I have not been keeping up on Paizo's release schedule, but I was wondering if they've roped you into writing a Starfinder adventure yet?
Great job on the Abomination Vaults adventure by the way!
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I have not been keeping up on Paizo's release schedule, but I was wondering if they've roped you into writing a Starfinder adventure yet?
Great job on the Abomination Vaults adventure by the way!
I haven't written one yet. Shifting gears to write for an entirely new game is tricky. I did have one adventure idea I've been batting around in my head for Starfinder but since it's about something that happened in the Gap and involves the Drift and some other things but that also peels back a layer of Starfinder AND Pathfinder's deepest mysteries of prehistory, it's a tricky one to pull off all around.
And thanks for the kind words on Gauntlight; glad to see folks are enjoying it!
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Wait what? How can these people know about germs and still use swords and bows? IRL germ theory did not become widely accepted until the 1890s (height of the Industrial Revolution!). How can this be? I can get literacy because you wanted handouts, but how does this add to the playing experience?
Because Golarion has magic (including the ability to literally ask a god about things), has a different timeline than Earth, and has a longer timeline than earth. We haven't bothered to go into deep detail about WHAT these theories are, whether it's bad vapors, tiny little monsters, actual germ/virus bacteria, or the like, but the basic mechansims by which you get sick, illness spreads, and the like is more or less understood. Different theories for different regions by different people...
...but since the game is played by us in the modern era, it's easiest for most gamers to not have to "re-learn" how it works, which is why we didn't invent an entire new mechanism for it.
Curse of the Crimson Throne's the biggest thing we've done with sickness/plague stuff, so check that out to see how folks handle it.
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But isn't magic necessarily obsoleted by tech?
No. That sounds like it's the case for the fanfic you cite, but that's not a rule for all fiction everywhere, obviously.
For example, in the fanfic I referenced, the person claims that 1000 commoners with masterwork tools can aid another to make a craft check in the 1000s to create a rocket without magic, which requires a single very powerful person. Would you see this as obsoleting magic?
Does an apple obsolete an orange? Does a book by Stephen King obsolete a book by Clive Barker? Does a car obsolete a truck? Do jeans obsolete slacks? No. They provide variety, and allow for different people to enjoy the world in different ways, and solve similar problems in different ways.
Same thing in a world like Pathifnder or Starfinder where magic and tech both exist.
Fanfic is great, but each piece of fanfic (or professional fic for that matter) written is not immediately compatible with every other piece of fiction. Pick and choose the ones you like and enjoy them, and the process of piecing together your favorites into your own headcanon for your own settings (or adapting them to published settings) is a lot of fun... that's kind of exactly what fanfic is.
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Wait what? How can these people know about germs and still use swords and bows? IRL germ theory did not become widely accepted until the 1890s (height of the Industrial Revolution!). How can this be? I can get literacy because you wanted handouts, but how does this add to the playing experience?Because Golarion has magic (including the ability to literally ask a god about things), has a different timeline than Earth, and has a longer timeline than earth. We haven't bothered to go into deep detail about WHAT these theories are, whether it's bad vapors, tiny little monsters, actual germ/virus bacteria, or the like, but the basic mechansims by which you get sick, illness spreads, and the like is more or less understood. Different theories for different regions by different people...
...but since the game is played by us in the modern era, it's easiest for most gamers to not have to "re-learn" how it works, which is why we didn't invent an entire new mechanism for it.
Curse of the Crimson Throne's the biggest thing we've done with sickness/plague stuff, so check that out to see how folks handle it.
Problem is bad vapors =/= equal little microscopic organisms. The latter results in thousands dying because you dump your waste in rivers trying to get the stench out, the former results in untold amounts of lives being saved.
Having said that, what is the general awareness of germ theory and is it beneficial in a meaningful way? In CotCT it is barely mentioned at all (and CotCT is kind of a special case, as the plague is basically bio-engineered).
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Problem is bad vapors =/= equal little microscopic organisms. The latter results in thousands dying because you dump your waste in rivers trying to get the stench out, the former results in untold amounts of lives being saved.
Having said that, what is the general awareness of germ theory and is it beneficial in a meaningful way? In CotCT it is barely mentioned at all (and CotCT is kind of a special case, as the plague is basically bio-engineered).
Aware enough that they can fight diseases. Yes it's beneficial in a meaningful way. No, I'm not going to write a fake-historical treatise on the development of germ theory in Golarion.
And I'm supposed to be taking a sick day today anyway to help deal with stress and stuff, so I'm going to try to avoid answering questions on this thread until tomorrow.
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Mr. James Jacobs,
How did the Magic vs. Technology and that they are mutually exclusive arise? One would think that considering how processes and technologies develop based on what resources are at hand that they would ultimately converge not diverge.
Have you seen Solar Opposites yet?
If not I highly recommend it.
Have you looked at the Mutants and Masterminds sourcebook Time Traveller's Codex?
I ask because Crystal Frasier was the developer and also a writer and John Compton is also one of the writers. One of the hero archetypes they have in it is a Hyperintelligent Dinosaur, which made me think of you.
Anyway, it's a great book, Crystal and everybody did a great job on it so if you haven't seen it I recommend having a look through it.
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What are you and Shimmy up to today then?
*sends hugs*
Sleeping. Eating. Watched Expanse. Watched "Come Play." Played Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Ate dinner. Tried to avoid coming back to this thread for fear it would stress me out and failed. At least there wasn't stress waiting for me, so that is appreciated.
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Have you looked at the Mutants and Masterminds sourcebook Time Traveller's Codex?
I ask because Crystal Frasier was the developer and also a writer and John Compton is also one of the writers. One of the hero archetypes they have in it is a Hyperintelligent Dinosaur, which made me think of you.
Anyway, it's a great book, Crystal and everybody did a great job on it so if you haven't seen it I recommend having a look through it.
I haven't. Good to hear it's a great book, though.
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Sleeping. Eating. Watched Expanse. Watched "Come Play." Played Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Ate dinner. Tried to avoid coming back to this thread for fear it would stress me out and failed. At least there wasn't stress waiting for me, so that is appreciated.What are you and Shimmy up to today then?
*sends hugs*
:(
*hugs more*
What did you think of Come Play?
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What did you think of Come Play?
It had a few good scenes, but had a lot more stupid character decisions and annoying tropes, and the central plot simply wasn't scary. It felt like a Babadook knock-off but without the danger and teeth and excitement of that movie.
"The Empty Man" was in every possible way a better movie, since I just saw that one a few days ago as well. In fact, "The Empty Man" is one of the best horror movies of 2020.
Wait what? How can these people know about germs and still use swords and bows? IRL germ theory did not become widely accepted until the 1890s (height of the Industrial Revolution!). How can this be? I can get literacy because you wanted handouts, but how does this add to the playing experience?Because Golarion has magic (including the ability to literally ask a god about things), has a different timeline than Earth, and has a longer timeline than earth. We haven't bothered to go into deep detail about WHAT these theories are, whether it's bad vapors, tiny little monsters, actual germ/virus bacteria, or the like, but the basic mechansims by which you get sick, illness spreads, and the like is more or less understood. Different theories for different regions by different people...
...but since the game is played by us in the modern era, it's easiest for most gamers to not have to "re-learn" how it works, which is why we didn't invent an entire new mechanism for it.
Curse of the Crimson Throne's the biggest thing we've done with sickness/plague stuff, so check that out to see how folks handle it.
How can you ask a god for advice? What is the spell(s)?
If magical advancement is possible, as you have previously asserted, how can it actually advance? I mean, the rulebook's magic system seems pretty set in stone, so how could magic itself advance in a society (or help said society advance)?
I seem to be stuck in the "Varnhold's Lot" DLC of PF:Kingmaker because I don't have the spell I need to get past that darn dog that's running around. Should I
1) keep plugging at it,
2) ignore the dog (which would be fine, but I think I'm gonna need the same spell later anyway),
3) try to find a saved game from before I started the DLC, get the spell(s) I need, and start over with the DLC,
4) abandon the DLC and continue with the main game, or
5) abandon this run and start a new game?
If your answer is "that's up to you" okay, but what would you do? :-)
Hi James!
Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions on this thread. I enjoy reading your answers even when I'm not asking questions.
I've been running a homebrew campaign with heavy four elements themes. One of my players expand their role to investigate Outer Dark mysteries. I'm actually thrilled because "monsters from the dark between the stars" is a great additional theme because the "world" is actually a planetoid-sized spaceship (unbeknownst to the PCs)! I've settled on adding some Nyarlathotep elements in his role as encouraging finding forbidden knowledge/unearthing dark secrets (aka that they are hitching a ride on a planet-sized spaceship). But, I'd like to find ways to blend the themes if possible.
Has Paizo released any products with Outer God/Elder God/Lovecraftian or Dominion of the Black monsters or themes that tie in well with the four elements. If not, do you have any quick and dirty advice for how to blend the two?
Because you like all posts to have questions, thank you in advance for your thoughts.
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How can you ask a god for advice? What is the spell(s)?
The divination school of magic is your go to here. Stuff like augury and read omens for increasing hints, but then rituals like commune and contact other plane, or even planar ally and the like to conjure something to talk to.
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If magical advancement is possible, as you have previously asserted, how can it actually advance? I mean, the rulebook's magic system seems pretty set in stone, so how could magic itself advance in a society (or help said society advance)?
It advances as new spells and items are invented... be they in-game by your players, or in print as we publish more content.
If you're looking for "advancement" in the form of "more powerful," that's not the point of the game. We actively try to avoid power creep and creating a purchase model where players have to pay to play with the best new stuff. Instead, we aim to give new options and new flavor, so that players buy books because they're intrigued and want to rather than feel they have to.
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Are you excited for Wrath of the Righteous moving to Beta?
Do you plan on playing it in any significant capacity, or do think you won't really be able to enjoy it due to knowing the story to well?
I don't plan on playing it at all, since I don't have time in my work day to play it and I'm not interested in spending free time in what would, essentially, be working for me. I generally avoid betas for games anyway. In any event, at this point, Mark Moreland's the one taking the vanguard on the approval stuff for it
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I seem to be stuck in the "Varnhold's Lot" DLC of PF:Kingmaker because I don't have the spell I need to get past that darn dog that's running around. Should I
1) keep plugging at it,
2) ignore the dog (which would be fine, but I think I'm gonna need the same spell later anyway),
3) try to find a saved game from before I started the DLC, get the spell(s) I need, and start over with the DLC,
4) abandon the DLC and continue with the main game, or
5) abandon this run and start a new game?If your answer is "that's up to you" okay, but what would you do? :-)
I have no direct advice. I never played the DLC and don't know what you're talking about. When I get stuck in games like this that I want to play, I go online to look up hints, walkthroughs, and fixes.
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Hi James!
Thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions on this thread. I enjoy reading your answers even when I'm not asking questions.
I've been running a homebrew campaign with heavy four elements themes. One of my players expand their role to investigate Outer Dark mysteries. I'm actually thrilled because "monsters from the dark between the stars" is a great additional theme because the "world" is actually a planetoid-sized spaceship (unbeknownst to the PCs)! I've settled on adding some Nyarlathotep elements in his role as encouraging finding forbidden knowledge/unearthing dark secrets (aka that they are hitching a ride on a planet-sized spaceship). But, I'd like to find ways to blend the themes if possible.
Has Paizo released any products with Outer God/Elder God/Lovecraftian or Dominion of the Black monsters or themes that tie in well with the four elements. If not, do you have any quick and dirty advice for how to blend the two?
Because you like all posts to have questions, thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Not really, and that's intentional.
But it's been done before. Check out the work by August Derleth. He founded Arkham House with the express interest in publishing Lovecraft's stories in book form, but his take on the mythos is one that I don't really agree with. He went all-in tying the mythos to the four elements, with Cthulhu being a water elemental and Hastur being an air elemental and Shub being an earth elemental, if I recall correctly. And since there was no fire monster, he invented Cthugha to be the fire elemental. There's a fair amount of this out there on the internet, but I'm not a fan. It makes the Lovecraftian mythos into something that can be categorized into a convenient human tradition, and that's not fun to me.
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James, thanks again for your patience here answering all our questions. I was curious about how you might handle something in 2nd edition.
There are special actions in that event that allow the PCs to Deduce or Influence. I generally run things such that players know the mechanics of any action they can take, but how do you handle these special mechanics?
If you were running this AP (or really, anytime there would be scenario-specific actions), would you give or tell your players the text of the actions, so they'd know the entire mechanic and DCs included there? Or would you tell them how it works and the skills they use, but keep the DCs an unknown?
Wasn't August Derleth the goof who tried to invent nice Old Ones who the bad Old Ones were warring with? I was reading about the Mythos a while ago and I ran across someone who famously did that... They just missed the memo so hard!
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James, thanks again for your patience here answering all our questions. I was curious about how you might handle something in 2nd edition.
** spoiler omitted **
There are special actions in that event that allow the PCs to Deduce or Influence. I generally run things such that players know the mechanics of any action they can take, but how do you handle these special mechanics?
If you were running this AP (or really, anytime there would be scenario-specific actions), would you give or tell your players the text of the actions, so they'd know the entire mechanic and DCs included there? Or would you tell them how it works and the skills they use, but keep the DCs an unknown?
If a check isn't Secret, you should let the PCs roll the check. In my games, I let them roll the Secret checks anyway, though; I just don't tell them what the DC is. I'm not a fan of taking rolls away from players (since it's fun to roll, since it takes work of my plate, and since even if you don't know how good you do you should still have a "gut-feeling" as to how well you MIGHT have done). The only time I do roll for the players is in cases where they themselves don't know that they should be rolling, and where asking them to make a check would tip them off to a surprise.
In a case like this, I'd absolutely tell them the text of the actions, or even provide it to them in writing, so that the players understand the mechanics of the rolls involved so that they can make informed decisions for their characters. Remember, as much as it is telling a story, it's also playing a game, and not giving players the rules needed to play is akin to not telling them a part of the story.
Furthermore, letting the PCs see the die rolls and know the results when they encounter a new-to-them system is really helpful in providing feedback to the players so that they are encouraged to use tactics, keep at it, and not get frustrated at doing something that they have no idea if they're on the right track.
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Wasn't August Derleth the goof who tried to invent nice Old Ones who the bad Old Ones were warring with? I was reading about the Mythos a while ago and I ran across someone who famously did that... They just missed the memo so hard!
He's also the man who made sure that Lovecraft didn't fade into obscurity, got his stories gathered into hardcovers, and was a pretty good writer himself... less so when he was doing Lovecraft pastiches, but still an entertaining writer. His ideas don't mesh with mine, for sure, but... calling him a "goof" just because he interpreted the stories differently than Lovecraft intended isn't really fair.
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Wasn't August Derleth the goof who tried to invent nice Old Ones who the bad Old Ones were warring with? I was reading about the Mythos a while ago and I ran across someone who famously did that... They just missed the memo so hard!He's also the man who made sure that Lovecraft didn't fade into obscurity, got his stories gathered into hardcovers, and was a pretty good writer himself... less so when he was doing Lovecraft pastiches, but still an entertaining writer. His ideas don't mesh with mine, for sure, but... calling him a "goof" just because he interpreted the stories differently than Lovecraft intended isn't really fair.
That's fair. I can see how my post definitely reads as mocking and dismissive. Apologies!
Have you read much from Lovecraft's predecessor, Robert Chambers?
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Have you read much from Lovecraft's predecessor, Robert Chambers?
Yup! Great writer, and probably the one who wrote the most influential stuff as far as Hastur/King in Yellow lore is concerned. Some of his writing also inspired Norgorber's creation (along with Fritz Leiber and Ramsey Campbell).
Have you read much from Lovecraft's predecessor, Robert Chambers?Yup! Great writer, and probably the one who wrote the most influential stuff as far as Hastur/King in Yellow lore is concerned. Some of his writing also inspired Norgorber's creation (along with Fritz Leiber and Ramsey Campbell).
What writings? The Gorbs is one of the most engaging deities in Pathfinder, so I'd love to see some direct inspiration!
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What writings? The Gorbs is one of the most engaging deities in Pathfinder, so I'd love to see some direct inspiration!Have you read much from Lovecraft's predecessor, Robert Chambers?Yup! Great writer, and probably the one who wrote the most influential stuff as far as Hastur/King in Yellow lore is concerned. Some of his writing also inspired Norgorber's creation (along with Fritz Leiber and Ramsey Campbell).
Robert Chambers: Short story "The Repairer of Reputations" inspired one of Norgorber's appellations after I misread the title, and all the things that he did to build the King in Yellow and all that creepy decadence also inspired Norgorber's personality.
Fritz Leiber: All of his Lankhmar stories, which also pretty much inspired the way the thief class worked in 1st edition D&D (and thus on up to Pathifnder's rogue), particularly the idea of thieves' guilds.
Ramsey Campbell: Novel "The Face that Must Die" really inspired a lot of the lore to the Skinsaw Man cult.
If magical advancement is possible, as you have previously asserted, how can it actually advance? I mean, the rulebook's magic system seems pretty set in stone, so how could magic itself advance in a society (or help said society advance)?It advances as new spells and items are invented... be they in-game by your players, or in print as we publish more content.
If you're looking for "advancement" in the form of "more powerful," that's not the point of the game. We actively try to avoid power creep and creating a purchase model where players have to pay to play with the best new stuff. Instead, we aim to give new options and new flavor, so that players buy books because they're intrigued and want to rather than feel they have to.
Can I give some examples of what I could see as "advancement" and you briefly give me your thoughts on them? Here they are:
-After studying locate object, a wizard makes a variant called Detect Gold which does the same thing as locate object except that it has a slightly longer range and can only detect gold. Later, aided by his miner associate's insights, he develops it into a ritual spell that enables him and a cabal of other casters to divine the major sources of gold within a mile.
-After researching the Flying Carpet, a wizard decides to create new spells more attuned to the flying carpet's purpose (a bit like how instant portrait is more specific than silent image) to increase either its carrying capacity or its speed.
-After studying the Communique Rings, a wizard decides to make variants that have greater range and more functions, such as a small light or video, but only when in the radius of a specialized "signal relay conduit." Later on, an archwizard takes an interest in the device and decides to create a spell called Create Infosphere which envelops the entire planet in a field that allows planetary communication and information sharing.
-A transmuter and his scientist friend some decades in the current timelines future decides to tinker with items that have mutable forms and eventually develops UPBs.
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If magical advancement is possible, as you have previously asserted, how can it actually advance? I mean, the rulebook's magic system seems pretty set in stone, so how could magic itself advance in a society (or help said society advance)?It advances as new spells and items are invented... be they in-game by your players, or in print as we publish more content.
If you're looking for "advancement" in the form of "more powerful," that's not the point of the game. We actively try to avoid power creep and creating a purchase model where players have to pay to play with the best new stuff. Instead, we aim to give new options and new flavor, so that players buy books because they're intrigued and want to rather than feel they have to.
Can I give some examples of what I could see as "advancement" and you briefly give me your thoughts on them? Here they are:
-After studying locate object, a wizard makes a variant called Detect Gold which does the same thing as locate object except that it has a slightly longer range and can only detect gold. Later, aided by his miner associate's insights, he develops it into a ritual spell that enables him and a cabal of other casters to divine the major sources of gold within a mile.
-After researching the Flying Carpet, a wizard decides to create new spells more attuned to the flying carpet's purpose (a bit like how instant portrait is more specific than silent image) to increase either its carrying capacity or its speed.
-After studying the Communique Rings, a wizard decides to make variants that have greater range and more functions, such as a small light or video, but only when in the radius of a specialized "signal relay conduit." Later on, an archwizard takes an interest in the device and decides to create a spell called Create Infosphere which envelops the entire planet in a field that allows planetary communication and information sharing.
-A transmuter and his scientist friend some...
Please keep questions to a managable wordcount. Note how when I quote the above text, it cuts off your post before the end, which means normally I have to manually go back and copy paste things. Also, keeping questions short and simple help me to answer them more quickly and with less frustration.
All of your examples are, to me, things that should be the result of a character gaining levels and getting access to more powerful stuff as a result of higher level, NOT cases where once one character does something "better" then the rest of those who follow get that benefit for free. That might sound logical in a real-world setting, but Golarion is not a real-world setting. It's a game that doesn't benefit from us publishing things that obsoletes baseline content in the Core Rules. That's not fun.
...If magical advancement is possible, as you have previously asserted, how can it actually advance? I mean, the rulebook's magic system seems pretty set in stone, so how could magic itself advance in a society (or help said society advance)?It advances as new spells and items are invented... be they in-game by your players, or in print as we publish more content.
If you're looking for "advancement" in the form of "more powerful," that's not the point of the game. We actively try to avoid power creep and creating a purchase model where players have to pay to play with the best new stuff. Instead, we aim to give new options and new flavor, so that players buy books because they're intrigued and want to rather than feel they have to.
Can I give some examples of what I could see as "advancement" and you briefly give me your thoughts on them? Here they are:
-After studying locate object, a wizard makes a variant called Detect Gold which does the same thing as locate object except that it has a slightly longer range and can only detect gold. Later, aided by his miner associate's insights, he develops it into a ritual spell that enables him and a cabal of other casters to divine the major sources of gold within a mile.
-After researching the Flying Carpet, a wizard decides to create new spells more attuned to the flying carpet's purpose (a bit like how instant portrait is more specific than silent image) to increase either its carrying capacity or its speed.
-After studying the Communique Rings, a wizard decides to make variants that have greater range and more functions, such as a small light or video, but only when in the radius of a specialized "signal relay conduit." Later on, an archwizard takes an interest in the device and decides to create a spell called Create Infosphere which envelops the entire planet in a field that allows planetary communication and information sharing.
-A transmuter
But couldn't a GM use such advancements as a way to justify certain elements in his setting, like Starfinder or Eberron (plus, you have asserted that magic can make many things like what I have put down)?
How do you feel about giant robots?
More specifically, do you have a favorite mech from anything like Robotech or what not.
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But isn't magic necessarily obsoleted by tech?No. That sounds like it's the case for the fanfic you cite, but that's not a rule for all fiction everywhere, obviously.
For example, in the fanfic I referenced, the person claims that 1000 commoners with masterwork tools can aid another to make a craft check in the 1000s to create a rocket without magic, which requires a single very powerful person. Would you see this as obsoleting magic?Does an apple obsolete an orange? Does a book by Stephen King obsolete a book by Clive Barker? Does a car obsolete a truck? Do jeans obsolete slacks? No. They provide variety, and allow for different people to enjoy the world in different ways, and solve similar problems in different ways.
Same thing in a world like Pathifnder or Starfinder where magic and tech both exist.
Fanfic is great, but each piece of fanfic (or professional fic for that matter) written is not immediately compatible with every other piece of fiction. Pick and choose the ones you like and enjoy them, and the process of piecing together your favorites into your own headcanon for your own settings (or adapting them to published settings) is a lot of fun... that's kind of exactly what fanfic is.
Perhaps I was unclear in my assertion of the case against magic. It goes as follows: a scientist can develop a concept and conscript 1000 low level commoners to aid him on a craft check and have a result in the 1000s enable him to do anything he wants, from making a rocket to recreating antimatter. But a wizard can only craft anything with himself or maybe other wizard b/c only he has the magic needed to craft. A scientist can stand on the shoulders of giants and use the theories of other scientists to aid his own discoveries, but an archwizard cannot help a 1st level wizard cast spells better.
Thus, is not technology inherently superior to magic using this example as a basis?
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I apologize if this is inappropriate, but how would you feel about simply not answering people who post questions about the same issue over and over without taking your responses to heart?
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Perhaps I was unclear in my assertion of the case against magic. It goes as follows: a scientist can develop a concept and conscript 1000 low level commoners to aid him on a craft check and have a result in the 1000s enable him to do anything he wants, from making a rocket to recreating antimatter. But a wizard can only craft anything with himself or maybe other wizard b/c only he has the magic needed to craft. A scientist can stand on the shoulders of giants and use the theories of other scientists to aid his own discoveries, but an archwizard cannot help a 1st level wizard cast spells better.
Thus, is not technology inherently superior to magic using this example as a basis?
You're asking for Pathfinder to model the progression of technological achievement over the course of the passage of time in the course of a single game session. Doesn't work that way. Even in the real world, a scientist who develops a new process to build a techonological item takes time. Sometimes years or even decades or generations. That "resets" the baseline for the world's starting point on building on that technology.
If Pathfinder was a civilization simulator or a technology (or magic) advancement simulator, we'd do something like that for magic absolutely.
Pathfinder is not that game. It doesn't matter that we use magic instead of technology.
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I apologize if this is inappropriate, but how would you feel about simply not answering people who post questions about the same issue over and over without taking your responses to heart?
I'd feel a mixture of regret and relief. I do try to answer everyone's questions, but sometimes folks seem to want me to somehow design an entirely different game for them.
If they wanna pay me to do that (including full benefits) at a rate higher than my current salary from Paizo and can promise job security, then MAYBE I'd consider switching careers to build them a bespoke game, but that's unlikely to happen.
It is frustrating though, that's for sure, when people don't seem to like the answers I give and try to just re-ask the question over and over and over with slight variations in what looks to me like a chance to trip me up and get me to answer in a way that they prefer.
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I apologize if this is inappropriate, but how would you feel about simply not answering people who post questions about the same issue over and over without taking your responses to heart?Trying to clarify on a point I raised isn't being repetitive or meaningless, Brissan.
The way you're going about it IS repetitive. And frustrating. You need to realize that, and if you continue to ask the same question over and over without accepting the fact that Pathifnder and Golarion aren't the game for you, you're going to continue to butt heads with folks here. Myself included.
I've said it many times before—Pathfinder, or at least Golarion, might not be the right game or setting for you. You won't get us to rebuild the world and game to fit you—it's already VERY successful and appealing to a HUGE number of gamers (ourselves at Paizo included).
Perhaps take this up as a challenge to design your own setting following the themes and story elements you prefer? Creating your own game setting really IS a lot of fun!
In any event, please limit posts to this thread to actual questions for me.
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James, your patience is really unbelievable!
Question: how can I imagine Golarions plant life? Is it similar to what we see in today's world (e.g. The loast coast would have similar plant species like the US west coast) or would there be significant differences apart from certain magical plants? So I'm talking flowers in the garden, crop being grown etc.