That's not a problem at all. The infernal bloodline indicates an exception to the rules to how planar binding normally works is all. How far you want to go with adding the fiendish template is up to you and your GM, but at a minimum, that list should be limited to the fiendish creature options on the summon monster tables.James I have a Question.
Planar binding's spell description states that it can only target elementals or outsiders, yet the infernal bloodline grants said spell as a bloodline bonus with the added restrictions that it can only target devils and creatures with the fiendish template only.
The problem is, the fiendish template in Pathfinder doesn't transform the base creature into neither a outsider or elemental. How should I handle this? Ignore the part that allows me to summon creatures with the fiendish template?
Could I add said template to an elemental or outsider (e.g. fiendish earth elemental) ?
But as the fiendish template doesn't increase the base creature's intelligence, wouldn't a bargain with an animal be pointless as it doesn't have the intelligence to negotiate?
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But as the fiendish template doesn't increase the base creature's intelligence, wouldn't a bargain with an animal be pointless as it doesn't have the intelligence to negotiate?That's not a problem at all. The infernal bloodline indicates an exception to the rules to how planar binding normally works is all. How far you want to go with adding the fiendish template is up to you and your GM, but at a minimum, that list should be limited to the fiendish creature options on the summon monster tables.James I have a Question.
Planar binding's spell description states that it can only target elementals or outsiders, yet the infernal bloodline grants said spell as a bloodline bonus with the added restrictions that it can only target devils and creatures with the fiendish template only.
The problem is, the fiendish template in Pathfinder doesn't transform the base creature into neither a outsider or elemental. How should I handle this? Ignore the part that allows me to summon creatures with the fiendish template?
Could I add said template to an elemental or outsider (e.g. fiendish earth elemental) ?
So don't use this power. Build a different character if it feels illogical. Or chat with your GM about fixing it.
Wait.
Regarding redeemed fiends... Yes, it's rare. But in the case of, for instance, demons, would the number be skewed by the SHEER NUMBER of demons? I'm pretty sure demons are the most populous kind of aligned outsider; there might be more demons than all other outsider races combined.
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Wait.
Regarding redeemed fiends... Yes, it's rare. But in the case of, for instance, demons, would the number be skewed by the SHEER NUMBER of demons? I'm pretty sure demons are the most populous kind of aligned outsider; there might be more demons than all other outsider races combined.
Nah.
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I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
Adventurer's Guide looks awesome! I hope you guys figure out all the prd kinks because that's the future that interests me the most in regards to Paizo.
Mark Moreland makes a great point in that product's discussion that the pathfinder chronicler has been part of Core from the get go and the world hasn't stopped spinning yet.
If the experiment works by whatever yardstick you choose, what are some of the possibilities you envision for future product releases? I certainly would love to see the APs statted with more Golarion specific classes without taking all that space to print stats... I.e. refer to p.156 of Golarion Codex. ;-)
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I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.Adventurer's Guide looks awesome! I hope you guys figure out all the prd kinks because that's the future that interests me the most in regards to Paizo.
Mark Moreland makes a great point in that product's discussion that the pathfinder chronicler has been part of Core from the get go and the world hasn't stopped spinning yet.
If the experiment works by whatever yardstick you choose, what are some of the possibilities you envision for future product releases? I certainly would love to see the APs statted with more Golarion specific classes without taking all that space to print stats... I.e. refer to p.156 of Golarion Codex. ;-)
Frankly, any of the 64 page books we've printed so far in the campaign setting line could have been larger hardcover books in my opinion. Expanding the RPG hardcover line to indclude books like this helps to diversify the line and gives us topics to last for years.
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Where's the best place to put requests do you think? Neither the rules forum nor the campaign setting forum seems right.
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Frankly, any of the 64 page books we've printed so far in the campaign setting line could have been larger hardcover books in my opinion. Expanding the RPG hardcover line to indclude books like this helps to diversify the line and gives us topics to last for years.
Strategically speaking, do you also think it would make sense for Paizo to merge Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder Campaign Setting in light of the upcoming Starfinder? There *is* such a thing as consumer confusion: do you think merging the two would perhaps decrease barrier to entry for new customers?
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So is it just me or do goblins in this early access game look suspiciously similar to paizo goblins? .-.
I guess they could also be based on gremlins since they do look bit similar?
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2) I doubt it. Again, the Villain Codex wasn't built to feature Golarion villains, really. I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
2) Since the Villain Codex focuses on organizations, will there be a blog post or other product linking those to Golarion i.e. the campaign setting? Since I subscribed to the AP line again with the #100 issue, I'm seeing less use of my Monster or NPC Codex as I no longer have to build my own campaign...
As someone who worked on the Villain Codex, it's disheartening to hear Paizo's creative director call it a waste of time.
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So is it just me or do goblins in this early access game look suspiciously similar to paizo goblins? .-.
I guess they could also be based on gremlins since they do look bit similar?
They gave them cat noses but that's basically it... the rest looks the same, down to the dirty meat cleaver. James, does Paizo license out 'Paizo art'?
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As someone who worked on the Villain Codex, it's disheartening to hear Paizo's creative director call it a waste of time.2) I doubt it. Again, the Villain Codex wasn't built to feature Golarion villains, really. I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
2) Since the Villain Codex focuses on organizations, will there be a blog post or other product linking those to Golarion i.e. the campaign setting? Since I subscribed to the AP line again with the #100 issue, I'm seeing less use of my Monster or NPC Codex as I no longer have to build my own campaign...
My original question hinted at the fact that there should be at least a blog post that accompanies each generic release i.e. "Villain Codex In Golarion", "Monster Codex In Golarion". This would add value for those that mainly play APs or Modules set in Golarion. The reverse (Golarion/Campaign Setting releases with setting-specific crunch) is not true, because people can just use these setting-specific resources in their non-Golarion game and just change the name of the class like d20pfsrd does...
I don't think he called the content of Villain Codex a waste of time, just the generic-ness of it. I tend to agree! Crunch is always good, but why call a section the pirate section when you could have the Shackles pirate section. I don't think Paizo should be ashamed of the setting part of the business so much. Let that proud flag fly! Are we still so scared, like 10 years into this now, to still p_i_s_s off the old Greyhawk gamers with the new Golarion gods? Every single FR product back in 3.5 was setting specific and it didn't stop a massive amount of gamers to get those for the feats and magic items.
For very little added effort, a book like Monster Codex could be made relevant to the campaign setting. I know page count is limited, but a sentence or two is not too much to ask I think, but if it is, then at least the titles of each section just to give a nod to the Golarion side of things (i.e. Chelish slavers, etc.) The part that worries me the most about this generic Villain Codex is this part of the product description: "Information on each organization’s history and structure, along with plot hooks to get the players interested in confronting the group." What are these organizations? just setting-less fluff? WHY? fluff should equal setting info! or is this fluff really Golarion fluff? I'm very confused here...
James: the above may or may not be accurate, just my perception from years of gaming, but can you indicate whether it would be possible to supplement generic releases with some Golarion lore in one way or another? (i.e. I feel the Villain Codex is still of value as a GM, whether Adventurer's Guide may be more of a player resource in the end, as I don't think it will feature fully statted organizations -- thanks!)
1. With Adventurer's Guide coming out can I expect new "fluff" and history about Brevoy since the Aldori are going to be in it?
2. Are there going to any archetype and prestige class reprints in the Adventurer's Guide?
3. Why are the Archons so gun ho about attacking the Maelstrom? It's not evil so why do they bother?
4. Which is worse the place to spend the afterlife in your opinion Hell, Abaddon, or the Abyss?
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I'm asking how you run something at your table. If someone has a headband that increases a stat, and has worn it for a while, and gets a spell cast on them that increases said stat, both the same kind of bonus, is the spells effect reduced? For example a belt of strength +2 and then bulls strength.
You always take the higher of the bonuses when they're the same types of bonuses. In this case, the belt and the spell both provide enhancement bonuses, so you use the highest one and ignore the lowest one. This isn't just how I run it at my table. It's the official rules for how bonuses work (see Core Rulebook, page 11, under the entry for "Bonus").
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Frankly, any of the 64 page books we've printed so far in the campaign setting line could have been larger hardcover books in my opinion. Expanding the RPG hardcover line to indclude books like this helps to diversify the line and gives us topics to last for years.Strategically speaking, do you also think it would make sense for Paizo to merge Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder Campaign Setting in light of the upcoming Starfinder? There *is* such a thing as consumer confusion: do you think merging the two would perhaps decrease barrier to entry for new customers?
No.
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So is it just me or do goblins in this early access game look suspiciously similar to paizo goblins? .-.
I guess they could also be based on gremlins since they do look bit similar?
They do indeed. To the extent that it's probably actionable.
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As someone who worked on the Villain Codex, it's disheartening to hear Paizo's creative director call it a waste of time.2) I doubt it. Again, the Villain Codex wasn't built to feature Golarion villains, really. I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
2) Since the Villain Codex focuses on organizations, will there be a blog post or other product linking those to Golarion i.e. the campaign setting? Since I subscribed to the AP line again with the #100 issue, I'm seeing less use of my Monster or NPC Codex as I no longer have to build my own campaign...
I didn't say that the work was a waste of time, or that the book was a waste of time—it's been successful for us and has made us money and is a GREAT resource for GMs who just want to grab an NPC for their game. I use it often in that regard (although I usually make changes on the fly as needed to customize the NPC to the situation).
What I think is a waste of time is how we don't have our design team and the rest of Paizo all working together more organically. I think NPC Codex would have been MUCH more useful if it used NPC names and roles from Golarion. To someone who doesn't play in Golarion, the name of the NPC is irrelevant, since it's just a placeholder. And not being able to pull upon Golarion's tens of thousands of pages of lore to build the sample NPC personalities was a shame. Whether the feisty hotspur Lylin Dalthainol on page 217 has what she has for a history as written, or has a history that ties her into Taldor and helps to build Taldor's hotspurs up a little bit more doesn't really make a difference to someone using the feisty hotspur in their non-Golarion home game, but to someone who is running in Golarion (which is the setting MOST folks run overall using these rules), that extra information is not only very helpful and flavorful in establishing that NPCs role in the setting, but also helps ANY player or GM looking for more information about Taldan hotspurs.
So I apologize if my comment disenheartened you, but look at it from my perspective—it's disheartening to not focus more on Golarion content, Paizo's MOST VALUABLE content from an intellectual propertey standpoint, in the book line that gets out before the largest number of potential customers. That's kinda like DC inventing Batman in his own comic line and building a beloved storyline over the course of years, and then later doing a huge movie about superheroes and NOT using Batman, but instead using some stand-in in the role and calling him "Caped Avenger" or the like.
So by that standard, what kind of feels like kind of a waste of time is all the work I (and the rest of us) have put in building Golarion. If we're not going to use what we've been working on and building for a decade to support our largest and biggest and most wide-reaching products... THAT'S a waste of time. From the world building side of things.
EDIT: And as an aside, this is why I generally do NOT comment on things we do that bother me or that I feel could have been handled in a different way, despite how often folks on this thread ask me "Who's your favorite/least favorite Runelord/Adventure Path/Feat/Demon Lord/etc." I don't have the luxury, really, of having public opinions on content we produce. Which is sometimes hard for me to keep bottled up.
DOUBLE EDIT: Again, I apologize for my earlier comment about waste of time. I retract the comment, in any event, because it's not constructive and inappropriate for me to have made. I can't remove the post and it's out there already anyway. But again... I guess that's part of how this thread works—I try to be as frank and honest as possible when answering questions, and that means that sometimes my answers will not sit well with some folks. Usually when I get the idea that my answer might not sit well I demure, avoid answering the question, deflect it to another thread, or do my best to post more diplomatically. But in a thread this long... now and then my filters and better common sense are going to fail. Sorry.
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They gave them cat noses but that's basically it... the rest looks the same, down to the dirty meat cleaver. James, does Paizo license out 'Paizo art'?So is it just me or do goblins in this early access game look suspiciously similar to paizo goblins? .-.
I guess they could also be based on gremlins since they do look bit similar?
Not in this way. If the company had come to us with a proposal to make a goblin game and we wanted to go forward with it, we would license them the Pathfinder license to use goblins but would require it to be set in Golarion and would have approvals over the content. That's very much not what's happening here.
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James: the above may or may not be accurate, just my perception from years of gaming, but can you indicate whether it would be possible to supplement generic releases with some Golarion lore in one way or another? (i.e. I feel the Villain Codex is still of value as a GM, whether Adventurer's Guide may be more of a player resource in the end, as I don't think it will feature fully statted organizations -- thanks!)
My preference, going forward, is to include that content in the book. What we're doing with Adventurer's Guide is my favored solution.
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1. With Adventurer's Guide coming out can I expect new "fluff" and history about Brevoy since the Aldori are going to be in it?
2. Are there going to any archetype and prestige class reprints in the Adventurer's Guide?
3. Why are the Archons so gun ho about attacking the Maelstrom? It's not evil so why do they bother?
4. Which is worse the place to spend the afterlife in your opinion Hell, Abaddon, or the Abyss?
1) You can expect new flavor and lore for all the organizations featured in the book, including depictions of important leaders and other NPCs associated with each organization. (I dislike the use of the term "fluff" in this context, btw, since it minimizes the value of flavor and is somewhat insulting.)
2) Yes. Several of the older archetypes and prestige classes that appeared in softcover books before are not only not available online via our PRD (they are via other non-Paizo websites, but that's not something we can sanction for PFS or use in house for our own products), but also the majority of the products we're pulling content from are either out of print or going out of print soon. Putting those options in a hardcover preserves them as options rather than consigning them to an increasingly distant limbo. The amount of reprints, in any event, is unset at this moment, but I'm approaching it the EXACT same way I approach a Bestairy, which also reprints monsters. AKA: More new content than old content.
3) Because it's chaotic, and archons are as much champions of good as they are champions of law.
4) Hell, no contest.
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As someone who worked on the Villain Codex, it's disheartening to hear Paizo's creative director call it a waste of time.2) I doubt it. Again, the Villain Codex wasn't built to feature Golarion villains, really. I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
2) Since the Villain Codex focuses on organizations, will there be a blog post or other product linking those to Golarion i.e. the campaign setting? Since I subscribed to the AP line again with the #100 issue, I'm seeing less use of my Monster or NPC Codex as I no longer have to build my own campaign...I didn't say that the work was a waste of time, or that the book was a waste of time—it's been successful for us and has made us money and is a GREAT resource for GMs who just want to grab an NPC for their game. I use it often in that regard (although I usually make changes on the fly as needed to customize the NPC to the situation).
What I think is a waste of time is how we don't have our design team and the rest of Paizo all working together more organically. I think NPC Codex would have been MUCH more useful if it used NPC names and roles from Golarion. To someone who doesn't play in Golarion, the name of the NPC is irrelevant, since it's just a placeholder. And not being able to pull upon Golarion's tens of thousands of pages of lore to build the sample NPC personalities was a shame. Whether the feisty hotspur Lylin Dalthainol on page 217 has what she has for a history as written, or has a history that ties her into Taldor and helps to build Taldor's hotspurs up a little bit more doesn't really make a difference to someone using the feisty hotspur in their non-Golarion home game, but...
Thanks for talking about your side of the perspective, James. I understand your feelings on the issue, and I know you understand how hard it can be as a creator to have a project you felt proud of be diminished—regardless of the context. I appreciate you giving more context, I know you didn't mean to offend.
As someone who worked on the Villain Codex, it's disheartening to hear Paizo's creative director call it a waste of time.2) I doubt it. Again, the Villain Codex wasn't built to feature Golarion villains, really. I'm hoping folks like what we do with Adventurer's Guide though, because the idea of doing a Villain Codex that actually features and build on Golarion lore rather than spending all of that creative energy building generic things that no one has any attachment to feels like a waste of time to me.
2) Since the Villain Codex focuses on organizations, will there be a blog post or other product linking those to Golarion i.e. the campaign setting? Since I subscribed to the AP line again with the #100 issue, I'm seeing less use of my Monster or NPC Codex as I no longer have to build my own campaign...I didn't say that the work was a waste of time, or that the book was a waste of time—it's been successful for us and has made us money and is a GREAT resource for GMs who just want to grab an NPC for their game. I use it often in that regard (although I usually make changes on the fly as needed to customize the NPC to the situation).
What I think is a waste of time is how we don't have our design team and the rest of Paizo all working together more organically. I think NPC Codex would have been MUCH more useful if it used NPC names and roles from Golarion. To someone who doesn't play in Golarion, the name of the NPC is irrelevant, since it's just a placeholder. And not being able to pull upon Golarion's tens of thousands of pages of lore to build the sample NPC personalities was a shame. Whether the feisty hotspur Lylin Dalthainol on page 217 has what she has for a history as written, or has a history that ties her into Taldor and helps to build Taldor's hotspurs up a little bit more doesn't really make a difference to someone using the feisty hotspur in their non-Golarion home game, but...
Just wanted to point out that putting a Golarion flavor on the Game Mastery Guide content would have meant excluding it from Paizo's PRD.
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Just wanted to point out that putting a Golarion flavor on the Game Mastery Guide content would have meant excluding it from Paizo's PRD.
Nah.
It would have just meant us having to work a little harder to prepare that info for the PRD; we would have had to change some names or omit some text, but the raw statistics would have been in the PRD just the same. We could, in theory, put almost EVERY rule we publish on our PRD, with a few minor adjustments. Look at what we did with the Technology Guide as an example; we put that softcover's rules online because they were indispensable for Iron Gods and we didn't want to imply you as the customer had to pay an extra 20 bucks over and above the norm to play that AP.
The reason why we don't do this for all of our products is more or less purely a result of the fact that it takes a lot of time to prep those files and information for the PRD, and we don't have that many resources in the form of staff members to do that on a regular monthly basis.
The vast bulk of the rules we produce are open content. The only real exception is when we license material to do rules, such as what we did most recently with some of the Lovecraftian monsters we licensed from Chaosium to stat up in Strange Aeons.
My players resontly finished skulls and shackles and the first decree our new hurricane king made was to abolish the free captains system. What effect on the shackles would such a thing create?
Yo, what's up James? Can I get a fist bump?
1) You know how Aroden's death is a big mystery? Do you actually know how he died? Or if he did die for that matter.
2) Why are you so intent on keeping Aroden's death a secret? Is there a future product with all the answers?
3) How do Paizo employees have to dress for work?
4) Are there any "secret deities" in Pathfinder? If the answer is unrevealed could you use a cinnamon synonym?
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Yo, what's up James? Can I get a fist bump?
1) You know how Aroden's death is a big mystery? Do you actually know how he died? Or if he did die for that matter.
2) Why are you so intent on keeping Aroden's death a secret? Is there a future product with all the answers?
3) How do Paizo employees have to dress for work?
4) Are there any "secret deities" in Pathfinder? If the answer is unrevealed could you use a
cinnamonsynonym?
I don't fist bump.
1) Yes, I do know.
2) Because sometimes secrets are more compelling when you don't know the answer. This is pretty much the ONLY secret of the setting we'll never reveal. The whole point is that no one knows.
3) Don't be naked. That includes your feet—wear shoes.
4) No.
So i ran through Curse of the Crimson Throne a few years back and I'm planning on running the anniversary edition soon but I had a question. What is the actual curse of the Crimson Throne? I know The sitting rulers weren't able to produce heirs but don't remember reading the reason why or if that was the actual curse.
So technically if Paizo never reveals the secret of how Aroden died...
...then there will never be an answer that is canon...
...but since you "know" how Aroden died, then...
...the actual way Aroden died is purely Paizo head canon...
...therefore a DM can make up how Aroden died in his/her own game and be correct as to how Aroden died...
...and the players won't be able to dispute the DM's decision...
...disregarding the fact that players always find a way to dispute a DM's decision...
...is my thinking correct?
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So i ran through Curse of the Crimson Throne a few years back and I'm planning on running the anniversary edition soon but I had a question. What is the actual curse of the Crimson Throne? I know The sitting rulers weren't able to produce heirs but don't remember reading the reason why or if that was the actual curse.
In the original version of the game, that was it—it's that no ruler produced an heir while on the throne AND no ruler ever died peacefully of old age. Space constraints in the final adventure prevented us from actually including a "real" curse, so we left it as a rumor.
In the hardcover edition, that changed. As detailed on page 365...
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So technically if Paizo never reveals the secret of how Aroden died...
...then there will never be an answer that is canon...
...but since you "know" how Aroden died, then...
...the actual way Aroden died is purely Paizo head canon...
...therefore a DM can make up how Aroden died in his/her own game and be correct as to how Aroden died...
...and the players won't be able to dispute the DM's decision...
...disregarding the fact that players always find a way to dispute a DM's decision...
...is my thinking correct?
Actually, it's NOT just "head canon." I know how he died, and that is very important for detailing elements that are adjacent to his death so that they make sense. If there's a significant paradigm shift in the future and we decide to change our minds and decide to reveal the truth of how Aroden died, folks will be able to look back through everything we've done in print and see tidbits here and there that, in hindsight, make sense with the actual reason. Which means that if someone were to read everything we've published and correctly interpret metaphors and hints and all that, they MIGHT be able to make a somewhat educated guess about what happened, but I won't be saying yes or no to those guesses.
In the meantime, if you want the secret of Aroden's death to be something that, in your game, has a bigger role and you want to let your players figure it out, this all pretty much means you get to make the decision about it as for how it works in your game.
Regardless of the possible futures, a player shouldn't "dispute" a GM's decision for how their setting works. Players that persist in disputing GM decisions are, frankly, bad players and should perhaps think about finding a new hobby if they can't work out their personal flaws of being rude and disruptive.
1. Do Azata's attack the Axis for just being lawful like Archons do for the Maelstrom, or are they too busy partying with Cayden?
You have so some strong opinions, I can tell because you wrote a lot more than you usually do. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think there is enough hint and clues scattered throughout the various Paizo products for someone to figure out how Aroden died in this point in time?
EDIT: Made my post non snarky. I didn't realize my post came across as that snarky, so I apologize. I meant no disrespect to you or anyone. I really appreciate you answering everyone's questions.
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You have so some strong opinions, I can tell because you wrote a lot more than you usually do. You should answer all my questions with that thoroughness. Not that you will...
Do you think there is enough hint and clues scattered throughout the various Paizo products for someone to figure out how Aroden died in this point in time?
Wow. If everyone demanded to have James answer fully and to their own satisfaction, we wouldn't even GET a response, let alone a thread like this.. Luckily, not everyone feels so entitled as you do.
Your snarky demands that James answers all your questions completely and concisely are completely uncalled for. James doesn't HAVE to answer any questions at all, you know, but since he is a truly amazing and kind person, he does. I remind everyone that this thread is a rare and special privilege in the gaming industry. Be mindful of that, and be respectful.
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1. Do Azata's attack the Axis for just being lawful like Archons do for the Maelstrom, or are they too busy partying with Cayden?
Nope. Opposites are not always the rule. Furthermore, azatas are as a whole more interested in partying and having fun than being all militant and defensive. If Archons map to dwarf cliches, then azatas map to elf cliches.
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You have so some strong opinions, I can tell because you wrote a lot more than you usually do. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think there is enough hint and clues scattered throughout the various Paizo products for someone to figure out how Aroden died in this point in time?
EDIT: Made my post non snarky. I didn't realize my post came across as that snarky, so I apologize. I meant no disrespect to you or anyone. I really appreciate you answering everyone's questions.
I don't think there's enough, no. The intent is that if in some make-believe future we do reveal what happened that nothing we've written to that point contradicts that, not to reward someone who's super obsessive about putting together the clues.
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You have so some strong opinions, I can tell because you wrote a lot more than you usually do. You should answer all my questions with that thoroughness. Not that you will...
Do you think there is enough hint and clues scattered throughout the various Paizo products for someone to figure out how Aroden died in this point in time?
Wow. If everyone demanded to have James answer fully and to their own satisfaction, we wouldn't even GET a response, let alone a thread like this.. Luckily, not everyone feels so entitled as you do.
Your snarky demands that James answers all your questions completely and concisely are completely uncalled for. James doesn't HAVE to answer any questions at all, you know, but since he is a truly amazing and kind person, he does. I remind everyone that this thread is a rare and special privilege in the gaming industry. Be mindful of that, and be respectful.
Thanks Tim! You're the best!
Has Sarenrae ever interceded on a mortals behalf before, either herself or through proxies? If so, if you can say, when were those times?
I haven't read every Paizo product, so forgive me if this answer is apparent :(
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Hi James: I've played this game for 16 years now (i.e. 3.0, 3.5, Pathfinder) and always assumed 'fluff' meant campaign setting information / backstory / plothooks, etc. I didn't know it was some kind of derogatory descriptor, but then again my first language is French and I've learned most of my English around a gaming table... apologies in advanced if I've ever used that term incorrectly, but to my knowledge up to now, I used it for "something I like to see in a gaming book that's not stats, feats and such 'crunch', related to storytelling/campaign setting, which adds much needed flavor" (now, assuming I know what I'm talking about when I say crunch... :P )
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Has Sarenrae ever interceded on a mortals behalf before, either herself or through proxies? If so, if you can say, when were those times?
I haven't read every Paizo product, so forgive me if this answer is apparent :(
Absolutely; the biggest one is of course when she more or less led the charge in defeating and imprisoning Rovagug.
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Creative Director
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Hi James: I've played this game for 16 years now (i.e. 3.0, 3.5, Pathfinder) and always assumed 'fluff' meant campaign setting information / backstory / plothooks, etc. I didn't know it was some kind of derogatory descriptor, but then again my first language is French and I've learned most of my English around a gaming table... apologies in advanced if I've ever used that term incorrectly, but to my knowledge up to now, I used it for "something I like to see in a gaming book that's not stats, feats and such 'crunch', related to storytelling/campaign setting, which adds much needed flavor" (now, assuming I know what I'm talking about when I say crunch... :P )
People often use "fluff" to indicate that, yes, but it's STILL insulting to me. The real-world definition of "fluff" includes things like "something of no consequence" and "an error or blunder." Other definitions, like "light downy mass" simply make no sense at all when applied to creative content like this. The word simply does not have any positive connotations unless you're talking about something like the inside of a pillow or the softness of an animal's fur—there's really no way to use the word to talk about someone's hard work and make it sound anything other than being dismissive of that hard work. Furthermore, it's got another connotation in the porn industry that makes it even more insulting and crude when applied to this situation.
And since the campaign setting/adventure/story information is, to me, the most INTERESTING part of the game (the rules, in my opinion, exist only to make the story happen at the table and should SERVE the story rather than be the focus of the game), it's demoralizing and depressing and annoying and frustrating to hear folks call all that hard work "something of no consequence" or "an error or blunder."
So what word would you prefer to 'fluff'?
I agree with you about that word used in that context.
I tend to use the word lore...but that sounds boring.
Hi James,
How would you handle a team of PC who always shut down any musician they see because they are afraid of being charmed while the guy play music, thinking he is a Bard ^^? (And yes Psychic made it worst)
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Hi James,
How would you handle a team of PC who always shut down any musician they see because they are afraid of being charmed while the guy play music, thinking he is a Bard ^^? (And yes Psychic made it worst)
follow up: would you say many bards use the enthrall spell to command the attention of a crowd for pure musical performance enhancement reasons? I.e so that the crowd isn't distracted so as to make the performance memorable?
In Hell's Rebels I play a Chelish opera diva that plans to do just that so that her shows are booked solid... and in keeping with her "famous" class ability...