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Most weapons don't really get a lot better until around 7-9 anyway. For example:
Thereby gaining 2 dice over the first 10 levels, and 10 dice over the next 10 levels. Battleglove is slightly behind, but it also doesn't need to be drawn (generally) and gets 1.5x strength from armor storm. Seems pretty balanced to me as a backup attack.
Losing a charge per minute for anything but the most basic power armor makes them really situational, in addition to needing feats to use. One of the biggest benefits is for a character with low strength, since it replaces your strength, but you need a minimum strength to have the power armor feat, so it kinda works against itself. It's the power thing that is most limiting though. 100 minutes of active time is enough for some situations with the highest battery, but a day of adventuring requires a lot of batteries and recharging all of them is going to be either costly or time-consuming. Taking enough batteries for multiple days of adventuring is cost-prohibitive, and if you run out of batteries, your armor is basically stuck. OK for sorties, bad for exploration. Instead of carrying a boatload of batteries, you could also transport the power armor with you in an unpowered state, which seems significantly more feasible. You just need a Mk2 Null-space chamber (level 9 item). That lets you store the armor and recall it as a full action. Then you need to put it on as another full action. Power armor is not generally worth losing 2 full actions at the start of combat as compared to heavy armor. So overall power armor doesn't have enough options to scale with level, and has serious logistical issues to using it. I could see bringing it as a backup option for when you know you're going into a fight, but the feat, cost, and stat investment is prohibitive.
Bear in mind that this does not actually limit you to gathering information about "the events and major figures of any region you are in." Since there are telecommunications and internet networks in this setting, a major settlement such as Absalom Station could very well be home to countless information brokers and other intel sources. The way I read that ability, it definitely does limit you to gathering information about events and major figures that aren't in whatever region you're in. It says "the events and major figures of any region you're in." When you're in Absalom station, are you in the vast? Or you on Apostae? The ability specifically says the target event or major figures you want to learn about have to be in the same region as you. Since quantum superposition isn't really a thing for individuals in Starfinder, you cannot be in two places at once and therefore can't be on Absalom Station and also on another planet at the same time. When you're on Absalom Station, you can learn all kinds of neat things about the stuff going on in that region with ease, and that's a cool ability, but being on Absalom Station doesn't let you survey knowledge from far-off places with the same aplomb. Simply put, the locals in Absalom Station know far more about the goings-on of Absalom Station than they do Apostae. However, if you manage to get to Apostae and interact with the locals without hostility, you can quickly get an excellent idea of major players and events, which is a really great ability to have in a member of your crew.
I know those long-distance relationship feels
I'm all for getting rid of the ability scores. 90% of the time, they're just extra math in an already somewhat burdensome and clunky system. But, they're important for character generation when you roll for stats. I can't think of a single other use that couldn't be served by just using the modifier:
The #1 criticism I hear of Pathfinder is its clunkiness due to excess D20 baggage. I'm all for trimming the fat where possible. If the argument to keep ability scores is only 'but mah nostalgia', is it really worth keeping? Another question to consider: is Starfinder meant to incorporate a new audience, or appeal only to the existing Pathfinder audience? I'd say a new version of the system with a different setting is the perfect opportunity to streamline some fundamentals, just like getting rid of arcane vs divine casters.
DO WANT Anyone have a guess as to what the thing hanging below the gunslinger's dagger is with the diamond and star on it is supposed to be? Also, I'd just like to say that these iconics are ridiculously accessorized. I don't think the ninja and the gunslinger can sit down with all that junk hanging off their torso and waist. Also belts, belts everywhere.
I'm currently playing in 2 pathfinder games, one of which focuses on story and roleplaying (we've gone 3 or 4 sessions in a row without seeing combat) and we don't use a battle mat. Instead, things are often somewhat glossed over with AoE magic typically hitting a group of enemies (if they haven't closed with us or vice-versa.) Once melee is going on then it often becomes hit a few and not hit a party member or hit many and hit party members. It works well, relies on the GM to have a good mental picture of what's going on that they can convey to the players, and relies heavily on GM judgement. It lends itself to a more 'dramatic' kind of gaming and lets us do larger scale things without worrying about drawing it all out.
Good to know that it's already been brought up. I tried searching for mentions of this in the playtest archive but didn't find anything. RAW, it sounds to me like you can TWF/rapid shot/haste attack with bombs because it says it works as a full attack with a ranged weapon. Simply scaling with BAB seems more appropriate though.
Put where the modifiers on the attack bonus were coming from. Also, a 10th level monk can't have medusa's wrath since it require 11 BAB, so a 10th level alchemist is doing more damage than a monk 5 levels higher than him who is going after a regular AC and therefore less likely to hit and then only in a special case and only when the monk starts his turn adjacent to the foe. As far as damage goes, I think a greatsword fighter could be throwing around 3 attacks (haste, 22 strength, +4 weapon, weapon focus/greater/spec, power attack) at +22/22/17 for 2d6+26 each. Average total of 99 if all 3 hit. The fighter can do it at will, but must begin in melee and is attacking regular AC. Gets a lot more benefit out of crits though.
I've been going through the final playtest versions of the advanced player's guide classes this week and may have stumbled across some extreme burst damage from the alchemist. Basically it goes something like this at 10th level, assuming my assumptions are true (rapid shot works for thrown weapons, fast bombs lets you full attack with bombs just like a ranged weapon, and two-weapon fighting lets you throw extra bombs with your off-hand) int 18 (reasonable, many would probably have higher) and dex 17+ (I'll call it an 18 for this)
discoveries: fast bombs, precise bombs, and potent bombs x3 drink a haste extract or receive haste from a party member (not necessary but amusing) and/or drink an improved invisibility extract/have it cast on you by another (not necessary but again helpful as it turns all these attacks into flat-footed touch attacks) So you've got primary attack/rapid shot/offhand primary/haste attack/secondary/secondary offhand attacks within 30 feet
It's not as if I would actually use this build. It's just something to keep an eye on. Personally I'd houserule against letting you take anything but natural iterative attacks with your bombs just to keep them sane. 16d6+10 (66) is plenty for a level 10 character to deal in one round.
Basically, as is, deadly performance kills a creature with sorrow or joy inspired by the music. I propose that instead, deadly performance prevents the target from attempting to damage the bard as long as the bard doesn't attack the target (max 5 or so rounds) as the target cannot bear to destroy the source of such moving music. Then, when the bard stops playing (min 1 round of playing), is when the creature must find the will to move on in a world that isn't filled with such extraordinary beauty and either their body shuts down, no longer willing to live in such a world at the cellular level, or their stunned for several rounds in trying to deal with the fact that the music is gone. Hopefully this will fit with whatever changes they decide to do to bring deadly performance into balance. Balancing the base ability is a discussion for another thread (though it really needs some balance and taking an extra round to pull of the deadly performance helps that department). Another way to implement this would be to have the music prevent the target from attacking the bard for the duration of their playing (leading to some really cool endurance performances mayhaps) and reducing the death/stun effects to compensate (to stun if failed the save or dazed if passed perhaps). Regardless, we've been enjoying pathfinder. Keep up the good work! |
