evilnerf's page

Seems to me the goal was never to sink Pathfinder. That ship had long ago sailed. I think, rather, their aim was to keep another Paizo from rearing it's head during a possibly tumultuous new edition launch. Of course, if they hurt Paizo along the way, all the better.

As soon as all of this started, it was obvious to me that paizo was gonna make a new edition. Of course, whether it was closer to 2.5 or PF3 was still unclear to me until the remaster came about. They can call this a 'remaster' all they'd like and they aren't wrong, but this is basically a new edition that is just ultra compatible with 2e.

Overall, I think this is kinda the best of both worlds. All the OGL stuff is still out there for folks to use if they want it, and we're still gonna get a ton of new stuff.

WotC definitely did the Paizo fanbase a favor in more then one way. More players, more content, significant errata. Who am I to complain.

EberronHoward wrote:

ThePuppyTurtle wrote:

Ezekieru wrote:

And don't get me started of those fans who want the Drow to get "genocided" away in lore. Said fans probably don't want to consider how the many marginalized writers over at Paizo probably wouldn't like to see that applied in the setting. But those writers' discomfort mean nothing compared to the inconvenience of simply pretending Drow don't exist anymore in Pathfinder anymore (and likely won't be in Starfinder anymore once the SF team runs out of OGL material in a year's time).

This is moon logic to me. Even ignoring the fact that gloarion already contains genocide, what makes you think marginalized creators necessarily don't want to write about genocide? I'm a marginalized person, and I have written about it in my own work.

And 'pretending that a group of people were never there' is equally problematic for marginalized people.

This is also true. How many peoples have been erased in the real world because others, including colonizers and their historians have decided that they were not worth a mention?

Come now, surely you realize that using such weighted language and comparison to real life atrocities when talking about fictional characters is utterly rediculous. This is basically you accusing an author of murder because a character got cut from a book.

Drow are not a marginalized people. They are utterly fictional. This is not a fictional depiction of an atrocity. This is an editing decision. It can be one you disagree with, but lets bring things back down to earth shall we?

Cori Marie wrote:

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

Pronate11 wrote:

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

The Raven Black wrote:

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Vault of the Drow was 45 years ago. There's more Drow content in the traditional mold than any gamer will ever be able to play in their lifetime.

I'm not mourning one company's decision to not do more with them, especially when it risks legal action from an $8b corporation down the line for them to continue clinging.

That does not mean that it is not a classic which helped create the excitement around the drow for Greyhawk and later the Forgotten Realms and other campaign settings.

I absolutely do not read Keftiu's quote as saying otherwise. Quite the opposite actually. So I do not understand why you started with "That does not mean...".

Italics add emphasis.

I'm not sure what emphasis you're trying to add. Something happening 45 years ago doesn't contradict anything you said.

The original quoted post had italics.

Yes, and still doesn't contradict anything you said. Something can be considered a classic, and also not welcome revisiting. I don't want a

Citizen Kane 2 for instance.

No one is asking for a sequal to the Queen of Spiders.

Nah, ya'll are asking for 'store brand' Queen of Spiders which is even weirder TBH.

I don't get you folks. If you just want the same ol' Drow in your games, you can just put Drow in your games.

I personally play this game (at least in part) because I am interested in seeing what the writers come up with. I'm not particularly interested in seeing Drow again.

I just want to say even though the art in paizo books are routinely excellent, I thought that the art in this book was a step up from even that high bar.

I especially liked the illustrations of Ginalta Havenbrook, Falayna, Gendowyn, the Chapter 3 two-page art, and the Lastwall Priest.

A couple of devilish questions!

First, how do you think the 'man on the street' would view devils? Are fiendish servitors something that's kept behind closed doors, or are devils being used brazenly by those who dare to enter into fiendish contracts?

Second, if a devil dies on the mortal plain, does it suffer it's final death, or is it more likely to be banished back to hell for a possible return? Does it vary by the devil?

Hello, I'm trying to find the largest, most detailed map of the Mawangi Expanse. There's the one on page 8 of The Mawangi Expanse, but I feel like they've probably released a bigger one online at some point. However, if they have, I can't find it.

Does anyone know where I can get a bigger one?

My character's ship is "The Rust Monster."

It barely won out over 'The Roc n' Rolla"

Aerotan wrote:

The family looking a little different is something He's always frowned on, and his worshippers tended to ostracise those who deviated from the norm.

I think you might be reading a little too much maliciousness into a Lawful Good faith.

People have been doing this for years. There is one poorly worded line in one book, and now all everyone talks about is how he's basically the god of misogyny.

Erastil would be "Kids, these days" and eyes rolling. But while he is a strong proponent of tradition and continuity, he is still a LG god and will jump to help any of those "kids" if they need it

Boy, I think this would actually be the least of Erastil's concerns. The idea of "Home and Hearth" is basically an anachronism, and tradition has long since been cast aside for the sake of progress.

The over populated hive cities have to be abhorrent to him and the paving over of the wilderness on worlds across the galaxy has probably broken his heart.

I think Erastil isn't a major deity because no one really sees any value in any of his tenants. He was an old fogey back in the olden times, at this time... I doubt anyone even gives a flying fig what he thinks.

"Snackle" is a popular dice game played by Ysoki originating on Absalom Station. When you roll, you have to role with your mouth, therefor, it is more a game of skill rather than a game of chance.

By far the most popular show in the Pact Worlds among the Shirren population is a game show called "Make That Choice!" In it, the contestant is presented with a choice of three items. Two of them (usually a new refrigeration unit, or brand new Comm Unit) are obvious, but the last one is 'quantum locked' in that it is chosen at random when the choice is picked.

The contestant must make a choice between these three items, and they are often known to spend the entire episode trying weigh the pros and cons of each item. Most species find this show boring, but there are Shirren who tune in every week.

By far the most well known episode was the 6 part episode where Hulinex had to choose between a small starship and a lifetime 'all you can eat' coupon for his favorite restaurant.

It was a truly agonizing choice that kept the Shirren communities enraptured and debating which he should choose. In the end, he went the Quantum Lock route and won a a new pair of boots.

A popular genre of music throughout the Pact worlds is "Gob-Rock". Somewhat reminiscent to 80s hair rock, this music is popular in the poorer parts of the pact worlds, and often filled with subversive and rebellious messages.

One of the most popular bands is "Tanner and his Mother". Featuring the Ysoki singer "Scrab", and his merry band and routinely featuring alien instruments and melodies.

I think it'd be cool if having brighter colors was associated with being tougher, kinda like tree frogs and poison.

So the women are more colorful, naturally, and sometimes men wear flamboyant colored armor to look more dangerous on the battlefield.

I'd suggest trying to convert a small adventure first, like a pathfinder society module. If that goes well, then try something larger.

Personally? I don't see the point, except maybe stealing a map here and there. It's going to be as much work (if not more) to convert as create your own, and it's going to be 10x harder to run.

Ya know who I think would be surprisingly open to same sex relationships? The Vesk. I imagine the pressures of battle drives together many comrades into a love relationship. In fact, I bet at least quite a few are far less worried about their partners sex as they are about how good they are at fighting.

Well, there ya go. Thanks

Less of a question, and more of just pointing out an error. The Nyfiber Net table has a blank on it's special qualities. It should AT LEAST have Entangle, and probably Thrown as well.

I don't think the "Host" gender is intended to be another female (or male) Shirren or a female or male of any other race either. From what I understand from reading the CRB, the "host" gender is unlike the male and female genders entirely. The shirren are bug people, so think of an Ant or Bee colony. You have drones and workers, and a Queen. The Queen is unlike drones and workers entirely. I think that is what the host gender is intended to be like. A matriarch of some sort, and for all we know a single host may incubate dozens or even hundreds of larvae at a time. The host may not even look like a typical male or female shirren and could be an order of magnitude larger even!

Actually, Insects still have Male and female sexes. Whatever is going on with the Shirren, it's entirely new.

As to how it looks? There was a Host shirren in some of the fiction, and they seemed like any other shirren.

Do their females enter a breeding period, or are they always 'ready to go' like humans?

On a related note, we DO know that the Akiton lizardfolk grow violent during their breeding period.

MakuTheDark wrote:

Sandal Fury wrote:

Call me old-fashioned, but am I the only one who doesn't really like the idea of undergoing surgery to gestate the child of another species?

That's soooo pre-Gap thinking. Get with the times and excrete yer alien child with love and tenderness.

Perhaps shirren larvae don't initially gestate in a womb or marsupial-ish pouch, but instead via myiasis (don't google this) like botflys (don't google this either)? That might explain why Chk Chk rides around in his jar; Chk Chk has outgrown the host but still has an instar (or more) to grow until he's more self-ambulatory/self-sufficient? Implanting multiple larvae into unwilling hosts could be part of why the Swarm spread so quickly and are so feared.

Edit: On the other hand, a non-shirren humanoid acting as a host for a shirren larva is such a manner could likely be left with a distinctive scar. Such a scar would indicate to other shirren that this humanoid could even be trusted with other shirrens' most precious offspring, and thus, the mark act as badge of deep honor.

The only problem with this (besides it being incredibly disturbing, and way too dark for a Starfinder game, imo) is that Host is distinctly it's own sex. If this was part of their reproductive cycle, then they wouldn't need to develop a 3rd sex, they would just require Male, female and one of anything else.

Well, I think Paizo is probably going to leave the actual mechanics to our own imaginations. Probably a good move given the directions this thread has gone.

My assumption (and this is based more on simplicity than anything else) is that the male produces some kind of spermium, the female produces some kind of egg (or eggs?). Neither of them are capable of gestation, so they are placed in the Host, and the Host catalyzes the fertilization process and gestation.

If I had someone who wanted to play a pregnant female Shirren, I'd just add one more step: the fertilized egg can then be deposited in the female for gestation once the fertilization has been catalyzed.

No matter how it works though, I think in Shirren society, it's much more than just depositing genetics or gestation. I imagine the Host is just as much as of a parent as the others, with traditions, and a family role of their own.

Well, it might be a cheat to say they have a word, its just not one that can be said vocally and only telepathically.

Oh, from a social and psychological perspective, he'd certainly still be a parent - my nitpicking here has been strictly in terms of the biological, not anything else. So far as the other aspects are concerned, Marcel is still... something.

What does one call a host? We have 'father' and 'mother' as terms, but we're rather lacking anything to match the introduction of a third to the arrangement. Are they simply 'host?' 'Parent?' It's a terribly open question...

At least one Host has gone by "They" in fiction. However, I imagine they sometimes identify as male or female.

Well... personally, when I think of a Host, I like to think of it as not just someone who contributes DNA or carries the baby. It's more like of two members of the same sex have a baby in real life. Sure there may be science, surrogacy, or donors involved, but they are still the mothers, or fathers, or in this case, Hosts. The stuff I was thinking is mainly ritualistic, but it's meant to concrete the role of Marcel as a parent.

Yeah, that makes sense. In my scenario, this could be done via donor DNA, or some kind synthetic genetic blend that is applied by the chamber.

I posted this in another thread as an example of how I think a non-Shirren host might work.

Marcel and Ralzbix have been partners in the Stewards for a while. During their many adventures, they've grown closer and even though they are different species, the sexual tension is undeniable.

Eventually, Ralzbix has Marcel over for dinner and introduces him to his wife, Heljynne. They all get along fantastically and marcel is surprised by how intimate he can be with the both of them. Soon, they discuss becoming a mated set and have a child.

Marcel is initially reluctant, but soon realizes that he loves Ralzbix and Heljynne and wants to spend the rest of his life with them. The three are joined in a traditional Hylaxian wedding (Marcel converted). Even Marcel's grumpy parents admit that it's a lovely ceremony.

Luckily, Heljynne is a Scholar and a doctor, and having thought about it, has figured out a way to make this work. She and Ralzbix will deposit their egg and seed into an ovation chamber, which Marcel will be tasked with tending and protecting.

Marcel takes his duty very seriously. He makes sure to process the nutrient mix at all the right times (even though it's something that can be automated, all of the set agree it's best for the child if Marcel puts in the effort), and performs the traditional Shirren vocal ceremonies with the help of Wand of Share Language.

The three of them know that their arrangement is more than a little strange to both Human and Shirren, but in the end, they're happy and that's what is really important.

Oh, there is definitely some influence there. The Knights of Golarion and the Hellknights both scream "Space Marine".

I also love the reference in the book to "Iomodaean Cathedral Ships" in the book.

If I were making a Warhammer-esque campaign here's what I'd do:

A group of cultists has invented some magitech that allows them to create holes in worlds (ala the Worldwound) and have been going around the galaxy, making bigger and bigger wounds on planets, letting in hordes of ravenous demons.

The Knights of Golarion and fellow crusaders have launched an armada to stop the cultists once and for all and rid the worlds of the demons.

Potential enemies include the insectile Swarm, Space-Orc pirates, and a mysterious group of solarions with a hidden agenda.

In Pathfinder you built towards a Prestige Class, which is a bit different than multiclassing, since the abilities granted by the PC took some bite out of the progression hit, whereas multiclassing usually didn't except for certain dips.

In Starfinder if you later want to join the Hellknights yes you're perfectly fine flavoring your character as a Hellknight without Hellknight mechanics, just as you could in Pathfinder. But for those who want Hellknight flavor AND mechanics, they're being told nope, you're too late. You still want Hellknight mechanics? Stop what you are doing and take another class and advance it to get those mechanics. Moreso in Starfinder multiclassing hurts more.

Multi-classing is no more a hit to progression than Prestige classes were.

This STILL makes no sense to me. The Star Knight mechanics are the Hellknight mechanics. If you like the Hellknight mechanics, then you are already probably a Star Knight, and if you're not, then Multi-classing is still an option.

evilnerf wrote:

Is it just OGL or in-universe stuff as well?

Most if not all of the setting stuff is product identity, so cannot be added to the site without breaching copyright.

Well, it can, thats why websites like the Pathfinder Wiki and archives of nethys exist. They just can't be commercial websites. PFSRD used to be that way, but at some point they decided to switch to generic and start selling materials. I was kinda hoping Starfinder would go back to the way it was before, but alas.

But what if you want Hellknight Mechanics to back up your Hellknight Flavor?

And for those who find out about them/join later? In Pathfinder this was covered by having Prestige Classes.

I don't get how this is any different from Pathfinder. If you really want your character to be your typical Hellknight, then be a Star Knight with the Hellknight option. If you are something else and decide to become a Hellknight, multiclass.

...or you could just play whatever you want, describe your armor as spikey and black, and tell everyone you're a hellknight operative (or whatever.)

See if you can talk him into a one-shot just to try it out and go from there.

This is true in the Pathfinder rules, but that was in a system with scaling values in the point-buy system. A +4 bonus on a character could let you start with a 22 in a stat. Here in Starfinder, there's a cap on starting scores at 18 anyway, so Krogans couldn't start with more than that, and it still takes 40% of your point buy to get you there.

You aren't wrong, but as it is, a Krogan can EASILY start with 18 Str, 16 Dex, 12 Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 8 Cha.

It's a very very min-maxy build, when the new ability score theme seems designed to minimize the effects of min maxing (such as not giving you points for negative Ability scores.)

My recommendation is just +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, +1 Kinetic armor, +2 against environmental saves.

Is it just OGL or in-universe stuff as well?

I have a secret rule against character death. None of my players ever die (except pathfinder society).

I just don't see the point of killing off interesting characters because of a bad dice roll. I don't tell my players so that way players still have the fear of death without the actual death.

Your Krogan is WAY too good. Scale back those ability points and ditch the recuperation.

Sounds like questions surrounding this 'Second Seeker' faction will always be around since it seems so confusing. Just reading the initial answer makes me laugh in confusion.

In theory, I like the idea! My first character is a second seeker, which just makes it all the more frustrating trying to figure out how it's going to work and whether it's worth the risk of running out of sessions to put towards the faction.

My hope is that each of the Second Seeker factions has it's own little flavor, as kinda maybe "loyalist party" in the Starfinders.

Inclusivity by its nature mandates equal considerations for all perspectives, no? Is it truly so problematic to note that it isn't really the purview of officially published material to delve into issues that are A) Ultimately personal and B) Are so emotionally charged that they can't help but veer into areas of conversation that may grow uncomfortable for some?

I'm not uncomfortable, just bored. You can't surf the internet without tripping over a million discussions that are basically, "Yes, but is it TOO gay?" It's all the same s#&# everyone else says. You either want more queer stories, or you don't.

I want to see new stuff, awesome character concepts, and story ideas for those of us who want more queer content in our games.

PS. The idea that being tolerant means that you should be tolerant of everything always is such laughable idea in this day and age that I'm not even going to argue it.

Can we take the "Does queer representation matter?" and "Has queer representation in the game gone too far?" and take them to another thread?

I for one would vastly prefer thread take those answers as a given and have people just posting their ideas on how to introduce queer characters, groups and stories into their Starfinder games.

I decided to explore that space a little.

Marcel and Ralzbix have been partners in the Stewards for a while. During their many adventures, they've grown closer and even though they are different species, the sexual tension is undeniable.

Eventually, Ralzbix has Marcel over for dinner and introduces him to his wife, Heljynne. They all get along fantastically and marcel is surprised by how intimate he can be with the both of them. Soon, they discuss becoming a mated set and have a child.

Marcel is initially reluctant, but soon realizes that he loves Ralzbix and Heljynne and wants to spend the rest of his life with them. The three are joined in a traditional Hylaxian wedding (Marcel converted). Even Marcel's grumpy parents admit that it's a lovely ceremony.

Luckily, Heljynne is a Scholar and a doctor, and having thought about it, has figured out a way to make this work. She and Ralzbix will deposit their egg and seed into an ovation chamber, which Marcel will be tasked with tending and protecting.

Marcel takes his duty very seriously. He makes sure to process the nutrient mix at all the right times (even though it's something that can be automated, all of the set agree it's best for the child if Marcel puts in the effort), and performs the traditional Shirren vocal ceremonies with the help of Wand of Share Language.

The three of them know that their arrangement is more than a little strange to both Human and Shirren, but in the end, they're happy and that's what is really important.

When you say "Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo) boon will no longer be available for purchase or at character creation" are you referring only to "Second Seekers: Luwazi Elsebo Champion (Faction Boon)" or all boons with the prerequisite: Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo).

Also, what about "Second Seekers: Luwazi Elsebo Champion, Improved
(Faction Boon)"

Like I said, I don't see that as any different than the whole dwarf oracle thing or the guy who wants to play a Vesk Mechanic because he really likes Trandoshans from Star Wars

It's because one is a fictional criteria, and one is a real life criteria. That's it.

Oooh, here's an interesting idea. Say there is a pair of mated Shirren, and they fall in love with a human as a host!

So they take the Human into the family unit as a host, and use science to overcome the biological limitation of not actually being able to host.

I've read it 3 times now and I still feel like I'm not getting this. So what happens if I have prestige with the current seeker, and then step away from the SFS for a while. If the current season has a new seeker, are old modules contributing to the old seeker or the new seeker?

Can I not spend the points I got for the old seeker? If I run an old season module, does it count towards the old seeker?

Xenocrat wrote:

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Rysky the Dark Solarion wrote:

Hmmm, *taps chin*

Are we going to get a Hellknight archetype in this?

Neither "yes" nor "no" is a fully accurate answer to that question.

Are we going to get more than one Hellknight archetype in this? Will they be differentiated by combat role or order?

Neither yes nor no is a fully accurate answer to your first question. "By order" is the answer to your second question.

I'd put money down that it's one or more options of the Star Knight.

A tactical axe sounds like something someone would make up for an infomercial.

LWD isn't completely stupid (or rather I hope not) and they need the users (addicts) to support the new system so I expect there will be some give and take until both sides find a happy medium.

They can't sell a product if no one uses it.

Unfortunately, the world is LITTERED with startups who tried to change their product drastically, made a product they thought their customer base wanted, then it turned out they were wrong and they never got a second chance because too much money had been chucked into 'the next big thing'.

I guess to me the whole hypothetical "Making a Male Lashunta Envoy is mechanically unsound" falls under the same reasoning as "Making a Dwarf Oracle is mechanically unsound" and if anyone was deadset on making one of those for whatever reason something would have to give whether it be class or race/gender (or just taking the suboptimal option).

Okay, so say they had kept things the same, right? Say I want to make a Sorcerer, and I don't like playing female characters. There are many reasons why this could be, including but not limited to: Me wanting to play a character I identify with, my table not being comfortable with me gender-bending, me not feeling confident that I can play a female character in a respectful manner.

So I'm making an engineer. There is basically a whole race that is basically off limits to me for the sole reason that I am a male and want to play a male character. That sucks!

Q: Will there be a fully functional offline option for Hero Lab Online?

A: Not initially. Offline options are being explored, but it will be some time before we can truly focus on working that out. We have to bring you all the rules first!

Deal breaker for me. None of these new features are worth this MASSIVE inconvenience. Herolab is now basically only usable in my house.

\

Out of vague curiosity, how is that any different than racial modifiers as a whole? You didn't see dwarf bards/oracles in PF because of those penalties among other similar combinations due to incompatible stat spreads/classes. How is that any different than having the old dimorphic lashuntas beyond an extra layer of division on how the stat spreads are distributed?

Short answer? Because no one is an Orc in real life.

Long answer? Racial bonuses are a choice you're making for the character that have nothing to do with real life. I know plenty of folks that don't mind playing characters of either gender. However I know WAY MORE people who far prefer playing characters that match their own gender in real life, and I've sat at tables where they don't like other players playing genders that don't match real life.

There shouldn't be gender based modifiers for the same reason there shouldn't be ethnicity based modifiers. When people make a character, they should be free to make a character they identify with, regardless of the bonuses. It's ultimately more interesting, and more fun for them if they do.