What are the odds of seeing an AP deal with Tar-Baphon?
Creative Director
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Do you think that with the exceptional job that was done codifying D&D into 3rd edition, we lost some of the required ability to adjudicate the corner cases the way we had to in previous editions? Or at least many of the new people coming into the game don't learn it?
In an increasing amount of GMs, I fear that the answer is yes, unfortunately. Although if the indications of such I see on messageboards is just a vocal minority is hard to say. In any case, whenever I answer questions I try to frame those answers in a way that encourages GMs to take the answers more as advice than as law, so that hopefully they'll be more comfortable making their own calls in game.
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Creative Director
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Now, my fellow Orc Fanatics are probably warming up a cauldron of hot oil to boil me alive with for this, but if you were to redo Pathfinder (I'm thinking maybe a decade from now, perhaps longer given how strong it's going?) would you stick the traditional 7 races (Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Halflings, Humans.) or would you make a 'break', going for new races (Humans, other races such as Ogres, Tengu, Vanir etc etc) and thus allowing the crew at Paizo to get some new creative juices flowing?
Don't get me wrong, I love Pathfinder, and while I do not in any way endorse the loss of our one and only 'Monstrous' Race, the Half-Orc, I can see a RPG that drifts away from the 'standard', Humans/Dwarves/Elves/Other and risked untested waters with non-European based mythological races instead.
Currently trying to dig up some Krynn books and trying to convert them to Pathfinder (Which is akin to trying to find hen's teeth amidst a rampage of agitated Cockatrices.) and the concept of breaking that 'all races must be pretty' concept that has slowly crept into every fantasy/sci-fi I encounter. I get pretty sells, but g~~~&!n, Worf wasn't pretty and the bastard is in more Star Trek series than any other character!
Give us our Fuglies, dammit!
If we were to redo Pathifnder, we'd keep the seven core races. Those seven are just too enmeshed in the game's tradition to abandon; doing so would anger and drive away WAY too many potential customers. Not a good idea to try to sell things to customers when the customers feel like you're trying to sell them something they don't want.
That said, I'd be more likely to just remove those additional races and go with a humans only set of core races before I tried to build a core game in which humans were accompanied by brand new race choices.
The place for alternative "other" core races is NOT in the core game—it's in specialized world settings other than the assumed core setting. For example, with the upcoming Dragon Empires gazetteer, we'll be detailing the continent of Tian Xia, and with that comes a new group of core races to stand along side humans that aren't elves and dwarves.
But making a non European-based fantasy RPG is a great way to marginalize your product. It might be unfortunate, but that's the way it is. Turns out, D&D is a tough act to replace.
Fortunately, the game's incredibly easy for any GM to adjust and change. If you want a game where the core races are humans, tengu, hobgoblins, orcs, kobolds, goblins, and grippli... go for it! You'll need to build your own world for them is the only problem...
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Creative Director
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Dear Mr. Jacobs
I have questions for a FREE MOD (like Zombie Panic, Sven Coop, They Hunger, USS Darkstar, etc..) using the Pathfinder rules.
If one were to make a FREE MOD using the pathfinder rules, would one need a license agreement with Paizo, with royalties to be payed, or would we be allowed to use the rules for free?
Would one be allowed to freely use the campaign setting, or would one need to make one up?
The reason for asking is that it was brought up in Plans For Pathfinder Computer Game and would like to see if the first hurdle can be passed (the hurdle of IP rights) and then proceed to making it in steps.
If you're simply using the Pathifnder rules, those rules are open. You need to follow the guidelines and rules for the Pathfinder RPG Compatibility License is all.
Note that that license does NOT allow the use of any Golarion-based content at all.
If you want to use anything from our campaign setting, you can either abide by the rules in the Community Use License, or you can contact us and try to get a license from us to do something special. Of course, since our campaign setting is pretty much one of Paizo's most precious resources, we don't grant such licenses lightly—they're very rare and have a lot of restrictions and generally are NOT handed out to just anyone.
Neither the Community Use nor the Compatibility licenses require any payments to use.
A special license with Paizo would, though.
Once video games get involved, though, things get a LOT more complicated. To the extent that I can't answer you—you might want to contact Jeff or Vic for advice there.
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Creative Director
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Two more prestige classes from Villains: Rebirth are up at d20pfrsrd.com:
Looking back, is there anything about these prestige classes you might want to change or do differently?
Ha! Cool.
I've got about a decade more experience at writing rules now, so there's a LOT I'd do different these days with those prestige classes. The first thing that would come to mind, though, would be that I'd want to incorporate more world flavor into them.
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Creative Director
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Thank you for the response, but unfortunately that means that it is impossible to wild shape into a Roc (Or any animal larger than Huge) of any kind, at any level then.
:(
That's correct, and I'm actually okay with that. It helps maintain their unique place and mystique among animals if they're that extreme.
Not every option should be available for use.
How do you go from saying that the codifying D&D to 3rd edition was exceptional to ranting about the ambiguity of it all? If you've been doing this for decades, then you should be comfortable with that ambiguity. I've been doing this for decades, and find that the current ruleset is far less ambiguous than in editions past. In fact, I find the over-reliance of codified rules to be as much a hindrance as they are an asset, because at least once a session, someone has to drag out a book to read and clarify an under-utilized rule. I don't mind having that ambiguity, as it means the decision is in my hands, and things can flow as I direct them. As a GM, why wouldn't you want that?
First off, I'm confused, since I never said the codifying of D&D to 3rd edition was exceptional. Nor did I rant about the ambiguity of anything.
Second, you make the assumption that I've been running D&D for those decades. I played AD&D some in college, but never ran it. I never ran D&D until 3rd edition. However, I've run HERO, GURPS, Shadowrun, White Wolf, Mech Warrior, and dozens of others over the years. Please don't assume that all people have the same history as you with RPGs. There are other RPGs than D&D/PF. :)
As a GM, I don't want any ambiguities that end up with people arguing over and over again at tables. In my experience, there's more time lost arguing over poorly written material and fuzzy rules interactions than there are to someone digging out a book to look up a rule.
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How do you go from saying that the codifying D&D to 3rd edition was exceptional to ranting about the ambiguity of it all? If you've been doing this for decades, then you should be comfortable with that ambiguity. I've been doing this for decades, and find that the current ruleset is far less ambiguous than in editions past. In fact, I find the over-reliance of codified rules to be as much a hindrance as they are an asset, because at least once a session, someone has to drag out a book to read and clarify an under-utilized rule. I don't mind having that ambiguity, as it means the decision is in my hands, and things can flow as I direct them. As a GM, why wouldn't you want that?
Even if mdt isn't in that thread, I assure you that when you find someone adamantly affirming that a bard using a bard performance while invisible get to use stealth + 40 (invisibility bonus when not moving) as the DC of locating him you would like a little less ambiguity in some rule.
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A James question:
In Golarion the divine spell users (adepts included) should chose a patron deity or they can follow a generic principle?
I am almost sure that following an actual divinity is needed but maybe it is only an effect of my preferences, and I misread something.
In particular the Oracle should chose one of the deities that rule his mystery or he can follow a group of multiple (and sometime scarcely compatible) gods?
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Creative Director
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A James question:
In Golarion the divine spell users (adepts included) should chose a patron deity or they can follow a generic principle?
I am almost sure that following an actual divinity is needed but maybe it is only an effect of my preferences, and I misread something.
In particular the Oracle should chose one of the deities that rule his mystery or he can follow a group of multiple (and sometime scarcely compatible) gods?
In Golairon, only clerics HAVE to pick a deity. That's what clerics are—deity worshipers.
Most other divine spellcaster classes CAN (and usually DO) choose patron deities, but they don't have to. They DO have to generally choose an established faith or philosophy or religion if they don't worship a deity.
Oracles are specifically unusual cases—they only rarely worship an actual deity—more often they worship groups of deities as pantheons. Furthermore, like sorcerers, oracles are great choices for characters who simply aren't sure how or where their magic powers come from—these two classes are the best choices if you want something like a classic superhero origin for your character. A sorcerer or oracle could gain her aberrant bloodline by being bitten by a radioactive spider, in other words
James what was your favorite 3.5 book to work on? I loved Lords of Madness above all others. I hope it was the inspiration for the also amazing "revisited" line.
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Creative Director
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James what was your favorite 3.5 book to work on? I loved Lords of Madness above all others. I hope it was the inspiration for the also amazing "revisited" line.
Fiendish Codex I was my favorite.
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk WOULD have been my favorite, if it wasn't for the delve format. The delve format is not fun to write for.
That said, I'm pretty proud of Lords of Madness, particularly the aboleth chapter.
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Creative Director
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why does the prd not have pathfinder campaigns but has just about everything else? whats a good starting campaign?
The rules themselves are part of the open gaming movement, and thus the more folks use those rules for their games, the better.
The campaign setting itself, though, is NOT part of the open gaming movement. It's our intellectual property, and it's actually the more valuable property to us at Paizo. We want to control it more tightly as a result, and that means it's not something we'll be opening up for anyone to build upon.
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk WOULD have been my favorite, if it wasn't for the delve format. The delve format is not fun to write for.
Or to read through. I've started to read Expedition to Undermountain six times, and I still get bored halfway through each time.
Um... a question... What is that sound? Where is it coming from?
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Creative Director
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Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk WOULD have been my favorite, if it wasn't for the delve format. The delve format is not fun to write for.Or to read through. I've started to read Expedition to Undermountain six times, and I still get bored halfway through each time.
Um... a question... What is that sound? Where is it coming from?
That sound is probably James Sutter eating some of his delicious chili peanuts.
James what was your favorite 3.5 book to work on? I loved Lords of Madness above all others. I hope it was the inspiration for the also amazing "revisited" line.Fiendish Codex I was my favorite.
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk WOULD have been my favorite, if it wasn't for the delve format. The delve format is not fun to write for.
That said, I'm pretty proud of Lords of Madness, particularly the aboleth chapter.
So when are we going to start seeing Azlant products so we can learn more about the Aboleth?
Even if mdt isn't in that thread, I assure you that when you find someone adamantly affirming that a bard using a bard performance while invisible get to use stealth + 40 (invisibility bonus when not moving) as the DC of locating him you would like a little less ambiguity in some rule.How do you go from saying that the codifying D&D to 3rd edition was exceptional to ranting about the ambiguity of it all? If you've been doing this for decades, then you should be comfortable with that ambiguity. I've been doing this for decades, and find that the current ruleset is far less ambiguous than in editions past. In fact, I find the over-reliance of codified rules to be as much a hindrance as they are an asset, because at least once a session, someone has to drag out a book to read and clarify an under-utilized rule. I don't mind having that ambiguity, as it means the decision is in my hands, and things can flow as I direct them. As a GM, why wouldn't you want that?
But in 2nd edition, there was ambiguity on what saving throw to roll to avoid a trap. Or how does this new subsystem interact with this other one (imagine if there was a book that introduce feats into the game, and then later one that introduced archetypes, and then one that changed the number of ability scores).
James what was your favorite 3.5 book to work on? I loved Lords of Madness above all others. I hope it was the inspiration for the also amazing "revisited" line.Fiendish Codex I was my favorite.
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk WOULD have been my favorite, if it wasn't for the delve format. The delve format is not fun to write for.
That said, I'm pretty proud of Lords of Madness, particularly the aboleth chapter.
I have the Ravenloft book, my buddy is running us through Undermountain and complaining about the lack of fluidity betwixt chapters, is this the "delve format" in action? What exactly is it, and what was the reasoning behind what appears to be such a haphazard way of conducting a module?
Hi James--
Thank you for your comment last week, I like to think I'm learning these things as I go along. : )
A question first:
What do you think would happen if Xanesha managed to assassinate Lord Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras? I am toying with the idea of adapting the Runelords AP to include some more political intrigue in amongst the Lovecraftian horror and good old-fashioned smushing of villains. I had a thought that perhaps I could have Haldmeer assassinated, which would embolden Korvosa and perhaps make Turtleback Ferry a flashpoint. What do you reckon?
...since all the PCs will be able to speak each other's language anyway (unless you're running one of those frustrating games where they don't)...
One of the myths told (and retold) among my gaming group is the story of the guy who played a mute paladin. His character was unable to communicate with the group and was Lawful Stupid. By all accounts it wasn't much fun for anyone and the campaign imploded very quickly.
--Mike
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Creative Director
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I have the Ravenloft book, my buddy is running us through Undermountain and complaining about the lack of fluidity betwixt chapters, is this the "delve format" in action? What exactly is it, and what was the reasoning behind what appears to be such a haphazard way of conducting a module?
The delve format is a way of presenting adventures in one or two page encounters where everything you need to run said encounter is right there on the page, including the map and the stats and all that. It works REALLY well for convention play, in particular (that's where the format was born, I believe), but it doesn't work well at all for ease of writing or for an enjoyable read. It also is very limiting when PCs trigger an encounter from a way that the adventure doesn't anticipate, and it makes encounters that spread across rooms really awkward. It also unnecessarily complicates simple encounters (by forcing them to fill at least a page) or truncates complex encounters (by forcing them to only appear on a 2 page spread).
NOTE: I've not looked at any 4th edition adventures at all, so it's possible that they've solved those problems, but in the closing days of 3.5, it was not a fun way to write or read adventures. And by extension, for me at least, not a fun way to play them.
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Creative Director
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What do you think would happen if Xanesha managed to assassinate Lord Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras? I am toying with the idea of adapting the Runelords AP to include some more political intrigue in amongst the Lovecraftian horror and good old-fashioned smushing of villains. I had a thought that perhaps I could have Haldmeer assassinated, which would embolden Korvosa and perhaps make Turtleback Ferry a flashpoint. What do you reckon?
Well... since Magnimar really doesn't play a very big role in Runelords overall... losing the mayor is not really all that huge a deal. And it robs you of being able to use that plot in a more Magnimar-focused adventure. Furthermore, involving Korvosa in the AP starts to make some weirdness as well, and would probably get to be a bit TOO distracting.
Try it out if you want, but keep in mind that it might derail your PCs into going to Korvosa or otherwise abandoning the main plot of Runelords.
I have the Ravenloft book, my buddy is running us through Undermountain and complaining about the lack of fluidity betwixt chapters, is this the "delve format" in action? What exactly is it, and what was the reasoning behind what appears to be such a haphazard way of conducting a module?The delve format is a way of presenting adventures in one or two page encounters where everything you need to run said encounter is right there on the page, including the map and the stats and all that. It works REALLY well for convention play, in particular (that's where the format was born, I believe), but it doesn't work well at all for ease of writing or for an enjoyable read. It also is very limiting when PCs trigger an encounter from a way that the adventure doesn't anticipate, and it makes encounters that spread across rooms really awkward. It also unnecessarily complicates simple encounters (by forcing them to fill at least a page) or truncates complex encounters (by forcing them to only appear on a 2 page spread).
Bolded for emphasis - that was the biggest headache I ran into every time I ran "Expedition to Castle Ravenloft".
The other problem was that information about how NPCs and monsters reacted to the players' presence, as well as information on treasure items and interactive room features, was sometimes split between the encounter page and the in-sequence room descriptions.
That inconvenience, combined with Castle Ravenloft's confusing system of staircases, made running that module exceedingly difficult - which is the main reason I sold it, since I have a legit PDF copy of I6 (courtesy of Paizo) and a set of 1E core books if my group ever gets the itch to play it again.
Will we ever see stats for the race of Matriarchal humaniods from the planet Castrovel the green or any of the planets anytime soon?
What is your favorite type of evil outsider? Giant? Fey? and if you have a favorite type of Familiar?
If and when you guys do stat out monsters/races/places from the other planets, wich planet is the most likely for you guys to do first?
What are your prefered class(es) to play as a player character? and why?
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James, we've seen an AP that had a big emphasis on Elves. How about some of the other core races such as Dwarves, or maybe Gnomes?Maybe someday. Although I'm still not keen on dwarves...
I dislike elves with a passion, however I loved the Second Darkness AP. I hope, when the stars are right, we'll see a dwarven AP.
Assuming you were to work on a dwarven AP, knowing you can portray the dwarves however you want, what would you do? How would you mitigate your dislike for them? And what theme would it take (ie. demon worship in SD, fiery apocalypse in LoF)?
Other than RPG Superstar, what is the best way a hopeful like myself could break into the RPG business? It may be writing, development, art, or some other means.
Other than RPG Superstar, what is the best way a hopeful like myself could break into the RPG business? It may be writing, development, art, or some other means.
Find the address of Paizo and then get yourself some lockpicks......oh wait you meant something different.
Other than RPG Superstar, what is the best way a hopeful like myself could break into the RPG business? It may be writing, development, art, or some other means.Find the address of Paizo and then get yourself some lockpicks......oh wait you meant something different.
Were it a class skill, I would definitely get in that way.
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Other than RPG Superstar, what is the best way a hopeful like myself could break into the RPG business? It may be writing, development, art, or some other means.
Paizo itself, there's the open call for PFS. Other possibilities are magazines like Kobold Quarterly, or approaching a 3pp. With PDF it's actually possible to self publish, although that's probably a more difficult way.
PFS, rpg superstar and kq were all discussed at Paizocon, the recordings are all going up at 35privatesanctuary.com, as well as a couple of other places
In reference to this post/thread
Support and interest from lots of potential customers is the BEST way to convince us to do any book. Alas, support and interest from a smaller subset of customers is not. It's a battle, that's for sure!
Would it be possible to do some What-would-you-like questionnaire (perhaps on the blog)? Kinda detail 20-odd or so ideas for campaign setting, player companion materials; then see what the top-5 is that people vote for?
Though... I can see that backfiring in various ways...
I suspect a primary cause that 3.0 started a trend that is at this point irreversible. mainly that of Players having more rulebooks than GM's. In first and 2nd edition the players mostly had one rulebook, whereas the DM's were the ones that had them all. But the builder aspect of 3.X opened up the floodgates to books that were oriented around player options and since there are a lot more players than GM's publishers started catering to that larger market. 3.X gave players a sense of entitlement because the fact that they had more rulebooks on thier side than the average GM. There definitely does seem to be a growing sense of player entitlement and a lot less willingness to defer to a GM's ruling. Some folks seem to think of these boards as some form of appeals court for a GM decision they're having problems accepting.
Have to strongly disagree here...on a couple of points.
1) Any book is useable by the GM. In a game where the best enemy are people with class levels...any book the player's can use becomes even more valueable to the GM.
2) 2nd edition had waaay more player's option books than the GM had rule books. Actualy looking at my complete 3rd ed collection I have to say it is more even in the ratio of what is considered player's books and what is considered GM only book.
3) I and most players I know have no issues defering to a good GM's ruling....the problem is there are so very few good gms out there...though more unfortunaly there are very few 'bad' gms who actualy want to get better.
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Creative Director
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Will we ever see stats for the race of Matriarchal humaniods from the planet Castrovel the green or any of the planets anytime soon?
What is your favorite type of evil outsider? Giant? Fey? and if you have a favorite type of Familiar?
If and when you guys do stat out monsters/races/places from the other planets, wich planet is the most likely for you guys to do first?
What are your prefered class(es) to play as a player character? and why?
"Will we ever... anytime soon"? That's a built in contradiction in your very question! To answer as best I can... probably. We've got plans for the other planets, but it'll take time to get there.
My favorite evil outsiders are demons. Qlippoth come in a close second. Favorite giant = a tie between marsh and rune giants. Favorite fey = nymph. Favorite familiar = lizard (hence Seoni's familiar).
We've already statted out a few from other planets (see Pathfinder #14), but as for which one is next? Can't say... they're all equally compelling, but Akiton and Castrovel, being the other planets we talk about the most, are the logical first in line choices.
Bard. They're fun, they have a cool swashbuckler vibe, have entertaining spells, have a LOT of cool roleplay options, and are really handy to have in a big party. Clerics and rogues are tied for second place.
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Creative Director
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Assuming you were to work on a dwarven AP, knowing you can portray the dwarves however you want, what would you do? How would you mitigate your dislike for them? And what theme would it take (ie. demon worship in SD, fiery apocalypse in LoF)?
If I were to portray dwarves how I want, I suspect all the dwarf fans would rebel and the AP would fail. Which is no good for anyone.
How do I mitigate something like that? By turning over the bulk of that work to another capable AP developer like Rob McCreary.
In any case, a dwarf AP is not something we've done a lot of thought about yet, so I don't really have much to say about its themes or anything like that.
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Creative Director
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I did want to ask you though, what about the setting did you specifically not like? Or was it the entire setting just bothered you?
Also, where did I leave my glasses?
Taking the second question first... you left them on in the biohazard lab. You'll probably want to buy new ones.
As for Eberron... there were a lot of things, but it boils down to the fact that it just didn't feel like D&D. The introduction of all the new races made it feel like something different that I wasn't all that interested in, and the transformation of established concepts into entirely new things (drow as jungle dwellers, halflings into dinosaur riders, orcs into not-orcs, planes into planets) basically took all the things I loved about D&D and arbitrarily changed them. Then put them into a setting that had a lot of internal illogical stuff, like having SUPER powerful magical effects in common, everyday life (lightning trains, cities like Sharn with mile high towers, etc.) but not having any high level spellcasters around to explain where that stuff came from.
Also, renaming a tyrannosaurus into a "swordtooth titan" was incredibly disappointing. The idea that dinosaurs need to be renamed because there's no latin in a world is fundamentally flawed. There's no native Americans in Eberron... so why didn't they rename coyotes into "Slinklurk Deserthounds"?
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Creative Director
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Other than RPG Superstar, what is the best way a hopeful like myself could break into the RPG business? It may be writing, development, art, or some other means.
Make a name for yourself anywhere you can; beyond RPG superstar, send in proposals for Pathfinder Society scenarios. Write for other RPG products like Kobold Quarterly. Go to conventions and attend seminars and chat with industry professionals. Self publish your own work using the various open game licenses. Get involved with a patron project at Open Design. Read, play, and write game material. Hone those skills with scholastic pursuits (such as getting an English degree at college). And don't give up just because your first few submissions are rejected.
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Creative Director
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In reference to this post/thread
Support and interest from lots of potential customers is the BEST way to convince us to do any book. Alas, support and interest from a smaller subset of customers is not. It's a battle, that's for sure!Would it be possible to do some What-would-you-like questionnaire (perhaps on the blog)? Kinda detail 20-odd or so ideas for campaign setting, player companion materials; then see what the top-5 is that people vote for?
Though... I can see that backfiring in various ways...
I think questionnaires and surveys are a pretty good idea, but that's not my department.
Bard. They're fun, they have a cool swashbuckler vibe, have entertaining spells, have a LOT of cool roleplay options, and are really handy to have in a big party. Clerics and rogues are tied for second place.
it... it's like i don't even know you anymore...