"Hey, if Nigel's in trouble - Nigel's the curator of this museum by the way - I'm all too happy to see him squirm for it. Never cared for the pointy-eared weasel anyway. He maintains a lukewarm on-again off-again association with our Society, in the sense that he openly dislikes us but still begs us for help when he needs it, like he's doing today. But it would really strain his relationship with our higher-ups if you brought this story to them and told them that our agents have been fighting through his security to solve a problem that was ultimately his fault. Personally I'd really like to see that, assuming your story is true of course. " "Oh and it would also mean that you wouldn't have to fight your way out past us, 'cos as you can see, we fought through the same defences you did, and we're barely scuffed. Can't say the same for your guys. And A-hole-Nokky over there may think he's hot stuff and all, but tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum over in the corner look like they're fit to drop. Fight us, and most if not all of you ain't walking out of it, I can assure you. And that's not even taking into account all the other agents that are still behind us in this building." "Your move, Medda. How do you want to play this?"
The unusually cantankerous kitsune stares, shoulders slouched, with his mouth agape at the gnome as she rambles non-stop, then sighs. "Oh great. This is one of the clowns I'm grouped with for the 'team-building exercise'? And who I'm gonna be grouped with in the next assignment?" He buries his face in his paw. "We're all gonna die."
Ooo. Ooo. OoTS reference! Erm, throwing in my vote for this needing a clarification if only to clear it up once and for all. People base substantial portions of their character concepts on this feat (not me personally, none of my characters have it). If nothing else, it would be nice if those people had a clear word once and for all on whether or not it worked .
"Phew, that was close. Thanks for the help, buddy." "Well, let's see, gargantuan elemental and gargantuan table covering the South, giant dwarf getting mangled to the North. Guess I know where I'm going." Exiel flies in between Rhon and one of the giants assaulting him.
Have you seen the Netflix show Stranger Things? That show takes a very similar concept and takes it up to Eleven. =D
I think a far simpler and easily balanced fix is to just introduce a mechanic (at this stage it will probably need to be via a feat or an item) that allows the existing casters to spend resolve to regain some spell slots when they rest for 10 min. I'd propose it be spending 1 resolve when taking a 10 min rest to regain spell slots with levels adding up to no more than 2 x the highest level spell he can cast. I was aiming for letting casters cast more often over the course of a day without increasing their maximum potential power in any single combat encounter. If the 10 minute rest is supposed to be a 'mini-rest' in which you spend resolve to recover from recent exertions,and is already an assumed part of an average adventuring day, why not allow spells to be regained in addition to stamina, while using the existing resolve mechanic to keep it in check? I had not taken into account resolve attunement, but that too can be easily fixed. Add the line 'resolve spent this way cannot be recovered except by getting a full 8 hour rest'.
I think a far simpler and easily balanced fix is to just introduce a mechanic (at this stage it will probably need to be via a feat or an item) that allows the existing casters to spend resolve to regain some spell slots when they rest for 10 min. I'd propose it be spending 1 resolve when taking a 10 min rest to regain spell slots with levels adding up to no more than 2 x the highest level spell he can cast.
There is some freedom indeed, though I do see a need to maintain an at least one up to date ring of resistance seeing as I am one of I think 2 classes that have 2 weak saves, so there's a tax there as well. Personally I intend to be keeping my armor up to date and then focusing on utility tools. Simple reasoning - if I have the worst potential attack bonus then my credits are best spent on items that work the same regardless of my attack bonus. Since you're using a 20th level projection, here's my projection of how much less utility I am getting out of a long arm at that level. My mystic's highest stat after wisdom will be dexterity. It will also be getting my second-highest augmentation as well. I'm projecting a max WIS of 28 and a max dex of 24. At 24 dex, taking the feats for long arm and spec, as well as weapon focus, I am looking at an attack bonus of +24. Soldier Joe with a 28 dex and 20 BAB and weapon focus will be sitting on a +30 to hit. Way I see it, that means my highest attack bonus would be what Joe's attack bonus would be if he full attacks for 3 attacks - i.e. he's looking at up to 3 times the utility I'm getting out of the same gun, and that's after I've spent 2 feats trying to catch up. Looking at it from another angle, a vesk-monolith-clad opponent with decent dex is sitting on an AC of 41 or 42. I need to roll a 17 or higher to hit him (20% chance) while Joe hits on an 11 (50% chance). Assuming neither of us full attacks, Joe's chance of hitting is 2.5 times my own. Sure it doesn't start at that degree of disparity - it actually starts out much smaller, but that's the end point, meaning as I gain levels I fall further and further behind and my feats feel more and more 'wasted'. Moreover, and this is the important part, none of my class abilities are gonna help close that gap. Unlike the technomancer who can use his spell slots to fire a few shots as well as a soldier a few times a day (with some extra damage to boot) or a mechanic who can track with his exocortex, if I'm aiming to do damage with my gun I have no option but to hope for the occasional high rolls. I'm not begrudging Joe his advantage - that's what his class does, and he does it well, good for him - otherwise there would be no point to the soldier class. But at that kind of disparity I'm inclined to think that I'm far more useful trying to make sure he gets to attack rather than trying to attack myself. Sure, ok, I can accept that is what my class is meant to do, and that's my best role in combat. But that still makes it hard to justify to myself the cost of spending on a weapon or the 2 feats to learn to use that weapon. Especially if my end point is (substantially) less than 50% chance to hit. If we think of the party's credits as a pool of which I get to decide how to spend a portion of, if I'm getting between 33% to 40% of the utility from purchasing that gun compared to Joe, the party's better off leaving the gun-spending part of the budget to Joe while I get the stuff that Joe isn't getting because he got that gun. If I was at least at the 60% mark, I'd still consider it, but as it stands, it doesn't really strike me a worth the cost. My biggest bang-for-cred is by far just using my gun for harassing fire to help Joe hit, which I can do with any cheap gun. So instead, I'm looking at things like rings of resistance, staff of mystic healing, tiara of translocation, null space chamber and force packs are on my list. Even spare haste circuits strike me as a better use of my creds since it might mean Joe might get to full attack when he otherwise might not be able to. I do also have my eye on the dragon glands since at least that's a damage item that works about equally well on either me or the hypothetical Joe, with a niche of being an AoE attack. I do wish they had more gland variants for the levels between 2, 9 and 17... But that doesn't change the fact that the metric of the value of my class lies far less in my use of a gun and far more in my use of my spells and connection abilities. I think I'm far better off budgeting to use a few spell crystals each mission than trying to play around with a gun.
Don't get me wrong there is alot I like about Starfinder. I'm even running a Dead Suns campaign and hoping to keep running it to the end of the AP. I do acknowledge that the mystic's spells are nice. I think it is more that spells are a very scarce resource, and also that mystics don't have any mechanic to squeeze more mileage out of their gun, such as the exocortex tracking or even that thing that technomancers do to sacrifice spell slots to boost their attack rolls and damage. And I cannot for the life of me figure out why only 1 of the 2 spellcasting classes in starfinder gets spellfocus for free, but that's another issue. I do wonder whether there should be a feat that allows spellcasters to spend a resolve point when resting to regain some of their spell slots to give them more lasting power throughout the day without increasing their 'nova' potential.
I think it is more that due to the way spells work now, only highest 2 levels of spells will be any good for damage. The lower level damage spells will get phased out for utility or healing as you increase in levels since they don't increase in damage. 2d10 damage ain't worth that much when the monster can save for half and has 150hp. Your highest level spells will still be very impressive when you cast them, so you'll still have some shine in boss fights. But considering what I can (or rather can't) achieve with a decent firearm I struggle to justify the cost of a firearm. Right now, I don't think I have any incentive for my mystic to shell out credits for anything more than an azimuth pistol.
This game does involve tradeoffs. Your arguments seem so locked into only looking at the solarian that it doesn't appear that you recognize that other classes have similar tradeoffs. This about sums it up. Try building some other classes and see whether you run into similar problems. I know I have, and I've built a soldier, a technomancer, a solarion and a mystic. They all have real tradeoffs. I actually think Solarion's one of the stronger options even with CHA as the main stat.
But our cult didn't start the fire... It was always burning since the station's been operating. Hides the kerosene.
Considering how difficult it is now to get boosts to your saving throws, I have two words in reply. Fort save. Granted my own character does not have the best CON score, which is why I plan to take great fortitude and improved great fortitude. But my relatively low fort save still makes me nervous. Ironically, if your class has a good fort save progression, a decent CON score becomes less important.
1. Are there plans to restore the website feature that enabled you to check what scenarios have been reported for a character by clicking on the 'sessions' tab from your profile?
2. Does a sorcerer with an esoteric dragon bloodline count as a psychic caster as well as an arcane caster?
3. Catfolk, Kitsune, Ratfolk, Vanara, Gripppli, Rougarou, Tengu, Vishkanya or Skinwalker?
When possessing an animal via a spell like possession, do I gain the benefit of this ability? Would it be accurate to say that the animal is benefiting from the ability, and I thus benefit from it because I am possessing the animal?
If I polymorph my familiar from a form that has no hands to a form that has hands (e.g. use alter self to turn my pseudodragon into a halfling), does he join the list of familiars that are "able to grasp and carry one object at a time in their paws, claws, or hands, including weapons, rods, wands, and staves, as long as their carrying capacity is sufficient" for the duration of the spell?
On the back of the temp hp FAQ, if an ally falls unconscious at -1hp and I cast false life on him to give him 5 temp hp, does he regain consciousness (sustained by necromantic energy! Rawr!)? Will he continue to bleed? Is he staggered?
This also needs to be an evergreen. It would actually make sense since the description suggests that the Decemvirate sends new teams of agents there on a semi-regular basis.
Cheers Jeffrey. It's what I did the first time I ran it, just wanted to make sure I wasn't softballing it too much. In hindsight: In hindsight I'm also pretty sure it would have been a TPK if I didn't give them the save after the bullrush. I'm running it a second time this weekend.
Can a shaman's spirit animal take the figment familiar archetype? Points to consider:
> The figment familiar archetype spells out that the witch cannot take a figment familiar, but is silent on shamans (since the archetype predate the shaman class). But the spirit animal is based off the wizard's familiar rather than the witch's.
Benefit: When you use this style, you do not take a –4 penalty on combat maneuver checks to grapple a foe with only one hand. Additionally, you do not lose your Dexterity bonus to AC while pinning an opponent. If I the hand I'm using for grabbing style has a +1 gauntlet on it, would I get a +1 enhancement bonus to my CMB on the grapple?
For magic, summoning's pretty good. Destructon magic looks pretty, but guzzles mana too quickly especially in the early stages of the game. Summons on the other hand can tank for you as well as do more damage for the mana cost. When you level up, you can choose stamina, mana or HP. Much like diablo 2, increasing mana and stamina will help you early, but in the later game you will regret it because various equipment pieces and the occasional plentiful potion will make them completely redundant. In particular, once you get your enchanting ability high enough, you can craft sets of equipment that reduce the mana cost of all your spells from up to 2 schools to 0% (though if you are going for summoning and great-sword wielding, you will probably enchant a set of equipment with a combination of mana-cost reduction for summoning and melee damage boosts. I only found playing with destruction magic fun when I didn't have to keep chugging potions to maintain lightning bolts spam. My archery still out-performed my lightning in general, but lightning is the easiest to aim because you don't have to account for projectile speed, trajectory or accidentally blasting yourself in an aoe. Skills level as you use them, so your character will develop organically. Just remember that if you want to become better at summoning and using 2-handed weapons, you will need to do exactly that. Don't neglect enchantments and smithing. The best gear your can get are self-crafted.
Hi Mark, if you were to take a stab at making Zuko from Avatar, how would you go about it (class/feats/stats etc)?
Not looking for a full build, just a general concept (though a full build might also be fun). Feel free to name or hint at options from psychic anthology too. =) Second but potentially related question:
Amended my previous post to avoid promoting the cheese. ;) In PFS, however, I doubt many enemies will have a potion of delay poison or even anti-venom on hand. =(
Thanks Mark. I'll use that ruling in PFS. The BBEG in the game in question fell to that poison from a [redacted]. The DC was... unpleasant.
This one caused some havoc in a recent game, so I thought it best to seek some clarification on how this works. It appears to be a CON-based-DC poison that is usable CON-mod times per day. The name says it is a "sleep poison" and the description says it puts enemies to sleep. However, actual effects instead appear to knock the enemy "unconscious" for a minute, so they cannot be woken up the way a sleeping person can usually be woken, effectively making it a save-or-die since there are very limited ways to wake an unconscious person. Questions:
Thanks! Looking forward to the campaign clarification. =)
Hi Yoon, how would the following events make you feel:
Hi Mark, a certain recently sanctioned option for PFS grants this ability: Feymarked (Ex):
Upon death, a feysworn is immediately resurrected and transported to a location on the First World sacred to the Eldest the feysworn worships (at the GM’s discretion, the feysworn may be reincarnated instead). Does this effectively mean that a for a feysworn the cost of death in PFS effectively becomes a plane shift and a restoration? Since you are resurrected and then transported, does this mean that you are resurrected in your original body and then transported with all your gear? Second unrelated question:
Humanoid creatures without two free hands attempting to grapple a foe take a –4 penalty on the combat maneuver roll. Question: Does wielding a Dan Bong in one of your hands actually make it harder to attempt a grapple, or are you supposed to be counted as having two free hands when using a Dan Bong in a grapple? If the latter, could I request that it be added to the FAQs at some point? =D
I have a sudden temptation to make a white-haired witch grippli just for funsies... XD
That's a good idea. I've removed the old links.
In general for possession, I'd go with the gear on the possessed body, not the possessor, especially as pertains to physical qualities of the body. However, I could see a potential for wiggle room in the same vein as polymorph melding for mental-only static non-activated benefits in a possession where the two physically merge and the possessor's body isn't also around (like greater possession).This is a difficult conundrum that I had to answer with my new Karzoug tactics earlier in this thread. Considering how powerful the tactic was, I decided that the spells that weren't soul-affecting or mind-affecting stayed on the body, so K had to either pre-buff on the return body (which he did for some essential spells) or use his time stops to put spells back up whenever the PCs switched to a new "phase" of the fight. Cheers. I'll plan along those lines.
This is a difficult conundrum that I had to answer with my new Karzoug tactics earlier in this thread. Considering how powerful the tactic was, I decided that the spells that weren't soul-affecting or mind-affecting stayed on the body, so K had to either pre-buff on the return body (which he did for some essential spells) or use his time stops to put spells back up whenever the PCs switched to a new "phase" of the fight. Thanks Mark. I guess that answers question 3. =) How would this apply to questions 1 and 2?
For the record, there are some sorcerer archetypes that I quite like. I wouldn't mind having a crack at writing some psychic archetypes sometime... assuming that I haven't already done so, and they just aren't released yet. ;) I love my psychic sorcerers and am excited to see what you have in store for us! =D
Got the chance to flip through it yesterday evening. All I can say is... GERBIE!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Hi Mark, would you be able to shed some light on how possession-type spells work in pathfinder in relation to magic items and spells? For my specific circumstances, if I'm wearing a headband of charisma and a belt of fortitude, and I cast Familiar melding :
More generally, do on-going spells remain with the body or transfer with the soul/consciousness? What about bonuses from magic items?
There are a number of us in the office who would love to expand on the role of catfolk within the Pathfinder setting, but we just haven't had the opportunity to do so in the right place yet. While I had hoped this book would be present such a chance, we wanted to make sure to give every race included as many new rules options as possible. That meant that we couldn't focus as much on flavor as we might have in something like a campaign setting book or adventure path volume. Rest assured, however, that we will further explore catfolk ecologies, history, and society when the time is right. Until then, let us know how you want them to look, I guess. Only thing I know about catfolk on Golarion so far is that they chill somewhere on Garund, and have not made many appearances in the cities of the other races. I reckon an exploration into their cities and societies will need to explain why they have not been seen much to date, and give a reason for them to slowly start making more appearances. Perhaps give them some presence in an AP that pushes them out of seclusion (not a whole AP on them, just one event in an upcoming AP). And if the execs need a reason for giving catfolk a bigger presence on Golarion... well, just show them cat videos on the internet. The internet loves cats! =D I needs dis.
|
Pathfinder Society GM. Starfinder Society GM. 2,894 posts (6,570 including aliases). 1 review. 1 list. No wishlists. 60 Organized Play characters. 22 aliases. 
