| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hey, Mark.
I’ve gotten the impression from reading over several years worth of posts from other Paizo employees, that few or none of them have had any meaningful play or enjoyable play experiences with high level* games. Because of this, I’m curious about your experience or lack of experience with well-done high level* play. Where do you see yourself in the spectrum of support for &/or experience with higher-level* gaming?
Thanks for your time!
-TimD
*in this case, “higher-level” indicating 15+ for PF
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
so...different people at Paizo have adopted different groups of outsiders. Like James is pretty much the Demon guy, Wes is the Devil guy, Sutter is the Eldest guy, etc. Is there any particular group of outsiders you are drawn towards and maybe are willing to adopt and support? The coverage is a bit uneven for the different types.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mark, what's best in life?
Well I was going to do something witty like what Tels did, but Tels had my number on that one really fast. How about this:
To make new friends, see them come visit you, and have them bring a non-lamenting significant other.
| 18 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hey, Mark.
I’ve gotten the impression from reading over several years worth of posts from other Paizo employees, that few or none of them have had any meaningful play or enjoyable play experiences with high level* games. Because of this, I’m curious about your experience or lack of experience with well-done high level* play. Where do you see yourself in the spectrum of support for &/or experience with higher-level* gaming?
Thanks for your time!
-TimD
*in this case, “higher-level” indicating 15+ for PF
From talking to other people, I am definitely somewhere in the tail at the top of the bell curve for experience with high level play. I have tons of stories about these, and it shouldn't be hard to get me started. Not counting 2nd edition,
I've GMed:
*One 3.0 homebrew game that didn't quite go up to higher levels by that definition.
*One 3.5 homebrew game that went from 1st to about epic 22nd (not everyone was the same level by that point). Ended mostly due to people moving.
*A second 3.5 homebrew game (using new some of the dozens of new classes I had written--consider them to all have some level adjustment, which I then removed because it was equal, but they were facing things meant for higher level characters) that went from 1st to about 14th. Ended mostly due to people graduating.
*A third 3.5 game with a different group that went to about level 17-18. This one also had a large party. This one ended by TPK to the BBEG.
*Two Rise of the Runelords games, converted to Pathfinder (generally by me, but I did buy the AE partway through). One of them finished off with an epic knockdown drag-out fight with the BBEG where the PCs barely won (so levels 1-about 17), and the other is still in Book 4 because I only run it during visits to where I grew up.
*A Jade Regent game that is ongoing, which has gone from 1-12 so far. Eight characters is also a relatively low amount for them to bring. They've done twelve or more before.
I have played in:
*A Council of Thieves campaign that ran from start to finish (but doesn't go to level 15).
*A Curse of the Crimson Throne game that's stalled right after Part 5 for now (not quite level 15 yet, I believe, but close--we may have hit it but not played with it yet).
*A Kingmaker game from 1-15.
Some observations about high level play:
*It can work, but there's a few things you need to do.
-First, you to be extremely disciplined about what you allow into the game. This is in part because the freelancers who write new rules elements aren't always considering the ramification of a rules element at super-high levels. And since many games don't get that high, I can see why they don't. For example, I once was asked to comment on a freelance 3pp class that had a capstone that essentially gave them 10 actions per round every round. When I mentioned I thought that was too much, what I heard was "Ehh, it's 20th level." You'll have to peruse new offerings and make a few changes. I recommend making spells outside the core rare finds (so treasure, or a few randomly in a new settlement) but potential research targets using the research rules. If they come into the game at that rate, you can monitor each one. If the players want a spell bad enough to research it, though, make them feel badass when they do. Have NPCs sometimes appear to ask them to teach the spell (and offer to pay or exchange services), let them make a variant name for it, so they can be like Bigby or Mordenkainen and have lots of spells with their name on it.
-Second you need to be sure that you are strict on what you let some of the higher-level spells do, which generally can be done by following the rules (for instance, don't allow scrying on a location) but sometimes requires you to adjudicate spells with confusing descriptions like simulacrum. Remind the PCs that NPCs could do the same thing to them and they will usually be on your side in making a fair adjudication.
-Third, once you get high enough level, forget CR. My level 22 3.5 group (the second one in that list) managed to overcome a CR 40 once but also nearly got trashed by a CR 21 until they ran away. The only way to figure out whether a fight is balanced is to have a copy of your PCs stats, know their general strategy, and flat-out playtest the battle yourself (for a less time intensive version, at the least look at your PCs' after-buffs to-hit, AC, and save DCs, and saves and compare to the foes'). You can also run an extremely sandboxy game where even you are surprised at when the PCs win and lose. In that case, just put in a lot of seemingly hard stuff, and the party will sometimes do clever or powerful things and prevail. For that, you'll definitely need a party that understands when to run away.
-Fourth, you will need to do as much work as if you homebrewed everything yourself, whether or not you have a published adventure. This ties into the third point. The published adventures aren't allowed to "forget CR", and they can't just run the sandboxy game I described because there's a story plot path the PCs must take. Therefore, the high level published adventure you bought (even if it's an AP volume) is virtually guaranteed to be the wrong challenge level for your PCs. Will it slaughter them? Will it all fall over like a sack of wet cardboard? That depends on your players. You absolutely need to do a lot of tweaking. If your party is too strong (this is likely), then start with the tactics. Published villains in high level adventures rarely ever have good tactics, or even above-average tactics. In part, it's probably because you anger more people by curbstomping their characters than you do by being a cakewalk. You want an enemy with incredible mental stats (like a BBEG wizard) to feel as devious and clever as the PCs (so they feel awesome about overcoming the challenge), using all sorts of tactics along with good old fashioned misdirections to keep safe and hammer the PCs. For instance, I switched the tactics of the BBEG of Runelords in advance of the AE coming out. With the AE, they gave him some significant minions but kept the original tactics. I decided that the new tactics were strong enough that the minions would have been overkill (it seems I was right--while my PCs thwarted the villain's plans pretty quickly, they all nearly died several times and only actually killed him because they had brought a bunch of powerful scrolls to the fight, spending all their money on these scrolls).
-Reactive and active enemies. This ties into everything above. At super high levels, your PCs are easy to know about via Knowledge checks, or at least legend lore if they are for some reason keeping their powers secret. If the PCs somehow avoid being scouted, have villains share memory with the peasants they saved or things like that. Then, if you have a PC who only has one weakness (one of the level 22 PCs in my game could only be killed by disintegration damage, for instance), have the bad guys know about it and exploit it in a reasonable way (like bringing along a scroll of disintegrate for the final blow). Also, when the PCs blow everything at once and rest, have the NPCs be ready for them next time, call in reinforcements, and generally become a bigger threat. At higher levels, the NPCs might even try to come after the PCs if the PCs are at a known location and do the equivalent of what the PCs did--an alpha strike followed by a tactical retreat.
Well, I'm sure I have more advice (and I have MANY stories of those high level campaigns) but I'll save it for later.
Lots of good things
Thanks for your detailed reply, Mark, there's a lot of good stuff in there.
I'm considerably more hopeful for higher-level support from Paizo now, even if in the far future beyond all the currently scheduled product.-TimD
Hello!
What types of questions would you like to be asked?
Hmm, good question. I guess all sorts of questions. It would only get old if people were always asking the same kinds of questions here. There's been a pretty good variety so far--I approve!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
so...different people at Paizo have adopted different groups of outsiders. Like James is pretty much the Demon guy, Wes is the Devil guy, Sutter is the Eldest guy, etc. Is there any particular group of outsiders you are drawn towards and maybe are willing to adopt and support? The coverage is a bit uneven for the different types.
What's your favorite creature type?
Here's a twofer! I'll admit. I like the fey. So two Eldest guys? I smell a First World book! (Note: I can only say this because I have absolutely no clue whether or not such a book is or ever will be on the agenda).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You're a little bit of a paradox in that you have a number of 3rd party content published with (I believe) Rite Publishing but you're also heavily involved in PFS, where 3rd party content is disallowed. Do you frequently use third party materials in your home games?
This is potentially a controversial question and I understand if you don't want to answer it. That said: How did you feel about the original Crane Wing, the errata changes, and how do you feel about the feat as it is currently worded?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mark,
When was your first official workday at Paizo? And have you been hit with any big bombs in regards to projects that make you go "I will have no free time..."
I assume it's pretty crazy with PaizoCon coming this weekend and then GenCon coming soon after.
Oh, sorry, another question, but will you be at GenCon? :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lots of good thingsThanks for your detailed reply, Mark, there's a lot of good stuff in there.
I'm considerably more hopeful for higher-level support from Paizo now, even if in the far future beyond all the currently scheduled product.-TimD
My influence may be fairly limited in that regard, but I suspect if we did do such a project, I would be one of the people to take point on it.
You're a little bit of a paradox in that you have a number of 3rd party content published with (I believe) Rite Publishing but you're also heavily involved in PFS, where 3rd party content is disallowed. Do you frequently use third party materials in your home games?
This is potentially a loaded question and I understand if you don't want to answer it. That said: How did you feel about the original Crane Wing, the errata changes, and how do you feel about the feat as it is currently worded?
I allow all 3pp material written by me in my home games because I have fully vetted it before I sent it off to be published. As to other stuff? Occasionally. I give 3pp material the same scrutiny that I do Paizo products. Trust me, after playing enough PFS, you learn more than a few things to alter or ban in home games before getting into 3rd party material. Another thing to watch out for is 3rd party material that provides intentional power creep but is balanced amongst itself other than that. I would only include that in a particular game that centered around that material (for instance, the game I mentioned in my long post above where everyone was just more powerful), since you'll want all PCs and NPCs to heavily use that material for the game to remain balanced.
@Crane Wing--With the caveat that I don't want to see a debate pop up in this thread, I will answer this. I've been pretty open about this, and many people know my post history. I did extensive playtests on Crane Wing, making the results public with detailed reports scenario by scenario (I also did home game playtests, but home games have houserules, so I kept my data on those to myself). It was a major problem in its original form when using published adventures (and making awesome published adventures is very important for Paizo). Not that there aren't other, and bigger, fishes to fry than Crane Wing, but you take what you can get. When the errata came up, I swiftly presented a mild alteration of the errata that makes it easier on GMs and players while increasing its defensive utility (apply the +4 to AC after seeing the result of the roll, and then riposte if that changes a hit to a miss). Our home group (which we used to playtest) has been playing with that version, and the Crane character is still awesome (she actually was unaffected from original Crane for a while, since enemies always hit her by 4 or less on at least one attack or missed her every time) without leading to situations where the melee fighter general PC wanted to throw up his hands and hide in the back with a backup bow (as happened in the past). A few weeks ago, I also discovered by seeing some powerful weird characters in PFS that the new version of Crane is actually more powerful for dervish dancing AoO chain builds (since they want to get an AoO with their scimitar to pass on with Paired Opportunists, so Snake Fang's restriction to unarmed attacks won't cut it). So in summary--I am glad that there was an erratum of some kind, but I'd like to see some small tweaking to be fully satisfied.
Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
As low guy on the totem pole, has Jason exercised his power of Boss-itude to try and get you to take the Gauntlet punch to the face for him yet?
I sent you a PM about the build you mentioned, I don't want to sidetrack the thread.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. :)
Mark, what's best in life?Well I was going to do something witty like what Tels did, but Tels had my number on that one really fast. How about this:
To make new friends, see them come visit you, and have them bring a non-lamenting significant other.
Oh god... did I ninja a rogue? Am I going to get nerfed now? :P
Do you think you will be able to improve the FAQ system? My understanding of it right now based off SKR an Minotaur posts is that when you guys do FAQs, you all have to be in the office and have a meeting over it.
They've admitted this is a really slow and inefficient method, but it 'technically' works.
If you're taking over the FAQ list, do you think it could maybe be improved so that, before a FAQ meeting, there is a list of things you want to talk about sent in a memo of some sort, so they could review each rule?
I'd just like to see the FAQ system speed up and not be a seemingly endless wait in frustration it is now with some subjects having been FAQ'd multiple times over the years with no resolution.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mark,
When was your first official workday at Paizo? And have you been hit with any big bombs in regards to projects that make you go "I will have no free time..."
I assume it's pretty crazy with PaizoCon coming this weekend and then GenCon coming soon after.
Oh, sorry, another question, but will you be at GenCon? :)
The day the blog went up (Monday the 16th) was my first official day at Paizo. There were certainly a lot of project surprises, but thanks to the diligence of the rest of the Design Team, I've never felt that I was going to be suck into an abyss of no free time, even with Paizocon looming.
I will definitely be at Gencon!
| 30 people marked this as a favorite. |
Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.
Tactics:
So first of all--in order to equalize for just everyone throwing a million wishes and to explain why Karzoug couldn't just have himself wished out with a transport travelers wish effect, I added an effect to the final location that prevented wishes or miracles from having any effect there, other than to duplicate spells. This was actually a nerf to Karzoug in some ways, but it helped make the fight more predictable.
Then, I set up several layers of misdirections. Karzoug knew that no one would expect him to use magic from schools of magic that were beneath him, so his first layer of protection was that the Karzoug they saw on the throne was a projected image (he used Use Magice Device to get it). Once they dealt with that (I believe it was spell sundered), they found what they thought was the real Karzoug with a form of the giant up, but in fact he was using magic jar to take over the body of a rune giant with frightful aspect up (to break up full attacks). His real body? In a wall, using undead anatomy IV to become incorporeal. He had a bunch of prebuffs active and laid some AoE crowd control spells on the area where he knew the party would arrive (including a sirocco, but the barbarian somehow guessed sirocco and asked for spell immunity to it).
I rebuilt him somewhat to have Spell Perfection and Magical Lineage in flesh to "gold" (basically flesh to stone), so when in doubt, he could quicken that as a back-up. More interesting attacks included wail of the banshee and a quickened prediction of failure + maze two hit combo for the superstitious barbarian and his unbeatable saves (make DC 20 Int checks at a -4 penalty? Not happening).
In general, he saved his time stops for when the PCs defeated one of his forms, allowing him to get himself repositioned and buffed up appropriately to continue the offensive.
He had a suite of precautions aligned against the PCs' strengths (having watched them through their sihedrons) that might not be relevant for your party, but in the end, he was undone by the eldritch knight casting the one spell Karzoug couldn't stop, that weird force spell that Alaznist created, which the EK had learned at one point but never cast for the entire campaign, followed by a low saving throw for me. Since it was dazing, this triggered his contingent harm, and this left him with no further trump cards as the rest of the party tore into him. Poetic to be defeated by his old rival's spell.
| 10 people marked this as a favorite. |
As low guy on the totem pole, has Jason exercised his power of Boss-itude to try and get you to take the Gauntlet punch to the face for him yet?
"Paizo is a company founded on the principle of keeping our promises to the customer and never shirking from our standards for quality by providing inferior product. As such, when we promise Jason will get a punch in the face, it won't do to give them a punch in the face to other Design Team member"--is what I would say if he asked.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.Tactics:
** spoiler omitted **...
Those are some awesome tactics. I also get the feeling if those were the default tactics for an AP BBEG, there'd probably be a lot more party wipes at that level.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mark, what's best in life?Well I was going to do something witty like what Tels did, but Tels had my number on that one really fast. How about this:
To make new friends, see them come visit you, and have them bring a non-lamenting significant other.
Oh god... did I ninja a rogue? Am I going to get nerfed now? :P
Do you think you will be able to improve the FAQ system? My understanding of it right now based off SKR an Minotaur posts is that when you guys do FAQs, you all have to be in the office and have a meeting over it.
They've admitted this is a really slow and inefficient method, but it 'technically' works.
If you're taking over the FAQ list, do you think it could maybe be improved so that, before a FAQ meeting, there is a list of things you want to talk about sent in a memo of some sort, so they could review each rule?
I'd just like to see the FAQ system speed up and not be a seemingly endless wait in frustration it is now with some subjects having been FAQ'd multiple times over the years with no resolution.
It's something to consider, but you never know when or whether someone will read an e-mail, whereas in person, you can be sure that people will block out the time and thought cycles to work on a certain topic.
What level are the bonus spells gained from a Patron for the Witch?
For example, the Enchantment Patron grants Unnatural Lust, normally a 3rd level spell, at second level. The Ancestor Patron grants Refuge, a 7th level Cleric Spell or 9th lever Sorcerer/Wizard/Witch spell, at 14th level.
Someone said that it should follow a formula of half the level granted, so Unnatural Lust would be a 1st level spell fro an Enchantment Patron Witch, while Refuge would be a 7th level spell for an Ancestor Patron Witch.
Might this be a FAQ candidate?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.Tactics:
** spoiler omitted **...
That is awesome, I love it, it definitely makes him feel more devious and satisfying. The stages of battle remind me of RPGs and I know my Final Fantasy loving group will appreciate it.
How did you handle Time Stop? Are the PCs aware of it, like they're frozen, does it happen without their knowledge, or some other way?
Mark, what was the most fun you've ever had in Pathfinder, either as a player or a GM?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Those are some awesome tactics. I also get the feeling if those were the default tactics for an AP BBEG, there'd probably be a lot more party wipes at that level.Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.Tactics:
** spoiler omitted **...
Yep. That's more or less what I said above, and I definitely agree. The trouble is, many players are using that level of tactics. Or even countertactics. My players, for instance, brought a scroll of freedom in case of the one-two I used on the barbarian.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
What level are the bonus spells gained from a Patron for the Witch?
For example, the Enchantment Patron grants Unnatural Lust, normally a 3rd level spell, at second level. The Ancestor Patron grants Refuge, a 7th level Cleric Spell or 9th lever Sorcerer/Wizard/Witch spell, at 14th level.
Someone said that it should follow a formula of half the level granted, so Unnatural Lust would be a 1st level spell fro an Enchantment Patron Witch, while Refuge would be a 7th level spell for an Ancestor Patron Witch.
Might this be a FAQ candidate?
I imagine they should follow that formula, which does grant early access. I believe that's intentional. Unnatural lust is actually Bard 1 and everybody else 2 anyway, so it's basically picking it up when the bard gets it.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Would you mind sharing your new tactics for the BBEG of Runelords? I'm running RotRL now and prefer the idea of making him harder rather than adding in minions.Tactics:
** spoiler omitted **...
That is awesome, I love it, it definitely makes him feel more devious and satisfying. The stages of battle remind me of RPGs and I know my Final Fantasy loving group will appreciate it.
How did you handle Time Stop? Are the PCs aware of it, like they're frozen, does it happen without their knowledge, or some other way?
They didn't know. He just always seemed to be right where he needed to be, with some new buffs up, every time they cleared a "stage" of the battle. Oh, in between writing that and now, I also changed his gear loadout a bit (he's rich enough to have minions send him in the items he wanted) to deal with simple things that he as-written isn't quite ready for.
As low guy on the totem pole, has Jason exercised his power of Boss-itude to try and get you to take the Gauntlet punch to the face for him yet?"Paizo is a company founded on the principle of keeping our promises to the customer and never shirking from our standards for quality by providing inferior product. As such, when we promise Jason will get a punch in the face, it won't do to give them a punch in the face to other Design Team member"--is what I would say if he asked.
That is an AWESOME answer. This is going to be an awesome thread!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mark, what was the most fun you've ever had in Pathfinder, either as a player or a GM?
That is a challenging question. I've really had too many good experiences to narrow it down to just one. I tend to enjoy any session with great RP, or with a challenge that makes my (too clever by half) players feel like they managed to win through only because of their extreme cleverness and good decisions, or both.
That is an AWESOME answer. This is going to be an awesome thread!As low guy on the totem pole, has Jason exercised his power of Boss-itude to try and get you to take the Gauntlet punch to the face for him yet?"Paizo is a company founded on the principle of keeping our promises to the customer and never shirking from our standards for quality by providing inferior product. As such, when we promise Jason will get a punch in the face, it won't do to give them a punch in the face to other Design Team member"--is what I would say if he asked.
I hope so too!
What are your thoughts on the various uses of Paragon Surge? Is the synergy with Expanded Arcana, Extra Hex, Eldritch Heritage and so on an intended function of the spell?
When casting a maximized fireball, does it count as a 3rd or 6th-level spell for the purposes of ability score limitations? Could my wizard cast such a spell with an Intelligence score of only 13?
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
**Not asking for spoilers** Which of the ACG classes are you most looking forward to playing yourself? Why? Which are you most looking forward to throwing at your players? Why?
Well, I guess I'm most looking forward to playing the classes for which I have PFS characters because it will be fun to return to those guys after I put them on ice when they hit level 2 (so I didn't have to stress about rebuilds). But that's not a great metric, so ignoring that.
A few things that stand out to me that I want to try for each class:
Arcanist--I want to play around with some of the exploit combinations and especially to play in a home game with lots of encounters per day and see how I'm doing with her daily slots.
Bloodrager--I absolutely love how simple it is to build a bloodrager. This makes it an excellent tool for a GM to use for on-the-fly NPCs (and I like improvising), and it's a pretty vivid class to begin with. I also want to play my aberrant bloodrager Erebus to the point where he can fully realize the full extent of his reach.
Brawler--This one's just exciting because I can print out a cheat sheet for myself of every combat feat in the game for which she qualifies and then start figuring out in what situations I want to use which, like my PFS ninja with forgotten trick.
Hunter--I really want to explore the way her spell access works. With her spell progression, she can get some pretty amazing spells at pretty amazing spell levels, which can make her a deceptively powerful spellcaster compared to the druid, who you would expect to be strictly her superior.
Investigator--As a big fan of the alchemist, the investigator seems like he's going to be pretty fun and a powerhouse out of combat, though in a fight, it might take some ingenuity to weather the first few levels. My level 2 investigator Alistair still does OK for himself in a jam due to point buying quite a bit in Strength, and I think that may prove to be a path to explore.
Shaman--I'm pretty excited to level up my shaman Aitheria to 4 and get wandering spirit. Wandering spirit seems like it's going to give her a huge number of possibilities in flexibility, and there's definitely one or two wandering hexes that are just phenomenal.
Skald--To me one of the puzzles of the skald is the rage powers. It seems like I would want to load him up on some of the really metal rage powers, particularly ones that levy restrictions like superstition where the team can benefit from the ability to opt in on a round by round basis. Even the casters might want that bonus to saves and touch AC for a round when they're positioning instead of casting.
Slayer--I want to explore some of the noncombat potential of this class, rather than see him shoehorned into just a killer (despite the name). My PFS slayer Tiffany, for instance, took good advantage of the bonuses to skill checks, declaring every NPC we ever met as her target (because why not?)
Swashbuckler--I've already taken her around the playground a few times across a variety of levels, so I'm pretty satisfied that I know her number already. Killing Treerazer was epic enough for me, so I'll be OK for a while before I play another swash.
Warpriest--This guy has a lot of possibilities. He makes me want to pore over the cleric's personal buffs a bit more so I can think about how best to take advantage of his fervor ability. The one thing is that I tend to make more of team player characters, and by his nature, the warpriest's abilities make it all the more natural for him to spend lots of his spells buffing only himself. I mean it's a swift action.
What are your thoughts on the various uses of Paragon Surge? Is the synergy with Expanded Arcana, Extra Hex, Eldritch Heritage and so on an intended function of the spell?
These sorts of uses seemed like the clear top uses of the spell to me from the time I read it. However, I certainly do think that the spell warrants another look when we have the time. That's not to say anything between the lines more than what I directly said though--which is that I personally think we should give it a closer look when we have the time to do that. Until then, for your home game, you could make your own alterations, or do what I do in my home games and just ban the spell.
When casting a maximized fireball, does it count as a 3rd or 6th-level spell for the purposes of ability score limitations? Could my wizard cast such a spell with an Intelligence score of only 13?
By my reading of the new FAQ, it is a 6th level spell for the purposes of ability score limitations. But that's just my personal reading on it--I don't have insider information into that one.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What are the kinds of questions that you're best equipped to answer (like how James Jacob's the best person to ask about Varisia, Demons, Brevoy and stuff, and F. Wesley Schneider's the best person to ask about Ustalav, Devils, etc.)?
I haven't been around long enough to have a nation for which I am the place where the buck stops (I think you had to have been around since Golarion's creation to be such an elder entity), which means I can't pronounce canon in this thread that never existed before and have it become official. I can still answer whatever question you feel like asking using my best question answeringness to do so. If you're really looking for a niche, then as time goes by, I will likely become the custodian for particular base classes I adopt and work on the most (like how Stephen is the band leader for the bloodrager, the investigator, and the swashbuckler).
Is your first official FAQ answer going to be answering the damage dice increase request? :-)
I certainly don't think that's impossible, but honestly if I can get traction on any FAQ, I will make that FAQ happen!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, have you been let in on the secret of Aroden yet, or do you have to work there longer?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
[Phone post, forgive sketchiness.]
Whirlwind v. swarm? E.g. Summon Monster II, small air elemental.
(There's a line in swarm subtype about wind affecting as constituent creature that may give this idea some traction?)
Seems airtight to me ( :rimshot: ).
Creature swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For the purpose of determining the effects of wind on a creature swarm, treat it as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage to the swarm per spell level ](or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental’s whirlwind).
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Pathfinder Unchained must be the absolute coolest thing to walk into for a newly hired designer. I can't imagine how cool it must have been for Jason and Stephen to say, "Hey, welcome to the office! Have a seat, we're just tinkering with the ENTIRE WORLD'S PERCEPTION ON HOW TO PLAY PATHFINDER. No pressure."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, have you been let in on the secret of Aroden yet, or do you have to work there longer?
As far as I know, there is no answer. However, that just means if there is one, they haven't told me!
|
[Phone post, forgive sketchiness.]
Whirlwind v. swarm? E.g. Summon Monster II, small air elemental.
(There's a line in swarm subtype about wind affecting as constituent creature that may give this idea some traction?)
Seems airtight to me ( :rimshot: ).
Creature swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For the purpose of determining the effects of wind on a creature swarm, treat it as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage to the swarm per spell level ](or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental’s whirlwind).
That's odd. I'm not seeing that crucial last sentence in the PRD (Swarm subtype). Am I just missing it? (PRD does not play nice with my phone, so I might be.) Or is it an instance of inconsistent or out of date rules text?
(Glad I asked! This is something I've wondered about several times in the past and just never followed up on after initial read of swarm subtype + whirlwind didn't give an obvious answer! Happy to see that there is a fix for it to make it work.)
[Phone post, forgive sketchiness.]
Whirlwind v. swarm? E.g. Summon Monster II, small air elemental.
(There's a line in swarm subtype about wind affecting as constituent creature that may give this idea some traction?)
Seems airtight to me ( :rimshot: ).
Creature swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For the purpose of determining the effects of wind on a creature swarm, treat it as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage to the swarm per spell level ](or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental’s whirlwind).That's odd. I'm not seeing that crucial last sentence in the PRD (Swarm subtype). Am I just missing it? (PRD does not play nice with my phone, so I might be.) Or is it an instance of inconsistent or out of date rules text?
(Glad I asked! This is something I've wondered about several times in the past and just never followed up on after initial read of swarm subtype + whirlwind didn't give an obvious answer! Happy to see that there is a fix for it to make it work.)
Actually, it's an instance of my being an idiot and looking it up with google, not realizing I looked up a swarm template instead of the swarm subtype! It looks like the regular swarm subtype is silent, though that weird template isn't a bad place to start for a non-PFS game. In PFS, looking at the real swarm subtype, it looks like it'd be potentially picked up and dealt slam damage (since it's an area attack) while still getting its swarm damage against the elemental.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Pathfinder Unchained must be the absolute coolest thing to walk into for a newly hired designer. I can't imagine how cool it must have been for Jason and Stephen to say, "Hey, welcome to the office! Have a seat, we're just tinkering with the ENTIRE WORLD'S PERCEPTION ON HOW TO PLAY PATHFINDER. No pressure."
Yeah that meeting was...extremely exciting. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands dirty with Unchained--this kind of stuff is right up my alley and plays to my strengths in a way that my minor contributions to the end of the Monster Codex cycle did not!