As a player or as a GM?Yes. ;)
As a player, I like that we use critical fumbles. I feel like it adds excitement.
As a GM, I like having my players write down their Knowledge check bonuses so that when I want to communicate something to them that one of their characters would know, I can just pick a character who has knowledge in that area without taking all the time to have them roll.
What kinds of questions would be apropos to ask you here, and what would be better served being directed to others like James or Wes?
Well, Wes and James are both in creative positions. So if you have questions about Golarion, they're a better bet than I am.
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Hiya!
No--looks like it's mostly iced tea? I don't really drink it iced. I like it hot and straight up, with no sweeteners or anything. :-)
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The Tyrant Lizard King said you might have been the one who suggested The Red Tree for the Horror Adventures inspiration list... so do I thank you, or someone else?
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------------------------
Crossposted in AMA threads: it's a Paizopaloozaganza!
Jessica.
Jeeeeeesssssiiiiiicaaaaaa.
Super-serious series of questions*:
*
If you could have different super-powers, what would they be and why?
(Assume corollary powers required to make a given power work are part of it; i.e. Since you'd need super tensile strength/durability to, you know, not-die when you made use of your super-strength power, you get them both when you say "super strength" as a singular option.)
Why?
If, instead, you could be a gestalt of super heroes, who would you gestalt to be yourself? Why? Which comic universe would you run around in? Would you prefer to be in that one, or this one?
On the other hand: BAM! You just gained levels in a Pathfinder class (or classes)! Which class(es) do you pick, and why? Incidentally, if you could spontaneously switch races, would you? And if so, to which?
Similarly, you won the super-lottery, and gained mythic tiers! of 'em! (And you gain class levels to match; please feel free to change your previous answer if this does so for some reason.) What path do you take? (Alternate option: substitute a single tier for a simple mythic template.)
Yet another query: you monster. Specifically, you (or less) monster! Which are you?! ... and would this have been your first choice? If not, which would be?
But the wheels of fate-time have spun again, and your everything has been transposed into that of someone else! You've just become a prepublished NPC from an official source! Which prepublished NPC is it?
What campaign setting do you run around in? Why?
As a final thing: blend any and/or all of the above questions into a single ginormous question: an optional blend of a prepublished NPC, monster, and some superheroes all walk into a bar... and out comes you, as a gestalt of those guys, the race you choose, some extra superpowers, and have extra class levels and mythic tiers on top! What are you?! (Other than "awesome" - naturally.)
Equipment is a non-issue (like adjunct super-powers; what you need to do <X> is assumed). Also note that any significant others can be brought with you.
"Official" and "Pre-published" are loose terms, but general expect something that has a solid publishing company and identifiable map/world/conceits behind it (like WotC for Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, etc; or Green Ronin for Blue Rose, but not "True20"; or Paizo for Golarion, or the Maelstrom, or the upcoming Starfinder; but not "the Bestiaries" or "the Planes" or things like that - basically things that people can find and nerd out about with you). Similarly, if it has a solid AP out for it, that, too, is acceptable (like Legendary Planet; or any of Paizo's APs). It should probably be a d20 variant, but it can be whatever you like of those many variants (True20, Blue Rose, Paizo, 3.5, 3rd; etc.). That said, if a Homebrew or otherwise "weak" entry just needs to be there due to compelling reasons... okay. Similarly other systems. Let us know why! Computer and video game translations of such (Neverwinter Nights and/or expansions/sequels; PFO; etc) are acceptable as interpretations as well.
Similarly, for comics, it needs to be superheroes that people can reasonsonably be expected to come across - "that one I made up with my cousin as a kid" is an awesome answer, and worth noting and why, but prrrrooooobabaly isn't the best choice, unless it's just so powerful that you've GOT to. In which case: sure, but bring us along for the ride! Related, the super need not come from one of the "big two" in comics, so long as the people and world is both recognizes me and accessible - choosing The Incredibles world is valid (and awesome), as is Spawn (blech); you're not just limited to Marvel or DC. Similarly "standard" powers need not apply - so long as it is clearly communicable, it's fine (even if all the field specifics aren't clear, that's okay - knowing you're powered by our yellow star is fine; you don't need to know this, but it's acceptable if you do).
Finally, presume you have the basics necessary for a happy life. Your spouse, best friend, and so on, can all be considered to "come with you" (should they choose to do so) wherever it is that you go.
Oh, and one more thing: if you lived through a Legend of Zelda (as one of the Links); which would it be, and why?
Thanks! Enjoy!
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What have you done, Rysky!?
Now Tacticslion will know about this thread!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
Nyahanahahahah~! Too late, suckers~!
EDIT: oh, right, a question: I mean, "Nyahahahahahahah to late, suckers?"
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Hi Jessica. It's seemed to me that you've been doing more creative stuff lately (Inner Sea Faiths and the upcoming Qadira books were what I noticed in particular).
Is that a shift in direction/interests for you at the company? Or has that always been the case and I've only just noticed?
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The Tyrant Lizard King said you might have been the one who suggested The Red Tree for the Horror Adventures inspiration list... so do I thank you, or someone else?
Hmm, I know I recommended some Kiernan, but I don't think it was that one. It was probably Judy. :-)
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Jessica,
do you think "ally" should be added in to the LGBTQQAIP+ acronym, or not?
No.
Being an ally doesn't make you a member of a marginalized group. Moreover, the world isn't divided into allies and non-allies. It's not even divided neatly into people who make an effort and people who don't. Allyship is a situational thing. You can have people who are good allies in a situation who aren't even trying to be, and you can have people who have sometimes been good allies perpetuate marginalization in others.
When we say someone's an ally in a general sense, what it means is "this is a person who thinks about this stuff and tries to be an ally often." It's not a badge you get. Once you've done it, it doesn't mean that you now have a special status. It just means that you tried to be a decent human at least once.
Also, ideally, allies don't get to identify themselves as such. You can identify yourself as someone who cares about these issues, but it's for the people to whom you're trying to be an ally to identify whether you're succeeding.
There are times when it's useful shorthand--e.g. the "Ally" ribbons at Gen Con, which I think are valuable in that they identify people who are making an effort not to be homophobic and who might be willing to help if an LGBT/MOGAI person gets into trouble.
But in general: allyship is something you do, not something you are, and putting "allies" in whatever acronym/group you're talking about just continues to center privileged people in the conversation.
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If you could have 1d4 different super-powers, what would they be and why?
Teleportation and eternal youth.
Teleportation because it is obviously the best superpower, as I learned recently while being stranded by Delta on my way home from Gen Con, and eternal youth because even if you can teleport, it's going to take a long time to explore the world.
If, instead, you could be a gestalt of 1d2 + 1 super heroes, who would you gestalt to be yourself? Why?
Not really sure.
Which comic universe would you run around in? Would you prefer to be in that one, or this one?
None of them--the implications of most comic universes are pretty horrifying when you think them through.
You just gained 3d6 + 2 levels in a Pathfinder class (or classes)! Which class(es) do you pick, and why?
Cleric. What a lovely thing to have a deity who A) provably exists, and B) likes you so much that they grant you superpowers.
Incidentally, if you could spontaneously switch races, would you? And if so, to which?
Elf. You're pretty and you live practically forever.
Similarly, you won the super-lottery, and gained mythic tiers! 3d3 + 1 of 'em! (And you gain class levels to match; please feel free to change your previous answer if this does so for some reason.) What path do you take? (Alternate option: substitute a single tier for a simple mythic template.)
Hierophant.
Yet another query: you monster. Specifically, you CR: 1d30 ⇒ 23 (or less) monster! Which are you?! ... and would this have been your first choice? If not, which would be?
A solar, probably. Or maybe a great wyrm gold dragon. Both of those seem like strong choices.
As far as it being my first choice, I'm not sure -- when you get to that power level, the choices are all pretty good, and you have the power to more or less be whatever you want, so I'm not sure it matters.
But the wheels of fate-time have spun again, and your everything has been transposed into that of someone else! You've just become a prepublished NPC from an official source! Which prepublished NPC is it?
Probably Queen Telandia. She seems to have a good thing going.
What campaign setting do you run around in? Why?
Golarion. Specifically, Isfahel in the Empire of Kelesh. It's wealthy, stable, and has vastly superior fashion sense to everywhere else.
As a final thing: blend any and/or all of the above questions into a single ginormous question: an optional blend of a prepublished NPC, monster, and some superheroes all walk into a bar... and out comes you, as a gestalt of those guys, the race you choose, some extra superpowers, and have extra class levels and mythic tiers on top! What are you?! (Other than "awesome" - naturally.)
At that point, a deity, probably? Like, when you get above a certain power level, the specifics of what you are become irrelevant. Presumably, at that point, what I'd look like/be/etc. would be "whatever I felt like at this particular moment."
Oh, and one more thing: if you lived through a Legend of Zelda (as one of the Links); which would it be, and why?Haven't played them. :-)
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Hi Jessica. It's seemed to me that you've been doing more creative stuff lately (Inner Sea Faiths and the upcoming Qadira books were what I noticed in particular).
Is that a shift in direction/interests for you at the company? Or has that always been the case and I've only just noticed?
It's actually kind of a complex question, so long answer (skip to bottom for short answer):
So, yes, I'm doing more freelance writing for Paizo. But all our writing (except rewriting of material as part of the dev process) gets done out of house. So that's not a shift in my actual on-the-clock responsibilities. On the clock, I've been doing development for several years now, in cases where we didn't have sufficient dev resources to meet deadlines.
That's been a little bit of a shift from what I did when I first started at Paizo, but it's a natural and appropriate one as I integrate more with the creative team and understand their needs. It's not a new role for me, even though it's newer at Paizo.
I started my career in games as a game designer, and I've been paid to write since I was in middle school. If I had to reduce myself to one thing that I do, it's writing. It's the thing that's the least effort for me to do, the thing that I've done for the longest, the thing I've spent the most time training other people to do, etc. The pay as a video game writer/screenwriter is a lot better than anything in tabletop, but the working conditions are usually brutal; I took a PM job at Paizo for my own sanity (most game companies have pretty broken creative processes, but at least as a producer/PM you have some power to fix them, whereas as a writer, you're usually at their mercy), but I'm considerably newer/less experienced at it than I am as a writer.
Any time you come in to an established creative team--even when you come in as a creative, but especially when you don't--you have to earn trust before you get to wield any sort of creative authority.
I offered to edit a blog post of Wes's after I'd been here for a bit, because time was tight and the editors were busy, and after he was like, oh, okay, you're a legit editor, I started helping out with editing in emergencies. Eventually I got an early edit pass on something that was in bad shape, so I did a full dev pass on it, and he was like oh, okay, you can do that too. Then Inner Sea Gods needed significant work/rewriting in spots, and there was no one to do it, so I did that, and Wes and Erik were like okay, you can write. And then the Strategy Guide needed heavy rewriting. And then there was no developer for Inner Sea Races. So eventually, it got to the point where Wes walked into my office and was like, "Hey, we need a Qadira book--want to write it?" (Of course, like almost all the non-development writing we do, it's off-the-clock as freelance, not part of my day job.)
So, at this point, when it looks like we can't meet a deadline with the dev resources we have, there's a lot of, "Okay, give that section to me and I'll make it go."
It's been especially slow to get there at Paizo because the team had never worked with a producer/PM before, and it's really old for a creative team, especially in games (most teams disband/turnover/reorg after a year or two--this one's longevity is unusual). So there was a certain amount of rigidity, and not understanding that on a healthy creative team, the producer actually is involved with creative work (scheduling/process/resource allocation decisions are inextricable from creative ones, because they define the scope--and creative needs can change the schedule, too). And honestly, it's something we still struggle with, but we also have the benefit of having smart people who can adapt. :-)
So, TL;DR: yes, I'm doing more freelance writing for Paizo. My actual on-the-clock job responsibilities continue to grow and evolve with the company's needs, but haven't largely shifted direction.
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Same, I like to drink it right after I've made it :3Hiya!
No--looks like it's mostly iced tea? I don't really drink it iced. I like it hot and straight up,
with no sweeteners or anything. :-)... how do you drink your sugar with no tea though?
I like the taste of tea, and the subtleties in it. Sugar blurs them. :-)
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Qadira forever?
Kelesh forever. Qadira is her fiery, belligerent, often misguided daughter. :-)
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I like the taste of tea, and the subtleties in it. Sugar blurs them. :-)Same, I like to drink it right after I've made it :3Hiya!
No--looks like it's mostly iced tea? I don't really drink it iced. I like it hot and straight up,
with no sweeteners or anything. :-)... how do you drink your sugar with no tea though?
Ah, but it is tea that unlocks the true intricacies of sugar.
(Yes, I am from Tennessee. Tea is the "additive" we put into our sugar)
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That succubus ain't lion*!
*
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Qadira forever?Kelesh forever. Qadira is her fiery, belligerent, often misguided daughter. :-)Okay, thank you for the correction! KELESH FOREVER!
Does Qadira (and by extension Kelesh) have yatagans and khandars or is it pretty much all scimitars all the way?
Kelesh has a lot of different weapons. It's an empire, and the term "Keleshite" is analogous to "Tian" or "Avistani," not "Andoren" or even "Varisian." Kelesh is huge, and there are a ton of different cultures there. They're also an empire that has shifted from military conquest to economic conquest, so trade rules all, which means you're going to see weapons there from pretty much every continent on Golarion, different planes, and possibly different planets.
The scimitar is the iconic Keleshite weapon because it's the favored weapon of their state deity, and because it's the favored weapon of the Althameri tribespeople who became the imperial family and the nobility. Though fashions and culture throughout the empire are diverse and change a lot, there's a certain amount of status associated with Althameri culture, so people who aren't of Althameri descent often adopt Althameri customs/dress styles/etc.
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Which tea do you think is better: Darjeeling or Earl Grey?
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Which tea do you think is better: Darjeeling or Earl Grey?
Earl Grey. Love me some bergamot.
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Hi Jessica. It's seemed to me that you've been doing more creative stuff lately (Inner Sea Faiths and the upcoming Qadira books were what I noticed in particular).
Is that a shift in direction/interests for you at the company? Or has that always been the case and I've only just noticed?
It's actually kind of a complex question, so long answer (skip to bottom for short answer):
So, yes, I'm doing more freelance writing for Paizo. But all our writing (except rewriting of material as part of the dev process) gets done out of house. So that's not a shift in my actual on-the-clock responsibilities. On the clock, I've been doing development for several years now, in cases where we didn't have sufficient dev resources to meet deadlines.
That's been a little bit of a shift from what I did when I first started at Paizo, but it's a natural and appropriate one as I integrate more with the creative team and understand their needs. It's not a new role for me, even though it's newer at Paizo.
I started my career in games as a game designer, and I've been paid to write since I was in middle school. If I had to reduce myself to one thing that I do, it's writing. It's the thing that's the least effort for me to do, the thing that I've done for the longest, the thing I've spent the most time training other people to do, etc. The pay as a video game writer/screenwriter is a lot better than anything in tabletop, but the working conditions are usually brutal; I took a PM job at Paizo for my own sanity (most game companies have pretty broken creative processes, but at least as a producer/PM you have some power to fix them, whereas as a writer, you're usually at their mercy), but I'm considerably newer/less experienced at it than I am as a writer.
Any time you come in to an established creative team--even when you come in as a creative, but especially when you don't--you have to earn trust before you get to wield any sort of creative authority.
I offered to edit a blog post...
Thanks for such a thorough reply - you even answered a whole bunch of questions I didn't know I had. :)
I hope the shift to tabletop games has been a good thing for you. It's been good for us.
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Thanks! It has been very good for me. :-)
Coming from video games is sort of like having been in an abusive relationship, honestly. It takes a while to recover--this year was the first year I didn't go in the bathroom and throw up while I was waiting for my turn at having my yearly review (and as anyone can tell you, reviews with Wes are the nicest and most ego-boosting thing in the world, but when you work for a startup and it's always in danger of going under and laying you off, or you work at a giant corporation where there's a lot of gaslighting and backstabbing and playing people off each other, you don't come back from that right away). And even that was because Wes--very compassionately--didn't give me warning and time to fret this year. <wry> The counterpoint to my coworkers at Paizo learning to trust me creatively has been my learning to trust them as actual teammates--it has been very healing.
There's a good reason the "career lifespan" for people in tabletop is a lot longer than it is in video games. :-)
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Have you tried Stash Tea's double bergamot Earl Grey? I have friends who think highly of it--I can't have caffeine, so I haven't had it (smells nice, though).Which tea do you think is better: Darjeeling or Earl Grey?Earl Grey. Love me some bergamot.
It's my go-to tea. :-) If you like heavy bergamot, it's probably the best easily obtainable Earl Grey out there.
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*prefers his when he needs a pick up around 2-3 pm.*
Another tea-related question: Best kind of English biscuits - Mcvities or Walker's shortbread?
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Qadira forever?Kelesh forever. Qadira is her fiery, belligerent, often misguided daughter. :-)Okay, thank you for the correction! KELESH FOREVER!
Does Qadira (and by extension Kelesh) have yatagans and khandars or is it pretty much all scimitars all the way?
Kelesh has a lot of different weapons. It's an empire, and the term "Keleshite" is analogous to "Tian" or "Avistani," not "Andoren" or even "Varisian." Kelesh is huge, and there are a ton of different cultures there. They're also an empire that has shifted from military conquest to economic conquest, so trade rules all, which means you're going to see weapons there from pretty much every continent on Golarion, different planes, and possibly different planets.
The scimitar is the iconic Keleshite weapon because it's the favored weapon of their state deity, and because it's the favored weapon of the Althameri tribespeople who became the imperial family and the nobility. Though fashions and culture throughout the empire are diverse and change a lot, there's a certain amount of status associated with Althameri culture, so people who aren't of Althameri descent often adopt Althameri customs/dress styles/etc.
Aw, gee now I can't wait for your Qadira book EVEN MORE! Even if it's just a taste, Kelesh sounds AWESOME!
How DID Sarenrae become the Keleshite state deity, anyhow? How are other, non-Sarenite religions regarded?
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*prefers his when he needs a pick up around 2-3 pm.*
Another tea-related question: Best kind of English biscuits - Mcvities or Walker's shortbread?
I don't eat biscuits with my tea.
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Really? What do you eat it with then Ms Price?
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I don't necessarily eat anything with it? I drink tea. Sometimes I drink it alone, sometimes with dessert, sometimes with a snack. :-)
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Understood. I just was curious since I always had McVites with mine...
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Any thoughts on what Winter Ihernglass's Pathfinder stats would be?
And TeamWinter or TeamMarcus?
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Any thoughts on what Winter Ihernglass's Pathfinder stats would be?
And TeamWinter or TeamMarcus?
Not really, since I don't generally try to stat up preexisting characters. :-)
TeamWinter all the way. I don't understand why Marcus is a main character. He's nice enough, but boring as hell.
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In your opinion, what's the most delightfully evil thing that Paizo's ever published?
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Any thoughts on what Winter Ihernglass's Pathfinder stats would be?
And TeamWinter or TeamMarcus?
Not really, since I don't generally try to stat up preexisting characters. :-)
TeamWinter all the way. I don't understand why Marcus is a main character. He's nice enough, but boring as hell.
Good enough. And while I'm totally on TeamWinter, I'll say that if you're a guy and occasionally catch yourself thinking or doing stupid things due to internalised ideas of masculinity/chivalry, his dealings with Raesinia and the Girl's Own is the cause for quite a few amused groans of recognition.
QADIRA! SUCH BOOK! MUCH JOY!
*ahem*
'Scuse me...
*Kermit-esque joyful flailing*
There. So.
What part of this awesome book are you proudest of?
How did you know that I wanted that Solar bloodline when I didn't?
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QADIRA! SUCH BOOK! MUCH JOY!
*ahem*
'Scuse me...
*Kermit-esque joyful flailing*
There. So.
What part of this awesome book are you proudest of?
How did you know that I wanted that Solar bloodline when I didn't?
I'm so glad you like it! :-)
It'd be hard to pick a favorite part -- the book is very much an interconnected system in my mind. The hardest stuff for me was the mechanics, so maybe I'm proudest of that.
And everyone should want a Solar bloodline, because the sun is awesome. :-)
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Bwah! I didn't know this thread was active again.
To echo Cole, thankies for the Qadira book, I've been enjoying it ^w^
To echox2, from conception to finish what did you have the most fun with while working on this book (sorry if this is exactly the same as the other question)?
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Are you playing in a game?
If yes, what kind of campaign, and what kind of character do you have.
Also, have a pleasant Wednesday, and stay dry. :-)
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Bwah! I didn't know this thread was active again.
To echo Cole, thankies for the Qadira book, I've been enjoying it ^w^
To echox2, from conception to finish what did you have the most fun with while working on this book (sorry if this is exactly the same as the other question)?
The most satisfying part was probably the archetypes. I know it's not likely to affect how people play them, but I think in terms of story and then try to create mechanics that can make that happen in game.
So, for the ashiftah, it was okay, we have this empire that's all about sun and deserts and appearances--what's the creepiest thing that can happen if you're an opposing army? Mist creeps over the battlefield, and you think you see a figure moving through it, but you can't be sure, and the wounded around you just-- die.
The most fun part of the mechanics, at least, was probably the little grace notes that tell people how to play them in an entertaining, story-based way. So, the barbarian sun totem? Where you get extra move speed if you come in contact with open flame?
I'm not going to say you're doing it wrong if you don't start battle by running bellowing out of a bonfire, but, like, if you don't do that you're not living your best life, so.
The most fun part generally was laying the seeds for future stuff.
The succession crisis in Kelesh isn't big news in Avistan--government officials who deal with trade relations with Kelesh probably are worried about it, but other than that, it's not really a thing most people in Avistan (outside of Qadira) care about. But it's a big deal in Casmaron, and if the Emperor dies without a confirmed successor, it could destabilize most of the continent.
The Hatharat is also something that could be used anywhere, and while the visible government of Kelesh is careful to appear above reproach, the Hatharat is both largely invisible and more ends-justify-the-means. And anyone could be an agent.
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Contributor
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The most fun part of the mechanics, at least, was probably the little grace notes that tell people how to play them in an entertaining, story-based way. So, the barbarian sun totem? Where you get extra move speed if you come in contact with open flame?
I'm not going to say you're doing it wrong if you don't start battle by running bellowing out of a bonfire, but, like, if you don't do that you're not living your best life, so.
This is the best thing.
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Are you playing in a game?
If yes, what kind of campaign, and what kind of character do you have.
Also, have a pleasant Wednesday, and stay dry. :-)
Well, I was in a few campaigns that are currently on hiatus, because everyone at Paizo's busy as hell:
--James Jacobs' Horror on the Orient Express game (wealthy flapper)
--Owen Stephens' Giantslayer game (ifrit fire sorcerer)
--My Mummy's Mask game (GM)
I am currently in Wes's semi-regular Kingdom Death game. (You don't play one specific character in Kingdom Death.)
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Did you enjoy the short Iron Gods charity game?
(I had to miss you section to avoid spoilers - I might be a player there - but it was fun to see you, even briefly, there!)