Eric Ludy's page

Firearms use bullets which are priced at 1 sp per 10 rounds, regardless of the weapon.

But an air repeater magazine is 6 sp which 'typically' holds 6 pellets, or 1 sp per pellet.

The air repeater doesn't use black powder which is the expensive component in bullets, as implied by the cost of blunderbuss and hand cannon ammunition.

Is there a particular reason why air repeater ammo, one of the weakest ranged weapons, costs 10 times the price?

Coming in a bit late; I was looking for something re this topic. I think the better comparison is to the magazines for repeating crossbows: they generally cost one silver per bolt they hold, but the actual bolts cost 1cp each. I think it was an oversight; I think the pellets should be 1cp each like almost every form of ammunition.

Actually, my question was "Am I correct in reading the entry that way?" - and overwhelmingly it appears the answer is that I was. I colored my question a bit with my consideration that they added a new item for a new class that seemed less effective than the existing options.

I understand that it was assumed I was implying that it being a sub-optimal choice made it "bad." I wasn't really thinking about it that way - just that it didn't make logical sense to me. I was basically thinking, "Why (logically) would you design a class and design an item for that class and not make them mechanically integrated in the same way preexisting options already are?" "What design purpose drove that decision?"

That said, I think it could be a great basis for a higher level swashbuckler magical item - just give it a 1/day cloak of colors or something and it would be great.

HumbleGamer wrote:

shroudb wrote:

are we comparing a level 0 item costing 5sp with a class feat?

the dueling cape is an alternative if you dont go for the buckler/parry feats.

It gives more bonuses than a buckler, but it takes 1 extra interact action to "draw" it.

that's all it is.

Well, the comparison was between:

- A lvl 14 feat

vs

- A skill check which requires the same number of action
- It requires to lvl up as main skill deception
- It requires you to increase charisma in order to have higher chances to success/critically success
- It requires you to have items that enhances your deception skill
- It requires your target to be melee ( instead of 30 yd range )

Unless for static use of a fencer swashbuckler ( for a hybrid +1 AC / +1 Deception )

1) Raise
2) Feint
3) Finishing

Repeat

I really can't find a good use for it.

no, not really.\\you are overcomplicating it.

the question was what's the purpose of the dueling cape.

and it's purpose is very clear:
it gives an additional +1 to feinting alongside "buckler raise shield" +1 circumstance to AC
a cape is also tremendously less incospicuous than a buckler.

so, bonus wise it's a better buckler, but obviously, that comes with some negatives, primarely the action to "draw it" in the start of the encounter and that your hand is no longer empty.

do the feats about buckler/parry work on it? no.
Do they need to? again no.

it's an alternative in case you dont want to use 2 feats on buckler/parry+stance

I get that - it just seems odd to me that they'd add a new item to go along with the class that didn't receive any of the class benefits. I'm not sure how to explain it - it's not about being optimal; it just doesn't compute in my head that they wouldn't want the shiny new item to work with the shiny new class.

I have a little OCD about stuff like this.

So, RAW it appears that dueling cape is incompatible with any of the swashbuckler stance feat lines - it uses a hand, so the dueling parry line is out; it lacks the parry feat, so the parry line is out; and it is not a buckler, so the buckler line is out. Is this correct? Is it intended?

I ask because, from my perspective, that makes the item ultimately inferior to every other option for the class for which one would assume it was designed. Perhaps the +1 to feint is valuable enough to a specific type of swashbuckler? At higher levels, I doubt it.

Vasin wrote:

Porridge wrote:

The Aasimars get Angelkin, Lawbringer, and Musetouched as possible lineages

*Immediately reads Musetouched as Moostached and now can't read it any other way...*

I've been seeing "Mustached" every time I read "Musetouched" since Blood of Angels. It's at least a really entertaining bit of mental imagery and world-building.

I think you need to talk to that person who wanted to combine witch's hair attacks with swashbuckler for a mustache-based finesse fighter.

Actually, would a mustache be finesse? Would it be ... agile?

Porridge-san! Can you confirm whether the duskwalkers are "descendants" of psychopomps as implied in steams or foundlings like the ones described in the Bestiary? So much curiosity!

I'm hoping swashbuckler got a stance for dueling parry. I'm still waiting to see how much archetyping I'm going to have to do to get to the character I'd like to build.

As weird as everything has been with the pandemic, I do have that tiny worry in the back of my mind that since I started my sub with this book it will somehow not even ship until near to the release date (or after).

To clarify, I've never had that happen with a subscription before, and it's probably just me being antsy for that little 'pending' to drop off (like everyone)

LOL. I started mine *today* and I'm 99% sure I won't see it until August - I just hope I get the PDF at some point.

I'm gonna go ahead and tag in here. ;-)

1. Key Terms: Could you please include proficiency (and possibly the proficiency chart?) here?

2. Apply Your Class: Paragraph 3 directs players to page 290 for information on proficiencies, but that is not where the table/explanation is located. It is not even in the same chapter.

3. Why do some ancestries get access to more weapon critical effects from their lvl 5 feat than others? Goblins, in particular, are getting shafted, right?

4. Because of my need to play Goblin paladin ... can Rough Rider allow them to treat wolves/dogs as if they had the mount special characteristic if they do not already? Alternatively, can we get a goblin dog stat block for a companion mount?

5. Can an alchemist throw elixers or mutagens? If not, can that be a feat they can get? It would make them a passable battle healer.

6. Does alchemist expanded resonance really have to wait until lvl 9, given how it works?

7. Also, this technically comes up later but could you clarify whether throwing a bomb takes RP? Elixers and poisons are both specific, but bombs just say "not like the others" - and the others go either way.

8. Do shifter barbarians change back during their down turn, or do they just not get the benefits? This is vitally important for fluff purposes.

9. Could you please put "At level XX, ..." in front of the resistances to make it clearer?

10. Is there a reason Sudden Charge doesn't have the rage trait?

11. Isn't come and get me/vengeful strike a little under-powered compared to last edition? Everyone gets a bonus to hit but you can only counter the first one?

12. Am I reading it correct that cleric is going to be the only divine caster (including pally) not to grant channel life as a multi-class feat? Also, is it the only one where your multi level is your full level?

13. Actually, speaking of that ... is there a reason channel life/energy is treated three different ways in three different classes? Wouldn't it be easier to make it a spell point thing for all of them and, if clerics really need a few more hits, give them something like alchemists' expanded resonance?

14. Why do casters get so few feats? Is it to make up for the spells? It just makes it so that players who want to multi will start with their martial class and add on the caster feats.

15. For monk, does flurry of blows only work with basic fist attacks or can it be used for stance attacks?

16. If paladins are going to be so limited re deities, could you maybe expand deific weapons to groups so they have a little more choice?

17. Can rangers get a couple of extra companion feats to make up for not having the spells druids get?

18. Seeing as how there's only one free line for weapon proficiencies, could you add class traits to weapons (like monk) for classes like rogue and bard?

19. Can sorcerors get a feat to increase their spell points? Also, do wizards really have a lot more spell point options than sorcerors?

20. Lvl 4 sorceror evolution feats seem ... really limited by that 1/day thing. Is there no way it could be spell points?

21. So, am I reading it correct that you add no bonuses to your assurance score? That ... is not how take 10 worked back in the day, and take 10 was much better than this (even allowing for take 20).

22. Could ... could you not mock us by setting feats at levels when we don't receive slots for them? Or can you hold a skill feat for the next level? Is that okay?

23. Specialty crafting: alchemical items is a little much for a level 1 feat ... right?

24. Can a player choose to have a nonlethal weapon do lethal damage?

25. If all finesse weapons are agile, can't we just put that in the description of finesse to cut down on the traits weapons have?

26. Is half plate meant to be better than full plate for all characters with at least a 10 in dex (bc clumsy)?

27. If I have telekinetic projectile, can I throw caltrops on the ground and use them with that power? If so, how many are there? Also, is that an action?

28. There appears to be a typo in telekinetic projectile

29. Is fighter resilience meant to be taken on top of toughness? It is a weaker feat and anyone buying into fighter is going to have very limited feats (casters)

30. Did you consider giving rogues three or four feats re sneak attack like spell levels? People really like having a lot of dice ... that's kinda the appeal of sneak attack.

31. In the rules for distributing treasure, can I take a rune of lvl 5 (for example) and a weapon + 1 of lvl 4 (numbers might not be right) and combine them as part of the selection process?

32. Will there be more wands that add bonuses to casting and aren't disposable? I'd particularly like one with spell storing; I'd happily give up spell slots during rests to have a 1-action cast of something during the day.

33. For those of us who like to fluff, firearms are still in the world, right? Casters could conceivably be like "ERMAGERD SER ERRSOME" and make wands that look like guns? Right?

34. Could the game so far be any cooler? Probably not. ;-)

I'm pretty okay with losing an action to gain two for a companion. Trading an action to let a companion get into flanking position AND get an attack seems like a good trade, even if it doesn't do quite as much damage as you would. The ones without a dex boost are pretty vulnerable early on due to low AC but that should even out as they grow.

The skills seem off to me though. I understand certain species being better at certain things, but they're wild animals. They should all be able to survive in the wild. And since when are wolves not stealthy? Maybe just pick a skill for each that they are expert in instead of just trained.

They ... um ... they're babies when you first get them. They get up to 4 upgrades, which ends up with them having either a master or a trained and an expert skill. It'd be a little overpowered for them to be master-ranked at level 1.

Inori. Inori's deific weapon is the fist; it's simple so it goes up to a d6 in damage and your hand is always empty. It's the "best" lay on hands build right now. :-)

But, yeah - let's trade channel life from Paladin for emblazon symbol from Cleric, take channel energy off Cleric, and call it a day. That would fix, like, four things.

Oh, we'd need to give feat-starved Clerics a 1st-level class feat if we did that.

Laik wrote:

In my game, the paladin ended up using sword-and-board style in combat and applying lay on hands between fights only, to heal up when it is safe. Right now, combat use of the ability seems to be too much trouble.

That's a big problem to me, since the ability specifically grants an AC bonus for a round, meaning it is meant to be used in combat. :/ And a 4th level paladin can get the much more powerful Heal spell for out of combat needs. Also, clerics can get Emblazon Symbol as a 1st level feat, so why not paladins? (Better yet, give it to them for free and solve this problem.)

Bastard sword and shield seems workable, as you can drop the shield as a free action and then choose to use the sword with one or two hands, but very little else does. At the very least it seems weird that you need to remove a hand to lay on yourself.

I hope the designers are paying attention to this one and clarify the intent.

Inori. Inori's deific weapon is the fist; it's simple so it goes up to a d6 in damage and your hand is always empty. It's the "best" lay on hands build right now. :-)

But, yeah - let's trade channel life from Paladin for emblazon symbol from Cleric, take channel energy off Cleric, and call it a day. That would fix, like, four things.

They specifically gave channel energy its own recourse pool so clerics wouldn'tend up not using their domain powers just to have more healing. I completely agree with this.

Sure, and they could handle that either the way they did with Alchemists using resonance to do quick alchemy (by giving them a level-scaling pool of extra spell points) or like Paladins did (by adding additional points to the spell point pool). Either way would be consistent with how it was handled elsewhere in the book and would get away from a third type of resource tracking. I just don't like x/day mechanics *on top* of spell points. Those are the abilities spell points are already supposed to be representing while providing flexibility to the player.

Channel energy for a sorcerer should be more than once per day, though. A Divine Sorcerer will probably end up picking heal for one of his hightened spells every day and burn through his spell slots just for healing. Getting a single free heal per day won't change that much.

Totally agree. Making it spell points like Paladin would let them balance it against other abilities. Should work that way for all the 4th-level sorcerer evolutions. I also think Sorcerers should just have more spell points than they do, since they're supposed to be the most spontaneous/flexible caster.

Note that paladin's get the weakest channel because their champion power level is rounded down instea of up like pretty much every other power.

Except their spell point pool pulls off of their casting stat, so they're likely to have 3-4 points just from the stat plus 2 from buying heal plus 1 for each litany ... so they can have a pretty deep pool of lvl 8 heals by the time it's said and done.

Also, what do you think about the way this impacts multiclassing? Right now, if you class into cleric you *cannot* get channel energy (unless I'm missing something again; I totally missed soothe on the Bard list). But you can buy it as a single feat on Paladin or Sorcerer and, depending on whether you can get spell heightening as a multi sorcerer, it might even be *better* to buy it from Paladin.

Basically, the best class to multi into if you want to be an off-healer right now ... looks like Paladin, unless you want to invest a lot of feats into adding spell slots.

So, channel energy ... it's handled three different ways between three classes? Would it be possible to consolidate them all (hopefully to use spell points)? Also, given how central the mechanic is to Cleric, is it strange that the other two classes can gain it as a feat after their dedication feat is eventually added but multiclass clerics can never get it?

My personal opinion - and it's just an opinion! - is that choosing fighter and buying into cleric for channel energy and channel smite and then buying into cavalier for the companion traits would basically let people get the majority of the Paladin benefits without the alignment restrictions. That's something everyone wants, right?