

Nice. Lloyd, I like.

Thanks. ^_^ I like him too! Not quite sure where he came from, but I'm glad he wandered into my head.

@Treasurefox Aside from finishing the equipment list, which shouldn't contain anything too unusual, is there anything you'd like me to do/change? I know you stated a preference for core races, but I'm hoping the choice of Kitsune in Sandpoint makes sense. I'm interested in using some of the race's abilities in the downtime and puzzles you mentioned.

Sorry for being late to the party. Been, and still am, traveling for work. Got most of the crunch and fluff taken care of and will finish the remaining when I have time.

Character Death: I'm comfortable with it. I've killed characters off as a DM before, so I know how it goes.

Waiting on standby: Yes, I would be interested in joining later.

Combat: I usually use description/mind theater in my games, but think google docs and roll20 can be really helpful in tricky tactical situations.

Posting: Assuming I don't have to make another last minute flight across the country, I should be able to post in the morning and/or evening without problem. With shorter combat posts, twice a day should be doable. For RP, more likely 1 depending on how much thinking/typing is required.

No time to write it up tonight, but a hobgoblin slayer sounds interesting. DM Jelani, would you allow the feat Keen Scent to be taken by goblinoids?

Something I found interesting is the additional information on kytons and Zon-Kuthon.

I'm curious, how will the Indebted trait work with the shield mark that requires honesty?

I'd be interested in putting together a Kitsune skald, maybe bard, with the above mentioned trait. Realistic Likeness is very tempting in this setting.

If not, fighter, human or half-orc, is also interesting.

Ben Wooten did the gnoll art—check out the lineup here.

Thank you Liz. You guys did good with this one.

True. But they didn't do a Numeria AP until they had the technology rules. I'm thinking it's the same with Vudra. No Vudra AP until the psychic rules are in place.