Agreed on the "way too much..." influence encounters bandwagon. Some are simply too long and the game devolves into...just tell me what to roll so we can move on... we've been short cutting them lately and cringe when the judge mentions the next dinner party event.
I generally like the changes. I run for a lot of kids and teenagers and sometimes forced to change subtle points in the story and it's nice to know these are encouraged. The game is about fun and not real life culture or politics.
I just happened to come across this as I was looking for Gencon info (which is sold out)...prior to covid, I did lots of in-person games. After, they seem to be few and far between for pathfinder (I'm west of Chicago). My son is just starting to get into the game and we've been forced into more D&D sessions because there seems to be plenty of those in person. Online play is just like another screen game to me and I'm steering my kids away from that.
Having friends that like 5E and don't like 5E, it seems to me to be pretty simple: 5e is a more focused story teller version and with that, If power level is relatively low and equal, the game management is fairly simple. In PF, the variation is quite broad for someone that uses all of the books / builds / combinations and sits down at a table with just a core book built character. This can make it very difficult for a GM to balance combats or even role play encounters. Now going from PF to 5e, I can certainly see the comments of boring, dull and lacking detail...it's to be made up in the overall story telling aspect and "working" the game and the judge with imagination as opposed to rules structures. Yes, it seems, at least to me, they are very different.
I like to rule that casting detect magic counts as interacting with an illusion. (Not my own original idea.) I think the above is the way I would play it... The caster is using an effect to interact with the illusion.
So everytime he casts detect magic, roll or make him roll a will save. If he fails, it looks like whatever the illusion is supposed to be. He could do the same with Open/Close and interact with the door chect openable item.
Personally, I never really viewed any of the summons spells to actually be like a traditional conjuring. The spell creates a generic materialistic version of that creature for rules purposes for a very short duration. The creature does exactly what you say, it has no opinions, no morals, its really just a semi physical manifestation; you tell the archon to be bad, he's bad. You tell the devil to go help some children; he does.. It can't teleport or move dimensionally. Really, a level 1 pulling a creature through the planes just seems a bit overpowered. If you gave the creature an item, and he kept it until the spells duration, could you locate that exact fiendish creature on some alternate plane? I'd think not. Planar allies and calling spells are very different...and should be treated as such. Having names and doing that stuff should have discriptors. Basic summons are kinda meh. IMHO
Yep no extra attacks but you can add a shield and a 2 handed weapon...nice armor buff.
I'm playing a similar build fighter 1 / Alchemist 4 at the moment and it's a very good front line fight. 2 handed reach weapon, shield and combat reflexes. Also take grenadier path and apply various alchemical weapon buffs to your melee attacks. I made a tiefling...which is no ordinary tiefling...bite, wings and a mess of arms.
hmmm... Assuming I had the feat ...Dorn-Dergar Master(Combat)
I assume I could use a Large sized Dorn Derger with the -2 in 2 hands? |
