Create Bizarre New Beasts and Extraordinary Extraterrestrials with James L. Sutter

Join James L. Sutter, co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games, for a hands-on workshop that will teach you to design unique and unforgettable creatures. Drawing from his experience creating hundreds of life forms and nonhuman societies for games, fiction, and comics, James will share his system of tips and tricks for creature creation.  

In this session, you’ll learn how to:  

- Build creatures and cultures that feel fresh and original  

- Move beyond classic archetypes to create new icons  

- Develop extraordinary life forms in just minutes  

Whether you’re crafting magical beasts for fantasy, eerie extraterrestrials for sci-fi, or horrors for a chilling tale, this workshop will provide the tools to unleash your imagination and create creatures that captivate and thrill!  

Though this session is lecture-based, attendees will be asked to participate via chat, voice, and/or video.

This class meets once online on February 8 from 10-12 pm

About the Instructor: 

James L. Sutter is a co-creator of the bestselling Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games. He’s the author of the queer young adult romance novels Darkhearts and The Ghost of Us, as well as the fantasy novels Death's Heretic and The Redemption Engine. His short stories have appeared in Nightmare, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, the #1 Amazon best-seller Machine of Death, and more. In addition, he's written comic books, video games, essays in venues like Clarkesworld and Lightspeed: Queers Destroy Science Fiction, and a wealth of material for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. When not writing, James has performed with musical acts ranging from metalcore to musical theater.

Website

This event will be held in Zoom. By registering for this class, you agree to follow the Clarion West Code of Conduct and Zoom policies. 

Limited Free Seating: 

We offer a percentage of seats in every class to People of the Global Majority (Asian, Black, African, Latina/o/x, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and/or have been racialized as 'ethnic minorities') for free, regardless of financial need. 

Eligible folks should complete this form to enter the lottery for free seats.  If a seat is available, we will email you 7-10 days before the class begins. For more information, see our equity and inclusion policies.

Sliding Scale Pricing:

The Supporting Tuition rate is shown for each class or workshop for folks who can pay it. Paying the Supporting Tuition rate enables us to continue to pay our staff and instructors equitably, as well as support access to classes for others who may be in a different situation. 

The Helping Hands rate is available to folks under more limited economic circumstances, no matter your background.

For more information, see our financial aid policies.

Our Refund Policy:

Clarion West will refund all class fees if the request is made 30 days before the class date. Refund requests made within 30 days of the class will be honored if we can fill the seat.

Any exceptions are subject to approval by our workshop staff.