keftiu's page

I'm sorry to say that the three errata changes for Technomancer do almost nothing to fix the issues with the class. The action economy is still borked, I'm not seeing why Technos should get only 3 slots while Witchwarpers get 4, the Multidisciplinary Mechanic feat that Mechanics can take at 1st level feels FAR more like a Technomancer feat, & none of the 4 subclasses "feel good." Why do we not get Jailbreak until 3rd level?

I want to play a pure caster, not a "fighter-mage with guns." My SF1 Technomancer filled that fantasy, this new version doesn't. Can someone please take a deeper look at the Technomancer class?

You're one blog post behind.

Technomancer requires some significant changes to make the class easier to play, less action starved, and add in more class features they can use with technology. We are currently looking at retooling Overclock Gear, perhaps combining it with more versatile Magic Hacks to highlight each programming language’s gear and shifting the focus of some of its class features away from spellshapes. We are also introducing minions called minibots you can purchase with credits as early as level 1. Minibots can help adventurers of any class with simple tasks, like recording video or carrying a single small item.

These are just a few of the potential changes we’re planning to test out internally.

Have we heard anything about Outer Dragons yet, in either PF2 or SF2? I miss them.

Fingers crossed for the Khari situation to get some love.

Timewracked and Warshard Warrior both sound really fun! I had a blast with my timeline-correcting Aeon powers in the WotR videogame, and my homebrew setting has a bunch of cool magic swords whose wielders have demigod-like powers, so I'm quite excited.

The MMORPG market isn't exactly easy or cheap to get into, and there's only a handful of established big names still rolling on these days. There's a reason you don't really hear about new MMOs before - and I don't think yet another high fantasy world with elves and orcs would stand out.

As someone trying to navigate playing a draconic sorcerer from the Mwangi who follows a Sky Dragon, I sincerely hope, that dragon species gets sorted a bit.

They are classified as imperial (which doesn't really vibe that well with the whole Taralu myths about them) which are arcane caster dragons while still having them being called strongly divine all over their flavor text.
This doesn't fit together well in my opinion.

I'm pretty sure the Taralu revere Cloud Dragons, not Sky Dragons. The Mwangi book introduced a Wyrmblessed bloodline for Sorcerers that gives you divine spellcasting, but with the breath weapon of your dragon ancestor - maybe look at playing that instead of the regular Draconic Bloodline?

Starfinder has always been a different canon from Pathfinder - see also its non-redeemed Nocticula. There's no "retcon" to talk about here.

I have a previous thread on the subject. My understanding is that the Scourge of the Godclaw article was meant to be non-canon, but chunks of it have wound up coming to pass, and Khari is currently in Rahadoumi hands.

I believe we're slated to visit the place in the new AP after Hellbreakers.

I'm a little confused by that particular headcanon. If the Kelesh Empire's fallen apart, then what kind of imperial censure is the ruler of Qadira restraining his ambitions for? The whole thing keeping the Taldan-Qadiran conflict from reigniting is the much bigger fish that would eat the Satrap if he got cocky.

I know it's petty, but the fact that none of the issues of Myth-Speaker included a writeup for the stheno as an ancestry option disappointed me greatly. Like, of ALL the places you could promote them to playable, with so many prominent stheno NPCS...it's such a big missed opportunity. T_T

Interestingly, it DOES talk about Fauns like they're an Ancestry!

i makea da skeleton

Takes about four seconds of thinking to see why this is a bad idea: many of Pathfinder's human ethnicities map onto real ones, making this a very short slippery slope to all kinds of racist mechanical assumptions. Which cultures get a Charisma bonus? Who has an Int penalty?

There's just no reason to open that can of worms.

keftiu wrote:

Casmaron is a huge continent and Kelesh is a sprawling empire. If you want similar variety in Avistan, you already have it: Taldans, Kellids, Varisians, Shoanti, Ulfen, Jadwiga, Varki, Iobarians...

Nidalese (who were introduced in the Lost Omens Campaign Setting having been absent from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, and are probably differentiated more from their neighbors than any of Chelaxians, Andorens, and Taldans are from one another).

I couldn't remember if the Nidalese were considered their own thing or just especially morbid Kellids, thanks!

I'd much sooner play a Mystic than a Cleric.

Casmaron is a huge continent and Kelesh is a sprawling empire. If you want similar variety in Avistan, you already have it: Taldans, Kellids, Varisians, Shoanti, Ulfen, Jadwiga, Varki, Iobarians...

I don't think treating the folk of Cheliax and Andoran as Taldans is any more dismissive than how the game acknowledges at least four distinct cultures that all get lumped under the umbrella of Mwangi.

I don't play PFS, but I do collect some of the scenarios, and I feel like the reviews for every single one are inevitably a chorus of "there was just no possible way this was going to fit in the timeslot." I'm not surprised to see them getting cut down a little.

Some of you guys seem to think the Thrunes losing is a done deal.

I wouldn't bet on that if I were you.

I think Cheliax the nation is slated for some reversals, but I bet Abrogail II is going to get something she wants - apotheosis, maybe?

keftiu wrote:

Oh dear: the mods hid OP, which now makes *me* look like the OP.

Yup. Confused the heck out of me for a minute or so there.

Kinda weird, ngl. Almost rather the whole thread were nuked.

Yeah, enough of this thread's been hidden that it's now kind of incoherent.

Oh dear: the mods hid OP, which now makes *me* look like the OP.

At least Pazio was smart enough to never include Pleiadeans/Nordics or the Annunaki. Those guys make the jump from plausibly deniable antisemitism to full-on white supremacy! I was actually kind of shocked to see the munavri included in PF2, as they reference a similar conspiracy BS milieau.

Conspiracy theory-style Anunnaki were in PF1, with a heavy focus on "creating civilizations and uplifting primitive creatures using their esoteric technology". I don't know why they didn't take the Sumerian mythology route instead of aping Erich von Daniken's racist junk... but then again, PF1 also thought that phrenology was cool.

keftiu wrote:

Reptoids are based on explicitly antisemitic conspiracy theories from the real world, with no allegorical layer around it. There are REAL racist loons in the world day who call Jews they don't like "lizard people", which makes it a lot harder to justify trying to rehabilitate the idea of such scaly, sneaky shapeshifters. Witchwyrds might resemble some caricatures, but reptoids are literally taken straight from them.

It is very sad to see it. Maybe my game experience as GM and player was another. I was GM in Against the Aeon Throne two times and no people joke some kind about reptoids this way. But for witchwirds some people use jewish accent but without any harm. Like, I know, some English-spoken table use Russian accent for vesks. My pain is lost of a big part of history of my favorit setting, but not a lost of complicated racism themes or something kind. It is like... a rewriting of real history to hide some bad things.

But if this has become a real problem in other societies, maybe Paizo has no choice.

Please do not do a "Jewish accent" for your merchant aliens. Wtf??

OK, if you say about racism, so what about Azlanti? It is a big oppressive empire of racists? What about jinsuls? If some people have problems with reptoids, I think they want to find a reason to complain. Why did they not complain about witchwirds? I think they are more stereotypical jews in cosmos: merchants with a closed company and secret knowleges.

Depicting racism in fantasy is not unacceptable. People enjoy beating up on fictional empires and fictional racists - look at the success of Star Wars - and also, fantasy/sci-fi racism does not typically target real-world races. The Azlanti hate aliens, not Black people, y'know?

Reptoids are based on explicitly antisemitic conspiracy theories from the real world, with no allegorical layer around it. There are REAL racist loons in the world day who call Jews they don't like "lizard people", which makes it a lot harder to justify trying to rehabilitate the idea of such scaly, sneaky shapeshifters. Witchwyrds might resemble some caricatures, but reptoids are literally taken straight from them.

EDIT: I should also say: if the developers taking complaints like this seriously bothers you, you've picked the wrong game company to buy from. Paizo has been very intentionally, vocally progressive since well before PF2 even released, and have made many previous decisions out of a desire to counteract or avoid old racist tropes.

Lost Omens: Draconic Codex was announced a few months ago.

moosher12 wrote:

I mean, you already know the answer for the Reptoids. As for the greys, it was probably for a similar reason as the Ikeshki's being retconned into being emotion-based creatures. Both the Greys and the Ikeshki's came off as a bid SA-ey in their 1E renditions. Which just makes things weird at the average table.

*Reads about retconned Ikeshti*

Huh. I identify with the Ikeshti and their volatile emotions. I've even had a few Rivener States in the past myself...

Also... SA-ey? I have no idea what that means.

SA is Sexual Assault. Between decades of 'probing' lore for Greys and the violent reproductive cycle of the Ikeshti, I think moosher12's point is a pretty valid one.

Also, if we got rid of Reptoids because of their antisemitic origins... then shouldn't we get rid of the Lovecraftian content too? After all, Lovecraft was INCREDIBLY racist (as an example, Innsmouth was basically his fears at the idea of interracial relationships).

Again, I'm not DENYING the racist/discrimination. I'm just saying, "can you separate the prejudice from the fiction"?

Lovecraft was writing fiction with racist themes 100 years ago; Icke writes books that say "Jews are evil lizard aliens, for real, right now, in our world," and is still alive doing harm today. I think that's a meaningful difference.

Critics have accused Icke of being antisemitic and a Holocaust denier, due to, among other statements, his endorsement of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, his book And the Truth Shall Set You Free, which "argues that Holocaust denial should be taught in schools,"[26] and his identification of the Jewish Rothschild family as reptilians

Why would you ever WANT to play with this guy's toys?

From the stream today it sounds like we are getting more of Casmeron in the future as Erik Mona said he was working on stuff for the region.

He also mentioned the idea of an AP about the collapse of the Padishah empire and the civil war that enfolded that would be like the bronze age collapse. Note this isn't an ap that will happen as this was them being put on the spot to make one up then and there, but it is curious to see where his mind is at.

Properly introducing us to Casmaron with the explosive end of the empire could be a really interesting way to do it.

Reptilian infiltrator aliens are a core pillar of some pretty hateful antisemitic conspiracy theories, and have been for decades. Calling that "stupid complaining" is pretty unflattering - why make this thread if you already know the answer, but just don't like it?

zimmerwald1915 wrote:

Veltharis wrote:

Not too much to go on, but the general premise seems to be the PCs starting uprisings along Cheliax's western coastline

Oh, is Pezzack's dual power situation finally getting resolved?

They mentioned Corentyn, Khari, and the Hellcoast region in a general sense, but nothing specifically about Pezzack.

Khari's on the menu? I suddenly care about this metaplot event a lot more.

I was surprised that SF2E Player Core was only 6 classes. At first

After all, PF2E Core Rulebook was 12, and PF2E Player Core was 8.

But now that I can compare the books properly, the books are about the same size, and PF2E Player Core has 8 Ancestries, as opposed to SF2E's 10. Plus with Magic items, augmentations, and equipment upgrades being included, as well as the Computers and Piloting checks being added.

I'd guess to have a full 8-class roster, it'd probably require sacrificing at least two ancestries and potentially a good handful of magic items, augmentations, and equipment upgrades.

The argument's been made that the Mechanic and Technomancer relied on tech-related mechanics that weren't finalized for core, but I'm not entirely convinced of that from what we saw in the playtest.

One thing mentioned in a different section of the book that could prove a very unexpected twist is that Nirmathas is actively trying to align itself with Cheliax in the hope they’ll provide protection from Molthune. This could mean that in the event of a possible escalation Molthune actually sides with Andoran while the Encarthan Alliance is pulled in to support Cheliax. Though I doubt that will actually happen because the other Alliance members have no reason to agree to that proposal.

Huh, that's pretty interesting. Nobody *wants* to be friends with Nidal and Cheliax, but when you're squished between Molthune, Oprak, and the Whispering Tyrant... I can understand the desire to find a strong ally.

Glad to see a more interesting route taken than "Molthune and Cheliax team up because they're jerks, Nirmathas and Andoran ally because they both love Freedom" that might be expected.

D&D 2E's Dark Sun setting had a trader class. Basically a rogue with no backstab but lots of languages, skills, and a fast-talking ability.

They also picked up a pretty massive retinue of NPC followers who could fight for them in their higher levels!

Void Elves have been mentioned for it, I believe.

This being the team's first game is a little worrying.

What do they do in the tactical combat that makes up the bulk of PF2's play?

How do they deliver on their class fantasy without breaking the game's fairly strict assumptions around gear progression?

The Vanguard wasn't core in 1e, so I'm not sure why it not being core in 2e would make you assume it's gone for good.

There's the four Traditions of magic. I don't expect more than that.

HARDCASE is my solo RPG about trying to survive the gig economy in a hyper-capitalist space future, and after Itchfunding earlier this year, its first expansion, HARDCASE: TRUTHSEEKER, is now out in full!

It's a buffet of new content for the game's Online layer (Doomscroll the News, have fun E-Dating or Online Shopping, collect all the Virtual Pets, explore new Servers and CONQUEROR Islands, rediscover Lost Media for Cash or nerd cred...), along with 5 scenarios for an optional new Carved from Brindlewood-inspired Mysteries subsystem. TRUTHSEEKER more than doubles the game's length, and is full of some of my proudest work yet, along with great art and layout from Ida Ailes.

I'd be honored if you checked it out <3

Yeah that's pretty much the long and short of it. Cheliax doesn't exist. The Nazis did (or do, sadly.)

Yeah, the ongoing harm angle is worth saying, too - there are still hateful bigots using Nazi symbols and ideology today, doing very real violence to real marginalized people.

moosher12 wrote:

But travel to Earth is intergalactic,

Do you happen to have a citation for Earth being in a different galaxy? I don't remember that from playing Rasputin

Starfinder's setting is the Desna's Path Galaxy, as of Ports of Call.

moosher12 wrote:

Actually, you don't need time travel at all. All you need is sufficiently strong teleportation. I think there is a way, especially with the wake of the Godsrain. The thing is, on Lost Omens Earth, the current year is 1930, and there is a small amount of people that know that Earth exists and is theoretically accessible with enough power.

I haven't kept up with PF2e lore since before Remaster, had no idea there was a 1930s Earth equivalent planet in PF2e, is it actually called Earth, or does it have another name? I wonder what happens to that Earth in SF2e if it even survives.

Thanks for the information, that's really interesting. I can't imagine Paizo coming up with something like that and not eventually using it. It should be interesting to see what happens.

So what else has Paizo done outside the Golarion star system in PF2e or PF1e?

PF1e had an Adventure Path, Reign of Winter, that culminated in a jaunt to Russia in 1918.

With Starfinder 2e's release now imminent, I can't help but want to necro this thread and see if any brilliant ideas have occured to folks in the intervening years.

With Starfinder 2e now in the hands of some people, I figure it's time to bring back the pom-poms and cheers for PF2 Numeria content :3

Golarion as a setting already resembles the 'zoo' folks are complaining about, though. It's never really been a low-fantasy "humans and one dwarf" kinda world, especially now that Orcs and Leshies are Common.

I mean, Mzali's army and an avatar of Walkena got spanked once already by the Magaambya in Strength of Thousands. He might be a god... but he's opposed by several other gods, and mostly remains a local threat so far.

Battlecry! has a small section on tensions in Xopatl around the raising of a new army and sightings of Cuetzmonqualli that are either omens of a new Army of Fire's return (something that's been repeatedly foreshadowed elsewhere) or else a manipulative hoax meant to gather military power.

vyshan wrote:

I wonder does Battlecry have anything on Geb v Nex or Taldor v Qadira?

** spoiler omitted **

I'd be very surprised to see Senghor not taking Mzali seriously as a threat, given that Walkena's unlikely to treat a bunch of Arcadian-descended Caldaru as being native Mwangi! Here's hoping they get to come up a little whenever that hypothetical Bright Lions AP comes around.

keftiu wrote:

zimmerwald1915 wrote:

keftiu wrote:

but they also haven't done one about the revolutionaries in Katapesh, either, and I don't interpret that as any kind of condemnation.

I do! :D

I feel we're overdue a Lost Omens: Golden Road, at the very least... but I don't feel wronged by its absence!

No, you feel wronged by the absence of Lost Omens: Arcadia :P

(I'm just kidding, if the emoticons weren't clear.)

That emotion is more aptly described as "rabid" >:3

keftiu wrote:

but they also haven't done one about the revolutionaries in Katapesh, either, and I don't interpret that as any kind of condemnation.

I do! :D

I feel we're overdue a Lost Omens: Golden Road, at the very least... but I don't feel wronged by its absence!

keftiu wrote:

I'd still love to know what "worldview the writer is forcing on us" by not depicting Cheliax's POV, Arkat. It's been three days and I still think that's kind of an unreal thing to post.

I was trying to avoid answering this, but since you called me out directly, here you go:

That it's THEIR world and that we have to play how Paizo wants us to play.

One of their employees made that quite clear in an X post some months ago.

Are you satisfied?

I'm confused, mostly. There's all the lore you need to play as Chelish PCs or run a Cheliax-centered campaign, there's a number of "Evil" mechanical options for your players to enjoy across several Classes and Archetypes, and Archives of Nethys shows me 30+ Celestial creatures to get into fights to if you want them. Paizo has filled a toybox with things that exist to let you play as the baddies, if you want; those rules wouldn't exist if they hated you for touching them.

Sure, they probably won't make an AP about embodying the Chelish military... but they also haven't done one about the revolutionaries in Katapesh, either, and I don't interpret that as any kind of condemnation. There's hundreds of possible Golarion storylines that haven't been written for us, y'know?

Blood Lords got made. Prey for Death got made. PF2 does not have some kind of line in the sand drawn about always playing squeaky-clean sympathetic goodies.