Creative Director
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Some witch-related questions, if I may. :)
1. I'm statting up a high-ranking Old Cults witch. This makes me end up with a character with 30+ Intelligence that worships Shub-Niggurath, which somehow seems paradoxical. To your mind, what would the mind of someone like that be like? Someone like Hannibal Lecter of the recent series who is very cerebral about their savagery and their impulses? Or completely different?
2. There's a witch grand hex called Summon Spirit. Is this based on the biblical Witch of Endor calling up the ghost of a dead prophet to advise King Saul?
3. How would you advise a GM to handle that hex, based on how it was intended to work? It says you can summon the ghost of a humanoid with up to 18 HD, similar to a planar binding. But which ghosts are eligible? Just ghosts you currently know about haunting somewhere, or can you look through graveyards or old records to find particular historical people who has skills or knowledge you need, Joseph Curwen-style?
4. If the latter, what if the souls have been judged? Are you somehow summoning some augmented version of their petitioner forms?
5. If not possible with the judged, how often, on average, would trying to summon a particular person fail, and how far back into history can one go before it becomes unrealistic to get the ghosts? Max True Resurrection time limit for the hex user?
6. Should this hex require access to grave or body parts, in your opinion?
Thank you so much for your time, your perspectives, and your creativity as evidenced through your work! :)
1) There is nothing to say that a high Intelligence character can't also worship a deity or a Great Old One at all. I wouldn't call that paradoxical in the least. In fact, in Lovecraft, the most famous of his witches, Keziah Mason, essentially uses super-math to weave magic and create portals between worlds—and she also happens to worship Nyarlathotep. It's very on-target and on-theme to have a super-high INT witch worshiping a Great Old One or Outer God in other words.
2) Probably a little bit of both, plus the many other stories where a magical person calls upon the spirits of the dead for aid.
3) I'd say that it'd be most fun if the witch had to track down/research specific ghosts, which lets the GM build personalities for each of them. The Joseph Curwen angle is perfect, in other words.
4) If the souls have been judged, you should still be able to call back remnants of their ghosts—they're just spirits in this case, not people with the ghost template.
5) There's no limit on how long someone can have been dead, so therefore it has to function as above with differences than resurrection's limitations.
6) Nope. Just research.
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Creative Director
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So you'd recommend Last Revelation of Gla'aki then? Glad to hear its one of his best. I haven't had a chance to read it yet - I'm so far behind on my reading that I haven't read anything written past 2012 yet. Trying to catch up but it's slow.
By the way, excellent answer to my last question (about hard to find books), very interesting. Now, I think it's safe to say you're a book collector and obviously you buy a lot of stuff involved in creative mediums (video games, movies, music, TTRPGs, etc.), but do you collect anything that would fall outside the "standard" sphere of gamer/artist culture (e.g. model trains)? If not, is there a hobby or collector habit you'd some day want to get into?
For me, it's model rockets (particularly the Estes ones). I've gotten away from it for the past decade or so but I'm trying to get back into it.
Yup; just read "Last Revelation" a few months ago, and it was really fun! Partially because it was a full novel-length mythos story, but also because the way the story was constructed was REALLY creepy and moody and atmospheric and it led up to a really cool climax. There's always so much more to sea!
I am indeed a book collector—I've got a LOT of them, something I realize every time I move...
I collect dinosaur stuff... that count? Everything from books to fossils to replica fossils to art to minis to toys to more.
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Creative Director
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Which MMO you are most foward to play; Elder Scrolls Online or Pathfinder Online?
Elder Scrolls Online, no contest.
Don't get me wrong... it'll be cool to see Golarion come to life in video game form, but the type of game I like playing is MUCH more exactly like Elder Scrolls Online and much less what Goblinworks is building with Pathfinder Online.
Actually, I wouldn't imagine this. If Iron Gods is successful, we will likely take that as endorsement for future APs that have really unusual and "traditionally risky" plots. The overwhelming acceptance folks had for "Rasputin Must Die!" is really what encouraged us that an entire science-fiction AP would be doable.I imagine that if Iron Gods is really successful then the amount of sci-fi in Pathfinder products will increase substantially.
They are running a business and they will follow where the dollar leads.
So, in the end, if you don't like the sound of something you shouldn't buy it, otherwise you will be sending Paizo the message that you do, since sales are interpreted as preferences.
So when Iron Gods becomes overwhelmingly successful, will you likely take that as an endorsement for Unspeakable Futures?
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Creative Director
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So when Iron Gods becomes overwhelmingly successful, will you likely take that as an endorsement for Unspeakable Futures?Actually, I wouldn't imagine this. If Iron Gods is successful, we will likely take that as endorsement for future APs that have really unusual and "traditionally risky" plots. The overwhelming acceptance folks had for "Rasputin Must Die!" is really what encouraged us that an entire science-fiction AP would be doable.I imagine that if Iron Gods is really successful then the amount of sci-fi in Pathfinder products will increase substantially.
They are running a business and they will follow where the dollar leads.
So, in the end, if you don't like the sound of something you shouldn't buy it, otherwise you will be sending Paizo the message that you do, since sales are interpreted as preferences.
Perhaps.
I actually already think that I could do pretty well with Unspeakable Futures and I suspect it'd do pretty good if I were to Kickstart it. I just don't currently have the personal time that something like that would take. AKA: I don't have time in my life for a 3rd job (my first two being Creative Director and Adventure Path developer).
I'm getting ready to play my first Pathfinder Adventure Path (Wrath of the Righteous), but I haven't fully cemented on my character yet. So far we've got a Redeemer Paladin, a Holy Vindicator (Paladin/Oracle), and a Slayer. I haven't decided yet.
Should I build the Carnivalist Rogue that my heart is yearning for, or should I make an arcane spellcaster because we might all die without one. Or will we? Will not having an arcane spellcaster in Wrath of the Righteous lead to our untimely deaths?
If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?
So when Iron Gods becomes overwhelmingly successful, will you likely take that as an endorsement for Unspeakable Futures?Actually, I wouldn't imagine this. If Iron Gods is successful, we will likely take that as endorsement for future APs that have really unusual and "traditionally risky" plots. The overwhelming acceptance folks had for "Rasputin Must Die!" is really what encouraged us that an entire science-fiction AP would be doable.I imagine that if Iron Gods is really successful then the amount of sci-fi in Pathfinder products will increase substantially.
They are running a business and they will follow where the dollar leads.
So, in the end, if you don't like the sound of something you shouldn't buy it, otherwise you will be sending Paizo the message that you do, since sales are interpreted as preferences.Perhaps.
I actually already think that I could do pretty well with Unspeakable Futures and I suspect it'd do pretty good if I were to Kickstart it. I just don't currently have the personal time that something like that would take. AKA: I don't have time in my life for a 3rd job (my first two being Creative Director and Adventure Path developer).
I suspect Unspeakable Futures also wouldn't take the shape of one additional book, so much as it would be almost it's own system (based off Pathfinder) and campaign setting. It would, basically, require it's own team to develop in-and-of-itself.
In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
Hey James! Some folks have discovered a new pygmy T-Rex up in the arctic that they're affectionately referring to as a "polar bear lizard" :)
James,
1: There are Neutral Good and Lawful Good angels; Are there any Chaotic Good ones I'm missing, or are there plans for any? I've found references to chaotic good angels in the abstract (stating that they live in Elysium, rather than Nirvana or Heaven, for example) but no actual instances of any.
2: Reading the discussion of the recent Gods of Ancient Osirion blog post, other earth pantheons came up, and it occurred to me that if I was implementing the Norse pantheon, I might stat them all as higher-ranking Demigods rather than true deities. Would you consider that if you were going to use them, or does it seem like undervaluing them somehow?
If a class does not explicitly state whether prerequisites are required or not required to acquire bonus feats listed under the classes bonus feats option, then must these classes have the prerequisites to acquire these bonus feats?
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Creative Director
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I'm getting ready to play my first Pathfinder Adventure Path (Wrath of the Righteous), but I haven't fully cemented on my character yet. So far we've got a Redeemer Paladin, a Holy Vindicator (Paladin/Oracle), and a Slayer. I haven't decided yet.
Should I build the Carnivalist Rogue that my heart is yearning for, or should I make an arcane spellcaster because we might all die without one. Or will we? Will not having an arcane spellcaster in Wrath of the Righteous lead to our untimely deaths?
My advice to my players in times like that is ALWAYS "Play the character you want." If that means the party lacks an arcane spellcaster or a cleric or a front-line fighter... that's fine. I as the GM make adjustments as necessary to the plot, or introduce NPCs to help as needed. There are certainly a few NPCs in the AP that can fill the role of support for arcane magic.
Play what you want! You'll likely have more fun!
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Creative Director
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If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?
HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
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Creative Director
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I suspect Unspeakable Futures also wouldn't take the shape of one additional book, so much as it would be almost it's own system (based off Pathfinder) and campaign setting. It would, basically, require it's own team to develop in-and-of-itself.
It would absolutely be its own book. A combination Player's Handbook, Gamemaster's Book, and Bestiary and campaign setting. It'd be big.
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Creative Director
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In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
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Creative Director
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Hey James! Some folks have discovered a new pygmy T-Rex up in the arctic that they're affectionately referring to as a "polar bear lizard" :)
Yup! Saw that! YAY!
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Creative Director
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James,
1: There are Neutral Good and Lawful Good angels; Are there any Chaotic Good ones I'm missing, or are there plans for any? I've found references to chaotic good angels in the abstract (stating that they live in Elysium, rather than Nirvana or Heaven, for example) but no actual instances of any.
2: Reading the discussion of the recent Gods of Ancient Osirion blog post, other earth pantheons came up, and it occurred to me that if I was implementing the Norse pantheon, I might stat them all as higher-ranking Demigods rather than true deities. Would you consider that if you were going to use them, or does it seem like undervaluing them somehow?
1) There are, but we have no plans for them yet. They're mostly neutral good, overall.
2) I'd make them a mix, but they'd mostly be full deities.
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Creative Director
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If a class does not explicitly state whether prerequisites are required or not required to acquire bonus feats listed under the classes bonus feats option, then must these classes have the prerequisites to acquire these bonus feats?
That sounds like a good question for the rules boards and a FAQing. Because it's 2:26 AM and the question really confused me because I'm sleeeeepy...
(as a general rule though, if a class lets you pick a bonus feat, you get the feat, prerequisites don't matter)
In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
Do you ever feel that this "Gods don't get involved, it's up to the mortals" rule takes away from the importance of Golarion as Rovagug's cage? Seems to me that when these universal non-interference laws were written, Asmodeus and Abadar would have been smart enough to include loopholes stating something to the effect of "Unless there's a risk of Rovagug being turned loose, in which case, all bets are off."
In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
Do you think some of the Empyreal Lords and other Demi-god level beings might start interfering? I can't see someone like Ragathiel just letting Golarion fall without some sort of heavenly response.
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If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
Okay I'm in the dark. Who is Jan Daystar?
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Creative Director
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Do you ever feel that this "Gods don't get involved, it's up to the mortals" rule takes away from the importance of Golarion as Rovagug's cage? Seems to me that when these universal non-interference laws were written, Asmodeus and Abadar would have been smart enough to include loopholes stating something to the effect of "Unless there's a risk of Rovagug being turned loose, in which case, all bets are off."In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
Not at all. It adds to the danger and risk of the setting, and makes it a place that needs heroes more than ever, which is really the whole point of the gods not getting involved. They don't get involved so your PCs have to.
And the "universal non-interference laws" were never really even written. It's just the way things are. There are no "loopholes" to take advantage of, any more than there's a loophole in the fact that humans breathe air or the earth is solid. It's metaphysical and spiritual, but that doesn't mean it's just as fundamental and constant as physical things like matter and gravity.
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Creative Director
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Do you think some of the Empyreal Lords and other Demi-god level beings might start interfering? I can't see someone like Ragathiel just letting Golarion fall without some sort of heavenly response.In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
Maybe... but not to the extent that it removes from the world the need for heroes.
Golarion is first and foremost a game setting, and the people who are there to save it are first and foremost your player characters. We really REALLY don't want to build too much into the setting that gives the impression that your PCs can sit back and let others do their job.
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Creative Director
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Okay I'm in the dark. Who is Jan Daystar?If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
My first published work was a solo adventure for AD&D that was printed in Dungeon #12 nearly 30 years ago. The character you play in that adventure, "Scepter of the Underworld" was named Jan Daystar.
OH. And you were searching for said scepter to return it to a creepy wizard named Alaznist. Ha.
I know planer realms are big but you make theme sound immeasurable
In fact, if you take the layout of the cosmology of the multiverse literally to scale as is printed, Pharasma's spire alone is multiple universes large.
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Okay I'm in the dark. Who is Jan Daystar?If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
My first published work was a solo adventure for AD&D that was printed in Dungeon #12 nearly 30 years ago. The character you play in that adventure, "Scepter of the Underworld" was named Jan Daystar.
OH. And you were searching for said scepter to return it to a creepy wizard named Alaznist. Ha.
Interesting...
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Creative Director
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Interesting...Okay I'm in the dark. Who is Jan Daystar?If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
My first published work was a solo adventure for AD&D that was printed in Dungeon #12 nearly 30 years ago. The character you play in that adventure, "Scepter of the Underworld" was named Jan Daystar.
OH. And you were searching for said scepter to return it to a creepy wizard named Alaznist. Ha.
Although that version of Alaznist was a man and a lich, if I remember correctly... and wasn't particularly into demons or wrath.
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Although that version of Alaznist was a man and a lich, if I remember correctly... and wasn't particularly into demons or wrath.Interesting...Okay I'm in the dark. Who is Jan Daystar?If you could 'transport' yourself to Golarion what class/race/level would you be? Any chance you'd be walking around as Jan Daystar?HA! No. Jan Daystar (who wasn't even named by me... I left the character unnamed in my original so that the player could name him but the editors obviously wanted him to have a name) was never meant to be a character with much in the way of a personality.
I'd like to think I turned into an elf bard or cleric or bard/cleric though. Who worshiped Desna, of course.
My first published work was a solo adventure for AD&D that was printed in Dungeon #12 nearly 30 years ago. The character you play in that adventure, "Scepter of the Underworld" was named Jan Daystar.
OH. And you were searching for said scepter to return it to a creepy wizard named Alaznist. Ha.
Slightly less interesting...
In WotR #6 (ap 78), there a scenario about the PCs failing...
1) if the Demons forces ended up doing too well, would the gods themselves intervene?
2) would the Aboleth try to destroy Golarion to stop the invasion?
2.a) would the gods let them?
1) No. The gods don't do that. It's up to mortals to fail or succeed. Iomedae's intervention with the PCs is as far as the gods generally go.
2) No. They'd be pretty safe in their realms under the sea, and if they had to, they have ways to leave the planet. They're powerful spellcasters themselves, after all!
2a) See #1 above.
1) And if many, many mortals asked the gods to intervene?
1.a) let's assume this is between first wave of PCs failing, and the next wave that might need a bone, would it change the answer?
2) I see.
3) if Insane cultists tried to ask/summon the Outer gods?
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Creative Director
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Slightly less interesting...
The ORIGINAL Alaznist was a chaotic neutral drow lich who was exiled/fled from his city to establish a stronghold on the surface world, in the mountains between Eltrun City and the forest of Celwynvian. I used the name in "Scepter of the Underworld," but then recycled it for a Runelord since I needed 7 of them and in my homebrew, the Necromancers of the Impyriuim (on whom the runelords were based) were only 5 in number. It's from them that I got the names Belimarius and Krune. (The other three, Janus, Cyrus and Nocticula, weren't used for various reasons—Janus because I lost interest in the name, Cyrus because he was the leader and I am, for now, keeping that guy for my campaign, and Nocticula for obvious reasons.)
Xanderghul and Karzoug and Zutha were a different pair in my homebrew. Xanderghul and Karzoug were a two-man adventuring party, a fighter and a wizard, but Xanderghul was corrupted by Obox-ob and turned into a death knight while Karzoug fell to other influences and became a lich. Zutha was Karzoug's apprentice, also a lich (but a much less powerful one).
Sorshen is the only one of the runelords who doesn't really have a direct analogue from my homebrew. I almost named her "Shensen" after my favorite character, but I realized I wanted to hold off on that and actually put that character in Golarion some day, so I changed the name a bit, perhaps inspired some by the old movie "Willow" and the character of Sorsha in there.
Kirk or Picard?
I think I remember you saying the Runelords were actually not corrupted in your home game, is that correct?
And could you expand on Cyrus a little bit more? I love that name, and thus I am suddenly exponentially more interested in him.
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Creative Director
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I think I remember you saying the Runelords were actually not corrupted in your home game, is that correct?
And could you expand on Cyrus a little bit more? I love that name, and thus I am suddenly exponentially more interested in him.
What do you mean "corrupted?" I wouldn't say the runelords in Golarion are corrupted either.
And alas... I'm not ready to reveal more about Cyrus at this point.