Silver Dragon

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So having played PF for awhile now, here are my takes --

1. Cleric

Channel Energy is, RAW, ridiculous. Oh the ways I dislike this ability. It is non-disruptable (unless you ready to disarm their holy symbol), it is area of effect healing that clerics use to have to wait NINE levels to get (Cure Light Wounds), and its supposed draw back is mitigated by a feat (Selective Channel). The purpose of the ability was supposedly to free up the Cleric to get to use non-healing spells in combat, but more often than not the Cleric's logical play is to Channel again. And the uses per day are almost impossible to exhaust, again, with a single feat. Oh, and it only really helps the PCs, as the healing version for bad guys only really works in the contrived and stereotypical "bad necromancer with his undead minions".

It's use as an anti-undead option to replace turn undead is fine, which needed a fix from 3.5 as it was either stupid (didn't work) or stupid (made undead pathetic).

Add to that the domains are so strong, particularly Liberation. And the class already was one of the best as it basically negated long term status effects. But they lose... for all this power... heavy armor proficiency?

2. Sorcerer

Actually, really like the changes to the Sorcerer. In 3.5 there was almost no reason not to multiclass out of it to a PrC that offered full spellcasting progression ASAP. Now, with the bloodlines, there is a reason to actually stay within the class. It's power ranking is simply due to the basic mechanical strength of spellcasting and being spontaneous provides a slight edge over the Wizard.

3. Wizard

I like the change to specialization, that now you just use double the spells per day rather than total exclusion to a school. Again, ranking due to the strength of spellcasting.

4. Bard

Disclaimer: My personal pet class. It is so good right now too. Particularly, the change to bardic music and bardic knowledge. BK use to be really hard to gain much out of it. By streamlining it into regular knowledges they gave a significant advantage. Being able to start a music as a swift or move action is glorious. In combat, you have a medium BAB to work with, but given the bonuses from Inspire Courage you can actually make a decent melee or archer from it.

5. Paladin

Smite is improved, it gets access to more immunities, it gets the ridiculous channel energy, and it can heal itself as a swift action. Even gets a strong power replacement for the mount (which was more thematic but not very powerful). Without question the premium melee combatant now. The option to give the smite to allies... sooo good, as my group is finding out lately. My only problem with the class is an aesthetic one - I always thought of Paladins as being unique and special. As a mundane "regular" class, they lose that.

6. Rogue

The ease of restrictions on what can be sneak attacked helps them. The talents are neat, but not amazing. The problem I see with them is that they are fast becoming the new "3.5 fighter", meaning they make a great dip for two levels (to get evasion, trap disarming, a little SA and a talent) more than being taken as a base class.

7. Druid

That a caster can fall this low shows how lame this class has become overall. It has power simply because it chooses to cast spells for a living, and its animal companion is strong to boot, but its spell selection is weak comparatively, its restrictions against metal still stiff, and its conditional strength upon uncontrollable aspects (weather, overground, etc) troubling. Wildshape is almost not worth it outside of out of combat utility. It is the latest in 18th century technology in the 21st century. It is good, but only in comparison to non-casters, not in comparison to other casters.

8. Ranger

Basically the second best non-caster (Rogue really earning its position only as its prize as a level dip), it is still good for getting free feats for weapon style. Favored enemy is ok so long as it is taken to something frequently encountered (like undead). It isn't bad, it just isn't very good. Sad for them, the thing they really should do best (archery) they don't do best or rather better enough when compared to either the Fighter or Bard.

9. Fighter

Little more versatility with armor choices, little more damage with a broader use of weapons. Still, an indentured servant to casters, and still better for leveling dipping for feats than as a core class. The critical feats offer a nice little sideshow, but still kinda meh.

10. Monk

Good saves. Weak damage output. SR is ok. Their best niche is to simply grapple something and wait for the real characters to help. But first they better drink a potion of enlarge person or they can't even do that right. Doesn't even get full BAB. The sauce is weak with this one.

11. Barbarian

In 3.5 they use to be the best melee class. When they fixed Power Attack, they fixed Barbarian. Or rather, spade it. It's rage powers are a joke, mostly emulating weaker versions of feats. It gets a whole bunch of can't do weakness compared to melee classes which, in turn, are weak compared to caster classes. It is the slave's slave.