|
This is the second of four playtest intended reports featuring: Gruff Axehurl, half-orc barbarian; Hardcastle Stagfield, dwarf ranger; Travis Nino, human fighter. These characters will be built for playtests at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level. Because the playtest period for barbarians, fighters, and rangers has ended, this will be the last playtest report featuring these characters.
Primary Objective: Make characters in the same way I would have made a D&D 3.5 character, only limited to the Pathfinder RPG Beta rulebook, the Barbarian, Fighter, and Ranger classes, and without multiclassing.
Secondary Objective: Compensate for the “roles” missing in the party to show the diversity of the rules.
Tertiary Objective: Fun!
Level 10
Character Advancement:
This is where the characters began to go in very different directions. Gruff became the definite tank. I chose feats that complimented his class features and high HD, Double Slice and Two Weapon Defence. Hardcastle became the party healer, with scribe scroll to make a sackful of the Cure Moderate Wounds spells he could now cast. Finally, Travis maxed out Use Magic Device and took the Skill Focus feat to minimize the chance of failure using his wand of fireball to soften up enemies in the first round. He also went all the way to Greater Weapon Focus and took Backswing to replace Overhead chop.
The Playtest:
Trekking through a swamp on the way to finding a magic sword, the part investigated three glowing orbs. These ended up being Will’o the Wisps, and the angriest Will o’the Wisps you ever saw. Their touch attacks had no problem taking down Travis, and their high AC meant Hardcastle could not hit them with Manyshot and Rapidshot. He had more important things to deal with anyway, like keeping a dying Travis’ head above water. Luckily Gruff managed to pound them to the ground.
First encounter notes:
-Characters that only move 20ft are really annoying to play in difficult terrain.
-Three CR 6s were a tough match for three 10th level warriors.
-Healing continues to be an issue. Fixing an unconscious character that has nearly 90 HP takes forever. Realistic, maybe. Good for the game, no. Again, not looking for healing surges, but more alternatives to playing with a cleric would be nice.
-I don’t know if I can ever live down Travis being dropped by Will o’ the Wisps.
Once mostly healed, we continued on our way. We were vaguely aware of some movement in a brush and a buzzing sound, but not enough to avoid a chuul ambush. Travis and Hardcastle ended up grappled in the surprise round, leaving only Gruff to do any damage.
The Chuuls were bigger and stronger, so beating their Grapple check was difficult for Travis and next to impossible for Hardcastle. By the time the Hellwasps showed up, Gruff was outnumbered three to one. Total Party Kill.
Second encounter notes:
-The grapple rules are easier to run, but fighting grapple specialists is still a huge headache. Every round Travis and Hardcastle would get their grapple check. If they passed, that was their standard action for the turn and therefore they could not attack, could not withdraw (a full round action) and could not move without provoking an attack of opportunity, which would then lead to another improved grab grapple check. If they failed their grapple check, they could do nothing but take damage. Basically, fighting a grapple specialist that has initiative on you is futile without characters specifically built to resist grapple.
-Not a Pathfinder issue, but the hellwasps are listed as immune to weapon damage and have damage reduction 10/-. Does that make any sense?
My wife felt bad that two CR 7s and a CR 8 TPKed me. We looked the numbers over and concluded she did everything right, and ran the encounter again to see if it would be any different. The only difference was that I rearranged my marching order so that Hardcastle, my range weapon ranger/healer, would be in the back where he belongs.
Replaying the scenario, I rolled a much better Perception check and spotted the Chuuls with Hardcastle. He unleashed a nice volley of arrows, doing something he did not get to do in the first run of this encounter: damage the chuuls. Then the encounter started and I rolled much better initiative. Gruff ran up and hit the damaged Chuul, which then got fireballed and then got Manyshot/Rapidshot.
Right off the bat this was a very different encounter. Travis made liberal use of his Backswing and powerattack, quickly killing the first Chuul. Gruff scored a critical threat against the other Chuul, and I used Mighty Swing to confirm it automatically. Soon we were down to just the hellwasps. Because this was an atypical party of all warriors, and the only magic we had was a wand the hellwasps were partially immune to, the DM agreed to end the session there.
Replayed encounter notes:
-The real difference here was that we managed to damage the chuuls before they grappled most of my party. It isn’t so much that bad rolling hurt the party last time, it’s that really good rolling helped the party this time. On average, I would say this encounter would typically run the way it did the first time.
-Combining Manyshot and Rapidshot is easy math that makes the ranged ranger a viable build.
-Even though my fighter had 12 feats, I did not feel he played slowly. I learned my options quickly, knew what combos worked well, and enjoyed the flexibility I still had.
-The new skill system makes Use Magic Device a highly lucrative skill.
-I like that skill focus increases its bonus when the character has ten or more ranks in a the focused skill. It keeps the feat relevant.
In playtesting please note that the CRs listed in the MM are based on a balanced party of fighter, wizard, cleric, and rogue and therefore will indeed be more difficult for an all-warrior party.
|
All of the encounters at this level were obviously much more difficult because of the lack of a focused spellcaster and a focused healer. That would have made both encounters much easier. On other notes...
*Would grappling the Chuuls have been any easier if they didn't have Improved Grab? I know that a lot of people are discussing the combat manuever feats in general, and feedbak on how well balanced the new grapple rules are would be super.
*The DR 10/- on the hellwasps gives them the DR against magic and other non-weapon effects.
Second encounter notes:
If they passed, that was their standard action for the turn and therefore they could not attack, could not withdraw (a full round action) and could not move without provoking an attack of opportunity...
I'm pretty sure the beta changed withdraw to a move action that let you move half your speed. Still only let's you move the first five feet without provoking a free swing.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
|
*The DR 10/- on the hellwasps gives them the DR against magic and other non-weapon effects.
Um, DR does not stop any damage from Magic or energy sources. DR is only good against physical attacks.
DR/- just means no material, alignment, or weapon type bypasses it. Spells, supernatural abilities like a breath weapon, and just plain old fire would fully damage a creature with any kind of DR.
|
|
*The DR 10/- on the hellwasps gives them the DR against magic and other non-weapon effects.Um, DR does not stop any damage from Magic or energy sources. DR is only good against physical attacks.
DR/- just means no material, alignment, or weapon type bypasses it. Spells, supernatural abilities like a breath weapon, and just plain old fire would fully damage a creature with any kind of DR.
You sure? I could have sworn that DR X/- shaved off the first X points of damage from any source... then again it's been a long week so I might just be losing my mind.