Creative Director
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I'm curious, why was the description/art of the Shadow Giant changed? I rather liked the original look in the book they originated.
Because they are tied to the faith of Zon-Kuthon and should reflect that. Plus, it's less awkward and clutter to arm them with weapons from the Core Rulebook. And since I was changing the weapon, I decided to change the gender as well since giants are too often dudes.
Okay...what are some examples of abusive or foolish wishes?Read "The Monkey's Paw" for the classic example of a good-intentioned but foolish wish.
Beyond that, in an RPG... a foolish wish can be just either poorly worded (I wish I had all the good stuff!), a blatant power grab (I wish for more wishes!), or intentionally disruptive to the game (I wish I had a weapon that never misses!).
I read the summary: the first wish was for a mere £200 to get the house payments done with. The next wish is undoing the BS of the first (and quite reasonable withing the bounds of wish, i might add). The Whites are so scared of resurrection that Mr. White use the last wish to undo that.
How exactly were Mr. White's modest wishes foolish?
Also, is there a reason you prefer to twist wishes rather than just say 'no?'
Summaries don't count. That's like reading an abridged Wikipedia entry for a description of a painting that isn't illustrated.
They're foolish because they "meddle in God's domain" or "meddle with the natural order" or however you wish to interpret it.
I DON'T prefer to twist wishes. They're powerful magic, and it's lame and childish to reward a PC for gaining access to powerful magic by ruining it. But at the same time, it's lame for a player to abuse powerful magic in an attempt to ruin a story. It's a give and take.
The summary did mention that they were "interfering with fate," which is still a rather BS reason given the harsh punishments they got.
Outside the context of stories, what's your opinion of the concept of fate?
Now not derailing a story with a wish, that's more reasonable.
That said, how would you handle an in-character wish, one that wasn't abusive (e.g., more wishes, an unerring weapon, the "good stuff") but still altered a notable piece of reality (e.g., a happy childhood, praise for one's knowledge)?
Hi James,
I vaguely know what happened with the reception of the Dragon Empire's Gazetteer and Primer, but I would like to know....
Option 1:Do you think you should have done a Dragon Empire's Guide at the time instead of the Primer and Gazeteer? (something like the Inner Sea World Guide)
Option 2:Would you be against releasing something like that in the future with a more 100% taking place in the region AP?
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Creative Director
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The summary did mention that they were "interfering with fate," which is still a rather BS reason given the harsh punishments they got.
Outside the context of stories, what's your opinion of the concept of fate?
Now not derailing a story with a wish, that's more reasonable.
That said, how would you handle an in-character wish, one that wasn't abusive (e.g., more wishes, an unerring weapon, the "good stuff") but still altered a notable piece of reality (e.g., a happy childhood, praise for one's knowledge)?
Which is precisely my point. Reading a summary of a story will tell you the plot and the details... but does nothing to convey the poetry or lyricism or theme or mood or emotional effect of reading the whole thing. It's like the difference of looking at a picture of a delicious desert and eating it. No comparison.
And I'm no longer getting into discussions here about metaphysical/spiritual stuff; sorry.
I'd try to work with the wish in a way that makes the story better while also doesn't make the player feel like they're being cheated.
Hi James.
What was your reasoning for including Tawil At'Umr as one of the Great Old Ones in Bestiary 6 and not Mhar or Orgesh? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I just find it curious since Tawil hadn't previous ly been meantioned in Pathfinder to my knowledge.
Thanks as Always
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Creative Director
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Hi James,
I vaguely know what happened with the reception of the Dragon Empire's Gazetteer and Primer, but I would like to know....
Option 1:Do you think you should have done a Dragon Empire's Guide at the time instead of the Primer and Gazeteer? (something like the Inner Sea World Guide)
Option 2:Would you be against releasing something like that in the future with a more 100% taking place in the region AP?
Doing a big 320 page hardcover for that type of content would have been preferable, but also completely and totally impossible. In the same way putting 50 pounds of marbles in a box that can only physically hold 3 marbles is impossible.
In theory I'm not against doing a big hardcover set in Tian Xia and then supporting it with an entire AP... but that's basically building a new campaign setting. And we just did that with Starfinder. And I'm not eager to do that again anytime soon.
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Creative Director
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Hi James.
What was your reasoning for including Tawil At'Umr as one of the Great Old Ones in Bestiary 6 and not Mhar or Orgesh? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I just find it curious since Tawil hadn't previous ly been meantioned in Pathfinder to my knowledge.
Thanks as Always
Compared to something Lovecraft created himself, and that has been a part of literature for longer than my father's been alive, Mhar and Orgesh feel kinda like punks. They don't have any momentum or tradition behind them. Someone coming to B6 who's never heard of Paizo can pick up the book and see something like Tawil at'Umr and immediately get interested if they've read Lovecraft, but if they turn the page and see "Mhar" or "Orgesh" they'll just keep turning the pages and might even think "Who are these goofs at Paizo who think they can create Great Old Ones? The arrogance!" before throwing the book aside in disgust.
That last bit is hyperbole of course, but it makes my point.
Maybe in 80 years my own creations and writing will have risen to a point where they've got the weight and power and legend of Lovecraft's creations... but I highly doubt it.
In some Adventure Paths there are small experience rewards for minor optional accomplishments (Carrion Crown has XP for researching relevant topics, Iron Gods has personal XP rewards depending on the campaign trait). Do you have any recommendations for translating that into another reward for games that level by story progression?
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Creative Director
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In some Adventure Paths there are small experience rewards for minor optional accomplishments (Carrion Crown has XP for researching relevant topics, Iron Gods has personal XP rewards depending on the campaign trait). Do you have any recommendations for translating that into another reward for games that level by story progression?
Those XP awards are in there to encourage players to seek solutions to problems in games other than combat, and to reward roleplaying.
For games that level by story progression, I think you're just kinda out of luck; that's one of the huge reasons I VASTLY prefer handing out XP. It's a tangible reward that players know and enjoy receiving.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4
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Hey James! I just got my copy of Bestiary 6 and I was reading the cultist troop and I had a question about how you intended its channel energy ability to work.
Bestiary 6 states: "the troop typically places this effect outside of the troop's area entirely."
Except, according to the cleric channel energy ability: "Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric."
Assuming the troop could center the channel in any square of its space, that still means the negative energy is going to roll back on the rest of the spaces and damage the troop (more than maybe even their enemies because of their vulnerability to area attacks).
Did you intend to give them an ability to drop channel energy at a range, like a burst spell? Or should they be immune to their own negative channeling?
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Creative Director
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Hey James! I just got my copy of Bestiary 6 and I was reading the cultist troop and I had a question about how you intended its channel energy ability to work.
Bestiary 6 states: "the troop typically places this effect outside of the troop's area entirely."
Except, according to the cleric channel energy ability: "Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric."
Assuming the troop could center the channel in any square of its space, that still means the negative energy is going to roll back on the rest of the spaces and damage the troop (more than maybe even their enemies because of their vulnerability to area attacks).
Did you intend to give them an ability to drop channel energy at a range, like a burst spell? Or should they be immune to their own negative channeling?
Note the word "typically." This is an exception to the norm, and it's why we used "typically" instead of "always."
I did intend them to be able to use it at range. Helps support their CR 11 threat, and prevents them from hurting themselves. It's a little obscure in HOW it's worded, alas... they can cause the channeled energy to manifest anywhere around them as long as one side of the burst is adjacent to themselves.
Hi James!
What do you find the most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters (i.e Mythos or mythological creatures) to the Pathfinder system as compared to making new monsters from whole cloth?
Which process is easier for you?
Thanks as always for both this thread and everything else you do. Loved Bestiary 6! Thanks for your work on it!
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Creative Director
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Hi James!
What do you find the most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters (i.e Mythos or mythological creatures) to the Pathfinder system as compared to making new monsters from whole cloth?
Which process is easier for you?
Thanks as always for both this thread and everything else you do. Loved Bestiary 6! Thanks for your work on it!
It's easier adapting an existing monster because there's that much less to invent.
The most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters is often making sure that the thing being adapted is in fact something that's in the public domain, and in cases where it's not, securing the rights to go ahead with the adaption if we want to continue down that path.
Actually statting up the monster, for me, is easy.
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Hi James!
What do you find the most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters (i.e Mythos or mythological creatures) to the Pathfinder system as compared to making new monsters from whole cloth?
Which process is easier for you?
Thanks as always for both this thread and everything else you do. Loved Bestiary 6! Thanks for your work on it!
It's easier adapting an existing monster because there's that much less to invent.
The most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters is often making sure that the thing being adapted is in fact something that's in the public domain, and in cases where it's not, securing the rights to go ahead with the adaption if we want to continue down that path.
Actually statting up the monster, for me, is easy.
For those of us wanting to stat, or restat, monsters, what advice do you have?
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Creative Director
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For those of us wanting to stat, or restat, monsters, what advice do you have?Hi James!
What do you find the most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters (i.e Mythos or mythological creatures) to the Pathfinder system as compared to making new monsters from whole cloth?
Which process is easier for you?
Thanks as always for both this thread and everything else you do. Loved Bestiary 6! Thanks for your work on it!
It's easier adapting an existing monster because there's that much less to invent.
The most difficult challenge in adapting outside source monsters is often making sure that the thing being adapted is in fact something that's in the public domain, and in cases where it's not, securing the rights to go ahead with the adaption if we want to continue down that path.
Actually statting up the monster, for me, is easy.
Same as anything else. Practice, don't be afraid to make mistakes, listen to feedback, and be open to suggestions.
Out of curiosity, what's your favorite character archetype to play? Not classwise, but backstory/gameplay wise? Are you partial to any specific style of character common in fiction, or do you just try something new every time you play?
Could you give me some insight on the Mezlan? It is a really cool creature that reminds me of the T-1000, but I can't imagine that was the origin. Does it have some mythological origin?
Mr. James Jacobs,
I am on a bit of a 3.5 Pact Binder kick at the moment. In the past I asked you about Nethys' opinion on pact binding. Do you have a general idea of Pharasma and Asmodeus' opinions on the matter?
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Creative Director
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Quick question about race traits. If a character uses the "Adopted" trait to gain another race's trait, does that then lock them out of selecting a race trait from their actual race because they are from the same list?
For example, can a human that was raised by elves use the "Adopted Trait" to take "Warrior of Old" and then use their second trait slot to choose the human trait "Historian". Thanks!
Rules questions need to be asked in the proper rules forums so they can be FAQed.
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Creative Director
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Could you give me some insight on the Mezlan? It is a really cool creature that reminds me of the T-1000, but I can't imagine that was the origin. Does it have some mythological origin?
It's 100% made-up for us by Adam Daigle. You'll have to ask him for details, but the basics are that he wanted to design a higher CR, Medium sized ooze that was intelligent and had ties to Azlant/Thassilon.
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Out of curiosity, what's your favorite character archetype to play? Not classwise, but backstory/gameplay wise? Are you partial to any specific style of character common in fiction, or do you just try something new every time you play?
I like playing characters with traumatic childhoods who manage to remain positive and energetic if possible from the outside but are looking for something in the adventuring life to fix something fundamentally broken in their lives.
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Remembered more of my questions:
Do Swords of Sin(Chellan in this case) usually take over their Champions or is that just something that might happen to weak willed champions?
If they do, does that mean that technically the sword is real champion while the host is just their equipment? :D
When a Sword of Sin wakens because its runelord is up and about, they do always try to take over their champions.
Whether or not the sword or its puppet are the champion is a question left to philosophers, I guess.
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Mr. James Jacobs,
I am on a bit of a 3.5 Pact Binder kick at the moment. In the past I asked you about Nethys' opinion on pact binding. Do you have a general idea of Pharasma and Asmodeus' opinions on the matter?
Nope. Barely remember binder lore these days, and I certainly don't remember what I said about Nethys and pact binding.
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Why can't people enjoy our lesbian space pirate communist? I repeat: PAIZO HAS PUBLISHED A LESBIAN SPACE PIRATE COMMUNIST ICONIC AND PEOPLE ARE ARGUING ABOUT HER! Can't we just enjoy the fact that Navasi exists?
In all seriousness, I have to thank everybody at Paizo for their continual support and representation of all kinds of minorities. You guys legitimately make both fiction and the real world a better place for all you do.
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Creative Director
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Why can't people enjoy our lesbian space pirate communist? I repeat: PAIZO HAS PUBLISHED A LESBIAN SPACE PIRATE COMMUNIST ICONIC AND PEOPLE ARE ARGUING ABOUT HER! Can't we just enjoy the fact that Navasi exists?
In all seriousness, I have to thank everybody at Paizo for their continual support and representation of all kinds of minorities. You guys legitimately make both fiction and the real world a better place for all you do.
Thanks! Not really seeing a question there though... but yeah. Inclusivity and diversity is one of the most important things at Paizo.
That said, this is the first I've really heard anything at all about Navasi—I've not really had the time yet to get involved in anything Starfinder related, but I'm delighted (but not at all surprised!) to hear that inclusivity and diversity lives on therein!
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I was mostly framing that as a question as an excuse to rant and to thank you.
Um, need to think of an actual question now...
When Starfinder releases, are you planning on participating on any campaigns using the system?
What is Shensen's (your PC's) most awesome moment in her history? We all know that she was on the verge of turning the Red Wizards into a force for good, but is there a particular moment that defined that arc before the campaign came crashing down?
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Mr. James Jacobs,
An estimation of alignment. Say there is a human society run by women. The social ranking in this society are females on top, gay males second, and heterosexual males third. Hetero males upon the age of 12 (or earlier if they show the signs) are given the option of exile or castration. The rational being that a gay male is only a danger to other males while a hetero male is a burden and a danger to women. Bisexual males, if discovered, face the same choice as hetero males.
What alignment would you rate this society? When compared to Drow society, would you say it is less or more over the top?
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Creative Director
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When Starfinder releases, are you planning on participating on any campaigns using the system?
What is Shensen's (your PC's) most awesome moment in her history? We all know that she was on the verge of turning the Red Wizards into a force for good, but is there a particular moment that defined that arc before the campaign came crashing down?
I hope so. I hope Rob's gonna run the AP. In fact, later today there's a "make characters for Starfinder" mass meeting for us all, and that's gonna be the first time I get to actually play. Gonna roll up a lashunta envoy.
One of Shensen's LEAST awesome moments was when she had a super powerful awesome sword that got destroyed by a hook horror after I released it from a charm monster. Lame. There was another awkward and creepy moment when a demonic machine did some body modification stuff that can't be talked about on "family friendly forums." But as for her most awesome moment? Hmmm... taking control of a Red Wizard enclave was pretty high up there, but so was closing a portal to the Far Realm, making a simulacrum of another PC to be her butler, and I think once she might have tripped a dragon with her whip. That was pretty rad.
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Creative Director
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Mr. James Jacobs,
An estimation of alignment. Say there is a human society run by women. The social ranking in this society are females on top, gay males second, and heterosexual males third. Hetero males upon the age of 12 (or earlier if they show the signs) are given the option of exile or castration. The rational being that a gay male is only a danger to other males while a hetero male is a burden and a danger to women. Bisexual males, if discovered, face the same choice as hetero males.
What alignment would you rate this society? When compared to Drow society, would you say it is less or more over the top?
As with philosophical and religious discussions, I'm no longer really interested in getting in "what is this alignment" discussions. It only makes people freaky and angry and encourages others to misinterpret and misrepresent my responses. As Creative Director, I don't have the luxury of idle public ruminations on this type of stuff without folks interpreting it as me trying to tell them how to play their game... or worse, taking my comments as political or religious beliefs that I'm "forcing Paizo to follow" or something like that.
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It occurs to me that I didn't ask a question. ^_^
How excited are you for the Adventurer's Guide to be nearly on its way to subscribers? (I subscribed just so I could get early access to the PDF!)
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It occurs to me that I didn't ask a question. ^_^
How excited are you for the Adventurer's Guide to be nearly on its way to subscribers? (I subscribed just so I could get early access to the PDF!)
Your question reminded me to subscribe to the RPG line... thanks for the reminder.
...and done [clicks 'place order']
There was another awkward and creepy moment when a demonic machine did some body modification stuff that can't be talked about on "family friendly forums."
Was that the demonic graft machine from the old D&D 3.0 Book of Vile Darkness? That was one creepy item!
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Creative Director
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Have you seen the trailer for It Comes at Night?
Yup. I've been eagerly anticipating this movie for many, many months.
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Yup. I've been eagerly anticipating this movie for many, many months.Have you seen the trailer for It Comes at Night?
Cool :3
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It occurs to me that I didn't ask a question. ^_^
How excited are you for the Adventurer's Guide to be nearly on its way to subscribers? (I subscribed just so I could get early access to the PDF!)
Not very... More nervous and worried, since it's got a lot of world content and it's in a line that until now has been pretty timid about world content. I certainly HOPE folks love it but I'm worried that there will be not enough world content for those who want it and too much world content for those who don't.
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With the talk of the Almanac of Golarion going around, what are the top three things you would like to see settled once and for all in that hypothetical book?
Names of the ranks of members of religions.
What the primary trade resources are for every area in the Inner Sea region.A map of the Inner Sea Region that shows a road network.
Not necessarily my top three, but the first three that came to mind.
With the talk of the Almanac of Golarion going around, what are the top three things you would like to see settled once and for all in that hypothetical book?A map of the Inner Sea Region that shows a road network.
This would be so very very very nice. I have spent many days going and making roads that might exist! The more people talk about that Almanac, the more I want it!
*Ahem* Back on topic:
Do you have a list of books you want to read but can't find? And do you prefer physical books or e-books?
I'd love to see an Almanac of Golarion, because I'm the kind of person who's interested in plots based around manipulating economies. Anyway, questions:
1. Will there be a list of what animals/vegetables/minerals can be found in which country?
2. Will this book cover the whole world, and not just the Inner Sea economic bloc?
3. What don't you plan on including in the book?
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Regarding "The Eureka Hill Horror" at PaizoCon, how little familiarity is appropriate (in your opinion) to have of the Call of Cthulhu game? What level are the pre-gens? To be fair, I'm 'reasonably' interested in playing Call of Cthulhu once more (after almost 20 years) but the appeal of this adventure to me is, you know, the DM.
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Creative Director
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I'd love to see an Almanac of Golarion, because I'm the kind of person who's interested in plots based around manipulating economies. Anyway, questions:
1. Will there be a list of what animals/vegetables/minerals can be found in which country?
2. Will this book cover the whole world, and not just the Inner Sea economic bloc?
3. What don't you plan on including in the book?
I can't answer any of these questions because the book isn't even on a schedule yet. It could contain all of those or none of those, but until we finalize things and I know very baseline stuff (such as "How many pages/What line is it in?") I can't start picking its contents. And even then, I won't really be able to or want to talk about the book's contents until much later in the process.
At this point, I'm basically drumming up interest and there seems to be a LOT of it, so that's good! I just can't talk more about what it might or might not have, mostly at this point to manage expectations (the book might not even happen, after all...).