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Love the Mites on the cover. Although the one in front looked less like a mite-on-a-spider and more like a mite-drider, which itself is a funky concept. And now I have the Knight Rider intro music stuck in my head... Na na na na Mite Drider!
Not a typo: his name really is "Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras."And man, does he have a lot to grob.
So I'm not the only one who thinks his name is 'Mayor Holdemhere Grabass?'
Good thing I'll never have to pronounce it. He died in my group's Rise of the Runelords :P
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Love the Mites on the cover. Although the one in front looked less like a mite-on-a-spider and more like a mite-drider, which itself is a funky concept. And now I have the Knight Rider intro music stuck in my head... Na na na na Mite Drider!
Not a typo: his name really is "Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras."And man, does he have a lot to grob.So I'm not the only one who thinks his name is 'Mayor Holdemhere Grabass?'
And thus it came to be that Set ruined the book (and AP) for everyone... :D
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Our group played through the first about half of the adventure, and I have to say we are having a blast with it. Lots of flavor, good pacing throughout, nice mix of combat, rp and skill usage. The NPCs thus far have been interesting and well thought out. I will probably review this one after our party finishes up the entire thing, and thus far I am impressed. None of the other APs in the last couple of years have really grabbed us like this has.
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Love the Mites on the cover. Although the one in front looked less like a mite-on-a-spider and more like a mite-drider, which itself is a funky concept. And now I have the Knight Rider intro music stuck in my head... Na na na na Mite Drider!
Not a typo: his name really is "Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras."And man, does he have a lot to grob.So I'm not the only one who thinks his name is 'Mayor Holdemhere Grabass?'
And thus it came to be that Set ruined the book (and AP) for everyone... :D
One of the rare moments when I'm happy that I'm running games for non-English speakers.
"So you are greeted by Lord Smorgasbord Grabmybuttocks..."
NOBODY LAUGHS
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Is it now impossible to create a post about Paizo products generally? If it is, I was not smart enough to find where.
Anyway, two separate thoughts: After wandering around GenCon all weekend and looking at all the different three dimension dungeon build out products available now, why doesn't Paizo partner with one of these outfits ala WizKids for figurines to create Adventure Path specific build outs that can be purchased and played? I mean, it would be great to have some of the highlights from the AP's rendered in three dimensions so that we can play them.
You know who would buy those? Me. You know who would subscribe to something like that? Me.
Along other lines, why only black tee shirts? I know you sell a lot of black tee shirts, but that is because that is the only color you offer. We have the technology to do other colors. Why not?!
Who should I thank for the Skvader being included among the monsters? (They're so darn cute! And have their own road-sign - squee!)
Director of Narrative
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Who should I thank for the Skvader being included among the monsters? (They're so darn cute! And have their own road-sign - squee!)
Wes put them on the schedule, Craig Campbell wrote them up, and I developed them. I dig the crazy critters!
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Director of Narrative
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Also, regarding the Fleshdregs: I have the fortune of having a group of players that is mostly familiar with Silent Hill 4. I'm going to have a lot of fun milking some creepy visuals out of these guys. :D
While I've never played Silent Hill (thus don't know the connection), I'm glad I was able to bring the creepy!
Who should I thank for the Skvader being included among the monsters? (They're so darn cute! And have their own road-sign - squee!)Wes put them on the schedule, Craig Campbell wrote them up, and I developed them. I dig the crazy critters!
Big thanks to all three then. :D
What are the monsters (+ small discription of them) in this book?
Bishop Agathion - Fishy-looking, squid-faced angel with a head for logic and scaring the crap out of evil types. (And, let's face it, good types caught unprepared too. Squid-faced!)
Fleshdreg - A failed sinspawn who sometimes show up in swarm form.
Melfesh Monster - A plant-monster from the area around the village of Melfesh who can emit poisonous vapors, envelop its victims, and generally would have Seymour wetting his roots.
Skvader & Wolpertinger: Hybrid animals from Swedish and Bavarian folklore.
Snallygaster - Aberration which looks like a goofy dragon and enjoys booze, blood of sentient creatures, and long walks on the beach. (Disclaimer: may not actually enjoy walks on the beach.)
Snallygaster- looks more like a one eyed flying dinosaur.
Skvader/Wolpertinger- are rabbit based monsters, still no Almiraj but nice none the less.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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Bishop Agathion - Fishy-looking, squid-faced angel with a head for logic and scaring the crap out of evil types. (And, let's face it, good types caught unprepared too. Squid-faced!)
Fleshdreg - A failed sinspawn who sometimes show up in swarm form.
Melfesh Monster - A plant-monster from the area around the village of Melfesh who can emit poisonous vapors, envelop its victims, and generally would have Seymour wetting his roots.
Skvader & Wolpertinger: Hybrid animals from Swedish and Bavarian folklore.
Snallygaster - Aberration which looks like a goofy dragon and enjoys booze, blood of sentient creatures, and long walks on the beach. (Disclaimer: may not actually enjoy walks on the beach.)
What's the squid-face angel's (okay, Agathion's) inspiration from?
Cool.
Trivia note!
All the monsters in this issue's Bestiary, with the exception of the fleshdreg, are cryptids.
Which delighted me. I was laughing aloud by the time I hit the wolpertinger. The Melfesh Monster is supposed to be the Flatwoods Monster, right? Flying without wings, fiery eyes and a noxious stench all seem to fit. Never seen it interpreted as a plant, which was pretty cool.
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Director of Narrative
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Which delighted me. I was laughing aloud by the time I hit the wolpertinger. The Melfesh Monster is supposed to be the Flatwoods Monster, right? Flying without wings, fiery eyes and a noxious stench all seem to fit. Never seen it interpreted as a plant, which was pretty cool.Trivia note!
All the monsters in this issue's Bestiary, with the exception of the fleshdreg, are cryptids.
Absolutely correct!
Absolutely correct!Which delighted me. I was laughing aloud by the time I hit the wolpertinger. The Melfesh Monster is supposed to be the Flatwoods Monster, right? Flying without wings, fiery eyes and a noxious stench all seem to fit. Never seen it interpreted as a plant, which was pretty cool.Trivia note!
All the monsters in this issue's Bestiary, with the exception of the fleshdreg, are cryptids.
The "pointed hood" in the description was a bit of a tell. And, unfortunately, it didn't come across in the art.
For those of you unfamiliar with this classic bug-eyed monster:
The Flatwoods Monster!
One of my favorite pieces of modern American folklore. Right up there with Mothman and the Mad Gasser of Mattoon
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Bishop Fish was what came to mind instantly when I saw those guys. Love the look they were given, and it's still wide open to lay plenty of other kinds of fish features over them to make them unsettlingly beautiful or ugly(from Abe Sapien-ish to Gill Man). It really makes one wonder at what else lies in the deep waters of Nirvana. :)
Really, really like having these guys around.
While I've never played Silent Hill (thus don't know the connection), I'm glad I was able to bring the creepy!Also, regarding the Fleshdregs: I have the fortune of having a group of players that is mostly familiar with Silent Hill 4. I'm going to have a lot of fun milking some creepy visuals out of these guys. :D
Here ya go! (relevant bit starts at 3:50-ish)
It's the accusatory pointing around 3:55-ish that sticks with me.
Thinking about using a bit of that imagery with some of the fleshdregs: Pitiable, incomplete creatures unthinkingly and silently accusing and targeting PCs and NPCs alike more and more if they start wracking up certain sins, all staring through partial faces stolen from their composite souls... >:)
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Creative Director
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Yeah, we gave the artist the Flatwoods Monster pictures as reference, but then basically said "go with this as a starting point but make it look realistic, so that the reference remains a drawing of a real monster made by someone who can't draw." He took it a bit further than that, I think, but what he came up with in the end was really cool so we kept it.
Just got done with my first skimread. I'm very much liking this AP - I didnt really have a handle on it until now, but it's great to see another AP broadly along the lines of RotRL - no specific "handle", just a traditional, old fashioned story of adventurers slaying monsters, finding loot and saving the world (eventually). A nice change from the previous run of more 'experimental' APs.
The upcoming instalments look good too (the synopsis of the AP is always the first thing I read when I get issue one, for some reason..) Particularly enthused to see more revelations planned regarding Kaer Maga. :)
Trivia note!
All the monsters in this issue's Bestiary, with the exception of the fleshdreg, are cryptids.
I hope to see Buggane and Cherufe in later parts of this AP series!
It really makes one wonder at what else lies in the deep waters of Nirvana. :)
Lets hope on the most famous left-out mythology/folklore monsters based on water, Abaia, a non-fish version of the Afanc and the Indus Worm
Absolutely correct!Which delighted me. I was laughing aloud by the time I hit the wolpertinger. The Melfesh Monster is supposed to be the Flatwoods Monster, right? Flying without wings, fiery eyes and a noxious stench all seem to fit. Never seen it interpreted as a plant, which was pretty cool.Trivia note!
All the monsters in this issue's Bestiary, with the exception of the fleshdreg, are cryptids.
The "pointed hood" in the description was a bit of a tell. And, unfortunately, it didn't come across in the art.
For those of you unfamiliar with this classic bug-eyed monster:
The Flatwoods Monster!
One of my favorite pieces of modern American folklore. Right up there with Mothman and the Mad Gasser of Mattoon
I was going to wait an dfinish up Skull & Shackles before tackling the new AP, but after reading this (and about the skymetal), I now officially HAVE to get this one. The Phantom of Flatwoods is here? One of the classic 50's flying saucer monsters? I've got to see this one.
Oh Phantom of Flatwoods, from near or from far,
Maybe from Earth and not from the stars...
And I agree on needing a Mad Gasser of Mattoon-type monster or character for the game. Maybe a mad alchemist with a taste for airborne toxins?
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I inspected the maps in the adventure PDF (not the interactive ones) for use with a VTT. The secret door and concealed door labels are showing up on the map layer that I copy without the labels (the room numbers are gone but the secret and concealed door labels remain).
I usually prefer to snag the map graphics straight out of the adventure PDF rather than depend on the interactive map PDF, because they tend to have a larger size and hence look nicer. Having to photoshop out the unwanted labels, however, is a pain.
Providing true labelless maps in the adventure PDF despite also having the interactive map option would be a plus.
Thanks!
(It looks like in some cases I can fiddle with the interactive map display sizes and get them to match the PDF maps with no pixelization, and shut off all map tags. That's a valid option, too, as long as that works. In the case of shattered Star 1, 136% does it)
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Creative Director
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It really makes one wonder at what else lies in the deep waters of Nirvana. :)Lets hope on the most famous left-out mythology/folklore monsters based on water, Abaia, a non-fish version of the Afanc and the Indus Worm
Shattered Star isn't intended to be the "cryptid AP" at all. Upcoming volumes might have more cryptids... but that's not the goal.
I inspected the maps in the adventure PDF (not the interactive ones) for use with a VTT. The secret door and concealed door labels are showing up on the map layer that I copy without the labels (the room numbers are gone but the secret and concealed door labels remain).
I usually prefer to snag the map graphics straight out of the adventure PDF rather than depend on the interactive map PDF, because they tend to have a larger size and hence look nicer. Having to photoshop out the unwanted labels, however, is a pain.
Providing true labelless maps in the adventure PDF despite also having the interactive map option would be a plus.
Thanks!
(It looks like in some cases I can fiddle with the interactive map display sizes and get them to match the PDF maps with no pixelization, and shut off all map tags. That's a valid option, too, as long as that works. In the case of shattered Star 1, 136% does it)
I see what's going on here. I'll see what I can do to get this fixed up as soon as possible.
The PDF has been updated to fix the map label issue above.
Chris, Have these PDF issues been fixed yet?
One is the Shattered Star player's Guide, the other is the first volume in the Shattered Star AP. Both are viewed on my iPad 2 using iBooks.
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The PDF has been updated to fix the map label issue above.
Chris,
I downloaded both the single file and one file per chapter PDFs, and viewed them used Adobe Reader 10.1.3. This is the same version of Adobe I used to inspect the maps before.
Now when I mouse into the maps, I don't get a crosshair. I get a crosshair if I hold control and move the mouse into the maps, but then clicking and copying only grabs the page border and leaves a black area in the middle when I paste.
I notice not many of the images in the PDF are selectable now, usually on the pages with a border pattern. The main NPC art on the cover is selectable as are the TOC and foreword art.
Chris, Have these PDF issues been fixed yet?
One is the Shattered Star player's Guide, the other is the first volume in the Shattered Star AP. Both are viewed on my iPad 2 using iBooks.
The Player's Guide and AP Volume have been fixed.
Now when I mouse into the maps, I don't get a crosshair. I get a crosshair if I hold control and move the mouse into the maps, but then clicking and copying only grabs the page border and leaves a black area in the middle when I paste.
This too, has been fixed. :)
Redownloading in both cases should reflect the changes.
Thanks Chris, I'll redownload after work tonight.
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Now when I mouse into the maps, I don't get a crosshair. I get a crosshair if I hold control and move the mouse into the maps, but then clicking and copying only grabs the page border and leaves a black area in the middle when I paste.This too, has been fixed. :)
Redownloading in both cases should reflect the changes.
It is indeed fixed! Thanks!
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Well, I'd love to see the developments of prior AP's in Varisia acknowledged here. Then again, I've been asking for some metaplot advancement for a long time now. Golarion is all set-up and no pay-off. ;)I'm sure there is a group out there who:
** spoiler omitted **Paizo can't advance the metaplot without invalidating their game, which I do not support.
Regarding your spoiler...
You found my group already, good times.
Really, REALLY dislike the new art style in the Bestiary in this one!
Really hope it returns to normal (bestiary 2/3 art style and previous AP art styles) in the next chapter, these artworks really don't go well together with the less childish and more serious artworks of the other products.
For the rest the artwork in the AP is good, only the bestiary is weird.
No offence to the artist, its just so different from the other artwork.
Please, no!
I, for one, applaud any appearances of anime/cartoon inspired art in Pathfinder products.
You applaud everything that I dislike just for the sake of me being the one that dislikes it.
The artists who drew Jorogumo, Valkyrie, Jabberwocky, Lukwata, Maftet, Fungus Leshy & Interlocutor Kyton are really good monster artists for example.
Cartoony style can be fun, but when it comes to monsters they just won't do... its too pokemon meets blizzards warcraft...