paizo.com Favorited Posts by Aether Seawolfpaizo.com Favorited Posts by Aether Seawolf2024-01-23T01:36:53Z2024-01-23T01:36:53ZForums: Classes: Animal Companions - Why did we keep 5Es mistake?Aether Seawolfhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2vb29?Animal-Companions-Why-did-we-keep-5Es-mistake#12018-08-09T01:57:04Z2018-08-08T17:07:33Z<p>Animal companion classes - Ranger, Druid, Paladin - face the same problem that killed 5Es beastmaster ranger: action economy. Animal druid kind of gets a break here in that once you hit 4th you don't have to use one of your actions to command one of the moves but essentially the problem boils down to having only 3 actions. Turns in encounter mode end up by rules looking like:</p>
<p>>1st action: handle animal to even be able to command
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>2nd action: Command animal to move
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>3rd action: Command animal to attack/work together/other. </p>
<p>Even without handle animal, players are sinking 2 actions into handling their companion leaving them one to attack themselves, cast, or attack. I got around this by being mounted so my companions movement moves me, but it hits the same action economy point where you are asking players to sacrifice their actions in order for their companions to see action. While the balance of this can be argued, companions and their advancement are core class features on par with any of the others and there should not be action tax to use them. My group is house ruling that there is no handle animal check and that you only need one command per round to move and attack; however this hurts the benefit 4th level druid gets. (Our group has each companion class so its a visible hit to druid). If anyone has feedback on how we can fix this for the system that would be great. I like pet classes and I'd hate for them to become pariah like the did in 5E.</p>Animal companion classes - Ranger, Druid, Paladin - face the same problem that killed 5Es beastmaster ranger: action economy. Animal druid kind of gets a break here in that once you hit 4th you don't have to use one of your actions to command one of the moves but essentially the problem boils down to having only 3 actions. Turns in encounter mode end up by rules looking like:
>1st action: handle animal to even be able to command
>2nd action: Command animal to move
>3rd action: Command animal...Aether Seawolf2018-08-08T17:07:33ZForums: Ancestries & Backgrounds: The Problems with AncestryAether Seawolfhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2vb21?The-Problems-with-Ancestry#12018-09-07T17:17:54Z2018-08-08T16:50:11Z<p>Everyone seems to have some issue with this area of the game, and I wanted to collect all the ones I've seen and experienced in one post. The problems appear to be:
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>Growing into a race is weird roleplay wise. The game assumes I'm an adult adventurer, why am I still developing core racial abilities.
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>The races feel really flat and flavorless.
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>General Training and Natural Ambition are so far out of the league of everything else it hurts
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>Race abilities (for the most part) are situational to the point of being painful
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>Low incentive for players to branch out of human </p>
<p>The best example I can give is that an arcane caster elf has no incentive to take two of their strongest abilities - weapon familiarity and otherworldly magic, leaving Ancestral Longevity as the good pick with little growth. The other abilities are situational or not beneficial to a build. While abilities don't all need to line up for a build (I'm personally a big fan of suboptimal play - halfing barbarian and all) it would help if there were some flavor synergy that felt good.</p>Everyone seems to have some issue with this area of the game, and I wanted to collect all the ones I've seen and experienced in one post. The problems appear to be:
>Growing into a race is weird roleplay wise. The game assumes I'm an adult adventurer, why am I still developing core racial abilities.
>The races feel really flat and flavorless.
>General Training and Natural Ambition are so far out of the league of everything else it hurts
>Race abilities (for the most part) are situational to...Aether Seawolf2018-08-08T16:50:11Z