Alexander Augunas Contributor |
jedi8187 |
Fighting style built around feinting, you can use your Bard levels instead of the BAB requirements, can use Perform instead of bluff, add CHA to damage, and do not provoke AoOs from people who you've feinted and can feint at range.
Looks really neat :3
Interesting for some of my Melee Bard builds.
Brinebeast |
Can we have a book in the Campaign Setting Line that gives this treatment to the Prestige Classes from the Core Rulebook. Actually detailing the organizations on Golarion the Prestige Classes are associated with and how the Prestige Classes for into the world. This is long overdue!
Damanta |
I like the Greathelm of the Mammoth Lord. Counting as magic and cold for purpose of overcoming damage reduction makes it very useful, as I've yet to see an enemy with damage reduction cold :)
I'm guessing that it should read cold iron?
Damanta |
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Anyone have any insight on the "Enhanced Morale" Prereq for Redistributed Might? I can't find any other reference to it, was it a feat that got cut or something?
Crossposting the question here on suggestion.
Seems to have been cut. The table on p188 doesn't mention Enhanced Morale as prereq.
Rysky |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sayt wrote:Seems to have been cut. The table on p188 doesn't mention Enhanced Morale as prereq.Anyone have any insight on the "Enhanced Morale" Prereq for Redistributed Might? I can't find any other reference to it, was it a feat that got cut or something?
Crossposting the question here on suggestion.
Yay for tables!
Faelyn |
So, I've got a question concerning the Student of War PrC prerequisites and the new Lore Warden's ability Skill Over Strength. Would the 2nd level version of that ability count towards the prerequisite of having Combat Expertise? Skill Over Strength says that "a Lore Warden qualifies for feats and other abilities as though she had the Combat Expertise feat."
Faelyn |
Hmm, I would say so.
Thanks, Rysky. I thought so as well, but I've been wrong on some of my interpretations before (Variant Channeling abilities and how they interact with Channel Smite)... so I wanted to check and make sure what the general consensus would be here. I think I've got a new direction for my Lore Warden PC.
Ventnor |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Anyone else think it's kind of weird that Aldori Artistry doesn't stack with any of the Improved Combat Maneuver feats? Feat seems kind of pointless to me. Yes, you don't need Combat Expertise, but you're still provoking Attacks of Opportunity and you can't qualify for many of the other Combat Maneuver enhancing feats either.
The new Elf Swords in the Lantern Bearer chapter look pretty cool, though. The Elven Thornblade could be a pretty neat weapon of choice for Elf Magi - ensuring that critical shocking grasp goes through and all that.
Faelyn |
Anyone else think it's kind of weird that Aldori Artistry doesn't stack with any of the Improved Combat Maneuver feats? Feat seems kind of pointless to me. Yes, you don't need Combat Expertise, but you're still provoking Attacks of Opportunity and you can't qualify for many of the other Combat Maneuver enhancing feats either.
The new Elf Swords in the Lantern Bearer chapter look pretty cool, though. The Elven Thornblade could be a pretty neat weapon of choice for Elf Magi - ensuring that critical shocking grasp goes through and all that.
Yes, I feel like that feat is an utter waste. I really cannot see much purpose for it at all to be honest.
As for the new elf swords, I agree! Very cool new swords to play with and mix things up a bit. Definitely a new option if I ever decide to make my Elven Kensai magus...
drkfathr1 |
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I have to chime in and say I really like this book! I was a little skeptical at first since I run a game set in my own homebrew world, but I can find plenty of uses for just about everything in there, regardless of it being Golarian specific.
I really like the appendices in the back with alternate "world neutral" names. That's a particularly nice touch!
Good job once again Paizo!
Sayt |
Anyone else think it's kind of weird that Aldori Artistry doesn't stack with any of the Improved Combat Maneuver feats? Feat seems kind of pointless to me. Yes, you don't need Combat Expertise, but you're still provoking Attacks of Opportunity and you can't qualify for many of the other Combat Maneuver enhancing feats either.
The new Elf Swords in the Lantern Bearer chapter look pretty cool, though. The Elven Thornblade could be a pretty neat weapon of choice for Elf Magi - ensuring that critical shocking grasp goes through and all that.
Honestly, I think Aldori Artistry might be the most disappointming rules element in the book, and definately in that chapter.
A lot of this book offers neat, useful options that are neither abusable nor useless. Aldori Artistry... well, you get the plus two, but then take a penalty to the CM check equal to the damage you just ate from the attack of opportunity, iirc.
It reminds me of stuning fist adept from Dragon Empires Primer, when you could take mantis style or ability focus, why take a small bonus that doesn't play nice with anything?
Obviously, this is a slightly different case, I'm just trying to think of a use-case for this feat.
And yes, the new Elf Swords are very nice, and the new divine Red Mantis PRC is great!
There's a lot to love in this release I think, which makes the few disappointing options a little more bitter, I think?
Delightful |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Credos to Paizo for the Toxic Talon archetype. The mechanics don't necessarily make me what to make a character for it, but the flavor is possibly the best I've read for an archetype. Nuanced examination of the ethics of espionage and poisoning is great!
Also, the natural evolution of the Rivethun being a largely trans organization without being necessarily defined by many of its members being trans was also great!
AnimatedPaper |
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I find myself surpringly underwhelmed by this book. I'm still skimming, so that impression might yet change (in particular, I didn't yet read the generic names in the back, so there's that to look forward to) but I feel like the page count made this book suffer a bit.
It also seems like this book is trying to straddle the line between campaign setting and core line a bit too hard. As a campaign source, it does a great job offering character options for aspirants and affiliates, yet the page count meant I barely know anything about the organizations themselves unless I'd happened to have read a relevant AP or PFS adventure. As a core product, those minuses vanish, but I'm left with extremely specific organizations that I'm hard placed to imagine arising somewhere else (particularly the equipment and the listed NPCs).
Even just one additional page per org, fleshing out the history and current aims of the org, an extra NPC or two, and more on affiliation quests (basically, how an aspirant might get into the organization), might have made me happier.
Also, and this might just be me, but I'd have like to see some info on how these organizations might interact with the teams and organization rules from Ultimate Campaign. This book might have also been a chance to reprint the streamlined version of those rules found in various other places, but it's fine without that.
I've mostly focused on the negatives, but overall I'm satisfied with my purchase. In particular, I love a lot of the archetypes and a few of the prestige classes (I'm biased against prestige classes, so me liking any of them is a feat). I would have liked to see hellknihht signifier updated to include psychic magic, but that's a quibble.
Alchemaic |
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Honestly, I think Aldori Artistry might be the most disappointming rules element in the book, and definately in that chapter.
Aldori Artistry honestly seems like a good contender for a "worst feats" list. Not Monkey Lunge level of course, but it's on the same tier.
Although Aldori Style bums me out too. It feels like a way more expensive and weaker version of Crane Style or Swordplay Style.
Actually, the whole Aldori section feels kind of phoned-in. The Aldori Swordlord prestige class doesn't really have anything going for it apart from a boost to Intimidate checks and duels (and is probably worse at dueling than the generic Duelist prestige class), the Aldori Defender is a reprint, the Rostland Bravo is just a Swashbuckler that uses a dueling sword, the feats are all mostly underwhelming and very expensive (or reprints), and then there's Aldori Artistry.
Alchemaic |
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Anyone think they could clarify a small section on Riventhun for me?
That alchemical mixture that's used (forgets the name), is that like a girdle of gender switching or merely something else? Like does it actually help the character change gender, or just look more like that gender?
The Aderos Salve and Mulibrous Tincture specify "secondary sex characteristics", which would refer to breasts, facial hair, Adam's apple, and general body type/shape. So it's not a girdle of gender switching which also changes out primary sexual characteristics, it's more of an appearance adjuster.
Secret Wizard |
Sayt wrote:Honestly, I think Aldori Artistry might be the most disappointming rules element in the book, and definately in that chapter.Aldori Artistry honestly seems like a good contender for a "worst feats" list. Not Monkey Lunge level of course, but it's on the same tier.
Although Aldori Style bums me out too. It feels like a way more expensive and weaker version of Crane Style or Swordplay Style.
Actually, the whole Aldori section feels kind of phoned-in. The Aldori Swordlord prestige class doesn't really have anything going for it apart from a boost to Intimidate checks and duels (and is probably worse at dueling than the generic Duelist prestige class), the Aldori Defender is a reprint, the Rostland Bravo is just a Swashbuckler that uses a dueling sword, the feats are all mostly underwhelming and very expensive (or reprints), and then there's Aldori Artistry.
there's the one free sneak attack feat though. Pretty great for that Aldori Vigilante archetype if you go Avenger.
Alchemaic |
Alchemaic wrote:there's the one free sneak attack feat though. Pretty great for that Aldori Vigilante archetype if you go Avenger.Sayt wrote:Honestly, I think Aldori Artistry might be the most disappointming rules element in the book, and definately in that chapter.Aldori Artistry honestly seems like a good contender for a "worst feats" list. Not Monkey Lunge level of course, but it's on the same tier.
Although Aldori Style bums me out too. It feels like a way more expensive and weaker version of Crane Style or Swordplay Style.
Actually, the whole Aldori section feels kind of phoned-in. The Aldori Swordlord prestige class doesn't really have anything going for it apart from a boost to Intimidate checks and duels (and is probably worse at dueling than the generic Duelist prestige class), the Aldori Defender is a reprint, the Rostland Bravo is just a Swashbuckler that uses a dueling sword, the feats are all mostly underwhelming and very expensive (or reprints), and then there's Aldori Artistry.
That's still kind of an "ehh" to me, since it's 1/round and only against a feint target that you specifically feinted against using a melee attack with a dueling sword. So it's really only worth it if you can get a feint as a swift action, because otherwise you'd probably deal more damage just by making a full attack, or using Vital Strike (without needing to use specifically an Aldori dueling sword).
Come to think of it, I don't even think that's a thing in the rules. And the wording on the feat is "when you hit a foe you have successfully feinted against via a melee attack using an Aldori dueling sword, you deal an extra 2d6 points of precision damage", which is pretty clearly "you feint through a melee attack". I have to assume that the writer meant "with" instead of "via", because the current text implies that you can only use the feat if you can feint through a melee attack, which I'm not even sure if that's a thing right now.
Someone should probably fix that.
Rysky |
Secret Wizard wrote:Alchemaic wrote:there's the one free sneak attack feat though. Pretty great for that Aldori Vigilante archetype if you go Avenger.Sayt wrote:Honestly, I think Aldori Artistry might be the most disappointming rules element in the book, and definately in that chapter.Aldori Artistry honestly seems like a good contender for a "worst feats" list. Not Monkey Lunge level of course, but it's on the same tier.
Although Aldori Style bums me out too. It feels like a way more expensive and weaker version of Crane Style or Swordplay Style.
Actually, the whole Aldori section feels kind of phoned-in. The Aldori Swordlord prestige class doesn't really have anything going for it apart from a boost to Intimidate checks and duels (and is probably worse at dueling than the generic Duelist prestige class), the Aldori Defender is a reprint, the Rostland Bravo is just a Swashbuckler that uses a dueling sword, the feats are all mostly underwhelming and very expensive (or reprints), and then there's Aldori Artistry.
That's still kind of an "ehh" to me, since it's 1/round and only against a feint target that you specifically feinted against using a melee attack with a dueling sword. So it's really only worth it if you can get a feint as a swift action, because otherwise you'd probably deal more damage just by making a full attack, or using Vital Strike (without needing to use specifically an Aldori dueling sword).
Come to think of it, I don't even think that's a thing in the rules. And the wording on the feat is "when you hit a foe you have successfully feinted against via a melee attack using an Aldori dueling sword, you deal an extra 2d6 points of precision damage", which is pretty clearly "you feint through a melee attack". I have to assume that the writer meant "with" instead of "via", because the current text implies that you can only use the feat if you can feint through a melee attack, which I'm not even sure if that's a thing right now....
Most of the Aldori stuff in the section allows faster feinting, so it pairs with that. But to your via vs with, um, can you explain? I don't quite understand, sorry.
shaventalz |
Alchemaic wrote:Most of the Aldori stuff in the section allows faster feinting, so it pairs with that. But to your via vs with, um, can you explain? I don't quite understand, sorry.
That's still kind of an "ehh" to me, since it's 1/round and only against a feint target that you specifically feinted against using a melee attack with a dueling sword. So it's really only worth it if you can get a feint as a swift action, because otherwise you'd probably deal more damage just by making a full attack, or using Vital Strike (without needing to use specifically an Aldori dueling sword).Come to think of it, I don't even think that's a thing in the rules. And the wording on the feat is "when you hit a foe you have successfully feinted against via a melee attack using an Aldori dueling sword, you deal an extra 2d6 points of precision damage", which is pretty clearly "you feint through a melee attack". I have to assume that the writer meant "with" instead of "via", because the current text implies that you can only use the feat if you can feint through a melee attack, which I'm not even sure if that's a thing right now....
It's a question of what the reader considers a phrase.
Alchemaic reads "hit a foe you (feinted against using a dueling sword), deal extra damage".You're reading it as "hit a foe (you feinted against) using a dueling sword, deal extra damage."
One reading requires the feint to be performed using a dueling sword, while the other simply requires the ATTACK to be performed using a dueling sword.
jedi8187 |
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I've only Skimmed the book. I haven't gone in depth yet, but I enjoy it so far. Not a lot of organizations I'm gung-ho about using, but there are a handful I like. However, many do offer an archetype, PrC, or feats that interest me if were to play in a campaign appropriate for it's use. I've just started getting into Golarion lore, and this book has helped spark my interest in a few parts of it.
Dark Midian |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Anyone think they could clarify a small section on Riventhun for me?
That alchemical mixture that's used (forgets the name), is that like a girdle of gender switching or merely something else? Like does it actually help the character change gender, or just look more like that gender?
It's literally the alchemical, Golarion equivalent of hormone replacement therapy.
FallenDabus |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have to chime in and say I really like this book! I was a little skeptical at first since I run a game set in my own homebrew world, but I can find plenty of uses for just about everything in there, regardless of it being Golarian specific.
I really like the appendices in the back with alternate "world neutral" names. That's a particularly nice touch!
Good job once again Paizo!
Agreed. I primarily run Eberron and a homebrewed version of Planescape, and I have found plenty of rules and lore that can be easily ported over to my games.
Thomas Seitz |
Thomas Seitz wrote:It's literally the alchemical, Golarion equivalent of hormone replacement therapy.Anyone think they could clarify a small section on Riventhun for me?
That alchemical mixture that's used (forgets the name), is that like a girdle of gender switching or merely something else? Like does it actually help the character change gender, or just look more like that gender?
Thank you Dark.
Isabelle Lee |
4 people marked this as a favorite. |
At the PaizoCon panel, it was hinted that more books like this (covering more organizations) could be a possibility in the future. So if you liked or disliked this book, if you wanted more flavor or more focus on world-neutral content, or if there's any other feedback you have on your mind... remember to write a review! ^_^
Fourshadow |
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I really like the newly enlightened Lantern Bearers...pun intended. The inclusion of other races than just elves, the cleric archetype and the influence of the Dawnflower. It makes sense. That section of the book was definitely needed to update this organization/faction in Golarion.
The Eagle Knights may be largely reprints, but not all. That Paladin archetype may be my fave for that class. Anything that updates this organization and gives a bit more than we have had on the Twilight Talons is welcome.
Nice to see the Council of Thieves as an opponent to Thrune. Really enjoyed what was offered in that section as well.
The Al-Zabriti are fantastic--I do own Qadira, Jewel of the East (and highly recommend it) from CS--so was surprised that such a newly revealed group was in here, but thoroughly enjoyed it. The spells are especially fun (Sun's Disdain? Nifty!)
Silver Ravens, Pathfinders....
Who am I kidding? I loved the book over all. Sure, there were some focused on that I just glanced at due to lack of interest, but a fun book that I am happy to have purchased.
CorvusMask |
So umm, I like the book. It gives me hope that maybe there will be more material that explains what happens to stuff after APs. I've been actually wanting that for long time. Like, just an example, now that mythic rules are a thing, it would be nice if there was book on Gallowspire as original Dungeons of Golarion article is super vague on cr 20+ levels so using it to continue running Carrion Crown would be bit hard.... And also because creating 20+ statblocks is hard work.
Anyway, I do have to say that I did love Villain Codex, so if rpg line goes back to setting generic stuff, I hope they have a lot of stuff like Villain Codex which helps with building your own campaign setting from implicated stuff and inspiration :D