RyMarq's page

The Soloarian does both need gap closers, not give one by default, and only give options for an OK one. Now, dont get wrong, Stellar rush really helps for gathering enemies into a ball for AoE fire. Its quite nice.

That said, as a gap closer it doesnt really have the action-economy of other gap closers, and the lack of variety or baseline ability is a bit of a concern.

Generally the class has been very functional, in my opinion, and this can be adjusted with some fairly basic alterations.

0: Solar Shot needs range increments rather than a hard cut-off. Its fine if its not strong, but it should at least thematically fit in.

1: Stellar Wind doesnt stack with Stellar Rush. This feels bad. Give one a Status bonus and one a circumstance bonus.

2: Binaric Assault isnt amazing, and also would be a good place for action eco for additional movement. Just add movement between the two options, would really make this variety of Solarian pop.

This would also mean each of the three gets a movement ability.

3: Build options to emphasize speed would help. Something like an Orbital Crystal that lets you Fly 30' towards a target you hit with a Solar Shot, once per 10 minutes as a free action.

As an alternate example, perhaps a crystal that lets you increase your solar weapon reach by 5/20/50' for a round, once per 10 minutes.

I have played three games with Solarians now. I feel they simply work in most circumstances, though they could be better. The flying sniper problem is real, but its far from most fights, and its very solveable. Their dps and functionality outside this problem is overall 'pretty decent'.

I think the class overall works, it just needs some options on these fronts. The damage is quite high, and you have gear to give flying speed and a lot of indoor fights.

I've had a very different experience with the Soldier from the above

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I'm not a super-big fan of making the no-save suppression effect also a free action, but I do think making melee weapons fit into the Soldier's AoE-based playstyle from the get-go would go a long way towards making melee builds work as they should.

I presume your experience has mostly been based around how you dont like the rigidity of the 2-action attack baseline.

For me, its very suffocating as a default, but Soldier helps alleviate it quite a bit. Things like Shot on the Run, Quick Swap, and the meta-magic style feats give the class a lot of options. They are all slow, lumbering options, but to me that feels consistent with the class theming.

Do you have something else you would prefer for Erudite? Bombard is causing suppressed *very often* and has additional upsides. Given you are already causing suppressed so often, the feature to do it as an action seems extremely disappointing to me, especially given the already-established lumbering action economy.

I want to say that to start with that I am a large fan of the overall concept behind the Envoy. It was capable of powerful support based on planning and charisma in SF1e, and there are some hints at genuinely interesting choices in the new Envoy.

The problem is that everything feels very locked-in. You have very few good actions to choose from, and your base loop takes up so much of your turn. Options you get are not something you use every turn for the most part, but are very specific contextual abilities with cooldowns. You get a few directives, but fundamentally you are just going to have a choice between 'get in there' and 'get em', with very limited alterations on attack+directive+basic supporting action. The abilities based on all these things are very limited, but I feel there is still a path forward for the Envoy to be better, but it will be a more difficult path than for the other classes at this point.

I am going to break down how much Power the class has, what that means for its Power budget, and what might be interesting ways of exploring some choices for the class.

Currently, as a basic martial, the class has a -3 to hit as compared to an Operative (about -2.5 tbh). An operative uses an action to add 1d4 to 6d6 damage while effectively increasing their ability to hit by another +1-4. Just comparing the DPR of the Envoy to the Operative, we are looking at approximately 61%-114% DPS, boosting 3 allies who dont have a way to get that variety of bonus to 25%-80% at high level, increase to more than about 2.1x on turns where they use 'show me what you got' at higher level. In theory this actually seems relatively even, but they are *so far* behind the Operative in personal DPS, while needing to attack to give allies a benefit, and without many good other options even when they get the ability to do something else.

Still, the bonuses they get definitely have potential. In a party of 4, they are realistically contributing as much as the 'traditional' martial.

The difference is not one of numbers, but one of other capabilities. That Operative can
Reload and Move
Gets unique capabilities based on subclass
Can Aim and move
Can attack and enter cover.
etc

Even at level 6, the Operative has gained an Assortment of abilities, that let them every turn get *double action-economy* on nearly every action they take, and make special attacks with trade-offs. Meanwhile, until *very high level*, the Envoy must do the same loop every time to get parity effects, and the options the class gets are often on cooldowns, while not even being more effective.

Currently You Get:
Trained in 8+ Skills
Basic Martial Proficiency
A bonus skill feat
Get Em
The ability to investigate specific individuals to get a minor bonus and initiative advantage

Your Early feats are giving action or reaction options, but are not increasing the density of your choices or compressing your actions at all.

Lets imagine 3 lines of Envoy Feat, related to attack, movement, and 'skill'. Each is designed to fulfill the fantasy of 'Striker', 'anything'(supporting all kits), and 'Support' focuses for the class.
Lets imagine that Get Em is just one of an initial set of Directives, one for each Style, and that you can get feats at certain levels to gain access to other style's directives.

Now, admittedly I just had some fun with it making a set of directives and capabilities I think would be interesting here. Realistically, the level 6 is too good if it gives a free action under certain circumstances, so some other class features would need to be reduced a bit, but ultimately I found these examples fun.

1: So lets imagine 7 Directives
From the Front Directive: Get in There! (adjusted)
Everyone may spend their reaction to step or stride half their move speed.
Follow: If you move, gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your next melee attack this turn, adding your charisma bonus to the damage increasing by 1 at levels 5,10,15, and 20.

Act of Leadership: Once per turn, when you move adjacent to an enemy or raise a shield, you may issue a one-action directive as a free action.

From the Shadows Directive: Prepare to Pounce
Everyone may spend their reaction to take cover or hide
Follow: If you do this, everyone who follows receives your CHA Mod as a circumstance bonus to their next attack from cover, increasing by 2 at levels 5,10,15, and 20

Act of Leadership: Once per turn, when you hide, sneak, or take cover you may issue a 1-action directive as a free action.

Guns Blazing Directive: Get Em
No Changes

Act of Leadership: Once per turn when you make a ranged attack with MAP or make an area/auto-attack, you may issue an directive as a free action.

In the Spotlight Directive: Dazzle Them
Those within 100 feet of you get a +1 circumstance bonus to Demoralize, Feinting, and Performance checks. If they perform any such check, this counts as preparing Aid for any ally's attack using the same skill for their aid roll.
Follow: If you use one of these skills, gain an extra reaction for your Aid reaction. If you aid a strike in this way, it gains a circumstance bonus to its damage equal to your CHA, increasing by 2 at levels 5,10,15, and 20.

Act of Leadership: Once per turn when you roll perform or issue a directive, you may issue an directive as a free action.

Hotshot Directive: Book It
Every ally receives a +5 Status bonus to speed and a +2 Circumstance bonus to their AC against attacks while moving. Increase the speed bonus by +5 at levels 7, 12, and 17. Increase the circumstance bonus to +3 at level 12.
Follow: If you do this, your circumstance bonus lasts until your next turn.

Act of Leadership: Once per turn when you Stunt, Take control, or move more than 30' in an action, you may issue a directive as a free action.

Infosphere Director Directive: Use their weakness
Choose a target. When an ally deals damage to it, triggering a weakness, or targets their weakest save, that ally gets a status bonus to their damage equal to your CHA, increasing by 1 at levels 5,10,15, and 20
Follow: If you would trigger this, each ally attacking the target deals 1 additional Damage of any damage type of your choice. Increasing by 1 at levels 5,10,15, and 20

Act of Leadership: Once per turn when you Recall Knowledge or Roll Computers, you may issue a directive as a free action.

Through Desperate Times: Live!
Every ally heals 1+CHA additional health to a single target when they perform an action with the healing trait, then the target becomes immune to this bonus for 10 minutes. If the action affects many targets, the user chooses only one to get the bonus.
Follow: If you use an action with the healing trait, double this bonus for the target, and heal yourself with the bonus as well. You both become immune to the bonus healing for 10 minutes.

Act of Leadership: Once per turn when you Administer First Aid, use Battle Medicine, or use a healing item on an ally you may issue a directive as a free action.

I first of all would like to say that I like the Soldier quite a bit. The feats give a strong ability to personalize how you attack and what your options are, but none of them feel required either.

The DPS of the soldier is very competitive, with an elegant emphasis on AoE. The Suppressed condition gives the class substantial utility, letting it debuff enemies while dealing damage.

That said, there are some weak options, and there are some easy fixes for that weakness. I view this as very promising.

1: Area Attacks and Reflex Saves
Relying on a single save is, simply, a problem. The core format is fine, and the higher DC of its saves helps the class be stable in a larger variety of situations, but it needs options to target something else.

The easiest version of this is simply a weapon-upgrade.
Warp Accelerator: Requires a Analog Weapon, adds the Tech Trait
Action: Your next Area Attack or Auto-Fire with this weapon targets Fortitude instead of Reflex.

Psychic Resonator: Requires a Tech Weapon
Action: Your next Area Attack or Auto-Fire with this weapon targets Will instead of Reflex and gains the mental trait.

By giving an action-tax, you will be able to keep the strong baseline expectation of a reflex save, but give enough options that the class can still function against foes with very high reflex saves.

2: Fighting Styles
Not all fighting styles are created equal at the moment. Action Hero and Bombard are a clear step-ahead of the rest, with Armor Storm being situational but strong, and Erudite Warrior and Close Quarters just falling short of the rest.

Recommended Adjustments:
Close Quarters: Targets are suppressed even when you fail, but do not critically fail a melee attack. Melee weapons you wield gain the Area 5' burst trait (allowing them to work with all feats). Whirling Swipe is replaced by Punitive Strike.

Erudite Warrior: Oppressive Presence becomes a free action (still once per round). Add a feat at 4 to increase the targets you may choose for Oppressive Presence.

I believe this is all that would be needed to push soldier into a genuinely good place. The bones of the class a strong, and the abilities are very exciting. Being able to dash up and slash a group of enemies at once, or chain dramatic attacks - this is the sort of thing lacking from a melee soldier being exciting.

Checks out. Honestly, I expect people would generally be more excited for the class if extracting elements was usable on a wider variety of targets - for example if they got a feat for each element to expand the variety - being that bleed get water, beings that breathe get air, plant type get wood, beings wielding metal get metal, casters get fire, etc.

I have dabbled with designing Kineticists repeatedly and even played some a bit.

How are people fitting in Impulses in any builds that feel good? Besides the starting impulses and the flexible impulses you get for free, they feel *incredibly* heavy to pick for me. I already have such a tight feat budget, and especially for the single-gate needing to buy the later impulses manually feels like a huge strain for me and my options - as in theory I am supposed to be good at this, but getting even half my options locks me out of any multi-classing at all it seems.

Oracle Ancestor curse restricts you to 'Attacks, Spells, or Perception and Skill actions'

The wording to me is very similar and evokes strong feelings that the intended restriction, I expect the intention that it mechanically work in the same way.

Skill action is the same wording as Oracle, I expect most GMs will be reading it as a broad set of options for the target unless there is further clarification.

I believe more explicit magic would be a drag on the class. It just needs more clear utility and rules text for recall knowledge interactions.

Pacts seem like a fine way to add them though, if they wanted spell access.

Some notes, a basic check indicates you didnt make any mistakes.

It looks to me that, by math as written, the Thaumaturge is losing in total damage as compared to every other Martial listed, or is very close. In those cases it is close, that is because unlisted is a major trait that the Thaumaturge does not have an equivalent to being unused in the comparison.

Dual-slice, power attack, familiar precision damage, all effects that the thaumaturge lacks an equivalent to. Nothing wrong with this, of course, the thaumaturge is then slightly behind all martials with a more more consistency and a bit more of a specialty in one-action strikes. Its a unique sort of damage pattern, but very much within 2e standards.

So, if the class is balanced as a martial, it seems to me that adhering to the martial baselines like this is doing makes a lot of sense.

I dont "love" that 2e has these strong baselines with little deviation, but looking at the math here, its at least a distinct way to go about it, and is well within the norms set by the class. Rather than hitting hard, the damage is because your attacks 'burn' into the foe. Its not haymakers so much as salt on giant snails.

Ultimately, utility effects and disables are very guarded, but accessible to *every single class* as part of that. I am not sure it would make sense to try to rebalance the class towards that given the game's core principles. So, what else is there except damage, and damage expressed in a somewhat unique way?

I do apologize, but perhaps I misread the rules.

How did a Thaumaturge have 2 attacks of opportunity a round?

Some specific Notes:

Better save progression aligns with MAD. High will especially aligns with using CHA to do many things WIS normally does, while still enabling specialists.

Many abilities rely heavily on class DC, like the Wand, therefore higher class DC is consistent. If anything, I feel it is weak enough that one will have *trouble* relying on things like the wand usefully. This seems to be a common perception as I have seen *0* playtest reports using the wand.

Amulet Reaction only works against your EA target, therefore is more restricted and generally weaker than you rate it. Playtest data supports that it gets considerably less use than champion reactions.

Warding Circle is a place of safety or a prison, or just a wall. Circles have powerful thematic significance, and it can fill many purposes as it prevents movement both ways.

Overall an excellent analysis though