Creative Director
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Doing some copy/paste as I've been recommended to post my issue here:
1) I'm currently playing a changeling witch whose father was an elf so she is seemingly an elf too.
Recently, I started having some questions about how do changelings pass their heritage to their children:
I don't think they could produce changeling children as they are not full grown hags.
If my changeling is of elven heritage would her children be half-elven on the case of a Human parent or fully elven if the father is an elf?
Or maybe the other parent will define completely the race of the child?
Would it be possible that the changeling, not being fully grown up as a hag, was completely sterile?
Me and my DM find this question very interesting and we are both curious on how would it work as there is nothing written about it.
2)Also, my changeling is at this time in some sort of relationship with a human girl. Of course, both being women, there was no risk of pregnancy, but my character once used alter self "just for fun" and turned into a male human as she wanted to try something new. My question is:
Can that kind of union be fertile and what kind of children might it produce?
I'm sorry if you find my post too mature or inappropriate. I don't want to offend anyone, I'm just curious on how would these mechanics would work. Thanks for your attention.
1) That's up to the GM at this point, as I'm relatively sure it's a topic we haven't yet covered in print (a scan through the entry for changelings in Inner Sea Races didn't seem to reveal much). My preference would be that a changling's children would be of the race of their non-hag parent; an elf child, in your character's case, but that such a child would be likely to become something like a sorcerer with a related bloodline, an oracle with a related mystery, maybe have the accursed corruption, or something along those lines. Or maybe not; changelings could well be sterile.
2) My preference is that shapechanging allows you to switch genders, which would allow you to either get someone pregnant or become pregnant yourself. Further ramifications are best left to individual tables so that the GM and players can arrive on a solution that's appropriate and safe for their group.
Doing some copy/paste as I've been recommended to post my issue here:
1) I'm currently playing a changeling witch whose father was an elf so she is seemingly an elf too.
Recently, I started having some questions about how do changelings pass their heritage to their children:
I don't think they could produce changeling children as they are not full grown hags.
If my changeling is of elven heritage would her children be half-elven on the case of a Human parent or fully elven if the father is an elf?
Or maybe the other parent will define completely the race of the child?
Would it be possible that the changeling, not being fully grown up as a hag, was completely sterile?
Me and my DM find this question very interesting and we are both curious on how would it work as there is nothing written about it.
2)Also, my changeling is at this time in some sort of relationship with a human girl. Of course, both being women, there was no risk of pregnancy, but my character once used alter self "just for fun" and turned into a male human as she wanted to try something new. My question is:
Can that kind of union be fertile and what kind of children might it produce?
I'm sorry if you find my post too mature or inappropriate. I don't want to offend anyone, I'm just curious on how would these mechanics would work. Thanks for your attention.
1) That's up to the GM at this point, as I'm relatively sure it's a topic we haven't yet covered in print (a scan through the entry for changelings in Inner Sea Races didn't seem to reveal much). My preference would be that a changling's children would be of the race of their non-hag parent; an elf child, in your character's case, but that such a child would be likely to become something like a sorcerer with a related bloodline, an oracle with a related mystery, maybe have the accursed corruption, or something along those lines. Or maybe not; changelings could well be sterile.
2) My preference is that shapechanging allows you to switch genders,...
Thanks a lot for the quick answer! My DM and I were very curious at this point since the question came out.
Do you have any advice for when, although you have a good campaign idea, you have a really difficult time just sitting down and writing the damn thing down?
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Creative Director
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Do you have any advice for when, although you have a good campaign idea, you have a really difficult time just sitting down and writing the damn thing down?
Write it down anyway. Don't write the WHOLE thing down. Just write down a sentence or two that summarizes the idea. It's best if you keep a journal an can jot the idea down in there, of course, since that'll live with all your other thoughts and jottings and ideas.
Once it's written down, you can come back later when you're feeling inspired enough to create and see your idea and remember and, with the benefit of a day or a month or years to think it over, decide if indeed it's a good idea after all and if you want to pursue it.
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What is the best way to run a fight that the PC's should not be able to win?
By not running it as a fight.
Run it instead as read-aloud text, or place the fight at the very start of the campaign, describe it to the players, then start the campaign in the immediate aftermath of the fight.
Hi!
I'm running the Strange Aeons AP (we are enjoying In Search of Sanity a lot!) and one of my players, a pharasmin inquisitor, just came out with a background that would perfectly fit with Nhimbaloth's cult and (maybe for an epic end/dead of a 20th lv party) a touch from the Goddess of Despair herself.
Is there any hope to see Nhimbaloth's stats published in one of the next Paizo's products?
If not, can you give us some tips to imagine the cult or the effect that a contact with this cruel goddess could have on a human mind?
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Creative Director
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Hi!
I'm running the Strange Aeons AP (we are enjoying In Search of Sanity a lot!) and one of my players, a pharasmin inquisitor, just came out with a background that would perfectly fit with Nhimbaloth's cult and (maybe for an epic end/dead of a 20th lv party) a touch from the Goddess of Despair herself.
Is there any hope to see Nhimbaloth's stats published in one of the next Paizo's products?
If not, can you give us some tips to imagine the cult or the effect that a contact with this cruel goddess could have on a human mind?
Nhimbaloth is an outer god, and as such she does not have stats. She's also an entirely new entity created by me (yet another export from my homebrew) who only just got introduced into Pathfinder in the Elder Mythos article.
Nhimbaloth is VERY heavily inspired by one of my all-time favorite short stories, "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood (said story also happens to have been one of Lovecraft's favorite stories as well). So reading "The Willows" is a great way to get into the mindset.
And while we won't be creating stats for Nhimbaloth, there IS a monster coming up in Bestiary 6, the whisperer, which is also very much inspired by "The Willows" and which can pretty easily stand in for an agent of Nhimbaloth.
That said, in a case like yours, I would NOT work with the player in question to integrate Nhimbaloth elements into the game, but instead creep them in all sneaky like and let the player make their own disturbing interpretations about certain similarities...
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Hi!
I'm running the Strange Aeons AP (we are enjoying In Search of Sanity a lot!) and one of my players, a pharasmin inquisitor, just came out with a background that would perfectly fit with Nhimbaloth's cult and (maybe for an epic end/dead of a 20th lv party) a touch from the Goddess of Despair herself.
Is there any hope to see Nhimbaloth's stats published in one of the next Paizo's products?
If not, can you give us some tips to imagine the cult or the effect that a contact with this cruel goddess could have on a human mind?Nhimbaloth is an outer god, and as such she does not have stats. She's also an entirely new entity created by me (yet another export from my homebrew) who only just got introduced into Pathfinder in the Elder Mythos article.
Nhimbaloth is VERY heavily inspired by one of my all-time favorite short stories, "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood (said story also happens to have been one of Lovecraft's favorite stories as well). So reading "The Willows" is a great way to get into the mindset.
And while we won't be creating stats for Nhimbaloth, there IS a monster coming up in Bestiary 6, the whisperer, which is also very much inspired by "The Willows" and which can pretty easily stand in for an agent of Nhimbaloth.
That said, in a case like yours, I would NOT work with the player in question to integrate Nhimbaloth elements into the game, but instead creep them in all sneaky like and let the player make their own disturbing interpretations about certain similarities...
Thank you so much!
The player in question doesn't know about Nhimbaloth existance and even if he read Lovecraft, She is your creation, so I really hope to let her creep in just the way you suggested.I'll definitely read "The Willows", waiting for Bestiary 6.
Thanks again for the quick response!
This is a card in the Harrow Deck of Many Things:
The Locksmith: This card grants the character the ability to open any one door, lock, set of bindings, or other locked barrier. This includes magical gates or portals that have specific requirements to activate. The character may use this card’s effect whenever he wishes, but only once. Once used, the card’s effect ends.
What are some things you could foresee happening if someone who drew this card tried to open Rovagug's prison?
Question about a character concept relative to the Church of Shelyn-
The character in question has no skill for creating beauty, is personally hideous, and emotionally distant most of the time (he's a scarred Molthuni veteran) who has taken to worship of Shelyn out of appreciation for the beauty he sees around him and a desire to prevent the sort of destruction and scarring he witnessed and perpetrated as a soldier
My question, then, is what would the church do with a scarred, ugly, graceless, loyal unto death attack dog like that? I know that telling him to get lost isn't in character for them, but assuming he swore himself to the church, what would they have him doing on a day to day basis?
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Creative Director
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This is a card in the Harrow Deck of Many Things:The Locksmith: This card grants the character the ability to open any one door, lock, set of bindings, or other locked barrier. This includes magical gates or portals that have specific requirements to activate. The character may use this card’s effect whenever he wishes, but only once. Once used, the card’s effect ends.What are some things you could foresee happening if someone who drew this card tried to open Rovagug's prison?
Depends on if I wanted to end the campaign and start a new one set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting.
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Creative Director
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Question about a character concept relative to the Church of Shelyn-
The character in question has no skill for creating beauty, is personally hideous, and emotionally distant most of the time (he's a scarred Molthuni veteran) who has taken to worship of Shelyn out of appreciation for the beauty he sees around him and a desire to prevent the sort of destruction and scarring he witnessed and perpetrated as a soldier
My question, then, is what would the church do with a scarred, ugly, graceless, loyal unto death attack dog like that? I know that telling him to get lost isn't in character for them, but assuming he swore himself to the church, what would they have him doing on a day to day basis?
That'd be tricky indeed. They would certainly do their best to encourage the character to foster his skills at art and creating beauty, and I would expect/hope the player of that character would pay back in kind by spending skill ranks in associated skills, or boosting his Charisma, etc. As for a day to day basis... keep trying art and music and the like until he finds something he's good at. One of the tenants of the faith is that EVERYONE has some form of expressing art that they're good at, but finding it might be tough.
James,
1) Golarion-wise, what would be the resulting offspring of a union between a marid genie and a human?
2) Have you watched dr. Strange? Did you like it?
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Creative Director
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James,
1) Golarion-wise, what would be the resulting offspring of a union between a marid genie and a human?
2) Have you watched dr. Strange? Did you like it?
1)I'm pretty sure we made up some template to cover that back in the Legacy of Fire days... but can't remember it off the top of my head. Was probably in the first 32 page Qadira book.
2) Yes, and yes.
James,
1) Golarion-wise, what would be the resulting offspring of a union between a marid genie and a human?
2) Have you watched dr. Strange? Did you like it?
1)I'm pretty sure we made up some template to cover that back in the Legacy of Fire days... but can't remember it off the top of my head. Was probably in the first 32 page Qadira book.
2) Yes, and yes.
1A) do you mean the half-janni template? I thought that it was supposed to be specific to jann, but looking closer it might actually be relatively simple to replace the spell-like abilities with something more watery-themed. Thanks!
1B) Would it be possible for such an individual to be born as a less exotic creature, such as a "normal" human with the marid sorcerer bloodline? Or is it the case that the outsider's bloodline is just too strong to not manifest itself in a more obvious fashion?
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Creative Director
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James,
1) Golarion-wise, what would be the resulting offspring of a union between a marid genie and a human?
2) Have you watched dr. Strange? Did you like it?
1)I'm pretty sure we made up some template to cover that back in the Legacy of Fire days... but can't remember it off the top of my head. Was probably in the first 32 page Qadira book.
2) Yes, and yes.
1A) do you mean the half-janni template? I thought that it was supposed to be specific to jann, but looking closer it might actually be relatively simple to replace the spell-like abilities with something more watery-themed. Thanks!
1B) Would it be possible for such an individual to be born as a less exotic creature, such as a "normal" human with the marid sorcerer bloodline? Or is it the case that the outsider's bloodline is just too strong to not manifest itself in a more obvious fashion?
1a) I don't, because the half-janni template is half janni, not half marid. It's very possible we haven't yet designed a half-genie template, though.
1b) Magic makes pretty much anything possible, especially when you involve a creature capable of granting wishes.
What would you get if a human and a lich had a kid?
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I know you REALLY like monstrous looking bosses and the like, so what do you think of Kingdom Death's Screaming God?
It was an expansion that was just unlocked on the new Kickstarter.
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Creative Director
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What would you get if a human and a lich had a kid?
Assuming your GM was okay with that... something new. Could be a normal human who ended up being a sorcerer with the undead bloodline. Could be an evil undead baby that consumes the mother from within a-la Alien. Could be an entirely new monster or race similar in theme and ability to the dhampir. It's not something we've covered in print.
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I know you REALLY like monstrous looking bosses and the like, so what do you think of Kingdom Death's Screaming God?
It was an expansion that was just unlocked on the new Kickstarter.
As with all Kingdom Death minis, it looks incredible.
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(Also asking Mark Seifter's opinion on his thread because my GM prefers thoroughness)
The "Bit of Luck" domain power, which lets you roll twice and take the better result for 1 round (2 with the Headband of Fortune's Favor). Is that meant to only apply to actions that take 1 round or less time? Or can it be applied to longer tasks like disabling a machine, writing a forgery, hunting, or a day's worth of crafting? Basically, are you literally being blessed with luck for 6 seconds, or is it more of an abstract and meant to apply to a whole task (or atleast a short portion of a larger task)? Thanks
It can affect a single roll made in a round. A roll that takes more than a round isn't something that's made in a round, and therefore Bit of Luck doesn't apply.
That said, your GM is the one that gets to make this decision. Not you. Not me. Not Mark.
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As with all Kingdom Death minis, it looks incredible.I know you REALLY like monstrous looking bosses and the like, so what do you think of Kingdom Death's Screaming God?
It was an expansion that was just unlocked on the new Kickstarter.
Yay!
How would one convincingly portray Nethys or his heralds? I'm not sure how I could pull off a semi-insane god of magic, grocking his motives, and the like.
(This is for Wrath of the Righteous. All of the PCs have faith as important character elements, so I want to make sure I tug on those story threads in a way fitting with the AP's mythic aspect)
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How would one convincingly portray Nethys or his heralds? I'm not sure how I could pull off a semi-insane god of magic, grocking his motives, and the like.
(This is for Wrath of the Righteous. All of the PCs have faith as important character elements, so I want to make sure I tug on those story threads in a way fitting with the AP's mythic aspect)
If reading the Nethys chapter in Inner Sea Gods doesn't help you, one option of course is to simply not put a significant amount of Nethys stuff into your game and instead focus on other areas. That said, if you really do want Nethys stuff in there... the best way to approach him would be as an impartial mad scientist who pushes the boundaries of magic first and thinks about the ramifications on everything around him second. He doesn't MEAN to turn the air you breathe into acidic fire, and once he does he might swiftly generate a magical effect that can protect you from it, but maybe that's just the price you pay for the advance of magic.
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Fury Road is AWESOME! Isn't it?!Why do I have the word "DOOMWHEELS!" on repeat in my head?Your guess is as good as mine. My guess: You just watched one of the Mad Max movies?
All four Mad Max movies are awesome, and it's kinda shocking that all four are so equally important and cover such a wide range of themes. For example:
Mad Max: This is about the relationship between husband and wife.
Road Warrior: This is about the relationship between a single person and a whole society.
Thunderdome: This is about the relationship between adults and children.
Fury Road: This is about the relationship between man and woman.
ALL set to the backdrop of apocalypse.
Of them all, though, Fury Road is the best one. And by "best one" I mean "best action movie."
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James, how are you today?
I got a few questions for you:
1) What is your favorite PrC in Paths of the Righteous?
2) Is Ragathiel an angel because his father was an angel once, because from a design philosophy, it is more interesting and makes more sense that being an Archon, or both?
3) Does Ragathiel's areas of concern in any way reflect the ones Dispaster had before his fall from grace?
4) Were the archdevils demigods/emypirial lords before their fall?
Is there an Adimarchus equivalent in Pathfinder?
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Creative Director
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James, how are you today?
I got a few questions for you:
1) What is your favorite PrC in Paths of the Righteous?
2) Is Ragathiel an angel because his father was an angel once, because from a design philosophy, it is more interesting and makes more sense that being an Archon, or both?
3) Does Ragathiel's areas of concern in any way reflect the ones Dispaster had before his fall from grace?
4) Were the archdevils demigods/emypirial lords before their fall?
Busy, stressed, and moody. The new normal!
1) I don't have a favorite PrC in that book, because I'm not gonna fall into the trap of "Which freelancer do you like the best."
2) He's an angel because whoever first wrote him up (I believe that was Wes and Amber) decided to make him an angel.
3) Dunno. That, again, is a question better answered by Wes or Amber.
4) In some cases yes, but not in all cases. Each archdevil has a unique backstory. Mephistopheles, for example, was hell itself before he became an archdevil, and Barbatos was something that wasn't even a devil in the first place.
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Is there an Adimarchus equivalent in Pathfinder?
Not really.
Adimarchus is a demon prince of madness. We don't have demon princes in Pathfinder, first of all, so that part doesn't work. Beyond that, the closes thematic analog would be Lamashtu, since she's the Abyssal demon divinity associated with madness and insanity, but she's obviously much more than that and much more powerful than Adimarchus.
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Is there an Adimarchus equivalent in Pathfinder?Not really.
Adimarchus is a demon prince of madness. We don't have demon princes in Pathfinder, first of all, so that part doesn't work. Beyond that, the closes thematic analog would be Lamashtu, since she's the Abyssal demon divinity associated with madness and insanity, but she's obviously much more than that and much more powerful than Adimarchus.
No Demon Princes? What are Nocticula and Baphomet and Deskari, then?
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Creative Director
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No Demon Princes? What are Nocticula and Baphomet and Deskari, then?Is there an Adimarchus equivalent in Pathfinder?Not really.
Adimarchus is a demon prince of madness. We don't have demon princes in Pathfinder, first of all, so that part doesn't work. Beyond that, the closes thematic analog would be Lamashtu, since she's the Abyssal demon divinity associated with madness and insanity, but she's obviously much more than that and much more powerful than Adimarchus.
Demon lords.
There is no such thing as a "demon prince" in Pathfinder. There are basically 3 tiers of powerful demons capable of granting spells:
Deity: This includes Lamashtu. At present, this is the only deity-level demon.
Demon Lord: These are the demigods of demon kind. They range in power from CR 26 to CR 30.
Nascent Demon Lord: This category includes Treerazer, Nightripper, and others; nascent demon lords range in power from CR 25 on down, mostly in the CR 21–25 range.
Demon lords.
There is no such thing as a "demon prince" in Pathfinder. There are basically 3 tiers of powerful demons capable of granting spells:
Deity: This includes Lamashtu. At present, this is the only deity-level demon.
Demon Lord: These are the demigods of demon kind. They range in power from CR 26 to CR 30.
Nascent Demon Lord: This category includes Treerazer, Nightripper, and others; nascent demon lords range in power from CR 25 on down, mostly in the CR 21–25 range.
Are demon lords basically the evil versions of the empyreal lords?
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Unrelated question: How do possession-type spells (e.g. magic jar, possession, familiar melding etc) affect magic item usage & other spells?
Specifically:
1. If I'm wearing a headband of charisma, does the bonus from the headband transfer with my consciousness? If not, do I get the bonus if the possessed creature puts it on whilst I am in his head?
2. If I have a familiar, will the familiar's hp change to half of max hp of the body I am in, or my original body? If it's the latter and I am wearing a belt of great constitution, will the increased hp that my original body gets from the belt still apply when calculating my familiar's hp whilst I am in a borrowed body?
3. If I cast shield other on my familiar before casting familiar melding (which basically lets me possess my familiar similar to magic jar), would half the damage I take whilst in my familiar's body transfer to my own original body?
Query: The Shelyn question above reminded me of a character concept that I've forgotten about. A devout Shelynite, who, after many years of searching, found that their skills lay in songwriting and poetry, but not visual or audible art. What would the church think of a character like that?
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How do you envision the 'telepathic senses' of the Astomoi race from Bestiary 5 working?
It works "as per darkvision" so... they can determine black and white coloration? Is their telepathy (like darkvision) blocked by magical darkness, fog, and/or visual illusions?
Are they somehow telepathically detecting the presence/absence of light without actually being able to 'see' it?
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Hi James, I have a question. It seems to me there are a lack of long duration warding spells. That a arcane or divine caster can place to keep Undead or outsiders out of an area. For instance a circle or seal that would block non free willed undead from crossing unless a will save is made and if the will save was made the undead would take 1/2 Cl in fire damage if the caster was arcane or if the caster was divine [different spell] the undead would take positive energy damage.
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Creative Director
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Are demon lords basically the evil versions of the empyreal lords?
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Unrelated question: How do possession-type spells (e.g. magic jar, possession, familiar melding etc) affect magic item usage & other spells?
Specifically:
1. If I'm wearing a headband of charisma, does the bonus from the headband transfer with my consciousness? If not, do I get the bonus if the possessed creature puts it on whilst I am in his head?2. If I have a familiar, will the familiar's hp change to half of max hp of the body I am in, or my original body? If it's the latter and I am wearing a belt of great constitution, will the increased hp that my original body gets from the belt still apply when calculating my familiar's hp whilst I am in a borrowed body?
3. If I cast shield other on my familiar before casting familiar melding (which basically lets me possess my familiar similar to magic jar), would half the damage I take whilst in my familiar's body transfer to my own original body?
Yes... although kind of the other way around. Empyreal lords are the good versions of demon lords, since demon lords have been a part of the game's tradition for nearly 40 years, while Empyreal lords are something we just added to the game's tradition in Pathfinder.
1) The bonus won't transfer until you put the headband on your new head.
2) The familiar's hp are not affected.
3) Probably, although the way you worded that question is kinda confusing (which is probably a side effect of it being a confusing situation).
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Creative Director
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Query: The Shelyn question above reminded me of a character concept that I've forgotten about. A devout Shelynite, who, after many years of searching, found that their skills lay in songwriting and poetry, but not visual or audible art. What would the church think of a character like that?
They'd be fine. Shelyn is a goddess of music as much as she is any other form of art.
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Creative Director
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How do you envision the 'telepathic senses' of the Astomoi race from Bestiary 5 working?
It works "as per darkvision" so... they can determine black and white coloration? Is their telepathy (like darkvision) blocked by magical darkness, fog, and/or visual illusions?
Are they somehow telepathically detecting the presence/absence of light without actually being able to 'see' it?
I haven't and don't. I wasn't involved in design or development of them, and haven't really even read the entry. I've never put any thought into the matter at all, since they don't really have a role to play in Golarion or an Adventure Path. If some day that changes, I'll think about it then.
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Hi James, I have a question. It seems to me there are a lack of long duration warding spells. That a arcane or divine caster can place to keep Undead or outsiders out of an area. For instance a circle or seal that would block non free willed undead from crossing unless a will save is made and if the will save was made the undead would take 1/2 Cl in fire damage if the caster was arcane or if the caster was divine [different spell] the undead would take positive energy damage.
I'm not seeing a question in there at all, actually.