Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Class Guide (OGL)

I finally got it, and it looks quite good, aside from the typos and occasionally unclear bits. (For example, has any developer specified yet that the Pummelling style feats only work with unarmed strikes?)

My main disappointments: the Shaman spirits are limited to those from the APG (what about a Time or Metal spirit as per UM?), and the Bloodrager bloodlines are limited to those from the Core Rulebook (what about a Starsoul Bloodrager from the APG, or an Accursed one from UM, not to mention all the bloodlines found in the Golarion-specific products?). And I would have loved to see Warpriest blessings for the Void and Scalykind domains.

I hope that the Powers That Be find some way to address these issues! :)

Advanced Class Guide is a setting neutral book, so Golarion specific material won't show up in it.

I am aware of that. It's more of a case of _hoping_ for a Golarion-product which will address the bloodlines, spirits/mysteries, and blessings/domains mentioned Golarion-sourcebooks.

But the disappointment was at not seeing the Shaman spirits for the UM mysteries, and Bloodrager bloodlines for the APG and UM bloodlines. And - despite UM text saying that would appear - they never did provide wildblooded versions of the new UM bloodlines. All of which are setting-neutral rulebooks.

Bellona wrote:

I finally got it, and it looks quite good, aside from the typos and occasionally unclear bits. (For example, has any developer specified yet that the Pummelling style feats only work with unarmed strikes?)

My main disappointments: the Shaman spirits are limited to those from the APG (what about a Time or Metal spirit as per UM?), and the Bloodrager bloodlines are limited to those from the Core Rulebook (what about a Starsoul Bloodrager from the APG, or an Accursed one from UM, not to mention all the bloodlines found in the Golarion-specific products?). And I would have loved to see Warpriest blessings for the Void and Scalykind domains.

I hope that the Powers That Be find some way to address these issues! :)

Tels wrote:

Advanced Class Guide is a setting neutral book, so Golarion specific material won't show up in it.

I am aware of that. It's more of a case of _hoping_ for a Golarion-product which will address the bloodlines, spirits/mysteries, and blessings/domains mentioned Golarion-sourcebooks.

But the disappointment was at not seeing the Shaman spirits for the UM mysteries, and Bloodrager bloodlines for the APG and UM bloodlines. And - despite UM text saying that would appear - they never did provide wildblooded versions of the new UM bloodlines. All of which are setting-neutral rulebooks.

I suspect the product you're looking for then, will be Advanced Class Guide: Origins. It's a book that will inform people of new Golarion specific options, but also where each class can be found, and in what quantities.

Richard McGuffin wrote:

I'm not sure if this is the forum for it but I really hope that at some point in the future Slayer gets altered so that you can combine total class levels from the parent classes (Rogue and Ranger)in order to qualify for advanced talents and the Ranger combat style talent.

The class is a great blend of the two parent classes but things like that tend to get in the way when you try to go somewhere other than a 50/50 split.

That´s a fairly good point!

Thankyou,

Does anyone know if the life link ability for the shaman has a typo in it? As it stands I would assume it's supposed to work like a life oracles but as it's written it seems that you can only use the ability if the target is at -5 hp or less. Anyone know?

So I am looking into building a Shield Champion Brawler. I was looking for traits that would work well with my character concept. I found the trait "Surprise Weapon" in Ultimate Campaign which states... ++You are skilled at fighting with objects not traditionally considered weapons. You gain a +2 trait bonus on attack rolls with improvised weapons.++
I would LOVE to take this trait but I see an issue with using this with the shield champion due to... ++Throw Shield (EX): At 3rd level, a shield champion can throw a medium or light shield as a normal (non-improvised) thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet or the shield's range increment, whichever is greater.++

So here is my question. If I take this trait, RAW say I will gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls, effectively lowering my penalty from -4 to -2. At 3rd level do I lose the +2 bonus as throwing a shield is no longer an improvised weapon for me, or do I lose the -4 and retain the +2 as the shield is normally an improvised thrown weapon? (Wow I hope you understand what I am trying to ask!)

Cheers!

Waa-hoo! My copy arrived and it is one of the 'limited edition' copies! :) I was rather hoping for that, actually.
Love the Bloodrager, Slayer and Hunter. Some of the new magic items are very nice, particularly for spell-focused bards and other spontaneous casters (Spell Lattice! Love it!)
Fun, fun, fun, Paizo! Love it despite the errors.

Wow people seem to like the book a lot more here, than they do a round here. I know 15 people who bought it and no one liked it. 3 said it was okay, 6 people thought it might be good if majorly edited, 3 said it was the poorest edited and/or playtested book yet, and 3 wanted there money back. All of them suggested they will not buy book without someone scouting them out first.

I thought there was some good in the book, but was shocked on the very poor edit and balance. I was concerned that something had changed with the production staff.

I hope this is just a rare bad apple, rather than a trend.

Waa-hoo! My copy arrived and it is one of the 'limited edition' copies! :) I was rather hoping for that, actually.

Love the Bloodrager, Slayer and Hunter. Some of the new magic items are very nice, particularly for spell-focused bards and other spontaneous casters (Spell Lattice! Love it!)
Fun, fun, fun, Paizo! Love it despite the errors.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but only ones with the printing error exist at present. When (if) a second edition occurs, that will be corrected, but at present every book in circulation is the 'limited edition'

What's the printing error?

Nevermind, I just found it. That's kind of a huge editing faux pas to have the wrong logo right there on the cover, especially when it's that big.
Nothing that bothers me personally though.

Nevermind, I just found it. That's kind of a huge editing faux pas to have the wrong logo right there on the cover....

They shared that it had the right logo through the approval process and then somehow in the final stage of printing the logos got switched. They found a slight loop hole in their approval process. Makes me wonder why it was not caught in the color check stage though.

Question:
Portable Prison on page 205, how big is it and how long does it take to set up?

The description reads that it is a kit for a wagon, so assuming that it's for a light wagon that would make it a 4 square prison, but still doesn't say how long it takes to set up.

Welp, let's at least hope we'll get an update to the Shaman Spirit's that includes these lustrious inclusions: Ancestor, Dark Tapestry, Juju, Lunar, Metal, Occult, Outer Rifts, Solar, Spellscar, Time, Winter, Wood. Also, we're in DESPERATE NEED of more Oracle's Curses!

+1 for shaman spirits for the UM oracle mysteries!

Not to mention bloodrager bloodlines for the APG and UM sorcerer bloodlines. That stuff is setting-neutral, so it should turn up sometime.

I would also like to see various other bloodrager bloodlines from the Golarion setting, e.g., nanite! Plus the shaman spirits for oracle mysteries from the setting. Plus warpriest blessings for the Void and Scalykind domains. :) But that's not likely for the setting-neutral rulesbook line.

*sighs wistfully*

Also, we're in DESPERATE NEED of more Oracle's Curses!

This I concur.

Or at least, more archetypes that lose Curses.

I would also like to see various other bloodrager bloodlines from the Golarion setting, e.g., nanite!

How about the Orc bloodline from Orcs of Golarion? That one should be perfect for the Bloodrager. Especially with that new Belkzen adventure path coming up.

Why does the Advanced Class Guide have the "Pathfinder Adventure Path" logo on the cover instead of the "Pathfinder Roleplaying Game"? I wonder.

Why does the Advanced Class Guide have the "Pathfinder Adventure Path" logo on the cover instead of the "Pathfinder Roleplaying Game"? I wonder.

Because reasons. :)

Dunno if it's been asked, but; Starting Age?

Dunno if it's been asked, but; Starting Age?

...starting age for... ?

I hae this book and on first glance and read-through I like it. Looking at the Slayer and Investigator, now I have this idea of a group of servants of the archon Dammerich, the one governing executions and justice, going around to capture and return various wanted criminals ranging from bandits to outsiders and dragons to face the law.

Guy St-Amant wrote:

Dunno if it's been asked, but; Starting Age?

...starting age for... ?

The hybrid classes.

You know, I never noticed that before but they do not have the starting ages for the various races for each new hybrid class.

A minor oversight, but could be annoying for those who use these rules.

EDIT: None of the classes outside of the Core Rulebook seem to have them, so best to just assign each class to one of the three age categories based on the amount of training baked into the class concept.

My suggestions:

Arcanist: As Bard
Bloodrager: As Barbarian
Brawler: As Fighter
Hunter: As Ranger
Investigator: As Bard
Shaman: As Druid
Skald: As Bard
Slayer: As Ranger
Swashbuckler: As Fighter
Warpriest: As Cleric

The Advanced Race Guide put all of the new base classes up to that point into the three categories, so we now have starting ages for all base classes before the Advanced Class Guide.

We need updates for the 10 classes in the Advanced Class Guide (plus perhaps six more due out next year) and all races added since the Advanced Race Guide.

Is the shaman supposed to have spiritual ally? He doesn't seem to have it on their spells list even though it was mentioned as being something that was supposed to be included as part of the update from the beta and they even have beats that reference them having access to the spell. Anyone know if this had been an update on this at all?

So I was looking at the various Shaman Curses and associated Hexes as my Oracle has the Spirit Guide archetype and so gets one of them. The Lore Spirit has a curse which allows you to Confuse opponents. It is not marked as mind affecting but does require the target to be intelligent. Oddly it is also Ex rather than Su or Sp.

So as written it works on non mindless plant monsters, golems, undead and oozes and people in anti magic fields. Is that intended?

Got a question, from another forum where the arguing is a 50/50 split, for the FAQ that I'd love to see an official answer for:

So I have a question about the Bloodrager Class and the Dragon Disciple Prestige Class... Does D.D. advance the bloodline powers for the Bloodrager like it does for the Sorcerer?

does anyone know whether it is out of the errata of the book?

Per James Jacob's suggestion, I'm posting this question here for a FAQ.

Your connection to the skies above is so strong that your feet barely touch the ground. At 1st level, you no longer leave tracks. At 5th level, you can hover up to 6 inches above the ground or even above liquid surfaces, as if levitating. At 10th level, you gain the ability to fly, as per the spell, for a number of minutes per day equal to your oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.

Is this ability meant to allow lateral movement, or can the person only suspend himself 6inches in the air?

I am considering the PDF but the reviews say that there are quite a few editing problems and/or typos. Without reading this entire thread, could someone tell if their were any updates to the current PDF?

someone can correct me if wrong, but I believe the PDF is only edited when a new printing is released. Which I am guessing might be quite awhile (if ever), considering the book just came out this fall.

someone can correct me if wrong, but I believe the PDF is only edited when a new printing is released. Which I am guessing might be quite awhile (if ever), considering the book just came out this fall.

Correct, they only update the PDFs when new errata is issued via a new printing of the book so that the PDF version and the currently printed version are the same.

Fortunately, it's entirely possible there will be another printing sooner rather than later as Paizo sold out of the books they brought to the Cons, which is a good sign. It's only a sign that the book is selling well, but it's still a positive one.

Furthermore, if you buy the .pdf now, and they do another printing, they will update your .pdf to match the most recent printing.

I was just very surprised that my cover said "Pathfinder; Adventure Path." As I read into the mechanics I have found page after page of grammatical and mechanical errors, and entirely missing mechanical segments some due to sloppy copy and pasting.

I have to say this is book bloat. Paizo is quickly becoming what WoC was in the end. They need to make a full stop, re-evaluate the amount of content per week they are releasing, and have a higher focus more on quality. I don't think I will ever buy another book again and stick to PDFs, and after reviews and comments are out. I see no reason to rush to another books from Paizo at this time. Sorry I really enjoy what has been done in the past, but I guess that time is over and can only hope for the best in the future.

Some quick clarification on the Primalist Bloodrager archetype. It lets you swap out a bloodline power for 2 rage powers. Say you take a bloodline power at 1st level, 2 rage powers at 4th, and then a bloodline power at 8th, do you get the 4th level bloodline power you passed up, or the 8th level power as normal? Or do you get a choice?

Erik Mona said there was staff rearrangement during the production of ACG and that they are planning to release an errata document even if they don't sell their 1st print run. But they said they are just about to sell out the 1st print run anyway so...expect errata within the next few months.

Anyone have any idea how close this first printing is to selling out? I'd really like to pick this book up, but I'd like to wait for the 2nd printing ...

Anyone have any idea how close this first printing is to selling out? I'd really like to pick this book up, but I'd like to wait for the 2nd printing ...

If Ultimate Combat is any indication then you'll be waiting for about 2 years.

I'm pretty sure that they said the ACG sold out rather quickly, and it's likely that the enormous amount of corrections are what's holding it up.

Ether way though, if you get the PDF, it will be free to update when the 2n printing, and thus the corrections are ready.

I have a question about arcanists:

The school understanding exploit grants the benefits of a wizards school, which are freely chooseable and can be quite the thing.
Why does the bloodline development not grant the arcana, but only the mostly so-so first level abilities?
That seems very illogical to me and makes bloodline development actually not a good choice in my eyes.

I would love to see that changed to grant the arcana and the rest with a used arcane reservoir point.

An arcanist who gets the benefits of a wizard school is still a level behind a wizard on spells.

An arcanist who gets all the benefits of a sorcerer bloodline starts making the sorcerer look bad.

An arcanist who gets the benefits of a wizard school is still a level behind a wizard on spells.

An arcanist who gets all the benefits of a sorcerer bloodline starts making the sorcerer look bad.

Doesn't the one archetype in the book effectively give the arcanist a sorceror bloodline at the expense of 3-4 exploits? Just like the one that gives them full access to a wizardly school of magic for about the same price?

I'm pretty sure that they said the ACG sold out rather quickly, and it's likely that the enormous amount of corrections are what's holding it up.

No, I think what was said was the supply of Advanced Class Guides at GenCon sold out quickly, not the entire print run. To the best of my knowledge, Paizo has not sold out yet ....

A Blood Arcanist, who gets all the arcana and powers of a sorcerer bloodline for the price of 4 exploits and the capstone, is still 2 spells per day per spell level behind.

I don't see this as making the sorcerer look bad.

An arcanist who gets the benefits of a wizard school is still a level behind a wizard on spells.

An arcanist who gets all the benefits of a sorcerer bloodline starts making the sorcerer look bad.

As someone who plays a sorcerer, not really.

An arcanist who gets all the benefits of a sorcerer bloodline is still shackled to the spells per day progression of a school-less wizard.

Edit: Gauss beat me to it.

By, 11 hours? :)

Blood Arcanist is a really good archetype and i´m currently playing one in Iron Gods with the impossible bloodline, tampering with necromancy (impossible arcana has 2 nice functions there, took me some time to figure out^^). Arcanists are surely strong, but not overly stronger than a well build wizard or sorcerer i think.

Bloodline development functioning like school understanding would just be more in line. I can take school understanding necromancy and get command undead. Or divination and always "win" initiative (by spending a point for sure). Wizard schools have just as much good stuff to offer as bloodline arcanas, yet you can choose freely there.

Bloodline development only gives you the first level power, which you can only bolster to use your full level for a number of rounds equal to your CHA modifier. School understanding let´s you use the second power as well and count your full level. You have no access whatsoever to the bloodline arcana. It´s really considerably weaker. Giving the arcana and letting you use the first level power would make it equal to school understanding and not hurt the sorcerer in any way, because sorcerers still have more spells, what´s their main deal.

Besides, there´s an archetype for schools too, so that´s not really a point either in my eyes.

I would like to vote this for a FAQ.

I know we are talking about Arcanist, but since we talking about bloodline, I would like to talk about bloodrager. Sorry.

I found the bloodline for bloodrager are a bit unbalance. Arcane, Aberrant and Destined are the best bloodline for bloodrager. I think if Paizo allow other lesser bloodline to have some of their bloodline power active even when they are not bloodraging, it would really fix it. Like some bloodline are really powerful when bloodraging, but can't do much when not bloodraging. While some bloodline are not that great, but offer a little bit support outside of bloodrage.

Talking arcanists, is anyone else delighted with the Brown Fur Transmuter's ability to cast personal polymorph spells on other characters? It's something that I wanted to see a long time ago.

And does it feel to anyone else that certain Bloodrager bloodlines work much better with certain archetypes than others? I can't see anyone but an Abyssal bloodrager as a rageshaper, or a Fey bloodrager as a greenrager.