Creative Director
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Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?
Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
Speaking of paladins, are you familiar with my favorite one? Her name is Paksenarrion. If you've met her, what did you think of her?
Thanks for sharing, but I don't get to decide if your character is "fully legal." Your GM gets to decide that. I'm not interested in being a surrogate GM, really... I've got enough on my hands dealing with the players in my current games! :-PHey James!
Apologies if this question has been asked before, but I just wanted to make sure my character was fully legal!
Ah, no problem. That's not what I really intended. I guess I just wanted to know if you intended Eldritch Heritage to be taken multiple times in the way it's worded in the ruling, or if it should only be taken once for one additional bloodline. :)
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Creative Director
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Speaking of paladins, are you familiar with my favorite one? Her name is Paksenarrion. If you've met her, what did you think of her?
Never read it.
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Creative Director
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Ah, no problem. That's not what I really intended. I guess I just wanted to know if you intended Eldritch Heritage to be taken multiple times in the way it's worded in the ruling, or if it should only be taken once for one additional bloodline. :)Thanks for sharing, but I don't get to decide if your character is "fully legal." Your GM gets to decide that. I'm not interested in being a surrogate GM, really... I've got enough on my hands dealing with the players in my current games! :-PHey James!
Apologies if this question has been asked before, but I just wanted to make sure my character was fully legal!
I wasn't involved in the creation of Eldritch Heritage or the book it appeared in, but as a general rule you can't take a feat more than once unless it specifically says so.
I had no idea, but thanks a lot. :)
Does the user of a supernatural and extraordinary abilities know if their target succeeded a saving throw even if there is no visible effect?
Also, is there any plans to revisit some of the downtime/kingdom building/mass combat rules in the near future (next decade or so)?
Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
How about Crapsack, which is the word that TVTropes applies to Warhammer? In Warhammer 40k entire planetary populations are frequently lost due to rounding errors in Imperial accounting. And that's not even getting to all of the horrible ways of dying, the various races that want to kill you either kindly or cruelly, and things worse than that.
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Creative Director
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Does the user of a supernatural and extraordinary abilities know if their target succeeded a saving throw even if there is no visible effect?
Also, is there any plans to revisit some of the downtime/kingdom building/mass combat rules in the near future (next decade or so)?
Supernatural, I'd say yes, just like in the case of spells. Extraordinary, I'd say no.
No plans to revisit those rules in the next few months. We don't publicly discuss plans for revisiting anything further out than that.
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Creative Director
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How about Crapsack, which is the word that TVTropes applies to Warhammer? In Warhammer 40k entire planetary populations are frequently lost due to rounding errors in Imperial accounting. And that's not even getting to all of the horrible ways of dying, the various races that want to kill you either kindly or cruelly, and things worse than that.
Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
Never heard that word, but that sounds even more derogatory than grimdark.
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I think "Crapsack World" trope's name is supposed to describe living conditions of the world for average non main character person. So pretty horrific in Warhammer 40,000.
Anyhoo, yay Iron Gods campaign started and it went well yay. But questions, I have
Soooo uh, I read that Iadenveigh executes people in mock trials for being associated with technic league, possessing technology and being androids(btw, party is composed of humans and one android)... But its apparently Lawful Good town? Am I uh, misunderstanding something, or isn't that rather big disconnection?
So did I understand right that for Hellion to gain enough power for its drill, reactor in Torch doesn't need to go to the point of explosion, but Meyanda will let it go there anyway? Or since Meyanda is CN instead of CE, would she even make it go that far unless she is given orders to do that?
And umm, random self esteem question: So I feel like I'm annoying when commenting on forums, but I'm not sure if I'm just imagining that because I dislike myself or because I'm being actually annoying. How should I progress since I don't want to be annoying, but I'd guess that asking people if they think you are annoying is probably annoying?
Hi James. Are you confident predicting which of your adventures will be well received by the public? Or is what tickles our collective fancy more of a mystery?
Supernatural, I'd say yes, just like in the case of spells. Extraordinary, I'd say no.
How about specific rules that affect spells that came on later books, such as spell research or even identifying supernatural abilities with spellcraft when they are used?
How would we tell the difference between spellcaster's spells and supernatural abilities when the text simply says "spells" but no mention of spell levels or spellcasting classes?
No plans to revisit those rules in the next few months. We don't publicly discuss plans for revisiting anything further out than that.
A few months sounds good to me.
Have you read the expanded rules plugins created by Legendary Games? What do you think of them?
Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
I've never thought of that word as dismissive/insulting I always thought of it as a complement. Different points of view and all I guess. :)
I understand mini war gaming isn't for everyone. Thanks. :)
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2. If that means Unity becomes a deity, then there is a problem. The book said that it will broadcast a contagious wave that turns everyone into its thrall. But a deity cannot directly affect the Material Plane. Wouldn't other deities intervene and attack Unity(and undo his forceful conversion) very soon if it actually do so?
3. An adventurer can experience various perils, defeat powerful monsters, and visit mysterious places, and finally discover a fount of mythic and experience the moment of ascension. But Unity did none of these. How can it become so powerful, gain the ability to cast spell-like abilities, and even gain mythic ranks? What granted it the moment of ascension and mythic power?
4. Becoming a deity is a very hard work. Even becoming a demigod is very hard, either. Aroden had to raise an entire island to become a demigod. And Iomedae had to absorb the power of Starstone, a thing of singular rarity in a multiverse of wonders to become a demigod. But Unity became a deity just by launching itself into orbit. And this deed is done merely by technology, not magic. So, how can that be justified? How can becoming a demigod(or a deity) would be so easy for Unity?
5. Unlike androids, a robot or an AI has no soul. Does that mean Unity and Hellion have no soul too, even though they can grant spells to their worshipers?
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7. The Divinity Drive is the core of Unity, and thus the Divinity Drive is Unity, right?
8. The book implies that the PCs just have to destroy the Godmind and the Overlord Robot to destroy Unity. But even after that, the Divinity Drive still exists. So if the Divinity Drive is Unity, does that mean Unity wouldn't die unless the Divinity Drive is destroyed?
9. I don't want to destroy Unity. Sure, it's evil and must be stopped, but if I destroy it, the significant portion of the Androffan technology would be lost forever. There's no one that can replace Unity. There's no one that has as much knowledge about the Androffan technology and history as Unity. So I really wish to persuade it to stop being evil. But the book didn't say a word about its redemption. Much like Staunton Vhane in sword of Valor, who is clearly stated as an unredeemable person. I know a GM can do anything he wants, but I'm curious. Do you think Unity is beyond redemption and must be destroyed, just like Staunton Vhane? And that's why you didn't put a word about its possible redemption in the book?
10. Would Unity bring along the Overlord Robot into orbit if the robot didn't get destroyed? I ask this because, when the PCs navigate their way into Golarion's high orbit to infiltrate Unity's shuttle, it would be very vulnerable without the Overlord Robot to protect it.
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12. There is a robot called Bastion in page 33 of the book. It's described as a variant noqual golem. But this robot was made by Androffans. How can they craft a golem, if they know no magic?
13. Page 35 of The Divinity Drive shows a being called Deacon Hope, who is a mnemovore. The book said that I should read page 62 of a book called It Came From the Stars to know more about mnemovores. I have no access to this book, so I have to ask you. The book implies that Deacon Hope is a sentient hologram, but it's also mentioned that he's an outsider. I'm curious. What are they? What is a mnemovore?
14. I'm confused. In page 35 of the book, in some place it's spelled as memnovore, and in other place as mnemovore. Which is correct?
15. In Occult Realms, I found that there is a demiplane called Mnemovore. Is this demiplane Mnemovore and the outsider mnemovore somehow related? Mnemovore is not a real word, so there should be related.
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17. Does Hellion regard Unity as a father, or a big brother, like it regards Casandalee as a sister?
18. It's mentioned that the attack of the Dominion of the Black affected the Divinity's AI as well. But I thought robots and AI are immune to mind-affecting effects, because they are constructs. How can they go mad?
19. Do Unity and Hellion regard the Dominion of the Black a serious threat? Do they still think the Dominnion as their sworn enemy and would prepare to defend Golarion from the threat from the Dark Tapestry?
20. In Valley of the Brain Collectors, it's mentioned that the Dominion ordered two annihilator robots to harvest victims outside the valley, and it seems that the robots didn't particularly pay attention to be stealthy. Does that mean, if the PCs didn't come to the valley, the local authority would have found out something sinister is in the valley and send an army to destroy the Dominion?
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22. If I upload my mind into a computer using the neurocam, would there be two me(one is the true, biological me, and the otherthe soulless AI)?
23. If so, would the soulless AI me still regard itself as the true me, and would regard the true me as a body snatcher or a doppleganger or something like that?
24. If a PC upload his mind into a computer in this way, would this newborn AI know everything about the high technology immediatetly? I mean, if this guy knew nothing about computer or robots before, this newborn AI wouldn't be able to do anyting because he knows nothing about science and technology, maybe?
25. Unity can controll any robots in Silver Mount. If I craft a gearsman(which means, I didn't excavate an already made one), does this newly made robot still be controlled by Unity?
27. Shadow of the Storm Tyrant said that, even though I defeat the Storm Tyrant, that doesn't mean the cloud giants are content to let me keep the cloud castle. I'm curious. If a human PC befriends cloud giants, and asks them to build a cloud castle and sell it to him(assuming he's very rich), would the giants do that? Or they wouldn't sell a cloud castle no matter what, because selling a cloud castle to a non-giant is an abhorrent act?
28. Paizo has introduced three cloud castles so far: Zoarth's Castle, Skyborne Keep, and Ironcloud Keep. Do you think Ironcloud Keep is the best among them?
29. I really like cloud castles. I wish Paizo introduce more cloud castles in campaign setting books so that I can own one of them and enjoy a ride. Will Paizo do that?
30. I'm very satisfied with Ironcloud Keep, except for one thing. There is no illustration that depicts its... I don't know the proper word, but... panorama? In page 54 of Castles of the Inner Sea, there's an illustration that depicts the panorama of Skyborne Keep. But in Shadow of the Storm Tyrant, there's none. The only illustration that slightly depicts the exterior of the castle is in page 8, but that hardly satisfied me. Would Paizo introduce a new panorama illustration of Ironcloud Keep? Yes, I know Ironcloud Keep will never take an important role in other adventure paths again, but Karzoug reappeared in the cover of GameMastery Guide, and Nualia reappeared in the cover of Faith of Corruption, page 42 of Lords of Chaos and page 47 of Inner sea Magic, and the Kuthite trio who first appeared in Skeletons of Scarwall reappeared in page 2 of Faiths of Corruption. So technically Ironcloud Keep can reappear again in one of the future books, right?
Would be fair to say that Pharasma knows what's supposed to happen, but not what will happen?
(I tend to take the approach that the PCs are the wrench being thrown into the gears of a cosmos that left on its own will grind on towards various apocalypses.)
Thank you, powers that be!
James,
Do you think moral traps are something all games should possess, or are they just "dick moves" for the Gm to spring on a paladin player?
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Creative Director
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I think "Crapsack World" trope's name is supposed to describe living conditions of the world for average non main character person. So pretty horrific in Warhammer 40,000.
Anyhoo, yay Iron Gods campaign started and it went well yay. But questions, I have
Soooo uh, I read that Iadenveigh executes people in mock trials for being associated with technic league, possessing technology and being androids(btw, party is composed of humans and one android)... But its apparently Lawful Good town? Am I uh, misunderstanding something, or isn't that rather big disconnection?
So did I understand right that for Hellion to gain enough power for its drill, reactor in Torch doesn't need to go to the point of explosion, but Meyanda will let it go there anyway? Or since Meyanda is CN instead of CE, would she even make it go that far unless she is given orders to do that?
And umm, random self esteem question: So I feel like I'm annoying when commenting on forums, but I'm not sure if I'm just imagining that because I dislike myself or because I'm being actually annoying. How should I progress since I don't want to be annoying, but I'd guess that asking people if they think you are annoying is probably annoying?
Iadenveigh is a complex town. It's ideals are lawful good and it tries hard to be lawful good, but it's walking a razor thin line on pulling it off. The fact that there actually IS a significant evil threat from technology in the nation the town is in, in the form of the Technic League and their many, many agent means that for the most part, Iadenveigh's over the top reaction to technology is usually warranted. And they ARE lawful good; when they put technology users on trial and find that they're not evil and/or not trying to harm the town, they utilize exile to deal with it. The PC visit to the town represents one of the very very few incidences of non-evil technology users to come to the town in a long time. So that is going to be a test for both the town AND the PCs.
I'm not understanding your second question; please rephrase?
Being someone who's battled with low self esteem his whole life and continues to do so... I don't really have a solution. My suggestion is to make sure you listen to other people's responses and treat them with politeness and respect and you should be fine.
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Creative Director
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Supernatural, I'd say yes, just like in the case of spells. Extraordinary, I'd say no.
How about specific rules that affect spells that came on later books, such as spell research or even identifying supernatural abilities with spellcraft when they are used?
How would we tell the difference between spellcaster's spells and supernatural abilities when the text simply says "spells" but no mention of spell levels or spellcasting classes?
No plans to revisit those rules in the next few months. We don't publicly discuss plans for revisiting anything further out than that.A few months sounds good to me.
Have you read the expanded rules plugins created by Legendary Games? What do you think of them?
How about those specific rules? Not sure what you're asking here.
When the text says "spells" but doesn't mention spells or spellcasting classes, that's probably just lazy text and I like to think we don't let many of those errors out into print. When we put abilities in for monsters we append them with a (Su) for supernatural abilities and (Sp) for spell-like abilities. Spells are neither, and when a monster can actually cast spells, like a naga or rakshasa, we'll explain that in the stats under a "Spells" entry with no parenthetical.
I generally don't read much 3rd party stuff these days, and haven't read any of Legendary Games' stuff despite owning several of their products. I just don't have time, and in my free time I tend to want to spend my reading doing things other than what kinda feels like "work" for me, which is sort of what happens when I read Pathfinder books that aren't developed and produced in-house and use different styles than we do.
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Creative Director
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Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
I've never thought of that word as dismissive/insulting I always thought of it as a complement. Different points of view and all I guess. :)
I understand mini war gaming isn't for everyone. Thanks. :)
And when something is dismissive/insulting, it's pretty much always the person who finds it dismissive/insulting who gets to decide if it's dismissive/insulting. When something like this happens to me, and I find out that a term I use is dismissive or insulting to someone, I generally try to apologize immediately and then work to scrub that term from my speech patterns. The English language has no shortage of different ways to say things.
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Creative Director
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Spoiler:1. The Divinity Drive said that if the PCs lose, Unity launches itself into orbit and ascends to full godhood. Does that mean he was originally a quasi-deity, and after he defeats the PCs it becomes a demigod? Or does that mean he was originally a demigod, and after it defeats the PCs it becomes a deity? 2. If that means Unity becomes a deity, then there is a problem. The book said that it will broadcast a contagious wave that turns everyone into its thrall. But a deity cannot directly affect the Material Plane. Wouldn't other deities intervene and attack Unity(and undo his forceful conversion) very soon if it actually do so?3. An adventurer can experience various perils, defeat powerful monsters, and visit mysterious places, and finally discover a fount of mythic and experience the moment of ascension. But Unity did none of these. How can it become so powerful, gain the ability to cast spell-like abilities, and even gain mythic ranks? What granted it the moment of ascension and mythic power?
4. Becoming a deity is a very hard work. Even becoming a demigod is very hard, either. Aroden had to raise an entire island to become a demigod. And Iomedae had to absorb the power of Starstone, a thing of singular rarity in a multiverse of wonders to become a demigod. But Unity became a deity just by launching itself into orbit. And this deed is done merely by technology, not magic. So, how can that be justified? How can becoming a demigod(or a deity) would be so easy for Unity?
5. Unlike androids, a robot or an AI has no soul. Does that mean Unity and Hellion have no soul too, even though they can grant spells to their worshipers?
2) He's a demigod at that point, not a deity. And in any case, deities CAN manifest on and directly affect the Material Plane if they want (see Rovagug and the war that put him down as a great example, or any of the Outer Gods for other great examples). Most do not. If he does become a deity and remains on the Material Plane, how the other gods react is left to the GM. In my mind, his broadcast will be very disruptive and not quite work as planned since you can't program faith (for all his intellect, this is something Unity has grappled with from the start and still doesn't QUITE understand). His broadcast will be devastating in the short term and may well disrupt nations and regions and religions, but it'll rile up powerful foes who come along to defeat him... the intent being that this group of powerful foes are PCs, of course.
3) He spent thousands of years doing exactly what you said in numerous iterations of virtual worlds he created, and beyond that is an NPC AI. NPCs don't follow PC rules for gaining experience and gaining power, because they're not playing the game. They gain experience and power when the story wants them to in whatever way the story wants them to.
4) The launch into orbit is the last step of many many many steps that Unity has taken on the path to becoming a demigod. Read all of Iron Gods. All the things Unity does in that adventure as well as all the things he did building up to the adventure's events over the course of the past 10,000 years or so comprise his journey and quest to take the final step that the Adventure Path is all about.
5) Iron Gods is specifically about what happens when an artificial creation gains a soul. The trigger that granted Unity's quasi-deity elements was him gaining a soul, or maybe the reverse (it's sort of a chicken and the egg thing there), and then the fact that he has a soul got "passed down" to Hellion, his creation. Casandalee was a living creature before she became an AI and that transition helped her to keep her soul. These are, in fact, the three Iron Gods of the AP, and the fact that they have souls is what sets these three apart enough that there's an entire Adventure Path devoted to them.
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I think "Crapsack World" trope's name is supposed to describe living conditions of the world for average non main character person. So pretty horrific in Warhammer 40,000.
Anyhoo, yay Iron Gods campaign started and it went well yay. But questions, I have
Soooo uh, I read that Iadenveigh executes people in mock trials for being associated with technic league, possessing technology and being androids(btw, party is composed of humans and one android)... But its apparently Lawful Good town? Am I uh, misunderstanding something, or isn't that rather big disconnection?
So did I understand right that for Hellion to gain enough power for its drill, reactor in Torch doesn't need to go to the point of explosion, but Meyanda will let it go there anyway? Or since Meyanda is CN instead of CE, would she even make it go that far unless she is given orders to do that?
And umm, random self esteem question: So I feel like I'm annoying when commenting on forums, but I'm not sure if I'm just imagining that because I dislike myself or because I'm being actually annoying. How should I progress since I don't want to be annoying, but I'd guess that asking people if they think you are annoying is probably annoying?
Iadenveigh is a complex town. It's ideals are lawful good and it tries hard to be lawful good, but it's walking a razor thin line on pulling it off. The fact that there actually IS a significant evil threat from technology in the nation the town is in, in the form of the Technic League and their many, many agent means that for the most part, Iadenveigh's over the top reaction to technology is usually warranted. And they ARE lawful good; when they put technology users on trial and find that they're not evil and/or not trying to harm the town, they utilize exile to deal with it. The PC visit to the town represents one of the very very few incidences of non-evil technology users to come to the town in a long time. So that is going to be a test for both the town AND the PCs.
I'm...
Hmm I see :O Thats helpful in imagining how the town works
Anyway, uh, okay, I'll try to do my second question again:
Book says that Meyanda is aware that at the point when reactor would explode, Hellion would have more than enough energy already. So would Meyanda let reactor explode on purpose if its not necessary for their plans?
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Spoiler:6. The Divinity Drive is the core(in other words, the central processing unit) of the starship Divinity, right? 7. The Divinity Drive is the core of Unity, and thus the Divinity Drive is Unity, right?8. The book implies that the PCs just have to destroy the Godmind and the Overlord Robot to destroy Unity. But even after that, the Divinity Drive still exists. So if the Divinity Drive is Unity, does that mean Unity wouldn't die unless the Divinity Drive is destroyed?
9. I don't want to destroy Unity. Sure, it's evil and must be stopped, but if I destroy it, the significant portion of the Androffan technology would be lost forever. There's no one that can replace Unity. There's no one that has as much knowledge about the Androffan technology and history as Unity. So I really wish to persuade it to stop being evil. But the book didn't say a word about its redemption. Much like Staunton Vhane in sword of Valor, who is clearly stated as an unredeemable person. I know a GM can do anything he wants, but I'm curious. Do you think Unity is beyond redemption and must be destroyed, just like Staunton Vhane? And that's why you didn't put a word about its possible redemption in the book?
10. Would Unity bring along the Overlord Robot into orbit if the robot didn't get destroyed? I ask this because, when the PCs navigate their way into Golarion's high orbit to infiltrate Unity's shuttle, it would be very vulnerable without the Overlord Robot to protect it.
7) No.
8) The Divinity Drive is not part of Unity. Its name was given by the ancient Androffans who were so enamored with their own creation and how it broke the laws of physics that they called it the "Divnity Drive," implying that only a god could do what it does, and since they built it, they were arrogantly calling themselves the creators of gods. That arrogance is in fact what would soon after Divinity left Androffa end up being a catalyst for that world's apocalypse.
9) Tough questions and quandaries like this are what makes stories interesting and compelling. I think Unity is beyond redemption; he thinks he's got it figured out, but he's simply not capable of understanding that which cannot be comprehended. His flaw is the notion that faith can be quantified and treated as a measurable force like temperature or velocity.
10) Probably, in that it's got nostalgia and he might keep it around for defense. In fact, I could see him building a whole army of them for defense. Also of course, being in orbit is itself an astoundingly great defense, so there's really not going to be many who can challenge him there in the first place. Except, perhaps, a high level party, which is precisely the point of this plot line.
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I am working on a backstory for a half-elf sorcerer with the Dragon Soul alternate trait (making him less human, and more like a dragon) who is a sorcerer with the Sovereign Imperial Dragon bloodline hoping to go into the Dragon Disciple prestige class.
The character, Quan Tai, believes that his elven mother was a long-term romantic companion to one of the Sovereign dragon generals of Xa Hoi (the longer lifespan of elves providing for a stronger relationship to develop than a human's would allow). He is convinced that his dragon father would acknowledge him as a bastard son if he achieves draconic form.
1. Overall, how much of his identity could be true rather than comforting explanations from a single mother raising a son with strong draconic influence?
Specifically I was wondering,
2. Would the Sovereign dragons in human guise sleep with humanoids with regularity or tend to stick with other dragons? What would their relationships to humanoids tend to be like?
3. How would a sovereign dragon likely react to such claims? Is one option more likely than the others?
a. Acknowledge the offspring (others might exist, serve as lietenants)
b. Ignore/dismiss them (require demonstration of worth or service to earn favor)
c. Attack the presumptuous humanoid
d. Something else?
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Creative Director
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Spoiler:11. It seems that every god(including demigods) has a herald. Do Unity and Hellion have one? 12. There is a robot called Bastion in page 33 of the book. It's described as a variant noqual golem. But this robot was made by Androffans. How can they craft a golem, if they know no magic?13. Page 35 of The Divinity Drive shows a being called Deacon Hope, who is a mnemovore. The book said that I should read page 62 of a book called It Came From the Stars to know more about mnemovores. I have no access to this book, so I have to ask you. The book implies that Deacon Hope is a sentient hologram, but it's also mentioned that he's an outsider. I'm curious. What are they? What is a mnemovore?
14. I'm confused. In page 35 of the book, in some place it's spelled as memnovore, and in other place as mnemovore. Which is correct?
15. In Occult Realms, I found that there is a demiplane called Mnemovore. Is this demiplane Mnemovore and the outsider mnemovore somehow related? Mnemovore is not a real word, so there should be related.
12. That's the point of us putting the word "variant" in there. You can create a device that you hold in your hand that shoots fire beams of fire via magic and call it a wand of scorching ray, or via technology and call it a laser pistol. The game effects can be very close. Even identical if you're short for space. You could in theory call a laser pistol a variant wand of scorching ray, or a wand of scorching ray a variant laser pistol, if you used one of the other's rules to approximate it in the adventure. In the case of Bastion, he's a variant noqual golem because that's how we built the stat block, and that way those folks out there who enjoy deconstructing and tinkering and reconstructing and adjusting stat blocks know our method and can see under the hood. He is not ACTUALLY a noqual golem, though. He's a unique robot that shares a LOT of things in common with a noqual golem.
13. He is a sentient hologram, like you see often in shows like Star Trek. His creature type is outsider, because that's how the folks who created the mnemovore decided to stat him up. I could see such a creature being created as a construct or an undead as well, but outsider's what they and, when we put it into the adventure, we, went with. When we use elements from 3rd party sources as we did in this case, we generally try to include enough information to explain to the GM what the thing is; I felt that giving a full stat block and describing him as a sentient hologram and so on was enough, but apparently not. If you want to know more, you'll need to check out "It Came From the Stars."
14. That's a typo. The correct spelling is mnemovore.
15. That's a case of parallel development. "Mnemovore" is a word constructed from real world word roots, so it's not unusual to see it used in different ways like this. In this case, since no one who worked on Iron Gods really worked on Occult Adventures, and no one who really worked on Occult Adventures had much knowledge of Iron Gods, the parallel development in using that word for two different things happened. In context, I don't think it's a problem at all, because in context it's obvious that they're about different things.
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Hi James. Are you confident predicting which of your adventures will be well received by the public? Or is what tickles our collective fancy more of a mystery?Absolutely not. Pretty much every adventure I've written I kinda feel like is terrible and dread its release.
:(
*offers hugs*
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Spoiler:16. It's mentioned that Hellion regards Casandalee as its wayward sister. Does it regard her as an older sister, or a younger sister? It seems that Casandalee is older, but I doubt Hellion would regard her as an older sibling because it's a god. What do you say? 17. Does Hellion regard Unity as a father, or a big brother, like it regards Casandalee as a sister?18. It's mentioned that the attack of the Dominion of the Black affected the Divinity's AI as well. But I thought robots and AI are immune to mind-affecting effects, because they are constructs. How can they go mad?
19. Do Unity and Hellion regard the Dominion of the Black a serious threat? Do they still think the Dominnion as their sworn enemy and would prepare to defend Golarion from the threat from the Dark Tapestry?
20. In Valley of the Brain Collectors, it's mentioned that the Dominion ordered two annihilator robots to harvest victims outside the valley, and it seems that the robots didn't particularly pay attention to be stealthy. Does that mean, if the PCs didn't come to the valley, the local authority would have found out something sinister is in the valley and send an army to destroy the Dominion?
17. Hellion regards Unity as an abusive hateful father who needs to die, so he can take his father's place and take his father's power.
18. Because the strange and powerful and otherworldly dominion of the black weapons work in strange and powerful and otherworldly ways. In effect, the dominion has the technology to make viruses that straddle the line and can move back and forth between being biological viruses and computer viruses.
19. They do not. It's been 10,000 years, and the idea of the dominion being a threat is pretty far from their minds. Hellion might not even know about them, and if he does he doesn't care. Unity certainly knows about them, and if he finds out that theres' a strong presence of the Dominion still out there he'll regard them as enemies, but at this point he's pretty powerful and arrogant and wouldn't count them as threats. That might, or might not, be an error on his behalf.
20. There is no "local authority" in that part of Numeria. That's a big part of why giant robots kidnapping villagers can do what they do without worry. In fact, this plot element is one we foreshadowed in the Inner Sea World Guide, years before Iron Gods; check out the entry for 4709 AR on page 37 of the Inner Sea World Guide timeline...
Hey, Directosaur.
I made a new type of Dottari called the Vildottari, or "Village Warden". The Dottari are charged with the protection of cities, but I wasn't sure who was in charge of upholding order in rural villages and farmlands across Cheliax. Vildottari are essentially Thrune-sanctioned militias/sheriffs/watchmen who provide security in small towns ("security" meaning either in the legitimate sense of warding off bandits and monsters or doing things like keeping slaves in line or having people who criticize House Thrune beaten senseless).
Vildottari are lightly equipped with most wearing leather armor and using simple weapons like shortspears or light maces. They answer to landlords and village councils. Since House Thrune is dominant throughout Cheliax, the people who run small towns and rural communities tend to be pro-Thrune and pro-Asmodeus; thus the Vildottari are typically Lawful Evil since the landlords would recruit people like them. However, if the GM wants to make them less of an antagonistic force they could always have them be Neutral or Lawful Neutral. I conceived of the Vildottari as being opponents for low-level parties in campaigns taking place in Cheliax. They are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to threats one might face in Cheliax, so they can be "starter villains" before the PCs encounter the Chelish army, Thrune agents, Hellknights, devils, or any of that stuff. In that sense, they can be compared to the Chelish Citizen's Group from Hell's Rebels. The difference being they are village-based rather then urban and can be encountered throughout Cheliax.
Vildottari CR 1/3
Male or female human warrior 1
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0 Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (armor +2, shield +1)
hp 8 (1d10 +2)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee short sword +4 (1d6 +2/19-20/x2) or dagger +3 (1d4 +2/19-20/x2 ) or sap (1d6 + 2 nonlethal/x2)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20/x2)
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1, CMB +3, CMD 13
Feats Weapon Focus (short sword), Alertness
Skills Sense Motive +1, Intimidate +0, Perception +3
Languages Common
Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, short sword, dagger, sap, light crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts
Vildottari CR 1/3
Male or female human warrior 1
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0 Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (armor +2, shield +1)
hp 7 (1d10 +2)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee light mace +4 (1d6 +2/x2) or dagger +3 (1d4 +2/19-20/x2 ) or sap (1d6 + 2 nonlethal/x2)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20/x2)
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1, CMB +3, CMD 13
Feats Weapon Focus (light mace), Alertness
Skills Sense Motive +1, Intimidate +0, Perception +3
Languages Common
Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, light mace, dagger, sap, light crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts
Vildottari CR 1/3
Male or female human warrior 1
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0 Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (armor +2, shield +1)
hp 8 (1d10 +2)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee shortspear+4 (1d6 +2/x2) or dagger +3 (1d4 +2/19-20/x2 ) or sap (1d6 + 2 nonlethal/x2)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20/x2)
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1, CMB +3, CMD 13
Feats Weapon Focus (shortspear), Alertness
Skills Sense Motive +1, Intimidate +0, Perception +3
Languages Common
Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, shortspear, dagger, sap, light crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts
Vildottari CR 1/3
Male or female human warrior 1
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0 Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12 (armor +2)
hp 7 (1d10 +2)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee spear +4 (1d8 +3/x3) or dagger +3 (1d4 +2/19-20/x2 ) or sap (1d6 + 2 nonlethal/x2)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20/x2)
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1, CMB +3, CMD 13
Feats Weapon Focus (spear), Alertness
Skills Sense Motive +1, Intimidate +0, Perception +3
Languages Common
Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, short sword, dagger, sap, light crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts
This in mind, I only have three questions:
1) What do you think about the concept of Vildottari?
2) Would you agree with my assumption that the majority of landowners and village chiefs throughout Cheliax are evil, and thus that the majority of Vildottari would be evil due to working for them? Or is it more likely that said landowners are mostly neutral or lawful without being evil?
3) Knowing what you do about Cheliax and Lawful Evil characters, how would the Vildottari respond to something like a stampede of clearly higher-leveled Glorious Reclamation paladins riding towards them from over the hills or some powerful cleric of Milani walking into town and threatening serious holy smiting if the local slaves aren't freed? Would they still try to confront said threats, or would their reaction be like "Uhhh, let's back off and defer this to Hellknights/Diabolists/Thrune agents/someone more powerful!"
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Spoiler:21. A neurocam can be used to copy and upload my mind and memory into a computer or a robot. If I'm a 20th level wizard(or a sorcerer, a witch, a cleric, or an oracle, a psychic, or whatever), do you think this newborn AI can cast spells? It has no bloodline, patron, or curse, because its body is composed of metal and technology. So it cannot cast any spell, right? Wait, but Unity and Hellion were able to cast spell-like abilities. 22. If I upload my mind into a computer using the neurocam, would there be two me(one is the true, biological me, and the otherthe soulless AI)?23. If so, would the soulless AI me still regard itself as the true me, and would regard the true me as a body snatcher or a doppleganger or something like that?
24. If a PC upload his mind into a computer in this way, would this newborn AI know everything about the high technology immediatetly? I mean, if this guy knew nothing about computer or robots before, this newborn AI wouldn't be able to do anyting because he knows nothing about science and technology, maybe?
25. Unity can controll any robots in Silver Mount. If I craft a gearsman(which means, I didn't excavate an already made one), does this newly made robot still be controlled by Unity?
22. Yup. There's plenty of sci-fi stories about this, in fact. It's essentially mental cloning.
23. It might, it might not. Depends on the story that you want to tell.
24. No, but if the AI were linked to a computer that had that information, it could learn it soon. We don't have comprehensive rules for AIs as player characters, so your'e kinda on your own the further down this rabbit hole you fall.
25. Eventually, yes. PCs crafting robots isn't an anticipated part of the AP, in part because of this advantage Unity would have over that PC's resources; that's not fair, so we don't really make it part of an option for the PC in this game. It's why we held off publishing the robot construction info to the very last installment of a book that wasn't intended to be a player resource.
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Spoiler:26. The proper, official term for the flying cities of Shory is the Flying Cities. Then what would be the proper, official term for the flying castles of the cloud giants? Sky Casltes? Cloud Giant Castles? Cloud Castles? Flying Castles? 27. Shadow of the Storm Tyrant said that, even though I defeat the Storm Tyrant, that doesn't mean the cloud giants are content to let me keep the cloud castle. I'm curious. If a human PC befriends cloud giants, and asks them to build a cloud castle and sell it to him(assuming he's very rich), would the giants do that? Or they wouldn't sell a cloud castle no matter what, because selling a cloud castle to a non-giant is an abhorrent act?28. Paizo has introduced three cloud castles so far: Zoarth's Castle, Skyborne Keep, and Ironcloud Keep. Do you think Ironcloud Keep is the best among them?
29. I really like cloud castles. I wish Paizo introduce more cloud castles in campaign setting books so that I can own one of them and enjoy a ride. Will Paizo do that?
30. I'm very satisfied with Ironcloud Keep, except for one thing. There is no illustration that depicts its... I don't know the proper word, but... panorama? In page 54 of Castles of the Inner Sea, there's an illustration that depicts the panorama of Skyborne Keep. But in Shadow of the Storm Tyrant, there's none. The only illustration that slightly depicts the exterior of the castle is in page 8, but that hardly satisfied me. Would Paizo introduce a new panorama illustration of Ironcloud Keep? Yes, I know Ironcloud Keep will never take an important role in other adventure paths again, but Karzoug reappeared in the cover of GameMastery Guide, and Nualia reappeared in the cover of Faith of Corruption, page 42 of Lords of Chaos and page 47 of Inner sea Magic, and the Kuthite trio who first appeared in Skeletons of Scarwall reappeared in page 2 of Faiths of Corruption. So technically Ironcloud Keep can reappear again in one of the future books, right?
27. That's up to the GM. Giving PCs a flying castle significantly changes the dynamic of a campaign.
28. I haven't really read enough about any of them to form an opinion, but even if I did, I don't generally publicly out my favorites of our products, because that's kinda saying "I liked what co-worker 1 did more than co-worker 2" and that's not classy.
29. Maybe.
30. Unlikely, since that book's already been printed and chances of us reprinting and expanding it are pretty much zero at this point. It MIGHT appear in future books, but at this time, there's no need or plan or, as far as I know, interest in doing so. Whether or not we re-illustrate characters or locations or things from previous books, as we did with Karzoug and Nualia and the Brotherhood of Bones, depends 100% on the developer of a book and their interest in doing just that. In the three cases you mention, we re-illustrated them because I'm fond of those three and was involved in creating those products' art orders and used my power and influence to make it happen. Other developers do the same. Whether or not Rob is interested in doing this some day with Ironcloud Keep is something you'll have to ask him, but since he's pretty much 100% Starfinder these days, I would assume his answer would be "no."
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Who, if anyone, do the nightgaunts serve since you've firmly established that Nodens is NOT part of Golarion's version of the Mythos?
Whoever they want; they don't specifically serve any one deity. And in fact, just because Nodens isn't part of Golarion so far doesn't mean it's not part of a world elsewhere.
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Would be fair to say that Pharasma knows what's supposed to happen, but not what will happen?
(I tend to take the approach that the PCs are the wrench being thrown into the gears of a cosmos that left on its own will grind on towards various apocalypses.)
That's an enormous oversimplificaiton. And the more I nail down how Pharasma works, the less mysterious and godly she seems though, doesn't she? That ain't no fun!
PCs being that wrench is a great way to look at them, since they are in a unique role in storytelling with their ability to redirect plots and take things in unexpected directions. That's sort of why we have prophecy being dead in Golarion; it's no coincidence that the Age of Lost Omens is the first one to have PCs in it.
And when something is dismissive/insulting, it's pretty much always the person who finds it dismissive/insulting who gets to decide if it's dismissive/insulting. When something like this happens to me, and I find out that a term I use is dismissive or insulting to someone, I generally try to apologize immediately and then work to scrub that term from my speech patterns. The English language has no shortage of different ways to say things.
Grimdark you say? Now I wouldn't picture you a fan but do you like Warhammer 40000?Not really, but mostly because I'm not really into minis wargaming. I like the flavor of the world but have only ever really admired it from afar.
And as for the phrase "grimdark," I actually kind of find that phrase a bit lame and sorta dismissive/insulting in that it seems to be used by people who aren't horror or dark fantasy fans to deride and mock things they don't like.
I've never thought of that word as dismissive/insulting I always thought of it as a complement. Different points of view and all I guess. :)
I understand mini war gaming isn't for everyone. Thanks. :)
I can see that. Like the term "Fluff" I don't use that on the boards anymore as I know you don't like it. However, I was just stating my point of view that the term Grimdark doesn't offend me in the slightest. Unfortunately, it's far too easy to be misunderstood in text.
Granted I'm a little puzzled why you used the term Grimdark in the first place if you find it insulting?
On a more exciting note:
What do you think you're first character will be for Starfinder? Race/Class and whatever else you would like to share. Thanks. :)
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Thank you, powers that be!
James,
Do you think moral traps are something all games should possess, or are they just "dick moves" for the Gm to spring on a paladin player?
Not all games posses them. Games where a GM is interested in pulling "dick moves" in particular should not have them, because those GMs are to immature to handle such themes without being jerks.
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Book says that Meyanda is aware that at the point when reactor would explode, Hellion would have more than enough energy already. So would Meyanda let reactor explode on purpose if its not necessary for their plans?
She might at that point. Depends on how you want to play things out. She doesn't care much what happens to Torch, and her having that attitude helps to make the PCs' role in the whole thing actually mean something.
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I am working on a backstory for a half-elf sorcerer with the Dragon Soul alternate trait (making him less human, and more like a dragon) who is a sorcerer with the Sovereign Imperial Dragon bloodline hoping to go into the Dragon Disciple prestige class.
The character, Quan Tai, believes that his elven mother was a long-term romantic companion to one of the Sovereign dragon generals of Xa Hoi (the longer lifespan of elves providing for a stronger relationship to develop than a human's would allow). He is convinced that his dragon father would acknowledge him as a bastard son if he achieves draconic form.
1. Overall, how much of his identity could be true rather than comforting explanations from a single mother raising a son with strong draconic influence?
Specifically I was wondering,
2. Would the Sovereign dragons in human guise sleep with humanoids with regularity or tend to stick with other dragons? What would their relationships to humanoids tend to be like?3. How would a sovereign dragon likely react to such claims? Is one option more likely than the others?
a. Acknowledge the offspring (others might exist, serve as lietenants)
b. Ignore/dismiss them (require demonstration of worth or service to earn favor)
c. Attack the presumptuous humanoid
d. Something else?
1) Whatever you want, assuming your GM is fine with the decision.
2) Depends entirely on the individual dragon. No two are exactly alike.
3) Sovereign dragons are generally neutral, so I could see one reacting in any of those ways. Again, depends entirely on the will of and the personality of that specific dragon.
AKA: These are all things you give your GM as toys to play with when you build your character. ;-)
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Hey, Directosaur.
I made a new type of Dottari called the Vildottari, or "Village Warden". The Dottari are charged with the protection of cities, but I wasn't sure who was in charge of upholding order in rural villages and farmlands across Cheliax. Vildottari are essentially Thrune-sanctioned militias/sheriffs/watchmen who provide security in small towns ("security" meaning either in the legitimate sense of warding off bandits and monsters or doing things like keeping slaves in line or having people who criticize House Thrune beaten senseless).
Vildottari are lightly equipped with most wearing leather armor and using simple weapons like shortspears or light maces. They answer to landlords and village councils. Since House Thrune is dominant throughout Cheliax, the people who run small towns and rural communities tend to be pro-Thrune and pro-Asmodeus; thus the Vildottari are typically Lawful Evil since the landlords would recruit people like them. However, if the GM wants to make them less of an antagonistic force they could always have them be Neutral or Lawful Neutral. I conceived of the Vildottari as being opponents for low-level parties in campaigns taking place in Cheliax. They are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to threats one might face in Cheliax, so they can be "starter villains" before the PCs encounter the Chelish army, Thrune agents, Hellknights, devils, or any of that stuff. In that sense, they can be compared to the Chelish Citizen's Group from Hell's Rebels. The difference being they are village-based rather then urban and can be encountered throughout Cheliax.
** spoiler omitted **...
Sorry, I don't offer feedback or opinions on creations and creative work here. I don't really have the time or bandwidth to turn this thread into a game design workshop... as interesting a thread idea as that might be.
The majority of the landowners in Cheliax are indeed lawful evil; they're part of the high and mighty of the nation and that's a significant factor in setting a nation's alignment. If the majority of them weren't lawful evil, Cheliax wouldn't be so lawful evil itself.
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I can see that. Like the term "Fluff" I don't use that on the boards anymore as I know you don't like it. However, I was just stating my point of view that the term Grimdark doesn't offend me in the slightest. Unfortunately, it's far too easy to be misunderstood in text.
Granted I'm a little puzzled why you used the term Grimdark in the first place if you find it insulting?
On a more exciting note:
What do you think you're first character will be for Starfinder? Race/Class and whatever else you would like to share. Thanks. :)
I used the term "grimdark" for two reasons... to be self-ironic, and to use that mention as a platform to air my opinions about the word.
I have no idea what my first character in Starfinder will be, or indeed if I'll actually ever play the game. I hope I get the chance, but Pathfinder's taking up a lot of time and I really kinda value my non-Paizo entertainment budget. If I do make one, though, she'll be human. That's all I know for now.
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Hi James. Are you confident predicting which of your adventures will be well received by the public? Or is what tickles our collective fancy more of a mystery?Absolutely not. Pretty much every adventure I've written I kinda feel like is terrible and dread its release.
I can sympathise with that. It's not a question but, for the record, I can't think of a single example of a "terrible" James Jacobs adventure. Your first level adventures, in particular are always amongst my favorites.