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Assuming A) a player has decent system mastery and B) is NOT intentionally trying to break the game, do you find any archetypes problematic in PFS games? Why? What are good strategies to minimize any table problems?
Intentionally Out-of-Date Example:
The Master Summoner archetype, moreso than other casters that summon, can cause combats to slow to a crawl when they spam summons and clog the battlefield. This can be frustrating for everyone at the table when it takes several minutes for that player to adjudicate all their summons' attacks AND the summoner's normal actions. And if your summoner isn't pre-prepped with summoned monster stats, their turn drags on and on. If you're playing at a Con or LGS, this may cause you to rush the non-combat parts of the scenario due to time constraints.
As a GM, you should make a point to check that the summoner is prepped with statblocks, has enough dice to roll multiple attacks at once, and gently discourage them from summon spam if the battle is well in hand.
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For me, ANY pet class, be it Summoner, Druid, Ranger, Animal Cleric, Cavalier, Wizard w/ Familiar. No matter how competently the character is run, the player always requires more of the GM's attention than a single character.
Alchemists and Gunslingers are next on the list, because they can be very documentation heavy and don't follow a lot of the standard 3.5/PFRPG rules.
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Why Alchemists more than other classes? I ask because I understand Alchemist (having played several) but I have real problems understanding Magus, or Oracles or high level Barbarians and all thier gimmicks.
Alchemists aren't difficult to understand, but they're more of an exception based class. Additionally, they can require more book keeping than most if they're crafting a lot. Same for gunslinger having to keep a tight inventory on expensive ammo.
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For me, ANY pet class, be it Summoner, Druid, Ranger, Animal Cleric, Cavalier, Wizard w/ Familiar. No matter how competently the character is run, the player always requires more of the GM's attention than a single character.
I agree with the pet classes, especially if the PC is a strong character in and of itself. It basically gives two PC's for one player. I've been contemplating whether or not to propose that the APL be based not just on character levels but also include animal companions, familiars, combat animals, etc. Would make it easier to keep players from steamrolling most scenarios...
(That said, I do play two rangers, one with an owl, one with a wolf. I try to keep them from being power-houses, just survivors.)
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What is hard to understand about the oracle?Why Alchemists more than other classes? I ask because I understand Alchemist (having played several) but I have real problems understanding Magus, or Oracles or high level Barbarians and all thier gimmicks.For me, ANY pet class, be it Summoner, Druid, Ranger, Animal Cleric, Cavalier, Wizard w/ Familiar. No matter how competently the character is run, the player always requires more of the GM's attention than a single character.
Alchemists and Gunslingers are next on the list, because they can be very documentation heavy and don't follow a lot of the standard 3.5/PFRPG rules.
There are quite a few Mysteries, many with unique powers. Then you have to police the Oracle's curse (which requires you to know how that works too). Then the players start combining them...
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This may run the risk of turning into antagonistic GMing, but there are a fair number of builds that can single-handedly solo encounters or end them before they begin. If the party's okay with that, fine. If you see the other players getting uncomfortable or upset, you should probably just take the player aside and ask them to reign it in.
But it also helps to know the limits of what they're doing and enforce them accordingly:
Problem: Witches. Specifically Misfortune and Slumber.
Why is it a problem? Misfortune makes for a lot of extra dice rolling. Both it and Slumber can effectively end encounters immediately.
Solution: If they're fighting a single creature and the Slumber goes off, that's it. All you can do is double-check immunities to make sure it doesn't ignore mind-affecting effects. If there are multiple creatures, you can have one wake up the other as a standard action. That creature is no immune to any more Slumbers for the next 24 hours.
For Misfortune, remember that the 1 round duration ends before the witch's next turn. So they have to cackle on the same round if they want to extend it.
Problem: Oracles. Specifically their curses.
Why is it a problem? A lot of players will forget (or "forget") about their curse. Not a huge deal, but it is an intrinsic part of the balance of the class.
Solution: When there's an Oracle in my game, I always ask what their curse is at the beginning. I also make sure the rest of the party is aware, so they know they can't ask for healing (Tongues) or move at 30ft speed as a party (Lame) etc.
Problem: Metamagic, especially Persistent and Dazing.
Why is it a problem? Persistent makes for a lot of extra dice rolling. Both it and Dazing can effectively end encounters immediately.
Solution: If it's a Spontaneous caster, using any Metamagic other than Quicken is a full-round cast minimum. So they have to have the rod drawn and ready, and they can't move. If it's a prepared caster, they have to have prepared it with Metamagic unless they're using a rod.
Problem: Dual-cursed Oracles, specifically the Misfortune ability.
Why is it a problem? Extra dice rolling. Can become frustrating when applied after results have been determined.
Solution: See curses above. Make sure both are being enforced. Remember that using Misfortune is an Immediate action, which means they don't get a Swift action on their turn and they can't use it twice in the same round. You can also take a hard line about the restriction of using it "before results are revealed." Personally, I think the best way to handle it is to agree ahead of time that the character will use it on any Natural 20s (NPCs) or Natural 1s (PCs, if you allow that interpretation).
b]Problem:[/b] Zen Archers
Why is it a problem? Archers in general can do a ridiculous amount of damage, but Zen Archers do it best without much in the way of vulnerabilities.
Solution: If the bad guys can summon monster, consider bringing in a Dust Mephit. They can cast Wind Wall 1/day. You can also make sure that the arrow-raining death machine is taking their Lawful alignment into account when it comes to "shoot first, ask no questions."
Again, don't want to turn this into Player vs. GM. But knowing the boundaries can help avoid getting to that point in the first place.
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As I stated before it's exception based. So new GM's and players have to learn differently about that class than most of the classes.
- Splash weapons (missed throws, hitting party members with splash, targeting touch AC)
- Thrown weapons (short range increment, throwing into melee)
- Extracts vs. spells vs. potions vs. mutagens
- Craft: Alchemy
- Bomb damage (xd6 plus INT, but X plus INT for splash with a reflex save only for the splash)
- Critical bomb damage (only adding an additional d6 instead of double the number of dice)