So, one question that I have about running PF1 Adventure Paths in PF2 is what to do about converting the Campaign Traits, since traits no longer exist in PF2 (having been replaced with backgrounds). Is there any official word on this, or general guidelines?
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They'll be replaced with campaign-specific backgrounds, I believe.
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Well the APs going forward will have backgrounds, if what we've heard is right, but as for converting PF1 APs? You'd have to make backgrounds for them yourself.
To be fair, though, as far as I've seen, that shouldn't be too hard. A background mostly consists of relevant ability boost and a freebie, a relevant lore skill and another skill, probably one related to the trait (heck maybe "choose either blah or bleh" language if the old trait affected two skills), and a skill feat, or other relevant general feat, I suppose, as you so wish, to give the "special ability" portion of the traits that have them.
Edit: Ninja'd by DMW, and with less words, even!
If we're converting an AP from PF1 to PF2, I would just say "convert each campaign trait to a background" just so if there are campaign ramifications for "having that trait" then we can do that still.
It seems pretty simple since a background is a binary stat choice, a free stat choice, training in a skill, training in a lore, and a skill feat. Not knowing what the skill feats are it's a bit tricky but we should have the PF2 rulebook soon.
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Campaign traits were explicitly better than regular trait. Am expecting campaign backgrounds to also be more attractive.
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Campaign traits were explicitly better than regular trait. Am expecting campaign backgrounds to also be more attractive.
Since most of the Backgrounds have free skilled in a specific Lore, just the fact that the Lore selection will be better suited to the campaign arch should make them more attractive.
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Campaign traits were explicitly better than regular trait. Am expecting campaign backgrounds to also be more attractive.
One thing seems likely- the lore granted by a campaign background is almost certain to be relevant to the campaign, unlike things like "alcohol lore" or "gladitorial lore" or "laborer lore".
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Campaign traits were explicitly better than regular trait. Am expecting campaign backgrounds to also be more attractive.One thing seems likely- the lore granted by a campaign background is almost certain to be relevant to the campaign, unlike things like "alcohol lore" or "gladitorial lore" or "laborer lore".
Gladiatorial Lore is a funny one. Look at the crunch for the Gladiator Background:
"Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.
You gain the Fascinating Performance skill feat, and you’re trained in the Gladiatorial Lore skill."
+Cha and Facinating Performance. Perfect. Expect a lot of Bards to have come straight out of the fighting pits and know about weird weapons (which they can't use) and lions and tigers (which they can't fight).
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Expect a lot of Bards to have come straight out of the fighting pits and know about weird weapons (which they can't use) and lions and tigers (which they can't fight).
You can poke someone's eye out with a violin bow I'll have you know. :)
"I once saw him kill three men in a bar... with a pencil"
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Expect a lot of Bards to have come straight out of the fighting pits and know about weird weapons (which they can't use) and lions and tigers (which they can't fight).
I'd expect Bards who take Gladiator to be more on the combative end of the Class for the most part (and combat Bards are both good mechanically, and often take Fighter Multiclass).
Though all of them can fight with enough weapons to be good gladiators (they get several martial weapons by default), and any with offensive spells have decent odds against animals they'd be expected to fight at their level.
Well the APs going forward will have backgrounds, if what we've heard is right, but as for converting PF1 APs? You'd have to make backgrounds for them yourself.
To be fair, though, as far as I've seen, that shouldn't be too hard. A background mostly consists of relevant ability boost and a freebie, a relevant lore skill and another skill, probably one related to the trait (heck maybe "choose either blah or bleh" language if the old trait affected two skills), and a skill feat, or other relevant general feat, I suppose, as you so wish, to give the "special ability" portion of the traits that have them.
It would be really helpful if Paizo - or somebody - were to put out a document with conversions of the campaign traits from all the old APs. It would probably only be 1 page per AP.
GMs would still need to swap in PF2 monsters, trap DCs and so on, and a certain degree of fudge may be necessary; but for something you can hand to players it would be good to have an official word.
Well the APs going forward will have backgrounds, if what we've heard is right, but as for converting PF1 APs? You'd have to make backgrounds for them yourself.
To be fair, though, as far as I've seen, that shouldn't be too hard. A background mostly consists of relevant ability boost and a freebie, a relevant lore skill and another skill, probably one related to the trait (heck maybe "choose either blah or bleh" language if the old trait affected two skills), and a skill feat, or other relevant general feat, I suppose, as you so wish, to give the "special ability" portion of the traits that have them.
It would be really helpful if Paizo - or somebody - were to put out a document with conversions of the campaign traits from all the old APs. It would probably only be 1 page per AP.
GMs would still need to swap in PF2 monsters, trap DCs and so on, and a certain degree of fudge may be necessary; but for something you can hand to players it would be good to have an official word.
I wouldn’t expect it from Paizo but I am sure forum users will give it a good go. I wouldn’t be surprised as all if someone has completed a rise of the Runelords conversion within a few months of release
I know I saw one for book 1 with playtest rules - but I can’t remember if it has traps and skill dcs
What was fun is even the more obscure rise monsters from book 1 were in the playtest bestiary. So paizo clearly anticipated that is what people would want to do
Have backgrounds changed slightly from the playtest? It sounds like they give an extra training in a skill rather than just a Lore? Is there an example posted up here somewhere ?
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Have backgrounds changed slightly from the playtest? It sounds like they give an extra training in a skill rather than just a Lore? Is there an example posted up here somewhere ?
In the #MyPathfinderSpoiler ...explosion, I'm not sure what else to call it... there were a couple of backgrounds I believe that got shown.
Bounty Hunter, for example, gives two ability boosts (one has to be to Strength or Wisdom), training in Survival and "Legal Lore", and the Experienced Tracker skill feat.
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Have backgrounds changed slightly from the playtest? It sounds like they give an extra training in a skill rather than just a Lore? Is there an example posted up here somewhere ?
Yeah, we've seen a few of them. There were, as noted, a couple on the 100 spoiler cards from PaizoCon, for example.
One example that leaps to mind that I think is just us assuming things is that the Acrobat Background now grants the Acrobatics skill. Another would be Nomad granting Survival. Indeed, any Background whose Skill Feat requires a specific skill now gets it. Which is neat.
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I like that because getting training in a skill that your class didn't normally get was my preferred use of traits
I was not a big fan of everyone picking "Reactionary" for the mechanical bonus despite it not fitting their character. Or even more bizarre stuff like "Wayang Spellhunter" or whatever it was called
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I like that because getting training in a skill that your class didn't normally get was my preferred use of traits
I was not a big fan of everyone picking "Reactionary" for the mechanical bonus despite it not fitting their character. Or even more bizarre stuff like "Wayang Spellhunter" or whatever it was called
Yes, that was awful, Reactionary, where every member of the party were bullied as a child. How did so many timid people all become adventurers? Entire parties of Scoobys and Shaggys, no Freds or Daphnes.
At least Reactionary can be roleplayed (poorly). There's that awesome one which boosts caster level but you have to have been raised in the woods by a weird monster or something.
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So I had a look at Rise of the Runelords traits (using playtest skill feats). Some seem like they can be lifted straight from playtest background and are not particularly campaign specific
Flavor text has been lifted from Archives of Nethys. I cannot recall if I am allowed to use it:
Eager Performer (Tweaked version of Entertainer as per the Playtest)
Hearing that Sandpoint had a theater rivaling those found in large cities like Magnimar and Korvosa, you decided to try your luck getting stage time there. After sending a letter to Cyrdak Drokkus requesting an audition and not hearing back, you’ve taken it upon yourself to travel to Sandpoint and meet him in person, trusting your force of will and charming inf luence will get you what you want.
Fixed stat choice: Charisma or Wisdom
Skill: Performance
Skill Feat: Fascinating Performance
Lore: Entertaining
Family Ties
While not ethnically a Varisian, you have been raised among Varisians and they consider you one of their own. Furthermore, you managed to get in good with a group of Sczarni and consider them your new family. After being run out of the last place your Sczarni family camped, you tracked down a friend of the family in Sandpoint—a ruthless thug named Jubrayl Vhiski at the Fatman’s Feedbag. During your time with the Sczarni, you learned a few tricks of the trade.
Fixed stat choice: Intelligence or Charisma
Skill: Society
Skill Feat: Streetwise / Cultural Familiarity
Lore: Sczarni
Friends and Enemies
One of your family members, perhaps a parent, cousin, aunt, or uncle, helped Daviren Hosk put down a group of goblins near Sandpoint. Since then, your family member passed away, but not before telling you about that day and the offer Daviren made her should she ever be in need.
Fixed stat choice: Constitution or Charisma
Skill: Diplomacy
Skill Feat: Group Impression
Lore: Sandpoint
Giant Slayer
Your family’s village was plundered by giants in the wilds of Varisia, leaving nothing but a smoldering ruin. After the destruction of your village, your family trained for combat against giants to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. Since hearing of giants mobilizing throughout the countryside, you ventured to Sandpoint to help the town prepare for a possible incursion.
Fixed stat choice: Strength or Constitution
Skill: Stealth
Skill Feat: Terrain Stalker
Lore: Giants
Goblin Watcher
You grew up in Sandpoint staring off the cliff across the Varisian Gulf. Spending so much time there at Junker’s Edge watching the goblins below as they scrounged through the discarded junk and seeing what they made out of the garbage, you developed an eye for spotting the most useful and valuable discarded items.
Fixed stat choice: Intelligence or Dexterity
Skill: Thievery
Skill Feat: Subtle Theft
Lore: Goblins?
Hagfish Hopeful
Ever since passing through Sandpoint when you were a child and hearing about the contest at the popular tavern known as the Hagfish, you wanted to take that coin purse as your own and carve your name on the ceiling beam above the bar. Training yourself to choke down indigestible food and drink water a pig would refuse, you’ve built up quite a strong resistance to all things putrid and gross.
Fixed stat choice: Constitution or Wisdom
Skill: Medicine
Skill Feat: Assurance - Medicine
Lore: Poisons
Merchant Family
You are related to one of the four noble families from Magnimar who founded the Mercantile League of Sandpoint. You either grew up in Magnimar as a cousin in the Valdemar or Deverin family or were born and raised in Sandpoint. Education in running a business and years of looking after the family enterprise have given you a knack for trade.
Fixed stat choice: Intelligence or Charisma
Skill: Diplomacy
Skill Feat: Bargain Hunter
Lore: Mercantile
Monster Hunter
Perhaps you came to the Varisian Gulf in search of the Sandpoint Devil, or maybe you followed fisherman’s tales of Old Murdermaw— regardless, you’ve ventured through Varisia to hunt down famous monsters. While they have all eluded you so far, you made it to Sandpoint to research and restock before heading back out into the wilderness.
Fixed stat choice: Dexterity or Wisdom
Skill: Survival
Skill Feat: Survey Wildlife
Lore: Varisian Monsters
Sandpoint Faithful (based off of Acolyte per Playtest)
As a faithful adherent of Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Sarenrae, or Shelyn, you’ve come to the Swallowtail Festival to celebrate the consecration of Sandpoint Cathedral.
Fixed stat choice: Constitution or Wisdom
Skill: Religion
Skill Feat: Student of the Canon
Lore: Sandpoint Deities
Scholar of the Ancients
Growing up with your nose in books, you’ve had a great interest in past cultures and ancient history. Furthermore, having grown up in Varisia, you know the monuments dotting the landscape belong to an ancient civilization known as Thassilon. From your life of study and dogged research, you’ve pieced together the language and partial history of this once-great empire.
Fixed stat choice: Intelligence or Wisdom
Skill: Arcana, Society or Occultism
Skill Feat: Assurance in the above
Lore: Thassilon
Student of Faith (Ends up similar to Sandpoint Faithful as it stands)
While you have personally dedicated your life to a single deity, you study all religions and mortal faiths. Upon hearing that the town of Sandpoint recently completed a cathedral dedicated to the six deities most popular in the area, you had to see the place for yourself, and have arrived in time for the consecration of this holy edifice.
Fixed stat choice: Constitution or Wisdom
Skill: Religion
Skill Feat: Student of the Canon
Lore: Deity of your choice
Thrill Seeker (this is a standard background like Blacksmith or Laborer it seems)
You’ve grown up in or around Sandpoint and are the heir to your family’s modest farm, shop, or fishing boat, but you’ve always dreamed of more. Searching for a taste of excitement, you’ve come into town to participate in this year’s Swallowtail festival.
(Not replicated)
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The blog post Pathfinder Society Preview Legacy Backgrounds has some official ones. Some of those differ slightly from the default formula and there is even an explanation why and how.
I was not a big fan of everyone picking "Reactionary"
I think there's around 10 traits that give the same mechanical effect: so they really didn't have to pick the same one for that +2.
I was not a big fan of everyone picking "Reactionary"I think there's around 10 traits that give the same mechanical effect: so they really didn't have to pick the same one for that +2.
IIRC, Reactionary is the one in the traits Web Enhancement, making it freely (as in beer) available. This matters more in PFS, where you are expected to own the sources of non-core rules content you use.
IIRC, Reactionary is the one in the traits Web Enhancement, making it freely (as in beer) available. This matters more in PFS, where you are expected to own the sources of non-core rules content you use.I was not a big fan of everyone picking "Reactionary"I think there's around 10 traits that give the same mechanical effect: so they really didn't have to pick the same one for that +2.
Ah, ok that makes some sense: it's the best option [to some] in the free traits so it's picked more often. That and if you're limited to the free stuff, there might not be anything that really fits your character, so why not take one that benefits you mechanically?
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So I had a look at Rise of the Runelords traits (using playtest skill feats). Some seem like they can be lifted straight from playtest background and are not particularly campaign specific
Flavor text has been lifted from Archives of Nethys. I cannot recall if I am allowed to use it:
Eager Performer (Tweaked version of Entertainer as per the Playtest)
Hearing that Sandpoint had a theater rivaling those found in large cities like Magnimar and Korvosa, you decided to try your luck getting stage time there. After sending a letter to Cyrdak Drokkus requesting an audition and not hearing back, you’ve taken it upon yourself to travel to Sandpoint and meet him in person, trusting your force of will and charming inf luence will get you what you want.
Fixed stat choice: Charisma or Wisdom
Skill: Performance
Skill Feat: Fascinating Performance
Lore: EntertainingFamily Ties
While not ethnically a Varisian, you have been raised among Varisians and they consider you one of their own. Furthermore, you managed to get in good with a group of Sczarni and consider them your new family. After being run out of the last place your Sczarni family camped, you tracked down a friend of the family in Sandpoint—a ruthless thug named Jubrayl Vhiski at the Fatman’s Feedbag. During your time with the Sczarni, you learned a few tricks of the trade.
Fixed stat choice: Intelligence or Charisma
Skill: Society
Skill Feat: Streetwise / Cultural Familiarity
Lore: SczarniFriends and Enemies
One of your family members, perhaps a parent, cousin, aunt, or uncle, helped Daviren Hosk put down a group of goblins near Sandpoint. Since then, your family member passed away, but not before telling you about that day and the offer Daviren made her should she ever be in need.
Fixed stat choice: Constitution or Charisma
Skill: Diplomacy
Skill Feat: Group Impression
Lore: SandpointGiant Slayer
Your family’s village was plundered by giants in the wilds of Varisia, leaving nothing but a smoldering...
For what its worth, myself and at least two other posters all took stabs at making Rise otRL backgrounds, and they all wound up pretty close to yours. Which goes to show backgrounds are easy to make.
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The blog post Pathfinder Society Preview Legacy Backgrounds has some official ones. Some of those differ slightly from the default formula and there is even an explanation why and how.
The Season 4 one is a really good fit for Scholar of the Ancients, really. So much so that I may want to recreate my RotR PC in PFS 2.
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hmm I just thought of something. do you think campaign backgrounds might grant/give access to special skill/general feats found in the players guide only? could be an interesting way to replicate some of the unique/powerful campaign traits.
hmm I just thought of something. do you think campaign backgrounds might grant/give access to special skill/general feats found in the players guide only? could be an interesting way to replicate some of the unique/powerful campaign traits.
I think there is a good chance of this as they seem keen on adding things like this as rewards for playing certain adventures
It was mentioned there is something you can only unlock by playing plaguestone for example (and by that I assume they mean buying it!)
I noticed when I was giving the Runelords ones a go that there didn’t seem to be quite enough relevant skill feats from the playtest
I am not sure they need to be more powerful though. The only reason they were in 1E was to convince people to pick them over say Reactionary and other math enhancers . This doesn’t seem to be a problem here.
Unique I agree with though
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In fact, they can make the lore skills situationally more powerful so that players who are not in a given adventure path would be less interested in the campaign specific backgrounds. To give an obvious example, "Kintargo Lore" (or a more specific subset) would be extremely useful in a Hell's Rebels campaign (and in fact a PF2 equivalent adventure path should call out specific applications of such lore feats) but not so useful in a campaign where it is unlikely that the party will ever visit Kintargo.