When Varisia is comparable to northern California, could adventurers encounter bisons?
Pretty sure bison is singular and plural.
As for the question, sure, why not?
Did you have something special in mind for the bison?
Does this mean that the official ban on bison-based adventure submissions is being lifted?! 'Cause I got a couple...
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Does this mean that the official ban on bison-based adventure submissions is being lifted?! 'Cause I got a couple...Yes, that ban is being lifted. The ban on James Keegan adventures is still very much in place, however.
*Carefully notes no such ban on Eyebite adventures.*
Sweet. I think Pathfinder is ripe for a "Colonoscopy of the Bison Lord" AP.
Does this mean that the official ban on bison-based adventure submissions is being lifted?! 'Cause I got a couple...Yes, that ban is being lifted. The ban on James Keegan adventures is still very much in place, however.
Aw, dang. Which one sealed the deal? The one about the two-headed boy and his catoblepas minions, with the 'Book of Erotic Fantasy' conversion side bar? Or the insistence on writing my manuscripts in blood and then, here's the kicker, SNAIL MAILING them?
Looks like my ingenius friend Nageek Samej is considering sending in some submissions, though.
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Aw, dang. Which one sealed the deal? The one about the two-headed boy and his catoblepas minions, with the 'Book of Erotic Fantasy' conversion side bar? Or the insistence on writing my manuscripts in blood and then, here's the kicker, SNAIL MAILING them?
The snail mail hurt, but I think it was the adventure proposal about the awakened three-legged giant centipede with argent savant levels you called "Centipedal Force" that finally pushed us over the edge.
Thank goodness you busted James and not me - with the remarkably similar sounding - yet in essence quite different - adventure about a stingy yet many-legged entomologist with dreams of joining a comedic troupe of gnomes entitled "Centifrugal Farce." That was a close one!
On the subject of Bisons in Varisia though, I have always enjoyed the idea of altering common creatures just enough to make them interesting - a name change or appearance being enough. In my own campaign there are no horses - but many varieties of horned elk and deer that function just as well.
Hope we see a picture of the auroch!
Aw, dang. Which one sealed the deal? The one about the two-headed boy and his catoblepas minions, with the 'Book of Erotic Fantasy' conversion side bar? Or the insistence on writing my manuscripts in blood and then, here's the kicker, SNAIL MAILING them?The snail mail hurt, but I think it was the adventure proposal about the awakened three-legged giant centipede with argent savant levels you called "Centipedal Force" that finally pushed us over the edge.
Wow. You guys really don't know a great adventure idea when you see one. The three-legged centipede is such an inspiring "against all odds" NPC. Totally heartwarming. I can understand that maybe he would overshadow the PCs in sheer heroism, courage and personal magnetism, but I'll be darned if it doesn't produce a memorable game. I even made "I Love Centipedal Force" patches that you could easily include with the magazine for subscribers.
"..."
You know what that sound is? That's the sound of Dragon and Dungeon's last few issues not winning any awards for lack of "Centipedal Force". The judges will be sitting there with the magazines and one will turn to the other and say:
"You know, these are some great magazines. But there's just something...missing."
"Thank you, Gary. I'm glad someone finally said it. It's got lots of excellent adventure, useful articles, quality art direction. But it's missing something. Heart. It lacks the kind of heart that only an against-all-odds underdog like a, lets say, disabled giant centipede argent savant could provide."
"So I guess 'Chainmail Bikini Elf Maiden Quarterly'is going to completely shut out the opposition this year."
Good day, gentlemen.
Doesn't it every year?"So I guess 'Chainmail Bikini Elf Maiden Quarterly'is going to completely shut out the opposition this year."
Typically, yes. But, inexplicably enough, "Half-Orc Transvestite Dominatrix Roundup Digest" occasionally steals the prize. Almost as much of an underdog story as my beloved Centipede.
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Wow. You guys really don't know a great adventure idea when you see one. The three-legged centipede is such an inspiring "against all odds" NPC. Totally heartwarming. I can understand that maybe he would overshadow the PCs in sheer heroism, courage and personal magnetism, but I'll be darned if it doesn't produce a memorable game.
See, and that's the problem: he overshadows the PCs. Now if you were to write him as a NPC the PCs could meet, we might be far more interested in publishing him. BUt you'll need to change his prestige class, since argent savant isn't OGL...
If Varasia is similar in size to California, how about it's govenorship?It's tax rate? I mean if the PC's have to pay Californian tax liabilities... are they accounted for in the treasure allotment per encounter? And is adventuring gear covered by Cal-OSHA? And if a PC gets injured on the job, how does one go about collecting workers comp?
Just some questions I have for the AP.
And about that three legged centiped. Is it protected in Varasia/California as a disabled worker? How are its rights protected against able bodied adventurers? Does it get to park in the handicap spaces in front of the Dungeon?
IF you could give me some information on the Varasians with Disabilities Act that would be great. In your free time of course... :D
Pretty sure bison is singular and plural.
Thanks! (Correction is always appreciated by non native speakers.)
Did you have something special in mind for the bison?
Well, I am thinking about a short prologue. A hand full of encounters to let the players get to know the abilities of their characters and some extra XP.
So far I have the following (roughly in this order):
-skeletons (human warriors)
-an animal of CR 1 or 2 (so I was considering the bison)
-goblins (to foreshadow)
-grig (for fun)
-stirges (to increase the need of a temple)
Then follows a tiny dungeon (a former caravanserai dedicated to Abadar, but no more) with a trap, a locked chest, some other things like that, a shrine to Lamashtu and a derro!
Nothing special.
There are bison in Varisa, of a sort. They're a bit bigger, though. Not by much, but you definately don't want to get stepped on by an auroch, I'm saying.
Great news as always. I really love "common" fantasy animals in my campaign setting, it makes the world more "realistic".
But if this is so I have to pick another animal for my prologue as I wanted it to be pure SRD.Any suggestions?
Well, I almost forgot the MAIN reason!
Bison Burgers at the Local Inn?
Yes, of course! A BB with double cheese for me!
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There are bison in Varisa, of a sort. They're a bit bigger, though. Not by much, but you definitely don't want to get stepped on by an auroch, I'm saying.
Trust me, and I mean this seriously you don't want to get stepped on by Normal Bison.
Been there, done that.
Never ever again. Thats why I love Buffalo Burgers..Revenge
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And about that three legged centiped. Is it protected in Varasia/California as a disabled worker? How are its rights protected against able bodied adventurers? Does it get to park in the handicap spaces in front of the Dungeon?
Centipedal Force may not actually be disabled; he could be a member of a rare three-legged strain of regular awakened giant centipedes, and thus eligible for protection as an endangered species (again, given sufficient similarities between Varisia and California). Poor, lonely Centipedal Force. It is to weep.
Hope we see a picture of the auroch!
Here ya go. Also, I think "aurochs" is like "bison" insofar as it's both singular and plural.
That must be a joke!
Auroch = Auerochse?
I was following your link and have read it on Wikipedia, "Augsburg" is a town (okay a small city) near Munich, my hometown in Bavaria, Germany. And I would say we are quite used to these animals over here. And I thought Mr. Jacobs was talking about a fantasy animal like the dragonhawk!
Great!!!
I was following your link and have read it on Wikipedia, "Augsburg" is a town (okay a small city) near Munich, my hometown in Bavaria, Germany. And I would say we are quite used to these animals over here. And I thought Mr. Jacobs was talking about a fantasy animal like the dragonhawk!
Great!!!
Aber Ich bin auch Bayerischer! (von Wuerzburg). The "aurochs" in Germany today are small European bison; the old, much larger Aurochs to which Herr Jacobs are extinct (the last died in Poland in the 1600's).
the historical Aurochs are generaly thought to be the ancestral species from which all modern cattle originated. They were almost exactly the same size as the American Bison.
Our aurochs wont look exactly like that... they'll be a bit more primeval looking. I think. I haven't ordered any art yet. But I probably will.
Dire bulls! But PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, with SUGAR ON TOP... do NOT let the artist give them spikes! No more animals with totally extraneous spikes!
I don't know where to post this so...
The two preview pages from todays blog are great! I especially love the beast sidebar. It answers two questions for me.
At first I wanted to include a mountain lion in my short prologue, but after seeing the map of Varisia I thought a bison would fit better. Now I know it was right to do so, as fire pelts live in the northwest. Then I heard/read in this thread that there are no bison, but auroch. As I had no stats I thought about using those from MM despite, for a not fully grown version of it. Seems to fit, too.
Thanks for the details and bringing flair and atmosphere into Golarion so early! As it was always there...
If Varasia is similar in size to California, how about it's govenorship?It's tax rate? I mean if the PC's have to pay Californian tax liabilities... are they accounted for in the treasure allotment per encounter? And is adventuring gear covered by Cal-OSHA? And if a PC gets injured on the job, how does one go about collecting workers comp?
Just some questions I have for the AP.
And is it's governor an immortal 7 foot 600 pound guy with an accent and the urge to grope all femalekin????
After seeing the two-page spread in the blog I am really, really stoked for Pathfinder. Reconfiguring common animals has always been something I try to do in my homebrews. Usually just an appearance change (red pelted dire lions that live in the forests of Keoland) and a little info on how they fit in the world. Fantastic-mundane animals, I guess. I have always wondered why this isn't done more often. Ever since I got a copy of After Man (Dougal Dixon - highly recommended for world builders), I have been doing this.
So here is my next dream item from Paizo: Field guide to the wildlife of Varisia. Very Audubon style, pictures of each animal, males, females and young, detail life and ecology, etc. Kind of like was done for Star Wars a few years back. You could put in a few interesting encounter ideas for each, some lore, uses as familiars and companions, etc. Man, I'd love that.
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Yup. I'm officially smitten with the donkey rat. Both foodstuff and companion - a rat the size of a dog. How can you not love it?
Here's a link to some info on the real things.
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Yup. I'm officially smitten with the donkey rat. Both foodstuff and companion - a rat the size of a dog. How can you not love it?
Here's a link to some info on the real things.
Mmmhm. There just aren't enough capybaras in day to day roleplaying.
Mmmhm. There just aren't enough capybaras in day to day roleplaying.
I've been watching No Reservations on the Travel Channel this summer and had actually been thinking that very thing.
I'm with Carl Meyer on the tweaking of real-world animals. There is something elegant and seductive about familiar yet new critters. A change of colour here, a name change there - and you don't even have to create new stats. A favorite Dungeon article of mine tried to present familiar monsters with totally different appearences. In my world, Chokers, Gricks, Meenloks and the like are Alienesque insects... it keeps my players on their toes!
This Bison blog sure is expanding its bestiary, huh?