If any of you follow gaming news over the last month or so, you are already aware that WotC announced that they would be overhauling the OGL, with the implication being that it would be tighter and more easily controlled by WotC.
I wanted to start a discussion on how this might affect out most beloved of past times, playing Pathfinder and Starfinder, both of which are dependent on the existence of the OGL.
While I am a lawyer, I am not an expert in licensing law. It is all but certain that this will be litigated in court and it will be expensive. BUT I also believe that WotC is on shaky ground at best since the original license states that it is a "perpetual, worldwide, [and] non-exclusive license."
There would also be a clear defense of Latches and Equitable Estopple, which are fancy legal jargon which generally mean that if a party relies you your statements to their detriment, you can't then change your mind midstream.
Obviously, this is but the first salvo in a fight that may last until Pathfinder 3E.
Paizo Con starts today at 10:00 am Pacific, Huzzah!
I wanted to start a thread where everyone can post their Paizo con info, or post links to other sources like Reddit or Discord.
While we are waiting we can start with some good natured guesses maybe? I'll go first:
- A playtest announced for two new classes to come out in August 2023. This time they will give us two rounds instead of one.
- the two classes will be a bounded divine spellcaster to be the spiritual successor to the Inquisitor, (but with a different name), and the Shamon, a wis based spontaneous primal caster.
- We will continue with the current trend of one 6 part AP and two 3 parts.
- low level 3 part will be an Arcadian adventure dealing with defeating colonizers
- high level 3 part will be the Ascension of the Living God, dealing with Razmir's last desparate attempt at immortality and Godhood.
- the 6 part AP will start in Jalmeray and explore the western Vudran Empire.
- The long awaited Dead God's Hand will finally be published, to be released in spring 2023.
This started a comment on the Dark Archives thread, but I wanted to put it out here for a chance at a more robust discussion without derailing the product thread.
Someone brought up the idea of the Kineticist as a class archetype.
wegrata wrote:
Anyone else half expecting to see kineticist as a class archetype for psychic? Burn for brain drain, primal for occult, different amps?
I responded:
Kelseus wrote:
I don't think the kineticist would even be occult in P2.
It's almost all manipulation of matter, so primal or arcane (really just to cover the force damage stuff). What part of mind or spirit is involved in shooting fireballs from your eyes?
And then another response:
Keftiu wrote:
I don’t really think Kineticists have a tradition at all - their blasts are sort of a distinct thing from spellcasting, and I think it would be quite the surprise if they have a traditional spell list at all whenever they come over to 2e.
My personal position is that it will definitely have a tradition, as all magical abilities have one. I could be like the wizard, where all kineticists are primal only. Or similar to sorcerer/witch where depending on they subclass or ability you select, that determines your tradition. Or even like a Monk, where you get to decide occult or divine, and it doesn't really make a difference mechanically.
As for the tradition itself, I stick to my prior position that Kineticist is most likely to be a Primal tradition caster, even if they don't get access to the Primal spell list. All fo the original Kineticists except force were elemental damage, which is solidly in Primal territory. The only reason I'm not stronger on Primal only is the force kineticist, force spells being generally absent from Primal list. Maybe it could be Water/fire/earth/etc are primal OR you can be Arcane if you go force only.
So I open the question to the floor: Once the Kineticist is brought to P2, what magical tradition do you think it will have, if any?
I have a Monk PC in my party who has Monastic Weaponry and has been using the Kusarigama mostly for reach. All totally fine.
Party just hit 8th level and he took Tangled Forest Stance. Now TFS is a permissive stance, "can make" not "can only make" lashing branch strikes. TFS also has an additional effect.
Tangled Forest Stance wrote:
While you’re in Tangled Forest Stance and can act, every enemy in your reach that tries to move away from you must succeed at a Reflex save, Acrobatics check, or Athletics check against your class DC or be immobilized for that action. If you prefer, you can allow the enemy to move.
My question is: can the PC use his weapon reach to determine if the foe has to make a check to move away? I think RAW yes because there is nothing to say you can't.
I also feel that RAI you are using lashing branch and the expectation is that your unarmed attacks do not have reach.
I received two boxes from Paizo today. Both boxes were addressed to me. One had my order in it.
The other had a packing slip for order number 36533076 Addressed to Aaron Dalton in Maryland. If you want to send me a correct packing slip, I would be happy to drop it in the mail.
The current game I am in has a large group, currently 6 players. The GM is getting a bit frustrated with challenging the group with encounters that aren't flirting with a TPK every round.
Party is currently level 3. For a Moderate encounter you have 80 + 20 +20 or 120 exp budget. That means either a single level 6 monster, a 5 and a 3, two 4s, three 3s, four 2s, or six 1s (with some mix and matching possible).
The problem is that it seems like the PCs can easily destroy this kind of encounter. I know that the single monster is not a good idea, 3 actions to their 18, but even two 4s (6 vs 18).
Level 3 PC has an AC of about 20 (10 + 5 armor/dex, 2 trained, lvl 3) and between 24 (elf wizard 10 con) and 60 (orc barb 18 con) hp, with an average of closer to 38.
A level 6 monster will have a +17 to hit and average of about 15 damage. This means they average 33.9 damage on two sings. Meaning they could easily drop a PC every round.
It would take this group of 6 PCs almost 4 round to take down this level 6 creature. Just on the math alone, this could easily be a TPK.
Does anyone have any suggestions on modifying the creatures to make this less deadly but still not a cake walk?
A Cleric of Iomedae adds true strike to their divine spell list per the Deity class feature
Deity wrote:
Your deity also adds spells to your spell list. You can prepare these just like you can any spell on the divine spell list, once you can prepare spells of their level as a cleric. Some of these spells aren't normally on the divine list, but they're divine spells if you prepare them this way.
So true strike is now a divine spell on my spell list.
Now at level 2 I take Sorcerer Archetype and then level 4 take sorcerer basic spellcasting, so I can now cast a 1st level divine spell once per day as a sorcerer.
Can I select true strike as my level 1 repertoire spell?
As the topic suggests. Does a cleric gain "access" to their Deity's granted spells or not?
Cleric: Deity, CRB pg 118 wrote:
Your deity also adds spells to your spell list. You can prepare these just like you can any spell on the divine spell list, once you can prepare spells of their level as a cleric. Some of these spells aren’t normally on the divine list, but they’re divine spells if you prepare them this way.
Cleric: Divine Spellcasting, CRB pg 118 wrote:
you can prepare [spells] each morning from the common spells on the divine spell list in this book (page 309) or from other divine spells to which you gain access.
So, by RAW, does this mean that if I am a Cleric of Zon-Kuthon, I can prepare Shadow Walk as a 5th level Divine Spell as soon as I hit level 9 OR is Shadow Walk just considered an Uncommon spell on the divine list and I also have to gain access to Shadow Walk via scroll or some other means before I can prepare it each day?
So this came up in our game this week. Our monk had a whip he had taken off of a corpse and wanted to use it to reach a wizard who was blasting us from the cavern ceiling.
Now, being a Monk, he wasn't proficient in martial weapons, but the "trip" entry for weapon traits says that "You can use this weapon to Trip with the Athletics skill."
So my question is: what is his bonus to hit? Is it his Athletics at +7? His Dex only at +4? Can he even use the trip with a whip if he's not proficient with it?
I am putting together an update and conversion of the Second Darkness AP to Pathfinder Second Edition. The Intent is to maintain the CR value of each encounter. Jumping up two editions however can make that more difficult. I am assuming that the Adventure Path expects the PCs to be no better than the pregenerated characters at the back of the book (a safe bet I think). This will help to set a better expectation as to what is written as a hard versus an easy or moderate check DC, particularly for skills, since it puts a max for any ability modifier at +3 at level 1, and only when that race has a bonus in it.
Converting the NPCs are a bit more complicated, as NPCs are monsters in P2, that being said with some few exceptions the CR should just be a straight conversion to level, meaning a CR 3 Wizard NPC in 3.5 is a Level 3 monster in P2. This helps to smooth out “NPC” class levels as well. A level 3 expert in 3.5 was a CR 2 creature. In P2, it will just be a level 2 creature.This is actually easier going from 3.5 to P2 than P1 to P2, as in P1 NPCs are CR=lvl-1 as opposed to CR=level in 3.5. This means you don’t have to worry about your NPC having access to spells that are too high for their level or needing to adjust the experience for the whole adventure. Particularly since in book 1, almost every encounter is NPCs until you hit part 4, i.e. the end game.
Comments and questions are welcome. I have the first book all done, and I've started my notes on book 2 and 3.
In the oracle section under Divine Spellcasting: "Each day, you can cast up to three 1st-level spells."
The table to the left says you only have 2 1st level spell slots. The language for spell repertoire also seems to confirm you should only have 2 1st level spell slot at level 1.
"In the Emanation section, add the following sentence to the end. “An emanation effect includes the target of the emanation, but the creature creating the effect can exclude the target if desired.”
So if I'm reading this correctly, I can caste an emanation spell on another creature and only effect those around it? Makes emanations much more offensive.
From what has been said in the Oblivion Oath Thread it appears that Paizo has kept the way experience worked in the playtest for second edition. I.e. It takes 800 exp to level up, regardless of what level you are.
My concern is, how do I make this work for a mixed level party. For instance, the other night we had a party at the table of two 9th level PCs, three 8th, and one 7th. This happens because if someone misses a night, their PC doesn't get exp for that session, or if you die and roll up a new PC, they start at the minimum exp for the lowest level in the party.
Right now, doing exp at the end of the night is easy. I add up the exp for all the monsters they killed or other rewards, and then divide by the number of characters present. It's easy, that 2000 exp at the end of the night is worth a lot more for the 7th level PCs than it is for the 9th, since they need less to level up.
If the exp is based not on the Monster's level, but on the Party's this can become unworkable fast. For the level 9 PCs, each fight was worth 50 exp, because they were a level 9 equivalent fight, but for the level 7 PCs I have to recalculate because at level 9 encounter is worth a total of 300 at APL 7 instead of APL 9. Also how do I calculate the APL for a party like this? I know that exp numbers became comically huge in P1 by the low teens but having the monster be worth X exp regardless if you were level 1 or level 10 makes my job easier as a DM, especially at the end of a 6 hour gaming session.
It also makes encounter design more difficult. In P1 a CR 5 enounter is worth 1600 exp, so I just keep adding monsters until I have a 1600 and that should be about right. One CR5 monster, or two CR 3s or three CR2 or 4 CR 1s. Now I have to keep going back to another table that ells me how to calculate the level of the encounter depending on the level of each individual monster then compare it to the level for each individual PC level.
I have a question for those of you who have pathfinder society experience, especially GMs. As the vast majority of the published adventures are PF Society Scenarios, I was wondering how suitable these scenarios are for non-PFS play?
Do they really cry out for everyone in the party to be in PFS? How hard do you all think that it would be to modify it to avoid that issue? Is their format conducive to home play or is the structure really expecting PFS play/players/GM?
Does any one have suggestions of what scenarios are good to start with?
Should we expect to have a PRD like we did for Pathfinder 1st edition? Will it contain rules elements printed in the World Guide line or just the main "RPG" line?
So, as with many of you still lurking in the forums for a defunct playtest, I am also chomping at the bit and hungry for any morsel of information about 2nd edition.
I think it is fair to say that we are all expecting there to be preview blogs in our future (although not as close as I would like). So to try to stave off the hunger pangs I suggest, as the title states, that we speculate wildly about the preview topics and expected schedule.
I expect to start getting previews by late April at the latest. We know that there will be a lot of info dropped at Paizo Con memorial day weekend and I think they would like to at least start trickling some info out to us before then. I would also expect to get an announcement at Paizo Con about a street date for the Bestiary 2E.
As far as topics, I am unsure if the previews will mostly focus on 1E vs 2E or have a lot of Playtest Vs 2E.
When I pull up the forum page, the number of posts for each thread is miss aligned so that they all bunch up near the top of the subforum section. I took a screen cap and I can email it to you.
I am using Firefox on a Windows 7 machine. I have the same problem with Internet explorer and Crome
On the main page for the adventure paths, if you click on the links for Next to the AP descriptions,HERE it just sends you back to the main adventures page.
I am wondering if there is any news or action on updating the Pathfinder PRD? It hasn't been up dated since May of 2016, 19 months and counting. We've had 7 hard covers published since then:
Ultimate Intrigue
Horror Adventures
Villain Codex
B6
Adventurer's Guide
Book of the Damned
Ultimate Wilderness
Additionally there have been errata issued for UE that predates the last update that isn't included. Not to mention all of the errors on the website that haven't been fixed.
Is there any timeline that we can expect for this info to go up?
(not holding my breath for Starfinder SRD coming "fall 2017")
Exciting!!! I really like the Rune Giant sending the Hill giant mooks to do her dirty work!
The singles are clearly a marsh giant and a stone giant, but I can't figure out what the middle one is.
During a game hiatus, my group lost one existing player and gained a new one and I am trying to figure out a good 2 or 3 class suggestions for our new player to roll up for our existing WotR campaign.
The group is currently between books 3 and 4, at level 11/Tier 4. The existing group is:
Paladin/Marshall
Cleric of Serenrae/Hierophant
Inquisitor of Iomedae/Guardian
Transmuter/Archmage
The group lost the Barbarian/Champion.
The new player is somewhat new to Pathfinder, and she playing a Fighter and Life Oracle in the other games we have going (one will drop off when mine starts back up). Obviously I don't want to suggest she play the exact same character as in her other game or just replace one barbarian for another (unless that's what she wants). Any suggestions for a good class that isn't too complicated but also fits the group?
I had asked that order 3312736 ship with my subscription this month but it is not listed in the order from my confirmation email I received this morning. It appear that Advanced Class Origins is still sitting in my side-cart.
Bloodrager has a similar spell progression as the Paladin and Ranger, not getting spells until level 4. In both the Paladin and Ranger spells section it has this language:
PRD wrote:
Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level – 3.
Identical language for the ranger, just switch the class name. So for a 12th level Paladin/Ranger, their CL is 9.
However the Bloodrager (although starting spell progression at 4th level like Paladin and Ranger), has no similar language in their spells section. In the Bloodline section, it specifically says
ACG: Bloodrager Bloodline (pg 15) wrote:
For all spell-like bloodline powers, treat the character’s bloodrager level as the caster level.
This at least implies that the spells might have a different CL than the Bloodline Spell-likes. To Get to the point:
What is the Caster Level for a 12th level Bloodrager? CL12 or CL9 like Paladin or Ranger?
Mythic Realms and Pathfinder Secrets 3 were both originally in Order -188, both were placed in my side cart. Mythic Realms was moved to Order -191 with my subscription order of Advanced Class Guide, but the Comic was not. Is the Comic not shipping with the subscription order? Why not?
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2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
For the Divine Source Universal Path Ability, it says that you gain access to your domain spells as spell-like abilities but it doesn't say what the CL is for the ability or what stat you use to calculate DCs.
For instance: Monk 15/Champion 7 selects Divine Source, selecting the Law and Good Domains. So I can cast up to 7th level domain spells as a spell-like 1/day per spell level. When this character casts Hold Monster how many rounds does it last? 7 b/c of teir? or 15 b/c of class level? Or maybe 14, double my teir? or 15 b/c that is the minimum cleric level needed to cast a 7th level spell?
For the save, the DC is 17 + casting stat, but what is it? Is it Wisdom since I'm casting cleric spells? Or Cha which is the default for SP? OR can I pick which ever stat I want? Does it have to be a Mental stat? What if I use the same example, but change the levels to Fighter, can I pick Strength as my "casting" stat?
Depending on the answers to these questions, Divine Source can be either a really strong ability OR just some really nice fluff.
Please FAQ
So I have a question on who gets an SR check for Plague Carrier.
Plague Carrier wrote:
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
The target's natural attacks carry filth fever (DC 10 + 1/2 of the creature's Hit Dice + creature's Con modifier)
If I cast Plague Carrier on myself, and then attack a creature that has SR, does the creature get an SR check to not contract Filth Fever
OR
Is the SR check only for the target, i.e. the carrier of the plague, and any creature I attack with natural attacks does not get an SR check, just a fort save v disease.
Since Rogue Eidolon's guide is the only one out there for the rogue and it hasn't been updated since the CRB came out, I decided to do an update.
I included the original guide (because why reinvent the wheel), but added new sections for new rules from the APG, ARC, UC, and UM. I plan on adding more on the equipment section, but I haven't quite gotten there yet. Any comments are welcome, but please try to keep them constructive.
This is a new race I put together using the ARG for my Homebrew setting. Setting is semi-Indochina, only core races available are Human and Halfling. Any input is helpful. Does it seem balanced or overpowered? What do you think of the flavor? is some of the writing a little awkward?
Grohara:
Humanoid race of strong but brittle and impassive beings. Grohara are a race of contradictions, possessing both a strength of body and spirit but can be sickly and preferring to run than fight. Often seen as cowardly, they avoid conflict and use their training to avoid attacks; however, when corner a Grohara can tap into the life essence of the world around them, augmenting their already impressive strength to truly heroic proportions. Although awkward in social settings, Grohara can make true and loyal friends, easily forgetting slights but with a long memory for those who aid them in time of need. It is also true that the candle that burns brightest, burns half as long. Despite their strong connection to the living world, or perhaps because of it, Grohara lives are full but short. Grohara attain physical maturity by age 14, and staying young well into their middle years (suffering no aging penalties for middle age or old), but by age 50 a Grohara is considered venerable (-3 physical, +1 mental). Few live past the age of 65.
Culturally, they show strong familial ties, although ones that would be unfamiliar to many other races. Grohara are polyamorous, rarely selecting single mates; preferring what are called Pods or Groupings of 5 to 8 Grohara of any combinations of sexes. A fertile female will often lay with several mates. This will help to create cohesion within the Pod, since issue from them could belong to any of several mates. These couplings often produce several offspring, usually in groups of twins or triplets. A singlet child is exceedingly rare and is viewed as a sign of good luck, often being given up by the Pod to be raised as an apprentice by the clans Grohan or Shaman Chieftain. The Grohan is the only member of a clan to forgo a Pod, a life of solitude and communion with the natural world necessitated by their studies and the source of their great wisdom and power.
Due to their unique culture, Grohara have difficulty interacting with other cultures. Other Humanoid cultures can seem very foreign to them. Their unease with foreign custom can make them seem aloof and withdrawn. Because of this Grohara communities tend to be isolated from other humanoids, even within larger settlements Grohara tend to cluster into small enclaves. Outsiders are welcome, but because of their lack of social skill, non-grohara often feel ignored or isolated within such communities.
Physically, Grohara are large and imposing. Both males and females tend to be tall, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. Grohara have a dark complexion, ranging from swarthy to deep mahogany, their skin possessing a wood-like grain and pallor. Eyes tend toward bright or fluorescent. Grohara lack true hair, their heads sprouting layers of thin flowery petals about 1 inch thick each that range from a soft white to bright reds, violets and blues.
Grohara who choose to become adventurers are often drawn to the wider world outside their village by a want to explore and experience all that life has to offer. Because of their affinity for life, Grohara often choose to pursue the path of the druid or ranger.
Grohara Racial Traits:
+2 Str, -2 Con, -2 Cha: Grohara a physically imposing, but can be sickly. Their preference to observe and unusual social structure can make them offputting and socially awkward.
Medium: Grohara are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Grohara: Grohara are humanoids with the Grohara subtype.
Fast: Grohara are faster than normal for their size, their base speed is 40ft. This also results in a +4 racial bonus to Acrobatics to jump.
Defensive Training, Greater: Grohara can be brittle and sickly, so they train to avoid injury rather than absorb it. Grohara gain a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class.
Deathless Spirit: Grohara’s strong connection to life allows them to better shrug off necromantic effects. Grohara gain resistance 5 against negative energy. They do not lose hit points when they gain a negative level, and they gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against death effects, energy drain, negative energy, and spells or spell-like abilities of the necromancy school.
Life Observer: Grohara are very interested in understanding the living world around them. They receive a +2 racial bonus to Knowledge(nature) and Survival, as well as a +2 racial bonus to Perception to notice objects out of place in the natural world.
Fumbled Response: Due to their isolation and unique culture, Grohara often fail to develop appropriate social skills. Grohara suffer a -2 racial penalty to Diplomacy, Bluff or Sense Motive check made against non-Grohara. Against other Grohara, they gain a +2 bonus to Diplomacy or Bluff.
Spell-like Ability: Grohara can harness the powers of life to enhance their physical prowess. They can use bull’s strength once per day as a spell-like ability with a range of personal. The caster level for this ability is equal to the Grohara’s class level.
Languages: Grohara begin play speaking Common and Gaishean. Grohara with high intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Sylvan, Catfolk, Reptilian, Giant, or Aklo.
Alternate Racial Traits:
Enclave Protector: Grohara are sometimes prized as slaves by other races, and their sickly nature means a steady supply of new slaves is needed. Some Grohara are true protectors of the community. Members of this race add +1 to the caster level of any abjuration spells they cast. Grohara also gain the following spell-like abilities: constant—nondetection; 1/day—faerie fire, obscure object, sanctuary. The caster level for these effects is equal to the user's character level. This replaces Deathless Spirit and Spell-like ability.
Life Connection: Some Grohara have true connection to life. Grohara sorcerers with the destined bloodline or oracles with the life mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Grohara clerics with the glory domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. This racial trait replaces Deathless Spirit.
Eternal Hope: Grohara are ever the optimist. Grohara gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear and despair effects. Also, once per day, after a natural roll of 1 on a d20, Grohara my reroll and use the second result. The racial trait replaces Spell-like Ability.
My summoner in our Serpent's Skull AP died last session and I am struggling with picking a new character class. I was hoping for some suggestions.
Our party is currently 7th level, just about to start Book 3 (I think). Our party currently consists of a Fighter, Rogue, Ninja, and Flame Oracle. The Obvious choice would be to play a Wizard (since we are very light on arcane casters ), but I am currently playing a wizard in our other game (we alternate weeks for more prep time and avoid GM burn out).
We use CRB, APG, UM, UC, and UE. Core races, with ARG options. House Rules: Max HP and preset stats at 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13. Standard wealth by level.
I put together this quick guide to the Qinggong Monk new options since there are so many and it can at times be hard to pick. All comments are of course welcome, as long as they are constructive.
So I too like the idea of the Mystic Theurge but hate how weak they are. I decided to try my hand at writing up a Mystic Theurge base class. You can find it HERE.
My main goals were to 1) differentiate it from the wizard/witch/cleric, 2) give it some interesting abilities for customization and 3) avoid the pit fall of either falling way behind the other full casters OR allowing them to cherry pick all the best spells becoming a better choice than the Wizard or Cleric.
So chose a class construction similar to the Witch or Oracle(in many ways it is a witch alt class). I gave the "Rites" instead of Hexes or Revelations, and fixed the spell access issue by having their mystery or patron spells be selectable from any spell list. The only thing I haven't done is write up a full spell list. I selected Cha to avoid the whole Wis/Int double requirement, and it doesn't really benefit them otherwise.
For the spell list I was thinking of taking some of the good spells and may utility spells, but leaving the best ones off the list (so you have something you want to take). One of the thing I had intended to do was keep the higher spell level between the Cleric and Wizard lists. For instance blindness/deafness is a Wizard 2/Cleric 3 spell, so for the MT it would be a 3rd. On the same token animate dead is a Cleric 3/Wizard 4, so for MT it would be lvl 4.
Tell me what you think. Are the Rites too weak/strong, do they seem kind of lame? Would you ever play a Cleric or Wizard if this was available to you?
I started this thread for discussion of my updated Bard Guide. This was one of the few that hadn't been updated since Treantmonk did it and it was somewhat incomplete even then.
Any suggestions are more than welcome. I've only just started the Spells section (as you can likely tell) and I haven't quite gotten to equipment or Multiclassing, but the bulk of the work is there so I wanted to get it out for people to get a look at.
