Okay, subject line says plenty. My problem (aside from having difficulty navigating this webpage) is even with the resources I've found there are a few things I'm not entirely certain of in regards to Society rules. A few questions...
1) Am I correct in understanding that, aside from Day Job earnings, the Craft Skills are more or less pointless under their rules, same goes for the construction feats?
2) The ONLY way to get your hands on magic arms or armor, or wondrous items, is to have said item show up during game play... So if you're looking of an off beat weapon-enchantment combo then you're chip out of luck?
3) Permanency, Awaken, and reanimate are forbidden. Doesn't mater much to me because I never play spell-casters but are there any others that are forbidden?
4) Do they use the typical level cap of 20 or do they go beyond said limit? And what happens to your character when said limit is reached? I like alchemists so what if I take the Eternal Youth Grand Discovery?
5)Siege Engine skills and feats? Pointless, right?
6)Anything they don't mentioned in the Guide that I should be aware of before I go through the hassle?
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A lot of your questions can be answered by the FAQ the additional resources page or the Guide to play
1) Not usless but not as much use as you would see in a home game.
2) No. The guide spells out a fame system. You can buy items under a set gp limit based on how much fame you have
3) All of that can be found on the additional resources page. It goes book by book and tells you what you can and cannot have.
4) I think that 19th is the highest you can get to ATM Link
5) Yep.
6) Look at the links I have provided. All free and should answer most if not all your questions.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Okay, subject line says plenty. My problem (aside from having difficulty navigating this webpage) is even with the resources I've found there are a few things I'm not entirely certain of in regards to Society rules. A few questions...
1) Am I correct in understanding that, aside from Day Job earnings, the Craft Skills are more or less pointless under their rules, same goes for the construction feats?
More or less. You might sometimes find a creative use for a Craft, Profession or Perform skill during a scenario, but for the most part you generally don't craft items in PFS.
2) The ONLY way to get your hands on magic arms or armor, or wondrous items, is to have said item show up during game play... So if you're looking of an off beat weapon-enchantment combo then you're chip out of luck?
I'm happy to report you're incorrect on this one. :)
First, there's the "Always Available" list in the Guide to Organized Play. You can buy those items any time you have the cash and the inclination.Second, there's items on your chronicle sheets (found during scenarios). Once an item is on a chronicle, that PC can buy that item whenever they have the cash and inclination.
Finally, there's your Fame score. You accumulate Prestige and Fame as you play, and there's a chart in the Guide that says as long as you have at least X Fame, you can buy any legal item worth Y or less. So if you want a +1 keen icy burst bastard sword, you can get there without finding it in a scenario. :)
3) Permanency, Awaken, and reanimate are forbidden. Doesn't mater much to me because I never play spell-casters but are there any others that are forbidden?
Any options from the CRB that are banned or altered in PFS will be spelled out in the Guide. Anything not mentioned functions as written in the CRB.
4) Do they use the typical level cap of 20 or do they go beyond said limit? And what happens to your character when said limit is reached? I like alchemists so what if I take the Eternal Youth Grand Discovery?
Scenarios (written specifically for PFS) only go to 11. At 12th, there's a retirement arc that takes you partway through 13th. After that you can still play modules, but those aren't written specifically for PFS.
5)Siege Engine skills and feats? Pointless, right?
For anything outside Core (such as these options from Ultimate Combat), look up the book on the Additional Resources page to see what is and isn't legal.
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) Am I correct in understanding that, aside from Day Job earnings, the Craft Skills are more or less pointless under their rules, same goes for the construction feats?
Yup. Craft feats are useless and construction feats are banhammered. With the quasi unlimited amount of free time between scenarios a wizard with craft wondrous item could effectively double their wealth by level.
2) The ONLY way to get your hands on magic arms or armor, or wondrous items, is to have said item show up during game play... So if you're looking of an off beat weapon-enchantment combo then you're chip out of luck?
[professor farnsworth]Good news![/professor farnsworth]
Anyone can walk into absolom and walk out with a masterwork weapon of their choice. Anyone can then take that weapon to the grand lodge and say "throw a +1 on this sucker"
Once your fame is high enough you can bring it back and toss shocking, or allying, or pretty much anything you want on it. The limiting factor is usually the amount of gold you have in your pocket.
So if you have character plants for a +1 shocking flaming keen Shang Gou user you don't need to wait to loot one off a corpse, the society will happily take your gold to enchant yours the way you want it.
3) Permanency, Awaken, and reanimate are forbidden. Doesn't mater much to me because I never play spell-casters but are there any others that are forbidden?
Anything that carries over from session to session (except for 1 continual flame, 1 secret chest, 1 secret page, and one masterwork transformation) isn't exactly banned, but will shut off at the end of the scenario, making them prohibitively expensive, So if you had plans to animate dead with 5,000 gp worth of black onyx you may want to rethink your drink.
If something is WAY too powerful for the price, double check its availability
If something gives you a follower its probably banned
if something gives you infinite gold its probably banned.
4) Do they use the typical level cap of 20 or do they go beyond said limit? And what happens to your character when said limit is reached? I like alchemists so what if I take the Eternal Youth Grand Discovery?
there is a soft cap at 11. After that you have a "seeker" arc and scenarios get increasingly hard to find to run. I think the current absolute max is around 18. Don't plan for those levels.
5)Siege Engine skills and feats? Pointless, right?
Yes. PFS does not let you backstab people with a balistae :) You can take knowledge engineering or profession engineer and say your character blows up stuff with catapults on his days off if you want.
6)Anything they don't mentioned in the Guide that I should be aware of before I go through the hassle?
Have fun and don't worry if you screw up. Your character is an infinitely malleable mass of protoplasm until you play at 2nd level. Make what you want, try it out, and if it seems to fit the campaign keep it or tweek it.
I'm disappointed that the practical level limit is so low. Most characters don't fully flesh out until levels 7-13.
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I'm disappointed that the practical level limit is so low. Most characters don't fully flesh out until levels 7-13.
??? Really? Most of my character are fleshed out by like 3. I mean as far as their character goes. As for when their abilities click...yeah that can be a while for some builds...but if your build isn't at least pretty much together by 7...even in an AP which goes to 18ish, you should REALLY rethink that build. If it doesn't get together until 13, unless your starting at 13, you need to scrap that idea.
Gunslingers don't get Targeting till 7, and that's when they truly hit their stride.
Alchemists don't start getting the good discoveries until 12, they don't even get a better mutagen before 12.
Witch doesn't get major Hex or until 10.
Most don't get 5th level spells till 10-14 area
a number of feats need a BAB of +9 or more.
Unless your looking at monk, fighter, or possibly certain gunslinger builds you are just getting good when the game drops out from under you.
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But all of those still have plenty of good stuff before they get that higher level stuff.
I played a barbarian who got pounce through the Beast Totem chain at level 10. Doesn't mean he was boring before that.
My character who I'd say had the highest level before his full theme finally kicked in is my Halfling Opportunist, because he couldn't get into the prestige class until level 6. But even he had other stuff that made him interesting before that.
For most of my PCs, their main schtick kicks in around level 3-4. ie Sorcerers start to get interesting when they get 2nd level spells at level 4, human paladin archer who will have Precise Shot and Rapid Shot by 3, with Oath of Vengeance kicking in at 4 for lots of smites per day, etc. I even have two clerics whose theme revolves around their level 1 domain abilities (buffer with Luck domain, debuffer with Chaos (Protean) domain, both with racial favored class bonuses to get more uses per day of those abilities), so they were fully functional in their theme from the very beginning.
Obviously, most characters will get more abilities and stuff at higher levels, but that doesn't mean they're totally boring before level 7 or higher.
I'll agree that levels 1-2 kinda suck. The high risk of PC death from a single shot, combined with monsters that go down in one shot, if the PCs ever hit them, makes it a lot less fun than higher level play. For me, the game's sweet spot starts around level 3-4.
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If high levels are your preference, it would most likely take a long time in PFS to get anyone up that far. A lot of PFS involves going from one part of Golarion to another each week, making the most out of your lower-level stuff, meeting new team-mates with every new mission, and threatening to give NPCs bad reviews in the Pathfinder's Guide to Golarion if they don't let you through.
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Gunslingers don't get Targeting till 7, and that's when they truly hit their stride.
Alchemists don't start getting the good discoveries until 12, they don't even get a better mutagen before 12.
Witch doesn't get major Hex or until 10.
Most don't get 5th level spells till 10-14 area
a number of feats need a BAB of +9 or more.Unless your looking at monk, fighter, or possibly certain gunslinger builds you are just getting good when the game drops out from under you.
If your gunslinger needs targeting and alchemist need their 12+ discoveries and mutagens and your witches need their major hex and your casters need 5th+ level spells to make actually WORK...your seriously doing it wrong from a mechanical stand point. You can make perfectly working all those things from level 1. Remember at level 1, you shouldn't be facing anything that needs 5th level spells.
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Gunslingers don't get Targeting till 7, and that's when they truly hit their stride.
Alchemists don't start getting the good discoveries until 12, they don't even get a better mutagen before 12.
Witch doesn't get major Hex or until 10.
Most don't get 5th level spells till 10-14 area
a number of feats need a BAB of +9 or more.Unless your looking at monk, fighter, or possibly certain gunslinger builds you are just getting good when the game drops out from under you.
Actually what often ends up happening is people multiclass for society a lot more than they would in a game where you routinely get above level 12, since you know you're not going to get to use those cool abilities that show up much later in a classes career. It makes for some interesting characters.
Also, just a side note, think about trying to play a 12+ game in 4-5 hours. It doesn't really work in an organized play setting because each combat takes way too much time. Even high tier games (10-11) often go over time because the combats take so long.
As always, I will reiterate that society play is not for everyone, but it does provide a place to play when you don't have the opportunity to play otherwise, and it allows flexibility for your schedule if you can't always make the game days...
I can't help but get the feeling that this is a power-gamer looking for 'God mode' play.
Levels 1-2 are almost always worried about dying. 3+ is when the game gets fun, you have enough HP to be less worried about the one hit kill and usually enough tricks to help in or out of combat.
Aside from the 13 attack gunslinger I worked out for my current game (a game dedicated to what you call "god mode" play and nothing's less than 4 CR higher than the party) I don't really power game. What I like is the flavor of classes. The gunslinger for example can do some neat tricks before level 7, But he does feel like the fast shooting, dead eye until he gets targeting or Improved Snap Shot. The alchemist doesn't feel like the crazed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide until he gets a decent mutagen, Frankenstein until he gets Torturous Transformation (I know it's band for PFS), or the Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight till he gets Fast Bombs.
I see where multi-classing would be popular. Done right it would give you a lot more development in a much shorter time. For example White-haired Witch + Monk with Feral Combat Training. two ranks and your already starting to show a distinct Lock-and-Bleed-Dry approach.
And again, I don't like the Core Magic classes, aside from being played to death they just don't feel right to me. D&D and by extension Pathfinder are games built for magic, everyone else is just there to eat the blows for him or clear out anti-magic areas and golems. It feels like favoritism, like what's going on with Shadowrun and Hackers.
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Actually I find that magic is even more potent when used to buff the melee people. NPC saves and SR are non-trivial barriers to direct damage casters.
I don't have a single multi-classed character (yet) and I find that Pathfinders incredible variety of feats makes it so there are three different *fighters* I'd like to play, just for example. There's nothing wrong with the core classes, except maybe the rogue.
You just have to make sacrifices in society play. I love wizards in home brew, and I love crafting, but they're just not that great due to the nature of society play in PFS.
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I can't help but get the feeling that this is a power-gamer looking for 'God mode' play.
Levels 1-2 are almost always worried about dying. 3+ is when the game gets fun, you have enough HP to be less worried about the one hit kill and usually enough tricks to help in or out of combat.
Aside from the 13 attack gunslinger I worked out for my current game (a game dedicated to what you call "god mode" play and nothing's less than 4 CR higher than the party) I don't really power game. What I like is the flavor of classes. The gunslinger for example can do some neat tricks before level 7, But he does feel like the fast shooting, dead eye until he gets targeting or Improved Snap Shot. The alchemist doesn't feel like the crazed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide until he gets a decent mutagen, Frankenstein until he gets Torturous Transformation (I know it's band for PFS), or the Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight till he gets Fast Bombs.
I see where multi-classing would be popular. Done right it would give you a lot more development in a much shorter time. For example White-haired Witch + Monk with Feral Combat Training. two ranks and your already starting to show a distinct Lock-and-Bleed-Dry approach.
And again, I don't like the Core Magic classes, aside from being played to death they just don't feel right to me. D&D and by extension Pathfinder are games built for magic, everyone else is just there to eat the blows for him or clear out anti-magic areas and golems. It feels like favoritism, like what's going on with Shadowrun and Hackers.
Well if you just LIKE the high level I can do stuff feel, then yes PFS is not for you as your gonna end play not long after you get into that mode. I personally like high level play. Not even 7-13 range. I mean 18+ range of high level play. Still PFS is fun despite the fact that I do like a very different style of play.
