Creative Director
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I'm not sure. Do Groetus and his worshippers tend to the evil side? Clearly he's not evil. So I have no idea why it is forbidden to make a chaotic good or neutral cleric of Groetus. The same applies to Pharasma as well, because I can no longer make a neutral evil cleric of her. Sigh. What's so wrong with a neutral evil cleric of Pharasma?What's the relationship between Pharasma and Groetus? How would a Pharasma worshipper and a Groetus worshipper see each other/interact?They pretty much ignore each other. Not much interaction between the two even though they both live on the same plane. They aren't enemies, but they aren't allies either.
Worshipers are a different story. The two faiths aren't supposed to clash, but they can, especially when Groetus worship tends to the evil side and they start getting involved with undeath or trying to engineer apocalypses.
His worshipers tend to be chaotic neutral. Like him.
As for off-alignment options, the choices we make are 100% chosen for thematic reasons. It's art and poetry, not math or game balance that guides my decisions here.
What's wrong with neutral evil clerics of Pharasma is that I, as the creative director of the game and the inventor of that deity, have decided that she and her worshipers skew toward good and law, rather than chaos and evil. It's not correct for her storyline as I've created it and as I'm directing others to create it for her to have neutral evil worshipers.
Feel free to change that in your game, since I'm not the creative director of your game.
But for the core setting, we (and in this case I mean me) have to make story decisions on what is and isn't right for the tales we want to tell and the world we are presenting. I get paid to make those decisions. It's more interesting if a deity has a limited window of alignments, because that means we can have multiple deities in that category and shift their alignment to present other personalities or goals.
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Never seen online players hog the spotlight(anymore than during live games), fall asleep during the game or go randomly afk for extended period of time O_o;
Count yourself lucky, then. I've seen these things happen in pretty much ever VTT game I'm in.
What was inspiration with Dinner at Lionlodge oneshot? :3
Putting the inspiration in a spoiler, since it's a huge spoiler for the whole adventure...
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^_^; I've been online for about five years now, basically my entire time I've been in this hobby, so I feel bit awkward about assumptions that online gaming is inherently worse somehow. My experience with spotlight hoggers is that they do it both live and online unless they are type who are shy in person.
But yeah, back to question I was bit suspecting that from the summary on shop, but cool to confirm :3 I also want to ask about pregens we see in cover, which one is your favorite out of them?
Does Pharasma and/or her church have an opinion on soul gems? I know the fragment of soul involved doesn't interfere with the passage of the soul to its ultimate destination, but would a Pharasmin want to destroy a soul gem anyway? Or is it not a matter which interests the church one way or another?
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Does Pharasma and/or her church have an opinion on soul gems? I know the fragment of soul involved doesn't interfere with the passage of the soul to its ultimate destination, but would a Pharasmin want to destroy a soul gem anyway? Or is it not a matter which interests the church one way or another?
They're not fans, and many of her faithful take it upon themselves to smash them when they find them. Especially in cases where a soul gem DOES hold an entire soul hostage.
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Pretty sure they meant "on the cover".I also want to ask about pregens we see in cover, which one is your favorite out of them?In cover? Not sure what that means.
I still don't get the question. Which cover, in that case? We do lots of them. And by "pregens" do they mean "iconic characters?" In which case, that's easy. Merisiel the rogue.
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I still don't get the question. Which cover, in that case? We do lots of them. And by "pregens" do they mean "iconic characters?" In which case, that's easy. Merisiel the rogue.Pretty sure they meant "on the cover".I also want to ask about pregens we see in cover, which one is your favorite out of them?In cover? Not sure what that means.
Ah I meant on the cover of Lionlodge oneshot, I assume those are the pregens
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Ah I meant on the cover of Lionlodge oneshot, I assume those are the pregensI still don't get the question. Which cover, in that case? We do lots of them. And by "pregens" do they mean "iconic characters?" In which case, that's easy. Merisiel the rogue.Pretty sure they meant "on the cover".I also want to ask about pregens we see in cover, which one is your favorite out of them?In cover? Not sure what that means.
Ah, that makes more sense. My favorite is the ganzi kobold, but I'll need to wait until after the adventure's out to talk more about her or the rest of the adventure.
Given that the situation in Brevoy is already quite tense, will Kingmaker(2nd Edition) do more to describe a possible civil war ? Or maybe an Adventure Path about this in the future ?
Given that the situation in Brevoy is already quite tense, will Kingmaker(2nd Edition) do more to describe a possible civil war ? Or maybe an Adventure Path about this in the future ?
For that matter, is Kingmaker 2E "set in" 4710 AR, or is it reframed for the PF2 era of play? (Assuming it makes timeline assumptions at all?
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Given that the situation in Brevoy is already quite tense, will Kingmaker(2nd Edition) do more to describe a possible civil war ? Or maybe an Adventure Path about this in the future ?
Kingmaker is a reprint with some expansions, not a sequel. It's telling the same story it told in 1st edition, over a decade ago. As a result, the situation in Brevoy is not what it is during 2nd edition.
An adventure about the current political situation in Brevoy could happen in the future (although at this point it's not a plot that folks here seem too excited about, I have to admit), I suppose. We have far more stories we want to tell than opportunities to tell them.
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Creative Director
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Given that the situation in Brevoy is already quite tense, will Kingmaker(2nd Edition) do more to describe a possible civil war ? Or maybe an Adventure Path about this in the future ?For that matter, is Kingmaker 2E "set in" 4710 AR, or is it reframed for the PF2 era of play? (Assuming it makes timeline assumptions at all?
It's a reprint. It's not an update to the modern era. The assumption is that it starts in 4710 AR. How long it takes your players to play out depends on them; be it a few months or a few decades in game.
This product is re-presenting the previous game, not doing a sequel.
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Are you interested in/played any of Resident Evil: Village?
Absolutely. I never enjoyed the clumsy camera or awkward game play of the earlier games (or Dino Crisis), but when they switched over to a more elegant system with Resident Evil 7, I jumped on board and enjoyed the game a lot.
I've been playing Resident Evil: Village since I got it last Friday, and I'm creeping up on the end now. A few obnoxious story beats at the start, but now that I'm into the game I'm absolutely loving it. MUCH better than the previous one (which, again, I really liked), both in story, in game play, and particularly in how it encourages you to take your time and really explore the Village and its environs.
Hi James,
Band of Bravos question -- I'm about halfway through the series and loving it.
What feat did you take to use a scimitar since Bard is trained in simple + a few others?
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Are you interested in/played any of Resident Evil: Village?Absolutely. I never enjoyed the clumsy camera or awkward game play of the earlier games (or Dino Crisis), but when they switched over to a more elegant system with Resident Evil 7, I jumped on board and enjoyed the game a lot.
I've been playing Resident Evil: Village since I got it last Friday, and I'm creeping up on the end now. A few obnoxious story beats at the start, but now that I'm into the game I'm absolutely loving it. MUCH better than the previous one (which, again, I really liked), both in story, in game play, and particularly in how it encourages you to take your time and really explore the Village and its environs.
Yay! Favourite monster so far?
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Creative Director
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** spoiler omitted **Player sheet for Dinner at Lionlodge oneshot is free also?What was inspiration with Dinner at Lionlodge oneshot? :3Putting the inspiration in a spoiler, since it's a huge spoiler for the whole adventure...
** inspiration in a spoiler **
As far as I know it's handled the same way as Sundered Waves was.
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Creative Director
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Yay! Favourite monster so far?Are you interested in/played any of Resident Evil: Village?Absolutely. I never enjoyed the clumsy camera or awkward game play of the earlier games (or Dino Crisis), but when they switched over to a more elegant system with Resident Evil 7, I jumped on board and enjoyed the game a lot.
I've been playing Resident Evil: Village since I got it last Friday, and I'm creeping up on the end now. A few obnoxious story beats at the start, but now that I'm into the game I'm absolutely loving it. MUCH better than the previous one (which, again, I really liked), both in story, in game play, and particularly in how it encourages you to take your time and really explore the Village and its environs.
Lady D, of course!
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Hi James,
Band of Bravos question -- I'm about halfway through the series and loving it.
What feat did you take to use a scimitar since Bard is trained in simple + a few others?
If I recall correctly, at first it was General Training used to pick up Weapon Proficiency as a general feat at 1st level, but later on I retrained out of it and instead took Multifarious Muse to gain Warrior Muse as a second muse, which allowed me to take Martial Performance.
Any thoughts on the movie Midsommar?
Has a dragon ever attempted the test of the starstone?
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Creative Director
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Any thoughts on the movie Midsommar?
It's brilliant, captivating, amazing, grisly, gutwrenching, and incredible. One of the best movies of the year. I need to make time to watch the expanded director's cut which I bought a limited edition of a few months back, though. Maybe I'll do that this weekend?
If a Veiled Master took the Test of the Starstone (say, for research purposes), what would possible outcomes be besides a hundred shades of death for the test-taker?
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Creative Director
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If a Veiled Master took the Test of the Starstone (say, for research purposes), what would possible outcomes be besides a hundred shades of death for the test-taker?
A veiled master would be very close to the bottom of the list of any creature anywhere that would attempt this test, as they view the Starstone as a blight and a mistake and a flaw and a danger. They don't understand the concept of faith, and that's one of their big weaknesses. A veiled master who would attempt the test would be seen as the worst kind of traitor to its kind, and would be opposed by all of its fellows. And would still face opposition from the rest of the world, since they're also very low on the list of creatures on the list of "can be redeemed/can be good aligned."
The most likely possible outcome would be that the veiled master gets killed by its countless enemies even before it gets to the test.
All of which makes this story plot a pretty compelling one for a super epic/high-powered/enormous/world-shaking campaign, I guess!
Although not the story I'd prefer to tell about the test of the Starstone; not by a long shot. And since that story's one that, if/when we DO do it as an adventure, will very likely only happen once since it's supposed to be a Super Big Deal and multiple adventures would erode that toward the point of prosaic "just another test" categories... I feel pretty confident that this won't be a plot we'll ever take out for a drive.
Hi James! I hope you're doing well!
I'm currently updating the 3.5 Thrall of Graz'zt PrC to Pathfinder 1e. It has a d6 HD, poor BaB, and good Will save, which fit for a full caster PrC. I also think most of its abilities can remain the same. However, it grants 6/10 spellcasting progression. Would you keep this the same, or update the spellcasting progression to be more in line with similar PrCs (like the demoniac, diabolist, etc.)?
Thank you for any thoughts you have on this.
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I'm currently updating the 3.5 Thrall of Graz'zt PrC to Pathfinder 1e. It has a d6 HD, poor BaB, and good Will save, which fit for a full caster PrC. I also think most of its abilities can remain the same. However, it grants 6/10 spellcasting progression. Would you keep this the same, or update the spellcasting progression to be more in line with similar PrCs (like the demoniac, diabolist, etc.)?
Thank you for any thoughts you have on this.
I've not been in the headspace for designing 1st edition prestige classes for years, so my first step to update this would be to spend time re-learning how to do that sort of thing!
That said, the whole point of the various thrall prestige classes is pretty much the same thing as the point of things like the demoniac, so I would adjust the spellcasting to be in line with those classes for sure, while changing its other abilities as appropriate to match.
But to be honest... Instead, I'd just use the Demoniac class and design Graz'zt boons for it to interface with rather than rebuild the thrall prestige class.
How does the church of Pharasma react to the rare good and neutral aligned undead?
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Creative Director
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How does the church of Pharasma react to the rare good and neutral aligned undead?
Same way. They work to help that undead move on to the afterlife, including being forceful about it if needed. The church is not good itself; it's neutral. And its' pretty hardline on its stance against undeath. Some individuals understand that a good undead can have a positive impact on society, but that just makes their job harder, not an exception to the rule that they oppose undeath.
How well do people in the world of Golarion understand the "mechanics" of the world?
Does a soldier who loses their arm know that they could pay for a regeneration spell from any sufficiently high level caster?
Does someone afflicted with a mysterious curse know that they could kidnap a wizard, force them to summon an ifrit and get a wish that way?
Does a cleric know at what level of power they will get certain spells or for that matter to what degree do they know what their god wants out of them?
In my Web wanderings I came upon Strength of Thousands, and it looks like I can be a research wizard! : D
At least I hope so. What can I expect from the adventure path? I wanna do some magical science projects, you see.
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In my Web wanderings I came upon Strength of Thousands, and it looks like I can be a research wizard! : D
At least I hope so. What can I expect from the adventure path? I wanna do some magical science projects, you see.
We'll have a lot more to say about "Strength of Thousands" in a couple of weeks at Paizocon, but if you want to play a research wizard, I'm pretty sure that this one is the best Adventure Path to pursue that character that we've published yet.
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How well do people in the world of Golarion understand the "mechanics" of the world?
Does a soldier who loses their arm know that they could pay for a regeneration spell from any sufficiently high level caster?
Does someone afflicted with a mysterious curse know that they could kidnap a wizard, force them to summon an ifrit and get a wish that way?
Does a cleric know at what level of power they will get certain spells or for that matter to what degree do they know what their god wants out of them?
That varies entirely on the person and their life experiences and education. Or, to put it in game terms, entirely on how many ranks and how much proficiency a character has in the topic in question.
To answer your specific questions as examples:
1: Soldiers know that there is magic capable of regenerating missing limbs, but also know that it's too expensive for most of them to ever afford, or too rare for them to find a spellcaster capable of performing the deed for them, or both. But they still know.
2: Someone who is cursed knows that magic can fix it, and that wishes can fix anything, and that genies (not ifrits, which aren't genies, but are planar scions) can grant wishes. Knowing that genies can grant wishes and that spellcasters can conjure them is pretty common knowledge, although the mechanics of how it's done are pretty garbled by ignorance, misunderstanding, rumors, and hopeful guesswork.
3: Yes, the cleric knows what level they need to be in order to achieve certain spells. For most clerics, their deity doesn't speak to them directly, and if they do, most deities don't do so obviously, because deities prefer worshipers that are self-motivated to learn rather than just have them be drones who follow orders. Clerics learn what their deity wants from them via a mix of training in church, studying their faith's holy texts, prayer, introspection, and the like. Sometimes a cleric gets to speak to their deity directly, such as by commune rituals or visiting in person, but those are pretty rare events for NPC clerics. But for some clerics, they just get it All Wrong. This is where you get things like heretics or schisims or blasphemers or the like from.
Closing Statement: Of course there's a wide range of ignorance and knowledge in the world, and there's plenty of NPCs who don't know any of the above, and plenty who understand the world in entirely different ways. But since GMs and players get to read the book, the easiest assumption for GMs to have when it comes to what player characters know is to assume those PCs understand these core concepts just fine. Unless you want to run a game where you deliberately don't let the players read the Core Rulebook, and only partition out information about what their characters can do on a level by level basis. Which doesn't sound fun to me At All, but to each their own, I suppose!
We'll have a lot more to say about "Strength of Thousands" in a couple of weeks at Paizocon, but if you want to play a research wizard, I'm pretty sure that this one is the best Adventure Path to pursue that character that we've published yet.In my Web wanderings I came upon Strength of Thousands, and it looks like I can be a research wizard! : D
At least I hope so. What can I expect from the adventure path? I wanna do some magical science projects, you see.
Very good to know. : )
So...how's the Magaambya compare to Hogwarts? Or Winterhold?
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We'll have a lot more to say about "Strength of Thousands" in a couple of weeks at Paizocon, but if you want to play a research wizard, I'm pretty sure that this one is the best Adventure Path to pursue that character that we've published yet.In my Web wanderings I came upon Strength of Thousands, and it looks like I can be a research wizard! : D
At least I hope so. What can I expect from the adventure path? I wanna do some magical science projects, you see.
Very good to know. : )
So...how's the Magaambya compare to Hogwarts? Or Winterhold?
It's very different from both. It's more grown-up in nature than Hogwart's in that it's more like a research college than a high school, and less secretive/selective than Winterhold.
It's more mature than Hogwart's, and more accepting than Winterhold.
If I recall correctly, at first it was General Training used to pick up Weapon Proficiency as a general feat at 1st level, but later on I retrained out of it and instead took Multifarious Muse to gain Warrior Muse as a second muse, which allowed me to take Martial Performance.Hi James,
Band of Bravos question -- I'm about halfway through the series and loving it.
What feat did you take to use a scimitar since Bard is trained in simple + a few others?
Ah. ok.
I'm at episode 15-16 and thoroughly loving Shensen's obsession with cleaning up after *every* fight...
Does flayleaf have a ritualistic, religious and/or cultural significance like ayahuasca?
What are the main magical contributions by the Magaambya academy?
From reading the Lost Omens: World Guide, it was presented more like historians and philanthropist that happened to be mages than actual researchers, more focused on learning from the past than in expanding knowledge.
Humbly,
Yawar
Could divine sorcerers or oracles be extremely heretical members of the faith they are said to adhere to?
Something like an alleged follower of Zon-Kuthon that is a sorceress that heals the sick and helps the poor, because they believe that they are unworthy of her God's blessing and is convinced that her powers are proof that she is right. Likewise, an old-school worshiper of Nocticula.
Humbly,
Yawar
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What are the main magical contributions by the Magaambya academy?
From reading the Lost Omens: World Guide, it was presented more like historians and philanthropist that happened to be mages than actual researchers, more focused on learning from the past than in expanding knowledge.
Humbly,
Yawar
We've literally got HUNDREDS of pages about the Magaambya coming out for the rest of the year, so you'll have a lot more information about it soon.
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Could divine sorcerers or oracles be extremely heretical members of the faith they are said to adhere to?
Something like an alleged follower of Zon-Kuthon that is a sorceress that heals the sick and helps the poor, because they believe that they are unworthy of her God's blessing and is convinced that her powers are proof that she is right. Likewise, an old-school worshiper of Nocticula.
Humbly,
Yawar
Yes they could, since sorcerers gain their powers from (INSERT PLAYER'S OR GM'S BACKSTORY REASONS FOR SORCERER POWERS HERE). Of all the core classes, they function the most like superheroes in that way. A divine sorcerer could get their powers from the deity they worship. Or (as is a plot so many GMs seem enamored with, but I'm not sure many players do) they could get their divine powers from a false god that's tricking them. Or they could be the child of a powerful cleric and get their powers from their lineage. Or they could be touched by a supernatural presence. Anything is possible.
But a sorcerer who claims to be of a faith and then worships in a way that isn't appropriate to the faith should find their own supposed faith being one of their enemies, while simultaneously having a hard time finding support from anyone else.
Someone who says they worship Zon-Kuthon but then behave EXACTLY OPPOSITE to his teachings by embracing not pain and loss but healing and comfort by healing the sick and helping the poor will be treated as an eccentric at best and an assassination target at worse, since the Church of Zon-Kuthon doesn't want someone to blaspheme against their deity, and people who would normally be helping the sick and poor wouldn't trust someone who says they worship Zon-Kuthon.
That'd be like a paramedic showing up at your house to help you, but he's dressed like a famous serial killer and carries around a bloody axe. It's not appropriate to the goal.
To me, when a player wants to do something like this in a game I'm running, I get very frustrated, because it's difficult for me to interpret that as anything other than a player trying to be deliberately combative to the story, trying to be passive agressive instead of saying "Your game sucks and I don't like it," or simply not respecting the creation. It's like if a director friend invited you to watch a play he directed and you showed up to complain it wasn't a movie and played loud music during the performance.
Characters who go against the grain and do the unexpected are fun, but the best of these maintain the world's logic while they do it.
And now my laundry is done so I'm gonna go put it in the dryer and go to bed.