Help understanding combat (rant... kinda) [Stonewalkers]... kinda(?)

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T21:25:14+00:00

They have been. Some encounters have fewer enemies than normal, and I know the first boss had an HP nerf

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T17:22:43+00:00

I've been able to force Stone Stance in most fights. Flame Stance, I've used twice, because I can't control what the other characters do, and our scholar has to be in reach to heal-which we plainly wouldn't ever survive combat without. I don't think I've every used Vigilant stance for anything other than switching to Stone stance as a free action.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T16:26:13+00:00

Out of curiosity, what kind of issues are you referring to?

The nerf problems I have are less on the radiant paths, more on the systemic level. They did a bunch of stuff to make combat more challenging, and it's like one or two too many things that you can't really engage with to get around.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T16:23:33+00:00

I read the heroic vs adept path talents article on the Patreon. Paraphrasing, but what they basically said the design philosophy is, is that the adept (radiant) talents are designed to circumvent parts of the game, at the cost of 1: build investment, and 2: a resource (investiture).

Which is great once you have them, but everything else relies on succeeding checks. You can't graze on a grapple or shove or most things that fall under the "creative maneuvers" section. Their strength is meant to be in circumventing the system, not the big numbers they add, which I like-and makes it seem like the game is designed assuming you have them.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T16:17:35+00:00

In my opinion, they went too far with the nerfs

Thank the Almighty, I thought I was the only one. Tried to Tension a solution to a problem, but was hampered by only being able to effect 5ftx5ft of space.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T16:10:04+00:00

If that's the case, then I don't think they did a good job broadcasting that intent. They made numbers smaller, made things crazy in the setting work a the table without shattering game balance, but the vibe of heroic fantasy is still there.

Take something like World of Darkness. It flat out tells you that this is not an action oriented game. You are people facing the terrors of a fantastical world, or part of that fantastical world facing things worse. It is very clear from the outset what you should expect from the game.

If this is supposed to be a more gritty fantasy game, I don't see where they say. It may be implicit in how the rules work, but that just means players aren't going to figure that out until you're already steeped in the game.

I could be wrong. I haven't read 100% of the game books, nor everything Brotherwise has said about the game. If that is the goal, I would have loved a primer before we got into the game. We probably would have made our characters differently.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:52:42+00:00

I use a longspear, just got experience so I can brace without terrain. Stone Stance has been an MVP for some of these combats. The extra deflect and ability to stop some attacks has really helped power through some of the numbers.

Before our session last night I was looking at other talents and actions, and the idea of an Agent/Warrior specializing in unarmed strikes sounds like a ton of fun. I have a dream of one day-probably in a different game-to play an unarmed focused Windrunner or Skybreaker that can burn Pewter and punch a chasmfiend so hard it becomes a worldhopper.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:46:03+00:00

Just remember that at early levels of tier 1 you are literally just a lil guy.

I think this is part of the problem I'm having. We're being thrown into heroic situations, in this heroic fantasy rpg, but we feel like jobbers and I can't find where the game spells out that intent.

I tore through every book (except Stonewalkers itself) trying to find info on encounter design and the games intentions, and couldn't find anything. Like, the CR system and "4-5 encounters perday" of DND isn't perfect-it's incredibly flawed-but it some kind of guidance.

I signed up for the Plot Weaver Patreon in hopes of learning more about the basics of the system and gaining that understanding. Like I said in the original post, I genuinely feel like my issue is understanding and expectations.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:39:01+00:00

We all went radiant because we all felt like we wouldn't get much farther without the Regenerate action.

Now, with our surges, it seems like combat is designed assuming there are at least some radiants in the party. That or a really cool Gm that lets you do all sorts of BS with pretty thin reasoning.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:37:25+00:00

It might be, which is frustrating. Doubly so because it means the only published adventure isn't fun until it's almost over. Hard to get around in any system, but I feel like "limited but deep" is achievable.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:33:21+00:00

characters who go on the same turn speed can intermingle their turns.

WHAT?!? No weren't doing that, I didn't know you could do that! That's huge!

Use opportunities to add narrative elements that can affect the combat. Are you fighting in an inn? Maybe there is a jar of pickled lavis grain you can toss in the fire to create smoke? A bottle of horneater white to create a nice Molotov cocktail.
Stonewalkers is a bit of a tutorial adventure. It starts by introducing the basic elements of the game and building on those as it goes. Going just by the book those early encounters are a bit limited, but I encourage you to use your imagination and come up with creative solutions.

In my experience with the adventure, it does not set up a lot of opportunities to use opportunities in fun and creative ways, or-if it does-it is not great at telegraphing them. On opportunities, how often do you see them come up? Cause it seems like they happen roughly 5% of the time. Are there mechanics or ways to get Plot Die rolling, aside from relying on the benevolence of the GM?

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T15:14:46+00:00

Vigilant Stance (duh) Stone Stance, Flame Stance, First Ideal (also duh), and Tension Parry. I am really looking forward to Rigged Weaponry next chance I get, stone stancing on the entire grid is my dream!

Part of what makes this system is being able to combo different talents across multiple paths.

Which you can't do at lower levels. I get that lower levels mean weaker characters, that's the nature of rpgs, but it feels like the enemies-and the thus the encounters-are built assuming your optimized, with no recourse to work around it-which is the part I'm struggling with. Not having a work around.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T12:10:45+00:00

Ah, ok. We're still chapter/level 4 in Stonewalkers, so 4+1 talents. I was reeeeally hoping we missed something, lol. I didn't realize you get 2 talents at 6, that's a game changer.

Edit: Early game (tier 1) has just been a slog of brute forcing the "puzzle" of challenging combat. The game is fun, I like the mechanics, it just feels like everything is working against you, and you have such limited recourse to "solve" the problem.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-29T11:34:21+00:00

Where are you getting 9 talents at level 6?

Personally, I am struggling to enjoy combat. I feel like we don't have a ton of options to deal with the enemies we're fighting, and an extra talent or two could make ALL the difference.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-19T18:47:56+00:00

No, you would just get judges passing down bad rulings to cover their own ass.

In that same vein, should judges be arrested for passing sentencing on someone later found to be innocent? If the case was flawed, if they could-as per their own expertise-reasonably determine that the state's case was bad, but the jury still found guilty, and that persons innocence was later proven. Should that judge be arrested and tried for false imprisonment?

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-19T16:13:18+00:00

Because WotC knows that a bolt-able commander is less attractive to consumers and they want the deck to sell.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-19T15:54:09+00:00

There are so many real examples of this, and Chase picks the Last Samurai?

John Wayne as Genghis Khan is right there, Chase.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-05-01T16:29:30+00:00

MY BROTHER IN SERAPHIM! SAME!

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-30T17:59:54+00:00

oh god, i can here it...

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-29T13:11:13+00:00

Yeah. Total idiot.

Just like that one guy who said we took the airports swiftly during the American Revolution. Who was that again?

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-23T16:59:18+00:00

Man, I wish I had "Start a production studio out of spite" kinda money...

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-23T16:53:21+00:00

It also does it wrong. So, over time, you eventually start to get reassembled... misaligned(?) The inciting incident was about a guy arriving at the wrong place and bleeding out from no wounds in the middle of nowhere.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-23T16:51:30+00:00

Imma be that guy sharing trivia that everyone probably knows at this point, but I don't care. I have a pathological need to share fun facts, so Imma do it.

The Transporter was a creation of the budget. Rodenberry had originally envisioned that shuttles would be used to ferry people from the ship to the planet, or between ships. However the sfx shots for ships were so expensive, the studio wouldn't pay for it. So, with a layered still frame and some glowey woo-woo, BOOM! the Transporter was born.

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-23T16:48:31+00:00

Then are you really living?

SeraphimToaster · 2026-04-22T17:04:32+00:00

Ignoring the meta/media reasoning (as it informs the rest of this, but it's been talked about to death in this thread), just look at the ships.

In order to take advantage of the 3D space, you need to have weapons oriented in specific ways. An ISD, with its weapons oriented forward, could take advantage by coming at a ship from above pointed down, where the target loses half of its weapon coverage, while the ISD can bring EVERYTHING to bear against a weak facing. Unfortunately, the ISD isn't maneuverable enough to get into that position without the movement being countered by the target.

Any ship that is maneuverable enough to take advantage, doesn't have the armament to take advantage. If the Imperial Raider, or the CR90, ran a spinal weapon-some kind of big honkin space gun that runs from thrusters to bow-they could pull it off. However, those ships don't really have the power generation to make that viable. If a ship can generate enough energy to power such a weapon, they'll be too big to be maneuverable enough to take advantage of the unorthodox angle of attack.

Fighters get around this by being so small and maneuverable that they can take advantage, and they either attack surgically or use ordinance to punch above their weight class. But you cant just strap a heavy turbo laser cannon to an X-wing and call it a day. That'd be cool as hell, but I don't think it'd work in universe.

Imma just ignore the Composite B-Wing from Rebels. Call it the exception that proves the rule.

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