What KS project is this?
Who had your favorite performance in American Horror Story Hotel, which I finished this week. :-)
And welcome back! :-)
What KS project is this?This one.
Cheers. Shame I missed it. :/
As usual, it's kind of a tie between Kathy Bates and Angela Basset.Who had your favorite performance in American Horror Story Hotel, which I finished this week. :-)
Favorite performance in American Horror Story to date?
If this is too limiting, favorite per season? (Hotel excepted, since you just did that one)
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As usual, it's kind of a tie between Kathy Bates and Angela Basset.Who had your favorite performance in American Horror Story Hotel, which I finished this week. :-)
Favorite performance in American Horror Story to date?
If this is too limiting, favorite per season? (Hotel excepted, since you just did that one)
Season 1: Taissa Farmiga.
Season 2: James Cromwell.
Season 3: Kathy Bates.
Season 4: Wes Bentley.
Season 5: Lady Gaga.
Season 6: Kathy Bates.
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Psychology of JJ question. Does cats > dogs cause elves > dwarves and swashbuckler > paladin?
If not, do you thnk they are at least correlated by general preference?
Nope. One doesn't cause another, but they are absolutely correlated by a general preferences, such as my preference for grace over awkwardness, and individuality over conformity.
Do you like Archer.
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James, out of all the Paizo scenarios currently made, is there one (or more) that you can look at during the December month and go "That's a good adventure to run during the holiday season?" Doesn't have to be "the perfect adventure" or personify the holidays itself, but maybe it just feels like it'd be a good adventure to sit down with everyone during the holidays and run through. If you can think of one that does personify or is the perfect adventure, then that's great.
Nope. One doesn't cause another, but they are absolutely correlated by a general preferences, such as my preference for grace over awkwardness, and individuality over conformity.Psychology of JJ question. Does cats > dogs cause elves > dwarves and swashbuckler > paladin?
If not, do you thnk they are at least correlated by general preference?
What makes swashbucklers individuality, if I may ask? They are not exactly locked to non-lawful and the most iconic swashbucklers about (The three musketeers) were servants to a lawful king and the story ends with D'Artagnan miserable and regretting his decisions to be wilful and individual despite the promotion he got as a result.
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James, out of all the Paizo scenarios currently made, is there one (or more) that you can look at during the December month and go "That's a good adventure to run during the holiday season?" Doesn't have to be "the perfect adventure" or personify the holidays itself, but maybe it just feels like it'd be a good adventure to sit down with everyone during the holidays and run through. If you can think of one that does personify or is the perfect adventure, then that's great.
The only ones that immediately come to mind are any of those from Reign of Winter.
Alternately you could with some minor adjustments make the titular "Feast of Ravenmoor" be something akin to Thanksgiving or a Christmas Eve dinner or the like.
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What makes swashbucklers individuality, if I may ask? They are not exactly locked to non-lawful and the most iconic swashbucklers about (The three musketeers) were servants to a lawful king and the story ends with D'Artagnan miserable and regretting his decisions to be wilful and individual despite the promotion he got as a result.Nope. One doesn't cause another, but they are absolutely correlated by a general preferences, such as my preference for grace over awkwardness, and individuality over conformity.Psychology of JJ question. Does cats > dogs cause elves > dwarves and swashbuckler > paladin?
If not, do you thnk they are at least correlated by general preference?
Every story I've read or seen about swashbucklers or swashbuckler-types paints them as carefree, robust, and vibrant characters. Be they Zorro, the three musketeers, Robin Hood, pretty much any pirate, and so on. Alignment has nothing really to do with that, honestly. You can be an individual and vibrant lawful swashbuckler. I personally feel that chaotic is a more natural alignment choice for most such characters but it's hardly a requirement.
Every story I've read or seen about swashbucklers or swashbuckler-types paints them as carefree, robust, and vibrant characters. Be they Zorro, the three musketeers, Robin Hood, pretty much any pirate, and so on. Alignment has nothing really to do with that, honestly. You can be an individual and vibrant lawful swashbuckler. I personally feel that chaotic is a more natural alignment choice for most such characters but it's hardly a requirement.
Then can't a paladin also be such? Paladins are just as able to be vibrant and 'Climatic duel with a villain' is very easy with smite evil on your side.
...mind you, I can't think of too many characters that are heroic swashbucklers that I'd honestly call chaotic. If you include non-heroic you can add most of the cast of the Pirates movies and it gets a bit easier.
Robin Hood was serving the rightful king of England (Richard the Lionhearted) against corrupt and wicked rule after all. That and I think he's the iconic ranger, not swashbuckler.
The archery is kinda a givaway.
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Every story I've read or seen about swashbucklers or swashbuckler-types paints them as carefree, robust, and vibrant characters. Be they Zorro, the three musketeers, Robin Hood, pretty much any pirate, and so on. Alignment has nothing really to do with that, honestly. You can be an individual and vibrant lawful swashbuckler. I personally feel that chaotic is a more natural alignment choice for most such characters but it's hardly a requirement.Then can't a paladin also be such? Paladins are just as able to be vibrant and 'Climatic duel with a villain' is very easy with smite evil on your side.
...mind you, I can't think of too many characters that are heroic swashbucklers that I'd honestly call chaotic. If you include non-heroic you can add most of the cast of the Pirates movies and it gets a bit easier.
Robin Hood was serving the rightful king of England (Richard the Lionhearted) against corrupt and wicked rule after all. That and I think he's the iconic ranger, not swashbuckler.
The archery is kinda a givaway.
Of course a paladin could be such, but to me that feels off-target for the classic paladin. I'm still not really interested in the paladin character.
And I'm not talking about statting up characters as pathfinder characters in these answers. You could stat up Robin Hood as a ranger, fighter, swashbuckler, hunter, slayer, or rogue pretty equally, in my opinion. In fact, to a certain extent he makes more sense as a fighter or rogue or swashbuckler than a ranger, since Robin Hood doesn't have spellcasting powers or an animal companion.
Of course a paladin could be such, but to me that feels off-target for the classic paladin. I'm still not really interested in the paladin character.
What about a paladin makes them not vibrant and robust? Galahad is a very vibrant character and he's one of the most iconic paladins about.
If I may ask, what makes paladins not very interesting to you?
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Of course a paladin could be such, but to me that feels off-target for the classic paladin. I'm still not really interested in the paladin character.
What about a paladin makes them not vibrant and robust? Galahad is a very vibrant character and he's one of the most iconic paladins about.
If I may ask, what makes paladins not very interesting to you?
Again, whether or not Galahad is a paladin and not, say, a fighter or a cavalier or even a warrior is subject to interpretation. Real-world figures and literary figures do not conform to the restrictions of game rules unless they're in game fiction, such as Pathfinder Tales, and even then they can buck those rules as the story desires.
I'm not all that interested in paladins for several reasons:
1) I prefer chaotic characters.
2) I get frustrated at how other players and GMs get when the topic of paladins comes up.
3) I've seen paladins, more than any other class, cause discord in the game and in party cohesion, either because the player of the paladin specifically chose to play a paladin because he wanted to be a proud nail and/or a special snowflake and sought to use the rules for the paladin's code to be disruptive to the rest of the party, or because the other players (or even GM) viewed the introduction of a paladin into the party as an opportunity to try to make the paladin's player endure impossible situations or fall from grace so as to become an ex-paladin, to the extent that for these players/GM the point of the game seems to have suddenly shifted to "Make the paladin fall from grace" rather than just playing the game.
I've developed my personal opinions on paladins over the course of over 30 years of seeing them in play and portrayed in adventures and game supplements, and that's not going to idly change anytime soon, but nor should it mean that you can't play paladins in your game however you and your table prefer, nor does it mean that I'm going to be avoiding putting paladins in adventures or putting paladin content into rulebooks when it makes sense to do so.
Again, whether or not Galahad is a paladin and not, say, a fighter or a cavalier or even a warrior is subject to interpretation. Real-world figures and literary figures do not conform to the restrictions of game rules unless they're in game fiction, such as Pathfinder Tales, and even then they can buck those rules as the story desires.
I think Paladin is a pretty safe argument for Galahad, considering in Le Morte D'Athur he performs exorcisms and heals the maimed king.
He's more or less the origin of the entire class conceptually, even if the name comes from elsewhere.
On the topic of chaotic and paladins: Is there any intent to ever revisit the 3.5 Paladins of Freedom (CG Paladins) like how Anti-Paladins were revisited?
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On the topic of chaotic and paladins: Is there any intent to ever revisit the 3.5 Paladins of Freedom (CG Paladins) like how Anti-Paladins were revisited?
Not interested. I designed a variant paladin for each alignment for Dragon Magazine (issues 110 and 112), and it was a difficult task and I wasn't really happy with the results, since paladins are defined so strongly by being lawful and good, and spreading that out among all the alignments not only starts to make things diluted, it makes things kinda goofy.
The Pathfinder answer to "I want a martial religious supernatural spellcaster for every alignment" is the warpriest.
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Would you play a campaign where a 5E Faerun drow ended up on Golarion?
I've played 5th edition D&D and enjoyed it but I prefer Pathfinder these days. Whether or not I'd play in a game where a drow from Faerun ended up on Golarion depended on the GM. AKA: My choices of what games and campaigns to play in are pretty much driven by how much I enjoy the GM and other players, and not so much whatever story they come up with.
1. Why do you think so many players have such a stigma against Chaotic Neutral characters?
2. Can you give some advice on how you think a Chaotic Neutral should be best played?
3. I think I remember you stating somewhere that you think that Batman is Chaotic Good. What's your reasoning behind that?
4. What pathfinder God/Goddess do you think Batman would worship?
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I still haven't played the second one so I don't know how advanced it has become but that aside would you say the progress and technology in Golarion (not counting exceptions like Numeria) is on par with Dishonored or still a ways behind it?
Technology in the Dishonored world is quite a bit more advanced than on Golarion.
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I still haven't played the second one so I don't know how advanced it has become but that aside would you say the progress and technology in Golarion (not counting exceptions like Numeria) is on par with Dishonored or still a ways behind it?Technology in the Dishonored world is quite a bit more advanced than on Golarion.
Okies, Thankies :3
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1. Why do you think so many players have such a stigma against Chaotic Neutral characters?
2. Can you give some advice on how you think a Chaotic Neutral should be best played?
3. I think I remember you stating somewhere that you think that Batman is Chaotic Good. What's your reasoning behind that?
4. What pathfinder God/Goddess do you think Batman would worship?
1) Because GMs often don't allow evil as an alignment and many players who want to play evil characters see chaotic neutral as the best option available, but also because of the impression many players have that chaotic neutral = "I can do whatever I want."
2) Read Merisiel's answers on her "ask me" thread.
3) I was trying to rile up the internet.
4) None; he's not religious.
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Welcome back, James.
Do you have any predictions as to the future of rpgs? My friends and I have played for over 20 years together, and some of us remember 1st edition D&D! We've observed what we think is the influence of computer gaming on tabletop games. Even "traditional" fantasy games have changed to make character classes more like superheroes. Advancement seems to be increasingly about some cool "new thing" that a character can do, and gaming books seem increasingly dedicated to rules variations, archetypes, and various other bells and whistles. In contrast, I think my own favorite game books were the "Volo's Guides" series which usually had no rules at all, but instead focused on seemingly "trivial" things like special recipes at a particular tavern.
To be clear, I don't think the newer style of gaming is somehow "wrong." Just different, if anything. But, I do wonder if "old-school" gamers like me and my friends are destined for extinction, and if tabletop games will continue to blend with computer gaming.
Since you're not only a gamer (who I suspect is similar in age to my own group), but also literally a professional, I was wondering if you would be willing to share your thoughts on this matter.
I think that RPGs will increasingly fuse with augmented reality and virtual reality; the online virtual tabletop is the start of it, and as the capability to game with other friends over long distance improves, games played over long distance will expand. To think that computer gaming hasn't influenced tabletop gaming is foolish, but the reverse is true as well—computer RPGs pretty much owe everything they do to tabletop gaming. As you see tabletop games start to emulate computer games, you'll see the reverse happening as well.
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I've never tried the virtual tabletop. Have you? If so, what do you think?
I haven't, but I'm intrigued, especially since I think that the enhanced visuals and other dynamics it allows, combined with how it uses the computer to handle some of the clutter of the mechanics of game play AND how it can potentially further mask the presence of player from the game is very intriguing. It seems to me like it'd fit well with introvert personalities.
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Hey James, I am happy to see your back! I both value and respect your opinion and advice, so I would be sad to see your thread die.
I recently learned a little bit about Elder Things, and I was hoping you might be able to answer some questions about them for me.
1. At least one version of the cthulhu mythos says that Elder Things created humanity. Does that hold true for the Pathfinder Setting?
2. Were they a partial inspiration for the idea of having the Aboleth experiment on humans?
3. From my understanding they, according to the mythos, fought Star-Spawn of Cthuluh as well as Cthuluh himself on Earth eons ago. Would they be allied with Yog-Sothoth and his crew or maybe the Domion of the Black in the Pathfinder Setting? If not, do they even have allies?
4. Have they made an appearance in any adventures yet? If not, do any live on Golarion?
Is it possible to play too much BioWare?
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No question for you, James - just wanted to say that I appreciate the world that you and the rest of Paizo have labored to create and bring to us. Having run Runelords nearly to completion, and in the midst of running Hell's Rebels and Iron Gods, I have enjoyed sharing the stories you and the rest of the staff have laid out with my friends, and seeing how they react to the terrible and wondrous stuff inside. My hat is off to you for creating a vibrant and mysterious world full of danger and intrigue that requires heroes to go out and save it.
Your game and your world has made me a better person. I know the signal gets lost in the noise of the Internet, and those of us who support you aren't as loud as the ones that vocally complain, but I have to believe there are more of us than there are of them. Thank you once again, from the bottom of my heart, for Pathfinder, Golarion, and your creative visions.
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No question for you, James - just wanted to say that I appreciate the world that you and the rest of Paizo have labored to create and bring to us. Having run Runelords nearly to completion, and in the midst of running Hell's Rebels and Iron Gods, I have enjoyed sharing the stories you and the rest of the staff have laid out with my friends, and seeing how they react to the terrible and wondrous stuff inside. My hat is off to you for creating a vibrant and mysterious world full of danger and intrigue that requires heroes to go out and save it.
Your game and your world has made me a better person. I know the signal gets lost in the noise of the Internet, and those of us who support you aren't as loud as the ones that vocally complain, but I have to believe there are more of us than there are of them. Thank you once again, from the bottom of my heart, for Pathfinder, Golarion, and your creative visions.
Yay! Thanks for the kind words!
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1. At least one version of the cthulhu mythos says that Elder Things created humanity. Does that hold true for the Pathfinder Setting?
2. Were they a partial inspiration for the idea of having the Aboleth experiment on humans?
3. From my understanding they, according to the mythos, fought Star-Spawn of Cthuluh as well as Cthuluh himself on Earth eons ago. Would they be allied with Yog-Sothoth and his crew or maybe the Domion of the Black in the Pathfinder Setting? If not, do they even have allies?
4. Have they made an appearance in any adventures yet? If not, do any live on Golarion?
1) We haven't revealed if that's true for Pathfinder; we keep a lot of that type of content mysterious and open-ended (along with all creation myths) to preserve mystery.
2) Since the elder things have been around for nearly 100 years, and since Gygax and the others who created D&D were Lovecraft fans, I suspect it's VERY possible that Lovecraft's writings inspired the creation of the aboleths.
3) They'e not really allied with Yog-Sothoth that much,, and are certainly not allied with the Dominion of the Black. Whether or not they had allies at all is unclear, but I can't recall any significant stories that made elder thing alliances a memorable or important topic.
4) They absolutely do live on Golarion. I put some in my level of Emerald Spire, for example. They may show up in Strange Aeons, but I'm not sure of that since I wasn't involved in that AP beyond creating its outline and doing up several of the monsters and back matter articles.
I've never tried the virtual tabletop. Have you? If so, what do you think?I haven't, but I'm intrigued, especially since I think that the enhanced visuals and other dynamics it allows, combined with how it uses the computer to handle some of the clutter of the mechanics of game play AND how it can potentially further mask the presence of player from the game is very intriguing. It seems to me like it'd fit well with introvert personalities.
Having some experience with virtual tabletops, I would say they have a lot to offer, but also tend to increase the burden on the GM to prepare material ahead of time. Unless you want to play with just messy lines for maps and boxes with letters for monsters, which I'll admit to doing at times. The other difficulty is that a lot of the tools out there are still a bit finicky about working 100% of the time
That said, if you spend the time to set things up nicely and get the bugs worked out, it can really streamline things during play. It can even enable things that are difficult to do on the table--enforcing individual line-of-sight and keeping information separate without calling people away from the 'table' is a lot more practical to do via VTT, for example.
We actually do a kind of hybrid approach, using MapTool at the table to track the party's exploration of the dungeon (instead of having to sit there and count out grid squares on some graph paper to draw your maps). In the past I played a game where the GM hooked his laptop up to a TV and used it to draw out maps, serve as the battle grid, and even draw puzzles we were trying to solve... but that was all just in a basic art program rather than a dedicated VTT.
So I guess the point of all of this rambling is that there are indeed a lot of exciting possibilities out there.
Also seconding the gratitude for your (and the rest of the Paizo staff's) work! Pathfinder is a major family activity and has been for years now, in addition to being a fun thing to do with friends. Even material that never ends up in one of my characters or a game I'm GMing is always fun to read. Keep it up!
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Thanks for the kind words and additional feedback, folks, but I really really really really want to keep this thread focused on questions. If you DO want to thank Paizo or send kind words toward us, the best place to do that is in a specific product or product review, or in its own thread.
What's your opinion on Sandpoint? How about the Mayor of Sandpoint, Kendra Deverin?
I was not involved with developing Strange Aeons, so if this is indeed the case, then I guess my concerns about not aping Forgotten Realms/Tolkein/cliches as far as elf isolationisim hasn't been spread through the department here at Paizo, and that might be the last straw and I might just give up and give in and throw my hands up in the air in frustration and maybe just play videogames instead.According to my friend who gets to read my copies of Strange Aeons until he's done running it for our group, Volume 3 has the elves of Kyonin presented as being isolationist and distinctly prejudiced against half-elves (something about their use of some kind of ship being perceived as "even worse" than a human doing the same?)
Was this a deliberate choice or an editorial slip-up?
To mollify your frustration, I would point out that many of the Human cultures of Golarion are just as bad if not worse in this kind of behavior. Cheliax and Taldor come to mind. And while the Elves in Elven Entanglement DO shoot first when seeing strangers, they have pretty good reason to do so. (being in pitched battle with demons when the Pathfinders poof in), and can be talked out of their behavior. It's also worth pointing out that the Elves of Kyonin do give aid to the Galtan refugee camps, even if they don't allow them to cross their border.
Or maybe my fellow posters can get the point, and add this to the list (alongside Dr. Who) of topics not to bring up in this thread.
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To mollify your frustration, I would point out that many of the Human cultures of Golarion are just as bad if not worse in this kind of behavior. Cheliax and Taldor come to mind. And while the Elves in Elven Entanglement DO shoot first when seeing strangers, they have pretty good reason to do so. (being in pitched battle with demons when the Pathfinders poof in), and can be talked out of their behavior. It's also worth pointing out that the Elves of Kyonin do give aid to the Galtan refugee camps, even if they don't allow them to cross their border.
Or maybe my fellow posters can get the point, and add this to the list (alongside Dr. Who) of topics not to bring up in this thread.
Again, keep it to questions, please.