Here I present a quick review of the blast and infusion talents. Warning, it is a wall of text! I must say I’m in love with the kineticist but feel (like many others I presume) the class seems to be missing or lacking stuff.
General kineticist remarks:
Burn: I like the concept of burn but it’s really debilitating now. Perhaps decrease the effect of the damage (1/2 lvl?) and/or allow it to be healed faster (example: recover 1 burn every 10 minutes). Other suggestions are a ‘free’ burn pool but I’m more in favor of the reduced effect and increased recovery. This would keep it more ‘unique’. Maybe give extra options in combat like the ‘move action to reduce burn’. Perhaps a fullround action to ‘charge up’ even more? Perhaps there are better or cooler things but things like this would give more options in combat instead of the “this round I’m gonna… hmmmm…. blast an enemy again I guess?”.
Wild Talents: Perhaps it is better to give a separate progression of infusion talents and other talents, because right now you’re practically forced to take infusion talents to remain competitive in combat, largely avoiding the utility talents.
Kinetic blast: I’d give the kineticist both blast types available to him at 1st level. This way a character isn’t gimped by the odd DR, high AC, resistance,… encountered in the early levels and can contribute meaningfully before having access to expanded element. I’d also give each type 2 blasts (described later). General remark: is the kineticist immune to its own blast? For example later on when using explosion or cloud.
Aether: I’d give it a second blast type doing d6 – 1 force damage affected by spell resistance and requiring a touch attack (the aether kineticist should have a ‘magic missile’ option from the get go). The reduced damage prevents it from becoming overpowering compared to traditional damage types. I’d also change the force ward to recover 1 HP every round; still not enough to help much in combat but allows your char to be ready for the next one pronto (for example in a dungeon). Perhaps (alternatively) include an option to recover the barrier 25%/half/75% or completely (pending testing) as a full round action? Gives a character more options in combat. An aether kineticist under heavy attacks, surrounded by enemies trying his best round after round to maintain his barrier is a mental image I find awesome.
Air: Wild blasts are good, as is the defense. Good job!
Earth: Add a ranged touch blast dealing acid damage (the energy damage associated with Earth). Otherwise the existing blast and defence are good.
Fire: I’d give it a second blast type doing d6 + 1 bludgeoning damage targeting normal AC. This represents pockets of air superheated and exploding near the enemy, creating shockwaves. Since searing flesh is the weakest of the defenses it should also affect manufactured weapons, but perhaps not reach weapons. Punishing enemies for attacking feels like a fire thing. I really like the grapple distinction, very nice!
Water: Wild blasts are good, as is the defense. Again good job! Air and Water really seem the strongest, most fleshed out options in the playtest.
Infusion talents:
General comment: I’d make sure talents remain useful during the life of a kineticist, especially because it is difficult to get rid of useless talents or talents you no longer like (only 3 in your lifetime). This also applies for the non-infusion talents. I feel this would be best accomplished by allowing increased effects by increasing burn expenditure. In addition, some late game talents feel like it should be possible to have them earlier (like explosion coming online at lvl 16(!). I don’t care how cool that fireball is, most mages don’t even bother using theirs anymore). More on this later.
The alternative to scaling talents is a vastly larger list of non-scaling talents (like it is now). For example: a levitation talent, a flying talent, a high speed flying talent,… instead of one upgradeable “fly talent”. If this approach is used both the number of talents gained has to increase (maybe even 1 each level) and/or vastly improved training opportunities. If feel a smaller number of talents that are varied in power and customizable by accepting burn remain useful throughout your entire career and can give the kineticist some much needed utility.
Burning Infusion: Add greater burning damage for more burn. Perhaps add a clause, when using X burn, a creature dying from the blast or the fire afterwards leaves no remains (making raise dead impossible and thus requiring resurrection). This feels like a real fire thing to do.
Chain Lightning: Reduce level, prerequisites and change burn to 1; allow it to arc to only a second target. Allow extra targets for more burn. Maybe up to 3 targets for 2 burn, and current version for 3 burn.
Chilling Infusion: Seems ok for what it does but comes in late and offers no scalability whatsoever. Perhaps lower lvl, prerequisites and burn giving a more mild status effect? Then allow increased burn to give staggered. Perhaps even more burn to increase the status effect duration?
Cloud: Cool effect but comes in late. This could remain as a high level only option.
Cyclone: This talent or a reworked explosion should really be possible by fire (and possible aether). Again, maybe add scalability by lowering the burn and prereqs and reducing the area? Increase the area with more and more burn.
Entangling infusion: Has no prerequisite. If this was intended: Great! A powerful but costly early game option. More talents should be available early like this one.
Explosion: Lower prerequisites and burn, allow for a smaller explosion and range (example 5 ft radius and 30ft range for 1 burn). A pyro should be able to use this at the same level a mage begins fireballing but the actual effect will be weaker than a fireball. Increased burn gives greater (possible) range and AOE. By accepting more burn you can decide if you want a farther boom, a bigger boom or both. So at high level a pyro can spam smallish explosions at will (because specialization makes the small effect free), but big explosions will cost him HP.
Extended/Extreme range: By using scalability, this can be one talent, allowing room for more talents.
Foe Throw: And much fun was to be had by all. I love this!
Impale: Love the mental image. Perhaps this can be reworked to a universal line talent? This would give every element a ranged AOE option, but I’d keep explosion as fire only. Increased burn could extend the line.
Kinetic Blade/Kinetic Fists: Should be useable at level 1. Reduce the burn to 0 but only allowing 1d6 damage? Allow for 1 extra burn to switch to the full damage. This way a melee kineticist is possible from level 1 instead of level 5! Especially in PFS, twiddling your thumbs for 4 levels is mindnumbingly boring. I’d also make the effects work for one whole round like kinetic whip so you can make attacks of opportunity. An extra burn could give the blade the whip effect and perhaps a similar effect for fists is needed?
Kinetic Whip: See kinetic blade.
Many Throw: I like this soo much but comes online sooo late. Lowering the prereqs and burn but also targets might be a solution. Then extra burn could scale to this current version eventually. I also feel this could be a fire thing (ah la firebrand spell in DnD 3.5)
Pure Flame Infusion: Another late game addition. Perhaps let it only give a small penetration bonus at low level and low burn. Then let it scale to the full version presented in the playtest document.
Magnetic Infusion: I like the idea but the effect sounds pretty tame for 2 burn. I like the idea that it gives metal blasts a permanent accuracy bonus on one target given some specialization.
Pressurized Blast Infusion: I like the effect. The kineticist will never be able to push as well as a dedicated maneuver specialist, so why limit the distance moved? Perhaps accepting burn could give a bonus to the CMB roll?
Pushing Infusion: Merge it with Pressurized Blast Infusion. This is a redundant talent that takes up valuable space.
Rare Metal Infusion: I like the idea, but I assume some kind of Kinetic Bracer is in the works to give an enhancement bonus to your blast (or maybe allow Amulet of Mighty Fists to do the same) to increase the accuracy of the kineticist. In this regard maybe this talent needs another purpose. Maybe a focus on more exotic materials?
Sharding: A similar treatment to explosion? But keep it as a poor man’s (aka nonpyro’s) explosion.
Snaking: This could be a simple, early and cheap line area that by accepting additional burn receives the snaking benefit?
Spray: Lvl 10 for a smallish cone is way too late. Maybe allow earlier access to a 15ft cone and let it upgrade bigger and bigger. Perhaps allow burn to also upgrade to full instead of half blast damage. This should really also be a universal talent.
Torrent: aha a line effect. What I was waiting for but why no forcebeams or firestreams? This and snaking could be one upgradeable talent. Accepting burn increases the line and eventually adds snaking.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading!
