"The Last Days of Abbaddon" an introspective tale following the last days of existence of The Four Horsemen and the Daemons after all other souls in existence have been eradicated. Sound like something that would ever get made?
Uhh... I guess if we ever felt like destroying our entire campaign setting and closing up shop, that could be an option. O_o
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"The Last Days of Abbaddon" an introspective tale following the last days of existence of The Four Horsemen and the Daemons after all other souls in existence have been eradicated. Sound like something that would ever get made?Uhh... I guess if we ever felt like destroying our entire campaign setting and closing up shop, that could be an option. O_o
make it an alternate timeline perhaps
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Regarding Mengkare, I suppose alignment is off-limits, since it's a point of contention, but is he otherwise at least a 'standard' great wyrm Gold Dragon, with an Int 26, Wis 27, Cha 26, Diplomacy score around +42, a crapload of spells all the way up to 9th level and a 24d10 fiery breath weapon?
(And, IMO, he's probably not the *average* great wyrm gold dragon, at that, and might have a few class levels or use an 'elite array' for stats, or something....)
If so, doesn't it logically seem almost impossible (and certainly implausible) that;
A) there would be bodies left behind after a 24d10 breath weapon, and B) he would ever have to resort to such a ridiculously unreliable tactic in the first place and
C) that super-humanly intelligent *and wise* Mengkare would be so incompetent about it that ship's captains would be talking about it in hushed whispers all over the place?It seems to me that the entire pro-Mengkare-evil argument comes down to 'but, but... eugenics!' and falls apart under any sort of logical scrutiny, even going so far as to contradict text in Paizo products like Dragons Revisited.
The agents of Hermea applaud your efforts to end the vicious smear campaign against their great nation. :)
ALL OF THAT SAID... we actually are kicking around plans for potentially doing a "single-story" series somewhere down the line. We just have to be very, very careful!
Since I prefer to keep my feedback more in the vein of "this is what I want to see" or "that was really good" rather than "this product sucked!": The Rise of Thrune - The epic multi-volume tale of post-Aroden's death Cheliax and how the devil-dealing House of Thrune came out on top of the civil war there.
I'd buy the, ahem, HELL out of that. ;)
If nothing else it'd be fun to see how the author who did it would tackle the fact that the "bad guys" win.
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"The Last Days of Abbaddon" an introspective tale following the last days of existence of The Four Horsemen and the Daemons after all other souls in existence have been eradicated. Sound like something that would ever get made?Uhh... I guess if we ever felt like destroying our entire campaign setting and closing up shop, that could be an option. O_o
NOOOOOOOO I wub u guyz :(
Yeah definitely it would be a what-if scenario, my apologies, I just really like Daemons :3
ALL OF THAT SAID... we actually are kicking around plans for potentially doing a "single-story" series somewhere down the line. We just have to be very, very careful!Since I prefer to keep my feedback more in the vein of "this is what I want to see" or "that was really good" rather than "this product sucked!": The Rise of Thrune - The epic multi-volume tale of post-Aroden's death Cheliax and how the devil-dealing House of Thrune came out on top of the civil war there.
I'd buy the, ahem, HELL out of that. ;)
If nothing else it'd be fun to see how the author who did it would tackle the fact that the "bad guys" win.
I have to agree...one of the problems I have mentioned about novels destroying RPG campaign setting is that they could aviod this by writting about events that already happen.
Any chance of us seeing the above idea turned into a novel?
Or maybe novels set during other time period?
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I'm thinking about moving to the Pacific Northwest in another year or two. My current job lets me work remotely, so the local employment situation isn't all that relevant.
Seattle or Portland? Or am I missing a bet somewhere else?
Portland is cheaper. And they have a TV show. But Seattle has some game company. So it's a wash, I'd say.
Perhaps Sutter has a better summation, though.
Sutter, which is your favourite character appearing in an adventure path?Hmm! That's a hard question, so I'm going to cheat and say Eando Kline. :D
That's spooky, my players just rescued him from the clutches of some serpentfolk last weekend.
James,
I'll just add my voice to one who expressed concern earlier with too many anti-heroes/not enough classic heroes in the Pathfinder Tales. I don't have a definitive list ready, but I've read four books, and in three of them (Death's Heretic, Song of the Serpent, City of the Fallen Sky) I just don't feel drawn in by the characters. (I did enjoy Prince of Wolves). It doesn't help that they just feel drug into their circumstances and 'forced' (in a manner of speaking) into situations where, ultimately, they do something bigger than themselves.
I do like what you're saying earlier about heroes having rough pasts, flaws, bad decisions etc. And I believe that part of what makes a hero is that they overcome these challenges and (most of the time) do the 'good' or right thing. Instead, it seems like these guys are gang-pressed into these adventures and rise up because if they don't, the consequences are not going to be pretty.
I think the other thing I don't like is that many of them ultimately seem pretty selfish. That's totally realistic...most of us ARE pretty selfish and sometimes (if not always) use other people and relationships for our own ends... but in a fantasy setting, sometimes we like to see those who, while they be tempted and even do such things occasionally, are better than that. I think that's why at least half or more of my players choose to play 'good' characters (who are compelled to do selfless acts all the time) instead of 'neutral.' Anyway, just my two cp. I still have a lot more to read!
Hi James,
More on Hermea...
So the ISWG is pretty cagey concerning the fate of Hermean exiles. It seems to suggest that anyone rejected from the island is incinerated at best.
So my question is this: What would be a few plausible, in canon, ways that a Hermean exile/refugee could wind up in the Pathfinder Society?
Thanks!
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Hi James,
The Witchmarket is brilliant, and while I started that discussion a year ago about it, I still think about how to include it into a game. Are we going to see a scenario, module, or novel visit there in the future?
If you visited the Witchmarket, what would you hunt down to buy? What do you think it would cost you?
Any chance we will see more Tane soon? There are at least two that I have seen mentioned that haven't been given stats.
ALL OF THAT SAID... we actually are kicking around plans for potentially doing a "single-story" series somewhere down the line. We just have to be very, very careful!Since I prefer to keep my feedback more in the vein of "this is what I want to see" or "that was really good" rather than "this product sucked!": The Rise of Thrune - The epic multi-volume tale of post-Aroden's death Cheliax and how the devil-dealing House of Thrune came out on top of the civil war there.
I'd buy the, ahem, HELL out of that. ;)
If nothing else it'd be fun to see how the author who did it would tackle the fact that the "bad guys" win.
I have to agree...one of the problems I have mentioned about novels destroying RPG campaign setting is that they could aviod this by writting about events that already happen.
Any chance of us seeing the above idea turned into a novel?
Or maybe novels set during other time period?
It's entirely possible that we may one day see novels set during the rise of the Chelish Empire, but at the moment I'm more interested in setting novels in the "present," if only because it means that any character from the stories could be picked up by a GM as a fun NPC. :)
I'm thinking about moving to the Pacific Northwest in another year or two. My current job lets me work remotely, so the local employment situation isn't all that relevant.
Seattle or Portland? Or am I missing a bet somewhere else?
I live in Seattle and love it, but they're both pretty amazing, and *extremely* similar. Portland has some advantages in that it's slightly more bikeable and you can do the thing where you live just over the border in Washington and do your shopping in Portland, thus paying no income tax in Washington and no sales tax in Oregon. That said, Seattle's right on the water and may have slightly more cultural cache. So they're pretty even, I think! If I had to live anywhere other than Seattle, I'd choose Portland in a heartbeat, so you can't really go wrong!
Plus Portland has a nice bookstore.
Ever been to Powell's, Mr. Sutter?
I have dreams about the place.
Also: Grippli of Golarion, as a supplement. Good idea?
Powells is amazing! I haven't been in a few years, but I'd love to go back sometime soon. A friend sent me a picture of Death's Heretic on their "notable" table a year ago, so if my love for them wasn't already cemented before, that sealed it. :D
And *I'd* certainly by Grippli of Golarion...
James,
I'll just add my voice to one who expressed concern earlier with too many anti-heroes/not enough classic heroes in the Pathfinder Tales. I don't have a definitive list ready, but I've read four books, and in three of them (Death's Heretic, Song of the Serpent, City of the Fallen Sky) I just don't feel drawn in by the characters. (I did enjoy Prince of Wolves). It doesn't help that they just feel drug into their circumstances and 'forced' (in a manner of speaking) into situations where, ultimately, they do something bigger than themselves.
I do like what you're saying earlier about heroes having rough pasts, flaws, bad decisions etc. And I believe that part of what makes a hero is that they overcome these challenges and (most of the time) do the 'good' or right thing. Instead, it seems like these guys are gang-pressed into these adventures and rise up because if they don't, the consequences are not going to be pretty.
I think the other thing I don't like is that many of them ultimately seem pretty selfish. That's totally realistic...most of us ARE pretty selfish and sometimes (if not always) use other people and relationships for our own ends... but in a fantasy setting, sometimes we like to see those who, while they be tempted and even do such things occasionally, are better than that. I think that's why at least half or more of my players choose to play 'good' characters (who are compelled to do selfless acts all the time) instead of 'neutral.' Anyway, just my two cp. I still have a lot more to read!
Valid points, JC! I think if you're looking for the most selflessly "good" characters in the line, you'd probably be best off checking out Winter Witch (Declan's a bit of a rube, and Ellasif's got some rough edges, but they're both dedicated to saving innocents) and Plague of Shadows (in which Elyana's trying to save a friend from a curse, and Drelm is an honorable half-orc trying to save his lord). They're probably the most selfless characters we've published so far.
Hope that helps!
Hey James!
So, it seems that several of the races for pathfinder have devs who 'champion' them and occasionally push behind the scenes for new content involving them. You seem to be the main backer of the Grippli for example.
Who would you say are the main backers of some of the other 'exotic' races such as the tengu, kitsune, kobolds, and samsarans? (if there are any)
Hey James,
Is there any chance of usa seeing a novel set in Golarion that has nothing to do with adventures or quests, etc?
I know probably not....I would just find such a novel interesting though to see how the non-adventures in golarion react to adventurers, monsters, magic, etc.
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Hi James,
More on Hermea...
So the ISWG is pretty cagey concerning the fate of Hermean exiles. It seems to suggest that anyone rejected from the island is incinerated at best.
So my question is this: What would be a few plausible, in canon, ways that a Hermean exile/refugee could wind up in the Pathfinder Society?
Thanks!
Well that would be telling, wouldn't it? ;)
Maybe he was indeed just sent packing when he didn't measure up. Maybe he's secretly a talent scout. Maybe he figured he we was going to be exiled and so left preemptively. Maybe he ran off while on a mission. It all depends on how you and your GM want to play things! (And if you're in the Society, all of those answers still work!)
Hi James,
The Witchmarket is brilliant, and while I started that discussion a year ago about it, I still think about how to include it into a game. Are we going to see a scenario, module, or novel visit there in the future?
If you visited the Witchmarket, what would you hunt down to buy? What do you think it would cost you?
Any chance we will see more Tane soon? There are at least two that I have seen mentioned that haven't been given stats.
I would love to visit the First World again, particularly in a novel, and if so the Witchmarket seems like a prime spot to spend some time in.
I have no idea what I'd find most appealing in the Witchmarket, but I'd probably be very, very leery of buying anything at all. I know myself well enough to know I'm no match for an ageless magical being looking to take advantage of me. :)
I am actually not sure about the Tane, as bestiaries tend to be Wes's babies. Remind me--which ones haven't we covered yet?
I finished Death's Heretic last night. It was fantastic. Thank you for writing it. What are the special properties of the Melted Blade?
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. And I'm afraid I can't tell you the special properties of the Melted Blade yet, as I'm still deciding, and that question may well be a significant plot point in a future book... :)
"Your question is actually asking me to do prep work for your game."
1. Would my question on how to "reskin" particular Aballonians models fall into that category? I hope not, since I don't have a game to prep for.
Still, it's good you offered a polite and complete explanation. Now on to more questions.
2. What technology do we have that Verces doesn't? What kind of non-magical tech do they have that we don't?
3. What sort of interplanetary trade does Verces engage in?
4. About when did they become high-tech?
5. Where did you come up with the idea for Acturn's Loving Place?
6. What is Mengkare's age category? The circa 2008 Campaign Setting says he's an "Old" dragon.
7. What would Mengkare think about Buck vs. Bell? Also, how much do you know about the case?
8. How do you think the World of Darkness is meant to be played?
9. Do you prefer oMage or nMage?
10. What's your opinion of flexible magic like Mage's?
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I am actually not sure about the Tane, as bestiaries tend to be Wes's babies. Remind me--which ones haven't we covered yet?
Nevermind, I just found the two I thought were not given stats. The Sard was not called a Tane in its description and for some reason I missed the Thrasfyr in the same book.
Still, it would be cool to see more about the Tane.
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James,
It has been awhile since I talked about my favorite pet theories.
Review here, everybody, for context
So, are we ever going to do anything with Acturn's alignment? Xanchara and the Reliquary of the Drowned God?
I mean, I know if tickles you to have people speculate about about stuff, like Hermea. But I think this is would be a fine actual adventure.
I also know you're not going to say too much one way or another publicly, but this is a way for me to gush about a favorite topic and bring it to other people's attention too. :D
So here's a question I just asked Jacobs, but I thought I might get your opinion on it as well.
If Golarion was ever adapted into a video game, how would you like to see it done?
Hey James!
So, it seems that several of the races for pathfinder have devs who 'champion' them and occasionally push behind the scenes for new content involving them. You seem to be the main backer of the Grippli for example.
Who would you say are the main backers of some of the other 'exotic' races such as the tengu, kitsune, kobolds, and samsarans? (if there are any)
I'm not sure there are given "champions" for any particular race--we all have our personal favorites, but many of those are shared. For instance, I tend to love weird, vaguely comical races like grippli, tengus, and kobolds. I also enjoy goblins, but Jacobs is the creator of the Pathfinder goblins, so he'd probably be the champion for those. I'm not really sure what everyone else's favorite races are, but we all have affection for a wide range of them! (That said, there are certainly prejudices--Erik, for instance, hates dwarves, while Bulmahn loves them, etc.)
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Hey James,
Is there any chance of usa seeing a novel set in Golarion that has nothing to do with adventures or quests, etc?
I know probably not....I would just find such a novel interesting though to see how the non-adventures in golarion react to adventurers, monsters, magic, etc.
We've definitely got more books that aren't adventures in the traditional "form a party and go on a quest" sense coming down the line--books that focus a bit more on politics and intrigue, etc. That said, since Pathfinder is fundamentally an adventure game, the novels are also going to always need a strong sense of excitement and adventure. That doesn't just mean dungeons, or searching for artifacts, or open warfare, but you're much less likely to see, say, a straight-up romance or political book without any "action." (Though I personally think Pirate's Honor is a great adventure that's ALSO a classic pirate romance!)
With that in mind, there are certainly characters in both the novels and the web fiction that can give you that "what's it like to be an everyday person in Golarion" perspective, and if somebody pitched me a story that was amazing but lacked any fighting, I'd totally publish it!
Do you know these cutaway drawings of Kowloon walled city? (like this one or this one)
How are the chances of getting something like that - but for Kaer Maga - in the back of the sequel to Death's Heretic that you are writing?
I had never heard of Kowloon until you mentioned it, and it has subsequently blown my mind. O_o
Unfortunately, you're unlikely to get a full-on side-view schematic like that in a novel. If we were to do it, it would have to be in a setting book--anything else would just be too small and hard to decipher, especially in black and white on novel paper stock. And since we've already published City of Strangers, I'm not sure where we'd find a place to print such a thing.
All of which are very good reasons, and keep me from having to note the fact that, holy cow, that would be a REALLY hard map for me to draw, and I'd be afraid of disappointing people. Hence my reliance on words and the reader's imagination. But that would be embarrassing to admit, so I'm glad I didn't have to. :)
Really? You never heard of it before? That's surprising. When reading about Kaer Maga my first reaction was "Oh, so this is like a fantasy version of Kowloon walled city - but with trolls. That's cool". So I always assumed that Kowloon must have been the primary inspiration for the City's architecture.
Is Kowloon walled city anything like how you imagined the ring districts of Kaer Maga to be?
What were your inspirations for Kaer Maga?
Inner Sea Architecture
Isometric/Side View Map Folio
Kaer Maga Map Folio
Kaer Maga Box Set (If people keep demanding it, the chances that it gets made do increase, right?)
Prehistoric monuments of Golarion
Unfortunately, you're unlikely to get a full-on side-view schematic like that in a novel. If we were to do it, it would have to be in a setting book--anything else would just be too small and hard to decipher, especially in black and white on novel paper stock. And since we've already published City of Strangers, I'm not sure where we'd find a place to print such a thing.
I doubt I am the only one to hold the belief that Kaer Maga could have more books.
I'll have to agree with Mr. Lincoln. Kaer Maga is one of my favorite places in Golarion.
I've even cobbed together a whole new Book for my Rise of the Runelords campaign just so I could send the PCs there! Its a Sutterific chapter, consisting of most of Seven Swords of Sin, bits and pieces of The Asylum Stone, several plot hooks from City of Strangers, Feast of Sigils (which I know isn't your work), and enough homebrew to tie these together into a coherent plot.
Thanks for dreaming up the place!
[EDIT to add...]
Oh! My questions...
1)In Kaer Maga, is The Forever Bore the same passage as the "Tube to Nowhere" in Seven Swords? If it is, do you have any idea how far past the entrance chamber is the crack that leads into the Chambers of Truth?
2) Where in the city is the entrance to the Tube?
Thanks!
What do you think about lashunta oralces with the deaf curse does the telepathy sort of nullify the curse somewhat?
Can lashuntas stop there telepathy to ignore someone?
"Your question is actually asking me to do prep work for your game."
1. Would my question on how to "reskin" particular Aballonians models fall into that category? I hope not, since I don't have a game to prep for.
Still, it's good you offered a polite and complete explanation. Now on to more questions.
2. What technology do we have that Verces doesn't? What kind of non-magical tech do they have that we don't?
3. What sort of interplanetary trade does Verces engage in?
4. About when did they become high-tech?
5. Where did you come up with the idea for Acturn's Loving Place?
6. What is Mengkare's age category? The circa 2008 Campaign Setting says he's an "Old" dragon.
7. What would Mengkare think about Buck vs. Bell? Also, how much do you know about the case?
8. How do you think the World of Darkness is meant to be played?
9. Do you prefer oMage or nMage?
10. What's your opinion of flexible magic like Mage's?
There are a lot of questions here, so I'll just answer a couple right now:
5. I really don't know. I guess there's just some messed up stuff in my head? There's also the fact that so much Lovecraftian horror has that creepy "breeding with the other" element. I was actually afraid that I'd gone too far, but the overwhelmingly positive response on the boards seems to contradict that.
6. I don't think we've updated that in print since the Pathfinder RPG update, so I won't say, but I believe he's *quite* old and powerful...
8. With lots of ambiance and intrigue and roleplaying. When I played, it was with a bunch of D&D players who just wanted to smash stuff and get in fights, and the game really isn't about miniatures-style tactics.
9 and 10. I have no idea! I've never actually played, but every time someone's described the Mage system to me, I've thought "Wow, that sounds really cool!" Granted, I imagine it probably plays a lot better in a novel than in a game--it sounds difficult to adjudicate if you're playing with rules-focused folks--but I imagine that with the right group, it would be an absolute blast.
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I also know you're not going to say too much one way or another publicly, but this is a way for me to gush about a favorite topic and bring it to other people's attention too. :D
You're correct--the first rule of Aucturn Club is that you don't talk about Aucturn Club. :)
That said, will we eventually do more with that world? Almost certainly. I may love mysteries, but I'm not going to try to hoard ALL of them, and I think an adventure set there would be really fun. Nothing's on the schedule at the moment, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be, if the right people got excited about it...
Yay! I am satisfied.
1)How ugly do the male lashunta look like? Are we talking just harry dwarf or like a shorter version of that guy from Goonies with the misshapen head/eyes.
2)What is your favorite race from Distant Worlds?
3)What continent on Golarion would you like to see the most explored between Arcadia, Casmaron, Garund, Sarusan, or Azlant?
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From the Ask Jame Jacobs Thread:
Lemartes wrote:
Oh well. Maybe just a module would be a better idea. As for picking the dragons alignment how about you don't? By this I mean it's up to any individual GM to decide or the GM is given a guideline based on the choices the dragon "makes" during the adventure and his alignment is decided via the guidelines at the end. Kind of a flip on the special game mechanics that are added to each AP in that it's more on the DM side of things. Granted still reacting to the players and vice versa. Again thinking out loud. Since this is unlikely how's the Numeria stuff coming along? Thanks. :)
James Jacobs wrote:
Whether its an AP or a module doesn't change a thing—we'd still need to stat the dragon up, and that means nailing down his alignment. As far as I'm concerned, not giving him an alignment is like not giving him an AC or a Will save. It's a plain and simple stat block error.
Golarion is after all a game world, and if there's something in the world we can't represent by rules, we either don't do it or we make new rules.
I this case we have rules already. I'm not gonna ignore them just to avoid a confrontation with James Sutter, who could very well convince me the dragon IS lawful good... as long as he does so with a stack of awesomely written words!
You have been challenged by the Great Tyrant Lizard! Do not let us down, the success of the Grand Experiment depends on you James Sutter. :3
Ok the same questions here:
1: Do you like Greek Mythology?
2: Which monster from greek mythology do you like most?
3: Which monster from greek mythology (that isn't in pathfinder yet) is your favorite?
4: Which greek god/godess is your favorite?
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You have been challenged by the Great Tyrant Lizard! Do not let us down, the success of the Grand Experiment depends on you James Sutter. :3
IANJS, but it might not be a great idea to start this kind of cross-posting... I'd hate to have these threads more restricted because of what might be taken as trying to pit these guys against each other >_< just my 2cp
You have been challenged by the Great Tyrant Lizard! Do not let us down, the success of the Grand Experiment depends on you James Sutter. :3IANJS, but it might not be a great idea to start this kind of cross-posting... I'd hate to have these threads more restricted because of what might be taken as trying to pit these guys against each other >_< just my 2cp
+1
+1You have been challenged by the Great Tyrant Lizard! Do not let us down, the success of the Grand Experiment depends on you James Sutter. :3IANJS, but it might not be a great idea to start this kind of cross-posting... I'd hate to have these threads more restricted because of what might be taken as trying to pit these guys against each other >_< just my 2cp
I really couldn't agree more.
Why aren't there more wraiths/liches in the pathfinder fiction?
I guess they just haven't fit the stories folks wanted to tell? But that said, we DO have plenty of undead in the fiction. A lich is a main character in Plague of Shadows, the third novel we put out, and there are also significant appearances by wights, huecuvas, vampires, zombies, and so on!