The purpose of this playtest was to determine if 3.5e adventures could be run using Pathfinder characters, without conversion of the adventure, and still represent a reasonable level of challenge (a large concern, given the amount of "powering up" in terms of feats and extra class features now being handed out). The party consists of a human paladin 11, a human fighter 7/rogue 4, a human air bloodline sorcerer 11, and an elf cleric 11.
ENCOUNTER: Elite ulitharid and 3 voidmind hook horrors (3.5 EL 13).
RELEVANT OBSERVATIONS:
1. Saving throws are largely not affected by the general power increase, leaving a "glass jaw" for Pathfinder characters (when compared with their other new abilities). The sorcerer was almost immediately stunned by psychic goo; when the ulitharid finally joined the fight, the paladin and fighter/rogue were stunned by its mind blast.
2. Extra feats and more efficient skills in Pathfinder make the fighter/rogue a killing machine. In melee, he's everything the 3.5e fighter should have been -- but he can also climb, tumble, find and disarm traps, and everything else a rogue should be able to do. His only limitation is the inability to use of more than one combat maneuver feat in a round -- if he uses Mobility, he can't riposte, for example.
3. Grapple is now more dangerous for certain critters with secondary effects (constrict, rend, extract brain) on a pin, because of the ability to "jump" steps in the Pathfinder grapple rules. Instead of constrict beginning on round 2, for example, it started immediately in many cases. Paladin and Ftr/Rog mauled pretty heavily in melee because of this. This encounter is fairly unique in highlighting this aspect; most often it wouldn't come up.
4. Cleric is decidedly nerfed, as compared with the 3.5e cleric. With all other PCs stunned, it was up to the cleric to defeat the ulitharid single-handedly. Robbed of much of his offensive capability by the removal of domain spells, he was hard-pressed to survive. Luckily, the new elf ability of +2 to defeat SR helped counterbalance that, so that his spells worked more often than they would have under 3.5 rules.
SUMMARY: This particular encounter seemed almost tailor-made to take advantage of Pathfdinder characters' remaining weaknesses. It remained a reasonable challenge, chewing up about half the party's hp and all of the cleric's offensive spells. Further playtesting is needed to determine if more "traditional" monsters still pose any threat to the group.
In the Alpha 2 rules, there are no more degrees of success for grappling. It always takes at least two rounds to pin a creature.
Did they change EVERYTHING between 1 and 2? Thanks, Meepo! I'll go back and read it again. Certainly that would have made this combat a lot easier for the PCs, making me lean towards the idea that 3.P characters warrant some scaling, vis-a-vis their 3.5 brethren.
Did they change EVERYTHING between 1 and 2? Thanks, Meepo! I'll go back and read it again. Certainly that would have made this combat a lot easier for the PCs, making me lean towards the idea that 3.P characters warrant some scaling, vis-a-vis their 3.5 brethren.
Thats why this is the alpha form of the game
Thats why this is the alpha form of the game
Maybe future playtesting should hold off until the iota release...
No because then they wouldnt see the mistakes and the problems we are finding with the game
(but my group is waiting for the beta for a bunch of differnt reasons mainly going to start a new game with the beta book)
No because then they wouldnt see the mistakes and the problems we are finding with the game
I was kidding. We'll keep on with the alpha 2. I just may need Meepo's help again in the future, for when I miss something that's glaringly obvious.