Yrtalien's page

Joe M. wrote:

I don't think we know for sure how the "essences" and spell lists will interact.

True, but if it works well for the job I have no doubt that the team will pull that wonderful GM trick of "You totally figured it out, bravo!" *erase old idea, write in new one*

OK, I knew couldn't be the only one who has done that. I say co-opt as many of their ideas as possible and run with them. Just congratulate them for figuring it out so they know it was your idea all along

What version of game did you play?

Your statements do not back up what are even in the Games themselves (and I have the games themselves if people want to have a reference to them).

I'm sorry if I mis remembered something. Many of these things happened over 30-40 years ago when a friend brought the Old D&D pamphlets to a church retreat. I don't have the old books so I'm going by an admittedly faulty memory.

For starters OD&D had 9th level spells. NO ONE pulled their hair out when AD&D had 9th level spells. It simply continued what OD&D had already.

I'm sorry I would have sworn Magic User spells topped out at 6th at one point. Sorry to have messed up. I thought I recalled a player being upset that Wizard spells had gone up to 9th.

The number of players were so small (and most of them are dead now) when 9th level spells were finally included in the pamphlets for OD&D in GreyHawk, but NO ONE tore their hair out or screamed about it. In fact, Greyhawk was so popular that it became the default of what we understand D&D to be today.

It was a supplement, and one that got pretty universally accepted.

So I wasn't wrong about the spell levels increasing?

As to the number of players being small, well, I never had problems finding any. The family of the girl that introduced me to the game when I was a hair older than 6. The kids who played in the library at my school throughout Junior High, New friends when I went to High School. My 3 cousins when they moved back. I didn't even start AD&D till I was a Sophomore at my University. Lack of money meant we often played with old editions and as I joined different groups I found some had different versions of the game.

As far as most of them being dead I assure you Melissa and her two sisters are very much alive, I haven't asked about their parents. I lost track of the library kids so I can't say. My friends from High Shool are still alive. My cousins are still alive and they began back when I did. My current table has another guy who played through many of those iterations and he's just a bit older than me. When do you think these games came out? I mean, I know I'm old but I would hardly call my gaming group methuselahs.

Tearing his hair out was hyperbole, he complained mightily. He was older than me and ahhh I can't even remember his name anymore.

The Original Basic did NOT have race as class and actually stuck pretty closely to what was in OD&D. It is now known as Holmes Basic, but at the time it only went to level 3. If anything, people were confused at the rules differences between AD&D and that version of Basic, but as AD&D was the continuation of OD&D...most settled happily on playing AD&D.

We just called everything D&D for the longest time. If messed up the order or got confused about what I played before what. I'm sorry. Holmes Basic... never heard it called that. Now I know.

And anyone who played back then KNEW that and that the original Basic (by Holmes) was based on OD&D (though some hoped it was going to include ideas of AD&D, which it did in a back around way...it was a weird grouping ideas) and that AD&D was the continuation of THAT version of OD&D...NOT BX or BECMI. We all knew those were different versions made later. If anything, some of the players of AD&D put up their noses at those who started with BX because it said Basic and was a simpler type of game. BX and BECMI were published at the SAME time as AD&D and were not NEW versions of AD&D (or even Holmes, which was seen as connected to AD&D while BX and BECMI were not). They were made and brought in a LOT of new players...but were DIFFERENT than AD&D, which was what came from OD&D (and in theory some would say if it HAD a basic, that would have been Holmes Basic).

Ok, now I have to admit I don't recall the people running the games ever saying things like Basic, BX, or BECMI... it was all just D&D and later it got called OD&D and later they introduced AD&D... If I got names wrong I'm sorry.

No ONE tore out their hair because those who would have were playing AD&D already...and AD&D kept on being published and supported even while BX came out and then eventually was replaced with BECMI.

Still not certain what BX and BECMI are... So not sure what to say to that.

Most of the iterations were considered pretty small and overall progressing naturally on what had come before.

And yet I remember complaints and some reticence to buy the new stuff. I'm sorry Dude, my experience seems to have been different than your own. We're your groups so easy going about all this?

It wasn't until AD&D 2e that we first start seeing a rift, and even then, it wasn't as big as some think it was. AD&D 2e was HUGELY compatible with AD&D 1e, to the point that there was even a grandfather clause. The clause that was stated was that you could basically bring anything you felt you needed over to AD&D 2e in your games or ongoing campaigns and it was perfectly legal.

I'm sorry if my hyperbolic tearing of hair lead you to think that I was speaking of a rift or divide, most people I know made the switch, not all but most. I was only trying to say that even then there were people who were unhappy with changes.

As far as AD&D 1e played in 2e, my cousin would have none of that. New rules were law. Though he fell in love with 2e, still has his books and just last year tried to get me to play a game of AD&D 2e with him. I may take him up on it someday his games were great!

IT wasn't until D&D 3e that we see anything that people today would consider an "edition war" and that was probably FAR harsher than anything I've seen since in regards to people upset about an edition change (far more than from 3e to 4e, or from what we see with P1E to PF2e).

Egads man I was not trying to say there was a war. We didn't even have the internet back then... the back and forth would've had to have been carried out through the mail. I was just trying to say some people I played with didn't like the changes. I need to re-read my post did I put things so poorly. I'm sorry my intent was to say with change can come upset but we see the game survived. My cousin still thinks THAC0 was the best thing since sliced bread and laments it's loss; he prefers it to 5e's system to hit (he skipped the 3.Xs and 4e).

Your statement does not reflect what anyone really saw back then, which raises a LOT of other questions regarding what you stated in regards to the OD&D, BASIC and AD&D changes.

It reflects what I really saw. I think you are calling me a liar and I try very hard not to be. I'm not certain how to take this or how to prove my veracity it was over 40 years ago.

OD&D, BASIC, and AD&D were ALL more compatible with each other than what has come later in Hasbro's/WotC's years of D&D.

I didn't try to say they weren't. I'm sorry if that was what you took away from what I wrote... again I regret any misunderstandings.

I'm not sure WHAT OD&D, BASIC and AD&D (as well as BX and BECMI and the RC) even have to do with our editions changes today, as those were absolutely done differently and seen differently. It's more of an offtopic thing for this than what I see as relevant. It was a different time, and even with AD&D 1e to AD&D 2e, though there were some that were unhappy, their voices were mostly muted because society was not by and large on the internet and had instant communication between them.

I thought what I wrote was relatively on-topic... I will go back and read it... Since I'm worried now I somehow said everything wrong.

If we want to discuss relevant, then we should discuss the change between AD&D 2e and D&D 3e, OR D&D 3e to D&D 4e, OR D&D 4e To D&D 5e.. The situation is far more similar (at least we had a LOT more on the internet and the discussions and anger or happiness could be seen) and far more can understand what happened.

I saw the discussions and anger and happiness face to face, that's what I was trying to write about, no internet needed, just talking at the gaming table and a couple of people walking away from it.

I'm sorry I distracted from the conversation. I will try to do better.

Threeshades wrote:

master_marshmallow wrote:

Threeshades wrote:

master_marshmallow wrote:

Not happy with power attack, more dice means less reliable numbers, I don't want to base my damage calcs solely on variables.

I have to say i feel the opposite way. In Pathfinder rolling those 2d6 or 1d12 wor your weapon damage was just a formality, really a farce, because it was a pittance on top of the +45 damage the character got from all other factors. Might as well just change weapon damage to be static, so that players couldsave themselves that near meaningless dieroll.

I'm happy that dice will mean something again in the new edition.

I'm not, it adds two layers of variation to lessen martial reliability whereas in PF1 there was more focus on making sure you hit. Now not only do you have to make sure you hit, but your damage is also swingy. I'm already having visions of snake eyes ruining the fighter player's night over and over again meaning he can't do his one job well at all.

More dice is not good game design, it just attracts people who like simplicity, it's the reason I stay away from 5e still.

In that case we need an optional rule to make all damage dice deal average damage automatically. Super reliable numbers and the unnecessary, purely ceremonial damage roll is out too.

Either way i like the idea that the amount of damage your weapon deals by itself is now actually a meaningful factor in the game, not just "Is it two-handed? Y/N" whether thats dice for people who prefer the randomness or a hard number for those who want more predictable output.

I like that actually, doing average damage in place of rolling.

But still, it is going to create more scenarios where we will find the "one true weapon" and everyone will use it because it has the best dice to roll to reliably deal damage.

If this is the result of the fighter being the best at weapons, then by virtue all the other classes will be terrible too. Damage is no longer going to be the economy...

First of all I like complexity and I am attracted to more dice. To say that either system statics bonus vs bonus dice is better or simpler is misleading... they are different, that's all. I endorse the idea of using the average though... I give my casters in high level games the choice to average rather then roll things like disintegration's 36 dice. LOL

Secondly, as concerns the "one true weapon", different weapons may have different qualities (for lack of a better name). Some weapons reduce the penalty on the second and third swing. Some weapons make it easier to hit more than one person. We don't yet know how many qualities there are but I hope there are more than enough to accommodate many different and personal "One true weapons".

This doesn't look like an iteration on the same game, but a knockdown rebuild. I don't want a brand new house. I want the same house renovated. There is value in iterative design (see pre-WotC D&D).

As a guy who has played through those old iterations let me assure you that many people screamed then what you scream now. OD&D, Basic D&D, AD&D all had what were called massive game breaking changes. Pointing to the halcyon days of yore and thinking the edition changes went down easy is just wrong. People stopped playing with us.

Changes people complained about at our table when variations in iteration came up: Races having classes. Females not being able to have as high a strength as males. The inclusion of classes beyond fighter, cleric, magic user.

A Fighter nearly pulled his hair out because Magic User spells went from 6th as the highest level to 9th. Same fighter screamed about having to remember the different damage dice when they switched away from all weapons doing a d6.

Screaming happened when exceptional Str. happened but not exceptional other stats. Comeliness and Charisma. Psionics, Multi-classing, Non Weapon Proficiencies.

The list goes on and on. If you look at 3.0 and beyond it just keeps going.

Iteration changes are big things. Trying to say previous iteration changes were small things is just wrong.

This is just stuff I remember about the old iteration changes, it is by no stretch complete. My brain is old. I'm sure others remember more. Change usually isn't easy. Try playing a Dwarf for a while then finding out you need to pick a class. LOL... here's to good times... and the hopefully good times to come.

The problem isn't that Pathfinder 1st ed is perfect and doesn't need fixing. It does. The problem is among the playerbase there is such a signficiant disconnect as to what "fixing" Pathfinder really means. It's concerning to see the company that built up the Pathfinder brand from the "3.5 survives thrives!" platform appears to now be moving so drastically away from what makes Pathfinder Pathfinder as opposed to D&D 4th ed.

That's why you're seeing this resistance. Some of us were around when Pathfinder started and actually appreciate the basis from which Pathfinder was built upon.

I too was around when Pathfinder started and I do appreciate how it started but I also think it's bogged down in old mindsets that need changed.

This is an edition change not a 7th printing of the CRB with errata. Many of the changes deal with issues this community has discussed for more than 10 years and many require more than a patch or a fluffing of language. We have effectively (even the Devs) playtested this game since 2009. I'd like to get the details on what they've heard.

Finally it's not moving away from what makes Pathfinder Pathfinder, it's extending Pathfinder a bit further out from 3.5.

When this game was first announced it was called D&D 3.75, now we need to call it what it is; just Pathfinder. It may always have its roots in 3.5, in 3.0, in AD&D, and in D&D... but it needs to grow beyond those forebears. I want to see where PF takes it's story and rules when it isn't concerned overly much by backwards compatibility.

So far these blogs leave me eager to read the full playtest.

Albatoonoe wrote:

Come on, man. It's been explained that the skill check is not the defining metric of how good you are. It is really just a determination of how seldomly you fail. Skills are gonna be a lot more than just that number. It's gonna be proficiency and skill feats and whatever.

This thread is starting to argue in circles because people are refusing to acknowledge anything EXCEPT the numbers being the indication of skill.

I'm not comparing it to the other PCs in the party who have skill feats. I 100% understand that a PC who specialized in a skill will have much more ability to use it compared to the untrained people in their party because of ability scores, items, class features, and skill feats.

This doesn't change that the massive bonuses provided by proficiency specifically make you at-the-top of the world in regards to the basics of every single skill (see Mark's examples with the cookies, where the high level character will be much much better at making standard cookies than a low/mid level master of culinary arts, but the master cook will be able to make up non-basic dishes that the untrained character cannot attempt to replicate).

The rules for jumping for example will be one which needs to be severely changed in regards to DCs, considering jumping is a basic thing that anyone can do that you don't require training to accomplish.

Not in regards to the basics of every single skill. IIRC we've been told professions can't be attempted untrained. Mark was just expanding on previous debate, I think. You will not be a better lawyer than someone who has passed Golarion's bar, you will not be a better accountant than a trained accountant, you will not be able to outperform a blacksmith. You may know some facts about those things, maybe lend a hand...

If your worry is that by the new system once trained the level 20 guy will outshine the level 5 guy who worked at excelling... Consider this. I have done my own taxes my entire life (I am almost 50) and if I decide to go to H&R Block this year and my tax advisor is 25 and has been doing this a year... well you know what we could both probably fill out the form in a way that won't result in fraud and tax evasion charges... but I'm gonna bet he finds more deductions and gets a better return.
That is what this system simulates, as I understand it.

As far as jumping I bet they already have it down... we just need a chance to playtest it. We already know falling damage has seen a change... not hard to imagine the two happening at the same time. August 2nd will give us more info... I can barely wait.

So it enhances the feeling of participation to have a roll which you are good at merely because you are breathing and a certain level rather than any choices at all you made? I don’t see it.

It isn't merely because you are breathing, but rather because you managed to keep breathing while spending years fighting a Necromacer and his army of skeletons, survived 100 traps... 30 of which got set off, because you've watched Rodgar climb that rope 10 times, and even though you've never seen a pool of water larger than a bucket you managed to reason out, through the wits you've used for 18 levels that kicking your feet helps keep your head above water. You may not figure out the breaststroke but you can tread water.

Not "merely" anything.

BtB: I learned to swim when I was 5 I saw no one else do it... the pool was empty... I was tossed in by family and told stay above water. Cruel, perhaps, but it served until I learned the breaststroke at the Y 7 years later. So, to whomever keeps mentioning the guy from the desert figuring out swimming though he's never seen a large body of water I did it and I must have been at best a fifth level kid. My cousin who was 17 and visiting and had never learned to swim figured it out way faster than I did in part because she was older and not as panicked as a 5 year old.

I also figured out how to use a computer the first time I saw one and was given 30 minutes of free time with it by my teacher. I was in 4th grade at the time. Yes I am that old.

I figured out my first cell phone last week in a quick bit because I am a man in my late 40s who had enough experience to reason it out after having avoided cell phones like the plague.

Experience matters. I will probably never type on my cell phone like the teenage son of my friend (how do they do that so quickly... itty bitty buttons big fat thumbs) but I managed to send a text in my first few minutes of getting the phone.

Experience matters, wits matter, age matters, intelligence matters, luck matters, Gods given talent matters.

If you were 15th level (known otherwise as 15 years old (and had never really lied to, or deceived your parents) do you think you could reason out how to sneak out of the house past your parents, do you think you'd have a chance of convincingly lying about it the next day? Shouldn't my 15th level fighter have a reasonable ability to sneak past a guard? Shouldn't I be able to realize the chain mail makes a noise when I move and take it off. Even though I never put points in the skill.

At almost 50 I don't pretend to know half the the Things in this world but give me a bit and I'll be able to reason some nugget out. I may not know how to Jack up the car but I can give you the number to Triple A (I memorized it though I've never had to use them or been a member) and since I have seen others Jack up the car twice (IIRC)... I'm willing to bet in a tough situation I could even change my tire in one go. I after all managed to change the battery after watching it be jumped once.

I've never bought pot in my whole life nor do I consort with people who use it, but give me 30 minutes and I bet I could figure out how to get some. In large part because I haven't lived in a bubble. My 20th level fighter should be able to reason out with a fair degree of accuracy how to get the people in a bar talking about the latest rumours even though he has never gossiped in his life.

I have Chosen to remain willfully ignorant about many things in my life. Country music, old cinema, anime... to name a few. However, I can rattle off a bit on the topics because I don't live in a void. Though I detest anime I can rattle off a bit about Full Metal Alchemist, and the one where the guy screams Akira and the crap hits the fan... even though I've never seen either because I lived in a dorm once and I on a few occasions nteracted with people who do like it.

You want to talk about Casa Blanca, I've never seen it and have no desire to but I can quote some of the more famous lines and sum up the story because I have levels in human person... 47 or so of them.

So yes, for me it does enhance my feeling of participation. It may help me remember or imagine the Things that came before, the challenges my character overcame and the fights he lost and won. All of which to me is part of the essence of good storytelling.

TL;DR Experience matters. It all matters. This adds verisimilitude IMO. Your experience may vary. There is no "merely" to life.

Yrtalien wrote:

Arssanguinus wrote:

The untrained wizard shouldn’t be a better climber than the career mountaineer

Those don't compare in the way you think, I think.

Yes, numerically their values will be propinquitous, but, for example... Mountain man may have a climb speed. He may have lower DCs to climb. He may be able to climb twice as fast as Magic Man. In short, Mountain man mountains better.

As far as the mentioned numerical propinquity, I justify that by the oft mentioned applied experience

The argument, to my eyes, that has more merit is that you can't choose to be a crappy climber.

That play choice will be essentially hobbled but I see that as a valid option to accommodate a large portion of their core customer. To be truthful we both are trying to speak for large portions of the base... so I'm not certain why that keeps being wheeled out... but there you go.

I hope everyone finds something to love in the new edition, something that wins them over. I am currently intrigued by what I know (not a lot) and eagerly await the playtest.

The people that want the other option are a large portion of the customer base as well.

Yes, I addressed that. We agree on this if nothing else.

The untrained wizard shouldn’t be a better climber than the career mountaineer

Those don't compare in the way you think, I think.

Yes, numerically their values will be propinquitous, but, for example... Mountain man may have a climb speed. He may have lower DCs to climb. He may be able to climb twice as fast as Magic Man. In short, Mountain man mountains better.

As far as the mentioned numerical propinquity, I justify that by the oft mentioned applied experience

The argument, to my eyes, that has more merit is that you can't choose to be a crappy climber.

That play choice will be essentially hobbled but I see that as a valid option to accommodate a large portion of their core customer. To be truthful we both are trying to speak for large portions of the base... so I'm not certain why that keeps being wheeled out... but there you go.

I hope everyone finds something to love in the new edition, something that wins them over. I am currently intrigued by what I know (not a lot) and eagerly await the playtest.

But it doesn’t seem like an iteration, it feels more like scrapping most of the system and starting over.

Other that rolling d20 and some of the names what does it keep from put that makes it an iteration? It’s not an iteration, it’s a completely new program at the machine code level

It feels to me that you are wanting something more akin to an errata than an edition change.

Jason Bulmahn wrote:

Hey there all,

I want to take a moment to thank everyone here for the spirited debate on this part of the game. We knew that this one was going to raise some eyebrows. Fundamentally, this system is trying to replace a fundamental part of 1st edition that caused us HUGE problems at the high levels of play, which distorted character choice and severely hampered design. A huge disparity is statistics between characters/adversaries of equal level really warps the play space and it led to stability problems with the entire game engine.

The goal here to find a middle ground that still allows characters to excel in the places that they want, but not in such a way as to dominate the game. To allow monsters to be an appropriate challenge for their level without having an ability that practically auto-cripples some characters.

This blog is a good overview of the system, but there are certainly a number of parts of it that are not at all clear. We will endeavor to get to that information as we come to it through other topics (for example, expect us to talk about how it relates to armor when we get to talking about gear).

We expect there will be corner cases, spots where these rules might leave us with a play condition that does not meet the vision of the game. We are going to be looking at ways to make this work because of just how critical it is for play balance and game sustainability. That is, after all, why we playtest, to tune the game, look for rough spots and smooth them out.

Thanks for your continued patience on this. We know its tough to only get pieces of the game, as we work to get all of the information out there. There is a lot more to come.

You seem to be basing the entire game around level 15 and higher. Most of the arguments in favour of these new massive overhauls that you guys give involve high level play (especially in regards to skills and death mechanics), and I don't think I've seen any designer even mention a playtest session lower...

Just my take on things. Consider for a moment that most people don't play past 15th for reasons most of us can probably recite by rote.

As Devs you worked really hard to write rules that go from 1 to 20... but people aren't playing with a considerable portion of the content...

So yeah, basically they're trying to deal with something that is a biggish problem. Furthermore, a good quantity of the problem can be traced back to the close ties twixt 1st ed and 3.5. So something new. Will it work... maybe. Are there other ways of dealing with it... definitely, but this is what has made it through vetting so far.

When a good fourth of the written material is rarely played... well, We're not getting our monies worth. I hope part of why they are doing this is because they want me to use what I paid for.

Just IMO.

The problem here IMO is people are looking at resonance as being added to the game solely to combat clw wand spamming, when that is only one facet of the change. It also streamlines resource management and gets rid of body slots. Depending on implementation it may also help meter access to especially powerful items by requiring a larger investment (something I have heard theorized but have no proof of).

If you look at this solely as a reaction due to wand spam then yes, it does seem to be an over reaction, but in light of the other issues it touches upon perhaps it's worthy of the playtest and critique.

Have a good day every one. The 20th is International Happiness Day so hopefully game this weekend and approach the day glad : )

The more I think about it, the more I realize I really only object to resonance and potions. I could get used to resonance in just about every other case, but potions just seem bizarre to me.

A silly example that helps illustrate my aversion: the most powerful evil wizard in the world brews a polymorph potion and forces a commoner to drink it. The commoner fails his resonance check. Nothing happens. To me that's just too absurd.

Since we don't really know the system we can't really say, but let's imagine that ultimate evil wizard can pay the cost himself for the poly potion to work... I would have no problem with that.

Otherwise we see villains with the heroes chained in the dungeon feeding them potions of spider climb all day to ensure that if they escape they can't invest or spend any resonance.

Frankly it's easy for me to imagine that the user, not the target pays the cost. If I pour a potion of healing down your throat I imagine it's up to me to meet the cost... though if the player is sensible enough to say yes maybe we decide between us.

Because members of my group are teachers I too will miss a bunch of potential testing time. There will be about a week and a half after scheduled release before they're back in school. If release were to happen in May, well, we play about 4x a week during the two-ish months of Summer... so...

Ok... so happy we funded but now I really want Planar Feats and Psionics. I realize that at this late hour it may not happen but I can cross my fingers.

WOOT!

Pathfinder has these beautiful capstone abilities that so rarely see use.

My vote us for 16+ lvl adventures.

BenS wrote:

Lost Spheres Publishing wrote:

Adam B. 135 wrote:

I need the veryx in my life. I notice the art specifically calls out that veeyx as male too! Makes me wonder how females may appear.

We love wonder. And reward it... she is up on today's blog!

I'm running out of superlatives for the art. And below this piece that wondrous Flowered Queen piece, w/ story.

Is all this art (from the blog & KS page) going to make it into the final book? Please say yes please say yes please say yes.

As long as the book funds pretty much everything that's been previewed is destined for its pages, at least as far as I understand it.

Also, since you like the Flowered Queen piece, these might interest you....

** spoiler omitted **...

Ack Ssalarn, Why do you do these things to me. I decide to play Veilcrafter and learn about a healer type you were working on and can't find it... but I do find the Nexus and this awesome Kickstarter that reveals a new type of Akashic magic... even better there will be a preview of said class. Nexus preview releases and I love it and now more teasers of things I don't have... I want!

Really though, I am so happy I tripped over the kickstarter for this. Everything, from art to writing, just seems above and beyond what I would normally expect from a third party publisher that I had never heard of before. I eagerly await all this new stuff... though I will probably be done playing my character by then.

One final thing Ssalarn, I have no idea if you ever look back at the idea of the Akashic healer you mentioned a while ago (I forget the name you used at the time) but if you do know there is at least one guy here who would pay for it. Multiclassing bites : ) And so few veils lend themselves to healing the actual veilweaver much less anyone else.

Such... such good... I really like all that I read : ) The Nexus is a marvelous blend of planar power and akashic.

The Nexus, the Shadowcaster... I like what I'm reading and really hope we get even more info soon. Everything I manage to find on the upcoming Nexus makes me think it will be perfect for my next game.

The idea of a planar setting encourages me. In the past as my group has moved into more powerful arenas I've done things like open up Golarion to them (let them go wherever they wanted on Golarion. Really when you're 13th lvl and have decided to explore what city guard is going to stop you.

I've opened up the other planets in one game and now I can open up the planes. All of this helps strengthen my players image of the game world.... which is, ideally, expansive but well defined.

Looking forward to Co7S and even more to the Nexus preview. I do love presents

Yrtalien wrote:

Ssalarn,

In looking for an akashic healer I ran into mention of the Vedist (sp?)... There was mention of a playtest... Is that public? Did it happen and I miss it? Is it on sale somewhere?

Just wondering... My group needs a healer and I'm hoping that I can find an Akashic version, since I'd love to try Veilweaving..

There are some paladin healer type builds currently available in AM though. A Guru with the Akasin Philosophy gets the ability to raise dead and remove blindness/deafness, which can be combined with veils like Immaculate Touch, Martyr's Toga, and Stone Giant's Girdle to have very respectable condition removal and hit point healing capabilities. The Nexus akashic class from City of Seven Seraphs should also be available through closed playtest for Kickstarter backers and GenCon attendees who got one of Lost Sphere's promo bookmarks, and that class includes additional healing veils and options for raise dead, resurrection, and a tiny angel companion who can zip around healing the party's hit points.

I am theoretically going to receive one of the playtests for Co7S so I will look forward to the read. TY.

Has anyone else had any more experience with the Envoy?

The NPC that I had running with my group unfortunately left them, though they parted friends.

The over-all feel of my group in the end was, at 6th level, she was well worth dealing with her personality. The buffs were loved... in a game where a +1 makes a big difference... well she made a big difference.

The thing that really won my group over was her ability to restore Stamina Points. During a particularly dangerous encounter people were down to hit points and really feeling pained and she began restoring SP... 16 or 22 (depending on Resolve availability). Any time a villain cracks through my players HP they FEEL it. The influx of SP when they needed it was well received : )

Just to add insult to injury she was really good at Antagonizing (the Feat) the enemy (since it lasted multiple rounds she usually opened with it) then laying on the buffs or debuffs that were round to round. If she needed to she could lay down covering fire (through the feat Suppressive Fire).

Majestra (the Envoy) was stripped of anything but the spare weapon the group had on them when they found her. When they finally made it out she had on some Tier 1 Light Armor and I wouldn't hesitate to say that although she only fired that gun 3 or 4 times in all the combats she partook in... she WAS DEFINITELY an active and respected contributor to the group.

Rysky the Dark Solarion wrote:

While I had made it as an offhanded comment, the "Adventurer who is funded through Patreon and live streams their adventures and escapades" character idea is becoming more and more crystallized :3

Stealing this idea.

Can't you just imagine the operative walking into crew quarters and announcing he's losing followers and support... but he just heard there's a Vampire terrorizing a community on a nearby planet. "So anyone mind if we stop?"

I originally posted this on a different board but realized that it really had little to do with what was on it so am going to try to move it.

My Impressions and Experiences:

Right now one of my players is on Summer vaycay (he is a teacher), the other is a college student (also on Summer vaycay), the other is on sick leave (for another few weeks) and the last is disabled and not working (we're a strange but lovable mix we are).

All of that to say. We got the book mid-week last week. We have played several sessions with it (about 24 hours worth of gaming so far (liberally interrupted by rules searches : )) ... probably will play another 30 or so hours this week.... although my roof just started leaking and that will probably cut down on the fun time : (

Characters are being run through Emerald Spire, since I read a Dev post that talked about the ease with which he used it in his game.

Basically, an advanced spacestation half in the Drift, half out has been popping up in various places around Pact worlds and people keep trying to see what they can get from it, they get trapped there or like what they find and BAM not so nice populace trying to take control of an advanced weapons platform : )The Starfinders hired the group to "scout" the first few levels of the dungeon and bring back some info, so they could send the big guns in later.

Players have advanced from 1st to 3rd level.
There is a Shirren Mystic (Space Shaman)
a Human Tehcnomancer
an Android Mechanic (Exocortex)
and finally a Human Solarion (Weaponized Mote)

Everyone proved to be fairly equally wiffy at the first few levels. Generally damage was consistent and the casters bemoaned their small small small number of spells per day.

By second level in the dungeon... having taken all of the crappy batteries off the space goblins they've run across (only hold 10 charges [cause they are broken] if you roll a one on an attack the charge depletes automatically and entirely). Imagine batteries with duct tape wrapped copiously around the casing and the occasional smell of leaking acids. The entire party is now screaming that they don't see why in an advanced society they can't just hook their batteries up to their Drift engine and get a charge : ) They have been relying on the Technomancer to shunt charge from damaged batteries to the whole-and-working batteries they came in with (a task he manages with a VERY useful 0 level spell).

Around 2nd the classes really start to take on their own real feels and looks. By third level the Shaman has kitted itself with a Long Arm and taken feats that grant proficiency so it can reliably put out 1d8 +3 damage. The Mechanic is similarly equipped and through Class ability puts out the same damage.

The Mystic tends to hold his spells for burst damage and last second healing when something begins tearing into Hit points. He and the Technomage share duties as the detectors of magic, though at this level that means little more than a low level fusion and a few spell gems and chips.

The Mechanic made herself useful by stripping some components off of other parties abandoned ships still docked with the station. I provided a gun or two to fill emplacements that they didn't have enough Build points to fill when they fleshed out the Wasp (their Ship). I also allowed that more was acquired that would explain their ship's jump from Tier One to whatever the APL was when they next docked at Absalom and had time to upgrade the ship. The Mechanic has proved to be a valuable combatant and an excellent way to get through doors and around trapped areas (though it is the Shirren and the Technomage who tend to spot the actual traps : )

The Technomage isn't really shining right now. His big damaging spell is Magic Missile, which the Shaman also has. The auto-hit is as always nice. He just got the Hack that lets him add half his level to damage and is happy with that, though he is a bit upset at the non scaling damage levels of his spells. Originally the Solarion used a Laser pistol that did a whopping 1d4 and the Shaman would use TK projectile for 1d6. The Technomancers 1d3 0th level spell was OK next to that... Now though, the Shaman has his long arm and the ability to add his Character Level to damage. The Solarion up in combat is attacking twice and starting to hit And doing 1d6 plus his character level. The 'Mancer is still relying on his 4/day 2-3 d4 +2-3... He hurts :( He laments. He refuses to consider taking feats that let him use better weapons or armor wanting to focus on things like spell penetration (which is his usualy M.O. in PF.

With little by way of what he feels to be attractive damaging spells available to him at 2nd level he is really feeling the pinch of still relying on MM and MM not getting any better.

The Solarion doesn't really shine in the area of damage but he is no slacker. However he is pretty happy that he didn't have to buy a weapon and will only have to work on getting a crystal later. Most of his stats went into Str and Cha (for damage and save DC considerations). That means he has a fairly blahh AC and his HP are higher than his Stamina points right now, but as we reach 5th and 10th that will shift... and I know he is really looking forward to that. His damage has picked up along with most of the rest of the parties. Though he still doesn't have a crystal he is adding full character level. His real moment to shine was when a Bugbear attack did massive damage to the mechanic and he, using his gravity hold forced the enemy away and immobilized him while the party fired on him and killed him.

Observations:
Feat choice is really important in this game, things really swing based on choices. Small bonuses and penalties make a substantial difference. My Technomancer is in wow of Enhanced Resistance (BaB based DR or ER... it is REALLY nice) there are gem feats like that throughout the selection list. What you see less of in the feat selection is class based feats. My 'Mancer would KILL for the ability to take a few extra hacks. There are over (IIRC) twenty Hacks and he likes something about more than half of them... but will only be able to take 7 at most by 20th. We would all love it if the Shaman could use her healing touch more than once per day...

If my Technomancer would consider taking feats that opened up his weapon prof to one of the more damaging weapons and applying a hack like Empowered Weapon I think his damage woes would be over... which brings me to my next point...

A MYSTIC is not a CLERIC...
A TECHNOMANCER is not a WIZARD...
My players attempts to shoehorn their characters into these old roles, which is possible, is whats causing some of the most angst (especially with the technomancer who really loves his blaster sorcerers).

I can not stress how nice weapon specialization is proving to be. In a PF game I would rarely consider taking a feat based around a weapon or armor as a Bard, Caster, or really as anything other than a Fighter. In this game I am encouraging my character to consider taking the ability to use heavier armors and weapons where prof applies full levels if damage is a concern to them.

On the topic of applying Fusions to a Weapon Mote (there is a question about applying them to a weapon mote on another board)... I'm not entirely sure that is possible. A fusions price is in part dependent up on the level of the weapon it is being placed upon... As far as I remember the Mote has no level... though I could be wrong.

Finally, on the topic of the Envoy (whose effectiveness is being discussed on another thread)... though I have no one playing one I have introduced a high level one in the game. She was part of a group the Starfinders sent before the current group. Their group was captured and they found her being tortured by the BBEG of the level, a Bugbear. She has nothing by way of gear and is following the group around. Her name is Majestra and she is, according to her subscription holos, the luckiest Halfing in the system! The only things that have survived this Icons capture are hover camera drones (the bugbear co-opted them and was recording her torture). She is a 6th level Envoy with Clever feint, Get 'em, Inspiring Boost, and Draw Fire. With nothing but the tattered clothes on her back and an azimuth laser pistol she is trying to find her companion and help the group that saved her life.

The players were skeptical and wanted to leave her behind... she insisted that they needed her help and that the system needed to see what was happening here. She conducted quiet interviews with them as they rested and recuperated (the remote recorders flying around, catching their best side as they told their stories). They were happy to find out that they had a +2 Perception after and a +2 Initiative : )

When they ended up in combat where they were being overwhelmed by two powerful Haan. Her exhortations that they were up to the challenge, her personal touch encouragements restored depleted SP to the two main damage dealers.

When they finally reached the BBEG Bone priest with his army of laser wielding undead. She hid in the hall and sent her drones in to record while they fought and the players laughed as Drone B flew up into the BBEG face and distractedly flew around requesting his release to use his image in her holos while the other requested backstory from the second string enemies. All of this to say they wanted to kill her so much they took a -4 penalty to hit at range and I think that helped immensely. BTW my players discovered the suck of being hit by a Hurled Forcedisk spell (too fun I wish my players used it) which is why they loved the -4 to hit...

The Envoy, in the limited experience of playing an NPC of higher than APL, with no gear, is pretty cool so far. My players dismissed the idea of playing one right away when they first made characters but they came away from that last night saying she was way more helpful than thought she would be.

I join the others who wish their Improvs went above 8th level, I'm not certain what the thinking was there... but the selection is fairly large and if I were actually playing this character there are still a number of things I would want.

Note:
The Drones Majestra is using are loosely based on the Spy Drone and mostly just visual aesthetic for her Powers.

TL;DR: My group is really enjoying the game. My Technomancer is having some issues but he can see real power in the future that he likes so he is slogging through. Everyone is really encouraged by most of the changes and happy to try the new stuff.

My Impressions and Experiences:

Right now one of my players is on Summer vaycay (he is a teacher), the other is a college student (also on Summer vaycay), the other is on sick leave (for another few weeks) and the last is disabled and not working (we're a strange but lovable mix we are).

All of that to say. We got the book mid-week last week. We have played several sessions with it (about 24 hours worth of gaming so far (liberally interrupted by rules searches : )) ... probably will play another 30 or so hours this week.... although my roof just started leaking and that will probably cut down on the fun time : (

Characters are being run through Emerald Spire, since I read a Dev post that talked about the ease with which he used it in his game.

Basically, an advanced spacestation half in the Drift, half out has been popping up in various places around Pact worlds and people keep trying to see what they can get from it, they get trapped there or like what they find and BAM not so nice populace trying to take control of an advanced weapons platform : )The Starfinders hired the group to "scout" the first few levels of the dungeon and bring back some info, so they could send the big guns in later.

Players have advanced from 1st to 3rd level.
There is a Shirren Mystic (Space Shaman)
a Human Tehcnomancer
an Android Mechanic (Exocortex)
and finally a Human Solarion (Weaponized Mote)

Everyone proved to be fairly equally wiffy at the first few levels. Generally damage was consistent and the casters bemoaned their small small small number of spells per day.

By second level in the dungeon... having taken all of the crappy batteries off the space goblins they've run across (only hold 10 charges [cause they are broken] if you roll a one on an attack the charge depletes automatically and entirely). Imagine batteries with duct tape wrapped copiously around the casing and the occasional smell of leaking acids. The entire party is now screaming that they don't see why in an advanced society they can't just hook their batteries up to their Drift engine and get a charge : ) They have been relying on the Technomancer to shunt charge from damaged batteries to the whole-and-working batteries they came in with (a task he manages with a VERY useful 0 level spell).

Around 2nd the classes really start to take on their own real feels and looks. By third level the Shaman has kitted itself with a Long Arm and taken feats that grant proficiency so it can reliably put out 1d8 +3 damage. The Mechanic is similarly equipped and through Class ability puts out the same damage.

The Mystic tends to hold his spells for burst damage and last second healing when something begins tearing into Hit points. He and the Technomage share duties as the detectors of magic, though at this level that means little more than a low level fusion and a few spell gems and chips.

The Mechanic made herself useful by stripping some components off of other parties abandoned ships still docked with the station. I provided a gun or two to fill emplacements that they didn't have enough Build points to fill when they fleshed out the Wasp (their Ship). I also allowed that more was acquired that would explain their ship's jump from Tier One to whatever the APL was when they next docked at Absalom and had time to upgrade the ship. The Mechanic has proved to be a valuable combatant and an excellent way to get through doors and around trapped areas (though it is the Shirren and the Technomage who tend to spot the actual traps : )

The Technomage isn't really shining right now. His big damaging spell is Magic Missile, which the Shaman also has. The auto-hit is as always nice. He just got the Hack that lets him add half his level to damage and is happy with that, though he is a bit upset at the non scaling damage levels of his spells. Originally the Solarion used a Laser pistol that did a whopping 1d4 and the Shaman would use TK projectile for 1d6. The Technomancers 1d3 0th level spell was OK next to that... Now though, the Shaman has his long arm and the ability to add his Character Level to damage. The Solarion up in combat is attacking twice and starting to hit And doing 1d6 plus his character level. The 'Mancer is still relying on his 4/day 2-3 d4 +2-3... He hurts :( He laments. He refuses to consider taking feats that let him use better weapons or armor wanting to focus on things like spell penetration (which is his usualy M.O. in PF.

With little by way of what he feels to be attractive damaging spells available to him at 2nd level he is really feeling the pinch of still relying on MM and MM not getting any better.

The Solarion doesn't really shine in the area of damage but he is no slacker. However he is pretty happy that he didn't have to buy a weapon and will only have to work on getting a crystal later. Most of his stats went into Str and Cha (for damage and save DC considerations). That means he has a fairly blahh AC and his HP are higher than his Stamina points right now, but as we reach 5th and 10th that will shift... and I know he is really looking forward to that. His damage has picked up along with most of the rest of the parties. Though he still doesn't have a crystal he is adding full character level. His real moment to shine was when a Bugbear attack did massive damage to the mechanic and he, using his gravity hold forced the enemy away and immobilized him while the party fired on him and killed him.

Observations:
Feat choice is really important in this game, things really swing based on choices. Small bonuses and penalties make a substantial difference. My Technomancer is in wow of Enhanced Resistance (BaB based DR or ER... it is REALLY nice) there are gem feats like that throughout the selection list. What you see less of in the feat selection is class based feats. My 'Mancer would KILL for the ability to take a few extra hacks. There are over (IIRC) twenty Hacks and he likes something about more than half of them... but will only be able to take 7 at most by 20th. We would all love it if the Shaman could use her healing touch more than once per day...

If my Technomancer would consider taking feats that opened up his weapon prof to one of the more damaging weapons and applying a hack like Empowered Weapon I think his damage woes would be over... which brings me to my next point...

A MYSTIC is not a CLERIC...
A TECHNOMANCER is not a WIZARD...
My players attempts to shoehorn their characters into these old roles, which is possible, is whats causing some of the most angst (especially with the technomancer who really loves his blaster sorcerers).

I can not stress how nice weapon specialization is proving to be. In a PF game I would rarely consider taking a feat based around a weapon or armor as a Bard, Caster, or really as anything other than a Fighter. In this game I am encouraging my character to consider taking the ability to use heavier armors and weapons where prof applies full levels if damage is a concern to them.

On the topic of applying Fusions to a Weapon Mote... I'm not entirely sure that is possible. A fusions price is in part dependent up on the level of the weapon it is being placed upon... As far as I remember the Mote has no level... though I could be wrong.

Finally, on the topic of the Envoy... though I have no one playing one I have introduced a high level one in the game. She was part of a group the Starfinders sent before the current group. Their group was captured and they found her being tortured by the BBEG of the level, a Bugbear. She has nothing by way of gear and is following the group around. Her name is Majestra and she is, according to her subscription holos, the luckiest Halfing in the system! The only things that have survived this Icons capture are hover camera drones (the bugbear co-opted them and was recording her torture). She is a 6th level Envoy with Clever feint, Get 'em, Inspiring Boost, and Draw Fire. With nothing but the tattered clothes on her back and an azimuth laser pistol she is trying to find her companion and help the group that saved her life.

The players were skeptical and wanted to leave her behind... she insisted that they needed her help and that the system needed to see what was happening here. She conducted quiet interviews with them as they rested and recuperated (the remote recorders flying around, catching their best side as they told their stories). They were happy to find out that they had a +2 Perception after and a +2 Initiative : )

When they ended up in combat where they were being overwhelmed by two powerful Haan. Her exhortations that they were up to the challenge, her personal touch encouragements restored depleted SP to the two main damage dealers.

When they finally reached the BBEG Bone priest with his army of laser wielding undead. She hid in the hall and sent her drones in to record while they fought and the players laughed as Drone B flew up into the BBEG face and distractedly flew around requesting his release to use his image in her holos while the other requested backstory from the second string enemies. All of this to say they wanted to kill her so much they took a -4 penalty to hit at range and I think that helped immensely. BTW my players discovered the suck of being hit by a Hurled Forcedisk spell (too fun I wish my players used it) which is why they loved the -4 to hit...

The Envoy, in the limited experience of playing an NPC of higher than APL, with no gear, is pretty cool so far. My players dismissed the idea of playing one right away when they first made characters but they came away from that last night saying she was way more helpful than thought she would be.

I join the others who wish their Improvs went above 8th level, I'm not certain what the thinking was there... but the selection is fairly large and if I were actually playing this character there are still a number of things I would want.

Note:
The Drones Majestra is using are loosely based on the Spy Drone and mostly just visual aesthetic for her Powers.

TL;DR: My group is really enjoying the game. My Technomancer is having some issues but he can see real power in the future that he likes so he is slogging through. Everyone is really encouraged by most of the changes and happy to try the new stuff.

captain yesterday wrote:

Walking Skeld's dog.

I hate to tell you this, but I don't have a dog.

Also, I just got my PDFs (but I have to go to open house at school, so it'll be a while before I can look at them).

-Skeld

OMG... then whose dog is that?

Where will it be taken when it is done with its walk?

Give me the PDF or I do unto the dog!

Hmmm, sorry that was jealousy bile boiling up.

Goes back to checking email every minute for shipment notification.

Must click F5... muuusssssttttt clickkkkkk...

I'm sure most people will try to comply with your request Captain, but in the next few days this space will probably be dominated with new info. Although people will try to be vague to honor the requests of Devs like Owen... it's also the norm of this board to do all this. Just fair warning if you want to go into this without having glimpsed hints or reveals... hanging around here that might be difficult.

I do hope opening that new book is all you want it to be... for me these hints help build my anticipation. I am that guy that shakes the Christmas presents : ) To each their own. God, I really want to get this book!

Guys, reign it in... you are going to draw the attention of a moderator. The question was what would you change... now we know. Move on. Please.

...I am Death Incarnate... God sent me... Deliver one hell of a speech just before you blow someone up.

No boom today... Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. The players earns a point for every consecutive day he and his party don't have to resort to physical violence. If they ever earn 10 points, they earn the achievement.

I would love to buy direct from Paizo, but the shipping costs to the UK are just two much. I'm not sure why smaller publishers can supply direct at reasonable prices, and Paizo cannot?

If they made an effort to cut the costs down I'd subscribe.

I can't but imagine that they, like every other gaming company I've run across shipping out of the U.S., have tried to find a lower price point. Is there a reason you feel they haven't made an effort?

If I am an 8th level Hydrokineticist and I am using a Blizzard Blast Composite (2 Burn) along with the Extra Range infusion (1 Burn) for a total of 3 Burn...

And I spend one movement Gathering Power to reduce the cost by one... and my Infusion Specialization is 2, do I pay:

a) 0 Burn as the Infusion cost is part of the whole cost and therefore my specialization reduces the whole.

b) 1 Burn as the specialization makes the range free and 1 point of the the 2 Burn is offset by my move action Gather.

I think the answer is B but I want to be sure.

Ice Sculptor, to me the name implies that you require ice and snow to use the power, but the power says as Wall of Stone which does not require previously existing stone... Can I do this on a sun drenched beach? Is my wall as permanent as a wall of stone is (unmelting)?

Thanks

LOL
OK, introduced an Advocate to my weekly game Friday past and we had a TPK in the first 30 minutes. I was replacing my fire wielding Warlock Vigilante and the first fight out of the gate we face 2 Trolls (We are 5th level). So not a one of us had any fire and we all died because the damn trolls kept getting back up : )

My Advocate started off strong with a 19 on his Tzocatl roll so there was a blade waiting to fly ! Then I missed with the to hit. And it just kept going like that, one roll or the other kept fubaring me. Don't get me wrong the mechanic isn't terrible but damn it hurts at lower levels.

Now I realize Barrage of Blades gives all sorts of bonuses to hit but I couldn't catch a break. Anyway we've started Reign of Winter now and I am going to give this another try... my luck can't be that bad can it?

[Spits over left shoulder three times, spins around and makes a hand sign to ward off evil : ]

Thanks for the answer N. Jolly, I figured that was how it worked but I wasn't certain...

I look forward to reading all this new stuff people are talking about : )

Oh, and I will make my way out of the forums to post a simple review.

Thanks again

" Failing to surpass the base Tzocatl DC for an edict indicates that the  edict’s  base  effects  still  occur,  but  the  advocate  is  unable  to  augment  the  edict  through  the  use  of  emphases, cadences, suffixes, or other effects."

Does this mean that if I roll a 14 to activate Blade Barrage it does its base 1d8 at 30' or does it mean there's no effect for a 14... hope for at least a 15 next round...

From a larger perspective do my -5s for consecutive uses mean I'm more and more likely to have nothing happen or I am more and more likely to have to manage with the base effect?

BTW... I have been eagerly awaiting this since it's announcement. Dreamscarred continues to impress me with it's ability to reimagine systems workably and intestingly. I look forward to more.

Any hints on what sorts of magic items we can expect for this ;)

For those of you able to parse the rules better than I.

1) If I have two-weapon fighting and rapid shot with my Mystic Bolts am I able to:

a) Take two melee attacks

b) Take two melee attacks and fire a Mystic Bolt at range (subject to penalties)

c)Fire at range two times.

d) Fire at range three times.

I think that d worked in playtest but I'm not really sure.

I would be thankful of clarity : )

2)If I am a Warlock 5th / Fighter 5th / Gunslinger 5th...

a) Do my mystic bolts qualify for any weapon group?

b) If so which one?

c) Can my mystic bolts qualify as a firearm? (This one is a shot in the dark but I thought I'd ask)

3) Or maybe Mystic Bolts are equivalent of thrown weapons... if so...

a) Can you take the feat Strong Arm, supple wrist ... probably not as that feat increases range increment and I don't believe MB uses increments it just has a 30' range period...

b) How about a Belt of Might Hurling... could I use Str instead of Dex to attack...

4) Or if Mystic Bolts are the equivalent of spell rays or just spells... can I use Mage's Crossbow from the Ranged Tactics Toolbox with it?

5) If I team with Kineticist who also has the Target of Opportunity Teamwork Feat can we feed off of each others attacks? I know the feat says I have to have the weapon in hand...

6) Upon re-reading Mystic Bolt I have a newer more duhhhh question to add to my list: If Mystic Bolts are treated as light one handed weapons does that mean I use Strength to add to to-hit and DAMAGE? Or since this is an energy creation do we not add Str to damage (as I originally assumed)?

Are warlocks able to learn spells off spell lists other than magus?

They use the Sorc/Wiz list

Hopefully, I'll get my shopping notice today. I was hoping to start reading the PDFs on my free day.

I waited patiently yesterday and NOTHING. Today I RAGE!!! I will tear through the streets of my city wreaking havoc and spreading terror... Or I'll just sit here staring at my email folder hitting refresh : )

Hadn't received my email yet and was worried so I contacted customer support and ended up speaking with Katina. Though it may seem a little thing, her positive attitude and cheery disposition made a difference in my day : ) Katina, I hope you have a good day and I hope they pay you well because you deserve it !

Katina for President... or maybe just give her a Huzzah : )

Oscar

Most recent interview also said they didn't have a bigsixless option.

Damn, that was a selling point for me : (

Nah, I'm not expecting spells. That doesn't change the fact that slapping a bloodline or a mystery on a wizard is going to be more useful to that wizard than some feats.

I am expecting spells, simply because they labeled it multi-classing, and you don't multiclass a sorcerer and not get SOME spell ability... the keyword there is some. I could easily see getting just the sorcerer bloodline bonus spells (which would be cool and powerful and I would do with some of my characters) or just a truncated (only divination or only evocation) spell list up to 4th or 5th level.

I could be totally wrong, but if I'm giving up what... 5 feats I expect more than 3 or 4 class flavor abilities I expect some real class oomf. After all if I am a divine caster I can already get something like Divine Protection and add my Cha to my Svs. Wow that would be cool for a sorcerer. Still I could be majorly wrong... and very often am.

I am filled with aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnticiiiiiiiii-pation...

I definitely saw some of our suggested exploits show up in this PDF, namely mine for a free MIC feat.

I think an exploit that lets you take apart magic item enchantments and put them back together differently would be really cool.

Example: An arcanist with Craft Magic Arms & Armor comes across a hammer with Impact on it, the Arcanist wants to convert that into a different +1 enchantment, so he hacks into it's magicyness and changes a couple of wires and BAM now it's no longer an Impact hammer, but a Spell Storing one.

I really like this idea! If he doesn't have the time to completely rewrite the magic item (say maybe it takes about as long as crafting it ftom scratch but costs less) then he can temporarily rejigger an item for a battle... so if he has a +1 fiery sword and he's fighting a fire giant he spends reservoir equal to the plus of the benefit and it becomes icey... If he has a few days he can permanently make a +2 blade into a +1 icey....

I love the image of twisting the enchantment into something more desirable rather than just tacking a couple of plusses and bonuses on a non magical blade.

My .02$

So, I have a player who eventually wants to become a Lich and so was reading up on it and realized that other than the picture nothing really says they have to be ugly (unless I missed something). So, why is it the lich is so ugly... are there spells than can preserve his/her form as it was at death? I seem to recall reading about a lich doing just that in some book but it was so long ago I can't recall what spell was used ....

Anyone ever have a player become a lich is it vastly overpowering?

Thank you

I have a player who is making a Magus and I muddily recall running across some Magus magic items. unfortunately, I can't seem to find any in the official books. Are there any Magus magic items in the Paizo books or did I imagine it? Do you know of any good ones... even if they're form 3rd party publishers.

Thank you,
Oscar

Forgive what is probably a very stupid question, but if I buy my Eidolon with Weapon Training and I buy Slam do I get my weapon attack and a slam?

For example BaB +6/1 with a Short Sword in hand
Can I attack 2x with my SS and Slam?

If I have Two Weapon fighting does anything change?

Thanks for any help.

Yrtalien : )