RCJak's page

Just ran my second session of Pathfinder 2e, and while there is a lot to like, our group is also running into some surprising (and somewhat disappointing) issues. Multiple actions for each character is stellar, for certain, but plunging into a 2e game with a group very much accustomed to high-level play from 1e, multiple actions through quicken spell, attack bonus increases, etc, are very much something my players are familiar with and can game with.

Our first game saw the players go from level 1-2, and the second session we tested higher level play at level 6-7, and the spell Haste came up. Searching the forum, it seems like there is no special rule for this spell anymore and that it will suffer the appropriate penalty for multiple attacks. This seemed odd to the group for a number of reasons.

Perhaps it was in the past that Haste was an overpowered spell, but it was almost universally cast on martials even in 1e. It seems the focus was even more narrowly defined in 2e by restricting actions to Strike or Stride. Sure, fair enough. But shouldn't being augmented by magic counteract this penalty in some way? We've gone through a dozen combat encounters, and Strike, Strike, bonus, seems to be the typical approach for our martials, that bonus being a move or a shield or any number of one action deals.

We very rarely see that -10 rear its head because it's been tested and tested and tested and overwhelmingly, it's an exercise in failure against level-appropriate challenges. Sure, we can imagine the situation where we're facing mooks and a -10 is really nothing against a -1 Challenge enemy, but I'm curious what precisely Haste is meant to accomplish if we're supposed to see this spell manifest magical-speed enough to make an additional attack, but that attack potentially suffers from a crippling penalty. Like I said, the two actions for characters before seem to be reserved for their combat specialty; either the Strike, Strike or the spell or what have you.

Put simply, why go from a full attack bonus free-attack spell, to such a stinker? Is Haste really cast that often in your games? Do you feel this spell gives you 'bang for your buck?' The current consensus in our group seems to be a definitive no, but I eagerly want to be convinced otherwise.

Hey folks,

I'm a long time DM and follow the forums closely, but this is the first time I've felt the need to reach out with a question of my own. My current campaign has been running for almost two years, and I've given the players a lot of options in changing mechanics or creating new effects; I like to be a 'sure, give it a try' rather than a 'no' DM.

I've worked with my players on several homebrew effects that seem to be balanced and work well in the campaign, but these have been things like trait level or feat level adjustments or creations, which seems straightforward.

But now a player wants to start creating their own spell, and I've been trying to pour over the spell-creation mechanics and other homebrew material, and my mileage has varied. Sometimes the rules are straight forward but vague, other times they get byzantine as all get out. The player wants to be able to combine the effects of two spells; blink and fireball. The gist is that he wants a short teleportation adjacent to an enemy and then be able to further 'teleport' the fireball inside the enemy for augmented damage of a fireball.

I've asked him how he wants to limit this so it isn't instantaneous death for enemies, as saves seem appropriate for an effect like this. He says he doesn't want an AoO to trigger in the blink, as he justifies the spell's initiation of effects would be before the teleportation and not trigger one, as well as this effect being 'surprising'. Is this appropriate? Furthermore, he wants no reflex save for the spell as the effect is manifesting inside a creature...I told him how would he feel about a ranged touch attack, and he seem somewhat receptive to this, but he'd obviously prefer to leave all chance from the spell. Obviously, I'm convinced some of the things he wants simply can't be done for balance purposes, but I do want to work with him. He's a 9th level wizard right now, so he's got access to 5th level spells.

So from folks who have navigating making custom spells, how doable do you think a spell like this is? Will it be overpowered? What level spell should we look at making an effect like this and how much damage should it do or what effects should it carry? It seems like making this a 5th level spell might be too high, and making its damage like that of an empowered fireball might seem like a good damage threshold, but thoughts and advice regarding this situation would be deeply appreciated. Like I said, homebrewing spells is entirely new to me, and veterans have probably navigated this before, so any guidance would be super helpful. Thanks so much!