Brainiac58's page

I really like this approach to multiclassing. It's a very elegant and flexible system that can be easily expanded.

As a GM, the redesign of monsters has me very excited. They look like they will be much easier to play, adjust, and create. i know some GM's love spending hours creating monsters from the bottom up but I'd rather devote more time to story development.

Definitely the modular character customization. One reason why I didn't convert to 5e was that every Fighter played the same. I've always liked Pathfinder's "here's a bunch of options, dig through them and build the character you want" approach. I want a simpler version of that where you don't have to have a billion feats to do one cool thing.

I agree with Harveyopolis. I and my gaming group have stuck with Pathfinder due to the vast array of character options. You could have a group of 6 fighters and they could all be thematically and mechanically very different because of archetypes, skills and feats. In Pathfinder, if you can dream up a fun character concept, you can build it. There's a character class and/or archetype for just about any concept you could want to play.

I figure that without some kind of hard limit, the sword that shoots fire is going to be a big enough problem that you wouldn't give one to the party. Now, you might.

I agree with PossibleCabbage. Many magic items with abilities such as firing a ray of fire, would likely have a limit in the existing system in the form of charges or uses per day. Resonance plays the same role (in a more elegant and player focused manner in my opinion).

Great interview. It made me much more comfortable with the switch from 1e to 2e. These two points were the biggest for me:

They intend to make PF2 Characters extremely customize-able and crunchy, not a dumbed down system at all for PCs. I know it'll take a few years to build up to all the classes and races in 1e, but I'm willing to collect the 2e books until they reach the critical mass of class and race variety that my group likes. My group can keep enjoying 1e until 2e catches up.

Simple Monster Creation aimed at hitting similar stat ranges as PCs, unlike Starfinder's different balance for NPCs / Enemies. As our group's GM, this is huge for me. Anything that makes customizing monsters or building unique monsters easier is good news in my book

I want to thank all the community members who have experience with 5E and who are posting in this thread. I've been playing Pathfinder for years but stopped playing D&D when they moved to 4th edition. I'm intrigued with what has been posted about 5E. It seems like it is a significant commercial hit and based on the comments in this thread I can see why. I think this thread could be really valuable to Paizo. They have an "Apple" moment here. By that I mean they can iterate on existing products and make a superior product (i.e. blackberry to iPhone). If they can take the strengths of D&D 5e (sounds like most of them are built around player accessibility, easier to use rules, and easier NPC/monster creation) and the strengths of Pathfinder 1E (Player customization through many class and race options, archetypes, a rich campaign world with tons of existing support, etc.) and combine them to make a superior product, this could really be great. I am slowly becoming more excited about Pathfinder 2E.

My guess is that the patches we got to the Shifter and oozemorph are all we're going to get. I wouldn't be surprised if Pathfinder 2e and Starfinder supersede any significant support for the shifter.

..., and a global pool of do-cool-stuff-points.

Can I put in my vote for a class with a "do-cool-stuff" pool that drives class abilities. I don't care what the class is, as long as they have a pool of points with this specific title ;)

I like to see a do over with the Shifter to make it a true martial master of shapeshifting. Being restricted to the core classes plus alchemist is the biggest hurdle for my group in terms of 2e. How fast they introduce all of the other classes will have a big impact on whether we make the move anytime soon.

Hythlodeus wrote:

I've yet to see a good reason why that step was necessary at all. "People nowadays are too stupid to understand the PF rules" can't be it

Its to sell people a whole new set of books they already own.

That seems like a harsh assessment to me. I believe that the Paizo staff love RPGing as much as we in their community do. It's obvious when you see the quality of the products they have given us over 10 years. Also, taking steps to ensure the long-term viability of your product isn't greed, it's sound business practices. As an older GM bringing a new generation of young people into the game, I see great potential in a more streamlined, easier to use rule system. I listened to the GPC podcast (love the GPC crew!) and I didn't get any sense that the rules were "dumbed down". I really liked the streamlined action system and just from that brief exposure found it much easier to grasp than the current system of move actions, free actions, swift actions, etc. My big concern is that it will take years to roll out updated versions of all the classes and that this will slow adoption of the new rules for GMs and players like me who really love the massive variety that Pathfinder 1e provided.

Of all the things about 2e, this statement has me the most nervous:

"As the new edition of Pathfinder develops, most of your favorite classes, archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items will find a home somewhere in the game."

One of my favorite draws to Pathfinder IS the huge variety of classes and archetypes. Vigilante is one of my favorite classes, specifically a certain archetype of Vigilante; with the uncertain nature of what classes will be rolled out and when in 2e, I could hypothetically be waiting nearly ten years to play that class...if at all. We are flipping a coin to see what classes get an official 2e release, flipping another coin to see what archetypes get an official release, and yet flipping a third for what point of the edition's life cycle that it will be released.

That's a whole lot of coin flips just to reach the status-quo. Last thing I want to do is shell out the big bucks investing in an edition that may or may not even have the classes and archetypes I play.

You’ve nailed one of my two concerns. My favorite part of Pathfinder is the immense diversity of classes. My players also immensely enjoy the wide range of class options. In my opinion, this is a strength that has helped differentiate Pathfinder from the esteemed competition. Whether my group and I switch to PF2e will depend on how quickly the other classes are reintroduced. Hopefully they will come out quickly as the heavy lifting of creating the class has already been done. I’m hoping they come out with class books that include classes of a similar theme together (martial, arcane casters, nature based, etc) to give us access to all the classes faster rather than sprinkle them across other books over years and years.

I just hope there will be no need for six new bestiaries, and that we can easily use the present ones with PF2E. I'm not looking forward for books filled with the same creatures, just with different rules...

I'm also hoping that we can quickly get our favorite classes, like the base classes or the occult classes. It would be a shame if we needed to wait for years to use those classes, and when we finally get to them, we would be seeing the same concepts merely reinvented in new rules...

I second hoping to see all the classes converted quickly. The huge range of classes is one of my favorite aspects of Pathfinder.

I too was frustrated back when WotC jumped from 3.5 to 4th edition. I went with pathfinder because I could still use my 3.5 library (and still do). That being said, Paizo has given my friends and I a decade of great gaming experiences and their products have been top notch. I don't believe for a minute that this is a cash grab to get loyal fans to buy remastered books. I just listened to the Glass Cannon Podcast crew playing under the playtest rules and Jason was able to convert a first edition Pathfinder module on the fly. That answered my question as to whether I can integrate the many Pathfinder books I have with the new rule set. I'm also excited because my gaming group is growing with new players including my 10-year old daughter and my niece and nephew joining. The existing rules are great but have a pretty steep learning curve. A streamlined rule set could be a big plus. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

Dragon78 wrote:

Yeah, I wish the shifter was formatted in the book like the monk(unarmed strike/AC bonuses) with claw and AC bonuses on the chart progression and not listed in the special abilities.

But then it would be obvious how many dead levels the shifter actually has.

I know I'm a broken record, but I agree. Even adding bonus feats would be great.

Jason or other development team members - if you're checking in on this thread would it be possible to get a brief update as to whether further changes to the Shifter are in development or is the class "done" in Paizo's eyes (with the understanding that all classes are open to adjustments/clarifications in the future as the game evolves and questions arise)? I'm not trying to be rude in any way but such an update would let all of us posting ideas and opinions know whether we are spinning our wheels at this point or whether we should continue posting ideas. Thanks for your work on the class and for considering the input the community has been providing.

I'm still disappointed there's no Dragon shifter

I second that! I'd really like to see a dragon shifter archetype to go along with the fiendish shifter.

In terms of the Shifter's shape changing ability, I don't have a problem with the current wildshape and 5 aspects if what you're going for is a chimeric shapeshifter theme. The traditional chimera is often a combination of 3-5 animals. The shifter could be improved by making it a true chimeric shapeshifter. By true I mean that it can in some way, shape, or form, combine it's greater aspects to some degree in a chimeric animal shape.

This would make the shifter's shapechanging even more different than a druid. A druid can shape into more creatures but can't combine any of these animals into a chimeric form. That could be a way to further differentiate the shifter's shapechanging talent from the druid and make the shifter better at an aspect of shapechanging than any other class.

Graystone's idea of using one of the greater aspect as the base and swapping abilities would seem to be a simple change to greater chimeric aspect. It could be changed so that you can use it as currently written with your minor aspects being combined, or you could swap specific parts of two major aspects (and not combining the minor aspects). The number of major aspects you could draw from for the swapping could increase to three at a later level and maybe all five at level 19 or 20. It could be restricted to swapping a movement for a movement, a sense for a sense, an attack for an attack. I'm definitely not a class designer so I'm sure there are problems with this swapping mechanic. The key point for me is that making the shifter a true chimeric shapeshifter at higher levels would really make the class more exciting and fun.

Player Killer wrote:

At the risk of sounding ignorant, what is the difference between a scaling level and a "regular" level and their relation to the current dead levels in the shifter. I don't understand and haven't encountered those terms before.

Basically while not truly 'dead' in the traditional sense, a level where you gain +1 damage with claws or +1 AC still isn't very exciting.

People started bringing it up because classes like the Monk put their scaling bonuses in a separate column and if you do that to the Shifter there's a ton of empty space.

Thanks for the example using the Monk, Swoosh. That makes much more sense to me now.

Player Killer wrote:

At the risk of sounding ignorant, what is the difference between a scaling level and a "regular" level and their relation to the current dead levels in the shifter. I don't understand and haven't encountered those terms before.

So from where I sit the most exciting level ups are when you get to pick something- a new arcana, a new revelation, a new discovery, etc. Less exciting than that but still good are when you get a new ability that is forced by a previous choice (e.g. bloodline powers, domain powers) or baked into the class (new deeds, a paladin's auras, etc.)

At the very bottom of the list of "exciting level-ups" are those where all you get is an incremental bonus to an ability you already have. Particularly late in the Shifter's career, (going off the book version here) they have a bunch of levels (6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19) where the only things you get are some combination of: another use of Wild Shape, an increase in your AC bonus, or your claws improve.

Of those three things the first was eliminated through errata (creating completely dead levels which were later filled) but the latter two just aren't very exciting. I mean, the unchained monk gets scaling unarmed strike damage and a scaling AC boost that increments, it's just that the Unchained Monk gets ki powers every other level and style strikes every fourth level, with bonus feats and other class features sprinkled in.

Thanks for explaining scaling levels PossibleCabbage :)

Okay, so Sara asks politely and respectfully to dial it back a bit and the response is... to turn it UP a few notches?

Seriously, WTF, folks?

This thread was going forward with mostly positive suggestions and ideas as well as thoughts to make things work better, and now we're back to trying to death-spiral it into being locked?

Some of us are frustrated, some of us are glad that we're seeing changes, we don't need the hyperbole.

Let's work together, keep the positive ideas coming, and back off the rhetoric a bit, okay? Eesh.

Let's make this better, come up with positive solutions that can do that, rather than trying to chase other routes, please?

100% agreed Wei Ji the Learner! The developers are working to make the shifter better and there have been some really great suggestions and analyses to inform improvements. Let's keep it up and reinforce the developer's willingness to incorporate our feedback (something not all companies are even interested in doing).

It was a small portion of the overall book. I don't think I've heard complaints about the rest of it so that might be a bit excessive granted most people myself included bought it for that part specifically. I'll be satisfied if they do a good fix, and they are motivated to do so because paizo material builds on itself. so they do that book down the line that has more shifter archetypes etc then if they want you to buy it they need to fix the shifter first. Plus they said they are looking into it. I'll take their word on that.

I'm with you Vidmaster. They said that they are listening to feedback and more importantly, their actions reflect that they are. They have updated the main class twice and the oozemorph once (which I personally appreciate very much). Paizo doesn't have a single class that I'm aware that has dead levels and the shifter currently has four. That tells me that more adjustments are coming if only to fill those levels and ensure that the shifter is consistent with the other classes in that way. If I remember correctly, dead levels were an artifact of 3.0/3.5 D&D and Paizo eliminating them was a big positive change from D&D to Pathfinder. I don't see them moving backwards on such a basic design philosophy.

I personally like the class and my daughter can't wait to play one once the final version is available in Hero Lab. As Vidmaster alluded to, the class has great potential for customization through the creation of new aspects. I'm hoping the class is officially "locked down" (by that I mean the developer/writer letting us know that no further significant changes are likely to be forthcoming) so 3PPs can start cranking out new aspect options to play with.

Hi! I'm starting the RotRL campaign Saturday and I'm looking for ideas on chaotic, idiotic, and gross actions that goblins could be doing during the attack on Sandpoint. I want to construct a table where I can roll random goblin shenanigans as my players and running around trying to fend off the little monsters. I'm putting in the suggestions from the AP but could use as many ideas as I can get from this creative community.

I just backed this amazing looking project at the PDF/hardcover level. This is exactly what my Pathfinder campaigns have needed. I can see this becoming the default starting city for all of my future campaigns. The artwork looks amazing! I hope we get some of the awesome add-ons unlocked over the next seven days!

This sounds awesome! It's a concept I've played with a bit in my campaigns but this sounds like it does the concept of sentient spells justice. I can't wait to get it and throw some crazy living spells at my players.

I'm always looking for player options. If any of the new classes have abilities like magus arcana or similar, then additional options to choose from are always on my buy list. Feats are always great. Gear/weapons and monsters round out the categories of 3pps that I buy most often. Space ship options could be cool as well. So I guess what I'm saying is if RGG is selling it, I'm buying it lol.

Another book I would drop coin on immediately would be a Pathfinder version of the third edition Savage Species book. That would be awesome to have the option to play monsters as characters and advance in either monster or character class levels.

Would like a campaign setting book for the rest of the Kaiju

That would be cool! How about Pathfinder versions of Jaegers!

Endzeitgeist- Thanks for the review and the kind words about It Came from the Stars. I was one of the designers (John Pingo) and had never worked on a project like this before. I've developed tons of homebrew stuff over the years for my D&D and then Pathfinder campaigns but working on an actual project like this was something else entirely. I have a new perspective on developers and professional creative writers (and alot of respect for their talent!). I personally am really happy with the final product and am glad people are enjoying it. It was a great experience and I can think of no better capstone to it than a 5-star review by Endzeitgeist!

Shadowlands broke the $20k mark! One of the developers posted a very interesting description of where Shadowlands lies on the Kardashev Scale. Some very cool stuff! If you're looking for a post apocalyptic Pathfinder setting with some hard sci-fi thinking thrown in then stop reading and go back this project!

Very cool End! My one stop site to figure out what 3pps to buy!

For years now, I've been asking for a Savage Species-style book covering monster advancement and the like; it seems like instead of creating such a bestiary toolbox book, we're getting bits and pieces of such material into odd places like the Player Companion line.

Please stop doing that. If we're going to have material about actual monsters, make it in an actual monster book. Call it the Bestiary Toolbox or Ultimate Monsters or the Advanced Bestiary (yeah, I know that name's taken ... but it was such an awesome book :) and put no actual monsters in it, just all these alternate abilities and feats and templates and the like - and stop making it look like only certain races, monsters etc. can do certain things. .

I would shell out good coin for a Pathfinder version of Savage Species!

Hi all- Here is version 3 of the non-caster electus variant. LBM - I hope you don't mind but I really liked the moment of greatness and inspiration concepts you developed and included versions of those abilities in this Electus draft. I also reworked the background of the electus to try and explain why they are called the chosen. I did some cleanup work on tempers as well. I'm not happy with the capstone ability and will be working out a new one this weekend. Any suggestions? I look forward to everyone's comments.

Go to Electus Non-Caster Variant v3.

Player Killer, as the initial creator of the Electus I must say that I am enjoying your suggestions. Well done and keep them up.

Thanks Arcanemuses! I've arrived late to the electus party and don't want to just butt in so that means alot :) It is a very cool class that fills a niche that I haven't seen filled by any other class.

These are some very cool ideas. If any 3PP are dipping into this thread, I would buy a pdf full of nothing but cool adventure hooks and campaign seeds. Maybe some of the posters on this thread should develop such a product :)

They and Rite publishing are the two third party publishers I buy from most frequently. I have found their products to be well balanced, creative, and most important to me...fun!

I would definitely recommend their products.

My wish list would include more Lovecraftian creatures, such as the Night Gaunt, and the creatures from the Carrion Crown AP. Some new alien beasties from other planets in the solar system would be fun.