Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Qadira, Jewel of the East (PFRPG)

Dear Jessica,

I love this product. Will there be more information on the cults that appear in Quadira or is that more of a Kelesh book?

Probably more of a Kelesh thing, unless we do something like an AP in Qadira.

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Dear Jessica,

I love this product. Will there be more information on the cults that appear in Quadira or is that more of a Kelesh book?

Probably more of a Kelesh thing, unless we do something like an AP in Qadira.

Soooooooo about that Taldan/Qadira AP...

Thank you Jessica for your insights! :) They are greatly appreciated.

(also I wouldn't mind a kind of Quadira thing since Legacy of Fire has been...what at least 10 years now?)

Being a huge fan of Al-Qadim/Zakara, I came into this with high expectations.

They were met. I'm reading this book for the third time already, looking for cool stuff I missed!

I particularly loved the funky alternate faiths in Qadira, and the new ethnicities. The Cult of the Hawk, Dust Speakers, Nightseers, White Feathers, etc. seem to have a lot of fun potential to be developed.

Random brain-asssocations;

The Nightseers, known to wither up and die if kept away from the ocean, and keeping their faces concealed behind veils, are ripe to go in a Mythos direction. Even if they are just normal veiled oracles with a connection to water/the sea, Dagon worshipping Deep One Spawn or whatever could impersonate them pretty handily...

Xerbystes, shown on page 45, looks a little bit like Aladdin, all growed up (told you it was random!). And that crown in no way screams 'I worship Rovagug...'

The solar bloodlines capstone, Solar ascension says "1 round per sorcerer level" and "The duration need not be continuous, but it must be used in 1-round increments" but does not mention how many times this can be used per day. Was this intended to be a one time use ability? Once per day? Once per week? Was just hoping for a clarification.

The solar bloodlines capstone, Solar ascension says "1 round per sorcerer level" and "The duration need not be continuous, but it must be used in 1-round increments" but does not mention how many times this can be used per day. Was this intended to be a one time use ability? Once per day? Once per week? Was just hoping for a clarification.

1 round/sorcerer level per day.

And then, out of nowhere, fog creeps over the dunes. At first you welcome it, thinking it means a bit of relief from this gods-bedamned heat and dryness. But as it slides around you, clammy and unsettling, you start to hear moans from the wounded around you. Moans that just--cut off, as if the person's breath had been stolen.

You look around wildly, wondering what could possibly be doing that, and think you catch a glimpse of a dark-robed figure in the fog. You shout, draw your sword, chase after it. It turns a veiled head toward you, and vanishes. A moment later, a fluttering scrap of fabric drifts through the air and settles onto your shoulder. The diffused light creeping through the fog hurts your eyes. The fog vanishes, and the sun blazes forth, and you realize you've gone blind.

So you sold me on the book with this, and I finally got it today. Haven't read much else, but I like this archetype a lot. I'm thinking it might be neat to combine with Ultimate Horror's tatterdemalion. It'd be a little hex-starved, meaning you'd probably need to put at least half your feats into Extra Hex, but I think it might be worth it for the cool factor anyway.

So you sold me on the book with this, and I finally got it today. Haven't read much else, but I like this archetype a lot. I'm thinking it might be neat to combine with Ultimate Horror's tatterdemalion. It'd be a little hex-starved, meaning you'd probably need to put at least half your feats into Extra Hex, but I think it might be worth it for the cool factor anyway.

I have yet to draft up a witch that didn't spend half her feats on Extra Hex anyway....the flavor is well worth it ;)

This is a great book. It really brought Quadra alive for me.

FINE! I'll buy the thing already!

SM

So a questions on the Ashiftah.

The Protecting Veil: Does it take up a slot? Magic ones use a head slot.
Can it be enchanted [like the scarred witch's mask]?
What do you do if it's destroyed/stolen? It replaces a familiar so I don't know if the normal familiar replacement works.

Ghostwalk: Does "after using a hex" mean activating? Using an activated/continuous one [like attacking with nails/hair or actively searching with Child-Scent]?

Deliver Touch Spells: Does the veil have to be worn for this to work? For instance, could you "tear a strip from her veil" that's tucked into a belt?

On a side note just to gripe... Why isn't searing light a [light] spell?

So a questions on the Ashiftah.

The Protecting Veil: Does it take up a slot? Magic ones use a head slot.

No. You could wear a head item like a circlet over or under it.

Can it be enchanted [like the scarred witch's mask]?

No.

What do you do if it's destroyed/stolen? It replaces a familiar so I don't know if the normal familiar replacement works.

Use the normal replacement rules.

Ghostwalk: Does "after using a hex" mean activating? Using an activated/continuous one [like attacking with nails/hair or actively searching with Child-Scent]?

Treat it as activating.

Deliver Touch Spells: Does the veil have to be worn for this to work? For instance, could you "tear a strip from her veil" that's tucked into a belt?

Up to the GM. Flavor-wise, ashiftim are kind of defined by wearing their veils, but from a purely mechanical standpoint, that's up to the GM and player.

On a side note just to gripe... Why isn't searing light a [light] spell?

No idea. :-) Good question for a Design FAQ.

Thanks for the replies Jessica! I was hoping that an archetype that was all about wearing a veil could wear a magic veil like a Veil of Veils. I can't see wearing two veils though, which is why I was wondering about enchantment.

Though if the familiar veil doesn't have to be worn, I could wear the magic one and the use familiar one from a belt. We'll see how it turns out. :)

Hey, really love the flavor of the new horse companions for cavaliers and such!

I saw one quirk with the crunch:

Genie-Touched Horses of the Istaheq breed get Scion of Stone, which among other things states that they have 10 nat armor instead of the regular 8.

Distinctly different than the above, Genie-Touched Companions of the Istaheq breed have the stats of a regular horse companion, plus certain goodies including the Scion of Stone ability. The Scion of Stone language for "natural armor bonus of +10, instead of the typical +8" doesn't work so much for the Genie-Touched Companion (Istaheq) like it does for the Genie-Touched Horse (Istaheq). The easy GM fix is saying Scion of Stone increases the base nat armor bonus by +2; is that in line with how you intended it?

This book is a gateway drug. It made me buy Feast of Dust.

I'm afraid that if I read it again, it will make me spend more money...

This book is a gateway drug. It made me buy Feast of Dust.

I'm afraid that if I read it again, it will make me spend more money...

DO EET.

This book is a gateway drug. It made me buy Feast of Dust.

I'm afraid that if I read it again, it will make me spend more money...

Give a shout if you want some titles recommended.

Actually, I'm now hoping that if we get a Vudra or Arcadia 64-pager, it's either done by Jessica, or someone with Jessica's level of enthusiasm/energy for the subject matter.

It's interesting how a single author changes things (although I'd worry about it leading to burnout!). Grabbing one off the shelf, Osirion has five authors, mostly the same format, and reads very different.

I've also noticed that single-author Pathfinder books often seem more inspired and cohesive than the ones that have a dozen freelancers, which can seem more "cookie-cutter" in approach. No offense intended to Paizo's fine crop of freelancers!

Just got the book, really enjoyed it! Question however, does the channel energy feature from the solar bloodline count as the channel energy class feature for the purposes of feats, such as selective channeling?

Also, what is the ancient ruin that holds great treasure the girl who asks the players to help her escape speaks of?

Hey, really love the flavor of the new horse companions for cavaliers and such!

I saw one quirk with the crunch:

Genie-Touched Horses of the Istaheq breed get Scion of Stone, which among other things states that they have 10 nat armor instead of the regular 8.

Distinctly different than the above, Genie-Touched Companions of the Istaheq breed have the stats of a regular horse companion, plus certain goodies including the Scion of Stone ability. The Scion of Stone language for "natural armor bonus of +10, instead of the typical +8" doesn't work so much for the Genie-Touched Companion (Istaheq) like it does for the Genie-Touched Horse (Istaheq). The easy GM fix is saying Scion of Stone increases the base nat armor bonus by +2; is that in line with how you intended it?

Yes, sorry for the lack of clarity.

This book is a gateway drug. It made me buy Feast of Dust.

I'm afraid that if I read it again, it will make me spend more money...

*curtseys* My work here is done.

Actually, I'm now hoping that if we get a Vudra or Arcadia 64-pager, it's either done by Jessica, or someone with Jessica's level of enthusiasm/energy for the subject matter.

It's interesting how a single author changes things (although I'd worry about it leading to burnout!). Grabbing one off the shelf, Osirion has five authors, mostly the same format, and reads very different.

I am hoping we can do a Vudra book next year. I'm probably not the best person to write it, but I would very much like to facilitate an author with both passion and expertise in writing about it.

I've also noticed that single-author Pathfinder books often seem more inspired and cohesive than the ones that have a dozen freelancers, which can seem more "cookie-cutter" in approach. No offense intended to Paizo's fine crop of freelancers!

The fault there is absolutely not with our freelancers. We often have to divide books up to get them done in time, which means that different people are simultaneously writing different sections, which means that those sections aren't able to "talk" to each other in the way they can when they're written by a single person.

Just got the book, really enjoyed it! Question however, does the channel energy feature from the solar bloodline count as the channel energy class feature for the purposes of feats, such as selective channeling?

Yes.

Also, what is the ancient ruin that holds great treasure the girl who asks the players to help her escape speaks of?

I'm sorry, can you clarify what you're asking about? Do you remember what section it was in?

I've also noticed that single-author Pathfinder books often seem more inspired and cohesive than the ones that have a dozen freelancers, which can seem more "cookie-cutter" in approach. No offense intended to Paizo's fine crop of freelancers!

I see pros and cons to both approaches...

A single author will give a book a more cohesive vision...but a country and culture are huge and a single author will focus naturally on certain aspects of it.

A group of authors could have passions on different things and could give a more varied veiw of the area...of course it runs into the problem of major contradictions...which means you do loose out on the varied approach somewhat and get that cookie cutter feel.

This book is still great...Jessica did a great job...but the books with multiple parts are good in there own right too...it would be great if the authors could talk to each other...but for than annoying thing called deadlines.

*cheers at Jessica working overtime to answer questions*

It strikes me that when you have multiple authors for a book, there's an opportunity at least for "cross-pollination" of ideas, assuming the authors talk to each other while they're writing. :-)

I was also wondering about the Ashiftah's veil in particular and if it had any particular stats (esp. regarding how durable it is) or if it followed any of the other rules for Familiars (bestowing Alertness, etc)?

It's a very nice version of a Battle Witch alright and made me think also of Sarak from Robin of Sherwood, the black-veiled "Saracen assassin".

BeastMasterFTW wrote:

Also, what is the ancient ruin that holds great treasure the girl who asks the players to help her escape speaks of?

I'm sorry, can you clarify what you're asking about? Do you remember what section it was in?

In Adventuring in qadria, in the section about Al-Zabrit, Secrets of Al-Zabrit, the section labled star crossed lovers. Khanimah al-Rivqah promises to direct the PCs to an ancient ruin that is said to house great treasure if they help her.

I was also wondering about the Ashiftah's veil in particular and if it had any particular stats (esp. regarding how durable it is) or if it followed any of the other rules for Familiars (bestowing Alertness, etc)?

It's a very nice version of a Battle Witch alright and made me think also of Sarak from Robin of Sherwood, the black-veiled "Saracen assassin".

It functions exactly like any other familiar except where specified otherwise.

Jessica Price wrote:

BeastMasterFTW wrote:

Also, what is the ancient ruin that holds great treasure the girl who asks the players to help her escape speaks of?

I'm sorry, can you clarify what you're asking about? Do you remember what section it was in?

In Adventuring in qadria, in the section about Al-Zabrit, Secrets of Al-Zabrit, the section labled star crossed lovers. Khanimah al-Rivqah promises to direct the PCs to an ancient ruin that is said to house great treasure if they help her.

Ah--that's for the GM to make up. These adventure hooks are designed to be short intros to prompt a GM to design a story--not entire stories in and of themselves. :-) If they wanted to, the GM could pick one of the ruins sites detailed elsewhere in the book, but which one is up to them.

Thank you! (as well as for making such an intriguing archetype; for example I can see them having an outlook as being Sarenrae's shadow, for those who reject her light and attack her people)

Any chance of getting a listing of the player options in this book?

Any chance of getting a listing of the player options in this book?

The best are the witch archetype and Solar bloodline for sorcerers. Some details were shared previously in this thread.

shaventalz wrote:

Any chance of getting a listing of the player options in this book?

The best are the witch archetype and Solar bloodline for sorcerers. Some details were shared previously in this thread.

Some specifics were, yes. But when you hear a statement like "everything except X from this book is legal", it would be nice to at least have names for everything else. For instance, the discussion gives no indication that there is a cavalier order in the book - that might well be useful information for people.

Any chance of getting a listing of the player options in this book?

p. 9 - Regional Trait - Watching Taldor, Magic Item - Ring of Return

I may have missed some, I just sort of glanced over the pages in a rush (and didn't even see the Order of the Saddle until I saw your post about there being a Cavalier Order and went back and looked for it!).

Jessica....are we likely to get future information on some of the god's mentioned in the "Faiths of Qadira" section (Shahar, Roidira,) or their followers (Nightseers, Dust Speakers, etc..) ???

Jessica....are we likely to get future information on some of the god's mentioned in the "Faiths of Qadira" section (Shahar, Roidira,) or their followers (Nightseers, Dust Speakers, etc..) ???

If I get to write more about Kelesh. :-)

Which we all hope you do Jessica! Because I know it will be awesome! :)

James Vincent 507 wrote:

I was also wondering about the Ashiftah's veil in particular and if it had any particular stats (esp. regarding how durable it is) or if it followed any of the other rules for Familiars (bestowing Alertness, etc)?

It's a very nice version of a Battle Witch alright and made me think also of Sarak from Robin of Sherwood, the black-veiled "Saracen assassin".

It functions exactly like any other familiar except where specified otherwise.

Wait, so does that mean it's intelligent, has its own senses, has an empathic link, half its master's hit points, shares its master's skill ranks, can eventually speak to its master, etc...?