Creative Director
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Check out Hell's Rebels, Hell's Vengeance, and the Cheliax book, I suppose, for several in-world examples. But basically, the idea of Asmodeans is that they're icons of law and evil, and in such they LOVE overly complex laws with countless loopholes and variables that allow for rules-lawyering to the extreme degree.What are typical tactics when two devout, Chelish Asmodeans get into a political knife fight? What are the "gotchas" they can throw at an opponent who's staunchly Lawful and not guilty of any obvious heresies? (E.g. nothing blatant enough to cause a divine spell caster to lose her spell-casting ability.)They'd vary, but it would likely fall into pedantry, strawman traps, baiting, and citing of old written works by both sides.
Kind of like a fiery internet argument. :-P
I'm having a hard time imagining how this works in detail, though. Especially if we're talking not about weaseling out of trouble, but ruining a political opponent? A lot of Pathfinder sourcebooks seem to give an impression of Asmodean law as oddly permissive—Empire of Devils even says "everything which is not forbidden is allowed", which is made to sound like this insidious thing but it's actually a totally normal legal principle in the real world (in common-law countries, anyway).
So are the Asmodean Disciplines full of totally random stuff like the prohibition on mint from Hell's Rebels? A fractally complicated tax code that makes everyone guilty of tax "fraud"? Convoluted official definitions of "disparaging the Church"?
Hell's Vengeance spoiler:
** spoiler omitted **...
Well... check out Hell's Rebels then. I actually wasn't that directly involved in Hell's Vengeance, and the goal there is more to present an "evil" adventure path rather than ONLY a "lawful evil" one, I guess...
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Dear James,
will we get a book (Campaign Setting, Hardcover or Players Guide, whatever) full of Cthulhu Mythos creatures in the near future or are they a one time only Strange Aeons deal?
If we WOULD get another HC collection of an AP in the future, which one do you think is most likely - Kingmaker (because if is sold out and a new generation of players will get the chance to play it with the Ultimate Campaign Kingdom Building rules), Legacy of Fire (if enough AP books are sold out by then) or something else?
Thank you for all the great stuff and answering all our questions!
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Creative Director
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Dear James,
will we get a book (Campaign Setting, Hardcover or Players Guide, whatever) full of Cthulhu Mythos creatures in the near future or are they a one time only Strange Aeons deal?
If we WOULD get another HC collection of an AP in the future, which one do you think is most likely - Kingmaker (because if is sold out and a new generation of players will get the chance to play it with the Ultimate Campaign Kingdom Building rules), Legacy of Fire (if enough AP books are sold out by then) or something else?
Thank you for all the great stuff and answering all our questions!
A book about the Elder Mythos on Golarion is certainly something that COULD happen at some point in the future. It won't be a player's guide, though, because that content is better for GMs.
As for another hardcover AP compilation? Ask me again in 4 to 5 years, I guess.
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I have some questions about Rovagug.
1. Was Rovagug a deity from the beginning of his life, just like other original gods like Pharasma or Abadar or Groetus? Or was he merely a normal qlippoth, and then gained mythic tier and became a qlippoth lord, and then became a deity? I at first thought that Rovagug and Asmodeus was a deity from the beginning. But in this page it seemed that you said otherwise.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1124?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#56161
2. In this page you said that Rovagug is the first qlippoth. Does that mean he created all other qlippoth?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1084?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#54190
3. Spawn of Rovagug has irrepressible regeneration ability. So to think that their father, Rovagug has the same irrepressible regeneration ability is very logical. Am I right?
4. I thought Rovagug is not that powerful. I mean, "Yeah, surely he is the most powerful god, but not powerful enough to singlehandedly fight all other gods at once. He nearly destroyed the world only because of his unsuppressible regeneration ability. Which means, if he is stripped of the regeneration ability, he still can defeat several(maybe three to five?) deities simultaneously, but cannot defeat all other gods simultaneously." Am I right? In other words:
1)All other gods couldn't kill Rovagug only because of his regeneration power. If he had not that power, surely many deites would have died anyway, but in the end other gods could have killed him once and for all.
2)Even if Rovagug is stripped of that regeneration power, his power is so devastating that he can still destroy all the gods and the entire world easily.
Which opinion is correct?
5. According to your statement in this page, Rovagug wants only to destroy the Material Plane, and does not want to destroy other planes. So after he destroyed the Material Plane, he will go back to the Abyss, exterminate demons, and then will not harass anyone. Am I right?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1275?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#63714
6. Rovagug is imprisoned in the Dead Vault. Is this prison is literally in the planet? So if Rovagug's worshippers dig and dig and dig... would they find out their god's prison?
7. If Golarion is totally devastated by a planet-destroying weapon, would the Dead Vault destroyed and Rovagug be released?
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8. Spawn of Rovagug are magical beasts. But shouldn't they be qlippoth? Their father is a qlippoth, anyway.
9. In this page you implied that Rovagug killed Ra with only two normal attacks. How can this be possible? Ra is not a random minor god. He is the supreme god of Osirian Pantheon! Even if Rovagug is the most powerful god, how can he kill Ra that easily?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1086?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#54262
10. And you said that "two of Rovagug's tentacles extended out of the Dead vault..." But in many illustrations, Rovagug is described as a big spider, which has no tentacles. Does he have tentacles?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1085?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#54250
11. In this page you said that Azathoth is more powerful than Rovagug. Really? I thought that in Golarion universe, Pharasma is definitely the most powerful, Rovagug is the second, the unnamed god of the Dominion of the Black is the third, and Azathoth would be the fourth. Is Azathoth really that powerful?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1285?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#64203
12. In this page you said that even the great evils cannot be a match for the outer horrors. Then what if a gate is opened at the center of Azathoth's court that connects to the Boneyard? Will Azathoth still win? Pharasma is the most powerful in the world, anyway.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1284?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#64166
13. It's surprising that Rovagug and Nethys have no access to Madness domain. An omnicidal Maniac? Definitely mad. Nethys has dual personality. Which menas he is insane. They seem to deserve Madness domain. In other words, if a deity can have six domains, would Rovagug's and Nethys' sixth domain naturally be Madness?
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Creative Director
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I have some questions about Rovagug.
1. Was Rovagug a deity from the beginning of his life, just like other original gods like Pharasma or Abadar or Groetus? Or was he merely a normal qlippoth, and then gained mythic tier and became a qlippoth lord, and then became a deity? I at first thought that Rovagug and Asmodeus was a deity from the beginning. But in this page it seemed that you said otherwise.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1124?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#561612. In this page you said that Rovagug is the first qlippoth. Does that mean he created all other qlippoth?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1084?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#541903. Spawn of Rovagug has irrepressible regeneration ability. So to think that their father, Rovagug has the same irrepressible regeneration ability is very logical. Am I right?
4. I thought Rovagug is not that powerful. I mean, "Yeah, surely he is the most powerful god, but not powerful enough to singlehandedly fight all other gods at once. He nearly destroyed the world only because of his unsuppressible regeneration ability. Which means, if he is stripped of the regeneration ability, he still can defeat several(maybe three to five?) deities simultaneously, but cannot defeat all other gods simultaneously." Am I right? In other words:
1)All other gods couldn't kill Rovagug only because of his regeneration power. If he had not that power, surely many deites would have died anyway, but in the end other gods could have killed him once and for all.
2)Even if Rovagug is stripped of that regeneration power, his power is so devastating that he can still destroy all the gods and the entire world easily.
Which opinion is correct?5. According to your statement in this page, Rovagug wants only to destroy the Material Plane, and does not want to destroy other planes. So after he destroyed the Material Plane, he will go back to the Abyss, exterminate demons, and then will not harass anyone. Am I right?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1275?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#637146. Rovagug is imprisoned in the Dead Vault. Is this prison is literally in the planet? So if Rovagug's worshippers dig and dig and dig... would they find out their god's prison?
7. If Golarion is totally devastated by a planet-destroying weapon, would the Dead Vault destroyed and Rovagug be released?
1) Rovagug started as a qlippoth lord, then became a deity. He never started as a qlippoth.
2) Nope; that means he was the first of them. Being first doesn't mean you create anything. It just means you're first.
3) Rovagug is a deity, and thus is beyond rules like "regeneration."
4) Rovagug is among the most powerful of the deities, but since there are no game rules governing what a deity can or can't do, we're free to freely build stories about how they all interact without worrying about whether or not the rules justify what they do in those stories. AKA: Rovagug couldn't be killed by any combination of other deity coalition, but he COULD be "locked up" and thus prevented from directly causing mayhem in reality.
5) What Rovagug might do after he destroys the material plane is not something us mortals could probably comprehend. We won't be here to witness it. What he does could be "exterminate demons" or "Destroy Gods" or merely "go to sleep for an epoch."
6) The dead vault is its own plane. It's metaphorically held within the core of Golarion, and the only portals that exist between it and the Material Plane are deep deep deep in the Darklands somewhere... but physically, the interior of Goalrion is a molten core of iron, like Earth. The Dead Vault is its own plane/dimension, akin to something like the First World or Leng or the like. There MAY be other portals to/from the Dead Vault from elsewhere. Haven't really decided.
7) Nope; the existing portals to/from the Dead Vault would turn off if Golarion were destroyed, but the Dead Vault would persist. And again, there may be portals to/from the Dead Vault from other points in reality than the deep Darklands of Golarion.
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Creative Director
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Was Asmodeus an empyreal lord before he feel?Were there other demonic gods before Lamashtu or was she the first? If there were, they're most certainly gone/dead now, but that doesn't really mean the couldn't exist in antiquity.Lamashtu was the first demon lord to ascend from demigod status to full deity status. No other demon lord has yet made this transition, but Nocticula is the closest and will likely be the next to do so.
Likewise, Asmodeus is the only archdevil to have made this transition, Sarenrae's the only empyreal lord to have done so, and Rovagug the only qlippoth lord to have done so.
No. Not in my opinion, at least.
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Creative Director
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8. Spawn of Rovagug are magical beasts. But shouldn't they be qlippoth? Their father is a qlippoth, anyway.
9. In this page you implied that Rovagug killed Ra with only two normal attacks. How can this be possible? Ra is not a random minor god. He is the supreme god of Osirian Pantheon! Even if Rovagug is the most powerful god, how can he kill Ra that easily?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1086?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#5426210. And you said that "two of Rovagug's tentacles extended out of the Dead vault..." But in many illustrations, Rovagug is described as a big spider, which has no tentacles. Does he have tentacles?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1085?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#5425011. In this page you said that Azathoth is more powerful than Rovagug. Really? I thought that in Golarion universe, Pharasma is definitely the most powerful, Rovagug is the second, the unnamed god of the Dominion of the Black is the third, and Azathoth would be the fourth. Is Azathoth really that powerful?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1285?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#6420312. In this page you said that even the great evils cannot be a match for the outer horrors. Then what if a gate is opened at the center of Azathoth's court that connects to the Boneyard? Will Azathoth still win? Pharasma is the most powerful in the world, anyway.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l7ns&page=1284?Ask-James-Jacobs-ALL-your-Q uestions-Here#6416613. It's surprising that Rovagug and Nethys have no access to Madness domain. An omnicidal Maniac? Definitely mad. Nethys has dual personality. Which menas he is insane. They seem to deserve Madness domain. In other words, if a deity can have six domains, would Rovagug's and Nethys' sixth domain naturally be Madness?
8) Nope. They're Material Plane creatures, not outsiders. A deity doesn't need to be the same "type" as the things it creates. They break rules.
9) That's part of my home campaign, first of all, and shouldn't be taken as "Golarion canon." But that said, it's possible because deities don't follow rules, and because in the story I was telling, I wanted to shock and surprise my players by having Rovagug murder a well-known mythological entity that the players knew about. When you have a deity take part in your game, you get to let them do ANYTHING you want them to do.
10) Yes, he has tentacles.
11) I've said many times that Pharasma is the most oldest deity in the campaign, but "oldest" doesn't mean "most powerful." And yes, Azathoth IS very powerful, in part because he was invented by Lovecraft and has existed in the real world as a creature for nearly a century now, and by elevating him to a position of such power in Golarion, I'm paying respect to my favorite author. And again... we don't have rules for what a deity can do, and as such don't have a way to rank them. AND I reserve the right to change my mind when it comes to saying which deity is more powerful than the next, especially when this information has never appeared in print.
12) Depends what story you, I, or whomever wanted to tell when and if Azathoth were to suddenly appear in the Boneyard. Again, deities don't follow rules, so the person telling the story gets to decide what happens.
13) Deities have 5 domains, but in many cases more than 5 domains are appropriate for the deity. That means that once whoever designs the deity picks the deity's 5 domains, some of the ones that would have been appropriate get left out. In this case, Madness. If Rovagug had six domains, I would likely choose one of the following as his sixth domain: Darkness, Death, Earth, Madness, Repose, or Strength. Of those six, I'd probably pick Earth. If he had seven, I'd pick Strength. Madness would be the 8th or 9th choice. For Nethys it might be the 6th or 7th.
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Was your version of Rahotep a mythic lich or a hierophant?
What led you to make Rahotep cleric 20 instead of, say, a mystic theurge, considering his original stats were sorcerer 10/cleric 15?
Was his demilich form an awakened demilich?
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I have some other questions.
1. A demon lord's abyssal resurrection prevents him from dying, unless he is killed twice in a year or is killed by a deity or an artifact. Does that mean a deity or an artifact can kill a demon lord once and for all, without having to kill him twice?
2. Do archdevils, Empyreal Lords and deities have resurrection ability like abyssal resurrection?
3. Why should there be Rune domain? There is no such thing like rune magic. There are just some spells using magical rune. At best, Rune should be a subdomain of magic domain. What do you think?
4. And then I found out the words of power in the Ultimate Magic. Does the Rune domain represent the words of power?
5. Ultimate Magic said that "words of power represent a primal form of magic used in ages past,", "words of power ocnstitute a root system, from which all modern magic descends." Is this also canon in Golarion?
6. Nobility domain confuses me. I don't know what the meaning of this domain is. Among the 20 core gods, Abadar is the only one that has this domain. But I don't think he behave or speak much nobler than other gods. The only thing that slightly relates him to Nobility domain is that aristocrats are among his primary worshippers. What does this domain represents? Does that mean the owner of this domain behave nobler, speak nobler, and wear nobler?
7. Calistrian worshippers like the promiscuity very much. Inner Sea Gods also said that even after a proper marriage they don't abstain from associating with other partners, and don't prevent their mate from doing the same thing. Is this promiscuous life style is chaotic? I mean, if Calistria is Neutral, do you think it's reasonable for her to encourage her worshippers to indulge in the promiscuity and associating with the people other than their own mate? It's confusing, because Arshea, who laso represents the freedom and sexuality, is Neutral Good, not Chaotic Good.
8. Would a devout worshipper of Iomedae despise Calistrian worshippers' promiscuous behavior? For example, if some Calistrian clerics come to join the Glorious Reclamation to fight the devil worshippers, would there be contempt and bickering and eventually the Calistrians would get expelled from the Glorious Reclamation because the devout Iomedaeans cannot bear their promiscuous behaviors and the attempt to seduce the Iomedaeans?
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First of all thanks for all of the time you take answering questions for the community. I've been reading for a few years now and must say I'm impressed with the consistency in this thread. You've been answering on nearly a daily basis whenever you can including holidays and times that you're away from work!
I've been a big fan of the information about Golarion and other subjects you've discussed, in particular topics regarding the Dominion of the Black. I've picked up several books and subscribed to Iron Gods and Strange Aeons APs due to your involvement (even if mainly forwards and outlines in the case of Strange Aeons) so thanks again for everything and for introducing these subjects to readers that would otherwise be unfamiliar or oblivious to the depth of the setting!
I was wondering a few things:
1. You've talked about world building some and your home brew setting. For others attempting to keep organized with their introductuce/created themes in their own games how do you keep track of the details personally? Especially in the early days pre-Golarian. I assume some form of a journal or massive word doc equivalent?
2. Is there any Paizo product that lists the revealed races and structure of the Dominion of the Black? I've looked around but suspect we need to scour vast libraries of material like a true cultist to glean this forbidden knowledge... Now that I ask it may be more fun that way anyway.
3. What are the odds of Aboleths being featured in some books in the near (1-2 year) future? I realize you can't talk much about unrevealed product but just thought I'd ask as I hope I'm not the only one eager to see more!
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Is the Aldori Swordlord prestige class necessary to command the respect of Restov's Swordlords? Or could a potential "Swordlord King/Queen" still get them to rally behind them by having the right feats (namely Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aldori dueling sword), and likely Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse)?
How would they view an Aldori duelist who has magical gifts, such as one who was a bard or inquisitor?
I'm basically wondering if I can get away with something like that, or if to truly get the FULL SWORDLORD EXPERIENCE I should stay locked into Fighter/Aldori Swordlord and nothing beyond that...
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1. Is there any reason why the Dispelling Weapon property works for the Magus Dispelling Strike and the Barbarian Spell Sunder/Sunder Enchantment, but not for the Rogue's Dispelling Attack?
2. How do you feel about the Pathfinder Comics series?
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Oh wise and wondrous Creative Director, I call on thy wisdom :)
Overrun, Trip and Bull Rush all make mention that you can't make the maneuver against anyone "who is no more than one size category larger than you."
Grapple used to have such a rule in 3E ("You automatically lose an attempt to hold if the target is two or more size categories larger than you are.") but that rule has gone walkabout.
Can tiny creatures grapple huge creatures in Pathfinder, giving them all the penalties that the grapple condition bestows?
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One last blast from the past (for now): what would you say the favoured weapons of Demogorgan, Obox-Ob and Pale Night are?
Thanks for all of your hard work and patience with us!
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Hey James! Thanks for the earlier reply. A few more questions. Also, apologies for the confusion about your part in Strange Aeons. I think I just assumed, knowing your love for HPL.
1) What would the Denizens of Leng take as common classes or archetypes? Same with the Moonbeasts?
2) Glad you liked Stranger Things - so did I. I thought the
3) Was the Winterwight (B2) inspired by the Others from A Song of Ice and Fire?
4) Do you remember what Lovecraft story pulled you into his literary world the most, or which one you found the most horrifying?
5) If Randolph Carter found his way into a Pathfinder story, what level do you think he'd be by the end of Dream-quest?
6) Have you read the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman?
7) Any plans to feature Ithaqua, Y'Golonac, or Mordiggian in PF, or are they legally off limits? Either way, what do you think their CRs would be?
8) How do 'normal' ghouls interact, feel about or view 'Leng' ghouls in the rare instances they show up in Golarion (or vice versa)?
9) This might come up in game for me via Commune, and I'm curious: What is Desnas opinion/story with individual Outer Gods? Azathoth? Nyarlathotep? Yog-Sothoth?
Thanks for taking your time to answer these things, :)
Contributor
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On the subject of Lovecraftian entities: I noticed that a couple of memorable ones were missing from the Strange Aeons article...
1) Is there a reason why Glaaki, the Inhabitant of the Lake, wasn't included? I always thought its appearance was fascinating, and it made it into the old d20 version. Copyright issues?
2) Is there a reason Nodens wasn't included? It seems odd that he didn't even receive a mention, even if he isn't Great Old One/Outer God material.
As always, thank you! ^_^
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Hi James
Given your love of the horror genre, why did you end up working for gaming companies who are more famous for fantasy games (WOTC and Paizo), and not a more horror oriented system?
As I understand it, physics work the same way on Golarion as on Earth. If that is correct, why is the Roc an animal, and not a magical beast? No bird that big could fly on Earth, as I understand it.
Cheers
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Creative Director
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Was your version of Rahotep a mythic lich or a hierophant?
What led you to make Rahotep cleric 20 instead of, say, a mystic theurge, considering his original stats were sorcerer 10/cleric 15?
Was his demilich form an awakened demilich?
I don't remember off the top of my head what I did exactly with Rahotep, but I did use a Todd McFarland figure for his "mini" so he was Gargantuan. I'm pretty sure I just custom built something to specifically challenge the group rather than try to faithful rebuild his stats from the module, as I did with pretty much ALL the stats in the module.
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Creative Director
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I have some other questions.
1. A demon lord's abyssal resurrection prevents him from dying, unless he is killed twice in a year or is killed by a deity or an artifact. Does that mean a deity or an artifact can kill a demon lord once and for all, without having to kill him twice?
2. Do archdevils, Empyreal Lords and deities have resurrection ability like abyssal resurrection?
3. Why should there be Rune domain? There is no such thing like rune magic. There are just some spells using magical rune. At best, Rune should be a subdomain of magic domain. What do you think?
4. And then I found out the words of power in the Ultimate Magic. Does the Rune domain represent the words of power?
5. Ultimate Magic said that "words of power represent a primal form of magic used in ages past,", "words of power ocnstitute a root system, from which all modern magic descends." Is this also canon in Golarion?
6. Nobility domain confuses me. I don't know what the meaning of this domain is. Among the 20 core gods, Abadar is the only one that has this domain. But I don't think he behave or speak much nobler than other gods. The only thing that slightly relates him to Nobility domain is that aristocrats are among his primary worshippers. What does this domain represents? Does that mean the owner of this domain behave nobler, speak nobler, and wear nobler?
7. Calistrian worshippers like the promiscuity very much. Inner Sea Gods also said that even after a proper marriage they don't abstain from associating with other partners, and don't prevent their mate from doing the same thing. Is this promiscuous life style is chaotic? I mean, if Calistria is Neutral, do you think it's reasonable for her to encourage her worshippers to indulge in the promiscuity and associating with the people other than their own mate? It's confusing, because Arshea, who laso represents the freedom and sexuality, is Neutral Good, not Chaotic Good.
8. Would a devout worshipper of Iomedae despise Calistrian worshippers' promiscuous behavior? For example, if some Calistrian clerics come to join the Glorious Reclamation to fight the devil worshippers, would there be contempt and bickering and eventually the Calistrians would get expelled from the Glorious Reclamation because the devout Iomedaeans cannot bear their promiscuous behaviors and the attempt to seduce the Iomedaeans?
1) Correct. And other situations can kill a demon lord with one shot, such as Nocticula (see "The Midnight Isles" for more info there).
2) Unrevealed about archdevils. Empyreal lords don't have it, as far as I know so far.
3) Two reasons: because "Rune" was one of the domains that were originally available for us to use in the 3.5 SRD, but more to the point because runes are a very key and important part of Golarion. Our first and most popular AP is called "Rise of the Runelords" after all! I think Rune is great as its own domain.
4) No.
5) No. Words of power aren't a part of Golarion.
6) Abadar has access to Nobility because he's a god of civilization and cities, and that's where Nobles live and rule and shape culture. This domain represents aristocrats, the upper class, royalty, political leaders, high culture, and the like. Domains granted don't actually grant a deity any extra power over what the domains are, though—they merely give the deity's clerics areas of focus.
7) Calistria is chaotic neutral, not neutral. That said, promiscuity is probably more chaotic than it is lawful, but it's not inherently "raw chaos."
8) There's nothing in Iomedae's teaching that intrinsically puts her worshipers or faithful at odds with promiscuity. Her worshipers would likely often clash with Calistrians simply because Calistrians are overall chaotic while Iomedans are lawful, but the promiscuity part isn't a significant primary "enabler" of that. The Glorious Reclamation is a scrappy but desperate group, and they'd likely welcome most non-evils who come to offer their aid. Provided they can trust them. Which would be on a case-by-case basis for ALL chaotic worshipers.
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Creative Director
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First of all thanks for all of the time you take answering questions for the community. I've been reading for a few years now and must say I'm impressed with the consistency in this thread. You've been answering on nearly a daily basis whenever you can including holidays and times that you're away from work!
I've been a big fan of the information about Golarion and other subjects you've discussed, in particular topics regarding the Dominion of the Black. I've picked up several books and subscribed to Iron Gods and Strange Aeons APs due to your involvement (even if mainly forwards and outlines in the case of Strange Aeons) so thanks again for everything and for introducing these subjects to readers that would otherwise be unfamiliar or oblivious to the depth of the setting!
I was wondering a few things:
1. You've talked about world building some and your home brew setting. For others attempting to keep organized with their introductuce/created themes in their own games how do you keep track of the details personally? Especially in the early days pre-Golarian. I assume some form of a journal or massive word doc equivalent?
2. Is there any Paizo product that lists the revealed races and structure of the Dominion of the Black? I've looked around but suspect we need to scour vast libraries of material like a true cultist to glean this forbidden knowledge... Now that I ask it may be more fun that way anyway.
3. What are the odds of Aboleths being featured in some books in the near (1-2 year) future? I realize you can't talk much about unrevealed product but just thought I'd ask as I hope I'm not the only one eager to see more!
1) When I started working on my homebrew, I didn't own a computer. I used a manual typewriter and hand-wrote things at first, and kept the notes organized in manilla envelopes or in 3 ring binders. Eventually, I upgraded to an electric typewriter, and then to a word processor, and finally to an actual computer, at which point I kept the files electronically and in print. I've lost a fair amount of it along the way, and tended to rebuild/recreate the setting whenver D&D did a new edition anyway. Today, I keep all my homebrew stuff electronically, but haven't actually expanded upon it since I started working on Golarion.
2) Nope. We've said a little bit about the Dominion of the Black in "Occult Mysteries" and in a few adventures, particularly "Doom Comes to Dustpawn" and "Dragon's Demand." The best place to get info about the Dominion currently is in part 4 of Iron Gods, which features a Dominion-themed adventure and also includes an article about them. Beyond that, we haven't said much more. Deliberately. The more we explain about them, I think the less interesting they get, so it's sort of a catch-22 situation.
3) Very very very good odds. By this time next year, those odds will be 100%.
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Is the Aldori Swordlord prestige class necessary to command the respect of Restov's Swordlords? Or could a potential "Swordlord King/Queen" still get them to rally behind them by having the right feats (namely Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aldori dueling sword), and likely Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse)?
How would they view an Aldori duelist who has magical gifts, such as one who was a bard or inquisitor?
I'm basically wondering if I can get away with something like that, or if to truly get the FULL SWORDLORD EXPERIENCE I should stay locked into Fighter/Aldori Swordlord and nothing beyond that...
Having levels in the prestige class absolutely helps, but it's not required. A duelist who "wastes time" playing with magic would face an uphill battle in the arena of earning respect as a swordlord.
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1. Is there any reason why the Dispelling Weapon property works for the Magus Dispelling Strike and the Barbarian Spell Sunder/Sunder Enchantment, but not for the Rogue's Dispelling Attack?
2. How do you feel about the Pathfinder Comics series?
1) I have no idea. You'd have to ask the design team.
2) Jealous that I haven't been able to write one yet.
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Oh wise and wondrous Creative Director, I call on thy wisdom :)
Overrun, Trip and Bull Rush all make mention that you can't make the maneuver against anyone "who is no more than one size category larger than you."
Grapple used to have such a rule in 3E ("You automatically lose an attempt to hold if the target is two or more size categories larger than you are.") but that rule has gone walkabout.
Can tiny creatures grapple huge creatures in Pathfinder, giving them all the penalties that the grapple condition bestows?
They can, but they suck at it usually.
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One last blast from the past (for now): what would you say the favoured weapons of Demogorgan, Obox-Ob and Pale Night are?
Thanks for all of your hard work and patience with us!
Those three are weird cases as they don't really use weapons, and their worshipers (at least in the case of Demogorgon and Obox-ob) don't normally have hands. Off the top of my head, I guess I'd say...
Demogorgon: flail
Obox-ob: greatsword (because that's what he granted in my homebrew)
Pale Night: net, or maybe dagger
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Hey James! Thanks for the earlier reply. A few more questions. Also, apologies for the confusion about your part in Strange Aeons. I think I just assumed, knowing your love for HPL.
1) What would the Denizens of Leng take as common classes or archetypes? Same with the Moonbeasts?
2) Glad you liked Stranger Things - so did I. I thought the
** spoiler omitted **. What do you think?3) Was the Winterwight (B2) inspired by the Others from A Song of Ice and Fire?
4) Do you remember what Lovecraft story pulled you into his literary world the most, or which one you found the most horrifying?
5) If Randolph Carter found his way into a Pathfinder story, what level do you think he'd be by the end of Dream-quest?
6) Have you read the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman?
7) Any plans to feature Ithaqua, Y'Golonac, or Mordiggian in PF, or are they legally off limits? Either way, what do you think their CRs would be?
8) How do 'normal' ghouls interact, feel about or view 'Leng' ghouls in the rare instances they show up in Golarion (or vice versa)?
9) This might come up in game for me via Commune, and I'm curious: What is Desnas opinion/story with individual Outer Gods? Azathoth? Nyarlathotep? Yog-Sothoth?
Thanks for taking your time to answer these things, :)
1) They likely wouldn't bother with archetypes. Denizens of Leng work best with rogue levels, or any class that grants sneak attack. They also do well as fighters of course, and thematically do VERY well as clerics of the elder mythos, or as sorcerers. Moon beasts I see advancing via Hit Dice, not class levels, but if they did, I guess I'd suggest rogue, fighter, or sorcerer.
2) I don't think intentionally; there wasn't much other direct Lovecraft stuff in the show.
3) No; it was taken from the PRD—it originally showed up in the boxed set expansion for Tomb of Horrors back in 2nd edition D&D, and was picked up in 3rd edition for the Epic Level Handbook. Bruce Cordell is the one who invented them, as far as I know.
4) The first one I read and that really hooked me was "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." "At the Mountains of Madness" is my favorite. As for what one I found the most horrifying? Probably "The Thing on the Doorstep."
5) Characters in pathfinder stories don't really have levels. HA! Question dodged!
6) Nope.
7) Ithaqua is out now; check out his stats in the first volume of Strange Aeons. Mordiggian will be in the 2nd volume of Strange Aeons. We have an agreement with Chaosium to use some of the mythos stuff they've a license for, particularly the works of earlier writers like Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, and Frank Belknap Long. Y'Golonac was created by Ramsey Campbell, who is still alive and working and writing today; we haven't yet approached him about using his content in Pathfinder, but maybe we will some day.
8) Subservient and docile and respectful.
9) Among the core 20 deities, Desna is the one who fights against/opposes the Elder Mythos the most.
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On the subject of Lovecraftian entities: I noticed that a couple of memorable ones were missing from the Strange Aeons article...
1) Is there a reason why Glaaki, the Inhabitant of the Lake, wasn't included? I always thought its appearance was fascinating, and it made it into the old d20 version. Copyright issues?
2) Is there a reason Nodens wasn't included? It seems odd that he didn't even receive a mention, even if he isn't Great Old One/Outer God material.
As always, thank you! ^_^
1) Glaaki, like Y'Golonac, is the creation of Ramsey Campbell, who's still alive and writing and kicking ass in the horror novelist realm. He recently just wrote a new novel about Glaaki in fact. For Strange Aeons, I deliberately chose to focus on the older creations of the mythos from Lovecraft's era, focusing on the creations of his contemporaries like Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, etc. We might try to do something with the Campbell mythos (which also includes other entities like Byatis, Daoloth, and Eihort) and if we do, I'd like to arrange permission directly with him, but at this point that's not on an agenda. But, given that Ramsey Campbell is my favorite living author... well, we'll see!
2) Nodens isn't a creation of Lovecraft's. Nodens is from celtic mythology. His inclusion in Lovecraft's earlier stories is something of an anomaly, in my opinion, and I don't consider Nodens as part of the mythos. When sources DO include Nodens in the mythos, they generally lump him into the category of "Elder God." He's not an Outer God OR a Great Old One. In Pathfinder, we don't have a category of "Elder God" in that way... or to be more precise, ALL of the gods outside of the categories of "Great Old One/Outer God" are technically "Elder Gods." We don't NEED Nodens, because we have the core 20, and beyond them hundreds of other options.
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Hi James
Given your love of the horror genre, why did you end up working for gaming companies who are more famous for fantasy games (WOTC and Paizo), and not a more horror oriented system?
As I understand it, physics work the same way on Golarion as on Earth. If that is correct, why is the Roc an animal, and not a magical beast? No bird that big could fly on Earth, as I understand it.
Cheers
I ended up working at WotC because I knew people there and got hired during the first big Pokemon boom to help in the sales department. Once there, working on D&D was DESTINY more or less, but a large amount of the work I've done with D&D and now with Pathfinder could well be categorized in the Horror category. I did take a few stabs at writing for Chaosium, but never managed to get my foot in the door, and never really had an interest in working for any other horror RPG companies because in my opinion Chaosium was the only one that mattered to me growing up. In other words, I ended up working at WotC/Paizo because they wanted to work with me—as in I had my work published regularly by them (starting way back with TSR in fact in issue #12 of Dungeon Magazine).
Physics MOSTLY work the same way, but when they get in the way of cool, we fire physics. A roc is an animal becasue it doesn't have any overt supernatural powers, and because we wanted a higher CR animal in the game.
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Hello!
I was wondering about the use magic device with wands.
1. If i have 20 skill points in use magic device and roll a natural 1, will it fail? or will i succed since i do in a sense get 21 on the skill check?
2. If i do fail, can i attempt to retry before 24 hours?
3. Is it the same for scrolls/activate blindly?
Also got a question about immediate action but not sure how to describe the situation so bare with me :).
1. If i use an immediate action during my turn, will it become a "swift" for the purpose of determing if i can use an immediate action when it is not my turn?
Example:
-I use liberating command during my turn (immediate action, turns into swift?)
-Monster attacks me right after and i want to use stoneshield (immediate action).Can i do this?
1) Use Magic Device is in fact the ONLY skill that auto-fails on a natural 1.
2) Nope. If you fail you wait.
3) It is.
NOTE: I believe there are some archetypes/prestige classes/feats/other rules things out there that remove this restriction on Use Magic Device but can't remember them off the top of my head. You should ask around on the rules forums.
1)The rules are kinda vague there, but personally, that's how I do things in my games. IN any event, an immediate action counts as a swift action for determining how often you can do a swift action, regardless of when you do it.
You can't do that. You used your swift action when you used an immediate action, and need to wait until your next turn to use another.
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1. In Bestiary 6, about how many obscure mythological and folkloric creatures from the B6 wish list have been featured? More than 30? Less than 30?
2. About how many mythical creatures that were not mentioned in the thread were featured? More than ten?
3. Has the website A Book of Creatures been an influence on the selection of mythical creatures for the book? Have you included creatures featured there?
4. Are there any mythical creatures from the Americas in the book, besides the Rougarou?
5. Would you be willing to name drop one or two mythological creatures featured in the book that are too esoteric to be product description worthy, but would appeal to folklore enthusiasts?
6. I've noticed that in the APs, while mythical creatures are certainly still present, they've been decreasing somewhat in number. Is this because most of the best creatures that haven't been statted are from regions of the world other than Europe and would best be used outside the Inner Sea, or come from areas of Europe with specific equivalents in the Inner Sea that are not the subject of the current APs?
7. Which mythical creatures, as far as you're concerned, have little to no chance of ever appearing in the game?
8. Any cultures or categories of mythical monsters that will receive a fair amount of focus in the Bestiary? I noticed South America was something of a sub-theme in B5, and there were also more B and C list classical creatures than I would have predicted. Anything like that?
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Did the Androffans aboard Divinity have any awareness of magic as a "real" thing, or was it just something from stories and such for them (much like Earth)? I've always gotten the impression that they were 100% mundane and relied on technology, but I'm not sure if that's confirmed anywhere in text.
(There are some magic weapons in The Divinity Drive, but those are explicitly called out as being acquired by the crew rather than created. That's the closest thing to them using magic that I know of.)
Thank you! ^_^
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1. In Bestiary 6, about how many obscure mythological and folkloric creatures from the B6 wish list have been featured? More than 30? Less than 30?
2. About how many mythical creatures that were not mentioned in the thread were featured? More than ten?
3. Has the website A Book of Creatures been an influence on the selection of mythical creatures for the book? Have you included creatures featured there?
4. Are there any mythical creatures from the Americas in the book, besides the Rougarou?
5. Would you be willing to name drop one or two mythological creatures featured in the book that are too esoteric to be product description worthy, but would appeal to folklore enthusiasts?
6. I've noticed that in the APs, while mythical creatures are certainly still present, they've been decreasing somewhat in number. Is this because most of the best creatures that haven't been statted are from regions of the world other than Europe and would best be used outside the Inner Sea, or come from areas of Europe with specific equivalents in the Inner Sea that are not the subject of the current APs?
7. Which mythical creatures, as far as you're concerned, have little to no chance of ever appearing in the game?
8. Any cultures or categories of mythical monsters that will receive a fair amount of focus in the Bestiary? I noticed South America was something of a sub-theme in B5, and there were also more B and C list classical creatures than I would have predicted. Anything like that?
1) Dunno off the top of my head. More than 1, less than 200. For the final number, you'll need to wait for the book to be in print. :-)
2) See #1 above.
3) I'm not familiar with that website, but assuming it's drawing from real-world legend and myth... there will naturally be some crossovers.
4) Of course; there have been in pretty much all the Bestiaries. This will be no different.
5) Nope; not now. Maybe later, when we're closer to the book's release and are looking to drum up more excitement, and when I'm 100% sure of the book's contents rather than 98% sure.
6) It's because of shifting interests among those who build the bestiaries of the APs and of shifting needs for the APs themselves. It's not a conscious decision.
7) The goofy ones. (Drop bear and hoop snake, I'm looking at YOU!)
8) Not consciously. We've got monsters from, off the top of my head... North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the oceans... Not sure if there's any Australian critters in this one but there certainly were in the outline... can't remember off the top of my head if they stayed in or got pushed out thanks to alphabet cruelties...
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Did the Androffans aboard Divinity have any awareness of magic as a "real" thing, or was it just something from stories and such for them (much like Earth)? I've always gotten the impression that they were 100% mundane and relied on technology, but I'm not sure if that's confirmed anywhere in text.
(There are some magic weapons in The Divinity Drive, but those are explicitly called out as being acquired by the crew rather than created. That's the closest thing to them using magic that I know of.)
Thank you! ^_^
Androffa wasn't 100% mundane. It had magic, but at the time Divinty launched, magic was in the background and behind the scenes and dormant. It was slumbering. It woke up BIG shortly after Divinity fled the Dominion to Golarion, though. And certainly by the time the Divinity encoutnered the Dominion they'd re-introduced themselves to magic here and there.
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What Pathfinder alignment would you assign Randolph Carter, friend to ghouls, ally of nightgaunts, cat ally, Zoog associate, and foe of Moonbeasts and Denizens of Leng?
Favorite movie adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
True Detective (awesomely) referenced The King In Yellow. Have you come across any other Hastur references in film or TV?
Do you think Cthulhu gets too much of the limelight when pop culture chooses to acknowledge Lovecraft?
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Have any Pathfinder monsters been named or given characteristics of any specific Paizo staff members? That is, a kind of honorary acknowledgement to them.
1. I think you misunderstood my previous question about Calistria. So I ask you again, this time more clearly. Of course I know she is Chaotic Neutral. What I'm asking is that if I change her alignment to neutral, would she still encourage her worshippers to do promiscuity, get along with other person even after the marriage and don't bother if their spouse do the same, and not to forgive even a very slight insult? In other words, are these behaviors(promiscuity, free sexual life, adultery, vengeance against petty slight) chaotic and not appropriate to the not chaotic deity?
2. Iomedaeans value the healthy marrital life very much, and despiose adultery very much. Am I right?
3. You said several times that who actually created the humanity is a mystery. Then why didn't the clerics ask their gods? Is it like the Aroden case? That many gods just don't know the answer, and those old gods who do know do not want to share the truth with the mortals?
4. Findeladlara is the supreme deity of the elven pantheon, right?
5. Findeladlara created the elves, right?
6. Torag created the dwarves, right?
7. If there is a creator god of the humanity who is the embodiemnt of the everything that represents the humanity, what do you think his alignment would be? In other words, what do you think the general alignment of the huanity would be? Maybe Lawful Neutral(because Aroden, the god of human humanity was Lawful Neutral)?
8. It is said that Desna is living in the North Star. Does that mean she is in the Material Plane? That if a wizard build a spaceship and go to the North Star, he can meet Desna?
9. How should I pronounce Xin and Xotani? Sin and Sotani? Zin and Zotani? Ksin and Ksotani?
10. How should I pronounce Eando Kline? Een-do? E-an-do? Ee-an-do?
11. How should I pronounce Thrune? Throon-e? Throon? In other words, should I pronoune the last E?
12. Song of Silver didn't describe the general attitude of the Arodenites toward other races. Did they feel some kind of supremacy for being human? Did they despise other races for being lesser? Did they think other races deserve the rule by humanity?
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Androffa wasn't 100% mundane. It had magic, but at the time Divinty launched, magic was in the background and behind the scenes and dormant. It was slumbering. It woke up BIG shortly after Divinity fled the Dominion to Golarion, though. And certainly by the time the Divinity encoutnered the Dominion they'd re-introduced themselves to magic here and there.Did the Androffans aboard Divinity have any awareness of magic as a "real" thing, or was it just something from stories and such for them (much like Earth)? I've always gotten the impression that they were 100% mundane and relied on technology, but I'm not sure if that's confirmed anywhere in text.
(There are some magic weapons in The Divinity Drive, but those are explicitly called out as being acquired by the crew rather than created. That's the closest thing to them using magic that I know of.)
Thank you! ^_^
Presumably because by that time, they'd lost all their super tech and mot of their history as a highly developed civilization? If I remember, Divinity was constructed at the height of that civilization's power and things went rapidly downhill afterwards.
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What Pathfinder alignment would you assign Randolph Carter, friend to ghouls, ally of nightgaunts, cat ally, Zoog associate, and foe of Moonbeasts and Denizens of Leng?
Favorite movie adaptation of a Lovecraft story?
True Detective (awesomely) referenced The King In Yellow. Have you come across any other Hastur references in film or TV?
Do you think Cthulhu gets too much of the limelight when pop culture chooses to acknowledge Lovecraft?
Probably Neutral.
Tough choice, but I suspect it'd be "Re-Animator." As for the most FAITHULF adaptation? "Call of Cthulhu." And "Whisperer in Darkness" and "From Beyond" and "Dagon" and "The Resurrected" are all high on the list as well.
Not many.
Nope.
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James, which Ramsey Campbell novel(s) would you recommend to someone who has never read anything by him but is interested in mythos stories?
One of his anthologies of Lovecraftian stories is the best place to start. "The Inhabitant of the Lake & Other Unwelcome Tenants" would be my suggestion.
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Presumably because by that time, they'd lost all their super tech and mot of their history as a highly developed civilization? If I remember, Divinity was constructed at the height of that civilization's power and things went rapidly downhill afterwards.Androffa wasn't 100% mundane. It had magic, but at the time Divinty launched, magic was in the background and behind the scenes and dormant. It was slumbering. It woke up BIG shortly after Divinity fled the Dominion to Golarion, though. And certainly by the time the Divinity encoutnered the Dominion they'd re-introduced themselves to magic here and there.Did the Androffans aboard Divinity have any awareness of magic as a "real" thing, or was it just something from stories and such for them (much like Earth)? I've always gotten the impression that they were 100% mundane and relied on technology, but I'm not sure if that's confirmed anywhere in text.
(There are some magic weapons in The Divinity Drive, but those are explicitly called out as being acquired by the crew rather than created. That's the closest thing to them using magic that I know of.)
Thank you! ^_^
Nope. There was an end-of-the-world event as a result of a sudden return of divine magic—Androffans weren't ready to embrace faith and as a result bitter demigods (who then were themselves banished by the actual gods who were aghast at how things worked out) destroyed civilization. The world went post-apocalyptic, and during that era arcane magic was also re-introduced (via the Necronomicon and meddling from Nyarlathotep) that saw the rise of a ruling caste of necromancers who ruled the world for a while until they were finally overthrown, and now thousands of years later Androffa is a lot like Golarion.
One of the big themes of that pre-fall era of Androffa was humanity's hubris and arrogance—they thought they were gods. Hence the name of the ship, Divinity.
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1. I think you misunderstood my previous question about Calistria. So I ask you again, this time more clearly. Of course I know she is Chaotic Neutral. What I'm asking is that if I change her alignment to neutral, would she still encourage her worshippers to do promiscuity, get along with other person even after the marriage and don't bother if their spouse do the same, and not to forgive even a very slight insult? In other words, are these behaviors(promiscuity, free sexual life, adultery, vengeance against petty slight) chaotic and not appropriate to the not chaotic deity?
2. Iomedaeans value the healthy marrital life very much, and despiose adultery very much. Am I right?
3. You said several times that who actually created the humanity is a mystery. Then why didn't the clerics ask their gods? Is it like the Aroden case? That many gods just don't know the answer, and those old gods who do know do not want to share the truth with the mortals?
4. Findeladlara is the supreme deity of the elven pantheon, right?
5. Findeladlara created the elves, right?
6. Torag created the dwarves, right?
7. If there is a creator god of the humanity who is the embodiemnt of the everything that represents the humanity, what do you think his alignment would be? In other words, what do you think the general alignment of the huanity would be? Maybe Lawful Neutral(because Aroden, the god of human humanity was Lawful Neutral)?
8. It is said that Desna is living in the North Star. Does that mean she is in the Material Plane? That if a wizard build a spaceship and go to the North Star, he can meet Desna?
9. How should I pronounce Xin and Xotani? Sin and Sotani? Zin and Zotani? Ksin and Ksotani?
10. How should I pronounce Eando Kline? Een-do? E-an-do? Ee-an-do?
11. How should I pronounce Thrune? Throon-e? Throon? In other words, should I pronoune the last E?
12. 12. Song of Silver didn't describe the general attitude of the Arodenites toward other races. Did they feel some kind of supremacy for being human? Did they despise other races for being lesser? Did they think other races deserve the rule by humanity?
1) Yes, she would still promote promiscuity, but not in as chaotic a manner.
2) As a goddess of honor, I cannot imagine Iomedae (and her faith) would approve of adultery. I do need to ask... you have a lot of deity questions... have you checked out "Inner Sea Gods" and "Inner Sea Faiths"? Those are the go-to books for deity lore for Golarion.
3) Some clerics have asked the gods, and the gods aren't telling. Whether it's because they're hoarding secrets, protecting humanity from a devastating truth, tricking humanity, simply don't know themselves, or something else depends on the god. A lot of times, deities trust their worshipers to take things on faith, and worshipers trust their deities that their faith isn't misplaced. To a worshiper, the mythos of their chosen faith IS the answer to things like "where did we come from" and commune spells won't contradict that, even though the various creation myths themselves are contradictory. You're attacking this question, in other words, from a scientific point, and matters of myth and faith can't really be answered in scientific ways.
4) Nope; there isn't a "supreme deity" of the elven pantheon. Calistria's the most powerful of the elven deities, so if anyone would be the boss of that pantheon, it'd be her... and she doesn't want the job. Not all pantheons need leaders.
5) I'm not sure we've said anything about elven creation myths at all. But no, Findeladlara would not be the creator deity of the elves.
6) Same as #5 above.
7) Neutral.
8) She has a realm there, but also a realm in Elysium. And yes, if you built a starship, you could travel to her realm on Cynosure, but it would take a long time and if she didn't want you to visit you'd get lost along the way.
9) Xin is pronounced like "zin" and Xotani is like ZO-tan-ee
10) ee-AND-oh KLINE
11) Throon. One syllable; the "e" is silent.
12) Unrevealed, but since it's not mentioned, it's not something that drove the religion and wasn't important enough to warrant discussion. Opinions toward other races was not of interest to the faith... although I'm sure plenty of worshipers of Aroden got that wrong and brought their own prejudices along to color their worship and lives.
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Swarms have the distraction hability as mentioned in the bestiary under swarm traits:
"Distracción: A creature with this ability can nauseate the creatures that it damages. Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the 1/2 creature's HD + the creature's Con modifier) negates the effect"
If I were to cast the "swarm of fangs" spell, what would the fortitude DC be?
That spell doesn't conjure a swarm monster. The word "swarm" in this case is 100% flavor, and doesn't mean you conjure up something with statistics; if that was the intent, the spell would have said something like "treat this swarm of fangs as a bat swarm" or the like, or it would have included a full stat block for the swarm it creates.
It does neither, and so the word "Swarm" doesn't mean anything other than "Lots of..."
The spell does precisely what it says it does and nothing more. It does not distract those who take damage from it.