Pathfinder: Kingmaker

[Spore]

Entangle, Web and Spike Growth help immensely with buff melee beasties. Other than that, I saw Curse, Doom and Tashas ...

[Kaptin Keen]

Entangle, Web and Spike Growth help immensely with buff melee beasties. Other than that, I saw Curse, Doom and Tashas ...

It kinda figures - and I might have tried it too, but if I had to guess in advance, I'd say I'm exceptionally bad at kiting. Which is to say that it's not a tactic I've ever used in a game like this. I tried frostmage kiting in WoW, and I was abysmal at that. So ...

Edit: Ok, you were right all along - it's a manageable fight, if you're willing to use web.

[Eldonauran]

Yeah, I have to agree. Entangle, Web, etc. I happen to have a party that is 4/6 focused on archery, with the other 2/6 being adequate at it simply due to BAB. Buff melee monsters rarely have a chance to get to my party members, considering the four animal companions that serve as a buffer, and the the multitude of summoned creatures that get dropped on top of the beasties as they are slowed. A fireball usually helps soften up the mobs if they manage to chew through the summoned critters, and since the animal companions have evasion, I am pretty free with the AoE spells. ... We do consistently cast Resist Fire, Communal (extended) just to be safe.

I just made it to the Womb Of Lamashtu. Stupid primal spiders and their sneaky spawn mechanics trying to get to my squishies. I am so glad that my switchitter (which hasn't actually seen much melee combat) was geared up to take aggro. Delayed the spiders long enough (combat reflexes ftw) for the Inquisitor to drop some summons behind the group and to pull two of the companions back from the front lines to assist. Delay Poison, Communal is worth its weight in gold.

[Renegade Paladin]

I just buff into the stratosphere and beat things to death, usually. I've found that Web just gets in my own way, especially since the caster won't keep it centered on the original target if you target a creature, but will rather put the web where that creature was when the cast order was given.

[Narkis]

I just buff into the stratosphere and beat things to death, usually. I've found that Web just gets in my own way, especially since the caster won't keep it centered on the original target if you target a creature, but will rather put the web where that creature was when the cast order was given.

You can freely switch the target of any AoE spell at any time before the moment it goes off. Just select the caster and drag the icon on the center of the area, or issue the same command with the new target.

[Alent]

I also follow the "Buff as much as I can, let a Leopard tank, and everyone else fires away with spells and archery" route, but I also find it somewhat useful to fire off a trio of Maximized Enervates at the start of a fight with anything boss-like. That, the Dwarven Freedom of Movement Hammer, and Entangle made it very easy for me to solo one half of the fight in the Womb of Lamashtu where you split the party. (How does one do that fight if you're actually soloing..?)

At this point, in the game, I'm the lack of PrCs and Archetypes just disappointing. I find myself thinking maybe I should put the game aside for a while and wait for a mod that's basically Kaedrin's Class Pack. I need to pay a visit to Varnhold now, wondering how much playtime I have left?

[Eldonauran]

At this point, in the game, I'm the lack of PrCs and Archetypes just disappointing. I find myself thinking maybe I should put the game aside for a while and wait for a mod that's basically Kaedrin's Class Pack. I need to pay a visit to Varnhold now, wondering how much playtime I have left?

What level were you when you tackled the Womb Of Lamashtu? I am splitting exp between all characters, including the additional 5 mercs I created, so I am not sure where I should be level wise at this point.

Anyway, the game is a new release. I am actually surprised they included prestige classes. Archetypes were a huge boon, and are Pathfinder's preferred alternative to prestige classes. Just need to be patient. You have so many different class combinations already available to play with that it should last you a few play throughs.

[Renegade Paladin]

God, the Tomb of Vordekai is just next level nonsense. Protip: Go in with as many scrolls of restoration and death ward as you can lay your hands on. I'm straight out of healing. I think I may need to back out to my last save before, which foolishly was about three weeks before I found it. At least I'll know what to do this time.

[Spore]

Edit: Ok, you were right all along - it's a manageable fight, if you're willing to use web.

I just went from the experience I had with the three traps I have encountered so far where NO ONE made their saves: Web, while not doing any damage, was by far the worst. I think when I wasn't completely frozen in place, I made 10 ft. per turn (because the engine somehow doesnt allow double move on one creature's turn).

Yeah, I have to agree. Entangle, Web, etc. I happen to have a party that is 4/6 focused on archery, with the other 2/6 being adequate at it simply due to BAB.

Great, now I want another group under an archer fighter or eldritch archer MC just to abuse the heck out of ranged combat. Going Linzi, Jaethal, MC, Eyakundo as ranged chars, with Valerie as frontline and Tristian as healer. God forbid someone actually goes into melee with us.

[Renegade Paladin]

Tomb of Vordekai spoilers.

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So... is Tristian bugged such that he doesn't die/gain the Death's Door condition when put way below his negative CON score, or is there something sinister going on here? He was awfully insistent that he go along, which I wouldn't find suspicious except that he's suddenly not subject to mortality...

[Eldonauran]

Great, now I want another group under an archer fighter or eldritch archer MC just to abuse the heck out of ranged combat. Going Linzi, Jaethal, MC, Eyakundo as ranged chars, with Valerie as frontline and Tristian as healer. God forbid someone actually goes into melee with us.

Be careful with that. You need to have a good number of melee units in order to take full advantage of archery tactics. I have animal companions and buffed summons to fill that gap, with two dedicated tank units. They only really deal damage through buffs and weapon enchantments. They are there as a stop gap, one which happens to be a cleric for emergency burst healing. In a normal party, I'd suggest two dedicated melee, two switch hitters, and two archers.

[Alent]

What level were you when you tackled the Womb Of Lamashtu? I am splitting exp between all characters, including the additional 5 mercs I created, so I am not sure where I should be level wise at this point.

Anyway, the game is a new release. I am actually surprised they included prestige classes. Archetypes were a huge boon, and are Pathfinder's preferred alternative to prestige classes. Just need to be patient. You have so many different class combinations already available to play with that it should last you a few play throughs.

I believe I was level 9 when I went into the womb, I ticked over to level 10 sometime during the last few kills. I've got full EXP splits on and don't have any special mercs since I was mostly able to salvage myself a passable party. I haven't really had much trouble, but I'll caveat that with I've had to load from save multiple times because of bad rolls, forgetting buffs, or just bad encounter design.

As to the classes... I dunno, I'm not inspired by any of the classes/archetypes in the list as implemented. Maybe when the respec mod is bugless I'll give class mechanics a more thorough exploration, but I don't really see anything I haven't already tried and done better on tabletop.

[Kaptin Keen]

I just went from the experience I had with the three traps I have encountered so far where NO ONE made their saves: Web, while not doing any damage, was by far the worst. I think when I wasn't completely frozen in place, I made 10 ft. per turn (because the engine somehow doesnt allow double move on one creature's turn).

Yea - spells persisting out of combat is frankly dumb.

[Spore]

Be careful with that. You need to have a good number of melee units in order to take full advantage of archery tactics. I have animal companions and buffed summons to fill that gap, with two dedicated tank units. They only really deal damage through buffs and weapon enchantments. They are there as a stop gap, one which happens to be a cleric for emergency burst healing. In a normal party, I'd suggest two dedicated melee, two switch hitters, and two archers.

So maybe Monster Tactician, then.

Yea - spells persisting out of combat is frankly dumb.

Yeah but it is RAW.

[Inarius]

Tomb of Vordekai spoilers.

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So... is Tristian bugged such that he doesn't die/gain the Death's Door condition when put way below his negative CON score, or is there something sinister going on here? He was awfully insistent that he go along, which I wouldn't find suspicious except that he's suddenly not subject to mortality...

Spoiler

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Answering that question will kind of spoil things, but no he's not bugged. He's effectively immortal because hes there for a specific event.

Yeah but it is RAW.

While it may be RAW, the difference is "waiting" for it to clear while playing pnp takes a few seconds out of your life. Waiting for a spell with a 10 minute timer to clear in this game takes an actual 10 minutes -.- Personally I do like that they persist out of combat but the game really needs a wait function or a way to speed the game up to compensate for the crazy long timers.

[Kaptin Keen]

Yeah but it is RAW.

Undeniably true - but ... generally, it's agreed that you can cancel your own spells. I don't know if that's RAW, only everyone does it, and most also deem that spells you cast disappear automatically if you lose consciousness. Being trapped in your own web spell for ten minutes is still dumb, even if it's raw =)

[Halfling bard struggles feebly] Help help, I can't get out.

While even the monstrously buffed female barbarian struggles to walk out as glacial speeds.

[Narkis]

Undeniably true - but ... generally, it's agreed that you can cancel your own spells. I don't know if that's RAW, only everyone does it, and most also deem that spells you cast disappear automatically if you lose consciousness. Being trapped in your own web spell for ten minutes is still dumb, even if it's raw =)

[Halfling bard struggles feebly] Help help, I can't get out.

While even the monstrously buffed female barbarian struggles to walk out as glacial speeds.

That I agree with. Web in RAW 3.5 is one of the many spells with a "D" next to its duration, which means it's dismissible by the caster as a standard action. I really miss that function in game. I had my wizard accidentally get stuck in his own web for the full duration once. It was infuriating.

[Delta]

Just about to start on my first run, I have some experience with 3.5 but boy, those options in the character creation can seem a bit... overwhelming, to say the least.

Any good advice for a good starting build? Thinking about a blasting sorcerer but am open to all kind of suggestions (and tips on how to make a good sorc as well)

[Kaptin Keen]

Just about to start on my first run, I have some experience with 3.5 but boy, those options in the character creation can seem a bit... overwhelming, to say the least.

Any good advice for a good starting build? Thinking about a blasting sorcerer but am open to all kind of suggestions (and tips on how to make a good sorc as well)

Friendly fire would make a blaster mage too annoying for my tastes. A surprisingly high number of enemies resistant to fire would make fireballs an iffy choice.

But then, frankly, I haven't made a single character in this game, I just play the stock.

[Delta]

I'm pathologically unable to play default characters. If there are classes, options, customizable selections or, god forbid, sliders of any kind, I know I'll need at least an hour or so before I'm actually playing the game.

[Renegade Paladin]

Spoiler

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Answering that question will kind of spoil things, but no he's not bugged. He's effectively immortal because hes there for a specific event.

Spoiler

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So noted. My suspicion stems from the fact that OTHER characters at places for specific events aren't immortal; when Regongar died in the Technic League hideout it just forced me to reload. But yeah, don't tell me.

[Maryring]

The kingdom management really gives you a ton of trap options for projects and events and the like. Trade routes are all essentially worthless. Investigating curses seem to only give minor kingdom stat boosts, and I just got an option to gain immunity to poison... in lands I already own. Unfortunately, you can only claim lands where you've done your story quest duties, so that isn't really helpful either.

[Eldonauran]

The kingdom management really gives you a ton of trap options for projects and events and the like. Trade routes are all essentially worthless. Investigating curses seem to only give minor kingdom stat boosts, and I just got an option to gain immunity to poison... in lands I already own. Unfortunately, you can only claim lands where you've done your story quest duties, so that isn't really helpful either.

Not YET, at least.
But, really. With Delay Poison, Communal... Who needs poison immunity?

[Aotrs Commander]

I'm pathologically unable to play default characters. If there are classes, options, customizable selections or, god forbid, sliders of any kind, I know I'll need at least an hour or so before I'm actually playing the game.

Any RPG in which I don't spend at LEAST an hour on character generation really isn't trying...

[Maryring]

Not YET, at least.
But, really. With Delay Poison, Communal... Who needs poison immunity?

Exactly. Not that I'll be able to afford it now. Because... it seems, after upgrading my capital to town, the general merchant bugged out. I can no longer interact with him, and so can't buy more BP.

[Inarius]

Just about to start on my first run, I have some experience with 3.5 but boy, those options in the character creation can seem a bit... overwhelming, to say the least.

Any good advice for a good starting build? Thinking about a blasting sorcerer but am open to all kind of suggestions (and tips on how to make a good sorc as well)

Blastery sorcs are a favorite of mine and they work fairly well in this game, it just takes awhile for them to get enough levels to get rolling. You could offset that by going sylvan sorc and using the pet you get as a sort of crutch for early levels. Pets are just really beefy in this game so it's always a handy option though I can't say I've tried it.

Another good option is to start as vivisectionist or a rogue for one level then transition into a sage sorc (they use int as a casting stat) then pick up arcane trickster. Makes you a decent skill monkey and it lets your cantrips do solid damage on their own since sneak attack is really easy to trigger in this game. You'll need accomplished sneak attacker and the precise shot feats to both unlock the class and be able to use ranged touch attacks without penalties. After that metamagic feats like empower and heighten spell are good so you can cast scorching ray as a higher level spell since that's going to be your bread and butter single target nuke until you get access to hellfire ray.

Picking an elemental origin sorc is also pretty handy because it gives you a toggle that lets you change the elements of your spells to your origins element. Its not actually listed in the class description, but the game does give you the ability as a toggle effect so you can lob out fireballs that do electric damage if you wish for instance. It also gives the benefit of allowing you to use the elemental feats to up the dc of your spells by +2 which stacks with the spell focus buffs for a total of +4 to spell DCs.

As for avoiding friendly fire, use spells like communal resist energy and communal protection from energy to have your party ignore your own nukes damage.

[Sloanzilla]

Was Trisitan supposed to get "wings" as a feat option at level 5??

Also, are there any plans to turn off the fact that if you have power attack active you won't use a bow from range? that's annoying. I think it is true with cleave too. I wish having the bow equipped would override your melee choices.

[Inarius]

Exactly. Not that I'll be able to afford it now. Because... it seems, after upgrading my capital to town, the general merchant bugged out. I can no longer interact with him, and so can't buy more BP.

Supposedly you can enter and renter your town over and over until it bugs out and reverts to it visually not being a city. Then that merchant will allow you to interact with him. It seems to be a common issue with the visual upgrade of Tuskdale.

Or you could just edit in BP through your save file. I've pretty much given up trying to play without cheats at this point. The BP costs are absurd considering how slowly you can accrue BP and all of the time limits the game throws at you, and merc costs are also really annoying.

Was Trisitan supposed to get "wings" as a feat option at level 5??.

Yeah the wings feat seems really bugged out, I was making a level 2 human merc yesterday who had access to that feat as an option heh.

[Kaptin Keen]

Was Trisitan supposed to get "wings" as a feat option at level 5??

He's what now?!

[Platinius]

<<Wings>> is an Aasimar-only feat accessible at level 10 and you can typically only take it at level 11 because then you get the a feat on level-up to lvl 11 not on leveling up to lvl 10.