The Game Master's page

Okay, so, got my hardcopy of UI today and I absolutely love it. While looking through the archetypes in particular that are compatible (as far as I can tell) from the vigilante: psychometrist and gunmaster (p59 & 57, respectively)
The gun master is a guy with guns. Boom.
The psychometrist is an occultist style guy that uses his gadgets to give him power.
So after checking if they could be combined, I came to the glorious conclusion that this is the closest I may come to an engineer for a long while. And to make such a character, I feel it's stats would be spread thin (because it is still a vigilante).
On a 20 point buy, does anyone thing they could help me build my "gunmagengineer", is it possible without being all over the place?
PFS stuff only. Level 5. 500 gp
Thanks :)

My phone, laptop, and tablet refuse to download the pdf for this book. -_-

*impatiently waits for subscriber pdf to drop*

Hey, are yall considering making PF official engineers/artificers/gadgeteers sometime soon?
Or an Ultimate Technology type book?
*wink wink, nudge nudge*
Seriously, I've been dying for years for such a product. °_°

When I think of the mounted furies, I definitely am thinking He-Man.
Am I alone in that? :p

Also, note, the different kineticists aren't meant to be equal in every aspect. They are meant to excel in different areas. Why would I want to play reskinned versions of the telekineticist, like if they could all lift 2000 lbs and all have just reskinned abilities?

But, I feel geos should have good defense and offense, but be slow.
Hydro should have a balance of defense and speed. But have less offenses.
Pyros should be offense and uh...?
Aeros should be range and speed, but have weaker defenses.

Imo

Hydrokineticist: Do you even lift, bro?

I'm picturing a pirate campaign with a hydrokineticist now... ugh. So much wreck. Ship wreck. *Wink wink nudge nudge*

Honestly, I think that if a hydro can move that much water, a tele and a geo should be able to lift much more than they do. I think the reason why telekineticists can't lift as much in comparison is because they can move a wider variety of things. Therefore, being more versatile.
Pyros are pretty much boned all around.
Aeros aren't strong, but they have the potential for insane range and speed. So I'm cool with them not conjuring tornadoes to carry away cities.

I keep seeing a lot of posts about how IS only reduces the Burn of one Talent, when really, it reduces the Burn of either ALL form or substance specializations.

Just to make sure, since there are 20 pages in the thread now and I'm not sure I could find it again since I feel it's been mentioned (sorry to ask again if it was asked...). With Infusion Specialization, it says "reduces the burn cost of whichever type of infusion she selects by 1 point." Does that mean a specific infusion like Snaking or Many Throw? Or does it mean 1 less point needed for Form or Substance infusion.

The latter. Much more awesome that way!

Made a thread because the Kineticist thread is way too large to keep track of things, and this can help people when building characters. And to help confusion.

Bump

3. At first I liked the concept of burn, however upon further thought I to think it is a little much. My main concern is that the amount of burn you can actually take decreases as you level but the amount of burn you are likely going to take increases. to explain my logic look at a level 1 Kineticist vs a level 3 average HP. Ignoring con the level 1 kineticist can take 8 points of burn, 1 per HP, in contrast the level 2 can only take 6 points, 3x6 = 18 average HP. This is in contrast to every other class where their features grow exponentially. Ether the class requires an easier time mitigating burn or the burn needs to scale slower. If the move action mitigated the entire burn on a single chosen form or essence rather...

You know Infusion Specialization reduces burn as level gets higher, right?

The kineticist should be able to use some of his best powers without consuming life. Burn is a good thematic mechanic, but it should have some damage free points first, an amount that increases as the class grows in levels.

I mean, they have that with Infusion Specialization. Where at 5th level and every 3 levels, they reduce all form or substance infusions by 1 burn. Which I feel is a nice counteract to burn. So really, at higher levels, you'll only spend a small amount of burn for some of the best abilities. And ~75% you wouldn't spend any.

This thread helped in this slight shift. So good on ya'! :)

That was part of my intent of the thread. One, to see what people thought of the classes, and why. And two, to see how the other classes could appeal to more, because, I feel they are scorned. They have potential, but I feel people tend to focus on one thing when this is a playtest. I don't want to buy a book with one class done really well and the others sort of left in the dust. That being said, I obviously have my preferences (Kineticist, Mesmerist, and Medium), but I feel they all need some lovin'.

The Game Master wrote:

*Wonders if he should play a medium named Legion.*

DO IT!

Oh, this shall be fairly interesting. I think it should only be fair that I have a group of pigs follow me around, for when I decide to switch out spirits.

The Game Master wrote:

So, I finally made a character to playtest for this class.

And I gotta say...
This is really the closest you can get to playing a character from the DBZ universe.
I can see my character charging blasts to reduce burn (akin to Kamehameha or even spirit bomb), yelling "FRIEEEEZAAA!", and using ride the blast to imitate their charged dashes.
Especially with Kinetic Fist.

All we need now is some scouters, green plant people, and monkey tails.

Scouters (can be mimic'd in Pathfinder via a lens that is a use-activated Arcane Sight)

Green Men (use it on an elf).

Monkey Tails.

See... now I HAVE to play in a DBZ campaign. xD

*Wonders if he should play a medium named Legion.*

So, I finally made a character to playtest for this class.
And I gotta say...
This is really the closest you can get to playing a character from the DBZ universe.
I can see my character charging blasts to reduce burn (akin to Kamehameha or even spirit bomb), yelling "FRIEEEEZAAA!", and using ride the blast to imitate their charged dashes.
Especially with Kinetic Fist.

All we need now is some scouters, green plant people, and monkey tails.

Uh... why does the psychic only have 1/4 BAB?
Even a wizard has 2/4.

O.o

Third Mind wrote:

Just to make sure, since there are 20 pages in the thread now and I'm not sure I could find it again since I feel it's been mentioned (sorry to ask again if it was asked...). With Infusion Specialization, it says "reduces the burn cost of whichever type of infusion she selects by 1 point." Does that mean a specific infusion like Snaking or Many Throw? Or does it mean 1 less point needed for Form or Substance infusion.

The latter. Much more awesome that way!

Woah! Seriously? I already liked Infusion Specialization, but now it's just... awesome!

I gotta say, the more I read this class... I... can't... resist... *stares at wall*

Was really hoping for some group manipulation, though. :/

Admittedly, the Spiritualist excites me almost as much as the Kineticist. I just haven't been going to that thread as much because I don't play my Spiritualist until next Wednesday. I'll have things to say then.

No excuses for the theorycrafters who haven't played any of them yet, though. :v

I really like the flavor of how a Phantom reacts to an eidolon. :P

I think it also has to do with time. The first two classes in the playtest are the kineticist and medium, and both are pretty long and complicated. Between work and other stuff (like my regular game), I just finished reading the mesmerist today and haven't read a bit on the other three.

Also, I feel that the kineticist really doesn't have the subjective feel of occult adventures from my perceptions, and a lot of the people talking about it like that, and possibly aren't really that interested in the rest of the occult adventures theme.

I think time definitely is a factor. The Kineticist and Medium are both very chunky in content, so some people have gotten a little lost in the content, and between work and other things, getting through it all may take a while. Also, it is still very early in the playtest, and I think it might even out over time.

And I agree, sort of. I think some people look at the Kineticist, and they don't see OA. They see Avatar, or some superhero. Nothing wrong with that at all. Like I said, rpgs are all about fantasy fullfillment. But that is why it draws in such a diverse group. As opposed to people just looking for the theme.

As the designer of the kineticist and the medium, I think it's just more the kineticist being the runaway. The medium has more posts in part because one of the more thorough posters posted his thoughts in a series of many posts rather than in one large post. Add that to a very interesting two-sided discussion between different medium fans with differing opinions on the class's direction, and it accounts for the extra posts. It's really not that much longer than occultist anyway.

Kineticist, on the other hand, that's statistically significant.

Ah, I see, that's good to know for the purpose of the thread.

LazarX wrote:

technarken wrote:

If you can use Ride The Blast to target a square or an object an Aerokineticist gets at will teleportation to line of sight within almost a quarter of a mile.

You really can't target a 5 foot square from a quarter of a mile away. Not going to happen.

Why? A 5 foot square has a lower AC than anything that might be standing in it. On what grounds is it impossible to target when creatures are?

Yeah, in a post about a day ago, I worked out the math that with ride the blast, an aerokineticist, and extreme range. And use the specialization in extreme range for a no-burn, 960 ft move, using your attack. And if you can't see, I'm sure there are some goggles out there that can help out with that.

Flavor wise I'm liking all of the new classes.

Kineticist is a cool idea, but I don't really look at it and go it's a cool idea....that needs lot's of work....so thus far I'm just watching what happens and hoping it get's cleaned up a bit.

Spiritualist may need some polish...but it's already doing a pretty good job of representing ideas/themes that I have tried many times (and failed) with other classes....so again, as long as it doesn't change too much it will fit the bill for what I'm looking for from it.

Medium covers a concept that I am completely in love with...but like the Shaman in the ACG....really seems to need a lot of attention to get it to where it could/should be to make it viable....during the ACG playtest I felt the Shaman was more or less ignored in favor of the Arcanist (loved what it evolved into by the way)Warpriest, and other classes....so I guess I see that as the concept I would most like to see worked on to bring out it's potential AWESOME...

I agree. I think all of the classes have potential. I just feel some need to be tapped into more than others.

These answers raise some good questions.
What actually MAKES a class appealing? Flavor and mechanics definitely have a part in it, and so, for all the classes, what improvements could be made for more people to have the desire to play them? A class can be neat and well done and still be... bland. Are tried and true mechanics king, or is a little bit of "weird" needed? How do you feel the flavor of some the classes can get some spice?

Since the playtest began, I have started to notice a (unfortunate) trend. Out of all of the classes, the Kineticist has gained the most attention, followed up by the Medium.

But, why?

In reading posts and the actual classes themselves, I think most people are put off by the Spiritualist, Psychic, Mesmerist, and Occultist because they have the least "fantasy fullfillment", as opposed to the Kineticist. The Medium brings forth this strange and unique opportunity to become, I daresay, the most versatile class (with work).
The Kineticist allows people to further various roleplaying fantasies, such as playing characters from various shows. That is at the core of roleplaying, fantasy fullfillment.
I respect all of the new classes, and yes they all have a basis for inspiration, but I feel they are all overshadowed by the popularity of The Kineticist and Medium.

Do you believe there is a flavor issue? Maybe an overwhelming difference in playstyle? Maybe there is simply more to fix with the Kineticist and Medium? What are your thoughts?

The Game Master wrote:

The Game Master wrote:

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong.

At level 19, if I put Infusion Specialization on Extreme Range twice, then decided to use Quicken Spell-Like Ability for two burn, and then use Ride the Blast on all of my blast (for a total of 4 blasts with a range of 480 a piece), I can essentially move 1920 feet.
Wow! And that is in 6(ish) seconds.
For the attacks, I'm saying you would be "vaulting", or striking objects to ride the blast from point to point. On a regular basis though, you would "vault" 1440 feet.
Or am I missing something?

Actually, lemme correct myself. With Air's Reach, at max, I can go 3840 feet. Albeit in straight lines. Regularly at 2880.

So, aerokineticists: As fast as the wind.

Your wind must be very different from mine...

Well, more akin to tornado winds, clocking in at ~327 mph. (Actually faster, an F5 at max is 318 mph I just discovered.)

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong.

At level 19, if I put Infusion Specialization on Extreme Range twice, then decided to use Quicken Spell-Like Ability for two burn, and then use Ride the Blast on all of my blast (for a total of 4 blasts with a range of 480 a piece), I can essentially move 1920 feet.
Wow! And that is in 6(ish) seconds.
For the attacks, I'm saying you would be "vaulting", or striking objects to ride the blast from point to point. On a regular basis though, you would "vault" 1440 feet.
Or am I missing something?

Actually, lemme correct myself. With Air's Reach, at max, I can go 3840 feet. Albeit in straight lines. Regularly at 2880.

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong.
At level 19, if I put Infusion Specialization on Extreme Range twice, then decided to use Quicken Spell-Like Ability for two burn, and then use Ride the Blast on all of my blast (for a total of 4 blasts with a range of 480 a piece), I can essentially move 1920 feet.
Wow! And that is in 6(ish) seconds.
For the attacks, I'm saying you would be "vaulting", or striking objects to ride the blast from point to point. On a regular basis though, you would "vault" 1440 feet.
Or am I missing something?

Mark, I have a question.

So, would it be possible to see some umbrakinetic based stuff? Like, dealing with drawing upon the shadows and such for a stealthier type of kineticist? I know they have stealth as a class skill, but there aren't really any abilities that play off of stealth besides their (AWESOME) super range capabilities. I think I'm gonna roll up a telekinetic assassin-like character to see how that plays out.
Not that this class needs stealth, per say. It would just be awesome to have a build that plays off of it. Maybe using negative energy?

Mark Seifter wrote:

The Game Master wrote:

Rerednaw wrote:

Oh here's my other snippet:

General information regarding blasts. I would suggest that the relevant element is simply extracted or created on the spot, i.e. an aether specialist does not need to have unattended objects on the floor, he can hurl a sphere of solid aether when using his blast ability. Said element then decays into valueless debris or sublimates/evaporates, as per the Rare Metal Infusion power.

I personally love the idea of using actual objects, even though it may sometimes be inconvenient. It makes me giggle knowing I can deal 10d6 damage at level 19 with assorted fruits.

Not the pineapple—NOT THE PINEAPPLE!!!!

hitler already knows

Yes!!! I was thinking the same thing!

Oh here's my other snippet:

General information regarding blasts. I would suggest that the relevant element is simply extracted or created on the spot, i.e. an aether specialist does not need to have unattended objects on the floor, he can hurl a sphere of solid aether when using his blast ability. Said element then decays into valueless debris or sublimates/evaporates, as per the Rare Metal Infusion power.

I personally love the idea of using actual objects, even though it may sometimes be inconvenient. It makes me giggle knowing I can deal 10d6 damage at level 19 with assorted fruits.

I would love to seem some classes based in some Mythos type stuff. Or one that delves solely in altering the body to sort of "evolve into these higher beings", like alchemist mutagen meets the synthesist summoner. But reasonably balanced. Like, how a monk tries to attain perfection through training their form with ki, what if one altered itself to attain this alien idea of perfection.

Well, learn something new everyday. That's rather disappointing. I always assumed that since they were "air" elementals, that had the flexibility of being... ya know... air. Lol.
But, still, good to know. Thanks. :)

So, for quite a while I have had this idea that makes me giggle, but I haven't actually tried it out, but before I do, I want to know if there are rules restricting this course of action.

Okay, if I summoned a small air elemental, could order it to "be inhaled" by an enemy?
With that thought, could an air elemental make a person's lungs pop?
I mean I assume it might take the rules of breaking out of something using Strength, but, you are doing this to a LIVING CREATURE? How would this work?

Sheesh, 14 is considered dumping? o_O The basic NPC array doesn't even have a 14 or higher.

I didn't dump it.

The Game Master wrote:

My character is a 6 foot tall dwarf (remove the Slow and Steady racial trait)

Sorry, I don't have anything to add but this: HERESY!

Haha that was the reaction of almost everyone at the table.

Oh yeah, I forgot to clarify that, the DM likes to run higher stat games than typical. So that is part of why the stats are so high.
Also, I just now realized after reading that yeah, Forewarned is useless.
Yeah, sorry, I glanced over the Occultist exploit. My mistake.
I'm not really trying for a lot of save or sucks. Mainly summons, illusions, and defensive spells.
Yeah Quick Study looks nice. But in my current situation, I found more value in Dimensional Slide. But I might retrain School Understanding for Quick Study (if possible).
Yeah, Polypurpose makes me giggle.
For the Mage Armor and Shield, yeah, I honestly never use them.
And I'll probably replace something for Obscuring Mist.

I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to take Color Spray.

The Game Master wrote:

I have an old wizard character that wore a haramaki. I think it's only a +1 and wouldn't do your magus much good. It doesn't have any penalties, though. I mean, I guess it would be decent at lower levels, if you went with high Dex, throw in a Shield spell. Then you would have some pretty sturdy paper armor. :P

"Much good" is very subjective. As a magus, I'm "not supposed" to wear armor. But 1 AC for 3g is a steal (especially with no downsides).

Oh yeah. That's how I felt too. I recommend getting it, then enchanting out the wazoo.

I have an old wizard character that wore a haramaki. I think it's only a +1 and wouldn't do your magus much good. It doesn't have any penalties, though. I mean, I guess it would be decent at lower levels, if you went with high Dex, throw in a Shield spell. Then you would have some pretty sturdy paper armor. :P

Okay, typically, I take the role in my group as the GM. Quite recently though, one of my friends has left for about a year, so I decided to pause my game and let someone else GM. I usually don't have the opportunity to be a player much, but when I do, I'm usually a wizard or a rogue, thus I decided to try out the Occultist archetype of the Arcanist.
My character is a 6 foot tall dwarf (remove the Slow and Steady racial trait), female, level 3 Occultist.
My question is of how I can meet the flavor of the character while also playing the class to the fullest potential. Any feats or spells to fill the flavor, or that are the most useful for the build?
In terms for flavor/build, she uses a lot of conjuration, because she is the heir to this mafia family and likes having "servants". She is CN, for things regarding that. We are allowed to use any Pathfinder published source.
I have been reading from some threads that I should just dump CHA, but I dunno. For roleplaying purposes, it seems wrong to dump it.
Also, we used the standard rolling method for stats. I got pretty lucky on the rolls.
Here is what I got:

14 STR
17 DEX
17+2 CON
18 INT
15+2 WIS
17-2 CHA

Feats: Improved Initiative, Extra Arcane Exploit (Dimensional Slide)

Exploits: Dimensional Slide, School Understanding: Divination, and the 3rd level Occultist replacement.

Spells:

O's: All

1st: Shield, Mage Armor, Summon Monster 1, Magic Missile, Enlarge Person, Burning Hands, Polypurpose Panacea, Unseen Servant, Grease, Silent Image

2nd (Can't cast yet, but I still have some): Summon Monster 2, Create Pit

Also, she has around 1000 gold at the moment, if that helps any.

Thanks.