People are aware that classes only grant weapon specialization for the weapons that a given class gives you right? You would need to spend feats or dip three levels to make longarms better.
Are alchemist fires worth it in PFS? Swarms still exist too.
I disagree with people saying spells are more powerful than hexes. Case and point Evil Eye, Fortune, Slumber, Icy Tomb. The four most powerful hexes in PFS. It really depends on the party and the witch. For example:
That combination will end most fights. With a really high save an Ill Omen Icy Tomb combo can also be a good Ace in the hole. (I saved a party by freezing a fire elemental once) In a group that is high melee it is often better to open up with an Evil Eye for -4 AC. In a group that has another full caster it is often better to open with a -4 to saving throws to help make their save or suck stick In a fight against a monster generating a lot of attacks a -4 to attack rolls can end up saving a great deal of damage. That is not to say that you shouldn't use spells, but you should pick your spells and hexes to do different things so that you have the correct tool for the situation. I found that picking spells that removed debuffs or had good utility, or let me deal with enemies that my hexes could not hurt worked really well. Edit: Another point to consider is that the Witch spell list simply doesn't have the same power as the Wizard spell list. This is because hexes are very good and they don't need to depend entirely on super good spells. (Witches don't get Liberating Command or Haste by default)
It strikes me as mildly petulant to insist that John, or another developer respond to your idea (I'm very sure I've done it myself. I am such a hypocrite), although it is really cool when they do so. I have met John, and I can assure you he has given your idea at least a passing consideration. He doesn't usually dismiss ideas out of hand. If you are lucky John may have time to respond some time this week when he is no longer enjoying his extended vacation, and if anyone needs a vacation it is John Compton. I honestly don't know when the guy sleeps between all the work he does to make PFS as amazing as it is. I also would not be surprised if he doesn't respond, since he did answer your original question, with a little bit of follow up. It is unlikely that extra hex will be moved to a lower level because it speeds too far ahead of other shamans hex progression and makes dipping more attractive. The Shaman does not naturally gain a hex at 2nd or 3rd level and neither does the archetype you want. A shaman which did gain hexes at a faster pace would be considerably better than a shaman that did not. It would be a three level dip for two hexes (evil eye and chant are two good ones) only one off of full Bab progression and second level spells. By making you have to take the fourth level it keeps the archetype for speeding ahead of other Shaman hex progression too much (50% more hexes as opposed to 100% more hexes when the feat is gained) and does not make it a more attractive dipping option.
I almost want to say Paladin, but I think Unchained Monk may be the easiest to play for a brand new player.
Bumping threads repeatedly is a bit of a faux pas. John has already responded multiple times when he did not have to, and it seems that how the development team wanted this implemented has been made abundantly clear. I think you might be best served letting the issue rest. You do still get the extra hex feat eventually, and continuing to pester the development team is not likely to help your cause. It certainly didn't work for my campaign to have the improved familiar rules looked at again. I would be very surprised if at this point John, has not added this to the list of thing to possibly reconsider when there is time.
Kiro Yamasaki Level 10 Samurai(note this character predates inventory tracking so I cannot say when I bought all of the items)
Defenses
Attacks
Feats
Abilities (I miss a few racials here, but you should get the idea)
Skills (For space I will only list ones I have ranks in)
Gear
Animal Companion Chi Chi the 4th Axe Beak (My Dayjob is an Axe Beak breeder. I bought the Vanity to use Handle Animal) Stats
Defenses
Attacks
Tricks
Feats
Abilities
Skills
Equipment
I would not bother with trying to add dex to damage. Just settle on a 16 base STR. Samurai is a full BAB character and will be hitting things all the time anyway. Also Sword Saint simply isn't very good. If you really want to you it that is your prerogative. I personally would go 16
Make sure to put FCB into HP, pick up toughness if you are worried about it, and bump STR every 4 levels will be just fine. My own Tengu Samurai in PFS is Order of the Tomb. He rides around on an Axe Beak which is a great combat animal for his Naginata, and lets him move pull out a scroll and deliver it in the same round if he has to. I have successfully pulled off at least two Breath of Life's doing this. His starting stat line was 16
Given the recent FAQ on what counts as a weapon, and what weapon like means, I think it is save to say the answer to 1) is no.
Important note: Some spells, such as scorching ray, do generate multiple attacks, and you must use all of them a part of resolving the spell. Other important note: Some spells, such as flame bled create a weapon that can be used to attack multiple times,
I think the OP is over reacting. We don't know how PFS will implement these rules, and it seems that it isn't impacting what characters could already do as raw. Now it just so happens that many were not following raw since it was unclear, and this book is helping to clear some of that up.
I founded a monastery on an iron mine. Initiates to my monastery mine ore. After they build muscles doing that they are trained as smiths. Everyone eventually ends up a smith in my monastery. Even the cook. Unfortunately we spend so much time making swords that we aren't actually very good at using them.
Kineticist is one of the best crafted classes Paizo has printed recently. It fills a fun useful party nitch and doesn't over power pre-existing classes in party rolls, while simultaneously being able to fill multiple rolls depending on how the kineticist is built. For example a kintecist can by around level 11 be constantly large size (even if your race started small sized) with a constant reach weapon (for 20' reach). Add on combat reflexes and suddenly no one can approach the party without being hit for at least 6d6 + 6. Add on a rider to the attack such as chilling infusion (yes I know you can only do that for a round or two before the burn cost becomes too much, but a round or two is all you need to turn the fight) and suddenly you are a CC fiend. You can do all of this and have a constant fly speed if you want. None of this is OP at level 11, but it is useful and fun. As an aside: An Elemental Acetic kineticist CAN get away with only having a 12 dex since they add wisdom to AC. But the archetype is very challenging to play well.
I do not have issues with electronic devices at my table as long as there is space for it, and players don't mind me staring over their shoulder as the scroll through their sheet. I do very strongly recommend that a physical copy of the character sheet be brought along, lest a player suddenly find themselves playing Kyra. I do have separate problems with hero lab, but that is only because I have never seen a character generated in hero lab that was completely correct.
I do not think race boons should be given out outside of cons and here is why: There is already concern that PFS is becoming a little too much of a menagerie of races. Allowing for a large influx of race boons, which all of the ideas for race boons out side of cons mentioned thus far would, will transform PFS being too much of a menagerie from a concern into a reality. Cons are where Paizo does most of their marketing. Cons are where I encounter the most number of new players to PFS. The race boon is an incentive to come GM because it is special. At least in my case, if I could get race boons at a local game day, I would probably not GM at cons, barring gencon. My vacation days are limited and there are many demands on them. I need that extra push to use a vacation day and save up money to go GM in what I find to be the most challenging environment. After all I don't have to go to a con to get my GMing fix. Now my last reason is a bit tongue and cheek, but it is what I am hearing being said by people clamoring for race boons. This may not be what you are saying, but this is what I am hearing. "Con goers get nice race boons for GMing. I do not. I want to get something too. After all I work hard and contribute. I want to get a nice race boon. I do not want to save up the money to go to the con. I do not want to set aside time three months in advance to answer the call far GMs. I do not I do not want to go GM at a con to get the nice race boon. I should be given a race boon for what I have already done because I work just as hard." My response to what I am hearing is that while you may work just as hard you are not committing the same personal investment (vacation days, travel time, the stress of gaming in a hazardess environment for strangers where you are likely to get sick). You are not taking the time to plan ahead to make it affordable. You are not willing to pony up and come to a Con to GM, so you should not get the special race boon. Now some have mentioned that they are not able to. I do not believe this is true for most people making that claim. Careful planning and sacrifice goes a very long way to accomplishing goals. I do believe that there are many who say they can't go to Cons because on their list of priorities there are enough things more important to them, and that they do not want to make necessary sacrifice. I am sorry but is a personal problem that needs to be solved personally. I will concede that there are those for whom not being able to go to a can is not a personal problem. Maybe they are a minor, or are immobile. I would like to remind them that there are online Cons that Paizo supports. GMing for them is a relatively convenient option. I would also like to say that I am in favor of rewarding game day coordinators and GMs for their hard work. Boon support is an option. Free PFS scenarios to offset costs are an option. But race boons and Paizo merchandise should stay at Cons.
Reasons for Wasp familiar being banned. Imp stat line mauler familiar that can use manufactured weapons, enough said. Honestly if that were legal every one of my spell casters with familiars would worship Calistra(the goddess of super easy to follow). Why? Because it is a superior improved familiar that doesn't piss off paladins. I could seriously go on for hours about the ill thought the mechanics of this feat were for game balance. Thank you for banning it.
So what I am reading from Mark is that we need more FAQ clicks
I think some of this onus is on the players. I have a couple characters which don't do well in high tier. When it looks like the table is swinging high I state that I am not comfortable playing up. If the group ends up playing up I walk away. It is always ok to walk away from a table you do not feel comfortable playing at before the game has started.
Close call between Amiri and the Red Mantis for me, but the detail on Amiri's armour is simply too astounding. I vote for Amiri.
I think closing your eyes to make yourself blind should still work for defeating the spell, but I can see the other side of it too.
Doesn't SR stand for spychic resistance? Some just made a typo is all.
I don't think 4d6+28 is unreasonable damage for a crit. Especially a weapon that only crits on a natural 20. A straight STR character with a great axe would easily pull 3d12+30 at level 1. A great sword would get 4d6 +20 and crit threaten equally often. Also the 4d6+28 assumes that both attacks hit doesn't it? If you fail to hit with an attack it doesn't get counted into the crit.
feather step slippers are only 2k
I operate like a movie theater back in the day. If your child is under 13 you need to be at the table. I will not be responsible for introducing your child to Miss Feathers. Now in the case of people like Lucas' daughter whom I have met, after a game with the parent present I would let them know that there child is always welcome t my table provided they have their parents consent to be there.
I remember that issue. I remember it very well. Almost as if I was at the table when the issue came up. I'm very surprised designer clarifications are no longer legal in PFS. I really hope that changes back. I liked being able to depend on designer comments for awkward rules areas before the faqs got around to being updated. Particularly when things showed up in the soft cover books which tend not to get FAQ'd.
The system is a bit draconian, and honestly could afford an over haul. There is also the problem that right now there is a significant number of critters from Bestiary 4 that have not had body types assigned to them and therefore can not have ANYTHING but the two generically allowed slots. Also I think the spell storing weapons work because it is not the creature activating the weapon. It is an affect that happens when the weapon hits.
I keep looking at this and I don't see the change to the feat ruining what my character did. My character's point was to be nigh unhitable. She used the Crane feat chain to do this. They nerfed Crane wing so I no longer get my free deflection unless I give up attacking on my turn. I still get the enhanced AC boost for fighting defensively. I can also take a total defense action if I really think that deflection is going to be super important. My earlier example of standing up from prone is a great example of this. Also for those saying that my need to know how likely a roll is to hit really limits these feats all I can say is that it really isn't that hard to figure out approximately what a monster's to hit is after he has been wailing on you for one round. The higher your AC the easier this is to figure out. Ex: GM: "ok so on the boss hit you two times out of his three attack."
I had an idea that might be interesting. What if instead of having class spell list you assembled your spell list using patrons. At level 1 you get a patron, then at level 4 and every 4 levels after you get another patron. And then probably be a spontaneous caster as the spirits are casting and it not you prepping.
Is it just me or is the celestial blood rager kind of stupid good? At level 1 you get to bypass DR of [evil] creatures, and for the most part do extra damage to them too (most evil creatures are evil outsiders). You can do this more times than a Paladin can too. I can see a large number of people dipping just for this ability. Then you get resistances to acid and cold which is not shabby at all. Finally at level 8 you get the ability to fly. No devil or demon is safe now. I havn't looked super carefully at all of the bloodrage bloodlines but this one really jumped out at me. Mainly because you turn into a flying Paladin who gets more bypass DR goodness.
I would like to point out that Sky Druids get access to the liberation domain which is one of the most powerful domains in the game. The abilities it grants are pretty beast on a Cleric, and as I am learning with my sky druid down right amazing when you have the mobility of a druid.
I am excited about one thing with this book. I can't wait to see what new familiars are available. Of course because I play almost exclusively PFS I will then have to hunt down the boon to get them. But it will be worth it.
Welp good news is I get to make a Grippli, and it will be awesome. Bad news is that it isn't a Kobold. Oh well, next year, next year the Kobold's shall rise a character race. Of this I am certain. Spoiler:
although I was also certain last year and the year before In all seriousness I would probably be willing to give up all the swag I'm getting as a tier one GM to be able to play a Kobold. Thankfully the Grippli is like the second coolest race in the ARG. |
