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I'll also say that I really like the Art direction!
And in Other News... Alternity is coming back! A few of the original design team (now working for Sasquatch Game Studio) have picked up the Copyright on the brand. They can't use the original setting's, but will instead make an All New Sci-Fi setting for a new, modernized game. It will be very interesting to watch this develop!
I'll apologize in advance, this post might become a be a bit long-winded and technical. This is essentially just a "Wish List" of game mechanic's I'd like to see involving the combat system. I have played most of the d20 systems that feature Firearms and other High Tech weapons at one point or another, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the Pro's and Con's of various design choices I have noticed over the years. Damage
Thoughts on Base Weapon Damage:
I have touched on this a few times. We haven't gotten word on what the damage values will look like, but I am really hoping that weapon Base damage is significantly higher than we are used too seeing. In d20 Modern, a Pistol would deal between 2d4 and 2d8 damage, depending on caliber (with most dealing 2d6). In Spycraft d20, a Pistol would usually deal 1d10+1 or 1d12 damage. Rifles in d20 Modern dealt between 2d8 and 2d12, while Spycraft went with 4d4 and 3d6 (if memory serves).
d20 Future went even higher (unfortunately, d20 Future wasn't incredibly well balanced, but did have some really nice ideas on weapon modification, more on that later). These damage values felt right to me then, and they still do now. A Laser/Plasma/Rail weapon dealing less damage than a Longbow is just very wrong. Recoil
Thoughts on Recoil as a Game Mechanic:
This is something that isn't reflected in rules very often, but I think it should be. Dexterity is a key stat, and it becomes even more impressive when the entire game is based around the idea of using ranged weapons almost entirely. With a point buy system, it would be tempting to "Dump" Strength in such a situation. But what if weapons had a recoil Stat? For those who are unaware of what recoil is, it is (in short) the force applied to the shooter of a weapon by discharging it (generally making follow-up shots more difficult).
Some weapons should have greater recoil, while others should have little or none. This can be used as an additional balancing factor when designing weapons of various power. An example method of representing Recoil: Let's say, that weapons with a recoil rating suffer a penalty equal too that rating on any subsequent attacks beyond the first in a round. A user can negate this penalty by an amount equal too there Strength Modifier. Additionally, allowing a wielder to increase their STR modifier by +1 for using 2 hands would make logical sense. Continuing this example, lets say we have two weapons. The first is a Laser Pistol with a base damage of 1d10+1 and a Recoil score of 0. The Laser Pistol can be used by anyone without taking any penalties on subsequent attacks after the first. Alternatively, a Plasma Pistol is more powerful, Dealing 2d8 damage, but with a Recoil score of 2. User's without a 14 Strength will find it difficult to control in one hand (although by using 2 hands someone with a 12 Strength can manage it). This makes logical sense, and also allows for a wider variation in weapons. Instead of every hero choosing a weapon based on only it's damage value, other factors are taken into consideration. A character who want's to wield a pair of pistols might be better off choosing lighter models with less recoil (instead of simply picking whatever has the highest damage die), while a character that intends too carry only a single pistol might prefer the extra damage. Shotguns
Thoughts and Ideas for Shotgun style weapons:
This is an area that really bug's me. I would love for us to get some future-tech shotguns, like Autoflechette guns, but please no cone effects! A MUCH better way too represent Shotgun's would be too assign them a High Base Damage, lets say 5d4, and a low range increment, lets say 20ft. Instead of suffering a -2 penalty to attack rolls for each range increment beyond the first, shotguns suffer a -2 damage penalty. So attacking a Target 60 feet away suffers no penalty to the attack roll, but deals 5d4-4 damage. Weapon Modification, Accessories and Aiming
Thoughts on Weapon Modifications and Accessories:
d20 Future had a nice assortment of weapon modification's that could be applied too various guns, and I found this to be a great idea. Do you want a Laser Pistol that can be charged up for a more powerful shot? How about one that can be used as an Automatic Weapon? Clear rules for things like that are super valuable, and a great way too save page count in the long run. We don't need 5 different entries for various laser rifles and pistols if we can just modify the base weapon with a flexible "plug in" system.
I would also Like to see some rules for spending a Move Action to Aim (granting a bonus on the attack roll, but limiting you're rate of fire). This is NOT something that should be locked behind a feat, but should instead be written into the new rules (A Feat that makes you better at it would be fine). Weapon Accessories are something else we could use. A few suggestions would be.
I would be interested in hearing what people think?
Well, Besides being locked behind 9th level magic (which is itself a monstrous limitation), Interplanetary Teleport is useless for exploration. Also, it's not super useful for trade.
I can't remember where the quote is, but it looks like they are rewriting just about everything. The rules are going to be condensed and stream-lined, the weapon and armor math looks to be being changed as well. Edit: Right as I typed that, it was mentioned in the KnowDirection Pod cast at 42:00.
Alternity (my goto system for modern and future settings in most cases) uses meters. We actually have a joke about how in the alternate time line that DarkMatter takes place the US switched to Metric in the 90s
Given how many classes In Pathfinder use some Form of resource pool (Ki, Grit, Inspiration even Stamina from Unchained.) I wonder if we might see some type of Universal Resource Pool that is used for class abilities, but isn't tied to a specific class? Something like Stamina, that is built in and use able by everyone. Each class gains new ways too use it. It would make multiclassing less painful.
Well, they have mentioned that you are likely to see magic runes etched into the magazine of a plasma rifle... which kinda makes a lot of sense. Think how much electrical energy is in a wand of shocking grasp.. it would make our Li-Ion batteries look pathetic. "Have you thought about swapping out the charge core on your Gauss Rifle for a class 5 cell (Cl5)? You'll get a hell of a lot more punch." "Maybe after we get paid for this job... I've been reluctant to upgrade until I know our Technomage can recharge the more powerful cell."
You know what would be amazing, is if every class was designed to be MAD, and the games "math" wasn't designed in such a way that the easiest path to being effective wasn't "Pump Stat X as high as possible". It would be great too see two characters of the same class focused in totally different ability scores, but both effective in their own way.
I really hope they don't lock dogfighting behind a feat. Feat taxes are a huge issue in Pathfinder and one that hopefully will not be translated into Starfinder. How would you feel about it if the Feat simply made you better/more effective at it than someone without? For example, Someone without the feat could: Make a Full Attack with Ships Weapons (Full Round Action)
For example, someone with the Feat could: Make a Full Attack with ships weapons (Standard Action)
Plus, there are other actions you might need to be taking, such as damage control, active defenses or sensors checks. The guy who spends character resources on being a better space fighter is better at the dogfight, but the guy who didn't isn't locked out. Is the untrained guy at a disadvantage? Yes! Should he be? Yeah. Is it hopeless? Not really. This also makes Multi-Pilot small craft a thing that actually makes sense game wise... A Heavy Fighter with a Pilot and Gunner (or a pilot and a droid, wink wink) starts to seem like a good idea. I would much rather see something like this, than have everything locked behind something like a "Ace Pilot" prestige class.
Something that I feel can't be stressed enough... If we get a few deck plans, I want ships that feel like you're heroes can actually live on them. Water Closets, bunkrooms, a common area, mess hall. And hopefully a hanger for a shuttle or two (or maybe fighters). Seriously, shuttles would be the equivalent of Lifeboats. Every decent sized ship should have enough to evacuate the crew.
Yeah, I hadn't actually read those until today, I don't have the technology guide. I really hope that's the direction they go. The Inssuit augmented with Ceramic or Polymer Plates would make a good Medium armor.
I would love to see a Revised Armor as DR (Ideally with some armor providing a better AC bonus and others providing more DR, more choices is better). Combined with armor granting some Elemental resistances (like some of the ones in the Technology Guide), that would be amazing. Automatic Bonus Progression is a must. Fraction BAB and Saves should be baked in as well. Scrap alignment (or shove it into the background and separate it from game mechanics).
Something has always bugged me about the way armor is portrayed in most d20 modern/future/sci-fi systems that I really hope paizo takes the opportunity to correct. So, your a space marine decked out in the latest combat armor, protecting a diplomat wearing nothing but a fancy suit. A thermal grenade goes off, dealing 8d6 fire damage... perhaps allowing a reflex save... and for some reason your armor provides no protection. You might as well have gone to work in your PJ''s for all the good your armor did too protect you from the blast! It's the future. People are running about with laser/plasma/arc/gravity guns... give our armored hero's a built in defense against these types of attack. In addition to providing a Defence/Ac bonus, I hope that we see elemental resistance built into the suits ("So, my space rated armor provides no protection from Ray of Frost? You're joking right?") This also opens up a lot more options to make different armors viable. One medium armor might provide better protection against physical attacks (perhaps it's made to protect against the natural attacks of hostile lifeforms found while exploring), while another armor is optimized against Fire and Electricity attacks, making it ideal against energy weapon using foes. Thoughts?
Remember, backwards compatible does not mean equal in power. Compare a first level 3.5 character too a 1st level Pathfinder character. In almost every case, the pathfinder character is more powerful or more flexible.
Considering that a Laser Rifle from the technology guide allows 1 extra attack, does 2d6 base damage and targets touch AC... I don't expect Archers to be the undisputed kings of damage. I will however be REALLY surprised if we don't see some type of Tech^Bow. Foldable? Explosive arrows(Aoe), energy arrows?
This article came up on the HEMA Alliance or HEMA International Discussion Facebook page. General consensus among the very knowledgeable folk was that the article is wrong on nearly every count. For those interested, here is an image of a 1 handed, multi-headed flail in a fencing manual. https://blogs.princeton.edu/notabilia/files/2012/01/Perez_de__Mendoza-836x1 024.jpg
Oh yeah. "You can't play a Bard as a Veteran Soldier who inspires his allies with rousing speech's and picked up some magic tricks haphazardly along the way?!! That's not what a Bard is! You need a Lute!" (Facepalm)
I have to admit, I usually GM... So here is one that has come up a few times... The "One Trick Pony" build with a glaring flaw (Example: Barbarian or Paladin with no ranged weapons "My character wouldn't use them", Archer that doesn't even have a Dagger written on his sheet, caster with only one type of magic "I only use Enchantments")... and then complaining that "I can't do anything"... this is my actual problem, not the build itself, the complaining on you're turn that you're one "Super Attack" is ineffective at dealing with something as common as "It Has Wings" or "It's a Skeleton".
It can be done, and be a lot of fun, if done right. I done it with dragons sometimes, Using fun but not particularly "good" abilities on the extra action too keep the combat lively. Things like Awesome Blow.
I hate the fact I have to indirectly choose between buying this book right away and getting broken fingers. Can't get the book and armored gloves this month. Is that what you want Mark? Do you want my fingers broken in a terrible sword fighting accedent? I see now you're really a terrible person.
So, needing to get back into shape, I decided to try something new (because somehow between backpacking and archery I still gained weight, thanks "Getting Old")... So, considering I already compete in USPSA Pistol match's and Archery matches I figured "How Hard could sword fighting be?" Answer: My everything hurts. (In a good way) So, I'm learning Rapier and Longsword (Which is actually mostly two handed, who knew?) at the local club (Btw: I lived in this city 7 years, and had a club that teach's the use of German Longsword 4 blocks from me this whole time? What?). For those that don't know, HEMA is Historical European Martial Arts. So, anyone else ever tried HEMA? So far it's a great workout and a lot of fun!
Is it Thursday Already? Wow. Playtest review, An Occultist in Skull and Shackles. Basic Character Outline:
Level 9 Occultist.
Spirits Bound: Anajira (Poor Pact), Prince Oszen (Poor Pact) Reserve: Tyrant Cromwell (Poor Pact) So, after some really bad binding checks, I ended up with 3 poor pacts. This was, of course, the day I choose to bind with Anajira.... So Yea, Panther Woman who dislikes female authority figures... on a Pirate Ship... With a female Captain (Seriously, this is awesome lol). Taking both Anajira and Oszen gave me a wide array of magical abilities, as well as some solid natural attacks. I used Mutable Bonus to move Oszen's Architectural Knowledge bonus to Knowledge (Religion), a skill our party is really weak in. Mutable Bonus really does allow an Occultist to shore up various skill weaknesses nicely, even one with a low Int score like mine. Because I didn't achieve a Good Pack, I didn't get a Constellation Aspect . Anajira:
Skirmishers Pounce: I like this ability, but it loses a lot of utility by not giving you immunity to attacks of opportunity (like spring attack). Flurry: I'm not sure why anyone would choose to take this ability with Form of the Panthress over Dark Magic. Multiattack doesn't seem to do anything with only 2 natural attacks (both primary), unless I'm missing something. Oszen:
Blood of the Moon As polymorph effects go, this one is rather nice, giving Darkvision (My Occultist is Human), STR, CON and Nat Armor, Burrow and Natural Attacks. The hit to CHR wasn't that big of a deal, because I used the form mainly for Darkvision and Burrowing. Tyrant Cromwell, Reserve:
I like the new progression of abilities here. The Major (Vestigial Might) is a bit cleaner, and upgrading to +4 STR At 8th keeps it relevant. Savage Attacks isn't so front loaded any more, but has a nice progression. At 3rd level you get Power Attack (-1/+3), at 6th level Power Attack upgrades due to BAB (-2/+6) and at 8th you pick up Vital Strike. Considering that a 3/4 BAB class is going to have difficulty connecting with the second attack, I think Vital Strike is a huge plus and 8th level feels right. Phantom Armor moving to a deflection bonus hurt, but not enough worth mentioning. We explored a bit more of a Keep on an Island for the start of the game. We had already explored most of the keep, but this would have been a great time to use the Inquiry Secret if we hadn't, it would have saved us a bunch of trouble. Unfortunately, my bad rolling followed me into the first encounter of the day, resulting in my Occultist being Captivated by a Harpy Cyclops' song. I spent most of this fight trying to climb a cliff to get to the Harpy (My grand total Climb bonus of +1 made this unlikely). Our party was a bit unprepared for this encounter or suffered bad luck (3 of 6 hero's failed saves vs the Captivating song, and 2 those that didn't are very poor ranged combatants). More and more, I find myself hating "Save or Suck" abilities that don't allow a new roll each round (But that's not the Occultist's fault lol). After a long drawn out battle with 3 players basically doing nothing productive, the Harpies fled (hurray). The second encounter of the day was a bit more standard, and I was able to contribute more. We ran into some Dinosaurs while traveling overland, and they took offense at our trespass. I honestly don't know if this encounter was actually written in the AP or if it's something my GM added, but I don't care... because dinosaurs. I swapped Oszen for Tyrant on the first round with Reserve Spirit. Back to Back uses of Vestigial Might thanks to Spirit Mastery, followed by a Flurry of Dark Magic finally let me feel like I was pulling my weight. I don't think this was the smartest time to blow my Spirit Mastery, but I had been really bored on the previous encounter. Sadly the first encounter ate up a huge amount of time, and we had to call the game at that point, but we will be picking it up again this Sunday. Sadly this was not an ideal week for getting quality feedback for the book. Also, thanks to those who wished me luck on the Interview! It's a HUGE promotion if I get it.
I want to go ahead and say thank you for listening to our concerns and addressing them.
This book is going to live right next to my copy of Deep Magic. I love new and innovative magic systems they help break up the standard Rock-Paper-Scissors of the game. I guess that makes Deep Magic the "Lizard" and Pact Magic "Spock"?
Well bookrat, you win the internet... in the worst way possible. Yeah, that sounds like a winner GM. My only "terrible GM" story was you're classic "Killer DM" in 2nd Ed (His policy was that you must have at least one back-up PC ready before every game). My gaming experience with that GM ended when he produced a loaded .45 during a game, and proceeded to wave it around the room. Never went back to that house, didn't want to see "Killer DM" take on a whole new meaning.
I would ride that into work... Every day.
I have to agree.. I really hate that line "Unworked stone" its simply too broad of a term. I would love to see that line removed. If it's unattended and stone/earth, I should be able to move it. This is a situation I can totally see happening. Geokinetic: Sorry guys, nothing I can do about the stone door. Fighter: Isn't stone, like, kinda you're "thing"? Geokinetic: Well, Yeah, but you see that door is CARVED stone, its not natural. I could lift it if someone hadn't gone and removed all that extra material from it. Fighter: Wait... What? If it was bigger, and round, you could move it, but because someone chiseled it into a square you can't?!?! That doesn't make sense! Geokinetic: <Sigh> Just start hitting it with you're axe, okay?
Now for a new monkey wrench... Look at the Traps section. Both the Crushing Stone Trap (CR 15, 16d6) and the Rolling Bolder Trap (CR 10, 12d6) exceed the 10d6 damage max. So it looks like that 10d6 cap is less a rule, and more a guideline.
An average object will fall about 550-600 feet in 6 seconds, depending on the objects wind resistance.
Playtest Feed-Back, Occult Adventures I ran a short Play-Test adventure, using three characters from Occult Adventures, a Human Pyro-Kinetic (Set up for ranged combat), Gnome Terra-Kinetic (AKA Geo-Kinetic, set up for switch hitting) and a Human Occultist (Generalist), all played by experienced players. We had a newer player join us as well, who played a Rogue. All Level 8, 20 point buy, 23,000 gp gear. Here are the Results, player feedback (Copied from player notes, I may or may not agree, but the player feedback is what they gave me), and DM feed back (From me). Combat Logs in spoiler tags for each battle. Gnomes Kinetic Blast Attack bonus was +13 (Vs Standard AC)
Part 1: The Missing Caravan As a one-shot play test, it was a fairly simple mission. A Caravan failed to arrive, and its last known location was the dark woods to the north... The players investigated the caravan's last known location and found the sight of a battle. The players investigated the sight of the battle, or more accurately, the Rogue and Occultist did. The two Kineticist stood guard. With only 2 and 3 skill's, they couldn't contribute much to the investigation. I'm not going to concentrate much on this issue, as it has been covered in great length in other places. Discovering evidence of trolls leading a bunch of humans away from the sight of the battle, the players followed, eventually finding... Part 2: The Ravine 1 Rock Troll (Cr 6) and 3 Trolls (Cr 5), guarding a Ravine. This was meant to be an easy encounter to give everyone a chance to get used to their classes. Combat kicked off about as fast as one would expect, with the players getting the drop on the trolls. Troll AC's went from 16-20 Depending on cover (Touch 11-15), while the Rock Troll was 19-23 (Touch 10-14) Combat Log, Battle 1:
Surprise Round: Player's moved into positions, and the Occultist ID's the Rock Troll. Thick canopy prevents sunlight from effecting the Rock Troll. Round One:
Geo-Kinetic double moves, being a gnome, his slower movement speed and lack of the “Extended Range” infusion meant he was out of range. Occultist double moves to avoid bush's and tree's in his firing lines (The troll he had meant to attack moved before he acted). Rogue, Moves and Stealth. Troll puts himself out. Trolls move. Highlights: Lots of positioning, Snaking Blast is really useful in a forest. Round Two:
Geo-Kinetic move's and “Throws a Rock at it”. Targets the Rock Troll, Hits for 17 damage. Occultist moves and uses one point of Focus in his Evocation Implement to hit a fresh troll with a fire ray. Hits for 22 damage. Rogue snipes from hiding with a crossbow. Crits, dealing 31 damage to Rock troll. Rogue's 39 stealth check makes it a 19 perception for the trolls to see where the shot came from, and the two with lines of sight fail. (First time I have seen someone pull this off). One troll moves in on Geo-Kinetic (Attacks, hits but only 2 damage after DR), Rock troll moves forward, moving within 5 feet of the hiding rogue and stops (sniff, sniff). Bad day troll moves up to the Occultist (unable to reach the Pyro-Kinetic, he try's to take his anger out on his friend) and try's to bite him (Miss) 4th troll moves toward Occultist as well. Highlights: Everyone hits. Rogue Snipes, Crits, Sneak Attack's for 29. Pyro lands another blast for 29. Geo “throws a rock at it” for 17 and Occultist hits for 22. Round 3:
Geo-Kinetic 5 foot steps back and hits the troll that attacked him with a Pushing Blast, hits for 19 and push's the Troll back 5 feet.
Occultist casts Burning Hands hitting two Trolls. 16 Damage to one, 8 Damage to the other (bad day troll, before he dropped). Rogue attacks Rock Troll. Hits for 6 (no sneak attack). Trolls attack, Occultist takes a lot of damage, rogue takes some damage too. Geo-Kinetic gets attacked but DR prevents almost all of it. Highlights: Everyone hits, Pyro drops Bad Day Troll (His day didn't get any better), Occultist catch's two trolls in a burning hands but takes a beating in return, Geo hits knocking the troll back 5 feet preventing a full attack. Round 4:
Geo-Kinetic fires a Metal Blast at Rock Troll, hits for 31 damage. 1 Burn (3 total) Occultist fires a fire bolt at Troll, hits, 20 damage, dropping it. Rogue Crits Rock troll for 20 damage, KOing it. End Combat (Final troll finished off in a volley of stone and fire from three sides, trolls are prevented from regenerating by Pyro-Kinetic and dispatched). Highlights: Blue-Fire used but Misses. Metal Blast hits but does an unimpressive amount of damage. Rogue and Occultist each drop a target. Battle One Review: Fairly easy fight for these characters. Environment made Snaking Infusion very useful (Paizo Flip Mat "Deep Forest", non-river side). Geo-Kinetic character lost an entire turn moving because of short range and slow movement. Occultist player used 2 evocation focus and one 1st level spell. Both Kinetics suffered 1 Burn (Geo at 3 total). Player Feed-Back, Gnome Geo: Pushing Infusion could use some modification, clarifying if small characters suffer the special size modifier to CMB. Also, restricting distance pushed to 5 feet seems unnecessary. Player Feed-Back, Human Pyro: Not much to add; Snaking Infusion was great. Player feedback, Human Occultist: Good selection of options, still "feeling out" the character at this point. This build wasn't made for melee, so it took a beating. GM Feed-Back: Burning Infusion lists "Reflex Negates", which would generally mean a passed save means no damage. Could lead to confusion, "Reflex Partial" Suggested. Part 3: Excavated Temple The Hero's move into the Ravine, and find caves that lead into a dungeon. I actually used a high quality printout of the Catacombs of Wrath I still have from running RoTRL. The Hero's move in, explore and find the Northern Jail. Inside, they find some of the captives being guarded by 3 Kyton. Battle 2 Kytons, AC 21, Touch AC 13 (AC 25 and Touch 17 with Soft Cover for some attacks), SR 17 Combat Log, Battle 2:
Battle 2, Round 1: Pyro-Kinetic: Fires a Burning Infusion from upper platform, hits but fails to overcome SR. Geo-Kinetic: Fires a Pushing Infusion from upper platform, Miss. Occultist: Casts Haste. Knowledge (Planes), Kyton (gets 28) Rogue: Moves, hits flat-footed Kyton, Crit+Sneak Attack for 29 (-5 DR) Kyton's animate chains to attack Geo and Pyro. DR prevents Geo from taking damage, Pyro takes small damage. Rogue gets hit twice, Occultist unhit (out of LoS) Round 2:
Geo-Kinetic: Gathers Energy, Empowered Earth Blast. Hits for 20 Damage (-5 DR). Occultist: Moves (to flank with Rogue), Attacks, Miss. Rogue: Attacks, Hits, 6 damage (-5 DR) (No longer flanking) Kyton's Attacks varies targets with chains. Geo-Kinetic is effectively immune to Kyton damage. Round 3:
Geo-Kinetic: Pushing Blast, Hits for 19 (-5 DR), fails to push. Occultist: Spends 1 Evocation Focus, Hits with Ray for 18 Electric. Moves to flank. Rogue: Attacks, Crits, 20 Damage (-5 DR) Kyton's: 12 more attacks, some miss, some hit, but Geo-Kinetic is really liking DR making him untouchable. Round 4:
Geo-Kinetic: Pushing Blast, Hits, 20 damage (-5 DR), Bull Rush successful, Knocking Kyton into open cell (This didn't have any real game benefit, but was very cinematic). Moves Occultist: Melee Attack (Flanking), Miss Rogue: Attack, Hit (Flanking), 21 Damage (-5 DR), Drops Kyton Kyton's: More Attacks, everyone but the Gnome Geo takes some damage. 2D4+2 vs DR 6 usually results in 1 damage per hit. Round 5:
Geo-Kinetic: Kinetic Blade (Cast Defensive), Hit, Miss, Miss. 19 Damage (-5 DR) Occultist: Moves, Attacks, Miss. Rogue: Attack, Hit 12 Damage (-5 DR) Round 6: Pyro-Kinetic: Fire Blast, Hits, Fails to overcome SR. Geo-Kinetic: Kinetic Blade (Cast Defensive), Hit, Miss, Miss. 25 Damage (-5 DR). Drops Kyton. Battle Highlights: Flesh of Stone made the Geo-Kinetic a real tank against the low damage Kytons. Everyone else suffered (On average) about 25 damage during the battle (Fairly low over-all), But the Geo-Kinetic took a total of 7 after DR. Pyro failed to bypass the Kytons Low SR 17 twice. Occultist used one 3rd level spell (Haste) and one point Evocation Focus, conserved resources and acted as a flanking buddy for the rogue otherwise. Pyro took 1 Burn (2 Total), Geo still at 3 Burn. Player Feedback, Gnome Geo: Casting Defensive to use Kinetic Blade seem's unnecessary. Would like some AoE abilities. DR, while inconvenient, was not crippling. Kinetic Cover, cool ability, but doesn't scale well. Suggestion: Improve action economy with as you level (Standard>Move>Swift, Immediate for 1 Burn). Player Feedback, Human Pyro: Suggest giving Feel The Burn +1 to Overcome SR bonus as well as To Hit / Damage. Blue-Fire Blast damage isn't worth the extra Burn. Empowered Basic Blast for 0 Burn seems superior (might be worthwhile at higher levels?). More Utility abilities would be very welcome. Player Feedback, Human Occultist: No Notes for this battle. GM Feedback: Flesh of Stone is really good. Searing flesh? Not so Much. While I can see some corner cases where it would be nice, it's no contest between the two. Battle 3: The hero's head down a hallway and then descend a set of stairs. While Descending, the Geo-Kinetic uses Tremorsense, getting a warning of 3 creatures ahead (2 Kyton, 1 Soucouyant). Soucouyant AC 23, Touch 17, Immune to Fire, SR 19 Combat Log, Battle 3:
Battle 3, Round 1: Pyro-Kinetic fires at Kyton, Hits, Fails to overcome SR. Geo-Kinetic Moves into room, Fires at other Kyton, Crits, 40 Damage (-5 DR) Occultist: Haste, Knowledge (religion), Soucouyant (gets 33) Rogue: Moves, Attacks, Hits, 7 Damage (-5 DR) Soucouyant takes Fiery form, move to Geo-Kinetic (Geo Passes Save, No Dmg), Kytons attack (Again, Geo-Kinetic effectively immune) Round 2: Pyro-Kinetic Fires, Hits, Fails to overcome SR Geo-Kinetic, (Cast Defensive) Kinetic-Blade, Hit, Miss, Miss. 5' step. 22 damage (-5 DR) Occultist uses 1 Evocation focus, Electric 20' radius Blast, catching Kyton and Soucouyant. 20 damage to one and 10 to the other. Beats SR on Both. Rogue, Full Attack on Kyton, 3 Hits. 9 Damage (-5), 5 Damage (-5), 9 Damage (-5). DR and no sneak attack really crippled him here. Soucouyant Moves to Geo-Kinetic space, Geo-Kinetic passes Ref Save, no damage. Kytons Attack (No Data) Round 3: Pyro-Kinetic: Move to gather energy, Empowered Blast.... Miss (Roll , Soft Cover) Geo-Kinetic: Kinetic Blade (Cast Defensive), Full Attack, Miss, Hit, Miss, 23 Damage (-5 DR), drops kyton. Occultist: Hits Soucouyant with Cold Ray (1 Focus) for 16 Cold. Rogue, Full attack on Kyton, Miss, Hit, Miss, 11 Damage (-5 DR) Soucouyant Detonates rolling near max damage (39)
Lone Kyton attacks (No Data) Round 4:
Geo-Kinetic: 5 foot step, (Cast Defensive) Kinetic Blade's Soucouyant, Hit, Hit, Miss, 34 damage, 25 damage Occultist: 1 Evocation Focus, Deals 10 Cold to Soucouyant Rogue: Moves (AoO Misses), Flanks Soucouyant, Hits for 30, Drops Soucouyant Soucouyant Attacked Geo-Kinetic before going down, DR for the win again, minor damage. Kyton attacks, minor damage. Round 5:
Battle Highlights: Spell resistance and Fire Immunity locks down the Pyro-Kinetic, while this was dew to below average rolls, it was still surprising to see. Pyro also got nearly taken out.. by fire. Geo-Kinetic finally gets some Melee action on something without DR and deals decent damage. Occultist gets to use another of his toys, using an Immediate action for 2 focus. Player Feedback, Gnome Geo: Kinetic Blade carried the battle. Would have been nice to use Utility abilities more, but very limited selection. Having the option of Immediate Action Kinetic Cover, even with Burn, would have seen it used. Player Feedback, Human Pyro: Shut down completely this battle. Poor rolls. Having some type of Area Of Effect would have been great. Only Utility used in all 3 fights was Flame Jet. Searing Flesh really needs to grant Fire resistance, nonsensical for it not to. The Human Torch shouldn't get taken down by a guy with a flame thrower. Player feedback, Occultist: Recalculating the various bonuses from resonant powers gets cumbersome (also a lot of wear and tear on character sheets, even after one game). Would be better if they didn't change as points are used. Immediate Action Defenses for 2 Focus are actually really nice to have when needed.
Great Post Malwing! I just started reading the Occultist, and after the Kinetic, it's the next most interesting class.
I will say that Eram the hydrokineticist, who has over 100 hours of playtest in Skull and Shackles and has so far been a major badass, uses the current playtest build of kineticist. Mark, I have a concern regarding this. The first, is that from what I (and it seems most others) can see, Water is BY FAR the best element in the current play test rules. Combined with the fact S&S features mostly humanoids as opponents (very few of which feature resistances from my memories), it could be skewing you're results. I have been trying to build a Level 7 Melee GeoKinetic for like 4 hours, and honestly, I keep running into a "Pay-Wall" of Burn that seems impossible to overcome. I might just be building at an odd level, but using my "Big Gun" hits me with a massive 5 Burn in one round! (Empowered, Metal Whip Attack). Now, granted, that's me going Nova. But unlike, say, a Magus, If I miss with that attack (And as a Geo Im targeting FULL AC with a +11) I'm eating 35 non-lethal damage (In addition to the likely 14 im carrying from Flesh of Stone), and I can't try again. Geo's really need some type of love.
My picks (In no particular order), Occultist (Radiance House), Ethermancer (Interjection Games), New Paths Compendium (Kobold Press, seriously worth the money).
Checked out some of you're other work, I want to see that Cultist as a bad-guy in a module, man is he creepy! Seriously, good work man, that's some grade A art.
We really need more information on this: "Players will love the book's new resource pool for martial characters". A Blog post outlining what this means would go a long way towards helping people understand it.
Oh! And for people complaining because "Witch's Hexes are Su so they get around SR!!! SO BROKENZZZ!!!" I have to ask, When was the last time you actually PLAYED a caster? Short of some very extreme examples, SR on monsters is a joke. Considering that a CR +2 monster with SR will generally force a 20-30% spell failure chance against a spell (Unless the caster has Spell Penetration or Greater Spell Penetration, which require feat investments) I'm going to call shenanigans on this statement.
I'll try to answer these one at a time, based on my own In-game observations. If you need a Short Answer and don't want to read a wall of text, the people telling you that the Battle Scion is Over Powered are wrong. Fighter benefit's: The Battle Scion does get some of the fighters benefits, namely access to Fighter only feats and Armor training, but he does not get Weapon Training (Advantage: Fighter). The Feats are at Level-3, meaning you don't qualify for Weapon Specialization until 7th level (Half way into an Adventure path, Fighter is ahead here as well). The Armor Training kicks in at 8th, but unlike the Fighter, until then his speed is reduced even in Medium armor (Something the Fighter bypasses at 3rd level, again, Advantage Fighter). I think that kinda sum's that part up. Magic: While the Battle Scion does have access to all Wizard spells, they cast a very small number per day. A 7th level Battle Scion with a 14 Intelligence has roughly the spell casting ability of a 3rd level Universal Wizard with a 12 Intelligence, not exactly game breaking lol. Heck, a 4th Level Magus has TWICE the Spells of a 7th level Battle Scion. To the point of the Paladin (and Ranger) having a dedicated spell list, this is actually a major advantage to the paladin, not the Battle Scion. Besides having access to a number of spells designed specifically to augment the paladins (impressive) abilities, they also get access to a few higher level spells as 4th level spells (Dispel Evil). While there are some Wizard spells that mesh nicely with the Battle Scion (mostly personal range buffs and mobility enhancers), they are not the main attraction. Class Abilities: Lets see... Dweomer Weapon is almost exactly like the Paladins Divine Bond, so those wash out, and Arcane Aura provides a nice deflection bonus, effectively removing the need for you to buy a ring of protection, but that's nowhere near as powerful as the Paladins Divine Grace, which stacks with a Cloak of resistance. Given the paladin's alignment/honor code restrictions, it makes sense that they get a few nicer perks. The Battle Scion does eventually get the ability to cast Personal Range Spells on himself as a Swift Action, likely the classes single most powerful ability, but NOT game breaking dew to it's restrictions. Long Story Short, the Battle Scion isn't going to Out Fight the Fighter, or out Smite the Paladin, or Out Magic the Mage. He's different, he does his own thing (and in my experience so far, does it well and with style), but at the end of the day he is a Martial Character with a few trick's up his sleeve. He's a great option for those who want to play a Heavy Armor wearing Knight with a bit of an Arcane Edge.
I don't know, the thing about a 7 not being "that" dumb isn't quite as easy as "only" -2. I mean, an INT 10 character can be expected to pass all basic DC 10 untrained knowledge skill checks (Take 10). At a 7 Int, you have less then a 50/50 shot at knowing a Cow is Harmless, but a Bull is dangerous. That's not even counting the difference in span of knowledge (the number of different skills you can potentially have ranks in). Maybe not crippling dumb, but yeah, you're not too bright. Typing on a phone, with gloves, please excuse any spelling errors.
Out of all the ranged weapons I have used/practice with over the years (Bows, Crossbows, Various Firearms, Slings) Slings are Oddities. It seems (to me) that trying to get accurate (consistent) shots off under 10 yards is next to impossible, but 20-30 yards away accuracy comes easy. That's the exact opposite of every other ranged weapon I have had experience with. I wouldn't say that the sling is an Exotic Weapon, it's actually easy to learn but incredibly hard to master. It really deserves it's own Feat chain, with each feat up the chain providing significant bonuses over the last. After all, almost nothing about using a sling translates to any other weapon.
I think the best way to make the trait not suck would be to allow it to apply to Take 10. The Battlefield Surgeon trait looks good. I wonder what religion it's tied to (If any), I don't have that book. I know I'm a rarity, but I usually take one "Good/Useful" Trait, and one designed solely to make the character unique or flavorful.
My experience running an Occultist in a published Adventure Path, Skull and Shackles (So Far). Minor Skull and Shackles Spoilers:
We are running a common 15 point buy, so my starting stats ended up as 14, 14, 12, 8, 10, 14 (+2 Racial). Fairly straight forward, My bonus skill point for being human made up for the -1 from Int. And I wanted to play a kinda thick headed character after playing a wizard in the last Path. Considering I'm also the ships Siege Engine expert, that -1 Int is downright funny. At the Start of the Adventure Path, we only had Pact Magic Vol. 1, I got Pact Magic Vol 2 around level 2. I wish I had Vol 2 when we started, as there are some really nice 1st level Spirits available, but the first book has a nice assortment of options. I started play knowing 4 Spirits, and gain 1 per level (Pact Magic is Rare). This has (So far) been a nice balance. I need to choose carefully what spirits to learn, but I feel as if I have enough options/variety. In the first part of the adventure path, when the party was press-ganged, I found General Hessant an ideal spirit (with the flavor of the Campaign being pirates, the DM allowed me to re-flavor Hessant to a "Dread Pirate", swapping the Longsword for a Cutlass, but keeping everything else the same). Combined with a bonus to Intimidate and Sense Motive (two very important skills in this AP), being able to call up a weapon when needed was handy (especially early on). Even more then a Wizard, a low level Occultist needs some idea of what he's going to be facing, or the role he's expected to fill, at the start of the adventuring day. In one instance, while exploring an Island, I bound to a Spirit from Vol 2 (Marat). This Spirit gave me an impressive amount of defensive abilities... which was great, until we had to perform underwater combat... and I was in Plate-mail... (I need to make a DC what swim check?). Had I known swimming was needed, I could have bound Aza'zati (And had a way to deal with swarms to boot!). Situations like this are welcome however, because they do in-fact help balance the strengths the Occultist has. Each spirit's personality is fun to role-play, I feel this is a big part of the classes flavor and should not be hand waved or ignored; to be honest, I sometimes look forward to the occasional Poor Pact, using them as opportunities to really stress the difference between my characters personality and some of the spirit's. Unfortunately, you need a Good Pact to get you're Pact Augmentations, and those gems are worth trying to get you're totem bonus for, let alone some of the Capstone Empowerment's. Many of the Spirits, even the 1st and 2nd Level Spirits, provide powerful (if limited) abilities. When Bound to Marat (The first level spirit mentioned above), my 2nd Level Occultist had an AC of 24, requiring low level opponents in the adventure path to roll 19-20 to have a hope of hitting him. At first, this might seem a bit too powerful, but this spirit provides no offensive options, leaving you a 3/4 BAB Class with simple weapons. As we leveled, I continued to gain more options. Adding the Spirits Tyrant Cromwell, Forash, and eventually Cornelius Button, I now have a number of roles I can fill on any given day. Whatever roll I choose, the party can rest assured I'll do my part competently. If they want me as a Heavy Melee Hitter, I can easily deliver the highest 1 shot damage in the party. If we need someone to provide Summoning Support, I can bring the equivalent of our highest level spell to every encounter. If we need more magic, I can open Pandora's box and reach for the grab bag of goodies that is Mr. Button. Unlike traditional Spell Casters, the Occultist doesn't lose effectiveness as the day goes on (for the most part). While you're major granted abilities have a 5 round cool-down (Meaning you will likely only get to use each one once in a given encounter), they are generally ready for use again in the next encounter. This hasn't caused any issues in the current adventure. The addition of Pact Augmentations (and the Feat Extra Pact Augmentation), gives you additional customization options, and really makes the Occultist less reliant on gear in my view. I'm less worried about getting that Cloak of Resistance, if I can choose to just apply a +1 Insight Bonus to all my saves. I'm hoping Pact Magic 3 has some New Pact Augmentations (Hint Hint), maybe one that raises you're effective Binder Level (sort of like Commanding Facade does), or one that increase the damage of you're Supernatural abilities by +1 per die (or even just +2 like Vicious Augment). All in All, I'm really enjoying the change of pace. Having just a few potent and flexible abilities allows me to spend more time playing my character and less time looking up rules/spells.
Having a great time playing an Occultist in Skull and Shackles, nothing keeps a crew in line like a 7' Mwangi with a poor Fotash Pact lol
E6 human only? I smell homebrew! Lol I Dm an E6 human only homebrew too lol If you want to go Blasty Sorcerer, Spell Focus (Evocation) and Spell Specialization are the way to go (See if you're DM will allow you to pick up Mage's Tatoo from Inner Sea World guide, its easily refluffed). With those three feats, your casting 1 spell 3 levels higher, and all Evoc 1 level higher. If you're DM will allow the Tatooed Sorcerer, even better! You can go a few ways from there, but it gives you a good start at being a very formidable caster at 6th level. Toughness: I wouldn't bother, you have enough points to swing a 14 Con. If you always put your Favored Class bonus in HP Thats 1d6+3/Level, should be fine. Ability Scores: I have too agree with your DM on the no selling off points if hes giving you 25 to work with, thats plenty For a 25 point Buy I almost always go with: 17, 12, 14, 14, 10, 10 plus racial adjustment. For a Sorcerer, I would go 10, 14, 14, 12, 19 (17+2), 10 ( see below for reason) About Bloodline: I would give serious thought to Empyreal. While it doesn't help your blasting (which will still be respectable at +2 or +3 CL), you move your casting stat off of Chr (and you already have a Paladin and a Bard for face skills), which will give you a solid Will save, you pick up Heal and Knowledge Religion (Both handy skills), and the ability to Heal party members for 1d4+ 1/2 level (at range!) Once per day each. Oh yea, and you get Bless as a first level spell. Sorry for any typos or bad formating, touch screen phone+gloves is a bad combo lol. Spells: A great 2nd Level Spell for a Fire based Blast Sorcerer is Burning Arc. D6/level, max 10d6, selected target (not Aoe), but gets secondary targets (for reduced damage) as you level. If you deside to go Primal Fire, I would make that your bread and butter 2nd level attack spell.
Dawnflower dervish bard. It is the only class that can get dervish dance at first level. You can be fully dex based in combat and you have cool battle dance abities, a lot of skills, and bard spells. A Bit Off Topic: You know whats sad? In the various games I have played, we haven't had a single "Dervish Dance" character, but I'm so sick of hearing about it on the Board I dislike the entire concept at this point. Back on Topic: You know, a Sword and Board Fighter might even be fun if you know you are never going above level 1 or 2... I feel like if you know the game is going to be short lived or always stay low level, you can afford to go with something non-optimal and pick fully on flavor. Half-Orc Fighter trying to live up to the ideals of the Paladin who raised him?
Just looked over the PDF... excellent work. The Battle Scion and Thurge are amazingly well done (The Scion is exactly what people have been asking for in a full BAB, 4 level arcane caster, and the "Prayer Book" for the Thurge is a stroke of flipping genius!"
Rod of Wonder, hands down. Once my character got his hands on it, he never put it down. Pelting a red dragon in the face with gems? Priceless... Turning him Purple? Epic....
Alright you primitive screw heads, listen up... This, Is my Boom-Stick! Sorry, had to wash away the spongebob with a lather of Evil-Dead. j/k
*Sigh* I had really hoped the "+20 circumstance bonus to an ability check" universal abilities had been dropped. Those were some of my most hated abilities. ROFL, +1 Internet good sir.
Its still worth it... Adds a little bit more flexibility to WoP, without having to come up with a bunch of house-rules for things like damage+condition spells.
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