1.1 Notes


Alpha Release 1 General Discussion

Scarab Sages

I like the 1.1 update... the combat feat chains just took too long to work through.

A couple things still missing from the update though, IMO:
1) The turning section claims you can't command elementals or demons, but the other sections say that they get a save every round to break the commanding.

2) The combat feats for improvised weapons still make chair legs the best weapon in the game. Rogues fighting with them automatically deny their targets Dex and sneak attack, and other people can simply use them as more powerful exotic weapons, or both. Not to say that I don't like improvised weapons -- because I do -- but I don't want to see rogues forced into choosing to use improvised weapons all the time since they're optimal for getting sneak attack.

3) Metamagic mastery, while halved in power, still appears to allow a metamagic nova by letting a free empower, twin, and energy admixture added onto a universalist's best blasting spell, which blows the power curve quite out the window. Should be limited to one free metamagic feat per round or the like.

4) The special arcane abilities still need to specify what action types it takes to activate them. Since metamagic mastery is a Su ability, for example, by a strict reading of the rules, it should require a standard action to activate, which makes it less than useful. If they don't require an action to activate, they should say so.

5) The free weapon feats for half-elves and humans should specify simple or martial only, IMO. A Heavy Jovar is a 3d6/18-20 x2 weapon, and the current rules let a half-elf bard start off proficient with it.


Noticed that on the table 5-3 Altered Skills, it doesn't mention Tumble, which is now part of Acrobatics.

Scarab Sages

Oh, also, the cover rules are still broken. They were updated in 1.1, but they still fail in the case of a cover line running flush with a wall -- the wall blocks the line of sight/effect.

Imagine two people in a 5' wide stone corridor -- they will have four lines between each other blocked by the walls, whereas a reasonable person would say they had no cover against each other at all.

It's a problem in 3.5 as well, actually.

The Exchange

The whole thing is increasingly like the Fallout Game-engine with the feats and skills created back in '94 for the mac videogame. Even the Action Points that are looking to surface in 4.0 were a Fallout ripoff.

I would suggest a change from class based Hit Dice to Race Based Hit Dice and Class based Ability Bonusus and Penalties. That means we can go straight to a PHB with all Races capable of being played as a Character (inc. Dopplegangers, Areana, Goblins, Kobolds, even Humans-who are not in the Monstr Manual while the rest of the core races are) and four core classes: Fighter (Paladin, Ranger, and Barbarian Prestiege Class), Cleric (Restricted Domain Clerics - including Druids), and Wizard (Restricted School Wizards - Necromancers, Diviners, Sorcerers), Thief.

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