Hello readers! Since Ravi got to post on Tuesday when it was my turn, I'm taking over for this Saturday to even us out while the Random Topic table is completed!
I've mentioned in a few articles previously about the game DM and I have been playing with our friends Matt and Bryan. What I haven't said yet is that this game? It's not D&D. It looks like D&D, it plays like D&D, and for all intents and purposes, it IS D&D. But it's not quite. It's called Pathfinder.
Basically, Pathfinder was made by a group of people who found too many minor issues with D&D, how characters were made, and how it played in 3.5 rules and decided "We can do this." Well, maybe it didn't happen exactly like that, but it certainly feels like it. Classes that were lacking a bit got boosted, techniques that were complicated got simplified (combat maneuvers like tripping, grappling, disarming and the like has become SO much easier to calculate). DM says in his opinion, one of the most important differences between D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder is that it encourages people to think hard between prestiging out or sticking with a single class for 20 levels due to all the improvements made to flesh out the core classes and make them more interesting and desirable, especially with melee classes. Magic has also been simplified without being weakened and casters can mesh better with the melee-ers without overstepping themselves. One of my favorite changes? Instead of applying only to the one opponent you designate per round, the feat Dodge applies as a flat AC bonus. No declaring who you're dodging, just +1 to your AC, which is amazing in large combats.
The great thing is that since Pathfinder is based strongly on 3.5 D&D, you can easily mold the two together when it does come to prestige classes. 3.5 certainly has a much larger variety to choose from. Pathfinder offers plenty of its own unique classes and prestiges though, especially in the Advanced Players Guide and their newest addition, Ultimate Magic. Bryan has taken the Alchemist base class with Master Chymist (I swear DM says that's how it's spelled. I have no idea) prestige for a test drive. They're basically casters who prepare all their spells as potions or bombs, and interestingly, they have a potion that turns them into a Mr. Hyde version of themself. We found it an interesting addition to a team (even though his Mr. Hyde version decided it was best to run off and start slaughtering enemies after the rest had run and the potion wasn't going to wear off. Matt decided that Mr. Hyde wasn't compatible with the rest of the group and made him make a new character.) Monsters have also been pumped up, and creatures that were once not so much a threat or not too intimidating at least LOOK as threatening as they should from their pictures. The art in the Pathfinder books is spectacular.
So if regular D&D is getting dull or you're frustrated with some of the pitfalls of the game, look into Pathfinder. It's D&D at a brand new level and definitely worth a try for your next campaign.
Happy rolling!
Showing posts with label Classes in Session. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classes in Session. Show all posts
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A Small Army
Ravi here...and I'm apparently supposed to be "educational" today so we'll see how that works out... because I'm not very organized.
We promised to tell about our classes...and I play a Beast Heart Adept. (BHA) Requiring a ranger or druid base, BHA is a prestige class. Ravi is Ranger/Fighter with levels in BHA. Like Factotum, BHA is also found in Dungeonscape. And, like Factotum, BHA is a great choice for a party with few members, but not if you don't like lots and lots of paperwork.
Personally, I like to do a lot of damage (understatement of the year from the woman who punched a guy through the floor), and I also like having some pets around. I already have a large wolf from my Ranger levels, but, BHA give you more companions... three more, to be exact (possibly even more, depending on how our homebrew works out. Our DM is a talented designer for unique classes, monsters, and items. Often many people and things we encounter are taken from other games, books, or shows we enjoy, and if we want to do something that's not normally in the game, he tries to balance it while making it work. In this case, Ravi wants epic level BHA). Anyway, because you get extra companions (which, by the way, are monsters, how cool is that?), you get extra chances at damage (and a LOT of it) (Ravi, honey, I think you like your parenthesis as much as your companions! Hehe). (Sis, I don't have to feed the parenthesis. They love me regardless!)
I currently have a worg and a manticore for my monstrous companions and there's a wider selection of creatures to choose from, usually confined to monstrous animals. I started out with the worg (Buttercup), and then rearranged pecking order when I acquired my manticore (Fezzik). I only lost one effective BHA level doing this, because I have the Wild Empathy feat, which we interpreted to raise the effective BHA level the same way it would raise the effective druid level (This is the DM's prerogative. Your DM may interpret differently.). As long as you have the go-ahead for this, manticores are some of the best pets to have, because they do massive amounts of damage and can fly if you find yourself up against the wall and they speak common, which is important in a party. The animal and monstrous companions are effectively extra party members, and being unable to communicate with one can cause troubles in certain situations, such as the companion being the only one to detect an ambush while the translator is sleeping.
I don't have a third companion yet, but that's because I'm only level 6 in BHA. My third companion will likely be a winter wolf... but there's a reason for that. See, there's another prestige class called Animal Lord... which grants bonuses if you have animal companions of the same type. If you're planning on being a wolf lord, and you have wolves (natural or monstrous) wolves being a good example because of the prominence of them as threatening natural creatures, you should theoretically get bonuses to your effective druid and BHA levels for determining hit dice and such.
Another beautiful thing about BHA: MONSTER EMPATHY. It's the monster version of diplomacy/intimidate/bluff/handle animal/etc. Ranger levels stack with BHA levels, and, if your modifier for monster empathy is high enough... sometimes you end battles before they even begin. Needless to say, because of this, the DM now rarely sends monsters after us and if he does, they're usually very, very angry at us for one reason or another. Which is a good thing, I suppose, because it is no longer a challenge. The countless waves of undead, constructs, and dragon, however...
The only real con I can think of for BHA is that BHA's are fringe members of society. Most people tend to not get along with the person that is making friends with and carting around aberrations and other horrors. I mean, if you saw me with this in tow (keep in mind that thing is large enough to seat two people), would you really want me coming into town?
Pros:
Anywho, I hope this was informative. Indeah will probably clean this up a bit you bet your sweet bippy, because I'm not particularly good at this "teaching" thing.
Happy rolling.
We promised to tell about our classes...and I play a Beast Heart Adept. (BHA) Requiring a ranger or druid base, BHA is a prestige class. Ravi is Ranger/Fighter with levels in BHA. Like Factotum, BHA is also found in Dungeonscape. And, like Factotum, BHA is a great choice for a party with few members, but not if you don't like lots and lots of paperwork.
Personally, I like to do a lot of damage (understatement of the year from the woman who punched a guy through the floor), and I also like having some pets around. I already have a large wolf from my Ranger levels, but, BHA give you more companions... three more, to be exact (possibly even more, depending on how our homebrew works out. Our DM is a talented designer for unique classes, monsters, and items. Often many people and things we encounter are taken from other games, books, or shows we enjoy, and if we want to do something that's not normally in the game, he tries to balance it while making it work. In this case, Ravi wants epic level BHA). Anyway, because you get extra companions (which, by the way, are monsters, how cool is that?), you get extra chances at damage (and a LOT of it) (Ravi, honey, I think you like your parenthesis as much as your companions! Hehe). (Sis, I don't have to feed the parenthesis. They love me regardless!)
I currently have a worg and a manticore for my monstrous companions and there's a wider selection of creatures to choose from, usually confined to monstrous animals. I started out with the worg (Buttercup), and then rearranged pecking order when I acquired my manticore (Fezzik). I only lost one effective BHA level doing this, because I have the Wild Empathy feat, which we interpreted to raise the effective BHA level the same way it would raise the effective druid level (This is the DM's prerogative. Your DM may interpret differently.). As long as you have the go-ahead for this, manticores are some of the best pets to have, because they do massive amounts of damage and can fly if you find yourself up against the wall and they speak common, which is important in a party. The animal and monstrous companions are effectively extra party members, and being unable to communicate with one can cause troubles in certain situations, such as the companion being the only one to detect an ambush while the translator is sleeping.
I don't have a third companion yet, but that's because I'm only level 6 in BHA. My third companion will likely be a winter wolf... but there's a reason for that. See, there's another prestige class called Animal Lord... which grants bonuses if you have animal companions of the same type. If you're planning on being a wolf lord, and you have wolves (natural or monstrous) wolves being a good example because of the prominence of them as threatening natural creatures, you should theoretically get bonuses to your effective druid and BHA levels for determining hit dice and such.
Another beautiful thing about BHA: MONSTER EMPATHY. It's the monster version of diplomacy/intimidate/bluff/handle animal/etc. Ranger levels stack with BHA levels, and, if your modifier for monster empathy is high enough... sometimes you end battles before they even begin. Needless to say, because of this, the DM now rarely sends monsters after us and if he does, they're usually very, very angry at us for one reason or another. Which is a good thing, I suppose, because it is no longer a challenge. The countless waves of undead, constructs, and dragon, however...
The only real con I can think of for BHA is that BHA's are fringe members of society. Most people tend to not get along with the person that is making friends with and carting around aberrations and other horrors. I mean, if you saw me with this in tow (keep in mind that thing is large enough to seat two people), would you really want me coming into town?
Pros:
- Supplies multiple extra party members, mainly hitters
- Abilities that allow communication and diplomacy with monsters that help avoid combat or change a situation around in your favor
- Monstrous companions generally have special abilities that most normal players don't, such as higher strength to act as a pack mule during a good looting, improved ability to trip opponents, and flying
- Can cause trouble in towns walking around with giant monsters. Same applies to small dungeon tunnels with large creatures
- Lots of paperwork and dice-work to manage each monster, which all go on your initiative unless the DM chooses otherwise
Anywho, I hope this was informative. Indeah will probably clean this up a bit you bet your sweet bippy, because I'm not particularly good at this "teaching" thing.
Happy rolling.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Classes in Session
We said earlier that we'd discuss our classes for you. Today, I'm going to go over Factotum, which is frankly an awesome class. You can read the details like a good little teacher's pet, or you can be lazy and skip to the breakdown at the bottom!
Originally, this campaign was supposed to be just me, no other players. Then, at some point, she decided it would be a good idea to let me in on this... I had to pick my class carefully. While a good DM will work this situation carefully with adding their own characters and making encounters designed to mesh with the player's class, it's best to come as prepared as possible. In the very last 3.5e supplement published before 4e, Dungeonscape, a new class was introduced that was meant to be a jack of all trades. I decided to take it for a test run.
The factotum is a class that can do a little bit of it all. They're proficient with a large variety of weaponry and shields. As the factotum levels up, they gain a pool of "Inspiration Points" they can pull from in combat. They can use these points, depending on their level, to do simple things like add their Intelligence modifier to any roll or make another standard action, or more complex things usually specific to other classes, like spellcasting, healing, turning undead, and sneak attacking. Inspiration points refresh every encounter, so there's little reason to hold back if you have a clever plan. And we will admit to starting combat WITHIN THE PARTY just to refresh these points. Quite hilarious, actually, we usually just beat up on the same person. Compared to the core classes, they're more limited to how much they can do per day, but for someone running through dungeons on their own, it's a comfort to be able to heal yourself, or cast a powerful spell when you need it instead of having to depend on magic items for it all. Even though magic items are DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS.
The special kicker for this class is in what they can do as far as skills. Most classes are limited in what skills that can take and spend points in. Factotums, though, are able to use every skill in the game. This allows for great versatility in how you want to make your character's abilities and personality rather than being forced to be diplomatic versus intimidating (ironically, for this campaign, our diplomat IS our intimidator...) or limiting the knowledges you can learn because of the class's own limitations. The world is at your fingertips as a factotum.
However, while the factotum is very skilled, they are limited by their abilities as far as prestige classes are concerned. For example, while they technically can sneak attack with an inspiration point, they don't have the sneak attack ability, so they can't take any classes that require it without taking a few levels in rogue. This is not a problem for Indeah as this is a gestalt campaign and she is a Rogue/Factotum. Both. Delicious, I tell you. They have fewer spells they can cast per day than a real caster, and gain them at a much slower rate, stopping at 7th level spells. If you want to be especially good at something, it's probably a better idea to go with a class that's specific to what you want to do. Sadly, there is still no class that is specifically tailored "owning face." This disappoints me. There is an epic prestige class (or five) that does something similar, I believe.
Breakdown
Pros:
Happy rolling!
Originally, this campaign was supposed to be just me, no other players. Then, at some point, she decided it would be a good idea to let me in on this... I had to pick my class carefully. While a good DM will work this situation carefully with adding their own characters and making encounters designed to mesh with the player's class, it's best to come as prepared as possible. In the very last 3.5e supplement published before 4e, Dungeonscape, a new class was introduced that was meant to be a jack of all trades. I decided to take it for a test run.
The factotum is a class that can do a little bit of it all. They're proficient with a large variety of weaponry and shields. As the factotum levels up, they gain a pool of "Inspiration Points" they can pull from in combat. They can use these points, depending on their level, to do simple things like add their Intelligence modifier to any roll or make another standard action, or more complex things usually specific to other classes, like spellcasting, healing, turning undead, and sneak attacking. Inspiration points refresh every encounter, so there's little reason to hold back if you have a clever plan. And we will admit to starting combat WITHIN THE PARTY just to refresh these points. Quite hilarious, actually, we usually just beat up on the same person. Compared to the core classes, they're more limited to how much they can do per day, but for someone running through dungeons on their own, it's a comfort to be able to heal yourself, or cast a powerful spell when you need it instead of having to depend on magic items for it all. Even though magic items are DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS.
The special kicker for this class is in what they can do as far as skills. Most classes are limited in what skills that can take and spend points in. Factotums, though, are able to use every skill in the game. This allows for great versatility in how you want to make your character's abilities and personality rather than being forced to be diplomatic versus intimidating (ironically, for this campaign, our diplomat IS our intimidator...) or limiting the knowledges you can learn because of the class's own limitations. The world is at your fingertips as a factotum.
However, while the factotum is very skilled, they are limited by their abilities as far as prestige classes are concerned. For example, while they technically can sneak attack with an inspiration point, they don't have the sneak attack ability, so they can't take any classes that require it without taking a few levels in rogue. This is not a problem for Indeah as this is a gestalt campaign and she is a Rogue/Factotum. Both. Delicious, I tell you. They have fewer spells they can cast per day than a real caster, and gain them at a much slower rate, stopping at 7th level spells. If you want to be especially good at something, it's probably a better idea to go with a class that's specific to what you want to do. Sadly, there is still no class that is specifically tailored "owning face." This disappoints me. There is an epic prestige class (or five) that does something similar, I believe.
Breakdown
Pros:
- All skills, no limits!
- Jack of all trades, well designed to fit into any party or solo game
- Allows players more freedom with inspiration points, and has abilities through them no other classes have without spells
- Can do everything, but not very powerful at anything. Overall decreased ability to do any special abilities (fewer spells per day, less sneak attack, etc)
- Limits on prestige classes available, because Inspiration point abilities don't actually count as actually having the ability.
Happy rolling!
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