Does anyone here play this? I only just started a few weeks ago, and I'm curious if anyone here has tips for new players.
Search Posts
I'm brainstorming ideas for my next Core PFS character, and I'm looking to blend arcane power with martial prowess. I played around with Eldritch Knight concepts, and I think this is my favorite so far, but I'm looking for suggestions to take it to the next level. Human Barbarian/Wizard (transmuter)/Eldritch Knight
Barb1: Toughness, Extra Rage
Starting at level 4, he can use alter self to turn into a troglodyte with 3 natural attacks, and eventually turn into big animals with beast shape. The transmuter stat bonus goes into Strength until I get a +2 belt, at which point it goes into Con for survivability. Plus, with an amulet of mighty fists as my arcane bond, I can probably get it up to a +4 by retirement. I'm still a little iffy on the feat selections; not sure whether Weapon Focus/Specialization is worth it since they'll only apply to some of my natural attacks. Any suggestions?
I've got a PFS character that I'm still trying to figure out to do with. I played him through second level as a sword-and-board paladin, got bored, and have put GM credit on him almost up to level 5. He's a paladin of Shelyn, so I like the idea of him carrying a shield, but no weapon. Here's the build I'm looking at now: Calomel
Paladin 1: Dodge, Toughness
*(Master of Many Styles/Monk of the Sacred Mountain/Hungry Ghost Monk)
Fate's Favored lets me use a wand of divine favor in the first round for an easy +2 to attack and damage. Snake Style lets me use Sense Motive in place of my abysmal Touch AC once per round, and eventually Snake Fang rewards my high AC with extra attacks. Outslug Style boosts damage, AC, and mobility. I'm looking for suggestions on how to tweak this. The main playstyle is set (tanking with unarmed combat), and the stats and first 2 levels are set in stone at this point, but the rest is malleable. So, any ideas?
For my next Core character, I wanted to play around with Two-Weapon Fighting, and I like the advantages of a double weapon over two light weapons. But I'm looking at ways to streamline and optimize him. Human Fighter
Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Swim, UMD So nothing too fancy here. The only unusual thing is UMD, which will be mainly for utility and long-term buffs (like Longstrider and Barkskin). I'm a bit iffy on the skills though; I plan on wearing full plate eventually (probably stick with a regular breastplate until armor training 2), so I want to keep my Climb and Swim bonuses high to beat the ACP. Any other suggestions? 
Here's the Discussion thread. Go ahead and ask any questions here, and hopefully we can get started soon.
Rain pelts the windows of the manor house belonging to Senator Stapleton, and shafts of lightning intermittently illuminate the feverish swaying of the trees outside. The storm that cut short your hunting excursion is in full force now. A resounding report and blinding flash of light nearly knock you to your feet, and the house goes dark as the electric lights falter. Match flames spring into the darkness and soon meet candles, bringing the room back to a soft glow. The murmuring of voices is broken by a horrific shriek from downstairs. You all rush to the basement, where your host had been checking on the electrical systems. There, the maid crouches over a horribly burned body; beneath the charred skin and blackened blood, yellow eyes stare up vacantly out of a green scaled face...
Rain pelts the windows of the manor house belonging to Senator Stapleton, and shafts of lightning intermittently illuminate the feverish swaying of the trees outside. The storm that cut short your hunting excursion is in full force now. A resounding report and blinding flash of light nearly knock you to your feet, and the house goes dark as the electric lights falter. Match flames spring into the darkness and soon meet candles, bringing the room back to a soft glow. The murmuring of voices is broken by a horrific shriek from downstairs. You all rush to the basement, where your host had been checking on the electrical systems. There, the maid crouches over a horribly burned body; beneath the charred skin and blackened blood, yellow eyes stare up vacantly out of a green scaled face... This will be a steampunk campaign, set in 190X, in which the PCs discover that a politician with national ambitions is a reptilian imposter. They must unravel the conspiracy, root out the imposters, and confront the alien menace. The plot will start out local, but will eventually include space travel. PCs will be either VIP guests of the Senator (famous entertainers, scientists, businessmen, athletes, big-game hunters, etc.), or servants in the manor. For this game, I want to use the Forgotten Futures system, a rules-light steampunk/retro sci-fi system that's available for FREE here. If people are interested, I'll post character creation and setting notes.
Lately I've had an urge to run a new game, and I'd like to try the Forgotten Futures system, a rules-light steampunk system. The rules are FREE (and short) and can be downloaded HERE. The plot begins at a dinner party, hosted by a prominent New York politician, when the PCs discover that their host is a Reptilian imposter. The plot will eventually expand to include international intrigue and interplanetary travel. Gameplay notes:
-I'm rejiggering the dice mechanics to make them more intuitive and eliminate the use of tables. The core mechanic will be 2d6+Skill vs. a DC (either set arbitrarily, or equal to 7 + a defending skill/attribute). This means high rolls are good, which is opposite of how it works in the book. -For routine tasks, I'll allow PCs to "Take 5," which is essentially the same as Take 10 in Pathfinder. -For weapon damage, roll 2d6+Effect vs. 7+Body. A failure results in damage from column A, a success results in damage from column B, and a success by 5 or more results in damage from column C -For injury recovery, roll 2d6+Body/Doctor/First Aid against 7+Difficulty of the injury Character Creation notes:
-I'm looking for 3-4 PCs (one spot is already claimed) -PCs are either guests at the dinner party, or servants or employees of the host. Since the guests are VIPs, and he only hires the best servants, point buy is 25 points in either case. -Because the PCs are prominent citizens, they are expected to have significant resources at their disposal, including business interests, vehicles, cash, and credentials or titles. Only exceptional resources (such as cutting-edge technology, national political positions, or industrial monopolies) require spending build points. No limits on gear, but keep it reasonable for your background. -Characters should be pro-active, and interested in opposing the Reptilians when they are revealed. -Magic and Wizardry are not available options. -The Medium skill is not available at creation, but may be unlocked during play. Psychic/Occult attacks will attack the Soul attribute, so think twice about dumping it! -I'm not interested in exploring period social issues; non-white or female characters may be commented on in roleplay, but won't see their options or agency meaningfully affected. Setting notes: -The year is 190X. Theodore Roosevelt is president, and Edward VII rules in England. -Cars are readily available to your characters, but are not widely commercialized. Likewise with radio and indoor electric lights. -Dirigibles are common, both for commercial freight and transportation, and as military ships. -Babbage engines are common, and there are rumors of AIs created in the last few years. However they are unpredictable and irreproducible. -It's common knowledge that Mars has (or formerly had) a canal-building civilization, but there has been no contact with space aliens of any kind. Civilizations on other known planets are the subject of much speculation. -The existence of psychic and occult phenomena is not widely accepted, but the idea is popular among the intelligentsia.
My Oracle has the Divine Warrior trait, which gives any weapon affected by a divine spell of mine +1 damage. I'd like to cast a Heightened continual flame on it so it has a permanent damage boost, and shines in deeper darkness. The trouble is that I don't have the cash for a page of spell knowledge or mnemonic vestment. I could retrain one of my spells known, but I don't want to give up either of the spells I have, so I'd have to retrain right back (costing a total of 6 PP and 600 gold). Is there some other, cheaper way that I can cast continual flame, even just once?
Just a bit of theorycrafting here, as I hadn't seen any mutation mind builds. The idea here is to leverage the Strength boost and mutations from the mutation mind archetype, plus the spell-choosing power of the rebirth discipline, to make this d6 1/2 BAB caster into a melee force to be reckoned with. Half-Orc Psychic (mutation mind, rebirth discipline)
1: Toughness
I'm still iffy on a couple of the feats, but the basic framework is there. It doesn't really come online until level 4 (although 17 Strength and a greataxe solves most problems at low levels). At level 4, you can use the rebirth discipline to add divine favor to your spell list and spells known, which gives +2 to attack and damage with Fate's Favored. Between that and the mutation bonus, you'll be attacking with a claw/claw/bite at +10 for 1d4+8 each. Since you're a psychic caster, Armor Expert lets you wear a mithral breastplate at no penalty, so AC should be decent. The downside is that the mutation gives an enhancement bonus, so it won't stack with a belt. However, that at least frees up the cash for an amulet of mighty fists, and the item slot for a Con and/or Dex belt. Any suggestions on the remaining feats, or further tweaks?
So, in the latest part of a series in which I try to salvage my Paladin from the ACG errata, I think I've hit on a plan that will capture the original concept I was going for, while adding some new tricks. Keep in mind that the first two levels are locked in. He's at 3.2 right now from GM credit, so 3rd level on can be changed. Human Paladin of Shelyn/Brawler/Swashbuckler
Paladin 1: Dodge, Toughness, smite evil, detect evil
I haven't decided where to go from there, but the basic concept is a tank in heavy armor (I already have +1 full plate), with a spiked heavy shield for defense and offense. As a worshipper of Shelyn, I can cast divine favor and wait to parry/riposte with my spiked shield rather than strike first, and the spiked shield is also a close group weapon, so I can flurry with it with my Brawler levels. I'm not sure what other trait to pick up with Additional Traits. Maybe something for +1 Will, since that save will fall behind with multiclassing. There are a couple of good Shelyn-specific traits also, for either +2 vs. charms and compulsions, or a 1/day +4 to one of several skills, including Diplomacy. EDIT: I could do Snake Style for piercing unarmed strikes, which would fit the "peaceful unarmed Shelynite" look better, but that would mean a competition for my neck slot, which would slow down my AC game. I'm wondering if it's worth it. Any other ideas for tweaking this build?
OK, I think I've come up with a pretty good build for this archetype, and I want to have it ready for an upcoming convention. Tell me what you think: Half-ord Investigator (Psychic Detective)
I'll use spells like false life and mirror image for defense, and heightened awareness for out-of-combat investigating. Gear will be Elven Chain, Heavy Darkwood Shield, and a Longsword. I'm wondering if there's anything better I can do with my feats, though. Any thoughts?
I just got my mounted Oracle (Cavalier 1/Nature Oracle 8/Mammoth Rider 1) up to level 10, so I'm picking up a Huge-sized Megaloceros as a mount. My previous mount used the Step Up chain, but it never really worked out like I wanted, so I'm looking for another direction now that I have the huge mount. Here's what I'm looking at now: (Note: I'm using the Aasimar Oracle FCB for +1 to effective Druid level, and the Celestial Servant feat for Resist 10 cold, electric, and acid, and DR 5/evil.) Benzyl
With size bonuses, that gives him a +22 to Overrun when I'm at level 10, then the BAB and Strength increase bump that to +24 at level 11. Greater Overrun means that anyone I trip provokes an AoO from not only the mount, but myself and anyone else riding with me. Has anyone had experiences with Mammoth Rider? What tactics work well with a huge mount?
Finally, after years of playing, just this weekend I got my mounted Oracle to level 10, and took a level of Mammoth Rider. Now that I'm there, I want to make good use of my huge megaloceros, so I'm looking for tier 7-11 scenarios with wide-open combat spaces where I won't be forced to leave my mount behind for the majority of the mission. What should I be looking to play with her?
This underground complex was carved into a small rocky island on the southern edge of the Eye of Abendego by a former Storm Kindler, driven to demon-worship by the maddening storm. It channels fierce winds through tunnels shaped into Pazuzu's demonic rune to fuel foul experiments.
I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my Paladin 2/Something 1 after he got gutted by the ACG errata. I'd like to try something from the new Occult Adventures book, and as a paladin of Shelyn, the spirit dancer medium seems appropriate. Keep in mind that the stats and Paladin levels are set; it's just 3rd-level that I can rebuild. The build is focused on tanking. He already has a set of +1 full plate, and he fights sword-and-board style, so I'm not getting rid of that. The Spirit Dancer will let me use the Archmage and Heirophant spirits to cast some higher-level buff spells ahead of time (I'm not sure what 1st-level spells I could pick up, since I have to deal with ASF on the archmage bonus spell. Hour/level buffs like false life, defending bone, or greater magic weapon would give me time to put my armor back on). Then in battle, I can go into Champion or Guardian spirits, depending on the situation. Human Paladin of Shelyn 2/Spirit Dancer Medium 1
Paladin 1: Dodge, Toughness, paladin stuff
...and so on. I'm considering swapping in Additional Traits for Magical Knack and something else, but I'm not sure what (Fate's Favored?). Any thoughts, corrections, or suggestions?
I had a previous thread with the same sort of concept, but I've done a lot of rethinking, so I want to start this fresh. The concept is to make a mono-classed Witch into a TWF melee powerhouse. Here's the planned progression: Human Witch
Key buff spells:
Between 14 Con, Toughness, the FCB, false life, and eventually threefold aspect, he should have enough HP to survive as a melee combatant. The familiar gives +1 AC, and the Protector archetype gives it Combat Reflexes and Bodyguard, which it can use without threatening the attacker. I can also outfit it with benevolent armor (since I won't need any for myself) to boost the AC bonus from aiding. Unfortunately, it has a low attack bonus (I think it should be -1, but the stat block lists it at +0). I could use the Beast-Bonded archetype to let it take Weapon Finesse, which will be an effective +5, but that means giving up one of my few feats. Between heroism, divine favor/power, and Arcane Strike, I should be able to keep my attack and damage bonuses up at a good level (at level 6, I'll be attacking at +11/+11 for 1d6+11/8, even without heroism), and the money I save on armor and weapons can go toward other defense-boosting items. Any other thoughts or tweaks?
Banshee's Tongue
Three times per day as a swift action, the wielder can transform a banshee's tongue into a blade of semisolid sound. While in this form, the above penalties and the bonus to saving throws are doubled, and any attacks with the rapier deal sonic damage instead of piercing damage, but its properties are otherwise unchanged. This form lasts for one minute. While a banshee's tongue is in its sonic form, the wielder can use it to counter sound-based attacks. Whenever a creature within the wielder's reach is targeted by, or included in the area of, a sonic or language-dependent effect, the wielder can spend an attack of opportunity to make an attack with the banshee's tongue, against an AC equal to the DC of the effect. If successful, that creature is unaffected by that effect. In an area of magical silence, all of a banshee's tongue's magical effects are suppressed, and it is treated instead as a masterwork rapier.
This archetype from Occult Adventures intrigues me, but the loss of alchemy and access to alchemist discoveries seems like a big hit. I haven't finished digesting the psychic spell list that he gets. Does anyone have builds they've worked on, or ideas about how to use the different spell list to make a viable character?
I've got a level 2 GM credit blob that I'm looking to create a character for, and I'd like to try one of the new Occult classes. Right now I'm leaning toward an Elf Occultist (I've not played an Elf yet, and they have a great FCB). Here's what I have so far: CG Elf Occultist
Spells:
Focus Powers:
Mental Focus:
Skills:
The idea here is to focus on support, with a little blasting thrown in. What he lacks in sheer power compared to a 9-level caster, he makes up for in versatility and staying power, using focus powers to hand out buff spells more generously than a wizard could afford to do. Any thoughts or suggestions?
My Paladin 2/Kata Master Monk 1 got hit hard by the ACG errata, losing the ability to Parry and Riposte, which is main reason I took the level of monk in the first place. He would have continued in Paladin after the level dip. The character is focused primary on being a melee tank, and the good monk saves, free Snake Style (to use Sense Motive in place of my abysmal touch AC), and Parry/Riposte were all important to that concept. Now that the Opportune Parry and Riposte were taken away, it looks like I have 3 options: 1) Change the Monk level to Swashbuckler, so he can still Parry/Riposte. This keeps the swashbuckling feel I was going for, but means an effective -2 hit on Fort and Will saves compared to the monk, plus losing Snake Style. Also, my weapon will have to be downgraded from a temple sword to either a rapier or a Morningstar. On the other hand, the Inspired Blade archetype would get me more panache and free Weapon Focus. 2) Keep the Monk level, but take a level of Swashbuckler next. This would keep all the other goodies from the monk level, and still let me Parry/Riposte, although I'd still be downgrading the weapon as before. Also, it would slow down the progression of my Paladin features even more. 3) Retrain the level into Mesmerist, and continue in Mesmerist. This would give me a chance to explore one of the new Occult classes, but it would be a completely different play-style than I originally intended. However the Painful Stare ability seems like it would fill the place of Smite Evil, and the magical support would be interesting to play with. The Vexing Daredevil archetype is especially intriguing. However a 2-level delay into a 6-level casting class makes me wary. Any thoughts or other suggestions?
I've been trying to theorycraft a Fey Zealot for possible PFS play, but I'm coming up totally short on how to make it viable in combat. The problem I'm running into is that it's a 3/4 BAB class with almost no bonus feats or other class features to boost accuracy or damage. And the druid/ranger spell list has almost nothing in terms of accuracy or damage buffs. That is, except for natural weapons, but then the Fey Zealot has no way of gaining natural attacks (although the Abyssal Zealot does). I think that to make the Fey Zealot combat-viable, in addition to the druid/ranger spell list, the it should pick up some key cleric buffs, such as divine favor/power as a pseudo-domain spell list, just like the other Zealot specializations, or have a way to gain natural attacks to put the druid/ranger spell list to good use. Or is there something I'm missing?
I may be putting together a Vigilante for the playtest for some PFS games this weekend, and I'm particularly interested in using a Kitsune, for the stats and the disguise aspect. I'd like to try the Fey Zealot option, and I'm looking for a combat style that works. I have a boon that lets me take Elven weapon familiarity, so I could go for a Finesse build with an ECB. But with my Str penalty, it would be prohibitively expensive to get up to 13 Str for Power Attack, and it doesn't qualify for Piranha Strike. The Fey Zealot only gets Druid/Ranger spells on his list, so is there anything outside of lead blades that could boost my damage? I'm already planning on taking Zealot Smite, which should keep my damage up for the big fights, and I can get the sword agile eventually, but that's not much. Alternatively, I could go with archery, but since I only have the GM credit to start at level 2, I'd have to go without Precise Shot, which I really don't want to do. Any suggestions?
For those wondering whether to risk a new character built using GM credit, note that we’re explicitly allowing rebuilding once the hardcover book hits the shelves. Do you mean rebuilding within the Vigilante class (such as dumping nerfed talents, or picking up an archetype), or complete rebuilding?
I'm planning out a writing project that involves travel to parallel universes, a la Sliders. But I'm having trouble coming up with ideas for parallel universes that go beyond the gimmicky "The world has been taken over by such-and-such civilization/technology/biome/natural disaster!" I tried searching for random articles on Wikipedia for inspiration, but it turns out most of Wikipedia's articles are for obscure Eastern European villages, football clubs, and Bollywood actors. So now I'm turning to the Paizonians. What are some cool/fun/dramatic parallel universe ideas to explore? (And I'm excluding cosmic-level differences, so no deadly meteors or tinkering with the fundamental constants of physics.)
Just a bit of theorycrafting here: What's the best way to build a character specializing in the Inflict Wounds spells? Human Inquisitor (Sanctified Slayer)
I'm not really sure where to go from there. Precise Strike and sneak attack keep damage up if you can get flanking, and studied target boosts your touch attack, damage, and save DC. Any other ideas?
So I have a level 10 Monk of the Four Winds/Qinggong Monk in PFS, and I'm looking at using the free rebuild to make him Unchained. The big problem is that I would lose my Elemental Fist stuff (sure, I could take it as a regular feat, but that wouldn't scale like the archetype does). Between Elemental Fist + Shaitan Style, a shocking amulet of mighty fists, scorching ray and hydraulic push as ki powers, he had a very elementalist flavor to him that I hate to lose. The Elemental Fury ki power is nice, but I don't like how the type is locked in permanently. Picking up the dragon's breath ki power will be really nice, but I'm looking for a little more. I'm consiering picking up Elemental Fury for something like cold damage, then deliquescent gloves for acid damage, so I'd have 2 or 3 d6's of different energy damages on all my unarmed strikes. Is there anything else I can do to get more elemental-style powers?
This is just a bit of theorycrafting I've been playing around with lately, and I'm wondering if the wisdom of the Internet can make it a little more viable. The idea is to stack buffs to make a full-classed Witch into a decent melee fighter. Half-elf Witch (Bonded Witch)
The combination of divine favor/power, heroism, and Arcane Strike keep the attack and damage bonuses adequate, and hex selection is still wide open for utility stuff like Flight. Choosing a quarterstaff (or more powerful double-weapon using Ancestral Arms) as a bonded item allows both ends to be enchanted for cheap, plus a free greater magic weapon every day. The main downside is the lack of good defensive buffs. Witches get mage armor, false life, and ironskin, but miss out on barkskin, shield, mirror image, blur, etc. Are there any other tricks we could use to keep her physical defenses up? Any other suggestions?
I'll be taking this character to a convention this weekend, and I want to make sure I've got the build worked out. He's sitting at 3.0 right now (so the 3rd level is still completely mutable). Human Paladin of Shelyn 2 | Kata Master/Master of Many Styles 1 | Paladin X
The goal here is to tank with high AC and saves, plus parry and riposte for extra attacks. He fights with a heavy shield and a morningstar (which will eventually pick up the answering enchantment). The Fate's Favored trait lets me prebuff with a wand of divine favor for +2 attack and damage. I'm skipping Power Attack, because the penalties work against my parrying, and instead relying on divine favor, an answering morningstar, and smites for damage boosts. Snake Style boosts Sense Motive for diplomatic encounters, plus gives me a 1/round defense when someone targets my abyssmal touch AC. Are there any other tweaks I can make to improve?
I'm playing my first Core PFS game this weekend, and I'm looking for a character idea I like. I'd like to play a spellcaster, because it seems the local Core population is heavily weighted toward melee, and I'm leaning toward illusion. I've never played a Gnome, so this looks like a perfect opportunity for that. I'm not quite sure whether to build him as a wizard or sorcerer, though: Wizard (Illusionist)
Sorcerer (arcane)
They've each got their advantages... Wizard
Sorcerer
So I'm torn. Anyone have tie-breaker points to pitch in? Or tweaks to consider in the builds? Or general advice on how to use illusions effectively?
I just picked up Eldritch Heritage (arcane) on my level 7 bard, and for the bonded item, I'd like to do a wand, and enchant it as a wand of heroism. Since I'm crafting it myself, does that mean I bypass the usual requirement of getting it as a Wizard spell, and can get it as a 2nd-level spell at CL4? That would be a huge discount, letting me craft it for only 3000 gp, so I wanted to double-check to make sure that's how it would work. Am I missing anything?
Apparently the nominations open tomorrow. Is anyone nominating or voting for these this year? I paid for a membership last year, so I'm entitled to nominate this year, although I've got nothing to offer for most of the categories. Anyone care to share what they're nominating?
I've got a Paladin character who I haven't played in a couple of years, but his last adventure got him to level 3. I was brainstorming what I could do with him to make him a little more interesting to play (he was built as a sword and board tank), and I'm looking at multi-classing into Swashbuckler from here. Calomel the Mercurial
Right now he's sitting at 24 AC with +1 full plate and a heavy wooden shield (I'll switch out to a buckler before I get precise strike, the only class feature that forbids a heavier shield), and has +7 on all his saves. Pretty solid. For the record, the only Swashbuckler class features that don't work for him are swashbuckler's finesse (who cares? He's got Strength), dodging panache (he's got good AC in full plate), nimble (again, don't need the AC boost), and charmed life (because the Cha bonus won't stack with divine grace). The Mysterious Avenger archetype trades out nimble, and lets me use charmed life on AC (in addition to giving me 3 more uses). That's pretty good, but I do also lose my bonus feat and free Improved Critical. My current plan is to go with a morningstar as my main weapon, just to be weird. That means I don't miss the lack of Improved Critical as much, and the d8 damage die puts me at a sweet spot for enlarge person if I so choose. Here's what I'm still mulling over: 1) Is the Mysterious Avenger archetype worth it for me? Is the loss of a bonus feat and a weaker Swashbuckler Weapon Training too much to make Greater Charmed Life worth it? 2) What should my third-level feat be? I'm considering Power Attack, but it may not be necessary with precise strike and eventually an answering weapon. Since I won't be getting as many crits, would Extra Panache be better? Or something else entirely (like Shield Focus)?
So I have a Paladin that I haven't played in a couple of years, because I kind of got bored with him. He was intended to be a tank, but that playstyle wore out quickly for me, and right now he's sitting at level 3.0. I'm looking for ways to breathe new life into him with retraining. Here's what I have right now: Human Paladin of Shelyn
I'm not sure whether I want to build from those 2 levels of Paladin and then go into something else, or just retrain entirely. My two ideas so far are: 1) Go into Bloodrager at 3 (Steelblooded to keep the full plate, Destined bloodline for extra AC and saves) and be a tank but with more tricks. 2) Continue into Swashbuckler at 3 (Mysterious Avenger to trade out Nimble, leaving me with only one deed unusable in full plate, and giving me something to do with my Charmed Life besides a non-stacking Cha to saves) Any other ideas or suggestions?
I'll be debuting this character, sitting at level 2 right now with GM credit, this Saturday, and I'm looking for any last tweaks to get him in tip-top shape: Mr. Tickle
BR1: Power Attack, staggering strike, indomitable stance
The schtick is to use Accelerated Drinker to get enlarge person and long arm off in the opening round, then get ready for AoOs. Weapon will be a Tepoztopilli for the reach, threat range, and two damage types. If I get both buffs off, I'll threaten in the 15'-25' range now, and 15'-30' when I hit level 4. Bull Rush will let me knock anyone who closes with me back into the gauntlet to provoke again. Anything else I should consider?
I'm getting ready to pick up Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) on my bard, and I'm trying to decide what bonded item to take. I really want to take advantage of the 1/2 price discount on enchanting it, so I'm looking for the best amulet, ring, or staff (not interested in a wand, and he doesn't use weapons). Here's what I'm looking at so far:
I know there are some great staves with 4th-level spells on them, but I don't want to wait until level 10 before I can recharge my own staff. Is there anything I'm missing?
I'm playing around with ideas for a Kitsune archer build (I have a boon that would get me proficiency with bows), and I'm interested in the Eldritch Scrapper archetype for sorcerers. It gets me martial flexibility like a brawler, which would make up for the lack of combat bonus feats, while allowing full arcane casting (for buffs like heroism and haste). But I'm not sure if that will make up for the loss of BAB compared to something like an Oracle or Ranger, especially at early levels. So here's where I need some crowdsourcing: 1) What low-level (1st or 2nd level) spells would buff my archery? 2) What bloodline would fit best, in terms of bloodline arcana and powers, and bonus feats? Imperious bloodline would be best, but this has to be a Kitsune, not a human, so it's out. Any thoughts?
I've got a monk, my very first PFS character, whom I haven't played in almost two years since his third death in a TPK at Con of the North 2013. In the meantime, I've put some GM credit on him to get him up to level 9, and I'm stuck on what feat to give him. His stats are something like this: Dwarf
Ki Powers: Scorching Ray, Barkskin, Hydraulic Push Key Gear: Shocking Amulet of Mighty Fists, +2 Wis headband, +2 Str belt, Bracers of Armor +2 My ideas for feats so far are:
-Arcane Strike: It's a damage boost on a character who has lackluster damage, but the swift action cost conflicts with my ki abilities. -Toughness: Because he's died 3 times already. Come on! Any other thoughts?
Everyone who has voted in previous RPG Superstar competitions knows that there are some item concepts that keep showing up, no matter how many times they've been done before, or how many times people are warned against them. But with the switch to other types of magic items, how might those cliches change? Here are my predictions: On the way out:
Here to stay:
The new cliches:
What are your predictions?
I've been looking over these new classes, and I'm not seeing any good options for making martial characters that can keep up with existing full-BAB classes. None of the new classes have full BAB, and if I'm not mistaken, the only bonus combat feat in the whole playtest document is Weapon Finesse for one of the Medium spirits (and since it can be swapped out on a day-to-day basis, it can't be used as a prerequisite). The classes as they are seem to focus too heavily on utility. They're loaded up with situational abilities that are nice to have, but at the expense of bread-and-butter boosts to combat or spellcasting that can make them excel at any role. Or am I missing something?
I'm leveling up a PFS bard to level 5, but I'm not quite sure where to take him. I play him exclusively alongside my wife's Fighter (Elf with Weapon Finesse/Power Attack on an Elven Curve Blade), and right now he looks like this: Emberkin Aasimar Bard 4
1: Lingering Performance
Spells:
Until now, I've been spending my turns in combat juggling a Lingering Inspire Courage and taking pot shots with a crossbow, but now I'm looking to kick it up a notch. I need a new feat (and now that I have more rounds of performance, I'm open to retraining Lingering Performance), and another 2nd-level spell (and I get a free spell swap on top of that), but I don't know what to take. Some ideas I've considered are: 1) Retrain Lingering Performance to Skill Focus, then take Eldritch Heritage to pick up a familiar. 2) Retrain Lingering Performance to Spell Focus (evocation), pick up Spell Specialization with Ear-Piercing Scream, and add a little blasting to my toolbox (Thundering Drums looks like fun when I get to level 7). 3) Pick up a more broadly useful Spell Focus, such as Enchantment. Any other ideas on where I can take this? I'm not terribly interested in using a whip or focusing on Intimidate (I don't have any ranks in it yet) for Dazzling Display or anything like that, but I'm open to suggestions.
I'm trying to develop a character build to go alongside my fiancee, and I wanted to get it down on (virtual) paper. We'll both be playing Kitsune archers, and hers will be a Hooded Champion/Trapper. Here's an oracle that I'm considering playing with her: Kitsune oracle (Warsighted, Wood mystery, lame curse)
1: Point-Blank Shot, martial flexibility
...and so on and so forth, picking up the various archery feats. Martial flexibility from the Warsighted archetype helps make up for the lack of bonus feats, and Wood Bond and divine favor make up for low BAB and Strength. Any thoughts or suggestions? Are there any good group buffs before prayer that I can use to help out my fiancee's archer?
So my fiancee wants to make a pair of Kitsune archers for PFS. She's going to go with a pretty simple Ranger build since she's still learning the game, but that's not good enough for me. I want something with a little more oomph to it, so I'm soliciting suggestions for an archer to play alongside her. I'm looking for versatility, lots of tinkering under the hood, and a combination of archery and support. Here's what I've thought of so far: -Bard (bog standard archer build)
-Summoner (archer eidolon with support/archer summoner)
-Swashbuckler (flying blade archetype)
-Oracle (warsighted + maybe psychic searcher + wood mystery)
Any other suggestions?
I had an idea for a build that I probably won't get to play, but I thought I'd post it anyway. The idea is to make good use of Combat Patrol, so the focus is on mobility and AoOs. Elf Bloodrager (Aberrant)/Fighter
BR1: Power Attack, fast movement
So at level 5, while raging and in Combat Patrol, he has 15 feet of reach, 4 AoOs, and 45 feet of movement to maneuver in between attacks. Investing in UMD for a wand of longstrider wouldn't be a bad idea either. His main weapon is something with an 18-20 range to take advantage of the staggering strike ability from the bloodline. Any thoughts?
I'm planning a new PFS character, and I'm intrigued by the new Investigator class. I'd like to try a half-orc for a few reasons: because I still haven't played one in PFS, to take advantage of the racial weapon proficiency, and to subvert the stereotype of the big dumb half-orc fighter. Here's what I have so far: Half-Orc Investigator
With the favored class bonus, this gives me 10 skills/level, which is nice. But since all of his extracts are essentially buffs, I'm looking for more tricks to have up my sleeve in combat. What should my feats focus on at 5 and past? And what other Investigator Talents would be worthwhile for a Str-based build like this?
You maintain balance by calling on opposing forces when summoning. Whenever you cast a summon monster spell, you can summon two creatures from a single list 1 or more levels lower than the level of the spell. The two creatures must have alignments that are opposite along at least one axis (chaotic and lawful or evil and good). For example, if you cast summon monster III, you could summon a celestial wolf and a fiendish hyena from the 2nd-level list. Each time you cast a summoning spell that conjures more than one creature, add one to the total number of creatures summoned. If I combine these abilities, do I get 2 of one alignment and 1 of another? Or do they simply not combine?
Since the School Savant arcanist archetype can select a wizard school specialization, does that apply to the Thassilonian sin magic in Inner Sea Magic (I have the boon that lets me select those for a new character)?
I recently got the boon that allows me to use the Thassilonian "sin magic" wizard schools, and I'm intrigued by the idea of focusing on Conjuration/Sloth and going into the Magaambyan Arcanist PrC to get the Aura of Good to use with Sacred Summons. The trouble is that they only get an Aura of good, and not law or chaos, so the only monsters I can get with Sacred Summons are those with the Good subtype and NOT Law or Chaos. The Summon Good Monster feat adds a couple of options (the notable ones being Foo Dog at SM3 and Foo Lion at SM4). Are there any other ways to expand my summon list to include more NG-aligned outsiders?
I usually don't comment, but with this book I had to give some feedback. My whole group found it very poorly made. It has some quality material but the part we use the most was far from our expectations. Not only the shifter is basically unsalvageable, but most archetypes and feats are useless or subpar. There is hardly anything we want to use from what we got from the book. People are complaining in hope to get better products in the future and to let the designers behind the book know how they feel about it.
My group didn't like it. I think some modifications could have helped, but some of the immunities posed no problem to play any class, and some really made sense (why should a human poison work on a plant?).
It's really bad. The archetypes don't improve much, but some have great concepts, it's really a waste. You are right, playtest would have solved all of its problems with ease. My guess is that paizo is displacing resources to starfinder, thus not being able to go through the right process with books like this one. The brawler gets something: there are a few style feats (some reprints, however), and 5 archetypes - Feral Striker (gets shifter aspects in place of flexibility - bad trade); Living Avalanche (focus on bull rush and overrun); Turfer (a terrain focused one); Venom Fist (trades damage, knockout and close weapon mastery for a poison that deals some weak damage and debilitating conditions); Verdant Grapler (summons vines to bind and damage foes he grappled). The vine leshy is the race to play if you are a baby groot fan. They are ok, but plant races lost pretty much all of their immunities, which IMO makes no sense, and in my group is unasked for. The wood element seems playable, the positive energy blast is kind of problematic, but you don't have to take it.
The shifter is really disappointing. What one would expect of the shifter:
I would give it a minor animal form at 1st level (kitsunes get it);
Just my opinion on the class.
I found the shifter very weak as a combatant class. It lacks an increased precision mechanic (like weapon training, rage, favored enemy, etc...) the damage from the claws starts too low to mean anything (1d4, which you can get for free with some races), the only meaningful defensive feature is much like the monk AC (nothing regarding saves, immunities, resistances, DR, SR...). Also the attribute bonus from aspects is enhancement, which won't stack with most spells and magic items.
That is good data about the class. Maybe the designers will take it in consideration for erratas or future material. It seems clear to me that the solarian needs upgrades. Even if the math is ok by dev standards, the feel of the class is not.
I don't think that the class has an objective math problem. The promblem is: people were exited with the concept and the mechanics failed to impress.
I believe that the ability to trade health for power is very interesting. However, all kineticists should have a free reserve that grows as they level up. Sacrificing HP should be an option for desperate times, not a thing needed to function normally. In my group there is a player playing an aether kineticist currently, and we tested the class a lot while in development. We always found the need to take burn depressing, and not fun at all. The archetypes are terrible, no one wants to play one (we had high hopes for the kinetic fist). Besides that, we love the class. With a few house rules, it's really amazing.
What if every kineticist could choose between two defenses? Just to give an idea: Aether: HP buffer or SR
As the playtest reaches it's end, I will leave my final thoughts on the kineticist: The kineticist is a great idea, a class that fill a long awaited niche. The resemblance to many iconic characters in many references, may turn the actual exercise of playing the class a bit unsatisfying, as it does not have the flexibility to produce certain themes. The melee weapon wielding kineticist, or the brawler, or the mystic and several themes that permeate the imaginary surrounding the idea of telekinesis are at least clunky when not impossible. The class lacks options: It is possible to build a cleric in almost anyway: melee, unarmed, ranged, healer, blaster, tanker, skill monkey, all effective and fun. The same has yet to be made about the kineticist.
I am aware that it's a lot of work, and that balancing a class without the right amount of thought can have unforeseen consequences, but for all I have seen in my games my opinion is this: The kineticist has lots of room for improvements, as it lags behind every other class in power. This room should be used to give it more options and mastery over its powers, reaching reality altering peaks on it's own field. Alternative combat methods will not unbalance the class as it would use only one at a time. Do not be afraid to increase power.
About defenses: What if fire defense: 1: Infused the kineticists body with elemental might, providing a +2 bonus on saves against mind-affecting, poison and disease effects? The bonus could scale up to +8 at 20th and be increased by 50% with burn. Each +2 could come with a 5 point resistance to fire. 2: Gave the kineticist an energy boost, providing a +2 bonus on initiative and +1 dodge to ac? The bonus could scale to +8/+4 at 20th and be increased by up to 50% with burn. 3: Made him resistant to burn, allowing him to have 1 temporary burn point that regenerates every minute? The point could be spent without suffering damage and the amount of free points would scale up to 4 at 20th. 4: Cauterized his own wounds, turning 1 point of lethal damage from each attack into non-lethal? The damage converted would increase up to 10 or 20 at 20th level and could be increased by 50% with burn. 5: Inflamed his will, providing his Constitution bonus as a morale bonus to will saves? What if Aether defense: 1: Regenerated every round, or more by spending actions? Still not as good as earth (as it can be depleted) but more useful. 2: Acted as a deflection bonus to ac against non-damaging attacks? It makes no sense that a force field would not protect against those. 3: Provided blind-sight against melee attacks, as the force filed detects approach? 4: Created a field of orbiting objects, giving cover? 5: Could be exploded, ejecting adjacent enemies in a repulsion blast? 6: Gave static bonuses to STR and DEX as the kinetic field helps the movements of the body? Tactile telekinesis...
Through the playtest, I tested and thought about improving the class. Here is may take at it: Kineticist (alternate) Alignment: Any.
CLASS FEATURES: Weapon and Armor Proficiency A kineticist is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and medium armor, but not with shields. Elemental Focus (Su):
At 1st level, a kineticist chooses tofocus primarily in air (aerokinesis), earth (terrakinesis), fire (pyrokinesis), water (hydrokinesis), or aether (telekinesis). Her choice of element determines how she accesses the raw power of the Ethereal Plane, and it grants her access to wild talents and additional class skills. The kineticist can remotely manipulate her chosen element within her blast's reach with an effective strength equal to her constitution score. She can automatically move up to one 5 feet cube for every 2 kineticist's levels (minimum 1), anything beyond that requires a constitution check. She can shape crude non-magical objects from this element within the normal properties of the material. A craft skill check may be required for complex objects. Also, the kineticist may use any cantrip or orison with his element's name on it's description. (Aether may use prestidigitation, open/close and mage hand). Kinetic Blast (Sp):
The same. Wild Talent (Sp):
A kineticit gains a wild talent at 1st level and another at every two levels afterward (10 at 19th level.). (all utility talents, separated from blasting) Burn (Ex):
The same, however a kineticist that has burn damage may choose to become exhausted instead of unconscious from 0 or negative HP. Blasting Prowess (Sp):
A kineticit gains a blasting prowess at 2nd level and another at every two levels afterward (10 at 20th level). (all blast talents, separated from utility) Element Tradition (Ex):
A kineticist develops her powers through understanding and training in disciplines of those who experienced the gift before.
Unarmed: The kineticist receives Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, and may add his constitution bonus to AC as long as he is unarmored and not wielding a shield. The damage from his unarmed strikes increase as a monk of 1/2 his level (min. 1). At 6th, 12th and 18th level he may select a style or monk bonus feat. Swordsman: The kineticist gains proficiency with a light or one handed melee martial weapon. He receives weapon focus with that weapon at 1st level, and can select bonus combat feats at 6h, 12th and 18th levels. His kineticist levels count as fighter levels for the purpose of selecting Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Specialization for his chosen weapon. If he selects the kinetic blade talent, those feats apply to blade created. Blaster: The kineticist gains the Precise Shot feat, and may select the following feats for his Wild Blast even without fulfilling the prerequisites: Focused Shot, from 6th level: Snap Shot, from 9th level: Improved Snap Shot. He receives bonus feats at 6th, 12th and 18th level from the following list:
The benefits of the kineticist's chosen style feats apply only when he wears light, medium, or no armor. He loses all benefits of his combat style feats when wearing heavy armor. Once a kineticist selects a combat style, it cannot be changed. Feel the Burn (Ex):
At 3rd level, a kineticist’s body surges with energy from her chosen element when she accepts burn, causing her to glow with a nimbus of fire, weep water from her pores, take on an earthen skin tone, or experience some other thematic effect. In addition, she receives a bonus on all attack and damage rolls with her kinetic blast equal to double the number of points of burn she is currently suffering, to a maximum of +2 for every 3 kineticist levels, this bonus counts as weapon enhancement for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Her flesh also becomes infused with elemental energy receiving DR 1/- and resistance 5 to her element(s) (Aether uses sonic) for every 3 kineticist levels. Infused Body(Sp):
At 8th level the kineticist's body becomes infused with her element providing bonus equal to those received by Elemental Body I. The kineticist doesn't need to assume the form or change shape to obtain the bonus. An Aether kineticist may simulate any element form, but will not gain any subtype, element immunity, burn, vortex, water breathing, wirlwind, element resistance or movement mode. At 12th level the bonus are equal to Elemental Body II, at 16th, Elemental Body III. and at 20th, elemental Body IV All the rest is kept the same. (although I would alter/increase several talents and some defenses). Thoughts?
Thought about something:
Feel the Burn (Ex): At 3rd level, a kineticist’s body surges with energy from her chosen element when she accepts burn, causing her to glow with a nimbus of fire, weep water from her pores, take on an earthen skin tone, or experience some other thematic effect. In addition, she receives a bonus on all attack and damage rolls with her kinetic blast equal to double the number of points of burn she is currently suffering, to a maximum of +2 for every 3 kineticist levels. Her flesh also becomes infused with elemental energy receiving DR 1/- and resistance 5 to her element(s) (Aether uses sonic) for every 3 kineticist levels. That would be worth the damage.
Kinetically enhanced form:
I too like the idea of free Wild talents, specially if utility ones. The need to make a viable combat build would otherwise prevent taking many fun and interesting talents. On a side question: How would Diehard feat interact with non-lethal damage from burn?
About burn mechanic:
As much as I like it as an option, I can't deal with it as an obligation to be effective or to use other features.
I would say that the kineticist and some of the other classes are in dire need of a second version.
What we found s far(IMO): Damage:
Accuracy:
Utility:
Burn mechanic:
Overall flexibility:
Kinetic form:
I believe at least these classes are in need of another round: -Kineticist: Still lacking power and mechanics in several ways.
Then again, what is the purpose of throwing an object if the said object will serve no purpose? Why not a raw impact blast? Or a crushing blast? If the object is there and it's of special material or has special properties, it's not intuitive that it makes no difference.
Being the "skill guy" is something that can be expected from someone that is able to move things with his mind. Not in the same sense that a rogue with overflowing skill points, but with creative use of his kinetic abilities. There is still lack of rule support to manipulating elements. Want to bend a steel bar with your kinesis? What is the effective strength? Want to make that rock into chair? How? Wish to carry a small flame around, or heat a bowl of soup? Those small things that make the idea of the class interesting out of combat are important, and shouldn't be chosen from the same pools as combat powers.
Does anyone know if we will get a second version of the class for the playtest like most of the other playtest have had? I'm hoping we do.
The more I think about burn, the more I think it needs to be changed. Having a pool of burn before taping into hp would solve it in the best way IMO. Give the kineticist 1/2 lvl. + Con to spend / day, and keep the mechanics the same. Each point spent contributes to feel the burn, while keeping him effective and every time closer to the damaging threshold.
About defenses of the class:
I too like the idea of burn, but not the actual mechanics.
The volume moved seems about right, but it's only for water currently. 102 cubes: About the volume of a small modern house;
I do agree that it shouldn't be allowed to move freely that amount of element. When you reach that scale it should only push or pull in a barely coordinated movement that requires a great deal of concentration. Imagine how much water is moved to open a way in a river or to stopping a tsunami. Those should be doable by the class, but lifting a 20-story building and taking it around with you shouldn't. The issue, as I see, is about the measure of control that should be given, something that weakens as the volume grows.
The complexity... or more accurately, the girth of options... is part of the fun for me =/ I think these classes would lose a lot of what makes them interesting if you trimmed them down. Especially the Medium (I cannot WAIT to see the other spirits) and Kinetecist (more powers please!). I couldn't agree more. The options provided are a good part of the fun for me.
In conjunction with towering ego, the mesmerist could have a will affecting evasion.
Some ideas:
Fire
Earth
Air
Water
What if the kineticist: 1)Received a natural armor bonus from feel the burn;
Draconic kineticist: Breath focused, gains claws/bite, natural armor and resistance against the chosen element. Sr, DR and aura of fear would make it complete.
There are several possible solutions for burn. Some ideas: 1) Inner Reserves: The kineticist recover each day a reserve of 1/2 his class level + Constitution bonus of points that can be spent as burn. These points do not cause any damage to the kineticist. 2) Healing Burn: The kineticist may recover normally damage from burn as any normal non-lethal damage. It would still cripple him if used too much at once, but it would be more of a "per encounter mechanic". 3) Burn becomes a temporary Constitution penalty. It lasts 1 minute. 4) The kineticist can recover 1 point of burn by spending a full round action concentrating. 5) Burn becomes a threshold mechanic: up to Con mod burn: no effect; up to 2x Con mod burn: fatigued; up to 3x Con mod burn: exausted, after that, will save each round to stay conscious. Mechanic that remove fatigue take the kniticist to the previous threshold. 6) Burn occurs if the kineticist fails a check. Fort 15+ the number of points already spent that day. Each time the check is failed he takes the damage. Those are just some ideas. With time to plan and test we can always find the right stuff.
While I find the concept for this class very interesting, I think it is terribly complicated as it is. Keeping track of those spirits, interactions, influences, spells, use activate abilities seems rather tiring for a low reward. Many of the powers are very generic and lackluster, stacking by small doses instead of proving meaningful transformation. I would ditch all of the small bonus and have the spirits providing class features (like sneak attack, rage, etc...) and at least one skill temporarily at max ranks. Also, he should be able to call specific spirits and incorporate them, receiving some of their abilities: "I call upon my ancestor, a great warrior from the past, his rage was legendary". The spirits alignment could provide some challenge, as he becomes more enraged by each infraction to his moral code. The medium could be able to call upon spirits of monsters also, gaining the regeneration of troll, or the breath weapon of a dragon... Anyway, I think the class has great potential, but as it is now I would not play it, or make an NPC from it. I would rather avoid all that work.
I think the class could have some features to make it more interesting: 1) The phantom could be fused with the spiritualist providing a fearsome combat powered form (not just some shield bonus or tendrils) with unnatural strenght and resistance. 2) The phantom could be able to speak with recently deceased, or allow the spiritualist to do it. 3) The phantom could act like a poltergeist, throwing objects while invisible. In it should be able to become invisible from the beginning. 4) The phantom could be able to drain life/attributes to heal itself or the spiritualist. 5) the phantom could have/provide an aura of fear (all of them). 6) the phantom could posses the spiritualist, acting while he can't. 7) the phantom could warn the spiritualist of danger, providing uncanny dodge, evasion, trap sense, trap finding (for haunts too). 8) The spiritualist could channel the power of the dead, becoming more undead-like himself (immunities, resistance to negative energy, level drain, etc..) 9) The spiritualist could have all abilities that appear in Beyond: Two Souls - using the spirit to listen to toughs, break things, see through his eyes, heat/ freeze objects, all without saying a word. 10) The spiritualist could be able to feel other spirits, ghosts, phantoms, even the souls of the living. 11) the phantom should stay awake while the spiritualist is sleeping, but it should be weakened. 12) the spiritualist should be protected from soul attacks (magic jar, imprison the soul, drain energy...) I think it's anti thematic that the phantom has a physical from from level 1. It makes it work like an eidolon, when it could be much more interesting as an invisible force, that no one can be sure that is or is not there. "Are you there spirit? Give us a sign!"
I think that in regard to fire and air we could convert 1 pound to 1 cubic foot (although not the real weight) in regard to manipulation power.
I second the idea of having a free infusion and a free utility power at first level. I've been thinking of the purpose of forbidding the use of gather power on non-infusion talents. It seems needed to prevent overuse of the healing talent and similar ones.
About burn: I am not against the burn mechanic, as it can provide very interesting roleplaying. I only think it the class should have a safe reserve before tapping on its life power. A reserve of 1/2 level + Con bonus should do the trick, as it would represent the training and advancement of the kineticist at channeling his power.
So, I tried today building some kineticist NPCs to fight the PCs in my group. I had a chance to take the adventure to some elemental themed places and a graveyard themed demiplane. In this game we have: an elven paladin, a human witch, a dwarven inquisitor, an elven ranger, a halfling druid, a samsaran oracle, and a human barbarian. All of them are 15th level, 25p buy and reasonably equiped for their level. I made 7 kineticist NPCs for each encounter, with no magic items (it was not the intent to provide material rewards for those encounters) but with persistent magical effects that provided the same bonus as standard equipment for their level. They all were made with the same 25p buy and 15th level. The fights ended quickly, as the NPCs had little protection from the PCs attacks. First I used pyrokineticists, each one going after one PC. That didn't go well for the poor pyros. Lack of will made them easy targets for the witch and the oracle, lack of AC made them die quickly from attacks. At the second, I used hydrokineticists and changed tactics. They concentrated blasts into one PC at a time, managing to to kill the witch (that returned shortly after receiving a breath of life). While the fight lasted a bit longer, I felt the same issues although they avoided more attacks. Air and earth had similar results, the DR didn't help against their magical weaponry, and although I tried using cover and distance to protect them, the PCs quickly caught up. Telekinesis made some fun moments as the PCs were bombarded with tombstones, but also not very challenging. From this test I noticed some things: 1-This class is made for combat, but lacks survivability. The need for a free hand together with light armor makes a lousy AC. Also, withe they had some pretty decent Fort save, My NPCs had horrible Will saves. I had to spent their points in Con, Dex and Int (to have some minimum skills, like acrobatics, sense motive, and perception). I wanted them to make some amazing defenses in immediate actions, it would belong there. 2-They did good damage, similar to other classes, but had to take an awful lot of burn. It was good for one encounter, but if they had not died, they would have had a hell of a day from that point on, crippled by permanent damage. That said, if burn were recovered on a encounter basis, things could go better. 3-I wanted more feats to build them. Some bonus feats would be welcome, and not by far overpowering. While they were made for combat, they had no utility options (as they were never supposed to live to use them) But it felt like the number of wild talents was right for combat. I would create a separate pool for utility talents. 4-Their attacks made quite a visual effect. More options of area attacks and multiple attacks would be welcome. Conclusion: The class has a beautiful concept, can grow much in power and still be balanced. There is ample room for swift and immediate actions talents, and some combat improvements.
I'm wondering if there will be a development to the healing properties of water and aether. Kinetic Healer could have an improved and greater version, able to remove increasingly dangerous conditions and types of damage.
Suggestion for a new class feature: Combat Style (Ex) At 1st level, a Kineticist must select one combat style to pursue: Unarmed, Swordsman or blaster. Unarmed: The kineticist receives Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, and may add his constitution bonus to AC as long as he is unarmored and not wielding a shield. The damage from his unarmed strikes increase as a monk of 1/2 his level (min. 1). At 6th, 12th and 18th level he may select a style or monk bonus feat. Swordsman: The kineticist gains proficiency with a light or one handed melee martial weapon. He receives weapon focus with that weapon at 1st level, and can select bonus combat feats at 6h, 12th and 18th levels. His kineticist levels count as fighter levels for the purpose of selecting Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Specialization for his chosen weapon. Blaster: The kineticist gains the Precise Shot feat, and may select the following feats for his Wild Blast even without fulfilling the prerequisites: Focused Shot, from 6th level: Snap Shot, from 9th level: Improved Snap Shot. He receives bonus feats at 6th, 12th and 18th level from the following list:
The benefits of the kineticist's chosen style feats apply only when he wears light, medium, or no armor. He loses all benefits of his combat style feats when wearing heavy armor. Once a kineticist selects a combat style, it cannot be changed.
Some ideas for Wild Talents: Kinetic Manipulation:
The kineticist can manipulate his element as if it were a limb with a Strength score equal to his Constitution score. His element manipulation has reach 10 feet, and he can use it as a secondary natural attack that deals 1d3 points of damage. His element can manipulate objects (but not weapons) as dexterously as a human hand. He can cause his element form to take rough shapes at will within range, although a skill check might be needed for complex forms. Taken from the prehensile hair witch hex, this would keep the manipulation within bounds of existing rules Kinetic Spirit:
The kineticist may influence the minds of others by channeling the spiritual essence of his element. Each element can provide the following with a standard action. Aether: Can send telepathically through the aether a message (as the spell) or read surface thoughts providing +4 bonus in one sense motive or bluff check. Air: Can instill the calm o a light breeze, providing a +4 bonus in one diplomacy check or produce ghost sounds (like the spell). Fire: Can infuse the target with energy providing a +4 bonus on acrobatic checks or dazzle an enemy with a sudden flare (as the spell) Earth: Can provide the stout resolution of the earth, giving a +4 bonus against fear in a check, or increase the target's resistance (as the spell). Water: Can provide fluid thought and speech giving a +4 bonus on a bluff check or can stabilize a dying creature (as the spell).
I have shown the class to my group, and they had some observations about it: First, they were overjoyed by the possibility of playing something similar to several characters in fiction they loved. They mentioned mostly Avatar, Star Wars, Carrie, Fairy Tail, DC comics, and others I didn't recognize. Then, I asked them to take a hard look at the rules and try to make some of their favorite characters in fiction. We established that 10th level should be enough, as most were fairly high powered. We ended up with the following characters: A Pyrokineticist (inspired by Avatar's Firebenders), a Hidrokineticist (inspired by an ice magic guy from Fairy Tail), a Telekineticist (insired by a jedi from SW), a terra/geokineticist (inspired by Terra from Teen Titans), and another Telekineticist inspired by Carrie. Player's toughts: We played then a 2 hour improvised game so they could get the feel of the characters in and out of combat. The fights went fast, but healing was problematic. These are their comments about the class: 1-They felt the class needed some way to fight hand to hand, as most of the sources they chose to emulate were pretty good martial artists. One player suggested the class gained a combat style to chose, like the ranger, so it wouldn't be confined to unarmed combat. 2- The class is lacking influence outside combat. Interaction with skills and character behavior were expected from their chosen element, and there were few rules to support that. Overall, the characters were pretty ignorant and without depth outside combat. 3- The blasts worked fine in combat, but most of them didn't want to use the burn mechanic. Some non damaging reserve would be appreciated. 4- At several times the players wanted to manipulate the element in a way not covered by the rules, so I didn't allow. It annoyed them. 5- Some talents might require some fine tuning, as the aether defense (didn't help much). But those were minor concerns. One player asked to suggest some telepathy based powers for aether. GM's toughts:I made some NPCs to interact with them in a village, 2 encounters in a forest and 2 in a small dungeon. What I noticed: 1 -They were fairly easy to hit, and vulnerable to maneuvers. Using cover made their job very hard. 2 -It seemed to me that at the end of the day, the class is underpowered. A sorcerer could have done pretty much the same they did but better. Damage would be at the same level, defense would go to the sorcerer by far, flexibility would be achieved with spells and bloodline skills/powers, besides being the face with high charisma. Conclusion: As a conclusion, it were a consensus that the class is standing as a one trick pony. One with great potential, but that requires much more flexibility and rules to support the flavor. All of the players are now with high hopes for this class, and by far seems the most interesting theme in the book for them. My opinion is that the class could use a boost in defense and utility outside combat (skills and utility powers). The lack of flexibility in manipulating the elements can be frustrating. Some weapon/unarmed combat style wouldn't hurt either.
Some things the kineticists should be able to do: Aether:
Earth:
Fire:
Water:
Air:
All:
What if: 1-The kineticist had a reserve (like Arcane Pool) that could be used to fuel his powers without burn. 1/2+Con mod. points/day to use his most interesting powers without consuming his health seems good. 2-The wild talents were divided into 2 sub categories: utility and attack. Gaining them separately he would not be penalized in combat for adding flavor. Also, as said before, these utility talents could add to some skills. 3-The kineticist could add emotional or thought component to his blast to overcome alignment DR. 4-The tremorsense talent gave darkvision 30' passively for anything touching the ground. To sense other things, move action still needed. 5-The aether path had some precognition powers, sensing what is about to happen through auras and intentions. Things to remember: The use limited talents stand in balance with powerful spells. Classes built around the same frame (d8 hd, 3/4 bab) like the cleric, druid, oracle, shaman, etc... can use those without penalty, with increasingly ease. That said, I think the wild talents could use a boost at higher levels to make some earthshaking events.
The Kineticist seems really good, mechanics, theme, all.
1-Basic manipulation
2-Recovering from burn
3-Force blast
4-Utility
5-Themes
Cavalier orders could fit a role in occultism related material. Several real secret orders in history used mystic symbolism. Creating some paranormal/mystic/spiritualistic/kinethisist order could provide material for the cavalier and samurai.
I am hoping that with the kineticist that I can play a bender type character from avatar the last airbender Awesome.
This archetype should be errata-ed to scale the duration of the focus, or allow it to be maintained as a free action. The magus cannot be expending a swift action every other turn to be functional. Also, the lack of compatibility with other archetypes makes a lot of people sad...
polymorph any object may be a way. You can change permanently into an outsider with the same size. Only native outsiders age.
I'm hoping for some jedi-like psi users. The idea of a sentient universal force that can be tapped on by powerful minds, leaving psychic residue, with less shiny and a more mysterious approach seems rather appealing.
Paizo could use excess material that couldn't fit in the book as an online excerpt, like WotC did many times.
|
