#paizo pathfinder

[saul-tortellini]

Today, I wanna talk about one of the funniest spells ever to enter Pathfinder 2e

Outcast's Curse is a level 4 spell that allows you to ruin the life of any one person who is not themselves a spellcaster.

On a simple Will Save failure, the victim is now permanently cursed to be considered abrasive and irritating by ALL CREATURES. Living or dead. This means you roll ALL charisma checks with disadvantage, and all social interactions start with the other creature dropping 1-2 attitude levels.

Your target is now hated by everything, and everyone, everywhere, forever.

"But wait, you can break the curse by counteracting it!"

You could. You just have to find a 4th level caster, who are exceptionally skilled and difficult to find, and then try to convince that automatically Unfriendly or Hostile caster to uncurse you

While you roll at disadvantage

Just to get your only chance at salvation to be merely indifferent about your wellbeing.

[lizmamont]

[khangi]

Lmao.

[hiromicota]

Earlier today, Paizo announced long awaited books for their Asian inspired continent Tian Xia. Unlike many other companies attempting projects that large, Paizo went out of their way to hire damn near every Asian TTRPG writer in the business.

 I’ve worked on ~100 books & games. I’m often the only Asian on a project. It’s rare to have more than 1 other Asian on a book with me.

The Tian Xia books?

There were like 40 of us! 😲

I’m really glad that Paizo took the time to do this right. 💚

Players are going to see what a difference that level of representation makes when they get their hands on Tian Xia & see the massive diversity of Asian cultures & experiences reflected in the books.

I’m not just talking about countries or ethnicities; there’s also different stories of identity — diasporic groups, immigrant experiences, people reconnecting with their heritage, refugees, people finding & making places of belonging, … The sheer breadth of Asian experiences and identities represented in Pathfinder’s Tian Xia team and in our books is astounding. 

This is why representation matters.

[teakip]

My new leshy druid, Odd Pod!

[muzetrigger]

TIL that Pathfinder 2e not only has the standard sex change potion (Serum of Sex Change) but also the “Elixir of Gender Transformation” which only shifts the drinker’s secondary sexual characteristics and requires regular dosing, and you know what? I appreciate the fact that someone took the time to detail fantasy HRT.

I mean, yeah, there’s an appeal to the whole instant sex change to treat gender dysphoria, but it’s nice to see the writers took the time to think about the nonhero trans people in their setting who can’t afford the original potion. And also I appreciate the option for people without bottom dysphoria. Y’all are also valid <3

[the-grove]

What I want to say: Pf2es new adventure path has a focus on the Orcs of Belkzen, and it seems to be a spotlight on the way in which Orcs and the Portrayal of them have evolved over time both in the larger fantasy landscape and specifically how Paizo has chosen to depict them in recent years. It's really exciting to see them be portrayed beyond the stock evil bad guy role, and given them nuanced and unique culture and identity.

What comes out of mouth: Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Wooo Orcs! orcs awesome. Orcs hot. Orcs cool. Orcs cuddle please.

[rkdvanguard]

Commission for me boi, @cooljarick!

His Paladin Eve.... in more of a service role?

[vurthshistorian]

[lizzorasaurus]

Next up for the Gods of Golarion - The much requested Mother of Monsters - Lamashtu! Goddess of Nightmares, Monsters, and Madness.

[saul-tortellini]

[nellieshill]

Happy Starfinder 2e Playtest release day to those who celebrate

[daarka]

For those late to the party who want to know what the hell is going on with #OpenDnD, #StoptheSub, #DnDBegone etc, and why everyone is cancelling DnDBeyond subscriptions, I tried to do a crash course as succinctly as possible. OpenDnD.Games is a great resource for more in-depth details, and if you wish to do so, you can cancel your DnDBeyond subscription through this direct link (as there have been many reporting trouble in locating where to do so). Edit: Tweaked the very first detail below, as someone reminded me it was not a wholly accurate statement as I had initially written it. Apologies to everyone who already reblogged the first version of this :')

Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast (WotC) some time ago, but recently they got new leadership who said in an interview that they see D&D as "under-monetized". Hasbro is on the decline with finances, and WotC is its biggest cash cow. Why milk that cash cow through producing more content when you can instead revoke a legally irrevocable license that makes it impossible for 3rd party content creators to exist?

America loves a good monopoly. The old license that permitted the community to grow to what it is today was OGL1.0a, and without it, D&D would not be what it is right now, nor even close. They tried to shift to OGL1.1, a new license that is, in a word, PREDATORY. Horrific, nasty shit.

OGL1.1 was quietly sent to large creators to sign. It then got leaked. The community erupted. The backlash was loud and unanimous. WotC was radio silent for like two weeks. They finally gave a single-sentence "we'll explain soon" tweet on DnDBeyond's account. Then more silence.

A WotC employee reached out to large creators to blow the whistle on WotC. The source was verified, and they shared that WotC sees the community as an obstacle between them and their money, all they care about is bottom line, and they're delaying in hopes we forget and move on.

And also that they are mainly looking at DnDBeyond subscription cancelations to gauge the financial impact; they don't care about our sentiments, only our money. So everyone erupted into signal boosting for others to unsubscribe as the single and best way to make ourselves heard. Cue the mass unsubscribing.

Today (January 13th 2023), a shitty PR piece was posted on DnDBeyond full of blatant lies and, in my opinion, barely-contained saltiness. Right before that, though, OGL2.0 leaks came out; the tweaks they'd begrudgingly made following the backlash. 2.0 is basically just as bad as 1.1; they just spoke of it as being more changed than it was.

In other words, they keep bold-faced lying to a community of rules-lawyers who recreationally read fine print :)

Meanwhile, Paizo (creators of Pathfinder) has come to the rescue, vowing to release a truly open license that will allow everyone to continue pursuing the livelihoods they're passionate about; this is the Open RPG Creative License, or "ORC".

Canceling subscriptions immediately sends a potent message, even if you may have to resubscribe later for functionality in your games. You'll still have the remainder of your billing cycle to enjoy paid perks.

Everything's a little on fire, but I think we'll be okay ♥️

OGL1.0a was never meant to be revocable, as loudly stated in the past couple days by the very people who authored it. It is very likely that WotC is actually just bluffing and bullying, and is actually powerless to revoke it--something many lawyers more knowledgeable than myself seem to be suggesting. In which case, it is my greatest hope in all of this that 3rd party creators are able to continue doing what they love, with no further interruptions.

Remember: the majority of WotC and DnDBeyond employees feel the exact same way we do, but they don't have a choice. Hasbro is the enemy here. Be kind to each other, and know where blame should and should not be placed. If you want to stay up to speed, the account of @.DnD_Shorts seems to be a very active and informed voice, largely responsible for sharing the first leak. If Twitter makes you want to puke, I completely understand; DnD_Shorts also has a YouTube channel with frequent updates on the situation posted in video format.

It's cathartic to me to try to signal boost this stuff, and provide summaries that might help others stay informed. It helps me feel like I'm somehow able to affect these nasty things that are otherwise just inflicted onto lil guys in the community like myself.

However, this has been beyond exhausting and stressful. I'm going to start untangling myself and stepping back from posting about this issue so I can hopefully restore some of my own sanity.

It's been really crazy--in a good way--to see the power this community has when rallied together under a common threat. It makes me proud to be in that community.

At the end of the day, all TTRPGs are really just exercises in creativity and fun. The golden rule has always been and should always be that there is no right or wrong way to play, other than what suits you and those you play with. Likewise, no one should ever feel guilty or judged by others for playing one system over another. It's okay to like D&D5e despite all this. No matter how much they've tried, Wizards of the Coast cannot claim jurisdiction over the invaluable memories you've made, and what has become a creative outlet for countless people. Myself included.

Boycotting is a great way to be heard, since they only care about money. But continuing to use the content you have to play D&D5e is your prerogative, and hurts no one. Furthermore, it's also okay if you can't cancel your DnDBeyond subscription because you rely on it too heavily for your games. That doesn't make you a traitor. That doesn't estrange you from the community. DnDBeyond, at its core, is a great tool that is popular for a reason; it's the new leadership that is forcing it to become something it wasn't meant to be. One day, I hope to be able to resubscribe in good conscious, and I hope that day is soon.

To reiterate, if anyone's even read down this far... be kind to one another. Keep in mind that big enemies win when the party is divided. You can love or hate anything you want in the TTRPG sphere, but how you feel about it does not invalidate someone else feeling the opposite.

Be kind. Be patient. Be empathetic. We're already coming out on top.

[leidensygdom]

Paizo has made an official statement about the OGL 1.1:

We believe, as we always have, that open gaming makes games better, improves profitability for all involved, and enriches the community of gamers who participate in this amazing hobby. And so we invite gamers from around the world to join us as we begin the next great chapter of open gaming with the release of a new open, perpetual, and irrevocable Open RPG Creative License (ORC).

The new Open RPG Creative License will be built system agnostic for independent game publishers under the legal guidance of Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm that represents Paizo and several other game publishers. Paizo will pay for this legal work. We invite game publishers worldwide to join us in support of this system-agnostic license that allows all games to provide their own unique open rules reference documents that open up their individual game systems to the world. To join the effort and provide feedback on the drafts of this license, please sign up by using this form.

In addition to Paizo, Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, Rogue Genius Games, and a growing list of publishers have already agreed to participate in the Open RPG Creative License, and in the coming days we hope and expect to add substantially to this group.

This is massive news! Paizo has assured that their usage of the OGL for PF2 was optional, and meant to help third party content creators more than being something they relied on for their own system.

Now, they will be creating the ORC, which will be a successor to the OGL which many third party content creators will be able to benefit from. They will be taking measures to ensure the ORC won’t belong to any company, so this doesn’t repeat itself, and covering the legal costs of getting it coming to fruition. Which is massive news in these times.

A lot of third party content creators and smaller TTRPGs have already expressed their support to this new ORC already.

Amidst these news, I’d like to remind what has WOTC been doing currently instead:

DnD Beyond suddenly saw their option to unsuscribe disappear, which they blamed on servers. (Trust me: I have coded pages, and it’s not something that just casually can disappear because of server saturation)

A recurrent stream from DnD Beyond was cancelled. They claimed it is unrelated to the OGL news

WOTC has once again delayed a proper official statement about the OGL, and has been holding off from confirming it.

People have been ending their subscription for DnDBeyond as a form of protest, as it’s the metric WOTC is currently using to measure the impact of the new OGL.

Overall, employees have reported that the situation at WOTC right now is a massive mess, as the new OGL was not supposed to be leaked (contrary to what people had theorized). 

Keep pushing WOTC to revoke the OGL, of course. If all these changes have been happening, it’s thanks to the reunited effort from the community and creators to fight against it.

(As always, reblogs for awareness are appreciated!)

[thetownsendsw]

I’ve been picturing a homebrew Starfinder2e one shot where an Enterprise parody gets mired in Hell due to a hyperdrive malfunction and a bunch of Redshirts have to go out and play Doom while repairs are made.

[monstersdownthepath]

I know "shapeshifting monster is behind an evil conspiracy" is a well-worn trope and Paizo has no shortage of such things, but do you ever think about the potential of there being a Doppelganger out there who's impersonating someone writing monster manuals and sending out misinformation to get people killed?

It can indeed be played seriously, but my mind immediately steers to the comedy potential of an author penning some very unflattering words about shapeshifters and mimics, so insulting (or perhaps revealing) that a Doppelganger kills+replaces them and issues a "correction" to their work.

The nature and veracity of this correction/"correction" is up to the DM.

... Following this plot thread lead me to 'a doppelganger falls in love with an author's works so much that when tragedy strikes and the author dies, the 'ganger takes their place to continue their legacy,' which is significantly sadder. They're not evil, they just tend to be selfish; there's nothing saying you can't have a benevolent few willing to carry on the lives of people they knew and loved who were taken before their time. at least until they get bored.