Game News Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Kickstarter Update #99: Dev Diary #5 - All About Demons

[Infinitron]

Tags: Owlcat Games; Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

It's time for yet another Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous dev diary. In this one, Owlcat senior level designer Filipp Kovalev introduces some of the demonic foes that players will face over the course of the game, ranging from the lowly dretch to the mighty balor. If you don't have time to watch it, the accompanying Kickstarter update is basically an extended transcript. Here's the video and an excerpt:

Only 2 weeks are left until you embark on an epic journey into the lands conquered by demons. We simply couldn't let you go unprepared! So we sent our scouts into the Worldwound region, and now we can share with you some important intel on who you will have to fight.

Watch the new dev diary where Filipp Kovalev, our Senior Level Designer and a 5-star Pathfinder Organized Play GM, will tell you all about the spawn of the Abyss.

Demons are one of the youngest types of outsiders, which originated when the souls of mortals touched the essence of the Abyss. When a soul is sentenced to the Abyss by Pharasma’s court, upon arrival it manifests as a larva — a disgusting worm-like creature with a human face, covered in chitin. Those larvae that survive in the Abyss long enough (and avoid becoming food for demons or other larvae) — undergo a transformation into a demon.

The majority of demons, except the most lesser types, possess the teleportation ability (albeit between the places known to them), however, they can’t move between the planes. This ability makes the Worldwound so dangerous for Golarion — this interplanar rift allows demons to travel to Golarion and then spread like a plague. That’s why the creation of Wardstones — a protective barrier that prevents the demons from teleporting outside of the Worldwound region - was such an important event, which halted the demonic invasion.

Demons' bodies are made up of the essence of the Abyss itself rather than flesh and blood. So ordinary weapons are not effective against them. You'll need specialized weapons forged from cold iron. And if you're dealing with powerful demons, you won't have much luck without enchanted weapons that deal holy damage. Demons’ resistance to various types of energy damage and immunity to electricity is widely known.
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Good stuff. There are only two weeks left until the game is released, but it sounds like they've got more of these planned.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

It'll be a lot more weeks until ALL DLC is available and bugs ironed mostly out... then I'll archive DL it. Certainly not before. So, in a few years maybe?

I almost thought I was watching the new Disciples since it was demon talk.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Veeeery nice!

 

[Lagole Gon]

I still didn't plan my build...

 

[Ibn Sina]

This game is filled to the brim with SJW filth and transgenderism. A tranny companion is forced on you and you cannot get rid of him no matter what you do. Not only that, he constantly interrupts your conversation to lecture you on feminism and how men brought down the demon invasion. If he is killed you lose the game. Avoid this game at all costs or pirate it if you really want to try it.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I want to see those screenshots just in case they change it and say "we didn't have that."

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

This game is filled to the brim with SJW filth and transgenderism. A tranny companion is forced on you and you cannot get rid of him no matter what you do. Not only that, he constantly interrupts your conversation to lecture you on feminism and how men brought down the demon invasion. If he is killed you lose the game. Avoid this game at all costs or pirate it if you really want to try it.

I really wish this weren't so believable, but that knowing they included an actual interracial cuck romance in their last game, I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

The one video already mentioned "relationships & more!" Its in there. Expect it. I don't expect it to be like dildo vice cyberpunk city but who the fuck knows?

 

[Terra]

This game is filled to the brim with SJW filth and transgenderism. A tranny companion is forced on you and you cannot get rid of him no matter what you do. Not only that, he constantly interrupts your conversation to lecture you on feminism and how men brought down the demon invasion. If he is killed you lose the game. Avoid this game at all costs or pirate it if you really want to try it.

How codexers wish to be perceived upon discovering trannies have been added to their favourite new CRPG spiritual successor series:


How codexers actually feel upon discovering trannies have been added to their favourite new CRPG spiritual successor series:

 

[Zeriel]

This game is filled to the brim with SJW filth and transgenderism. A tranny companion is forced on you and you cannot get rid of him no matter what you do. Not only that, he constantly interrupts your conversation to lecture you on feminism and how men brought down the demon invasion. If he is killed you lose the game. Avoid this game at all costs or pirate it if you really want to try it.

How codexers wish to be perceived upon discovering trannies have been added to their favourite new CRPG spiritual successor series:


How codexers actually feel upon discovering trannies have been added to their favourite new CRPG spiritual successor series:

I mean in the proposed case the problem would be that the developers force a moral judgment upon the player. That's usually what causes the issue with these things. It's not the existence of trannies, it's the sudden intrusion of the author screaming, "HEY, LOOK AT THIS. VERY IMPORTANT. THIS CHARACTER IS AWESOME. YOU LOVE THEM. THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE. ACKNOWLEDGE THE HECKIN' VALIDITY."

That was also how it was in the BG blowup. It wasn't about there being a tranny (which was nonsensical in D&D world anyway since they can just magically become the actual gender with none of the IRL hangups), it's always about the tranny inserts having to be the center of attention, because that's what "queer" ideology is about in general, "pride".

The implementation is always a variation on that old Windows joke of a dialogue prompt: "Do you want to continue? Yes/Yeah/Sure!"

In a genre where "choices" are held up as the great virtue and selling point, a sudden moment where every choice is the exact same (i.e, "I heckin' recognize the validity of this tranny and want to suck their very normal girldick") sticks out horribly. That was also the criticism of the LGBT stuff in Bioware products years and years ago, it wasn't the characters themselves, it was how the authors/developers choose to suddenly treat them like no other character is treated, because to not do so would be wrongthink and would get them in trouble.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Uh, so was this tranny thing a joke or...?

You guys are scaring me...

I mean in the proposed case the problem would be that the developers force a moral judgment upon the player. That's usually what causes the issue with these things. It's not the existence of trannies, it's the sudden intrusion of the author screaming, "HEY, LOOK AT THIS. VERY IMPORTANT. THIS CHARACTER IS AWESOME. YOU LOVE THEM. THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE. ACKNOWLEDGE THE HECKIN' VALIDITY."

Yep. There was a gay in TW3. (The hunter at the start.) They didn't force you to like him. You even had the option to basically tell him he was a freak.

It's not the same as forcing your Mary Sue onto the player for the entire game and not giving them any other option but to like them.

 

[Tacgnol]

I assume Ibn Sina is talking about Irabeth and Anevia.

They are a couple in the first chapter of the original AP written by Amber Scott (who fortunately only wrote the first book). They are two badly written stereotypes, but fortunately don't appear much (at least in the original AP) past the first book. For point of reference Anevia is an MTF human who drank a magic potion to change sex. Irabeth is a lesbian? half-orc paladin.

Neither are companions, though maybe you get them temporarily for a section. I don't know.

Dumb? yes, but not something worth getting into an autist rage over. Unless Owlcat has massively expanded their story they aren't exactly around for long.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Amber Scott

Isn't that the SJW that screwed with Dragonspear???
https://nichegamer.com/2016/04/04/tale-dragons-memes-dragonspears-writing-horrid/

edit:

For point of reference Anevia is an MTF human who drank a magic potion to change sex.

That's actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Not that it's good.

The in-universe explanation is sort of fine. And so long as "she" doesn't have a dick and doesn't rant about being born a man but always wanting to be a woman etc, I can't really complain too hard about it being real-world politics intruding on the setting. I myself used to put a belt of gender swap on Khalid in BG1 for laughs.

That said, the fact that *it* engages in an interracial lesbian romance feels pretty close to the typical tranny idea of "becoming a woman" (though in real life that involves butchering your dick with surgeries that leave an unsightly open wound in your crotch that will likely smell like shit for the rest of your life, not drinking a potion and growing a magic vagina). I can't help but feel that their inclusion was motivated by politics, which makes me look down on the campaign.

Unless Owlcat has massively expanded their story

Anyway, all of this made me do a search for these characters and I found a walkthrough of sorts. I didn't read it thoroughly, but it seems you're right and that they're NPCs, as the orc gives the player a quest.
https://www.neoseeker.com/pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous/walkthrough/The_Wardstone_Legacy

AND WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT THING ON THE LEFT???

From what I read, this is another...character from the original campaign. Is there a lore-friendly explanation for why this thing has no eyes, or is that purely SJW disability fetishism from Amber Scott?

 

[Tacgnol]

From what I read, this is another...character from the original campaign. Is there a lore-friendly explanation for why this thing has no eyes, or is that purely SJW disability fetishism from Amber Scott?

Yes, it's a lilitu demon. They are powerful demons with perma true seeing and no eyes, so definitely not a disability.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/demon/demon-lilitu/

While this seductive woman has goat horns, goat hooves, and a serpentine tail, her eyeless face is her most disturbing feature.

Nothing to do with Scott.

Edit: Also re: Anevia, perma sex change magic, either via alchemy or spells, is flawless but expensive in Golarion. There is some backstory about Irabeth helping xer to afford the expensive elixir. So no dicks or surgical axe wounds involved.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Yes, it's a lilitu demon. They are powerful demons with perma true seeing and no eyes, so definitely not a disability.

Thank you. I'm glad that Scott's leftist brain disease was at least somewhat limited in its expression this time around.

Again though, I can't help but feel that the reason for this character's race was an expression of SJW cultism. This is what happens when you habitually shove politics into your writing. People start to look for it and it taints the whole thing.

edit:
https://www.sjwlist.com/Amber_Scott

“I consciously add as much diversity as I can to my writing and I don’t care if people think that’s ‘forced’ or fake. I find choosing to write from a straight default just as artificial. I’m happy to be an SJW and I hope to write many Social Justice Games in the future that reach as many different types of people as possible.”

Yeah...

Edit: Also re: Anevia, perma sex change magic, either via alchemy or spells, is flawless but expensive in Golarion. There is some backstory about Irabeth helping xer to afford the expensive elixir. So no dicks or surgical axe wounds involved.

Yeah, but that's pretty bad writing. A typical example of a special snowflake character that makes zero sense.

In a fantasy setting, someone that spends a fortune on a potion to lose their dick makes little sense. If someone were turned into a man against their will, it would be justified, but this is pretty silly and an obvious case of "I want to write this, but how do I justify it?".

 

[Tacgnol]

It's an Amber Scott character what do you expect.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

It's an Amber Scott character what do you expect.

I had forgotten all about Dragonspear and Scott. I didn't even pay much attention to Dragonspear other than the fact that it had a tranny in it and bad writing in general. Those things alone had me not buy it until I finally purchased it do the BG2:EE BGT mod.

So all of this info is pretty new to me, especially the stuff about WotR, since I haven't paid much attention to it during its development and I never played the original campaign.

But at least now I can mentally prepare myself for the decline.

 

[Tacgnol]

It's an Amber Scott character what do you expect.

I had forgotten all about Dragonspear and Scott. I didn't even pay much attention to Dragonspear other than the fact that it had a tranny in it and bad writing in general. Those things alone had me not buy it until I finally purchased it do the BG2:EE BGT mod.

So all of this info is pretty new to me, especially the stuff about WotR, since I haven't paid much attention to it during its development and I never played the original campaign.

But at least now I can mentally prepare myself for the decline.

She only wrote the first book. The rest of it (the AP at least) is pretty normal.

Then again the original AP is super combat heavy anyway, so you don't interact with a fuckton of NPCs.

 

[Bloodeyes]

Honestly I'm really disappointed they went with demons as the antagonists. What they've shown has been really generic and a big step back creatively from the first game. Ultimately it will be the systems that hook me, so all the game needs to do is function. But Kingmaker was tonally sublime and I can't see myself feeling that way about Wrath. I hope I'm wrong, and they hare very talented people so they could surprise me. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. It looks like a good game but the setting and enemies seem quite boring compared to the first.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Well i am hyped about the demons tbh.
As in, Lawfully Evil hyped
Lots of shennanigans can be done hopefully with a evil party

 

[Tacgnol]

lawfull evil is doing things to better youself in the expense of others but in a more orderly way?

LE covers a lot of stuff, from authoritarian dictatorships to amoral mercenaries with a strict code of business.

It most commonly covers any organised form of evil that involves hierarchy or structure, though it can cover other definitions as well.

 

[Zeriel]

Honestly I'm really disappointed they went with demons as the antagonists. What they've shown has been really generic and a big step back creatively from the first game. Ultimately it will be the systems that hook me, so all the game needs to do is function. But Kingmaker was tonally sublime and I can't see myself feeling that way about Wrath. I hope I'm wrong, and they hare very talented people so they could surprise me. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. It looks like a good game but the setting and enemies seem quite boring compared to the first.

I think the main twist/appeal they went for was the different Paths and C&C, but I agree, I expect it to be less memorable than Kingmaker when its all over. More grounded fantasy in general does tend to be better unless you're a really talented writer with great ideas and go super all-in with the weirdness (i.e Planescape). Epic Level High-Fantasy Monstermash (despite the fact gameplay wise I love monty haul campaigns) tends to be the least interesting possible.

 

[Tacgnol]

The only interesting gimmick about Wrath is really the army system and the fact it had all the mythic path stuff.

There are a lot of far more interesting APs they could have ported story wise.

Reign of Winter has the party travelling to 20th century Earth to kill Rasputin for instance in a later part of the AP, and has item rules for Mosin Nagants and various other 20th century Russian weapons.

Then again, maybe that would get Owlcat in trouble with the government.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

lawfull evil is doing things to better youself in the expense of others but in a more orderly way?

lawyers, tax collectors and politicians.

basically the worst elements of any bugman society.