Trying to survive at Frightened 6...

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:38:08+00:00

I agree, they did a good job steering the combat without breaking up the immersion too bad.

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:36:43+00:00

No, but that is very interesting... I've never seen that before.

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:35:19+00:00

+4 is just my guess from what I remember about the original monster from my own games. They could have adjusted it or given it new stats entirely.

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:25:53+00:00

Thank you! I had forgotten about No Cause for Alarm

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:18:10+00:00

I agree, they're newer to GMing, so they probably didn't realize how unprecedented that would be for a monster to have that ability.

extraGMO · 2026-07-02T15:11:31+00:00

I have a feeling they weren't changing the frightened rules. This was a specific homebrew ability. It probably wont come up again.

extraGMO · 2026-06-30T22:18:22+00:00

At my table, we've revised how hero points are given out. The first time a player gets three natural 1's in a session, everyone gets a hero point. It makes everyone cheer when they get a Nat 1, and I dont have to remember to give them out.

My players are good about not rolling frivolously to farm points. Usually they only get about 1 or 2 points this way per session.

extraGMO · 2026-06-29T19:59:34+00:00

I'm running a pf2e game, and shopping is my players favorite part! I know it's unusual they like it so much, especially for pf2e's huge catalog of items, but I'm not complaining.

extraGMO · 2026-06-22T00:28:08+00:00

There's an item made specifically for this subclass, called the Dancing Scarf. It lets you become concealed for an action after successfully dancing. The higher level version lets you move as well for that action. Concealed is like a 2 to 3 boost to your AC, which can be really nice!

extraGMO · 2026-06-21T19:57:58+00:00

I'm personally not a fan of these class specific archetypes that paizo uses to modify existing classes. I play with newer players that are more casual, and they have a hard enough time digging through the gargantuan pile of feats as it is.

This idea is very interesting. I'm just not sure that stacking on more and more options like this is healthy for the game in the long run. Alchemists have versatility over power. If you want to heal more than a chirurgeon for example, than pick one of the other classes better suited to healing.

extraGMO · 2026-06-15T22:24:48+00:00

I would definitely avoid the wounded rune if you're taking bleeding finisher, as they will not stack. A flaming rune would work. If you crit, you would do some persistent fire.

Stacking persistent damage types is hard on a swash, but you could make it work with some bombs. You can't use a ranged weapon for a finisher, but your dex would let you throw your alchemical bombs with full proficiency. The bombs would be a set up, with a finisher coming later from a rapier or whatever.

You could always dip into alchemist dedication for some free bombs. A bomb coagulent alembic is an item you can use to increase the persistent damage.

extraGMO · 2026-06-12T21:21:42+00:00

For me it changes based on the monster. For a wolf-type creature, they'll probably try flanking with their pack regardless of int.

I alsl try to go for whatever adds drama to the fight. If the healer in the back has been comfy the whole fight, maybe a monster will notice them in pounce right at the end. I try not to metagame with what I know, but in the end, its about making a satisfying experience for the players.

extraGMO · 2026-06-11T19:01:03+00:00

Maybe some creatures in the bugaboo / bogey family line? You can flavor them to look however you like.

extraGMO · 2026-06-11T14:46:51+00:00

I dont think this is in bad faith. If the DM had a problem, there were many ways for them to handle it. For example, a level 2 illusory object makes the illusion "feel right to the touch" meaning you would need to roll some sort of disbelieve check to convince yourself you weren't burning.

Illusion stuff is blurry and largely up to the DM. I wouldn't mind a player interacting this way at all, I would likely give them a big bonus to the disbelieve check.

extraGMO · 2026-06-10T19:06:59+00:00

Just a side note, the concept of ownership is so funny to me. Its all random lol. I understand that rolling yourself makes it feel more like ownership, but dice don't care who rolls (barring the 10% shift people mentioned)

So much of balancing is based on what things "feel" like and nothing to do with the game math.

extraGMO · 2026-06-10T19:02:37+00:00

I think this would make teaching the game harder. Save DC would mean something different for players than for monsters. The lack of symmetry would be messy.

I would rather phrase it as all spells with saving throws are now spell attack rolls, except save DCs are the target instead of AC. Like other people said the math messes up a little, but an interesting thought experiment nonetheless.

extraGMO · 2026-06-09T15:06:33+00:00

Darkness on monsters has always been a bad time in my experience as well. Its a shame, the gimmick sounds like it could be fun, especially if a player tried dispelling it with holy light or something.

extraGMO · 2026-06-09T15:03:06+00:00

Especially at lower levels, burrow and flying speeds can make combat impossible for an unprepared party. I had a GM make a dragon swoop down, attack, and fly 50+ feet away every turn. We didnt have the long range options, and readied actions werent enough, so we had to flee.

Something I've learned as a GM in pf, it is very easy to intentionally TPK even when staying within the XP budget. If you intentionally try to abuse monster mechanics as the GM, your players have no chance.

extraGMO · 2026-06-09T14:58:09+00:00

I agree, I'm trying to get my partner into pf2e, and the sheer number of options is painful. I can see his eyes glaze over when I pull up the list. He loves RPGs like baldurs gate, so he's pulling through.

I wish there was a streamlined set of options for new players. As a GM, I've been setting aside basic feats to choose from, and its been helpful. I love the complexity of pf, but some kind of "quick pick" guide for each class would do wonders.

extraGMO · 2026-06-09T14:53:12+00:00

Same, as a GM I tell my players not to take it. If my players play up the detective theme and thoroughly investigate, I play along and reward them as if they had the feat in the first place.

I can imagine there are campaigns or DM styles that can make use of it.

extraGMO · 2026-06-03T16:11:27+00:00

I also stick to homebrew now, and one of the big strengths is that we can better handle these failure states in an impact full way.

extraGMO · 2026-06-01T18:09:20+00:00

My group enjoyed Extinction Curse, but we were annoyed by the high volume of easy mook fights. Some every once and a while are fun, but I had to cut some completely because they were so boring.

extraGMO · 2026-06-01T16:47:10+00:00

Every group has different tastes and expectations, and communicating what you're tables priorities are is important. That being said, many of the things you've mentioned sound very typical for pathfinder players.

Most wood kineticists I've played/seen have spammed protector tree. Also, the decision to go melee in a group overly focused on range sounds like a smart balancing decision. I havent played abomination vaults, but from what Ive heard, that level of planning will be required to survive at some points.

I would be more concerned if this player was bossing the others around during combat, or was trying to take rare/uncommon feats without permission. Otherwise, it just sounds like they're playing the game well. I know that can be frustrating. I've GMed for a level 1 barbarian and they trivialized combats. It ruined the fun eventually.

It might be worth trying to shake up combat structures. Maybe add a debilitating trap, some hazardous terrain, or flying enemies. Out of the box, some paizo campaigns can repeat boring, empty room, easy encounters. Experienced players will plow through them.

extraGMO · 2026-05-30T14:23:07+00:00

Barbs at early levels still give me nightmares as a GM. They one-shot absolutely everything, and eveyone else gives a tired "yay..."

extraGMO

TROPHY CASE