1. Have you ever played the game Killer Instinct?
1a. If so, was your favorite character Riptor (genetically altered velociraptor)?
2. Have you played many fighting games?
2a. If so, what are some of your favorites?
3. If someone was to come up to you and say "Dinosaurs are stupid and you are stupid for liking them", how would you respond to this person?
4. What is one thing you wish didn't exist in gaming today?
Creative Director
|
Could one use the rules for a Nascent Demon Lord for Devils as well? perhaps Barons(which i believe are right before Duke). If so, what changes would one make?
You can use the extension to Table 1-1 for ALL creatures of CR 21 to 25. We've appended that extension to the table in Bestiary 2.
|
Creative Director
|
1. Have you ever played the game Killer Instinct?
1a. If so, was your favorite character Riptor (genetically altered velociraptor)?
2. Have you played many fighting games?
2a. If so, what are some of your favorites?
3. If someone was to come up to you and say "Dinosaurs are stupid and you are stupid for liking them", how would you respond to this person?
4. What is one thing you wish didn't exist in gaming today?
1. No
1a. Probably would have been.2. Not really.
2a. That Jurassic Park game I mentioned a few threads up, probably. Although Mortal Combat was pretty fun.
3. Shrug and say, "Whatever," and then proceed to no longer seek that person's company. Cause I don't wanna hang around with douches.
4. Jerk gamers who give the rest of us a bad name and promote flame wars on the internet and are just all around chumptards.
|
Creative Director
|
The whole point why I am asking is to not have houserule be overruled by the Inner Sea Campaign Guide when it comes out. ^^
That's what house rules are for, though! And just because we might not end up saying the same thing when and if we ever DO officially assign her subdomains doesn't mean you have to revise your own home game.
Honestly, if it's that much of a worry, I would either not use Besmara, or only use her normal domains, and then just wait for us to finally say one way or another.
(As to why I'm not going to arbitrarily just assign her subdomains right now? Precisely because I don't want to create stealth continuity that we would be likely ourselves to contradict. Being Creative Director sometimes means you can't always run with the creativity.)
|
Creative Director
|
Is there any chance of seeing some Angelo Montanini art of a dragon doing its stuff at any point in a Pathfinder product. Stuff like this : *link*
Unlikely. It'd probably be a pay cut for him, and I'm not sure he'd be into the fact that we retain ownership of all the art folks create for us. He'd retain ownership of the original, if he's not only digital, but we generally buy all rights to any art we order.
|
Creative Director
|
What's the best cure for a serious case of the blues?
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Any progress in getting rich yet?
Have you ever got really ticked of at a character in a movie, book or game getting killed off?
Which accent is better, South African English, Irish English or Australian English?
Lilo & Stitch.
Healing powers.A little, yeah. Not a lot.
Yup.
Australian English.
|
Creative Director
|
James, do you listen to Metallica at all? and have you ever played Vampire the Masquerade? and if so, what did you think of it?
I only listen to Metallica on accident, if it comes on to the radio or onto Pandora. It's okay.
I've played Vampire: The Masquerade via the video game that was based on it, Bloodlines. Very fun game!
|
Creative Director
|
Paid to play?I've never really been a fan of how 3rd edition wizards had to "pay to play" their class.
In order to learn spells beyond the auto spells they gained at level-up, wizards had to buy those spells if they weren't lucky to find them during adventures.
But no matter HOW they get those extra spells, they had to pay gold and pay time to put the spells into their spellbooks.
Furthermore, half of their bonus feats are item creation feats; in order to use those, they have to pay MORE gold.
It's not nearly as bad in Pathfinder as it was in 3rd edition, but I've seen plenty of wizard characters in long-term campaigns ending up with, effectively, less treasure because they had to pay to use their class abilities. And who annoyed the GM and/or other players because they kept asking to take months off of adventuring to write spells into their books or make items.
|
Paid to play?I've never really been a fan of how 3rd edition wizards had to "pay to play" their class.
In order to learn spells beyond the auto spells they gained at level-up, wizards had to buy those spells if they weren't lucky to find them during adventures.
But no matter HOW they get those extra spells, they had to pay gold and pay time to put the spells into their spellbooks.
Furthermore, half of their bonus feats are item creation feats; in order to use those, they have to pay MORE gold.
It's not nearly as bad in Pathfinder as it was in 3rd edition, but I've seen plenty of wizard characters in long-term campaigns ending up with, effectively, less treasure because they had to pay to use their class abilities. And who annoyed the GM and/or other players because they kept asking to take months off of adventuring to write spells into their books or make items.
Interesting. Thanks for the explanation.
Not right now I can't. They haven't been officially assigned yet. Talk with your GM if you can't wait, and he/she can make the decision.Dear James,
Could you share which sub-domains Besmara gets? I've been itching to build a Inquisitor of Besmara and would like what choices I'd have.
Oh. :( So they won't be in the campaign setting coming out next month?
And on another tangent, are there any plans to make the crossbow a little less second rate to the bow? As I've indicated, I am itching to play an Inquisitor with a repeating crossbow, but the two feat requirement for two rounds of full-attacks at higher levels ( Rapid Relead and Crossbow Mastery ) and inability to use Manyshot are putting me off from choosing that weapon or even a Heavy Crossbow.
I can live without Manyshot ( begrudgingly ), but could there at least be larger magazines for the repeating crossbow in Ultimate Combat? Without adding on stuff like permanent negative modifiers to hit? Crossbows are already the red-headed stepchildren of Bows, so maybe some buffs for them could really be needed so that they see more use?
Of all the current Arcane caster classes there are, which one would you say you prefer, and if possible, why?
Same question for divine classes?
Back in Second edition they had a lot of examples pointing to a "standard" group containing a fighter, a cleric, a thief and a mage. Today we have a lot more variety, but what role would you say on average that a group of four can survive without most easily?
Ever had Beef Wellington? And if yes, is it any good?
James, what is the actual difference between sleet and freezing rain?I'm no meteorologist, but I'm pretty sure the difference is...
** spoiler omitted **
Ha! Thank you, J.J. Energy drink fires out of nostrils.
|
|
I would HOPE it's dwarf.What would a medusa's favorite 'live and running' food be, in your opinion?
Are you SURE you don't have my residence bugged? The last thing the medusa in question ate WAS a dwarf.
Now, granted, said dwarf was baleful polymorphed into a lizard.
But seriously, how common is surveillance in the gaming industry? It seems as though shortly after any good idea myself or my Beloved Spouse (kobold chorus: "We love you!") have, it seeps into the gaming industry in some easily recognizable form.
|
|
Do you have a favorite animal familiar for any wizard characters you may or may not have played?I've only really ever played one wizard character, and he died 2 sessions into the campaign and got replaced by a MUCH better character. I've never really been a fan of how 3rd edition wizards had to "pay to play" their class.
In any case, that dead wizard, Sokoro, had a lizard familiar. Which is probably why I gave Seoni a lizard familiar, now that I think of it.
Nifty! I didn't know that Seoni HAD a familiar. I probably should pay more attention, as lizards are cool. And they rhyme with wizard.
Huh...
Secret lizard/wizard conspiracy?
Are gecko's superior to other forms of non-sticky footed lizards? (Lizards, not dinos. I know dinos trump just about everything)
|
|
How large (volume, radius or circumference) an orb of atomically pure iron would it take to cause a population 3, red giant star to go supernova? Iron Sunrise wasn't clear on the matter.I'm not going to help you in your supernova project! I know where supernova projects lead!
Actually, this is my Beloved Spouse's (kobold chorus: "We love you!") plan. I recently dropped the location of what might or might not be the main central location for the main villain group in my space opera game. She began asking very direct questions about what the star's population was and what its life cycle would be like. She has a savant level scientist in the game who diced a 45 on her knowledge check. I scrambled, grabbed some basic information and told her. And then she started to get this creepy little grin and to reference a book by Charles Stross, Iron Sunrise.
Now I'm actually trying to figure out what I should do in response. Obviously, making a sun go super nova to wipe out the villains which may or may not be in system could prove to be an end run around the plot. *shrugs*
So, you wouldn't really be helping ME blow up a star. You'd be helping HER blow up a star.
Oh, the humanity.
|
|
With the hypothetical million dollars from an earlier question, you mentioned a boat.
What kind of boat if cost were no object? (e.g. sailboat, speedboat, etc)
Something big enough to go out on the ocean and go fishing from. Not a sailboat, in any event, and too big to be a speedboat.
Honestly if money were no object, I'd probably buy a couple boats. Which would also mean having to buy a truck strong enough to tow them now and then, a boat trailer, and probably a house with a boathouse.
Right on. Do you have any names for these hypothetical vessels in mind? Enquiring minds want to know.
And on another tangent, are there any plans to make the crossbow a little less second rate to the bow?
I am not James, obviously, but I have the same problem. I am watching the Gunslinger test's firearm rules closely, because I feel that the rules which benefit high-speed projectiles might give me the ability to fix crossbows. Just a thought for you.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
And slings.
Incidentally, sleet is frozen slush that falls from the sky. Freezing rain is supercooled water (below 32 degrees) with no focus for crystallization, so it's still liquid when it falls. When it lands on something solid, it can crystalize and freeze.
It's like the difference between chocolate sprinkles on your ice cream cone, versus a chocolate shell.
|
Creative Director
|
Oh. :( So they won't be in the campaign setting coming out next month?
And on another tangent, are there any plans to make the crossbow a little less second rate to the bow? As I've indicated, I am itching to play an Inquisitor with a repeating crossbow, but the two feat requirement for two rounds of full-attacks at higher levels ( Rapid Relead and Crossbow Mastery ) and inability to use Manyshot are putting me off from choosing that weapon or even a Heavy Crossbow.
I can live without Manyshot ( begrudgingly ), but could there at least be larger magazines for the repeating crossbow in Ultimate Combat? Without adding on stuff like permanent negative modifiers to hit? Crossbows are already the red-headed stepchildren of Bows, so maybe some buffs for them could really be needed so that they see more use?
Besmara will be in the Inner Sea Campaign Setting, but that book has no room to tackle the subject of subdomains at all.
The crossbow is currently filling a really important niche—it's the strongest ranged simple weapon. Making it equal to a bow means it's a martial weapon, and suddenly all the classes that rely on it being a simple weapon are out of luck. The solution of having feats be able to "upgrade" crossbows is the only type of solution we'll be pursuing for them, since I don't see crossbows as being "worse" than bows at a baseline as a bad thing in the first place. They're SUPPOSED to be inferior to bows, whether or not that makes sense compared to the real world, that's the way it has to be for game balance and variety.
|
Creative Director
|
Of all the current Arcane caster classes there are, which one would you say you prefer, and if possible, why?
Bard. Because they're the most fun to roleplay.
Same question for divine classes?
Cleric. Because they're the most fun to roleplay.
Back in Second edition they had a lot of examples pointing to a "standard" group containing a fighter, a cleric, a thief and a mage. Today we have a lot more variety, but what role would you say on average that a group of four can survive without most easily?
Clerics are the most diverse; they can fight, heal, and use offensive magic. That said... I think that ANY combination of class in a party can be fun—some combinations just require a more open-minded GM than someone who's only interested in running adventures where you explore dungeons, kill monsters, and take their stuff.
Ever had Beef Wellington? And if yes, is it any good?
Nope. I don't normally seek out beef as food, though. I much prefer seafood and things with feathers.
...I don't normally seek out beef as food, though. I much prefer seafood and things with feathers.
Vegas showgirls? :)
|
Creative Director
|
But seriously, how common is surveillance in the gaming industry? It seems as though shortly after any good idea myself or my Beloved Spouse (kobold chorus: "We love you!") have, it seeps into the gaming industry in some easily recognizable form.
Surveillance doesn't really exist at all in the way you imply. What DOES exist is "parallel development," when two people who have no contact with each other end up designing similar or relatively similar things. It's kinda weird, and sometimes it looks like telepathy or plagiarism, but it's not. If it's based on anything, its that movies or books or current events or whatever might shape the interests of like-minded people (such as those designing RPGs) in similar ways and cause similar types of inspiration.
|
Creative Director
|
I am not James, obviously, but I have the same problem. I am watching the Gunslinger test's firearm rules closely, because I feel that the rules which benefit high-speed projectiles might give me the ability to fix crossbows. Just a thought for you.
And on another tangent, are there any plans to make the crossbow a little less second rate to the bow?
Well... if you feel that crossbows need to be "fixed" you should make them equal proficiencies to bows is all I'm saying. And then prepare to have all the folks who depended on crossbows being simple weapons to complain.
...It seems as though shortly after any good idea myself or my Beloved Spouse (kobold chorus: "We love you!") have, it seeps into the gaming industry in some easily recognizable form.Surveillance doesn't really exist at all in the way you imply. What DOES exist is "parallel development," when two people who have no contact with each other end up designing similar or relatively similar things. It's kinda weird, and sometimes it looks like telepathy or plagiarism, but it's not. If it's based on anything, its that movies or books or current events or whatever might shape the interests of like-minded people (such as those designing RPGs) in similar ways and cause similar types of inspiration.
Inception Treerazer's in ur head lootin ur ideaz.
|
Creative Director
|
Can you explain that? aside form the material components of certain spells, I'm not sure how the situation for wizards and sorcerers compares to the gunslinger who spends 11 gold on every shot fired.Do you have a favorite animal familiar for any wizard characters you may or may not have played?I've only really ever played one wizard character, and he died 2 sessions into the campaign and got replaced by a MUCH better character. I've never really been a fan of how 3rd edition wizards had to "pay to play" their class.
I just did a few posts ago. Gunslingers certainly end up paying more per shot, though, which is why we'll be adjusting that cost for gunslingers (likely via some class abilities) and by introducing a sidebar that says provides guidelines on how to adjust the costs of guns to model their greater availability in specific campaign settings of your choice. Gunslingers are unlikely to have evolved into a stand-alone class in a world where it costs 11 gold per shot (and thus they're not likely to be all that common on Golarion), but in a world where the cost per shot is closer to the cost per shot for bows or crossbows, gunslingers are much more common.
In any event, those topics will be covered in far greater detail in the final version of "Ultimate Combat."
Excluding Tian Xia, Avistan, and Garund, what is the section of Golarion that you'd most like to explore in a future product (not necessary that Paizo will)?
Does Golarion have anything similar to Aesop's Fables or Grimms' Fairy Tales?
Do you have any religious heresies about the Golarion faiths that you could share?
Does Golarion have an equivalent to April Fool's Day?
in the realms write-up for Lords of Chaos, it lists Argahoz as one third of the tripartite real of the bat god Camazotz, but doesn't list the other two. is that because they aren't in the abyss? if not where are they, and does/will a different book cover the entire realm at all?
Also, where might I find more info on Camazotz, he sounds interesting.
|
Creative Director
|
Excluding Tian Xia, Avistan, and Garund, what is the section of Golarion that you'd most like to explore in a future product (not necessary that Paizo will)?
Does Golarion have anything similar to Aesop's Fables or Grimms' Fairy Tales?
Do you have any religious heresies about the Golarion faiths that you could share?
Does Golarion have an equivalent to April Fool's Day?
Crown of the World.
Yup; we did some fairy tale stuff in Pathfinder #36, for example, with Zuddiger's Picnic.Nope. But check out "The Godsmouth Heresy" for starters.
Not on a continental level, no.
|
Creative Director
|
in the realms write-up for Lords of Chaos, it lists Argahoz as one third of the tripartite real of the bat god Camazotz, but doesn't list the other two. is that because they aren't in the abyss? if not where are they, and does/will a different book cover the entire realm at all?
Also, where might I find more info on Camazotz, he sounds interesting.
Yup; Camazotz's other two realms are elsewhere. We talked about Camazotz a little bit in Pathfinder #18. He's also a real-world deity from Mayan myth—you can find more info about him here, on Wikipedia.
Yup; Camazotz's other two realms are elsewhere. We talked about Camazotz a little bit in Pathfinder #18. He's also a real-world deity from Mayan myth—you can find more info about him here, on Wikipedia.
Squee! So glad I got him in there. ^_^
Yup; Camazotz's other two realms are elsewhere. We talked about Camazotz a little bit in Pathfinder #18. He's also a real-world deity from Mayan myth—you can find more info about him here, on Wikipedia.Squee! So glad I got him in there. ^_^
There's a great CoC adventure about him in Pagan Publishing's Mysteries of Mesoamerica.
With some conversion, many of the adventures could become Pathfinder expeditions gone horribly wrong.
|
|
Yup; Camazotz's other two realms are elsewhere. We talked about Camazotz a little bit in Pathfinder #18. He's also a real-world deity from Mayan myth—you can find more info about him here, on Wikipedia.in the realms write-up for Lords of Chaos, it lists Argahoz as one third of the tripartite real of the bat god Camazotz, but doesn't list the other two. is that because they aren't in the abyss? if not where are they, and does/will a different book cover the entire realm at all?
Also, where might I find more info on Camazotz, he sounds interesting.
Is there a mayan like Culture in southern Arcadia? *crosses fingers*
|
Creative Director
|
Is there a mayan like Culture in southern Arcadia? *crosses fingers*Yup; Camazotz's other two realms are elsewhere. We talked about Camazotz a little bit in Pathfinder #18. He's also a real-world deity from Mayan myth—you can find more info about him here, on Wikipedia.in the realms write-up for Lords of Chaos, it lists Argahoz as one third of the tripartite real of the bat god Camazotz, but doesn't list the other two. is that because they aren't in the abyss? if not where are they, and does/will a different book cover the entire realm at all?
Also, where might I find more info on Camazotz, he sounds interesting.
Yes.
In fact, there are echos of such cultures in the Mwangi Expanse, Sodden Lands, the Shackles, and Sargava.
Very cool article re GdT and Mountains of Madness.
What do you think?
Do you have a Man Cave?
So when will we get our hot little hands on the Carrion Crown Players Guide?
Well... if you feel that crossbows need to be "fixed" you should make them equal proficiencies to bows is all I'm saying. And then prepare to have all the folks who depended on crossbows being simple weapons to complain.
While I might not agree on the matter of proficiency, it hardly matters. I'm able to design in the space of my own campaign. That's a luxury that I'm aware you do not have in published material. GMs should mess with the rules if they think it makes the game more fun for their players; that's all I'm claiming.
|
Creative Director
|
Very cool article re GdT and Mountains of Madness.
What do you think?
Do you have a Man Cave?
I've been hoping and waiting for del Toro to get his version of AtMoM onto the screen for years. Now that Cameron's involved, I'm more excited than ever—this could well have a shot at becoming my new favorite movie of all time:
1) Based on my favorite HP Lovecraft story;
2) Directed by one of my favorite directors;
3) Produced by the man who's responsible for two of the most successful movies of all time.
The only part I'm wary of is that it's going to be in 3D. I'm not a fan of 3D, although the way Cameron handled it in Avatar was pretty good. For the most part, it just feels gimmicky. And worse, it makes the image all dull and murky. Fortunately, this movie will have LOTS of brightly lit stuff, since Antarctica is white, but still... the 3D angle's the only part that makes me even slightly nervous.
Well, that and the fear that the studio will mess with it.
As for the topic of "man cave," my whole apartment is pretty much a man cave.
At this point, no. The prospect of me being able to afford a boat of any point is distant and inconceivable enough for now that I've not bothered to start thinking up names.
Right on. Do you have any names for these hypothetical vessels in mind? Enquiring minds want to know.
Since boats are traditionally given female names, I would think your favorite female iconic would be the obvios choice.
Ok, lame puns seem to also be common, but I don't recommend it. Unless you really like telling the same joke for years to come.
|
Creative Director
|
So when will we get our hot little hands on the Carrion Crown Players Guide?
Pretty soon. I know Wes took home the laid-out version to give it a read-through. As with all player's guides, the release date will be linked to the release date of the first volume of the AP, and since that exact date is variable depending on numerous factors... I can't give you a precise day to look forward to aside from just saying "soon."