DGRM44's page

I have been playing pathfinder for several years on and off. Two of my biggest issues (and in fact many of my co-players as well) have been.

1. Power level of the players.
2. Complexity of rules.

Without going into a bunch of details that have been outlined in countless other threads the basic theme of Pathfinder is make the characters very powerful and hard to defeat. For some this is great, for others it makes the game lose a lot of the element of danger and fear and even respect of the players. My group will walk into just about any encounter with almost not a care in the world. They fully expect to win and if they do end up seriously injured they furl their eyebrows in confusion. Gone are the old school days of the players arguing about who has to go first, now its a race to the front of the pack to be the one to slay the monsters. Like I said, some like this others miss the fear players used to have in older games. Btw, this is just from the Core Rules, we haven't tried adding Mythic powers. I can't imagine why you would need them. My players already feel like gods on earth. And yes, I know you can find ways to challenge them (Please spare me the posts explaining how you do it as I already have my own ways that work), but the game system is arguably designed with player power baked in and at the forefront. And it only continues to grow and grow and grow with each new release.

D&D Next seems to be trying to find more of a balance by lowering the power level of the players from the start. This I really like and look forward to seeing how it develops. But everything I have read I like so far, like lower Armor Classes for the characters.

As for complexity, lets face it we have a zillion feats, spells, class powers, archetypes, monsters, monster templates, conditions, prestige classes, race abilities...heck we even have story feats. I am all for options but after several years I have only used Core, Bestiary 1, 2, some adventure path stuff and some background stuff. That's it and we still haven't scratched the surface. Creating an encounter for a higher level group takes time. It takes time to build out detailed NPCs. It takes time to build out unique monsters.

I don't know that D&D next is going to be able to fix this, however I have read that they are taking a more modular approach to the rules, maybe this will allow simplification I don't know. Honestly for this one, I don't know if there is an answer other than moving to a simpler system which in fact I am currently exploring.

I have enjoyed playing Pathfinder and likely will continue to do so, but I am looking for a game that brings back the danger element and if it can give me the ability to throw together encounters quickly with cool monsters and NPC's then awesome. D&D Next may turn out to be that system, so far I like the direction they are going in.

As a side note, I am also currently reading Castles and Crusades and it is very interesting merge of old school and new school. This will likely see some play time as well and see how it goes. I think my players will be stunned at the lack of mega weapons and powers but when the fear kicks in after seeing their friend go down from a simple goblin, it just might create a more vivid and memorable gaming experience.

I guess I could summarize Pathfinder as the Wal-Mart of RPG's for players. Its got anything and everything and its all cheap. I think me and my group want something smaller and more expensive. When the players get a new power or magic item it will be a big deal to them. I think it will mean more to them. We shall see, I will begin play testing in a couple weeks and will gladly share my findings.

Are there any GM's that run Pathfinder RAW(Rules as Written)?
How do you manage the magnitude of options? Even if you stick to the core rule book and Bestiary 1 there are still a LOT of rules and PC-NPC options. Class powers, skills, feats, spells, etc. How do you keep track of all these while not stalling your game?

If you have 4 players at level 15 and they are facing several monsters of appropriate CR level in an encounter the options per turn can be staggering. Things slow down as everyone pours over their character sheets and tries to decide what they want to do next. And I can't blame them, who can memorize all of that information? At the same time they want to pick the right choice so you have to give them time to sort through their options and decide. And don't forget about the poor GM who has to figure out the appropriate Monster attacks and powers during the encounter.

And if you start bringing in the splat books to your games it grows exponentially. I most certainly appreciate the designers hard work and options are great to have, but if you really want to use them how do you manage them realistically in your games while keeping things moving.

I am facing a catch 22. All of us love the options, but all of us hate the slowdown in the game that they invariably bring.

Thoughts? Ideas? Tips? Experiences?

Druids of Golarian.
Barbarias of Golarian.
Fighters of Golarian.
Wizards of Golarian.
Rogues of Golarian.
Etc.
Etc.

All with lots of interesting info on the class and the paths that you can take to become the class. Ideas on how a class might end up working with another class. Info and maps on where Golarions will train to become a class or go to hire a class. Major Golarion clans for certain classes. Druid clans, Palandin Orders, Rogue guilds...etc.

More archtypes and prestige classes in the crunch part.

Pathfinder is a great game. It has a lot of options for the characters (both pc and npc). That is one of its great strengths...the endless diversity. That is also one of its biggest flaws. It has so many options that play can bog down to a crawl due to the massive crunch factor.

Its funny, I usually think of myself as a GM (or player) that loves crunch, however I find myself questioning that belief when I witness a game slow into a 10 minute discussion and search of the rule books because the player can't remember exactly what their domain power entails....since they haven't used it in several weeks because they have so many spells to choose from at level 8....along with magic items.

So my question is this. How do the groups out there handle all the crunch of Pathfinder while keeping the game as close to R.A.W. but not getting bogged down in the crunchy quicksand?

A bat does Melee bite +6 (1d3–5) and a cat does Melee 2 claws +4 (1d2–4), bite +4 (1d3–4).

Either way if a bat bites you or a cat bites you it only does 1 point of non-lethal damage. Correct?

Are there any good resources that we can use to fill in a Druids background? Or a Wizard? Fighter? Barbarian?

How does a character become a Druid? What is a normal Druids daily life like? Are the whole family Druids?

What about fighters, do all fighters learn from the local militia or military?

Are all Barbarians orphans like Conan?

It would be great to have resources for each class that filled in the backstory and maybe gave ideas for future stories relating to their class. What does a Druid want out of life short/long term? Why does a fighter want to fight? What is the monks end game?

Ok, everyone break out the popcorn and kick up your feet...let the flamers fuel up their flame throwers.

(puts on asbestos lined suit)

One thing that I will give DnD 4th is their Monster Statblocks are very user friendly. It is great to have all their abilities right there for easy reference. I would like to see Pathfinder start taking this approach if possible. I am not sure this is feasible with some of the creatures having many abilities, but it would be big help when trying to throw together a quick encounter and needing to understand exactly what the creature can do and if it makes sense for your current adventure party as a decent challenge.

How long would it take a group traveling on foot and staying to the main roads (maybe lost coast highway?) to travel from Korvosa to Sandpoint?

Are there any rules that allow characters (PCs/NPCS/Monsters) to act on more than one Initiative Count? For instance a monster that can act on Initiative Count 20 and 5? Or do all actions have to happen on your initiative count only. Thanks.

Is it possible to download the PRD HTML files and view them locally. At times the paizo website is slow.

Pg. 562 (Core) talks about magic weapons of +3 or greater ignoring some types of Damage Reduction. If I understand the chart correctly then a +3 sword can ignore Cold Iron/Silver DR, +4 can ignore these and Adamantine and finally a +5 can add alignment based DR to the list. Correct?

Or perhaps it means if a Creature has 5/Cold Iron DR, then either a Cold Iron weapon or a +3 weapon ignores the Damage Reduction?

Does Paizo offer a Complete PDF bundle for all Pathfinder products that have been released thus far? Maybe a few hundred bucks to just get everything in one bundle and not have to deal with all the subscriptions etc? I would buy something like that. Some companies (Native Instruments off the top of my head) do this yearly with their product catalog.

I haven't played Pathfinder in a while and am starting up a new game soon. I want to make sure I am clear on this rule.

The Ape, Gorilla is listed here. Does he have to use a full round action to attack with BOTH slams or is this considered a standard action for him?

1. Weapon does 1d2-2 dmg...is this always 1?

2. How does magic user identify potions?

No new Prestige classes in Ultimate Combat (or Ulitmate Magic). Are Archetypes center stage meaning Prestige classes will fade away?

I hope that Paizo gets its editing issues worked out. Ultimate Combat is another book that has issues with poor editing. I just don't get it.

Did Pathfinder invent Archetypes? If not, where did they come from? I think it is such a great idea to customize a Class-Based system such as D&D/Pathfinder.

I just downloaded it and am giddy!

Where can I get more info on the Azlanti?

How is the interactive PDF supposed to work? I was hoping that clicking on the room would take me to the description, but it isn't working for me.

Why is there not errata pages for the Adventure Path books?

In AP Souls for Smugglers Shiv an NPC witch has the following 2nd level spells:

Witch Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +9)
2nd—hideous laughter (DC 17), lesser restoration, summon
monster II

I can't find hideous laughter or lesser restoration on the witch spell list. What am I missing here?

Ok I had no idea what can of worms was going to be opened on my first thread. In the Serpents Skull AP Smuggles Shiv, one of the NPCs has a Masterworks Katana sword. I was thinking that this must be in an existing Pathfinder book. I guess that it only appears in that AP book and to just treat it like a longsword or bastard sword as nothing in the AP book seems to indicate otherwise.

What book contains the stats for the Katana sword?

So if a Kraken gets 11 attacks as a full round action, shouldn't he get at least half that number as a standard action?

Pleast take a look at the Sahuagin in Bestiary 1. How many attacks does he get per turn? I am still trying to figure out what some monsters attack options are in a turn. I know that any creature that uses more than one attack must take a full round action to do so. But what exactly those options are? Does a Lion get 1 bite and 2 claws per full round attack?

So what is up with so many of the monsters having extra long tongues in the art work? It is kind of funny looking/cartoonish.

I was going to post my opinion but I am curious if anyone is on the same page as me and can guess why I think Words of Power proves that Paizo is on the right track with Pathfinder as living roleplaying game system?

I would love to see a new book dedicated to nothing but:

1. Optional Class Powers.

2. Archtypes for all classes.

3. Prestige Classes for all classes.

This could give all of us a wealth of options for our characters who are after all the main attraction of the stories we weave. APG did all three of these and more, but a book dedicated to just these three topics would be awesome!

Also a book dedicated to just magic items would be nice.

Can someone explain how Abstract XP works? Also on the 12-2 what are the individual xp columns used for?

Core Pg 399:
"Abstract XP: Simply add up the individual XP awards
listed for a group of the appropriate size. In this case, the
division is done for you—you need only total up all the
awards to determine how many XP to award to each PC."

Is it me or can Pathfinder players be a finnicky (even difficult) bunch to deal with? Sheesh!

Will this new set of rules be an introduction to the Core Rulebook (basic rules only) or will it be completely different rules?

How is it going to help new players learn the complexities of the Pathfinder Rules System?

Thank you for your participation in these forums. It is very cool.

So if the individual book FAQs are updated...where do we find the community announcements for such important updates?

How fast can a Donkey pull a cart both empty and filled with grapes (or any cargo) per round?

1. how much does it cost to brew the potion of "Cure Light Wounds".
Also, what are you spending the actual gold on as that spell has no material component?

2. What happens to magic users spells if they are active when the magic users goes to negative hit points and is dying? Do they automatically dispell?

Any splat books for Pathfinder that have the Gods stat blocks?

Which is more powerful?
20th level Sorcerer
or
10th level Sorcerer/10th level Arcane Archer

Is there a good sourcebook that describes typical city organization from the government to the local police and the militia/military as well as its ties to the state governments?

Does the Guide to Darkmoon Vale and Inner Sea World Guide contradict each other?

What is the GP Limit mean in a city stat block?

Independent Research: A wizard can also research a spell
independently, duplicating an existing spell or creating
an entirely new one. The cost to research a new spell, and the
time required, are left up to GM discretion, but it should
probably take at least 1 week and cost at least 1,000 gp per
level of the spell to be researched. This should also require
a number of Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana) checks.

What does the above mean? I am especially interested in the part about creating an entirely new spell.

Top right side of pg 144 of Core Rulebook:
Extra damage over and above a weapon’s normal damage
is not multiplied when you score a critical hit.

What does this mean?

Does a Yeti get full movement on icy surface? The PCs treat it as difficult terrain and get 1/2 movement, but I couldn't find anything as far as this monster getting special treatment on the slick icy surface.

Please post common acronyms and their meanings:

For instances what is SoD? BBEG? Buff?

How often can you use the Arcane Strike feat? I am thinking once per day or encounter, otherwise since it is a swift action, why not just buff up your weapon (any weapon) during every encounter?