Radu the Wanderer's page

Definitely would have made a significant impact!

It's clear to me now that I was not getting a good look at what the true math of the game looks like, but something closer to a campaign capstone, "this is the big one, so pull out the stops" level of encounter. Or at least some encounters closer to that end of things than intended.

At least against threats close to the same level, it looks like characters have a decent chance of making a difference. I don't mind taking a 50/50 or even a 40% shot if it's something that helps set someone else up for success- if I'm the first to go, I'll definitely go for a trip or disarm, for example, even if my odds are worse. The next player then doesn't have as hard of a time with their strikes and it all plays out like an exciting comic battle with one-two combos.

There's definitely a point, however, where no matter the final result it's just not satisfying to take that chance. Perhaps this recent session wasn't the greatest at demonstrating that, so I'll try to adjust my impressions and keep an open mind for the system as a whole. Being honest, however, I can't say I have much emotional space for many encounters like this in the future, so I'm not sure this campaign will be something I'm participating in. It really did feel that bad, though I was brushing it off at the table as "sometimes these things happen."

I think I'm taking a few lessons away for the future from this discussion about tactics and PF2 design philosophy. I don't know yet if I agree or disagree with where the math sits, but I see very clearly that it's pretty tight and yes, indeed, those +1 modifiers do make a difference.

After a bit of coffee and some lunch, I'm feeling much more chill about this. Thanks to all who responded- I appreciate your input and perspective.

Pathfinder 2 may be a good GAME for me, but this may not be THE game of Pathfinder that's good for me. I think that jumping in mid-campaign can often be tricky, and a combination of poor rolls, poor attendance, and a misapplication/misunderstanding of some key rules (reactive strike, knockdown, panache generation) I had an especially bad session, and sometimes these things DO happen.

(As an aside, I've also got some personal stuff happening so I will admit it is 100% possible and even likely I'm not in the greatest baseline to judge the impact of this stuff, particularly when I'm looking at the game as a fun escapist hobby and not a source of additional stress.)

I might need to just have a chat with the group and respectfully bow out of this game and join when they begin a new campaign so I can start from the ground floor, and while I'm at it, I may ask if I can re-tool my rogue to be a sniper instead of a melee duelist- quick swap from the Man in Black to Robin Hood, with maybe a Ranger dip instead of Duelist (I was an Ancient heritage Elf).

Hey, forums.

I'm a long time gamer, 1E veteran, and a player of numerous game systems. I love games, RPGs especially, and I'm a big fan of Paizo. I wanted to say that up front because I'm about to dive into some issues I've been experiencing, and I hope that understanding how I feel helps put things into context.

I have joined up with a new game group recently, and am joining them mid-way through the campaign they are playing. I believe they are doing some variation of one of the AP's- I think maybe Age of Ashes?

At any rate, the party is all level 7, I was given a +1 striking weapon of my choice, a +1 resilient armor of my choice, and 1500 gp budget for items to kit myself out with, which seems pretty fair.

The first character I built was an investigator, Professor Bartholomew Digby, who taught history at a gnomish college and decided to take sabbatical and do some field research. I kitted myself out to be a largely ranged support character, who used the empiricism methodology and various feats to maximize my Recall Knowledge checks and the return I could get. Idea: I strike and/or study the enemy, learn their weaknesses, and provide that to the party. If the enemy stays at range, I support with Devise a Strategem, shortbow strike, and a move action as needed to reposition. If it gets to melee, I have Dirty Trick for some unexpected debuffing and a shortsword. I had great plans of being "Indiana Jones meets Guy Fieri" with an unpredictable mix of erudite professorisms and wild excitement as I encounter something new.

It lasted all of 1 encounter in the first session. I failed an acrobatics check to cross a rickety pier, fell into the water where I was set upon by 3 crocodile-like monsters, and within 2 rounds was brought to Dying 1. I made my recovery check only to be critically hit twice the next round, straight to dying infinity. "Fun."

The next character was an Elf rogue (thief) with some swashbuckler dipping, who I wanted to play as a total goth, full of boredom from such a long life, so off adventuring we go! Lots of daring, thrill of adrenaline type things... in my imagination.

I have a +17 Deception check, but in the first battle against something that (admittedly) was a bit of a solo boss monster, I was only able to successfully Feint with a roll of at least 14. I tried to use Tumble Through, to equally unspectacular results. The enemy's AC was high enough that even if I bluffed, I still had to roll at least a 12 to hit, even with a +16 on my rapier strikes. I never bothered making secondary attacks, preferring to try to debuff, reposition, etc. I had an almost impossible time getting ONE hit in, much less follow up attacks at bigger and bigger penalties.

This enemy had a greatclub, knockdown, and an opportunity attack that meant once he hit (and he basically ALWAYS hit), he got a free trip attempt (which he nearly always made) and did a boatload of damage. WHen you're prone, you can't crawl away or stand because he gets a free attack (which also has knockdown). It only occurred to me later that I could have used my Mobility feat to crawl 10 feet away, then stand, and avoid a hit. In combat I was just frustrated.

My second character didn't die... but in 2 rounds I was dropped to 3 hit points. I very much could have. And the entire game session, I never dealt a single point of damage. I didn't do a single thing that contributed ANYTHING AT ALL except soak up attacks, and that's not really a consolation.

Is pathfinder even worth playing if you're not a caster? The Sorcerer in the party on a flying broom was the only person who made any impact at all. I don't feel like a hero, I feel like Nodwick the hireling... only not even that. At least Nodwick gets a name. I never even got to introduce myself to the party before dying in my first encounter with my investigator, and the session ended after the last completely unfulfilling, grindy, near tpk encounter with said greatclub boss dude.

So my question is this: What's the point of AC if every enemy basically always hits you? Why bother investing in skills if the one's you're the best at don't even have a 50% chance of success? Who cares what your class DC is- enemies rarely ever fail and never by 10 points so that Critical Failure on spells is essentially only there for PC rolls.

Next game I wanna play as one of the monsters and at least get to feel marginally competent. I've literally had better luck playing Call of Cthulhu characters and level 0 apprentices in prior games, because at least then I didn't kid myself into thinking my character had any real capability.

I'm extremely demoralized and discouraged, and honestly, I don't want to be! I want to be excited about Pathfinder 2 and I just can't find it, which is a shame because 1st edition was amazing and I have some of my fondest gaming memories playing it.

What am I missing? I've got a 25 AC and as high of an attack as I can manage, a +17 to my best skill, +4 Dex, and I still felt worse than useless. Honestly, it would have been a better way to contribute to the fight by NOT trying to attack and staying just outside of the monster's reach- the one thing I DID feel good about was having a 40 foot move and Mobility. Everything aside from that just seemed pointless.

I'm getting Steve Jackson Games flashbacks.... shudder....

I like the tv adaptation of The Mist, as well as From, for the menacing atmosphere.

Add for music, quartet no. 7 by Dimitri Shastakovich is my go to for the Gauntlight. And you may not know the name, but you've heard Le Carnaval des Animaux, mvmt. 7 Aquarium by Saint-Sans before, and it fits. Rachmaninov – The Isle of the Dead is another great mood piece

Also check out the themes from Candyman, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.

I love instrumentals because I can play it in game and pass the mood onto the players, too!

And here's another quickie, Boss Scrag's scribbled map. Deliberately not to scale between levels, because the Boss thinks he can pull a tricky move on the players. XD

Boss Scrag's Map.

Here's one I whipped up at work this afternoon in paint. It should work well enough for the map of the library Graulgaust gives to the party in case they decide to eliminate the Cult of the Canker.

Graulgaust's map

Feel free to share it with whoever- it's set up so anyone with the link can grab and use it.

Thank you!!

I've been building a system cheat sheet that really helped me understand the skill system better, and it looks like I should do the same for the conditions and actions.

Explaining the 3 action economy, critical hits/failures, and multi-attack penalty will be the priority for this first session once characters are made.

Hey Paizo boards!

I'm starting up what I call "session .5" this weekend for a new Abomination Vaults campaign. I grabbed everything I could from the amazing Humble Bundle sale, and it's allowed me to start up a new gaming crew to hopefully turn co-workers into "friends and co-workers."

This weekend, we're doing group character generation. So far, the crew has expressed interest in playing a Catfolk Rogue (probably Thief?), an Android Alchemist (maybe Bomber?), a Half-Orc Dragon Barbarian, a Gnome of some sort, and a class with access to a Turtle pet somehow, either familiar or animal companion.

I have extensive RPG experience, but none with PF2. Any advice on which rules I should have down before I try to walk us all through character generation and the first few sessions? We all committed to this game as a learning game, so mistakes will be made all around, but if there's any particular land mines I should look out for, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

And before I go, I'd like to say thanks for being one of the best gaming communities out there. It means a lot to me that I'm still here 12+ years down the road and that's still true.

I hereby pledge that when Paizo recognizes the union, I will restart my patronage of Paizo games.

And done!

My hardcover of Pathfinder 2.0 was purchased tonight as soon as I read the news.

The United Paizo Workers Announcement

This is fantastic news. True to my promise, Paizo, I have now purchased the hard cover of Pathfinder 2.0, and I plan on adding more books as my budget allows. Thank you for recognizing the union, thank you for being an example to other gaming companies, and thank you for the decades (!) of amazing experiences.

I've never felt so good about making an RPG purchase before. :)

I am officially resurrecting my old Paizo message handle to voice my complete and enthusiastic support for the union. I have played hundreds of hours of Pathfinder and many of my favorite experiences have happened during various adventure paths (Some great Rise of the Runelords moments, a Carrion Crown game that I was GM of, a Skull and Shackles game, a Reign of Winter game on a temporary hold... there are more)

I hereby pledge that when Paizo recognizes the union, I will restart my patronage of Paizo games. Currently, my limited game budget goes mostly to Hasbro/WotC, as I play dnd 5e online. When the union is recognized, I promise to give that money to Paizo instead and plan on migrating my RPG time and money to Pathfinder/Starfinder and Paizo products.

Don't Split the Party! Paizo, I know you can (and I fully believe you will) do the right thing by all your people. I have only so many free dollars to spend, and I will enthusiastically send them your way when you show me your hearts and minds are in the right place.

To all the Paizo staff involved in making these wonderful products, thank you. I've been a Paizo fan and customer for a long time now, and I think it's time we got to know each other again.

This entire post is going to contain spoilers for portions of Broken Moon, the 3rd module of Carrion Crown.

I have a 7 PC party, built around 15 point buy. We're running through Broken Moon at the moment and we've gotten to the final dramatic confrontation at the Stairs of the Moon. As I've got a heavy number of players (made worse by the fact that one's a summoner and thus effectively 8 players' worth of actions!) I am doing some pretty heavy revamping of all the modules. Technically they're all level 8 by now, but since they haven't rested yet I've asked them to keep their level 7 stats for now. I'm planning on presenting them an obstacle they'll run away from and return to later on.... or else they may be in for a difficult battle. Between fighting the upgraded versions of Mathus Mordrinacht (who I've reworked into a short sword two weapon fighter, using Dazzling Display, Hammer the Gap, Shatter Defenses, and Scent of Fear to gain pretty sizeable advantages based on high attack rates, accurate strikes, and cc), Estovion Lozarov (a higher level conjurer than by book), and Cybrisa (higher level druid, wolf domain, focused on cc and buffs). So fighting all 3 npcs alongside my beefed up Vilkacis will, I hope, encourage the party to run away...... and return at level 8 to fight them all again with a full next level kit.

Advanced Vilkacis (CR 10)
XP 9,600
CE Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +21

DEFENSE
AC 24, touch 24, flat-footed 16 (+6 deflection, +8 Dex)
HP 161 (14d8+98)
Fort +10, Ref +14, Will +13
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, incorporeal, rejuvenation;
DR 10/silver; Immune cold, undead traits
Weaknesses vulnerability to silver

OFFENSE
Speed fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Melee 2 incorporeal touches +18 (2d6 plus 2d6 cold)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks bestial possession (DC 23), curse of lycanthropy (DC 23)

STATISTICS
Str -, Dex 27/+8, Con -, Int 12/+1, Wis 18/+4, Cha 22/+6
BAB +10; CMB +18; CMD 34 (38 vs. trip)
Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (incorporeal touch), Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Toughness
Skills Diplomacy +20, Fly +16, Intimidate +23, Perception +21, Stealth +25, Survival +18
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ Lycanthropic empathy

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bestial Possession (Su): A vilkacis is a spirit of savagery and can take control of other beings, afflicting them with its savage nature. Once per round, the vilkacis can merge its body with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (caster level 14th), except it does not require a receptacle and lasts for up to 3 hours (or a number of hours equal to the vilkacis’s Charisma modifier, whichever is greater). To use this ability, the vilkacis must be adjacent to the target. The target can resist the attack with a successful DC 18 Will save. A creature that successfully saves is immune to that same vilkacis’s bestial possession for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Upon being possessed by a vilkacis, the target takes on a number of bestial features, most notably growing claws and vicious fangs, and flies into a savage rage. The victim gains two claws and a bite natural attack appropriate to its size (1d4 and 1d6 for Medium creatures; see Natural Attacks for other sizes), and gains a barbarian’s greater rage class ability.
This rage lasts for as long as the victim is being possessed by the vilkacis. After the possession ends, the victim is fatigued for a period of time equal to double the duration of the possession. The victim also gains low-light vision and scent. The possessed creature loses all of these natural attacksa and abilities immediately when the vilkacis leaves its body.

Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid that is bitten by a creature possessed by a vilkacis must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or be infected with lycanthropy as if bitten by a werewolf. If the victim’s size is not within one size category of the possessed creature’s, this ability has no effect. The save DC uses the vilkacis’s ability scores and is Charisma-based.

Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex): A vilkacis or creature possessed by a vilkacis can communicate and empathize with wolves and dire wolves. It can use Diplomacy to alter such an animal’s attitude, and when doing so gains a +4 racial bonus on the check.

Rejuvenation (Su): A vilkacis that is destroyed in combat restores itself after 2d4 days. The only way to permanently do away with a vilkacis is to locate its canopic stone, the occult artifact that binds it to the Material Plane, and then destroy the artifact in the presence of the vilkacis’s mortal remains. Once the canopic stone is destroyed, the vilkacis can no longer rejuvenate and can be destroyed as normal.

Vulnerability to Silver (Su): Vilkacis are particularly susceptible to silver. A vilkacis struck with a silver weapon takes an additional 2d6 points of damage. If a creature under the effects of a vilkacis’s bestial possession is damaged by a silver weapon, it also takes this extra damage and receives another saving throw to resist the bestial possession. If successful, the possession ends, and the vilkacis is driven into an adjacent square and cannot use its bestial possession ability again until the following day.

NOTES:

This is the normal Vilkacis with +4 HD and the Advanced template applied. Instead of increasing the natural armor as the template suggests, I took inspiration from Undead Revisited (which is a phenomenal asset to any GM, particularly for this AP!) and the "distorted shadow" template. Notice the Space/Reach portion of the OFFENSIVE stat block? That's right: 10 foot reach. That, in combination with the incredible Dex mod, Combat Reflexes, and Lunge, should result in me being able to truly terrify many of my players. It's not that I think dishing out lots of damage is terrible.... it's the touch attack and 20' threat range. I should be able to make them think twice about playing some of the tricky maneuvering games they're so fond of. Alternatively, I was thinking about giving it a third natural attack (incorporeal bite) instead of natural armor, reflecting the attacks it grants to someone who is possessed more closely.

Any thoughts? My

I've seen a number of threads lately discussing various aspects of character development and player behavior. I'd like to add my thoughts on this, as well as hear your own. This is intended to address issues of interparty conflict (in and out of character), ethics and alignment, house rules, and player expectation. In short, the areas where I see most real-world player conflict develop.

RADU'S GUIDES TO HAPPY ROLEPLAYING

1) You are here to have fun.

This is really a no-brainer. Pathfinder and other RPG's are made to be entertaining games. If you're not being entertained, something is wrong... BUT REMEMBER:

2) You are here to help EVERYONE ELSE have fun, too.

This is really a corollary to rule 1, but it bears saying- this is not a solo experience. If something you're doing is contributing to someone else's unhappiness or giving them a negative experience, you need to figure out what it is and make adjustments accordingly. This is a game, but it is a group activity, not "The Me Show." Directly tied in with this is the concept of playing a character who has a reason to adventure and a reason the other characters adventure with them. Don't bring the Norgorber holy assassin character to the Party of Light trying to cleanse the Worldwound. Don't bring the Judge Dredd Inquisitor to the party of pirates, cuthroats and scoundrels. Don't bring the Lastwall crusader to the party of Apsis Consortium slavers. Be a team player, both in and out of character.

3) Stay engaged and interested, even when your character isn't present.

Cheer at natural 20's and high damage rolls. Groan in sympathy when someone fails a save. Look up rules for players when it's not your turn. In other words: be an active contributor to the game, even when your character isn't. This applies to all situations, combat and non. Stay interested and involved. Take notes, even if your character wouldn't. Why? Because while I may enjoy the 20 int bard, I don't have a perfect memory, and I surely appreciate it when someone can remind me of details my character wouldn't have forgotten but I as a player have.

4) No texting, web surfing, or angry birds.

Really this should go without saying. RPG sessions are for playing RPG's, not for fiddling with tablets, smartphones, and laptops. Don't check your email or facebook during the GM's narration. Don't text when your spellcaster's turn isn't up. PLAY THE GAME you came to play, and save all the toys and distractions for later.

5) Mistakes happen. Accept them and move on.

This is a biggie. Players and GM alike *WILL* make mistakes. We all try to avoid them, but they happen. Don't be resentful or irritable about it. Persistently making the same mistake might be cause for concern, but most of the time it is better to have a short (SHORT!) discussion about things, find a resolution, and agree to address the issue out of game for the next session. Even if you KNOW something is being handled incorrectly it is better to address it in a way that doesn't torpedo the rest of the game night in a rules debate.

6) Spellcaster, Know Thy Spells!

This could be re-phrased as "PC, Know Thyself!" Know your character's capabilities. Class features, feats, skills, magic items- there's a lot to keep track of. Perhaps making some note-cards or putting sticky notes in your rulebooks would help. It is up to you to know and remember what your character can do or be willing and able to look up those rules. Nothing in my experience slows down a game more than someone constantly having to look up what Beast Shape 3 does or forgetting what a feat does... but keep in mind rule 5 as well. Human fallibility happens, and so you should brush off the occasional memory glitches and focus on the chronic amnesiacs in the group.

7) Accept the die roll and resist the temptation to "adjust"

It helps to have a clear understanding of how to handle dice. Some games have a "cock die" rule about dice that land oddly or are strangely balanced on objects on the game table. Some have rules about dice that fall off the table. Figure that out, and then accept whatever roll comes up. Yes, a natural 1 can be terrible sometimes... but it happens. It's going to happen about 5% of the time, in fact. Don't forget that natural 20's happen about 5% of the time, too.

8) No Summoner Geeks at the table!

Or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or... you get the idea. Different groups have different tolerances for this sort of thing, but generally keeping table talk about extraneous topics, even ones as amusing as Monty Python, to a minim is usually best. In my experience games take a long enough time to get underway that you don't want to derail that process with idle banter. YMMV, and so long as your group agrees with, enjoys, and embraces that style of play I say, "lay on, MacDuff!"

In general, these have done me well. If you object to, disagree with, or have an alternative opinion I'd love to discuss them further. What are your guidelines?