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I'm just imagining the utter humiliation of being killed by a bright yellow Tengu ninja*. Unnaturally stealthy for something so yellow, yet deadly enough that nobody should want to risk giving them any flack.
Did you see the color of that Tengu ninja?! Of course not... It's a ninja...
*Regardless of the character's actual class, they should be a Ninja. Just sayin'.
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I'm not sure what Big Bird was. He was always very jovial or personable (everyone loved him), but not very nimble or coordinated. Maybe he was a bard (he did sing from time to time). And since no one could ever see the snuffleupagus, perhaps it was the one with ninja levels. Or since they were always together maybe BB was a summoner and snuffy was the eidolon. :-)
Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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I'm not sure what Big Bird was. He was always very jovial or personable (everyone loved him), but not very nimble or coordinated. Maybe he was a bard (he did sing from time to time). And since no one could ever see the snuffleupagus, perhaps it was the one with ninja levels. Or since they were always together maybe BB was a summoner and snuffy was the eidolon. :-)
Dang it Bob! Now we'll have a ton of yellow dyed tengu summoners with furry elephant-like eidolons!
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I'm not sure what Big Bird was. He was always very jovial or personable (everyone loved him), but not very nimble or coordinated. Maybe he was a bard (he did sing from time to time). And since no one could ever see the snuffleupagus, perhaps it was the one with ninja levels. Or since they were always together maybe BB was a summoner and snuffy was the eidolon. :-)Dang it Bob! Now we'll have a ton of yellow dyed tengu summoners with furry elephant-like eidolons!
How about yellow dyed tengu summoners who thought they saw a puddytat eidolon?
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So, when-and-if I get around to a Tengu PC, I am gonna make him so black he looks purple, and call him Rex.
Bard, of course, with one of those pseudo-royalty background traits.
Either that, or hope to GM an all-Tengu party around 5th-7th level, so I can Fireball them and have BBQ bird. ;) Now I want a scenario with a zombie which has a Necklace of Fireballs, and orders to use it. "Welcome to Frieday's Restaurant!"
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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So, when-and-if I get around to a Tengu PC, I am gonna make him so black he looks purple, and call him Rex.
Bard, of course, with one of those pseudo-royalty background traits.
Either that, or hope to GM an all-Tengu party around 5th-7th level, so I can Fireball them and have BBQ bird. ;) Now I want a scenario with a zombie which has a Necklace of Fireballs, and orders to use it. "Welcome to Frieday's Restaurant!"
OT Spoiler
There was much groaning.
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Yellow Corvid
While I appreciate your effort to help others know that there are species of Corvids related to crows that can be yellow, I don't think it helps the conversation.
Tengu are defined by their phenotype, and they aren't yellow for PCs. I'm not saying that it is impossible for them to exist. I'm just saying that while IRL humans can be naturally blonde, I'd not expect to find a blonde Japanese person in medieval Europe.
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The 'Winter Feathers' spell specifically allows for a feathered creature's feathers to turn white... since Tengu aren't exactly the most 'tidy' of creatures it doesn't seem too out of the question for their 'white' feathers to have 'yellowed'... that's what you get for playing with carrion.
Thinking on this a bit further... I don't really see any reason for this to be an issue. Bird feathers yellow with age, damage, exposure to chemicals, sunlight, whatever... A 'weathered' looking yellow/black Tengu sounds pretty cool to me.
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So, when-and-if I get around to a Tengu PC, I am gonna make him so black he looks purple, and call him Rex.
Bard, of course, with one of those pseudo-royalty background traits.
Either that, or hope to GM an all-Tengu party around 5th-7th level, so I can Fireball them and have BBQ bird. ;) Now I want a scenario with a zombie which has a Necklace of Fireballs, and orders to use it. "Welcome to Frieday's Restaurant!"
OT Spoiler
** spoiler omitted **
A group called the Morganites. Whose keyline is, "That's what SHE said." and laughing. Wound up with my Cha 8 archer with a couple of castings of Tasha's Hideous Laughter. DC? Ugly.
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Tengu are defined by their phenotype, and they aren't yellow for PCs. I'm not saying that it is impossible for them to exist. I'm just saying that while IRL humans can be naturally blonde, I'd not expect to find a blonde Japanese person in medieval Europe.
But you could expect to see a blonde haired Tien in Golarion. Just as I would have no concern seeing a red goat legged woman in a bar, nor a human maid with a half orc child, or even *gasp* a human paladin with red eyes played by an 11 year who thinks it looks cool phenotypes be damned
It seems as though W.Kristoph Nolen has decided that due to phenotype restrictions there can be no humans, with eye colors other than hazel, light brown, blue, green, and dark brown. Albinos can have pink, but because that is a genetic mutation not covered within pathfinder society rules, pink may be illegal as well.
If Tengus are not capable of dying their plumage, that means hair color for most races will be rather limited as well. The old racial boon was called corvid blooded, not crow blooded, not raven blooded, not black bird blooded, but corvid blooded. I showed proof of a yellow corvid if you did not find it useful you should have moved on if I felt it did not add to the conversation I would not of posted.
Arguing Earth genetics in a fantasy game is silly sir. So here is another picture A real black bird with yellow plumage
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I want to reiterate:
I'm not for banning a yellow Tengu.
There are methods by which a Tengu could become yellow.
By the way the Tengu is written up, birth is not one of them.
I don't see the issue with someone being required to say they use dye to be yellow. Since its essentially fluff, they wouldn't even have to buy the dye.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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I suppose the question is: are yellow-feathered Tengu more like a blond human, or a human with lemon-yellow skin?
I'm likely to join Andrew's ruling: the local player will need some means --natural or magical -- to keep his Tengu's feathers dyed. I don't think it will be a big deal, unless he really wants to be a natural canary yellow.
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I want to reiterate:
I'm not for banning a yellow Tengu.
There are methods by which a Tengu could become yellow.
By the way the Tengu is written up, birth is not one of them.
I don't see the issue with someone being required to say they use dye to be yellow. Since its essentially fluff, they wouldn't even have to buy the dye.
Thus making this an absolutely, completely meaningless distinction because of the fluff text about tengu. I'm sorry, but telling a player "No, your tengu has to be yellow from dye because reasons" is not conducive to the fact that the goal of the game is fun.
You have no business telling players that their fluff is wrong. Just let the freaking tengu be yellow, especially since corvids can be whatever damn color they please in real life even.
Is it only tengu that get these ridiculous phenotypic restrictions? Are we going to start banning eye, skin, and hair colors for other races?
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I want to reiterate:
I'm not for banning a yellow Tengu.
There are methods by which a Tengu could become yellow.
By the way the Tengu is written up, birth is not one of them.
I don't see the issue with someone being required to say they use dye to be yellow. Since its essentially fluff, they wouldn't even have to buy the dye.
Thus making this an absolutely, completely meaningless distinction because of the fluff text about tengu. I'm sorry, but telling a player "No, your tengu has to be yellow from dye because reasons" is not conducive to the fact that the goal of the game is fun.
You have no business telling players that their fluff is wrong. Just let the freaking tengu be yellow, especially since corvids can be whatever damn color they please in real life even.
Is it only tengu that get these ridiculous phenotypic restrictions? Are we going to start banning eye, skin, and hair colors for other races?
A line has to be drawn somewhere for fluff options, or people will come up with things that just don’t fit in Golarion or with Pathfinder. In this case, color options are given in almost every race, the Tengu being no exception. Most other races give examples of the typical, but don’t seem to restrict the odd. The description of the Tengu gives 3 options without using language that says its typical or usual.
In organized play, you should do your best to stick to what’s written, rather than coming up with things that aren’t specifically described by the game rules.
But let me ask you this, how does it restrict fun if I allow someone to use free dye to be yellow, vs. being born yellow?
And I disagree, Corvid’s in real life, don’t get to choose what color they are.
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But let me ask you this, how does it restrict fun if I allow someone to use free dye to be yellow, vs. being born yellow?And I disagree, Corvid’s in real life, don’t get to choose what color they are.
If I were to sit down at a table and for example, have a tengu oracle who is yellow and his color marks him as a divine conduit, when the DM says "By RAW you can only be a yellow tengu if you dye your feathers" you really can't see the problem with that?
The problem is that when the DM power trips over stupid minutiae like that, OP or no OP, it is over the line of agency between players and the DM.
I'm not sure if you are actually making a point or just snarking me here, but if you are serious, unless you force everyone to roll randomly for their physical characteristics you are just being intentionally obtuse.
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And I disagree, Corvid’s in real life, don’t get to choose what color they are.
I'm trying to determine how you've deduced that a real-life corvid is intelligent enough to be able to contemplate colors.
Yes, they are intelligent, however, we are comparing apples to oranges when comparing real life corvids to game corvids.
The brain-to-body weight ratios of corvid brains are among the largest in birds, equal to that of great apes and cetaceans, and only slightly lower than a human.[6] Their intelligence is boosted by the long growing period of the young. By remaining with the parents, the young have more opportunities to learn necessary skills. Since most corvids are cooperative brooders, their young can learn from different members of the group.[7]
When compared to dogs and cats in an experiment testing the ability to seek out food according to three-dimensional clues, corvids out-performed the mammals.[24] A meta-analysis testing how often birds invented new ways to acquire food in the wild found corvids to be the most innovative birds.[25] A 2004 review suggests that their cognitive abilities are on par with those of great apes.[26] Despite structural differences, the brains of corvids and great apes both evolved the ability to make geometrical measurements.
Corvid ingenuity is represented through their feeding skills, memorization abilities, use of tools, and group behaviour. Living in large social groups has long been connected with high cognitive ability. To live in a large group, a member must be able to recognize individuals and track the social position and foraging of other members over time. Members must also be able to distinguish between sex, age, reproductive status, and dominance, and to update this information constantly. It might be that social complexity corresponds to their high cognition.[27]
The Eurasian Magpie is one of the few non-mammal species known to be able to recognize itself in a mirror test.[28]
There are also specific examples of corvid cleverness. One Carrion Crow was documented to crack nuts by placing them on a crosswalk, letting the passing cars crack the shell, waiting for the light to turn red, and then safely retrieving the contents.[29] A group of crows in England took turns lifting garbage bin lids while their companions collected food.[citation needed]
Members of the corvid family have been known to watch other birds, remember where they hide their food, then return once the owner leaves.[citation needed] Corvids also move their food around between hiding places to avoid thievery, but only if they have previously been thieves themselves i.e., they remember previous relevant social contexts, use their own experience of having been a thief to predict the behavior of a pilferer, and can determine the safest course to protect their caches from being pilfered. Studies to assess similar cognitive abilities in apes have been inconclusive.[30]
The ability to hide food requires highly accurate spatial memories. Corvids have been recorded to recall their food's hiding place up to nine months later. It is suggested that vertical landmarks (like trees) are used to remember locations. There has also been evidence that Western Scrub Jays, which store perishable foods, not only remember where they stored their food, but for how long. This has been compared to episodic memory, previously thought unique to humans.[7]
New Caledonian Crows (Corvus moneduloides) are notable for their highly developed tool fabrication. They make angling tools of twigs and leaves trimmed into hooks, then use the hooks to pull insect larvae from tree holes. Tools are engineered according to task and apparently also to learned preference. Recent studies revealed abilities to solve complicated problems, which suggests high level of innovation of a complex nature.[31] Other corvids that have been observed using tools include the American Crow, Blue Jay and Green Jay. Diversity in tool design among corvids suggests cultural variation. Again, great apes are the only other animals known to use tools in such a fashion.[7]
Clark's Nutcrackers and Jackdaws were compared in a 2002 study based on geometric rule learning. The corvids, along with a domestic pigeon, had to locate a target between two landmarks, while distances and landmarks were altered. The nutcrackers were more accurate in their searches than the jackdaws and pigeons.[32]
The scarecrow is an archetypal scare tactic in the agricultural business. However, due to corvids' quick wit, scarecrows are soon ignored and used as perches. Despite farmers' efforts to rid themselves of corvid pests, their attempts have only expanded corvid territories and strengthened their numbers.[16]
Current systematics places corvids, based on physical characteristics other than their brains (the most developed of birds), in the lower middle of the passerines[vague], contrary to earlier teleological classifications as "highest" songbirds due to their intelligence.
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And I disagree, Corvid’s in real life, don’t get to choose what color they are.
I'm trying to determine how you've deduced that a real-life corvid is intelligent enough to be able to contemplate colors.
Yes, they are intelligent, however, we are comparing apples to oranges when comparing real life corvids to game corvids.
** spoiler omitted **...
It was merely a sarcastic comment in regards to his comment that Corvids get to choose what color they are in real life.
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But let me ask you this, how does it restrict fun if I allow someone to use free dye to be yellow, vs. being born yellow?And I disagree, Corvid’s in real life, don’t get to choose what color they are.
If I were to sit down at a table and for example, have a tengu oracle who is yellow and his color marks him as a divine conduit, when the DM says "By RAW you can only be a yellow tengu if you dye your feathers" you really can't see the problem with that?
The problem is that when the DM power trips over stupid minutiae like that, OP or no OP, it is over the line of agency between players and the DM.
I'm not sure if you are actually making a point or just snarking me here, but if you are serious, unless you force everyone to roll randomly for their physical characteristics you are just being intentionally obtuse.
Why does there have to be immediately an adversarial relationship between GM and player?
I don’t see trying to maintain game world continuity as power tripping.
In a home campaign, GM and Player can work together to come up with whatever reasoning they want to for whatever weirdness that player wants for their character.
In organized play, it is better to err on the side of what’s written, or you can expect at the very least table variance.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Well, Patrick, speaking only for myself, that's not optimal.
Some of the purposes of the organized play environment is to introduce new players to the Pathfinder game system, to the Golarion campaign setting, and to the community of players.
The closer the game is to Golarion norm, the better that purpose is met. PFS doesn't actually meet that goal very closely, and things are getting worse as time goes on, but closer is better.
If every party is "monster squad", then the Pathfinder Socity of PFS OP no longer represents the in-game Pathfinder Society. If you have a natively yellow Tengu, and the game world doesn't allow for them, then your PC no longer represents the kinds of characters in the game world. The same with red-skinned eftreet-blooded human sorcerers, drow-descended elves, or scalykind dwarf druids with scales all over their bodies.
So, that.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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@Saint Caleth
The issue with 'naturally yellow' tengu really is, as others mentioned, part of the nature of the shared world.
For me it's akin to making a 'half elf' that has coal black skin and white hair. Anime laws of physics aside, such combos aren't possible in Golarion with breeding.
Well unless you get a drow in the mix, but not in PFS. :P
Also the problem with such 'skinning' is how they impact the scenario. If the tengu's feathers are yellow because "his color marks him as a divine conduit" does that mean that a scenario where the NPC is more friendly to the character when he has a divine symbol displayed, big bird is going to benefit? How about when they attack the religious characters first?
(Not to mention all the iconics aren't altered just by their class.)
Scenarios can be written to take most 'normal' variences into account. Dog riders vs goblins will almost always react the same way. I keep Dex's bluff and diplomacy fairly high because he knows people will judge him (and I assume scenarios might hinge on) his being a tiefling.
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Well, Patrick, speaking only for myself, that's not optimal.
Some of the purposes of the organized play environment is to introduce new players to the Pathfinder game system, to the Golarion campaign setting, and to the community of players.
The closer the game is to Golarion norm, the better that purpose is met. PFS doesn't actually meet that goal very closely, and things are getting worse as time goes on, but closer is better.
If every party is "monster squad", then the Pathfinder Socity of PFS OP no longer represents the in-game Pathfinder Society. If you have a natively yellow Tengu, and the game world doesn't allow for them, then your PC no longer represents the kinds of characters in the game world. The same with red-skinned eftreet-blooded human sorcerers, drow-descended elves, or scalykind dwarf druids with scales all over their bodies.
So, that.
Great, but I have yet to attend a PFS event that was roleplay-immersive. I've had some that were RP heavy, and some that were RP light, but none were so in tune with the published works that we lost ourselves in the feel of Golarion. That's not something that's likely to happen at a big public event, in fact.
So I feel like we're going to be better off introducing players to having fun. If I sit down at a table and have a GM tell me that my character's feathers are the wrong color and I'm not allowed to play that, you think that's going to really hook the new player at the table? I'm not feeling it.
Besides which, if the goal is to get people hooked on Pathfinder which they will hopefully buy and run at home, they will be able to do all of these reskinnings anyway. Enforcing such a pointless ruling only represents what you can do in PFS, and runs contrary to the idea of hooking people into what a great time we have.
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If at all possible, try not to tell your players "you can't do that" unless it breaks the rules. Even then, see if you can help them come up with a way to make it work. "Wanna be yellow? let's see what we can do..."
That’s what I’ve been saying. But apparently some folks think I’m being too restrictive.
Here’s the deal, I get that some folks want to play a unique character that is (strange, outside the norm, the best at whatever, lone wolf, redeemed evil, outcast, angst ridden, et. al.). I like playing odd characters myself.
But my favorite novels are those where my favorite character at least starts out a bit normal before they become the bees knees. Tavi from “Codex Alera” by James Butcher (albeit he was different because he was normal). Pug and his childhood friend from “Riftwar Saga” by Raymond E. Feist. Rand al’Thor and his childhood friends from “Wheel of Time” by Robert Jordan. Sam from “Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin.
My characters to date are:
Half-orc, Deaf Battle Oracle/Invulnerable Rager Barbarian/Rage Prophet who uses a heavy flail made from the chains of his bondage. He is Andoran to the core, and does not hide his affiliation.
Gnome, Mindchemist (Alchemist) / Luring Cavalier on an Axebeak who is from Cheliax and calls named his mount “Bird” and his porter “Man Servant”.
Nagaji, Saurian Shaman Druid with a Pteranodon animal companion that he rides.
Dwarf, Monk of the Empty Hand with Boar Style adopted by halforcs with a bite attack.
Ifrit, Fighter/Rogue, two-weapon fighter with battle fans and poison from Szarni faction.
Tengu, Court Bard satirist with Antagonize and soon to take Serpent Style
Emberblood Aasimar, Umbral Sorcerer who is bald and albino and worships Abadar.
Each of them becomes unique at the table by the way that I roleplay them, and the things that I have them do. They become unique by the prestige they earn through actions they take. They don’t start out as a deity’s-gift-to-whatever.
So all that being said, I actually take great strides to try and fit these characters into a mindset based on the culture to which they were born, and the things that happened to them leading up to becoming a pathfinder. I actually read up on the world of Golarion based on ideas that I have to make sure something fits before I just create it.
And you don’t need to own a ton of books to do this. The free Pathfinder Wiki has a ton of good information on Golarion that can be used to help create a character.
If you were playing / running a home campaign, my guess is you’d either be required by your GM or require your players to fit their characters not only into your campaign world, but more restrictively into the specific campaign you are running. It wouldn’t be much fun to play a character who sucks at being a Pirate in Skulls and Shackles AP unless you survived to 2nd level and started taking some ranks in climb, swim, and profession sailor, if not also some of the social skills like Diplomacy, Bluff and Intimidate.
So why is it that much to ask that players take the responsibility upon themselves to make sure of three things:
1) They fit their character into the campaign world (Golarion)
2) They fit their character to the specific campaign (Pathfinder Society)
3) And make a good relic hunter.
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So a guy sits at a table with you as another player and during introductions he says:
"I'm running a Half-Orc Barbarian with a heavy flail made from the chains of his bondage" and the judge says "there's no crafting in PFS, you can't do that. Buy a different weapon." how does that make you feel?
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"I'm running a Tengu with yellow feathers as a sign of my divine devotion to the dawnflower" and the judge says "there's no such thing in PFS, you can't do that. Your Tengu's feathers are black." makes me feel much the same way.and worse yet, we've spent over 80 posts discussing this! shesh! do we have a hoard of yellow tengu headed our way? Wait... would that make them common then?
Apples and Oranges nosig, seriously.
1) The alternate racial trait for half-orc chain fighter has language that many half-orcs use the chains of their bondage as part of their chain-like weapons. This trait gives my character the proficiency in flails. There was no crafting going on. It is merely fluff that the chain that is part of the flail happened to be a chain that he was enslaved with. Any GM who wanted to say that I couldn’t claim that piece of chain is part of his weapon would be silly.
2) Tengu are listed as being black, brown, or blue/black iridescent in color. If someone wanted to be yellow, I wouldn’t say no, but I’d find out how they became yellow, as all Tengu are born with the above three color variations. If, as you noted above, the answer was, “I dunno…” I’d take steps to help them figure out why and how. If they say they were born that way, and there isn’t some reason they were born that way, I’d help them figure that out as well. If they were just petulant and said, I just want to be yellow, I don’t care why! Well I don’t know what I’d do, to be frank. Hopefully I never have to find out. But hopefully I’d be able to help them come up with a very good roleplaying reason for the coloration. Would I dismiss it out of hand if they didn’t fit inside my suggestion reason (dye). Probably not. But I wouldn’t just blow it off either.
Really, I’m not being hard-nosed or uber-restrictive or dictatorial, or totalitarian, or power hungry or anything like that.
I just feel that while you say I must respect your choices so you can have fun…
I think you must respect my feelings as far as immersion in Golarion goes.
It’s a two-way street folks. Lets build the story together, and stop this adversarial atmosphere that keeps building up.
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So a guy sits at a table with you as another player and during introductions he says:
"I'm running a Half-Orc Barbarian with a heavy flail made from the chains of his bondage" and the judge says "there's no crafting in PFS, you can't do that. Buy a different weapon." how does that make you feel?
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"I'm running a Tengu with yellow feathers as a sign of my divine devotion to the dawnflower" and the judge says "there's no such thing in PFS, you can't do that. Your Tengu's feathers are black." makes me feel much the same way.and worse yet, we've spent over 80 posts discussing this! shesh! do we have a hoard of yellow tengu headed our way? Wait... would that make them common then?
WAIT . . . Tengu come in hoards? I thought they came in murders? :-)
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But you could expect to see a blonde haired Tien in Golarion. Just as I would have no concern seeing a red goat legged woman in a bar, nor a human maid with a half orc child, or even *gasp* a human paladin with red eyes played by an 11 year who thinks it looks cool, phenotypes be damned.
It seems as though W.Kristoph Nolen has decided that due to phenotype restrictions there can be no humans, with eye colors other than hazel, light brown, blue, green, and dark brown. Albinos can have pink, but because that is a genetic mutation not covered within pathfinder society rules, pink may be illegal as well.
If Tengus are not capable of dying their plumage, that means hair color for most races will be rather limited as well. The old racial boon was called corvid blooded, not crow blooded, not raven blooded, not black bird blooded, but corvid blooded. I showed proof of a yellow corvid if you did not find it useful you should have moved on if I felt it did not add to the conversation I would not of posted.
Well, Lord Zoom ... the same could be said to you. I offer you the same option that you offered me - if you don't like my opinion, move on. There is no one here that is so stuck on themselves (other than you) that thinks anyone else has more or less right to post on these boards than they do. So ... you'll pardon me if I don't move on, since I have a right to field my opinions as much as the next guy.
But, to the thread itself, I too, would like to reiterate - I did not say anything of the kind or sort that I made any decision about the phenotype of a race they can't be particular things. I am encouraging the OP to find a way to make the character unique in relation to the description of their race given in the books. The word "corvid" itself (and its use on a boon) is irrelavant, because the text refers to what the creatures look like by specific description. They're pretty much largely black, blue-black, purple-black, whatever. They're not yellow. but that doesn't mean that they can't be black, it just means that the player has the opportunity to be a bit more inventive than other players, and figure out a way to be yellow.
Another point that I would like to address is that some posters here are saying that it's "fun". This is much like any other discussion that goes toward individual rights. Sure. You have the right to play the game with others and have fun. ... and more power to you. That's the most important thing about Pathfinder. Unfortunately, you're not at home playing just Pathfinder. You've agreed to play with a whole bunch of other people, and are playing a more specific type of Pathfinder called PFS. And while you have the right to have fun as much as the next guy, (much like any other personal rights) yours end where someone else's begin. I dare say that playing "Big Bird" is nearly asking for grief about playing that character. This is not just about playing a yellow Tengu (corvid or not), it's about wanting to play Big Bird and Snuffleupagus, and whether that's appropriate to PFS or not.
I think that Big Norse Wolf said it best when he said, "Its at least as much about the different underlying philosophies as the tengu itself."
Also, while I was typing that, Andrew Christian said it well -
I just feel that while you say I must respect your choices so you can have fun … I think you must respect my feelings as far as immersion in Golarion goes. It’s a two-way street folks. Lets build the story together, and stop this adversarial atmosphere that keeps building up.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Just a quick question. Let's say I want my draconic heritage dwarf sorcerer to have jet black skin and downward-curving horns like his black dragon forebear. ("The horns? They're just gristle, just for show.") If you're fine with the yellow-by-birth Tengu, are you okay with the black-and-horned-by-birth dwarf?
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So why is it that much to ask that players take the responsibility upon themselves to make sure of three things:
Its not that these things aren't important, its that we don't think that something as minor as a yellow tengu spoils any of them.
1) They fit their character into the campaign world (Golarion)
Any world wide, species wide, or countrywide description of a race, species, or ethnic group is going to be a generalization: something that is true as a general trend but not necessarily for every single individual. There are short ulfen, blonde chelaxians, and albino Mawangi, but there's no point in mentioning them when you're writing a guide to try to sum up such a large aggregate of diverse people in a few sentences.
2) They fit their character to the specific campaign (Pathfinder Society)
The pathfinder society exists in part to provide an in game rationale for disparate, rag tag collections of adventurers to be thrown together almost at random and launched on whacky adventures resulting in their near deaths. Its harder to come up with something that couldn't rationally be fit into the society.
3) And make a good relic hunter.
You don't NEED to be crazy to work for the pathfinder society, but it helps. Someone willing to risk their life dangling off a cliff, their sanity dealing with Eldridge abominations and their very soul tangling with the forces of the undead is by definition NOT going to be normal. Having a physical anomaly to go along with the mental quirk isn't going to inhibit your ability to kill the bad guys, translate the ancient runes or find the fertility goddess statue for the para-countess.
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Just a quick question. Let's say I want my draconic heritage dwarf sorcerer to have jet black skin and downward-curving horns like his black dragon forebear. ("The horns? They're just gristle, just for show.") If you're fine with the yellow-by-birth Tengu, are you okay with the black-and-horned-by-birth dwarf?
Yup.
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The pathfinder society exists in part to provide an in game rationale for disparate, rag tag collections of adventurers to be thrown together almost at random and launched on whacky adventures resulting in their near deaths. Its harder to come up with something that couldn't rationally be fit into the society.
Also this. The reason so many NPC have an initial reaction of "Ugh, Pathfinders" is because the Society fields some of the weirdest bits of crazy you will ever find. Rejects from militaries, criminals on the run, do-gooders who can't seem to fit in within their own church organizations, and all the freaks and weirdos who can't go anywhere else.
For heaven's sake, Tiefling is the new fall fashion, and everybody hates them. Except the Pathfinders. Because who cares? If they get the job done, and don't murder babies while they're at it, their simple existence isn't enough to sully an already iffy reputation.
To expand on my answer to Chris above, if a dwarf with black skin and ram's horns wants to do anything with his life that isn't (1) evil or (2) hiding in a shack in the middle of the woods, he's probably going to become a Pathfinder.
Edit: Also, 37 people have Goblin boons after the last GenCon, and we're concerned about a yellow tengu? Come on. The Society is the catch-all.
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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hehe... yup! He's like almost 3rd level now!Tengu, Court Bard satirist with Antagonize and soon to take Serpent StyleHa! I didn't think you'd really do it! :D
Yep, played with said Bard Tengu, and he was quite a lot of fun, though Andrew "chickened out" and didn't do the voice the whole time... ;)
I keep wanting to play my Tengu Monk with Crane Style myself... :D
