So, while I'm here I guess I'll ask. I was chatting with a friend about Mythic Realms and the Starstone, and we're both curious: Just what does the Starstone do, canonically in the Pathfinder campaign setting? Does it straight grant divinity as it did for Iomedae, Norgorber, and Caiden Caylean (apologies if I misspelled that one)? Or has it always granted mythic tiers, and those three ascended to godhood through writer's fiat?Beyond what we said in print about it in Mythic Realms, I'm not ready to say more. Now is not the right time or place for that information... but its powers are MUCH closer to "it does whatever we want it to do for the story" than "It follows rules."
Implying there will be a right time and place? Hmm. Don't you find the (apparent) lack of internal consistency troublesome, not in the least for your writers?
Creative Director
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Implying there will be a right time and place? Hmm. Don't you find the (apparent) lack of internal consistency troublesome, not in the least for your writers?
Correct. We are quite likely to do more with the Starstone in the future.
Maintaining internal consistency is one of the hardest parts of the job, and one of the ones fraught with the largest source of frustration. But in this case, there's not a problem at all. You just don't have all of the information yet as to how gods like Iomedae and Norgorber interacted with the Starstone, and thus can't really use what we printed in Mythic Realms to solve all those mysteries. That's on purpose and by design. We couldn't ignore the Starstone in a book like "Mythic Realms," obviously, but neither did we want to pull all the curtains aside and leave no mystery behind.
Hi, James! Big fan here!
I've always felt Armor Class as it's used in D&D is a weirdly unintuitive mechanic, given that it's all about damage avoidance rather than damage reduction. Why did you guys continue to use it in PF? Tradition? Balance? What's the argument for it?
Also, I have a friend who lives in Australia and would like to play PF, but he's put off by the fact that all the measurements are, er, non-metric. I doubt he's unique. Is tbere any plan to address this complaint anytime soon?
Thanks for your time!
Implying there will be a right time and place? Hmm. Don't you find the (apparent) lack of internal consistency troublesome, not in the least for your writers?Correct. We are quite likely to do more with the Starstone in the future.
Maintaining internal consistency is one of the hardest parts of the job, and one of the ones fraught with the largest source of frustration. But in this case, there's not a problem at all. You just don't have all of the information yet as to how gods like Iomedae and Norgorber interacted with the Starstone, and thus can't really use what we printed in Mythic Realms to solve all those mysteries. That's on purpose and by design. We couldn't ignore the Starstone in a book like "Mythic Realms," obviously, but neither did we want to pull all the curtains aside and leave no mystery behind.
And all this time I thought it was just sloppy world building (no offense)! I'm actually rather relieved to know you guys plan to do more with it, because leaving it at where it was in Mythic Realms just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Thank you for answering my questions!
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Hi, James! Big fan here!
I've always felt Armor Class as it's used in D&D is a weirdly unintuitive mechanic, given that it's all about damage avoidance rather than damage reduction. Why did you guys continue to use it in PF? Tradition? Balance? What's the argument for it?
Also, I have a friend who lives in Australia and would like to play PF, but he's put off by the fact that all the measurements are, er, non-metric. I doubt he's unique. Is tbere any plan to address this complaint anytime soon?
Thanks for your time!
We use it in Pathfinder because it's one of the core elements of the d20 system. Changing AC to some other mechanic was never an option, since the whole point of the transition from D&D to Pathfinder was to keep as much of the game we all knew how to play already. It's been a part of the game for decades. A game that doesn't use AC isn't the same game. It might be better, it might be worse... but I'm pretty sure that making that huge of a change to the game when we switched to Pathfinder would not only have had a cascading ripple-effect on the rest of the rules forcing lots of other changes... but it would have likely meant that Pathfinder would NEVER have become as popular as it is today.
And I can understand the rest of the world's frustration about the fact that we use feet instead of meters here in the US... but that's the way it is. Since Pathfinder is published, edited, developed, and for the most part designed in the US, it uses the system we're most comfortable with. Until that norm changes for the US (likely impossible at this point in time), it's not gonna change for Pathfinder. Sorry!
Hi James,
As a heads up, did you know that Chaosium has a scenario book based on Ramsey Campbell's writings? It's called Goatswood and other tales (or something to that effect).
*see how I made that a question?* :)
What was it like to work with the folks at Chaosium when you were collaborating with them on the Mythos creatures you added back in Carrion Crown? Was it as cool and collaborative as I picture it in my head?
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And all this time I thought it was just sloppy world building (no offense)! I'm actually rather relieved to know you guys plan to do more with it, because leaving it at where it was in Mythic Realms just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Thank you for answering my questions!
Implying there will be a right time and place? Hmm. Don't you find the (apparent) lack of internal consistency troublesome, not in the least for your writers?Correct. We are quite likely to do more with the Starstone in the future.
Maintaining internal consistency is one of the hardest parts of the job, and one of the ones fraught with the largest source of frustration. But in this case, there's not a problem at all. You just don't have all of the information yet as to how gods like Iomedae and Norgorber interacted with the Starstone, and thus can't really use what we printed in Mythic Realms to solve all those mysteries. That's on purpose and by design. We couldn't ignore the Starstone in a book like "Mythic Realms," obviously, but neither did we want to pull all the curtains aside and leave no mystery behind.
Nothing in Mythic Realms tells the whole story. In fact, that's kind of the way we build Golarion; when we explain something that was a mystery, we try to add NEW mysteries so that we can constantly be expanding and can constantly keep folks interested in what's coming next.
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We're still working out a few bugs on or serfdom program. We've had too many loopholes that let the slav... ah... serfs get away from work.New product roster for Quarter 3 looks nice.
So when can I skip the formalities and sell myself into serfdom to Paizo for new Pathfinder stuff?
¿Why would you want to get away?
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What's Angazhan's ultimate plan? To turn Golarion into Gorillaon?
HA! No. He's not actually looking to turn Golarion into anything; that's more Deskari and Cyth-V'sug's thing. Angazhan's goal is perhaps kinda dull—to gain more power and to make his Abyssal Realm the best on the plane. One of the ways he's doing that is investing power in his cult in the Mwangi.
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Is This outside the Paizo offices?
Alas, it is not.
It's an amusing combination of two extinct species though!
(Not sure if you're the best person to ask, but here goes nothing!)
How does the Serpentine bloodline, specifically it's 3rd level power Serpentfriend, interact with the Tattooed Sorcerer archetype? Both allow you to gain a familiar, but does one take precedence? I find it hard to believe that the combination lets you have two familiars.
That's fair, thanks!
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Has the response to the Iron Gods-related products revealed yesterday made for high spirits at the office today? :)
Not really. We're pretty heads-down work-work-work on Gen Con stuff at this point. It's good to see most folks are eager and excited about all the Iron Gods stuff, of course!
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(Not sure if you're the best person to ask, but here goes nothing!)
How does the Serpentine bloodline, specifically it's 3rd level power Serpentfriend, interact with the Tattooed Sorcerer archetype? Both allow you to gain a familiar, but does one take precedence? I find it hard to believe that the combination lets you have two familiars.
You only get 1 familiar. Choose the one you prefer.
Hi, James! Big fan here!
I've always felt Armor Class as it's used in D&D is a weirdly unintuitive mechanic, given that it's all about damage avoidance rather than damage reduction. Why did you guys continue to use it in PF? Tradition? Balance? What's the argument for it?
Also, I have a friend who lives in Australia and would like to play PF, but he's put off by the fact that all the measurements are, er, non-metric. I doubt he's unique. Is tbere any plan to address this complaint anytime soon?
Thanks for your time!
They don't always do that, see Armor as Damage Reduction.
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I don't believe we have yet, and I don't have any ideas off the top of my head yet.Has Paizo given House Morilla of Taldor (the House of Lady Gloriana Morilla, Taldor faction leader) an official coat of arms?
If not, what would you expect it to look like?
That's what I figured. I would just make it up, but it's for a PFS character. He would serve them, and thus wear their colors/sigil.
I'll probably just have him go with the Taldor colors and lion/crown combo.
Hmmmm... I have a couple different questions about dwarves and their beards, and I'm going to try to present them in the clearest way possible.
At what point in a dwarf's life (Dwarven age or human equivalent) is a dwarf expected to grow and maintain his beard?
I assume male dwarves do not have beards from birth, so at some point there must be a cultural expectation to begin to grow one.
This leads me to my second question:
What is the age(Dwarven age or human equivalent) at which a dwarf physically begins to grow a beard? How does it coincide with the cultural expectations mentioned above?
When I state (Dwarven age or human equivalent), the latter would be preferred, and providing both would be excellent. Dwarven age answers the question, but since that is all that is required, choosing to give the human equivalent is up to you. It seems rude to ask with the entitlement of receiving both.
Are these questions answered in Dwarves of Golarion?
I'm interested in using the upcoming Iron Gods AP to hopefully play an android. Do you have any tips for playing an android who doesn't know he's an android (hopefully culminating in an epic reveal when he is lured to double cross his companions by the IRON GODS)? Would it be possible (or ethical?) to keep his identity a secret from other players? Or are androids just obviously androids?
That's fair, thanks!
If you are looking for a RPG similar to Pathfinder/D&D that uses armor as damage reduction effectively in it's core rules, Harn is a good example.
Actually, Harn is similar to classic D&D is many ways. However, just as a warning, Harn is BRUTALLY accurate.
For example, if you choose for your Harn setting to be in a Feudal Society, 70% of all the people the PCs have ever met or will meet are farmers(serfs).
Also, in Harn, fighting a bear will be as hard as FIGHTING A BEAR would be; E.G. HARD. If someone in Harn were ever to fight any kind of Demon, they would die. Immediately.
It's quite a game.
Now, back to Pathfinder!
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What's Angazhan's ultimate plan? To turn Golarion into Gorillaon?HA! No. He's not actually looking to turn Golarion into anything; that's more Deskari and Cyth-V'sug's thing. Angazhan's goal is perhaps kinda dull—to gain more power and to make his Abyssal Realm the best on the plane. One of the ways he's doing that is investing power in his cult in the Mwangi.
I see. I always thought it was unusual that his worship seems so centralized in one location and it's just sort of...there. Like it's dangerous if you go poking around that hornet's nest, but as long as you stick to friendly territory the Gorilla King's really not gonna come after you.
So, what's the barghest hero-gods' plan? To turn Golarion into Goblarion? :P
What's Angazhan's ultimate plan? To turn Golarion into Gorillaon?HA! No. He's not actually looking to turn Golarion into anything; that's more Deskari and Cyth-V'sug's thing. Angazhan's goal is perhaps kinda dull—to gain more power and to make his Abyssal Realm the best on the plane. One of the ways he's doing that is investing power in his cult in the Mwangi.I see. I always thought it was unusual that his worship seems so centralized in one location and it's just sort of...there. Like it's dangerous if you go poking around that hornet's nest, but as long as you stick to friendly territory the Gorilla King's really not gonna come after you.
So, what's the barghest hero-gods' plan? To turn Golarion into Goblarion? :P
Their plan? More like their... Goal-arion ;)
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Their plan? More like their... Goal-arion ;)What's Angazhan's ultimate plan? To turn Golarion into Gorillaon?HA! No. He's not actually looking to turn Golarion into anything; that's more Deskari and Cyth-V'sug's thing. Angazhan's goal is perhaps kinda dull—to gain more power and to make his Abyssal Realm the best on the plane. One of the ways he's doing that is investing power in his cult in the Mwangi.I see. I always thought it was unusual that his worship seems so centralized in one location and it's just sort of...there. Like it's dangerous if you go poking around that hornet's nest, but as long as you stick to friendly territory the Gorilla King's really not gonna come after you.
So, what's the barghest hero-gods' plan? To turn Golarion into Goblarion? :P
YYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
*cue music*
That's fair, thanks!If you are looking for a RPG similar to Pathfinder/D&D that uses armor as damage reduction effectively in it's core rules, Harn is a good example.
Actually, Harn is similar to classic D&D is many ways. However, just as a warning, Harn is BRUTALLY accurate.
For example, if you choose for your Harn setting to be in a Feudal Society, 70% of all the people the PCs have ever met or will meet are farmers(serfs).
Also, in Harn, fighting a bear will be as hard as FIGHTING A BEAR would be; E.G. HARD. If someone in Harn were ever to fight any kind of Demon, they would die. Immediately.It's quite a game.
Now, back to Pathfinder!
We Alaskans scoff at your 'hard' bear fighting.
Unless it's a grizzly or a polar bear. Yogi wishes he were that deadly.
Have you seen the "honest trailer" for Game of Thrones yet. Truly Epic.
http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2014/04/game-of-thrones-honest-trailer/
I'm curious about building challenging adventures for Mythic characters. The suggestion is to set 1/3rd of the encounters at character level, 1/3 at the modified APL with the rest ranging somewhere between the two but I'm a little concerned that this may prove to be a bit on the easy side especially at lower levels. Until now I've been using a formula I believe was originally presented in an issue of Dungeon/Dragon that used percentages (APL-1 10%, APL 20%, APL+1 50%, APL+2 15% and APL+3 5%) and it's served me well, however, I'm uncertain whether to base it off of the parties modified or base level. Would a group of 5 level 20 characters with 6 mythic tiers (APL 23) be able to take on something like The Whispering Tyrant (CR 26), or would this lead to a TPK more often than not? Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.
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Hey James, got a strange one for you this time.
In 3.5 there were epic versions of skills. With Diplomacy we learn that it's essentially mind-affecting and that if you're immune you can't become a fanatic. With epic Bluff, it says that a high enough bluff can instill a suggestion as per the spell, which is also mind-affecting.
If you're immune to mind-affecting, does that mean you're also more immune to Diplomacy and Bluff, or only in those specific circumstances? What about just being resistant? Is there a way to become immune to Bluff besides having a ridiculous Sense Motive?
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Hmmmm... I have a couple different questions about dwarves and their beards, and I'm going to try to present them in the clearest way possible.
At what point in a dwarf's life (Dwarven age or human equivalent) is a dwarf expected to grow and maintain his beard?
I assume male dwarves do not have beards from birth, so at some point there must be a cultural expectation to begin to grow one.
This leads me to my second question:
What is the age(Dwarven age or human equivalent) at which a dwarf physically begins to grow a beard? How does it coincide with the cultural expectations mentioned above?When I state (Dwarven age or human equivalent), the latter would be preferred, and providing both would be excellent. Dwarven age answers the question, but since that is all that is required, choosing to give the human equivalent is up to you. It seems rude to ask with the entitlement of receiving both.
Are these questions answered in Dwarves of Golarion?
** spoiler omitted **
Dwarves are expected to grow a beard as soon as they can. As with humans, it varies, but it generally starts younger for dwarves. A dwarf whose beard is slow to start is likely to be treated poorly by his friends. I'd say that dwarves start growing beards at about the equivalent of being about 9 or 10 on average.
These questions SHOULD be answered in Dwarves of Golarion... they're the exact kinds of questions that should be addressed in a book like that... but I don't know if they are, since I didn't develop that book.
And as for the spoiler? Nope.
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I'm interested in using the upcoming Iron Gods AP to hopefully play an android. Do you have any tips for playing an android who doesn't know he's an android (hopefully culminating in an epic reveal when he is lured to double cross his companions by the IRON GODS)? Would it be possible (or ethical?) to keep his identity a secret from other players? Or are androids just obviously androids?
An android looks pretty human... but the instant they bleed from a cut or whatever, they'll know what they are because android blood is watery and thin. They'll also know what they are as soon as their nanites activate. They're not really built or intended to be "surprise! You're an android!" type thing. Androids can certainly disguise themselves as humans though, and most do.
The best way to scratch that itch in Pathfinder is to play an unwitting clone, I suppose.
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1) Nope; remember that there's only a 75% chance an item of equal or less than the settlement's base value is actually for sale. If that item is specifically listed in the item's items for sale, that rises to 100%. For items above the base value, the ONLY way you can find them for sale in any one city is if the GM deliberately places such an item for sale (either by picking it or choosing one randomly to fill the settlement's available item slots).
1) In a settlement's marketplace section, are the minor, medium, and major items all supposed to be worth more gp than the base value, and if so, if the base value is 12,000 gp and the minor items are 4d4, how am I supposed to find a minor item worth more than 12,000 gp? So, for example, let's say I had a large city with a base value of 9,000 gp, and 3d4 minor items, are the 3d4 minor items supposed to all be under the value of 9,000 gp, or are they all supposed to be above the value of 9,000 gp, and if so, how am I going to find a minor item worth more than 9,000 gp?In the Core Rulebook, under "Purchasing Magic Items" (page 460) it says "Reroll any items that fall below the community's base value" (See also the PRD)
Is this an error in the book, or am I misreading it?
That's the rule as written, but it's troublesome and causes problems, and I would suggest just ignoring it and going with what I wrote above.
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Have you seen the "honest trailer" for Game of Thrones yet. Truly Epic.
http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2014/04/game-of-thrones-honest-trailer/
I probably have. At this point, I've quit watching the trailers because I want to start preserving stuff for when it's unveiled on the show.
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I'm curious about building challenging adventures for Mythic characters. The suggestion is to set 1/3rd of the encounters at character level, 1/3 at the modified APL with the rest ranging somewhere between the two but I'm a little concerned that this may prove to be a bit on the easy side especially at lower levels. Until now I've been using a formula I believe was originally presented in an issue of Dungeon/Dragon that used percentages (APL-1 10%, APL 20%, APL+1 50%, APL+2 15% and APL+3 5%) and it's served me well, however, I'm uncertain whether to base it off of the parties modified or base level. Would a group of 5 level 20 characters with 6 mythic tiers (APL 23) be able to take on something like The Whispering Tyrant (CR 26), or would this lead to a TPK more often than not? Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.
After building an entire adventure path for mythic characters, I can confirm that it's REALLY REALLY HARD and that, alas, the advice in the hardcover isn't 100% as useful or supportive as it should and could have been. My suggestion would be to use the three-thirds build for your adventure but to remain open-minded and willing to adjust and change things on the fly as the game progresses and your players start to exceed or fall behind your expectations. And don't just jump in and have your PCs fight the Whispering Tyrant on day one of your game. Let that be the climax of the campaign, so that by the time you get there, you'll have more experience and knowledge about how mythic adventure building and game play works.
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Hey James, got a strange one for you this time.
In 3.5 there were epic versions of skills. With Diplomacy we learn that it's essentially mind-affecting and that if you're immune you can't become a fanatic. With epic Bluff, it says that a high enough bluff can instill a suggestion as per the spell, which is also mind-affecting.
If you're immune to mind-affecting, does that mean you're also more immune to Diplomacy and Bluff, or only in those specific circumstances? What about just being resistant? Is there a way to become immune to Bluff besides having a ridiculous Sense Motive?
Being immune to mind-affecting effects prevents you from being intimidated, but that's specifically because Intimidate is a fear effect. Bluff and Diplomacy are not mind affecting, although they do require a thinking creature for the most part to work.
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We have seen two of the new Iconics (Swashbuckler and war priest) any chance of seeing any more of them in the next couple of months? (Or failing that at least an indication there is a Gnome of halfling in the new group)
We'll start revealing more about the iconics as we start ramping up for the Advanced Class Guide's release... but there'll be more of them showing up before then. I believe the Bloodrager and the Inquisitor are in the Free RPG day adventure, for example.
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Hey James, not sure this is something you can answer, but can you confirm with a yes or a no if Shaman get an Archetype that is like the JuJu Mystery for Oracles? Trying to build a Mwangi Shaman, but saw in Serpents Skull AP the very cool Mystery for JuJu Oracles. Shaman are part Oracle and Witch and was very hopeful that Shaman might get something close to this when the ACG comes out in August. Was hoping you might be able to just confirm or deny. Thank you!
Technology's more than weapons. What about assembly lines? How can low-level wizards surpass those?It's not the game world we want to build. That's how.
Sorry if that seems arbitrary.
But my philosophy on game design is to spend the bulk of the time defining the fun and interesting and cool parts of the setting, and to not spend too much of that time justifying it by getting too overwhelmed with trying to make it all work as if it were really real.
Understandable. But let's suppose, just for fun, you were to think up a justification for no peaceful industrialization. What would it be?
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Hey James, not sure this is something you can answer, but can you confirm with a yes or a no if Shaman get an Archetype that is like the JuJu Mystery for Oracles? Trying to build a Mwangi Shaman, but saw in Serpents Skull AP the very cool Mystery for JuJu Oracles. Shaman are part Oracle and Witch and was very hopeful that Shaman might get something close to this when the ACG comes out in August. Was hoping you might be able to just confirm or deny. Thank you!
I've not yet really even looked at the Advanced Class Guide aside from working with Stephen to get the Swashbuckler in a place where I like it, so I can't say whether or not there's a juju Shaman archetype. I would suspect not, though.
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Understandable. But let's suppose, just for fun, you were to think up a justification for no peaceful industrialization. What would it be?Technology's more than weapons. What about assembly lines? How can low-level wizards surpass those?It's not the game world we want to build. That's how.
Sorry if that seems arbitrary.
But my philosophy on game design is to spend the bulk of the time defining the fun and interesting and cool parts of the setting, and to not spend too much of that time justifying it by getting too overwhelmed with trying to make it all work as if it were really real.
An entirely different world that I wouldn't have time to design for.
Sorry if that feels like a cop out... but the truth is that my day job is to build worlds, more or less, and I pretty much use and need all my creative energy for the day for that job. I can answer questions here about that world, but designing new worlds or alternate worlds isn't something I've got the time, energy, or interest in doing.
I've not yet really even looked at the Advanced Class Guide aside from working with Stephen to get the Swashbuckler in a place where I like it, so I can't say whether or not there's a juju Shaman archetype. I would suspect not, though.
Is it possible to get a brief idea of the direction you were/are pushing the Swashbuckler?
I really liked it and am really excited to play one in the future.
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I've not yet really even looked at the Advanced Class Guide aside from working with Stephen to get the Swashbuckler in a place where I like it, so I can't say whether or not there's a juju Shaman archetype. I would suspect not, though.Is it possible to get a brief idea of the direction you were/are pushing the Swashbuckler?
I really liked it and am really excited to play one in the future.
The direction of there being a good choice for someone who wants a full BAB and who wants to fight with one weapon and who doesn't want to wear a lot of armor and wants to be very mobile.
The direction of there being a good choice for someone who wants a full BAB and who wants to fight with one weapon and who doesn't want to wear a lot of armor and wants to be very mobile.Is it possible to get a brief idea of the direction you were/are pushing the Swashbuckler?
I really liked it and am really excited to play one in the future.
Is it possible to get a more detailed idea of the things you thought needed to be tweaked? :P
When your movement is halved or costs double (But you are not under the effects of difficult terrain), are you unable to take a 5-ft step?