I saw it too... if you see it again, look at the Construction section."Now I will kill you until you die from it, you meat piñata of cash!"I think I just saw that item. If you can identify the item from these "snarky" descriptions, you're giving out too much information.
Please don't disqualify my 1500 word +5 Shield against Korean Spam... Bush league. I crafted an entire history in 3700 words on the origin of my masterwork dagger.
This is my first RPG Superstar but I have a new level of respect for people who create unique items. That was a challenge and I had to scrap more than one idea. Nervous is not how I would describe what I'm feeling. I'm excited for the opportunity to create more items. Win or lose, this was fun.
Well, I already posted how this is very much doable within the current rules... so it isn't like I am tossing something out that you can't run into right now. So why do we need a class that can already be achieved with the current options in game? It is no more game-slowing than a Druid that has an animal companion and casts a Summon spell in each combat, and since the Hunter is way behind on summons, it is likely that they won't be using them. So, tit for tat, it will be pretty much the same. So just because there are other examples of builds that slow combat to crawl it makes it okay to design a class with that in mind? The druid can choose not to cast summon spells. Also, keep in mind that summon spells have short durations and function differently than an animal companion. The free action to issue commands is easily handled by allowing the Hunter to just use one free action to command all of his pets. To give them individual commands or to issue one to all pets? In the first case, giving commands to three different creatures is a little excessive for a free action. Keep in mind, the Player's Handbook states that GMs can set reasonable limits as to how many free actions are allowed in a round. The other options that have come up just don't come anywhere near making up for the loss of 3 levels of casting plus wildshape. This might at least have a chance at doing that while increasing the concept of teamwork feats as a major class feature. While I don't disagree, your suggestion is not the solution to the problem. Throwing more pets (and taking longer to resolve your actions every round) does not make it any better. Others, including myself, and have contributed to this thread to offer suggestions on how to fix and improve the current build. I have to assume that you would also disallow a Multi-classed cavalier/druid, a beasmaster ranger, and any class that makes heavy use of summon spells... particularly the Summoner and Druid. You really shouldn't make any assumptions about someone you don't know. First off, summon spells are different than animal companions. Second, I have no issue with a different builds - a Cavalier/Druid could also keep his mount as his animal companion without any change. One that takes another companion would likely need two boon companion feats to bring to full. In addition, a Druid could just as easily take a Domain and the Cavalier can take boon companion or something else entirely. Edited: Let's keep my personal preferences out of this discussion. My concern is the sheer length of time each round will take the Multi-Companion Hunter.
Action economy. Taking out home games and looking solely at PFS; that's one character who is playing 4 characters total at 10th level. 4 different initiatives. What about the sheer amount of free actions needed to issue commands to each animal companion? Not to mention having to track each animal individually. I would not allow such a character at my table if I was running a home game. And I sure wouldn't want to play with another character at a table who gets to make (let's assume they took 3 bird companions) 3 attacks on a full attack action; 9 attacks total from the animals and another 2 from their main class for a grand total of 11 attacks in one round. Besides, this class shouldn't just be something another class can do. If the Magus was simply a mashup of Wizard and Fighter and brought nothing new, it would have been a waste of printing space. This class needs to do something different, not do something that's already achievable (as you've pointed out). I truly think the focus should be on the one animal companion and make them stronger.
I am fine with it being a druid's spell list and I would also be fine if they got rid of the spells all together for better HP/BA and better abilities as well. In my limited play tests, the Hit Die wasn't an issue, but BaB certainly was. To work in tandem with an AC I wanted a better "to hit" ratio. 3/4 kills this as well as locking out BaB based feats until later, essentially crippling this from being a strong melee/ranged combatant. The Animal Companion functions essentially like any other. I think the Spell List could stay as is and increasing the BaB will help this class immensely. However, I will not start playtesting a build like this (full BaB) without having Paizo approve of it first (as much as I'd like to!). I think the updates are fairly spot on (AC with more oomph, better implemented Animal Focus, better weapons), but I really do wish BaB would be addressed somehow as well as the flavor that distinguishes this class (which is likely Hunter's Tactics, not Animal Focus). And not to be a broken record, but unless there is a name change, I have to keep asking this: where is the Hunter? Basing this question on the flavor text and implied role and function.
After playing a little more this weekend, I have a slight suggestion. What about moving Hunter's Tactics to 1st level? Keep the free Teamwork feats at 3rd and every 3 levels thereafter. I don't see this being a balance issue. Without teamwork feats, this ability is worthless. But giving it at level 1 (along with lots of new teamwork feats) gives Hunter's more options, and likely, the ability to fill new niches earlier (depending on the chosen teamwork feats).
While I don't disagree, I think the problem is that Paizo has 95% analysis right now and 5% actual playtest feedback. Both are important, no one is arguing that. But they need people to actually play the classes to find out how the mechanics work live. It's the same as any other experiment. Analysis can only go so far. Sean, Jason and the others have a LOT of pages of analysis. What they also need is playtesting to round that out. So let's get some games going!
Hey folks, I've been pretty active on the Hunter threads trying to give my feedback about play testing and improvements. One of the biggest aspects of the class is the ability to use Teamwork feats. As people have pointed out, there is a lack of viable feats right now and doesn't allow for much variability in builds. To that end, I propose this thread to help kickstart/brainstorm ideas. Obviously, many of these feats will hopefully benefit the Cavalier and Inquisitor as well! Devs - if this is unwanted, feel free to shut me down! My chaotic good nature says I'm going to go for it anyway. So, to get us started, here is one of my suggestions: Act as One:
When rolling for initiative, take the highest of the rolls from any character who possess this feat. Prereq - Lookout feat. I'll be adding more after I put some more thought into them.
Wanted to update with some quick higher level feedback (5th level). I'm going to try to be specific in regards to the Hunter's specific abilities and unique traits. Stuck with my half elf Hunter and Wolf Companion. The class starts to feel more in tune and flavorful at higher levels, but still not quite where it should be. 3rd level took Stealth Synergy. A non-combat oriented feat, but I still really liked the idea of my Wolf and I moving through the brush together and stealthing as one predatory unit. Animal Focus is 2/day by this time. I was able to use them to some degree of benefit. Falcon, Bull and Owl are the only ones that I really found useful; Bull being in combat and only if I don't already have a STR belt or Bull's Strength. Hesitated to use some of the others (like climb) seeing as how you have to specify before hand to use it and once you're done your daily allotment is reduced (or gone). Also, some of the skills aren't very useful to the animal companion. Monkey (Climb) for one, is very situational where my Hunter could climb a wall, but it wasn't feasible for my animal to climb it. Snake is okay, but again, it requires forethought and I wasn't thrilled I had to delay, swift to activate, then move around. Didn't bother with Stagat all. As of now, it's worth is close to 0 in my opinion and I can't see people using this at all. That's still it at 5th level. 2 uses of 1 minute duration Animal Focus and a teamwork feat. It starts to feel like a new class, but does not distinguish itself enough to be considered a new base class at this juncture. Spell selection was typical of what any druid would select; magic fang, cure light, etc. I feel like most people are going to choose magic enhancements for their companion or themselves. Animal Focus:
--Animal Focus needs more. More duration, more effects, better effects, more uses. Take a look at the Shapeshifter Ranger archetype for bringing this in line power wise. These are useful powers. If this is the lifeblood of the class in terms of ability, make it powerful and useful enough to quality as a defining feature. Ranger level + wisdom modifier number of rounds per day. Swift action to activate. This shouldn't be a polymorph effect, instead being his keenly honed senses allowing him to use the abilities of animals they are so adept at hunting. I felt like each Animal Focus should give new boons at certain levels, maybe in between the increased bonus levels, like at level 4 Bull gets a free bull rush attempt with an attack, Bear gets a free grapple, tiger gets increased land movement speed, wolf free trip attack... etc. Something to make them become more powerful. Teamwork Feats:
--Teamwork feats are problematic. As many others have said, there are not enough teamwork feats. Worse, many of them have pre-reqs the animal cannot achieve. If the intent is for the duo to use flanking to increase their to hit ratio, then there is more of an issue as many of those teamwork feats require them to be adjacent. You can't flank and be adjacent. We either need a lot of new teamwork feats, or we need to allow the animal companion to bypass restrictions/change adjacent to an adjacent ally or attacking the same foe. BaB:
--I still stand by that BaB should be increased. Spell level shouldn't be altered. Druid is already a powerhouse with a full AC, full Spell list and 3/4 BaB. Let's see some more ranger in this rather than a watered down Druid. Other Considerations:
--Boon Companion: The problem the developer's have on their hands here is the Boon Companion feat. This allows many classes to gain a fully leveled Animal Companion. In order to stand out, this class has to offer something that no other classes can emulate. --Teamwork feats are a nice addition and flavor, but Inquisitors can get them too. The only upside is that the animal companion gets them for "Free", however many of them are too restrictive to be considered useful. Also, adding new teamwork feats means the Inquisitor benefits as well, and is already a wisdom based caster. --Animal Focus Doesn't scale well, and Shapeshifter archetype does this better. --Skirmisher, Shapeshifter, Trapper: These archetypes all lend flavor that SCREAMS Hunter to me. These should be used as resources to help increase the usefulness of the class. Something needs to set this class apart at first level. It does not currently. It's Druid with missing abilities and a minor boon (animal focus). After that, the focus should be on making it further stand out. Something to consider: Give the Hunter favored terrains at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th. Works like Ranger's, but in addition to the normal bonuses, either the Animal Focus is higher powered, or gets more uses. For instance, outside favored terrain at 1st level - 1x per day. Inside favored terrain ranger level + wisdom modifier. [Redacted statement]. What about allowing the Ranger to use the Heal Skill to, say, Treat Deadly Wounds without the need of a kit inside favored terrain? -Jessie
Made a basic hunter to play with last night and here are some playtest thoughts: -Overall, at level 1 this feels like a druid with less abilities. Because it is. I kept wondering, "where is the Hunter?". -The Animal Focus was really disappointing. I decided not to use the skill bonuses because I wasn't sure if I'd be wasting it (+4 to perception, but nothing to perceive; why waste my stealth if the place is empty). Used the +2 Strength during battle and it was "okay". A watered down bull's strength, which is all right at first level. -Other than the Animal Focus, this plays and feels like a Druid. All that I ended up testing was the Animal Focus at level 1, because that's what makes this class the "Hunter". Overall, extremely limited, weak, and does not do enough to separate this from Druid. As of right now, this may as well be a Druid Archetype. I see nothing that brings this out as a Ranger. As someone else pointed out, Ranger is a Druid/Fighter hybrid to begin with. As much as the developer's may not like to hear this, it may be best to start over with this class. As of right now, you have a subpar Druid that mimics an Inquisitor for teamwork feats. I've already posted suggestions I have in an earlier post, and I will continue to stick by them. Many others have pointed out other great ideas. --Increase the BaB to full.
I'll be playtesting a higher level Hunter later this weekend and will give some more thoughts then. Right now, as others have done in other class threads, I'm asking myself, "What role does the Hunter fill that another class can't do better?" And right now, I don't have an answer. -Jessie Edit: I'll post my char stats later as I'm at work right now and just wanted to get this posted. I played a half elf with fairly evenly distributed stats and went with a classic wolf.
Here are some proposed changes to the class to better fit the theme of hunter. The proposed changes keep the teamwork feats but focus on the Animal Companion and Hunter duo as master trackers, hunters, scouts, etc. Taken from druid: Full Animal Companion, orisons, trackless step
Skills, 6+INT
(Potentially reduce the spell level to a max of level 4 spells taken from both Druid and Ranger. If spells are learned at a later level, other abilities could be added to offset the balance.) Note that below the levels with no new abilities indicate a level in which the Hunter gains a new spell casting level. Breakdown by Level: Level Special
New: Combination of Quarry and Favored Enemy: benefits increase when near Animal Companion (Shared Hunt) --Shared Hunt: This will work like quarry, but instead of needing a favored enemy, the Hunter can choose one target within their line of sight. The text and effects have been altered. ---At 1st level, a Hunter can, as a standard action, denote one target within his line of sight as his Shared Hunt target. Whenever he is following the tracks of his Shared Hunt target, the Hunter and his animal companion can take 10 on his Survival skill checks while moving at normal speed, without penalty. In addition, both the Hunter and animal companion receive a +1 insight bonus on Attack and Damage, Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against the Shared Hunt. A Hunter can have no more than one Shared Hunt target at a time. He can dismiss this effect at any time as a free action, but he cannot select a new target for 1 hour. If the Hunter sees proof that his target is dead, he can select a new target on his turn using a standard action. If the Hunter or Animal Companion land the killing blow on the target, reducing their hit points below 0 or killing them, the Hunter can instead choose a new target as an immediate reaction. If the Hunter and Animal companion are within 30 feet of one another this bonus increases by +1. If the Hunter is using a ranged weapon the range increases to 60 feet. The Hunter can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + Wisdom Modifier. ---At first level the bonus is +1, this increases to +1 at fourth level and every 5 levels thereafter (4, 9, 14, 19) to a maximum bonus of +5 at 19th level. (EDITED) --Act As One: The Hunter and Animal Companion can use whoever rolls the highest on initiative. Alternatively, the Hunter and Animal companion can choose to act on the initiative they each rolled. --Strike As One: The Animal Companion uses the Hunter’s BaB in place of it’s own when making it’s attack. This only applies to their attacks and does not count as a pre-requisite for Feats requiring a specific BaB. --Strong Companion: A Hunter’s whose animal companion is medium size or smaller goes up to the next size category. A companion who is large or bigger instead gains a +2 STR and +2 CON. --Master Hunter: As the Ranger ability except it only affects the Shared Hunt target and can be used a number of times per day equal to: 1 + ½ Wisdom modifier.
Going to echo some thoughts of others, but hopefully throw in some new ideas as well. Hunter was the class I was most interested in from this playtest. The thought of an animal companion and ranger duo was exciting. I always take the boon companion feat to make sure my companion is on a level with my ranger. Here are some of my thoughts: -Thematically, I believe the goal (based on the description) is to create a nature character whose animal and them work in tandem to track and defeat foes. They are hunters! I think that the abilities are rather all over the place and the class loses it's focus. -A hybrid of the druid and ranger, it seems to mix some of the abilities together than present a less than optimal character - others have pointed out the similarities between other classes, specifically the ties to Inquisitor. Issues/Suggestions: -Skill ranks should be 6/level. Restricting skill ranks restricts hunting ability, in my opinion. -Animal Focus: Compared to other abilities from the new classes and compared with previous classes, this is severely underpowered. Suggestion: Replace Animal Focus with either the Shapeshifter abilities or the Skirmisher's "Hunter's Tricks" abilities (new Hunter's Tricks would have to be created to better complement the theme). Also, this is where teamwork feats should be presented. Perhaps allowing the Hunter/Animal Companion to utilize a teamwork feat without needed to spend a feat on it for x/times per day for x/minutes per class level. Edited the rest of this since my brain wasn't working... -Druid/Ranger spells up to level 6 - I see no issue with adding ranger spells, since some of them work quite handily with a "Hunter" flavor. I suppose I feel like the hunter is less of a divine spell caster and more of one who has nature assist them in hunting/snaring their foes. Suggestion: This is fine as long as the BaB can be reworked without affecting this. See next paragraph. One other major rehaul option would be make them spontaneous casters choosing from Druid/Ranger spell list... not sure what the implications of that route would be yet, so that's more of an idea rather than suggestion! -This class needs to be Full BaB, or as another posted suggested, have the attack bonus increase at certain levels. A medium BaB hunter doesn't make sense, flavor wise, to me. They spend their time hunting with their animal companion. If the spells are what is reducing the class to 3/4 BaB, remove the 6 level of spell casting and make it 4. Or, as another poster suggested, have them choose ranged, melee, or magic and give the player a boon every fourth level to bring that particular style up to full BaB to close the gap. -Weapon restrictions do not make sense. The Hunter should be proficient with tools of the hunt, including most martial weapons. Maybe create a hunting pool of weapons or allow them to choose x amount of weapons at creation. -I think the Hunter should receive Trackless Step along with Woodland Stride, personally and thematically, but I'm not sure if that would create an imbalance or not. -The capstone ability feels under powered to me, compared to others. Changing the Animal Focus portion of this class would change the capstone anyway, so I may look into alternatives later when I have more time. Keep in mind that my suggestions are made with the idea that we want to hybridize the class without creating a huge set of new rules. However, with my proposed changes, it doesn't benefit from any new abilities. So I'll spend some time today thinking about a new ability for this class... I'll post later with an updated list with breakdown by levels. I love the theme of this class and want to it to work well with the other classes.
Quick guys, keep hammering your F5 keys! It'll make it go quicker! I'm being kind of productive too. I can hit my F5 key between tasks.
How's this for a paladin of Shelyn? That looks perfect for a follower of Milani as well.
Hello everyone, I'm currently creating a Stonelord Paladin for use in the Carrion Crown adventure path (my last character died, I hear that is common in this path!). While overall the class is straightforward, I am having issues understanding the Stone Servant class ability and have been discussing it with my DM. While we are managing some house ruled options as a fix, I'd like to get an official statement clarifying this ability. It says it calls an Earth Elemental as the Paladin ability to summon his mount. That is where the similarities end. Is this ability supposed to function like Summon Monster II with the earth elemental having a duration of permanent? If the elemental dies, does the Paladin take the -1 to attack and damage for 30 days like the divine bond class feature? If the elemental dies, how does the Paladin replace it? How does the Paladin communicate with the elemental? This is a fun feature, but without developer clarification, it's very vague and hard to interpret. If I took it as face value, this is what I understand: -It functions like a mount in that you can call it to your side and it's a permanent ally. You can't ride it (I assume it would be mad).
My issues with this are as follows:
Any clarifications from developer's or someone who has seen updated rules would be fantastic. Also, my suggestions for tweaking this for clarification and usefulness:
Thanks! |
