Post by streamofthesky on Aug 18, 2009 2:33:15 GMT -5
Ok, there's just too many things wrong with pathfinder for me to simply run it as-is, if I were to. I'll just start compiling the various things that need to be changed before I forget.
Races:
Dwarves: Seem way too good overall. Specifically, Stability should be reduced to +2, like the various improved combat maneuver feats have been. Might also reduce the saves bonus to +1.
Gnomes: Getting rid of low-light vision and perception bonus, giving them darkvision and +2 on perception checks to listen. Seems odd that they get +1 illusion DC, but +2 on illusion saves. Normally races negate bonuses tit for tat, like with small size's +1 attack and AC becoming a wash if both attackers are small.
Halflings: Might trade the perception bonus for low-light or darkvision. Otherwise fine.
Classes:
Overall: Thinking of dropping druid and cleric to d6 HD, and wizard and sorcerer back to d4. I like the improved HD of rogue and bard.
Bard: Need to reduce it back down to 3.5's spells per day. They get more per day at a given level than wizards and druids!
Barbarian: I don't like the idea of barbarians having tumble (acrobatics) as a class skill... You should get to replace roused anger after getting tireless rage, since it becomes completely useless.
Fighter: Might add perception to the class skill list. Weapon Training seems to exist solely to make Favored Enemy cry. It needs to go. Badly. Overall, I'm really disappointed. They just gave the fighter a bunch more +numbers to combat stuff and didn't do shit to help Fighters with out of combat stuff.
Monk: Any ability that lets a monk use his monk level instead of BAB only replaces the monk BAB. In other words, multiclassed monks can still use flurry without sucking. Ditto for Maneuver Training. Monk level replaces BAB from the monk levels in the case of multiclassed characters. The flurry of blows attack bonus listing on the table confuses the shit out of me.
Paladin: Smite Evil seems a bit over the top. It can potentially do a LOT of damage for a single use. The code of conduct allows for some evil association if absolutely necessary, but overall seems harsher than in 3.5.
Rogue: Why do they list specific combat feats for rogue talents, when you can just choose a combat feat anyway? Or is it that you can only take a combat feat with the class feature once?
Sorcerer & Wizard: Just...wow. Some of their new class features are really strong. Just how badly have spells been nerfed? Because they really didn't need all this help...
Spellcasting:
Concentration: Way too punitive to expect a level 1 character to roll CL + casting stat + d20 against DC 17. And it becomes easy to cast defensively at higher levels. I'm going to switch to DC 10 +3x spell level for casting defensively.
Combat:
Combat maneuvers: Changing the modifiers for size to +/- 0/2/4/6/8, from the listed 0/1/2/4/8. Just seems more evenly distributed, and the modifiers close to medium are just way too minute.
Disarm: I think I liked it better as an opposed attack roll. Then again, I liked all of the combat maneuvers better as opposed checks, but they wanted to speed up combat, so whatever. I do find it appalling that in 3.5 being smaller gave you a benefit of the disarm roll (attack bonus), while as now being larger is better. That's a really dramatic shift.
Minimum Damage: Houseruling it to be a minimum of 1 damage (lethal or nonlethal, as the attack was originally) instead of 1 nonlethal damage. This still does not apply for DR, which CAN completely negate damage, only penalties on your damage roll (low str, cursed, silver weapon, etc...)
Hit Points: You die at -10 hp if you have a con score below 10.
Skills:
I miss synergies...
Acrobatics: I kind of want to break this up. I know barbarians need their jump, but I don't see why they should be good at balancing and tumbling. I'll leave it alone for now and assume the new barbarian needs his graceful somersaults to function. But it's on my list to maybe add jump to climb as a grouped skill and make acrobatics tumble/balance only.
Climb: Might roll jump into this, as noted above.
Diplomacy: Not sure I like gather info grouped here. I'll try it for now. Thinking of moving it into knowledge local. The DCs for making requests of a creature seem laughably easy on first glance.
Disable Device: Totally grouping search with this. Screw you, Perception! It will be int-based. Moving open locks to Sleight of Hand, which will be renamed "Thievery."
Escape Artist: I think allowing someone to use Escape Artist bonus +10 instead of CMD to avoid a grapple is fair.
Fly: I like the idea, first of all. Don't like the "you need a natural fly speed to take ranks..." line. Why can't you take it as a crossclass skill?
Knowledges: Huh, based on CR now. Still can't ID a human untrained without going to the library, which remains humorous. I think I'll keep my old houserule about learning basic things common to all memebers of a race for things like dragons, which have many different entries with advanced HD. So a low result could still tell you things true for a wyrmling of the color, assuming you rolled high enough to ID the creature to begin with.
Perception: Spot and Listen combined is good enough already. Search goes to Disable Device, which obviously needs a new name. Elves will get +2 on this new skill for checks to search (but not to disable device). I don't think any other race that now gets perception had a search bonus in 3.5, so tough luck for them.
Sleight of Hand: Adding Open Locks to it, renaming it Thieving.
Races:
Dwarves: Seem way too good overall. Specifically, Stability should be reduced to +2, like the various improved combat maneuver feats have been. Might also reduce the saves bonus to +1.
Gnomes: Getting rid of low-light vision and perception bonus, giving them darkvision and +2 on perception checks to listen. Seems odd that they get +1 illusion DC, but +2 on illusion saves. Normally races negate bonuses tit for tat, like with small size's +1 attack and AC becoming a wash if both attackers are small.
Halflings: Might trade the perception bonus for low-light or darkvision. Otherwise fine.
Classes:
Overall: Thinking of dropping druid and cleric to d6 HD, and wizard and sorcerer back to d4. I like the improved HD of rogue and bard.
Bard: Need to reduce it back down to 3.5's spells per day. They get more per day at a given level than wizards and druids!
Barbarian: I don't like the idea of barbarians having tumble (acrobatics) as a class skill... You should get to replace roused anger after getting tireless rage, since it becomes completely useless.
Fighter: Might add perception to the class skill list. Weapon Training seems to exist solely to make Favored Enemy cry. It needs to go. Badly. Overall, I'm really disappointed. They just gave the fighter a bunch more +numbers to combat stuff and didn't do shit to help Fighters with out of combat stuff.
Monk: Any ability that lets a monk use his monk level instead of BAB only replaces the monk BAB. In other words, multiclassed monks can still use flurry without sucking. Ditto for Maneuver Training. Monk level replaces BAB from the monk levels in the case of multiclassed characters. The flurry of blows attack bonus listing on the table confuses the shit out of me.
Paladin: Smite Evil seems a bit over the top. It can potentially do a LOT of damage for a single use. The code of conduct allows for some evil association if absolutely necessary, but overall seems harsher than in 3.5.
Rogue: Why do they list specific combat feats for rogue talents, when you can just choose a combat feat anyway? Or is it that you can only take a combat feat with the class feature once?
Sorcerer & Wizard: Just...wow. Some of their new class features are really strong. Just how badly have spells been nerfed? Because they really didn't need all this help...
Spellcasting:
Concentration: Way too punitive to expect a level 1 character to roll CL + casting stat + d20 against DC 17. And it becomes easy to cast defensively at higher levels. I'm going to switch to DC 10 +3x spell level for casting defensively.
Combat:
Combat maneuvers: Changing the modifiers for size to +/- 0/2/4/6/8, from the listed 0/1/2/4/8. Just seems more evenly distributed, and the modifiers close to medium are just way too minute.
Disarm: I think I liked it better as an opposed attack roll. Then again, I liked all of the combat maneuvers better as opposed checks, but they wanted to speed up combat, so whatever. I do find it appalling that in 3.5 being smaller gave you a benefit of the disarm roll (attack bonus), while as now being larger is better. That's a really dramatic shift.
Minimum Damage: Houseruling it to be a minimum of 1 damage (lethal or nonlethal, as the attack was originally) instead of 1 nonlethal damage. This still does not apply for DR, which CAN completely negate damage, only penalties on your damage roll (low str, cursed, silver weapon, etc...)
Hit Points: You die at -10 hp if you have a con score below 10.
Skills:
I miss synergies...
Acrobatics: I kind of want to break this up. I know barbarians need their jump, but I don't see why they should be good at balancing and tumbling. I'll leave it alone for now and assume the new barbarian needs his graceful somersaults to function. But it's on my list to maybe add jump to climb as a grouped skill and make acrobatics tumble/balance only.
Climb: Might roll jump into this, as noted above.
Diplomacy: Not sure I like gather info grouped here. I'll try it for now. Thinking of moving it into knowledge local. The DCs for making requests of a creature seem laughably easy on first glance.
Disable Device: Totally grouping search with this. Screw you, Perception! It will be int-based. Moving open locks to Sleight of Hand, which will be renamed "Thievery."
Escape Artist: I think allowing someone to use Escape Artist bonus +10 instead of CMD to avoid a grapple is fair.
Fly: I like the idea, first of all. Don't like the "you need a natural fly speed to take ranks..." line. Why can't you take it as a crossclass skill?
Knowledges: Huh, based on CR now. Still can't ID a human untrained without going to the library, which remains humorous. I think I'll keep my old houserule about learning basic things common to all memebers of a race for things like dragons, which have many different entries with advanced HD. So a low result could still tell you things true for a wyrmling of the color, assuming you rolled high enough to ID the creature to begin with.
Perception: Spot and Listen combined is good enough already. Search goes to Disable Device, which obviously needs a new name. Elves will get +2 on this new skill for checks to search (but not to disable device). I don't think any other race that now gets perception had a search bonus in 3.5, so tough luck for them.
Sleight of Hand: Adding Open Locks to it, renaming it Thieving.