Pathfinder 1E Interview with PATHFINDER lead designer Jason Bulmahn

[Remus Lupin]

One of the funniest experiences of my gaming life was watching my friend's paladin character try, and fail, repeatedly, to climb a set of greased stairs.

 

[Tuft]

Well, for all that it's worth in a fantasy setting with teleports and passwall spells/rituals, the design of stairs was a very important part of medieval defense works, as I recall it.

That includes things from arrow slits and murder holes, to designing the curvature and direction (clockwise vs counter-clockwise) so that a (right-handed) defender would have greater room for a sword swing out at the periphery, while an attacker would be cramped close to the center pillar...

 

[Mournblade94]

Well, for all that it's worth in a fantasy setting with teleports and passwall spells/rituals, the design of stairs was a very important part of medieval defense works, as I recall it.

That includes things from arrow slits and murder holes, to designing the curvature and direction (clockwise vs counter-clockwise) so that a (right-handed) defender would have greater room for a sword swing out at the periphery, while an attacker would be cramped close to the center pillar...

It all depended on the handedness of the person that commisioned the castle.

It worked mildly. I fought upstairs in Edzell scotland for an SCA event.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

It all depended on the handedness of the person that commisioned the castle.

Well all good castles are designed for right handers and all evil castles are designed for left handers.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

So Stairmaster is to be a base class? I don't like that. You should have to take levels in walking first. Maybe their version of Unearthed Arcana will have rules for making that into a prestige class.

Croucher -> Walker -> Runner -> Stairmaster.

 

[greatamericanfolkher]

I'll see if I can't get this added to the Bestiary... maybe get it added to the cover!

Wait... hmm.. maybe not. I really should write a whole book about it.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

I would love to see you sneak a gazebo into the cover art for the Bestiary.

 

[James Jacobs]

Not sure if they're using it, but they had a superb chase system from Curse of the Crimson Throne. I'd been advocating for a vehicle-driving skill, but I doubt that they went that route.

These chase rules won't be in the PFRPG (there simply wasn't room for them,alas), but they're very likely to pop back up in a later book.

 

[Treebore]

And is it me or does the new Smite Evil sounds very much like the way 4e handles its striker classes?

Actually it sounds like my house rule that I used in 3e from late 2002, early 2003, until I quit playing 3E in late 2005. I then carried it over to my C&C house rules, eventually. Personally I prefer my Preferred Enemy variant for Paladins.

 

[joethelawyer]

I Taunt your Stairs for a second time!

I DOUBT your pathetic stair rules and Stair-Monster-Mona can handle this!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZL6RGkPjws]YouTube - CLASSIC TV COMMERCIAL - 1960s - SLINKY #3[/ame]



BWAHAHAHA!

 

[yesnomu]

It was a pretty good interview, but I would have liked a couple of harder questions, like about why Wizards and Clerics got buffed over their 3.5 versions. It was pretty softball for the most part.

That said, in my group's Pathfinder Beta game, I've had more fun playing the Barbarian than with any 3.5 non-spellcaster, so they must be doing something right. The new rage system, where you pick a power every few levels and can use one per round, is pretty elegant.