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I love the pawns, but I also think we are missing out on a metric ton of spell cards. Book, of the Dead, Dark Archives, War of Immortals,even a revamped Secrets of Magic; all of these are missing! And that isn't even condsidering all the Lost Omens books that could be added (looking at you Divine Mysteries!) I would love to see official spell cards for the books from the Remastered line. And I know I am not alone when I say that a Lost Omens card set would be fantastic!
I played some PF 1e society, and finally moving into 2e (Remastered). I'm looking at playing, and in future DM'ng Society. I live in West Plains MO, so not sure if anything is close enough. I'm not opposed to some FGU online as well, although I have purchased no books online as of yet. Bobbo, I am the coordinator for parts of the Southeast Missouri region, based out of Cape Girardeau, MO. We have games that run at multiple venues, but it looks like the closest to you would be at Valkyrie Games in Poplar Bluff. It's not convienently close, but that is about as far as my reach goes currently. We DO have a small local convention (Legendary Con) this coming weekend, and have guests travelling from all over; some from as far away as Memphis, TN and Kansas City, MO. If you are interested, you can find more information at Legendary Con 2025 or contatct me directly at semopfs@gmail.com.
I've suggested that Taunt should be a Stance, much like those of the Monk class, and last until the foe is dropped, much like the Ranger's Hunt Prey ability. I dislike that it is an action tax every round, considering it is arguably the main class feature of the Guardian. I also think raising the HP to 12 would help make this feel more like a "tank" class, since it risks getting critically hit more often due to the Taunt ability. The rest of my comments can be found HERE.
I just discovered I had posted my feedback in the wrong forum. Reposting here for better visibility. I played a Guardian today in a Pathfinder Society scenario. In the only combat, my character would have dropped in the first round if not for Orc Ferocity. I used a reaction to Intercept Strike from the enemy for the squishy witch, taking half of my HP before I even had a chance to act. Then, I drew my weapon, stepped into combat, and used Taunt. The creature focused all of his attacks on me (which IS the role of this class!), but would have dropped me if not for Orc Ferocity. I never got a chance to Raise Shield, so no Shield Block reaction. The Taunt ability makes an enemy focus on you... but that +2 means an increased chance in critical hits, something the Guardian just doesn't have the hit points to absorb. And Armor Critical Specialization barely came into play; at 1st level, I could afford a chainmail shirt and shield at best (not that the shield did me much good). The ACS for chain only reduces damage from CRITICAL HITS, meaning it didn't do much for the two of three attacks that hit me. And Mitigate Harm barely helped, feeling too weak at this level to be effective. As for suggestions, I would make the following: 1) Make this a CON-based class. It needs HP to be effective in the role it is supposed to fill. It isn't much of an attacker, and will fall behind the Fighter soon enough (which I am okay with). Focusing on CON means a more robust HP pool and Fortitude save. 2) Raise the HP. A viable argument can be made that this class needs HP more than any other. Raising the HP to 12 wouldn't make this class unstoppable; it will (likely) be taking a LOT of critical hits. 3) Change Taunt from a 1-action activity to a Stance. Having to Taunt every round to insure the enemy focuses on you is an action tax the class cannot afford. Having it as a Stance means it get entered once at the beginning of combat, only being reused if that combatant drops, much like the Ranger's Hunt Prey ability. 4) If you aren't going to change the HP, then the ability to mitigate damage needs a huge buff. As it is, it barely matters at low levels, meaning a player will get bored and abandon this class before it gets interesting. 5) This class relies a LOT on reactions. Without a Commander to grant additional ones, Intercept Strike falls flat very quickly. And making the player chose between that or Shield Block is even worse. IF anything, it feels like a Guardian should have one free extra reaction to do either of those each round. It would also free up a Guardian to potentially use Reactive Shield or potentially, Attack of Opportunity (not granted to the class, I know). Personally, I would NEVER choose Reactive Shield as a feat for this class, knowing the Guardian is based on having reactions to prevent damage to allies. I know this comes across very critical of the class. I'm not gonna lie; I was skeptical of how this would act in actual play. Having played a few Champions, I was interested in seeing how this stacked up. But I decided to play it out, to see if my fears were unfounded. As written, I now have no fear that the Champion would still reign in the "tank" niche for PF2. I would also have no desire to play this class either, as currently written.
I agree with all of these points. I played a Guardian today in a Pathfinder Society scenario. In the only combat, my character would have dropped in the first round if not for Orc Ferocity. I used a reaction to Intercept Strike from the enemy for the squishy witch, taking half of my HP before I even had a chance to act. Then, I drew my weapon, stepped into combat, and used Taunt. The creature focused all of his attacks on me (which IS the role of this class!), but would have dropped me if not for Orc Ferocity. I never got a chance to Raise Shield, so no Shield Block reaction. The Taunt ability makes an enemy focus on you... but that +2 means an increased chance in critical hits, something the Guardian just doesn't have the hit points to absorb. And Armor Critical Specialization barely came into play; at 1st level, I could afford a chainmail shirt and shield at best (not that the shield did me much good). The ACS for chain only reduces damage from CRITICAL HITS, meaning it didn't do much for the two of three attacks that hit me. And Mitigate Harm barely helped, feeling too weak at this level to be effective. As for suggestions, I would make the following: 1) Make this a CON-based class. It needs HP to be effective in the role it is supposed to fill. It isn't much of an attacker, and will fall behind the Fighter soon enough (which I am okay with). Focusing on CON means a more robust HP pool and Fortitude save. 2) Raise the HP. A viable argument can be made that this class needs HP more than any other. Raising the HP to 12 wouldn't make this class unstoppable; it will (likely) be taking a LOT of critical hits. 3) Change Taunt from a 1-action activity to a Stance. Having to Taunt every round to insure the enemy focuses on you is an action tax the class cannot afford. Having it as a Stance means it get entered once at the beginning of combat, only being reused if that combatant drops, much like the Ranger's Hunt Prey ability. 4) If you aren't going to change the HP, then the ability to mitigate damage needs a huge buff. As it is, it barely matters at low levels, meaning a player will get bored and abandon this class before it gets interesting. 5) This class relies a LOT on reactions. Without a Commander to grant additional ones, Intercept Strike falls flat very quickly. And making the player chose between that or Shield Block is even worse. IF anything, it feels like a Guardian should have one free extra reaction to do either of those each round. It would also free up a Guardian to potentially use Reactive Shield or potentially, Attack of Opportunity (not granted to the class, I know). Personally, I would NEVER choose Reactive Shield as a feat for this class, knowing the Guardian is based on having reactions to prevent damage to allies. I know this comes across very critical of the class. I'm not gonna lie; I was skeptical of how this would act in actual play. Having played a few Champions, I was interested in seeing how this stacked up. But I decided to play it out, to see if my fears were unfounded. As written, I now have no fear that the Champion would still reign in the "tank" niche for PF2. I would also have no desire to play this class either, as currently written.
I have questions about what role the Guardian is supposed to fit, since it seems to hit a similar role to the Champion. Reading over the class, the major appeal of the class is the ability to gain the critical specialization at 1st level… which might be overpowered. Most of the feats and abilities of the class would be right at home with the Fighter or Champion. I will be giving this one a play test this coming weekend and see what I think about it after some practical application.
With the removal of paralysis from their touch, should the requirement for Ghoul Whispers still have "A grabbed, paralyzed, restrained, or unconscious creature is within the ghoul’s reach" part of it's effect? It looks like a legacy line, since Ghouls no longer cause paralysis... unless there is something in the Monster Core entry that is missing from this encounter. I'm guessing that the elven ancestry feat Elven Verve from the Lost Omens Character Guide is no longer relevant. Aside for that small niggling, I am really liking both the early reveal and the encounter! I look forward to seeing more of these.
Will the pocket edition already contain the first errata?It will not. :( Do we have an idea on when the errata will be incorporated into any version of this? I know the obvious answer is "in subsequent print runs," but that is nebulously vague. I would buy a second copy, but only if it incapsulates those changes.
I wish this was something that could be considered for Pathfinder Society play. There are a lot of players from 1E with the Venture Captain boon, following completion of Eyes of the Ten. It would be nice to see those characters make it into official cannon.
I don't know which of these announcements I'm more excited about, the reduction in AcP cost for those three Ancestries, or the new Backgrounds! I'm loving that these new Uncommon Backgrounds are tied to Season 3 events and storylines, and hope that we will see more adventures from those Venture-Captains/lodges/allies in the future, making that "kicker bonus" more worthwhile in Season 4 and many more to come!
Better plan would have been to remain silent. Let the internet rage machine tire itself out. Twitter will move on to the next nontroversy in a week. Considering that the first I heard of this was from a university student who isnt a gamer, I think it is naive to think only Paizo customers are concerned about this. It was a point of discussion in a class about publishing.
I also do think there’s a slim chance it’s a genre book, rather than a setting element, because I can see a horror supplement with Inquisitor (for monster-hunting) and Occultist (for delving into terrible secrets) as the new classes. While everyone else is clamoring for another themed book, I still have high hopes that we will finally see a comprehensive source book for the Tian Xi region, complete with a 2E archetype for the Kensai, Samurai, Ninja, and Wujen. The success of the Mwangi Expanse hardcover further bolstered that hope. I doubt this is going to be that book though.
I'm liking all of these changes. I just wish we would see a similar AcP pricing change for Tengu. According to canon, they are found pretty much throughout Golarion. To me, that justifies (at the very least) a reduction. With the success of the Mwangi Expanse book, my hopes are raised that we will finally see a comprehensive Tian-Xi campaign setting... and the return of the Wayang and Nagaji, since Kitsune have already been covered in The Lost Omens Ancestry Guide!
As the father of one child with high-functioning autism and another with oppositional-defiance disorder, I can attest to the positive impact a tabletop roleplaying game can have for someone with neurodiversity. Both of my children have benefited from playing Pathfinder, learning how to communicate with others acceptably, as well as other social cues that are often far more difficult for those within the spectrum. Thank you for letting me know that there is an organization dedicated to utilizing tabletop games to help others find acceptance within our greater community!
I think it is fair to decide that Archis is Undetected, having taken time to conceal himself. In that case, the actions would be 1) trigger the trap, 2) drink the potion, and then 3) move.
The Onboarding Taskforce has been working on making tools for helping track your character's XP, Reputation and spending. You can find those here. https://www.orgplayfoundation.org/join/new-players-pop/ We are always looking at ways to make these tools more efficient and clear, so all of us will be watching feedback from those who use them. Feel free to post here with any such feedback!
We needed to rely a lot more heavily than usual on repeatables in Year 1 (since it was a brand-new system), so there's a little fewer of them now that we're in Year 2, but we're still making them! Keep an eye out for next month's The Crashing Wave! To the best of my knowledge, only five of the 25 scenarios in Season 1 are repeatable, and only two of the Quests (which are now no longer being developed). How is that "relying heavily" on repeatables? If anything, I think Paizo jumped the gun on rolling out Level 5-9 scenarios, considering "this is a new system." With the loss of the Quest format, I hope that we see MORE repeatables, especially in Level 1-4... since this is a new system and will still draw new players.
The goal is to have easy to print pdf versions of the Guide not long after the changes are made. In the meantime, the facelift to the sight should make it far easier to search, a problem that has plagued the present website. I keep pushing for a printable copy... and I'm not gonna let up until we have one!
With PF1, I tended to let my characters grow organically. For example, my favorite character is a mutt: Barbarian 4/ Rogue 4/ Ranger 4. He started conceptually as the bastard son of a Ulfen Guard and his "salt wife," left behind in Absalom when his father returned to the Land of the Linnorm Kings. He developed anger issues at an early age (barbarian), but was taken in by a Venture Captain who saw his potential. Later in his career as a Pathfinder, he discovered he was consistently sent on missions were a rogue would have been helpful... without a rogue. He went back to the lodge and begged someone to train him in those skills (rogue). Many years later, he suffered badly from the attacks of undead on two consecutive missions. He returned to the lodge, asking for training in how to battle the undead (ranger). In PF2, it is harder to mix-n-match classes like you could in PF1. So instead, my characters are thematically "legacy characters' related to my PF1 characters.
With Quests available for PF2, I'm surprised that Slow Advancement even exists. Then again, the latest news about the replacement of "Quests" for "Bounties" might mean we need that option. I am still hoping that the Bounty format will expand beyond just tier 1 eventually. I think limiting it to one level is short-sighted. Time will tell.
*Straight out jaw drop* That is the best news I've heard since the release of 2E! I was... not a fan of Goblins becoming a Core race. I felt it was a hard transition from the "burn everything/murder midgets" of past canon to them being a semi-civilized race. I campaigned early on for Kobolds to be that new race instead, citing how they have had positive interactions with other races in known history (the Sewer Dragons being among them). Alas, Goblins won out... and as the unofficial mascot of Paizo, I understood. I fully expected Kobolds to be released as a playable race, but I also figured we would have to earn that right, much like we will for those found in other source books. I am pleasantly surprised! This is a GREAT move!
The one downside to the current quests from a player/GM perspective has been that many of them tend to seem to run closer to 2 hours than to 1, and I can see that being more of an issue were even higher level ones to be written. I am glad I am not the only who has seen this trend. I was beginning to think I was GMing them wrong since no one else had addressed this. I think I'd hope and prefer that maybe Bounties be targeted at a single tier instead of a single level. That would save the development time for having two different tiers and adjustments, but also give some flexibility for the scheduling. But I can't imagine that wasn't discussed. THIS. Limiting it to Level 1 means there isn't really any need for them to be repeatable. Players will play through them once, maybe twice, but they since they cannot be played again with the same character, their use becomes limited. And honestly, once a player has experienced all the options involved, it becomes a moot point anyways. The "farming" of scenarios was part of what killed 5E Adventurer's League locally; the modules being endlessly replayable meant some players would just use them as grind quests to jump to 2nd level. Some players like to devote play to one character at a time. The current Quest format gives them an option while awaiting the next scenario to play. And while I can understand making a decision to never develop scenarios after a certain CR (for example, 5th level where the last pregens are set), I think limiting this to a just level 1 might be short-sighted. Luckily, we have seen LOTS of changes in this first season, with the format and presentation of scenarios evolving as time passes. I'm sure this will be no different.
I'll post here what I did on Facebook when Know Direction announced this: "My biggest question for Paizo's Beginner's Box products has always been "Why the delay?" It seems like a product like this could really help skyrocket the sales of the line, especially at the beginning of that product line. Personally, the long delay for the Starfinder Beginner's Box made me less inclined to buy it... and without it, I was less invested in the Starfinder RPG altogether. Products like these are the gateway drug for tabletop RPGs; they should be at the forefront of the line!"
Just purchased these from my FLGS and I am impressed with the final look of these. My initial fear was that these would end up replacing the Bestiary hardcovers. It is far easier and cheaper to produce cards than a book, with the most expensive part of such a product being the box. But having seen these in action, I can see that these serve a far different purpose... and the possibilities for this format are endless. Thoughts on the Bestiary cards (and future iterations): 1) As has been mentioned, the box isn't exactly functional outside of storage. While it holds the cards just fine, it doesn't work well for use at the game table as functionally. In most cases however, a GM would only be using a handful of cards at a time, so I doubt this will make much of an impact at the game table. 2) I appreciate WHY Paizo has yet to release these as a pdf product; it would be far too easy for these to be bought and perpetually printed. Pirating of product is always a problem to consider and keeping this print only helps reduce that possibility. That said, I can also appreciate the desire for such a pdf product. As a PFS GM, I would love to be able to print these out and insert them into a prep envelope for each scenario, which leads to... 3) A lot of PFS scenarios use custom creatures and NPCs. It would be nice to see a similar format embraced for statblocks in PFS scenarios, making it possible for GMs to print out adversaries in a card form. While the PFS versions would have to be far more "print friendly," I can see this as a potential tool added to our arsenal of awesomeness. And finally... 4) My only disappointment in the cards was those that took more than one card to impart the information. In the last 5+ years, Wiz Kids learned how to address this by creating over-sized cards for those HeroClix miniatures that required more space for the information. Perhaps a similar format can be addressed for future versions of Bestiary cards, with any such entries using one 6 X 8 card with an indent to make it easier to fold and fit into the box. In short, I like the bestiary cards and see the potential for future iterations. Thank you for a brilliant product.
LOL! I'm not saying there isn't a market for a product like this; a similar product exists for the World's Oldest RPG. However, the price point for this compared to the Bestiary containing the same information gives me pause on purchasing them myself, especially having already bought the Bestiary. My fear is that this product WILL prove popular... and will become the preferred method of producing all future Bestiary. After all, it is far cheaper to produce cards then it is a hardcover book. I seem to recall a developer once commenting about the PACG that the box cost more to print and create than the cards it contained. While I'd never hope for the failure of a product line, I can hope that producing Bestiary cards doesn't supplant Bestiary hardcovers.
Agreed. Radio silence does more harm than good.
All of this is really good news to hear! I have high hopes that the AcP reporting gets finished so that those items dependent on it for sanctioning can roll out ASAP. My players are clamoring for the sanctioning of the Lost Omens content from both the World Guide and the Character Creation Guide, so this is welcome news indeed.
I'm just hoping the numbers issue Thod identified gets its fix soon, seeing that we're now about 2 weeks past when it was originally noticed.The updated file should have been uploaded; let me know here if you're still not seeing it. Does Paizo still send out emails when products have been updated? Those were a helpful metric for noting when things have been fixed.
...answered about the difficulties the OPF/Paizo separation has created in broad strokes... I, for one, would much prefer the pdf of the Guide revert back to being produced by Paizo. While the website is fine, it is hardly intuitive to peruse, and is significantly difficult to search through. It was a good stop-gate answer at the time, but it needs to come back to Paizo for a couple of reasons. 1) Official Production: The PFS Guide being produced by Paizo makes it feels more "official." While I appreciate the hard work that some of the VOs have put into creating a printable version, it is still rife with errors and artifacts of having been lifted from the website. These are errors that would (hopefully) not exist in an official pdf version, having gone through an extensive developer overlook before passing. Most importantly though, it lacks the style and feel of Paizo products. This has the effect of... 2) Professional Presentation: The Guide is the first look at PFS that some players get. They don't buy scenarios. If they are solely players, they have no need for the Bestiary. And with the delay of sanctioning of the Lost Omens line, they have no burning need to purchase other 2nd Edition products either. The Core Rulebook is really all they need. Again, a lot of hard work has been put into creating a printable version, but (for legal reasons) it lacks the design qualities we have grown to expect from the PFS Guides previous. Because of that, it looks... cheap (no offense meant) by comparison. I understand that the workforce on PFS has been hit hard, and the lose of your webmaster has hurt as well. Because of this, I can see that producing a pdf wasn't as much of a priority as just getting the info out. If possible, this needs to be addressed as the team rebuilds and regrows. Having a link at the OPF website is fine (it's working for PF1 and Starfinder!), but ultimately, I'd like to see an "official" Guide... and have it hosted by Paizo once again.
I've GMed this twice. In one session, the players tried to use Stealth to steal the statue which would have avoided the trials and combat if successful. In the second session, the players immediately attacked once the statue was presented during the trials. The first could have been fixed by having an acolyte standing guard outside of the training. Since the statue is stolen, it would have made sense. In the second situation, that would have been avoided entirely if a different statue or item had been used. Dragging out the stolen item blatantly kind of lends itself to "ATTACK!" and there isn't enough acolytes to make it challenging once it happens. This being early in with the ink on the rules still almost wet, I can see how these potential situations could have been missed in development. EVERYONE (players, GMs, and even authors!) are still learning. I have faith that scenarios and quests will see more logical development as more experience is tucked into their belts. If anything, the only disappointing thing about the scenario is that my PC Monk cannot learn Blazing Talon Surge or Explosive Deathdrop! Maybe that will see light in a future product!
This actually sounds like a fair compromise. It fulfills the need for new sanctioned content without having to wait on the initiation of the AcP. Like others have reported, the PF2 is slowly losing steam. Not because they have exhausted scenarios or the options of the new CRB, but because some of the options in the Lost Omens sources are so damn GOOD! Players are used to having their toys and are spoiled by the previous iteration of PFS. Throw us a bone. As I've been saying for months: help US help YOU!
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