Thefuzzy1's page

Back to the OP. I'm putting my annoying 2 copper pieces in and saying that unless you are absolutely canon obsessed, just take out what doesn't fit to you. I know that in doing this it creates a huge hole that needs to be filled with your own creations. But due to the kitchen sink-esque nature of standard fantasy settings that need diversity to appeal to as many players as possible, it ends up as your only choice. Leaving currently un-used portions of the world vague may work for your campaign style as well. I'm a crazy geek who stays up nights writing semi useless content for my campaigns, so I do add on material even if I AM keeping all of the canon game world content. Own the setting and play what you like.

While I don't like it either, I completely understand why it's done. Paizo has created an amazing and versatile world and the work that's going into all off the supplements and books is worth it for ideas alone even if you don't take it straight as written. I get cranky and snotty about it at times, but it's kind of what you'll deal with in most published fantasy setting. Diversity sells and sometimes it seems that more originality doesn't. Look at all of the more original concept worlds and settings gathering dust on game shop shelves to see what I mean. Weird but true.

I promise that you won't go to jail for breaking canon in your own game =D

I'm an undead and aberration type girl myself, but I also love the outsiders =}

Current favorites are ....
Qlippoth (Thank you Mr. Jacobs!) are so disgustingly awesome. Dropping a slaver band of Shoggti on the party last session made for some chaotic and frantic fun as they scrambled to figure out what they were up against and just how much trouble they were in =D

Aboleth ~ because well...yeah...psionic megalomaniacal elder mastermind bottom fish.

Flying polyps ~ long time running joke with the players, so I have to add them.

Umbral dragons ~ I'm having an obscene amount of fun tormenting my players with them up in Virlych.

Lich ~ the lich template is so versatile and it's fun to create various lich types from odd intelligent races and monsters.

Vampire ~ cliche's yes, but a clever and well played vampire is a beautiful thing to behold.

Sorry, but this really made me laugh. It sounds like the name of an infamous Chelish bordello or one of THOSE plays.

That was pretty much my take on it as well. As my home game group is about to experience mythic ascension a couple of them have made noises about divinity and I wanted to have other ideas from my own. Sometime just throwing subjects out on the board gives me really useful feedback and new angles to consider. My own pc's get into enough trouble. I think any one that was GM-ing in a game that I was playing in would holy blue bolt me for the safety of Golarion.

Dale, I love your Book of...series. Thumbs up.

So, I've found that just from a role play perspective, simple is sometimes better when laying on the horror. I used several WW wizards with a stock pile of scrolls of Sculpt Corpse & Animate Dead to send undead look-alikes of the pc's out of the fog as they were running out of light in the mountains of Virlych...silent & creepy to see your self replicated repeatedly and walking towards you out of the gloom. It's fun to come up with nasty surprises.

I LOVE horror and creepy but won't go for physical and sexual abuse themes or allow players to get into them. Other "adult themes" depend on the group.

I've played a long time and nothing brings out the awkward like sex at the game table. Just don't go there unless that is really what you all like o.O. It's one thing to say the the guard captain is having a loud amorous encounter in another room, but it really doesn't need to get more graphic than that in your basic rpg session does it? All gaming groups are different but until you really know your group, keep that kind of thing light. At least that's my thought on it. I get pretty dark with the horror and some adult theme stuff but I know my players really well.

Sometimes I have some under age kids sit in with family members and I ALWAYS tone everything down.

Hey! I'm glad to have another detail happy person to obsess with =}

I should likely start a blog or what ever to post all of my junk on so long as I make sure that it doesn't become confused as official Paizo material...well...again maybe not. I'm THE most forgetful person on Earth.

But I'd be glad to share some of my material if I can organize it well enough to make sense.

Lastwall is in the same latitude that I am though the topography is different as they have the Hungry mountains, Path and the lake to modify their weather patterns. Ustalav is north and seems that it would be a lot wetter with possibly a lot more snow. Katapesh is being interesting to consider and I'm having a lot of fun with Taldor. The warmer climes are being fun to mix up the possible cultural elements in. I'm trying to go with a different mix than the earth-like counterparts. I see a lot of people going for an Italian Renny look with Cheliax (sp?) I usually spell the wrong...But realize that Europe was in a very minor ice age phase at the time, according to research and so the heavier fabrics and styles would likely be too warm unless the same conditions applied. (I'm a life long history nerd)

Since I'm playing primarily in Ustalav and Lastwall, I've spent the most of my creative energy on those places. Though I've done a fair amount with Taldor too. Taldor played a large part in the founding of Lastwall and new paladin sorts still travel there from Taldor I believe. So there is a regular influx of current Taldan culture. Ustalav is more insular and so has a more stagnant culture.

Lastwall loves horses, music and the arts. It's kind of difficult to decide what Ustalav does for entertainment except for sitting in their houses and throwing rocks at each other =p I think that they'd be a lot more into folklore and storytelling.

Food would be mostly based on climate and the possibility of imports. Lastwall would have Taldan elements in their cuisine I imagine.

It's so much fun to me to paint cultures in an adventure setting. I think that my poor players get overloaded but usually don't whine too much about it.

I'll share details once I've put notes in some kind of order.

=}

Extensively. I always rip the AP apart, add reams of detail, slow down the progression and rebuild. I love the concepts of an AP but I'm deeply into personalization.

Taldor would be awesome. Maybe something like helping the would-be empress Eutropia?? Euphemia? (what the devil is her name???)usurp the throne to become the first female ruler. The PC's would have to seek out items/secrets/etc. from the early Azlant outpost days in pre-empire Taldor...Of course there would be complications...Accidents will happen...Alliances will shift...Sometimes leaving sleeping dragons lie is for the best. Disturbing the dust of the past is always a dangerous thing.

Kind of an intrigue and adventures AP. Something a little different like that would kick pooty!

WANT!! So why isn't this on my desk already :D

I'm not actually sure what exactly I'm looking for. I'd run Wrath of the Righteous but our other gm is running it. Maybe something that delves into past mysteries more. Something that eventually took you to the ruins of Azlant to fight an aboleth menace would be fun.

I'd like one also where you have an established life in a city/community to have a good back ground and rich back story to work with. We're a pretty heavy role playing group and like to have an environment to work with like a city. I've thought of running Shattered Star, but I hate the Pathfinders to death. Something in Taldor would be awesome!!! More in Katapesh, some place in Cheliax or another big old city.

ANYWAY... I'm looking forward to what ever may be coming down the pipe next. Hopefully I'll stop being such a picky brat and like something enough to run it :P

Best of luck Sean, you will be missed.

Espagnoll wrote:

Tar-Baphon is just an insane nhilist (or used to be, the imprisonment on Gallowspire perhaps has changed his mind) which pretty much was a pawn of a bigger threat.

LOL! So the party finally batters their way through the levels of Gallowspire only to be met by Tar-Baphon wearing a flowing white robe, lyre in hand..."Welcome heroes, have you heard the word of Shelyn?"

More of the fantastic. Put the fantasy back in fantasy. More original and distinct regional and cultural detail, less generics white, asian etc cultures. Less of the real world and more fantasy. I think that game worlds tend to fall into the same copy cat generic rut and that it's easy and mostly acceptable to the buyers and so it just doesn't evolve past that point. I play fantasy games because I like fantasy.

I realize that the gm is supposed to create a lot of the flavor, but a few more original details would be appreciated.

IF you are going to create a humanocentric world, at least make the cultures different enough that when you roll across the continent searching for adventure, the nations will be distinct feeling from each other. IF you are are going to use a real world cultural stereotype, at least look up the corresponding regional language for that culture and give the area names with that flavor.

Oh, and from a girl gamer pov, could we PLEASE not have all women have triple D boobs?? Not all gamers are 17 year old guys. Draw real women of various shapes and not just copy female models from some magazine of questionable good taste ;D

AND learn to draw armor!!!!! So many artists draw it like it's fabric. Women's breasts wouldn't show as distinct breasts...armor goes over padding. It would cut into the skin, break bones and chafe otherwise and wouldn't do you any good or give any protection. Unless it's soft leather, boobies won't show. If you are wearing fine mithril chain, well ok, but it would likely still chafe over skin after a while. But please hire artists that know how to actually draw armor realistically. Chain mail thongs?...ok...whatever...everyone needs their cheeze. I think that there are enough female gamers that we would at least like to see more beef and not just the barbarian types, to go with the gratuitous cheeze =P Some of you? Any of you?

Oh yeah, and stop with the pointy ears. It seems that artists toss pointed ears on anything, no matter how ugly and call it an elf...the nastiness never ends.

I know some of you will will argue and point out where I've been wrong, which is ok, since this is just my own pov anyway. I'm hard to please, but these are a few things on my wishlist.

I think that the Paladin should stay LG. They are the paragons of justice and good and should stay that way. You could create both a fighter and a cleric holy warrior archetype to fit a similar role with other alignments.

We'll still be asking James Jacobs ALL of our questions.

Evil. It's essentially brainwashing, violating the prisoner's soul on a fundamental level.

To put it another way, sanctify the wicked was sharply criticized as being nothing more than a "good"-aligned version of the Book of Vile Darkness' mindrape spell, and that's with sanctify the wicked taking steps to clarify what's really going on in it.

The Helm of Opposite Alignment doesn't even have sanctify the wicked's defenses.

That's just for the standard use of the item too. Using it repeatedly on someone just to read magical results is a horrific form of psychological and spiritual torture, violating this unconsenting being's soul, forcibly changing their nature over and over with little concern for the person they are or the person they momentarily become.

Mikaze, you just posted nearly the same that I was about to post.

Sure, you can forcible make them "good" but it's horrible way to do it imho.

Say, this npc knows/discovers/remembers that this was done forcibly to them. Don't you think that they'd feel violated and wronged? Wouldn't that make them feel bitter, abused and/or angry? Want revenge or justice? I think that in the long run, you'd be more likely to create someone that was just as nasty if not worse, and probably less stable.

Convincing them that their evil ways are wrong and getting them to change for the better is not only likely to be a more lasting change, but affords you some intense story play possibilities and a possible ally or henchmen and/or a person who is perhaps slowly changing, but still a good antagonist, tho perhaps in lessening degrees as time passes.

Good evening James =}

I was just reading the entry on Milani in #68 and was caught by the statement that due to her past training she escaped the fiendish attacks that claimed so many of Aroden's exulted saints....

o.O

Who were these exulted saints?
What attacks??
The Worldwound???
Was this at the time of his death?

Wow....

If this has been discussed to death, my apologies.

Dammit, and thought I'd buried my ex well enough...

I found this yesterday

Rather disturbing, but now adds more evil layers to my campaign plots

EDIT: It is from the Archives of Nethys site under mythic monsters and Tar-Baphon's entry

Imho, it pretty much has to be in there. I really can't see how they could hold him imprisoned in Gallowspire if it weren't. Perhaps I'm missing something about phylacteries, but I think that it's got to be in there with him to trap him this way.

I really loved Stairs of the Moon, it ended up being really eerie-creepy to us. I guess if Desna was pertinent to your campaign group, it could be worked into a deity type ascension. I'll have to look for Mythic Mythos!

I'll just say that major respect to Paizo for making Golarion a more inclusive world.

Where do I start? Don't get me wrong, I love Golarion and the people at Paizo are the best yet at world/game creation, but it seems like every game world that I've played on has to have real earth analogues on the campaign world. I'm rather tired of it, that's been done to death...lets be a bit more creative ok? Do we really have to have all of the Earth races represented? Maybe some new races with blending of features and appearances. Maybe we could mix it up a wee bit more. The overdone cliche of being stuck in the middle ages/renaissance for the most part..even considering magic and divine presence. Do we really need the French and American revolutions? Really???? More diversity.

The art, don't get me started. The topic has been discussed ad nauseum and I shouldn't even go there, but... no more up nose shots ok? Who wants to see nasal cavities? Find new and hopefully better artistic talent...enough.

I don't know, I would like a bit more of the fantastic and fresh.

It's on page 15 "But the crusaders knew that the lich could not be so easily defeated---they knew that Tar-Baphon had but retreated to his phylactery, somewhere deep within Gallowspire"

As far as I remember that's about as clear of an indication as to where his phylactery is as it gets. It's been said that Urgathoa knows where it is and keeps it hidden or some such, I don't remember the exact statement.

I'm doing my own thing with it in my campaign, but I think that this is current canon.

Interesting thread! In Quests and Campaigns there is a blessed story quest that involves attempting to use Arazni's organs to try and rescue her and lead her back to the light. A worthy quest that could lead to a possible powerfully good undead. I don't know, maybe there is some way to return her to life. I haven't thought of a good story worthy way yet though she figures in a major way in the past of my current campaign. I'll have to consider it when I'm not so stonking busy in RL =P

Aroden's not dead, he's just pining for the Fjords =P

Nu'Raahl wrote:

If a GM is banning something because it doesnt fit their game concept I'll work with them.

This is kind of how it works.

If I decide I want to run a Dwarf campaign, I announce this clearly and outline expectations, you have two options as a player. Make a dwarf or say "I'll pass"

If I pick a general campaign and decide to exclude specific things, and I announce this clearly...yeah, same thing.

Our group always has GM approval of concept for several reasons. One, to make sure you can fit it into the group and the setting. Another is so that the story can include your story. You an orphan, tell me about how it happened and maybe we explore what REALLY happened to your parents somewhere down the line. Have an elaborate backstory? Awesome, that gives me some depth to add to the setting.

But just because you want to play it doesn't mean you get to play it in this game that this GM is running.

The only way you can get 100% control of what you run is as a GM.

Ok, this is how I run a campaign. I'm a dreaded rulers GM. I clearly state, before anyone has made a character, what is accepted and what is excluded from a campaign. Pleasing everybody all the time isn't possible. Most people are ok with playing with in a set of guidelines. I seldom run an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink type campaign, so my regulars know I'm going to make it a GM approval thing with keeping the campaign flavour in mind. I encourage good backstories, but we are a role-play heavy group anyway. We are less interested in playing a set of optimized statistics and more interested in making a colourful and interesting story. But each GM is different and each gaming group is different, so I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer.

I admit that I'm terribly detail oriented. My gaming group calls me Annika, mistress of copious handouts =P But I love digging into a region and further developing it. I'm not in the least unhappy with the writers and developers of Pathfinder and Golarion, it's the best setting/world ever imho. My favorite places so far are Taldor, Lastwall and Ustalav, I just started getting into other areas and don't have a real feel for them yet. I just like to build npc's, rumours, local slang, food, costume and all that. It makes it more rich and enjoyable to GM for me. / No one ever complains when I pass out the rumour slips to each player as they discover them or when I hand out menus for the inn or tavern that they stop at. Does any one else do this?

I apparently live to complicate the game with details and cause myself headaches, says my bf =}

What area are any of you playing in and how much or little detail have you added? Curiosity killed the cat.

Well to add to the heady mix, these are just a few of the oaths, insults and curses that I think won't get me banned =P

Gorum's B%#~##*s!
Shelyn's Shapely Backside!
Bloody bones!
By the bright shield!
Iomedae's Unmentionables!
By the unspeakable name! (of Tar-Baphon)
Hellfire!
Blast and Bumfodder!
By Bes's Black Heart!
Cayden's Cods
Oh Hagspittle!
Bah! Dragonfarts!
By the Black Gate
Lady's Grace!
Holy Mother of Hamsters!
By Erastils Trusty Shaft
By the Black Beard of Asmodeus
You smell like an ogre's armpit!
Abadar's Arse!
By Cayden's Pointy Poker!
Hell's blood!
Over my still cooling carcass!
Oh Bug-gnats! (my witch Tangle says this all the time)
By the Pendulous Paps of Gyronna!
By the Blows of Torag!
Nocticula's Naughty Bits!
Have a care, Worldling, The Grey Lady awaits! (The hoity-toity Pharasmin Cleric says this often to any one who annoys her)
Shelyn's Knickers!
Blood and Stone!
By the Grave!
By the Thousand Stings of Calistria

I've left the more um...creative ones out =)

YES!! I'm going to be so happily broke this coming year. Paizo, I love you!

I would be positively ecstatic, I mean like giggling maniacally, to see celestials given three books. I loved the mythos and the detail given to each of the groupings of fiends and I'd love to see equal history given to each celestial race. That said, I guess I can see how most campaigns focus on the baddies and not the NPCs helping you along, so I can see GMs wanting more detail on them. Ah, well. At least we finally got one book about celestials. I've been begging for this one for a long time

Wildebob, me too! I like to play paladins and priests of LG deities and having powerful denizens of the heavens to work with or for to put a crimp in the baddie's plans is awesome! I want to see books dedicated to all of the heavenly beings as well as a book dedicated to the heralds of all of Golarion's gods!

Kajehase ~ Way to go! =)

I think that you're right, T-B would rather be the bully supra baddy that he is now than risk trying for godhood and failing. His ego just wouldn't deal with that at all =p Besides where IS the fun of zapping mortals from afar when you can snuff them out all up close and personal. I like that extra insight into his character a lot. Sometimes I over work a subject looking for a new angle.

Thanks =D

Well mine is utter silliness, but in the campaign that it originated with, it really worked (It was an sort of Isle of 10,000 Gods type of place) Still, I do us it when appropriate. The rule is, when some pc calls out for divine help, blasphemes a god or any such thing where a higher power might notice, I roll a d100, if I roll a natural 100...SOMEthing notices ;) it may be a god, a fiend etc depending on the situation, GM's call. All sorts of weird, wonderful and sometimes terrifying encounters and situations have occurred this way over the years.

Meh...I've not ever been a fan of oriental gaming and never include the culture in my game worlds/campaigns, so you definitely aren't alone. I don't allow monks or halflings ...I hates halflings!!!

Annika - Goddess of the Demi-plane of Dark Chocolate