What is an appropriate reaction to having your character openly betrayed by the rest of the adventuring party?Depends on the setup and how comfortable you are with your gaming buddies and how much you want to stay with that group. I sort of had this happen to a character I was playing—a good-aligned bard in a group of players who were either openly delighted with their abiltiy to work with undead using animate dead (evil) or who were apathetic with regard to alignment. My good-guy guard grew more and more distressed with the group, and eventually he just took off in the middle of the night and I made a new character to replace him who fit with the group's theme of apathetic evil better (a kind of psychopathic human-hating not-quite-serial-killer-but-close ranger).
If your character is betrayed by the rest of the group... look at the reasons, in other words. If it was because your character simply didn't fit the group's theme, then retire that character (either by attacking the group/defending herself from the group or by simply leaving the group for other opportunities) and make a new character that fits the group's theme. If the character was betrayed becasue of bullying or immaturity or because the players are unable to separate their own problems from the game or whatever... leave your character behind... the PLAYER in this case should leave the group.
(And whatever the case, work with the GM on figuring out your decision—in the case of "ther'es no GM because EVERYONE is the GM," you're kinda screwed there in that there's no clear arbiter of the situation, which is bad for RPGs.)
This is a situation where there is no one GM. I was supposed to GM, but I traded that duty with someone else because of the afore mentioned Paladin issue so that I could handle it in character instead of as GM, and things ended with a bunch of Burners demanding the party turn me over and the party doing so in exchange for some loot.
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll stew on what happened for a while before reacting. I'm angry, and I do dumb stuff when I'm angry. I've inflamed a LOT of RPG sessions as a result of anger. Better to calm down and look over things rationally this time.
Creative Director
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That'd be appealing if my current status wasn't "pile of smoldering ashes".What is an appropriate reaction to having your character openly betrayed by the rest of the adventuring party?
Oof. In that case, you just need to ask yourself, "Do I enjoy spending my time with people who would rather betray my character and burn her to ashes than play the game?" If you do, then I'd recommend making a new character that fits the party's theme better—in this case, something that when you look at it is not something a trigger-happy should-be-an-ex-paladin troublemaker can't justify attacking just because he likes to be a jerk.
If you don't... yeah. Time for a new group.
is it worth staying up to 5am for the paizo product chats?
YES.
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What is an appropriate reaction to having your character openly betrayed by the rest of the adventuring party?Depends on the setup and how comfortable you are with your gaming buddies and how much you want to stay with that group. I sort of had this happen to a character I was playing—a good-aligned bard in a group of players who were either openly delighted with their abiltiy to work with undead using animate dead (evil) or who were apathetic with regard to alignment. My good-guy guard grew more and more distressed with the group, and eventually he just took off in the middle of the night and I made a new character to replace him who fit with the group's theme of apathetic evil better (a kind of psychopathic human-hating not-quite-serial-killer-but-close ranger).
If your character is betrayed by the rest of the group... look at the reasons, in other words. If it was because your character simply didn't fit the group's theme, then retire that character (either by attacking the group/defending herself from the group or by simply leaving the group for other opportunities) and make a new character that fits the group's theme. If the character was betrayed becasue of bullying or immaturity or because the players are unable to separate their own problems from the game or whatever... leave your character behind... the PLAYER in this case should leave the group.
(And whatever the case, work with the GM on figuring out your decision—in the case of "ther'es no GM because EVERYONE is the GM," you're kinda screwed there in that there's no clear arbiter of the situation, which is bad for RPGs.)
This is a situation where there is no one GM. I was supposed to GM, but I traded that duty with someone else because of the afore mentioned Paladin issue so that I could handle it in character instead of as GM, and things ended with a bunch of Burners demanding the party turn me over and the party doing so in exchange for some loot.
Thanks for the advice....
In this case definetly leave the group
In this case definetly leave the group
Well, to be fair I did threaten to shove a longsword up a certain orifice if the Rogue insisted on stealing worthless items from half starving peasants, so I can see why they wanted to hand me over. Maybe come back with something that isn't a Paladin.
Or maybe not come back at all. That's good, too. Better yet, I could calm down and then decide.
...Was threatening the Rogue a bad decision? I'm not talking about the Paladin code of conduct (I'm pretty sure trying to stop him from stealing what little poor people had is completely kosher), I'm talking from a group coherence standpoint.
Hay James,
What is the average lifespan of a Tiefling in Golarion? is it similar to a human or closer to a half-elves?
On average what percentage of the core 20 deities are drawn from folkloric roots and inspirations and what percentage are completely original ideas from you and/or the other Paizo staff.
What method do you use to come up with fantasy names for things?
Tieflings live more or less as long as humans.
Of the core 20 deities in the Inner Sea region... only two of them are drawn from real-world folklore: Lamashtu and Asmodeus. All the others are invented—inspired in many cases by real wold people or myths or stories, but invented nonetheless. About 2/3 of those were invented by me for my homebrew setting—I gave them to Golarion.
There's no one method I use to come up with fantasy names. Sometimes I spell words backwards and/or then scramble them. Sometimes I use online name generators. Sometimes I "borrow" names from the real world or other cultures, often with a slight change to spelling. And sometimes I just make the name up out of nothing other than imagination.
Thanks James I've always played Tieflings with slightly extended lifespans but just me.
I'm surprised by the large number of core deities that came from your world but thinking about it I really shouldn't be.
I don't use the backward spelling trick a lot due some in-jokes with my group but all the others I use. my favorite method is to use lesser used letters like "Z", "Q", and "V" and mix it into a random assortment of letters.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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There's no one method I use to come up with fantasy names. Sometimes I spell words backwards and/or then scramble them. Sometimes I use online name generators. Sometimes I "borrow" names from the real world or other cultures, often with a slight change to spelling. And sometimes I just make the name up out of nothing other than imagination.
Do you ever use an adjective about the NPC/place, etc, and look up words in languages that have that as a meaning? I do sometimes, especially if I'm trying to make a name that sounds like it comes from a particular culture/language group. The site Behind the Name is very handy for this.
In this case definetly leave the groupWell, to be fair I did threaten to shove a longsword up a certain orifice if the Rogue insisted on stealing worthless items from half starving peasants, so I can see why they wanted to hand me over. Maybe come back with something that isn't a Paladin.
Or maybe not come back at all. That's good, too. Better yet, I could calm down and then decide.
...Was threatening the Rogue a bad decision? I'm not talking about the Paladin code of conduct (I'm pretty sure trying to stop him from stealing what little poor people had is completely kosher), I'm talking from a group coherence standpoint.
If your group has shown a tendency to want ALL the loot ALL the time, wherever they can beg/borrow/steal it from, then maybe threatening violence to cut off the treasure supply was a bad idea.
If your group has not shown the abovementioned tendencies previously, harder to say. Were the characters in the group roleplayed as superstitious types? People easily swayed by fanatical conviction in speech? It would be the least likely option in my mind, but perhaps your group was RPing what they thought was appropriate for their characters (even if it does drive a wedge in the game).
As it stands, I'll say cool down and then talk directly to the person who started up the nonsense by making that Burner Paladin NPC and ask for their insight on the matter. Take that information, and go from there.
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Creative Director
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There's no one method I use to come up with fantasy names. Sometimes I spell words backwards and/or then scramble them. Sometimes I use online name generators. Sometimes I "borrow" names from the real world or other cultures, often with a slight change to spelling. And sometimes I just make the name up out of nothing other than imagination.Do you ever use an adjective about the NPC/place, etc, and look up words in languages that have that as a meaning? I do sometimes, especially if I'm trying to make a name that sounds like it comes from a particular culture/language group. The site Behind the Name is very handy for this.
Generally, no... because I'm kind of wary about using foreign words as names. I'd rather make up words in English.
That said... I did a LOT of that type of naming convention for Tian Xia.
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Maybe come back with something that isn't a Paladin.
Or maybe not come back at all. That's good, too. Better yet, I could calm down and then decide.
You've got a Paladin, #1 cause of interparty conflict. You've got a Paladin of *Shelyn,* whose code of 'come first with a rose' has been described as 'unrealistic' or 'naive' or 'punishing a player.' And you've got a *Tiefling,* which, like a half-orc, is always going to be a race that comes with some baggage (prejudice, associated with evil, shunned, 'a world that hates and fears them'), and, IMO, you shouldn't pick a race with baggage, unless dealing with that baggage is something you want to explore. (And, ironically, the scenario you describe is probably what should have happened to Drizzt on page 1 of his first appearance. "Hi, I'm a dark elf ranger. But I'm a *good* dark elf, and the other dark elves were mean to me because I wasn't enough of a..." "Dark elf! Kill it with fire!")
In my opinion, this character already had three strikes against it, when it comes to playing well with others. I'm not going to say that it was *designed* to fail, but it certainly sounds it had some inauspicious feng shui, particularly when it comes to meshing well with the hive of scum and villainy you ended up grouping with.
Even if your character hadn't ended up dead, I would have recommended abandoning it and going for something that would fit much better with this group. A cleric of Gorum, follower of a brutal 'only the strong survive' ethic, who would see the party stealing from the poor peasants as right and appropriate, since the peasants were too weak to deserve such things, and, if they deserved them, would have been strong enough to hold onto them, might work better.
Try not to ever carry over out of game annoyance or anger into the actions of PCs or NPCs in game. Whether or not you were the target of epic dickery, it isn't any less dickish to 'get them back.' To strain the metaphor to it's breaking point, it's probably best to leave dicks out of it entirely.
If you find yourself utterly uninterested in playing the sort of morally ambiguous character that would fit with this party, try to find another group (perhaps by chatting with members of the current group to see if there are any other players they have driven off...), or resign yourself to playing PBPs or whatever, where you might have much more ability to choose the people you play with (ironically) than you would in your local area.
Yup; Golarion has multiple zodiac type systems. We describe the one for the Inner Sea in Pathfinder #14 (and in the upcoming Distant Worlds), and talk about the Tian Xia one in "Dragon Empires Gazetteer.Wishing you a GREAT Birthday!
Question(s): [cut]
Thank you for the reply!
Question(s):
Have you heard of/seen the RPG CthulhuTech, released by Catalyst and now Sandstorm (I'm sure other publishing companies were involved, too...)?
What are your thoughts/ feelings on the product (setting, system, etc.)?
Please and thank you.
-- C.
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In this case definetly leave the groupWell, to be fair I did threaten to shove a longsword up a certain orifice if the Rogue insisted on stealing worthless items from half starving peasants, so I can see why they wanted to hand me over. Maybe come back with something that isn't a Paladin.
Or maybe not come back at all. That's good, too. Better yet, I could calm down and then decide.
...Was threatening the Rogue a bad decision? I'm not talking about the Paladin code of conduct (I'm pretty sure trying to stop him from stealing what little poor people had is completely kosher), I'm talking from a group coherence standpoint.
Well to me at least it sounds like they sold your caracter down the river for the loot. Also was this actually set at or near the worldwound?
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Actually, not really. Since even including the unannounced products we'll be releasing in Fall of 2012, of which there are PLENTY... The Shattered Star AP is STILL the one that I'm looking forward to the most.
That's a rather telling and quite impressive statement there James!
I don't suppose you'll be writing the 1st installment of the AP?
Also, are you considering using the same Iconics from Rise Of the Runelords in this AP because it is indeed an anniversary for Paizo and Pathfinder and a 'sequel'.
Edit: Would it be impossible and too hectic to/problematic to have all original 12 Iconics make cameos in the art of this one AP? Just as a 'special' for the anniversary.
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Edit: Would it be impossible and too hectic to/problematic to have all original 12 Iconics make cameos in the art of this one AP? Just as a 'special' for the anniversary.
Ooh. I loved the picture on the last Dungeon cover of the entire 'iconic' Dungeon group dogpiling Demogorgon! Something like that could be funky with our new iconics!
...Was threatening the Rogue a bad decision? I'm not talking about the Paladin code of conduct (I'm pretty sure trying to stop him from stealing what little poor people had is completely kosher), I'm talking from a group coherence standpoint.
There's a lot of variation of response depending on how you actually handled the rogue.
For example. My Night Elf Huntress justifies her actions against Orcs by saying "I fired a warning shot." The unspoken detail was that her idea of a warning shot is an arrow strike to the knee.
I believe that's the "Shock and Awe" doctrine. :)
is it worth staying up to 5am for the paizo product chats?
That is so late there is an alternate strategy if you can schedule to go to bed earlier you could always first thing when yuo wake up go on the paizo chats.
Also question for James Are there any left handed people in the paizo office?
There´s something thats been buggin me about Razmir.So,he´s a 19th level Wizard with a vast intellect and the ressources of a whole country to back him up.....and he´s dying of old age?That doesn´t add up
for me.I mean theres plenty of ways to get around dying in golarion.Now, Im aware that he doesn´t know everything about the world he lives in,but a supersmart Wizard who rules his own country and is how I assume supremely intrested in prolonging his live,can´t find a way to do it?Thats strange.I could understand that he´s not able to become immortal,
but dealing with old age should be easy business for a guy like that.
So I guess my question to you is ,whats holding him back?
There´s something thats been buggin me about Razmir.So,he´s a 19th level Wizard with a vast intellect and the ressources of a whole country to back him up.....and he´s dying of old age?That doesn´t add up
for me.I mean theres plenty of ways to get around dying in golarion.Now, Im aware that he doesn´t know everything about the world he lives in,but a supersmart Wizard who rules his own country and is how I assume supremely intrested in prolonging his live,can´t find a way to do it?Thats strange.I could understand that he´s not able to become immortal,
but dealing with old age should be easy business for a guy like that.
So I guess my question to you is, whats holding him back?
Enough XP for level 20, if I recall my wizard arcane discoveries properly.
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Creative Director
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Have you heard of/seen the RPG CthulhuTech, released by Catalyst and now Sandstorm (I'm sure other publishing companies were involved, too...)?
What are your thoughts/ feelings on the product (setting, system, etc.)?-- C.
I've looked through several of those books, and they look REALLY cool. I've never played the game or really read through it in detail even, though... but it's a fun and intriguing idea.
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Creative Director
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Actually, not really. Since even including the unannounced products we'll be releasing in Fall of 2012, of which there are PLENTY... The Shattered Star AP is STILL the one that I'm looking forward to the most.That's a rather telling and quite impressive statement there James!
I don't suppose you'll be writing the 1st installment of the AP?
Also, are you considering using the same Iconics from Rise Of the Runelords in this AP because it is indeed an anniversary for Paizo and Pathfinder and a 'sequel'.
Edit: Would it be impossible and too hectic to/problematic to have all original 12 Iconics make cameos in the art of this one AP? Just as a 'special' for the anniversary.
I'm not scheduled to write any of the Shattered Star APs yet... although parts 4 and 5 are still waiting to be assigned...
Since Shattered Star's as much a sequel to Curse of the Crimson Throne and even Second Darkness as it is to Rise of the Runelords... "reusing" the iconcis from the previous one isn't the solution. We'd still have to choose from the first 12 iconics anyway.
It wouldn't be impossible to have all original 12 show up as cameos... but that's kind of a strange idea and I'm not sure how into it I am...
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Creative Director
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There´s something thats been buggin me about Razmir.So,he´s a 19th level Wizard with a vast intellect and the ressources of a whole country to back him up.....and he´s dying of old age?That doesn´t add up
for me.I mean theres plenty of ways to get around dying in golarion.Now, Im aware that he doesn´t know everything about the world he lives in,but a supersmart Wizard who rules his own country and is how I assume supremely intrested in prolonging his live,can´t find a way to do it?Thats strange.I could understand that he´s not able to become immortal,
but dealing with old age should be easy business for a guy like that.
So I guess my question to you is ,whats holding him back?
Plenty of ways to avoid dying... but not to avoid dying of old age. That's actually one of the TOUGHEST deaths to avoid... especially if, like Razmir, you aren't interested in the options of undeath (too gross) or reincarnation (too risky)... two routes that would change Razmir's appearance and personality so much that he as a "brand" would have a lot of trouble convincing his flock that he's still Razmir. Furthermore, he achieved what he's achieved as a human, and he's pretty arrogant.
So, beyond those options, there's basically just the sun orchid elixir, and that's not an option for Razmir since Thuvia won't let him have any of it.
So, basically, what's holding Razmir back is a combination of madness, overwhelming pride, stubbornness, and the fact that Thuvia hates him.
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Creative Director
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Enough XP for level 20, if I recall my wizard arcane discoveries properly.There´s something thats been buggin me about Razmir.So,he´s a 19th level Wizard with a vast intellect and the ressources of a whole country to back him up.....and he´s dying of old age?That doesn´t add up
for me.I mean theres plenty of ways to get around dying in golarion.Now, Im aware that he doesn´t know everything about the world he lives in,but a supersmart Wizard who rules his own country and is how I assume supremely intrested in prolonging his live,can´t find a way to do it?Thats strange.I could understand that he´s not able to become immortal,
but dealing with old age should be easy business for a guy like that.
So I guess my question to you is, whats holding him back?
The immortality wizard arcane discovery would be Razmir's best solution, but gaining that much XP is hard for a PC... it's even HARDER for an NPC, since NPCs only gain XP when the GM (or in this case, the Creative Director) say they do. So in that regard... what's holding back Razmir is ME, since as a dying wizard who wants to become a god, he's much more interesting.
You mentioned over in the "A possible change" thread that the magazine business is heavily affected by organized crime and corruption. This immediately provoked a mental image of the Yakuza and Russian Mob beginning a gang war over the distribution rights to Newsweek. In short, I have no idea what direct effect the mob has in the magazine trade.
Could you elaborate further on crime's role in the magazine business? Assuming it doesn't put you at risk of sleeping with the fishes of course.
When you play Pathfinder, what house rules do you use?
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Creative Director
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When you play Pathfinder, what house rules do you use?
Pretty much nothing, really. I use Plot Twist cards as hero points, and let players re-roll 1s always when they show up in hit point rolls, but that's about it. Most of my 3.5 house rules are actually now regular rules in Pathfinder.
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Creative Director
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You mentioned over in the "A possible change" thread that the magazine business is heavily affected by organized crime and corruption. This immediately provoked a mental image of the Yakuza and Russian Mob beginning a gang war over the distribution rights to Newsweek. In short, I have no idea what direct effect the mob has in the magazine trade.
Could you elaborate further on crime's role in the magazine business? Assuming it doesn't put you at risk of sleeping with the fishes of course.
I actually can't, beyond confirming rumors and second-hand knowledge exist that there's a lot of corruption in the magazine industry.
When you play Pathfinder, what house rules do you use?Pretty much nothing, really. I use Plot Twist cards as hero points, and let players re-roll 1s always when they show up in hit point rolls, but that's about it. Most of my 3.5 house rules are actually now regular rules in Pathfinder.
I could never play strait RAW. Then again, I don't have my own RPG ^_^.
What is your absolute favorite Green Ronin Advanced Bestiary template? I like the Feral Dragon, because it means I can throw around big dragons at lower levels.
Smite was never used. The Paladin of Shelyn was taken prisoner and burned at the stake, not killed in combat, so smite never had a chance to fail.
James, who was responsible for the Catfolk artwork in Bestiary 3? I just got my copy in the mail 15 minutes ago (That's right. UPS DOES deliver when it's snowing.), and that art is the first thing I looked at (I heard things about it.). It is awesome art.
A few questions about the new samsaran race:
1) Can samsarans have prior lives of different races?
1a) If so, would they appear like a pale blue version of their original race or always human?
2) Do samsarans ever appear "naturally" (i.e. without traveling) in the inner sea?
2a) If not, might there be some setting reason for this?
3) How does Pharasma feel about the samsarans? Does she feel sorry for them?
4) Does Pharasma know why these beings in particular are reliving life while others simply proceed to the Great Beyond?
5) The Gazetteer indicates most samsarans are lawful good, and similarly worship the lawful good deity Tsukiyo. Are there also samsarans who approach enlightenment by seeking a different kind of balance by worshiping Pharasma?
Are the races from the Asian Golarion book going to be reprinted in Bestiary 4?
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Creative Director
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James, who was responsible for the Catfolk artwork in Bestiary 3? I just got my copy in the mail 15 minutes ago (That's right. UPS DOES deliver when it's snowing.), and that art is the first thing I looked at (I heard things about it.). It is awesome art.
Carolina Eade.
And in the interests of spreading the lore... for the bestiaries (but not other books) we credit each illustration; those credits appear on the outer margins of each page.
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Creative Director
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Are the races from the Asian Golarion book going to be reprinted in Bestiary 4?
No. Nor have we announced that we're doing a Bestiary 4.
Just as we haven't put elves and dwarves into the first Bestairy, we aren't intending to put wayangs and samsarans and kitsune and nagaji into a bestiary. (The tengu's a weird case, since he appeared in print before we made him an official PC race...)
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Creative Director
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A few questions about the new samsaran race:
1) Can samsarans have prior lives of different races?
1a) If so, would they appear like a pale blue version of their original race or always human?
2) Do samsarans ever appear "naturally" (i.e. without traveling) in the inner sea?
2a) If not, might there be some setting reason for this?
3) How does Pharasma feel about the samsarans? Does she feel sorry for them?
4) Does Pharasma know why these beings in particular are reliving life while others simply proceed to the Great Beyond?
5) The Gazetteer indicates most samsarans are lawful good, and similarly worship the lawful good deity Tsukiyo. Are there also samsarans who approach enlightenment by seeking a different kind of balance by worshiping Pharasma?
1) Yes, but it's more rare.
1a) Nope; they'd appear as a samsaran—aka as a blue human with no pupils.
2) Not to any great extent that we would have heard about it before today.
2a) There's a SIGNIFICANTLY greater amount of reincarnation type stuff going on in the Dragon Empires. One of the implications is that when Azlant died, all those souls who deserved reincarnation reincarnated on the opposite side of the world, which is Tian Xia. In any event, whether or not that's accurate or not is unclear... but what IS accurate is that the reincarnation cycle is strongest in Tian Xia. If there is a specific setting reason for this, we haven't yet said.
3) Reincarnation is part of the process already. In fact, it's Pharasma who decides where and how a spirit reincarnates, and what body that spirit comes back in. In a way, Pharasma kind of CREATED the samsarans (not that the samsarans necessarily believe this). So, no... she doesn't feel sorry for them.
4) Because she's the goddess of birth and death, that's how.
5) Yes. As with all PC races, samsarans can be any alignment and thus can worship any deity.
What kind of fish live in the Kestrel river in lastwall and belkzen?
Do you think the reincarnated druid archtype in ultimate magic could frustrate players as a recurring villian if he reincarnates?
In your games, if a gnome is reincarnated as something other than a gnome does it stop bleaching?
The few mentions to Arcadia seem to focus a lot on the northern part of the continent (Vallenhall, skraelings). When (hopefully soon) you publish something about it, do you plan covering the entire continent or just a part of it, as you did with Garund in the Inner Sea World Guide?
Also, are there plans to do something inspired by the Great Navegations? With Skulls & Shackles coming up, I guess rules for naval voyages and combats could lay the foundations for a Magellan inspired adventure path. You know, globetrotting without teleportation.
Do you ever use an adjective about the NPC/place, etc, and look up words in languages that have that as a meaning?Generally, no... because I'm kind of wary about using foreign words as names. I'd rather make up words in English.
That said... I did a LOT of that type of naming convention for Tian Xia.
So does that mean you're responsible for naming the locations as well? I married a girl with Vietnamese heritage, and learnt some Vietnamese myself before we went to Vietnam to meet her extended family. I was consequently amused to read that Ngon Hoa was the capital of Xa Hoi, as it translates to 'Tasty Flower'.
My most sensible reading of the meaning of 'Xa Hoi' itself is 'society'; depending on the diacritics and tones you add in Vietnamese it could mean something as odd as 'Faraway Questions'.
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Creative Director
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What kind of fish live in the Kestrel river in lastwall and belkzen?
Do you think the reincarnated druid archtype in ultimate magic could frustrate players as a recurring villian if he reincarnates?
In your games, if a gnome is reincarnated as something other than a gnome does it stop bleaching?
Trout and gars and eels and more trout.
Yes.
Yes.