This week's chat was all over the board. Jason Bulmahn (Editor-in-Chief of Paizo's GameMastery line), answered questions on all sorts of topics.
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Bulmahn quote of the week: "Seattle would be easy to storm by pirates."
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Production Update
Nothing was sent to press this week, though W1 'Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale' should go out soon. "We are also hard at work on D2 Seven Swords of Sin," Jason said.
Copies of D0 'Hollows Last Hope' are going to be shipped soon, in support of Free RPG Day.
Path II
When asked to divulge something he wasn't supposed to, Jason replied "W1 has ties to the second adventure path set in our world."
GameMastery Modules
Paizo is solidifying the schedule for the first half of next year, and should be making announcements on the 2008 modules soon. "As for the mods," Jason said, "there should be a few Ds, at least one U, J, E, and W as well."
J1 'Entombed With the Pharaohs'
Given its proximity to Varisia, there are a few small links between this module and the Pathfinder material for Rise of the Runelords. However, Jason said those links would not be substantial.
There will, however, be some ties to real-world Egyptian mythology - with a Paizo twist, of course. There is a certain amount of cultural analogs Paizo is trying to invest into the new campaign setting. Osirion is just one example.
U1: 'Gallery of Evil'
Greer has submitted U1 to Paizo, and Jason was pretty excited about it. Art was recently ordered for the module.
Absalom, where 'Gallery' is set, is a major metropolis. Other powers have tried to take it over many times, leaving numerous siege castles in the area, but it has remained free. Jason said "It is also the seat for three major religions in our world... but I won't quite go into the 'why' of that yet."
Chelliax
In the May 10th blog, mention is made of "colonial Chelliaxian immigrants of the south." When asked about them, Jason quickly responded "Chellaxians are natives of Chelliax."
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't good enough for the #pathfinder crew, so he went on: "(Chelliax) is a rather large nation, that was once a vast empire. It has since slid into decline... and among other things, devil worship. (Varisia) was part of their expansion. (Chelliax) is a ways to the south, past a few other liberated states. It still exists, and it is still big, just not nearly as big as it used to be."
Bloodsworn Vale
Jason said that Bloodsworn was abandoned when Chelliax collapsed. "It was a vital trade route for the empire. When that need vanished, so did the necessity of the path, until now that is." As for which two kingdoms it seperates, one is Varisia. He would not divulge the other, only saying it is not Chelliax.
Abendigo and Balkzen and Brinewall
These locations were asked about, but Jason didn't have his "setting bible and maps" on hand. I guess we'll have to wait for more on them in the future. Kaer Maga, the site of the 'Seven Swords of Sin', has been detailed, though.
Orc and Half-Orcs
Are you looking to play half-orc PCs in Rise of the Runelords? Don't despair. Jason said that Varisia will have some orc populations, though not as many as other areas. "Half-orc can be readily played in any area of our world," he said, "as can any other core race... and maybe a few noncore too."
As with kobold and goblins, Paizo is planning on a fresh treatment of the orc. If you have ideas, now's the time to post them in the boards, as orcs haven't been touched much... yet.
Elves and Fey
Elves, fey... they've been discussed at length on the message boards. We talked about them a little during the chat - especially the prominent role they play in both W1 and E1. Jason said, "We are trying to find a good place for them that makes them a bit more engaging than the SRD fey that we have to work with. I am pretty pleased with the roseblood sprites - they are pretty nasty, have some fun new gear, and the ability to turn into a rosebush."
When asked about their relationship to mundane rosebushes, and how it would effect the floral industry, Jason informed the room that the reproductive cycle of the sprites is tied to the bushes. Their king awakens rose bushes to make more of his kin. You can imagine what that does to the price of roses.
Considering their general disposition and numerous abilities, roseblood sprites will probably be a monster-only race, not suited for Player Characters.
The discussion closed with a quip about 'bee familiars'...
Magic Systems
It was noted that Paizo has, so far, eluded to four different magic systems: Glyph and Rune Magic, stolen from the aboleths by the Runelords and presumably the ingredients that produced Sin Magic, and the Tattoo Magic used by Seoni's people. Jason felt that much of the difference between these systems is a matter of flavor, but left the door open for some mechanical underpinnings as well. He said that the modules will not get into the mechanics of these magic systems, as there isn't enough space in a 32-page module. He could not answer for the Pathfinder products, however.
Conventions
Jason was not sure whether Paizo has filled the volunteer slots yet. It was suggested that they try to record the Seminars that Paizo employees will be hosting / contributing to. At present, Jason is unsure whether they have to the hardware and manpower to accomplish such a task. Podcasts through Pulp Radio were suggested, but it appears access to these seminars is still up in the air. If you have any suggestions, or can help in this regard, please say so.
Living Pathfinder
Jason said, "As you may or may not know, Erik and I have a bit of experience in that department. We are keen to do something, but right now, I am honestly not sure what path that is going to take. Trust me though, we are thinking about it and looking into it. I am positive that if we do a "living" style campaign game, there will be openings for others to help out and contribute."
Conventions
Jason was not sure whether Paizo has filled the volunteer slots yet. It was suggested that they try to record the Seminars that Paizo employees will be hosting / contributing to. At present, Jason is unsure whether they have to the hardware and manpower to accomplish such a task. Podcasts through Pulp Radio were suggested, but it appears access to these seminars is still up in the air. If you have any suggestions, or can help in this regard, please say so.
Anyone interested in helping us out at conventions by volunteering to run demos and the like can email josh@paizo.com.
I'm finalizing volunteers for Origins by Friday and will begin to work on GenCon Indy volunteers next week or the week after at the latest.
Cheers!
Thanks for posting this EP! Gah! I keep frigging forgetting to make the chat...I suck. I was totally at my computer doing work when it went off this past Tuesday and just didn't think of it in time...grrrrr, Nick's brain not work good no more! :-)
Really appreciate these summaries EP! Makes me feel like I was there!
Thanks for posting this EP! Gah! I keep frigging forgetting to make the chat...I suck. I was totally at my computer doing work when it went off this past Tuesday and just didn't think of it in time...grrrrr, Nick's brain not work good no more! :-)
Really appreciate these summaries EP! Makes me feel like I was there!
yea, thanks, EP
1. regarding orcs in Varisia:
I recently ran an Eberron adventure at my local convention that featured a long-lost orcish civilization in Xendrik. Yes, civilized orcs;civilized,seafaring,artificing,Draconic Prophecy experts.
It came from an image I had of the noble orc captain at the prow of his ship...
that innovation(at least a subrace) would totally make me subscribe to Pathfinder!
2.I will be emailing josh about volunteering at gencon...
...grrrrr, Nick's brain not work good no more!
What did your wife do to you, Nic?!?! :O
...grrrrr, Nick's brain not work good no more!What did your wife do to you, Nic?!?! :O
So many wonderful things! :-)
This is a family friendly website, we don't need details. Hope you had a nice trip Nic and spouse... I trust you tried a Lava Flow.
Thank you EP for posting up the chat summary, very helpful. I'll try to make one of these someday.
Lastly, on orcs... I had a thought about them. What if they were like the native americans of the old west days. Displaced by the humanoid races from their ancestral homes, tricked into selling their lands off, violent against further expansion into thier territory and ways of life. It moves the orcs into a grey area rather than just the dumb bad guys. I'll have to stew on it more but that was my initial thought when I saw this.
Lastly, on orcs...
I liked the orc tribes from 'Dead of Winter.' Lizard mounts and all.