Hi James!
If I remember correctly, in Jade Regent, players are allowed/encouraged to play the main NPCs of the adventure. (Correct me if I'm wrong). My question is, does that work just as well with the main NPCs in the other APs? Can I just hand one to a player that wants to start play immediately?
Thanks and have a great week!
Creative Director
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Hi James!
If I remember correctly, in Jade Regent, players are allowed/encouraged to play the main NPCs of the adventure. (Correct me if I'm wrong). My question is, does that work just as well with the main NPCs in the other APs? Can I just hand one to a player that wants to start play immediately?
Thanks and have a great week!
Playing the NPCs of the adventure is an option, but the AP itself still assumes the players make their own characters.
There aren't really "main NPCs" in all Adventure Paths, and certainly not a group that's really appropriate to be an adventuring party.
If you're talking about the iconics, though... we haven't put stats for them in an Adventure Path in years. They were taking up space that's better used for actual content.
Hi James!
If I remember correctly, in Jade Regent, players are allowed/encouraged to play the main NPCs of the adventure. (Correct me if I'm wrong). My question is, does that work just as well with the main NPCs in the other APs? Can I just hand one to a player that wants to start play immediately?
Thanks and have a great week!
Playing the NPCs of the adventure is an option, but the AP itself still assumes the players make their own characters.
There aren't really "main NPCs" in all Adventure Paths, and certainly not a group that's really appropriate to be an adventuring party.
If you're talking about the iconics, though... we haven't put stats for them in an Adventure Path in years. They were taking up space that's better used for actual content.
So letting someone play as Ameiko or as one of the people that fell down the hole in Wrath of the Righteous, or as one of the castaways in Serpent's Skull would be a bad idea for mechanical reasons? I checked some of them, and they seem to qualify as heroic NPCs - Would there be too much of a power difference?
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Creative Director
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So letting someone play as Ameiko or as one of the people that fell down the hole in Wrath of the Righteous, or as one of the castaways in Serpent's Skull would be a bad idea for mechanical reasons? I checked some of them, and they seem to qualify as heroic NPCs - Would there be too much of a power difference?Hi James!
If I remember correctly, in Jade Regent, players are allowed/encouraged to play the main NPCs of the adventure. (Correct me if I'm wrong). My question is, does that work just as well with the main NPCs in the other APs? Can I just hand one to a player that wants to start play immediately?
Thanks and have a great week!
Playing the NPCs of the adventure is an option, but the AP itself still assumes the players make their own characters.
There aren't really "main NPCs" in all Adventure Paths, and certainly not a group that's really appropriate to be an adventuring party.
If you're talking about the iconics, though... we haven't put stats for them in an Adventure Path in years. They were taking up space that's better used for actual content.
No... Letting someone play as Ameiko and team would be cool. That's an AP where that'll work.
The castaways on Serpent's Skull might work as well... but only if all but one of them abandon their allegiances to their own factions to go with one. It's not a "power" thing as much as it is that most NPC allies have specific story roles to play that, as PCs, get tricky.
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Q1 - Are "evil" races inherently evil?
I'm reading up on some of the monster species and many of the evil ones like the goblin races seems to suggest that their natures are inherent of their race and not just from their upbringing. Example, a bugbear born to goblin parents would eventually wipe out the goblin village, etc.
So what would happen in these situations?:
1a) Would a bugbear or goblin raised from birth by a good, caring and accepting adopted parents and community, be able to grow up as a good alignment character?
1b) If a good character gets reincarnated as a bugbear or goblin, would he or she eventually be comes evil due to his or her new race?
Q2 - What about creatures of the half-templates?
2a) Would a half-celestial Red Dragon swing more towards doing good?
2b) Or would there be a kinda conflict of natures, due to chromatic dragons leaning towards evil natures, conflicting with the celestial towards good natures?
2a) Would a half-celestial Red Dragon swing more towards doing good?
Derived from that, if an astral deva and a red dragon have a child, would it be a half-celestial red dragon or a half-red dragon astral deva.
Or just a half-red dragon, half-celestial that has to get its hit dice from class levels?
Easier to just ignore them, frankly. The adventure doesn't need them at all, and you're just making busywork for yourself, I think, by trying to justify a typo.Should have added onto my top post but: what the heck are rift boots? Illaris Zeleshi in Choking Tower has a pair but I have had no luck at all in figuring out what exactly these boots do.They were cut from the adventure because they were simply too powerful and too expensive to include in the adventure, but a reference to them snuck through editing, unfortunately.
They were, more or less, boots that allowed teleportation. Not only too powerful and too expensive, but too likely to let the NPC escape and disrupt the plot.
Good to know.
I'm likely to give them a bunch of thoroughly useless powers (Style clash - change color to clash with any other clothing or equipment worn to the point where it clearly draws you attention, Riding boots of comfort - look like normal riding boots but keep your feet warm like snow boots (too warm in the summer, etc...), just to make my players say "WTF? Who would make something like that?"
Yeah, it is. But it is one of those weird things that I find a bit amusing.
1)How many non-core races will get some love in the Inner Sea Races book?
2)Why didn't the Cleric get a capstone power? What about a capstone power for clerics were there channeling damage/healing is maximized?
3)Are there any good aligned living planet/moon deity or godlike beings out there?
4)Any chance we will get another hardcover campaign setting book next year?
5)So what movies have you seen lately? What did you think of them?
6)Not that I am complaining but is there any reason why Gen Con was moved to July this year?
7)What are the top 5 things you would change about the system but didn't because of backwards compatibility?
Thinking back on my Runelords questions and re-reading the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary book, apparently James did name (Or give the go-ahead to name) the first Runelord of Greed, Kaladurnae. That's four down, three to go. :P
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Creative Director
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Which Inner Sea country has the creepiest butlers: Nidal, Geb, or Ustalav?
How does Pharasma judge former good-aligned characters that were turned into undead against their will, and subsequently committed enough evil acts to warrant an evil alignment?
Nidal, on average.
As an undead creature, a soul is outside of the life-death cycle, and as such acts an unwilling undead creature performs don't impact their judgement.
A creature that becomes undead on purpose is a different story. Mostly because voluntarily becoming undead pretty much means you become evil.
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Creative Director
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Q1 - Are "evil" races inherently evil?
I'm reading up on some of the monster species and many of the evil ones like the goblin races seems to suggest that their natures are inherent of their race and not just from their upbringing. Example, a bugbear born to goblin parents would eventually wipe out the goblin village, etc.So what would happen in these situations?:
1a) Would a bugbear or goblin raised from birth by a good, caring and accepting adopted parents and community, be able to grow up as a good alignment character?
1b) If a good character gets reincarnated as a bugbear or goblin, would he or she eventually be comes evil due to his or her new race?
Q2 - What about creatures of the half-templates?
2a) Would a half-celestial Red Dragon swing more towards doing good?
2b) Or would there be a kinda conflict of natures, due to chromatic dragons leaning towards evil natures, conflicting with the celestial towards good natures?
Q1) Unless they're outsiders (and not native outsiders), no they're not. As detailed at the start of the Bestairy, alignments given for monsters in the books are not absolutes; just the norms.
1a) Yes, in that situation, the bugbear or goblin would be able to grow up with a good alignmnet. He'd still have a very tough life, due to society not accepting him... which is why so many folks, I suspect, are drawn to this type of character.
1b) Nope. A reincarnated character retains their personality. That said, living a life under the prejudices and stigmas associated with their new body can cause personality shifts and thus alignment shifts.
2a) As a native outsider, a half-celestial does not have to start life as good, but the celestial influence does mean that most do. So yes... a half-celestial red dragon would be more likely to be chaotic evil than any other alignment, but any other alignment is still possible.
2b) There would indeed be a conflict, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and supernaturally.
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Creative Director
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2a) Would a half-celestial Red Dragon swing more towards doing good?Derived from that, if an astral deva and a red dragon have a child, would it be a half-celestial red dragon or a half-red dragon astral deva.
Or just a half-red dragon, half-celestial that has to get its hit dice from class levels?
Whether or not that kid would be a half-celestial dragon or a half-dragon deva depends 100% on which template the creator wants to use.
If you want an in-world explanation, it'd come down to whichever parent has the "stronger bloodline" combined with chance, kinda in the same way DNA influences children.
But in the end, it's the designer's choice.
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Creative Director
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1)How many non-core races will get some love in the Inner Sea Races book?
2)Why didn't the Cleric get a capstone power? What about a capstone power for clerics were there channeling damage/healing is maximized?
3)Are there any good aligned living planet/moon deity or godlike beings out there?
4)Any chance we will get another hardcover campaign setting book next year?
5)So what movies have you seen lately? What did you think of them?
6)Not that I am complaining but is there any reason why Gen Con was moved to July this year?
7)What are the top 5 things you would change about the system but didn't because of backwards compatibility?
1) I'm not sure. I helped pick the races and decide which ones got more coverage than the others, but I did that almost a year ago and haven't been all that involved in the book since then, so I've lost track. Lots of them... but not as much as the core races, which will get the bulk of the attention, since that's the purpose of this book; to catalog and gather information in a format that can be reprinted and take up a space on a bookshelf that a 32 page booklet like Elves of Golarion cannot.
2) Because Domains took up too much room, and as a result there wasn't room for even one or two more lines of text to give clerics a capstone power. Kinda a lame answer, but it's the truth. I hate it too.
3) I'm sure there are, since the planes encompass more than any of us here on Earth can collectively imagine.
4) There's a chance, yes. How much Inner Sea Races derails and disrupts things being a bonus hardcover this year will influence that, of course, but personally... I'm MUCH more interested in Campaign Setting hardcover books than rules books. So I really hope so.
5) The Imitation Game: Incredible and Excellent.
All Cheerleaders Die: Silly but fun.
In the Dark Half: Moody and atmospheric but kinda boring.
Dream House: Predictable and mundane, and irreparably spoiled by its own trailers, but Rachel Weisz remains one of my favorite actresses.
Oldboy: The Spike Jones remake; MUCH better than I thought it would be, and a great movie on its own. Not as good as the original though.
Cabin Fever Patient Zero: Terrible.
Germ Z: Amateur zombie movie that doesn't quite get above its limitations, but good job trying!
Escape: EXCELLENT movie about a young woman trying to escape from a group of bandits in Norway during the fallout of the Black Death.
Hatchet III: Least favorite of all three Hatchet movies, but sorta fun, I guess.
Darknet: A fun short series of horror stories, some of which are good, some of which are lame.
Black Mirror: Absolutely fantastic short series about how our obsession with technology and gadgets is gonna bite us in the ass.
Ragnarok: Fun movie that wasn't quite as edgy and scary and intense as I'd hoped it would be. More Jurassic Park than Jaws, alas.
Black Rock: Not that great.
Torment: Bad.
Don't Blink: Super creepy and spooky and nerve-rattling.
Tusk: Funny at parts, but lacked conviction. Either Kevin Smith should have taken it more seriously, or should have played it more as a comedy; he rode the line between comedy and horror to the movie's detriment.
As Above So Below: Good... but didn't quite live up to the payoff. Was hoping for a bigger ending. Anticlimactic.
Into the Storm: Was hoping for fun tornado footage, got a little of it, but most of it was pretty bad, and the movie's writing was WRETCHED.
Drive Angry: Pure Nick Cage goofiness, turned up to 11.
6) I have no idea. That's a question for the Gen Con staff.
7) I can't answer that question, since my mind is in such a different place today than it was many years ago when we were building the game... but beyond that... I wasn't the one who designed the Pathfinder game and made those decisions. I helped and advised and suggested to Jason, but this question's much more for him than me.
Had I designed Pathfinder, it certainly WOULD have been a different game. Probably one that was simpler that gave much more power to the GM while simultaneously giving the players lots of options to build their characters, and whether or not that would have resulted in fewer or more customers, I guess we'll never know.
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Which Inner Sea country has the creepiest butlers: Nidal, Geb, or Ustalav?
How does Pharasma judge former good-aligned characters that were turned into undead against their will, and subsequently committed enough evil acts to warrant an evil alignment?
Nidal, on average.
As an undead creature, a soul is outside of the life-death cycle, and as such acts an unwilling undead creature performs don't impact their judgement.
A creature that becomes undead on purpose is a different story. Mostly because voluntarily becoming undead pretty much means you become evil.
Ah, so being forcibly made undead is something akin to being replaced by an automaton while the soul is in some sort of a limbo.
2) Because Domains took up too much room, and as a result there wasn't room for even one or two more lines of text to give clerics a capstone power. Kinda a lame answer, but it's the truth. I hate it too.
Too much room as in textually, or as in too much room in terms of class power?
And one other question: Which race is most aerodynamically suited for being thrown at enemies?
Hello James Jacob,
I'd like to know where would be the most potent place in Golarion to meet a Catfolk tribe. The only information I have is how Catfolks generally act and how a tribe works together but I have no information whatsoever where they usually live. As far I know, the most information I got was they are usually loner and I have an hard time to believe that when I see this kind of description in their society :
"While self-expression is an important aspect of catfolk culture, it is mitigated by a strong sense of community and group effort. In the wild, catfolk are a hunter-gatherer tribal people. The pursuit of personal power never comes before the health and wellbeing of the tribe. More than one race has underestimated this seemingly gentle people only to discover much too late that their cohesion also provides them great strength."
To me, they seem to value they tribe above everything unless they depart for an adventure (Which their motive could easily be to protect their tribe or seek an object for their tribe)
Where would most-likely be the best place to meet a tribe?
Mr Jacobs,
It's common in fantasy that betraying one's faith, or reneging on a deal made with a divinity, always comes at a great cost (essentially punishment). Golarion seems no different on that point.
Would the diety involved be consciously aware of such a situation and the events leading up to it?
Is punishment actively meted out by the diety?
Thanks so much for spending your time in this thread. It's a privilege to get such an intimate insight into both the setting, and the process of creating and evolving that setting.
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Creative Director
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Too much room as in textually, or as in too much room in terms of class power?
And one other question: Which race is most aerodynamically suited for being thrown at enemies?
Too much room textually. Look at the cleric class. Takes up more room than any other class. It was, as far as I understand from Jason, a purely physical problem presented by the amount of words that could physically fit on a page.
I personally think that I could have shaved and adjusted enough words here and there to fit in a simple capstone... but I wasn't the designer of the book.
Dwarves. Assuming you have a catapult capable of hurling boulders.
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Creative Director
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Hello James Jacob,
I'd like to know where would be the most potent place in Golarion to meet a Catfolk tribe. The only information I have is how Catfolks generally act and how a tribe works together but I have no information whatsoever where they usually live. As far I know, the most information I got was they are usually loner and I have an hard time to believe that when I see this kind of description in their society :
"While self-expression is an important aspect of catfolk culture, it is mitigated by a strong sense of community and group effort. In the wild, catfolk are a hunter-gatherer tribal people. The pursuit of personal power never comes before the health and wellbeing of the tribe. More than one race has underestimated this seemingly gentle people only to discover much too late that their cohesion also provides them great strength."
To me, they seem to value they tribe above everything unless they depart for an adventure (Which their motive could easily be to protect their tribe or seek an object for their tribe)
Where would most-likely be the best place to meet a tribe?
Catfolk are most common in southern Garund. And since we've not said much at all about southern Garund, we haven't said much about catfolk on Golarion. Yet. Maybe some day.
Not gonna start designing more info about them here though, cause that info would be lost, and it's a holiday anyway so I don't wanna work.
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Creative Director
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Mr Jacobs,
It's common in fantasy that betraying one's faith, or reneging on a deal made with a divinity, always comes at a great cost (essentially punishment). Golarion seems no different on that point.
Would the diety involved be consciously aware of such a situation and the events leading up to it?
Is punishment actively meted out by the diety?
Thanks so much for spending your time in this thread. It's a privilege to get such an intimate insight into both the setting, and the process of creating and evolving that setting.
The deity would indeed be aware of it immediately, but would generally not immediately punish the transgressor save for SUPER rare circumstances. They usually give mortals a chance to repair and repent their mistakes, and if they don't, they get what's coming to them in the afterlife. (In the distant past, deities were more prone to swifter punishments.)
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4) There's a chance, yes. How much Inner Sea Races derails and disrupts things being a bonus hardcover this year will influence that, of course, but personally... I'm MUCH more interested in Campaign Setting hardcover books than rules books. So I really hope so.
Personally, I'm 100% with you on this one, especially since I love the Golarion campaign setting and everything Paizo has done with it. I can totally see the rationale for preferring rules books which are setting-agnostic, but Inner Sea Gods is a fantastic book and I hope Inner Sea Races isn't the last in the series.
Which other books do you feel there is enough material, interest, etc to justify another Inner Sea _____ hardcover of?
Hello James Jacob,
I'd like to know where would be the most potent place in Golarion to meet a Catfolk tribe. The only information I have is how Catfolks generally act and how a tribe works together but I have no information whatsoever where they usually live. As far I know, the most information I got was they are usually loner and I have an hard time to believe that when I see this kind of description in their society :
"While self-expression is an important aspect of catfolk culture, it is mitigated by a strong sense of community and group effort. In the wild, catfolk are a hunter-gatherer tribal people. The pursuit of personal power never comes before the health and wellbeing of the tribe. More than one race has underestimated this seemingly gentle people only to discover much too late that their cohesion also provides them great strength."
To me, they seem to value they tribe above everything unless they depart for an adventure (Which their motive could easily be to protect their tribe or seek an object for their tribe)
Where would most-likely be the best place to meet a tribe?
+1
"Khajit has wares, if you have coin."|
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James, but three questions for you.
1) Can 3PP use the simple class templates from the Monster Codex, or are those specifically supposed to be used for GMs to quickly stat up monsters without the need to give them actual class levels?
2) Is the house hunter mimic and bugbear mage, which were in 1st and 2nd Edition, considered OGL? I know mimics and bugbears are, and it's mentioned that there are other ones, bigger ones, ones with extra abilities, but those seem more like references to the original releases. If they can be OGL, is that because they're just advanced HD or unique versions, or can you use the original names too?
3) Are we going to be seeing the APG iconics make a comeback? I know they weren't balanced in their original release, and the Core iconics got revised, but it'd be cool to see the APG ones back and in action.
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Creative Director
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4) There's a chance, yes. How much Inner Sea Races derails and disrupts things being a bonus hardcover this year will influence that, of course, but personally... I'm MUCH more interested in Campaign Setting hardcover books than rules books. So I really hope so.Personally, I'm 100% with you on this one, especially since I love the Golarion campaign setting and everything Paizo has done with it. I can totally see the rationale for preferring rules books which are setting-agnostic, but Inner Sea Gods is a fantastic book and I hope Inner Sea Races isn't the last in the series.
Which other books do you feel there is enough material, interest, etc to justify another Inner Sea _____ hardcover of?
I think that any of our 64 page books could support an expanded hardcover version.
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Creative Director
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James, but three questions for you.
1) Can 3PP use the simple class templates from the Monster Codex, or are those specifically supposed to be used for GMs to quickly stat up monsters without the need to give them actual class levels?
2) Is the house hunter mimic and bugbear mage, which were in 1st and 2nd Edition, considered OGL? I know mimics and bugbears are, and it's mentioned that there are other ones, bigger ones, ones with extra abilities, but those seem more like references to the original releases. If they can be OGL, is that because they're just advanced HD or unique versions, or can you use the original names too?
3) Are we going to be seeing the APG iconics make a comeback? I know they weren't balanced in their original release, and the Core iconics got revised, but it'd be cool to see the APG ones back and in action.
1) They're in the PRD; 3rd party publishers can use them as a result.
2) Nope; nothing in 1st or 2nd edition is covered by the OGL unless WotC put them into the SRD for 3rd edition. The house hunter is not OGL as a result, nor is the bugbear mage, although you can make up a bugbear spellcaster easilly enough.
3) Back from where? I'm actually confused by the question. Where did they go?
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1) They're in the PRD; 3rd party publishers can use them as a result.
2) Nope; nothing in 1st or 2nd edition is covered by the OGL unless WotC put them into the SRD for 3rd edition. The house hunter is not OGL as a result, nor is the bugbear mage, although you can make up a bugbear spellcaster easilly enough.
3) Back from where? I'm actually confused by the question. Where did they go?
1) Good to know. Thank you. I'd been told otherwise, and needed the confirmation.
2) Ah. So a huge size mimic and a bugbear spellcaster is fine, just don't call them a house hunter or bugbear mage. Got it. Although giving the bugbear SLA might still seem suspicious. Time to start sifting through the thesaurus.
3) Sorry, I should have specified this was half PFS related. The iconics from the Advanced Player's Guide were built with the 15 point build instead of 20, and were considered unbalanced compared to the others, and were removed from the site. As well, the inquisitor was never built. It's also been brought to my attention that the magus iconic is also without stats. Right now the only iconics anyone can officially view the stats of are the Core, UC, and ACG. All we know is that Chris Lambert said "The APG characters are currently under construction."
I think that any of our 64 page books could support an expanded hardcover version.4) There's a chance, yes. How much Inner Sea Races derails and disrupts things being a bonus hardcover this year will influence that, of course, but personally... I'm MUCH more interested in Campaign Setting hardcover books than rules books. So I really hope so.Personally, I'm 100% with you on this one, especially since I love the Golarion campaign setting and everything Paizo has done with it. I can totally see the rationale for preferring rules books which are setting-agnostic, but Inner Sea Gods is a fantastic book and I hope Inner Sea Races isn't the last in the series.
Which other books do you feel there is enough material, interest, etc to justify another Inner Sea _____ hardcover of?
Not sure what an ideal title would be, but I would absolutely love a hardcover book based on the Books of the Damned and Chronicle of the Righteous, for running games in the Outer Sphere. A resource like that would also be awesomely useful if we ever get another Adventure Path which, like Wrath of the Righteous, takes the party to the Outer Sphere. Assuming no disruption because of Inner Sea Races and we get to see more Campaign Setting hardcovers, would that be likely? (Within say, the next 5 years or so.)
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Creative Director
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3) Sorry, I should have specified this was half PFS related. The iconics from the Advanced Player's Guide were built with the 15 point build instead of 20, and were considered unbalanced compared to the others, and were removed from the site. As well, the inquisitor was never built. It's also been brought to my attention that the magus iconic is also without stats. Right now the only iconics anyone can officially view the stats of are the Core, UC, and ACG. All we know is that Chris Lambert said "The APG characters are currently under construction."
Ah... I see. Sounds like you know more about this than me. AKA: I've got no further information to add to the situation. Other than to confirm that they are indeed "currently under construction."
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Creative Director
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Not sure what an ideal title would be, but I would absolutely love a hardcover book based on the Books of the Damned and Chronicle of the Righteous, for running games in the Outer Sphere. A resource like that would also be awesomely useful if we ever get another Adventure Path which, like Wrath of the Righteous, takes the party to the Outer Sphere. Assuming no disruption because of Inner Sea Races and we get to see more Campaign Setting hardcovers, would that be likely? (Within say, the next 5 years or so.)
A lot can happen in 5 years.
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3) Sorry, I should have specified this was half PFS related. The iconics from the Advanced Player's Guide were built with the 15 point build instead of 20, and were considered unbalanced compared to the others, and were removed from the site. As well, the inquisitor was never built. It's also been brought to my attention that the magus iconic is also without stats. Right now the only iconics anyone can officially view the stats of are the Core, UC, and ACG. All we know is that Chris Lambert said "The APG characters are currently under construction."Ah... I see. Sounds like you know more about this than me. AKA: I've got no further information to add to the situation. Other than to confirm that they are indeed "currently under construction."
That's cool. Appreciate the honesty and the info.
When using the monster advancement rules, should creatures gain a new stat point increase every four HD as someone advancing through class levels would?
If you did have the ability to have fit a capstone on the cleric class, what would you have given them?*
*this is of course strictly off the record and not In anyway canon to actual Pathfinder RPG mechanics and rules system.
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Creative Director
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When using the monster advancement rules, should creatures gain a new stat point increase every four HD as someone advancing through class levels would?
Yes. Not every HD divisible by four, but every four HD you add beyond the creature's base HD.
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Creative Director
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If you did have the ability to have fit a capstone on the cleric class, what would you have given them?*
*this is of course strictly off the record and not In anyway canon to actual Pathfinder RPG mechanics and rules system.
Honestly? If space weren't an issue, I'd have each deity provide a special capstone ability, so that the deity the cleric worships gives the ability.
Honestly? If space weren't an issue, I'd have each deity provide a special capstone ability, so that the deity the cleric worships gives the ability.If you did have the ability to have fit a capstone on the cleric class, what would you have given them?*
*this is of course strictly off the record and not In anyway canon to actual Pathfinder RPG mechanics and rules system.
Nice! you know a supplement RPG book could include that option for clerics. though the question becomes, how to implement such an option outside of Pathfinder Unchained.
Hi James!
Hope things are well with you!
My question: What is the favorite campaign/adventure you have ever designed heavily influenced by another medium (be it movies, TV, novels etc.)?
Including published or home games, either one.
Cheers, and happy belated New Year.
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I know Rob is more the person to ask about Reign of Winter, but I'm looking more for your opinion as a GM than as a developer.
Reign of Winter has at least one trait relating to a PC being or becoming a Winter Witch, so that indicates that despite the Winter Witches being villains in Reign of Winter and much of its narrative hinging on Baba Yaga and their relationship with them, that doesn't preclude player Winter Witches, as opposed to other APs (such as with drow not working well as PCs in Second Darkness).
Though Reign of Winter came first, the Disney film, Frozen, was released in theaters that same year, and it has taken the world (and the internet) by storm. Regardless of your opinion of the film or mine, a very Winter-Witch-like character is now a prominent figure in the public imagination.
So...would playing a Winter Witch in Reign of Winter now be a roleplaying faux-pas like playing a Drizzt Do'Urden clone? Playing a Winter Witch feels pretty cool, and the traits imply that having one in Reign of Winter is okay, but I'm concerned if I created such a character now, I'd be accused of playing an Elsa rip-off.
What are your thoughts?
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Creative Director
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Hi James!
Hope things are well with you!
My question: What is the favorite campaign/adventure you have ever designed heavily influenced by another medium (be it movies, TV, novels etc.)?
Including published or home games, either one.
Cheers, and happy belated New Year.
Hmmm... if you expand "Designed" to "outlined and developed and rewrote sections," then Carrion Hill.
But specifically for adventures I've written... I suppose the closest would be "Razing of Redshore," since that originally came from an idea of "what if Moby Dick were the hero of a story?"
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Creative Director
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I know Rob is more the person to ask about Reign of Winter, but I'm looking more for your opinion as a GM than as a developer.
Reign of Winter has at least one trait relating to a PC being or becoming a Winter Witch, so that indicates that despite the Winter Witches being villains in Reign of Winter and much of its narrative hinging on Baba Yaga and their relationship with them, that doesn't preclude player Winter Witches, as opposed to other APs (such as with drow not working well as PCs in Second Darkness).
Though Reign of Winter came first, the Disney film, Frozen, was released in theaters that same year, and it has taken the world (and the internet) by storm. Regardless of your opinion of the film or mine, a very Winter-Witch-like character is now a prominent figure in the public imagination.
So...would playing a Winter Witch in Reign of Winter now be a roleplaying faux-pas like playing a Drizzt Do'Urden clone? Playing a Winter Witch feels pretty cool, and the traits imply that having one in Reign of Winter is okay, but I'm concerned if I created such a character now, I'd be accused of playing an Elsa rip-off.
What are your thoughts?
I know Frozen's popular, but I've not actually seen the movie so it doesn't really influence my decisions in that way.
I think that playing a Winter Witch in that campaign would be tricky and weird, and that you'd have to get the GM's approval before that. But, if such approval were granted, and you wanted to play the character, go for it!
If the group you end up playing with ends up not being able to get over that fact and keep accusing you of playing an Elsa rip-off... that group probably shouldn't be playing Reign of Winter anyway since they can't tell the difference between two similar but different stories.
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I know Rob is more the person to ask about Reign of Winter, but I'm looking more for your opinion as a GM than as a developer.
Reign of Winter has at least one trait relating to a PC being or becoming a Winter Witch, so that indicates that despite the Winter Witches being villains in Reign of Winter and much of its narrative hinging on Baba Yaga and their relationship with them, that doesn't preclude player Winter Witches, as opposed to other APs (such as with drow not working well as PCs in Second Darkness).
Though Reign of Winter came first, the Disney film, Frozen, was released in theaters that same year, and it has taken the world (and the internet) by storm. Regardless of your opinion of the film or mine, a very Winter-Witch-like character is now a prominent figure in the public imagination.
So...would playing a Winter Witch in Reign of Winter now be a roleplaying faux-pas like playing a Drizzt Do'Urden clone? Playing a Winter Witch feels pretty cool, and the traits imply that having one in Reign of Winter is okay, but I'm concerned if I created such a character now, I'd be accused of playing an Elsa rip-off.
What are your thoughts?
I know Frozen's popular, but I've not actually seen the movie so it doesn't really influence my decisions in that way.
I think that playing a Winter Witch in that campaign would be tricky and weird, and that you'd have to get the GM's approval before that. But, if such approval were granted, and you wanted to play the character, go for it!
If the group you end up playing with ends up not being able to get over that fact and keep accusing you of playing an Elsa rip-off... that group probably shouldn't be playing Reign of Winter anyway since they can't tell the difference between two similar but different stories.
There IS an official trait from Reign of Winter's Player's Guide that implies it's possible, Failed Winter Witch Apprentice. It implies that the character didn't complete their training or join Irrisen's politics, but that certainly doesn't stop them once Reign of Winter begins, since getting involved in Irrisen's politics is kind of important to it. Would YOU allow it as a GM?
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Creative Director
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There IS an official trait from Reign of Winter's Player's Guide that implies it's possible, Failed Winter Witch Apprentice. It implies that the character didn't complete their training or join Irrisen's politics, but that certainly doesn't stop them once Reign of Winter begins, since getting involved in Irrisen's politics is kind of important to it. Would YOU allow it as a GM?
I absolutely would. That's the whole point of the traits, after all, to encourage players to make characters who are more appropriate for the campaign.
Hi James,
Are you and the good folks at Paizo planning to release any more information/details about the Seventh Accord?
If not, do you have any personal ideas about what the Accord may have been? :)
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Creative Director
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Hi James,
Are you and the good folks at Paizo planning to release any more information/details about the Seventh Accord?
If not, do you have any personal ideas about what the Accord may have been? :)
I had to google "Seventh Accord Pathfinder" to figure out what you were talking about, so that should explain why I don't have any personal ideas about what they may have been. I wasn't directly involved in Chronicle of the Righteous—this is a better question for Wes (along with anything Tabris related). I have plans to do much more with it at this point, in any event, but that doesn't mean no one else here at Paizo does.
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The hardcover book I'd love to see is a big massive tome with all sorts of meaty details all about Absalom. Big city book. Yay. I seem to remember James saying somewhere that he'd like this too, but it may have been somebody else, and I may be remembering wrong. (James: make it so!)
Second choice would be a big Great Beyond hardcover.
The hardcover book I'd love to see is a big massive tome with all sorts of meaty details all about Absalom. Big city book. Yay. I seem to remember James saying somewhere that he'd like this too, but it may have been somebody else, and I may be remembering wrong. (James: make it so!)
Second choice would be a big Great Beyond hardcover.
Would there actually be enough content to justify an entire hardcover of just Absalom? I mean, there's certainly more than enough for a hardcover Inner Sea Cities book that covers Absalom, Oppara, Westcrown, etc... but even with each district and suburb covered, even with tons of factions and NPCs and adventure hooks, even with special items, traits, feats, etc iconic to the city, I just don't think you could fill up that many pages about just Absalom. Could you?
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Creative Director
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The hardcover book I'd love to see is a big massive tome with all sorts of meaty details all about Absalom. Big city book. Yay. I seem to remember James saying somewhere that he'd like this too, but it may have been somebody else, and I may be remembering wrong. (James: make it so!)
Second choice would be a big Great Beyond hardcover.
I do appreciate folks' enthusiasm and passion for the game, but please... let's keep this thread to questions, rather than requests.
I can't confirm or deny requests, in any event, so there's not much I can say to a post like this even if it WERE rephrased as a question.
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Creative Director
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Would there actually be enough content to justify an entire hardcover of just Absalom? I mean, there's certainly more than enough for a hardcover Inner Sea Cities book that covers Absalom, Oppara, Westcrown, etc... but even with each district and suburb covered, even with tons of factions and NPCs and adventure hooks, even with special items, traits, feats, etc iconic to the city, I just don't think you could fill up that many pages about just Absalom. Could you?The hardcover book I'd love to see is a big massive tome with all sorts of meaty details all about Absalom. Big city book. Yay. I seem to remember James saying somewhere that he'd like this too, but it may have been somebody else, and I may be remembering wrong. (James: make it so!)
Second choice would be a big Great Beyond hardcover.
There would ABSOLUTELY be enough content to justify a hardcover of just Absalom. There's enough content in Absalom to justify multiple hardcovers, in fact. The city itself is an entire campaign setting, and everything you've seen us do for the Inner Sea Region could, in theory, have been done just for the city of Absalom in one way or another.
Look at Monte Cook's "Ptolus" book. That's a HUGE book. About one city. Absalom's much bigger than Ptolus.