Malthraz's page

Sorry if this question has been answered already.

Does anyone know if the damage from Diabolic/Elemental/Undead Blood Magic is a status effect or is it an untyped bonus that stacks with Dangerous Sorcery?

From a balance perspective I think it should stack, because divine could benefit from a bit of a damage buff. Elemental can keep up a bit better with Arcane, but could get a boost without being too stronk.

Does anyone know, or have an opinion?

Mark confirmed that wands have 50 charges and they take 1 resonance use in the Playtest Reveals from the Crypt of the Everflame with GCP Finale!! thread.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2v6zz&page=1?Playtest-Reveals-from-the-Cryp t-of-the

In other news, he also confirmed that anything that was an x uses/day item is now just a straight resonance cost. I think we already knew this, but good to get it spelled out. Also, that scrolls and other consumables use up the consumable and cost 1 resonance.

I think most people are fairly happy with the consumable aspect (price structure aside), but the wand reveal was met with some dismay. There had been a lot of people that had assumed that charged items were a thing of the past. I would be quite happy to see the end of them as well.

Every right thinking person would agree that being able to obtain a wand with a spell appropriate for your level (level 4 spell, at character level 7, for example) and costing only 1 resonance to cast would be game breaking. Even if you had 50 charges of it, given how few spells you get now, would be very strong.

So, I think it would be worthwhile to discuss any ideas that would remove charges from wands, yet still keep them balanced with prepared spells. Also, I would also like to add that I am a fan of resonance for magical items worn, consumables used and activating magic items, but it needs play testing and maybe refinement.

OPTION 1

Cost and wealth by level (WBL) is the first thing that comes to mind. In PFe1 such a wand (4th level) would be 90% of your total WBL (23,500gp @ 7), very unlikely that you would not have access to it. If WBL scales in a similar way to PFe1, then it almost doubles every 2 levels, which means that at level 9, you could spend half our resources and get a level 4 wand. That seems too good.

Balance through cost alone seems difficult. There would be a very fine line between so expensive that they are no obtainable, not very useless because they are too low level, or too good because they are potent and spamable.

OPTION 2

Part cost, but also increased resonance spend. So, one idea I had was maybe wands could be moderately expensive, say investing 25-40% of your silver (similar amounts that martial will spend on their primary weapon) for a wand with a spell that is 1 level behind your top level spells. However, it cost 3 points of resonance to cast from. This means using a wand is a big dump of resonance, but it is a fairly powerful spell. This means you cannot spam it, but you might use it 2 or 3 times a day, and that use should feel powerful and useful. This definitely makes spending resonance an interesting decision. Do I want more magic items, do I want more standard consumables, or do I want to run lean on those and really have a few wand charges to throw around?
Additionally, so that lower wands are more useful, there should be a resonance discount for low level wands. Maybe if it is 3 levels below your max it is 2 resonance, in if it is 5 levels below it is just 1.

I think I like this option better.

BUT I WANT TO THROW CASH AT MONSTERS NOT REASONANCE

So, I have thought of an addition option that helps move away from charged items, but still allows power through consumable items. Maybe there can be a bulk crafting discount for making 10 identical scrolls in one batch. Perhaps a 20% discount. That way, there are not charged items exactly, but scrolls pick up the slack as spamable a consumable. It is kind of a halfway house. Maybe.

STAVES
I really hope staves (staffs?) are not spells on a stick, but rather the caster equivalent of magic weapons. +1 to hit with spells, +1 DCs. Since +1 armour increases saves and TAC (I think?), shouldn't there be an items that allows casters to keep up?

I like the direction of the new system a lot. A lot, a lot. Many issues I have with the old system have been addressed in some fashion. However, the +1 to almost everything each level does give me (and several others) cause for concern.

I deny there is a treadmill. If everything is leveling up at the same rate you are (did anyone played Elder Scrolls IV, disaster!), then you have a poor DM with incredibly poor world and encounter design. The fault does not lie with the system.

My concern is the steep power scaling from the +1 per level. Any monster that is a challenge for a part of level 10 adventures, is going to be brutally dangerous for the general populace. This makes world design more difficult. Now, this scaling is not such a bad thing if you want high powered heroic fantasy where adventures are the populace's only hope, but if you prefer a grittier game then it does not really work.

However the way PFe2 has been designed, such that it is very streamlined, presents and obvious solution. Decrease the speed of scaling. Rather than +1 every level, +1 could happen every two levels. Then the power difference between level 5 creatures and level 10 creatures becomes much closer. Level 10 creatures are still going to be deadly for the general populace, but a militia of low level characters could possibly hold one off, rather than be totally destroyed by them. +1 every second level also means that the other bonuses (stats, equipment, magic) become more significant.

So, I think there is definitely legitimate concerns regarding the scaling, but I also think the system has been designed very well and so presents an elegant solution. Heroic fantasy games should play with the standard scaling, but it is very easy mechanically, to tone it down for grittier fantasy.