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I will say that the only problem I see with using Talents instead of Feats (from my perspective as an author) is that it's two letters longer. That might not be much at the moment, but when you're talking about a huge book where it's going to be referenced dozens or hundreds of times, that could add up to quite a bit of space.

I could definitely understand the decision to call them feats if they're being called feats because of rules/abilities that specifically interact with feats, specifically, as opposed to other abilities/rules/etc. or for some rules-related reason related to how feats work that makes it more useful/convenient for class abilities to be rolled into feats. It might also be interesting to see how--if at all--class feats are balanced against general feats--or vice-versa.

So, I know it's early for feedback, but I have a horrible memory and really like this idea. For Paladins I would like to keep the Lawful requirement, but the good/evil/neutral alignment would depend on the god worshiped. In my opinion this is a good compromise between people who want paladins of any alignment and people who don't want them to change overmuch. So, if a person wanted to be a Paladin of Abadar, then they'd be LN. If they wanted to be a Paladin of Asmodeus, they'd have to be LE, and if they wanted to be a Paladin of Desna, they'd have to be LG.

The Lawful aspect would represent their intense devotion to the ideals their deity represents.

You could also just fold the anti-Paladin rules into the Paladin class, and bam, rules for evil Paladins.

That could work, though I think I'd rather have paladins run the gamut of Good alignments, rather than Lawful, and allow antipaladins to similarly be of any Evil alignment. That said, I suppose your idea would mean that antipaladins wouldn't really need to be a thing, which I suppose does streamline things a bit.

7. Paladins should be Any Good. Antipaladins should be Any Evil.

I'd go with this or option 3. It would be nice to have a little more versatility in terms of alignment.

If I remember the podcast right

Spend 1 Action on Shield = +2 AC for the round and gain a Reaction that reduces the damage of one attack by 9

and I still get 2 attacks in that round
.
I think that is probably worth the trade of that 3rd attack at -5 to hit.

Ok my Shield is going to get battered as heck If I'm defending against an Ogre for a few rounds but the extra staying power is probably worth it.

hmmm...this also means that Parry with a weapon could be an action, maybe not as much as an AC bonus (if any, or maybe depending on the weapon) and getting that Block reaction but using your weapon instead of the shield.

It's potentially more worth it if the 3rd attack is at -10, as opposed to -5

Druids can use metal armour without penalty, but take the spell failure chance on heavy armour, regardless of type.

While we're on the subject of Druids, can we give druids more options for dealing acid damage on their spell lists? Their current options are very sparse and not all that strong, with the possible exception of Acid Maw, which is mostly only good at lower levels.

Yeah, but it's a very weird kind of neutral good cleric who thinks that "religion is a tool to control the populace". I mean, like, that's not a neutral good worldview, right? That's like nauseatingly evil.

It's more cynical than evil, and not an opinion that a cleric necessarily would/should voice... in public.

The Misanthrope resulted in some really irritating things in campaigns I've been in, so I'm inclined to agree that at least that one has to go.

Abyssal Bloodrager wielding a reach weapon, taking Power Attack, and Lunge(and, optionally, Furious Focus and/or Combat Reflexes if you have the dexterity to actually use it while large sized).

If Cross-blooded is acceptable, consider Abyssal/Aberrant for even more reach (taking claws at level 1, demonic bulk at level 4, abnormal reach at level 8, and abyssal bloodrage at level 12.

You get to be large (increasing damage dice of your weapon and strength), get extra strength when raging, and have ridiculous reach (reach weapon, large size, lunge, and +5 feet of reach from aberrant if desired). You also have claws for when things get too close to hit with your reach weapon, which can hit things from between 15 and 20 (or 20 and 25, if cross-blooded) feet away. Anything that wants to get close to you or the party, has to wade through a 15 foot radius of pain.

Stat-wise, I think, you would want good Str, Con, and Dex, and just enough Cha to cast your spells (14).

EDIT: Had an idea - if you don't think you need spells and/or will not have too many points to put into Cha, anyway, consider the Untouchable Rager Archetype to pick up spell resistance.

I would also suggest looking into getting a Ring of Freedom of Movement/Unfettered Shirt so that hold person/hold monster does not become a problem.

Nocticula...

** spoiler omitted **

I like the way you think.

True, but you could still play a new class and VMC with VMC-supported class

Ooh! I want! I can get so much mileage out of this class!

It's quite a nice preview. I am sure the finished Mesmerist is just as well-thought-out.

Hmm... The archetypes look neat. Not sure if I would really end up using cult master though, having taken a look at it. Mostly because Leadership is rarely a thing that my groups allow. Definitely interesting, nonetheless.

Cult Master, you say?

This is relevant to my interests...

I'm excited to see it!

I think it would be cool if the Mesmerist's Trick feature could implant certain spells in a subject's mind to be triggered later, based on a condition the player choses.

Example: The first time the subject sees a goblin, the spell "unnatural lust" is triggered towards the goblin! :)

Or: When the subject drops below a certain hit point total, "invisibility" is triggered.

I dunno, I think something like that could make Tricks more useful.

Not sure about that. It would be cool, but contingency is a 6th level spell for a reason...

On the other hand, as a higher-level ability, that might not be too bad.

Yes! I will mind slap everyone with the back of my... well, my brain, I suppose, but it will still be glorious!

With that last one, assuming I understand how Vestigial arm works correctly (as it specifically says it does not grant extra attacks):

5 attacks (With Greatsword, Hooves, and Bite)
or 6 Attacks (Both Daggers, Hooves, and Bite)

Greatsword/daggers are manufactured, hooves and bite are natural

Regular iteratives for Greatsword/mainhand dagger (assuming you don't use both daggers, otherwise, you take 2-weapon fighting penalties)

2-weapon fighting penalties for offhand dagger

Flat -5 off of your BAB for all your natural attacks.

Ideally, I'd wield a pistol and sword-cane, but, barring that, I would just take a light crossbow (because reloading as a full-round action is painful, especially at low levels) and deal more damage from further away.

I guess my problem with the (non-repeating) hand crossbow is that it does not do enough to capitalize on the fact that it can be wielded in one hand, given that it needs to be reloaded after each shot. Even with rapid reload, you still need a free hand (or prehensile tail, vestigial limb, etc) to actually reload your weapon. It's pretty cool thematically, but I don't see why I would take that over a light crossbow.

I could see a shadow-based archetype being fun.

Also, if I'm understanding it correctly, psychic magic does not have verbal or somatic components, so the only casting-related issue with reloading a crossbow would be material components, which can be dealt with (at least partially) by taking Eschew Materials.

Yeah. It would be really nice to have more (and/or better) opportunities to take advantage of painful stare.

I was actually toying with the idea of a gun-toting Mesmerist, myself, but most of my groups wouldn't allow firearms.

That's a pretty neat idea, Zwordsman. I like it!

It's the most appealing concept to me, as well. I'm sure it will get other things to make itself stronger either in terms of spellcasting or making attacks.

It looks like it's the same progression of spells per day (and the same BAB progression) as a Bard.

So, I suppose that the Mesmerist can be looked at as sort of a psychic bard?

Excellent.

I look forward to enthralling the minds of my enemies soon-ish.

Probably a good idea to beef up the mesmerist spell list a bit, provided that the spells added don't run counter to the intended flavor of the class. I'm sure we'll get a more complete spell list once the book itself is released.

I'm pretty excited about the potential for a mesmerist archetype. Possibly one that focuses more on illusions or one that plays up the hypnotism/enchantment angle?

Who wins? The venue lucky enough to have the opportunity to sell tickets to this event.

There is actually a feat that allows you to treat the enhancement bonus of your shield as a weapon enhancement bonus when shield bashing. I believe it was called Shield Master.

Given all the feats necessary to get the feat, I would imagine that making a shield that can use its defensive bonus as an offensive one should be pretty expensive.

If you really want a character to be able to do that, why not just advise the player to take that feat, if you don't mind my asking? Not trying to criticize the idea. Just curious.

Do not forget the Blood of the Elements. I would also like a 'Cat Book', perhaps with a 'build your own' formula. My game has a generic 'cat' race and three niche races...or maybe sub races. There are a few more in the wings, all cribbed from messageboards such as these. A few more, properly thought out, would be welcome.

I think that's a fine idea. I'd love to have more options for the more bestial races.

You could try Oracle and Sorcerer, if you really want charisma. Shamans are wisdom based, so they might be problematic.

I'm not sure there's time to do this but none of the mythic paths have any abilities which work for psychic magic (hierophant and archmage are limited to divine and arcane magic). What sort of mythic paths are there for psychic characters? I think there should be one.

Trickster could be kind of fun for some of them.

ErisAcolyte-Chaos jester wrote:

The house of a mad scientist and experimenter of multiple scientific fields. The guy has been missing for years but fortunately his daughter looks after it and all it's inhabitants in his absence. That being said, she does want to help people in need, and she is a good medical professional. Maybe too good, because the stuff she ends up doing to help the lives of other leads to some pretty horrific transformations. She lacks a regular view on morality, believing in doing every thing she can to help those in need. This can include ANYONE, from criminals to common people, and her inhuman abilities have lead to a vast number of inadvertent casualties, or psychological scarring for most regular people involved. Technically she is not evil, but the stuff she does in the name of science is beyond any good that any was involved.

... Franken Fran?

That's what I was thinking, too.

Expand the breadth of martials. They could use some nice things.

Would you rather be a low-level druid or a high-level animal companion?

Shelyn.

Edit: Travel down the Sellen on a barge. Seems like a nice place to visit...

Would you rather:

1) Be turned into an outsider of your choice (CR 10 and below) while retaining your alignment and personality?

or...

2) Be turned into a more powerful outsider (up to CR 20) of a randomly-selected alignment (your personality would change to fit your new alignment, but you are free to choose any appropriately-aligned outsider)?

Personally, I've always been partial to haunted, as it offers some pretty interesting RP potential and isn't too mechanically restricting, provided that you don't plan on retrieving or picking up objects in combat. As for being disarmed, you could always wear a weapon cord.

If you plan on taking the cinder dance revelation, Lame might not be a bad curse, either. They essentially cancel each other out and the fifth level benefit from the curse is pretty nice.

I think Paladin, Bard, or Swashbuckler would all be excellent choices.

Come to think of it an Oradin build on a ghost would be pretty insane.

Mythweaver sounds neat.

Wouldn't mind seeing a shifter monk or brawler archetype.

Bandw2 wrote:

Claxon wrote:

The DM arbitrarily raising the DC for skills is bull. Else, what is the point of focusing skill points into a skill. You're doing it to be good at something and not fail common tasks and actions. That's the point.

to still give them the challenge, obviously rewards should shift up accordingly for success as well, but most rolls should still just be auto wins.

Is it actually fun to do that?

As a player, that answer for me is a clear no. Otherwise you are negating the point of my choices. Short of a few specific skills and how they are used I don't feel this is a problem. The skills which it is a problem are Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate and those problems are because of how those skills specifically work not because DCs aren't necessarily high enough, but the power they have.

Skills like Stealth and Perception are opposed and can remain challenging based on your opponent. Skills like acrobatics for jumping shouldn't necessarily remain relevant because why should a jump of the same distance suddenly be impossible.

I get the idea of challenges, but after 10 levels skills shouldn't really be what you're challenged on.

For the most part, I agree.

It seems to me that, for example, a rogue being good at making acrobatics checks because she put a point into it every level, gets a +4 bonus from dexterity, and is getting an additional +3 because acrobatics is a class skill--is just the system working as intended.
You made a heavy investment into a skill your supposed to be good at and are therefore able to make most checks for that skill.

I would also like to add Sleight of Hand to that list of problematic skills.

Well, as other people have said: I think the paladin is in the clear, so long as he doesn't know the barbarian is evil. It even sounds like the barbarian is becoming less evil. It might do more harm than good for the paladin to abandon her on her path to redemption.

Also, I really like this paladin archetype you designed. It's neat and opens up lots of fun roleplay possibilities!

I'm a bit surprised you don't gain proficiency with the Dread Burden, though I suppose that kind of balances things out. A feat for proficiency is a small price to pay for a weapon that grows with you.

Maybe a swashbuckler to take advantage of the superior physical stats you will no doubt get from your eidolon, since it also benefits from charisma.

Also, if it is Way of the Wicked, please don't spoil anything for me. I have a group that just started it up last week.

I'm inclined to agree with Blackbloodtroll. Your mental stats stay the same and your physical bonuses are swapped out.

Of course, if you had any feats that depended on your physical scores getting a +2 racial bump, this could become problematic.

This is part of why reincarnating from an Aasimar to another race is highly efficient. Their racial bonuses are entirely mental, so virtually anything they reincarnate into will still have the bonuses to wisdom and charisma, but with an added bonus to a physical stat.

I think the tiefling variant ability just allows you to wield large-sized weapons that you could already wield, such as a large-sized longsword, but without taking a penalty to use it in the first place. This essentially makes the Titan Mauler's Massive Weapons ability obsolete, as there is no penalty to reduce.

It's definitely an interesting archetype and would probably be pretty fun to play. Also, not to nitpick, but Eclipse strike does have a limited number of uses per day, or, rather, it doesn't really need to because it only affects creatures damaged by Idiot Strike and Idiot Strike has a limited number of uses per day. Still a sweet ability, though.

I know that the Winter Witch archetype gives immunity to cold at level 14, and at that level I suppose immunity to a single element isn't entirely unreasonable.

Kestral pretty much hit the nail on the head in saying that in a campaign where you aren't expecting a single type of energy to be prevalent, immunity to an element will save you from maybe one or two spells or elemental abilities.

Of course, in a campaign where you expect lots of abilities to be keyed to a single element (such as fire or ice), having a single person who is immune to that element isn't necessarily game-breaking. You either have Monsters/enemy casters do something else once they realize their primary element doesn't work, or you focus on someone else.

There seems to be little wrong with letting someone use an ability that they invested their resources in, whether those resources be spells, levels, feats, etc.

I must see this happen at some point.

It's a neat idea. It just requires so many feats...

I'm counting... 5 prerequisite feats on top of the 4 in question

I suppose as a fighter, it isn't too bad, but it's still a little feat-intensive. And, too be fair, barbarians can't even get pounce until level 10, so I guess that's reasonable.

Yes, please! I would greatly enjoy learning more about Traxis and dragons have always excited me!

The amulets give a character a tiny taste of a bloodline, and the bloodline development exploit allows you to temporarily bloodline powers beyond the first level abilities.

In comparison, the Sorcerer has the advantage of getting bloodline powers that are always available and scale off of its level without burning a swift action or arcane pool points to do so and without taking a line of feats.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, the sorcerer has another edge in the form of not having as many restrictions to its bloodlines.

That said, I do recognize that it is the new classes and archetypes do seem to step on its toes a bit.

Mine says "Tieflings are awesome"

More Tiefling love~

I really do like Tieflings, though, and I also tend to favor magick-y classes.