The mechanics of 5 foot stepping in melee.
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For what it’s worth, we adopted this change as a house-rule and it works very nicely at our table for our needs. A quick skills check and viola you either win your new position, or don’t.
My first experience with no 5' stepping came with SWSE. Once we experienced how it worked there, we adopted it fully to Pathfinder games and haven't looked back.
I'd personally prefer to go the other way. Rather than illogically pinning characters in place while their opponent is free to move about the battlefield, I'd prefer to see actions and reactions in play.
If you move away from someone with whom you were engaged in melee combat, they have the choice to either cut you while you flee OR pursue. No feats required.
Not even remotely close to what I said. But I digress.
Except you completely ignored the second part of that sentence. A swift action involves doing something complicated in a hurry, something you can do reasonably fast but too much effort to do more than once per round. It's easy to see how enabling substitution for swift actions would unbalance the game. You could chain multiple Quickened spells. A monk could expend tons of ki points at once. You could buff your attacks more than once with Arcane Strike. The magus, who already has many action economy benefits, can do tons of things at once. Even if it did not break the game, it would make classes with lots of swift action options much more powerful.
No, I quite obviously did NOT ignore it. Also, a swift action isn't something complicated, not necessarily. Declaring Smite Evil or using a ki pool point for extra dodge bonuses to AC doesn't sound that complicated, does it? And frankly, I don't see how giving maguses or monks the option to do this is somehow imbalancing. May I remind you, again, that they will either not be moving or not attacking that round as a result? Considering the number of ways to get extra move or standard actions in the game can be counted on one hand, I fail to see the need for panic. The only modification needed would be Quicken Spell, which would have a Special tag of, "No more than one spell per round can be quickened in this manner". Easy fix.
Ultimately, what's the point? Swift actions deliberately function as a one-per-round action economy that exists outside of standard and move actions. Swift actions add strategic decision-making. Substitution eliminates that and adds little to the game.
The point is that this thread is about personal preferences and how we'd like to see them applied to the Pathfinder RPG rules. It's not a contest and it's not a 'right vs. wrong' argument. As it stands, yes swift and immediate actions work like you describe. My preference is for a system where that they still do that, but the action system overall is a bit more flexible. Don't like it? Then don't play that way.
You said no 5' step, I agreed and went a step further to say that someone engaged in Melee should be able to follow their foe.
That's how I see melee combat, dynamic and fluid. If your opponent tries to withdraw, you either shank him from behind or you stick to him.
With respect, I’m not at all saying that “no 5 foot rule” is a good direction whatsoever to go. Or that there shouldn’t be feats like Step-up to allow you to pursue and close on a tactical flight from combat.
To clarify, all I’m saying at core, is that 5 foot steps ought to provoke AoO’s, unless you make a simple acrobatics check. An errata amendment like that brings so much to the table. Realistically it makes sense. It brings utility and merit to acrobatics across the character gambit, affects in-combat decision making applied to positioning, calls into play things like Defensive Withdraws, and increases the attraction of feats like Mobility, and just plays more stream-lined and liquid to me.
To completely remove 5 foot steps, and no offense whatsoever to any that play that way, to me is just as poorly thought out. Without positioning/flight options, why is any PC or NPC ever going to do anything but fight to the death?
I just think the mechanics of 5 foot steps needs some attention.
The point is that this thread is about personal preferences and how we'd like to see them applied to the Pathfinder RPG rules. It's not a contest and it's not a 'right vs. wrong' argument.
And I was just pointing out that swift actions and free actions are very different and have a mechanical reason for being distinct?
The point is that this thread is about personal preferences and how we'd like to see them applied to the Pathfinder RPG rules. It's not a contest and it's not a 'right vs. wrong' argument.And I was just pointing out that swift actions and free actions are very different and have a mechanical reason for being distinct?
Yes, you were?
I'm all about #5-7, 3catcircus!
I'd match HD to CR and then just grant a size bonus to HP to make up the difference making balance less of a chore mathematically speaking.
Charging - Charges are a Standard action, you move your speed +10ft and make an attack at the end of your charge with a +2 attack and receive a -2 AC penalty. You don't take an AC penalty if your BAB is at least +5. You can charge through difficult terrain or low obstacles if you make an appropriate Ride check. (Vital strike can be used in conjunction with charging)
Remove Clustered Shot feat
Creatures do not provide cover for the purposes of archery if the creature is of a size smaller than the archer, or the creature is the size of the archer and is closer to the archer than the archer's target.
If a mount moves more than 5 feet during its turn, an archer cannot full attack from that mount without the mounted archery feat (frankly, archers are already too good, why make them stupidly good by letting them move AND full attack if they're mounted)
Rogues full BAB and can sneak attack within the first range increment of any weapon. Also, give them a special ability allowing them to treat any creature which is vulnerable to precision damage which is also not aware of them and is within melee range as helpless.
Players who craft poisons add half their level to the save DC of a poison.
Fighters get 4 skill points per level + Acrobatics/Perception/Sense Motive as class skills.
Clerics get detect undead as an at will ability (similar to Paladin's detect evil)
Handle Animal can be used to increase the HD of non-animal companion mounts. You treat your mount as an animal companion where half your level = your effective druid level (but receives no bonuses except extra HD and BAB).
All classes get 2 feats at first level instead of one (this is to discourage people from constantly picking Human).
All races which have standard racial arrays receive an alternate stat boost. (IE Dwarf can be a +2 Str/Con -2 Cha or +2 Con/Wis -2 Cha)
Haste gives an extra move action if you don't full attack during your round.
Swift Actions and Immediate actions are separate and don't use each other up.
All classes can make a number of AoOs equal to the number of iterative attacks they possess.
Nerf Gunslinger and Summoner Class
Certain classes such as Clerics, Monks, and Druids get a small boost to Point Buy (22 point buy instead of 20 point buy)
Any kind of check which requires "Charisma" receives a +4 competence bonus for roleplaying, discretion to the DM or a majority of other party members.
Disconnect enhancement bonuses to weapons and weapon special abilities. IE when you put a special weapon ability on a weapon, it counts as a +1 to the weapon SEPARATELY from the straight enhancement bonus as a weapon. (So a +2 flaming sword is a +2 weapon with a +1 ability. And a +2 flaming holy sword is a +2 weapon with +3 abilities) you pay the cost of special weapon abilities separately.
Disguise skill gives you bonuses to Bluff/Dip/Intimidate for successfully impersonating a person which the NPC you're rolling skills against knows.
Remove Casting Defensively or nerf it significantly (makes casting classes too powerful, if they let martial get into AoO range they should pay for their mistake)
Allow Dispel Magic or DM Greater to be targeted against specific spells with a successful Spellcraft check.
Counterspells can be immediate actions if the caster can identify the spell and has a spell that can be used to counter memorized.
Reach weapons should be able to attack diagonally
Anti-paladins should be Lawful Evil instead of Chaotic Evil.
That's it. I'm sick of all this "Masterwork Bastard Sword" b#**!@#& that's going on in the d20 system right now. Katanas deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that.
I should know what I'm talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine katana in Japan for 2,400,000 Yen (that's about $20,000) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years now. I can even cut slabs of solid steel with my katana.
Japanese smiths spend years working on a single katana and fold it up to a million times to produce the finest blades known to mankind.
Katanas are thrice as sharp as European swords and thrice as hard for that matter too. Anything a longsword can cut through, a katana can cut through better. I'm pretty sure a katana could easily bisect a knight wearing full plate with a simple vertical slash.
Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? That's right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined Samurai and their katanas of destruction. Even in World War II, American soldiers targeted the men with the katanas first because their killing power was feared and respected.
So what am I saying? Katanas are simply the best sword that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the d20 system. Here is the stat block I propose for Katanas:
(One-Handed Exotic Weapon)
1d12 Damage
19-20 x4 Crit
+2 to hit and damage
Counts as Masterwork
(Two-Handed Exotic Weapon)
2d10 Damage
17-20 x4 Crit
+5 to hit and damage
Counts as Masterwork
Now that seems a lot more representative of the cutting power of Katanas in real life, don't you think?
tl;dr = Katanas need to do more damage in d20, see my new stat block.
Crippling Strike -- Give Rogues the option/ability to inflict Physical(Str/Dex/Con) Ability Damage.
Make Power Attack and Combat Expertise basic options in battle rather than Feats.
Either straight-up raise the bonuses given by Feats that currently only give +1 bonuses, or make the bonus increase as they level up(maybe +1 every 4/5 levels at least). I'm talking about you, Dodge.
Make some rules to modify/customize basic weapons. Stuff like serrating a weapon to inflict bleed damage on a piercing attack, an enlarged striking surface/blade, weighted pommels, lengthened handles, chained heads, and the like. Maybe with the caveat that too many or too drastic a change turns it into an exotic weapon separate from its base form.
Allow Alchemical Weapons to have their damage/Save DC increased, to let them be useful at higher levels.
Give Fighters training options like Rogues and Alchemists. The various options given by Fighter archetypes are a good start.
Crippling Strike -- Give Rogues the option/ability to inflict Physical(Str/Dex/Con) Ability Damage.
Make Power Attack and Combat Expertise basic options in battle rather than Feats.
Either straight-up raise the bonuses given by Feats that currently only give +1 bonuses, or make the bonus increase as they level up(maybe +1 every 4/5 levels at least). I'm talking about you, Dodge.
Make some rules to modify/customize basic weapons. Stuff like serrating a weapon to inflict bleed damage on a piercing attack, an enlarged striking surface/blade, weighted pommels, lengthened handles, chained heads, and the like. Maybe with the caveat that too many or too drastic a change turns it into an exotic weapon separate from its base form.
Allow Alchemical Weapons to have their damage/Save DC increased, to let them be useful at higher levels.
Give Fighters training options like Rogues and Alchemists. The various options given by Fighter archetypes are a good start.
Yeah there were a couple threads about scaling feats and removing prerequisite feats to buff martials (especially fighters.) The power attack/deadly aim/ combat expertise not even being feats was also brought and is also a great idea.
But yeah the dodge feat is frakking useless after a certain point and definitely needs to scale. Weapon focus could benefit from this as well.
When you get down to it the armor system functions on the idea that attacks are always going to hit your armor so heavy armor is always better. If you watch people fight in the medieval style, they focus on not getting hit at all by either parrying, blocking, or dodging. All fighters/barbarians/magi/etc. should get parrying bonuses except unarmed fighters who would get a dodge bonus. The rogue/ninja/monk/etc. gets the dodge bonus obviously. Full casters don't get anything but they have mage armor/blur/protection from arrows for that. In fairness, Mage armor should just be a thing that all full arcane casters get. Full divine casters get armor so they're fine. The idea that any arcane caster who can wouldn't take and use mage armor is ludicrous. Just let them have it.
I disagree with an earlier point about rogues getting full BAB. The point of fighters getting full BAB was to represent that they are the best weapon wielders and have the appropriate training. Even barbarians use their swords more and would thus be better at swinging them. Still rogues should hit more because they're quicker and usually wield light weapons. Thus, they can get a scaling bonus to hit but less attacks. The fighter hits 4 times at level 20 and the rogue hits three times but the rogue is more likely to hit because he's so quick and knows where to hit to get past opponents' guards.
What if the DC to cast defensively was based off the enemy and the spell level, instead of just the spell level?
Like this: The DC to cast defensively is 15 + threatening foe’s BaB + spell level. If threatened by multiple foes, the DC is determined by the threatening foe with the highest BaB. Each additional threatening foe grants a +1 bonus to the DC.
So trying to cast a 5th level spell against a level 10 dude would be DC 30 instead of DC 25. A 10th level sorcerer would probably have around a +15 bonus to concentration by then, so this check is hard. Combat casting will stop being useless at later levels too.
But yeah the dodge feat is frakking useless after a certain point and definitely needs to scale. Weapon focus could benefit from this as well.
For what its worth, attack and AC are scaling bonuses to begin with. Actually making the two scaling might lead to going overboard unless its very small or you decide to actually give other bonuses than to attack and AC. Good time to point out that feats tend to be boring and just give flat numbers instead of fun and interesting and provide options. Not that having flat number options is bad, but that most feats are flat numbers and don't scale.
The problem is that it's a pathetically tiny flat number that becomes worthless pretty much after level two. It's literally a Trait-level bonus that eats an entire feat.
And Dodge isn't the only one with this problem.
Dot for later.
The problem is that it's a pathetically tiny flat number that becomes worthless pretty much after level two. It's literally a Trait-level bonus that eats an entire feat.
And Dodge isn't the only one with this problem.
I actually house ruled Dodge and Swiftness into one feat. Makes both feel a little better. Also Mobility gives another permanent +1 dodge bonus, besides its normal benefit.
But yeah the dodge feat is frakking useless after a certain point and definitely needs to scale. Weapon focus could benefit from this as well.For what its worth, attack and AC are scaling bonuses to begin with. Actually making the two scaling might lead to going overboard unless its very small or you decide to actually give other bonuses than to attack and AC. Good time to point out that feats tend to be boring and just give flat numbers instead of fun and interesting and provide options. Not that having flat number options is bad, but that most feats are flat numbers and don't scale.
Well yeah lots of bonuses would scale. But no, under the current system, AC does not scale. Well, technically, it scales well enough against humanoid opponents with class levels. It will rarely stop the first attack of a fighter but it might stop the others. It will not scale with creatures who get the same bonus to every attack. Most campaigns have monsters so AC is not very good. The usual way around this is to stack different types of defense: AC, miss chance, DR, etc.
Make the 1st-level bloodline abilities of Sorcerers scale better. Especially the ray effects of bloodlines like Elemental and Starsoul. Not to make them game breakers, just enough to keep them as viable options past level four.
Make spells of levels significantly lower than the caster's (or maybe low-level (1-2) spells in general) easier to cast at high levels. Basically let casters cast level one and/or two spells as iterative actions for a full-round attack.
Blood Disciple -- Adjust the Dragon Disciple PrC to be applicable to all bloodlines as an Archetype rather than a PrC. Basically they have reduced spellcasting to instead focus on the powers granted by their bloodline.
Make the 1st-level bloodline abilities of Sorcerers scale better. Especially the ray effects of bloodlines like Elemental and Starsoul. Not to make them game breakers, just enough to keep them as viable options past level four.
I wouldn't mind scaling arcane weapons/blast type things for all the arcane casters myself.
My concerns right now:
-the paladin is in my eyes too good (duh!) saves, smite evil, many feats, good BAB, many hit points and even spells. To live by the LG alignment isn't such a nerf inside the game mechanics.
-Power attack! Am I the only one who is sad watching a fighter do 150-200 points of damage and thus reducing a thrilling fight to becomne only a two rounds-must?
-Single stat efficiency. There's no need to be good in anything else than only one ability, the fighter focusing STR, the wiz INT and so forth...combine with the one above and DnD 3.5 seems to be the future... :s
-Leadership feat seems to be broken since the henchmen quickly become too good. What about the henchmen taking the leadership as well (and so on...)?
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I'd like the Paizo staff discuss scaling matters. That's what I find is the weakest part of the game right now. I want the game to be as thrilling as it is lvls 1-3 on all levels.
Just something small: Dhampirs, I'd change them to be undead instead of humanoids.
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I'd remove Heighten Spell as a Feat and make it an option for all casters.
4+Int would be the min Skill Pints for all classes (except Wizard, Witch, and other Int based casters).
3.5 Reach
I'm thinking of dropping CMD/CMB completely and going back to the 3.5 method for Trip, Grapple, Sunder, etc. . .
All Undead get Moderate Fortification, and stronger or unique ones get Heavy Fortification. Incorporeal and other rare cases might be immune.
Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, and Greater Weapon Specialization are open to anyone. (No Fighter Levels requires). Same for any other option that requires a specific Class, or sometimes Race if it can be used by someone else.
Not a hose rule as general game fact. Divine Classes attain their power through personal faith, it is not their granted by deities. Because the deities are real, and their followers/faiths are the most in depth and well developed, it is the easiest route, but not required. So the vast majority of Divine Classes have a deity, (or a small pool of them), but they are in no way required. There is no such thing as a Patron Deity.
Make the 1st-level bloodline abilities of Sorcerers scale better. Especially the ray effects of bloodlines like Elemental and Starsoul. Not to make them game breakers, just enough to keep them as viable options past level four.
It would be cool if they were at-will or let you fire multiple rays at once in later levels.
Make the 1st-level bloodline abilities of Sorcerers scale better. Especially the ray effects of bloodlines like Elemental and Starsoul. Not to make them game breakers, just enough to keep them as viable options past level four.It would be cool if they (...) let you fire multiple rays at once in later levels.
I like that idea.
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That's what I find is the weakest part of the game right now. I want the game to be as thrilling as it is lvls 1-3 on all levels.
Everybody has a different sweet spot. I tend to like the game best around level 11-16
Yah, I'm kind of to the point of starting to hate levels 1-3 entirely. Same feats, same spells, same enemies most of the time. For me, it's the weakest part of the game, if for noting else because it's the range I play in so much. I'd say 8th-12th being ideal, and levels 8+ all good.
Prestige Classes levels count as 1/2 (or 1/3) levels in your favored Class for class abilities, such as unlocking new class abilities, spellcaster progression, and unlocking class abilities. These levels stack with previous levels of your favored class. These levels do not provide any benefit if the prestige class already provides the same class ability as granted by your favored class (IE Mystic Thurge doesn't increase your effective Cleric level in determining spellcasting since it already provides spellcasting progression)
I feel such a change would make prestige classes more relevant again, and def help cover up the pain of multiclassing + losing favored class bonuses.
Was just reminded of another rule I'd change: That many ranged feats and abilities only work with bows and/or crossbows but not other ranged weapons that have played a significant role in history.
One example it focused shot or the aspect of the falcon spell.