Ooo, quite a thread necro!
Hey, Louis Porter Jr. Design is working on a "Pirates of the Bronze Sky" product for Pathfinder that will have airships and everything. So if you want airships, you don't have long to wait.
In fact at the risk of pimping myself, there's a black powder weaponry (including cannon) rules free preview from PotBS available on RPGnow (written by yours truly). I use them in my Golarion campaign; I have a bunch of Riddleport pirates that love to use them.
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I'm fine with keeping the Inner Sea Region at the default level of tech. But that doesn't mean that one of the other continents can't be a Steampunk paradise.Actually it kind of does. that level of tech once it's been around for a while... tends to be viral.
Well, there's always that one continent that barely ant=yone retuns from, and those who do don't remember anything about it.
I'm looking at a few things along the lines of airships. I would not use them in Golarion, but my homwbrew campaign doesn't take place in Golarion and even if I include SpellJammer will not be visiting Golarion. Period. I'll be looking at the upcoming Gamemastery Guide for anything Steampunk related and what Louis J Porter is proposing in his Pirate of the Bronze Sky has my attention, and by that I mean my FULL attention. I have ideas on using what LJPDesigns does on the matter as a basis on ships for something like SJ run with Pathfinder rules with ideas borrowed from Goodman Games's Broncosaurus Rex and Dragonmech as well Privateer Press's Iron Kingdoms as supplements to what I'm planning.
Ooo, quite a thread necro!
Hey, Louis Porter Jr. Design is working on a "Pirates of the Bronze Sky" product for Pathfinder that will have airships and everything. So if you want airships, you don't have long to wait.
In fact at the risk of pimping myself, there's a black powder weaponry (including cannon) rules free preview from PotBS available on RPGnow (written by yours truly). I use them in my Golarion campaign; I have a bunch of Riddleport pirates that love to use them.
I downloaded the freebie, good work! Although where guns are concerns I may use what you did but use the idea from Adamant's Tome of Secret and make guns simple weapons. Expensive weapons, so much so that only those with huge disposable incomes (Adventurers for one) can afford to carry them around.
My thing with airships, the magical variety, is that I have liked them LOOOOOOONG before Eberron or even Spelljammer. Spelljammer just gac=ve me rules for them in my 2e games. Cloud Keels that allow a sailing ship to go into the sky are a high fantasy item. No technology needed other than adding sails to balance it out.
I have always seen clockwork as the high standard of tech in a fantasy world. Clorckworks developed to increase the mobility of golems. If an iron golem can be made to move, then just think how much more it could do when it is better articulated.
As much as I love airships, and guns, and steampunkmagitec, I like them in context.
Could I see all of those in Pathfinder the game system? Definately!
Can I see them in Golarion? Not in particular.
Guns could work - and I think do work - given the context of Alkenstar (And I love Alkenstar!). But airships I think would bring about a much bigger setting and social upheaval. People tend to overdramatize the changes Better Crossbows would make to a setting, and minimize the changes incredibly efficient long range tactical flying transportation would bring about.
As much as I love airships, and guns, and steampunkmagitec, I like them in context.
Could I see all of those in Pathfinder the game system? Definately!
Can I see them in Golarion? Not in particular.
Guns could work - and I think do work - given the context of Alkenstar (And I love Alkenstar!). But airships I think would bring about a much bigger setting and social upheaval. People tend to overdramatize the changes Better Crossbows would make to a setting, and minimize the changes incredibly efficient long range tactical flying transportation would bring about.
I agree, but airships in Golarian would not be that huge. The main reason is as an individual made piece of magic. There are no mass production facilities for magic items, so each ship is crafted by an individual. There won't be hundreds of these ships running around. There might be 2-3 as part of a mage/merchant trying to make a LOT of money with his unique services. All you arguments about social upheaval should already apply. There are far more mages able to set up a teleporting shipment cartel than there would be making airships. Also, airships won't necessarily be as fast as everybody thinks. Eberron airships barely move faster than normal shipping. Their advantage is where they deliver to. Also they need special docking towers, much the way real world zepplins did. Zepplins did not affect much, if any, social upheavel when introduced.
As of this point... there are no airships in Golarion. I'm pretty sure there won't be airships in there anytime soon, either.
Alkenstar should create non-magical dirigibles, very steam punk...they would be good for watching over the wastes...
Passenger dirigibles wouldn't be very safe, given the fragility of dirigibles, while they might have some use, they would be oddities rather than economic powerhouses, imagine a dirigible versus a dragon...even a baby.
Creative Director
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Airships don't fit with the themes we've established for Golarion... at least, not for what we've currently established for the modern Inner Sea region.
There are certainly airships in the Great Beyond, though; we've even illustrated several in the picture we did of the City of Brass in a volume of Pathfinder AP. And one of those airships could, theoretically, find its way to Golarion via a portal or something, but in that case the airship's appearance would be a major event and, likely, the subject of an adventure or even of a campaign.
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As of this point... there are no airships in Golarion. I'm pretty sure there won't be airships in there anytime soon, either.Alkenstar should create non-magical dirigibles, very steam punk...they would be good for watching over the wastes...
Passenger dirigibles wouldn't be very safe, given the fragility of dirigibles, while they might have some use, they would be oddities rather than economic powerhouses, imagine a dirigible versus a dragon...even a baby.
Actually I can't imagine to many Dragons in the mana wastes, YMMV.
But the thought of a blimp starting out from Alkenstar setting out to the mana wastes. to do a quick look for lost magic items and then beat a hasty retreat back to Alkenstar actually shounds like a really cool adventure.
Hmmm....
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Airships don't fit with the themes we've established for Golarion... at least, not for what we've currently established for the modern Inner Sea region.
There are certainly airships in the Great Beyond, though; we've even illustrated several in the picture we did of the City of Brass in a volume of Pathfinder AP. And one of those airships could, theoretically, find its way to Golarion via a portal or something, but in that case the airship's appearance would be a major event and, likely, the subject of an adventure or even of a campaign.
Is that a hint?
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Creative Director
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Is that a hint?Airships don't fit with the themes we've established for Golarion... at least, not for what we've currently established for the modern Inner Sea region.
There are certainly airships in the Great Beyond, though; we've even illustrated several in the picture we did of the City of Brass in a volume of Pathfinder AP. And one of those airships could, theoretically, find its way to Golarion via a portal or something, but in that case the airship's appearance would be a major event and, likely, the subject of an adventure or even of a campaign.
Nope. It's a bone thrown to folks who want to have airships in Golarion. Personally, I don't think they fit with Golarion's themes at all, and as a result I have no plans to include any in any Golarion products. Common airship (or even uncommon airship) use turns the world into something more like Warcraft, Final Fantasy, or Eberron. No thanks.
*drops 80% finished airship map proposal for James*...
I agree, but airships in Golarian would not be that huge. The main reason is as an individual made piece of magic. There are no mass production facilities for magic items, so each ship is crafted by an individual. There won't be hundreds of these ships running around. There might be 2-3 as part of a mage/merchant trying to make a LOT of money with his unique services. All you arguments about social upheaval should already apply. There are far more mages able to set up a teleporting shipment cartel than there would be making airships. Also, airships won't necessarily be as fast as everybody thinks. Eberron airships barely move faster than normal shipping. Their advantage is where they deliver to. Also they need special docking towers, much the way real world zepplins did. Zepplins did not affect much, if any, social upheavel when introduced.As much as I love airships, and guns, and steampunkmagitec, I like them in context.
Could I see all of those in Pathfinder the game system? Definately!
Can I see them in Golarion? Not in particular.
Guns could work - and I think do work - given the context of Alkenstar (And I love Alkenstar!). But airships I think would bring about a much bigger setting and social upheaval. People tend to overdramatize the changes Better Crossbows would make to a setting, and minimize the changes incredibly efficient long range tactical flying transportation would bring about.
Zepplins did not carry wizards who could all cast fireball or cloudkill ;p
Even one airship can easily become a flying mobile artillery platform of death ;p
Just throwing this out there for folks who want more airships in their D&D.
Just throwing this out there for folks who want more airships in their D&D.
Got it, love it, and if you want some good airships before Louis J Porter rolls out his Pirates of the Bronze Sky, then you can't go wrong with this baby.
I agree, but airships in Golarian would not be that huge. The main reason is as an individual made piece of magic. There are no mass production facilities for magic items, so each ship is crafted by an individual. There won't be hundreds of these ships running around. There might be 2-3 as part of a mage/merchant trying to make a LOT of money with his unique services. All you arguments about social upheaval should already apply. There are far more mages able to set up a teleporting shipment cartel than there would be making airships. Also, airships won't necessarily be as fast as everybody thinks. Eberron airships barely move faster than normal shipping. Their advantage is where they deliver to. Also they need special docking towers, much the way real world zepplins did. Zepplins did not affect much, if any, social upheavel when introduced.As much as I love airships, and guns, and steampunkmagitec, I like them in context.
Could I see all of those in Pathfinder the game system? Definately!
Can I see them in Golarion? Not in particular.
Guns could work - and I think do work - given the context of Alkenstar (And I love Alkenstar!). But airships I think would bring about a much bigger setting and social upheaval. People tend to overdramatize the changes Better Crossbows would make to a setting, and minimize the changes incredibly efficient long range tactical flying transportation would bring about.
Zepplins did not carry wizards who could all cast fireball or cloudkill ;p
Even one airship can easily become a flying mobile artillery platform of death ;p
No, they carried fire bombs. Look at history. They did become mobile artillery platforms for a brief moment in history. Then people countered them. A fantasy world already has plenty of ways to counter them, as well as better air platforms to destroy them. Dragons may not take too kindly to them. Also, cloudkill cast from a moving airship (since we are talking a wind powered vessel) will be kind of dumb. It would likely hit the crew of the airship harder than any intended target. They had 'targeting' problems like that too with real world zepplins. If I remember correctly there were a couple of nasty accidents when they tried to deliver mustard gas form them. Didn't work out too good.
As for the book Airships, I own it & the Aerial Adventure Guide from Goodman Games. Like them both, but the Airships book is better.
No, they carried fire bombs. Look at history. They did become mobile artillery platforms for a brief moment in history. Then people countered them. A fantasy world already has plenty of ways to counter them, as well as better air platforms to destroy them. Dragons may not take too kindly to them. Also, cloudkill cast from a moving airship...I agree, but airships in Golarian would not be that huge. The main reason is as an individual made piece of magic. There are no mass production facilities for magic items, so each ship is crafted by an individual. There won't be hundreds of these ships running around. There might be 2-3 as part of a mage/merchant trying to make a LOT of money with his unique services. All you arguments about social upheaval should already apply. There are far more mages able to set up a teleporting shipment cartel than there would be making airships. Also, airships won't necessarily be as fast as everybody thinks. Eberron airships barely move faster than normal shipping. Their advantage is where they deliver to. Also they need special docking towers, much the way real world zepplins did. Zepplins did not affect much, if any, social upheavel when introduced.As much as I love airships, and guns, and steampunkmagitec, I like them in context.
Could I see all of those in Pathfinder the game system? Definately!
Can I see them in Golarion? Not in particular.
Guns could work - and I think do work - given the context of Alkenstar (And I love Alkenstar!). But airships I think would bring about a much bigger setting and social upheaval. People tend to overdramatize the changes Better Crossbows would make to a setting, and minimize the changes incredibly efficient long range tactical flying transportation would bring about.
Zepplins did not carry wizards who could all cast fireball or cloudkill ;p
Even one airship can easily become a flying mobile artillery platform of death ;p
I share your opinion on Airships vs. Aerial Adventures. Both had some good ideas but Airships had better rules for constructing ships and combat between them. Not to say the other was useless, the bestiary was worth considering to use in conjunction with Airships, you just use the Bastion Press book to make the vehicles and the Goodman Games book for some of what could be found up there.