Per Astra's page

And while I don't know that we've said in print, I'm pretty comfortable saying that Cayden is bi.

Ooh, now who do you ship him with?

For nonbinary deities, I think a pretty good argument could be made for the Eldest Shyka, the Many, or at least that they are genderfluid, given they are composed of an unknown, but presumably enormous, number of individuals who are all nevertheless Shyka.

Since Shyka is composed of discrete individuals, it seems like it can only be those individuals who are trans or nonbinary, not the whole collective.

Though it would be delightful to play Shyka as entirely composed of queer individuals, a pantheon of different modalities of queerness from across Golarion's past, present, and future. Hmm. Thanks for that thought!

The Rivethun as a whole offers education, safety and community to trans and nonbinary people, even ones from outside dwarf society, as their teachings hold that such individuals are more naturally sensitive to the spirits of the natural world.

Oh, right, the Rivethun--I remember seeing them mentioned somewhere before. Maybe in reference to the PF1 iconic Shardra Geltl? Thanks for reminding me of them.

I am kind of repeating what some folks have already said, but:

1) GMing. I picked up the PF2 CRB because I was down a rabbit hole, reading through a bunch of non-5e d20 games and thinking about their relationship to each other. Reading PF2, I started to find myself really itching to run a game. & actually running it was great--I really liked how distinct creatures and npcs seemed from each other and how they had such colorful abilities.

I appreciated the pathos of the creatures, too. The fiction they came with made it much easier to tell interesting stories around them.

Weirdly, PC creation rules did neat things for me as a GM, too, often becoming a jumping off point from which I could build the narrative core of a session.

2) Golarion. Initially, it left me super cold, but the more I dipped into it, the more I picked up and used elements from it, the more I liked it. I thought the science fiction elements that led toward Starfinder would be a proud nail for me, but I kind of love them now?

3) The various subsystems (chases, infiltrations, etc.) in the Gamemastery Guide. I didn't know quite what to make of them when I first read through them, but I have been pleased how they work during play. They pace success and complications well.

(Also, nice to see that J Dacilane is a centerpiece character in The Seven Secrets of Dacilene Academy.)

My partner just pointed out that he's noticed two trans men in the Grand Bazaar as he's been reading through: Arhan Benimaya of Kraken's Ink Tattoo and Yggwil of Lost & Found.

if I recall there is a 1e book callled Adventurers Guide and I think there is a Trans Man dwarf as a leader or high ranking member of one of the factions in that book.

This one look right to you--https://paizo.com/products/btpy9sjo?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Advent urers-Guide?

1) Rexus Victocora, he's in the first book but I haven't played it so don't know which all others he appears in. I don't know of any others immediately off the top of my head.

2) Kofusachi and Lymnieris are at the very least bi.

3) Arshea is enby.

Oooh, yes, yes, the lore around Arshea and Lymnieris is definitely one of the sorts of things I was hoping to find. My partner's current character in our home game is a gay trans man and these two are very much on his vibe.

I can find so little lore on Kofusachi!

2) Cayden Cailean of the core 20 pantheon is heavily implied to be bi, if I remember (think this was in Gods & Magic?).

3) It may be a bit of a stretch but Gozreh is pretty lowkey genderfluid, being described as a two-aspect deity who is part sky god, part ocean goddess.

I don't see anything in Cayden's Gods and Magic entry to imply he's bi, though I just have the hard copy so I can't search to see if it is mentioned elsewhere. I'll have to keep any eye out for more info on him...

Gozreh, definitely, belongs in the mix. Thanks for the reminder.

1) One PFS Scenario has the players rescue a person presenting as a little girl. Years later, Scenario #2-09: The Seven Secrets of Dacilane Academy re-introduces the same person as a young man. If the PCs ask, J Dacilane mentions that he transioned. See https://paizo.com/products/btq026i7?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-209-The-Sev en-Secrets-of-Dacilane-Academy for more information.

Excellent--two trans guys are definitely better than one. And I do like that it sounds like his transition is presented as no big deal, just a thing he did.

Finally, Desna is the father of one of my characters, so I don't necessarily think mortal gender/orientation labels apply to divinities that may well be older than the universe itself...

Oh yes, I am definitely for expansively gendering / sexuality-ing divinities in play, but here I am just trying to see what resources the canon material has for me to work with.

I was hoping someone could help me:

1) who are some trans men in the Lost Omens setting? I saw mention in an old thread of an NPC in the Hell's Rebels AP being the first, but who are others? (Also what is that first trans man's name? Which parts of the AP does he appear in?)

2) are any male deities of Lost Omens gay or bi? I couldn't find anything and did see some pre-PF2 threads that might suggest there weren't any, but PF2 has been proactively redressing lacunae like that so maybe?

I have noticed that a lot of relationships between deities just name the deities involved, so it's easy for me to miss those; I'm only so-so on the Lost Omens mythology.

3) are there any trans or nonbinary deities? I know there are a bunch that support trans and nonbinary people, but curious about any who might be trans or nonbinary themselves.

Per Astra wrote:

I would be a lot more interested in a bunch of new ancestries if they were part of a concerted effort to move away from the idea that this or that sapient species is just inherently evil.

So while algollthu would be pretty silly as a pc ancestry...

And I would be a lot more interested in a bunch of new ancestries if they were part of a concerted effort to move away from the idea that this or that sapient species is just inherently silly.

What works for one person might not work for another, and vice versa.

Sorry--I didn't mean for that to step on your, or anyone else's, tail like that; I was a little too flippant. It's just that the agency of an algollthu and a PC seem so very divergent to me that I can't make them overlap in any way that feels coherent. I agree, it's just a "seems to me" thing, and I could have been better articulating that.

I would be a lot more interested in a bunch of new ancestries if they were part of a concerted effort to move away from the idea that this or that sapient species is just inherently evil.

So while algollthu would be pretty silly as a pc ancestry, I would be really interested in what the ugothol would look like if you explored them from the angle of "what happens to a species engineered to be a weapon of intrigue and war when their creators, and their war, disappear?"

The ancestry would need to tone down some of the monster powers, but that would actually make sense if you were looking at communities of ugothol that stopped trying to be algollthu weapons.

Per Astra wrote:

4) Centrality of Strength to dealing melee damage--it feels weird that even with a weapon like the rapier that Strength is how you get your basic damage bonuses.

I sometimes wonder what it'd be if it was the weapon alone that did damage, and then the proficiency on top of that in lieu of strength.

I find this idea really appealing. It seems like it would change how combat works in a bunch of interesting ways...I'm tempted to try it out sometime in a game.

Thanks for sharing your stories--I appreciate these so much.

keftiu wrote:

Really appreciate this blog.

Has there been any autism representation in Pathfinder?

Hey, Keftiu! Yes, there has been. Erikanesh, the owner of the Historia Reliquary and Chun Hye-Seung, the commander militant of Absalom's First Guard are both autistic. I try to add another autistic character or piece of representation with each assignment I do for Paizo.

The lore on the Changelings in the Lost Omens: Ancestry Guide is also autistic representation, as confirmed by their author, as well. Probably more representation I'm unaware of or forgetting, but if you find any more, let me know!

Glad to hear you have been steadily expanding the autistic representation!

The way the Lost Omens changeling lore hit me in the heart, I should have guessed it had been informed by autistic experience. Who was the author on that entry?

Okay, I really, really like PF2 on the whole, it is probably my favorite iteration of the d20 design family, but these always come to mind for me:

1) The Witch class, like the whole thing. I wanted a better and less offensive version of the PF1 witch and what I have is a wonky off-brand warlock that doesn't even have the strong, evocative patron archetypes of the 5e warlock to give it narrative ballast.

2) The Oracle class is so limited--there are so many great domains out there and curses only offer you the narrowest sliver of access to them. I know, you can use feats to build that out, but only by reference to specific deities, and if those deities don't fit your concept but their domains do, it feels like the mechanics and narrative really start to tear at each other. Oracles should be able to start with some obscure domains; it would pair well with the general obscurity of their divine source.

3) Like everyone, recall knowledge. It is so basic an action and I always feel like I'm winging it whenever I have to adjudicate it as a GM (i.e., all the time).

4) Centrality of Strength to dealing melee damage--it feels weird that even with a weapon like the rapier that Strength is how you get your basic damage bonuses.

5) Summoning spells are pretty underwhelming.

6) Specifically, too few class archetypes compared to other sorts of archetypes. Generally, the relative scarcity of new class specific options for the current roster of classes.

With all this, I am eagerly looking forward to Dark Archives' publication.

The psychic sounds like it will be more fun. I really hope we see more flexibility in how psychics access unleash options so that they can be tailored to define the way the personality of the psychic operates.

The thaumaturge sounds better, too, though I am holding my breath a little to see how forge a connection is finalized. I hope it doesn't demands much improvisation; or, rather, I hope the improvisation it demands is very structured. A frequent, core power that constantly demands freestyle improvisation about causality in the world seems like it could quickly veer into the sort of silliness that would weaken the narrative coherence of a campaign.

I like pact feats being broadly available; I would have almost certainly had use for that in the game I'm running now. I also wonder if they might be the sort of thing that a witch could use to build out their patron relationship in a more concrete fashion.

(I really want a thaumaturge class that, with a witch archetype and a couple pact feats with the fey, will allow me to fulfill my super-witchy witch fantasies in PF2. Forge connections sounds like it might be perfect for that--I'm crossing my fingers.)

Ah well, that just leaves more design space for the haunted clockwork tsar tanks of the Golarion future, bristling with death coils and cannon.

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2t7r2&page=2?How-are-Earth-and-Golarion-in -the-same-universe#85

Besides the previously mentioned sources the Worldscape comic provides another link created by Nex; R'lyeh is on Earth but know to have portals to other locations; and there were obvious links between Ancient Osirion and Egypt as they share a pantheon.

Thanks for this link.

(I didn't realize that the setting's years advanced with real time. That is good to know reading through older material.)

So no post-2e material then.

The best thing about earth being a thing is that there are magically animated WW1 era tanks (controlled by the pickled brains of military commanders), and art of two of the iconics being shot at by a Tsar Tank in Reign of Winter.

(Seriously though, google Tsar Tank, it was a real Russian tank and a contender for most absurd vehicle ever built).

*googles*

Oh, right, the tricycle tanks! So, wait are the pickled brain tanks the tsar tanks? If so, that's just great.

I have a fairly shallow sense of the Golarion lore; I frequently remix elements into my house game, but my approach has been to magpie pick and heavily remix them. I do want to get a better sense of the lore for itself, though, because a lot of the Lost Omens stuff (Mwangi Expanse, Grand Bazaaar, Guns & Gears Lost Omens sextion) I have looked at is really cool.

The Anastasia thread reminded about 1918 Earth be in-universe and I realize I have tended to just ignore that, but I realize it is quietly part of the Guns & Gears technology of Ustalav.

I am curious as to the history of this--when did that first appear in the setting material?

How frequently did it appear? Is there any mention of it in the post-2e Lost Omens material? Where does it intersect with Golarion?

I very much appreciate this change to the moderation policy.

Thank you.

I am not much of a poster, but I frequently visit these forums as a reader. The surge in transphobic comments here took a lot of the pleasure out of that, and it's a relief to see that addressed.

Thanks to you both--I'm looking forward to reading these!

The Raven Black wrote:

keftiu wrote:

I mean, the hero-gods are already something wholly unique and not drawn from the real world; Chinostes is especially fresh, as is Iapholi.

I think they are Paizo's take on the Greek demigods. They seem to be unique in Golarion, but the concept is completely drawn from the RL Greek legends and feels to me rather shoehorned in Golarion.

I think the fact that they aren’t blood-descended from deities, can be created with cyclops prophecy-magic, and can apparently be a random lion all make them plenty distinct. You aren’t likely to see a Greek demigod who is a hero-turned-vampire worshiped by two separate, feuding cults - that’s all Golarion.

Plus, we know Arcadia has hero-gods of its own.

Well, this piques my curiosity. Besides Distant Shores, where else has this lore appeared?

Congratulations to you both--I hope Paizo flourishes and becomes ever more equitable during your tenure as part of the leadership team.

Steve Geddes wrote:

Who is the right person on the new look executive team to raise the historic incidents of transphobia with?

I'm aware of the transphobia incidents raised over social media and the forums. You're free to email me at jim.butler@paizo.com or send me a private message with any additional details. This has not been forgotten, but the pace at which we can release updates has been slower than we'd like.

-Jim

I appreciate what you said here, Jim, about the demand for accountability, because it indicates that behind the corporate silence there has been leadership-level attention paid to the treatment of trans people within Paizo and within the spaces supported by Paizo.

I really hope we hear more about that publicly, though, soon.

This may seem like a big ask, but has there been any discussion of creating a space explicitly for the accountability issues here on the forum? It would only work, of course, if Paizo was committed to providing a response to public concerns, but that response doesn't have to be an immediate resolution. Letting people know if a concern is being taken up (and if not, why), who needs to be involved in the discussion in-house, and how long such a process might take, would be a dramatic improvement.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I can bear waiting if I can appreciate that the time is being taken to properly address the situation. The silence of leadership on the treatment of trans employees, though, has been painful for me. Silence is too often hostile apathy for me to feel comfortable in the face of it.

Accountability merits its own forum, and such concerns should be addressed by someone within Paizo (and not necessarily customer service--goodness, they do so much and they shouldn't be the face for issues they can't resolve!). Posts that don't directly amplify or clarify those concerns could be actively moderated to preserve clear channels between Paizo and those raising accountability concerns; there is no need for bystanders who don't share someone's concerns to debate their validity.

We're an Eberron household. The original Eberron book is the only relic left of my 3e library, and my partner fell in love with the setting flipping through it and the Sharn city book; he's picked up Baker's latest 5e stuff and I have enjoyed seeing it anew (Baker's domain of dread is grim, wow!). We keep talking about a PF2 Eberron game, and one of these days it will happen.

I never even got a chance to run or even play a 3e game with Eberron--it was always Faerun, which I hardly even think about these days.

(It has been a while since I read Blesses of the Traveler, but fwiw I recall it was a nice little contribution to Eberron lore; surely worth a click if that's your thing. I should go dig it back up...)

Honorable mentions go to both 4e Dark Sun and 2e Planescape, for similar reasons. I never got to run or play in either, but they both still hold inspiration for me.

My first thought for a poppet character was a girl and her dog themed ghost poppet summoner, but the save the child adventure concept really makes me want to play a stuffed poppet pirate of some sort with embroidered magical tattoos. It's too bad poppets are terrible swashbucklers, because that would be perfect.

I know there is so much more work ahead, but I am really happy to see management voluntarily recognize the union. I am glad for all the workers who organized so hard for this!

Andy Brown wrote:

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

I'm still deciding how I feel about this

Me too.

The union should be a good thing for the staff, but it feels like there's been a general shift from "acknowledge and fix any transphobia or no more purchases" to "acknowledge the union or no more purchases", which feels like transpeople being ditched as soon as some other cause comes along (as usual)

Yeah, all the people saying that if they acknowledge the union they will resubscribe has caused me the same worry.

I share your concerns, but I think you can reach out to the union itself with them. They are seeking a greater voice in the company because they want to have a say in the company and its public presence. They are asking for greater accountability, but also asking for greater agency for which they, too, should be accountable.

I support the union and I have also sent them a note asking for them to make this issue part of their public facing platform. They can decline or ignore that, of course, but I don't believe this needs to be a suffering from the sidelines sort of affair. They want to do good, let them know what good means to you!

Letter of support sent.

The number of people involved in this effort speaks loudly and clearly about the necessity of it.

I hope management does the right thing and recognizes the union quickly, affirming in action their statements committing to improvement, so that the work of negotiating a way forward for the company can begin in earnest.

I have been watching this for the last month and it gets more frustrating every week. The waves of transphobia bubbling up at regular intervals is bad enough, but that we have arrived at the point where kind people like kobold cleaver are now patiently explaining why transphobic strategies are bad actually leaves me torn somewhere between fatigue and anger with Paizo.

How cruel to make people endure abuse just to hold the space open for you to do something meaningful.

I just like being trans. I like the way it makes me feel, I like the way living with that in the forefront has led me to communities of creators whose work reflects that back to me. Some of Pathfinder's world building participates in that, which is cool because I really like its mechanics, too. The game I have been running for the last 18 months has been a bright spot in a really rough stretch.

But when we're talking about how company treats its trans employees, let's be real clear about what the stakes are. Trans people experience the sorts of pervasive bias that makes it difficult for us to thrive professionally. Many trans people experience stretches of unemployment and underemployment that contribute to long, sometimes lifelong, struggles with precarity.

A full-time job with any sort of professional mobility is one of the few real bulwarks many of us have against that. Undercutting a trans woman's ability to participate in professional development because of her being trans exposes her further to that precarity and makes your organization complicit with that pervasive, dare I say systemic, abuse. If you can't be clear how you have thoroughly addressed that, then I can't believe these bland "we don't discriminate" statements.

You should thoroughly address that; I still hope that you will.

I appreciate the trans representation within the system and the setting, as I appreciate the contributions of trans people to the system and setting. I appreciate the trans voices in the community, too. I wouldn't have been quite so ready to jump into the system if they hadn't been there when I started looking for them.

But right now all that occurs against the backdrop of at least one trans employee being undercut professionally and, very much in the present, trans community members being exposed to heaps of transphobia and ignored. How much further does this sort of negligence extend into the company and community?

I don't know, but the silence makes me think it is deeper and broader than what I can see. Because that is usually how this works. I would like for that to be addressed and since the community is part of the whole situation, you can't address it without addressing the community.

I don't know yet if I'll stop buying Paizo products, but my enthusiasm for them has flagged beneath the weight of this. My financial situation had improved enough that I was thinking of treating myself to a subscription, but that doesn't appeal to me anymore. I was excited at the idea of maybe participating in this current playtest, but as the weeks have gone by without response and as trans people actively holding space for it are subject to the petty transphobic cruelties, I lost interest in that, too.

Not the first thing I wanted to post about, honestly, but I can't see much of a way forward to ever posting here if I didn't say it.