GM Endless Forms' Psychics at Bitter Manor (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

Hello everyone!

I've put this game together so we can all try out and experience the new psychic classes from the Occult Adventures playtest. I've invited six people and my idea was to have everyone play a different class but that's not a hard-and-fast rule. If two people want to play kineticists and no one wants to try spiritualist, that's fine. But I'll let you guys fight over that and decide what you want to do. Character creation rules follow:

Point-Buy: 20 point buy

Races: All CRB races are allowed. All alternate race traits and feats for those races are allowed.

Classes: PSYCHIC CLASSES! You will start at level 5.

Alignments: No evil alignments

Traits: Two traits but they can not be the same type of trait.

Starting Gold: 10,500 gp

Feats: I will be using my modified feat system that has so far been a hit with my Iron Gods players. First of all, some feats will be “always available” as long as you meet the prerequisites. You do not need to take these feats; you gain them for free as long as you meet the prerequisites. Secondly, some feat trees will be collapsed; the one feat that you take will instead get more powerful as you level. In general, this is meant to encourage a greater variety of feats and to encourage the use of more combat maneuvers or abilities like Catch Off-Guard.

Skills: The Kineticist gains 4 + Int modifier skills per level (instead of 2 + Int modifier).

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Ok, I think that's everything. I should be able to start as soon as everyone is ready (although I'll be out of town next Thurs-Sun).

Go!

Checking in! I'm really fond of the Kineticist and occultist, but should be trying them out in other games, so maybe I'll try something else.

Checking in. I'm going to scan over the playtest doc again and pick a class. I'm very interested in seeing these in action, thanks EF!

Checking in! Would like to play an Occultist.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how long the Playtest lasts? Will this campaign be in danger of not completing a section for credit before it ends?

I think the playtest only lasts until the end of November. And since this is a longer module a la Dragon's Demand, we certainly won't even be close to finishing it by then. But since we're using campaign mode it shouldn't matter, we'll all still get credit for it. I would think that since we started it during the playtest you'd all get the extra Occult chronicle as well since you technically played a psychic character during the playtest, even if we don't finish.

Hmm.. I hate to make assumptions. Should we ask one of the Online VCs about credit?

Note: credit or not, it doesn't affect my desire to playtest one here. :)

dot

We'll get XP credit no matter what since you can play this module in campaign mode and making an all-psychic party using the playtest rules is legit (I mean, under campaign mode you could even use the third party psychic classes or anything you want really-I've even see people use other game systems in campaign mode).

I guess the only thing up in the air is whether you'd get that extra chronicle for playing these classes "during the playtest". I'll leave that up to the online VOs to decide if you want to contact them.

I have been thinking of creating a Geokineticist. Ranged Blaster is the idea. Anyone else looking to do the same?

Looking closer at the Occult chronicle, I don't think it's really necessary or worth messing with. You have one sheet for each character and for every game you play with that character during the playtest you get a line signed off by the GM. At most you'd get one line signed off, which gives you the ability to keep playing that character past the playtest deadline. Which, since we're playing this in campaign mode, is worthless.

I'm thinking Medium or Spiritualist.

EF, good points. So... I might have to run another confirmation for the occult. Anyone interested?

Also, has anyone looked into the occult classes enough to know if there is a type that could, I don't know.. kill a yak at 100 yards, with mind bullets?

Dot.

Also, DM R, an Aether kineticist is a pretty good start on building Wonder Boy.

I was thinking spiritualist or psychic.

So far we've got:

Hey Bold, if you aren't completely set on a kineticist, I might have to make a Wonderboy build. Anyone want to be Young Nastyman? Heh.

We can both be kineticists, I think? Are we rolling with four people?

EF was talking about have six of us, one of each class.

Yeah, my original intention was to have one of each class but that was more of a guideline than a rule. If you want to have two kineticists (or six kineticists for that matter), go for it.

I'd like to see all of the new classes in action. I think I can make the Wonderboy idea work with a psychic. Tektite, have you decided yet?

No, I haven't decided. Was waiting to see what Mark was leaning toward. Go for psychic, I can make something else work.

I think, since no one else has mentioned it, that I'm going to try a mesmerist. We'll see how it works.

Hey guys, my laptop battery was out of juice today (somehow, gremlins perhaps?) so I didn't get to check in until now. I don't care what I play so I'll take whatever is left over.

Bold Strider: geokineticist
Rah: psychic (?)
Garringer: medium or spiritualist
Tektite: spiritualist (?)
RyckyRych: leftover (looks like no one is going for occultist at the moment)
Woodford: mesmerist

My Geokineticist idea is roughly realized. He will have DR 4/Adamantine and 23 AC, so he's a pretty good frontliner if we need it and he is competent from the back line as well.

Ta dah! Meet the Ex-Yak Herder from the mountains!

Any thoughts on this Terrakineticist build?

Looks pretty solid. I'm excited to see these characters in action.

Bramnik was saying his playtest at level 7 had his character only landing 4 hits all night, so hopefully he doesn't suffer from accuracy issues since he is using the Earth Blast which targets regular AC, but I'm not sure I can eke out any more Dexterity unless I swap my belt to Dexterity. I hope they make an item that can give you enhancement bonuses to your Kinetic Blasts or push it to Full BAB. (If I end up having bad accuracy. He could have just been rolling poorly.)

I'm having a little trouble making a not-useless-psychic.

Regarding kineticists: Even though you do less damage, it might be better to take the blast options that target touch AC. With a less than optimal base attack, even with precise shot you'll probably have issues at higher levels.

I really just like the idea of the Magma composite blast which is fire/earth and Earth also gets the Rare Metal Infusion, which is helpful for DR. I have been considering the touch AC attacks but I don't really want to be electric/fire/ice.. At least I'm not sure if the concept speaks to me.

My bad, thought that Earth had an acid option. :)

Not yet. :(

EF, can I take the expanded arcana feat for additional known psychics spells?

Sure, I don't see why not. I don't think it specifies arcane or divine as far as I can see.

So, I've been trying to squeeze in some medium time. I guess I feel like I don't get the class maybe? I mean I can spend a lot of feats and spirit selection into making a crappy fighter?

Anyone have any thoughts about what a medium build should be?

Medium looks to be based entirely off of Spirit choice, but they have only released 18 of the 54 planned spirits.

Off the top of my head, maybe goes frontliner with Big Sky (Good Strength) and Cricket (Good Dexterity) or The Desert (Good Constitution).

Seance Boons (Given to everyone in the party with Shared Seance ability): +2 to CMD against grapple attempts, CMB to break grapples, and Strength checks to burst bonds. AND (+2 on saves against entangle, stagger, and paralysis effects./+2 on saving throws against disease, as well as environmental heat and cold effects.)

At 5th level, Big Sky will give you +2 to hit / damage; Ignore 4 DR or Hardness; while Cricket will pump up AC and Reflex Saves by +2 and let you move at 40 ft. round/Ignore difficult terrain. If you go Desert instead, then you will get +2 to Fort Save and +6 HP and the ability to transfer unlimited HP with up to two other people. (Sounds awesome with a healer who has Fey Foundling).

I would go with Cricket or Desert as the primary and Big Sky as the secondary. This will let you use the trance ability to gain the DR puncher, since you won't need it all the time and having the other two abilities permanently sounds better.

Stat Block: Probably a standard frontliner build. Mental stats seem unnecessary as you have a strong Will Save and 4+Int Skills. So, Str -> Con -> Dex -> Wis -> Int -> Cha?
Str: 16; Dex: 14; Con: 14; Int: 10; Wis: 12; Cha: 8 (before racial modifiers)

Race: Human nabs you an extra skill point and a bonus feat with a pump up to 18 Strength, but something like Tengu or Elf or Dwarf can get you some awesome weapon proficiencies. Tengu with a Nodachi or Elf with an Elven Curve Blade would be awesome.

Feats: Off the top of my head, Weapon Focus and Power Attack are going to be the bread and butter for the 3/4ths BAB character. Heavy Armor Proficiency might be nice if you want to 2H tank with Full Plate. Cricket will let you keep 30ft. move speed which is nice. If you go Full Plate, I'd adjust stats so your Dex is at 12 or 14 tops (this is if you choose Tengu or Elf) and make up for the Con drop.

Comparison: Fighter gets less skills and a terrible Will Save. Medium gets a terrible Fort Save. Fighter gets Heavy Armor and Martial Weapon Proficiencies. Medium ends up with a slightly lower effective hit and damage at level 5 if you take a Strength spirit. (The Beating spirit adds even more damage if Primary)

Fighter: Hit=5 (BAB) + 1 (Weapon Training) | Damage= +1 (Strength Spirit) + 2 (Weapon Spec)
Medium: Hit=3 (BAB) + 2 (Strength Sprit) | Damage= +2 (Strength Spirit)

Over time, Medium looks like a Fighter with a lot more versatility and a smaller hit and damage. Does that help?

EDIT: Oh and Medium gives out a small buff to everyone everyday and has bonus abilities like the Big Sky DR Puncher and the Cricket Travel Domain. I think Medium sounds better than Figher :D

Oh and keep in mind this feat which would even the playing field between a melee Medium and Fighter at level 5 (and swing a Medium higher in hit and damage at 8 when the spirit bonus bumps).

Spirit Specialization
Prerequisites: medium level 1st
Benefit: Choose an ability score. Your spirit bonus from spirits of that ability is increased by 1.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time, you must choose a different ability score.

Apply that to a Strength Spirit at level 5 and you got yo'self a stew baby!

Yeah, medium looks pretty cool and versatile but I have one big complaint: 54 planned spirits?! Holy s#*~, that's a lot to take in. They really need to scale that back. I like diversity of choice and lots of options as much as the next guy, but it can already be overwhelming choosing a domain, especially when considering subdomains and the like, and (I don't think) there are even close to as many of those. Talk about rules bloat. . . .

Yeah... 54 spirits is huge...

How is everyone else coming on their characters? You've still got some time but if possible I'd like to start this next week when I get back from Florida Monday night or Tuesday.

Almost ready. Just working on purchases.

Once I know what class I'm taking I'll see if I can figure out something. I haven't even looked for the playtest stuff yet.

Bold Strider: geokineticist
Rah: psychic
Garringer: medium
Tektite: spiritualist (?)
Woodford: mesmerist (?)

This was the lineup as I last understood it unless people have changed their minds since then.

@RyckyRych: Feel free to play whatever you want but if the party wants to stick with the one-of-each-class theme, Occultist is the only one that hasn't been chosen yet. It looks pretty cool-basically a caster that focuses on one school of magic at a time if I recall.

Occultist is pretty cool. It's sort of like a hybrid of Warpriest, Arcanist, and Magus. It begins with only a couple schools of magic which require certain objects to use (called Implements), but they pick up more access to Implements over time. Each Implement you have also grants minor powers a little like domains or bloodlines.

With a d8 Hit Die, a medium progression Base Attack bonus, and access to decent weapons and armor they have the potential to stand in combat, but they have other options, such as healing or utility as well.

If I wasn't a little obsessed with the Psychic Wonderboy, I'd be playing one myself.

Occultist it is! Now to find the playtest stuff...

I had a chance to read over the playtest and think about character design, but as I've mentioned elsewhere I'm being hammered at home and at work. Will try to get more done on it tonight.

One thing--I'm figuring that a mesmerist is going to look a bit like a vanilla bard in terms of stats. I was tentatively going to go something like 10-14-14-13-10-15 starting stat assignment, being human and taking +2 CHA, and taking +1 to CHA at 4th level. Thoughts?

Yeah, that sounds about right. I had the same thought reading mesmerist; it looks like an enchantment-focused bard with a few other abilities to enhance their enchantment spells. Stats seem to be about right.