Issues with single element fire kinetesist

[siegfriedliner]

I am not sure this is a problem but single element fire kinetsists are very much shut down by enemies with fire immunity which at least in quite the few aps I have played seems quite common.

One example was an extended conflict with the forces of a fire themed God which had one fire immune enemy after the next. I can't remember anything else quite do intense but they are common enough that most aps have a few encounters where fire isn't a viable option.

Now obviously this is nothing new and was an issue in 1e too, but the fire kinetisist does seem the most vulnerable class to this issue in 2e, most spellcasters would need to select all spells that are entirley invalidated by fire immunity. Its doable but its very much an active choice.

Whereas the kinetesist really needs to make two choices (soul element and fire) to be in that situation and the pyromancer/fire starter is probably the most common trope of kinetesist (followed by your aether Carrie telekinetisist which is no longer an option in 2e).

[Mathmuse]

At 1st level, the kineticist can carry a backup simple weapon. Thus, we could solve this with a feat because the medium-level pyrokineticist has time to take a corrective feat.

SLASHING FLAMES [Two Actions] Feat 1
Fire, Flourish, Impulse, Kineticist
(Based on Double Slice fighter feat, Core Rulebook page 144)
Make two Fire Blasts against the same target, each using your current multiple attack penalty. The first deals fire damage as usual and the second deals slashing damage instead.
If both attacks hit, combine their damage, and then add any other applicable effects from both blasts. You add any precision damage only once, to the attack of your choice. Combine the damage from both Strikes and apply resistances and weaknesses only once. This counts as two attacks when calculating your multiple attack penalty.

Or we could just give fire blasts the Versatile S trait at the beginning. I would be amused if each blast type had the option of an energy damage and a physical damage.

[Spamotron]

I know of several firefighters comparing the pressure coming off a major fire to being punched in the face. Only problem is that it is once again bludgeoning damage and people are kind of sick of that being associated with elements.

[Guntermench]

That's kinda the point of Extract Element isn't it? Turns immunity into resistance (other than with Golems afaik).

[siegfriedliner]

Guntermench wrote:

That's kinda the point of Extract Element isn't it? Turns immunity into resistance (other than with Golems afaik).

Or devil's etc

[Gaulin]

Extract element only works if your target has the trait of your element, or is composed of it (little gm fiat there maybe). So things like devil's that aren't made of fire or have the fire trait aren't affected by it.

[Guntermench]

Fair, but they're also the only ones that can fight at range underwater without a feat.

[Kekkres]

Guntermench wrote:

Fair, but they're also the only ones that can fight at range underwater without a feat.

that is like, the most microscopic of niches, like i think in all my years of playing dnd and dnd ajacent games, there have only been two battles where that would even be helpful, one against sahuagin raiders who where dragging people underwater, and another where there was a krakken attacking a ship from below the surface.

[Guntermench]

I mostly posted it because I find it hilarious that only fire works.

[Gaulin]

Even that I think is a stretch. The text is there to say you can use fire underwater when you normally can't at all, I would think normal penalties that apply to everything else would still apply to fire ranged/melee attacks.

[Guntermench]

Gaulin wrote:

Even that I think is a stretch. The text is there to say you can use fire underwater when you normally can't at all, I would think normal penalties that apply to everything else would still apply to fire ranged/melee attacks.

The normal penalties are specifically for slashing and bludgeoning damage.

[Gaulin]

Ah I see. Yeah that is a good point. Though enemies in water still get some resistance to fire.

[Guntermench]

Better to deal with resistance than auto miss every time.