Pathfinder: Kingmaker Update #15, $511,638 and Counting

In a previous Pathfinder: Kingmaker Kickstarter update, Chris Avellone briefly introduced Jubilost Narthropple, a gnome alchemist and a possible companion. The latest update expands on that and offers an overview and an introductory video revolving around the vial and insult-slinging gnome. Check it out:

The name of Jubilost Nartropple is known to each and every educated person in all of Avistan. Or rather Jubilost himself won’t accept the idea that someone, who does not know his name, could possibly be called an educated person. A renowned adventurer, who traveled the Inner Sea region back and forth, prolific writer and tireless explorer, Jubilost likes to brag, that every good household is bound to have at least one of his books – whether it’s an expensive illustrated atlas or a cheap collection of cooking recipes. He doesn’t care that those envious of his many talents call him haughty and rude – after all he can insult them much worse – and in a dozen different languages at that!

At first glance, the Stolen Lands didn’t impress Jubilost much: in his career span he’s seen a fair share of bad roads, impassable woods and monster-infested swamps. It was the acquaintance with the new ruler of these inhospitable lands, that has piqued his curiosity. The gnome was intrigued by the ambitious attempt to bring civilization to the region that successfully resisted it for so long. So he graciously offered to stay here for a while, aiming to support the young barony with both valuable advice and active help – and you can spit in the face of those who claim that all Jubilost Narthropple is good at is fault-finding!

Jubilost prefers to stay out of close combat – he leaves this dubious honor to those less smart. He doesn’t burden himself with heavy armors or shields. This experienced alchemist attacks from the distance, throwing everything from explosive bombs to virulent chemicals at the heads of his enemies. His other weapon of choice is the heavy crossbow, using bolts with concussive, paralyzing and other interesting effects. Besides, he always carries along a whole arsenal of potions, extracts and elixirs for every occasion – be it to provide protection from fire or acid, to let him see the invisible or to become invisible himself.

Outside of battle, Jubilost is always ready to put his vast knowledge and experience to use, and his nimble fingers can deal with almost all kinds of locks or traps. If you decide to rely on Jubilost in Kingdom governing, his remarkable intellect will be of great help.

And speaking of Chris Avellone, RPG Codex offers a sneak preview from their ongoing interview with the man that sheds some light on the extent of his involvement in the project, among other Kingmaker-related things. An excerpt:

So my role is narrative designer. Paizo authors, Owlcat, and I all worked on the story, but I didn’t write the story from scratch. I am not the lead narrative designer. Alexander Mishulin is the Project Director/Creative Director, and he’s… well, “fan” is probably the wrong word I’d use for how he feels about Pathfinder, it seems like he’s been playing it forever, and he knows the systems and world in and out. I like his take on how to take Infinity Engine tropes and add new twists to them.

I work with three other Owlcat writers (soon to be four, as I understand it), although the lead narrative designer I work is modest about his role and doesn’t consider himself a writer (I disagree). He coordinates the Owlcat writers and is my main point of contact for writing with the Owlcat team.

(I asked if I could share their names and his, still waiting for permission.)

Owlcat had most of the companions and an initial draft of the story (the 2nd version of one) done before I came on board, and together we made a 3rd version. Once we agreed on that, we’ve been going back through every chapter of the Adventure Path and iterating on it, seeing where it makes sense to add more content, companion hooks, foreshadowing (or “aftermath” of previous events that aren’t dealt with in the Kingmaker Adventure Path).

So right now, my work has been: Revising the story, revising each chapter of the Adventure Path, general feedback, writing the aesthetic/reactive style guides for the game (on-going as new elements appear), and also specc’ing out the technical requirements for dialogue on the design side (for alignment choices, reactivity, etc).

I have also revised a number of written scripts for the game’s vertical slice, and am coordinating with editors in the States to naturalize the English as well. I haven’t altered the structure of the sequences, merely rewritten nodes. While I haven’t done much with the companions yet, that’s actually because I’ve been spending more time on the antagonists in the game and how they interact from chapter to chapter.

I also help out on the Kickstarter when I can. I do not wear cool shirts.