For what it's worth, Rich Parents is too good and, in my opinion, should be reduced down to 300 gp or thereabouts.
Agreed, however, it's only really powerful at 1-3rd level, beyond that, it's meh at best. I actually don't really see it being used often. Most people would rather see a +1 across all their career or a class skill.
Cohorts aren't PCs, and thus don't get traits unless the GM allows the Additional Traits feat in his game. So normally, a cohort wouldn't get either of these traits. If your GM allows cohorts to have traits, though, any extra gear and equipment granted by the traits is over and above what the cohort would normally get. In any case, if you're letting a cohort gain traits, you're already deep into houserules territory, so go ahead and keep adjusting things so as make sense to your group.
Sorry, I must have not been clear. I didn't mean adding to the cohort's WBL, I meant that the discussion was that the Cohort's equipment was counted as part of the PC's WBL. I didn't believe that, and still don't, but that was the argument expressed. So the cohort's equipment had to be supplied from the PCs WBL, not tacked onto it, I believe it's tacked on, so the PC retains as much WBL as he would normally have, the Cohort's equipment is his equipment, not something the PC has to provide out of his WBL.
Leadership is itself a VERY powerful feat. It's not really a good option to let players have if there's more than 4 players in a group, in fact, and not just because of power creep—it's not a good option simply due to economy of action in play—a player whose PC has a cohort gets twice as many turns in the game as the other players, and that can get annoying.
I've had it work just fine, but then, I talk with my players ahead of time. I've only had one small issue with it one time, with a headstrong player. The rest of the time, it's usually used to get a bunch of grunts to follow around, and a big tough to keep them in line, to do things for the PCs, like rebuilding villages the PCs don't have time to work on, or bringing in the harvest early and quick ahead of the orc army that's marching on the city-state, etc.
I had one guy use it to populate the Embassy they set up in a foreign nation with loyal retainers. :) His cohort became the vice-attache, and the 1-3rd level followers the staff and functionaries. :)
Creative Director
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Will there be any Nekomata, Kirin, Kappa, or Orochi?
Some of those, yes. Others, no. Stay tuned!
Will the Nagaji have a serpent body like the "Lamia Matriarch"?
No. They're humanoids.
Will we ever have a "cat race"?
Yes, but not in this book.
What about an asian style monkey race?
The WotC 3rd edition Oriental Adventures did a monkey race; we're not going to do one specifically because we want to go a different route than they did.
James, do you see an untapped genre for rpg's that hasn't been done before?
What do you think will be the next great licensed IP for rpg's?
Will the Dragon Kingdoms books be generic enough for people to use in their homebrew to simulate asianic cultures (IE: Archtypes for core and base classes that retheme them along mythological lines, feats, equipment like laminated bamboo armor, weapons, and so forth?), or is it going to be so Golarian specific that it's only useful if you are using that world?
So I take it from what has been mentioned about the Dragon kingdoms Gazetteer that cat folk are not going to be a playable race?Correct. The "Core" PC race options for the Dragon Empires are:
Human
Tengu (bird humanoids)
Nagaji (reptilian humanoids)
Kitsune (shapechanging fox humanoids)
Wayang (Small shadowy humanoids)
Samsarans ("spirit-folk" type humanoids)Of the six races, four of them (nagaji, kitsune, wayang, and samsarans) are going to be more or less brand new to Pathfinder
Of those four, two (nagaji and samsaran) are going to be brand new, while the other two (kitsune and wayang) are based on mythology or folklore to a certain extent.
No cat folk PC race options in the Dragon Empires.
Interesting. I'm kind of got a Vudra homebrew going so I’m quite curious about all this. More?
Nagaji = Naga (Sanskrit = ‘snake’) + (-ji, Japanese ‘people’). Technically the Naga are the Ryuji in Japanese; Chinese translated Naga as ‘Lung’ – they equated the Naga from India with their local dragon legends. I assume there might be a link to Nagajor. Humanoid Naga are part of the iconography of Angkor Wat and Indochinese legend (they can sometimes shapeshift but not always)-- so if this was not based on folklore it synchronizes anyway.Wayang = the name of a kind of Indonesian shadow puppetry. Neat idea.
Samsarans = Samsara = Sanskrit, ‘reincarnation, cycle of lives.’ Really interested in these. What do they look like?
Now for Cat folk, the Kitsune was based on a Chinese legend and a variant of the folklore surrounding foxes associated the same powers and dangers with cats (cats and foxes are associated in a lot of mythologies—Puss in Boots was originally a fox in disguise). I say make the Kitsune have a variant subrace with a cat form and leave the race otherwise as is…
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Creative Director
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Will the Dragon Kingdoms books be generic enough for people to use in their homebrew to simulate asianic cultures (IE: Archtypes for core and base classes that retheme them along mythological lines, feats, equipment like laminated bamboo armor, weapons, and so forth?), or is it going to be so Golarian specific that it's only useful if you are using that world?
The Dragon Kingdoms book will be as Golarion-filled as the Inner Sea book. It's VERY heavily focused on detailing Tian Xia, and doesn't have anything like archetypes or feats or equipment in it at all, really. You probably won't like it.
Unless you use published campaign settings as inspiration for your homebrew world, of course. Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms products were INCREDIBLY useful for me in helping to design my homebrew world, so in that regard this book will probably be VERY helpful for folks wanting to build their own Asian themed setting.
But no... aside from the 5 race entries, there'll be very little rules content in this book.
James,
You mentioned that you're looking foreward to announcing the AP after Jade Regent. Is that the super secret never before discussed product to be announced/revealed at the Preview Banquet?
Or is the super secret product some other surprise?
"She can call upon the power of her faith as a standard action. This causes a nimbus of light to emanate..."It doesn't mention using uses of lay on hands, so it doesn't use uses of lay on hands. She can do it at will. The powers themselves are limited in other ways, such as only being able to affect targets with specific effects once per day. Remember, she's losing ALL her spellcasting to gain this power—that's a pretty significant loss of utility and options, so what she gains in return needs to be pretty tough and compelling.Just a note - the newest PDF says the following about the Warrior of the Holy Light power:
"She can spend a use of her lay on hands ability to call upon the power of her faith as a standard action."
Which newest PDF? We do a lot of those.
If you mean the newest errata, then there you go.
Thanks for the responses.
Agreed, however, it's only really powerful at 1-3rd level, beyond that, it's meh at best. I actually don't really see it being used often. Most people would rather see a +1 across all their career or a class skill.For what it's worth, Rich Parents is too good and, in my opinion, should be reduced down to 300 gp or thereabouts.
Then, wouldn't ...
Rich Parents: You were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure anyway, your etiquette, decorum, and social connections still mark you as a member of the upper class. Pick one of the following skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (Nobility) or Ride. You gain a +1 trait bonus on that skill, and that skill is always treated as a class skill for you.
... have been "more balanced" (and a better deal for the player)?
Agreed, however, it's only really powerful at 1-3rd level, beyond that, it's meh at best. I actually don't really see it being used often. Most people would rather see a +1 across all their career or a class skill.For what it's worth, Rich Parents is too good and, in my opinion, should be reduced down to 300 gp or thereabouts.
Then, wouldn't ...
Rich Parents: You were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure anyway, your etiquette, decorum, and social connections still mark you as a member of the upper class. Pick one of the following skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (Nobility) or Ride. You gain a +1 trait bonus on that skill, and that skill is always treated as a class skill for you.
... have been "more balanced" (and a better deal for the player)?
Compare Ustalavic Noble from the Inner Sea Primer.
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There is something that has left me perplexed in the magus: the quantity of spells he has available.
He has as many spell as a bard plus cantrips and more than a non specialized wizard for the 0 to 6th spell levels.
Sure, the generalist wizard compensate getting higher level spells faster, but the wizard is a pure spellcaster, the magus is a half spellcaster.
The bard has some nice power and a lot of skills, but the magus has a lot of powers too. The generalist wizard is far behind.
It is intended for the universalist wizard to be a dead choice?
I think it is time to add one more "school" ability to the universalist wizard and at least the cantrips to the bard.
/cast protection from energy: fire and hope to survive
Is there any truth to Wes's quip in Pathfinder #5 that he got you to chase a pigeon disguised as an archeopteryx?
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Creative Director
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James,
You mentioned that you're looking foreward to announcing the AP after Jade Regent. Is that the super secret never before discussed product to be announced/revealed at the Preview Banquet?
Or is the super secret product some other surprise?
Where is it you're hearing about this "super secret never before discussed product" at?
I'll be announcing the next AP for sure, but I'm not sure what it is you're referring to.
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Creative Director
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James, I have recently had a change of heart about my career path, and have decided to go back to school for a B.A in English, with a minor in History and folklore. I was thinking of attempting to be a RPG developer. Any advice?
That's a pretty good combo for that position; it's essentially the same combo I have (BA in English/creative writing with a minor in medieval studies), but beyond that, you need to also start working to build up your RPG design credits. Get your name known, and then once you're ready start applying to positions as they open up. And don't get discouraged when it takes a long time—there are not many full time RPG developer positions out there.
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Creative Director
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There is something that has left me perplexed in the magus: the quantity of spells he has available.
He has as many spell as a bard plus cantrips and more than a non specialized wizard for the 0 to 6th spell levels.
Sure, the generalist wizard compensate getting higher level spells faster, but the wizard is a pure spellcaster, the magus is a half spellcaster.The bard has some nice power and a lot of skills, but the magus has a lot of powers too. The generalist wizard is far behind.
It is intended for the universalist wizard to be a dead choice?
I think it is time to add one more "school" ability to the universalist wizard and at least the cantrips to the bard.
/cast protection from energy: fire and hope to survive
The primary advantage the universalist wizard has over eveyrone else is that he can cast EVERY spell; he doesn't have much limitations as to what he can or can't do. That versatility is pretty key and important. He gets fewer class abilities, but since, in theory, he can learn any spell he needs to cover that, he doesn't NEED those powers or abilities.
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The primary advantage the universalist wizard has over eveyrone else is that he can cast EVERY spell; he doesn't have much limitations as to what he can or can't do. That versatility is pretty key and important. He gets fewer class abilities, but since, in theory, he can learn any spell he needs to cover that, he doesn't NEED those powers or abilities.
I would agree if the specialist wizards were barred from using spells and items of the opposite schools, but now they suffer very little drawbacks.
1) a memorized spell of one of the opposite schools use 2 slots;
2) crafting a magic item (scroll included) that require spells of the opposite school has a -4 penalty to the skill check.
the advantages are:
1) +1 spell of each level;
2) generally more and better school powers
I fail to see a balance between the universalist wizard and most of the specialists.
The little drawback the specialist suffer will be easily overcome writing a few scrolls.
Is there any truth to Wes's quip in Pathfinder #5 that he got you to chase a pigeon disguised as an archeopteryx?I almost caught it, too. Damn potholes.
Could have been worse. You could have caught it!
Then, wouldn't ...
Rich Parents: You were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure anyway, your etiquette, decorum, and social connections still mark you as a member of the upper class. Pick one of the following skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (Nobility) or Ride. You gain a +1 trait bonus on that skill, and that skill is always treated as a class skill for you.
... have been "more balanced" (and a better deal for the player)?
Uhm, yeah. Not sure if this was directed at me or not, but sure.
The Dragon Kingdoms book will be as Golarion-filled as the Inner Sea book. It's VERY heavily focused on detailing Tian Xia, and doesn't have anything like archetypes or feats or equipment in it at all, really. You probably won't like it.Unless you use published campaign settings as inspiration for your homebrew world, of course. Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms products were INCREDIBLY useful for me in helping to design my homebrew world, so in that regard this book will probably be VERY helpful for folks wanting to build their own Asian themed setting.
But no... aside from the 5 race entries, there'll be very little rules content in this book.
Will Paizo be putting out any books in the future with such themes, or is that going to be a 3PP niche product in Paizo's view? I'd really like something with archetypes and equipment and such.
James,
You mentioned that you're looking foreward to announcing the AP after Jade Regent. Is that the super secret never before discussed product to be announced/revealed at the Preview Banquet?
Or is the super secret product some other surprise?
Where is it you're hearing about this "super secret never before discussed product" at?
I'll be announcing the next AP for sure, but I'm not sure what it is you're referring to.
I first heard about on the boards, in discussing the Preview Banquet, but I found a few more references.
Look at the store page for the 3-day pass, and I'll quote the text here.
We're also hosting a Paizo Preview Banquet to show off Ultimate Combat, the Jade Regent AP, and a Super Secret New Product to be revealed at the show.
I think the the Banquet product listing mentioned it too, but that is gone now, probably because it's sold out. However there is at least one reference to it. I'm relieved that it's there, so that I didn't just imagine it
If the secret announcement is the revelation of the next AP, I won't be disappointed, or give you a hard time about it. I'm just curious.
We're also hosting a Paizo Preview Banquet to show off Ultimate Combat, the Jade Regent AP, and a Super Secret New Product to be revealed at the show.I think the the Banquet product listing mentioned it too, but that is gone now, probably because it's sold out. However there is at least one reference to it. I'm relieved that it's there, so that I didn't just imagine it
If the secret announcement is the revelation of the next AP, I won't be disappointed, or give you a hard time about it. I'm just curious.
I believe the product referenced there is the box set; they're not revealing the contents until PaizoCon. But the next AP after Jade Regent has yet to be announced as well, and I think they'll be announcing that also.
Which still begs the question of whether there's some other truly secret product that they've been avoiding mentioning ...
In the process of doing a background for Carrion Crown, I was looking for the Day and Month of Aroden's death. Has that been published anywhere?
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Creative Director
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The primary advantage the universalist wizard has over eveyrone else is that he can cast EVERY spell; he doesn't have much limitations as to what he can or can't do. That versatility is pretty key and important. He gets fewer class abilities, but since, in theory, he can learn any spell he needs to cover that, he doesn't NEED those powers or abilities.I would agree if the specialist wizards were barred from using spells and items of the opposite schools, but now they suffer very little drawbacks.
1) a memorized spell of one of the opposite schools use 2 slots;
2) crafting a magic item (scroll included) that require spells of the opposite school has a -4 penalty to the skill check.the advantages are:
1) +1 spell of each level;
2) generally more and better school powersI fail to see a balance between the universalist wizard and most of the specialists.
The little drawback the specialist suffer will be easily overcome writing a few scrolls.
One of the huge strengths of a tabletop RPG is that if something looks weird, you can change it. That's what house rules are for, after all.
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Creative Director
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Will Paizo be putting out any books in the future with such themes, or is that going to be a 3PP niche product in Paizo's view? I'd really like something with archetypes and equipment and such.
The Dragon Kingdoms book will be as Golarion-filled as the Inner Sea book. It's VERY heavily focused on detailing Tian Xia, and doesn't have anything like archetypes or feats or equipment in it at all, really. You probably won't like it.Unless you use published campaign settings as inspiration for your homebrew world, of course. Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms products were INCREDIBLY useful for me in helping to design my homebrew world, so in that regard this book will probably be VERY helpful for folks wanting to build their own Asian themed setting.
But no... aside from the 5 race entries, there'll be very little rules content in this book.
Well, we've got an entire Adventure Path that'll be filled with additional options for GMs wanting to build an Asian-themed setting. New monsters, new equipment, new magic items, LOTS of NPCs, articles about ninjas and oni and kami, city maps, gazetteers...
And we generally support our APs with books in the other lines. Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat both have a fair amount of Asian-themed stuff in them as far as equipment and archetypes go (Ultimate Combat more than Ultimate Magic), but those two books are the only two that will be world-neutral.
We've still got one or two more unannounced Jade Regent/Tian Xia support products as well, including some more equipment and archetypes.
And if folks really love what we're doing with all the Jade Regent stuff, we'll do more. But it'll primarily all be done in the idea that it's for Tian Xia.
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Creative Director
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James,
You mentioned that you're looking foreward to announcing the AP after Jade Regent. Is that the super secret never before discussed product to be announced/revealed at the Preview Banquet?
Or is the super secret product some other surprise?
Where is it you're hearing about this "super secret never before discussed product" at?
I'll be announcing the next AP for sure, but I'm not sure what it is you're referring to.
I first heard about on the boards, in discussing the Preview Banquet, but I found a few more references.
Look at the store page for the 3-day pass, and I'll quote the text here.
We're also hosting a Paizo Preview Banquet to show off Ultimate Combat, the Jade Regent AP, and a Super Secret New Product to be revealed at the show.I think the the Banquet product listing mentioned it too, but that is gone now, probably because it's sold out. However there is at least one reference to it. I'm relieved that it's there, so that I didn't just imagine it
If the secret announcement is the revelation of the next AP, I won't be disappointed, or give you a hard time about it. I'm just curious.
I honestly don't know what this "secret project" is, to be honest. I didn't write that text. There's several possible contenders, though, some of which are less secret than others. My guess is that it's talking about the fact that we'll be saying more about the Beginner Box, though.
Well, we've got an entire Adventure Path that'll be filled with additional options for GMs wanting to build an Asian-themed setting. New monsters, new equipment, new magic items, LOTS of NPCs, articles about ninjas and oni and kami, city maps, gazetteers...And we generally support our APs with books in the other lines. Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat both have a fair amount of Asian-themed stuff in them as far as equipment and archetypes go (Ultimate Combat more than Ultimate Magic), but those two books are the only two that will be world-neutral.
We've still got one or two more unannounced Jade Regent/Tian Xia support products as well, including some more equipment and archetypes.
And if folks really love what we're doing with all the Jade Regent stuff, we'll do more. But it'll primarily all be done in the idea that it's for Tian Xia.
Fair enough. I may have to actually buy an AP. I hate that, not because you guys do bad jobs at it or anything. :) I just prefer to get my crunch all in one book, not spread out over 6 books, of which I'll only use 10%. :(
Another question, is there any interest (and I know this gets asked often, but given how popular the RPG books are getting) in releasing compiled crunch books? Little paperbacks, similar to the Adventurer's armory? Themed ones that copy/paste from the APs so that people who just want the crunch can buy those? I think you'd find they were very popular for the amount of work you'd need to put into it.
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Creative Director
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Fair enough. I may have to actually buy an AP. I hate that, not because you guys do bad jobs at it or anything. :) I just prefer to get my crunch all in one book, not spread out over 6 books, of which I'll only use 10%. :(
Another question, is there any interest (and I know this gets asked often, but given how popular the RPG books are getting) in releasing compiled crunch books? Little paperbacks, similar to the Adventurer's armory? Themed ones that copy/paste from the APs so that people who just want the crunch can buy those? I think you'd find they were very popular for the amount of work you'd need to put into it.
(WARNING: Soapbox mode on!) Frankly... a GM who doesn't look at published adventures as at the very least a sort of "school" to help him get better at designing and building adventures strikes me as a GM who's not taking his role as GM seriously. Writers read lots of books to become better writers, after all. It works the same for GMs who prefer to design their own adventures. A published adventure not only helps in showing how to organize thoughts into an adventure, but is also a gold mine of encoutners, NPC stat blocks, maps, and other tidbits you can drag and drop into your own adventures however you want. (End soapbox mode.)
There's not much interest here at Paizo to do compiled mini-rulebooks that strip rules out of our non-hardcover line at all. First of all, that's a lot of extra work on top of our already busy schedule, and second of all, it devalues those products by implying that the non-rules portions aren't worth reprinting.
Frankly, I'd rather have folks who are insatiable for rules content simply buy things like our APs and other Golarion-related products that have rules in them rather than spend a lot of extra time and effort building a separate line of products just for them.
If folks don't want to do that, they'll just have to be content with our rulebook line (which often DO compile AP elements like haunts, monsters, chases, magic items, prestige classes, etc.).
(WARNING: Soapbox mode on!) Frankly... a GM who doesn't look at published adventures as at the very least a sort of "school" to help him get better at designing and building adventures strikes me as a GM who's not taking his role as GM seriously. Writers read lots of books to become better writers, after all. It works the same for GMs who prefer to design their own adventures. A published adventure not only helps in showing how to organize thoughts into an adventure, but is also a gold mine of encoutners, NPC stat blocks, maps, and other tidbits you can drag and drop into your own adventures however you want. (End soapbox mode.)
LOL
(WARNING: Anti-Soapbox missiles armed and loaded!) Frankly, I've been a GM for most of my life, well over 20 years. I've used modules, and found over the years that what I come up with myself fits much better to my world and mindset.
That's not to say that I don't read things. I am a voracious reader, and read all sorts of fantasy and science fiction, as well as watch anime, tv, and movies. I play video games, and just about every RPG that has ever come out. Dresdent Files, Dragonriders of Pern, Dragonlance, David Eddings (just about everything he writes), even awful things like White Gold Wielder (blech). Zatochi, Seven Samurai, Bleach, Spirited Away, Princess Monanoki. Final Fantasy, Parasite Eve, Dragon Quest. All of these inspire me and give me ideas.
I compile all that into a homebrew world that has about 200 pages of specs in it's bible, and I try to work up plots and threads for about 6 to 10 months in advance, with branching story lines to allow for maximum flexibility for the PCs. So, saying I'm not a serious GM is a bit insulting, but I will assume that wasn't the intention. :)
It's probably just me, but I find that other people's modules have so much of themselves in it that taking stuff out of it feels too stilted and alien to me to use.
(Missile payload delivered, return to your regularly scheduled tv shows now)
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Creative Director
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(WARNING: Anti-Soapbox missiles armed and loaded!) Frankly, I've been a GM for most of my life, well over 20 years. I've used modules, and found over the years that what I come up with myself fits much better to my world and mindset.
That's not to say that I don't read things. I am a voracious reader, and read all sorts of fantasy and science fiction, as well as watch anime, tv, and movies. I play video games, and just about every RPG that has ever come out. Dresdent Files, Dragonriders of Pern, Dragonlance, David Eddings (just about everything he writes), even awful things like White Gold Wielder (blech). Zatochi, Seven Samurai, Bleach, Spirited Away, Princess Monanoki. Final Fantasy, Parasite Eve, Dragon Quest. All of these inspire me and give me ideas.
I compile all that into a homebrew world that has about 200 pages of specs in it's bible, and I try to work up plots and threads for about 6 to 10 months in advance, with branching story lines to allow for maximum flexibility for the PCs. So, saying I'm not a serious GM is a bit insulting, but I will assume that wasn't the intention. :)
It's probably just me, but I find that other people's modules have so much of themselves in it that taking stuff out of it feels too stilted and alien to me to use.
(Missile payload delivered, return to your regularly scheduled tv shows...
I've been a GM most of my life too... but in my case that's about 30 years.
And even with that much time spent designing and running adventures, the idea that no one else on the planet has anything that they could teach me about adventure design is alien to me. I like to think I'm a pretty good adventure writer, and most of what I've learned about writing adventures I learned from reading adventures written by other designers—it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school. And simply keeping to my own tiny group of players and my own design ideas tends to make me feel like my creativity is stagnating.
Ignoring such a perfect resource of inspiration as published adventures just seems like a bad idea to me is all. And I'm not trying to be insulting at all... it's just that the idea that published adventures have nothing to offer someone in making them a better adventure designer is nonsensical to me.
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James, I have recently had a change of heart about my career path, and have decided to go back to school for a B.A in English, with a minor in History and folklore. I was thinking of attempting to be a RPG developer. Any advice?
@Jeremy - You've recently moved to Scotland, right? Do consider the Open University as a way to keep a foot in both camps while you make the switch, if you aren't already enrolled elsewhere. Disclaimer: Alumni. Good luck!
Hey James,
the Rakshasa Bloodline lists Mystic Motif as a bonus feat, yet this isn't included in the feats section. Ima guess this was just left in after the feat was taken out for whatever reason. Any suggestion as to what I could add in to replace it, or is the list ok as is??
it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school.
There should be damnit...that would be awesome. I would so take that course.
As to the rest I agree a steady souce of new idea is always healthy in anything creative. I would also add putting on the player hat is also a good souce to learn about adventure design and GMing.
I have been GMing for about 23 years and I have probably learned the most from other GMs I have played with...granted it is sometimes things not to do....but that is probably the most important part of learning.
That being said for a long time( really since 2nd ed D&D) I find most modules to be stagnate...with a few exceptions. Though I'll will say I have brought a couple of the APs recently(to get the lore and crunch) and have to say my stance that modules suck might be changing a little...in regards atleast to Pazio mudules.
Did you have a GM that taught you alot about adventure design or just GMing in general?
Which designer in the past has inspired and shaped your design philosphy the most?
Given the nature of the "Cheliax - Empire of Devils" cover, that there's a native centaur population around the area?
Also, would it be a safe assumption that Maidrayne Vox (Order of the Nail Mistress of Blades) is a Chelish emigrant?
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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I learned to write adventures by studying the silver edition of "Return to White Plume Mountain." I ran it once, when I was 14, but never finished it. Most of my basic mapping skills, read aloud writing, dungeon design, and room description writing basics came from that one adventure. In fact, I like to think the foundation of my GM experience comes from that one adventure, as I learned how to deal with trouble players, improv when things don't go as planned, and how to adjust a game to fit the player's play style, as well as how to write adventures, from that one game.
Hi James--
Two and a half questions for you:
1. What made you decide to create Baria instead of running your adventures in an established world?
2. For you personally, what's the difference between an NPC and a GMPC? When does an NPC cease to be an NPC and become a GMPC?
2.5 Any particular experiences of GMPCs that were done well you would care to share? Any thoughts on what to avoid?
Thanks,
--Mike
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(WARNING: Anti-Soapbox missiles armed and loaded!) Frankly, I've been a GM for most of my life, well over 20 years. I've used modules, and found over the years that what I come up with myself fits much better to my world and mindset.
That's not to say that I don't read things. I am a voracious reader, and read all sorts of fantasy and science fiction, as well as watch anime, tv, and movies. I play video games, and just about every RPG that has ever come out. Dresdent Files, Dragonriders of Pern, Dragonlance, David Eddings (just about everything he writes), even awful things like White Gold Wielder (blech). Zatochi, Seven Samurai, Bleach, Spirited Away, Princess Monanoki. Final Fantasy, Parasite Eve, Dragon Quest. All of these inspire me and give me ideas.
I compile all that into a homebrew world that has about 200 pages of specs in it's bible, and I try to work up plots and threads for about 6 to 10 months in advance, with branching story lines to allow for maximum flexibility for the PCs. So, saying I'm not a serious GM is a bit insulting, but I will assume that wasn't the intention. :)
It's probably just me, but I find that other people's modules have so much of themselves in it that taking stuff out of it feels too stilted and alien to me to use.
(Missile payload delivered, return to your regularly scheduled tv shows...
I've been a GM most of my life too... but in my case that's about 30 years.And even with that much time spent designing and running adventures, the idea that no one else on the planet has anything that they could teach me about adventure design is alien to me. I like to think I'm a pretty good adventure writer, and most of what I've learned about writing adventures I learned from reading adventures written by other designers—it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school. And simply keeping to my own tiny group of players and my own design ideas tends to make me feel like my creativity is stagnating.
Ignoring...
I agree with James.
I have 30 years of GM of experience and know my weaknesses:
- I tend to prefer one or a small group of big BEEG instead of larger groups of smaller foes;
- I am fairly bad as designing "rogue oriented", city adventures.At least for the first defect and somewhat even for the second the Paizo modules (that I seriously modify) help. After my changes the adventure is similar to the original, but hardly the same thing. In other instances I rip off useful stats, maps and so on to use them in another homebrew adventure.
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Universalist wizar. I will follow your suggestion James. In my Kingmaker to start campaign I will test giving them one extra spell for level know one level after a specialist wizard get its "bonus" spell.
That way they will still be behind a specialist of the same level (at leas at the odd levels), but not by much and the hindrances the specialist suffer should compensate.
And even with that much time spent designing and running adventures, the idea that no one else on the planet has anything that they could teach me about adventure design is alien to me. I like to think I'm a pretty good adventure writer, and most of what I've learned about writing adventures I learned from reading adventures written by other designers—it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school. And simply keeping to my own tiny group of players and my own design ideas tends to make me feel like my creativity is stagnating.
+1. I have picked up things from many of the posters here also, even the ones I normally don't agree with.
Yeah MDT and Seeker also. Don't either of you expect any more kind remarks though though. :)
+1. I have picked up things from many of the posters here also, even the ones I normally don't agree with.
Yeah MDT and Seeker also. Don't either of you expect any more kind remarks though though. :)
LOL
I get plenty of things from the posters here. I guess I should have clarified that I don't get enough to justify spending my money on the APs. I can get just as much useful stuff on forums and free stuff on the web.
A module is great if you're running in the default game world and you are a new GM or don't have time to work up your own world. I've said that before. I don't fall into either of those categories. At that point, it becomes and economic thing. I need crunch, not fluff or ideas. I got those or have access to plenty of it. My purchases are very carefully directed toward things I can use for crunch for that reason. In todays economy, I can't afford to spend $150 bucks on something that I'm going to get 20% use out of. I just can't justify it. If I get 80% use, I can.
And even with that much time spent designing and running adventures, the idea that no one else on the planet has anything that they could teach me about adventure design is alien to me. I like to think I'm a pretty good adventure writer, and most of what I've learned about writing adventures I learned from reading adventures written by other designers—it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school. And simply keeping to my own tiny group of players and my own design ideas tends to make me feel like my creativity is stagnating.
+1. I have picked up things from many of the posters here also, even the ones I normally don't agree with.
Yeah MDT and Seeker also. Don't either of you expect any more kind remarks though though. :)
+1
Now if I only had time to use it all :)
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Creative Director
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That being said for a long time( really since 2nd ed D&D) I find most modules to be stagnate...with a few exceptions. Though I'll will say I have brought a couple of the APs recently(to get the lore and crunch) and have to say my stance that modules suck might be changing a little...in regards atleast to Pazio mudules.
Did you have a GM that taught you alot about adventure design or just GMing in general?
Which designer in the past has inspired and shaped your design philosphy the most?
Thing is, you can learn about how to be a better adventure writer as much from stagnant or bad published adventures as you can from good ones. I know I've learned probably more from seeing published modules fail at what they're trying to do than what I've learned from the greats... if only because there tends to be more fails than successes in ANYthing... RPG adventures included.
My first GM was my 5th grade teacher—he taught me how to play the game and the value of using handouts to help immerse the player in the game. After that, I was pretty much always the GM until I joined Jim Butler's game at WotC—since then, I've been equally player and GM and every GM I've played with has taught me things to do (such as be emotive and mobile) and what not to do (don't be unprepared, don't have temper tantrums, don't be passive).
As for what RPG designer inspired me the most? That's a tough call, but I'd say it'd probably be a tie between Gary Gygax, Robert Kuntz, and Sandy Petersen.
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Creative Director
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Given the nature of the "Cheliax - Empire of Devils" cover, that there's a native centaur population around the area?
Also, would it be a safe assumption that Maidrayne Vox (Order of the Nail Mistress of Blades) is a Chelish emigrant?
There are plenty of centaurs in Cheliax, and a not insignificant number in the Hellknights. I'm relatively sure that Vox is from Cheliax, but not 100% sure. Wes would know for sure.
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Creative Director
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1. What made you decide to create Baria instead of running your adventures in an established world?
2. For you personally, what's the difference between an NPC and a GMPC? When does an NPC cease to be an NPC and become a GMPC?
2.5 Any particular experiences of GMPCs that were done well you would care to share? Any thoughts on what to avoid?
1) When I first created Baria in 1982 or thereabouts, there wasn't a lot of published campaign settings to choose from in the first place, so necessity was part of it. Certainly there weren't a lot of options for me to purchase growing up in remote Point Arena, where the closest real game store was a 2 hour drive away. That, and the D&D box had some really inspiring rules for building your campaign, and I was intrigued by how one creates a world. And once I started, I couldn't stop.
2) No difference at all. A GM who runs a PC in a game needs to divorce his emotions from the fact that it's a PC and treat that character as a PC. Every time I've seen a GM run a PC in a game they're running, it's been a failure to some degree.
2.5) Not really. I've done GMPCs myself, and it was a very unsatisfying experience. It's MUCH more satisfying to run NPCs as a GM.
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Creative Director
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And even with that much time spent designing and running adventures, the idea that no one else on the planet has anything that they could teach me about adventure design is alien to me. I like to think I'm a pretty good adventure writer, and most of what I've learned about writing adventures I learned from reading adventures written by other designers—it's not like there's a lot of RPG adventure design courses at school. And simply keeping to my own tiny group of players and my own design ideas tends to make me feel like my creativity is stagnating.
+1. I have picked up things from many of the posters here also, even the ones I normally don't agree with.
Yeah MDT and Seeker also. Don't either of you expect any more kind remarks though though. :)+1
Now if I only had time to use it all :)
My philosophy is that I'd rather NOT have time to use it all. I'd rather have a surplus than a shortage.
1. What made you decide to create Baria instead of running your adventures in an established world?When I first created Baria in 1982 or thereabouts, there wasn't a lot of published campaign settings to choose from in the first place, so necessity was part of it. Certainly there weren't a lot of options for me to purchase growing up in remote Point Arena, where the closest real game store was a 2 hour drive away. That, and the D&D box had some really inspiring rules for building your campaign, and I was intrigued by how one creates a world. And once I started, I couldn't stop.
I've always used material I've created from scratch, though for various reasons - back in AD&D days it was because I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted, and most recently it was because I needed a campaign that would fit an epic setting.
But I've realized over time that the reason I prefer using homegrown settings is because of two factors:
1. Since I made it all up, odds are good I can remember salient details without having to scrabble through sourcebooks.
2. With big blank areas, I can make stuff up on the fly during a game and make it fit in later. With an established setting you can't do that because things have to fit in in specific ways.
Note that in a homebrew campaign things are very different than in a published setting - everything revolves around one group of PCs, so the requirements are different.
My philosophy is that I'd rather NOT have time to use it all. I'd rather have a surplus than a shortage.I have picked up things from many of the posters here also, even the ones I normally don't agree with.
Yeah MDT and Seeker also. Don't either of you expect any more kind remarks though though. :)+1
Now if I only had time to use it all :)
Alas, me too, but that is not the way of my world. But for anyone who does want a surplus, I have two words for you: no kids :)
(though frankly I wouldn't trade my (!three!) for the world)