A discussion of powers / focus spells


General Discussion


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Hello everyone,
I wanted to bring to everyone attention before it is too late (well it might be already) but i love powers. The ability to use the power at the highest level 4-10ish times everyday is awesome, powers themselves are mostly good. But the way you get them feels feels like i dont get enough milliage due yo versatility. I mean when i get powers i would rather get something that upgrades or give more options to my already existing ones or even give more powers...
I am not saying a good power for a feat isn't cool but i feel like weaker powers with more versatility could be coupled with a stronger one.
Like when getting FoB you could also get a power that gives you dig speed for a turn. Or give some of the paladin upgrades to lay on hands to wholeness of body.
Those are my two cents.


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I agree that having more upgrades to Powers (or Focus Spells) would be nice. However, my biggest problem with them is still how they vary from almost useless (Cleric Domain Powers) to as useful as a high-level spell (Channel Life). This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, it could be that some classes have better powers for balance reasons, if it wasn't for how Spell Points interact with multiclassing. You can easily multiclass into a class that has better Powers and use all your Spell Points for that.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Yeah, multiclassing Paladin to get Channel for a spell point is a really good move. Heck, it's probably a good move for a cleric even.


dmerceless wrote:
I agree that having more upgrades to Powers (or Focus Spells) would be nice. However, my biggest problem with them is still how they vary from almost useless (Cleric Domain Powers) to as useful as a high-level spell (Channel Life). This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, it could be that some classes have better powers for balance reasons, if it wasn't for how Spell Points interact with multiclassing. You can easily multiclass into a class that has better Powers and use all your Spell Points for that.

I would rather every class got at least the option of domains like the cleric. But yeah quite a few of them are pretty weak.


Captain Morgan wrote:
Yeah, multiclassing Paladin to get Channel for a spell point is a really good move. Heck, it's probably a good move for a cleric even.

I've seen Cleric/Paladin in play, in Undarin specifically. If you added together all of his daily healing power, he could easily restore over 1000 HP per day, and since he took the feat that lets him damage fiends with the heal spell he could often just use the 3-action version to mass heal/harm in an area of effect.


I think powers will be stronger as the Ressonance test, but we will have less Focus to spend.

Well, at least I hope so!


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This sounds like how Kinetisist works; with the adding tricks or utility to an otherwise basic ability. I agree this would be a good avenue to go down; though not for a core book. For something like this I would hope for a separate book that could flesh the idea out a lot more than just part of a chapter; and would also hope for that opportunity to imagine Powers for the Martial classes in a way unique and iconic to them. Something like a Fighter or Rogue being able to ‘boomerang’ a thrown weapon.

Might be worth coming up with some ideas when the Core Book comes out. I’ll have to give this some thought.


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Since Powers seem to be a replacement for 4 level spell casting, I think it would be good for there to ways to get more powers than one per feat. A larger number of powers would more closely replicate the number of spells in PF1, and would also give these classes more versatility than the playtest version.


Yeah... Pumpkinhead Has a big point. It sounds good but not something that should be on the core. But still i would like more than one power per feat, not like 3 strong powers per feat, but something like 1 strong power and maybe 1-2 weaker situational ones? Depending on the power.


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Well, for "weaker utility powers" there are always cantrips, and there are many ways to gain access to them. I'd also like it if skill feats opened up some more utility that feels magic adjacent, as I've tried to do with my own skill feats. Object Reading is a pretty fun use of Occultism, for example.


Doktor Weasel wrote:
Since Powers seem to be a replacement for 4 level spell casting, I think it would be good for there to ways to get more powers than one per feat. A larger number of powers would more closely replicate the number of spells in PF1, and would also give these classes more versatility than the playtest version.

I think feats granting multiple powers, can be a good idea, but not anywhere near the amount of different powers as there are spells in the various list. You can get access to that a lot of different ways instead. But maybe 2-3 powers in a single feat seems reasonable to me (not for every single feat but some of them) and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect this to some degree since there is already precedent with the druid feat Wind Caller and maybe others.


Nettah wrote:
Doktor Weasel wrote:
Since Powers seem to be a replacement for 4 level spell casting, I think it would be good for there to ways to get more powers than one per feat. A larger number of powers would more closely replicate the number of spells in PF1, and would also give these classes more versatility than the playtest version.
I think feats granting multiple powers, can be a good idea, but not anywhere near the amount of different powers as there are spells in the various list. You can get access to that a lot of different ways instead. But maybe 2-3 powers in a single feat seems reasonable to me (not for every single feat but some of them) and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect this to some degree since there is already precedent with the druid feat Wind Caller and maybe others.

Agreed i mean most cleric domains are not worth a whole feat. While the monk powers do seem worth it.


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*still thinks Mana should be the name for spell points*
Actually, if it’s focus, which could easily describe a purely physical act as well as a magical one, does that classes like the fighter might wind up with powers, and that they won’t be spells (even if they use spell rules)?

If so, I’ll accept focus. But even if not, I do prefer Focus over Spell Points as a name.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.


MaxAstro wrote:
I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.

I don't think they should. I think stands are good enough for the fighter xD


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
oholoko wrote:
MaxAstro wrote:
I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.
I don't think they should. I think stands are good enough for the fighter xD

ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA


Captain Morgan wrote:
oholoko wrote:
MaxAstro wrote:
I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.
I don't think they should. I think stands are good enough for the fighter xD
ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA

MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!

ROADROLLER!

But really i don't think they need powers, fighters are supposed to be the guy with a big stick that is good with the big stick and armor xD


oholoko wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:
oholoko wrote:
MaxAstro wrote:
I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.
I don't think they should. I think stands are good enough for the fighter xD
ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA

MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!

ROADROLLER!

But really i don't think they need powers, fighters are supposed to be the guy with a big stick that is good with the big stick and armor xD

Depends on how they're themed. Giving them a power that says they can use the Crit Specialization of their weapon on a regular hit at the cost of a Focus point? That would sound just perfect.(this would not double the dice like a normal crit).

Spell Adjacent options would be better saved for a Fighter Archetype; or just straight Multiclassing.


Also, we saw an iteration of the concept in Unchained in the form of stamina points.


Pumpkinhead11 wrote:
oholoko wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:
oholoko wrote:
MaxAstro wrote:
I really hope Fighters eventually end up with Focus powers. I don't really like Fighter as a class (I feel it has a limiting effect on how good at combat other classes are allowed to be) but at the very least I'd like to see more spell-adjacent options for it.
I don't think they should. I think stands are good enough for the fighter xD
ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA

MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!

ROADROLLER!

But really i don't think they need powers, fighters are supposed to be the guy with a big stick that is good with the big stick and armor xD

Depends on how they're themed. Giving them a power that says they can use the Crit Specialization of their weapon on a regular hit at the cost of a Focus point? That would sound just perfect.(this would not double the dice like a normal crit).

Spell Adjacent options would be better saved for a Fighter Archetype; or just straight Multiclassing.

I can see deeds being used as a fighter's focus powers

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