PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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We exist in all places, in shadow and light, in forests and ruins, above and below ground, on this plane and others. Yet what do you know of us, truly? How well do you know these creatures you slay? Come then, let us rectify this. Let us teach you what it means to be “monsters.”
Goal
The goal for the Wayfinder fanzine is to create a collection of fan-created articles and supporting art set in Paizo’s Pathfinder Campaign Setting world of Golarion. In the process, we both show Paizo our love for their creation, and we showcase the talent in the fan community, hopefully opening doors to the industry for some.
The theme for Wayfinder #14 is more of an open concept:
What does this mean? Monsters are the focus. Weal or Woe articles should feature monsters, not the standard races. Fiction should have monsters as the main characters. Magic Items, spells, feats, special archetypes and PrCs...all for use by monsters.
Your main references should be all the Pathfinder Bestiaries, the Monster Codex, the Advanced Race Guide, and the Inner Sea Monster Codex (to be released in May 2015), as well as the Inner Sea World Guide. Also, be sure to use the handy-dandy PathfinderWiki and the Archives of Nethys! Preference will be given to articles that follow the issue’s theme. Writers are invited to submit articles that fit within the following categories:
- Advice: Share valuable information or experiences with new GMs or players in the world of Golarion. Submission size: 750 words.
- Bestiary: New creatures to terrorize your PCs! Each creature counts as a separate submission. Submission size: Max 750 words per creature. However, because multiple creatures are combined to form a single bestiary article, smaller entries will be considered as long as they are complete. (i.e., a hard target word count of 750 words does not apply to bestiary entries. (See the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary for examples of proper formatting and content.)
- Fiction: Wayfinder now accepts fiction submissions directly from the public. Joining a writer’s group to help with editing and development is still highly recommended. Submission size: either 750 or 1,500 words.
- Flavor Articles: Notable monsters, organizations, events, or other aspects of monster life in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting. These articles should build on the material already available in other sources. Flavor articles may include some rules material, such as item, location, or spell stat blocks, if necessary. Submission Size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- Golarion Gazetteer: Expand and explore locations, cities, or lairs on the Inner Sea maps that have little to no information about them in the campaign setting literature. If applicable, you may submit up to a 1/2-page map of your chosen locale. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Of Chance and Skill: Games, new to or adapted for Golarion, to play at your table. Again, these should match the monster theme. Submission size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- New Rules: Articles devoted to new archetypes, prestige classes, class abilities, feats, spells or magic items for monsters in the world of Golarion. Multiple smaller entries (usually feats, spells, or magic items) can be grouped together by a clear theme and submitted as one article. Submission size: 750 or 1,500 words.
- Realm Building: Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Campaign contains rules for building armies, cities and kingdoms. This column is focused on building upon those rules, and for THIS issue, it should be all about monsters. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Side Trek Seeds: Side trek seeds are short outlines that provide GMs with ideas, either as side treks for a Pathfinder adventure or as mini-adventures. Each side trek seed counts as a separate submission. Please refer to earlier issues of Wayfinder for the layout for this article. Submission size: 325 words.
- Poetry and Song: Music and poetry often define a culture, even that of monsters. Share your vision of the best-known songs and poems of the Inner Sea, with special emphasis on the issue’s theme. Submission size: 325 or 500 words.
- Tales from the Front: Fiction articles based on any of Paizo’s adventure modules or paths. Submission size: 1,500 words.
- Weal or Woe: Two monster NPCs, 1st- to 7th-level (including statblocks)—one potential ally, one potential adversary. Include hooks for how PCs might meet each NPC and how to use them in a campaign. Include a boon that can come from the Weal character and a drawback from the Woe character. Please reference earlier Wayfinders for the layout for this article, and try to avoid lengthy and complicated stat blocks, as they take up more space than regular text, and can cause problems with layout (i.e., not enough room for art). Submission size: 1,500 words.
Guidelines
- Thou shalt not disregard canon, thou shalt build upon it.
- Keep in mind thy audience. Keep it PG-13. No slash fic/porn fantasies, cheesecake/beefcake/fan service. These are prohibited by the Community Use Policy.
- Short and sweet. Refer to the word count requirements for each type of submission. These are HARD targets, not a range. Articles submitted with word counts more than 5% above or below the target numbers will not be accepted.
- Limit of up to THREE submissions per person per issue. So, pick your three best ideas!
- Do not submit an article that relies heavily on another submission, whether the other submission is yours or someone else’s. Any submitted articles that reference (an)other article(s) must be pre-approved by the Editor-in-Chief.
- Stick to the theme. Articles that do not relate to the monster theme will not be accepted. Articles should feature or be about monsters, not the typical player races (humans, elves, dwarves, etc.)
- Submissions used to defame, harass, or threaten board members are not tolerated.
Submission Instructions
- Conditions for Submissions. All authors and artists must agree to have their works reproduced for this and other Wayfinder products, be it for translations into other languages (we will be responsible for the truthfulness of the translations), special publications, or use on a Wayfinder website. All of Wayfinder’s publications are NON-PROFIT, and authors and artists will be given proper credit where due.
- Send all submissions to: wayfinder.fanzine@gmail.com with the subject line containing “Wayfinder #14 Submission:”, followed by the article title.
- All text submissions must be submitted in DOC or DOCX format (doesn’t matter if you use Office or OpenOffice). Note: Files sent in RTF, TXT, or any other format than DOC will be rejected.
- Do not use fancy fonts or colors or styles for formatting - these will get stripped out in the editing and layout process. Use the standard body font for the program you’re using - bold and italics are fine. Ask us for an example of our style templates, if you’d like to use that. Tables must be tab delimited (DO NOT USE FORMATTED TABLES).
- Use standard Pathfinder RPG formats for stat blocks. Familiarize yourself with the style and wording choices used in Paizo products and apply those same style and wording choices to your submissions.
- At the top of your submission, in the body of the article, provide the following information: article title (and subtitle, if any), author name(s), contact e-mail address(es), and word count of the submission. For example,
Article About Monsters: Subtitle Would Go Here
Liz ‘Lilith’ Courts
Lilithsemail@cooldomain.com
Word Count: 1,501 words - Accepted entries will go through editing passes for clarity and concision. Depending on time constraints, you may or may not receive feedback from the editing process.
- Failure to follow these instructions or to meet one or more guidelines will result in rejection of the submission.
- DEADLINE: June 30, 2015, 11:59 Pacific. All entries must be posted to our inbox by this deadline; no late articles are accepted. Issues are typically limited to 76-84 pages; therefore, only 45-50 articles will be chosen.
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So any suggestions on monster types we should avoid?
I have been thinking of a new Drake type for a while...too cliche?
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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In addition, if you are interested writing a Side Trek Adventure, or a Beginner Box Adventure, you must pitch your idea to me first. You will be limited to 3000 words total, but we often try to tie it in with a Weal or Woe, some bestiary BB conversions, etc.
You must sell the adventure idea to me. Showing me some additional credentials (authoring PFS scenarios, 3PP adventures, etc.) really does help, as it shows me that you've done this before, and you could probably do it again.
The pitch would be a side trek seed of sorts, with a bit more detail on encounters, monsters you'd use, and how you'd take advantage of Paizo materials (mostly stat blocks for monsters and NPCs) to keep the whole thing under 3000 words.
You can, of course, write up an adventure, and submit it for consideration. But, don't invest that kind of time and effort and expect that we'll accept it, please.
Questions? Ask!
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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This was put up quickly! So much time until the deadlines...
EDIT: Why is Liz always pushing wordcount?
Well, Liz isn't pushing it...I am. And I push it because articles need to fill the page precisely. Over or under the target word count turns layout into a jigsaw puzzle mess. I want articles to fit 1 page, 2 pages, and leave the right amount of space for that awesome art you all love.
Blow the target word count....you make us sad.
Intelligent construct organization arguing the ethical and moral rights of their kind and accompanying white paper on that subject.
This will be a fun one. I'm especially looking forward to reading the monster themed poetry, that should be... interesting.
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For Weal or Woe, with monsters being part of it, do you want CR 1-7? I'm just thinking those stat blocks could be a lot more complicated if I have, for example, an adult green dragon monk 7...
September? So, we'll end with quite asymmetric publish cycle?
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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For Weal or Woe, with monsters being part of it, do you want CR 1-7? I'm just thinking those stat blocks could be a lot more complicated if I have, for example, an adult green dragon monk 7...
The range of NPCs can be anywhere from CR 1 to CR 7. CR 7 gets a bit cramped for spellcasters, really. But if you look at Monster Codex, they fit two CR 4 or 5 stat blocks on a page. A Weal or Woe need a short background story, the stat block, plot hooks, and a boon or drawback, plus enough room for art. Each NPC, then, needs to be 750 words or less....1500 words total.
Those stat blocks with lots of spells and abilities have lots of short lines, that take up more space than a full line of text. That eats into our art space, so when we go to fit the article to the page, we have almost no room for the cool art we have. That makes me sad to see a piece of art that was supposed to fill a quarter page, squeezed into an eighth of a page.
Let's not do that, OK? Make the NPCs fun, but rein in the gonzo.
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This was put up quickly! So much time until the deadlines...
EDIT: Why is Liz always pushing wordcount?
Well, Liz isn't pushing it...I am. And I push it because articles need to fill the page precisely. Over or under the target word count turns layout into a jigsaw puzzle mess. I want articles to fit 1 page, 2 pages, and leave the right amount of space for that awesome art you all love.
Blow the target word count....you make us sad.
I meant in the example posted.
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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I meant in the example posted.This was put up quickly! So much time until the deadlines...
EDIT: Why is Liz always pushing wordcount?
Well, Liz isn't pushing it...I am. And I push it because articles need to fill the page precisely. Over or under the target word count turns layout into a jigsaw puzzle mess. I want articles to fit 1 page, 2 pages, and leave the right amount of space for that awesome art you all love.
Blow the target word count....you make us sad.
HA! My turn to not get it, eh? Well played Tom!
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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September? So, we'll end with quite asymmetric publish cycle?
Ah. Well, good point. I have conferred with my staff....
And we will shift the dates on this one a bit, so that the issue comes out in November, approximately six months from PaizoCon.
DEADLINE: June 30, 2015, 11:59 Pacific.
RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE BY September 1, 2015
ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY October 1, 2015
Mistress Lilith of Infinite Forum Powers.....can you assist??
Four feats written, a few more waiting to be put down on paper screen.
My ideas:
Feats (normal and mythic) for familiars and animal companions.
A prestige class for shapeshifting monsters.
A new angel, something like a CR 4 advanced cassisian with better abilities.
Maybe it's better to wait until I read Familiar Folio.
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Someone, turn on the Mikaze signal!
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Time to deMONSTRate our design skills!
Fun fact: The word "monster" is derived from the same root as "demonstrate" and "remonstrance" - and the modern French word for "to show" ("montrer"). In its original meaning, the word "monster" was applied to morphological anomalies (e.g., two-headed cow), because it was believed that such creatures "showed the glory of the Creator."
Maybe I'll be able to make mine first(s) submission(s)...
This theme is awakening the dragon aspect inside mine kobold avatar!
Thinking of a weal/ woe this time.
>Articles devoted to new archetypes,
>prestige classes,
Is the assumption that monster archetypes and prestige classes would refer to playable monsters, or NPC monsters, or either?
The real challenge is creating a PrC thought for monsters that can be taken by PCs too even if their abilities are different.
Either this, or I'll have to make a Mimic bloodline (maybe a warpblooded bloodline for Aberrant?), or a Doppelganger bloodline, or a Body Mystery, or...
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Thinking about some Central American beasties, for an Arcadian monster submission.
Adapting mythical beasties from African or Australian lore, for an article about critters of southern Garund or Sarusan, could also be an option.
Other notions;
Variant monsters - rather than full stat blocks, a listing of 'reskinned' monsters that could be created using current Bestiary stat blocks, with different flavor, or some different mechanical options.
An exploration / ecology article about Dark Folk or Derro or Lamia or Naga, any of whom could use some love.
In depth looks at races that are more Pathfinder-y than traditional D&D races, such as Boggards or Cyclopes or Genie or Linnorms or Mites or Tengu.
Is it generally preferred that we post the ideas for our potential entries here?
It certainly isn't required, but it can be helpful for meeting article collaborators.
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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So any suggestions on monster types we should avoid?
I have been thinking of a new Drake type for a while...too cliche?
I really do not want to discourage anyone, or stamp on creativity here....but.....
I do want to avoid a rehash of popular monster-types that Paizo has developed enough. Basically, if Paizo has published a "....of Golarion" Companion book on it, it's likely played out.
Now, that doesn't completely rule out any of those creatures. Some unique fluff/flavor article, or good fiction pieces, can certainly be possible.
What we are hoping for is a lot of creativity. We want to see NEW content, on monsters that just aren't the traditional "go-to" types. We want to see you find those little hooks and hidden snippets of text that Paizo plants in the Inner Sea World Guide, in the Companion books, that hint of something really cool, but no more than that....and develop it into a complete article of your own creation.
I also want to stress that this is about MONSTERS...not about whatever is in the bestiaries. I really don't want an article about feats for hippos. Or magic items that elephants might use. Or an eagle PrC. Or a city run by bats, rats, and cats. Animals might be in the bestiaries, but they are NOT monsters.
So ask yourself "What IS a monster?"
Rawr!
*RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRR*
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Rawr!
*grins*
Hi there, fellow traveller.Ruyan.
Just an idea for an idea: maybe someone would have an idea for an article or two about monsters that appeared in previous Wayfinder issues?
So ask yourself "What IS a monster?"
Ooh, ooh, pick me, I know this one!
Monster: Monsters are creatures that rely on racial Hit Dice instead of class levels for their powers and abilities (although some possess class levels as well).
Except that few people (I'm one of those few) seem to care that that definition exists. Among the people who choose to overlook it is whoever wrote this:
Some monsters do not possess racial Hit Dice and are instead defined by their class levels.
So I guess I don't know this one! At least not if the answer is something to be found as a rigorous definition within the rules of Pathfinder.
(Speaking of rigorous definitions, 4.c. in the "monster" entry of the OED is a nice one: "The largest known sporadic finite simple group.")
In all seriousness, this is a great theme, and I look forward to the issue!
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
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What immediately leapt to mind for me was that one could explore the "monstrous" races (orcs, for example) on their own terms. Sort of as a way to, for lack of a better word, "humanize" them.
This leads to an interesting problem, though. I feel like many of the monstrous humanoid races (which is to say humanoid subtypes as well as the actual monstrous humanoid type) could benefit from having their viewpoint portrayed from within. However, the complication is how to do so without breaking canon. For instance, I'm thinking about orcs in this way, and I'm not sure how to really go about it. Canonically orcs are violent monsters, but they're also people; they're considered Chaotic Evil, but that's an arbitrary game term applied to them from the perspective of the "normal" races the players typically have access to. I guess the question is how to balance this opportunity to present a more complex idea of what monsters are against the canonical information available which portrays certain creatures of human-comparable intelligence and their societies as near parodies of evil?
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PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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However, the complication is how to do so without breaking canon. For instance, I'm thinking about orcs in this way, and I'm not sure how to really go about it.
So, this is one of the reasons to avoid tackling monster races that Paizo has already spent a lot of time on....not violating canon.
Orcs are pretty well defined now...what with Orcs of Golarion, and Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes, one can only work on orcs from within those bodies of work now. There are definitely hooks and pieces dropped in the text for you to find, but it may be hard to find aspects of orc-kind that haven't been dealt with.
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And I'm already 700 words into a story to submit. :D
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Tim, sent a PM regarding a suggestion for this.
Not 100% sure I know what to do for this one. Likely a Weal/Woe, maybe a bestiary (construct), but I'll have to go through what's already been done in previous books so I'm not emulating anything. I like the idea of coming up with a variant PrC for Dragon Disciple, but make you different monsters. There's already a few archetype classes for monsters, as well as bloodlines. Might be a little thin on content, and likely have to think outside the box on this one.
So any suggestions on monster types we should avoid?
I have been thinking of a new Drake type for a while...too cliche?
I really do not want to discourage anyone, or stamp on creativity here....but.....
So ask yourself "What IS a monster?"
Exactly what I was wondering about. Perfect answer...and what I was afraid of. We'll have to see. Good thing I have some time to work on some ideas...
So my Feats for familiars are out?
You have piqued my interest. Monsters it shall be. Maybe I'll just cheat and write a monster prestige class (or template(s)).
See? I knew it was going to be gnomes.
So my Feats for familiars are out?
I like the idea, but familiars do not get feats in the first place, Bardess. And with the Familiar Folio in the works you might easily get in danger of violating canon.
Ruyan.
This is why I'm going to wait till after it's out. ^^
And familiars can get feats, after the Animal Archive. Anyway, I was thinking more about feats for masters that modify or enhance familiars.