Pathfinder Lost Omens: Impossible Lands

That's a shame. But understandable. Any information we get on them is a plus either way.

I'd be surprised if Samsaran are seen here. They are pretty firmly set in Tian-Xia. The Nagaji made sense here, given the large presence of the Naga themselves. But with Xi Ha being the Ancestral home of Samsarans, I wouldn't except them till we travel further east. That's my opinion anyways. I'd love to be wrong.

That's a shame. But understandable. Any information we get on them is a plus either way.

I'd be surprised if Samsaran are seen here. They are pretty firmly set in Tian-Xia. The Nagaji made sense here, given the large presence of the Naga themselves. But with Xi Ha being the Ancestral home of Samsarans, I wouldn't except them till we travel further east. That's my opinion anyways. I'd love to be wrong.

I would’ve never believed the Nagaji would come in an Impossible Lands book until it was confirmed. They seemed even more localized to Tian Xia than Samsarans.

Ly'ualdre wrote:

That's a shame. But understandable. Any information we get on them is a plus either way.

I'd be surprised if Samsaran are seen here. They are pretty firmly set in Tian-Xia. The Nagaji made sense here, given the large presence of the Naga themselves. But with Xi Ha being the Ancestral home of Samsarans, I wouldn't except them till we travel further east. That's my opinion anyways. I'd love to be wrong.

I would’ve never believed the Nagaji would come in an Impossible Lands book until it was confirmed. They seemed even more localized to Tian Xia than Samsarans.

After the surprise of their initial announcement, it made sense for me. The Naga have a huge presence in Vudra. Their history is steeped there.

From a cultural inspiration standpoint, Samsarns make 100% sense. I'm hoping I'm incorrect, since it further paints a path towards Tian-Xia eventually. But, my brain refuses to accept it. Seems too good to be true.

keftiu wrote:

Ly'ualdre wrote:

That's a shame. But understandable. Any information we get on them is a plus either way.

I'd be surprised if Samsaran are seen here. They are pretty firmly set in Tian-Xia. The Nagaji made sense here, given the large presence of the Naga themselves. But with Xi Ha being the Ancestral home of Samsarans, I wouldn't except them till we travel further east. That's my opinion anyways. I'd love to be wrong.

I would’ve never believed the Nagaji would come in an Impossible Lands book until it was confirmed. They seemed even more localized to Tian Xia than Samsarans.

After the surprise of their initial announcement, it made sense for me. The Naga have a huge presence in Vudra. Their history is steeped there.

From a cultural inspiration standpoint, Samsarns make 100% sense. I'm hoping I'm incorrect, since it further paints a path towards Tian-Xia eventually. But, my brain refuses to accept it. Seems too good to be true.

I’m pretty convinced we’re returning to Tian Xia next year, but I’m honestly struggling to imagine what else they can throw into the book other than Samsarans and Wayangs. They might just go all-in on expanding known Ancestries (Jinin’s Elves, Kaoling’s Hobgoblins, all sorts of Kitsune and Tengu, etc), or maybe throw some super oddball options at us.

Ly'ualdre wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Ly'ualdre wrote:

That's a shame. But understandable. Any information we get on them is a plus either way.

I'd be surprised if Samsaran are seen here. They are pretty firmly set in Tian-Xia. The Nagaji made sense here, given the large presence of the Naga themselves. But with Xi Ha being the Ancestral home of Samsarans, I wouldn't except them till we travel further east. That's my opinion anyways. I'd love to be wrong.

I would’ve never believed the Nagaji would come in an Impossible Lands book until it was confirmed. They seemed even more localized to Tian Xia than Samsarans.

After the surprise of their initial announcement, it made sense for me. The Naga have a huge presence in Vudra. Their history is steeped there.

From a cultural inspiration standpoint, Samsarns make 100% sense. I'm hoping I'm incorrect, since it further paints a path towards Tian-Xia eventually. But, my brain refuses to accept it. Seems too good to be true.

I’m pretty convinced we’re returning to Tian Xia next year, but I’m honestly struggling to imagine what else they can throw into the book other than Samsarans and Wayangs. They might just go all-in on expanding known Ancestries (Jinin’s Elves, Kaoling’s Hobgoblins, all sorts of Kitsune and Tengu, etc), or maybe throw some super oddball options at us.

Expanding seems like a safe bet.

It is no secret, but I desperately want playable Tanuki.

I think I'm open to the idea of Kappa as well. I went back and forth with myself in regards to their head bowl being a detriment. But, I don't think it would be any more difficult to handle than the Azerketi needing to submerge in water on occasion. Could have some Feats that improve their survivability if they lose the water, as well as some that help retain or refill it.

Aside from that, not sure what else they could do. 3 or 4 additions seems well enough for me.

EDIT: Kappa would be a unique rival to D&Ds Tortle

Is there such a thing as too many playable races ancestries? :-)

Is there such a thing as too many playable races ancestries? :-)

While there’s still ones I want? No way.

Is there such a thing as too many playable races ancestries? :-)

If 3rd edition D&D has anything to say about that, no.

They all have their place. :p

Is there such a thing as too many playable races ancestries? :-)

From my GM's perspective, yes. I still don't like mastering for something that feels like a runaway circus troupe.

I'm usually still keeping to the "One Chewbacca Rule", which means at most one non-standard ancestry per group (standard currently means the core books, so ancestries from the CRB and APG are fine).

Honestly though, the "circus party", besides being bit insulting, is only case when gm wants to portray world as "everyone looks as close to humans as possible". Which is valid style preference and all, but still.

Like its not really issue when the other "weirder" ancestries keep popping up semi regularly, its weird only when party seems to be only examples of their species in the entire continent.

Impossible Lands will be the first Pathfinder Lost Omens release in which the regular and Special Editions release together.

Robin Crossby pointed out that it's difficult for a human to really role play an alien species. Of course, in his game world, elves are immortal, which is a bigger gap than a mere 750 year life span (compared to humans). Still his dwarves and Golarion's dwarves are a bit more similar, both living about 250 to 300 years. And his world doesn't have the plethora of intelligent species that Golarion has. Still...

The other side of the coin is that I'm not sure there's all that much role playing going on in most Pathfinder games anyway. :-)

Robin Crossby pointed out that it's difficult for a human to really role play an alien species. Of course, in his game world, elves are immortal, which is a bigger gap than a mere 750 year life span (compared to humans). Still his dwarves and Golarion's dwarves are a bit more similar, both living about 250 to 300 years. And his world doesn't have the plethora of intelligent species that Golarion has. Still...

The other side of the coin is that I'm not sure there's all that much role playing going on in most Pathfinder games anyway. :-)

In general though, in world where human, elves, dwarves, halflings and gnomes aren't alien to each other mentally, why would other species need to be?

(its kinda like the whole "intelligent animal" double standard people have where they complain about them either acting too much like the animal or too much like human. Most people don't have similar complaints about playing borderline immortal elves or long lived short underground people like humans :p)

The other side of the coin is that I'm not sure there's all that much role playing going on in most Pathfinder games anyway. :-)

Personally I don't see the point in playing another ancestry if you're just going to roleplay them as if they're a human.

Ed Reppert wrote:

The other side of the coin is that I'm not sure there's all that much role playing going on in most Pathfinder games anyway. :-)

Personally I don't see the point in playing another ancestry if you're just going to roleplay them as if they're a human.

This is one of my favorite topics to talk about in case it isn't obvious x'D Sorry if I'm being annoyingly chatty.

Anyway, this particular sentence is one where I can write super long essay about(as in I have done that previously x'D). I'll just check which one you mean here: do you mean a) "playing species as inherently alienating from human perspective" or b) "playing character who has been shaped by their experiences growing up"?

(its bit confusing for me as xenofiction fan which one people mean when they say that ^^; Since I like both x'D)

Robin Crossby pointed out that it's difficult for a human to really role play an alien species. Of course, in his game world, elves are immortal, which is a bigger gap than a mere 750 year life span (compared to humans). Still his dwarves and Golarion's dwarves are a bit more similar, both living about 250 to 300 years. And his world doesn't have the plethora of intelligent species that Golarion has. Still...

As I've gotten older I've often expressed to my wife that it's difficult for someone in their late teens or early 20's to play a long-lived being properly. But the older I get the more I empathize with how elves are very cynical about the prospect of anything changing for the better and have trust issues.

Me and my group are all big fans of weirdo Ancestries. The genre is called “fantasy,” after all - we all get plenty of being human in our daily lives.

Yeah, gonna agree with keftiu here. So what if I can't truly, properly understand the intricacies of the perspective of my bearkin elf aerokineticist? It's cool as hell. Also, one need not understand a perspective to respect it, fantastical or not.

On the "only one Chewbacca" idea, I've long since embraced that my PCs are cool and exceptional, so we're more "Mos Eisley cantina." And for that, we need even more ancestries, because how my friends and I play the game is just as good as a stodgy humanocentric group.

Ed Reppert wrote:

Robin Crossby pointed out that it's difficult for a human to really role play an alien species. Of course, in his game world, elves are immortal, which is a bigger gap than a mere 750 year life span (compared to humans). Still his dwarves and Golarion's dwarves are a bit more similar, both living about 250 to 300 years. And his world doesn't have the plethora of intelligent species that Golarion has. Still...

As I've gotten older I've often expressed to my wife that it's difficult for someone in their late teens or early 20's to play a long-lived being properly. But the older I get the more I empathize with how elves are very cynical about the prospect of anything changing for the better and have trust issues.

I dunno if that is just matter of aging though, like plenty of things are better than ten years ago. Such as my computer ;P Back when I was still in school, everyone was cynical as hell about everything too so I don't see that as age thing either(heck I think lot of teens are cynical in the naive "everything is s**@ and nothing we do matters" way), then again Finnish people are in general kinda cynical I guess?

That and aren't fantasy elves less cynical about things changing and more annoyed that shorter living beings keep changing constantly("ah yes humans and their proud 300 year old nation. It will probably fall in another hundred") while also at same time having patterns they repeat? Its honestly more of human thing fantasy in well to be like "nothing changes in my lifetime" while elves just look at you for complaining about your short life time as if it was long

The Fellowship had two humans out of nine members, and one of them was a half-elf. I’m sure we’ll all find a way to manage if Tolkien could.

I personally find it rather boring to only be allowed to play the pointy ear, small, and stocky takes on Humans in a setting filled with thousands of creatures.

What does it mean to "act Human" in this regard? To behave like a civilized and personable individual?

Bring on the motley crew, be their horns grown or store bought.

The Fellowship had two humans out of nine members, and one of them was a half-elf. I’m sure we’ll all find a way to manage if Tolkien could.

Which one was a half-elf? Gandalf?

Aragorn was descended, iirc, from Elros, who was the brother of Elrond, but chose to go with his human half. Gandalf was a Maiar.

Ed Reppert wrote:

Is there such a thing as too many playable races ancestries? :-)

From my GM's perspective, yes. I still don't like mastering for something that feels like a runaway circus troupe.

Having grown up on a carnival until the age of 11 (and some occasional weeks of summer with the circus and a few state fairs in between carnival shows) and having a mom who literally ran away at the age of 14 and joined a circus in the 60s, I can honestly say I find that phrasing vaguely insulting, though I won't hold it against you. But, I understand where you were trying to go with that statement. I won't condemn your GMing style, but I think that this is a thing that is subjective and is different for every table and GM.

I don't mind non-standard ancestries, at all. Though, if I went too long without seeing a core ancestry at the table I might start to wonder if I am still playing the same game, I suppose. But, I have yet to play in a game where there isn't at least one member of the core ancestries represented. I also avoid playing with GMs who have less tolerance or are too restrictive without a reason I can understand for being so restrictive on the players (for example, if they tell us from the get-go that the campaign is about a dwarven military expedition into the underdark - though I would probably bow out of that because it isn't necessarily for me). In my opinion, a campaign is collaborative experience and everyone at the table should have fun and a GM needs to realize that and allow for some level of compromise as long as it doesn't get in the way of the everyone's enjoyment of the game.

EDIT:
To keep this on-topic, I will say that I think that if you run a campaign in a published setting like Lost Omens and you run it in a region where normally non-standard/core ancestries are more common than their usual rarity elsewhere, like Vishkanya or Vanara in the Impossible Lands, it is a disservice to your players to disallow them from playing one. I cannot wait to see the new ancestries in this book; especially, the Vishkanya, Nagaji, Vanara, and Kashrishi. I'm hoping that the Ghoran entry in the book makes me like them more than I do right now and that the others can keep me at least as interested in them as I was in 1E.

I tend to avoid Small Ancestries, so I'm happy to have a Medium Plant option.

I hope Nagaji Heritages/cultures are based around species of Snakes and/or types of Naga. I'd also be down for types of Primates for Vanara; mostly because I don't have any better ideas and the idea of a Vanara based on a Mandrill seems awesome to me. Rafiki expy as an Oracle seems fun. Also 100% plan to an Vanara Ifrit to make Infernape. Maybe as a Kineticist even.

Equally excited for Kashrishi and Vishkanya as well. No character ideas for them just yet though.

I love when people play unusual ancestries! I just wish people would use it as a jumping off point to come up with interesting character traits, rather than playing a character who happens to have the player's exact personality except that they look like a frog.

Lemur Vanara would be a lot of fun.

Lemur Vanara would be a lot of fun.

"Ah! King Julien. The Vanara who lived... come to die... AVIDI CADIVI!!!"

Yeah, gonna agree with keftiu here. So what if I can't truly, properly understand the intricacies of the perspective of my bearkin elf aerokineticist? It's cool as hell. Also, one need not understand a perspective to respect it, fantastical or not.

On the "only one Chewbacca" idea, I've long since embraced that my PCs are cool and exceptional, so we're more "Mos Eisley cantina." And for that, we need even more ancestries, because how my friends and I play the game is just as good as a stodgy humanocentric group.

My girlfriend compares me to kirby all the time. I'm pretty sure playing a pixie would come second nature to me.

For those who were craving snake-based ancestries, do Nagaji and Vishkanya meet that need?

For those who were craving snake-based ancestries, do Nagaji and Vishkanya meet that need?

I’m craving the Sekmin because of their lore and unique place in the world, not because they’re snake-y - the same reasons I’m excited for the Nagaji and Vishkanya.

Nagaji are a people largely defined by their symbiotic relationship with Nagas, powerful supernatural beings we rarely see in the setting but who they treat as honored partners - but are willing to rebel against when they overstep their limits. If I want to play someone with a special perspective on power and rule, or want to be the agent of a big magical Asian snake-monster, I’m starting here.

Vishkanya are human-like enough to largely pass unseen among the wider world, stereotyped as assassins and masters of poison because of their envenomed blood. If I want to play a subtle killer, or someone who rejects being framed as one, that’s their place in my toolbox.

But neither of them are the ancient foe of the Azlanti, with thousands of years of history in and underneath the Inner Sea region. Nagaji and Vishkanya are not psychic mutants, not are they bound to a headless-but-still-crawling deity. Both have ties to Vudra and Tian Xia, places the Sekmin seem to have never touched. I’m a lorehound - and in that context, these three Ancestries have lots of differences, while scales are one of the only things they share.

You might as well say “for people who wanted Gnomes, are the Elves fey enough for you?”

For those who were craving snake-based ancestries, do Nagaji and Vishkanya meet that need?

I'm not someone who wants to play a snake-based ancestry, really, though I agree with much of what Keftiu said. For me, Vishkanya and Nagaji have been two of my most anticipated ancestries because I really like the lore behind them, not because they have anything in common with snakes. I often think of Sikozu from Farscape when I envision Vishkanya, though I think Vishkanya often have darker skin colors.

As far as playing a snake-like ancestry, what I would like is similar to merfolk, but snake-like instead of fish-like or something more akin to snake-like Lamia where the lower body is that of a serpent. Starfinder has this in the form of the Ramiyel, but even in Starfinder they are very uncommon. My fantasy for snake-folk is less about playing a anthropomorphized snake and more about playing a character that looks like Sarigar from Alien Legion with the same type of mobility (non-bipedal with just the serpentine lower body). I would be very happy if Paizo created a new caste of Naga to fit with what I am looking for and make them a playable ancestry.

Though, I would love to play Stheno, too.

Thanks for the answer, keftiu. That's what I was wondering about. I feel similarly about Svirfneblin. Using a few options like Umbral Gnome I could probably build a Gnome who is mechanically similar to a Svirfneblin, but it wouldn't be satisfying without the non-mechanical elements that made my 1E AD&D Svirfneblin so much fun to play.

I don't really see why Sekmin couldn't be worked into the 2E world. Their psychic powers seem overpowered at first glance, but they've been able to address similar problems with other ancestries by requiring that those abilities be slowly earned through increasing levels of ancestry feats.

And the appeal of playing a character whose people's primordial power has been displaced by others is a pretty appealing fantasy trope. (The Melniboneans leap to my mind.) It's one of the things I like about iruxi.

And the appeal of playing a character whose people's primordial power has been displaced by others is a pretty appealing fantasy trope. (The Melniboneans leap to my mind.) It's one of the things I like about iruxi.

You get it! There's something very fun in that pull between pride in ancient glory and fury/disgust/shame at how far they've fallen.

I'm keen to see more of the Iruxi, especially those down in Ekkeshikaar and Droon. 2e has been really good about showing them to be people when they live in the wilderness or amid Jaha's humans, but there's a real special appeal in actually getting to see what ancient, beautiful cities built by Iruxi hands look like. All the hints we've had of Southern Garund make it sound like such a fascinating place.

...

As far as playing a snake-like ancestry, what I would like is similar to merfolk, but snake-like instead of fish-like or something more akin to snake-like Lamia where the lower body is that of a serpent. Starfinder has this in the form of the Ramiyel, but even in Starfinder they are very uncommon. My fantasy for snake-folk is less about playing a anthropomorphized snake and more about playing a character that looks like Sarigar from Alien Legion with the same type of mobility (non-bipedal with just the serpentine lower body). I would be very happy if Paizo created a new caste of Naga to fit with what I am looking for and make them a playable ancestry.
...

I could definitely go for something like that! (Although I'm not familiar with Sarigar. I'm old enough that Krugarr comes to mind.)

Gisher wrote:

And the appeal of playing a character whose people's primordial power has been displaced by others is a pretty appealing fantasy trope. (The Melniboneans leap to my mind.) It's one of the things I like about iruxi.

You get it! There's something very fun in that pull between pride in ancient glory and fury/disgust/shame at how far they've fallen.

I'm keen to see more of the Iruxi, especially those down in Ekkeshikaar and Droon. 2e has been really good about showing them to be people when they live in the wilderness or amid Jaha's humans, but there's a real special appeal in actually getting to see what ancient, beautiful cities built by Iruxi hands look like. All the hints we've had of Southern Garund make it sound like such a fascinating place.

A Droon book is a dream of mine, but I suspect it will be a long way in the future if at all. In the meantime, I'm pretty excited that there is an astronomy/astrology section in the new Travel Guide. Given the Iruxi fascination with such things, it potentially offers ways to flesh out an Iruxi character.

The essence of a playable ancestry, it seems to me, is that it must be sentient. The thing that really .. bothers is too strong, but I can't think of a better word... me about Golarion is that given humanity's history on Earth, I have to wonder if one planet can support so many and so different sentients. I get "willing suspension of disbelief" but IMO you can only take that so far.

The essence of a playable ancestry, it seems to me, is that it must be sentient. The thing that really .. bothers is too strong, but I can't think of a better word... me about Golarion is that given humanity's history on Earth, I have to wonder if one planet can support so many and so different sentients. I get "willing suspension of disbelief" but IMO you can only take that so far.

Unlike what we have seen in our world, there's the tangible ability for divine beings to intercede on Golarion, creating new species and/or safeguarding their survival. If Torag had forged Homo Erectus himself, they might still be around today.

Plus, Golarion's important - a number of very powerful deities (including Pharasma, the oldest being in Pathfinder's universe, whose reach goes well beyond one planet) convened to seal Rovagug within it. It's bound to be an outlier because of that.

keftiu wrote:

Gisher wrote:

And the appeal of playing a character whose people's primordial power has been displaced by others is a pretty appealing fantasy trope. (The Melniboneans leap to my mind.) It's one of the things I like about iruxi.

You get it! There's something very fun in that pull between pride in ancient glory and fury/disgust/shame at how far they've fallen.

I'm keen to see more of the Iruxi, especially those down in Ekkeshikaar and Droon. 2e has been really good about showing them to be people when they live in the wilderness or amid Jaha's humans, but there's a real special appeal in actually getting to see what ancient, beautiful cities built by Iruxi hands look like. All the hints we've had of Southern Garund make it sound like such a fascinating place.

A Droon book is a dream of mine, but I suspect it will be a long way in the future if at all. In the meantime, I'm pretty excited that there is an astronomy/astrology section in the new Travel Guide. Given the Iruxi fascination with such things, it potentially offers ways to flesh out an Iruxi character.

We got a full map of Arcadia in G&G and there's Holomog stuff coming in Blood Lords. Anything's possible - keep the hope up!

Ashanderai wrote:

...

As far as playing a snake-like ancestry, what I would like is similar to merfolk, but snake-like instead of fish-like or something more akin to snake-like Lamia where the lower body is that of a serpent. Starfinder has this in the form of the Ramiyel, but even in Starfinder they are very uncommon. My fantasy for snake-folk is less about playing a anthropomorphized snake and more about playing a character that looks like Sarigar from Alien Legion with the same type of mobility (non-bipedal with just the serpentine lower body). I would be very happy if Paizo created a new caste of Naga to fit with what I am looking for and make them a playable ancestry.
...

I could definitely go for something like that! (Although I'm not familiar with Sarigar. I'm old enough that Krugarr comes to mind.)

Sarigar is from the Alien Legion comics. Alien Legion was a comic series that started in 1984. Sarigar was their team leader.

The essence of a playable ancestry, it seems to me, is that it must be sentient. The thing that really .. bothers is too strong, but I can't think of a better word... me about Golarion is that given humanity's history on Earth, I have to wonder if one planet can support so many and so different sentients. I get "willing suspension of disbelief" but IMO you can only take that so far.

Our own planet has approximately 7.9 billion people on it. General consensus today is that the plenty can support 10 billion, while some scientists back in the 16th century believed 13 billion was possible.

If we assume Golarion's population matches our own, and they say 50 to 60 percent of that population is Human, that still leaves 4 to 3.2 billion of every of intelligent Ancestries that makes up the world. That is a considerable population.

Golarion has a leg up on our own Earth. At some point, we are very likely to run out of resources. Between Deities, magic, and other Planes; I don't think Golarion is likely to ever truly be pressed for survival where needs are concerned. So, I'd wager it could probably support maybe even twice as many people than our own planet could. :D

Ed Reppert wrote:

The essence of a playable ancestry, it seems to me, is that it must be sentient. The thing that really .. bothers is too strong, but I can't think of a better word... me about Golarion is that given humanity's history on Earth, I have to wonder if one planet can support so many and so different sentients. I get "willing suspension of disbelief" but IMO you can only take that so far.

Our own planet has approximately 7.9 billion people on it. General consensus today is that the plenty can support 10 billion, while some scientists back in the 16th century believed 13 billion was possible.

If we assume Golarion's population matches our own, and they say 50 to 60 percent of that population is Human, that still leaves 4 to 3.2 billion of every of intelligent Ancestries that makes up the world. That is a considerable population.

Golarion has a leg up on our own Earth. At some point, we are very likely to run out of resources. Between Deities, magic, and other Planes; I don't think Golarion is likely to ever truly be pressed for survival where needs are concerned. So, I'd wager it could probably support maybe even twice as many people than our own planet could. :D

If we compare Absalom to New York it currently has 1840s population of 330,000, which would translate to 1 billion worldwide meaning we're not even to 10% of world population maximum, all assuming similar population distributions.

Also there is a greater habitable ecodiversity than even here on Earth due to magic and a "habitable" Darklands means there's a greater population max.

We also need to remember Golarion had a more robust and varied start to sentience than Earth. Instead of similar families growing in the same areas we have biologically and ecologically distinct Ancestries. The spread of humans came way too late to stop them from gaining at least a big enough foothold.

Don't get me wrong Ed, I had a similar thought back in days of late 1e (when I got into pathfinder), but then the 2e world guide came and gave data and I changed my view on this.

Population data in 1e tells us Sothis is sixth largest city in Inner sea and has population of 111,989 ;D Yeah population density of millions isn't really a thing yet

The topic becomes rather interesting when you compare the Crown of the World to our own Antarctica.

Online sources suggest that Antarcticas population of researchers numbers about 5000 at its peak.

With 8 known nations and 3 independent settlements, combined with things like magic and the biological processes of some Ancestries; the Crown likey has anywhere from 7000 to even 10 thousand people living within it, as permanent residents. The city of Unaimo alone has a population of over 1000. Ul-Angorn and Iqaliat combined brings the total to roughly 1853; almost double Antarcticas winter population of roughly 1000.
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Almost makes me want to go on the Wiki and make a list of every settlement and their known population, just to try and get a rough total of what Golarion's total population is.

Almost... ^^'

I suspect that the low populations of the more inhabitable regions more than make up for the high populations of the less inhabitable regions.

Gisher wrote:

Ashanderai wrote:

...

As far as playing a snake-like ancestry, what I would like is similar to merfolk, but snake-like instead of fish-like or something more akin to snake-like Lamia where the lower body is that of a serpent. Starfinder has this in the form of the Ramiyel, but even in Starfinder they are very uncommon. My fantasy for snake-folk is less about playing a anthropomorphized snake and more about playing a character that looks like Sarigar from Alien Legion with the same type of mobility (non-bipedal with just the serpentine lower body). I would be very happy if Paizo created a new caste of Naga to fit with what I am looking for and make them a playable ancestry.
...

I could definitely go for something like that! (Although I'm not familiar with Sarigar. I'm old enough that Krugarr comes to mind.)

Sarigar is from the Alien Legion comics. Alien Legion was a comic series that started in 1984. Sarigar was their team leader.

Huh. Somehow I missed that entire series when it came out. It sounds interesting.

I suspect that the low populations of the more inhabitable regions more than make up for the high populations of the less inhabitable regions.

Hmm. I'd likely attribute this to adventurers and travlers maybe? Many people seem to make their living roaming from place to place. Not as big a phenomenon irl. So I'd think bigger societies have smaller populations than our own major cities due to the fact that fewer people settle down? Then, in the case of less inhabitable places, they probably focus more of community and survival, so they don't have as many people coming to and fro? Like, if maybe 1 out of every 1000 people choose to become an adventurer, places like Unaimo probably see one every year or so compared to say the 300 or more that leave Absolom to make their place in the wider world?

Just an idea. Making some assumptions with little data to actually back it. ?

EDIT: Back on topic, I'm hoping Geb and Alkenstar/Mana Wastes get just as much info as Jalmeray and Nex. We did get some information on both recently, between Book of the Dead and Outlaws of Alkenstar. I wonder if each section will give options that fit into that nation or region. Like, maybe a new Undead Archetype in Geb or a Mutant Archetype/Heritage for the Mana Wastes.

Perhaps population talk can go somewhere other than this product page?

It was a bit weird to play the only human in our RotRL party (the others being widely not CRB ancestries) while we interacted with mostly human or CRB populations that often did not even bat an eye at the wooden living construct or the flying Sprite.

Very much a party of special snowflakes that should not really have been able to easily blend in with the crowd.