It's enough to draw me back to the Paizo boards after a bit of a haitus.
As you are preparing a campaign, I agree with the suggestions so far offered, especially starting with getting in the mood by absorbing inspirational media. Personally, I would decide on the type of campaign before getting too deep into the weeds on sourcebooks, as there is simply so much out there to use and the campaign style will help winnow out some of the stuff you don't need.
I'll try and keep on eye on this thread to see where you take it. :)
Wasn't who I was consciously thinking of, but very possible I got the idea from there. Though it's an easy idea to have if you really think about what skeletons are.
I didn't mean to imply that was the source of your idea, rather that was the immediate embodiment of the idea that came to my mind; a handle on the kind of creature you were thinking: a creature where the sum of the skeletal parts was irrelevant to the personality of the same. That and I am partial to the cartoon.
If undead are being done individually I'd love to see skeletons next.
Just out of curiousity, how would you like to see them done? I assume you are thinking something along the lines of the Dread Skeleton, from the advanced Bestiary, but thought I would ask to see if that was indeed your thoughts.
Great news! I will definitely be purchasing this some time in the future (have to watch the money): I have a campaign idea that's going to require some serious undead options, so I'm glad this was turned around so thoroughly.
One thing I like about this book is how different the koroboruki is from dwarves, including the sanesaram from the jade oath; they really don't feel like variant ( aka how the other Asian-based settings I've seen ) dwarves!! High dex and lower strength make this one quite different. Also, they tend to live in forests, which again seperates them from mountain, hill and underground dwelling dwarves! Is there going to be a koroboruku paragon class?
It also offers a variant kitsune as well as the races which have their own paragon classes from kaidan, map and description of Kaidan and lots of other stuff! You won't regret getting this book!
Glad you approve of the Korobokuru!
In hindsight I am actually surprised by how many other settings make them into a dwarf variant. When I was researching them for the book, I was struck by how unlike dwarfs they traditionally are. Especiall when there is another race that fits their nature so much better. Let us list the ways... they are short, live in holes in the ground, are adapt at not being seen when they don't want to be seen, hate conflict,...
I could probably be talked into doing a Korobokuru racial book, though at the moment I have another project on the front burner, so it won't be right away if it comes, unless of course someone else 'volunteers' to put it together.
The kitsune race is adapted from Scott Gable's Red Jack book from Zombie Sky Press (credit where it is due). Again, the goal was to make them closer to the actual source material, which I think the Paizo Kitsune deviates quite a bit from.
Oh I didn't know that about the kitsune. What better than to make a party and see? I will wait for the player's book to get the whole package though. By the eay, is the bestiary still comming?
I would love to do a bestiary for Kaidan.
But there are currently no concrete plans for one. That does not mean that we won't make such plans in the future, but nothing can currently be promised.
The Player's guide, for what it is worth, does include a list of the core and basic classes with comments about who is likely to belong to which classes (according to caste, gender, race etc), and what roles that class tends to play within the culture at large.
Wow that is useful and I see your point. Gamemasters are free to ignore a list like that anyway. By the way, arenyou acquainted with the kinetic shinobi and yakuza by Legendary Games.and the Onmyoji by Interjection Games? If yes, would you think they fit? Especially the kinetic shinobi sounds a bit like the necrotic warrior.
I am not specifically versed in the mechanical details of the mentioned classes and they are not available through d20pfsrd, I don't think, for me to give them a look.
I would guess that the classes would have little problems being incorporated, from the little I know about them. The best one to ask about full compatibility would be End, as I think he has reviewed all of the ones in question.
I would add that we have an Onmyoji class we have already done (and it is on d20pfsrd) but that doesn't make the other one incompatible. In this sort of thing there is, I think, going to be a lot of overlap in what is produced by various people. Picking and choosing what works for you is, for me personally, one of the best parts of the whole OGL movement. For instance, our Kitsune is not the Kitsune race Paizo offered, but is instead based on the Kitsune race created by Scott Gable for Zombie Sky Press. But GMs are free to swap out anything we offer for things they think are better.
The Player's guide, for what it is worth, does include a list of the core and basic classes with comments about who is likely to belong to which classes (according to caste, gender, race etc), and what roles that class tends to play within the culture at large.
Thanks! I sincerely hope others find it as cool as I like to think it is. :)
the xiao wrote:
I hope you included info on which classes (not) to use in the setring, since there are many that may not really fit. I get the impression that maybe the most fantastic ones, like kineticist or bloodrager, might not fit.
I did not in fact provide a list of what not to use. (There are suggestions about what classes work in what ways; and in our individual class and race books there are archetypes and such that are more appropriate; but there is no list of what won't work)
For one thing, it's a logistical nightmare trying to keep track of which classes are available, and that's just counting the ones from Paizo. If one where to start listing the kinds of classes or archetypes that would be bad fits within a book, the list, in some cases, could get long, and it would be obsolete within a year.
But, beyond that, its hard to be dogmatic and say, this class won't fit, or that class won't fit, when, in fact, there might be niche cases where a class is just what one wants. And sometimes, what fits might be surprising. So its better not to limit one's self and then later go back and realize that there was a way to make something work pretty well. That is not to say some classes won't fit the mold better than some others, because, obviously they will, but I think that box is better left more implied and to the discretion of the user, then for a designer to try and force other people to play it the way he or she envisions it.
Also, while Kaidan is unapologetically a horror setting, and I wrote it with the horror of the setting always in the background, I would like to think several of the ideas presented within could easily be adapted to a higher-fantasy style. When I created the provinces, I tried to put enough variety in them to appeal to a number of tropes and potential playstyles, while staying true to the core setting.
Hey Rite! I want to say first off, I really think you did a fantastic job on this setting. I am a huge fan of the Dimension of Dreams and this is a perfect addition to my dream-heavy campaign.
My one issue/complaint/thing I'm wondering about, and do not take this overtly hostile as that is not my intention here, but the Dreamlands is essentially based on Lovecraft's dream cycle - and I've noticed almost nothing of that, save for some brief references confirming that the Coliseum is indeed in THOSE dreamlands. I was hoping for some attachment to the dream lore, monsters, NPCs, fluff from the actual dreamlands here, connections to some of those stories, etc. and I found this extremely lacking. It's a great setting, but it could have easily just been in its own fantasy world and not 'the Dimension of Dreams' that Pathfinder has created, which is inherently the same Dreamlands as the Dream-quest and other stories. I suppose I was just a little let down here, and was wondering why you removed the setting so far from its source. Any particular reason?
Hey - thanks for the question... Sorry for not responding sooner, I don't spend as much time on these boards as I probably should, and it slipped by me.
Like you, I am a fan of Lovecraft's dream-cycle. It should very much be assumed that this plane of dreams and that plane of dreams is one and the same. That being said, when this was published, Paizo had not yet done much of their own with the setting, and it is hard to use material before it is actually published. We were kinda breaking some new ground.
I would also somewhat argue against the idea that we removed the setting far from its original source. The dream-realm is a vast place, and there are many stories that could be told within it, not all of them are going to feature Lovecraftian horrors and elder gods. Most of the dream-cycle writings of Lovecraft have more to do with wonder then horror, with dream being the one realm where men could stand on a more equal footing with beings such as Nyarlothatep, and where the beautiful cities were reflections of the aspirations of mortals. In fact I have just been relistening (via audio-books) to Lovecrafts dream-cycle works, such as The White Ship, and am somewhat struck by the difference in tone between those works and the other works Lovecraft is more often associated with. But I think that the whole sea of dreams envisioned in The Coliseum is very much in keeping with the setting pictured in The White Ship and even Dreamquest.
One of the books that shaped my own particular take on the dreamlands was Brian Lumley's Iced on Aran, which I might recommend. Lumley is a disciple of Lovecraft, and his dream-realm is very much drawn from Lovecrafts, but Lumley used it for a more pulp-adventure style of work in Iced. All of which is to say that the source material is broad enough to tell a variety of stories while still staying true.
The player's guide is coming out next. It is currently in editing. Most of what is in the player's guide, however, is already in this book. The intent of the player's guide is to have a book the GM can hand to players so that they have some knowledge of the world, but none of the secrets, and so they can build characters without having to constantly ask the GM for his book (so basic racial information and some of the more appropriate classes).
The one thing that is in the Player's Guide that I could not fit in the GM's book was the Necrotic Warrior class, which I have been trying to get into a book ever since I first designed it for the Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy.
Ooooo... what's they like?
The Necrotic Warrior class is based upon the kind of ninjas one sees in movies such as Shinobi: Heart under Blade, or the Ninja Scroll anime. They are warriors powered by negative energy and can choose particular paths: Brawn, Bone, Poison, Shadow, etc. They have limited and thematic spell-casting and can perform supernatural feats based upon their path. The Poison path, for instance, makes their touch (and kiss) poisonous. The Brawn path allows them to make themselves stronger and stronger, but at a cost of health (at higher levels they can drain other people's health to power their own strength.) A portion of the class was included in the Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy, but the full class will be in the Player Guide.
The player's guide is coming out next. It is currently in editing. Most of what is in the player's guide, however, is already in this book. The intent of the player's guide is to have a book the GM can hand to players so that they have some knowledge of the world, but none of the secrets, and so they can build characters without having to constantly ask the GM for his book (so basic racial information and some of the more appropriate classes).
The one thing that is in the Player's Guide that I could not fit in the GM's book was the Necrotic Warrior class, which I have been trying to get into a book ever since I first designed it for the Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy.
This campaign guide covers the history of the haunted archipelago, the races, the religions, and the mechanics unique to the setting. It also provides an overview of every province in the Kaidanese Empire. There are spells, magic items, new classes, and more.
If you've been waiting for this book, your wait is over.
Are there those who are able and willing to carry on after regrouping, or will the company need to be shut down, or is that a decision yet to be made?
As far as I know, and I am not speaking from any sort of position of authority, only as someone involved with Rite, it is the latter. The funeral was only yesterday and it was agreed by those of us who freelanced for Steve that it would be wrong to ask Miranda her intentions with the company without giving her a proper amount of time to mourn and collect her thoughts.
Those of us who have done work for Rite, several of us, most certainly have plans to continue producing product in one fashion or another. There are also some works which were in the pipe for Rite already, in various stages (editing, writing, etc.). How that will all play out though is not yet certain.
Please give it a little more time for things to be decided.
After Steve's funeral today, I jotted down a set of thoughts about Steve, which I have shared elsewhere, and thought I would here as well, in his memory.
In Memory of Steve Russell:
When I learned that Steve Russell had been killed in a tragic car accident, I was at a loss to know what to say about Steve. There were so many things that I could say, but I didn’t know where to start, or what would be important. I had been in the middle of writing a proposal for a project for Steve that morning, and the first and only thing I could think of was that he would never get that email; you never know when a conversation will be the last you will have with a person. But beyond that, I had nothing. So I waited.
I was blessed to be scheduled to be near enough to Dayton to make both the viewing and the funeral for Steve. I introduced myself to his sister and wife. Miranda, Steve’s bride, pointed out the various books that Steve had published which they had put out for people to see. Around the books were scattered dice, a Babylon 5 hat, an Ennie award and down on the floor was a large “miniature” dragon, about twelve inches tall.
A few of the books were some I had been involved in helping bring to fruition. In particular, I noticed a copy of Coliseum Morpheuon on the leftmost table. I had a suspicion what I would see if I opened it, and I was right. I knew that copy. On the inside front cover was my scrawl, next to that of Clinton Boomer’s. I remembered signing that book. I had met with Steve in Reynoldsburg on the east side of Columbus for the purpose of signing a set of those books. We met at Arby’s. My wife and kids spent the time browsing the nearby Half-Price Books. It was the first time we were to meet in person. It was a rather momentous occasion for me, and I think for Steve also, as it was his first physical “book” to come out of Rite Publishing (though not the last).
Some months earlier Steve had asked me if I thought I could finish up Coliseum Morpheuon, a patronage project that was meant to be a high-level adventure set on the Plane of Dreams. He had a mess of material, but it was unorganized and while plenty of background material had been done, the actual adventure had not been written. I am not sure why Steve thought I could do it. I had, at that point only done one other thing for him, a small book co-written with Trevor Gulliver. Steve suggested he needed another 15,000 words, all he could afford to pay for. I ended up doing about 60-70,000, a great deal of editing, and a full organization of the book. I worked at it for about a month, solid. Steve could only afford, when all was said and done, what he had agreed to pay me, but I would do it again. Because when it was done, there was an actual RPG book, in print, with my name on the cover as a co-author. It was the fulfillment of a life-long ambition.
Steve Russel gave me that opportunity. He did that for many of us, and it was one of the things that made him so special, though certainly not the only thing, nor the most important thing.
So we met at Arby’s and I signed books, after which Steve planned on driving to Boomer’s place to have him sign as well. During which, I signed a copy for Steve and I had Steve sign my author’s copy. He signed it, “To My Second Favorite Designer.” He explained, with a smile he had to reserve the #1 spot for himself. I didn’t care. His compliment was heartfelt and I appreciated it. I don’t know if I remained #2, or if Steve had a plentitude of #2’s. He worked with some very talented people, and I can’t believe that Owen Stephens wouldn’t bump me down a rank or two if Steve was being completely honest. But it doesn’t matter. It was a nice little tribute, and at the end of years, worth more than the small bit of money I got paid for the actual words.
Steve was good at making people feel good about their work. He would be critically honest of things that weren’t good, but he had an eye for what was good, and he was able to tell people when they had done a good job. That’s not actually a common talent, though you would think it might be.
All that came back to me when I saw that book there with my signature in it.
***
I met Miranda for the first time at Steve’s viewing. It was obvious, as is the case with most of us men, that Steve had married up. I think Steve knew it too. He seldom referred to his wife online by name. She was referenced as “She-who-is-amazing.” It seemed obvious that he was quite in love with her.
It was also good to meet Steve’s sister, who he had so often praised publically for the work she did for their family.
There were a goodly number of people at the funeral for Steve; they had to keep bringing in chairs for the ones that kept coming in. I suspect a fair percentage were family. Family seemed important to Steve, and many of the photos posted on the arranged boards near to the other mementos of Steve’s life were of Steve with family. Photos with his niece and nephew were especially touching and there was obvious mutual affection visible in them.
One of the most heartbreaking things, after learning Steve was gone, was learning that he was going to be a father. I think he would have been a good father. I suspect he had been happy to have the opportunity.
His niece, Eryn Gardner (I may be misremembering the spelling of the name), wrote a very touching letter about her uncle, which was read at the funeral. Among other things, she commented that she thought that, in addition to being a good brother, uncle, and son, Steve would have made a good father. So I am not the only one to have that thought.
While on the topic of family, one of the things I always appreciated about Steve, a thing that resonated with me, was that he was a dutiful son. I think the world needs more dutiful sons that respect and love their parents. His mother’s death affected him greatly, as it should have. I think it obvious that he wanted to be closer to his father to help take care of his dad.
***
Speaking of the pictures that were arranged around the funeral home, one thing I thought about during the service for Steve was that he was very good at smiling. I appreciate that because its not one of my talents.
Steve smiled a lot.
Most of the pictures of him, it seemed to me, were of Steve smiling.
He had a good smile.
***
I mentioned Steve gave people opportunities. I’ll say more about that.
Rite Publishing’s DrivethruRPG pages list 472 different products for sale. I wrote or helped or contributed to at least 30 of those products, which include several things I am still rather pleased with. Each one was a chance to do something I really enjoy doing. As I said before, Steve gave me that opportunity.
I was not alone. Steve did a lot of the work for Rite himself, but it was not a one man show. He had the help of editors, artists, lay-out persons, and writers. He had, I think, an eye for talent, and a sense of good ideas.
Steve was a decent writer in his own right, but the best things he offered were not always his own work. The Demolished Ones, Lord’s of Gossamer and Shadows, Coliseum Morpheuon and several others that could be mentioned were ideas others had which Steve facilitated, or ideas Steve had which he gave over to others to work on. Steve recently listed the top 10 items he had produced in reference to the first 30 days of sales. Only #10, 1001 Spells, was a book Steve had personally written. But Steve was happy to let others shine, and he encouraged others to produce good stuff for him.
Many who wrote in memory of Steve have commented on the encouragement Steve gave them, and the opportunity he provided for them to work in the RPG industry.
Steve also gave me the opportunity to go to GenCon in 2011. Me and my wife both, courtesy of Cubicle 7, who had published Coliseum Morpheuon in book form for Steve. Steve had told them I could GM. As I recall, I had been running games at Origin. I had asked Steve if I could do so under the auspices of Rite Publishing, and he had agreed. I have ended up running games for at least 5 years at Origins, representing Rite, though operating on my own in planning, arranging, etc. But that year, as I remember it, I had run one game, after which a player had gone and bought several books from Steve. It was some such. Anyway, he had been asked to find GMs for Cubicle 7, and he had proffered them my name.
I ended up running Airship Pirates for them, as well as One Ring. I fell in love with One Ring, and was meh on Airship Pirates. My wife spent the Con working the Cubicle 7 booth and became quite chummy with the designer of One Ring, which was the hotness that year, Francesco Nepitello. It was an opportunity and experience that we would not have had, without Steve.
***
Creative people all have their own unique way of going about things. We don’t always see eye to eye.
Some of the ideas I floated past Steve he didn’t think would work, and some he floated by me I thought were a bit off. I worked on his anyway when he asked me to, making them as good as I could under the guidelines he gave. He in turn sometimes let me experiment on my own. Things tended to work out.
I remember after he had just finished up doing 1001 spells he was ready to take a little break from his 101 series. He asked if I wanted to do a month. I said yes, enthusiastically. I had a great idea, from a previous book of doing a whole series of cursed items and 101 of them seemed like just the thing. He gave the go-ahead and I gleefully churned out 101 Malevolent Magic Items.
I found out after, in a passing comment he made, that he had thought the idea would never really go over, but he let me do it anyway. I got to do the book I wanted, and when it was well recieved, he acknowledged he had been wrong. He was generous that way.
Steve had strong opinions, but he could and would change them, if necessary. And when some of his own pet projects failed to pan out, he was not so stubborn as to refuse to change course. Which of course allowed him to focus on those things that were actually successful. Because, while not all of his ideas were good ones, several of them were very good.
*****
The funeral for Steve ended up being a good one, as such things go.
The funeral music, before and after the service was eclectic, encompassing both the Shire music from the LotR (which was actually quite appropriate) as well as an accapella rendition of Cash's "Ring of Fire." (which was touching if even a little discordant in tone) I was slightly amused when, after the funeral was over, what sounded like a sound-track from a video game (didn't actually recognize it) came on and the minister looked slightly and only momentarily askance. I am not convinced he fully approved of gaming, but he bore it well.
There were several touching eulogies offered by friends and colleagues of Steve’s at his funeral.
I had thought about the possibility of speaking on the drive from Columbus to Dayton, and what I would say, if offered the opportunity. Many of the thoughts I had are recorded above.
One thing that came to mind was the topic of Creation, which I touched on, when I did get the opportunity to say a few words in Steve’s memory.
People are creators, made in the image of a Great Creator. We build. We plan. We dream. We imitate the One who created the worlds, children playing at trying to be like their Father. Our efforts are pale imitaions of the real thing, but that does not make them without value. There are many ways to go about this act of creation. Some people build furniture. Some people paint. Some people do pottery, or sew clothes, or cook food, or invent. Some write music, or compose poems, or shape metal or invent new gizmos and gadgets. And some people dream up worlds.
Steve was a dreamer of worlds. Fantastic worlds filled with fantastic creatures, danger, heroics, and magic. He gave many of us the opportunity to do the same. There’s something of the divine in that activity. It’s a good thing to do, this act of creating, a heritage of our shared humanity, and while, like all things, it can be misused or abused, it’s a noble endeavor with a rich tradition in which to walk.
I am glad of the opportunity to have walked it a time with Steve.
He will be missed. His absence leaves the world just a little less bright, and a little emptier, bereft of his smile.
What is the legal status of the "Tome of Horrors" monsters? Can one write the stats in full so readers don't have to refer to the book or go to a webpage? It appears to be $109 for a hardcopy and $29 for a PDF. That's pretty steep.
Some people don't have access to D&D 3.5 books and the Carrion Crawler is not in the SRD.
All creatures found in the Tome of Horrors are OGL and can be used in other publications so long as you properly reference the Tome of Horrors in your own section 15 of the OGL.
In answer to two rules ambiguities End raises...
The racial spells of the Willowkin, including daze, are spell-like abilities modified by the willowkin's intelligence.
Animating a tree using a quickening point is a standard action unless you have the Swift Tree Call feat, which allows you to do it as a swift action.
The slime crawler is an obviously intentional substitute/reskinning of the carrion crawler. And, imo, the three stage family of creatures culminating in the carrion moth, is an improvement on the original single stage carrion crawler. Originally, the Tome of Horrors only presented stage one and three, with the carrion crawler being the understood second stage, and I am happy to see them inserting a new second stage in the life-cycle to replace the out-of-bounds carrion crawler.
The only thing re the original question, is that its not from Paizo; but Paizo uses the Tome of Horrors often enough itself that it really should not matter.
I have to say in all of my 20 years of role playing I have never used a Treant as an npc while GMing, nor have I encountered them as a player.
Because of this book Treants will be a major civilization in my next campaign setting. I love this book it does so much to make Treants into fun and interesting characters.
Now, if you just commit to buying that many copies, I would start work on it tomorrow. :D
If there were to be adventures focused on just one race at a time, which one(s) would you like to see given priority? My brain is naturally full of treants at the moment, but there's quite a collection of races to choose from at this point.
Angels. One of the great tragedies of celestials is that they hang out without being proactive, and a group of angels on a quest to advance themselves up the celestial ladder to fight evil across the planes would be an awesome story.
That would be an excellent sort of campaign if done right.
It is both exciting and slightly nerve-wracking to discover that one's own work has been put on the fast track for review by Endzeitgeist at the behest of his patreons.
Well that was a fairly hateful article that prove to be wrong.
My only concern is that Razor Coast was much further along than TON at the three year point. Plus Nick Logue was able to hold his hands up to say how and why he messed up.
Nick's message to backers and the community was both heartfelt and emotional, and bought him a lot of goodwill and understanding. In comparison Gary doesn't offer even a glimmer of contrition or respect for his backers.
I think you are talking from the vantage of hindsight. There was a period when there was no communication, no apology, and a great deal of angst. It just managed to get resolved eventually.
The moral of which is, things can change. What seems a catastrophe now might get resolved down the road a bit.
And now I am imagining a treant version of 'Kung Fu', where Woody the Monk spends two-thirds of his time talking about peace and wisdom and patience, and the rest kicking people in the throat.
I don't know how well it would integrate with this campaign, or if its been mentioned yet, but AAW does have their Rise of the Drow AP; and in a semi-connected vein, I did three adventures set in a dwarven city for them.
Though, in Rite's Book of Monster Templates, it is provided for each of the new creatures made using the templates, so it has been done for individual monsters in some products.
Now, if you just commit to buying that many copies, I would start work on it tomorrow. :D
If there were to be adventures focused on just one race at a time, which one(s) would you like to see given priority? My brain is naturally full of treants at the moment, but there's quite a collection of races to choose from at this point.
