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Are the living thunderclap and blizzardborn in Bestiary 2 examples of a primal lightning elemental and primal ice elemental, respectively? They seem to fit the description almost perfectly, except that the living thunderclap doesn't have the fire trait.
We aren't doing "lightning elementals" and "ice elementals" in 2nd edition, since Pathfinder (unlike D&D) doesn't have things akin to paraelemntal planes. There are places in the Great Beyond where elements mix, and its from there that you get things like living thunderclaps and blizzardborn (or in 1st edition, the ice and lightning elemental), but in 2nd we're going with more descriptive names and more unusual and different looking creatures.
Is there a way to stop a dead person from coming back as a 'spontaneously created' undead like a mohrg or spectre? The write-ups in Bestiary 2 make it sound like those undead can form without the intervention of a necromancer, but are there any other requirements/limitations? For example, does a proper burial ceremony stop this happening, or is it basically something that you can't ever prevent 100%?
Some context from my game: I'm running Kingmaker, and my players have recently killed the Stag Lord. He sounds like the perfect candidate for becoming a spectre or mohrg, but the PCs gave him a proper burial ceremony.
It's left pretty vague so that writers can have more freedom for storytelling. There are methods you can use to prevent it. Gentle repose will prevent it but the spell'd need to be recast on the body each day. In 1st edition, there was a spell called hallow that prevented it as well, but we haven't updated that one to 2nd edition yet.
The right solution for your game is to let the PCs do the proper ceremony, and then respect their work by not having him come back as an undead later. You as the GM are the one that gets to make the decisions when a creature becomes undead, after all, so by just not running a plot where the Stag Lord comes back from the dead as an undead, that's all you need to do.
If you DO intend to do this plot, you should foreshadow it somehow so that it doesn't look like you're just arbitrarily undoing the PCs' work.
And if you've done this plot many times before in your games, you've already trained your PCs to expect such a plot. In this case, I'd suggest NOT having the Stag Lord come back, telling the PCs that "By performing this ritual you are consecrating the body and hastening its trip to the Boneyard" or something like that. And then give them a bit of extra XP as "proof" that they prevented a future undead Stag Lord. And then honor that by never having him come back as undead.
Thanks for the insight in how this works in universe. The last thing I want to do is to make the players feel like I've cheated them, which is mostly why I was asking. In some settings I've run games with, you can't stop things like this happening; if that'd been the case for Golarion my first step would have been to let the players know, so they could properly plan.
Perhaps this has come up before, but I find it relevant now in a game I'm currently in and there seems to be a lot of confusion about it.
The Mesmerist ability Psychic Inception calls out the ability to overcome Immunity to mind affecting spells 50% of the time.
Meanwhile the Protection from Evil/Chaos/Good/Law spells suppress active spells/effects and grant Immunity to new attempts from something of that alignment attempting to take control of you.
"While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. "
Does the Psychic Inception ability overcome the Immunity granted by Protection spells?
Also, since it's potentially relevant, does this ability overcome a Paladin's Auras of Resolve which grants Immunity to charm spells/spell like abilities, and Righteousness which grants Immunity to Compulsion spells/spell like abilities?
Would it overcome an Unbreakable Fighter's Unbreakable Mind ability which grants Immunity to all mind-affecting effects?
The argument is that the protection spells grant immunity to a specific subset of spells/abilities, while the Inception ability seems to call out only Mindless creatures or creatures that are immune to all mind affecting effects.
Is it just the best idea to be try and be a True Neutral Mesmerist?
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Creative Director
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Perhaps this has come up before, but I find it relevant now in a game I'm currently in and there seems to be a lot of confusion about it.
The Mesmerist ability Psychic Inception calls out the ability to overcome Immunity to mind affecting spells 50% of the time.
** spoiler omitted **Meanwhile the Protection from Evil/Chaos/Good/Law spells suppress active spells/effects and grant Immunity to new attempts from something of that alignment attempting to take control of you.
"While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. "Does the Psychic Inception ability overcome the Immunity granted by Protection spells?
Also, since it's potentially relevant, does this ability overcome a Paladin's Auras of Resolve which grants Immunity to charm spells/spell like abilities, and Righteousness which grants Immunity to Compulsion spells/spell like abilities?
Would it overcome an Unbreakable Fighter's Unbreakable Mind ability which grants Immunity to all mind-affecting effects?The argument is that the protection spells grant immunity to a specific subset of spells/abilities, while the Inception ability seems to call out only Mindless creatures or creatures that are immune to all mind affecting effects.
Is it just the best idea to be try and be a True Neutral Mesmerist?
That's one interpretation, I guess, if you're approaching it from an optimization stance. I don't build characters that way though. That said, I also wasn't involved in the creation of any of the above so I don't have any insights for you; sorry!
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Hi Just noticed that Meyanda (main android villain from part 1 of Iron gods) is on the front cover of the ancesrty guide and I was wondering if there was a story/plans behind it or just a case of the artists choosing that character? (Personaly I think it would be pretty neat if she ended up becoming an iconic since seem to be being more open about having none core book races become them now.)
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Creative Director
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Hi Just noticed that Meyanda (main android villain from part 1 of Iron gods) is on the front cover of the ancesrty guide and I was wondering if there was a story/plans behind it or just a case of the artists choosing that character? (Personaly I think it would be pretty neat if she ended up becoming an iconic since seem to be being more open about having none core book races become them now.)
Not as far as I know. I didn't create the art order. I suspect what may have happened is that we sent that illustration as a reference for the artist to follow, and the artist followed the reference exactly. Sometimes that happens. In this case, I like having her be on the cover, since she's a cool character.
That said, she's not the iconic android. We don't do iconics for ancestries, and since she's a villain from an Adventure Path and thus has a role in the game's canon, she can't be a PC stand-in. If we do some day do an andorid iconic for some class, it'll be a brand new character design.
what's your favorite undead that you think not everyone knows about?
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Come to think, with all new content added to kingmaker hardcover version before Varnhold Vanishing.... That should add more exp and make players higher level before it... So does that mean 2e version of Vordakai has working phylactery due to not being as underleveled as he was in original version? :3
Mr. James Jacobs,
If you were to stat Lady Stoneheart or Berric Dondarian from Game of Thrones.A Song of Ice and Fire, what creature type would you make them?
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.
Does 'acting lawful' mean offering contracts, like devils do, or holding a rigidly hierarchal worldview, like what rakshasa have?
I haven't seen Hellraiser, so maybe I'm missing important context.
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Come to think, with all new content added to kingmaker hardcover version before Varnhold Vanishing.... That should add more exp and make players higher level before it... So does that mean 2e version of Vordakai has working phylactery due to not being as underleveled as he was in original version? :3
Nope. Vordakai is still what he is. The fact that it's an expanded offering means that we can lean in harder to the sandbox element. As such, PCs could confront Vordakai, in theory, before he takes out Varnhold when they're as low as 1st level, but getting there without being killed will be a stunt. Also, they can probably hit 20th level without ever confronting Vordakai by doing other things and ignoring story elements anyway.
We'll be setting up the "triggers" for the adventure to occur and tempt the PCs to try it at the same level as in the original.
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Creative Director
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Mr. James Jacobs,
If you were to stat Lady Stoneheart or Berric Dondarian from Game of Thrones.A Song of Ice and Fire, what creature type would you make them?
Unique NPCs whose powers and abilities were curated to be inspired by the novels. That's one of the great advantages of the 2E monster/NPC creation rules.
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Creative Director
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.Does 'acting lawful' mean offering contracts, like devils do, or holding a rigidly hierarchal worldview, like what rakshasa have?
I haven't seen Hellraiser, so maybe I'm missing important context.
Hellraiser is very much about the demons and devils in that setting not harming humans without permission or consent, even if that permission or consent is given accidentally or ignorantly by the act of summoning the demons.
The velstracs don't offer contracts. It's more like they serve Zon-kuthon's traditions and also do a lot of "You make this choice of your own free will and that lets us tear your soul apart."
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.Does 'acting lawful' mean offering contracts, like devils do, or holding a rigidly hierarchal worldview, like what rakshasa have?
I haven't seen Hellraiser, so maybe I'm missing important context.
Hellraiser is very much about the demons and devils in that setting not harming humans without permission or consent, even if that permission or consent is given accidentally or ignorantly by the act of summoning the demons.
The velstracs don't offer contracts. It's more like they serve Zon-kuthon's traditions and also do a lot of "You make this choice of your own free will and that lets us tear your soul apart."
I’ve seen Velstracs’/Zon-Kuthon’s Lawful as similar to Monks (pre P2), being more about discipline.
Is that close?
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Creative Director
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.Does 'acting lawful' mean offering contracts, like devils do, or holding a rigidly hierarchal worldview, like what rakshasa have?
I haven't seen Hellraiser, so maybe I'm missing important context.
Hellraiser is very much about the demons and devils in that setting not harming humans without permission or consent, even if that permission or consent is given accidentally or ignorantly by the act of summoning the demons.
The velstracs don't offer contracts. It's more like they serve Zon-kuthon's traditions and also do a lot of "You make this choice of your own free will and that lets us tear your soul apart."
I’ve seen Velstracs’/Zon-Kuthon’s Lawful as similar to Monks (pre P2), being more about discipline.
Is that close?
Yup; monks that are into cruelty is a good call. As long as you're thinking of pre 2E Pathfinder monks, of course, since in 2nd edition monks can be any alignment.
What would Shensen's opinion have been on someone like Grandmaster Torch?
(When)Will we see again the rest of the Baseclasses from 1e APG, like Summoner, Witch(!), Oracle etc. ... in 2e?
Come to think, with all new content added to kingmaker hardcover version before Varnhold Vanishing.... That should add more exp and make players higher level before it... So does that mean 2e version of Vordakai has working phylactery due to not being as underleveled as he was in original version? :3Nope. Vordakai is still what he is. The fact that it's an expanded offering means that we can lean in harder to the sandbox element. As such, PCs could confront Vordakai, in theory, before he takes out Varnhold when they're as low as 1st level, but getting there without being killed will be a stunt. Also, they can probably hit 20th level without ever confronting Vordakai by doing other things and ignoring story elements anyway.
We'll be setting up the "triggers" for the adventure to occur and tempt the PCs to try it at the same level as in the original.
I bought the entire Kingmaker 10th Anniversary package a while back when it was first offered on Game On Tabletop; would you be able to give us a rough ballpark when this revisited AP will ship? thank you. The more you guys talk about it, the more awesome and the more excited I'm getting for this. I have other questions, but I will pace myself. :)
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(When)Will we see again the rest of the Baseclasses from 1e APG, like Summoner, Witch(!), Oracle etc. ... in 2e?
When we publish them, I suppose. We won't publish all of them, and they won't come out fast. We'll generally announce big news like this either at Paizocon and/or at Gen Con. We won't announce them in this thread. :P
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I bought the entire Kingmaker 10th Anniversary package a while back when it was first offered on Game On Tabletop; would you be able to give us a rough ballpark when this revisited AP will ship? thank you. The more you guys talk about it, the more awesome and the more excited I'm getting for this. I have other questions, but I will pace myself. :)Come to think, with all new content added to kingmaker hardcover version before Varnhold Vanishing.... That should add more exp and make players higher level before it... So does that mean 2e version of Vordakai has working phylactery due to not being as underleveled as he was in original version? :3Nope. Vordakai is still what he is. The fact that it's an expanded offering means that we can lean in harder to the sandbox element. As such, PCs could confront Vordakai, in theory, before he takes out Varnhold when they're as low as 1st level, but getting there without being killed will be a stunt. Also, they can probably hit 20th level without ever confronting Vordakai by doing other things and ignoring story elements anyway.
We'll be setting up the "triggers" for the adventure to occur and tempt the PCs to try it at the same level as in the original.
We'll give updates on the ship dates for Kingmaker as we get to a place where we can say with more certainty when it'll happen. I'm working pretty much ONLY on developing the text at this point, and art is coming in, so we're making progress, but this thread isn't the right place to start making predictions on when it'll ship. Other than that it WILL be done, and we're taking the time to make sure it's done right.
Stay tuned. We'll hopefully have more news soon, and when we do, it'll be a blog post or something more obvious than me guessing in a giant thread... :P
Alright, understood. Will it be in less than 2 years or longer? are there threads on these forums with updates on the Kingmaker 10th Anniversary package, and if so, could you kindly point us in the proper direction? thank you!
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.
Hellraiser is very much about the demons and devils in that setting not harming humans without permission or consent, even if that permission or consent is given accidentally or ignorantly by the act of summoning the demons.
The velstracs don't offer contracts. It's more like they serve Zon-kuthon's traditions and also do a lot of "You make this choice of your own free will and that lets us tear your soul apart."
What exactly does it mean to serve Zon-Kuthon's traditons? Also, what is the relationship between velstracs and Zon-Kuthon?
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Creative Director
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Alright, understood. Will it be in less than 2 years or longer? are there threads on these forums with updates on the Kingmaker 10th Anniversary package, and if so, could you kindly point us in the proper direction? thank you!
There aren't threads yet. Again, we won't hide updates to the schedules in messageboards; they'll be on our blog, via social media, on the crowdfunding site, and the like.
So I won't promise anything here, nor am I comfortable guessing how long it'll take. I have a pretty good idea how long MY participation will take but don't for the numerous other things (editing, printing, layout, shipping, customs, etc.) that still lie ahead, and if 2020 has taught me anything it's that it's foolish to think that today's assumptions will continue into tomorrow.
As Soon As Possible is the best I can say for the schedule.
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Creative Director
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Velstracs have the Lawful Evil alignment. I understand how they’re evil, but in what way are they lawful?By adhering to their own traditions and being organized and ... well... by acting lawful.What exactly does it mean to serve Zon-Kuthon's traditons? Also, what is the relationship between velstracs and Zon-Kuthon?Hellraiser is very much about the demons and devils in that setting not harming humans without permission or consent, even if that permission or consent is given accidentally or ignorantly by the act of summoning the demons.
The velstracs don't offer contracts. It's more like they serve Zon-kuthon's traditions and also do a lot of "You make this choice of your own free will and that lets us tear your soul apart."
We've written a lot about serving Zon-Kuthon. Check out Gods & Magic, Inner Sea Gods, or the Nidal book for lots of examples. He's the "leader" of the velstracs, more or less.
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(When)Will we see again the rest of the Baseclasses from 1e APG, like Summoner, Witch(!), Oracle etc. ... in 2e?Witch and Oracle are in the Advanced Player's Guide, coming ... next month?
Ah, a question for James: which non-secret Paizo products are you now specifically involved with?
All of them to one extent or the other, but in most cases that involvement is deciding what books to do, helping to decide what goes in them, approving the outlines, and approving the final product.
The ones I'm actually writing for that have been announced include:
Lost Omens Legends (one of the NPCs)
Lost Omens Absalom (pages and pages of NPCs and locations)
Beginner Box (Some of the town and lore stuff)
Bestiary 3 (about ten monsters)
Abomination Vaults (pretty much the entirety of the 1st book, "Ruins of Gauntlight," plus all the maps for the dungeon, and then one of the support articles for the third volume)
Haunted House Adventure (we haven't announced the title of this stand-alone adventure yet)
First I want to thank you for your involvement in the Band of Bravos (I love Shensen!) and for the Kingmaker panel. Both gave me back a lot of my enthusiasm for Pathfinder, that I've lost since the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you for making this hard times a little bit better!
You once stated that Seven Samurai is one of your favorite movies and as a Kurusawa fan I've always wondered if there are other of his movies that you like? My personal favorite is Yojimbo.
(Sorry if my English is sometimes wonky, as I'm not a native speaker)
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First I want to thank you for your involvement in the Band of Bravos (I love Shensen!) and for the Kingmaker panel. Both gave me back a lot of my enthusiasm for Pathfinder, that I've lost since the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you for making this hard times a little bit better!
You once stated that Seven Samurai is one of your favorite movies and as a Kurusawa fan I've always wondered if there are other of his movies that you like? My personal favorite is Yojimbo.
(Sorry if my English is sometimes wonky, as I'm not a native speaker)
Yay! Thanks for watching Band of Bravos! I'm looking forward to getting the game started back up this week... there's so many more Shensenanigans to get up to!
Kurosawa is one of my five all-time favorite directors. If I had to list my five favorites of his movies AFTER Seven Samurai, I guess they would be (in no particular order):
Yojimbo
Ran
Throne of Blood
Rashomon
Hidden Fortress
(And your English is great! No worries there!)
These are all fantastic movies and now I really feel the urge to get my Kurusawa DVDs out!
Was any of these movies an inspiration for anything you've done for Golarion and if so for what?
What is the most underrated pizza topping?
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These are all fantastic movies and now I really feel the urge to get my Kurusawa DVDs out!
Was any of these movies an inspiration for anything you've done for Golarion and if so for what?
Kurosawa always functions as a background inspiration for me. There's not really any one movie that's specifically inspired a specific thing in Golarion though. Originally there was going to be a "defend the farmers" scenario in Jade Regent; I put it in the outline but then I didn't develop that one so I can't recall if it stayed in there...
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Actually I just want to clarify that I know how Kurosawa is spelled right. Was so fixated on getting my English right, that this mistake slipped through ... *sigh* x.x
But since I of course have to ask a question in your thread I'm using this to hopefully profit from your years of experience as an AP author and player. I have zero GM experiences and am wondering how many adventures I should run for new players, not only to Pathfinder, but to TTRPGs in general, before I can dive into an AP with them. Of course this varies a lot depending on the players, but what is your take on this, if you don't mind me asking?
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But since I of course have to ask a question in your thread I'm using this to hopefully profit from your years of experience as an AP author and player. I have zero GM experiences and am wondering how many adventures I should run for new players, not only to Pathfinder, but to TTRPGs in general, before I can dive into an AP with them. Of course this varies a lot depending on the players, but what is your take on this, if you don't mind me asking?
The biggest thing when running an Adventure Path is that they take TIME to complete, and if you start with new players, it's possible that some of them might decide that the game itself isn't for them and then they might drop out, which can wreak havoc on party continuity.
For starting a new game, it's better to start small and go from there. I'd suggest running an adventure like Fall of Plaguestone, and if the players and you enjoy it, moving on to an Adventure Path from there. Adventure Paths aren't that much more difficult to run than a solo adventure... they just take a lot longer.
And be open to scrubing an adventure or campaign if you and your players realize you'd rather play something else! Keep the conversation going with your players to make sure everyone at the table is having fun.
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But since I of course have to ask a question in your thread I'm using this to hopefully profit from your years of experience as an AP author and player. I have zero GM experiences and am wondering how many adventures I should run for new players, not only to Pathfinder, but to TTRPGs in general, before I can dive into an AP with them. Of course this varies a lot depending on the players, but what is your take on this, if you don't mind me asking?The biggest thing when running an Adventure Path is that they take TIME to complete, and if you start with new players, it's possible that some of them might decide that the game itself isn't for them and then they might drop out, which can wreak havoc on party continuity.
For starting a new game, it's better to start small and go from there. I'd suggest running an adventure like Fall of Plaguestone, and if the players and you enjoy it, moving on to an Adventure Path from there. Adventure Paths aren't that much more difficult to run than a solo adventure... they just take a lot longer.
And be open to scrubing an adventure or campaign if you and your players realize you'd rather play something else! Keep the conversation going with your players to make sure everyone at the table is having fun.
Just to follow this up, TIME is a huge part of the investment in running an AP. Another huge one is INVESTMENT. As in, it can cost you often $100-$200 (or more, depending on how your shipping works) to purchase an entire adventure path. So be really sure that you and your players are interested and committed if money isn't just a free spend for you.
And a question. James, what family of fiends (as in, demon or devil or velstrac or qlippoth or whatever) really intrigues you? Maybe something underrepresented in PF/D&D, or just something that always sparks your imagination?
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And a question. James, what family of fiends (as in, demon or devil or velstrac or qlippoth or whatever) really intrigues you? Maybe something underrepresented in PF/D&D, or just something that always sparks your imagination?
Demons have always intrigued me the most, and continue to do so.
And a question. James, what family of fiends (as in, demon or devil or velstrac or qlippoth or whatever) really intrigues you? Maybe something underrepresented in PF/D&D, or just something that always sparks your imagination?Demons have always intrigued me the most, and continue to do so.
Fascinating! I get that they're a long-standing D&D staple, but is there anything particular you love them for? Is it just them being tied to sins or vices?
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Fascinating! I get that they're a long-standing D&D staple, but is there anything particular you love them for? Is it just them being tied to sins or vices?And a question. James, what family of fiends (as in, demon or devil or velstrac or qlippoth or whatever) really intrigues you? Maybe something underrepresented in PF/D&D, or just something that always sparks your imagination?Demons have always intrigued me the most, and continue to do so.
I've always liked that they're so varied, but also I've always been a fan of horror and demons are a strong, compelling staple of horror stories. That they don't play by rules and that that they all look pretty different has also appealed to me. In the original 1st edition D&D Monster Manual, there were only two categories of fiend represented—Devils and Demons. The devils, as presented in there, tended to be variations on "guy with goate and horns" or "horned human with weapon," while the demon section had a lot more variety in the artistic depictions. Plus, the fact that you can't reason with them makes them scarier. Also, of all the monsters in the entire book, Demogorgon had the most hit points at 200. The toughest devil, Asmodeus, only had 199.
And so that started my demon obsession with RPGs, and it only continued as the editions went on.
The addition to sins to demonic natures is something I introduced to Pathfinder when I was trying to give Pathfinder demons a different spin than the D&D demons that still has a strong tie to mythology. The notion that there's an infinite number of sins (the so-called "7 deadly sins" are arbitrary, after all") plays so well into the notion that there's an infinite number of regions on the Abyss (as opposed to Hell, which has 9, or Abaddon, which has 1) fit perfectly with demons and really helped to set up a core theme to draw upon when creating new demons.
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The entire concept of a monk is antithetical to chaotic alignment, so how are chaotic monks narratively justified? It makes no sense to me.
The concept in D&D (and thus 1st edition Pathifnder) is antithetical, but it's also arbitrary and needlessly limiting to creativity. Feel free to limit monk alignments in your game if that makes more sense for your table, of course, but for 2nd edition we really pulled back on the alignment limitations.
Personally, I can think of countless ways to build a chaotic monk. For example...
A chaotic good monk who wanders the world to explore everything, and whenever they reach a fork in the road they flip a coin to see which way they go, and are a devout worshiper of Desna as they travel a random path across the lands seeking enlightenment and helping others out along the way.
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So come to think of it, original Kingmaker was released before stuff like Advanced Race Guide and such, right? Did goblins and iruxi being playable options inspire new content in the updated versions?
Not really, although we do talk a little bit in the start I think about potential problems or roleplaying opportunities if you play an ancestry of something like a goblin or iruxi or kobold. Mostly, the assumption will remain, as for most of our adventures, that it's a party of core ancestries; GMs will need to adjust at times if they have a more diverse party.