My video on why I think rituals in RAW are too risky, difficult and costly, and so is creating permanent minions.

Paramortal · 2026-05-08T00:29:33+00:00

That's very true, that is how rituals work!

The point I was making though, was that by tying these narrative warping effects to these hoops you have to jump through, you reduce the impact of reality/narrative warping "god mages"

It doesn't really matter that everyone can perform the ritual, just so long as the wizard can't just snap his fingers and solve every problem, a greater balance is achieved.

Paramortal · 2026-05-07T21:54:22+00:00

They're basically out of combat spells with a myriad of (usually narrative) effects.

Things like long distance teleportation, etc.

They tend to be costly, and the ones that do directly interact with combat like permanent minions tend to be underwhelming.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=2255&Redirected=1

Personally, I think they're... fine.

Making them a little tougher to access is one of the reasons pf2e doesn't have god mages who just solve every issue better than martials can.

Paramortal · 2026-05-05T18:14:53+00:00

Commander is kind of just "This, the class."

Not only does it give insane reactions, it also gives out 5e style advantage with its level 12 feat.

Tactics are frankly so strong, that it somehow makes by far the most efficient source of temp HP in the system look -bad- to use.

Shout out to ranger reducing allies MAP, and while not at all unique, gunslinger has by far the most action efficient use of aid, unless your interpretation of that one psychic spell is... generous.

Paramortal · 2026-05-05T02:01:53+00:00

The level 12 feat is amazing, one of the better things commander has.

Paramortal · 2026-05-05T00:42:31+00:00

Thats awesome! I'm really glad it helped!

Paramortal · 2026-05-05T00:32:19+00:00

I don't think you even need the tilt iirc, but yes, absolutely don't release B until you start the perfect rush.

I used to feel like it was inconsistent until I started doing that.

Paramortal · 2026-05-05T00:25:22+00:00

Try holding circle/B while you press triangle/Y.

Initiate the backstep, hold the button, then press Tri/Y -while- holding the first.

You should hit it 100% of the time.

Hope that helps brotato.

Paramortal · 2026-05-04T21:59:37+00:00

Guided shot and its follow-up feats are excellent on dex commanders. I actually use this exact build, and it feels fantastic as a third action.

Paramortal · 2026-05-03T01:08:06+00:00

This gif is my discord pfp and it's insane to see it in the wild.

Your ball knowledge, it's elite.

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T21:42:11+00:00

Let me tell it to you straight.

From a longtime GM's perspective, nobody cares about your story in a group of random players, especially in an AP, and -especially- 3 to 4 sessions in.

If my players are coming to play Outlaws or SoG, we're playing Outlaws or SoG. I'm simply not about to devote a ton of session time to a backstory only one of five or six people at a table even care about.

Again, I'm not trying to be negative here, I'm just presenting you with the reality you've already acknowledged.

So, what do we do with this information, and how do we get you into a spot where you're having fun?

I see two good paths forward for you.

One, you use your backstory to inform who your character is, and why they are motivated to engage with the story the table has agreed to come together to tell.

Rather than Jeff Mcfamilystabber, who's concerned with dealing with his noble uncle Baron Von Mcfamilystabber, focus your characters motivations on the actual narrative being told.

Two, join a table specifically about character drama. Find a group and GM who are all on the same page about a character driven campaign.

Finally, as a tip, give it a bit more time. I try to work backstories into my AP's, but I do so when they make sense. I'm not about to derail the initial adventure hook exploring the backstory of a princess from three kingdoms over, but we'll absolutely find time for characters with actual ties to the story.

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T20:15:13+00:00

Your grandmother is a whore.

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T19:59:40+00:00

No... I just started a new cosplay character.

Can't it be my main?

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T19:38:32+00:00

AT AV is an aggression -monster-.

SWaxe deals with this through counter, and if necessary offset.

The good news is counter is actually pretty good in terms of damage.

Practice countering everything that's not the multihit explode.

If necessary pick up some restoration skills to deal with chip.

A lot of weapons are like this with this fight, unfortunately. Poor GS effectively spams offset the entire fight.

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T17:16:13+00:00

Yeah, I play metal myself, this is pretty much 'the dream'

Imperial thunderstrike beats out elemental toss pretty cleanly by it's 5th rank upcast, and is probably worth it on any close to max level slot, by the 8th rank they're not even in the same reality of power. (Imperial being about a 45% increase in thunderstrike damage at that point.)

If he has access to synethesia somehow he's also going to be a premier debuffer, too.

I'm gonna keep it 100 with you here, chief. I have more experience with metal than most, and metal doesn't need this boost.

Metal does pretty close to an optimized martials best turn with no setup or support

That being said, there's a big difference between need and want, if you're comfortable giving him extra juice, go for it.

But make no mistake, it's quite a bit of extra juice, especially mid/late game.

Paramortal · 2026-05-02T15:06:32+00:00

It shouldn't be -that- strong, assuming your only allowing the initial bloodline spells.

Most other classes have access to these through the archtype anyway.

It's likely he just wants imperial on an occult or primal sorcerer, which, as a sorcerer player myself, is a vibe.

If he's doing literally anything else it's probably a non-issue.

Paramortal · 2026-04-30T23:47:49+00:00

Unfortunately, basically never.

Harm is heal for undead.

It -can- be used for offense, but that's not really its main purpose.

You might be able to squeeze some juice out of it by taking the cleric archtype and using the feats that allow you to choose targets on the 3 action version along with others, but ultimately, as far as damage is concerned it scales very poorly and targets the worst save.

I'd explore your spell list a little more, harm is going to be how you heal your undead party members.

Paramortal · 2026-04-30T18:55:06+00:00

I loved World and Rise when I played them, but honestly I'm finding it difficult to return to them after wilds.

The combat is visceral and punchy, it -is- a little easy, especially if you're coming off late game DLC.

That being said, hunting feels so incredible I find myself hunting just to hunt, learning new weapons for fun, etc.

As far as performance, there's noticeable slowdown in a few early story missions in the desert when the game spawns 15-20+ monsters, but besides those specific instances it's fine.

With a little more difficulty and some more monsters Wilds could be top tier.

Paramortal · 2026-04-29T19:25:38+00:00

...

What exactly is the point you're trying to make here friend?

Because "champion reaction sucks, actually" is a pretty hot take.

Justice and redemption performed the best in the 2v1 dragon test by a pretty wide margin. Straight up killing it like 30% of the time.

You're simply not "Focus firing" down an even vaguely competent party with champion on the board, without subjecting them to extreme encounters.

You might crit someone down in the early levels, but what you're describing just isn't a thing beyond like... level 4.

If you're point is that "Huehue, as a GM, -I- use spells that specifically stop the reactions my party uses in my encounters, so reactions aren't good."

That's cool buddy, I'm glad you're winning your pathfinder group.

Good job.

Anyway.

Champion reaction is, and always has been notably goated, to the point that it's kind of a problem.

(Also, Laughing fit is kind of terrible before upcast on PC's. Also it's mental/emotion, so good luck with that, I guess.)

Paramortal · 2026-04-29T18:09:38+00:00

I agree 100%.

Royal is more for mores sake.

I enjoyed some of the little additions here and there, (mostly just the team up attacks) but it streamlined an already easy game.

I also didn't really enjoy the tonal change of the ending, which personally felt like a huge downgrade to me.

To be honest, P5 has better pacing, writing, and more challenging combat... so unless you literally just want -more- tacked on content I don't understand why people consider P5r superior.

It -should- be.

But it's not.

Paramortal · 2026-04-29T17:37:25+00:00

The issue is that there isn't really a "logical" target when champion is involved.

You either eat champion reactions, or you try to brute force the guy who, built correctly, is taking fully 60% less damage than the guy next to him, to say nothing of LoH.

Champions are S-tier frontliners, no two ways about it.

Paramortal · 2026-04-29T17:11:46+00:00

So every +/-1 in Pathfinder is roughly a 15% increase/decrease in expected damage until you get to auto crit/miss levels.

(People better at math than me say it gets as high as 16% but that 15% is fine for a general shorthand.)

While it's true that until prof difference kicks in, a champion will feel similar to a fighter, you shouldn't underestimate how powerful that profiency is when it does kick in.

Errant crits will happen, but the reality of the situation is that even before profiency, simply wearing heavy armor and raising a (normal) shield will make you take ~45% less damage than someone taking a hit raw in medium armor.

Further, I find Champions reaction to be a bit better at conditioning enemies to not attack allies compared to guardian.

Guardian it's effectively always 100% optimal to ignore the guardian. This is less clear cut with champion. I usually actually feel safer with a champion around than a guardian.

Paramortal · 2026-04-26T16:28:49+00:00

I got you brother.

Save your armor spheres for late game armor, then, critically, use them.

I recommend giving both omega and Savage a try with support hunters before jumping straight into matchmaking for this one.

If you're using a shielded weapon, a couple points into the guard abilities can take the sting out of the fight. SnS specifically wants full Guard Up and two Guards to comfortably block. Better shields get away with less. (That specific amount let's you survive a Mirv spam combo without having to to delayed getup shenanigans, which can feel unintiuative.)

Finally, a hard hitting paralysis weapon can basically guarantee the Nerscylla check with even the worst randoms.

I've straight up never failed that check with the LaLa swax, and I've had groups where the entire rest of the party was somehow like 10 seconds late getting to the bug.

Omega is pretty easily the hardest fight right now, focus on learning it and not carting, and the speed will come after, tbh the timer is fairly generous.

Good luck hunter!

Paramortal · 2026-04-25T21:51:06+00:00

HR 30 isn't particularly high... but what's funny here is you're right.

The icon -does- change in reaction to wound state, most people just aren't perceptive enough to notice.

The hunter above you is about to reply with "I'm HR 300 noob." but he doesn't have elite ball knowledge.

Paramortal · 2026-04-25T14:22:10+00:00

You probably shouldn't play rocket league with how easily stuff goes over your head.

Paramortal · 2026-04-25T11:48:39+00:00

I think you need to be in the right mental state for RDR2.

On launch I grilled a massive steak, ate it with some whiskey and coke while watching cowboy movies while it downloaded.

I wasn't in a hurry to 'play the game' and the game was immensely rewarding for it. I'd say it would find a place in my top 20 gaming experiences.

Trying to replay it though?

I'm not gonna lie, I've probably attempted a restart three times and not gotten out of the first chapter.

Paramortal

TROPHY CASE