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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 03:43:45
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I hope that no one minds my asking this here...
Hello, Mr. Reynolds. I had a question about Anger of Angels and I was hoping you could help me out with it. I was looking over the Dominion Feats and I was surprised that there wasn't an Angel of Mercy feat listed. I was curious as to why, and if there was one, what would the Prerequisites and Benefits be, please? Thank you so much for your time, sir.  |
Telethian Phoenix
Pathfinder Reference Document |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 03:47:31
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| Um, I'm a little busy this week finishing a book and packing, and busy next week driving from California to Washington for my new job at Paizo, but if you repost your questions on July 12th (I'm subscribed to this scroll, and hopefully I'll have internet at my new place by the 12th) I'll give it a shot. :) |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 09:35:08
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| congrats on that job at Paizo, and do tell them that im buying the pathfinder book when it comes out |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2008 : 17:47:44
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Wizards are the most powerful class in the game, and should be, and so the costs involved make perfect sense and perfect balance, in my opinion.
Besides, why must there always be a blur between a good story and a good game mechanic? I think the idea of wizards pouring time and money into their magic is both traditional fantasy lore and interesting. At the same time it's balancing. To change things around for the sake of a game mechanic starts to badly blur the lines between the game and the story and you end up metagaming the entire world, unfortunately.
I mean, this is a class that has access to do whatever he wants with just the right spell, as 2nd Edition proved and continues to in 3E. Go to a research lab, spend money, research the spell you want whether homebrew or official. Done. I am glad it costs tons of time and money for the Wizard to do what he has to compared to everyone else, otherwise
And you can't weaken the magic, like they did in 4e, or else magic loses both its flavor and power and turns off most people to even bother playing one. Why play the greatest archmage of all when you can only throw one fireball an encounter and can get easily slain by the 15th-level exploit attack of a warrior. Can't even teleport properly or fly, either. Eh?
I mean, after all, that's why 4e was made, where the lines don't even exist anymore. Sadly. (heck, the poor Wizard in 4e isn't even...that awesome anymore...it's like we went from the great Elminster and Gandalf to Harry Potter. Huh!?) |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2008 : 22:04:23
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I generally stay out of the classic "Should wizards be all-powerful?" debates, but I've seen it argued (IMO successfully) that it has not consistently been the case in myth or literature that characters without magical powers stand absolutely no chance against a powerful wizard.
By the same token, I don't recall ever reading a story about a low level wizard who spent most of his time shooting a crossbow because the few spells he had were used up. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 07 Jul 2008 00:52:43 |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2008 : 04:53:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Penknight
I hope that no one minds my asking this here...
Hello, Mr. Reynolds. I had a question about Anger of Angels and I was hoping you could help me out with it. I was looking over the Dominion Feats and I was surprised that there wasn't an Angel of Mercy feat listed. I was curious as to why, and if there was one, what would the Prerequisites and Benefits be, please? Thank you so much for your time, sir.
Feel kind of odd quoting myself, but I'm reposting as was requested. |
Telethian Phoenix
Pathfinder Reference Document |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2008 : 02:43:36
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quote:
Originally posted by seankreynolds
Um, I'm a little busy this week finishing a book and packing, and busy next week driving from California to Washington for my new job at Paizo, but if you repost your questions on July 12th (I'm subscribed to this scroll, and hopefully I'll have internet at my new place by the 12th) I'll give it a shot. :)
Just hoping that your new job at Paizo is going well for you, sir. |
Telethian Phoenix
Pathfinder Reference Document |
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Skeptic
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1273 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2008 : 15:27:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
quote:
Originally posted by seankreynolds
Furthermore, wanting to "roleplay" rather than "rollplay" doesn't make you a superior gamer, as there is no "evolutionary path" from rollplaying to roleplaying. Thinking that there such an evolution is pure gamer snobbery.
I agree that the idea that you start off playing an 'easy' souped-up boardgame and then move on to 'advanced' roleplaying is nonsense -- roleplaying being something difficult is one of the dafter and more destructive gamer fantasies.
I have big problems with the "rollplaying" vs "roleplaying" thing.
If there is a "shared imagined space", you are playing a RPG, if not you are playing a board game.
Using a fortune (dice rolls) or karma (comparing numbers) resolution system outside of combat is NOT playing a board game. |
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Skeptic
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1273 Posts |
Posted - 01 Aug 2008 : 15:36:09
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quote:
Originally posted by seankreynolds
{Of the things that exist in the Realms, and can be done in the game, a small minority require any kind of extensive new rules. Don't you think? 3E books are padded with more rules than even a rules-heavy campaign needs, such as the many gratuitous prestige classes that offer nothing that can't be done with multi-classing and feats.}
I'm certain that is the case now. I don't think that was the case in the first two years after the FRCS, where we were coming up with 3e equivalents of 2e abilities and trying to nail down playable versions of magical effects that were never before defined in game terms. But once those were done, yeah, you're going to see a publisher try to find other rules content to make the books game-appealing, otherwise the "game" books are just books of lore. There's nothing wrong with books of lore, but they're not really GAME books any more.
Adding "crunchy" settings elements can certainly be as much useful in actual play than adding "fluffy" lore.
The same reasoning about 4E monsters stats is good IMHO, don't write how goblins fight differently than humans in a short text, give us some mechanics that shows it in play.
However, as character creation in D&D has a lot to do with combat-optimization and less about character developement, it doesn't work so well.
Just in comparison, in some RPG, negative traits (which could be setting specific) cost as much to buy than positive traits because both give to the player a way to get the focus on his character during play. |
Edited by - Skeptic on 01 Aug 2008 15:43:10 |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2008 : 05:33:13
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On the topic of the Angel of Mercy ... yeesh, thinking back 5 years now.
I either
(a) didn't think of it, which is unlikely as there are several named angels in the book listed as "of mercy" (lower case, indicating there isn't a feat for it), or
(b) decided that pacifist-type characters are wonky in a game where killing your enemies is the accepted standard.
If I were to make such a feat I'd start with something like the Angel of Friendship's skill bonuses. For its special ability, every time you deal an opponent enough damage to knock them unconscious or kill them, you may instead place a Lesser Geas upon them (save applies) that they will report to the nearest town for punishment or incarceration for their evil deeds and harm no other until that punishment is served. |
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Wulgreth
Acolyte
Italy
9 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2008 : 11:31:53
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| I am running the adventure "Pool of Radiance" but am not sure which year it is set. I started my campaign in Flamerule 1974, but in Ches that year Myth Drannor was already taken by the sun elves, hence I have to slip the date a bit back... but how much? |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2008 : 19:04:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Wulgreth
I am running the adventure "Pool of Radiance" but am not sure which year it is set. I started my campaign in Flamerule 1974, but in Ches that year Myth Drannor was already taken by the sun elves, hence I have to slip the date a bit back... but how much?
You mean 1374? *chuckles*
You can always ignore events that don't work for your campaign, such as the retaking of Myth Drannor. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 14 Aug 2008 19:05:39 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2008 : 19:19:34
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Since that was released even before the FRCS, I'd place it in 1371/1372. Actually, looking at the date that WOTC has for the novel tie in to that adventure, they say it's 1369.
http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/fr_timeline.asp#KnownChronological
quote:
Originally posted by Wulgreth
I am running the adventure "Pool of Radiance" but am not sure which year it is set. I started my campaign in Flamerule 1974, but in Ches that year Myth Drannor was already taken by the sun elves, hence I have to slip the date a bit back... but how much?
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For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 02:32:07
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Well met!~ I need some sagely advice. If someone has the ability -- through a spell or a magical device -- to detect auras (specifically alignment) can they see the aura of an individual who is the subject of an ordinary third-level invisibility? I.e., do they see an aura which has no visible reason for existence and from which they can infer the existence of someone or something able to cast the aura?
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 04:10:05
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| Yes, but it's basically taking them three rounds to discern this, as per the Detect Evil spell (presence/absence, number, and finally location ... the third round tells you what square). |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 15:00:26
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Those darned, cunning PCs!
<grumble> Thank you, Sean.
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 18:26:00
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Sean, I have another question for you which you are probably the best one to answer since you have gone to Paizo:
In REAL D&D, what is the current list of spells which may be made Permanent? Given the number of spells added in recent years, I hope that the list has been expanded since 2003!
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 03:24:12
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| Yeah, I'm not really the best person to answer that anymore, mainly as (1) I haven't worked for Wizards in 5 years and I don't know if they've updated the official list, and (2) Paizo hasn't had a license to produce official D&D stuff in about a year now, so.... |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 05:42:08
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| I'm not Sean, but I've DMed the whole spectrum, from 1st level to mid-20s, and I'd say the SRD permanency list is the official one. Anything that came later (Spell Compendium, etc.) had spells designed within their own individual framework, and unless the spell description states you can make it permanent (I don't recall seeing any such Spell Compendium spell), then they are not. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 06:29:34
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The SRD list, alas, is precisely the same information which was published five years ago, and which ought to have been greatly expanded, given the considerable number of twenty-five to forty-dollar rulebooks (all with new spells) published since 2003. If the Permanency list has never been updated beyond what's available for free on the Internet, I will be disappointed, to say the least. But that, also alas, is something which I have come to expect in the past five years: disappointment. Curiously, five years ago was when Sean left. Is it a coincidence that the game has run steadily downhill since then? *sigh*
I think I'll ask on the Mongoose boards. They've published a large number of OGL spells since 2000. If they don't have an updated list, it may indeed be that spell designers have just included information on making permanent any spell which they thought has merited permanency. That there have been few, if any, such spells says a lot about how unnecessary most of them have been. In my opinion.
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Edited by - Jamallo Kreen on 28 Aug 2008 06:38:45 |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 08:30:53
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| Didn't we add a few in Magic of Faerūn? |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 08:39:12
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hey i have a question for you Mr. Reynolds.
can you see about removing the LA and ECL from the pathfinder races? |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 14:44:03
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| Indeed, the SRD Permanency is official, but SRD was never updated for other sourcebooks, because it's supposed to be the basic rules and such of the game. New spells published in other books did indeed say if they could be made permanent or not, but there's no list of those spells published. You basically have to go on a spell by spell basis. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2008 : 17:39:06
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| I'll have to read up on what Pathfinder is doing for LA/ECL races. Right now the main focus is on the PH stuff. :) |
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Rolindin
Acolyte
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2008 : 09:28:06
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If you don't mind did you work on the node's in the Champion of Ruin fr book?
And if you did, was there other node feats, and spells left out?
If therer was could you share them with the rest of us?
Lay lines, was they though about when the node's parts were done.
To me the node's and lay lines are connected in many ways.
Such as you would find nodes along lay lines, and maybe even lay lines being some kind of connection between nodes. |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2008 : 15:33:36
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| I had nothing to do with Champions of Ruin, sorry! |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2008 : 01:43:14
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quote:
Originally posted by seankreynolds
I had nothing to do with Champions of Ruin, sorry!
LOL!  |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 07:46:12
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Hello! I was just wondering if Anger of Angels would get a conversion to Pathfinder. I really like the book and how it's presented, and would gladly get another copy if so. Thank you for your time and all your hard work!  |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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seankreynolds
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
91 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 07:57:14
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| I don't have plans to do a complete PFRPG conversion, though I plan to update some elements of it in an adventure I'm working on that uses angels a lot. |
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Questions for Sean K Reynolds
