Siver wrote on Oct 15
th, 2011 at 3:53am:
Obviously! After all, there is NO WAY anybody could have a different preference on how to play pen and paper games. There is ONLY ONE WAY to do it!
If you aren't all flower sniffing role players with no stat above 14 you are doing it wrong, and your GM SUCKS!!!
(The above is purely sarcasm, coming from someone who prefers to play a flower sniffing role player for PnP games.)
Now that I got that out of the way, if his group prefers to play the power creep game, and the GM knows how to handle it, then that's fine. Pathfinder isn't the system for someone who wants to do that. Problem is, if you want to play a game where melee can actually stand up to magic, Pathfinder isn't the system for that, either. Go look at Palladium Fantasy, where melee is king, and casters cry in terror of children in rock gardens.
Seriously, you want to claim your GM is better? Have him run Palladium. If he doesn't go running screaming into the woods, then you might just have a leg to stand on. (I happen to like Palladium, but it is probably because it makes the people I play with, who demand a game where the rules spell out every possible action you can try. I hate that. Role playing is for letting the imagination fly! Not for playing wargames with a bit of fluff attached. That's what 4E is for.)
Also, if you don't mind my asking, how are the melee feats highly improved in Pathfinder? I only read through it a little, so don't remember much. For example, I think power attack goes from taking off the first +5 attack bonus, to taking off one every 4 points or some, so only pure melee classes (and clerics with divine might, or wizards with whatever the tensor's transformation is called in that system) Rogues get dicked.
Trip, sunder, disarm are made nearly impossible thanks to the combat defense thing, which sounds like a good idea at first, but when I read over it a little more, kind of felt like it fell flat.
Don't get me wrong. Feats are awesome. Getting an extra 3 feats or so is always nice. Of course, it also pretty much knocks humans out of the game, unless you want a single specific stat without any penalties. Even then, better to go with half elf and take the pitiful bonuses they bring.
But, the point I was trying to get to, could you explain the improved combat feats to us please? I haven't seen anybody defending them in this thread yet, so if I simply missed it, a link or page number would be wonderful. Thank you!
Wow. Someone who isn't just opening their mouth to hear themselves talk. I would love to explain my reasoning to a thinking being. Thank you for your thirst for information!
Power Attack: You may take a -1 to hit to receive a +2 bonus to damage. +3 if you wield a two hander or a natural weapon that deals 1.5 str mod. At BAB +4 it becomes -2 for +4. So yes, Rogues do progress slower than Full base attack bonus classes. This change is fine with me, though I understand some peoples gripes.
Dervish Dance: A favorite of mine, Pre reqs- 13 Dex, Weapon Finesse 2 Ranks in perform Dance, Prof. with Scimitar. Allows for Dex to be used for Attack and Damage with a scimitar, and Scimitar is treated as a one handed piercing weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon.(
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat)
Double Slice: Good for TWFers. Allows full strength bonus to offhand attacks. (
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/double-slice-combat---final)
Cleave/Great Cleave: I feel these feats are improved. Now as a standard action you may make an attack. If that attack hits, you may make the same attack at an adjacent foe. Great Cleave lets you keep going until you miss. Good for moving up and striking.
Higher Level Combat Feats:
Truthfully most of this stuff works best if you are a fighter, or straight up requires you to be a fighter.
Anyone can take:
Critical Focus: +4 to confirm Critical Hits. Sucks, but is the gateway to some of the best melee maneuvers.
Blinding Critical: Whenever you critically hit the target, it becomes blind.
Stagering Critical: Whenever you critically hit the taget, it becomes Staggered.
Stunning Critical: Whenever you critically hit the target it becomes stunned.
You get the picture. These are available at level 11, and go up in BAB as they get more useful.
A Fighter with 14 BAB can take a feat allowing him to apply TWO effects on a critical hit.
Fighter Only:
Penetrating Strike: Attacks ignore 5 points of damage reduction (As long as it can be bypassed)
As far as Combat maneuvers go, in practice they work well at low levels, and are scrapped at high levels then CMD gets too high to make such attacks likely. That system doesn't work quite as well, but it is simple at least.
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Anyone else trying out Pathfinder? (Read 10511 times)
