Enthallo's page

I was hesitant switching over from Pathfinder to Pathfinder 2e, but I found that all of the frustration I had with Pathfinder was addressed in 2e, and that required a complete and complex overhaul. After a steep learning curve and some rocky first few sessions of play, I managed to switch my group over to the new system and I would never go back.

I researched Starfinder initially, and I was excited at first, but I decided I wouldn't invest... and it was for one simple reason. The power growth of characters depended upon the armor and weapons they bought.

In Pathfinder 2e, you advance, you get better at attacking, and you are harder to hit.

In Starfinder, you advance, you get more money, you buy better gear and upgrade your armor, and you are harder to hit... but don't lose your armor.

By design, characters like Han Solo and Finn wouldn't work, running around without a good set of the most powerful armor and wielding pathetic little weapons they pick up on the way. The Starfinder system as it is reminds me of the days of AD&D, when you judged a Fighter character by the magic armor and the magic weapon he wielded, and less by his level and skills

Pathfinder 2e works, and it has a lot going for it. In my gut I know Paizo will take Starfinder in the same direction. I am going to wait for that day.

I never liked the way Paizo handled shotguns in their game, so I created my own version. Here is the shotgun rules for my campaign:
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(Early) Two-Handed Firearms

Blunderbuss --- 2,000 gp, 2d6(S) 2d8(M) (x2 19-20) 10 Range, 1–2 Misfire(10 ft.) 1 Capacity, 8 lbs., B and P, Scatter/Sawed off

(Advanced) Two-Handed Firearms

Shotgun --- 5,000 gp, 1d10(S) 1d12(M) (x2 19-20) 20 Range, 1–2 Misfire, 1 Capacity, 12 lbs., B and P, Scatter
Double Barreled Shotgun --- 7,000 gp, 1d10(S) 1d12(M) (x2 19-20) 20 Range, 1–2 Misfire, 2 Capacity, 15 lbs., B and P, Scatter

Scatter – Blunderbusses and shotguns operate differently than other firearms. Instead of firing a single bullet, these weapons fire a mass of pellets at their target. This has certain advantages and disadvantages.
As the pellets fly out of the barrel, they disperse. This dispersion increases the further the target is. Because of this, it is much easier to hit an object at range with a shotgun than a regular firearm. As a result, there is no range penalty for shooting a shotgun. Shotguns also have the advantage of covering a larger area with the shot making it easier to hit smaller targets – as a result, the AC bonus of creatures smaller than medium is negated.
However, the downside to this dispersion is the fact that there is a loss of energy from the shot. For every range increment after the first, the dice damage done by a shotgun decreases by one step per increment (d12, d10, d8, d6, d4, d3, no damage). Both dice decrease every step for a blunderbuss.
Finally, shotguns pellets lack the penetrating power of bullets. As a result, to hit an opponent with a shotgun requires a regular Attack roll. They do not gain the benefit of a ranged touch attack.

Sawed off – Blunderbusses and some modified shotguns have the sawed off trait. These weapons have reduced range increments, but firing them in melee does not draw an attack of opportunity. Blunderbusses always have the sawed off trait, but shotguns must be modified to give it that trait (Reduce range for sawed off shotgun to 10)

I've been looking over and over the rules for level 15 and level 20 skill unlock for stealth... but still can't tell the difference.
At level 15, it says your opponent is denied Dexterity until the end of your turn...
At level 20, it says your opponent is denied Dexterity until the beginning of your NEXT turn...
Is there something that I am missing that occurs between the END of one turn and the BEGINNING of the next?

My group is running Kingmaker VERY slowly. We play online from different parts of the country using MapTools (awesome program).
Currently, my group is exploring the abandoned town of Varnhold.

They discovered an entry in the wizard's journal (at the Inn) describing an ancient being called Vordakai. The Cleric in our group immediately asked me how to spell it, so I told him. The Bard took a 20 (KS History 17) to learn more about the name, but I told her that it was a name unknown to her (DC 40).

That's when the Cleric interupted, saying, "Vordakai is an ancient and powerful wizard cyclops... lives near some place called Casmaron."

I was too shocked to reply, but the other players immediately asked, "How do you know that?"

The Cleric answered, "I just Googled it."

Why bring a Bard when you have Google.

The thing that I don’t like about most “Gun Rules” in the game is that they try to do three things, all of which I completely disagree with:

First, they try to capture the variability of blackpowder weapons like as if they were wands or independent magic items… that is to say, they make up a new class of gun for every preference (“is that a light pistol, heavy pistol, heavy repeating pistol, medium long barreled pistol?”). In a nutshell, they complicate things.
Second, they are completely enamored with the idea that a gun is going to blow up in your face at any moment! Blackpowder weapons WOULD misfire frequently, but this was only because the powder didn’t ignite – not because the weapon would blow up. The Warhammer fantasy battle moniker simply does not apply in real life.
Third, they COMPLETELY IGNORE the reasons WHY blackpowder weapons eventually came to completely dominate the battlefield, making bows and crossbows obsolete. I wonder sometimes if the people who made these rules have ever even fired a bow and a blackpowder rifle?

My rules for firearms are very simple. First, start with the basics as presented in Pathfinder chronicles (For my game I made changes to the pistol/revolver ranges)

----------- DMG / Crit / Range / Cap / Wgt / Type
Blunderbuss / 2d6 / x2 / 20 / 1 / 5lb / B/P
Musket ---- / 1d8 / x3 / 90 / 1 / 9lb / B/P
Pistol ---- / 1d6 / x2 / 30 / 1 / 4lb / B/P
Revolver -- / 1d6 / x2 / 30 / 5 / 5lb / B/P
Rifle ----- / 1d8 / 19-20(x3) / 150 / 1 / 8lb / B/P
Scattergun / 3d6 / x2 / 30 / 1 / 8lb / B/P

Now we must ask the question, “Why are firearms superior?” After all, they are unbelievably slow to reload and they require utilizing dangerous blackpowder. The reasons are obvious – they are accurate in a way which no other weapon was, they were more physically damaging that arrows and bolts, and they made armor obsolete.

To take this into account I did two things to my firearms – gave them a strength bonus that penetrates armor, and gave them a point blank accuracy bonus.

Consider the strength bonus for a second. If you have the opportunity, go out with a .22 caliber pistol to the firing range and take a few shots. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it doesn’t take much effort. Now switch over to a .357 magnum revolver – I imagine if you’ve never shot one before the recoil will scare the wits out of you. The .357 is what I would call a pistol with a high Strength modifier, while the .22 has none, and while the .22 round probably won’t punch through a suit of platemail, the .357 is known to be able to crack an engine block.

Now, go out with a bow and arrow with your pistol. Pick a target and take turns shooting the target first with your bow and then with your pistol. Unless you have trained extensively with the bow, odds are you will be RIDICULOUSLY more accurate with the pistol than the bow. Blackpowder weapons, however, were not as accurate as modern weapons (with the exceptions of rifles) so after a certain range that accuracy was diminished. Nevertheless, ask yourself – if some crazed lunatic with an axe was charging at you, would you feel safer with a bow, a crossbow, a katana, or a pistol?

----------- / Pt Blank ATT / STR Mod / Max STR(of weapon)
Blunderbuss / +4 / x1 ½ / 16
Musket ---- / +2 / x1 / 18
Pistol ---- / +3 / x1 / 16
Revolver -- / +3 / x1 / 14
Rifle ----- / +2 / x1 ½ / 20
Scattergun / +4 / x2 / 22

Notes:

Firing a Musket, Rifle, or Scattergun draws an attack of opportunity. Firing a Blunderbuss, Pistol, or Revolver doesn't.

Attack bonus for applies ONLY to the first range increment for Muskets, Pistols and Revolvers. Rifles, Scatterguns, and Blunderbuss maintain the ATT bonus at longer ranges.

Strength Modifier of any particular weapon VARIES with the amount of charge (blackpowder) put in the weapon. The STR of the charge must not exceed either the STR of the character or the Max STR of the weapon – if it is greater than what the character can handle, bad things happen (I have not developed rules on this, but typically I just say to the character you are thrown to the ground by the recoil and take non-lethal damage equal to the damage of the shot); if it is greater than the MAX STR of the weapon, bad things happen to the weapon (this is where exploding weapons on a critical miss comes into play)

The STR Bonus for all weapons, except Blunderbuss and Scattergun, add to both the damage done by the shot and REDUCE the Armor/Natural Armor factor of the target. If the weapon reduces the armor value to zero, excess armor penetration is lost. Example: A warrior in Plate Mail would be more susceptible to a shot from a 18 STR rifle (+6 armor penetration, +2 accuracy) while a Quickling would be more susceptible to a 18 STR scattergun (No armor penetration, +4 accuracy).

Also, Scatterguns and Blunderbuss lose energy the further away the target is from firer. Damage in the second range increment is at ½, in the third range increment is at ¼, and in the fourth range increment is at 1/8. After the fourth range increment, damage from these weapons is negligible.

That is my basic rules for firearms. I have other rules taking into account feats (e.g. Minuteman, Heavy Weapon Shooter) and skills (Quickdraw). But I just want to give you the general idea.