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?

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

What bothered people was that they had a lower Wisdom.

This isn't what bothered me. What bothered me is that having sexual dimorphism in player characters sorts male characters in one direction and sorts female characters in another direction, if they want to mechanically strong (which most people do), leading to certain builds, such as a Female Lashunta Cleric being undisputably weaker than their male counterpart.

Even if it had been no penalty and just a bonus, it's an unnecessarily limiting quirk in the mechanics that leads to most characters fitting a specific gender stereotype.

It didn't matter so much when the Lashunta were some obscure alien race that had almost zero chance of actually showing up as a player character, but when they made them Core races, this was something that needed fixing, and I like the way they fixed it.

I really just don't get their reasoning on all this. It seems like their "Big reason" for switching to Online-only is to handle shared party resources and effects.

I. will. never. ever. use. this.

It would require all people at the table to have HLO to do anything that HL can't already do! Not to mention it's completely unusuable at stores and conventions.

This is a textbook case of destroying the good in pursuit of the perfect.

Someone REALLY dropped the ball on the session recap.

evilnerf wrote:

I for one, think that they made the right move. It's always best to err on the side of having fun.

Seems to me there's a lot of fun to be had in overcoming gender differences. All the more when there are actual differences. Was the tv show Pitch, about the first woman in the MLB, wrongbadfun because it portrayed a woman succeeding in a men's league? If lashunta males were still hairy meatheads, couldn't we tell some fun stories about how one nevertheless succeeded in a career field traditionally held by females, despite his not being totally suited for it? Isn't that story more powerful if he's actually statistically worse at the job, instead of it just being a matter of unreasoning prejudice?

You are describing two seperate phenomena. You're right that there IS fun to be had in breaking gender stereotypes and biases. There have been whole RPGs based on that. *cough*Night Witches*cough*

But if all female members of a species are mechanically inferior at something so it is harder to break those stereotypes, then are you really helping to encourage that kind of play, or are you just reinforcing that kinda play?

"You're playing a female Lashunta soldier? Why don't you just play male instead, you'll be better."

They have said on the unofficial Facebook post that Starfinder will be Herolab Online only and NOT the desktop program.

This is a tremendously stupid move. Even what small info they've revealed already has made it clear that Herolab Online is not a product I am interested in.

The new features are mostly useless to me. The online requirement is exceedingly burdensome, not even taking into account the new monthly fee.

I really hope the reason for all this silence is that they are reconsidering this.

I for one, think that they made the right move. It's always best to err on the side of having fun.

Everyone else has already played that Scenario, but you haven't, so they have to pretend they don't know what happened.

You going to be pulling a bunch of monsters out of First Contact for the Collector's other prisoners.

Also, unrelated question, will the Collector look like Benecio del Toro?

Maybe! I've already decided that there's a display somewhere with "Goblins in their natural habitat" who are just ITCHING to get out, but I'm also going to be re-skinning a lot of the more obscure Bestiary animals and magical beasts as aliens.

And, yeah, not so much! I am really hoping no one makes the connection. My plan right now is to call him "Lord Antiquarious" and have him speak like Magic Brian from The Adventure Zone.

I am going to be running a one shot soon. Since the Alien Archive isn't out yet, my plot is that the player characters are captured by a "The Collector" type ecentric who has a collection of monsters, and they players have to escape, causing as much mayhem on their way out as they can while fighting escaped creatures.

I am going to be running a one shot soon. Since the Alien Archive isn't out yet, my plot is that the player characters are captured by a "The Collector" type excentric who has a collection of monsters, and they players have to escape, causing as much mayhem on their way out as they can while fighting escaped creatures.

I honestly can't figure out what the issue is. Those media have far more in common than they do different, and players can play whatever they'd like.

So... just have your charming rogue freighter captain carting along a mystical energy sword wielding magic user around to planets that could have come from 2419.

Oooh, what about people bringing up things from Golarion's History without knowing what it is they are really talking about.

"By the snows of Qadira!" "What's a qadira?" "I dunno. Sounds like it'd be cold though."

Ooh, I love softskin!

Well, one interesting aspect of the game is that different Shirren communities could be treating it differently. Maybe some communities it's just rude, maybe some it's just uncommon.

Moreover, given the Shirren attitude to conformity, it'd be almost more strange if they all had the same opinion rather than taking their own views on it.

The only entry about it I can find is the following "Shirrens rely primarily on telepathy for communication, speaking audibly with their mandibles only in formal situations."

That doesnt read to me like taboo, it reads to me more like preference or habit. If there is something else that provides more context, I would love to see it.

Seems pretty obvious to me that they can speak just fine, it's just not the preferred form of communication.

I feel like a passing shout of "Hey hive mind!" would really push a shirren's buttons. Something that implies the complete lack of the individuality that their society so cherishes.

Another great Shirren diss would be confusing them with other shirren, "Oh, you are just like everyone else!" is as sick a burn as I can imagine for a Shirren.

I like the idea of Shirren's insulting people based on a quality that no one else gets. Like... "Well, that bad guy is awfully purple today if you know what I mean." Cue party members staring at him blankly.

"That guy is 3 eggs short of a clutch." "He is so handsome, it makes me smell like green."

The thing I love about Hero Lab is it's a very solid offline program. The idea of having to navigate this b$@*&++# in a chrome window infuriates me.

Jesus. This is awful. Everything I've read seems to indicate that Starfinder is NOT coming to the traditional Hero Lab. These online services tend to be awful and don't work at all in Cons.

I am extremely disappointed by this. Are they trying to compete with D&D online? Because I haven't used it but I've heard nothing but bad things.

The Kesh very much inspired by the Klingons of the original series star trek in terms of their "Brutal antagonist and occasional ally" role as a race.

I'd love to see essentially an adaptation of Ultimate Campaign. Empire building rules, starship mass combat, random planet generation... that kinda thing.

If anything, it is a little bizarre that the only reason Barzillai doesn't just wipe out the PCs in the first adventure is "because plot". JJ and others have stated that BT doesn't want to make any martyrs and exacerbate the rebellion in Kintargo, but he killed a whole bunch of people on the Night of Ashes, sooo...this is more "gameplay and story segregation".

Well, I think a good chunk of it is that he knew where to find those people. The campaign makes the assumption that the Players hideout isn't discovered. If it was, then it would probably be a very different situation.

I know it's just a typo but I'm fairly amused by the idea of an adventure called Hekk's Rebels...

For when House Thrune has just got you so gosh darn mad.

I'm making a new character for Pathfinder Society and I really like the idea of going Huntmaster Cavalier (from Animal Archive) and then Golden Legionnaire. If I do go this route I would want to have a Bird animal companion rather then a dog.

I'm curious what the board thinks about the effectiveness of such a character. Is it viable at all? What feats would you recommend?

The people who go to parties of any kind should have a reasonable expectation not to get raped. No matter what they're wearing.

The women are responsible for their actions insofar as they chose to attend a rowdy party. They are not responsible for what happened to them there while they are passed out.

Are you saying they are responsible because they didn't research the party well enough before going?

I don't want to live in a country where a person can go somewhere expecting to have a good time, have something horrible to them and have people like you saying, "Well she should have known better! The Men there wild animals and therefor she is partially at fault."

They may show poor judgement, yes but responsibility? No.