What do YOU think we're still missing, and would like to see?Latin American and Spanish folklore and mythology! Alebrijes, more coatls, moai, Huay Chivo, the cucuy, Marimonda, encantado, the Sayona, the Tunda, the Patasola, nagual, and the weeping woman. So much to draw from!Also, Wes Schneider has asked that you visit his "Ask Wes Schneider Anything" thread as well, so that he can talk monsters with you (and anyone else who has suggestions of neat monsters we haven't done in Pathfinder yet).
Because Wes is our head folklore monster guy, and also an UNREPENTANT THREAD POACHER!
Alternatively, you could start your own thread on this topic too. I love the idea of a group Stump the Monster Experts thread.
But yes, I am also what Sutter said. (Which is also the nicest thing I've been called all day) ;)
And of course there are some other gay male main characters like Skivver in Tim Pratt's City of the Fallen Sky.
And for some reason I picture him as Mr. Friendly from Lost.
|
So...here's a question that's been bugging me for a while. Why is Iomedae not venerated in Korvosa, a city that strives to be as Chelish as possible, while she IS venerated in Magnimar, a city that wanted to divorce itself from that nation? I find it odd that the people in Varisia who are most proud of their Chelaxian heritage favor a Kelish goddess (Sarenrae having more adherents in Korvosa than Iomedae, but trailing behind Abadar and Asmodeus, of course) rather than one of their peoples' own cultural heroes.
Dear Mr Sutter,
I am planning to start a new campaign in the world of Golarion, and I want to tinge the campaign with the color of horror. Is there any Paizo material (adventure path, sourcebook etc) you would suggest for me to take a look to help me set up this mood?
Thank you sir.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Dear Mr Sutter,
I am planning to start a new campaign in the world of Golarion, and I want to tinge the campaign with the color of horror. Is there any Paizo material (adventure path, sourcebook etc) you would suggest for me to take a look to help me set up this mood?
Thank you sir.
You'll definitely want Rule of Fear, the sourcebook for Ustalav, our gothic horror nation. For an AP, the Carrion Crown adventure path (set in that nation) strives to hit as many classic horror tropes as possible, from Frankenstein to Lovecraft to vampires (though of course with new twists).
Enjoy!
|
James, we recently rolled our character's backgrounds but we are having some difficulty having them tie in to Golarion, the game is set in the most present day of Golarion and our characters are of middle age in human terms, but one was supposed to have witness a natural distaster and the other war, even though their backstories tie them to Absalom and the inner sea region, any thoughts on what these events could have been?
James, we recently rolled our character's backgrounds but we are having some difficulty having them tie in to Golarion, the game is set in the most present day of Golarion and our characters are of middle age in human terms, but one was supposed to have witness a natural distaster and the other war, even though their backstories tie them to Absalom and the inner sea region, any thoughts on what these events could have been?
The Goblinblood War would be a good choice, as that drew people from all over, as does the crusade at the Worldwound. As for natural disasters... off the top of my head, I'm not sure what would be right for Absalom, so perhaps make up a tsunami or terrible storm of some sort? I feel like those are probably what would freak Absalom out the most.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What IS the general opinion of most nations about the Pathfinder Society? It seems the more I read of them (especially from the Pathfinder Society unlikable or is it just me? thread) the less awesome they seem to be, utilizing unethical methods and hoarding the info and artifacts for themselves, becoming so bad there's actually a special interest group among them dedicated to steering the Society towards good ends (The Silver Crusade) and one dedicated to advocating for Pathfinder agents treated callously by the Decemvirate (The Shadow Lodge). And their treatment of Eando Kline and his warnings speaks VERY badly of them.
Simply put, it seems like most info we've received on the Pathfinder Society makes them seem more like egotistical jerks, more like Belloc than Indy. More like Heinrich Schliemann than Howard Carter. That they're not concerned with the study and analysis of ancient history, but more with the treasures and magic they left behind, and instead of sharing it with the world, only care about bragging about it to their colleagues.
Contributor
|
James, we recently rolled our character's backgrounds but we are having some difficulty having them tie in to Golarion, the game is set in the most present day of Golarion and our characters are of middle age in human terms, but one was supposed to have witness a natural distaster and the other war, even though their backstories tie them to Absalom and the inner sea region, any thoughts on what these events could have been?The Goblinblood War would be a good choice, as that drew people from all over, as does the crusade at the Worldwound. As for natural disasters... off the top of my head, I'm not sure what would be right for Absalom, so perhaps make up a tsunami or terrible storm of some sort? I feel like those are probably what would freak Absalom out the most.
What about a localized collapse in the Puddles district? The area seems awfully unstable, and I can imagine quite a few people dying in the process.
What IS the general opinion of most nations about the Pathfinder Society? It seems the more I read of them (especially from the Pathfinder Society unlikable or is it just me? thread) the less awesome they seem to be, utilizing unethical methods and hoarding the info and artifacts for themselves, becoming so bad there's actually a special interest group among them dedicated to steering the Society towards good ends (The Silver Crusade) and one dedicated to advocating for Pathfinder agents treated callously by the Decemvirate (The Shadow Lodge). And their treatment of Eando Kline and his warnings speaks VERY badly of them.
Simply put, it seems like most info we've received on the Pathfinder Society makes them seem more like egotistical jerks, more like Belloc than Indy. More like Heinrich Schliemann than Howard Carter. That they're not concerned with the study and analysis of ancient history, but more with the treasures and magic they left behind, and instead of sharing it with the world, only care about bragging about it to their colleagues.
The Pathfinder Society definitely has both positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, they're an organization responsible for acquiring (and in some cases making available) all sorts of information that would otherwise be ignored or lost by a public more interested in survival and mundane concerns. On the other hand, they're frequently looting, breaking laws, and generally stealing items of cultural importance from assorted cultures, out of both greed (intellectual or otherwise) and a paternalistic "we know best" mentality.
When you think about it, even Indiana Jones was always saying "this belongs in a museum!", not "this belongs to the culture that originally created it!" And he's pretty iffy on following local laws or honoring national sovereignty. So it's all varying shades of colonialism, in those respects.
...which, if you're someone like me who LOVES playing with moral ambiguity and situational ethics, is pretty awesome. :) Pathfinders CAN be good guys, but they're not NECESSARILY good guys!
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That makes sense, but it seems to me, just looking through the APs, that the Pathfinders cause more trouble than they fix.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That makes sense, but it seems to me, just looking through the APs, that the Pathfinders cause more trouble than they fix.
The missions where everything goes right are rarely the subject of adventure paths. :)
I'm now imagining the Indiana Jones movie where he says, "This belongs in a museum!" and the owner is like, "Sure--50 bucks." Close up on Indy's face beneath his hat brim as he digs the wad of cash out of his pocket. ROLL CREDITS.
Yeah but it just seems like some of these things would get the Pathfinders banned from a place (Magnimar for example, accidentally summoning a potentially city-destroying tsunami seems like kind of a deal-breaker).
Good point! But that's why we don't presume APs have happened until after *your* PCs have played through them. Having ramifications like that in your own version of Golarion sounds awesome!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
GO FORTH MY MIGHTY STEED UNTO VICTORY!!
I think I'm going to make that canon for my homebrew setting now.
|
|
Yeah but it just seems like some of these things would get the Pathfinders banned from a place (Magnimar for example, accidentally summoning a potentially city-destroying tsunami seems like kind of a deal-breaker).Good point! But that's why we don't presume APs have happened until after *your* PCs have played through them. Having ramifications like that in your own version of Golarion sounds awesome!
Could you clarify what this statement means?
James, what is your take in pathfinders (ei members of the pathfinder society) joining multiple organisations? how would the pathfinder society view such members?
I'd like to know this as well, especially in regards to the Pathfinders that operate out of Heidmarch Manor and the Lodge of Cyphers in Riddleport. Could a person theoretically belong to both organizations?
Could you clarify what this statement means?
JJ has said that the general thought is that the PC's in your campaign are the only PC's in the world. Thus, unless your PC's have done the AP, it hasn't been done.
|
|
Then how does the timeline get updated? I was told each AP is supposed to happen in the AR version of the year it was released, so for example, in 4711, assuming no adventurers were present, the Whispering Tyrant should be rampaging right about now. Same with Ydersius and Rovagug's Spawn, and a large portion of the River Kingdoms should be missing right about now. Just because the PCs weren't there to stop them doesn't mean the villains weren't there.
More to the point, timeline events specifically reference Karzoug's death, indicating that, yes, the events of Rise of the Runelords did happen, but my PC's weren't the ones who did it.
Just because the PCs weren't there to stop them doesn't mean the villains weren't there.
That's actually exactly what it means - until you've run the campaign, the writers don't assume it ever happened. Unless you want it to be otherwise. Or for specific plots like Shattered Star that build on prior APs.
Then how does the timeline get updated?
It doesn't. They've deliberately avoided updating the setting timeline for this exact reason - not everyone runs the campaigns the same way, or comes up with the same results, and they don't want to negate the players' initiative by saying "No, the canon went another way." And yes, it has been stated that if they ever do update the setting timeline, the PCs won't always have won.
The only full exception to this being Shattered Star, which is a sequel to Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Second Darkness (and then there's the Xin-Shalast chapter in Lost Cities of Golaroon which assumes that Rise of the Runelords has happened).
So that means the APs all take place during the same year? I'm confused.It means that if you don't play them, they might never happen at all.
And if you play them in a different order than they came out, then it can still make sense.
So that means the APs all take place during the same year? I'm confused.
Maybe this will help.
I just finished x AP. The events have happened in my game Golarion.
I start Y AP...it is happening after the events in the X AP because I decide to run the world like that...or
If I wanted I could run the events in Y AP to happen when the events of X AP if there is no crossover
Etc.
I other words you have complete freedom to habve the APs happen when ever you want them too. Or not to happen at all.
Pazio(in their wisdom I think) has decided not to make that descision for you.
|
|
But I want my games to reflect Golarion's canon as established in the books as closely as possible, as what scares me more than anything else in Pathfinder is the possibility that a later book will contradict the outcomes of my PCs adventures, and then any subsequent events will not accurately reflect the canon.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That's exactly why they DO NOT force outcomes on you. Because not every party will finish an AP in the same way. In some games Karzoug might have won. In most he lost. In some games Illeosa won. In most she lost. James Jacobs has said that eventually they may have to do a book where they put out canon endings for the APs, but for now the only three that have canon endings (and only if you play Shattered Star) are Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne and Second Darkness. By putting out canon endings, it negates people wanting to go back and play those early adventures, and negates sales from them.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
But I want my games to reflect Golarion's canon as established in the books as closely as possible, as what scares me more than anything else in Pathfinder is the possibility that a later book will contradict the outcomes of my PCs adventures, and then any subsequent events will not accurately reflect the canon.
[IMO]
Golarion's 'metaplot,' in as much as it has one at all, is 'soft,' instead of something that, like the Time of Troubles or Spellplague, will so drastically change things as to make the game all-but unplayable to some.Regardless of the results of individual campaigns, or open-ended APs like Rise of the Runelords, I suspect that Paizo has every intention of continuing to publish stuff about Sandpoint and Varisia, for example, that assumes that some spoiler-y Runelord has not indeed risen and taken over half of the continent. (Indeed, I think I recall James Jacobs mentioning once that he'd love to write a 256 page Sandpoint hardcover, which would be pretty hard to do if it was destroyed by some metaplot shenanigans!)
Same with every other AP. Whatever *might* have gone so terribly wrong at the end of Second Darkness or Legacy of Fire, it apparently didn't, because Paizo doesn't do metaplot like that, and will continue to publish material set in Riddleport or Katapesh under the assumption that whatever worst possible outcome could have happened, did not.
Three cheers and free beers to whatever nameless heroes (insert your PCs here, if you wish) averted said unpleasantness!
[/IMO}
Proof may be in the pudding, as they say. Six months from now, the current Worldwound-centered mythic AP will be wrapping up. If Paizo never again publishes anything about the Worldwound, because 'it's all done and closed up now,' we'll see hard metaplot in action.
Somehow, I suspect that won't be the case, and that Mendev and the Worldwound will still be around, for any number of other PCs to be called to the crusade and for demon-smiting adventures to take place.
|
|
Then what about all the PFS events like killing Krune, or what's been hinted at that a large chunk of metaplot involving Taldor that greatly shakes up the status quo there is going to happen? I don't play PFS, so I was completely unaware of those events, and now I feel like I'll never be fully up-to-date on what REALLY happened in Golarion.
@Archpaladin Zousha: I suggest we continue this else where as this is getting off topic for this thread. Lets start another thread.
Sutter!
That is all :D
HA! Awesome. :D
James, what is your take in pathfinders (ei members of the pathfinder society) joining multiple organisations? how would the pathfinder society view such members?
I suspect the Pathfinders are just fine with it--after all, being a member of other organizations gives Pathfinders all sorts of opportunities and access to information others wouldn't have. Of course, I suspect the Decemvirate would prefer to have their agents loyalties lie first and foremost with the Grand Lodge, but ultimately the Pathfinders are less of a political organization than a scholarly one. As long as you're providing good information and don't rock the boat *too* much, they're probably happy to have you!
And if you play them in a different order than they came out, then it can still make sense.So that means the APs all take place during the same year? I'm confused.It means that if you don't play them, they might never happen at all.
Yes! This.
With mythic adventures out, is there a chance of any future Pathfinder Tales novels that tell a "mythic story"?
I'd really love to see a uniquely Golarion mythic tale.
when are you guys going to get R.A. Salvatore to write a book for Pathfinder Tales?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With mythic adventures out, is there a chance of any future Pathfinder Tales novels that tell a "mythic story"?
I'd really love to see a uniquely Golarion mythic tale.
It's certainly possible! Mythic stories seem harder to fit into my preference for high adventure/low canon impact, but if the right pitch came along, I'd consider it.
when are you guys going to get R.A. Salvatore to write a book for Pathfinder Tales?
A few days after all the editors buy mansions and yachts. Big-name authors like that don't come cheap!
|
|
As the Empyreal Lord Smiad (Also called The Pitiless Dragonslayer, he's an archon, or Lawful Good, EL and exhorts his followers to be honorable and slay evil dragons while aiding good ones) doesn't have a holy symbol in the books (he's one of the lesser ones in the back of Chronicle of the Righteous, and as a result doesn't have a full-page writeup), what, in your mind, would be a good holy symbol for his faithful to use? What would be a good obedience for his cultists to practice?
I provided the extra information as it's become evident to me that nobody at Paizo knows EVERYTHING about the setting due to being divided amongst so many cool projects, so including relevant info is prudent. James certainly hadn't known about Smiad until I asked this question over in his thread.
when are you guys going to get R.A. Salvatore to write a book for Pathfinder Tales?A few days after all the editors buy mansions and yachts. Big-name authors like that don't come cheap!
well, you aren't going to be able to afford him if you're all buying Yachts and McMansions lol, great answer tho:) doesn't hurt to ask.
|
Contributor
|
This article on a really awesome goblet is a good example of Clarke's Third Law.
How does one tell, anyway, the difference between magic and science in Golarion? Can we have alien tech that seems like magic and magic that seems like alien tech in Iron Gods?
What do you have against sammichs ?
Ain't nothin' wrong w' sammichs! I eat one every day, at this very desk!
This article on a really awesome goblet is a good example of Clarke's Third Law.
How does one tell, anyway, the difference between magic and science in Golarion? Can we have alien tech that seems like magic and magic that seems like alien tech in Iron Gods?
Yes! I think the line is actually really, really blurry, especially when you think of the laws of magic as simply physical laws different from our own. Certain types of magic may be more "scientific" than others--the wizard who seeks to understand the principles versus the cleric who just asks and receives--but "technology" is just another way of manipulating reality according to its laws.
when are you guys going to get R.A. Salvatore to write a book for Pathfinder Tales?A few days after all the editors buy mansions and yachts. Big-name authors like that don't come cheap!
You got Ed Greenwood, didn't you?