Dreamscarred Press introduces the Path of War


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The slimes didn't die when thrown right? Because I wanna keep my adorable pet slime.


+1 for pet slime love


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Insain Dragoon wrote:
The slimes didn't die when thrown right? Because I wanna keep my adorable pet slime.

Endeca's gregarious gravity slime has an HP pool, and each use consumes a certain amount of that HP. If you leave your slime alive, it heals back up, ready to adventure with you further.


Prince of Knives wrote:
Insain Dragoon wrote:
The slimes didn't die when thrown right? Because I wanna keep my adorable pet slime.
Endeca's gregarious gravity slime has an HP pool, and each use consumes a certain amount of that HP. If you leave your slime alive, it heals back up, ready to adventure with you further.

I almost want to make a joke feat to have a martial maneuver user with a pet slime as an animal companion or a familiar. I think it would be pretty awesome.

-X

Paizo Employee Design Manager

ErrantX wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
Insain Dragoon wrote:
The slimes didn't die when thrown right? Because I wanna keep my adorable pet slime.
Endeca's gregarious gravity slime has an HP pool, and each use consumes a certain amount of that HP. If you leave your slime alive, it heals back up, ready to adventure with you further.

I almost want to make a joke feat to have a martial maneuver user with a pet slime as an animal companion or a familiar. I think it would be pretty awesome.

-X

Joke feat nothing, write that business up!


Annnd, just got notified the pre-release book is now updated. Time for some proofing.

Congrats.


Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!


Barachiel Shina wrote:

Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!

^_^ The Zealot and Mystic are just about ready for testing, and we welcome any and all feedback. Heck, there's still time for Harbinger edits, with how busy Jeremy has been.


Prince of Knives wrote:
Barachiel Shina wrote:

Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!

^_^ The Zealot and Mystic are just about ready for testing, and we welcome any and all feedback. Heck, there's still time for Harbinger edits, with how busy Jeremy has been.

Well then, I got some questions for you. I remember reading a while back that there would be twin Harbinger iconics. Do you want to elaborate more? This sounds really cool, especially to an actual twin.

Also, do you wanna spoil what races the iconic Zealot and Mystic are?


Okay, looks like I'm not going to have an insignificant number of recommended edits. That's NOT to say this is shoddy or in any way discourage folks from picking it up. I'm turning into a bit of a picky crossed-t and dotted-i kind of guy when it comes to DSP's releases.

So. Chris.

Options include:
Anguish, don't bother.
Anguish, start a thread on DSP's forum and post 'em as you find 'em.
Anguish, collect the edits in a document and give it to me chapter by chapter.

I am yours to command. Sort of. I will be going as fast as I can but I do have a massive server install this weekend.


Anguish wrote:

Okay, looks like I'm not going to have an insignificant number of recommended edits. That's NOT to say this is shoddy or in any way discourage folks from picking it up. I'm turning into a bit of a picky crossed-t and dotted-i kind of guy when it comes to DSP's releases.

So. Chris.

Options include:
Anguish, don't bother.
Anguish, start a thread on DSP's forum and post 'em as you find 'em.
Anguish, collect the edits in a document and give it to me chapter by chapter.

I am yours to command. Sort of. I will be going as fast as I can but I do have a massive server install this weekend.

Dude, where were you months ago then? :P

If anything, I'd like the third option if you're offering, and I'll run things by you for PoW2. I need a good editor. I have a bad habit of my mind racing faster than my fingers do when I start writing and get into it. I'm sort of a "don't get it right, get it written" kind.

-X

Publisher, Dreamscarred Press

Feel free to include me on those edits, since I have the actual final format. :)


Adam B. 135 wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
Barachiel Shina wrote:

Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!

^_^ The Zealot and Mystic are just about ready for testing, and we welcome any and all feedback. Heck, there's still time for Harbinger edits, with how busy Jeremy has been.

Well then, I got some questions for you. I remember reading a while back that there would be twin Harbinger iconics. Do you want to elaborate more? This sounds really cool, especially to an actual twin.

Also, do you wanna spoil what races the iconic Zealot and Mystic are?

I cannot speak on the Zealot and Mystic iconics, and will leave those for their creators. As for the others:

Kestrel of Asheholm & the Scarlet Princess

Spoiler:
Kestrel and Jewel - surnames unknown - never really had the chance at a happy life. Their parents were visiting the island city-state of Asheholm on business when the girls were only twelve years old when both adults were brutally slain, victims of the endemic urban violence that marks the city. Kestrel and her sister were placed in the care of an orphanage, where both young elves would spend nearly a century of their lives.

Asheholm had no native population of elves and rests nowhere near elven lands. As a result, no one really knew how to handle the development of the two orphans. Finally, some legal official or another decreed that they would stay in the custody of the orphanage until they physically resembled human adults. The moment they could begin sneaking out of orphanage, they did - inevitably to be caught and returned. Both girls suffered merciless teasing about their heritage and slow development, and grew up resenting their parents for trapping them on the island, and eventually started deliberately dressing in ways meant to conceal their elven blood. It was too little, too late - their names and faces were known.

As teens, Kestrel and Jewel fell in with gangs who accepted them for their unquenchable anger and, eventually, supernatural acumen. They returned to the orphanage each night, flush with stolen goods and the thrill of adrenaline, and dreamed about the day they would leave for elven lands and be among their own people.

The journey destroyed their spirits.

The twins were rejected after less than a year. They were too loud, too fast, too boorish and, ultimately, too human to find acceptance. Kestrel's heart was crushed; Jewel's, incensed. Kestrel elected to journey back to Asheholm, the only home she ever knew. Jewel refused, and the two parted with angry words and have not seen each other since.

Kestrel of Asheholm (CG Female Elf Harbinger) returned to a city that had long since surrendered to corruption and nursed her sorrow, drinking her days away in a dive where the owner once ran in her gang. She wasted nearly two years away like that, until a little boy, maybe six years old, came running into the bar for help, pleading for someone, anyone, to help his mother. To this day, Kestrel isn't sure what made her get up, drunk out of her mind, and drag her battered greatsword out into the street. What she remembers is waking up in the bar with the boy's grateful family around her, and the sudden, crystal-clear realization that she couldn't keep living this way.

It took her more than a year to get sober, with the help of her friends. During that time, and to this day, Kestrel has dedicated herself to improving conditions in Asheholm. Personally, and through monetary means, Kestrel has campaigned for public schooling, safer streets, access to medical care and healing magic, and more to improve life for the downtrodden. When she is in need of large amounts of cash very quickly, she signs on with an adventuring company; each time, she returns with funding and, often, support from grateful people she has helped along the way.

Ultimately, Kestrel is a fundamentally unhappy person who chooses to hide from her sorrow by helping others. It's a sort-of solution, and she is slowly learning to confront her feelings instead of hide from them. Some days she just vanishes, and not even her closest friends can find her. She always comes back, though.

Kestrel lacks faith in the law and in governments as a concept, having been exposed to how corrupt they can become. She dedicates herself to helping others and is acutely aware of how circumstances and injustice can drive otherwise good people into the evil of her youth - the same evil that grips Asheholm to this day. She values patience, mercy, and independence, and crusades to improve the lives of others. She is chaotic good.

Jewel, the Scarlet Princess (CE Female Elf Crimson Countess), moved to a coastal city to the south of Asheholm and immediately made a name for herself in the underworld by taking over a prominent gang. Having assassinated or butchered more than half its membership in the doing, she began aggressive recruitment and expansion efforts that sparked an underworld war, which in turn caught the attention of the city watch. Jewel was having none of that; though she and her gang - renamed the Rabble - did not kill a single watchman, the force was depleted through a campaign of terror and blackmail that left private citizens unwilling to join or even be seen supporting the law.

At the height of the chaos, Jewel began calling herself the Scarlet Princess. The name stuck, and to this day she is given a respectful 'Your highness' and a bow by those she passes in the streets.

Jewel tells herself that she is perfectly happy with the chaos she's created. From her home in an inn (acquired through a too-successful protection racket), she directs her soldiers to acquire more territory and keep the civilians under her care safe. The Rabble accept all comers who are willing to obey Jewel's orders, but her policy is clear - the innocent are not to be involved. Indeed, within the Scarlet Princess's "kingdom", quality of life has gone up - Rabble healers see to their diseases and wounds, food is plentiful - and purchased from afar when it isn't - and their lives are relatively safe. Many of those in Jewel's care consider her a hero, and the extreme methods she inflicts on her enemies to be vital in their own safety. Outsiders are often surprised to learn that the civilians in the Rabble's care are quite willing to risk their lives defending the gang that rules them.

Jewel, for her part, got angry a long time ago and never learned how to stop. Her mood swings are legendary, and though she's never hurt one of her subordinates, those taken prisoner by her are often the brunt of her sudden plunges into homicidal rage, and just about every object within the inn she calls home has been replaced multiple times when she's taken out her temper on everything from chairs to vintage bottles of wine. She still hides her elven features, and the last person to accuse her of less than human heritage was tortured for two days and hung, flayed, in the town square for others to see. No one has commented on Jewel's race since.

Jewel is currently involved in an awkward and sometimes emotionally painful romance with a young human paladin by the name of Anastasia, whom Jewel loves fiercely but does not understand. The human's kindnesses and soft appeals to Jewel's better nature are sometimes too much for her, and the Scarlet Princess has been known to vanish from her home for months at a time, leaving her Rabble in Ana's care (an arrangement they tentatively accept because Jewel has never spoken out against it) and coming back with fresh scars and wealth for her wards.

Though Jewel is possessed of altruistic urges and, ultimately, goals, her methods are needlessly cruel and she gleefully indulges in vice. Jewel kills casually, in both hot and cold blood, and orders her subordinates to do the same. She accepts no law and no obligations other than the ones she decrees or demands. She is chaotic evil.


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ErrantX wrote:

Dude, where were you months ago then? :P

If anything, I'd like the third option if you're offering, and I'll run things by you for PoW2. I need a good editor. I have a bad habit of my mind racing faster than my fingers do when I start writing and get into it. I'm sort of a "don't get it right, get it written" kind.

-X

Rule #1; don't try to edit text that is being actively rewritten and developed. Unless you're paid hourly. And are medicated. Or masochistic. <Grin>

I absolutely see what's happening here and it's really not bad or unusual. Mostly it's a matter of being too close to the manuscript so when you proof yourself, you read what you meant, not what you wrote. There's nothing horrendous so far.

I'll stop cluttering this thread and update you and Jeremy via PM as I hit milestones. Note: I'm not professional editor; I'm just a guy who has an intimate relationship with the English language.

Publisher, Dreamscarred Press

2 people marked this as a favorite.

So you like to dangle your participle while mixing your metaphors?


Prince of Knives wrote:
Adam B. 135 wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
Barachiel Shina wrote:

Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!

^_^ The Zealot and Mystic are just about ready for testing, and we welcome any and all feedback. Heck, there's still time for Harbinger edits, with how busy Jeremy has been.

Well then, I got some questions for you. I remember reading a while back that there would be twin Harbinger iconics. Do you want to elaborate more? This sounds really cool, especially to an actual twin.

Also, do you wanna spoil what races the iconic Zealot and Mystic are?

I cannot speak on the Zealot and Mystic iconics, and will leave those for their creators. As for the others:

Kestrel of Asheholm & the Scarlet Princess
** spoiler omitted **...

Thank you so much for posting this! That was an excellent read. Where does your fluff get compiled anyway? I have been a fan for a while.


Adam B. 135 wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
Adam B. 135 wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
Barachiel Shina wrote:

Been waiting a long time for this book. Heck it's been since...October huh? And a PoW2 is on the way? Sweet work guys! You will always have my support!

EDIT: Ok, since August. A whole year almost. Wow!

^_^ The Zealot and Mystic are just about ready for testing, and we welcome any and all feedback. Heck, there's still time for Harbinger edits, with how busy Jeremy has been.

Well then, I got some questions for you. I remember reading a while back that there would be twin Harbinger iconics. Do you want to elaborate more? This sounds really cool, especially to an actual twin.

Also, do you wanna spoil what races the iconic Zealot and Mystic are?

I cannot speak on the Zealot and Mystic iconics, and will leave those for their creators. As for the others:

Kestrel of Asheholm & the Scarlet Princess
** spoiler omitted **...

Thank you so much for posting this! That was an excellent read. Where does your fluff get compiled anyway? I have been a fan for a while.

[Blushes shyly]

Ah...I'ma have to get back to you on that one. I know that the bossman has wanted some of the fluff passages in the book, and several of the planned NPCs - but especially some of the heads of the various Martial Traditions - have fluff included to explain both their origins and motivations. The fluff stuff in general, like Debt, Retribution, that sort of thing? Not as sure.

The final fluff writeups for those two may look slightly different, as instead of getting one unified entry they'll each have separate ones (for all future reference, Kestrel is the 'official' Harbinger iconic, with Jewel being a more standard NPC. No word on if I can fit in Dimitri or not...) that emphasize more about them as individuals.

If I may ask, since I kind of had a couple of Goals, Capital G For Importance, with Jewel - what was your overall impression of her? If she was pitched as a player character, would you permit it?


Jewel feels much, much more LE than CE to me. Between basically running a city, taking care of the people around her, and her goal of building a better world, she feels very lawful to me. Just her own laws. Surprised Ana hasn't detected her.

As for the second question, f*** yes. With the understanding that she wouldn't be able to draw upon the Rabble in most play (a quest to regain control after an unfortunate accident takes out/neutralizes Ana might allow her to use those resources).

Dark Archive

Since I'm going to play a neutral evil character next, I've been doing a lot of thinking about it and talking about it. There's a lot of story telling opportunity there but you have two main challenges:

1. Figuring out why she's helping out the good guys.

2. Figuring out how to let the evil flag fly without enraging the good guys in the party.

Options:

1. Hidden goal is an easy one for this. Make sure the GM knows the goal and bit by bit perhaps make it clear that you have an ulterior motive and what it is to the other players. You can also have a personal relationship or professional debt to one of the other characters. You could also be under some kind of domination. Subservient roles can be fun.

2. This one can be more challenging. You could try to present reasonable arguments for why a situation can't be resolved except by evil means but that's not really chaotic. In the subservient, under the control of someone bit you can look for weaselly ways to do evil while following commands. Work with the other player to ensure that he leaves some room. It'll be fun roleplay for sure.


My iron rule as a DM is that all PCs need a reason to be team players. My soft rule is that NE and CE are off-limits without good reason, just because of what you need to do to get them to work (LE has better reasons to work in a group). For Jewel, I think that Ana is a wonderous source of plot hooks and motivations. Or maybe she's searching for something to change her race.


GhanjRho wrote:

Jewel feels much, much more LE than CE to me. Between basically running a city, taking care of the people around her, and her goal of building a better world, she feels very lawful to me. Just her own laws. Surprised Ana hasn't detected her.

As for the second question, f*** yes. With the understanding that she wouldn't be able to draw upon the Rabble in most play (a quest to regain control after an unfortunate accident takes out/neutralizes Ana might allow her to use those resources).

The thing is, LE would imply some kind of responsibility or respect for the law, some feeling of duty or obligation. Jewel rejects that idea entirely; she does what she wants because she wants to do it, and defies those who attempt to constrain her actions. It's notable that she gives the same back; her common response to people asking permission to do something is, "Whatever, I'm not the boss of you."

Going beyond that, Jewel's method of 'governance' is very Chaotic. She maintains absolute power that she does almost nothing with. As long as her whims, desires, & vices are satisfied she's more than happy to let her subordinates and wards do whatever they like. She rejects gratitude for her altruistic actions ("I don't wanna live in a g+~@#$n dump,") and abandons her 'duties' essentially at will, leaving Ana holding the ball. In a lot of ways, Jewel is insecure about her freedom and feels the need to flaunt it to prove, sometimes just to herself, that she has it in the first place.

As to Ana, she's quite aware of Jewel's alignment. The two met when Ana was trying to kill Jewel. One of these days soon I'm going to release a series of short vignettes detailing Jewel's city, their budding romance, and the Rabble.


Would I allow Jewel as a PC? Yes, but the player and I would have to work together a little bit on it. If it was a short campaign, then no problem because a short campaign easily fits into the "a few month" window that she will disappear into. A long campaign like Kingmaker though? Probably won't work with her background.

Her alignment of CE would put a lot of people on edge at first, but if they actually read her background they'd find that for a CE character, she keeps it basically to herself. Definitely evil, but not the kind of person to go out to do evil for the sake of evil. Feels like her alignment is caused by her actions, instead of her alignment causing her actions if you know what I mean.

Obviously trying to make fun of her (Calling her a knife-ears?) would be a terrible idea, but a lot of neutral characters could react harshly to unkind words as well.

So yeah, she would be welcome at my table as long as she has a place in the campaign, just like any other character.


Ok that describes NE perfectly actually at my table.

At my table we determine both sides of the axis separately then combine them.

Lawful-Neutral-Chaotic Axis
-Do you work on a set of rules? Lawful
-Do you just not care? Neutral
-Do you work against rules? Chaotic

Good-Neutral-Evil Axis
-Do you try to help people more than you hurt people? Good
-Do you do a mix of good and evil deeds without dipping too far into either side? Neutral
-When given the option do you do the easy route even if it harms others? Are you willing to Jump someone at the bargaining table? When someone needs to be subdued will you use lethal or non-lethal methods? Evil

According to Paizo the Core virtues of

prd wrote:

NE

Core Concepts: Desire, immorality, need, selfishness, sin, vice, viciousness, vileness, wickedness

Motivated by his own needs and wants, a neutral evil character is without conscience, acting only for self-gratification. He might surround himself with the trappings of cults and evil, but does so purely because it brings him closer to sin and wickedness. While a lawful evil person is inclined to bargain and a chaotic evil one to lash out, a neutral evil person is inclined only to look out for himself. In many ways, he epitomizes evil, since he has no clear loyalty to anything except absolute self-interest.

CE

Core Concepts: Anarchy, anger, amorality, brutality, chaos, degeneracy, freedom, profaneness, violence

A chaotic evil character is driven entirely by her own anger and needs. She is thoughtless in her actions and acts on whims, regardless of the suffering it causes others.

In many ways, a chaotic evil character is pinned down by her inherent nature to be unpredictable. She is like a spreading fire, a coming storm, an untested sword blade. An extreme chaotic evil character tends to find similarly minded individuals to be with—not out of any need for company, but because there is a familiarity in this chaos, and she relishes the opportunity to be true to her nature with others who share that delight.


Adam B. 135 wrote:

Her alignment of CE would put a lot of people on edge at first, but if they actually read her background they'd find that for a CE character, she keeps it basically to herself. Definitely evil, but not the kind of person to go out to do evil for the sake of evil. Feels like her alignment is caused by her actions, instead of her alignment causing her actions if you know what I mean.

So yeah, she would be welcome at my table as long as she has a place in the campaign, just like any other character.

Emphasis mine.

I'd like to take a moment to do my 'mission accomplished' dance. The thing that's frustrated me for awhile since coming here is this perception that NE or CE characters must be these cardboard cutouts unsuitable for use as player characters. That frustration was part of Jewel's inspiration, and one of my goals for her was to demonstrate how you can create a party-friendly CE character. Jewel is chaotic and she is evil; she can be cruel, spiteful, hurtful, and murderous. She values her freedom above all other concerns and destroys things out of stubborn fury when people try to constrain her actions or tell her what to do. But she works with a group, with a team. She plans ahead, and she's just not interested in evil for its own sake. Evil ditched her like everyone else did. Why should Jewel care?

The definitions of NE and CE presented by Dragoon, above, are extremes that don't paint the full picture of those alignments. I know I won't change the culture in PF around E-alignments any time soon (or probably at all) but I do feel happy to note that I was able to get my point across.

Plus I just like Jewel, she's fun to write.


Prince of Knives wrote:

I'd like to take a moment to do my 'mission accomplished' dance. The thing that's frustrated me for awhile since coming here is this perception that NE or CE characters must be these cardboard cutouts unsuitable for use as player characters. That frustration was part of Jewel's inspiration, and one of my goals for her was to demonstrate how you can create a party-friendly CE character. Jewel is chaotic and she is evil; she can be cruel, spiteful, hurtful, and murderous. She values her freedom above all other concerns and destroys things out of stubborn fury when people try to constrain her actions or tell her what to do. But she works with a group, with a team. She plans ahead, and she's just not interested in evil for its own sake. Evil ditched her like everyone else did. Why should Jewel care?

The definitions of NE and CE presented by Dragoon, above, are extremes that don't paint the full picture of those alignments. I know I won't change the culture in PF around E-alignments any time soon (or probably at all) but I do feel happy to note that I was able to get my point across.

Plus I just like Jewel, she's fun to write.

Awesome, so my post was eaten by the forums, I'll give a shorter version:

This is the kind of CE character that I would completely allow at my table as GM. Jewel's an interesting character and I like that she's not all "BURN BURN BURN!" Which is what Chaotic Evil normally gets characterized as, which fits more with certain demons than with a mortal who's not chained to their alignment. I'd like to hear more about Jewel, Ana, and the Rabble. Perhaps you can sneak them in during chapter break fiction pieces like Paizo does with the main hardcovers or the little blurbs in APs.


I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and guess that you were a fan of Eberron, ErrantX. That's pretty much how it work in that campaign setting; one of the major NPCs plans to restart a war that ravages the continent with the goal of unifying it under her rule. Her alignment? Neutral Good. Why? Because she runs a benevolent empire and believes that she's the best choice to improve the loves of everyone.


GhanjRho wrote:
I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and guess that you were a fan of Eberron, ErrantX. That's pretty much how it work in that campaign setting; one of the major NPCs plans to restart a war that ravages the continent with the goal of unifying it under her rule. Her alignment? Neutral Good. Why? Because she runs a benevolent empire and believes that she's the best choice to improve the loves of everyone.

Was...this directed at me? 'Cause I'm Prince of Knives, and Errant hasn't said anything this could relate to...


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Prince of Knives wrote:
...Errant hasn't said anything this could relate to...

Maybe its ErrantX's day to be blamed for everything? It is the 18th, and I think might be his day. Or is it because its Friday?

I gotta check my calender, cuz if it is his day, I have to change the address on this nasty letter I sent concerning taxes...


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Well, presuming that it was directed at me - I liked the idea of Eberron, but I was strapped for cash when it came out and as a result never got any of the books and never played any campaigns there. To this day I've yet to read any Eberron content and my knowledge of the setting is second-hand, mostly as a result of my refusal to pirate the work.

However, I have, and do, explore(d) the depths of various alignments. Good-aligned antagonists can be part of it, but what about the shifting emphasis on contradictory demands in Good? Do I dispense justice or mercy? If I abdicate my right to vengeance, is it still okay to deny that right to others wronged by this person?

In the case of evil alignments, I see this trend of thinking that anything evil-aligned that isn't LE has to be two-dimensional, which is sort of a side effect of this carryover from 2e on forward that Law is Good and Good is Lawful. For some reason L alignments, maybe because we're societal beings, are automatically seen as more rational, more reasonable, and more competent by virtue of their alignment alone. But there's absolutely no reason that has to be true, and I like breaking those cultural modes to demonstrate characters in NE and CE that are PEOPLE, not archetypes.


GhanjRho wrote:
I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and guess that you were a fan of Eberron, ErrantX. That's pretty much how it work in that campaign setting; one of the major NPCs plans to restart a war that ravages the continent with the goal of unifying it under her rule. Her alignment? Neutral Good. Why? Because she runs a benevolent empire and believes that she's the best choice to improve the loves of everyone.
Gator the Unread wrote:
Prince of Knives wrote:
...Errant hasn't said anything this could relate to...

Maybe its ErrantX's day to be blamed for everything? It is the 18th, and I think might be his day. Or is it because its Friday?

I gotta check my calender, cuz if it is his day, I have to change the address on this nasty letter I sent concerning taxes...

Nope, yesterday wasn't it. Today is though! Pile it on! :D

Also, yes, I am a fan of Eberron. And yes, that sounds like something I'd do.

-X


So I went over to the Path of War area and I'm confused at what to buy. Do I buy the Work In Progress or the three class books that are there?


*headdesk* Yes, that was aimed at you, Prince. Blame my phone. And for the record, the PDF of the Eberron core is $15 on DnDClassics. As for alignment, I would certainly be interested in more E-aligned iconics. I think that by this point it's become a self-maintaining loop; one-dimensional Evil NPCs lead to the impression that Evil is one-dimensional, which discourages nuanced Evil NPCs from being written. And what nuanced Evil portrayals exist trend sharply towards the Lawful end, if for no other reason than it's easier, due to the interplay between Lawful(which as you've said, has connotations of being better, if not more Good) and Evil.
Consider the Golarion deities; Asmodeus has more depth and interest than Lamashtu and Rovagug put together.

On a different note entirely, just downloaded the updated WIP. On the whole, I love the changes. Spotted some issues, though. Should I post as I find them? Collect them in one doc? Post them on a particular forum(I'm on here, the Playground and DSP's home board)? Shoot you an email?


Odraude wrote:
So I went over to the Path of War area and I'm confused at what to buy. Do I buy the Work In Progress or the three class books that are there?

Work in Progress. Included within are the three class books and an additional content book containing archetypes and prestige classes. Oh, and the penultimate draft of the full book, which renders the first four obsolete.


The subscription is what you want.


GhanjRho wrote:
Odraude wrote:
So I went over to the Path of War area and I'm confused at what to buy. Do I buy the Work In Progress or the three class books that are there?
Work in Progress. Included within are the three class books and an additional content book containing archetypes and prestige classes. Oh, and the penultimate draft of the full book, which renders the first four obsolete.

Alright cool. Second question. I was reading Endzeitgeist's review about the Warder and its Aggro mechanics. I am vehemently against active aggro mechanics that you see in video games. Antagonize is a good example of what I dislike and is banned without question at my table. However, I do like passive aggro mechanics. For example, I did enjoy 4th Edition's Fighter Marks. I felt that was a good example.

Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?


Odraude wrote:
Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?

They play more like the Fighter Marks: "You can choose not to hit me, you'll just purposefully be making a sub-optimal choice to do so."


Cavian wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?
They play more like the Fighter Marks: "You can choose not to hit me, you'll just purposefully be making a sub-optimal choice to do so."

Alright cool. Is the playtest still going on or am I too late for that?

Probably will buy this, but I'll have to wait until after my move next month.


Odraude wrote:
Cavian wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?
They play more like the Fighter Marks: "You can choose not to hit me, you'll just purposefully be making a sub-optimal choice to do so."

Alright cool. Is the playtest still going on or am I too late for that?

Probably will buy this, but I'll have to wait until after my move next month.

It's technically still in playtest, but it is going to be released soon so it is too late to make significant changes. If you are waiting until after you move next month you could probably just get the final release.


137ben wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Cavian wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?
They play more like the Fighter Marks: "You can choose not to hit me, you'll just purposefully be making a sub-optimal choice to do so."

Alright cool. Is the playtest still going on or am I too late for that?

Probably will buy this, but I'll have to wait until after my move next month.

It's technically still in playtest, but it is going to be released soon so it is too late to make significant changes. If you are waiting until after you move next month you could probably just get the final release.

Probably for the best. Between Iron Gods, the Technology Guide, The Advanced Class Guide, and now this, my wallet will be hurt.

Still need to get Ultimate Psionics.


Odraude wrote:
137ben wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Cavian wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Are the Warder's abilities like Antagonize or like the 4ed Fighter Marks? Or something in between?
They play more like the Fighter Marks: "You can choose not to hit me, you'll just purposefully be making a sub-optimal choice to do so."

Alright cool. Is the playtest still going on or am I too late for that?

Probably will buy this, but I'll have to wait until after my move next month.

It's technically still in playtest, but it is going to be released soon so it is too late to make significant changes. If you are waiting until after you move next month you could probably just get the final release.

Probably for the best. Between Iron Gods, the Technology Guide, The Advanced Class Guide, and now this, my wallet will be hurt.

Still need to get Ultimate Psionics.

If you're unsure about Psionics check out the stuff on d20pfsrd. It's far from everything in Ult Psionics, but you will get a chance to see the mechanics.

Psionics from the site


Hey, heads up; the Systems and Use chapter has writeups for all of the disciplines other than Iron Tortoise. It should be between the text for Golden Lion and Primal Fury, but it isn't. So unless someone has the other PDFs from a subscription, they can't tell what Iron Tortoise's associated weapons and skill are.

Publisher, Dreamscarred Press

Thanks! I'll get it fixed for the final release.


What I've caught so far:

p.69, the Lord of the Pridelands long description doesn't include the type of maneuver. If it's still a boost, like it was in the Warlord release, then why is it a standard action? The initiator would only be able t ogain the benefit himself on AoOs.

The Dragon Fury has a text/table discrepancy. The table lists new stances gained at 3rd and 8th, while the text only lists one gained at 3rd.

Layout error, the table of maneuvers and spells known for the Mage Hunter class is in the middle of the Dragon Fury writeup, and unlabeled.

More as I see them.


GhanjRho wrote:

What I've caught so far:

p.69, the Lord of the Pridelands long description doesn't include the type of maneuver. If it's still a boost, like it was in the Warlord release, then why is it a standard action? The initiator would only be able t ogain the benefit himself on AoOs.

The Dragon Fury has a text/table discrepancy. The table lists new stances gained at 3rd and 8th, while the text only lists one gained at 3rd.

Layout error, the table of maneuvers and spells known for the Mage Hunter class is in the middle of the Dragon Fury writeup, and unlabeled.

More as I see them.

That's because Lord of the Pridelands is a non-standard maneuver; it doesn't fit under standard classifications. There are a few of those. It's not a bug, it's a feature. You're a commander, command. Boost your buddies and laugh at the carnage or have some other way to get that extra standard action in.

The Dragon Fury mention was missed, thank you for that catch, and thanks again for the layout. I'll mention this to Jeremy.

-X

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

The last page of the feats chapter has a lot of reprinted text. Everything after the Weapon Group Adaptability feat seems to be reprinted from the prvious page.

Publisher, Dreamscarred Press

That's my oversight from consolidating 4 books of feats into one book. Thanks!


Couple more.

p.96 Description states that Solar Wind maneuvers can only be used with weapons from the bow, crossbow and thrown groups; all other sources add the firearms group

I recall from the playtest that Solar Wind maneuvers specifically were not meant to work with firearms, due to the higher damage level. What changed?

Further, while some of the 1st-level damage-boosting stances now scale, some don't. Pugilist Stance (Broken Blade), Scarlet Einhander (Scarlet Throne), Body of the Night(Steel Serpent), and Outer Sphere Stance (Trashing Dragon) do not scale up with one die/8 IL. Additionally both Snapping Turtle Stance (Iron Tortoise) and Savage Stance (Black Seraph), the short description does not scale, while the long description does.

Dragon Warrior's Talons (Thrashing Dragon); does the listed bleed damage stack with itself?


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GhanjRho wrote:
I recall from the playtest that Solar Wind maneuvers specifically were not meant to work with firearms, due to the higher damage level. What changed?

A change in paradigm, which happened after a ton of internal arguing, a couple of innocent deaths and at least one human sacrifice. Essentially, there wasn't a compelling enough reason to make an entirely new discipline just so guns would work, and there really wasn't enough design space in which to place such a discipline. Like bows, guns lack support for singular, powerful shots - the kind supported by Solar Wind. They have support for booming, cordite-strewn gunfights where the bullets fly and the room gets shredded by the crossfire. They don't really need any more.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

Prince of Knives wrote:
GhanjRho wrote:
I recall from the playtest that Solar Wind maneuvers specifically were not meant to work with firearms, due to the higher damage level. What changed?
A change in paradigm, which happened after a ton of internal arguing, a couple of innocent deaths and at least one human sacrifice. Essentially, there wasn't a compelling enough reason to make an entirely new discipline just so guns would work, and there really wasn't enough design space in which to place such a discipline. Like bows, guns lack support for singular, powerful shots - the kind supported by Solar Wind. They have support for booming, cordite-strewn gunfights where the bullets fly and the room gets shredded by the crossfire. They don't really need any more.

Very much agreed that there isn't really any reason to try and create a special firearm discipline when Solar Wind does just fine all on its own. And realistically, Solar Wind balances firearms far more than it powers them up; pretty much all of the crazy over the top stuff with firearms involves cranking up the number of full attacks you can get and mitigating your misfire rate. Solar Wind returns them to the single shot dynamic that they're best balanced for and the mechanics match the thematics very neatly. This is one of those, whatchya call 'em, good calls. Firearms are a terrible mess of a system, and Chris and Jade are playing it smart by giving them an easy in to the system via Solar Wind and otherwise avoiding trying to wade into that mess. The only 3pp companies that have put out good firearm materials are ones who either tossed out Paizo's system completely, or carefully circumvented it with options that don't rely on the poorly thought out base mechanics. Since Path of War is already introducing a new and reasonably complex subsystem, it wouldn't be wise to try and also change/fix/adjust an existing subsystem simultaneously. This is one where the best thing to do, at least for now, is just open the door, and then walk away.


An Equilibrium Gun kata discipline would've been cool as heck though.

Our closest approximation according to Errant X is using Solar Wind and Broken Blade, though the only class who could pull that off right now is the Stalker.

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