Black Dragon

GM Kyle's page

400 posts. Alias of Markus Freeman.


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So, what's the best way to maximize the Piloting skill? My first interpretation at 1st Level has been to build a Human Ace Pilot Operative with Skill Focus: Piloting. With Dexterity 18, that's +13 at 1st Level based on my math - not even counting equipment. I have not gotten that far into the weeds yet.


Well, I can make up my own archetype that's better than this one too. Hard to compare official content to something I home brewed in 5 minutes.


WAR-Priest
16 Str, 10 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha
More of a focus on raw power, counting on consistency in melee. More of a front liner.

War-PRIEST
14 Str, 10 Dex, 12 Con, 10 Int, 15 Wis, 14 Cha
More of a focus on divine spellcasting supporting melee. Less of a front liner.

Just two options I'd consider.


You could regulate Channel purely to Channel Smite. Blessings are 3 + 1/2 level/day. Fervor triggers Off of Charisma. It all depends on your build. In 20 Point Buy, I wouldn't invest too much.


LoneKnave wrote:
GM Kyle wrote:
I have a Level 7 Sword Saint. Works fine.
LoneKnave wrote:
For you, maybe.

I got 99 Problems but a Samurai ain't one of them.


I have a Level 7 Sword Saint. Works fine.


You'd do more damage Power Attacking. Better off charging with another weapon an quick drawing on round two.


16 Str, 14 Con, 14 Wis feels like the baseline to me.


Sword Saint archetype already does it well enough.


Gregory Connolly wrote:
You have to have Weapon Focus (Whip) to get Whip Mastery. So you need 3 feats beyond the whip proficiency if you want to use Dex not Str, all by level 3 or it is too slow to be effective.

Warpriests get heavy armor. Ignore Dexterity, go for Strength.


shiiktan wrote:
GM Kyle wrote:


Warpriests do not get proficiency with their Deity's weapon.

Yes they do - that was changed in errata.

I didn't realize they put out errata on the playtest document. Is it in the same document, or a seperate document?


Cyrad wrote:
I don't really see the problem here. Be a half-orc or a human with a god that has a whip as a favored weapon. Take Weapon Finesse at first level and Whip Mastery at 3rd level. Use a scorpion whip until you have Whip Mastery. Then get an agile whip.

Warpriests do not get proficiency with their Deity's weapon.


No response from anyone in six months. I'm very disappointed.


The starting point is clearly +2 Strength and +2 Charisma to make those gish Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Dragon Disciples more feasible.


LoreKeeper has the right of it. I should be able to play the vanilla CRB Monk to be effective, not an archetype. I play a Zen Archer. Its one of, if not the, best class in the game.


This is a general post to gauge interest in players and Game Masters who would like to consider Ultimate Psionics in some form or another in a play-by-post campaign.


I may give it a look over and if I like it, hope a GM will let me use it. Thanks!


So... How compatible would Psionics be next to any Paizo material in conparison? Over powered? Under powered? Even? I am intrigued.


John Compton wrote:
Mechalibur wrote:
GM Kyle wrote:
I wonder what sort of new crunch Aldori Swordlords will get. In some ways, the current Fighter Archetype and Prestige Class feels somewhat lacking. Also, I wonder how much love monks will get and if they will be addressed in any meaningful way. One can hope.
Ultimate Combat had lots of monk love, so I'm hopeful this book will too :)

As one can imagine in a book with this title, there are monk options.

In fact, these are really cool monk options.

They may be cool, but are they good? Monks don't tend to get good things. What good things they get are nerfed or lackluster at best.


Aasimar Stonelord Paladins. Interesting.


I'm not asking for a class ability, just a magic item that is competitive with every other martial combatant who can get a +10 weapon to fight with.


I prefer Ki Pool to spellcasting. I'd rather have all the neat abilities that make the Monk a Monk with the Ki Pool for combat advantages and amazing feats of awesomeness when needed. The only issue with the Monk is the Amulet of Mighty Fists i.e. in order to be good at unarmed combat, you have to pay for inferior magic gear to do what your class is intended to do. This is never properly addressed however and the Monk continues to be one of the red headed step children. Bodywrap of Mighty Strikes? A joke.


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Year of the Murder Hobo


I wonder what sort of new crunch Aldori Swordlords will get. In some ways, the current Fighter Archetype and Prestige Class feels somewhat lacking. Also, I wonder how much love monks will get and if they will be addressed in any meaningful way. One can hope.


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I always felt magic items adjusting to the size of the wielder, or at least within one step. So, a medium longsword adjusts for a small or large character.


Arachnofiend wrote:
GM Kyle wrote:
Flurry Pounce... No. Pounce should not be a class feature. Its bad enough Barbarians can.

If by "shouldn't be a class feature" you mean "should be a game mechanic available to all non-spellcasters" then I absolutely agree.

As for the fixing the monk, my first step would be to reprint the core rules and replace the monk written there with the Qinggong archetype. Then you give the monk full BAB because why would a class that relies on physical abilities be penalized like a spellcaster

The Monk and Rogue are looking at eachother, shrugging their shoulders.


Flurry Pounce... No. Pounce should not be a class feature. Its bad enough Barbarians can.


Strength based characters should always out damage Dexterity based characters (barring ranged attackers, given ranged attackers are king). There really is no point in punishing Dexterity based characters any more.


Thank you for the prompt response. I understand and respect the decision. I will still throw a Monk into the arena for good measure.


Would you consider allowing 20 Point Buy for a more MAD class, such as the Monk?


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Pathfinder 2.0/2nd Edition/Revised Wishlist

All Classes have a minimum of 4 skill points per level. I have felt that skills are important to EVERYONE. I enjoy skills for flavor as much as I enjoy them for crunch. Its never fun, however, to play a class with only 2 skill points and be forced to pick ONLY two skills.

Feats are more streamlined and grow in power. While Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, and Toughness scale in level, I feel other Feats could benefit from a similar treatment. Vital Strike, Two-Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialization are all good examples. It will reduce those Feat-starved builds and make each choice feel important and less of a boring requirement.

Revision of the Fighter/Monk/Rogue classes. Why play a Rogue when you can play a Cryptbreaker Alchemist, Vivisectionist Alchemist, Archaeologist Bard, Ninja, Ranger, Samurai, Pugilist Barbarian? My point is that it feels like the core classes do not shine when all their unique toys are given to someone else. As a whole, all the other classes feel balanced but the three mentioned have not aged well since their introduction or designers have refused to address key issues.

Scaling AC. As a character grows, all of his defenses should do so as well, including the aforementioned ability to dodge a melee attack. Common sense, really.

Support for Dexterity based combatants. Its a classic fantasy trope however it feels like a player has to jump through hoops to make it effective. Weapon Finesse is all fine and dandy. However, there are no Core options save a Mythic Feat to access the coveted "DEX to Damage." The Agile weapon enchantment, Dervish Dance, and the Aldori Swordlord PrC (all non-Core options) can address this, but only in limited ways. There really is no reason NOT to address this.

Less MAD class design. Some classes require 3-4 ability scores to function, some only require one. As a whole, the game would benefit from it. I would take a page from 4E DnD in how saving throws and attacks could trigger off of two different ability scores. Overall, it would be a good mood.

Make options available, not tedious. I say that because there are some options within the game that feel barred by extensive requirements, notably some feats in order to make certain fighting styles viable. I discovered recently how utterly inferior the crossbow is compared to the bow. Harsk, the Iconic Ranger with a crossbow, is really an example of false advertising. This piece and can go back to previous points. Don't restrict fun!

Off the top of my head, this is all I have. Thanks!


Does Bull's Eye Shot work with Vital Strike at all?


Looking over the Feat lines for bows and crossbows, it appears the crossbow style of combat requires too many Feats to be effective. Are there any unique tricks besides the Feats to make a crossbow more worthwhile? The advantages I see is the higher base damage and increased critical range. Howevever, with Vital Strike being useless with other neat crossbow feats I don't see how to differentiate it other than an inferior option.


This looks like the best book since Paths of Prestige!


Thanks everyone!


Valantrix1 wrote:
I may be wrong, but I believe that you qualify as long as you've have had your belt on for at least 24 hours.

IF that is the case, do you lose the Feat afterwards if you were to have removed the belt?


LoneKnave wrote:
I'd actually also add Lore Warden to that. 6 skill points, actually some use for INT, being capable at multiple combat maneuvers? Not bad, not bad at all.

This. The only issue with Lore Warden, however, is the free Combat Expertise despite other Feats in chains requiring Int 13. Overall, its an awesome base Fighter. Give them the vanilla Fighter bonuses and that would be awesome.


If a Feat requires an Ability Score of 19 (Ex: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Dex 19) and a PC has an Ability Score of 17 with a magic item that increases his Ability Score to 19 (Ex: Belt of Incredible Dexterity), does he qualify for the Feat? I think no, however a lot of players discuss casting higher level spells by wearing a headband deapite having a lower base Ability Score. I wondered if there was a similarity or difference in function. Thanks!


Quote:

Dragon (10 RP)

A dragon is a reptilian creature with magical or unusual abilities. A dragon race has the following features.
Dragons have the darkvision 60 feet racial trait.
Dragons have the low-light vision racial trait.
Dragons are immune to magical sleep effects and paralysis effects.
Dragons breathe, eat, and sleep.

Looking at the ARG, what would be a better alternative or way to reduce the RP of the Dragon while replicating it? Instead of pure immunity, I would prefer just bonuses. For what I am doing, the other features feel appropriate.


I want some advice! I have a few Bard concepts I am mulling over currently. Each concept is based on a high Dexterity build out of the Archaeologist archetype.

1) Archer Bard: Point Blank Shot Feat Chain
2) Whip Bard: Whip Mastery Feat Chain
3) Dervish Dance Bard: 'Nuff Said
4) Two-Weapon Fighting Bard: 'Nuff Said

Not sure where to go.


Could I get some suggestions for what classes shine the most in Second Darkness? I want to pick something that I will thoroughly enjoy. I am concerned that some classes, such as the Cavalier, might encounter some challenges along the way. Thanks!


For the enterprising Druid, what creatures are the best for each stage of a Druid's Wild Shape? I was looking over the class features and it with each Bestiary, it appears more and more options become available. What animals, elementals, plants, and magical beasts would you suggest as the ability progresses in power? Suggest utility shapes raw combat prowess alike.


I thought so. Thanks. Go-go Stonelord!


Heartstone (Ex)
At 2nd level, a stonelord's flesh becomes progressively rockier. She gains a +1 natural armor bonus to AC and DR/adamantine equal to 1/2 her paladin level. The natural armor bonus increases by +1 at 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. These benefits are halved when not touching the ground or a stone structure. This ability replaces divine grace.

Amulet of Natural Armor
This amulet, usually containing some type of magically preserved monster hide or other natural armor—such as bone, horn, carapace, or beast scales—toughens the wearer's body and flesh, giving him an enhancement bonus to his natural armor from +1 to +5, depending on the kind of amulet.

Does the Stonelord ability stack with the Amulet of Natural Armor?


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Tels wrote:
GM Kyle wrote:
Every time Dervish Dance is mentioned, James Jacobs kills a goblin. Think about the goblins.

REALLY?!?!?!

** spoiler omitted **...

Considering James killed all of those goblins, none Tels.


Every time Dervish Dance is mentioned, James Jacobs kills a goblin. Think about the goblins.


Due to a change in finances, I need my subscription cancelled, and my recent automatic order cancelled and refunded. Thank you for your time.


Swashbuckler. Sounds like my love of the Duelist is manifesting into something better!


Champion of Irori Prestige Class would work quite well...


The Unarmed Fighter archetype gives any style feat at level 1, so a one level dip is an option... But I hate multiclassing. I might have to drop the Hungry Ghost Monk, I do prefer Stunning Fist or Punishing Kick.

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