you're-a-kid-and-probably-shouldn't-see-this-but-we're-showing-it-to- you-anyway TERROR, the Jabberwock in this ranks up there with the Alien and Rancor. So yeah. On that.
You know what's funny? Maybe it's been too long since I saw it and I'm not remembering it right, but my mind isn't remembering the Jabberwocky from that movie as terrifying as you'all are saying. For whatever reason, I keep wanting to remember a Godzilla-style-rubber-monster-suit monster pushing Humpty Dumpty off a wall. I do remember it having badass music cues, though. Maybe that was what was frightening? A properly evil musical accompaniment can be terrifying.
Or maybe I'm just remembering it wrong. There was a good sense of pursuing doom about the creature, though... it was Alice's crocodile-with-a-clock-in-it, and she cannot dodge it forever. Come to think of it, that is all pretty darn creepy.
... personally, I may be dissapointed if your Jabberwocky doesn't wear a waistcoat.*
Or at least have catfish-feelers/tentacle-whiskers. I really like that old classic illustration. Creepy and surreal.
----
*Sometimes I fear I'm difficult to please.
I'm pretty sure I've posted in agreement with you on this before. But should that stop me from doing it again here? It didn't.
Heh, yeah, I know I tend to go on about Oriental dragons a lot.
But I do it because I Care!
And now... because nobody asked for it, I've assembled a list of my favorite dragons. Order of favorite-ness is subject to change:
1) Oriental Dragons
2) The Jabberwocky
3) Yamata no Orochi (yes, I know he's from Japan, but he's very different from the other Oriental Dragons)
4) D&D's Black Dragons (Especially 3/3.5 style. They're pretty much pitch perfect what I look for in a Western style dragon)
5) Smaug from the Animated Hobbit movie (The voice! The Delivery! The pompus confidence! The searchlight eyes! Also pretty much what I want from a Western Dragon.)
7) Bowser Koopa from the Super Mario games (Take a turtle, apply the manimal template and then, the half-dragon template, then the toon template, and somehow, you get awesome. It's all there in the math.)
8) Metroid's Ridley (He's like... the Jabberwocky... from Space! Also, a pirate! And sometimes a robot!)
9) Faerie Dragons
10) Fracktail from Super Paper Mario.
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Having just gotten the Cheliax companion, I'm now very curious as to what these 'winged men' are like.
I'm hoping for one of the following (and yeah, some of these are contradictory);
1) kinda aarakocra-like, more bird-men than dudes with wings
2) proud noble arrogant folk who look upon groundlings with disdain
3) Flash Gordon Hawkmen!
but not;
4) Avariel, whom I loathe.
Creative Director
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Having just gotten the Cheliax companion, I'm now very curious as to what these 'winged men' are like.
I'm hoping for one of the following (and yeah, some of these are contradictory);
1) kinda aarakocra-like, more bird-men than dudes with wings
2) proud noble arrogant folk who look upon groundlings with disdain
3) Flash Gordon Hawkmen!but not;
4) Avariel, whom I loathe.
These winged men are actually statted up in in Pathfinder #25. So that's one we can help with IMMEDIATELY! :-)
Do butterfrogs live on Golarion?...
Now that I'm thinking of it, and to be less of a thread-jack-ninny... it would be really cool to see the Yamata no Orochi in Pathfinder and/or a Bestiary.
Impulse makes me want to think the simplest way to present it would be as a Spawn of Rozavug, but I'm sure there are other ways to approach that epic problem.
A demon-lord or an elder-thing might be nice.
Pathfinder needs more Demons and Demon Lords, pronto.
Mr. James Jacobs, I'm a-lookin' at you.
So does KQ. Mr Wolfgang Baur, I'm a-lookin' at you. ;)
And more planar whoziwhatsits. Mr. Todd Stewart...ah you know the rest.So does KQ. Mr Wolfgang Baur, I'm a-lookin' at you. ;)Pathfinder needs more Demons and Demon Lords, pronto.
Mr. James Jacobs, I'm a-lookin' at you.
And more fey. I'm a-lookin' at...oh, wait...nevermind.
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Well, there's Trilochan, the three-eyes dragon thought to be the wisest and wiliest of Rovagug's children.
We absolutely shouldn't get stats for them, but I'd at least like to get more info on the pre-aboleth humanoid ruins at the Crown of the World.
Seconded! Me likes primordial horror stuff! Maybe 'The Pett' (the most horrifying-looking and eloquent of all Rovagug's and Cthulhu's children) and his origins on Golarion have something to do with those ruins?
Dude, now I'm going to start having nightmares again.
Nightmares? From the man who fleshed out Shemeska, King of the Crosstrade, and her twisted relations?
*the Jersey Devil in the hall bathroom... the Mothman in the closet... yes I was a very special and overly imaginative child apparently.
A John Keel fan, are we? Heh, I remember the nightmares I had after reading Coleman and Clark's Creatures of the Outer Edge. Weee!
More on-topic for this thread, if we get some Golarion-specific dark and twisted fey I'll be happy. Heck, just collecting the monsters from, say, the bestiaries of the first 2 dozen books in the Pathfinder Adventure Path would be great!
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So here's a related question: what happened to the leonal? He's mentioned in the Campaign Setting and in The Great Beyond and was listed in the Beta Playtest rules as a 9th level summonable monster, but didn't make it into the final rules. Has he been renamed? Did you realize he was WotC IP?
So depending on what the answer is, here's my vote for stats on the leonal.
Thanks,
BrOp
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Director of Brand Strategy
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So here's a related question: what happened to the leonal? He's mentioned in the Campaign Setting and in The Great Beyond and was listed in the Beta Playtest rules as a 9th level summonable monster, but didn't make it into the final rules. Has he been renamed? Did you realize he was WotC IP?
James said in the chat tonight that "guardinal" is WotC IP but that "leonal" is fine. So they will appear at some point. My guess as to why they aren't listed on the summon list in the final rules is that they aren't in the Bestiary, but future Bestiaries will have expanded summon tables to include monsters that appear in those late editions, so I bet leonals will return to the list someday.
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Creative Director
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We didn't have room for all the outer planes races in the Bestiary. We had room for five: the LG archons, the angels, the CG azatas (known as eladrins in 3.5 D&D; we can use ghaeles and their buddies but not the word eladrin), the LE devils, and the CE demons.
The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...
The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...
I understand how the Inevitables of 3rd edition "replaced" the Modrons of earlier editions as the LN iconics. But as has been pointed out before, they're not really a race, are they?
They're constructs that come from the LN plane. While I quite enjoy them, here's my vote for taking the ball and running on the excellent work Todd did on the Axiomites in The Great Beyond. No reason PF can't "replace" the Inevitables; or at least de-emphasize them.
We didn't have room for all the outer planes races in the Bestiary. We had room for five: the LG archons, the angels, the CG azatas (known as eladrins in 3.5 D&D; we can use ghaeles and their buddies but not the word eladrin), the LE devils, and the CE demons.
The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...
Bring back lupinals and the rest of the guardinal "furry angels" and I'll be delighted.
Though until then I can just use the 3.5 material on them...
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Creative Director
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The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...I understand how the Inevitables of 3rd edition "replaced" the Modrons of earlier editions as the LN iconics. But as has been pointed out before, they're not really a race, are they?
They're constructs that come from the LN plane. While I quite enjoy them, here's my vote for taking the ball and running on the excellent work Todd did on the Axiomites in The Great Beyond. No reason PF can't "replace" the Inevitables; or at least de-emphasize them.
Actually... they ARE a race. As much as demons and angels and devils are. There are several different types and they all share similar traits, just like all the other outsider races. The fact that inevitables are constructs and not outsiders doesn't matter too much, since they don't really function like most constructs what with their intelligence and society and all. In fact, I personally think they work better as outsiders but with construct traits...
Axiomites are certainly a cool idea, and they're definately a race of outsiders, but they aren't as much a "type" of outsider like demon and devil and archon are. They're not set up in the same way, with the name "axiomite" as a race name with multiple different categories that share similar traits. Inevitables are.
The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...I understand how the Inevitables of 3rd edition "replaced" the Modrons of earlier editions as the LN iconics. But as has been pointed out before, they're not really a race, are they?
They're constructs that come from the LN plane. While I quite enjoy them, here's my vote for taking the ball and running on the excellent work Todd did on the Axiomites in The Great Beyond. No reason PF can't "replace" the Inevitables; or at least de-emphasize them.
Actually... they ARE a race. As much as demons and angels and devils are. There are several different types and they all share similar traits, just like all the other outsider races. The fact that inevitables are constructs and not outsiders doesn't matter too much, since they don't really function like most constructs what with their intelligence and society and all. In fact, I personally think they work better as outsiders but with construct traits...
Axiomites are certainly a cool idea, and they're definately a race of outsiders, but they aren't as much a "type" of outsider like demon and devil and archon are. They're not set up in the same way, with the name "axiomite" as a race name with multiple different categories that share similar traits. Inevitables are.
I see what you're saying, James. I guess I want a version of Axis that has the Axiomites as the creator-race behind the Inevitables. There doesn't need to be many different types (though some more would be awesome), like the other alignment iconic outsiders, but Inevitables make a little more sense to me if they're assigned a creator race. Which would allow you to play up what Todd's done on the Axiomites as well as running w/ your version of the Inevitables.
Nothing I can't homebrew, though. Thanks for the response.
Axiomites are certainly a cool idea, and they're definately a race of outsiders, but they aren't as much a "type" of outsider like demon and devil and archon are. They're not set up in the same way, with the name "axiomite" as a race name with multiple different categories that share similar traits.
Make room at some point for an Ecology of the Axiomite or some other such venue and I bet they could. ;)
From Princes of Darkness p. 24, the Oitos Kyton (the individual is described as a golden skeleton wearing robes of flesh) and the Ephialtes Kyton (no description of the creature, just conjecture that a building's "chained frame of incredible proportions" is actually a really big Ephialtes)
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Axiomites are certainly a cool idea, and they're definately a race of outsiders, but they aren't as much a "type" of outsider like demon and devil and archon are. They're not set up in the same way, with the name "axiomite" as a race name with multiple different categories that share similar traits. Inevitables are.
I'm getting a Modron vibe, where the different 'types' of Axiomite are just bigger and better 'advanced' version of each other...
All of these from the Guide to Absalom
Hippocampus (the sea cavalry)
Mother Sphinx (the mascot of the city)
Low Azlanti (Gillmen of the Inner Sea)
Blue and red Chimeras (Kortos Mounts)
Sea-ghouls (The targets of the Undying Light commemorated in the Seventh Church)
Honey-producing wasps of Calistria (Pleasure Salon of Calistria)
Winged camels, axebeaks, bladebeaks, huge lizard-like creatures, giant non-venomous centipedes (Transport In Absalom)
The Assembler, the Ruling Escarpment, Thumpers, The Brass Carrots (or at least their constructs)(The Clockwork Cathedral)
The Living Eye, the Self-Consuming Troll, the Inverted Man, the Fish-Head Queen (Aysepir's Astounded Abyss)
Tunnel brach badgers (The Fierce Stripe)
In fact, I personally think they work better as outsiders but with construct traits...
I like the idea of them as Outsiders with construct traits. What a difference a Con score and decent saves would make!
I had a party of players whose leader was convinced the city was corrupt and that they needed to kill the city council and take over (It was the Styes, so yes, it was corrupt,) so I had the city council bring in a Kolyarut repurposed to protect the sanctity of civilisation as a representative of the kingdom, "This is not the Wildlands. There is no place for Frontier justice here."
Then I realised with 91 hit points and all bad saves, this CR 12 creature could be one-rounded by my largely 9th level party.
Meh.
There are some monsters in the book of the damned vol 1 that don't have stats. One that comes to mind is the Typhlipedes.
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We didn't have room for all the outer planes races in the Bestiary. We had room for five: the LG archons, the angels, the CG azatas (known as eladrins in 3.5 D&D; we can use ghaeles and their buddies but not the word eladrin), the LE devils, and the CE demons.
The LN inevitables, the CN proteans (since we can't use slaadi), the NG agathions (since we can't use the word guardinal, but this is where the leonal lives), and the NE daemons are not in the first Bestiary. They'll be along soon enough, along with a brand new race of neutral outsiders we aren't yet ready to talk about...
In the past it was considered best to apply to Dragon Magazine with homebrew material such as new monster types. Is this still the case, or is applying to the PF publication line a better chance, or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I have an extension of the 'guardinals' (agathions) known as dinopriminals as a working concept - which exist as a Native Outsider on a single material world (The Nymian Beastlands, or Omarka) and natives of the Beastlands outer plane as well. I am also working on a series of new living constructs and liv-construct-based outsiders, as well as some new material relating to technology, including cleric domains, new deities, and some new classes. My final (and largest) project is a variant rules method for attaining divine rank, such as in 'Deities & Demigods' that is more similar to class progression but with many differences - this one is great, but huge in scope; it is over half done, but still a lot of variables to be described.
Where is the best place to pitch these ideas? Thanks and best wishes,
-will
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Creative Director
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We generally don't look for unsolicited material for Pathfinder—we just don't have the time to read over lots of submissions and handle a slush pile like we did back during the magazine days, unfortunately.
Kobold Quarterly, though, is a great place to submit new monsters, particularly monsters tied in to Pathfinder or even Golarion, since we often have Golarion and Pathfinder articles in Kobold Quarterly.
But as for our outsider races... we've actually got that relatively sewn up tight and aren't looking for any new races there.
As for a Divine Level Handbook type thing... that seems to me to be the PERFECT followup to an Epic Level Handbook type thing. Which means it's certainly something we've been considering... but won't be actively working on or even greenlighting for some years to come at this point.
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Kobold Quarterly, though, is a great place to submit new monsters, particularly monsters tied in to Pathfinder or even Golarion, since we often have Golarion and Pathfinder articles in Kobold Quarterly.
As for a Divine Level Handbook type thing... that seems to me to be the PERFECT followup to an Epic Level Handbook type thing. Which means it's certainly something we've been considering... but won't be actively working on or even greenlighting for some years to come at this point.
I will prepare an article submission. I was familiar with Dragon mag submission guidelines in early 2007, but became homeless for a period of over a year and a half, and have now had to take back up my search in a totally different publishing market than prior to 4e D&D's release - is there a specific page you could refer me to find submission guidelines and process for Kobold?
I honestly still haven't found a lot of resources to do with the planes in PF either, aside from the little I found on PFwiki, so it seems like these facets of PF might be a great fit for me in the future anyways. Most of my outsiders come from campaign setting elements involving angelic/celestial protections over material reality and related things, as well as a mounting pile of elements for prehistoric settings - got it almost 2/3 done - and some new things related to introducing technology concepts into games. {UPDATE: I found what I was looking for with PF planes here and here.}
Divine Ascension (immortality handbook working title: Cabala Inata, or "Inath") is in many ways similar to epic progression, but with some variant rules to keep it from being too enticing in lieu of breaking from the epic rules/system to achieve it. It does not add HD but does take on the general traits of Divine Rank as outlined in revised 3e 'Deities & Demigods' and is more suitable to player and creature progression than to non-playable NPCs or mega-deities; it adds more variation between having no Divine Rank (DivR:-), zero Divine Rank (DivR:0), and Divine Rank of one (DivR:1), and allows characters and opponents to challenge one another in diverse ways relating to their Ego and Spirit.
I could begin converted PF publishing ideas for compilation with a simple notion of using an Ego Roll as a variant on OGL Intelligent Item Ego, as well as a more passive couterpart, a Spirit Roll. Beyond that, there are new Knowledge and Craft skill uses in relation to divine abilities, along with a lot of other neat little things that could be really easy to submit in a series with the intention of outlining a final divine rank progression for a future publication on the idea.
I wouldn't necessarily say that it should be in any correlation with Epic Level Progression, however, since you expend experience points in order to attain new Inath Caste/Level, as well as when taking upon legendary quests and spiritual journeys to earn more powerful variations on the 'standard' progression. It would in many ways exclude characters and monsters from HD/class/epic progression and in its place would come immortality, plus legendary metaphysical & divine power. However, it adds a whole new facet to challenges between mortal and immortal characters, as well as divine dominance duels between two immortal characters which can change every round and can be quite fun even between members of the same party (trust me, my last game using the system was VERY funny when watching my players dissent from each other during times of stress and changing plot currents - highly amusing and epic storytelling sessions).
And for the record: I am also in general agreement with the above statement about adding Kitsune to PF races/monsters. They are not MY favorite, but they are a neat and unique concept, and highly marketable to the anime and Sonic the Hedgehog demogr - especially if you add in a three-tailed flying variant kitsune ("OMG, I loved Tails the fox!"). It would be wonderful for adding in oriental flair too - since I think that was the basis of the mythological critter. It could also have racial/cultural variants with some level of success as well, I bet (ie, Arabic, Indian, Meso-American, etc. - just not Greek/Egyptian/Nordic - it might be able to pull off Sumer/Babylonian).
Thanks for the input,
-will
If they've not yet been mentioned, I'd like to see stats for the Johud. (I already made a request for the johud in this thread.)
I'm imagining them as fiendish frost giants, but I was hoping there is more to them than that.
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...is there a specific page you could refer me to find submission guidelines and process for Kobold?...Here you go.
Excellent and thank you. ;) I am on my way to getting back on track now.
Best wishes,-will
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Happy holidays all,
After a little perusing around and seeing the many contributions you have made, Adam, I am quite impressed and happy to know that the contributors make a point of being involved in the discussions on these forums. It's really great to know that there are watchful eyes and eager minds to take part on the boards here. That goes for you as well, James. ;)
Now that I have had an opportunity to take a good look at the submission guidelines and compare that to the material I have put together already, I am still wondering about a few things (maybe I should be posting this to another thread?):
- What exactly is the difference between an Open Design patron and a typical author/submitter? Is this a separate formal organization/project that has its own methods? I have to admit that I am completely unfamiliar with it, and still a little confused even after doing a little searching around for more info about it...
- By Sword & Sorcery, would that also mean anything related to Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Campaign Setting, Serran? Are there copyright issues there? Would something like an ecology of the Litorian be acceptable in this instance?
- In consideration for an Ecology article, would Ecology of the Guardinal be breaking any copyright restrictions, and though I am openly getting input from fans of the Planescape setting on Planewalker.com, is there any specific requirement that these ecologies and related histories be directly linked to known 'canon' events within the planes? I refer to the Ecology of the Inevitables in 'Monster Ecologies', to the "creche forges" named where the Inevitables are created, which in various other 3e and Planescape materials is referred to as Neumannus, the Life Molds (and not in any way a "creche forge")... Are discrepancies like this manageable, and if included purposefully or by accident, would the editors have rights to modify, delete, or otherwise edit the material submitted? If so, if there was some form of rationale involved in the writing, would that also be considered if mentioned in a separate document, such as errata or an explanation of material? (I can't believe I even just asked if it was allowable to write an errata page, but I sure did)
- Would Modrons break any copyright issue? Would these be even remotely acceptable to submit? These might fit into the clockwork/steampunk concept asked for, along with other materials I have on the subject (technology deities, cleric domains, classes, monsters, etc.)... I have even more than that, but in my own tech project I ended up revising a lot of old Modron material left over from pre-3.5 updates (primarily the 'Manual of the Planes' web enhancement which never made it to 3.5, and now with help from Planescapers and old 2e materials). I also gave Primus an update, now that he has been killed by another god (Tenebrous) and learned a few good lessons from that... Would including ways to add these kind of subjects into both 3.5/Pathfinder and 4e D&D campaigns be a good way to approach this, or would focusing on one system to the exclusion of the other be the more preferred approach?
- What is the Pathfinder monster stat block format? Is it in any way like the Forgotten Realms revised 3e stat block that WotC ended up using in later Monster Manuals and other books? Is there a sample somewhere that is open for consideration (since I really can't afford a magazine for comparison right now)?
- What the heck is Zobeck?
- Am I able to negotiate first rights to the material, so that I can keep my material for later publication considerations (since I have a lot of stuff that goes together into my various ideas - tech stuff, prehistoric stuff, and immortality/godhood stuff)? If I choose in the future to release all rights BACK to Paizo (say, if one of my publication ideas goes bust but I still want it to make a difference), could first rights end up being negotiated to being all rights in the future - say, for Best of KQ, if it were to have been published?
- Is there any way to work with an artist to submit sketches or basic concepts of a written idea that might end up having related images or media? I am also an artist, but not comfortable enough to try selling my skills at this point in this regard... But I would love to hand over my sketches to someone who can fully develop them to the level that we have seen in past magazine editions.
- I checked out Werecabbages.com, and requested to become a member - is there anything that will exclude me or else some requirement that I may be unaware of? Does this group only include published freelancers? Are there any post-acceptance requirements to continue membership?
Thanks, and best wishes to you all. For the record, I love looking at the materials that others have put forth, and I think it's really cool that it is so easy to be in touch with the minds that produced it. I love accessible genius. ;) Thanks for being publicly helpful.
-will
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Director of Game Development
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Thanks for the kind words. These messageboards are the best that I’ve experienced. I started hanging out here about four years ago, and I have to say, the community of people here are responsible for my current freelancing in a few ways. However, this particular thread probably isn’t the best place for this discussion, so I’m going to hide the rest of this post behind a spoiler button.
You’ve got a bunch of questions and I’ll do what I can to answer them. However, I first want to add, if you are looking into getting into freelancing, now is your best bet. Paizo is runs an annual contest called RPG Superstar that is open to submission for the next couple of weeks. The link and threads associated with it should answer most of your questions about it.
Open Design is run by Wolfgang Baur and is a patronage model for publishing material. It is based on the medieval model where someone would pay an artist to write them an opera, paint a ceiling mural, or whatnot. In a patron project, the group of people paying into the project guide it and even contribute material to the project. There is more information on this on the Kobold Quarterly website and the site I linked earlier. These projects are also a good place to learn about the process, see how other freelancers work, and get some excellent advice on the craft. In addition to Wolfgang’s workings, other excellent publishers like Rite Publishing use the patronage model.
The messageboards at Kobold Quarterly, while there is some overlap of folks there and here, are also a great place to get feedback and questions answered. When you ask about the usage of “sword and sorcery” in the guidelines posted there, it refers to the fantasy gaming genre specifically. Using another publishing company’s Intellectual Property is typically forbidden unless you negotiate certain licenses and other legal stuff I’m not super smart on. I play it safe and only write using OGL stuff (unless I’m writing for a specific publisher, of course, where using or creating their intellectual property is part of the gig.)
Your next two bullet points involve a lot of IP questions. Anything not in the SRD published by WotC is their property, as well as other material that is IP of other companies like Green Ronin’s Freeport material, Wolfgang’s Zobeck, and Paizo’s Golarion. Most of this regards specific setting material and proper nouns, but extends into mechanics as well. There are tons of threads and discussions about what is and what isn’t OGL throughout these messageboards, as well as many other messageboards. If you are interested in freelancing, knowing what is clear and what is not is extremely important, as using closed material can be an insta-kill to a proposal.
I know you mentioned not having the funds to get a lot of material right now, but I have to say, the best way of getting a foot in the door with publishers is by knowing their material. Not only does this let you know what already has been published (so you’re not pitching something that’s already been covered), but it also gives you an idea of the type of material a particular publisher is looking for, not to mention certain styles and format they use. Many publishers provide free material on their websites that can be mined for this information. It just takes a little digging sometimes.
If you clicked on some of the previous links, this question may be already covered, but Zobeck is the setting that many, if not most, of the Open Design adventure and sourcebook material is set in. In addition to any articles appearing in Kobold Quarterly that reference the setting, Wolfgang Baur uses the last page of the publication to let us in on yet another interesting facet of the Free City.
First rights is something some publishers negotiate, but unless it’s a special case, I wouldn’t expect it. I’ve never done anything that I retain first rights to. Part of freelancing is selling your babies. One of my art instructors told me, “Give the piece enough love to make it wonderful, but not too much that you can’t let it go.” The same goes for everything.
Merging into your artist question, most of that depends on the publisher. My first paid freelancing gig I was able to wrangle one of my favorite illustrators looking to break into the biz to do the art, and I have to agree that finding like-minded talent to accompany your craft feels freakin’ awesome. I’ve had great pleasure working alongside my artist friends like James Keegan and Hugo Solis on a number of projects.
Regarding the Werecabbages, our group happens to be locked to a particular membership cap to keep things from becoming unruly. Really, you get too many creative folks in a small space and they get crazy fast. You gotta keep an eye on folks like that. Seriously though, we have reached the size we need to be at the moment, and every now and then bring new members in when determined though internal rules we maintain.
I hope I answered at least some of your questions well enough. I remember (just a couple of years ago) when I was staring down the long road of deciding to become a freelance writer and how strange and scary it seemed. I can’t even start to talk about how invaluable the advice of other freelancers, and everyone in this community really, is to honing your craft. You may come into things with preconceived notions of what gaming is, but having the breadth of experience, and how willing everyone is to share their experiences, this community is excellent for helping things along.
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I am taking your advice, and will be entering. I have a few pieces on hand for this kind of subject, so I am well prepared. I have not ever done well with formulating the market value and creation costs for items like this, so I do have a few blank spots to fill in, but I have moved my responses to you to another thread in the general discussion section here: a new thread for Adam's input for me. Please join me there?
Thanks for all the help - it has been VERY enlightening for me.
-will
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Update:
For some reason, I think my post (the above link) was deleted or moved, since there is no longer any content there. It could have been in the wrong place, or else someone thought I was cheating in the RPG Superstar contest. *sigh* I need to better understand the ins and outs of working on this forum, I think. :P
Any chance you know of a specifically better location to continue this discussion, so I am not detracting from the point of this thread anymore? I will follow you if you make a new posting or thread elsewhere. I am realizing that there are more differences between Pathfinder RPG and 3.5e standard content - I need to better understand this stuff so I am not sticking out like a sore thumb when I make references to my own homebrew material.
xidoraven, I THINK you would be okay if you came up with a new item and submitted it anonymously. But, after the post you made in the RPG Superstar forums, your permanent-awakening-and-wisdom-boosting item (whatever it is) would be illegal and would be disqualified out of hand. I am not a judge, though; maybe you could message Vic to check first?
To answer the question you asked there, you can't use permanency to gauge an item's price. A permanent spell can be dispelled by more powerful casters, which makes items a lot more durable. And don't even think of basing permanent, numerical stat bonuses on the spells they're based on; that will work about as well as pricing a constant attack bonus based on the true strike spell.
You always want to start with the closest thing to your item then tweak it from there. In this case, it sounds like an inherent bonus is the closest thing to what you're going for, though I could be wrong. It's been suggested in various books that "magic tattoos" (i.e, magic items that are used once and then grant a bonus or effect which can't be taken away and doesn't take a slot) cost twice as much, so maybe you could just make it an enhancement bonus and just double the normal cost.
Hope that helped a little.
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That did help, Hydro, and I appreciate your input and honesty. I knew going into making that posting that it was probably too much... But I am not at all familiar yet with Pathfinder RPG formatting, and after doing a quick perusing of the PRD, I realized there is simply no easy way for me to learn it fast enough to make an adequate submission before the deadline at this point. I know that's defeatist to say, but it was not my final goal to win that contest going into this... I can always wait for next year, and work from a much more stable platform.
My intention has always been to compile, finalize, and begin submitting my past materials for magazine articles/concepts for publication - material which has already been created and just needs to be revised/finalized and submitted to be applicable to the Pathfinder RPG setting, or else viable for magazine idea. I was always familiar with Dragon and Dungeon magazines, but after coming back out of homelessness, I have had to do a complete re-evaluation of the market, including figuring out how far behind I am from where I was over a year ago. Now that Kobold Quarterly has replaced Paizo's Dragon, and WotC now does their own stuff in house, I am just now debating which system (since I have to switch over to SOMETHING regardless of what it is in the end) I will begin writing for to get myself on a stable footing.
RPG Superstar was actually an idea Adam gave me to help give me a boost, and I did it quickly and without knowledge of Pathfinder formatting or standards... So I am not too worried that I made a fool of myself, at least for now. I didn't lose much - except a potential easy-street way in the door. I have never been very good at easy street anyways. ;) Thanks for the reply though, and I wish the entrants all the best of luck. Maybe I won't make such a fool of myself next time around, or - better still - maybe I won't even need join because I did something good that got me in someone's sights in another manner. ;) Being ineligible for the contest altogether because I have previous experience would be a blessing, to be honest. :P
Best wishes,
-will
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In what publication are Axiomites found? I saw them on the PF wiki as well.... I liked the picture there.
Is 'agathion' the new term used for Leonals and other outsiders typically deemed 'guardinals' in D&D 3.5? What is their new technical term if not 'agathion' as above?
Inevitables are commented on here as having intelligence and a culture. In the past, there was a Dragon Magazine Ecology article for them... Does the material in the original Dragon Magazine / Monster Ecologies for Inevitables still apply here? If not, how does it differ? I don't remember seeing them in the Bestiary when I paged through it, but did I perhaps just forget that I saw them there, or are they set for another publication?
The creators of the Inevitables cannot and should not be the Axiomites. Axiomites seem to have much more in common with Paraii from Planescape for me - lawful beings made from energy and order/perfection. Inevitables came into being only after the fall of an ancient outsider race known as Aphanacts (got that one covered now), and though it has not been shown to have been caused by that event directly, the creche forges from which Inevitables emerge (I suspect now within Axis outer plane city..???) only after following that event. The ancient dealings in the outer plane of law and neutrality were quite simple and just to the continuing order of things. The Axiomites (as Paraii equivalents in my analogy) are the redistributed energies of the Aphanacts following their deletion from the cosmos, and their creation long ago coincided directly with the rise of a technological divine being known as a trinity being with the name of Cog / Creche / Cain. Or at least that what MY documents say... That could be because I wrote them, but that's what it says here. *points*
Anyways, I am ready to give you a new ecology as soon as know what to call the race that Leonals belong to.
In what publication are Axiomites found? I saw them on the PF wiki as well.... I liked the picture there.
Is 'agathion' the new term used for Leonals and other outsiders typically deemed 'guardinals' in D&D 3.5? What is their new technical term if not 'agathion' as above?
1. 'The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse'
2. Yes, agathion is the name for Golarion's NG outsiders, some of whom were previously guardinals in 2e/3.x.Inevitables are commented on here as having intelligence and a culture. In the past, there was a Dragon Magazine Ecology article for them... Does the material in the original Dragon Magazine / Monster Ecologies for Inevitables still apply here? If not, how does it differ? I don't remember seeing them in the Bestiary when I paged through it, but did I perhaps just forget that I saw them there, or are they set for another publication?
Golarion's Inevitables have a different in-game history, and rather than acting independently to enforce universal laws, they tend to do so as agents of the Axiomites, the Axiomite Godmind, and Golarion's Lawful deities.
They were probably first created in response to the first major protean attack on Axis as directed by the protean lord Ssila'meshnik, at which point the two races entered their current phase of mutual annihilation.
That said, in your own game you should tailor everything you like to your own campaign's history. Don't be tied down to anything I or anyone else writes. :D
(And yes, the parai were something of an influence, and the moignos probably more-so, along with a dose of Stargate's human-form replicators).
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1. 'The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse'
2. Yes, agathion is the name for Golarion's NG outsiders, some of whom were previously guardinals in 2e/3.x.
Are agathions also featured in this publication, or will that be a Bestiary II addition? It's looling like I am going to have to purchase some of these books before I get to writing more content in the hopes for a PF Society adventure module.... (I already knew that I wanted this one... I just didn't realize that it was going to be a necessity when it came to Inevitables...)
Are there Agathions which were not previously Guardinals?
Golarion's Inevitables have a different in-game history, and rather than acting independently to enforce universal laws, they tend to do so as agents of the Axiomites, the Axiomite Godmind, and Golarion's Lawful deities.
That makes me at least a little bit sad. I was hoping that there would be some level of congruency between the previous Inevitables and these versions... I will have to get the book and ruminate on it a bit further..... *sighs* And just when I thought I was going to get away with finding a campaign setting that would actually welcome a write-up for the Aphanacts....
I need to find out more about the gods of Golarion. They are still yet somewhat hidden to me - I don't have much about them in the Core Rulebook, except for the table in the Cleric class description. I am interested in what other LN deities might be about and what their goals/intentions/purpose might be in the planes. I am also finding Plan B locations for Primus once a transition to another cosmological setup is necessary for him. ;)
They were probably first created in response to the first major protean attack on Axis as directed by the protean lord Ssila'meshnik, at which point the two races entered their current phase of mutual annihilation.
That said, in your own game you should tailor everything you like to your own campaign's history. Don't be tied down to anything I or anyone else writes. :D
(And yes, the parai were something of an influence, and the moignos probably more-so, along with a dose of Stargate's human-form replicators).
Oh, don't worry - I always do my own thing for my own games.... But I like being able to know what my mythos is doing while I am not looking at it, and I really enjoyed the PF Society games I just played enough to start thinking of ways to make the high-level modules even more interesting and epic - without going far astray from the setting elements.
Oh well... I guess I will just be patient, get the book when I can, and hope like heck that no one beats me to the punchline on making an excellent backdrop for the planar scheme of Golarion..... :/ It always seems to work out that way... :P ;)
DREAM WOLVES!!! I will be Perrin Golden-Eyes! I have both of the Wheel of Time RPG books...
Miracle of miracles, I even know where they are. 8P
Unless I'm unaware of it already existing, I'd love to see a full write up of the Shory at some point. I don't think they've been given one already.
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From the Twice Damned Prince-
Elysian Titan (mentioned upthread, mentioned again here on page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Thanatopic Abyssal Titan (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Nirvana Gigas (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Maelstrom Gigas (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
The spirits Advodazas were born from (Page 80)
The formatting of the Ravener Behemoth's name (Behemoth, Ravener) seems to imply that there are other types of behemoth
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Director of Brand Strategy
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From the Twice Damned Prince-
Elysian Titan (mentioned upthread, mentioned again here on page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Thanatopic Abyssal Titan (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Nirvana Gigas (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
Maelstrom Gigas (Page 85, Hell Gigas writeup)
The spirits Advodazas were born from (Page 80)
The formatting of the Ravener Behemoth's name (Behemoth, Ravener) seems to imply that there are other types of behemoth
+1. These sorts of tangential references are one of the areas we really hope to cover on the wiki, so it helps to have them catalogued here. Thanks Lord Gadigan.