YuriP's page

As I said in the title. The guardian's Group Taunt is not only better than other lvl 8 feats but something that probably every guardian character will want to take once that the most common thing is to face more than one enemy in an encounter.

This makes me think that this feat is so mandatory that it should be a class feature instead of an optional feat.

Do you agree? If you made a guardian character, you would even drop Group Taunt in your build? Please don't consider that someone for some reason would do this but if you really would play as guardian you will drop this feat?

Today The Rules Lawyer released a new video analyzing the final version of guardian class. But despite many class improvements over playtest the designers insisted on keeping the Intercept Strike Attack as it is.

It is a pretty bad decision IMO because it relatively bad reaction that will probably be misunderstood by many players that it works like champion's reactions. They will try to use it unnecessarily over damaging the guardian due to the lowest AC of allies.

The reaction by itself it isn't fully bad but have to be dealt more carefully using only if the damage that the allied would take would make it fall unconscious. Otherwise, it would be used as a way to exploit the guardian AC like happened in many playtests.

But probably the main point is that it's worse than champions' and even commanders' reaction to protect allies that worth be used almost always as possible. Including the strangeness that a commander can naturally to use its armor class benefit to protect an ally where the own guardian, a class made to protect, can't.

What do you think about it (please see the linked video before comment).

While we still don't have a full oficial PF2e CRPG game. Some people made an incredible work with a BG3 Mod converting almost everything that was possible to PF2e rules.

https://baldursgate3.game/mods#/m/pathfinder2ndedition

It isn't fully complete yet. But it was a 300h of modders work with most of its content completed. If you can give them a help too.

Complete game overhaul converting to the Pathfinder 2e ruleset, using Proficiency without Level due to the sandbox nature of the game.

It is not recommended you use this mod with ANY other mod unless it is purely visual (and even, it might have some conflict).
Exception: ImpUI is basically required due to the size of feat lists.

For additional classes and content, such as the Thaumaturge, see PF2eExpansion.

Current features:

3-Action Economy: includes Multiple Attack Penalty and action-based movement

Skill actions: Disarm, Demoralize, Feint, Grapple, and Trip

All monsters roughly converted to 2e stats

Free short rests, clears focus spell buffs

Bonus/penalty stacking system based on status effects

Changes to Concealed and Dazzled to move away from Disadvantage (beta testing state).

Unarmed attacks utilize automatic bonus progression since there isn't an equivalent Striking item for them in the game

Creature damage resistance reworked to PF2 rules. Enemies that previously took half damage from a damage type now instead reduce that damage by 5, or 10 if they are especially powerful. Half damage from non-magical damage was untouched. Pathfinder effects that dealt spirit damage deal radiant damage.

Item changes:

Raise a Shield to gain its bonus to armor class

+2 weapons are now +1 striking

Items that were bonus actions have mostly been changed to 2 actions (draw and drink a potion)

Dwarves start with a clan dagger

To-Do List:

Sorcerer feats and features

Druid feats and features

Tinker with summoning spells, fill out Summon Animal upcasts

Ancestry Feats past level 1 (5th and 9th)

More Champion feats

Ancestry feats at levels 5 and 9 have been disabled until we can get ImpUI to enable them. Currently the game soft locks you out of leveling to 5 because of not showing ancestry feat selectors at those levels.

[/b]What is done:[/b]

All: Lv. 3 general feats, Animal companion scaling

Barbarian: Lv. 12 feats, Quick-Tempered, choice of Instinct

Bard: Lv. 12 feats, five muses, composition spells

Champion (aka Paladin): Lv. 12 feats, seven causes, no cause-specific feats yet

Cleric: Lv. 12 feats, Cloistered and Warpriest subclasses. Due to hardcoding, clerics essentially have the Flexible Spellcaster archetype for free.

Druid: Scales to level 12, but does not have a full list of feats at the moment. Preliminary version of Wild Shape.

Fighter: Lv. 12 feats, new Attack of Opportunity, Combat Flexibility chosen on level up

Kineticist: Scales to 12. Level 1 impulses. Can select single gate or dual gate. All 6 elements. Can Fork the Path at levels 5 and 9.

Monk: Lv. 12 feats: learn stances and Qi powers

Ranger: Lv. 12 feats, three hunter's edges, animal companion upgrades

Rogue: Lv. 12 feats, choose Thief, Ruffian, or Scoundrel racket

Sorcerer: Can choose a bloodline with corresponding spell list. Some feats.

Witch (aka Warlock): Starting hex, choice of patron associated with a spell list & familiar ability. Scales to level 12 with most things implemented. Due to hardcoding, witches essentially have the Flexible Spellcaster archetype for free.

Wizard: Lv. 12 feats, arcane schools, advanced school spells. Due to hardcoding, wizards essentially have the Flexible Spellcaster archetype for free which also means some feats can't really be implemented in exchange since many interact with spellslots.

Spellcasting:

Remastered cantrips, variable-action Harm/Heal, many spells have been changed to 2 actions 20 Domains with initiate & advanced spells for Clerics & Champions

Rank 1 Spells: Flourishing Flora, Magic Weapon, Feather Fall, Thunderstrike, Sleep, Shockwave, Pummeling Rubble, Mystic Armor, Mudpit, Jump, Hydraulic Push, Helpful Steps, Gust Of Wind, Grim Tendrils, Gravitational Pull, Fear, Endure, Acidic Burst, Breathe Fire, Chilling Spray, Dehydrate, Heal, Harm, Enfeeble, Sacred Beasts, Concordant Choir, Phantom Pain, Summon Animal, and Soothe.

Rank 2 Spells: Acid Grip, Ash Cloud, Blur rework, Enlarge rework, adjustments to Entangle, adjustments to Fog Cloud (Mist), Blistering Invective, Fungal Infestation, adjustments to False Life, Exploding Earth, Scorching Ray changed to Blazing Bolt, Animated Assault, Revealing Light, Resist Energy, See Invisibility, Share Life, Sudden Blight, Noise Blast

Rank 3 Spells: Vampiric Feast, Stinking Cloud, Slow, Shared Invisibility, Rouse Skeletons, Percussive Impact, Paralyze, Noxious Metals, Magnetic Acceleration, Lightning Bolt, Hypnotize, Haste, Gravity Well, Fireball, Earthbind, Dive and Breach, Day's Weight, Crashing Wave, Cave Fangs, Blindness, Agonizing Despair, Blazing Dive, Holy Light, Heroism, Crisis of Faith, Chilling Darkness

Rank 4 Spells: Sanguine Mist, Pernicious Poltergeist, Painful Vibrations, Holy Cascade, Fly, Divine Wrath, Solid Fog, Snake Fangs, Rust Cloud, Petal Storm, Murderous Vine, Ice Storm, Grasp Of The Deep, Coral Eruption, Confusion, Vampiric Maiden, Unfettered Movement, Vapor Form, Vision of Death, Whispers of the Void, Wall of Fire, Hydraulic Torrent, Life Draining Roots

Rank 5 Spells: Acid Storm, Banishment, Blazing Fissure, Blister, Corrosive Muck, Elemental Breath, Geyser, Grisly Growths, Howling Blizzard, Impaling Spike, Invoke Spirits, Quicken Time, Confusing Cry, Divine Immolation, Repelling Pulse, Rip The Spirit, Shadow Blast, Slither, Synesthesia, Toxic Cloud, Wall of Ice, Synaptic Pulse

Rank 6 Spells: Flame Vortex, Field Of Razors, Dominate, Disintegrate, Chain Lightning, Arrow Salvo, Field of Life, Raise Dead, Cast Into Time, Never Mind, Phantasmal Calamity, Spirit Blast, Vampiric Exsanguination, Poltergeists Fury

Recommended Mods:

Critical Hit Thresholds - Implements 10-over/under system for critical hits.

ImpUI - Adds scroll bars to feat lists. Now required due to Domain choices immediately making the feat list for cleric and champion exceed the maximum amount of options

Summon Initiative Fixer (Nexus Mods) - Makes summons share initiative when summoned. Requires Script Extender.

D20 Initiative - Changes the initiative die size to match RAW.

Open Source Project Files:
https://github.com/InstantMirage/PathfinderBG3Mod
https://github.com/ATP-Kraken/PathfinderBG3Mod/tree/dev

Please expect bugs. The amount of content I am adding is starting to be too much to test everything all the time. Please report bugs you find in the mod comments or on Discord.

I was notice that after remaster the special lines "Special You can't select another dedication feat until you have gained two other feats from the X archetype." was removed from archetypes as long they was reprinted.

But in SOM we have an archetype that was developed when the the general archetype rules that says "you can’t select a different dedication feat until you complete your dedication by taking two other feats from your current archetype" didn't exists and the special entries was what limited what you need to do before get another archetype (the legacy text just writes "Each archetype’s dedication feat represents a certain portion of your character’s time and focus, so once you select a dedication feat for an archetype, you must satisfy its requirements before you can gain another dedication feat. Typically, you satisfy an archetype dedication feat by gaining a certain number of feats from the archetype’s list" basically just pointing that usually the dedications was what determine the requirements to be able to get another archetype again).

So Flexible Spellcaster Dedication doesn't get the special entry that prevents the char to get another archetype because this archetype doesn't have any other feats.

How do you rules the Flexible Spellcasters using the remaster rules. You just ignore the general rule that ask for an impossible requirement to get another another archetype or do you make it impossible to get another archetypes at all?

I notice a strange effect of Unstoppable Juggernaut in its last paragraph:

You have become a brutal, unstoppable force of nature, able to shrug off mortal wounds with ease. You gain resistance equal to 3 + your Constitution modifier to all damage, and your resistance from raging increases to 8 + your Constitution modifier.

In addition, if you are reduced to 0 Hit Points while raging, you can end your rage as a reaction to stay at 1 Hit Point. If you do, you become wounded 2 (or increase your wounded condition by 2 if you are already wounded).

I put the last paragraph in bold to point that once you while in rage and still have a reaction technically a barbarian could end the rage recover to 1 hit point and become wounded 2 then wounded 4 then wounded 6 then wounded 8 and so on? Because if I'm understanding this right you do not enter into dying state (or you would be unable to use a reaction due unconsciousness) instead your reaction prevents you to enter into dying condition and put you in wounded +2 but once that wounded condition doesn't set a limit like dying does, teorically you can become can keep increasing the wounded value as long the effect that is killing you doesn't have death trait and you are in rage and have a free reaction?

I finally got some free time with a friend to do the proper playtests of the necromancer and runesmith classes.

This playtest so far has only been for level one, using the fearsome plaguestone adventure and has focused on moderate and higher encounters.

I will not detail each encounter, nor each characteristic, I will only present the most important decisions we made regarding class options and our general impression of how it was to play.

As usual, I will make a post for each level, since the experience can change drastically from one level to another.

And OK, let's go to the party composition:

I finally got some free time with a friend to do the proper playtests of the necromancer and runesmith classes.

This playtest so far has only been for level one, using the fearsome plaguestone adventure and has focused on moderate and higher encounters.

I will not detail each encounter, nor each characteristic, I will only present the most important decisions we made regarding class options and our general impression of how it was to play.

As usual, I will make a post for each level, since the experience can change drastically from one level to another.

And OK, let's go to the party composition:

I was building an occult caster (necromancer but this is unrelated to the question) and searching for some 1st rank spell to use when I notice that Shared Lore spell that you can use it to share one of your lore skills with other creatures but nothing in the texts restricts to what lore skills you can share.

So if I'm not forgeting something this means that you are able to use it to share special lore skill like Bardic Lore and Esoteric Lore (if you have one of them of-course) to other party members to become temp trained on them and uses its abilities to RK about anything (with a shared Bardic Lore) or about haunts, curses and all creatures using their charisma (with a shared Esoteric Lore)?

I know that it will be restricted to trained but allow all party members to able to RK about anything or about all creatures using cha would be very useful specially during exploration.

The game have many initial and end round effects that can cause damage in the beginning and end of turn but thralls doesn't have a turn. I supose that this is linked to necromancer turn and will happen when the necromancer turn starts or ends but we need a clarification in the trait to avoid different interpretations in different tables.

This will deal with how thralls will be affected by enemy Thermal Nimbus or damage aura effects like Aura of Flame.

Currently the Create Thrall cantrip have some problems with what to do with the excess of thralls that it can create and what to do with them. So I'm was thinkg that one easier and elegant solution is to change it to not only create but also to control existing thralls too also it would be interesting if it was unable to do some thing with the additional thralls that you get as you level up once that they basically becomes resources to your focus spells that occupies space and flank.

My suggesting it change to something like this:

Call Thrall
Range: 30 ft
---
You conjure forth an expendable undead thrall in range or control one of your existing thrall in range. Thralls created by this spell vanishes after 1 minute since their creation. When you cast the spell, you can have the thrall created or controlled by this spell make a melee unarmed Strike using your spell attack modifier for the attack roll or Stride up to your land speed. This attack deals your choice of 1d8 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. This Strike uses and counts toward your multiple attack penalty.
---
Heightened (+3) Add an extra thrall to create or control. This additional thrall can Stride or Strike too. When you make multiple thrall to Strike the same target only roll the Strike once and sum their damage to calculate weakness and resistances. These aditional Strikes doesn't counts toward your multiple attack penalty.

===

As you can see there's 2 main changes here. One is to allow the necromancer to control existing thralls in order to avoid keep then ocupping aditional spaces when you don't want. The another is to avoid the multiple thralls not do anything while only one is attacking only one target. I know this may increate the turn time if the player uses the multiple thralls to attack different targets (yet it's not too different when someone summons a dragon and uses Draconic Frenzy) yet probably the most common case is the necromancer focusing into a single target to pass it's resistances or to kill it faster. Yet this also allows to exploit multiple enemies weaknesses with the thralls what's could be very interesting and fun strategy (similar to what happens with bombs splash damage).

The damage change to d8 also make them a little bit stronger at lower levels but it's balanced by Heightened (+3) making you get additional thralls a bit later but more consistant over levels and helps to balance the new aditional options to the cantrip.

This is probably wrong but the necromancer's Quickened Casting feat is without the frequency entry but once that its description text is different from classic feat (it says "If your next action is to cast a necromancer cantrip or a necromancer spell" (even with same feat name) with luck this may be a different feat that allows to reduces the action of some spells without the once per minute restriction.

You can locate haunts and other magical traps. Perhaps you summon the undead to trigger a trap you spotted or to serve as a decoy when you think enemies might be near.

So the classical joke to thrown the summon/familiar into the trap now becomes an official gameplay kkkk

After all that complain about Taunt and Intercept Strike I was thinking "maybe the best would be if the guardian was more closer to champion" when the idea came to my mind "why not!?" it's PF2e the only thing I need is to use champion archetype.

Guardian with Champion Archetype feats

I'm moving this discussion that comes from Commander Feedback topic in order to prevent internal discussion into the feedback topic that was made by designers to focus into class feedback.
To put it in context I will put the quotes bellow:

As someone who hates when other players tell everyone else how to play their characters, it seems like being in a party with a Commander would be annoying. I know PF2 relies on teamwork, but I also like to able to do whatever I want on my turn, and it seems like their will be a conflict between each player making their own decisions, and making sure the player of Commander gets mileage out of their abilities.

For anyone who has playtested, how does it feel to be in a party with a Commander? Do you feel you have freedom, or do you feel constrained to do whatever the Commander decides?

Response:

This is not the thread to discuss this but a short answer. I didn't have this felling.

Commander is giving you an additional option to use your reaction (including it's giving an additional reaction to someone). You use it if you want or keep playing as you like.

I GMed a party with a Marshal PC that used To Battle!. Every time before use it he asked "someone wants to use a reaction to Strike or Strike now!?" and many players said no while other says yes depending from what they are planing to do. Usually players that uses AoO or champion's reaction choses to save its reaction to their own while the players that have no reaction or expect not to use a reaction in that turn accept and everyone loved it.

I only can see a problem if a toxic player start to complain that an ally isn't doing what they want. But I didn't play any table with such kind of player. And if this happened to my I would stop to play with such player. It's not a problem of the game.

--
Remember, this thread is dedicated to put suggestion to designers and not to make questions or respond the other members posts (like I did here, sorry for hypocrisy) if you have a doubt please open a new thread, if want to responde anything here please click in reply, copy the content, open a new thread and respond there.

Response:

I won't follow the advice you yourself don't follow.

YuriP wrote:

Commander is giving you an additional option to use your reaction (including it's giving an additional reaction to someone). You use it if you want or keep playing as you like.

So, let's say the Rogue is flanking an enemy and the Commander player uses Strike Hard! on them. The Commander gives an action with a specific goal in mind: The Rogue should attack the flanked creature. It's the sound action to do so why would the Rogue player object, refuse a free attack or use it to do something else?

So it's an order, a disguised one but a clear order. And the Rogue should comply as not doing so will be seen as disruptive, and not only by the Commander as the other players are also aware that the sound thing to do is to attack the flanked creature and as such obey the Commander. It's peer pressure, that happens around every table, but this time it goes slightly further as there's a reward if you are a good boy, as the Commander will continue using Strike Hard! on you, or a punishment if you don't comply, as the Commander may decide to stop using Strike Hard! on you.
Your solution of asking "Who wants a free attack?" is not a perfect one unless you randomly choose who gets the attack. Otherwise, we are back to the previous case where the Commander (or the group if it's a communal decision) gives an action to a character for a specific purpose and as such it's again an order the player should comply with.

So I'd really not disregard Grumpus opinion with a simple "It is a player problem". Mechanics can be toxic even when used by a non-toxic player.

I'm also worried about the potential toxicity of Strike Hard! I'll play my Commander this evening so I'll be able to see how the other players are feeling about it. But I won't disregard their opinion if one of them feels that my character is commanding theirs somehow.

Response:

SuperBidi wrote:

So, let's say the Rogue is flanking an enemy and the Commander player uses Strike Hard! on them. The Commander gives an action with a specific goal in mind: The Rogue should attack the flanked creature. It's the sound action to do so why would the Rogue player object, refuse a free attack or use it to do something else?
So it's an order, a disguised one but a clear order. And the Rogue should comply as not doing so will be seen as disruptive, and not only by the Commander as the other players are also aware that the sound thing to do is to attack the flanked creature and as such obey the Commander. It's peer pressure, that happens around every table, but this time it goes slightly further as there's a reward if you are a good boy, as the Commander will continue using Strike Hard! on you, or a punishment if you don't comply, as the Commander may decide to stop using Strike Hard! on you.
Your solution of asking "Who wants a free attack?" is not a perfect one unless you randomly choose who gets the attack. Otherwise, we are back to the previous case where the Commander (or the group if it's a communal decision) gives an action to a character for a specific purpose and as such it's again an order the player should comply with.

While I take your meaning, I feel like this pressure is perhaps overstated.

Would this not be the same anytime another player lays something up for you? Its not coercion to take the path someone else has arranged for you if its something that aligns with what you want to happen overall.

For a bit of an inverted example, it wouldn't seem like toxic peer pressure to expect the parties healer to use their actions and resources to heal an injured party member. The dynamic is largely the same as you lead out, and I think we would all agree that a healer refusing to do so for no real reason wouldn't be "Pro Social" play.

The affirmative example, as we get the Commander is pretty much the same. A party member did something Pro-social for you, without good cause, it would be werid to turn it down simply because they arranged for you to receive a benefit, just because they wanted you to do it.

Let us consider the following scenario. You got Quick Intercept and you use Intercept a Strike to protect an ally and now due you will get the damage you can use your normal reaction to Shield Block.

First. This is possible? Intercept Strike has the trigger "An adjacent ally takes physical damage" while Shield block has "you would take physical damage" in the trigger. Even being similar are they different triggers right? So can they used together to basically sum the resistance and hardness to diminish the damage that you will take?

Second it worth? To use 2 reactions to defend from just one Strike to make it basically works like a Shield of Reckoning is not the best usage of reactions economy but maybe work to call the enemy attention without need to use Taunt once that will be difficult to take you down with all that DR and probably is better to the enemy to focus on you instead of attack your ally.

While the choice of Int for the class key attribute makes sense to a class where the lore is tactically support its allies. Mechanically I fell like the int is being underutilized from the class chassis.

In practice we have a martial class that its main key attribute is not use for its normal martial proficiencies (Strike for example) only being used in a strange way to improve the number of allies that you can use your tactics whats creates a strange situation where the int bonus that you really need depends from how much PC the party will have.

This lack of usage of the main attribute in battle probably may end making many players to choose not improve it's main attribute in order to improve it's Str or Dex (depending if will focus into melee or range) once that in a normal 4 PC party they probably will miss way more their own combat abilities than some bonuses they get from some feats that uses int.
Also this risks the class being put in a similar situation to some classes like Alchemist where instead of make a pure alchemist due the optimization many players choose to pick it as archetype instead in order to get the best of battle focuses martial abilities from martial focused classes like fighter with the flexibility of an alchemist archetype and I fell that a similar situation probably will happen with the commander too (especially because we already have the marshal archetype already doing this very well using Cha a stat that many people consider better than Int).

My initial propose to solve this situation was simply just change the key attribute to Str or Dex but historically the designers never accepted any key attribute change suggestion in any playtest before so its very unlikely that they will accept this now.

The other solution is to give some extra damage ability or any other extra attack benefit like all other non-str/dex focused martial classes put into their chassis in order to compensate the lower hit rate and critial rate .

I want your opinions about this before put this into the Commander Feedback topic.

First I need to note that I already know that you can use the legacy material at will, that the PFS allows to use the older material an so on at last for now.

But let us focus in the context of players that only have the remaster books and don't want to buy the CRB/APG to get access to old content or don't want to use AoN or simply want to simplify and remove the content of CRB/APG for some reason.

I currently was reading the gnome's feats searching for changes when I read the Instinctive Obfuscation and I notice that in its description it doesn't have the mirror image reference anymore. Instead it gives the effect directly from the feat.

The magic within you manifests as a natural reaction to threats. An illusory double of you appears in your space for a brief moment. The triggering attacker must roll a DC 10 flat check; on a success, the attack targets you normally; if they fail, the attack targets the double and destroys it. The tradition of this action matches the tradition of your gnome ancestry options.

The magic within you manifests as a natural reaction to threats. You gain the effects of mirror image but with two images instead of three. The tradition of this action matches the tradition of your gnome ancestry options.

The point is that mirror image doesn't got ported to PC1 but the designers wanted to keep the reaction feat so they ported a modified effect of mirror image to allow the feat keep working. I know this is speculative from my part but IMO this reinforces the theory that many spells, feats and items will be removed from remaster for good. I'm afraid that due license and balance reasons some spells and other things would be really completely removed from remaster and won't back even in PC2 (maybe we can get the mirror image back in PC2 and this lack of reference may be just to avoid a cross book reference but honestly I think that many things that "disappeared" probably won't come back even in PC2).

This could result that even really popular spells like Synesthesia was fully removed from the remaster and maybe don't return even in PC2.

What do you think?

I was seeing a Nonat video today of deep dive into new Witch classe and when he was talking about Curse of Death I notice a little change in the Curse of Death text:

Curse of Death (curse) This curse ends immediately when the spell ends;

Curse of Death (curse) This curse ends immediately when the spell ends;

I was thinking the removal of the term immediately could be mean that now the spell only ends when its no more sustained?

The base that I using to this is that any affliction ends when you goes bellow the stage 1 (I don't have the remaster yet and the AoN still not updated in the moment of this post so I don't know if the affliction text get some change).

... If the affliction’s stage is ever reduced below stage 1, the affliction ends and you don’t need to attempt further saves unless you’re exposed to the affliction again.

But we also know that specifics overrides the general rules.

A core principle of Pathfinder is that specific rules override general ones. If two rules conflict, the more specific one takes precedence. If there’s still ambiguity, the GM determines which rule to use. For example, the rules state that when attacking a concealed creature, you must attempt a DC 5 flat check to determine if you hit. Flat checks don’t benefit from modifiers, bonuses, or penalties, but an ability that’s specifically designed to overcome concealment might override and alter this. If a rule doesn’t specify otherwise, default to the general rules presented in this chapter. While some special rules may also state the normal rules to provide context, you should always default to the normal rules even if effects don’t specifically say to.

So I'm probably exaggerating into the interpretation but the term "This curse ends when the spell ends" may override the normal success save into the curse Stage 1 ending the spell? Basically keeping the curse active while you sustain the spell or this will only valid if the text specifically says "you cannot reduce the Stage to bellow than 1" but if the text just appends to the normal duration the same cannot be said that the lack of "additionally to normal" or something like in order to keep the original rules instead of override it? Specially after the removal of the term immediately that in pre-remaster put implicitly that the default rules are valid but without it this it is no more necessarily true.

This is my last impressions post with Soldier as we are on the last day of the playtest because I testing it in parallel with the War Of Immortals Class Playtest and the level 5 fieldtest of Soldier doesn't give particular thing to test. It's just a power increase.

As I completed the Plaguestone speedrun this time I skipped to the 4th chapter of the first AoE book to playtest the 4th level.

This fieldtest will focus into Soldier only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
At this level my build completely changed my gameplay thanks to the Feat Punishing Salvo which made it possible to use the Stellar Cannon instead of the Rotolaser.

However, some strange things bothered me with the way this weapon (and advanced weapons in general, which even needs to have its name changed to avoid confusing it with proficiency). Why make the weapon consume more than one ammunition per shot instead of simply reducing the magazine size? I understand that it is to increase the cost of ammo, but honestly it seems more complicated than useful, just say that you need level 4 ammo.

The other thing that I think could have been cool here that wasn't done is instead of using a generic ammo and having the damage type defined by the weapon, it would have been much cooler if the damage type was defined by the ammo. This way we could have different types of warheads with different types of damage, it would be much more interesting and versatile and it is something that would make much more sense for a heavy AoE weapon like Stellar Cannon.

Impressions
Now with a weapon where there is no difference between giving an AoE or a normal attack, the Soldier's experience became much more interesting, as I always ended up suppressing a target.

However, I don't know if I played correctly due to the changes posted here on the forum. I interpreted it as me being able to do an AoE + one normal shot per round with the weapon due to the Punishing Salvo.
This basically made the Soldier a variant of the earth Kineticist, giving a 2d10 AoE with suppress effect on hit + a 2d10 attack with MAP-5 and reload every 4 shots (an earth Kineticist of this level gives 1d8+1d10 of tremor + 2d8 blast without MAP). Which in practice made it very efficient in both debuff and damage.

It was a very rewarding experience, I felt like I was being a DPR and a defensive debuffer at the same time and when necessary I switched weapons to my Elven Curve Blade to fight in melee, when an enemy approached the backline ( only happened once).

This added to the fact that it has a much greater range than the Rotolaser, especially when attacking in an area, made the experience much more pleasant. In practice, the class improved from water to wine!

This makes me think that perhaps the Rotolaser needs to be revised, because in practice it is weaker, heavier, the AoE uses much more ammunition (you can at most do 2 AoE without reloading if you choose not to shoot normally with it), with shorter range and a more complicated and shorter AoE to use.

My conclusion
It was fun and interesting to play Soldier.

The suppressed is a very interesting and very flavoful debuff, the class reminds me a lot of the archetype of a Space Marine from Warhammer 2K or especially a Marine from Starcraft.

However, its execution leaves a lot to be desired in terms of versatility. Being able to suppress with a 2-handed melee weapon makes sense, but the fact that these weapons are strength-based imposes a pretty nasty MAD. Furthermore, there is very little support in feats for this type of build, as almost everything is focused on AoE guns.

I wonder if it wouldn't be better if the class was based on strength instead of Con and put a Brutal in the use of big guns, that would probably completely change the experience.
It would also be nice to add things like Clear the Way, Hammer Quake, Unbalancing Sweep and Whirlwind Strike the class and make the targets hit also suffer the suppression effect similar to what happens with AoE guns.

This is my last impressions post with Exemplar as we are on the last day of the playtest to answer the forms.

As I completed the Plaguestone speedrun this time I skipped to the 4th chapter of the first AoE book to playtest the 4th level.

This playtest will focus into exemplar only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
At this level I noticed something that I hadn't paid much attention to before, which was the fact that there was no interesting feat to get.

This is actually a general problem that I felt in the exemplar the first time I read it. Most of the feats do not integrate. Many require specific types of weapons, give new transcendences that compete with those you already have, and also compete with each other. Which practically leads the player to consider taking an archetype to compensate for this.
In my case, as I already spent my archetype on the Sentinel to compensate for the lack of armor, I was left with no really interesting option and ended up taking Claim Initiate Domain, choosing protection as the domain, because basically I had to take something and it seemed to be the option most versatile available since the others wouldn't help with my life stealer build, at least the long-term protection one would give me a damage resistance spell and allow me to help some allies.
But honestly, if it weren't for the fact that I was already getting an archetype to wear heavy armor, I probably would have gotten a fighter dedication or similar to complete my combat abilities without competing with my Ikons.

Impressions
Nothing much new happened at this level other than access to Striking Rune. This restored the efficiency of my Drink of my Foes although in the end No Scar but This was still more reliable.

My conclusion
Exemplar was a fun class to play. It allowed me to make a melee character with a 2-handed weapon using D12 and good survivability due to the life recovery/steal abilities, which helped ease the pressure on the healer.

That said, the rest of the class didn't cheer me up at all. Several unrelated Ikons, several feats without any synergy, arbitrary decisions regarding the way in which the class has access to proficiencies, ikons and skills without any relation to the flavor or any other justifiable reason, in addition to a rotation mechanic of Ikons that seem more like a tax than a benefit or something interesting, if it weren't for the fact that the build I wanted to assemble and the weapon and body Ikon coincide with the idea of recovering life, my experience would have been much less pleasant.

In my opinion it is a class that needs a complete overhaul in practically every mechanical detail. Otherwise, it will lose out compared to the various other martial options.

This is my last impressions post with Animist as we are on the last day of the playtest to answer the forms.

As I completed the Plaguestone speedrun this time I skipped to the 4th chapter of the first AoE book to playtest the 4th level.

This playtest will focus into animist only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
At this level I got Embodiment of the Balance with the Animist both because he is the party's healer, and because something that happened frequently in previous levels was that I had the apparition spell slots left while I wasted all my divine spell slots with heal. And honestly it was totally worth it.

At this level I got Embodiment of the Balance with the Animist both because he is the party's healer, and because something that happened frequently in previous levels was that I had the apparition spell slots left while I wasted all my divine spell slots with heal. And honestly it was totally worth it.

I also picked up Powerful Leap as a Skill Feat. This allowed me to move more when using Sustaining Dance, although investing in Athletics with a caster that doesn't have strength seems like a waste, in the end it ended up being useful in situations where I needed to climb.

At this level I also get my 3rd appearance, which I ended up choosing for the new Reveler in Lost Glee that was posted on blog because his vessel spell seemed like a very interesting option to have in a long-range caster build.

Impressions
At this level I finally have 3 focus points to spend, which theoretically makes it possible for the "cheese" to sustain 3 Earth's Bile. But in practice it wasn't like that...

Only in a single battle did I actually manage to do this and the effectiveness was somewhat questionable, which was when we faced 6 level 1 spiders.
The questionable thing is because as Bile's progression is slower (Heightening +2) the damage of 3 of them at this level was only a little better than 1 of her + EA. Still, due to the AoE I managed to hit more than 2 spiders a few times, which made it very efficient, but it was the Soldier who actually killed the spiders with his cannon, dealing 2d10 and suppressing in the same area every round.

However, in other fights, such as against a Greather Bargesh and then against some cultists, it has already proven to be much less viable, in the first because the Bargesh, in addition to already having good resistance to fire damage, used Blink, basically invalidating any damage from Bile, including This is one of the biggest limitations of Bile or any other DOT spell in the game, the damage resistances make them unfeasible as normally this type of sustained damage is not high enough to overcome the resistance (unless you are a Kineticist), In the second against the cultists, the fact that they started with a better initiative and causing area damage forced me into healer mode, which basically restricted me to using just one Bile per round because I needed the actions to heal myself. and my allies.

What ended up proving to be quite useful, much more than I expected was the Embodiment of the Balance, since the options for apparition spells are much more limited, being able to use it to heal proved to be an excellent solution, too bad at the cost a feat for that.

This was the level at which I felt least efficient as a DPR, because as I mentioned before, Heightening (+2) means that your effectiveness drops over time until you enter the next level where your magic improves. At this level, specifically where Strike runes also came into play, this became very clear to me.

My conclusion
Playing as the Animist was fun. But the class proved to be a little too complicated and restrictive.

Having the slots divided in the middle, along with the fact that your choices in the list provided by the apparitions are limited to their template, which you normally don't choose because of the spells, ended up making the conjurations that were not of focus very secondary and limited in the my opinion.

Having the focus spells as sustained was cool too, but their choice and form is questionable because having a sustained spell is a double-edged sword, on the one hand it saves you resources, on the other it is a 1-action sacrifice to every spell you sustain, especially in a class that only has a single way to compress it, just by giving an additional movement.

Honestly, I don't know if I would play the animist in a final version that was very similar to this playtest. It would be an interesting class, but I don't know if it's enough to make me excited to play it. Because for several roles in which it is capable, I probably already have better alternatives with other classes. Let's see if the final version changes this.

Continuing my fieldtest experience analysis level by level now in lvl 2.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This fieldtest will focus into soldier only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-orc Exemplar (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-elf Soldier
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
Now in this level I get Fearsome Bulwark and choose Toughness as my general feat and improved Craft skill (because I'm creating my own high-tech weapons).

Impressions
Fearsome Bulwark is super fun! It's something that almost all martials want. The ability to Demoralize with your key attribute. That said I fell that Menacing Laughter was subpar. Its flavor is super fun but its mechanics only works with Supressed targets whats mean that you are in MAP condition making you to be benefited from it less than if you choose to Demoralize someone directly. Instead if this was able to be rolled before your Auto/Area Fire it could be more useful and still fun.

Outside this the things was the same from earlier levels. I used my Auto-Fire too little usually opting to just normal fire the rotolaser and when some enemy get closer Quick-Swap to my Elven Curve Blade to able to Suppress my enemies, specially bosses.

Continuing my playtest experience analysis level by level now in lvl 3 and last chapter of Plaguestone.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into exemplar only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
At this level, in addition to the general feat and the skill increase, I needed to select my Root Epithet.

I honestly found this quite strange. The Root Epithet in practice is an addendum to your Body Ikon, but in practice it has no relationship with it, which makes things strange because you activate the transcendence of your Body Ikon and receive a Root Epithet ability that can be completely not related to it.

In my case I ended up choosing Cunning because it helped me hit my next attack and because due to the limitations of the animist's Earth's Bile it ended up being the best way to leave my target off-guard (which made me invest in Deception even though I didn't have placed no points in Cha). I even considered getting Radiant to match my build (and because it doesn't need Cha), but the 10-minute immunity put me off, Mournful also seemed interesting to me (as it doesn't need Cha either) but I wanted something more offensive, while Brave just felt really meh to me.

Honestly, I know that there will be people who don't like what I'm going to say here, but I would prefer that the Epithets were not a choice, but rather related to the Body Ikons that the person chose. This would help to value these Ikons during your choice and reduce the feeling of confusion that this ability gives when you put it together with an Ikon with an unrelated theme.

As a general feat I took Orc Ferocity (in fact I reversed the order putting Armor Proficiency here, and Orc Ferocity as a level 1 feat) and as a skill I improved my Athletics.

Impressions
At this level, due to inattention, it took me a while to realize that my Body Ikon was considerably better than my Weapon Ikon and I had some trouble for nothing because of this, as I normally started a fight with my Worn Ikon and then switched with Trancendence to Weapon and stayed alternating with Body. But due to the considerable improvement of Scar of the Survivor with an extra healing die at this level + Root Epithet and the fact that when using this I Feint as a free action, I started using my Body Epithet as my main Ikon after the At the start of combat, this considerably increased my survivability while I did not obtain at least one Strike Rune to improve my damage and consequently the effectiveness of my Weapon Ikon.

That said, little has changed in my gameplay other than improving my survival and leaving some opponents off-guard eventually. Making my experience very similar to the previous levels, just putting less pressure on the party's healers lol.

Continuing my playtest experience analisis level by level now in lvl 3 and last chapter of Plaguestone.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into animist only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
My animist still an DPR focused blaster. As normal in this level my animist only got her 2nd-rank spells, spiritual fortitude and take fleet as general feat and improved my atletics to expert (I'm getting athletics in order to improve my leap with Powerful Leap in next level to able to increse the Sustaining Dance range).
As usual I put heal in my 2nd-rank spell slot because it's very hard the get a more useful spell from divine tradition to keep prepared. (and once again I used all my healing spells again in this level + some scrolls)

Impressions
At this level it became clear to me what I had already theorized. Earth's Bile's progression actually leaves her considerably weaker when you move away from her level (or the level at which she receives Heightened), effectively at this level where I don't yet have 3 focus points, making her effectively weaker than the Electric Arc.
Still, it had its shine when I needed to face 8 Orcs Brute at once, especially since the persistent damage is extremely effective against creatures that have Orc Ferocity.

Additionally at this level I had considerable problems fighting in very tight spaces (like 3x5 rooms and similar). In the 2 fights I had in these places I was forced either to not be able to useEarth's Bile or to give up on it otherwise the party members would suffer friendly fire. Especially when targets are close to corners with nearby allies, the AoE of the spell would become prohibitive.

Another situation where it also proved to be very ineffective was against bosses of medium size or smaller. Because it simply prevents flanking and causes the party to have to choose. Either flank and prevent the Animist from using Earth's Bile's or give up flanking and have to deal with an opponent with a considerably higher AC without access to the main form of off-guard. Probably this could create some party discussion between players once it will forces someone to have to give in.

Another spell that proved completely unusable in small spaces was Garden of Healing for the same reasons as the AoE that Earth's Bile's suffers from, but here due to the risk of healing enemies.

And this is where the main problems with these spells actually lie. They are your main weapons, but they can be completely useless if the situation is too unfavorable for them. So it is necessary to build some alternative in Build, which in my case due to the low level is the Electric Arc. At higher levels I will probably need to prepare some spell slots with damage spells.

Garden of Healing has now become more interesting in combat as it heals more, however the main positioning problems and the extra consumption of actions resulting from this continued to make its consistent use in combat unfeasible, still keeping it reserved for healing outside of combat.

Another thing that worried me was at a time when I had 2 close fights with no time to refocus. This prevented me from using the Garden of Healing (but the Exemplar who needed the healing was the one who could do it alone) and I ended up using my second focus point to support the Earth's Bile's once again.
And that will probably be a very valid concern going forward. If you are forced into a situation where you cannot refocus, your class is practically disarmed if you have already spent everything.

That said, I continue with my initial ideas so far. Earth's Bile is not as good as many people think (it is still inferior to martial strength melees and two-handed weapons), and AoE, while it is a blessing against multiple MOBs, is a problem against bosses and if the spell really needs to be nerfed at some point, that point would be precisely the AoE, which could be reduced to a square.
Garden of Healing is good outside of combat, inside combat it is complicated, and as already predicted, when the GM doesn't want to give you time to refocus, you'll probably be in a situation where you won't have focus points to spend on it. So don't be afraid, it seems like an OP out-of-combat cure, but it just seems like it, in actual use and effectiveness it doesn't make any practical difference.

But interestingly, I would like the class to have some quick focus recovery feat like Desperate Prayer[/b] and [url=https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=3671]Strain Mind, this would help a lot in emergency situations to have at least 1 focus point.

Otherwise, the class experience continued to be fun and very consistent. It was the one who had the most stable performance, neither surprising nor failing too much.

Continuing my fieldtest experience analysis level by level now in lvl 2.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This fieldtest will focus into soldier only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-orc Exemplar (from War Of Immortals Playtest)
A half-elf Soldier
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
After lvl 1 I remade some parts of this soldier. Due my low usage of AoE attack using my Rotolaser (because looks like a waste of ammo using AoE vs single targets) I change the Fighting Style (sub-class) to Close Quarters. This allows me to use a two-handed melee weapon to suppress and gives me Punitive Strike (the AoO that only works vs Suppressed targets) and switch Pin-Down feat to Quick-Swap. But this change comes with a problem. MADness!!!
The main problem is that the class key stat is Con and I need Dex to do single target ranged Strikes with my Rotolaser this lets me with a poor amount of points to use in Str giving a bad hit and critical rate with my two-handed weapon. So to workaround this I switch my Ancestry and Heritage to Human Half-elf with Elven Weapon Familiarity to allow me to get access the best two-handed melee finesse weapon that's Elven Curve Blade (technically I don't the feat to get proficiency just to get access to it). This way I could still use my dex with the two-handed melee weapon (I don't know if this was intended but works) and avoid this excessive MAD.
I also got Menacing Laughter but due my charisma is 0 probably only will work well starting from lvl 3 when I get Fearsome Bulwark.

Impressions
I still used Auto-fire little in lvl 2. But now when some one get closer (or take away) I use Quick-Swap to able to use my sword and try to hit and Suppress the target. But the curious thing about Quick-Swap is that I'm unable to use it actively. The trigger only works when the enemy moves not myself what put me in the curious positioning of keep firing the rotolaser until someone get closer and I use the feat to switch to the sword and if someone take distance I do the inverse.

Be able to suppress with the sword is very useful yet not so efficient as the AoE with Primary Target but still fun and powerful once this don't costs me actions. Yet I miss some more support for melee and non-aoe abilities. Maybe get some AoE feats with melee weapons and also would be fun if the Close Quarters wasn't restricted to only two-handed weapons but to any melee weapon allowing to use war-knifes or even pistol without risk to trigger a reaction to use them in melee. This allows to get a different set of secondary weapons to use.

The big problem in the class still in the Key Stat and how it's forcing the MAD. I understand the concept behind it but mechanically is very expensive and difficult to deal. If the Kas was Str or Dex it would be way better or allow it to use Con to attacks (and dmg) too. Outside these limitations play with the Soldier in level 2 was fun and interesting.

Continuing my playtest experience analisis level by level now in lvl 2.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into exemplar only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
After a TPK in the last lvl 1 boss I remade some parts of this exemplar. I noticed that life-stealing/recovery abilities maybe not enough to keep the exemplar live a stable in the frontline so I need to improve my AC and my survivability. So now the exemplar is an half-orc in order to get Orc Ferocity but this still problematic due the need to get Armor Proficiency feat to allow me to use heavy armors with Sentinel Dedication. I honestly expect that the designers consider to improve the armor proficiency to at last medium (but the ideal is to allow to use all armors in order to meet all build options). But for now my Orc Ferocity will have to wait until I get level 3 and retrain my ancestry feat.

Impressions
The main difference between level 1 and level 2 is obviously the HP. Now I have a better chance to not die before use my life-stealing/HP recovery Transcendence. That said Drink of my Foes and No Scar but This helps the survivability but not saves you to need some healing eventually specially if the enemies crits you so don't expect that this will make you to survive more than a Champion or a Monk using a shield but your damage output is better. I was considering to take a Figher/Barbarian or Mauler dedication to improve my damage output to improve my Drink of my Foes but in the end I get the safer option that was to get Sentinel Dedication.
The curious thing about all this is that none of the level 1 and 2 feats impressed me so I don't feel like as I was sacrificing anything to get the dedication except to get another archetype feat.

In general the experience was good. I done some good damage due the d12 str weapon and I only needed in battle healing once.

Once again Thousand-League Sandals showed to be the best Ikon to initiate every encounter. Its immanence is very good boost to all party initial position (also it improves the overall travel speed too) and its transcendence is so good thats I use it in the begging of all encounters. Unfortunately other allied character that get a better initiative cannot Delay the get benefit from it but even if your turn was before it it usually is useful to use other actions like stances and self buffing knowing that you will get a better positioning as a reaction. But after the initial round I never use it again in the same encounter.

Continuing my playtest experience analisis level by level now in lvl 2.
Its still a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into animist only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

A human Animist
A half-orc Exemplar
A half-elf Soldier (from SF2 Fieldtest)
A hobgoblin Alchemist

Build
My animist still an DPR focused blaster. Now I get Sustaining Dance as most obvious feat choice to allow my to keep some movement every round while I use all my actions casting and sustaining a also got Continual Recovery to make some healing comparisons with Garden of Healing.

Impressions
Little things changed from my level 1 impressions while some others was confirmed. Lets talk about them individually:

Apparition's Whirl is something cool to have but I rarely use it in a encounter because its more efficient to keep with Steward of Stone and Fire in entire combat specially after a reach the conclusion that use of Garden of Healing in battle doesn't worth all its "cost" and all others Apparition options (except the new Reveler in Lost Glee) are melee focused.

Channeler's Stance still doesn't worth its action cost. The reason about this is simple. This stances give an status damage bonus equal to spell rank but in most cases I'm already casting a cantrip (Eletric Arc) + Earth's Bile. So to enter in the stance I need to not cast one of them in one of my turns and the damage/healing bonus doesn't compensate that damage that wont give in this turn. The only situation in this low levels that worth to enter in this stance is when I need to use actions to move more than I can move using Sustaining Dance. Also I start almost every encounter with an allied Exemplar using Marathon Dash what means that very rarelly will need to use an action just to move giving some action free to enter into the stance. Probably this will change after level 4 when I get my 3rd focus point but for now I rarely use it.

Garden of Healing doesn't worth to use in an encounter. It's simply too "expensive". It not only costs you a focus point but also you need to stay in the right positioning, those who you want to heal need to stay closer, some [s]GMs[/b] enemies will try to disturb entering into your emanation, if an ally is dying everything turns way more complicated (your dying ally couldn't move to you so you need to move closer but usually enemies are closer to it too if possible you need to move more to a position where you won't heal the enemies but many times you don't get enough space for this or if the enemies are flanking the fallen ally its basically impossible to not heal enemies too. Also the healing is weak what means that your allie risks to fall again in the next turn increasing the risk of perma death. Its a tactical nightmare!). In practice the usage of this spell in combat simply doesn't worth.
Also I compared it with Continual Recovery + Ward Medic and being honest makes a little difference and in practice usually Continual Recovery is "faster" because isn't uncommon that I need 30 minutes to refocus and this enough time to recovery the entire party with medicine too. My conclusion until now its that Garden of Healing is still better because doesn't requires all the skill feat investment but in term of time economy the difference is minimal.

Now with more enemies with higher HP the Earth's Bile effectiveness it's no more so fantastic like it was in level 1. But still good and the combination of EA + Bile still competes with the Two-Handed d12 melee str based damage of the Exemplar (and my exemplar its life steal based not a damage focused one). This makes me thing that in next levels (3-4) its slow heightening will make it less effective until I reach level 5 making some kind of wave in the damage output with a high output when it up a rank but a lowering damage out until you reach the next heightening rank.
Yet the overwal action economy efficiency improved a lot with Sustaining Dance. Now I rarely don't use all my actions to cast/sustain making the class action economy pretty good. Also this really shows how this feat is a most have one. The experience after I take it really makes me consider that you will want to take it in level 2 ever even knowing that it competed with Embodiment of the Balance something that I also want to get once that I rarely use my apparition spellslot.

An interesting point about Sustaining Dance is that it not only moves about the half of your speed but also in a line. In some rare situations it may not enough to get into the positioning. Probably when I get my 3rd focus point and begin to sustain with all actions this movement could be more interesting. But now it inability to turn in middle of the movement limits it. You also need to consider that in air and water encounters you cannot use it at all.

And about spell slots... Well I use all my prepared ones to put heal and honestly I can't see another better usage for them. While I one use the apparition slot once with Interposing Earth this also makes the main problem of these template spells in lower levels. In practice you won't choose your spell list actively because almost always you will choose your apparition based only on its Vessel Spells and this makes you stay with no use for most of them that's why I want to take Embodiment of the Balance in level 4 to at last be able to use then with heal. But again this makes it another must have feat to compensate your choice limitation in apparition spells.

This weekend I finally get time to playtest the new classes. This playtest was made with 2 players. Me controlling the PC and a friend GMing.
It was a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into exemplar only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

This weekend I finally get time to playtest the new classes. This playtest was made with 2 players. Me controlling the PC and a friend GMing.
It was a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into exemplar only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

This weekend I finally get time to playtest the new classes. This playtest was made with 2 players. Me controlling the PC and a friend GMing.
It was a speedrun playtest of Fall of Plaguestone because we already have all the things done and I want to test the Soldier too and because the soldier's playtest only goes up to level 5, we chose to play a low-level adventure.

I won't describe the full adventures here because its too much to be written and instead I will go directly to my impressions and observations.

This playtest will focus into animist only. For other classes I will post my impressions in their respective forums.

Party composition

My doubt is simple.

If a kineticist have Fire Impulse junction and uses it to Ignite the Sun using making 7d8 instead of 7d6. When you sustain it it keeps the 7d8?

This doubt is because the text of Impulse junction says (the highlight is mine):

In addition, you gain an impulse junction, a benefit that occurs when you use an impulse of the chosen element that takes 2 actions or more. This happens before the other effects of the impulse, unless noted otherwise. You can gain only one impulse junction per round; they are described in full below.

Increase the damage die size of fire damage dealt by the impulse by one step.

So the Fire Impulse Junction will increase the Ignite the Sun before it effects start improving it to 7d8 and Sustain is an action to just extend the duration of an Impulse so in next round the damage keep being 7d8 or reduces to 7d6? If it keep doing 7d8 and another Ignite the Sun is used this another Sun can benefit from damage increase because the Sustain action isn't you "casting" a Impulse or only one is possible?

I notice that both Garden of Healing and Discomfiting Whispers affects "each creature" not only allies or enemies. This makes theses spells pretty difficult to use specially if you use it with Spiritual Expansion Spell.

If you not pay attention and constantly move Garden of Healing will heal the enemies too in a similar way Discomfiting Whispers risks to affect to closer allies. It's pretty rare in PF2 that spells can do "friendly" fire in this way. Spells like Bless and Bane take care with it and even Kineticists aura many times differ allies from enemies and also gives you a feat to use with auras that doesn't do this differentiation.

It's not the case to rewrite these spells to prevent "friend fire" or to add a target exclusion feat?

The class is very focused in Vessel Spell and all this focus spells are all sustained. I will miss too much this feat in higher levels and depending from what we get with its MC archetype we risk that Vessel Spell works better in many other spellcasters specially witches than in this own class.

I have 2 problems with this feature. Both are related to the level that this thing is.

The first is that its a class feature in an even level. All other classes features are in odd level so to put this in a even level will open space for mistakes once that players are already used to just getting feats at these levels and barely checking the class. This will only create mistakes without a good reason.

The other point is that this thing is basically an adapted Breadth feat. But the Breadth feats are level 8. Once this is a features why don't put it in a earlier level live 7 or 5?

This a point that no one mentioned yet and that bothered me since the beginning.

The class spellcasting merging prepared and spontaneous spellcasting in the same classe made it over-complex.

Let us remember that spellcasting in general in PF2 is a pretty complex mechanic requiring you to study what spells you will take, what situation you will use, how long the spell will be useful, what it will combine, what situations it will able to help and many other considerations.

Add to this both have to choose what spells you will prepare for that day + have to choose what repertoire to use just make the things more difficult and I'm not accounting that you can loose part of your repertoire when you "sacrifice" your apparition using some feat.

IMO there's no good reason to don't make the class fully spontaneous allowing you to get 1 spell per level to your repertoire + your spells from apparitions and merge all spellslots making everything more simple and flexible.

I was reading some posts about bring cross-material between both games and while some classes from SF2 could end needing many lore and even equipment availability adjustments like a Soldier in Golarion usually needs to be come from the future or unfrozen from some part of Numeria or came into Golarion from a more advanced technological world in some way.

But for the inverse the things looks way more easier to deal. So what classes do you think that may fit well in SF2 without too much excuses nor mechanical adjustments or may need way more adjustments or simply don't fit well into SF2 environment?

Let me put my list:
Alchemist - adjustments needed: medium - Alchemists are pretty like an archaic madness scientist from the past. It's perfectly reasonable that you can use the current alchemical itens in PF2 but they will looks like some old fashined gadgets when you are surrounded by many high-tech things. Maybe if we get alchemical in SF2 the alchemist could be easier adapted but I still don't know if we will get alchemical itens in SF2 at all.
Barbarian - adjustments needed: none - Our melee focused enraged martial probably will work pretty well in SF2 and curiously even the Superstition Instinct will able the get a better place here than in Golarion once that the probability to have a party without supportive casters could be higher. We will certain get some melee weapon in SF2 so I don't see any problem to an martial proficiency class to use them the only problem we may have is a lower number of thrown weapons but I don't thing that most barbarians builds are throwing based at all neither that we won't have any throwable weapons in SF2.
Bard - adjustments needed: none - Once that Bards are primary supportive spell casters that's uses music and performance I don't see any problems they running well in SF2 in the same way they do in PF2.
Champion - adjustments needed: none - Like barbarians I don't see big problem to Champions in SF2. Maybe it can even get more benefit of having pistols as secondary weapons than they able to have in PF2 where the one-handed weapons are restricted do throwable weapons or weapons with reload 1 or more.
Cleric - adjustments needed: low - Like bards I don't see divine spell casters having any problem at all with one exception. The deities available. You may not get access to some PF2 deities (because they died/changed) but you will get access to new ones too.
Druid - adjustments needed: ??? - As primal spell casters I don't see too much problems at all but I don't know how their lore will fit in a game with too much artificial environment. Probably it won't be a real problem at all but maybe a bit challenging to explain why a nature defensor is flying over the space at all (with the exception to the stories about protect planets environment).
Fighter - adjustments needed: none - Fighters classes are basically made to be able to use any weapons the only "adjustment" here is they using hightech weapons too but the man-at-arms chassis of fighter probably will grant they some versatility here.
Investigator[b] - adjustments needed: low - Investigator are mentalists they are more focuses into get information deduction and recalling knowledge. Maybe the alchemical subclass could be a little problematic here but outside of it I don't see any problems at all.
[b]Kineticist - adjustments needed: low - Like magical class you probably can play as kineticists without any problems or adjustments except from the Attenuators that need to be available and imported to SF2 too.
Magus - adjustments needed: none - I can imagine Starlit Span really being even more relevant here than they already are in PF2. Like other spellcasters I don't expect any problems from their spellcasting abilities.
Monk - adjustments needed: none/medium - Monks are in a curious situation. Their unarmed abilities will work well in SF2 but their weapons part probably no. We won't have monk traits in SF2 weapons what means that GM will have to make their own homebrew to choose what weapons will be available to monks and even so many weapon stances are locked to some specific weapons (like Monastic Archer). I believe that most players and GMs will simple ignore the monstic weapons aspect of the class or will use the old magical weapons from PF2 what may require some availability adjustments from the GM.
Oracle - adjustments needed: none - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Oracles will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2.
Psychic - adjustments needed: none - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Psychic will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2.
Ranger - adjustments needed: low - Rangers probably will work like any other martials like fighter using the hightech without problems. Their companions maybe get more options available but their snares may look archaic and probably need to be imported from PF2.
Rogue - adjustments needed: none - Like fighter I don't expect problems in rogues playing SF2 but depending from what changes was made in skills they may get a different set of skills but I don't think they need to be adjusted at all.
Sorcerer - adjustments needed: none - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Sorcerer will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2.
Summoner - adjustments needed: none - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Summoner will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2 even eidolons are very independent from things of the world and probably will work without any problem.
Swashbuckler - adjustments needed: none - Like fighter I don't expect any problems for swashbuckler too once we will certain will get some good light weapons too. Maybe a lightsaber Swashbuckler?
Thaumaturge - adjustments needed: none - Maybe thaumas will looks some eccentric in SF2 but they aready are in PF2 so I don't see this changing anything at all. kkk
Witch - adjustments needed: none - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Witch will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2.
Wizard - adjustments needed: maybe low - Like other spellcasters I don't expect that Wizard will need any adjustments or have any problems at all to play in SF2 with one exception. Staves! I don't know if they will exists in normal SF2 or with will we get a similar equipment like Codas. This maybe difficult a little some Wizards with Staff Nexus but even if SF2 doesn't get anything like a staff they can be imported from PF2 or your can construct your own personal staff.
Gunslinger - adjustments needed: none? - Gunslingers are projected to play with Reload weapons but I expect that most weapons in SF2 will get not reload or if have no misfire what makes some mechanics simply doesn't working right like Risk Reload. This maybe forces a Gunslinger to import some weapons from PF2 making them a bit archaic also we problem will we have some marksmanship expert in SF2 that probably will deprecate the Gunslinger class.
Inventor - adjustments needed: none? - I don't imagine the inventor class having problems in SF2 but they will look like archaic to all the technology we will have available.

OK people let's compile all announced remaster changes in one topic and talk about them.

I remember that we will get:

I finally finished it.

For those who didn't follow. I had the idea of doing a poll using Google Forms putting the ideas of what several players would like to see changed in PF2. After spending a few days collecting suggestions the poll is ready!

https://forms.gle/ujdVQeVXiwYwK1G88

This poll has no concerns about balancing or even absurd requests. The idea was simply to take stock of how popular some ideas for changes some players would like to see implemented in the system.

This is a completely unofficial poll, without any involvement from Paizo. It's just something I did for fun, but obviously nothing prevents Paizo from someday looking at it, or even doing something similar. So don't expect anything from that, it's just to see how popular some ideas can be!

After saw many topics about different things that many people wanted to change in the game I have the idea to make a pool (using Google Forms) with changes do you want to see in the PF2. But I first need the questions.

So want do you think that need to be changed or even added/removed in PF2? Please try to make your suggestion simples and generic without too much specific detail and please without asking for clarifications these usually are addressed to FAQ. I will exemplify with my own desires:

Contextualizing a bit. The original text of many battle forms until the 3º print said:

One or more unarmed melee attacks specific to the battle form you choose, which are the only attacks you can use. You're trained with them. Your attack modifier is +9, and your damage bonus is +1. These attacks are Strength based (for the purpose of the enfeebled condition, for example). If your unarmed attack bonus is higher, you can use it instead.

But due undesired restrictions to Atletics attack actions the designers changed to:

One or more unarmed melee attacks specific to the battle form you choose, which are the only attacks you can Strike with. You're trained with them. Your attack modifier is +9, and your damage bonus is +1. These attacks are Strength based (for the purpose of the enfeebled condition, for example). If your unarmed attack bonus is higher, you can use it instead.

But this change also allow to use the Battle Form Strikes to be used as normal subordinate Strikes of larger actions like Power Strike?

So a char in a Bear Battle Form that has a Fighter Archetype and Power Attack feat is now able to use it normally once the new text calls the form attacks as unarmed Strikes like any action the uses Strikes and unarmed Strikes as part of the action (like Attack of Opportunity, Flurry of Blows...)?

I was re-reading the Sparkling Targe for a tanker build when when I notice the following thing:

When you're in Arcane Cascade stance with your shield raised, your circumstance bonus to AC from your shield also applies to your saves against spells and other magical effects. In addition, damage you take as a result of a spell or magical effect while you're in Arcane Cascade can trigger your Shield Block reaction, even if the damage isn't physical. When blocking damage in this way, increase your shield's Hardness by an amount equal to the extra damage from Arcane Cascade (typically 1, but 2 if you have weapon specialization, or 3 if you have greater weapon specialization). These benefits apply whether you're using an actual shield, the shield spell, or something else that works like a shield (such as a raised tome if you have the Raise a Tome feat).

My doubt is if the additional damage dices from strike runes are considered as "magical effect" so will add the extra hardness to the shield? Or only property runes can trigger this?

I have a doubt about Scout's Pounce feat.

One of my players saw this feat and what to use it but he ask me that how he knows if it's is hidden from opponents (not metting the requirements) once that hide action is a secret check.

What's exactly happens when a player try to use Scout's Pounce but don't really know if he's is successfully hidden from opponent or not.

I was analyzing here what Impulses are mechanically and why in practice they end up being an attempt to "reinvent the wheel" that in the end will only bring many more problems than solutions.

Because let's go. Comparing Impulses and Focus Cantrips:

As many people aready know. The familiar's utility in PF2 is currently very questionable. But in some classes this appear to be worse.

This is the case of Elemental Familiar. What's it's brings of really useful to the class?

This is the current familiar abilities that's works and not work with Kineticist:

The current description of Geologic Attunement don't specify if tremorsense can be used only in earth and stone terrain of if its also valid for others terrains. The sentence makes clear the that the aura turn earth and stone into difficult terrain but don't clearly says that's if this is valid for tremorsense too because they are sentences separated by a comma and an "and":

You become in tune with the earth and stone around you, extending your senses through it and pulling it toward you in rippling waves. You gain tremorsense (imprecise) in your kinetic aura, and you turn earth and stone in your aura into difficult terrain. If you move during your turn, these effects are suppressed until the end of your turn.

My doubt is simple. What's happen if cast a Holy Cascade against a creature that have Undead and Fiend traits like Spectral Devil?

It receives all damages? 3d6 blunt + 6d6 positive + 6d6 good?

A long ago I saw some Mark's posts saying that PF don't have damage without type and even additional damage have same damage type from main damage or have a specific damage type. But recently I noticed that are at last 3 (Disintegrate, Implosion and Power Word Kill) spells that don't have any information of what damage type they are.

So what's the damage type of theses spells? Are they really damage without type?

I have a few doubts about the effects of wish-like spells when trying to replicate a lower spell:

1. These wish-like spells uses a LvL 10 spell "slot" so when it duplicate any same-tradion spell of 9th level or lower this spell is heightened to lvl 10?
2. If yes for the last question same happens to a different tradition spell? For example if level 7th spell from other tradition is casted via Wish is this spell a heightened level 10 spell?
3. If not heightened to 10 what happen to spells lower than lvl 9th or 7th for other traditions? Are they heightened to lvl 9th and 7th respectively or they just casted at same base required levels?

If possible post also the references that makes you belive or not if wish-like spells are or not heightened. Tnx.