I signed up for two playtest scenarios (one at 1st level and one at 5th), so I had to make some PCs.
My first one, a 1st level Human Cleric of Gorum, took forever. I had to gut through four different sittings in order to finish and make sure I had everything correct.
Observations:
1) You have to fix the layout. Put Domain powers in the cleric section. Put the Deities section containing the Anathemas in the cleric section.
2) Clerics of Gorum might be unplayable in PFS because part of their anathema is “prevent conflicts through negotiation”.
3) When I finished, I felt a little tingle of what I dare say is excitement to try this guy out. (But the setting feels much more “low magic” than before.)
Second guy, a 5th level Human Cavalier, took much less time. I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it.
Observations:
1) Was going to make him a half-orc, but too prohibitive. I thinks its dumb half-orcs don’t get Darkvision until 5. Makes no sense RP-wise. Make Darkvision one of the half-orc choices at 1.
2) Put the animal companion section and archetype section right after the classes, so you don’t have to flip back and forth.
3) Too many things with the “feat” name. I prefer “talents”, “discoveries”, “powers”, etc. (I listened to the podcast about why you went with feat but it jumbles things.)
4) I’m even more excited with this PC. I want to try mounted combat (but Animal Companions are very underpowered).
I will give another update after I play, but my big take away:
→ Keep trying and make that first character, it will start to come together and you might actually get excited to play it. Get your mind right for a low powered, low magic game and I think your inner gamer will want to rise to the challenge. I’m shocked that I’m looking forward to playing. I'm no Paizo shill, so if my experience sucks I will say so, but I'm starting to see some possibility here.
I do stand corrected on mounted combat. I just read under the Horse entry of animal companions that if you move and attack while mounted you get to add +1 per damage dice rolled. It still might not be worth it but that is something for those of us who like mounted combat.
I’d like to push back at the notion that the 3.5 model or chassis was no longer viable financially or mechanically.
I would say the biggest problem from PS1 was the bloat and power creep. The introduction of a new version would fix that automatically by wiping the slate clean from all the splat that had accumulated. (The same way PS1 did with 3.5).
Then in my PS2=3.8 version of Pathfinder you build upon the innovations and successes you have had over the last 10 years while also correcting and clarifying some problem areas.
Like…
1) You have 20 Core classes instead of 11 or 12 including Alchemist, Inquisitor, and Oracle. (I could give you the rest of my list but I think these are widely accepted as great designs.) These classes are real improvements to 3.5 that have forever improved the game.
2) The Hunter spontaneous casting of Druid spells. I wouldn’t have the Hunter class in my 20, but I would have Nature Oracles cast spontaneously from the Druid spell list.
3) The Bloodrager Caster Level paradigm for classes that don’t get spells at 1st level (if I had any within the new edition). CL should equal level of the casting class.
4) Each character begins with a Teamwork feat and gains a new one at 7th. (I feel like they never got to cultivate the full potential of Teamwork feats.) And each character gets Skill focus in one skill at 3rd and 9th level.
5) All spells continue to scale when possible. All spells work off of the casting stat of the spell caster. (Oracles use charisma for Spiritual Weapon etc.)
6) No more dipping Paladin for Divine Grace. Change the wording to be something like the Duelist Canny Defense ability. (You may add 1 point of your Charisma bonus per Paladin level to your saves. Or 1 point per 2 levels.)
7) No more 6 arrows in 6 seconds. Manyshot is a standard to shoot 2 arrows at 2 separate targets and is available at 1st level. (This is more thematic anyway. The only reason to put 2 arrows on at one time is to split them.) Rapid shot doesn’t stack with Haste. But I would add more trick shot feats for archery to counterbalance the power loss. (And arrows overcome DR the way they used to, arrow from a +5 Bow overcomes alignment DR.)
8) No stacking bonuses. You get the highest one available (except for Bards whose Inspire Courage stacks with the highest bonus available.)
9) Spirited Charge isn’t available till 9th level and Lances deal double damage on a Spirited Charge like everything else. Horse Animal Companion/Mounts hooves are no longer secondary attacks, so that your Mount is at least on par with the abilities of the Heavy Horse you can buy.
10) Spears can be used one-handed.
11) Etc.
These aren’t supposed to be great ideas, they are meant to show that you could continue to build on the successes of the 3.5 model and improve the game through common sense corrections and clarifications. I think people would buy that kind of PF.
There is absolutely a strength rogue option. The very first Class Feat on the rogue list, Bludgeoner, lets you use Sneak Attack with one-handed clubs and maces without the finesse trait. Amd you Slow the target when you crit with such a weapon, which is pretty rad too.
Thank you for pointing that out, however, allowing you to use a one-handed club is hardly the makings of a strength rogue.
That's probably a bit dramatic, but it is a clickbait world. :)
Likes:
More dice rolling on damage, less static damage
Backgrounds feel better roleplay-wise than PS1 traits to me
Dislikes:
No Strength Rogue option (too cookie cutter)
No advantage to mounted combat (probably a disadvantage in the long run)
Ancestry Feats feel like a feat tax to get back what I used to get for free
I'm suspicious of how combat maneuvers will actually work (I think they will be more die dependent therefore less reliable therefore used less)
Summary:
I 'm biased because I loved 3.5 and when PF1 came out I was like, "Wow this is 3.5 on steroids!". I was hooked immediately. PS1 was said to be like 3.75. I was hoping PF2 would be like 3.8. I'm really trying to not be a hater, but this really doesn't feel like the same game to me. I'm still going to participate in the playtest, in order to give it a fair shake, but my confidence and expectations are low right now.
I became aware in the recent locked thread that the online region has a hard cap of 8 conventions that the VOs can offer. I would like to see this expanded.
1. The region covers the entire world and I would guess has one of the largest player bases in PFS.
2. PBP and VTT are different animals and each should be considered separately when determining the amount each should be allotted.
3. The online VOs have demonstrated a high level of quality in their TPKon conventions. Quite frankly, they put the other online conventions to shame with their organization and execution. They should be allowed to do as many as they would like. (They were doing them quarterly, which I always looked forward to.) I would much rather participate in TPKon than Roll20Con, Aethercon, etc.
I checked out after the ACG. Too much craziness for me after that.
I've gone back to the CRB, APG, ISWG (my favorite three) and starting making Prestige Classes I never got around to playing the first time through. I have a Master Chymist, Rage Prophet, Stalwart Defender, and Core Dragon Disciple. They are lots of fun.
I also enjoy playing Core more than anything now. More Core!
Beast Rider/Cav (Order of the Sword adds mounts str to dam) Spirited Charge with a lance while challenging the foe. Over 150 single attack I could get more exact but away from computer.
It never was a bad table when Dan was there. Even if other things weren't going right, he always made it fun. One of the best gamers I have ever played with. He will be missed and so will Imsaalem's pies.
I have three attacks per round with a repeating crossbow. The repeating crossbow holds five bolts. On round one I fire 3 bolts. On round two can I fire twice and then QuickDraw a second repeating crossbow and take the last attack or is it lost?
I was playing a scenario in which Major Colson Maldris appears and a new player said, "Who's that?" and the answer was, "He's the faction head for Liberty's Edge and the most famous Eagle Knight". That got me thinking. I have a 19th level Eagle Knight, I bet he is pretty famous. So for fun, who is the most famous member of each faction (as determined by Fame.) Here is what I got, you can cut, paste, then copy over the entry until we see who is the most famous Pathfinder in Golorian. (If this has been done before, sorry, just remember that creativity is forgetting where you read something.)
Liberty's Edge: Eagle Knight Captain Ra Loi, (19th lvl) Fame: 88
Silver Crusade: Ojan, The War Witch of Irrisen (13th lvl) Fame: 64
Sovereign Court: Stanis, The Baron of Beatdown, (14th lvl) Fame: 63
Grand Lodge: Woodros Scufflegrit, (12th lvl) Fame: 59
Scarab Sages: None worth listing
The Exchange: None worth listing
Dark Archives: None worth listing
(Didn't go historical with old factions, probably just keep it as of now. As you know fame is fleeting.)
The Baron of Beatdown once again came out of retirement for a special mission for the society. He left the wenches long enough to peak through the Doomsday Door. He didn't like what he saw, so he went back to the wenches. Now Lord Stanis is a 14th level wench wrangler. (And he continues to put the massage in misogyny.)
Lord Stanis has now achieved level 13. He came out of retirement to go straight to the bottom of the Emerald Spire and perform such daring acts as Delaying heroically, Withdrawing with courage, and failing saves with honor. In the end he walked out victorious. You're welcome world.
I think you are thinking of Alchemical Allocation 2nd lvl extract from APG.
"This extract causes a pale aura to emanate from your mouth. If you consume a potion or elixir on the round following the consumption of this extract, you can spit it back into its container as a free action. You gain all the benefits of the potion or elixir, but it is not consumed. You can only gain the benefits of one potion or elixir in this way per use of this extract."
As a player, I like to try out my brain child's ability on the battle grid. I like combo's and synergies and getting things to work. I like making adjustments when they don't. It's like a moving puzzle for me to figure out with my PC as my constant. And I like to roll dice and get big numbers! Numbers are fun. Big numbers are funner! (So is bad grammar.)
(Now I also write up a back story for each guy and think up his personality and motivations, because I want to play nice with others, but it's the numbers that bring me back.)
As a GM, it's weird but I'm the opposite. I'm about the story. I like to tell stories. PFS makes it easy on me because tactics and NPC feats and such are already chosen, so I just focus on telling a good story.
Belt of the Weasel give the compression ability which I believe lets you squeeze unhindered to 1/4 space. Its 10k and would be a belt slot for mount. Double check me on this as i'm unable to verify at the moment.
What about abilities or items that don't reference size but instead say increase damage by "one step" like 1-pt Evolution-Improved Damage and Cloak of Fangs.
My search-fu came up with conflicting answers. Anything definitive on this?
I know you can only benefit from one "growth effect" at a time, like enlarge person doesn't stack with Righteous Might to make you huge, since both make you large.
But INA and Strong Jaw increase your damage dice "like" you increased in size, but you don't actually increase in size. Where as Animal Growth increases your size.
1. So does INA stack with Strong Jaw?
2. Does INA stack with Animal Growth?
3. Does INA stack with SJ and AG?
4. Does SJ stack with AG?
I think of PFS scenarios like a college football schedule, some weeks are harder than others. Sometimes I like it when we win in a blowout against an inferior opponent to display our greatness. Sometimes I like when we lose a nail biter against the best to keep us striving. It's the gambit of emotions and situations that keeps it from getting stale. I don't want everything to be super hard nor do I want everything to be a cake walk. I like the variety.
I'm a guy that loves to crunch the numbers and I average about 1 death in the career of a PC. Overwhelmingly those deaths come from me making mistakes and getting cocky. I got killed the other night in a season 0 that I could have probably soloed when the dice turned on me. That's the game. It's hard to stay dominant forever.
With that said I have seen many a guy talk about how easy scenarios are and then when the hurt comes, they have a hissy fit like a toddler. If things are easy on you now, be patient, your time in the fire will come.
Regarding season 5&6, I can tell there has been some effort to make things a little harder, but I haven't found things harder, just more annoying. I don't know what the answer is but longer combats don't necessarily mean harder or more fun. They are just longer.
#1 Summoners and it's not just about damage. The eidolon really can't die, so that changes the player's play style and therefore affects the gameplay of tables Summoners are at. GMs get aggressive to counter eidolons and PCs that can die are effected.
I'm raising my own thread but I'd like some more input. I'm leveling up my Cav and I've been thinking about this and the FAQ, which says,
"Both charge in unison, suffer the same penalty to AC, the gaining the same bonus to the attack rolls and following all other rules for the charge. The mounted combat rules are a little unclear on this. Replace the third paragraph under the "Combat while Mounted" section on page 202 with the following text. Note that a "mounted charge" is synonymous with a "charge while mounted," and that when a lance is "when used from the back of a charging mount" it is during a mounted charge not when only the mount charges.
A mounted charge is a charge made by you and your mount. During a mounted charge, you deal double damage with your first melee attack made with a lance or with any weapon if you have Spirited Charge (or a similar effect), or you deal triple damage with a lance and Spirited Charge."
The fact that they charge in unison means that if one is charging, they both are and have the same modifiers. I don't think its possible for the mount to charge and the rider to not be. So if the mount used Rhino Charge, to charge as a readied action, I think the rider is as well. I think this feat works if either have it, not both. Wishful thinking?
I see what you are saying but that is a lot of redundancy between mount and rider (3 feats per).
For example with Charge Through and Overrun the mount performs this and the rider benefits. They both aren't required to have them even though the rider is going through those squares as well. (May not be the best analogy, but all I got right now.)
Prerequisites: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, base attack bonus +5
Benefit: You may ready a charge, though you may only move up to your speed on the charge.
Normal: Charging is a full-round action and allows you to move twice your speed.
For a cavalier, who needs this feat, the rider or the mount?
Ojan the War Witch of Irrisen, Aasimar (Oracle of Battle) Silver Crusade has reached level 12. She will now return to Irrisen and rejoin the Heralds of Summer's Return, who will tirelessly fight the evil that corrupts that land.
Its always the guy that requests something that ends up having to drop out. Thanks for taking requests, but my real life venture captain has decided that I am unavailable this weekend. Something about having to be a good husband and father, I don't know, I never listen during mission briefings.
I would love to play #0-07 Among the Living. Its the last season 0 scenario I have to play. Sat morning would be great (I'm in Thailand). I have a lvl 4, so tier 3-4 since I think its a 1-7. Do you use Roll20 and Google Hangouts? I haven't played with anything else.
So I was GMing the midnight slot at a con and it was a laid back session. But when the BBEG appeared she started wreaking havoc and on a full attack crit, crit, hit the party's wounded pally. It was evident he wasn't going to make it. Because of the tone of the night, I was going to be (rightly or wrongly) merciful. I asked him what his con was, so that I could put him one point away from death. But he looked me in the eye without arrogance or bravado and said, "Bring it all, boss."
Ways to impress your GM: Die with honor. No crying or bellyaching. Hold your head up high like a true adventurer.
This guy, who I don't even know his name, changed the way that I play and deal with character death. When one of my PCs die, I remember this and imitate.
This +1 greatsword is decorated with a lock motif. On a successful hit with the sword against a creature that is the wielder's size or smaller, the wielder can attempt to start a grapple as a free action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. If the wielder succeeds at the grapple, the sword's blade transforms into a metal chain and wraps around the target, giving the wielder a +5 bonus on further grapple checks against the target. If the target escapes the grapple or the wielder decides to release the target from the grapple, the chain reverts to sword form (with the wielder holding the handle).
The wielder can also let go of the chain's handle while grappling or pinning the target; if he does so, the chain remains in place and the target gains the entangled condition (Escape Artist DC 20 to slip free, break DC 28, hardness 10, 10 hit points, concentration DC 17 to cast spells while entangled). Another creature can grab the chain's handle as a standard action and will it to revert to sword form as a swift action, which releases the bound creature. If the chain is destroyed, it reverts to sword form and the weapon gains the broken condition.
So you attack with the sword and get a free grapple attempt. You are successful on the grapple.
1) Next turn you roll to maintain the grapple. Do you take a -4 penalty for not having two hands free because you are holding the chain/sword or are you considered to be using the chain/sword to perform the grapple so there is no penalty (as opposed to if you were holding a long sword that was not being used in the act of grappling)?
2) You maintain the grapple and wish to deal damage. Are you using the chain/sword or unarmed strike to damage?
I have another question regarding gold. This is not about my situation, but just for my education as a GM when calculating gold.
Here is what the mod says after these encounter:
"Rewards: If the PCs fail to defeat Sophini, reduce each PC’s gold earned as follows.
Subtier 5–6: Reduce the gold earned by 973 gp. Out of Subtier: Reduce the gold earned by 1,376 gp. Subtier 8–9: Reduce the gold earned by 1,778 gp."
"Rewards: If the PCs encounter but fail to defeat the ceustodaemons, reduce each PC’s gold earned as follows.
Subtier 5–6: Reduce the gold earned by 350 gp. Out of Subtier: Reduce the gold earned by 612 gp. Subtier 8–9: Reduce the gold earned by 875 gp."
Now if you don't defeat Sophini, it's clear, reduce gold by X. But with the daemons it seems to read that if you face them and don't defeat then reduce. But what if you don't face them? Do you not reduce the gold? Thanks.
I swear when our ninja was scouting I was having flashbacks. I also thought that if my inquisitor got pinched by the Pure Legion, he would have to use his one phone call to hire Cardamus as his attorney.
That would be a great sequal to this. Hire Ben McFarland to write "Rescue from Rahadoum". Where you go in to rescue all the pathfinders that were arrested. Part courtroom drama, part prison break. Hadn't done one of those yet in PFS.
I played Port Godless as a part of VTT Gameday on March 1st and loved it. Awesome flavor, it's Rahadoum so you know it's going to be tough.
So here is what we did:
We talked to our VC, we talked at our contacts house, we talked at the market, we talked at the dog track, we talked at the bath and talked our way out of a combat there. And even though that's a lot of talking, our GM is known for her time management, things moved smoothly and I felt added to the building intensity of the mission.
We spied out the compound. We went to the sewers, set off the trap and fought the Xill, but had to retreat because the trap caused problems for several in our party. We went back topside and entered the compound as slavers.
Our ninja and summoner eidolon were invisible and scouted while the rest of us posed as buyers. Now granted splitting up caused the DM to have to deal with two parties and lengthened this phase of the mission, but it was fun. And it didn't get bogged down, everything was always moving. Team Ninja scouted just about the whole main level of the compound. They sneaked without being caught and disabled traps. They knocked out guards and hid bodies. Team slave buyer diplomacized, gathered information about the rift wardens, and danced with slave girls.
Then invis Ninja encounters the daemons in the slave warehouse and it's on. They come busting out killing slaves and attacking team Ninja and Team buyer (at least the party was back together!). Team buyer stayed in character and only attacked the daemons in self defense. Then the guards attack us (which I disagreed with that move by the GM, but she's a good GM and called it like she saw it I'm sure.). We kill the daemons. We kill the guards . Then the BBEG sends up some more summoned baddies. And time. Our 4 action packed hours are up.
Now for all that we got nothing. We got 0 PA. (Which I understand. We didn't complete the mission.). But here is my beef. We got 0 XP. (I questioned our GM on this and she said we hadn't completed three encounters). So this has eaten at me for about ten days now, so I buy the scenario and read it thinking she was wrong. But she was right. As the scenario is laid out, there are only 4 encounters (2 of which are underground, where we didn't get to). So by the letter of the law we should get nothing. But that just doesn't feel right to me. We did a lot of stuff in our 4 hours as my wall of text can attest. Surely some of that should count for something. An optional encounter maybe.
So the gist of it is I'm whining over 1 XP because I think the encounter count and breakdown for this very sand boxy scenario is wrong as judged by my gamer morality. Any recourse? Or just bellyaching?
PS-it was fun and memorable, but please don't say that should be enough. Because the goal is always to have fun and yet we still give out chronicles. ;)
