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1) The ability doesn't make you immune to sleep, it says you never NEED to sleep (it actually says you specifically are not immune to sleep). That's why it's kind of confusing. And I said, Fatigue could certainly apply from doing things like spells, or high altitude, but if you don't need to sleep, I'm not sure what would cause fatigue for just doing whatever you do normally as long as you don't push yourself (like walking 9 hours straight without a break). That's why I asked the question.
2) Seems like it's pretty much a useless ability then for a prepared spellcaster, since you have to sit motionless for 8 hours a day anyway. Much better to just do spontaneous arcane or divine, since neither has to do that.
3) Blech, I hate being sick. I don't go to cons much, but the last time I did go to a big event, I actually took dayquil every day, and took vitamins and drank a lot of orange juice the two weeks before and the two days I was there.
1) You don't need to sleep with this ability, but if you become fatigued or exhausted, you can choose to sleep to deal with the fatigue or exhaustion if other methods of removing those conditions aren't available. You don't become fatigued or exhausted by not sleeping in this case, but other effects can still cause you to become fatigued or exhausted.
2) Not every ability needs to be equally great for every character.
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Hey, hope you had a great Gen Con!
I'm running Rise of the Runelords, and in my campaign, Nualia got away at Thistletop. My initial thought is that I'd like her to have become a half-fiend, which is especially attractive given the variants in the new Demons Revisited. With that inspiration, I've decided I don't want to use the out-of-the-box half-fiend template given in the Bestiary.
My problem comes in deciding what sort of demon blood to give her. She seems like she's all about wrath, so half-vrock seems the most appropriate. However, she's getting her power from Lamashtu, and while Lamashtu does have some vrocks under her command, that really does seem like a Pazuzu thing. The text suggests that she might even become a succubus, but lust seems like it plays a very small part in her makeup.
So what's your suggestion? Is there another type of demon that I should look at, or should I come up with my own variant?
Paizo certainly had a great con, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. I pretty much never do. Cons are not my thing.
Making Nualia a half-vrock is an excellent choice, since that explains why her hand is transforming into a creepy red talon. ALL demons are appropriate for Lamashtu, since she's the queen of demons. The bit where Tsuto is hoping she's becoming a half-succubus is mostly just wishful thinking on his part... but that works as well.
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Twas merely a scratch, Which aggraveted the itch.Something AA said in another thread got me hoping, how close are we to a Leng AP/Module ?The penultimate adventure for Shattered Star doesn't count?
We're not close to a bigger Leng AP/Module. The scratch put that off, more or less. If folks want more Lovecraft/Leng stuff... let the rest of Paizo know. If it were up to me, we'd be doing Lovecraftian stuff in every adventure! :P
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1) If you could have three different non-unique outsiders under your command in real life that would do whatever you said, but would be inclined to follow their natural inclinations for anything you didn't specifically cover, which three would you want? By different, I mean if you pick, say, a succubus, the other two options couldn't be another kind of demon, much less another succubus...
2) If you could have the spellcasting of a 1st level sorcerer with no bloodline (so, you get eschew materials for free, four cantrips to use at-will, and two 1st level spells to use 3/day), what spells would you pick? Presume, hypothetically, your Charisma is around 11 if that makes a difference.
3) Which three of the existing deific heralds in the Golarion setting are your favorites?
1) Succubus, lillend, solar.
2) Cantrips: create water, light, mending, prestidigitation. 1st level spells: unseen servant, comprehend languages
2) Desna's, Calistria's, and Lamashtu's.
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Fair enough. So how did you come up with what to switch? I still need to make the half-cornugon. Thinking of taking the stats for a half-succubus and putting the +8 CHA to STR, and moving the +2 DEX to the CHA. But their special abilities could be hard to judge what goes and what stays.No plans to do so really anytime soon. Demons Revisited mostly happened because I was eager to write it... and so it'd probably need Wes to be eager to write Devils Revisited to get that off the ground. And that's not something he's started considering yet, I don't think.Hey James,
What are the chances of you guys doing a Devils Revisited book any time soon? I'm running a Way of the Wicked campaign, and one of them is going to be a half-cornugon devil when they're done. Wouldn't mind having something for him to take.
There was a lot of back-end work that went into how to build the half-demon rules... too much to go into in a post, alas.
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Hey James,
What is the difference between how Calistria views lust...and how succubus lead mortals to damnation with it?
I mean why don't every Calistrian go to the Abyss(I am sure some do)?
Do succubus target Calistria followers as easy targets...or aviod as they are more in touch with that particular base instinct to not easily fall for it?
Anything else you can add to this target would be helpful.
The two big differences between Calistrian lust and succubus lust are:
Temperance: Calistrians enjoy sex, but aren't slaves to it. Succubi are.
Consent: To a Calistrian, non-consensual sex is not sex—it's rape, and as such goes against Calistria's teachings. To a succubus... sex is sex no matter who wants it or not.
Succubi prefer to target other worshipers for the most part, since the bigger the difference in the before and after the better for them, but they won't turn down an opportunity to corrupt a Calistrian given the chance.
Calistrians who use sex to destroy others, cause unwanted pain, create scandals to destroy organizations or relationships, or are simply rapists are "doing it wrong" and end up going to the Abyss or Hell or whatever Pharasma says. Truly devout Calistrians don't engage in these kinds of destructive sexual acts.
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Mr. James Jacobs,
I was hoping for your thought on something. I have a aberrant-esque CG demigod shaping up. His portfolio will contain Darkness, Retribution, and endurance. You might remember my previous posts to you about him.
My question is about his domains. Chaos, Good, and Darkness are a no brainer, but the fourth domain I remain undecided on. In your estimation which would fir better: the Strength domain or the Protection domain? Although if you have a better idea from the other domains feel free to mention that one. Thank you in advance.
If he's into retribution, I'd go with either Strength or War. Protection doesn't have much to do with retribution.
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Dear Mr. Jacobs,
as i´m really looking forward to the "Iron Gods"-AP, are there any bits of information you could already spoil about the dominion of the black? Will it receive a support article in the AP?
And, as Jalmeray is part of the Inner Sea region, will the Inner Sea Gods hardcover have some information about the Vudrani pantheon?
Thank´s in advance!
Nothing yet. We're just under a year away from Iron Gods releasing, and for many months to come we're going to be pretty quiet about info about it. In the meantime, we've mentioned a little more about the Dominion in "Dragon's Demand," and may mention bits and pieces more here and there in the future.
Inner Sea Gods will focus primarily on the 20 core deities, with more information on the deities mentioned in the old "Gods and Magic" book. It won't be touching the Vudrani pantheon at all.
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A little question about Shattered Star. In Shards of Sin, we learn that Sheila Heidmarch founded a loyal companion and "personal protector" in Thuvia in the person of an awakened mountain gorilla. Can we suppose that she took him with her when she went back to Magnimar (and so the PC could possibly come across him) ?
Yup; said gorilla is there in her manor if you want to include him.
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I have one more question I hope you can help with/provide insight on:
Running with your example of the inevitables and their "Constructed" trait, im thinking of giving this demon lord a trait called "Vampiric" and having it provide the obvious undead traits (no con score, etc.) and all of the abilities of a vampire, but with a decidedly over-the-top demon lord twist to them. That's what I'm shooting for as of now. The only thing throwing a wrench in is the mythic vampire template. I don't know if I should apply any of the MV abilities to this guy. Thoughts?
Thanks for your time!
As long as it does what you want and you like it, you're doing it right. (sorry... I try not to fall too deeply into the "provide feedback on game design" rabbit hole here for time management and legal reasons)
Out of curiosity - where can I find more info on Lymneris?
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Chronicles of the Righteous, page 18.
Hey James,
What is the difference between how Calistria views lust...and how succubus lead mortals to damnation with it?
I mean why don't every Calistrian go to the Abyss(I am sure some do)?
Do succubus target Calistria followers as easy targets...or aviod as they are more in touch with that particular base instinct to not easily fall for it?
Anything else you can add to this target would be helpful.
The two big differences between Calistrian lust and succubus lust are:
Temperance: Calistrians enjoy sex, but aren't slaves to it. Succubi are.
Consent: To a Calistrian, non-consensual sex is not sex—it's rape, and as such goes against Calistria's teachings. To a succubus... sex is sex no matter who wants it or not.Succubi prefer to target other worshipers for the most part, since the bigger the difference in the before and after the better for them, but they won't turn down an opportunity to corrupt a Calistrian given the chance.
Calistrians who use sex to destroy others, cause unwanted pain, create scandals to destroy organizations or relationships, or are simply rapists are "doing it wrong" and end up going to the Abyss or Hell or whatever Pharasma says. Truly devout Calistrians don't engage in these kinds of destructive sexual acts.
What about in use for vengeance? I know Calistria is all about vengeance.
Hello there, James!
1.) What would your thoughts be on a Fey of Golarion player companion book? One which provides a 0 HD playable Fey race, that could have lots of variation - much like how tieflings and aasimar have different types. Some might be beautiful and have strong nymph blood, others are hideous because they're descended from gremlins, some have wings due to their pixie ancestors, others have hooves and horns because their great grandfather was a satyr, etc. Do you think such a book would be neat?
1a.) What would you say are the chances of seeing such a book?
2.) Fey Revisited mentions the Lust Lily - a rare, night-blooming flower cultivated nearly exclusively by nymphs. Based on its description (page 37 of Fey Revisited, the second paragraph under 'Treasure'), how much would you say an individual preserved lust lily is worth?
Also, I wanted to say thanks to you and the other wonderful people at Paizo for being inclusive of LGBT individuals and themes in Golarion. Its hard for me to express how much that means to me on a personal level - to feel included and not ignored. So, thank you.
When Aroden was alive, how did his followers and church interact with those of Abadar, both being lawful neutral gods with an interest in humanity/civilization?
Are the remains of shattered azlant settled at all, or is it too messed up for stuff to live there?
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What about in use for vengeance? I know Calistria is all about vengeance.
That's certainly one of many tools Calistrians use to get revenge or to avenge another... but it's HOW they use that tool, and ALL their tools, that determines in the end if they're gonna end up punished in the afterlife for it.
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Hello there, James!
1.) What would your thoughts be on a Fey of Golarion player companion book? One which provides a 0 HD playable Fey race, that could have lots of variation - much like how tieflings and aasimar have different types. Some might be beautiful and have strong nymph blood, others are hideous because they're descended from gremlins, some have wings due to their pixie ancestors, others have hooves and horns because their great grandfather was a satyr, etc. Do you think such a book would be neat?
1a.) What would you say are the chances of seeing such a book?
2.) Fey Revisited mentions the Lust Lily - a rare, night-blooming flower cultivated nearly exclusively by nymphs. Based on its description (page 37 of Fey Revisited, the second paragraph under 'Treasure'), how much would you say an individual preserved lust lily is worth?
Also, I wanted to say thanks to you and the other wonderful people at Paizo for being inclusive of LGBT individuals and themes in Golarion. Its hard for me to express how much that means to me on a personal level - to feel included and not ignored. So, thank you.
1) Fey are better as monsters, not PCs, in my opinion. That said, there are some options out there for folks who want to play fey characters. Gnomes are the obvious choice, but there's others. I'm not eager to go down the tiefling/aasimar path quite yet for fey though, but maybe some day.
1a) 11%.
2) Pricing living things is kind of weird for the game. It's why we shy away from putting prices on trophies. It's an unfortunate side effect of using gold piece values as a game balance element for magic items and spells. Every single thing that goes into the world that has a value has to be somewhat controlled, and when it comes to something that grows and self-propagates rather than something that is manufactured, it gets difficult to manage. I would probably price the flower relatively on the small end of things... 100 gp or 500 gp or the like. UNLESS you wanted to make a big campaign deal about it, in which case you could price it higher and control where and when it blooms. I could see some cool adventure hooks hiding in there.
And thanks on the LGBT comment. We'll keep including everyone, and hopefully some day it won't be a big deal.
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1) What are your three favorite countries in Garund, and what do you like about them...if we're allowed to know?
2) What's your favorite non-human race from Tian Xia?
3) Do you think an archon would willingly rule a human society if gated in to do so, and if so, do you think it's likely they'd be good at it?
1) Dorn, Holomog, and one that doesn't yet have a name.
2) Samsarans. Tengu are a close second.
3) Depends entirely on the archon and its personality and goals.
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When Aroden was alive, how did his followers and church interact with those of Abadar, both being lawful neutral gods with an interest in humanity/civilization?
Are the remains of shattered azlant settled at all, or is it too messed up for stuff to live there?
They were probably allies, although I suspect that Abadar saw Aroden as something of a rash upstart who should probably get his temper and emotions in control before he did something he regreted.
There are things living in Azlant, as well as some colonies. Check out "Lost Cities of Golarion" for one example.
I've introduced Bryla, one of the celestial servants of Sarenrae, into my RotRL campaign to tie in with an oracle with the Life mystery and Blackened curse. But given the little information presented in Gods & Magic, I ended up with a lot of questions.
1) Will we ever see stats for the planar allies of the deities? Maybe in Inner Sea Gods?
2) Do particular servants represent a particular part of a deity's portfolio or domains? Like would Bryla the wheel of flaming sunlight be more focused on the Sun portfolio and Fire and Sun domains of Sarenrae, while Mystmorning the sword/unicorn would be more about Healing?
3) Is there any connection between Bryla (wheel of flaming sunlight, servant of Sarenrae) and Jingh (wheel of bright white metal illuminated by holy fire, servant of Iomedae)?
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I've introduced Bryla, one of the celestial servants of Sarenrae, into my RotRL campaign to tie in with an oracle with the Life mystery and Blackened curse. But given the little information presented in Gods & Magic, I ended up with a lot of questions.
1) Will we ever see stats for the planar allies of the deities? Maybe in Inner Sea Gods?
2) Do particular servants represent a particular part of a deity's portfolio or domains? Like would Bryla the wheel of flaming sunlight be more focused on the Sun portfolio and Fire and Sun domains of Sarenrae, while Mystmorning the sword/unicorn would be more about Healing?
3) Is there any connection between Bryla (wheel of flaming sunlight, servant of Sarenrae) and Jingh (wheel of bright white metal illuminated by holy fire, servant of Iomedae)?
1) Yes. We've done some already. More to come.
2) Domains are more about clerics; minions should be more about a god's various interests and portfolios.
3) Not really... both were based off of real-world mythologies of burning wheels is all. They might both be unique members of the same celestial race.
Mr. James Jacobs,
Of the core twenty gods and the lesser known full gods (Milani, Groetus, etc.) besides the obvious Calistria and Cayden Cailean, which would be more lacky to dally with mortal paramours?
Also, considering they're gods would it be safe to assume that anytime their is godchild born it is usually for a reason?
Hello again, James:
I have come across something regarding devils and demons I'd like you to shed some light on. (Sorry if my ramblings are hard to follow; english is not my native language, after all...)
According to text, devils are masters of seduction, guile and double crossing, while 'demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed.'
Enter the succubus: While as nasty and whimsical as they come, succubi seem to be able to appreciate art and beauty. Succubi excel at seduction, love to pull the stings at mind games, make empty promises and the like, more often than not disliking the direct application of physical violence (which is pretty much a hallmark for many other demons). In fact, some of the succubus' methods appear more in line with a devil's job description.
On the other side of the gulf, the erinyes, though devils, 'lack the subtlety and patience required for such fine emotional manipulations, and instead vastly prefer to solve their problems with swift and excruciating violence'. Hmm... unless I mis-remember the general descriptions for devils and demons, swift and excruciating violence was more up a demon's alley.
Now, please note that in both cases, it it the iconic female representative of the class of fiends that breaks the mold.
A certain demon lady who is a demon, seduces like a devil (and feeds like a daemon) further points in this direction.
Question is, is this effect (the females partially defying the definition of their type of fiend) intentional?
Did it just 'turn out that way', both succubi and erinyes in-game being defined in regard to existing mythology?
Or, am I just over-interpreting things?
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According to text, devils are masters of seduction, guile and double crossing, while 'demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed.'
Enter the succubus:
While I agree with you, I recall that this got discussed in great detail in the Alpha/Beta stages, and while an argument exists for doing things differently, given a clean slate, it would cause huge disruption to converting four decades of existing material.
Do you think it's reasonable for a caster to play music while concentrating on a spell, like Silent Image?
I had this thought for a traveling bard that tells stories by playing his music and using the illusion spells to generate a picture of the story.
I've listed some examples before: thinks like a book about mass combat and kingdom building, an "epic level" book, a book about equipment, a book about building character backgrounds, an advice book about running high (not epic) level games, etc. Sure, some of those books COULD have player crunch in them, but the book itself wouldn't be ABOUT player crunch. And they'd be more about OTHER stuff, which means that there might not be room for more of the same when it comes to archetypes and prestige classes and the like.
Since just about ALL of these books have come out already (which I found just hilariously awesome) can we expect the guide to High Level non-mythic adventures soon?
And can you give some examples of more books you'd like to do soon?
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Mr. James Jacobs,
Of the core twenty gods and the lesser known full gods (Milani, Groetus, etc.) besides the obvious Calistria and Cayden Cailean, which would be more lacky to dally with mortal paramours?
Also, considering they're gods would it be safe to assume that anytime their is godchild born it is usually for a reason?
All of the gods could well interact with mortals that way. Some may do so more often than others, but there aren't any who would NEVER do so. Given the right conditions and situation and all.
When a god child is born, yes... it's for a reason. It's very rare, but that child is destined to become mythic and to be a legendary hero or villain.
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James:
1.- Which one of Paizo´s AP you like the most (regardless the new ones)?
2.- If you have the chance for recomend one adventure to a new GM/Players which one would be and why?
1) I don't have a favorite AP, frankly. I'm the most proud of Burnt Offerings of all the things I've written, but a favorite AP? That's kinda like asking a parent to single out their favorite child.
2) Brand new? I'd recommend the Beginner Box. But if you're looking for just a plain old adventure, Dragon's Demand is a great stand-alone adventure. And if you're looking for a quick, fun, entertaining adventure that can be played in one day, check out We Be Goblins.
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Creative Director
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Hello again, James:
I have come across something regarding devils and demons I'd like you to shed some light on. (Sorry if my ramblings are hard to follow; english is not my native language, after all...)
According to text, devils are masters of seduction, guile and double crossing, while 'demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed.'
Enter the succubus: While as nasty and whimsical as they come, succubi seem to be able to appreciate art and beauty. Succubi excel at seduction, love to pull the stings at mind games, make empty promises and the like, more often than not disliking the direct application of physical violence (which is pretty much a hallmark for many other demons). In fact, some of the succubus' methods appear more in line with a devil's job description.
On the other side of the gulf, the erinyes, though devils, 'lack the subtlety and patience required for such fine emotional manipulations, and instead vastly prefer to solve their problems with swift and excruciating violence'. Hmm... unless I mis-remember the general descriptions for devils and demons, swift and excruciating violence was more up a demon's alley.
Now, please note that in both cases, it it the iconic female representative of the class of fiends that breaks the mold.
A certain demon lady who is a demon, seduces like a devil (and feeds like a daemon) further points in this direction.
Question is, is this effect (the females partially defying the definition of their type of fiend) intentional?
Did it just 'turn out that way', both succubi and erinyes in-game being defined in regard to existing mythology?
Or, am I just over-interpreting things?
Not sure where you're getting the text quote that says devils are masters of seduction, guile, and double-crossing while demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed. That sounds like an oversimplification.
Demons are as good, if not better, than devils at seduction, guile, and double-crossing. Devils are better at twisting rules and the like, but a devil can't really double-cross someone without breaking the ideals of its lawful alignment.
There are other demons beyond the succubus who excel at being sneaky and treacherous... the glabrezu is arguably more treacherous than any succubus, for example.
Devils and demons comprise a HUGE amount of variety, and as such, it's impossible to say that they all follow one single goal. The closest you can come would be to say that:
Devils seek to corrupt faith and the mind and the spirit, essentially tricking or convincing mortals into doing their evils for them in the Material Plane. In the end, they hope to encourage lawful evil behavior so that when a mortal dies, its soul goes to Hell and gives Hell more building blocks for more devils and thus more power.
Demons seek to torment and destroy and ruin the works of humanity, be it their bodies, their societies, their relationships, or their creations. They seek to encourage sinful chaotic evil behavior so that when a mortal dies, the soul goes to the Abyss and thus fuels the generation of more demons.
The methods by which either of these races go about doing what they want to do can vary. There's a perception among gaming that "Lawful = subtle and devious" while "Chaotic = outlandish and obvious." This couldn't be further from the truth. You can have an outlandish, obvious lawful evil character or you can have a subtle and devious chaotic evil one. Same goes for devils and demons.
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Do you think it's reasonable for a caster to play music while concentrating on a spell, like Silent Image?
I had this thought for a traveling bard that tells stories by playing his music and using the illusion spells to generate a picture of the story.
Maintaining concentration on a spell like that is a move action. Playing music is a standard action. So... yup! Absolutely possible!
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Yeah, was pondering something along the lines of a country racked by constant internal strife, rebellions, revolutions, who decided to take that old quote to heart...if men were angels, they wouldn't need government, if man was governed by an angel, it would not need restrictions...so using planar binding and such to locate an archon who would be willing to be their benevolent dictator for a time, and bringing them in via gate. But how well would that really go, one wonders...
1) Charm spells seem generally ripe for abuse, but I know several celestials, azatas in particular, have either charm person or charm monster as spell-like abilities, along with suggestion and such. What would you recommend keeping in mind when playing a good-aligned caster who uses charm, compulsion, and other enchantment effects without sliding down that slippery slope?
2) If you could have a single magic item from Pathfinder worth 2,000 gp or less, which one would you pick?
3) Do undead like ghouls and morghs and such actually have the soul of the original being, or are they essentially a new form of 'life' with rare access to the memories left behind in the brain, made from and animated by negative energy?
1) A celestial will use its charm spells to control criminals and villains, but won't use them to mind control citizens or good guys.
2) A potion of remove disease.
3) The original soul is trapped in pretty much every undead body to a certain extent. For non-intelligent undead like skeletons, it's only a fragment or echo of the soul though. Whether or not the undead retains memories from life depends on the individual undead (and the GM's need for story elements requiring such).
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I've listed some examples before: thinks like a book about mass combat and kingdom building, an "epic level" book, a book about equipment, a book about building character backgrounds, an advice book about running high (not epic) level games, etc. Sure, some of those books COULD have player crunch in them, but the book itself wouldn't be ABOUT player crunch. And they'd be more about OTHER stuff, which means that there might not be room for more of the same when it comes to archetypes and prestige classes and the like.
Since just about ALL of these books have come out already (which I found just hilariously awesome) can we expect the guide to High Level non-mythic adventures soon?
And can you give some examples of more books you'd like to do soon?
While a guide to high-level play would be a book I would love to do soon... it's not one that we'll be doing soon.
a few questions
1.) Is there plan to be more drawbacks in more player companions and other books in the future? I like them, and as I use savage worlds over pathfinder it is super easy to tranfer them into hindernces.
1) Not really. Drawbacks aren't really something that works all that well in Pathfinder in my opinion. They're too easy to abuse.
I agree. I note that nearly every “build’ proposed on the boards shows Characters with one or even two stats dumped down to seven. I wish you guys hadn’t made it so tempting for the Min/max powergame crowd to dump the roleplaying stats with so few minuses.... well at least to them.
Yeah, but they always do up a PC where the "weakness" doesn't do anything to hinder the character in any real way.
I hope you can answer this question, who did you order the art for the new iconics from? Or are they too nebulous at this point to order?