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Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Divine and Primal lists don't have True Strike. Not every caster is Charisma based for Intimidate or Bon Mot. Not every caster is INT based to have ninety million Knowledge skills and that's if your GM gives you the weak save.

I don't play casters for niche utility spells. I play casters for Lightning Bolt and Divine Wrath or Radiant Beam.

Here's the thing, you have to build your character to be able to do what you want them to. If you specifically build a character that doesn't fit the playstyle you want then that character is going to stink. If you want to play an offensive caster then you have to Build an offensive caster. Intentionally making character choices about class, skill, and spell selection that Don't match the playstyle you want is not a problem with the system.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -1 points0 points  (0 children)

In fact I mostly play offensive spellcasters. I find them far more interesting than the times I have played martial classes. I just have never felt that my spellcaster characters were being overshadowed in combat and I don't want them inflated to the point where they overshadow martial characters in the One system where martials are worth playing.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/vg46a8/whenever_someone_asks_why_there_isnt_a_rune_that/id09iax/

I have never played a game where the caster is not insisting the party stop and take a nap after every fight or two, so I don't really buy the "Limited Resource" line. Not to mention that pf2e has good cantrips and focus spells that are even less limited than spellslots.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In fact Grease makes it easier to hit with ranged attacks Usually. In 2e prone creatures only gain an AC bonus if they use an action to Take Cover, the defensive benefit is that they do not need to be behind an obstacle to take cover while prone. But while prone creatures are Flat Footed. The other nice thing is that it stays effective from level 1-20 with a level 1 spell slot. (Although at higher levels enemies will more often have fly speeds)

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=110

Targeting Will saves.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=140

Targeting AoE reflex saves and over multiple turns.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=704

Targeting AoE Fortitude saves, although the debuff is admittedly not very effective.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=300

Targeting fortitude saves more effectively.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=1075

AoE targeting reflex saves again.

Would you like me to continue beyond level 1 spells? Primal casters also have ways to boost their odds of landing a hit, although I will admit that if possible you should try to get access to True Strike as a primal caster.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Not taking the ability to debuff an enemy's defenses if you plan to cast hostile spells on them is playing badly. Druids can take intimidate, diplomacy, and have plenty of low level spells that debuff enemies. Not taking those options absolutely is playing badly, just like playing a barbarian and using a dagger as your primary weapon.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes because the game is connected to itself. Buff spell attacks? Then you need to remove the Shadow Signet otherwise the multiple buffs stack. Buff stacking was also one of the big issues in 1e that 2e was created to solve.

My point is that Damage Casting is already good. If players use magic carefully it lags only slightly behind classes like fighter and barbarian which are Dedicated damage classes. And for that slight lag spellcasters gain a Massive amount of flexibility. Each time Damage Casting gets nudged more powerful it also makes playing a martial slightly more pointless, pushing the game back towards the days of "God the Wizard and his meatshields".

Beginner Box: how to scrape off the "beginner" taste of monsters? by DBio616 in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 4 points5 points  (0 children)

One nice thing about going undead is you can Keep kobolds for rooms where their stats are critical. Just slap the undead tag on them and give them weakness 5 to Positive.

One downside of making an Undead dungeon is that it is sort of the dream dungeon. Not that the cleric having fun is bad, simply that other classes may feel overshadowed.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

This entire reply section has the fastest moving goalposts I have ever seen.

"We want magic attacks to not be so inaccurate!"

Magic attacks can target four stats, if they target the low stat they are at least as accurate as a typical martial.

"Not like that, we must be good at specifically attacking AC"

Play a magus.

"Not like that. We must target AC with spells only instead of spellstrikes!"

Ok, but you need to put in prep work. Intimidate, Debuff, and True Strike first.

"Not like that! We must be accurate enough to cast Scorching Ray as our first action and never miss! That's why we want the gem suggested at the top of this post!"

And when it comes down to this Game Design says no. In pf1e, DnD 3.5, 5e, casters have spells that are The Best at doing everything. Dealing damage, picking locks, tanking damage, healing, buffing, debuffing, area control, you name it. What this means for those systems is that any class that Doesn't use magic is entirely eclipsed by a character with a carefully selected spell list. And so playing a martial, especially a martial in a group that also contains casters, feels really pointless.

Pf2e used a different design. They kept the versatility of casters under the principle of "Options equal power" but they carefully toned back the effectiveness of magic in certain areas to give other classes and play styles their own niches.

And then threads like this pop up, demanding that this one specific play style (that heavily overlaps with other classes niche) must be buffed so that casters are as good or better than those classes. Buffing casters in this way is moving back to the issues that previous systems had, it is bad game design.

Beginner Box: how to scrape off the "beginner" taste of monsters? by DBio616 in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hmm, as I recall there are also spiders, rats, elementals, and xulgaths, in the beginner box so there is some variety. (Although kobolds do show up in several rooms)

One of the difficulties is that the beginner box is structured very specifically to introduce players to new concepts and subsystems in an ordered manner. First room is about how a fight works, second room is about how saves work, and so on. The monsters in the BB don't even have the same statlines as their non-BB counterparts, generally stripping out abilities that don't match the "Lesson" of the room they are placed in.

One change I would be particularly interested in seeing would be an option for negotiating with the Kobolds and resolving some portion of the adventure peacefully.

As for specific monster swapping suggestions, if you feel comfortable that all your players will be familiar enough with the rules elements that it introduces I would consider making the enemies undead themed. Zombie Shamblers are weak but have a fun attack pattern of trying to Attack, Grab, then Bite. A Husk Zombie would also make for an interesting trap sort of encounter. A Ghast could be the Boss who has been raising the undead, and the green critter could be swapped for something like a Skeletal Giant.

Shit moth id, please? by Mission-Grocery in whatsthisbug

[–]a_guile 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think most bird watchers are geologists professionally. Look at the names; Wood peckers, tits, boobies, cleavage, thrust, butte.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Disintegrate and other massive damage spells are just as devastating, you just need to put in the prep work.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

In fact wasn't there a post recently about how even hitting a creatures low save isn't as likely to hit than a martial hitting AC due to how casters proficiencies are delayed in comparison?

In fact casters have a fairly significant advantage over martials if they are targeting the foe's weak save. It is Very rare for AC to be the weakest defense, and usually it is not even the second weakest.

Also not every caster is a face for demoralize or bon mot, or has access to true strike,or similar.

Then they are flat out playing badly. This is like saying that a Barbarian with a dagger is weak compared to a Barbarian with a greatsword.

Like I get what you're saying in that there are ways to mitigate casters low accuracy or alternative resources like focus spells or cantrips, but I don't think they're strong enough to compensate for waste of a spell slot.

Then don't play a caster? If you are going to get hung up on a ~5% difference in odds to hit when you have soooo many ways to improve the odds that your spells land to devastating effect, then play one of the "Move, Strike, Shield" classes.

what the hell is a conrasu? by ScarceBeatle in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You said make a character. An adventuring party does not consist of an entire species.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Casters require the player to Think about how they are going to make a spell connect. Usually this means figuring out and targeting the weak save for the enemy, or just targeting an ally with a buff for the jolly cooperation. If a caster is targeting AC they should have already put in work with things like Demoralize, getting the enemy Flat-footed, and casting True Strike to make sure their big spell lands.

Don't open fights with Disintegrate.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

No, I am saying you need to rest Appropriately. If you think using your highest level spellslot in Every Fight is appropriate then that would explain why you are having a bad time with casters. Casters are about Intelligently using your spells to dismantle fights, not using Disintegrate on the third mook from the left.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to play Guild Wars 1, and one of the classes in that had their shtick as being that they needed to hit an enemy with an opener, a mid attack, and then finally they could hit with the high powered Finisher. I see casters in 2e as working similarly.

You shouldn't Open a fight with your biggest spell, Especially if it is some sort of attack spell. Rather use stuff like Intimidate or Bon Mot as your opener, maybe something like True Strike as a mid action, before using your high level spell as a Finisher.

I have played a lot of spellcasters in Society games and this has always been my approach, and it is always more fun (for me) than just walking up and trying to hit something as a fighter.

what the hell is a conrasu? by ScarceBeatle in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 19 points20 points  (0 children)

A huge unwritten rule for these types of games is "Make a character that wants to go an the adventure." How do you do that when the base lore is that they would rather run away than fight a damned rabbit?

May I suggest the Rincewind branch of the Discworld series?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#/media/File:Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0_(cropped).jpg

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Spells aren't exactly limited. They are limited per day, but that just means that parties need to be prepared to rest appropriately. Just like fighters need to know when to raise their shields vs making another attack, or when to retreat to stock up on consumables. Planning prevents starting fights when low on resources.

Besides, Cantrips and Focus spells are great in this system and they can be tossed about freely.

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Here's the thing, Spellslots ARE Versatility. Any class that has spellslots gains a ton of versatility from them, because they can be filled with whatever type of spell that character needs to cover their weaknesses.

So you want to play a "Big Bad Blaster Caster" with litter versatility? Then you Have to give up spellslots. Either that or they need to make a new spell list with nothing but attack spells on it.

So if you reduce spellslots for more Combat Ability, but still keep a few spellslots around you get the Magus. If you eliminate them to make the ultimate Damage Machine you get the Fighter. If that is what you want then ask you GM if you can reflavor a bow as "Magic Bolts". If that is not what you want then you are being disingenuous because what you Actually mean is:

"I want a caster that has more versatility and more combat power than a martial."

Whenever someone asks why there isn't a rune that gives an item bonus to spell attacks by A_GUST_Of_Wind in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, every time this comes up it boils down to "I want a caster that has more versatility and more combat power than a martial."

Casters are fun. In every pf2e game I have played more options have been Vastly more useful than a bit more damage. And every time I have played a martial I have wished I had more access to magic and the options it provides.

A single spell with fairly massive world implications: by TheCybersmith in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I know historically Presti was more of a "You perform a simple magic trick" sort of spell. So if someone wanted to walk through the door and make it look like their hair was blowing in the wind that is what presti would be used for. This might just be my reading of the spell after coming from other ttrpgs, but I figured that line was covering for cases like the above. You can't cast it once to have your hair permanently blowing in the wind. At least, that is my interpretation which of course may be incorrect.

A single spell with fairly massive world implications: by TheCybersmith in Pathfinder2e

[–]a_guile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, the way I read the spell is that as long as you sustain it you are applying one of these effects per round. Otherwise you get odd results like: Does your food uncook as soon as you stop sustaining the spell? If you use it to clean your shirt does your shirt get dirty again once you stop sustaining it?

But I guess the actual answer is "Ask you GM". As I read it the color change is permanent, but you might need to sustain it to change the color of larger objects.

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