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Okay, so first of all disclaimer: I am asking this for your opinion as a designer/GM, but not for any official ruling from Paizo.
I know that the FAQ says that a Black Blade cannot be enchanted, but would you allow an Effortless Lace to be applied to one? It's not a PLUS type enhancement... I'm going to allow it in my games, but I was curious on your opinion.
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To aid in answering Zelda Marie's question: the effortless lace, the bladebound magus archetype, and the relevant FAQ.
I hear that you're quite fond of Dervish Dance. (I believe the Dawnflower Dervish bard archetype was your design.) With the update to Fencing Grace in Ultimate Intrigue, Dervish Dance is once again the only reliable way of accessing Dexterity-to-damage.
Did you personally write Dervish Dance? How do you feel about the prevalence of Dervish Dance across characters?
Recently my friend and I, being a bit put off by the immense amount of player options be it classes, feats etc, came to the agreement that it is more or less possible to make any kind of character (from fiction etc.) using only the Core Rulebook, by RPing flavor and multiclassing.
For example a Witch could be a wizard, sorcerer or maybe druid with witch flavor added.
A Skald could be different flavor for a bard.
A wizard specialist conjurer is almost a summoner
and so forth.
The only exceptions that spring readily to mind are the Cavalier (It is hard to be a mounted fighter in CRB without being a paladin, mount would die to0 easily on higher levels) and the Gunslinger (but some don't like that flavor in the game anyways)
Do you agree?
In your opinion, are there more exceptions for character concepts that are almost impossible to build with only access to CRB?
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In addition, there are the dimensional shambler, gnoph-keh, and dark young of Shub-Niggurath (all found in Pathfinder Adventure Path #46: Wake of the Watcher). Produced with Chaosium's permission, they won't be reprinted in a hardcover anytime soon.
The moits of Shub-Niggurath (from the same issue) are an entirely new Paizo creation, albeit obviously based on Lovecraft's work. ^_^
Now to think of a question...
Are there any Lovecraftian monsters you still want to see added to Pathfinder? If so, what are they?
Thank you!
Those are indeed from Lovecraft, but they didn't show up in Bestiaries so I didn't mention them.
There's a LOT of Lovecraftian monsters coming soon that I've designed, Great Old Ones and otherwise, that'll be appearing in each of the upcoming Strange Aeons adventure path installments. Two or more per volume!
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Is the neo-otyugh (as opposed to the regular otyugh) owned by Wizards?
The neo-otyugh didn't ever end up getting its own entry in a 3rd edition bestiary, except for in the first printing of the Monster Manual, where I believe it was included as an example of how to advance a monster. It went away with the 2nd printing of the Monster Manual, and never made it into the SRD, and as a result, the "neo-otyugh" is not open content and is indeed owned by Wizards. You can, of course, make a neo-otyugh easily enough by advancing a normal otyugh, either by putting the Advanced Creature template on it or simply adding HD, but if you're printing it for sale or in public, you should not use the name "neo-otyugh."
And in any event, in this post-Matrix world, the name "neo-otyugh" has some pretty silly connotations anyway for the newest generations of gamers, so it's probably fine that the name goes away.
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So did Alaznist summon only demons and qilippoth? Like would it be out of character for a ruin in her area to have LE outsiders like hellcats binded to room to guard them?
That's certainly what she specialized in and favored. It would be out of character for her to use lawful evil outsiders like demons, but not so much neutral evil ones like daemons. But yes, she was chaotic evil in life, and favored those same-aligned outsiders.
There's a LOT of Lovecraftian monsters coming soon that I've designed, Great Old Ones and otherwise, that'll be appearing in each of the upcoming Strange Aeons adventure path installments. Two or more per volume!
I am pleased by this!
Are they primarily sourced from existing works, or are they, like Mhar, almost entirely original?
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Okay, so first of all disclaimer: I am asking this for your opinion as a designer/GM, but not for any official ruling from Paizo.
I know that the FAQ says that a Black Blade cannot be enchanted, but would you allow an Effortless Lace to be applied to one? It's not a PLUS type enhancement... I'm going to allow it in my games, but I was curious on your opinion.
WOO! Yay for disclaimers! :-D
I don't know enough about black blades to say yes or no, but in cases like this when a player wants to try something out, my general reaction is to let them try it with the understanding that if it ends up being broken or abusive that I'll ramp it back. If I do, I always let the player replace the item or feat or whatever without penalty.
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To aid in answering Zelda Marie's question: the effortless lace, the bladebound magus archetype, and the relevant FAQ.
I hear that you're quite fond of Dervish Dance. (I believe the Dawnflower Dervish bard archetype was your design.) With the update to Fencing Grace in Ultimate Intrigue, Dervish Dance is once again the only reliable way of accessing Dexterity-to-damage.
Did you personally write Dervish Dance? How do you feel about the prevalence of Dervish Dance across characters?
I did indeed design the Dervish Dance feat AND the Dawnflower Dervish bard. I'm pretty proud of the fact that so many folks use the feat and enjoy it, and frankly, the fact that it's been in heavy use but the game hasn't broken or caught on fire tells me that the fears that a feat like that are broken and will ruin the game are an overreaction... ;-)
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When did your love of Lovecraft start?
Back in 5th grade or so, I checked a book out from the school library, an anthology of horror stories called "Creepies, Creepies, Creepies." The book was an EXCELLENT introduction to old horror and the like—not only did it contain the first Lovecraft story I'd ever read ("The Moon Bog") but it also had the first Bram Stoker story I'd ever read, along with three other formative tales:
"The Voice in the Night" (William Hope Hodgson, which kickstarted my fear of fungus; this story was made into a movie decades ago by Ishiro Honda, the director of the original Godzilla, as "Attack of the Mushroom People," and I put an easter egg of this story into my adventure "Souls for Smuggler's Shiv." William Hope Hodgson would become one of my favorite authors.)
"The Animators" (An incredibly creepy movie about a zombie outbreak on Mars within a small colony of explorers; this story just recently got made into an EXCELLENT movie called "Last Days on Mars.")
"Notebook Found in a Deserted House" (The first Robert Bloch, author of "Psycho," story I read; and one of my favorite ever mythos stories, and also the source of Chaosium's dark young of shub-niggurath monster; Bloch would also go on to be one of my favorite authors.)
A year or so later, I bought a copy of Deities & Demigods for D&D, and was instantly intrigued and obsessed with the Cthulhu Mythos section—this part of the book had monsters and deities that were SO much more interesting than the rest of the book, and realizing that those stories I read in "Creepies, Creepies, Creepies" were not just one-shot tales but part of a larger mythos was a revelation.
Soon after, I sought out my first Lovecraft story SPECIFICALLY to read it—this was "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." After that, I became a pretty voracious reader of Lovecraft, helped along, of course, by my Grandfather who supplied me with spooky comic books and stories alongside my Grandmother supplying me with Stephen King, Dean Koontz, F Paul Wilson, and Clive Barker books.
Short version: My love of Lovecraft started in 6th grade or thereabouts, back in the early 80s.
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There's a LOT of Lovecraftian monsters coming soon that I've designed, Great Old Ones and otherwise, that'll be appearing in each of the upcoming Strange Aeons adventure path installments. Two or more per volume!I am pleased by this!
Are they primarily sourced from existing works, or are they, like Mhar, almost entirely original?
With one exception (Xhamen-dor, which I invented decades ago in a short story that never got published and now exists in Golarion's mythos), all of the mythos monsters I'm designing for Strange Aeons are built from creatures that appeared in the writings of Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and a few others. We've an arrangement with Chaosium to use some of the monsters they have the license to do, which allows us to bring in some fan-favorites that we might not otherwise have been able to do.
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Recently my friend and I, being a bit put off by the immense amount of player options be it classes, feats etc, came to the agreement that it is more or less possible to make any kind of character (from fiction etc.) using only the Core Rulebook, by RPing flavor and multiclassing.
For example a Witch could be a wizard, sorcerer or maybe druid with witch flavor added.
A Skald could be different flavor for a bard.
A wizard specialist conjurer is almost a summoner
and so forth.
The only exceptions that spring readily to mind are the Cavalier (It is hard to be a mounted fighter in CRB without being a paladin, mount would die to0 easily on higher levels) and the Gunslinger (but some don't like that flavor in the game anyways)
Do you agree?In your opinion, are there more exceptions for character concepts that are almost impossible to build with only access to CRB?
While I do think that there are a paralyzing amount of options, I don't agree that witches should just be wizards, or skalds should just be bards. If you want to play with those concepts, it's more fun to play with the actual classes.
That said, a CRB only game does have some appeal, ESPECIALLY if your group is a diverse mix of players who range from casual to numbercruncher. It can help to limit the overspecialization that some players get. It also helps when the GM isn't the one at the table who knows the rules the best.
There's a LOT of Lovecraftian monsters coming soon that I've designed, Great Old Ones and otherwise, that'll be appearing in each of the upcoming Strange Aeons adventure path installments. Two or more per volume!
I am happy right now! The potential for even greater madness will soon be realized!!
Thank you. I greatly appreciate your Lovecraft appreciation.
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Hello James and thank you for your time.
I have a scenario for you:
I am a Ranger (no archetype) lvl 9 and I'm going to become a Mammoth Rider PrC at lvl 11. At the same lvl I want to pick the Monstrous Companion feat. The plan is this: I use the spell Awaken on my wolf companion to turn him to a magical beast. Then I use the feat to have this specific Magical Beast as a cohort. Then, when I enter the PrC, I pick another animal as a companion per the (EX) class ability Steed. My question is this and I want you to tell me if my thinking is correct:
1) I use the Ranger's Animal Companion class feature as an entry to Monstrous Companion feat which says that replaces the Animal Companion class feature.
2) I have my awakened magical beast as a cohort
3) I get a new animal companion due to the Steed (EX) class feature and its levels stack with the ranger level as instructed by the PrC.Is this valid? Or do I lose the animal companion all together due to the feat and I can't pick one again?
Once you awaken an animal, it can't be an animal companion. It CAN be a cohort, if you're high-enough level and the GM is okay with that but cohorts can't gain the benefits of an animal companion type class.
It feels like you're trying to triple-dip into a single concept, and that's going to make your character FAR too complicated. Furthermore, with so many "secondary characters" under your control, you'll kind of be hogging the table time; when other players at your table are taking their turns, yours will end up being three to four times as long since you're making decisions for so many more characters. If you have more than four players in your group, I really don't reccomend going this route, frankly; it robs game time of the other players and slows down the game too much.
My suggestion would be to identify which single part of the concept you prefer and abandon the rest (or perhaps set them aside for other characters). In this case, it sounds best to go with the Mammoth Rider's rules for a mammoth mount, and to abandon the use of Leadership and awaken entirely and to use the resources you would have expended on that stuff for other choices.
We've an arrangement with Chaosium to use some of the monsters they have the license to do, which allows us to bring in some fan-favorites that we might not otherwise have been able to do.
Between this and the Curse hardcover, you guys DO realize you're playing right into my long-term nefarious plans, right?
More serious question:
Apart from Lovecraftian fertility entities like Sub-Niggurath (who don't really jive with the feel I'm going for), if I were to make a pastiche/adaptation of The Wicker Man in Golarion, what would you recommend for the Summerisle stand-in's patron deity or deities?
My players might not end up like Sergeant Howie, but I have discovered a gap in my players' cinematic education I intend to ruthlessly exploit.
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Apart from Lovecraftian fertility entities like Sub-Niggurath (who don't really jive with the feel I'm going for), if I were to make a pastiche/adaptation of The Wicker Man in Golarion, what would you recommend for the Summerisle stand-in's patron deity or deities?
My players might not end up like Sergeant Howie, but I have discovered a gap in my players' cinematic education I intend to ruthlessly exploit.
I'd suggest checking out the module "Feast of Ravenmoor," which is VERY heavily influenced by The Wicker Man. (The deity in question being Ghlaunder.)
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The cohort will be played by the DM so action economy won't be a problem, and frankly you don't have much thinking to do when you are a 2 INT animal, but I get your point.
My concern is actually if combining Monstrous Companion feat and Steed (EX) from Mammoth Rider is rules legal and I can end up having both a cohort and an animal companion.
The problem lies in the feat's wording because it says "in place of your animal companion class feature" which makes me think that I'm effectively losing the class feature and thus I can't even enter the PrC. So, are the two rules legal to combine or do I need a house rule for that?
Go with your GM's suggestion and preference is my answer then.
That said... Monstrous Companion and the Mammoth Rider were not designed to play together; they kind of tackle the same sort of niche in the rules but from different angles.
If you want to take Mammoth Rider levels, my suggestion is to not bother with the Monstrous Companion feat, since that's not really needed or supported by the prestige class.
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James, what do you think that the Whispering Tyrant think of some upstart Tyrant[LE arch type] Drow Paladin trying to take over Ustalav
In one of my groups home games this is happening. The GM is a first time GM he has started off very good IMO I would like to help him out as he is only 15 and I think he has the tools to be a good GM.
Can you give me a few ideas of what might happen in Ustalav if the above were to happen. The Big bad is trying through diplomacy and a big scary army to intimidate the local counts into joining him instead of fighting him.
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James, what do you think that the Whispering Tyrant think of some upstart Tyrant[LE arch type] Drow Paladin trying to take over Ustalav
In one of my groups home games this is happening. The GM is a first time GM he has started off very good IMO I would like to help him out as he is only 15 and I think he has the tools to be a good GM.Can you give me a few ideas of what might happen in Ustalav if the above were to happen. The Big bad is trying through diplomacy and a big scary army to intimidate the local counts into joining him instead of fighting him.
I doubt the Whispering Tyrant would notice at first, but if the newcomer did manage to take over some significant areas, he might try to recruit him as an ally. Depending on the story you want to tell, the Whispering Tyrant could end up being a patron, or could end up being a force against the newcomer. That said, a drow paladin working significantly on the surface is also going to attract the attention of a lot of other organizations—the Lantern Bearers of Kyonin, the Knights of Ozem, and plenty of good religions would step in to oppose him as well. Needless to say it's a perfect foe for a group of PCs to face off against.
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T-Rex of Grandness,
Which demon lord(s) has interests and influence over video games?
Since I don't see video games as particularly chaotic or evil over all, I'd say none of them. Demon lords are more interested in sin and the failings of humanity, so they'd be more interested in how humanity behaves badly when associated with video games, be it getting addicted to gaming, creating specific games to promote hatred or despair, or being a vile organization that uses video games as a platform.
In your game, do you consider Dragon Dr to be supernatural or extraordinary ability? In the context of an antimagic field, would the DR remain or "switch off"? Again if you were running the game.
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In your game, do you consider Dragon Dr to be supernatural or extraordinary ability? In the context of an antimagic field, would the DR remain or "switch off"? Again if you were running the game.
I pretty much set all DR as extraordinary, unless it's granted by a spell like stoneskin.
Because that makes the game easier to run. And because it doesn't make antimagic less useful in fighting a dragon.
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I'd suggest checking out the module "Feast of Ravenmoor," which is VERY heavily influenced by The Wicker Man. (The deity in question being Ghlaunder.)Apart from Lovecraftian fertility entities like Sub-Niggurath (who don't really jive with the feel I'm going for), if I were to make a pastiche/adaptation of The Wicker Man in Golarion, what would you recommend for the Summerisle stand-in's patron deity or deities?
My players might not end up like Sergeant Howie, but I have discovered a gap in my players' cinematic education I intend to ruthlessly exploit.
Based on the roles he generally plays, what class do you think Nicolas Cage would be if he were a Pathfinder character?
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Based on the roles he generally plays, what class do you think Nicolas Cage would be if he were a Pathfinder character?I'd suggest checking out the module "Feast of Ravenmoor," which is VERY heavily influenced by The Wicker Man. (The deity in question being Ghlaunder.)Apart from Lovecraftian fertility entities like Sub-Niggurath (who don't really jive with the feel I'm going for), if I were to make a pastiche/adaptation of The Wicker Man in Golarion, what would you recommend for the Summerisle stand-in's patron deity or deities?
My players might not end up like Sergeant Howie, but I have discovered a gap in my players' cinematic education I intend to ruthlessly exploit.
Huh... strange question. Probably barbarian, considering his overly dramatic over-the-top yelling acting freakouts.
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James, did you see the new Godzilla trailer?
Just did!
Huh...
Not sure what to think of his little arms... and the pacing of the trailer feels funny... but I'm still gonna watch it as soon as I can!
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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James, did you see the new Godzilla trailer?Just did!
Huh...
Not sure what to think of his little arms... and the pacing of the trailer feels funny... but I'm still gonna watch it as soon as I can!
I think they are trying to show off their star studded cast. Lots of well known (in Japan) actors.
Now you pointed out his arm length, yes they seem short. I was more struck by his tail length. Did you notice in all the shots it doesn't seem attached to his body? It seems to come up from the ground behind him.
While I do think that there are a paralyzing amount of options, I don't agree that witches should just be wizards, or skalds should just be bards. If you want to play with those concepts, it's more fun to play with the actual classes.That said, a CRB only game does have some appeal, ESPECIALLY if your group is a diverse mix of players who range from casual to numbercruncher. It can help to limit the overspecialization that some players get. It also helps when the GM isn't the one at the table who knows the rules the best.
I did not mean to imply that anyone should do it, I just wondered if you think it is possible? as a thought experiment
I'll be the first to admit that it is more fun to play as the actual class, and at least more elegant than multiclassing.A related question: do you agree that a character concept can be just as defined, if not more, by its flavor and backstory as its class?
Do classes exist as a concept in the minds of people of Golarion?
Or do they think more along general lines of good at fighting, can cast spells, can channel a god's power?
If they think along more general lines, is that why so many of the NPCs in books are multiclassed? (thinking: "hey I want to be better at fighting so I'll practice that for a bit though it means neglecting my magic studies")
As a horror aficionado, have you seen Green Room?
If not, are you planning to?
If so, what did you think?
If you were to play Hell's Rebels, Hells Vengeance and Strange Aeons what character would you pick for each?
HI James
I was wondering how common Moroi born Dhampir in Cheliax? And would it be possible at all for said Dhampir to have the "chelish noble" campain trait for hells vengeance?
According to the PFSRD under the Dhampir race
Since their undead progenitors often deal with royalty, svetochers have a fair chance of being born into nobility. Though some aristocrats are content to raise their moroi-born children in the shadowy corners of high society, less scrupulous nobles have few qualms about leaving their disgraceful offspring on the doorsteps of unfortunate commoners.
Just curious how likely if at all that would be in Cheliax
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Creative Director
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James, did you see the new Godzilla trailer?Just did!
Huh...
Not sure what to think of his little arms... and the pacing of the trailer feels funny... but I'm still gonna watch it as soon as I can!
I think they are trying to show off their star studded cast. Lots of well known (in Japan) actors.
Now you pointed out his arm length, yes they seem short. I was more struck by his tail length. Did you notice in all the shots it doesn't seem attached to his body? It seems to come up from the ground behind him.
I did like the shot of his tail sweeping back and forth over the buildings at the start. That was pretty cool!
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While I do think that there are a paralyzing amount of options, I don't agree that witches should just be wizards, or skalds should just be bards. If you want to play with those concepts, it's more fun to play with the actual classes.That said, a CRB only game does have some appeal, ESPECIALLY if your group is a diverse mix of players who range from casual to numbercruncher. It can help to limit the overspecialization that some players get. It also helps when the GM isn't the one at the table who knows the rules the best.
I did not mean to imply that anyone should do it, I just wondered if you think it is possible? as a thought experiment
I'll be the first to admit that it is more fun to play as the actual class, and at least more elegant than multiclassing.A related question: do you agree that a character concept can be just as defined, if not more, by its flavor and backstory as its class?
Do classes exist as a concept in the minds of people of Golarion?
Or do they think more along general lines of good at fighting, can cast spells, can channel a god's power?If they think along more general lines, is that why so many of the NPCs in books are multiclassed? (thinking: "hey I want to be better at fighting so I'll practice that for a bit though it means neglecting my magic studies")
Of course it's possible. It's not something I'd like to play in or run though, that's for sure.
Character concept SHOULD be defined by its flavor and backstory. Character class should be a result of that, not the cause of it.
Classes do exist as a concept. People on Golarion would know to call someone a fighter or a rogue or a witch or a warpriest. Some might get the phrasing wrong, just as someone might mistakingly call a drake a wyvern or a mite a goblin or a wolf a worg.
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As a horror aficionado, have you seen Green Room?
If not, are you planning to?
If so, what did you think?
I have not seen it yet, but I absolutely intend to see it when I can.
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If you were to play Hell's Rebels, Hells Vengeance and Strange Aeons what character would you pick for each?
If I were to play Hell's Rebels, I would play a half-elf cleric of Milani.
If I were to play Strange Aeons, I'd probably play a human investigator.
And as it turns out, I AM playing Hell's Vengenace; we just started last Wednesday, and our next game will be next week. In that game, I'm playing Bezlarue, a chaotic evil demon-blooded tiefling bard with a grabby tail.
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With the upcoming Crimson Throne Hardcover, I've been curious on something. Can an Arcanist attend the Acadamae, or is the Acadamae truly Wizard exclusive? They have spellbooks, they can get familiars, they can specialize if they truly need to. What's your thought on the matter?
The Acadamae is pretty wizard exclusive, but there can be exceptions. I'd say that if a PC arcanist (or magus, or whatever) wanted to go to the Acadamae, I'd say sure, but make it a key plot element. I wouldn't have an non-wizard NPC go there unless that was a SIGNIFICANT plot point of whatever story I wanted to tell. AKA: for all practical purpsoes, all of those who are students at the Acadamae are wizards. Non-wizards are so small in number that the total is statistically insignificant.
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HI James
I was wondering how common Moroi born Dhampir in Cheliax? And would it be possible at all for said Dhampir to have the "chelish noble" campain trait for hells vengeance?
According to the PFSRD under the Dhampir race
Since their undead progenitors often deal with royalty, svetochers have a fair chance of being born into nobility. Though some aristocrats are content to raise their moroi-born children in the shadowy corners of high society, less scrupulous nobles have few qualms about leaving their disgraceful offspring on the doorsteps of unfortunate commoners.Just curious how likely if at all that would be in Cheliax
Dhampir are exceptionally rare in Cheliax, and as such, any one specific variety of Dhampir would be rarer still. It's certianly possible for a dhampir to have the Chelish Noble trait though, and that type of super-rare almost unique situation is the type of thing that's PERFECT for a PC.
