Cat, obviously.
Would Meri and Kyra adopt a dog or a cat?Cat.
I would high five you but I am aware of how that might seem insensitive to a t-rex.
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I would high five you but I am aware of how that might seem insensitive to a t-rex.Would Meri and Kyra adopt a dog or a cat?Cat.
More to the point... please keep posts to this thread to questions for me so that it's easier for me to keep up to date on the thread.
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Hi Mr Jacobs! Thanks for all the hard work, it really brings me joy to play such a rich setting.
I'm curious about Ushers - how autonomous from Pharasma are they? Let us say, a follower of the coolest Usher (Imot) - is he bound to Pharasma prejudices against undead? We have such devotee, an Imot-made duskwalker and I could totally see him tomb robbing/dealing with mummies and liches in his quest to understand ancient disasters, perhaps including the one he tried to prevent in a past life. And, if Imot would still favor him, would Pharasma curse said character regardless? Could Pharasma get angry at poor Imot too?
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Hi Mr Jacobs! Thanks for all the hard work, it really brings me joy to play such a rich setting.
I'm curious about Ushers - how autonomous from Pharasma are they? Let us say, a follower of the coolest Usher (Imot) - is he bound to Pharasma prejudices against undead? We have such devotee, an Imot-made duskwalker and I could totally see him tomb robbing/dealing with mummies and liches in his quest to understand ancient disasters, perhaps including the one he tried to prevent in a past life. And, if Imot would still favor him, would Pharasma curse said character regardless? Could Pharasma get angry at poor Imot too?
That's all up to the GM to adjust as needed. One thing about the deities is that they work in mysterious ways, as per the old saying. What might get one worshiper in trouble wouldn't get another in a different circumstance. I avoid giving out absolutes in these cases, because I don't want to imply that there's only one right solution. It has to be tailored for each character in each campaign for what the story needs.
Q.: If my PCs would like to recruit "refugees" in Absalom to resettle them in Ravounel, what type of folks might they find there? My only idea was (mostly human) refugees from Lastwall and Ratfolk from the "sewers". Any other ideas?
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Q.: If my PCs would like to recruit "refugees" in Absalom to resettle them in Ravounel, what type of folks might they find there? My only idea was (mostly human) refugees from Lastwall and Ratfolk from the "sewers". Any other ideas?
Any ancestry the GM wants. That's kind of one of the whole points about Absalom. Otherwise I'd suggest checking out the 400 page book we recently published on Absalom for more info.
The word "refugee" isn't the right one though, I think, in this case.
Are you doing anything for PaizoCon?
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Are you doing anything for PaizoCon?
I won't be at the physical show.
I'm currently scheduled for two one-hour streaming seminars on Saturday, but that's it. I will probably be on Discord to answer questions and chat, but last year, there was pretty much zero engagement on Discord for me, so if it looks the same this year I might instead just work normal on Friday and then just spend it as normal a weekend as I can.
Hello Mr. Jacobs!
I have a question regarding the Iron Gods player guide, it recommends blight druid as a good archetype--could I ask why it is it recommends this? Cause I have heard two people tell tales of how badly playing an android blight druid went with them, and after reading and running one myself, it seems as though not a lot syncs up in the AP beyond several situations within 2 and 4.
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Hello Mr. Jacobs!
I have a question regarding the Iron Gods player guide, it recommends blight druid as a good archetype--could I ask why it is it recommends this? Cause I have heard two people tell tales of how badly playing an android blight druid went with them, and after reading and running one myself, it seems as though not a lot syncs up in the AP beyond several situations within 2 and 4.
Because a lot of Numeria is polluted and distorted and toxic, so thematically it's a good match. The suggestion is more a thematic one than a "these rules will give you an advantage" one. I guess. It's been many many years since I wrote that player's guide though. But I can say that often the players' guides were things that had to be generated at the last minute in a rush under not great circumstances to satiate a need that was often impossible to meet. We've gotten better since then at staging these things so that they're not completely disruptive to the schedule, and hopefully that means they're a bit more helpful in the long run.
Sorry if this is somewhere else on the site, how do we get the chance to interact with you on Discord?
Is there a particular link?
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Sorry if this is somewhere else on the site, how do we get the chance to interact with you on Discord?
Is there a particular link?
If it's like Paizocon last year, there'll be AMA threads where you can ask me questions on Discord, or if you see me active on Discord during Paizocon, drop by to say hi. We only maintain that during Paizocon though; it's not an "always on" thing.
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Q.: If my PCs would like to recruit "refugees" in Absalom to resettle them in Ravounel, what type of folks might they find there? My only idea was (mostly human) refugees from Lastwall and Ratfolk from the "sewers". Any other ideas?Any ancestry the GM wants. That's kind of one of the whole points about Absalom. Otherwise I'd suggest checking out the 400 page book we recently published on Absalom for more info.
The word "refugee" isn't the right one though, I think, in this case.
I rephrase the question.
Are there any preexisting large "refugees" living in Absalom or somewhere else in Golarion?I am mainly asking, because my PCs have the land to "colonize" it, but don't have the funds to hire "workers".
I already have an idea for resettle a large group of ratfolk, who used to live in the sewers because they had nowhere else to go. It is easy to come up with "Ancestry" based ideas, I am struggling with the political ones.
In your personal head cannon do you think
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
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Are there any preexisting large "refugees" living in Absalom or somewhere else in Golarion?
I am mainly asking, because my PCs have the land to "colonize" it, but don't have the funds to hire "workers".
I already have an idea for resettle a large group of ratfolk, who used to live in the sewers because they had nowhere else to go. It is easy to come up with "Ancestry" based ideas, I am struggling with the political ones.
The biggest recent influx of refugees in Absalom are those who fled the destruction of Lastwall.
I suggest looking at Kingmaker for a framework on how you can run a society-building campaign—we've got the new 2nd edition version coming out later this year, but the original works just as well as a source of inspiration and ideas for how to tackle this project.
And as an aside—using words like "colonize"... especially when you put them in quotes to make it look like you're using the word as a euphemism for something else... tends to make me less interested in engaging in a back and forth, because the word "colonize" has become associated with some awful and dark and genocidal times in my head as far as North America history goes. It also rubs up against topics of slavery, fair treatment to workers, and other things that have weighed heavy on my mind the past year. So it's really difficult for me to get into a discussion here about the topic when I can't trust that you're not actually asking me for advice on how to run a game where PCs enslave a bunch of ratfolk to force them to build a nation for them to live in.
I've taken the stance that you're NOT doing that, and that you ARE asking in good faith, because you do note that you're struggling with the political elements of the idea. I apologize in advance for implying you don't in that case, but it's the reality I live in now where I have to really look at messages like these to try to sort out the actual intent of the question.
SO: My advice overall is "Look at Kingmaker, then make the choices you know your table is comfortable with, but know those choices might not be comfortable with other gamers, employees at Paizo, or myself." Sorry if that all came off a bit antagonistic, but the use of "colony" in quotes really triggered my suspicion about the intent of what was being looked for here. Remember that when you post online, I don't know you at all and only have what you put in the post to figure out what's going on.
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In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
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In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
Does that mean
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Does that mean ** spoiler omitted **In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
Nope. I'm assuming that PCs did the deed. Apart from him being canonically dead in the setting, though, there's not much more to say in print about HOW he died. That story's done. Maybe some day someone else will want to bring him back or do more with him, but I have nothing more to say about Deskari myself and consider his fate in Wrath of the Righteous (and the resulting restoration of Sarkoris) to be my definitive take on it.
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I noticed that Kingmaker(2nd edition) will have 11 chapters, yet the 1st edition only has 6. Does this mean that there is new content in addition to the known new expansions Prologue, Epilogue, Season of Bloom, and Candlemere Dungeon?
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I noticed that Kingmaker(2nd edition) will have 11 chapters, yet the 1st edition only has 6. Does this mean that there is new content in addition to the known new expansions Prologue, Epilogue, Season of Bloom, and Candlemere Dungeon?
There's been a lot of reorganization. We've added 4 new chapters—a prologue, an adventure between Rivers Run Red and Varnhold Vanishing (Season of Bloom), an adventure between War of the River Kings and Sound of a Thousand Screams (the two deepest Candlemere dungeon levels), and an epilogue adventure at the very end. That brings us up to 10 chapters. The 11th one is a chapter that gathers all the Hex Encounters from all 6 adventures (including more robust ones like the Sootscale caves and the Isle of the Lizard King) into a single chapter.
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Korvosa question (especially with the new adventure coming out):
Is there any backstory or history yet to be revealed regarding The Avenue of Arms?
Was it completely a Mike McArtor creation and there's just nothing likely ever moving forward in publication (never say 'never,' of course)?
Was it something you had a background for and asked him to put it into Korvosa for later use and it has just not yet come up?
Please tell us as much as you can about The Avenue of Arms.
THANKS so much for your consideration!
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Korvosa question (especially with the new adventure coming out):
Is there any backstory or history yet to be revealed regarding The Avenue of Arms?
Was it completely a Mike McArtor creation and there's just nothing likely ever moving forward in publication (never say 'never,' of course)?
Was it something you had a background for and asked him to put it into Korvosa for later use and it has just not yet come up?
Please tell us as much as you can about The Avenue of Arms.
THANKS so much for your consideration!
That was a Mike creation. The original idea was that all of the major cities of Varisia would be built around a significant Thassilonian ruin—Irespan for Magnimar, Cyphergate for Riddleport, and the Grand Mastaba for Korvosa. Mike added several more minor mystery ruins as well, of which the Avenue of Arms was one of them. Since "Curse of the Crimson Throne" was being written at the same time as the "Guide to Korvosa" we tried to sync up as much as we could, but a lot of the extra elements Mike added (like the Avenue) ended up not fitting into that campaign's plot. So for now... At this point we've got no plans to expand on it.
(Sutter made Kaer Maga its own giant thing; that city wasn't originally part of my vision for Varisia and unlike the other three cities isn't an export from my homebrew, so it stands out a bit from the rest. Love it!)
I seem to remember somebody from Paizo, I don't remember who, saying that one of the intents in second edition was to have fewer classes than first edition did. Is that still a goal?
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Does the Avenue of Arms date back to the founding of Korvosa by Chelaxians, or is it older (or for that matter newer) than that?
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Does the Avenue of Arms date back to the founding of Korvosa by Chelaxians, or is it older (or for that matter newer) than that?
It's much older, but we haven't said how much older or why no one's figured it out yet. No plans to do so anytime soon either as far as I know. (Not every mystery we posit in print has a planned answer.)
How does Iomedae think of Aranzi?
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Does that mean ** spoiler omitted **In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
Nope. I'm assuming that PCs did the deed. Apart from him being canonically dead in the setting, though, there's not much more to say in print about HOW he died. That story's done. Maybe some day someone else will want to bring him back or do more with him, but I have nothing more to say about Deskari myself and consider his fate in Wrath of the Righteous (and the resulting restoration of Sarkoris) to be my definitive take on it.
** spoiler omitted **
Wait so the Pathfinder Society scenario isn't a part of the canon?
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Wait so the Pathfinder Society scenario isn't a part of the canon?Does that mean ** spoiler omitted **In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
Nope. I'm assuming that PCs did the deed. Apart from him being canonically dead in the setting, though, there's not much more to say in print about HOW he died. That story's done. Maybe some day someone else will want to bring him back or do more with him, but I have nothing more to say about Deskari myself and consider his fate in Wrath of the Righteous (and the resulting restoration of Sarkoris) to be my definitive take on it.
** spoiler omitted **
I'm not up to speed on all of those, and I have no idea what scenario you're talking about. They're certainly part of canon for that campaign, and when I develop content for publication I do my best to make sure to take in the elements of all the different things we've previously published to minimize conflicts, but for responses to this thread you don't get that. You get a peak into my personal opinions, thoughts, and ideas about the setting before they're developed, edited, fact checked, given a sensitivity pass, and all of that.
In this case, I'm answering what I believe to be true and how it would be if I was the only person making decisions on world canon.
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Korvosa question (especially with the new adventure coming out):
Is there any backstory or history yet to be revealed regarding The Avenue of Arms?
Was it completely a Mike McArtor creation and there's just nothing likely ever moving forward in publication (never say 'never,' of course)?
Was it something you had a background for and asked him to put it into Korvosa for later use and it has just not yet come up?
Please tell us as much as you can about The Avenue of Arms.
THANKS so much for your consideration!
That was a Mike creation. The original idea was that all of the major cities of Varisia would be built around a significant Thassilonian ruin—Irespan for Magnimar, Cyphergate for Riddleport, and the Grand Mastaba for Korvosa. Mike added several more minor mystery ruins as well, of which the Avenue of Arms was one of them. Since "Curse of the Crimson Throne" was being written at the same time as the "Guide to Korvosa" we tried to sync up as much as we could, but a lot of the extra elements Mike added (like the Avenue) ended up not fitting into that campaign's plot. So for now... At this point we've got no plans to expand on it.
(Sutter made Kaer Maga its own giant thing; that city wasn't originally part of my vision for Varisia and unlike the other three cities isn't an export from my homebrew, so it stands out a bit from the rest. Love it!)
Curious btw, whats up with Janderhoff in this regard? Was it by anybody particular or was it just there as part of seeding dwarven cities around the world?
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Curious btw, whats up with Janderhoff in this regard? Was it by anybody particular or was it just there as part of seeding dwarven cities around the world?Korvosa question (especially with the new adventure coming out):
Is there any backstory or history yet to be revealed regarding The Avenue of Arms?
Was it completely a Mike McArtor creation and there's just nothing likely ever moving forward in publication (never say 'never,' of course)?
Was it something you had a background for and asked him to put it into Korvosa for later use and it has just not yet come up?
Please tell us as much as you can about The Avenue of Arms.
THANKS so much for your consideration!
That was a Mike creation. The original idea was that all of the major cities of Varisia would be built around a significant Thassilonian ruin—Irespan for Magnimar, Cyphergate for Riddleport, and the Grand Mastaba for Korvosa. Mike added several more minor mystery ruins as well, of which the Avenue of Arms was one of them. Since "Curse of the Crimson Throne" was being written at the same time as the "Guide to Korvosa" we tried to sync up as much as we could, but a lot of the extra elements Mike added (like the Avenue) ended up not fitting into that campaign's plot. So for now... At this point we've got no plans to expand on it.
(Sutter made Kaer Maga its own giant thing; that city wasn't originally part of my vision for Varisia and unlike the other three cities isn't an export from my homebrew, so it stands out a bit from the rest. Love it!)
Janderhoff and Celwynvian are both exports from my homebrew as well, but not being human settlements, they had their own roles to play apart from Magnimar, Korvosa, and Riddleport (also worth noting that those three cities are intended to represent the three alignments—good with Magnimar, neutral with Korvosa, and evil with Riddleport, and ALSO the other three alignments—lawful with Korvosa, neutral for Magnimar, and Chaotic for Riddleport). Those initial themes dissolved pretty quickly once Kaer-Maga entered the picture though and made that sort of philosophy kind of unworkable.
Wait so the Pathfinder Society scenario isn't a part of the canon?Does that mean ** spoiler omitted **In your personal head cannon do you think
[/spoiler= Wrath of the Righteous]that Alderpash was able to escape the Ivory Labyrinth? Baphomet is listed as a Demon Lord in Gods & Magic, so cannonacally he wasn't killed by the PCs. [/spoiler]
If he did escape, what do you think he would be up to? Did he accept the offer at redemption?
Baphomet is not dead. He was defeated in Wrath, but you have to do some stunts to make sure a demon lord stays dead. In Baphomet's case, he avoided the long death and is still a demon lord, which is why we listed him as such in Gods & Magic. This isn't just my head canon, but actual Golarion canon for 2nd edition.
You'll note that Deskari is NOT mentioned in the book, because canonically, he is for sure dead.
Nope. I'm assuming that PCs did the deed. Apart from him being canonically dead in the setting, though, there's not much more to say in print about HOW he died. That story's done. Maybe some day someone else will want to bring him back or do more with him, but I have nothing more to say about Deskari myself and consider his fate in Wrath of the Righteous (and the resulting restoration of Sarkoris) to be my definitive take on it.
** spoiler omitted **
I'm not up to speed on all of those, and I have no idea what scenario you're talking about. They're certainly part of canon for that campaign, and when I develop content for publication I do my best to make sure to take in the elements of all the different things we've previously published to minimize conflicts, but for responses to this thread you don't get that. You get a peak into my personal opinions, thoughts, and ideas about the setting before they're developed, edited, fact checked, given a sensitivity pass, and all of that.
In this case,...
That honestly answers my question. I may have worded it really weirdly but you did answer it. Thanks for answering it. I appreciate it.
What is Celwynvian like in current time Golarion?
Do you have any ideas on the fate of the Key of Geb that was mentioned in AP #141 now that Gallowspire is gone? It feels like a very big loose thread that was set and hasn't had any follow up yet.
James,
Have you given any thought to publishing further elements from the "Whispers in Ravounel" campaign that gave rise to the Malevolence adventure?
I'm specifically thinking of details on Crook(ed) Cove and the wilderlands around that area.
We're looking at playing Malevolence when our current campaign runs its course and it feels like it would work better if there were some support for actions outside the manor.
I'm assuming that none of these details have made it into print, so I'll have to homebrew anything I want to use, but thought I'd ask nonetheless.