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I just started taking a deeper look at this book. I like what I have read so far.
I have got to the Heights district and have a couple of issues with the map. I see two H15 on the map and can not seem to find H3 or H5. I may be blind though. ;)
That is all for now. There will probably be more, but I hope not.
EDIT: I am talking about the big fold out map not the small maps in the book. While the maps in the book are very useful you can get more detailed information about exactly where things are on the fold out map.
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Cintra Bristol wrote:
1) Exactly where are the ward boundaries? Knowing the costs of housing in different wards made the absence of ward boundary lines on the maps very noticeable. (Some of them I can mostly figure out, but some are too vague. For example, Old Korvosa - how far west and east does Bridgefront run, and what districts do Merciless Way (at the left) and Fiddleback Way belong to? I'd be happy with a list of ward-border street-corner references, unless you happen to have a map that shows ward boundaries as dotted lines...)Ah drat. The ward boundaries are nowhere to be seen. :( Ward boundaries follow major thoroughfares for the most part. Sometimes they connect one landmark to another, when appropriate.
Bridgefront runs from the Narrows to Waydon Street, IIRC (and certainly, that's close enough for me). It follows Waydon Street until it starts to curve and turn into Merciless Way, at which point it runs to that last tower on the wall there. It ends in the NE at Fort Korvosa Boulevard. Old Dock takes up the NE end of the island, with the boundary following Fort Korvosa Boulevard until it turns, at which point the boundary follows that little unnamed street that connects with Siegebreaker Circle and then up to the shore. Fort Korvosa ward is everything inside the walls in the N-NW chunk of the island. Garrison Hill ward is everything else.
Cintra Bristol wrote:
2) Which 5 families are the nobles for the "Peerage Review"? The noble families on pages 40-43 include Arkona, Bromathan, Endrin, Jeggare, Leroung, Ornelos, and Zenderholm. Which two don't count? (I'm guessing Bromathan is one, and maybe Endrin for the other?)The Great Families are those with coats of arms illustrated (Arkona, Jeggare, Leroung, Ornelos, and Zenderholm).
Cintra Bristol wrote:
Okay, one more question: I assume the reference to "Longriver Bridge" (p.24, "Northgate:") actually refers to the North Bridge - if so, I've got that ward figured out, but if not, I need to know which bridge that is, too.Oops. Yes, that's correct. :)
Okay, consolidating this here, then. And Mike, don't be depressed by this - I think the Guide to Korvosa is one of the most compelling fantasy city products I've ever seen (and I have quite a collection.)
Based on the logic Mike provided for Ward boundaries, there are three other districts still needing to be sorted out (my best guesses follow):
The Heights: I’m going to guess that Citadel Crest is literally the area within the circle of Crest Circle West and Crest Circle East. Cliffside includes the amphitheater, so I’ll guess it’s the section south of Pillar Hill Blvd, then west of Ramp Blvd, then west of Crest Circle West and all the way around to Academic Blvd?. And University will be the rest (north of Pillar Hill Blvd and around the east side of Crest Circle East, up to Academic Blvd?
Midland: I don't have enough info to figure this set out - help!
North Point: Five Corners runs northeast along Dead Shoanti Way to Jeggare Circle, then east along Northgate Avenue to Sunrise Blvd, then south to the wall and west-northwest along the wall back to Dead Shoanti Way.
Mainshore is the section north of this, within the walls (incl. First Street thru Fifth Street).
Northgate is the area east of Five Corners, including the bit north of Northgate Avenue and southeast of the walls.
Ridgefield is the remaining section of the district, west of Jeggare Circle.
Mike - can you confirm my guesses (particularly the northern boundary between Cliffside and University in the Heights), and also sort out the Midland district for us? Thanks!
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Contributor
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I just started taking a deeper look at this book. I like what I have read so far.
I have got to the Heights district and have a couple of issues with the map. I see two H15 on the map and can not seem to find H3 or H5. I may be blind though. ;)
That is all for now. There will probably be more, but I hope not.
EDIT: I am talking about the big fold out map not the small maps in the book. While the maps in the book are very useful you can get more detailed information about exactly where things are on the fold out map.
Ugh. That is unfortunate. I actually wanted to not have any of those lettered tags on the big map. :\
There's nothing we can do about those large map errors for now, though. I'm not sure if we're going to reprint the map in the CotCT Map Folio (if such a thing even comes out?).
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Okay, consolidating this here, then. And Mike, don't be depressed by this - I think the Guide to Korvosa is one of the most compelling fantasy city products I've ever seen (and I have quite a collection.)
Thanks! :)
Based on the logic Mike provided for Ward boundaries, there are three other districts still needing to be sorted out (my best guesses follow):
I no longer have all my old maps that showed ward boundaries, so I'll have to help you from memory. :)
The Heights: I’m going to guess that Citadel Crest is literally the area within the circle of Crest Circle West and Crest Circle East. Cliffside includes the amphitheater, so I’ll guess it’s the section south of Pillar Hill Blvd, then west of Ramp Blvd, then west of Crest Circle West and all the way around to Academic Blvd?. And University will be the rest (north of Pillar Hill Blvd and around the east side of Crest Circle East, up to Academic Blvd?
That all sounds right to me. :)
Midland: I don't have enough info to figure this set out - help!
Midland, eh... let's see.
Citadel Volshyenek ("volshyenek" is Russian for "wizard," btw) is easy. It takes up the whole peninsula and is enclosed by really big walls.The ward boundary of High Bridge runs south from Citadel Volshyenek along that major road emerging from the citadel down to Eodred's Square (which is mislabeled on the big map as "Eodred's Walk"—wow, that big map has quite a few errors, doesn't it?). It runs from its eponymous bridge, encompassing all of Eodred's Square, along West High Street/Endrin Avenue, then west to where Endrin Ave meets up with Last Way. The boundary then cuts back along Last Way to the city wall, forming a little wedge.
Pillar Hill runs from that road coming out of the citadel west along Bromathan Street to Harborview Boulevard South. The boundary then runs south along that boulevard to Field Marshal Avenue, which the boundary follows west to the end of the district. So, basically, the SW corner of the district plus Gold Market.
Slope is everything north of Field Marshal Avenue and west of Warehouse Way (not Harborview Boulevard South, which forms the border of Pillar Hill, which means there's a little jog in the border).
West Dock is everything east of Warehouse Way and north of Bromathan Street (which creates a little arm that juts out just south of the citadel).
(Writer's Trivia: Harborview Boulevard is named after Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.)
North Point: Five Corners runs northeast along Dead Shoanti Way to Jeggare Circle, then east along Northgate Avenue to Sunrise Blvd, then south to the wall and west-northwest along the wall back to Dead Shoanti Way.
Mainshore is the section north of this, within the walls (incl. First Street thru Fifth Street).
Northgate is the area east of Five Corners, including the bit north of Northgate Avenue and southeast of the walls.
Ridgefield is the remaining section of the district, west of Jeggare Circle.
Yes to all. And keep in mind that Jeggare Circle is technically a part of Five Corners. Also, keep in mind that, traditionally, five wards touch it and that it has five sides (although, IIRC, at least one side is very, very short). It's completely possible boundaries have shifted over time, though, and that neither of those origin conditions are true any more. :)
(Writer's Trivia: I grew up in an unincorporated area outside of Vancouver, WA called Five Corners.)
Mike - can you confirm my guesses (particularly the northern boundary between Cliffside and University in the Heights), and also sort out the Midland district for us? Thanks!
I hope that helps! :)
Thanks - that helps a lot!
(And I love the writer's trivia.)
Okay, I found a contradiction between the Guide to Korvosa and the CotCT Player's Guide. I'm putting the question behind a spoiler tag because this is from the Secrets chapter.
In the Guide to Korvosa, it says (page 53, right column, first full paragraph): "Failing to graduate and dropping out are not options."
I'm not sure if we can just decide this one for ourselves, or if it might actually be an important issue at some point during the Adventure Path, so I thought I'd better request a ruling. Thanks!
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Okay, I found a contradiction between the Guide to Korvosa and the CotCT Player's Guide. I'm putting the question behind a spoiler tag because this is from the Secrets chapter.
** spoiler omitted **
I'm not sure if we can just decide this one for ourselves, or if it might actually be an important issue at some point during the Adventure Path, so I thought I'd better request a ruling. Thanks!
I would spin it like this in my campaign: Students just don't leave the Acadamae early. Except gnomes. Because gnomes are just... weird. So the Acadamae doesn't really mind them leaving too much. Because... you know... weird.
But really, you can do it either way in your campaign.
That discrepency plays absolutely no part at all in the AP, as far as I've seen (which is up through the 3rd adventure). :)
Don't sweat it Mike. This is a great piece of work.
This thread makes me sad. :(
I'll jump in and start answering errata questions when I get back to the office tomorrow.
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Yes it is a great book. You know when we ask questions and try to clarify things it is just so we make sure we understand the intent of the author of the book. No reason to be sad. At least we care. :)
EDIT: Your book also just happens to come out near the time when Pathfinder RPG is announced. May get less talk about your book because of it. It is not because we do not care though.
Great book, Mike. I'm getting all sorts of plot hook ideas just on the first skimming.
Quick question: where exactly is New Dock? It's referenced in the description for The Dock Trade, which sounds perfect for one of my players' background, but I can't find it anywhere else. Is it simply that small shoreline part of Mainshore that isn't walled?
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Great book, Mike. I'm getting all sorts of plot hook ideas just on the first skimming.
Quick question: where exactly is New Dock? It's referenced in the description for The Dock Trade, which sounds perfect for one of my players' background, but I can't find it anywhere else. Is it simply that small shoreline part of Mainshore that isn't walled?
Thanks for all the kind words, guys! :D
I think New Dock was my original name for West Dock, but now I can't remember. Since New Dock and West Dock are obviously not the same thing (even if they were originally meant to be) I rather like your elegant answer. Consider it true! :)
Thanks, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something obvious.
I think I'll move the Dock Trade down to West Dock anyway (it was N2 for anyone following along). West Dock sounds like a better neighborhood for the "market of questionable legality." Who knows, maybe New Dock is just what they called West Dock before there was an East Dock.
I have a question about the map. The poster map shows Eodred's walk where the book indicates Eodred's Square is. Which is correct?
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Hi Mike,
thanks for the reading, it's quite nice (I have not read everything yet) and quite appealing.
I have a major spoiler question and another smaller question :
- small one : which interior artist makes his character manga-like eyes, because I like the way he mixes manga and more "eupean-US" style ?
- spoiler one :
Thanks.
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Hi Mike,
thanks for the reading, it's quite nice (I have not read everything yet) and quite appealing.
I have a major spoiler question and another smaller question :
- small one : which interior artist makes his character manga-like eyes, because I like the way he mixes manga and more "eupean-US" style ?
- spoiler one :
** spoiler omitted **Thanks.
Hi Silenttimo, I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far. :)
Julie Dillon did all the head shot illos for the sidebars. James Zhang did all the full-body illos scattered throughout. I think they both are inspired at least a little bit by anime. :)
Ugh, yeah. That refers to the Acadamae Graduate feat found in the CotCT Player's Guide. It was originally slated for the guide, obviously, but got cut for space. Sorry for the confusion. :\
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Well, thanks Mike.
Yes, indeed, I like most of the art inside Paizo's books / modules (I also like cover art, do not misuderstand me !!).
About your answer regarding my "spoiler" question I thought that what I missed would be more than one feat in the Players' guide to CoCT (I've read it, but can't recall it right now ; have to read it again !).
Oops, BTW, I could not find the location of the ** spoiler omitted **.
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Aha! I knew there was a reason I put in 31 Arodus.
Saint Alika was born in a leap year (4408), and the leap day added is 31 Arodus.
(Incidentally, I've talked to Fray and he's going to modify his awesome calendar to reflect that 4708 is also a leap year, with an extra day added to the end of Arodus.)
:)
Is the sidebar about the Queen supposed to be in the non-Secret section? I'm very leery of letting my players read that before I run the AP... it seems to cover a few things that would not be public knowledge and I know it will cause at least one of my players to be very suspicious of her almost immediately when the riots start.
Creative Director
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Is the sidebar about the Queen supposed to be in the non-Secret section? I'm very leery of letting my players read that before I run the AP... it seems to cover a few things that would not be public knowledge and I know it will cause at least one of my players to be very suspicious of her almost immediately when the riots start.
Nope; that Queen Ileosa kinda hates Korvosa and is a bitter and petty woman is more or less public knowledge. If the PCs are suspicious of her, they should be. The first time they meet her, the encounter's designed to be very non-confrontational so that things don't come to blows, but the PCs being suspicious that she's involved in the problems facing Korvosa should be fine. After all... much of Korvosa itself comes to the same conclusion—that's part of the reason so much anarchy hits when the king dies in the first place!
AP Spoiler to follow:
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Aha! I knew there was a reason I put in 31 Arodus.
Saint Alika was born in a leap year (4408), and the leap day added is 31 Arodus.
(Incidentally, I've talked to Fray and he's going to modify his awesome calendar to reflect that 4708 is also a leap year, with an extra day added to the end of Arodus.)
:)
So we've got leap years have we? How frequent are they (every 4 years like on Earth)?
Any special rules to them? For example on Earth the rule is something like it's a leap year if the year is divisible by 4, but not if it's divisible by 100, unless it's also divisible by 400. I know it's probably not significant but a couple of my players are detail freaks and, if I mention that there are leap years, they'll want to know the full formula!
Other than it being Saint Alika's birthday, is there any special significance attached to the leap day? Do different cultures celebrate it differently?
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So we've got leap years have we? How frequent are they (every 4 years like on Earth)?
Any special rules to them? For example on Earth the rule is something like it's a leap year if the year is divisible by 4, but not if it's divisible by 100, unless it's also divisible by 400. I know it's probably not significant but a couple of my players are detail freaks and, if I mention that there are leap years, they'll want to know the full formula!
Other than it being Saint Alika's birthday, is there any special significance attached to the leap day? Do different cultures celebrate it differently?
EDIT: After speaking with Fray, we're actually going to do the leap years differently in Golarion than on Earth. In Golarion, a leap year occurs every 8 years, on any year divisible by 8 (so St. Alika, who was born in 4408, was born in a leap year, on leap day). Oh yeah, I rock... :D
I imagine different cultures treat it differently, yes.
Is the sidebar about the Queen supposed to be in the non-Secret section? I'm very leery of letting my players read that before I run the AP... it seems to cover a few things that would not be public knowledge and I know it will cause at least one of my players to be very suspicious of her almost immediately when the riots start.
Nope; that Queen Ileosa kinda hates Korvosa and is a bitter and petty woman is more or less public knowledge. If the PCs are suspicious of her, they should be. The first time they meet her, the encounter's designed to be very non-confrontational so that things don't come to blows, but the PCs being suspicious that she's involved in the problems facing Korvosa should be fine. After all... much of Korvosa itself comes to the same conclusion—that's part of the reason so much anarchy hits when the king dies in the first place!
AP Spoiler to follow:
** spoiler omitted **
Knowing that she's bitter and petty, doesn't view Korvosa in a good light, or even that she married solely for power isn't my problem. It's this line:
"While many of the noble houses continue to publicly support her, the queen knows through her spies that none of them truly want her in power."
Now, if that's all public information, then there are a few things wrong here. Why did the Queen need spies to find this out? Is she (and by extension her spies) SO inept, that they had to use subterfuge to gain what appears to be common knowledge? Are the noble houses in question (those that offering public support at least) that inept at hiding their true intentions and motivations from the general public? This single sentence seems to offer a ridiculous amount of insight into what should be background, hidden power plays going on among the nobles of Korvosa.
Given the current writeups of the characters being submitted for this series, I'm faced with either not letting them read this (at least the sentence mentioned) or trying to find a darn good way of convincing them to return the brooch or even work directly with the Queen. I'm tempted to have Cressida contact them directly rather than go through the Queen. These are all L/G or L/N characters whose players very likely will not want to get involved with the Queen given the decidely infernal leanings of the royalty and most of the nobility. Sure, they'll definitely be interested in helping stabilize the city... but doing so in a manner which reflects at all well on the new Queen will probably put a significant damper on the whole thing. There are angles that can be used, such as this being an opportunity to influence the Queen and/or nobility away from those infernal leanings... but that's a tenuous tack to take given her description in this product.
I'm glad we're only halfway through Rise of the Runelords... I've got plenty of time to work on this and decide how best to approach the first Korvosa adventure, and what information I need to filter out from this product.
I'm sorry if any of that comes off as overly rantish. I really like the first Korvosa adventure and the city itself is a very well done setting, and I'm looking forward to making use of both, even if I have to rework a couple of things.
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No worries.
You know your players better than I do. (I don't even know all their names!) And you know what works for them and what doesn't. Take the information we give you and roll with it as you think would work best for your particular group. If one single sentence strikes you as ridiculous, take a Sharpie and blot it out.
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Knowing that she's bitter and petty, doesn't view Korvosa in a good light, or even that she married solely for power isn't my problem. It's this line:
"While many of the noble houses continue to publicly support her, the queen knows through her spies that none of them truly want her in power."
Its common knowledge that the queen is petty and bitter and married for power, not common knowledge that the houses are lying in their support of her. If anything the common people would think the the houses public support would mean that they are in league with the queen. At least thats how i read it.
No worries.
You know your players better than I do. (I don't even know all their names!) And you know what works for them and what doesn't. Take the information we give you and roll with it as you think would work best for your particular group. If one single sentence strikes you as ridiculous, take a Sharpie and blot it out.
Hmm, I hate marring a book... are the .pdfs editable? I assume not, but worth a shot. Maybe just some pieces of sticky notes or something is good enough. :)
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Here's a question about the Korvosan Guard: what are the average stats and equipment for a Korvosan Guardsman?
Hellknights, Sable Company Marines, and Korvosan Guards are all listed in the wandering monster tables in the Appendix. Hellknights have a parenthetical (Ftr 4) listed after them, we have the complete stat block for an elite Sable Company marine, but I can't find anything for the Guards.
From the artwork, I can guess they wear chain shirts and carry longswords, but is there anything else more specific? Did I just miss a listing somewhere? Or will they be detailed in the CotCT adventures?
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Here's a question about the Korvosan Guard: what are the average stats and equipment for a Korvosan Guardsman?
From the artwork, I can guess they wear chain shirts and carry longswords, but is there anything else more specific? Did I just miss a listing somewhere? Or will they be detailed in the CotCT adventures?
SargonX:
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Here's a question about the Korvosan Guard: what are the average stats and equipment for a Korvosan Guardsman?
From the artwork, I can guess they wear chain shirts and carry longswords, but is there anything else more specific? Did I just miss a listing somewhere? Or will they be detailed in the CotCT adventures?
SargonX:
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks, I've been avoiding reading the adventure since I'm playing in a pbp, but those guys are "ex-guards," not necessarily ex-Korvosan Guards. Not that they wouldn't work, but are they typical Korvosan Guards? I'm just interested in an official Korvosan Guardsman description, if there is one.
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Thanks, I've been avoiding reading the adventure since I'm playing in a pbp, but those guys are "ex-guards," not necessarily ex-Korvosan Guards. Not that they wouldn't work, but are they typical Korvosan Guards? I'm just interested in an official Korvosan Guardsman description, if there is one.
They'd work perfect for Korvosan Guards, actually.
Except for their alignments and attitudes, obviously.
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Creative Director
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What about Thief Camp? It's on the map on the far bank of the river, but I can't find any description of it in the Guide, or with a search of the boards. Any info on what Thief Camp is and who's there?
There's some information about Thief Camp in Pathfinder 8. Basically, it's just a collection of homes (MAYBE a few stores, but unlikely). Most everyone who lives there is a Varisian who's decided to abandon the nomadic life, but there's ALWAYS several caravans moving through here.
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Question Regarding secrets section:
** spoiler omitted **
Apologies if this question has been asked and answered before on another thread, but I could not find it on this one. The general question about Acadamae training, yes, but not regarding these 'twice a decade' events.
havn't seen this one asked before...you'll have to wait til mon for an official answer
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No way! You can have an official answer TODAY!
However... said official answer might be a letdown, since my response would be the following:
Of course... Mike might have a different take on things. The above is how I'd run it, though.