| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If you figure that answer out, then you get to replace Pharasma.
I suspect Pharasma holds off a looming threat big enough to squash the multiverse if she started mucking with the "natural order" of things despite her being a wholly neutral being. I don't know if that's in the form of a singular entity, if there's a "fabric of reality" angle to it, or what. I'm not talking about Groetus, or the great revolt that might happen if she started picking and choosing, and so on. Personally, I suspect something more akin to a higher order of things that only she is privy to within the multiverse itself more similar than dissimilar to the Ao/Master paradigm in D&D. However, can you confirm if this is even in the same universe of probability as to why?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
And that follow-up question's kinda strange to answer, since I more or less designed those characters... but the thing I like about them is their sense of humor, their strength of conviction, their artistic talents, their sense of style, and their non-conformity.
Because those two countries are anti-religion in one way or another.
Cool.
If I remember right one is ruled by a guy pretending to be a God and the other is an oppressive atheist state, right? Why does the anti-religion angle bother you, as opposed to all the other villains in Golarion? Is it the deceiving the common folk on a fundamental level angle?
Correct.
Because all of my characters are religious.
Do you prefer worshiping a specific God or are your characters just generally religious?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Also is Rovagug actually far more powerful than the other gods or is it just a case of rampaging gods being really hard to put down?
If he is far more powerful, why? What gives him that much strength?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Actually as a more general question, and this might be a well known thing I have just missed, but are the Gods of Golarion mostly more or less equal in power or do they have largely varying levels of power, like with the lesser, intermediate, and greater Gods in 3rd ed D&D?
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Fair enough, then how much would I have to pay you to let me work with you on a campaign setting?How much would I have to pay you to work with me on a campaign setting?A lot. Enough that I'd be able to quit Paizo so I could focus on working on something that would compete with Paizo. And that'd mean exceeding what I'd make from my salary from Paizo for... oh... let's say a decade? That sounds good.
If you're really good at designing and development, I'd rather pay YOU to work at Paizo.
Because I'm pretty positive I"d not be able to pay an employee on my own. ;P
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Are the islands that are left of Azlant completely barren, or are there any native cultures living there (other than the Sun Temple Colony)?
About how much space does the Azlanti archipelago take up? Is it Greenland-sized? Australia-sized?
|
Creative Director
|
If you figure that answer out, then you get to replace Pharasma.I suspect Pharasma holds off a looming threat big enough to squash the multiverse if she started mucking with the "natural order" of things despite her being a wholly neutral being. I don't know if that's in the form of a singular entity, if there's a "fabric of reality" angle to it, or what. I'm not talking about Groetus, or the great revolt that might happen if she started picking and choosing, and so on. Personally, I suspect something more akin to a higher order of things that only she is privy to within the multiverse itself more similar than dissimilar to the Ao/Master paradigm in D&D. However, can you confirm if this is even in the same universe of probability as to why?
If the multiverse were to be squashed and destroyed, Pharasma would know that and would likely let it happen. That's part of what her being Neutral is actually about.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When the primal gods gathered together to seal up Rovagug, did she play a part? Did she stand off? Did she do either of her own choice, or because she felt Prophecy dictated her actions (or lack of them)?
Unrevealed, but I suspect she did not. She was probably busy dealing with dead gods as a result of the fight against Rovagug.
|
Creative Director
|
Any thoughts/feelings about the king of the OTHER kind of tabletop gaming, Warhammer/Warhammer 40,000?
I've made characters for Warhammer Fantasy RPG back in High School about 30 some years ago... and I own the new box set FFG did but haven't opened it yet. I love the LOOK of the game. Have never played it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Any chance we'll see that nightmare bear with the "stalked snout" in a Bestiary? How about as a unique one-off monster in a module?
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
3) Had a stressful dream about walking home in the woods and the road was washed out by the ocean so I had to turn back and then bears started following me, including a weird mutant black bear with a 5 foot long stalked snout.
Soon to be appearing in Bestiary 5! Snoutbears!
To turn this into a question - have you ever taken a figment from a dream you had and turned it into a monster for your PCs to fight?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Do you prefer worshiping a specific God or are your characters just generally religious?And that follow-up question's kinda strange to answer, since I more or less designed those characters... but the thing I like about them is their sense of humor, their strength of conviction, their artistic talents, their sense of style, and their non-conformity.
Because those two countries are anti-religion in one way or another.
Cool.
If I remember right one is ruled by a guy pretending to be a God and the other is an oppressive atheist state, right? Why does the anti-religion angle bother you, as opposed to all the other villains in Golarion? Is it the deceiving the common folk on a fundamental level angle?
Correct.
Because all of my characters are religious.
Most of the time my characters worship a specific deity. I find that it really helps me to focus the character's personality and history if I pick a deity as a starting point and then build the character up from that seed.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Thank you once again for the fun world and great adventures produced under your creative custody that we get to play in!
Did you pledge or plan to purchase Pillars of Eternity? If so, are you looking forward to playing it and what do you hope to see in that game?
I did indeed pledge/advance purchase Pillars of Eternity, and I do indeed look forward to playing it. I need to finish Wasteland 2 first!
I'm hoping to see awesome storylines and some cool, dynamic NPC growth. Like what Baldur's Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment did, and what Bioware continues to do with games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Also is Rovagug actually far more powerful than the other gods or is it just a case of rampaging gods being really hard to put down?
If he is far more powerful, why? What gives him that much strength?
Rovagug is indeed that much more powerful. As to why... I know, but I'm not sure I'll ever reveal that secret. It's not on the same level as what killed Aroden, but it's close. Maybe some day...
|
Creative Director
|
Actually as a more general question, and this might be a well known thing I have just missed, but are the Gods of Golarion mostly more or less equal in power or do they have largely varying levels of power, like with the lesser, intermediate, and greater Gods in 3rd ed D&D?
We don't use the lesser/intermediate/greater gods levels in Golarion, and that distinction only really snuck into Pathfinder in the description for contact other plane because we were too timid about backwards compatibility.
We specifically do NOT have hard-line rules for deity power levels, but that is NOT the same as saying there are none. There certainly is a scale of power, with some deities being stronger than others. The amount of time a deity has existed factors into that power level. And Rovagug is one of the oldest of the old.
|
Creative Director
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Are the islands that are left of Azlant completely barren, or are there any native cultures living there (other than the Sun Temple Colony)?
About how much space does the Azlanti archipelago take up? Is it Greenland-sized? Australia-sized?
There are all sorts of things going on in and on the islands of Azlant. LOTS of stuff. The archipelago is probably about Greenland sized; maybe a little larger. It was definitely not as big as Australia, but not MUCH smaller. Between the two.
|
Creative Director
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Fair enough, then how much would I have to pay you to let me work with you on a campaign setting?How much would I have to pay you to work with me on a campaign setting?A lot. Enough that I'd be able to quit Paizo so I could focus on working on something that would compete with Paizo. And that'd mean exceeding what I'd make from my salary from Paizo for... oh... let's say a decade? That sounds good.If you're really good at designing and development, I'd rather pay YOU to work at Paizo.
Because I'm pretty positive I"d not be able to pay an employee on my own. ;P
Well in that case when do I start!? Haha all joking aside, I really cannot wait to work at Paizo. Hope the opportunity comes sooner rather than later.
I am unsure which AP to buy first. Which one is your favorite?
Go with Rise of the Runelords Hardcover. It's the easiest to pick up. Physically and financially.
|
Creative Director
|
Any chance we'll see that nightmare bear with the "stalked snout" in a Bestiary? How about as a unique one-off monster in a module?
Unlikely... but my dream spawned monsters do show up a fair amount in print. The stalked snout bear is pretty boring overall, though. It's just a bear that has a long reaching bite.
|
Have you heard about Torment: Tides of Numenera? I only just started reading the rule book for the PnP RPG and I am in love.
Any chance we'll see that nightmare bear with the "stalked snout" in a Bestiary? How about as a unique one-off monster in a module?Unlikely... but my dream spawned monsters do show up a fair amount in print. The stalked snout bear is pretty boring overall, though. It's just a bear that has a long reaching bite.
Having read some threads on this very site, I think it's pretty obvious that a bear with reach might break the game! :P
Do you ever find that the creativity required by a job in the RPG industry detracts from the enjoyment of your daydreams? As in, dreaming about a Snoutbear is entertaining, but there are too many roadblocks to just statting it up on your blog for the fun of it?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Any chance we'll see that nightmare bear with the "stalked snout" in a Bestiary? How about as a unique one-off monster in a module?Unlikely... but my dream spawned monsters do show up a fair amount in print. The stalked snout bear is pretty boring overall, though. It's just a bear that has a long reaching bite.
An Ant Eater/Bear hybrid? The Antbear? Possible cousin to the Owl Bear? Headcanon confirmed!
So is Rovagug the most powerful being in Golarion? If others are stronger, who are they?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Have you heard about Torment: Tides of Numenera? I only just started reading the rule book for the PnP RPG and I am in love.
Yup; I kickstarter pledged that one on the first day its kickstarter went live, in fact.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
3) Had a stressful dream about walking home in the woods and the road was washed out by the ocean so I had to turn back and then bears started following me, including a weird mutant black bear with a 5 foot long stalked snout.
Soon to be appearing in Bestiary 5! Snoutbears!
To turn this into a question - have you ever taken a figment from a dream you had and turned it into a monster for your PCs to fight?
Yes.
|
Creative Director
|
Do you ever find that the creativity required by a job in the RPG industry detracts from the enjoyment of your daydreams? As in, dreaming about a Snoutbear is entertaining, but there are too many roadblocks to just statting it up on your blog for the fun of it?
I don't feel that it detracts from my daydreams. I just think that a "snoutbear" is a kinda silly creature, even if it WAS kinda scary in the dream. If I'm gonna stat up a monster, I want to respect and the game and NOT do a jokey thing that kinda makes fun of the world. Humor in an RPG is fine if it's in-world humor, but metahumor starts to get too close in my opinion to the game designer making fun of the game he's working on. And by extension, making fun of the customer who enjoys the game.
|
Creative Director
|
So is Rovagug the most powerful being in Golarion? If others are stronger, who are they?
Rovagug isn't in Golarion. He's in the Dead Vault, a demiplane that is accessible via the Darklands and likely other locations as well.
As for what's the "most powerful being" on the planet... there are plenty of contenders, including kaiju and great old ones, but I'm not really ready or interested in nailing that down exactly at this point.
Sorry, I was using Golarion as the name of the setting, not the planet, but if you don't want to nail it down that's cool.
Edit: Guess I should have just called it the Pathfinder Campaign Setting.
2nd Edit: Sometimes I call the Forgotten Realms Faerun too =p
Humor in an RPG is fine if it's in-world humor, but metahumor starts to get too close in my opinion to the game designer making fun of the game he's working on. And by extension, making fun of the customer who enjoys the game.
Is this how you feel about things like the infamous Calzone Golem?
|
Creative Director
|
Humor in an RPG is fine if it's in-world humor, but metahumor starts to get too close in my opinion to the game designer making fun of the game he's working on. And by extension, making fun of the customer who enjoys the game.Is this how you feel about things like the infamous Calzone Golem?
Yes.
Do you ever find that the creativity required by a job in the RPG industry detracts from the enjoyment of your daydreams? As in, dreaming about a Snoutbear is entertaining, but there are too many roadblocks to just statting it up on your blog for the fun of it?I don't feel that it detracts from my daydreams. I just think that a "snoutbear" is a kinda silly creature, even if it WAS kinda scary in the dream. If I'm gonna stat up a monster, I want to respect and the game and NOT do a jokey thing that kinda makes fun of the world. Humor in an RPG is fine if it's in-world humor, but metahumor starts to get too close in my opinion to the game designer making fun of the game he's working on. And by extension, making fun of the customer who enjoys the game.
Not to press the point, but that bit I put in bold reads "respect it and the game"? I'm not quite sure how to read the sentence, I guess.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Is this how you feel about things like the infamous Calzone Golem?Yes.
I know I have that kind of feeling at what I call 'gotcha monsters' where the entire point seems to be to trick metagaming characters. I'm glad both types (metagame and metahumor) of monsters have largely been avoided in Pathfinder.
Are there any other types of monster design you consider disrespectful to the game?
Are there any Zon-Kuthon focused phrases out there besides the two in Inner Sea Gods?
I've been looking for some for a new character (this alias, actually), but couldn't find any.
p.s. I love Zon-Kuthon as a deity. He is just so interesting!
JJ, re: Pharasma;
Isn't the vagaries of chance and freedom of choice, esp from the point of chaos, just as strong as the force of predestination, which is basically Cosmic Law?
In other words, there truly is no precise predestination, only infinitely variable ways of getting to certain points on the road that can be seen with some accuracy. Only once it is all written (and played out in infinite alternate realities) are the results truly known.
Is that a more precise vision of Pharasma? That she can see all the realities and all the alternatives that are happening, but doesn't know exactly how each one resolves, and never truly has?
==Aelryinth
|
Creative Director
|
Not to press the point, but that bit I put in bold reads "respect it and the game"? I'm not quite sure how to read the sentence, I guess.Do you ever find that the creativity required by a job in the RPG industry detracts from the enjoyment of your daydreams? As in, dreaming about a Snoutbear is entertaining, but there are too many roadblocks to just statting it up on your blog for the fun of it?I don't feel that it detracts from my daydreams. I just think that a "snoutbear" is a kinda silly creature, even if it WAS kinda scary in the dream. If I'm gonna stat up a monster, I want to respect and the game and NOT do a jokey thing that kinda makes fun of the world. Humor in an RPG is fine if it's in-world humor, but metahumor starts to get too close in my opinion to the game designer making fun of the game he's working on. And by extension, making fun of the customer who enjoys the game.
I probably meant to say "respect and honor."
|
Creative Director
|
Is this how you feel about things like the infamous Calzone Golem?Yes.I know I have that kind of feeling at what I call 'gotcha monsters' where the entire point seems to be to trick metagaming characters. I'm glad both types (metagame and metahumor) of monsters have largely been avoided in Pathfinder.
Are there any other types of monster design you consider disrespectful to the game?
Ones that try to deliberately one-up or otherwise negate the work that's come before without adding something new to what's come before.
|
Creative Director
|
James, I get what you are saying about the metahumor—there is a lot of that in the spell components in the CRB (carried over from way back to 1st edition AD&D). Can you point to any Golarion-specific in-world humor in print that really works, and that you are really proud of?
Our goblins.
|
Creative Director
|
Are there any Zon-Kuthon focused phrases out there besides the two in Inner Sea Gods?
I've been looking for some for a new character (this alias, actually), but couldn't find any.p.s. I love Zon-Kuthon as a deity. He is just so interesting!
Absolutely. None come immediately to mind, but you might want to check out the various novels and setting books that have touched on Nidal.
|
Creative Director
|
JJ, re: Pharasma;
Isn't the vagaries of chance and freedom of choice, esp from the point of chaos, just as strong as the force of predestination, which is basically Cosmic Law?
In other words, there truly is no precise predestination, only infinitely variable ways of getting to certain points on the road that can be seen with some accuracy. Only once it is all written (and played out in infinite alternate realities) are the results truly known.
Is that a more precise vision of Pharasma? That she can see all the realities and all the alternatives that are happening, but doesn't know exactly how each one resolves, and never truly has?
==Aelryinth
Sounds about right, although I suspect she DOES know which ones are going to happen and which ones cannot.
|
|
James, I get what you are saying about the metahumor—there is a lot of that in the spell components in the CRB (carried over from way back to 1st edition AD&D). Can you point to any Golarion-specific in-world humor in print that really works, and that you are really proud of?Our goblins.
Do the people of Golarion find them humorous?
|
Creative Director
|
Do the people of Golarion find them humorous?James, I get what you are saying about the metahumor—there is a lot of that in the spell components in the CRB (carried over from way back to 1st edition AD&D). Can you point to any Golarion-specific in-world humor in print that really works, and that you are really proud of?Our goblins.
Some might. Most would not. It's hard to laugh at something that just ate your baby's face.
Absolutely. None come immediately to mind, but you might want to check out the various novels and setting books that have touched on Nidal.Are there any Zon-Kuthon focused phrases out there besides the two in Inner Sea Gods?
I've been looking for some for a new character (this alias, actually), but couldn't find any.p.s. I love Zon-Kuthon as a deity. He is just so interesting!
And what books would those be?