Azih's page

Fair enough, the assumption that Taunt is supposed to be used every round is probably a mistake on my part.

It just feels more iconic a feature than Intercept Strike and I felt like I'd want to use it as much as possible like Hunt Prey or Flurry of Blows.

Now that I think about it.

As a Guardian it feels like both Taunt and Raise Shield are very regularly going to be a part of almost every turn of actions. Which means the Guardian is very regularly going to have only one action to do... anything else.

Combine that with Intercept Strike being a reaction that might be used every turn as well... isn't every Guardian ever going to do the same thing three quarters of the time?

⟳ Intercept Strike
◆ Taunt
◆ Raise Shield
◆ ??

Maybe combine Taunt with Raise Shield as a base feature? Maybe make Taunt a free action?

Basically ease up on the action economy.

I cosign the idea that both techniques should be a part of the base Taunt action. As is, if you guess what the enemy is going to do wrong the Technique becomes useless and that feels bad man, especially on a class feature that eats up an action each turn.

I see the problem about a lack of distinct playstyles though.

I like not having extra terms and there are other terms in the game that sometimes matter and sometimes don't. Anathemas provided by class have their own rules on what happens if they're violated anyway (Barbarian Anathemas are easier to overcome than Champion for example) and it's easy to see that if there are no rules then there's no mechanical repercussion.

It's like alignment was everywhere but only some classes cared mechanically. Anathemas are similar.

A dwarf who violates their anathema gets to feel bad about it, like a LG Fighter who does something CN in a fit.

Thanks for the response. Man I hope you guys get Alchemist squared away once and for all lol.

And I'll throw in I'd also really like the Witch to be primal and occult only but be able to dip into divine and arcane spells though their patron!

The Champion Reaction should be tied to their chosen Anathema as their subclass package.

Oracle, no notes.

Backseat designer... OUT!

Apologies if this has been asked but is there any plan for the four remastered classes to be playtested before publication? Or even other remastered rules in general?

It is incredibly unlikely that they will use Virtue/Sin.

It sounds neat on the surface, but some of us can still remember the Satanic Panic and Mothers Against Dungeons and Dragons and being targeted for playing that one game that the OGL came from.

Use those two terms and they *will* come back, and in the current political climate they will come back with a vengeance.

Considering rune lords and sin fueled magic are some of the founding text of the setting I do not think this is a concern of paizo's.

Not much is changing but alignment is one of the biggest things that is is the message I've seen consistently repeated.

Then there are four classes that seem to be getting the 'unchained' treatment... Witch, alchemist, oracle, and champion.

I like alignments and dislike ability scores so it evens out to me lol.

But really I started with pf1e and had no problem moving to all the changes in pf2e and don't think I'll have any trouble with moving to pf2orce. I'm always up for good changes and it seems like the need to get away from the OGL has accelerated the move away from dand tropes that paizo has honestly always been in the process of.

What I am amazed by though is how paizo never does anything easy! It would have been easy to just tweak a few things in the move to ORC. But the company decides to change the entire core publishing model!

I also really like rethinking some of paizo's own sacred cows. Giant core rule book is frankly one of the things that defines paizo and to rethink that based on feedback from the wider community is really forward thinking and frankly laudable to revisit such a fundamental decision!

Long term campaign and character progression are hallmarks of pf2e after all.

Pipe dream I know but it's not impossible.

Project black flag and mcdm rpg also would want to maintain momentum for their own upcoming games. I hope the non dnd publishers can coordinate to keep all of the alternatives in the news cycle.

To be fair, another way capitalism can get a person is by making them responsible for the livelihood of dozens of people and the only way to keep those paychecks coming is by acting capitalist.

Honestly we shouldn't wonder why Chelaxians think dealing with the forces of hell is an acceptable way of daily life.

I'm not saying the dialogues are scripted word for word, but the general plot development and decisions of the party and such things.

maybe but that's not much different then running a paizo AP, or any published adventure.

1.0a makes it impossible for them to make onednd compatible with 5e AND get a monopoly on onednd digital play. Their solution is to kill 1.0a. It's bone headed.

It's a PR move from wotc to justify killing 1.0a. It's the big bad nfts and hate content that 1.0a allows that needs to be blocked.

I'm neutral on morality clauses since Product Identity and Trademarks provide a lot of distance between the licensor and the licensees.

Only thing I can suggest is to have a basic ORC 1.0 and an ORC 1.0 (Content) or something that adds a content morality clause for publishers that want stronger control over revoking their work.

Certainly don't want things to get as complicated as Creative Commons is, but maybe these two versions would cover most scenarios.

Kryzbyn wrote:

Yeah, they played PF1E prior to Critical Role, but switched to 5E for "brand recognition" reasons. Hence why Percy is a gunslinger, when none existed in 5E at the time...they homebrewed it.

There is that plus the fact that for audiences it is WAY better to eschew as much of the fiddling with sheets, checking numbers, referencing specific rules, and rolling dice when you're putting on what is essentially an improv show that has underlying randomization elements to it.

Undoubtedly, 5e is way easier to film than PF1 or even PF2 for that matter.

I mean you can play fast and loose with PF2 as well, it'd just take an incredibly good GM that takes on the burden of keeping things consistent while the players agree not to get too crazy. Heck in some ways it's easier since you there is clear guidance on creating DCs on the fly.

And the trickier elements of complicated hazards and all kinds of difficult terrain etc are optional and not the best idea for an entertainment show that shouldn't bog down.

And the question is if they only care about the 5.1 SRD, OR if all the other stuff released under the OGL including the 3.5 SRD is also 'deauthorized' in their view.

Yeah not to be a real Debbie downer but Ukrainians have dubbed Russian invaders to be Orcs and this branding will probably be offensive in that part of the world.

I was wrong the cc license doesn't cover classes in the latest wotc proposal

The sections of the 5E crd covered by 1.2 doesn't even have classes lol.

I find it slightly creepy wotc is using exactly the examples of magic missiles and owlbears that I am wondering about lol

From my NOT A LAWYER understanding.

Mechanics can't be copyrighted but Expressions of mechanics can be and the line between them can only be determined on a case by case basis in a court of law which is just really expensive. Stuff like the OGL means nobody has to worry about that line and even just go ahead and copy/paste the Drow mechanics.

Depictions aren't mechanics, which is why Paizo can come after you for selling images of wedge headed kobolds and football headed goblins.

Owlbears and magic missiles are the kind of names I have a question on. I know 'force missile' has been used on non ogl works just to try and get away from magic missile.

Azih wrote:

Paizo's method of detailed responses going into the specifics of a playtest and feedback is the only way to show transparency.

Even that isn't perfect. Survey results - especially multiple choice questions - can be misinterpreted. And having one or two people reading through thousands of free-form response fields is not practical.

I think that is part of what happened with the PF2 Witch class and why it currently isn't well received.

Oh yeah, plus paizo's method only self selects for the most dedicated fans to even get responses from. It's far far from perfect but there's only so much a publication company can be expected to do and I don't see any way to reasonably improve on Paizo's model.

Paizo's method of detailed responses going into the specifics of a playtest and feedback is the only way to show transparency.

I'm really happy about how things are going. I really hope the ORC is a worthy successor to the OGL and easier to use. I'd also like ORC publishers to big up each other even as they compete.

The open gaming foundation never really did anything as wotc disliked the OGL. There's an opportunity for a very different and collegial approach with ORC.

Because this one is focused around the new games announced and how those games and their publishers can work with Paizo and pathfinder 2e in what seems to be an emerging post ogl reality. That's a focused topic that I'm very interested in discussing.

There are a lot of rpgs out there nowadays but I think what's new right now is all the notd&d systems that are coming which is where pathfinder made its mark originally.

Level up 5e from enworld is already in the 5.x space and now there's kobold press black flag and mcdm and whatever critical role might do.

Third parties have a hard time supporting multiple systems tough so that drives towards consolidation. But 5e has such a large share that there's plenty of bites to go around for smaller companies to chew into from multiple directions.

I would hope all these companies can work together to prevent what happened to the OGL from happening again.

So with kobold press and mcdm and others all seeming to be wanting to create their own games to escape WOTC it seems like the possibility of a mass migration to pf2e is not going to happen.

Which is honestly fine despite my paizo fandom.

I'm hoping though that all these publishers and paizo can work together to publish under the same common license at the very least. Maybe everyone can work together to publish some general guidelines on how to convert between the systems as well.

If I was them I'd pay some designers and developers to make a new system entirely that they control.

If paizo makes pathfinder 3 under a license that actually is open then maybe. But it has to be community controlled, not owned by paizo. The problem with 1.0a is that it is owned by a company that obviously hates it,who can say what would happen to paizo in the future?

Hasbro has proven to be an unreliable steward of the OGL and honestly it is a bit of a clunky license anyway is why I'd prefer to jump to a pgl of some sort.

But yeah 1.0a needs to be protected even if just to maintain the decades of works created under it.

Honestly I'd be willing to back a “Free the golem from the oggle monster" crowfund campaign so paizo can concentrate on publishing a pf 2.Free update stripped of the last remaining d&disms and under a paizo specific open license.

As a side benefit maybe the onerous section 15 requirements can be streamlined for third parties.

The union is the only thing keeping me going here, not gonna lie.

My opinion on these two gentlemen will rest entirely on if they bargain in good faith with UPW.

Part of that is going to be financial transparency with the UPW.

I fully sympathize with the homophobia Jeff has experienced but it's a tone deaf start for him to not recognize he doesn't know the experience of being a person of color. Which was the point of the question.

Both management and the union want Paizo to survive and thrive. I really hope the new leaders, who did not face any public competition for their shiny new titles and new executive powers, don't hold the opinion the sentiment is exclusive to management.

Time to make some union shop purchases! Please put a union sticker on your next books!

Myself and all my aliases support UPW. Honestly this is a win for upper management if they voluntarily recognize the union. The month of bad press will turn into years of positive feelings as pioneers of worker rights in ttrpgs.

I truly believe they are listening to fans and workers as they have said and so... Here we are speaking loud and clear!

Rather than going to another system. The creative staff that makes the game what it is can continue to use the same rules and fork off of them really easily.

From what I can see the system does an excellent job of making clear how to slot in rules for a new setting by being so modular. It's made very clear what elements are needed to create a new diety for example, and it's similarly clear how to create ancestries, backgrounds, and archetypes that are region specific.

I love Golarion and the beautiful art and layout paizos resources are able to provide. But not enough to put up with abusive management from a Corp causing stress to staff. Notarcadia western setting using the pf2 SRD rules would do.

And I realize I don't have the full picture, but I have no hesitation in choosing who I trust more between Sara Marie and Diego as opposed to those that caused them to no longer be employed at paizo and it's... Not... Close.

This is a thought experiment more than anything else. Really what I'm pointing out is that I care far more about talented, creative, and dedicated people than companies.

Basically I would follow what someone like a Louis Loza, or Eleanor Ferron, or Logan Bonner would do in the future with far more interest than Paizo Inc.

Paizo management cannot do anything to actively support the game. It's the creative, admin, and warehouse staff that does it and what if they decide to... Continue doing it just not for paizo management anymore?

Of course logistics is very hard to overcome, but creative output? That can be redirected with very little barrier.

Paizo must be aware the OGL makes it real easy for people to just yoink pf2 like paizo yoinked d&d 3.5.

Heck it doesn't even have to be pf 2.5,it could be pf 2.01, I love the rules so much.

Which leads me to speculate how much the company is committed to allegedly abusive and absolutely not worker friendly management... The game rules are there for anybody to just take after all. Why risk it?

Paizo has pivoted before and I trust they're smart enough to pivot again.

I'll be frank. The revelations that followed the firing from Twitter makes me think very deeply about continuing to support Paizo in the future.

That was Azih btw. damn aliases!

Forgot how long it takes to build a pathfinder character! Hope to be done by Monday. Skills are going to take the longest time.. I've got to tell you guys, I'm ready for 2e.

Anyways, elfchemist's got infusions so any suggestions for formulas?

Ok, the concept is kinda coming together. Picking Elf. It's a pretty min/max choice but it leads to an interesting backstory.

Elfchemist (name to be determined) was abandoned as a baby in... Kintargo. Probably by elf parents who would have been scandalized by their tryst when they returned to Kyonin. As such he was raised in a human orphanage which is kinda stressful for an elf baby. He's 'only' 115 years old so a very young adult but he's seen multiple generations come and go. He's adapted as well as possible but has become a pretty distracted person who only really focuses on getting by. That means money and he's become a very accomplished alchemist after spending the earlier part of their childhood learning how to survive in the city.

Kintargo is a good place to be an oddity though and he gets along pretty well with half-elves more than any other group.

He doesn't like the new regime at all and so charged some resistance group a little less then market value to supply them with alchemical equipment. He really resented being forced to supply the forces of the new regime at less then cost and so, in a fit of spite, sabatoged some of what he gave them and that landed him in jail.

He's going to be a straight up alchemist gestalted with three levels of urban ranger. He's traded away all the standard elf racial traits with Urbanite,Crossbow Training, and Silent Hunter.

How does it sound?

Hey Guys, I'm one of the invitees. I'm thinking of a bit of an irreverent alchemist/merchant if that fits the group! Focusing on handing out elixirs and throwing bombs.

Basically he would have been a supplier for a resistance group because they paid well but only came to the inquisition's attention when he was required to send supplies to support the new regime's soldiers and sent them... defective... potions out of pique.

Edit: Any fun things like Automatic Bonus Progression or Feat Tax reduction house rules I should be aware of?

I'd allow a Scan for Technology option with a Computers check by anyone. Wireless Hack would give a +5 bonus on the skill.

I'll post tomorrow hopefully.

Question on the battle moons, do they protect themselves or can they strike the planet?

I think it might be good to have some 'test runs' of how combats will be resolved to get a good idea of what the IG would do in similar future situations.

Maybe we can come up with some 'historical scenarios' for the sector and then see how our deployments would fare? That would inform the historical knowledge the IG will bring forward.

Well it would depend on the situation but the Guard does try and outnumber the foe but I think it would take a heck of a fight for the IG to commit most of these to any one theatre, right?

In most cases the Guard expects each planet's PDF to take care of things. These special forces are only brought to bear when needed. Otherwise most of them are stationed in high value places to buttress the PDF so they're not just sitting around wasting time.

Since the IG in the area shifted to being more armor reliant the typical mix of units usually has an equal amount of Infantry and Mechanized Infantry with a good amount of Armor presence as well. Special units are assigned as needed depending on the situation on the ground. Super Heavies are usually only deployed when absolutely needed though when things are relatively stable the IK Households agitate to be deployed even in situations where they're not strictly required. Before the problems on Cirillo Prime and then the Great Rift the sector was comparatively tame so there were a lot of situations when the Knights were sent out more for show and a quicker resolution than anything else.