I find it odd and unsatisfying that a class that is theoretically about making cool things has very few options or abilities that lend themselves to that class fantasy.
There is a bit of flavor text in a couple of class feature descriptions that mention "gadgets" in a vague way, but the class gets exactly one skill feat as a bonus (Inventor, because it would be criminal for that not to be the case.)
Even the Swashbuckler, a non-Int Martial class, gets three bonus skill feats, and Crafting (the inventor's forte) gets only one, especially since Crafting is the skill with the largest feat list (16 currently, Religion and Society both have 15, Athletics and Medicine have 14 IIRC).
I would love to see some utility out of the Inventor, either in the form of increased skill increase/feat progression, or class feats that let them make and use interesting magic/scientific items.
Hey folks, I am currently playing the Agents of Edgewatch AP, and figured an Investigator would be a natural fit. The trouble is, I am struggling to find a niche/things to do in a fight. The character is currently level 4, with the following setup:
Ancestry Feat: Alchemical Scholar
Class Feat: Known Weaknesses
Background Skill Feat: Recognize Spell
Class Feat 2: Wizard Dedication
Skill Feat 2: Continual Recovery
Skill Feat 3: Ward Medic
General Feat 3: Prescient Planner
Class Feat 4: Ongoing Investigation
Skill Feat 4: Magical Crafting
We have an abundance of melee characters, so I am currently an archer. Another party member is likely retraining to pick up the Medicine stuff so I don't have to anymore (he wants to heal), which means I could do some more in-combat skill feat stuff, though those options seem to come online at level 7/Master proficiency.
My GM has also graciously offered me the opportunity to rebuild during our upcoming downtime, and I haven't yet decided what I want to do.
I have been looking at doing some crafting stuff with Snarecrafter/Talisman Dabbler/Scroll Trickster, but those seem...only okay, and I currently have Wizard Multiclass Dedication, but the spell slots I get as a Wizard are few and feat intensive, so I'm not sure it's worth taking that whole 5-feat chain to always be 2-3 spell levels behind.
I also have the option of rebuilding completely from a mechanical sense, as long as I stay true to the character concept. If I go that route, the sensible choices seem to be Alchemist, Ranger (possibly using Outwit and/or Monster Hunter feat chain), or Wizard.
I can likely change my ability scores, provided I continue to be a smug, nerdy, know-it-all Hobgoblin.
Any suggestions or ideas are appreciated, thanks in advance!
tl;dr: I'm looking for a reasonable way to retool this guy to contribue in fights, from range, without being an Occult caster (we have 3 melee dudes and a Witch, presently).
Hey folks, I am currently playing the Agents of Edgewatch AP, and figured an Investigator would be a natural fit. The trouble is, I am struggling to find a niche/things to do in a fight. The character is currently level 4, with the following setup:
Ancestry Feat: Alchemical Scholar
Class Feat: Known Weaknesses
Background Skill Feat: Recognize Spell
Class Feat 2: Wizard Dedication
Skill Feat 2: Continual Recovery
Skill Feat 3: Ward Medic
General Feat 3: Prescient Planner
Class Feat 4: Ongoing Investigation
Skill Feat 4: Magical Crafting
We have an abundance of melee characters, so I am currently an archer. Another party member is likely retraining to pick up the Medicine stuff so I don't have to anymore (he wants to heal), which means I could do some more in-combat skill feat stuff, though those options seem to come online at level 7/Master proficiency.
My GM has also graciously offered me the opportunity to rebuild during our upcoming downtime, and I haven't yet decided what I want to do.
I have been looking at doing some crafting stuff with Snarecrafter/Talisman Dabbler/Scroll Trickster, but those seem...only okay, and I currently have Wizard Multiclass Dedication, but the spell slots I get as a Wizard are few and feat intensive, so I'm not sure it's worth taking that whole 5-feat chain to always be 2-3 spell levels behind.
I also have the option of rebuilding completely from a mechanical sense, as long as I stay true to the character concept. If I go that route, the sensible choices seem to be Alchemist, Ranger (possibly using Outwit and/or Monster Hunter feat chain), or Wizard.
I can likely change my ability scores, provided I continue to be a smug, nerdy, know-it-all Hobgoblin.
Any suggestions or ideas are appreciated, thanks in advance!
tl;dr: I'm looking for a reasonable way to retool this guy to contribue in fights, from range, without being an Occult caster (we have 3 melee dudes and a Witch, presently).
I am gearing up to start Age of Ashes in a couple of weeks (after wrapping up Return of the Runelords), and need to make my first 2E character ever.
Our party so far consists of a Dwarf Druid with a Bear friend, a Halfling Bard, a Rogue (planning on MCD Wizard I think?), and a Fighter. We have a house rule limiting the party to 1 pet/animal companion class (familiars don't count), so if I play Ranger or Druid, I'm not allowed to take that option.
I also have a character concept that involves a handful of things being fixed already. I'm playing an Ancient Thassilonian, one of the people who got shunted into current time after the events of Return of the Runelords, who is something of a lost refugee/doomsday prepper/trauma survivor.
He fled Crystilan to live on his own in the woods after being dropped into the future, as he's more than a little confused and scared of all of the changes that have happened in the 10,000 years since Earthfall.
I'm looking to make him a Human with the Hermit background, unless another idea comes along. The trouble is, I have no idea what class to play. I'd like to make something that complements the concept/personality of the lone codger in the woods, but also fits the party's composition/needs.
I also place a pretty high priority on trying out some of the things in this game that "feel" different, like shields, different melee weapon traits, focus spells, spell heightening, and skill feats. All of which is to say, archery looks to be essentially "stand still and shoot a lot," which isn't really anything new or exciting.
I'd love to see/hear what ideas people have to make this character concept work. Thank you in advance for your time/assistance!
I'm currently playing a level 6 Occultist (Haunt Collector) with the Trappings of the Warrior, heavy armor, and a big ol' 2-hander in Return of the Runelords.
The trouble is, we also have a Champion-focused Medium and a Battle Oracle, with big ol' 2-handers and heavy armor. The rest of our party is an Archer Fighter and an Arcanist (Occultist).
I'm noticing some redundancy and duplicative abilities between myself, the Oracle, and the Medium, and some major gaps that our party is facing. Most notably, we're ALWAYS lacking in healing/restoration, and this AP has done all manner of unkind things to us, so that stings a bit. My GM has said that, provided I remain consistent to the spirit of the character, I can pitch him a rebuild/rework.
I am currently the party trapfinder, so I need to stick with that because, well, there are lots of miserable murder-traps, and I have the Accidental Clone campaign trait, so she has to be human. In her past life, she was a Shoanti, so something that fits that general vibe/aesthetic is important, too.
I'd like for her to do a thing in combat that isn't Arcane, isn't archery, and isn't 2-hander + heavy armor melee - trapfinding and secondary (or even primary) healing are priorities.
Any ideas/suggestions on a direction would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, folks.
Is there an explanation of Spell Points anywhere in the book? I see class feats that give an ability that costs Spell Points and increase the pool (Bard - Lingering Composition, for example), but no mention of a baseline pool size, or entry for the term in the glossary/index.
Clerics get a pool size equal to Wisdom modifier, so are they the only ones? Would love some clarification on this.
I’m GMing an AP that includes a Clockwork Dragon with the Rust Breath variant.
I cannot find a single resource that indicates what the Breath weapon actually does, so I’m asking you how you’d rule it. Treat it like Rusting Grasp? Rust Monster? Something else? Your input is appreciated.
Benefit: By spending a full-round action to cast darkness, you can also make Intimidate checks to demoralize all foes in the spell’s initial area.
Eclipsed Spell wrote:
Benefit(s): Only spells that create areas of light or darkness can be eclipsed spells. If the eclipsed spell creates an area that shines like a torch or raises the light level by one step, you can choose to have the spell lower the illumination level in the affected area by one step, functioning like darkness.
If I were to play, say, a Karmic Monk 1/Heavens Shaman X, could I use Nightmare Fist/Weaver in the area of an Eclipsed Dancing Lights? Could I use Dancing Lights to satisfy the condition of Nightmare Weaver, and Dazzling Display all day, without burning 2nd level spell slots?
So I just took a peek at the new Ganzi race in Planar Adventures, and aside from being thematically cool as all get-out, I noticed one of their Oddities:
Quote:
Weaponplay (Ex): Ganzis with lineages that link to the Valkyries manifest their heritage in their skill in combat. Such Ganzies are always proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and they can qualify for feats normally available only to fighters (such as Weapon Specialization) even if they don't have any fighter class levels.
Are there any concepts, Prestige Classes, etc. that get easier with this? Someone else already mentioned using Weaponplay to get into Eldritch Knight, but I'm wondering if there are any other things that take advantage of this racial feature. Specifically, if there are Fighter feats worth taking for non-fighter classes, or other archetypes/prestige classes that a Ganzi could finagle with less effort than another race.
I'm trying to come up with a fun, interesting concept for my group's upcoming run of Return of the Runelords. Things to know in advance (Short Wall of Text incoming):
Because we are going to 20, it would be awesome (not mandatory, but cool) to take advantage of a sweet class capstone ability.
We have all of the "bases" covered - An Arcanist to handle Arcane utility, someone with Trapfinding, and a beefy Battle Oracle to sort out condition removal and healing/frontlining.
I have recently played an Arcane Duelist TWF Shooting Star/Starknife Bard, a Dark Tapestry Buff/Support/Caster Oracle, a Grenadier Archer Alchemist, and a Diviner Utility/Debuff Wizard, so I'd rather not duplicate those classes unless they "feel" different.
20-Point Buy, house ban-list includes a heavy nerf to crafting, but very likely using The World Is Square Feat Tax Rules (will find link later for those unaware of them - essentially eliminates Combat Expertise, Weapon Finesse, and Point-Blank Shot, and condenses Combat Maneuver, TWF, and Dodge/Mobility Feat Chains).
I'm quite familiar with the game, and want to get weird/interesting, but not broken.
Probably want to stick with Core and Uncommon Races, unless something really hinges upon something else. I'm flexible in that regard.
No 3rd Party Publisher material, no old 3.5 material (even Paizo), and ideally sticking to hardcovers rather than dredging up material from adventure modules or softcover splatbooks.
/Wall of Text
One idea that I've been kicking around is a Bladebound Whip Kensai, focusing on Combat Maneuvers, Bodyguard, and maybe some Enforcer shenanigans, but I'm not entirely sure how I want it to look, since it's mostly trash until like level 7. I'm open to any suggestion, though. Thank you all in advance!
Check in here. I also want to have everyone introduce themselves (IC and/or OOC)
I noticed that literally zero of the submissions had any sort of trapfinding ability, so I want to also offer any of you the chance to swap a trait for the Mummy's Mask Campaign trait, in order to get trapfinding. If none of you want it, that's fine, just putting it on the table. I won't even confirm/deny the existence of any traps in this adventure :D
I've played through this AP and it was my favorite so far. Now I'd like to earn my stripes as a PbP GM and run it! I'm posting this recruitment thread here now, but won't be picking until after PaizoCon/Memorial Day weekend, to give people time to present their characters. As always, have fun with your ideas, and feel free to ask any questions you have!
Crunchy Character Creation Criteria:
Your choice of point-buy options: Either standard 20-pt buy, and an attribute point every 4 levels, or start at 15-pt buy, and gain 1 point-buy point each level. You can bank points, and spend them only at level-up. (This means you would start with 16 points)
No third-party material
All classes allowed, Summoners cannot be chained
No more than 1 "pet" class (Summoner, Druid, Ranger, Spiritualist) per party. I say 'per party' because I will consider running two tables.
Background skills are a definite go, as are Lore/Artistry skills
Two traits, one must be a campaign trait. You may take a third with a drawback, provided it is written into your background
150gp starting gold
Use general good judgment regarding races. Tieflings/Aasimars are probably fine in Cheliax (though the latter may get a little bit of flack, and the former aren't highly regarded), but crazy races will probably not be permitted. If you have a question, ask, or else assume that it's probably not going to be allowed unless you have a very compelling reason.
The Ban-Hammer Cometh:
There are certain things I will specifically be banning:
Bestow Grace/Bestow Grace of the Champion - Too good for the cost of a single spell slot.
Simulacrum - Too much of a headache, sorta cheesy.
Nine Lives (spell) - Too much good stuff for too long a duration with too many uses.
Divine Interference - See Simulacrum/Bestow Grace
Stuff from the monster codex, unless specifically requested
Guns - I prefer that they remain in Alkenstar, so they will not be available for sale (even if you go to Alkenstar, they will not sell guns to strangers). You can take Gunsmithing as a feat, and Gunslingers will function as normal.
Antagonize (feat) - I dislike the way this is written, and that it bypasses the save mechanic to do something on the level of a spell.
Keep Watch (spell)
Monster Tactician (Inquisitor Archetype)
Dual-Cursed Oracle's Misfortune Revelation - this is not banned, but modified. This ability only functions on enemies, not allies. At the player's option, they may take the Misfortune hex (as per the Witch) in place of this revelation.
Item creation feats - like Dual-Cursed Oracle, these are not banned, but are certainly subject to the "don't be a dick" social contract policy of Pathfinder. If you start making abusing the item creation rules, I may ask that you retrain, or, if you're unwilling, just sunder the hell out of your new toys.
Additionally, I will be using the feat tax suggestions listed on this page. In short, eliminating some of the dumber feat taxes for martial characters, because I hate them and they're not as fun as taking cool feats.
Write me a story:
I will be asking that each submission be accompanied by a background containing:
Five things I should know about your character currently. This is not about their aspirations, nor about their past. I want to know what they can do, who they are, personality, appearance, reason for being in Kintargo, etc.
Four people in their lives. These could be friends, parents, lovers, enemies, rivals - let your imagination go wild.
Three of their most prominent memories - specific moments that changed them, impacted them, or stick with them to this day.
Two goals - these are specific, action-oriented goals with a purpose. "I want to become the King of Ustalav" is not a goal. "I want to become the King of Ustalav so I have the power to save my crappy fishing village from the terrible undead that seem to run rampant in this damn country" is a goal.
One thing that gets your character out of bed in the morning. This is different from a long-term goal. This is a purpose, or a motivator, or a short-term ambition, and it can change as time goes on. "I wake up every morning determined to be better than I was yesterday" is an ambition/purpose. "I get out of bed so I can prove my dad wrong" is a purpose. Tell me what makes you tick.
