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Dark Archive

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Tels wrote:
Heard it here first folks! Saranrae's favorite color is blue!
Unless I lied and her favorite color is yellow. Or orange. Or gold. Or mauve.

"Blue. No wait, yelloooooooooo..."

Sovereign Court

Do Dwarves have a tie to any Empyreal lords? Looking for a flavorful deity for a Dwarven Empyreal bloodline sorcerer.


what happens if ten thousand clerics of Desna cast Commune at the same time


xavier c wrote:
what happens if ten thousand clerics of Desna cast Commune at the same time

I can't imagine that there are 10,000 clerics on Golarion that can cast 5th level spells...


Haladir wrote:
xavier c wrote:
what happens if ten thousand clerics of Desna cast Commune at the same time
I can't imagine that there are 10,000 clerics on Golarion that can cast 5th level spells...

i'm pretty sure there are clerics of Desna all over the multiverse


why are there no male gods or demigods of love or Beauty? (is it because of gender stereotypes)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

RtrnofdMax wrote:
Do Dwarves have a tie to any Empyreal lords? Looking for a flavorful deity for a Dwarven Empyreal bloodline sorcerer.

Not particularly. They have a pretty large pantheon of their own instead.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
what happens if ten thousand clerics of Desna cast Commune at the same time

They all get answers as appropriate to their caster level. Desna (and any deity) can handle as many simultaneous commune spells as there is possible to be.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Haladir wrote:
xavier c wrote:
what happens if ten thousand clerics of Desna cast Commune at the same time
I can't imagine that there are 10,000 clerics on Golarion that can cast 5th level spells...

That's probably true... but in the universe I suspect there's plenty more than merely 10,000 9th level clerics of Desna.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

xavier c wrote:
why are there no male gods or demigods of love or Beauty? (is it because of gender stereotypes)

It may well be because of gender stereotype, but if so, it was unintentional.

Dark Archive

Post that was deleted by power outage:
Does the Andoren penal system attempt to rehabilitate their criminals?
Are adventurer-criminals offered the opportunity to do their time in service to the Andoren government?

I'm asking because I am hoping to make a PFS character who is a convict serving out his community service as an agent for the Society.

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Was the power outage over there just annoying or was their any accidents? Is everybody okay?


Reading a bunch of Pathfinder and DnD articles on gambling games had me wondering. How do you make a dice gambling game? I want to put my players in a casino with some homemade games.


If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

I think my wording was kind of vague again. What I'm trying to understand is how the people of Golarion even do science with magic's presence essentially making getting a bead on the laws of physics or biology impossible.

I dunno. Maybe my growing understanding of concepts like evolution and psychology and my growing disbelief in a god or afterlife are making me jaded and more frustrated as I try to reconcile that knowledge with playing in a game where magic basically throws them all out the window with a wave of the hand.

There's room for both those who seek magical answers in world and those who seek scientific answers in world, and room for both to believe they're right even if sometimes they're not.

Keep in mind that in-world characters do not have the luxury of us in knowing indisputably which one is right.

What I'm saying is that this is a case where you can have your cake and eat it too. You can have folks on Golarion understanding the world via physics AND by magic. And if you're the GM, you get to decide who's right and if that even matters.

But magic doesn't throw things out a window with a wave of the hand. I'm not sure where you're getting that idea. If it did, then there'd be increasingly little for us in the real world to associate and identify within the setting. I'd rather have gamers be interested in the plots and characters rather than wondering why, for example, the sky in Golarion is green.

It's not; it's blue because of science and that's the way it is. Whether or not a specific person in world believes the sky is blue because of the way light refracts through the atmosphere or because it's Sarenrae's favorite color is beside the point.

And who says both can't be correct?

I see what you mean. I apologize for overreacting. I think a lot of my frustration comes from trying to reconcile natural selection with the more fantastic elements of the setting.

How did Golarion's fauna evolve into forms similar to those we see on Earth if there's so many apex-predator-types like the shriezx and owlbear created by wizards and Vault-Builders and insane druids and gods and stuff like that sharing the habitats, not to mention the regular things like dragons and griffins? Magic aside, Golarion seems to have WAY more predator species than prey, and natural selection does a poor job of explaining how normal things like wolves and lions weren't outhunted and replaced by these killing machines.

Plus, what did the dwarves and duergar evolve from? If they originated in the Darklands, why did they develop fully functional eyes when most cave-dwelling species are blind? Where's the ape-like ancestor of halflings (assuming the core races are all primates of some sort)? How are elves interfertile with humans if they evolved on different planets?

I need to know if I intend to play a Golarion zoologist!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Dieben wrote:

Post that was deleted by power outage:

Does the Andoren penal system attempt to rehabilitate their criminals?
Are adventurer-criminals offered the opportunity to do their time in service to the Andoren government?

I'm asking because I am hoping to make a PFS character who is a convict serving out his community service as an agent for the Society.

Nope; it's pretty much aimed at keeping the criminals out of society. If rehabilitation happens... that's icing on the cake. There ARE some criminals given the chance to work for the government instead of serving time or whatever but that's less rehabilitation and more repayment.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
Was the power outage over there just annoying or was their any accidents? Is everybody okay?

It was annoying. There were no accidents at Paizo, unless you count the number it did to the website, which was pretty significant as far as I can tell.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Odraude wrote:
Reading a bunch of Pathfinder and DnD articles on gambling games had me wondering. How do you make a dice gambling game? I want to put my players in a casino with some homemade games.

The best place to look first is real-world gambling games. In fact, simply using real world dice games is a great solution. Barring that, there's all sorts of game theory and statistics and all that that goes into game design, be it a dice gambling game or an RPG, and the more you design games, the better at it you get.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Axial wrote:
If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?

They'd both be CR 25 lawful frustrating outsiders.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

How did Golarion's fauna evolve into forms similar to those we see on Earth if there's so many apex-predator-types like the shriezx and owlbear created by wizards and Vault-Builders and insane druids and gods and stuff like that sharing the habitats, not to mention the regular things like dragons and griffins? Magic aside, Golarion seems to have WAY more predator species than prey, and natural selection does a poor job of explaining how normal things like wolves and lions weren't outhunted and replaced by these killing machines.

Plus, what did the dwarves and duergar evolve from? If they originated in the Darklands, why did they develop fully functional eyes when most cave-dwelling species are blind? Where's the ape-like ancestor of halflings (assuming the core races are all primates of some sort)? How are elves interfertile with humans if they evolved on different planets?

I need to know if I intend to play a Golarion zoologist!

A combination of real-world evolution combined with magic world stuff. Frankly... to me, the need to have a lot of variety in the types of dangerous monsters PCs can face in the world is MUCH more important than coming up with a complex and scientifically plausible explanation for where they come from.

We've not revealed where dwarves came from, but we've got some of their creation myths out there, I believe. Duergar came from dwarves who succumbed to dark magic and evil and the influence of Droskar, among other things.

They have eyes because they have darkvision and can see in the dark, and beyond that haven't been around long enough to evolve them away even if they didn't need them.

We've not said much about where halfings come from; that's still a mystery.

Elves and humans are capable of crossbreeding because they can. We may explore the implications of why that is some day... but we might not.

And if you continue toward your goal of "Golarion zoologist," I'm afraid you're just going to end up paralytically frustrated because the world was built to host a game, not a real-life simulation. That type of level of detail is not only not something we've been pursuing, but it actively detracts from what makes the world fun to explore as an adventurer I think... if only because it would have all of us at Paizo charting out evolutionary trees for hundreds of monsters rather than producing the stories that get folks so interested in the world in the first place.

It might be that you're looking for a world more like George Martin's Westeros, or really, the real world, to set your games in.

In any event, I'm not going to be able to answer the increasingly detailed questions you keep asking without both of us getting frustrated, I fear.


Heya! Are there any plans for forthcoming material on the Twilight Academy in Galduria? Where could I find out more about the place (not necessarily the Harrowed Society; I realize that's supposed to be a Secret)?


James Jacobs wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Reading a bunch of Pathfinder and DnD articles on gambling games had me wondering. How do you make a dice gambling game? I want to put my players in a casino with some homemade games.
The best place to look first is real-world gambling games. In fact, simply using real world dice games is a great solution. Barring that, there's all sorts of game theory and statistics and all that that goes into game design, be it a dice gambling game or an RPG, and the more you design games, the better at it you get.

What's a good online resource to read and learn about game theory?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

SnowJade wrote:
Heya! Are there any plans for forthcoming material on the Twilight Academy in Galduria? Where could I find out more about the place (not necessarily the Harrowed Society; I realize that's supposed to be a Secret)?

Not much more info yet... maybe sometime soon though!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Odraude wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Reading a bunch of Pathfinder and DnD articles on gambling games had me wondering. How do you make a dice gambling game? I want to put my players in a casino with some homemade games.
The best place to look first is real-world gambling games. In fact, simply using real world dice games is a great solution. Barring that, there's all sorts of game theory and statistics and all that that goes into game design, be it a dice gambling game or an RPG, and the more you design games, the better at it you get.
What's a good online resource to read and learn about game theory?

That's a better question for Jason, really... I don't know any online resources of that sort.

EDIT: SRM might be a better person to ask, actually; he teaches game design after all!


James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?
They'd both be CR 25 lawful frustrating outsiders.

Oh, boy. I'm gonna have to fight them soon.

On another note, I killed the Iron Golem in Sen's Fortress from two phantom players named Iron Tarkus and Yamajew. The former was covered in full-plate, and the latter had a turban and schimitar. I couldn't help but imagine them as followers of Iomedae and Sarenrae, respectively.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

How did Golarion's fauna evolve into forms similar to those we see on Earth if there's so many apex-predator-types like the shriezx and owlbear created by wizards and Vault-Builders and insane druids and gods and stuff like that sharing the habitats, not to mention the regular things like dragons and griffins? Magic aside, Golarion seems to have WAY more predator species than prey, and natural selection does a poor job of explaining how normal things like wolves and lions weren't outhunted and replaced by these killing machines.

Plus, what did the dwarves and duergar evolve from? If they originated in the Darklands, why did they develop fully functional eyes when most cave-dwelling species are blind? Where's the ape-like ancestor of halflings (assuming the core races are all primates of some sort)? How are elves interfertile with humans if they evolved on different planets?

I need to know if I intend to play a Golarion zoologist!

A combination of real-world evolution combined with magic world stuff. Frankly... to me, the need to have a lot of variety in the types of dangerous monsters PCs can face in the world is MUCH more important than coming up with a complex and scientifically plausible explanation for where they come from.

We've not revealed where dwarves came from, but we've got some of their creation myths out there, I believe. Duergar came from dwarves who succumbed to dark magic and evil and the influence of Droskar, among other things.

They have eyes because they have darkvision and can see in the dark, and beyond that haven't been around long enough to evolve them away even if they didn't need them.

We've not said much about where halfings come from; that's still a mystery.

Elves and humans are capable of crossbreeding because they can. We may explore the implications of why that is some day... but we might not.

And if you continue toward your goal of "Golarion zoologist," I'm afraid you're just going to end up paralytically frustrated...

Those stories ARE great, and I thank you for that.

I'll lay off on the sciencey stuff. It's trying to jam a square peg in a round hole, like those attempts to find a human culture identical to the Romano-British I kept pestering you with a few months ago. It's just a game, right?

Here's a less complicated question: what umbrella do hippogriffs fall under as mounts? Griffons need to be a cohort, basically, as you need Leadership to use them as a mount. I remember there was a 3.5 feat that let Rangers take them (Sable Company Marine). I don't believe said feat was ever updated for Pathfinder proper, however. Is there a way for other mount-based classes like Cavaliers and Paladins to access them?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Axial wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?
They'd both be CR 25 lawful frustrating outsiders.

Oh, boy. I'm gonna have to fight them soon.

On another note, I killed the Iron Golem in Sen's Fortress from two phantom players named Iron Tarkus and Yamajew. The former was covered in full-plate, and the latter had a turban and schimitar. I couldn't help but imagine them as followers of Iomedae and Sarenrae, respectively.

Smough and Ornstein were hands down no contest the HARDEST part of that game for me. I was stuck on them for about half a year. Defeating them was one of the best video game moments EVER.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Here's a less complicated question: what umbrella do hippogriffs fall under as mounts? Griffons need to be a cohort, basically, as you need Leadership to use them as a mount. I remember there was a 3.5 feat that let Rangers take them (Sable Company Marine). I don't believe said feat was ever updated for Pathfinder proper, however. Is there a way for other mount-based classes like Cavaliers and Paladins to access them?

Hippogriffs are magical beasts, but they're animal intelligence, so you can train them to be mounts as if they were animals... but there's a –4 penalty on the checks.

The Sable Company stuff has been updated. I did a blog about them somewhere around here...

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Here's a less complicated question: what umbrella do hippogriffs fall under as mounts? Griffons need to be a cohort, basically, as you need Leadership to use them as a mount. I remember there was a 3.5 feat that let Rangers take them (Sable Company Marine). I don't believe said feat was ever updated for Pathfinder proper, however. Is there a way for other mount-based classes like Cavaliers and Paladins to access them?

Hippogriffs are magical beasts, but they're animal intelligence, so you can train them to be mounts as if they were animals... but there's a –4 penalty on the checks.

The Sable Company stuff has been updated. I did a blog about them somewhere around here...

Ah! Found it!

It seems to be a Ranger Archetype, though. So what happens if Cavaliers or Paladins want a hippogriff? Do they just try to train one with Handle Animal and if the GM says "Okay" they can utilize their mount class features with it? Or do they need to give up more stuff, like how a Sable Company ranger gives up Favored Terrain in addition to only being able to nature's bond exclusively with hippogriffs?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:


It seems to be a Ranger Archetype, though. So what happens if Cavaliers or Paladins want a hippogriff? Do they just try to train one with Handle Animal and if the GM says "Okay" they can utilize their mount class features with it? Or do they need to give up more stuff, like how a Sable Company ranger gives up Favored Terrain in addition to only being able to nature's bond exclusively with hippogriffs?

That goes back to Handle Animal then... train up a hippogriff and you're good to go. Although if you want one as a special mount... at this point, that's GM houserule territory.

Radiant Oath

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

I see. Thank you.

Would I be correct in saying Council of Thieves is the best opportunity PCs have to emulate Batman in an AP? Everything about Westcrown practically screams "GOTHAM CITY!!!"

The Exchange

James Jacobs wrote:
Luthorne wrote:

1) What exactly is the source of a bard's magic in Golarion? In 3.5, it said that bards drew power from the music of their own souls, but in Pathfinder it instead mentions something about wonders and secrets that bards unravel with cleverness, magic, and talent. So, is the source still from the music of their souls, or is it supposed to be something else?

2) In Golarion, can anyone of sufficient intelligence become a wizard, or does it require them having some form of innate magic? I always thought possessing innate magic was what separated sorcerers from wizards, who just learned to manipulate existing magic, but I've heard some people assert pretty strongly that only those who already have magic can actually become a wizard...so I thought I'd ask you?

3) Succubus swashbuckler pirates attacking people on the high seas, good or bad idea?
3a) Do succubi ever worship chaotic neutral gods, like Besmara or Calistria?

1) Bards are arcane spellcasters, so their source is the same as other arcane spellcasters—they have the ability to directly manipulate magic to create effects. Wizards do so thanks to their studies, sorcerers via innate inborn talent, witches by being taught secrets by their patrons, and bards by their sheer force of creative talent and will—they sort of combine the way wizards and sorcerers do it, in other words. Doesn't have anything to do with their souls.

2) Anyone can become a wizard, yes. The more intelligent you are, the better you'll be at it, of course. Likewise, anyone can become a sorcerer, but the more charismatic you are, the better you'll be at it. We don't require every character to decide at the moment of creation whether or not they have the innate bloodline chops to become a sorcerer or not. That's too much paperwork. And bloodlines can manifest from hidden wells of power previously unguessed at, of course.

3) Good idea.

3a) It's possible, but the succubus would still be chaotic evil.

Regarding 2 - does that mean that every single person alive in Golarion is theoretically capable of casting spells, or just that any PC may take levels in wizard?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:

I see. Thank you.

Would I be correct in saying Council of Thieves is the best opportunity PCs have to emulate Batman in an AP? Everything about Westcrown practically screams "GOTHAM CITY!!!"

That or Crimson Throne.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Lord Snow wrote:
Regarding 2 - does that mean that every single person alive in Golarion is theoretically capable of casting spells, or just that any PC may take levels in wizard?

Nope. Just the ones who are capable of doing so.

The "Anyone can become a wizard" is more accurately "Anyone who the story wants to become a wizard can do so."

PCs, of course, should be free to choose their class levels as they wish.

And GMs have even more freedom than them.

That's different than eveyrone in the world being able to take wizard levels. I guess the best way to think of that is whether or not someone's got the Intelligence needed to actually cast spells in the first place... but it's got a lot more to do with that. Everything you can think of to be a reason why someone can or can't cast spells (allergy to magic, ignorance, social taboo, and fear of magic being four samples I just came up with off the top of my head) is legit.


It's been established, if I'm properly recalling, that any elf on Golarion who reaches sufficient heights of irredeemable villainy has the potential to just spontaneously and dramatically become a drow for mysterious unexplained reasons, This raises a few questions.

1- I'm not mistaken in calling those reasons mysterious or unexplained, am I?

2- Is that only true of Golarion's elves, or are elves living on Castrovel for instance susceptible to the same sort of thing?

3- Similarly, half-elves? And would they become half-drow, or go all the way?

4- Is it strictly a one-way process, or (eye-rolling as it would be) would a drow that really somehow managed to be a total virtuous goodie-two-shoes have a chance of becoming an elf?

5- Getting off drow for a moment, what's the story with APs and orcs? Every player's guide makes a point of explaining how a half-orc might fit in, and they show up as NPCs here and there (sometimes in large numbers even). However, (admittedly, not having read them all) I think there might be only one page, in one book, of one AP (Pathfinder #11) where full-blooded orcs have ever been featured. Is it just an odd coincidence that nobody's ever happened to work them in? Overzealous effort not to rely on them when other companies lean so very heavily on them? General lack of love for them around the office?


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Ah, I guess I should have been more specific...what Lord Snow was asking was in fact my question, ie, sorcerers have a special power, either from heritage, exposure to esoteric energies, magical experimentation, or being touched by something or someone have a special power; are wizards different in that anyone who has a high enough intelligence could hypothetically learn to be a wizard because it's more about knowledge and learning to manipulate existing forces, or does it also require a special power that not everyone possesses? Obviously with the story, well, anything you can work out for your character's background that your DM approves of or that your DM wants to implement for an NPC is fine for acquiring a special power...but I digress.

1) We know Valashmai is ridiculously deadly with the various kaiju and other monsters wandering around...is the extremely mysterious Sarusan more or less deadly? Or is that a secret?

2) Are there any kaiju on Castrovel? Given how it seems to be a giant jungle planet filled with enormous flora and fauna, it seems like it would be appropriate?

3) What are your three favorite demons that didn't appear in the first Bestiary?


Two questions, one on Arueshalae and one on the Mana Wells, following up from the "what mythic power feels like for the user" questions that I posed a while back.

1) What does her mythic power (Arueshalae's, that is) feel like when she uses it? What is it, exactly? Her backstory describes how it was a brush with Desna that awakened mythic potential in her, but not the kind of power it is/looks like/feels like when used.

2) The Mana Wells are described as one of the most straightforward means of gaining mythic power. By which, in Mythic Realms, it says that the recipient simply steps into the pool and embraces the power with all attendant risks. Is it really such a simple method of mythic ascension? Or do you already have to be pre-qualified in some fashion in order to gain a mythic ascension and not just a roll on the table of effects? What are the odds of the person just combusting on the spot from the sudden influx of primal energy?

(I understand that it's the GM's purview on whether to introduce Mythic into their game. However, from an in-world perspective, it seems like, by and large, a very good deal, especially for a spellcaster with access to even just one wish spell to mitigate the negative effects if they get caught in a Mana Well's eruption.)


The Staff of the Master from Ultimate Equipment;

PRD wrote:

STAFF OF THE MASTER Price 30,000 gp; Aura moderate necromancy; CL 8th; Weight 5 lbs.

Often given as gifts to apprentices upon reaching the rank of master, these staves come in eight different varieties, one for each school of magic. This particular staff is for the school of necromancy. Aside from acting as a +1/+1 quarterstaff, this staff allows use of the following spells:

Ray of enfeeblement (1 charge)
Spectral hand (1 charge)
Vampiric touch (2 charges)

In addition, this staff can be used to cast spells using any metamagic feats known by the wielder without increasing the spell's level. This consumes a number of charges equal to the number of spell levels increased by the feat. No more than one feat can be applied to a spell cast by the wielder in this way. Using the staff for this purpose does not increase the casting time of the spell.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS Cost 15,300 gp Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, ray of enfeeblement, spectral hand, vampiric touch

This item only details one of the eight possible versions, could you provide us rules for the other 7? We would just need you to assign each staff a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lvl spell from the school it was attuned to.

Thanks


Inevitables.

1) How are Inevitables perceived by Archons and Devils?

2) How do Inevitables perceive Archons and Devils?

3) Do Inevitables ever "tip-over" into being LG or LE? Are there celestial Kolyaruts and fiendish Zelukhuts somewhere?

4) Moreover, do neutral outsiders of any alignment (Inevitables, Proteans, Psychopomps) ever "tip-over"?

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?
They'd both be CR 25 lawful frustrating outsiders.

Oh, boy. I'm gonna have to fight them soon.

On another note, I killed the Iron Golem in Sen's Fortress from two phantom players named Iron Tarkus and Yamajew. The former was covered in full-plate, and the latter had a turban and schimitar. I couldn't help but imagine them as followers of Iomedae and Sarenrae, respectively.

Smough and Ornstein were hands down no contest the HARDEST part of that game for me. I was stuck on them for about half a year. Defeating them was one of the best video game moments EVER.

Harder than Kalameet and Manus?

Radiant Oath

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

Do any Shoanti venerate the Empyreal Lords? If so, how do they venerate them? Do they treat them as powerful spirit totems or as actual gods? And how is god worship viewed among the Shoanti? I'm led to believe they're totemists by default.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Wraithcannon wrote:

The Staff of the Master from Ultimate Equipment;

PRD wrote:

STAFF OF THE MASTER Price 30,000 gp; Aura moderate necromancy; CL 8th; Weight 5 lbs.

Often given as gifts to apprentices upon reaching the rank of master, these staves come in eight different varieties, one for each school of magic. This particular staff is for the school of necromancy. Aside from acting as a +1/+1 quarterstaff, this staff allows use of the following spells:

Ray of enfeeblement (1 charge)
Spectral hand (1 charge)
Vampiric touch (2 charges)

In addition, this staff can be used to cast spells using any metamagic feats known by the wielder without increasing the spell's level. This consumes a number of charges equal to the number of spell levels increased by the feat. No more than one feat can be applied to a spell cast by the wielder in this way. Using the staff for this purpose does not increase the casting time of the spell.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS Cost 15,300 gp Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, ray of enfeeblement, spectral hand, vampiric touch

This item only details one of the eight possible versions, could you provide us rules for the other 7? We would just need you to assign each staff a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lvl spell from the school it was attuned to.

Thanks

I'm not sure you could afford Jacobs' hourly rate. :) You're asking him to do work that he normally gets paid to do. Or worse, you're taking that from someone else.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Googleshng wrote:

It's been established, if I'm properly recalling, that any elf on Golarion who reaches sufficient heights of irredeemable villainy has the potential to just spontaneously and dramatically become a drow for mysterious unexplained reasons, This raises a few questions.

1- I'm not mistaken in calling those reasons mysterious or unexplained, am I?

2- Is that only true of Golarion's elves, or are elves living on Castrovel for instance susceptible to the same sort of thing?

3- Similarly, half-elves? And would they become half-drow, or go all the way?

4- Is it strictly a one-way process, or (eye-rolling as it would be) would a drow that really somehow managed to be a total virtuous goodie-two-shoes have a chance of becoming an elf?

5- Getting off drow for a moment, what's the story with APs and orcs? Every player's guide makes a point of explaining how a half-orc might fit in, and they show up as NPCs here and there (sometimes in large numbers even). However, (admittedly, not having read them all) I think there might be only one page, in one book, of one AP (Pathfinder #11) where full-blooded orcs have ever been featured. Is it just an odd coincidence that nobody's ever happened to work them in? Overzealous effort not to rely on them when other companies lean so very heavily on them? General lack of love for them around the office?

1) It's the influence of fell, vile powers like demon lords and/or Rovagug combined with the elven trait of adjusting appearance to match environment over the course of long stays in one area that causes the transformation, along with a few other catalysts that are unquantified and unrevealed.

2) It's true of all elves in the Pathfinder setting, but it's rare enough that, so far, it's only been documented as having happened on Golarion. It COULD happen elsewhere, but if it has, we haven't told anyone about it yet.

3) Nope; half-elves aren't subject to this effect. The only way to get half-drow is to have a drow and a human have a kid.

4) It's one-way. A drow who redeems him/herself and becomes good remains a drow.

5) We've not done much with orcs mostly because many of us feel they've been kinda overdone over the past few years, particularly between Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit and World of Warcraft. That's not gonna stay the same, though, and I think the time for us to finally start looking at doing some more stuff with orcs is coming soon. There's certainly a notable orc presence in Numeria, so you can expect to see more orcs there. And that's not gonna be the last of it.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Luthorne wrote:

Ah, I guess I should have been more specific...what Lord Snow was asking was in fact my question, ie, sorcerers have a special power, either from heritage, exposure to esoteric energies, magical experimentation, or being touched by something or someone have a special power; are wizards different in that anyone who has a high enough intelligence could hypothetically learn to be a wizard because it's more about knowledge and learning to manipulate existing forces, or does it also require a special power that not everyone possesses? Obviously with the story, well, anything you can work out for your character's background that your DM approves of or that your DM wants to implement for an NPC is fine for acquiring a special power...but I digress.

1) We know Valashmai is ridiculously deadly with the various kaiju and other monsters wandering around...is the extremely mysterious Sarusan more or less deadly? Or is that a secret?

2) Are there any kaiju on Castrovel? Given how it seems to be a giant jungle planet filled with enormous flora and fauna, it seems like it would be appropriate?

3) What are your three favorite demons that didn't appear in the first Bestiary?

Sorcerers do indeed have powers from their bloodlines, but unless you want to require every single PC and NPC to decide at the moment of creation whether or not they have a sorcererous bloodline (which would be a LOT of paperwork)... it's better to simply assume anyone and everyone has the potential to become a sorcerer. Those that do confirm this. Those who don't still might, or they might not, but it doesn't matter really since they never become a sorcerer.

1) Parts of Sarusan are that deadly, but not most of it.

2) There's certainly giant monsters on Castrovel. Whether or not they're kaiju is unrevealed, but it's certainly possible.

3) Lilitu, seraptis, and brimorak.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Alleran wrote:

Two questions, one on Arueshalae and one on the Mana Wells, following up from the "what mythic power feels like for the user" questions that I posed a while back.

1) What does her mythic power (Arueshalae's, that is) feel like when she uses it? What is it, exactly? Her backstory describes how it was a brush with Desna that awakened mythic potential in her, but not the kind of power it is/looks like/feels like when used.

2) The Mana Wells are described as one of the most straightforward means of gaining mythic power. By which, in Mythic Realms, it says that the recipient simply steps into the pool and embraces the power with all attendant risks. Is it really such a simple method of mythic ascension? Or do you already have to be pre-qualified in some fashion in order to gain a mythic ascension and not just a roll on the table of effects? What are the odds of the person just combusting on the spot from the sudden influx of primal energy?

(I understand that it's the GM's purview on whether to introduce Mythic into their game. However, from an in-world perspective, it seems like, by and large, a very good deal, especially for a spellcaster with access to even just one wish spell to mitigate the negative effects if they get caught in a Mana Well's eruption.)

1) Her mythic power is basically the trust and frienship and mentorship of Desna that allowed her to dream of becoming something other than a demon. It feels like when you wake up from a particularly lovely or pleasant dream, and you're filled with sensations of peace and tranquility, knowing that the dream was in fact a prediction of the future that WILL soon come true. As for how her powers look when they manifest... they'd have Desna flavor. Blues and silvers, sparkly lights, stars, butterflies, a haunting song, etc.

2) It's as simple a method as the GM wants it to be... but remember, simply GETTING to them might be quite difficult.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Wraithcannon wrote:

The Staff of the Master from Ultimate Equipment;

PRD wrote:

STAFF OF THE MASTER Price 30,000 gp; Aura moderate necromancy; CL 8th; Weight 5 lbs.

Often given as gifts to apprentices upon reaching the rank of master, these staves come in eight different varieties, one for each school of magic. This particular staff is for the school of necromancy. Aside from acting as a +1/+1 quarterstaff, this staff allows use of the following spells:

Ray of enfeeblement (1 charge)
Spectral hand (1 charge)
Vampiric touch (2 charges)

In addition, this staff can be used to cast spells using any metamagic feats known by the wielder without increasing the spell's level. This consumes a number of charges equal to the number of spell levels increased by the feat. No more than one feat can be applied to a spell cast by the wielder in this way. Using the staff for this purpose does not increase the casting time of the spell.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS Cost 15,300 gp Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, ray of enfeeblement, spectral hand, vampiric touch

This item only details one of the eight possible versions, could you provide us rules for the other 7? We would just need you to assign each staff a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lvl spell from the school it was attuned to.

Thanks

I cannot. I've got an enormous project I need to be working on during all my game design chances.

It's easy enough to make other similar staves though; just change the three spells to other spells of the same level of the target school.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Axial wrote:

Inevitables.

1) How are Inevitables perceived by Archons and Devils?

2) How do Inevitables perceive Archons and Devils?

3) Do Inevitables ever "tip-over" into being LG or LE? Are there celestial Kolyaruts and fiendish Zelukhuts somewhere?

4) Moreover, do neutral outsiders of any alignment (Inevitables, Proteans, Psychopomps) ever "tip-over"?

1) Depending on the situation and the individuals involved, either as allies, meddlers, enemies, or tools.

2) See #1 above. You're talking about entire races. There's a lot of variability there.

3) Very very rarely. About as often as you see any other outsider race "tip over" into other alignments. We've done pretty much one such outsider over the course of 75 installments of the Adventure Paths, as an example of how rarely this happens.

4) All outsiders have the capacity to drift to another alignment, but only when the story is about that drift. And even then, only very very rarely.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Axial wrote:
If Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough were in Pathfinder, what Challenge ratings, alignments, and creature subtypes would they have?
They'd both be CR 25 lawful frustrating outsiders.

Oh, boy. I'm gonna have to fight them soon.

On another note, I killed the Iron Golem in Sen's Fortress from two phantom players named Iron Tarkus and Yamajew. The former was covered in full-plate, and the latter had a turban and schimitar. I couldn't help but imagine them as followers of Iomedae and Sarenrae, respectively.

Smough and Ornstein were hands down no contest the HARDEST part of that game for me. I was stuck on them for about half a year. Defeating them was one of the best video game moments EVER.

Harder than Kalameet and Manus?

Yup. Hardest part of the game = entire rest of the game wasn't as hard.

That said... I was stuck on Smough and Ornstein for half a year, during which I kept going back and leveling up in other zones. Smough and Ornstein, of course, are guarding something that bottlenecks game progression, so until you defeat them, you cannot proceed to the last 3rd of the game or the DLC. I was stymied by them for a long time, so I kept going around leveling up, farming souls, upgrading weapons, etc. By the time I finally confronted them and won the fight against them, I was about level 110 or thereabouts, IIRC. After that... well, the rest of the game remained tough and opportunities to die abounded, but I was at such a high level that I had enough health and stamina to absorb a lot of errors and let me stick around long enough to power through some of the later tough fights.

I believe I defeated Manus the first time I encountered him. Might have taken 2 tries, but it wasn't much. Kalameet I got on the 1st try.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Do any Shoanti venerate the Empyreal Lords? If so, how do they venerate them? Do they treat them as powerful spirit totems or as actual gods? And how is god worship viewed among the Shoanti? I'm led to believe they're totemists by default.

As an entire tribe? No.

But absolutely as individuals; most of whom are no longer active members of a tribe, or are fingers in a tribe. They treat them as deities. The Shoanti prefer to have a more totemist or ancestor worship or animal/nature-based faith, but they don't freak out about deity worship really. It's just not their tradition, and those who are part of their tribes who worship deities are generally treated with some combination of distrust, curiosity, eye-rolling, anger, embarrassment, etc.

Dark Archive

Do you consider demigods as cr 26-30 like demon lords and there equivalent?

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