Quenevere |
So we have played a few P2 games and came up with some ideas towards resonance, we don't think its terrible just maybe a little harsh. Our solution would be as follows.
Potions - Heal potions cost taken off the resonance cost, say due to the divine energies associated with the healing it does not require the drinker to spend points. Were good with the rest costing a point.
Wands - We think 5e's approach to wands definitely helped get rid of the CLW wand spam. Their approach is wands have 7 charges and they recharge at the rate of 1d6 per day. If ever reduced to 0 there destroyed. Would become a permanent magical item instead of a consumable. So a resonance to attune to it, but not to use every charge.
We have not used many other "use" items so cant comment on things like the bag of holding etc. But none of my players are real happy about another resource to manage , but LOVE much of whats offered in 2e so resonance is not a deal breaker for us.
kaid |
I think resonance could be useful but its current incarnation has negative gameplay value. Either you are not hitting it at all in any meaningful way and it winds up just being one more book keeping task when using consumables or you are an alchemist and you have to fight and game your way around it as best you can and its all hindrance with no real feeling of benefit.
The fact that items still have per day usages and charges to track after adding resonance baffled me. It would have been simplier to do the more limited things per day having higher resonance cost. Overall it is a system that just needs to be sat down and think what they actually want it to do.
Syndrous |
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I think resonance could be useful but its current incarnation has negative gameplay value. Either you are not hitting it at all in any meaningful way and it winds up just being one more book keeping task when using consumables or you are an alchemist and you have to fight and game your way around it as best you can and its all hindrance with no real feeling of benefit.
The fact that items still have per day usages and charges to track after adding resonance baffled me. It would have been simplier to do the more limited things per day having higher resonance cost. Overall it is a system that just needs to be sat down and think what they actually want it to do.
I think they should stick with attunement for permanent items, drop the resonance cost on Alchemical Elixers and then remove the other set of healing potions. Finally, you make wands function by spending Resonance to activate it, and removing the number of charges.
This let's high level characters decide what items they want, allows Alchemists to provide out of combat healing or utility, and still makes Resonance a meaningful resource because it governs wands, staves and permanent magical items without harshly penelizing Alchemist or your 1 hp fighter who needs an emergency heal when the cleric died earlier in the dungeon.
Kalvit |
I think I had a simpler approach to the Resonance issue as it pertains to potions. Everyone gets one free potion/elixir a day. Any more, and then you run into Resonance costs. Now this can both help and hurt the Alchemist at various stages. The freebie could very well be an Elixir that the Alchemist has already infused. But this makes it possible for a character with no Resonance to still have a potion/elixir they can take for an emergency.
As for the wand issue, I think that we should change the wand's charges from a countdown to a count up. Give wands a Resonance limit as to how much it can handle before it burns out. Wands tend to be a more disposable item in comparison to staves. If you want a wand to be more useful over a longer period, then perhaps have the wand cool down one Resonance per day unless the limit was reached. But at that point, we need to consider the possibility of a smaller use limit on wands. Maybe 5 limit at most.
I like how Resonance works with magical staves. I never liked the whole "I need to cast the spell into the staff for it to gain charges" thing that PF1 has. So staves are currently where Resonance has the carrot going for it. It feels more like the spellcaster is using what dregs of magic surrounding them to power the staff. And casting with the staff is as simple as forming a magical link between the caster's intent and the staff's reserve of magic. It feels right.
I do feel that scrolls need to be opened up to more than a caster only kind of item. There's something cinematic about the party rogue or fighter breaking out a scroll in an attempt to save the party from a terrible threat. Other than the "needs to know this spell to cast from this scroll" thing, I think Resonance works perfectly fine with scrolls. Again, I picture it as someone trying to summon up the magical energy to power the scroll.
Investing into other magical items is a hit-or-miss situation based on what they are. Investiture plus activation costs are probably the most irritating part right now. We could apply a text that indicates that the initial investiture gave the item a free use of its activated ability.
ckobbe |
I also am unsatisfied with Resonance in its current form.
As much as I hate the idea of adding another component to track, for me a large part of the problem is that Resonance is trying to do two things. Investing to create constant effects and spending to create one off effects.
I'll wait to see the final version at PF2 launch, but right now, if it stays in its current form I am thinking of something along the line of this...
Resonance points as is, but are not used for investing, only for activations.
Each character gets an Investment Pool equal. 1 pt at 1st and 2nd levels, then +1 every 3 levels after.
1st - 1
2nd - 2
5th - 3
8th - 4
11th - 5
14th - 6
17th - 7
20th - 8
It then takes a day to invest a point in an item, which remains invested until an action is taken to uninvest or someone else takes a day to overwrite your investment with their own. No need to invest every single day.
As a costly action, 3 Resonance points can be used to temporarily (1 hour maybe) to overight an investment or go beyound a characters maximum, allowing for someone to heroically use an evil wizard's staff against them or quickly use some other aquired item.
Feats or special class features could increase the available investment points as well.
Anyway, that's my idea.