Trying to keep a long story short,
** spoiler omitted **I'm not sure exactly what you're asking but...
** spoiler omitted **
Yes, thank you. I was mainly just not sure how well that fit personalities involved (mainly the deity) or if you thought any other class would work better as a low threat long term trickster.
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Moar Shoanti questions!
I'm writing a backstory for that aformentioned Shoanti paladin I mentioned. Or more accurately he's only half-Shoanti, with a Chelaxian father, the idea being that his Shoanti mom and Chelaxian dad were members of an adventuring party and fell in forbidden love. Are there intermarriages between different quahs (say, someone from the Sun Clan and someone from the Skull Clan having a kid), or does each clan generally keep to themselves? Are all Shoanti who leave the quahs for civilization outcasts or criminals of some sort, or do some just decide "Eh, life on the Storval's not for me." How do the Shoanti that live on the Storval regard those who leave their tribe voluntarily, like to adventure or something?
And what would be good ways for a character to show that they straddle the line between their Shoanti heritage and their "civilized" upbringing? I know taking a Shoanti weapon would be a good way to do it, but if I'm playing a paladin that worships a single god, aren't I inherently disregarding/disrespecting the totemist beliefs of my ancestors?
Mr. James Jacobs,
Was Aroden racist?
On Hobgoblins...
1) In my campaign, the (current) antagonists are a Hobgoblin warrior-cult which worships the archdevil Moloch. I chose him as their patron because his alignment and portfolio (conquest and military discipline) align perfectly with how Hobgoblin culture is portrayed in the backstory. Which deity to Hobgoblins worship most frequently on Golarion? Hadregash?
2) Likewise, they hate arcane magic, but are Clerics, Warprieests, and other divine casters prevalent among them? How are they treated?
3) What do they *sound* like? Harsh and guttural? What about speech patterns?
4) How do they regard devils?
5) What do they typically ride as mounts?
6) How hard would it be to justify a chivalrous Hobgoblin paladin of Iomedae in Wrath of the Righterous? Maybe he was reformed by Irabeth? Hey, at least they're lawful.
7) Would I be correct in my hypothesis that they don't rape people? Seeing as how we have an entire player race that is mostly that result of orc on human rape, It's not like Paizo wants to shy away from the subject. But it doesn't seem like rape is a part of Hobgoblin culture. Yeah, they're evil. But not *that* kind of evil.
On a similar note to the post above, would goblins do that, or are they too childish?
Also, what would happen if a goblin wizard said that reading and writing gave him the power to shoot fire?
that would make our 'racism' actually 'subspecism', right?
Racism is actually a better fit. We call ourselves the human race too, y'know.
==Aelryinth
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that would make our 'racism' actually 'subspecism', right?
Racism is actually a better fit. We call ourselves the human race too, y'know.
==Aelryinth
At this moment in the history of the world, there are no human sub-species, just a single species.
Unless there are some Neanderthals hidden away somewhere. : )
If there were, then both they and us would be sub-species.
Hi, James.
What would you think of the hosts if you were served this for Christmas dinner?
[I'd be one part thrilled and one part terrified...]
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Will we see a future AP deal with more of the planets in Golarion's solar system? I am keen to know more about the portal system found on the majority of the planets. Reminds me of Stargate a lot. I'd really like to see an AP where players get to deal with Eox in some way or the world that is basically a huge starship with beings piecemealed together from other races. Reminded me of Doctor Who episode.
that would make our 'racism' actually 'subspecism', right?
Racism is actually a better fit. We call ourselves the human race too, y'know.
==Aelryinth
At this moment in the history of the world, there are no human sub-species, just a single species.
Unless there are some Neanderthals hidden away somewhere. : )
"Homo" is the species, "Sapiens" or "Neanderthalensis" is the race.
So not only is there only one human species at the current time, there is only one human race.
James,
As a question that might set a precedent (or series thereof), what happens when a Wyrwood (or any self-aware, free-thinking construct) is targeted with Control Construct or Apparent Master?
Does a Wyrwood count as it's own master? If so, would Apparent Master resolve like Charm Person?
Would a Wyrwood get some sort of saving through against Control Construct? If not, and assuming the Wyrwood is it's own master, would it still be opposed Spellcraft checks or something else?
Thanks again,
Dan.
that would make our 'racism' actually 'subspecism', right?
Racism is actually a better fit. We call ourselves the human race too, y'know.
==Aelryinth
At this moment in the history of the world, there are no human sub-species, just a single species.
Unless there are some Neanderthals hidden away somewhere. : )
"Homo" is the species, "Sapiens" or "Neanderthalensis" is the race.
So not only is there only one human species at the current time, there is only one human race.
Some of our cultures call different ethnicities as race/species. And Aroden was the god of humanity, maybe not humanoid in general.
This sounds like an exciting topic of discussion for the Off-Topic forum, but not in James' thread, folks.
Creative Director
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Is this addressed more throughly in Blood of the Moon?I am sure it's been asked before, but I am not able to find clarification, so I am hoping you can help me (is for a recurring villain NPC that I need to know. I can of course house rule things, but I like to know the RAW/RAI before I decide on house rules, and this seems more of a story question than a rules question, since otherwise the actual dice rolls etc are clear) In the case of an afflicted lycanthrope, when they become aware of their condition what exactly happens in Pathfinder? As I understand it they no longer forget what happens and are able to shapeshift as long s they can make their Con check and is harder to shift back to human under a full moon. Is this correct, or do they still end up forced into wolf form under a full moon and forget everything they do while in wolf form?When an afflicted lycanthrope becomes aware of the condition, what happens then is up to the GM in the case of an NPC of course. In the case of a PC... I'd say that the GM controls the PC when he's in hybrid or animal form, unless you're willing to let the PC control it and thus turn what should be a curse into a boon.
Whether or not they start remembering is left to you.
I don't know. I wasn't involved in that book's development and haven't had a chance to look through it in great detail yet. That's more of a question for Patrick.
Not particularly, no.Mr. James Jacobs,
Was Aroden racist?
How did the the other races work into his plans?
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Creative Director
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On Hobgoblins...
1) In my campaign, the (current) antagonists are a Hobgoblin warrior-cult which worships the archdevil Moloch. I chose him as their patron because his alignment and portfolio (conquest and military discipline) align perfectly with how Hobgoblin culture is portrayed in the backstory. Which deity to Hobgoblins worship most frequently on Golarion? Hadregash?
2) Likewise, they hate arcane magic, but are Clerics, Warprieests, and other divine casters prevalent among them? How are they treated?
3) What do they *sound* like? Harsh and guttural? What about speech patterns?
4) How do they regard devils?
5) What do they typically ride as mounts?
6) How hard would it be to justify a chivalrous Hobgoblin paladin of Iomedae in Wrath of the Righterous? Maybe he was reformed by Irabeth? Hey, at least they're lawful.
7) Would I be correct in my hypothesis that they don't rape people? Seeing as how we have an entire player race that is mostly that result of orc on human rape, It's not like Paizo wants to shy away from the subject. But it doesn't seem like rape is a part of Hobgoblin culture. Yeah, they're evil. But not *that* kind of evil.
1) We've not done much with hobgoblins, and so a lot of the following is NOT canon and subject to change. Frankly, I see them mostly worshiping archdevils. The Goblin deities are more for goblins, not all goblinoid. Moloch is an excellent choice.
2) Divine casters are likely well regarded, if only because a warmongering society HAS to value its healers.
3) They'd sound sinister and civilized and organized. Maybe like less guttural drill sergeants?
4) With admiration and respect and fear.
5) Horses, dire wolves, wyverns, drakes... whatever is available in the region really, but overall I see hobgoblins MUCH more as infantry. Unlike goblins, they aren't particularly good at riding. Their racial modifier gives them a bonus to Stealth, so I see them more like guerilla warfare skirmishers most of the time.
6) Depends on the game. In my games or on canon Golarion, something like that would be rare enough that if it happened, it would kinda need to be a significant plot point of the campaign.
7) Rape is not a defining part of hobgoblin culture, no.
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Creative Director
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On a similar note to the post above, would goblins do that, or are they too childish?
Also, what would happen if a goblin wizard said that reading and writing gave him the power to shoot fire?
Would goblins do what? We've actually said a LOT about goblins—I'd check out the "Top Ten Things about Goblins" we put on the blog years ago and reprinted in the start of Rise of the Runelords and go for there to get a good idea about goblins.
As for the second question? Anything could happen. Depends on the story you wanted to tell. The most likely event would be the other goblins burning the freaky fire word wizard goblin at the stake. Or feeding him to a bunyip.
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Creative Director
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Are you the type of individual that would put a sticker in the rear window of his car?
Nope. That's a fun sticker though.
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Creative Director
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Hi, James.
What would you think of the hosts if you were served this for Christmas dinner?
[I'd be one part thrilled and one part terrified...]
I would cheer.
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Creative Director
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Will we see a future AP deal with more of the planets in Golarion's solar system? I am keen to know more about the portal system found on the majority of the planets. Reminds me of Stargate a lot. I'd really like to see an AP where players get to deal with Eox in some way or the world that is basically a huge starship with beings piecemealed together from other races. Reminded me of Doctor Who episode.
Depends on if folks want that. We've been watching the response to "Reign of Winter" where we did this exact thing. And we'll be watching more how folks respond to Iron Gods. Anything is possible.
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Creative Director
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James,
As a question that might set a precedent (or series thereof), what happens when a Wyrwood (or any self-aware, free-thinking construct) is targeted with Control Construct or Apparent Master?
Does a Wyrwood count as it's own master? If so, would Apparent Master resolve like Charm Person?
Would a Wyrwood get some sort of saving through against Control Construct? If not, and assuming the Wyrwood is it's own master, would it still be opposed Spellcraft checks or something else?
Thanks again,
Dan.
Same thing that happens when you target a human with charm person? I'm not sure there's a difference there. The game's had mind control from the start.
Contributor
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I recently became enamored with the concept of monstrous PCs (PCs with racial hit dice), and I was just curious...
Have you ever played as such a character? What kind of monster/class combo was it?
What monsters (besides the cambion demon, obviously) do you think are best-suited as monstrous PCs?
Awakened animals count in this! ;P
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Creative Director
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| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I recently became enamored with the concept of monstrous PCs (PCs with racial hit dice), and I was just curious...
Have you ever played as such a character? What kind of monster/class combo was it?
What monsters (besides the cambion demon, obviously) do you think are best-suited as monstrous PCs?
Awakened animals count in this! ;P
I've done this once. It was an awakened deinonychus barbarian. The character was fun... but the campaign collapsed after a few months in no small part due to the fact that the GM realized that allowing players to build anything they wanted made for a MUCH more difficult job at building adventures.
Today, I don't think any creatures with racial HD are suited for PCs. The only exception would be a campaign where every single player plays a character of the exact same race. But overall... Pathfinder's not really designed to be this kind of game.
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Creative Director
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What is the least often filled niche in an adventuring group?
In PFS?
What play styles/abilities seem to see the least usage in your experience? (like teamwork feats or certain combat tactics)Thanks for your time, it is much appreciated.
Seems like the healer is the least-often filled niche in most games I play or run. My theory there is that most folks want to try to be the "star" or the "main character" of the story, and therefore defalt to wanting to play the character who gets to defeat the most enemies in combat. Certainly, the majority of most of popular culture's most enduring heroes are in this category.
The role of healer is one that generally doesn't seem to appeal to many gamers simply because it's more about supporting others than it is about seizing your own glory. That's also, I think, why bards tend to get a bad rap.
I personally quite enjoy playing those types of characters, but I also like playing stealthy sneaky ones. Not a big fan of the full-on fighter types.
As for PFS... I couldn't say. That's more a Mike/John question.
In my games, the play styles/abilities that see the least use tend to be teamwork feats, or alternately combat tactics that do anything other than abandon all pretense of tactic for the siren's call of the full attack.
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Creative Director
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Moar Shoanti questions!
I'm writing a backstory for that aformentioned Shoanti paladin I mentioned. Or more accurately he's only half-Shoanti, with a Chelaxian father, the idea being that his Shoanti mom and Chelaxian dad were members of an adventuring party and fell in forbidden love. Are there intermarriages between different quahs (say, someone from the Sun Clan and someone from the Skull Clan having a kid), or does each clan generally keep to themselves? Are all Shoanti who leave the quahs for civilization outcasts or criminals of some sort, or do some just decide "Eh, life on the Storval's not for me." How do the Shoanti that live on the Storval regard those who leave their tribe voluntarily, like to adventure or something?
And what would be good ways for a character to show that they straddle the line between their Shoanti heritage and their "civilized" upbringing? I know taking a Shoanti weapon would be a good way to do it, but if I'm playing a paladin that worships a single god, aren't I inherently disregarding/disrespecting the totemist beliefs of my ancestors?
Or just do what you just did and I'll go back and see. And yeah, in this case, I did accidentally skip this one.
There are certainly intermarriages between the Quahs—but not all of them are acceptable. There's certainly some cases of star-crossed lovers that even a full on change of tribe won't fix. To a certain extent, exactly how extreme these prejudices and reactions are varies from group to group, to allow you and me and everyone else the latitude to design the exact type of character you want, though.
We generally try to avoid hyperbole, in fact, since saying "All people of group X do Y" is unnecessarily limiting. It's better to say something like "Most people of group X do Y." That allows folks to have variations.
As for how you straddle the line between your character's heritage and upbringing really IS left up to you. You could play a character who completely disdains his heritage in favor of civilization, but a paladin who does so would do so without succumbing to the temptation to badmouth his upbringing, I suspect.
But really... they're decisions you'll need to make for yourself. I can't design your character for you! Well... I could, I guess, but then it'd be MY character, not yours! ;-)
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Thanks! Now for a more technical question:
The thunderstriker archetype for fighters allows you to shield-bash with a buckler while wielding a two-handed weapon. Since double-weapons technically are two-handers, they technically qualify. In your opinion as a GM, would you let a player get away with something like using Thunderstriker and wielding a two-bladed sword with buckler, similar to the gentleman in this picture here? Or would you dismiss that as being too silly or munchkiny?
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Creative Director
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Thanks! Now for a more technical question:
The thunderstriker archetype for fighters allows you to shield-bash with a buckler while wielding a two-handed weapon. Since double-weapons technically are two-handers, they technically qualify. In your opinion as a GM, would you let a player get away with something like using Thunderstriker and wielding a two-bladed sword with buckler, similar to the gentleman in this picture here? Or would you dismiss that as being too silly or munchkiny?
Probably not. Mostly because I'm not a fan of double weapons, and tend to discourage players in my games from taking them. But also because it's too silly.
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I see your point. He doesn't even really bash with the shield in the game anyway, and that double-sword's treated more like a single-pointed spear, so it's not even a good example in the first place. Thanks again!
One more question for this evening: What AP would a Prophet of Kalistrade fit into best? The one's that at least start closest to Druma would be Carrion Crown, Kingmaker and Reign of Winter, but none of those necessarily have making money as their primary goal.
I recently became enamored with the concept of monstrous PCs (PCs with racial hit dice), and I was just curious...
Have you ever played as such a character? What kind of monster/class combo was it?
What monsters (besides the cambion demon, obviously) do you think are best-suited as monstrous PCs?
Awakened animals count in this! ;P
I've done this once. It was an awakened deinonychus barbarian. The character was fun... but the campaign collapsed after a few months in no small part due to the fact that the GM realized that allowing players to build anything they wanted made for a MUCH more difficult job at building adventures.
Today, I don't think any creatures with racial HD are suited for PCs. The only exception would be a campaign where every single player plays a character of the exact same race. But overall... Pathfinder's not really designed to be this kind of game.
All Ghouls party?
All Succubi party?
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Just thought you might be interested that Retail Hell Underground is collecting a bunch of Lovectaftian parodies of Christmas songs :3
Mr. James Jacobs,
Is it possible to save a Larvae that was made from a soul that wouldn't normally have become one?
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There are certainly intermarriages between the Quahs—but not all of them are acceptable. There's certainly some cases of star-crossed lovers that even a full on change of tribe won't fix. To a certain extent, exactly how extreme these prejudices and reactions are varies from group to group, to allow you and me and everyone else the latitude to design the exact type of character you want, though.
James, where can I read more about the Shoanti? There's only a short amount in Humans of Golarion and the Inner Sea World Guide, I'm assuming they probably had a large-ish section in Rise of The Runelords, but do you know if it was reprinted in the anniversary edition?
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There are certainly intermarriages between the Quahs—but not all of them are acceptable. There's certainly some cases of star-crossed lovers that even a full on change of tribe won't fix. To a certain extent, exactly how extreme these prejudices and reactions are varies from group to group, to allow you and me and everyone else the latitude to design the exact type of character you want, though.James, where can I read more about the Shoanti? There's only a short amount in Humans of Golarion and the Inner Sea World Guide, I'm assuming they probably had a large-ish section in Rise of The Runelords, but do you know if it was reprinted in the anniversary edition?
Varisia, Birthplace of Legends has a lot.
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Creative Director
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I see your point. He doesn't even really bash with the shield in the game anyway, and that double-sword's treated more like a single-pointed spear, so it's not even a good example in the first place. Thanks again!
One more question for this evening: What AP would a Prophet of Kalistrade fit into best? The one's that at least start closest to Druma would be Carrion Crown, Kingmaker and Reign of Winter, but none of those necessarily have making money as their primary goal.
The Prophets of Kalistrade are wide-ranging; they don't need to start in Druma. Any AP is fine for them.
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Creative Director
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Just thought you might be interested that Retail Hell Underground is collecting a bunch of Lovectaftian parodies of Christmas songs :3
Eeew...
Thanks for the heads up... but mixing Lovecraft with Christmas Songs is one of my least favorite things about Christmas. :-P
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Creative Director
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There are certainly intermarriages between the Quahs—but not all of them are acceptable. There's certainly some cases of star-crossed lovers that even a full on change of tribe won't fix. To a certain extent, exactly how extreme these prejudices and reactions are varies from group to group, to allow you and me and everyone else the latitude to design the exact type of character you want, though.James, where can I read more about the Shoanti? There's only a short amount in Humans of Golarion and the Inner Sea World Guide, I'm assuming they probably had a large-ish section in Rise of The Runelords, but do you know if it was reprinted in the anniversary edition?
The best place to go would be back to Pathfinder #10, which is not only an entire adventure set in the Cinderlands with the Shoanti, but has a "Shoanti Way of Life" article in it. There's some other tidbits about the Shoanti in the other volumes of Curse of the Crimson Throne, as well as some in the Magnimar and Korvosa city books, along with Robin Laws' novel "Blood of the City."
There was never an article or significant Shoanti element in Rise of the Runelords apart from there being some Shoanti NPCs.
Have you ever played Warhammer (either one) or Exalted?
Mythic Adventures reminds me of the latter, though without the obvious Oriental influence.
Also, is it possible to possess an evil alignment and not be an out-and-out villain?
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Creative Director
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Have you ever played Warhammer (either one) or Exalted?
Mythic Adventures reminds me of the latter, though without the obvious Oriental influence.
Also, is it possible to possess an evil alignment and not be an out-and-out villain?
I've made characters for Warhammer, and I own the latest RPG, but I've never actually played it. Heck.. the RPG is still in its shrink wrap. :-(
Never played Exalted at all.
If you're evil, you're a villain to someone. Maybe not the PCs... but someone somewhere is impacted by your evil. Even if it's only your own soul.