Creative Director
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If you've never played it, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel have an assassin droid named HK-47 who has a similar quality to his idiom. It's actually even more funny (in a darkly funny way) in my opinion. Some examples:
Commentary: That's the way to tell the meatbags master! Charging weapons, just in case. This should be fun!
Statement: Just a simple droid here, ma'am. Nothing to see. Move along.
Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope. Not many meatbags could make such a shot, and strangely enough, not many meatbags would derive love from it. Yet for me, love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticle, and together, achieving a singular purpose... against statistically long odds.
I've pretty much played ALL Bioware-related games. Haven't played one yet I didn't enjoy playing.
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Creative Director
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If you were offered a chance to do one thing, whatever you wanted at any time in your life, what would be on top of your list?
Go visit Komodo Island.
Hmm, speaking of English comedians, what's your take on Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayhall?
None at all. Never heard of them.
Have you ever played a game that made you wonder if anyone could actually top it because it was just that good?
Yup; Call of Cthulhu.
Same question for movies.
Yup; Alien.
Have you ever been dragged into a fight by a friend?
Not a physical fight, but plenty of times with emotional/verbal fights.
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Creative Director
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Have you ever played Privateer Press' Monsterpocalypse?
Also...
Are you aware of This?
No and no.
That Godzilla game looks cool, though!
Was Gil Scott-Heron getting an (I think it was) Brit-award for best newcomer last year a case of glorious absurdity or just someone taking the rules for that particular award way too literally?I'm not sure who Gil Scott-Heron is, so I'd say absurd since if he/she/it really was the best newcomer in whatever field he/she/it excels in, certainly I would have heard about it! Unless he/she/it has something to do with sports or musicals, I guess.
He's often called "the Father of Rap" or some similar moniker because of the style his 1970's jazz albums. His most famous song would be The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
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Creative Director
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He's often called "the Father of Rap" or some similar moniker because of the style his 1970's jazz albums. His most famous song would be The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.Was Gil Scott-Heron getting an (I think it was) Brit-award for best newcomer last year a case of glorious absurdity or just someone taking the rules for that particular award way too literally?I'm not sure who Gil Scott-Heron is, so I'd say absurd since if he/she/it really was the best newcomer in whatever field he/she/it excels in, certainly I would have heard about it! Unless he/she/it has something to do with sports or musicals, I guess.
That explains it. I don't really listen to rap at all. That said, if he's known as the Father of an entire widespread popular genre of music, he SHOULD be getting awards.
if you could live in any time period, which would you live in? go into as much detail as possible.
Dinosaur era doesn't count cuz chances are u wouldn't live too long.
Have you ever square-danced to "Tie me kangaroo down, sport?"
Have you ever square-danced to "Tie me kangaroo down, sport?"Nope.
You almost always make me happy...but some days, you make me sad.
Not that I have ever done it!
What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!
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Creative Director
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What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!
Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.
Is there a sequel to the Faction guide in the works? if not, where would we most likely get more factions?
When you refer to a random Pathfinder #x, such as Pathfinder #26, are you referring to part of an AP or something else?
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What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.
Why the platypus hate? On a platypus related note, ever watch Phineas and Ferb? I like the show for it's encouragement to be imaginative and active in your life. That and I have a kiddo.
Are there any secret bits of lore you can share about the lesser known demon lords from BotD2: Lords of Chaos, FC1, the Demonomicon articles, the Book of Fiends and other sources, such as Kalvakus, Aolar, Xar-Azmak, Laraie, Eblis, Vroth-Kun, Zuregurex, Xinivrae, Ubothar, Kobal, etc, etc (basically, the ones that aren't in the spotlight much, if at all)?
It could be stuff that never made it out of the development stages, a simple physical description, or just something you make up on the spot - doesn't matter.
What is the demon depicted in the illustration on pg. 30 of BotD2: Lords of Chaos?
Do all demons form from a specific kind of evil (pride, wrath, gluttony, etc. as well as more specific sins like arson, torture, etc.) or do some just arise for generalized chaotic evil from a variety of sources and types?
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What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.
You gotta be kidding me. How can you dislike the platypus?!? It's a poisonous mammal that hatches from an egg! It makes little to no sense even before you consider it's goofy appearance! It's the culmination of billions of years of miss-aimed evolution.
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I prefer the Echidna. It is pretty much the missing link between reptile and mammal since it lays eggs but feeds its young milk in a pouch, has scales but also modified hair that has become spikes, is warm blooded when the weather is right, but is also able to utelise aspects of cold blooded physiology during warmer months to better channel energy into other areas. Can survive sub zero temperatures and high temperatures also due to its dual nature physiology. They eat ants and termites, have amazingly sharp claws, can dig quite rapidly and hurt if they spike you.
They are practically prehistoric in nature (though not quite a dinosaur) and I reckon a giant echidna would be an interesting addition to the world.
Any chance of statting one of those babies up James?
Cheers
What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar...Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus...
What about flying, ethereal platypuses? :-)
Have you heard about Watson? It's the IBM supercomputer that's attempting to beat the pants off of people on Jeopardy.
Do you see this as the first Turing-capable computer? Meaning, is this the AI that will successfully master independent thought?
After all, Jeopardy isn't exactly short on bad puns in their questions... And Watson has already shown mastery of puns in the Jeopardy context...
I prefer the Echidna. It is pretty much the missing link between reptile and mammal since it lays eggs but feeds its young milk in a pouch, has scales but also modified hair that has become spikes, is warm blooded when the weather is right, but is also able to utelise aspects of cold blooded physiology during warmer months to better channel energy into other areas. Can survive sub zero temperatures and high temperatures also due to its dual nature physiology. They eat ants and termites, have amazingly sharp claws, can dig quite rapidly and hurt if they spike you.
They are practically prehistoric in nature (though not quite a dinosaur) and I reckon a giant echidna would be an interesting addition to the world.
Any chance of statting one of those babies up James?
Cheers
No way the Platypus totally kicks the Echidnas arse.... It has everything the Echidna has (lays eggs, and so on except the the spines) being from the same order, + it is amphibious and it has a venomous spur.
Have you ever square-danced to "Tie me kangaroo down, sport?"
No but I have pogo'ed to a punk version of it.... That and the Monkey Magic theme-song....
now that andy collins has left wotc, would paizo consider hiring him?
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Have you ever played Privateer Press' Monsterpocalypse?
Also...
Are you aware of This?
No and no.
That Godzilla game looks cool, though!
Reminds me of Super Giant Monster Showdown which I believe is in need of a new publisher hint hint.
Have you ever been in a fight that got physical?
Do you think you have a defining trait? Don't say what it is, I'm just curious if you could in your own mind define yourself by one trait.
Have you ever meet Ed Greenwood in person?
I've never been to Paizocon and may never get a chance to go, living in Sweden and all, is it good fun? I've also heard about a few other cons, do you go to a lot of them?
Is all of Lovecraft's stuff confirmed in the public domain now, or do you have to be careful of which stuff you adapt? I seem to remember TSR getting in trouble for including the Lovecraft Mythos in the original Deities & Demigods... but granted, that was 30 years ago.
(Dear God... that was thirty years ago.)
There are absolutely mi-go in Golarion's system. There are, in fact, mi-go ON Golarion. A certain book coming out later this year will have more details.
So mi-go are coming somewhere this year, Bestiary 3, Cthulu Revisited, or in an AP? ;)
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Creative Director
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Is there a sequel to the Faction guide in the works? if not, where would we most likely get more factions?
When you refer to a random Pathfinder #x, such as Pathfinder #26, are you referring to part of an AP or something else?
There'll be more information about factions, including some new ones, in the upcoming "Pathfinder Society Field Guide."
When I refer to Pathfinder #26, I am referring to the twenty-sixth installment of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Adventure Path line of products. I could also refer to it by the name of the adventure, but honestly, it's a LOT easier to remember numbers than actual names, and when I'm spewing out a response on these boards and don't want to take the time to double-check the title, I'll just say "Pathfinder #26" or whatever.
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Creative Director
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Why the platypus hate? On a platypus related note, ever watch Phineas and Ferb? I like the show for it's encouragement to be imaginative and active in your life. That and I have a kiddo.What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.
Hate is not a word I used. Way to put words in my post!
As a general rule, though, things with bills strike me as kind of silly. And weird. Be they ducks, platypuses, or even the so-called duck-billed dinosaurs. And if something strikes me as silly, it's VERY DIFFICULT for the same thing to strike me as cool, and thus something that I'd like to see statted up in the game.
I've never watched Phineas and Ferb, in any event.
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Creative Director
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Are there any secret bits of lore you can share about the lesser known demon lords from BotD2: Lords of Chaos, FC1, the Demonomicon articles, the Book of Fiends and other sources, such as Kalvakus, Aolar, Xar-Azmak, Laraie, Eblis, Vroth-Kun, Zuregurex, Xinivrae, Ubothar, Kobal, etc, etc (basically, the ones that aren't in the spotlight much, if at all)?
It could be stuff that never made it out of the development stages, a simple physical description, or just something you make up on the spot - doesn't matter.
What is the demon depicted in the illustration on pg. 30 of BotD2: Lords of Chaos?
Do all demons form from a specific kind of evil (pride, wrath, gluttony, etc. as well as more specific sins like arson, torture, etc.) or do some just arise for generalized chaotic evil from a variety of sources and types?
There's absolutely a lot of lore I could share about other demon lords. I'm never going to publicly delve into ones that are the intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast, though, and that extends to demon lords that have fakey names that imply these same demon lords. And also pretty much everything I wrote for the Demonomicon articles (everything that appeared in Dragon and Dungeon magazine is owned 100% by Wizards of the Coast).
I've been writing about demons for the game for decades, in any event. I wrote an entire Adventure Path back in the 80s for my homebrew game, the plot of which was "Obox-ob has siezed control of the Abyss and is using the combined power of the demons to destroy the Multiverse—you have to rebuild the ancient sword Demonfall to stop him," but that's only one example of many.
In other words... too much to share in the format of a messageboard. It will continue to "leak out" in the form of books like "Lords of Chaos" or the numerous other books we publish, though.
The demon depicted on page 30 is Vyriavaxus, the dead demon lord of Shadows.
All demons form from a sin of some sort. A few of them form from a combination of sins, but for the most part, they form from a specific form of sinful evil.
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Creative Director
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You gotta be kidding me. How can you dislike the platypus?!? It's a poisonous mammal that hatches from an egg! It makes little to no sense even before you consider it's goofy appearance! It's the culmination of billions of years of miss-aimed evolution.What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.
As I said above... it's all about the bill. Bills are funny looking. They're better for comedy than they are for SERIOUS BUSINESS like Pathfinder.
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Creative Director
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I prefer the Echidna. It is pretty much the missing link between reptile and mammal since it lays eggs but feeds its young milk in a pouch, has scales but also modified hair that has become spikes, is warm blooded when the weather is right, but is also able to utelise aspects of cold blooded physiology during warmer months to better channel energy into other areas. Can survive sub zero temperatures and high temperatures also due to its dual nature physiology. They eat ants and termites, have amazingly sharp claws, can dig quite rapidly and hurt if they spike you.
They are practically prehistoric in nature (though not quite a dinosaur) and I reckon a giant echidna would be an interesting addition to the world.
Any chance of statting one of those babies up James?
Cheers
There's a better chance of us using the word "Echidna" to stat up some sort of monster spawning menace. Basically, doing the same thing that previous designers did with other mythic singular monsters like the minotaur, medusa, or gorgons.
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Creative Director
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Have you heard about Watson? It's the IBM supercomputer that's attempting to beat the pants off of people on Jeopardy.
Do you see this as the first Turing-capable computer? Meaning, is this the AI that will successfully master independent thought?
After all, Jeopardy isn't exactly short on bad puns in their questions... And Watson has already shown mastery of puns in the Jeopardy context...
ALL HAIL OUR COMPUTER OVERLORDS!
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Creative Director
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now that andy collins has left wotc, would paizo consider hiring him?
We've hired folks who've been laid off of WotC before. The most recent was Stephen Radney-MacFarland, of course.
In the context of hiring ANYone from WotC though...
The tricky part about hiring such folks is that they have to want to work at Paizo, first of all. Which not only means they have to be willing to re-learn the intricacies of the d20 system and UNlearn those of 4th edition (a very tricky process indeed), but that they have to be comfortable with making a fair amount less money. And they have to actually be interested in the industry still—a fair amount of folks who leave or are laid off from WotC are more interested in moving on to other industries.
And on top of all that, the person needs to be a good fit at Paizo—a lot of the design philosophies at WotC are pretty incompatible with those here at Paizo, and design philosophies are hard to change.
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Creative Director
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Have you ever been in a fight that got physical?
Yes.
Do you think you have a defining trait? Don't say what it is, I'm just curious if you could in your own mind define yourself by one trait.
No.
Have you ever meet Ed Greenwood in person?
Yes.
I've never been to Paizocon and may never get a chance to go, living in Sweden and all, is it good fun? I've also heard about a few other cons, do you go to a lot of them?
I hate conventions for the most part. Paizocon is the only convention I look forward to. It's got the exact right amount of size (small) and location (local) and focus (Pathfinder) to interest me and offset my ochlophobia.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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A lot of the design philosophies at WotC are pretty incompatible with those here at Paizo, and design philosophies are hard to change.
Without giving away trade secrets or casting aspersions, could you go further into detail on this? I'd like to freelance for Paizo at some point, and the better I understand your design philosophies, the better I can address them.
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Creative Director
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Is all of Lovecraft's stuff confirmed in the public domain now, or do you have to be careful of which stuff you adapt? I seem to remember TSR getting in trouble for including the Lovecraft Mythos in the original Deities & Demigods... but granted, that was 30 years ago.
(Dear God... that was thirty years ago.)
Lovecraft's writing is in the public domain. There's still some murky bits in there, as regards Arkham House's claim over the copyright of his work, and Chaosium's claim over the rights to do game material for it... but you might have noticed in the past several years a LOT of Lovecraft books showing up on store shelves. That's pretty much because his works entered public domian about five years or so ago.
TSR's situation with the Lovecraft Mythos in the original Deities & Demigods was another ball of wax that kind of got clouded over by spin from management. I've told variations on this story before, but now's a good time to tell it again.
BASICALLY: If you look at the title page of the original Deities & Demigods, you'll see something like "Special Thanks to Chaosium for the Cthulhu and Elric stuff!" printed there in black and white. When folks originally built Deities & Demigods, they were under the impression that they could use that content, either because the content was public domain or because they'd secured permission from authors or whatever, but Chaosium had been granted the rights to do game materials for that stuff. Story goes that Chaosium found out and contacted TSR with their concerns, and TSR said, "Oh, sorry... we'll put a special thanks in the cover, that cool?" and Chaosium said "Sure! Thanks! We just wanted to be included!" or something like that.
The book came out, but then TSR's management decided that what was in the book was basically a free advertisement for a competitor. So when the book got reprinted, they had those two sections simply removed from the book—and thus removed any "free advertising" for Chaosium, while at the SAME TIME reducing the book's cost to print relatively significantly by shortening its length. They did not reduce the book's price.
So basically, as I understand it, the material was removed from Deities & Demigods because management wanted TSR to be the dominant RPG industry in the market, and providing support to competitors even in the form of a "Special Thanks" was not in TSR's best interest. Personally, I find that to be a short-sighted and greedy take on things. If you're in a niche industry, anything you can do to bolster the popularity of your competitors only STRENGTHENS the industry. Competition should force companies to innovate and make their own product better, not force them into efforts to stall or stump or openly oppose the competition.
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Creative Director
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A lot of the design philosophies at WotC are pretty incompatible with those here at Paizo, and design philosophies are hard to change.Without giving away trade secrets or casting aspersions, could you go further into detail on this? I'd like to freelance for Paizo at some point, and the better I understand your design philosophies, the better I can address them.
Compare a 4th edition adventure to a Paizo adventure.
Beyond that, I'm not really interested in going into further detail here. That topic has already been the subject of enough messageboard threads.
I'd put my money on Pathfinder #46.So mi-go are coming somewhere this year, Bestiary 3, Cthulu Revisited, or in an AP? ;)
There are absolutely mi-go in Golarion's system. There are, in fact, mi-go ON Golarion. A certain book coming out later this year will have more details.
Yep, my guess as well once he confirmed it was in the AP.
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I recently got my Kingmaker AP (I have friends bringing me books and gaming stuff from Canada, so I usually wait for AP to be completed before I buy it) and I fell in love with trollhound. It reminds me of gargoyle dog Bronx from the Disney cartoon Gargoyles. Now, in Pathfinder #32 Rivers Run Red where trollhound is presented there are options for water trolls and for rock trolls, but not for ice trolls. So, will there ever be a ice trollhound? In the meantime, I'm about to play a character from Whitethrone and I'd like to have an ice trollhound as a pet. What changes to the basic creature should be made?
JJ,
you obviously did a lot of demon themed dungeon design in your formative DM years. So how did your first kick ass Dungeon mag submission involve a mind flyer from hell instead of a demon related quest?
JJ,
you obviously did a lot of demon themed dungeon design in your formative DM years. So how did your first kick ass Dungeon mag submission involve a mind flyer from hell instead of a demon related quest?
LOl..just dug that dungeon issue out of my pile..21 years ago!
have you lost count of how many adventures you have designed since then?
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Why the platypus hate? On a platypus related note, ever watch Phineas and Ferb? I like the show for it's encouragement to be imaginative and active in your life. That and I have a kiddo.What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.Hate is not a word I used. Way to put words in my post!
As a general rule, though, things with bills strike me as kind of silly. And weird. Be they ducks, platypuses, or even the so-called duck-billed dinosaurs. And if something strikes me as silly, it's VERY DIFFICULT for the same thing to strike me as cool, and thus something that I'd like to see statted up in the game.
I've never watched Phineas and Ferb, in any event.
What about puffins? Maybe a puffin familiar?
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What about puffins? Maybe a puffin familiar?Why the platypus hate? On a platypus related note, ever watch Phineas and Ferb? I like the show for it's encouragement to be imaginative and active in your life. That and I have a kiddo.What're the chances that we will ever have a platypus statted out for us? Probably be a familiar... Oh! Or even better... How's about a honey badger? Wicked critter!Slim. I'm not a big fan of the platypus... but neither am I a fan of badgers and they made it into the Bestiary 2, so slim does not equal never, I guess.Hate is not a word I used. Way to put words in my post!
As a general rule, though, things with bills strike me as kind of silly. And weird. Be they ducks, platypuses, or even the so-called duck-billed dinosaurs. And if something strikes me as silly, it's VERY DIFFICULT for the same thing to strike me as cool, and thus something that I'd like to see statted up in the game.
I've never watched Phineas and Ferb, in any event.
Puffins! (^^)
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Creative Director
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I recently got my Kingmaker AP (I have friends bringing me books and gaming stuff from Canada, so I usually wait for AP to be completed before I buy it) and I fell in love with trollhound. It reminds me of gargoyle dog Bronx from the Disney cartoon Gargoyles. Now, in Pathfinder #32 Rivers Run Red where trollhound is presented there are options for water trolls and for rock trolls, but not for ice trolls. So, will there ever be a ice trollhound? In the meantime, I'm about to play a character from Whitethrone and I'd like to have an ice trollhound as a pet. What changes to the basic creature should be made?
No plans at this time for ice trollhounds. Because ice trolls hang out with winter wolves more often than trollhounds. And because TOO much symmetry makes things dull and predictable.
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Creative Director
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JJ,
you obviously did a lot of demon themed dungeon design in your formative DM years. So how did your first kick ass Dungeon mag submission involve a mind flyer from hell instead of a demon related quest?
Well... my FIRST Dungeon submission was actually in issue #12, and that did have a pretty key encounter with a nabassu demon in it.
I've always liked mind flayers too, though. And I still got demons in that adventure, if I remember correctly.
But also... that was only one of dozens of submissions I sent the editors. Many of the ones that got rejected were about demons.
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Creative Director
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JJ,
you obviously did a lot of demon themed dungeon design in your formative DM years. So how did your first kick ass Dungeon mag submission involve a mind flyer from hell instead of a demon related quest?
LOl..just dug that dungeon issue out of my pile..21 years ago!
have you lost count of how many adventures you have designed since then?
Of ones I've designed? Nah. Of ones I've mostly rewritten and haven't taken credit for beyond an "editor" or "developer" credit? Yup.
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There's a better chance of us using the word "Echidna" to stat up some sort of monster spawning menace. Basically, doing the same thing that previous designers did with other mythic singular monsters like the minotaur, medusa, or gorgons.
EHIDNA FOR THE WIN!
In Golarion, there are many clutures based around our real world cultures. Is there a Mayan or Aztec cluture any where in Golarion? I haven't got the serpents skull AP and I suspect something like those may appear in there somewhere, but wanted to check.
Why do I have so many gray hairs?
Think I could work night shift? Figure this would make it easier or harder when con season starts?
Considering I have no money, what do you suggest I do for a wedding gift for my uncle? He's getting remarried.