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Paizo Employee Creative Director

Varisian Wanderer wrote:

Heya James Jacobs,

I had an idea the other night for a drow worshiper of Nocticula who prefers to worship her in male form, as Our Lord in Shadow. This normally would probably just be personal preference on the worshiper's part, seeing as how Nocticula changes form and gender so easily, but within the society of the dark elves, it could cause quite a stir for those who learn of it.

The cleric in question would likely worship her in such a way due to holding a grudge against the matriarchy. I envisioned a leader of a heresy among the drow who wages a sort of semi-secret, underground, dark crusade against the female nobility. While it may not mean much to the demons, it could be quite a blasphemy among the drow matriarchy.

Would Nocticula allow or sponsor such a heresy, considering the secret shadow war it could cause, and the assassinations, strife, chaos, seduction, conversion, and murder to follow? Or is the whole thing kind of moot, since she changes form and gender so frequently and easily? For example, would the drow in question merely be ridiculed for not knowing his demonic lore? Would such a personal preference be enough to cause a schism in her cult among the drow? With spells like commune and such, the cleric in question could eventually ask Nocticula herself, so that might throw a kink into things.

I just thought it was a kind of neat idea! How would you handle something like this in a campaign?

She would absolutely sponsor such worship. In fact, having this be part of a drow society is probably the best way to have it work as an actual heresy, since you have a matriarchal demon worshiping society right there. As for commune... keep in mind that Nocticula is not only the one answering those questions, but she (he!) is chaotic and as such could well simply decide to answer in a way to sow more chaos.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Icyshadow wrote:
Why do people keep asking you rules questions when it's been made clear that you are NOT the rules guy?

Because of the magic combination of:

1) Despite not being Jason or on the design, I've worked with them more or less every day in the context of adventures (where the rules are put through their paces all the time!), and as such still consider myself to be pretty good at answering rules questions... even if they sometimes annoy me with how pedantic they are.

2) I stay pretty caught up on answering questions on this thread.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Immortal wizards have plenty more to research. New and better spells.
Even after 1,000+ years?

Yup. Spells have been around in Golarion for WELL over 10,000 years—at that point in history, Azlant was falling after a long run, but even BEFORE Azlant there were spellcasting cyclopes and serpentfolk and aboleths and more. Yet there's still new spells being invented today. So... yeah. Always new spells. I suspect some of them are forgotten and "re-invented" now and then.

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Transmuting materials (like lead into gold).
Or simply how to lower or negate the gp costs of permanent spells. Could a wizard use genie wishes to pay for the cost of permanency spells and such?
Perhaps, but as we cover in Pathfinder #24, abuse of genie wishes can cause even bigger problems than spellcasting poverty.
AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
At this point, true names don't provide much more, although we talk about them a bit more, I think, in the Books of the Damned.

They don't say much more even there.

Say...would true names make the binding spell more difficult to resist?

They could.

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
"Perfectly bound elementals" are usually the result of a binding spell, or if not that, GM/adventure writing fiat.

That's a shame there isn't more detail, because I really want to know how to make earth elementals into construction slaves. It can't really do much in the area of a binding spell.

Or can it? How big can the confined area of a hedged prison be?

We can't go into more detail on every aspect of the game. In any event, binding absolutely could be used to make earth elementals into construction slaves. Heck, planar binding or planar calling can do the same. You don't need earth elemental construction workers after the consruction project is done, after all, and even if it DOES last longer than the spell, you can always just cast it again.

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Spells. Things like walls of force, magic circles, prismatic spheres, and the like [are used to protect wizards from bound outsiders].
What if said wizard has a succubus summoned as a playmate? And what would be the point of a ceustodaemon if it can't attack intruders because it's stuck in a magic circle?

Again... planar binding and planar ally and the various similar spells are probably what you want here—those are PRECISELY the spells you'd use to conjure up fiends to be playmates or to send out to attack enemies.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Malag wrote:

Mr. James Jacob,

I am trying to figure out if additional bonuses from feats/traits or spells even grant those bonuses on overcoming Spell Resistance of creatures?

Example: Level 3 Wizard casts Magic Missile
He has Varisian Tattoo as a feat so his caster level with Evocations is +4 in total.
Is his caster level check Vs SR 1d20+3 or 1d20+4?

Thank you up in front for answering the question.

Yup; that's one of the ways increasing caster level helps.

Liberty's Edge

We love you James, even when we disagree with your rulings and they are always useful.

Another question about "wielding":

Two-Weapon Defense wrote:


Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC.

When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this shield bonus increases to +2.

For me this feat require you to be actively using your weapon, i.e. try to hit someone or use the full defense option.

Other people say "off turn you aren't attacking, so if actively using your weapon is a requirement you would not get the AC benefit off turn. So it work even if you are casting a spell, running around or doing other things."

What is your opinion?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

doc the grey wrote:
Are there any ways to cure lycanthrope in pathfinder if the target has been afflicted for more then 3 days? I know in 3.5 you could pull it off with break enchantment or another spell but when checking your guys stuff it seems to no longer be the case, is that a misprint or the new norm?

Eating wolfsbane can cure lycanthropy regardless of how long it's been around.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Thomas LeBlanc wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
NO one likes mites.

Thou speakst too quick sir!

Mites are one of my favorite creatures. They have googly eyes and get all sorts of nifty creepy crawly critters. I even ran a mite centric campaign (complete with mite based players guide). I want more mites! And they have their own entry and not lumped in with the gremlins.

You just like the ARTWORK of the mites. Trust me... if there were mites in your house... you'd not like them.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Diego Rossi wrote:

We love you James, even when we disagree with your rulings and theya re always useful.

Another question about "wielding":

Two-Weapon Defense wrote:


Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC.

When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this shield bonus increases to +2.

For me this feat require you to be actively using your weapon, i.e. try to hit someone or use the full defense option.

Other people say "off turn you aren't attacking, so if actively using your weapon is a requirement you would not get the AC benefit off turn. So it work even if you are casting a spell, running around or doing other things."

What is your opinion?

In order to gain the benefits of total defense... even if those benefits aren't happening on your turn... you have to take the total defense action first. If you take total defense, you gain the +2 shield bonus in this case until your next turn... but not before, and not if you haven't done total defense in the last round.

If you could gain a +2 shield bonus all the time like that, we would have said so, or we wouldn't have brought up fighting defensively at all in the first place.

A classic example of willful overinterpretation of the rules.

The Exchange

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Hey, James. Quick question.

With the Mythic rules coming down the pipes, I was wondering:

If you had the opportunity, would you remake any adventure paths to include those rules? I think Legacy of Fire would make a pretty good candidate myself.

Since you probably won't be doing that, do you know if there will be any suggestions from either in the Mythic Adventures book or perhaps the blog or something for doing that type of conversion oneself?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xevious573 wrote:

Hey, James. Quick question.

With the Mythic rules coming down the pipes, I was wondering:

If you had the opportunity, would you remake any adventure paths to include those rules? I think Legacy of Fire would make a pretty good candidate myself.

Since you probably won't be doing that, do you know if there will be any suggestions from either in the Mythic Adventures book or perhaps the blog or something for doing that type of conversion oneself?

Nope.

I'd rather make NEW adventures with mythic rules. I'd certainly consider sequel adventure paths that used mythic rules... but just because the mythic rules are coming doesn't mean we want to abandon the game that we already have.

One way I think you could probably use mythic rules for adventure paths right out the gate with very little conversion at all is to run an AP with only one or maybe only 2 players. Let them be mythic and then take on an entire AP on their own!

Dark Archive

1) If no-one likes mites, how would the mites react to someone acting friendly towards them?

2) Since there is no Blood-War between the demons and devils, does that mean they occationally work together? either due to having the same goals or being forced by the more powerful party to?

3)how would the natives of the good aligned planes react to a mortal traveling them trying to learn more about the universe?

3b) how would it be different if this individual was evil but not obviously so?

4) how many paizonian's have the goblin plush? I bet its popular...


1)Do you have any interest in seeing "ParaNorman", "Hotel Transylvania", or "Frankenwenie"?

2)When will we find out the full list of cryptyds in the Mysterious Monsters Revisited book?

3)Last time I asked you if the Innersea Bestiary had a familiar option and you said there was one, does that still stand?

4)Are there any creatures of the swarm subtype in the Innersea Bestiary?

5)What are your top 5 arcade games?

6)Are there any foods you can't have(because of allergies) or that are too nasty?

7)Were there any sports/activities that you liked to play as a kid? Any favorite Board Games?

Liberty's Edge

James Jacobs wrote:
Diego Rossi wrote:

We love you James, even when we disagree with your rulings and theya re always useful.

Another question about "wielding":

Two-Weapon Defense wrote:


Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC.

When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this shield bonus increases to +2.

For me this feat require you to be actively using your weapon, i.e. try to hit someone or use the full defense option.

Other people say "off turn you aren't attacking, so if actively using your weapon is a requirement you would not get the AC benefit off turn. So it work even if you are casting a spell, running around or doing other things."

What is your opinion?

In order to gain the benefits of total defense... even if those benefits aren't happening on your turn... you have to take the total defense action first. If you take total defense, you gain the +2 shield bonus in this case until your next turn... but not before, and not if you haven't done total defense in the last round.

If you could gain a +2 shield bonus all the time like that, we would have said so, or we wouldn't have brought up fighting defensively at all in the first place.

A classic example of willful overinterpretation of the rules.

I think my question was badly phrased. The doubt is about:

"Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC."
People claim that you get the +1 shield AC bonus even if you are casting a spell, running or whatever, you only need to hold a double weapon or two weapons in your hands and have the feat and you are ok.

Actually the idea is that you only need to have armor spikes and any other weapon (and the feat) and you are ok,

Shadow Lodge

I'm working on a dragon-themed tiefling. If I take the tiefling 2x claws, can I use the draconic bloodline claws to increase the claw count to 4, and use my feet as the limbs to deliver the attacks?


Oh hey, that's one of the questions where a lot of people think it works by the rules, but are wondering about the intent. By a lot, I mean at least 3.


James,

Two questions.

If a character were under the effects of true seeing and approached a wall whereupon a portable hole had been draped, what would the character see?

Portable Hole:

Portable Hole

Aura strong conjuration; CL 12th

Slot none; Price 20,000 gp; Weight —

Description

A portable hole is a circle of cloth spun from the webs of a phase spider interwoven with strands of ether and beams of starlight, resulting in a portable extradimensional space. When opened fully, a portable hole is 6 feet in diameter, but it can be folded up to be as small as a pocket handkerchief. When spread upon any surface, it causes an extradimensional space 10 feet deep to come into being. This hole can be picked up from inside or out by simply taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up. Either way, the entrance disappears, but anything inside the hole remains, traveling with the item.

The only air in the hole is that which enters when the hole is opened. It contains enough air to supply one Medium creature or two Small creatures for 10 minutes. The cloth does not accumulate weight even if its hole is filled. Each portable hole opens on its own particular nondimensional space. If a bag of holding is placed within a portable hole, a rift to the Astral Plane is torn in that place. Both the bag and the cloth are sucked into the void and forever lost. If a portable hole is placed within a bag of holding, it opens a gate to the Astral Plane. The hole, the bag, and any creatures within a 10-foot radius are drawn there, the portable hole and bag of holding being destroyed in the process.

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, plane shift; Cost 10,000 gp

True Seeing:

True Seeing

School divination; Level cleric 5, druid 7, sorcerer/wizard 6

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, M (an eye ointment that costs 250 gp)

Range touch

Target creature touched

Duration 1 min./level

Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

You confer on the subject the ability to see all things as they actually are. The subject sees through normal and magical darkness, notices secret doors hidden by magic, sees the exact locations of creatures or objects under blur or displacement effects, sees invisible creatures or objects normally, sees through illusions, and sees the true form of polymorphed, changed, or transmuted things. Further, the subject can focus its vision to see into the Ethereal Plane (but not into extradimensional spaces). The range of true seeing conferred is 120 feet.

True seeing, however, does not penetrate solid objects. It in no way confers X-ray vision or its equivalent. It does not negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like. True seeing does not help the viewer see through mundane disguises, spot creatures who are simply hiding, or notice secret doors hidden by mundane means. In addition, the spell effects cannot be further enhanced with known magic, so one cannot use true seeing through a crystal ball or in conjunction with clairaudience/clairvoyance.

Second, assuming the character saw nothing unusual, and proceeded into the portable hole wearing a bag of holding, what would be the result.

Rules as written it says:
If a bag of holding is placed within a portable hole, a rift to the Astral Plane is torn in the space: bag and hole alike are sucked into the void and forever lost.

Does this mean that the character and anything else that is inside the portable hole are forever lost once the bag of holding encounters the plane of the opening for the portable hole?

Many thanks!


Diego Rossi wrote:

I think my question was badly phrased. The doubt is about:

"Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC."
People claim that you get the +1 shield AC bonus even if you are casting a spell, running or whatever, you only need to hold a double weapon or two weapons in your hands and have the feat and you are ok.

Actually the idea is that you only need to have armor spikes and any other weapon (and the feat) and you are ok,

The idea is that wielding a weapon is a pre-req to threatening with it.

PRD wrote:

You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack...

However, Small and Medium creatures wielding reach weapons threaten more squares...

If you are threatening with a weapon, and qualify to make AoOs with it (barring cases like whip or ranged weapons that don't threaten per se even when they are wielded and ready to attack), you should count as wielding the weapon. If the intent was to require having made an attack (or having made both main and offhand attacks), that's more clearly stated and other stuff does use that wording where it's intended AFAIK. In the above rules passage, ATTACKING with reach weapons doesn't cause your threat area to increase, merely holding them READY to attack (i.e. in 2hands if it's a 2handed weapon) increases your threat area.

Merely holding an axe upside down by the blade doesn't count, and doesn't qualify to threaten for AoO's etc,
although that gets into objects used as improvised weapons...


James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Or simply how to lower or negate the gp costs of permanent spells. Could a wizard use genie wishes to pay for the cost of permanency spells and such?
Perhaps, but as we cover in Pathfinder #24, abuse of genie wishes can cause even bigger problems than spellcasting poverty.

Wishwarps, right?

Since you keep referencing Legacy of Fire, I've found that Pathfinder #22 makes reference to bottling genies, using binding to turn a genie into a de-facto magic item for the low cost of 500 gp/HD. I'm wondering if you can do that for other outsiders, or if you ever need to set a condition where the slave'll be free of the binding.

This does raise the question of why this isn't done more often, though.

James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
Say...would true names make the binding spell more difficult to resist?
They could.

Kewl. :)

Could a monster in a hedged prison be prohibited from certain actions (i.e., attacking the summoner or whatever the monster's set to guard)?

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
"Perfectly bound elementals" are usually the result of a binding spell, or if not that, GM/adventure writing fiat.
James Jacobs wrote:
We can't go into more detail on every aspect of the game.

You can't? I thought that's what this thread was for. Or do you mean you can't go into detail in the books, where page count's an issue?

James Jacobs wrote:
In any event, binding absolutely could be used to make earth elementals into construction slaves.

:)

James Jacobs wrote:
You don't need earth elemental construction workers after the construction project is done, after all, and even if it DOES last longer than the spell, you can always just cast it again.

Is this to imply that even Runelords had daily chores?

James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:
What if said wizard has a succubus summoned as a playmate? And what would be the point of a ceustodaemon if it can't attack intruders because it's stuck in a magic circle?
Again... planar binding and planar ally and the various similar spells are probably what you want here—those are PRECISELY the spells you'd use to conjure up fiends to be playmates or to send out to attack enemies.

I can see that making sense for the succubus (assuming you either don't care about getting different ones every 3 weeks or you have the true names of the ones you like), but a ceustodaemon? They're for guarding things. What would a powerful wizard summon when she wants something that'll attack thieves, won't attack her when she wants to access her own treasury, and will stay put for longer than 20 days?

On an unrelated note, I noticed that posts cut off after a certain amount of words when I reply to them.

Shadow Lodge

Cheapy wrote:
Oh hey, that's one of the questions where a lot of people think it works by the rules, but are wondering about the intent. By a lot, I mean at least 3.

Cool, I thought I was the only one. Thanks for the support. :)

Shadow Lodge

James Jacobs wrote:
Thomas LeBlanc wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
NO one likes mites.

Thou speakst too quick sir!

Mites are one of my favorite creatures. They have googly eyes and get all sorts of nifty creepy crawly critters. I even ran a mite centric campaign (complete with mite based players guide). I want more mites! And they have their own entry and not lumped in with the gremlins.

You just like the ARTWORK of the mites. Trust me... if there were mites in your house... you'd not like them.

But how will we know that if we don't get any more then a half page of info on them ^-^?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

ulgulanoth wrote:

1) If no-one likes mites, how would the mites react to someone acting friendly towards them?

2) Since there is no Blood-War between the demons and devils, does that mean they occationally work together? either due to having the same goals or being forced by the more powerful party to?

3)how would the natives of the good aligned planes react to a mortal traveling them trying to learn more about the universe?

3b) how would it be different if this individual was evil but not obviously so?

4) how many paizonian's have the goblin plush? I bet its popular...

1) By attacking them and making bugs bite them, thereby perpetuating the dislike.

2) Demons and devils could work together... if the story the writer/designer wants to tell wants that to happen and they're a good enough writer to justify it. Simply "not being at war" doesn't mean they're friends.

3) Depends on how the mortal acted.

3b) Same as above, but the mortal would be on much thinner ice.

4) Some do... some don't. I don't. I'm not the biggest fan of how it looks, but I AM a fan of how popular it is.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:

1)Do you have any interest in seeing "ParaNorman", "Hotel Transylvania", or "Frankenwenie"?

2)When will we find out the full list of cryptyds in the Mysterious Monsters Revisited book?

3)Last time I asked you if the Innersea Bestiary had a familiar option and you said there was one, does that still stand?

4)Are there any creatures of the swarm subtype in the Innersea Bestiary?

5)What are your top 5 arcade games?

6)Are there any foods you can't have(because of allergies) or that are too nasty?

7)Were there any sports/activities that you liked to play as a kid? Any favorite Board Games?

1) Nope. No interest.

2) Probably a month or so before the book comes out—maybe late next month. Maybe.

3) Yup; I believe there's a new improved familiar option.

4) Sort of.

5) Donkey Kong, Joust, Crystal Castles, Golden Axe, and Gauntlet.

6) No allergies, but I don't eat tripe (too nasty) or alligator (or ANY reptile, because reptiles are too awesome to eat) or octopus (they're too smart and it weirds me out eating smart things).

7) I played tennis in High School, and loved Moustrap as a kid.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Diego Rossi wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Diego Rossi wrote:

We love you James, even when we disagree with your rulings and theya re always useful.

Another question about "wielding":

Two-Weapon Defense wrote:


Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC.

When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this shield bonus increases to +2.

For me this feat require you to be actively using your weapon, i.e. try to hit someone or use the full defense option.

Other people say "off turn you aren't attacking, so if actively using your weapon is a requirement you would not get the AC benefit off turn. So it work even if you are casting a spell, running around or doing other things."

What is your opinion?

In order to gain the benefits of total defense... even if those benefits aren't happening on your turn... you have to take the total defense action first. If you take total defense, you gain the +2 shield bonus in this case until your next turn... but not before, and not if you haven't done total defense in the last round.

If you could gain a +2 shield bonus all the time like that, we would have said so, or we wouldn't have brought up fighting defensively at all in the first place.

A classic example of willful overinterpretation of the rules.

I think my question was badly phrased. The doubt is about:

"Benefit: When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC."
People claim that you get the +1 shield AC bonus even if you are casting a spell, running or whatever, you only need to hold a double weapon or two weapons in your hands and have the feat and you are ok.

Actually the idea is that you only need to have armor spikes and any other weapon (and the feat) and you are ok,

To wield a double weapon or two weapons you need two hands, and thus you can't cast a spell and retain the +2 bonus.

Armor spikes would, I suppose, technically work... but it's VERY cheesy and I would probably not allow it on the grounds of "if it works that well, why isn't every single person in every illustration wearing spiked armor if they're wearing armor."

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Iridian wrote:
I'm working on a dragon-themed tiefling. If I take the tiefling 2x claws, can I use the draconic bloodline claws to increase the claw count to 4, and use my feet as the limbs to deliver the attacks?

Nope. Claws aren't things that go on your feet. Those are talons.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Caoulhoun wrote:

James,

Two questions.

If a character were under the effects of true seeing and approached a wall whereupon a portable hole had been draped, what would the character see?

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **...

True seeing doesn't alter the way you perceive a portable hole. It looks the same whether or not you have true seeing.

A character in a bag/hole when this rift occurs is sucked into the Astral plane, yes. Finding them is difficult, and would require high level magic, so if you're not high level or don't have access... the character would essentially be lost .

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:
...wrote an increasingly difficult to format series of questions with lots of nested quotes...

When I answer these questions, I like to do them fast in bunches... and when they start getting to be REALLY LONG questions, questions with lots of quotes, or questions that make use of the spoiler button... it ends up taking a lot longer to format the reply than it does to just reply, at which point I get frustrated.

Please rephrase the questions in an easier to reply format, in other words, once they start getting into nested quotes or lots of spoilers—break them up into multiple posts if you want.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

doc the grey wrote:
But how will we know that if we don't get any more then a half page of info on them ^-^?

By waiting patiently for more info to be written about them (Shattered Star 1) or tracking down previously published info about them (Kingmaker 1).

Shadow Lodge

James Jacobs wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
But how will we know that if we don't get any more then a half page of info on them ^-^?
By waiting patiently for more info to be written about them (Shattered Star 1) or tracking down previously published info about them (Kingmaker 1).

Yes but both of those books are really rather light on info on these little blue buggers with the mites in Kingmaker being more the losing party for kobolds and the mites in shattered star being a lot more like miners digging around and almost knocking over the structure. In either of those I felt like any of those encounters could have been replaced with another small malicious race without much effort on my end like a group of kobolds in shattered or goblins in king. I think what were asking for is to see a treatment like that that goblins got that make these little guys iconic and helps us get into the mindset of these ugly little bug lovers and create something memorable for out players that doesn't feel like it could have easily been kobolds, goblins, pugwampis, or some other small mischievous critter.


James Jacobs wrote:
Please rephrase the questions in an easier to reply format, in other words, once they start getting into nested quotes or lots of spoilers—break them up into multiple posts if you want.

Sorry about that.

1. The problem with using lost of genie wishes are wishwarps, correct?

2. Can you bottle other outsiders and make them into de-facto magic items a-la bottled genies? (binding spell using minimus containment; see Pathfinder #22, p. 50-51)

3. Could a monster in a hedged prison be prohibited from certain actions (i.e., attacking the summoner or whatever the monster's set to guard)?

4. Did Runelords have to resummon outsiders every so often?

5. Limited spell duration makes sense for succubi, assuming you either don't care about getting different ones every 3 weeks or you have the true names of the ones you like, but a ceustodaemon? They're for guarding things. What would a powerful wizard summon when she wants something that'll attack thieves, won't attack her when she wants to access her own treasury, and will stay put for longer than 20 days?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Please rephrase the questions in an easier to reply format, in other words, once they start getting into nested quotes or lots of spoilers—break them up into multiple posts if you want.

Sorry about that.

1. The problem with using lost of genie wishes are wishwarps, correct?

2. Can you bottle other outsiders and make them into de-facto magic items a-la bottled genies? (binding spell using minimus containment; see Pathfinder #22, p. 50-51)

3. Could a monster in a hedged prison be prohibited from certain actions (i.e., attacking the summoner or whatever the monster's set to guard)?

4. Did Runelords have to resummon outsiders every so often?

5. Limited spell duration makes sense for succubi, assuming you either don't care about getting different ones every 3 weeks or you have the true names of the ones you like, but a ceustodaemon? They're for guarding things. What would a powerful wizard summon when she wants something that'll attack thieves, won't attack her when she wants to access her own treasury, and will stay put for longer than 20 days?

1) Yup. That, and some genies tend to manipulate the way wishes are fulfilled so that the wisher doesn't quite get exactly what they want.

2) Yes; that's what the binding spell's all about. Often, a spellcaster does this and then promises to let the bound outsider go in return for it doing a service once it's released.

3) Yes. You can even set the rules of the hedged prison such that as long as the bound monster doesn't attack anyone wearing red robes, it is automatically freed after it kills 100 (or whatever) other people, which encourages the monster to attack intruders and not bother anyone who's supposed to be there (and, in theory, know that they'd better be wearing red robes).

4) Now and then. But they also used lots of binding spells and good old-fasioned diplomacy to work out agreements for outsiders to stick around.

5) One option is to simply summon a new ceustodaemon every 20 days, of course. Another is to use a binding spell to lock the ceustodaemon into a hedged prison. OR! You can simply conjure one up with planar ally/binding and talk it into staying on as a guardian for a lot longer than the spell's normal "duration" in return for regular payments or a promise of a greater reward at the end of the longer period of servitude.

Liberty's Edge

James Jacobs wrote:


3) Yup; I believe there's a new improved familiar option.

What is the intelligence of a improved familiar?

The best between the creature and that of a normal familiar, that of a normal familiar (so generally a lower number) or something different?

AlgaeNymph wrote:
Limited spell duration makes sense for succubi, assuming you either don't care about getting different ones every 3 weeks

Every 15 days :P


Dear James,

Do you think Cloud Atlas will be a great movie?

I hope it will at least as good as Toy Story 4.

Bonus question: What was your favorite toy from childhood? Imaginary friends count.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Diego Rossi wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:


3) Yup; I believe there's a new improved familiar option.

What is the intelligence of a improved familiar?

The best between the creature and that of a normal familiar, that of a normal familiar (so generally a lower number) or something different?

Whatever score is higher.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Kate Case wrote:

Dear James,

Do you think Cloud Atlas will be a great movie?

I hope it will at least as good as Toy Story 4.

Bonus question: What was your favorite toy from childhood? Imaginary friends count.

I'm hopeful for Cloud Atlas... it has a great director and it certainly looks intriguing. I really didn't like Toy Story 3, and as such am not all that interested in Toy Story 4.

My favorite childhood toy was probably THIS or maybe THIS


Hi James,

Thanks for answering our previous questions, I had one about stunning fist for you.

If a an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from a monk, and the monk hits him with a stunning fist and said enemy fails their save, how long does the stunning fist last?

For reference here is the description of stunning fist:

Quote:
Benefit: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next turn). A stunned character drops everything held, can’t take actions, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every four levels you have attained (but see Special), and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.

Does the stunning last for a round (i.e. the enemy is stunned until just before he acts again next round possibly allowing the monk to attack the stunned foe)

Or is the enemy stunned until right before the monk goes again (i.e. just before the monk's next turn, and thus the monk has no chance to hit the stunned enemy).

Cheers,
prototype00


Some familiars (dweomercat cub, cacodaemon, others) are basically child forms of some other creature. If you keep one as a familiar long enough for it to evolve, providing the various weird energies/souls/whatever it needs to grow, how would you represent it staying your friend also as an adult? As a monstrous cohort using Leadership or maybe some other way?

Dark Archive

In the advanced race guide, under the making your own race, why was quadruped made only for large creatures?

Shadow Lodge

To take the extra rage power feat does a barbarian already have to have a rage power or does he just need to be able to get one thanks to his class?
I.E. could a 1st level barbarian take extra rage power even though he doesn't have a rage power yet or will he have to wait till 3rd?

Shadow Lodge

James Jacobs wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Are there any ways to cure lycanthrope in pathfinder if the target has been afflicted for more then 3 days? I know in 3.5 you could pull it off with break enchantment or another spell but when checking your guys stuff it seems to no longer be the case, is that a misprint or the new norm?
Eating wolfsbane can cure lycanthropy regardless of how long it's been around.

Really? Then how do you have afflicted lycan's running around exactly? I mean considering that wolfsbane is only 5sp a dose it would seem like every town would have a viable stock of the stuff, with towns near areas full of lycanthropes probably having huge stocks of it so they can just dose someone when they are found to be infected.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

prototype00 wrote:

Hi James,

Thanks for answering our previous questions, I had one about stunning fist for you.

If a an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from a monk, and the monk hits him with a stunning fist and said enemy fails their save, how long does the stunning fist last?

For reference here is the description of stunning fist:

Quote:
Benefit: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next turn). A stunned character drops everything held, can’t take actions, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every four levels you have attained (but see Special), and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.

Does the stunning last for a round (i.e. the enemy is stunned until just before he acts again next round possibly allowing the monk to attack the stunned foe)

Or is the enemy stunned until right before the monk goes again (i.e. just before the monk's next turn, and thus the monk has no chance to hit the stunned enemy).

Cheers,
prototype00

In this case, the opponent is still stunned before your next turn. It's not as efficient to stun someone with stunning blow via an attack of opportunity... unless you're trying to shut their action down entirely, in which case it's QUITE handy.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Analysis wrote:
Some familiars (dweomercat cub, cacodaemon, others) are basically child forms of some other creature. If you keep one as a familiar long enough for it to evolve, providing the various weird energies/souls/whatever it needs to grow, how would you represent it staying your friend also as an adult? As a monstrous cohort using Leadership or maybe some other way?

I would first of all not let it grow up as long as it remained a familiar. If, though, you did, through a variety of roleplay and questing and what not, I'd probably let it be a free monstrous buddy—a GM-controlled NPC that hangs out with you and helps out. You'd still have to go through the negative game effects of losing a familiar though.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

ulgulanoth wrote:
In the advanced race guide, under the making your own race, why was quadruped made only for large creatures?

Because at the time the book was written, we had not built a Medium or smaller quadrapedal race. A relatively arbitrary reason... but still a reason.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

doc the grey wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Are there any ways to cure lycanthrope in pathfinder if the target has been afflicted for more then 3 days? I know in 3.5 you could pull it off with break enchantment or another spell but when checking your guys stuff it seems to no longer be the case, is that a misprint or the new norm?
Eating wolfsbane can cure lycanthropy regardless of how long it's been around.
Really? Then how do you have afflicted lycan's running around exactly? I mean considering that wolfsbane is only 5sp a dose it would seem like every town would have a viable stock of the stuff, with towns near areas full of lycanthropes probably having huge stocks of it so they can just dose someone when they are found to be infected.

Well... first of all, being a lycantrhope is kind of a good thing as far as a lot of things are concerned—so that begs the question why most folks would want to be cured at all in the first place. But more to the point... eating wolfsbane to cure yourself of lycanthropy is still the same as eating poison. You can still die from it. And even if you don't, it's a VERY Painful process.

In any event, we've written more about lycanthropes elsewhere, like in Classic Horrors and in Carrion Crown #3... I can't remember for sure, but those articles might have more options for curing lycanthorpy if you want to say that eating wolfsbane won't do it after 3 days.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

doc the grey wrote:

To take the extra rage power feat does a barbarian already have to have a rage power or does he just need to be able to get one thanks to his class?

I.E. could a 1st level barbarian take extra rage power even though he doesn't have a rage power yet or will he have to wait till 3rd?

You need precisely what the feat's prerequisite requires: the rage power class feature. Until you get that class feature, you can't take the feat. You have to wait until 3rd level; it won't let you get a rage power early.

Shadow Lodge

James Jacobs wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Are there any ways to cure lycanthrope in pathfinder if the target has been afflicted for more then 3 days? I know in 3.5 you could pull it off with break enchantment or another spell but when checking your guys stuff it seems to no longer be the case, is that a misprint or the new norm?
Eating wolfsbane can cure lycanthropy regardless of how long it's been around.
Really? Then how do you have afflicted lycan's running around exactly? I mean considering that wolfsbane is only 5sp a dose it would seem like every town would have a viable stock of the stuff, with towns near areas full of lycanthropes probably having huge stocks of it so they can just dose someone when they are found to be infected.

Well... first of all, being a lycantrhope is kind of a good thing as far as a lot of things are concerned—so that begs the question why most folks would want to be cured at all in the first place. But more to the point... eating wolfsbane to cure yourself of lycanthropy is still the same as eating poison. You can still die from it. And even if you don't, it's a VERY Painful process.

In any event, we've written more about lycanthropes elsewhere, like in Classic Horrors and in Carrion Crown #3... I can't remember for sure, but those articles might have more options for curing lycanthorpy if you want to say that eating wolfsbane won't do it after 3 days.

But the problem I have with that logic is that though you get all those powers for most people it kind of ruins their life. I mean say farmer brown gets bitten by a werewolf couple nights before the full moon. On night of he turn and in the morning finds all these sheep of his mauled and his family out all that gold. This starts a huge hunting campaign for the wolves responsible and all Mr. brown really wants is to raise his crops and herd his sheep. I really feel like most commoners would be quite horrified with the concept of carrying lycanthrope at least during the initial stages as it makes them a danger to themselves and the people they care more then it helps and would seek out a cure. Now I agree that those that have been like that long term would definitely want to stay that way but to the newly turned I'd think the idea would look appealing to most.


Doc the Grey, many commoners would be horrified at being turned into a lycanthrope. However, they are probably more afraid of death. :)

- Gauss

Paizo Employee Creative Director

doc the grey wrote:

But the problem I have with that logic is that though you get all those powers for most people it kind of ruins their life. I mean say farmer brown gets bitten by a werewolf couple nights before the full moon. On night of he turn and in the morning finds all these sheep of his mauled and his family out all that gold. This starts a huge hunting campaign for the wolves responsible and all Mr. brown really wants is to raise his crops and herd his sheep. I really feel like most commoners would be quite horrified with the concept of carrying lycanthrope at least during the initial stages as it makes them a danger to themselves and the people they care more then it helps and would seek out a cure. Now I agree that those that have been like that long term would definitely want to stay that way but to the newly turned I'd think the idea would look appealing to most.

In previous editions of the game, your alignment changed when you became a lycanthrope. For better or worse... that's not part of the game in Pathfinder. If you're bitten by a werewolf and become a werewolf... you don't automatically become chaotic evil. Which, in my opinion, is unfortunate, since that's what pretty much EVERY werewolf story I like is about, and the ones I don't like are about folks who don't change in personality.

In any event... all of that is story stuff for the most part, and as such if you're the GM, you get to control the story. And if you don't like part of the rules, you also get to change them.

Liberty's Edge

I remembered this post but I had forgotten that it was a question of mine :P

James Jacobs wrote:
Diego Rossi wrote:

Totally unrelated with the above posts, but one of my player was bitten by a werewolf and the oracle pointed out that belladonna would give him a new ST (it is one of the few ST I roll hidden, so they don't know if he is infected or not [BTW he is the same player, but different character, that got lycantropy from a wererat in the severs of Korvosa, it is destiny]).

So I have discovered that someone in 3.5 thought that belladonna and wolfsbane are the same thing ...... and that idea was somewhat repeated in Pathfinder, where in the Core Rulebook it say that belladonna can be used to cure lycantropy (but in the bestiary it say wolfsbane).
I hope next time I see my oculist he will not use aconitine instead of atropine to dilate my pupils.

From old game lore wolfsbane is the plant to be used to cure lycantropy.
So, what is the correct Pathfinder plant? Belladona, as said in the Core rulebook or wolfsbane as said in the Bestiary?
And if it is wolfsbane, when it can be administered? there is a time limit?

We noticed that as well, but very late in the game. And since the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary had a weird overlap, the change to one didn't get updated to the other. It should come as no surprise that we prefer the more classical real-world mythology in this case where belladonna and wolfsbane are NOT the same thing.

At this point, go with whatever version you prefer—my preference is to go with belladonna as in the core rulebook, though. Wolfsbane, if I recall correctly, didn't really enter into werewolf lore until 1941's Universal pictures production of The Wolf Man.

Belladonna is (in game) a relatively benign poison so it can be used with some tranquillity:

Belladonna
Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 14
Onset 10 minutes; Frequency 1/minute for 6 minutes
Effect 1d2 Str damage, target can attempt one save to cure a lycanthropy affliction contracted in the past hour; Cure 1 save

Wolfsbane is way worse as it can easily kill you if your fortitude save is low:

Wolfsbane
Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 10 minute; Frequency 1/minute for 6 minutes
Effect 1d3 Con damage; Cure 1 save

As a commoner farmer Brown probably has + or +2 as a fortitude save. For him it would be easy to die for wolfbane poisoning.

Note that bot cures require a successful ST on farmer Brown part to cure the lycantropy. a single dose probably wouldn't cure him.
After being dosed a few times with a poison that could kill him probably farmer Brown would kill everyone around him independently from his alignment.


One other issue regarding Belladonna or Wolfsbane. Price. Subsistence farmers probably cannot afford the 100gp or 500gp pricetag and probably do not have the skillset to acquire the poisons on thier own.

- Gauss

Liberty's Edge

The problem of the price of poisons.
Wolfsbane is fairly common and recognizing it isn't so hard, but the in game price is very high for something that I can find in a meadow.

How do you manage the prices of poison, James?

A druid or ranger with the right skills, in theory, could easily find several doses of wolfsbane in a day. Even selling it at 50% of raw material cost, i,.e. 50% of 1/3 of the sale price of the poison, it would net him 83 gp for each plant. Sure, the market is limited, but the plant has medicinal uses so there will be a few buyers. EVen selling 1 plant every few days will net him a lot of money.

The sale price of several other poisons are extremely high, while it is relatively easy to find them in nature.

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