I was looking though the things that will get you an auto disqualification. I noted that you cant make items using other's intellectual property. This is of course to protect all parties involved, but what if someone wanted to submit something that was specific to the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting that made reference to people, places, or things in that setting?
I was looking though the things that will get you an auto disqualification. I noted that you cant make items using other's intellectual property. This is of course to protect all parties involved, but what if someone wanted to submit something that was specific to the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting that made reference to people, places, or things in that setting?
I believe that the answer you're going to receive will be references to Auto-Reject Advice #3, which includes the following:
Round 1 of RPG Superstar isn't about proving that you can describe a cool ancient wizard or the convoluted history of the item. It's about designing a cool wondrous item. Don't rely on description or history to "pad out" your item...
I was looking though the things that will get you an auto disqualification. I noted that you cant make items using other's intellectual property. This is of course to protect all parties involved, but what if someone wanted to submit something that was specific to the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting that made reference to people, places, or things in that setting?
From the contest Frequently Asked Questions:
Can we refer to Pathfinder Campaign Setting material, such as nations, heroes, or gods, when describing our item?
Yes, but keep in mind that not all of the judges work at Paizo or have a strong knowledge of the campaign setting, and many of the voters are not regular Pathfinder readers. Contestants hoping to get an "edge" by including a bunch of Pathfinder and Paizo-related inside jokes may be shooting themselves in the feet.
So yes, you're allowed to use Golarion background information and create a Golarion themed item, but you should seriously question whether or not you 'need' to do so. As That Old Guy pointed out, it's a fine line between theming your item to fit in the campaign setting and loading it with unnecessary backstory. Plus, if you do it wrong- got some fact or historical tidbit incorrect- it's probably going to actively count against your entry. So basically, it's unlikely going to get you major points with the judges and might even lose you some.
That said, if you look over the top 32 from previous years, then there are a number each year that are Golarion themed. Take a look at those and see what they do right- usually they barely mention the name of the deity or country, at most, and leave the rest of the theming implicit in the items description. Take a look at, for example, Matthew Morris' tankard of the cheerful duelist from last year. Cayden Cailean is namedropped in the first line, but that's it. No history, no backstory, not even any info on the god himself. It's all tightly implied in the item's description and powers; if you are familiar with the deities of Golarion, you get it, but even if you're not, you get a pretty good idea of what Cayden Cailean is all about just from the way this thing works. Most Golarion-ish items that have made it through are similar; they'd be superstar items regardless of any campaign setting ties they might have; those ties might be nice, but they don't make or break the entry.
As Sean pointed out, above, this question is answered in the Round 1 Rules and FAQ. Anyone considering entering the contest really needs to read that page and the contest Official Rules in their entirety.