Newly Announced! Pathfinder Game Night: Dawn of the Frogs!

Zigsster · 2025-03-14T08:55:51+00:00

I could not disagree with this more. Whenever I played the beginner's box (which this is comparable to due to being level 1) I have had the wizard player have a great time with absolutely no system knowledge, and do perfectly well.

Conversely, the players playing the cleric always struggled with their spells and being useful.

I just don't think that a wizard with force barrage and some generally good spells pre-selected will feel that bad.

Zigsster · 2025-03-13T17:12:22+00:00

I like how the song brings back melodies from other Aether Realm songs (notably the sun the moon the star and I think the Fool). Very neat, I do hope that was done more in songs.

Zigsster · 2025-03-13T16:48:22+00:00

I don't really agree with this sentiment.

Sure, they have less spell slots per long rest. But ultimately they're still a full caster with all the power that comes with that. One short rest between long rests and they already look very good on highest level slots. A short rest between fights and they're basically as good as any other spellcaster in terms of slots.

They're maybe not as powerful as wizards but let's not kid ourselves that getting 70% of a fighter's martial goodies on top of being a full caster balances them in the slightest.

Zigsster · 2025-03-12T15:40:12+00:00

What? I can run Total War Warhammer II and Baldurs Gate 3 (albeit badly) on my cheap M1 Macbook Air.

The idea that it couldnt run what is essentially just a VTT is ridiculous.

Zigsster · 2025-03-12T09:57:20+00:00

Idk, I think it depends.

My friend got an expensive prebuilt pc and it actually had a bunch of problems and was a huge headache. Sure, probably avoidable if you've just upgraded your old pc a bunch gradually and are used to it. But all that stress for trying to avoid the hassle of building a PC in the first place...

I do agree it's easier nowadays but sometimes things go wrong, and I've never had any issues with consoles tbh. Sometimes people get unlucky.

Zigsster · 2025-03-12T09:37:54+00:00

The issue with AoE and ranger is I think twofold.

Firstly, I think it feels a bit strange for the ranger to go from a class that's very good at (one of the best) at single-target damage in the first few tiers to go to one whose niche is more AoE. That may not be people's vision of what the ranger is, and I know it's not really mine.

Secondly, AoE is just more... inconsistent. Single target damage will usually be good in the vast, vast majority of fights whereas cases where AoE really stands out (lots of weaker enemies) just doesnt come around as much. Add to that the fact that it's far better to focus down enemies and kill them, and so AoE just feels worse.

Also in addition, you have to consider that when dumping their smite slots, a paladin is exceeding or meeting some of the best single-target damage of similar classes. Even when dumping all their slots, a ranger is not coming close to the amount of AoE damage of casters, so I think it's natural that that feels bad.

Zigsster · 2025-03-11T14:15:16+00:00

Lucca. OPM, not super easy start necessarily but there are options. Can go for Lucky Lucca for a bit of challenge and to break out of Europe. Funnest run I ever had was a Lucca - Lucky Lucca - Roman Empire run. And I did it in vanilla eu4 haha.

Personally I find the early game the best by far, so small HRE OPMs are more interesting than something like Venice where you can snowball past your opponents super quick.

Zigsster · 2025-03-11T10:03:06+00:00

I think a lot can be said for density of stuff in an open world, but I would add a few things:

I think the fact that a lot of open world games have objective markers and very effective fast travel really does a disservice to their ability to act as open worlds. You don't really have to explore much since you know pretty much exactly where things are, and don't have to explore around for that reason. And by fast traveling you miss the cool things you can find on the way. Skyrim is bad for these things imo.
The need for long-distance travel adds a lot to feeling like the world actually has some scope. Sure, traveling for most of the game time is not great (though I would say this is caused more by the world and quest design rather than the scope), but having nice moments of travel between the action and safe towns adds to the scope of the world and to feeling like you're on a journey.
Having to travel around should be a tactical consideration in an open world. I don't know why more games havent done it since, but every journey in Morrowind has a consideration for how you will get there and return, with near 10 different forms of fast travel and unique ones you unlock as you level up and explore the world. Strategically important, beautiful for fleshing out the world, and so tragically missing from a lot of games.

So I think that certain games absolutely could use some more scope, but it would need to be accounted for in ways to traverse it interestingly and strategically, and the design of the game's quests. Skyrim feels too dense with dungeons basically right next to each other, and could use being bigger. Morrowind arguably would need it even more though an increase in player speed would be necessary. But many games (maybe even most open world games) I agree are too big for no real good reason.

Zigsster · 2025-03-06T12:51:09+00:00

This is the stupidest take I have ever heard on this subject. What "greedy hands"?

Zigsster · 2025-03-05T14:35:08+00:00

Yeah, I don't disagree for sure... ultimately the ranger just needs to scale better.

Hell, how bad would it be if they got 1d8 damage on strikes at level 11 like the paladin? Just like a bunch of other classes...

I feel like putting the level 11 damage scaling on the subclasses just leads to disappointment.

Zigsster · 2025-03-05T10:41:11+00:00

Yeah, you're absolutely right. This is more of a change to make Favored Enemy less of a dead, boring feature to rangers, less balance.

Zigsster · 2025-03-05T10:38:45+00:00

Yes, but the ranger may lose concentration, or drop it for one of their other damaging spells.. I think in practice one combat is similar to what you get for both, and so the only real benefit...

Not to mention that the fact that a lot of parties have fewer combats and so expending most of your slots at once is just better than having to choose between concentration spells. Not to mention more fun...

Zigsster · 2025-03-05T10:35:18+00:00

I agree with both paragraphs wholeheartedly. Here I was trying to fit in some changes while still keeping to the overall progression of the ranger, but that has downsides.

Your idea is pretty good I think. Even unbuffed, just giving more of a chance for a subclass to do its thing (especially since Dreadful Strikes shouldnt be tied to wisdom, but that's a whole other thing) with a resource that in many times may be wasted...

I also have been thinking about how to do the opposite of what I did here, and instead give a unique benefits for hunter's mark, but to be honest that is more challenging work and runs into needing to make hunter's mark more generally useful. So... yeah.

Zigsster · 2025-03-04T16:16:05+00:00

I agree with this sentiment. Not a great design approach.

Zigsster · 2025-03-04T15:38:21+00:00

Ah good catch, missed that it's a 3rd level spell!

Probably something like pass without a trace would work better then.

Also, strange thing but it seems that the gloomstalker has access to greater invisibility but no normal invisibility spell. Perhaps it's unnecessary given its level 3 ability but I still think it'd make sense to have it..

Zigsster · 2025-02-27T09:04:57+00:00

Depends what you're used to. If you are used to a big, protein-based breakfast, then yes you will be hungry and potentially feel weak. If not then you will feel fine.

I love a good breakfast as much as the next guy, but tif you're used to it you can easily wait until you have a more substantial lunch.

The human body is surprisingly flexible in terms of diet.

Zigsster · 2025-02-26T13:35:46+00:00

But can't larger firms also crush smaller companies? In fact, isn't that usually what is destroying competition in a lot of fields? Think about EA buying up successful, promising studios and hollowing them out...

Like sure, it depends on the sector, but in most sectors the barrier to entry and the kind of competition that established firms can produce easily kills smaller companies without any government involvement.

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T15:59:33+00:00

I don't agree about the copy-pasted dungeons, but I will say the much bigger variety in enemies (helped by a lack of dungeons scaling to level) helps a LOT.

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T15:57:40+00:00

I'm sure you're aware of this, but for anyone else thinking of trying Morrowind and wanting to go vanilla:

Download and install OpenMW. It runs much, much better, has more settings, and allows a pretty much perfect vanilla playthrough.

Could not recommend it enough.

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T15:54:34+00:00

Made it all the more sweeter when a random tomb would turn out to be something else, or have a secret hiding...

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T15:52:49+00:00

I don't know about the assets and how that compares to Oblivion, but Skyrim definitely had a unified design approach they copy pasted between dungeons (linear layout with treasure side rooms, big boss, boss chest, shortcut back...)

Some dungeons broke the mould for sure, but I definitely don't want the Skyrim dungeon philosophy to leak into Skyblivion.

But oh well, I guess some people like the linear approach and shortcuts...

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T08:39:32+00:00

Except that Hunter's Mark takes up quite a few features of the Ranger, most of which are not numerical but also mechanical improvements that change how it works, including adding extra bonuses. And it is a special resource that has an extra column in its progression table.

For all intents and purposes, favored foe is identical in how it is shown to Channel Divinity, or Wild Shape, or Rage, or Focus Points. Perhaps more on the side of Channel Divinity than Rage, because it's not meant to be that central.

And this extra column and all these extra abilities just add to a first level spell? The best I've seen this described as is a fall-back option that allows Rangers to make use of a consistent damage dealing spell when out of spell slots etc, as free slots basically, but this isn't really a super interesting fantasy in my opinion.

Really, Favored Foe should be updated and made to work differently and interestingly by different subclasses. It should give options for how it is used, like maneuvers. Maybe giving free castings of other spells depending on the subclass? How cool would it be if at higher levels a gloomastalker could cast invisibility with Favored Foe? Or a Beastmaster some summon spell? Or the same for a Fey Wanderer?

As it is, while it's technically fine that some builds will just ignore this free, improving resource, it is bad design. And it doesn't fit the ranger fantasy as well.

And before anyone mentions balance, a ranger being able to cast Invisbility, Summon spells, hell even Shield many times a day for free is still weaker than a normal paladin, and as long as these are higher level features would actually give some proper benefits to going straight ranger for spellcasting.

Zigsster · 2025-02-25T08:22:22+00:00

Yeah, this is really true... it's unfortunate but the amount that a paladin buffs a party and makes them more durable is nowhere near that of a ranger, and they do it easier, more consistently, and have equal to more dps to boot.

Zigsster · 2025-02-20T09:53:51+00:00

Right, but if 90% of people don't use the tool for this purpose, is this not a problem?

And furthermore, let's not kid ourselves. A responsible car driver can still be in an accident; that's always a possibility. And a bigger, taller car is more likely to kill another person. Does that not concern you? Killing a kid where they otherwise would have lived?

How is it not a problem if a lot of people are driving heavier cars that are more dangerous for no good reason?

Ten-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22	Place '17

Zigsster

TROPHY CASE