OK, I think I know what you're after now, though I think a +5 to avoid being snuck up on (eyes of the eagle) is pretty universably applicable.
Warrior-types who hate being scared might like the headband of unshakeable resolve. 3/day immediate action to reduce a fear effect on you, and the item also carries a +2 Wis bonus so it doesn't interfere with the big six too badly.
The whole reason it exists in the playtest is because the Paizo devs, who go to conventions and see a lot of PFS being played, don't like CLW wand spamming. They think the people who do that are playing the game wrong, so they've crafted a ham-fisted "fix" that causes other problems (read: healing in general, a well-recognized problem with the current playtest). This "problem" has much better solutions on the wand side of the equation that don't break other parts of the game.
This is a great example of how "problems" in PFS can have a huge effect on those of us that play home games.
-Skeld
The problem in this example are the Devs, not the PFS players.
I strongly disagree that Resonance serves no purpose. IMO there is a definite problem with spammable low level consumables ie wands and potions etc in 3.P.
Frankly, folks that want to be able to grab whatever and cobble a character together by nabbing any ability from here and there are probably better served by playing GURPS anyways.
So, taking away features from one edition to the next, and if you don't like it, there's the door?
Just finished playtesting parts 1 & 2 over a weekend. Thoughts below, mostly on the first experience of P2, rather than specifics about the adventures themselves (although thew were both fun - comments below notwithstanding).
The good:
-3 action combat sytem is excellent. Engaging and quick with enough scope for tactical choices.
-having said that, there are still a few nit-picky annoyances, the rules for putting both hands onto a 2-handed weapon are annoying, and seem needless given 2H isn't particularly better than 1H anymore.
-magic isn't quite as flexible as we were led to believe in the trails (but its still cool). Also cantrips are very nice, and its seems a lot easier to get critically spell results (or crit save failures) than combabt crits.
The ugly:
-lockpicking mechanics are a waste of time, building up (and losing) a bank of successes to overcome the difficulty is an unfun time sink. Especially since there are so few ways to assist a roll
-skills seems much less well defined than in P1, nobody seems to know which is used for which, this just adds to feeling of dissociation
-character creation options are neat within the very limited boundaries. Gating combat options behind classes seems like a terrible choice. Some things you can no longer do: play a longbow wielding ranger, sneak attack with a longsword, power attack as a barbarian.
The bad:
-resonance is just rubbish. I don't see the issue this is trying to fix. Why put a limit on magic item use in a high-magic setting? And if you absolutely have to, why tie it one particular stat? Surely class + primary stat modifier would be more balanced?
-secret rolls are nonsense. Immersion breaking, pointless and heaping more work on the GM. I will literaly (again) never run a game using these rules, and most likely never play in one. BURN THEM WITH FIRE.
-exploration mode seems like a badly thought out excuse for railroading. And self-contradictory from the start (not good design). Casting a spell for more than 10 minutes at a time is fatiguing. Except for Detect Magic, when it isn't. Even though Detect Magic takes *literally* twice as much effort to cast as Shield. Why?
-dying rules are clunky in the extreme. I think with removal of the unconscious condition, or the save to remove it (make it an action to become conscious when on 1+ hp?) these could work. Although given they seem to exist to stop characters getting critted into oblivion, why does the massive damage rule exist - its only point sems to be criting first or second level characters directly to death?
-detect magic. Please put it back to how it was. Its tedious nonsense now. Unfun in the extreme. It could take days to find the magic coin in the treasure chest - why?
I know that's fairly negative, but I'm concerned that the really good combat and magic chassis is drowning under the weight of badly thought-out pointless bolt-ons.
If a player comes to the table while I'm GMing and his character has a slave I will tell him flat out he has a few choices.
1. Don't play at my table.
2. Free the Slave and pay for an Atonement.
3. Accept that I will report their character as Dead on the chronicle Sheet.
Slavery is Evil, owning a Slave is participating in the Evil Act of Slavery. Evil Acts cause your alignment to shift to Evil. Evil Characters are not permitted in PFS.
The reason Evil Characters are not allowed in PFS is it causes conflicts between players. It is very obvious that the subject of Slavery causes the exact same kinds of conflicts any other kind of "evil" does in an Organized Play setting.
Is Drake Brimstone your real name?
Want to make sure I never get stuck on a table with you.
Human
20 pb- Str 18, dex 10, con 14, int 10, wis 10, cha 14
Bloodrager 1 (arcane bloodline) fey foundling, power attack
Bloodrager 2
Bloodrager 3 furious focus
Bloodrager 4
Bloodrager 5 weapon focus or toughness
Bloodrager 6 improved initiative
Bloodrager 7 vital strike
Bloodrager 8
Paladin 1 (sacred servant) furious focus
Paladin 2
Paladin 3 improved vital strike or greater mercy
Always wanted to be a barbarian and paladin (since maenad is not an available race) and use furious focus. Bloodrager gets enlarge person for the extra damage for vital strike and you can rage cycle using fatigue mercy. I like fey foundling as the more hp (and less AC) you have the more healing drain to the cleric you are. Feats are up to your own liking, but I like the idea of furious focus rage cycling with the added healing.
Level 20 would be bloodrager +3, paladin +5, maybe oracle 1 for lame curse to be immune to fatigue and use greater mercy to better effect. At bloodrager 11 you get the upgraded rage and paladin 8 gets 4d6+8 lay on hands. Additional feats would be raging vitality and maybe more of the vital strike feats.
You haven't got Raging Vitality, therefore you die shortly after reaching fifth level.
I just see it as a good way to get through the weak areas certain builds may have like lower levels until a PRC or multiclass build comes into it's own.
Once again, thanks for making a good faith post. Psychologically, though, I can't say this is compelling. My RL job provides me with way more than the Society and they never expect me to pay for things specific to the job out of my own pocket. Everywhere I've worked, if I take an employee out to lunch to show appreciation, the company reimburses me. None of these jobs require that I risk my life.
I suppose you could always go to work next time there's a gaming session on instead...?
Whether as an employee or a volunteer, no organization expects its members to spend money out of their own pocket when conducting the entity's business.
My personal approach to the problem is to try and create characters around motivations that fit well with the PFS. Whatever PFS is providing them has to be more interesting than just money or levels.
Building a character that fits within the setting.
According to the player at my table, a creature hit by a Confusion bomb directly is confused without a save. While I disagree with this interpretation, I also cannot disprove it.
In fact, I said that new problems were created. I even agreed with you that this is bad law. Please don't focus in on two words out of my post and ignore the rest.
Not that I think this instance is much of an issue, but the rationale behind the decision making is worrying.
(Apologies for misreading your post and over-snarking)
burning disarm: a disarmed bad guy is a MUCH less dangerous bad guy
You'll need the appropriate source book for this spell to be legal. And I'd recommend preparing a single CLW in case of emergency.
Or, you can play with a DM who doesn't care that you don't have the book since you are not made of money. If you are in a group that only has 3 players then you can just refuse to play, hence making it so the game cannot proceed unless you are able to use your character as built with supplements you do not have.
Or, in this hypothetical, you could stop being a dick.
It's a bed that players who chronically play up made. Now everyone gets to lie in it.
Hard cases make bad law.
Bad, but simple. It's the same principle as "If you two kids can't stop fighting over that video game, then no one gets it." Frankly, I think that campaign leadership has more important things to do than argue about people who chronically play up and therefore throw the WBL curve out of whack. So, they took away the choice. Problem solved. Another problem created? Maybe, but the abuse which some people felt was egregious is no longer going to be a problem.
Problem solved. Yup, jerk players continue to be jerks, everyone else has to suffer under new rules.
Command can be a game changer. but ther very least you should do (or rather the very least I try to do when playing my cleric) is cast guidance each round... (Divine Sub-domain for Divine Vessel power is awesome).
Because conventional war is a game we can't loose. You can't invade the US with planes tanks and automobiles. You can;t resist a us invasion with planes tanks and automobiles. As long as war is planes tanks and automobiles we can't loose and we can't even be seriously hurt.
If they start using chemical weapons on each other, it won't be long till they start using them on us. They want to nip it in the bud before it gets to that point, and I think Assad deserves a daisy cutter to the head anyway.
Interesting, I'd not thought of it in those terms.
BigNorseWolf wrote:
If you think we have some ulterior motive here I'm listening. I don't see a play that gets us the nice stable friendly dictator of our choosing here, so whats our real motive with this?
I'm not part of "our", my chosen representatives have already decided - wisely I believe - that the case for military intervention hasn't yet been made.
I think we're passing the point of reasonable doubt here. Yes. The potential for abuse of chemical weapons is insane. Discouraging Asaad and the next generation of Asaads from doing it again is worth the cost of a few missles that we've already bought anyway.
Estimated number of humans killed during the Syrian civil war: 100,000
Estimated number killed by Chemical Weapons: 1000
Intervening in Syria because they've used the wrong kind of weapons to kill 1% of their victims seems obtuse in the extreme.
Chemical weapons allow for
-A higher death toll
-A faster death toll
-A less discriminant way of killing
-A cheaper death toll
-More death than you can afford with other means.
We're intervening so that the numbers don't become 100,000 by conventional weaponry and 200,000 by chemical. Nothing obtuse about it.
Aside from being more indsicriminate, none of your listed reasons are actually true.
Chemical weapons are very fiddly to make, diffult to store and use and very tricksy in the field. All of which make them expensive. If you absolutely want a value for money when it comes to killing, pick a machete (cf: Rwanda) or pick an AK-47.
So why are we against "chemical weapons" - by this I mean pretty much poison gas, rather than the more acceptable White Phospour, Napalm and depleted uranium?
I think we're passing the point of reasonable doubt here. Yes. The potential for abuse of chemical weapons is insane. Discouraging Asaad and the next generation of Asaads from doing it again is worth the cost of a few missles that we've already bought anyway.
Estimated number of humans killed during the Syrian civil war: 100,000
Estimated number killed by Chemical Weapons: 1000
Intervening in Syria because they've used the wrong kind of weapons to kill 1% of their victims seems obtuse in the extreme.
Frankly, it's akin to theft - a PC has time investment, which has actual dollar value. A 5th level PC (which could potentially die unrecoverably), for example, represents 48-60 hours of playtime alone: valued according to average US wages (about $25/hour), that PC is worth $1200-$1500, not even including development time.
Which is why most PrCs suck for spellcasters to be honest. Same as 3.5, you almost always want the full casting progression and anything less is a bit on the lame side of things, with an occasional 9/10 sneaking in.
Yet people persist in playing sorcerors and oracles.
I dun get it.
About Sebastian Sarini
Sebastian Sarini
Human Oracle 1
CG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +3 (+3 CHA), Senses Normal vision, Perception
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DEFENSE
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AC 19/17, touch 11, flat-footed 18/16 (+6 armor, +2 shield, +1 DEX)
HP 12 (1d8 + 1 CON + 3 Toughness)
Fort +2 (+0 Base +2 CON), Ref +1 (+0 Base + 1 DEX), Will +2 (+2 Base - 1 WIS + 1 Trait)
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OFFENSE
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Melee - Morningstar Attack: +3 Damage 1d8+3 Crit x2
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STATISTICS
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Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 16
Speed 30 ft.
BAB +0; CMB +3 (+0 BAB +3 STR); CMD 14 (+0 BAB +3 STR +1 DEX)
Feats Toughness, Noble Scion (Scion of War)
Skills Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (Local, History, Planes, Religion) +4, Knowledge (Nobility) +7, Perception +3, Sense Motive +3
Traits Child of Kintargo, Indominatable Faith
Languages Common
Favoured Class Bonuses
1st - Skill Point
Revelations
Keep to the Corners
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Streets Mystery
Oracle's Curse (Tongues)
Equipment
Morningstar 8gp
Breastplate 200gp (Child of Kintargo Trait)
Wooden Heavy Shield 7gp
Noble's Outfit
Explorer's Outfit
Signet Ring
It does not pay to be different in the House of Sarini, even less so to be antithesis to what the House stands for. That was the first thing I learned the day that my own family beat and tortured me and attempted to hang me until dead. My brothers, my cousins, my own Father, they cracked jokes while they cracked my bones. The second thing I learned that day was of the kindness of strangers. I swung from that gnarled tree, my family had long tired of the spectacle and left, and in that moment before I died the rope snapped. I was found by those kind strangers, lying in a pool of my own blood, painful rasping breaths shaking through my chest. I have not been able to speak above a whisper since that day or hear laughter without tensing in fear.
I later learned those who saved me and nursed me back to health belonged to the Rose of Kintargo. They did not just heal my physical wounds, but helped to repair the mental as well. They gave me no names and did their best to not reveal their faces while I was under their care. One in particular -who I named in my head Red, for the single red lock of hair I glimpsed behind her hood- was instrumental in my recovery and sat with me through many tear and nightmare filled nights. I do not blame them for their caution, knowing who my family once was and it was one night that I overheard their whispers that I realized even these kind people may not have saved me if not given a sign. A single crimson rose had grown from the cracks in the cobblestone where my blood had pooled. And so, my caretakers did their best for me. They set me up with a small apartment and a bit of gold. They dyed my hair that had grown long for the first time in my life, which combined with my new scars and altered voice concealed my identity better than I had hoped.
I had set myself a goal, to one day earn their trust, learn their names, become their friend, and perhaps even become one of their number. It seems that was not meant to be. House Thrune came to Kintargo and everything changed. I have heard rumblings that the entirety of the Rose has been captured and possibly even executed. I refuse to let such rumours lie. I will find out the truth behind these rumours, and do whatever I must to save the Rose, like they once did for me.
Five Things to Know About Sebastian Sarini:
1. Sebastian was a member of the House Sarini, a noble house of Cheliax. He could not bring himself to follow his family's dark ways and his rebellious nature led to an attempted murder by his own family. He has been trained from birth by the best of tutors in all manner of subjects.
2. He was once a very handsome man with a melodic voice. After being tortured and almost murdered at the hands of his family his handsome features have been somewhat marred, though the Rose did their best to heal his wounds. His nose is a little crooked and thin scars crisscross his face, changing his handsomeness from boyish to rugged. He keeps his hair long (in contrast to the shorter more controlled styles of his younger days) and wears high collars to cover the rope scar about his neck. The Rose dyed his hair a dirty blonde from his natural darker hair, but nothing could be done about his startlingly grey eyes.
3. Ever since the day of his near death Sebastian has not been able to raise his voice above a whisper and he tenses at the sound of laughter.
4. He feels in debt to the Rose of Kintargo for saving his life and wishes to do whatever he can to save them from the wrath of House Thrune.
5. He is intrigued by the Goddess Milani who the Rose believed saved his life, but does not yet knowingly count himself among her followers.
Four People in the Life of Sebastian Sarini:
The Father, Vitale Sarini: Vitale was not necessarily cruel to Sebastian at first, but he was confused by the nature of his first son. Sebastian did not have the stomach for the family business as much as Vitale tried to force it upon him. When Vitale's second son proved to be much more in the family mold he became greatly favoured. Eventually Vitales confusion over Sebastian turned to disappointed, then anger and then hate.
The Mother, Teresa Sarini: Teresa was the opposite of her husband in her treatment of Sebastian. She was married into the family politcally and shared none of their cruelty or worship of Thrune and so her son's non-Sarini nature pleased her greatly. She commited suicide when Sebastian was young, but he has always wondered over the truth of her death. Unknown to Sebastian he is not the son of Vitale and Teresa, but Teresa and her true love.
The Brother, Renato Sarini: Renato is everything that Sebastian is not. He is cruel, merciless, darkly humoured and strong. Despite that for much of his childhood he looked up to his older brother, but as he grew into adulthood his love quickly became hate. Sebastian cannot bring himself to hate his brother despite the fact that Ranato participated in his attempted murder.
The Saviour, Red: The bulk of Sebastian's healing under the Rose of Kintargo was accomplished by a woman that he referred to as Red (due to the single crimson lock of hair he had seen fall from beneath her hood). He feels a great debt to her for having saved his life, but also cannot help but have fallen for her in the process.
Three Memories of Sebastian Sarini:
1. The day he was tortured and almost killed by his family.
2. The day he awoke and heard the voice of the Rose of Kintargo member he would later refer to as Red. She had been singing him a lullaby as his broken body slept in fitful pain.
3. The day his mother died. Earlier that day she had given him a small glass rose that he knew she treasured, he nearly broke it as he clutched it tightly in hand and sobbed out the pain of his mother's death, yet he managed to save it even from being broken even during his torture and holds it still.
Two Goals of Sebastian Sarini:
1. To find out what happened to the Rose of Kintargo and do his best to help them, while also undermining House Thrune and House Sarini in every way possible.
2. To find out why the Goddess Milani would spare him and to learn more of her church and her ways in the hopes of getting closer to the Rose of Kintargo and Red.
The Purpose of Sebastian Sarini:
Sebastian spends every waking moment of every day doing his best to be nothing like his father and the House of Sarini. He wants to be a better person and he wants to reverse the damage people like the Sarini's do to the world.
