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Pyra Hempstock
Human Kineticist 2
Ability Scores: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 8
AC 16, Touch 13, Flat 13 (Studded Leather)
Saves: Fort 8, Ref 7, Will 1
Skills: Know(arcana, planes) 2, Perception 4, Stealth 8, Use Magical Device 4
Element: Fire
Wild Talent: Burning Infusion, Extended Range
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits: Reactionary, Indomitable Faith
Gear:
Studded Leather
mace
cloak of protection +1
Okay… I wrote really detailed report last night, and the post monster ate it… So this is going to be less intense and cut to conclusions, and I’m using a text editor. This happens every play test, and I have to remember that long post timeout the editor.
Scenario: #6-06 Halls of the Flesh Eaters
The party make up was L2 Monk, Cleric 1/Rogue 1, Slayer 3, and my Pyrokenetist 2, we played the low tier with 4 player adjustments.
Briefing:
didn’t have relevant knowledge skills, or where I did I wasn’t shinning. The knowledge nature which is on the pyro’s list doesn’t make a lot of sense, so I didn’t take it.
Encounter 1: “bunch of cannibals”
These guys were tough, more a scenario comment then a play test comment, if we hadn’t been high for a low tier module this could have ended in a TPK. I had generally good line of sight, and with Point-Blank and Precise I only had to deal with the occasional cover. I set at least one on fire with burning infusion. loved the way you could move action to gather energy and then ready to blast. Nice balance of tactical, basically letting me wait until a foe came within 30’ (point blank range) both limiting their ability to engage me in melee by hanging a bit back, and not having to burn. I was very very careful to avoid burn early.
During the bush whacking leading up to the encounter and following it, I had nothing I could do, we were a stealthy bunch but we didn’t really have cover, so I rolled a few perception checks but they weren’t particularly helpful to the party
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Encounter 2: “Trap/Hazard”
Enjoyed being the ranged person because I was the last person in the hole and so not affected by the trap.
Encounter 3: Giant Leach
We were squeezed in the folding boat, but I was some where int he middle. I did two good hits on the beast. Aiming for touch is good for the 3/4 BAB, and I never had to deal with SR. I did get to feel that + CON instead of +1/2 Con wouldn’t be ground breaking on damage, even though you are very focused on that stat you aren’t earth shattering next to the 2 handed weapon wielding barbarian, and it would have made my 1d6 feel a lot less swingy. Given that Dex was a critical stat I would have liked acrobatics as a class skill here.
Encounter 4: Ghouls / Flesh Cist Thing
We set this up perfect, the ghouls tactics slowed their advance so we waited in the room prior and I just lobbed fire at them. Took some burn to get range/burning. Also was the first encounter something actually got close enough to attack, so I lit myself on fire with searing skin. I took a burn point here as well (Once I started burning I was less frugal, came with having not been hit I felt like my HP were there to be used.)
At this point I started to chaff a little at the DC and the explanation for the Burning Infusion, the first is just explanation of the save on being lit on fire, when do they roll, when they are hit and when they try and put it out? or are they automatically on fire and need to spend an action to make the save? Action wise is it the same as alchemist fire, a full round to put out the flames (if you save) bonus is you roll around? When do the damage happen, on my turn or theirs (after failing or refusing a save or end of turn.) The DC was also weird the whole effective spell level mechanic feels clunky, if they kenetisist only does one thing, do it well, 10+1/2 level + con for all saves, forget the level junk.
While being the star of this encounter (lobbing fire down the bowling alley while the melee’s set up a readied action killing gauntlet it became a little repetitive. My defence ability never came into real play because I was never attacked.
Again between encounters I had nothing skill wise to add (I did plenty of role playing, but mechanically I had little to contribute.)
Encounter 5: Closet ghoul
One guy, curb stomped, over
Encounter 6: King Ghast
So this module was made for fort saves, and I was glad to have a +8, I just made this roll (and I didn’t have my shirt/folio with me for a reroll so yeah not being sickened or nauseated. I slammed the king hard with a max damage blast that made the GM cringe. Touch AC, good. He came after me and I again lit up my searing skin, with an AC of 16 I managed to get missed, and again lamented not seeing my searing skin do anything. I wonder balance wise if searing skin should affect on a miss or remove the negate damage on a save (maybe half damage on the save) It’s just that there are so many ways for it to not do anything. I think it should also scale at say level 7-8 to do damage to foes with non-reach weapons. It should also affect swarms but doesn’t really explicitly say so, I would house rule it for sure, but it would be nice to see RAW support.
Swarms, which didn’t come up, would be an issue for this class, and I mean so logically, with no mechanical support for it (no area blast) you stand there thinking “wow this gal can shoot gouts of flames but they pin point one bug in a swarm, so the rest of the swarm is ok” Just wonky.
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Other observations:
While I loved the gathering energy mechanic and flavour, I wish it was 1 hand free like a wizard and not 2. Being able to hold a weapon/item is a big tactical drawback. I couldn’t ready a potion, provide flank, etc. I imagine metakenetic rods that give the effect of wild talents without burn 3/day that one might like to hold. So 1 hand would have been nice and consistent with others (no sword and board.)
So here are the conclusions:
Pros:
Effective in combat, always something to do that is damaging
balance feels right on the rate I was hitting (touch vs 3/4 bab)
Cons:
nothing to do out of combat
repetitive
To Fix:
needlessly weird DCs
burning infusion wording
damage vs swarms?
p.s.
Roleplaying wise I really enjoying the flavour, I had to whip the character together in about an hour, so I went with cliches. Waif of a girl, parents died in a mysterious fire (she was too young to realize she started), can’t come to terms with her powers. So while she insisted she was a chronicler the paracountess had sent to record their journey, when every combat started she would freak out and start blasting things screaming stuff like “not again, not again”, “Desna WHY” and other such gentle insanities of a character in denial. Even the searing skin was always a response to a sudden threatening action by a foe, like a charge. The other PCs helped me play it up, and when I lit on fire for the first time, since I didn’t in character explain it to them, thought they should try and douse the flames on me.