The Golux's page

CorvusMask wrote:

Erik Mona wrote:

Similarly, I've never mourned the fact that WotC claims the displacer beast as product identity (meaning Pathfinder can't use it), because that monster is a ripoff of an A. E. van Vogt alien by way of a Marvel comics adaptation.

I'm kinda sad that paizo got rights for Coeurl back in 3.5 days since it means I will never get to use monster in 1e or 2e or even starfinder :p Since I don't really do much of monster conversions from 3.5, they have been kinda odd.

(then again, Coeurl is kinda in that weird "This really should be in public domain huh" list among other stuff from same era :P I'm kinda annoyed about copyrights for stuff whose author has been long dead already. Looking at you Mickey Mouse... Edit: Huh checked it, didn't know van Vogth died in 2000. At least Couerl's author hasn't been dead for even 20 years yet, so I guess that one doesn't count even if book itself is that old)

We only had the rights to print it that one time, and didn't put it into the OGL.

Nice to have available for home games though.

Yeah thassilionian magic considered all divination magic to be part of the universal school, mechanically.

If "Kyton" is a nonsense word, is "Velstrac" based on anything?

The Golux wrote:

All The Stars In the Sky is interesting, for a non-capstone thing in the book. Would be nice if non-ninja classes that use shuriken could take it too though.

The ninja class is in a tricky place. It was the kinda-sorta "fixed" rogue... until the unchained rogue stole its lunch money and pushed it into a locker* in front of the class it had a crush on**. As such, one of my goals for the ninja content was to give them some unique stuff to reinforce both their niche as "mystic" rogue-types and major elements of their thematic brand - including, of course, shuriken.

That said, it's worth noting that any class with access to the full list of rogue master talents can select Master Trick*** (Ultimate Combat 71), which would presumably allow them to select All The Stars In the Sky. Might not be useful for whichever class you have in mind, of course, but maybe it is! ^_^

*But using Dexterity!
**Kineticist, the sassy new exchange student with the air of mystery.
***Niche protection was not the ninja's strongest suit.

I totally get that and it's a cool idea, my main thought was actually for Monks who I don't think have a way to get it.

All The Stars In the Sky is interesting, for a non-capstone thing in the book. Would be nice if non-ninja classes that use shuriken could take it too though.

The Golux wrote:

The Gold Sovereign wrote:

You can actually see the new World Map that is included in the Lost Omens World Guide in one of the Pathfinder Friday episodes. You can watch it on Paizo's Twitch or Youtube channel.

But here it is, the animated Globe of Golarion...

...Huh, Arcadia's kinda tiny...

Are we watching the same Globe?

On another look, I think I was comparing it to Casmaron and Tian Xia, and also my expectation of it being a bit wider.

Also Casmaron is bigger than I expected.

I wish I had a better idea of what kinds of unlocks for ruler level there might be, because I actually kinda don't like faux-leather covers.

A friend just told me that the book revealed a very intriguing plot twist about a certain demon lord.

Could someone help me with that? What secrets are that?

Yeah, but the sapphire ooze is right in the CR and helpfulness-of-partnering-with-humans sweet spot for it.

I'm concerned by the fact that a lot of people have pretty contradictory desires, and also the fact that I had been considering what I would put in the core of an update of pathfinder and I doubt you'd come up with the same answers; most of my favorite classes (Oracle, Investigator, Kineticist, Occultist) and races (Changelings, Tengu, Skinwalkers, Aasimar) are non-core.

While building monsters differently than PCs could be OK, for NPCs to not be compatible is a big no-go for me; I really like the feature a lot of adventure paths have where there are NPCs that are pointed out as being possible cohorts or new player characters if a player's character dies or a new one wants to jump in (possibly temporarily).

I dunno, I have more thoughts about what stuff should be made accessible in what order, but that's what I can marshal right now (it's rather late).

Edit: I do also second concern with backgrounds; even things like the ones in Ultimate Campaign rarely even remotely approach the idea I have for a character, and I almost always approach my characters from a concept and origin first, before a lot of other stuff. No matter how broad the background ideas are, there are a lot of ideas that they won't cover. That said, breaking up what parts of a character come from their biological traits and which ones come from cultural traits is probably a good idea.

Actually, as forest centaurs, horses aren't that much forest animals compared to deer and stuff. My initial mental image when I heard of them was more like a halfling with a deer lower half. Horse is fine, just mentioning since I had thought about it and the differences in their capabilities came up.

Regarding my earlier comments on climbing, Quixote covered most of it - on a slope, hooves can work pretty well, especially if cloven, and the arms can be involved too; on a ladder, they might be able to use arms and one pair of legs, and for a vertical climb with a rope they can use the hooves to brace against a wall just fine. I feel like it's mostly just the "Climbing a vertical(ish) stone wall or cliff without rope, by handholds alone" and "Climbing a rope to the ceiling with no walls nearby" kinds of climbing that would be really terrible for them. Though they would probably have to do it differently than normal humanoids because of the differences in body plan.

In a home game you have two options:

#1: You have a caster in your party with Mage Armor on their list. Pearl of Power is absolutely reliable.
#2: You do not have such a caster and will need to pursue other alternatives.

So it's either perfectly reliable or you shouldn't do it. The first is...

Third option: You have someone with mage armor in the party but they have an erratic schedule and might not be there every time.

Definitely some interesting ideas here, though how you handled some of the things like the climb penalty are a little bit clunky to use (I agree they should have some problems climbing in a lot of circumstances, though).

Page 185 Giant Mantis Shrimp is probably missing a comma between aquatic and blindsense 10' unless aquatic Blindsense refers to blindsense that only functions in aquatic environments.

Pretty sure that is exactly what it means, I think something has had this before.

Have them take a look at the iconics.

This is generally a good idea but some of the iconics are not the most typical members of their classes (Harsk, especially) so it shouldn't be the ONLY thing.

Those dinosaurs are a pretty solid mix of classics that haven't been statted yet and ones that are more uncommon but pretty cool.

The Doomkitten is 100% correct.

The act of intentionally creating undead is evil, and as a result most undead are evil, because they're filled with a burning desire and need to bring harm to life and to consume living energy and spread pain and sickness and so on.

But ghosts aren't usually intentionally created. They arise when a spirit is unwilling to move on, when a soul is not allowed to rest due to a great injustice. As detailed in the bestiary...

"Although ghosts can be any alignment, the majority cling to the living world out of a powerful sense of rage and hatred, and as a result are chaotic evil—even the ghost of a good or lawful creature can become hateful and cruel in its afterlife."

The primary reason why most undead (and even most ghosts) are evil is simple—that's the classic role they play, and the role undead are most well-suited to play. Look at all the world's stories about undead. Yes, there are examples of them being non-evil, but those examples are not the majority, and I can think of several that portray undead as non evil that are common targets of ridicule, which hardly makes them a good contender for something to aspire to.

For me, as creative director of Paizo, I prefer the stories where the undead are evil, where they propel horror stories, since "fear of death" is at the core of all undead stories. But there are exceptions, and in most cases, those exceptions are ghost stories. I can think of MANY ghost stories that are great but don't portray evil ghosts, but even then most ghost stories are about bad ghosts.

Beyond ghosts, I'd say that vampires probably come in second in the "sometimes they're not evil" but that's both rarer AND (in my opinion) easier to turn into something ludicrous than a non-evil ghost. (For the record, when I say good movies about non-evil vampires, I'm specifically referring to "Near Dark" and the Underworld movies and "Let Me In," but whether or not the vampires in those movies are actually good or are just not-all-out-evil is kind of a matter of opinion.)

Leng Ghouls are the other kind of undead that specifically has a "Sometimes not evil" callout in their bestiary entry, I think, presumably because of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and some other stories (one of which I will not not name because spoilers) casting the Ghoul characters therein as comparatively benign and relatable presences, while still definitely being monstrous.

You know you are the class that you are at the beginning of the AP... You don't know what class you used to be, though, and they don't have to be the same.

Not gonna lie, I ordered a copy of all parts of second darkness last week just because I want to see it redone better in a hardcover. I'm interested in legacy of fire too, though.

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Marco,

I think the most holiday theme monster I can think of is Fenris. :p ;)

Don't you mean FenrIR? Also, isn't Fenrir Norse mythology?

I believe both are correct depending on noun case/declension, or if nothing else both "Fenrir" and "Fenrisulfr" are both correct in probably the nominative case (Fenrisulfr specifies him as a wolf).

Dragon78 wrote:

If we get stats for the Midgard Serpent then we need stats for Fenrir.

I'd say that Jormungand and Fenrir don't actually fit within the Pathfinder CR scale.

Because Pathfinder caps at 30, and 30 is firmly below the level of actual gods. A CR 30 creature needs a plot device to be able to challenge an actual god.

But Loki's sons, while not gods, are threats so powerful that the gods need plot devices to deal with them.

So I'd say Jormungand and Fenrir are so strong that they fall into Pathfinder's "unstatable" range.

Alternately, all of the Norse pantheon could be statted as demigods since they're a bit more mortal than a lot of other pantheons, and then the beasts of Ragnarök would be either stronger demigods or somehow actual gods. Not saying that's the way it SHOULD be done, but it would be an interesting option.

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Ah! So if I'm 18th level this spell would last then...6 rounds?

The longest the spell can ever last is 4 rounds due to max damage dice. In fact, it last 4 rounds in every casting scenario except 7th level, which, as a 4th-level spell, is its minimum casting level:

15d6 (max damage dice) > 7d6 (always round down in PF) > 3d6 > 1d6 = 4

14d6 > 7d6 > 3d6 > 1d6 = 4

13d6 > 6d6 > 3d6 > 1d6 = 4

12d6 > 6d6 > 3d6 > 1d6 = 4

11d6 > 5d6 > 2d6 > 1d6 = 4

10d6 > 5d6 > 2d6 > 1d6 = 4

9d6 > 4d6 > 2d6 > 1d6 = 4

8d6 > 4d6 > 2d6 > 1d6 = 4

7d6 > 3d6 > 1d6 = 3

Intensified Spell could get another round out of it, but only one:

Lead is pretty much anti-divination rather than straight anti-magic, so a phylactery in a lead box should work fine.

The thing that annoys me about commoner is that it's literally worse than just having hit dice of humanoid. They should probably be the same, both representing creatures with no real training beyond their natural abilities.

wraithstrike wrote:

lemeres wrote:

So disregarding the spell descriptor staining your soul and such, I think binding demons is probably evil anyway.

What about binding good outsiders? Is it good to force an angel(just an example) to work for you?

I am not that experienced with binding, but don't you have to pay them? That makes this more like forcing him to listen to an offer for independant contractor work.

I would say that one wizard discovery where you continually blackmail an outsider with their true name is far worse.

Planar Ally requires fair payment, Planar Binding does not (though it can help).

It's the alignment of your vigilante identity that matters, but yes beheaded are usually for evil casters.

I think the "Expectation" for the level 3 change is that your familiar becomes a celestial/fiendish/axiomatic/anarchic/counterpoised version of itself, but you don't have to do that.

Quick minor question: Is there any point at all, mechanically, to the Shadow Eidolon getting its Darkvision increased to 120 feet several levels AFTER getting See In Darkness? My impression was that See In Darkness is Darkvision Without Range Limitations And Possibly Even Somehow Being Able To Tell What Color Things Are.

Or the dragon is doing it voluntarily but it still hurts.

Dragon78 wrote:

So let me get this strait there is another evil outsider group and this one is the counter part to the Manasaputra. Sigh, if every good outsider group has to get a evil counter part then were are the good counter parts to the remaining evil outsider groups.

Most evil outsiders have a good-aligned counter in the current roster of outsider species. The problem (IMHO) is that good-aligned outsiders don't get as much stage time in products. That's probably because there's more use for 'bad guys' than an over abundance of 'good guys'. :)

There aren't good counterparts for bunches of evil outsider groups though; there's just evil counterparts for every good one except Angels (or Agathions, depending on how you count them; Didn't some angels use to be LG? Agathions are all NG but I thought Angel Alignment varied, though I can't find any now). The counterpart of the Oni (kami) aren't all good, though they're all non-evil, and Kytons, Demodands, Divs, Asuras, and Rakshasas don't have good counterparts at all that I know of.

I am curious about the CR/Hit Dice/Size on the Gegenees, and how the Orang-Pendak is handled.

You could have a crab or octopus familiar (or a mantis shrimp) and just carry it around in a fishbowl.

I suspect part of my problem is my never having been able too go to PaizoCon, so I don't know what "Green Blood on a Black Rock" is.

I'll second that you can't save up skill points but you could ask to retrain a skill you're not using and/or pick up a glider at level 2 or 3 and start putting ranks in then.

Why are people from Michigan Michiganders?

Because "Michigeese" was overruled.

Ambrosia Slaad wrote:

I had a friend email me the plain text of the skinwalkers "crunchy" info from the Racial Heritages section. Can someone confirm:

1) Skinwalkers no longer have a per day limit on their change shape usage?
b) Skinwalkers no longer take an additional penalty to Charisma-based checks and Charisma-based skill checks in bestial forms?
Π) Skinwalkers are now proficient with all simple weapons due to possessing the shapechanger subtype? Are kitsune also now proficient with all simple weapons?

Thanks :)

A) That appears to be correct.

7) That language is no longer present, so... apparently correct.

$) That language isn't present in the kitsune section... but the language here suggests a universal aspect of the subtype. Ask the writers, I guess. ^_^

I suspect the simple weapon proficiency from the shapechanger subtype applies to the Kitsune and Skinwalker exactly as much as the martial weapon proficiency from the outsider type applies to Aasimar, Tieflings, Fetchlings, and Genieborn (i.e. not). They should still be proficient with their natural weapons I think, pretty much everything is proficient with all the natural weapons they have...

I would allow it certainly but I dunno if it's officially how it works.

I don't think the ARG itself is not viable or anything, but the race builder system is really not a very good system for balancing races.

Kalindlara wrote:

The Golux wrote:

I seem to recall some discussion of Changelings being (while always female at birth) more likely than many races to be transgender or something to that effect, is that mentioned in their section in here?

It is not.

I wouldn't even know what "more likely than many races to be transgender" means.

Partially it's me tripping over myself trying not to use inappropriate terminology and being inelegant at it, but Kalindlara has the right idea.

Thanks Crystal for the correction/confirmation.

Even though I already made homebrew versions, it'd be nice to see Cynocephali, Monopods, Blemmyes, and a reprint of the Panotti from Murder's Mark. Weird humanoidish races from strange exotic lands!

As for the reason, our main GM came from a campaign which had an absurd level of 'race to the top' and he felt these items were too overpowered being a flat +6 to all stats when combined. So these and any wondrous item that gives a flat stat boost (such as the Snakeskin Tunic) are banned with the exception of the single stat boosting belts or headbands of which we could buy 2 total but could use both at once despite normal limitations.

...Did you tell him that that is actually cheaper than having to use the combo belts, since the second halves of those cost one and a half?

Here's my best shot at the Grizzly Bear Companion stats. It ends up a little stronger than the bestiary one so as to not start out weaker than the black bear companion, but otherwise the same.

Bear, Brown
Starting Statistics
Size Medium; Speed 40 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
7th-Level Advancement
Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8), 2 claws (1d6); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.

Honestly, all three of these races are "crossbreeds." I know this isn't an option in Society but it makes sense to me for them to just vary...

For a class that will be taking nonlethal damage per hit die a lot, it might actually be worth using retraining rules to put some time and money into maxing HP per HD, but I don't know how good of a deal that is.

I am still not entirely clear on how the internal buffer works, but the addition of more utility talents and the versatility from the archetypes all sound very useful.

Chateau-Kia is a particularly amusing autocorrect fail to me...

Me too. I really like the mechanical and story potential of the pathfinder changeling.

James,

Why are really low-CR humanoids like the Locathah and the Lizardfolk built with racial hit dice instead of just being 0 HD races?

Filby Pott wrote:

Is there any region in Golarion where you'd place adventures with a medieval Celtic feel, like Ireland or Wales? I know the Kellids are vaguely Celtic, but in a more pre-Roman "painted warrior" way than medieval Celtic bards and whatnot

Not really; there's not really a "Celtic" inspired part of Avistan. I guess the best places would probably be the Linnorm Kingdoms or Western Varisia, but also perhaps parts of Ustalav or the Mammoth Realms.

Nirmathas feels slightly celtic to me, do you think that's accurate, or is there something else it ought to feel more like instead?

Ventnor wrote:

CosmicKirby wrote:

I'll throw one out here.

NG Human Male Fighter, specializing in two-weapon fighting.
LG Human Female Heavens Oracle, Foretold curse. Loves dogs.
CG Half Elf Male Sorcerer Arcane Bloodline, Arcane bond with a toy.
CN Aasimar Male Ranger, Sword and Shield style. Hired help.
LG Half Elf Female Ecclesitheurge Healing domain, related to the Sorcerer.
NG Human Female Master Summoner. Acts like a ninja.
N Human Male Demagogue Bard, Sword and board, womanizer.
N Human Female Fighter, specializing in two handed weapons, dumped CHA.
LN Human Male Monk with Vow of Chains. Only uses their feet.

Pretty sure someone did the cast of Tales of Symphonia already. But...

Lloyd
Colette
Genis
Kratos
Raine
Sheena
Zelos
Presea
Regal

Bah, must have missed it then. Apologies. Let me get another one then.

CG Human Male Corsair. Two weapon fighting with cutlasses. Known for looking good in blue, staring his own pirate crew, and running a ship that can fire freakin' lasers.

Vyse from Skies of Arcadia?

also there's one I answered a while ago that no one told me if I was right or not...

So I have a campaign set in an exotic land, and I am using Panotti and Blemmyes in it, but I also wanted to use the Cynocephali that go with them. I learned that Eric Morton presents had a humanoid dog race thing partway through building, but I had already started so I just finished it; may grab that later to compare notes. Mostly looking for feedback on how this seems balance-wise and flavor-wise from people who are more experienced at designing races than I am. It is somewhat based on Catfolk but I changed and added more than I left, I think. Also debating changing the name to Kalystrii/Kalustrii or Hemicyne, which is another name found in some sources for the Cynocephali, but I don't think I like those as much (and since they don't speak common, their name is probably one given by another race anyway).

Cynocephalus Characters [16 RP]
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence: Cynocephali are hardy and alert, but prefer practical simplicity over intellectual pursuits.
Cynocephalus: Cynocephali are humanoids with the cynocephalus subtype.
Medium: Cynocephali are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Cynocephali have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-light Vision: In dim light, cynocephali can see twice as far as humans. (1 RP)
Illusion Resistance: Due to their colorblindness, combined with their excellent senses of smell and hearing, cynocephali gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells or effects. (1 RP)
Scent: Cynocephali can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. (4 RP)
Keen Senses: Cynocephali receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks. (2 RP)
Sprinter: Cynocephali gain a 10-foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions. (1 RP)
Natural Weapon: Cynocephali possess a bite natural attack that inflicts 1d4 points of damage on a hit. This is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the cynocephalus wields a manufactured weapon. (2 RP)
Terrifying Howl: (su) Once per hour as a standard action, a cynocephalus can emit a piercing howl. Any non-cynocephalus within 30 feet must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the user's character level + the user's Charisma modifier) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds. A target that successfully saves cannot be affected by the user's terrifying howl for 24 hours. Creatures that are already shaken become frightened for 1d4 rounds instead. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. Though the frightening effect of the howl is limited to 30 feet, it can be clearly heard (perception DC 0) at ranges up to half a mile (For each quarter-mile beyond, Perception checks to hear the howl take a –1 penalty). Among cynocephali, variations in this howl can be used as a signal horn with a DC 10 perform (sing) check. (3 RP; based on Terrifying Croak but with an added point for the signal horn function)
Beastspeech: Cynocephali are not capable of pronouncing most languages due to the structure of their mouths and throats; likewise, most other races are incapable of pronouncing their racial language. When communicating with other races, they usually resort to written or sign languages. However, their unusual vocal structure does allow them to communicate with dogs and other mammals (as speak with animals, but as a constant extraordinary ability). Cynocephali begin play speaking Cynocephalus, understanding and being able to write Common, and knowing a common trade sign language. Cynocephali with high Intelligence scores can choose to learn to understand and write any Human regional language, Sylvan, Elven, Gnome, Adlet, and Gnoll. (2 RP; based on the cost for at will SLA. May be able to actually speak Adlet and/or Gnoll?)

Alternate Racial Traits
The following racial traits may be selected instead of typical cynocephalus racial traits. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

Dogged Ferocity: Some cynocephali are more reliant on physical prowess and sheer stubbornness than intimidation and coordination. If the hit points of a cynocephalus with this trait fall below 0 but it is not yet dead, it can continue to fight. If it does, it is staggered, and loses 1 hit point each round. It still dies when its hit points reach a negative amount equal to its Constitution score. This trait replaces Terrifying Howl. (Considering also including an improvement to the bite attack, either giving it grab or improved critical when at low health?)
Pack Action: Some cynocephali specialize in working together as teams. Cynocephali with this trait get one teamwork feat as a bonus feat at first level. This trait replaces Terrifying Howl.
Rare Breed: While most cynocephali have the heads of unremarkable hounds, some resemble other breeds, such as mastiffs, terriers, bulldogs, or even wolves. Their humanoid bodies are often differently proportioned to match. This trait can modify the Ability Score, Size, and Speed traits. (I was having a hard time deciding on ability score modifiers and didn't have time to make a full heritages list)
Tail of the Hound: Some cynocephali have tails in addition to dog heads. These tails give a +2 racial bonus on acrobatics checks to jump and balance, and a +2 bonus on Bluff checks to deliver secret messages. This trait replaces Sprinter.
Tongue of Man: Some cynocephali have a deformity that allows them to speak human and other languages, but makes them almost incapable of speaking their racial languages. Cynocephali with this trait begin speaking Common, understanding and being able to write Cynocephalus, and knowing a common trade sign language, and with a high intelligence modifier can choose from Elven, Halfling, Gnome, Gnoll, and Sylvan. However, they suffer a -2 on diplomacy checks against other cynocephali, and cannot speak with animals. This racial trait replaces beastspeech. (for people who want greater ease of use, with a bit of a downside. Might also have a racial feat that lets them gain humanoid speech without losing their racial language)

Haven't come up with racial feats or favored class bonuses yet, but their most common favored classes are probably ranger, druid, barbarian, skald, hunter, shaman, maybe bloodrager or witch. Most common alignment probably lawful neutral?

I have a bestiary entry I'm almost done with, and still need to do more of the flavor chunks that race entries usually have, but this is a good rough-out for the mechanics I think. I'm slightly concerned that their RP is too high. Was also debating adding something like "Animal-Minded (2 RP): Skinwalkers have a +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal and wild empathy checks." but that would DEFINITELY make their RP too high.

I thought it was a reference to that one obscure race from Murder's Mark or Carnival of Tears or whichever module it was...

Panotti are pretty neat!