The Minis Maniac's page

Saw some thread explosions. Hey all you paizo mods. You ever make it over to this side of the pond (England specifically). Give me a yell and I owe you a drink and a bite. After the past few months looks like you need one.

Local group, please be double vaxxed (no discussion). PF first ed campaign my do second ed campaigns in future.

I have removed quite a few posts, as well as their quoted content. Please remember, as was mentioned early on in the thread, when you quote posts that are flagged, your post may end up being removed as well.

I would like to take a moment to thank those of you that returned after a long absence to show concern and support, including one that shouldn't actually be here (you know who you are). I am fairly new to the team, but have gone through a lot of the older posts in my time here and am familiar with you.

One of the major things that Sara and Diego tried to instill in these forums was a sense of community. This is my way of speaking for them when I say, please be mindful when you post here. Words have power and whenever you have the choice, be kind.

This has been an exceptionally difficult year and a half for a lot of people. People come here for comfort, for fun, and for comradery. We will not let those of you coming here specifically to cause trouble take away from that.

There is no doubt in my mind about how beloved our team members were, and I know I speak for the entire Customer Service Team when I say that those of us left have some pretty big shoes we need to try and fill. We will do our best.

I will unlock this thread for now, but please consider what I have said, and take a moment to think before you post about whether or not you are actually contributing to the conversation. Thank you for expressing your love and your concerns, for us, for the game, and for the community.

Be excellent to each other.

I will not make your job hard. I said my 2 cents and left. Just want you to know you guys are appreciated. I just wish Sara Marie knew how much she was appreciated by us.

I will miss you both. I am sorry this is what brings me back to this forum.....

It's been a long time since I have posted here. I haven't subscribed in a very long time (due to an international move), but I own every single Pathfinder related product produced by Paizo.
1) I don't intend to stop buying their products, however......
2) Sara Marie was awesome, she helped me on so many occasions, so did Diego, Katina, Sharaya. Even my bewildered and technology averse mother was helped by them on occasion, for gifts. Sara Marie was a bloody champion of customer service, and everyone I ever had to talk to was amazing. I am very upset with her being fired. It makes no sense to me, and it seems unjustifiable. I even looked for a patreon or go fund me to help her. Paizo I am heartbroken that THIS is what I finally have to come back to the forums to comment on.
3) I have read the statements from Erik, Jason, Jessica, and Crystal. I take everything with a grain of salt. I am a very cautious individual by nature and don't trust statements easily. But I warn you if I find out that there is abuse of my LGBTQIA+ siblings, I will seriously take social action. If you abuse PoC I will likewise stand beside them. I tend to trust Jason, Erik, and Crystal. Mainly because I have zero rapport or history with Jessica, but I will not disregard the allegations.

Please Paizo do better. I am not an enemy, I will be a patron going forward. As for Mr. Alvarez, actions speak louder than words. You may have to start showing your advocacy more than just corporately stating it. I will not condemn you unless proof of allegations are made.
P.S. If someone sees Sara Maries or Diego's patreon or gofundme, message it to me. No matter what I can't take Paizo's side on that issue.

Sorry finances are way to tight right now. I will pick it up again when I can. )Please cancel all pending orders and subscriptions.

Please hold til the 25th of June.
Order 5203650

Please hold til after the 25th

Dear Mr. Jacobs.
I am trying to homebrew a system to deal with currency weight. I thought the idea of arcane marked gems regulated by the church of Abadar for large currency denominations. Do you think the church would have the ability to make a permanent arcane mark on a huge amount of gemstones of varying values (fraud protection and value authentification), and the ability to regulate it?

Hold til the 25th please

They wouldn't have left it at the old address I would think as it is just a letter slot. And no I don't have that ability to get tot he old address hence my concern. I can't afford to purchase it all again as I know I changed it in my account options before I asked for it to be shipped.

Paizo Order #4599779

Like I said above I changed the address on my subscription and it still shipped to my old address where I can't get it. AFTER I changed it on Paizo.com. I was wondering why it was taking so long.

New address in place. All moved in and ready for my subscriptions so go ahead.

Hold all my subscriptions til the 25th of November. Moving to a new town and the moving craziness has me all discombobulated. Will get you guys all the details and stuff updated for subscriptions ASAP.

Wait to ship til the 15th please

Who gets more upset when you steal their mask. A Razmiran Priest or a Norgorborite priest?

I'm not a huge sci fi fan, more a gritty horror type. But I have been asked to run starfinder. And as you are creative director of starfinder I wanted to run my tweaks so far toward you. I wanted to make sure I haven't horribly mangled your creative child, and am trying to be respectful of the source.
So far I have made humans very economically classist (very much like they usually are in most of history and modern society). In my version the labourer class of folks are 6 1/2- 7 1/2 feet tall from long exposure to non planetary gravity. They tend tohave low bone density and bad lungs and have major trouble living on planets without implants. They live on average 45 years due to poor living conditions, nutrition, radiation and chemical exposure. Prosthetics and augmentations look very crude and are functional but with no finesse. Despite the fact there are definite medical and nutritional supplemental supplies to combat these conditions in humans over the generations the remain financially out of reach tot he laborer class. (Obviously taking great amounts of inspiration from gritty sci-fi like "The Expanse"). They also so speak a twisted form of common called Golls (heavily slanged term for golarion common). And they tend to be unfriendly to hostile to higher wealth classes. You can tell me to lay off if it is destroying your world James, let me know if this is ok?

It's all good to go on this end. Hope you guys aren't too stressed with GenCon season. Remember to breathe and take time for yourself in this busy period.

You can go ahead with this on June 15th and even the June subscription if it is ready.

Please hold until the 15th

Hold til the 15th of December please.

Please cancel my comics and miniatures subscritpions I will pick them back up when I can.

I still remember... was it three years ago? This cis guy came into this thread and said his cisgender girlfriend had a theory about transgender people, and proceeded to run through a lot of awful stereotypes summed up with an insulting "theory" about what we were. And the four or five trans people in the thread at the time said "no, that's incredibly incorrect and also hurtful." Turned into an epic flamewar, especially when the girlfriend came in and demanded that we all respect her "opinion" because "respect is a two-way street."

Good times.

So, what's everybody's favorite class for playing gay characters? Trans characters?

I remember that ugh......

I usually play gay male characters. But as that is old hat to me a gay male. I decided to get into the mindset of a female and started playing a female paladin and a female Ranger. So I just want to get into a different mindset.

The Minis Maniac wrote:

Didn't mean to bother you and I'm not the type to say I need all of what I want right now. I'm adult enough to realize you need to cater to all your fans. And I know Wrath of the Righteous had it's detractors ubt hey I really disliked Iron Gods. I just loved the Dungeon magazine method wear you managed to get to 20th level and challenge a well known great foe known in old game lore like Demogorgon. I guess I just like the idea that you might make an adventure path some time where mephistopheles or even a kyton demagogue gets his comeuppance. Sorry didn't mean to be a downer hell I'll keep my subscription even through said plotlines that bore me. I have Iron Gods after all. And have subscribed since the beginning. So don't take my statements as anything negative. Just one fans input.

No worries! I'm just a bit reflexively thin-skinned when it comes to Mythic Adventures. I'm actually VERY proud of Wrath of the Righteous—it's a storyline I'd been aching to tell more or less from day one of Pathfinder once we decided there was a Worldwound, and it's just really soul-cripplingly frustrating and depressing that some folks have latched onto it as a failure due to the way the Mythic Rules and high-level play interacted when I put so much work into the AP to make it memorable. It just ended up being memorable for a lot of the wrong reasons, and that overshadows what I feel is one of the better storylines we've done in the line.

Ah well. Sorry if it felt like I was snapping at you, cause I wasn't. :-)

No worries I am a fan who has full support for the staff. I really couldn't do what you guys do. I couldn't go through the constant criticism with the positive attitude you guys and gals manage. I love pathfinder and am a full supporter, and as someone who has a slight idea on the economics of a gaming company there is a reason I buy products even I'm not a huge fan of them. The more money the company gets the more you guys are able to eventually produce the stuff I do like. I may be one guy but I'll always be in the staffs corner.

The Minis Maniac wrote:

James I am so happy about Bestiary 6 having so many demi gods and mythic foes. I am just so sad that we may never see another mythic adventure path. Can you say if we will ever see one again? Were sales of Wrath of the Righteous really that bad?

It's not that sales of Wrath were bad at all. They, as with all our Adventure Paths, were quite healthy as far as I know.

The problem was that I personally do not like how the interaction of Mythic and high-level play worked out, and as such am not interested in duplicating that effort.

If I had a time machine and knew now what I knew then I would rebuild Wrath of the Righteous so that the PCs still hit 20th level, but would spread out the mythic advancement about by half, so that you gain 1 tier per volume and max out at tier 5 or tier 6.

ANYthing is possible in the future, I suppose, but doing another tier 10/level 20 AP would require building foes that vastly exceed CR 30 in scope, and the game world doesn't really have room for that area, so it's kind of not something that we can do with the game.

But yeah. Ask me again in 5 years. I might have changed my mind.

That said... there are high CR foes for mythic characters to fight in Bestiary 6, yes, but there are NOT going to be "Mythic monsters" as they were presented in Mythic Adventures or periodically in Bestiary 4 and 5. Demigod-tier foes will retain mythic surge ability in the same way demon lords and Great Old Ones and Empyreal Lords have that ability, but there won't be monsters with "MR" in their CR line in Bestiary 6.

Didn't mean to bother you and I'm not the type to say I need all of what I want right now. I'm adult enough to realize you need to cater to all your fans. And I know Wrath of the Righteous had it's detractors ubt hey I really disliked Iron Gods. I just loved the Dungeon magazine method wear you managed to get to 20th level and challenge a well known great foe known in old game lore like Demogorgon. I guess I just like the idea that you might make an adventure path some time where mephistopheles or even a kyton demagogue gets his comeuppance. Sorry didn't mean to be a downer hell I'll keep my subscription even through said plotlines that bore me. I have Iron Gods after all. And have subscribed since the beginning. So don't take my statements as anything negative. Just one fans input.

James I am so happy about Bestiary 6 having so many demi gods and mythic foes. I am just so sad that we may never see another mythic adventure path. Can you say if we will ever see one again? Were sales of Wrath of the Righteous really that bad?

James not a question but more a comment. Been playing the new Demon Hunter on WoW and it's a lot of fun with great story. I fully suggest you make one name it after one of the evil iconics :)

The Minis Maniac wrote:

So James the Party is now level 8 and we have had 2 deaths so far. (Bright players). Last night I nearly killed another character. The issue I have has is that its the same player. This is his 3rd character, should I lighten up on him? I haven't been killing him on purpose I was just playing the monsters as they are.

I've had players like that in games I've played or run, and in most cases, it's because the player either doesn't get tactics (more common) or enjoys taking risks and isn't too concerned about having to replace characters. If the latter, you don't need to do much at all, since the player's playing the game he wants to play. If the former, that can be a problem, especially if the risks keep putting the party in danger. That SHOULD be self-regulating with the other players helping to keep the risk taker from being outlandish.

In either case, I'd suggest talking to the player to see if there's a solution. If the player is frustrated and annoyed, then you might want to lighten up on him or, even better, warn him when something he's attempting has a good chance to result in death. "Do you REALLY want to run into the room alone?" for example, rather than just taking him at his word and not allowing for "take baksies."

And talk with the group as a whole. It may not be a problem if the whole group, including the player, is fine with it.

Communication is the route to solving the problem, in any event.

THAT SAID: You say you "play the monsters as they are," but I suspect that doesn't include "some monsters are dumb or less tactic-minded or more foolish than others," even among the same monsters. You should, now and then, play monsters as creatures that sometimes make bad or poor choices. Not only does it help verisimilitude to see one of the three ogres in the group accidentally do something that provokes a bunch of attacks of opportunity accidentally, but it also helps to build trust between you and your players, since you're obviously not trying to...

I swear I am playing monsters realistically and I do take their intelligence into consideration. In this case they were fighting an intelligent undead that he managed to piss off royally. But Yeah I should talk with him about tactics because there are some issues there.

So James the Party is now level 8 and we have had 2 deaths so far. (Bright players). Last night I nearly killed another character. The issue I have has is that its the same player. This is his 3rd character, should I lighten up on him? I haven't been killing him on purpose I was just playing the monsters as they are.

To those not affiliated with my social networking. Happy Treason day, Ungrateful Colonials. *drinks tea properly, nose stuck well up in the air*

Is there any way I can make the paizo employees feel appreciated? I do have a box of inspirational writing swag for some of the development team I am going to send. That might help but anything else?

Aww! AND: Thank you back at ya Jessica, Crystal, Lissa, and Tanis, for being so damn awesome and inspiring and brave and kick-ass in the first place!

You have more than just co workers on your side James. And I agree all the above people are awesome.

The Minis Maniac wrote:

So I am soon to be a player on a game for the first time in awhile. Take a look at the character I'm playing. (yes I did borrow and change a few things to come up with a compelling Oracle mystery.

"My character idea. I want to play a Human (Keleshite) Oracle of Lore. His name is Hassan. Hassan was found on the steps of the Grand temple of Saranrae in Katheer as a baby. The child from the very beginning was a great mystery to the sarenites, as the child had white pupiless eyes as if blind but saw perfectly well. Also when in stressful situations blood would trickle from his eyes like tears, and he would only be able to speak in an (at first) unintelligible dialect, but was later found to be an archaic form of the celestial language. And most intriguing of all a growing birthmark of the child in a script that to this day eludes translation. As Hassan matured and got older the birthmark also grew and now the script snakes all over his body, in a complete mystery of text. The best scholars could only determine that the text was extraplanar in some way, and that the child also had extraplanar blood that did little else than give him these strange features (no in game mechanic). And that the speech and and blood from his eyes were the part of an oracles curse. What do you think of my concept?"

I like it, gives the GM a few hooks, puts forth a few NPC's & motivation/actions to do in towns. A couple of characteristics of Hassan could be good, is he generous/fearful/...etc or does he have any habits? Unless you are going to see what naturally evolves as you play?

Hassan is NG. So as a result he is driven to know more about his past. Also he as very empathetic person as he has always been an outsider with his curse and strange lineage but the sarenites were always kind to his plight. But also by being raised priests he is very disgusted by evil as well.

I know this isn't a question. But I just want to say I have been a fan of paizo since Dungeon and Dragon magazine. And I support all you paizo staffers fully. I'm sorry you deal with that sort of harassment which is really really uncool in my books. James you've been a champ in this thread and your role as creative director. Don't let the bastards get you down. Your too good an asset to the industry to let that happen.

So I am soon to be a player on a game for the first time in awhile. Take a look at the character I'm playing. (yes I did borrow and change a few things to come up with a compelling Oracle mystery.
"My character idea. I want to play a Human (Keleshite) Oracle of Lore. His name is Hassan. Hassan was found on the steps of the Grand temple of Saranrae in Katheer as a baby. The child from the very beginning was a great mystery to the sarenites, as the child had white pupiless eyes as if blind but saw perfectly well. Also when in stressful situations blood would trickle from his eyes like tears, and he would only be able to speak in an (at first) unintelligible dialect, but was later found to be an archaic form of the celestial language. And most intriguing of all a growing birthmark of the child in a script that to this day eludes translation. As Hassan matured and got older the birthmark also grew and now the script snakes all over his body, in a complete mystery of text. The best scholars could only determine that the text was extraplanar in some way, and that the child also had extraplanar blood that did little else than give him these strange features (no in game mechanic). And that the speech and and blood from his eyes were the part of an oracles curse. What do you think of my concept?"

Aeglos and Drejk you will always be welcome in this english palatial estate. *sips tea properly*

Ok here. Is a fun one. Favorite Comic Book series, hero/villain, and storyline.

Mine is Sandman by DC/Vertigo
Death is my favorite hero or ally
I enjoyed Tale of a thousand Cats storyline and the son of The Sandman storyline.

As for favorite villain I would have to say The Joker. I always loved him.

Ok here. Is a fun one. Favorite Comic Book series, hero/villain, and storyline.

Mine is Sandman by DC/Vertigo
Death is my favorite hero or ally
I enjoyed Tale of a thousand Cats storyline and the son of The Sandman storyline.

Also if someone steals a Tesla electric car is it called an Edison now?

So background, at 25 I unlocked the rare achievement of hereditary allergy to alcohol. (Weird I know but 7% of allergies develop late in life and happened to my dad around the same age). So my coworkers like to bother me about it a lot. They do things like buy profiteroles (belgian alcoholic cream and chocolate pastries) in the staff room. Invite folks out to drinks and then ask if I want to come anyway. They don't understand how someone can live without alcohol been doing it for 7 years now. It's my normal and somedays their teasing just drives me a bit crazy.

I took the plunge and bought myself a set of gator jawbone dice. No one is going to be able to ever touch them ever!!!!! But they are going to be a suitable GM dice set mwahahahaha.

WE have all been gathered here today for one reason. Ladies and gentleman........ how do we kill superman?!!!??!!!

So glad I am off for 2 weeks. Anxiety has been a bit unreasonable lately trying to whip that demon back into it's cage where it belongs. But I have been sleeping better insomnia is gone and I am not sleeping 12 hours a day from medication side effects either. I need to find some time traveler from stopping the car crash when I was 19 that resulted in my traumatic brain injury but, until then the ongoing battle with the demon inside shall continue.

Sorry guys. I follow the thread regularly. I am a gay married man. And I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder for going on 14 years now from a traumatic brain injury. (I should count myself lucky thats really all the aftereffects I got). Needless to say I am the mentally ill everyone is blaming. I have huge anxiety attacks that yes can make me aggressive, but no I have never hurt someone else while having them. Myself maybe but not someone else. Would I in the depths of my despair grab a gun and shoot a bunch of people who hate me? NEVER!!!! I may not like said people and they may eventually have part in my death by helping cause an anxiety attack that results in a heart attack or stroke. Have I had dark thoughts at my worst that I wish they would be harmed? I can admit that but I would never go through with it. The fact is most mentally ill people are much more likely to be victimized (as I have) or harm themselves. Now saying that I know my triggers and how to avoid getting more upset. I am not going to read anymore of the pro gun lobby explain this away, nor am I going to listen to people blame other marginalised groups and try and say it was anything but anti-LGBT hate. I am going to have to take a break for my own health. I wish you all the best. and I will look for charities to donate to help the Orlando families. (Don't pray as an atheist but I have to do something). I will be back to the thread after this has passed maybe in a few weeks....

James I'm a GM and I discourage my PCs from picking certain monster races as PCs by telling them that society is likely to take issue with them. For example Sure you might be a nice drow but all the drow that have been heard of have been demon worshipping psychopaths. You enter that village and you're going to attract the attention of the guards. Who are constantly going to watch your every move at best and try and kill you at worst. I mean in a fantasy setting people generally don't care if your a good troll if every other troll they've heard of eats people. Is this fair?

Meh I though it'd be bigger

Hey James. I am avowed skeptic, but I find this has been somewhat limiting for my gamemastering and storytelling. So I enjoy collecting creepy urban legends and picking the brain of believers to get a better sense of how to tell the story. I need to get into different character mindsets in game. So as a believer in bigfoot do you mind if I pick your brain on some bigfoot views and stories? I promise to not be picky mean or derisive about it all. So feel free to ignore the following questions if you want
1) Bigfoot
a) Any cool urban legend or local stories from your childhood you can share? and if so please do.
2) Skunkape
a) In your view is it bigfoot or a bigfoot relative or regional variant like the difference between the black Rhino and the western black rhino.
3) Appalachian wildman
a) Is it bigfoot? Or is it again a bigfoot relative or regional difference. Keep in the mind the appalachian wildman is known to be very aggressive.
4) Sasquatch
a) Is it bigfoot? Sasquatch are reported mostly in northern Canada in the vast tracts of boreal forest very scarcely populated by anyone, They are known to wreck hunting cabins, and through large rocks at said cabins when people are there.
5) Yeti
a) Is it bigfoot? or a relative? Or is it just a regional variant? Yeti is mostly only reported in the hindu Kush and the around the himalayas.
6) Gigantopithicus Blacki
a) Is it the genetic precursor to bigfoot? Dying out 100, 000 years ago in what is now vietnam, China, and India, Blacki was over 9ft tall looked like a cross between a human and a orangutan, with darkish fur. Reported to be still alive by some rural natives of southern asia, and some saying it isn't blacki but something just as tall and more upright. Is it bigfoot of southern asia.

Keep in mind I am only interested in how you view and think about these things.

My anxiety is peeking today. Driving me crazy. I am cisgendered married gay man. But all these anti transgender bathroom bills filling my newsfeed on facebook is killing me. Coming from people who should know better. Yes I know I should unfriend/block these people, but if I don't make a stand and have these conversations with people who will? I mean I see some gay friends sitting back and not standing up for the trans community while the focus isn't on us for a change. *Sigh* It makes me sad and frustrated. There is no difference between me and my husband and my transgendered friend (Dan) *name changed for safety* and his husband, and my friend Lisa and her husband. No difference whatsoever you attack one you attack all. UGhhhhhhhI need to take a beta blocker today just to have these conversations that need to be had.

So I am working on a new adventure location. A place I call the inverted sea. A spot in the ocean where for over 100 leagues the water gets unnaturally clear and glows a pale blue green. Reefs appear in the sky along with all manner of wildlife swimming freely in the air. The sky is a permanent night with visible stars and moon, and at the seas centre a great sea elf city of unimaginable beauty. Boats who enter this area can sail into the sky without difficulty. Where is the best place to put this location on Golarion in your opinion James? I wish to use it as a big part of a custom campaign.