![]()
![]()
![]() So, I am working on a summoner(synthesist)-paladin hybrid and I have some questions regarding the limbs evolution. If I take this evolution and wield a greatsword in each set of limbs, I don't automatically gain another attack, correct? I would need two weapon fighting in order to do so, unless I am mistaken. So, the question is this: What is the penalty for the second attack? Is this a secondary attack at a flat -5, or do I apply the two weapon fighting penalties for a non-light offhand weapon? Thanks in advance. :) ![]()
![]() Okay, so I admit I have not taken the time to read all the posts under this discussion, so I apologize if I am repeating what others may have already said. To OP, I think you're judging a book without delving into its fantastic and powerful pages. In my opinion, the druid is one of THE best classes in the game, capable of filling multiple roles WELL and even SIMULTANEOUSLY. Feats that will help make you unstoppable:
Items:
If you pick up these feats and pick the right Wildshape forms you will be so very powerful. You'll be able to melee quite well AND cast any one of your spells as necessary. Tiger is a nice choice, and the Deinonychus before that. When you can shift into elementals, pick up the Air Elemental and Trolololol away with the Whirlwind ability, or become a plant with uber grab abilities, etc. CASTING ALL THE WHILE. Spell selection should be self buffs, battlefield control that doesn't require saves, and buffs that last for minutes or hours per level. Spells that benefit your companion are great picks too. I'll try to post some specifics about builds ans spell selection tomorrow. I assure you, the druid is one of the most powerful classes in Pathfinder. You will RARELY find yourself in a situation you cannot fix. I played a druid in Second Darkness AP and nearly soloed the final boss encounter as well as a number of counters along the way. Edit/PS: You don't NEED the wizard or cleric spells because you had great ones that work well with the druid class. Wizards need fancy spells to get by, whereas the druid shifts into amazing creatures that are even better than the wizard spells ni some cases and last for much longer. Did I mention you can cast spells while shifted? What's more awesome that being able to cast any spell you need while going toe-to-toe with a pair of ogres while your animal companion Roc tears apart the caster? :) ![]()
![]() Matt2VK wrote:
Oooooh! I never even knew about Hellcat Stealth. And I love the fireworks idea. It fits well with this guy. ![]()
![]() Atarlost wrote:
I completely understand how this type of character could spell bad news for a party. This rogue would be ultra paranoid about getting caught, and he prefers life to death. This alone would keep him from taking form his party. Just because you have a thief doesn't mean you have to be an ass-hat with him at the table. ![]()
![]() Okay guys. I'm working on a build for a greedy bastard of a rogue. He's a thief, and a damn good one! He will focus on out of combat thieving, but use the cut purse abilities if he needs to. He will be more of a role-play, scouting, type of character than a combatant. He's always paranoid about someone who he stole from tracking him down, and rightfully so. He can't keep his greedy hands of of anyone's pockets. I am specifically wondering what items beyond what I've already listed you would suggest. I was also considering swapping one of his rogue talents out for the Slow Reactions talent. What might you guys suggest for talents, feats, and items moving forward? What would you swap out? Alignment: CN
Initiative: +11 (9 dex 2 trait)
Rogue Class Features:
Cut purse Alternatives (in place of trapfinding and danger sense):
Rogue Talents:
Feats:
Attacks:
Skills:
Gear: budget of 62,000 by 10th as per WBL, but will probably have more form all the thieving +4 Belt of Dexterity (16,000)
Which leaves about 9k to spend. I have no idea what else to buy. Maybe a Swift runner's Shirt. Thoughts? I'm hoping to rely on his feats Roll with It and Acrobatic Dodge to avoid most of the damage he might take. Thanks! ![]()
![]() You won't need to worry about dealing damage at all as long as you can get into position for your sneak attacks. With weapon finesse you should be able to hit consistently because you should be getting that flanking bonus as well. Make sure you and the tank are working together to set up flanks, and don't forget that you can get sneak attack damage on those who haven't yet acted because they will be flat footed. No need to even bother getting dex to damage. Let the sneak attack dice do all the work and instead improve your accuracy and defense. If you want to pursue more damage down the road, the two weapon fighting route can really boost your damage potential. Get menacing on your weapon to improve your flanking bonus. Enjoy wrecking things. ![]()
![]() chbgraphicarts wrote:
That's a sweet looking build, but I'm curious about the number of attacks. By my count, on a full attack you should have a gore, 2 claws, 5 unarmed strikes (2 iterative and 3 from twf chain), and a bit. What am I missing? You have 1 additional unarmed strikes. Also, which point-buy did you use? ![]()
![]() Go TWF route. Get (+1-5) weapons ASAP. Add menacing for an extra flank bonus. That way you will get your +4 for flanking. Pump your dex. Get wepaon finesse. That way, assuming 18 dex minimum, you will have +4 menacing from flank, +1-5 weapon, and the 4 dex, plus your BAB. The higher the dex, the more accurate you will be. Add weapon focus for the extra +1. If you want to deal insane sneak attack damage, go knife master and use kukris. You can then add slashing grace if you wanted as well. Later on it opens up great opportunities for crits. Pick up speed on one weapon. Between TWF and the speed enchant you will be dicing opponents. ALSO: Use the unchained rogue. They are better. Debilitating injury lowers their AC, making it even easier to hit. ![]()
![]() If you play a druid right, you can be a force to be reckoned with in both melee and casting. Druids are so wonderfully versatile, you will almost NEVER find yourself without some option to employ, both in combat and out. Pick up wild speech, natural spell, and you are golden. The only drawback is that you won't be able to use scrolls while shifted. Other than that, druids are amazing, in my own opinion. ![]()
![]() Do the characters need to remain near 4th level by the end of this? If not, consider making the endeavor a bit longer. Maybe the characters have to deal with some cronies, uncover some of his dealings elsewhere. Perhaps he runs goods on the black market and the characters can disrupt the trade. Try to think of how the Duke actually maintains his control, and then how the characters can investigate the various aspects. Bit by bit they can learn the weaknesses of the castle, where the hidden entrances and exits are, the changing of the guard, etc. Maybe even the Duke travels away and thus provides the characters an opportunity to sneak in. By the time they complete whatever you have in store, they not only will likely have a better understanding and therefore (hopefully) a better plan of action to get inside the keep, but they may be a few levels higher with more resources at their disposal. That way it feels more like a rescue operation with intel gathering and the whole nine yards, and you can make the Duke more of a bastard since the characters will be able to take and dish out more hurt. ![]()
![]() What are the collective thoughts on XP for the party? Looking at the CR and XP award system, plus the leveling rates, it just seems like too much work and I find myself stressing over trying to make sure I haven't placed too much XP or too little XP in each adventure. It is quite appealing to just level the characters at certain points in the story. I do know that earning experience can be part of the fun, though. Maybe I should just award it in calculated chunks. For instance, if they clear a dungeon, I could award a preset amount. That way I still know when they will level, they earn XP, and I don't have to stress over CR counting. ![]()
![]() Meraki wrote:
I haven't ever used it, but that sounds like a great tool. I've found that one of the most challenging aspects of the writing process is staying organized... ![]()
![]() ArtlessKnave , Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely keep all this in mind. Particularly, the journaling at each session. This will be truly useful, as the amount, time, and scope of information revealed at each part will play a huge role for this campaign. This will help me sort things out and keep track of it all. ![]()
![]() Thanks for the responses, guys! I appreciate it. I haven't had time to read through everything yet, but I hope to this evening. In case my players are reading this, I hope to be as vague as I can while providing the desired insight. To answer your question,Nowear, the campaign will be quite dark, particularly in the second half. The adversaries will be some of the darkest, most wicked souls ever to roam the earth and beyond. The measure of their resolve to destroy things is unmatched. I hope to really drive that home to each player. The campaign is in a homebrew setting in a northern climate. Think taiga and tundra with a coastal fisheries lifeline for the people who dare inhabit these lands. Essentially, nearly a thousand years ago, a dark Abyssal force came to the land and corrupted one of the most prominent members of a Union of States that had created a rare and lasting peace. This corruption ultimately led to the deaths of many and the shattering of the alliances. In Elysium, a rare intervention of Angels halted the dark incursion on the material plane. Nearly a thousand years have passed and the darkness, as it turns out, was not eradicated, but instead has lain dormant, waiting. The characters find themselves in one of two main kingdoms who are at war with one another. Two main plots drive the story. One apparent and one in the background that will eventually emerge, the true threat. Essentially the players will be drawn into the inter-state conflict(s) and will be presented with choices to make. Whom to pledge their fealty to and such. In the background, dark forces stir and will eventually become apparent to the characters. Was the massacre a work of the enemy, or is this something more sinister?? AS more is revealed they will uncover more and more. They will encounter the agents of these dark forces, and the dark lord whom they answer to. Eventually the characters will confront these forces head-on. Exploration and replaying will be major components for this one. Combats will be intense and focus on tactics rather than the sheer power of the enemies. I hope that provides enough insight. :) ![]()
![]() Hi guys! I will be running a campaign that I've written in the coming weeks and months. I'm looking for specific advice, things which can improve the efficiency and enjoyment of game play for all. I am not looking for"remember, it's all about having fun, for everyone," or, "be sure to balance the difficulty!" No, I am looking for specific tips for running games. This could be anything from how you suggest running combats, RP sessions, etc. Thanks in advance, and I hope the question is clear enough. ![]()
![]() Same fighter as mentioned above. Turns out the barbarian also had contracted lycanthrope. So the group is in the Underdark in 3.5. The fighter and barbarian werewolves were hiding their disease and plotting to overthrow the group. They manage to convince the neutral ranger to aid them in killing the rest of the party and taking all their loot/gold. The party engages a big group of demons and finds themselves surrounded. The barbarian gets mind controlled and begins to hack the squishies to death. The fighter also gets mc'd and begins to duke it out with the barbarian. After two rounds the barbarian hits the fighter with his vorpal great axe and severs the fighters head. The ranger sees the wizard getting hit by demons and finishes him off with a burst or arrows. The barbarian switches to the party cleric and drops him with a full attack. The ranger runs and loots the cleric, wizard, and fighter, plus two bags of holding... The barbarian goes down fighting several demons, while the ranger jumps off the cliff and levitates (he was a drow) and escapes into the darkness. The party rogue manages to hide and get away to the surface somehow. The ranger got away with well over 1 million GP worth of loot, and retired in the Caribbean. The cleric's player was oblivious that we were plotting and was PISSED that we turned on them, wiping the group, and disrupting almost 2 years worth of progress on the adventure... ![]()
![]() The party was searching for a tower in the wild. We were being led by this gnome mage who betrayed us. He disappeared and we were momentarily attacked by his huge golem bodyguard. The little-weasel of a gnome showed up seconds later spraying us with spells and doing his very best to make our day miserable. After several rounds of combat we managed to destroy his golem and capture the gnome. The rogue expertly ties him to a tree while the party wizard begins questioning him. He is told that he can go free if he tells us all he knows. He complies and begins to spill the beans on everything. After the wizard and cleric are content that the gnome has shared all he knows, they begin to discuss the best way to release him. Meanwhile, the fighter (who was evil - had contracted lycanthrope without the party knowing) picks up his crossbow, points it at the gnome who is still helplessly tied to the tree, and fires a bolt point-blank into his forehead. He said it was in the interest of saving time. ![]()
![]() One of the best things you can do for yourself and your county: STOP WATCHING TELEVISED NEWS. While it's not perfect, I get all my news from NPR and the BBC. Televised news isn't news, and is just contributing to all the problems by distracting people from real issues and sensationalizing things for profit. ![]()
![]() Krensky wrote:
The pipeline will also help avoid all these damned train wreck disasters we keep seeing a few times a year or so. I had a meeting in an office right next to a railroad with trains carrying crude oil and all I could think about the entire meeting was the train derailing and blowing up the whole town. ![]()
![]() I'm not suggesting shutting anyone down. And I am no saying that EVERY battle needs to be some sort of crazy master plan tactical piss-fest. You don't need to pick higher CRs to make it more difficult. I guess I was not clear in this regard. And you wouldn't pick on say, the fighter every combat. Switch it up. You can still have some fights where the enemies just run up to die, that's okay. But the OP is looking for ways to change this, and I think that just picking higher CR monsters is a poor choice. Also, inflating their ACs/HP is equivalent to boosting their CRs in my mind. The idea is that combat is more multidimensional. If you simply boost a few stats you pigeonhole them into further boosting their attack bonus and damage and really don't do anything to solve the issue long-term. ![]()
![]() DM-DR wrote:
My top wishes: 1. New/free resource sto keep things fresh
![]()
![]() Dave Justus wrote:
I disagree with this route. It's an inflationary one, that encourages min-maxing. If you boost ACs and HP across the board, the party will just further focus on dealing more damage and hitting more often. In my mind, the solution is simply to make it more difficult for them by challenging their traditional route to combats. If they are used to just running up and hitting things, place enemies on a ledge, overlooking the battlefield. Place them on difficult terrain where they can move freely but the party is slow. Use spell casters to frustrate the fighter who can't get in melee range to cut them down. Have enemies hit and run, and pull the PCs into traps. Use combat maneuvers, flanking, and other tactical tools to make the fights more dynamic. This will not only make it more difficult, but should make it more interesting. If you boost AC and HP across the board, it will just become more of a DPS race and will get old fast. ![]()
![]() 1. Better tactics from enemies (have them flank, use combat maneuvers to trip, disarm, grapple,, etc.) 2. Use terrain (overturned tables or corners for cover, stealth, bonuses to attacks from higher ground, surround them, etc. 3. Use spell casters to crowd control the party, split them up, blind them, trap them, etc. There are infinite combinations of the above facets of more dangerous encounters for PCs. You don't have to fall into the trap of pitting "bigger, badder, and more" enemies against the party. Just use the enemies more wisely. An example: You have a group of goblins at level 1 versus a part of 5 PCs and their 2 animal companions. You have 7-8 Goblins, equaling a fairly decent CR for the encounter. The goblins can either be on the offensive or defensive, either way... They should have 1-2 druids among them, able to cast entangle and perhaps have wolf companions to trip the party members that avoid the entangle. The warriors should use cover to avoid attacks from any ranged PCs and target squishy PCs in the entangle. Once the goblins throw their javelins or shoot their shortbows, they should charge any PCs who have made it out of the entangle, thus avoiding attacks of opportunity. They can use 5 foot steps to set up flanking. Even prior to combat if the goblins are expecting the party they might put down caltrops, place a snare trap (however poorly crafted it might be) etc. It doesn't have to be a grand or complex set of tactics they use, but I guarantee the above setup will be far more challenging that a simple rushing swarm of goblins getting cut down like hay.
|