General Discussion: Kineticist


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Lantern Lodge

For all the people talking about DR and resistances - it might be fun to have a class talent (similar to the defensive talent) similar to the Immolator's Immolation Judgement ability.

It could also be interesting to give them elemental debuffs - options for their blasts that revolve around removing dice from their attack (like how rogues can get options that lower the SA damage they do). Say - reduce your blast by 2d6 to reduce your targets resistance by 5 for 1 round.

That brings all sorts of options - lose xd6 to apply all sorts of thematic conditions. That could help the kineticists feel way more flexible too. Sure, that demon might be totally immune to your fire, so you give up some of your damage (which doesn't matter) to leave him dazed, or dazzled, or blinded, or even fascinated. Have it only last a round, and maybe have let it give staggered conditions based on a save. Having flames dance in front of your face will impact your sight regardless of whether it burns, right?


Considering constructs are animated by capturing, binding, mind-wiping and enslaving elemental spirits, how would a kineticists potential elemental domination abilities affect them?

Scarab Sages

Learned an important lesson last night: Wrath of the Righteous is totally not the AP to try playing a Pyrokineticist in. I'm not entirely certain there was anything in last night's game that I had any meaningful impact on. Going to try a different build like geo and see if that goes any better this weekend.


Taking 2d6 off your blast to reduce resistance by five is a net loss for the caster on average.

Shadow Lodge

Quick question:

Does Arcane Strike work with Kinetic Blast?

I'm hitting L3 with my geokineticist and pondering between WF: Blast, Arcane Strike, and toughness.

Scarab Sages

Trogdar wrote:
Taking 2d6 off your blast to reduce resistance by five is a net loss for the caster on average.

Yeah... You're talking about losing 7 average damage to avoid losing 5 damage....

Designer

Sammy T wrote:

Quick question:

Does Arcane Strike work with Kinetic Blast?

I'm hitting L3 with my geokineticist and pondering between WF: Blast, Arcane Strike, and toughness.

It works if you qualify (the psychic spell-like abilities of the kineticist class do not qualify you).


This idea may have been mentioned already, but I'd like to add in my two cents on the Pyrokineticist issue. Right now they are the most limited in functionality since they can toss fire around and that's about it, while the others can do elemental or bludgeoning damage and the terrakineticist can choose between slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.

One idea I've had is that pyrokineticists can fiddle with thermal energy in general rather than just toss fire around - which basically means that they could draw heat away from a target, effectively dealing frost damage rather than fire damage. It's slightly different from what a frost-oriented hydrokinetic does in that the hydrokineticist is exploiting thermodynamics of phase change to deal cold damage by (I imagine) making frost out of ambient moisture and hurling it at a target. The pyrokineticist fiddles with thermal energy while the hydrokineticist fiddles with phase change. It's pretty counter-intuitive and awkward from a thematic standpoint, but it'd give pyrokineticists a bit more versatility. Might make for an interesting archetype if it doesn't fit with vanilla kineticist.

Another option would be to give them a Combustion/HeatExpasion blast option that lets them deal bludgeoning damage, in which they direct lots of heat into a combustible object, or into air causing it to rapidly and violently expand. This could also provide an alternative route to using plasma composite blasts, I guess.

Regarding blasts in general, I support the idea of some kind of kineticist focus magic item that lets them put more oomph (in the form of enhancement bonuses or even weapon enchantments) in their blasts.

Liberty's Edge

Mark Seifter wrote:
Sammy T wrote:

Quick question:

Does Arcane Strike work with Kinetic Blast?

It works if you qualify (the psychic spell-like abilities of the kineticist class do not qualify you).

That is something that should be stickied up top since I see the Arcane Strike question coming up a lot.

An answer about Vital Strike and Kinetic Blasts would be awesome as well.


I posted this on another thread:

I have a new concern. Last night I played a kineticist (I'll do a full report after halloween) and we suddenly got back to the trial in book 2. I was less than useless. As soon as the social situation started I was a background character. At 2+Int skills per level and what looks like the smallest class skill list ever there's not much to do outside of blasting.

And the class skills from your element don't help at all. The fighter seems to have it bad but no the only bone is perception and for some reason stealth so if you want to make a scout-bender that's all cool but seriously the elements are nowhere near as useful enough to warrant the terrible skill set.

I will say that Burn, at least at level 5 is nowhere near being as big of a concern as I thought it would. Most of the situations where I wanted the effect I just used my move action to reduce it. I do really hope that there are WAY more low level wild talent options per element because there seriously isn't enough diversity and no way to make my electric theme consistent.

I otherwise love the class. Just need more skills and options. Maybe even talents that can grant or replicate skill would be enough.

Adding to that, since I went dex-blast-based I was able to spend more on AC.

I also think I need more clarification on how the 'associated blast' line limits you.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Mergy wrote:
Rerednaw wrote:

I would like to submit this idea for consideration.

New Universal Talent. wrote:

BURST
Element universal; Type form; Level 1; Burn 1
Prerequisites kineticist level 1st
Associated Blasts any
Saving Throw Reflex half
You focus your energy on a point in space and create a controlled micro explosion. Select a single 5 foot square within your blast's range. All creatures and objects within that square take your half your blast’s damage.
At 6th level, you may increase this area to a 5 foot radius burst with targets in adjacent squares taking minimum damage that would be rolled normally on a failed save and none on a successful save. The saving throw DC is Dexterity-based.

I think that's likely too powerful for first level. Consider that burning hands does 1d4 damage at that level and the spellcaster in question needs to run up to do it.

If it was a 6th level form for 2 burn, then I think it would be fine. I think a first level 15-foot cone costing 1 burn should also be fine.

I'd gladly take a 15 foot cone for 1 burn. That's six 5 foot squares to this Talent's one. :)

I wanted something that was a bit different though. This is a single 5 foot square, with the area delivery mechanic. You don't get to affect multiple squares. You only do half damage and take 1 burn, but you can do this without an attack roll. I could see the level 6 scaling costing an additional burn though as area-wise it's almost as effective as Torrent.

EDIT: miss-counted...blame no sleep :)


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So any chance the Kineticist can get something to deal with resistance/ immunity to their chosen element?

it seems to be the most desired change in the playtest so far.

Also, would it be possible for them to have a way for them to deal with nonlethal damage from other sources?
Seems like an easy way to ruin a kineticists day considering how powerful some nonlethal sources of damage would be against them.

Designer

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Malwing wrote:

I posted this on another thread:

I have a new concern. Last night I played a kineticist (I'll do a full report after halloween) and we suddenly got back to the trial in book 2. I was less than useless. As soon as the social situation started I was a background character. At 2+Int skills per level and what looks like the smallest class skill list ever there's not much to do outside of blasting.

And the class skills from your element don't help at all. The fighter seems to have it bad but no the only bone is perception and for some reason stealth so if you want to make a scout-bender that's all cool but seriously the elements are nowhere near as useful enough to warrant the terrible skill set.

I will say that Burn, at least at level 5 is nowhere near being as big of a concern as I thought it would. Most of the situations where I wanted the effect I just used my move action to reduce it. I do really hope that there are WAY more low level wild talent options per element because there seriously isn't enough diversity and no way to make my electric theme consistent.

I otherwise love the class. Just need more skills and options. Maybe even talents that can grant or replicate skill would be enough.

Adding to that, since I went dex-blast-based I was able to spend more on AC.

I also think I need more clarification on how the 'associated blast' line limits you.

I am certainly considering 4 + Int skill points. In this playtest, you guys are our wonderful volunteer guinea pigs, and sometimes we're looking to feedback just like yours as justification to make changes we already were considering making!

Scarab Sages

I have a hard time finding where the Kineticist, and the Pyrokineticist in particular, fits into the whole damage dealing scale. The Kineticist pretty much has to max out Dex and CON to stay competitive, so they get really shoe-horned in to damage dealing but don't actually seem all that good at it (I could be missing or misreading something)

At 6th level, the Pyrokineticist's average damage looks to be about base 13, spiking up to 21 if she uses Metakinesis to empower it. Each point of burn she takes eats up 6 of an average 65 hit points.

So she's looking at pulling off around 21 damage no more than 10 times in a day, probably less, and has to take at least 12 points of incurable nonlethal to get her to-hit on par with a full BAB class (before a full BAB class' class features are counted in). It looks like other dedicated damage dealers like two-handed fighters and archers are dealing closer to 23-30 damage on their first attacks at that level, with equal chances of hitting, better critical returns, and iterative attacks to stack on, bringing their actual damage averages much higher.
The kineticist's also getting squeezed tight with facing DR, SR, Resistances, etc. In campaigns where demons, outsiders, dragons, constructs, etc. are common foes, some builds are going to be pretty much useless (like trying to play a pyrokineticist in Wrath of the Righteous, which was admittedly a bad idea).

Liberty's Edge

A few things I also think might improve the Kineticist

Elemental Resistance in line with the Winter Witch Archetype's Cold Flesh ability:(reworded to fit the Kineticist)

Ideas wrote:
At 1st level, a Kineticist gains endure elements as a constant spell-like ability, but only against their element. At 4th level, she gains elemental resistance 5, making her comfortable in damaging environs. At 9th-level, this increases to elemental resistance 10, and at 14th level, it becomes immunity.

*Aether Kineticists would probably get a form of untyped DR instead or a mix of DR and Deflection bonus.

They should also get something similar to the Winter Witch Prestige Class abilities, Unnatural Cold, Unearthly Cold and the Winter Oracle's capstone ability:

more ideas! wrote:

At 3rd level(This is 3d level for a Prestige class that requires 5 levels, so 8th level ability here?), whenever a Kineticist's Blast, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability deals elemental damage, treat affected creatures as having half their normal elemental damage resistance when determining the damage dealt.

At 8th level(As above, this would then be 13th level range), a Kineticist's Blasts, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities that deal elemental damage become horrendously potent. Half the elemental damage caused by these effects comes from an otherworldly power and is not subject to being reduced by resistance or immunity to elemental-based attacks.

Upon reaching 20th level, you become an avatar of your element. In addition, your mastery of elemental forces is such that any of your attacks that deal elemental damage bypass elemental immunity or elemental resistance.

*Again, the Aetherkineticist would have to be worded to apply to damage reduction instead or some such

This is in addition to the argument in favor of greater skill points, a better BAB or bonus mechanic and greater hit die type, as well as some sort of utility for versions other than the clearly favored Water version ;)


Mark Seifter wrote:
Sammy T wrote:

Quick question:

Does Arcane Strike work with Kinetic Blast?

I'm hitting L3 with my geokineticist and pondering between WF: Blast, Arcane Strike, and toughness.

It works if you qualify (the psychic spell-like abilities of the kineticist class do not qualify you).

Even if you have Arcane Strike, it says "As a swift action, you can imbue your weapons with a fraction of your power". Can you really use it on a weapon that doesn't exist until you use it? It isn't like you'll be holding the blast in your hand when you activate Arcane Strike.

Designer

Ssalarn wrote:

I have a hard time finding where the Kineticist, and the Pyrokineticist in particular, fits into the whole damage dealing scale. The Kineticist pretty much has to max out Dex and CON to stay competitive, so they get really shoe-horned in to damage dealing but don't actually seem all that good at it (I could be missing or misreading something)

At 6th level, the Pyrokineticist's average damage looks to be about base 13, spiking up to 21 if she uses Metakinesis to empower it. Each point of burn she takes eats up 6 of an average 65 hit points.

So she's looking at pulling off around 21 damage no more than 10 times in a day, probably less, and has to take at least 12 points of incurable nonlethal to get her to-hit on par with a full BAB class (before a full BAB class' class features are counted in). It looks like other dedicated damage dealers like two-handed fighters and archers are dealing closer to 23-30 damage on their first attacks at that level, with equal chances of hitting, better critical returns, and iterative attacks to stack on, bringing their actual damage averages much higher.
The kineticist's also getting squeezed tight with facing DR, SR, Resistances, etc. In campaigns where demons, outsiders, dragons, constructs, etc. are common foes, some builds are going to be pretty much useless (like trying to play a pyrokineticist in Wrath of the Righteous, which was admittedly a bad idea).

For starters, if you spend your move, you can do that empower every time. Also, if the archer has an equal chance of hitting full AC as your chance of hitting touch AC by level 6, then that's a pretty tricked out archer.

That said, if anyone can find a build that is outperforming a topped-out fighter archer without spending burn, please let me know so I can make some adjustments. It is my intention that such a build should not exist. That gives me lots of wiggle room for more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!


Mark Seifter wrote:
That said, if anyone can find a build that is outperforming a topped-out fighter archer without spending burn, please let me know so I can make some adjustments. It is my intention that such a build should not exist. That gives me lots of wiggle room for more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!

What would those damage levels be?

Dark Archive

I've been purposely avoiding building a kineticist that relies on touch blasts simply because I would never want my only shtick to be rendered useless by an immunity or a high resistance. Admixture wizards, sorcerers with summon spells, and fighters with a golf bag of weapons can all adapt to a situation.

Even if a tricked out kineticist can outdamage a fighter without spending burn, if he's doing it with fire then a simple casting of resist energy will give him such a bad day.

Shadow Lodge

Matrix Dragon wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:
Sammy T wrote:

Quick question:

Does Arcane Strike work with Kinetic Blast?

I'm hitting L3 with my geokineticist and pondering between WF: Blast, Arcane Strike, and toughness.

It works if you qualify (the psychic spell-like abilities of the kineticist class do not qualify you).
Even if you have Arcane Strike, it says "As a swift action, you can imbue your weapons with a fraction of your power". Can you really use it on a weapon that doesn't exist until you use it? It isn't like you'll be holding the blast in your hand when you activate Arcane Strike.

Is there some limitation on swift actions that says they cannot occur during another action type? If there is, I am unaware of it.

I see no reason why a Kineticist couldn't use his/her full attack action to create their kinetic blade and then imbue it with arcane strike at any point during the attack line, before or after any given attack of his/her choice.

Designer

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Of relevance to all you kineticists, the new Halloween FAQ clears up explicitly that your kinetic blasts can harm ghosts.


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A few thoughts on Move Earth (and the related talents for the other elements):

1) This is really something the Kineticist should be able to do by default at level one. You're telling me I can manipulate my element to throw a rock at somebody but not to hold down a switch. If you're worried about people using it to solve cliff face challenges and what not, ask for an Acrobatics check for a player to stay on a moving tile.

2) Can a Geokineticist use this to move mounds of metal? If not, I'd love a stipulation where you can manipulate even worked metal if you can use the Metal Composite Blast. I had a situation in a prior session where I spent four rounds trying to pull a rusted lever because I kept failing the strength check. I can accept that at level 1 but it would feel really dumb if I'm at level 7 and have more of an ability to pull the lever out of the floor and chuck it at someone than I do to use it.


I must say I like the idea of feeling the burns augment having the same DR penetration as enhancement bonuses. Or possibly since the Kineticist is the conduit perhaps there being kinda tinges the blast imparting an aspect of alignment onto it (or both aspects at higher levels)? I assume on release there will be some item to potentially enhance the capabilities of the blast in a similar capacity to Amulet of Mighty Fists or a rod or something that can hold weapon enchants. but it would be nice for the class to have some way to circumvent a bit on there own like monks and a few others

Lantern Lodge

Ssalarn wrote:
Trogdar wrote:
Taking 2d6 off your blast to reduce resistance by five is a net loss for the caster on average.
Yeah... You're talking about losing 7 average damage to avoid losing 5 damage....

Yup. It would be a loss for the kineticist. But if the party included others who did fire damage (a sorcerer, guy with a flaming sword, etc.), then it becomes a gain.

My mental idea is that it wasn't about buffing up yourself, but about contributing to the encounter. Sure, trading 2d6 to lower a resistance by 5 is situational, and is a net loss (probably) for the kineticist, but it can be a net gain. Imagine how much happier that magus would be if the Aerokineticist regularly lowered and removed electric resistances.


Am I missing something? I see people using Kinetic Blade as a touch attack. Is that really what it was ment to be? Because that is not how I read it, nor would I let that go in a game.

Quote:

You form a weapon using your kinesis. You create a non-reach one-handed or light weapon in your hands formed of pure

energy or elemental matter, or for telekineticists, you transfer
the power of your kinetic blast to any object held in one hand.
Use this form infusion as part of an attack action or full-attack
action to make melee attacks with this weapon, which deals
your kinetic blast damage on each hit (applying any modifiers
to your kinetic blast’s damage, including your Constitution
modifier or half your Constitution modifier as normal, but not
your Strength modifier), and disappears at the end of your turn.
The weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast
deals, and it interacts with AC and spell resistance as normal for
a blast of its type. Even if a telekineticist uses this power on a
magic weapon or other unusual object, the attack does not use
any of the magic weapon’s bonuses or effects and simply deals
the telekineticist’s blast damage.

It does say "you transfer the power of your kinetic blast to any object", so I get it does the damage but I would argue it wouldnt take in the ability of a touch attack.

Designer

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I want to keep you all, especially you fire-lovers up to date with my thought process right now.

I'm considering several different possibilities and plotting every single one of them out, but right now in my mind, one thing that's making me smile is the potential to give fire some badass new utility abilities, including a delicious essence infusion that will make those pretenders who think they can put up fire resistance with spells like resist energy or protection from energy quake in their boots (basically, the infusion allows the elemental fire to react violently with the opponent's magic and burn their buffs to ashes of magical energy—oops, there went resist energy!).

Liberty's Edge

Genuine wrote:
Ssalarn wrote:
Trogdar wrote:
Taking 2d6 off your blast to reduce resistance by five is a net loss for the caster on average.
Yeah... You're talking about losing 7 average damage to avoid losing 5 damage....

Yup. It would be a loss for the kineticist. But if the party included others who did fire damage (a sorcerer, guy with a flaming sword, etc.), then it becomes a gain.

My mental idea is that it wasn't about buffing up yourself, but about contributing to the encounter. Sure, trading 2d6 to lower a resistance by 5 is situational, and is a net loss (probably) for the kineticist, but it can be a net gain. Imagine how much happier that magus would be if the Aerokineticist regularly lowered and removed electric resistances.

Personally, I would prefer a utility that was of benefit to the class itself and not a "well, if there happens to be someone else available to benefit..." type of thing.

The Kineticist seems to be designed to do damage, it is not a group support or even much of a battlefield control type, and I don't think adding in a random "possible" group aiding debuff at your expense is the way to go.

Designer

Slacker2010 wrote:

Am I missing something? I see people using Kinetic Blade as a touch attack. Is that really what it was ment to be? Because that is not how I read it, nor would I let that go in a game.

Quote:

You form a weapon using your kinesis. You create a non-reach one-handed or light weapon in your hands formed of pure

energy or elemental matter, or for telekineticists, you transfer
the power of your kinetic blast to any object held in one hand.
Use this form infusion as part of an attack action or full-attack
action to make melee attacks with this weapon, which deals
your kinetic blast damage on each hit (applying any modifiers
to your kinetic blast’s damage, including your Constitution
modifier or half your Constitution modifier as normal, but not
your Strength modifier), and disappears at the end of your turn.
The weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast
deals, and it interacts with AC and spell resistance as normal for
a blast of its type. Even if a telekineticist uses this power on a
magic weapon or other unusual object, the attack does not use
any of the magic weapon’s bonuses or effects and simply deals
the telekineticist’s blast damage.
It does say "you transfer the power of your kinetic blast to any object", so I get it does the damage but I would argue it wouldnt take in the ability of a touch attack.

"The weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast

deals, and it interacts with AC and spell resistance as normal for
a blast of its type."

So it depends on the type of blast.

Liberty's Edge

Mark Seifter wrote:

I want to keep you all, especially you fire-lovers up to date with my thought process right now.

I'm considering several different possibilities and plotting every single one of them out, but right now in my mind, one thing that's making me smile is the potential to give fire some badass new utility abilities, including a delicious essence infusion that will make those pretenders who think they can put up fire resistance with spells like resist energy or protection from energy quak in their boots (basically, the infusion allows the elemental fire to react violently with the opponent's magic and burn their buffs to ashes of magical energy—oops, there went resist energy!).

While that is a cool idea Mark, the true problem in Energy Resistance isn't usually from spell casters, but from creatures with innate resistance/immunity. Just thumb through the Bestiary and you see a number of the more common "feature bad guys" have one or more significant resistances naturally.


While I can appreciate the idea behind the burn mechanic, I don't know if I find deliberately limiting such fun resources to be particularly entertaining. It more or less puts your total for the really interesting abilities at one or two a day, which doesn't seem all that great to me. What if your Force Ward was able to be used to absorb burn for you, giving you potentially one 'free' point of burn in a combat encounter in exchange for your shield?

Additionally, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that though you can take more burn as you level, you never get more good at taking burn as you level. In the end, with the way that it's all based on incurable HP damage, you're really only able to take as many points of burn at level 20 as you are at level 1. It feels like there should perhaps be cutoffs built in that reduce the HP damage that burn represents. It feels more that the burn should be 1/2 their level instead of 1/level.

But that could potentially be mitigated by moving them up a rung, HP wise. Given the way that they are trading their HP in exchange for power, and are only an attacking class, it feels like they wouldn't be out of place at all being a full BAB, d10 HD class. While Feel the Burn is potentially nice, the fact that they aren't able to use enhancement bonuses from weapons means that it's already having to take the place of that instead. Additionally, chasiss-wise, the class is really begging for at least 4+int skill points.

I'd also put their dual blast ability earlier in the class, as pretty much no game ever gets to level 17, and sucking HP for the moments you need excessive damage feels like something that would be nice around 12 or so, since they can't get incremental attacks.

Overall, I adore the class, I just feel it could definitely use some tweaks. Putting it as a full-BAB class, with 4 skill points, would actually help deal with quite a few of the issues I see with it.


Mark Seifter wrote:
That said, if anyone can find a build that is outperforming a topped-out fighter archer without spending burn, please let me know so I can make some adjustments. It is my intention that such a build should not exist. That gives me lots of wiggle room for more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!

I don't think you have to worry about that.

20 pt human builds:

Fighter Archer - S: 14 D: 18 C: 14 I: 10 W: 10 Ch: 10
Kineticist - S: 10 D: 18 C: 16 I: 10 W: 10 Ch: 10

(dump stats as you prefer)

Level 1: Both - PBS, Precise Shot, Fighter - Rapid Shot, MW longbow
Archer: +5 2x 1d8+3
Kineticist: +5 1d6+4

Level 2: Fighter - Weapon Focus: Bow, +1 longbow
Archer: +7 2x 1d8+4
Kineticist: +6 1d6+4

Level 3: Fighter - Deadly Aim, Kineticist - WF: Blast
Archer: +7 2x 1d8+6
Kineticist: +8 2d6+6

Level 4: Fighter - Weapon Spec
Archer: +7 2x 1d8+10
Kineticist: +9 2d6+6

Level 5: Fighter - Weapon Group, Point Blank Master, +2 bow
Archer: +10 2x 1d8+12
Kineticist: +9 (3d6+3)*150%+4

Level 6: Fighter - Many Shot
Archer: +11/+11/+11/+6 4x 1d8+12
Kineticist: +12 (3d6+3)*150%+5

The archer is doing 3d8+36 (average 50) damage at +11 to hit to the kineticists 26 average damage at +12 to hit. The archer also has that +6 to hit attack hanging about PLUS a hasted attack potential.

I might have made a typo error, but it should be the correct ballpark. The kineticist is so far behind in ranged raw damage... you have a LOT of room for "more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!"

EDIT: Took out arcane strike and fixed the updated Feel the Burn to be +2/+2 at level 6 (instead of +1/+1 carryover).


Mark Seifter wrote:

I want to keep you all, especially you fire-lovers up to date with my thought process right now.

I'm considering several different possibilities and plotting every single one of them out, but right now in my mind, one thing that's making me smile is the potential to give fire some badass new utility abilities, including a delicious essence infusion that will make those pretenders who think they can put up fire resistance with spells like resist energy or protection from energy quak in their boots (basically, the infusion allows the elemental fire to react violently with the opponent's magic and burn their buffs to ashes of magical energy—oops, there went resist energy!).

OOoo, I like the idea of being able to burn spells away :D

It has already been mentioned, but I'm still worried about campaigns with a lot of natrually energy resistant foes though. Right now the consensus is to not even bother bringing a kineticist to Wrath of the Righteous because almost everything has DR and Resistances.


Fomsie wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:

I want to keep you all, especially you fire-lovers up to date with my thought process right now.

I'm considering several different possibilities and plotting every single one of them out, but right now in my mind, one thing that's making me smile is the potential to give fire some badass new utility abilities, including a delicious essence infusion that will make those pretenders who think they can put up fire resistance with spells like resist energy or protection from energy quak in their boots (basically, the infusion allows the elemental fire to react violently with the opponent's magic and burn their buffs to ashes of magical energy—oops, there went resist energy!).

While that is a cool idea Mark, the true problem in Energy Resistance isn't usually from spell casters, but from creatures with innate resistance/immunity. Just thumb through the Bestiary and you see a number of the more common "feature bad guys" have one or more significant resistances naturally.

I'm gonna agree with Fomsie, I was going to make a pyrokineticist to test in the game I'm playing in tomorrow, but there's enough potential for fire-immune demons to be in it to keep me from doing that.

Designer

While we each have slightly different math, I agree with you Rory, and if there is such a mystical way to do it, I haven't seen it so far (that's a good thing!). Just asking that if anyone does figure something out, they should let me know. It's probably an edge build in that case, which I may be able to sculpt around and still keep in all the cool fun stuff!


Mark Seifter wrote:

"The weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast deals, and it interacts with AC and spell resistance as normal for a blast of its type."

So it depends on the type of blast.

This makes me sad, I feel its going to be too powerful at later levels with irritative attacks.

I agree this class is balanced on a knife edge. I feel this class might come out balanced but the first time they add feats or abilities it will break the class.


Mark Seifter wrote:
While we each have slightly different math,

Can you post your math, pretty please? I know archery decently well, but there is likely a lot of Kineticist things that are left out of my math.


Rory wrote:


Level 6: Fighter - Many Shot
Archer: +11/+11/+11/+6 4x 1d8+12
Kineticist: +11 (3d6+3)*150%+8

The archer is doing 3d8+36 (average 50) damage at +11 to hit to the kineticists 30 average damage at +11 to hit. The archer also has that +6 to hit attack hanging about PLUS a hasted attack potential.

I might have made a typo error, but it should be the correct ballpark. The kineticist is so far behind in ranged raw damage... you have a LOT of room for "more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!"

But since the Kineticist can target Touch AC you will see a huge swing in DPR in favor of the Kineticist.

Lantern Lodge

How does Kinetic Blade interact with things like Weapon Focus, or Weapon Finesse?

Could you shape your blade into a 'dagger' then get bonuses for Weapon Focus (Dagger), or could you just grab Weapon Focus (Kinetic Blade)? It would be really, really cool if you could finesse your Kinetic whip, but if it has to count as a glaive or whatever, then that wouldn't work.

If it could legally work, a dex based AoO build could be a blast.


The kineticist seems to work really well with the conductive weapon property. For example you could use a blast that targets regular AC with a conductive pistol to make it target touch instead. With a musket and far-reaching sight you could actually build a viable sniper! Quick build:

Human Musket Master 3/Kineticist 9 taking Vital Strike, Deadly Aim and Bullseye Shot and using a +1 conductive double barrelled musket has approximately +16 vs touch for 2x(2d12+7) + 5d6+10 for 70ish damage per round without burn. If you use a blast that does physical damage then DR should only apply once to the gun + blast damage and you ignore SR/energy resistances. Using a composite blast that does all physical (i.e. metal blast, sandstorm blast) the DPR goes up to around 90.

Liberty's Edge

Rory wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:
While we each have slightly different math,
Can you post your math, pretty please? I know archery decently well, but there is likely a lot of Kineticist things that are left out of my math.

While your maths look a lot like mine, Rory, I am not seeing the Feel the Burn being added into yours? While not massive, it is something and likely to be in effect much of the time.

Another thing to compare while looking at head to head between these two classes, would be average HP and AC marks assuming matching wealth and such. Because even if the Kineticist can match the Fighter Archer or Ranger Archer in damage (which I doubt), assuming they are amassing Burn, they will likely be falling into the glass cannon category rather quickly.

Liberty's Edge

Slacker2010 wrote:
Rory wrote:


Level 6: Fighter - Many Shot
Archer: +11/+11/+11/+6 4x 1d8+12
Kineticist: +11 (3d6+3)*150%+8

The archer is doing 3d8+36 (average 50) damage at +11 to hit to the kineticists 30 average damage at +11 to hit. The archer also has that +6 to hit attack hanging about PLUS a hasted attack potential.

I might have made a typo error, but it should be the correct ballpark. The kineticist is so far behind in ranged raw damage... you have a LOT of room for "more cool utility stuff, skills, and that kind of fun stuff!"

But since the Kineticist can target Touch AC you will see a huge swing in DPR in favor of the Kineticist.

Only with some attacks, and those do less damage in general and face SR and energy resistances as well. His comparison was standard damage type vs standard damage type.

This is actually something I think should be removed, the SR applying to the elemental attacks of the Kineticist. They already will face the Energy resist. I think an attack that must do AC, then SR then face Energy Resist is pretty ridiculous.

Liberty's Edge

Rory wrote:

Level 5: Fighter - Weapon Group, Point Blank Master, +2 bow, Kineticist - Arcane Stike

Where is the Arcane Strike qualification coming from? I believe earlier today Mark replied to a question stating that the Kineticist SLAs do NOT qualify you for Arcane Strike. That would cut a piece out of the damage totals.


Slacker2010 wrote:
But since the Kineticist can target Touch AC you will see a huge swing in DPR in favor of the Kineticist.

Feel free to write up the example. That would help us all.


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I'm beginning to wonder if Mark isn't being all 'sneaky sneaky' and gave us an intentionally underpowered version of the Kineticist to see if we can't buff and break it in ways he didn't expect. Meanwhile, he's keeping the full powered one all to himself and running that one through his spreadsheets and stuff and tweaking it based off the playtest.

It would be a sneaky and yet, brilliant move.

Designer

Tels wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if Mark isn't being all 'sneaky sneaky' and gave us an intentionally underpowered version of the Kineticist to see if we can't buff and break it in ways he didn't expect. Meanwhile, he's keeping the full powered one all to himself and running that one through his spreadsheets and stuff and tweaking it based off the playtest.

It would be a sneaky and yet, brilliant move.

I will say that Eram the hydrokineticist, who has over 100 hours of playtest in Skull and Shackles and has so far been a major badass, uses the current playtest build of kineticist.


Scorpioni wrote:

Daedalus, if you compare your math to a basic meteor swarm (found by many the weakest of the 9th lvl spells) cast by a sorcerer the amount of damage caused by a kineticist seems a bit lackluster, especially if the sorcerer takes a bloodline which boosts all his dice or all his elemental dice (and while crossblooded exists to combine the two, I'm leaving it out since we don't know what archetypes kinetisist will have). A double blast will do more damage true (especially if you tack on the AOE blast talent) but the sorcerer will do it more than 2 times without going unconscious. When he finally cast his little trick 6 or even 7 times, he'll just say 'oh well' and open up with his 8th lvl spells.

I'm fearing a kineticist will unfavorably compare to a blastermage (both sorcerer, wizard and arcanist and even a magus), having lower damage (only even or slightly above by putting yourself into a coma afterwards). All the while a 'real' mage has a much greater toolbox of utility and other effects as they are not restricted by element (or have powers miles away from wild talents).

The ability to use your powers at will is very powerful indeed, but I have yet to encounter a dedicated mage who manages to 'tap out' in the middle of a day. After all what is the use of 'weaker' at will abilities if the other guys always have their 'stronger' abilities when it matters?

I'd say let a pyrokineticist be better at dealing damage than a fire type mage; After all he is even more focused on it than even a fire elemental bloodline sorcerer.
Don't let the aerokinetist just fly (as the spell); make him fly faster than a wizard because after all that's HIS hyperfocus.
A geokineticist should be a veritable mountain of defence, not looking jealously at a wizard that is laughing at him while stacking mirror image (air), fire shield (fire), emergency force sphere (aether) and stoneskin (earth).

EDIT: This is how it FEELS when reading through the playtest and comparing kineticist builds with a variety of builds from other...

Exactly what i realised after hitting submit, while doing the math i was mistakenly thinking snaking form caused your blast to affect the 120 ft but realised my error atbthe last minute so i cut that part.

On topic, indeed, compared to the already thought of as suboptimal blaster wiz, meteor swarm twice a day is not cutting it even close...

Adding a Wall form of twp for area denial seems like a good fit.


Fomsie wrote:
Where is the Arcane Strike qualification coming from? I believe earlier today Mark replied to a question stating that the Kineticist SLAs do NOT qualify you for Arcane Strike. That would cut a piece out of the damage totals.

I took Arcane Strike out of the comparison. If Mark said it doesn't count, then hey... I'm not sure why the spell-like abilities don't count. That's beyond my pay grade! :-)

I also fixed Feel the Burn to be +2/+2 at 6th instead of the +1/+1 carryover from levels 3 to 5. Thanks!


yet you've only played up to a level where no one has iteratives or significant magic items that you simply can't get to apply to your attacks

it's all down hill for Eram on the power scale from here on out

Liberty's Edge

Mark Seifter wrote:
Tels wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if Mark isn't being all 'sneaky sneaky' and gave us an intentionally underpowered version of the Kineticist to see if we can't buff and break it in ways he didn't expect. Meanwhile, he's keeping the full powered one all to himself and running that one through his spreadsheets and stuff and tweaking it based off the playtest.

It would be a sneaky and yet, brilliant move.

I will say that Eram the hydrokineticist, who has over 100 hours of playtest in Skull and Shackles and has so far been a major badass, uses the current playtest build of kineticist.

To be fair, comparing all of the variants, the Hydrokineticist is also the most versatile and has the most utility on top of it's blast.

I would also question the 100 hours of playtesting to ask how much of that is actual mechanics of combat and of the remainder, what actually does he do? Not being snarky, but the class seems significantly lacking in the out of combat anything department.


Mark Seifter wrote:
Tels wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if Mark isn't being all 'sneaky sneaky' and gave us an intentionally underpowered version of the Kineticist to see if we can't buff and break it in ways he didn't expect. Meanwhile, he's keeping the full powered one all to himself and running that one through his spreadsheets and stuff and tweaking it based off the playtest.

It would be a sneaky and yet, brilliant move.

I will say that Eram the hydrokineticist, who has over 100 hours of playtest in Skull and Shackles and has so far been a major badass, uses the current playtest build of kineticist.

But what if that's what you want us to think? 0.o

I'm hoping today I can sit down and make out some kinenticist builds of ~13th level to run through some adventures with some PC character sheets I'm pulling from other games. Of course, it'll all be a solo-party playtest, but it will be in an adventure I have never read, so it all works out right?

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