AsmoSoulpyre's page

So the kickstarter for Reaper's 5th bones set just wrapped up. I will admit that the thing that I was most disappointed about was that there was not any Pathfinder miniatures released in this line, in the new (and frankly quite awesome) Bones black material.

Is there a plan for collaboration for new miniatures with Reaper, or is it just the paint line from here on out? (The paint line is freaking amazing by the way, for anyone who wants to paint any Pathfinder miniatures, the colors in that line are just gorgeous...and no, I don't work for Reaper.)

This isn't an attack or criticism - I loved the line and heavily backed the kickstarter regardless of the lack of Paizo minis, just curiosity if there is anything in the works for more Pathfinder stuff in the new material...because quite honestly I prefer Reaper's work to Wizkids (not that they are bad either, just preference).

So, I thought, with 2E in the pipeline, I'd start off with just purchasing the first few books through the subscription to get the PDF bundle. I like having hard copies at the table, but for GM prep, there's nothing quite as nice as having all the PDFs (or even multiple copies of the same one) open at once.

So, I went to the subscription, selected the book I wanted in the cart, and clicked 'proceed to checkout'.

This takes me to a page, 1 of 4, that has reset my book choice. Annoying, but...okay. I select the book again. Click update quantities to make sure it saved, and then proceed to page 2.

On page 2 I'm presented with shipping options. One for the rulebook, and one for the subscription setting. I'd like to change that from the standard, and do so. Cool, that part is done. I'd also like to change the option for this book that is going to ship. This kicks me back to page 1, and has changed my selection. I reselect my option on page one, click update quantities, and proceed back to page 2. I select my shipping option. I am redirected back to page 1, again with my choice removed. I play with this some more, and get redirected all the way back to the cart.

To be clear - I'll figure this out, and get it resolved on my own. I'm not expecting anything out of this rant, except I hope that someone takes a serious look at the shopping cart and checkout systems. They're pretty bad, objectively speaking.

Let me start off by saying that my group and I had not played a game in about 3 years until shortly before the Pathfinder 2 announcement. We were excited to be able to participate in an edition transition from the company that rescued us from the nightmare that we found in 4th ed.

I followed all of the previews for the Playtest, and shared them with my group as we took up a 'world-changing' campaign in our home brew setting, as is our tradition leading up to an edition change. We were so excited to run the playtest that we actually put a pause on our ongoing campaign to run through the system, despite being worried about some of the mechanical changes that we weren't quite sure what to make of.

When we started the playtest, we were a little underwhelmed by how the system played. It felt very scripted, as though the encounters were coming straight out of a video game. We got through the first chapter, but we could not motivate ourselves to continue with the next portion of the test. We will continue to monitor the changes and updates, and perhaps will give the final product a go, but for now, we're going back to our current campaign.

I'd like to leave some feedback before I mostly go into observation mode on the forums, I'll start with some things we liked, then get into the stuff that made us run away.

1. Character creation. Creating the characters without rolling the dice was an interesting option, and a written in mechanic to avoid the issue with tanked stats on a point buy was wonderful.

2. Conceptually, not having one 'initiative' stat was refreshing. Unfortunately the exploration to combat transitions tarnished this somewhat.

3. Not rolling hit points was nice (for most of us, one player actually liked the random concept of HP).

4. Spell progression changes, as well as the metamagic changes. The concept of casting a spell at a higher level, and having scaling cantrips is a favorite. This will likely move into our house rules for future 1st ed games. Even with the reduced number of spells per day, the casters felt as though they would be able to be useful in the 'minor' combat situations.

Now to transition to the less pleasant feedback.

--- Class feats were advertised as a way to create customized characters to play any character we wanted. Instead we have limitations on which class abilities we have access to, and those limitations come with situational benefits that are often underwhelming. Other options are nearly required for good party play.

--- Class locked character concepts. Want to get the benefits for dual wielding? Better pick the correct class. We were really hoping for feat options that were more akin to the 'mythic adventures' options. A general pool, some 'role-specific' pools. Options, rather than restrictions.

--- Action economy and critical hits. The action economy seems to work well to remove some restrictions on movement and attacking. It also, in it's current form, allows for potentially super-lethal combat. I've never knocked out half a group of players with 4 goblins before. This one was key to our lack of enjoyment. Monsters with low hit points and high damage are not interesting in a narrative. Combat is short and deadly, even in some situations where it should not be at low level. The slime in the first area nearly knocked a character out.

--- The change from 'Race' to 'Ancestry' again advertised a way to make your dwarf unique and interesting. Instead we have situational options that lack any new flavor and options that were previously granted to any member of a race gated behind racial feats.

--- There are multiple threads already on the 'exploration' mode, so I'm going to keep this short - the transitional rules from combat to encounter mode being so strictly defined make for a far more 'game like' experience, rather than a seamless narrative.

--- Signature skills - from a narrative standpoint this is telling people what they can and cannot let their character concept be. This is also saying that a good general is not also likely to be a skilled negotiator. All kingdoms must send bards or rogues to negotiate for them at high level. That trusted knight can just sit and listen.

--- Resonance. Conceptually, the idea of removing the need to fill each slot with the best magic item is one we actually really liked.

The concept, however, was used as a tool to seemingly 'fix' something that is only broken if a GM allows it to be.

I would instead do something along these lines. Equally less popular with the spam crowd, but more engaging in a narrative game.

-Tie potions to constitution modifier. Current 'overspend' rules can still apply. You're drinking magic.
-Tie wands to the 'resonance pool' just like staves. No cost per use, but you can only have your casting modifier in 'spell items' bound per day. Staves and wands have casting modifier charges per day. The device has been optimized to power spells, but still needs a bit of your energy to work.
-Scrolls would tie to the casting modifier for the scroll, limiting the number used per day, same 'overspend' rules as currently exist. You are reading out words of overwhelming power.
-Remove the 'activation cost' from all items. Other items are simply bound. Including weapons. No 'pass the magic sword' during combat. Magic items should indeed be special, part of the magic being that a character has become comfortable with investing part of their energy into the item, or some similar narrative concept.
-The trick magic item feat would allow a character to 'invest' in a spell casting item, and use it as per the modifier that allowed them to 'trick' the item.

Before continuing on, understand that I actually like some of the concepts of the playtest. I even like the action economy - but it needs some gates. Three attacks at level one is bad for both players and npcs alike. Two spells in one round seems cool, until you realize that one of those spells has a duration of 1 round, and the other one is really not a spell, but your default attack roll as a caster. Casters are raising their shield and attacking. They don't get to move too, like the fighter, but the actual fundamental concept is the same. Why do the classes need to feel the same? That is EXACTLY why I refused to touch 4e D&D, and how Paizo landed a community of people that wanted to play a game where there were options for heroes that weren't all the same.

I understand this is a playtest, and I understand that the goal is to test some mechanics, however, the world feels like an old video game rather than a narrative story.

The first chapter of the playtest basically assumes that all of the creatures in every room are deaf to the sounds of combat in the other, otherwise silent stone rooms that fill this 'adventure'. Your perception rolls now force you to search only in a cone - the fog of war has become the loading screen for the players and npcs alike. Ambush? What ambush? You can't do that, because you always have to roll initiative, because taking a hostile action allows the players or npcs to become aware of your presence. You don't actually have to succeed at your hostile action, just take it. The arrow flew down the hallway - too bad, they know you are there now, no checks needed.

Rolling initiative is rolling initiative, even if you call it perception, but the way the system words the action for 'seek' you should totally have a penalty if you are rolling perception against creatures starting combat behind you, but what is the point of stealth, if it only helps the rogues? No one else acting first gets any benefit from being stealthed before combat starts.

Reading through the rest of the book, with scaling DCs for everyone, the players will never feel 'heroic' as they are going to be failing at things as often as they succeed, and for some reason everything will be getting stronger as they do. (Is Paizo working with Bethesda on the next Elder Scrolls game?)

Starting the dungeon.

Imagine your party doesn't roll particularly well on saving throws or perception in the first chamber. In round one, the first character into the chamber takes 1d6+1, 1d4, and 1d4 damage, and maybe even another 1d6+1 +1d4 as that second strike comes in at a +2 to hit. (so..14 damage on average if your GM rolls like I did last night) Even so, you manage to kill the low AC slime, get the individual healed up, and you think...okay, we have resources, we can move on.

Luckily for your party the goblins in the next room are SO FOCUSED! (I mean, what goblin isn't FOCUSED!) That they don't hear the sound of the filth wave or subsequent 6 seconds of spells and weapon blows, and thus do not prepare to ambush the players.

So, you get to roll initiative against the goblins, rather than having them all firing arrows at you when you bring a light source into the room that is filled with darkness...cause even that doesn't actually distract the goblins, the program did not include a reason for the goblins to roll a perception check here.

The goblins, being goblins, once engaged, are bastions of courage - they know that there are centipedes that will not attack them (why?) living in their den, but they won't run from the PCs to hide in there, nor will they run off to try and get more of their kin to come and assist with killing off those nasty longshanks - because...well, that part of the video game hasn't loaded yet, so just be quiet until we get there.

Then again, why would they need to? With three attacks at +6,+1,-4, why do they need to run? Why would they not be proud to stand there and fire off 3 arrows each at that guy standing there that doesn't look like he's wearing armor. With only a 12 AC, that first shot is going to be a critical hit on the roll of a 16, and the second shot has a better than 50% chance to hit.

Oh, so you say the goblins would never focus on a single enemy like that...well, that's okay, they switch it up...because that first attack still crits on an 18-20 against that guy with the big sword too.

Score one for the players - the creepy crawlies won't attack goblins or leave the room, so a wizard with the electric arc cantrip can just go ahead and stand in the entrance and zap them all to death. The embedded code in this video game does not account for hostile actions, they will not leave the room. Oh, look, party member a goblin? He can just go stab them all according to the program code, they won't attack him.

Mindfog Fungus -(don't get the next part wrong, I dug this little shroom) if you were ever wondering if your first level titan-mauler barbarian could kill your wizard - you have a decent chance of figuring this out in this encounter with a mostly inanimate object.

The fountain, the idol, and subsequent attack by two 'creature 1' demons. 'Creature 1' Despite having a 4th level spell, an at will 3rd level spell, and an action that can be used every round to heal themselves almost as well as an alchemist can spending one and a half to two resonance points. Also not accounting for the +7,+3,-1 (keeping in mind that the last attack has a 1 in 4 or better chance of hitting all of the party members that do not have a 16 ac) attack option. Never mind the idea that it can change shape into something that moves faster than any of the characters, with a better attack bonus and knockdown...if they don't simply decide to turn invisible, hit someone and fly away...and repeat this until everyone dies to the poison on their attacks. (This, played by someone who does not assume that the int +0 creatures are not in fact completely unaware of their own abilities, means the near instant death of whichever player happens to spawn the creatures, and likely, if the party is not at full health, a TPK.)

BUT! OUR PLAYERS HAVE PREVAILED! The demons are dead!

Fighting previously mentioned quasits is again somehow not loud enough to be heard in other chambers - the goblins are only aware of the PCs if they happen to trigger a trap in the hallway.

Since our PCs had a rogue, they've managed to bypass the alarm. But hey, those goblins sound distracted, so what is in this other chamber? Skeletons...wait...they aren't following us...queue anyone that can disrupt undead from outside the chamber...

Back to the goblins? Eh...they're still talking...let's bash open this door. Oops. Our cleric didn't notice that this was a pharasma trap, and the rogue didn't think to use stealth on a statue cause they forgot that being sneaky applies to finding things. Everyone takes 1d6 damage if they fail their save...once. You know...sand lingering for a minute...but...first level...so one time you choke, after that it isn't so bad.

Keep in mind that gagging on this is not loud enough to distract the goblins you've ignored, or the guy in the room over here because the monsters were not programmed to listen for these sounds.

The 'boss' of the goblins will continue to eat, and always be eating unless the PCs engage the boss only after not successfully opening a door on the first try or sneaking up from the other direction. Never mind that in order to successfully get to this point, the PCs may have gone back to the surface several times to rest and heal. The number of goblins in the chambers will not change, this particular meal has an endless supply of blood, so it's all good.

Fighting this guy though, that's not good. Those quasits were 'creature 1'. This guy, he's a 'creature 3' his attacks are at a +10,+5,+0 with his sword if he stands there and swings. He crits that monk there on a 16. Wants to use his claw instead? Eh, that second attack is a +6 instead, sure it does less damage, but at this point, he's grabbed that poor guy and is going to hit him one more time...now he's flat footed. That ac is a bit lower, so even though it's a +0 to hit, his target is now only a 13. Poor guy has just taken a minimum of 12 points of damage. If this guy didn't drop any of your players to 0 hp, you roll really poorly, or play your monsters a lot differently than I do. I assume the monsters actually don't WANT to die, but rather to live and continue their evil plans.

There are several feats in the advanced players guide that do not show up as 'monk feats' for the purpose of selecting them as part of the list of 'bonus feats' that a monk gets. Why would there not be additions to the list, some may require a specific level of monk before being able to be selected, but why weren't feats such as 'spider step', 'cloud step', and 'cockatrice strike' added as feats that a monk could select as part of their 'bonus' list. It seems like they would fit in nicely with the already listed feats in the core book. It is frustrating to see feats added to the list for fighters in each book, but not for monks.