Round 2 Observations

[Andrew Black]

Congrats to all the contestant for putting out some wonderfully creative creatures.

GOOD LUCK!

For any who are interested...

10 of the Top 32 got all three judges to recommend their monster for advancement.

Of those Adam Daigle said 4 would need some time and work to develop.

Only 6 of the Top 32 did not get any recommendations to advance by the judges.

Liz Courts recommended 18 to advance.

Lee Hammock recommended 19 to advance.

Adam Daigle recommended 16 to advance; 6 of these would still need some time and work to develop for print.

What other trends are you seeing?

[Garrett Guillotte]

Golarion-fu is important to the judges. Being Golarion-appropriate isn't enough—the judges want fleshed-out references to and integration with specific Golarion locations and lore.

Liz Courts, on Selachipoda wrote:

I would have liked something a bit more specific to Absalom (or Korvosa, or Goka, etc.) to make a bit more uniquely Golarion.

Liz, on Imposter Maw wrote:

While urban, there's nothing tying it to the setting itself. The imposter maw would have fit in well as an urban denizen from Tian Xia, as a native outsider with the oni subtype.

Liz, on Kaliswyrm wrote:

Thassilon is always ripe for origin stories. Given its poisonous abilities, tying it Viperwall (or serpentfolk) would have been an excellent choice as well.

-

The Nightflower and Waterway mistress are both creatures that only exist in female-gendered forms as written, and both drew some concerns from the judges for that decision.

Liz, on Nightflower wrote:

The abilities fit the creature's concept, but I'm not fond of the assumption that being alluring and seductive means "feminine."

Lee Hammock, on Nightflower wrote:

Are all nightflowers female? Seems like they could be either, but the writeup doesn't specify. I don't see why males should be the only ones tempted by insidious cacti spirits.

Liz, on Waterway mistress wrote:

However, if you *are* going to use a specific term like "mistress," then your descriptive text better explain why this creature is a particular gender.

[Anthony Adam]

That is a tricky balancing act at times, my "would have been" tried to walk a line of fitting a flavor of a specific Golarion region but still work Golarion wide. I think I erred too much on the Golarion wide making it too generic, so I can understand the insightful comments Liz has made on each entries Golarion Fu.

[Garrett Guillotte]

Anthony Adam wrote:

That is a tricky balancing act at times, my "would have been" tried to walk a line of fitting a flavor of a specific Golarion region but still work Golarion wide. I think I erred too much on the Golarion wide making it too generic, so I can understand the insightful comments Liz has made on each entries Golarion Fu.

For what it's worth, I went back to Adam's monster design thread and noticed this:

Adam Daigle wrote:

Mr. Whatever wrote:

I'm curious, does Golarion mean anything beyond place of origin? Like a specific theme, ability, etc etc.

It should make sense for our Campaign Setting and fit into the themes and tones of our world.

and

Adam Daigle wrote:

If someone doesn't identify a particular location, but still places their monster in a city and it doesn't stray from the themes and tones of Golarion, then the designer is on point. The important thing is that the monster makes sense in an urban environment. The name and details of that environment are secondary.

That sounds somewhat broader than what played out in the comments. On the other hand, I'm not sure if anyone's monster fell short of a recommendation only because the Golarion references weren't what a judge wanted--a few that were recommended were called out for being too broad, but judges still recommended them.

[Anthony Adam]

Thanks Garrett. I'll share my design once this round is over, I would be very interested in yours (and Liz's if possible) thoughts on how it did with the tones of Golarion then.

It's my first ever monster design, so I am kind of expecting a bit of hash/pigs ear but that's how we learn the art of design - taking the kick in the tushie and learning from it.

[Scorba]

I am trying to get a handle on the rule:

•Entry must be a new Golarion monster (not world-neutral or set in a world other than Golarion).

That design feature seems rather straightforward ... tie your entry to an existing Golarion location, but I see that the Top 32 entries are a bit loose on this feature.

is it better to not regionalize your entry like say:

the slimy Qadiran Sewer Slug

the feared Chelish Alley Cat

just because the name makes them seem prominent in a certain region/city/place, doesn't mean that they can't be far ranging.

I guess my question is this; Is it better to be location nonspecific in the naming of your entry?

[Scott Fernandez]

I think most names for new monsters don't have to call out their place of origin for the most part. For example since we are speaking of Urban Golarion monsters If I said psuedodragons and imps most players familiar with the setting would immediately think of the city of Korvosa. When I say gnolls most players should think Katapesh or Osirion.

Tying a monster to a particular city or region is all about making it fit the flavor of said place or if you have the superstar mojo you make the place fit the flavor of your monster!

--Monsters of Vrock

[Adam Daigle]

Andrew Black wrote:

...Of those Adam Daigle said 4 would need some time and work to develop.

...

To be fair, I technically said each entry would take some work to develop. ;)

(I actually tried to be vague with my language for those comments so they couldn't be strictly used as a data point.)

Here's some data I have on our judging:
We were unanimous with a “yes” on 9 monsters.
We were unanimous with a “no” on 7 monsters.
Liz and I agreed with a “yes” on 13 monsters.
Liz and I agreed with a “no” on 12 monsters.
Lee and I agreed with a “yes” on 9 monsters.
Lee and I agreed with a “no” on 8 monsters.
Lee and Liz agreed with a “yes” on 13 monsters.
Liz and Lee agreed with a “no” on 9 monsters.

[Andrew Black]

Adam Daigle wrote:

To be fair, I technically said each entry would take some work to develop. ;)
(I actually tried to be vague with my language for those comments so they couldn't be strictly used as a data point.)

Sorry if was misleading...I was just trying to point out that a few would take less work than others. I also wasn't attempting to use this as a data point for voting, but an observation of how strong the entries are this round overall. In years past I feel the R2 quickly separates the top from the bottom of the pack, and this year it is less certain who will claim one of the coveted 16 spots for R3. The quality of monsters seems a lot better this year.

Good Job to the Contestants!

&

Thanks to the Judges for selecting 32 Awesome competitors.

[Scorba]

I had a magical beast prepared for the round of 32 .. should I have made the cut. I would have failed miserably, the urban requirement would have made my original creation totally unusable and it would not have been possible to creatively alter it to fit the urban environ. It was a true monster no bones about it, no social attributes that would have made it an Urban Superstar.

I guess that is what makes a superstar ... the ability to handle old "uncle charlie" and hit it out of the park.

Congrats to the Top 32 .... keep on swinging

[Monica Marlowe]

Now that the votes are in and we've been talking our heads off I just want to say that there are a freaking lot of really smart and clever people here at the Forum and I have learned a lot again this year thanks to RPGSS.