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What, in your mind, is the coolest melee weapon in all of Golarion?
And what, in your mind, is the cutest and most adorable of all available familiars?
I still have a soft spot for bastard swords, after all these years. Fairly traditional, but so cool!
As for familiars... there are so many good ones, but I'm going to go with the sin seeker from Pathfinder #73. I may, in fact, already have plans for one of those with regard to fiction. The potential for comedy just seems endless. :D
Can you give me an idea of the general lay out and dimensions of Thrown Bones in Kaer Maga? I'm planning on using it for an encounter inspired by the climatic fight against the Crazy 88 from Kill Bill.
Some more "Edjumacation" for you!
Tails is actually a nickname for Sonic's laughably underaged sidekick: his full name is Miles Prowler, which is referenced throughout the series as sort of an Easter Egg. In Tails' original debut in Japan, however, the nickname was never used; he was simply Miles Prowler. When Sonic was ported to American systems, however, Sega of America wanted to rename the character "Tails" because they wanted something "hip" and "cool" for Sonic's sidekick because Sega's American marketing strategy at the time tried to emphasize to kids that Sega was "cooler" than Nintendo.
Eventually the two groups came to a compromise; the character's full name would be Miles Prowler and his nickname would be "Tails." This was carried out in both the English and Japanese versions of every game since Sonic 2 in Japan, and in America it has always been the norm.
Now, let's talk about why Sonic games abruptly changed the character's name from "Dr. Robotnik" to "Eggman" starting in Sonic Adventure. In actuality, the character's name had always been Eggman in Japan; as you can tell, the Japanese creators enjoyed being light-hearted with character names. Bringing it over to America, I imagine the name was changed because Eggman doesn't sound nearly as imposing as Dr. Robotnik.
Anyway, starting in Sonic Adventures, Sega once again combined both English and Japanese names together; the character's true name is Dr. Ivan Robotnik, but Eggman is an insulting nickname given to the Dr. by Sonic himself. Apparently Dr. Robotnik pulled a Tyrion Lannister and decided that the nickname couldn't upset him if he wore it like armor, so he demands that EVERYONE call him The Eggman now.
The more you know!
Question: ARE YOU EDUCATED NOW?!?!?!
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Hi James thanks for answering the questions.
So first when will we see the operation banjo thug single? I want to hear more of your stuff (already have the stuff off your site. It is cool.)
Second is there any chance we will be seeing any of the pathfinder tales going to audible?
Third since you are the fiction editor am I completely making an ass of myself to assume you edited the new audiobook of Rise of the Runelords that is suppose to be coming out this year or is that done by bigfinish?
Some more "Edjumacation" for you!
Tails is actually a nickname for Sonic's laughably underaged sidekick: his full name is Miles Prowler, which is referenced throughout the series as sort of an Easter Egg. In Tails' original debut in Japan, however, the nickname was never used; he was simply Miles Prowler. When Sonic was ported to American systems, however, Sega of America wanted to rename the character "Tails" because they wanted something "hip" and "cool" for Sonic's sidekick because Sega's American marketing strategy at the time tried to emphasize to kids that Sega was "cooler" than Nintendo.
Eventually the two groups came to a compromise; the character's full name would be Miles Prowler and his nickname would be "Tails." This was carried out in both the English and Japanese versions of every game since Sonic 2 in Japan, and in America it has always been the norm.
Now, let's talk about why Sonic games abruptly changed the character's name from "Dr. Robotnik" to "Eggman" starting in Sonic Adventure. In actuality, the character's name had always been Eggman in Japan; as you can tell, the Japanese creators enjoyed being light-hearted with character names. Bringing it over to America, I imagine the name was changed because Eggman doesn't sound nearly as imposing as Dr. Robotnik.
Anyway, starting in Sonic Adventures, Sega once again combined both English and Japanese names together; the character's true name is Dr. Ivan Robotnik, but Eggman is an insulting nickname given to the Dr. by Sonic himself. Apparently Dr. Robotnik pulled a Tyrion Lannister and decided that the nickname couldn't upset him if he wore it like armor, so he demands that EVERYONE call him The Eggman now.
The more you know!
Question: ARE YOU EDUCATED NOW?!?!?!
WHOAH! That's some serious continuity. I bow before your video game knowledge. :D
Can you give me an idea of the general lay out and dimensions of Thrown Bones in Kaer Maga? I'm planning on using it for an encounter inspired by the climatic fight against the Crazy 88 from Kill Bill.
I honestly haven't thought about it yet, so go with your gut--that Kill Bill scene sounds like great place to start!
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Hi James thanks for answering the questions.
So first when will we see the operation banjo thug single? I want to hear more of your stuff (already have the stuff off your site. It is cool.)
Second is there any chance we will be seeing any of the pathfinder tales going to audible?
Third since you are the fiction editor am I completely making an ass of myself to assume you edited the new audiobook of Rise of the Runelords that is suppose to be coming out this year or is that done by bigfinish?
Oh man, I should have checked my thread first--I totally just threadjacked Jacobs to answer you there. In terms of my music, though: thank you for checking it out! I'm actually halfway through recording a debut demo/EP for my new band, Brides of the Lizard God. We're kind of a goofy self-aware hair metal band, but with a ton of different influences--metal and punk and screamo and big arena rock all rolled together with songs about dragons and space battles. :) Hoping to be able to show that to the world in the next few months!
As for Pathfinder Tales and Audible, I'm positive that we'll be getting Pathfinder Tales into audiobook form in the next few years, but exactly how is up in the air right now as we juggle different business options.
Big Finish is producing the Runelords audio drama, but I was indeed involved in the script reviews for that! A lot of times for licensed stuff like that and the comic books, I'm less of a hands-on editor/developer (though there's some of that) and more of an approvals guy, but I'm usually still a part of it, unless I'm totally buried in work (in which case I trust the other folks involved, like Erik, to catch the things I'd catch).
Speaking of Big Finish - what are the chances of a Pathfinder/Dr Who cross-over? (And how would Erik Mona react to it?)
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Speaking of Big Finish - what are the chances of a Pathfinder/Dr Who cross-over? (And how would Erik Mona react to it?)
If it ever becomes possible, Erik will make it happen. But you'll never get to hear it, because Vic Wertz and Mark Moreland will buy up every copy and hide them in their secret Who Lairs.
And yeah... there's quite a few sci-fi enthusiasts at Paizo. I'm one of them, but James Sutter's a bigger one.
Knowing this:
How excited are you about Iron Gods?Did you work on Iron Gods at all?
I know the Silver Mount is a human spaceship from a different galaxy, anything else about it you'd like to spill the beans on?
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And yeah... there's quite a few sci-fi enthusiasts at Paizo. I'm one of them, but James Sutter's a bigger one.Knowing this:
How excited are you about Iron Gods?
Did you work on Iron Gods at all?
I know the Silver Mount is a human spaceship from a different galaxy, anything else about it you'd like to spill the beans on?
1) Very! I wish I could have been more involved, but...
2) The timing just didn't work out. I desperately wanted to work on this AP, but the deadlines conflicted with me finishing up The Redemption Engine, and it turns out that the only thing I love more than writing game books about aliens and spaceships is writing novels about Salim and Kaer Maga. :) Fortunately, though, Jacobs and the AP team were kind enough to talk over all the outer space stuff with me in the planning stages so we could make sure our ideas about space aligned.
3) Those aren't my beans to spill, so you'll just have to wait. :D
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Is there a man on the Silver Mount? :P
Probably!
So I'm working on a shobhad character and I'm kind of stumped on the name. Any advice for a language to use as a frame work?
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So I'm working on a shobhad character and I'm kind of stumped on the name. Any advice for a language to use as a frame work?
Hmm... it could go a lot of different ways, but off the top of my head, maybe Arabic? I see their language as having a bit of a Middle Eastern feel.
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1) Given that there are gnomes on Triaxus that also exited the First World there, and the First World covers the entirety of the Material Plane, are gnomes on other planets in the same solar system as Golarion, like Castrovel or Akiton?
2) With Castrovel being a giant jungle planet, I was wondering what other races besides elves, formians, and lashunta might be on the planet. I figure it's pretty obvious that there's about as much a chance of aasimar, ifrits, oreads, sylphs, tieflings, and undines showing up there as anywhere in the material plane, but might there be other races on Golarion also on Castrovel? I was thinking I could imagine catfolk, grippli, lizardfolk, maybe kobolds or goblins/monkey goblins (especially if the goblin legend of their origin from the barghest demigods is correct, since outer planes creatures might have gone on multiple planets on the material planes), maybe aranea or nagas (and thus nagaji?), vanaras...what'd be your off-the-cuff reaction? Yes, they are there though nowhere near as dominant as elves/formians/lashunta, nope, those are all purely Golarion critters and Castrovel has its own unique races, some yes, some no, no comment your honor?
3) Since you're more or less the space guy, had any interesting thoughts about the outer dragons from Bestiary 4, and how they might interact with different planets? Makes me wonder how the inhabitants of Triaxus might react to totally unknown types of dragons flying in from space...or are they totally unknown? Or perhaps the possible presence of void dragons associated with Aucturn...or outer dragons preying on omas.
1) Almost certainly. Their cultures and evolution may have gone in divergent directions, but I'd be shocked if they all ended up on Golarion (or stayed there, given their lust for new experiences).
2) I'd say it's a bit of both. You almost certainly have some of those races on those planets, presumably with minor physiological differences, but you'd also see a lot of unique races. I don't think we've even begun to scratch the surface of all the different races in Golarion's solar system. Life is endlessly innovative.
3) I haven't really thought a lot about the effects of outer dragons, since they're so rare, but the image of one of them attacking an oma is totally badass! What an encounter that would make, having to defend your space whale from inside its belly! :D
So I'm working on a shobhad character and I'm kind of stumped on the name. Any advice for a language to use as a frame work?Hmm... it could go a lot of different ways, but off the top of my head, maybe Arabic? I see their language as having a bit of a Middle Eastern feel.
That was actually one of the first things I considered, but was hoping to go another way given that Arabic tends to be my go-to for exotic races. As it happened I found a bit about the martian language used in the John Carter of Mars series(I've always been aware of the books, but have never gotten around to reading them), so I used that as a starting point.
While were on the subject of languages & names, same question as before with a different subject; lashunta(apologies if this one's been asked before; I imagine they're more popular than the shobhad).
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So I'm working on a shobhad character and I'm kind of stumped on the name. Any advice for a language to use as a frame work?Hmm... it could go a lot of different ways, but off the top of my head, maybe Arabic? I see their language as having a bit of a Middle Eastern feel.
Virginia!
1)What do Lashunta use for money? coins? gems?
2)Does Castrovel have good mineral deposits? unusual types of gems/stones?
3)Do Lashunat have any crystal based technology or magic? Like using crystals to store information instead of books that wouldn't far well in a humid(fungus/mold filled) environment.
4)What is your favorite sky metal and why?
5)Are there any species in the Golarion solar system that do not value gold or value it for reasons other then money or art?
Hey James Sutter,
How are you doing?
Is there a set schedule(ie monthly bi-monthly, etc) for the novels line? Or a set number of novels a year?
Hey James Sutter,
How are you doing?
Is there a set schedule(ie monthly bi-monthly, etc) for the novels line? Or a set number of novels a year?
Hi John!
Yes, there is! We release a new novel every other month, for a total of 6 per year. The next one, Skinwalkers, may be a touch late due to printing issues, but they're generally February/April/June/August/October/December.
Of course, if you subscribe, we'll just ship each new one to your door, so there's no need to keep track. :D
Any chance of a novel tie-in with Iron Gods?
Thanks for answering questions!!
Sutter, where do you find the motiviation to write? I find mine comes at the most inopportune times and when I want to write, I haven't the spirit for it. Can you 'train' your motiviation?
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Any chance of a novel tie-in with Iron Gods?
Thanks for answering questions!!
You're welcome! And there is indeed: The novel Reign of Stars by Tim Pratt will release this August and tie into the Iron Gods Adventure Path. It's set in Numeria, and is a sequel to City of the Fallen Sky, starring the same alchemist and rogue characters. It's a lot of fun, and gives you a great look at the Technic League, the court of the Black Sovereign, and Numeria in general. Should be a great player-friendly resource for anyone in an Iron Gods game!
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Sutter, where do you find the motiviation to write? I find mine comes at the most inopportune times and when I want to write, I haven't the spirit for it. Can you 'train' your motiviation?
Training your motivation and setting your own deadlines is the most important part of being a professional writer, and the hardest to learn, especially since school courses--by virtue of having deadlines--never really teach you how to structure your own time and force yourself to work.
My answer is very reminiscent of Yoda or Nike: you simply have to do it. If you sit down and force yourself to write, on a set schedule or otherwise, you'll get better at it. "Creativity on command" is a muscle that you have to exercise, and even if it seems worthless in a given instance, it adds up.
For example, right after college, when I was briefly unemployed, I tried an experiment: I told myself that I was going to write a story every day until I got a job. Each time I sat down, it was brutal--the blank screen, the total lack of words in my head. But I just grabbed at something--an image, a phrase, anything--and started writing. Something would lead to something else, and after a few false starts I'd usually end up with something resembling a story. I happened to get a job at the end of that week, but after some polish, at least one of the stories written during the experiment actually sold.
So really, the best advice I have is: Force yourself. Don't wait for inspiration. Writing is a job that you do even when you hate it--and if you're lucky, you'll usually find (like me) that it's the first few minutes of writing that takes 95% of the effort. Once that ball is rolling, you can just run along behind it. It's all about learning to conquer the inertia.
That's something of a shotgun blast of an answer, but there you go! :D
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After reading People of the Sands what are the chances that Salim has levels of Cavalier?
Possible! Salim is complicated, since he's really operating as an inquisitor now but had a mishmash of more martial levels earlier in life, which often still come in handy. There's a hint in The Redemption Engine about a new class he might be acquiring, though, so I'm curious to see if anyone will pick up on it. :D
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After reading People of the Sands what are the chances that Salim has levels of Cavalier?Possible! Salim is complicated, since he's really operating as an inquisitor now but had a mishmash of more martial levels earlier in life, which often still come in handy. There's a hint in The Redemption Engine about a new class he might be acquiring, though, so I'm curious to see if anyone will pick up on it. :D
DAMN YOU AND YOUR TEASING!!!!!!!!
Might the alchemist be a bit luckier in love this time?You're welcome! And there is indeed: The novel Reign of Stars by Tim Pratt will release this August and tie into the Iron Gods Adventure Path. It's set in Numeria, and is a sequel to City of the Fallen Sky, starring the same alchemist and rogue characters. It's a lot of fun, and gives you a great look at the Technic League, the court of the Black Sovereign, and Numeria in general.Any chance of a novel tie-in with Iron Gods?
Thanks for answering questions!!
MAYBE. :D
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Howdy Mr. Sutter,
Can I just say I am a huge fan of Distant Worlds, and Apostae is by far the most interesting world to me, other than Golarion. I wanted to ask: just how much is Apostae magic and how much of it is technology, at least for you? Also, I rather do like the description that even deities have trouble piercing Apostate's secrets, and that while they are omnipotent entities, they might as well be blind to events unfolding the next galaxy over.
Makes me super curious about what little you guys have revealed for Iron Gods, i.e. AIs discovering the ability to grant spells. That is one of the most awesome combinations of sci-fi and fantasy I've ever seen.
Okay enough gushing...for now :D
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Aw, thanks Neongelion! And yeah, Iron Gods does a bunch with the intersection of magic (specifically faith) and science.
To me, arcane magic (at least as wizards practice it) has always seemed like an extension of science, rather than in opposition to it. There's a consistent system of natural laws and principles, and you do your best to learn and exploit them. So my suspicion would be that, in most societies, technology and science would grow together, each specializing in the areas where it's most effective/cheapest. (If it's hard and expensive to teleport ten tons of grain, you keep trying to build a better barge, but if a cleric can heal your disease with a prayer, germ theory probably doesn't get a lot of attention.)
All of which is to say that I'd presume advanced technology like Apostae's blends the two seamlessly. I mean, heck, we're starting to see useful quantum computers in the real world right now, and that's basically magic to me! :D
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James,
Why do you make me give your company so much of my money with so much high quality product?
Thanks,
Yakman
I got a lot of hungry editors to feed!
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Hi James!
Just wanted to say: Holy crap, Kaer Maga is amazing! The city, the culture, the adventure hooks, everything. I particularly enjoyed that, despite being a CN city, the main deities are law-lovers Abadar and Asmodeus for their emphasis on binding contracts.
Any chance that we'll see more Kaer Maga goodness in the future?
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Asked this of James, and I thought I'd get input from others on it too:
I noticed something that stands out for me regarding Iomedae's relationship to Sarkoris. I'd been wondering about the sequences regarding PCs who've a god in their family tree and wondering how Iomedae could count since she's a god more prominent with the foreign crusaders, but then it hit me. As one of the big 20, Iomedae would have been known in Sarkoris already. Since the Sarkorians owed Aroden big-time for driving out Deskari when he first showed up there, and this was long after the events of the Shining Crusade, the Sarkorians would have been aware of Iomedae as a goddess between then and the opening of the Worldwound, the only difference being that she was Aroden's servant and not the Inheritor of his church.
So...how would Sarkorians view and interpret Iomedae, especially in light of her pseudo-role as the goddess that leads the charge to save and protect what's left of their home? I have an idea for a Sarkorian paladin brewing in my head and I'm wondering how he'd reconcile venerating Iomedae with his culture's druidic roots as the founders of the Green Faith. More specifically (or more broadly, I'm uncertain), I'm trying to figure out how an individual PC might blend worshiping an ecclesiastical god/goddess while still respecting the shamanistic religion of their ancestors. Apart from Erastil and Gozreh, who are nature gods and thus fit right in with things like the Green Faith or Shoanti totemism, many gods seem to fit better in more populous, settled areas, and where their faiths go, cathedrals and heirarchies follow that are antithetical to the old ways.
How does someone straddling those two worlds reconcile the different beliefs, or is such a thing impossible? James mentioned before in his thread that, for example, a Sklar-Quah Shoanti wouldn't venerate Sarenrae AND the totems at the same time. I'm a big fan of playing "straddling the line between ancient traditions and modern beliefs" kinds of characters, like many modern depictions of King Arthur have been, but I'm uncertain how to approach such characters from the standpoint of worship, especially if they take a divine caster class like a paladin or inquisitor.
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Hi James!
Just wanted to say: Holy crap, Kaer Maga is amazing! The city, the culture, the adventure hooks, everything. I particularly enjoyed that, despite being a CN city, the main deities are law-lovers Abadar and Asmodeus for their emphasis on binding contracts.
Any chance that we'll see more Kaer Maga goodness in the future?
Hey, thanks Agnel! I'm really glad you like it! If you're looking for more Kaer Maga, I'd recommend picking up Pathfinder Adventure Path #63, as well as my new novel The Redemption Engine.
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I got a lot of hungry editors to feed!James,
Why do you make me give your company so much of my money with so much high quality product?
Thanks,
Yakman
Have you considered making them fight for their food in gladiatoral-style combat? That way, the weak ones will die off and you're left with only the strongest and most hardened, capable of working hours to days at a time if need be on little food and no sleep.
It's a win-win situation, really.
These are the ones who lived.
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Asked this of James, and I thought I'd get input from others on it too:
I noticed something that stands out for me regarding Iomedae's relationship to Sarkoris. I'd been wondering about the sequences regarding PCs who've a god in their family tree and wondering how Iomedae could count since she's a god more prominent with the foreign crusaders, but then it hit me. As one of the big 20, Iomedae would have been known in Sarkoris already. Since the Sarkorians owed Aroden big-time for driving out Deskari when he first showed up there, and this was long after the events of the Shining Crusade, the Sarkorians would have been aware of Iomedae as a goddess between then and the opening of the Worldwound, the only difference being that she was Aroden's servant and not the Inheritor of his church.
So...how would Sarkorians view and interpret Iomedae, especially in light of her pseudo-role as the goddess that leads the charge to save and protect what's left of their home? I have an idea for a Sarkorian paladin brewing in my head and I'm wondering how he'd reconcile venerating Iomedae with his culture's druidic roots as the founders of the Green Faith. More specifically (or more broadly, I'm uncertain), I'm trying to figure out how an individual PC might blend worshiping an ecclesiastical god/goddess while still respecting the shamanistic religion of their ancestors. Apart from Erastil and Gozreh, who are nature gods and thus fit right in with things like the Green Faith or Shoanti totemism, many gods seem to fit better in more populous, settled areas, and where their faiths go, cathedrals and heirarchies follow that are antithetical to the old ways.
How does someone straddling those two worlds reconcile the different beliefs, or is such a thing impossible? James mentioned before in his thread that, for example, a Sklar-Quah Shoanti wouldn't venerate Sarenrae AND the totems at the same time. I'm a big fan of playing "straddling the line between ancient traditions and modern beliefs" kinds of characters, like...
I think you've pretty much got it figured out. :) The character sounds fascinating to me, so I'd say go for it! Just talk to your GM to figure out any rules weirdness that may arise, and otherwise it's all about your character's personality and personal story, which is pure flavor.
I can't speak for Pathfinder Society, of course, but if you were in my home game, I'd allow it!
What was the most BORING thing to write?
Anything you're not passionate about.
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James what advice would you give to a group playing only very squishy wizard characters?
Mage Armor.
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What is your favorite pet?
What happens if I bring you food?
What happens if I offer you drinks?
What was the most INTERESTING thing to write?
What was the most BORING thing to write?
I like dogs a lot--especially when they're old and sleepy--but I'm too busy to really take care of one. Fortunately, I live with a roommate who has a corgi/aussie shepherd mix named Zefram the Warp Corgi. I get to have all of the fun of a dog and none of the responsibility!
It depends on the food. I'm pretty picky, but if it's some high-quality cheese pizza, the answer is that I'd unhinge my jaw like a snake, ingest it, and then spend the rest of the day asleep on the floor of my cubicle.
I don't really drink much these days, but I'd appreciate the offer!
Honestly, I've had a bunch of really interesting projects! I'd say Distant Worlds was probably the most interesting in that I got to do a bunch of astronomy research, but really, I love all the books I've written. And Death's Heretic will always have a special place in my heart, as writing a novel for the first time is both terrifying and deeply gratifying.
Boring things... well, I've never been passionate about building stat blocks, so anything where the crunch-to-fluff ratio is high is naturally less interesting to me. Fortunately, these days I get to cherry-pick my projects!