Do you ever feel guilty for putting out fun looking adventures faster than most people can play them ;-)
Creative Director
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Do you ever feel guilty for putting out fun looking adventures faster than most people can play them ;-)
Never.
Because I have always believed that simply reading an adventure should provide your money's worth of entertainment and inspiration. Even if you never run an adventure, reading it and the ideas it gives you is worth the price.
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I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.
Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I find myself getting really worried for my PCs as I read book 4 of Runelords. Do you think they're going to be okay?
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Creative Director
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Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.
Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought they had a matriarchy in the first Dragon Age.
Or maybe I'm just misrembering them as being more interesting than I thought. The idea of dwarven women being in power in dwarven society, in any event, is one of the things I'm talking about that would make dwarves more interesting to me. Since the standard dwarf setup right now is that women aren't really part of their society at all. I blame Tolkien, of course.
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Creative Director
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Is the Sandpoint Devil a unique creature or is a part of a species that's so rarely seen that nobody knows what the Sandpoint Devil is?
I think you stated somewhere you had plans for the rest of the Runelords? I don't suppose a "Fall of the Runelords" adventure path with the rest of them in it will be in the future as apposed to them being dealt with separately.
It's a unique creature that might just have a few similar "cousins" out there.
And I'm nowhere NEAR close enough to the point where I'm gonna talk more about future Runelord plans.
Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought they had a matriarchy in the first Dragon Age.
Or maybe I'm just misrembering them as being more interesting than I thought. The idea of dwarven women being in power in dwarven society, in any event, is one of the things I'm talking about that would make dwarves more interesting to me. Since the standard dwarf setup right now is that women aren't really part of their society at all. I blame Tolkien, of course.
They followed "Paragons" as like Elders who had lots of sway in their politics and the only living one was a pretty ruthless female. You became a Paragon by doing something to help your people on a large scale. It is surprisingly equal opportunity, despite their caste system!
Are there any chances we'll get to see a Runelord Feud play out in the current age, or would using two at once be a waste of a good story hook?
The Trox from bestiary 4 has rules for it as a playable race. However, unlike the rest of the playable races that were printed from the Advance Players Guide the Trox has a CR of 2 instead of 1/2. Does this mean that there is a CR to play them or was this just an editing mistake?
Will Tsazgatherax ever receive stats?
Have you seen the Yellow Sign? :)
I dont want to open old wounds, but what grade would you give elves, half-elves, gnomes, halflings, half-orcs and dwarves?If I'd give demons an A+ in the awesomeness category, then devils would probably get an A–.
And since this is the internet, now everyone will think I hate devils. (heavy sigh)
Elves A+
Half-elves A+
Gnomes B
Halflings A –
Half-orcs C+
Dwarves DAnd even though you didn't ask:
Humans A+
Thanks! Can I ask what you dont like about Half-orcs? (Or at least, how they'd have changed if the only creative concern was making things as you like them?)
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First... remember that ONLY CLERICS get domains.
There weren't really "archetypes" in the 3.5 Pathfinder setting. In any event, we have no plans on bringing those forward into Pathfinder—the current archetypes in a lot of cases have used or replaced those in-game niches already.
Don't forget that inquisitors have domains as well.
Fair enough. My one player was hoping for the holy warrior, which drops the two domains and gains full BAB, d10 HD, and the deity's weapon proficiency. The other classes seem to be alright if you take archetypes.
Which comes back to philosophies. In Pathfinder universe atleast, Philosophies DON'T grant domains, you need an actual God to get domains.
That's not what the core book says:
If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
So, I have a few questions about the future of Mythic.
Do you plan to make more mythic monsters in future books?
Do you plan to create more mythic versions of existing monsters?
And do you plan to give other mythic options in future books?
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So, I have a few questions about the future of Mythic.
Do you plan to make more mythic monsters in future books?
Do you plan to create more mythic versions of existing monsters?
And do you plan to give other mythic options in future books?
Don't cha know it's commercial suicide for a company to actually support products it puts out?
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Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought they had a matriarchy in the first Dragon Age.
Or maybe I'm just misrembering them as being more interesting than I thought. The idea of dwarven women being in power in dwarven society, in any event, is one of the things I'm talking about that would make dwarves more interesting to me. Since the standard dwarf setup right now is that women aren't really part of their society at all. I blame Tolkien, of course.
I think you might be referring to their method of caste shifting, where caste is determined by your same-sex parent. So if a nobleman and a casteless get it on and the casteless has a boy, she and her family get to be nobles, but if it's a girl, they get casteless status too.
I agree that dwarven women in power is a very cool idea. I've always found dwarven women in games adorable. :)
That's not what the core book says:
If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
IANJJ, but subject to GM approval is the key in that rule. It's been repeatedly stated by James and others on these forums that while that statement is in the Corebook, it does not apply to Golarion. In fact, I believe James once said if they'd had the option, they'd have left that particular rule out. They kept it in as it was part of 3.5 and as a concession to people who might want to use the rule in their own games. In a GM's personal setting, it may apply. Hell, even in a GM's version of Golarion it might be true. But that's not the same Golarion that James and the others write and publish, which is the default Golarion we all start from.
Mr. James Jacobs,
How much of a stir would it cause in the planes and on Golarion if a Qlippoth Lord rose to an equivalent power level to that of a Demon Lord? As I recall a Qlippoth Lord is on the same level as a nascent demon lord and there hasn't been a qlippoth of a higher station since the demons took over the Abyss.
What are your 5 favorite monsters from bestiary 4 that are from mythology/folkore and which aren't demon lords, great old ones or such unique creatures.
Mr. James Jacobs,
How much of a stir would it cause in the planes and on Golarion if a Qlippoth Lord rose to an equivalent power level to that of a Demon Lord? As I recall a Qlippoth Lord is on the same level as a nascent demon lord and there hasn't been a qlippoth of a higher station since the demons took over the Abyss.
They become demon lords themselves. Dagon used to be a qlippoth lord, for instance.
James - There is currently a discussion going on regarding the availability of feats from the bestiary for player characters. I know that your answers are not "rules binding", but I consider your insight valuable as someone who is in the mix of things on a regular basis and knows this game better than 99% of users on the message boards.
My question is this: When designing PC classes, do the designers take into consideration that feats from the bestiary are available to those PC classes, or are they not taken into consideration?
Contributor
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Lord of the Rings Online follows it to the point where female dwarven characters aren't even allowed. I've played it off and on, and have yet to see a female dwarf NPC. It does make one wonder. The Dwarves progenitation was when Aule created the Seven Dwarven Fathers. There's no mention of him ever getting around to creating a female set. (creating the Fathers alone was acting outside his allowed bounds as it were.) One does have to wonder where the rest of the Dwarves came from.Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought they had a matriarchy in the first Dragon Age.
Or maybe I'm just misrembering them as being more interesting than I thought. The idea of dwarven women being in power in dwarven society, in any event, is one of the things I'm talking about that would make dwarves more interesting to me. Since the standard dwarf setup right now is that women aren't really part of their society at all. I blame Tolkien, of course.
There are female dwarves in Tolkien; Dis, the sister of Thorin and Frerin, appears in the Appendices. See here. I think this derives from the utter lack of female dwarves in Norse legend, and Snorri's account of them being made from the corpse of Ymir. Their Hindu cognates, the dhvaras, are clearly what we call in PF Outsiders. Hence they probably are not "humanoid" in legend and don't necessarily die or procreate naturally - just like the Norns, the Disir, and Valkyries are all female and immortal as well. Hence the problem - tradition simply never considered them people as such. I guess it is Tolkien's fault for making them "human."
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There are female dwarves in Tolkien; Dis, the sister of Thorin and Frerin, appears in the Appendices. See here. I think this derives from the utter lack of female dwarves in Norse legend, and Snorri's account of them being made from the corpse of Ymir.Lord of the Rings Online follows it to the point where female dwarven characters aren't even allowed. I've played it off and on, and have yet to see a female dwarf NPC. It does make one wonder. The Dwarves progenitation was when Aule created the Seven Dwarven Fathers. There's no mention of him ever getting around to creating a female set. (creating the Fathers alone was acting outside his allowed bounds as it were.) One does have to wonder where the rest of the Dwarves came from.Where do you get that dwarves in Dragon Age have a matriarchal society? Most of their leaders are men in the games, with a few women here and there.
I quite love the take that Dragon Age had on dwarves—made them into a matriarchy with lots of political intrigue and made them SUPER foul-mouthed. We've got enough folks at Paizo who are fans of the classic D&D dwarf though that we kept them as is, pretty much.Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought they had a matriarchy in the first Dragon Age.
Or maybe I'm just misrembering them as being more interesting than I thought. The idea of dwarven women being in power in dwarven society, in any event, is one of the things I'm talking about that would make dwarves more interesting to me. Since the standard dwarf setup right now is that women aren't really part of their society at all. I blame Tolkien, of course.
And how they apparently reproduced by chiseling new dwarves out of solid stone, and when exposed to sunlight, they turned back into stone as well.
Do you know of any deities, demigods, etc other than Cayden that have Ale or Wine as their portfolios?
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Creative Director
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The Trox from bestiary 4 has rules for it as a playable race. However, unlike the rest of the playable races that were printed from the Advance Players Guide the Trox has a CR of 2 instead of 1/2. Does this mean that there is a CR to play them or was this just an editing mistake?
Nope; it means that troxes are much more powerful than the standard zero HD races, mostly due to their size and strength. It's not a typo. And remember, CR is a number to measure a monster's power a s monster, not a as a PC.
But yeah... remember that the trox, as statted up in Advanced Race Guide, is a 28 point race. It's deliberately built as an example of a HIGH end race, and it's not really apporpriate a choice for a PC in most games. where the bulk of the PCs are of races 1/3 that strength.
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Creative Director
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Thanks! Can I ask what you dont like about Half-orcs? (Or at least, how they'd have changed if the only creative concern was making things as you like them?)I dont want to open old wounds, but what grade would you give elves, half-elves, gnomes, halflings, half-orcs and dwarves?If I'd give demons an A+ in the awesomeness category, then devils would probably get an A–.
And since this is the internet, now everyone will think I hate devils. (heavy sigh)
Elves A+
Half-elves A+
Gnomes B
Halflings A –
Half-orcs C+
Dwarves DAnd even though you didn't ask:
Humans A+
They're ugly. They have the least interesting abilities. And they seem to tend to appeal to players whose play styles clash against mine.
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Congratulations on just verbally slaying Mikaze :)
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Creative Director
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First... remember that ONLY CLERICS get domains.
There weren't really "archetypes" in the 3.5 Pathfinder setting. In any event, we have no plans on bringing those forward into Pathfinder—the current archetypes in a lot of cases have used or replaced those in-game niches already.
Don't forget that inquisitors have domains as well.
Fair enough. My one player was hoping for the holy warrior, which drops the two domains and gains full BAB, d10 HD, and the deity's weapon proficiency. The other classes seem to be alright if you take archetypes.
Which comes back to philosophies. In Pathfinder universe atleast, Philosophies DON'T grant domains, you need an actual God to get domains.That's not what the core book says:
If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
I didn't forget, but that wasn't the topic of hte question.
And that's a case where the Core Rulebook is at odds with Golarion, which is unfortunate because it causes confusion. I've tried to get that sentence fixed or errataed, but no go.
Needless to say, you can do whatever you want in your world, but in core baseline Golarion, that sentence from the Core Rule is entirely incorrect.
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Creative Director
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So, I have a few questions about the future of Mythic.
Do you plan to make more mythic monsters in future books?
Do you plan to create more mythic versions of existing monsters?
And do you plan to give other mythic options in future books?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Not extensively, and generally only when the story suggests it as a cool idea.
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Do you ever feel guilty for putting out fun looking adventures faster than most people can play them ;-)Never.
Because I have always believed that simply reading an adventure should provide your money's worth of entertainment and inspiration. Even if you never run an adventure, reading it and the ideas it gives you is worth the price.
Hey, how did you know I picked up the Jade Regents PDFs for background reading after starting a Runelords campaign?
Follow up question: How much are you allowed to tell us about what would motivate someone to want to read the Mummy's Mask AP if they are not particularly interested in Egyptian mythology/monsters?
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Creative Director
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Mr. James Jacobs,
How much of a stir would it cause in the planes and on Golarion if a Qlippoth Lord rose to an equivalent power level to that of a Demon Lord? As I recall a Qlippoth Lord is on the same level as a nascent demon lord and there hasn't been a qlippoth of a higher station since the demons took over the Abyss.
Not a significant stir. Depends what that Qlippoth Lord did. And chances are better than good that there are qlippoth lords deep in the Abyss below where we and the demons have looked yet.
The last Qlippoth Lord to ascend to full divinity DID cause quite a stir though (Rovagug).
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Creative Director
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They become demon lords themselves. Dagon used to be a qlippoth lord, for instance.Mr. James Jacobs,
How much of a stir would it cause in the planes and on Golarion if a Qlippoth Lord rose to an equivalent power level to that of a Demon Lord? As I recall a Qlippoth Lord is on the same level as a nascent demon lord and there hasn't been a qlippoth of a higher station since the demons took over the Abyss.
Some do. Not all do.
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Creative Director
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James - There is currently a discussion going on regarding the availability of feats from the bestiary for player characters. I know that your answers are not "rules binding", but I consider your insight valuable as someone who is in the mix of things on a regular basis and knows this game better than 99% of users on the message boards.
My question is this: When designing PC classes, do the designers take into consideration that feats from the bestiary are available to those PC classes, or are they not taken into consideration?
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
All feats should be available to whoever can qualify for them.
I can't speak to whether or not the designers share that philosophy or what they assume when designing PC classes.
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Creative Director
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James, what are your general thoughts on the vampire, nosferatu, and mythic vampire templates? Do you feel they (fairly) accurately keep the flavor and well known abilities of the vampires of lore, whether pop culture vampires or those of real world myth? Do you house rule any vampire powers, or make changes from the templates, when you use them?
For my part, generally I really like them. I kinda wished that there was something in there portraying the age bonuses that some vampire lore has (greater age = greater vampire powers), and there's some wonky and weird interplays between the 3 templates (the nosferatu gets telekinesis at-will, mythic vamp has to spend precious mythic power to use once, OG vamp nor mythic vamp get telepathy, etc.), but overall I think they're pretty solid representations of the famous beastie.
I think that the vampire and nosferatu templates do quite wll to keep vampire lore. I am not a big fan of the mythic vampire template. I much prefer to but the regular vampire template on a character with mythic tiers.