My preference on Wizard differentiation would be to have Spellshapes made a core part of their chassis, whether on prepared spells (limited number of uses, no extra actions) or on the fly (no limited uses, costs extra actions). The recent feat additions in Impossible Magic are exactly the kind of thing that I'd hope to see.
I'd also like to see them get some 1-Action (or Reaction) Focus Spells, even if the numbers on them are worse, so that they can have a niche of pushing through multiple spells per round.
Mobile Thrall, level 4, means you don't need to Command a Thrall to have them follow.
I'm not seeing how the feat means you don't need to Command the Thrall to move? It gains Climb and Swim speeds, but there's nothing about a no-action movement option.
I could see Repeating a Spell allowing you to maintain a single Thrall in lieu of other Exploration activities but 3 thralls at the start of every encounter is 50% stronger than Instinctual Creation, which is a 14th level feat.
Just wanted to mention that (while not required) it might be thematically appropriate to allow a circumstance bonus to RK when the creature is Frightened if the player is looking for information related to weakness or similar.
For instance, if the creature has a Fire Vulnerability and a member of the party has a lit torch, for a player rolling Recall Knowledge to look into weaknesses I would probably give a bonus equal to the value of the Frightened condition and emphasize that it seems especially wary of the torch due to its Fire Vulnerability if successful.
Not something to use at every opportunity, but don't forget that as a GM you have tools to add depth to the rules interactions.
Open up a Lost Omens book like Draconic Codex, and it'll direct you to read the rules from other books at paizo.com/prd if you don't own them.
That URL goes to AoN.
Isn't that URL just a redirect page on Paizo's side? They could have it redirect to a different page without obsoleting the info as-printed in existing books, or could have their own version of the PRD at that exact address instead of a redirect.
My preference on rule citations is always the printed source with book and page citations, or a note from FAQ/errata if not in a printed source along with a link to that document.
I think linking to a reliable online repository is a good addition to the book-and-page cite, but wouldn't link to it alone. My preference would be to use an official source if one exists, but AoN is especially good for also giving page cites for their sources which is not always true of other sites.
Runesmith's Will save is the only save in the game that doesn't get a proficiency increase at all over 20 levels, and they have no proficiency bumps at 3, 9, or 17. Is it possible that they were supposed to start at Trained and bump to Expert at 3, or else start at Expert and bump to Master at 9 or 17?
Huh. Runesmith's Will save is the only save in the game that doesn't get a proficiency increase at all over 20 levels, and they have no proficiency bumps at 3, 9, or 17. Is it possible that they were supposed to start at Trained and bump to Expert at 3, or else start at Expert and bump to Master at 9 or 17?
To those who have the PDF, can we get some details on the living nexus and world rouser archetypes?
Sure!
The Living Nexus becomes empowered with magical energy (you're "overflowing") by using a reaction when when another creature uses magic. This gives you a bonus to saves vs magical effects and an option to Strike with extra force damage, which removes the Overflowing status.
Further feats give you options for ranged magical strikes and blasts, an imprecise sense to detect things affected by magic, or a reaction to absorb incoming magic damage.
To take the archetype, you need to be Trained in Martial weapons and one of the 4 magical "knowledge" skills.
I've been reading through the adventure ahead of running it for my group. I have 6 players interested, and while I'm comfortable scaling up encounters in general it seems like the size of the dungeon locations would make a higher player/monster count too cramped unless also increase the size of the rooms.
I realize I might have to turn a couple players away for practical reasons, but this is the first time I've been able to get my group interested in playing PF2E.
Has anyone here had success running the adventure for a larger group, and what tools did you use if so?
A creature eating another creature is merely a natural transfer of vitality. That energy is often used later to beget new life via procreation. And so the cycle continues.
The same is not true when a void creature creates another void creature from a vitality creature. That vitality is lost and the natural cycle is disrupted.
Animating dead is more than just infusing a corpse with Negative Energy because Negative Energy can't grant vitality; that's Positive Energy's job. Instead, animating dead flesh uses the onyx in the spell as a focus that opens a sort of connection to the Negative Energy Plane that is focused through the corpse. Ambient PE is pulled through this connection into the NEPlane, where it is negated and destroyed. It is the Positive Energy flowing through the corpse that powers Undead, not the Negative Energy itself, as the process is sort of a gross mockery of the natural attrition of life force in living creatures. Animation only persists because the PE being drawn through the corpse is obliterated as it contacts the metaphysical connection to the NEPLane, causing a constant flow of life force through the dead tissue in attempt to create equilibrium.
As the undead is damaged, its connection to the NEPlane weakens until it closes and cannot draw any PE into itself to maintain animation. NE "heals" the undead because it strengthens the connection and allows more PE to be drawn through it, prolonging its unlife. PE harms the undead by altering the balance of NE and PE "pressures" around the portal to the NEPlane and causing the tide briefly flow the other way, drawing NE from its plane to be obliterated in ours. Equilibrium is restored quickly thereafter, but the connection is already weakened by the sudden reversal of energy flow.
Until I have the book in front of me to read the cosmological implications for the Necromancer class, my assumption is that the Thralls have the form of undead creatures but lack the entropic siphoning of Vitality from the Material Plane and the instrumental use of a soul that marks true undead, which is also what makes them temporary. Just sacks of ambient Vitality energy in the world held into the shape of undeath, waiting to be exploited and returned to a formless state.
GM Core, p 225, under Transferring Runes, paragraph 3 states:
Quote:
It takes 1 day (instead of the 4 days usually needed to Craft) to transfer a rune or swap a pair of runes[...]
The time reduction to 1 day is correct but the parenthetical should state "(instead of the 2 days usually needed to Craft)" to align with the changes to the Craft rules in the Remaster and prevent confusion.
Bard's Inspiration has its rounds per day scale off of either Cha or Int depending on whether the Bard's Tradition is a Minstrel or a Skald respectively, but the DC is strictly Cha-based regardless of Tradition. I find that weird. I'll be editing that on my copy.
I believe this is because all spell DCs key off of CHA in general, unless the character has a feat or feature to alter it. I'd allow a character with the relevant DC-changing feat for spells to swap the stat here as well.
I could see just adding another single action Grave Cantrip as a class feature that gives a thrall within 30 ft an optional attack (same as the Create Thrall one) and then destroys it with no other benefits.
To address concerns of a lackluster melee necro build, you could also modify the feats that enable that build so they let the Necromancer take the melee attack from this Destroy Thrall cantrip themselves, using the the melee weapon's dice and abilities instead of the listed spell attack dice but still counting as a spell attack to use the better progression.
Once you can summon multiple thralls per actions, this gives a gameplay loop of summon (with free melee), cast a non-attack spell or focus spell, then on the next turn sacrifice a thrall for a boosted melee before resummoning.
If eliminating excess thralls needs to be addressed, I could see just adding another single action Grave Cantrip as a class feature that gives a thrall within 30 ft an optional attack (same as the Create Thrall one) and then destroys it with no other benefits.
To address concerns of a lackluster melee necro build, you could also modify the feats that enable that build so they let the Necromancer take the melee attack from this Destroy Thrall cantrip themselves, using the the melee weapon's dice and abilities instead of the listed spell attack dice but still counting as a spell attack to use the better progression.
This may already be clear to other people from the text, so sorry if it's a misguided line of questioning.
The text of Reclaim Power states
Reclaim Power wrote:
You Consume a Thrall, increasing the range to 30 feet, and regain 10 Hit Points. You can destroy up to four more of your thralls in range to increase the healing by 10 per thrall. If you destroy five thralls total, you can also decrease your clumsy, enfeebled, frightened, sickened, or stupefied condition by 1.
Given that this feat requires the Consume Thrall class feature, does this mean that the Reclaim Power activity incorporates the base Consume Thrall action benefits (regaining a Focus Point) while modifying the usage range from 15 feet to 30 feet and adding the healing rider? Or is the "consume a thrall" phrasing a description of the destruction of the thrall being used exclusively for healing?
If it is the case that the base action is incorporated, does that mean that you cannot use Reclaim Power if Consume Thrall has been used within the last 10 minutes?
My assumption from reading is that Reclaim Power does incorporate the Focus Point benefit and that it can still be used even if Consume Thrall has been used because it is a separate activity with a separate frequency. That would mean that the Necromancer has two abilities to restore FP in each encounter which is more than other classes, but I could see it as a deliberate design choice to offset the high amount of Focus Spells the class has.
I would say the intention is actually to give you a reaction before you otherwise would be able to. Normally in combat you only get your reaction on your turn, meaning the first round of combat you wouldn't have one until your turn comes up, but the guardian starts with a reaction always that allows them to defend someone round one.
It feels a bit odd to gain a class feature that only gets worse as your initiative gets better, but I guess you're right that having it as a failsafe for enemy alpha strikes makes sense. Maybe we could get a callout in the finalized text to remind players that reactions expire at the start of their turn so they don't mistakenly think they can "bank" the reaction.
The Reaction Time feature seems a little odd. I assume that the intention is to give 1 free extra Reaction to use each combat (possibly tuned down from 1 extra per round), but per the rules in Player Core, you lose unused Reactions at the start of your turn so as written this ability can't be used. It probably needs a stipulation that you don't lose the bonus Reaction round-to-round until used.
Commander seems like a fun reimplementation of some of the Battle Herald stuff from PF1. I'm very excited about that, as that was one of my favorite Prestige Classes from the edition.
At a glance, it looks like a lot of the Tactics don't allow the Commander to participate in the generated actions for a lead-from-the-front feel. For instance, Demoralizing Charge, Stupefying Raid, and Defensive Retreat all seem like having option to spend an extra action to let the commander join in wouldn't be too out-there.
An option for a feat or feature that could lend more of that playstyle would be nice, though I understand it sort of steps on the toes of the Marshall dedication from the CRB (not sure how it compares to the revision coming in Player Core 2)
Not 100% sure it's an error, but Floral Restoration (Druid) requires being in a location of at least 15 sq ft with healthy plant life. 15 sq ft is less than one 5 foot square, which seems like both a poor restriction and not coherent with normal tactical layouts.
Possible corrections could be 25 sq ft (1 square, just rounding up), 75 sq ft (3 squares, assuming they just did 3x5 to get 15), 150 sq ft (6 squares, assuming they left off a 0), 225 sq ft (9 squares, assuming they meant a 3x3 block of 5 ft squares), or 375 sq ft (15 squares).
I'm not talking charop. I'm specifically saying I think the Elemental Blast is undertuned between weakish damage, non-attack key ability, and delayed proficiency when weighed against the mechanical footprint of the feature and my own personal interest in being a competent all-day magical blaster.
Touching on this, from a progression perspective it's odd that the class starts as (slightly) less accurate than a spellcaster's cantrips, grows to more accurate over the course of 18 levels, and then becomes even again. Assuming ABP, plus all boosts + Apex to an attack stat:
Lvl 1: -1 vs spells
Lvl 2-4: +0 vs spells
Lvl 5-12: +1 vs spells
Lvl 13-14: +3 vs spells
Lvl 15-16: +2 vs spells
Lvl 17-18: +3 vs spells
Lvl 19: +1 vs spells
Lvl 20: +0 vs spells
Obviously, you can Elemental Blast with a single action instead of two so you need to fall behind on either accuracy or damage per hit for a 0-resource attack but it just feels weird to pull ahead so much and then fall to even.
Maybe the solution is a bonus where Elemental Blasts aree one step more proficient than simple weapons, but the progression is staggered behind the normal 1/5/13 increases to avoid frontloading bonuses
I get that they might want to avoid adding both Str and Con to a damage roll for melee blasts or something. Maybe if there were rider effects based on CON for Overflow impulses that would help make the stat feel impactful beyond the bonus to DC.
Caster classes, including both cleric doctrines, get Weapon Specialization at 13. Warpriests do not get the damage increase at the same time as the proficiency increase.
The general pattern is that Weapon Specialization (and Greater Weapon Specialization) come at 2 levels after an increase to proficiency (11/13 for casters, and 5/7 + 13/15 for martials). Warpriest and Alchemist both break that which is why I called those out separately, but they do not progress beyond Expert proficiency and get the damage boost at the same time as full casters.
Standard progression for Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Specialization is that Specialization is awarded 2 levels after the class's first strike proficiency boost. Alchemists and Warpriest clerics break this by bumping to Expert at 7 but delaying Specialization to 13, but as both cap at Expert weapon proficiency like full casters that can be thought of as a stopgap balance accommodation.
As listed in the playtest document, Kineticist is the only class to gain Specialization at the same time as their first increase in weapon proficiency (level 7). For consistency, I would suggest they should either delay the Specialization to 9 (making them the only Expert @ 7 class that gains Master proficiency in strikes) or bring Expert proficiency up to 5 (to match other martial classes). As the rest of the attack/specialization progression matches martials, I believe the latter is the better option.
Maybe a good way to deal with the weirdness of creatures that already have weaknesses would be to change the bonus damage from Antithesis to be +CHA + 1/2 level for no-/low-weaknesses creatures, and +CHA for creatures with existing weaknesses. That also gives a native use for CHA to help it feel like something you want to invest in.
EDIT: Cleaner way to do it would probably be making Antithesis set a minimum weakness of 1/2 level, and cause your strikes to deal CHA mod damage of the relevant type.
With 4 free trained skills, they probably want to avoid adding Int as the key ability and overloading skill access. Wisdom improves Perception and Will saves, so putting class DC to CHA instead helps keep defensive stats in line and makes social skills marginally more attractive.
We also already have 2 Int classes (Investigator and Alchemist) that have some hoops to jump through to stay up at the expected damage levels.
I could see moving to Wis instead, but we might see progression on proficiencies drop a bit to compensate. Thaumaturge is slightly ahead of some classes in the mid-level range for AC.
I don't mind the complexity of tracking extraneous game info given that the Psychic may have lower complexity in play than a Wizard (due to lower spell slots and emphasis on amping cantrips), but interested to see other people's opinion on it.
The baseline Unleash Psyche definitely reminds me of 13th Age, where encounters have an "escalation die" that increments as the fight goes on and can unlock or enhance abilities when it reaches certain values.
I'll have to really give thaumaturge a deeper read later but that cha primary stat means they'll be at a permanent -1 to hit for basically no benefit.
True, but by level 8 Weapon Implement Adepts (which I assume will be a common pick) get 12 bonus damage per strike (2 from Weapon Expertise, 4 from Implement's Empowerment, and 6 from the Antithesis) and deal 7 damage on a miss.
May have missed something when looking at the details of the class, but I don't see a Perception improvement for the Psychic. Based on other full casters, I believe we expect that to kick up to Expert at level 11.
The listed range is 30 ft, but the text says that the well appears in a square you touch. That text should be excised or updated to reflect the 30 ft range; or else the range in the spell block should be updated to match the text.
I'm also interested in seeing focus spell stances for the Magus.
In particular, something with a spell school tag that lets you cast a specific cantrip for 1 fewer action while in the stance, or which provides a related damage/buff/debuff aura, or which allows you to sacrifice prepared spells to cast a spell based on the stance all seem like they'd help drive home the "I fight using magic" theme without just relying on Striking Spell.
Having stances that focus on Martial vs Magic aspects could also help players choose between themes of using magic to augment skill vs weaving spells into combat. "Martial" stances could be non-focus but give new options for saccing spells similar to Channel Smite, while "Magic" stances could be focus driven and provide persistent AOE effects or reward using indirect damage and control spells.
They start with 8 total: 4 from their formula book, plus another 4 from the Alchemical Crafting bonus feat. It'd be more clear if they didn't put the class features in alphabetical order here
Kirth (and everyone who put effort into making this project possible): thank you. This is the most enormous, complete collection of houserules I've ever seen, and it is a beautiful thing to behold.
I get that. But you'd think the members might start asking questions when they complete a successful mission and Aroden doesn't return for the n-th time.
I know it's all in the wrong region, but I hope that
Spoiler:
The Book of 1,000 Whispers was authored by Tar-Baphon or one of his lackeys. Because (a) look at the name, seriously; (b) frustrating and manipulating people who revere Aroden is totally in his wheelhouse; and (c) it'd be hilarious if the Harbingers were behind the weakening of the Great Seals binding the Tyrant to Gallowspire.
This archetypes seem cool...the fighters archetypes by the other hand are just sad :(
Pshaw! The Ustalavic Duelist is probably my favorite Fighter archetype yet. Dodge bonuses to AC, dueling weapons get better even beyond 4 levels of weapon training, Int to damage on Vital Strikes and VS crits deal max damage, and crits cause ability damage. How is that not amazing?
Lord Hulrun is a canonical Inquisitor of Iomedae in the Worldwound who has been known to engage in "witch hunts", famously kicking off a Mendevian Crusade by burninating a few dozen spellcasters. Admittedly, they were suspected demon-worshipers and witches (in former Sarkoris, a region that doesn't have a good history with arcane magic and demoniacs), but despite uncovering numerous spies and demon-lovers there were quite a few people put to the sword with little to no evidence of anything other than arcane talent. Now, Hulrun's LN and he regrets the more extreme actions he took— both because of the innocents who died and because of the shame it brought to the church— but he is notably still a fervent supporter of inquisitions and witch hunts, though there's much more process and much less indiscriminate razing now.
I think that's enough to show that with the right backstory any deity's servant might be trained against the arcane arts, even if the deity his/herself has no real opinion on the matter aside from "don't use it to do things I don't like". If there's one divine class that should take one aspect of their church's belief system to an extreme, it's the Inquisitor. Go nuts.
Oooooh, I like this. Harrowing in general is a super fun part of the setting, and it gives a great way to tie characters together with one another and the story. It might be tough to pull off for a full campaign, since there's just so much time for something to go wrong or pass unnoticed in initial planning, but I hope you post some updates on the campaign if/when it starts. Do you have details on how the stat generation would work, or is that still being developed?
Of those two APs, I would suggest RotRL for Harrowing since it is culturally Varisian; while RoW is an excellent campaign, the planet-hopping and focus on Irrisen might detract from the impact of the Harrow when you clearly want to make it a central theme. Plus, I think Nualia makes a great early villain to use as a counter to the concept of fate as foretold by the cards, as she rejects the position that others expected her to fill and becomes something horrifyingly different. Add to that all the fun stuff you could do with vague omens of an ancient empire on the verge of reemerging, and there's a lot of room to play with the Harrow stuff. Heck, you could even use it to foreshadow stuff from Jade Regent or Shattered Star when they meet characters that appear in those APs.
That said, have you considered Carrion Crown? It uses Harrow Cards as a unique reward/power system that the players can earn and use throughout the game by completing quests and making important decisions. You could even have the characters tied together by having Professor Lorrimer (a mutual acquaintance whose funeral brings the characters together in the first volume) be the one who gave the characters their readings in the past. Even if you don't play CC, the Harrow rewards in that AP could offer a good bit of guidance for something similar in your own campaign.
Did I miss something about pricing? I thought the PDFs for all of Paizo's books were $10.
+1 to that question.
That's true of the main line of hardcover rulebooks and the Inner Sea World Guide, since those materials are the core components of the game and setting; likely, the rulebooks are priced as such since their OGL contents are made available for free on the PRD and the low pdf price encourages people to pay for content that well eventually be free. The ISWG probably is priced as a loss-leader to encourage people to play in Golarion and purchase the various Campaign Setting and Adventure Path products. Since Inner Sea Gods isn't a rules hardcover or a basic introduction to the setting, its pdf is priced as other books in the Campaign Setting line: 30% less than the hardcover cost. This is also how the pdf of Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition was priced.
I keep seeing references to "deific (or celestial?) obedience". Apparently a feat that is more complicated than a normal feat. Could someone please explain what that is?
Anyone?
There's a 1-page section at the start of each the core 20 deity articles explaining the boons that can be gained from the feat. Taking the feat allows you to gain mechanical benefits for performing tasks in the god's honor, starting with a modest boost to a skill or two and growing in power as you gain levels. Each deity offers three different groups of boons: one for evangelists, one for sentinels, and one for exalted; a character can choose any of the three paths for their character, but members of the corresponding prestige classes are locked into the appropriate choice. Being a member of those prestige classes allows you to gain the benefits of the boons more rapidly (as fast as level 8, 11, and 14), but makes all of your class features dependent upon performing your god's Obedience.
Lose heavy armor and your level 1 bonus feat for a scaling dodge bonus that only applies in light/no armor while wielding a single melee weapon in one hand.
Weapon Training only works on light blades, but the damage bonus is higher if you meet the above requirements.
Int bonus to damage on Vital Strikes with dueling weapons, and deal max damage on Vital Strike crits.
You get to use your dueling weapon with certain combat maneuvers, allowing you to add in their enhancement bonuses.
Dueling weapons deal ability damage of your choice on crits.
I actually really like the archetype, and not just because Ustalav is my favorite nation.
That's interesting -- a couple of pages back Lord Gadigan made mention of an Evangelist choosing "one of five deity associated classes" -- and the mention of "aligned class" as opposed to simply "class" suggests that there is some limitation of the class that can be chosen. So what is the real story here?
The deity section of the prerequisites for the class lists 5 classes for each of the core 20 deities who are most likely to become Evangelists. However, there are no mechanical restrictions on which classes worshiping which deities may take the class, so presumably the "aligned class" section does not restrict this. Which is nice, considering bards (who have access to the Dawnflower Dervish archetype) aren't listed as an option for Sarenites.
Not only immune, but allies in 10ft who are forced to reroll get to roll their reroll die twice and take the higher result. And if they are forced to roll twice and take the lower result, they instead roll three times and take the second-lowest. Death to Pugwampis!
