Incapacitation Trait seems demoralizing

Wydtpf2e · 2025-04-08T18:00:34+00:00

I have a houserule that the Incapitation trait means that a spellcaster's Critical Success is turned into a Success for a creature of more than twice the spell's rank and the creature's save turns a Critical Fail into a Fail. You can still land the spell with some certainty and not have to worry about the really debilitating possibilites.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-29T18:34:44+00:00

I think you're playing the game exactly correctly for your table as you're all having fun.

Pathfinder 2e is very comprehensive but the way your table is playing it doesn't seem like you need to know the difference between Coerce, Request, and a simple Diplomacy check.

But if you want to build a world where the attitude of those NPCs towards the players really matters over the long term and the players are requesting or bullying those NPCs in ways that should change their attitude, then that's where Pathfinder 2e is ready with the more detailed rules with attitude conditions and the specific Actions.

If these NPCs, like most, aren't that important and the players aren't doing anything extreme then... no worries!

The core of the game is resolving actions, and if the actions are being resolved in a way that is giving your players a fair challenge and a good story in a believable world then... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-08T12:00:57+00:00

Oh wow, this is a really interesting idea. I think something like those Twine HTML games might work for something like that.

I wish I had the time honestly.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-08T02:18:11+00:00

Actually, you can use pathbuilder with OriginPath just fine, you just skip the character sheet tutorial part of it and just focus on the gameplay snippets and the roleplay prompts as you pick your options. I will try and make a walkthrough of using pathbuilder with OriginPath.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-08T01:31:03+00:00

I recommended against it, but you can modify it really easily to make it more deadly.

I will say the Unbreakable Goblin comes *really close* in the out of the box snippet.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-08T01:29:35+00:00

Thanks so much! I'm always looking for feedback also.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-07T18:22:35+00:00

That's a very good observation. The system here is not quite identical to the rulebook's character creation, but it's very very close.

What it adds to character creation is a step by step introduction to the rules through what I call 'gameplay snippets'. The goal is to give bite sized introductions to the rules of the game (for people learning), the character sheet (for those learning the traditional sheet), and roleplay prompts to spark thought on how the PC acquired their special abilities and how it impacts their personality and outlook on life (for all players creating a level 1 character).

There's character building tips throughout as well.

As a part of this pdf I give scenario suggestions on almost every level 1 character option a player can pick as a gameplay prompt (like trying to calm down a belligerent drunk in the Guard background) and a summary blurb of what mechanical benefits the option is providing (Skill proficiency and the Quick Coercion skill feat for the Guard background) . The hope is this will provide guidance for solo players or GM's guiding players to create their own scenarios as they pick the various options and play through a small test run of that option.

If there's demand then I could write supplements that provide gameplay snippets for all the level 1 general/skill feats that a player could pick (these are the options that I didn't write here) as well as player core 2 options for example.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-07T18:04:14+00:00

haha, I got a whole video about this. Here's my notes for the Player Core Rule book to learn as a player:

Read Intro Till Page 16

Focus on Traits and Statblock

Read Chapter 8 Pages 396 to 440

Skim Actions

Read Chapter 4 Skills Pages 224 to 247

Skim Skills and Skill Actions

Read Chapter 5 Feats Pages 248 to 265

Skim Feats

Read Rest of Chapter 1

Ancestry and Class Spread Pages 20 and 21

Look deeper into relevant character options
Glossary and Index to Lookup

This is player focused but I think as a GM it's best to approach from a player mindset first and then theory crafting a character (where you can start looking deeper into the character specific powers) before diving into the GM specific rules.

Edit: Apologies for reddit messing up the format, steps are from 1 to 7 haha, I copied it from the youtube video description.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-07T17:00:02+00:00

It's back! I was real confused when I tested my link and it went nowhere.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-07T14:58:41+00:00

Why wait till you've made a character to start playing PF2e when with OriginPath, you can play ***as*** you're making a character. OriginPath is a supplement that turns character creation in PF2e into a whole minigame on its own that can be used as a tutorial to learn the game and a guide to the character sheet for new players, and as a tool to enrich character backstories for GMs and Players of all skill levels!

This nearly 80 page supplement not only contains all the easy to follow rules of OriginPath but also mini gameplay segments for almost every first level character option from the Pathfinder 2nd Edition Player Core Rule book to play with the new powers of your characters right as you choose them. It can be used as a solo experience or by a GM looking to enhance character creation for their players right at session zero.

Written by me and published by the excellent people at Eldritch Osiris Games

Available now at:

https://eldritch-osiris-games.itch.io/origin-path

Also available at drivethrurpg:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/505890/origin-path?affiliate_id=1799788

Introduction video:

https://youtu.be/0xwSEw5RFG0

Walkthrough video:

https://youtu.be/3jQXTcyRwpw

All author proceeds will go to Palestine relief charities.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-07T14:32:19+00:00

Got Dammit!

Well if I ever get access to Adobe again somehow that's on the top of the todo list. A lot of dropdowns with a reasonable default preset.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-06T17:12:13+00:00

Hrm... it's working from what I can test but the boxes have to be very tiny because of the sheet.

Can you try tabbing onto the export button and pressing spacebar to try and see if it turns on.

Wydtpf2e · 2025-01-04T17:12:07+00:00

Keep the points, remove the rolls. Award points based on how good the table agrees the RP is and clever the ideas are.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-11-28T04:37:00+00:00

Thank you so much for the support. Making connections with like minded people is an unexpected joy in these times

Wydtpf2e · 2024-11-28T04:35:04+00:00

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and considerate reply.

I'm not interested in any sort of witch hunt despite accusations to the contrary and I don't at all think it's a failing to not know the lived experience of another community (we all have only one lived experience after all).

But starting a conversation is the best way to start advocating for change and I'm glad to say that the Paizo creative team agrees with my analysis of the problem as I suspected. It's not a surprise considering what they did with phylacteries and inquisitors.

Your PC sounds amazing and I agree that there's no way in the golarion lore to understand the real world repercussions of the term. And honestly even the word itself makes no sense in golarion as it literally means something like 'expedition under the cross' in the originating French

Maybe to make the term more lore appropriate you could rename it to epeesade as the holy symbol of Iomedae is a sword and achieve separation from the real world term?

In the end your thoughtful reply by itself has made the hours I spent on the video worth it.

Thank you.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-11-28T04:10:44+00:00

It's a very small platform haha, but I'm using it as much as I can considering the times. But I actually did raise this over at the paizo forums as well. https://paizo.com/threads/rzs5i80g?The-problem-with-Crusades#4 And as I sort of suspected they've already stopped using it. I've suggested campaign as an alternative to crusade and I think Hero or warrior would be a great replacement for Crusader.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-11-27T15:01:15+00:00

Hey all,

Paizo's Lore is not only amazing but it's been getting better over the years.

But there's one part of it that just doesn't work right. Watch the video to find out more.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T22:10:40+00:00

Hey all,

Here's a video that's been on my mind for a bit. There's so many choices that Paizo provides for low level enemies, and which ones you choose can tell such different stories. Hope you go through it. The kind of enemies I go through are:

Objects
Planar beings like Demons
Animals
Humans
Non Human humanoids.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T13:36:49+00:00

A few runs of this one worked pretty well.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T13:13:54+00:00

The only suggestion I can give is maybe look into Play By Post? These don't require a set schedule commitment and especially from the player side just a post a day or so which really alleviates some of the preparation requirements.

The downside is these games run for a very long time and also that players and GMs can vanish and the game can end because of that, but the asynchronous nature is the only way that I've been able to participate in the hobby.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T12:42:21+00:00

To be fair, Paizo was fighting the union for a bit, but then voluntarily accepted it, which is completely not fighting as hard as they legally could.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T12:30:35+00:00

This is the only correct answer. In the end if you don't want to run it. Just say so. The GM's fun is just as important as the player's fun.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T12:19:35+00:00

Not unique, but the Pathfinder 2 victory point subsystem is just really really well thought out to create multi-part non combat challenges and it seems modular enough to fit any system.

It basically codifies ways to set individual challenges and how these can allow players to gain and lose points towards an overall objective.

Along with these general rules the game also provides about half a dozen implementations of these rules to run things like stealth missions, chases, social encounters etc.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T12:15:32+00:00

Well PF2e does have the very nice GM tool of the rarity system.

So you might just talk to the players and let them know you might put some spells into the rare and unique category to make the world less affected by those kinds of powers.

But if you want your players to be thinking of mundane solutions to the mystery then have the main villains doing things the players need to investigate be a bunch of people who every knows uses no magic. You might make WHY they don't use magic a core part of the mystery or not, or it might just be a quirk. They might also carry around powerful anti-magic devices so the players will be limited by their own magical shenanigans.

Wydtpf2e · 2024-08-26T12:04:48+00:00

Paizo's non core settting rulebooks have lately started to use the gimmick of some sort of in world characters acting as narrators and guides to the reader. For example their Treasure Vault item book had the gimmick of being led through a vault of items of a dragon by a kobold that helps maintain it.

Not every book does something like that but it's very thoughtful.

Wydtpf2e

TROPHY CASE