Neochance's page

The titanic fury cocktail does enlarge and potentially a larger item bonus than your weapon potency runes at the cost of -1 ac and -2 reflex saves.

Also a handful of ancestries get a permanent enlarge ability at level 13 (Automation, Beastkin, Conrasu).

Best blaster would probably be a fighter/sorcerer with the eldritch archer archetype...but that'd be kinda boring as you can do basically do that without dual class.

A sorcerer / blood rage barbarian would be fun if you want to lean into attack spells. Rage damage + sorcerer potency is probably the highest damage on an attack spell.

You could also do something similar with an eldritch trickster rogue / sorcerer if barbarians aren't your thing.

Some things I'd like to see in no particular order:

* better armor property runes
* more non damage weapon runes
* more USEFUL skill feats for underused skills like survival
* a general feat that treats 1 advanced weapon as a martial weapon
* archetype(s) based around formations other than flanking
* additional weapon group archetypes (like archer)...maybe a polearm archetype based around repositioning or a knife archetype around bleed, etc.
* more companion items for animal companions
* something to keep animal companions more relevant at high levels like accuracy/ac fundamental runes

Neochance wrote:

I usually take a look at the class kits. They're often better value than buying what they contain separately. They usually contain an adventurer's kit, armor, a weapon or two, and one or two other items relevant to the class it's designed for.

I thought those were supposed to be equivalent value/bulk.

They're not. For example the barbarian kit cost 4 gold and contains hide armor(2gp), 4 javelins (1sp/per), adventurer's pack (1.5gp), grappling hook (1sp), a choice of weapons (1-3gp). This is a total value of 5-7gp.

I usually take a look at the class kits. They're often better value than buying what they contain separately. They usually contain an adventurer's kit, armor, a weapon or two, and one or two other items relevant to the class it's designed for.

As a side note, a Summoner is a strictly better Battle Harbinger. You are a better martial and a better caster, and you can just grab Wands of Bless/Benediction/Whatever and play the auramancer too, but unlike the Battle Harbinger you have 4 actions per turn to do it and no limit on the number of "spell slots". So, even if the fantasy is obviously significantly different, mechanically you should play a Summoner if you want a gish auramancer.

If the fantasy is important, I'd argue that a champion with the cleric archetype is also a better version of battle harbinger.

We regularly complete two 1-20 campaigns a year. The main factors are consistent schedule (once a week, same time), rotating GMs, and simultaneous campaigns.

Simultaneous campaigns is huge as it allows 2 different GMs more time to prep between sessions and the ability to fill in if one isn't ready. This also helps keeps the schedule consistent, so we don't skip many sessions.

I'll wait until I can read it all before making a judgement.

That said, I have low expectations for class archetypes. I have yet to see one published that is on par with the class options it replaces. They've all been worse. Which is kind of baffling since it locks you into a second level dedication feat and requires you to take 2 additional feats from it before you can take another archetype.

Instead of increasing spell slots, what if the psychic was the one class that has a larger focus pool. What if they had a max focus pool of 6 instead of 3?

Alchemist is good for higher accuracy on martials. Bestial Mutagen, war blooded (uncommon, ask gm), and fury cocktail mutagens give a higher item bonus than available potency rune at most levels.

You can buy a collar of the shifting spider at 5th level to inject a mutagen as a free action when you roll initiative. This eliminates the action tax of drinking it at the start of combat.

A Magus will only spellstrike with a cantrip in last resort, unless its damage type is really worth it.

Very few attack spells out damage an amped imaginary weapon. Disintegrate is the only one that comes to mind and it's not by much. Additionally, if you're a melee magus, IW works with spellswipe allowing you to get extra mileage from your focus points.

As the player in our group who usually plays characters with pets, I've joked about playing a family of bears.

Don't know if it'd be any good, but in an FA game, it'd an awakened animal beast summoner w/ a bear animal companion (beast master archetype) and later a bear cub (witch or familiar master archetype). Also would use summon animal to summon another bear.

I consider ancestry unarmed attacks for any martial based shield character I play. I find that the utility of having a free hand more useful than a d8 weapon with a trait or two.

Also, if I'm playing in ABP game, having a non hand based unarmed attack (like a jaws or tail strike) is sometimes useful as an alternative damage type or in a situation where you can't have weapons (your party was imprisoned or a social event like a party).

I'm not a fan of the new cross-blooded evolution for 2 reasons.

The first reason is that takes away a key difference for me for divine and occult casters. Now , I struggle to find a reason to play an occult or divine sorcerer over a bard/cleric/oracle. (This doesn't affect my decision for primal/arcane).

The second is that the blood magic effects are a bit to fiddley for my taste. I have to make notes on all my blood magic spells about the effect as a reminder for 1 round effects. With the new feat, I will need to make additional notes.

Great guide. Particularly like the points about wands and scrolls.

Only thing I might add are a couple of items. Shadow signet for attack spells and the retrieval belt (free action once per minute to retrieve an item previously stored). I've mainly used it for scrolls, but a caster could use it for a staff if they're not actively wielding it.

It really depends on the spells you want and the rank you want to use them at. Are there specific spells you want?

Besides wands, MCD, and scrolls there are ancestries grant specific spells as innate spells. There are non multiclass archetypes that have give additional spells/slots. There are items like spellhearts that you can use to cast their spells or items duplicate the effects of spells (e.g. potion of quickness/haste).

So in building my kineticist I'm relying mostly on things that have a saving throw. A LOT of enemies in PF2E have good reflex saves which is actually a notable dent in Kineticist throughput. But I only see 1-3 enemies per game session make a critical save, and with good tactics I'm keeping up decent numbers.

This is mainly low level enemies. Awhile back I did some data crunching for saves to target with AoN data for a sorcerer I was playing. Based on the data, my general rule of what to target if you know nothing (e.g. crit fail your RK):

enemy levels:
-1:4 Will, Fortitude, Reflex (lots of high reflex saves here)
5:14 Will, Reflex, Fortitude
15:20 Reflex, Will, Fortitude

As a side, This is why the earth impulse Tremor is sneakily good. It's the only level 1 impulse to target fortitude.

Thanks for the detailed response! I was unaware of throwing shield adjustment and considering that, detach and throw as a single action is reasonable. Reattachment for an action is what I expected. Though it would be nice if in the PC2 remaster there is a feat that combines attaching and raising a shield for a single action.

you have a returning rune or some way to quickly get back the shield, it doesn't automatically reattach to your arm after the throw.

Yeah. The integrated d6 -S trait which allows you to etch runes directly on it. The shield thrown trait allows you to attach a shield boss or spikes which can be etched with runes.

I have some questions how the remaster rules work with throwing shields. Relevant remaster rules that I could find:

All shields, unless specifically noted or described

otherwise, must be strapped to your arm and held in one
hand"

and

Interact ... Detach a shield or other item from you using one hand.

1. I read this as saying that I need to detach throwing shields (e.g. meteor or razor disc) before throwing them. Is this correct?

2. Assuming, I have to detach the shield, does my non shield hand need to be free to detach a shield or could you detach one with something like your teeth?

3. For a meteor shield, it mentions "quick release" straps. Is this just flavor or or is there a relevant rule that it's free action or something?

4. In order to raise a shield that's currently on the ground, would it take 3 actions. 1. to pick it up with a free hand. 2. strap it on with an interact action. 3. Raise it. Does that sound right?