TheGentlemanDM's page

So far, there has been some concern about cross-compatibility between the Operative and older martial classes.

While the Operative's balance in the Starfinder ranged meta doesn't seem to be a problem, the team has stated that being able to bring Pathfinder classes forward and send Starfinder classes back is a goal of the two systems, and the Operative as a fusion of Fighter accuracy, Rogue precision, and Gunslinger action compression means it renders those classes somewhat redundant.

R0sshk on reddit has proposed an answer, and I think it serves well.

Aim becomes a standard action available to anyone using a non-AOE tech weapon, which provides extra damage scaling based upon the level of the weapon. A related option is to make Aim a trait that weapons can get that enables the use of the action.

Starfinder classes can then get abilities that can interact with Aim, including action compression, die size increases, etc, with the Operative getting the bulk of the benefits.

This means that all ranged characters in Starfinder can be in a comparable spot for targeted ranged damage. Envoys and Soldiers can benefit from the action, as can Fighters, Gunslingers, and Rangers who are being played forward.

Likewise, an Operative sent back into Pathfinder functions mostly like a smoother gunslinger - using easy reload efficiency and Fighter accuracy - without the absurd damage potential they bring to the table.

I'd make it so that an Operative can apply the Aim action to *any* ranged weapon, but they only gain +1 precision damage per weapon die instead of +1d4. This means that they still get to use their primary class feature with old weapons, just to a degree that is balanced with Pathfinder.

Thoughts?

Doesn't work.

Both improve by one step from the roll.

So if you roll a failure, both get boosted to a success, but no further.

For the curious, I did take a pass at what a Mythic Plus could look like here.

This comes with the obvious disclaimer that a) this is a draft idea and b) is aware that it will result in less balanced gameplay. It's Mythic. We expected balance to get wonky.

It uses Mythic archetypes that grant floating proficiency increases. Each archetype prioritises certain proficiency boosts, with everything getting boosted at least once, and particular things getting boosted twice (or a permanent +2 status bonus if already boosted from Legendary -> Mythic -> beyond).

For example, the Mystic Pathway grants its first boost to spellcasting proficiencies and class DC. At third level, you gain a floating proficiency boost, meaning a Wizard would go from Trained to Expert. At 7th level, when they natural go to Expert, that floating boost would put them at Master spellcasting.

It solves the issue that you'd need a bit more bulk (through extra HP) as part of being treated as a higher level, and also solves the incapacitation problem that casters would have.

It's not perfect, but the end result produces a character that is around 23rd level in power.

The only issue left is that while everything else (HP, saves, and accuracy) scales with attribute boosts, AC is capped by armour DEX caps, meaning that AC scales worse than everything else in the long run.

There's two approaches, and it gets tricky because you have two largely opposing camps in terms of what they want Mythic to be.

Option 1 is that Mythic increases narrative power through abilities that increase your ability to interact with the world. You can gain followers, shape nations, and parley with gods. The fundamental math of the system is untouched and the balance remains.

Option 2 is that Mythic (as it did in 1st Edition) increases mechanical power. You'd have Mythic archetypes that unlock proficiency increases at certain points which would stack with those from your class - which eventually scales up to the Mythic (Lvl +10) proficiency at higher levels.

The math around which proficiencies get increased would need to be carefully calculated, but the end result could be PCs with an effective power of around level 21.5.

As much as some people don't like this, there's no denying that there is a sizeable contingent of players who really want for their characters to have the numbers to back up their narrative position.

The thing is, I believe you could appease both camps by making the numerical increases an optional addendum - a "Mythic Plus", so to speak.

You'd have your Mythic Archetypes with your Mythic Feats that have these grand world-shaping abilities, and then on a subsequent page you could flesh out how each archetype boosts your proficiencies if your table actually want to play with the higher power level and accepts that the balance will get a bit wonky.

All of these proposed solutions would fix the issue - we just need one of them implemented:

A) Have passive effects from your Ikons:
Include a Body Ikon that grants AC with a DEX cap while unarmoured.
Include a Worn Ikon that grants scaling medium armour proficiency.

B) Have a 1st level initial epithet that determines your defensive choice:
Bronze Skinned - AC bonus with a DEX cap while unarmoured
Nimble - +2 circumstance bonus to Reflex while wearing light armour
Adamant - scaling medium proficiency, and armour spec upon reaching Expert

C) Have a 1st level feat that provides AC bonus with a DEX cap while unarmoured.

The exact value of the AC bonus is debatable. If it's +2 AC/+3 DEX cap, it's in line with existing unarmoured options like Scales of the Dragon and Animal Skin. Unfortunately, it's still in line with light armour, and thus doesn't solve the problem.

+3 AC/+2 DEX cap puts it in line with STR Eidolons and medium armour, which seems appropriate for the 'demigod' class. It means STR characters still need 14 DEX, but starting at 12 and increasing one step at 5th is acceptable for them.

I honestly hope the "thief" rogue loses dex-to-damage in the remaster. I don't think it's coming, but this is an ability (IMO) nobody should have.

While there's a purity to this, I'd earnestly argue in the other direction:

DEX to damage should have been a Swashbuckler feature as well.

Personally, I'd guess the Holy rune becomes a lower level rune with just the effect of "your weapon's damage is Holy", seeing it's just a trait now instead of its own type. Then it'll still trigger the weaknesses but not adding the extra damage.

Alternatively, I could see it still doing extra damage, just that the extra damage is Holy spirit damage (though then it'd probably need a slight price increase). Could even do both of them!

That would be my guess.

A 'Sanctified Rune' that deals spirit damage and enables sanctification.

Even then, you can specialize in only one element, you just need a secondary damage type in case you run into something resistant or immune. This is very important for fire, as other elements already offer bludgeoning, piercing or slashing.

Fire can bludgeon as "hard light", and either pierce or slash like a blowtorch... if it can make sense.

You won't have any problems with this.

There's two first level feats that can solve the issue.

One adds a versatile element choice for your blasts (for fire, that's cold), and the other enables you to treat your blasts as B/P/S and add weapon traits to them.

Kineticists also get a feature at 3rd level that enables them to bypass enemy resistances and immunities to their element, provided that the creature has that elemental trait. So a pyrokineticist can burn a fire elemental to death, albeit needing a bit of luck and patience in order to succeed.

Is there a way for a PC (any class) to get an attack that has both the Fire and Cold traits ?

Alternately, a way to get 2 attacks within a single round, one with Fire trait and the other with the Cold trait, ideally while doing similar amounts of damage ?

At low levels if possible.

Fire Kineticists can take the Versatile blasts feat at 1st level to have the option for either damage type on their kinetic blast.

As noted, you can also go fire/water dual gate, but the advantage of this particular choice is that you can benefit from the impulse junction from 1st level which increases your die size when using the two-action blasts and impulses.

There's a few builds that are comparable to Cleric as healers.

Sorcerers have the excess supply of slots to facilitate a heal spam at higher levels. Divine Sorcerers (and Angelic specifically) can excel in such a role.

Life Oracles are in a similar position. They require a more deft hand with curse management, but are respectably bulky and have explosive burst healing.

Any caster getting Lay on Hands via Blessed One archetype can supplement healing. If you're a CHA-based Divine caster already, then the Mercies start looking tempting, enabling you to attempt counteracts on basically everything at higher levels.

For non-magical approaches, Forensic Medicine Investigators coupled with the Medic Archetype are the best users of Battle Medicine, getting plentiful uses with large bonuses.

With the recent errata, Chirugeon Alchemists can also play an effective healbot (and preserve their own actions by dispensing supplies before fights).

What I'd like to see from a Shaman:

- Wisdom based spellcasting, full slots, spontaneous casting.

- Primary subclass determines the flavour of your spirit communion and your spell list - animal/wild spirits for Primal, Ancestor spirits/ghosts for Occult, and outsiders? for Divine.

- A selection of spirits that serve as a toolbox that Shamans commune with depending on situation. Each spirit comes with particular focus spells and adds specific spells to their repertoire while attuned.

- Communion takes 10 minutes, meaning that Shamans have exceptional strategic flexibility, and limited tactical flexibility.

- Shamans start with three choices of spirit and add more at higher levels/can unlock them with feats.

My oldest stupid build, the Kamehameha Cleric, utilizes this principle: Ki Blast is much better for a Cloistered Cleric than for a Monk.

The best cantrip to pick up depends on what you already have.

For most of them, message is very strong when amped at 4+; getting the Barbarian, Rogue, or Fighter to just wallop something is very good. Guidance should also not be overlooked; preventing crit-fails is a nice tool to have in your pocket.

For Infinite Eye, Telekinetic Projectile is very good. They have true strike and organsight as locked in spells and no other damaging psi cantrips.

For Silent Whisper, telekinetic rend might be worth considering. They have good single-target damage and excellent support already, so having an option for getting AOE damage on non-Will save means their bases are well covered.

Between the divine-esque support with the Oracle and the Book of the Dead, Arcane support with the Magus and SoM, Occult support with the Psychic in the Dark Archives, and mundane/alchemical/technological support in Guns and Gears, we're well due for Primal to get some love.

I'll be very surprised if neither playtest class uses Primal casting to some degree.

Winners for Round 2 and art for Round 1 is up!

Congratulations to our 9 winners from 75 qualifying entries!

We'll be back in a few weeks for Round 3.

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WDZBFJtiCc3CiFUwaed-A4kqiTi2JCHmb0jf65rH3oY/edit#]A full guide to all Paizo APs with ratings can be found here[url/].

In general, Abomination Vaults and Strength of Thousands get highly rated, as does Age of Ashes (albeit with some difficulty concerns).

I heard that they're getting unique actions that can only be used while in a Psyche.

Infinite Eye gets something about granting precision damage to allied attacks.

Another subclass gets a 1-action concealment, which is pretty nice for a third action on a fragile caster.

They also mentioned that granted cantrips will be a little bit better even without amping- for example, Distant Grasp psychic's mage hand gets stronger all the time.

The first round showcased 33 entries.

The second round is past 50 and still has a few days left.

It's kind of nuts.

Yeah, I expect, but do not know, that whenever PF3 happens it will look a lot more like PF2 than PF2 looks like PF1. The core engine is just a lot sturdier and more modular so, based on what I'm currently seeing in sales and customer data, I don't think we'd throw that away when it's been so successful. There's definitely a couple places where modifications that are too intensive for errata fixes could be made that would make the experience even smoother and more enjoyable. For example, reducing proficiency bumps down to +1 per tier would require completely redesigning the monster math but would make warpriests better able to accommodate the desire for a divine striker who still has full casting, and it would make fighters feel less dominant among martials without actually changing many other paradigms. That's a change that requires a larger community who've really come to appreciate the potency of a +1 in a system where the math is tight and accurate, which we just didn't have coming from PF1.

Going back to the +1 differences in proficiency could be interesting, though I think you might need at least another proficiency rank to get an adequate distinction between casters and martials where it matters.

Untrained, Trained, Adept, Expert, Master, Legendary is 5 degrees, which seems the minimum for this? Hmm...

Core Martial:
Weapon Proficiencies: Adept to Master (Fighter = Expert to Legendary)
Defense Proficiencies: Trained to Master (Monks, Champions Adept to Legend)
Strong Save: Adept to Master/Legendary
Medium Save: Adept to Master
Weak Save: Trained to Adept
Casting/Class DC: Trained to Master

Core Caster
Weapon Proficiencies: Trained to Adept
Defense Proficiencies: Trained to Adept
Strong Save: Adept to Master/Legendary
Medium Save: Trained to Expert
Weak Save: Trained to Adept
Casting DC: Adept to Legendary

Hybrids
Weapon Proficiencies: Trained to Expert
Defense Proficiencies: Trained to Expert
Strong Save: Adept to Master
Medium Save: Adept to Expert
Weak Save: Trained to Adept
Casting DC: Trained to Master

One question arises from this: when forging a connection as a Thaumaturge, what's actually forming the basis for the check?

A class DC-10 check? Or a CHA-based skill check?

The difference between these two is very significant. The former likely caps out at Master with no bonuses, while the latter can hit legendary (and faster) and get item bonuses (and potentially status bonuses) as well, representing at least a 4 or 5 point difference in modifier.

At this point, another Cleric Doctrine isn't realistically going to happen without a class archetype that comes with it.

The minimum stuff that Doctrine has to cover is both too much and not enough to play around with it.

At minimum it has to:

- provide expert Fortitude
- provide expert weapon proficiency
- provide expert and master casting proficiency

and do these at reasonable levels.

You can't really mess around with Reflex saves because that's a core class feature. You can't really give it Master weapons and casting because then it's just better than a Warpriest.

The only way to play around with the balance of it requires a Class Archetype to start taking away some class features so you can rebuild from scratch.

The way that Unstable ended up getting integrated, with a greater and a lower state, might be worth considering.

What if the Psychic's psi cantrips were always boosted? And then you could spend focus points to properly amp things up.

For example: telekinetic projectile scales at a d6 per spell level. As a psi cantrip, it would scale at a d8 per spell level. When amped, it could climb to a d12.

In the short term, it's a ranged greatsword when amped. In the long term, it's an attacking spell that scaled a bit worse than 2d6. Neither of these things are broken.

Having this distinction between psi cantrips always being better, and the amped cantrips being at least as good as focus spells, would help bring the class up a bit.

It also enables you to bring up the base of certain spells to make them a viable expenditure of actions *cough* daze *cough* without needing to amp them.

Finally, it also means that if you're using a utility amp, your psi cantrips are still competitive in terms of damage or other effects.

I know the conversation moved on from this point, but I thought I'd point out that another avenue for divine DCs with Dragon Disciple could potentially be to take the Wyrmblessed sorcerer bloodline.

Mostly a note for people whose GM's require the sorc bloodline and DD spell profs to match. I know Dragon Disciple doesn't specifically call out Wyrmblessed as working with the archetype, well it was printed first, and the access requirement seems pretty met to me.

Wyrmblessed explicitly works as the Access requirement for Dragon Disciple.

"Because the wyrmblessed and draconic bloodlines have similar origins, they count the same as each other for the purposes of prerequisites and access requirements."

That is correct.

They explicitly have to call it out in the Inventor, who have two ways to increase die size (at 1st and 15th levels, respectively).

I also like this combo the other direction; Investigator/Gunslinger.

Get Quick Draw, use a finesse weapon like a shortsword as your primary tool, and carry a dueling pistol (it's the largest fatal die on a one-hnaded weapon).

When the dice align, quick draw the pistol and dome some poor fool for a huge pile of damage.

In general, it's not an aesthetic that appeals much to me.

However, I've played with a lot of people who would go utterly ga-ga for them, and I'm glad that they exist.

Rage has a downside, but

a) the upsides significantly outweigh the downsides, and

b) the class chassis is built to cope with the downside.

At the moment, the downsides for Psyche are often too severe to warrant the cost.

This feels rather like the Oracle's curse. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but we'd want to make sure there's a clear distinction.

Having certain features and feats that grow more powerful as your psyche unleashes is new. The idea that all of your powers come fully online in moments of stress (or whatever the triggers are) is something I like.

It's definitely an interesting path to explore.

TheGentlemanDM's playtests; will cover levels 2, 8, 14 and 20.

Major Strengths of the Inventor:

- the Unstable actions give them some decent burst (for example, while the area isn't a lot, Explode scales better than any AOE focus spell)

- their innovation gives them either extra resistances and defenses, an uncommonly strong and durable companion, or a weapon that effectively scales past what an advanced weapon can do

Minor Strengths of the Inventor

- This is the only class since the CRB to have Shield Block built in

- Reconfigure enables them to retrain into specific niches with very little downtime

- Having the Inventor feat and auto-scaling crafting means they never have to worry about availability

Anyone else suspicious that Constructs' ability modifiers increase by TWO when they become Incredible? (G&G page 33)

I think that must be typo...

It's strong, but needed in the long run. It means their accuracy and AC are within bounds that they can fight comfortably in the front lines.

And they're on the Inventor class, which is a martial class which doesn't quite match up to other martials in terms of attack accuracy or damage. So them being strong isn't a bad thing.

They start at +3 STR/DEX and trained (+5 to hit, +5 AC).
A martial character at that point is at +4 and trained (+6 to hit, +7 AC).

At 4th level, they can climb to +4, still trained (+6 to hit, +6 AC).
A martial character has +1 to hit from items and now has striking runes (+7 to AC, +7 AC). They're also about to jump ahead next level.

At 8th level, they can climb to +6, still trained (+8 to hit, +8 AC).
A martial character is still at +4 but is an expert in attacks, and has item bonuses (+9 to hit, +8 AC).

At 14th level, they climb to +7, and become Experts in attacks and AC (+11 to hit, +11 AC.
At this point, a martial is at +5, a master in attacks with +2 weapons, and at least an expert in defense with +2 potency (+13 to hit, +11 AC).

As martial characters pull further ahead with +3 weapons and Apex items, the construct loses offensive presence, at which point its main benefit is utility and being quite bulky for a companion.

Tying my antithetical adaptations to Essence is really interesting. I like that.

I don't think that the implements are going to fit well with Essences, though.

This isn't at 5th, but at 13th.

You're already an expert, and have been since 5th level.

It explicitly makes Drifters and Vanguards worse, since RAW they're stuck at expert for their melee strikes.

Obviously the numbers and exact abilities in my proposal aren't inherently perfect; I just stayed with the current playtest balance where it seemed useful. I do like the idea of keeping a hard hitting option, but it should very much be opt-in, with "smart" options as the core. The main things I wanted to get out were

1: solutions to the core mechanical issues with FF/EA (skill proficiency demands, recall knowledge penalties, action economy demands, etc)

2: solutions to the core thematic issues that arise from FF/EA (limited ways to link your Esoteric Antithesis to a specialised mechanic, few mechanics enabling one to feel like an actual specialist, being worse against the rare and weird creatures that thematically you should be best against, only feeling like a dumb beatstick and not having 'smart' debuffing options)

I do like and agree with Ediwir's proposal that we move a bit of the power budget into the implements and increase their connection to EA, though I don't have any ideas on that yet beyond the Chalice, Wand and Lanturn wanting a bit more oomph to make them appealing next to the Weapon and Amulet.

I was one of Ediwir's playtesters, and the one responsible for the barbarian comment, so I'd like to throw in my own ideas and feedback here.

It's increasingly obvious that having a core feature that runs on Recall Knowledge runs into a lot of issues as a character develops. Needing to keep up with four-to-six different skills, suffering penalties for having to repeatedly use the ability against the same type of enemy, and suffering penalties against rarer enemies are all problems.

I also agree with Ediwir's thesis that the class needs to do more interesting things than just hit really hard. That said, one of the limitations of his proposal is that it doesn't solve the core issue of needing to develop all the knowledge skills/the rarity issues.

So, here's my solutions.

FIND FLAWS [action]
You determine a creature’s weaknesses, whether a literal weakness or a metaphysical one. Recall Knowledge about a creature, using your Charisma modifier instead of the usual ability modifier for the skill you’re using to Recall Knowledge. You ignore all penalties to the DC based upon the rarity of the creature.
The creature must be either one you can see or one you’re specifically Investigating in advance during exploration. The result depends on your Recall Knowledge check, which has the following additional effects as well as the usual effects of Recall Knowledge:
Critical Success You learn all of the creature’s resistances, weaknesses, and immunities. If you would have learned any of them already from Recall Knowledge, you learn different information instead. You can then use Esoteric Antithesis without spending an additional action, and can use Esoteric Antithesis against the same type of creatures without needing to Find Flaws again. This benefit lasts until your next daily preparations.
Success As a critical success, but you only learn the creature's highest weakness in addition to what you would have learned from Recalling Knowledge.
Failure You couldn’t quite figure it out, so you decide to invoke a wide range of superstitions and narrow it down from there. You may use Esoteric Antithesis against your target and the same type of creatures without needing to Find Flaws again. This benefit lasts until your next daily preparations.

Removes the critical failure clause, removes the penalties for rarity, and negates the need for more knowledge checks.

ESOTERIC ANTITHESIS [action]
Requirements You can take this action only you have used Find Flaws against your target or the same type of creature since your last daily preparations.
You search through your esoterica to find the right trinket that will apply a weakness to your attacks against the creature you Found Flaws in. You Interact to apply specific esoterica to yourself and your weapons; you can perform this Interact action with the hand holding your implement. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature become magical if they weren’t already, and you cause them to apply one of the creature’s weaknesses even if they don’t deal the correct type of damage. If the creature has a resistance to physical damage that can be bypassed by a particular type of metal or alignment trait, your strikes count as having that metal or trait. If you used a knowledge skill for which you have an Antithetical Adaptation, you may also apply one of those effects. This effect lasts until you use Esoteric Antithesis again.

Updated the wording such that you can chain it on the same type of creature, updated it so you can hit pseudo-weaknesses in terms of bypassing resistances, and removed the ability to add custom weaknesses.

What is an Antithetical Adaptation? That's the last piece of the puzzle, and it comes from the actual subclasses.

Each Thaumaturge chooses an Esoteric Emphasis, which specializes them in a particular tradition knowledge skill, and also gives them a unique Antithetical Adaption that serves as their way of exploiting their foes' weaknesses.

ESOTERIC EMPHASIS
While a thaumaturge draws upon a broad range of understandings and experiences, each of them by interest or fate is inevitably drawn to a particular area of expertise. Choose one of the following Emphases.

Arcane Emphasis
Your understanding of the world is ordered, and you fundamentally recognise the truth that even the most complicated of systems follow basic rules at the smallest levels of detail. You gain the Vulnerability Antithetical Adaptation, enabling you to use your esoterica to disrupt and destroy the fundamental makeup of your targets. You can use Arcana to Recall Knowledge about any creature that you encounter. If you normally could not use Arcana to Recall Knowledge about that creature, you take a -2 circumstance penalty to the check. At 3rd level, your proficiency in Arcana increases to Expert. At 7th level, your proficiency in Arcana increases to Master, and at 15th level it increases to Legendary.

Vulnerability Antithetical Adaptation
When you use the Arcana skill to Find Flaws, you may apply this Antithetical Adaptation on your Esoteric Antithesis against those creatures. If the creature does not already have a weakness, you grant it a custom weakness equal to 2 + half your level that only you can trigger. If the creature does already have a weakness, increase its weakness against your strikes by an amount equal to 2 + half your level.

Divine Emphasis
Your understanding of the world recognises the lingering touch of the divine and the outer planes on all things from fundamental creation. You gain the Anathematic Antithetical Adaptation, enabling you to use your esoterica to cause fate itself to reject your targets. You can use Religion to Recall Knowledge about any creature that you encounter. If you normally could not use Religion to Recall Knowledge about that creature, you take a -2 circumstance penalty to the check. At 3rd level, your proficiency in Religion increases to Expert. At 7th level, your proficiency in Religion increases to Master, and at 15th level it increases to Legendary.

Anathematic Antithetical Adaptation
When you use the Religion skill to Find Flaws, you may apply this Antithetical Adaptation on your Esoteric Antithesis against those creatures. When you strike a creature, it becomes sickened 1 until your next turn. If that creature has a weakness and you trigger it with your strikes, it becomes sickened 2 instead.

Occult Emphasis
Your understanding of the world is complicated, and your recognise that there are many different ways of thinking about the same things, and that this flexibility in thinking enables you to consider myriad possibilities others can't. You gain the Mindful Antithetical Adaptation, enabling you to use your esoterica to enhance your mental and tactical faculties against your targets. You can use Occultism to Recall Knowledge about any creature that you encounter. If you normally could not use Occultism to Recall Knowledge about that creature, you take a -2 circumstance penalty to the check. At 3rd level, your proficiency in Occultism increases to Expert. At 7th level, your proficiency in Occultism increases to Master, and at 15th level it increases to Legendary.

Mindful Antithetical Adaptation
When you use the Occultism skill to Find Flaws, you may apply the this Antithetical Adaptation on your Esoteric Antithesis against those creatures. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Deception, Intimidation, Survival, and Stealth checks directed at or related to the target, and a +1 circumstance bonus to AC and saving throws against the targets attacks, spells and abilities. These bonuses increase to +3 if you're a Master in the associated skill, or +4 if you're legendary. If that creature has a weakness and you trigger it with your strikes, the circumstance bonus to AC increases to +2 until your next turn.

Primal Emphasis
Your understanding of the world recognises the fundamental animalistic instincts underlying much behaviour, and the pack instincts needed to exploit this underlying simplicity. You gain the Instinctual Antithetical Adaptation, enabling you to use your esoterica to leave your foes cornered and vulnerable. You can use Nature to Recall Knowledge about any creature that you encounter. If you normally could not use Nature to Recall Knowledge about that creature, you take a -2 circumstance penalty to the check. At 3rd level, your proficiency in Nature increases to Expert. At 7th level, your proficiency in Nature increases to Master, and at 15th level it increases to Legendary.

Instinctual Antithetical Adaptation
When you use the Nature skill to Find Flaws, you may apply the this Antithetical Adaptation on your Esoteric Antithesis against those creatures. The creature is flat-footed to all of your strikes. If it would already be flat-footed to your attacks from another source, the circumstance penalty to its AC from being flat-footed increases to -3 instead. If that creature has a weakness and you trigger it from your strikes, it becomes flat-footed with the same penalties to all your allies until your next turn.

So what does all of this do? One, it helps Thaumaturges feel specialised and smart. Two, it means they're actually better at dealing with creatures who already have weaknesses, which compounds the first clause. Three, it solves the need for having all the knowledge skills. (I recommend including a class feature at 9th that removes the penalty for the Recall knowledge skill not aligning, a la Ranger's Master Monster Hunter.) Four, it gives them stuff to do that's not just 'hit harder'. Five, it opens up the class for even more of these Antithetical Adaptations as feats.

Just to give you an idea...

Crippling Antithetical Adaptation Feat 10
Prerequisites: expert in Nature
When you use the Nature skill to Find Flaws, you may apply the following Antithetical Adaptation against those creatures. When you strike a creature, it becomes clumsy 2 for a minute or until you use Esoteric Antithesis again. If that creature has a weakness and you trigger it with your strikes, it becomes clumsy 3 instead.

While this would be an easy pickup for a Primal Emphasis Thaumaturge, any thaumaturge could invest into Nature and pick this up if they wanted to, broadening their list of options for exploiting foes.

Do the Sniper Gunslinger Way only work with two-handed firearms or could one use a pistol for that?

It wouldn't be great, but nothing outright requires you to use an arquebus or Harmona Gun as a Sniper.

A pistol would work fine.

TheGentlemanDM wrote:

aobst128 wrote:

What's the vanguard like?

Specialises in two-handed firearms and crossbows at close range.

Slinger's Reload is Clear a Path, which enables...

Any chance you'd share the same info for Pistolero?

Probability is in your favour today.

Pistolero is a one-handed firearm specialist who prefers to fight at medium range and supplement with charismatic actions.

Slinger's Reload is Raconteur's Reload, which combines reload with either Create a Diversion or Demoralize.

Initial Deed is Ten Paces. +2 to initiative, free draw of a one-handed weapon, and a free 10 foot step.

Advanced Deed is Pistolero's Retort. It's a riposte within the first range increment of your one-handed gun.

Greater Deed is Grim Swagger. Make an intimidation or deception check against the Will DC of every enemy within 30 feet. On a success, frighten 2. On a crit success, frighten 3 and fleeing if they're weaker.

What's the vanguard like?

Specialises in two-handed firearms and crossbows at close range.

Slinger's Reload is Clear a Path, which enables you to shove with your weapon and then interact to reload. If your last action was a strike, you delay MAP on the Shove, using the same MAP as the strike.

Initial Deed is Living Fortification. When you roll initiative, you can draw your weapon and basically parry with it (+1 AC, or +2 if it has parry, which one of the elf guns does).

Advanced Deed is Spinning Crush. Three actions, wallop everyone adjacent with your gun, basic Reflex to resist. Pushes if they fail.

Greater Deed is Siegebreaker. (Requires a kickback or scatter weapon if performed with a gun.) Two actions; leap or stride, then strike an adjacent target. You deal 3d8 extra bludgeoning damage and bypass 10 hardness. You then become immobilized, gain the parry bonus to AC, and are harder to move, all until your next turn.

They'd be very weak, and quite shallow to play as well compared to other casters.

If one was playing a long ranged Ranger to be a Sniper Assassin is there anything within the Gunslinger that supports hunting a specific target and eliminating it from long range?

Also is there a decent sniper rifle type weapon? Hunt Prey makes sense for an Assassin, does Gunslinger have anything similar?

The Sniper Way pushes one to be stealthy and make one attack per turn. Their unique reload gives them a free Hide or Sneak, their first Deed gives them pseudo-Sneak Attack for opening a fight from stealth, and their second Deed expands that to any strike they land on a flat-footed target.

How much of this is available through the archetype for a Ranger, I don't know.

The Arquebus is going to be the sniper's weapon of choice. 2-handed, d8, 150 foot range, reload 1, with concussive, kickback, and fatal d12.

If you're taking the time to make one shot per turn with as many bonuses and penalties in your favour as possible (probably using Hunter's Aim), nothing beats it.

I their point is that the stresses should be es-OT-e-RIC an-TITH-e-SIS?

I thought it was fair to compare the oracle to the cleric, since both are dedicated divine spellcasters, so I think it is fair to compare the psychic to the bard, since both are dedicated occult casters (and both are occult).

In this case, the psychic is so much worse. The psychic has a far worse chassis (6 hit points and shabby proficiencies) and 1 less spell per day per level compared to a bard, and the psychic's amps are on the mediocre side. This is an underwhelming class. It has some cool ideas and I liked the psychic for 1e but seriously it needs at least three spells per day or a big boost to their unique cantrips.

I feel that in terms of chassis, the Psychic also needs to be compared to an Occult Sorcerer. After all, both are 6HP/level spontaneous casters with certain spells locked into their repertoire.

Sorcerers get 4 spells/level, some solid focus spells, and some small riders on certain spells.

Psychics get 2 spells/level, no focus spells, and better cantrips about three-quarters of the time.

This comparison makes it very clear that the Psychic needs its Amp effects to be seriously boosted. A Sorcerer has enough fuel in the tank between slots and focus that they almost never need to cast cantrips, meaning that they're operating at 75%-100% impact for almost the entire fight.

A Psychic, on the other hand, has a severe lack of slots, meaning that they're operating at anywhere between 50%-100% impact, and more frequently the former. At the moment, the Amps feel like they're bringing that up to 60%-100%.

Mios is non-binary, yes.

Quick note: the Psychic seems to be missing Expert Perception.

Could we please get input as to when they're meant to get it?

81) This is not REAL. YOU are not REAL. I DISBELIEVE you.

Repeat after me.

You do not see the bodies in the water.

71. Drops of sweat from the monk who has practiced one kick ten thousand times are pure anathema to demons of sloth.

72. An iron nail can bind shadows to the spot if struck at exactly the right time. The trick is knowing that it's always the right time somewhere in Golarian.

73. Given their affinity for spiders, you'd think that the drow would understand that the stinger of a wasp and a few of their eggs are effective symbols against the gogiteth. Of course, this would require them to acknowledge their own weaknesses...

49: Against a spirit of life and procreation, a capable thaumaturge uses symbols of death. A clever one simply asks the bard to turn out their pockets.

50: Vrocks and Gorumites alike quail before the feather of a dove.

45: Against the rancid filth of the ghoul, a rose of any name shall smell so sweet.

46: The puppetmaster's strings are little match for a common pair of shears.

47: Air elementals might be tricky to bind, but a hangman's noose for choking the air from its victims shall do the trick.

48: Those who hunt werewolves often carry silver blades, but a true thaumaturge needs but a single coin.

The original Psychic used thought and emotion components, and bringing those forward into 2e wouldn't break anything.

Verbal components have the concentrate trait (which has very few weaknesses by default), a mild weakness to deafened, and are shut down by silence.

Somatic components have the manipulate trait, which makes them vulnerable to Attack of Opportunity.

All up, a tiny fraction of foes can invalidate verbal casting, and between 5% and 20% of foes (depending on level) can threaten somatic components.

Any new components need to have comparable weaknesses. If we look at how they worked in 1E, such weaknesses become apparent.

Thought components would have the concentrate trait. When you attempt the flat check for casting while stupefied, the DC is 10 + stupefied instead of 5 + stupefied.

Emotion components require you to have clear control over your mental state. Casting while frightened or under an emotion effect requires a flat check.

Once again, a tiny fraction of foes can invalidate thought components, but a LOT of stuff can try to mess with emotion components.

Thought matches with verbal as the component with rare weaknesses, and emotion with somatic as the common weakness.

Disciplines as subclasses and Phrenic Amplifications as focus spell metamagics seems likely.

There's a few metamagic-tagged focus spells already (Elemental Tempest, Extend Boost, and Extend Spell) and a class built around them would be an interesting design space to explore.