GM reference thread for The Divinity Drive.
Creative Director
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I have to say, having read the plot summary for the Iron Gods adventure path, I love the pun in this book's title. Kudos to whoever named it.
Thanks! I don't remember which of us came up with the name... it was a group effort though.
Coming up with names for the six adventures is one of the first things I (or Rob, for his APs) have to do when we outline them—we need titles ASAP once the process begins, for things like building web pages and assigning ISBN numbers and solicitations and all that. Having to name the adventures is pretty grueling, and when names come up that are just perfect like this, I'm quite delighted.
I'm pretty pleased with it myself, although "Valley of the Brain Collectors" is probably my favorite title in this AP.
"Valley of the Brain Collectors" is certainly a very enticing title, as it not only hints at what to expect - the Neh'thalguu! - but also just makes it seem creepy and alienish.
I am looking forward to that one. Gives me that good o' fear of death that characters need. Any futuristic plot needs to have aberrations running around. Just because it is fun and flavorful. What I am hoping to see is a new ooze. Tired of the Stereotypical Black Pudding or Gray Ooze. Would like to see the Brain Ooze be used at least once :)
Why the Brain Ooze, because it needs some loving.
2 Tentacles +13 touch, fort save vs. int damage.
Messes up rogues, fighters, and barbarians.
Is a challenge for the entire party.
Only ooze I know with Evasion
Dominate Person/Animal at will
Dispel Magic
Exposes the group to a "different monster"
Then again, I am the same DM that gives dragons Imp. Unarmed Strike, Kirin Style, and Kirin Strike or Dazzling Display, and Shatter Defenses, or Power Attack, Furious Focus, and Vital Strike. I treat monsters I do this to though as a +1 to CR due to the difficulty.
Divinity should be quite interesting! One of my favorite APs in a long time and I had a character in Reign of Winter AND Shattered Star, which were masterpieces of breaking the proverbial mold of what to expect! Admittedly, Paizo is VERY good at breaking the mold and making uber-awesome APs (The lack of umlaut on my keyboard is unfortunate, btw,), but these have been the cream of the crop for a jaded gamer like me!
One question, Mr. Jacobs... are there any robot 'angels'? I certainly hope so! I've been waiting for robot angel creatures ever since robots were released in Pathfinder! You know what I mean, very Platinum Angel-esque creatures.
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Creative Director
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One question, Mr. Jacobs... are there any robot 'angels'? I certainly hope so! I've been waiting for robot angel creatures ever since robots were released in Pathfinder! You know what I mean, very Platinum Angel-esque creatures.
Your answer will be VERY obvious in "Divinity Drive." But if you can't wait..
Are the robotic angels at least "cute" ?
Are they completely bad@$$ looking?
YES!!!
I just downloaded my subscriber .pdf and have one thing to say about the Foreword:
I was hoping for something a bit more like Verces, only with more integration of magic and tech.
You're such a tease, Mr. Jacobs. ;-P
So exactly where is Unity itself located? Within the Divinity Drive? Where was it originally housed, I wonder?
I just downloaded my subscriber .pdf and have one thing to say about the Foreword:
** spoiler omitted **
You're such a tease, Mr. Jacobs. ;-P
Please elucidate that further on Androffa's fate - in a spoiler, of course!
Please elucidate that further on Androffa's fate - in a spoiler, of course!I just downloaded my subscriber .pdf and have one thing to say about the Foreword:
** spoiler omitted **
You're such a tease, Mr. Jacobs. ;-P
All the build up of Androffa and the Dominion of the Black for...
After all this, "modern" Androffa is pretty much a Golarion analog. Unless the GM wants to develop it differently (basically, "make your own world" if you want something different than "PF standard").
All the build up of Androffa and the Dominion of the Black for...
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks for that info. Did the other deities then step in after the offenders were carted off, and were these new deities non-local?
I'll be their God and help them rebuild their civilization then tear it down and watch it burn!..... Err, i mean give everyone Fluffy Kittens and Twitter!
#Rawillnotdestroyearthpinkyswear;)
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LOL :D
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Creative Director
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Thanks for that info. Did the other deities then step in after the offenders were carted off, and were these new deities non-local?All the build up of Androffa and the Dominion of the Black for...
** spoiler omitted **
Androffa is, in fact, my home campaign setting; after the 10,000 years or so that have passed since Divinity's launch, though, the setting has itself undergone many changes (not the least of which is that the planet is no longer called Androffa, but has been shoretened to just Droffa).
The "other deities" are my home campaign's pantheon, pretty much; which includes the following from Golarion: Erastil, Sarenrae, Desna, Abadar, Gorum, Asmodeus, Zon-Kuthon, Urgathoa, Norgorber, and Rovagug, and these deities under different names: Shelyn, Gozreh, and Pharasma.
The imprisoned deities are their own small pantheon of arrogant and not-nice deities collectively known as the Shoal. They don't have much going on in Golarion at all, and are pretty much all locked away.
In a way, the role of Androffa in Iron Gods is there to explain why so much of my separate campaign world is also part of Golarion, I suppose. ;-)
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Creative Director
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The Overlord Robot should have the cruelty facet, not the intuition facet. Cruelty is what gives it sneak attack.
Also, this adventure should have had more Dominion of the Black stuff. But I guess that's just an opinion.
This is not the "Dominion of the Black" adventure path, remember.
That's something for another day. There IS a Dominion of the Black AP plot I've had in my head for a long time, but this AP and Dragon's Demand needed to happen first to set the stage.
The Overlord Robot should have the cruelty facet, not the intuition facet. Cruelty is what gives it sneak attack.
Also, this adventure should have had more Dominion of the Black stuff. But I guess that's just an opinion.
This is not the "Dominion of the Black" adventure path, remember.
That's something for another day. There IS a Dominion of the Black AP plot I've had in my head for a long time, but this AP and Dragon's Demand needed to happen first to set the stage.
Oooooohh, I can't wait! ^.^
Huh. Not the route I expected for Androffa. Was looking forward to a slugging match between them and the Dominion. However, that is an awesome way to slip in your homebrew setting. So do androids still exist on Androffa, or are were they wiped out with the return of the gods?
The Overlord Robot should have the cruelty facet, not the intuition facet. Cruelty is what gives it sneak attack.
Also, this adventure should have had more Dominion of the Black stuff. But I guess that's just an opinion.
This is not the "Dominion of the Black" adventure path, remember.
That's something for another day. There IS a Dominion of the Black AP plot I've had in my head for a long time, but this AP and Dragon's Demand needed to happen first to set the stage.
I will dig this post up in three years if I have to, but calling it now: Distant Worlds AP in 2017.
Your move, future me.
Hopefully before then!
May I ask 2 questions, but how long after Earth Fall did the Divinity smash into Numeria.
Secondly what exactly enraged the old Androffa/Droffan deities (the Shoal) to lead them wipe out the Androffans ancient high-tech civilization.
Given the ancient Androffans access to space travel you would have imagined that they would have established off planet colonies, and that some may still survive. Did they really keep all their "eggs in one basket" so to speak (in this case one planet), are some lost remnants of the ancient Androffan interstellar empire and maybe survivors still waiting to be found?
Androffa is, in fact, my home campaign setting; after the 10,000 years or so that have passed since Divinity's launch, though, the setting has itself undergone many changes (not the least of which is that the planet is no longer called Androffa, but has been shoretened to just Droffa).
The "other deities" are my home campaign's pantheon, pretty much; which includes the following from Golarion: Erastil, Sarenrae, Desna, Abadar, Gorum, Asmodeus, Zon-Kuthon, Urgathoa, Norgorber, and Rovagug, and these deities under different names: Shelyn, Gozreh, and Pharasma.
The imprisoned deities are their own small pantheon of arrogant and not-nice deities collectively known as the Shoal. They don't have much going on in Golarion at all, and are pretty much all locked away.
In a way, the role of Androffa in Iron Gods is there to explain why so much of my separate campaign world is also part of Golarion, I suppose. ;-)
Thanks for the info!
The Shoal ... interesting connotations ... water-based ... aboleth-related?
So, deities not currently present on Droffa:
Iomedae (b/c she ascended on Golarion?)
Cayden Cailean (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Irori (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Nethys (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Torag (no dwarves on Droffa?)
Calistria (no elves on Droffa?)
Lamashtu (why not?)
Interesting that Norgorber is present on Droffa. I wonder if he knocked off a Droffan deity after he ascended on Golarion, and therefore had to take an interest in Droffan affairs/worshippers.
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Creative Director
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Oh snap. Did we just get a confirmation?
This is not the "Dominion of the Black" adventure path, remember.That's something for another day. There IS a Dominion of the Black AP plot I've had in my head for a long time, but this AP and Dragon's Demand needed to happen first to set the stage.
That I want to do a Dominion of the Black themed AP?
Yes. I've said that before. But there's a dozen or so other APs I want to do too. Doesn't mean the Dominion AP will happen anytime soon. The fact that folks seem to enjoy the tastes we've given out so far is a good sign though.
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Creative Director
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Huh. Not the route I expected for Androffa. Was looking forward to a slugging match between them and the Dominion. However, that is an awesome way to slip in your homebrew setting. So do androids still exist on Androffa, or are were they wiped out with the return of the gods?
Pretty much no androids on Droffa today. Or if there are, they've yet to be (re)discovered.
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Creative Director
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May I ask 2 questions, but how long after Earth Fall did the Divinity smash into Numeria.
Secondly what exactly enraged the old Androffa/Droffan deities (the Shoal) to lead them wipe out the Androffans ancient high-tech civilization.
In short, the gods of the Shoal gave humanity divine magic back (the ability to heal, to be precise), and humanity squandered and bickered and fought over it while continuing to disrespect the gods, and the gods of the Shoal themselves, who weren't that much better at resisting their emotions, rained down an Apocalypse on Androffa.
And got themselves locked away by the rest of the gods, who today think back on the whole thing as a prime example of why deities should not meddle directly in mortal affairs.
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Creative Director
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Given the ancient Androffans access to space travel you would have imagined that they would have established off planet colonies, and that some may still survive. Did they really keep all their "eggs in one basket" so to speak (in this case one planet), are some lost remnants of the ancient Androffan interstellar empire and maybe survivors still waiting to be found?
Androffa had established some colonies in nearby planets and on long-range ships, but Divinity was their first big attempt to go beyond their solar system.
What happened to all those other ships and colonies isn't revealed. I'm sure they ended up somewhere though.
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Creative Director
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Androffa is, in fact, my home campaign setting; after the 10,000 years or so that have passed since Divinity's launch, though, the setting has itself undergone many changes (not the least of which is that the planet is no longer called Androffa, but has been shoretened to just Droffa).
The "other deities" are my home campaign's pantheon, pretty much; which includes the following from Golarion: Erastil, Sarenrae, Desna, Abadar, Gorum, Asmodeus, Zon-Kuthon, Urgathoa, Norgorber, and Rovagug, and these deities under different names: Shelyn, Gozreh, and Pharasma.
The imprisoned deities are their own small pantheon of arrogant and not-nice deities collectively known as the Shoal. They don't have much going on in Golarion at all, and are pretty much all locked away.
In a way, the role of Androffa in Iron Gods is there to explain why so much of my separate campaign world is also part of Golarion, I suppose. ;-)
Thanks for the info!
The Shoal ... interesting connotations ... water-based ... aboleth-related?
So, deities not currently present on Droffa:
Iomedae (b/c she ascended on Golarion?)
Cayden Cailean (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Irori (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Nethys (b/c he ascended on Golarion?)
Torag (no dwarves on Droffa?)
Calistria (no elves on Droffa?)
Lamashtu (why not?)Interesting that Norgorber is present on Droffa. I wonder if he knocked off a Droffan deity after he ascended on Golarion, and therefore had to take an interest in Droffan affairs/worshippers.
Nothing whatsoever to do with the aboleths. The gods of the Shoal are in fact a sort of super-emotional reactive arrogant petty deities who couldn't stand the fact that humanity was getting along without them, and when they tried the nice route of giving humanity divine magic and humanity didn't respect the gift, they freaked out. The individual deities of the Shoal were pretty varied, but thousands of years of being locked away has not been kind to them.
In my homebrew, the Shoal and the outsider minions they've been building in their prison plane are a whole category, in the same way demons and demon lords or devils and archdevils are a category.
Lamashtu is currently worshiped on Droffa, but not in a significant way.
Iomedae, Cayden Cailean, Irori, and Nethys are not worshiped on Droffa.
There ARE dwarves and elves on Droffa. Droffa is pretty much the same exact kind of world as Golarion, in fact, and there are in fact a lot of region names or groups or monsters that are the same as well in a sort of metaphysical parallel development/evolution/design, likely resulting from unintentional influence by the deities who DO have faiths on both worlds. The dwarves and elves worship their own pantheons on Droffa; neither Torag nor Calistria are part of those pantheons, but Desna is very much worshiped by the elves.
Norgorber's presence on Droffa is part of the enigma that is Norgorber. He's the god of secrets after all, so if ANYONE was gonna know about Droffa from the core 20... it'd be Norgorber.
Contributor
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Sigh... hard to quote on mobile. :(
To the above poster asking about timelines: according to Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars, the Rain of Stars took place in -4363. The -3116 date is when a nameless Kellid chieftain set off a massive blast that wiped out his tribe, causing the remaining tribes to develop their taboos against technology.
Not meaning to step on anyone's toes... sorry. :)
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Contributor
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Also, as long as I'm here... is Unity's signal literally infectious? The book describes it as a "virus" and indicates that Technic League survivors will be used as a vector for its spread. It implies a certain lack of... traditional persuasive evangelism. So if Unity begins the broadcast, it literally and inevitably changes recipients into slave-worshippers? Chilling if true.
Isnt that how all religions work?
:-D
Quoting is difficult to achieve on mobile, but to your latest response James Jacobs:
Have elves and dwarves always been on Androffa or were they introduced later on, once Androffa became Droffa?
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Creative Director
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Also, as long as I'm here... is Unity's signal literally infectious? The book describes it as a "virus" and indicates that Technic League survivors will be used as a vector for its spread. It implies a certain lack of... traditional persuasive evangelism. So if Unity begins the broadcast, it literally and inevitably changes recipients into slave-worshippers? Chilling if true.
Yup. That's what makes it a bad thing. It infects you and basically converts you via a disease like mechanic. It's absolutely NOT traditional persuasive evangelisim; it isn't even faith, since folks who are affected become worshipers of Unity not of their free will. Just another example of how Unity, despite its power, actually doesn't understand how faith works.
And yes, the point is to be chilling. ;-) (AND to show that there's a significant reason for the PCs to succeed in stopping Unity in the first place, of course!)
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Creative Director
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Quoting is difficult to achieve on mobile, but to your latest response James Jacobs:
Have elves and dwarves always been on Androffa or were they introduced later on, once Androffa became Droffa?
It's very similar to how elves work on Golarion, in fact. Elves on Droffa are aliens who came to the world after the end of Androffa.
Dwarves (and most other non-human races) were created at a later point by various deities when it became apparent that the world needed to be repopulated.
Quoting is difficult to achieve on mobile, but to your latest response James Jacobs:
Have elves and dwarves always been on Androffa or were they introduced later on, once Androffa became Droffa?It's very similar to how elves work on Golarion, in fact. Elves on Droffa are aliens who came to the world after the end of Androffa.
Dwarves (and most other non-human races) were created at a later point by various deities when it became apparent that the world needed to be repopulated.
The elves didn't come from Castrovel, did they? If so, how? And if not so, it appears that elves are spread across the universe similar to the ubiquity of humans.