Creative Director
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I see. Thank you!
Mr. McCreary, how much leeway will players of Strange Aeons have in background writing, considering how important the PCs' amnesia is to the story? Obviously the PCs won't remember the circumstances that landed them in the asylum, but will EVERYTHING be gone, like their childhood, their training to become an adventurer etc?
It feels like there's two kinds of amnesia in these stories: The first is the kind used in The Witcher video games, where the amnesia doesn't erase EVERYTHING and the person still remembers things like their skills and raison d'etre, but not things related to the circumstances or trauma that triggered the amnesia, and the plot's more about how the amnesiac protagonist goes forward, memory recovery just filling in the blanks. The other kind is what we see in games like Planescape: Torment or the appropriately titled Amnesia series, where the protagonist has basically forgotten EVERYTHING and the plot is about piecing together clues to rediscover your identity, and the revelation of just who the protagonist is is as much a surprise to player as it is to character.
Where will Strange Aeons fall on this continuum? I have some preliminary ideas, but I'm hesitant to start building an actual character until I know just how much backstory I can write for a character, and how much the AP will essentially write for me...
Ohhhh... hmm
Actually, Rob's not doing Strange Aeons. Adam Daigle is developing it, and will be working on the Player's Guide for the AP, which will have plenty of information about how to build a character with amnesia that fits into the AP. Exact details are not yet available, but even then you'll likely need to wait until the player's guide is out in the week of Gen Con to learn more.
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What would you say are the narrative themes and ideas explored in Giantslayer, apart from the racial tensions half-orcs get caught in the middle of that are readily apparent in Battle of Bloodmarch Hill and the metagamey sort of thing where the PCs are advancing from tier to tier in terms of enemies, starting with orcs, moving on to hill giants and ogres, then frost and fire giants and finally battling cloud and storm giants?
Senior Developer, Starfinder Team
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I asked James Jacobs this, but he said you'd be able to answer it better, since your work on Jade Regent was more in-depth than his...
** spoiler omitted **
That's obviously way beyond the scope of the Jade Regent AP, meaning the real answer to a question like that is whatever the GM wants.
However, a Frozen Shadows survivor could certainly be a cool and fun concept for a Reign of Winter PC!
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Senior Developer, Starfinder Team
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What would you say are the narrative themes and ideas explored in Giantslayer, apart from the racial tensions half-orcs get caught in the middle of that are readily apparent in Battle of Bloodmarch Hill and the metagamey sort of thing where the PCs are advancing from tier to tier in terms of enemies, starting with orcs, moving on to hill giants and ogres, then frost and fire giants and finally battling cloud and storm giants?
You've hit the biggest ones, but I'd say another theme is the threat to a wider region, and no focus on a specific country. Sure, there's Trunau at the beginning, and the PCs will likely want to keep it safe throughout the AP, but the Storm Tyrant represents a threat to many neighboring countries, and the AP allows you to explore this kind-of wilderness on the borderlands of several nations, incorporating different types of terrain as well.
There are also some explorations of the dwarf vs. giant enmity, and even some of the racial relations between types of giants themselves.
Otherwise, there is a big nostalgia theme, of course - besides the giants, there are advancing tiers of dragons throughout the AP as well. Add into that ancient ruins, giant temples, and dungeons, and of course, a flying cloud castle, and it hit most of the beats I wanted it to.
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How was your vacation. :-)
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When you are testing ship combat and laser weapons, do you say, "Phew! Phew!"?
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Would it be fair to say that Iomedeans who join rebellious groups like in Council of Thieves or Hell's Rebels lean more towards Neutral Good than most followers of the Inheritor? How would paladins or monks maintain their Lawful alignment while working with such a group?
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Senior Developer, Starfinder Team
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Would it be fair to say that Iomedeans who join rebellious groups like in Council of Thieves or Hell's Rebels lean more towards Neutral Good than most followers of the Inheritor? How would paladins or monks maintain their Lawful alignment while working with such a group?
Worshipers of Iomedae could certainly be NG. Priests, too, though most tend to match their goddess's alignment, LG. How to maintain a Lawful alignment while being part of a Chaotic group is likely to be one of the key sources of conflict for such a character, and is really up to the player and the GM to work through via roleplaying (assuming we're talking about PCs, of course).
However, there is a difference between the rebel groups in Council of Thieves and Hell's Rebels, or more accurately, with the introduction of the Glorious Reclamation in Hell's Vengeance, there's more of a hook for Iomedaean characters to get involved in Hell's Rebels.
In Council of Thieves, there is no Iomedaean involvement at all (as far as I can recall), which means that an Iomedaean character is pretty much going to be on their own, and the whole Law vs. Chaos thing is going to be tricky. Like it or not, House Thrune is the rightful and lawful ruler of Cheliax. An Iomedaean character would likely be more focused on trying to do good, and fighting against the evils of Thrune rule, without necessarily overthrowing the lawful government.
In Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance, on the other hand, the Glorious Reclamation is already in the process of trying to overthrow the government, so an Iomedaean could be working to spread the GR's revolution to Kintargo. Note, however, that even in Hell's Vengeance, the Church of Iomedae has not thrown its full support behind the Glorious Reclamation. That's because their goals are not technically in line with Iomedae's teachings. That being said, if the GR is successful, that would clearly show Iomedae's favor, and the church would probably throw its full support behind the knights. But as it stands in both APs, it's a complicated and tricky situation that the larger church wants to stay out of for the time being.
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Senior Developer, Starfinder Team
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If I remember correctly, the leader of the Children of Westcrown in Council of Thieves, Arael, is a cleric of Iomedae.
You're correct, but a single cleric of Iomedae is not the same as the entire church of Iomedae. It's also important to note that Arael does not consider himself a "rebel," and indeed, has no interest in starting a rebellion. He's more focused on making Westcrown a better place for its citizens, perhaps even serving as a model for how even Thrune-appointed rulers might manage their cities and subjects. Any sort of regime change, like the Glorious Reclamation is attempting to do in Hell's Vengeance, is not on Arael's agenda at all (or at least, not until far into the future).
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Senior Developer, Starfinder Team
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No, I was speaking about Arael being a cleric of Iomedae and being leader of the Children of Westcrown. The question of whether or not the Children are a rebellion, and what that means for lawful PCs, is something that players and GMs will have to work out together. Groups have different play styles and different takes on alignment, so rather than make blanket statements that *must* apply to every group, I'd rather leave it in the hands of those players and GMs.
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No, I was speaking about Arael being a cleric of Iomedae and being leader of the Children of Westcrown. The question of whether or not the Children are a rebellion, and what that means for lawful PCs, is something that players and GMs will have to work out together. Groups have different play styles and different takes on alignment, so rather than make blanket statements that *must* apply to every group, I'd rather leave it in the hands of those players and GMs.
Ah, I see! Thanks for clarifying! :)
Crossposted in AMA threads: it's a Paizopaloozaganza!
Rob.
Rooooooooooooob.
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!
1. Who is the father of all the queens of Irrisen? Do they share one father? Or are their fathers(including Rasputin's father) all different?
2. Did Baba Yaga gave birth to all of her children before the founding of Irrisen? I mean, if that's the case, while a daughter is reigning as a queen, do other daughters wait patiently in the palace of Whitethrone until their enthronement? Or every time Baba Yaga returns and dethrones the current queen, she brings along a new girl who the current queen has never seen before? I personally think the latter is the right answer, because if the former is right, Elvanna or other rebellious queens would have killed their sisters to ensure there can be no alternative daughter for their mother to give the crown.
3. Reign of Winter said that Baba Yaga drains her daughter's life energy to extend her lifespan. But does she need to do this? I mean, thanks to her mythic power, she already enjoys eternal life! Why should she kill her own daughters to get immortality that she already has? I really don't get it.
4. The book said that one of the PCs can surely become the new queen of IRrisen. If Baba Yaga crowns one of the PCs the new queen of Irrisen, will she come back 100 years later and drain the PC's life like she did to her daughters before? But my PC is not even her biological daughter! That means her life energy is of no use to Baba Yaga.
5. All monarchs of Irrisen were female, despite the fact that males can become witches, too. Does that mean my male PC cannot be the king of Irrisen, even if all other PCs agree that he can? In other words, would Baba Yaga not agree to enthrone him at the end of the adventure path because he's male?
6. In the cover of Rasputin must die!, Rasputin has blue eyes. But in the appendix, he has brown eyes. Maybe the illustrator made a mistake? And which eye color is correct? I searched the internet, ubt the photos that depict the real life RAsputin were all black-and-white, so I oculdn't find out what his real eye color was.
7. Witch Queen's Revenge said that if the PCs ask Baba Yaga to end the eternal winter, she just answers that she can't do that. Does that mean she is too busy to visit every place where she has placed the winter collectors and destroy them? Or does this mean she certainly can, but she loves Irrisen's eternal winter so much that she does not want to end it?
8. If the latter is correct, does that mean if the PCs start an adventure to destroy all winter collectors to end the eternal winter of Irrisen, Baba Yaga will be there to stop or kill the PCs?
9. What will Baba Yaga do if she returns to Golarion 100 years later and finds out that Irrisen has already been conuered by the Linnorm Kings 99 years ago and all her descendants were slain? Will she be furious and gather an army of feys, giants and winter wolves again and conquer Irrisen? Or will she just cackle and leave Golarion to travel or conquer another planet(possibily to found a new Irrisen), never to visit Golarion again?
10. What is the spell Baba Yaga is casting in page 4 of Maiden, Mother, Crone? It looks like shoking grasp, but I'm not sure.
11. Elvanna planned to spread make Golairon a frozen planet. But Irrisen relies heavily on trade with other countries for food and other supplies because of the eternal winter. How was she planning to rule the planet without outside help to maintain the frozen nation?
12. Why did Baba Yaga started the eternal winter anyway? Being evil is one thing, but crippling her own naiton like that is another. Maybe because she likes winter so much?
13. Do mammoths live in Irrisen?
14. It's mentioned that before the Winter War, there were two Linnorm Kingdoms in Irrisen: Raemerrund and Djurstor. And after the death of Elvanna, King Sveinn Blood-Eagle demands the PCs to hand over the western half of Irrisen. I'm curious, because I thought the whole Irrisen was the ancestral home of the Ulfen, but Sveinn only demanded the western Irrisen. Does that mean the eastern Irrisen was not part of the Linnorm Kingdoms? But it's also mentioned that Whitethrone was built on the ruins of the Raemerrund capital Elkswoad, which seems to imply that the eastern Irrisen was also a part of the Linnorm Kingdoms.
15. If the PCs hand over the western half to the Ulfen, would Baba Yaga get furious and start a new war to reconquer this land after she returns 100 years later?
You are the author of Lands of the Linnorm Kings. So I think you can give me correct answers.
16. It's mentioned that White Estrid is the first Ulfen king since the Winter War to openly encourage the use of magic among her advisors and allies. Does that mean Ulfen generally don't like magic? I ask because I'm not sure if there can exist a long line of prominent sorcerous family in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings or not.
17. It seems that Ulfen like to duel. Can magic be used in a duel? I'm not sure if killing my opponent with fireballs in a duel would be considered a foul play or not.
18. If I want to be a Linnorm King, should I kill a linnorm by myself? I ask this because if I can kill it with other PCs or not.
19. After I kill a linnorm, if I kill or defat a Linnorm King in a duel, will his crown be mine? I ask this because I'm not sure if I have to wait the former king dies or not.
20. I'm really sad because the Lands of the Linnorm Kings book doesn't tell us the birth years and the coronation years of the various Linnorm Kings. So I have to ask you, hte author of that book. In which year were Ingimundr the Unruly, Opir Eightfingers, Freyr Darkwine, and White Estrid born? The book told us that Sveinn Blood-Eagle was born in 4632 AR, but didn't give us more information.
21. In which year did Sveinn and Ingimundr become Linnorm Kings? And when did Freyr assumed control of Hagreach? The coronation year of Opir and Estrid are given(4694 AR and 4704 AR, respectively), but we have no more clues.
22. Are the ruler of Hagreach and the leader of the Blackravens traditionally one person? Or there's no such tradition, and the fact that Freyr rules Hagreach and also leads the Blackravens is just a coincidence?
23. In Shadow of the Storm Tyrant, there's an artifact called the black comet heart that was used to penetrate Zephyr Hall's magical defenses. It's now returned to Cirdassa, one of the Storm Tyrant's top captains. It's mentioned that the black comet heart is depleted of its power. I'm curious. Can this artifact be recharged?
24. Is the black comet heart a major artifact, or a minor artifact?
25. How big is the black comet heart? The book said that Cirdassa can throw it as a Large throwing rock. Maybe as big as a human's head?
26. How big is the Orb of Dragonkind? The cover illustration and the illustration in page 63 of the book suggest that it's as big as a storm giant's head, but the illustration in page 4 clarly depicts the Orb as much smaller. And I think the latter illustration would be correct, because if the Orb is that big, a human character cannot use the Orb properly because of its size. What do you think?
27. There's the magical water source of Ironcloud Keep in area F48. The book said that The stone sphere above the fountain has an overwhelming aura of conjuration. Does that mean the water that flows from the fountain is conjured from Plane of Water?
28. If I cast antimagic field or disjunction near the fountain, would the water stop flowing from the fountain?
29. In page 70 of the book, there's an illustration that depicts a giant attacks other giants. What are they? The small ones look like stone giant to me. Are they? And I have no idea what the big one is.
30. Shadow of the Storm Tyrant said that, even though I defeat the Storm Tyrant, that doesn't mean the cloud giants are content to let me keep the cloud castle. I'm curious. If a human PC befriends cloud giants, and asks them to build a cloud castle and sell it to him(assuming he's very rich), would the giants do that? Or they wouldn't sell a cloud castle no matter what, because selling a cloud castle to a non-giant is an abhorrent act?
31. Page 66 of the book seems suggesting that if the PCs pilot the castle to the master cloud engineer Jorifah and repair the castle, the PCs can own it. Am I right? Jorifah is a cloud giant, after all. Wouldn't she demand the PCs to hand over the ownership of the castle eventually? And even if she let the PCs own it, wouldn't other cloud giants demand the PCs to give the castle back to them?
32. Paizo has introduced three cloud castles so far: Zoarth's Castle, Skyborne Keep, and Ironcloud Keep. Do you think Ironcloud Keep is the best among them?
33. I really like cloud castles. I wish Paizo introduce more cloud castles in campaign setting books so that I can own one of them and enjoy a ride. Will Paizo do that?
34. I'm very satisfied with Ironcloud Keep, except for one thing. There is no illustration that depicts its... I don't know the proper word, but... panorama? In page 54 of Castles of the Inner Sea, there's an illustration that depicts the panorama of Skyborne Keep. But in Shadow of the Storm Tyrant, there's none. The only illustration that slightly depicts the exterior of the castle is in page 8, but that hardly satisfied me. Would Paizo introduce a new panorama illustration of Ironcloud Keep? Yes, I know Ironcloud Keep will never take an important role in other adventure paths again, but Karzoug reappeared in the cover of GameMastery Guide, and Nualia reappeared in the cover of Faith of Corruption and page 42 of Lords of Chaos and page 47 of Inner sea Magic, and the Kuthite trio who first appeared in Skeletons of Scarwall reappeared in page 2 of Faiths of Corruption. So technically Ironcloud Keep can reapper again in one of the future books, right?
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Hello Rob McCreary I am contemplating making a paladin of Kehpri. From what I gathered Kehpri is worshiped mostly by peasants and aids those who work.
So my question is what advice could you give me about what a paladin of The Humble Hand would do when not smiting or typical views on their duty? Also how rare or common would a paladin of Kehpri or another Ancient Osirion be?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully given your workload answer.
I have no questions I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and creativity in ushering Starfinder out into the world.
Especially for Incident At Absalom Station, both were well worth the wait.
I can't wait to see what other ideas you have stewing.
Thank you. Also
I have no questions I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and creativity in ushering Starfinder out into the world.
<snip>
I can't wait to see what other ideas you have stewing.
Generally agree with all of this!
Especially for Incident At Absalom Station, both were well worth the wait.
I can't say on this one, but I'm excited to see what awaits in the future!
Thank you.
Agreed again!
Also
... and I don't understand this! So...
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Damn my typos!
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I have a question for you as you’re now Starfinder’s creative director: will anacites become a player race at some point in the future? They have an entry in Alien Archive, but specifically for laborer NPCS and the non-sapient wingbots, which has disappointed several friends of mine who were hoping to play robot PCs that were more “Star Wars droids” than “Blade Runner” androids...
What are all the questions I should ask you about Starfinder? :D
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What is your personal favorite playable race from Alien Archives.