James what would you think if you saw a 3pp book, a large one at that, just of new classes?
I refuse to comment on books that other folks might be putting out at the moment. :)
That said, I make no secret of the fact that I like fluff *way* more than crunch. (Shocking from the Fiction Editor, I'm sure.) For me, the game's all about storytelling, and while other folks are welcome to go nuts with mechanical customizations, and I can appreciate elegance of design and the cool new storytelling possibilities new classes can present, I generally try to keep things simple for myself so I can focus on the story. In my home games, I tend to let people play whatever crazy classes and races they want, but I let them know that the burden is on *them* to know how their characters work--I've already got my hands full with monsters and NPCs!
How long has Apostae been in orbit?
Is it in orbit to the Sun? Or is it orbiting around Golarion?
When did Aucturn first appear in the Golarion solar system?
Also if you could pic 10 monsters from movies/TV shows that you could use for pathfinder without legal issue what would they be?
You can pic anything even if copyrighted.
How long has Apostae been in orbit?
Is it in orbit to the Sun? Or is it orbiting around Golarion?
Apostae is in orbit around the sun, not Golarion. As for how long it's been there... I'd rather keep that under my hat for the time being. :)
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When did Aucturn first appear in the Golarion solar system?
Also if you could pic 10 monsters from movies/TV shows that you could use for pathfinder without legal issue what would they be?
You can pic anything even if copyrighted.
Aucturn: Ain't tellin'! :D
Monsters: Hmm... I don't have time to think of all ten right now, but I think the top of the list would definitely be the xenomorph from the Alien movies! Followed by a bunch of China Mieville monsters like the khepri... that dude's got a hell of an imagination...
What are the chances of seeing a Salim fig?
High, I hope!
I just picked up this anthology of short stories entitled Human Tales. Gee, I wonder, which story should I read first? ;)
I just picked up this anthology of short stories entitled Human Tales. Gee, I wonder, which story should I read first? ;)
Whoah! That's one of the lesser-known anthologies I've been in, so you get mad literary cool points for supporting small presses. :D
I just picked up this anthology of short stories entitled Human Tales. Gee, I wonder, which story should I read first? ;)Whoah! That's one of the lesser-known anthologies I've been in, so you get mad literary cool points for supporting small presses. :D
What can I say? I like to sneak around in dark, creepy places, listening to the stories that humans never hear. Small, independent presses do the best job of telling them. :)
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Id just like to say thanks James for your work on Port Godless. I particularly like Rahadoum because of it's rejection of the divine.. (and all the misfortune that comes with that) and its a very interesting place to try out some different ideals.
If I might ask however, as the Jistka Imperium was located in much of Rahadoum a long time ago.. does any of their influence /cultural ways stretch into what Rahadoum is today? They have often been described as technically proficient... were they a particularly religious society?
Whats the Rhadoumi policy on druidism? It would seem to solve most of their problems with needing divine magic without needing a deity. (which I suppose makes it a bad thing to do story wise...)
Hey James, I have a question about Aucturn. I'm trying to get a handle on the Citadel of the Black: it's described as a city, so about how many inhabitants (I was going to say "people," but yeah...) live there? It's described as having "skin domes and bone spires." Are these the equivalent of buildings on other worlds, or is the whole place encased in a gigantic cyst like some god-awful snow-globe? Is it similar to more conventional cities, with inns, shops, marketplaces, temples, barracks, etc.?
To put it another way, could you reveal anything more about this place? I'd very much appreciate it.
Hi GV!
In my mind, the skin-domes and jagged spines are definitely more like buildings and discrete structures--think of the creepiest city you can imagine. Beyond that, however, I'm afraid I can't reveal any more information--I try to never introduce canon on the messageboards, and Aucturn is one of the bigger mysteries in our game!
So the First World is a beta-test version of Golarion, a discarded creation attempt that was overridden and pushed aside by the eventual arrival of what later became true Golarion. Do other planets, therefore, have their own distinct First Worlds? Or is there one First World hidden behind the backdrop of all reality?
If the former, are there some worlds that got it right on the first try - say, Castrovel? And perhaps some that have "killed off" their First World equivalent, (re-)merged with it, or otherwise removed it from existence somehow?
Id just like to say thanks James for your work on Port Godless. I particularly like Rahadoum because of it's rejection of the divine.. (and all the misfortune that comes with that) and its a very interesting place to try out some different ideals.
If I might ask however, as the Jistka Imperium was located in much of Rahadoum a long time ago.. does any of their influence /cultural ways stretch into what Rahadoum is today? They have often been described as technically proficient... were they a particularly religious society?
Thank you! Rahadoum is probably my favorite country in the campaign setting (and not just because Salim from Death's Heretic is Rahadoumi), so it's nice to see other people excited about it as well. :)
While I don't recall off the top of my head if Jistka was particularly religious, there's definitely plenty of Jistkan architecture and other elements that managed to be repurposed by current Rahadoumi society, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some cultural traditions that could be traced back that far as well. That said, the atheism of Rahadoum was a direct reaction to a period of religious feuding, rather than something that had been building over time. (In fact, it was all the religious zealotry in the area that eventually *caused* the backlash against organized religion and spawned Rahadoumi atheism.)
Hope that helps! If you want more information on the Jistka Imperium, check out Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Kingdoms.
So the First World is a beta-test version of Golarion, a discarded creation attempt that was overridden and pushed aside by the eventual arrival of what later became true Golarion. Do other planets, therefore, have their own distinct First Worlds? Or is there one First World hidden behind the backdrop of all reality?
If the former, are there some worlds that got it right on the first try - say, Castrovel? And perhaps some that have "killed off" their First World equivalent, (re-)merged with it, or otherwise removed it from existence somehow?
There's just one First World--it's the beta-test version of *the entire Material Plane*. The portions we've described are the sections closest to/behind Golarion (and possibly other planets in Golarion's solar system--distance is fluid in the First World). But if you went to another galaxy or solar system on the Material Plane and then stepped through to the First World, you'd still be in the First World--just a part of it so distant that it might be unrecognizable, and perhaps never before visited by folk from Golarion.
As for places that "got it right"--some places are probably more similar to the First World, and there may even be planets and civilizations out there that managed to tear huge holes between the two planes and let people and energy pass back and forth, but I think those are quite rare.
Whats the Rhadoumi policy on druidism? It would seem to solve most of their problems with needing divine magic without needing a deity. (which I suppose makes it a bad thing to do story wise...)
Rahadoum probably doesn't have a big problem with druids in theory, as they're not really worshiping a particular entity that hands down dogma, etc. That said, I think it's hard for a druid to prove that she's not secretly a priest of Gozreh, and there will always be occasional overzealous atheists who presume that *any* divine magic comes ultimately from a god and is thus a corrupting influence. But as far as the actual Laws of Man are concerned, the whole point is to avoid being a puppet of a *god*--folks are welcome to consider and adhere to any secular philosophies they like, and the Green Faith is really more akin to that than an established church.
But of course, everyone interprets laws differently, and it's easy to have variation among people and across regions.
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Going with the Rahadoum flow:
1. Who designed the national symbol for them, I'm pretty it's my favorite (just barely beating out Ustalav).
2. What are their opinions on arcane magic? Are Bards and Wizards welcome or are ALL spellcasters looked upon with scrutiny?
3. How would they react to a demigod or to a mythic character with the Divine Source ability coming to Rahadoum?
4.Their opinion of Outsiders in general?
5. Is Ceyanan an Angel or a Psychopomp?
1) I don't remember! But it wasn't me.
2) Rahadoumi LOVE arcane spellcasters, and bards and folks who can heal without using divine magic are *highly* prized. (Short of maybe Razmiran, Rahadoum's probably the place in the Inner Sea region where bards can make the best living off their casting abilities.) The Rahadoumi consider themselves an advanced, educated, philosophical society, so they're all about magic--just not if it requires selling your soul.
3) I think there'd be a variety of reactions! On the one hand, some folks would be like "Hell yeah! Don't serve the gods--BE YOUR OWN!" Harnessing divine power through your own unique abilities rather than any soul-selling or worship could be spun as the ultimate finger in the deific eye, especially if you're giving out divine magic to mortals and asking nothing in return. That said, I imagine other folks would see you as just another god, and be highly suspicious of you. Of course, if you started demanding any sort of worship/compensation/allegiance in exchange for power, then I think most Rahadoumis would immediately write you off as more of the same.
4) I don't think they have a problem with outsiders unless said outsiders are direct servitors of a deity. Or, ya know, if they get in people's faces and try to push their dogma.
5) Ceyanan's a unique pyschopomp--one of the Ushers that run the Spire. When I wrote the first novel, we actually hadn't adopted the term psychopomp yet (crazy, right?), so I just used the word "angel," since that's what he looks like. In the new book, The Redemption Engine, the language gets cleared up. And Ceyanan's actually got a pretty interesting backstory of his own--part of why he looks different than a lot of psychopomps--which I hope to get into in a future book. :D
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1) I don't remember! But it wasn't me.
2) Rahadoumi LOVE arcane spellcasters, and bards and folks who can heal without using divine magic are *highly* prized. (Short of maybe Razmiran, Rahadoum's probably the place in the Inner Sea region where bards can make the best living off their casting abilities.) The Rahadoumi consider themselves an advanced, educated, philosophical society, so they're all about magic--just not if it requires selling your soul.
3) I think there'd be a variety of reactions! On the one hand, some folks would be like "Hell yeah! Don't serve the gods--BE YOUR OWN!" Harnessing divine power through your own unique abilities rather than any soul-selling or worship could be spun as the ultimate finger in the deific eye, especially if you're giving out divine magic to mortals and asking nothing in return. That said, I imagine other folks would see you as just another god, and be highly suspicious of you. Of course, if you started demanding any sort of worship/compensation/allegiance in exchange for power, then I think most Rahadoumis would immediately write you off as more of the same.
4) I don't think they have a problem with outsiders unless said outsiders are direct servitors of a deity. Or, ya know, if they get in people's faces and try to push their dogma.
5) Ceyanan's a unique pyschopomp--one of the Ushers that run the Spire. When I wrote the first novel, we actually hadn't adopted the term psychopomp yet (crazy, right?), so I just used the word "angel," since that's what he looks like. In the new book, The Redemption Engine, the language gets cleared up. And Ceyanan's actually got a pretty interesting backstory of his own--part of why he looks different than a lot of psychopomps--which I hope to get into in a future book. :D
1. Another acceptable answer would have been: I don't remember, but it was me :3
2. Thought so, was just wanting to make sure.
3. This is... Incredibly fascinating. So much that can be done with this.
5. Oooo cool
Also did you like the new artwork for the Yamaraj?
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Yeah when I originally created my character for a Pathfinder Society game I decided early on I wanted to play a Wizard and he would HAVE to be from Rahadoum. The Country just screamed out as a place that attracted thinkers and arcane spellcaster types (in much the same way Nex does.. another very interesting locale).
3) Im not sure that a person acquiring deific powers would be all that tolerated in Rahadoum. People know that the starstone lets people become 'gods'. Norgorber has done it, Iomedae and so on. In the end you have people worshipping a god to get powers. With Wizardry you learn via rote. Saying words in x order while doing Y with hand movements. With Bards and Sorcs the power comes from within. With Clerical magic you are relying on the outside power. If they decide no more for you, then no more for you.
And of course new gods bring new cults, feverent believers who believe their way is the right way. Its another group the Pure Legion would have to keep tabs on.
Any chance we can get you to start using "maltheism" instead of "atheism" to describe Rahadoum?
Also did you like the new artwork for the Yamaraj?
I like 'em both!
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Any chance we can get you to start using "maltheism" instead of "atheism" to describe Rahadoum?
That boat has sailed, but I concede that such a term would be more accurate, and we address that issue outright in Faiths & Philosophies.
The Rahadoumis reject your attempt to impose dogmatic linguistic principles upon their freedom! :-P
On the topic of religion terminology, can we stop using pantheism to mean polytheism? The Green Faith is pantheistic. Elves worshiping >1 god are not pantheistic.
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How can Rahadoum consider itself an advanced, educated, ethical and philosophical society if they still condone the practice of slavery? I'd have thought a nation of atheists would show a little more concern for human rights.
Maybe they only enslave religious people?
"Well he had fully enslaved himself to that silly bird thing above skies so I don't really see any differance in his situation now. At least now he's productive to society."
In the real world, there's not really been a clear correlation between dislike of slavery/respect for human rights and religious stance.
Most modern day Christians and Moslems consider slavery abhorrent, but go back a bit over a century, (or less in the case of some Moslem nations), and you'll find members of both religions claiming that slavery is good (for instance slave-owners in the US south, Cuba, and Brazil) because of their religious beliefs - but go back roughly two centuries, and the man leading the abolition movement in the British Parliament will tell you that he's doing so because of his religious beliefs.
Similarly, most modern atheists are against slavery, but go back 75 years, and you'll find a Germany that's run by a very anti-religious group that's a-okay with slavery as long as the slaves in question aren't "Aryan".
On the topic of religion terminology, can we stop using pantheism to mean polytheism? The Green Faith is pantheistic. Elves worshiping >1 god are not pantheistic.
Yeah, that was a terminology error we're all now aware of, and on the lookout for.
How can Rahadoum consider itself an advanced, educated, ethical and philosophical society if they still condone the practice of slavery? I'd have thought a nation of atheists would show a little more concern for human rights.
As has been noted, just because you consider *yourself* ethical and philosophical doesn't mean that it's true. And while slavery as an institution is obviously abhorrent to us, there's still the old "product of their time and place" argument--the idea that people can be terribly wrong about something and still be basically good folks. People tend to conform to the norms of their society.
That said, I would imagine/hope that there's a lot less slavery in Rahadoum than, say, Katapesh, specifically for the reasons you mention--it's a very easy logical leap to say that if folks shouldn't be slaves to gods, they shouldn't be slaves to other humans, either.
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That said, I would imagine/hope that there's a lot less slavery in Rahadoum than, say, Katapesh, specifically for the reasons you mention--it's a very easy logical leap to say that if folks shouldn't be slaves to gods, they shouldn't be slaves to other humans, either.
That logic might even serve as a jumping off point for there to be a burgeoning abolitionist movement in Rahadoum. Some Inner Sea nations are portrayed as firmly A or firmly B (although several, such as Andoran, Osirion and Cheliax have underdone significant changes in the last century or so), so it might be interesting to have some kind of caught in a moment of transition, neither fish, nor fowl (and not in the same sort of way that Galt has been caught in a revolution / regime change that won't end).
It might make that sort of 'transitioning' country a bit more adventurer friendly, in that they are in a place where change is occurring around them, and where, if they play their cards right, they can help to steer it in whatever direction suits their own beliefs or agendas. That sort of option wouldn't come up in, say, Taldor, or even Qadira, where nothing has really changed for centuries, if not millennia, and the nature of the government / society would push back against anyone attempting to change anything.
James, I have started a poll over in general:
How many rounds does a typical encounter last for your group?
How many encounters per in-game "day"?
How many encounters per gaming session?
And for you devs:
How many of each do you design a AP for?
Finally do you mind if I include your answers in my poll?
1)How do Lashunta men treat non-lashunta woman?
2)How do Lashunta women treat non-lashunta men?
3)Other then elves what do Lashunta think of the core races?
4)What do they think of Catfolk, Ratfolk, Lizardfolk, Grippli, and any other animal based humanoids?
5)Do they have enemies other then Formians?
How Masonic in feel do you imagine the Pathfinder Society to be, what with its lodges and general trappings? I was watching The Man Who Would Be King the other day and it hit me like a bolt — this whole element of the society that I had been missing out on.
Do you have any advice for turning up the volume on that parallel? We've been likening Aroden to Hiram Abiff (based on little else but the Absalom connection)...
How Masonic in feel do you imagine the Pathfinder Society to be, what with its lodges and general trappings? I was watching The Man Who Would Be King the other day and it hit me like a bolt — this whole element of the society that I had been missing out on.
Do you have any advice for turning up the volume on that parallel? We've been likening Aroden to Hiram Abiff (based on little else but the Absalom connection)...
I don't really link Aroden to the Pathfinder Society, but I think the idea of playing up the Society's more Masonic elements seems rad! While they're not as secretive and into rituals as, say, the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye, there's still an element of that, for sure. I guess my advice would be to look into real-world secret societies, which it sounds like you're already doing! Might be worth starting a new thread to share what you come up with...?
James, I have started a poll over in general:
How many rounds does a typical encounter last for your group?How many encounters per in-game "day"?
How many encounters per gaming session?
And for you devs:
How many of each do you design a AP for?
Finally do you mind if I include your answers in my poll?
Only have a moment to answer, but:
1) Maybe three?
2) My group's pretty good about that... I think they've only slept twice in the time it's taken them to get most of the way through The Asylum Stone! So I'm not sure, but a bunch.
3) Two or three solid fights? (I've got a huge group, which makes things take longer.)
4) There are all sorts of calculations that go into the number of encounters per AP, having to do with the amount of experience needed to achieve the number of levels we want for that adventure. I'll let one of the AP developers answer that one. :)
5) Go for it!
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1)How do Lashunta men treat non-lashunta woman?
2)How do Lashunta women treat non-lashunta men?
3)Other then elves what do Lashunta think of the core races?
4)What do they think of Catfolk, Ratfolk, Lizardfolk, Grippli, and any other animal based humanoids?
5)Do they have enemies other then Formians?
1 and 2) I suspect they treat them like they'd treat other Lashunta, with the full range of possibilities that implies--there are Lashunta saints and Lashunta jerks, and everything in between, just like other races. That said, I suspect that average Lashunta talking to average humans find the humans a little underwhelming...
3) I think they'd probably get along well with dwarves and half-orcs (so burly!), be fascinated by gnomes and halflings (so small! so different!), be a little bored by humans...
4) Gonna skip this one, as I could write all day about this stuff, but then nothing would get edited. :)
5) Racially? Not really. But then, as I've said before, it's hard for me to talk about race-wide traits, in that it presents races as monocultures, which is something I've never bought into. Individual lashunta are as different from each other as individual humans! As a result, most lashunta enemies are probably other lashunta, or monsters that have harmed them or their homes, etc.
1)Do the vercites still have the know how, recources, tech, etc. to create another kaiju like the star titan?
2)Do they know what happened to the star titan?
3)What are the odds of Kaiju being found on Akiton, Castrovel, or Verces?
4)Do the Eoxians really know the bullet they dodged when they sent the star titan to Golarion?
Is it just me, or do the classes in the Advanced Class playtest seem like they were written by the Department of Redundancy Department?
I don't think your question is a question.
If you had the power to make the iconic character for one Advanced Class Guide class into a grippli, which class would you choose?
Are the red skin human like race(name still pending) of Akiton just humans or a different race that would require there own stats? I would think there would some difference to humans since they live a planet with lower gravity.
If you had the power to make the iconic character for one Advanced Class Guide class into a grippli, which class would you choose?
Tonguerager.
Are the red skin human like race(name still pending) of Akiton just humans or a different race that would require there own stats? I would think there would some difference to humans since they live a planet with lower gravity.
Haven't decided yet. :)
If you had the power to make the iconic character for one Advanced Class Guide into a grippli, which class would you choose?Tonguerager
Funnily enough I had a girlfriend who used to call me that.
If you had the power to make the iconic character for one Advanced Class Guide class into a grippli, which class would you choose?Tonguerager.
Not sure if silly or bloodrager nickname. D =