Yeah, I really like the class and race upgrades too. Between those and the improvements to the Skill system (as of Alpha 3) that alone is enough to satisfy me.
BTW, I kinda like the pic on page 8. Nice to see that someone realizes we elves are tall and physically fit (if slender), not short and wimpy! (For such a short-lived race, You humans are rather slow to catch on to such things. ;)
All I have to say is that the revamped ranger is absolutely wonderful and the sorcerer class is really well done. As far as I am concerned Hasbro is running the D&D franchise into the ground with what they are doing. Not that I am happy to see him go, but I am glad Mr. Gygax is not around to see what a travesty his creation has become.
ART
That a playtest document contains full-color illustrations is remarkable,
Note that for the Alpha, they used "recycled" art. The pictures are originally from Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Gamemastery/Pathfinder Modules, Pathfinder Chronicles Setting Books, and so on. The final book will contain new art.
but I particularly like the quarter-page single-character portraits in the Classes chapter, becuase of their large and expressive faces. My two favorite pieces are the Barbarian on page 12, who looks like she's about to go totally totally mideval on someone; and the Druid on page 23-- Gnomes are cute!
Those portraits are Paizo's iconics - a dozen characters, one for each class (and another that is the iconic multiclassed character and iconic evil character). The first 12 Pathfinder Adventure Path Issues have one of each on the cover (beginning with #13, an important NPC will be the cover model instead), and each Adventure Path has a party of four of these as sample characters at the end of the books (so after 3 APs, they'll have used each Iconic once, and after that, they do different mix-ups), with the appropriate level to play the module in a pinch.
The GM Modules also have 4 sample characters each.
Usually, the party that's found at the end of the book is also used in illustrations throughout that book. For example, the Rise of the Runelords adventure path features "action shots" of Valeros (Male Human Fighter), Seoni (Female Human Sorcerer), Kyra (Female Human Cleric of Serenrae) and Merisiel (Female Elf Rogue) going through the adventure, fighting in the encounters found in the book.
When appropriate, Chronicles and Companion books will also feature those 12.
When you go through the paizo weblog, you can learn a bit more about the iconics and their history. The Barbarian is Amiri, and you can read why she's using a frost giant's sword. The Druid is Lini, and the story about how she got her snow leopard animal companion is in the blog as well.
The only illustration I actively dislike is the one on page 8. There are too many figures in such a small a space, and the character's faces don't really have much detail. The characters all seem too angular, even the hair, which is all spiky. Mr. Elf is considerably taller than is traditional for an elf, and his sculpted physique doesn't really suggest Elven grace. Also, please find some clothes for these people!
That picture shows Golarion's races. On Golarion (which is the Planet of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting), elves are taller than in standard D&D.
I actually like the angular style, if it's done in moderation. Not all Pathfinder art is in that style - and it's quite possible that the final version will have a different picture for the general racial line-up.
RACES
I like the net +2 ability bonus, and that every race gets some free weapon proficiency. Humans are now the only race without a racial language... why not give them one? It's no more unlikely than the human language being adapted by every other race as a lingua franca. (Actually, I think the best way to deal with languages is to divide them according to countries rather than races, and give everybody Common + their local language for free.)
Generally, that is really something for a campaign setting to handle. Plus, common has always be the human's language.
For your information: On Golarion, there's a number of regional and national languages. Common is not just a general pidgin trade language, it's Taldana, the language of Taldor, one of the greatest empires of the recent past (but now not quite on par with the splendour of it's zenith), and in Cheliax, formerly part of Taldor, but long its own nation and conquering Empire now, refers to it as Chelaxian.
Elves are immune to sleep, and get a bonus to enchantments; and Gnomes are good with illusion spells. In short, the same bonuses they've had since 2E. Meh.
Well, this is D&D. Maybe not in name, but certainly in spirit. A lot of people (myself included) were really annoyed at 4e's intentional invalidation of 30+ years of history.
That's why the races are, in many aspects, the same as they've always been.
Note, though, that there are new abilities there, too, like the Elven Magic which grants +2 on spell penetration and identification.
Barbarian: I never really liked this name for the class, since it just means "someone uncivilized." I like "berserker." Well, that's neither here nor there.
It's really a minor issue. Plus, the 3e class is named Barbarian, and Pathfinder RPG strives to be backwards compatible. It's easy enough to change the name in your own games, or for your own characters.
I like the mechanic of rage points, and the concept of "rage powers," but a number of the rage powers presented seem unthemely. Clear Mind, Elemental Rage, Low-light vision, Darkvision. To me, "raging barbarian" means: "crazy attack frenzy, while disregarding personal safety; mindless engine of destruction." Rage powers ought to be about hitting harder and faster, ignoring the hits you take, terrifying your opponent, throwing him around like a rag doll, and forcing him to stay on the defensive. So stuff like Animal Fury, Knockback, Powerful Blow, and Intimidating Glare are really great.
See? There are great ones. Use those.
The good thing about the diversity is that other people, with other conceptions, will have something, too. Pathfinder's keen on making classes versatile.
"Raging Barbarian" can mean "Destruction Incarnate", but it can also mean "Utterly Unpredictable Dervish", or "Vessel for the Spirit of Nature's Fury".
The Dervish will find stuff that makes him harder to hit (because he's never in the same place for more than an instant) useful, and stuff like darkvision is good for your spiritual warrior in his blood trance that lets him transcend mortal nature.
I agree about Elemental Rage, though. Should instead be vicious strike, or something else that just grants you extra damage.
Perhaps there could be a rage power that makes an opponent loose their iterative attacks? Or animal totem powers?
Totem powers yes. The other might be too strong. On the other hand, if you have a power you can toss someone all over the place, he'll have to run back to you, so he'll lose his extra attacks, anyway.
I LOVE the elimination of crossclass skills, and that skill ranks are awarded directly so there is no bothering with skill points.
Crossclass is still there. It's just a lot easier and more convenient now.
I would have expected Wizards and Sorcerers to get more skill ranks, though.
Due to their high intelligence, wizards will already have plenty of skill points.
Sorcerers aren't exactly skill monkeys. The question is more a central one: Is 2+int enough? Since a lot of skills have been consolidated, it's not as bad as it used to be. The better handling of cross-class also helps.
"Read Magic" is still a spell? IMO, any mage worth his salt should be able to read magical writing without half trying. Better way to handle this is a class feature.
Well, it's a cantrip. Spellcasters cast them at will now. It's almost a class ability, anyway.
The "Atonement" spell gets mentioned a couple of times throughout the book, but aren't doing pennance and getting absolution for sins
just plot points?
Atonement is a 3e spell, that's why it's still in. In 3e (maybe older editions, too, don't know enough about them to be sure), atoning will have to be assisted by a cleric of your faith. You just stand on the street and beg for forgiveness, you have to do it properly, with the right rituals, and so on.
Note that for the Alpha, they used "recycled" art. The pictures are originally from Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Gamemastery/Pathfinder Modules, Pathfinder Chronicles Setting Books, and so on. The final book will contain new art.
Really? Damn. I really like the iconics ( minus the Wizard, whose body looks kinda weirdly twisted ), and was hoping to have them in the final product. Especially the girls. :P
Well, I´ll probably get them in the beta and I hope the new illustrations manage to have the same quality as the ones we got now. Better yet, *new* good illustrations of the iconics will be very nice. If they use them ( the iconics ) for the final release. Which I hope.
Really? Damn. I really like the iconics
The iconic shots will probably stay in. Maybe they get different pictures, but in this instance I don't mind the pictures remaining the same in the class chapter.
They will probably appear in new art, as well.
But those 12 iconics will probably accompany Pathfinder in all its forms for a long time.
Ok 1d6 Hp to sorcerer,
but 1d4 Hp for wizard
Sorcerer is a bloodline, a semi-race, but the wizard is a study
I think that the sorcerer can be more armed.
The wizard mast have +4 Ability X Livel.
Both Sorcerer and Wizard will retain the d6, since they linked BAB and HD. Poor BAB means d6.
Sorcerers shouldn't get more weapons. They have their spells.And wizards never had problems with their skill points. They're probably the last class that needs more skill points.
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Note that for the Alpha, they used "recycled" art. The pictures are originally from Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Gamemastery/Pathfinder Modules, Pathfinder Chronicles Setting Books, and so on. The final book will contain new art.Really? Damn. I really like the iconics ( minus the Wizard, whose body looks kinda weirdly twisted ), and was hoping to have them in the final product. Especially the girls. :P
Well, I´ll probably get them in the beta and I hope the new illustrations manage to have the same quality as the ones we got now. Better yet, *new* good illustrations of the iconics will be very nice. If they use them ( the iconics ) for the final release. Which I hope.
They've said that the iconics will look like this for a long time... I doubt those pictures will change... most of the other pictures, on the other hand, most likly will change as we have a lot of cool things in the world to visit
Note: as this art is recycled, the action shots only contain the iconics that have been in Modules and Adventure paths so far.
on read magic, its a cantrip, and is still useful when the knowledge:arcana skill check to read said runes fails.
On gnomes and elves: yes they still have the things they've had for a few versions, but they also have other things added as well. I never had a reason to play a gnome... but with all of the stuff they gained in the alpha I'm trying it out in a PBP
They've said that the iconics will look like this for a long time... I doubt those pictures will change...
I doubt it, too. But it's possible that they'll commision new pics - same iconics, of course, but with different poses. Stuff like that. But in this case, re-using the art does make sense, so my guess is that they will recycle in this instance.
I like a lot about what has been done, with the exception of the feats and the DR system. I am very thankful for the removal of most save or die spells, but to gimp power attack, cleave, and even great cleave so drastically seems pointless as melee types didn't have many options to deal damage.
Now I understand why they made some changes to power attack, and even maybe cleave, but great cleave was a genital giant of a feat, that was alright when you actually got a change to use, which was hardly ever, but now has descended into uselessness. How often do you have 3 targets standing right next to each other? How often do you actually hit the 2 before hand? Well it is a lot less than droping 2 targets in a single string of melee hits. You MIGHT have been able to pull this off with a charge, granting a bonus to hit and access to non OGL feats, but now that it is part of a full round action contributes to it's already useless status.
Combat feats were bad, and am glad their gone.
Power attack, well you can see my thread here.
After talking I found out that yes meta gaming might be an issue with a lot of games and should be fixed to all or nothing, or in segments of +5. It might be too powerful for a 1st level feat, and might need a 2nd feat to get a more original style power attack limited to only their base attack bonus. But I just strongly disagree on the damage cap in the totality of the game. Especially if cleave and great cleave are going to remain as they are, melee types should specialize at single target damage, not be gimped with it. This is an issue with me because I almost never DM to allow my own house rules, and most GMs I know won't bother to house rule in the players favor. So this needs to be fixed as I am not the only one who has this problem.
I hope DR gets fixed as well, as the extra 26k gold I spent on my cold iron type weapon seems to not be worth it any more. It supports adamintine way too much as it.
Other than this feat and DR problem, I like what has been done.
I doubt it, too. But it's possible that they'll commision new pics - same iconics, of course, but with different poses. Stuff like that. But in this case, re-using the art does make sense, so my guess is that they will recycle in this instance.
Both would be fine with me, either by keeping the old pics or by maintaining the quality of them in newer versions ( and the same artist, if possible ).
great cleave was a genital giant of a feat
I don't mean to poke fun (we all make mistakes), but that is quite possibly the most amusing typo I've seen in years! :)