Horror in 2E


General Discussion


It might be a bit early for this subject since the first adventure path for 2E isn't out yet, but it was on my mind all night.

My hope for 2E is we get more horror adventures on the same level of scary as
"The Skinsaw Murders" and "The Hook Mountain Massacre" from Rise of the Runelords. It was my first adventure path I bought and it really grabbed me into Pathfinder for it's unique and darker setting. I know horror isn't for everyone but it's something that keeps me up at night and interested in running adventures for 2E.

Thoughts?


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I would say given that Occult spell list has made it into the Core Rule book and is tethered to the Bard, that this edition will be even better at supporting Horror than the last.

Alchemist has also made it into the Core, which doesn't have a lot of the "creepy" stuff that came with the later books, but I'm sure that there will be something coming down the line to suit.

Horror to me is really about what kind of motifs you can make in the game from a GM perspective, not necessarily from the mechanics (though having some mechanical support certainly helps).

Since they are greatly streamlining power levels and what can be expected at certain levels, it removes the "too big to fail" aspect that could happen to certain NPCs. That of course removed some of the "fear" when players were waltzing around with impunity (hopefully not as much as before).

While I do think the new take on Hazards is in general better than the previous edition, I wish they had incorporated some multi-action components to better drive the stress of a Hazard without making it a binary "win/lose" outcome (especially in the case of traps).

Finally, and possibly the biggest boon to the genre, is the nerf/buff to Fear which now has "tiers". Before, as a GM the amount of direct application of Fear conditions you could apply before it was "well you just flee" was like flipping a switch and difficult to trigger for some. Now, just about everyone can be affected and you can apply it and elevate it more naturally without completely disrupting the game.

In summary, the last edition was great. This edition is going to make it easier and more integral at the root of the game (at least more available for use if nothing else).

PS My favorite class is the Bard and my first adventure I plan to run when the game releases is a sandbox game in a Lovecraft-esque style horror. Super excited.

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