|
If the races available in the Advanced Race Guide are NEVER legal for PFS play after the hardcover is released, I won't be upset in the slightest.
Otherwise, I foresee endless tables of Dhampirs, Ogrekin, goblins and hobgoblins for the later half of Season 3. The entire feel of PFS will change dramatically -- and not for the better.
I suppose we can take a wait and see approach on the whole thing, but I can do without PFS being dramatically disrupted by the introduction of a huge influx of non-human characters in to Society Play -- all at the same time.
|
If the races available in the Advanced Race Guide are NEVER legal for PFS play after the hardcover is released, I won't be upset in the slightest.
Otherwise, I foresee endless tables of Dhampirs, Ogrekin, goblins and hobgoblins for the later half of Season 3. The entire feel of PFS will change dramatically -- and not for the better.
I suppose we can take a wait and see approach on the whole thing, but I can do without PFS being dramatically disrupted by the introduction of a huge influx of non-human characters in to Society Play -- all at the same time.
(begin sarcasm)
If the Gunslingers from Ultimate Combat are NEVER legal for PFS play after the hardcover is released, I won't be upset in the slightest.Otherwise, I foresee endless tables of Gunslingers for all of Season 3. The entire feel of PFS will change dramatically -- and not for the better.
(/end sarcasm)
I haven't seen a lot of Gunslingers and those few that I have haven't dramatically changed the game. I also haven't played in a lot of games since UC came out. That's another discussion. I am taking a wait and see attitude and hope that some of the races that have a good PFS fit are made available. I'm not trying to troll here. I was part of the loud crowd who didn't want the gunslinger in PFS. I don't want to pass judgment before the book comes out. Again, I'm in wait-n-see mode.
-Swiftbrook
If the races available in the Advanced Race Guide are NEVER legal for PFS play after the hardcover is released, I won't be upset in the slightest.
Otherwise, I foresee endless tables of Dhampirs, Ogrekin, goblins and hobgoblins for the later half of Season 3. The entire feel of PFS will change dramatically -- and not for the better.
I suppose we can take a wait and see approach on the whole thing, but I can do without PFS being dramatically disrupted by the introduction of a huge influx of non-human characters in to Society Play -- all at the same time.
First, the Advanced Race Guide will be a setting-neutral book, so being in the book does not mean it is also in Golarion. Second, of the races mentioned as being in the book, which already have a known presence in Golarion? Those would be the only races from the book that I could see as even having a chance of being made legal for PFS play. Third, there are already the normally non-legal races that were awarded as prizes, so I can see those specific ones being made legal once the book comes out.
|
If the races available in the Advanced Race Guide are NEVER legal for PFS play after the hardcover is released, I won't be upset in the slightest.
Otherwise, I foresee endless tables of Dhampirs, Ogrekin, goblins and hobgoblins for the later half of Season 3. The entire feel of PFS will change dramatically -- and not for the better.
I suppose we can take a wait and see approach on the whole thing, but I can do without PFS being dramatically disrupted by the introduction of a huge influx of non-human characters in to Society Play -- all at the same time.
Non-human characters? In the Pathfinder Society? Next you'll be telling me the society is supposed to be a motley band of half-mad scholars, gutsy adventurers, and outcast na'erdowells existing on the fringes of civilization.
|
I wrote a large and alarmist post but I thought better of it and deleted the entire thing.
Maybe we should talk about what races would fit PFS instead?
-Gillmen (Abe Sapien / Thane Krios here we come!)
-BALANCED genie-blooded Qadirans (working closely off aasimar/tiefling)
-Domesticated/Tame Goblins (I don't know if this is possible, but it'd allow me to fulfil my dream of playing a Goblin Alchemist.)
-Dhampir (not my thing personally, but if it's justified in Ustalav we may as well open the floodgates. It could lead to some hilarious jokes amongst pathfinders about garlic rations and missions set in sunny, beachside locales.)
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
As a datum:
Several of our local players attended Gen Con and won boons there. At the next monthly store session, we had a table of a dhampyr, a tiefling, a tengu, and a half-orc ninja. It was Monster Squad, invading the Kingdom of the Impossible.
I strongly suspect that, come this April, that's what most low-level PFS OP parties will look like.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As a datum:
Several of our local players attended Gen Con and won boons there. At the next monthly store session, we had a table of a dhampyr, a tiefling, a tengu, and a half-orc ninja. It was Monster Squad, invading the Kingdom of the Impossible.
I strongly suspect that, come this April, that's what most low-level PFS OP parties will look like.
Personally, thats why I play, to interact with and sometimes kill non humans. the fact that the bar has been swayed much further toward kill and away from interact has been my biggest pet peeve about Golarion - I hate adventuring with humans, if I wanted to do that, I'd go hiking a mountain and not sitting at a table. </rant>
|
|
As a datum:
Several of our local players attended Gen Con and won boons there. At the next monthly store session, we had a table of a dhampyr, a tiefling, a tengu, and a half-orc ninja. It was Monster Squad, invading the Kingdom of the Impossible.
I strongly suspect that, come this April, that's what most low-level PFS OP parties will look like.
Thats what was supposed to happen. Like any new fad you'll see the initial rush of non-standard guys and after a few months things will settle down a bit. Once the ARG comes out most PFS Players will make there non-standard race guy- and yes you will see them more oftern because thye will be trying to level up!
This is much ado about nothing. The last three tables I dm'd had 1 human/half-orc/gnome/gnome/half-elf. If you're somehow expecting to match the setting where 75% of the inner sea is human then keep dreaming-it aint gonna happen. That would mean that in a party of 4-5 PC's at least 3 should be human.
|
|
I don't mind expanding the playable races list, as long as the races are about all on the same level. Like, no drow nobles, or centaurs, etc. Even though it would be cool to play a minotaur, drow noble, etc, opening that door is a different story.
If we want to allow goblins, orc, etc, I'm fine with that.
|
|
As a datum:
Several of our local players attended Gen Con and won boons there. At the next monthly store session, we had a table of a dhampyr, a tiefling, a tengu, and a half-orc ninja. It was Monster Squad, invading the Kingdom of the Impossible.
I strongly suspect that, come this April, that's what most low-level PFS OP parties will look like.
I think you are exactly right.
We'll see how bad it affects thing as 2012 unspools and I presume Paizo will take stock and reassess after Paizocon as more feedback is received.
Director of Brand Strategy
|
Just so folks know, Mike and I have discussed this issue and we're on the same page. We don't want Pathfinder Society to become a zoo. We want access to non-core races to remain something unique and special. When the Advanced Race Guide is done (still months away) we'll assess its contents and decide then what is and isn't legal for the campaign and how best to mete that content into the campaign without it being a floodgate of monstrous races.
For now, participate in the playtest for race creation outside the campaign and wait for the final book to come out to see what portions of it are and aren't legal.
|
|
Just so folks know, Mike and I have discussed this issue and we're on the same page. We don't want Pathfinder Society to become a zoo. We want access to non-core races to remain something unique and special. When the Advanced Race Guide is done (still months away) we'll assess its contents and decide then what is and isn't legal for the campaign and how best to mete that content into the campaign without it being a floodgate of monstrous races.
For now, participate in the playtest for race creation outside the campaign and wait for the final book to come out to see what portions of it are and aren't legal.
+1
|
+1Just so folks know, Mike and I have discussed this issue and we're on the same page. We don't want Pathfinder Society to become a zoo. We want access to non-core races to remain something unique and special. When the Advanced Race Guide is done (still months away) we'll assess its contents and decide then what is and isn't legal for the campaign and how best to mete that content into the campaign without it being a floodgate of monstrous races.
For now, participate in the playtest for race creation outside the campaign and wait for the final book to come out to see what portions of it are and aren't legal.
I do have to say I like how they are handled right now with special certs that you can get at Cons such as GenCon or my recently local Nuke-Con. We even got a copy of the Aasimar to put up for auction at the charity auction for Toys For Tots. It went for 70 bucks.
|
|
As a datum:
Several of our local players attended Gen Con and won boons there. At the next monthly store session, we had a table of a dhampyr, a tiefling, a tengu, and a half-orc ninja. It was Monster Squad, invading the Kingdom of the Impossible.
I strongly suspect that, come this April, that's what most low-level PFS OP parties will look like.
I think you are exactly right.
We'll see how bad it affects thing as 2012 unspools and I presume Paizo will take stock and reassess after Paizocon as more feedback is received.
I'm not sure if there's enough players with these boons to make a decent sample size.
Although from the way the points are setup right now, ifrit is weaker than humans. But my ifrit says otherwise :)
|
|
This is much ado about nothing. The last three tables I dm'd had 1 human/half-orc/gnome/gnome/half-elf. If you're somehow expecting to match the setting where 75% of the inner sea is human then keep dreaming-it aint gonna happen. That would mean that in a party of 4-5 PC's at least 3 should be human.
I expect that there is a great deal of regional variation here that you are not taking into account.
In Toronto, virtually all Player Characters who are regularly used at PFS sessions are human. There are a few exceptions of course, but of the 28 or so regular attendees at our events, only 5 main player characters are not human. My last table of five was entirely composed of all human PCs -- and tht tends to be the rule, not the exception. Overall, there are a couple of half elfs, one elf, a dwarf and one half-orc. The rest of all the PCs in play are human.
So, no it's not dreaming. Humans may not be the dominant PC race choice where you play, but elsewhere? I can confirm that it most certainly is.
I expect that the reason for this is that the extra starting feat that humans gets is highly enticing to most players. Moreover, PFS is relatively new here.
My guess -- and that is all it is -- is that as players become much more experienced with PFS, they start looking for other choices in their subsequent characters to differentiate their new PFS characters from their old PFS characters. It's at that point where alternate race selection comes more sharply into focus with many players during character generation.
Just a guess.
|
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
Very much in agreement with keeping the Society out of zoo territory. I currently like the idea of Convention boons, and perhaps even expanding some of the optional races as a reward for players who reach max level in the Society.
That sounds like a nice work-around. "If you play a character up to 12th-level, or perhaps play through a single 12th-level scenario, you can start a new PC from certain monstrous races." It has something of a precedent in the Chronicle sheets from Eyes of the Ten.
|
|
So, no it's not dreaming. Humans may not be the dominant PC race choice where you play, but elsewhere? I can confirm that it most certainly is.
Pathfinder majorly changed the way races worked. The +2 to any ability score coupled with the other human bonuses have made them a no-brainer for the vast majority of builds. Half-orcs can be bards now and many of the races are more flexible than in the past.
I'm not pleased to see that the boons given to the lucky few at Gen Con are all that will be available until some reduced subset is made available after publication of Ultimate Races (per mr moreland).
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, no it's not dreaming. Humans may not be the dominant PC race choice where you play, but elsewhere? I can confirm that it most certainly is.Pathfinder majorly changed the way races worked. The +2 to any ability score coupled with the other human bonuses have made them a no-brainer for the vast majority of builds. Half-orcs can be bards now and many of the races are more flexible than in the past.
I'm not pleased to see that the boons given to the lucky few at Gen Con are all that will be available until some reduced subset is made available after publication of Ultimate Races (per mr moreland).
It wasn't just the lucky few at Gencon. I have sent out the same boons to 38 conventions and game days over the past two weeks. So, other players are getting a chance to grab a racial boon as well.
Also, there are only 8 alternate races currently available. I don't think it will be a reduced subset though I don't anticipate too many additional races being added. Of course I haven't seen Advanced Race Guide so need to have a look through it in 4-5 months before I can determine if all, none, or something in between will be made legal.
|
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
Very much in agreement with keeping the Society out of zoo territory. I currently like the idea of Convention boons, and perhaps even expanding some of the optional races as a reward for players who reach max level in the Society.That sounds like a nice work-around. "If you play a character up to 12th-level, or perhaps play through a single 12th-level scenario, you can start a new PC from certain monstrous races." It has something of a precedent in the Chronicle sheets from Eyes of the Ten.
It would be reasonable to have alternate races available on chronicles. That would keep them relatively rare in game while giving players some additional options. It also makes those characters a little more special to the players who get them.
Right now, I think the lottery is a little too small and a lot of people feel left out.
|
|
It would be reasonable to have alternate races available on chronicles. That would keep them relatively rare in game while giving players some additional options. It also makes those characters a little more special to the players who get them.
This is exactly how they're handling it atm. The "rare" races are only allowable with a chronicle sheet that explains to the PFS GMs that this player has won the race at a convention.
If the lottery is too small, it's a plus as it avoids the 'zoo factor'.
Would be interested in seeing what chronicles come for completing Eyes of the Ten but I'd like to make it a surprise, too.
|
|
It wasn't just the lucky few at Gencon. I have sent out the same boons to 38 conventions and game days over the past two weeks. So, other players are getting a chance to grab a racial boon as well.
I was at a game day last weekend with my local VC. No boons there. To be honest, not only have I never gamed with someone playing one of the special races, I don't even think I know anyone who has one.
|
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
This is exactly how they're handling it atm. The "rare" races are only allowable with a chronicle sheet that explains to the PFS GMs that this player has won the race at a convention.If the lottery is too small, it's a plus as it avoids the 'zoo factor'.
Would be interested in seeing what chronicles come for completing Eyes of the Ten but I'd like to make it a surprise, too.
I was referring to chronicles attached to specific adventures, not oddball chronicles that you have to attend a specific event to get (which may not be anywhere near you or may conflict with your schedule).
Limiting it to one per player would pretty much eliminate the zoo factor, particularly if it was on a higher tier chronicle (3+) because that means the player has to make a choice to play their higher level character or restart from go to play something lower. It would be more a trickle of people with alternate races.
