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(Cannot resist Gnomenclature insert...)
So I thought I'd collect some of the PF2 nomenclature that's developed since the public playtest announcement as well as add some I think helps w/ playtest discussion. It's neither authoritative nor exhaustive, so feel free to contribute/alter/clarify if done in good faith.
*PF1 & PF2: Names for the editions of Pathfinder so they don't get mixed up between 1st ed & 2nd ed D&D.
*Alpha Test: The playtest before this one
*Beta Test: The current playtest
*Gamma Test: The playtest after this one. (Kidding! Kinda...)
* <10> System: The +10/-10 crit success/success/fail/crit fail d20 mechanic.
*3-Action System: Just what it says, plus the 1 Reaction per turn.
*ABCD Chargen: Character generation in PF2.
A=Ancestry, B=Background, C=Class, & D=Destiny
(The last one you won't find in Paizo material, but it needed to be a "D", right? I'm also prone to calling the stat boosts at 5th, 10th, 15th, & 20th Destiny Boosts.)
*UTEML: Untrained, Trained, Expert, Master, & Legendary proficiency system
*PSEML: (item quality) Poor, Standard, Expert, Master, Legendary
*Max 7 AC System: The mechanic that armor bonus + Dex cap at 7 (sans potency & separate factors), and the ramifications thereof.
*Standard Max AC: 10 (base) + Level + 7 + 1 at 3rd (& +1 every 4th level after that). (Yes, classes that get Expert+ proficiency can surpass this, but a "standard" PC cannot.)
*MAP: Multiple Attack Penalty
*Baseline PC: The expected level of PC proficiency, mechanically.
*Maximal PC: The maximum a hypothetical PC can achieve, mechanically.
(Of course then, how much difference should there be is the pertinent question, right?)
*Dedications: Blanket term for all the hybrid classes made via Archetypes, Prestige Classes, & Multi-Classing.
(I think the original terms are misleading to those with D&D/PF experience.)
Fighter/D-Rogue: Fighter who took a Rogue Dedication.
Fighter/D-Rogue/D-Pirate: ...then a Pirate Dedication afterward.
*Monster Toughness: AC, h.p., Saves, defensive magic, etc.
*Monster Roughness: Attack, Damage, AoEs, special effects, extra attacks (including AoOs), Immunities/Resistances/Weaknesses, etc.
I developed these two monster terms because many comments deal w/ attack bonus w/o addressing damage, or h.p. w/o addressing AC. They're all part of package deals. Ex. A common rule of thumb about Monster Toughness is that those many monsters that have +50% or so h.p. over PC expectations also have -3 AC from Standard Max AC. Since that lower AC translates to monsters taking about +50% damage from attacks, it balances. Similarly, monsters w/ higher attacks than PCs often do less damage, again balancing for the same level. Note that both of these types of shifts make for less fluctuation in battle, which is advantageous to PCs who typically have the upper hand. Also, getting more crits is fun as is making 2nd attacks worthwhile!
*Initial Damage: The damage coming from the attack, including increases from critical successes & critical failures.
*Applied Damage: The damage after Weaknesses, DR-, Resistances, Hardness, etc.
(I came up w/ those to properly discuss how shields work! Also useful when clarifying when a save occurs (et al).)
Here are some phrases that might help when discussing the +1 per PC level proficiency system:
+1 per level High Fantasy Progression
+1/2 per level Low Fantasy Progression (Sword & Sorcery)
+0 per level Gritty Progression (or Bounded Progression)
Another alternative would be "+1 per level" being Legendary Progression, as I think any lesser progression would likely balance better if they stripped out Legendary options as well. Then you could have +1/2 Master Progression & +0 being Expert Progression. Of course, any alteration causes imbalances throughout, especially re: magic & spells, but it's a start for those wishing to discuss alternative rates of progress.
Yet let's not forget...
+2 per level Cosmic Anime, Super-Duper Progression! (Right?!)
Okay, a better name might be Super Fantasy Progression, and that would help w/ any campaign with great & immediate disparity between the elites and the normal folk, i.e. the Exalted RPG. Master & Legendary access would likely need to come sooner and w/ extra skill points to get them.
Anyway, tag on more ideas.
Cheers.
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The last one you won't find in Paizo material, but it needed to be a "D
D should be details/description (anything from name to biography), and there sure is E section - Equipment!
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This playtest is still testing things out to see whether they work at all and should be in the final version. That's alpha testing. If you do it twice, or ten times, it's still alpha testing. Beta testing is refinement and polishing up.
The last thing we need is another set of acronyms, keywords and abbreviations to dissuade more people joining and contributing to the discussion.
Many people have already been using these abbreviations, so this is a glossary for the newcomers.
* <10> System: The +10/-10 crit success/success/fail/crit fail d20 mechanic.
I have not seen that one, but I have seen it called "4 degrees of success."
*ABCD Chargen: Character generation in PF2.
A=Ancestry, B=Background, C=Class, & D=Destiny
(The last one you won't find in Paizo material, but it needed to be a "D", right? I'm also prone to calling the stat boosts at 5th, 10th, 15th, & 20th Destiny Boosts.)
I have called the D "Determination" because when the player finally adds the last 4 ability score boosts, they determine the ability scores.
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Laik:
Well, A, B, & C are tied to stat boosts, and we'd need a letter for the set of 4 +2 boosts. Tying that set to the PC details doesn't feel right. So maybe they could go under "F" for flavor?
E for equipment definitely key, as it takes so long!
That said, I think ABCD is mechanically a system which the E & F aren't really part of, though it'd all look clean on a list or "How To".
AVR:
Paizo's already called this portion Beta and the previous run Alpha.
Gamma was a joke. Whether this phase is developed enough to be called beta would be its own discussion worth its own thread (and one I've heard firsthand.)
Mekkis:
Clarity of terms aids the discussion & specificity increases the value of the feedback. The list isn't meant to be jargon, and if you see anything that's overly excluding, feel free to suggest an alternate phrasing that's more newcomer-friendly. The thing is, the playtest is a complex endeavor that needs parsing to help simplify discussion of its components.
Which is to say that these terms are intended only for playtest meta-discussion, not to be included into the game itself. A standard player, even GM, wouldn't need to learn these to play & fill out surveys.
And I think the list's helpful to said players since most of these terms are already in use! This includes the hardest to comprehend, UTEML & ABC Chargen (which I just added the "D" to so that it covered all the stat stages). It's only natural that commenters don't like having to describe a subsystem or game-balance concept each time they wished to address it. I compiled the list so that newcomers who wanted to discuss PF2 game theory could catch up with the discussion, not so the discussions eluded them.
Again, if you see a better way to phrase things (or to accomplish the goal of bringing newcomers up to speed), then feel free to contribute.
Cheers
The last thing we need is another set of acronyms, keywords and abbreviations to dissuade more people joining and contributing to the discussion.Many people have already been using these abbreviations, so this is a glossary for the newcomers.
* <10> System: The +10/-10 crit success/success/fail/crit fail d20 mechanic.I have not seen that one, but I have seen it called "4 degrees of success."
I have called the D "Determination" because when the player finally adds the last 4 ability score boosts, they determine the ability scores.*ABCD Chargen: Character generation in PF2.
A=Ancestry, B=Background, C=Class, & D=Destiny
(The last one you won't find in Paizo material, but it needed to be a "D", right? I'm also prone to calling the stat boosts at 5th, 10th, 15th, & 20th Destiny Boosts.)
Thank you for getting it. :)
I was thinking that "<10> System" might have faded out of use since the preview days, but saw it again recently (and not from me who coined it). The "Four Degrees of Success" (or "PF2's Four Degrees of Success") is a solid addition!
(And admittedly more straightforward.)
I like "Determination" too. Hmm...
Either way, ABCD for the set.
Cheers
ETA: Since this just came up in another thread where a commenter didn't understand:
*WBL= Wealth By Level, the expected amount a PC will have at a specific character level in order to stay competitive (and sometimes linked to rate of increase too).
*Maximal PC: The maximum a hypothetical PC can achieve, mechanically.
(Of course then, how much difference should there be is the pertinent question, right?)
Here I thought those were the PCs that battled the Predacons.
Paizo's already called this portion Beta and the previous run Alpha.
OK, that's nomenclature specific to this situation I guess. Expect me to still get irritated, wave my stick, and yell at people to get off my lawn if I see it used though...
Mekkis,
Thank you for your contribution!
Two responses though:
The current playtest is the beta for PF2, as per a Paizo dev. Whether it's an official designation, I do not know. (You really thought 2008's was topical?)
Yes, I do think clarifying jargon helps clarify things.
(Whether I succeeded is a different matter!)
You're resisting adding or adopting jargon, which is your prerogative, but most of this jargon is already in use. As mentioned, the list was compiled more than created, many coming from the playtest preview discussions.
It's just natural for a shorthand to develop, and I think having a list of that shorthand helps newcomers participate in the long, ongoing conversations. It's an aid, and I see your suggestions as improving it.
Now whether people will switch to your suggested versions, I do not know.
Oh, and I do hope some people pick up the ones I did add because I made them to address specific repeated issues or to try to simplify complex concepts people seem to struggle to explain. We'll see if they're viable.
Cheers