As I pointed out in the Damned Blog discussion, those of us who are already subscribers need to occasionally post feedback about what we like and want to see more of.
Strangely enough for me, while I'm not as excited about the city and area companion books, I really like them as companion books. Perhaps it is because while I know I won't get around to using them as adventuring settings I am reasonably likely to want the option of a having a character from different parts of the world. I like the new direction of having less adventure path specific companions in favor of the general region companions. As an example, I know I'd want the Cheliax companion even without there being an AP set in the area.
I very much like the races of Golarion series, do at least 2 per year. I wouldn't mind seeing 1 per quarter. You could even do one about humans, I won't mind.
I know you've learned your lesson, but I would love to see the missing Osirion Traits someday. ;)
So once again, I'm a satisfied subscriber. Keep up the good work!
I know you've learned your lesson, but I would love to see the missing Osirion Traits someday. ;)
There will be some unofficial Osirion traits in the PaizoCon fanzine, for what it's worth. :D
any idea on a rough release date?
Depends on how soon he wants his pet back }> ;-)
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Err I mean splendid any idea on a rough release date?
Figure one race book a year:
Elf - 2008
Dwarf - 2009
That leaves Halfling, Gnome, and the Halfsies Twins; Half-Elf and Halflings are probably our 2010 and 2011 slot, and that leaves Gnomes and Half-Orcs to battle for the coveted 2012 pre-end-of-the-fifth-world spot.
I'm hoping it's Gnomes.
Nah. Gnomes will come first. It's just easier for everyone involved *pets his doomsday device*
I know this clown...he's dangerously nuts. If you get me two copies of the Gnome book really quickly, I might be able to use one to talk him down...
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Gnomes!!!!!!!!! I must say I was a little sad when the Dwarf companion was announced since dwarves are...well, dwarves. Gnomes in Golarion are awesome and so different they are just begging to be covered. I myself love playing gnomes in Golarion and so do 2 of my players. One plays gnomes exclusively and has been asking me when we will see more on gnomes.
So hopefully sooner than later :)
Gnomes!!!!!!!!! I must say I was a little sad when the Dwarf companion was announced since dwarves are...well, dwarves.
My sentiments exactly. Shameful how Paizo bowed to the whiny demands of those gritsucker lovers.
I've always hated gnomes in D&D, or at least that was the case until Golarion had to come along and make them tolerable despite WoW's almost irreversable damage to their reputation. However, seeing as they have plenty of support here, I wish to call out for the DWARVES! Can't wait, lets kill some things with axes and picks and their x3 and x4 crit multipliers!
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I've always hated gnomes in D&D, or at least that was the case until Golarion had to come along and make them tolerable despite WoW's almost irreversable damage to their reputation. However, seeing as they have plenty of support here, I wish to call out for the DWARVES! Can't wait, lets kill some things with axes and picks and their x3 and x4 crit multipliers!
There is a dwarves book coming out this year.
I've always hated gnomes in D&D, or at least that was the case until Golarion had to come along and make them tolerable despite WoW's almost irreversable damage to their reputation. However, seeing as they have plenty of support here, I wish to call out for the DWARVES! Can't wait, lets kill some things with axes and picks and their x3 and x4 crit multipliers!
Conversely, I've always hated dwarves in just about everywhere. No, that's not quite right: I've always hated how no one seems to be able to change them in any meaningful way. They're always the same: Love their beards, and alcohol, and metals and rocks. And axes of course. Hate people without beards and people who think there's more to life than drinking and coveting riches and working and fighting.
I do hope Paizo can do better (though the dwarven god Torag is the most uninspiring in the whole Pantheon).
Conversely, I've always hated dwarves in just about everywhere. No, that's not quite right: I've always hated how no one seems to be able to change them in any meaningful way. They're always the same: Love their beards, and alcohol, and metals and rocks. And axes of course. Hate people without beards and people who think there's more to life than drinking and coveting riches and working and fighting.
My guess is that most D&D fans are either fans of dwarves as they are, or at least find them not particularly obnoxious that way. Judging from many years of online conversations, there are a fair number of players who really, really hate standard elves.
Personally I'd rather have fun-sized pinup b- er, halflings covered first. I like dwarves, but I don't see a big enough difference from standard dwarves for coverage of Golarion dwarves to be a pressing need. Then again, there are probably a lot more dwarf fans than pervy halfling fanc- er, halfling fans who would love to read about special halfling foot rub ointment and special halfling bath oils and special halfling novelty underw-
Ok, so maybe it's just me.
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I've always hated gnomes in D&D, or at least that was the case until Golarion had to come along and make them tolerable despite WoW's almost irreversable damage to their reputation. However, seeing as they have plenty of support here, I wish to call out for the DWARVES! Can't wait, lets kill some things with axes and picks and their x3 and x4 crit multipliers!Conversely, I've always hated dwarves in just about everywhere. No, that's not quite right: I've always hated how no one seems to be able to change them in any meaningful way. They're always the same: Love their beards, and alcohol, and metals and rocks. And axes of course. Hate people without beards and people who think there's more to life than drinking and coveting riches and working and fighting.
I do hope Paizo can do better (though the dwarven god Torag is the most uninspiring in the whole Pantheon).
Heck, even the "we're going to change every race almost beyond recognition" Dark Sun setting only managed to rid dwarves of their beards. Totally hairless from head to toe, but otherwise still acting just like dwarves.
My guess is that most D&D fans are either fans of dwarves as they are, or at least find them not particularly obnoxious that way. Judging from many years of online conversations, there are a fair number of players who really, really hate standard elves.
You can't trust anecdotal evidence. If you asked around in our gaming groups about elves, you'd get something between "can be interesting to play" over "yeah, they're nice" and "too weak to play properly".
Dwarves would get you a different response: "they annoy the heck out of me. If I hear the line 'a woman without a beard is not attractive' one more time, certain people will be tied to my rear fender and taken for a ride on the motorway - and I'll use a rubber band that he'll repeatedly be slammed against the car." And "dwarves are great! I like beards. No one disses you for being a racist. And the stats are great!!!"
If you read closely, you might find parallels.
Then again, there are probably a lot more dwarf fans than pervy halfling fanc- er, halfling fans who would love to read about special halfling foot rub ointment and special halfling bath oils and special halfling novelty underw-Ok, so maybe it's just me.
Do I have a reading suggestion for you. An older book for sure, and the steamy, homoerotic halfling imaging is not painted with too sharp a brush, but it's easily recognisable nonetheless. It tells of a halfling couple finding their tender love for each other before a background of war.
It's written by some old Oxford professor. Book's called "Lord of the Rings". Do not inquire too closely about the nature of that ring! ;-P
It's written by some old Oxford professor. Book's called "Lord of the Rings". Do not inquire too closely about the nature of that ring! ;-P
I like the movie more. It even has the hand-holding. (Thanks, Sir Ian!)
It's written by some old Oxford professor. Book's called "Lord of the Rings". Do not inquire too closely about the nature of that ring! ;-PI like the movie more. It even has the hand-holding. (Thanks, Sir Ian!)
*Notices name*
You'll kill him if he tries anything! :D
I've always hated gnomes in D&D, or at least that was the case until Golarion had to come along and make them tolerable despite WoW's almost irreversable damage to their reputation. However, seeing as they have plenty of support here, I wish to call out for the DWARVES! Can't wait, lets kill some things with axes and picks and their x3 and x4 crit multipliers!Conversely, I've always hated dwarves in just about everywhere. No, that's not quite right: I've always hated how no one seems to be able to change them in any meaningful way. They're always the same: Love their beards, and alcohol, and metals and rocks. And axes of course. Hate people without beards and people who think there's more to life than drinking and coveting riches and working and fighting.
I do hope Paizo can do better (though the dwarven god Torag is the most uninspiring in the whole Pantheon).
Hmmm, I can see your point though it almost strikes me as though you've simply played with a lot of people who had no imagination when they played their dwarves or simply liked the stereotypical dwarf. My problem has always been elves and honestly I blame tolkein for it. They've always struck me as being over glorified. Seems every fantasy novel out there had them as the former rulers of the surface world as well as the best with magic, art, craftsmanship, swordplay, personal grooming and ass scratching. It got to the point to where I just couldn't stand them because every time they were talked about in a campaign they were the shiznit and everyone else was pishaw.
Honestly I was kind of irked that halflings didn't have their own homeland and have simply been piggy backing with humanity all this time. In one of my past campaigns it was one of my players goals to carve out a section of land in Varisia and make it a halfling kingdom.
Though you do have a point. Few people have tried to give the dwarves any flavor. I imagine it's not so much because people like them as they are as much as there simply hasn't been much interest in general. You have plenty of fantasy literature with elves as the main character (or half elves or someone who's special because they have elf blood in them), you even have the classic of classic fantasy trilogies starring a half- er, hobbit; but you never have anything with dwarves as the main character. The closest I've seen are the Gotrek and Felix stories and even then the stories are from the humans perspective.
Though among the dwarves found in various stories my favorites have been ones who weren't quite normal. The Warhammer dwarves have Slayers which puts an interesting twist on suicide in dwarven culture. R.A. Salvatore made some rather interesting dwarven characters even if a couple were rather standard but he made Pikel, a dwarven druid, which at the time of the writing in a D&D setting was unheard of. Again in his Spearwielder books he made both dwarves and elves a little more, I guess you could say mythical. Personally I think the dwarves have often gotten the, pardon the expression but I cannot help myself, short end of the stick when it comes to attention given to them in campaigns and literature. I liked the "quest for sky" angle of Golarion and how they've spread out about the world and are fairly different in various regions and I hope the supplement goes into more detail on those cultural differences.
Elves, well, in the Forgotten Realms they sundered the world so they could have their own little island. Thankfully the dark elves knocked them from their little high horse. In Golarion, the elves got out of Dodge when things got rough, and really I've seen little of the elves that impressed me here though it's nice to see they've been humbled some :P I do like the lightseeker angle though. That was pretty interesting.
Anyway, that's my bit of rambling for the evening.
Hmmm, I can see your point though it almost strikes me as though you've simply played with a lot of people who had no imagination when they played their dwarves or simply liked the stereotypical dwarf.
Actually, it's just as they have been described in many stories as well.
They've always struck me as being over glorified. Seems every fantasy novel out there had them as the former rulers of the surface world as well as the best with magic, art, craftsmanship, swordplay, personal grooming and ass scratching.
Former surface rulers makes sense, as they're a very old race.
Best with magic and art makes sense.
Craftmanship has usually been delegated to dwarves.
Elves are usually the most graceful fighters, but not necessarily the best.
As for grooming and hygiene: Well, elves do value that. Dwarves don't. I don't fault elves for taking care of themselves.
It got to the point to where I just couldn't stand them because every time they were talked about in a campaign they were the shiznit and everyone else was pishaw.
Seems you played with a lot of people who had no imagination when they played their elves or simply liked the stereotypical elf.
you never have anything with dwarves as the main character.
And not without reason. They're nasty, brutish and short, not real hero material.
Why do you think dwarves are overpowered in 3e. To get people to play them.
Elves, well, in the Forgotten Realms they sundered the world so they could have their own little island.
That, and a lot of other stuff they did, was a tragic accident, as their high magic got over their head.
It's one of their flaws.
Funny that it's always used to bash them mere sentences after someone says "they're always flawless"
In Golarion, the elves got out of Dodge when things got rough
So? Why should they stick around? Honestly, what kind of idiot would stick around when a thousand years of darkness were coming and they couldn't do anything against it.
Why should they hold humanity's hand during that time? It was the humans' arrogance that brought that doom upon the world.
And note that the dwarves with their Quest for Sky brought the orcs to the surface. If they hadn't done that, the world would be a better place.
It's funny: The humans are arrogant, the aboleths tear the world to shreds, the dwarves unleash a scourge upon the world, but the elves get the bad rep when they decide not to fight for others - others that would have never fought for them.
They're cursed when they're depicted as something more than human, but they're also cursed when they show human behaviour.
But who needs rational thought when he's busy elf-bashing?
Get over your inferiority complex, people! ;-P
*shrug* It's funny you should mention inferiority complex. I think it's because of a sort of racial inferiority complex people have placed elves on such a lofty pedestal humans are ugly, brutal, violent, sloppy etc etc. So let's have a race exemplify the opposite of that. It's not so bad with the first taste but too much of anything can make anyone sick.
You almost seem to be taking this a little personally. You've stated why you disliked the Dwarves and I've stated why I've disliked the Elves. As for playing with unimaginative people, no, the few players I've played with who've played elves have typically done well or faded into the background. My dislike of them tends to come from literature wherein elves have been glorified and romanticized over and over again. And at one point I just got sick of elves and all the fan boys and girls. That and they've a level of androgyny that rivals male anime protagonists.
I'm the same way with Vampires, my gods, if I see one more book come out with a brooding mysterious and beautiful vampires I'm going to... well, ignore it like the countless other books wherein they're depicted in a similar fashion. Dwarves I've kind of like, perhaps because I view them as something of an underdog of fantasy literature.
I wasn't using the Quest for Sky to defend their qualities as a race but admiring it as a story element in the campaign setting. As for the orcs, hell, I love what Eberron did with the orcs, they saved the fricken planet and were primarily druids in that worlds history. I simply admire cool story elements that I think add a nice twist or a bit of flavor to more traditional setting elements. Paizo has, largely, let the Dwarves and Elves be... well... fairly standard. My guess is they did this to appeal to a wider audience or they simply felt it wasn't necessary to reinvent the wheel with either race.
I hate elves, you hate dwarves, yay.
Regardless, you have little to worry about, elves will go on being special pretty little androgynous archers and magic users. Dwarves will continue being brutish warriors who like their ale and bearded women (though personally I prefer to nix the women with beards elements in my campaigns). I'll role my eyes when people or books tout the glories of Elven High Magic and laugh when Drow bubble up to the surface of Evermeet and send the sissies packing. You will continue wanting to throttle anyone who mentions 350 pound dwarven women with long beards and likely chortle with glee when you read about a cavern caving in on them or their own greed causing the downfall of some great dwarven kingdom and we'll go on our merry way.
Though I must wonder where you got the idea that they're over powered. I can't really say any of the standard races are over powered. Then again I was of the mentality that Spell Focus didn't need to be reduced to a +1 bonus either so *shrug*
As for all of the things elves have been known for making sense. I never said it didn't, I said I was sick of it, it's about as boring and irritating as someone wanting to make a moody angsty dark elf ranger who wields two scimitars and happens to have a black panther as an animal companion. Sure dwarves are depicted the same way almost constantly but they haven't had nearly the same presence in literature that Elves have had.
I don't understand all this racial hatred. Back in my day, we loved all the races and hated half-orcs. Young people these days...
Conversely, I've always hated dwarves in just about everywhere....I do hope Paizo can do better (though the dwarven god Torag is the most uninspiring in the whole Pantheon).
Perhaps it's not original, but I always liked having completing tribes of barbarian dwarves and higher technology dwarves. But I know dwarven technologists has been done.
So, you want some original dwarf ideas? How about:
- Dwarves as a sort of hivemind, almost insect like society. The live underground, right?
- Dwarves as primarily a psionic race. Make 'em intellectual as well.
- Dwarves as as merchants, with mafia like crime syndicates.
- Dwarves as religious fanatics. Pick your favorite fundamentalism.
Honestly, I don't find it too hard to add flavor to dwarves. They have an expected niche, yes, but there's still a lot you can do with them.
I find it harder to break the elf stereotypes. What crazy elf ideas do you have?
- Elves as evolved humans from the future.
- Elves as creatures experiencing time backwards.
- Elves as always mentally disturbed. Perhaps multiple personalities, passing down racial history.
- Elves who age only as they use magic as it eats up their life force.
*shrug* It's funny you should mention inferiority complex. I think it's because of a sort of racial inferiority complex people have placed elves on such a lofty pedestal humans are ugly, brutal, violent, sloppy etc etc. So let's have a race exemplify the opposite of that. It's not so bad with the first taste but too much of anything can make anyone sick.
In fact, there's also dwarves, which are even worse than humans in terms of ugliness, brutality, violence, sloppiness etc etc. Some want to create a better human and dream, other want to create a worse human and feel better about themselves.
You almost seem to be taking this a little personally.
I have my reputation as elf fanboi and dwarf hater to defend. It's a maintaining the balance thing. So many dwarf fanbois around here that no one dares to mention that he thinks elves aren't that bad. The rabid bashing drives them away. It's like the 4e fans pretend to be about 4e hate around here, times ten.
Even James had to support dwarves with the book to avoid being beaten to death with ugly fake axes.
My dislike of them tends to come from literature wherein elves have been glorified and romanticized over and over again.
As I said: dwarves have also been portrayed as insufferable antisocials in many books.
Vampires, my gods
I think Vampires are allright, but deify them? That goes too far.
I wasn't using the Quest for Sky to defend their qualities as a race
Well, you don't really have to use it to defend them for me to use it to show how they're not exactly innocent bystanders.
Paizo has, largely, let the Dwarves and Elves be... well... fairly standard.
Actually, while there aren't many new things about dwarves (beyond the great service of pointing out that dwarves and elves get along well with each other.), they did freshen up elves quite a bit.
They stress personal freedom and tolerance. Their aloofness stems from the conviction that everyone is entitled to his own opinions.
They are devoted to their own version of honour, which to them means to stand by your friends, no matter what.
They have a very non-envious way to approach religion.
In fact, they did their best to make sure that elves, as a race, aren't the "I'm better than you" arrogant bastards many seem to think them to be.
I hate elves, you hate dwarves, yay.
Actually, I don't really hate dwarves. I hate idiot players. And idiot authors.
Dwarves have real potential, just like every other race.
(though personally I prefer to nix the women with beards elements in my campaigns).
So does Paizo.
And I love it. It allows my bard to insinuate that our party's dwarf monk is gayer than he accuses elves to be (he plays the favourite dwarven subrace: Cliché Dwarf. He's a worse stereotype than the dwarf in Bored of the Rings).
Yes, that bard's a bit arrogant.
He's also human.
I'll role my eyes when people or books tout the glories of Elven High Magic and laugh when Drow bubble up to the surface of Evermeet and send the sissies packing.
I think the "sissies" won. Or did they do it again in a recent book? Because everything would be possible then. The drow probably resurrected the ten dozen gods wizards killed and sicked them on everyone.
Though I must wonder where you got the idea that they're over powered.
In my head. Where I come up with all my stuff.
someone wanting to make a moody angsty dark elf ranger who wields two scimitars and happens to have a black panther as an animal companion.
I think there were about three of them - one of them the original drizzt - and three killion ones in the mind of people who like to overblow things to get their actually nonexistent point across :P
Sure dwarves are depicted the same way almost constantly but they haven't had nearly the same presence in literature that Elves have had.
You think that will change? I don't. Despite this little niche here likes to say and think - that elves are bad bad bad and dwarves are actually great - you can't make a penny with dwarves but you can make millions with elves.
But I think if anyone can make dwarves interesting, it will be Paizo. I'd have much preferred to have the gnome book first, but this should be interesting.
And yeah, I'm pretending to try to like dwarves to make you look like a hateful little freak ;-P
So, you want some original dwarf ideas? How about:
- Dwarves as a sort of hivemind, almost insect like society. The live underground, right?
- Dwarves as primarily a psionic race. Make 'em intellectual as well.
- Dwarves as as merchants, with mafia like crime syndicates.
- Dwarves as religious fanatics. Pick your favorite fundamentalism.
I find it harder to break the elf stereotypes.
Read Elves of Golarion. That book doesn't break them. It shatters them. And it still leaves the archetype intact.
Elves as always mentally disturbed. Perhaps multiple personalities, passing down racial history.
There are the forlorn, who aren't quite right in the head.
Other than that, it would be a redundand stereotype. You already have to be stark raving mad to be an adventurer, so this helps elf characters not a bit ;-)
But let's see:
Dwarves:
This means that their work really is quite impressive - it's basically all they're good at, and all they want to be good at.
War basically is work/duty for them, too. They're good at it, too, and they sort of enjoy it, but that's precisely because it is work. They're not bloodthirsty.
Their relationship with others is always worklike, since they are always at work (or they shut themselves in and want to unwind in privacy). Other races think they're no fun, since they don't quit grasp that the best time for a dwarf is to have things to do. They don't express their feelings during work, since they prefer a professional work environment.
Man, you must have different stereotypes than I do, because ain't nothin' been shattered in no Elves of Golarion book *I* have.
Read Elves of Golarion. That book doesn't break them. It shatters them. And it still leaves the archetype intact.
Are you kidding? The "I'm so much better than you and I'm perfect at everything" elf is gone in Golarion.
They're still aloof, but there's a perfectly good reason for it.
They're still perfectionists to a certain degree, but that's because they have time, which makes perfect sense.
Oooh ooh! A product idea for Paizo's Game Mastery Product Line. They can break into the CCG market!
Golarion: Race Wars!
Paizo's fun and exciting (not to mention politically incorrect!) new collectible trading card game! Pick a race and fight to dominate the face of Golarion and subjugate all others under the rule of your people. Play the mystical elves as they wield powerful magics. Or the savage orcs cutting a bloody swath through the armies of your enemies. Help the halflings forge their own nation and then take over the world with their amazing cooking!
Pre-Order now, starter packs 19.99 with racial expansion packs at 3.99
Also! Look for the new expansion Epithets! Horrible slurs to vex your enemies. Coming in August.
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And I love it. It allows my bard to insinuate that our party's dwarf monk is gayer than he accuses elves to be (he plays the favourite dwarven subrace: Cliché Dwarf. He's a worse stereotype than the dwarf in Bored of the Rings).
Yes, that bard's a bit arrogant.
He's also human.
When I read this, for some reason my thoughts turned to a dwarven bard I played back in an old 2nd edition campaign.
He was charismatic, well groomed, quick with a joke (usually about orcs), kept his beard stylishly braided and neatly trimmed, was an excellent cook, and had quite a way with the ladies (of various races). Really enjoyed turning the dwarven sterotype on its head. Of course, I still held on to some of the core dwarven concepts: he was hard working, honest, wielded an axe, chanted rather than sang, and definitely enjoyed his drink.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I may have created the universe's first metrosexual dwarf...
Oooh ooh! A product idea for Paizo's Game Mastery Product Line. They can break into the CCG market!
Golarion: Race Wars!
Doesn't really work with Golarion, since Golarion doesn't work that way.
It would have to be its own world.
Nah, it'd work just fine, simply doesn't have to be cannon and with the ridiculous elements that often surround CCG's that would be quite easy.
Nah, it'd work just fine, simply doesn't have to be cannon and with the ridiculous elements that often surround CCG's that would be quite easy.
Dammit, if we're doing this, we're doing this right!
It will be set in the Pathfinda Kronikls, on a world called Go! Laireon. Which is similar to Pathfinder Chronicles' Golarion, except with much 10000 more attack power!
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Are you kidding? The "I'm so much better than you and I'm perfect at everything" elf is gone in Golarion.
And yet they still have the exact same mechanical bonuses and personality they've had since a Mr. Gygax mugged a Mr. Tolkien for his intellectual property back in the 1970s. Funny, that. "Shattering" looks exactly like "a fresh coat of paint", to these eyes.
Nah, it'd work just fine, simply doesn't have to be cannon and with the ridiculous elements that often surround CCG's that would be quite easy.Dammit, if we're doing this, we're doing this right!
It will be set in the Pathfinda Kronikls, on a world called Go! Laireon. Which is similar to Pathfinder Chronicles' Golarion, except with much 10000 more attack power!
Genius! Pure Genius! Alright, now we just need to sell it to the kind people at Paizo and get a cut of the profits. :-)
Additionally, I have to agree with Capp, the fresh coat of paint is nice but I don't think it 'shattered' anything. It made them far more tolerable though so as I've said before the Pathfinder Chronicles have done a good job of keeping me from hating any of the races. Which is annoying. I guess I'll have to just focus on Alignments now or something. "What makes a man go True Neutral?"
And yet they still have the exact same mechanical bonuses
If we're being pedantic: Wrong. They didn't have +2 Dex -2 Con before. They didn't get a bonus to search spot and listen checks, they didn't get an automatic search check to find secret doors.
They might be quite similar in spirit, but it's miles away from "exact same".
Plus, the mechanical stuff has nothing at all to do with stereotypes.
and personality they've had since a Mr. Gygax mugged a Mr. Tolkien for his intellectual property back in the 1970s.
The personality has changed a lot, too. And, more importantly, a lot of the reasons for their personality quirks has changed.
The racial stereotyping going on hasn't changed, I give you that, but that's nothing you can change in the books. It would have to be changed in the heads of those who are prejudiced. And I don't see that happening.
I haven't explored the messageboards much yet, so please forgive me if there's an obvious answer to my question, but this seemed like a good place to start.
I'm eager for more information about Kelesh and the lands immediately east of Qadira -- not the Far East, mind you -- more of the central region of the continent.
I imagine Paizo intends to release products for this region eventually, but I would love to see even a cursory overview of it in near-term.
I haven't explored the messageboards much yet, so please forgive me if there's an obvious answer to my question, but this seemed like a good place to start.
I'm eager for more information about Kelesh and the lands immediately east of Qadira -- not the Far East, mind you -- more of the central region of the continent.
I imagine Paizo intends to release products for this region eventually, but I would love to see even a cursory overview of it in near-term.
You get a few references in the Qadira book, but as we haven't detailed many of the countries on the map yet, we're not quite ready to go describing stuff that's NOT on the map. ;)
Any chance of making them longer? Like 50-90 pages?
Not my call, but I'd guess we'll be sticking to the 32-page format. It gives us enough room to cover a lot of player-friendly material, without a big investment in extra rules content that you'd need GM approval for, or the temptation to provide more GM-oriented stuff (which is what the Chronicles line is for).
Dwarves as a sort of hivemind, almost insect like society. The live underground, right?
Dwarves as primarily a psionic race. Make 'em intellectual as well.
Dwarves as as merchants, with mafia like crime syndicates.
Dwarves as religious fanatics. Pick your favorite fundamentalism.
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I've always wondered how to explain Golarion Dwarves as being "creatures from the Underground" yet they have all the features of Humans, and 'stereotypical' Dwarven culture includes ale & northern European type food. Where do they get this in caves? Shouldn't they be accustomed to eating mushrooms and un-cooked flesh? Where would they grow grains for alcohol (much less bread) and where is the fuel to cook food anyways?
One can say the current Dwarven cultures were learned after they came to the surface. The most 'extreme' non-Humanoid aspects can be saved for Derro, but there should be SOME cultural remnant of the underground days.I think 'Yoss got confused about the 'intellectual' thing, which you associated with Psionics, not the Merchant/Mafia thing. Psionic dwarves sound cool. Back in 2nd Edition al-Qadim, I developed the Yak-Men a bit further, and they had enslaved Halflings who lived in the mountain valleys, but a Psionic resistance faction existed (and were encountered by the PCs). I could see Dwarves in a similar setting (Himalayan analog) though I probably wouldn't make them slaves.
Merchants/Mafias seem very do-able. Religious Fanatics, OK, like in al-Qadim there were "Dancing Dwarves" Dervishes, I can see a similar thing in Golarion.
Really, there should be variant Dwarven cultures within Golarion: Hopefully the Dwarf book will express SOME of this, though areas currently not detailed/ on the map will not be included, of course. The "stereotypical" Dwarf culture seems represented in central-NW Avistan, heavily influenced by the "Viking" Ulfen (and Taldan Empire successor states). But other areas could EASILY support some of the ideas you mention: In Inner Sea/ Kelesh-influenced area, I could see city Dwarves being Mercantile/Mafia-inclined, with the religious fanatic types tending to set-up their own settlements in remote areas to escape "corrupting influences". Psionic Dwarves seem a good possibility for Himalayan-analog area of Vudra/Casmaron.
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I know I am late coming into this thread, but a few items that caught my interest were discussed. Before I get into those, I am all for race companion books. I think they will help many new players coming into Golarion, and they are inexpensive and full of detail (at least the elf one was. I cant wait to see the others).
To be honest, I got started with subscriptions when Osirion's companoin book came out, and since, I have enjoyed every one of the books. The only one that gave me some dissapointment was Qadira, but that is a story discussed on another thread already.
As to the argument of the dwarf lover, Devil Roses, I can understand how you can feel so negatively about elves. All I see is P.E.T.A. when I read about elves. Humans are brutes, humans are awful, but lions, tigers, and bears!... oh my... Save them! And heaven forbid if you touch their forests. Plus they think they are better than everyone else, which is what the 11 people I know in PETA think. They are fighting for a just cause, defending the rights of animals that cant speak or have the ability to defend themselves, etc...
I do agree with Devil in this regard. If I didnt have so many aquaintences that believed animals are more important than humans, I probably would not make this correlation between them and elves. But, sadly, it is there. Most of the elven philosophy screams PETA doctrine.
And stereotypical dwarves just want to squash those PETA bastards... :D
If you are a PETA member, I am not trying to offend you. I am simply stating that the elves described in the second darkness AP and the companion books are very similar to the more zealot like PETA members I know.