The phrase, "...according to raw" ranks high on that list, as do any arguments that throw common sense and logic to the wind just to argue the semantics of a rule that obviously means something even though it doesn't say it. There are too many of those to list.What's the strangest thing you have heard someone earnestly argue for 'according to raw'?
I've seen several people claim that you can use Teamwork feats by yourself, pointing towards the "you count as your own ally" FAQ (which expressively mentions that you only do so when it would make sense).
I see.
How would you deal with someone claiming that the designers of the game intended for Broken Wing Gambit to be usable by yourself?
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Which would you say are the weaker stories of the Lovecraft Mythos, and would they have been improved by the addition of dinosaurs?
My least favorite type of mythos story are the ones that either go for comedy, or disrespect the creators/original themes by doing things like introducing a "good Great Old Ones vs. bad Great Old Ones" conflict.
Of Lovecraft's own mythos stories, there are a few that haven't aged well at all due to elements of abject racism that are pretty weak these days ("Horror at Red Hook" and "Rats in the Walls" both come to mind, but neither of those are directly connected to his mythos by names, just by themes). Of the Lovecraft stories that are fully connected to the mythos by dint of mentioning shared names and shared locations, and excluding the numerous collaborations, I think that the weakest one is probably "The Nameless City," but that one IS the place we get the "And with strange aeons, even death may die" quote which is pretty awesome.
No, including dinosaurs wouldn't have improved them. Although I suppose that it's no coincidence that my favorite of his stories, "At the Mountains of Madness," does mention dinosaurs...
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Outside of Mythos stuff, what are your preferred genres to read? Any recommendations you can make for them which are a little off the beaten path?
Horror is by far my preferred genre, no contest.
Science fiction and fantasy are tied for a distant second place behind horror.
I can make a LOT of recommendations for horror that's off the beaten path, but I'm not sure which beaten path you're on... there's a wide number of them in the genre.
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The phrase, "...according to raw" ranks high on that list, as do any arguments that throw common sense and logic to the wind just to argue the semantics of a rule that obviously means something even though it doesn't say it. There are too many of those to list.What's the strangest thing you have heard someone earnestly argue for 'according to raw'?
I've seen several people claim that you can use Teamwork feats by yourself, pointing towards the "you count as your own ally" FAQ (which expressively mentions that you only do so when it would make sense).
I see.
How would you deal with someone claiming that the designers of the game intended for Broken Wing Gambit to be usable by yourself?
I dont' know what Broken Wing Gambit is, but that's beside the point. Unless you designed the spell/feat/class/archetype/monster, or unless you worked with or spoke in person to that person, any claims you make about the intent of a rule are based on your OWN interpretations, not the designers.
I would deal with someone making those claims by telling them that, and then reading the rule and making a decision based on my own experience and the nature of the table and the interests of its players and would ask the player who asked about the rule to respect my ruling for my game. And as always, I'd reserve the right to change things later if I ended up being wrong or the ruling had weird implications.
As a side note, when I do make changes in mid-stream in a campaign that impact/affect character builds, I always let the entire party have the opportunity to do a free rebuild of their characters. I ask only that they keep the name and personality and general theme. For example, if your character is a human Dexterity-based melee combatant who fights with a starknife, and you build your character as a fighter and then I change something about a set of fighter feats you relied upon, I'll let you rebuild your character how you want. As a warpriest, or a swashbuckler, or a rogue, or whatever. Within reason.
Which would you say are the weaker stories of the Lovecraft Mythos, and would they have been improved by the addition of dinosaurs?My least favorite type of mythos story are the ones that either go for comedy, or disrespect the creators/original themes by doing things like introducing a "good Great Old Ones vs. bad Great Old Ones" conflict.
While a good great old one vs good great old one isn't in your wheel house, what about great old vs great old one conflict where the human characters are just trying to survive or shut the door on the Earth side of the conflict?
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While a good great old one vs good great old one isn't in your wheel house, what about great old vs great old one conflict where the human characters are just trying to survive or shut the door on the Earth side of the conflict?Which would you say are the weaker stories of the Lovecraft Mythos, and would they have been improved by the addition of dinosaurs?My least favorite type of mythos story are the ones that either go for comedy, or disrespect the creators/original themes by doing things like introducing a "good Great Old Ones vs. bad Great Old Ones" conflict.
I'm fine with that.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about the HPLHS Dark Adventure Radio Theatre treatment of Masks of Nyarlathotep coming up this summer?
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On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about the HPLHS Dark Adventure Radio Theatre treatment of Masks of Nyarlathotep coming up this summer?
This is the first I've heard of it. I guess an 8? I'm intrigued, that's for sure—they've done great jobs on their other offerings, and this reminds me that I need to catch up on their stuff.
Hi James!
In the Grim white stag Bio in kingmaker part 2, there is a mention of a possible stag sorcerer bloodline which to the best of my knowledge has never come up again. Should I be holding out hope for an official one to appear, or should me and my GM get A-Homebrewin? If so any pointers? :)
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Hi James!
In the Grim white stag Bio in kingmaker part 2, there is a mention of a possible stag sorcerer bloodline which to the best of my knowledge has never come up again. Should I be holding out hope for an official one to appear, or should me and my GM get A-Homebrewin? If so any pointers? :)
You should get to a-homebrewin'. This is an idea we've never followed up on and likely never shall. No pointers, really, other than to just study how bloodlines are built and read up on Erastil's entry in Inner Sea Gods to get inspiration for the flavor of such a bloodline.
Dear James Jacobs,
Will there ever be more info on cults of famous D&D Demon Lords in Golarion or should I just accept that Orcus can't beat up gods like I think he can...
Will you be seeing the Incredibles 2 when that comes out?
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Dear James Jacobs,
Will there ever be more info on cults of famous D&D Demon Lords in Golarion or should I just accept that Orcus can't beat up gods like I think he can...
At this point it's VERY unlikely that we'll do much more with Orcus than we did in the hardcover Book of the Damned. If there's gonna be something involving a demon lord associated with undead in a product going forward, I hope we focus on Kabriri or Zura, both new demon lords for Pathfinder who haven't had NEARLY as much info created for them for various games over the years as Orcus has.
Feel free to make him as powerful as you want in your game, but in Pathfinder, he's a middle-of-the-road demon lord. Not the least powerful, not the most powerful.
James,
A level 5 wizard gets hit with 2 negative levels.
- Can he still cast fireball that day?
- Can he still prepare fireball tomorrow if the negative level is still around?
- Is his caster level check reduced if he makes one?
For the purpose of negative levels, what is a level-dependent variable?
What is the longest you had to wait for a sequel to a movie you wanted to see?
Similarly, how do negative levels interact with abilities that have level-based prerequisites?
If a level 10 Barbarian with Greater Beast Totem (requires Barbarian level 10) takes 2 negative levels, does he lose the ability to use Greater Beast Totem while the negative levels are in effect?
Basically, is qualifying for level-based prerequisites a "level-dependent variable" for the purposes of the negative levels rules?
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James,
A level 5 wizard gets hit with 2 negative levels.
- Can he still cast fireball that day?
- Can he still prepare fireball tomorrow if the negative level is still around?
- Is his caster level check reduced if he makes one?
Rules questions should be asked in the rules forum; I don't answer rules questions here.
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Similarly, how do negative levels interact with abilities that have level-based prerequisites?
If a level 10 Barbarian with Greater Beast Totem (requires Barbarian level 10) takes 2 negative levels, does he lose the ability to use Greater Beast Totem while the negative levels are in effect?
Basically, is qualifying for level-based prerequisites a "level-dependent variable" for the purposes of the negative levels rules?
Rules questions should be asked in the rules forum; I don't answer rules questions here.
And I'm not sure why I'm suddenly being spammed here by negative level questions anyway. Did everyone's characters get attacked at the same time around the world by undead?
Rules questions should be asked in the rules forum; I don't answer rules questions here.James,
A level 5 wizard gets hit with 2 negative levels.
- Can he still cast fireball that day?
- Can he still prepare fireball tomorrow if the negative level is still around?
- Is his caster level check reduced if he makes one?
James,
Are you of the opinion that a dev will actually respond to rules questions, and the thread won't just devolve into a re-run of the last time this question was asked?
Serious question.
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What is the longest you had to wait for a sequel to a movie you wanted to see?
Thank you for not asking a rules question!
Hmmmmm... I guess probably about 15–17 years, although technically "The Thing (2011)" was a prequel, so that doesn't really count.
To be nice and pedantic and pick a movie that was actually a sequel... I suppose that'd probably be ... no... Godzilla's 10 year gap was a reboot, not a sequel.
Same goes for Prometheus.
So maybe... I guess... the upcoming Halloween movie, which is a sequel to the first one that discounts everything from Halloween 2 on? That's what, like about 40 years?
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Rules questions should be asked in the rules forum; I don't answer rules questions here.James,
A level 5 wizard gets hit with 2 negative levels.
- Can he still cast fireball that day?
- Can he still prepare fireball tomorrow if the negative level is still around?
- Is his caster level check reduced if he makes one?James,
Are you of the opinion that a dev will actually respond to rules questions, and the thread won't just devolve into a re-run of the last time this question was asked?
Serious question.
I posted a giant wall of text, but then I decided against it.
The short version is: "Doesn't matter what my opinion is. I don't answer rules questions here. You'll need to be satisfied asking them on the rules forums and waiting for a reply from a designer (not a developer) and be patient."
I get the feeling you don't like rules questions. :)
Is that because you don't care for rules design that much, or that you don't want to be undermining the guys who are supposed to be handling that stuff?
James! I got a rules question for you. Do you follow them or just make them up as you go? ;-)
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Are there any stories you’ve been wanting to tell in Golarion but didn’t think PF1 was right for that you’re hoping will suit PF2?
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James, I'm after some Rise of the Runelords advice if I may? My players, being payers, have zigged rather than zagged, and
Usually I'd be OK with some nudging back to the main plot, but for two thirds of the players it's their first Pathfinder experience, and as such I want to let them have as much freedom as possible.
Any suggestions as to what "should" happen please?
Secondary question - Do I still need to be spoilering a ten year old story? :)
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James! I got a rules question for you. Do you follow them or just make them up as you go? ;-)
I follow them. That's what they're for.
Until a story element needs to happen that does things different, or does something that there's no rules for yet, in which case I make up new rules. The kingdom-building rules for Kingmaker are a good example of this happening.
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I get the feeling you don't like rules questions. :)
Is that because you don't care for rules design that much, or that you don't want to be undermining the guys who are supposed to be handling that stuff?
I actually LOVE answering rules questions.
What I don't like is how folks treat those answers, or how people react to me, someone without the word "designer" in his title, publicly answering rules questions.
I'm in the proverbial spot of being between a rock and a hard place. I can't provide rules answers without folks assuming that they're "official" or even "errata," due to my position in Paizo's hierarchy, and so I can't because that could undermine the design team's goal of maintaining control over "official" rulings.
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James, I'm after some Rise of the Runelords advice if I may? My players, being payers, have zigged rather than zagged, and ** spoiler omitted **.
Usually I'd be OK with some nudging back to the main plot, but for two thirds of the players it's their first Pathfinder experience, and as such I want to let them have as much freedom as possible.
Any suggestions as to what "should" happen please?
Secondary question - Do I still need to be spoilering a ten year old story? :)
Secondary answer first: Yeah, it's best to spoiler things like this. It may be a ten year old story, but like you, some folks are only now playing it. ;-)
So! I'd have the PCs be approached by town officials like Mayor Deverin, Sheriff Hemlock, Ameiko, or whoever they've made friendships/alliances with. Whoever they've come to respect. Have that person thank them for discovering the news about the coming attack, and then have the town guard start fortifying things.
But then have the NPC confess to the PCs that they are still worried. The first goblin attack left several dead and frightened a lot more, and a second, larger attack might be too much to bear, even if the town DOES fortify.
So the NPC should tell the PCs, "Your news and discovery has given us a chance to defend ourselves and prepare, but now is also the time to go on the offensive. You've already proven yourselves capable as heroes. Can you follow Tsuto's notes and take the fight to the goblins in Thistletop? If you can take out the goblin leaders or whoever's behind all this, then the goblin tribe will no doubt collapse from within."
Basically, let the PCs know that the townsfolk can and will handle the less glamorous and safer task of preparing for a possible attack, but that the PCs are in a unique position with their skills and abilities to be heroes.
You can, of course, also have the NPC promise a reward—check table 12-5 in the core rulebook for a guide as to what sort of gp reward works best (take the average party's level as you expect it will be when they finish the quest and set the reward at a value about equal to the XP track you use; it's fine to give a gp reward that's a little higher than expected too!).
Often, having an NPC give out a quest like this is all that's needed for a new group of players to feel empowered enough to take matters into their own hands.
Dear James Jacobs,
Do you think Nyarlathotep would be willing to deal with an unscruplous lich that had tried to get the secrets of lichdom from various and unconnected infernal/lower plane powers but now wants out of the deal?
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Dear James Jacobs,
Do you think Nyarlathotep would be willing to deal with an unscruplous lich that had tried to get the secrets of lichdom from various and unconnected infernal/lower plane powers but now wants out of the deal?
As long as the end result is a loss for mortal life, then yes.
Do abilities like Animal Focus for Hunter, and other similar abilities like the Invoker Witch's "Invoke Patron" ability, cause a noticeable and visual change to the user?
Animal Focus (Su)
At 1st level, a hunter can take on the aspect of an animal as a swift action. She must select one type of animal to emulate, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of animal emulated and her hunter level. The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The hunter can emulate only one animal at a time.
Invoke Patron (Su)
At 1st level, an invoker can invite spirits associated with her patron’s themes into her body and mind as a swift action. This functions like a hunter’s animal focus, except she emulates facets of her patron, chosen from the list below. The invoker can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level; this duration need not be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.
I'd assume that it causes a visible change (Wolf Aspect Hunter gets more wolflike, a Shadow Invoker Patron gets shadowey) but it isn't exactly clear.
I get the feeling you don't like rules questions. :)
Is that because you don't care for rules design that much, or that you don't want to be undermining the guys who are supposed to be handling that stuff?
I actually LOVE answering rules questions.
What I don't like is how folks treat those answers, or how people react to me, someone without the word "designer" in his title, publicly answering rules questions.
I'm in the proverbial spot of being between a rock and a hard place. I can't provide rules answers without folks assuming that they're "official" or even "errata," due to my position in Paizo's hierarchy, and so I can't because that could undermine the design team's goal of maintaining control over "official" rulings.
What would be so wrong with that, though?
In my opinion, it should go books < James < designers in the sense that, if the designers don't make a ruling (seriously the FAQ system is awful), at least the players can have SOMETHING to go off of. I think you really do need to realize how critically-ignored some rules clarifications are (perception vs. stealth invisibility rules, for example, which has been a hot mess since the core rulebook was released).
Are there any plans to alleviate this problem in 2e?
Also, for what it's worth, your engagement with the community is appreciated.
Are there any stories you’ve been wanting to tell in Golarion but didn’t think PF1 was right for that you’re hoping will suit PF2?No.
All of the stories I wanted to tell in Golarion for first edition can (and will) sill work for second edition.
Is the reverse true?
Hi James,
Is there any interest on your front for some sort of "Cults of the Inner Sea" style book? Currently we have a decent amount of info on various demon lords, Horsemen, etc. But it feels like the operation of their cults on the mortal plane, unless relevant to an AP/module, aren't really filled in. Like prominent leaders of cults, how they recruit new members, areas they are most active, or long and short term objectives. And so on.
I for one would love such a book by the way.
As long as the end result is a loss for mortal life, then yes.Dear James Jacobs,
Do you think Nyarlathotep would be willing to deal with an unscruplous lich that had tried to get the secrets of lichdom from various and unconnected infernal/lower plane powers but now wants out of the deal?
Clarification for my own benefit, when you say loss for mortal life, do you mean on a large scale or can it be on a smaller scale. Like say, the lich has to condemn lives and souls to Nyarlathotep to him but can't ever leave his own home/haunted mansion, to do so?
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Do abilities like Animal Focus for Hunter, and other similar abilities like the Invoker Witch's "Invoke Patron" ability, cause a noticeable and visual change to the user?
Animal Focus (Su)
At 1st level, a hunter can take on the aspect of an animal as a swift action. She must select one type of animal to emulate, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of animal emulated and her hunter level. The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The hunter can emulate only one animal at a time.I'd assume that it causes a visible change (Wolf Aspect Hunter gets more wolflike, a Shadow Invoker Patron gets shadowey) but it isn't exactly clear.Invoke Patron (Su)
At 1st level, an invoker can invite spirits associated with her patron’s themes into her body and mind as a swift action. This functions like a hunter’s animal focus, except she emulates facets of her patron, chosen from the list below. The invoker can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level; this duration need not be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.
Not unless your GM wants them to.
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Also, for what it's worth, your engagement with the community is appreciated.
Thanks for the kind words.
And the GMs of the world should feel more empowered to answer their own questions and their player's questions. That's the way the game is the strongest. It's YOUR game, not ours. GMs should feel allowed to answer questions for their game, based on their experience and the research they do (be it asking online, talking to players, reading, etc.) and the players should be supportive of that. If a rule is unclear, make a decision with your own group. Don't agonize over the fact that people you've never met are also confused and don't worry if your ruling ends up being different than theirs. As long as it's fun for your game, how other folks play is irrelevant.
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Is the reverse true?Are there any stories you’ve been wanting to tell in Golarion but didn’t think PF1 was right for that you’re hoping will suit PF2?No.
All of the stories I wanted to tell in Golarion for first edition can (and will) sill work for second edition.
Yes. Why wouldn't it be?
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Hi James,
Is there any interest on your front for some sort of "Cults of the Inner Sea" style book? Currently we have a decent amount of info on various demon lords, Horsemen, etc. But it feels like the operation of their cults on the mortal plane, unless relevant to an AP/module, aren't really filled in. Like prominent leaders of cults, how they recruit new members, areas they are most active, or long and short term objectives. And so on.
I for one would love such a book by the way.
We do a LOT of faith-based books. We've got one coming up soon. And we do more about various religions twice per Adventure Path on average. So yes, there are, and have always been, plans like this.
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Clarification for my own benefit, when you say loss for mortal life, do you mean on a large scale or can it be on a smaller scale. Like say, the lich has to condemn lives and souls to Nyarlathotep to him but can't ever leave his own home/haunted mansion, to do so?As long as the end result is a loss for mortal life, then yes.Dear James Jacobs,
Do you think Nyarlathotep would be willing to deal with an unscruplous lich that had tried to get the secrets of lichdom from various and unconnected infernal/lower plane powers but now wants out of the deal?
I mean that Nyarlathotep gets a kick out of watching humans (or any other race for that matter) be awful to each other and create situations that worsen their quality of life.
Large scale, small scale, it's irrelevant to a certain extent since Nyarlathotep has plenty of time to enjoy both extremes and everything in between.
In my opinion, it should go books < James < designers in the sense that, if the designers don't make a ruling (seriously the FAQ system is awful), at least the players can have SOMETHING to go off of. I think you really do need to realize how critically-ignored some rules clarifications are (perception vs. stealth invisibility rules, for example, which has been a hot mess since the core rulebook was released).
Are there any plans to alleviate this problem in 2e?
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Are there any plans to alleviate this problem in 2e?In my opinion, it should go books < James < designers in the sense that, if the designers don't make a ruling (seriously the FAQ system is awful), at least the players can have SOMETHING to go off of. I think you really do need to realize how critically-ignored some rules clarifications are (perception vs. stealth invisibility rules, for example, which has been a hot mess since the core rulebook was released).
Yes. We hope to make the game more clearly written and easier to understand (without reducing player options, of course).
If instead you mean "Will James be allowed to answer rules questions?" I can't say. Even if I were, I probably wouldn't because I detest rules arguments and get annoyed with pedantic rules lawyering and arguments for argument's sake and folks mistaking their opinion for widely-accepted facts, so... maybe a better question is "Will James ever feel comfortable publicly answering rules questions?" I don't know the answer to that in the future, but for now, it's a No.
Yes. We hope to make the game more clearly written and easier to understand (without reducing player options, of course).
If instead you mean "Will James be allowed to answer rules questions?" I can't say. Even if I were, I probably wouldn't because I detest rules arguments and get annoyed with pedantic rules lawyering and arguments for argument's sake and folks mistaking their opinion for widely-accepted facts, so... maybe a better question is "Will James ever feel comfortable publicly answering rules questions?" I don't know the answer to that in the future, but for now, it's a No.
I appreciate your response, truly.
I think it's kind of a blanket statement to say that all rules discussion devolves into "rules arguments ... pedantic rules lawyering and arguments for argument's sake" though. I'm one of the moderators on the non-PFS Pathfinder Discord and very active in the rules discussions we have, and I can tell you from what I know about the community that the goal is not to be pedantic, but to establish some semblance of universal table expectations regarding confusing parts of the rules. It makes everyone's lives easier, and the goal is ultimately more knowledge for everyone.
Thanks for putting up with the nagging/non questions.