Nathaniel Gousset's page

Hi,

just noticed that the Pit Trap is not Basic nor Elite, shouldn't it be Basic and thus removed during AP3 ?

Hello,

I read recently that you can't avoid "before encounter" or even "when encountering" effect of cards by evading them because you have to actually encounter a card to evade it.

Does that means that Merisiel will :

- Take 1d4-1 ranged damage from the Scout.
- Recharge one card from her hand from the Bandit Henchman.
- Get 1 point of Force damage from the Enchantress.
- Take 2 unavoidable damage from the Shrine of Lamashtu when drawing a Blessing.
- Have to add a monster to a non-closed location when encountering a monster in the Warrens.

Just to be sure... I think I didn't grasp it entirely correctly.

Disclaimer : calculation were a bit rough but that's to keep them simple. As game progress during an AP odds to encounter cards from that AP actually keep getting smaller because people usually kept more recent cards. The situation should improve after AP3, but slowly (5 games by AP), but specific scenario cards would still be diluted.

Quick average:

400 cards in the base set
110 cards in the Heroes deck
110 cards by expansion (of whom at least 30 are henchman/vilain)

6 character deck means 80 basic cards in decks.

Odds to encounter an AP1 card:

total cards AP1+Base - player deck = 400+110+80-80= 510
Odds of meeting an AP1 card = 80/510 = 15.70 %

Odds to encounter an AP2 card:

total cards AP2+AP1+Base - player deck = 400+110+80+80-80= 590
Odds of meeting an AP1 card = 80/590 = 13.50 %

Odds to encounter an AP3 cards (first game:

total cards AP3+AP2+AP1+Base - player deck = 400+110+80+80+80-80= 670
Odds of meeting an AP1 card = 80/670 = 11.94 %

Now, in a 6 players games you Averagely encounter 8*5.5 = 44 cards. In those 44 cards 8 are vilain and henchmane, So the number of expected cards by game session in the AP is :

AP1 : 36*15.70 = 5.65
AP2 : 36*13.5 = 4.86
AP3 : 36*11.94 = 4.3

As you can see that is not a lot of. Of course, you always encounter at least some AP cards each game : the vilain and henchman. And the situation will get better when you start slowly removing basic cards.

But the trouble is the same already encountered in Arkham Horror. Due to the nature of the cards repartition, the currently played scenario isn't the one that affect decisively the game being currently played.

I know the developpers were concentrated on ease to setup and speed to setup. But I think the deck should really be more constructed with more impact of the current AP than totally random distribution.

This is not a pure criticism, this is an analysis, and a plead that for the next adventure path more cards will be setup by scenario than randomised.

The rules about firearms told us that :

"Even though the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) feat grants you proficiency with all firearms, anytime you take a feat that modifies a single type of weapon (such as Weapon Focus or Rapid Reload), you must still pick one specific type of firearm (such as musket, axe musket, blunderbuss, pistol, or double pistol) for that feat to affect."

What does that mean for the Gunslinger and Pistolero archetype ?

Did his 5th level Gun Training apply to all type of Pistols or are Pistol and Double Pistol separated weapon ? the same than Axe Musket and Musket are shown as separated weapons.

What about Revolvers ? are they considered Pistols or their own category as well ?

This scenario seems a bit too hard because :

"Then roll 1d6 and add the number of Haunts in front of all players"

There is no indication you have to divide thoses Haunts between characters.

"If the result is 5 or more, summon"

Again, no indication that this is instead so both things happen, each character got 5+ haunt AND one character got an extra haunt and encounter Iesha.

I think it is a case where Card As Written doesn't meet with Card As Intented, or at least not clearly enough "all players" can be read as "every players" or "each players". If the haunt numbers are supposed to be split between heroes this must be clearly said with rules on how to split them (evenly as you wich...)

If that is not the case then the scenario is too luck dépendant as in average after 2 Haunts encounter each character is doomed with a +7 to every check.

Finaly something should be indicated on haunt or scenario card to instruct players on what to do when there is not enough haunt left.

Just to be sure there is no misprint.

"Before the encounter, choose a character at your location; that character summoned and encounters a random monster"

If you are alone you have to choose yourself to encounter the monster. Text is "choose a character", not "choose another character".

Second Line "If there are no other character at your location, the difficulty to defeat JI is increased by 1d4."

No mention of "instead" or "alternatively" so If you are alone you encounter a random monster AND the check to defeat Justice is increased by 1d4.

Is that right ?

PS : I am not asking for interpretation or advice, I am enquiring an official validation.

Just received Skinsaw and I am a bit disappointed about the cards balance:

No new Divine Magic offensive spell... Not even another ex of Holy Light....
No new animal allies, AP1 got the Toad at least.
Only 1 Divine spell ! But 4 arcane spell... And the only divine is banish after use.

Frankly, it's been a while since Lini got anything interesting and she will face AP3 with basically the same power than AP1...

I was checking the blessing and noticed the combat ones use : "skill based combat check", while the non combat one use "skill check".

This means a blessing of Gorum could be used on a strength or mêlée combat check but a blessing of Irori could be used on an intelligence check but not on an intelligence based knowledge check...

Seems a bit unfair and limitating, no ?

Merisel did a nice trick tonight :

Use a standard thieves tool to automatically defeat a barrier and recharging it by revealing a masterwork one and rolling 3d12+2 on a Disarm.8.

Hello,

I think that many people agree that there is something that isn't working with the armors in this game. They are definitely the worst cards to have in hand and that is even for character classes that should seen them as an advantage (Warriore, Paladin, Cleric).

Why that :

1- Armor waste a space in hands that are usually small (4-5).
2- Armor are used to prevent damage but classes that use armor have small hands and discard weapons so the only damage they prevent would be the armor card itself, or perhaps 1 more card.
3- The best way to prevent damage is not to take it, either by succeeding the roll of having no cards to discard. This make weapons or blessing far superior to armors.
4- Armors are hard to recharge/reset because the classe that have armor usually have good combat roll and the damage they took is usually the kind you cannot reduce.

I think a balancing act would be to be able to display 1 armor in order to put them out of the hand and draw a replacement card but still use their power in case of need (making armor basically a free card).

Comments anyone ?

... expressely said you cant recharge the card you discard to close it.

Why ? oh why ??

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

Now, how am I supposed to convince the other players they aren't allowed to recharge other discarded cards ? THANK YOU, PAIZO !

Because of you I always look like the dumb guy that keep inventing rules.

Hello,

as the whole AP is printed and boxed, and I supposed playtested. Could the Paizo team rate for us the difficulty of the various Scenario packs ?

Let's say that Peril of the Lost Coast is difficulty 0, and Adventure Deck 1 : Burnt Offering is 1.

What is the estimated difficulty level of the follows up packs ?

Hook Mountain Massacre (Adv. Deck 3)
Fortress of the Stone Giants (Adv. Deck 4)
Sins of the Saviors (Adv. Deck 5)
Spires of Xin-Shalast (Adv. Deck 6)

To be clear I am speaking about difficulty as a whole, because as player will level up and be stronger they are supposed to raise in power the same way the test do. What I want to know is if some of thoses packs will be harder to win than the current one.

What does playtesting show ?

Perhaps this could change the game balance or not, need to see.

When several character are at the same location, when someone explore he have the choice to:

- Encounter the card he draw.
- Put the card on another player in his location that have no cards on him. He then draw another card for himself. At his turn, the player receiving the card MUST explore and encounter the card put on him. It count for his exploration.
- Each Character can only have one card on him at any time.

Benefit :

Players act more like a party when at the same location. Rogue take care of traps, Warriors of Monsters. If the party found a book to decipher they give it to the one that could actually try to read it.

Cons :

Make the game a bit easier and predictable.
The player receiving a card cant move from the location.
Player have more incentive to stray grouped so they could have an harder time cornering the vilain.