I asked this question to Adam, but it was before his time with Paizo so he didn't know the answer. As one of the instrumental dudes behind the Dragon Empire Primer/Gazetteer, I'm hoping you'll be able to help me out. You see, I'm a little confused as to how oni spawn. This snippet, which is taken from Bestiary 3, implies that oni sort of just "poof" into existence.
Eventually, an oni's spirit manifests a physical body on the Material Plane. The methods by which this may occur vary, but the process generally takes place in areas already despoiled by sin, tragedy, or cruelty. The type of oni a spirit transforms into is influenced by a wide variety of variables, ranging from the nature of what the oni spirit was before to the location where it is reborn into the realm of flesh and blood. Once an oni manifests its physical body, that body becomes its true form for the rest of its life—all oni are shapechangers, but this original form is the form in which they are born and the form they revert to upon death.
When I read the nogitsune article from Pathfinder #50, however, it seemed like oni actually need to corrupt mortals in order to manifest on the Material Plane.
Nogitsune are created when oni spirits take over the bodies of kitsune (sagacious humanoid fox-creatures). The resultant possession creates a creature with the kitsune’s foxlike grace and cunning and infuses it with the destructive power of an oni. Nogitsune are always female, and resemble shapely humans with a covering of fur and a fox’s head. A nogitsune’s fur color varies and can be orange and white, grey, pure white, or even black. Whenever nogitsune use their shapechanging abilities to assume a humanoid form, they still evince somewhat pointed, vulpine features. In addition, any hair on their assumed form betrays the natural coloration of their pelts. Nogitsune stand between 5 and 5-1/2 feet tall and weigh just over 100 pounds.
So how, exactly, are oni created? Is the nogitsune the exception or the rule? Do Golarion and the Core Rules differ in this aspect of oni ecology? Help me, James Jacobs!
|
1) Do you mean the cycle of nature is NOT an LG concept? Think there might have been a typo there. In either case, darnit, there aren't any paladin treehuggers?
2) So what do I do? If I take the armor, I sacrifice the image I intended for the character. I wanted the character to look less like this and more like this. But if I don't take it, I'm not playing the AP as written, and thus wrecking the narrative simply because I don't like the pictures in the books.
1) No typo at all. Nature is not good, nor lawful, nor chaotic, nor evil. It's neutral. At least, by the definition in the game going back 4 decades. That's why animals are neutral. Why druids are neutral. It's the way the game works. Paladins are not neutral.
2) What you do is up to you, and the choice you make helps to define your character's personality. Paladins are about making hard choices. If the job wasn't hard, and didn't require those hard choices, everyone would be a paladin.
1)Yeah, but in your previous response you said "The "cycle of nature" is a lawful good concept," and then that it was a neutral one. What's where I got confused.
2) Even in terms of fashion? I don't even know WHAT the character's personality should be. I feel if I want to get into an AP play-by-post, I have to tailor the character specifically to fit in the AP perfectly or else the GM won't accept me. It's like an audition!
JJ, when will you get around to answering my question about deities? I have been waiting a long time
I suspect that kind of question is the best way to not get an answer - James will answer which questions he want, when he wants to, and since we're not paying him for this thread, I don't think we should ask (heh) for more than that.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hi james...just wanted to say that i went on another fourm and vented a little about my wife passing away (ive been having a hard time)...and a stranger thats will be left unamed went me a 100 dollor piazo gift card and asked for nothing in return..other then kind words..i suppose what i want to say is that, that is the community thats been built here..everyone at piazo should be very proud
and now for a queston do you read jeremy robinson books he write alot of kaizu stuff
JJ, when will you get around to answering my question about deities? I have been waiting a long time
.
can you answer my question about deities?I apparently missed it, which happens if I answer a page of questions and while answering those questions someone asks a new one, and by the time I am done answering that page, the thread itself has moved on to another page.
So... yes, I can answer it, but you'll need to re-post it.
JJ, when will you get around to answering my question about deities? I have been waiting a long time
He did say to re post it as it probably got missed due to page change over.
Creative Director
|
Hi James, I have a question for you. Why do you think some Pathfinder gamers only play with core rules and the PRD?
I find that these type of gamers complain the loudest on things like dex to damage and other things. Most of this catagory of gamers are younger
I a middle aged gamer.I don't understand if they find a hole in the rules that they think needs plugging for their group, they should sit down as a group and write a feat or other ability that they all agree on and use it instead of loudly whining on the boards. That is the wonderful thing about Pathfinder it allows creativity from its players.
I think that the group that only plays with core rules tend not to buy other pazio products and only use free stuff.
I suspect the fact that not everyone has deep pockets is a part of the situation; the implication of a "pay to play" element of RPG gaming isn't one that sits well with everyone.
For other groups, it might be an issue of managing system mastery or managing the rules. Too many rules can be a turn-off.
The secret (I wish it wasn't a secret) is that everyone gets to play the game the way they want. It's okay if other groups play differently.
|
Creative Director
|
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
I asked this question to Adam, but it was before his time with Paizo so he didn't know the answer. As one of the instrumental dudes behind the Dragon Empire Primer/Gazetteer, I'm hoping you'll be able to help me out. You see, I'm a little confused as to how oni spawn. This snippet, which is taken from Bestiary 3, implies that oni sort of just "poof" into existence.
Eventually, an oni's spirit manifests a physical body on the Material Plane. The methods by which this may occur vary, but the process generally takes place in areas already despoiled by sin, tragedy, or cruelty. The type of oni a spirit transforms into is influenced by a wide variety of variables, ranging from the nature of what the oni spirit was before to the location where it is reborn into the realm of flesh and blood. Once an oni manifests its physical body, that body becomes its true form for the rest of its life—all oni are shapechangers, but this original form is the form in which they are born and the form they revert to upon death.When I read the nogitsune article from Pathfinder #50, however, it seemed like oni actually need to corrupt mortals in order to manifest on the Material Plane.
Nogitsune are created when oni spirits take over the bodies of kitsune (sagacious humanoid fox-creatures). The resultant possession creates a creature with the kitsune’s foxlike grace and cunning and infuses it with the destructive power of an oni. Nogitsune are always female, and resemble shapely humans with a covering of fur and a fox’s head. A nogitsune’s fur color varies and can be orange and white, grey, pure white, or even black. Whenever nogitsune use their shapechanging abilities to assume a humanoid form, they still evince somewhat pointed, vulpine features. In addition, any hair on their assumed form betrays the natural coloration of their pelts. Nogitsune stand between 5 and 5-1/2 feet tall and weigh just over 100 pounds.So how, exactly, are oni created? Is the nogitsune the exception or the rule? Do Golarion and the Core Rules differ in this aspect of oni ecology? Help me, James Jacobs!
It's been years since I had my head in oni-space, and I wasn't able to be as involved in Jade Regent as I'd hoped... but here goes!
Basically, an oni starts as an evil spirit without a body. It floats around and grows more and more jealous about all the other things in the world that do have bodies, and eventually its jealousy and power and frustrations grow enough that it forms a body of its own. It does not possess a living humanoid. The information in #50 is off-target, in other words, likely a result of that monster having been designed while the oni article in #49 wasn't quite yet complete, and it took a month or so for us to get all our proverbial ducks in a row. Nogitsune form the same way all other oni form—by manifesting from spirit form into flesh and blood.
|
Creative Director
|
HI James I've got a balance question for you. Would it unbalance the ranger to remove the Favored enemy class feature and replace it with studied target.
"Class balance" isn't something that is an equation. It's as much influenced by art and personal preference. What can be "balanced" for one group won't be for another.
If you want to swap out favored enemy for studied target, go for it... but in my opinion, that changes the ranger into something else entirely... into a slayer, basically.
I'd suggest just playing a slayer if you really want studied target.
But I'm not your GM, so I'm not the one to ask.
|
Creative Director
|
JJ, when will you get around to answering my question about deities? I have been waiting a long time
If it was the one about Boccob and Nethys, I just did. I took my time answering because I was working and then because I was playing Pathfinder with my friends.
If it's another question... you need to re-post it. I'm not gonna sift back through this giant thread to find a question I missed.
Furthermore... you need to be patient anyway with this thread. I answer it a lot and frequently... it's nearly midnight on Friday for example... but I don't sit here and monitor the thread 24/7. I take breaks from it frequently to work and play.
|
Creative Director
|
True Resurrection is limited to 10 years per CL. Is there any way to exceed this? Wish(es), miracle(s)? Assuming the soul is still available.
Up to your GM. I suppose wish and miracle could exceed it, but in-world, that 10 years per CL is the limit put in place by the (variable) time it takes for the target soul to get judged. In the current rules, though, no... there's no way to really exceed it save for via wish or miracle.
|
Creative Director
|
1)Yeah, but in your previous response you said "The "cycle of nature" is a lawful good concept," and then that it was a neutral one. What's where I got confused.
2) Even in terms of fashion? I don't even know WHAT the character's personality should be. I feel if I want to get into an AP play-by-post, I have to tailor the character specifically to fit in the AP perfectly or else the GM won't accept me. It's like an audition!
1) If I said "the cycle of nature is a lawful good concept" then yes, that's a typo. I meant to put "not" in there. Because it's not.
2) Even in terms of fashion. If you don't know what your charcter's personality should be... that's not something I can help you with. You need to play your character, not my character. And if your GM is that strict on what kind of PCs he/she allows in the game... first off, that's kinda lame, but second off, you need to ask that GM what the right choice is. I can't answer that for your GM.
|
Creative Director
|
Hi james...just wanted to say that i went on another fourm and vented a little about my wife passing away (ive been having a hard time)...and a stranger thats will be left unamed went me a 100 dollor piazo gift card and asked for nothing in return..other then kind words..i suppose what i want to say is that, that is the community thats been built here..everyone at piazo should be very proud
and now for a queston do you read jeremy robinson books he write alot of kaizu stuff
Wow... I'm sorry to hear about your wife passing away, but the fact that someone gave you a gift card as a condolence is really uplifting. It's that type of act that really makes me proud of these boards.
As for the question... nope; haven't read Jeremy Robinson.
|
|
I don't HAVE a GM yet. I want to make a character that'll impress any potential GMs planning on recruiting players on the forums for a play-by-post, thus maximizing my chances of being one of the lucky four-to-six people selected out of 30 or more other people who express interest. It's completely different from having a dedicated, singular GM. That's why its so stressful. I have no idea if I'll be selected, or how they'll run things or any of it. The only things I have are the text from the books themselves. I get so much anxiety and I feel so uninspired that I can't settle on a concept.
Disregarding the rules for insanity, what alignment would you give a character who has a compulsion to light buildings on fire, but makes sure to only light buildings on fire after either escorting or chasing out any occupants (assuming 50-50 split)? My gut would go with CN, but I'd like to hear what you think.
Flumphs would make a great PC in your game! Yes or No?
I just recently learned about Thomas Ligotti due to the controversy surrounding allegations that True Detective plagiarized some of his work.
However, that aside, I picked up his first collection Songs of a Dead Reader yesterday.
1. Are you a fan of his work?
2. Is there a particular story of his that is your favorite.Just reading the very first story in the collection I bought, I can see why people say he sometimes has a Lovecraft vibe to his work.
The story
** spoiler omitted **.1) Yes. VERY much a fan. He's one of the best writers of weird working today.
2)My personal favorites of his short stories are "The Last Feast of Harlequin" and "The Prodigy of Dreams." In fact, the Call of Cthulhu adventure I've run the most at Paizocon is sort of a pseudo sequel/inspired by "The Prodigy of Dreams."
The True Detective controversy is really disappointing if it's true.
For what it's worth, the controversy in my brief reading about it seems to have been generated by his fanbase, not Ligotti himself. And the True Blood show-writer has acknowledged Ligotti as a major influence on the show.
Edit to actually include a question: I know this may very well get answered in Iron Gods, but would you expect to see the Dominion of the Black use a lot of biomechanical creatures as servitors, and just use a lot of organically grown technology in general?
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Disregarding the rules for insanity, what alignment would you give a character who has a compulsion to light buildings on fire, but makes sure to only light buildings on fire after either escorting or chasing out any occupants (assuming 50-50 split)? My gut would go with CN, but I'd like to hear what you think.
Chaotic neutral, at best. Chaotic evil is still a very viable choice, since destroying other people's property is evil... certainly it won't take long before someone the character tries to escort out will put up a fight, and then it could well go from arson to murder. Presto, chaotic evil.
|
Creative Director
|
James is there a town on Golarion that fits the bill for this: a place very, very far north that is isolated for months at a time in total darkness due to the location on the planet, build on top of some ruins of ancient alien civilisation?
Not in the Inner Sea region. You might wanna check Pathfinder #51's article on the Crown of the World; that place is mostly wilderness with some nomadic tribes though. Not really any towns up there.
|
Creative Director
|
Will we ever get to see Magus stats for Seltyiel?
I suppose eventually, yes. Not sure where or when though. It's not high on anyone's to-do list as far as I know, unless they're pushing to get stats for all of the iconics out for PFS play, which is a question for Mike and John, not me.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
For what it's worth, the controversy in my brief reading about it seems to have been generated by his fanbase, not Ligotti himself. And the True Blood show-writer has acknowledged Ligotti as a major influence on the show.
Edit to actually include a question: I know this may very well get answered in Iron Gods, but would you expect to see the Dominion of the Black use a lot of biomechanical creatures as servitors, and just use a lot of organically grown technology in general?
Yeah, that's my read too. S
As for the Dominion of the Black... wait for Pathfinder #88. Your answers are in there, and I'm not gonna spoil them.
Howdy James,
Just curious, will we be getting artwork of
in all its glory? Mayhaps in the final book of IG?
|
Creative Director
|
Yes.Howdy James,
Just curious, will we be getting artwork of
** spoiler omitted **
in all its glory? Mayhaps in the final book of IG?
while speaking of said thing
** spoiler omitted **
Not full details, but significant details.
We don't currently have rules for...
But yes, particularly in part 6, there'll be plenty of info.
Lunch?
|
Creative Director
|
Cohort?No.would they make a good improved familiar?Flumphs would make a great PC in your game! Yes or No?No.
No.
I don't actually even use flumphs in my game. I know that'll break some hearts out there... but I've always found them to be too silly for my tastes. Adam did wonders with them in Misfit Monsters, but I still am not a fan of them in my games.
|
Cohort?No.would they make a good improved familiar?Flumphs would make a great PC in your game! Yes or No?No.No.
I don't actually even use flumphs in my game. I know that'll break some hearts out there... but I've always found them to be too silly for my tastes. Adam did wonders with them in Misfit Monsters, but I still am not a fan of them in my games.
So they at least make Good Developers, correct?
|
Creative Director
|
So they at least make Good Developers, correct?Cohort?No.would they make a good improved familiar?Flumphs would make a great PC in your game! Yes or No?No.No.
I don't actually even use flumphs in my game. I know that'll break some hearts out there... but I've always found them to be too silly for my tastes. Adam did wonders with them in Misfit Monsters, but I still am not a fan of them in my games.
No.
|
Q: Why doesn't the Blindness condition modify Reflex saving throws? It modifies many other Dexterity based attributes (skill checks, AC, etc.)
For example, a blinded character has just as much chance as the non-blinded version of the character when a fireball is lobbed at him - even though he doesn't see the fireball coming.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Q: Why doesn't the Blindness condition modify Reflex saving throws? It modifies many other Dexterity based attributes (skill checks, AC, etc.)
For example, a blinded character has just as much chance as the non-blinded version of the character when a fireball is lobbed at him - even though he doesn't see the fireball coming.
No reason that I'm aware of. Tis just the way it tis.
|
Creative Director
|
Artifacts & Legends says the Seven Swords of Sin are dormant unless you "restore its runelord master to active life or have some other legitimate ruler take up its master's mantle (the weapon determines what is considered legitimate)." Likewise, RotR says Karzoug's Burning Glaive "endlessly fawns over Karzoug (as it would over any rightful ruler of Shalast)".
What does it take for someone new to command these types of artifacts, besides killing the previous runelord? Do you need to be a Thassilonian specialist wizard of the appropriate type? Any wizard? Any arcane caster? Any caster? Anyone at all who can kill the old runelord?
If a nonevil creature 'became a runelord' would they be able to command the items not to inflict negative levels or attempt to dominate other wielders? Would it be safe for a nonevil champion to use such a weapon? Or are they hopelessly evil and need to be destroyed?
It's left up to the GM. These weapons are really not all that intended to be PC treasures, though, but weapons used by runelords against them.
|
Creative Director
|
I know there are a lot of schools and organizations that are dedicated to the advancement and improvement of Arcane magic.
But are there any organizations dedicated to the advancement and improvement of Divine magic? And where or what would these organizations most likely be?
Absolutely—all of the various churches and faiths are the ones dedicated to advancing and improving divine magic.
So I had an idea, what do you think of the paizo team having their avatars modified to 'fit the theme' of the currently running AP? Like a Cybernetic T-Rex, or a Robot Red Dragon, or a Digital Horror that is Cosmo?
I could totally see someone photoshopping in a Terminator's Red Eye on your T-Rex with a Laser Canon coming out of the mouth, or something like that.
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So I had an idea, what do you think of the paizo team having their avatars modified to 'fit the theme' of the currently running AP? Like a Cybernetic T-Rex, or a Robot Red Dragon, or a Digital Horror that is Cosmo?
I could totally see someone photoshopping in a Terminator's Red Eye on your T-Rex with a Laser Canon coming out of the mouth, or something like that.
I changed my avatar once and people freaked out.
There's a value to having the same, unaltered avatar—it's easier to recognize.
And on top of that, we don't have the resources or time to do photoshoping stunts like that really.
And on top of THAT... I really like my avatar and I'd rather not tamper with the artist's work.