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James Jacobs wrote:
Ianesta wrote:

What was the Korvosa - Kaer Maga conflict like? I'm assuming they didn't put together anything like a coherent defence? Also what's up with Sirathu? I read it used to be a Kaer Maga holding, did one faction in particular hold it?

Thanks mate.

Haven't really done much thought on that at all. Kaer Maga is a weird sort of "intruder" in what I envisioned for Varisia. It's a GREAT addition to the region, but it was never intended to be there. It was placed by James Sutter, and he's been more or less in charge of it and its development ever since. As such, I've not really put much thought into how Kaer Maga interacts with nearby settings, and in my head have always thought of it as an inward-focused settlement that's more interested in providing safe harbor for its ecclectic citizens rather than influencing the surrounding region.

Whilst we're on Varisia, Inner Sea Races mentions Shoanti as far afield as Numeria and the Worldwound. Are these remnants of likely extinct quahs, or are there other, smaller quahs that have spread out into traditional Kellid territories in the north? Thanks for the answers.


James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

According to the Gygaxian model, a Paladin would be within his rights to summarily execute an evil cultist who has repented from good on the grounds that he would be preventing him from backsliding and would send him to a hallowed afterlife.

Would this sit with Sarenrae?

No. And it's not a paladin's "right" to execute ANYONE, regardless of the paladin's faith.

And it's one of the reasons that there's comparatively not a lot of Sarenite paladins; it's tough for them to square the circle about being good all the time but sometimes not being lawful.

I meant repented from evil TO good.
No difference, other than to double down and to say that anyone who executes a redeemed bad guy and worships Sarenrae is gonna be excommunicated... at best. That is NOT what Sarenrae is about.

Are there then dieties that would sponsor a Gygaxian Paladin? Possibly Torag?


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
BobTheCoward wrote:
It seems like they announced your book of the damned product the same week that you announced you wrapped primary development on it. Did the crimson throne and book of the damned development overlap or was it more like completing one then starting the other?

I didn't announce my finishing development until after it was announced, not the other way around.

Crimson Throne and Book of the Damned didn't overlap. Adventurer's Guide was in between them.

Curse of the crimson throne, adventurer's guide, book of the damned, and bestiary 6 all in a row? That is a hefty set of hardcovers.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

According to the Gygaxian model, a Paladin would be within his rights to summarily execute an evil cultist who has repented from good on the grounds that he would be preventing him from backsliding and would send him to a hallowed afterlife.

Would this sit with Sarenrae?

No. And it's not a paladin's "right" to execute ANYONE, regardless of the paladin's faith.

And it's one of the reasons that there's comparatively not a lot of Sarenite paladins; it's tough for them to square the circle about being good all the time but sometimes not being lawful.

I meant repented from evil TO good.
No difference, other than to double down and to say that anyone who executes a redeemed bad guy and worships Sarenrae is gonna be excommunicated... at best. That is NOT what Sarenrae is about.
Are there then dieties that would sponsor a Gygaxian Paladin? Possibly Torag?

No. I fundamentally disagree with Gygax's claim that a paladin could simply execute a redeemed evil person on the fear that such an evil creature could POTENTIALLY backslide. That's neither lawful nor good. It's chaotic and evil. It's an antipaladin enabler.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

BobTheCoward wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
BobTheCoward wrote:
It seems like they announced your book of the damned product the same week that you announced you wrapped primary development on it. Did the crimson throne and book of the damned development overlap or was it more like completing one then starting the other?

I didn't announce my finishing development until after it was announced, not the other way around.

Crimson Throne and Book of the Damned didn't overlap. Adventurer's Guide was in between them.

Curse of the crimson throne, adventurer's guide, book of the damned, and bestiary 6 all in a row? That is a hefty set of hardcovers.

Not seeing a question there, but yeah.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Ianesta wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Ianesta wrote:

What was the Korvosa - Kaer Maga conflict like? I'm assuming they didn't put together anything like a coherent defence? Also what's up with Sirathu? I read it used to be a Kaer Maga holding, did one faction in particular hold it?

Thanks mate.

Haven't really done much thought on that at all. Kaer Maga is a weird sort of "intruder" in what I envisioned for Varisia. It's a GREAT addition to the region, but it was never intended to be there. It was placed by James Sutter, and he's been more or less in charge of it and its development ever since. As such, I've not really put much thought into how Kaer Maga interacts with nearby settings, and in my head have always thought of it as an inward-focused settlement that's more interested in providing safe harbor for its ecclectic citizens rather than influencing the surrounding region.
Whilst we're on Varisia, Inner Sea Races mentions Shoanti as far afield as Numeria and the Worldwound. Are these remnants of likely extinct quahs, or are there other, smaller quahs that have spread out into traditional Kellid territories in the north? Thanks for the answers.

They're smaller quahs, or their groups of non-quah Shoanti who are living other types of lifestyles.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Question, how far have you gotten into Nioh now?
I finished the main story a few weeks back but haven't finished all the missions yet.

Cool! What was your favourite part?

Favourite character?

Favourite Boss?

Spoiler:
Did having to fight Nekomata make you sad? I cried during the boss fight ;_;


Do you know how to pronounce Phaendar, the name of the village from Ironfang Invasion, or is it a location invented specifically for the AP that you're not familiar with?


Hi, James. I recently had an interesting discussion with a friend. He said the PF is intended by developers to always give pcs balanced encounter so they can always survive, and he argued that this is clear from how the APs are made and the advice about that. So, I wonder, do you developers designed PF with "always balanced encounters and the pcs will always survive for the sake of the story"?
I don't think that, but now I'm rather curious. I know that obviously your intent is to sell all the AP modules, so killing pcs on the first half of the first module is not a great strategy, but overall, do you think that pf allow the pcs to always survive for the sake of the story "by design"?

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Self-driving car or flying car?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Question, how far have you gotten into Nioh now?
I finished the main story a few weeks back but haven't finished all the missions yet.

Cool! What was your favourite part?

Favourite character?

Favourite Boss?

** spoiler omitted **

Favorite part: The spiders on the roofs of the old village.

Favorite character: The ninja girl, even though she had barely anything to do with the story. The story overall could have benefited from having more women in interesting roles rather than just as sidekicks or prisoners to rescue, pretty lame.

Favorite boss: The last boss.

And nah, that spoilered fight didn't bother me.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Joana wrote:
Do you know how to pronounce Phaendar, the name of the village from Ironfang Invasion, or is it a location invented specifically for the AP that you're not familiar with?

I'm pretty much not involved with ANY of Ironfang Invasion, other than helping a little bit several months back with the outline.

But it's pronounced FANE-dar, as far as I know.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Ross Byers wrote:
Self-driving car or flying car?

Alligators.

Please as questions as full sentences if you hope to get full answers that make sense. :P

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Blackstorm wrote:

Hi, James. I recently had an interesting discussion with a friend. He said the PF is intended by developers to always give pcs balanced encounter so they can always survive, and he argued that this is clear from how the APs are made and the advice about that. So, I wonder, do you developers designed PF with "always balanced encounters and the pcs will always survive for the sake of the story"?

I don't think that, but now I'm rather curious. I know that obviously your intent is to sell all the AP modules, so killing pcs on the first half of the first module is not a great strategy, but overall, do you think that pf allow the pcs to always survive for the sake of the story "by design"?

No. We aim to design encounters so that they're balanced so that the average player with the average skill set in a party of typical class roles all run by a GM with average skill should be able to pull off the game in a fun way that feels challenging but isn't impossibly hard or impossibly easy.

For long-term players, it's easy for them and their GM to forget or gloss over the fact that they have more skill than the average player or GM, and as such, the game is easier to play for them in the same way ANY game is easier to play for ANYONE who's been playing it for a while, and if those players want to preserve the challenge, the GM needs to adjust things. Either by adjusting the encounters to be tougher, or by requiring the players to build less powerful characters (using a 15 point buy or a 10 point buy or the like). Or both.

Personally, I think that the story is the most interesting part of an adventure, and if the PCs don't survive to the end then it's less interesting, but it's not fun surviving if you don't think, as a player, that your character might fail at any moment.

A truly skilled GM can ensure that the storyline plays out to the end while simultaneously ensuring that the players don't think that survival is a foregone conclusion.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I'm not sure if you are ready to answer things about Book of the Damned yet, so I'll try to stay general.

For the Kyton Demagogues, are the seven mentioned in Bestiary 3 going to be the focus? Are there any new Demagogues or Demagogues not on that list of seven that don't get featured?

Also, now that we a bit closer to the release of Bestiary 6, are there any hints you can give about the Great Old One that isn't traditionally thought of as a Great Old One but can be categorized as one for Pathfinder? I've been wracking by brain since you said that an avatar of Nyarlathotep was on the right track but not correct.

Silver Crusade

James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Question, how far have you gotten into Nioh now?
I finished the main story a few weeks back but haven't finished all the missions yet.

Cool! What was your favourite part?

Favourite character?

Favourite Boss?

** spoiler omitted **

Favorite part: The spiders on the roofs of the old village.

Favorite character: The ninja girl, even though she had barely anything to do with the story. The story overall could have benefited from having more women in interesting roles rather than just as sidekicks or prisoners to rescue, pretty lame.

Favorite boss: The last boss.

And nah, that spoilered fight didn't bother me.

*nods*

Ize fighting her right now, owwies.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

FallenDabus wrote:

I'm not sure if you are ready to answer things about Book of the Damned yet, so I'll try to stay general.

For the Kyton Demagogues, are the seven mentioned in Bestiary 3 going to be the focus? Are there any new Demagogues or Demagogues not on that list of seven that don't get featured?

Also, now that we a bit closer to the release of Bestiary 6, are there any hints you can give about the Great Old One that isn't traditionally thought of as a Great Old One but can be categorized as one for Pathfinder? I've been wracking by brain since you said that an avatar of Nyarlathotep was on the right track but not correct.

I believe there's a few more introduced in Book of the Damned that aren't on the list in Bestiary 3.

Watch the blog in the upcoming weeks for more information about Bestiary 6, including what this mysterious third "Great Old One" is going to be.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Awesome! Thanks James!


Hi James!

I have a couple quick Kyonin/Elves questions for you, if you don't mind.

Does Queen Telandia have an official seal or letter of writ that she would give to ambassadors or emissaries?

I've been trying to find a timeline for when Telandia took over the throne in Kyonin, but haven't found anything yet. I am trying to link the backstories in my continuity and would like to hear your thoughts on when she assumed the throne.

Thank you for your time.


Dark Markets: a Guide to Katapesh (sidebar, p.21), gives the duration for the mechanical effects of pesh (1 hour) but not for the narcotic effects ("a pleasant, dreamy state of bliss in which pain seems less severe
but pleasant feelings are amplified."). How long does the buzz last?

Which drug is pesh based on? Poppers?

Besides teleporting to Katapesh, or stealing, what's the best way to get refined pesh on the cheap?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Brother Fen wrote:

Hi James!

I have a couple quick Kyonin/Elves questions for you, if you don't mind.

Does Queen Telandia have an official seal or letter of writ that she would give to ambassadors or emissaries?

I've been trying to find a timeline for when Telandia took over the throne in Kyonin, but haven't found anything yet. I am trying to link the backstories in my continuity and would like to hear your thoughts on when she assumed the throne.

Thank you for your time.

She does, but we haven't designed it yet.

We haven't put in print when she took the throne, so feel free to set that for whatever works best in your game. If I do ever put that in print, it's probably somewhere around 200 years, I'd guess; long enough to be several human generations but not long enough that she'd be venerable.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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AlgaeNymph wrote:

Dark Markets: a Guide to Katapesh (sidebar, p.21), gives the duration for the mechanical effects of pesh (1 hour) but not for the narcotic effects ("a pleasant, dreamy state of bliss in which pain seems less severe

but pleasant feelings are amplified."). How long does the buzz last?

Which drug is pesh based on? Poppers?

Besides teleporting to Katapesh, or stealing, what's the best way to get refined pesh on the cheap?

The official Pathfinder rules for pesh are found on page 236–237. There, it reveals that the effects last for 1 hour.

Pesh is based on a combination of peyote and opium..

I wouldn't call "teleporting" cheap unless you're casting it yourself. The best way to get refined pesh on the cheap is to have a contact with a well-supplied drug dealer who wants to sell low to keep you a good, returning customer, I guess. Same as in the case for real world drugs, I guess, although I'm hardly the expert on how to buy drugs.


James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:

Dark Markets: a Guide to Katapesh (sidebar, p.21), gives the duration for the mechanical effects of pesh (1 hour) but not for the narcotic effects ("a pleasant, dreamy state of bliss in which pain seems less severe

but pleasant feelings are amplified."). How long does the buzz last?

Which drug is pesh based on? Poppers?

Besides teleporting to Katapesh, or stealing, what's the best way to get refined pesh on the cheap?

The official Pathfinder rules for pesh are found on page 236–237. There, it reveals that the effects last for 1 hour.

This is p.236-237 of the Gamemastery Guide, I assume?

Would the price given be for refined pesh? It looks close to the Inner Sea price given in the Katapesh book (10gp in Katapesh, x2 in Inner Sea, x3 elsewhere.)


James: I'm starting a new semi-homebrew campaign set in Varisia, and one of the player's PC concepts would be a poison-using character. I'm planning a heroic campaign. I'm kind of torn over whether or not to allow the character. It's an interesting character, and I'm inclined to say "yes," but I'm afraid of problems down the road. In your opinion as a GM, how well does regular poison use by PC work in games you've run? Are there problems or ptifalls I should keep in mind?

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
AlgaeNymph wrote:

Dark Markets: a Guide to Katapesh (sidebar, p.21), gives the duration for the mechanical effects of pesh (1 hour) but not for the narcotic effects ("a pleasant, dreamy state of bliss in which pain seems less severe

but pleasant feelings are amplified."). How long does the buzz last?

Which drug is pesh based on? Poppers?

Besides teleporting to Katapesh, or stealing, what's the best way to get refined pesh on the cheap?

The official Pathfinder rules for pesh are found on page 236–237. There, it reveals that the effects last for 1 hour.

This is p.236-237 of the Gamemastery Guide, I assume?

Would the price given be for refined pesh? It looks close to the Inner Sea price given in the Katapesh book (10gp in Katapesh, x2 in Inner Sea, x3 elsewhere.)

Correct. And consider it errata, I guess, for what you see elsewhere; the price is something we had trouble standardizing as different folks did different books. I'm not really interested in figuring out multiple tiers of costs for refined vs. raw vs. whatever drugs.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Haladir wrote:
James: I'm starting a new semi-homebrew campaign set in Varisia, and one of the player's PC concepts would be a poison-using character. I'm planning a heroic campaign. I'm kind of torn over whether or not to allow the character. It's an interesting character, and I'm inclined to say "yes," but I'm afraid of problems down the road. In your opinion as a GM, how well does regular poison use by PC work in games you've run? Are there problems or ptifalls I should keep in mind?

You might need to reconsider and re-examine your notions of poison and poison use. Plenty of non-evil monsters use it as a weapon. And in fact, there are several good aligned monsters, even LAWFUL good, who use poison—the guardian naga and the couatl both immediately come to mind.

The problem isn't with poison use. The problem is with a player choosing to make a character that doesn't fit into the paradigm the GM or the rest of the party wants to build.

If your player wants to make a poison using character who's the same alignment as the other player characters and who works with them and who wants to be a hero, then the fact that that character's using poison to kill enemies isn't much different than a wizard using mind control or fireball to mess with enemies, or a paladin stabbing folks with a sword, or a cleric dicing up foes with blade barrier.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

First: It would not be fair to say that.

Second: That sounds like your own hang-up.

Frankly, if a PC doesn't feel like a "special snowflake" then that's not a great idea for a PC, in my opinion. The PCs ARE BY DEFINITION special snowflakes. They are the rarest things in any one campaign. They are the heroes. They are the stars of the show. They're the ones who make things happen. They're the WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME when you play. If they're not special snowflakes... what's the point?


James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

First: It would not be fair to say that.

Second: That sounds like your own hang-up.

Frankly, if a PC doesn't feel like a "special snowflake" then that's not a great idea for a PC, in my opinion. The PCs ARE BY DEFINITION special snowflakes. They are the rarest things in any one campaign. They are the heroes. They are the stars of the show. They're the ones who make things happen. They're the WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME when you play. If they're not special snowflakes... what's the point?

I take it then you're not a fan of the idea of the PC's being Ordinary Joes put into extraordinary circumstances? Which may be what the poster is going for?

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

First: It would not be fair to say that.

Second: That sounds like your own hang-up.

Frankly, if a PC doesn't feel like a "special snowflake" then that's not a great idea for a PC, in my opinion. The PCs ARE BY DEFINITION special snowflakes. They are the rarest things in any one campaign. They are the heroes. They are the stars of the show. They're the ones who make things happen. They're the WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME when you play. If they're not special snowflakes... what's the point?

I take it then you're not a fan of the idea of the PC's being Ordinary Joes put into extraordinary circumstances? Which may be what the poster is going for?

An ordinary person in an extraordinary circumstance is still a special snowflake. If they weren't, they'd stay ordinary.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.


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James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.

Is there that much of a climate difference between San Francisco and the City of Fallen Angels? (I've never thoght of LA differently since In Nominee :)

Grand Lodge

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Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.

That's perfect. For my CotCT campaign, I'm trying to give my players an idea of what the weather is like. I might even dig out some historical daily weather to flesh it out day-to-day.

Thanks again!

-Skeld

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.
Is there that much of a climate difference between San Francisco and the City of Fallen Angels? (I've never thoght of LA differently since In Nominee :)

Absolutely. The two cities are close to 400 miles apart, to start with. I just now checked the temperatures in both cities. It's currently 63ºF in San Francisco, and 76ºF in Los Angeles. That's a pretty significant difference in climate.

The difference between Northern California and Southern California is more or less the difference between a forest and a desert.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Skeld wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.

That's perfect. For my CotCT campaign, I'm trying to give my players an idea of what the weather is like. I might even dig out some historical daily weather to flesh it out day-to-day.

Thanks again!

-Skeld

Actaully, a better comparasion for Magnimar for weather and the like would be Portland or Seattle. Korvosa's got milder temperatures and weather, more akin to San Francisco. thanks to geography.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

First: It would not be fair to say that.

Second: That sounds like your own hang-up.

Frankly, if a PC doesn't feel like a "special snowflake" then that's not a great idea for a PC, in my opinion. The PCs ARE BY DEFINITION special snowflakes. They are the rarest things in any one campaign. They are the heroes. They are the stars of the show. They're the ones who make things happen. They're the WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME when you play. If they're not special snowflakes... what's the point?

I just really really worry about breaking the narrative in something like an Adventure Path out of shape. In a lot of them the PC's are assumed to be local to a certain extent, and the longer an explanation you need to justify your PC being there, the more the narrative cohesion gets disrupted. I always hear horror stories from GMs about players who bring off-the-wall characters that don't fit the setting of the game they're trying to run, and I don't wanna be That Guy. Am I making sense?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Archpaladin Zousha wrote:
Two questions regarding elves: Would it be fair to say that the majority of elves who become paladins are Forlorn? Second, do elves tend to lend a sense of "specialness" to a character just because they're an elf, or is that just my own hang-ups regarding roleplaying elves talking? I recently got an idea to do an elf Dragon Disciple but part of me worries that such a concept is too "special snowflake" as much as I dislike that phrase.

First: It would not be fair to say that.

Second: That sounds like your own hang-up.

Frankly, if a PC doesn't feel like a "special snowflake" then that's not a great idea for a PC, in my opinion. The PCs ARE BY DEFINITION special snowflakes. They are the rarest things in any one campaign. They are the heroes. They are the stars of the show. They're the ones who make things happen. They're the WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME when you play. If they're not special snowflakes... what's the point?

I just really really worry about breaking the narrative in something like an Adventure Path out of shape. In a lot of them the PC's are assumed to be local to a certain extent, and the longer an explanation you need to justify your PC being there, the more the narrative cohesion gets disrupted. I always hear horror stories from GMs about players who bring off-the-wall characters that don't fit the setting of the game they're trying to run, and I don't wanna be That Guy. Am I making sense?

You are, but the concept of a "special snowflake" doesn't break an Adventure Path. You're correct that each AP makes certain assumptions about the PCs; they HAVE to, in order to tell the anticipated story (it's hard enough to tell a story without knowing who the main characters are in the first place as it is, so we have to make certain assumptions about the probable make-up of the PC group).

That said, what's off the wall for one AP is perfect for another. A tengu pirate would be a great fit for Skull and Shackles or Hell's Rebels, but a pretty weird and goofy choice for Curse of the Crimson Throne or Mummy's Mask. Your Dragon Disciple elf would fit in well in something like Second Darkness, but probably not nearly as well in Carrion Crown.

It's part of the player's job to build a character that fits into the story the GM wants to tell. In some cases, the story the GM wants to tell is "Let's see what happens when a group of random strangers with diverse backgrounds and abilities and goals gets together" and pretty much any character build is fine. In others, the GM wants to tell a tighter story, like "The PCs become powerful pirates" or "The PCs help to save a city from the Wrath of Thrune." In those cases, you as the player should respect the GM and the other players by making a character that fits those themes.

Regardless, PCs will remain special snowflakes by that definition, in that they are generally the stars of the show and the ones who beat the odds time and time again.

What you're talking about is, in other words, not a "special snowflake" but a "disruptive character." The two are not synonyms.


James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.

That's perfect. For my CotCT campaign, I'm trying to give my players an idea of what the weather is like. I might even dig out some historical daily weather to flesh it out day-to-day.

Thanks again!

-Skeld

Actaully, a better comparasion for Magnimar for weather and the like would be Portland or Seattle. Korvosa's got milder temperatures and weather, more akin to San Francisco. thanks to geography.

So what's that mean for Korvasa's winters?

I ask because p.167 of CotCT mentions "cold Korvosan winter days," which is something San Francisco doesn't really have (I know because I live there). I mean, it gets a bit chilly, but it doesn't snow, or even rain much.


Hello James!

I just have a quick question about Separatist Clerics for you.

So a Separatist is able to choose one Domain from their god, and one Domain that their god does not have. Does this mean that Separatists can have their second domain be Druid Terrain or Animal Domains?

For example, Calistria's sacred animal is a Wasp; could a Separatist who worships him have the Luck and Vermin domains? What about a Separatist of Sarenrae taking the Sun and Desert domains? Or a Separatist of Torag taking Protection and Mountain?

If the answer is yes, are there any examples of this written in to the Golarion setting? This seems like it could be a really interesting character-building tool; just wondering if you have considered doing something similar!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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AlgaeNymph wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Skeld wrote:

James -

When you envisioned Korvosa, did you have a real city in mind, in terms of climate, location, etc.?

Thanks!

-Skeld

In terms of climate and location, San Francisco. In terms of personality, Magnimar is closer to San Francisco, with Korvosa closer to Los Angeles.

That's perfect. For my CotCT campaign, I'm trying to give my players an idea of what the weather is like. I might even dig out some historical daily weather to flesh it out day-to-day.

Thanks again!

-Skeld

Actaully, a better comparasion for Magnimar for weather and the like would be Portland or Seattle. Korvosa's got milder temperatures and weather, more akin to San Francisco. thanks to geography.

So what's that mean for Korvasa's winters?

I ask because p.167 of CotCT mentions "cold Korvosan winter days," which is something San Francisco doesn't really have (I know because I live there). I mean, it gets a bit chilly, but it doesn't snow, or even rain much.

I screwed up, actually. Korvosa and Magnimar are closer to Seattle in climate.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Dreth wrote:

Hello James!

I just have a quick question about Separatist Clerics for you.

So a Separatist is able to choose one Domain from their god, and one Domain that their god does not have. Does this mean that Separatists can have their second domain be Druid Terrain or Animal Domains?

For example, Calistria's sacred animal is a Wasp; could a Separatist who worships him have the Luck and Vermin domains? What about a Separatist of Sarenrae taking the Sun and Desert domains? Or a Separatist of Torag taking Protection and Mountain?

If the answer is yes, are there any examples of this written in to the Golarion setting? This seems like it could be a really interesting character-building tool; just wondering if you have considered doing something similar!

Up to your GM. If I were your GM, I would not allow you to choose druid domains because you're a cleric, not a druid.

And on top of that, I'm not a big fan of separatist clerics anyway. The MOST INTERESTING thing about being a cleric is your association with your deity. If you want to play a divine caster who does their own thing or goes their own way... that's kinda the point of the oracle.

Grand Lodge

AP spoilers:

Please correct me if I am wrong. I recall reading some time ago that the calender on Golarion is tied to our Earthland calender, and that Baba Yaga was due to return to Golarion 3 years ago. Her non-appearance is tied to the Reign of Winter AP.

Assuming RoW happened and the PCs won, who currently rules Irrisen in Golarion canon? What happened to Anastasia in Golarion canon?

Asking because I am running book 5 now, thinking forward to book 6. Your help is appreciated.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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GM Aram Zey wrote:
** spoiler omitted **

We haven't set in stone the answers in your spoiler, with the intent being that when you run that Adventure Path, the answer gets to be something organic from your campaign. We may some day decide those things, but not today.

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
GM Aram Zey wrote:
** spoiler omitted **
We haven't set in stone the answers in your spoiler, with the intent being that when you run that Adventure Path, the answer gets to be something organic from your campaign. We may some day decide those things, but not today.

Thank you that helps.


What's the nature of the ritual needed to awaken the Everdawn Pool? Meditation? Something else?

Also, is it something that needs to be discovered (such as in Truths of the Sihedron, CotCT p.375), or will a Spellcraft roll suffice?

Besides being the creator's CR-3, what are the other limitations of the Everdawn Pool's create life ability? What can't be created?

When not carrying out orders, what's the minions personality like?

Besides what's listed, what else can be done with the Everdawn Pool?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

AlgaeNymph wrote:

What's the nature of the ritual needed to awaken the Everdawn Pool? Meditation? Something else?

Also, is it something that needs to be discovered (such as in Truths of the Sihedron, CotCT p.375), or will a Spellcraft roll suffice?

Besides being the creator's CR-3, what are the other limitations of the Everdawn Pool's create life ability? What can't be created?

When not carrying out orders, what's the minions personality like?

Besides what's listed, what else can be done with the Everdawn Pool?

Unrevealed.

The information on the Everdawn Pool in the hardcover edition of Curse of the Crimson Throne is already a SIGNIFICANT amount more information than appeared in the original incarnation of the Adventure Path, and represents the bulk of my additional thoughts on the pool. I've not really put much more thought into it yet, but some day I shall probably do so... but I don't want to start second guessing future James here.

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