Creative Director
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I was reading through the Lissala article in the fifth book of Shattered Star, and it mentions that her alignment is Lawful Evil and she was widely worshipped by the Azlanti and the Thassilonians. I was under the impression that these two civilizations, though exceptionally prideful and full of hubris, leaned to a more neutral style (pre-Xin's death in Thassilon's case). Particularly with Xin's exile from Azlant and his belief that the Azlanti should work together with other races to create an even greater empire, and the seven nations of Thassilon being based on the seven virtues before his fall, he seems almost noble in his goals. So why was a goddess who is Lawful Evil so central to their beliefs? Even her overall description, though harsh, feels more Lawful Neutral to me.
On a different note, how do you figure the treasure value for a creature with class levels. For example, would a stone giant (CR 8) fighter 4 be considered a level 12 for determining how much loot it's equipped with, or would it only be considered level 4?
Thassilon was an evil nation. Many of its citizens were NOT evil, but were merely oppressed... but the nation itself was still evil overall, since a nation's "alignment" is set by the controlling rulers of said nation, not by its powerless victims. Azlant was more lawful neutral, and that's a perfectly fine place for a lawful evil religion to flourish. In any event, Lissala's role in Thassilon was greater than it was in Azlant, and it was greater in some regions of Thassilon than others. She's certainly closer to lawful neutral than neutral evil in the scale of gradations within the lawful evil alignment, and that's fine.
I generally look at the creature's final CR and then treat it as an NPC of that level. So a CR 12 stone giant fighter 4 would get the treasure of a 12th level heroic NPC—21,000 gp.
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Creative Director
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Hi James,
What do you think of a character that is effectively a meme?
Aka, he or she is effectively a transmissible personality/thought?On a mechanical level, he or she basically takes over a (willing?) body and if that body dies, he/she just transmit her personality into another body.
Story wise, say there is a cabal of assassins, and the head is "always" the same person in different bodies.
Asking for story building advise for a NPC.
----
And a 2nd question,
Are any of the Major Inner Sea gods a widow or widower?
(I know at least one of the Empyreal lord, Falayna, is a widow. But are there any among the major gods?
Shizuru does not count, she was a widow.)3) What happens to the souls of a deity's worshipers, if that deity dies/disappears/vanish? Do they get pick up by other deities? Or become freelance(?)
I think that's a better idea for an NPC than a PC. What you're basically describing is something like a ghost that hops in and out of bodies—I'd look at that for some inspiration on how to handle an NPC like this.
2nd question) Many of the gods and goddesses of the core pantheon have had romantic relationships, but marriage isn't really something that the deities of Golarion do, for the most part. Or if they do... it's not something we've really covered yet.
3) They generally end up becoming outsiders in that deity's plane or become a part of that plane.
I've seen both of those movies and quite enjoyed both. The monsters in there are really pretty cool.So, based on my own viewing of these two movies, have you seen...
1) Lair of the White Worm
2) The Stuff
And if so, what do you think of the monsters within?
So, The Stuff is obviously an ooze. That's an easy one. However, what would you stat up the Snake Vamps as? Abberation, Monstrous Humanoid, or whatever else?
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Creative Director
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James, do you and the crew plan on recreating all sorcerer bloodlines(at least all the ones in the hardback books) for the bloodrager?
I do not plan on this.
I suspect that the design team doesn't plan on it either. It might happen some day, but there's no plans to do so anytime soon as far as I know.
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Creative Director
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James,
I am little confused on what the following ability from bow nomad kasatha archetype (from people of the stars) does.
Could you try to help me figure this out, please?
Focused Fire (Ex): At 6th level, the bow nomad must
select the Manyshot feat as her 6th-level combat style feat.
In addition to the normal benefit of Manyshot, the bow
nomad can specify the bow in her off hands as the source of
the second arrow (precision damage and critical damage are
still only added once). The bow nomad takes no two-weapon
penalties when using this ability, but she cannot use it and
Two-Weapon Fighting in the same round. The nomad can
still choose to use Manyshot in the normal manner.
At nth and 16th level, the bow nomad can apply this
ability to each of her iterative attacks. This ability alters
the 6th-level combat style feat and replaces camouflage and
hide in plain sight.
I didn't work on that book or design the bow nomad, but it sounds like the idea is that the ability allows the kasatha to fire two arrows from two bows rather than two arrows from one bow, and when it does so, it basically gets to fire without two-weapon fighting, and unlike normal Manyshot, eventually gets to make iterative attacks in this way. If that doesn't clear it up, you should probably re-post the question in the People of the Stars thread so it can be FAQed.
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Creative Director
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Hi James,
I don't know if you have heard of these or not, but there are poster maps of walk throughs of classic dungeons from 1st Edition. They are pretty funny. I've ordered the one for Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, and Isle of Dread. Here is the link if you are interested:
Yup; I've seen those. They're delightful!
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Creative Director
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James,
I am little confused on what the following ability from bow nomad kasatha archetype (from people of the stars) does.
Could you try to help me figure this out, please?
Focused Fire (Ex): At 6th level, the bow nomad must
select the Manyshot feat as her 6th-level combat style feat.
In addition to the normal benefit of Manyshot, the bow
nomad can specify the bow in her off hands as the source of
the second arrow (precision damage and critical damage are
still only added once). The bow nomad takes no two-weapon
penalties when using this ability, but she cannot use it and
Two-Weapon Fighting in the same round. The nomad can
still choose to use Manyshot in the normal manner.
At nth and 16th level, the bow nomad can apply this
ability to each of her iterative attacks. This ability alters
the 6th-level combat style feat and replaces camouflage and
hide in plain sight.
Example: Bow 1 is a +1 bane evil outsiders bow. Bow 2 is a +1 Lawful Bow.
When using Manyshot, you can shoot the devils with most of the arrows using bow 1 and the CN salad with one of the shots using bow 2, whose Lawful ability is useless against the devils (as Bow 1's ability is useless against the slaad).
The standard Manyshot user, all the shots have to come from the same bow.
If your bows are identical, this special ability basically has no effect.
---Hopefully saving James some typing time.
==Aelryinth
I answer questions in blocks, and don't skip ahead to see if someone else has already answered the question, so it doesn't save me any typing time. It in fact adds to the typing time when I need to say "Please let me answer the questions in this thread, and keep posts to new questions rather than ongoing discussions or attempts to answer questions for me."
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Creative Director
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So, The Stuff is obviously an ooze. That's an easy one. However, what would you stat up the Snake Vamps as? Abberation, Monstrous Humanoid, or whatever else?I've seen both of those movies and quite enjoyed both. The monsters in there are really pretty cool.So, based on my own viewing of these two movies, have you seen...
1) Lair of the White Worm
2) The Stuff
And if so, what do you think of the monsters within?
I'd probably do them up as undead.
James
I understand that opening a door would take enough effort for making it impossible for a character with no hands to open it but what about closing the door with no hands?
can you close a door with an intelligent character with legs but without hands? in this could I even use my mouth to close this door? (I have a bite attack so my mouth is a bit bigger than normal which I could even use to pull the handle of the door and close it).
What do you think?
Depends more on the nature of the door and the nature of the limbs/tools/body parts of the creature that is trying to close the door. There are, essentially, an infinite number of variables here. And as such, it's the exact type of question that really can only be answered by the GM at the time the door closing occurs.
I would make a decision on the spot based on common sense and the situation at the time, in other words, but there's no way to nail down an answer for all cases since there are simply too many variables at play. Are you a character with arms that end at the wrists? Are you a snake with no arms at all? Are you a sphere of light? Is the door a normal door? Is the doorknob one you have to grip and turn or is it just a curved handle? Is it latched? Locked? Stuck?
The GM needs to have the ability to make those calls based on those variables.
Quadruplet intelligent creature with 4 limbs (legs) and with a bite (which I could use to grab the handle of the door and pull it)? I just wanted to close a door pulling the doornob somehow, I think its possible to hold the nob with my mouth since its big enough. But how do you see it? the door is a normal door with a handle.
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Creative Director
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Quadruplet intelligent creature with 4 limbs (legs) and with a bite (which I could use to grab the handle of the door and pull it)? I just wanted to close a door pulling the doornob somehow, I think its possible to hold the nob with my mouth since its big enough. But how do you see it? the door is a normal door with a handle.
I'd allow it.
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Do the Pathfinders have an equivalent to Morse code? Some books mention a style of gestures and pantomimes that function as a sort of sign-language, but I was wondering if there was any sort of rhythmic percussive language they'd developed. Given that Golarion is pre-telegraph I can't say I would blame them for not having invented one yet.
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What are some of your favourite post-apocalyptic works of fiction?I actually quite enjoy all of them. I love seeing how different types of apocalypses generate different types of post-apocalyptic worlds.Hello James,
What's your favourite type of fictional apocalypse or post-apocalyptic world?
The Stand
The Mad Max trilogy
Fallout
Wasteland
Gamma World
Dark Tower books
Zothique stories
The Passage/The Twelve
The Road
The Metro games
Lucifer's Hammer
The Walking Dead
I Am Legend
The Quiet Earth
On the Beach
Children of Men
The Terminator movies
Dawn of the Dead/Day of the Dead
Reign of Fire
Stake Land
The Divide
Day of the Triffids
Snowpiercer
The Matrix
I heavily suggest The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. Definitely one of my favorite post-apocalypse books, complete with kung-fu, horrors of the subconscious made manifest, and a giant walking city.
I didn't work on that book or design the bow nomad, but it sounds like the idea is that the ability allows the kasatha to fire two arrows from two bows rather than two arrows from one bow, and when it does so, it basically gets to fire without two-weapon fighting, and unlike normal Manyshot, eventually gets to make iterative attacks in this way. If that doesn't clear it up, you should probably re-post the question in the People of the Stars thread so it can be FAQed.James,
I am little confused on what the following ability from bow nomad kasatha archetype (from people of the stars) does.
Could you try to help me figure this out, please?
Focused Fire (Ex): At 6th level, the bow nomad must
select the Manyshot feat as her 6th-level combat style feat.
In addition to the normal benefit of Manyshot, the bow
nomad can specify the bow in her off hands as the source of
the second arrow (precision damage and critical damage are
still only added once). The bow nomad takes no two-weapon
penalties when using this ability, but she cannot use it and
Two-Weapon Fighting in the same round. The nomad can
still choose to use Manyshot in the normal manner.
At nth and 16th level, the bow nomad can apply this
ability to each of her iterative attacks. This ability alters
the 6th-level combat style feat and replaces camouflage and
hide in plain sight.
Couldn't you do that without that ability though?
For example, couldn't a kasatha with 2 bows one +1 construct bane longbow and a +1 flaming longbow just shoot from both bows without incurring two weapon fighting penalties,as long as he did not receive the extra attack?
and if so, couldn't you just emulate focused shot by simply deciding with which bow you would shoot first?
e.g.
a 6th level kasatha with dex 18 simultaneously fighting against a golem and a human wizard.
if he wanted to shoot the golem twice, he would do so by attacking with the bane bow and many shot first and than targeting the mage with the flaming bow [+11(with many shot)vs the construct/+6 vs. the wizard).
if he wanted to shoot the wizard twice, he would do so attacking with the flaming bow first and than targeting the golem with the bane bow [+11(with many shot) vs. the wizard/+6 vs. the golem).
To Mr. James Jacob~
Legendary Item Shapechange Action?
Is it like the spell Shapechange? Which would be a Free Action?
O.o?
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Is there a place on Golarion that's similar to the Roman Empire at it's height? I get the impression that Taldor at least partially is inspired by Rome after contracting and becoming decadent, but wondered if there's an active empire that's still in expansion mode somewhere.Taldor and Cheliax, primarily during the height of both those nations. There's not really one that's still in "expansion mode" though. That's not really a "current events" theme for Golarion.
Indeed. Taldor and Cheliax are more like the Eastern and Western Roman Empires that existed just before the likes of Attila, Genseric and Odoacer rolled into town.
Here's some questions:
1) I know the basic difference between the bard and skald is that "bards inspire, skalds incite." But I'm curious as to whether this sort of divides the classes into civilized/savage dichotomy. Bards are apparently found among tribal types, as the Thundercaller archetype is unique to the Shoanti. Are there skalds from nations that are considered "civilized," like Cheliax, Druma, Qadira and Andoran? For that matter, can barbarians come from cultures like these?
2) On this note, I notice that the newer classes that utilize rage or rage-like features, like the skald and bloodrager, can be of any alignment, as opposed to the barbarian which is any non-lawful. In addition, the bard's same alignment restriction was dropped when it was rewritten for Pathfinder. Were these instances intentional? If it was, do you think that if you were developing the barbarian now, you'd keep the alignment restriction for that particular class? Is this something you think will change with the barbarian's upcoming rewrite in Pathfinder Unchained?
3) Why isn't Cheliax able to steamroll the Inner Sea region with their infernally-supported army? According to Dragons Revisited, most of the Inner Sea's copper dragons banded together in an attempt to cast down House Thrune when it came to power, but they were beaten by the combined might of Cheliax's army, its devil allies and the Hellknights. It seems like none of the powers nearby can compete with them, so why in the last century have they been unable to reclaim their old provinces, if they were able to whip a literal army of dragons?
James,
Who composes the rules question team (the ones who makes the FAQ's)? do you guys have like a specialized crew watching the rules question, making the FAQ's and balancing stuff around?
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IANJJ, but Dragons Revisited was often singled out as a book that's not 100% in synch with what currently Golarion canon is all about. In particular with regard to dragons interacting with other races, with things like "dragons hanging out in taverns, yo" or "dragon armies rampaging through Avistan" being prime candidates for a retcon. The book was written in the early days of Golarion development, and the author apparently had a wildly different idea about dragons in the setting than James, Erik and Co. have.
And yes, I know this means Archpaladin Z will now desperately scramble to find out what actually IS canon, in order to make sure his gaming is 100% true to it :P
James, why did you guys decide to make the combat inspirations of the investigaor so high? I'd been planning on running an infiltrator (investigator)/slayer, but their combat oriented talents require you to be at least 5th, and the good ones don't really show up until 9th. Not the best for multiclassing.
I know that the investigator is meant to be a bit more of a support class, but the high level requirements make it pretty hard to multiclass for combat. Studied combat and strike are good combat abilities, I just wish the talents didn't require such high requirements.
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Creative Director
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Do the Pathfinders have an equivalent to Morse code? Some books mention a style of gestures and pantomimes that function as a sort of sign-language, but I was wondering if there was any sort of rhythmic percussive language they'd developed. Given that Golarion is pre-telegraph I can't say I would blame them for not having invented one yet.
Not really. They use Bluff to deliver hidden messages as does everyone else.
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Creative Director
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Couldn't you do that without that ability though?
For example, couldn't a kasatha with 2 bows one +1 construct bane longbow and a +1 flaming longbow just shoot from both bows without incurring two weapon fighting penalties,as long as he did not receive the extra attack?
and if so, couldn't you just emulate focused shot by simply deciding with which bow you would shoot first?
e.g.
a 6th level kasatha with dex 18 simultaneously fighting against a golem and a human wizard.if he wanted to shoot the golem twice, he would do so by attacking with the bane bow and many shot first and than targeting the mage with the flaming bow [+11(with many shot)vs the construct/+6 vs. the wizard).
if he wanted to shoot the wizard twice, he would do so attacking with the flaming bow first and than targeting the golem with the bane bow [+11(with many shot) vs. the wizard/+6 vs. the golem).
Maybe, maybe not. This isn't the thread to debate the merits of Player's Guide contents though.
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Creative Director
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1) I know the basic difference between the bard and skald is that "bards inspire, skalds incite." But I'm curious as to whether this sort of divides the classes into civilized/savage dichotomy. Bards are apparently found among tribal types, as the Thundercaller archetype is unique to the Shoanti. Are there skalds from nations that are considered "civilized," like Cheliax, Druma, Qadira and Andoran? For that matter, can barbarians come from cultures like these?
2) On this note, I notice that the newer classes that utilize rage or rage-like features, like the skald and bloodrager, can be of any alignment, as opposed to the barbarian which is any non-lawful. In addition, the bard's same alignment restriction was dropped when it was rewritten for Pathfinder. Were these instances intentional? If it was, do you think that if you were developing the barbarian now, you'd keep the alignment restriction for that particular class? Is this something you think will change with the barbarian's upcoming rewrite in Pathfinder Unchained?
3) Why isn't Cheliax able to steamroll the Inner Sea region with their infernally-supported army? According to Dragons Revisited, most of the Inner Sea's copper dragons banded together in an attempt to cast down House Thrune when it came to power, but they were beaten by the combined might of Cheliax's army, its devil allies and the Hellknights. It seems like none of the powers nearby can compete with them, so why in the last century have they been unable to reclaim their old provinces, if they were able to whip a literal army of dragons?
1) I know plenty of "civilized" people who incite and plenty of "savage" people who inspire. Barbarians can come from civilized regions but they're very rare.
2) Of course they were intentional. And had I developed the skald and the bloodrager I would have kept their alignment restrictions. I'm not sure why the design team dropped those restrictions; I see no good reason for it. I can't speak to what they're doing in Unchained, as I'm not really involved in that book's creation.
3) Because they're one nation and don't have the resources to steamroll anyone. Dragons Revisited is one of our first books and many of the ideas (particularly the notion of dragons being so heavily involved in non-dragon society) are not elements we decided were Golarion-accurate. We will have a LOT more to say about Cheliax in a little less than a year.
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Creative Director
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Is it possible that part of the reason is that dragons of any alignment are so used to thinking of themselves as individuals, that gatherings of them aren't the force multiplier they are when men are gathered into armies? I find it hard to imagine dragons doing well taking orders from anyone... even other dragons. Superior organization has something to say to massed brute force.
3) Why isn't Cheliax able to steamroll the Inner Sea region with their infernally-supported army? According to Dragons Revisited, most of the Inner Sea's copper dragons banded together in an attempt to cast down House Thrune when it came to power, but they were...
No. As mentioned above, Dragons Revisited was a very early Golarion book, and not everything we tried in there "sticks" to the Pathfinder edition of Golarion. The idea of "most of the Inner Sea's ANY race of dragons banding together to do something to adjust any other society is not in tune with how Dragons work on Golarion; it's more appropriate a plot for, say, Dragonlance, or perhaps even the Forgotten Realms. Not so much for Golarion, where indeed dragons are much more singular in nature.
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IANJJ, but Dragons Revisited was often singled out as a book that's not 100% in synch with what currently Golarion canon is all about. In particular with regard to dragons interacting with other races, with things like "dragons hanging out in taverns, yo" or "dragon armies rampaging through Avistan" being prime candidates for a retcon. The book was written in the early days of Golarion development, and the author apparently had a wildly different idea about dragons in the setting than James, Erik and Co. have.
And yes, I know this means Archpaladin Z will now desperately scramble to find out what actually IS canon, in order to make sure his gaming is 100% true to it :P
We don't have a "this is still canon, this is not" guide for the early books. You can pretty much assume anything produced for the actual Pathfinder rules (not the 3.5 rules) is canon, but once you drift back to the 3.5 rules... what's in the Adventure Path line is pretty safe, but beyond that it's a case-by-case basis, as we didn't have a central "creative director" position or any one person in charge of world design/canon/direction at the time.
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Creative Director
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James, why did you guys decide to make the combat inspirations of the investigaor so high? I'd been planning on running an infiltrator (investigator)/slayer, but their combat oriented talents require you to be at least 5th, and the good ones don't really show up until 9th. Not the best for multiclassing.
I know that the investigator is meant to be a bit more of a support class, but the high level requirements make it pretty hard to multiclass for combat. Studied combat and strike are good combat abilities, I just wish the talents didn't require such high requirements.
I have no idea; I wasn't involved in that class's creation, playtest, design, development, or editing. This is a better question for Jason Bulmahn and the design team.
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Creative Director
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1) Do you use mood music when GMing your games?
2) What music do you find works best for particular themes? Do you have any favourites, for combat or anything like that?
3) Of the video games you've played, which ones had the most memorable soundtrack?
And for something completely different, the Shackles and the Red Mantis...
4) When the art orders were sent out for the "female pirate" characters in S&S, how detailed were they? Tessa and Sandara are quite similar, for example (and similar to Kassata Lewynn in Serpent's Skull).
5) How is the Skull & Shackles game you're playing in progressing in recent days? How far in are you with your character, and what sort of pirate-y activities have you been getting up to in and out of the "base" Adventure Path?
6) Would the Hurricane King and/or pirate lords of the Shackles count as "ruling monarchs" if somebody attempted to take a contract out on them with the Red Mantis? They all rule individual islands, and the Hurricane King nominally rules the Shackles as a whole.
7) Given the difficulties between the Shackles and Ilizmagorti, would the Red Mantis hesitate before taking a contract involving acting directly against the Shackles? Kerdak hasn't gotten the free captains to join him against it yet, but a direct act by the Red Mantis could unite the pirates.
8) Is it likely that at least several of the pirate lords in the Shackles (Kerdak, Tessa, Arronax, Avvimar and so on) have estates in Ilizmagorti?
9) Exactly what is the threshold on "kingdom size" for the Red Mantis to refuse a contract on the grounds of the target being a ruler?
10) The ISWG states that they don't do it because of divine right, but how does that apply in the case of, say, Rahadoum? They'd be insulted if somebody claimed their ruler had divine right.
11) Why is it unusual for a man to reach the rank of Vernai (the assassin lords leading the group) in the Red Mantis?
1) Rarely, but sometimes.
2) Soundtracks from movies work best. No favorites, since the exact soundtrack used depends not only on the themes of the campaign in question, but on the themes of the encounters themselves on a case by case basis.
3) Final Fantasy X2, Skyrim, Fallout (all of them), Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 2, Mass Effect 3.
4) Not that detailed. The Red Mantis has a uniform, and it's a lawful society, so just as with hellknights, you'll see lots of similarities among their members when they're in uniform.
5) We had a TPK in the middle of the second book several months ago and as a result that campaign ended. We're halfway into Mummy's Mask now.
6) Yes, assuming they were rightfully put in power and didn't just take power for themselves.
7) Depends entirely on the contract, but see #6 above.
8) No.
9) Unrevealed, but you can't self-proclaim yourself as a monarch just to get out of it.
10) The Red Mantis won't kill rightful rulers in Rahadoum, so their traditions and rules apply the same there as anywhere else, regardless of how Rahadoum feels about it.
11) Because of Red Mantis tradition, which is based partially on myths and legends about how female mantises kill their male mates.
What's your favorite template for monsters, and what would you make into a template if you could?
Of course they were intentional. And had I developed the skald and the bloodrager I would have kept their alignment restrictions. I'm not sure why the design team dropped those restrictions; I see no good reason for it.
I actually like the lack of restrictions. Especially for a few Bloodrager Bloodlines. Why shouldn't Bloodragers with Metallic Dragon or Celestial ancestry be able to match they're ancestors alignment? Lawful people get angry too. ;)
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I actually like the lack of restrictions. Especially for a few Bloodrager Bloodlines. Why shouldn't Bloodragers with Metallic Dragon or Celestial ancestry be able to match they're ancestors alignment? Lawful people get angry too. ;)
My thoughts exactly. The best AP in the world isn't called WRATH of the Righteous for nothin'! ;)
Some more questions:
Which weapon seems more badass for a monk to you; the katana or the seven-branched sword?
Do you have any opinions on 5th Edition's rebranding of succubi/incubi as unique NE fiends that can be found in the service of all types of fiends throughout the Lower Planes, tempting mortals for Asmodeus, chilling as concubines to Grazzt, and running weapons for the yugoloths?
What are good ways to play Varisians in a way that doesn't portray them as stereotypes of the Roma and Dom peoples (gypsy is a slur)?
What are some of the more unusual PC races that can be found in Varisia? You know, BESIDES goblins? :P
Do you think Dragonlance's kender had ANY redeeming value? Or are they irredeemably obnoxious for all time?
A good question for the rules forums and an FAQ.To Mr. James Jacob~
Legendary Item Shapechange Action?
Is it like the spell Shapechange? Which would be a Free Action?
O.o?
Apologies. ^.^; I will move over there. Thank you sir! :)
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Mark I have a Magic item question for you. This is an item for classes that have companions. A set of stoes or gem that takes up the headband slot and allows the master and companion to telepathicly communicate with one another with a range of 1 mile. Cost 6000 gp. cost is open as I did ot price according to spell level. Spell needed Companion Mind Link
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Creative Director
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What's your favorite template for monsters, and what would you make into a template if you could?
I like the ghost template the most, I think. As for "what would I make into a template if I could?" ...well... As it turns out, I can. Latest was the various templates for different half-demons.
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Creative Director
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Which weapon seems more badass for a monk to you; the katana or the seven-branched sword?
Do you have any opinions on 5th Edition's rebranding of succubi/incubi as unique NE fiends that can be found in the service of all types of fiends throughout the Lower Planes, tempting mortals for Asmodeus, chilling as concubines to Grazzt, and running weapons for the yugoloths?
What are good ways to play Varisians in a way that doesn't portray them as stereotypes of the Roma and Dom peoples (gypsy is a slur)?
What are some of the more unusual PC races that can be found in Varisia? You know, BESIDES goblins? :P
Do you think Dragonlance's kender had ANY redeeming value? Or are they irredeemably obnoxious for all time?
Seven-branched sword, because katana is not a monk weapon. It's a samurai weapon.
I do... but I'll keep those opinions to myself.
Like anyone else.
Varisia is a frontier, and a place where people go to escape or not be found. AKA: Anyone or anything is possible if you're talking about 1 single character.
I actually think that the kender were one of the best parts of Dragonlance... so yes. I think they had PLENTY of value.
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James, What is the diffrence at Pazio between designer and a developer?
A designer is someone who writes rules.
A developer is someone who takes something a writer has written and makes sure that those words, be they rules or adventure content or world content or whatever, not only is written well and edited well but also plays by the rules and shapes the content to be what we need it to be.
If Paizo were making movies, the designers would be the people inventing the cameras and building the sets and providing the props, while the developers would be the the directors of the movie.
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Creative Director
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Mark I have a Magic item question for you. This is an item for classes that have companions. A set of stoes or gem that takes up the headband slot and allows the master and companion to telepathicly communicate with one another with a range of 1 mile. Cost 6000 gp. cost is open as I did ot price according to spell level. Spell needed Companion Mind Link
I think you mis-posted this?
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Which weapon seems more badass for a monk to you; the katana or the seven-branched sword?
Do you have any opinions on 5th Edition's rebranding of succubi/incubi as unique NE fiends that can be found in the service of all types of fiends throughout the Lower Planes, tempting mortals for Asmodeus, chilling as concubines to Grazzt, and running weapons for the yugoloths?
What are good ways to play Varisians in a way that doesn't portray them as stereotypes of the Roma and Dom peoples (gypsy is a slur)?
What are some of the more unusual PC races that can be found in Varisia? You know, BESIDES goblins? :P
Do you think Dragonlance's kender had ANY redeeming value? Or are they irredeemably obnoxious for all time?
Seven-branched sword, because katana is not a monk weapon. It's a samurai weapon.
I do... but I'll keep those opinions to myself.
Like anyone else.
Varisia is a frontier, and a place where people go to escape or not be found. AKA: Anyone or anything is possible if you're talking about 1 single character.
I actually think that the kender were one of the best parts of Dragonlance... so yes. I think they had PLENTY of value.
Why does the Blade of the Sword-Saint only work in the hands of a monk, then?
Ah. Okay. You have my sympathies. :(
You mean basically play the character as a person and don't use stereotypes?
That's awesome! Thanks!
Why do you think people have come to hate the kender so much?
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Why do you think people have come to hate the kender so much?
I know this isn't "Ask Dinketry All Your Questions Here", but in my opinion, not everyone hates kender, but those who do have come across far too many people (i.e. ONE) who played kender as a myopic excuse to be a kleptomaniac with child-like social skills.
-Dink
Side note: You often say to ask questions in product threads, A) after a while, almost no staffers visit them, B) they lack FAQ button.
1) Aren't you helping with the Rogue redesign for Unchained?
2) Did anyone consider making the Iconic Investigator an Elf during the ACG development?
3) How would you rank a "Lycanthropic Apocalypse" amongst the various apocalypse scenarios?
3.a) as 3, but for Golarion?
4) Your opinion(s) on "Lycanthropic Apocalypse"?
Why do you think people have come to hate the kender so much?
I know this isn't "Ask Dinketry All Your Questions Here", but in my opinion, not everyone hates kender, but those who do have come across far too many people (i.e. ONE) who played kender as a myopic excuse to be a kleptomaniac with child-like social skills.
-Dink
The Novels often didn't/don't help with that part.
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Mark I have a Magic item question for you. This is an item for classes that have companions. A set of stoes or gem that takes up the headband slot and allows the master and companion to telepathicly communicate with one another with a range of 1 mile. Cost 6000 gp. cost is open as I did ot price according to spell level. Spell needed Companion Mind LinkI think you mis-posted this?
Looks okay to me.
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I have been reading up on the Orv vault known as the Sightless Sea and I noticed that one line says;
The sea itself is plied by ships piloted by denizens of Leng, tieflings, telepathic humans clad in jade armor, and even more unusual creatures.
1) Who are these telepathic humans?
2) How are they able to live in so dangerous an area as the sightless sea in the Orv vaults?
3) Why do they wear jade armor? Jade being a pretty soft material.
4) Are there any human nations below the surface?
5) Does these telepathic humans have anything to do with the upcoming release of psionic classes next year?
6) What is the "sky" of the Sightless Sea like? Is there light?
Hello James,
I'm planning on having Tsuto Kaijitsu have survived the events of RotRL in an upcoming Jade Regent campaign I plan on running (he escaped his bounds while being transported to Magnimar for trial). I find myself having some difficulty figuring out what role I want him to play in the campaign and would love some insight from you!
I'm re-making him into the Snakebite Striker Brawler archetype, which replaces their Martial Flexibility and Maneuver Training with Sneak Attack Progression and Better Feinting (a good reskinning of a monk/rogue multi-class, which he was previously). My main questions are...
1) His original alignment is LE - in regards to the lawful aspect, was that something that was very key to his character, or was he lawful to satisfy the requirement of the monk class?
2) I'm uncertain if I want him to develop into a recurring villain or a begrudging ally. In the events of RotRL he was head over heels for Nualia, but never intended to have his sister sacrificed (despite the fact Nualia does so if Ameiko is brought to her). With some years on his own following the events of RotRL, would Tsuto be hostile or interested in harming his sister? Or would he be more interested in rekindling their relationship? If the former he'd probably end up as CE, and the latter, CN.
3) If he is a villain, do you think he would be more likely to try to infiltrate the caravan and sabotage them along the way via a magic item such as a cap of disguise? Or that he would align with bandits and highwaymen, and eventually the Oni, to try to destroy his sister and company?
I look forward to your responses, and as always, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to answer our questions! It means alot!
James the Eidolon from the summoner (not the synthesis) can be healed from normal magic healing such has cure light wounds or lesser restoration? or can only be healed by the specific eidolon healing spells from the summoner spell list? I can't find anywhere in the books or FAQ's that the eidolon cannot be healed from normal spells aka cure light wounds.
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Creative Director
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Why does the Blade of the Sword-Saint only work in the hands of a monk, then?
You mean basically play the character as a person and don't use stereotypes?
Why do you think people have come to hate the kender so much?
Because it was designed by someone other than me who obviously doesn't think the same way as me.
Exactly. That goes for any character, of course.
Because some people out there have little to no appreciation of whimsy and humor in their fantasy, and want their fantasy to be dark and grim. They don't realize that whimsy and humor can ENHANCE things that are dark and grim.
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Creative Director
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Side note: You often say to ask questions in product threads, A) after a while, almost no staffers visit them, B) they lack FAQ button.
1) Aren't you helping with the Rogue redesign for Unchained?
2) Did anyone consider making the Iconic Investigator an Elf during the ACG development?
3) How would you rank a "Lycanthropic Apocalypse" amongst the various apocalypse scenarios?
3.a) as 3, but for Golarion?
4) Your opinion(s) on "Lycanthropic Apocalypse"?
Side-Answer: I realize that, but there's no real option for me otherwise. At one point I was answering product/rules questions more frequently here, and it caused a few folks to get confused and frustrated when my answers didn't mesh with what they wanted or with the rules as they interpreted them, and they basically lodged complaints online with the design team, more or less.
In a perfect world, the design team would step in to take up the slack that me no longer answering rules questions created, but we don't live in that world.
1) Nope. Not at all.
2) Nope; we've got plenty of elf iconics.
3) Very low.
3a) Still very low.
4) I'm intrigued, but not really sure how it'd work out, mostly because werewolves/lycanthropes have been kinda cursed with not-good stories/movies over the years.
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Creative Director
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I have been reading up on the Orv vault known as the Sightless Sea and I noticed that one line says;
The sea itself is plied by ships piloted by denizens of Leng, tieflings, telepathic humans clad in jade armor, and even more unusual creatures.
1) Who are these telepathic humans?
2) How are they able to live in so dangerous an area as the sightless sea in the Orv vaults?
3) Why do they wear jade armor? Jade being a pretty soft material.
4) Are there any human nations below the surface?
5) Does these telepathic humans have anything to do with the upcoming release of psionic classes next year?
6) What is the "sky" of the Sightless Sea like? Is there light?
1) Unrevealed. Although it is no coincidence that the Sightless Sea is under the ruins of Azlant.
2) Turns out, humans are capable of some pretty impressive stunts. In this case, I think it's safe to say that their average level is not "commoner 1," but something far more capable.
3) Not when it's enhanced by magic. And they wear jade armor because it's exotic and provokes curiosity and creates adventure elements. The in-game reason is not yet revealed.
4) Yes, but we haven't done much with them yet.
5) No. That book may let us do more with them, but no one's been thinking about that small little snippet in "Into the Darklands" at all, as far as I know, as relates to Occult Adventures.
6) It's dark, like a starless night.