Owlbear Claw: a disappointment to almost any party


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Our party found the owlbear claw, which took a fair bit of doing, but when we looked up its stats everyone just kind of deflated. The only character that could have used it would have been a fighter (we don't have one). That hypothetical fighter would have to have critted with it for it to even do anything and even then it would only unlock an ability that happens when you crit--and when that happens you get to move an enemy around or give them a status effect that it feels like you could much more easily give them some other way.

As someone who loves owlbears I want this item to be awesome. I'd say make it something any class can use, and ideally something they don't have to crit to make happen. Offhand I like the idea that it makes the next attack with the weapon you affix it to a critical hit and then it burns away into ash. But it could be anything really. It just bums me out that my players got this cool and rare feeling thing and then found out it was kind of useless.


Trinkets are basically scrolls for the martial classes - Low level ones probably won't upend the world, like a Magic Missile scroll wouldn't.

That said, I wouldn't say it is only useful for a fighter at all. At first level, sure, when they are the only experts at using their weapons, but fighters actually do get access to the critical effect of their weapons and the trinket would then be useless for them. That means that at higher levels, a rogue might have more fun with it.


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I was equally puzzled by this choice of loot, or any loot at all that can't be used in this module. I mean, when we next meet them, they are Level 9! Are they expected to be interested in the piddly Level 3 item we gave them, or an Owlbear Claw Trinket? 2 Adventures and 8 Levels later?
I mean, this is the Equipment they get at the start of the next module
one 8th-level item,
two 7th-level items, one 6th-level item,
two 5th-level items, and 250 gp to spend
on additional items.

There is absolutely NOTHING you can give them they can not just buy thrice over.

Grand Lodge

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Yeah, I'm not for "all loot should be useful", but a critical success reward for the introductory session shouldn't be useless.

I subbed in a holy water.

Scarab Sages

DerNils wrote:

I was equally puzzled by this choice of loot, or any loot at all that can't be used in this module. I mean, when we next meet them, they are Level 9! Are they expected to be interested in the piddly Level 3 item we gave them, or an Owlbear Claw Trinket? 2 Adventures and 8 Levels later?

I mean, this is the Equipment they get at the start of the next module
one 8th-level item,
two 7th-level items, one 6th-level item,
two 5th-level items, and 250 gp to spend
on additional items.

There is absolutely NOTHING you can give them they can not just buy thrice over.

Are they at least of an uncommon or higher rarity? That's the only way I can think of making that kind of stuff useful


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Honestly, I'd just as soon assume the party turned the thing in, assuming it was also stolen property, rather than carry it over the next adventure. But if they still have it by then, there will be characters who can use it.

(Side note: I actually don't know what the pricing of selling magic items is this edition, huh. Is it 50% like PF1 or 10% like PF2?)


I'm about to run it, and I was confused at the fighter only nature as well. Guess I'm not the only one.


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Captain Morgan wrote:

Honestly, I'd just as soon assume the party turned the thing in, assuming it was also stolen property, rather than carry it over the next adventure. But if they still have it by then, there will be characters who can use it.

(Side note: I actually don't know what the pricing of selling magic items is this edition, huh. Is it 50% like PF1 or 10% like PF2?)

It's half. Page 345 "If the character wishes to sell an item, she can sell it for half its Price (or full Price if the item was made on commission), assuming she’s able to find a buyer."

I find Trinkets to be pretty bad items in general. But selling the treasure in this adventure we were able to get over 40 gp, which even at 9th level is a nice bump. Part 4 has you starting with what you had plus 250 gp and a list of items. So 290 gp instead of 250 gp isn't bad.


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Doktor Weasel wrote:
But selling the treasure in this adventure we were able to get over 40 gp, which even at 9th level is a nice bump. Part 4 has you starting with what you had plus 250 gp and a list of items. So 290 gp instead of 250 gp isn't bad.

I don't think that's the intent.

This is a playtest. A test. As somebody who earns a living writing and performing tests professionally, I can assure you that a proper test must include known starting conditions. Repeating the test means everybody starts from the same known starting conditions every time.

If anybody starts from alternative starting conditions, they are not running the same test. Their results will be anomalous and should be excluded from results of the tests that were conducted properly.

To be extreme, what if some GM out there ad-libbed a few social encounters in Act 1 during which time the PCs managed to be successful burglars and stole a million GP. Then he runs the same PCs through Act 4 with their million GP. They have amazing gear way over their expected wealth by level goals and they breeze through the adventure. This GM and his players write on their survey that everything was way too easy.

Should their results influence Paizo?

No. Definitely not.

Likewise, just letting them have 40 gp more than the stipulated started conditions invalidates the test. At least a little.

TL;DR: Whatever cash they acquire in Act 1 is REPLACED by (or counted toward) their starting value of 250gp which they should not go over; starting with more, even a little more, will skew the playtest results.


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Strangely enough Doomsday Dawn wants you to do that.

Doomsdays Dawn, page 47, Sidebar wrote:

Each player retains the gear they earnedand kept from “The Lost Star,” but also

gains the following:

And if you split those 40gp up in 4 Players, I think they become quite irrelevant anyway.


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Yeah, retaining gear like a worthless Owlbear claw trinket or a potion of minor healing is one thing.

Letting them sell a bunch of junk (as I recall, the other option was giving the stolen stuff back to the rightful owners) and keep the cash to add to their starting wealth and buy actually useful things is different and not really covered by the rule you quoted.

Maybe Paizo should be more clear.

When one GM follows the exact starting wealth rule in that chapter and some other GM says "OK, sell all your gear including your starting items and everything you found in chapter 1 and add the cash to the chapter 4 starting wealth", you might (probably will) get two different playtest experiences.

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