Veiled Nail's page

I've been reading some of the threads about Paizo's business model and "behind the curtain" details.

So, I have a question:

When should I declare that I am cancelling a subscription? By that, I mean, If I already know that I'm not going to want the AP that starts in 6 months or the Campaign Setting products starting next February, how can I inform Paizo to not count my subscription to the print run for those products?

As best I understand, I cancel my subscription after my last product ships - but my understanding is that it is too late to affect the print run for the next month (or two).
Does Paizo just eat this cost?

I'm not interested in cancelling my subscriptions now... But, I want to know how to be a better customer to a company that I am pleased to give money to.

And don't even go down the "you should never cancel" route! This stuff is addicting enough. And the Paizo staff has done a very excellent job of keeping my wallet open...

I've been examining the APG. Very pleased with most of the content...except the Holy Vindicator.

It is too good. I feel it violates the principle that prestige classes should not be incredibly better than the base classes.

The mechanics of this principle can be implemented in the following ways:

1. The requirements of the PrC require tradeoffs

example: Arcane trickster requires 3 levels of rogue and 3 levels (minimum) of some arcane class

2. The class progression involves tradeoffs from the base class(es) used to qualify for it

Continuing example: Arcane trickster forgoes the capstone abilities of the arcane class and the additional rogue talents (including improved evasion)

I interpret the holy vinidcator as being designed for a paladin, but really being best taken by a cleric. There is little reason to continue in cleric past 8th level when a holy vindicator is available.

Comparison:

A paladin gives up:
additional Lay on Hands
Mercies
Divine Bond
Smite Evil
Aura powers
Holy Champion

They gain no new proficiencies, BAB or HD and lose 3 spellcasting levels (from a weak progression).

A cleric who waits to level 9 to start holy vindicator (so the 8th level domain power kicks in) gains the following (on top of PrC powers):

Better HD (d8 -> d10)
Better BAB (3/4 -> full)
Martial Weapon Proficiencies
Heavy Armor Proficiencies

And loses:
up to 3 levels of spellcasting
increased duration/power for some (but not all) domain powers

/Comparison

Channel Energy continues to stack with this PrC.

4 levels of Holy Vindicator means only a -1 caster level to spellcasting.

What cleric wouldn't dip into this PrC for the proficiencies and the HD/BAB (at least for 4 levels)?

Not having a cleric capstone makes divine spellcasting PrCs very difficult to design, because anything with decent caster progression is very tempting. I know this was dropped for a reason from the Beta (clerics too powerful with it?).

For my home games I will probably limit the PrC caster progression to an even level only (dropping from 7 levels to 5). This at least makes 20th level cleric/holy vindicators lose 9th level spells.

Please, Paizo, do not make the nice, well-thought out base classes obsolete! Keep the PrCs that require real tradeoffs.