How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Creative Director
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Weird spoilery question:
Spoiler:What, in your view as a GM/Adventure Path writer and developer, would happen should a character decide to pick up Karzoug's Burning Glaive following the final battle in The Spires of Xin-Shalast and take Karzoug's place as Runelord? I understand that at least one of the parametters would be that you have to be a Thassilonian Specialist focusing in Transmutation magic like he was. Would you have to be a pure wizard (no prestige classes or multiclassing)? Would you have to be Evil, or could you do something like represent the old virtue of wealth and generosity? Would you have to be human or of a specific bloodline (in this case referring to family ties, not the Sorcerer class features, everyone knows only wizards can be Runelords).
Would it be possible for a wizard PC to essentially become the new master/mistress of Shalast and all its secrets, heralding a new generation of Runelords? Would it be possible to redeem Thassilon's legacy in this manner? Or would the glaive basically say "Nope!" and this is just useless speculation?
First of all...
You don't have to be evil to be a runelord, but you do have to exemplify the right virtue/sin.
You don't have to be human, I guess.
Frankly, the repurcussions of a PC taking on the mantle of runelord and then trying to resurrect the old nation is the stuff of it's own campaign, probably a mythic one.
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Creative Director
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Hey James, I'm trying to get a handle on weather in the Sodden Lands. Is it always raining, non-stop, 24/7? Or does the Abendego Gulf just have extremely high precipitation? Also, is it really super windy? Thanks!
It rains and storms a lot in the Sodden lands, but not always. The Eye of Abendego is a constant hurricane, but it doesn't constantly batter the shores of the region.
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Creative Director
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Is there going to be another book like Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition? For long years I had made my own stories and adventures since I didnt like them much in D&D but I saw Rise of the Runelords Hardcover with all the Paths (mini books included) and covers from Lv 1 to 17! and I loved it. The story is GOOD, the details and it was expanded and updated from the adventures paths, that I wish more of these books were release. :)
We have no plans at this point to compile any of our other adventure paths into hardcover format.
That said, we DO still offer 2 new adventure paths that go from 1st level to about 17th level twice a year with our Adventure Paths...
What is the first model that you would like to paint for your Reapermas? There's this sweet little model with an awesome robe, a scythe, and an eldritch scroll that is calling my name, personally.
I can NEVER have too many occultists!
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Creative Director
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How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Wizards of the Coast did this several years ago for D&D with D20 Modern and their Urban Arcana campaign setting. That's one way you could do so.
Were I to do a Pathfinder modern fantasy game, I would start with the setting material and develop that, working backwards from the flavor to decide what sorts of rules elements were needed.
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Creative Director
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Hi James,
A couple of completely unconnected questions for you:
1) From a design point of view, could you give a rough overview of how monster stats have changed from 3.5, and some insight as to why these decisions were made?
Assume I know nothing about how they've changed, and you'd be pretty close to the truth :) - I'm aware that pre-existing creatures had their stats altered/converted, and that the process for creating new creatures' stats is different from the 3.5 method, but I don't know how or why.
(If that is too big a question to answer, feel free to just not.)
2) What are the chances of Paizo running a PaizoCon in Australia in say, the next 15 years? (Just please, please don't call it PaizoCon Down Under...) Greater than 0?
Cheers!
Hewy
1) This is indeed a big question. The basic central truth, though, is that we took the 10 years of "playtesting" that 3rd edition afforded us and rebuilt every single monster with an eye toward its stats really trying hard to hit expected averages by the CR, so that a monster's CR would work better as intended—to be a numerical score of how tough it is. This makes CR a more reliable tool when designing encounters. Beyond that, there were a lot of little changes... from things like making ropers into aberrations and derros into humanoids to making krakens higher CR.
2) I suppose greater than 0, but only because I've learned to never say never in this industry.
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Creative Director
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What is the first model that you would like to paint for your Reapermas? There's this sweet little model with an awesome robe, a scythe, and an eldritch scroll that is calling my name, personally.
I can NEVER have too many occultists!
I've got so many unpainted minis already, including some that I'm using in games I'm playing, that if I do ever get off my butt and start painting I'll not be starting with a Reaper Bones mini.
Is there going to be another book like Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition? For long years I had made my own stories and adventures since I didnt like them much in D&D but I saw Rise of the Runelords Hardcover with all the Paths (mini books included) and covers from Lv 1 to 17! and I loved it. The story is GOOD, the details and it was expanded and updated from the adventures paths, that I wish more of these books were release. :)We have no plans at this point to compile any of our other adventure paths into hardcover format.
That said, we DO still offer 2 new adventure paths that go from 1st level to about 17th level twice a year with our Adventure Paths...
Awww I see. I really like the format in which Rise of the Runelords Hardcore is shown, very polished and organized. Anyhow since there might not be any more Hardcover Adventure Paths compiled which of the Adventures Paths from Lv1 to 17 would you suggest? Im looking forward to buy one for my next campaign.
James, any plans on ever releasing sourcebooks on some of the more interesting outer planes in the same way that Paizo has done for some countries / cities in Golarion? For example, a book on the Abyss, another for Axis, maybe one for Elysium?
I am curious about something...why don't the gods grant boons like Demon lords, devils lords, Empyreal Lords, etc. ?
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Creative Director
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Awww I see. I really like the format in which Rise of the Runelords Hardcore is shown, very polished and organized. Anyhow since there might not be any more Hardcover Adventure Paths compiled which of the Adventures Paths from Lv1 to 17 would you suggest? Im looking forward to buy one for my next campaign.Is there going to be another book like Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition? For long years I had made my own stories and adventures since I didnt like them much in D&D but I saw Rise of the Runelords Hardcover with all the Paths (mini books included) and covers from Lv 1 to 17! and I loved it. The story is GOOD, the details and it was expanded and updated from the adventures paths, that I wish more of these books were release. :)We have no plans at this point to compile any of our other adventure paths into hardcover format.
That said, we DO still offer 2 new adventure paths that go from 1st level to about 17th level twice a year with our Adventure Paths...
There's a wide range of them. Shattered Star might be a good choice, since that one's a sequel to Rise of the Runelords. And if you're looking for one that goes all the way to 20th level, I'm hoping to be able to deliver that with Wrath of the Righteous starting this August.
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Creative Director
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James, any plans on ever releasing sourcebooks on some of the more interesting outer planes in the same way that Paizo has done for some countries / cities in Golarion? For example, a book on the Abyss, another for Axis, maybe one for Elysium?
We've done some books that have some info on other planes already in the Books of the Damned. A book that focuses more on the planes themselves is certainly a possibility.
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Creative Director
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I am curious about something...why don't the gods grant boons like Demon lords, devils lords, Empyreal Lords, etc. ?
Because we didn't think of it in time. Doesn't mean that some day we won't expand the boons/obediances out for all the gods though, some day. (Note: Devils don't grant boons. So far, we've only done boons for demon lords and empyreal lords, I believe)
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Creative Director
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Ok, I've searched the message boards and could not find the answer to this (I also do not have the book due to a lack of funds), how do the Empyreal Lords' boons work? are they permanent granted abilities, do I need to do something to activate them? I'm making a PFS character with Hero Lab, but the entry for the deities does not go into detail about their abilities.
The rules are described in Chronicle of the Righteous, in the "Celestial Obedience" feat on page 5.
They are permanent granted abilities that you earn when you have enough Hit Dice and perform the specific obedience for that demigod. Full details are in the book; they start with the feat.
James, any plans on ever releasing sourcebooks on some of the more interesting outer planes in the same way that Paizo has done for some countries / cities in Golarion? For example, a book on the Abyss, another for Axis, maybe one for Elysium?We've done some books that have some info on other planes already in the Books of the Damned. A book that focuses more on the planes themselves is certainly a possibility.
Yes!! Please, tell the rest of them that we WANT a Planes book!
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Creative Director
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Please feel free to give samples of your top favorite five. :)By the way... checking a certain page in the follower loyalty section in Ultimate Campaign... was the Iconic Summoner eaten by his Eidolon? Is Belthezar with us no longer?There's all sorts of stories one could tell about that piece of art.
1) Balazar got ate!
2) His eidolon is helping him get dressed!3) The eidolon thinks he's people, but hasn't quite worked out how to wear hats yet.
4) The eidolon tried to carry Balazar over the Grand Canyon but didn't realize the hat wasn't attached.
5) Sometimes a hat is just a hat.
James, are there any plans to the Blackfire Adepts? Since Wrath of the Righteous is on the way, I thought an organization of fiend summoners might have some part to play.
Nope. Because our take is that when a powerful outsider falls or rises and thus changes alignment, it should be custom built rather than use something like a template. That means that each and every risen daemon would be completely different, with powers based on the interaction of what it was with what it's become, adjusted by how it rose from evil.
(Emphasis added).
Some questions I thought of:
1) Does that mean that if a Planetar falls or a Pit Fiend ascends, their powers & abilities would change based on their new condition?
2) Would (or might) their appearance change to reflect their new status, also?
3) Does this apply to all such outsiders who ascend or fall (for example even a Vrock or a Movanic Deva), or just the more powerful ones, with the lesser ones remaining essentially unchanged except for their new alignment & affiliations?
Thanks.
Shadowdancers and the Dimensional savant feat tree. Possible? Should be possible?
How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Wizards of the Coast did this several years ago for D&D with D20 Modern and their Urban Arcana campaign setting. That's one way you could do so.
Were I to do a Pathfinder modern fantasy game, I would start with the setting material and develop that, working backwards from the flavor to decide what sorts of rules elements were needed.
That's the part of your design philosophy I don't like, but I guess it help avoid bloating the system with too many rules.
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Creative Director
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James, are there any plans to the Blackfire Adepts? Since Wrath of the Righteous is on the way, I thought an organization of fiend summoners might have some part to play.
Yes. The Blackfire Adepts are a big part of Wrath of the Righteous. One of their leaders appears on one of the book covers, in fact.
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Creative Director
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Nope. Because our take is that when a powerful outsider falls or rises and thus changes alignment, it should be custom built rather than use something like a template. That means that each and every risen daemon would be completely different, with powers based on the interaction of what it was with what it's become, adjusted by how it rose from evil.(Emphasis added).
Some questions I thought of:
1) Does that mean that if a Planetar falls or a Pit Fiend ascends, their powers & abilities would change based on their new condition?
2) Would (or might) their appearance change to reflect their new status, also?
3) Does this apply to all such outsiders who ascend or fall (for example even a Vrock or a Movanic Deva), or just the more powerful ones, with the lesser ones remaining essentially unchanged except for their new alignment & affiliations?
Thanks.
1) Yes. And no two fallen planetars or risen pit fiends would be exactly the same.
2) Their appearances could change, depending on the nature of their fall or rise.
3) Yes.
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Creative Director
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| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Wizards of the Coast did this several years ago for D&D with D20 Modern and their Urban Arcana campaign setting. That's one way you could do so.
Were I to do a Pathfinder modern fantasy game, I would start with the setting material and develop that, working backwards from the flavor to decide what sorts of rules elements were needed.
That's the part of your design philosophy I don't like, but I guess it help avoid bloating the system with too many rules.
(shrug)
Rules just for the sake of rules are boring, in my opinion.
1) Yes. And no two fallen planetars or risen pit fiends would be exactly the same.
2) Their appearances could change, depending on the nature of their fall or rise.
3) Yes.
Thanks for the answers. That could make things veeeddddyyyy interesting. . .
Have you seen this blog before?
Can you legally comment on any of its contents?
If so, what do you think of it? I think they've done a pretty good job of trying to find places/ways for things to fit in.
How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Wizards of the Coast did this several years ago for D&D with D20 Modern and their Urban Arcana campaign setting. That's one way you could do so.
Were I to do a Pathfinder modern fantasy game, I would start with the setting material and develop that, working backwards from the flavor to decide what sorts of rules elements were needed.
That's the part of your design philosophy I don't like, but I guess it help avoid bloating the system with too many rules.
(shrug)
Rules just for the sake of rules are boring, in my opinion.
There's no rules for boredom in any of the books, so your opinion will stay just that, good sir! /snark
(I hate rules bloat)
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Creative Director
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Have you seen this blog before?
Can you legally comment on any of its contents?
If so, what do you think of it? I think they've done a pretty good job of trying to find places/ways for things to fit in.
I've seen it before, I think. Some interesting stuff in there!
There's a wide range of them. Shattered Star might be a good choice, since that one's a sequel to Rise of the Runelords. And if you're looking for one that goes all the way to 20th level, I'm hoping to be able to deliver that with Wrath of the Righteous starting this August.Awww I see. I really like the format in which Rise of the Runelords Hardcore is shown, very polished and organized. Anyhow since there might not be any more Hardcover Adventure Paths compiled which of the Adventures Paths from Lv1 to 17 would you suggest? Im looking forward to buy one for my next campaign.Is there going to be another book like Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition? For long years I had made my own stories and adventures since I didnt like them much in D&D but I saw Rise of the Runelords Hardcover with all the Paths (mini books included) and covers from Lv 1 to 17! and I loved it. The story is GOOD, the details and it was expanded and updated from the adventures paths, that I wish more of these books were release. :)We have no plans at this point to compile any of our other adventure paths into hardcover format.
That said, we DO still offer 2 new adventure paths that go from 1st level to about 17th level twice a year with our Adventure Paths...
All right! A Sequel to Rise of Runelords sounds great! :) Thanks
1) This is indeed a big question. The basic central truth, though, is that we took the 10 years of "playtesting" that 3rd edition afforded us and rebuilt every single monster with an eye toward its stats really trying hard to hit expected averages by the CR, so that a monster's CR would work better as intended—to be a numerical score of how tough it is. This makes CR a more reliable tool when designing encounters. Beyond that, there were a lot of little changes... from things like making ropers into aberrations and derros into humanoids to making krakens higher CR.
2) I suppose greater than 0, but only because I've learned to never say never in this industry.
1) Ok, so CR as a consistent metric was the main goal. I can see how that's important! Were there common aspects of creatures in general that needed altering in a particular direction (eg saves/AC were too high, hit points needed boosting, that kind of thing)? Or was it just on a case-by-case basis?
2) (Referring to a possible Australian PaizoCon) Sadface. Your response doesn't bode well for us Aussies. Is this because we don't represent a significant enough portion of the global market, or are we just too far away?
Or does Paizo not like us..? We like you, Paizo!
2) (Referring to a possible Australian PaizoCon) Sadface. Your response doesn't bode well for us Aussies. Is this because we don't represent a significant enough portion of the global market, or are we just too far away?
Or does Paizo not like us..? We like you, Paizo!
My bet. Bet!
Ha :)
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James,
Got a question from one of my players that I can't answer, but I'm hoping you can.
Player is a wizard who wants to prestige into the Diabolist. Being a wizard he's got really good intelligence, but not so great charisma. Is there a way for wizards to use their intelligence to bargain with devils, or is the Diabolist more of a PrC that's meant for just sorcerers and clerics? I get that the PrC gives you bonuses when you take the actual class, but lesser planar binding specifically says that the devils make a will save 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier.
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Odd question that came up, can one Delay when one is Held? I mean it sez "cannot take any actions" but is delaying an action of sorts?
Delay is something you have to consciously choose to do. It is, therefore, an action, and therefore is not something you can choose to do while being held.
But that don't make Held stronger than Paralysed, as it block mental activities too?
The first phrase in the spell say that you are paralysed.The second that you can't take any action, and that is way stronger than paralysed.
You think that it is an intended effect?
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James, back in 3.5 you could spend double the cost of a magic item to make it not take up an item slot, does this rule still apply in Pathfinder? I looked for it but couldn't find it...
Not James, but:
It is in the table in the magic item creation section of the CRB:
No space limitation3 Multiply entire cost by 23 An item that does not take up one of the spaces on a body costs double
Another relevant rule
If the item is one that occupies a specific place on a character's body, the cost of adding any additional ability to that item increases by 50%. For example, if a character adds the power to confer invisibility to her ring of protection +2, the cost of adding this ability is the same as for creating a ring of invisibility multiplied by 1.5.
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Weird spoilery question:
** spoiler omitted **
First of all...
** spoiler omitted **
I see.
Would it be like "F&*@ YOU!" or more like "Oh, great. A new master. Yay. You suck compared to Karzoug, but I'll serve you. Have fun ruling a kingdom that no longer exists, kid."
So since summoners are from the nation that is now a seething, writhing, demon-infested pit-in-the-planar-divide, are the designers going to be taking advantage of the fact that the summoner class comes from this region in Golarion?
How could the rules, races and monsters of Pathfinder be adopted to a modern setting?
Like, Golarion urban fantasy.
Wizards of the Coast did this several years ago for D&D with D20 Modern and their Urban Arcana campaign setting. That's one way you could do so.
Were I to do a Pathfinder modern fantasy game, I would start with the setting material and develop that, working backwards from the flavor to decide what sorts of rules elements were needed.
That's the part of your design philosophy I don't like, but I guess it help avoid bloating the system with too many rules.
(shrug)
Rules just for the sake of rules are boring, in my opinion.
That aside, I wonder how many people asking for "Pathfinder Modern" actually want a low/no magic Pathfinder('s rules system)?
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Creative Director
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1) This is indeed a big question. The basic central truth, though, is that we took the 10 years of "playtesting" that 3rd edition afforded us and rebuilt every single monster with an eye toward its stats really trying hard to hit expected averages by the CR, so that a monster's CR would work better as intended—to be a numerical score of how tough it is. This makes CR a more reliable tool when designing encounters. Beyond that, there were a lot of little changes... from things like making ropers into aberrations and derros into humanoids to making krakens higher CR.
2) I suppose greater than 0, but only because I've learned to never say never in this industry.
1) Ok, so CR as a consistent metric was the main goal. I can see how that's important! Were there common aspects of creatures in general that needed altering in a particular direction (eg saves/AC were too high, hit points needed boosting, that kind of thing)? Or was it just on a case-by-case basis?
2) (Referring to a possible Australian PaizoCon) Sadface. Your response doesn't bode well for us Aussies. Is this because we don't represent a significant enough portion of the global market, or are we just too far away?
Or does Paizo not like us..? We like you, Paizo!
1) Case by case basis. Some monsters were fine and required very little conversion. Others required complete rewrites.
2) It's mostly due to the physical distance involved. Paizocon is a not insignificant expense to put on, and the fact that it's local so the company doesn't have to pay to ship employees and supplies or to house them in hotels, etc., is one of the reasons we can afford to put it on. It's also a huge hit to our productivity and resources—every big convention we do causes a hit to our production time. The more conventions we do and/or send lots of employees to, the less time we have to produce games and other products.
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Creative Director
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James,
Got a question from one of my players that I can't answer, but I'm hoping you can.
Player is a wizard who wants to prestige into the Diabolist. Being a wizard he's got really good intelligence, but not so great charisma. Is there a way for wizards to use their intelligence to bargain with devils, or is the Diabolist more of a PrC that's meant for just sorcerers and clerics? I get that the PrC gives you bonuses when you take the actual class, but lesser planar binding specifically says that the devils make a will save 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier.
Not really. A wizard who wants to be a diabolist or otherwise use lots of Charisma based stuff needs to realize that from the start and perhaps put his second-best stat into Charisma instead of something else.
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Creative Director
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| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Odd question that came up, can one Delay when one is Held? I mean it sez "cannot take any actions" but is delaying an action of sorts?
Delay is something you have to consciously choose to do. It is, therefore, an action, and therefore is not something you can choose to do while being held.
But that don't make Held stronger than Paralysed, as it block mental activities too?
The first phrase in the spell say that you are paralysed.
The second that you can't take any action, and that is way stronger than paralysed.
You think that it is an intended effect?
Yes.
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Creative Director
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Weird spoilery question:
** spoiler omitted **
First of all...
** spoiler omitted **
I see.
** spoiler omitted **
The weapon isn't stupid. It knows what's going on. It might use the PC as a tool to get itself into the hands of a better master, or it might try to shape the PC into its puppet.