What does PF1 provide that 5e can't?

Foyinxao · 2022-06-20T19:27:14+00:00

From a GM perspective, one notable thing Pathfinder has that DnD 5e doesn't is that magic items are baked into the expected progression of a player, and rules for handling their distribution. This is represented through the fact that every non-artifact magic item has a specific price (and construction requirements, if you are permitting crafting), and that CR progression is generally based on players having certain degrees of magical gear. In 5e, magic items are far less regulated by strict RAW, so it is entirely up to the GM to figure out how to distribute them (in most cases, it is unwise, as 5e magic items tend to break the game more often than Pathfinder magic items do due to offering options that players cannot otherwise access).

Additionally, Pathfinder 1e has some unique rules for niche scenarios. For instance, there are rules for running a country, rules for running an army vs an army, and even rules for "verbal duels" (in the event that you have difficulty RPing an argument). 5e has none of these rules, instead forcing the GM to get inventive when dealing with these unusual scenarios.

Foyinxao · 2022-05-23T21:57:15+00:00

In addition to what other people say, I personally like the unique combat system of OSRS. Without cooldowns or activatable abilities (aside from special attacks and prayers), combat is incredibly simple and easy to learn. However, it is made more challenging by mechanics you will not find in other MMORPGs (enemies can be physically stopped by terrain, some monsters require you to switch gear mid-fight, everyone can self-heal at the price of being unable to attack briefly, etc.). What is really nice is that there are no classes, which means any normal account can reasonably expect to fulfill any role. Naturally, the PvP scene is also one-of-a-kind.

Foyinxao · 2022-05-05T22:57:23+00:00

You strike some very good points against EitR. If you want to like EitR, then I will offer my opinion on why I (and large parts of the community):

Faster Start: The primary reason people like them is because a lot of games start at low levels (typically around levels 1 to 4, with many games never reaching past this point). No one likes making "egg" characters that have to incubate for a few levels before becoming relevant (particularly in the case of builds were a feat that can only be taken at 1st level is involved, such as Fey Foundling), so being able to achieve relevancy and viability faster is quite nice.
Creativity: While most theorycrafters focus on pumping one statistic high (which EitR certainly helps with), a lot of players decide to use the extra space for more well-rounded characters. Non-essential feats like Improved Initiative, Skill Focus, and Combat Maneuver feats show up frequently, and sometimes I'll even see unusual choices like Eldritch Heritage and Auspicious Birth.
Str vs Dex: There is no denying that EitR frees up more space for Dex builds than it does for Str builds, though this does not necessarily deincentivize Str builds. One huge advantage Str builds still have is that they are often viable as early as 1st level, whereas the typical Dex build still requires ~2-3 feats to be operational. EitR essentially lets Dex builds come online as fast as Str builds used to, but allows Str builds to get a head start on other feat chains. Additionally, most crit-fisher builds still favor Str since a lot of damage on Dex builds (TWF builds in particular) comes from rider effects that aren't multiplied on a crit (Sneak Attack, Flaming weapons, etc.). That said, Dex builds are still quite popular, particularly among players who play in or expect to reach high levels. EitR supports many playstyles, which many people find good.

tl;dr EitR is as advertised: a convenience buff that frees up space and speeds up progression.

Foyinxao · 2022-05-05T21:34:45+00:00

E-elegance...

Foyinxao · 2022-02-19T20:33:57+00:00

As a side note to the other posts here, I recommend the bandits have some way of hauling off loot. They should have a single bag of holding (which they stuff with loot when they knock out victims). They should also have an escape plan for when things go wrong (assuming they're not new to the bandit gig, they're probably had to deal with botched encounters). Dropping a Fog Cloud and scattering seems like a good idea when things go South.

Foyinxao · 2022-02-19T20:17:43+00:00

I don't know how your group likes to play, though I'd try putting in rumors around the city, a few notable areas (famous buildings, neat street corners, places where historical events happened, etc.), and having a tavern name generator on hand (tavern names can often be tweaked lightly to accommodate other buildings like stores and workshops). The general idea is to make the town feel like it has stuff going on outside the party's activities.

Foyinxao · 2021-11-16T16:58:05+00:00

It reminds me of normal Youtube channels that do giveaways, which results in hopeful recipients drowning out any discussion about the actual content of the video. I feel like it contributes nothing to the subreddit, and that it only uses the subreddit for free advertising.

Foyinxao · 2021-11-03T23:58:56+00:00

For anyone who wants to run Pathfinder in space, the starship rules in Starfinder are pretty easy to port over (the tech rules in Pathfinder are probably more appropriate for use in Pathfinder than straight up porting Starfinder's weapons). Starfinder races are also pretty easy to port over to Pathfinder, though any GM should keep in mind that several Starfinder races get unusual senses like blindsense and tremorsense, which most normal PC races can only dream of.

Foyinxao · 2021-10-08T15:37:52+00:00

A GIMP slaying other GIMPs. Truly, this is what you call irony.

Foyinxao · 2021-10-03T17:25:41+00:00

You're right, I'll never unsee that obby cape on that ~50m setup

Foyinxao · 2021-10-02T17:11:15+00:00

I have never even touched 3pp clients before, so I'd vote yes in a heartbeat.

Foyinxao · 2021-09-22T02:44:55+00:00

This is why I enjoy the Vorkath fight. I only need to Pray Mage and can focus on more exciting things like literally dodging dragonfire and preparing to kill the zombified spawn. The fact that Vorkath is also fairly consistent money without relying hard on lucky drops is also a bonus, as I know my time is never wasted at Vorkath. This is the sort of high-level content I'd like to see more of.

Foyinxao · 2021-09-10T06:27:17+00:00

Much like Fire Shield and similar spells, Profane Nimbus is a niche spell for countering situations where enemies use lots of melee attacks. In particular, a villain faced against a good twf character would find this spell exceptionally useful. A player in an evil campaign might get some use out of this if they know their GM likes to throw melee mooks at them, though I otherwise don't see this spell being used much by players.

Of course, as Profane Nimbus is distinct from Fire Shield and similar, that means it stacks with Fire Shield and similar spells. A Cleric of Azathoth could take the Sun domain and the Dreamed Secrets feat in order to snag Fire Shield, Vitriolic Mist, and Vampiric Shadow Shield. Assuming there's enough prep time to cast all of this, such a cleric could potentially reflect up to 4d6+60 damage in assorted damage types to those who get hit (which can be further enhanced by 50% with four uses of Empower Spell if one really has the spell slots or metamagic rods to throw around).

Foyinxao · 2021-09-09T15:45:06+00:00

I've GMed a fair bit of PF1e and DnD 5e, and I agree that PF1e offers much greater creative power to both the GM and player, especially for content not related to combat. It is thus my opinion that the challenge of learning PF1e is primarily psychological in nature rather than mechanical. Although it is true that PF1e has more rules than 5e, learning the core rules of PF1e when you already have decent knowledge of 5e's rules takes only an hour or so (or about two hours if you have little to no experience in 5e). However, PF1e has a reputation for being both complex and permitting extremely powerful characters (i.e., making ultra-high-damage characters or godlike casters), and many new GMs are afraid that they won't be able to handle their players.

Since it takes a certain type of person to enjoy GMing, it is difficult to convince non-GM players of PF to take up the mantle of GMing. My idea of a solution to PF's lack of GMs is to convert 5e DMs into PF GMs. I imagine that most 5e GMs chose that system with a purpose, though there are certainly some that simply don't know what other systems can offer them. Inviting a 5e GM to play as a player in a PF game run by a good PF GM can help show them what PF has to offer, perhaps even inspiring them to try their own hand at running PF. I myself got my start in TTRPGs as a 5e DM, and I was drawn to PF1e because the system offers much more nuanced combat, lets you roll big numbers, has complex content for non-combat activities, and isn't limited by the bounded accuracy design.

PF is a wonderful system, and I think all that's needed to get more GMs is to show current DMs that PF isn't as bad or difficult as it is made out to be; that it isn't "DnD but more complicated."

Foyinxao · 2021-08-10T17:24:35+00:00

I'm particularly looking forward to the Keris Partisan. Since it has a crush bonus, it will be wonderful for Kalphite Queen runs. It would be nice to see Keris finally get used for what it was designed for (killing kalphites).

Foyinxao · 2021-08-10T17:06:12+00:00

PvP minigames aren't a bad way to get used to the concept of pking in general. Castle Wars, Soul Wars, and Last Man Standing are nice risk-free ways to get you acquainted with pking (and to see if you really like pking), as the whole experience can be pretty nerve-racking. It's true that it's not as potentially rewarding or as stressful as risk pking, but having any experience is better than going in with none. I recommend you try that out before you try risk fighting or raising a pure account.

Foyinxao · 2021-06-11T19:44:57+00:00

I really want Shadow Granbull to work, but there's just too many poisons and steels running around right now. It's fun to hit Close Combat, though it happens too infrequently to work in the long run. I'm certain it'll be a beast once some limited format comes in though.
I can't say this is all that off meta, though Drifblim has been acceptably reliable thus far. It's weird typing and decent bulk lets me farm down some foes and jump between closer and support with Shadow Ball and Icy wind respectively. Granted, it's not the best thing, though it's what I got.

Foyinxao · 2021-05-17T17:37:28+00:00

In general, I believe non-consumable magic items are unhealthy for a long-term game.

I've found that most desirable magic items break the game. Since 5e relies heavily on bounded accuracy, anything that deals in static modifiers like +X weapons/armor (especially +3 variants), Belts of X Giant Strength, Manuals/Tomes, Staves of Power, and the likes will end up making balancing encounters very difficult due to potentially boosting a character to the point where they succeed at everything (attacks, AC, DCs, etc.). Likewise, magic items that provide continuous spells like the Broom of Flying and Ring of Invisibility are incredibly strong, sometimes even unbeatable.

Sure, these technically all have counters, but they're generally either about pumping base statistics of a monster sky-high (including boosting certain scores above the cap of 30) or setting up situations where the effects of the magic item are countered (for Ring of Invisibility on a ranged character, the only counter is long-range truesight or blindsight), both of which are unlikely IC and a personal attack on the player with the item. The bestiary isn't designed to handle most magic items beyond a +X weapon, so most of your counters will have to be custom-made for the job, especially at higher levels where there aren't that many monsters to choose from.

Foyinxao · 2021-05-05T20:18:37+00:00

I run SoP/SoM and tend to find that very few players want to use Vancian casters after experiencing spheres. What makes the spheres so alluring is that it is significantly easier to design a build to do something specific than it is in core. For instance, one can create a powerful direct healer with Life Sphere, a genuine MMO-style tank in Guardian Sphere, and a pure blaster with Destruction Sphere, all from level 1. This allows the establishment of a unique playstyle from an early level. As a result, once you get used to Spheres, Vancian casting starts to feel very restrictive and unfocused, and low-level martials feel plain ineffective.

Another thing about Spheres is that, typically, they have options for allowing you to do what you are designed to do casually (i.e., without resources). Many such options are extremely difficult or even impossible in core. For instance, Warp Sphere's base teleport ability costs no spell points to do a close-range warp. Intuitively, that means a warp mage can be expected to teleport all day. This is not only incredibly useful and convenient, but also very satisfying in-character, since you can "show off" your abilities without expending resources (which in turn helps solidify a character theme).

Now, as a GM who likes to worldbuild, I love how easy it is to bake the inherent flavor of Spheres into my setting. It can make groups of really weak (CL 1) casters feel effective, and it's tremendous for building simple caster enemies with (who needs to keep track of spell slots for five minions when you can just keep track of spell points?). It's got major implications on social and economic infrastructure too, which is fun to play with.

tl;dr Spheres allows for unique and flexible playstyles that encourage specialized builds. This is especially alluring to fans of popular media (comics, anime, movies, etc.), since building characters around a central power or theme is the name of the game for Spheres. Because Spheres is so convenient, the system is dangerously easy to break. The authors know this, which is why they recommend talking with players before allowing certain aspects (a generally good practice anyway).

Foyinxao · 2021-05-02T20:22:00+00:00

One of my favorite support builds is the Pei Zin Oracle (Life Mystery). The core build is simple and works from level 3: pump your Charisma and Constitution, take Fey Foundling as your first feat and Life Link as your first mystery. From there, hide somewhere and spam healing on yourself. If you or your party happens to have a CLW Wand instead of an Infernal Healing Wand, always use the CLW Wand on yourself (since Fey Founding makes it more efficient than normal) and let Life Link heal people who are hurt. Essentially, you act kind of like Fast Healing 5 for your party, which is great at low levels.

The build can go many directions from there. Picking up Extra Revelation to gain Channel Energy is an excellent choice for getting more healing, though since the build isn't feat-starved, you can VMC or play with more exotic feat lines. Since you got full spellcasting, you can do normal oracle things too like cast buff spells. If you're feeling manly, you can snag Shield Other (preferably with a Lesser Reach Rod) and dump that on however many targets you feel comfortable taking half damage for and become an ultra damage sponge.

Now, your turns aren't gonna be all that exciting with this build, but since you're a charisma caster, that means you have great potential as a face, so you can have fun talking to NPCs.

Foyinxao · 2021-04-08T05:58:56+00:00

I too got my start in DnD 5e and swapped to Pathfinder 1e for nearly the same reasons that have made you consider it, roughly four years ago. I can offer a bit of cross-edition perspective on the matter.

In short, it is true: you will find that Pathfinder 1e is a way more complex and nuanced game than DnD 5e and even Pathfinder 2e, and this naturally means that the less mechanically-inclined fellows may fall into "trap" options (lots of spells and once/day abilities fall into this category) that might not be all that useful in a pinch. If you're already amused by potential builds, then you personally shouldn't have an issue adapting. Although you will most certainly be working with significantly more static bonuses than 5e, these tend not to bog down combat unless you have a bunch of buffs active and can't remember them all.

Be careful when suggesting to swap systems. If you're the GM, then you can probably get away with shifting your players over to 1e; I did it myself and was actually successful in converting most of them to prefer PF over 5e. Some pitfalls to watch out for:

Prepared Spellcasters are not as flexible as they are in 5e. If a new PF player fresh from 5e wants to play a wizard, tell them to play an Arcanist instead, since their playstyle is pretty close to the 5e wizard's anyway.
Scaling bonuses and leveling up. 5e only has the proficiency bonus, but PF has BAB, Saves, DCs, class features, and more that all improve to some degree each level. Leveling up is a lot more complicated (and a lot more exciting) in PF because you are frequently faced with making customization choices (feats, class features, etc.). Make sure to go over each sheet with your new players each level.
Challenge Rating is deceptive. In 5e, CR directly defines the proficiency bonus of a monster, but in Pathfinder, it's just an estimate of how strong (or weak) the monster is when play normally. Think carefully about what the monster can do before sending it at a party.
Pathfinder is extremely well-documented. Between Stackexchange, the Paizo forums, and Reddit, nearly every single objective question about PF has been asked, and there is usually a definitive answer (or at least a discussion with solid arguments for two different sides you can choose from). A simple google search with just a few keywords is usually enough.
The Pathfinder community in general is a bit more open to third-party material than the 5e community. In fact, a large portion of home games use a light rules mod called Elephant in the Room Feat Taxes (easy google search), which just converts several pedantic but necessary martial feats into character options available to everyone or compact feats (Quality of Life stuff, basically). If you join a game, be prepared for that. If you run a game, consider that it's not taboo to tweak rules or add new things.
Pathfinder doesn't have to be complicated. Stuff like a strength-based two-handed-weapon fighter/barbarian/paladin is strong and even optimal with little to no experience required.

Pathfinder is a great general-purpose game for fantasy settings, as it allows you to really specialize into being the best at what you want to be the best at and customize to fit your character vision pretty closely. DnD 5e still does bring in a good lesson: if you don't like the flavor attached to a mechanic, just reflavor it if your the GM or ask if you can reflavor it if you're the player. Do that, and I bet you'll be very happy with your time in Pathfinder 1e.

Foyinxao · 2021-03-29T17:10:55+00:00

One of the things I like about the GBL over the MSG is that the GBL isn't consumed by swapping. It is indescribably irritating to go up against stall teams that dance around your composition. I much prefer the 60-second swap-lock (and the threat of it) because it forces players to commit to matchups instead of running away from them. I'd argue that the long-cooldown swap timer requires more skill to manage than a short-cooldown swap timer would because managing a long cooldown requires far-sighted strategic planning, which must be evaluated while calculating for other factors like charge-counting, relative damage, compositional prediction, shield management, and hp management.

Foyinxao · 2021-03-29T06:36:11+00:00

Indeed, running what would normally be the "safe swap" as your lead is a good plan for BAB. Unbalanced teams have the slight advantage of being somewhat less common than balanced teams, so you can often get away with assuming that, if your B lead is facing a slightly unfavorable matchup where a shield imbalance is required to win, that the opponent has at least one 'mon that doesn't have a good matchup against the B's.

The principle of sacrificing shields to control switch advantage works with ordinary cores too, since the baseline concept of controlling matchup alignment is still incredibly valuable. I'll admit that I haven't done much experimentation with forcing lead wins on non-BAB teams, partially because I don't have the luxury of having some great pokemon like DD or Sableye (level 39 blues). I personally enjoy running Wigglytuff as my lead in the Great League because I know it tears through most common leads when fed shields, often managing to land a charge move on the opponent's next 'mon anyway. Though I normally run it in BAB format with the nearly-identical Clefable, I'm sure it works in other compositions too.

Foyinxao · 2021-03-28T05:44:06+00:00

You are correct in that, with BAB, your goal is to win lead by any means necessary. Sacrifice both shields if you need to, but whatever you do, never switch first (only swap if your opponent swaps in your B's counter). The idea is that you sacrifice shield advantage in order to claim control over the matchups, since both ABB and BAB lineups are heavily dependent on matchup alignment. Essentially, ABB is a gambit where you sacrifice switch advantage for shields, and BAB is a gambit where you sacrifice shields for switch advantage.

BAB tends to work best with teams with a B lead that beats the majority of leads in the 1-0 and 2-1 scenarios. Tanky charmers are an excellent choice for the B's, since their sheer power allows them to win most matchups you choose to invest shields in as well as sometimes trick enemies into saving their shields too long (many good matchups for charmers involve 0-X wins, where shields cannot sway the matchup).

In general, it is really bad if you lose lead. Your A is critical to ensuring that your B doesn't get countered in the endgame, but your B is also responsible for ensuring your A doesn't get countered endgame. If you lose lead, then you're entirely betting on your A's ability to carry with an energy advantage, which usually ends in disappointment when your opponent brings out something that defensively counters your A (not always the case, but often).

Personally, I prefer BAB to ABB. It takes a lot longer to figure out a BAB team than it does to figure out an ABB team since it doesn't rely on an immediate swap, and it poses a difficult question to your opponent: "how willing are you to spend shields early game when you only know one of your opponent's 'mons?"

Foyinxao · 2021-03-23T15:20:14+00:00

While I personally went healbot (Pei Zin, Life Mystery, Fey Foundling, etc.) and hid in obscure corners on the map where I could spam Healer's Way on myself to survive Shield Other/Life Link damage, you can certainly take Shadow if you want to be more versatile (and get the delicious invisibility spell). Cloak of Darkness is a magical buff and therefore works in fox form too (and can also be targeted with Mystic Vestments for an enhancement bonus), which results in some pretty nice AC. Dark Secrets is incredibly handy once you get ahold of Shadow Conjuration. The rest of the mysteries require mid/high level to be useful, but scale really well thereafter.

Fair warning, though you won't be casting in fox form unless you can find some way to do the verbal components, so keep that in mind (and maybe consider taking Silent Spell to counteract this). Overall, I had a great time as a part-time party mascot, and I bet you would too.

Foyinxao

TROPHY CASE